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Heliyon Jun 2024Less. is a perennial herb belonging to the Compositae family that has been used in traditional medicine as an antitussive and expectorant for treating chronic...
Rapid chemical characterization and pharmacological mechanism of Fining Granules in the treatment of chronic bronchitis based on UHPLC-Q-exactive orbitrap mass spectrometer and network pharmacology.
BACKGROUND
Less. is a perennial herb belonging to the Compositae family that has been used in traditional medicine as an antitussive and expectorant for treating chronic bronchitis and acute respiratory infections. Traditionally, Feining Granules are prepared from water extracts of the raw plant material. However, the chemical composition and pharmacological mechanisms of Feining Granules have not been thoroughly investigated.
METHODS
A systematic strategy for the rapid detection and identification of the constituents of Feining Granules was developed using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-exactive orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) with parallel reaction monitoring.
RESULTS
Overall, 162 compounds, including flavonoids, alkaloids, organic acids, and others, were identified unambiguously and tentatively by comparing the retention times and MS fragmentation with reference standards and literature data. Ninety-nine of these were reported for the first time to the best of our knowledge. Network pharmacology suggests that Feining Granules can be used to treat chronic bronchitis as they contain active components associated with the , , and target genes influenced by HIF-1, VEGF, and other signaling pathways.
CONCLUSION
These results provide information that can help understand the effective substances of Less. and improve quality control.
PubMed: 38845898
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31804 -
Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) 2024To analyze whether infants admitted to hospital with Acute Viral Bronchiolitis (AVB), who received glucocorticoids and bronchodilators, and who had an atopic phenotype,...
OBJECTIVE
To analyze whether infants admitted to hospital with Acute Viral Bronchiolitis (AVB), who received glucocorticoids and bronchodilators, and who had an atopic phenotype, spent less time in hospital and/or less time on oxygen therapy when compared to those who did not have the phenotype.
METHOD
A cross-sectional, retrospective epidemiological study was developed with data from medical records of infants admitted to hospital due to AVB from 2012 to 2019 in a sentinel public hospital. It was verified that the frequency of prescription of glucocorticoids, bronchodilators and antibiotics. Length of stay and oxygen therapy duration were then compared in the group that used glucocorticoids and bronchodilators between those who had a personal or family history of atopy and those who did not. Subsequently, the length of hospital stay was compared among infants who received antibiotic therapy and those who did not.
RESULTS
Fifty-eight infants were included. Of these, 62.1 % received an antibiotic, 100 % a bronchodilator and 98.3 % a glucocorticoid. When comparing infants without a family history of atopy, those who received antibiotics had a longer hospital stay (p = 0.01).
CONCLUSION
The presence of an atopic phenotype did not interfere with the length of stay and/or oxygen therapy duration of those who received bronchodilators and glucocorticoids. Increased length of stay of infants without a family history of atopy, who used antibiotics without evidence of bacterial co-infection, and the high frequency of prescription of non-recommended drugs call attention to stricter protocol implementation and professional training in AVB diagnosis and care.
Topics: Humans; Bronchodilator Agents; Glucocorticoids; Male; Retrospective Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Bronchiolitis, Viral; Female; Infant; Length of Stay; Phenotype; Acute Disease; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38843677
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinsp.2024.100396 -
[Rinsho Ketsueki] the Japanese Journal... 2024Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) negatively impacts long-term survival and quality of life (QOL) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.... (Review)
Review
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) negatively impacts long-term survival and quality of life (QOL) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Corticosteroids are the first-line treatment for cGVHD, but approximately 30% to 70% of patients develop steroid-refractory cGVHD (SR-cGVHD), which has an extremely poor prognosis. The pathophysiology of cGVHD is more complicated than acute GVHD, but recent advances using murine models in conjunction with human studies indicate three major phases: 1) acute inflammation, 2) chronic inflammation with loss of immune tolerance, and 3) disrupted target organ homeostasis and fibrosis. Strategies that help prevent cGVHD include optimal donor selection and choice of conditioning regimen as well as pharmacologic and graft manipulation strategies. The key cellular mediators of SR-cGVHD are T cells, B cells, antigen-presenting cells, and fibroblasts. T cells and B cells are now targetable with the inhibitors ibrutinib and ruxolitinib, respectively. Recently, promising results have been obtained by modulating pathologic T cell responses with Rock2 inhibitors and targeting fibrosis with CSF-1R inhibitors. To optimize the use of these medications, a better understanding of the biological and target organ-specific mechanisms of cGVHD is needed. Here we review recent advances in cGVHD pathogenesis and discuss how best to implement recently approved biology-driven treatments for cGVHD.
Topics: Humans; Graft vs Host Disease; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Transplantation, Homologous; Chronic Disease; Animals; Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome
PubMed: 38825520
DOI: 10.11406/rinketsu.65.401 -
Revista Paulista de Pediatria : Orgao... 2024Pediatric cardiac tumors are rare and, among them, 90% are benign. Cardiac fibroma is the second most frequent tumor, after rhabdomyoma. The objective of this study is...
OBJECTIVE
Pediatric cardiac tumors are rare and, among them, 90% are benign. Cardiac fibroma is the second most frequent tumor, after rhabdomyoma. The objective of this study is to report a case of cardiac fibroma diagnosed incidentally in a patient admitted with acute viral bronchiolitis.
CASE DESCRIPTION
A 5-month-old male infant was admitted to the pediatric emergency department with acute viral bronchiolitis requiring hospitalization. He presented a detectable respiratory syncytial virus in oropharyngeal swab, blood test with lymphocytosis and a chest radiography revealed cardiomegaly. Further cardiologic testing was performed detecting elevation of cardiac biomarkers, an electrocardiogram with alteration of left ventricular repolarization and echocardiogram with a heterogeneous mass in the left ventricular, with areas of calcification. A chest angiotomography suggested rhabdomyosarcoma or cardiac fibroma and a magnetic resonance showed a mass, with characteristics suggesting fibroma. The final diagnosis was made after two cardiac catheterizations for biopsy of the lesion, confirming cardiac fibroma by anatomopathological examination. Because the patient had moderate to severe systolic dysfunction, he was submitted to heart transplant.
COMMENTS
One third of cardiac fibromas are asymptomatic, generally diagnosed late through tests ordered for other reasons. The gold-standard test for definitive diagnosis is biopsy. Cardiac fibroma usually does not present spontaneous regression and, in most cases, partial or total surgical resection is necessary. When tumors are unresectable, heart transplantation should be indicated. It is essential to have detailed characterization of the cardiac mass to establish the most appropriate therapeutic approach for each patient.
Topics: Humans; Male; Heart Neoplasms; Fibroma; Infant; Incidental Findings; Bronchiolitis, Viral; Acute Disease
PubMed: 38808864
DOI: 10.1590/1984-0462/2024/42/2022157 -
Archives of Virology May 2024Qingke Pingchuan granules (QPGs), which contain Houttuynia cordata Thunb, Fritillaria cirrhosa, fired licorice, and fired bitter almonds, among other components, can...
Qingke Pingchuan granules (QPGs), which contain Houttuynia cordata Thunb, Fritillaria cirrhosa, fired licorice, and fired bitter almonds, among other components, can clear heat and ventilate the lungs, relieving cough and asthma. Clinically, QPGs are mainly used to treat cough, asthma, fever and other discomforts caused by acute or chronic bronchitis. In this study, the antiviral activity of QPGs against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A virus A/FM/1/47 (H1N1), oseltamivir-resistant H1N1, A/Beijing/32/92 (H3N2), Sendai virus, and human adenovirus type 3 in Hep-2 or MDCK cells was evaluated using the CCK-8 method, and the cytotoxicity of QPGs to these two cell lines was tested. The effect of QPGs on mice infected with influenza A virus A/FM/1/47 (H1N1) was evaluated by measuring body weight, survival time, and survival rate, as well as virus titers and lesions in the lungs and levels of inflammatory factors in serum. In addition, the expression of TLR-7-My88-NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins in lung tissues was analyzed by Western blotting and qRT-PCR. The results showed that QPGs had a potent inhibitory effect on the six viruses tested in vitro. Interestingly, QPGs also displayed particularly pronounced antiviral activity against H1N1-OC, similar to that of oseltamivir, a well-known antiviral drug. QPGs effectively protected mice from infection by H1N1, as indicated by significantly increased body weights, survival times, and survival rates and reduced lung virus titers of inflammatory factors and lung tissue injury. The levels of TLR-7-MyD88-NF-κB-pathway-related proteins in the lung tissue of infected mice were found to be decreased after QPG treatment, thereby alleviating lung injury caused by excessive release of inflammatory factors. Taken together, these findings indicate that QPGs have satisfactory activity against influenza virus infection.
Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Mice; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Humans; Orthomyxoviridae Infections; Dogs; Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Lung; Cell Line; Houttuynia; Influenza, Human; NF-kappa B; Female; Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype
PubMed: 38807015
DOI: 10.1007/s00705-024-06053-z -
Toxics May 2024Oridonin is the primary active component in the traditional Chinese medicine , displaying anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antibacterial effects. It is widely employed...
Oridonin is the primary active component in the traditional Chinese medicine , displaying anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antibacterial effects. It is widely employed in clinical therapy for acute and chronic pharyngitis, tonsillitis, as well as bronchitis. Nevertheless, the clinical application of oridonin is significantly restricted due to its reproductive toxicity, with the exact mechanism remaining unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of oridonin-induced damage to HTR-8/SVneo cells. Through the integration of epigenetics, proteomics, and metabolomics methodologies, the mechanisms of oridonin-induced reproductive toxicity were discovered and confirmed through fluorescence imaging, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting. Experimental findings indicated that oridonin altered m6A levels, gene and protein expression levels, along with metabolite levels within the cells. Additionally, oridonin triggered oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage, leading to a notable decrease in WNT6, β-catenin, CLDN1, CCND1, and ZO-1 protein levels. This implied that the inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and disruption of tight junction might be attributed to the cytotoxicity induced by oridonin and mitochondrial dysfunction, ultimately resulting in damage to HTR-8/SVneo cells.
PubMed: 38787118
DOI: 10.3390/toxics12050339 -
Environmental Health Perspectives May 2024More frequent and intense exposure to extreme heat conditions poses a serious threat to public health. However, evidence on the association between heat and specific...
BACKGROUND
More frequent and intense exposure to extreme heat conditions poses a serious threat to public health. However, evidence on the association between heat and specific diagnoses of morbidity is still limited. We aimed to comprehensively assess the short-term association between cause-specific hospital admissions and high temperature, including the added effect of temperature variability and heat waves and the effect modification by humidity and air pollution.
METHODS
We used data on cause-specific hospital admissions, weather (i.e., temperature and relative humidity), and air pollution [i.e., fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter (), fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter (), , and ozone ()] for 48 provinces in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2019. The statistical analysis was performed for the summer season (June-September) and consisted of two steps. We first applied quasi-Poisson generalized linear regression models in combination with distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNM) to estimate province-specific temperature-morbidity associations, which were then pooled through multilevel univariate/multivariate random-effect meta-analysis.
RESULTS
High temperature had a generalized impact on cause-specific hospitalizations, while the added effect of temperature variability [i.e., diurnal temperature range (DTR)] and heat waves was limited to a reduced number of diagnoses. The strongest impact of heat was observed for metabolic disorders and obesity [relative risk (RR) = 1.978; 95% empirical confidence interval (eCI): 1.772, 2.208], followed by renal failure (1.777; 95% eCI: 1.629, 1.939), urinary tract infection (1.746; 95% eCI: 1.578, 1.933), sepsis (1.543; 95% eCI: 1.387, 1.718), urolithiasis (1.490; 95% eCI: 1.338, 1.658), and poisoning by drugs and nonmedicinal substances (1.470; 95% eCI: 1.298, 1.665). We also found differences by sex (depending on the diagnosis of hospitalization) and age (very young children and the elderly were more at risk). Humidity played a role in the association of heat with hospitalizations from acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis and diseases of the muscular system and connective tissue, which were higher in dry days. Moreover, heat-related effects were exacerbated on high pollution days for metabolic disorders and obesity () and diabetes (, ).
DISCUSSION
Short-term exposure to heat was found to be associated with new diagnoses (e.g., metabolic diseases and obesity, blood diseases, acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis, muscular and connective tissue diseases, poisoning by drugs and nonmedicinal substances, complications of surgical and medical care, and symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions) and previously identified diagnoses of hospital admissions. The characterization of the vulnerability to heat can help improve clinical and public health practices to reduce the health risks posed by a warming planet. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13254.
Topics: Spain; Humans; Hospitalization; Cross-Sectional Studies; Hot Temperature; Air Pollution; Environmental Exposure; Air Pollutants; Female; Male
PubMed: 38775486
DOI: 10.1289/EHP13254 -
Journal of Virological Methods Jul 2024Infectious bronchitis (IB) is an acute, highly contagious contact respiratory disease of chickens caused by infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). IBV is very prone to...
Infectious bronchitis (IB) is an acute, highly contagious contact respiratory disease of chickens caused by infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). IBV is very prone to mutation, which brings great difficulties to the prevention and control of the disease. Therefore, there is a pressing need for a method that is fast, sensitive, specific, and convenient for detecting IBV. In this study, a real-time fluorescence-based recombinase-aided amplification (RF-RAA) method was established. Primers and probe were designed based on the conserved regions of the IBV M gene and the reaction concentrations were optimized, then the specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility of this assay were tested. The results showed that the RF-RAA method could be completed at 39℃ within 20 min, during which the results could be interpreted visually in real-time. The RF-RAA method had good specificity, no cross-reaction with common poultry pathogens, and it detected a minimum concentration of template of 2 copies/μL for IBV. Besides, its reproducibility was stable. A total of 144 clinical samples were tested by RF-RAA and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), 132 samples of which were positive and 12 samples were negative, and the coincidence rate of the two methods was 100 %. In conclusion, the developed RF-RAA detection method is rapid, specific, sensitive, reproducible, and convenient, which can be utilized for laboratory detection and clinical diagnosis of IBV.
Topics: Infectious bronchitis virus; Animals; Sensitivity and Specificity; Chickens; Poultry Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Recombinases; Reproducibility of Results; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; DNA Primers; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Fluorescence; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques
PubMed: 38768869
DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2024.114955 -
Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi = Chinese Journal... Jun 2024To observe the expression of Galectin-7 in the serum and sputum of asthmatic children and to explore its significance in asthmatic children. The study prospectively...
To observe the expression of Galectin-7 in the serum and sputum of asthmatic children and to explore its significance in asthmatic children. The study prospectively case-control selected 183 children diagnosed with bronchial asthma at Department Ⅱ of Respiratory Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Beijing Children's Hospital of Capital Medical University. The control group consisted of 41 children with other bronchial diseases and 43 healthy children. Children in the asthma group were divided into acute and non-acute exacerbation groups. Acute exacerbation group was divided as mild acute, moderate acute and severe acute groups; non-acute exacerbation group was divided as mild persistent, moderate persistent and severe persistent groups. Children without acute exacerbation asthma in the asthma group were divided into high and low Galectin-7 groups based on median serum Galectin-7 levels. Serum and sputum were collected, Galectin-7 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The study compared and analyzed the differences in Galectin-7 levels between children with asthma and the control groups using Mann-Whitney test or the Kruskal-Wallis or the Chi-square test for inter-group comparisons. Among 183 children, 61 cases had acute asthma exacerbation, and 122 cases had persistent asthma without acute exacerbation. The asthma group comprised 110 males and 73 females. The control group consisted of 41 children with other bronchial diseases, including 24 cases of bronchiectasis and 17 cases of obliterans bronchitis. The control group comprised 26 males and 15 females. Forty-three healthy children who underwent physical examination, including 22 males and 21 females. The levels of Galectin-7 in serum were significantly higher in children with an acute asthma exacerbation than that of healthy children (0.1 (0, 0.7) . 0 (0, 0.2) μg/L, =2.09, =0.001). Galectin-7 levels in sputum were higher in children with an acute asthma exacerbation than that in children with other bronchial diseases (1.2 (0.1,3.7) . 0.4 (0.1, 1.5) μg/L, =2.20, <0.001). Serum Galectin-7 levels were significantly higher in children with persistent asthma compared to children with other bronchial diseases and healthy children (0.6 (0.3, 1.2) . 0.1 (0, 0.5) and 0 (0, 0.2) μg/L, =-6.127.63, both <0.001), and the levels were significantly and positively correlated with asthma severity (=0.77, <0.001), disease duration (=0.34, =0.001), and number of previous attacks (=0.51, <0.001). There were 61 children in the high-Galectin-7 group and 61 children in the low-Galectin-7 group. Children with high Galectin-7 had more asthma triggers, a greater proportion with a positive family history, more previous asthma attacks, longer duration of asthma, and higher serum total IgE levels compared to those with low Galectin-7 (=9.30, 22.46, =5.06, 3.57, 2.31, all <0.05). The expression of Galectin-7 is found to be elevated in the serum and sputum of asthmatic children and correlated with asthma conditions.
Topics: Humans; Galectins; Asthma; Sputum; Child; Case-Control Studies; Prospective Studies; Male; Female; Adolescent; Biomarkers; Child, Preschool
PubMed: 38763876
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112140-20240126-00077 -
Allergologie Select 2024None.
None.
PubMed: 38756207
DOI: 10.5414/ALX02444E