Major phytoconstituents of temulawak (Curcuma xanthorrhiza) in hepatoprotective activity

Uncovering the potential mechanism and bioactive compounds of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in attenuating diabetic retinopathy.

Most fatal mushroom poisonings are caused by species of the genus Amanita; the amatoxins are responsible for acute liver failure and death in humans. Ganoderma lucidum is a well-known traditional medicinal mushroom that has been shown to have obvious hepatoprotective effects. This study evaluated the hepatoprotective effects of triterpenoids from G. lucidum on liver injury induced by a-amanitin (α-AMA) in mice and the mechanisms of action of these triterpenoids, including radical scavenging and antiapoptosis activities. Mice were treated with α-AMA, followed by G. lucidum total triterpenoids or individual triterpenoids, and their hepatoprotective effects were compared with those of the reference drug silibinin (SIL). Treatment with SIL, G. lucidum total triterpenoids, and each of the 5 individual triterpenoids significantly reduced serum alanine aminotransaminase and aspartate ami- notransaminase concentrations and reduced mortality rates 20-40%. Moreover, triterpenoids and SIL significantly enhanced superoxide dismutase and catalase activity and reduced malondialdehyde content in livers. Treatment with ganoderic acid C2 significantly inhibited DNA fragmentation and decreased caspase-3, -8, and -9 activities. The results demonstrated that triterpenoids have hepatoprotective effects on α-AMA-induced liver injury and that their hepatoprotective mechanisms may be the result of their antioxidative and radical scavenging activities and their inhibition of apoptosis.

Purpose:This study was carried out to determine the traditional beliefs and practices of women from preconceptional period to postpartum period. Materials and Methods:The research has been descriptive. The study sample was constituted of 166 women who consulted to the Female Education and Culture Center between October 2015 and December 2015, gave at least one live birth, and agreed to participate in the study were involved in the scope of the study. The data of the study were collected through face-to-face interviews using a data form. Data was analyzed by frequency distribution and chi square test and statistical significance was examined at 0.05 significance level. Results:According to the study; As the cause of infertility, nearly to half of women said, “the woman must have health problems”. 69.9% of women stated that they should go to a doctor for infertility treatment and 13.9% stated that it is a necessity of any traditional practice to facilitate pregnancy. 33.7 % of the woman stated that the baby’s gender could be understood during pregnancy. 68.1 % of the participants stated they knew “puerperal fever” and 54.2 % of the participants said they knew “the forty fever” practice. Almost all of the participants were determined to implement a traditional practice with the umbilical cord. The participants gave multiple answers. 50 % stated the infant should be taken to the doctor when it had jaundice, 41.1 % said it could be covered with a yellow gauze. 52.% of the women stated that they should drink plenty of liquid to to increase the breast milk, and 25.5% stated that they should eat sweet things. Conclusion:The study was found that the incidence rate of traditional practices declined, however that they still continued to exist. For this reason, it is important that the traditional practices and beliefs of midwives and nurses taking care of them, their interrogation, the effects of these practices on mother and baby health.

HE liver plays a key role in the synthesis of proteins, metabolism of toxins and drugs, and in modulation of immunity. In critically ill patients, hypoxic, toxic, and inflammatory insults can affect hepatic excretory, synthetic, and/or purification functions, leading to systemic complications such as coagulopathy, increased risk of infection, hypoglycemia, and acute kidney injury. In severe cases, hepatic encephalopathyorbraindysfunction(acuteliverfailure)may occur. Because of the lack of specificity of standard laboratory investigations, identifying liver injury or dysfunction in critically ill patients remains a significant challenge. In addition, the great heterogeneity of criteria used to define the consequences of liver insults increases the difficulties for the clinician to properly interpret hepatic biochemical abnormalities. In this review, we choose to defineliver injuryas an elevation in serum concentrations of routinely measured hepatic enzymes, including aminotransferases (aspartate aminotransferase [AST]; alanine aminotransferase, [ALT]), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), or!-glutamyl transpeptidase. Hepatic dysfunctionrefers to derangement of pathways related to synthetic or clearance function, including international normalized ratio (INR) and bilirubin.Hepatotoxicity refers to hepatic injury and dysfunction caused by a drug or another noninfectious agent. 1 Acute liver failuredesignates

Objective To summarize the clinical features, treatment status and prognosis of severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by adenovirus in a single pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and to explore the appropriate diagnosis and treatment strategies. Methods From August 2016 to January 2019, the clinical data of children with adenovirus pneumonia, including symptoms, organ function, laboratory features, rescue measures and results were analyzed retrospectively. Results A total of 531 cases with severe CAP were admitted in PICU, Shanghai Children′s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University.Among them, 32 cases with adenovirus pneumonia accounted for 6.03%.The high incidence age was from 3 months to 2 years old (68.8%), and the average age was 18(12, 37) months.High fever, respiratory distress and mental infirmity were the main symptoms.In acute stage, the pulmonary asymmetrical exudation lesion, partial exudation fusion and interstitial emphysema were observed by chest X rays.The main complications of extrapulmonary organ were cardiovascular disorder (63.1%), gastrointestinal disorder (50%), liver dysfunction (46.9%), coagulation dysfunction (31.3%) and nervous system dysfunction (26.1%). Respiratory support included high flow nasal oxygen therapy in 2 cases, mechanical ventilation in 30 cases, prone position ventilation in 12 cases, and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in 9 cases, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy in 6 cases.There were 5 cases of death, and the hospital mortality was 15.6%.There were 4 cases survived by ECMO, and the discharge rate was 66.7%. Conclusion Adenovirus infection remains an important cause of CAP in PICU, and the mortality is high.Prone position ventilation, CRRT and ECMO may improve the survival rate of severe adenovirus pneumonia in children. Key words: Adenovirus; Severe pneumonia; Complications; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Renal replacement therapy; Mortality; Pediatric intensive care unit

The research was aimed at understanding the perception and raising awareness on colorectal cancer among the public and in particular among individuals with anorectal and gastrointestinal disorders, usually traditionally designated as “pile” in northern Nigeria. The fact that some gastrointestinal abnormalities with symptoms of inflammation and hemorrhages in individuals could be signs of early-stage polyposis justifies the need to raise awareness on colorectal cancers among this particular risk group and the general populace. Survey information like background knowledge on colorectal cancer, familial cancer history, usage of herbal remedies, and incidence of anal inflammation, bleeding, and hemorrhages was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Criteria used for inclusion were that the respondents have symptoms of anorectal or gastrointestinal disorders or were asymptomatic but believed they are at risk and hence were taking herbal remedies for preventive purposes against such disorders. A total of 142 men patronizing herbalists selling pile remedies in rural Zaria were sampled for the study. All were adults, 25% were above fifty years, 31% were in their forties, and 26% were in their thirties while 18% were less than thirty years. From the survey, 82% of respondents believed they have symptoms of gastrointestinal or anorectal disorders (out of whom 77% are using herbal remedies) while 18% consume this herbal preparations because they believe they have preventive effects against gastrointestinal diseases. From the results, 95% are aware of the term “cancer,” but only 44% have an idea of what colorectal cancers are while only 12% have knowledge of the signs and symptoms of colorectal cancers. Majority of the respondents (79%) believed that cancers generally are better managed using traditional alternative medicine. The study further reveals that majority (86%) of the respondents do not know or believe that inflammatory bowel diseases and anal bleeding are potential risk factors in colorectal cancer; however, 47% of the respondents know or believe that early detection of cancers in general is important for treatment. In addition, only 17% of these respondents have attended clinics in respect to their gastrointestinal or anorectal disorders while none of these have undergone any clinical screening for colorectal cancer. The results from the study summarily indicate that there is generally poor knowledge of colorectal cancer and a general perception among the respondents that gastrointestinal disorders and cancers are better cured using alternative traditional medicines. The study recommends, among others, increased cancer education with particular attention to enlightenment on benefits of clinical treatments and importance of screening for early detection and possible intervention. Citation Format: Mubarak Labaran Liman, Mubarak L. Liman, Sunday E. Atawodi, Iliemene E. Dorathy, Iliemene E. Dorathy, Nafisat Aliyu. Knowledge and perceptions on colorectal cancer among male adults taking herbal remedies against anorectal or gastrointestinal disorders in rural Zaria, Nigeria [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C13.

This study critically examined the socio-cultural practices and beliefs of the Gumuz community of the Metekel such as the process of the traditional medical treatment strategies, dietaryhabits, marriage practices, and agricultural activities, social and religious institutions. These traditional practices and beliefs symbolize the societal cultures performed by members of Gumuz community and give them sense of ethno-cultural identity and used to distinguish them from other ethnic groups. The cultural practices and beliefs are parts of the social bases that the Gumuz communities use as the guiding lines for conflict resolution, ritual performance, influencing roles and social responsibilities. The finding of this study shows that the Gumuz Community are dependent on traditional medicine in which theywidely use medicinal plantsfor preventive and curative purpose of various health problems and human aliments. The indigenous medical knowledge and practices of the Gumuz determines the extent and use of the traditional medicine, the treatment strategies of the traditional healers, disease identification processes, and identification of the medicinal plants, ingredients added and administration of the medicine. Marriage arrangement, dietary habits, social and religious institutions are the unique cultural elements of the Gumuz society thatthey use for centuries to fulfill the human needs and resolve the social evils. This study was conducted in Metekel Zone, BineshangulGumuz National Regional state, Ethiopia. The Gumuz inhabited areas of Metekel was purposively selected for this study. The data was collected using key informants interview and focus group discussion. Traditional healers, community elders and local religious leaders were independently interviewed and six focus group discussions were conducted.The sources are critically collected, scrutinized and then analyzed. The validities of the sources are cross-checked one against the other. Key words: Traditional medical practices and beliefs, marriage ceremony and dietary habits.

Human health and well-being depend on lifestyle, and current unhealthy lifestyles cause many health problems, including mental health problems. Therefore, people are searching for natural remedies to overcome such well-being problems. Medicinal plants have been used as a primary source of health care and treatments for many diseases. However, the recent search for valuable plants concentrates on human physical well-being. This attention needs to shift to mental well-being as the current limited and poor diet and modern lifestyle adversely affect people's mental health. Southeast Asia consists of tropical countries with abundant bioresources for potential medicinal plants and various food crops. Many underutilized plants have vast marginalized medicinal potentials and have yet to be fully exploited. The traditional knowledge of the application of medicinal plants for mental well-being and in superstitions and healing rituals in Southeast Asia is described in this paper. Scientific exploration of many traditional healing and magic practices in Southeast Asia will benefit in understanding the application of medicinal plants. The incorporation of advanced technologies in detecting beneficial plant compounds from such traditional practices in Southeast Asia will aid humans in finding remedies for modern health problems. This review focuses on the usage of potential plants available in Southeast Asia for human mental well-being and the application of herbals in superstitions and healing rituals.

Using unsafe traditional practices by Iraqi mothers to treat newborns' problems

Traditional practices are important health care problems performed by mothers during the postnatal period. This study performed with married women living in Kiziltepe sub-province of Mardin province. The aim of this study is to determine traditional medicine practices and factors related to baby care in the postnatal period which were used by married women living in Kiziltepe sub-province of Mardin province.In this cross-sectional study, a face to face conversation survey was conducted with 549 married women and 527 participants could be reached. Socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric history and postnatal period infant care practices were recorded. Data were analyzed by using the SPSS package program, percentage average, chi-square analyses. The mean age of women was 36.77±12.39. The application rate of traditional practices increased when the educational levels of husbands were low, and as the mothers were getting old (p<0.05). Furthermore, women who had high number of children, who did not give birth in the hospital, and who tried to solve health problems by applying traditional practices instead of visiting the physician commonly. Conclusively, it was detected that the application rate of traditional postnatal practices which were applied by women living in Kiziltepe sub-province of Mardin province was high. There should be further studies in order to interfere with these harmful traditional practices.

Omics, bioinformatics, molecular docking, and experimental validation were used to elucidate the hepatoprotective effects, mechanisms, and active compounds of Shandougen (SDG) based on the biolabel-led research pattern. Integrated omics were used to explore the biolabels of SDG intervention in liver tissue. Subsequently, bioinformatics and molecular docking were applied to topologically analyze its therapeutic effects, mechanisms, and active compounds based on biolabels. Finally, an animal model was used to verify the biolabel analysis results. Omics, bioinformatics, and molecular docking revealed that SDG may exert therapeutic effects on liver diseases in the multicompound and multitarget synergistic modes, especially liver cirrhosis. In the validation experiment, SDG and its active compounds (betulinic acid and gallic acid) significantly improved the liver histopathological damage in the CCl4-induced liver cirrhosis model. Meanwhile, they also produced significant inhibitory effects on the focal adhesion pathway (integrin alpha-1, myosin regulatory light chain 2, laminin subunit gamma-1, etc.) and alleviated the associated pathological processes: focal adhesion (focal adhesion kinase 1)-extracellular matrix (collagen alpha-1(IV) chain, collagen alpha-1(VI) chain, and collagen alpha-2(VI) chain) dysfunction, carcinogenesis (alpha-fetoprotein, NH3, and acetylcholinesterase), inflammation (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1 [IL-1], IL-6, and IL-10), and oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species, malonaldehyde, and superoxide dismutase). This study provides new evidence and insights for the hepatoprotective effects, mechanisms, and active compounds of SDG.

Shift work nurses experience multiple health problems due to irregular shifts and heavy job demands. However, the comorbidity patterns of nurses’ health problems and the association between health problems and turnover intention have rarely been studied. This study aimed to identify and cluster shift work nurses’ health problems and to reveal the associations between health problems and turnover intention. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from 500 nurses who worked at two tertiary hospitals in Seoul, South Korea. Data, including turnover intention and nine types of health issues, were collected between March 2018 and April 2019. Hierarchical clustering and multiple ordinal logistic regressions were used for the data analysis. Among the participants, 22.2% expressed turnover intention and the mean number of health problems was 4.5 (range 0–9). Using multiple ordinal logistic regressions analysis, it was shown that sleep disturbance, depression, fatigue, a gastrointestinal disorder, and leg or foot discomfort as a single health problem significantly increased turnover intention. After clustering the health problems, four clusters were identified and only the neuropsychological cluster—sleep disturbance, fatigue, and depression—significantly increased turnover intention. We propose that health problems within the neuropsychological cluster must receive close attention and be addressed simultaneously to decrease nurse’s turnover intentions.

This study aims to determine the traditional practises regarding mother and infant care in the postpartum period of married women between the ages of 15-49. The research has been conducted involving 150 women aged 15 - 49, who gave birth on May-July at the perinatology clinic. In this research, written authorization from the institution and verbal permission from the participants were taken. Data was obtained by applying traditional checklist forms and face to face interviews based on personal information forms and literature review related to maternal and infant care. The evaluation of the data covers percentages, means and chisquare tests. According to the results of this study, the mean age of the women and their age of getting married were determined as 29.4±11.4 and 17.2±6.1. It has been found out that 34.7% of the women preferably apply some traditional methods when confronted with health problems and 86.0% prefer traditional methods in different rates. Within the postpartum period some traditional practices mostly preferred regarding mother care are following: the restriction of sexual intercourse for a period of 40 days (82.7%), 40 days of special care for the mother (59.3%), consuming sweet dishes like syrups and candies in order to increase the amount of mother milk (68.7%), keeping some objects in the bedroom (bread, scissors, broom, the Quran) in order to protect the mother and the infant from nightmares and the evil eye (48.0%). Traditional practices women apply on their babies are preferably: 40 days of special care for the baby (55.3%), practices related to the navel drop of the baby (48.0%) and saving the baby from the evil eye (42.7%). Additionally, it has been determined that 45.3 % of the women swaddle their newborn baby and 47.3% salt them. It has also been pointed out that illiterate women and women living in villages are more bound to these traditional practices. Findings reveal that women with a primary school graduation living in a nuclear family do not pay much attention to traditional practices but prefer seeing a doctor when confronted with a health problem (P<0.05). As a result, it can be claimed that within the frame of this study women place value to traditional practices and apply those in the postpartum period to both mother and infant.

Silibinin is the primary active compound in silymarin. It has been demonstrated to exert anti-carcinogenic effects and hepato-protective effects. However, the effects of silibinin on the maturation and immunostimulatory activities exhibited by dendritic cells (DCs) remain, for the most part, unknown. In this study, we have attempted to determine whether silibinin can influence surface molecule expression, dextran uptake, cytokine production, capacity to induce T-cell differentiation, and the signaling pathways underlying these phenomena in murine bone marrow-derived DCs. Silibinin was shown to significantly suppress the expression of CD80, CD86, MHC class I, and MHC class II in the DCs, and was also associated with impairments of LPS-induced IL-12 expression in the DCs. Silibinin-treated DCs proved highly efficient with regard to Ag capture via mannose receptor-mediated endocytosis. Silibinin also inhibited the LPS-induced activation of MAPKs and the nuclear translocation of the NF-kappaB p65 subunit. Additionally, silibinin-treated DCs evidenced an impaired induction of Th1 response, and a normal cell-mediated immune response. These findings provide new insight into the immunopharmacological functions of silibinin, especially with regard to their impact on the DCs. These findings expand our current understanding of the immunopharmacological functions of silibinin, and may prove useful in the development of therapeutic adjuvants for acute and chronic DC-associated diseases.

BackgroundNon-alcoholic steatohepatitis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (NASH-HCC) accounts for an increasing proportion of HCC cases. Currently, effective pharmacological options for treating both NASH and NASH-HCC remain limited, necessitating the identification of novel therapeutic agents. Our previous studies have demonstrated that ginger can ameliorate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and prevent the occurrence of NASH. The therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of NASH-HCC, however, remain poorly understood.MethodsNetwork pharmacology, bioinformatics, single-cell RNA sequencing analysis, and molecular docking were used to identify the main active compounds, targets, and possible mechanisms of ginger in treating NASH-HCC. The anti-tumor efficacy and underlying mechanisms of the selected compound in treating NASH-HCC were validated through in vitro experimentation.ResultsNetwork pharmacology, bioinformatics, and molecular docking have revealed that 6-gingerol is the main active compound of ginger in treating NASH-HCC. SRC can be an essential target gene for ginger attenuating NASH-HCC progression, while the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and reactive oxygen species (ROS) play equally important roles. Single-cell RNA sequencing of the HCC patients shows that the key targets of ginger in treating NASH-HCC are distributed in tumor-associated macrophage (TAMs). It has been reported that NOX2-derived ROS in macrophages can activate Src and then regulate downstream MAPK signaling cascades. 6-Gingerol can inhibit the proliferation, migration and reduce lipid deposition of liver cancer cells in vitro. More importantly, it induces polarization TAMs to M1 and enhances proinflammatory function, which may be achieved via the NOX2/Src/MAPK signaling pathway.ConclusionThis study proves that 6-gingerol, the primary active compound in ginger, plays a role in attenuating the progression of NASH-HCC by inhibiting the proliferation and migration of tumor cells, or reprogramming TAMs to the M1 phenotype via the NOX2/Src/MAPK signaling pathway and activating the TAM-mediated immune responses.Graphical