Beneficial Factors Research Articles

Reply from authors: The perivascular adipose tissue is a versatile "jacket" that the saphenous vein wears inherently.

We thank Dashwood and colleagues1 for their constructive comments on our recent article. There is a growing body of research illuminating the efficacy and mechanism of no-touch (NT) saphenous vein (SV) grafts. Many researchers are focusing on the perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) surrounding the NT SV grafts, which is believed to have 2 crucial roles in the improved patency of NT SV grafts. First, PVAT releases a variety of beneficial humoral factors, such as nitric oxide2 and leptin. Second, it functions as a natural external stent.

A Concise Review on the Role of Natural and Synthetically Derived Peptides in Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer being the second leading cause of cancer-associated deaths has become a significant health concern around the globe. Though there are various cancer treatment approaches, many of them show adverse effects and some compromise the health of cancer patients. Hence, significant efforts are being made for the evolution of a novel biological therapeutic approach with better efficacy and minimal side effects. Current research suggests that the application of peptides in colorectal cancer therapeutics holds the possibility of the emergence of an anticancer reagent. The primary beneficial factors of peptides are their comparatively rapid and easy process of synthesis and the enormous potential for chemical alterations that can be evaluated for designing novel peptides and enhancing the delivery capacity of peptides. Peptides might be utilized as agents with cytotoxic activities or as a carrier of a specific drug or as cytotoxic agents that can efficiently target the tumor cells. Further, peptides can also be used as a tool for diagnostic purposes. The recent analysis aims at developing peptides that have the potential to efficiently target the tumor moieties without harming the nearby normal cells. Additionally, decreasing the adverse effects, and unfolding the other therapeutic properties of potential peptides, are also the subject matter of in-depth analysis. This review provides a concise summary of the function of both natural and synthetically derived peptides in colorectal cancer therapeutics that are recently being evaluated and their potent applications in the clinical field.

‘Multi-SWOT’ Multi-Stakeholder-Based Sustainability Assessment Methodology: Applied to Improve Slovenian Legume-Based Agri-Food Chains

Assessing the sustainability of agri-food chains is challenging for several reasons. It should account for the impacts on environmental, social, and economic wellbeing simultaneously, considering both the individual links in the chain and the chain as a whole. The primary aim of this study is to assess the conditions for meeting the sustainability criteria of a legume-based agri-food chain in Slovenia. Therefore, a quantitative sustainability assessment methodology was developed, using a multi-stakeholder approach, which upgraded the traditional SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Our approach, called ‘Multi-SWOT’, aggregates the SWOT table inputs identified by stakeholders into factors, themes and focus areas, according to their importance for the agri-food chain, for each sustainability pillar, and links in the chain. By accounting for the relative number of incentives (beneficial factors) and barriers (constraint factors) we identified those factors that enhance the sustainability of the Slovenian legume-based agri-food chain and the factors jeopardising it. The incorporation of multi-stakeholder perspectives presents an innovative approach that adds value to a standard SWOT analysis. The study serves as a guide to help decision-makers better understand the multidimensionality of sustainability and identify effective activities to support and strengthen the current legume agri-food chain in Slovenia.

Performance Evaluation of ICT Companies Using Hybrid MCDM Method in Iran

The essential principles in sustainable development are information and communication technology and their influence on the country’s economic progress. In essence, in culture, politics, economics, and society, information and communication technology are the driving force behind globalization. This has a significant impact on the emergence of the network society and cross-national awareness, and it is the primary driver behind global markets. A descriptive-analytical method is used in a scrolling manner, and a scientific approach is taken from the methodology’s standpoint. ICT companies in a selected region of Iran were surveyed in a questionnaire survey. “Success” in ICT standard setting is discussed in this study. A fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and VIKOR methods were used to analyze data and prioritize the beneficial factors that contribute to the success of ICT companies. Twenty five ICT companies were evaluated using these methods. Utilizing the expert’s opinion and previous research, 21 criteria into five categories were elicited and estimated near Tehran (Qom), Iran’s capital. In this research, native influential factors are compared with other countries’ general vital factors, which are distinct from previous studies. Based on the results, in-company management factors, technological and marketing factors, financial costs, government policies, and native features were the most important critical factors. As significant factors that influence the success of ICT companies, employee involvement, teamwork, customer focus, the state of the economy, and conflict of interest between governmental and private sectors were selected.

Molecular Breeding and Drought Tolerance in Chickpea.

Cicer arietinum L. is the third greatest widely planted imperative pulse crop worldwide, and it belongs to the Leguminosae family. Drought is the utmost common abiotic factor on plants, distressing their water status and limiting their growth and development. Chickpea genotypes have the natural ability to fight drought stress using certain strategies viz., escape, avoidance and tolerance. Assorted breeding methods, including hybridization, mutation, and marker-aided breeding, genome sequencing along with omics approaches, could be used to improve the chickpea germplasm lines(s) against drought stress. Root features, for instance depth and root biomass, have been recognized as the greatest beneficial morphological factors for managing terminal drought tolerance in the chickpea. Marker-aided selection, for example, is a genomics-assisted breeding (GAB) strategy that can considerably increase crop breeding accuracy and competence. These breeding technologies, notably marker-assisted breeding, omics, and plant physiology knowledge, underlined the importance of chickpea breeding and can be used in future crop improvement programmes to generate drought-tolerant cultivars(s).

Comparison of Survival Outcomes and Risk Factors Between Ductal Carcinoma of the Prostate and Acinar Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate: A Population-based Propensity Score–matching Study

BackgroundDuctal carcinoma of the prostate (DCP) is a rare type of prostate cancer (PCa) with a higher degree of infiltration and worse prognosis than acinar adenocarcinoma of the prostate (ACP). Previous reports comparing DCP and ACP have not been very reliable and involved small sample sizes. ObjectiveTo assess differences in mortality between ACP and DCP in a large-scale study. Design, setting, and participantsData were downloaded from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database in June 2022. Data for 823 939 patients diagnosed with PCa from 2004 to 2019 were examined, excluding cases with survival data missing or pathological types other than DCP and ACP. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisPrognostic and risk factors for DCP were analyzed by generating a propensity score–matched cohort of DCP and ACP cases (1:5). Adjusted Cox models were constructed to determine hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and overall mortality (OM) Results and limitationsA total of 822 607 cases (99.8%) has ACP and 1332 (0.2%) had DCP. In comparison to ACP, age at diagnosis was significantly lower for DCP (≤66 yr: 38.0% vs 50.7%; p < 0.001) and a higher proportion of DCP patients distant metastases (13.7% vs 5.1%; p < 0.001). In comparison to the ACP group, significantly higher proportions of the DCP group underwent surgery (66.1% vs 38.1%; p < 0.001), radiotherapy (13.7% vs 3.1%; p < 0.001), or systemic therapy (18.2% vs 3.3%; p < 0.001). However, the median overall survival time was significantly shorter for DCP patients (44.0 vs 73.0 mo; p < 0.001). DCP patients also had higher risk of CSM (HR 2.07, 95% CI 1.68–2.56; p < 0.001) and OM (HR 2.73 95% CI 2.42–3.08; p < 0.001) after propensity score matching to adjust for the influence of baseline variables. Subgroup analysis showed that DCP patients who had surgical treatment had better CSM than those without surgery, while DCP patients with regional and lower stage had better OM than those with distant stage (both p < 0.05 for interaction). ConclusionsThe risk of CSM and OM is significantly higher for DCP than for ACP. Earlier detection (lower stage) and surgical treatment are beneficial factors for DCP prognosis. Patient summaryWe studied survival rates for two different types of prostate cancer. We found that survival is worse for the rarer ductal carcinoma of the prostate (DCP) than for the more common acinar adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Both early diagnosis when the cancer is at a lower stage and surgical treatment are beneficial for survival in patients with DCP.

Additional dydrogesterone for the treatment of chronic endometritis treated with antibiotic in premenopausal women with endometrial polyps: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundTo assess the efficacy of dysdrogesterone in the treatment of chronic endometritis (CE) treated with antibiotic in premenopausal women with endometrial polyps (EPs).MethodsRoutine detection of endometrium was simultaneously conducted to determine whether there was CE by syndecan-1 (CD138), while women underwent hysteroscopic polypectomy in our hospital. Antibiotic was given for the treatment of CE. A total of 235 premenopausal women with CE who underwent hysteroscopic polypectomy were enrolled in the retrospective observational study. In the control group, single antibiotic was given for the treatment of CE form January 2016 to December 2018, and in the treatment group additional dydrogesterone was used from January 2019 to November 2020. Comparison of cure rates of CE with different treatment regimens was performed.ResultsThe cure rates of CE in dydrogesterone and antibiotic combination group and the single antibiotic group were 85.2% and 74.3%, respectively, with overall cure rate of 80.0% (188/235). The combination group showed better effects regarding the cure rate of CE (P < .05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that the cure rate of CE was not affected by age, body mass index, number of EPs, the status of estrogen receptor and the status of progesterone receptor. Conversely, dydrogesterone and endometrial scratching were beneficial factors for cure rate increase with antibiotic treatment.ConclusionCombination of dydrogesterone and antibiotic was more effective for cure rate of CE than antibiotic alone in premenopausal women after hysteroscopic polypectomy. Endometrial scratching also contributed to the cure rate increase with antibiotic treatment.

Fundamental Directions of the Development of the Smart Cities Concept and Solutions in Poland

As city areas have been experiencing dynamic growth, the efficient development of cities is becoming a priority for technologically advanced countries and for states further down on the list from the global leaders. Smart cities are friendly for both people and the environment, in which life is better, safer, and healthier, the results of a creative approach to developing and implementing various innovations. Boasting sustainable and modern infrastructure and management, ecological city centres are perceived as key foundations of the future. Still, developing cities towards being “smart” is a serious challenge, not just for self-government and government administrators, but also for entities offering technical and technological solutions used for the purpose of implementing the improvements. The research objective was an attempt to indicate the expected changes in the shaping of the idea of smart cities in Poland. The authors’ own research was conducted from 2 August to 31 August. The method of focus group interviews with experts, specialists in the field of smart city, was used. Twenty-three practitioners participated in the study. The geographic area of the analysis covered the territory of the Republic of Poland. The time perspective of the study concerned the end of the current decade. The research process consisted of three stages: (1) preparation, the analysis of the literature on the subject (in which the variables selected for the study were identified); (2) the implementation of focus interviews; and (3) the analysis of the research results. In the last stage of the study, the statistical analysis and qualitative approach to responses were also used (by creating clusters). A network of relations, spanning a total of 3034 connections, was developed from the responses of experts on the fundamental development directions, beneficial factors, and adverse factors. On the basis of the research results, a SWOT analysis was prepared, containing the key beneficial factors, adverse factors, benefits, and disadvantages of smart city development. It was shown, on the basis of the conducted research, that the key development directions for smart cities in Poland by 2030 are: smart and sustainable buildings and infrastructure, smart mobility, and smart energy. The developed results of the analyses constitute an added value and can be used particularly in planning investments in intelligent solutions (identification of barriers and key development factors).

The social and environmental impact of building integrated photovoltaics technology

Various sustainable energy technologies are evolving around the world to reduce the carbon footprints in buildings. Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is one of the emerging sustainable technologies and it refers to a technology where the elements of the building envelope such as façade and roof are replaced with solar cells. However, the adoptability of BIPV technology in buildings is limited as its costs and benefits are unknown to the public. This study aims to review the BIPV literature qualitatively, to explore the beneficial-related and cost-related factors of adopting BIPV technology. A thematic analysis was undertaken among journal papers published between 2011 to 2019 that focused their investigation on integrated solar renewable systems. The identified cost and benefit-related factors were classified into environmental, health, design, and social themes. It is recommended that further research can be undertaken to explore the importance of cost and beneficial factors identified in this study quantitatively. Finally, these factors will assist in quantitatively measuring the societal impacts of BIPV technology.

Organizational health literacy in health care: Results from a participatory project in Germany

Abstract Background Health care facilities (i.e., hospitals, care facilities and integration assistance) play an important role in providing health-related information and strengthening health literacy (HL) of patients/clients, staff and at the organizational level. The project “Development of Health Literacy in Health Care Facilities (EwiKo)’ aims at implementing tools to promote and strengthen organizational health literacy (OHL) in health care institutions in Germany. Objectives are 1) to assess needs for strengthening OHL in pilot facilities and 2) to examine factors that are beneficial to strengthen OHL in health care facilities. Methods N = 6 pilot institutions (n = 2 hospitals, n = 2 care homes for elderly people, n = 2 facilities for people with disabilities) and their members of the “working groups on HL” filled in a self-assessment tool to assess the level of OHL, accompanied by focus group interviews (n = 6-9 persons per pilot facility). Regarding conducive and obstructive factors when implementing tools to strengthen OHL, focus group interviews (n = 6-9 persons per pilot facility) and semi-structured interviews (n = 1 coordinator per organization) were conducted. Results Results of the self-assessment tool showed a need to strengthen OHL in all types of health care facilities, particularly in the fields of action ‘training of employees in HL tools’, “communication” and ‘participatory development and testing of documents, materials and services on HL’. Results of the focus group interviews showed a special need to strengthen OHL in the area ‘HL of employees’. Beneficial factors by implementing tools to strengthen OHL are, for instance a supporting management, resources, a participatory approach and trainings by the project team. Conclusions Due to the ongoing corona pandemic and accompanying challenges (e.g., personnel resources), it is comprehensible that health care facilities emphasize a need for strengthening HL of employees.

6.K. Workshop: Health Literacy in Health Care Settings in Europe: Practice experience, challenges and future needs

Abstract Health care organizations (e.g., hospitals, nursing homes, facilities for people with disparities) are increasingly required to create health literate structures and processes, to train staff in such a way that they make it easier for their users to behave in a health literate manner, to deal competently with health information and to navigate competently through facilities and the entire health care system. This approach is known as the concept of organizational health literacy (OHL). Meanwhile, different standards (fields of action) of organizational health literacy and assessment tools to measure health literacy on an organizational level are available, which address, among other issues, health literacy as part of the quality management system, the development of health-related information by involving users, or to facilitate navigation within and to health care facilities and through the health care system. In order to assess and to strengthen OHL in health care settings, an increasing number of projects in Europe and internationally conduct needs assessments and interventions to implement tools to strengthen OHL at the patient-/client-, staff- and organizational-level. The assessment and implementation is accompanied by different requirements, challenges and needs at different levels (i.e. clients, staff, management). Thus, the workshop emphasizes the following objectives: 1. to present findings from OHL projects in European countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland). 2. to present and to discuss methodological issues (e.g., needs assessment), 3. to highlight practical experiences when implementing measures to strengthen OHL, and 4. to discuss beneficial factors, challenges and helpful approaches (e.g., participatory or co-creation setups) for the implementation of OHL. A total of five experts on the topic of ‘health literacy in health care settings’ will present and discuss the implementation of health literacy in health care settings in Central European countries. Key messages • The Workshop highlights a synthesis of challenges and future needs that are evident for organizations and users at different levels (management, staff, clients). • Beneficial factors are a supporting management and leadership staff, participatory approaches, communication tools, training staff in health literacy skills as well as clients/patients.

Critical Overview of Hepatic Factors That Link Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Acute Kidney Injury: Physiology and Therapeutic Implications.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined as a combination of a group of progressive diseases, presenting different structural features of the liver at different stages of the disease. According to epidemiological surveys, as living standards improve, the global prevalence of NAFLD increases. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a class of clinical conditions characterized by a rapid decline in kidney function. NAFLD and AKI, as major public health diseases with high prevalence and mortality, respectively, worldwide, place a heavy burden on societal healthcare systems. Clinical observations of patients with NAFLD with AKI suggest a possible association between the two diseases. However, little is known about the pathogenic mechanisms linking NAFLD and AKI, and the combination of the diseases is poorly treated. Previous studies have revealed that liver-derived factors are transported to distal organs via circulation, such as the kidney, where they elicit specific effects. Of note, while NAFLD affects the expression of many hepatic factors, studies on the mechanisms whereby NAFLD mediates the generation of hepatic factors that lead to AKI are lacking. Considering the unique positioning of hepatic factors in coordinating systemic energy metabolism and maintaining energy homeostasis, we hypothesize that the effects of NAFLD are not only limited to the structural and functional changes in the liver but may also involve the entire body via the hepatic factors, e.g., playing an important role in the development of AKI. This raises the question of whether analogs of beneficial hepatic factors or inhibitors of detrimental hepatic factors could be used as a treatment for NAFLD-mediated and hepatic factor-driven AKI or other metabolic disorders. Accordingly, in this review, we describe the systemic effects of several types of hepatic factors, with a particular focus on the possible link between hepatic factors whose expression is altered under NAFLD and AKI. We also summarize the role of some key hepatic factors in metabolic control mechanisms and discuss their possible use as a preventive treatment for the progression of metabolic diseases.

Light Rail and Land Use Change: Rail Transit’s Role in Reshaping and Revitalizing Cities

Planners and policymakers often cite the tangible objective of land use change as a primary motivation and justification for an investment in light rail transit (LRT). But how has light rail performed with respect to achieving this goal? This paper reviews and synthesizes the previous literature on LRT and other rail rapid transit systems in North America, demonstrating that rail transit alone is not a primary driver of land use change and that six beneficial factors affect the ability of these systems to have a measurable impact on reshaping and revitalizing cities.

Recent Update on anaerobic digestion of paddy straw for biogas production: Advancement, limitation and recommendations

At present, development and production of advanced green energy sources are highly demanded, and this may offer a clean and sustainable environment to our modern society. In this reference, biogas is emerging as a promising green energy source and seems to have high potential to replace fossil-fuel based energy sources in the coming future. Further, lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) based biogas production technology has been found to be highly promising owing to several advantages associated therewith. Rich inorganic content, renewable nature, huge availability and low-cost are the key beneficial factors of LCB-based feedstock l to produce biogas. Among the varieties of LCB, paddy straw is one of the most demanding feedstocks and is highly rich in organic compounds that are imperative to producing biogas. Nevertheless, it is noticed that paddy straw as a waste material is usually disposed-off by direct burning, whereas it exhibits low natural digestibility due to the presence of high lignin and silica content which causes severe environmental pollution. On the other hand, paddy straw can be a potential feedstock to produce biogas through anaerobic digestion. Therefore, based on the current ongoing research studies worldwide, this review evaluates the advancements made in the AD process. Meanwhile, existing limitations and future recommendations to improve the yield and productivity of the biogas using paddy straw have been discussed. The emphasis has also been given to various operational parameters developments, related shortcomings, and strategies to improve biogas production at pilot scale.

Co-culturing or conditioned medium of Sertoli cells: Which one supports in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes and developmental competency of resulting embryos?

Sertoli cells (SCs) as supportive cells in the seminiferous tubule play an essential role in the nutrition and development of adjacent cells by secreting several beneficial growth factors, stimulators and cytokines which can be conceived to improve the developmental competency of oocyte or embryo in the co-culture system. This study aimed to improve the maturation of bovine oocytes and consequently the development of resulting embryos in co-culture with SCs and their conditioned medium (CM). The retrieved cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) from the abattoir-derived ovaries were matured in maturation medium alone (control group), in co-culture with ovine SCs (co-culture group), and in presence of 10% CM prepared in 33°C and 39°C (CM33 and CM39 groups). The nuclear maturation competency and subsequent embryo development rate of cultured COCs in all groups were evaluated. The results of this study showed that SCs and CM increased meiosis resumption from GV to the MII compared to the control group, significantly (p < 0.05). Besides, the degenerated oocytes in the co-culture group were significantly higher than those in the control, CM33 and CM39 groups (p < 0.05), and the lowest cleavage rate belonged to the co-culture group (p < 0.05). The blastocyst rate was also lower in the co-culture group than other groups and there was a significant difference between the control and two CM groups (p < 0.05). The Sertoli cells can be suitable for co-culturing with oocytes during IVM but detrimental for subsequent embryo development. In turn, Sertoli cell-derived conditioned medium (SC-CM) can provide sufficient bioactive materials for COCs to enhancing oocyte competence and embryo development.

THE EMERGENCE OF GLOBAL BEHAVIORAL PUBLIC POLICY – DEVELOPMENTS OF AND WITHIN THE NUDGE UNIT

Behavioral Public Policy is an emerging and highly attractive branch of policy-making in the 21st century. The underlying promise of this kind of policymaking is that through conscious modification of decision architectures, individuals make better decisions and, in accumulated form, societal aims are reached. This paper focuses on the key institutions regarding behavioral public policy: The Behavioral Insights Team (BIT), colloquially referred to as the Nudge Unit. In order to analyze the phenomenon at hand, this paper will illustrate the different phases, developments, and transformations of the BIT as it started in the British Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, then became an agency itself, and ultimately made the move into the free market terrain. This paper will describe how these organizational changes have influenced the BIT’s structure and work. Also, this paper wants to isolate beneficial factors which made the BIT’s success more likely – nationally in the United Kingdom as well as internationally. This paper will end on a critical note and outline future challenges of the BIT.

The Spread and Regional Development of Wheat Farming in the Yellow River Valley under the Han Empire

We synthesize recent archaeological discoveries on the spread of Han wheat farming, including archaeobotanical evidence, artefacts related to wheat farming and wheat flour processing, and discovered texts such as wooden slips. We cross-examine the archaeological data with transmitted historical records within the wider social and cultural contexts of the Yellow River valley and adjacent regions. We conclude that the spread of wheat farming in the Middle Yellow River region was slower than that of the Lower Yellow River region due to environmental and social reasons. After Emperor Wu's era, wheat farming began to take off in both regions, which was characterized by its expanding geographic distributions, its increasing importance in the imperial agricultural economies and its growing recognition by the society. The beneficial factors, including favorable climate-environmental conditions, accumulating agronomic knowledge, technological innovations and other factors, and changing dietary traditions played diverse roles in the regional development of wheat farming in these regions.

Effects of Monetary Policy and Government Effectiveness on Economic Growth: Evidence from 49 Countries Worldwide

Increasing economic growth is always a big concern for all countries over the world. The paper applied the 2SLS model for the secondary panel data of 49 high-, middle-, and low-income countries for 20 years (2000 – 2019) to investigate the influence of monetary policy, government effectiveness, and other control proxies on economic growth. In this study, the authors measure the monetary policy by two variables, named “Interest expense” (IE) and “Compensation of employee expense” (CE). This research evaluates the government effectiveness by two factors, specifically “Tax revenue” (TR) and “Control of corruption” (CC). The research also uses two control variables: “Rural population” (RP) and “Trade openness” (TD). The findings confirm that monetary policy, trade openness, and control of corruption are three significantly beneficial factors that promote income per capita. However, rural population rate, and tax revenue are harmful factors for economic growth. Additionally, the GMM model also supports the same results as the 2SLS model. By investigating the monetary policy via interest and compensation of the employee expense and the role of the Government for economic growth, the study contributes to the monetary policy seen as follows. Firstly, this study confirms that monetary policy has the positive effects on economic growth. Secondly, this research also confirms that government effectiveness has complex impacts on an economy based on the type of measurement of government effectiveness.

Keynote 3

Title of HEPA 2022 Keynote presentationAre all physical activity health-enhancing? On the Physical Activity Paradox.Description of HEPA 2022 Keynote presentationWe know that physical activity is among the best investments for well-being and health. It’s beyond doubt that physical activity during leisure time promotes health. But, how can it then be that blue collar workers being physically active for several hours each working day—often walking more than 10 000 steps during working hours alone—have such poor fitness and health? Yes indeed, blue collar workers often have less beneficial lifestyle factors, but can it explain it all? Can it be that the physical activity performed as a productive work demand during working hours not provides the same health benefits as when performed during leisure time, termed the “Physical Activity Paradox”?In my talk, I will present the background, findings and explanations for the Physical Activity Paradox. I will discuss if physical activity during productive work can be designed so workers get fit and healthy by performing their job (defined as the Goldilocks Work Principle). I will address the need for improving collaboration, common understanding and recommendations regarding physical activity at work and leisure. I will end up with, the need for a systemic population-based approach integrating work and leisure physical activity for particularly reaching blue-collar lower-socioeconomic groups.

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside extracted from the Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc.) alleviates antibiotic-associated diarrhea by regulating gut microbiota and down-regulating inflammatory factors in NF-κB pathway.

Chinese bayberry has been used to treat diarrhea in China for more than 2,000 years, but the mechanism is not clear. Due to the extensive use of antibiotics, antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is becoming more and more common in clinic, but there is no effective drug for the treatment. The present study aimed to explore the therapeutic effect of Chinese bayberry on AAD for the first time, and explained the underlying mechanism from different aspects. The BALB/c mice model was established by intragastric administration of lincomycin (3 g/kg). Successfully modeled mice were treated with purified water, dried bayberry powder suspension (100 mg/kg), C3G suspension (40 mg/kg) and montmorillonite powder suspension (40 mg/kg), respectively. The changes of body weight, diarrhea index, diarrhea status score were recorded and calculated regularly. 16S rRNA gene sequencing, intestinal immunofluorescence and inflammatory factor detection were further performed. The treatment with dried bayberry powder suspension and C3G suspension could rapidly reduce the diarrhea score and diarrhea index, increase food intake and restore body weight gain. The gut microbiota richness and diversity were significantly increased after dried bayberry powder suspension and C3G suspension treatments, typically decreased bacterial genera Enterococcus and Clostridium senus stricto 1. In addition, intake of Chinese bayberry powder and C3G significantly decreased the level of p65 phosphorylation, and up-regulated the expression of intestinal tight junction protein claudin-1 and ZO-1. Chinese bayberry fruit had the effect of alleviating AAD, and C3G was supposed to play the predominant role. The mechanism was indicated to be related with restoring the homeostasis of gut microbiota, inhibiting the level of harmful bacteria and increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria, down-regulating TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-12 factors to reduce inflammation, restoring intestinal tight junction proteins and reducing intestinal permeability.