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Skin computed tomography (CT) image based on improved marching cubes (MC) algorithm was explored to evaluate the therapeutic effect of internal administration of Liangxue Xiaoyin decoction combined with medicated bath in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. 712 patients with psoriasis vulgaris blood heat syndrome in hospital were recruited as the research object, which were randomly divided into observation group (TCM oral therapy combined with medicinal bath) and control group (TCM oral therapy), each with 356 cases. Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), pruritus degree, and clinical treatment effect were compared. The results showed that the reconstruction time of median method was greatly shorter, and the algorithm efficiency was improved by 40.6290%. After treatment, the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score of the observation group was 5.61 ± 1.15 , Δ PASI = 22.64 ± 2.15 . Δ PASI % = 80.14 % , which were greatly higher than the control group ((9.41 + 1.56) points, Δ PASI = 18.84 + 1.65 points, Δ PASI % = 66.69 %) (P < 0.05). After treatment, the itching degree of the observation group was 3.03 ± 1.01 points, which was lower than that of the control group ((3.71 ± 1.06) points), and the itching degree of the observation group was greater than that of the control group, with substantial difference (P < 0.05). The total effective rate of observation group (88.76%) was higher than that of control group (71.07%) (P < 0.05). Therefore, skin CT image based on the improved MC algorithm can evaluate the therapeutic effect of internal administration of Liangxue Xiaoyin decoction combined with medicated bath in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. The internal administration of Liangxue Xiaoyin decoction combined with medicated bath had a good effect on the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris and was of certain clinical application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used DFT to investigate the aspirin adsorption behavior onto the ZnO nanocage substrate. Almost all possible adsorption mechanisms and corresponding geometries of the aspirin drug over ZnO were studied. The findings indicate that the favorability of the process of adsorption via the –C = O side of the drug is more regarding the energy compared to the other sides of the drug. Located on the zinc atoms in the, the binding sites are eligible according to opposite charge-based interactions. It was found that the charge is transferred from the substrate to the adsorbate according to NBO analysis. The formation of physical bonds was verified by the projected density of states analysis. Furthermore, the AP-ZnO complex showed that the LUMO was mainly localized on the adsorbate species. On the contrary, we observed the highest electronic densities associated with HOMOs at the surface of the ZnO in the most energetically favorable configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate changes in the chemical composition of malts under different germination cycles and prepared with different processing methods, thus providing a reference for the clinical application of malt in disease treatment. Methods: Nine malt samples were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS), and the MS fragmentation pathway of 4 compounds (including hordenine, gramine, N -methyltyramine and catechin) were also analyzed. Results: By database comparison and literature search, we detected 31 compounds in raw barley and 33 compounds in both raw malt and roasted malt. Nonetheless, the most of these 33 compounds were detected higher contents in raw malt than in roasted malt. Besides, we detected 15 compounds in brown malt. At Day1 of germination, 31 compounds were detected in malt, without two alkaloids (representative: hordenine). At Day2–5, 33 compounds were detected, with different contents as shown by the peak area comparison; hordenine had a gradually increasing abundance; and nearly one third of the chemical components in barley increased gradually, one third decreased gradually, and one third tended to be stable. Conclusion: Malts under different germination cycles and prepared with different processing methods have varying active ingredients, and especially brown malt exhibits a serious loss of compounds. The tight association between the chemical composition and clinical application of malt offers a basis to the clinically scientific and reasonable selection of Chinese medicinal materials for treatment purposes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shengxuening combined with conventional iron supplementation in the treatment of anemia during pregnancy. Methods. Electronic searches of Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China Knowledge Network (CNKI), Wanfang database (Wanfang), and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) were conducted. A randomized controlled trial of Shengxuening combined with conventional iron supplements for the treatment of anemia in pregnancy was included. The quality of the included trials was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook's Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (version 5.1.0), and data analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software and Stata 15.0 statistical software. Results. A total of 150 studies were detected and 17 studies with a total of 1741 cases were finally included. Meta-analysis results showed that the effectiveness of Shengxuening combined with conventional iron supplementation was significantly better than that of conventional iron supplementation alone, and the adverse effects were significantly reduced compared with that of iron supplementation alone, and various anemia indicators such as Hb, RBC, MCV, and MCHC and iron metabolism indicators such as SI and TSAT were also significantly increased. Conclusion. The efficacy of the combination of Shengxuening and conventional iron supplementation in the treatment of anemia in pregnancy is better than that of conventional iron supplementation alone, and the adverse effects in the experimental group are much less than those in the control group, but the quality of the included studies is not high, and more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed for further validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objective: Since the December 2019 discovery of several cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) in Wuhan, China, the infection has spread worldwide. Our aim is to report on the clinical characteristics, treatments and prognoses of COVID‐19. Methods: This was a retrospective, single‐centre, case series of 136 patients who were diagnosed with COVID‐19 at Wuhan Third Hospital in Wuhan, China, between 28 January 2020 and 12 February 2020. The clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, treatment features and prognoses were summarized. Results and discussion: The 136 patients were divided into a moderate (M) group (n = 103, 75.7%) and a severe and critical (SC) group (n = 33, 24.3%). There were significant differences in the incidences of concomitant chronic medical illnesses (eg, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease), fever, dry cough and dyspnoea among the two groups (P <.05). Compared with those in the M group, lymphocyte count (LYM) decreased significantly in the SC group, while the serum levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), creatinine (Cre), D‐dimer, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), myoglobin (MB) and troponin I (cTnl) increased significantly in the SC group (P <.05). The main therapeutic drugs were antivirals, antibiotics, glucocorticoids, immunomodulators, traditional Chinese medicine preparations and symptomatic support drugs. There were significant differences in the incidences of shock, myocardial injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and renal injury among the two groups (P <.05). Among the 136 patients, 99 (72.7%) were cured, 14 (10.3%) were transferred to other hospital and 23 (16.9%) died. What is new and conclusion: Elderly patients with chronic diseases are more likely to develop severe or critical COVID‐19 with multiple organ damage or systemic injuries. The improvement of LYM and CRP may be associated with the prognoses of COVID‐19. The combined use of three or more antiviral drugs is to be avoided. The combination of broad‐spectrum antibacterial drugs is not recommended and the risk of drug‐induced liver injury should be monitored. Throughout a patient's hospitalization, their treatment plan should be evaluated and adjusted according to their vital signs, clinical symptoms, laboratory tests and imaging changes. Patients should receive effective psychological counselling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study regarding the distribution of statin therapy correlated gene polymorphism allele CYP2D6*10 (C188T), and the relationship between CYP2D6*10 (C188T) and the efficacy of simvastatin and hyperlipidemia. The study determined genotypes in 150 healthy people and 200 hyperlipidemia patients using allele-specific amplification polymerase chain reaction (ASA-PCR). Results show that the allele's distribution frequency was 47.6% in the Ningxia Hui nationality.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Barley maiya from gramineous plants (Hordeum vulgare L.) is obtained from ripe fruits through germination and drying. It is often used to treat diseases associated with high prolactin levels. Objective: To investigate the anti-hyperprolactinemia (anti-HPRL) mechanisms of total barley maiya alkaloids (TBMA) and hordenine. Methods: This experiment included 9 groups: Normal group, TBMA group, hordenine group, TBMA + haloperidol group, TBMA + forskolin group, TBMA + 8-bromo-cAMP group, hordenine + haloperidol group, hordenine + forskolin group, and hordenine + 8-bromo-cAMP group. The prolactin (PRL) concentration in the supernatant and the total cAMP concentration in the cells were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of PRL, dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) and cAMP/PKA/CREB protein were measured by Western Blot. Results: In the TBMA group and the hordenine group, the PRL level in MMQ cells was significantly decreased, but in GH3 cells there was no change. DRD2 expression level was markedly increased, cAMP concentration was decreased, and the activity of PKA and CREB declined in MMQ cells. Compared with the TBMA group, there was a significant decrease of DRD2 expression level, a remarkable increase of PRL secretion and an increase of cAMP/PKA/CREB expression in MMQ cells within the TBMA + haloperidol group. Compared with the forskolin group, there was no significant change in PRL secretion and cAMP/PKA/CREB expression level in MMQ cells within the TBMA + forskolin group. There was a decrease in PRL secretion and cAMP/PKA/CREB expression level in MMQ cells within the TBMA + 8-bromo-cAMP group compared with the 8-bromo-cAMP group. Compared with the hordenine group, DRD2 expression level was significantly decreased, PRL secretion was markedly increased, and cAMP/PKA/CREB expression level was increased in MMQ cells within the hordenine + haloperidol group. There was no significant change in PRL secretion and cAMP/PKA/CREB expression level in MMQ cells within the hordenine + forskolin group compared with the forskolin group and within the hordenine + 8-bromo-cAMP group compared with the 8-bromo-cAMP group. Conclusion: TBMA and hordenine can both play an anti-HPRL role via DRD2, and TBMA can also act on PKA targets to exert its anti-HPRL effect. TBMA and hordenine may be potential treatment strategies for HPRL. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]