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Background: Radix Wikstroemia indica (RWI) is one of the most commonly used drugs in Miao medicine. However, RWI is characterized by high toxicity. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to observe the effect of the "sweat soaking method" processed on reducing the hepatotoxicity of RWI and on cytochrome P450 (CYP) protein expression. Materials and Methods: The study focused on investigating the impact of both RWI raw products and RWI processed products on the proliferation of L-02 cells. To assess this, a cell counting kit-8 was employed. After the administration of RWI through oral gavage for a duration of 15 days in rats, the corresponding kits were utilized to determine the serum levels of the liver index factor. Furthermore, both hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and western blot analysis were conducted to analyze the liver tissues. Results: Both the raw RWI and the processed RWI at high doses inhibited the proliferation of L-02 cells, but the cell viability of the concoction group was higher than that of the raw group. The liver tissues of rats in the control and processed product groups were normal, while those in the raw product groups showed different degrees of liver damage. Additionally, compared with the control group, the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) in the raw product groups was notably increased in a dose-dependent manner; the three enzyme activities of the processed group were lower than those of the raw product group. In addition, the expression levels of CYP3A4, 2C19, 2C9, 1A2, and 2E1 in the liver tissue of rats in the processed group were lower than those in the raw group, while the protein expression trend of CYP2D6 was irregular. Conclusion: The detoxication mechanism of RWI, after undergoing processing, appears to be associated with reduced protein expression of CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4, ultimately leading to decreased liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radix (Lymnaea) natalensis (Krauss, 1848) is an essential host in the completion of the life cycle of Fasciola gigantica especially in large areas of Africa, where it is reputed to serve as the main, if not the only intermediate of Fasciola. In this study, 18S rDNA gene was employed for the molecular characterization of morphologically identified Radix natalensis collected from Nigerian Northern cities of Gombe and Jos. The obtained result revealed that the amplification of the 18S rDNA gene at 450bp identified and confirmed the collected species as Radix natalensis. BLASTn search showed that sequences of Nigerian isolates of Radix natalensis had high (99-100%) degree of similarities with each other and with other sequence deposits in the NCBI GenBank. The Nigerian sequences on phylogenetic analysis formed a separate clade distinct from other sequences of Radix natalensis from other parts of Africa and the rest of the world, suggestive of clustering based on geographical location. Thus, the availability and confirmation of Radix (Lymnaea) natalensis from the study locations as evidenced by the results of this study further justifies the assertion of Lymnaea natalensis, being a putative intermediate host of Fasciola spp. in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Considering the importance of the nose in the beauty of the face, accurate and systematic three-dimensional nasal analysis of the nose before the procedure is essential. The radix, and so the nasofrontal and nasofacial angles, play an essential role in forming an aesthetically pleasing nose because they influence the length and projection of the nose. We aimed to measure information about the pre-operative radix position in our region., Method: Pre-operative images were taken from our cases in the profile view. A checklist including radix location and projection, nasofrontal angle, and nasofacial angle were extracted from these images., Results: Overall, 200 (100 males and 100 females) cases were enrolled. Thirty-two male cases and 48 females had abnormal radix position. Radix projection were normal in only 36 male cases and 18 females. The mean nasofrontal angle in the male and female groups was 119.2 and 128.2 respectively. The mean nasofacial angle was 29.8 in the female groups and 32.6 in the male group., Conclusion: The reality of the current society of Iranian patients can be very different from the predictions of surgeons and can be far away from the statistics mentioned in western books. We tried to notify surgeons to thoroughly examine the patients prior to surgical operation by measuring parameters such as projection and position of the radix and nasofrontal and nasofacial angles., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests.