Effect of Turmacin supplementation on joint discomfort and functional outcome among healthy participants – A randomized placebo-controlled trial

ObjectiveCurcuma longa has been widely used in Ayurveda for its medicinal properties and Turmacin was developed from C. longa as a standardized extract containing turmerosaccharides. In this clinical trial, the effect of Turmacin on knee joint discomfort in healthy adults subjected to strenuous physical activity was evaluated.DesignDouble-blind, triple-arm, parallel-group, randomized placebo-controlled trial.SettingHealthy participants from an urban tertiary care teaching hospital.InterventionHealthy participants were randomized in 1:1:1 ratio to receive either Turmacin 0.5 g/1 g or placebo once daily for 84 days. The participants were subjected to 10-minute strenuous exercise.Outcome measuresTime to initial pain, final pain score on a visual analogue scale, range of movement (ROM) of knee and the force of contractions of muscles around the knee joint.ResultsA total of n = 90 participants were recruited. The mean final pain scores were significantly lower in the Turmacin 1 g and Turmacin 0.5 g when compared with the placebo from day-7 and day-5 onwards respectively. The survival analysis consistently showed a decreased hazard for early onset of pain in both the Turmacin groups. On day-84, the difference in mean ROM between Turmacin 0.5 g and placebo was 4.79 degrees (p = 0.008) and that for Turmacin 1 g and placebo was 2.34 degrees (p = 0.306). The difference in muscle force for isokinetic contractions of the quadriceps at angular velocities of 120 and 180 was significant between Turmacin 0.5 g and placebo (p = 0.002 and p = 0.005 respectively) while that for Turmacin 1 g & Turmacin 0.5 g (p = 0.206 and p = 0.414 respectively) and Turmacin 1 g & Placebo (p = 0.046 and p = 0.037) were not significant. However, in the within group analysis participants in Turmacin 1 g group had better preserved muscle functions than Turmacin 0.5 g group at angular velocities of 120 and 180 when compared with placebo.ConclusionTurmacin (0.5 g and 1 g) was efficacious when compared to placebo in increasing the pain threshold and knee ROM in healthy participants with minor adverse events.     

Comparing a patient positioning system to an overhead LIFT with pillows for impact on turning effectiveness

BackgroundFrequent patient handling activities present numerous challenges to healthcare workers. A variety of products are available to assist with in-bed positioning but few comparative studies have been completed to ascertain turning effectiveness.MethodsThe purpose of this study was to compare two turning devices (air-powered positioning system with wedges versus ceiling lift with pillows) for in-bed repositioning and turning effectiveness. The study took place at a large community hospital in the Midwestern USA and used a prospective, four-group crossover study design to compare devices.ResultsThe two turning groups were not significantly different for any of the demographic variables. The use of an air-powered positioning system with wedges achieved a greater degree of turn and maintained that turn after an hour better than the lift device with pillows. There were no hospital acquired pressure injuries in either group.ConclusionThe devices used demonstrated significant differences in turn angle achieved and ability to maintain the turn at one hour. Future studies need to further delineate the ideal method for turning and compare devices to identify best practice and equipment. An effective turning method would integrate ease of use with the ability to achieve an optimal degree of turn in order to prevent hospital acquired pressure injuries while also decreasing caregiver injuries.     

强化认知训练在改善2型糖尿病患者认知功能障碍和日常生活活动能力中的作用

目的 探讨强化认知训练在改善2型糖尿病(T2DM)患者认知功能障碍和日常生活活动能力中的作用。方法选取2017年1月～2018年12月该院内科就诊T2DM患者92例。采用抛银币法将其分为强化组与常规组,各46例。两组均在口服降糖药或皮下注射胰岛素等控制血糖基础治疗上予以口服尼莫地平片30 mg/次,3次/d。常规组予以常规干预措施,强化组在常规组基础上加用强化认知训练。两组均干预12周。评估两组干预前与干预12周后认知功能及日常生活活动指标的变化,并比较临床效果。结果 干预12周后,两组HDS评分、MOCA评分和WAISE评分较前均显著上升,FAQ评分和ADL评分较前显著下降(P0.05或P0.01),且强化组上升或下降幅度较常规组更明显(P0.05);同时强化组患者临床总有效率(95.65%)较常规组(82.61%)的效果更佳(χ2=4.04,P0.05)。结论 强化认知训练用于T2DM患者效果较肯定,不仅能显著改善患者的认知功能,而且有利于提高患者日常生活活动能力。     

药材部位、产地及采收期对中药挥发油成分的差异性分析

中药挥发油质量的稳定性是其发挥临床疗效及确保安全性的重要前提。由于中药挥发油的质量受到入药部位、药材产地、药材采收期、提取工艺、炮制工艺等诸多因素的影响,从而导致挥发油的出油率或所含化学成分出现差异,影响中药挥发油质量的均一性,进而影响挥发油的疗效。因此,如何把控挥发油的质量是中药挥发油发挥作用的关键。分析了药材不同入药部位、不同产地和不同采收期对中药挥发油质量的影响,并对《中国药典》2015年版含有挥发油成分的196味中药按药用部位进行分类,讨论了不同入药部位、产地和采收期对中药挥发油成分的差异性,以期为中药挥发油的开发及中药挥发油质量标准的建立提供参考。     

Berberine diminishes cancer cell PD-L1 expression and facilitates antitumor immunity via inhibiting the deubiquitination activity of CSN5

Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) blocking therapy has become a major pillar of cancer immunotherapy. Compared with antibodies targeting, small-molecule checkpoint inhibitors which have favorable pharmacokinetics are urgently needed. Here we identified berberine (BBR), a proven anti-inflammation drug, as a negative regulator of PD-L1 from a set of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) chemical monomers. BBR enhanced the sensitivity of tumour cells to co-cultured T-cells by decreasing the level of PD-L1 in cancer cells. In addition, BBR exerted its antitumor effect in Lewis tumor xenograft mice through enhancing tumor-infiltrating T-cell immunity and attenuating the activation of immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T-cells (Tregs). BBR triggered PD-L1 degradation through ubiquitin (Ub)/proteasome-dependent pathway. Remarkably, BBR selectively bound to the glutamic acid 76 of constitutive photomorphogenic-9 signalosome 5 (CSN5) and inhibited PD-1/PD-L1 axis through its deubiquitination activity, resulting in ubiquitination and degradation of PD-L1. Our data reveals a previously unrecognized antitumor mechanism of BBR, suggesting BBR is small-molecule immune checkpoint inhibitor for cancer treatment.