Evaluating the inhibitory potential of Withania somnifera on platelet aggregation and inflammation enzymes: An in vitro and in silico study

Context Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal is traditionally used for treating various ailments, but lacks scientific evaluation.

Objective This study evaluates Withania somnifera (WS) for its effect on platelet activity and inflammatory enzymes.

Materials and methods Aqueous and ethanolic (1:1) leaf extracts were subjected to in vitro indirect haemolytic activity using Naja naja venom, human platelet aggregation was quantified for lipid peroxidation using arachidonic acid (AA) as agonist and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) levels were determined using standard spectrometric assays. Further, molecular docking was performed by the ligand fit method using molegro software package (Molegro ApS, Aarhus, Denmark).

Results The study found that aqueous and ethanol extracts have very negligible effect (15%) with an IC₅₀ value of 13.8?mg/mL on PLA₂ from Naja naja venom. Further, extracts of WS also had very little effect (18%) with an IC₅₀ value of 16.6?mg/mL on malondialdehyde (MDA) formation. However, a 65% inhibition of 5-LOX with an IC₅₀ value of 0.92?mg/mL was observed in 1:1 ethanol extracts. The same was evident from SAR model with the active ingredient withaferin A binding predominantly on Phe 77, Tyr 98, Arg 99, Asp 164, Leu 168, Ser 382, Arg 395, Tyr 396 and Tyr 614 with an atomic contact energy value of??128.96 compared to standard phenidone (?103.61). Thus, the current study validates the application of WS for inflammatory diseases.

Conclusion This study reveals the inhibitory potential of W. somnifera on inflammatory enzymes and platelet aggregation. Thus, WS can serve as a newer, safer and affordable medicine for inflammatory diseases.     

经食管实时三维超声心动图评价房性心律失常对二尖瓣结构和功能的影响

目的:应用经食管实时三维超声心动图(RT-3D-TEE)技术,探讨房性心律失常对二尖瓣结构和功能的影响.方法:选取2018年6月~2019年6月本院收治的房性心律失常拟行射频消融的患者49例纳入观察组,另外选取21例正常窦性心律者作为对照组,所有患者均行经胸超声心电图(TTE)和经食管实时三维超声心动图(RT-3D-TEE)检查,将两组患者的瓣环投影面积(A2D)、瓣环周长(C3D)、瓣环高度(H)、瓣环前后径(DAP)、瓣环前外侧至后内侧直径(DAIPm)、左室射血分数(LVEF)、左心房前后径(Lad)等参数进行比较,并分别计算对合面积和对合指数,之后采取二项Logistic回归分析或逐步线性回归对各参数及临床因素与对合指数的相关性进行分析.结果:两组患者在LVEF和对合面积方面的比较无明显差异(P>0.05),在A2D、C3D、H、DA、PDAIPm、Lad方面的比较,房性心律失常组患者明显高于正常窦性心律组患者(P<0.05),且观察组患者的对合指数明显降低(P<0.05).将49例观察组患者以不同心律失常类型分为持续性房颤、阵发性房颤、房扑、混合型房性心律失常4个亚组,采用单因素方差分析,发现在LVEF、C3D、Lad、对合指数方面的比较,各亚组间无明显差异(P>0.05).采用二项Logistic回归分析发现,女性是导致对合指数低的危险因素,另外对合指数较低、房性心律失常是导致二尖瓣返流的重要因素.结论:房性心律失常对患者二尖瓣的A2D、C3D、H、DA、PDAIPm、Lad等都会造成较大影响,从而降低对合指数,影响二尖瓣的正常功能,导致二尖瓣返流的发生.     

Erythema induratum of Bazin in a 10‐year‐old boy

Erythema induratum of Bazin (EIB) is a form of tuberculid resulting from hypersensitivity to tuberculosis antigen. EIB occurs most commonly in middle‐aged women and is not typically seen in children. Here, we present a rare case of EIB, presenting as a chronic nodular panniculitis, in a 10‐year‐old Korean boy.     

行为-结构化-关系干预模式对短期住院孤独症谱系障碍儿童的疗效分析

目的 探讨以行为-结构化-关系(BSR)干预模式对短期住院孤独症谱系障碍(ASD)儿童的干预疗效,为改善ASD儿童的预后提供参考依据。方法 选取2015年12月－2016年12月确诊为ASD的2~6岁儿童141例,随机分为治疗组和对照组。治疗组ASD儿童均接受BSR模式的短期课程训练,训练课程包括个别辅导、游戏课、运动课、音乐课等,每天训练时间6 h,持续1个月;对照组ASD儿童处于干预等待,接受随访观察和评估。所有ASD儿童干预前、后均接受儿童心理教育评估(第三版)(PEP-3)来进行各方面能力变化的评估。结果 治疗组、对照组干预前各副测验的原积分差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。两组ASD儿童干预后认知、语言理解、模仿、情感表达、社会互动、行为特征-非语言、适应行为的原积分比较,差异均有统计学意义(t=2.41、2.02、4.14、3.69、4.42、2.69、2.96,P<0.05);但小肌肉、大肌肉、自理的原积分比较,差异无统计学意义(t=-1.13、-1.05、-0.84,P>0.05)。结论 BSR干预模式能够有效改善短期住院ASD儿童的预后,可推广用于儿童ASD的治疗。     

Chalcone hybrids and their antimalarial activity

Malaria, one of the most striking, re-emerging infectious diseases caused by the genus Plasmodium, places a huge burden on global healthcare systems. A major challenge in the control and eradication of malaria is the continuous emergence of increasingly widespread drug-resistant malaria, creating an urgent need to develop novel antimalarial agents. Chalcone derivatives are ubiquitous in nature and have become indispensable units in medicinal chemistry applications due to their diverse biological profiles. Many chalcone derivatives demonstrate potential in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity, so chalcone could be a useful template for the development of novel antimalarial agents. This review covers the recent development of chalcone hybrids as antimalarial agents. The critical aspects of the design and structure–activity relationship of these compounds are also discussed.     

Drunken driving and riding with a drunken driver: adolescent types at higher risk

Abstract

The leading cause of death of adolescents in developed countries is injury. Alcohol is a major contributor to adolescent injury. Most of the injury deaths in youth are caused by traffic crashes. Driving under the influence (DUI) and riding with a driver who is under the influence (RUI) of alcohol increase the risk of road crash. The focus of this study is how adolescents’ risk of DUI and RUI differ in relation to their experience of parental control and peer pressure to substance use, other risky behaviours and leisure time activities. The analyses are based on data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs collected from 15- to 16-year-old Finnish adolescents in 2015 (n?=?4049, response rate 88.7%). The study shows that problems tend to entangle in some adolescent groups in which DUI and RUI are also more common. Adolescents with higher probability of using various substances, of starting alcohol use at young age, of experiencing weak parental control, and high peer pressure are at higher risk of DUI and RUI. The results indicate that professionals and authorities handling underage DUI and RUI ought to consider adolescents’ situation as a whole.     

粉防己碱对野百合碱致大鼠肺动脉构形重建的逆转作用

以野百合碱复制Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠肺动脉高压模型，用特殊染色方法观察粉防已碱对野百合碱致大鼠肺动脉构形重建的逆转作用，结果表明粉防已碱可选择性的降低野百合碱诱导的大鼠肺动脉高压的作用，并明显地逆转肺血管及肺组织损伤，降低肺动脉高压和右心室肥大，对体循环压力无影响     

Folding and function of the myelin proteins from primary sequence data.

To explain how the myelin proteins are involved in the organization and function of the myelin sheath requires knowing their molecular structures. Except for P2 basic protein of PNS myelin, however, their structures are not yet known. As an aid to predicting their molecular folding and possible functions, we have developed a FORTRAN program to analyze the primary sequence data for proteins, and have applied this to the myelin proteins in particular. In this program, propensities for the secondary structure conformations as well as physical-chemical parameters are assigned to the amino acids and the pattern of these parameters is examined by calculating their average values, autocorrelation functions and Fourier transforms. To compare two proteins, their sequences are aligned using a unitary scoring matrix, and homologies are searched by plotting a two-dimensional map of the correlation coefficients. Comparison of the corresponding myelin basic proteins (MBP) and P0 glycoproteins (P0) for rodent and shark showed that the conserved residues included most of the amino acids which were predicted to form the alpha or beta conformations, while the altered residues were mainly in the hydrophilic and turn or coil regions. In both rodent and shark the putative extracellular domain of P0 glycoprotein displayed consecutive peaks of beta propensity similar to that for the immunoglobulins, while the cytoplasmic domain showed alpha-beta-alpha folding. To trace the immunoglobulin fold along the P0 sequence, we compared the beta propensity curve of P0 with that of the immunoglobulin M603, whose three-dimensional structure has been determined. We propose that the flat beta-sheets of P0 are orientated parallel to the membrane surface to facilitate their homotypic interaction in the extracellular space. An extra beta-fold in the extracellular domain of shark P0 compared with rodent P0 was found, and this may result in a greater attraction between the apposed extracellular surfaces and may account for a smaller extracellular space as measured by x-ray diffraction. A computer search of the myelin protein sequences for functional motifs revealed sites for N-glycosylation, phosphorylation, nucleotide binding, and certain enzyme activities. We note especially that there are potential nucleotide binding sites in proteolipid protein (PLP), MBP and 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP). This is consistent with the experimental observations that PLP acts like an ionophore or proton channel when reconstituted into planar lipid bilayers, MBP binds GTP, and CNP catalyzes in vitro the hydrolysis of 2',3'-nucleotides into corresponding 2'-nucleotides.