Efficacy and safety of Lianhua Qingwen granule combined with azithromycin for mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children: a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

BackgroundLianhua Qingwen (LHQW) granule, a botanical drug preparation, is frequently utilized as an adjuvant treatment for mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Nevertheless, the clinical efficacy and safety of this treatment remain uncertain.PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LHQW granule combined with azithromycin (AZM) in treating MPP in children.MethodTo identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of LHQW granule plus AZM, a search was conducted in eight Chinese and English databases (CNKI, Wan Fang, VIP, Sinomed, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) from their inception until 25 December 2023. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were employed to investigate heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) were conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Additionally, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system was utilized to evaluate the quality of evidence.ResultsA total of 15 RCTs involving 1909 participants were included in this study. The meta-analysis results indicated combination therapy of LHQW granule and AZM is significant different from AZM alone in both efficacy and safety, which are specifically observed in the following outcomes: response rate (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.22, p < 0.01), antipyretic time (MD = −1.32, 95% CI: −1.66 to −0.98, p < 0.01), cough disappearance time (MD = −1.76, 95% CI: −2.47 to −1.05, p < 0.01), pulmonary rale disappearance time (MD = −1.54, 95% CI: −2.06 to −1.02, p < 0.01), c-reactive protein (CRP) (MD = −5.50, 95% CI: −6.92 to −4.07, p < 0.01), procalcitonin (PCT) (MD = −0.31, 95% CI: −0.38 to −0.24, p < 0.01), interleukin 6 (IL-6) (MD = −5.97, 95% CI: −7.39 to −4.54, p<0.01), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) (MD = −5.74, 95% CI: −7.44 to −4.04, p < 0.01), forced vital capacity (FVC) (SMD = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.62, p < 0.01), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) (SMD = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.67, p < 0.01), FEV1/FVC (SMD = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32 to 0.67, p < 0.01), CD4+ T lymphocyte (CD4+) (MD = 4.04, 95% CI: 3.09 to 4.98, p < 0.01), CD8+ T lymphocyte (CD8+) (MD = −3.32, 95% CI: 4.27 to 2.38, p < 0.01) and adverse events (RR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.96, p < 0.01).ConclusionThe combination therapy of LHQW granule and AZM may be a better strategy to treat MPP in children. However, the clinical efficacy and safety of LHQW granule require further validation.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/

The emerging role of ferroptosis in female reproductive disorders

Iron, as an essential trace element for the organism, is vital for maintaining the organism's health. Excessive iron can promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, thus damaging cells and tissues. Ferroptosis is a novel form of programmed cell death distinguished by iron overload and lipid peroxidation, which is unique from autophagy, apoptosis and necrosis, more and more studies are focusing on ferroptosis. Recent evidence suggests that ferroptosis is associated with the development of female reproductive disorders (FRDs), including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), endometriosis (EMs), ovarian cancer (OC), preeclampsia (PE) and spontaneous abortion (SA). Pathways and genes associated with ferroptosis may participate in processes that regulate granulosa cell proliferation and secretion, oocyte development, ovarian reserve function, early embryonic development and placental oxidative stress. However, its exact mechanism has not been fully revealed. Therefore, our review systematically elaborates the occurrence mechanism of ferroptosis and its research progress in the development of FRDs, with a view to providing literature references for clinical targeting of ferroptosis -related pathways and regulatory factors for the management of FRDs

Genome-wide association mapping and transcriptomic analysis reveal key drought-responding genes in barley seedlings

Drought stress is a major abiotic factor restricting crop production. frequently suffers from drought stress as it is mainly planted in the harsh environments. Little research on the identification of drought-tolerant loci or genes of barley has been performed up to date. Here, we determined the phenotypic variation of drought tolerance in a barley population from the International Barley Core Selected Collection (BCS). Under drought stress, shoot water content showed the distinct difference among barley genotypes and the maximum consistency for a given genotype under the two planting conditions. Twenty significant SNPs (P < 10−3) and 41 candidate genes were identified by genome-wide association study (GWAS)on the examined barley accessions. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis (RNA-Seq) identified 2030 and 1947 differentially expression genes (DEGs) in the leaves of a drought-sensitive genotype BCS8 and a tolerant genotype BS24, respectively, and they are mainly involved in water deficit processes in GO analysis and metabolic pathways in KEGG analysis. Finally, seven DEGs were confirmed by qRT-PCR as drought-responding genes, including WRKY, NPF and FLA

A new view on bone graft in dental implantation: Autogenous bone mixed with titanium granules

Introduction : Dental implants have been widely applied in clinic for many years. However, the success rate is still challenging mainly because of bone deficiency. An ideal bone graft is traditionally thought to guide and induce new bone regeneration as well as been absorbed completely by human body. The Hypothesis: Autogenous bone mixed with titanium granules might be an ideal bone graft for dental implantation. Evaluation of the Hypothesis: First, we analyzed advantages of grafts of autogenous bone mixed with titanium granules, such as serving as a s scaffold for wound healing and tissue regeneration, creating sui microenvironment for implant-bone integration, shortening the new bone′s creeping distance, etc. Then we creatively hypothesized a novel alternative bone graft with premixed autogenous bone and non-absorbent titanium granules. Apart from repairing bone deficiency, our hypothesis could promote the integration between new bone and titanium implant from the perspective of microenvironment. We believe that the method is promising and worth extension in clinical application

Stomatal morphological variation contributes to global ecological adaptation and diversification of Brassica napus

Main Conclusion: Stomatal density and guard cell length of 274 global core germplasms of rapeseed reveal that the stomatal morphological variation contributes to global ecological adaptation and diversification of Brassica napus. Abstract: Stomata are microscopic structures of plants for the regulation of CO2 assimilation and transpiration. Stomatal morphology has changed substantially in the adaptation to the external environment during land plant evolution. Brassica napus is a major crop to produce oil, livestock feed and biofuel in the world. However, there are few studies on the regulatory genes controlling stomatal development and their interaction with environmental factors as well as the genetic mechanism of adaptive variation in B. napus. Here, we characterized stomatal density (SD) and guard cell length (GL) of 274 global core germplasms at seedling stage. It was found that among the significant phenotypic variation, European germplasms are mostly winter rapeseed with high stomatal density and small guard cell length. However, the germplasms from Asia (especially China) are semi-winter rapeseed, which is characterized by low stomatal density and large guard cell length. Through selective sweep analysis and homology comparison, we identified several candidate genes related to stomatal density and guard cell length, including Epidermal Patterning Factor2 (EPF2; BnaA09g23140D), Epidermal Patterning Factor Like4 (EPFL4; BnaC01g22890D) and Suppressor of LLP1 (SOL1 BnaC01g22810D). Haplotype and phylogenetic analysis showed that natural variation in EPF2, EPFL4 and SOL1 is closely associated with the winter, spring, and semi-winter rapeseed ecotypes. In summary, this study demonstrated for the first time the relation between stomatal phenotypic variation and ecological adaptation in rapeseed, which is useful for future molecular breeding of rapeseed in the context of evolution and domestication of key stomatal traits and global climate change

Marine sponges of the genus Stelletta as promising drug sources: chemical and biological aspects

International audienc

An injectable MB/BG@LG sustained release lipid gel with antibacterial and osteogenic properties for efficient treatment of chronic periodontitis in rats

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the colonization of pathogenic microorganisms and the loss of periodontal supporting tissue. However, the existing local drug delivery system for periodontitis has some problems including subpar antibacterial impact, easy loss, and unsatisfactory periodontal regeneration. In this study, a multi-functional and sustained release drug delivery system (MB/BG@LG) was developed by encapsulating methylene blue (MB) and bioactive glass (BG) into the lipid gel (LG) precursor by Macrosol technology. The properties of MB/BG@LG were characterized using a scanning electron microscope, a dynamic shear rotation rheometer, and a release curve. The results showed that MB/BG@LG could not only sustained release for 16 days, but also quickly fill the irregular bone defect caused by periodontitis through in situ hydration. Under 660 ​nm light irradiation, methylene blue-produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) can reduce local inflammatory response by inhibiting bacterial growth. In addition, in vitro and vivo experiments have shown that MB/BG@LG can effectively promote periodontal tissue regeneration by reducing inflammatory response, promoting cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. In summary, MB/BG@LG exhibited excellent adhesion properties, self-assembly properties, and superior drug release control capabilities, which improved the clinical feasibility of its application in complex oral environments

Circ_0036490 and DKK1 competitively bind miR-29a to promote lipopolysaccharides-induced human gingival fibroblasts injury

MicroRNA (miRNA) plays a regulatory role in periodontitis. This study aimed to explore whether miR-29a could affect lipopolysaccharides (LPSs)-induced injury in human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) through the competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) mechanism. Periodontal ligament (PDL) tissues and HGFs were derived from patients with periodontitis and healthy volunteers. Periodontitis cell model was established by treating HGFs with LPS. Expression levels of circ_0036490, miR-29a, and DKK1 were evaluated by the reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) method. Western blotting assay was performed to assess protein expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins and Wnt signalling related proteins. Cell viability was evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Concentration of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-18 were determined by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Pyroptosis rate were determined by flow cytometry assay to evaluate pyroptosis. The interaction between miR-29a and circ_0036490 or DKK1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. MiR-29a expression was lower in PDL tissues of patients with periodontitis than that in healthy group; likewise, miR-29a was also downregulated in LPS-treated HGFs. Overexpression of miR-29a increased cell viability and decreased pyroptosis of HGFs induced by LPS while inhibition of miR-29a exerted the opposite role. MiR-29a binds to circ_0036490 and elevation of circ_0036490 contributed to dysfuntion of LPS-treated HGFs and reversed the protection function of elevated miR-29a. In addition, miR-29a targets DKK1. Overexpression of DKK1 abrogated the effects of overexpressed miR-29a on cell vaibility, pyroptosis, and protein levels of Wnt signalling pathway of LPS-treated HGFs. Circ_0036490 and DKK1 competitively bind miR-29a to promote LPS-induced HGF injury in vitro. Wnt pathway inactivated by LPS was activated by miR-29a. Thence, miR-29a may be a promising target for periodontitis.</p