Experimental and therapeutic medicine最新文献

The present study described the case of a 50-year-old male patient. The patient had type 2 diabetes since the age of 38 years (in 2013) with an initial elevated glycated hemoglobin A1c of 7.2%, with a significant cardiovascular (CV) history consisting of an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery that had been operated on in 1998 and a ruptured basilar artery tip aneurysm embolized with a stent in 2013; the case was also associated with bronchiectasis (since 2020), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (since 2018), diabetic neuropathy (since 2023) and obesity with a body mass index of 31.72 kg/m² (since 2010). Over the years the patient exhibited good metabolic control, initially treated with Metformin and managed through a change of diet. However, due to intolerance to Metformin, the patient stopped receiving treatments and only managed his diet. Since diabetes is by definition a condition that implies a high CV risk by itself, the primary focus with this patient was to provide additional CV protection, particularly secondary protection against any other potential future, and possibly fatal, CV events. After a brief introduction regarding the available therapeutic options, the case is presented along with the medical history, concomitant medications and evolution after 1 year. In the discussion section, similar documented cases in the literature were compared with the present case, and the potential effects of the therapeutic intervention in the present study were compared.

Influenza infections damage the airway and induce the innate immune response that contributes to hyper-inflammation. Eucommiae Cortex (EC) enhances immune function and suppresses inflammation. To determine potential compounds and targets of EC associated with influenza, bioinformatics analyses and experimental verification were employed. The active compounds of EC were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database. The intersecting targets of EC and influenza were determined and examined using network pharmacology to analyze the relationship between the compounds and disease targets. The network identified three main compounds (quercetin, genistein and kaempferol) and four main targets (IL6, BCL2, IL1B and TNF). The ligand-target binding affinity was calculated by molecular docking, a computational method used in drug design to predict the interaction between the compound and protein target. The docking results revealed that kaempferol and TNF showed the strongest binding affinity. In vitro experiments confirmed the therapeutic effect of EC in influenza virus-infected Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. Collectively, the present study identified the active compounds and potential targets of EC in influenza and suggested EC as a future influenza treatment.

The best timing for treating adolescent patients with skeletal class III malocclusion is still unclear. The present study aimed to explore variations in the efficacy of rapid expansion combined with maxillary protraction therapy in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion at different growth and development stages. Clinical records of 45 patients with skeletal class III malocclusion who underwent rapid expansion combined with maxillary protraction therapy from January 2019 to June 2022 were included in the present study. Based on the cervical vertebral maturation method (CVM), the patients were retrospectively divided into three groups: Pre-pubertal (CVM stages I-II, n=15), pubertal (CVM stage III, n=15) and post-pubertal (CVM stages IV-VI, n=15). Lateral head radiographs before and after the treatment and various bone, dental and soft tissue measurements were compared between groups to assess the differences in treatment effects. The results of the intra-group comparison before and after the treatment showed that the dental and bone indicators, such as A Point-Nasion-Point B angle, sella-nasion-A point angle, sella-nasion-B point angle, mandibular plane angle, A Point-VR plane and anterior Nasal-VR plane (ANS-VR) were significantly different compared with those before treatment in all three groups of patients (P<0.05). The posterior Nasal-VR plane (PNS-VR) changed significantly in the pre-pubertal and pubertal groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant change in the post-pubertal group. The Glabella-Pronasale-Pogonion of soft tissue and Sella-Nasion-Nasion-Bs Point angle decreased significantly post-treatment in the three groups, while the Sella-Nasion-Nasion-Sn Point angle increased (P<0.05). Intergroup comparisons before and after treatment showed that there was no significant difference in the post-treatment indexes between the pre-pubertal and pubertal groups. The changes in ANS-VR and PNS-VR values before and after treatment were statistically significant between the post-pubertal and the other two groups (P<0.05). In conclusion, rapid expansion combined with maxillary protraction therapy has the best treatment effects in patients in the pre-pubertal and pubertal stages and is associated with significant skeletal effects and less alveolar response. Although the skeletal treatment effects are less favorable in patients in the post-pubertal stage with more pronounced alveolar responses, the treatment can still provide appropriate compensation for facial deformities and reduce the likelihood of orthognathic surgery.

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by plaque buildup within the arteries that obstructs blood flow and significantly increases the morbidity and mortality rates associated with cardiovascular diseases caused by impaired blood flow due to vascular stenosis or occlusion, such as angina and myocardial infarction. The development of atherosclerosis involves a complex interplay of endothelial dysfunction, accumulation of oxidized low-density lipoprotein and macrophage-driven inflammation. The risk factors for atherosclerosis include chronic inflammation, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Effective management of these risk factors can prevent and delay the onset and progression of atherosclerosis. Garlic and its processed preparations have previously been utilized to mitigate cardiovascular risk factors and continue to be used in traditional medicine in several countries. Among these preparations, aged garlic extract (AGE) has been shown to improve atherosclerosis in clinical trials and animal studies. AGE contains various compounds with potential anti-atherosclerotic properties, such as S-1-propenylcysteine, S-allylcysteine and other sulfur-containing constituents, which may help prevent the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The present manuscript reviewed and discussed the anti-atherogenic effect of AGE and its constituents by highlighting their mode of action and potential benefits for prevention and therapy in the management of atherosclerosis.

Aged garlic extract (AGE) is produced by aging raw garlic (Allium sativum L.) in an alcoholic solution for >10 months. AGE is rich in sulfur-containing amino acids, such as S-allylcysteine (SAC), S-1-propenylcysteine (S1PC), S-methylcysteine (SMC) and S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC). These sulfur-containing amino acids exert various beneficial pharmacological effects and have different pharmacokinetic properties. For instance, SAC, S1PC and SMC are well absorbed in rats with high bioavailability (88.0-95.8%), whereas SAMC is not detected in the plasma after oral administration. Orally administered SAC and S1PC are excreted in urine in their N-acetylated forms and ~50% of SMC is excreted as inorganic sulfur compounds, whereas SAMC immediately reacts with blood and is metabolized into volatile sulfur compounds. The present review summarizes and discusses the pharmacokinetic profiles (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) of sulfur-containing compounds present in AGE and other garlic-derived substances, such as allicin.

Intracranial tuberculoma represents one of the most severe complications of central nervous system tuberculosis (TB), with an incidence that is relatively low. In cases of intracranial tuberculoma, patients may develop drug toxicity and/or immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) while receiving anti-TB treatment. The current study presented the case of a seven-year-old female patient with intracranial tuberculoma who developed drug-induced hepatotoxicity and IRIS during the course of treatment. During the follow-up of the patient, anti-TB drug-induced hepatitis developed, which led to the discontinuation of the drug twice. In the seventh month of treatment, cranial MRI showed the progression of tuberculoma lesions. The possibility of IRIS or treatment failure was considered and the treatment was restarted with steroids and non-hepatotoxic anti-TB drugs. With steroid and anti-TB treatment, the lesions regressed almost completely and the neurological deficit regressed. Patients receiving treatment should be followed up closely due to the possible side effects of anti-TB drugs, especially IRIS, which develops as an immune restructuring response during the recovery of the immune system.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2015.2215.].

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2015.2920.].

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/etm.2016.3222.].

A human periodontal ligament cell line stably overexpressing the granulin precursor gene (GRN) was established through lentiviral mediation to explore the effects of GRN on the proliferation and osteogenic capacity of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs). In the present study, a homologous recombinant lentiviral plasmid, pLV-GRN, was constructed and transfected into the hPDLCs. The expression levels of GRN and progranulin were assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q)PCR and western blotting and the effect of GRN on the proliferative capacity was determined using the MTT assay. The osteogenic capacity of human periodontal cells overexpressing GRN was evaluated. The results showed that successful construction and transfection of the homologous recombinant lentiviral plasmid pLV-GRN led to the development of a stable periodontal cell line overexpressing GRN. The MTT assay results revealed an enhanced proliferative capacity in the pLV-GRN group compared with that in the hPDLCs and pLV-puro groups (P<0.05). Alizarin red staining and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assays indicated a significantly increased osteogenic capacity in the pLV-GRN group compared with the hPDLCs and pLV-puro groups (P<0.01). RT-qPCR demonstrated strong expression of the osteogenic genes ALP, runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and osteopontin (OPN) in the periodontal cells of the pLV-GRN group (P<0.05), whereas western blotting results corroborated the high expression of the osteogenic genes Runx-2 and OPN in the periodontal cells of the pLV-GRN group (P<0.05). In summary, the overexpression of GRN significantly enhanced the proliferation and osteogenic capacity of hPDLCs. These findings provide an experimental foundation for periodontal tissue regeneration.