Abstract Background Anxiety disorders—including generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder—are highly prevalent psychiatric conditions that impose substantial clinical and social burdens. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) can effectively alleviate anxiety-like behaviors; however, the specific neural circuits and molecular mechanisms underlying EA’s therapeutic effects remain incompletely elucidated. Methods We first assessed the impacts of EA at four classical acupoints—Zusanli (ST36), Neiguan (PC6), Tianshu (ST25), and Baihui (GV20)—delivered with distinct stimulation waveforms on anxiety-like behaviors in conventionally housed mice, using the elevated plus maze and open field test paradigms. To identify the neural circuit underlying the behavioral effects of Baihui (GV20) EA, we employed pseudorabies virus expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (PRV-EGFP) for retrograde tracing from Baihui (GV20) and quantified c-Fos expression across the whole brain as a marker of neuronal activation. ELISA was utilized to measure plasma oxytocin (OXT) levels following EA at Baihui (GV20). Furthermore, a selective pharmacological antagonist of the oxytocin receptor (OXT-R) was administered to verify the critical role of OXT signaling in mediating the anxiolytic benefits of Baihui (GV20) EA. Results EA at GV20 using intermittent electrical wave stimulation exhibited the most robust anxiolytic effects compared to EA at other acupoints or alternative stimulation parameters. Retrograde virus tracing from GV20 revealed a direct neuronal connection between the PVN and the GV20 acupoint region. Further experiments showed that GV20 EA significantly increased the activation of OXT-synthesizing neurons in the PVN and elevated peripheral OXT concentrations in mouse plasma. Critically, intraperitoneal injection of an OXTR antagonist completely abrogated the anxiolytic effects of GV20 EA, confirming that OXT signaling is indispensable for this therapeutic action. Conclusions Intermittent 1.5 mA EA at Baihui (GV20) mitigates anxiety-like behavior in mice via a PVN-derived, OXT-dependent pathway. This work clarifies the anatomical and molecular mechanisms underlying EA-mediated anxiety relief and provides a basis for further exploring functional connections between specific acupoints and brain regions.
Shinge Jagannath, Walhekar Vinayak, Muthal Amol
et al.
Background: Garuga pinnata Roxb., a member of family Burseraceae, is a commonly grown plant in south east Asia including India in tropical rain forests predominately. Apart from folkloric use, important anti-inflammatory and antiasthamatic activity of this plant has been revealed. Objective: This study is aimed to know neuroprotective effects of ethanolic extracts which is based on the computationally determined NMDA as molecular target. Material and Methods: Well dried ethanolic extract of leaves was examined for the presence of amentoflavone with LC-MS/MS which offered the fragments those mimicked the fragmentation of amentoflavone. Effect of ethanolic extract was studies by dividing experimental rat groups each consisting of six animals into sham group, control group, GPE 200 mg/kg and GPE 400 mg/kg groups and were operated for hassle free administration of colchicine. The pharmacological study involved Morris water maze test, Elevated plus maze test and Open Field Box Test. Results: In Morris water maze test, both the selected doses of extracts showed significant decrease in the mean escape latencies upon colchicine challenge. Similarly, in both the doses of the extract showed improved motor and grooming effects in elevated plus maze test upon colchicine injection and also significant ambulatory movements were recorded in open field box test too. Conclusion: The ethanolic extracts of Garuga pinnata on the experimental animals showed significant restoration of the memory capacity of the tested animals, thus the computationally explored insights and pharmco-behavioral screening were quite closure to each other.
The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the “Smart Love, Smart Parenting” Program in enhancing parenting skills and multiple intelligence in school-aged children in Nan Province. The study was based on the concept of positive parenting. A quasi-experimental research design was employed, using a pre-post single group design. The sample consisted of 70 households with children aged 6–12 years from general areas and 153 households from remote areas. Data were collected from parents before and after participating in the program using a parenting skills assessment and a multiple intelligence assessment for children. The findings revealed statistically significant improvements in both parenting skills (p < 0.01) and children’s multiple intelligence (p < 0.05) after program participation. The “Smart Love, Smart Parenting” Program was well received by parents, teachers, and public health personnel, who recognized the importance of strengthening family relationships and community support in child development. The findings indicate that the “Smart Love, Smart Parenting” Program is effective in promoting parenting skills and enhancing the multiple intelligence of school-aged children in both general and remote areas. The findings have implications for strengthening and developing parenting training programs within communities, particularly in areas with limited access to public health services. Moreover, the results can be applied in designing programs that foster positive relationships among homes, schools, and communities to sustainably support the development of parenting skills and children’s multiple intelligence.
Background: This study aimed to develop standard clinical pathways (CP) for patients with degenerative hip and hand arthritis, ensuring consistent care, maximizing treatment effectiveness, and enhancing clinical applicability in Korean medicine. Methods: The CPs were developed based on the 2024 Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines, refined through a literature review and expert consultations, and validated using a 10-point Likert scale survey among 11 experts in Korean medicine, covering topics such as patient assessment, diagnostic tests, treatment methods, and patient education. Results: Most items demonstrated high validity with median values > 8. However, Korean medicine tests and laser acupuncture had lower scores, indicating lower perceived relevance. Conclusion: The developed CPs provide a framework for clinical application, requiring future evaluations and refinement to enhance patient care and standardize Korean medicine treatments for degenerative arthritis.
Miscellaneous systems and treatments, Therapeutics. Pharmacology
Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative disease with a high global prevalence, is characterized by the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the apoptosis of chondrocytes. Ajugol, a extract derived from the herb Rehmannia glutinosa, has not yet been investigated for its potential in modulating the development of OA. Methods We employed techniques such as western blotting, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, X-ray imaging, HE staining, and SO staining to provide biological evidence supporting the role of Ajugol as a potential therapeutic agent for modulating OA. Furthermore, in an in vivo experiment, intra-peritoneal injection of 50 mg/kg Ajugol effectively mitigated the progression of OA following destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery. Results Our findings revealed that treatment with 50 μM Ajugol activated TFEB-mediated autophagy, alleviating ER stress-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation caused by TBHP. Furthermore, in an in vivo experiment, intra-peritoneal injection of 50 mg/kg Ajugol effectively mitigated the progression of OA following destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery. Conclusion These results provide compelling biological evidence supporting the role of Ajugol as a potential therapeutic agent for modulating OA by activating autophagy and attenuating ER stress-induced cell death and ECM degradation. The promising in vivo results further suggest the potential of Ajugol as a treatment strategy for OA progression.
Jeffrey Pradeep Raj, Miteshkumar Rajaram Maurya, Nayana Nair
et al.
Introduction: Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) is commonly used for treating uncomplicated Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) in complementary and alternative system of medicine. AP-Bio®(KalmCold®) is a standardized extract derived from the leaves of A. paniculata. This study was proposed to evaluate its efficacy using validated scales and objective measures. Methods: Participants were randomized in a ratio of 1:1:1 to receive either AP-Bio® 200 mg/day, AP-Bio® 400 mg/day or placebo for 7 days. The primary outcome measure was Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS-21) score. The secondary outcome measures were nasal mucous weight, nasal muco-ciliary clearance function and Interleukin-8 in nasal wash, as well as safety and tolerability. Results: A total of n = 331 participants were screened and N = 300 participants were enrolled. The absolute WURSS-21 global score [mean (Standard Deviation - SD)] in the AP-Bio® 400 mg group [5.70 (5.31)] was less than the AP-Bio® 200 mg group [5.81 (4.83)] on Day-3. However, it was much higher in the placebo group [9.55 (14.27)]. AP-Bio® 400 mg group (Mean Difference - MD [Standard Error - SE] = −3.85 [1.52]; 95% CI = −6.85, - 0.85; adjusted p = 0.034) and 200 mg group (MD [SE] = −3.74 [1.51]; 95% CI = −6.73, - 0.76; adjusted p = 0.038) had significantly lower score than placebo. Similarly, on Day-3, the change in global score from baseline was significantly better in the AP-Bio® 400 mg group (MD [SE] = −3.91; [1.82] 95% CI = −7.50, - 0.32; adjusted p = 0.038) and AP-Bio® 200 mg group (MD [SE] = −3.84 [1.97]; 95% CI = −7.72, - 0.04; adjusted p = 0.044) in comparison to the placebo group. Nasal mucous weight, tissue paper counts used, and interleukin-8 showed a trend towards AP-Bio® groups having a favourable outcome when compared with placebo but did not reach statistical significance due to a small sample size. None of the study participants complained of any adverse physical symptoms. However, incident eosinophilia was noted in n = 20 participants on day 3. (n = 6 in AP-Bio® 200 mg group, n = 7 in Ap-Bio® 400 mg group and n = 13 in placebo group; p = 0.181). Conclusions: Participants in both the AP-Bio® dose groups showed positive tendency towards resolution of URTI symptoms when compared with placebo on Day-3 but not on Day-5 and Day-7.
Background: The 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) is a scale widely used to assess resilience among various clinical and nonclinical populations. Measurement invariance of a scale is essential for group comparison. However, to our knowledge, the psychometric properties, including the measurement invariance, validity and reliability, of the CD-RISC-10 in male military personnel with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are unknown. The current study aimed to determine the measurement invariance of the CD-RISC-10 and its validity and reliability in male military personnel with and without PTSD. Methods: A total of 8089 male military personnel were enrolled in the study, 370 of whom were screened as having PTSD based on the screening criteria of a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian score ≥38 and 7719 of whom did not have PTSD. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate whether the scale had a single factor and to determine the measurement invariance in PTSD and non-PTSD samples. Results: The results showed that the CD-RISC-10 had satisfactory and reliable internal consistency and criterion-related validity among the PTSD (α = 0.91; r = -0.54, -0.44, -0.55, P<0.01) and non-PTSD (α = 0.94, r = -0.61, -0.49, -0.56, P<0.01) groups. The unidimensional structure of the CD-RISC-10 was verified by CFA in the PTSD and non-PTSD groups. Moreover, the scalar invariance of the CD-RISC-10 was established across PTSD and non-PTSD groups(△CFI = -0.002, △TLI = 0.001, △RMSEA =-0.001). Conclusions: The findings indicate that the CD-RISC-10 is an effective instrument for assessing psychological resilience across PTSD and non-PTSD male military personnel.
Gabriel Ricardo Velho, Luciana Zambillo Palma, Cristine Warmling
et al.
Frente à pandemia da COVID-19, os serviços de saúde bucal enfrentaram um novo cenário dos padrões adotados em relação à biossegurança e readequação dos processos de trabalho. O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar as rotinas e processos de trabalho das Equipes de Saúde Bucal no serviço público e privado do Rio Grande do Sul durante a pandemia da COVID-19. Desenho do estudo: O estudo observacional, quantitativo, transversal e descritivo, trata-se de um recorte do estudo multicêntrico “Biossegurança em Odontologia para o enfrentamento da COVID-19: análise das práticas e formulação de estratégias”. A coleta de dados, ocorreu entre agosto e outubro de 2020, com questionário inédito no formato on-line que foi enviado aos profissionais inscritos no Conselho Regional de Odontologia-RS por e-mail e através das redes sociais. Participaram 644 profissionais, 82,45% são cirurgiões-dentistas, 13,19% auxiliares de saúde bucal e 4,34% técnicos de saúde bucal. De forma geral os profissionais responderam que tiveram acesso às notas técnicas. Os trabalhadores que atuam no serviço público foram mais testados para a COVID-19, também suspenderam os atendimentos eletivos e se afastaram das atividades profissionais em maior proporção do que aqueles vinculados ao serviço privado. Ainda que em menor proporção, trabalhadores do setor público assumiram novos papéis no serviço à frente de combate à COVID-19. A pandemia da COVID-19 trouxe mudanças importantes para a prática odontológica, e repensar os processos de trabalho em saúde bucal, olhando para as fragilidades e potencialidades do trabalho em equipe parecem ser os novos desafios para os profissionais da odontologia.
Palavras-chave: Biossegurança. Odontologia. Processos de trabalho. Saúde Bucal. COVID-19
Miscellaneous systems and treatments, Public aspects of medicine
BackgroundGlobally, healthcare systems face major challenges with medicines management and medication adherence. Medication adherence determines medication effectiveness and can be the single most effective intervention for improving health outcomes. In anticipation of growth in eHealth interventions worldwide, we explore the role of eHealth in the patients’ medicines management journey in primary care, focusing on personalisation and intelligent monitoring for greater adherence.DiscussioneHealth offers opportunities to transform every step of the patient’s medicines management journey. From booking appointments, consultation with a healthcare professional, decision-making, medication dispensing, carer support, information acquisition and monitoring, to learning about medicines and their management in daily life. It has the potential to support personalisation and monitoring and thus lead to better adherence. For some of these dimensions, such as supporting decision-making and providing reminders and prompts, evidence is stronger, but for many others more rigorous research is urgently needed.ConclusionsGiven the potential benefits and barriers to eHealth in medicines management, a fine balance needs to be established between evidence-based integration of technologies and constructive experimentation that could lead to a game-changing breakthrough. A concerted, transdisciplinary approach adapted to different contexts, including low- and middle-income contries is required to realise the benefits of eHealth at scale.
Sound regulatory systems are critical for protecting public health against use of medical products which do not meet international standards of quality, safety and efficacy. This review provides a summary of the current status of National Medicines Regulatory Authorities (NMRAs) in Africa, and various initiatives that have been established to improve their performance. All countries in Africa (except Sahrawi Republic), have NMRAs but their organizational set-up and functionality is variable. Some are located within Ministries of Health and others are semi-autonomous. There is progressive improvement in regulatory capacity, particularly in quality control and post-marketing surveillance, pharmacovigilance and clinical trials oversight. The African Vaccines Regulatory Forum, African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization Initiative, Network of Official Medicines Control Laboratories and WHO Prequalification Scheme have helped countries strengthen their regulatory capacities. The potential establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) in 2018 is an opportunity to improve NMRAs’ capacity in Africa.
Abstract Background The herbal medicine Bryophyllum pinnatum has been used as a tocolytic agent in anthroposophic medicine and, recently, in conventional settings alone or as an add-on medication with tocolytic agents such as atosiban or nifedipine. We wanted to compare the inhibitory effect of atosiban and nifedipine on human myometrial contractility in vitro in the absence and in the presence of B. pinnatum press juice (BPJ). Methods Myometrium biopsies were collected during elective Caesarean sections. Myometrial strips were placed under tension into an organ bath and allowed to contract spontaneously. Test substances alone and at concentrations known to moderately affect contractility in this setup, or in combination, were added to the organ bath, and contractility was recorded throughout the experiments. Changes in the strength (measured as area under the curve (AUC) and amplitude) and frequency of contractions after the addition of all test substances were determined. Cell viability assays were performed with the human myometrium hTERT-C3 and PHM1–41 cell lines. Results BPJ (2.5 μg/mL), atosiban (0.27 μg/mL), and nifedipine (3 ng/mL), moderately reduced the strength of spontaneous myometrium contractions. When BPJ was added together with atosiban or nifedipine, inhibition of contraction strength was significantly higher than with the tocolytics alone (p = 0.03 and p < 0.001, respectively). In the case of AUC, BPJ plus atosiban promoted a decrease to 48.8 ± 6.3% of initial, whereas BPJ and atosiban alone lowered it to 70.9 ± 4.7% and to 80.9 ± 4.1% of initial, respectively. Also in the case of AUC, BPJ plus nifedipine promoted a decrease to 39.9 ± 4.6% of initial, at the same time that BPJ and nifedipine alone lowered it to 78.9 ± 3.8% and 71.0 ± 3.4% of initial. Amplitude data supported those AUC data. The inhibitory effects of BPJ plus atosiban and of BPJ plus nifedipine on contractions strength were concentration-dependent. None of the test substances, alone or in combination, decreased myometrial cell viability. Conclusions BPJ enhances the inhibitory effect of atosiban and nifedipine on the strength of myometrial contractions, without affecting myometrium tissue or cell viability. The combination treatment of BPJ with atosiban or nifedipine has therapeutic potential.
Abstract Background The highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) has a beneficial effect on several aspects of human health. The present study investigated the effects of highbush blueberry proanthocyanidins (PACs) on the virulence properties of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and macrophage-associated inflammatory responses. Methods PACs were isolated from frozen highbush blueberries using solid-phase chromatography. A microplate dilution assay was performed to determine the effect of highbush blueberry PACs on A. actinomycetemcomitans growth as well as biofilm formation stained with crystal violet. Tight junction integrity of oral keratinocytes was assessed by measuring the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER), while macrophage viability was determined with a colorimetric MTT assay. Pro-inflammatory cytokine and MMP secretion by A. actinomycetemcomitans-stimulated macrophages was quantified by ELISA. The U937-3xκB-LUC monocyte cell line transfected with a luciferase reporter gene was used to monitor NF-κB activation. Results Highbush blueberry PACs reduced the growth of A. actinomycetemcomitans and prevented biofilm formation at sub-inhibitory concentrations. The treatment of pre-formed biofilms with the PACs resulted in a loss of bacterial viability. The antibacterial activity of the PACs appeared to involve damage to the bacterial cell membrane. The PACs protected the oral keratinocytes barrier integrity from damage caused by A. actinomycetemcomitans. The PACs also protected macrophages from the deleterious effect of leukotoxin Ltx-A and dose-dependently inhibited the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, CXCL8, TNF-α), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-3, MMP-9), and sTREM-1 by A. actinomycetemcomitans-treated macrophages. The PACs also inhibited the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusion The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of highbush blueberry PACs as well as their ability to protect the oral keratinocyte barrier and neutralize leukotoxin activity suggest that they may be promising candidates as novel therapeutic agents.