This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of total alkaloids(TA)and one of the active components, neotuberostemonine, of Stemona tuberosa on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice and to explore the mechanism by fibroblasts model. The bleomycin-induced mice were orally administered with TA(60 mg/kg)and neotuberostemonine(10, 20 mg/kg), with prednisone(6. 67 mg/kg)as a positive control. The anti-fibrotic effects were assessed by hydroxyproline content, TGF-β1 level, inflammatory score, collagen deposition and the expression of α-SMA in the lung tissues. The results revealed that TA and neotuberostemonine could significantly ameliorate the inflammation and injury, and attenuate the hydroxyproline content and collagen deposition. Moreover, neotuberostemonine treatment markedly down-regulated the α-SMA level and TGF-β1 content in bleomycin-injured mice lungs. The in vitro experiments showed that neotuberostemonine inhibited the expression of α-SMA induced by TGF-β1 in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that suppression on differentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts may be one of the mechanisms for neotuberostemonine against pulmonary fibrosis.

Objective:To investigate the effect of Lee Silverman voice therapy (LSVT) on the speech and life quality of Chinese persons with Parkinson′s disease (PD).Methods:A total of 16 Chinese PD patients were enrolled and given standard LSVT for 4 weeks. Their acoustic data were analyzed using PRAAT software before and after the treatment. Their voice quality was evaluated using the Japanese GRBAS voice scale and their quality of life was quantified using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scale.Results:After 4 weeks of LSVT the patients′ average voice and life quality had improved significantly. The average maximum duration of sustained vowel phonation had increased significantly, as had the vowels′ mean loudness, reading and monologue delivery. The GRBAS grading indicated that hoarseness had decreased significantly. The average total voice handicap index had also decreased significantly.Conclusion:Lee Silverman therapy can significantly improve maximum phonation time and loudness of Chinese-speakers, which enhances sensory feedback. The quality of their speech and of their life also improve significantly. This technique is recommended for clinical application.

This study was aimed to explore the in vitro antibacterial,anti-inflammatory and antitussive effects of water extract of Styrax japonicus leaves and to verify its concerning efficacies.In vitro antibacterial,anti-inflammatory and antitussive effects were observed by in vitro antibacterial experiment,cotton ball implantation,carrageenan-induced paw edema together with xylene-induced ear edema experiments with rats or mice,and ammonia hydroxide-induced coughing experiment,respectively.The results showed that water extract of Styraxjaponicus leaves can inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae,Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus except candida albicans.Its high-dose group can reduce the weight of cotton ball granuloma in rats obviously.And its low-dose and high-dose groups can inhibit carrageenan-induced paw edema apparently.Meanwhile,its low-dose and high-dose groups can improve xylene-induced ear edema distinctively.Its low-dose and high-dose groups can evidently prolong the ammonia hydroxide-induced coughing incubation periods.And all groups can reduce coughing times.It was concluded that the water extract of Styrax japonicus leaves coincided with the relative clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and provided experimental evidences for its clinical application to some degree.

ObjectiveTo analyze the reliability and validity of Chinese version of Dysarthria Impact Profile (DIP) in assessment of the psychosocial impact of dysarthria in Parkinson's disease (PD). MethodsFrom May, 2021 to March, 2022, 43 PD patients from Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were selected, and 43 age matched healthy controls were enrolled. The process of translation and adaptation was used to develop the Chinese version of DIP, and two groups were evaluated. The internal consistency reliability and intra-rater reliability were analyzed as well as the correlation between each item and its subscale, DIP scores to the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). DIP scores of two groups were compared. ResultsThe Cronbach's α was 0.732 to 0.942. The intra-rater correlation coefficient of subsection four was the highest (r = 0.670, P < 0.001). The correlation coefficients were 0.315 to 0.871, which were correlated (P < 0.05), except items 1, 6, 11 of subsection three and item 11 of subsection four. The correlation coefficient between DIP and VHI was -0.821 (P < 0.01), and it was 0.684 (P < 0.01) between DIP and SF-36. DIP scores were significant different between PD patients and the control group (P < 0.01). ConclusionThe Chinese version of DIP shows good reliability and validity, and can be used as a tool to measure the psychosocial impact of dysarthria in PD patients.