Purpose: This research observed the efficacy and safety of soft tissue expansion combined with recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in repairing second-degree scald scars. Methods: This study conducted a prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Eighty-four patients with deep second-degree scald scars were evenly divided into the control and observation groups. The control group was treated with soft tissue expansion, and the observation group was additionally treated with rhEGF. The skin expansion and wound healing times were compared. The changes in wound exudate and inflammation around the wound were observed after first-stage surgery. The hydroxyproline (OHP) and collagen I/III ratios were compared during the second stage of surgery.The complications and repair effects during treatment were evaluated. Results: The observation group exhibited lower expansion time, immediate retraction rate, and wound healing time, higher skin expansion rate, higher wound exudate score and inflammation score, higher OHP, lower collagen I/III, lower complication rate, and higher total effective rate than the control group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Skin soft tissue expansion combined with rhEGF is more effective in repairing second-degree scald scars, which can effectively increase skin expansion area and reduce wound infection and complications.

Purpose: This research observed the efficacy and safety of soft tissue expansion combined with recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in repairing second-degree scald scars. Methods: This study conducted a prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Eighty-four patients with deep second-degree scald scars were evenly divided into the control and observation groups. The control group was treated with soft tissue expansion, and the observation group was additionally treated with rhEGF. The skin expansion and wound healing times were compared. The changes in wound exudate and inflammation around the wound were observed after first-stage surgery. The hydroxyproline (OHP) and collagen I/III ratios were compared during the second stage of surgery.The complications and repair effects during treatment were evaluated. Results: The observation group exhibited lower expansion time, immediate retraction rate, and wound healing time, higher skin expansion rate, higher wound exudate score and inflammation score, higher OHP, lower collagen I/III, lower complication rate, and higher total effective rate than the control group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Skin soft tissue expansion combined with rhEGF is more effective in repairing second-degree scald scars, which can effectively increase skin expansion area and reduce wound infection and complications.

Purpose: This research observed the efficacy and safety of soft tissue expansion combined with recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in repairing second-degree scald scars. Methods: This study conducted a prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Eighty-four patients with deep second-degree scald scars were evenly divided into the control and observation groups. The control group was treated with soft tissue expansion, and the observation group was additionally treated with rhEGF. The skin expansion and wound healing times were compared. The changes in wound exudate and inflammation around the wound were observed after first-stage surgery. The hydroxyproline (OHP) and collagen I/III ratios were compared during the second stage of surgery.The complications and repair effects during treatment were evaluated. Results: The observation group exhibited lower expansion time, immediate retraction rate, and wound healing time, higher skin expansion rate, higher wound exudate score and inflammation score, higher OHP, lower collagen I/III, lower complication rate, and higher total effective rate than the control group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Skin soft tissue expansion combined with rhEGF is more effective in repairing second-degree scald scars, which can effectively increase skin expansion area and reduce wound infection and complications.

Eight new diterpenoids, Isodons A-H (1-8), comprising seco-abietane and abietane-type structures, together with 13 known analogues (9-21), were isolated from Isodon lophanthoides (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) Hara. The compounds (+)-3/(-)-3, (+)-4/(-)-4, and (+)-5/(-)-5 were identified as three enantiomeric pairs. The planar structures and absolute configurations of 1-8 were determined through high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), 1D & 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, and X-ray diffraction crystallography. A cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (Cyp7a1) luciferase reporter assay revealed significant anti-cholestatic activities for compounds 1, (+)-4, 6, 7, 12-14, and 16. Additionally, compound 6 demonstrated anti-cholestatic effects through the farnesoid X receptor (FXR)-associated signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest potential applications for I. Lophanthoides in pharmaceutical development.
Abietanes/pharmacology* ; Molecular Structure ; Animals ; Isodon/chemistry* ; Humans ; Diterpenes/pharmacology* ; Plant Extracts/chemistry*

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the active components, potential targets, and mechanism of Cnidii Fructus in the treatment of periodontitis with osteoprosis through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation technology. METHODS: The main chemical constituents and targets of Cnidii Fructus were screened using the TCMSP and SwissTargetPrediction databases, as well as literature reports. Targets of periodontitis and osteoporosis were predicted using different databases. The intersection targets of Cnidii Fructus, periodontitis, and osteoporosis were obtained using Venny 2.1. The protein-protein interaction network was formed on the STRING platform. Cytoscape 3.9.1 was used to construct the active component-intersection target interaction network, perform the topological analysis, and screen key targets and core active components. Furthermore, the Metascape database was used to perform gene ontology (GO) function and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis on the intersection targets. The top five key targets and core active components were selected as receptor proteins and ligand small molecules. Discovery Studio 2019 was used to dock ligands and receptors and visualize the docking results. Molecular dynamics simulation was conducted using Gromacs2022.3 to assess the stability of the interactions between the core active components and the main targets. RESULTS: A total of 20 potential active ingredients of Cnidii Fructus were screened, and 116 targets of Cnidii Fructus were obtained for treating periodontitis and osteoporosis. GO and KEGG analyses of the 116 targets showed that Cnidii Fructus may play a therapeutic role through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) and advanced glycation end products-receptor for advanced glycation end products (AGE-RAGE) signaling pathways. Molecular docking showed that the core constituents were well bound to the main targets. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stability of the Diosmetin-AKT1 complex system. CONCLUSIONS The preliminary discovery of the potential molecular pharmacological mechanism of Cnidii Fructus extract in the targeted treatment of periodontitis with osteoporosis through a multi-component, multitarget, and multi-pathway approach can serve as a theoretical foundation for future drug-development research and clinical application.
Molecular Docking Simulation ; Molecular Dynamics Simulation ; Network Pharmacology ; Periodontitis/complications* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Osteoporosis/complications* ; Humans ; Protein Interaction Maps ; Cnidium/chemistry*

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a respiratory disease characterized by inflammation due to neutrophil infiltration, has become the third leading cause of death worldwide. After the occurrence of COPD, the persistent accumulation of neutrophils can promote the excessive formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which plays an important role in local capture and clearance of pathogens, rapid control of infection, and immune regulation. This article mainly introduces the mechanism of COPD occurrence and NETs formation as well as the research progress of NETs in COPD, and summarizes the relevant drug targets for COPD treatment based on NETs, aiming to provide a reference for further research.

Ischemic stroke, a cerebrovascular disease with high incidence, high mortality, high disability rate and high recurrence rate, is an important cause of death and disability of middle-aged and elderly people in China, and imposes a huge burden to society and families. Therefore, it is essential to identify the risk factors associated with ischemic stroke and effectively prevent them. Studies have shown that obstructive sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. However, the exact pathological mechanism of their association has not been clarified. With the development of next-generation sequencing technology, more and more studies have focused on intestinal microbiota. They have found that obstructive sleep apnea can cause intestinal microbiota changes, and intestinal microbiota may be closely related to ischemic stroke. Therefore, this paper attempts to investigate the relationship between intestinal flora and ischemic stroke, so as to reveal the potential pathological mechanism of ischemic stroke caused by obstructive sleep apnea.