Efficacy of combined medication of nifedipine and magnesium sulfate on gestational hypertension and the effect on PAPP-A, VEGF, NO, Hcy and vWF

Pilocarpine mediated excessive calcium accumulation leads to ciliary muscle cell senescence and apoptosis

The ciliary muscle constitutes a crucial element in refractive regulation. Investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms within the ciliary muscle during excessive contraction holds significance in treating ciliary muscle dysfunction. A guinea pig model of excessive contraction of the ciliary muscle induced by drops pilocarpine was employed, alongside the primary ciliary muscle cells was employed in in vitro experiments. The results of the ophthalmic examination showed that pilocarpine did not significantly change refraction and axial length during the experiment, but had adverse effects on the regulatory power of the ciliary muscle. The current data reveal notable alterations in the expression profiles of hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1α), ATP2A2, P53, α-SMA, Caspase-3, and BAX within the ciliary muscle of animals subjected to pilocarpine exposure, alongside corresponding changes observed in cultured cells treated with pilocarpine. Augmented levels of ROS were detected in both tissue specimens and cells, culminating in a significant increase in cell apoptosis in in vivo and in vitro experiments. Further examination revealed that pilocarpine induced an increase in intracellular Ca2+ levels and disrupted MMP, as evidenced by mitochondrial swelling and diminished cristae density compared to control conditions, concomitant with a noteworthy decline in antioxidant enzyme activity. However, subsequent blockade of Ca2+ channels in cells resulted in downregulation of HIF-1α, ATP2A2, P53, α-SMA, Caspase-3, and BAX expression, alongside ameliorated mitochondrial function and morphology. The inhibition of Ca2+ channels presents a viable approach to mitigate ciliary cells damage and sustain proper ciliary muscle function by curtailing the mitochondrial damage induced by excessive contractions.

Panax Notoginseng Saponins Regulate Angiogenic Cytokines Through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway to Promote Fracture Healing in Ovariectomized Rats

Osteoporotic fractures seriously affect the quality of life of the elderly. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) have the potential function of preventing osteoporosis. The Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is involved in the regulation of osteoporosis and has been proven to be related to VEGF secretion and angiogenesis. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects of PNS on ovariectomized rats with osteoporotic fracture through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and angiogenesis-related factors. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control, fracture model, ovariectomized fracture model, low-dose PNS (100 mg/kg/d), and high-dose PNS (200 mg/kg/d). The ovariectomized rat fracture model was established. In low and high dose groups, PNS was administered intraperitoneally. The vascularization of fracture ends was detected in vitro by micro-CT on the 7th, 14th, and 21st day after modeling, and the area and number of blood vessels in the unit field of vision of the callus healing plane were seen by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The expression levels of PI3K, AKT1, mTOR, hypoxia inducible factor-1; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor (HIF-1), VEGF, Ang-1, VEGFR2, and angiopoietin like 2 Gene (ANGPTL2) were determined using Western blotting. In the PNS treatment group, the area of cortical bone increased, the area of callus decreased, and the number and area of blood vessels increased significantly when compared with the ovariectomized fracture model group. PNS regulates the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and promotes the expression of vascular-related cytokines (VEGF, Ang-1, VEGFR2, and ANGPTL2) in osteoporotic fractures. PNS may regulate the expression of vascular-related factors through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and promote the healing of osteoporotic fractures in ovariectomized rats.

Efficacy of magnesium sulfate combined with nifedipine for pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome and its relation to glucose and lipid metabolism

OBJECTIVE

To determine the efficacy of magnesium sulfate combined with nifedipine for pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome (PIHS) and its influence on glucose and lipid metabolism.

METHODS

The clinical data of 124 cases of PIHS treated in Jiangxi Jiujiang Maternal and Child Care Centers from March 2020 to June 2022 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 58 patients who received magnesium sulfate alone were enrolled as a control group, and the other 66 given magnesium sulfate combined with nifedipine were enrolled as a study group. The two groups were compared for treatment efficacy, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and blood lipid indexes (triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein - cholesterol (LDL-C)). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the factors affecting outcome.

RESULTS

The study group showed a significantly higher total effective rate than the control group (P=0.008). After treatment, the study group showed significantly lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels than the control group (P<0.001). After treatment, the study group also showed lower levels of FBG, TC, TG, and LDL-C and a higher HDL-C level than the control group (P<0.001). Additionally, the incidences of cesarean section and postpartum hemorrhage were lower in the study group than those of the control group (both P<0.05). The two groups were not significantly different in premature delivery or low neonatal birth weight (both P>0.05), and the incidence of adverse reactions of the two groups was also not greatly different (P>0.05). According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, higher BMI (OR: 3.087, 95% CI: 1.295~7.358) and higher SBP (OR: 1.220, 95% CI: 1.001~1.487) at admission were independent risk factors for poor efficacy, while combined therapeutic regimen (OR: 0.018, 95% CI: 0.001~0.228) was an independent protective factor.

CONCLUSION

Magnesium sulfate combined with nifedipine can deliver a powerful clinical efficacy for patients with PIHS by lowering blood pressure and the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and by improving glucose and lipid metabolism.

Preventative and therapeutic potential of animal milk components against COVID-19: A comprehensive review

The global pandemic of COVID-19 is considered one of the most catastrophic events on earth. During the pandemic, food ingredients may play crucial roles in preventing infectious diseases and sustaining people's general health and well-being. Animal milk acts as a super food since it has the capacity to minimize the occurrence of viral infections due to inherent antiviral properties of its ingredients. SARS-CoV-2 virus infection can be prevented by immune-enhancing and antiviral properties of caseins, α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, mucin, lactoferrin, lysozyme, lactoperoxidase, oligosaccharides, glycosaminoglycans, and glycerol monolaurate. Some of the milk proteins (i.e., lactoferrin) may work synergistically with antiviral medications (e.g., remdesivir), and enhance the effectiveness of treatment in this disease. Cytokine storm during COVID-19 can be managed by casein hydrolyzates, lactoferrin, lysozyme, and lactoperoxidase. Thrombus formation can be prevented by casoplatelins as these can inhibit human platelet aggregation. Milk vitamins (i.e., A, D, E, and B complexes) and minerals (i.e., Ca, P, Mg, Zn, and Se) can have significantly positive effects on boosting the immunity and health status of individuals. In addition, certain vitamins and minerals can also act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and antivirals. Thus, the overall effect of milk might be a result of synergistic antiviral effects and host immunomodulator activities from multiple components. Due to multiple overlapping functions of milk ingredients, they can play vital and synergistic roles in prevention as well as supportive agents during principle therapy of COVID-19.

Furazolidone and Nitrofurazone Metabolic Studies in Crucian Carp by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

In this work, the detection of the furazolidone (FZD) and nitrofurazone (NFZ) metabolites residuals in crucian carp are focused. Crucian carps of identical size were exposed to the mixed nitrofuran antibiotics under optimized bath conditions at a concentration of 50 mg/L, 26 ± 0.5°C for 24 h. Then, liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MSMS) was performed after the drug exposure experiments when the nitrofuran metabolites were enriched in organisms. During the period of 0-144 h, residue levels of the 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ) gradually decreased with a prolonged sampling time. The changing trend in semicarbazide (SEM) with the sample collection duration is divided into two stages, and its concentration showed a trend of rising first and then falling. The metabolite concentration-time curve demonstrates that 24 h was used as a sampling time, and fish muscle was selected as tissue samples in the further quantitative study. A novel crucian carp-enrichment procedure coupled to LC-ESI-MSMS quantitative method was further explored based on much metabolite data. According to the exponential curve of the SEM-to-AOZ concentration ratio at a precisely designed FZD-to-NFZ mass ratio, the final FZD content of the veterinary NFZ antibiotics was 0.069 ± 0.005% (in terms of mass).

Effect of high-quality nursing on postpartum hemorrhage and quality of life in puerperants with gestational hypertension

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effect of high-quality nursing on puerperants with gestational hypertension.

METHODS

In this study, 144 puerperants with gestational hypertension admitted to our hospital were included and divided into a research group and a control group according to the nursing method. The control group (n = 72) adopted the routine nursing and the observation group (n = 72) adopted the high-quality nursing. The rate of postpartum hemorrhage, the incidence of eclampsia, the amount of 1 d-postpartum hemorrhage, the quality of life (QOL), the psychological states, and the nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The rate of postpartum hemorrhage, the incidence of eclampsia, and the amount of 1 d-postpartum hemorrhage of the patients in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). After intervention, the scores of psychological states in both groups decreased, which dropped more in the observation group (all P < 0.05). The scores of physical function, overall health, social function, and emotional role in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). The patients' satisfaction on nursing in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

High-quality nursing has certain advantages in improving postpartum hemorrhage and QOL in puerperants with gestational hypertension. It can also improve patients' negative emotions, life quality, and nursing satisfaction.

Clinical Evaluation of Pinggan Yiqi Yangshen Recipe Combined with Labetalol Hydrochloride and Magnesium Sulfate in the Treatment of PIH

Background

To observe the clinical effect of Pinggan Yiqi Yangshen recipe combined with labetalol hydrochloride and magnesium sulfate in the treatment of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH).

Methods

A total of 126 patients with PIH diagnosed in our hospital from January 2016 to May 2018 were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group, with 63 cases in each group. The control group was treated with labetalol combined with magnesium sulfate. On the basis of the control group, the experimental group was treated with Pinggan Yiqi Yangshen recipe. Clinical efficacy, blood pressure, renal function, and biochemical indexes were compared between the two groups. Moreover, pregnancy outcomes and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.

Results

After treatment, the total effective rate in the experimental group was higher than in the control group. Blood pressure and mean arterial pressure in the experimental group were more significantly downregulated than the control group. Renal function indexes and biochemical indexes in the experimental group were more significant than those in the control group. The incidence of cesarean section, preterm birth, and abnormal fetal heart rate in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group. There was no difference in the incidence of fetal distress, postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal asphyxia, and adverse reactions between the two groups.

Conclusion

Pinggan Yiqi Yangshen recipe combined with labetalol hydrochloride and magnesium sulfate can effectively reduce the blood pressure of patients with PIH, help patients to return to normal levels of biochemical indexes and renal function indexes, and improve pregnancy outcomes with high safety, which is worthy of further promotion and application in clinical practice.

Possibility of magnesium supplementation for supportive treatment in patients with COVID-19

Magnesium as an enzymatic activator is essential for various physiological functions such as cell cycle, metabolic regulation, muscle contraction, and vasomotor tone. A growing body of evidence supports that magnesium supplementation (mainly magnesium sulfate and magnesium oxide) prevents or treats various types of disorders or diseases related to respiratory system, reproductive system, nervous system, digestive system, and cardiovascular system as well as kidney injury, diabetes and cancer. The ongoing pandemic coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) characterized by respiratory tract symptoms with different degrees of important organ and tissue damages has attracted global attention. Particularly, effective drugs are still lacking in the COVID-19 therapy. In this review, we find and summarize the effectiveness of magnesium supplementation on the disorders or diseases, and provide a reference to the possibility of magnesium supplementation for supportive treatment in patients with COVID-19.