THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF URTICA DIOICA IN TREATING BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Background: Urtica dioica is extract from the root of a stinging nettle. Materials and Methods: We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of Urtica dioica for treating Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A literature review was performed to identify all published randomized double-blind, controlled trials of Urtica dioica for the treatment of BPH. The search included the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. The reference lists of the retrieved studies were also investigated. Results: Five publications involving a total of 1128 patients were used in the analysis. Primary efficacy end points: the international prostate symptom score (IPSS) (the standardized mean difference (SMD) =-10.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) =-18.12 to -2.82, p=0.007); the peak urinary flow rate (Qmax) (SMD=4.37, 95%CI=1.55 to 7.19, p=0.002) and prostate volume (SMD=-3.63, 95%CI=-4.67 to -2.57,

Predictors of acute adverse reactions to non-ionic iodinated contrast media in CT imaging: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundIodinated contrast media-acute adverse reactions (ICM-AARs) are frequent and clinically significant complications associated with radiological imaging. Despite investigation of their risk factors, there is no consensus, and no comprehensive synthesis has been conducted. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the factors influencing ICM-AARs.MethodsA systematic search for studies published in Chinese or English up to 22 July 2024 in the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, WanFang, CQVIP, and SinoMed databases was conducted. Studies on patients undergolng contrast-enhanced CT examinations with nonionic ICM were selected. The primary outcome measures were risk factors associated with ICM-AARs. The studies were analyzed for heterogeneity using the Q-test and I2 statistic, while publication bias was assessed using funnel plots, Egger's test, and Begg's test. Stata 17 software was used for the meta-analysis.ResultsSeventeen studies were included, encompassing 2,576,446 CT-enhanced examinations. Of these, 11,621 acute adverse reactions were reported, with a mean incidence of 0.45% and a quality score of ≥7. The meta-analysis showed that female sex (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.13, 1.41), age <35 years (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.19, 2.64), high body mass index (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.10), type of medical visit (outpatient) (OR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.01, 4.93), history of adverse ICM reactions (OR = 11.03, 95% CI = 2.25, 53.97), history of other allergies (OR = 3.16, 95% CI = 1.27, 7.84), history of asthma (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.19, 2.57), hyperthyroldism (OR = 4.59, 95% CI = 1.65, 12.82), and type of ICM (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.68, 3.06) were risk factors for ICM-AARs. Age >60 years (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.53, 0.95), pre-injection medication (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.39, 0.79), and hypertensive disorders (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.65, 0.94) were identified as protective against ICM-AARs.ConclusionsThe incidence of ICM-AARs is influenced by a variety of clinical and demographic factors. Healthcare professionals may benefit from dynamically assessing patient-specific risk factors and considering targeted preventive measures for high-risk groups, particularly in populations similar to those studied.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, PROSPERO (CRD42024571470)

Vitamin B12 Levels in Methamphetamine Addicts

Objective: It has been established that reduced vitamin B12 serum levels are associated with cognitive decline and mental illness. The chronic use of methamphetamine (MA), which is a highly addictive drug, can induce cognitive impairment and psychopathological symptoms. There are few studies addressing the association of MA with vitamin B12 serum levels. This study examined whether the serum levels of B12 are associated with MA addiction.Methods: Serum vitamin B12, homocysteine (Hcy), glucose and triglyceride concentrations were measured in 123 MA addicts and 108 controls. In addition, data were collected on their age, marital status, level of education and Body Mass Index (BMI) for all participants. In the patient group, the data for each subject were collected using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and a drug use history, which included the age of onset, total duration of MA use, the number of relapses and addiction severity.Results: Our results showed that MA addicts had lower vitamin B12 levels (p < 0.05) than those of healthy controls, but Hcy levels were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05). Serum B12 levels were negatively correlated with the number of relapses in the MA group. Furthermore, binary logistics regression analysis indicated that the B12 was an influencing factor contributing to addiction severity.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that some MA addicts might have vitamin B12 deficiency, and serum B12 levels may be involved in the prognosis of MA addiction

3,3′Diindolylmethane Suppresses Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Modulation and Inhibits Neointima Formation after Carotid Injury

3,3'Diindolylmethane (DIM), a natural phytochemical, has shown inhibitory effects on the growth and migration of a variety of cancer cells; however, whether DIM has similar effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of DIM on the proliferation and migration of cultured VSMCs and neointima formation in a carotid injury model, as well as the related cell signaling mechanisms.DIM dose-dependently inhibited the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced proliferation of VSMCs without cell cytotoxicity. This inhibition was caused by a G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest demonstrated by fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis. We also showed that DIM-induced growth inhibition was associated with the inhibition of the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 as well as an increase in p27(Kip1) levels in PDGF-stimulated VSMCs. Moreover, DIM was also found to modulate migration of VSMCs and smooth muscle-specific contractile marker expression. Mechanistically, DIM negatively modulated PDGF-BB-induced phosphorylation of PDGF-recptorβ (PDGF-Rβ) and the activities of downstream signaling molecules including Akt/glycogen synthase kinase(GSK)3β, extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2), and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3). Our in vivo studies using a mouse carotid arterial injury model revealed that treatment with 150 mg/kg DIM resulted in significant reduction of the neointima/media ratio and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells, without affecting apoptosis of vascular cells and reendothelialization. Infiltration of inflammatory cells was also inhibited by DIM administration.These results demonstrate that DIM can suppress the phenotypic modulation of VSMCs and neointima hyperplasia after vascular injury. These beneficial effects on VSMCs were at least partly mediated by the inhibition of PDGF-Rβ and the activities of downstream signaling pathways. The results suggest that DIM has the potential to be a candidate for the prevention of restenosis

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as powerful and recyclable catalysts and solvents for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones/thiones

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are successfully used as powerful and recyclable catalysts and solvents for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones/thiones (DHPMs). The acidity of DESs is the main factor that determines catalytic activity. DESs, based on p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA) and choline chloride (ChCl), exhibits the highest catalytic activity. ChCl/2PTSA is suitable for a vast variety of aromatic aldehydes with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups, different β-diketonates, and urea or thiourea to obtain the corresponding DHPMs. Furthermore, DESs can be recycled easily after synthesis. The reused DESs achieve catalytic efficiency six times without significant changes. This study will provide a new green catalyst and efficient process for the synthesis of DHPMs

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as powerful and recyclable catalysts and solvents for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones/thiones

Abstract Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are successfully used as powerful and recyclable catalysts and solvents for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones/thiones (DHPMs). The acidity of DESs is the main factor that determines catalytic activity. DESs, based on p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA) and choline chloride (ChCl), exhibits the highest catalytic activity. ChCl/2PTSA is suitable for a vast variety of aromatic aldehydes with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups, different β-diketonates, and urea or thiourea to obtain the corresponding DHPMs. Furthermore, DESs can be recycled easily after synthesis. The reused DESs achieve catalytic efficiency six times without significant changes. This study will provide a new green catalyst and efficient process for the synthesis of DHPMs.</jats:p

Bioinformatics-Based Identification of Potential Hypoxia-Related Genes Associated With Peyronie’s Disease

Hypoxia is one of the most important predisposing conditions for Peyronie’s disease (PD) and the pathogenetic mechanism is yet to be completely elucidated. This study applied bioinformatic approaches to select candidate hypoxia-related genes involved in the pathogenesis of PD. The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data set GSE146500 was introduced to compare the transcriptional profiling between normal and PD samples. The differential expression of hypoxia-related gene was determined with R software. On the selected candidate genes, further functional analyses were applied, including protein–protein interactions (PPIs), gene correlation, gene ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway. A total of 66 candidate genes (24 candidates overexpressed in PD and 42 showing reduced expression in PD) were distinguished according to the differential expression between human fibroblast cells from normal and PD patients. The interactions among these candidate genes were recognized according to PPI analysis. The functional enrichment analyses revealed the potential modulatory functions of the candidate genes in some major biological processes, especially in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and carbon metabolism. The findings would facilitate further study on the pathogenesis of PD, which might consequently promote the improvement of clinical strategies against PD