Compound glycyrrhizin injection for improving liver function in children with acute icteric hepatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Liang Shi-Bing,Hou Wen-Bin,Zheng Ruo-Xiang,Liang Chang-Hao,Yan Li-Jiao,Wang Hao-Nan,Cao Hui-Juan,Han Mei,Robinson Nicola,Liu Jian-Ping 한국한의학연구원 2022 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.11 No.1

Background: Compound glycyrrhizin injection (CGI) is a preparation with glycyrrhizin as the main active ingredient extracted from licorice. As clinical trials suggest that CGI is effective in improving liver function for acute icteric hepatitis in children (AIHC), this systematic review aimed to evaluate and verify its therapeutic effects and safety. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched from their inception to 15 May 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing therapeutic effects and safety of CGI for AIHC were included. The risk of bias for each trial was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0. Primary outcomes were indexes related to liver function, including total bilirubin (TBiL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST). RevMan 5.4 software was used for data analyses. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the online GRADEpro tool. Results: Six RCTs involving 608 children were included. The overall bias was assessed as having “high risk of bias” in all trials. All trials compared the combination of CGI and conventional western medicine (CWM) with CWM alone. Regarding the effects of CGI for AIHC, results showed that CGI plus CWM was superior to CWM alone in reducing the levels of TBiL (mean difference (MD) = -8.19 mmol/L, 95% CI -9.86 to -6.53), ALT (MD = -24.09 U/L, 95% CI -30.83 to -17.34) and AST (MD = -18.67 U/L, 95% CI -21.88 to -15.45). No trial reported adverse events. The certainty of the evidence for outcomes were all evaluated as low or very low. Conclusion: CGI may have adjuvant therapeutic effects on improving the liver function of children with AIHC. There is no evidence to determine the safety of CGI for AIHC. As current evidence is weak, further well-designed RCTs are required for verification of the therapeutic effects of CGI. Background: Compound glycyrrhizin injection (CGI) is a preparation with glycyrrhizin as the main active ingredient extracted from licorice. As clinical trials suggest that CGI is effective in improving liver function for acute icteric hepatitis in children (AIHC), this systematic review aimed to evaluate and verify its therapeutic effects and safety. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched from their inception to 15 May 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing therapeutic effects and safety of CGI for AIHC were included. The risk of bias for each trial was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0. Primary outcomes were indexes related to liver function, including total bilirubin (TBiL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST). RevMan 5.4 software was used for data analyses. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the online GRADEpro tool. Results: Six RCTs involving 608 children were included. The overall bias was assessed as having “high risk of bias” in all trials. All trials compared the combination of CGI and conventional western medicine (CWM) with CWM alone. Regarding the effects of CGI for AIHC, results showed that CGI plus CWM was superior to CWM alone in reducing the levels of TBiL (mean difference (MD) = -8.19 mmol/L, 95% CI -9.86 to -6.53), ALT (MD = -24.09 U/L, 95% CI -30.83 to -17.34) and AST (MD = -18.67 U/L, 95% CI -21.88 to -15.45). No trial reported adverse events. The certainty of the evidence for outcomes were all evaluated as low or very low. Conclusion: CGI may have adjuvant therapeutic effects on improving the liver function of children with AIHC. There is no evidence to determine the safety of CGI for AIHC. As current evidence is weak, further well-designed RCTs are required for verification of the therapeutic effects of CGI.

Comprehensive profiles and diagnostic value of menopausal-specific gut microbiota in premenopausal breast cancer

Hou Ming-Feng,Ou-Yang Fu,Li Chung-Liang,Chen Fang-Ming,Chuang Chieh-Han,Kan Jung-Yu,Wu Cheng-Che,Shih Shen-Liang,Shiau Jun-Ping,Kao Li-Chun,Kao Chieh-Ni,Lee Yi-Chen,Moi Sin-Hua,Yeh Yao-Tsung,Cheng Chi 생화학분자생물학회 2021 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.53 No.-

In Western countries, breast cancer tends to occur in older postmenopausal women. However, in Asian countries, the proportion of younger premenopausal breast cancer patients is increasing. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in breast cancer. However, studies on the gut microbiota in the context of breast cancer have mainly focused on postmenopausal breast cancer. Little is known about the gut microbiota in the context of premenopausal breast cancer. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the gut microbial profiles, diagnostic value, and functional pathways in premenopausal breast cancer patients. Here, we analyzed 267 breast cancer patients with different menopausal statuses and age-matched female controls. The α-diversity was significantly reduced in premenopausal breast cancer patients, and the β-diversity differed significantly between breast cancer patients and controls. By performing multiple analyses and classification, 14 microbial markers were identified in the different menopausal statuses of breast cancer. Bacteroides fragilis was specifically found in young women of premenopausal statuses and Klebsiella pneumoniae in older women of postmenopausal statuses. In addition, menopausal-specific microbial markers could exhibit excellent discriminatory ability in distinguishing breast cancer patients from controls. Finally, the functional pathways differed between breast cancer patients and controls. Our findings provide the first evidence that the gut microbiota in premenopausal breast cancer patients differs from that in postmenopausal breast cancer patients and shed light on menopausal-specific microbial markers for diagnosis and investigation, ultimately providing a noninvasive approach for breast cancer detection and a novel strategy for preventing premenopausal breast cancer.

Preparation, Characterization, and In Vivo Evaluation of Mitoxantrone- loaded, Folate-conjugated Albumin Nanoparticles

Liang-ke Zhang,Shi-xiang Hou,Jing-qin Zhang,Wen-jing Hu,Cheng-yuan Wang 대한약학회 2010 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.33 No.8

Folic acid was covalently conjugated to bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSANP) to target the nanoparticles to SKOV3 cells expressing folate receptors. Mitoxantrone was incorporated into the folate-conjugated albumin nanoparticles, and the final nanoparticle size was 68 nm, as measured by a laser light scattering particle analyzer. The cytotoxic activity of mitoxantrone-loaded, folate-conjugated albumin nanoparticles (MTO-BSANP-folate), which was quantitated by 3H-thymidine incorporation, was higher than mitoxantrone-loaded BSANP (MTO-BSANP) and MTO solution, and could be inhibited by free folic acid. MTO-BSANPfolate may be endocytosed via the folate receptor on the surface of SKOV3 cells. MTO-BSANPfolate also inhibited tumor growth better than the MTO-BSANP and MTO solution in vivo. These results indicate that folate-conjugated BSANP may have therapeutic potential as a vector for anticancer drugs in cancer chemotherapy.

Preparation of self‑supporting Co3S4/ S‑rGO film catalyst for efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Liang Chen,Liying Hu,Chenxi Xu,Lanyun Yang,Wei Wang,Junlin Huang,Minjie Zhou,Zhaohui Hou 한국탄소학회 2023 Carbon Letters Vol.33 No.7

Exploring cheap and efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is extremely vital for the commercial application of advanced energy storage and conversion systems. Herein, a self-supporting Co3S4/ S-doped reduced graphene oxide ( Co3S4/S-rGO) film catalyst is successfully prepared by a blade coating coupled with high-temperature annealing strategy, and its morphology, structure and composition are measured and analyzed. It is substantiated that the as-synthesized Co3S4/ S-rGO film possesses unique self-supporting structure, and is composed of uniformly dispersed Co3S4 nanoparticles and highly conductive S-rGO, which benefit the exposure of catalytic sites and electron transfer. By reason of the synergistic effect of the two individual components, the self-supporting Co3S4/ S-rGO film catalyst displays outstanding catalytic performance towards OER. As a consequence, the Co3S4/ S-rGO film catalyst delivers an overpotential of 341 mV at 10 mA cm-2, and the current attenuation rate is only 2.6% after continuous operation for 4 h, verifying excellent catalytic activity and durability. Clearly, our results offers a good example for the construction of high-performance self-supporting carbon-based composite film catalysts for critical electrocatalytic reactions.

Research on Robust Stability Analysis and Worst Case Identification Methods for Parameters Uncertain Missiles

Hou, Zhenqian,Liang, Xiaogeng,Wang, Wenzheng The Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Scie 2014 International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sc Vol.15 No.1

For robust stability analysis of parameters uncertainty missiles, the traditional frequency domain method can only analyze each respective channel at several interval points within uncertain parameter space. Discontinuous calculation and couplings between channels will lead to inaccurate analysis results. A method based on the ${\nu}$-gap metric is proposed, which is able to comprehensively evaluate the robust stability of missiles with uncertain parameters; and then a genetic-simulated annealing hybrid optimization algorithm, which has global and local searching ability, is used to search for a parameters combination that leads to the worst stability within the space of uncertain parameters. Finally, the proposed method is used to analyze the robust stability of a re-entry missile with uncertain parameters; the results verify the feasibility and accuracy of the method.

AUV hull lines optimization with uncertainty parameters based on six sigma reliability design

Hou, Yuan hang,Liang, Xiao,Mu, Xu yang The Society of Naval Architects of Korea 2018 International Journal of Naval Architecture and Oc Vol.10 No.4

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), which are becoming more and more important in ocean exploitation tasks, needs energy conservation urgently when sailing the complex mission path in long time cruise. As hull lines optimization design becomes the key factor, which closely related with resistance, in AUV preliminary design stage, uncertainty parameters need to be considered seriously. In this research, Myring axial symmetry revolution body with parameterized expression is assumed as AUV hull lines, and its travelling resistance is obtained via modified DATCOM formula. The problems of AUV hull lines design for the minimum travelling resistance with uncertain parameters are studied. Based on reliability-based optimization design technology, Design For Six Sigma (DFSS) for high quality level is conducted, and is proved more reliability for the actual environment disturbance.

LFT Modeling and Robust Stability Analysis of Missiles with Uncertain Parameters

HOU Zhen-qian,LIANG Xiao-geng,WANG Wen-zheng,LI Rui 한국항공우주학회 2014 International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sc Vol.15 No.2

The structured singular value (μ) analysis based method has many advantages for the robust stability analysis of missiles with uncertain parameters. Nevertheless, the present linear fractional transformation (LFT) modeling process, which is the basis of μ analysis, is complex, and not suitable for automatic implementation; on the other hand, μ analysis requires a large amount of computation, which is a burden for large-scale application. A constructive procedure, which is computationally more efficient, and which may lead to a lower order realization than existing algorithms, is proposed for LFT modeling. To reduce the calculation burden, an analysis method is developed, based on skew μ. On this basis, calculation of the supremum of μ over a fixed frequency range converts into a single skew μ value calculation. Two algorithms are given, to calculate the upper and lower bounds of skew μ, respectively. The validity of the proposed method is verified through robust stability analysis of a missile with real uncertain parameters.

Characteristics of Cholesterol-lowering Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei strain GL-03 Isolated from Cheese

Hou, Hong-Man,Guo, Dong-Qi,Zhang, Gong-Liang,Sun, Li-Ming,Cui, Yu-Na 한국응용생명화학회 2014 Applied Biological Chemistry (Appl Biol Chem) Vol.57 No.5

Cholesterol-lowering effect of lactic acid bacteria is well-known. In the present study, nine cholesterol-lowering Lactobacillus strains from Chinese traditional cheese, pickle, and yoghurt were screened and characterized for their potential use. The microbial contents of all strains significantly decreased at pH 1.5; however, the residual counts of Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei GL-03, L. plantarum ZP-Z, L. plantarum ZP-05, and L. brevis ZP-04 were more than $10^7CFU/mL$ after incubation for 6 h. All nine strains of Lactobacillus indicated good tolerance to bile at concentration less than 0.2% after incubation for 2 to 6 h. L. plantarum ZP-W had maximum hydrophobicity towards xylene, whereas GL-03 strain possessed maximum hydrophobicity for both hexadecane and octane. ZP-05 strain had more effective inhibitory activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis than other eight strains. Furthermore, GL-03 strain significantly reduced cholesterol TC and TG levels in hyperlipidemia mice fed high-cholesterol diet. The growth of GL-03 strain was promoted by five kinds of Chinese herbal medicines, and the Chinese hawthorn at concentration of 0.0125% showed the highest promoting effect. These results suggest that L. casei subsp. casei GL-03 may be effective as a probiotic with cholesterol-lowering activities.

Ginsenoside Rh2 Improves Learning and Memory in Mice

Jingang Hou,Jian Jie Xue,이미라,Lei Liu,Dong-Liang Zhang,Mengqi Sun,Yi-nan Zheng,성창근 한국식품영양과학회 2013 Journal of medicinal food Vol.16 No.8

A wide range of plant foods and dietary supplements are able to modify the functioning of the central nervous system. In the present study, we observed that oral administration of ginsenoside Rh2 (10 mg/mL) for 3 weeks significantly improved spatial learning and memory. Spatial memory and learning was evaluated in mice by hippocampus-dependent tasks (Morris water maze test) and immunohistochemical marker of cell genesis bromodeoxyuridine. Ginsenoside Rh2 treatment (30 days) promoted cell survival and genesis. Further, ginsenoside Rh2 treatment in enriched condition had no significant effects on cell survival compared with standard condition exposure. These results revealed that ginsenoside Rh2-mediated spatial learning and memory improvement was associated with cell genesis and survival and may be parallel to the mechanism of environmental enrichment. Therefore, ginsenoside Rh2 may have efficacy as a dietary supplement for spatial learning and memory improvement.

Effects of Different Storage Temperatures on the Physicochemical Properties and Bacterial Community Structure of Fresh Lamb Meat

Ce Liang,Dequan Zhang,Xiaochun Zheng,Xiangyuan Wen,Tongjing Yan,Zhisheng Zhang,Chengli Hou 한국축산식품학회 2021 한국축산식품학회지 Vol.41 No.3

This study was aimed to compare the physicochemical properties and bacterial community structure of tray‐packaged fresh lamb meat under different storage temperatures, such as 4℃ (chilling), –1.5℃ (supercooling), –4℃ (superchilling) and –9℃ (sub-freezing). The total viable counts (TVC), total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), bacterial diversity and metabolic pathways were investigated. The results indicated that the shelf life of superchilling and sub-freezing storage was over 70 d, which was significantly longer than that of chilling and supercooling storage. TVC and TVB-N values showed an increasing trend and were correlated well (R2>0.92). And the TVB-N values of lamb meat were exceeded the tolerable limit (15 mg/100 g) only found under chilling and supercooling storage during storage period. At the genus level, Pseudomonas was the core spoilage bacteria then followed Brochothrix for chilling and supercooling storage. Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, Psychrobacter and Acinetobacter were the dominant spoilage bacteria for superchilling and sub-freezing storage. Furthermore, the bacterial community diversity of lamb meat stored at chilling and supercooling storage decreased with the storage time prolonged, which was opposite to the outcome of meat stored under superchilling and sub-freezing storage. For chilling and supercooling storage, the abundance of main metabolisms (carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism, etc.) of bacteria increased with the storage time prolonged, which was opposite to superchilling storage. This may be related to the bacteria community diversity and the formation of dominant spoilage bacteria. In conclusion, this work provides data for the preservation of fresh lamb meat which will benefit the meat industry.