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Geographical info system-based method and statistical acting regarding assessing nitrate distribution from the Mitidja aquifer, Northern Algeria.
Ligustrum vicaryi L. is a hybrid of Ligustrum ovalifolium Hassk. var. aureo-marginatum and Ligustrum vulgale L., belonging to the Oleaceae family. It is often used as an ornamental shrub due to its golden leaves. However, its medical value is yet to be discovered. Recently, plant polysaccharides have attracted comprehensive attention owing to their biological properties, including immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities. This study aimed to extract, purify, and characterize the polysaccharide from the Ligustrum vicaryi L. fruit and investigate its immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities. The Ligustrum vicaryi L. fruit polysaccharide (LVFP) was obtained by ultrasonic extraction, ethanol precipitation, macroporous resin separation, and dialysis bag purification. The physicochemical properties of the LVFP were elucidated using Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, high-performance ion chromatography, and high-performance gel filtration chromatography. The results indicated that the LVFP consisted of rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, and glucose in a ratio of 1.79  7.55  4.58  1.54, and its molecular weight was 88,949 Da. The immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities of the LVFP were investigated using a cyclophosphamide- (Cy-) induced immunosuppressed mouse model. The results demonstrated that the LVFP significantly increased spleen and thymus indexes, enhanced the phagocytic function of neutrophils, activated B and T lymphocytes, and upregulated serum levels of IL-10 and TNF-α. Moreover, we observed that the LVFP relieved Cy-induced liver damage by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) levels. These results suggested that the LVFP has the immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities, therefore laying a foundation for the application of the LVFP in the pharmaceutical and functional food industries. Copyright © 2020 Shuling Liu et al.Objectives To systematically assess the efficacy of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation on unilateral neglect after stroke. Methods The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Excerpt Medical Database (EMBASE), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and Wan Fang databases were searched online for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture and its effects on unilateral neglect after stroke from their inception to September 2019. RCTs on acupuncture combined with rehabilitation in the experimental group for unilateral neglect compared with rehabilitation alone or rehabilitation plus sham acupuncture in the control group were included. Two authors separately screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the quality of the included studies. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for the data analysis. Results A total of 542 patients from nine RCTs were included. The meta-analysis showed that the experimental groups could significantly improve Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) (MD = 11.54, 95% CI [9.54, 13.54], P less then 0.00001) and the ability of daily living (SMD = 1.35, 95% CI [0.64, 2.07], P less then 0.00001) and the ability of daily living (SMD = 1.35, 95% CI [0.64, 2.07], P less then 0.00001) when compared with the control groups. However, there was no significant difference in the drop of Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS) and Behavioural Inattention Test-conventional (BIT-C) between the two groups. Conclusions Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation was more effective in improving the motor function and the ability of daily living. Because of the limitations regarding the quantity and quality of the studies in this meta-analysis, high-quality and well-designed RCTs are necessary to validate the above conclusions. Copyright © 2020 Yonghui Hou et al.Infections due to Salmonella strains constitute one of the major health problems in humans, particularly in Africa. The use of traditional herbs has proven effective in reducing the incidence of infection in some high-risk groups. To assess the effects of Momordica charantia leaf extracts that influence blood infection, an in vitro study of the effect on macrophages and neutrophils and treatment of mouse model of S. typhi infection was done. Methanol and diethyl ether extracts were concerned by this study. In vitro study was to assess the effects of extracts on phagocytosis, and related intracellular killing mechanisms of macrophages were examined. Later, mobilization of leukocytes and production of antibodies against S. typhi were measured followed by quantitating cultures evaluation of the blood infection of orally inoculated mice with S. typhi. Ingestion or attachment of carbon particles, production of superoxide anion, nitric oxide, and that of lysosomal acid phosphatase by macrophages and neutrophils were significantly increased by methanol and diethyl extracts at concentrations ranging from 40 μg/ml to 640 μg/ml. Antibody titer and mobilization of leukocytes, particularly lymphocytes against S. typhi, were highly increased by both methanol and diethyl extracts at concentrations of 500 and 1000 mg/kg. At the same time, the extracts have reduced the rate of blood colonization in mice inoculated with 108 CFU of S. typhi for 28 days. Reduction in blood colonization or infection rates was similar for the levamisole mice group. The results of this study should prove that the leaves of Momordica charantia are useful for the treatment of infections by Salmonella strains and for the assessment of drugs for therapeutic intervention. H-151 Copyright © 2020 Oumar Mahamat et al.We have explored the potential of auricular intradermal acupuncture (AIA) in standard rehabilitation and acupuncture treatment for motor recovery in poststroke patients. This was a randomized, controlled preliminary clinical study in which the patients were randomly assigned to the CT group (conventional treatment, standard rehabilitation, and routine acupuncture) or AIA group (AIA combined with conventional treatment) and underwent 6 sessions in 1 week (6 days). Standard procedures and previously reported acupuncture points were used. Clinical outcomes were measured by the Fugl-Meyer motor assessment (FMA) of flexor and extensor synergy movement (FSM and ESM) of the upper and lower extremities (UE and LE) at days 0, 3, and 6. The assessment was performed by blinded assessors. The AIA group showed a significant increase in FMA-UE/FMA-LE scores on day 3 (P=0.012 and 0.001, respectively) and day 6 (P=0.041 and P less then 0.001, respectively), but this was not observed in the CT group. Furthermore, unlike the CT group, the AIA group exhibited a significant increase in the FMA-LE score on day 3 (P=0.
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