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Objective To investigate the sleep status of medical staff in neurology departments of Hunan Province during the pandemic of COVID-19. Methods The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to design questionnaire, which was randomly distributed to the medical staff of neurology departments in Hunan Province, and the results were compared with data from other areas of China. Results The PSQI score from neurology department in Hunan Province was significantly higher than controls during the pandemic period(P＜0.001). The PSQI score of nurses was remarkable higher than that of the doctors (P＜0.05). The PSQI score of junior staff was higher(P＜0.05). Conclusions During the pandemic of COVID-19, the sleep quality of medical staff in neurology departments of Hunan Province was poor, especially the clinical nurses and juniors. It is necessary to improve psychological counseling and provide them with sleep hygiene guidance.

This study evaluated the antibacterial activities of different extracts of Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. (S. mukorossi) on Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes). The extract solvent and procedure were screened, based on the yield of saponins and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The results showed that the optimized product, fermentation and ethyl acetate extract by adding isoamyl alcohol from water extract of S. mukorossi (SWFEAI), had the highest yield of saponins (7.83 ± 0.26%) and the best antibacterial activity (MIC = 0.125 mg/mL) on C. acnes. The destroyed bacterial cell membrane and wall were observed by transmission electron microscopy, which then resulted in cell lysis and death. Furthermore, 20 compounds of SWFEAI were detected, among which oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins with molecular weights of 734, 750, 882, 924 and 966 were speculated to contribute to the antibacterial activities of SWFEAI. The results showed that SWFEAI could be a natural anti-acne agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anti-tumor effects of two compounds purified from Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. (S. mukorossi.) on breast cancer in vitro were observed. Their chemical structures were identified as sesquiterpene glycosides, namely, Mukurozioside IIa and Mukurozioside IIb. The results of XTT assay indicated that their inhibition rates against three cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435s) reached approximately 80% at a concentration of 200 μg/mL, which were higher than that of cyclophosphamide (below 40% at 200 μg/mL), and their 50% inhibiting concentrations were ranged from 120.73 to 154.01 μg/mL, indicating their inhibition were weaker than their parent fraction. Furthermore, the mechanism on breast cancer was predicted, and 22 targets including PTPN1, IL2 and VEGFA were relatively important. These results illustrated the anti-breast cancer activity of S. mukorossi was related to the two compounds with the structure of sesquiterpene glycosides, but they did not represent the full activity of their parent fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sapindus saponins extracted from S. mukorossi have been reported to exert antibacterial activities against skin pathogenic bacteria, but their antibacterial mechanism is still at an exploratory stage. The objective of this study was to explore the synergistic antibacterial mechanism of the combination of two Sapindus saponins, namely Sapindoside A and B (S AB ) against Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) 6919 via targeting the fatty acid compositions and membrane properties. After exposure to S AB , C. acnes cells increased the cell surface hydrophobicity and reduced the cell membrane fluidity by changing the composition of membrane fatty acids. In the fatty acid compositions, the content of two main fatty acids 12-methyl-tetradecanoic acid (isoC15:0) and octadecanoic acid (C18:0) reduced and improved respectively with the addition of S AB , and fatty acid biosynthesis-related genes were significantly down-regulated (p < 0.05). Further, molecular docking demonstrated that S AB interacted with FabD, which is an essential enzyme for bacterial type II fatty acid synthesis, via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. In the above results, the contribution of S A to S AB was greater than that of S B . In summary, the results revealed that S AB changed the fatty acid compositions of C. acnes, further disrupting the cell membrane properties, and S A played a major role, suggesting that S AB could be a natural antiacne additive against C. acnes-associated infections., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)