Enzyme-treated date plum leave extract ameliorates atopic dermatitis-like skin lesion in hairless mice

Objective: To evaluate the effect of different extracts of Diospyros lotus leaves in atopic dermatitis Methods: Diospyros lotus leaves were extracted in ethanol and treated with or without hydrochloric acid or α-rhamnosidase to obtain three different extracts-ethanol, acid-hydrolyzed, and enzyme-hydrolyzed leaf extracts of date plum. The myricitrin content in all samples was measured using HPLC analysis. In vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts were determined by measuring DPPH radical scavenging activities and nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells, respectively. Sevenweek-old male hairless mice were used to evaluate the anti-atopic dermatitis effects of three extracts in vivo. Splenocytes and mast cells were used to further determine the anti-atopic dermatitis effects of the major compound in the ethanol leaf extract.Results: Enzyme-hydrolyzed leaf extract showed significant in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and attenuated atopic dermatitis-like skin symptoms and clinical signs more significantly than ethanol and acid-hydrolyzed leaf extracts in 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and house dust mite antigen-treated hairless mice. Enzyme-hydrolyzed leaf extract also suppressed the serum level of immunoglobulin E, interleukin(IL)-4, tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, interferon(IFN)-γ, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in mice with atopic dermatitis. Furthermore, histological analysis revealed that enzymehydrolyzed leaf extract suppressed the increased epidermal thickness, dermal infiltration of inflammatory cells, and infiltration and degranulation of mast cells more markedly than the other two extracts in atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions. In addition, this extract effectively inhibited the production of IFN-γ, IL-4, and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine compared with the other two extracts in concanavalin A-stimulated splenocytes. Myricitrin, a major compound of enzyme-hydrolyzed leaf extract, suppressed atopic dermatitis biomarkers in stimulated mouse splenocytes andHMC-1 human mast cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that enzyme-hydrolyzed leaf extract might be a potential candidate to treat atopic dermatitis.

Decision-making competency, self-determination, and health lifestyle in nursing students

Introduction: This study identifies and analyzes the levels of relations between decision-making competency, self-determination, and health lifestyle in nursing students. Methods: This study was designed as a descriptive research to identify the relations of nursing students’ decision-making competency, self-determination, and health lifestyle. The subjects were 187 nursing students. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and were analyzed by the IBM SPSS Statistics 19 program. Results: Decision-making competency of nursing students was 3.38 ± 0.41 points, and self-determination was 3.07 ± 0.38 points. Stress and physical exercise were the general and health-related lifestyle factors that contributed to the differences in decision-making competency. There were no differences in self-determination according to these factors. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the levels of decision-making competency and self-determination in nursing students were moderate. Further studies are recommended for the development of these core abilities in nursing students.