Clinical review and literature analysis of hepatic epithelioid angiomyolipoma in alcoholic cirrhosis: A case report

BACKGROUND Hepatic epithelioid angiomyolipoma(HEA)has a low incidence and both clinical manifestations and imaging lack specificity.Thus,it is easy to misdiagnose HEA as other tumors of the liver,especially in the presence of liver diseases such as hepatitis cirrhosis.This article reviewed the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with HEA and alcoholic cirrhosis,and analyzed the literature,in order to improve the understanding of this disease.CASE SUMMARY A 67-year-old male patient with a history of alcoholic cirrhosis was admitted due to the discovery of a space-occupying lesion in the liver.Based on the patient’s history,laboratory examinations,and imaging examinations,a malignant liver tumor was considered and laparoscopic partial hepatectomy was performed.Postoperative pathology showed HEA.During outpatient follow-up,the patient showed no sign of recurrence.CONCLUSION HEA is difficult to make a definite diagnosis before surgery.HEA has the poten-tial for malignant degeneration.If conditions permit,surgical treatment is recom-mended.

L-carnitine supplementation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)dominates the landscape of modern hepatology.Affecting 25%of the general population,there is critical unmet need to identify broadly available,safe and cost-effective treatments.Cumulative evidence in animal and human models suggests that intrahepatic and skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation is impaired in NAFLD,such that lipid accretion is not matched by efficient utilisation.L-carnitine is a crucial mediator of fatty acid metabolism in vivo,promoting mitochondrial lipidβ-oxidation and enhancing tissue metabolic flexibility.These physiological properties have generated research interest in L-carnitine as a potentially effective adjunctive therapy in NAFLD.AIM To systematically review randomised trials reporting effects of dietary L-carnitine supplementation on liver biochemistry,liver fat and insulin sensitivity in NAFLD.METHODS Search strategies,eligibility criteria and analytic methods were specified a priori(PROSPERO reference:CRD42018107063).Ovid MEDLINE,Ovid EMBASE,PubMed,Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched from their inception until April 2019.Outcome measures included serum concentrations of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase(ALT and AST),liver fat and insulin sensitivity assessed by the homeostasis model of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR).A random effects meta-analysis was performed for,ALT,AST and HOMA-IR measures separately.Between-study heterogeneity was measured using I2 statistics.RESULTS Five eligible randomised trials were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis(n=338).All of the 5 included trials assessed the effect of L-carnitine on serum ALT,identified from Italy,South Korea and Iran.Weighted mean difference(WMD)for ALT between L-carnitine and control groups after intervention was-25.34 IU/L[95%CI:-41.74-(-8.94);P=0.002].WMD for AST between L-carnitine and control groups was-13.68 IU/L(95%CI:-28.26-0.89;P=0.066).In three studies(n=204),HOMA-IR was evaluated.WMD for HOMA-IR between L-carnitine and control groups was-0.74 units[95%CI:-1.02-(-0.46);P<0.001].Two studies using validated outcome measures reported a significant reduction in liver fat in L-carnitine vs control groups post-intervention(P<0.001).CONCLUSION Pooled results indicate that L-carnitine supplementation attenuates ALT,liver fat and insulin resistance in NAFLD cohorts,confirming a beneficial effect of Lcarnitine for a highly prevalent condition with a growing economic burden.

Stochastic Numerical Analysis for Impact of Heavy Alcohol Consumption on Transmission Dynamics of Gonorrhoea Epidemic

This paper aims to perform a comparison of deterministic and stochastic models.The stochastic modelling is a more realistic way to study the dynamics of gonorrhoea infection as compared to its corresponding deterministic model.Also,the deterministic solution is itself mean of the stochastic solution of the model.For numerical analysis,first,we developed some explicit stochastic methods,but unfortunately,they do not remain consistent in certain situations.Then we proposed an implicitly driven explicit method for stochastic heavy alcohol epidemic model.The proposed method is independent of the choice of parameters and behaves well in all scenarios.So,some theorems and simulations are presented in support of the article.

Alcohol consumption and dry eye syndrome: a Metaanalysis

AIM：To quantify the association between alcohol consumption and dry eye syndrome（DES） with Meta-analysis of published case-control and cross-sectional studies. METHODS： Three databases were screened for potentially eligible studies through Nov.30,2015,Pub Med,Web of Science,and the Cochrane Library.Odds ratios（ORs） were pooled with 95% confidence intervals（CIs） to evaluate the relationship between alcohol consumption and DES risk.Subgroup analyses were performed according to diagnostic criteria,publication year,sample size,alcohol intake and adjusted factors.RESULTS： A total of 10（9 case-control and 1 crosssectional） studies from 8 articles were included in this Meta-analysis.The pooled results showed that alcohol consumption would significantly increase the risk of DES（OR 1.15,95% CI： 1.02-1.30）,and the results were independent of smoking,hypertension,diabetes and thyroid disease history.And the results of subgroup analyses indicated an increased incidence of DES diagnosed by typical DES symptoms and positive objective tests together（OR 1.18,95% CI： 1.01-1.39）among drinkers,but not by typical DES symptoms alone（OR 1.11,95% CI： 0.94-1.32）.What＇s more,any drinkers were at higher risk of suffering from DES（OR 1.33,95%CI： 1.31-1.34）,while heavy drinkers not（OR 1.01,95% CI：0.86-1.18）.CONCLUSION： The present Meta-analysis suggests that alcohol consumption may be a significant risk factor for DES.Alcohol-induced peripheral neuropathymay falsely reduce the prevalence of DES among heavy drinkers.Future prospective studies of alcohol consumption and DES risk are needed to confirm our results.

Smoking, alcohol consumption, and the risk of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma:A meta-analysis

AIM:To assess the association between smoking and alcohol consumption and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ECC)through a meta-analysis of clinical observational studies.METHODS:A literature search was conducted using Embase and MEDLINE databases from inception to 31May 2013 without language limitations,and by manually searching the references of retrieved articles.Casecontrol and cohort studies that investigated the association between smoking or alcohol consumption and ECC were included.The quality of these studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale.Summary relative risks and corresponding95%CI were calculated using a random-effects model.Publication bias was assessed by Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s test.RESULTS:A total of 12 eligible articles(11 case-control studies and one cohort study)were included in this meta-analysis.Eleven studies reported the association between smoking and ECC.Pooled analysis indicated that smokers had an increased risk of ECC development as compared with non-smokers(summary RR=1.23;95%CI:1.01-1.50).This correlation was present in population-based studies(n=5;summary RR=1.47;95%CI:1.06-2.05)but not in hospital-based studies(n=6;summary RR=1.10;95%CI:0.88-1.37)and in non-Asian regions(n=7;summary RR=1.39;95%CI:1.03-1.87)but not in Asia(n=4;summary RR=1.08;95%CI:0.85-1.38).Seven studies reported an association between consuming alcohol and ECC.Pooled analysis indicated that alcohol drinkers had a similar risk of ECC development as did individuals who did not drink alcohol(summary RR=1.09;95%CI:0.87-1.37).There was moderate heterogeneity among the studies and no evidence of publication bias.CONCLUSION:Smoking is associated with an increased risk of ECC,but alcohol consumption is not.Further population-based studies,particularly cohort studies,are warranted to enable definitive conclusions.

Correlation between Non-Alcoholic Beverage Consumption and Alcohol Drinking Behavior among Japanese Youths

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages (such as non-alcoholic beer, non-alcoholic cocktails, and non-alcoholic wine) and alcohol drinking behavior among Japanese youths. Data from the Japan Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011 were analyzed. The study subjects were 9775 high school students (5026 males and 4749 females) randomly selected from the 10th to the 12th grade in 102 high schools throughout Japan. The results indicated that the percentage of youths who had consumed non-alcoholic beverages was 25.8% among males (11.5%: “one time”;14.3%: “two or more times”) and 26.1% among females (12.2%: “one time”;13.9%: “two or more times”), which suggested that at least one in four Japanese high school students had consumed non-alcoholic beverages. Those students that had consumed non-alcoholic beverages were at a significantly higher risk for alcohol-related behaviors, including “ever drank alcohol”, “current alcohol use”, “current frequent alcohol use”, and “chugging”, when compared with students who had never consumed non-alcoholic beverages. The risk for alcohol-related behaviors was higher for students who had consumed non-alcoholic beverages two or more times than for those who had consumed them one time. Specifically, the odds ratio for “ever drank alcohol” in the “one time” group was 5.16 (95% CI: 4.22 - 6.30) for males and 4.27 (95% CI: 3.53 - 5.16) for females, while it was markedly high for those in the “two or more times” group, with males at 9.78 (95% CI: 7.88 - 12.14) and females at 7.59 (95% CI: 6.20 - 9.29). The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to continuously ascertain the prevalence of non-alcoholic beverage consumption among Japanese youths. In addition, alcohol drinking prevention in youths requires attention be paid not only to their consumption of alcoholic beverages, but also to their consumption of non-alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol dependence: Does the composition of the available beverages promote it?

Affordability and availability of alcohol are factors that have been associated with alcohol dependence. Ethanol content in the alcoholic beverages is an important determinant in alcohol dependence. Quality control of alcoholic beverages available in the market is important in safeguarding the health of alcohol consumers. Few studies in Kenya have determined the chemical composition of alcohol used by the study participants. Objective: To determine the chemical composition of alcoholic beverages used by a group of alcohol dependent study participants. Design: The study was a clinical trial with pre and post measurements. Method: The CIDI and WHO-ASSIST were administered to 188 alcohol-dependent persons at intake and after six months. A researcher-designed socio demographic questionnaire was also administered at intake. Alcohol beverages were randomly collected from the location of the study area and their chemical composition analyzed using gas chromatography. Results: The mean AUDIT score of the participant was 28.6 for male and 26.6 for females. Three of the alcohol samples collected was illicit brews collected while 11 were licit. Four out of the eleven licit brews had ethanol levels that did not complied with the set government standards. Conclusion: Illicit brews with high ethanol content are available in the Kenyan market, while some of the manufacturers of the licit brew do not comply with government set content recommendations.

Simultaneous Quantification of Carbohydrates, Alcohols, and Toxic Components in a Bio-Based Medium Using Dual-Detection HPLC Analysis

Bio-based media, derived from cellulosic biomass depolymerisation or bioconversion processes, are composed of several chemicals and biochemicals. In this study, the main components of a hemicellulosic-based medium were analyzed using a dual detection HPLC method to separate and determine concentrations of the major monosaccharides (glucose, xylose, and arabinose), alcoholic and acidic components (ethanol, xylitol, and acetic acid) and furanic compounds (furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)). The analyses, which employed a single stationary phase (Aminex HPX-87H) and two detection methods, were carried out under isocratic conditions and involved mobile phases consisting of 5 mM sulfuric acid and acetonitrile in different mix ratios from 0 to 0.061 mole fraction of acetonitrile. Based on the analysis run time and the chromatogram quality, the optimum condition was determined for the simultaneous quantification of the components.

Correlation analysis of mental health conditions and personality of patients with alcohol addiction

BACKGROUND Alcohol addiction,or alcohol dependence,refers to a psychological state of strong craving for alcohol caused by drinking when both the drinking times and alcohol consumption reach a certain level.Alcohol addiction can cause irreversible damage,leading to mental illness or mental disorders,negative changes in their original personality,and a tendency to safety incidents such as committing suicide or violent attacks on others.Significant attention needs to be given to the mental health of alcohol addicts,which could reflect their abnormal personality traits.However,only a few papers on this issue have been reported in China.AIM To investigate the correlation between mental health and personality in patients with alcohol addiction.METHODS In this single-center observational study,we selected 80 patients with alcohol addiction as the research subjects,according to the criteria of the K10 scale to evaluate the mental health of patients with alcohol addiction,and divided these patients into four groups based on the evaluation results:Good,average,relatively poor and bad.And then analyzed the correlation between mental health conditions and personality characteristics from these four groups of patients.RESULTS The average score of the K10 scale(Kessler 10 Simple Psychological Status Assessment Scale)in 80 patients with alcohol addiction was 25.45 points,the median score was 25 points,the highest score was 50 points,and the lowest score was 11 points.Pearson's analysis showed that the K10 score was positively correlated with the scores of these two subscales,such as the P-subscale and the N-subscale(P<0.05).In contrast,the K10 score had no significant correlation with the scores from the E-subscale and the L-subscale(P>0.05).CONCLUSION The mental health conditions of patients with alcohol addiction are positively correlated with their personality characteristics.

Alcohol consumption and the risk of Barrett's esophagus:A meta-analysis

AIM： To evaluate the possible association between al-cohol consumption and Barrett’s esophagus （BE）.METHODS： We performed a systematic literaturesearch of multiple online electronic databases. Inclusioncriteria entailed studies about alcohol and BE. Meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate odds ratio （OR） and95%CIs for the association between alcohol consump-tion and BE. RESULTS： Twenty studies comprising 4758 patientswith BE were included in the meta-analysis. The risk ofBE in patients with alcohol consumption was increasedcompared with control groups （OR = 1.01; 95%CI： 1.00-1.02）, especially in case-control and cohort, Eu-ropean and Asian, and hospital studies, but there was a decreased risk of BE associated with alcohol con-sumption from American studies （OR = 0.86; 95%CI： 0.77-0.96）. At the same time, there was no signifcant association between BE and alcohol consumption in community studies （OR = 0.97; 95%CI： 0.84-1.12） and the type of alcohol （wine, beer and liquor） studies. CONCLUSION： Our meta-analysis found that alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of BE, especially for European and Asian drinkers.

我国居民饮酒与脑卒中关系的Meta-analysis研究

为了评价我国居民饮酒与脑卒中的联系，采用随机效应模型（Ｄ—Ｌ法）对检索到的国内１４篇有关流行病学研究文献进行综合定量分析，结果总合并比值比（９５％可信区间）为１．８９０９（１．５５０２～２．３０６４）；按脑卒中类型分层合并分析，结果饮酒与出血性脑卒中、缺血性脑卒中和脑卒中（未区分亚型）联系的比值比分别为２．２５９０（１．４２４０～３．５８３６）、２．０１３０（１．４８８８～２．７２１９）和１．４７４９（１．２８３６～１．６９４８）。本研究认为饮酒是我国居民脑卒中及其亚型重要的危险因素，控制饮酒是脑卒中病因预防的一项重要措施。

Cost-effectiveness of enhanced liver fibrosis test to assess liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C virus and alcoholic liver disease patients

AIM To assess liver fibrosis(LF) in hepatitis C virus(HCV) and alcoholic liver disease(ALD), estimate health outcomes and costs of new noninvasive testing strategies METHODS A Markov model was developed to simulate LF progression in HCV and ALD for a cohort of 40-yearold men with abnormal levels of transaminases. Three different testing alternatives were studied: a single liver biopsy; annual Enhanced liver fibrosis(ELF?) followed by liver stiffness measurement(LSM) imaging as a confirmation test if the ELF test is positive; and annual ELF test without LSM. The analysis was performed from the perspective of a university hospital in Spain.Clinical data were obtained from published literature. Costs were sourced from administrative databases of the hospital. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed.RESULTS In HCV patients, annual sequential ELF test/LSM and annual ELF test alone prevented respectively 12.9 and 13.3 liver fibrosis-related deaths per 100 persons tested, compared to biopsy. The incremental costeffectiveness ratios(ICERs) were respectively €13400 and €11500 per quality-adjusted life year(QALY). In ALD, fibrosis-related deaths decreased by 11.7 and 22.1 per 100 persons tested respectively with sequential ELF test/LSM and annual ELF test alone. ICERs were €280 and €190 per QALY, respectively.CONCLUSION The use of the ELF test with or without a confirmation LSM are cost-effective options compared to a single liver biopsy for testing liver fibrosis in HCV and ALD patients in Spain.

Expression of lipopolysaccharide binding protein and its receptor CD14 in experimental alcoholic liver disease

AIM: To evaluate the relationship between the expression of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) binding protein (LBP) and CD14 mRNA and the severity of liver injury in alcohol-fed rats. METHODS: Twenty Wistar rats were divided into two groups:ethanol-fed group (group E) and control group (group C). Group E was fed with ethanol(5-12 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and group C received dextrose instead of ethanol. Rats of the two groups were sacrificed at 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Levels of endotoxin and alanine transaminase (ALT) in blood were measured, and liver pathology was observed under light and electronic microscopy. Expressions of LBP and CD14 mRNA in liver tissues were determined by RT-PCR analysis. RESULTS: Plasma endotoxin levels were increased more significantly in group E(129+/-21) ng x L(-1) and (187+/-35) ng x L(-1) at 4 and 8 wk than in control rats(48+/-9) ng x L(-1) and (53+/-11) ng x L(-1), respectively (P【0.05). Mean values of plasma ALT levels were (1867+/-250) nkat x L(-1) and (2450+/-367) nkat x L(-1) in Group E. The values were increased more dramatically in ethanol-fed rats than in Group C after 4 and 8 weeks. In liver section from ethanol-fed rats, there were marked pathological changes (steatosis, cell infiltration and necrosis). In ethanol-fed rats, ethanol administration led to a significant increase in LBP and CD14 mRNA levels compared with the control group (P【0.05). CONCLUSION: Ethanol administration led to a significant increase in endotoxin levels in serum and LBP and CD14 mRNA expressions in liver tissues. The increase of LBP and CD14 mRNA expression might wake the liver more sensitive to endotoxin and liver injury.

Relationship between genetic polymorphisms of ALDH2 and ADH1B and esophageal cancer risk:A meta-analysis

AIM:To evaluate the contribution of alcohol dehydrogenase-1B(ADH1B)and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2)polymorphisms to the risk of esophageal cancer.METHODS:Nineteen articles were included by searching MEDLINE,EMBASE and the Chinese Biomedical Database,13 on ADH1B and 18 on ALDH2.We performed a meta-analysis of case-control studies including 13 studies on ADH1B(cases/controls:2390/7100)and 18 studies on ALDH2(2631/6030).RESULTS:The crude odds ratio[OR(95%confidence interval)]was 2.91(2.04-4.14)for ADH1B*1/*1(vs ADH1B*2/*2)and 1.32(1.17-1.49)for ADH1B*1/*2.The crude OR for ALDH2*1/*2(vs ALDH2*1/*1)was 2.52(1.76-3.61).ADH1B*1/*1 increased the risk of esophageal cancer among never/rare[1.56(0.93-2.61)],moderate[2.71(1.37-5.35)],and heavy drinkers[3.22 (2.27-4.57)].ADH1B*1/*2 was associated with a modest risk among moderate drinkers[1.43(1.09-1.87)].ALDH2*1/*2 increased the risk among never/rare[1.28 (0.91-1.80)],moderate[3.12(1.95-5.01)],and heavy [7.12(4.67-10.86)]drinkers,and among ex-drinkers [5.64(1.57-20.25)].ALDH2*2/*2 increased the risk among drinkers[4.42(1.72-11.36)].ADH1B*1/*1 plus ALDH2*1/*2 was associated with the highest risk for heavy drinkers[12.45(2.9-53.46)].The results of the meta-regression analysis showed that the effects of ADH1B*1/*1 and ALDH2*1/*2 increased with the level of alcohol consumption.ALDH2*1/*2 was associated with a high risk among Taiwan Chinese and Japanese drinkers,as opposed to a moderate risk among drinkers in high-incidence regions of China's Mainland.ADH1B*1/*1 in heavy drinkers and ALDH2*1/*2 in moderate-toheavy drinkers was associated with similarly high risk among both men and women.CONCLUSION:ADH1B/ALDH2 genotypes affect the risk of esophageal cancer,and the risk is modified by alcohol consumption,ethnicity,and gender.

Semi-Automated Enzymatic Determination of Ethanol in Beverages: Collaborative Study for RIDA®CUBE Ethanol

Easy and quick methods to quantify ethanol reliably in beverages are always important. In 2022, the EnzytecTM Liquid Ethanol test kit was approved as AOAC Official MethodSM 2017.07 Final Action after a collaborative study was conducted with different beverages such as kombucha, juices, and beer. During set-up of this collaborative test, small sized companies asked to include the RIDA®CUBE Ethanol/RIDA®CUBE SCAN device since it is easy to use, suitable for a few samples only and contains the identical reagents as the EnzytecTM Liquid system. It is applicable to quantify ethanol in diluted kombucha, fruit juices, and alcohol-free beer samples around 0.5% alcohol-by-volume within 12 min. The overall relative reproducibility standard deviation across a wide concentration range for kombucha, was calculated to be 6.29%. Analysis of juices and beer showed an overall higher variation with an estimated overall RSD(R) value by regression of 14.4%. The data obtained by this collaborative study show that the RIDA®CUBE Ethanol in combination with the RIDA®CUBE SCAN device is suitable to quantify ethanol from matrices representing important alcohol-free liquid food categories.

Mitochondrial metabolomic profiling for elucidating the alleviating potential of Polygonatum kingianum against high-fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND Developing mitochondrial regulators/nutrients from natural products to remedy mitochondrial dysfunction represent attractive strategies for therapy of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Polygonatum kingianum(PK)has been traditionally used in China as a medicinal and nutritional ingredient for centuries and can alleviate high-fat diet(HFD)-induced NAFLD by promoting mitochondrial functions.To date,the underlying molecular mechanism of PK for treating mitochondrial dysfunctions and thus alleviating NAFLD remains unclear.AIM To identify the molecular mechanism behind the mitochondrial regulatory action of PK against HFD-induced NAFLD in rats.METHODS NAFLD model was induced in rats with HFD.The rats were intragastrically administered PK(4 g/kg per day)for 14 wk.Metabolites in hepatic mitochondrial samples were profiled through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry followed by multivariate statistical analysis to find the potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways.RESULTS PK significantly restored the metabolites’levels in the mitochondrial samples.Ten potential biomarkers were identified in the analyzed samples.These biomarkers are involved in riboflavin metabolism.CONCLUSION PK can alleviate HFD-induced NAFLD by regulating the riboflavin metabolism and further improving the mitochondrial functions.Thus,PK is a promising mitochondrial regulator/nutrient for alleviating NAFLD-associated diseases.

Analysis of fMRI Single Subject Data in the Fourier Domain Acquired Using a Multiple Input Stimulus Experimental Design

Analysis of functional MRI (fMRI) blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) data is typically carried out in the time domain where the data has a high temporal correlation. These analyses usually employ parametric models of the hemodynamic response function (HRF) where either pre-whitening of the data is attempted or autoregressive (AR) models are employed to model the noise. Statistical analysis then proceeds via regression of the convolution of the HRF with the input stimuli. This approach has limitations when considering that the time series collected are embedded in a brain image in which the AR model order may vary and pre-whitening techniques may be insufficient for handling faster sampling times. However fMRI data can be analyzed in the Fourier domain where the assumptions made as to the structure of the noise can be less restrictive and hypothesis tests are straightforward for single subject analysis, especially useful in a clinical setting. This allows for experiments that can have both fast temporal sampling and event-related designs where stimuli can be closely spaced in time. Equally important, statistical analysis in the Fourier domain focuses on hypothesis tests based on nonparametric estimates of the hemodynamic transfer function (HRF in the frequency domain). This is especially important for experimental designs involving multiple states (drug or stimulus induced) that may alter the form of the response function. In this context a univariate general linear model in the Fourier domain has been applied to analyze BOLD data sampled at a rate of 400 ms from an experiment that used a two-way ANOVA design for the deterministic stimulus inputs with inter-stimulus time intervals chosen from Poisson distributions of equal intensity.

Analysis and Study on Quality Control of Yao Medicine Damnacanthus macrophyllus Based on Methods in Chinese Pharmacopoeia

[Objectives]To establish a quality analysis method for Yao medicine Damnacanthus macrophyllus Sieb.ex Miq.var.giganteus(Makino)Koidz..[D.indicus Gaertn.f.var.giganteus Makino].[Methods]The moisture,total ash and alcohol extracts of D.macrophyllus medicinal materials were determined according to the experimental methods in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020).[Results]All the 10 batches of D.macrophyllus medicinal materials from different collection times and different regions in Guangxi had the same plant morphological characteristics.The experimental results indicate that the moisture was 9.81%-11.52%,the total ash content was 7.37%-9.53%,the acid-insoluble ash content was 1.10%-1.97%,and the extract was 8.25%-10.22%.[Conclusions]This study provides a scientific basis for establishing a quality standard for Yao medicine D.macrophyllus medicinal materials,and it is expected to better utilize and develop D.macrophyllus.

Exploring“Enabling Behaviours”of Wives of Persons with Substance Use Disorder in Chapter 8 of the Big Book of Alcoholic Anonymous

Substance use disorder has a damaging effect on the family members of alcoholics and drug users.On the other hand,the reactions and behaviours of family members may negatively influence a person with substance use disorder.The behaviours of significant others of a person with substance use disorder that contribute to the maintenance of substance use disorder are called enabling.This study aimed to explore enabling behaviours of wives of persons with substance use disorder in Chapter 8 of Alcoholic Anonymous’Big Book by utilising qualitative content analysis.Alcoholics Anonymous(AA)is one of the most commonly used programs for recovery from alcoholism.The current study sought to help mental health professionals get a better understanding of the views and premises of the AA program in reference to enabling behaviours of wives by conducting a qualitative content analysis of the AA Big Book.The study also discusses the healthy behaviours suggested by the authors of the Big Book and the comprehensiveness of the text for the readers.

Challenges in maintaining the probiotic potential in alcoholic beverage development

The development of new functional alcoholic beverages to promote health benefits is a major challenge for current research.This review presents the main applications of microorganisms with functional potential and resistant to the alcoholic environment as well as the characteristics that enable the use of alcoholic beverages as vehicles for probiotic microorganisms.In our online search,it was possible to notice that the most prominent microorganisms with functional potential and that present alcohol resistance were Saccharomyces cerevisiae var.boulardii and water-kefir(composed of Saccharomyces sp.,Lactobacillus sp.,Leuconostoc sp.,Acetobacter sp.,Bifidobacterium sp.).Processing conditions,temperature,fermentation time,and raw materials used in the production of beverages are important parameters that are evaluated and are dependent on the alcohol concentration and cellular viability of the desired probiotic microorganism(s).Viability studies of probiotic microorganisms in vegetable matrices have been conducted for water-kefir and Saccharomyces boulardii.S.boulardii was successfully incorporated into the developmental process of alcoholic beverages with alcohol contents ranging from 3.83 to 23%(v/v),whereas kefir beverage had an alcohol content ranging from 0.8 to 4.96%(v/v).Furthermore,to ensure the maintenance of probiotic viability in alcoholic matrices,the encapsulation technique can be used as an alternative to promote greater protection and viability of probiotics against adverse conditions.