A Simple Egg Membrane Patch Bridging Method for Repairing Tympanic Membrane Perforation

Objective:To analyze the clinical effect of a simple egg membrane patch bridging method in repairing tympanic membrane perforation.Methods:A total of 93 tympanic membrane perforation patients admitted to the hospital between September 2022 and October 2023 were selected and divided into two groups according to the random number table method.The control group implemented the conventional treatment(n=46 cases),and the patch group adopted the simple egg membrane patch bridging method(n=47 cases).The healing rate of the tympanic membrane,the air-bone gap,the air conduction hearing threshold,the dry ear rate,and the incidence of complications in both groups were compared before and after treatment.Results:The healing rate of the tympanic membrane in the patch group was significantly higher than that of the control group(95.75%vs.76.09%),with P<0.05;there was no difference in the air-bone gap and air conduction hearing threshold levels between the two groups before treatment(P>0.05),and the hearing indexes of the patch group were significantly lower than those of the control group 3 months after treatment(P<0.05);the dry ear rate in the patch group was significantly higher than that of the control group after treatment(85.11%vs.67.39%),and the total incidence of complications was also significantly lower than that of the control group(6.38%vs.21.74%),with P<0.05.Conclusion:The simple egg membrane patch bridging method is effective in repairing tympanic membrane perforation,which can effectively improve patients’hearing levels and reduce the occurrence of post-treatment complications.Thus,it is worth popularizing and applying in the clinic.

Characteristics of the tertiary egg membrane of cuttlefish Sepiella maindroni de Rochebrune

We separated tertiary egg membrane （TGM） from 2- and 25-day-old eggs of cuttlefish Sepiella maindroni de Rochebrune, and revealed its ultrastructure, physical （solubility, barrier property） and biochemical （histology, histochemistry, nutritional components, bacteriostasis） characteristics. The results show that TGM could not be dissolved with natural seawater, alcohol, ether or hydrochloric acid （HC1）, but it could be dissolved with 2-chloroethanol, diethylamine, and sodium hydroxide （NaOH）. The black TGM was more effective in blocking off mud particulates, microorganisms （Chlorella vulgaris, Vibrio alginolyticus） and lighter than the white TGM. The elasticity of black and white TGMs was 1.8 N and 1.5 N, respectively. There were some ink particulates and rod-shaped bacteria in the black TGM. The nutritional components were different between black and white TGMs： Lipid content was lower and protein content was higher in the black TGM. TGM could also inhibit the growth of Vibrio alginolyticus.

NEM® Brand Eggshell Membrane Effective in the Treatment of Pain and Stiffness Associated with Osteoarthritis of the Knee in an Italian Study Population

A single-center, open-label clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NEM® as a natural treatment for pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis of the knee in an Italian population. NEM® brand eggshell membrane is a unique dietary supplement that contains naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans and proteins essential for maintaining healthy joints and connective tissues. Twenty-five subjects received oral NEM®, 500 mg once daily for four weeks. The primary outcome measure was to evaluate the mean effectiveness of NEM® in relieving general pain associated with moderate osteoarthritis of the knee at 10 and 30 days utilizing a 10-question, abbreviated questionnaire based on the WOMAC osteoarthritis questionnaire. Supplementation with NEM® produced a significant treatment response from baseline at both 10 days and 30 days for composite pain (40.6% reduction, p p p = 0.009;59.7% reduction, p < 0.001, respectively). There were no adverse events or serious adverse events reported during the study and the treatment was reported to be well tolerated by study participants. NEM® is an effective and safe natural therapeutic option for the treatment of both pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Supplementation with NEM®, 500 mg taken once daily, significantly reduced both pain and stiffness rapidly (10 days) and this effect continued to improve through 30 days. There was also a meaningful reduction in the amount of analgesic consumed on a weekly basis, which further enhanced patients’ safety.

A Protein Extracted from Mouse Sperm That Plays an Important Role in Fertilization

A membrane protein was isolated from mouse sperm heads that had undergone acrosomal reaction induced by C2+ ionophore, A 23187, which, with a molecular weight of 77.6 kd, shows capability to block egg-sperm fusion. As revealed by analysis usintg isotopic markers, this protein is one of the chief membrane proteins of inner acrosomal membrane or the outer membrane of equatorial segment and Post-acrosomal region; treatment of mouse sperms with 0.6 μg/ml of the Purified protein for 30 minutes reduced the sperm-egg fusion index by 51%.The above results led us to the conclusion that the protein is an active participant in sperm-egg fusion. The possible existence of sperm receptor on egg plasma membrane was discussed.

An in vitro Anti-urolithiasis Activity of a Herbal Formulation:Spinacia oleracea L.and Coriandrum sativum L.

Background:Hard mineral and acid salt deposits that clump together in concentrated urine are known as kidney stones.A complicated chain of physicochemical events,including hyper saturation,nucleation,growth,aggrega-tion,and retention in the urinary tract,leads to urolithiasis,the third most prevalent urinary tract issue.Numerous traditional medications and therapies are less successful in treating urolithiasis and frequently cause recurrences.Objective:The present study is focused on evaluating the anti-urolithiasis activities of the polyherbal formulation prepared from Spinacia oleracea L.and Coriandrum sativum L.seeds.Methods:To evaluating the anti-urolithiasis activities of the polyherbal formulation prepared from S.oleracea and C.sativum seeds against oxalate crystals by employing an in vitro inhibition,aggregation,and nucleation assay,employing a spectrophotometer followed by microscopic observation,and further monitored by egg semiperme-able membrane model,using cystone as a standard drug.Results:In the present work,the alkaloids,glycosides,flavonoids,glycosides,phenols,saponins,steroids,tannins,terpenoids,and triterpenoids were found in the extracts of S.oleracea and C.sativum.The in vitro assays in the present study clearly indicated that all the mixture extracts readily prevented crystal nucleation,growth and ag-gregation.The aqueous extract of the mixture inhibited significant inhibitory potential against the crystallization process.Conclusion:It can be said that the phyto-constituents enriched homemade preparation possibly will be used as a medication for the management of kidney stones by dissolving the oxalate stone in the kidney.