Ultrasound scans and dual energy CT identify tendons as preferred anatomical location of MSU crystal depositions in gouty joints.

Objective: The present study was performed to localize the articular deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystal in joints. We compare the detection efficiencies of dual-energy CT (DECT) and ultrasound scans.

Methods: Analyses by DECT and ultrasound were performed with 184 bilateral joints of the lower limbs of 54 consecutive gout patients.

Puerarin exerts antipyretic effect on lipopolysaccharide-induced fever in rats involving inhibition of pyrogen production from macrophages.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Puerarin is the most abundant isoflavonoid in Radix Puerariae (Gegen), which has been prescribed as a medicinal herb for treating fever in China for a long history.

Aim Of The Study: The present study aimed at evaluating the antipyretic effect of puerarin and revealing the related mechanisms.

Materials And Methods: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced fever in rats was used to assess the antipyretic effect of puerarin.

Saponin fraction from Astragalus membranaceus roots protects mice against polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture by inhibiting inflammation and upregulating protein C pathway.

Sepsis remains the leading cause of death in intensive care units. Uncontrolled systemic inflammation and an impaired protein C pathway are two important contributors to sepsis pathophysiology. Based on the beneficial effects of the saponin fraction from Astragalus membranaceus roots (SAM) against inflammation, liver dysfunction, and endothelium injury, we investigated the potential protective roles and underlying mechanisms of SAM on polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in mice.