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The effect of Tokishakuyakusan, a Chinese herbal medicine, was examined, in vivo, in women with luteal insufficiency and in women with normal menstrual cycles. Luteal insufficiency was determined by daily measurement of basal body temperature and plasma progesterone levels. Tokishakuyakusan improved luteal insufficiency. Furthermore, the effects of Tokishakuyakusan on prolactin, gonadotropins, steroids, angiotensin II, ANP and renin levels in the blood of women with normal menstrual cycles were studied, as were the medicine's effects on estrogens, pregnenediol and LH in the urine of the same women. Tokishakuyakusan had no adverse effect on hormonal levels in either blood or urine. Furthermore, no clinical side effects were detected. These results suggest that Tokishakuyakusan improves luteal insufficiency in women but does not affect the hormonal levels of women with normal menstrual cycles.

The stems and roots of Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight et Arn., a traditional Chinese medicine and Dai herbal medicine, have been widely used for the treatment of asthma, trachitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, cystitis, pneumonia and drug or food poisoning. Nowadays, the extract of Marsdenia tenacissima, under the trademark of “Xiao-ai-ping”, is widely used in clinic for the treatment of different cancers in China. To date, approximately 196 chemical ingredients covering steroids, triterpenes and organic acids have been identified from different parts of this plant. Steroids are the major characteristic and bioactive constituents of this plant. Modern pharmacology has demonstrated that the crude extracts and steroids have various in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities, such as multidrug resistance reversal, antitumor, anti-angiogenic, immunomodulation and anti-HIV activities. The multidrug resistance reversal of steroids provided evidence for the use of this herb in clinic. However, despite wide clinical application, clinical trials, quality control method, pharmacokinetic and toxicity research on Marsdenia tenacissima were seldom reported and deserved further efforts. The present review aimed to achieve a comprehensive and up-to-date investigation in ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, clinical study, pharmacokinetics, toxicology and quality control of Marsdenia tenacissima. In addition, the possible perspectives and trends for future studies of Marsdenia tenacissima have also been put forward. It is believed that this review would provide a theoretical basis and valuable data for future in-depth studies and applications.

Sarcoidosis of the phalanx is rare and is usually associated with severe systemic disease. We present a patient with recurrent phalangeal sarcoidosis and new evidence of a changing radiological pattern. The clinical presentation and outcome is discussed. High dose steroid treatment and careful long-term follow-up is recommended.

Objectives: Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is a common musculoskeletal disease that appears with a number of symptoms such as pain and constrained active and passive motions of the shoulder. Frozen shoulder mainly affects middle-aged adults. Local corticosteroids injection, oral corticosteroid, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), NSAIDs, and physiotherapy may alleviate the symptoms. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacies of corticosteroid injection and PRP in treating frozen shoulder.

Methods: A quasi-experimental research was performed on patients with frozen shoulder; to this end, 32 male and 109 female patients were enlisted in the study. The patients were divided randomly into two groups: those receiving (a) PRP and (b) corticosteroid injection.

Results: No significant relation was noticed between the two groups after 12 weeks according to a range of motions in flexion ($p$ = 0.300), abduction ($p$ = 0.133), external rotation ($p$ = 0.100), and internal rotation ($p$ = 0.206). In addition, no significant difference between pain and function scores was detected ($p$ = 0.103, 0.100).

Conclusion: Based on our investigation, both corticosteroid injection and PRP are effective in treating adhesive capsulitis, and there is no notable difference in the effectiveness of these two treatment modalities in patients with frozen shoulder.

The study of the aggregation of a steroid-functionalised porphyrin derivative shows the formation of chiral suprastuctures. Kinetic studies indicate that the mechanism of the aggregation strongly depends on both the nature of the media and on the concentration of the tetrapyrrolic macrocycle.

Two phthalocyanines (Pcs) with either a zinc or a ruthenium metal at the center of the macrocycle have been functionalized by a cholesteryl oleate moiety. The potential photosensitizers (PSs) for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis have been studied on their photophysical properties and their ability to generate singlet oxygen. These experiments corroborate that solvent mixtures containing variable ratios of THF and water impact the excited state deactivation. The compounds were used preloaded into LDL particles and their phototoxic activity was evaluated in a preliminary way.

The synthesis and characterization of a hybrid Mn(III)-porphyrin magnetic nanocomposite is described. Moreover, a sustainable methodology for epoxidation of olefins is reported, using O${}_{\mathrm{\text{2}}}$ as a green oxidant and the magnetic nanoparticle as a recyclable catalyst. High activity in alkene oxidation was observed, with full selectivity for epoxide formation. The magnetic catalyst presented high stability, being recovered and reused in five consecutive runs without loss of catalytic activity or selectivity in cyclooctene oxidation. Moreover, the catalytic system showed very good reactivity toward epoxidation of a range of terminal, substituted, cyclic or acyclic, aliphatic and aromatic olefins, including terpene and steroid derivatives, affording a range of biologically relevant epoxides in excellent yields. The isobutyric acid, formed as side-product, was recovered with high yield and purity, which provides the potential reutilization of this important industrial product.

Steroids play essential physiological roles in the living systems, including their role as sex hormones, glucocorticoids, and mineralocorticoids. Usually, they engage in interactions with steroid receptors. Target cell nuclei, cytosol and plasma membranes all have steroid hormone receptors. Cytoplasmic or nuclear, intracellular receptors start the signal transduction process for steroid hormones and cause gene expression alterations over the course of several hours to days. Certain steroid hormones bind to cell surface receptors, including ion channels, G protein-coupled receptors and several nuclear receptors. Dihydropyrimidinones are also significant moieties with important physiological roles. The hybrid molecules can offer several potential biological activities. In this work, we have checked the in silico interaction of some novel cholesterol–dihydropyrimidinones interactions with the sex hormones, mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors to screen their potential use in the regulation of the sexual cycle or the carbohydrate metabolism or the mineral imbalance.