Objective To investigate the protective effects of left ventricular myocardial perfusion after delivery of acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) in rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) by using ultrasound‐targeted microbubble destruction ( UTMD ) with real‐time myocardial contrast echocardiography( RT‐MCE) . Methods Among 64 male SD rats ,52 rats were randomly selected and were induced DCM by streptozotocin through intraperitoneal injecting ,the other rats as normal control group . DCM rats were randomly divided into the DCM model group ,aFGF only group ,SonoVue‐aFGF group and the SonoVue‐aFGF+ UTMD group in this study . The aFGF only group rats were injected with aFGF solution through tail vein ,the SonoVue‐aFGF group were injected with SonoVue‐aFGF solution through tail vein and SonoVue‐aFGF+ UTMD group rats were injected with SonoVue‐aFGF solution through tail vein and using UTMD simultaneously . All rats underwent conventional echocardiography and RT‐MCE exams before and 4 weeks after intervention . Left ventricular ejection fraction ( LVEF) and left ventricular fraction shortening( LVFS ) were measured by conventional echocardiography . The plateau intensity ( A ) ,initial slope of the curve (β) and myocardial blood flow ( A ×β) of left ventricular anterior wall at the papillary muscle level were measured in left ventricular short‐axis view by RT‐MCE . Results Before intervention , LVEF and LVFS in the DCM model group ,aFGF only group ,SonoVue‐aFGF group and the SonoVue‐aFGF+UTMD group were significantly lower than in the normal control group ( P <0 .01) .During 4 weeks after intervention ,LVEF and LVFS in the aFGF only group ,SonoVue‐aFGF group and the SonoVue‐aFGF+UTMD group were slightly increased than those in the DCM model group ,but no statistically significant differences were found ( P > 0 .05) ,however A and A × β in the SonoVue‐aFGF+ UTMD group were significantly increased than those in the DCM model group( P < 0 .01) . Compared with the same group before intervention ,A and A ×βin the SonoVue‐aFGF+UTMD group were higher ( P <0 .05) and these in the DCM model group were lower during four weeks after intervention ( P < 0 .05) . Conclusions Acidic fibroblast growth factor delivered by using UTMD can improve the left ventricular myocardial perfusion in diabetic cardiomyopathy rats .

AIM: To study the role of nitric oxide ( NO ) and γ-aminobutyric acid ( GABA) in the formation of amblyopia by establishing 2 different types of amblyopic models.METHODS:A total of 18 aged 3-week kittens were randomly divided into monocular deprivation, strabismus and normal groups. All types of amblyopia were developed in the experimental eyes that were detected by P-VEP 12wk later. The cats were killed and the immunocytochemistry staining method were applied to observe under the light microscope the changes of distribution and positive cells areas of NO and GABA across the amblyopic retinal, compared to that from the normal cats of identical age.
RESULTS: The P-VEP showed that the amplitude of wave P1 was lower (P<0. 05) and the P1 latent time was longer ( P<0. 05 ) in two types of amblyopic cats than those in the normal cats. Compared to the normal cats, the NO and GABA positive cells areas were obviously reduced ( P<0. 05 ) across the retina in the amblyopic cats. But no significant difference was found between two kinds of amblyopic cats.
CONCLUSION:The NO and GABA play an important role in the formation of amblyopia in the level of retinal.

To observe the effects of total flavones of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng (TFM) on volume-overload cardiac hypertrophy and the expression of c-Fos protein in rat. Methods　Volume-overload cardiac hypertrophy of rat was induced by aortocaval shunts. The rats were given ig TFM (400, 40 and 4 mg/kg/d). c-Fos protein in the ventricles were measured by immunocytochemical study. Results　TFM at the above dosage decreased heart weight and contents of RNA and protein in the myocardium, inhibited the expression of c-Fos protein in the ventricles. Conclusion　TFM can prevent volume-overload cardiac hypertrophy in rats. The inhibitory effects on the expression of c-Fos protein may be its mechanism in the molecular level.

Humans ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive

Objective To analyze the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Kazakh population, using the NCEP-ATP Ⅲ, CDS, IDF MS standards. Methods Questionnaire-based survey,physical examination and blood testing were conducted according to cluster random samplings in Kazakh residents in Xinjiang. 2745 samples were collected and diagnosed by NCEP-ATP Ⅲ, CDS,IDF standards to analyze the prevalence, with the distribution of its main components of MS, among the Kazakhs population. Results The prevalence rates of MS diagnosed by NCEP-ATP Ⅲ, CDS,IDF standards were 18.5%, 14.2% and 26.6%, while they became 14.2%, 10.9% and 20.1% after standardized by age. The prevalence of MS diagnosed by NCEP-ATP Ⅲ and IDF standard in males were higher than in females, while CDS was in the opposite situtation. The prevalence of MS by these three standards increased with age. Among all the main components of MS diagnosed after these three standardization process, the prevalence of obesity, blood pressure rising and the abnormity of HDL-C were rather high. The prevalence of MS main components ≥1, ≥2, ≥3, ≥4, 5 ranked the highest compared to the lowest as to the IDF, ATP Ⅲ ' and CDS diagnostic. standards Conclusion The prevalence rates and gender distribution of MS diagnosed by different standards among Kazakhs were different. The prevalence of IDF standard was the highest, with the IDF standard better than the others in early identifying the risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

Drug-drug interactions have become a serious problem in the clinic, since plant-based medicines are extensively used. The present study investigated the effects of Ziziphus jujuba fruit (ZJ) extract on the pharmacokinetics of phenacetin, a typical substrate of a cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP 1A2, in rats. The rats were pretreated with the water extract (1.0 g · kg(-1)) or the ethanolic extract (3.6 g · kg(-1)) of ZJ for 10 days, and the pharmacokinetics of phenacetin was investigated after intravenous administration. In an in vitro assay, acetaminophen formation in the hepatic microsomes of ZJ-treated rats was investigated to assess CYP1A2 activity. Our results demonstrated that the treatment with the water and ethanolic extracts of ZJ decreased the plasma concentration of phenacetin and increased the plasma concentration of acetaminophen, resulting in a 43.2% and 15.5% reduction in the AUC0-120 of phenacetin, respectively, and a 53.2% and 64.9% increase in the AUC0-120 of acetaminophen, respectively after intravenous administration. The water or ethanolic extract of ZJ significantly increased the clearance of phenacetin and acetaminophen formation in hepatic microsomes. In conclusion, ZJ extracts displayed effects on the pharmacokinetics of phenacetin and increased the CYP1A2 activity in rats. Therefore, precaution on drug-drug interactions should be taken when ZJ is co-administered with drugs metabolized by CYP1A2, which may result in decreased concentrations of these drugs.
Acetaminophen ; metabolism ; Animals ; Area Under Curve ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2 ; Cytochromes ; metabolism ; Fruit ; Herb-Drug Interactions ; Liver ; drug effects ; Male ; Microsomes, Liver ; Phenacetin ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Ziziphus

BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a serious complication after surgery, especially in elderly patients. The anesthesia technique is a potentially modifiable risk factor for POCD. This study assessed the effects of dexmedetomidine, propofol or midazolam sedation on POCD in elderly patients who underwent hip or knee replacement under spinal anesthesia. METHODS: The present study was a prospective randomized controlled preliminary trial. From July 2013 and December 2014, a total of 164 patients aged 65 years or older who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty at China-Japan Friendship Hospital and 41 non-surgical controls were included in this study. Patients were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to 3 sedative groups. All the patients received combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA) with midazolam, dexmedetomidine or propofol sedation. The sedative dose was adjusted to achieve light sedation (bispectral index[BIS] score between 70 and 85). All study participants and controls completed a battery of 5 neuropsychological tests before and 7 days after surgery. One year postoperatively, the patients and controls were interviewed over the telephone using the Montreal cognitive assessment 5-minute protocol. RESULTS: In all, 60 of 164 patients (36.6%) were diagnosed with POCD 7 days postoperatively, POCD incidence in propofol group was significantly lower than that in dexmedetomidine and midazolam groups (18.2% vs. 40.0%, 51.9%, χ = 6.342 and 13.603, P = 0.012 and < 0.001). When the patients were re-tested 1 year postoperatively, the incidence of POCD was not significantly different among the 3 groups (14.0%, 10.6% vs. 14.9%, χ = 0.016 and 0.382, P = 0.899 and 0.536). CONCLUSION Among dexmedetomidine, propofol and midazolam sedation in elderly patients, propofol sedation shows a significant advantage in term of short-term POCD incidence.
Aged ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; epidemiology ; Dexmedetomidine ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; pharmacology ; Male ; Midazolam ; pharmacology ; Middle Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Postoperative Complications ; epidemiology ; Propofol ; pharmacology ; Prospective Studies

A highly sensitive and selective bioluminescent probe for hydrazine (BPH) was designed, synthesized and evaluated for detection of hydrazine in vitro and in vivo. BPH was designed to include a specific recognition group (acetyl) of hydrazine at an appropriate modification site of the optical reporter hydroxyluciferin (D-luciferin), which showed excellent performance both in selectivity and sensitivity to hydrazine. The results showed that the bioluminescent probe BPH developed in this study is an innovative and widely applicable tool for detecting hydrazine in complex natural environment or in animals.

Objective: To detect the clinical relevance of mannose-binding lectin 2 (MBL2) gene polymorphism and sepsis in Chinese lived in Hainan island. Methods: Blood samples from 57 patients with sepsis and 69 patients without sepsis were collected in the ICU of several large hospitals in Hainan province. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood and then PCR purification product was sequenced and typed by 3730 sequencing analyzer. The concentration of MBL2 in serum was detected by ELISA. Results: We found that genotype and allele distributions in two groups were in accordance with the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. The frequency of GA genotype was significantly higher than that in non-sepsis group (P=0.013). A allele frequency in sepsis group was also much higher than that in non-sepsis group (P=0.028). Logister regression analysis showed that the patients who carried A allele were more prone to get sepsis than G allele carrier (P=0.014, 0R=2.550, 95%CI=1.207-5.386). The MBL2 level in serum of sepsis patients with genotype GG and GA was significantly lower than that in non-sepsis group (P<0.05). In sepsis group, the MBL2 serum level of patients with genotype GA was obviously lower than that in patients with genotype GG (P<0.05). Conclusions: The variation of rs1800450 G→A increased the incidence of sepsis and decreased the level of MBL2 in serum.

Thais luteostoma has been utilized as a crude drug whose shell and soft tissue have been widely used for the treatment of heat syndrome in China for thousands of years. The present study was designed to investigate the antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities of T. luteostoma. T. luteostoma was divided into shell (TLSH) and soft tissue (TLST) samples in the present study. The rat model of yeast-induced fever was used to investigate their antipyretic effects; and the rat model of hind paw edema induced by carrageenan was utilized to study their anti-inflammatory activities, and at the same time, the concentration variations of the central neurotransmitter [prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)], inflammatory mediators [tumor necrosis factor (TNFα), interleukin-1β (IL-1), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] and ion (Na(+) and Ca(2+)) were also tested. The results showed that TLSH and TLST extracts significantly inhibited yeast-induced pyrexia in rats (P < 0.05), and exhibited more lasting effects as compared to aspirin, and TLSH had the better antipyretic activity than TLST, and that TLSH and TLST could significantly prevent against carrageenan induced paw edema in rats (P < 0.05); and markedly reduced levels of PGE2, cAMP, TNFα, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and Na(+)/Ca(2+). In fever model, TLST could significantly reduce the levels of PGE2 (P < 0.01) in rats' homogenate and TNFα (P < 0.05), IL-1β (P < 0.01) in the plasma than TLSH, whereas TLSH could reduce the content of IL-2 (P < 0.01) and IL-6 (P < 0.01) in plasma and increase the content of Ca(2+) (P < 0.01) in plasma and homogenate more significantly than TLST. In conclusion, T. luteostoma extract has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities, which may be mediated through the suppression of production of PGE2, cAMP, Na(+)/Ca(2+), TNFα, IL-1β, IL-2, and IL-6.
Animal Shells ; chemistry ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Antipyretics ; pharmacology ; Carrageenan ; Complex Mixtures ; pharmacology ; Edema ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Fever ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Hindlimb ; Inflammation Mediators ; blood ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; Snails ; chemistry