OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Naohuandan Recipe on learning and memory abilities of SAM-P/8 mice and its role in anti-oxidation and anti-apoptosis. METHODS: Forty SAM-P/8 mice were randomly divided into four groups, which were untreated (normal saline-treated) group, Yinkeluo Tablets (extracts of gingko leaf)-treated group, low-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated group and high-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated group. Mice in these groups were given corresponding drugs orally for 105 days. Then the performances of learning and memory of mice were tested by a step-down passive avoidance task and a Y-maze test. The serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were detected. The expression level of bcl-xl mRNA in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The performances of learning and memory in the Yinkeluo Tablets-treated group, low- and high-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated groups were significantly improved as compared with those in the untreated group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and such performance was the best in the high-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated group among these four groups (P<0.01). The serum levels of SOD and GSH-Px and the expression of bcl-xl mRNA in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice in the Yinkeluo Tablets-treated group, low- and high-dose Naohuandan Recipe-treated groups were also significantly higher than those in the untreated group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the serum level of MDA in the untreated group was higher than that in the other three groups (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Naohuandan Recipe can improve learning and memory abilities of SAM-P/8 mice, and this effect may be related to its anti-oxidation efficacy and enhancement of expression level of bcl-xl mRNA.

Objective To develop a real-time QRS complex detection algorithm of dynamic ECG signals for the GPRS mobile telemonitoring system. Methods Before the first and second derivatives of ambulatory ECG signals were processed by moving average method, the signals sampled from CM5 monitoring lead were filtered with the average of continuous four ECG sample signal points. The R waves could be detected precisely by local minima of second derivatives and Q & S waves were located correctly by cross-zero points of first derivatives of ambulatory ECG signals in a short-time searching windows. The QRS recognition thresholds, which could revise themselves according to the detected values and vary with the analyzing signals, were designed in this paper. Results With a polynomial computation complexity, the novel algorithm insensitive to baseline draft and noise caused by mobile communication filtered power-line interference and most of muscle noise and reduced the search time below 0.02 s during detecting each Q wave, R wave and S wave. For the normal and clinical patients, this algorithm correctly detected up to 99.8% of the QRS complex of ambulatory ECG signals. Conclusion The algorithm can meet the need of real-time QRS complex detection and analysis for the GRRS mobile ECG telemonitoring system.

Bovine pericardium is mainly composed of collagen which has many good properties of extracellular matrix. This in vitro study was performed to quantitatively investigate and compare the degradation behavior of the bovine pericardial, which were modified with different methods. The purpose is to find out one method that presents not only the degradation regularity of material but also minimum antigenicity, so that bovine pericardium can be used as a well degradable guide tissue regeneration material. The results of the experiments showed that the bovine pericardium treated with ethanol is more appreciated than that treated with epoxy cross-linking agent or glutaraldehyde. The mensuration of protein and special amino acid may be a useful base of constructing a mathematic model for further researches on the rate of degradation of bovine pericardium.
Animals ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Bioprosthesis ; Cattle ; Cross-Linking Reagents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Hydroxyproline ; analysis ; In Vitro Techniques ; Materials Testing ; Pericardium ; chemistry ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Prosthesis Design ; Proteins ; analysis ; Surface Properties