Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Chitosan ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Phospholipids ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

Sphingolipids, especially ceramide and S1P, are structural components of biological membranes and bioactive molecules which participate in diverse cellular activities such as cell division, differentiation, gene expression and apoptosis. Emerging evidence demonstrates the role of sphingolipids in hepatocellular death, which contributes to the progression of several liver diseases including ischaemia-reperfusion liver injury, steatohepatitis or hepatocarcinogenesis. Furthermore, some data indicate that the accumulation of some sphingolipids contributes to the hepatic dysfunctions. Hence, understanding of sphingolipid may open up a novel therapeutic avenue to liver diseases. This review focuses on the progress in the sphingolipid metabolic pathway with a focus on hepatic diseases and drugs targeting the sphingolipid pathway.
Apoptosis ; Ceramides ; metabolism ; Fatty Liver ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Lysophospholipids ; metabolism ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Sphingolipids ; metabolism ; Sphingosine ; analogs & derivatives ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the short-term therapeutic effect and radiation reaction of stereotactic radiotherapy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly patients. Methods Thirty-one patients with stage Ⅰ - Ⅱ non-small cell lung cancer were treated with stereotactic radiotherapy. Patients aged 70-88 years, median age 76; 21 were stage I patients, and 10 stage Ⅱ ; 14 patients had tumor

Objective To observe the effect of low dosage of uhrashortwave(USW) on infarction volume, B cell lymphocytoma-xl (Bcl-xl) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-?) after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in rats and discuss its acting mechanisms. Methods Focal ischemia-reperfusion model was established in 25 rats by re- versible right middle cerebral artery occlusion with filament. The right side cerebral ischemia was lasted for 2 hours and then followed with 24 hours of reperfusion. The content of neurological deficits were evaluated by the Zea-Longa 5-degree scoring system to select rats. After surgery, the rats were divided into 3 groups: blank control group, control group and USW treatment group. The brain of all rats was taken at 24 hours after reperfusion. The cerebral infarction volume, the expression of Bcl-xl and TNF-?were measured and analyzed. Results Twenty-five rats were used in the analysis of results. When compared with the control group, the infarction volume and rate in total cerebral volume of USW group significantly decreased (t = 2.54, 2.33, P

OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic effect and relevant mechanism of shuxuening Injection (SI) in treating patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC).

METHODSTotally 91 patients with active UC were randomly assigned to 2 groups, 44 in the control group and 47 in the treatment group. Patients in the control group received routine treatment, while patients in the treatment group additionally received intravenous injection of SI (15 mL), twice daily for 14 days in total. Colonoscopy was performed before and after treatment. The therapeutic effect was assessed by Mayo scoring system and the grading of activities evaluated by Baron endoscope. Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. The activity of SOD was detected by xanthine oxidase method. The content of MDA was detected by thiobarbituricacid (TBA). Besides, 20 healthy subjects were recruited as the healthy control group.

RESULTSTotally 82 patients completed the study (40 in the control group and 42 in the treatment group). There was no statistical difference in serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, SOD, MDA, the Mayo score and endoscope grading between the two groups before treatment (P >0. 05). Compared with the healthy control group, serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, MDA significantly increased (P <0.01), and the serum SOD level decreased (P < 0. 05) in the treatment grup and the control group before treatment. Compared with before treatment in the same group, serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, MDA, the Mayo score and endoscope grading all decreased in the treatment group and the control group after treatment (P <0. 01, P <0. 05). Compared with the control group after treatment, serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, MDA, the Mayo score and endoscope grading all decreased (P <0.01, P <0.05), the serum SOD level increased (P <0.05) in the treatment group after treatment. The serum SOD level was obviously negative correlated with serum levels of IL-6, TNF-a, Mayo score, and endoscope score (r = -0. 621, -0.638, -0. 509, -0.787, P <0.01). The serum MDA level was obviously positive correlated with serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, Mayo score, and endoscope score (r =0.711, 0. 882, 0. 525, 0. 639, P <0.01).

CONCLUSIONSI could improve inflammatory injury and clinical symptoms of patients with active UC, and its mechanism might be associated with antioxidant and scavenging oxygen free radicals.

Colitis, Ulcerative ; blood ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Inflammation ; drug therapy ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

OBJECTIVETo observe the analgesic effect and safety of acupuncture-anesthetic composite anesthesia (AACA) in hysteroscopic surgery.

METHODSTotally 93 patients undergoing hysteroscopic surgery were randomly assigned to the intravenous anesthesia group (A group, 30 cases), the AACA group (B group, 32 cases), and the acupuncture combined with intravenous anesthesia group (C group, 31 cases). Patients in Group A were anesthetized by sufentanil combined propofol. Those in Group B were anesthetized by sufentanil combined acupuncture. Those in Group C were anesthetized by sufentanil, propofol combined acupuncture. Yinlian and Ququan (LR8) were needled for patients in Group B and C. The peri-operative mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and oxygen saturation (SpO2), the surgical time, the recovery time, the sufentanil and propofol dosages, adverse anesthesia reactions were observed. Meanwhile, the OAA/S score, Ramsay sedation score, and Visual Analogue Score (VAS) were also measured.

RESULTSCompared with Group A and C, patients in Group B were awake, with obvious increased OAA/S score (P < 0.01). Ramsay sedation score was significantly lower (P < 0.01).The MAP and HR were elevated (P < 0.05). The patient case of SpO2 less than 85% during the operation decreased (P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative dizziness was reduced (P < 0.05). Compared with Group A, the propofol consumption decreased in Group C (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the operation time, the sufentanil dosage, VAS score, the incidence of postoperative nause- a and vomiting among the three groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe patients were awake in AACA. The intraoperative sedation was better than that obtained by intravenous anesthesia. But the analgesic effect was similar to that obtained by intravenous anesthesia.

Acupuncture Analgesia ; Adult ; Analgesia ; methods ; Anesthesia, Intravenous ; Female ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy ; Young Adult

The antitussive activity assay for the root extraction of Disporum cantoniense was carried out with coughing mice induced by ammonia liquor. The results showed that the ethanol and water extractions of D. cantoniense possess strong antitussive activity, and the high dose of the former was better than positive control, and then the constituents of the ethanol extraction were separated and purified by various modern chromatographic techniques. Their structures were identified by physico-chemical properties and spectroscopic data. As a result, eight compounds were isolated and identified as stigmast-4-en-3-one(1), (22E, 24R)-ergosta-5, 7, 22-trien-3beta-ol(2), obtucarbamate A(3), obtucarbamate B(4), neotigogenin(5), azo-2, 2'-bis[Z-(2,3-dihydroxy-4-methyl-5-methoxy) phenyl ethylene] (6),dimethyl {[carbonylbis (azanediyl)] bis( 2-methyl-5, 1-phenylene) j dicarbamate (7) , and quercetin-3-O-pB-D-glucopyranoside(8). All compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time, and the result of bioactivity-directed isolation showed that compounds 3, 4, and 6 had obvious effect on antitussive activity, and compound 6 had the same level as positive control.
Animals ; Antitussive Agents ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Ethanol ; chemistry ; Female ; Liliaceae ; chemistry ; Male ; Mice

Objective To investigate the role of plasma tissue factor (TF) and tissue factor pathway inhibitor-1 (TFPI-1) level and to observe the effect of extrinsic TFPI-1 on no-reflow (NR) in a rabbit model of ischemia/reperfusion. Methods Rabbits were randomized into four groups (n = 10 each): ischemic- reperfusion group (IR, subjected to 120 minutes of coronary artery occlusion and followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion); ischemic- reperfusion TFPI-1 group (100 ng/kg bolus and 1 ng · kg~(-1) · min~(-1) infusion during reperfusion) ; ischemic group (subjected to 180 minutes of coronary artery occlusion) and sham group. The NR area and ischemic area were determined by thioflavin S and Evan's blue staining in vivo. Plasma TF and TFPI-1 levels were measured before operation, before and at 120 minutes post coronary artery ligation, 10 and 60 minutes after reperfusion by ELISA. Results Plasma TF and TFPI-1 levels before and at 120 minutes post coronary artery ligation were similar among the four groups (all P > 0.05). At 10 and 60 minutes after reperfusion, the plasma TF levels in the IR group was significantly higher than those in ischemic group and sham group [10 minutes: (20.7 ±4. 1) pg/ml vs. (13.9 ±2. 2)pg/ml(P <0. 001), (20.7±4. l)pg/ml vs. (13.2±2.6) pg/ml(P<0. 001); 60 minutes; (15.8±2.6) pg/ml vs. (13.5± 1.6) pg/ml(P<0.05), (15.8 ±2.6) pg/ml vs. (12.1 ±0.7) pg/ml (P < 0. 001)] while the plasma TFPI-1 levels were similar among IR, ischemic and sham groups at 10 minutes after reperfusion and at 60 minutes after reperfusion (all P >0. 05). TFPI-1 level [(9.7 ± 1. 6) ng/ml] was significantly lower in the IR group than in the ischemic group [(11.6 ±1.6) ng/ml, P < 0. 05] and sham group [( 10. 1 ±1.3) ng/ml, P < 0. 01] . TF mRNA expression in the NR area in IR group was significantly up-regulated compared to the ischemic group (P<0. 05) and sham group (P <0. 001 ) while TFPI-1 mRNA expression was similar between IR group and ischemic group ( P > 0. 05 ) . NR severity in the ischemic-reperfusion TFPI-1 group was significantly attenuated compared to IR group (0. 39 ±0. 11 vs. 0.54±0.06, P<0.01). Conclusion Upregulated TF mRNA expression in the NR area and increased plasma TF level during reperfusion period, reduced plasma TFPI-1 level during reperfusion period as well as attenuated NR severity by extrinsic application of human rTFPI-1 in this model suggested an important role in the pathogenesis of the NR phenomenon.

Objective To study the relationship between coronary arteriographic and fluorescence fundus angiographic characteristics in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease.Methods The study was carried out by the analysis of the data from coronary arteriography and fluorescence fundus angiography in 203 type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease in different groups divided according to age or total cholesterol level. Logisitic regression analysis was applied to explore various risk factors to angiographic characteristics.Results With advancing age,there were more involvement of 3 coronary vessels or the left main branch along with stageⅢretinopathy,but less single vessel diseases in the coronary arteries and less stageⅠretinopathy.The difference in coronary angiographic and fluorescence fundus angiographic characteristics between groups with different total cholesterol levels was not significant.Logistic regression analysis suggested that coronary artery diaease was related to age,sex and blood glucose and triglyceride levels while diabetic retinopathy was related to blood glucose level and age.Conclusion There is great difference in coronary arteriography and fluorescence fundus angiography among different age groups.Aging may aggravate the lesions both in the coronary arteries and fundal vessels in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart diseease.

The role of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in the central regulation of the circulation is known to be a neurotransmitter or a neuromodulator, but its actions on baroreceptor reflex function are not fully resolved. The present study examined the role of ANP (6, 60 ng/0.2 microl) by direct microinjection into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in conscious rats. OPC-21268 (0.45 microg/3 microl), an antagonist of the V(1) receptor, was microinjected into the lateral ventricle to examine whether the effect of ANP on baroreflex sensitivity is mediated by vasopressin (VP). ANP significantly increased the baroreflex sensitivity, and OPC-21268 attenuated the increase of baroreflex sensitivity induced by ANP. Intravenous injections of ANP (60 ng/0.04 ml) did not affect baroreflex sensitivity. These results suggest that ANP in the PVN may produce a facilitative effect on baroreflex, and the effect may be via, at least in part, the central vasopressin.
Animals ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; pharmacology ; physiology ; Baroreflex ; drug effects ; physiology ; Male ; Microinjections ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; physiology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar