OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Tetramethyl pyrazine (TMP) on the cytokines and inflammatory mediators in the serum and the synovial fluid of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA)rats, and further to investigate its possible mechanisms for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODSType II CIA rat model was established. Rats in the TMP group were administered with TMP at 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg, once daily. Dexamethasone at 2.0 mg/kg was intramuscularly injected to those in the Dexamethasone treated group, once daily. Normal saline at 2 mL/kg was given to those in the normal control group and the model group, once daily. All medication was started from the 7th day, lasting to the 35th day. CIA rats' foot swelling degree was observed. Contents of serum IL-1, IL-6, IL-2, NO and PGE2in the synovial fluid were detected by radioimmunoassay and nitrate reduction method.

RESULTSCompared with the normal group, the foot swelling obviously increased, contents of NO and PGE2 in the synovial fluid were obviously elevated in the model group (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the foot swelling could be obviously inhibited by 100 mg/kg TMP and Dexamethasone; serum levels of IL-1 and IL-6 obviously decreased, serum IL-2 level obviously increased, contents of NO and PGE, decreased (P < 0.01). TMP 50 mg/kg could obviously inhibit the foot swelling of CIA rats (P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in other indices (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSTMP at 100 mg/kg showed obvious inhibition on CIA rats. Its inhibitory effect might be correlated to inhibiting activities of endogenous cytokines and the generation of inflammatory mediators in inflammation local regions, improving contents of anti-inflammation cytokines, and inducing the balance of the inflammatory cytokine network.

Animals ; Arthritis, Experimental ; blood ; metabolism ; Dinoprostone ; metabolism ; Female ; Interleukin-1beta ; blood ; Interleukin-2 ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Synovial Fluid ; metabolism

Objective: To describe the differences of plasma folate concentration and prevalence of folate deficiency in genders and ages in Chinese adults aged 35 to 64 years. Methods: By cross-sectional analysis, plasma folate concentration was measured in 2 545 adults including men and women by microbiological assay. Results: (1) Men tended to have lower plasma folate concentration and higher prevalence of folate deficiency(9.70 nmol/L, 31.0%) than did women(14.2 nmol/L, 12.5%, P=0.001). (2) Men in South have significantly higher plasma folate concentration and lower prevalence of folate deficiency than in North. The difference of plasma folate concentration was not evident between urban and rural area, but evident in North between in winter and spring. There were no significant differences of prevalence of folate deficiency for men between urban and rural areas in both regions. For women, the differences of plasma folate concentration in areas were significant, which were higher in South and urban, and lower in North and rural areas. (3) Plasma folate concentration increased with age in Southern men. A similar trend for others was not significant. Conclusion: Men have lower plasma folate concentration and higher prevalence of plasma folate deficiency than do women. The distribution of plasma folate concentrations in urban and rural areas seems different between men and women.

Objective: To describe the distribution of plasma vitamin B12 concentration in Chinese adults aged 35 to 64 years.Methods:Cross-sectional analysis was empolyed.Plasma vitamin B12 concentration was measured in 2 459 adults sampled from the representative urban and rural areas in the South and North of China.Results:Adjusted plasma vitamin B12 concentration was significantly higher (260 pmol/L) in the Southerners than in the Northerners (189 pmol/L).There were different patterns of seasonal changes of plasma vitamin B12 concentration between South and North.Plasma vitamin B12 concenration was higher during the summer and autumn (269 pmol/L)than during the winter and spring (252 pmol/L) in the South.However,the concentration was lower during the summer and autumn (177 pmol/L) than during the winter and spring (200 pmol/L) in the North.Women tended to have higher plasma vitamin B12 concentration than men.There were 5.5 percent of the participants whose plasma vitamin B12 concentration was lower than 110 mol/L.Conclusion:Significant regional and gender differences in plasma vitamin B12 concentration were observed in Chinese adults.The seasonal changes between the South and North were different.

Animals ; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) ; metabolism ; In Vitro Techniques ; Ischemic Preconditioning ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Colon ; pathology ; Colonic Polyps ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Intestinal Mucosa ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged

Animals ; Heart Function Tests ; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) ; metabolism ; In Vitro Techniques ; Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial ; methods ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Objective To standardize the method of microbiological examination on Shegan Mixture in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015. Methods Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015 was used. Microbial enumeration test and specified microorganisms test were used to verify Shegan Mixture. The samples were treated by membrane filtration. Six kinds of strains for microbiological counting and limiting bacteria were used to study applicability. Results Microbial counts of the five strains of the recovery ratio were between 0.5 to 2, and Escherichia coli tested by control bacteria was qualified. Conclusion The microbiological examination methods for Shegan Mixture can meet the requirements of Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015.

Objective To assess the characteristic of left ventricular(LV) twist changed from infancy to the elder,in order to determine the normal value of LV twist in different age group.Methods After acquired basal and apical LV short-axis images in 293 healthy volunteers (aged 15 days to 72 years) by 2-dimensional echocardiography, speckle tracking echocardiography was used to analysis LV twist motion offline.The peak apical rotation (PAr), peak basal rotation (PBr), peak LV twist (Ptw), peak LV twist normalized by LV length ( PtwN), peak untwisting velocity ( PutwV), isovolumic untwisting% ( Iutw% ) in different group were compared.Results Reliable LV twist measurements were obtained in 274 volunteers.Different LV twist values were noted according to age.Ptw increased gradually with advancing age, when normalized by LV length, PtwN showed higher values before 3 years old and 25 to 45 years old.PutwV increased with aging from infancy to 25 years old, and leveled off from 25 to 45 years old, then decreased with advancing age.Iutw% was lowest before 3 years old,and increased gradually from 25 to 45 years old,then decreased with aging.Conclusions speckle tracking echocardiography can be used to noninvasively and exactly assess LV twist with high feasibility.The effect of aging on LV twist may reflect the process of maturational and adaptive modulation of LV torsional biomechanics from infancy to the elder.

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of velocity vector imaging(VVI)in evaluating the left ventricular(LV)segmental longitudinal systolic function in patients with coronary artery disease(CAD).Methods In 25 patients with myocardial ischemia,28 patients with myocardial infarction,26 patients with coronary lumen stenosis＜50%,according to coronary arteriography and electrocardiogram,the myocardial segments of LV were divided into 4 groups:ischemic segments group,infarcted segments group,non-ischemic segments group and normal segments group.Twenty-eight healthy subjects were selected as control group.Dynamic imaging of all subjects were collected,the systolic peak strain(Smax)and strain rate(SRmax),the time to peak strain(PTs)and the time to peak strain rate(PTsr)were measured respectively.Results Smax and SRmax of the ischemic segments and infracted segments were significantly lower than those of the control group respectively,PTs and PTsr of the ischemic segments and infracted segments were significantly longer than those of the control group respectively.Smax and SRmax of infarcted segments were significantly lower than those of the ischemic segments,there were no differences of PTs and PTsr between ischemic segments and infracted segments.Smax and SRmax cutoff of -14.08%,-0.83 s-1 for detecting ischemic segments and cutoff of -6.65%,-0.38 s-1 for detecting infracted segments,respectively,gave an optimal sensitivity and specificity.Conclusions VVI is a kind of novel noninvasive-tool to quantitatively assess LV regional systolic function in CAD patients.It is competent to differentiate between the ischemic segments and infarcted segments.

To study the genetic stability of Panax quinquefolium after introduced into China for 30 years, the samples of P. quinquefolium from 14 regions of China were studied. RAPD molecular marker technology was applied in this research, and POPGEN32 data analysis and NTSYS2. 10 cluster diagram were used to analyze the data. The results showed that there are abundant genetic diversity in the ginseng samples. There were 81 polymorphic bands based on the 13 random primers. The polymorphism was 83.51%, the effective number of alleles (N(e)) was 1.456 7; Nei's gene diversity index (H) was 0.274 8; Shannon's diversity index (H(o)) was 0.419 4. The clustering analyses indicated that P. quinquefolium and P. ginseng were classified into two obvious groups, especially, it was also found that the P. quinquefolium could be divided into two obvious groups based on whether the P. ginseng was cultivated in the same region or not, but it was thought that there was not genetically a qualitative difference. Thus it suggests that a good breeding field should be established in Jilin Province of China for the germplasm purification.
China ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; Genetic Variation ; Introduced Species ; Panax ; classification ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique ; United States