Background: Hypertension is a common disease worldwide not just in Vietnam. Hypertension causes a series of metabolic disorders such as illness and death from kidney failure, heart failure, cerebral vascular calamity and various other chronic diseases.\r\n', u'Objectives: To discover the real situation of hypertension and to determine various related factors in Hoa Thuong commune/ Dong Hy district Thai Nguyen province \r\n', u'Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional and retrospective study was carried out involving 1970 people;.\r\n', u'Results: 17.7% of them had high blood pressure. The rate of hypertension in men was higher than that in women (20.3% and 15.4%, respectively). The related factors were found in the hypertension group/ including: high rate of glucose metabolic disorder (3.7%J cholesterol metabolic disorder (7.9%), creatinine metabolic disorder (34.1%). The rate of hypertension in the alcoholic consumption group was 1.28 times higher than that in non-drinking group. This difference between smoking group and nonsmoking group was 1.64 times. \r\n', u'Conclusion: Intervention for primary health care should be applied. A health care network for high blood pressure prevention in community should be established. \r\n', u'
Hypertension ; real situation ; related factor

Background: Caesarean section is a common surgical practice in gynecology. The rate of caesarean section is on the increase not only in Vietnam but also worldwide.\r\n', u'Objectives: To determine the rates of the caesarean section and related factors in mothers delivering from Jan 1st 2007 to Mar 31st 2007. Subjects and Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out on 423 women (219 in Hoan Kiem district and 204 in Gia Lam district) from April to September 2007.\r\n', u'Results:Caesarean section rates in Hoan Kiem and Gia Lam district were 37.9% and 22.1%, respectively; total caesarean section rate was 30.3%. About 96-98% women who had history of caesarean delivery were going to give birth by caesarean sections. Caesarean section for non-medical reasons accounted for 14.6% of the women. There were 14% of mothers choosing caesarean sections for selecting the good day or the good hour and 16.7% for the impact of their family. \r\n', u'Conclusion: Caesarean section rate in this study were quite high, previous caesarean sections in patient history were one of the main reasons, non-medical caesarean reasons were not low in rate, the age of the women was one of the factors associated with caesarean sections. \r\n', u'\r\n', u'
Caesarean sections ; real situation ; related factor

Background: Nowadays, Computed Tomography (CT) plays an important role not only in diagnosis but also in evaluating the severity of cranial lesions, especially brain injuries. Objectives: (1) To determine the related factors of brain injury. (2) To identify the rate of discovering brain injuries in CT film. (3) To propose appropriate an time for performing CT examinations. Subjects and method: The retrospective study was carried out on 413 cranial traumatic cases admitted to Viet Tiep Hospital from 1/1/2006 to 31/12/2007. All of them were taken with a CT - scanner. Results: The percentage of male - patient is 4 times higher than this of female. Most of the patients were 21-30 year olds (69%). The most common cause was motor accidents (64%). The indirect (dislocation of middle line) and direct pathogenic images can be found in CT-scanner in 210/413 cases (50.85%) and 216/413 (52.30%), respectively. 114 cases (27.60%) underwent surgical treatments. 20 patients died (4.84%) because of severe and complex injuries. Conclusion: It is necessary to closely monitor all the changes of the signs and symptoms in order to specify CT-scanner examination on time.
related factor ; brain injury ; CT scanner

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is linked to numerous brain functions. In addition, BDNF alterations contribute to neurological, mental, and addictive disorders. Cocaine dependence has received much attention recently due to its prevalence and psychological effects. Symptoms of psychosis are one of the most serious adverse events precipitated by cocaine use. It is particularly important to identify patients at risk of developing cocaine-induced psychosis (CIP). We described two cases of patients with cocaine dependence who presented with CIP and had changes in their BDNF levels during the psychotic episode. BDNF levels were initially low in both patients, and then decreased by more than 50% in association with CIP. The relationship between BDNF and psychosis is described in the literature. These cases revealed that BDNF levels decreased during a CIP episode and, thus, it is necessary to investigate BDNF and its relationship with CIP further.
Biomarkers ; Brain ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Cocaine* ; Cocaine-Related Disorders* ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Psychotic Disorders*

The imbalance of redox homeostasis is a major characteristic of aging and contributes to the pathogenesis of various aging-related diseases. As a regulatory hub of redox homeostasis, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) can attenuate oxidative stress by activating the transcription of many antioxidant enzymes. China is the birthplace of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which has been wildly used as medicine for thousands of years. Recently, TCM as anti-aging medicine has attracted enormous attention. Focusing on the NRF2 signaling pathway, this paper summarizes the correlation between various anti-aging TCM and the NRF2 signaling, and discusses the common key mechanisms by which TCM slows the aging process by targeting the NRF2 signaling network.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Oxidative Stress ; Signal Transduction

This study aims to explore the effects of Shenqi Dihuang Decoction on high-glucose induced ferroptosis and the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)/glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) axis in human renal tubular epithelial cells(HK-2) and to clarify the underlying mechanism. The cell injury model was established by exposing HK-2 to high glucose, and the Shenqi Dihuang Decoction-medicated serum was prepared. The optimal concentration and intervention time of Shenqi Dihuang Decoction were determined. HK-2 were divided into normal, high glucose, and low-, medium-, and high-dose Shenqi Dihuang Decoction groups. After interventions, the cell proliferation rate in each group was determined and the cell morphology and mitochondrial ultrastructure were observed. Then, the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS), ferrous ion(Fe~(2+)), glutathione(GSH), and malondialdehyde(MDA) and the protein levels of Nrf2, HO-1, GPX4, and xCT were measured. The optimal concentration and intervention time of Shenqi Dihuang Decoction-medicated serum were determined to be 10% and 24 h, respectively. Compared with the high glucose group, high-dose Shenqi Dihuang Decoction promoted the proliferation of HK-2. The cells in the low-, medium-, and high-dose Shenqi Dihuang Decoction groups presented tight arrangement, an increased cell count, improved morphology from a spindle-fiber shape to a cobblestone shape, and improved morphology and structure of mitochondrial membrane and cristae, compared with those in the high glucose group. Meanwhile, all the doses of Shenqi Dihuang Decoction inhibited ROS elevation to mitigate the peroxidation damage, lowered the Fe~(2+) and MDA levels and elevated the GSH level to inhibit lipid peroxidation, and activated the antioxidant pathway to upregulate the protein levels of Nrf2, HO-1, xCT, and GPX4. In conclusion, Shenqi Dihuang Decoction-medicated serum can inhibit high-glucose induced ferroptosis of HK-2 in vitro, which involves the antioxidant effect and the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 pathway.
Humans ; Ferroptosis ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Epithelial Cells ; Antioxidants ; Glutathione ; Glucose

PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) improves the bone marrow micro-environment to activate the bone-remodelling, but the coordinated regulation of PTHrP and transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signalling in TMJ-OA remains incompletely understood. We used disordered occlusion to establish model animals that recapitulate the ordinary clinical aetiology of TMJ-OA. Immunohistochemical and histological analyses revealed condylar fibrocartilage degeneration in model animals following disordered occlusion. TMJ-OA model animals administered intermittent PTHrP (iPTH) exhibited significantly decreased condylar cartilage degeneration. Micro-CT, histomorphometry, and Western Blot analyses disclosed that iPTH promoted subchondral bone formation in the TMJ-OA model animals. In addition, iPTH increased the number of osterix (OSX)-positive cells and osteocalcin (OCN)-positive cells in the subchondral bone marrow cavity. However, the number of osteoclasts was also increased by iPTH, indicating that subchondral bone volume increase was mainly due to the iPTH-mediated increase in the bone-formation ability of condylar subchondral bone. In vitro, PTHrP treatment increased condylar subchondral bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (SMSC) osteoblastic differentiation potential and upregulated the gene and protein expression of key regulators of osteogenesis. Furthermore, we found that PTHrP-PTH1R signalling inhibits TGFβ signalling during osteoblastic differentiation. Collectively, these data suggested that iPTH improves OA lesions by enhancing osteoblastic differentiation in subchondral bone and suppressing aberrant active TGFβ signalling. These findings indicated that PTHrP, which targets the TGFβ signalling pathway, may be an effective biological reagent to prevent and treat TMJ-OA in the clinic.
Animals ; Osteoclasts ; Osteogenesis ; Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein/pharmacology* ; Temporomandibular Joint ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/pharmacology*

Objective To observe the expression changes of nuclear factor-erythroid derived 2-related factors （Nrf2） in different cells at different time points after human cerebral cortex contusion, and to discuss its application in brain wound age estimation. Methods Thirty-six human brain tissues were selected, of which 6 were for control and 30 were cortical contusion at different time points post-injury, which were divided into 0-1 h, 3-6 h, 1-3 d, 5-7 d, and 10-14 d post-injury groups, with 6 cases in each group. Based on paraffin embedded sections, HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes post-injury, and double immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression of Nrf2 in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. The number of positive cells was counted and statistical analysis was made. Results The number of neurons decreased 1-3 d post-injury. The expression of Nrf2 cells in neurons increased after injury, and the rate of positive cells peaked at 1-3 d post-injury. Glial cells were activated 1-3 d post-injury, and the activation peaked at 5-7 d post-injury. The cerebromalacia began to form at 10-14 d post-injury. Glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） positive cells in mice increased gradually after injury and peaked at 5-7 d post-injury, while the proportion of Nrf2 in GFAP positive cells was relatively stable. After injury, ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 （IBA1） positive cells increased and activated gradually. The expression proportion of Nrf2 in IBA1 positive cells increased gradually, reached its peak at 5-7 d post-injury, and then decreased. Conclusion The expression of Nrf2 in different cells involves in the biological function of different cells post-injury, and the dynamic expression of single cells has a time-dependent pattern. This may provide a new reference index for the wound age estimation of brain contusion in human.
Animals ; Brain Contusion ; Cerebral Cortex ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; Humans ; Mice ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2

Wound healing is one of the common pathophysiological processes in the body. How to improve the condition of wound healing to promote rapid wound healing has always been a hotspot in research. Oxidative stress is one of the important factors affecting wound healing. Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a classic antioxidant stress factor as well as a factor with great potential in facilitating wound healing. The activation of Nrf2 can regulate the downstream antioxidant stress elements and play roles of anti-apoptosis and cell homeostasis maintaining, which improves wound healing environment and promotes wound repair. This paper summarized the common agonists and inhibitors of Nrf2 and reviewed the roles of Nrf2 in promoting skin wound healing including diabetic ulcers, radiation injury, and ischemia-reperfusion injury, etc.
Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Oxidative Stress ; Wound Healing/physiology*

Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) plays an important role in redox metabolism and antioxidant defense. Under normal conditions, NRF2 proteins are maintained at very low levels because of their ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation via binding to the kelch-like ECH associated protein 1 (KEAP1)-E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. However, oxidative and/or electrophilic stresses disrupt the KEAP1-NRF2 interaction, which leads to the accumulation and transactivation of NRF2. During recent decades, a growing body of evidence suggests that NRF2 is frequently activated in many types of cancer by multiple mechanisms, including the genetic mutations in the KEAP1-NRF2 pathway. This suggested that NRF2 inhibition is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Recently, several NRF2 inhibitors have been reported with anti-tumor efficacy. Here, we review the mechanisms whereby NRF2 is dysregulated in cancer and its contribution to the tumor development and radiochemoresistance. In addition, among the NRF2 inhibitors reported so far, we summarize and discuss repurposed NRF2 inhibitors with their potential mechanisms and provide new insights to develop selective NRF2 inhibitors.
Metabolism ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Transcriptional Activation ; Ubiquitin ; Ubiquitination