OBJECTIVETo study the effect of purariae isoflavone on estrogen level in ovariectomized rats.

METHOD80 rats were divided into four groups randomly, every group with 20 rats: 1. Control group; 2. Normal + purariae isoflavone group; 3. Ovariectomized group; 4. Ovariectomized + purariae isoflavone group. Estrogen level and gonadotropin-releasing hormone level of all rats were measured.

RESULTThirty days after being ovariectomized, E2, E3 level was significantly lower than that of the first group(P < 0.05). But Testerone, FSH, LH, PRL and GH increased(P < 0.05). After being gastrogavaged with purariae-isolfavone for thirty days, Estrogen level and gonadotropin-relasing hormone level of the second group were significantly lower in various degree than those of normal control group (P < 0.05). But in ovariectomized rats, the estrogen level was recovered (P > 0.05). The gonadotropin-releasing hormone level was increased (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPurariae-isoflavone can increase estrogen level to normal in ovariectomized rats by way of increasing the level of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. In normal rats, it has anti-estrogen effect.

Animals ; Estradiol ; blood ; Estriol ; blood ; Estrogen Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; blood ; Isoflavones ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Ovariectomy ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Pueraria ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a multifactorial disease in which inflammation plays a central role.This study aimed to investigate the association of inflammatory markers such as the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR),the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score with in-hospital mortality of elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in an attempt to explore the prognostic value of these indices for elderly AMI patients.One thousand consecutive CAD patients were divided into two groups based on age 60.The laboratory and clinical characteristics were assessed retrospectively by reviewing the medical records.The NLR and GRACE score were calculated.In the elderly (≥60 years),patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) had significantly higher NLR than did those with unstable angina (UA) and stable angina pectoris (SAP) (P＜0.01).The NLR was considerably elevated in older AMI patients compared with their younger counterparts (＜60 years) (P＜0.05).In elderly AMI patients,the NLR was considerably higher in the high-risk group than in both the low-risk and medium-risk groups based on the GRACE score (P＜0.05 and P＜0.01,respectively),and the NLR was positively correlated with the GRACE score (r=0.322,P＜0.001).Either the NLR level or the GRACE score was significantly higher in the death group than in the surviving group (P＜0.05).By curve receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis,the optimal cut-off levels of 9.41 for NLR and 174 for GRACE score predicted in-hospital death [ROC area under the curve (AUC) 0.771 and 0.787,respectively,P＜0.001].It was concluded that an elevated NLR is a potential predictor of in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with AMI.

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effect of purariae isoflavone on apoptosis cells of atrophic nasal mucosas in ovariectomized rats.

METHOD60 rats were divided into four groups as control, ovariectomized, ovariectomized + nylestriol (O + N) and ovariectomized + purariae isoflavone (O + P), each with 15 rats. Earlier apotosis cells of mucosas taken from nasal septum were measured with flow cytometry.

RESULTCompared with control group, and the number of apoptosis cells of mucosas increased after being ovariectomized,and the number of apoptosis cells of mucosas in O + N and O + D group didn't change.

CONCLUSIONNylestriol and purariae isoflavone might have effects on protecting cells of mucosas from lacking of estrogen by decreasing apoptosis cells in ovariectomized rats.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Epithelial Cells ; pathology ; Estradiol Congeners ; pharmacology ; Female ; Isoflavones ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Nasal Mucosa ; pathology ; Ovariectomy ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Protective Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Pueraria ; chemistry ; Quinestrol ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To investigate the relationship between drinking-water type of endemic arsenicosis and adult carotid artery atherosclerosis. Methods In 2009, 285 participants aged over 40 from drinking-water type of endemic arsenism areas and 293 residents aged over 40 from control areas were investigated in Yingxian county,Shanxi province. Portable-type B mode color ultrasound was used to examine the carotid artery of all participants.The carotid atherosclerosis were diagnosed and graded through the ultrasonograms. Content of water arsenic and hair arsenic of 10 people randomly selected in every villages were detected. Results A total of 5 villages with drinkingwater type of endemic arsenicosis as observation group and 5 villages without drinking-water type of endemic arsenicosis as control group were investigated. The prevalence rates of adult carotid atherosclerosis within observation group were 35.09%(20/57), 55.74%(34/61), 38.46%(20/52), 36.51%(23/63) and 46.15%(24/52), respectively,and standardized prevalence rates were 32.5%, 33.8%, 34.9%, 46.2% and 47.3%, respectively and the prevalence rates of adult carotid atherosclerosis within control group were 18.18%(10/55), 30.77%(16/52), 20.00%(10/50),18.67% (14/75) and 21.31% ( 13/61 ), respectively; the standardize prevalence rates were 22.4%, 17.7%, 10.7%,24.6%, 18.9%, respectively. The standardize prevalence rates were higher in observation group [39.50%(113/285) ]than that in control group[39.50%(113/285), T = 26, P ＜ 0.01 ]. The severity of adult carotid atherosclerosis (composition of 4 - 7 scores ) was compared between observation group [ 17.70%(20/113 )] and control group [ 14.06% (9/64) ], and the difference was insignificant(x2 = 0.26, P ＞ 0.05). Conclusions The prevalence rate of carotid atherosclerosis in drinking-water type of endemic arsenicosis areas is higher than that of the control areas.The study provides evidence that arsenic poisoning can cause atherosclerosis.

To study the chemical constituents of K. oblongifolia, silica gel column chromatography, MCI and Sephadex LH-20 were used to separate the 70% acetone extract of the stems of K. oblongifolia. The structures of the isolated compounds have been established on the basis of physicochemical and NMR spectroscopic evidence as well as ESI-MS in some cases. Twenty compounds were obtained and identified as heteroclitalignan A (1), kadsulignan F (2), kadoblongifolin C (3), schizanrin F (4), heteroclitalignan C (5), kadsurarin (6), kadsulignan O (7), eburicol (8), meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (9), kadsufolin A (10), tiegusanin M (11), heteroclitin B (12), (7'S)-parabenzlactone (13), angeloylbinankadsurin B (14), propinquain H (15), quercetin (16), kadsulignan P (17), schizanrin G (18), micrandilactone C (19) and (-)-shikimic acid (20). Compouds 1, 5, 8, 11-15, 18 and 20 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Toxicity of compounds 1-10 were evaluated with zebrafish model to observe the effect on its embryonic development and heart function. The results showed that compounds 7, 9 and 10 caused edema of zebrafish embryo and decreased the heart rate of zebrafish, which exhibited interference effect on heart development of zebrafish.
Animals ; Embryo, Nonmammalian ; drug effects ; Guaiacol ; analogs & derivatives ; toxicity ; Kadsura ; chemistry ; Lignans ; toxicity ; Plant Extracts ; toxicity ; Quercetin ; toxicity ; Triterpenes ; toxicity ; Zebrafish ; embryology

BACKGROUNDInvolvement of peripheral nerves in dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) is less well known. In the present study we retrospectively analyzed the clinical and electrophysiological records of hospital inpatients with a diagnosis of DM or PM to investigate the association of DM/PM and peripheral neuropathy.

METHODSThe data of inpatients diagnosed with DM or PM were collected in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and 186 patients (118 patients with DM and 68 with PM) were retrospectively analyzed. Nerve conduction studies (NCSs) of the median nerve, ulnar nerve, posterior tibial nerve, and common peroneal nerve were examined simultaneously.

RESULTSThere were 71 (38.2%) patients with abnormal NCS findings, 37 (19.9%) with pure motor involvement (decreased compound muscle action potential, CMAP), and 34 (18.3%) with peripheral neuropathy. Of the 34 peripheral neuropathy patients, 14 (7.5%) had polyneuropathy, 1 (0.5%) had multiple mononeuropathy, 16 (8.6%) had carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), 1 (0.5%) had trigeminal sensory neuropathy, 1 (0.5%) had ulnar sensory neuropathy, and 1 (0.5%) had brachial plexus involvement. The prevalence of malignant disease (3/34, 8.8%), other connective tissue diseases (CTDs) (7/34, 20.6%) and diabetes (6/34, 17.6%) was significantly greater in DM/PM patients with peripheral neuropathy (chi(2) = 15.855, P = 0.000) compared with DM/PM patients without involvement of peripheral nerves (5/115, 4.3% and 7/115, 6.1%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONSPeripheral neuropathy in DM/PM often suggests a complication with cancer, other CTDs, diabetes or CTS. From a practical point of view, NCS for DM/PM may help find the underlying disorders.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; complications ; Dermatomyositis ; complications ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neural Conduction ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; etiology ; Polymyositis ; complications ; physiopathology ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUNDFunctional neuroimaging has been used in neurolinguistic research on normal subjects and on patients with brain damage. This study was designed to investigate the differences of the neural basis underlying language processing between normal subjects and aphasics.

METHODSFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to map the language network in 6 normal subjects and 3 patients with aphasia who were in the stage of recovery from acute stroke. The participants performed a word generation task during multi-slice functional scanning for the measurement of signal change associated with regional neural activity induced by the task.

RESULTSIn normal subjects, a distributed language network was activated. Activations were present in the frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital regions. In the patient group, however, no activation was detected in the left inferior frontal gyrus whether the patient had a lesion in the left frontal lobe or not. Two patients showed activations in some right hemisphere regions where no activation appeared in normal subjects.

CONCLUSIONSfMRI with word generation task is feasible for evaluating language function in aphasic patients. Remote effect of focal lesion and functional redistribution or reorganisation can be found in aphasic patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Aphasia ; physiopathology ; Brain Mapping ; Cerebral Cortex ; physiology ; Humans ; Language ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged

Objective To survey the prevalence rates of adult carotid atherosclerosis in water-sourceoriginated high iodine area in Shandong province in 2008 and discuss the relationship between water-sourceoriginated high iodine and carotid atherosclerosis occurrence. Methods Yuncheng county was chosen as observation area which included Dachenlou, Weigai, Liuyi and Ershilipu villages. Juye county was chosen as control that included Zhangxi, Bihainan, Xiaguan and Qiji villages. Two hundred and ninety-nine participants aged over 40 from water-source-originated high iodine areas and 323 residents aged over 40 from normal iodine areas were investigated.Portable-type B mode color Doppler was performed to examine the carotid artery of all participants. The adult carotid atherosclerosis was diagnosed and graded through the ultrasonograms. Results The prevalence rates of adult carotid atherosclerosis in the 4 water-source-originated high iodine villages of Dachenlou, Weigai, Liuyi and Ershilipu were 47.1% (33/70) ,62.2% (51/82) ,67.5% (52/77) and 58.6% (41/70), respectively and the prevalence rates of adult carotid atherosclerosis in the 4 normal iodine villages of Zhangxi, Bihainan, Xiaguan and Qiji were 40.7%(35/86),40.8% (31/76),38.2% (34/89) and 37.5% (27/72), respectively. The prevalence rates of adult carotid atherosclerosis standardized by age in the 4 high iodine villages and the 4 normal iodine villages were 45.81% ,58.18% ,61.63%,55.34% and 34.66%,36.25%,43.01% ,41.30%, respectively. The prevalence rates were higher in high iodine villages than that in control villages(T = 26, P ＜ 0.05 ). There were 136 people scored "0", 120 people scored "1 -3",43 people scored "4 - 7", and total 299 people. There were 201 people scored "0", 87 people scored "1 - 3", 35 people scored "4 - 7", and total 323 people. The expected prevalence rates and severity of adult carotid atherosclerosis was significantly different between high iodine area and normal iodine area (x2 = 17.54,18.42, all P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion The prevalence rate and severity of adult atherosclerosis in water-source-originatod high iodine area is higher than that in normal iodine area.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the aberrant methylation of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene and to explore possible relationship between the aberrant methylation of FHIT and clinicopathological features in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSThe hypermethylation of FHIT was detected by the methylation specific PCR (MSP) method in 45 patients with HCC (tumoral and nontumoral tissue), 14 cases of normal livers and 4 HCC cell lines (SK-Hep-1, Hep-G2, Hep-3B and Huh7). The correlation of FHIT methylation and clinicopathological features was analyzed.

RESULTSThe frequencies of hypermethylation of FHIT in tumoral and nontumoral tissue, normal liver and cell lines were 71.1%, 64.4%, 14.3% and 75.0%, respectively. A significant relation between hypermethylation of FHIT and poor survival was present (P = 0.0430).

CONCLUSIONSHypermethylation of FHIT is a frequent and early event in HCC, it might relate to a poor prognosis for patients with HCC.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases ; genetics ; Adult ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; pathology ; surgery ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; Prognosis

China ; epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; metabolism ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; metabolism ; Humans ; Prevalence