The effect of nitric oxide (NO) on the hypertrophic response and the proto-oncogene c-fos expression induced by angiotensin Ⅱ (AⅡ) or endothelin-1 (ET-1) was investigated in the primary culture of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Total protein content of cardiomyocytes (used as the index of cardiac myocyte hypertrophy) was determined by the Bradford method. The proto-oncogene c-fos expression was assessed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) standardized with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). RT-PCR was performed in a single tube using gene-specific primers and the SuperScript One-Step RT-PCR System. Total protein content of cardiomyocytes increased significantly on day 5 after AⅡ treatment or on day 3 after ET-1 treatment and the increased protein content was inhibited by SNP (NO donor). AⅡ, ET-1 and PMA (protein kinase C activator) induced the c-fos gene expression of cardiomyocytes, while L-arginine inhibited it. The L-arginine effect was blocked by L-NAME (NOS inhibitor). SNP inhibited the c-fos gene expression of cardiomyocytes induced by AⅡ,ET-1 or PMA as well. These results suggest that NO can inhibit the hypertrophic response and the proto-oncogene c-fos expression of cardiomyocytes induced by AⅡ or ET-1 and the cross-link may be located at the site of protein kinase C.

BACKGROUNDPlantar pressure serves as a key factor for predicting ulceration in the feet of diabetes patients. We designed this study to analyze plantar pressure changes and correlating risk factors in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.

METHODSWe recruited 65 patients with type 2 diabetes. They were invited to participate in the second wave 2 years later. The patients completed identical examinations at the baseline point and 2 years later. We obtained maximum force, maximum pressure, impulse, pressure-time integral, and loading rate values from 10 foot regions. We collected data on six history-based variables, six anthropometric variables, and four metabolic variables of the patients.

RESULTSOver the course of the study, significant plantar pressure increases in some forefoot portions were identified (P < 0.05), especially in the second to forth metatarsal heads. Decreases in heel impulse and pressure-time integral levels were also found (P < 0.05). Plantar pressure parameters increased with body mass index (BMI) levels. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) changes were positively correlated with maximum force (β = 0.364, P = 0.001) and maximum pressure (β = 0.366, P = 0.002) changes in the first metatarsal head. Cholesterol changes were positively correlated with impulse changes in the lateral portion of the heel (β = 0.179, P = 0.072) and pressure-time integral changes in the second metatarsal head (β = 0.236, P = 0.020). Ankle-brachial index (ABI) changes were positively correlated with maximum force changes in the first metatarsal head (β = 0.137, P = 0.048). Neuropathy symptom score (NSS) and common peroneal nerve sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) changes were positively correlated with some plantar pressure changes. In addition, plantar pressure changes had a correlation with the appearance of infections, blisters (β = 0.244, P = 0.014), and calluses over the course of the study.

CONCLUSIONSWe should pay attention to the BMI, HbA1c, cholesterol, ABI, SCV, and NSS changes in the process of preventing high plantar pressure and ulceration. Some associated precautions may be taken with the appearance of infections, blisters, and calluses.

Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; physiopathology ; Diabetic Foot ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Female ; Foot ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pressure ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUNDIt is well recognized that meteorological factors have important infuences on the onset and development of many kinds of diseases. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of the meteorological elements on admission rates of cerebral infarction patients with hypertensive nephropathy at Changchun city, Jilin Province, northeast China.

METHODSA total of 763 medical records of inpatients from nine hospitals at Changchun city, during a period from April 6 to April 17 in 2010, were reviewed. These patients were admitted to hospitals due to the occurrence of cerebral infarction. The hypertensive nephropathy was evidenced with certain diagnosis of essential hypertension and hypertension-related kidney injuries. The cerebral infarction was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization (Stroke) standard. All the meteorological data were from practical monitoring records in Jilin Province Meteorological Observatory. The relationships between the epidemiological prevalence of cerebral infarction and meteorological variables were analyzed using the time series models of statistics.

RESULTSCompared with admission rates before the violent change in meteorological status (April 6 to April 17, 2010), the number of admission patients suffering from cerebral infarction remarkably peaked on April 12. Such an increase was highly correlated with heavy precipitation, elevation of daily average relative humidity, and reduction of average daily air temperature. With the betterment of the meteorological conditions on April 17, the admission rates of cerebral infarction patients dropped to the same level as the dates before snowing (April 6 to April 11).

CONCLUSIONSThe meteorological changes are highly associated with the occurrence of cerebral infarction in patients with hypertensive renal injury in northeast China. This study also suggested that an intensive medical interference for those patients with hypertension-induced organ injuries is very necessary in preventing the occurrence of cerebral infarction with hypertensive nephropathy when there is a violent change in meteorological condition.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cerebral Infarction ; China ; Female ; Hospitalization ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Hypertension, Renal ; Male ; Meteorological Concepts ; Middle Aged ; Nephritis ; Patient Admission ; statistics & numerical data

BACKGROUNDRecently there has been a great deal of interest in the role of serum uric acid (SUA) in atrial fibrillation (AF). The objective of this study was to establish whether there is a relationship between levels of SUA and recurrence of paroxysmal AF after catheter ablation.

METHODSThree hundred and thirty patients diagnosed with paroxysmal AF were analyzed. Patients were categorized into quartiles on the basis of their pre-operative SUA measurement and follow-up, and Kaplan-Meier estimation with a Log-rank test was used for the analysis of the influence of SUA on the recurrence of AF. Pre-procedural clinical variables were correlated with the clinical outcome after ablation using multivariate Logistic analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the relationship between SUA and the recurrence of AF.

RESULTSAfter a mean follow-up of (9.341 ± 3.667) (range 3.0 - 16.3) months, recurrence rates from the lowest SUA quartile to the highest SUA quartile were 16.0%, 26.4%, 28.3%, and 29.3% respectively (P = 0.014). After adjustment for gender, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, serum levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), triglyceride (TG), left atrial diameter (LA), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and SUA, there was an increased risk of recurrence in subjects in the highest SUA quartile compared with those in the lowest quartile (hazard ratio 2.804, 95% confidence interval 1.466 - 5.362, P = 0.002). Following multivariate Logistical analysis, SUA was found to be an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio 1.613, 95% confidence interval 1.601 - 1.625, P = 0.014).

CONCLUSIONIn a retrospective study of patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing catheter ablation, elevated preoperative SUA levels were associated with a higher rate of recurrence of AF.

Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation ; blood ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; Electrophysiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Uric Acid ; blood

By consulting ancient herbal medicines and medical books， combined with modern documents and field investigations， the textual research of Pheretima has been conducted to verify the name， origin， producing area， quality， harvesting and processing changes， and sort out the relationship of origin between ancient and modern times， so as to provide reference and basis for the development and utilization of the related famous classical formulas. Through textual research， it is known that there are many aliases for Pheretima， the rectification of name was "Qiuyin" or "Baijing Qiuyin" in materia medica books. In the Song dynasty and later prescription books， the prescription name is mostly Dilong. From the beginning of Yaowu Chuchanbian （《药物出产辨》）， Dilong was used as the rectification of name. It is widely distributed in our country， which is produced all over the country and mostly wild. According to ancient Pheretima with "Baijing Dilong"， "Jingbai Shenzi" and "Datiao" as the principles of medicine， combined with historical origin， producing area and easy access， it is confirmed that Pheretima used in ancient times to the present is mainly Pheretima aspergillum， and it also has many other Qiuyin as Pheretima for medicinal purposes. Chinese Pharmacopoeia has unified the origin of the Pheretima since the 1995 edition based on historical origins and actual harvesting conditions. The medicinal material processed by P. aspergillum was called Guangdilong， and the medicinal materials processed by P. vulgaris， P. guillelmi and P. pectinifera were called Hudilong. Since then， all the herbal books published in the future are in line with Chinese Pharmacopoeia that was implemented at that time. The authentic production areas of Guangdilong are Guangdong and Guangxi， and the authentic production areas of Hudilong is Jiangsu， Shanghai， Zhejiang and Anhui. The Guangdilong produced in Guangdong and Guangxi has the best quality. After harvesting， remove the soil and offal， wash and dry. Clinically cut into sections for medicine， or prepare medicine according to prescription. The Pheretima in ancient used "Baijing Dilong"， "Jingbai Shenzi" and "Datiao" as the mainstream quality evaluation standards. According to historical origins， P. aspergillum should be the main source of Pheretima， and its quality is better than other species. Therefore， it is recommended that Pheretima in Shentong Zhuyutang use P. aspergillum， which is produced in Guangdong， Guangxi and other places. After harvest， the abdomen was opened in time to remove the viscera and sediment， washed and dried.

By consulting ancient Chinese herbal medicines and medical books， combined with modern documents， the textual research of Polygonati Rhizoma has been conducted to verify the name， origin， bitter-flavored Polygonatum species， Latin name evolution， origin， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing changes， so as to provide reference and basis for the development and utilization of the famous classical formulas. Through textual research， it can be seen that there are many other names for Polygonati Rhizoma， and Huangjing is the correct name since Mingyi Bielu. Based on the original research， it is concluded that P. sibiricum and P. cyrtonema were the mainstream of Polygonati Rhizoma before the Tang dynasty， and P. kingianum was added in the Qing dynasty. According to the shape of medicinal materials， these Polygonatum species were called Jitou Huangjing， Jiangxing Huangjing and Dahuangjing. The harvest time of Polygonati Rhizoma is spring and autumn. After harvest， it is steamed and dried in the sun， and its processing method is mainly "nine steaming and nine storms". Bitter-flavored Polygonatum is mainly P. cirrhifolium， P. zanlanscianense， P. curvistylum and P. verticillatum， which are not suitable for medicine. Based on textual research， it is recommended that when developing famous classical formulas and health products with Polygonati Rhizoma as the main raw material， the origin and producing area should be clear and fixed， and P. sibiricum or P. cyrtonema with clear origin should be used. It is necessary to conduct germplasm survey and sampling in the producing area， establish a planting base and a traceability system for Polygonati Rhizoma， in order to control the quality and stabilize the efficacy of the products. The processing method of Polygonati Rhizoma can be determined according to the product function positioning.

The present study aimed to regulate the market circulation of Caryophylli Flos and formulate standards for commodity specifications and grades of Caryophylli Flos. Market survey was carried out in four major medicinal material markets with 48 samples of Caryophylli Flos collected. The property, 100-seed weight, impurity percentage, moisture, and eugenol content in Caryophylli Flos of different specifications from different producing areas were determined and analyzed. The results showed that 27.1% of the samples surveyed on the markets did not meet the requirements of Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition). The 100-seed weight and the property are important factors for the classification of Caryophylli Flos specifications. There were significant differences in the property, 100-seed weight, impurity percentage, and eugenol content in Caryophylli Flos samples of different specifications from different producing areas, and also differences in the proportions of different specifications in Caryophylli Flos samples from different producing areas. The African-originated Xiaohong(medium grade) and Guangxi-originated Xiaohong(medium grade) accounted for 70% and 66.7% respectively, the Indonesian-originated Dahong(top grade) for 56.2%. In conclusion, there are many problems in the circulation of Caryophylli Flos at present, mainly including the loss of origin information, no standards for specifications, non-implementation of grade standards, excessive impurities, and no evidence for authenticity identification. According to the classification of Caryophylli Flos specifications in this study, the average eugenol content of Xiaohong is significantly higher than the Dahong by 4.74%.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Indonesia