Objective: To investigate the relationship between the prevalence of anemia and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and to assess the influence of hemoglobin (Hb) on patients' mortality. Methods: Totally 1 415 patients with CHF were retrospectively analyzed and the patients with secondary anemia or other serious conditions were excluded. Multivariable logistic analysis was used to assess the effect of Hb level on hospital mortality. Results: Among 1 415 patients, 413 (29.2%) were found to have anemia (Hb<120 g/L). The prevalence of anemia was positively correlated with the NYHA-class of patients (NYHA-class I 17.9% [5/28], class II 24.7% [125/507], class III 26.3% [151/574], and class IV 43.1% [132/306]. Patients with severe heart failure (NYHA-class III and IV [32.2%]) had a significantly higher prevalence of anemia than patients with slight heart failure (class I and II [24.3%], P<0.01). Patients with a Hb level of (140-159) g/L had the lowest hospital mortality, and those with Hb levels <80 g/L, (80-99) g/L, (100-119) g/L, (120-139) g/L, and ≥160 g/L had higher hospital mortalities. The relationship between mortality and Hb level was in a U-shaped manner. For patients with Hb level <160 g/L, multivariable logistic analysis showed that Hb remained as an independent predictor of the hospital mortality when the influences of the age, gender, basic cause of the disease, diabetes, cardiac function classification, serum creatinine, etc. were adjusted. Conclusion: Anemia is a common condition in hospitalized CHF patients and the degree of anemia is closely correlated with the severity of CHF. Hb level significantly influences the patients' hospital mortality. Hb level (<160 g/L) is an independent predictor of hospital mortality in the patients with CHF.

Male guinea pigs were exposed to 750ppm or l000ppm or 1 500ppm toluene (8h/d, for 14d), and their hearing thresholds were tested by means of Madsen ERA 2250 system 3d and 14d after exposure. Hearing impairment was observed in all groups. The degree of impairment was related to the exposure concentration and had a tendency to further damage in two weeks. The results indicate that toluene can cause acute hearing impairment even if its concentration is as low as 750ppm and the impairment develops from bad to worse at least in two weeks.

AIM:To investigate the effect of insulin on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation and to evaluate the intracellular signaling pathways involved.METHODS:VSMCs separated from Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. The proliferation of VSMCs induced by insulin was assayed by [3H]-thymidin incorporation. The protein expression and activity of p-ERK1/2 were determined by immunblot and [?-32P]ATP incorporation.RESULTS:Insulin induced cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. The proliferative effect of insulin on VSMCs was inhibited partly by LY294002 (48.8%),an inhibitor of PI-3 kinase,and the ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 (43.6%),respectively. Moreover,phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and activity of ERK1/2 induced by insulin were also inhibited partly by LY294002.CONCLUSION:PI-3 kinase and ERK1/2 are involved in insulin induced VSMCs proliferation.

AIM: To investigate the ocular complication after radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC).METHODS: The authors performed a previous study on keratopathy in 213 NPC patients who received first stage radiation and had at least 10 months of follow-up. These patients were categorized into three groups depending on NPC clinic stages. Rates and proportions of keratopathy occurring in these groups were compared and analyzed with Chi-square Test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient.RESULTS: Radiation keratopathy developed in 19 patients, about 8.9% (19/213). The latency value was 3 to 30days. The effect of NPC clinic stages and radiation did on the development of keratopathy was not statistically significant (P＞0.05).CONCLUSION: The NPC clinic stages and radiation doses plays few effects on the development of keratopathy. It may play a key role that corneal nerves damage induced ocular surface diseases. It can not be excluded that individuals have different sensitivities to radiation.

OBJECTIVETo investigate anti-aging effect and mechanism of Cordyceps extract(CSE) on aged mice induced by D-galactose.

METHODThe aged mice were induced by D-galactose. Meanwhile, they were treated with three doses of CSE. Then the ability of learning and memory, the activity of antioxidase in the different tissue, the contents of MDA of brain and liver were measured after 6 weeks.

RESULTCSE could significantly increase the ability of learning and memory, improve the activity of SOD of red blood cells, brain and liver, the activity of Na(+) -K(+) -ATPE of brain, the activity of CAT and GSH-Px of blood, and remarkably decrease the activity of MAO of brain and the contents of MDA of brain and liver.

CONCLUSIONCSE has good anti-aging effects on the aged mice, which is probably due to effects of improving antioxidation and removing free radicals.

Aging ; drug effects ; Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; Catalase ; metabolism ; Cordyceps ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Female ; Galactose ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Lepidoptera ; chemistry ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Memory Disorders ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Monoamine Oxidase ; metabolism ; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo predict the function of KIAA0101 gene over-expressed in human non-small cell lung cancer by bioinformatics methods.

METHODSThe gene expression profiles of the lung cancer tissues and the adjacent normal tissues were compared by dChip software analysis, and the differential genes coexpressed with KIAA0101 gene were identified. The biological functions of these genes were analyzed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), Gene Ontology (GO) and Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING), and the common transcription factors of these genes were predicted using Gene Annotation Tool to Help Explain Relationships (GATHER).

RESULTSNine genes were found to have at least two-fold overexpressions in the lung cancer tissues in comparison with the expression level in the adjacent normal tissues, and showed similar pattern of expression variations in the lung cancer tissue. Most of these genes had the E2F1 binding sites in the promoter region.

CONCLUSIONKIAA0101 gene may participate in the cell cycle regulation of the non-small cell lung cancer, and the expression levels of the 9 genes identified may be regulated by the transcription factor E2F1.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; genetics ; Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Profiling ; methods ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of fluvastatin on lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)-induced ventricular arrhythmias and its mechanism.

METHODSTwenty male SD rats were randomly allocated into two equal groups, namely LPC treatment group and fluvastatin pretreatment group. Langendorff apparatus was used for cardiac perfusion ex vivo with 5 µmol/L LPC for 5 min followed by washing for 30 min in LPC treatment group, and in fluvastatin pretreatment group, a 30-min perfusion with 10 µmol/L fluvastatin was administered before LPC perfusion. The LPC-induced nonselective cation current (I(NSC)) in the ventricular myocytes was recorded using the whole-cell voltage-clamp method.

RESULTSFluvastatin significantly inhibited LPC-induced ventricular tachyarrhythmia/fibrillation and I(NSC). The small G-protein Rho inhibitor (C3) and Rho-kinase inhibitor (Y-27632) in the pipette solution also suppressed LPC-induced I(NSC).

CONCLUSIONFluvastatin offers cardiac protection against LPC by inhibiting LPC-induced I(NSC). LPC induces fatal arrhythmia via a Rho/Rho-kinase-mediated pathway.

Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Drug Antagonism ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; pharmacology ; Indoles ; pharmacology ; Ion Channels ; drug effects ; Lysophosphatidylcholines ; adverse effects ; Male ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; rho-Associated Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo establish a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method for determination of phloridzin content.

METHODSA RP-HPLC method was established for determination of phloridzin using an Inertsil ODS-3 (4.6×150 mm, 5 µm) column with the detection wavelength of 288 nm, flow rate of 1.0 ml/min, and column temperature of 25 degrees celsius;.

RESULTSThe result showed that the phloridzin had a good linear relationship when its concentration ranged between 0.5988 and 89.72 µg/ml. The regression equation was Y=46.370 X-0.6728 (r=0.9999, n=3). The average recovery of phloridzin was 99.40% with the relative standard deviations (RSD) of 0.67%.

CONCLUSIONThis method is simple, quick and accurate for determination of phloridzin content.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Chromatography, Reverse-Phase ; methods ; Phlorhizin ; analysis

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder causing dementia worldwide, and is mainly characterized by aggregated β-amyloid (Aβ). Increasing evidence has shown that plant extracts have the potential to delay AD development. The plant sterol β-Sitosterol has a potential role in inhibiting the production of platelet Aβ, suggesting that it may be useful for AD prevention. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of β-Sitosterol on deficits in learning and memory in amyloid protein precursor/presenilin 1 (APP/PS1) double transgenic mice. APP/PS1 mice were treated with β-Sitosterol for four weeks, from the age of seven months. Brain Aβ metabolism was evaluated using ELISA and Western blotting. We found that β-Sitosterol treatment can improve spatial learning and recognition memory ability, and reduce plaque load in APP/PS1 mice. β-Sitosterol treatment helped reverse dendritic spine loss in APP/PS1 mice and reversed the decreased hippocampal neuron miniature excitatory postsynaptic current frequency. Our research helps to explain and support the neuroprotective effect of β-Sitosterol, which may offer a novel pharmaceutical agent for the treatment of AD. Taken together, these findings suggest that β-Sitosterol ameliorates memory and learning impairment in APP/PS1 mice and possibly decreases Aβ deposition.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid ; Animals ; Blood Platelets ; Blotting, Western ; Brain ; Cognition Disorders ; Dementia ; Dendritic Spines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials ; Learning ; Memory ; Metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neurons ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Plant Extracts ; Plants ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Spatial Learning

[Objective] To investigate the purchase and use of edible oil , as well as recycling of kitchen waste oil in Shanghai catering service units , providing reference for relevant regulatory authorities .
[ Methods] A total of 976 units of various types of catering service in Shanghai were selected via strati-fied sampling methodology , a self-designed questionnaire used to investigate the purchase and use of edi-ble oil, as well as recycling of kitchen waste oil .Meanwhile, an on-site rapid detection technology was used to test items including acid value , peroxide value , polar components of unused pre -packaged edible oil and also the process of using frying oils on site . [ Results] The amount of edible oil used in catering service units of Shanghai was about 1235 tons per day;6.0% of the oil purchased was bulk cooking oil , which accounted for 5 .6%of the total amount consumed;44 .3%of the catering service units signed with professional companies for the recycling of kitchen waste oil;3615 samples were detected using an on -site rapid detection , of which 17 were suspected to be positive .The lab confirmed that test results were quali-fied. [ Conclusion] The edible oil used in Shanghai catering service units is safe in general , while bulk cooking oil may have potential safety hazards .Food practitioners have low awareness of health risk caused
by using edible oil repeatedly and for too long time , which makes some enterprise use “old oil” for too long;There does exist the possibility of kitchen waste oil returning to food chain as its recycling has not been standardized .