OBJECTIVEThe present study was designed to investigate whether Sini decoction (SND) containing several chinese medicinal herbs, could induce delayed preconditioning-like effect in rat heart and the possible mechanism.

METHODIn anesthetized open-chest Sprague Dawley rats, left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was occluded for 1 h and reperfused vided into four groups: Sham ( n = 8) group in which the surgical procedure was identical to other groups,but the LAD ligature was not ligated; I/R group (n = 8) in which the LAD of rat hearts was subjected to the index occlusion; IPC/SWOP group (n = 8) in which the LAD was occluded for three cycles of 5-minute episodes of preconditioning ischemia followed by 5-minute episodes of reperfusion 24 hours prior to the index occlusion; SND group (n = 8) in which rats were pretreated with Sini decoction (5 g x kg(-1) d(-1)) for three days, the last treatment was pretreated 24 h before the index occlusion. Myocardial infarct size, the activity of superoxide dismutase( SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in myocardial tissue were measured. The mRNA expression of MnSOD and Cu-ZnSOD were detected by RT-PCR. The expression of P65 subunit of NF-kappaB was determined by immunohistochemistry assay.

RESULTAs compared with I/R group, myocardial infarct size and the amount of MDA in myocardial tissue were significantly decreased, the activity of SOD and the mRNA expression of MnSOD were increased, the translocation of NF-kappaB was detected and furthermore the expression of NF-kappaB was significantly elevated in SND group as well as in IPC/SWOP group. The mRNA expression of Cu-ZnSOD was lowered in I/R, SND and IPC/SWOP groups, and there was no significant difference among these groups.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggest that Sini decoction can induce delayed preconditioning-like effect in rat heart and the activation of NF-kappaB may play an important role in it.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial ; methods ; Male ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; pathology ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; physiology ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Zishen Huoxue Recipe (ZHR) on pathomorphology in coronary heart disease (CHD) rats with Shen deficiency blood stasis syndrome (SDBSS).

METHODSTotally 60 healthy Wistar rats were divided into the blank control group, the model group, high, middle, and low dose ZHR groups according to random digit table, 12 in each group. Myocardial ischemia SDBSS rat model was prepared by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery and injecting hydrocortisone. ZHR physic liquor was administered to rats in high, middle, and low dose ZHR groups at the daily dose of 21.6, 10.8, 5.4 g/kg by gastrogavage for 7 successive days, equal volume of pure water was administered to rats in the blank control group and the model group by gastrogavage for 7 successive days. Rat heart was collected for pathomorphological observation under light microscope.

RESULTSIn the model group the heart muscle fiber was swollen and deformed with widened space, loose and dropsy tissues. Blood vessels in myocardial mesenchymal were dilated, infiltrated with more inflammatory cells. Myocardial cells were markedly swollen, degenerated, or necrotic, with caryolysis or disappearance of partial nuclear. A large amount of collagen fibrous tissue became hyperplasia. Endocardial blood vessels were swollen and degenerated with infiltration of few inflammatory cells. Epicardium tissue and structure were destroyed and got hyperplasia. Swollen, degenerated, or necrotic vessels could be seen, with infiltration of more inflammatory cells and collagen deposition. Pathomorphological injuries were alleviated in each ZHR group. The higher ZHR concentration, the milder the injury degree of myocardial tissue, the more limited range of damage.

CONCLUSIONZHR could attenuate pathomorphological injuries of myocardial ischemia rats with SDBSS and regulate myocardial function, thus improving myocardial ischemia in CHD rats with SDBSS.

Animals ; Coronary Artery Disease ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Myocardium ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effect of Sini decoction (SND) on intestinal mucosa in rats with intestinal ischemia reperfusion (I/R) and the mechanism relating to oxygen radical and Bcl-2 protein expression.

METHODThirty-two SD rats of both sexes were randomly divided into 4 equal groups: (1) control group in which sham operation was performed; (2) model group in which intestinal I/R was produced by clamping super mesenteric artery(SMA) for 1 hour and declamping SMA for 3 hours; (3) SND low dose group in which SND(3 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) was given via stomach tube for 3 days before operation; (4) SND high dose group in which SND(6 g x kg(-1) x d(1)) was given via stomach tube, for 3 days before operation. A strip of small intestine was taken from distal end of ileum for light microscopic examination, Chiu's score and the detection of intestinal water content (IWC). Apoptosis of intestinal mucosa cell was examined by TUNEL method. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondisldehyde (MDA) concentration of intestinal mucosa were detected. The protein express of Bcl-2 of intestinal mucosa was analyzed by immunochemistory.

RESULTIntestinal /R resulted in histopathological changes in intestinal mucosa, increased Chiu's scores, apoptosis index, IWC and MDA content, and reduced SOD activity and the protein expression of Bcl-2 significantly (P < 0.01). The pretreatment of SND could attenuate the above changes significantly (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference for the above variables between SND low dose group and SND high dose group (P > 0.05). Apoptosis index was significantly negatively correlative to SOD activity in model group and two SND groups. There were significantly negative correlation between apoptosis index and protein expression of Bcl-2 in model group and SND low dose group.

CONCLUSIONSND can attenuate intestinal mucosa injury following intestinal U/R, which is related to reducing intestinal mucosa cell apoptosis by removing oxygen free radical and upregulating the protein expression of Bcl-2.

Aconitum ; chemistry ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Female ; Ginger ; chemistry ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; chemistry ; Intestinal Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of Stragalus membranaceus injection on nitric oxide and endothelin levels of intestinal mucosa in reperfusion injury after hemorrhage shock.

METHOD32 SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal group, model group, low dosage group, (treated with Astragalus membranaceus 10 g x kg(-1)); high dosage group (treated with Astragalus membranaceus 20 g x kg(-1)). Models of hemorrhagic shock for 60 minutes and reperfusion for 90 minutes were created. The animals were administrated 3 mL therapeutic solution before reperfusion. At the end of study, intestinal pathology was observed, and the concentration of lactic acid (LD), nitric oxide (NO), endothelin (ET) of intestinal mucosa were detected.

RESULTThe intestinal pathology showed that intestinal mucosa epithelial cells damage in model group was severe, in low dosage group was medium, in high dosage group was slight, and no obvious damage was found in normal group. The concentration of LD and NO of small intestine mucous membrane in model group and low dosage group were significantly higher than those in high dosage group and normal group (P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences between high dosage group and normal group (P > 0.05). The concentration of ET of small intestine mucous membrane in model group was the highest of the four groups (P < 0.05). The concentration of ET in low dosage group was significantly higher than that in high dosage group and normal group (P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences between high dosage group and normal group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONStragalus membranaceus injection can reduce small intestine mucous damage by protecting endothelium function in injury after hemorrhage shock-reperfusion.

Animals ; Astragalus membranaceus ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Endothelins ; metabolism ; Ileum ; metabolism ; pathology ; Injections, Intravenous ; Intestinal Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lactic Acid ; metabolism ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Shock, Hemorrhagic ; complications

Objective:To analyze the application value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in the detection of pathogenic bacteria in brain abscesses.Methods:The data of patients with brain abscess in Tianjin Huanhu Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent stereotaxic abscess puncture and drainage. According to the different methods of pathogen detection, they were divided into bacterial culture group (bacterial culture only) and mNGS group (bacterial culture with mNGS). The clinical symptoms, abscess site, bacterial culture and mNGS results, antibiotic application protocol and prognosis of the patients were analyzed. The bacterial detection results of the two groups were analyzed, and the antibiotic application and prognosis were compared. χ 2 test, exact probability method and Mann Whitney test were used to compare the difference between the two groups. Results:A total of 43 patients with brain abscess were enrolled, including 21 cases in bacterial culture group and 22 cases in mNGS group. The positive rate of bacteria culture group was 42.9% (9/21), the positive rate of bacteria culture group was 45.5% (10/22), and the positive rate of mNGS detection was 100% (22/22). Only 3 cases in the bacterial culture group could have a clear bacterial source, while 17 cases in the mNGS group could have a clear bacterial source according to the bacterial results, showing a significant statistical difference between the two groups (χ 2=19.69, P<0.001). The return time of bacterial culture was 7.0 (4.0,7.0) days, and the average return time of mNGS was 1.5 (1.5,1.5) days, the difference of bacterial return time between the two groups was statistically significant ( Z=0.00, P<0.001). The cost of antibiotic use in bacterial culture group was 24.00 (5.60,31.00) thousands yuan, and the cost of antibiotic use in mNGS group was 12.00 (2.10, 20.00) thousands yuan, and there was significant statistical difference between them ( Z=5.22, P=0.026). Conclusions:MNGS can quickly and accurately identify the types and sources of brain abscess pathogens, guide the clinical application of antibiotics more targeted, reduce the cost of antibiotic use, and is an effective method for the detection of brain abscess pathogenic bacteria.

OBJECTIVETo identify associated proteins involved in the molecular response of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) against intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (II/R) in the intestinal mucosa of rats.

METHODSSixteen SD rats were randomly divided into II/R and IPC groups. II/R injury in rats was produced by clamping superior mesenteric artery for 60 min followed by 60 min reperfusion. IPC was elicited by 20 min ischemia and 5 min reperfusion before index ischemia. The intestinal mucosa was scratched immediately after 60 min of reperfusion and total proteins were separated by immobilized pH gradient (IPG) based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed using Image Master 2D Elite 5.0 image analysis software and identified by MALDI-TOF-MS. The biological information of these proteins was searched in the database of these peptide mass finger-printing (PMF). Western blotting and RT-PCR were used to validate the differentially expressed proteins.

RESULTSImage analysis revealed that averages of 1404+/-20 and 1338+/-20 were detected in II/R and IPC groups. A total of 10 spots yielded good spectra, and 8 spots matched with known proteins after database searching. These proteins were mainly involved in anti-oxidation, inhibiting apoptosis and energy metabolism. Western blot confirmed up-regulation of aldehyde dehydrogenase and RT-PCR confirmed up-regulation of aldose reductase in IPC group.

CONCLUSIONThe clues provided by comparative proteome strategy will shed light on molecular mechanisms of IPC against II/R injury.

Animals ; Intestinal Diseases ; metabolism ; pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Ischemic Preconditioning ; Male ; Proteomics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; pathology

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Adult ; Bone Marrow Examination ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycoses ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Penicillium ; isolation & purification ; Prognosis ; Radiography

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression and effect of Pim1 in primary cortical neurons after hypoxic-ischemic injury. METHODS: Cortical neurons were isolated from 1-day-old C57BL/6 mice and cultured in neurobasal medium. On the 8th day of neuron culture, cells were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygen (OGD/R) treatment to mimic in vivo hypoxic injury of neurons. Briefly, medium were changed to DMEM medium, and cells were cultured in 1% O for 3 hours and then changed back to normal medium and conditions. Cells were collected at 0 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours after OGD/R. Primary neurons were transfected with Pim1 overexpression plasmid or mock plasmid, and then were exposed to normal conditions or OGD/R treatment. They were named as Pim1 group, control group, OGD/R group and OGD/R+Pim1 group respectively. Real-time PCR was used to detect Pim1 mRNA expression. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of Pim1 and apoptotic related protein cleaved caspase 3 (CC3). TUNEL staining was used to detect cell apoptosis. RESULTS: Real-time PCR and Western blot results showed that Pim1 mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in neurons after OGD/R. They began to decrease at 0 hour after OGD/R, reached to the lowest at 12 hours after OGD/R, and remained at a lower level at 24 hours after OGD/R (P<0.01). Overexpression of Pim1 significantly upregulated the protein level of Pim1. Under OGD/R conditions, the CC3 expression and the apoptosis rate in cells of the Pim1 group were significantly lower than in un-transfected cells (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Hypoxic-ischemic injury may decrease Pim1 expression in neurons. Overexpressed Pim1 may inhibit apoptosis induced by OGD/R.
Animals ; Glucose ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neurons ; Oxygen ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1 ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the change of circadian blood pressure variability (BPV) and plasma neopterin before and after surgery (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

METHODSA total of 382 OSAS patients underwent uvulopalatopharyngoplasty were divided into three groups based on polysomnography (PSG) results: mild OSAS (n = 206), moderate OSAS (n = 108) and severe OSAS (n = 68). Plasma neopterin, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), PSG were measured before and 3 months after surgery.

RESULTSPlasma neopterin increased in proportion to severity of OSAS before surgery (15.08 nmol/L, 27.68 nmol/L and 37.32 nmol/L in patients with mild to severe OSAS) which were significantly reduced post surgery (9.92 ng/ml, 15.07 ng/ml and 18.54 ng/ml, all P < 0.05 vs. pre-surgery). The incidence of non-dipper curve in three OSAS groups were 50.2%, 72.7% and 86.5%, respectively before surgery and the values decreased to 34.8%, 48.2% and 49.2% after surgery (all P < 0.05 vs. pre-surgery). Relevance analysis indicates that D-value of nocturnal and diurnal blood pressure was negatively correlated with plasma neopterin.

CONCLUSIONOur findings indicated that plasma neopterin and the incidence of non-dipper could reliably reflect OSAS severity and could thus be used to evaluate the surgery efficacy. Plasma neopterin might be an important player in the pathophysiology of OSAS via modulating blood pressure variability.

Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory ; Circadian Rhythm ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neopterin ; blood ; Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; blood ; physiopathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of vitamin A, vitamin A plus iron and "7 + 1" multiple micronutrient-fortified seasoning powder on iron metabolic homeostasis in preschool children.

METHODSThis was a randomized, controlled and blinded interventional field trial. A total of 226 2 - 7 years old preschool children were recruited from three nurseries in the area, and they were randomly assigned into three different fortified diet groups for 6 months. The subjects in Group I were fortified with vitamin A; those in Group II and III were fortified with vitamin A plus iron and vitamin A plus iron, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, niacinamide, zinc and calcium (7 + 1), respectively. The concentration of serum vitamin A was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), serum ferritin (SF) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) was measured by microparticle-enhanced, and hemoglobin (HB) by hemiglobincyanide, the sTfR-SF index (TFR-F index) and total body iron content were computed respectively before and after intervention. Simultaneously, children's demographic data, socio-economic status and eating habits, etc. were investigated by questionnaires.

RESULTSA total of 226 preschool children were included in the study with age ranged from 2 to 7 years with average age (4.0 ± 0.85) (means ± standard deviation). The prevalence of anemia, deficient iron storage, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and suspect sub-clinical vitamin A deficiency (SSVAD) were 23.5%, 15.0%, 6.3% and 25.9%, respectively. The levels of SF and sTfR significantly decreased after intervention in all groups (χ(2) = 8.3298, χ(2) = 16.1471, χ(2) = 15.1371, χ(2) = 15.1171, χ(2) = 5.2617, χ(2) = 4.8844, P < 0.05) especially in group II and group III for SF (χ(2) = 16.1471, χ(2) = 15.1371, P < 0.05) and group I for sTfR (χ(2) = 15.1171, P < 0.05). No marked change of TFR-F index and total body iron contents was observed in group I (t = 0.1817, t = 1.7736, P > 0.05), while TFR-F index decreased and total body iron contents increased in group II and group III (t = 5.3561, t = 6.5979, t = 11.1663, t = 8.7306, P < 0.05) after intervention.

CONCLUSIONVitamin A intervention has significant effect on iron storage and mobilization but seldom effect on iron absorption in small intestine. The combination of vitamin A and other micronutrients might be a better intervention for the improvement of iron deficiency for preschool-children.

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; prevention & control ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Food, Fortified ; Humans ; Iron ; deficiency ; metabolism ; Male ; Micronutrients ; therapeutic use ; Vitamin A ; therapeutic use