Crataegus oxyacantha (Aubepine, Hawthorn), was used by european herbalist in the first century A. D. It went out fashion as a medicine until the 19th century for heart disease. The leaves, flowers, and berries of hawthorn contain a variety of bioflavonoid-like complexes that appear to be primarily responsible for the cardiac actions of the plant. Bioflavonoids found in C. oxyacantha include oligomeric procyanidins (OPCc), vitexin, quercetin, and hyperoside. The action of these compounds on the cardiovascular system has led to the development of leaf and flower extracts. As described in French pharmacopea, the hyperoside is the marker for quality control.
Animals ; Cardiovascular Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; drug therapy ; Crataegus ; chemistry ; Flowers ; chemistry ; France ; Heart Failure ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

Objective To observe toxic effect of deoxynivalenol(DON)on articular cartilage and synovium of New Zealand rabbits's knee ioints.Methods Fifteen male rabbits were divided randomly into 3 groups:control, high-dosage,and low-dosage group.In high-dosage and low-dosage group,saline solution of DON was injected with a dose of 0.10 and 0.05 ms/kg every 48 h into ear vein of rabbits.Specimen of articular cartilage and synovium were through pathologY methods,and IL-1β,TNF-α,NO levels were assayed in joint liquid,after 20 days. Results Morphological changes were observed, such as synovium inflammative infiltration, chondrocytes deformation and necrosis under light microscope.The levels of IL-1β,TNF-α and NO had statistical significance in comDarison between 3 grouPs(F=19.396,18.195,22.136,P＜0.05).The levels of IL-1β,TNF-α and NO were significantly higher(all P＜0.05),high-dosage[(0.451±0.091),(0.575±0.122)μg/L;(70.27±11.53)μmol/L] and low-dosage group[(0.295±0.107),(0.387±0.131)μg/L;(45.32±12.24)μmol/L]compared with control ((0.1 13±0.049),(0.138±0.087)μg/L;(23.56±9.35)μmoL/L],and high-dosage compared with low-dosage group Conclusions DON results in articular and synovial impairment,which has the symptom similar to osteoarthritis. DON probably causes osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVETo explore the active ingredients in the Chinese yellow wine could inhibit the proliferation and migration of rat vascular smooth muscle cells induced by homocysteine (Hcy).

METHODSThe primary culture and identification of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was conducted, and the VSMCs in passage 4-7 were used in the following experiments. The VSMCs were divided into 7 groups: control, Hcy (1 mmol/L), Hcy + oligosaccharide, Hcy + polypeptides, Hcy + polyphenols, Hcy + alcohol, Hcy + Chinese yellow wine and were given the corresponding treatment. The proliferation of VSMCs was determined by MTT. Transwell chambers and would healing were employed to test the migratory ability of VSMCs. Wester blot and gelatin zymography were used to investigate the expressions and activities of metal matrix proteinase 2/9 (MMP-2/9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) in VSMCs of each group.

RESULTSCompared with control group, the proliferation, migration and the expression and activity of MMP-2/9 of VSMCs were significantly increased in the VSMCs of Hcy group (P < 0.01). Compared with Hcy group, the proliferation, migration and the expression and activity of MMP-2/9 of VSMCs were significantly decreases in the VSMCs of polypeptides group, polyphenols group and Chinese yellow wine group. However, the expression of TIMP-2 among each group had no significant difference.

CONCLUSIONPolypeptides and polyphenols in the Chinese yellow wine could inhibit the proliferation and migration of VSMCs induced by Hcy.

Animals ; Cell Movement ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Homocysteine ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; drug effects ; Peptides ; chemistry ; Polyphenols ; chemistry ; Rats ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; metabolism ; Wine

The paper reports the systematic study on felodipine and its impurities in tablets, to improve its quality standards for the control of the related substances. HPLC-DAD, UPLC-MS, IR and NMR methods were used for the isolation of felodipine and its impurities in tablets, their identification and the zebrafish animal model was used for the analysis of the toxic impurities. In felodipine material and its tablets, three impurities are isolated and identified. They are impurity 1 [dimethyl 4-(2, 3-dichlorophenyl)-2, 6-dimethyl-1, 4-dihydropyridine-3, 5-dicarboxylate], impurity 2 [ethyl methyl 4-(2, 3-dichlorophenyl)-2, 6-dimethylpyridine-3, 5-dicarboxylate] and impurity 3 [diethyl 4-(2, 3-dichlorophenyl)-2, 6-dimethyl-1, 4-dihydropyridine-3, 5-dicarboxylate], separately. The result of zebrafish animal model analysis showed that the teratogenic effects of four compounds were: impurity 3 > or = felodipine > impurity 1 > impurity 2, lethal effects were as follows: impurity 2 = impurity 3 > felodipine > or = impurity 1. This study confirmed the toxicity of three impurities in felodipine. According to the results, the paper suggested the amendments to the standard of the medicine and provided the support to the control of impurities in the manufacturing process.
Abnormalities, Drug-Induced ; Animals ; Antihypertensive Agents ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drug Contamination ; Felodipine ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Molecular Structure ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; analysis ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Spectrophotometry, Infrared ; Tablets ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Zebrafish

Objective To cultivate CAPF students' ability of making the first aid when meeting an emergency through constructing the urgent emergency rescue course curriculum. Methods Using the cluster sampling measure to allocate 234 students from grade 2007 to be the control group and another 224 students from grade 2008 were designed to be the experimental group. Two groups trained students' urgent rescue ability and then investigated them. Results After the training, experimental group students' theoretical knowledge on urgent emergency rescue ( pass rate was 91.07% ) was significantly better than that of the control group ( pass rate was 45.73% ). Experimental group students' skill knowledge on urgent emergency rescue ( pass rate was 91.07% ) was also obviously better than that of control group ( pass rate was 35.90% ). The differences were statistically significant ( P ＜ 0. 05 ). Conclusions The construction of urgent emergency rescue course is not only a great approach to train CAPF students' skill of emergency rescue, but also a effective method to improve the rescue standard of CAPF army. The army as well as the military school can construct the relevant course in order to promote the popularization of this kind of rescue knowledge.

Purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most lethal cancer globally and is associated with poor prognosis. Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) can regulate biological properties of carcinoma cells. FABP5 is overexpressed in many types of cancers; however, the role and mechanisms of action of FABP5 in GC remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical and biological functions of FABP5 in GC. Materials and Methods: We assessed FABP5 expression using immunohistochemical analysis in 79 patients with GC and evaluated its biological functions following in vitro and in vivo ectopic expression. FABP5 targets relevant to GC progression were determined using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Results: Elevated FABP5 expression was closely associated with poor outcomes, and ectopic expression of FABP5 promoted proliferation, invasion, migration, and carcinogenicity of GC cells, thus suggesting its potential tumor-promoting role in GC. Additionally, RNA-seq analysis indicated that FABP5 activates immune-related pathways, including cytokinecytokine receptor interaction pathways, interleukin-17 signaling, and tumor necrosis factor signaling, suggesting an important rationale for the possible development of therapies that combine FABP5-targeted drugs with immunotherapeutics. Conclusions These findings highlight the biological mechanisms and clinical implications of FABP5 in GC and suggest its potential as an adverse prognostic factor and/or therapeutic target.

Background: and Purpose Although amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) might provide a molecular diagnosis for cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), it does not have sufficient specificity for this condition relative to incipient Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To identify a regional amyloid uptake pattern specific to CAA, we attempted to reduce this overlap by selecting “pure CAA” (i.e., fulfilling the criteria for probable CAA but without tau PET AD signature) and “pure AD” (i.e., positive amyloid PET and presence of tau PET AD signature, but without lobar hemorrhagic lesions). We hypothesized that occipital tracer uptake relative to the whole cortex (WC) would be higher in patients with pure CAA and may serve as a specific diagnostic marker. Methods: Patients who fulfilled these criteria were identified. In addition to the occipital region of interest (ROI), we assessed the frontal and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) ROIs that are sensitive to AD. Amyloid PET uptake was expressed as the absolute standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) and ROI/WC ratio. The diagnostic utility of amyloid PET was assessed using the Youden index cutoff. Results: Eighteen patients with AD and 42 patients with CAAs of comparable age were eligible. The occipital/WC was significantly higher in CAA than AD (1.02 [0.97–1.06] vs. 0.95 [0.87–1.01], P=0.001), with an area under curve of 0.762 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.635–0.889) and a specificity of 72.2% (95% CI 46.5–90.3) at Youden cutoff (0.98). The occipital lobe, frontal lobe, PCC and WC SUVRs were significantly lower in CAA than in AD. The frontal/WC and PCC/WC ratios did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusion Using stringent patient selection to minimize between-condition overlap, this study demonstrated the specificity of higher relative occipital amyloid uptake in CAA than in AD.

Background: and Purpose Although amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) might provide a molecular diagnosis for cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), it does not have sufficient specificity for this condition relative to incipient Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To identify a regional amyloid uptake pattern specific to CAA, we attempted to reduce this overlap by selecting “pure CAA” (i.e., fulfilling the criteria for probable CAA but without tau PET AD signature) and “pure AD” (i.e., positive amyloid PET and presence of tau PET AD signature, but without lobar hemorrhagic lesions). We hypothesized that occipital tracer uptake relative to the whole cortex (WC) would be higher in patients with pure CAA and may serve as a specific diagnostic marker. Methods: Patients who fulfilled these criteria were identified. In addition to the occipital region of interest (ROI), we assessed the frontal and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) ROIs that are sensitive to AD. Amyloid PET uptake was expressed as the absolute standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) and ROI/WC ratio. The diagnostic utility of amyloid PET was assessed using the Youden index cutoff. Results: Eighteen patients with AD and 42 patients with CAAs of comparable age were eligible. The occipital/WC was significantly higher in CAA than AD (1.02 [0.97–1.06] vs. 0.95 [0.87–1.01], P=0.001), with an area under curve of 0.762 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.635–0.889) and a specificity of 72.2% (95% CI 46.5–90.3) at Youden cutoff (0.98). The occipital lobe, frontal lobe, PCC and WC SUVRs were significantly lower in CAA than in AD. The frontal/WC and PCC/WC ratios did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusion Using stringent patient selection to minimize between-condition overlap, this study demonstrated the specificity of higher relative occipital amyloid uptake in CAA than in AD.

Background: and Purpose Although amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) might provide a molecular diagnosis for cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), it does not have sufficient specificity for this condition relative to incipient Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To identify a regional amyloid uptake pattern specific to CAA, we attempted to reduce this overlap by selecting “pure CAA” (i.e., fulfilling the criteria for probable CAA but without tau PET AD signature) and “pure AD” (i.e., positive amyloid PET and presence of tau PET AD signature, but without lobar hemorrhagic lesions). We hypothesized that occipital tracer uptake relative to the whole cortex (WC) would be higher in patients with pure CAA and may serve as a specific diagnostic marker. Methods: Patients who fulfilled these criteria were identified. In addition to the occipital region of interest (ROI), we assessed the frontal and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) ROIs that are sensitive to AD. Amyloid PET uptake was expressed as the absolute standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) and ROI/WC ratio. The diagnostic utility of amyloid PET was assessed using the Youden index cutoff. Results: Eighteen patients with AD and 42 patients with CAAs of comparable age were eligible. The occipital/WC was significantly higher in CAA than AD (1.02 [0.97–1.06] vs. 0.95 [0.87–1.01], P=0.001), with an area under curve of 0.762 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.635–0.889) and a specificity of 72.2% (95% CI 46.5–90.3) at Youden cutoff (0.98). The occipital lobe, frontal lobe, PCC and WC SUVRs were significantly lower in CAA than in AD. The frontal/WC and PCC/WC ratios did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusion Using stringent patient selection to minimize between-condition overlap, this study demonstrated the specificity of higher relative occipital amyloid uptake in CAA than in AD.

OBJECTIVETo map the gene locus in a Chinese pedigree with autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss.

METHODSA genome wide screening was performed with 394 microsatellite markers distributed with an average spacing of 10 cM (ABI Prism Linkage Mapping Set 2, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, U.S.A.).

RESULTSAffected family members showed a bilateral, symmetrical, progressive neurosensory deafness. Significant linkage was found to marker D1 S937 (maximum two point LOD score of 5. 71 at theta = 0.05) on chromosome 11q. The position of the novel deafness locus, DFNA11, was delimited by analysis of the recombinant haplotypes (D11S165-D11S1874). This analysis placed DFNA11 between the proximal marker D11S1314 and the distal marker D11S898, which define a critical interval of 25.34 cM.

CONCLUSIONSMapping of the DFNA11 locus further confirms the great genetic heterogeneity underlying the autosomal dominant forms of hereditary deafness. Reports of more families with hearing impairment linked to this locus should contribute to the identification of the responsible gene, providing insights into the auditory function and the molecular pathophysiology of age related hearing loss.

Adult ; Aged ; Chromosome Mapping ; Deafness ; congenital ; genetics ; Female ; Genes, Dominant ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Middle Aged ; Myosins ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Young Adult