Objective To observe the effect of Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll-4) on the pathological structure of retina in early diabetic rats (DM) and its relationship with vascular endothelial growth receptor-2 (VEGFR-2).Methods A total of 70 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group and DM group,with 10 and 60 rats in each group,respectively.The rats of DM group was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin to established DM model.The rats with blood glucose recovery and death were excluded,and the final 60 rats were included in the statistics.Rats in the normal group were injected with an equal volume of citric acid-sodium citrate buffer.Rats in the DM group were divided into DM 1 month (DM lm) group,DM 2 months (DM 2m) group,DM 3 months (DM 3m) group and DM 3m + Anti group,DM 3m + phosphate buffer solution (PBS) group by random number table method,and 10 rats in each group.In the DM 3m+Anti group,4 μl ofantiDll-4 polyclonal antibody was injected into the vitreous cavity,and the antibody concentration was 0.25 mg/ml.The DM 3m+PBS group was intravitreally injected with an equal volume of PBS.Five days after the injection,the rats were sacrificed.Rats in the DM 3m group and the normal group were not treated,and were sacrificed 3 months after the model was established.The structure and microvascular changes of the retina were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining,and the total thickness of the retina was measured.The expression of Dll-4 and VEGFR-2 in the retina was detected by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR).One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the expression of Dll-4 and VEGFR-2 in the retina of each group.The least significant difference t test was used to compare the two groups.Results Light microscopy showed that the retinal ganglion cells layer in the DM 3m group were obviously edematous,the inner and outer nuclear layers were thinner,the number of cells was reduced,the arrangement was disordered,the edema of outer plexiform layer was obvious,and the microvessels were abnormally dilated.In the DM 3m+Anti group,the edema of outer plexiform layer was lessened than that of the DM 3m group,and the other layers were not significantly different from the DM 3m group.Compared with the normal group,the total retinal thickness of the DM 3m group,the DM 3m+Anti group and the DM 3m+PBS group increased (t=5.596,3.290,4.286;P=0.000,0.008,0.002).Immunohistochemical staining showed that a small amount of Dl14 was positively expressed in the retinal ganglion cell layer of the normal group;a small amount of VEGFR-2 was positively expressed in the ganglion cell layer and the inner and outer nuclear layers.The positive expression of Dll-4 and VEGFR-2 in retinal vascular endothelial cells of DM 3m group increased significantly.The expression of Dll-4 was significantly decreased in the retinal layers and vascular endothelial cells ofDM 3m+Anti group,while the expression of VEGFR-2 was significantly increased.There was no significant difference between the positive expression of Dll4 and VEGFR-2 in the DM 3m+PBS group and the DM 3m group.The results of real-time PCR showed that the relative expression of Dll-4 and VEGFR-2 mRNA in the DM 3m group was significantly higher than that in the normal group (t=6.705,20.871;P＜0.05).Compared with DM 3m group,the relative expression of Dll-4 mRNA in DM 3m+Anti group decreased,and the relative expression of VEGFR-2 mRNA increased (t=2.681,3.639;P＜0.05).The relative expressions of Dll-4 and VEGFR-2 mRNA in the DM 3m+PBS group and DM 3m group were not statistically significant (t=0.513,0.657;P＜0.05).Conclusions The expression of Dll-4 in retinal vascular endothelial cells is gradually increased during the early retinopathy of DM rats.The expression of Dll-4 is inhibited,the expression of VEGFR-2 is up-regulated,and the plexus edema is alleviated.

AIM To investigate the effects of asiatic acid (AA) on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease (PD)-like motor symptoms in mice and its neuroprotective mechanism.METHODS Forty-five male C57BL/6 mice,except the nine mice in control group,were induced to be the PD models by peritoneal injection of 25 mg/kg MPTP for seven days and then were randomly assigned to model group,low-dose,high-dose AA groups and positive control group.Both the control group and the model group were administered with 0.5％ sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC-Na) solution,the AA groups were dosed with 12.5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg AA,respectively,and the positive control group was given 75 mg/kg daily intragastric gavage of levodopa for eleven days.On the twelfth day,behavioral tests were performed.Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive cells in substantia nigra were detected by immunohistochemistry.The mRNA expressions of iNOS,COX-2,TNF-α,IL-1β,and malonaldehyde (MDA) content in midbrain were measured.The levels of IL-1 β and TNF-α in the serum were detected using ELISA kits.RESULTS The mice treated with asiatic acid performed better in behavior tests than those in the model group (P ＜0.05,P ＜0.01).In addition,asiatic acid effectively protected the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra due to upregulated TH expression and increased number of TH positive cells (P ＜ 0.05).The asiatic acid-treated mice had their mRNA expressions of IL-1β,TNF-α,iNOS and COX-2 in midbrain markedly suppressed (P ＜0.05,P ＜0.01),and a significant MDA level decrease in the midbrain tissue as well (P ＜ 0.01).Furthermore,reductions of IL-1 β and TNF-α contents in the serum were observed (P ＜ 0.05,P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION Asiatic acid attenuates motor dysfunction and dopaminergic neuronal deficits in PD mice,and the neuroprotective mechanisms may attribute to its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities.

Yinqiaojiedu honeyed pills were equally divided into 1/4, 1/8, 1/12, and 1/16 parts. The materiomics release rates within 12 h of the intact Yinqiaojiedu honeyed pills and the divided granules were determined by the paddle method with a rotate speed at 100 r x min(-1), and the materiome was quantified by UV-scan and Kalman filter methods. The intact Yinqiaojiedu honeyed pills behaved typical sustained release profiles, while the well-divided portions also maintained a sustained release profile over 2-4 h. The release rates were well correlated with the extents for the divisions of the pills. The Weibull distribution parameters, Td and T50, were reduced in line with the particle size, indicating that the ways of administration of the pills may play a role in the in vivo pharmacokinetics of the pills. The visualization results showed obvious difference of materiomic release synchronicities between the intact pills and the equally divided particles, and the divisions enhanced the asynchronization. Therefore the novel theory of materiomic release/dissolution kinetics of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) quantitatively proved the traditional dosage form, namely, honeyed pills, as a prototype of the sustained-release dosage form with a visualization of the scientific connotation to the old saying in the classics of TCM, Pills, the moderate ones in action. In terms of materiome increase for each period of the release profiles, the materiomic release synchronicity was visually demonstrated. The novel theories provided methodological basis for the evaluation of traditional dosage forms and the design of the modern drug delivery systems for TCMs.
Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Kinetics ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Particle Size ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Solubility ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has shown that visit-to-visit variability (VVV) of blood pressure (BP) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of VVV of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) on the risk of CVD among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 10,163 T2DM patients who were not previously diagnosed with CVD from January 2008 to December 2012 in Ningbo, China. The VVV of BP was calculated using five metrics, including standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), variation independent of mean, average real variability, and successive variability (SV) of measurements, obtained over a 24-month measurement period. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression models for the associations of variability in BP with risk of CVD. RESULTS: A total of 894 CVD events were observed during a median follow-up of 49.5 months. The hazard ratio in the highest quintile of SD of SBP was 1.24 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.52) compared with patients in the lowest quintile. The association between higher VVV of DBP and risk of CVD was not consistent across different metrics and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION: Higher VVV of SBP was associated with an increased risk of CVD, irrespective of the mean SBP level. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; China ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To develop an effective treatment strategy to simultaneously avoid fatal adverse effects in the treatment of oral cancer, combination therapy has been explored because of its multiple functions. This work aims to develop a novel type of gold-nanorod-based nanomaterials decorated with tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDN) carrying antitumor drugs, namely, GNR@TDN-DOX nanocomposites. Methods In the designed structure, TDN, with a three-dimensional geometry composed of DNA strands, can provide GC base pairs for binding with the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The photothermal heating properties, biocompatibility properties, and antitumor performance of obtained GNR@TDN-DOX nanocomposites were investigated to assess their application potential in tumor treatment. Results Systematic studies have shown that the obtained GNR@TDN-DOX nanocomposites have high photothermal conversion under the illumination of an 808-nm infrared laser, leading to effective antitumor applications. In addition, the cell viability study shows that GNR@TDN-DOX nanocomposites have good biocompatibility. In vitro studies based on A375 cells show that the GNR@TDN-DOX nanocomposites can effectively eliminate cancer cells because of the combination of photothermal therapy induced by GNRS and chemotherapy induced by TDN-carrying DOX. The result shows that the obtained GNR@TDN-DOX nanocomposites have efficient cellular uptake and lysosome escape ability, together with their nuclear uptake behavior, which results in a significant antitumor effect. Conclusion This work has demonstrated a potential nanoplatform for anticancer applications.

AIM To investigate the effects of Xinyue Capsules on the expression of glycerophospholipid metabolizing enzymes in isoproterenol(ISO)-induced rat heart tissue and primary myocardial cells of neonatal rats.METHODS The SD rats were randomly divided into the normal group,the model group,the Xinyue Capsules intervention group and Xinyue Capsules control group,with 8 rats in each group.The rat model of cardiac hypertrophy was established by 14 days consecutive intraperitoneal injection of ISO(30 mg/kg).Prior to the modeling,once daily administration of 0.393 g/kg Xinyue Capsules was given by gavage from 3 days in advance to the end of the experiment.After the last administration,the procurement of blood from abdominal aorta,the left and right ventricles were processed.And the rats had their indices levels of the heart,the left ventricle and the right ventricle measured;their pathomorphological changes of myocardial tissue observed using HE staining;their expressions of cardiac hypertrophy-related myocardial embryonic genes ANP,β-MHC and α-SKA mRNA detected using RT-qPCR method;and their serum TC,TG,LDL-C and HDL-C levels detected by biochemical method.In in vitro experiment,the neonatal rat model of myocardial hypertrophy was induced by exposure to ISO 1 μmol/L for 24 h.The investigation of the effect of Xinyue Capsules 12.5 μg/mL on ISO-induced myocardial hypertrophy was conducted by detection of myocardial cell area,embryo genes related to cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial cells protein cuntent.The further anti-cardiac hypertrophy mechanism of Xinyue Capsules research was conducted using RT-qPCR and Western blot to detect the gene and protein expressions of phospholipase A2(PLA2G6),phospholipase A1 member A(PLA1A)and lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase(LCAT)in left ventricle tissue and myocardial cells of each group.RESULTS The in vivo experimental result showed that compared with the normal group,the model group displayed increased indices levels of the heart,the left ventricle and the right ventricle and cross-sectional area of left ventricular myocytes(P＜0.05);and up-regulated expressions of ANP,β-MHC,α-SKA mRNA and PLA2G6,PLA1A and LCAT mRNA and proteins in the left ventricle(P＜0.05);and increased levels of serum TC,TG and LDL-C(P＜0.05);and decreased HDL-C level(P＜0.05).However,the intervention of Xinyue Capsules inhibited the changes of the aforementioned indices(P＜0.05).The in vitro experimental result revealed that Xinyue Capsules inhibited the ISO-induced increases of myocardial cell surface area and myocardial cell protein level,the up-regulation of ANP,β-MHC,α-SKA mRNA expressions and the PLA2G6,PLA1A,LCAT mRNA and protein expressions as well(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Xinyue Capsules can improve the ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats,and its mechanism may be associated with its regulation upon the expressions of glycerophospholipid metabolism-related enzymes PLA2G6,PLA1A and LCAT.

Several studies have investigated the association between CYP2C19 polymorphism and clinical outcomes of patients treated with clopidogrel, but few have noticed the difference in association between Westerners and Asians. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library database and conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Thirty-six studies involving 44 655 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) treated with clopidogrel were included, of which more than 68% had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The primary outcome of our interest was the recurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in those CAD patients. Firstly, we found that the distribution of reduced-function CYP2C19 allele varied between Westerners and Asians. Among Asians, 1 and 2 reduced-function CYP2C19 mutant allele carriers accounted for 42.5% and 10%, respectively. While among Westerners, 1 and 2 reduced-function CYP2C19 mutant allele carriers accounted for 25.5% and 2.4%, respectively. Secondly, the impact of CYP2C19 polymorphism on clinical outcomes of patients treated with clopidogrel varied with races. Among Asians, only 2 reduced-function CYP2C19 mutant allele carriers had the reduced effect of clopidogrel. And the reduced effect was significant only after the 30th day of treatment. While among Westerners, both 1 and 2 reduced-function CYP2C19 allele carriers had the reduced effect, and it mainly occurred within the first 30 days. Thirdly, the safety of clopidogrel was almost the same among races. Reduced-function allele non-carriers had higher risk for total bleeding but did not have higher risk for major bleeding. It is suggested that CYP2C19 polymorphism affects the efficacy of clopidogrel differently among Westerners and Asians.
Continental Population Groups ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C19 ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Ticlopidine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To establish a simple model for arteriosclerosis(AS)screening to provide a viable tool for the timely identification of AS risk among residents aged 40～65 years.Methods Data were obtained from the Sleep and Chronic Diseases Program in Fuquan City.The original dataset was divided into a training subset and a validation subset(80%:20%).LASSO and logistic regression models were used to screen variables,perform multivariate regression analyses.Internal validation was performed using the Bootstrap method.Nomogram Plot was constructed,and risk score thresholds were determined based on ROC curves to classify high-risk populations.Results RS Model was established to include age,gender,napping,sleep efficiency,sleep disorders,hyperten-sion and diabetes,with AUC=74.80%and a model risk score threshold=84.20.PHC Model was established to include age,gender,napping,sleep efficiency,systolic blood pressure,fasting blood glucose,and pulse variables,with AUC=82.80%and a risk score threshold of 78.00.Decision curves showed that both models performed well in terms of calibration and actual benefits for health management.Conclusion The two AS screening models exhibit acceptable accuracy and differentiation.Therefore,it can be applied in residents'self-health management and in primary care organizations'screening work in a large scale.

Objective:To analyze the association between body health score and the risk of hypertension among health examination population aged 40-65 years.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study, and 1 104 people aged 40-65 years who underwent physical examination at the Physical Examination Centre of the First People′s Hospital of Fuquan City from March to November 2022 were selected. Clinical data, such as general information, physical examination, body composition and history of hypertension diseases, were collected. The body health score was reported by the Xiaomi Body Fat Scale′s accompanying exercise health software, and was calculated by combining body fat, water and other body composition data. The association between body health score and the risk of hypertension was analyzed using restricted cubic spline regression models, while a sensitivity analysis and sex-stratified analyses were performed. Multivariate logistic regression combined with stratified analysis was used to explore the association between dimensions of body composition and the risk of hypertension.Results:The body health score was significantly lower in hypertensive patients than in non-hypertensive patients among the 1 104 health examination population [52.0(30.0) vs 69.0(35.8) points] ( Z=-8.547, P<0.001). The lower the body health score, the higher the risk of hypertension ( χ2=18.48, PNonlinear<0.001). In the total population, high body mass index was associated with an increased risk of hypertension ( OR=1.744, 95% CI: 1.104-2.765), high protein content was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension ( OR=0.587, 95% CI: 0.344-0.982) (both P<0.05). Gender-stratified analyses showed that high protein content was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension only in men ( OR=0.233, 95% CI: 0.080-0.592) ( P=0.004). High body mass index was positively associated with the risk of hypertension when the body health score was ≥60 points ( OR=2.378, 95% CI: 1.255-4.542) ( P=0.008). High visceral adiposity index (VAI) was positively associated with the risk of hypertension when the body health score was <60 points ( OR=4.395, 95% CI: 1.466-13.620), and high protein content was negatively associated with the risk of hypertension ( OR=0.255, 95% CI: 0.091-0.638) (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Health examination population aged 40-65 years with lower scores of physical health are more likely to have a risk of hypertension. Men should pay attention to the impact of body protein in hypertension risk prevention and control. The effect of body mass index should be noted when body health scores are ≥60 points, and the effect of VAI and body protein should be considered when body health scores are <60 points.

To investigate the anti-hepatoma mechanism of α-pinene, HepG2 cell was treated with α-pinene and the change of cell cycle was examined by flow cytometry. The expression of miR-221, which was related the regulation of G₂/M phase, was detected by quantitative Real-time PCR. Meanwhile, TargetScan and other online bioinformatics methods were used to analyze and predict the target genes of miR-221, then the expression level of related target genes were detected by quantitative Real-time PCR. The results showed that α-pinene inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in dose-dependent manner. It was also proved that HepG2 cells were arrested at G₂/M phase by α-pinene (P<0.05). The expression of miR-221 was down-regulated in α-pinene treated HepG2 cell. The bioinformatics analysis showed that CDKN1B/P27 and CDKN1C/P57 may be the protential targets of miR-221 and both of them were significantly up-regulated（P<0.001,P<0.05）by α-pinene treatment. According to these results, it was believed that α-pinene may inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through arrest the cell at G₂/M phase, which may be associated with the down-regulate of the miR-221 expression and up-regulate of the CDKN1B/P27 and CDKN1C/P57 expression.