Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent type of dementia in elderly,which has been regarded as a neurodegenerative disease.The traditional point of view considers that AD and vascular dementia are two different types of dementias both from their pathogenesis and treatment;however,in recent years,a growing body of evidence indicates that the vascular factors are playing an important role in the development and occurrence of AD.This article reviews cerebral ischemia and its risk factors including the effects of hypertension,diabetes,and cholesterol in the development and occurrence of AD,so as to provide new strategies in preventing,and delaying the occurrence and progression of AD.

AIM:To explore the differences between unilateral recess-resection (R & R) and bilateral lateral rectus recession (BLR-rec) in the treatment of basic intermittent exotropia.METHODS: A retrospective analysis of treatment of basic intermittent exotropia in 89 patients,in which 49 cases underwent unilateral recess-resection,40 cases underwent bilateral lateral rectus recession of external rectus retroperitoneal surgery January 2013 to January 2015 in our hospital.The stereopsis and strabismus were observed in 1d,1,6mo,1 and 2a after operation.RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the success rate and oblique degree between the two groups after 1d,1,6mo,1 and 2a (all P>0.05),but the success rate of the operation was reducing as time passed.After 2d of the operation,the drift of the R & R group was 12.10±5.74PD and the drift of the BLR-rec group was 7.78±4.21PD,the difference was statistically significant (P=0.021).The R & R group was more likely to cause lateral slanting than BLR-rec group.Two groups of patients with nearly stereopsis were both significantly improved,there was no significant difference between the two groups in the two groups (x2=4.530,P=0.210).CONCLUSION: The long-term stability of BLR-rec is superior to R & R.

Seven compounds were isolated from fermentation extract of cave-derived Metarhizium anisopliae NHC-M3-2 by silica gel, semi-preparative HPLC and other chromatographic methods. Their structures were elucidated by UV, IR, MS and NMR methods as 2,3-dehydroindigotide G (1), (-)-regiolone (2), naphtho-γ-pyrone (3), indigotide G (4), indigotide B (5) destruxin A (6) and destruxin B (7). Compound 1 is a new glycoside naphthopyranone compound. The anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity of these compounds was evaluated. The EC₅₀ and CC₅₀ of compound 3 against HBV were 4.5 μmol·L^-1 and 92.3 μmol·L^-1, respectively. This is the first report of the antiviral activity of compound 3.

Animals ; Astrocytes ; immunology ; metabolism ; Male ; Microglia ; immunology ; metabolism ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Oxidopamine ; metabolism ; Parkinson Disease ; immunology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are a class of highly conserved,endogenous,small,non-coding RNAs that reg-ulate RNAi and are key regulators of tumorigenesis and development.miR-338 is abnormally expressed in most tumors. Aberrant expression of miR-338 can affect the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis and other physiological activities of tumor cells and play a vital role in the regulation on one or more target-genes.

As a kind of commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng has a high reputation at home and abroad. The research of ginseng has been expanded to medicine, pharmacy, biology, food science and other fields, with great achievements in recent years. Ginseng contains ginsenosides, volatile oil, carbohydrates, amino acids, polypeptides, inorganic elements and othser chemical constituents. Each component has extensive physiological activity, and is the base of ginseng's effect. After processing, the complicated changes are taken place in the constituents of ginseng, and some new substances produced. This paper aims to review the studies on chemical constituents and their mechanisms during ginseng processing, and the ideas, methods and the direction of the development of traditional Chinese medicine processing in the future.
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Modified Dachengqi Decoction (MDD) as whole course therapy on mediators of inflammation in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) model rats, and to compare interventional advantages over intestinal mucosal barrier (IMB) of SAP rats between whole course therapy of MDD and early stage therapy of MDD.

METHODSTotally 190 SD rats were divided into five groups according to random digit table, i.e., the sham-operation group, the model group, the octreotide (OT) group, the early stage MDD treatment group, the whole course MDD treatment group, 38 in each group. SAP models were established with retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the pancreaticobiliary duct. Three hours after modeling normal saline (NS) was administered to rats in the sham-operation group and the model group by gastrogavage, once per 12 h.1.35 µg/100 g OT was subcutaneously injected to rats in the OT group, once every 8 h. 0.4 mL/100 g MDD was administered to rats in the early stage MDD treatment group, and 6 h later changed to NS (once per 12 h).0.4 mL/100 g MDD was administered to rats in the whole course MDD treatment group, once every 12 h. The accumulative survival rate and morphological manifestations of pancreas and small intestine were observed under microscope 48 h after modeling. Pathologic scores of the pancreas and small intestine were conducted at 4, 6, 24, and 48 h after modeling. Contents of serum amylase (AMY), alanine transaminase (ALT), and TNF-α were also detected. The expression of high mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) in the small intestine tissue was also detected by Western blot. The positive rate of bacterial translocation in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) was observed within 48 h. Correlations between serum TNF-α or HMGB1 in small intestinal tissue and pathological scores of the pancreas or the small intestine were analyzed.

RESULTSThe accumulative survival rate was 100. 0% in the sham-operation group, 79. 2% in the whole course MDD treatment group, 70. 8% in the OT group, 45. 8% in the early stage MDD treatment group, and 37.5% in the model group. At 6 h after modeling, pathological scores decreased more in the whole course MDD treatment group, the early stage MDD treatment group, the OT group than in the model group (P < 0.05). At 24 and 48 h after modeling, pathological scores of the pancreas and the small intestine decreased more in the whole course MDD treatment group and the OT group than in the early stage MDD treatment group (P <0. 05). At 6, 24, and 48 h after modeling, serum contents of AMY and ALT both decreased more in the whole course MDD treatment group, the early stage MDD treatment group, the OT group than in the model group (P < 0.05). At 48 h after modeling serum contents of AMY and ALT both decreased more in the whole course MDD treatment group and the OT group than in the early stage MDD treatment group (P < 0.05). At 6 h after modeling serum TNF-α levels decreased more in the whole course MDD treatment group, the early stage MDD treatment group, the OT group than in the model group (P < 0.05). At 6, 24, and 48 h after modeling the level of HMGB1 in the small intestinal tissue decreased more in the whole course MDD treatment group, the early stage MDD treatment group, the OT group than in the model group (P < 0.05). Of them, HMGB1 levels at 24 and 48 h were lower in the whole course MDD treatment group and the OT group than in the early stage MDD treatment group (P < 0.05). The number of MLNs bacterial translocation at 48 h after modeling was lower in the whole course MDD treatment group and the OT group than in the early stage MDD treatment group and the model group (P < 0.05). Serum TNF-α contents within 6 h were positively correlated with pathological scores of pancreas (r = 0.579, P < 0.01). ROC curve showed that serum TNF-α contents could predict the severity of SAP (ROC = 0.990, 95% Cl: 0.971 to 1.000). HMGB1 in the small intestine was positively correlated with pathological scores of the small intestine (r = 0.620, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSEarly stage use of MDD could effectively reduce the release of TNF-α, while whole course use of MDD could effectively inhibit the expression of HMGB1. The latter could preferably attenuate injuries of the pancreas and the small intestine, lower MLNs bacterial translocation, and elevate the survival rate.

Animals ; Bacterial Translocation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; HMGB1 Protein ; Intestinal Mucosa ; drug effects ; Octreotide ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis ; drug therapy ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Taurocholic Acid ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The present study is to establish Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultured cells and investigate the transport capability of PLGA nanoparticles with different surface chemical properties across Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultured cells. PLGA-NPs, mPEG-PLGA-NPs and chitosan coated PLGA-NPs were prepared by nanoprecipitation method using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) as carrier material with surface modified by methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) and chitosan. The particle size and zeta potential of nanoparticles were measured by dynamic light scattering. Coumarin 6 was used as a fluorescent marker in the transport of nanoparticles investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The transport of furanodiene (FDE) loaded nanoparticles was quantitively determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Colchicine and nocodazole were used in the transport study to explore the involved endocytosis mechanisms of nanoparticles. Distribution of the tight junction proteins ZO-1 was also analyzed by immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that the nanoparticles dispersed uniformly. The zeta potential of PLGA-NPs was negative, the mPEG-PLGA-NPs was close to neutral and the CS-PLGA-NPs was positive. The entrapment efficiency of FDE in all nanoparticles was higher than 75%. The transport capability of mPEG-PLGA-NPs across Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultured cells was higher than that of PLGA-NPs and CS-PLGA-NPs. Colchicine and nocodazole could significantly decrease the transport amount of nanoparticles. mPEG-PLGA-NPs could obviously reduce the distribution of ZO-1 protein than PLGA-NPs and CS-PLGA-NPs. The transport mechanism of PLGA-NPs and mPEG-PLGA-NPs were indicated to be a combination of endocytosis and paracellular way, while CS-PLGA-NPs mainly relied on the endocytosis way. PEG coating could shield the surface charge and enhance the hydrophilicity of PLGA nanoparticles, which leads mPEG-PLGA-NPs to possess higher anti-adhesion activity. As a result, mPEG-PLGA-NPs could penetrate the mucus layer rapidly and transport across Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultured cells.
Biological Transport ; Caco-2 Cells ; Chitosan ; chemistry ; Coated Materials, Biocompatible ; chemistry ; Coculture Techniques ; Drug Carriers ; Furans ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; metabolism ; HT29 Cells ; Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; chemistry ; Nanoparticles ; Particle Size ; Polyethylene Glycols ; chemistry ; Polyglycolic Acid ; chemistry ; Zonula Occludens-1 Protein ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of Percu Twist (PT) tracheostomy comparing with that of operative tracheostomy(OT)in intensive care unit(ICU). Methods Related data were retrieved from CBM,CNKI,Wanfang Data,VIP,PubMed,EMBASE,CENTRAL,and Web of Science from the time of their establishment to May 15th 2014,and the data of randomized controlled trials(RCTs)concerning PT and OT were selected. The risk of bias assessment and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Meta analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.2 software. Results A total of 12 RCTs were identified,and 893 patients in ICU were involved. The results of Meta-analysis showed that PT could significantly shorten the operation time〔mean difference (MD)=-15.11,95% confidence interval(95%CI)=-17.14 to -13.07,P<0.000 01〕,reduce the volume of blood loss(MD=-17.59,95%CI=-21.90 to-13.28,P<0.000 01),reduce the size of incision(MD=-2.20, 95%CI=-2.57 to -1.82,P<0.000 01),shor ten the time of healing(MD=-3.60,95%CI=-4.15 to -3.05, P<0.000 01),and reduce complications such as infection of the wound〔odds ratio(OR)=0.20,95%CI=0.10-0.44,P<0.000 1〕and cutaneous emphysema/mediastinal emphysema(OR=0.22,95%CI=0.10-0.47,P<0.000 1)compared with OT group. The funnel plot suggested that publication bias might be found among 12 researches. Conclusions PT was shown to be more effective than OT in ICU with lower incidence of complications. As number of RCT cases is still small with unsatis factory quality,further clinical use is warranted for a better assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Erxian Decoction (EXD), a traditional Chinese compound herbal medicine and its separate prescriptions such as Wenshen Yijing Recipe (WSYJR, a recipe for warming kidney and replenishing essence), Ziyin Xiehuo Recipe (ZYXHR, a recipe for nourishing yin and dispersing fire) and Tiaoli Chongren Recipe (TLCRR, a recipe for regulating thoroughfare and conception vessels) and some extracts from EXD on the levels of LH and FSH in the primary cultured anterior pituitary cells from female rats. METHODS: EXD, its separate prescriptions and traditional Chinese herbal extracts from EXD were added directly to the incubators. The levels of LH and FSH were tested by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: The levels of LH and FSH in the supernatant of anterior pituitary cells treated by EXD or its separate prescriptions including ZYXHR and TLCRR were increased significantly as compared with those in the blank control. There was a tendency for stimulating the secretions of LH and FSH in the WSYJR-treated group too. Dimethyl sulfoxide as the solvent of icariin and curculigoside could interfere with the results. CONCLUSION: EXD and its separate prescriptions such as ZYXHR and TLCRR can increase the levels of LH and FSH significantly.