Objective To investigate the effects of Erigeron breviscapus Hand Mazz(EBH) on learning and memory dysfunction in mice with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Methods 40 mice were randomly divided into control group, sham operated group, model group and EBH group, with 10 mice each. Mice model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury was established by bilateral common carotid artery blocking. 7 days before and after operation, the mice in EBH group were injected I.p.with EBH injection 0.15 ml/d, while those in other groups were injected I.p. with saline 0.15 ml/d. The learning and memory function was tested by Morris water maze.Results The latent period in the model group was longer than that in the normal group and the sham operated group (P<0.05). EBH could shorten the latent period significantly as compared with those in the model group (P<0.05).Conclusion EBH can improve learning and memory function in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injured mice.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Aniracetam on learning and memory dysfunction in mice with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Methods48 mice were randomly divided into control group, sham operated group, model group and Aniracetam group, with 12 mice each. Mice model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury was established by bilateral common carotid artery blocking. The learning and memory function was tested by Morris water maze.ResultsThe latent period in the model group was longer than that in the normal group and the sham operated group (P<0.05). Aniracetam could shorten the latent period significantly as compared with those in the model group (P<0.05). ConclusionAniracetam has effects in improving learning and memory function in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injured mice.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Ningzhi Capsule (NZC) on blood lipid spectrum in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients complicated with hyperlipemia (DM-HL).

METHODSAdopting randomized, parallel and controlled trail method, a total of 70 DM-HL patients of qi-yin deficiency and phlegm-blood stagnant syndrome type were randomized into two groups. The original medication for lowering blood sugar and blood pressure was unchanged, the trial group received oral administration of NZC 5 tablets, 3 times a day, while the control group received Lipanthgl or Simvastatin depending on their different constituents of blood lipids. After 6 months of treatment, sixty subjects completed the trail while two patients dropped out due to side effect and 8 patients lost follow-up (4 in each group). Levels of blood lipids, blood routine, liver and kidney function and symptoms in patients were detected and compared.

RESULTSAfter treatment, levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), apoprotein B, and lipoprotein a (LPa) lowered, while levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and apoprotein A raised in the trial group as compared with those before treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), but showed no difference between the two groups after treatment except HDL level (P > 0.05). Scores of symptoms were also lowered significantly in the trial group (P < 0.01). In the observation period, no abnormal findings in blood and urine routine examination as well as in liver and renal function were found.

CONCLUSIONNZC could lower the blood lipid spectrum and improve the TCM symptoms in DM-HL patients without any adverse reaction.

Adult ; Aged ; Capsules ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Yin Deficiency ; blood ; prevention & control

Literature regarding clinical researches on treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications by integrative medicine published in recent decade were reviewed in this paper. Integrative medicine is dominant in treating Diabetes mellitus in multiple aspects, the elementary and major issue is to enhance the therapeutic effect. Clinical researches carried out at the integral, cellular, sub-cellular and molecular levels by many scholars illustrated that integrative medicine is superior to simple western medicine or traditional Chinese medicine in controlling hyperglycemia, improving symptom, improving insulin resistance, curing impaired glucose tolerance, recovering beta cell function and treating hyperlipemia and diabetic complications.
Animals ; Diabetes Complications ; drug therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus ; drug therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Insulin Resistance ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Xianzhen tablet (XZT, a Chinese patent compound recipe) on advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) and mRNA expression of AGE-specific cellular receptor (RAGE) in renal cortex of diabetic rats in order to explore the mechanism of XZT in protecting kidney.

METHODSThe diabetic rat model with persistent hyperglycemic renal damage was reproduced by streptozotocin. Fluorescent assay and RT-PCR were used to determine the content of AGEs and expression of RAGE mRNA in renal cortex in model rats, which were treated with XZT and controlled by aminoguanidine (AG) administration.

RESULTSThe relative content of AGEs and RAGE mRNA expression in renal cortex of model rats 12 weeks after modeling were significantly higher than those in the normal group (P < 0.05), while those in model rats treated by XZT or AG were markedly lower than those in non-treated model rats (P < 0.05), the effect of the both groups showed insignificant difference (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONXZT could reduce the accumulation of AGEs in renal cortex of diabetic rats, down-regulate the over-expression of RAGE mRNA, with the effects similar to that of AG, the inhibition of XZT on protein non-enzymatic glycosylation might be one of the mechanisms of its effect in protecting kidney.

Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Down-Regulation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glycation End Products, Advanced ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Kidney Cortex ; metabolism ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products ; Receptors, Immunologic ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Tablets

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Wenjingtong Composita (WJTC) on blood glucose and advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) in sciatic nerve of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

METHODSSTZ-induced diabetic rats were randomized to WJTC prevention group and WJTC treatment group. The levels of blood glucose and AGEs in sciatic nerve of the animals were checked after 12 weeks treatment and compared with that of aminoguanidine (AG) treatment group.

RESULTSBlood glucose level in the WJTC prevention and treatment group, and AGEs in sciatic nerve of the WJTC prevention group and the AG group were lower than those of the non-treated group (P < 0.01). Blood glucose level in the AG group was higher than that in the WJTC prevention group (P < 0.05), but was not significantly different from that in the non-treated group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONWJTC might prevent diabetic peripheral neuropathy by decreasing blood glucose and inhibiting AGEs formation in sciatic nerve in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Animals ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; metabolism ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glycosylation ; drug effects ; Guanidines ; pharmacology ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sciatic Nerve ; metabolism ; Sciatic Neuropathy ; metabolism

This article reviews the clinical and experimental researches on cognitive impairment related to diabetes in the recent decade. Most clinical studies indicate that the cognitive impairment in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus is related to recurrent hypoglycemia closely. There is little research about whether or not hyperglycemia is related to cognitive impairment in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Most studies indicate that the cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetes involves multiple factors through multiple mechanisms, including blood glucose, blood lipid, blood pressure, level of insulin, medication, chronic complication, etc. But, there has been no large-scale, multi-center, randomized controlled clinical trial in China recently. And what is more, some problems exist in this field of research, such as the lack of golden criterion of cognitive function measurement, different population of studied objects, and incomprehensive handling of confounding factors. Experimental studies found that hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) was impaired, which were manifested by impairment of spatial memory and decreased expression of LTP, but it's relation to hyperglycemia, the duration of diabetes, learning and memory has always been differently reported by different researches. Thus, there are a lot of unknown things to be explored and studied in order to clarify its mechanism. TCM has abundant clinical experience in treating cerebral disease with medicine that enforces the kidney and promotes wit. However, there has been no research on treating diabetic cognitive impairment, which requires work to be done actively and TCM to be put into full play, in order to improve the treatment of diabetes and enhance living quality of patients.
Animals ; Cognition Disorders ; etiology ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; pathology ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; pathology ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; pathology ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hippocampus ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; complications ; Hypoglycemia ; complications ; Long-Term Potentiation ; Neuronal Plasticity

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Naofucong Granule (NFCG), a self-manufactured Chinese herbal preparation, on memory and cerebral cholinergic system in cerebral ischemic mice.

METHODSMice model of learning/memory impairment was established by bilateral ligation of internal carotid arteries. The memory ability of mice was assessed by measuring latent period in the Morris Water Maze.

RESULTSSeven days after modeling, the latent period and swimming course of mice (82.3 +/- 32.0 seconds and 986.7 +/- 414.5 cm) were longer than those of control (sham-operated mice, 35.3 +/- 37.9 seconds and 410.4 +/- 507.0 cm, P < 0.01). Administration of NFCG could ameliorate these changes to 30.6 +/- 31.3 seconds and 378.1 +/- 386.3 cm (P < 0.01) and normalized. In the model animals, the choline acetylase activity in brain cortex and hippocampus was 35.64 +/- 4.96 and 45.08 +/- 4.96 respectively, which was significantly lower than that in the control (40.52 +/- 4.74 and 53.96 +/- 8.53); so was the activity of cholinergic receptor M in cerebral cortex (44.41 +/- 10.67 vs 57.56 +/- 6.98) and the activity of cholinergic receptor N in cerebral cortex and hippocampus (232.41 +/- 21.99 and 303.72 +/- 72 +/- 28.78 vs 276.66 +/- 32.46 and 385.56 +/- 46.88), P < 0.05 or P < 0.01. Administration of NFCG also could reverse them and elevate to normal level.

CONCLUSIONNFCG has protective function on intellectual deficits in cerebral ischemic mice, which may be related to its action in enhancing function of cholinergic system.

Animals ; Brain Ischemia ; complications ; drug therapy ; Cerebral Cortex ; metabolism ; Choline O-Acetyltransferase ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Male ; Maze Learning ; Memory Disorders ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Mice ; Neuroprotective Agents ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Receptors, Cholinergic ; metabolism ; Reperfusion Injury ; complications ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the genetic polymorphism of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein H (gH) from infantile clinical isolates, to analyze the genotypic distribution of gH in different diseases of HCMV infection and try to find the correlations between the diseases and genotypes.

METHODFresh urine specimens were collected from the hospitalized children with different diseases whose blood HCMV-IgM and HCMV-IgG were positive. Virus was isolated from these specimens. Glycoprotein H of harvest clinical isolates was genotyped by nested-PCR combined with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), the purified PCR products were digested by restriction endonuclease HhaI. The digested products were genotyped by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. Classification and results of sequencing were compared.

RESULTTotally 102 HCMV clinical isolates were obtained. Glycoprotein H gene of these clinical isolates (43 cases had infantile hepatitis syndrome, 38 cases had anicteric hepatitis, 13 pneumonia, 7 thrombocytopenic purpura, and 1 congenital CMV infection) were positive by nested-PCR, whose positive rate was 100%. The results showed that 62 strains were gH1 genotypes (60.8%), while 40 strains were gH2 (39.2%), mixed type or new genotype was not observed. In infantile hepatitis syndrome (26 clinical isolates were gH1 genotypes, 17 clinical isolates were gH2 genotypes), anicteric hepatitis (25 were gH1, 13 were gH2) and pneumonia (9 were gH1, 4 were gH2), the distribution of HCMV gH genotypes of infantile clinical isolates was consistent with the overall trend (χ(2) = 0.357, P > 0.05). However , the gH2 was more common than gH1 in the clinical isolates of patients with thrombocytopenic purpura (6 were gH2, 1 were gH2, χ(2) = 6.083, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONGenotype 1 was the dominant genotype of glycoprotein H in HCMV clinical isolates from our hospital infants. There was no significant difference between the distribution of gH genotypes in infantile hepatitis syndrome, anicteric hepatitis and pneumonia. However, gH2 was the dominant genotype in thrombocytopenic purpura. These findings suggested that there may be a certain relevance between gH genotype and different clinical manifestations.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Child, Preschool ; Cytomegalovirus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; virology ; DNA Primers ; DNA, Viral ; genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis ; virology ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pneumonia, Viral ; virology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Urine ; virology ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; genetics