This study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of Artemisia capillaris (AC) extract on disorders of hepatic functions and lipid metabolism induced by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), an endocrine disrupter, using male rats (SD, five weeks old) for a period of three weeks. These 37 animals were divided into four groups. AC extract was added as 1.5% or 3% levels to basal diets, respectively. TCDD (40 ug/kg B.W) was administered by intraperitoneal injection into rats after a week from the beginning of the experiment. AC extract alleviated the increase of rat's relative liver weights induced by TCDD. Thymuses of all rats treated with TCDD were apparently shrunken by approximately 80%. Levels of white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrits were significantly increased by treatment with TCDD, however, WBC tended to decrease by AC extract diets. In hepatic function, the elevation of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase activities by TCDD treatment was diminished by AC extract diets. Serum HDL-cholesterol levels were significantly elevated by AC extract diets. The apparent increase of triglyceride levels of rat livers induced by TCDD was significantly suppressed in the AC extract diet groups. Hepatic cytosolic catalase activities significantly decreased by treatment with TCDD showed a recovering trend by AC extract diets. In histochemical observation, the fat droplets and apoptosis of hepatocytes treated with TCDD were markedly alleviated by AC extract diets. These results indicated that AC could exert recovering effects on some disorders of hepatic functions, lipids metabolism, and antioxidant activities resulting from TCDD treatment.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Artemisia ; Catalase ; Cytosol ; Diet ; Erythrocytes ; Hematocrit ; Hemoglobins ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Leukocytes ; Lipid Metabolism ; Liver ; Male ; Rats ; Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin ; Thymus Gland ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between anemia and cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality among diabetic patients, and whether the association is modified by the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Physical examination data of 8 563 patients with diabetes who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria between 2010 and 2011 were collected, based on the prospective cohort data of Kailuan study. The deadline of the follow-up was December 31, 2015, and the endpoints comprised all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between anemia with or without CKD, and cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality after adjustment for confounding factors. RESULTS: The average age of the subjects was (57.3±10.3) years, of whom the patients with anemia accounted for 5.2%. The proportion of the patients with anemia combined with CKD was higher than that of the patients without anemia (27.2% vs. 20.8%, P=0.001). The median follow-up time was 4.9 years (interquartile range: 4.6-5.2 years). During the follow-up period, 559 patients died, and 434 patients had cardiovascular disease. Compared with the patients without anemia, the all-cause mortality rate of the patients with anemia was higher (3 220.3/100 000 person-years vs. 1 257.9/100 000 person-years, P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of cardiovascular disease between the above two groups (999.8/100 000 person-years vs. 1 081.2/100 000 person-years, P>0.05). The mortality and incidence of cardiovascular disease among the patients with CKD were higher than those of the patients without CKD (2 558.3/100 000 person-years vs. 1 044.0/100 000 person-years, P<0.001; 1 605.9/100 000 person-years vs. 941.6/100 000 person-years, P<0.001). Results of Cox regression model showed that, after adjustment for confounding factors, the all-cause mortality risk increased by 95% in the diabetic patients with anemia (HR=1.95, 95% CI: 1.50-2.54). Anemia and CKD significantly increased the mortality risk among diabetic patients (HR=3.61, 95% CI: 2.48-5.26). The CKD patients without anemia had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (HR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.13-1.74). CONCLUSION Anemia is associated with an increased mortality risk in Chinese diabetic patients. Patients with CKD have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. The all-cause mortality risk increases significantly in anemia patients with the presence of CKD, which indicates that we should focus on the prevention and treatment of diabetic patients with anemia and CKD.
Anemia/epidemiology* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Humans ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Survival Analysis