Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Mycoses ; diagnosis ; Young Adult

Animals ; Dentate Gyrus ; metabolism ; Epilepsy ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Kainic Acid ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; metabolism ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Neuropeptides ; metabolism

The combination of Danggui and Honghua (GH) is a popular herb pair commonly used in clinic for the treatment of blood stasis syndrome in China. To evaluate the activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis effects of the combination of different proportions of Danggui and Honghua on acute blood stasis rats, and optimize the proportion of GH to have the best activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis effect. Acute blood stasis rat model was induced by subcutaneous injection of adrenaline and ice water bath. The blood stasis rats were administrated intragastrically with GH (1 : 0, 4 : 1, 2 : 1, 3 : 2, 1 : 1, 2 : 3, 1: 2, 1 : 4 and 0 : 1) extracts. The whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma viscosity (PV), and high shear whole blood relative index (HSWBRI), low shear whole blood relative index (LSWBRI), and erythrocyte aggregation index (EAI) were tested to observe the effects of GH on hemorheology of blood stasis rats. And the maximum aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was tested to observe the effect of GH on platelet aggregation index of blood stasis rats. In addition, the prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and plasma fibrinogen (FIB) were tested to observe the effects of GH on blood coagulation function of blood stasis rats. Then principal component analysis and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods were both used to comprehensively evaluate the total activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis effects of GH. The results showed that the hemorheological indexes and coagulation parameters of model group both had significant differences with normal group. Compared with model group, GH (1 : 0, 4 : 1, 2: 1, 3 : 2, 1 : 1, 2 : 3, 1 : 2, 1 : 4 and 0 : 1) could improve all the blood hemorheology indexes and regulate part indexes of blood coagulation function and platelet aggregation in acute blood stasis rats. Based on principal component analysis and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods, GH 1 : 1 and GH 3 : 2 both had the best effect of blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis, and the effect of GH 1 : 1 was slightly better than GH 3 : 2. These results suggest that GH could obviously ameliorate the abnormality of hemorheology and blood coagulation function in acute blood stasis rats. The optimized proportion of GH was consistent with regulations of medicine usage that GH 1 : 1 had the highest frequency used in traditional Chinese formulae. It could provide scientific basis for more effective application of the compatibility between Danggui and Honghua in modern clinic medicine.
Animals ; Blood Coagulation ; Blood Viscosity ; Carthamus tinctorius ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Erythrocyte Aggregation ; Hemorheology ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Platelet Aggregation ; Principal Component Analysis ; Prothrombin Time ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thrombin Time

OBJECTIVETo establish a method for studying efficacious materials of traditional Chinese medicines from an overall perspective.

METHODCarthamus tinctorius was taken the example. Its major components were depleted by preparing liquid chromatography. Afterwards, the samples with major components depleted were evaluated for their antioxidant effect, so as to compare and analyze the major efficacious materials of C. tinctorius with antioxidant activity and the contributions.

RESULTSeven major components were depleted from C. tinctorius samples, and six of them were identified with MS data and control comparison. After all of the samples including depleted materials are compared and evaluated for their antioxidant effect, the findings showed that hydroxysafflor yellow A, anhydrosafflor yellow B and 6-hydroxykaempferol-3, 6-di-O-glucoside-7-O-glucuronide were the major efficacious materials.

CONCLUSIONThis study explored a novel and effective method for studying efficacious materials of traditional Chinese medicines. Through this method, we could explain the direct and indirect contributions of different components to the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines, and make the efficacious material expression of traditional Chinese medicines clearer.

Alkalies ; chemistry ; Antioxidants ; chemistry ; Carthamus tinctorius ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Glucosides ; chemistry ; Mass Spectrometry

OBJECTIVETo analyze the prevalence and risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Xinjiang Uygur adults.

METHODSWith cluster random sampling, investigations including questionnaire, physical examination and blood testing were performed among 3442 Uygur adults among in Kashgar of Xinjiang on November 2010. Prevalence of MS in groups with different characteristics were calculated and non-conditional logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors.

RESULTSThe prevalence of MS was 21.2% (728/3442), and the age-adjusted prevalence was 18.5%. The prevalence among males and females was 14.5% (245/1694) (age-adjusted prevalence 12.7%) and 27.6% (483/1748) (age-adjusted prevalence 24.4%) respectively (P < 0.05). The prevalence of MS among 18 to 24 years old and 65 years old and above were 4.3% (21/490) and 28.9% (109/377) respectively. The prevalence of MS increased with age (χ(2) = 204.13, P < 0.05). The prevalence of low blood HDL-C, central obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia and hyperglycemia was 57.5% (1978/3442), 44.5% (1531/3442), 27.5% (948/3442), 20.2% (696/3442) and 8.6% (297/3442) respectively. Compared to age group 18 - 24, the risk of MS occurrence was higher in age group 25 - 34, 35 - 44, 45 - 54, 55 - 64 and 65 years-old above, the according OR (95%CI) values were 2.29 (1.38 - 3.81), 6.91 (4.31 - 11.09), 10.81 (6.72 - 17.40), 12.52 (7.74 - 20.26) and 10.20 (6.20 - 16.78), respectively. Smoking also increased the risk of MS (OR = 2.35, 95%CI: 1.64 - 3.37).

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of MS in Xinjiang Uygur was in high level; The prevalence of MS is higher in female than in male; The risk factors of MS included female, age and smoking.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; ethnology ; Middle Aged ; Minority Groups ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

AIMTo learn the electrophysiological interference of levofloxacin (LVFX) to heart in guinea pig.

METHODSHigh, moderate and low doses of LVFX were given to the anesthetic guinea pig via i.p., and QT interval span and corrected QT-interval span in the II leading lines of ECG were recorded and analyzed from 5 min to 360 min after the drug administration. Single ventricular myocytes were obtained and impacted by LVFX solution of different concentrations. Then delayed rectifier potassium currents (I(K)) on single cells were recorded with whole-cell patch clamp technique, and compared with control group(without impact of LVFX).

RESULTS(1) After the administration of LVFX, at the dose of 200 mg/kg. QT-interval span was significantly elongated, and the increasing rate is 19.38% +/- 3.15% (P < 0.05). While at the relatively lower doses of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg, the elongation is of low/no significance (P > 0.05). (2) LVFX inhibited I(K) dose-dependently and time-dependently.

CONCLUSIONLVFX might prolong the QT-interval span by the mechanism of inhibiting I(K), which implies a potential risk in clinical application.

Animals ; Guinea Pigs ; Levofloxacin ; Membrane Potentials ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; physiology ; Ofloxacin ; pharmacology ; Patch-Clamp Techniques

BACKGROUNDThe relationship between cyclosporine-induced chronic nephrotoxicity (CAN) and renin-angiotensin II in humans is still contradictory. This study was conducted to detect the levels of renin and angiotensin II (ANGII) both in renal tissue and plasma from kidney transplantation patients suffering from CAN.

METHODSTwenty-six patients with allograft biopsy-proven CsA-related chronic nephrotoxicity (CAN group) and chronic rejection (control group) were enrolled in this study. Renal tissues were subjected to immunohistochemical staining with renin and ANGII antibodies. Renin and ANGII plasma levels were measured when the biopsy was performed. The relationship between expression of renin or ANGII and clinicopathological manifestations were also investigated. The cyclosporine plasma level was obtained 2 hours after morning dose (C2). In vitro, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and rat mesangial cells (MC) were incubated with different concentrations of CsA (0, 250, 500, 1000 microg/L) for 24 hours. Secretion and expression of renin and ANGII was measured by radioimmunoassay or immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTSRenal pathological scores for renin and ANGII expression were significantly higher in specimens of CAN than in controls (P < 0.05). The plasma levels of renin, ANGII and C(2) in the CAN group were higher than the control group, but no significant difference was found ((0.37 +/- 0.12) ng x ml(-1)x h(-1) vs (0.20 +/- 0.10) ng x ml(-1) x h(-1), P = 0.076; (122.69 +/- 26.73) pg/ml vs (121.88 +/- 36.35) pg/ml, P = 0.977; (719.04 +/- 55.89) ng/ml vs (658.80 +/- 90.78) ng/ml, P = 0.196, respectively). In vitro, renin as well as ANGII expression increased significantly in both HUVEC and MC after the cells were incubated with CsA for 24 hours (P < 0.05). CsA also stimulated the secretion of ANGII in HUVEC and MC in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONSRenal allograft biopsy is important to differentiate chronic CsA-related nephropathy from chronic rejection. The intrarenal renin angiotensin system plays an important role in CsA-related chronic nephropathy. The histological lesions of CsA nephrotoxicity fail to correspond spontaneously to either the change of C2 level or the change of renin and ANGII plasma level. CsA stimulates the secretion of ANGII and the expression of renin and ANGII in HUVEC and MC. Blockage of RAS may be helpful for therapeutic intervention in the progression of CsA-related chronic nephropathy.

Adult ; Aged ; Angiotensin II ; analysis ; blood ; Cyclosporine ; adverse effects ; Endothelial Cells ; chemistry ; drug effects ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; adverse effects ; Kidney ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Renin ; analysis ; blood ; Renin-Angiotensin System ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo construct a recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B) adenoviral vector and to transfect it into human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSC).

METHODSThe recombinant plasmid pAd-PDGF-B was constructed by homologous recombination and confirmed by restriction endonucleases digestion. Recombinant adenovirus was packaged in HEK293 cells. PDLSC were transfected with recombinant adenovirus and PDGF-B expression was confirmed. Expression of collagen type I gene was determined by quantitative analysis of the products of RT-PCR. The cell proliferation was determined with MTT colorimetric assay.

RESULTSThe recombinant plasmid pAd-PDGF-B was confirmed by restriction endonucleases digestion. EGFP expression was observed on the third day after transfecting, and the expression of PDGF-B was detected. Immunohistochemical methods revealed that PDGF-B was expressed in PDLSC. Levels of expression of collagen type I gene were increased significantly by transfer of the exogenous PDGF-B gene to PDLSC. At the same time, findings indicated that Ad-PDGF-B stimulated PDLSC proliferation. MTT assay indicated the absorbance of PDLSC by stimulating with Ad-PDGF-B was (0.68 +/- 0.02), P < 0.01.

CONCLUSIONSUsing the AdEasy system, the human PDGF-B recombinant adenovirus can be rapidly obtained. These results indicate that recombinant adenoviruses encoding PDGF-B transgenes could modulate proliferative activity of PDLSC, enhance the high expression of collagen type I and lay the foundation for periodontal tissue regeneration and dental implant gene therapy.

Adenoviridae ; genetics ; Cells, Cultured ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Periodontal Ligament ; cytology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis ; genetics ; Stem Cells ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo observe the antiulcer effects of pomegranate tannins in animal models.

METHODGastric ulcer models were established by pylorus ligation, intragastric absolute ethanol, and water-immersion stress, respectively. The ulcer index, the contents of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA), the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) from gastric mucosa of rats, the gastric juice volume, free acidity, total acidity,total acid output, the pepsin activity, the amount of adherent mucus and free mucus were measured, respectively.

RESULTPomegranate tannins (500, 150, 50 mg x kg(-1)) significantly inhibited ulcerative formation induced by both water immersion stress and pylorus ligation, obviously decreased the gastric mucosa damages induced by intragastric absolute ethanol, in dose-dependent manner. Pomegranate tannins significantly inhibited absolute alcohol-induced elevation of MDA as well as decreasing of NO level, and activities of both SOD and GHS-PX from gastric mucosa. Pomegranate tannins significantly increased the secretion of adherent mucus and free mucus, but did not affect elevation of the free acidity, total acidity, and total acid output, gastric juice volume, gastric pepsin activity induced by pylorus ligation.

CONCLUSIONPomegranate tannins play a protective role against gastric ulcer. Its antiulcer effect is related to increasing secretion of adherent mucus and free mucus from the stomach wall, which may inhibit generation of oxygen-derived free radicals, and decrease the consumption of GSH-PX and SOD, and maintain content of NO at normal level.

Animals ; Anti-Ulcer Agents ; therapeutic use ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ethanol ; adverse effects ; Female ; Gastric Juice ; drug effects ; Male ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; adverse effects ; Plant Extracts ; therapeutic use ; Punicaceae ; chemistry ; Pylorus ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stomach Ulcer ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Tannins ; therapeutic use

Along with progress of modern science and technology, human is utilizing natural resources and their inherent law more effectively and more efficiently according to their own purposes. Chinese medicine pair (CMP) is relatively fixed combination of two TCMs which was proven to be effective in clinical application. CMP has its inner specification, and it is an intermediate point between single herb and many TCM formulae. With the aid of modern science and technology, and by means of choosing appropriate strategies and approaches, the compatibility rules of CMP might be revealed, which will be significant to develop the compatibility theory of TCM formulae and create modern TCM new drugs.
Animals ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Drug Interactions ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Research Design ; Systems Biology