Simvastatin is a hypolipidemic drug that inhibits hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMGCoA) reductase to control elevated cholesterol,or hypercholesterolemia.Previous studies have shown that simvastatin may attenuate inflammation in ischemia-reperfusion injury and sepsis.Herein,we hypothesized that simvastatin may prevent rats from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic shock.In our study,rats were divided into a saline group,an LPS group and an LPS plus simvastatin group.Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were pretreated with simvastatin (1 mg/kg) for 30 min before the addition of LPS (8 mg/kg),with variations in left ventricular pressure recorded throughout.Ninety min after LPS injection,whole blood was collected from the inferior vena cava,and neutrophils were separated from the whole blood using separating medium.The neutrophils were then lysed for Western blotting to detect the levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1).In addition,mesentery microcirculations of inlet diameter,outlet diameter and blood flow rate were measured in all three groups.The results indicated that simvastatin significantly promoted heart systolic function and increased the level ofuPA while simultaneously inhibited the expression of PAI-1 as compared with LPS group.Moreover,simvastatin reversed the LPS-induced inhibition of mesentery microcirculation.Taken together,it was suggested that simvastatin can effectively protect the rats from LPS-induced septic shock.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of the Sanxianxinli capsule against fatigue and viability of mice.

METHODThe mouse shinning, burden swimming, heat-resistant, cold resistant and tolerating anoxia were detected by experiment.

RESULTThe results showed that the Sanxansinli capsule have function of improveing the stamina, cold resistant, heat-resistant and tolerating anoxia,and prolonging were the survival time in cold, high temperature and anoxia.

CONCLUSIONThe Sanxianxinli capsule have function against fatigue and can also improve the resistibility of body.

Animals ; Capsules ; Cold Temperature ; Curculigo ; chemistry ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Epimedium ; chemistry ; Fatigue ; physiopathology ; Hot Temperature ; Hypoxia, Brain ; physiopathology ; Male ; Mice ; Oxygen Consumption ; drug effects ; Physical Endurance ; drug effects ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the change of pathologic morphology in superheat mice.

METHODThe superheat was used in the experinent. The pathologic morphology of thymus gland, spleen, liver and lung was observed by light microscope.

RESULTThe histiocytes of thymus gland, spleen, liver and lung presented no changes in lesion, congestion and morphology.

CONCLUSIONThe Sanxian Xinli capsule have function of protecting the superheat mouse viscera.

Agrimonia ; chemistry ; Animals ; Capsules ; Curculigo ; chemistry ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Epimedium ; chemistry ; Heat Stress Disorders ; pathology ; Liver ; pathology ; Lung ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Spleen ; pathology ; Thymus Gland ; pathology

A cross-sectional survey with multiple-stage and random sampling was performed among middle and elderly aged permanent inhabitants in Wuhan area.The prevalences of metabolic syndrome,diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance,hypertension and obesity were 12.2%,11.8%,10.3%,31.9% and 48.0% respectively.

OBJECTIVEBrugada syndrome is an inherited channelopathy that characterized by ST-segment elevation in the right precordial lead (V(1)-V(3)) on the electrocardiogram with or without right bundle branch block and related with high risk of sudden cardiac death and structurally normal hearts. The first and only gene linked to this disease is SCN5A, a gene encodes for alpha subunit of the cardiac sodium channel. The objective of this study is to explore SCN5A gene mutations in Chinese patients with Brugada syndrome.

METHODSFour patients diagnosed as Brugada syndrome and nine patients with suspected Brugada syndrome were chosen for the study. The exons in the functional regions of SCN5A gene were amplified with polymerase chain reaction and the amplified products were sequenced with Sanger method. If a mutation was identified, patient's family members were also screened.

RESULTSTwo heterozygous mutations were found in one family diagnosed as Brugada syndrome. One missense mutation was a G-->A transition in the first nucleotide of codon 95 in SCN5A gene exon 3, which was predicted to result in substitution of Valine with Isoleucine (V95I). The other missense mutation was a C-->T transition in the second nucleotide of codon 1649 in SCN5A gene exon 28, which was predicted to result in substitution of Alanine with Valine (A1649V). A heterozygous mutation was identified in one family suspected to have the disease. The mutation was a three nucleotides (TCT) deletion that caused Phenylalanine deletion in codon 1617 in SCN5A gene exon 28. The three mutations were not detected in 100 control chromosomes.

CONCLUSIONSMutation in SCN5A gene is one of the causes of Brugada syndrome in Chinese. Three novel SCN5A gene mutations were identified in Chinese with Brugada syndrome, which expands the spectrum of SCN5A mutations associated with the disease.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Brugada Syndrome ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Exons ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Proteins ; genetics ; Mutation ; NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel ; Sodium Channels ; genetics

Abstract?AIM: To investigate mechanism of bradykinin ( BK) on inflammations of retinal pigment epithelium ( RPE) cells.?METHODS: ARPE -19 cells were cultured in vitro, stimulated by 100nM BK for 24h. Cell morphology changes were observed by microscope, and BK receptor localization was detected through cell immunofluorescence. Changes of Ca2+in BK and BR antagonist stimuli were detected by laser scanning confocal microscopy.The expressions of COX-1, COX-2, eNOS and iNOS protein in control group and BK group were detected by Western Blot.?RESULTS: After the stimulation of BK, there was no significant changes of ARPE-19 cells in morphology.Kinin B1 receptors ( B1R ) and B2 receptors ( B2R ) could be detected in ARPE-19 cells.Compared with control group, Ca2+concentrations significantly increased in BK group; in B1R antagonist group and B2R antagonist group Ca2+concentrations increased less than BK group; B1R and B2R antagonist group showed no obvious changes in Ca2+concentrations.Compared with control group, COX-2 and iNOS protein concentrations were significantly increased in BK group (P<0.001).?CONCLUSION:BK induces the increasing expression of COX-2 and iNOS in the cultured ARPE cells through binding with either B1R or B2R.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevention and treatment for postsurgical gastroparesis syndrome (PGS) after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

METHODSThe data of 18 PGS cases after pancreaticoduodenectomy were analyzed.

RESULTSPGS of these 18 patients occurred within 4-10 days after operation. All of the PGS patients were cured with mean 25.4 days by conservative therapy and no one received re-operation. PGS was closely associated with the operation procedure (chi(2)=3.90, P<0.05)and postoperative complications (chi(2)=3.92, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIncidence of PGS can be decreased by improvement of surgical procedure and prevention of abdominal complications. PGS can be cured by conservative therapy generally. Re-operation should be avoided.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Gastroparesis ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; adverse effects ; Postoperative Complications

Sterigmatocystin (ST), the secondary metabolite of many kinds of filamentous fungi, is a potent carcinogen structurally related to the aflatoxins (AFT). With similar chemical structure, sterigmatocystion behaves much the homogeneous properties to aflatoxins, both of these mycotoxins exhibit similar biological properties due to their bisfuranoid structure. Since the common, and even heavier pollution, found in foods and feeds-stuff, sterigmatocystion is more harmful than aflatoxins. The reported detection methods of sterigmatocystion included the Thin-layer Chromatography, the High-Performance-Liquid Chromatography, the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbant Assay and the PCR detection to the toxic gene, however studies about both easy and inexpensive electro-chemical methods have not been found. Our previous studies had discovered that Sterigmatocystin (ST) exist similar sensitivity towards aflatoxin-detoxifizyme (ADTZ), which we had isolated from a fungus, as aflatoxin does. In this work, the preliminary study on electrochemical analysis and determination of ST with triplet electrode enzyme-biosensor system (Ag/AgCl as the reference electrode, Pt and Au as the pair and work electrode, respectively) was carried out. Multiwall-carbon-nanotube (MWNT) had been used to increase the electron transportation on electrode. In the research, the Au electrode was modified by MWNT-immobilized ADTZ, and then the voltammertric behavior of ST was studied by means of cyclic voltammogram analysis and different pulse analysis. Autoprobe CP Research Atomic Force Microscope and TECNAI 10 Transmission Electron Microscope, had been used to detect the MWNT as well as the surface of MWNT-modified ADTZ. The voltammertric behavior of ST was studied by means of cyclic voltammogram analysis and different pulse analysis. The results show that the red-ox peak potential of ST is at the point of -600 mV, the linear detection range is from 8.32 x 10(-5) to 66.56 x 10(-5) mg/mL, the detection limit is at 8.32 x 10(-5) mg/mL, and the response time is 10 seconds. This study provided a good basic work for further research.
Biosensing Techniques ; methods ; Electrochemistry ; Microscopy, Atomic Force ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Nanotubes, Carbon ; chemistry ; Sterigmatocystin ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo explore the phytoestrogenic effects of ten kinds of Chinese medicine including flos carthami, radix cyathulae, radix salviae miltiorrhizae, fructus ligustri lucidi, fructus lycii, radix clycyrrhizae, herba cistanches, herba epimedii, fructus psoraleae and semen cuscutae.

METHOD240 female Kunming mice weighting 9 - 12 g were randomly divided into two main groups A and B. A group was divided into 12 small groups: 1 solvent control group, 1 diethylstilbestrol control group and 10 Chinese medicine groups. B group was also divided into 12 small groups: 1 solvent control group, 1 diethylstilbestrol control group and 10 Chinese medicine antagonistic groups. Mice in ten antagonistic groups were administered both Chinese medicine and diethylstilbestrol everyday. After administered(op) for 4 days, blood was collected and serum was separated. The effect of the pharmacological serum on proliferation rate of MCF-7 (ER+) was analyzed by MTT-assay.

RESULTIn A group, proliferation rates of MCF-7 cells treated with serum from eight Chinese medicine groups including flos carthami, radix cyathulae, radix salviae miltiorrhizae, fructus lycii, herba cistanches, herba epimedii, fructus psoraleae and semen cuscutae were coued markedly increase respectively. While serum from fructus ligustri lucidi group could markedly decrease the proliferation rate of MCF-7 cells. In B group, the increased proliferation rate of MCF-7 cells caused by diethylstilbestrol was significantly reduced in seven Chinese medicine antagonistic groups including flos carthami, radix cyathulae, radix salviae miltiorrhizae, radix clycyrrhizae, herba epimedii, fructus psoraleae and semen cuscutae. While the increased proliferation rate could be markedly enhanced in herba cistanches group.

CONCLUSIONSix kinds of Chinese medicine such as flos carthami, radix cyathulae, radix salviae miltiorrhizae, herba epimedii, fructus psoraleae and semen cuscutae show both estrogenic effects (when administered indepently) and antiestrogenic effects (when administered together with diethylstilbestrol). Such bidirectional effects depends on the internal estrogen level.

Animals ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carthamus tinctorius ; chemistry ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Diethylstilbestrol ; pharmacology ; Drug Antagonism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Estrogens, Non-Steroidal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Mice ; Phytoestrogens ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry ; Serum

Objective To investigate the effect of fibronectin type Ⅲ and SPRY domain containing 1 (FSD1) protein on the invasion of glioma stem cells (GSCs), so as to probe into the new biomarkers or potential therapeutic targets for gliomas. Methods The Cancer Genome Altas (TCGA) database data were used to analyze and compare the FSD1 gene expression (the FSD1 mRNA level) in the glioblatoma (also known as glioblastoma multiforme, GBM) and normal brain tissues as well as in the different grade glioma tissues, and the correlation of the FDS1 gene expression (mRNA level) with the survival prognosis of patients was also analyzed using the TCGA database data. The lentivirus was used to overexpress the FSD1 protein in the GSCs, T4121 and D456. The effect of the overexpressed FSD1 protein on the invasive ability of the GSCs, T4121 and D456 was evaluated by Transwell invasion assay. Results The FSD1 gene expression (mRNA level) was significantly lower in GBM than in normal brain (P＜0.01). The FSD1 gene expression (the mRNA level) in gliomas significantly decreased with the increase of the gliomas grade (gradeⅡvs Ⅲ, P＜0.05;gradeⅢvs Ⅳ, P＜0.01). The survival prognosis of patients with gilomas was well associated with the level of FSD1 gene expression (the FSD1 mRNA level), as indicated by the overall survival rate of the patients, which was significantly lower in the patients with the low FSD1 mRNA level than in the patients with the high FSD1 mRNA level (P＜0.01). In the Transwell invasion assay, the count of the invasive cell numbers significantly decreased in the FSD1 protein-overexpressed T421 and D456 groups than in the corresponding control group (P＜0.01 in both T4121 and D456 cell lines). Conclusion There is a clinical relevance of the FSD1 expression for the malignant progression of gliomas (the grade of gliomas). The low level FSD1 is favorable for keeping the invasive ability in GSCs.