Vascular calcification (VC) is a chronic systemic vascular disease characterized by abnormal deposition of hydroxyapatite minerals in the vascular system and is closely associated with aging, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and chronic kidney disease. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT), a special type of adipose tissue that surrounds blood vessels, is thought to be a supportive component of the vascular structure and is capable of playing a role in homeostatic regulation during vasodilatation and contraction. Currently, there is growing evidence that perivascular adipose tissue acts as an endocrine and paracrine organ and interacts closely with cellular components of the vascular wall, which may be involved in the development of vascular calcification. This article reviews the role of perivascular adipose tissue in the pathophysiological process of vascular calcification and its potential as a target for therapeutic intervention, with the aim of providing new ideas for the prevention and treatment of vascular calcification.

The care and support for the patient of AIDS is a vital content,we should enhance international collaboration and intercourse of information,which can promote efficiency.This text shows an analysis on the actuality and characteristic of the support mode of the AIDS community in British.Its purpose is to summarize the successful experience for china and improve the support mode for AIDS.

Lipoproteins are biological lipids carriers. The natural and reconstituted lipoprotein based drug delivery systems have been extensively developed in recent years. This article reviews the development of natural and reconstituted low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein based vehicles in the antitumor area.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Apolipoproteins B ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Drug Carriers ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Nanoparticles ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Peptides ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Pharmaceutical Vehicles ; chemistry

Bufalin is an active compound of the traditional Chinese medicine Chansu, which exhibits significant anti-tumor activities in many solid tumors and leukemia cell lines. Bufalin could introduce apoptosis, reverse drug-resistance, and prevent migration and invasion of tumor cells. This paper reviewed the latest research progress of the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor effect and mechanism of bufalin on a series of cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, colon cancer, gastric cancer, leukemia, bladder cancer, and its formulation study is also summarized for the reference of its further study and application.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Bufanolides ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology

Aim To study and compare the pharmaco-kinetic parameters of roxithromycin under normoxic and hypoxic rats. Methods A highly effective and rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry ( UPLC-MS/MS) method with posi-tive electrospray ionization source was successfully de-veloped and validated for quantification of roxithromy-cin in rat plasma. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the hypoxia and normoxic groups. Each rat obtained a single dose of roxithromycin with 10 mg · kg-1 via intragastric administration. The pharmacoki-netic parameter comparison between normoxic and hy-poxic groups was calculated by SPSS software using in-dependent sample t test method. Results The main pharmacokinetic parameters of roxithromycin between the normoxic and hypoxic rats were:the AUC(0-t) 7 576 and 3 761 μg·h·L-1 , MRT(0-t) 5. 6 and 7. 7 h, T1/2 3. 4 h and 3. 9 h, CL 1. 5 and 3. 0 L · h-1 · kg-2 , tmax3. 1 and 3. 4 h, Cmax 1 116 and 372 μg·L-1 , re-spectively. The levels of Cmax and AUC of roxithromy-cin in hypoxic rats were statistically lower than those in normoxic rats. Conclusion The exposure level of rox-ithromycin in hypoxic rats markedly decreased. Our re-sults may provide an important experimental basis to adjust the dosage for roxithromycin in hypoxic clinical practice.

OBJECTIVETo explore the inhibition and molecular mechanism of icaritin (ICT) combined doxorubicin (DOX) on human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells in vitro.

METHODSThe control group, ICT groups (10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 µmol/L), DOX groups (1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 µg/mL), and combination groups (20 µmol/ L ICT +1 µg/mL DOX, 20 µmol/L ICT +2 µg/mL DOX, 20 µmol/L ICT +4 µg/mL DOX, 40 µmol/L ICT +1 µg/mL DOX, 40 µmol/L ICT +2 µg/mL DOX, 40 µmol/L ICT +4 µg/mL DOX, 80 µmol/L ICT +1 µg/mL DOX, 80 µmol/L ICT +2 µg/mL DOX, 80 µmol/L ICT +4 µg/mL DOX) were set up. Human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells were respectively cultured and their effects on morphological changes were observed using inverted phase contrast microscope after 24-and 48-h intervention. The cell proliferation inhibition rate of each group was de- termined using CCK-8, and IC50 calculated. The MG-63 apoptosis rate was detected using Annexin V-FITC/ PI double dye flow cytometry. Expression levels of bcl-2, caspase-3, and p21 were detected using RT-PCR.

RESULTSICT and DOX could obviously inhibit the proliferation of MG-63 cell. Along with ICT concentration increasing from 10 µmol/L to 160 µmol/L, the cell proliferation inhibition rate also increased gradually from 9.67% ± 3.62% to 89.18% ± 9.66%. The IC50 was 46.93 µmol/L and 3.87 µg/mL respectively. ICT and DOX could cause either early or late stage apoptosis, down-regulate Bcl-2 gene expression, and up-regulate gene expressions of Caspase-3 and p21 respectively (P < 0.05). Aforesaid changes were more obviously seen in combination groups than in lCT groups and DOX groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCT combined DOX had additive or synergistic inhibition effect for the proliferation of osteosarcoma MG-63 cells, which might be related with regulating gene expressions of bcl-2, caspase-3, and p21.

Apoptosis ; Bone Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Doxorubicin ; pharmacology ; Drug Synergism ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Osteosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism

Nanocarriers generally made of natural or artificial polymers ranging in size from about 10-1 000 nm, possess versatile properties suitable for drug delivery, including good biocompatibility and biodegradability, potential capability of targeted delivery and controlled release of incorporated drugs, and have been extensively used in the development of new drug delivery systems (DDS). These types of nano-DDS have considerable potential to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and recently have attracted increasing efforts on the TCM research and development. In this review, the recently published literature worldwide is covered to describe the latest advances in the applications as TCM delivery carriers, and to highlight the characteristics and preparation methods of some selected examples of promising nanocarriers such as nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, nanomicelles and nanoliposomes.
Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Nanostructures ; chemistry ; Nanotechnology ; methods

This article proposes the "Efficacy Theory" hypothesis of the traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs): TCMs take effects and weaken toxicities through the additive effects of numerous effective forms (including their constituents or/and metabolites) on a same target, the synergistic effects based on the overall action of the additive effects on individual targets and their toxicities scattering effects. A TCM may include approximately 1000 constituents and each constituent may produce about 100 metabolites in vivo after oral administration. Numerous effective forms of incalculable constituents and their metabolites could work like a "army group" together. When the quantity of a specific target molecule is larger than the pharmaceutical molecules, the molecules of different kinds of effective forms could combine with the target molecules successively, to exert the additive effects. When the target molecules are mostly occupied ("target most spaces occupied"), this TCM begins to work. The additive effects maybe exert not only in concentration but also in a time order way, which gives a sustained efficacy of TCM. The additive effects and the toxicities scattering effects are resulted from the same effective groups and not identical toxic groups among different effective form molecules. The "toxicities scattering effect" can be used to explain the non-toxic TCMs, but not fit for toxic TCMs. The efficacy theory showed that the variety of constituents and metabolites may participate in the process of pharmacodynamic actions, including the additive effects, synergy effects and toxicities scattering effects, which may be useful for explaining and developing the characteristic advantage of the TCMs. The questions we need to study or confirm are as follows: What are the TCMs' pharmacodynamic substance basis and mechanism made up of Why are toxicities of most TCMs' smaller How is the TCMs' "Efficacy Theory" which reflects characteristic advantage of TCMs applied in the research and development of new drugs.
Animals ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; chemistry

Objective To investigate the pathogenesis of gallbladder chaotic dynamics after partial gastrec-tomy. Methods 140 cases operated by partial gastrectomy after 6 months were randomly examined, they in-cluded one group of 40 cases by Billroth type and the other 100 cases by Eiselsberg type. The ultrasonograph was applied to evaluate the function of gallbladder dynamics and radio-immunity method to determine the content of CCK at the time of having no food and 30 minutes after med. Results BV and RV of Eiselsberg group were bigger than Billroth Ⅰ obviously P<0.05. Gallbladder contraction rate displayed not well obvi-ously as too. The plasm level of CCK had no manifested distinctions in empty stomach cases of the 2 groups, but the increasing gradient plasm level of CCK in Billroth Ⅰ exceeded Eiselsberg type. Conclusions The pathogenesis of gallbladder chaotic dynamics after partial gastrectomy was correlated with the alterative type of partial gastrectomy, the reduction of CCK plasm level, the damage of anterior vagal trunk hepatic branches during the operations and so on led to the disorder of gallbladder emptying and induced cholecystolithiasis.

Aim To study the characteristics of the binding reaction of Troxetutin with bovine serum albumin (BSA) by fluorescence and ultra violet-visible absorption spectra.Methods The quenching mechanism of the fluorescence of BSA by troxerutin was studied with fluorescence.To determine the dynamic quenching constants and static binding constants,the Stern-Volmer equation and the double reciprocal Lineweaver-Burk equation were applied. The number of binding site was calculated with double logarithmic equation and the main binding force was discussed by thermodynamic equations. The binding distance and energy transfer efficiency between donor (BSA) and acceptor (troxerutin) were obtained effectively quenched fluorescence of BSA via static quenching processes. The binding constant Ka was calculated to be in the order of 106,indicating a strong interaction between Troxerutin and BSA. The number of binding site was approximately equal to 1,the binding distance was 1.97 nm,the energy transfer efficiency was 0.529,and the binding force was mainly hydrophobic force.Conclusion Troxerutin effectively quenchs the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA via static quenching mechanism,and the binding is mainly driven by the hydrophobic interaction.