Unexplained syncope (UPS) is a common clinical disease.It may occur at all ages.But the pothogenisis of UPS is still unclear.There are many researches at home and abroad reporting that the cardiovascular system has endogenous circadian rhythm.And the circadian variations of autonomic nervous system,ambulatory blood pressure,and heart rate variability may contribute to the observed circadian rhythm of cardiovascular.Sudden cardiac and cerebral events are most common in the morning.The time rhythm of UPS may have potential implications for management.

Analogous formulae (AF) refer to a set of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulae sharing similar herbs and/or indications. Dissecting functional chemome of analogous formulae could enhance the understanding of the intrinsic nature of TCM. In this study, taking 5 Xiaoqinglong decoction analogous formulae (XQL AF) including Xiaoqinglong decoction, Mahuang Xingren Shigao Gancao decoction, Mahuang Fuzi decoction, Houpu Mahuang decoction and Daqinglong decoction as example, we systematically investigated the relationship between compounds and indications using network formulaology approach. The functional chemome of XQL AF were revealed by network analysis and molecular docking. This successful application in XQL AF suggests network formulaology could be a useful tool for AF-related research and therefore provide a new way to discover the scientific foundation of Zhang Zhongjing's herbal formulae.
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Molecular Docking Simulation

Objective To investigate the rule of the cerebral tissues aquaporin-4(AQP-4) expression in acute and chronic hepatic failure mice.To study the molecular biologic mechanism of the diffusion weighted imaging(DWI).Methods Sixty five male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups randomly,including acute(n=25),chronic hepatic failure(n=25)and control group(n=15). Thioacetamide(TAA)intraperitoneal injection produces the acute and chronic hepatic failure models.All rats in groups were examined with MR DWI.We Observed the distribution of abnormal signal on DWI.The DWI single values of top and lateral cortex of parietal lobe,peripheral region of lateral ventricle in the highest hyperintensity section of brain were measured.Blood ammonia values were examined.The pathologic and immuno-histochemistry and RT-PCR examination for brain specimen were performed.All date were analyzed with statistical methods.Results The mean values of blood ammonia were significantly different (P0.05).Conclusions Increase of the blood ammonia was the main cause for the brain energy metabolic abnormality and AQP-4 mRNA and protein expression.The hyperammonemia was the key factor in the occurrence and development of the hepatic brain edema.The abnormal findings in DWI signal could reflect the range and degree of the brain edema and AQP-4 protein expression.

Objective To explore the circadian rhythm of neurally mediated syncope (NMS)in children. Methods There were 21 6 children with NMS included in the study,including 91 male and 1 25 female,aged from 4 to 1 7 years old with a mean age of (1 1 .34 ±2.65)years,who came from the Specialist Syncope Outpatient Department or Inpatient Department of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from December 201 3 to October 201 5. The patients were divided into vasovagal syncope (VVS)group and postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS)group ac-cording to head -up tilt test (HUTT)results,including 1 78 VVS patients and 38 POTS patients.Ninety -four patients with NMS were in the <1 2 years old group[(8.88 ±1 .88)years old]and 1 22 subjects with NMS were in the ≥1 2 years old group[(1 3.24 ±1 .1 8)years old].All patients or guardians were carefully asked about the number of synco-pal attacks and the periods in which episodes occurred in before HUTT [24 hours of a day were divided into 4 periods:morning (0600 AM-1 200 AM),afternoon (1 200 AM-1 800 PM),evening (1 800 PM-2400 PM), night (0000 AM-0600 AM)].Results (1 )General data:the total syncopal episodes of 21 6 children with NMS were 61 4 episodes,including 1 78 VVS patients with 471 syncopal episodes in total and 1 43 attacks of 38 children with POTS.There were 273 episodes of 94 patients in the <1 2 years old group and 341 episodes of 1 22 subjects in the ≥1 2 years old group.There were no significant differences in the diurnal variation of syncopal episodes between the VVS group and POTS group regarding age and gender (P >0.05).(2)The number of syncopal episodes in patients with VVS which occurred in the morning hours was strikingly higher than that of afternoon,evening or nighttime (P <0.05).But there was no significant difference in the frequency of episodes in different periods through the day in the POTS group (P >0.05).Patients with VVS had a higher proportion of episodes in the morning but a lower proportion in the evening when compared with the POTS group (P <0.05).(3)The male children with NMS tended to have a higher proportion of episodes in the morning than the female patients(χ2 =1 1 .001 ,P =0.01 2).(4)There seemed to be no difference in the frequency of syncopal episodes through the day between the <1 2 years old group and the ≥1 2 years old group(χ2 =1 .995,P =0.573).Conclusions The frequency of syncopal episodes in children with VVS displayed a clear circadian rhythm,with a peak in the morning,but the POTS patients did not show a circadian variation.The male children with NMS tended to have a higher proportion of episodes in the morning than the female patients.

Objective To investigate the signaling pathway and the key signal molecules of protein kinase (RIPK)3 in SH-SY5Y cells. Methods SH-SY5Y cells were transfected with RIPK3 expression plasmid vector to upregulate intracellular RIPK3, while the SH-SY5Y cells were transfected with empty vector plasmid, which was considered as control group. Western blot assay was used to check the expression of exogenous RIPK3 in cells. The proliferation rate of SH-SY5Y cells was determined by MTT assay at designated time to detect exogenous RIPK3 activity. Whole transcriptome sequencing (RNAseq) was used to detect the transcription of genes. Whole-transcriptomic gene transcription was measured by following Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to obtain downstream signaling pathways and the key molecule, which were partly confirmed by following droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Results Exogenous RIPK3 showed biological activity in SH-SY5Y, which inhibited the proliferation of cells. IPA showed that znic finger protein 36 (ZFP36) was significantly up-regulated as compared with that of the control group. The tran?scription levels of ZFP36 downstream genes such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mRNA-decapping enzyme 2 (DCP2) were affected at the same time. Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, it seems that RIPK3 is notable for the development, inflammation and tumorigenesis of the nervous system as an independent regulator of ZFP36 gene and downstream effectors.

Although agomelatine may be associated with an increased risk of hepatotoxicity, the incidence rate of acute hepatitis seemed divergent between clinical trials and daily practice. Whether aging or gender is a risk factor in developing hepatotoxicity due to agomelatine is not clear. We present 3 older female cases with acute hepatitis occurring due to highly probable idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury caused by agomelatine. From these cases, regular surveillance on liver function in the older women taking antidepressants would be of benefits.

As one of the most important non-nutritional factors associated with children's growth and development, feeding problems in children are getting more and more attention from medical professionals and guardians. The evaluation of feeding problems has developed from the single-factor and descriptive research in the past to the multi-factor and analytical research at present, and thus a good quantitative analysis system is increasingly important for researchers. However, the development of localized quantitative analysis tools remains a weak link in this field. Therefore, it is a research hotspot to develop child feeding assessment scales and questionnaires with high reliability, validity, and operability in combination with China's cultural background and eating habits and provide effective assessment tools for feeding problems in Chinese children. Through classification based on research mode and screening, this article reviews the research findings in the field of child feeding, so as to provide a basis for future research.
Child ; Feeding Behavior ; Humans ; Parent-Child Relations ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of combined vagus nerve electric stimulation postconditioning and limb remote ischemic postconditioning on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.Methods One hundred male SD rats aged 8 weeks weighing 250-350 g were randomly allocated into 5 groups ( n =20 each):sham operation group (group S); I/R group; vagus nerve electric stimulation postconditioning group (group POES) ; limb remote ischemic postconditioning group (group RP) and vagus nerve electric stimulation postconditioning + limb remote ischemic postconditioning group (group POES-RP).Myocardial I/R was induced by occlusion of left anterior descending branch (LAD) of coronary artery for 30 min followed by 120 min reperfusion in groups I/R,POES,RP and POES-RP.In groups POES and POES-RP,right cervical vagus nerve trank was stimulated for 30 min with continuous electric rectangular pulses (2 ms,10 Hz) starting from 15 min of myocardial ischemia.The voltage of the pulses was adjusted to decrease HR by 10％ of the baseline HR before stimulation.In groups RP and POES-RP the animals underwent 10 min ischemia of bilateral hind limbs starting from 20 min of myocardial ischemia.Arterial blood samples were collected from 10 rats in each group at 120 min of reperfusion for determination of serum concentrations of cTnI,CK-MB,TNF-α,high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1),intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1),IL-1,IL-6 and IL-10 (by ELISA).The animals were then sacrificed and myocardial infarct size was measured by Evans blue and TTC staining.Another 10 rats were sacrificed at 120 min of reperfusion for determination of myocardial contents of TNF-α,HMGB-1,ICAM-1,IL-1,ID6 and IL-10 (by ELISA).ResultsI/R induced myocardial infarct and significantly increased serum concentrations of cTnI,CK-MB,TNF-α,HMGBi,ICAM-1,IL-1 and IL-6 and increased myocardial contents ofTNF-α,HMGB1,ICAM-1,IL-1,IL-6 and IL-10 in both ischemic and non-ischemic regions in group I/R as compared with group S.Vagus nerve electric stimulation postconditioning,limb remote ischemic postconditioning and vagus nerve electric stimulation postconditioning + limb remote ischemic postconditioning significantly decreased myocardial infarct size and serum concentrations of cTnI,CK-MB,TNF-α,HMGB1,ICAM-1,IL-1 and IL-6 and decreased myocardial contents of TNF-α,HMGB1,ICAM-1,IL-1,IL-6 in groups POES,RP and POES-RP as compared with group I/R.Compared with group I/R,myocardial IL-10 content in both ischemic and non-ischemic regions was significantly increased in groups POES and POES-RP.Compmared with group POES,myocardial infarct size,serum concentrations of cTnI,CK-MB,TNF-α,ICAM-1 and myocardial contents of ICAM-1 and IL-6 in ischemic region were significantly decreased,while myocardial content of IL-10 in non-ischemic region was increased in group POES-RP.Compared with group RP,myocardial infarct size,serum concenuations of cTnI,CK-MB,TNF-α,HMGB1,ICAM-1,IL-1,IL-6 and myocardial contents of TNF-α,ICAM-1,IL-1 and IL-6 in ischemic region were significantly decreased,myocardial content of IL-10 in ischemic region was increased and HMGB1,ICAM-1,IL-1 and IL-6 contents were decreased,IL-10 content was increased in myocardial of ischemic region in group POES-RP.ConclusionMyocardial I/R injury is attenuated and myocardial protection is enhanced by combination of vagus nerve electric stimulation postconditioning and limb remote ischemic postconditioning in rats by inhibiting inflammatory response in rats.

Objective To evaluate the roles of PI3K/Akt and JAK/STAT signal transduction pathways in reduction of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by postconditioning with α subunit-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) agonist in rats.Methods Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 290-320 g,were randomly divided into 4 groups (n =15 each):I/R group,ischemic preconditioning group (IPC group),ischemic postconditioning group (IPOC group) and postconditioning with specific α7nAChR agonist PNU282987 group ( PNU group ).Myocardial I/R was produced by 30 min occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery followed by 180 min reperfusion in the 4 groups.The animals were subjected to 3 cycles of 5 min myocardial ischemia and 5 min reperfusion before 30 min myocardial ischemia in IPC group.The animals underwent 3 cycles of 10 s myocardial ischemia at 5 s intervals before 180 min reperfusion in group IPOC.PNU282987 2.4 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally immediately before the reperfusion.At 60 min of reperfusion,5 rats in each group were sacrificed and the hearts were removed to determine the expression of Akt and STAT3 mRNA,phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) in myocardial tissues.The left 10 rats in each group were sacrificed at 180 min of reperfusion and the hearts were removed to measure the infarct size.Results Compared with I/R group,the expression of STAT3 mRNA and p-Akt was significantly up-regulated in IPC group,and the expression of p-Akt and p-STAT3 was significantly up-regulated in IPOC group ( P ＜ 0.05).The infarct size was significantly reduced in IPC,IPOC and PNU groups compared with I/R group ( P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusion The mechanism by which α7nAChR agonist postconditioning reduces myocardial I/R injury is not related to PI3K/Akt and JAK/STAT signal transduction pathways in rats.

Objective To investigate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the reduction of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury by fentanyl postconditioning and remote limb ischemic postconditioning in rats.Methods Sixty-three male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 8 weeks,weighing 250-350 g,were equally and randomly allocated into 7 groups:sham operation group (group S),group I/R,fentanyl postconditioning group (group F),remote limb ischemic postconditioning group (group R),ROS scavenger N-(2-Mercaptopropionyl) glycine (MPG) group (group M),MPG + fentanyl postconditioning group (group MF),and MPG + remote limb ischemic postconditioning group (group MR).Myocardial I/R was induced by occlusion of anterior descending branch of left coronary artery for 30 min followed by 180 min of reperfusion.In group S the anterior descending branch was only exposed but not ligated.MPG 5 mg/kg was infused intravenously from 5 min before ischemia to 15 min of reperfusion in groups M,MF and MR,while the equal volume of normal saline was given in the other four groups.In groups F and MF,fentanyl 30 μg/kg was injected intravenously at 15 min of myocardial ischemia.In groups R and MR,the animals underwent 10 min ischemia of bilateral hind limbs starting from 15 min of myocardial ischemia.Arterial blood samples were taken at 180 min of reperfusion to determine the serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration.The rats were then sacrificed.The infarct size was measured by TTC.Results Compared with group S,the serum cTnI concentration and infarct size were significantly increased in the other six groups (P ＜0.05).Compared with group I/R,no significant change was found in the serum cTnI concentration and infarct size in M group,and the serum cTnI concentration and infarct size were significantly decreased in F and R groups (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the serum cTnI concentration and infarct size between MF group and F group (P ＞ 0.05).The serum cTnI concentration was significantly higher and the infarct size was larger in group MR than in group R (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion ROS is involved in the reduction of myocardial I/R injury by remote limb ischemic postconditioning in rats,but not in the myocardial protection provided by fentanyl postconditioning.