Mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in the process of PD, DJ-1 participates in regulating the function of mitochondria,which has an effect on the protection of mitochon-dria. DJ-1 mutations can lead to the decrease of the activity of mitochondrial complex Ⅰ, the decrease of mitochondrial mem-brane potential and then mitochondrial fragmention and mitoph-agy, and then further damage neurons and trigger PD. This re-view presents the role of DJ-1 in regulating the function of the mitochondria in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease(PD).

Acetates ; poisoning ; Acute Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) on oxidative stress and microinflammatory state in patients undergoing continuous hemodialysis (CHD).

METHODSThirty-six patients who had received CHD for over half a year were assigned into the routine CHD group (18 cases) and the treated group treated with routine CHD plus SM (18 cases). Meanwhile, 18 healthy adults were taken as the normal control. Indexes related with oxidative stress [malondialdehyde (MDA), advanced oxidative protein products (AOPP) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) and microinflammation C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected before and after 1, 2 and 3 months of treatment.

RESULTSThe levels of AOPP, MDA, CRP, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in patients were higher and SOD was lower than those in the normal control at all the time points (P < 0.01). Compared with the baseline, the levels of AOPP and MDA in the routine CHD group significantly increased and SOD decreased after 3 months of treatment (P < 0.05), but changes of CRP, IL-6 and TNF-alpha showed no significance though there were somewhat increment (P > 0.05). The levels of AOPP and MDA were lower and SOD was higher after 1, 2 and 3 months of SM combined treatment, and CRP was lower after 3 months of treatment in the treated group than those of baselines and those at the corresponding time points in the routine CHD group (P < 0.01), but IL-6 and TNF-alpha reduced insignificantly (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHemodialysis may aggravate the oxidative stress and microinflammation in patients, which could be obviously alleviated by SM.

Adult ; Aged ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; blood ; therapy ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Middle Aged ; Oxidative Stress ; Phytotherapy ; Renal Dialysis ; adverse effects ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; Tablets ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

OBJECTIVETo establish a new rat model of chronic cyclosporine A nephrotoxicity and explore its features.

METHODSTotally 24 male SD rats were equally randomized divided into 3 groups: sham-adrenalectomized (sham-ADX) group, ADX group and ADX plus cyclosporine A (CsA) group. Rats in ADX and CsA group first underwent adrenalectomy, followed by the administration of placebo or dexamethasone, respectively. Rats in sham-ADX group received sham adrenalectomy and distilled water as control. Six weeks later, all rats were sacrificed and the following indicators were evaluated: urine protein excretion, creatinine clearance, aldosterone level in serum and urine, aldosterone level and its synthase CYP11B2 gene expression in kidney, serum natrium and potassium, urine natrium and potassium excretion, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis by masson trichrome stain.

RESULTSIn ADX and CsA group, serum and urine aldosterone were undetectable on the second post-operative day, with other observations including natriuresis, hyponatremia, decreased urine potassium excretion, and hyperpotassemia, suggesting that adrenals were removed intact and the adrenalectomy was successful. Rats in CsA group showed increased urine protein, decreased creatinine clearance and tubulointerstitial fibrosis, suggesting that a model of chronic CsA nephrotoxicity was successfully established. At the endpoint, serum potassium, serum aldosterone, urine potassium and urine aldosterone excretion partially retrieved. Natrium in serum and urine was not significant different between ADX group/CsA group and sham-ADX group. Local renal aldosterone and its gene expression were remarkably upregulated.

CONCLUSIONSWe successfully established a new rat model of chronic CsA nephrotoxicity by adrenalectomy without low sodium diet. After adrenalectomy, local renal aldosterone in kidney may compensate for circulatory aldosterone deficit to maintain electrolyte balance.

Acute Kidney Injury ; chemically induced ; Adrenalectomy ; Aldosterone ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cyclosporine ; toxicity ; Disease Models, Animal ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; toxicity ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of Danshen injectable powder on myocardial remodeling in pressure overload rats and isoproterenol(ISO)injection mice.METHODS SD Rats were subject to abdominal aortic constriction(AAC)surgery to develop pressure overload.Therapeutic effect of Danshen injectable powder was assessed six weeks after AAC surgery. The lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) levels in serum, biometric, echocardiographic parameters, interstitial fibrosis, the expression of DJ-1 and SOD2 were then measured. The myocardial impairment in mice was induced by ISO injection. LDH and CK in serum, biometric, interstitial fibrosis were measured to investigate the cardioprotective effect of Danshen injectable powder. Matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry imaging(MALDI-MSI)was used to detect the changes of 60-1000 Da molecules in mice heart tissue. RESULTS In AAC rats, we observed compensatory hypertrophy and perivascular fibrosis,however cardiac function had not progressed to deterioration.The levels of LDH and CK were decreased significantly in the Danshen injectable powder groups(P<0.05,P<0.05).Danshen injectable powder could alleviate the perivascular collagen deposits but not cardiac hypertrophy in AAC rats. Furthermore,Danshen injectable powder enhanced the expression levels of SOD2 and DJ-1 in cardio-myocytes (P<0.05, P<0.01). In ISO injection mice, the levels of HWI and LDH were decreased signifi-cantly in drug treatment group compared with model group (P<0.01, P<0.01). In the MALDI-MSI of mice heart section,Danshen injectable powder can improve the reduction of energy metabolism-related substances including adenosine, creatine and ADP induced by ISO impairment. CONCLUSION Danshen injectable powder can attenuate perivascular fibrosis and improve the expression of anti-oxidative stress-related proteins SOD2,DJ-1 in the rats with pressure overload-induced left ventricular remodeling.Danshen injectable powder has cardioprotective effect on ISO impairment in mice which is probably related to improvement of energy metabolism.

The technology of ECG (Electrocardiograph) auto-analysis has developed rapidly in recent years. There are lots of related techniques appearing. The majority is about R-peak detection. Although P-peak is important too, there are a few kinds of method about P-peak detection. In this paper is presented a new method for P-peak detection. According to Prony analysis, ECG is separated first, and then detected. The method gets good result. Data in experiment are from MIT Arrhythmia Database. The reliability of this algorithm in accurately detecting the P location is 97.8%.
Algorithms ; Electrocardiography ; methods ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Oral hydroxycamptothecin nanosuspension (HCPT-Nano) with high supersaturated dissolution level, high permeation and well physical stability, was manufactured by microprecipitation-high press homogenization method. Its pharmaceutical properties were investigated, such as size and distribution, zeta potential, particle shape, physical existence condition, supersaturated dissolution level and so on. Particle size was measured by laser diffraction, and the mean diameters before and after lyophilization were 138 +/- 11.72 nm and 175 +/- 12.74 nm, respectively, for HCPT-Nano. Zeta potentials of HCPT-Nano was over -20 mV. The nanoparticles, being observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), were claviform or column in shape. DSC and X-ray diffraction revealed that HCPT existed in the form of crystal for HCPT-Nano. And HCPT-Nano could maintain higher supersaturated dissolution level for long time. So it supplied the possibility of improving oral bioavailability of HCPT when combining together admoveatur of P-gp inhibitor, CsA.
ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Biological Availability ; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning ; Camptothecin ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Cyclosporine ; chemistry ; Drug Carriers ; Drug Compounding ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Nanoparticles ; Particle Size ; Solubility ; Suspensions ; X-Ray Diffraction

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects and clinical pregnancy outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm insemination (ICSI) with microamount frozen-thawed sperm obtained by percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) or testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) in azoospermia patients.

METHODSWe divided 365 azoospermia patients treated by ICSI into an experimental group (n = 123) and a control group (n = 242) , the former with microamount frozen-thawed sperm, and the latter fresh sperm obtained by PESA or TESA. The rates of fertilization, good embryos, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and multiple pregnancy were analyzed and compared between the two groups.

RESULTSWith PESA, the experimental group showed no statistically significant differences from the control group in the rates of fertilization (75.67% vs 76.49%), good embryos (64.96% vs 66.09%), clinical pregnancy (55.21% vs 57.22%), clinical miscarriage (13.21% vs 12.61%), ectopic pregnancy (3. 77% vs 5.41%) and multiple pregnancy (37.74% vs 37.84%) (P > 0.05); nor with TESA (74.41% vs 76.43%, 64.63% vs 66.35%, 46.81% vs 53.39%, 18.18% vs 14.55%, 4.55% vs 1.82%, 37.74% vs 37.84%, P > 0.05). The revival rate of the frozen-thawed sperm from PESA was 70.07%, not significantly different from that of TESA (62.67%) (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONICSI with frozen-thawed micro-amount sperm obtained by PESA or TESA is a safe, economic and effective method for the treatment of azoospermia. The techniques for reviving frozen sperm from PESA or TESA remain to be optimized, and whether these techniques may result in long-term genetic risks in the offspring deserves further investigation.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Oligospermia ; therapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; methods ; Sperm Retrieval

BACKGROUNDTo evaluate the safety of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with epididymal or testicular sperm, this study compared children born after ICSI treatment with epididymal or testicular sperm with children conceived after ICSI with ejaculated sperm.

METHODSThis retrospective study included 317 children born after ICSI with percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA), 103 children born after ICSI with testicular sperm aspiration (TESA), and a control group of 1008 children born after ICSI with ejaculated sperm. All of the patients received their assisted reproductive treatment in the Reproductive Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2004 to December 2011. Data, such as the rate of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, gestational age, birth weight, and the rate of congenital malformations of the three groups, were compared.

RESULTSPESA and TESA children were not different from ICSI children in the rate of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, infant mortality rate, gestational age, the rate of prematurity, and the rate of malformations (P > 0.05). A slight increase in birth defects was reported in the TESA group compared with those in the control group, but there was no significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONICSI with epididymal or testicular sperm does not lead to more stillbirths or congenital malformations compared with ICSI using ejaculated sperm.

Adult ; Congenital Abnormalities ; epidemiology ; Epididymis ; Female ; Fetal Death ; epidemiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic