AIM To study the effect of dl-3-n-butylphthalide (dl-NBP) on arachidonic acid(AA) release and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) mRNA in cerebral cortex of rats subjected to focal cerebral ischemia. METHODS Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by inserting a monofilament nylon suture into the internal carotid artery and blocking the origin of the middle cerebral artery. AA was determined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The PLA2 mRNA expression was evaluated by Northern blot analysis. RESULTS Six hours of cerebral ischemia induced AA release in the ischemic cerebral cortex. dl-NBP (10 or 20 mg·kg-1) and nimodipine (0.5 mg·kg-1) given intraperitoneally 5 min and 120 min again after the onset of ischemia significantly reduced AA concentration in the cerebral cortex (P<0.01). d-NBP, but not l-NBP, decreased AA release in the brain after middle cerebral artery occlusion. The expression of PLA2 mRNA in cerebral cortex induced by cerebral ischemia was also inhibited by dl-NBP and d-NBP (10 or 20 mg·kg-1, ip). CONCLUSION dl-NBP and d-NBP inhibited AA release and PLA2 mRNA expression in the ischemic brain tissue in vivo.

AIM　To study the effects of dl-, l- and d-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) on platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. METHODS　Thrombus formation was assessed by silk thread-induced thrombosis in arteriovenous shunt in rats. Rat platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP), arachidonic acid (AA), collagen and thrombin was detected in vitro. The generation of thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and the concentration of cAMP in rabbit platelets in vitro were studied with radioimmunological assay. RESULTS　dl-, l-NBP (5, 10, 20 mg*kg-1 ip) exhibited a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on thrombus formation in rats, while d-NBP was not active. dl, l, d-NBP (3-100 μmol*L-1) inhibited platelet-rich plasma aggregation in vitro induced by ADP, collagen and AA, and all of them showed no effect on thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. In addition, dl, l-NBP (10-100 μmol*L-1) were found to increase ［cAMP］i in dose-related fashion. In the meantime, only high concentration of l-NBP was found to decrease platelet TXA2 level. In addition, l-NBP (1-100 μmol*L-1) showed significant effect on inhibiting 5-HT release from platelets. In contrast, dl- and d-NBP showed no effect. CONCLUSION　The results suggest that NBP is a potent antiplatelet drug, the mechanism of its antithrombotic and antiplatelet activity is related to its regulation of cAMP level and 5-HT release.

It has been found that apoptosis involves in pathophysiological process of ischemic cerebral injury and plays an important part in neu-ronal injury. To explore the mechanisms of cerebral ischemia and new therapeutic pathways in respect of apoptosis has become the focusing point of neuronal injury research in recent years. This article reviewes recent studies on cerebral ischemia andapoptosis as follows: outline of apoptosis; the presence of an apoptotic component in the loss of neurons following cerebral ischemia; the apoptotic role in process of focal cerebral ischemia; the probable mechanisms of neuronal apoptosis and also unresolved problems in the field.

Objective To investigate the relationship of up-regulated thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1) expression with renal interstitial fibrosis and peritubular capillary loss in chronic aristolochic acid nephropathy(CAAN). Methods Thirty-six male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups, 18 in each one. CAAN rats received 20 mg?kg-1?d-1 aristolochic acid (AA) contained in ethanol extract of Aristolochia manshuriensis Kom by gavage for 5 days in the 1st week, and after a break of 9 days, then 15 mg?kg-1?d-1 AA for 7 days in every other week up to the 12th week. Control group rats (Con) only received tap water by gavage as above. At the end of the 4th, 8th and 12th week, 6 rats in each group were sacrificed. Immunohistochemical staining was performed in rat renal tissue sections to examine the expression of TSP-1, transforming growth factor-?1 (TGF-?1), aminopeptidase P(APP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and type I collagen (Col I ). Results Compared with Con, the expression levels of interstitial TSP-1, tubular TGF-P1 and interstitial Col I were all up-regulated in CAAN rats (all P

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of dl-3-n-butylphthalide (dl-NBP) on regional cerebral blood flow impairment and blood-brain barrier damage induced by subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in rats.Methods SAH was induced by an injection of 0.35 ml autologous blood into the lateral ventricle. The regional cerebral blood flow in caudate nucleus was determined by hydrogen clearance method. Permeability of blood-brain barrier was measured by extravasation of the protein bound Evans blue dye to brain tissue.Results SAH produced a marked decrease in both caudate blood flow and blood-brain barrier damage which showed increased extravasation of protein bound Evans blue dye to brain tissue. dl-NBP (5-20 mg/kg, given 5 min after the onset of SAH) and nimodipine (0.25 mg/kg) significantly increased the regional cerebral blood flow in caudate nucleus within 3 hours of SAH. Moreover, dl-NBP (10 mg/kg) and nimodipine (0.25 mg/kg, given 5 min and 3 h after SAH) significantly reduced the brain extravasation of Evans blue dye which increased after 6 hours of SAH. Conclusion By improving the regional cerebral blood flow and blood-brain barrier, dl-NBP has therapeutic effects on experimental SAH.

Objective To investigate the application value of slice encoding for metal artifact correction-view angle tilting(SEMAC-VAT)in chronic hip pain after total hip arthroplasty(THA).Methods A total of 22 patients who underwent TH A and required MRI reassessment for chronic hip pain were enrolled.All patients underwent coronal and axial short time inversion recovery(STIR)and SEMAC-VAT sequence scans.The prosthesis and surrounding artifact areas of STIR sequence and SEMAC-VAT sequence images were measured respectively.Likert scores were assigned to evaluate prosthesis clarity and visibility of surrounding anatomical structures.The number of abnormal lesions detected was recorded.Paired t-test and rank-sum test were used for comparisons between groups.Results Among the 22 patients,the mean prosthesis and surrounding artifact areas measured in coronal and axial STIR sequences were(73.08±11.28)cm2 and(34.36±8.47)cm2,respectively.For SEMAC-VAT sequences,the corresponding values were(44.30±8.41)cm2 and(23.08±5.85)cm2,respectively.These differences were statistically significant(t=13.942,8.659,P＜0.05).SEMAC-VAT sequences had higher Likert scores on coronal and axial prosthesis clarity and surrounding anatomical structures visibility than STIR sequences(P＜0.05).Additionally,SEMAC-VAT sequences were more effective in detecting abnormal lesions than STIR sequences(P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared to STIR sequences,SEMAC-VAT sequences significantly reduce metal artifacts and enhance image quality in the assessment of chronic hip pain after THA.This technique is advantageous in detecting more positive signs,facilitating the evaluation of hip images in patients with chronic pain after TH A,and subsequently clarifying the etiology of pain.