Objective To investigate the long-term effects of xanthine oxidase inhibitor,oxypurinol on myocardial contractility of post-ischemic heart failure in mice,and explore the underlying mechanism. Methods One hundred and twenty SV120 mice were randomly assigned into myocardial infarction control group,sham operation group and Oxy treatment group.Post-ischemic heart failure were induced by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation in myocardial infarction control group and Oxy treatment group,and mice in Oxy treatment group and sham operation group were orally administered with 0.5 mmol/L Oxy each day.Nine to eleven months after treatment,echocardiography was performed in all groups.Trabeculae from the right ventricle of mice were dissected for assessment of changes in excitation-contraction coupling.Sarcomere length was measured by laser diffraction.Intracellular free Ca~(2+) concentration([Ca~(2+)]_I)was detected with fluorescent dye Fura-2,which was microinjected iontophoretically into cells. Steady-state force-[Ca~(2+)]_I was achieved by addition of ryanodine and increasing the stimulus frequency to induce tetanization,and the relationship between myocardial contractility and intracellular Ca~(2+) transients was analysed.Besides,Western blotting was performed to determine the oxidation of myofilament proteins. Results Long-term oral administration of oxypurinol significantly improved myocardial contraction function and reduced ventricular wall thickness.Programming of excitation-contraction coupling was significantly improved,and maximal Ca~(2+) activated force(F_(max))in steady-state wag also significantly increased.Western blotting revealed the oxidative modification of actin in mice of Oxy treatment group was significantly inhibited compared with that of myocardial infarction control group. Conclusion Long-term treatment with Oxy improves the cardiac contraction function and boosts the cardiac force dramatically in post-ischemia heart failure.The increase in contraction is the result of increased myofilament Ca~(2+) responsiveness.Thus,antioxidant oxypurinol,by preventing oxidative damage to contractile proteins,can augment contraction with little changes in[Ca~(2+)]_I,represents new class of inotropic agents with advantages of reducing Ca~(2+) overload,and offers new promises in management of heart failure in the future.

Objective To discuss clinical effects and indications of minimally invasive tension band technique in treatment of transverse patella fractures.Methods Thirty-eight patients with transverse patella fracture (close or slightly polluted open ones) were treated with minimally invasive tension band technique from July 1997 to June 2005 in our department.Twenty-six were fixated with percutaneous Kirschner wire tension hand and 12 with percutaneous cannulated screw tension band.The reduction,movement range and function of the knee were analyzed.Results Surgeries went on uneventfully.All the cases were followed up from six months to 6.5 years (average,32 months).Fracture healing time lasted from 6 to 12 weeks,averaging 7.7 weeks.No such compli- cations as traumatic arthritis occurred.Reduction was excellent in 21 cases,good in 11 and fair in six,with the good-to-excellent rate being 84.2%.All the affected knee joints could move in normal range.The functional re- covery was assessed as excellent in 34 cases and good in four.Conclusions Internal fixation with minimally invasive tension band technique is good for treatment of transverse patella fractures.It is chiefly fit for close or slightly polluted open fractures with limited wound,and can also be used for the comminuted fractures if the bone fragments are no more than three and the fracture site is suitable.

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to investigate the feature of D(L)CO (Diffusion Lung Capacity for Carbon Monoxide) in CHF (left ventricular heart failure) patients, underlying pathophysiological mechanism and clinical significance.

METHODSWe retrospectively studied the D(L)CO, pulmonary ventilation function, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and related clinical information in severer HF patients.

RESULTSPeak VO2 severely decreased to 34 ± 7 percentage of predicted(%pred) and anaerobic threshold to 48 ± 11%pred in all patients. D(L)CO moderately decreased to 63 ± 12%pred and there were 25 patients lower than 80%pred. FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC and TLC were 75 ± 14%pred, 71 ± 17%pred, 97 ± 11%pred, and 79 ± 13%pred, which indicated borderline or mild restrictive ventilatory dysfunction. The decrease of D(L)CO was more severe than those of TLC, FEV1 and FVC.

CONCLUSIONFor patients with severe CHF, cardiopulmonary exercise function is extremely limited, D(L)CO generally moderately declines and ventilation function is merely mildly limited. D(L)CO is the parameter for cardiopulmonary coupling, reflecting limitation of the cardiovascular dysfunction while without ventilatory limit.

Blood Gas Analysis ; Heart Failure ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; physiopathology

Aim To investigate the influence of Shen-mai injection ( SMI ) on the expression of cytochrome P450(CYP450) system in rat′s hearts. Methods Rat hearts were prepared after a fourteen-day continuous administration of SMI. The expression of several CYP genes, ANP, BNP and EPHX2 were measured by qPCR. Results SMI induced the increase in the ex-pression of other CYP genes except CYP2 B1、CYP4 A3 and CYP4 F6;HSI caused an induction of CYP2 E1 , CYP4A3,CYP4F1 and EHPX2 as compared with the control. In addition, there was a significant induction of ANP, BNP and EHPX2 and a significant inhibition of CYP2B1 and CYP2C11 after treated with MDI. Conclusion Although there is no significant change in the gene expression of CYP2 B1 after the treatment with SMI, but there is a general trend of induction, and MDI shows a significant inhibition of CYP2 B1 , therefore HSI has greater effect on CYP 2 B 1 than MDI . SMI causes a significant induction of CYP2 E1 , CYP4F1 and EHPX2 , similarly there is an induction of CYP2E1,CYP4F1 and EHPX2 by HSI and MDI, indi-cating that Hongshen and Maidong are both involved in the induction. MDI has a greater inductive effect than HSI on ANP and BNP. SMI is widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases due to its regula-tion of CYP2J3、ANP and BNP mRNA expression.

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constituents contained in the seeds of Cucumis sativus.

METHODThe fatty oil was extracted by heating and refluxing with petroleum ether. Potassium hydroxide-methanol solution was used for saponification. An unsaponifiable matter was extracted by EtOAc and separated with various chromatographic methods. Its structure was identified on the basis of their physicochemical properties and spectral data. The fatty acid fraction was methyl-esterified and determined by GC. The composition and relative content of fatty acid were determined with normalization method of peak area.

RESULT24-ethylcholesta-7, 22, 25-trienol (1), 24-ethylcholesta-7, 25-dienol (2) ,avenasterol (3), spinasterol (4), karounidiol (5) and isokarounidiol (6) were separated and identified from the unsaponifiable matter. Myristic acid (7, 0.12%), palmitic acid (8, 12.04%), palmitoleic acid (9, 0.09%), heptadecanoic acid (10, 0.06%), stearic acid (11, 5.64%), oleic acid (12, 6.95%), linoleic acid (13, 74.40%), arachidic acid (14, 0.19%), and alpha-linolenic acid (15, 0.51%) were identified from the fatty acids part.

CONCLUSIONCompounds 5, 6, 9, 10, 14,and 15 were first reported in C. sativus.

Cucumis sativus ; chemistry ; Fatty Acids ; analysis ; Plant Oils ; analysis ; Seeds ; chemistry

Objective To describe the clinical features of venous diethylene glycol poisoning and to identify factors correlating with such kind of poisoning.Methods Retrospective chart review was performed to analyze the epidemiology,clinical presentation,hepatorenal functions,bemodynam- ics and pathological characteristics of 64 patients with severe liver diseases who received intravenous diethylene glycol.Comparative analyses of correlating factors and causes of poisoning were based on the presence or absence of poisoning.Results Fifteen cases of poisoning were reported.After a 5 day incubation period,all poisoned patients displayed acute renal failure and 11 cases with digestive tract symptoms and(or) symptom exacerbations were noted.Neurological system impairment was observed in 10 cases after 2 weeks.Metabolic acidosis developed in 13 cases.Poisoned patients exhibited signif- icantly lower red blood celI(RBC)[(2.32?0.76)?10~(12)/L],hemoglobin(Hb) [(79.5?23.6)g/L] value and higher white blood cell(WBC)[(9.78?3.75)?10~9/L] count.Renal biopsy of poisoned patients revealed acute tubular necrosis and interstitial nephritis.Twelve poisoned patients died.Sig nifieant differences were found between groups regarding preexisting severe hepatitis,ascites,renal disease and diuretic therapy.Prior to diethylene glycol injections,mean values of neutrophil,blood urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Cr) and calcium and phosphorousions differed significantly between groups.Conclusions Features of venous diethylene glycol poisoning include oliguric acute renal fail- ure,metabolic acidosis,digestive symptoms,nervous system impairment and a high probability of anemia and WBC proliferation.Mortality is high.Correlative factors include preexisting severe liver disease,renal disease and infection.

Abstract: Our previous work revealed berberine can significantly enhance the susceptibility of fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans, which suggested that berberine has synergistic antifungal activity with fluconazole. Preliminary SAR of berberine needs to be studied for the possibility of investigating its target and SAR, improving its drug-likeness, and exploring new scaffold. In this work, 13-substitutited benzyl berberine derivatives and N-benzyl isoquinoline analogues were synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR and MS. Their synergetic activity with fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans was evaluated in vitro. The 13-substitutited benzyl berberine derivatives 1a-1e exhibited comparable activity to berberine, which suggested that the introduction of functional groups to C-13 can maintain its activity. The N-benzyl isoquinolines, which were designed as analogues of berberine with its D ring opened, exhibited lower activity than berberine. However, compound 2b, 2c, and 4b showed moderate activity, which indicated that berberine may be deconstructed to new scaffold with synergistic antifungal activity with fluconazole. The results of our research may be helpful to the SAR studies on its other biological activities.
Antifungal Agents ; pharmacology ; Berberine ; pharmacology ; Candida albicans ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Fungal ; Drug Synergism ; Fluconazole ; pharmacology ; Isoquinolines ; pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

OBJECTIVETo investigate the curative effect and safety of auxiliary treatment with Suanzaoren Decoction (SZRD) on patients with chronic severe hepatitis (CSH).

METHODSSixty patients, with the diagnosis in accordance with the diagnostic criterion of CSH, were assigned to the treated group and the control group, 30 in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with comprehensive therapy including symptomatic supportive treatment, anti-infective therapy and artificial liver plasmapheresis etc., while those in the treated group were orally taken SZRD additionally. Patients' condition of sleeping and changes of total bilirubin (TBIL), prothrombin activity (PTA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) were observed before and after treatment, and the adverse reactions were observed as well.

RESULTSThe sleeping status were significantly improved in the treated group after treatment, and the serum levels of TBIL, TNF-alpha and IL-1 were significantly decreased. The improvement rate was 66.7% (20/30) and significantly higher than that (40.0%, 12/30) in the control group.

CONCLUSIONSZRD can significantly improve the sleeping status of CSH patients, alleviate the hepato-cellular injury by inflammatory cytokines and without obvious adverse reaction.

Adult ; Bilirubin ; blood ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Humans ; Interleukin-1 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy of nasal synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (nSIMV) and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

METHODSFifty preterm infants with RDS who received pulmonary surfactant were randomized to nSIMV and nCPAP groups after extubation. Clinical signs, symptoms and blood gas results following nSIMV or nCPAP were compared in the two groups.

RESULTSCompared with the nCPAP group, the nSIMV group had a lower incidence of failure respiratory support (24% vs 60%; P<0.05), a lower incidence of hypercarbonia (12% vs 40%; P<0.05) and a lower incidence of hypoxia (24% vs 36%; P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSnSIMV is more effective in respiratory support in preterm infants with RDS.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ; methods ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation ; methods ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Suanzao nacute hepatic failure in mice.

METHODAcute liver failure was induced in male Kunming strain mice by enterocoelia injecting the animals with D-Gal-N and LPS. The mice in treatment groups were given corresponding drug 2 h before administration of D-Ga1-N and LPS, and the mice in control group were given the same dose of distilled water. The 24 h survival rate, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were compared. Serum the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1 and the levels of SOD, MDA, GR, GSH, NO and NOS in the liver were determined.

RESULTTreatment with suanzaoren decoction could increase the survival rate and improve the liver histological feather. Suanzaoren decoction inhibited the serum the levels of ALT, AST, TNF-alpha and IL-1, and reduced the levels of MDA, NO and NOS and increased the levels of GR and SOD in the liver.

CONCLUSIONTreatment with Suanzaoren decoction can suppress the D-Gal-N/LPS-induced acute hepatic failure. It may be the mechanism that Suanzaoren decocotion regulate the production of inflammatory cytokines and free radicals.

Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Galactosamine ; Glutathione ; metabolism ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Failure, Acute ; blood ; chemically induced ; prevention & control ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism