ObjectiveTo establish blood stasis models in zebrafish using three inducers and select the optimal model for evaluating the activity of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in promoting blood circulation. MethodArachidonic acid （AA）， ponatinib， and isoprenaline （ISO） were used to induce blood stasis models in zebrafish. A normal group， a model group， a positive drug group， and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma water extract freeze-dried powder groups at different concentrations were set up. The staining intensity of cardiac erythrocytes and the fluorescence intensity of cardiac apoptotic cells were calculated， the anti-thrombotic effect and anti-myocardial hypoxia activity of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma were evaluated. The activities of water extract and 70% methanol extract of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma were compared based on the preferred AA- and ISO-induced blood stasis models in zebrafish and the difference in the chemical composition was analyzed by UHPLC LTQ-Orbitrap MS/MS. ResultAfter induction by AA and ponatinib， the staining intensity of cardiac erythrocytes was reduced （P<0.01）， and the fluorescence intensity of cardiac apoptotic cells increased after the induction by ISO （P<0.01）. The freeze-dried powder of the water extract of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma could antagonize the thrombosis in the AA-induced model （P<0.01） and the myocardial apoptosis in the ISO-induced model （P<0.05）， while no significant improvement in the thrombosis was observed in the ponatinib-induced model. The freeze-dried powder of 70% methanol extract of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma could inhibit myocardial apoptosis in the ISO-induced blood stasis model （P<0.01）， and the effect was stronger than that of the freeze-dried powder of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma water extract. The difference in chemical composition lay in some saponins （such as ginsenoside Re）， amino acids， and acetylenic alcohols. ConclusionAA， ponatinib， and ISO all can serve as inducers for the blood stasis model in zebrafish. AA- and ISO-induced models can be used to evaluate the activity of freeze-dried powder of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma water extract in promoting blood circulation. The chemical compositions of the freeze-dried powders of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma extracted with water and 70% methanol are quite different. For the ISO-induced blood stasis model， the freeze-dried powder of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma extracted with 70% methanol has a stronger ability against myocardial hypoxia. Saponins and acetylenic alcohols may be closely related to the effects of promoting blood circulation and resolving blood stasis.

Objective To explore the effeet of Zizyphus jujubekernelfreeze - dried powder on sleep and wakefulness and energy metabolism rate in rats under 24 h eontinuous darkness and its mechanism. Method U- sing the eortieal eleetroeneephalography method and the experimental animal monitoring system (CLAMS) and taking the time of wakefulness and sleep as well as the number of activities, food intake, and caloric pro- duetion as indicators to explore the funetion of it on improving energy metabolism rate. Theenzyme - linked immunoassay was used to determine the changes in the eontent of LEP, POMC, and NPY involved in energy regulation in the hypothalamus, so as to study the energy change mechanism of it. Result Compared with the DD group, the MAT group had redueed daytime awakening time, increased sleep time, deereased aetivities, no signifieant differenee in food intake, and inereased caloric production. There was no significant difference in night awakening and sleep time, no significant difference in the number of activities, reduced food intake , and increased caloric production. The weight gain of rats decreased; Compared with the DD group, the LEP content in the hypothalamus of the MAT group increased, the POMC content increased and the NPY content decreased. Conclusion By increasing LEP, POMC content and decreasing NPY content in hypothalamus , Zizyphus jujubekemelfreeze - dried powder collected the disturbance of sleep and wakefulness state and abnormal energy metabolism rate of rats caused by 24 h continuous dark condition.

Aim To observe the effect of state anxiety on the sleep-wake cycle of mice in the Triple test.Methods Eighteen male ICR mice were selected, and the electroencephalogram(EEG)and electromyogram(EMG)electrodes were embedded in the cortex and neck muscles of the mice under the conditions of anesthesia.There was a continuous 24 h tracing of mice under normal conditions after the recovery period.The model replication and behavioral evaluation of the state anxiety took place in the Triple test and the mouse sleep for 24 h was recorded for 7 consecutive days after the daily test.Results The behavioral evaluation showed that compared with 1st d, the time spent in central and% time in OF on 3 ?4 ?5 ?7 d of modeling was significantly reduced(P<0.05; P<0.01); the number of entries and% time of 4-7 d in EPM signifi-cantly increased(P<0.01); 2nd and 4th day of time spent in dark compartment of LDB increased significantly(P<0.05; P<0.01).The results of EEG analysis showed that compared with the sleep-wake cycle under normal conditions, the sleep and wake cycles had undergone significant changes, and the awakening time and its proportion were significantly prolonged(P<0.05; P<0.01), NREM sleep and its proportion markedly decreased on the 1-5 and 7 d(P<0.05; P<0.01), and a significant increase occurred in REM sleep and its proportion on 1st, 2nd, and 4th day(P<0.05).Conclusion The sleep-wake cycle of state anxiety mice replicated with the Triple test changes, and the impact on daytime sleep is more obvious.

We investigated the microRNA172 (miR172)-mediated regulatory network for the perception of changes in external and endogenous signals to identify a universally applicable floral regulation system in ornamental plants, manipulation of which could be economically beneficial. Transgenic gloxinia plants, in which miR172 was either overexpressed or suppressed, were generated using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. They were used to study the effect of altering the expression of this miRNA on time of flowering and to identify its mRNA target. Early or late flowering was observed in transgenic plants in which miR172 was overexpressed or suppressed, respectively. A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) of gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa) APETALA2-like (SsAP2-like) was identified as a target of miR172. The altered expression levels of miR172 caused up- or down-regulation of SsAP2-like during flower development, which affected the time of flowering. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR analysis of different gloxinia tissues revealed that the accumulation of SsAP2-like was negatively correlated with the expression of miR172a, whereas the expression pattern of miR172a was negatively correlated with that of miR156a. Our results suggest that transgenic manipulation of miR172 could be used as a universal strategy for regulating time of flowering in ornamental plants.
Arabidopsis/genetics* ; Arabidopsis Proteins/metabolism* ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary/metabolism* ; Flowers/physiology* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism* ; Lamiales/physiology* ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Nuclear Proteins/metabolism* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/physiology* ; Plasmids/metabolism* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transgenes

BACKGROUNDThis study aimed to observe the differences in brain gray matter volume in drug-naive female patients after the first episode of major depression with and without stressful life events (SLEs) before the onset of depression.

METHODSForty-three drug-naive female patients voluntarily participated in the present study after the first major depressive episode. The life event scale was used to evaluate the severity of the impact of SLEs during 6 months before the onset of the major depressive episode. High-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained, and the VBM and SPM8 software process were used to process and analyze the MRI.

RESULTSCompared to that in patients without SLEs, the volume of brain gray matter was lower in the bilateral temporal lobe, right occipital lobe, and right limbic lobe in the SLE group. However, the gray matter volume did not differ significantly between the two groups after the application of false discovery rate (FDR) correction.

CONCLUSIONSAlthough the results of the present study suggest the absence of significant differences in brain gray matter volume between female drug-naive patients after the first episode of major depression with and without SLEs after FDR correction, the study provides useful information for exploring the definitive role of stress in the onset of depression.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Depression ; physiopathology ; Female ; Gray Matter ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Software ; Stress, Physiological ; physiology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo systematically review the clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for ischemic stroke in Chinese medicine (CM) with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument.

METHODSCM CPGs for ischemic stroke were searched in 5 online databases and hand-searches in CPGrelated handbooks published from January 1990 to December 2012. The CPGs were categorized into evidence based (EB) guideline, consensus based with no explicit consideration of evidence based (CB-EB) guideline and consensus based (CB) guideline according to the development method. Three reviewers independently appraised the CPGs based on AGREE II instrument, and compared the CPGs' recommendations on CM pattern classification and treatment.

RESULTSFive CM CPGs for ischemic stroke were identified and included. Among them, one CPG was EB guideline, two were CB guidelines and two were CB-EB guidelines. The quality score of the EB guideline was higher than those of the CB-EB and CB guidelines. Five CM patterns in the CPGs were recommended in the EB CPG. The comprehensive protocol of integrative Chinese and Western medicine recommended in the EB CPG was mostly recommended for ischemic stroke in the CPGs. The recommendations varied based on the CM patterns.

CONCLUSIONThe quality of EB CPG was higher than those of CB and CB-EB CPGs in CM for ischemic stroke and integrative approaches were included in CPGs as major interventions.

Biomedical Research ; Brain Ischemia ; complications ; therapy ; Health Planning Guidelines ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Stroke ; complications ; therapy

Recently, compound Ejiao slurry (FFEJJ) had been applied to treat cancer patients in clinic, with obvious curative effect. In this study, data and literatures were collected from the TCM chemical component database to establish the chemical component database of FFEJJ. Afterwards, MetaDrug software was used to predict the targets of FFEJJ and obtain the compound-target network. Next, the compound-target network was compared and analyzed to obtain the "compound-target-tumor target" heterogeneous network. Besides, further analysis was made on gene functions and metabolic pathway. The results indicated that FFEJJ could directly resist tumors by regulating cancer cell differentiation, growth, proliferation and apoptosis, and show an adjuvant therapeutic effect by enriching the blood and increasing the immunity.
Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; drug effects ; Humans ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of embolization of spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF).

METHODSFrom December 2010 to May 2012, there were 104 cases of SDAVF were treated, and 26 cases were selected to be treated with embolization. The inclusion criteria was as follows: (1) No anterior or posterior spinal artery originated from the fistula segment; (2) The segmental artery can be catheterized with guiding or micro catheter; (3) High flow in fistula; (4) Patient's situation was not suitable for surgery or general anesthesia. Among 26 cases, there were 22 male and 4 female patients, the average age was 55.9 years (ranged from 34 to 81 years). The locations of SDAVF were 10 cases in thoracic, 9 in lumbar and 7 in sacral segment. The main symptoms were progressive numbness and weakness in both lower extremities, most cases accompanied with difficulties in urination and defecation. The average history was 17.1 months (from 1 to 156 months). ONYX-18 liquid embolic agent or Glubran-2 surgical glue were used as embolic material. The patients not cured with embolization were treated with surgery in the following 1 - 2 weeks. Follow-up evaluation was done with MRI after 3 months and DSA after 6 months, besides physical examination.

RESULTSFifteen from 26 cases achieved immediate angiographic cure results: 14 in 20 cases which embolized with ONYX-18; only 1 in 6 cases with Glubran-2. Three in 10 cases of thoracic SDAVF and 12 in 16 cases of lumbar/sacral SDAVF were cured with embolization. Partially embolized cases were treated with surgical obliteration of drainage veins within 2 weeks. Cured patients experienced immediate improvement after embolization and kept getting better in the follow-up. All the patients had MRI follow-up after 3 months and DSA follow-up after 6 months. In 6 month's follow-up, MRI showed the edema and flow void signal in the spinal cord disappeared. DSA showed no fistula recurrence or remnant. There was no deterioration case in all of the embolized cases.

CONCLUSIONSParticular SDAVF is suitable for embolization with ONYX-18. Most lesions located in lumbar and sacral segment are good indications for embolization.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations ; therapy ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; methods ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

To investigate the effects of lanosterol (1), inotodiol (2) and trametenolic acid (3) from Inonotus obliquus against oxidative damage induced by CCl4 in mice, 1, 2 and 3 (20, 10 and 5 mg x kg(-1)) were respectively administered to mice, once a day for 3 days. Then the mice were induced to oxidative damage by CCl4 on the third day 30 min after the administration. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reductive glutathione (GSH) in serum and liver homogenate were determined. And the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration in serum were detected. The results showed that treatment with compound 1, 2 and 3 could significantly increase the activities of SOD, CAT and GSH-PX in serum and liver homogenate. Furthermore, the content of GSH in serum and liver homogenate increased and MDA content decreased markedly. In addition, compound 1, 2 and 3 could significantly inhibit the activities of ALT and AST in serum, and decrease the IL-6 concentration in serum remarkably. So, compound 1, 2 and 3 can protect mice against oxidative stress injury induced by CCl4. Furthermore, compound 1, 2 and 3 can protect cells from damage through inhibition on ALT, AST and the expression of IL-6.
Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; Catalase ; blood ; metabolism ; Female ; Glutathione ; blood ; metabolism ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; blood ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Lanosterol ; analogs & derivatives ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; metabolism ; Mice ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Polyporaceae ; chemistry ; Protective Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; metabolism ; Triterpenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology

BACKGROUNDSmoking is known to be a strong risk factor for premature atherosclerosis, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and sudden cardiac death. According to a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2000 - 2001 in China, the prevalence of smoking among the Chinese men was 60.2%, the highest prevalence in the world. Up to date, the relationship between smoking and AMI in Chinese male smokers is still unclear. This study analyzed the baseline characteristics for male smokers hospitalized with AMI and investigated the effect of cigarette smoking on their clinical outcomes.

METHODSA total of 890 men aged 18 years or over with AMI were prospectively recruited from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009 from Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital. Patients were grouped into smokers and nonsmokers. The relationships between baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were tested using either the chi-square test for trend for discrete variables or analysis of variance for continuous variables.

RESULTSSmokers accounted for 66.7% (594), more than twice of nonsmokers (296 (33.3%)), and were averaged 7 years younger ((56.61 ± 11.44) vs. (63.61 ± 11.62) years, P < 0.001). Smokers had the higher rate of TIMI flow grade 2 or 3 after thrombolytic therapy (42.4% vs. 24.5%, P = 0.002), 1 vessel disease (25.5% vs. 14.5%, P = 0.003) than nonsmokers. Smokers had better in-hospital outcome with lower in-hospital mortality rate than nonsmokers (6.2% vs. 10.8%, P = 0.023).

CONCLUSIONSMale smokers suffered from AMI in this study presented an average of 7 years earlier than nonsmokers and were more than twice as likely to have AMI as nonsmokers in China. Smoking appeared to result in earlier infarction, especially ST elevated myocardial infarction in otherwise healthier patients who are likely to survive.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; Hospital Mortality ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; mortality ; Smoking ; adverse effects