OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress on Nrf2 signaling pathway in the kidneys of rats. METHODS: Rats were divided into twelve groups of six animals each. Some groups were pre-administered with bacitracin or tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), and all of them were treated with 5-20 μmol/kg cadmium (Cd) for 48 h. The oxidative stress levels were analyzed using kits. The mRNA and protein expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related factors and Nrf2 signaling pathway-related factors were determined using RT-PCR and western blot. RESULTS: Cd exposure resulted in oxidative stress in the kidneys of rats and upregulated the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related factors and Nrf2 signaling pathway-related factors, especially at doses of 10 and 20 μmol/kg Cd, and the expression changes were particularly obvious. Moreover, after pretreatment with bacitracin, Cd upregulated the expression of ERS-related factors to a certain extent and, at higher doses, increased the mRNA expression of Nrf2. After pretreatment with TUDCA, Cd reduced the level of ERS to a certain extent; however, at these doses, there were no significant changes in the expression of Nrf2. CONCLUSION Cadmium can result in ERS and oxidative stress in the kidneys of rats, activate Nrf2, and upregulate the transcriptional expression of phase II detoxification enzymes under these experimental conditions. ERS has a positive regulation effect on Nrf2 signaling pathway but has little effect on the negative regulation of Nrf2 signaling pathway in cadmium toxicity.
Animals ; Cadmium ; toxicity ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; drug effects ; Environmental Pollutants ; toxicity ; Female ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Taurochenodeoxycholic Acid ; pharmacology

Background: Few studies have been published on new-onset geriatric epilepsy especially in older Chinese people. This study was to have a comprehensive understanding of new-onset geriatric epilepsy and find a more reasonable diagnosis and management of epilepsy in older people. Methods: One hundred and three patients with onset age 60 years and older were admitted between January 2008 and December 2016. Electronic medical records were reviewed to collect information. Results: There were 103 older patients with new-onset epilepsy. The mean age of the patients was 68.5 ± 6.4 years (range: 60-89 years), and there were 67 (65%) men and 36 (35%) women. The mean onset age was 67.9 ± 6.2 years (range: 60-89 years). The most common identifiable etiology of symptomatic seizures was autoimmune epilepsy in 43 (41.7%) patients. The second most common etiology was stroke in 15 (14.6%) patients. Seven (6.8%) older patients with acute seizures present with status epilepticus and 26 (25.2%) patients experienced clustered seizures (more than three events in 24 h) at seizure onset. Focal seizures (96.1%) were more common than generalized seizures (3.9%). Fifty-three (51.5%) patients had an abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Among them, video-electroencephalogram findings in 31 (30.1%) patients correlated with MRI abnormalities. Levetiracetam was the most used drugs before admission, in hospital, and during follow-up. Conclusions Autoimmune encephalitis is becoming an increasing risk factor of subsequent epilepsy in older people. Older patients with new epilepsy are more likely to respond to antiepileptic drugs, and drug-resistant epilepsy is uncommon.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Levetiracetam ; therapeutic use ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis

Collecting different commodity grade Gardenia jasminoides of wild and cultivated varieties all over the country, obtaining color information from each batch of G. jasminoides by the standard D65 light source and image acquisition system, quantifing the gardenia plumpness information by the digital display vernier caliper, determinating 6 kinds of effective components of G. jasminoides by HPLC, classifing from ten indicators by two step clustering analysis and correspondence analysis method of statistics, clearing the importance of the traditional identification indexes, establishing multiple corresponding relation between the skin color and commercial specification of G. jasminoides,exploring the correlation of the skin color and chemical composition, to provide the reference for the reasonable division of commercial specifications and grades of G. jasminoides. Medicine is divided into two classes and has obvious distinguish meaning, The importance of the skin color is greater than the plumpness in traditional identification characteristics, it can accurately distinguish the specifications of G. jasminoides. We improve and rebuild the standard of commodity specifications and grades of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis and establish the rapid evaluation method by the study, it provide a new way and idea for the comprehensive evaluation of G. jasminoides quality.

Adolescent ; Brachial Plexus ; physiopathology ; Encephalitis ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Facial Muscles ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male

Various chromatographic techniques, including silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, preparative thin-layer chromatography, and preparative HPLC, were employed to isolate the chemical constituents from callus cultures of Dysosma versipellis. Structures of the compounds were elucidated based on UV, IR, MS and NMR spectroscopic data analysis. Totally, seven flavonoid glycosides were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of the callus cultures and identified as kaempferol-3-O-[6″-(3″'-methoxy)-malonyl]-β-D-glucopyranoside(1), kaempferol-3-O-(6″-O-acetyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside(2), kaempferide-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(3), kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(4), isoquercitrin(5), quercetin-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(6) and kaempferol-3-(6″-malonyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside(7), respectively.All these compounds were isolated from callus cultures of D. versipellis for the first time.Compounds 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 were firstly obtained from plant materials of D. versipellis, and compound 1 was a new compound.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of Flos Abelmoschus manihot (Malvaceae) on type 2 diabetic nephropathy (DN).

METHODSThe Cochrane Library, PubMed/MEDLINE, Excerpta Medical Database, Chinese electronic literature databases, and the references of relevant articles were searched in March 2012 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reported the effects of Flos A. manihot on type 2 DN patients with overt but subnephrotic-range proteinuria (500-3,500 mg/24 h). The quality of trials was evaluated using the Cochrane-recommended method. The results were summarized as risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous outcomes or mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes.

RESULTSSeven trials (531 patients) were included. Flos A. manihot significantly decreased proteinuria [MD -317.32 mg/24 h, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-470.48, -164.17],P<0.01]. After excluding a trial that only included patients with well-preserved renal function, Flos A. manihot was associated with a significant decrease in serum creatinine (MD -11.99 μmol/L, 95% CI [-16.95, -7.04],P<0.01). Serious adverse events were not observed. The most common adverse event was mild to moderate gastrointestinal discomfort; however, patients receiving this herb did not have an increased risk for tolerated gastrointestinal discomfort (RR 1.48, 95% CI [0.39, 5.68],P=0.57).

CONCLUSIONSFlos A. manihot may be considered as an important adjunctive therapy with the first-line and indispensable therapeutic strategies for type 2 DN. High-quality RCTs are urgently needed to confirm the effect of Flos A. manihot on definite endpoints such as end-stage renal disease.

Abelmoschus ; chemistry ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; drug therapy ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; complications ; drug therapy ; Flowers ; chemistry ; Humans ; Plant Extracts ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Proteinuria ; complications ; Publication Bias ; Treatment Outcome

The combination of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata can increase efficacy and decrease toxicity. This study started from the phenomena of protein self-assembly in the mixed decoction of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata. The attenuated mechanism was explored between the combination of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata by using the protein of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and aconitine which was the major toxic component of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata. Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma protein with aconitine could form stable particles which particle mean diameter was (206.2 ± 2.02) nm and (238.20 ± 1.23) nm at pH 5.0 in normal temperature. Through the mouse acute toxicity experiment found that injection of aconitine monomer all mice were killed, and injection of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma protein-aconitine particles with the same content of aconitine all mice survived. Survey the stability of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma protein-aconitine shows that the colloid particles is stable at room temperature, and it has the possibility to candidate drug carrier. Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma protein can reduce the toxicity of aconitine through self-assembly.
Aconitum ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; toxicity ; Female ; Glycyrrhiza ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Plant Proteins ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; toxicity ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; toxicity

BACKGROUNDThe N400 component of event-related potentials (ERP) has recently drawn widespread attention at home and abroad. This study was to explore the relationship between N400 changes and risperidone treatment and rehabilitation infirst-episode schizophrenia (FES).

METHODSERP component N400 was recorded by Guangzhou Runjie WJ-1 ERP instruments, in 58 FES before and 6 months, 15 months after risperidone treatment, and in 62 normal controls. The patients' syndromes were assessed by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). And the stimuli are Chinese sentences with matching (congruent) or mismatching (incongruent) ending words.

RESULTSN400 latencies were prolonged, and amplitudes were decreased in Cz, Pz, Fz, C3, C4, in FES compared with in NC, before treatment. The prolonged N400 latencies and decreased amplitudes were negatively correlated with the patients' positive scale and total scale of PANSS. There are significant differences of N400 amplitudes and latencies in 6 months and 15 months follow-up after treatment. Before treatment, 6 months and 15 months after treatment, N400 latencies are 446 ± 35 ms, 440 ± 37 ms, 414 ± 31 ms (F = 9.72, P < 0.01) in incongruent situation; N400 amplitudes are 5.2 ± 4.6 μV, 5.7 ± 4.8 μV, 7.3 ± 5.0 μV (F = 2.06, P > 0.05) in congruent situation, and 8.5 ± 5.9 μV, 10.1 ± 5.0 μV, 11.9 ± 7.0 μV (F = 3.697, P < 0.05) in incongruent situation.

CONCLUSIONSN400 could be used to predict the effects of treatment of schizophrenia to some degree. The linguistic and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia can be improved by antipsychotic drugs.

Adult ; Evoked Potentials ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Risperidone ; therapeutic use ; Schizophrenia ; drug therapy ; rehabilitation

Seven meroterpenoids and five small-molecular precursors were isolated from Penicillium sp., an endophytic fungus from Dysosma versipellis. The structures of new compounds, 11beta-acetoxyisoaustinone (1) and isoberkedienolactone (2) were elucidated based on analysis of the spectral data, and the absolute configuration of 2 was established by TDDFT ECD calculation with satisfactory match to its experimental ECD data. Meroterpenoids originated tetraketide and pentaketide precursors, resepectively, were found to be simultaneously produced in specific fungus of Penicillium species. These compounds showed weak cytotoxicity in vitro against HCT-116, HepG2, BGC-823, NCI-H1650, and A2780 cell lines with IC 50 > 10 micromol x L(-1).
Berberidaceae ; microbiology ; Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Lactones ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Monoterpenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Penicillium ; chemistry