Analysis on the salt tolerance of Nitraria sibirica Pall. based on Pacbio full-length transcriptome sequencing.

KEY MESSAGE: Nitraria sibirica Pall. regulates its tolerance to salt stress mainly by adjusting ion balance, modifying cell wall structure, and activating signal transduction pathways. N. sibirica, as a typical halophyte, can not only effectively restore saline-alkali land, but also has high economic value. However, studies on its salt tolerance at combining molecular and physiological levels were limited. In this study, the salt tolerance of N. sibirica was analyzed based on Pacbio full-length transcriptome sequencing, and the salt tolerance in the physiological level was verified by key genes. The results showed that 89,017 full-length transcripts were obtained, of which 84,632 sequences were annotated. A total of 86,482 coding sequences (CDS) were predicted and 6561 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. DEGs were significantly enriched in "sodium ion homeostasis", "response to osmotic stress", "reactive oxygen species metabolic process", "defense response by cell wall thickening", "signal transduction", etc. The expression levels for most of these DEGs increased under salt stress. A total of 69 key genes were screened based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), of which 33 were first reported on salt tolerance. Moreover, NsRabE1c gene with the highest expression level was selected to verify its salt tolerance. Over-expression of NsRabE1c gene enhanced the germination potential and root length of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants without salt treatment as compared to those of Col-0 and AtRabE1c mutant. The expression levels of NsRabE1c decreased in the growth stagnation phase, while significantly increased in the growth recovery phase under salt stress. We predicted that NsRabE1c gene help N. sibirica resist salt stress through the regulation of plant growth. The results of this study deepen the understanding of salinity resistance in N. sibirica.

Talar coverage of the tibia plays a role in anterior ankle impingement: a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Ankle impingement is generally characterised by limited range of motion and pain due to pathological contact between structures. Anterior ankle impingement is usually diagnosed by clinical examination and radiographic evidence of tibiotalar osteophytes. In addition to osteophytes, radiographs may show a correlation between the tibia and talus, which may further aid in the diagnosis of anterior ankle impingement. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the tibia and talus in anterior ankle impingement. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, the tibial coverage of 22 patients with anterior ankle impingement was compared with that of 67 healthy subjects. RESULTS: The percentage of tibial coverage was 0.674 ± 0.043 in the anterior ankle impingement group and 0.580 ± 0.032 in the control group. The difference between groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to existing criteria, the percentage of tibial coverage may provide valuable information for the diagnosis of anterior ankle impingement.

H2 -free Semi-hydrogenation of Butadiene by the Atomic Sieving Effect of Pd Membrane with Tree-like Pd Dendrites Array.

H2 -free semi-hydrogenation at room temperature shows great advantage for replacing the thermocatalytic process in industry owing to the high energy and resource saving, however, remains great challenges. Herein, a tree-like Pd dendrites array decorated Pd membrane was constructed as the core device in an electrochemistry assisted gas-fed membrane reactor for butadiene semi-hydrogenation. It reveals that hydrogen atomic sieving effect of this Pd-based membrane under electrochemical condition was the key for semi-hydrogenation. The configuration study of Pd nanostructured membrane demonstrates that the penetration of hydrogen atoms through Pd membrane from electrochemical side to chemical side is affected by the consumption of hydrogen atom in semi-hydrogenation step. Such atomic sieving property of nanostructured Pd membrane with 5.1 times increase in catalytic active surface area brings above 14 times higher in butadiene conversion than that of bare Pd foil, with ≈90 % of butenes selectivity at butadiene conversion ≈98 % over 300 h of H2 -free reaction under 15 mA cm-2 .

Effects of erythropoietin for precaution of steroid-induced femoral head necrosis in rats.

BACKGROUND: Steroids such as glucocorticoid have been widely used for their excellent anti-inflammatory, anti-immune, and anti-shock properties. However, the long-term use in high doses has been found to cause necrosis of femoral head and other serious adverse reactions. Thus, it is of great importance to safely use these medications on patients without inducing bone necrosis. METHODS: In this preclinical study, we examined the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) to attenuate the induction of steroid-induced femoral bone necrosis using rats to build up the in-vivo models. Rats were randomly divided into three groups: negative control group (group A), disease group (group B), and EPO group (group C). 20 mg/kg methylprednisolone was administrated into group B and group C for 6 weeks with two intramuscular injections per week per rat. Group C was further given daily intraperitoneal injections of rHuEPO during this period. Group A received only injection of saline at the same schedule. 12 weeks after the initial drug administration, the rats' femoral tissues were harvested for HE staining, immunohistochemistry studies for PECAM-1(also CD31) expression and Western Blotting for VEGF expression. RESULTS: Histology studies showed that compared with the disease group, EPO group had significant improvement and bone morphology being much closer to the negative control group. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that EPO group had statistically much more expression of PECAM-1 than the other groups did. Western Blot demonstrated that the EPO group had significantly higher VEGF expression than the disease group. CONCLUSION: Results suggested that simultaneous injection of EPO could partially prevent steroid-induced ANFH.

Exogenous salicylic acid regulates reactive oxygen species metabolism and ascorbate-glutathione cycle in Nitraria tangutorum Bobr. under salinity stress.

The effect of 0.5-1.5 mM salicylic acid (SA) on modulating reactive oxygen species metabolism and ascorbate-glutathione cycle in NaCl-stressed Nitraria tangutorum seedlings was investigated. The individual plant fresh weight (PFW) and plant dry weight (PDW) significantly increased under 100 mM NaCl while remained unchanged or decreased under 200-400 mM NaCl compared to the control. Superoxide anion (O2·-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), reduced ascorbate (AsA), dehydroascorbate (DHA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) increased whereas the ratios of AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG decreased under varied NaCl treatments. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were enhanced while dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) activities remained unvaried under 100-400 mM NaCl stresses. In addition, exogenous SA further increased PFW, PDW and root/shoot ratio. SA effectively diminished O2·- accumulation. H2O2 and TBARS decreased under 0.5 and 1.0 mM SA treatments compared to those without SA. 0.5 mM of SA increased while 1.0 and 1.5 mM SA decreased APX activities. DHAR activities were elevated by 0.5 and 1.0 mM SA but not by 1.5 mM SA. MDHAR and GR activities kept constant or significantly increased at varying SA concentrations. Under SA treatments, AsA and GSH contents further increased, DHA and GSSG levels remained unaltered, while the decreases in AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG ratios were inhibited. The above results demonstrated that the enhanced tolerance of N. tangutorum seedlings conferred by SA could be attributed mainly to the elevated GR and DHAR activities as well as the increased AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG ratios.

Shengmai injection attenuates the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion induced autophagy via modulation of the AMPK, mTOR and JNK pathways.

Context Shengmai injection (SMI) is a patented Chinese medicine originated from the ancient Chinese herbal compound Shengmai san, which is used extensively for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in the clinic. Objective To determine the neuroprotective effect of SMI, we investigated the effect of SMI on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice as well as the mechanisms underlying this effect. Materials and methods Right middle cerebral artery was occluded by inserting a thread through internal carotid artery for 1 h, and then reperfused for 24 h in mice. The neuroprotective effects were determined using transmission electron microscopic examination, the evaluation of infarct volume, neurological deficits and water brain content. Related mechanisms were evaluated by immunofluorescence staining and western blotting. SMI was injected intraperitoneally after 1 h of ischemia at doses of 1.42, 2.84 and 5.68 g/kg. The control group received saline as the SMI vehicle. Results Results showed that SMI (1.42, 2.84 and 5.68 g/kg) could significantly reduce the infarct volume, SMI (5.68 g/kg) could also significantly improve the neurological deficits, decreased brain water content, as well as the neuronal morphological changes. SMI (5.68g/kg) could significantly inhibit the expression of autophagy-related proteins: Beclin1 and LC3. It also reduced the increase in LC3-positive cells. SMI (5.68 g/kg) remarkably inhibited the phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK), and down-regulated the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) after 24 h of reperfusion. Discussion and conclusion The results indicate that SMI provides remarkable protection against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, which may be partly due to the inhibition of autophagy and related signalling pathways.

[Multi-center retrospective analysis of clinical and related sociologic characteristics of postoperative distal radius fracture patients].

OBJECTIVE: To study clinical-related characteristics of sociology of postoperative distal radius fracture patients. METHODS: A multi-center retrospective research was conducted on the information of the case evaluation and follow-up, including the patients' gender, age, habits, history of chronic diseases, conditions of fracture, length of hospital stay and treatments. The epidemiology data were analyzed with SPSS15.0. RESULTS: Of the entire 143 patients, 52 were male (average age: 41), and 91 were female (average age: 61). The different gender and age groups had significant distinction in the characteristics of injury. The length of hospital stay was influenced by the energy of injury. CONCLUSION: To reduce the damage or incidence of distal radius fracture, we should avoid falling, strengthen protection awareness, treat internal medicine diseases or osteoporosis and so on. The knowledge of characteristics of sociology and injury of distal radius fracture is beneficial to the prevention and treatment.

A method of percutaneous vertebroplasty under the guidance of two C-arm fluoroscopes.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical application in the percutaneous vertebroplasty under the guidance of one or two C-arm fluoroscopes. METHODS: One hundred forty three elderly patients with Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty under the guidance of one or two C-arm fluoroscopes. The number of pulsed imagings, the time of operation and the incidence of cement leakage were recorded. RESULTS: The average number of pulsed imagings was 16.00±1.58 vs 13.07±2.00 per patient under the guidance of one vs two C-arm fluoroscopes. The average time of operation was 48.42±5.00 minutes vs 39.70±7.42 minutes per patient under the guidance of one vs two C-arm fluoroscopes. The incidence of cement leakage was 20% vs 15.7% of the patients under the guidance of one vs two C-arm fluoroscopes. The differences in the number of pulsed imagings and the time of operation were statistically significant. The difference in incidence of cement leakage was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The two-fluoroscopic technique reduce the labor cost, the radiation, the time of operation and the operation risk.

Electrochemistry-assisted selective butadiene hydrogenation with water.

Alkene feedstocks are used to produce polymers with a market expected to reach 128.4 million metric tons by 2027. Butadiene is one of the impurities poisoning alkene polymerization catalysts and is usually removed by thermocatalytic selective hydrogenation. Excessive use of H2, poor alkene selectivity and high operating temperature (e.g. up to 350 °C) remain the most significant drawbacks of the thermocatalytic process, calling for innovative alternatives. Here we report a room-temperature (25~30 °C) electrochemistry-assisted selective hydrogenation process in a gas-fed fixed bed reactor, using water as the hydrogen source. Using a palladium membrane as the catalyst, this process offers a robust catalytic performance for selective butadiene hydrogenation, with alkene selectivity staying around 92% at a butadiene conversion above 97% for over 360 h of time on stream. The overall energy consumption of this process is 0.003 Wh/mLbutadiene, which is thousands of times lower than that of the thermocatalytic route. This study proposes an alternative electrochemical technology for industrial hydrogenation without the need for elevated temperature and hydrogen gas.

Mice Exposed to Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia Simulate Clinical Features of Deficiency of both Qi and Yin Syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Deficiency of both Qi and Yin Syndrome (DQYS) is one of the common syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), mainly characterized by tiredness, emaciation, anorexia, fidget, palpitation and rapid pulse, and so forth. Currently, there is no available animal model which can reflect the clinical features of this syndrome. In the present paper, we observed the time-course changes of whole behavior, body weight, food intake, locomotive activity and electrocardiogram in mice exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia for 6 weeks, and measured bleeding time at last according to the clinical features of DQYS and one key pathological factor. The results showed that the mice exposed to intermittent hypoxia for certain time presented lackluster hair, dull looking hair, resistance, attacking, body weight loss, food intake decline, locomotive activity decrease, heart rate quickening and T wave elevating, which were similar to the major clinical features of DQYS. Meanwhile, bleeding time shortening was also found, which was consistent with the clinical fact that DQYS often accompanied with blood stasis. The possible explanation was also outlined according to the available literature. Such findings suggested chronic intermittent hypoxia could induce similar symptoms and signs in mice accorded with the clinical features of DQYS, which provided a suitable animal model for evaluation of drugs for the treatment of this syndrome and further exploration of pathological process or correlation of the syndrome and related diseases.

An antioxidant phytotherapy to rescue neuronal oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic neuronal injury. A Chinese herbal formula composed of Poria cocos (Chinese name: Fu Ling), Atractylodes macrocephala (Chinese name: Bai Zhu) and Angelica sinensis (Chinese names: Danggui, Dong quai, Donggui; Korean name: Danggwi) (FBD), has been proved to be beneficial in the treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R).This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effect of FBD against neuronal oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro. Rat I/R were established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 1 h, followed by 24 h reperfusion. MCAO led to significant depletion in superoxide dismutase and glutathione and rise in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide in brain. The neurological deficit and brain infarction were also significantly elevated by MCAO as compared with sham-operated group. All the brain oxidative stress and damage were significantly attenuated by 7 days pretreatment with the aqueous extract of FBD (250 mg kg(-1), p.o.). Moreover, cerebrospinal fluid sampled from FBD-pretreated rats protected PC12 cells against oxidative insult induced by 0.2 mM hydrogen peroxide, in a concentration and time-dependent manner (IC(50) 10.6%, ET(50) 1.2 h). However, aqueous extract of FBD just slightly scavenged superoxide anion radical generated in xanthine-xanthine oxidase system (IC(50) 2.4 mg ml(-1)) and hydroxyl radical generated in Fenton reaction system (IC(50) 3.6 mg ml(-1)). In conclusion, FBD was a distinct antioxidant phytotherapy to rescue neuronal oxidative stress, through blocking LPO, restoring endogenous antioxidant system, but not scavenging free radicals.

[Finite element optimization analysis of minimally invasive screw treatment for Sanders typeâ ¡calcaneal fracture].

OBJECTIVE: To explore biomechanical characteristics of minimally invasive different screw fixations in treating Sanders typeⅡcalcaneal fractures. METHODS: Dicom data of calcaneus by CT scan were input into Mimics 21.0 software and Ansys15.0 software to construct three-dimensional finite element digital model of calcaneus;this model was input into UG NX 10.0 software, and calcaneus was cut according to Sanders classification to establish Sanders typeⅡ calcaneus model with posterior articular surface collapse;then simulated minimally invasive screw internal fixation after calcaneal fracture:a screw from posterior articular surface was used to outside-in fix sustentaculum tali, other 4 screws were used to fix calcaneus by different methods through calcaneal tuberosity, and 4 different calcaneal models were obtained. Under the same conditions, 4 types of internal fixation models were loaded respectively, and nonlinear finite element analysis was performed to calculate the stress distribution of different internal fixation models. RESULTS: Under the same condition of loading, the model 3 had smaller displacement value, maximum calcaneus displacement value and maximum equivalent stress value of the screw than other three internal fixation models, and the stress was more dispersed. CONCLUSION: In minimally invasive screw internal fixation of calcaneus fracture, after 1 sustentaculum tali screw fixation, 2 screws crossed fix posterior articular surface from calcaneal tuberosity, 2 screws fix parallelly calcaneocuboid joint from calcaneal tuberosity are more suitable for biomechanical requirements, and could provide basic theory for clinical treatment.

Characterization and determination of chlorophacinone in plasma by ion chromatography coupled with ion trap electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Plasmatic chlorophacinone is commonly measured with liquid chromatographic assay, which convenient but lacks sensitivity and selectivity and usually requires ion pair reagents to reduce the chromatographic tailed peak. In this paper, a novel method using eluent generator reagent-free ion chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometric detection for the determination of chlorophacinone in plasma has been developed. After samples were extracted with 10% (v/v) methanol in acetonitrile and cleaned by solid-phase extraction, chromatographic separation was performed on an IonPac AS11 analytical column (250 x 4.0 mm) using 40.0 mmol/L KOH containing 10% (v/v) methanol as organic modifier. Quantification was performed by negative electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The transition m/z 373 --> 201 was for the quantification ion; the transitions m/z 373 --> 172 and m/z 373 --> 145, as well as the isotope ions m/z 375 and m/z 203, were for the qualitative ions. All the method parameters were validated. It was confirmed that this method can be used in clinical diagnosis and forensic toxicology.

[Thinking of current situation of animal model of tradition Chinese medicine combining disease and syndrome].

Combination disease and syndrome to construct animal model must be accord with the diagnosis and treatment mode of tradition Chinese medicine (TCM). The construct ion method should abide by the mode of combination prescription, syndrome, disease and efficacy. Prescription refers to those classic and effective formula. Syndrome refers to the symptoms and signs of prescription. Disease refers to model medical disease. Efficacy refers to the results of treatment. Constructing animal model should choose the classical prescription and formulate the clinical signs and symptoms. According to the main pathological process of modem diseases related to the syndrome to mine the methods of constructing animal models to express the main signs and symptoms, at last to testify the efficacy through the corresponding prescription. This method of constructing animal model is not only accord to the mode of diagnosis and treatment of TCM, but also affords a certain example of constructing animal model of combination model disease and syndrome.

Herbal formula FBD extracts prevented brain injury and inflammation induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.

The aim of this work was to verify neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of FBD, a herbal formula composed of Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala and Angelica sinensis, in ICR mice subjected to repetitive 10 min of common carotid arteries occlusion followed 24 h reperfusion. Intragastrical pretreatment with supercritical carbon dioxide extract (FBD-CO(2), 37.5 mg/kg) twice daily for 3.5 d, significantly reduced Evans Blue influx, neuron specific enolase (NSE) efflux, brain infarction (all p<0.05), also inhibited polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) infiltration (p<0.001), suppressed secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in blood (p<0.05), interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-8 in brain (both p<0.01), and down-regulated cerebral expression of phosphor-IkappaB-alpha and phosphor-nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB), whether coupled with aqueous extract (FBD-H(2)O, 150 mg/kg) or not. Moreover, FBD-CO(2) (0.1-10 microg/ml) inhibited 0.1 microM phorbol myristate acetate-evoked oxidative burst in rat PMNs, 20 ng/ml TNF-alpha-triggered PMNs adhesion to ECV304 endothelial cells, and PMNs neurotoxicity to PC12 neuron-like cells as well as NSE release (IC(50) 1.30, 0.98, 0.24 and 0.82 microg/ml, respectively). Our study demonstrated that FBD-CO(2) prevented brain ischemia/reperfusion injury, at least in part, by limiting PMNs infiltration and neurotoxicity mediated by TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-8, via inhibition on NF-kappaB activation.

Liu-Shen-Wan, a traditional Chinese medicine, improves survival in sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture via reducing TNF-alpha levels, MDA content and enhancing macrophage phagocytosis.

Sepsis in humans is a difficult condition to treat and is often associated with a high mortality rate. Here, we investigated putative protective effects of Liu-Shen-Wan (LSW), a well-known Chinese formula used in treating infectious diseases, against polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The oral administration of LSW, at the first dose of 60 mg/kg and then 30 mg/kg every 12 h, significantly improved the survival of CLP mice during a 4-day observation period. The effects of LSW on the inflammatory response (circulating tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 (IL-1) levels and malondialdehyde (MDA) content-an index of lipid peroxidation), infectious degree (peritoneal bacteria counts), and innate immunity function (leukocyte counts, macrophage phagocytosis and neutrophil respiratory burst) were further examined in rats. We demonstrated that treatment of LSW significantly decreased elevated levels of circulating TNF-alpha at 4 h and further reduced plasma MDA levels at 24 h after CLP, at first doses of 15 and 30 mg/kg and then 7.5 and 15 mg/kg every 12 h. Moreover, LSW markedly enhanced clearance of intraperitoneal bacteria associated with the increasing count of peritoneal leukocytes and enhancing phagocytic activity of macrophages partly impaired at 24 h after CLP. In contrast, LSW lightly reduced IL-1 levels at 4 h and failed to improve deactivated respiratory burst activity of neutrophils at 24 h after CLP. Thus, LSW exerts protective effects against sepsis induced by CLP, mainly by reducing plasma TNF-alpha and MDA levels and enhancing peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis, suggesting that it is a potential agent in the prevention and treatment of sepsis.

[Relationship between components changes and efficacy of Shengmaisan VII. Chemical dynamic change of schisandrin in Shengmaisan].

OBJECTIVE: To study the change of schisandrin in Shengmaisan (SMS) and decomposed group. METHOD: The HPLC-UV was used to determine schisandrin in SMS and decomposed group. RESULT: To extract Schisandra chinensis with ginseng, ophiopogon, general ginsenoside or ginsenoside Rg1 could promote the content of schisandrin. CONCLUSION: Saponin is propitious to extracting the schisandrin.

Protective Effects of Sheng-Mai-San on Right Ventricular Dysfunction during Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia in Mice.

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and failure contribute to the increasing morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases; however, current treatment strategies are grossly inadequate. Sheng-Mai-San (SMS) has been used to treat heart diseases for hundreds of years in China, and its protective effects on RV have not been observed. The present study was to investigate the protective effects of SMS aqueous extract on RV dysfunction in chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) mice model. The results showed that CIH mice model presented RV dysfunction and maladaptive compensation after 28-day-CIH and SMS treatment significantly reversed these changes. Diastolic function of RV was restored and systolic dysfunction was attenuated, including elevation of RV stroke volume and fractional shortening, as well as pulmonary circulation. Structurally, SMS treatment inhibited RV dilation, cardiomyocytes vacuolization, ultrastructure abnormalities, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3. Of importance, SMS showed remarkable antioxidant activity by decreasing the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), increasing the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), as well as inhibiting the overexpression of 3-NT in RV. Our results indicate that SMS preserve RV structure and function in CIH-exposed mice by involving regulation in both ROS and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS) production.

Neuroprotective effects of the aqueous extract of the Chinese medicine Danggui-Shaoyao-san on aged mice.

Danggui-Shaoyao-san (DSS), a famous Chinese complex prescription, has been widely used for gynecological and obstetrical purposes for a long time, and recently it has gained much attention due to its therapeutic efficacy for senile dementia. In the present study, the effects of aqueous extract of Danggui-Shaoyao-san on naturally aged mice were examined to investigate the pharmacological basis for its therapeutic efficacy on senile dementia. The results showed that DSS significantly prolonged latency in a step-through test and increased brain index so as to improve impaired cognitive function of aged mice after oral administration at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg for 3 months. Using high-performance liquid chromatography technique with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD), it was found that DSS increased the content of monoamine neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in brains of aged mice. Using transmission electron microscope, it was found that DSS dose-dependently protected the ultrastructure of brain cortex in aged mice. These results indicate that DSS ameliorates memory dysfunction, modulates metabolism of monoamine neurotransmitters and protects the ultrastructure of cortex changed by aging. These findings suggest that DSS may be a useful therapeutic agent for senile dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Protective effects of FBD--an experimental Chinese traditional medicinal formula on memory dysfunction in mice induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.

With regards to the applications of three Chinese herbs poria, rhizoma atractylodis macrocephalae, and radix angelicae sinensis to vascular dementia (VD), the work was performed to assess the nootropic action and explore neuroprotective mechanisms of three herbs combinations (FBD) on mice injured by cerebral repetitive ischemia-reperfusion (IR). Aqueous extracts from FBD (115-460 mg/kg) administered p.o. significantly improved cognitive function through elongating latency and reducing number of errors in step-through test. Aqueous extracts from FBD inhibited lipid peroxidation (LPO), elevated activity in (Na+)-(K+)-ATPase and (Ca2+)-ATPase, reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO) in cortical tissue after IR, and artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) containing aqueous extracts from FBD (ACSF-FBD) (0.01-10 mg/L) protected also primary cortical cortex neurons (PCCN) from hypoxic and excitotoxic insult induced by sodium dithionite (1 mM) and monosodium glutamate (MSG) (0.5 mM) in vitro. Multiple anti-IR properties contributed probably FBD to ameliorate cognitive dysfunction shown in this murine model for VD.