Effects and Mechanism of Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides in the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GLP) have renal protection effect but there was no study on the diabetic nephropathy. This study was designed to investigate its effect and mechanism using a diabetic rat model induced by streptozotocin (50 mg/kg, i.p.). The diabetic rats were treated with GLP (300 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks. The blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, body weight, and the levels of blood creatinine, urea nitrogen, and urine protein were assessed. And renal pathologies were assessed by the tissue sections stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's trichome, and periodic acid-Schiff. The expression of phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3 kinase (p-PI3K), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt), and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR), the autophagy proteins beclin-1, LC3-II, LC3-I, and P62; the apoptosis-related proteins caspase-3 and caspase-9; and the inflammation markers IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-ɑ were assessed. Results showed that GLP alleviated the impairment of renal function by reducing urinary protein excretion and the blood creatinine level and ameliorated diabetic nephropathy. The expression of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR in the diabetic kidney were significantly reduced in the GLP treatment group compared to the without treatment group. GLP treatment activated the autophagy indicators of beclin-1 and the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I but reduced p62 and also inhibited the expression of caspase-3, caspase-9 and IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-ɑ. In conclusion, the effect of GLP amelioration diabetic nephropathy may be via the PI3k/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway by inhibition of the apoptosis and inflammation and activation of the autophagy process.

Effects of spore powder of ganoderma lucidum on CaSR and apoptosis-related proteins in hippocampus tissue of epilepsy following dementia: A protocol of systematic review.

BACKGROUND: This study will investigate the effects of Spore Powder of Ganoderma Lucidum (SPGL) on CaSR and apoptosis-related proteins (ARP) in hippocampus tissue of epilepsy following dementia. METHODS: This study will retrieve all potential studies from both electronic databases (Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, and CNKI) and other literature sources to assess the effects of SPGL on CaSR and ARP in hippocampus tissue of epilepsy following dementia. We will search all literature sources from the inception to the present. All eligible case-control studies will be included in this study. Two authors will independently carry out literature selection, data collection, and study quality evaluation. Any divergence will be resolved by another author through discussion. RevMan 5.3 software will be employed for data analysis. RESULTS: This study will summarize existing evidence to assess the effects of SPGL on CaSR and ARP in hippocampus tissue of epilepsy following dementia. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study may provide helpful evidence of SPGL on CaSR and ARP in hippocampus tissue of epilepsy following dementia. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: INPLASY202070041.

Impact of early diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis by carotid ultrasound: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of carotid ultrasound (CU) for early diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis (CAS). METHODS: Literatures will be sought from the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PSYCINFO, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The search will cover from the start of indexing to the present without any limitations of language and publication status. All study quality will be assessed by Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool, and data will be analyzed by RevMan V.5.3 software and Stata V.12.0 software. RESULTS: This study will investigate the impact of CU for early diagnosis of CAS through sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may provide helpful evidence for the impact of CU for early diagnosis of CAS. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42019153904.

Can cervical vascular ultrasound combined with transcranial Doppler ultrasound accurately diagnose cerebral infarction?: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of cervical vascular ultrasound (CVU) combined transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TDU) in the diagnosis of cerebral infarction (CI). METHODS: The following electronic databases will be sought from PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PSYCINFO, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, WANGFANG, VIP database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The search period will cover from the initial indexing to March 1, 2020 without restrictions of language and publication status. All case-controlled studies which identifying the impact of CVU combined TDU in the diagnosis of CI will be considered. Two authors will independently perform the whole process of study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment, respectively. If any disagreements occur between two authors, we will invite a third experienced author to help solve them through discussion. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool will be used to check study quality, and RevMan V.5.3 software and Stata V.12.0 software will be utilized to carry out statistical analysis. RESULTS: This study will summarize the most recent evidence that focusing on the impact of CVU combined TDU in the diagnosis of CI. CONCLUSION: This study will provide helpful evidence to determine whether CVU combined TDU is an accurate diagnosis tool for CI or not. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020171367.

Spore powder of Ganoderma lucidum for Alzheimer's disease: A protocol for systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported that spore powder of Ganoderma lucidum (SPGL) may be effective for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, its efficacy is still inconclusive. Thus, this systematic review will aim to assess its efficacy and safety for AD. METHODS: We will search the electronic databases of Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, MEDILINE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database to assess the efficacy and safety of SPGL for patients with AD from their inceptions to the present. All case-control studies and randomized controlled trials will be considered for inclusion in this study. Two review authors will independently perform the study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias evaluation. RESULTS: The primary outcome includes the cognitive status for patients. The secondary outcomes consist of the quality of life, AD symptoms, and adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review will present the existing evidence for the efficacy and safety of SPGL for treating patients with AD. DISSEMINATION AND ETHICS: The results of this systematic review will be disseminated by through peer-reviewed journals. It does not needs ethic approval, because it does not involve individual patient data. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42019119426.

Spore powder of Ganoderma lucidum for the treatment of Alzheimer disease: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: This study explored the feasible efficacy and safety of the Spore Powder of Ganoderma Lucidum (SPGL) for treating patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS: Forty-two eligible patients with AD were recruited. These patients were randomly allocated to an intervention group and a control group equally. The patients in the intervention group underwent SPGL, whereas the subjects in the control received placebo. All patients were treated for a total of 6 weeks. The primary outcome was measured by Alzheimer's disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-cog). The secondary outcomes were measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and Neuropsychiatric Index (NPI). The adverse events were also recorded during the treatment period. RESULTS: At the end of the treatment, GLSP did not show more encouraging outcomes in symptoms improvement, measured by the ADAS-cog (P = .31), and NPI (P = .79); and quality of life enhancement, measured by the WHOQOL-BREF (physical, P = .62; psychological, P = .69; social relationships, P = .75; environment, P = .82; overall quality of life, P = .74), compared with the control group. In addition, all adverse events were mild, and no significant differences were found between 2 groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study did not find the promising efficacy of SPGL for the treatment of AD after 6-week treatment. It may be because of the relative short-term of intervention. Future clinical trials with larger sample size and longer treatment period are urgently needed.

[Effect of electroacupuncture pre-treatment on myocardial enzyme levels in recurrent myocardial ischemia rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) preconditioning of "Neiguan" (PC 6) on myocardial enzyme levels in acute recurrent myocardial ischemia rabbits so as to study its mechanisms underlying protection of ischemic myocardium. METHODS: A total of 40 healthy rabbits were randomized into normal control, myocardial ischemia (MI) model, EA preconditioning (EA-P), recurrent MI (RMI), EA-P+ RMI groups. MI model was duplicated by auricular intravenous administration of Posterior Pituitary Injection (PPI, 0.3 mL/kg). EA (2 Hz/70 Hz, 2-4 mA) was applied to bilateral PC 6 for 30 min, once daily for 7 d before MI. The contents of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), isoenzymes of creatine kinase (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (alpha-HBD) were detected by automatic biochemistry analyzer. RESULTS: Following administration of PPI, ECG-ST(II), serum AST, CK-MB, LDH, CK and alpha-HBD levels were increased significantly in the MI and RMI groups (P<0.01). Compared with the MI model group, ECG-ST(II), serum AST, CK-MB, LDH, CK and alpha-HBD levels were down-regulated considerably in the EA-P group (P<0.01), and ECG-ST(II), serum AST, CK-MB, LDH, CK and alpha-HBD levels were obviously lower in the EA-P+ RMI group than in the RMI group (P<0.01). No significant differences were found between the MI and RMI groups, and between EA-P and EA-P + RMI groups in the above-mentioned 6 indexes (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture preconditioning has a remarkable effect in the prevention of ischemic myocardial injury of both acute and recurrent myocardial ischemia in the rabbit, which is closely associated with its functions in lowering serum AST, CK-MB, LDH, CK and alpha-HBD contents.

DsRNA-free transmissible hypovirulence associated with formation of intra-hyphal hyphae in Botrytis cinerea.

A spontaneous mutant CanBc-3HV and its parental strain CanBc-3 of Botrytis cinerea were investigated in terms of pathogenicity, colony morphology, hypovirulence transmissibility, presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), and formation of intra-hyphal hyphae (IH). Results showed that inoculation of CanBc-3HV on detached leaves of Brassica napus did not produce any visible necrotic lesions (20°C, 72h), whereas inoculation of CanBc-3 caused necrotic leaf lesions. Compared to CanBc-3, CanBc-3HV grew slowly, formed numerous mycelial sectors, sporulated sporadically and failed to produce sclerotia on potato dextrose agar (PDA) (20°C, 15d). Hypovirulence and the abnormal cultural characteristics of CanBc-3HV were transmissible from CanBc-3HV to CanBc-3 in pair cultures on PDA. However, the transmission was unsuccessful from CanBc-3HV to another virulent strain CanBc-2 of B. cinerea. These results suggest that transmission of the hypovirulence and the abnormal cultural characteristics of CanBc-3HV are strain-specific. No dsRNA was detected in mycelia of either CanBc-3HV or CanBc-3, implying that the hypovirulence of CanBc-3HV is caused by a transmissible element (TE) of non-RNA mycoviral origin. Formation of IH through self-infection was observed in CanBc-3HV, CanBc-3T1 (a hypovirulent derivative of CanBc-3 trans-infected by TE in CanBc-3HV), but was not observed in CanBc-3, suggesting that IH formation is associated with the hypovirulence of CanBc-3HV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of dsRNA-free transmissible hypovirulence associated with IH formation in B. cinerea.

Investigation of morphological change of green tea polysaccharides by SEM and AFM.

The objective of this study is to investigate the morphological structure and its change of green tea polysaccharides (GTPS) before and after enzyme reaction by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Before enzyme reaction, with the novel sample preparation method SEM images of GTPS have obtained many branches and network structures. After enzyme reaction, the morphological structure of GTPS changed, and surface roughness increased. The microstructure of GTPS from SEM with the novel sample preparation method was in accordance with the results from AFM with the tapping mode. The results indicate that the novel sample preparation of GTPS for SEM is a simple, feasible, and reliable method for observing the surface morphology.

Role of secondary structures in the gelation of porcine myosin at different pH values.

Secondary structures, gelation properties and their relationships in porcine myosin were studied by circular dichroism, dynamic rheological measurement and scanning electron microscopy. Gelling of porcine myosin involved a change in myosin conformation with protein-protein and protein-water interactions. The gelation properties were strongly pH and temperature dependent. Near the pI (pH 5.5 and 6.0), porcine myosin could spontaneously coagulate at 15°C resulting partially from the presence of more ß-sheets. Myosin at pH6.5-9.0 began to form a gel at temperatures greater than 38°C. Heating caused α-helices to partially turn into ß-sheets and random coils. Subsequently, myosin aggregated and formed a gel network. The gel strength decreased and the water-holding capacity (WHC) increased with increasing pH. Correlation analysis indicated that both the unfolding of α-helices and the formation of ß-sheets favored the gelation of porcine myosin. A high ß-sheet fraction prior to heating resulted in a low WHC of resultant gel. A compact and uniform gel was also obtained at pH6.5.

Vulnerability of synaptic plasticity in the complexin II knockout mouse to maternal deprivation stress.

The alterations in brain function and structure seen in schizophrenia are mediated by genetics as well as vulnerability due to environmental factors. Postmortem studies in schizophrenic patients have shown that expression of complexin II, which is involved in neurotransmitter release at central nervous system synapses, is decreased in the brain. We examined the physiological characteristics of complexin II gene-deficient mice subjected to maternal deprivation stress to determine whether psychological stress during the early stage of life affected the development of brain function. We compared the electrophysiological properties of CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons and spatial memory in the Morris water maze test in the wild-type mouse and the homozygous mutant. In the non-stressed mouse, no significant differences in transsynaptic responses and synaptic plasticity or spatial memory were seen, suggesting that complexin II does not play a critical role in transmitter release or synaptic plasticity under these conditions. In contrast, under conditions of maternal deprivation stress, the knockout mouse showed a significant decrease in post-tetanic potentiation and LTP induction and a significant impairment in Morris water Maze test compared to the wild-type mouse, suggesting that complexin II plays a significant role in neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity under this pathological condition. Taken together, these results show that mice lacking complexin II are vulnerable to maternal deprivation stress, which raises the possibility that the complexin II gene may be a factor in the onset of schizophrenia.