Resveratrol prevents age-related heart impairment through inhibiting the Notch/NF-κB pathway.

Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural polyphenol compound found in various plants that has been shown to have potential benefits for preventing aging and supporting cardiovascular health. However, the specific signal pathway by which RSV protects the aging heart is not yet well understood. This study aimed to explore the protective effects of RSV against age-related heart injury and investigate the underlying mechanisms using a D-galactose-induced aging model. The results of the study indicated that RSV provided protection against age-related heart impairment in mice. This was evidenced by the reduction of cardiac histopathological changes as well as the attenuation of apoptosis. RSV-induced cardioprotection was linked to a significant increase in antioxidant activity and mitochondrial transmembrane potential, as well as a reduction in oxidative damage. Additionally, RSV inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Furthermore, the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor kappa-B p65 (NF-κB p65), and notch 1 protein were inhibited by RSV, indicating that inhibiting the Notch/NF-κB pathway played a critical role in RSV-triggered heart protection in aging mice. Moreover, further data on intestinal function demonstrated that RSV significantly increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in intestinal contents and reduced the pH value in the feces of aging mice. RSV alleviated aging-induced cardiac dysfunction through the suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation via the Notch/NF-κB pathway in heart tissue. Furthermore, this therapeutic effect was found to be associated with its protective roles in the intestine.

Role-play in Endodontic Teaching: a Case Study.

Objective: To investigate the role of the application of role-play in endodontic study in improving the communication skills of Chinese dental undergraduates prior to their direct interactions with patients at the Fourth Military Medical University's School of Stomatology, China. Methods: Students were recruited from the 5-year bachelor's programme (n = 36) and randomly divided into six groups, and from the 8-year DDS programme (n = 10) and randomly divided into two groups to participate in the role-play training. Cases selected randomly from the case pool were distributed to the groups. The teacher gave an outline of the roles in the simulation. Each member of each group randomly selected their own role for the role-play. Four types of surveys were distributed to students and faculty members at different points after the role-plays had taken place, to evaluate their attitude towards the use of role-plays in endodontic study. Frequency analysis and a one sample t test were used to describe and analyse students' acceptance of role-play as a teaching technique. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Students' performance and satisfaction as well as the supporting faculty responses were very favourable towards role-playing. In total, 93.5% of students responded favourably to the role-play, answering 'strongly agree' or 'agree' to the positive statements about their role-play performance. A total of 95.1% of students stated that they had benefited psychologically and technically from the role-play ('strongly agree' or 'agree') after their 1-year rotating internship. Conclusion: The application of role-play in endodontic study is an effective way of educating Chinese dental undergraduates and can be beneficial for their transition from students to dentists.

Fumanjian, a Classic Chinese Herbal Formula, Can Ameliorate the Impairment of Spatial Learning and Memory through Apoptotic Signaling Pathway in the Hippocampus of Rats with Aß 1-40 -Induced Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and lacks disease-altering treatments. Fumanjian (FMJ), a famous classic Chinese herbal prescription for dementia, was first recorded in the Complete Works of Jingyue during the Ming Dynasty. This study aimed to investigate whether FMJ could prevent cognitive deficit and take neuroprotective effects in Aß 1-40-induced rat model through apoptotic signaling pathway. AD model was established by bilateral injection of Aß 1-40 into hippocampus in rat. All rats were tested for their capabilities of spatial navigation and memorization by Morris water maze. Apoptosis was tested using TUNEL staining in hippocampus neuronal cells; RT-PCR tested expression of Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA; western blotting tested protein level of cleaved caspase-3. After 14 days of treatment, FMJ significantly improved the escape latency and enhanced platform-cross number compared with the Aß 1-40-injected group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). FMJ also significantly decreased number of TUNEL-positive neuronal apoptosis and the expressions of Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 and increased the expression of Bcl-2 (P < 0.01) compared with AD model group. In conclusion, FMJ exerts a protective effect against Aß 1-40-induced learning and memory deficits and neuronal apoptosis, suggesting that FMJ could be used as a potential therapeutic formula for AD.