Divergent synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes via FeIII-catalysed regioselective dehydrogenative coupling reactions: a biomimetic approach to 6,6'-bis-(debromo)-gelliusine F.

The divergent dehydrogenative coupling reactions of tryptamines with the catalysis of nontoxic FeIII salts in the presence of DDQ as the co-oxidant have been developed. Remarkably, the transformations feature a rapid and regioselective assembly of diverse 2,8'- and N1,8'-bis(indolyl) methane derivatives from readily-available starting materials by simply changing the FeIII salt and reaction temperature. Besides, the fast reaction rate, mild reaction conditions, low catalyst cost and easy operations make this methodology quite useful. The synthetic utility was further demonstrated in the biomimetic synthesis of 6,6'-bis-(debromo)-gelliusine F.

Cytotoxic Cyclodepsipeptides and Cyclopentane Derivatives from a Plant-Associated Fungus Fusarium sp.

In this work, four new cyclodepsipeptides, fusarihexins C-E (1-3) and enniatin Q (4), four new cyclopentane derivatives, fusarilins A-D (5-8), together with eight known compounds (9-16), were isolated from cultures of the endophytic fungus Fusarium sp. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by analysis of HRMS and NMR spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations were determined using Marfey's method, a modified Mosher's method, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and ECD analysis. The antitumor activities of the isolated compounds in vitro were evaluated. Cyclodepsipeptides displayed cytotoxicities against the Huh-7, MRMT-1, and HepG-2 cell lines. Compounds 4, 9, 10, and 12 with IC50 values of 1.0-9.1 µM exhibited the most potent cytotoxicities against the three cell lines as compared to the positive control-5-fluorouracil. Compounds 1-3 and 11 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities (IC50 values of 10.7-20.1 µM).

Epidemic spreading with migration in networked metapopulation.

Migration plays a crucial role in epidemic spreading, and its dynamic can be studied by metapopulation model. Instead of the uniform mixing hypothesis, we adopt networked metapopulation to build the model of the epidemic spreading and the individuals' migration. In these populations, individuals are connected by contact network and populations are coupled by individuals migration. With the network mean-field and the gravity law of migration, we establish the N-seat intertwined SIR model and obtain its basic reproduction number ℛ 0 . Meanwhile, we devise a non-markov Node-Search algorithm for model statistical simulations. Through the static network migration ansatz and ℛ 0 formula, we discover that migration will not directly increase the epidemic replication capacity. But when ℛ 0 > 1 , the migration will make the susceptive population evolve from metastable state (disease-free equilibrium) to stable state (endemic equilibrium), and then increase the influence area of epidemic. Re-evoluting the epidemic outbreak in Wuhan, top 94 cities empirical data validate the above mechanism. In addition, we estimate that the positive anti-epidemic measures taken by the Chinese government may have reduced 4 million cases at least during the first wave of COVID-19, which means those measures, such as the epidemiological investigation, nucleic acid detection in medium-high risk areas and isolation of confirmed cases, also play a significant role in preventing epidemic spreading after travel restriction between cities.

[Prediction of formability of flavonoid extract granules by dry granulation based on design space and RBFNN].

In this paper, a flavonoid extract powder properties-process parameters-granule forming rate prediction model was constructed based on design space and radial basis function neural network(RBFNN) to predict the formability of flavonoid extract gra-nules. Box-Behnken experimental design was employed to explore the mathematical relationships between critical process parameters and quality attributes. The design space of critical process parameters was developed, and the accuracy of the design space was verified by Monte Carlo method(MC). Design Expert 10 was used for Box-Behnken design and mixture design. Scutellariae Radix mixed powder was prepared and its powder properties were measured. The mixed powder was then subjected to dry granulation and the granule forming rate was determined. The correlations between powder properties were analyzed by variance influence factor(VIF), and principal component analysis(PCA) was performed for the factors with strong collinearity. In this way, a prediction model of powder properties-process parameters-granule forming rate was established based on RBFNN, the accuracy of which was evaluated with examples. The results showed that the model had a good predictive effect on the granule forming rate, with the average relative error of 1.04%. The predicted value and the measured value had a high degree of fitting, which indicated that model presented a good prediction ability. The prediction model established in this study can provide reference for the establishment of quality control methods for Chinese medicinal preparations with similar physical properties.

Enhancing the decolorization activity of Bacillus pumilus W3 CotA-laccase to Reactive Black 5 by site-saturation mutagenesis.

Reactive Black 5 (RB5) is a typical refractory azo dye. Widespread utilization of RB5 has caused a variety of environmental and health problems. The enzymatic degradation of RB5 can be a promising solution due to its superiority as an eco-friendly and cost-competitive process. Bacterial CotA-laccase shows great application prospect to eliminate hazardous dyes from wastewater. However, efficient decolorization of RB5 CotA-laccase generally requires the participation of costly, toxic mediators. In the present study, we modified the amino acids Thr415 and Thr418 near the type 1 copper site and the amino acid Gln442 at the entrance of the substrate-binding pocket of Bacillus pumilus W3 CotA-laccase to boost its RB5 decolorization activity based on molecular docking analysis and site-saturation mutagenesis. Through the strategies, two double site mutants T415D/Q442A and T418K/Q442A obtained demonstrated 43.94 and 52.64% RB5 decolorization rates in the absence of a mediator at pH 10.0, respectively, which were about 3.70- and 4.43-fold higher compared with the wild-type CotA-laccase. Unexpectedly, the catalytic efficiency of the T418K/Q442A to ABTS was enhanced by 5.33-fold compared with the wild-type CotA-laccase. The mechanisms of conferring enhanced activity to the mutants were proposed by structural analysis. In summary, the mutants T415D/Q442A and T418K/Q442A have good application potentials for the biodegradation of RB5. KEY POINTS: • Three amino acids of CotA-laccase were manipulated by site-saturation mutagenesis. • Decolorization rate of two mutants to RB5 was enhanced 3.70- and 4.43-fold, respectively. • The mechanisms of awarding enhanced activity to the mutants were supposed.

Emodin Inhibits Resistance to Imatinib by Downregulation of Bcr-Abl and STAT5 and Allosteric Inhibition in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells.

Imatinib-resistance is a significant concern for Bcr-Abl-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) treatment. Emodin, the predominant compound of traditional medicine rhubarb, was reported to inhibit the multidrug resistance by downregulating P-glycoprotein of K562/ADM cells with overexpression of P-glycoprotein in our previous studies. In the present study, we found that emodin can be a potential inhibitor for the imatinib-resistance in K562/G01 cells which are the imatinib-resistant subcellular line of human chronic myelogenous leukemia cells with overexpression of breakpoint cluster region-abelson (Bcr-Abl) oncoprotein. Emodin greatly enhanced cell sensitivity to imatinib, suppressed resistant cell proliferation and increased potentiated apoptosis induced by imatinib in K562/G01 cells. After treatment of emodin and imatinib together, the levels of p-Bcr-Abl and Bcr-Abl were significantly downregulated. Moreover, Bcr-Abl important downstream target, STAT5 and its phosphorylation were affected. Furthermore, the expression of Bcr-Abl and signal transducers and activators of transcription 5 (STAT5) related molecules, including c-MYC, MCL-1, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP), Bcl-2 and caspase-3, were changed. Emodin also decreased Src expression and its phosphorylation. More importantly, emodin simultaneously targeted both the ATP-binding and allosteric sites on Bcr-Abl by molecular docking, with higher affinity with the myristoyl-binding site for enhanced Bcr-Abl kinase inhibition. Overall, these data indicated emodin might be an effective therapeutic agent for inhibiting resistance to imatinib in CML treatment.

Extracellular expression of mutant CotA-laccase SF in Escherichia coli and its degradation of malachite green.

In this study, mutant CotA-laccase SF was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli by co-expression with phospholipase C. The optimized extracellular expression of CotA-laccase SF was 1257.22 U/L. Extracellularly expressed CotA-laccase SF exhibits enzymatic properties similar to intracellular CotA-laccase SF. CotA-laccase SF could decolorize malachite green (MG) under neutral and alkaline conditions. The Km and kcat values of CotA-laccase SF to MG were 39.6 mM and 18.36 s-1. LC-MS analysis of degradation products showed that MG was finally transformed into 4-aminobenzophenone and 4-aminophenol by CotA-laccase. The toxicity experiment of garlic root tip cell showed that the toxicity of MG metabolites decreased. In summary, CotA-laccase SF had a good application prospect for degrading malachite green.

Effect of all-trans retinoic acid on casein and fatty acid synthesis in MAC-T cells.

OBJECTIVE: Caseins and fatty acids of milk are synthesized and secreted by the epithelial cells of the mammary gland. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), an active metabolite of vitamin A, has been shown to promote mammary development. This study was conducted to determine the effect of ATRA on casein synthesis and fatty acid composition in MAC-T cells. METHODS: MAC-T cells were allowed to differentiate for 4 d, treated with ATRA (0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 µM), and incubated for 3 d. We analyzed the fatty acid composition, the mRNA expression of casein and fatty acid synthesis-related genes, and the phosphorylation of casein synthesis-related proteins of MAC-T cells by gas chromatography, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: In MAC-T cells, ATRA increased the mRNA levels of αS1-casein and ß-casein, janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and E74-like factor 5 of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 ß (STAT5-ß) pathway, ribosomal protein S6 kinase beta-1 (S6K1) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, inhibited the mRNA expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E of the mTOR pathway, and promoted the phosphorylation of STAT5-ß and S6K1 proteins. Additionally, ATRA increased the de novo synthesis of fatty acids, reduced the content of long-chain fatty acids, the ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (SFA), the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to SFA, and the ratio of ω-6 to ω-3 PUFA. The mRNA levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, fatty acid synthase, lipoprotein lipase, stearoyl-CoA desaturase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) were enhanced by ATRA. CONCLUSION: ATRA promotes the synthesis of casein by regulating JAK2/STAT5 pathway and downstream mTOR signaling pathway, and it improves the fatty acid composition of MAC-T cells by regulating SREBP1-related genes.

[Research on Bayesian fault diagnosis model of traditional Chinese medicine dry granulation based on failure model and effect analysis (FMEA)].

This paper aims to construct a Bayesian(BN) fault diagnosis model of traditional Chinese medicine dry granulation based on the failure model and effect analysis(FMEA), effectively control risk factors and ensure the quality of granules.Firstly, the risk ana-lysis of dry granulation process was carried out with FMEA, and the selected medium and high risk factors were taken as node variables to establish corresponding BN network with causality.According to the mathematical reasoning method of probability theory, the model was accurately inferred and verified by Netica, and the granule nonconformance was used as the evidence for reversed reasoning to determine the most likely cause of the failure that affected the granule quality.The BN fault diagnosis model of traditional Chinese medicine dry gra-nulation was established based on the medium and high risk factors of process, prescription and equipment screened out by FMEA, such as roller pressure, raw material viscosity, clearance between rollers in the paper.The fault diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine dry granulation process was then carried out according to the model, and the posterior probability of each node under the premise of nonconforming granule quality was obtained.This method could provide strong support for operators to quickly eliminate faults and make decisions, so as to improve the efficiency and accuracy for fault diagnosis and prediction, with innovation in its application.

Corticosterone tissue-specific response in Sprague Dawley rats under acute heat stress.

Our study evaluated the physiological responses to acute heat stress in rats via body temperature and tissue corticosterone levels, and investigated the relative tissue response to heat stress based on corticosterone. Body temperature of rats under 22 °C (control) and 42 °C for 30 (H30), 60 (H60) and 120 min (H120) was measured. Correspondingly, corticosterone was analyzed in 11 tissues (adrenal, brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, leg muscle, blood, stomach, spleen and small intestine). Analysis of variance and correlations were conducted on body temperature and corticosterone levels. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyzed the thermo-sensitivity via corticosterone. Body temperature of rats in H30, H60 and H120 groups were higher (P < 0.05) than the control. Compared to the control, corticosterone levels of heart, stomach and small intestine at H30, corticosterone levels in adrenal, leg muscle and stomach at H60, and corticosterone levels in adrenal, heart, lung, stomach and small intestine at H120 differed (P < 0.05). The corticosterone in lung tissue was an excellent indicator of acute heat stress, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 1.00 at H60 and H120. In order to improve the prediction of acute heat stress, models combining corticosterone levels of multiple tissues reached an AUC of 1.00 for H30, and the sensitivity increased to 100% for H60 and H120. In conclusion, changes in the patterns and thermosensitivity of corticosterone levels associated with the duration of heat stress across body tissues were evidenced. The single and multi-organizational corticosterone models serve as indicators for evaluating heat stress across different time periods.

[Material properties and tensile strength prediction model of traditional Chinese medicine tablets based on PCA-RBF neural network].

This paper constructs a prediction model of material attribute-tensile strength based on principal component analysis-radial basis neural network( PCA-RBF),in order to predict the formability of traditional Chinese medicine tablets. Firstly,design Expert8. 0 software was used to design the dosage of different types of extracts,the mixture of traditional Chinese medicine with different physical properties was obtained,the powder properties of each extract and the tensile strength of tablets were determined,the correlation of the original input layer data was eliminated by PCA,the new variables unrelated to each other were trained as the input data of RBF neural network,and the tensile strength of the tablets was predicted. The experimental results showed that the PCA-RBF model had a good predictive effect on the tensile strength of the tablet,the minimum relative error was 0. 25%,the maximum relative error was2. 21%,and the average error was 1. 35%,which had a high fitting degree and better network prediction accuracy. This study initially constructed a prediction model of material properties-tensile strength of Chinese herbal tablets based on PCA-RBF,which provided a reference for the establishment of effective quality control methods for traditional Chinese medicine preparations.

Apelin in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus improves cardiac function in surgical trauma rats.

Apelin is a novel endogenous active peptide. The aim of this study is to investigate whether apelin in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) can improve the cardiac function in rats subjected to thoracic surgery trauma, and whether it is involved in the protective effect of electro-acupuncture (EA). Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into non-stressed group (control), thoracic surgical trauma stressed group (trauma) and bilateral Neiguan EA applied on thoracic surgical trauma stressed group (trauma + EA-PC 6). The mRNA expressions of apelin receptor (APJR) and apelin in the PVN were detected by real time-PCR. The exogenous apelin-13 (6 mmol/L, 0.1 µL) was microinjected into the rat PVN in the thoracic trauma group, and the effects of apelin-13 on the blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and the discharge of rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) neurons were observed through the simultaneous recording technology by polygraph. The results showed that the APJR mRNA expression was significantly decreased in the rats of trauma group as compared with that in the control group (P < 0.05), and a decline trend of apelin mRNA expression was also observed. EA application at bilateral Neiguan acupoints partially recovered the decline of APJR and apelin mRNA expression by the treatment of thoracic trauma. Both mean arterial pressure and HR in the thoracic surgical trauma group were significantly increased by the microinjection of exogenous apelin-13 into the PVN (P < 0.05), and the single-unit discharge rate of RVLM neurons also had an increasing trend. These results suggest that apelin in the PVN can improve the cardiac function of thoracic surgical trauma rats, and may be involved in the protective effects of EA.

The plasma membrane NADPH oxidase OsRbohA plays a crucial role in developmental regulation and drought-stress response in rice.

Plasma membrane NADPH oxidases are major producers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells under normal growth and stress conditions. In the present study the total activity of rice NADPH oxidases and the transcription of OsRbohA, which encodes an Oryza sativa plasma membrane NADPH oxidase, were stimulated by drought. OsRbohA was expressed in all tissues examined throughout development. Its mRNA was upregulated by a number of factors, including heat, drought, salt, oxidative stress and methyl jasmonate treatment. Compared with wild-type (WT), the OsRbohA-knockout mutant osrbohA exhibited upregulated expression of other respiratory burst oxidase homolog genes and multiple abnormal agronomic traits, including reduced biomass, low germination rate and decreased pollen viability and seed fertility. However, OsRbohA-overexpressing transgenic plants showed no differences in these traits compared with WT. Although osrbohA leaves and roots produced more ROS than WT, the mutant had lesser intracellular ROS. In contrast, OsRbohA-overexpressing transgenic plants exhibited higher ROS production at the intracellular level and in tissues. Ablation of OsRbohA impaired the tolerance of plants to various water stresses, whereas its overexpression enhanced the tolerance. In addition, a number of genes related to energy supply, substrate transport, stress response and transcriptional regulation were differentially expressed in osrbohA plants even under normal growth conditions, suggesting that OsRbohA has fundamental and broad functions in rice. These results indicate that OsRbohA-mediated processes are governed by complex signaling pathways that function during the developmental regulation and drought-stress response in rice.

Meiotic maturation and developmental capability of ovine oocytes at germinal vesicle stage following vitrification using different cryodevices.

In order to assess effects of vitrification on ovine oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage, the conventional plastic straw (CS), the open-pulled straw (OPS), and Cryoloop were used to vitrify ovine oocytes. Oocytes were randomly divided into five groups: (1) Control; (2) Oocytes exposed to vitrification and dilution solutions without any cryopreservation (toxicity); (3) Oocytes vitrified using CS (CS); (4) Oocytes vitrified using OPS (OPS), and (5) Oocytes vitrified using Cryoloop (Cryoloop). The viability, cumulus cell expansion, nuclear maturation after in vitro maturation (IVM), and developmental capability of vitrified oocytes following parthenogenetic activation (PA) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) were assessed. The pretreatment in the vitrification and dilution solutions without any freezing or thawing did not adversely influence oocytes. The viability of vitrified oocytes were significantly declined compared to unfrozen oocytes (P < 0.05). The viability of oocytes vitrified using open-pulled straws or Cryoloop was significantly higher than that in the CS group (P < 0.05). After IVM, the percentage of oocytes reaching to the metaphase II (MII) stage was significantly higher with Cryoloop and OPS following by CS. However, the in vitro maturing percentage of vitrified oocytes was significantly less than that of unfrozen oocytes (P < 0.05). After PA, the developmental capability of vitrified oocytes was significantly decreased compared to unfrozen oocytes. The cleavage rate of oocytes vitrified using conventional plastic straws was significantly less than those of the other freezing groups (P < 0.05). The cleaving capability of oocytes vitrified using Cryoloop was significantly increased compared to the OPS group. However, there was no significant difference existing amongst the freezing groups as concerning the blastocyst rate. Following IVF, the developmental capability of vitrified oocytes was severely damaged compared to that of unfrozen oocytes. The cleavage rate of oocytes vitrified with Cryoloop was similar to that of oocytes vitrified with open-pulled straws. However, the cleavage rate of vitrified oocytes in the CS group was significantly less than that in the OPS or Cryoloop group (P < 0.05). None of oocytes vitrified using conventional plastic straw developed to the blastocyst stage following IVF. There was no significant difference existing between OPS and Cryoloop with respect to the blastocyst rate. After staining with cFDA and PI, cumulus cells surrounding oocytes were partly damaged by vitrification and thawing while the membrane of vitrified oocyte still remained intact. In conclusion, vitrification can seriously damage ovine immature oocytes and cumulus cells surrounding oocytes, which may subsequently affect their developmental capability. Finally, this study further proves that increasing the freezing and thawing velocity benefits survival of vitrified immature oocytes.

The Fundamental Role of NOX Family Proteins in Plant Immunity and Their Regulation.

NADPH oxidases (NOXs), also known as respiratory burst oxidase homologs (RBOHs), are the major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and are involved in many important processes in plants such as regulation of acclimatory signaling and programmed cell death (PCD). Increasing evidence shows that NOXs play crucial roles in plant immunity and their functions in plant immune responses are not as separate individuals but with other signal molecules such as kinases, Rac/Rop small GTPases and hormones, mediating a series of signal transmissions. In a similar way, NOX-mediated signaling also participates in abiotic stress response of plants. We summarized here the complex role and regulation mechanism of NOXs in mediating plant immune response, and the viewpoint that abiotic stress response of plants may be a kind of special plant immunity is also proposed.

AdipoRon, the first orally active adiponectin receptor activator, attenuates postischemic myocardial apoptosis through both AMPK-mediated and AMPK-independent signalings.

Adiponectin (APN) is a cardioprotective molecule. Its reduction in diabetes exacerbates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. Although APN administration in animals attenuates MI/R injury, multiple factors limit its clinical application. The current study investigated whether AdipoRon, the first orally active molecule that binds APN receptors, may protect the heart against MI/R injury, and if so, to delineate the involved mechanisms. Wild-type (WT), APN knockout (APN-KO), and cardiomyocyte specific-AMPK dominant negative (AMPK-DN) mice were treated with vehicle or AdipoRon (50 mg/kg, 10 min prior to MI) and subjected to MI/R (30 min/3-24 h). Compared with vehicle, oral administration of AdipoRon to WT mice significantly improved cardiac function and attenuated postischemic cardiomyocyte apoptosis, determined by DNA ladder formation, TUNEL staining, and caspase-3 activation (all P < 0.01). MI/R-induced apoptotic cell death was significantly enhanced in mice deficient in either APN (APN-KO) or AMPK (AMPK-DN). In APN-KO mice, AdipoRon attenuated MI/R injury to the same degree as observed in WT mice. In AMPK-DN mice, AdipoRon's antiapoptotic action was partially inhibited but not lost. Finally, AdipoRon significantly attenuated postischemic oxidative stress, as evidenced by reduced NADPH oxidase expression and superoxide production. Collectively, these results demonstrate for the first time that AdipoRon, an orally active APN receptor activator, effectively attenuated postischemic cardiac injury, supporting APN receptor agonists as a promising novel therapeutic approach treating cardiovascular complications caused by obesity-related disorders such as type 2 diabetes.

Predicting the prognosis of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) has good clinical efficacy in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, its efficacy varies. This review summarized the ability of various markers to predict the efficacy of HAIC and provided a reference for clinical applications. As of October 25, 2023, 51 articles have been retrieved based on keyword predictions and HAIC. Sixteen eligible articles were selected for inclusion in this study. Comprehensive literature analysis found that methods used to predict the efficacy of HAIC include serological testing, gene testing, and imaging testing. The above indicators and their combined forms showed excellent predictive effects in retrospective studies. This review summarized the strategies currently used to predict the efficacy of HAIC in middle and advanced HCC, analyzed each marker's ability to predict HAIC efficacy, and provided a reference for the clinical application of the prediction system.

Adiponectin inhibits oxidative/nitrative stress during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion via PKA signaling.

The cardioprotective effects of adiponectin (APN) against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury are well known. However, comprehension of the mechanisms mediating intracellular APN signaling remains incomplete. We recently demonstrate the antioxidant/antinitrative effects of APN are not dependent on AMPK. Protein kinase A (PKA) has been previously shown to be activated by APN, with uncertain relevance to APN cardiac protection. The current study determined whether the antioxidative/antinitrative effect of APN is mediated by PKA. Administration of APN (2 µg/g) 10 min before reperfusion significantly enhanced cardiac PKA activity, reduced oxidative stress, and decreased infarct size. Knockdown of cardiac PKA expression (PKA-KD) by intramyocardial injection of PKA-siRNAs (>70% suppression) significantly inhibited APN cardioprotection determined by cardiac apoptosis, infarct size, and cardiac function. Moreover, PKA-KD virtually abolished the suppressive effect of APN on MI/R-induced NADPH oxidase overexpression and superoxide overproduction and partially inhibited the effect of APN on nitrative protein modification in MI/R heart. Mechanistically, APN significantly inhibited MI/R-induced IKK/IκB phosphorylation and NF-κB activation, which were blocked in PKA-KD heart. Finally, the PKA-mediated antioxidant/antinitrative and cardioprotective effects of APN are intact in AMPK-deficient mice, suggesting that there is no cross talk between AMPK and PKA signaling in APN cardioprotection. Collectively, we demonstrate for the first time that APN inhibits oxidative/nitrative stress during MI/R via PKA-dependent NF-κB inhibition.

Prevalence of hyperuricemia and its related risk factors in healthy adults from Northern and Northeastern Chinese provinces.

BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a potential risk factor for developing insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, we studied the prevalence of HUA and associated risk factors in the population of two provinces in northern China. METHODS: Based on the research of Chinese Physiological Constant and Health Conditions conducted in 2008-2010, we enrolled 29,639 subjects in a randomized, stratified study in four sampling areas in Heilongjiang Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. We collected 13,140 serum samples to determine biochemical indicators including uric acid(UA), glucose, blood lipids, liver function, and renal function, and finally a representative sample of 8439 aged 18 years and older was determined. We also defined and stratified HUA, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and lipid abnormalities according to international guidelines. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the UA levels between different genders and regions. The total prevalence of HUA is 13.7%. Men had a higher prevalence of HUA than women (21% vs. 7.9%; P < 0.0001). As age increased, HUA prevalence decreased in men but rose in women. The suburbs of big cities had the highest HUA prevalence (18.7%), and in high-prevalence areas the proportion of women with HUA also increased. A stepwise logistic regression model was used to filter out twelve HUA risk factors, including age, gender, residence, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, impaired fasting glucose, hypertension, obesity, abdominal obesity, CKD, drinking and sleeping. After adjusting for these factors, the odds ratio of HUA was 1.92 times higher in men than in women. Compared with agricultural and pastoral areas, the odds ratio of having HUA was 2.14 for participants in the suburbs of big cities and 1.57 in the center of big cities. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of HUA is high in northern China. The differences in HUA prevalence by geographic region suggested that unbalanced economic development and health education, therefore HUA prevention measures should be strengthened to improve quality of life and reduce health care costs.

[In vitro transdermal behavior of effective constituents in Chonghe gel].

Chonghe gel originated from the Chinese ancient prescription, can be used for the treatment of diabetic foot. This experiment was to study the transdermal absorbability of paeoniflorin and osthole in Chonghe gel . Franz diffusing cells method was adopted for the in vitro model of rat belly skins. Paeoniflorin and osthole in the receiving liquid, skins and gel were determined by HPLC. The receiving liquid were screened, and Chonghe gel and Chonghe ointment were compared by transdermal absorbability. Result showed that ethanol-normal saline (2: 8) solution was the appropriate receiving liquid. The penetration rates of paeoniflorin and osthole were 78.07, 7.08 microg x cm(-2) x h(-1). respectively. In 24 h, the accumulated penetration rates were (31.51 +/- 1.33)%, (12.38 +/- 1.28)%, respectively. The retention rates of paeoniflorin and osthole in skin were (0.92 +/- 0.45)%, (4.81 +/- 1.03) %, respectively. The retention of osthole in skins was a drug reservoir. Transdermal behavior of effective constituents in Chonghe gel was more efficient than that in ointment. In vitro, the transdermal behavior of paeoniflorin in Chonghe gel was close to a Weibull process, while the behavior of osthole was close to Higuchi process.