Ficus carica extract impregnated amphiphilic polymer scaffold for diabetic wound tissue regenerations.

Diabetes associated injury healing and other tissue irregularities are viewed as a significant concern. The purpose of the study is to design the wound regeneration activity of Ficus carica extract (FFE) loaded amphiphilic polymeric scaffold of poly(xylitol-g-adipate-co-glutamide) (PXAG)-polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) for potential diabetic affected wound regeneration. The PXAG copolymer was prepared by the condensation method, and the polymeric scaffolds of PXAG-PHB, PXAG-PHB/FFE were developed through the ultra-sonication process and magnetic stirrer processes. The chemical structure, crystalline nature, thermal stability, size, surface charge and surface morphology of PXAG-PHB and PXAG-PHB/FFE polymeric scaffolds were investigated. The PXAG-PHB/FFE exhibits 99.0% free radical scavenging activity which was determined by the DPPH method. The inhibition zones by the PXAG-PHB/FFE indicate it had a higher antibacterial activity with the Escherichia coli (gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) pathogens. The PXAG, PXAG-PHB and PXAG-PHB/FFE polymeric scaffolds exhibited good viability against diabetic induced wound cells (WS1) in 100 µg/mL concentrations up to 72 h incubation. Since the synthesized PXAG-PHB/FFE polymeric scaffolds possess excellent thermal stability, bioactivity, biocompatibility and antioxidant activity along with potent antimicrobial activity, they play a potential role in diabetic wound tissue regenerations.

[Effect of acupuncture stimulation of "Shenshu"(BL23)-"Taixi"(KI3)on levels of serum uric acid and renal URAT1 and OAT1 protein expression in hyperuricemia rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Shenshu"(BL23)-"Taixi"(KI3)on the levels of serum uric acid (SUA) and expression of renal urate-anion transporter 1 (URAT1) and organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1) proteins in hyperuricemia (HUA) rats, so as to explore its underlying mechanisms in improving HUA. METHODS: A total of 25 male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: control (n＝6), HUA model (n＝7), BL23-KI3 (n＝6) and Ganshu (BL18)-Taichong (LR3, BL18-LR3 in short, n＝6). The HUA model was established by gavage of Oteracil Potassium (2 g/kg), once daily for 10 days, then once every other day. For rats of the BL23-KI3 group, BL23 and KI3 were stimulated with filiform needles which were rotated for 10 s at a frequency about 100 r/min, and for rats of the BL18-LR3 group, BL18 and LR3 were stimulated with the same methods to those of the BL23-KI3 group. The treatment of both acupuncture groups was conducted once daily, 6 times a week (except Sundays) for 3 weeks. The contents of SUA and serum creatinine (SCr) were assayed by using an automatic biochemical analyzer. The pathological changes of the right kidney tissue were observed under light microscope after hematoxylin eosin (H.E.) staining, the immunoactivity of URAT1 and OAT1 of the right kidney tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry, and the expression of URAT1 and OAT1 proteins of the left kidney tissue detected by Western blot (WB). RESULTS: After modeling, the content of SUA and the expression of renal URAT1 protein (shown by both immunoactivity and WB) were significantly increased (P<0.01), but that of renal OAT1 protein was obviously decreased in the model group compared with the control group (P<0.01). There was no notably change in the level of SCr in the model group relevant to the control group (P>0.05). Following acupuncture intervention, the SUA content and URAT1 expression in both BL18-LR3 and BL23-KI3 groups were considerably down-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the expression of OAT1 protein in the BL23-KI3 group (not the BL18-LR3 group) were obviously up-regulated relevant to the model group (P<0.01). The effects of BL23-KI3 were significant superior to those of BL18-LR3 in down-regulating the expression of URAT1 and up-regulating OAT1 protein (P<0.01, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture of "BL23" and "KI3" can effectively down-regulate SUA level in HUA rats, which may be related to its effects in down-regulating the expression of URAT1 and up-regulating the expression of OAT1 in the kidney tissue.

Altered baseline brain activity with 72 h of simulated microgravity--initial evidence from resting-state fMRI.

To provide the basis and reference to further insights into the neural activity of the human brain in a microgravity environment, we discuss the amplitude changes of low-frequency brain activity fluctuations using a simulated microgravity model. Twelve male participants between 24 and 31 years old received resting-state fMRI scans in both a normal condition and after 72 hours in a -6° head down tilt (HDT). A paired sample t-test was used to test the amplitude differences of low-frequency brain activity fluctuations between these two conditions. With 72 hours in a -6° HDT, the participants showed a decreased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the left thalamus compared with the normal condition (a combined threshold of P<0.005 and a minimum cluster size of 351 mm(3) (13 voxels), which corresponded with the corrected threshold of P<0.05 determined by AlphaSim). Our findings indicate that a gravity change-induced redistribution of body fluid may disrupt the function of the left thalamus in the resting state, which may contribute to reduced motor control abilities and multiple executive functions in astronauts in a microgravity environment.

Comparing the treatment effectiveness of body acupuncture and auricular acupuncture in preoperative anxiety treatment.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative anxiety has become more frequent in preoperative patients and can bring negative impact on operation outcomes. Many studies have reported the effect of body acupuncture in reducing anxiety syndromes. The aim of this study is to compare the treatment effect of body acupuncture and auricular acupuncture in preoperative patients with preoperative anxiety. METHODS: Thirty five elective ambulatory surgery patients were selected in the randomized and blinded trial. Subjects were randomly categorized in two intervention groups, the body acupuncture group who received acupuncture in the special points of body, and the auricular acupuncture group who received ear acupuncture. Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) was used before and after the study. RESULTS: For the auricular acupuncture group, the mean score of SAS was 57.57 ± 8.22 before the intervention and 46.32 ± 6.37 afterward. For the body acupuncture group, the SAS score was 55.39 ± 5.41 and 44.82 ± 6.76 before and after the intervention, respectively. For both groups, the difference between pre- and post-treatment scores reached the significant level (p = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: Both auricular and body acupuncture treatment methods were effective in decreasing anxiety in preoperative patients.

Fish consumption and the risk of gastric cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is the fourth most frequently occurring malignancy after lung, breast, and colorectal cancer, and the second most common cause of death from cancer worldwide. Epidemiologic studies have examined the possible association between fish consumption and gastric cancer, but the results were inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the association between fish intake and the risk of gastric cancer. METHODS: PubMed was searched for studies published in English-language journals from 1991 through 2009. We identified 17 epidemiologic studies (15 case-control and 2 cohort studies) that included relative risks (RRs) or odds ratios (ORs) estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the relationship between gastric cancer and fish consumption. Data were extracted using standardized data forms. Summary RRs or ORs for the highest versus non/lowest fish consumption levels were calculated using random-effects model. Heterogeneity among studies was examined using Q and I2 statistics. RESULTS: In this study, 5,323 cases of gastric cancer and over 130,000 non-cases were included. The combined results from all studies indicated that the association between high fish consumption and reduced gastric cancer risk was not statistically insignificant (RR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.71-1.07). CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence indicated that the association between fish consumption and risk of gastric cancer remains unclear.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of functionalized coumarins as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

Three series of functionalized coumarin compounds were designed and prepared as cholinesterase (AChE and BuChE) inhibitors. The biological profile against AChE and BuChE of the prepared compounds was determined. Compound 7b exhibited a mixed-type of AChE inhibitor with IC50 value for the AChE inhibition of 0.19+/-0.01 microM and a high selectivity for AChE/BuChE, and compound 6b acted as non-competitive AChE inhibitor with IC50 value of 0.43+/-0.02 microM. Structure-activity relationships (SARs) of prepared compounds were discussed.