Evaluation of phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of different varieties of Chinese citrus.

Citrus peels have health-promoting effects and are a rich source of antioxidant substances. This study evaluated the compositions of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities in the peels of 52 citrus varieties with consistent planting time and management. The highest levels of total phenols (72.95 ± 37.60 mg/g DW) and total flavonoids (71.43 ± 37.64 mg/g DW) were found in mandarin. The highest phenolic acid content (18.78 ± 0.38 mg/g DW), dominated by protocatechuic acid, was found in kumquat. The antioxidant potency composite index was 6.23-94.56, suggesting mandarin varieties HJ, TWPG, TTPG, AY28, BZH and TCJC had the highest antioxidant activity. Statistics analysis indicated phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were positively correlated. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis suggested a strong relationship between phenolic compound composition and genetic background. This study indicated significant differences in the biological properties of various types of citrus peels; which are valuable for future utilization and research of citrus peels.

Selenium-containing protein from selenium-enriched Spirulina platensis antagonizes oxygen glucose deprivation-induced neurotoxicity by inhibiting ROS-mediated oxidative damage through regulating MPTP opening.

CONTEXT: Selenium-containing protein from selenium-enriched Spirulina platensis (Se-SP) (syn. Arthrospira platensis [Microcoleaceae]) showed novel antioxidant activity. However, the protective effect of Se-SP against oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced neural apoptosis has not been reported yet. OBJECTIVE: To verify whether Se-SP can inhibit OGD-induced neural apoptosis and explore the underlying mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary hippocampal neurons were separated from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. 95% N2 + 5% CO2 were employed to establish OGD model. Neurons were treated with 5 and 10 µg/mL Se-SP under OGD condition for 6 h. Neurons without treatment were the control group. Neural viability and apoptosis were detected by MTT, immunofluorescence and western blotting methods. RESULTS: Se-SP significantly improved neuronal viability (from 57.2% to 94.5%) and inhibited apoptosis in OGD-treated primary neurons (from 45.6% to 6.3%), followed by improved neuronal morphology and caspases activation. Se-SP co-treatment also effectively suppressed OGD-induced DNA damage by inhibiting ROS accumulation in neurons (from 225.6% to 106.3%). Additionally, mitochondrial dysfunction was also markedly improved by Se-SP co-treatment via balancing Bcl-2 family expression. Moreover, inhibition of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) by CsA (an MPTP inhibitor) dramatically attenuated OGD-induced ROS generation (from 100% to 56.2%), oxidative damage, mitochondrial membrane potential (MPP) loss (from 7.5% to 44.3%), and eventually reversed the neuronal toxicity and apoptosis (from 57.4% to 79.6%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Se-SP showed enhanced potential to inhibit OGD-induced neurotoxicity and apoptosis by inhibiting ROS-mediated oxidative damage through regulating MPTP opening, indicating that selenium-containing protein showed broad application in the chemoprevention and chemotherapy against human ischaemic brain injury.

Comparative efficacy and safety of combination therapy with high-dose sulbactam or colistin with additional antibacterial agents for multiple drug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with high-dose sulbactam or colistin with additional antibacterial agents for treating multidrug-resistant or extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB or XDR-AB) infections. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science (through March 30, 2020) for studies that examined high-dose sulbactam or colistin with additional antibacterial agents as therapy for patients with infections with MDR-AB and XDR-AB. Through a network meta-analysis (NMA), using both direct and indirect evidence, we determined risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Primary outcomes included clinical improvement, clinical cure, microbiological eradication, and mortality from any cause. Secondary outcomes included nephrotoxicity. RESULTS: The NMA included 18 studies and 1835 patients. We found that high-dose sulbactam (≥6 g per day), combined with another single antibacterial agent (levofloxacin or tigecycline), which were the highest ranking in clinical improvement and clinical cure. Still colistin-based combination in drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii therapy occupied the main position (the number of studies and patients) in most studies. Colistin combined with additional antibacterial agents was associated with a higher risk of nephrotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Therapeutic regimens including high-dose sulbactam in combination with additional antibacterial agents (including colistin) might be one of the promising options for the treatment of MDR-AB or XDR-AB infections and high-quality study will be needed to confirm clinical efficacy.

Tetramethylpyrazine suppresses lipid accumulation in macrophages via upregulation of the ATP-binding cassette transporters and downregulation of scavenger receptors.

Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP), a biologically active ingredient first extracted from the Chinese medicinal plant Ligusticum wallichii Franchat., has athero-protective activity, yet the particular mechanisms have not been completely explored. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of TMP and its possible mechanisms in RAW264.7 macrophages and apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. TMP treatment markedly increased the cholesterol efflux and inhibited oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) uptake, thus, ameliorating lipid accumulation in macrophages. In addition, TMP significantly increased the protein and mRNA expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 (ABCA1) and G1 (ABCG1), while suppressing the protein and mRNA expression of class A scavenger receptor (SR-A) and the cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36). Moreover, the effects of TMP on the upregulation of the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1, the downregulation of the expression of CD36 and SR-A, the increase of cholesterol efflux and the decrease of lipid accumulation as well as the uptake of ox-LDL were mediated by the inactivation of PI3K/Akt and p38 MAPK. Furthermore, TMP upregulated the protein stability of ABCA1 without affecting ABCG1. Accordingly, TMP regulated the expression of SR-A, CD36, ABCA1 and ABCG1 in aortas of ApoE-/- mice, which resembled the findings observed in macrophages. TMP was also capable of delaying the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice. These findings revealed that TMP downregulates scavenger receptors and upregulates ATP-binding cassette transporters via PI3K/Akt and p38 MAPK signaling, thus suppressing lipid accumulation in macrophages.

Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine approaches to mental health care and psychological wellbeing in India and China.

India and China face the same challenge of having too few trained psychiatric personnel to manage effectively the substantial burden of mental illness within their population. At the same time, both countries have many practitioners of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine who are a potential resource for delivery of mental health care. In our paper, part of The Lancet and Lancet Psychiatry's Series about the China-India Mental Health Alliance, we describe and compare types of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine in India and China. Further, we provide a systematic overview of evidence assessing the effectiveness of these alternative approaches for mental illness and discuss challenges in research. We suggest how practitioners of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine and mental health professionals might forge collaborative relationships to provide more accessible, affordable, and acceptable mental health care in India and China. A substantial proportion of individuals with mental illness use traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine, either exclusively or with biomedicine, for reasons ranging from faith and cultural congruence to accessibility, cost, and belief that these approaches are safe. Systematic reviews of the effectiveness of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine find several approaches to be promising for treatment of mental illness, but most clinical trials included in these systematic reviews have methodological limitations. Contemporary methods to establish efficacy and safety-typically through randomised controlled trials-need to be complemented by other means. The community of practice built on collaborative relationships between practitioners of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine and providers of mental health care holds promise in bridging the treatment gap in mental health care in India and China.

Hyperthermia combined with 5-fluorouracil promoted apoptosis and enhanced thermotolerance in human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901.

This study was designed to investigate the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis-promoting effect under hyperthermia and chemotherapy treatment, at cellular level. Human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 was cultivated with 5-fluorouracil at different temperatures. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined, and expression of Bcl-2 and HSP70 was measured at different treatments. Cell survival rates and inhibition rates in chemotherapy group, thermotherapy group, and thermo-chemotherapy group were drastically lower than the control group (P<0.05). For tumor cells in the thermo-chemotherapy group, survival rates and inhibition rates at three different temperatures were all significantly lower than those in chemotherapy group and thermotherapy group (P<0.05). 5-Fluorouracil induced apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells with a strong temperature dependence, which increased gradually with increase in temperature. At 37°C and 43°C there were significant differences between the thermotherapy group and chemotherapy group and between the thermo-chemotherapy group and thermotherapy group (P<0.01). The expression of Bcl-2 was downregulated and HSP70 was upregulated, with increase in temperature in all groups. Cell apoptosis was not significant at 46°C (P>0.05), which was probably due to thermotolerance caused by HSP70 accumulation. These results suggested that hyperthermia combined with 5-fluorouracil had a synergistic effect in promoting apoptosis and enhancing thermotolerance in gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901.

Protective effects of tetrandrine on brain cells in phenobarbital-dependent and -withdrawn rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tetrandrine (Tet) on the brain cells of phenobarbital­dependant and ­withdrawn rats, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. A total of 100 rats were randomly divided into five groups: The control group, the phenobarbital­dependent model group, and Tet­treated groups of low­, mid­ and high­dosages. Following drug withdrawl, the morphological changes of the frontal lobe cells were examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Immunohistochemical staining was applied to detect the expression of apoptosis­related proteins Bcl­2 and Bax. Reverse transcription­polymerase chain reaction (RT­PCR) and western blotting methods were applied to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of Bcl­2 and Bax, respectively, in the frontal lobe. The results indicated that Tet effectively reduced the withdrawal symptoms, particularly the weight loss, in phenobarbital­dependent and ­withdrawn rats. H&E staining revealed that Tet significantly restored the histopathological changes in the addicted rats in a dose­dependent manner. The immunohistochemical, RT­PCR, and western blot analyses indicated that Tet treatment significantly increased the Bcl­2+ brain cells and the mRNA and protein expression levels of Bcl­2, and decreased the Bax+ cells and the mRNA and protein expression levels of Bax, as well as elevated the ratio of Bcl­2/Bax, in phenobarbital­dependent and ­withdrawn rats. Tet may inhibit apoptosis in these addicted rats, in a dose­dependent manner. Tet alleviates the phenobarbital withdrawal symptoms and protects the brain cells against apoptosis, which may be a result of the regulation of the mRNA and protein expression levels of Bcl­2 and Bax.

[Preparation of a solid-phase microextraction fiber coated with gamma-Al2O3 and determination of volatile organic compounds in aqueous and gaseous samples].

A method for the preparation of a novel gamma-Al2O3 coated layer on fibers for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was developed. The adsorption and desorption properties of the coated fibers were studied by the extraction of some volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers (BTEXs) from aqueous samples. The calibration graphs were linear in the range 0.01 mg/L to 3 mg/L and the detection limits for BTEX compounds were between 1 microg/L and 10 microg/L. Also the gamma-Al2O3 coated fibers exhibited a good thermal stability (to 350 degrees C ) and reproducibility with relative standard deviation of 8.3%. It can be used to determine organic compounds in the real gaseous samples.