Maternal dietary supplementation with ferrous N-carbamylglycinate chelate affects sow reproductive performance and iron status of neonatal piglets.

Iron-deficiency anemia is a public health concern that frequently occurs in pregnant mammals and neonatal offspring. Ferrous N-carbamylglycinate chelate (Fe-CGly) is a newly designed iron fortifier with proven effects in iron-deficient rats and weanling piglets. However, the effects of this new compound on pregnant mammals are unknown. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Fe-CGly on sow reproductive performance and iron status of both sows and neonatal piglets. A total of 40 large-white sows after second parity were randomly assigned to two groups (n=20). They were receiving a diet including 80 mg Fe/kg as FeSO4 or Fe-CGly, respectively, from day 85 of gestation to parturition. The serum (day 110 of pregnancy) and placentas of sows were sampled. Litter size, mean weight of live born piglets, birth (live) litter weight, number of live born piglets, and the number of still-born piglets, mummies, and weak-born piglets were recorded. Once delivered, eight litters were randomly selected from the 20 litters per treatment, and one new-born male piglet (1.503±0.142 kg) from each selected litter was slaughtered within 3 h after birth from the selected litters, without colostrum ingestion. The serum, longissimus muscle, liver and kidneys of the piglets were collected. The iron status of the serum samples and the messenger RNA level of iron-related genes in the placenta, liver and kidney were analyzed. The results showed that litter weight of live born piglets was higher (P=0.030) in the Fe-CGly group (19.86 kg) than in the FeSO4 group (17.34 kg). Fe-CGly significantly increased placental iron concentration (P<0.05) of sows. It also significantly increased iron saturation and reduced the total iron-binding capacity of piglets (P<0.05) at birth. However, the results revealed that supplementation of Fe-CGly in sows reduced liver and kidney iron concentration of neonatal piglets (P<0.05), indicating decreased iron storage. In addition, the concentration of iron in the colostrum was not significantly changed. Therefore, the present results suggested that replacement of maternal FeSO4 supplement with Fe-CGly in the late-gestating period for sows could improve litter birth weight, probably via enhanced iron transportation in the placenta.

Neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemoradiation for stage II-III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a single institution experience.

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer worldwide. It is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in China and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most prevalent histologic type. Many clinical trials have explored the value of neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemoradiation therapy in potentially resectable ESCC; however, these studies have produced conflicting results. This retrospective study was performed to investigate whether patients with resectable stage II/III ESCC should receive neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy in addition to surgery. A review of stage II/III thoracic ESCC patients who underwent esophagectomy and either neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemoradiation was performed. Chemotherapy regimen consisted of cisplatin 75 mg/m2 divided into 3 days and fluorouracil 500 mg/m2 on days 1 to 5. The patients who underwent neoadjuvant therapy were treated with one cycle of chemotherapy concurrently with radiotherapy (40 Gy in 20 fractions, 5 days/week), and those receiving adjuvant therapy were treated with two cycles of chemotherapy concurrently with radiotherapy (46-50 Gy in 23-25 fractions, 5 days/week). A total of 122 patients met inclusion criteria, of which 49 underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation and 73 underwent adjuvant chemoradiation. Median follow up was 36.5 months. The median survival times and 3, 5-year overall survival (OS) rates for the neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups were 39.3 versus 31.5 months, and 53.0%, 45.7% versus 42.9%, 29.7%, respectively (P = 0.091). For the patients with stage III ESCC, the median survival times and 5-year OS rates for the neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups were 39.3 versus 21.3 months, and 43.4% versus 21.0%, respectively (P = 0.021). Among lymph node-positive patients, the median survival times and 5-year OS rates for the neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups were 55.6 versus 23.7 months, and 43.0% versus 25.7%, respectively (P = 0.085). The incidence of perioperative and postoperative complications was comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05). For patients with resectable stage II/III ESCC, neoadjuvant chemoradiation does not increase postoperative complications and is associated with a trend toward better OS when compared to adjuvant chemoradiation.

Salidroside protects against premature senescence induced by ultraviolet B irradiation in human dermal fibroblasts.

OBJECTIVES: Salidroside, the predominant component of a Chinese herbal medicine, Rhodiola rosea L., becomes an attractive bio-agent due to its multifunction. Although it is well proposed that this herbal medicine may have photoprotective effect according to the folk hearsay, the direct supportive experimental evidences linking the drug with skin ageing have rarely been reported so far. The study was conducted to investigate the photoprotective role of salidrosdie and its related mechanisms in vitro. METHODS: First, a premature senescence model induced by UVB irradiation (250 mJ cm(-2)) in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) was established, and senescent phenotypes were evaluated by cell morphology, cell proliferation, senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-ß-gal) activity and cell cycle distribution. Then the photoprotective effect of salidroside was investigated. Cells were pre-treated with various doses of salidroside (1, 5 and 10 µM) followed by the sublethal dosage of UVB exposure and then were harvested for various detections, including senescence-associated phenotypes and molecules, alteration of oxidative stress, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) secretion and inflammatory response. RESULTS: Pre-treatment of salidroside dose dependently reversed the senescent state of HDFs induced by UVB as evidenced by elevated cell viability, decreased SA-ß-gal activity and relieving of G1/G0 cell cycle arrest. UVB-induced increased protein expression of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors p21(WAF) (1) and p16(INK) (4) was also repressed by salidrosdie treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, the increment of malondialdehyde (MDA) level in UVB-irradiated HDFs was inhibited upon salidroside treatment. Additionally, salidroside significantly attenuated UVB-induced synthesis of MMP-1 as well as the production of IL-6 and TNF-α in HDFs. CONCLUSION: Our data provided the evidences for the protective role of salidroside against UVB-induced premature senescence in HDFs probably via its anti-oxidative property and inhibition on production of MMP-1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which indicated its potential utilization as an active ingredient in the preparation of photoprotective formulation.

Antimicrobial steroidal saponin and oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins from Paullinia pinnata.

BACKGROUND: Paullinia pinnata L. (Sapindaceae) is an African woody vine, which is widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of human malaria, erectile dysfunction and bacterial infections. A phytochemical investigation of its methanol leaf and stem extracts led to the isolation of seven compounds which were evaluated for their antimicrobial properties. METHODS: The extracts were fractionated and compounds were isolated by chromatographic methods. Their structures were elucidated from their spectroscopic data in conjunction with those reported in literature. The antimicrobial activities of the crude extracts, fractions and compounds were evaluated against bacteria, yeasts and dermatophytes using the broth micro-dilution technique. RESULTS: Seven compounds: 2-O-methyl-L-chiro-inositol (1), ß-sitosterol (2), friedelin (3), 3ß-(ß-D-Glucopyranosyloxy) stigmast-5-ene (4), (3ß)-3-O-(2'-Acetamido-2'-deoxy-ß-D-glucopyranosyl) oleanolic acid (5), (3ß,16α-hydroxy)-3-O-(2'-Acetamido-2'-deoxy-ß-D-glucopyranosyl) echinocystic acid (6) and (3ß)-3-O-[ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1″-3')-2'-acetamido-2'-deoxy-ß-D-galactopyranosyl]oleanolic acid (7) were isolated. Compounds 5 and 7 showed the best antibacterial and anti-yeast activities respectively (MIC value range of 0.78-6.25 and 1.56-6.25 µg/ml), while 6 exhibited the best anti-dermatophytic activity (MIC value range of 6.25-25 µg/ml). CONCLUSION: The results of the present findings could be considered interesting, taking into account the global disease burden of these susceptible microorganisms, in conjunction with the search for alternative and complementary medicines.

Plasticity in latitudinal patterns of leaf N and P of Oryza rufipogon in China.

Characterising the adaptability in nature of plant stoichiometric patterns across geographic or environmental gradients is important in advancing our understanding of the organisation of plant-nutrient relationships. We examined correlations between plant nutrient traits, latitude, longitude, climate and soil variables in 34 populations of Oryza rufipogon across its range. We further compared the responses of population transplants at two experimental gardens: one beyond its northern natural range and another near the southern limit, to assess the nature of geographic variation in plant nutrients. The study showed that leaf P of O. rufipogon in the field was negatively correlated with latitude and largely depended on temperature and soil P availability. Leaf N was not related to latitude but was significantly correlated with precipitation and soil N concentration. Leaf N:P ratio was largely determined by absorption efficiency of P. Transplantation revealed that there were no significant associations of leaf nutrients with geographic, climatic or soil variables of origin in either of the experimental gardens, indicating phenotypic plasticity. However, examination of relationships between response ratios of leaf nutrients and change ratio of climate and soil environments, as well as norms of reaction in the transplantation experiment, revealed more complexity, suggesting both substantial genotypic diversity and the existence of genotype × environment interactions in these populations of O. rufipogon. These data indicate that adaptive plasticity response of plants to temperature and soil P availability significantly explain the observed shifts in leaf N, P and N:P of O. rufipogon along latitudinal gradients.

Effects of two in-office bleaching agents with different pH on the structure of human enamel: an in situ and in vitro study.

This study evaluated the effects of two in-office bleaching agents (Beyond and Opalescence Boost) with different pH on the structure and mechanical properties of human enamel in vitro and in situ. One hundred and eight enamel slabs were obtained from freshly extracted premolars. The specimens were randomly distributed into nine groups (n=12), and the human saliva (HS) in the volunteers' oral cavities was used to simulate the in situ condition: Beyond + HS, Opalescence Boost (O-Boost) + HS, Control + HS, Beyond + artificial saliva (AS), O-Boost + AS, Control + AS, Beyond + distilled water (DW), O-Boost + DW, and Control + DW. The bleaching treatments were performed on the first and eighth day, and the total bleaching time was 90 minutes. Baseline and final surface roughness (RMS), surface morphology, microhardness, and fracture toughness (FT) were measured before the treatment and on the fifteenth day, respectively. Compared with control groups, surface alterations on enamel were found in the Beyond + AS and Beyond + DW groups under atomic force microscopy evaluation. Two-way analysis of variance and Tukey test revealed that the RMS showed significant intergroup differences for both storage condition and bleaching agent, whereas microhardness and FT revealed no significant alteration. The results indicated that in-office bleaching agents with low pH values could induce enamel morphology alterations under in vitro conditions. The presence of natural HS could eliminate the demineralization effect caused by low pH.

The dentine remineralization activity of a desensitizing bioactive glass-containing toothpaste: an in vitro study.

BACKGROUND: Dentine hypersensitivity occurs easily on exposed dentine. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel bioactive glass-containing toothpaste on dentine permeability and remineralization. METHODS: Thirty dentine discs were divided into three groups of 10 specimens each. The groups corresponded to the following brushing treatments: no brush, distilled water, and bioactive glass-containing toothpaste (Novamin). The toothpaste was applied twice a day for 7 days. Dentine permeability was measured after ethylene-diamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) etching, initial application, 3-day application, 7-day application and citric acid challenge, respectively. The dentine morphology was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FTIR) spectroscopy was performed to monitor the mineral variation on demineralized dentine. Qualitative information of elemental variation before and after treatments on completely demineralized dentine was detected by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. RESULTS: The bioactive glass-containing toothpaste significantly reduced dentine permeability after the 7-day treatment and showed, under SEM, excellent resistance to acid challenge compared to the other groups. ATR/FTIR and EDX revealed increased mineral content after treatment with Novamin. CONCLUSIONS: As the innovative bioactive glass-containing toothpaste occlude dentinal tubules and resist acid challenge, it may be useful for the treatment of dentine hypersensitivity and dentine remineralization.

Effect of icariin on bone formation during distraction osteogenesis in the rabbit mandible.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of icariin on bone formation during mandibular distraction. 40 Rabbits were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Mandibular distraction was performed 5 days after unilateral mandibular osteotomy using a custom-made external distractor at a rate of 0.5mm/12h for 10 days. From the first day of distraction, icariin (2.5mg/kg · day) was orally administered to the experimental group and placebo to the controls. 10 Rabbits were killed at the end of weeks 2 and 4 of the consolidation phase. The distracted hemimandible was harvested and newly formed bone was evaluated by soft radiography, histology and bone histomorphometry. Regenerated bone was evaluated for bone mineral density by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The experimental group had fewer radiolucent areas on soft radiography. Bone mineral density of regenerated bone was higher in the experimental than in the control group at 2 and 4 weeks. At 4 weeks, the experimental group had greater volumes of new bone, higher trabecular number, and less trabecular separation than the controls. Oral administration of icariin could promote bone formation during mandibular distraction osteogenesis and might be a promising method for shortening the course of distraction osteogenesis.

The novel coccidian micronemal protein MIC11 undergoes proteolytic maturation by sequential cleavage to remove an internal propeptide.

Host cell invasion is a key step in the life cycle of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. Attachment and invasion by this parasite is dependent on secretion of proteins from the micronemes, cigar-shaped organelles found in the apical end of the parasite. Although many of these proteins contain adhesive motifs suggestive of a role in parasite attachment, a growing subset of microneme proteins (MICs) do not possess adhesive sequences implying that they have alternative roles. We have identified a novel 16 kDa microneme protein, TgMIC11, that is conserved among several coccidian parasites. As it traffics through the secretory system, TgMIC11 is modified by two successive proteolytic events to remove an internal propeptide, resulting in the mature protein that consists of an alpha-chain and beta-chain tethered by a single disulfide bond. Dual staining immunofluorescence confirmed that TgMIC11 localises to the apical micronemes and, like other micronemal proteins, it is also secreted in a calcium dependent manner. This is the first microneme protein characterised to date in the phylum Apicomplexa that possesses this unique structure and undergoes maturation by removal of an internal propeptide.

[Identification of red kojic from different habitats with clustering analysis by near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectrometry].

OBJECTIVE: To provide a new method for identifying Red kojic. METHODS: Being controled with the Aspergillus terreus, near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy combining with clusering analysis was used in the identification of Red Kojic made by M. purpureus fermentation from 18 different habitats. RESULTS: We can easily distinguish the Red Kojic from different habitats and the Aspergillus terreus. The results are consistent in some degree with that of morphologic study. CONCLUSION: This method is a new, rapid, simple and low cost assay technique being able to be used in the quality control of Red Kojic.

PM-3, a benzo-gamma-pyran derivative isolated from propolis, inhibits growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

Propolis has numerous biologic activities including antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Several components isolated from propolis have been shown to have anticancer activity. This study demonstrates that the compound PM-3 (3-[2-dimethyl-8-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)benzopyran]-6-propenoic acid) isolated from Brazilian propolis markedly inhibits the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. This effect was associated with inhibition of cell cycle progression and induction of apoptosis. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with PM-3 arrested cells in the G1 phase and resulted in a decrease in the protein levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin E. PM-3 also inhibited the expression of cyclin D1 at the transcriptional level when examined in cyclin D1 promoter luciferase assays. Induction of apoptosis by PM-3 occurred within 48 hours after treatment of MCF-7 cells. The MCF-7 treated cells also displayed a decrease in the level of the estrogen receptor (ER) protein and inhibition of estrogen response element (ERE) promoter activity. Therefore, PM-3 merits further investigation with respect to breast cancer chemoprevention or therapy.

[SFE-CGC determination of tanshinone in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge].

AIM: To analyze tanshinone IIA in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) coupled with capillary gas chromatography (CGC). METHODS: The solution pressure was predicted by solubility parameter theory, the extraction conditions were confirmed by orthogonal design in which temperature, volume of modifier and dynamic extracting volume had been studied in three levels. RESULTS: This method is quick, convenient, precise and accurate, added sample recovery is 95.3%, RSD = 4.27%. CONCLUSION: Compared with the method of ultrasonic extraction, significantly better qualitative and quantitative result could be obtained by SFE-CGC and expend less organic solvent then make less pollution.

[Clinical and experimental study on antiviral activity of reduqing against human cytomegalovirus].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine Reduqing (RDQ) against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in clinical and its antiviral activity in vitro. METHODS: In clinical practice, HCMV antibody was detected to determine if the case was activity infected with HCMV. Fourteen patients were found and treated with RDQ. The drug was orally administered one dose, three times a day, for 18-30 days as one therapeutic course. And the efficacy was evaluated by ELISA, PCR and other methods. The in vitro inhibitory activity of RDQ against HCMV AD169 was carried out on human embryo lung fibroblasts (HEL) by cytopathic effect inhibition method. Ganciclovir (GCV) was used for positive control. RESULTS: Fourteen pre- or during pregnant women with HCMV infection were treated with RDQ. After 18-30 days of treatment, all of them showed HCMV-IgM negative conversion, HCMV DNA negative conversion in 7/10 cases, and virus excretion by urine and cervix secretion was inhibited in 4/4 and 1/1 case. Five women gave birth to 5 normal newborns at term after treatment, among them 2 were asymptomatic virus carrier, the other 3 were uninfected. Experimental study in vitro showed that the maximal tolerance dosage (TD0) of RDQ was 20 micrograms/L, the minimal therapeutic concentration (MTC) was 5 micrograms/L, 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 5 micrograms/L and the therapeutic index (TI) was 4. It suggested that RDQ had anti-HCMV activity in vitro and the effect increased with its concentration. CONCLUSION: RDQ is a safe, valuable drug for inhibiting HCMV infection especially during pregnancy.

[Distinguish of the original fungi of the Chinese traditional medicine, hongqu with gas chromatography fuzzy clustering analytical method].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a gas chromatography fuzzy clustering analytical method for classifying of origin fungi of the Chinese traditional medicine, Hongqu. METHODS: The volatile and nonvolatile components of 7 ordinary species of Monascus including M. aurantiacus Lee, etc. were analyzed by capillary gas chromatog raphy using FID: Inlet temperature 280 degrees C, detector temperature 280 degrees C, temperature program 130 degrees C, 5 min-->10 degrees C.min-1-->200 degrees C, 10 min. RESULTS: In the peak number and contents of volatile and nonvolatile components of Monascus exist obviously differences through which Monascus can be distinguished easily by the main fingerprint peaks within 20 minutes. CONCLUSION: The capillary gas chromatography fuzzy clustering analytical method is useful to the identification of Monascus fungi.

Effects of different manipulations of acupuncture on electrical activity of stomach in humans.

The author observed effects of 4 different acupuncture manipulations (lifting-thrusting, twisting-twirling, uniform reinforcing-reducing, and needling with sensation propagating along channels) on electrical activity of the stomach, using amplitude and frequency of human electrogastrogram (EGG) as the indexes. The experiment proved that both the twisting-twirling and the uniform reinforcing-reducing methods inhibited electrical activity of the stomach to reduce the frequency of EGG (P < 0.05), and at the same time the uniform reinforcing-reducing method decreased the amplitude (P < 0.001); while both the lifting-thrusting method and the manipulation for needling sensation propagating along channels excited electrical activity of the stomach to raise the amplitude of EGG (P < 0.01), and the lifting-thrusting method increased the frequency (P < 0.001). Accordingly, the lifting-thrusting method or the manipulation for needling sensation propagating along channels is suitable for chronic superficial gastritis, chronic atrophic gastritis, carcinoma of stomach with lower frequency and amplitude of EGG; whereas the uniform reinforcing-reducing or twisting-twirling method is good for patients with gastric and duodenal ulcer and hyperhydrochloria with higher frequence and amplitude of EGG.

Effects of dNTPs on the SCE frequency in plant root tip cells.

The effects of deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTPs) on the frequency of sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) have been studied in plant root tip cells. Treatment with dATP caused a dose-dependent decrease in SCE frequency, while dGTP, caused a dose-dependent increase in SCE frequency both in Hordeum vulgare and in Vicia faba root tip cells. Treatment with dCTP and dTTP significantly increased SCE frequency in H. vulgare root tip cells, but significantly decreased SCE frequency in V. faba root tip cells. The SCE induced by treatment with dGTP could be totally reversed by treatment with an equal concentration of any of the other three dNTPs (dATP, dCTP and dTTP) both in H. vulgare and in V. faba. Treatment with a mixed equal concentration of dATP, dCTP, dGTP and dTTP did not alter the SCE frequency. These results suggest that dNTP pool imbalance is an SCE-affecting factor in plant cells.

[Treating old facial nerve paralysis of 260 cases with the acupuncture treatment skill of pause and regress in six parts].

With the acupuncture treatment skill of pause and regress in six parts, we have treated facial paralysis of 260 cases. The other 50 cases were treated with the uniform reinforcing-reducing method as control. The result shows that the effectiveness of the former is better than the latter (P < 0.01). The acupuncture treatment skill of pause and regress in six parts is a new way developed from the reducing method of the traditional reinforcing-reducing method of lifting and thrusting the needle and nine-six reinforcing-reducing method. In addition, the acupuncture points were chosen in the area of the main distribution of the facial nerve. Through the clinical practice, the acupuncture treatment skill is an effective way for treating old facial paralysis.