Clinical observation of Dan-Hong Hua-Yu oral solution in treating retinal vein occlusion.

INTRODUCTION: Retinal vein occlusion refers to diseases with decreased vision, dilated tortuous retinal veins visible on the fundus, and retinal hemorrhage, edema, and osmosis distributed along the vein. There is still no ideal intervention to treat central retinal vein occlusion. This study plan to observe the efficacy of Dan-Hong Hua-Yu oral solution in treating non-ischemic retinal vein occlusion, in order to provide new treatment ideas. METHODS/DESIGN: We plan to use random number table method, 64 cases of non-ischemic central retinal vein occlusion that meet the inclusion criteria will be randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The intervention group will be treated with Dan-Hong Hua-Yu oral solution according to the syndrome differentiation of Traditional Chinese medicine and the patient's fundus condition. Each group will take 4 weeks as a course of treatment and three consecutive courses of treatment without any interval during the course of treatment. Changes of visual acuity, fundus performance, and total clinical symptoms of patients before and after treatment will be observed. DISCUSSION: This study will observe the efficacy of Dan-Hong Hua-Yu oral solution in the treatment of non-ischemic central retinal vein occlusion, with a view to providing new treatment ideas. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ChiCTR2000030625, Registered on March 08, 2020.

Inulin-Type Oligosaccharides Extracted from Yacon Produce Antidepressant-Like Effects in Behavioral Models of Depression.

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius), a traditional food in the Andean diet, is attracting global attention for its medicinal properties, which are mainly because of its high content of non-digestible oligosaccharides. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of inulin-type oligosaccharides extracted from yacon (YOs) in behavioral models of depression. Behavioral despair models in mice including the tail suspension test (TST) and the forced swimming test (FST) were used to determine the effects of acute YOs administration. The locomotor activity was also explored to eliminate any false-positive activity. In addition, to further investigate the antidepressant-like effects of subchronic YOs administration, the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm in rats was performed. The results demonstrated that YOs (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg, p.o.) treatment significantly reduced the immobility time in the mouse TST and FST in a U-shaped, dose-dependent manner, and showed no stimulatory effect on the locomotor activity. Furthermore, subchronic YOs (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg, p.o.) treatment significantly reversed the escape deficits in LH rats, including an increased number of escape failures and prolonged escape latency. These findings suggest that the inulin-type oligosaccharides extracted from yacon may be a prospective natural source for antidepressants. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Establishment of a sandwich ELISA using commercial antibody for plasma or serum 3-nitrotyrosine (3NT). Elevation in inflammatory diseases and complementary between 3NT and myeloperoxidase.

BACKGROUND: Amino acid tyrosine residue of a protein can be nitrated to form 3-nitrotyrosine (3NT), which is now being considered as a marker of inflammation, oxidative and nitrosative stress. METHOD: An in-house ELISA has been established using the same commercial antibody for both binding and detection of 3NT containing proteins. RESULTS: The sensitivity of the in-house ELISA was 1.8 nmol/l. The imprecision was <10% at all concentrations. The in-house assay correlates well with a commercial kit (r=0.89). In addition to EDTA plasma, we found that both heparinized plasma and serum can also be used to quantify 3NT concentration. Using the in-house ELISA we have detected increased concentrations of 3NT in diseases known to be associated with inflammation and also in subjects with polyps. As marker of oxidative stress and inflammation, both 3NT and myeloperoxidase are complementary to each other in test sensitivity. CONCLUSION: This ELISA can be used in the clinical laboratories to monitor the inflammatory disease activity and assess early risks that are associated with inflammation, oxidative and nitrosative stress.