[Fuyu Decoction improves ventricular remodeling in rats with heart failure by inhibiting AMPK/mTOR pathway-mediated autophagy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Fuyu Decoction on ventricular remodeling and its association with AMPK/mTOR pathway-mediated autophagy in rats with heart failure. METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rat models of heart failure induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery were divided into model group, Fuyu Decoction treatment group, Fuyu Decoction treatment +AMPK agonist group (n=10), with another 10 rats receiving sham operation as the Sham group. After 8 weeks of drug intervention, the changes of ventricular function and ventricular remodeling indexs of the rats were assessed. TTC staining was used to detect the myocardial infarction area, and HE and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes in the myocardial tissue. Western blotting was performed to detect the protein expressions of p-AMPK, p-mTOR, LC3-II, Beclin1 and p62 in the myocardial tissue. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operated rats, the rat models of heart failure showed significantly increased left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular endsystolic volume (LVESV), and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (P < 0.01), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS), and decreased spherical index (SI) were (P < 0.01). The rat models also showed increased myocardial infarction area, obvious myocardial pathologies and fibrosis, increased apoptosis rate of the cardiomyocytes, enhanced myocardial expressions of p-AMPK, LC3-II/LC3-I and Beclin1 (P < 0.01), and reduced expressions of p-mTOR and p62 (P < 0.01). Fuyu Decoction treatment significantly ameliorated these changes in the rat models (all P < 0.01), but its effects were obviously blocked by treatment with EX229. CONCLUSION: Fuyu Decoction can improve ventricular remodeling in rats with heart failure by inhibiting AMPK/mTOR signaling-mediated autophagy in the cardiomyocytes.

Mining intrinsic information of convalescent patients after suffering coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the potential characteristics of convalescent patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China based on emerging clinical tongue data and guide the treatment and recovery of COVID-19 patients from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine tongue diagnosis. METHODS: In this study, we developed and validated radiomics-based and lab-based methods as a novel approach to provide individualized pretreatment evaluation by analyzing different features to mine the orderliness behind tongue data of convalescent patients. In addition, this study analyzed the tongue features of convalescent patients from clinical tongue qualitative values, including thick and thin, fur, peeling, fat and lean, tooth marks and cracked, and greasy and putrid fur. RESULTS: We included 2164 tongue images in total (34% from day 0, 35.4% from day 14 and 30.6% from day 28) from convalescent patients. The significance results are shown as follows. Firstly, as the recovery time prolongs, the L average values of tongue and coat decrease from 60.21 to 57.18 and from 60.06 to 57.03 respectively. Secondly, the decrease of abnormality rate of tongue coat, included greasy tongue fur, putrid fur, teeth-mark, thick-thin fur, are of significant statistical difference ( < 0.05). Thirdly, the average value of gray-level co-occurrence matrices increases from 0.173 to 0.194, the average value of entropy increases from 0.606 to 0.665, the average value of inverse difference normalized decrease from 0.981 to 0.979, and the average value of dissimilarity decrease from 0.1576 to 0.1828. The details of other radiomics features are describe in results section. CONCLUSIONS: Our experiment shows that patients in different recovery periods have a relationship with quantitative values of tongue images, including L color space of the tongue and coat radiomics features analysis. This relationship can help clinical doctors master the recovery and health of patients as soon as possible and improve their understanding of the potential mechanisms underlying the dynamic changes and mechanisms underlying COVID-19.

Surface Chemically Switchable Ultraviolet Luminescence from Interfacial Two-Dimensional Electron Gas.

We report intense, narrow line-width, surface chemisorption-activated and reversible ultraviolet (UV) photoluminescence from radiative recombination of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with photoexcited holes at LaAlO3/SrTiO3. The switchable luminescence arises from an electron transfer-driven modification of the electronic structure via H-chemisorption onto the AlO2-terminated surface of LaAlO3, at least 2 nm away from the interface. The control of the onset of emission and its intensity are functionalities that go beyond the luminescence of compound semiconductor quantum wells. Connections between reversible chemisorption, fast electron transfer, and quantum-well luminescence suggest a new model for surface chemically reconfigurable solid-state UV optoelectronics and molecular sensing.

Clinical features, treatments and prognosis of the initial cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 virus infection in Shanghai China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: As of 13 December 2009, more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, which have resulted in at least 10 582 deaths. As of 7 December 2009, 4328 severe cases were reported in Mainland China, resulting in 326 deaths. This study's objective was to determine the clinical features, treatments and prognosis of the initial cases of Pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 virus infection in Shanghai, China, and how its clinical features related to patient gender. METHODS: A total of 224 confirmed 2009 influenza A/H1N1-infected patients treated and discharged by Shanghai Public Health Clinical center between 24 May and 20 July 2009 were included in the study. Patients' personal information, signs and symptoms, laboratory and imagery data, disease course, hospitalization period and seroconversion duration for viral nucleic acid after antiviral treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 224 patients, 118 were male and 106 were female, yielding a sex ratio of 1.1:1. Approximately 52% of the patients came from Australia, and 63.8% were between 18 and 40 years old. Clinical manifestations included fever, cough and congestion of the throat, and lab findings were characterized by elevated C-reaction protein (CRP) and neutrophils. Female patients had significantly lower serum Prealbumin (PA) levels than male patients (P < 0.05). The patients' serum CRF levels significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.05), while the levels of CD3, CD4 and CD8 significantly increased after treatment (P < 0.01). Approximately 29.9% of the patients had abnormal signs on chest computer tomography scan, and 21.9% had obvious signs indicating pneumonia. However, blood cultures were negative in these patients. The average disease course was 3.9 +/- 1.4 days, the average hospitalization period was 5.0 +/- 1.7 days, and the seroconversion duration for viral nucleic acid after antiviral treatment was 3.8 +/- 1.3 days. CONCLUSION: Initial cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 were characterized by fever, cough and throat congestion, with elevated CRP and neutrophils being the most significant lab findings. The pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 strain was able to affect multiple organs, including the hepatic synthesis of PA and immune functioning. The novel 2009 Influenza A/H1N1 virus was mild clinically, with a short disease course and good prognosis.

Lipopolysaccharide effects on neuronal activity in rat basal forebrain and hypothalamus during sleep and waking.

Peripheral administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is associated with alterations in sleep and the electroencephalogram. To evaluate potential neuronal mechanisms for the somnogenic effects of LPS administration, we used unanesthetized rats to survey the firing patterns of neurons in various regions of rat basal forebrain (BF) and hypothalamus during spontaneous sleep and waking and during the epochs of sleep and waking that occurred after the intraperitoneal administration of LPS. In the brain regions studied, LPS administration was associated with altered firing rates in 39% of the neurons examined. A larger proportion of LPS-responsive units showed vigilance-related alterations in firing rates compared with nonresponsive units. Approximately equal proportions of LPS-responsive neurons showed increased and decreased firing rates after LPS administration, with some units in the lateral preoptic area of the hypothalamus showing particularly robust increases. These findings are consistent with other studies showing vigilance-related changes in neuronal activity in various regions of BF and hypothalamus and further demonstrate that peripheral LPS administration alters neuronal firing rates in these structures during both sleep and waking.

[Analysis on contents of flavonoids and polysaccharides in pollen of Typha angustifolia L. and its different processed products].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between processing of the pollen of Typha angustifolia (TA) and the fluctuation of contents of its effective components--flavonoids and polysaccharides. METHOD: The contents of flavonoids and polysaccharides in TA and in the different processed products of TA were determined by spectrophotometry. RESULTS: The contents of flavonoids in TA changed as follows: unprocessed TA(1) > TA stir fried with yellow wine(2) > TA stir fried with vinegar(3) > TA dried at 140 degrees C (4) > parched TA(5) > TA dried at 180 degrees C (6) > scorched TA(7) > TA dried at 220 degrees C (8) > charcoal TA(9). The statistic analysis showed that the flavonoid contents in raw TA were significantly different from those in the different processed products (P < 0.01) of TA except 2. The polysaccharide contents increased in 4, 5, 6 and 7 significantly (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), while decreased in 9 significantly (P < 0.01). As compared with the polysaccharide contents in 1, no significant changes occurred in those in 2 and 8. CONCLUSION: Processing temperature, yellow wine and vinegar could stimulate the content change of chemical constituents in TA, influencing flavonoids and polysaccharides in different degrees.

[Effect of Panax notoginseng saponins combined isovolumic haemodilution on the retinal microcirculation of patients with retinal vein occlusion].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) or isovolumic haemodilution (IHD) and combination of PNS with IHD on retinal microcirculation of patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHOD: Seventy three patients with RVO were allocated at random to three groups which were treated with PNS, IHD, or PNS + IHD respectively. The retinal circulation time (RCT) and retinal hemorrhage, edema, leakage of capillary, cystoid macular edema (CME), and nonperfusion area of capillary in retina were observed before and after treatment. RESULT: RCT of patients with RVO was shortened by three treating methods. RCT in the patients who treated by PNS + IHD was the shortest, especially in the patients with nonischemic RVO and branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO). The retinal hemorrhage, edema, leakage of capillary, and CME in the patients treated by PNS + IHD disappeared quicker than those treated by PNS or IHD. At the same time, the incidence of nonperfusion area in patients whose course of disease was shorter than fourteen days was decreased. The perfusion of capillaries was increased at the edge of nonperfusion area which existed before the treatment. But the effect for nonperfusion area which existed before the treatment in the type of ischemic RVO was not obvious. CONCLUSION: The treatment of PNS + IHD can both shorten RCT of patients with RVO, and promote absorption of retinal hemorrhage, edema, leakage of capillary, and CME. It is possible that PNS + IHD treatment also has an effect to decrease the forming of nonperfusion area in patients whose course of disease is at early stage.

[Influence of drug compatibility on extractive retes of chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid in simiaoyonglan tang decoction].

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of drug compatibility on the extractive rates of chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid in Simiaoyonglan Tang (SMYAT) decoction. METHOD: The contents of chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid in SMYAT decoction, Flos Lonicerae and Flos Lonicerae in combination with other single drugs were determined by TLC-UV spectrophotometry respectively. The data from this experiment were treated statistically. RESULTS: The contents of chlorogenic acid in other five prescriptions of different compatibilities decreased markedly in comparison with those in Flos Loniceraés decoction (P < 0.01). The content of isochlorogenic acid in SMYAT decoction as a whole was about the same as thar in Flos Loniceraés decoction, but decreased significantly in other prescriptions of different compatibilities (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Drug compatibility is one of the main causes for changes of chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid contents in SMYAT decoction.

[Clinical and experimental observation of xilixin granule combined with radiotherapy in treating malignant-tumors].

Thirty six patients of pulmonary or nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated with Xilixin granule (XLXG) combined with radiotherapy and compared their efficacy with that of 31 patients treated by Zhenqi Fuzheng granule combined with radiotherapy for control. Results showed that the symptoms of Yin Deficiency syndrome in treated group were obviously improved, the leucocyte decreased by 5.6%, while in control group it reached 25.8%, the 3 year survival rate was significantly higher in treated group (75.0%) than that in control group (51.6%). Animal experiment revealed that XLXG had the effects of tumor inhibition, it could increase white blood cells, platelets and hemoglobin of patients, especially in using large dosage. These results suggested that XLXG have some protective effect against radiotherapeutic damage in patients with malignant tumor.