Effects of dietary grape proanthocyanidins on the growth performance, jejunum morphology and plasma biochemical indices of broiler chicks.

Grape proanthocyanidins (GPCs) are a family of naturally derived polyphenols that have aroused interest in the poultry industry due to their versatile role in animal health. This study was conducted to investigate the potential benefits and appropriate dosages of GPCs on growth performance, jejunum morphology, plasma antioxidant capacity and the biochemical indices of broiler chicks. A total of 280 newly hatched male Cobb 500 broiler chicks were randomly allocated into four treatments of seven replicates each, and were fed a wheat-soybean meal-type diet with or without (control group), 7.5, 15 or 30 mg/kg of GPCs. Results show that dietary GPCs decrease the feed conversion ratio and average daily gain from day 21 to day 42, increase breast muscle yield by day 42 and improve jejunum morphology between day 21 and day 42. Chicks fed 7.5 and 15 mg/kg of GPCs show increased breast muscle yield and exhibit improved jejunum morphologies than birds in the control group. Dietary GPCs fed at a level of 15 mg/kg markedly increased total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity between day 21 and day 42, whereas a supplement of GPCs at 7.5 mg/kg significantly increased T-SOD activity and decreased lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde content by day 42. A supplement of 30 mg/kg of GPCs has no effect on antioxidant status but adversely affects the blood biochemical indices, as evidenced by increased creatinine content, increased alkaline phosphatase by day 21 and increased alanine aminotransferase by day 42 in plasma. GPC levels caused quadratic effect on growth, jejunum morphology and plasma antioxidant capacity. The predicted optimal GPC levels for best plasma antioxidant capacity at 42 days was 13 to 15 mg/kg, for best feed efficiency during grower phase was 16 mg/kg, for best jejunum morphology at 42 days was 17 mg/kg. In conclusion, GPCs (fed at a level of 13 to 17 mg/kg) have the potential to be a promising feed additive for broiler chicks.

Fructus polygoni orentalis extract inhibited liver regeneration and proliferation of bone marrow cells of rat after partial hepatectomy.

To study the effect of fructus polygoni orentalis extract (EFPO) on liver regeneration and proliferation of bone marrow cells on rat model of partial hepatectomy, EFPO was extracted, and 60 adult male Wistar rats were divided randomly into 6 experimental groups. Rats were treated with intergastric administration (ig) with EFPO daily. All rats were euthanized 7 days after administration, and the livers and bone marrow cells were collected. The levels of taxifolin and quercetin in EFPO were 1.238 and 0.381 mg/g, respectively. EFPO decreased the proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression of the regenerating liver. Obvious tissue damage was observed in the EFPO groups, such as a widened hepatic sinusoid cavity, several enlarged nuclei, slightly ballooning degeneration, and spotty and focal necrosis as compared to the control group. Additionally, 1.8 and 3.6 g/kg EFPO significantly inhibited proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in bone marrows cells (P < 0.05), and induced gathering of these cells during the GO/G1 phases (P < 0.05). The karyocyte and myelosis of bone marrows cells clearly decreased, and mature erythrocytes increased (P < 0.05) in the EFPO groups. Additionally, 3.6 g/kg EFPO induced active proliferation, while the sham operation and control groups showed apparent active myelo-proliferation. The maximum dosage of mice ig EFPO was 148.8 g/kg. Our results indicate that EFPO inhibits rat liver regeneration and bone marrow cell proliferation in regenerating rat liver.

Effects of feeding lutein on production performance, antioxidative status, and milk quality of high-yielding dairy cows.

This experiment was conducted to determine the influences of supplementing different levels of an additive containing lutein in the diet of Chinese Holstein lactating cows on production performance, antioxidative plasma metabolites, and milk quality. This study was performed on 60 multiparous Holstein dairy cows in peak lactation. The cows were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 homogeneous treatments, with lutein preparation (extracted from marigolds; effective lutein content was 2%) added at levels of 0, 100, 150, and 200 g/d per head, with the actual available amounts being 0, 2, 3, and 4 g of lutein/d per head, respectively. The experiment lasted for 13 wk, with the first week for adaptation. Milk yield and milk compositions were recorded weekly, and milk concentrations of lutein, dry matter intake, and antioxidative blood index were analyzed in the first, fourth, seventh, and thirteenth week of the study. The results showed that adding lutein in the diet had no effect on dry matter intake compared with the control group; however, it slowed down the trend of decline in milk yield, and had a linear incremental effect on milk yield with increasing concentration of lutein. Dietary lutein tended to quadratically increase the percentage of milk fat, and linearly increased milk lactose concentration, with the highest value when treated at 200 g of lutein preparation/d per head, and decreased somatic cell count, with the lowest values when treated with 150 and 200 g of lutein preparation/d per head. The concentration of lutein in milk linearly increased with the incorporation of the additive, with a value of 0.59, 0.70, 1.20, and 1.50 µg/100mL when treated with 0, 100, 150, and 200 g/d, respectively. Total plasma antioxidant capacity tended to linearly increase in cows fed lutein preparation, whereas plasma superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities did not differ significantly. In conclusion, addition of lutein in the diet could improve the production performance and health status of dairy cows.

Hypericum perforatum L. preparations for menopause: a meta-analysis of efficacy and safety.

OBJECTIVE: To compare by meta-analysis the efficacy and adverse events of Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's Wort), or its combinations, and placebo for menopausal women. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out by searching in Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase and the Web of Science database. RESULTS: Extracts of Hypericum perforatum L. and its combination with herbs were significantly superior to placebo (standard mean difference = -1.08; 95% confidence interval -1.38 to -0.77); extracts of Hypericum perforatum L. proved to be more effective than placebo in the treatment of menopause. Adverse events occurred in 53 (17.4%) patients on Hypericum perforatum L. preparations and 45 (15.4%) patients on placebo (relative risk = 1.16; 95% confidence interval 0.81-1.66). CONCLUSION: Extracts of Hypericum perforatum L. have possibly fewer side-effects than placebo for the treatment of menopausal women.

Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy for patients with refractory uraemic pruritus: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Pruritus is very common in uraemic patients, but the treatment remains challenging. Studies regarding narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy for uraemic pruritus are rare. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether or not NB-UVB phototherapy is an effective treatment for uraemic pruritus. METHODS: We conducted a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial for patients with refractory uraemic pruritus. The treatment group received NB-UVB phototherapy three times per week for 6 weeks. The dose of NB-UVB started from 210 mJ cm(-2) and was increased by 10% each time. The control group received time-matched exposures to long-wave UVA radiation. A visual analogue scale (VAS) score was evaluated weekly for pruritus intensity for 12 weeks. The characteristics of pruritus were also assessed by a questionnaire at baseline and after 6 weeks of phototherapy. RESULTS: Both the NB-UVB and control groups had significant and comparable improvement in the pruritus intensity VAS scores during the period of phototherapy and follow-up. Compared with the control group, the NB-UVB group showed a significant improvement in the involved body surface area affected by pruritus (P = 0·006), but not in sleep quality. More detailed regression and estimating analysis revealed that the patients in the NB-UVB group had lower pruritus intensity scores at week 6, week 10 and week 12. This may indicate a beneficial difference at certain time points, but the effect seems marginal. CONCLUSIONS: NB-UVB phototherapy does not show a significant effect in reducing pruritus intensity compared with a control group for refractory uraemic pruritus. Further studies are warranted.

Leaching potential of heavy metals (Cd, Ni, Pb, Cu and Zn) from acidic sandy soil amended with dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) fertilizers.

There is an increasing concern on heavy metal leaching from the soils amended with sewage sludge. A column study was conducted to examine the extent of leaching of five important heavy metals (Cd, Ni, Pb, Cu and Zn) from an acidic sandy soil amended with different dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) fertilizers (an application rate of 1% fertilizers) developed from DPR and N-Viro (consisting of biosolids and fly ash) at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 100% DPR. Ten leaching events were carried out with each event done at an interval of 7 days and with total leaching volume of 1183mm, which is equivalent to the mean annual rainfall of this region during the period of 2001-2003. Leachate was collected after each leaching event and analyzed for heavy metals. The maximum leachate concentrations of Cd, Ni, Pb, Cu and Zn were all below drinking water quality guidance limits set by Florida Department of Environmental Protection and World Health Organization, suggesting that the application of DPR fertilizers may not pose a threat to water quality by leaching. Most of leachate concentrations of Cd, Ni and Pb were below their detection limits and there were no significant differences between the control and the treatments with different DPR fertilizers. By contrast, there were higher leachate concentrations of Cu and Zn (ranging from 0.7 to 37.1mug Cu/l and 5.1 to 205.6mug Zn/l for all treatments) due to their higher contents in both the soil and different DPR fertilizers compared with Cd, Ni and Pb. The leachate concentrations of Cu and Zn for each treatment decreased with increasing leaching events. The differences in leachate concentrations of Cu and Zn between the control and the treatments with different DPR fertilizers containing N-Viro were significant, especially in the first several leaching events and, moreover, they increased with increasing proportion of N-Viro in the DPR fertilizers. There were similar trends in total losses of Cu and Zn after ten leaching events. Greater differences in both leachate concentrations and total losses of Zn between the control and the treatments containing N-Viro were noted. Total losses of Zn for the treatments containing N-Viro were 3.0-5.1 times higher than those for the control compared with 1.4-2.2 times higher for total losses of Cu, suggesting that greater proportions of Zn losses came from the DPR fertilizers due to the greater mobility of Zn in the DPR fertilizers compared with Cu.

[GC-MS analysis of essential oils from rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. and A. chinensis (DC.) Koidz].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the constituents from the rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea and A. chinensis in essential oils. METHOD: GC-MS method was used. RESULT: 32 and 29 compounds were identified respectively. CONCLUSION: The main constituents in the essential oils from the rhizome of A. chinensis are beta-eudesmol or a mixture of beta-eudesmol and atractylone, whereas from that of A. lancea are hinesol, a mixture of beta-eudesmol and atractylone, and atractylone.

Evaluation of the hepatic and renal-protective effects of Ganoderma lucidum in mice.

The antioxidative effect of hot water extract of the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum on ethanol-induced free radical generation had been studied. In order to further investigate the hepatic and renal protective mechanism of Ganoderma lucidum, rates of lipid peroxidation were determined. The hot water extract of Ganoderma lucidum dose-dependently exhibited antioxidative effect on mouse liver and kidney lipid peroxidation; our results indicated that hepatic and renal homogenates have a higher malonic dialdehyde level in an ethanol administered group than in the Ganoderma lucidum treated group. It was concluded that the hepatic and renal protective mechanism of Ganoderma lucidum, might be due at least in part to its prominent superoxide scavenging effect. Ganoderma extract could protect the liver and kidney from superoxide induced hepatic and renal damages.

[Preliminary clinical study on prevention of bone loss in postmenopausal women with kidney invigoration].

The effect of Bushen Migu Ye (BSMGY) on preventing the bone loss in postmenopausal women was observed. 43 healthy women with the menopause within 5 years were randomly divided into the treated and control groups, which were basically similar in age and menopausal time. BSMGY and Rhizoma Dioscoreae decoction was given orally in two groups. Some biochemical parameters related to bone metabolism, serum estradiol and forearm bone density were taken before and after treatment. The results showed that 5 months after BSMGY treatment, the ulnar and radial bone mineral content was higher than that of pretreatmental value (P < 0.05), while in control group this index was continually decreased. The change in bone density were also significant different (P < 0.05). It seems that BSMGY is able to prevent the bone loss in postmenopausal women. In the treated group, ratio of fasting urinary calcium and hydroxyproline to creatinine was lower than that of before treatment and the control group (P < 0.05); the concentration of serum alkaline phosphatase had no significant difference (P < 0.05). This preliminary study suggested that one of the therapeutic mechanism of BSMGY was probably due to declining of bone resorption, without affecting the bone formation in postmenopausal women.

Enhanced tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neuron activity in thyroidectomized, ovariectomized and estrogen-treated rats with hyperprolactinemia.

The involvement of the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurons in the genesis of hyperprolactinemia in female thyroidectomized rats treated with estrogen was the focus of this study. Rats that were ovariectomized (3 weeks), thyroidectomized (2 weeks) and treated with estrogen for 6 days had a 5- to 10-fold increase in serum prolactin (PRL) levels, while the rats receiving the same treatments but without estrogen had lower PRL levels. The activity of TIDA neurons, using dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) concentration or the DOPAC/dopamine (DA) ratio in the median eminence (ME) as an index, was increased and decreased in estrogen-treated and untreated rats, respectively. The increases in serum PRL level and the activity of TIDA neurons were dependent on the duration of thyroidectomy and could both be lowered by daily injection of thyroid hormone (20 or 100 micrograms/kg b.w. thyroxine, i.p.) for 12 days in a dose-dependent manner. Using dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) accumulation in the ME as another index, we also found an increased DOPA/DA ratio in estrogen-treated hypothyroid rats, which effect could be reversed by replacement of thyroid hormone. Furthermore, treatments with bromocryptine (3 mg/kg b.w./day, s.c.) for 3 days or with cysteamine (100 mg/kg b.w., s.c.) at 26, 15 and 2 h before the rats were sacrificed lowered both serum PRL level and TIDA neuron activity. Since PRL can exert a short-loop feedback control on its own secretion, these results indicate that the increased serum PRL levels in estrogen-treated hypothyroid female rats should be the cause, but not the result, of the increased activity of TIDA neurons.

[Effects of combined therapy of traditional Chinese and Western medicine on C-reactive protein in post-debridement patients].

Closely monitoring whether the secondary infection in the patients of post-debridement occurred or not and appropriately treating these patients were the important ways to reduce the incidence of infection. Through estimating the level of the serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as the monitoring index of infection, dynamically observed the effect of the combined traditional Chinese and Western medicine therapy (TCM-WM) on CRP after debridement, as was compared with the effect of the Western medicine therapy (WM) group in which only the WM was administrated. The result showed that the levels of CRP decreased in both TCM-WM and WM group on 4th day after the operation, but the level of CRP in former group was lower than that in latter one, the difference was very significant (P < 0.001). So that, it was assumed that TCM-WM significantly excelled the WM on affecting the level of CRP and reducing the incidence of infection. It was suggested that CRP could be used as an effective and objective index to determine whether the secondary infection has happened and to assess the efficacy of some drugs.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and synthetic DHEA analogs are modest inhibitors of HIV-1 IIIB replication.

Down-regulation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) induced transformation of human lymphocytes in vitro by dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a naturally occurring human steroid secreted by the adrenal gland has been demonstrated. This article reports on the effects of DHEA and its novel synthetic analogs 16 alpha-fluoro-5-androsten-17-one (8354) and 3 beta-hydroxy-16 alpha-fluoro-5 alpha-androstan-17-one (OH8356) on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) replication. Treatment with DHEA, 8354, or OH8356 resulted in a modest down-regulation of HIV-1 replication in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes as measured by syncytia formation, release of p24 antigen, and accumulation of reverse transcriptase activity. DHEA and 8354 also reduced syncytia formation in HIV-1-infected SupT1 lymphoblasts. DHEA and synthetic analogs of DHEA, which have been shown previously to have antiproliferative effects, now are shown to reduce HIV-1 replication. DHEA or synthetic analogs of DHEA could provide an alternative and/or adjuvant for HIV-1 infection.

[Changes in T-lymphocyte subsets in patients with orthopedic trauma and effects of yipanzhu decoction on the impaired immune function].

The effects of yipanzhu decoction (YD) on immune function in 40 patients [2 groups, YD and normal saline (NS) group] with orthopedic trauma by taking T lymphocyte subsets as indexes were observed. The peripheral venous blood samples randomly taken from 30 healthy subjects served as control. The blood were collected within 24 hours after trauma. Then the YD and NS were respectively given to the patients in the 2 groups for 3 days, and the blood were taken 4th, 7th, 14th day after trauma for the observation of T subsets. The results revealed that before administration of YD the percentage of pan-T cells was reduced with an increased percentage of Ts cells and a decreased ratio between Th and Ts cells; 3 days after giving the drugs in YD group the percentage of pan-T cells was slightly increased, and the changed percentage of Ts cells and the ratio of Th/Ts cells mentioned above was recovered to normal, while in NS group all these indexes remained at abnormal range during the period we observed. The results suggested that YD could promote the recovery of abnormal T lymphocyte subsets in traumatized patients, and it possessed to some extent the function of immune regulation that was helpful to reduce the ratio of infection after trauma.

Effect of wet decomposition methods on the determination of cobalt, copper, selenium, and zinc in biological samples using electrophoresis.

A method combining radiotracer techniques with paper electrophoresis to investigate the optimal decomposition conditions for cobalt, copper, selenium, and zinc in rat liver samples is described. After oral and intraperitoneal administration of the respective nuclides of 60Co, 64Cu, 75Se, and 65Zn solutions, the livers of the tested rats are removed and decomposed with a nitric and sulfuric acid mixture. The completeness of decomposition is investigated by measuring the respective radionuclide-containing species in the decomposed samples by electrophoretic analysis. The results indicate that the Co- and Se-containing liver samples are more easily decomposed than those containing Cu and Zn under the specific conditions. The same decomposition effects are observed for ingested radioisotopes as for intraperitoneally injected ones. The possible connection of decomposition with the analytical error is discussed.