[Meta-analysis of the interventional effects of music therapy on pain and anxiety of burn patients in wound dressing change].

Objective: To evaluate the interventional effects of music therapy on pain and anxiety of burn patients in wound dressing change. Methods: The meta-analysis method was adopted. Databases including China National Knowledge Internet, Wanfang Database, and VIP database were retrieved with the search terms in Chinese version of ", , /, /", and PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were retrieved with the search terms in English version of "music, burn, dressing change/wound dressing, pain/ache/sore" to obtain the publicly published randomized controlled trials on the application of music therapy for wound dressing change in burn patients from the establishment of each database to May 2021. The outcome indexes included pain score/percentage and anxiety score after dressing change. Rev Man 5.4 and Stata 14.0 statistical software were used to conduct a meta-analysis of eligible studies. Results: A total of 520 burn patients from 7 studies were included, including 260 patients in music therapy group who received music therapy and 260 patients in routine dressing change group who received routine dressing change. The bias risk of all the 7 included studies was uncertain. Compared with those in routine dressing change group, the pain percentages (relative risk=0.06, 95% confidence interval=0.01-0.41, P<0.01) and pain scores after dressing change (standardized mean difference (SMD)=-0.91, 95% confidence interval=-1.61--0.22, P<0.05) of patients in music therapy group were significantly lower. Subgroup analysis showed that music type and timing of intervention might be the source of heterogeneity in pain scores after dressing change. The anxiety scores of patients in music therapy group were significantly lower than those in routine dressing change group (SMD=-0.64, 95% confidence interval=-1.09--0.19, P<0.01). There was no publication bias in pain or anxiety scores after dressing change. Conclusions: Music therapy can relieve the pain and anxiety of burn patients during dressing change.

[The history of post-anesthesia care units].

Post anesthesia care units (PACU) are designed to handle the utilization of the operating rooms and provide a place for postoperative patients to recover consciousness. PACU first appeared in the 1940s, prevailed in the United States in the 1950s, and expanded gradually to Canada, South Africa and other places, and were popularized in the UK and other European countries in the 1960s. PACU were developed widely in China after 1990 and expanded rapidly after the 21st century. It is now taken as an assessment indicator for evaluating hospitals. A set of management systems for PACU was gradually regulated and established, such as anesthesia record sheets, equipment and personnel training in the process of PACU development. It is currently evolving towards centralization, economization and specialization.

Treatment of secondary lower limb lymphedema after gynecologic cancer with complex decongestive therapy.

Secondary lower extremity lymphedema is a common complication of treatment for gynecological cancers. Conservative therapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients with secondary lower extremity lymphedema; in particular, complex decongestive therapy (CDT) has been recognized as an effective nonoperative technique for these patients. But CDT therapy for secondary lower extremity lymphedema remains a problem in China because this technique and its effectiveness have not achieved widespread use and popularity. Our goal was to assess effects of CDT in patients with secondary lower limb lymphedema after treatment for gynecological cancers. The retrospective study consisted of 60 patients who were treated with 20 sessions of CDT. Assessments included objective changes in limb circumference, degree of LE, imaging features, and incidence of erysipelas before and after CDT treatment. We found that CDT can effectively improve lymph stasis and promote backflow, and decrease circumference, interstitial fluid content, and incidence of erysipelas of lymphedematous lower limb. Our results demonstrate that CDT is an effective treatment method for patients with secondary lower limb lymphedema following treatment for gynecologic cancers. This technique should be more widely utilized and popularized in China to improve the quality of life of millions of patients with secondary lower limb lymphedema.

Effects of the Traditional Chinese Medical Prescription Linba Fang as a Treatment for Lymphedema.

Lymphedema can lead to a series of complicated and irreversible chronic pathological changes, including lymphatic fluid retention, infiltration of inflammatory cells, lipid deposition, and fibrosis of the surrounding tissues. Typically, compression physiotherapy is recommended for early lymphedema. However, the chronic fluid compartments will lead to fat deposition, skin fibrosis, and hyperkeratosis. Few treatment methods are available for patients with lymphedema. Previous studies have attempted to apply diuretics, diosmin, and sodium ß-aescinate to treatment for venous edema, but the curative effect was unsatisfactory. There is currently no established effective treatment for lymphedema. In this paper, we investigated the effects of the traditional Chinese medical prescription Linba Fang as a treatment for lymphedema using a mouse model. A lymphedema model was established in C57BL/6 mice through lymphatic ablation at the base of tails. Negative controls were administered with 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution by gavage twice daily, positive controls with aescuvenforte, and test mice with Linba Fang. Aescuvenforte and Linba Fang were dissolved in 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution to produce a homogeneous mixture. After treatment for 2-4 weeks, tail diameter and weight, inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α), lipid deposition, and fibrosis were evaluated. The results showed that none of the mice died during the treatment with Linba Fang. The levels of tail swelling, inflammation, lipid deposition, and fibrosis in mice treated with Linba Fang were significantly decreased compared with negative and positive controls. Among mice treated with the same dose of Linba Fang, the levels of tail swelling, inflammation, lipid deposition, and fibrosis in mice treated for 4 weeks were significantly lower than those treated for 2 weeks. Among mice treated for the same duration of time, the levels of tail swelling, inflammation, lipid deposition, and fibrosis showed a decreasing tendency following increasing doses. Notably, the inflammation in tail tissues decreased to the similar level of normal group after treatment for 4 weeks using the high dose of Linba Fang. In conclusion, the traditional Chinese medical prescription Linba Fang could inhibit the pathological changes caused by lymphedema, including swelling, inflammation, lipid deposition, and fibrosis.

Research Progress of Metabolomics in Forensic Pathology.

ABSTRACT: Metabolomics is an interdisciplinary subject that rose in the post-genomic era, which focuses on quantitative study of the response of living organisms to outside stimulation and pathophysiological changes, as well as multiple dynamic response of the level of in vivo metabolites caused by genetic mutation. It is extensively used in basic research of system biology, materia medica, clinical medicine, etc. In the forensic field, metabolomics mainly focuses on forensic toxicology, but with the generalization of certain techniques, it's foreseeable that metabolomics has a broad research prospect in forensic pathology. This article summarizes the major analysis techniques and methods of metabolomics, describes the research status of metabolomic techniques in the field of forensic pathology application research, including postmortem interval and death cause. Moreover, this article summarizes and discusses the potential applicable areas, in order to provide reference for relative research and application.

The potential application of plant wax markers from alfalfa for estimating the total feed intake of sheep.

Estimating the feed intake of grazing herbivores is critical for determining their nutrition, overall productivity and utilization of grassland resources. A 17-day indoor feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential use of Medicago sativa as a natural supplement for estimating the total feed intake of sheep. A total of 16 sheep were randomly assigned to four diets (four sheep per diet) containing a known amount of M. sativa together with up to seven forages common to typical steppes. The diets were: diet 1, M. sativa + Leymus chinensis + Puccinellia distans; diet 2, species in diet 1 + Phragmites australis; diet 3, species in diet 2 + Chenopodium album + Elymus sibiricus; and diet 4, species in diet 3 + Artemisia scoparia + Artemisia tanacetifolia. After faecal marker concentrations were corrected by individual sheep recovery, treatment mean recovery or overall recovery, the proportions of M. sativa and other dietary forages were estimated from a combination of alkanes and long-chain alcohols using a least-square procedure. Total intake was the ratio of the known intake of M. sativa to its estimated dietary proportion. Each dietary component intake was obtained using total intake and the corresponding dietary proportions. The estimated values were compared with actual values to assess the estimation accuracy. The results showed that M. sativa exhibited a distinguishable marker pattern in comparison to the other dietary forage species. The accuracy of the dietary composition estimates was significantly (P < 0.001) affected by both diet diversity and the faecal recovery method. The proportion of M. sativa and total intake across all diets could be accurately estimated using the individual sheep or the treatment mean recovery methods. The largest differences between the estimated and observed total intake were 2.6 g and 19.2 g, respectively, representing only 0.4% and 2.6% of the total intake. However, they were significantly (P < 0.05) biased for most diets when using the overall recovery method. Due to the difficulty in obtaining individual sheep recovery under field conditions, treatment mean recovery is recommended. This study suggests that M. sativa, a natural roughage instead of a labelled concentrate, can be utilized as a dietary supplement to accurately estimate the total feed intake of sheep indoors and further indicates that it has potential to be used in steppe grassland of northern China, where the marker patterns of M. sativa differ markedly from commonly occurring plant species.

Effects of metabolic abnormalities, hyperandrogenemia and clomiphene on liver function parameters among Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: results from a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of metabolic abnormalities, hyperandrogenemia and ovulation induction by clomiphene/acupuncture on liver function parameters among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. All 1000 subjects were diagnosed as PCOS by modified Rotterdam criteria. Liver function parameters, metabolic panel and hormone profile were measured at baseline and after treatment. The relationship between liver parameters with metabolic, hormonal parameters and ovulation induction was examined. RESULTS: PCOS women with metabolic syndrome had higher liver enzyme levels but lower bilirubin and bile acid levels than without. PCOS women with hyperandrogenemia had higher liver enzyme, bilirubin levels than without. Correlation analyses showed that worsening of metabolic parameters was associated with higher liver enzyme levels but lower bilirubin and bile acid levels, while increased androgen levels were associated with higher liver enzyme, bilirubin and bile acid levels. Ovulation induction with clomiphene citrate could decrease bilirubin and bile acid levels, while acupuncture had no obvious effect on liver function. CONCLUSIONS: Among PCOS women, metabolic abnormalities and hyperandrogenemia impaired different liver function parameters. Clomiphene could decrease the bilirubin and bile acid levels while acupuncture had no obvious effect on liver function.

Effect of cysteamine hydrochloride supplementation on the growth performance, enterotoxic status, and glutathione turnover of broilers fed aflatoxin B1 contaminated diets.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of cysteamine hydrochloride (CSH) supplementation on the growth performance, opportunistic bacteria and enterotoxic markers, visceral lesions, glutathione turnover, and inflammatory factors of broilers fed diets contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). One-day-old Arbor Acres broilers (n = 480) were randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 6 replicates of 20 chicks each for a 2 × 2 design with CSH (0 or 200 mg/kg) and AFB1 (0 or 40 µg/kg). The trial lasted for 42 d. Results showed that AFB1 negatively affected (P < 0.05) growth performance, opportunistic bacteria and enterotoxic markers, intestinal lesions, glutathione turnover, and inflammatory factors. The CSH increased (P < 0.05) feed intake and body weight gain. The enterotoxic status was relieved in the CSH treatments by reducing (P < 0.05) the populations of gut Escherichia coli, Gram-negative bacteria, serum diamine oxidase, and intestinal lesions. The CSH also increased (P < 0.05) serum reduced glutathione, glutathione s-transferases, and glutathione reductase, and decreased (P < 0.05) the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1ß. Significant interactions (P < 0.05) were found on Gram-negative bacteria, diamine oxidase, and glutathione s-transferases. The results suggest that the CSH can improve glutathione turnover and reduce the risk of enterotoxic disease induced by AFB1 in broilers.

Glutamine alleviates heat stress-induced impairment of intestinal morphology, intestinal inflammatory response, and barrier integrity in broilers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of glutamine (Gln) on the intestinal morphology, intestinal inflammatory response, and barrier integrity in broilers exposed to high ambient temperature. Three-hundred-sixty 21-d-old Arbor Acres broilers (half male and half female) were randomly allocated to 4 treatment groups in a completely randomized design, each of which included 6 replicates with 15 birds per replicate, for 21 d. The 4 treatment groups were as follows: the control group, in which birds were kept in a thermoneutral room at 22 ± 1°C (no stress, NS; fed a basal diet); the heat stress group (36 ± 1°C for 10 h/d from 08:00 to 18:00 h and 22 ± 1°C for the remaining time, heat stress (HT); fed a basal diet); and heat stress + Gln group (0.5 and 1.0% Gln, respectively). Compared to the NS group, broilers in the HT group had lower villus height (P < 0.05), higher crypt depth (P < 0.05), higher D-lactic acid and diamine oxidase (DAO) activity (P < 0.05), higher soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) concentration (P < 0.05), higher tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/interleukin (IL)-10 (P < 0.05), and lower tight junction protein expression levels (P < 0.05). Compared with birds in the HT, birds in the HT + Gln group exhibited increased villus height (P < 0.05), decreased D-lactate and DAO activity (P < 0.05), decreased sICAM-1 concentration (P < 0.05), and mediate the secretion of cytokines (P < 0.05), as well as increased zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), claudin-1, and occludin mRNA expression levels (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these results indicate that supplementation with Gln was effective in partially ameliorating the adverse effects of heat stress on intestinal barrier function in broilers by promoting epithelial cell proliferation and renewal, modifying the function of the intestinal mucosa barrier, and regulating the secretion of cytokines.

Effect of yeast cell wall on the growth performance and gut health of broilers challenged with aflatoxin B1 and necrotic enteritis.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of yeast cell walls (YCW) on the growth performance, visceral lesions, intestinal integrity, enterotoxicity, and bacteria of broilers challenged with aflatoxin B1 (AF) and necrotic enteritis (NE) from 1 to 21 d of age. A total of 576 one-day-old broilers were assigned to a 2 × 2 × 2 design for diets containing AFB1 (0 or 40 µg/kg), NE (challenged or unchallenged), or YCW (0 or 500 mg/kg). The main effect analysis showed that AF depressed (P < 0.01) average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily body weight gain (ADG), the mRNA profiles of polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR), claudin-1, and occludin, but increased (P < 0.001) liver lesion scores, serum endotoxin, and diamine oxidase (DAO). The NE challenge depressed (P < 0.01) ADFI, ADG, secretory IgA (sIgA), pIgR, claudin-1, occludin, and the populations of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, but increased (P < 0.001) visceral lesions, endotoxins, and DAO. The main effect of YCW on growth performance, visceral lesions, and intestinal integrity was not significant, but decreased (P < 0.01) mortality, endotoxin, DAO, and C. perfringens, and increased (P < 0.05) the populations of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. There were 3-way interactions (P < 0.05) on growth performance, intestinal lesions, integrity, and gut bacteria. Compared with the treatment with the dual challenges, there were pronounced effects (P < 0.05) of YCW on ADFI, ADG, lesions, DAO, pIgR, and Bifidobacteria. The results suggest that with the concurrent challenges of AF and NE, the YCW can partially protect the growth performance and intestinal health of broilers.

Cardioprotective effect of Pycnogenol in ischemic-reperfusion injury (IRI) in rats.

Oxidative stress plays a critical task in the biochemical and pathological alteration linked with myocardial ischemic-reperfusion injury (IRI). This warrants identifying agents with a potential for preventing such damage in an effective way. A novel plant based product, Pycnogenol, obtained from the French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster ssp. atlantica) bark extract was known for its tremendous antioxidant potential (both in vivo, in vitro). It was able to attenuate the symptoms of immune dysfunction through restoring a cellular antioxidant status in low micronutrient-induced immune deficient mice. Consequently, the present study was deals with the determination of protective effect of Pycnogenol in ischemic-reperfusion injury (IRI) in rats via Non-recirculating Langendorff's technique. The effect of Pycnogenol  on the level of various key biomarkers in the rat heart homogenate was determined, such as, myocardial thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS, a marker of lipid peroxidation), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) (a marker of tissue injury) and effect on endogenous antioxidants, e.g., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). The activity of these biomarkers appreciably improved in Pycnogenol-treated group than IRI group (P < 0.05). The effect of Pycnogenol was further confirmed via histopathological examination of cardiac tissues, which suggests that, it considerably improved the injury related to tissue damage through suppression of edema and infiltration of neutrophil compared to IRI group. It also showed modulation of the expression of apoptotic factors, e.g. Bcl-2, bax and caspase-9 as confirmed by western blot analysis.

Rosuvastatin alleviates the development of monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats.

Statins can increase endothelial function through enhancement of the expression and activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of rosuvastatin on the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and endothelial expression of eNOS in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertensive rats. Sixty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups of 20: control (group A), pulmonary hypertension (PAH) + rosuvastatin group (group B), and PAH (group C). Monocrotaline (MCT; 60 mg/kg) was injected (intraperitoneally) to induce PAH. Rats in group B received rosuvastatin [10 mg/(kg. day)] for 2 weeks. Peripheral blood (5 mL) was aspirated from the femoral artery of each rat before and after 2 weeks of treatment. Mononuclear cells were isolated and subcultured to obtain EPCs. Small and moderately sized pulmonary arteries were collected 2 weeks later for histological analyses. eNOS gene expression in endothelial cells of pulmonary arteries were then determined at mRNA and protein levels. eNOS expression at mRNA and protein levels and the number of circulating EPCs were reduced significantly in groups B and C compared with group A (P less than 0.05), and a significant difference between group B and group C (P less than 0.05) was observed. Vascular remodeling in small and moderately sized pulmonary arteries was attenuated markedly in group B compared with group C. These results suggest that rosuvastatin can ameliorate the remodeling of pulmonary arteries in MCT-induced PAH rats by increasing the number of circulating EPCs and eNOS upregulation.

Effects of acupotomylysis on basic fibroblast growth factor and CD34 levels in rabbits with third lumbar vertebral transverse foramen syndrome.

This study observed the local tissue homogenates in rabbits with third lumbar vertebral transverse foramen syndrome and explored the mechanism of acupotomylysis in local tissue revascularization. Thirty Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into the following 5 groups of 6 rabbits each: normal, model, acupotomy, electroacupuncture (EA), and acupotomy-EA groups. All except the normal group were comprised of animal models of third lumbar vertebral transverse foramen syndrome prepared by embedding sponge in the left third lumbar transverse process. The rabbits in the acupotomy and EA groups underwent bilateral acupotomylysis intervention; those in the acupotomy-EA group underwent acupotomylysis and EA interventions. On the 28th day after modeling, the double-antibody ELISA was used to detect b-FGF and CD34 levels in the serum and homogenates of a muscle tissue sample from the left side of the third lumbar transverse process. The b-FGF levels in local muscle homogenates were significantly higher in the modeled rabbits than in the normal rabbits (P < 0.01), and the CD34 levels in the modeled group were significantly lower than in the normal group (P < 0.01). The b-FGF and CD34 levels in the EA, acutopomy, and acutopomy-EA groups were significantly lower than those in the modeled group (P < 0.01); the CD34 levels were significantly higher in the acupotomy-EA group than in the model group (P < 0.05); and the differences among the EA, acupotomy, and acupotomy-EA groups were not significant (P > 0.05). In conclusion, acupotomylysis regulates the levels of b-FGF and CD34 levels in serum and muscle tissue as well as local tissue revascularization.

Comparison of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine therapy on vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of western medicine therapy assisted by Ginkgo biloba tablets (GBT) in patients with vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia (VCIND). Eighty patients with VCIND were randomly divided into two groups: the conventional treatment group (control group) and the combined treatment group. The conventional treatment group was provided with anti-platelet aggregation conventional treatment. In this group, 75 mg aspirin was given three times a day for 3 months, whereas the combined treatment group was given 19.2 mg GBT three times a day for 3 months along with conventional anti-platelet aggregation treatment. Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography were used to observe changes in cognitive ability and cerebral blood flow in patients with VCIND before and after treatment in the two groups. After 3 months of treatment, the MoCA scores of execution, attention, abstraction, delayed memory, and orientation were significantly increased in the combined treatment group compared with those before treatment and those in the control group after treatment. In addition, the blood flow velocity of the anterior cerebral artery was significantly increased in the combined treatment group. GBT can improve the therapeutic efficacy, cognitive ability, and cerebral blood flow supply of patients with VCIND.

Effects of low dose pre-irradiation on hepatic damage and genetic material damage caused by cyclophosphamide.

OBJECTIVE: Cyclophosphamide (CTX) can attack tumour cells, but can also damage the other cells and microstructures of an organism at different levels, such as haematopoietic cells, liver cells, peripheral lymphocyte DNA, and genetic materials. Low dose radiation (LDR) can induce general adaptation reaction. In this study, we explore the effects of low dose radiation on hepatic damage and genetic material damage caused by CTX. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mice were implanted subcutaneously with S180 cells in the left groin (control group excluded). On days 8 and 11, mice of the LDR and LDR+CTX groups were given 75 mGy of whole-body γ-irradiation; whereas mice of the CTX and LDR+CTX groups were injected intraperitoneally with 3.0 mg of CTX. All mice were sacrificed on day 13. DNA damage of the peripheral lymphocytes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, total protein (TP), albumin (ALB) of the plasma, malonyl-dialdheyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity of the hepatic homogenate, and micronucleus frequency (MNF) of polychromatoerythrocytes in the bone marrow were analysed. RESULTS: The control group had the lowest MDA content and the highest SOD and GSH-PX activity, whereas the CTX group had the highest MDA content and the lowest SOD and GSH-PX activity. Compared with the CTX group, the MDA content decreased significantly (p < 0.01) and the SOD and GSH-PX activity increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the LDR+CTX group. TP and ALB in control group were higher than that of the other groups. Compared with the sham-irradiated group, TP and ALB in the LDR group elevated significantly (p < 0.05). The control group had the lightest DNA damage, whereas the CTX group had the severest. DNA damage in LDR+CTX group was much lighter compared with that of the CTX group (p < 0.05). MNF in the CTX group increased significantly compared with the control and the sham-irradiated groups (p < 0.01). Compared with the CTX group, MNF in LDR+CTX group had a tendency of decline, but without statistical significance (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-chemotherapeutic LDR can induce the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes and promote the elimination of free radicles to alleviate the damaging effects of oxidative stress to hepatic tissue caused by high-dose CTX. At the same time, LDR has no obvious effect on the ALT activity of plasma, but may have protective effect on the protein synthesis function of the liver. High-dose CTX chemotherapy can cause DNA damage of peripheral lymphocytes; however, LDR before chemotherapy may have certain protective effect on DNA damage. Moreover, CTX has potent mutagenic effect; however, LDR may have no protective effect against the genetic toxicity of CTX chemotherapy.

Inhibitory effects of curcumin on gastric cancer cells: a proteomic study of molecular targets.

Curcumin, a natural anticancer agent, has been shown to inhibit cell growth in a number of tumor cell lines and animal models. We examined the inhibition of curcumin on cell viability and its induction of apoptosis using different gastric cancer cell lines (BGC-823, MKN-45 and SCG-7901). 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide (MTT) assay showed that curcumin inhibited cell growth in a dose- (1, 5, 10 and 30 µM) and time- (24, 48, 72 and 96 h) dependent manner; analysis of Annexin V binding showed that curcumin induced apoptosis at the dose of 10 and 30 µM when the cells were treated for 24 and 48 h. As cancers are caused by dysregulation of various proteins, we investigated target proteins associated with curcumin by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometer. BGC-823 cells were treated with 30 µM curcumin for 24 h and total protein was extracted for the 2-DE. In the first dimension of the 2-DE, protein samples (800 µg) were applied to immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips (24 cm, pH 3-10, NL) and the isoelectric focusing (IEF) was performed using a step-wise voltage ramp; the second dimension was performed using 12.5% SDS-PAGE gel at 1 W constant power per gel. In total, 75 proteins showed significant changes over 1.5-fold in curcumin-treated cells compared to control cells (Student's t-test, p<0.05). Among them, 33 proteins were upregulated and 42 proteins downregulated by curcumin as determined by spot densitometry. 52 proteins with significant mascot scores were identified and implicated in cancer development and progression. Their biological function included cell proliferation, cycle and apoptosis (20%), metabolism (16%), nucleic acid processing (15%), cytoskeleton organization and movement (11%), signal transduction (11%), protein folding, proteolysis and translation (20%), and immune response (2%). Furthermore, protein-protein interacting analysis demonstrated the interaction networks affected by curcumin in gastric cancer cells. These data provide some clues for explaining the anticancer mechanisms of curcumin and explore more potent molecular targets of the drug expected to be helpful for the development of new drugs.

Prevention of disuse osteoporosis in rats by Cordyceps sinensis extract.

UNLABELLED: Cordyceps sinensis has been known as a traditional medicine in China, and C. sinensis plus strontium could prevent osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats. The present study shows that daily oral administration of C. sinensis at higher doses in adult hind limb suspension rats can prevent disuse-induced bone loss and deterioration of trabecular microarchitecture. INTRODUCTION: Cordyceps sinensis induces estradiol production and prevents osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats. This study was to examine whether C. sinensis can prevent disuse-induced osteoporosis. METHODS: Rats were randomly divided into six groups, and five groups were treated with hind limb suspension (HLS). One HLS group received alendronate (2.0 mg/kg/day) orally, and to the three other HLS groups to each group, a different amount of C. sinensis (100, 300, and 500 mg/kg/day) was orally administered for 8 weeks before and after HLS. The remaining HLS group was set as a control without treatment. Each group consisted of 10 males and females. The body weights, biochemical parameters in serum and urine, bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), mechanical testing, and bone microarchitecture were examined. RESULTS: Treatments with higher C. sinensis dosage (300 and 500 mg/kg/day) or alendronate had a positive effect on body weights, mechanical strength, BMD, and BMC compared to the other HLS groups. C. sinensis decreased markers of bone turnover dose dependently and increased the osteocalcin levels in HLS rats. The result of micro-CT analysis from the L4 vertebra showed that C. sinensis (500 mg/kg) significantly prevented the reduction of the bone volume fraction, connectivity density, trabeculae number, and thickness as well as improved the trabeculae separation and structure model index in HLS rats. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that administration of C. sinensis at higher doses over an 8-week period can prevent the disuse osteoporosis in rats. It implies that C. sinensis might be an alternative therapy for prevention of disuse-induced osteoporosis also in humans.

Analysis of thermochemotherapy-induced apoptosis and the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax in maxillofacial squamous cell carcinomas.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between thermochemotherapy-induced apoptosis and the expressions of the Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in maxillofacial squamous cell carcinomas. Fifteen patients with maxillofacial squamous cell carcinomas were treated with microwave hyperthermia (43 °C for 40 min) following the intravenous injection of pingyangmycin (Bleomycin A5 Hydrochloride for Injection) (8 mg). Subsequently, the tumors were surgically resected. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick-end labeling method was used to assess the apoptosis in the carcinoma cells, and immunohistochemistry was performed using the streptavidin-peroxidase method to determine the expression levels of the Bcl-2 and Bax proteins, and quantitative analysis was employed. The number of apoptotic cells increased markedly (P < 0.001). The protein expression of Bcl-2 was downregulated (P < 0.001), while that of Bax was markedly upregulated (P < 0.001). Thermochemotherapy induces apoptosis in maxillofacial squamous cell carcinoma cells by downregulating the protein expression of Bcl-2 and upregulating that of Bax.

Effect of dietary phytate and phytase on metabolic change of blood and intestinal mucosa in chickens.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary phytate and phytase on the metabolic parameters of lipid, protein, enzyme, electrolyte in the blood or intestinal mucosa of broiler chickens. Diets containing phytate phosphorus (0.22% or 0.44%) with phytase supplementation (0, 500 or 1000 U/kg) were administrated to 504 Cobb chicks for 4 weeks. Results showed that the serum concentrations of total cholesterol (T-CHO), albumin, albumin/globulin, total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) were decreased by 9-41% in high phytate diets (p < 0.05) and the concentrations of blood P, K, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mg were decreased by 4-14% for birds fed high phytate diets (p < 0.05), whereas inclusion of phytase compensated these adverse influences. In the duodenum, phytate decreased the level of T-AOC by 13% (p < 0.05), whereas phytase increased the levels of T-SOD, T-AOC and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) by 9-16% (p < 0.05). Also, in the jejunum, diets with high phytate showed lower activity of T-SOD, T-AOC and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) (p < 0.05), and phytase increased T-SOD, T-AOC and ALP (p < 0.05). However, phytase decreased transaminase activity in the low phytate basal diets (p < 0.05). This study suggests that dietary phytate can adversely interfere with the metabolisms of lipid and protein, as well as the antioxidation of blood and intestinal cells, while phytase supplementation may compensate these effects for broiler chickens.

Effect of diet containing phytate and phytase on the activity and messenger ribonucleic acid expression of carbohydrase and transporter in chickens.

The effect of dietary phytate and phytase on carbohydrase activity and hexose transport was investigated in broiler chickens. Diets containing phytate P (2.2 or 4.4 g/kg) with different phytase dose rates (0, 500, or 1,000 phytase units/kg) were fed to 504 female Cobb chicks for 3 wk. Diets containing high phytate concentrations depressed (P < 0.05) BW and G:F, whereas phytase supplementation improved (P < 0.05) the performance of birds. In the duodenum, phytate decreased (P < 0.05) the activities of disaccharidases, Na(+)K(+)-ATPase, and glucose concentrations by 5 to 11%, but phytase enhanced (P < 0.05) the concentrations of amylase, sucrase, maltase, Na(+)K(+)-ATPase, and glucose by 5 to 30%. In the jejunum, phytate decreased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of amylase, sucrase, Na(+)K(+)-ATPase, and glucose by 10 to 22%, and phytase alleviated the negative effect of phytate on the above variables. Ingestion of diets containing phytate also decreased (P < 0.05) serum amylase activity and glucose concentration, and phytase enhanced (P < 0.05) serum concentrations of amylase, sucrase, maltase, Na(+)K(+)-ATPase, and glucose. There were also interactions (P < 0.05) between phytate and phytase on the concentrations of serum amylase, duodenal amylase, sucrase, and jejunal glucose. Enzymatic analysis at a molecular level showed that neither phytate nor phytase influenced the mRNA expression of sucrase-isomaltase in the small intestine. Also, the investigation into the sodium glucose cotransporter gene may challenge the mechanism by which phytate interferes with glucose utilization, as partly indicated by bird performance, and transmembrane transport because diets containing increased phytate upregulated (P < 0.05) the mRNA expression of the sodium glucose cotransporter gene in duodenum and did not influence it in the jejunum. These results indicate that phytate can impair endogenous carbohydrase activity and digestive competence, and phytase can ameliorate these effects for chickens.