The Improvement in Function of Poststroke Spasticity by Vibrational and Heated Stone-Needle Therapy and Meridian Dredging Exercise: A Randomized, Controlled, Preliminary Trial.

BACKGROUND: Poststroke spasticity (PSS) is a common complication of stroke. Current PSS treatments have been linked to high costs, lack of long-term effectiveness, and undesirable side effects. Vibrational and heated stone-needle therapy (VHS) has not been utilized to treat PSS, and its safety and effectiveness have yet to be proven by high-quality clinical research. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of VHS combined with meridian dredging exercise (MDE) in patients with PSS. METHODS: One hundred participants with stroke were included and randomly assigned to a treatment group (VHS plus MDEs) and a control group (MDEs alone). Patients in both groups were treated for 4 weeks. The primary outcome measures were the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), while the secondary outcome measures were the Activity of Daily Living (ADL) Scale and Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL). The evaluations were at baseline (T0) at 4 weeks of treatment (T1) and at 12 weeks of follow-up without treatment (T2). RESULTS: At T1 and T2, there were significant differences in MAS between the two groups (p = 0.001). From the perspective of distribution, the VHS plus MDE group had significant changes, and the group-time interactions of upper and lower extremities in FMA, ADL, and SS-QOL were statistically significant (p < 0.001), indicating that patients' symptoms improved after treatment. But the overall effect size is small, especially the effect size of improvement in SS-QOL at T1. CONCLUSION: VHS in combination with MDE can consistently alleviate PSS, enhance limb function, and improve the quality of life of patients with PSS. But we need to optimize the device further and observe the improvement of patients for a more extended period.Spastik nach Schlaganfall (PSS; post-stroke spasticity) ist eine häufige Komplikation des Schlaganfalls. Gegenwärtige PSS-Behandlungen sind mit hohen Kosten, mangelnder langfristiger Wirksamkeit und unerwünschten Nebenwirkungen in Verbindung gebracht worden. Vibrierende und erhitzte Steinnadeln (VHS) sind bisher nicht zur Behandlung des PSS eingesetzt worden, und der Nachweis ihrer Sicherheit und Wirksamkeit durch hochwertige klinische Forschung steht noch aus.Beurteilung der Wirksamkeit von vibrierenden und erhitzten Steinnadeln (VHS) in Kombination mit Meridian-Ausbagger-Übungen (MDE) bei Patienten mit PSS.100 Patienten mit Schlaganfall wurden eingeschlossen und per Randomisierung auf eine Behandlungsgruppe (VHS plus MDEs) und eine Kontrollgruppe (nur MDE) aufgeteilt. In beiden Gruppen wurden die Patienten 4 Wochen lang behandelt. Die primären Messinstrumente waren die Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) und das Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), als sekundäre Messinstrumente wurden die Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL) und die Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL) erhoben. Die Beurteilungszeitpunkte waren bei Baseline (T0) nach 4 Wochen Behandlung (T1) und nach 12 Wochen Nachbeobachtung ohne Behandlung (T2).Bei T1 und T2 bestanden signifikante Unterschiede bei der MAS zwischen den Gruppen (p = 0.001). Aus der Perspektive der Distribution zeigte die "VHS plus MDE"-Gruppe signifikante Veränderungen, und die Gruppe*Zeit-Interaktionen der oberen and unteren Extremitäten bei FMA, ADL und SS-QOL waren statistisch signifikant (p < 0.001), was darauf hindeutet, dass die Beschwerden der Patienten sich nach der Behandlung besserten. Die Effektstärke ist allerdings gering, insbesondere die der SS-QOL-Verbesserung bei T1.Die Anwendung von vibrierenden und erhitzten Steinnadeln in Kombination mit Meridian-Ausbagger-Übungen kann PSS durchgängig lindern, die Funktion der Extremitäten verbessern und die Lebensqualität der Patienten mit PSS erhöhen. Jedoch muss das Produkt weiter optimiert werden, und die Verbesserungen bei den Patienten müssen über einen längeren Zeitraum beobachtet werden.

[Mechanism of inhibitory effect of catalpol on TNF-α induced HAECs cell damage].

Catalpol is an iridoid glycoside extracted from the root of Rehmannia glutinosa. It has been reported to have antioxidant stress effects. Adenosine 5' monophosphate-activated protein kinase( AMPK) plays an important role in inhibiting oxidative stress. This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of catalpol on TNF-α-exposed human aorta epithelial cells( HAECs) via inhibit oxidative stress,and the relationship between catalpol and AMPK was detected by RNA interference technique. Levels of superoxide dismutase( SOD),malonaldehyde( MDA),glutathione( GSH) and lactate dehydrogenase( LDH) were measured with a colorimetric assay kit. The level of ROS was measured with FACS calibur. Western blot was employed to detect the protein expression of AMPK,phosphorylated-AMPK and NOX4. Finally,RNA interference technique was used to investigate the role of AMPK in catalpol-induced protective effects. TNF-α treatment decreased the expression of phosphorylated-AMPK protein level,however,catalpol could reverse the decreased phosphorylated-AMPK level. Catalpol could inhibit NOX4 protein expression and decrease ROS overproduction. After using AMPK siRNA that effects of catalpol on ROS overproduction and NOX4 protein expression inhibition were attenuated. The above results suggest that catalpol inhibits oxidative stress in TNF-α-exposed HAECs by activating AMPK.

Alisol B 23-acetate protects against non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice via farnesoid X receptor activation.

Alisol B 23-acetate (AB23A) is a natural triterpenoid isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine rhizoma alismatis, which exhibits a number of pharmacological activities, including anti-hepatitis virus, anti-cancer and antibacterial effects. In this study we examined whether AB23A protected against non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mice, and the mechanisms underlying the protective effects. NASH was induced in mice fed a methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 4 weeks. The mice were simultaneously treated with AB23A (15, 30, and 60 mg·kg-1·d-1, ig) for 4 weeks. On the last day, blood samples and livers were collected. Serum liver functional enzymes, inflammatoru markers were assessed. The livers were histologically examined using H&E, Oil Red O, Masson's trichrome and Sirius Red staining. Mouse primary hepatocytes were used for in vitro experiments. The mechanisms underlying AB23A protection were analyzed using siRNA, qRT-PCR, and Western blot assays. AB23A treatment significantly and dose-dependently decreased the elevated levels of serum ALT and AST in MCD diet-fed mice. Furthermore, AB23A treatment significantly reduced hepatic triglyceride accumulation, inflammatory cell infiltration and hepatic fibrosis in the mice. AB23A-induced decreases in serum and hepatic lipids were related to decreased hepatic lipogenesis through decreasing hepatic levels of SREBP-1c, FAS, ACC1 and SCD1 and increased lipid metabolism via inducing PPARα, CPT1α, ACADS and LPL. The reduction in inflammatory cell infiltration corresponded to deceased serum levels of mKC and MCP-1 and decreased hepatic gene expression of MCP-1 and VCAM-1. The reduction in hepatic fibrosis was correlated with decreased hepatic gene expression of fibrosis markers. The protective effects of AB23A were FXR-dependent, because treatment with the FXR agonist CDCA mimicked AB23A-induced hepato-protection in the mice, whereas co-administration of FXR antagonist guggulsterone abrogated AB23A-induced hepato-protection. In mouse primary hepatocytes, FXR gene silencing abrogated AB23A-induced changes in gene expression of Apo C-II, CPT1α, ACADS and LPL. AB23A produces protective effects against NASH in mice via FXR activation.

[Characterization of Phosphorus Forms in Organic Composts and Their Effects on Leaf Phosphorus Content of Castanea mollissima in Chinese Chestnut Producing Area].

Characterization of the forms of phosphorus (P) in four organic composts including compost of hulls and leaves of Castanea mollissima, edible fungi residues, corn stalks and chicken manure (BYZ), compost of edible fungi residues and chicken manure(ZF), composts of hulls and leaves of C. mollissima, edible fungi residues and chicken manure (BZ1 and BZ2) in Chinese chestnut producing area was conducted by sequential P fractionation developed by Dou et al. Field trial was conducted to study the effects of compost application on leaf phosphorus content of Castanea mollissima. The results showed that total phosphorus content(TP) of organic composts ranked as follows:BZ1(10.61 g·kg-1) > ZF(9.03 g·kg-1) > BYZ(8.56 g·kg-1) > BZ2(7.68 g·kg-1), and the inorganic phosphorus(Pi) accounted for 62.88%-73.62% of the total phosphorus in the organic composts. The content and proportion of HCl-P in the total fractionated phosphorus(Prt) was the highest among P forms in ZF, while that of H2O-P was the highest in BYZ, BZ1 and BZ2. The content of NaOH-P was very low in all the composts. Active H2O-Por NaHCO3-P had the highest inorganic phosphorus proportion(89.17%-96.00%) of all the P forms. The major Piforms in BZ2 were H2O- and HCl-extractable P fractions, while H2O-Pi, HCl-Pi and NaHCO3-Pi were major Pi forms in BYZ, BZ1 and ZF. Residual-P was the predominant organic phosphorus form, and BZ2 showed the highest Residual-P proportion of the total fractionated phosphorus(Prt) among all the composts. Leaf phosphorus contents per unit area of Castanea mollissima by field trial on the added phosphorus-equivalent basis were expressed as:BZ2>BZ1>BYZ>ZF>CK. Increment of leaf phosphorus content per unit area in Julyand per month on average showed positive relationship with the content and proportion of H2O-Pi in the total fractionated phosphorus of composts, which presumably played a key role in leaf phosphorus absorption of C. mollissima measured in the year of deep concentrated fertilization. The results suggested that composts of hulls and leaves of C. mollissima, edible fungi residues and chicken manure (BZ2) was a good choice in given area for aerobic composting raw material system in which organic wastes from Chinese chestnut industry accounted for 80% (hulls and leaves of Castanea mollissima and edible fungi residues accounted for 60% and 20% respectively), which had a high proportion of H2O-Pi and organic Residual-P pool and led to the highest leaf phosphorus content of C. mollissima.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid Promotes Osteoblastic Formation in H2O2 -Treated MC3T3-E1 Cells and Prevents Bone Loss in Ovariectomized Rats.

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a naturally occurring compound and dietary supplement, has been established as a potent antioxidant that is a strong scavenger of free radicals. Recently, accumulating evidences has indicated the relationship between oxidative stress and osteoporosis (OP). Some studies have investigated the possible beneficial effects of ALA on OP both in vivo and in vitro; however, the precise mechanism(s) underlying the bone-protective action of ALA remains unclear. Considering this, we focused on the anti-oxidative capacity of ALA to exert bone-protective effects in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, the effects of ALA on osteoblastic formation in H(2)O(2) -treated MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts and ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone loss in rats were investigated. The results showed that ALA promoted osteoblast differentiation, mineralization and maturation and inhibited osteoblast apoptosis, thus increasing the OPG/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) ligand (RANKL) ratio and leading to enhanced bone formation in vitro and inhibited bone loss in vivo. Further study revealed that ALA exerted its bone-protective effects by inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by down-regulating Nox4 gene expression and protein synthesis and attenuating the transcriptional activation of NF-κB. In addition, ALA might exert its bone-protective effects by activating the Wnt/Lrp5/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Taken together, the present study indicated that ALA promoted osteoblastic formation in H(2)O(2) -treated MC3T3-E1 cells and prevented OVX-induced bone loss in rats by regulating Nox4/ROS/NF-κB and Wnt/Lrp5/ß-catenin signaling pathways, which provided possible mechanisms of bone-protective effects in regulating osteoblastic formation and preventing bone loss. Taken together, the results suggest that ALA may be a candidate for clinical OP treatment.

Icariin promotes directed chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells but not hypertrophy in vitro.

Icariin (ICA), a Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been demonstrated to be a promoting compound for extracellular matrix synthesis and gene expression of chondrocytes. However, whether ICA can act as a substitute for or cooperate with growth factors to directly promote stable chondrogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) remains unknown. In the present study, rat BMSCs were cultivated in monolayer cultures with a chondrogenic medium containing transforming growth factor-ß3 for 14 days; ICA was added to the same chondrogenic medium throughout the culture period at a concentration of 1×10-6 M. Cell morphology was observed using an inverted microscope, and chondrogenic differentiation markers, including collagen II, aggrecan and SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 9 (SOX9), were detected by immunofluorescence, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Hypertrophic differentiation was also analyzed using collagen I gene expression and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The results revealed that ICA was effective at forming an increased number of and larger aggregates, and significantly upregulated the mRNA expression levels and protein synthesis of collagen II, aggrecan and SOX9. Furthermore, the chondrogenic medium alone caused hypertrophic differentiation through the upregulation of collagen I gene expression and ALP activity, which was not potentiated by the presence of ICA. Thus, ICA promoted directed chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs, but had no effect on hypertrophic differentiation. The present results also suggested that ICA may be an effective accelerant of growth factors for cartilage tissue engineering by promoting their chondrogenic differentiating effects but reducing the effect of hypertrophic differentiation.

[Research progresses of pharmacokinetics of traditional Chinese medicine].

With the deepening of modernization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and continuing emergence of new theories, methods and techniques, a very rapid and significant development has been achieved in the pharmacokinetics (PK) of TCM. This paper reviews the main research progresses of PK of TCM, including integrated PK of multiple effective components of TCM, fingerprint PK of TCM, novel dosage form PK of TCM, polysaccharide PK of TCM and drug interactions of TCM; and further sets up the prospects.

Protective effect of tea polyphenols against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice is significantly correlated with cytochrome P450 suppression.

AIM: To investigate the hepatoprotective activity of tea polyphenols (TP) and its relation with cytochrome P450 (CYP450) expression in mice. METHODS: Hepatic CYP450 and CYPb(5) levels were measured by UV-spectrophotometry in mice 2 d after intraperitoneal TP (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg per day). Then the mice were intragastricly pre-treated with TP (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg per day) for six days before paracetamol (1000 mg/kg) was given. Their acute mortality was compared with that of control mice. The mice were pre-treated with TP (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg per day) for five days before paracetamol (500 mg/kg) was given. Hepatic CYP2E1 and CYP1A2 protein and mRNA expression levels were evaluated by Western blotting, immunohistochemical staining and transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The hepatic CYP450 and CYPb(5) levels in mice of TP-treated groups (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg per day) were decreased in a dose-dependent manner compared with those in the negative control mice. TP significantly attenuated the paracetamol-induced hepatic injury and dramatically reduced the mortality of paracetamol-treated mice. Furthermore, TP reduced CYP2E1 and CYP1A2 expression at both protein and mRNA levels in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: TP possess potential hepatoprotective properties and can suppress CYP450 expression.