[Phrenic nerve stimulation protects against mechanical ventilation-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction through myogenic regulatory factors].

Objective: To explore the protective effect of electrical stimulation of phrenic nerve on diaphragmatic function during mechanical ventilation. Methods: Forty healthy adult SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: blank control group (BC), spontaneous breathing group (SB), electrical stimulation group (ES), mechanical ventilation group (MV), and electrical stimulation and mechanical ventilation group (MS). The rats in each group were treated for 18 h except for the BC group. After treatment, the diaphragm muscle tissue was obtained and the diaphragm contractility including peak-to-peak value(Vpp) and maximum rate of contraction(+ dT/dt max) were measured. Expression of MyoD and myogenin were detected. Results: Except for the ES and the MS groups, there was a significant difference for peak-to-peak value (Vpp) between each 2 groups (P<0.05). Expression levels of MyoD in treatment groups were also significantly different (P<0.05). Expressions of MS(Q-PCR 2(-ΔΔCt) value: 11.66±2.80) and MV(Q-PCR 2(-ΔΔCt) value: 40.89±24.71) in the treatment group were significantly different (P<0.05). The expression of myogenin in the MS and the MV groups were significantly different from those of the BC group(P<0.05), however there was no significant difference between the MS(Q-PCR 2(-ΔΔCt) value: 2.58±2.75) and the MV group(Q-PCR 2(-ΔΔCt) value: 1.63±0.71). Conclusions: Electrical stimulation of the phrenic nerve can change the expression level of MyoD and myogenin to offset mechanical ventilation induced diaphragmatic function damage, and therefore plays a protective effect on the diaphragm.

Optimization of dietary zinc for egg production and antioxidant capacity in Chinese egg-laying ducks fed a diet based on corn-wheat bran and soybean meal.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation on productive performance and antioxidant status in laying ducks. Five-hundred-four laying ducks were divided into 7 treatments, each containing 6 replicates of 12 ducks. The ducks were caged individually and fed a corn-soybean meal and wheat bran basal diet (37 mg Zn/kg) or the basal diet supplemented with 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, or 90 mg Zn/kg (as zinc sulfate). During the early laying period of 10 d (daily egg production <80%), egg production, daily egg mass, and FCR increased quadratically with increasing dietary Zn levels (P < 0.05). The highest egg production and daily egg weight were obtained when 30 or 45 mg Zn/kg diet was supplemented, with lowest FCR. Similarly, the highest egg production and daily egg mass were observed in the group supplemented with 30 or 45 mg Zn/kg during the peak laying period of the subsequent 120 d (daily egg production >80%). Average egg weight and feed intake did not differ among the groups of graded Zn supplementation.The egg quality was not affected by dietary Zn, including the egg shape index, Haugh unit, yolk color score, egg composition, and shell thickness. The activities of plasma activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) increased in a quadratic manner (P < 0.001) with increasing supplemental Zn. Plasma concentration of Zn increased quadratically (P < 0.05) as dietary Zn increased. The hepatic activity of Cu/Zn-SOD and GSH-PX increased quadratically (P < 0.05) with increasing dietary Zn. Plasma Zn concentrations were positively correlated with activities of T-SOD (P < 0.05), and positively with plasma Cu. Plasma concentration of reduced glutathione was correlated with plasma Cu. In conclusion, supplementation of Zn at 30 or 45 mg/kg to a corn-wheat bran and soybean basal diet may improve the productive performance and enhance the antioxidant capacity.

Effects of dietary methionine on performance, egg quality and glutathione redox system in egg-laying ducks.

In this study, 6 dietary DL-methionine (Met) levels (2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 g/kg) were tested to estimate the dietary Met requirements of Longyan ducks from 19 to 46 weeks of age, and to investigate its effect on the glutathione redox system. In total, 1080 Longyan ducks aged 19 weeks were allocated randomly to the 6 dietary treatments, where each treatment comprised 6 replicate pens with 30 ducks per pen. Met had no effects on egg production, yolk weight, yolk colour or the glutathione redox system, but the egg weight, egg mass and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were improved significantly by dietary Met supplementation. As the dietary Met concentration increased, the eggshell thickness and breaking strength decreased significantly, whereas the albumen weight increased significantly. According to broken-line regression analysis, the optimum Met requirements for egg weight, egg mass, FCR and albumen weight are 686, 661, 658 and 731 mg/bird/d, respectively, with a dietary crude protein level of 170 g/kg.

Protective effect of the n-butanol Toona sinensis seed extract on diabetic nephropathy rat kidneys.

The objective of this study was to observe the protective effect of the n-butyl alcohol phase of Toona sinensis seed extract on the kidneys of diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats and its preliminary mechanism. Male wistar rats were administered a normal or high-fat diet for 1 month. DN rats were divided into a model group and a petroleum ether phase of T. sinensis seed extract intervention group. The intervention group was administered 5 mg·100 g-1·day-1 extract. After treatment for 10 weeks, the rats were sacrificed and blood samples and the renal cortex were collected. Biochemical indicators in the serum and renal indices were assessed. Pathological changes of the renal tissues were also determined. Changes in the renal structure and protein levels were detected. Compared with the normal group, the blood glucose, urinary albumin, renal index, and oxidative stress index were sharply increased in the model group. The protein levels of TGF-b1, collagen IV, and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were increased. Compared with the model group, the n-butyl alcohol phase of T. sinensis seed extract significantly reduced the blood glucose, urinary albumin, renal index, oxidative stress index, serum creatinine, and urea nitrogen levels. The renal pathology abnormality was improved in DN rats. The protein levels of TGF-b1, collagen IV, and CTGF were increased. The expression of TGF-b1, collagen IV, and CTGF decreased. In conclusion, the n-butyl alcohol phase of T. sinensis seed extract has protective effects on DN rats via the inhibition of oxidative stress and protein expression of TGF-b1, collagen IV, and CTGF.

Insight into the structural requirements of benzothiadiazine scaffold-based derivatives as hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase inhibitors using 3D-QSAR, molecular docking and molecular dynamics.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant world health threat with frequently ineffective problem existed in the present treatment, thus representing a major unmet medical need. The nonstructural viral protein 5B (NS5B), one of the best-studied polymerase, has emerged as an attractive target for the development of novel therapeutics against hepatitis C virus. In this work, both ligand- and receptor- based three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (3D-QSAR) studies were carried out using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) techniques on 360 benzothiadiazine scaffold-based derivatives as HCV GT-1b NS5B polymerase allosteric inhibitors. The resultant optimum 3D-QSAR model exhibited R(2)(ev) of 0.54, R(2)(nev) of 0.72 and the predictive ability was validated by using an independent test set of 90 compounds which gave R(2)(pred) value of 0.64. In addition, docking analysis and molecular dynamics simulation (MD) were also applied to elucidate the probable binding modes of these inhibitors at the allosteric site of the enzyme. Interpretation of the 3D contour maps in context of the topology of the allosteric binding site of NS5B provided insight into NS5B-inhibitor interactions. The information obtained from this work can be utilized to accurately predict the binding affinity of related analogues and also facilitate the future rational design of novel inhibitors with improved activity.

A comparative study of acrylamide formation induced by microwave and conventional heating methods.

In this study, the formation of acrylamide upon treatment with microwave and conventional heating, boiling, or frying was investigated in both Asn/Fru and Asn/Glc model systems and in potato chips. Acrylamide levels were analyzed by HPLC method, which was confirmed by HPLC-MS/MS. Present results in model systems showed that pH value had a complex influence on the formation of acrylamide in the 2 systems during both microwaving (600 W) and boiling (120 +/- 1 degrees C). At pH < 8.0, acrylamide content increased with increasing the pH value, reaching the maximum at pH 8.0 whereas acrylamide content decreased with the increase of pH. Regardless of pH and heating methods, acrylamide content generally increased with increasing treatment time. Surprisingly, all present results showed that microwave heating not only induced acrylamide formation in the 2 model systems but also facilitated more acrylamide to be formed as compared to the boiling method at identical pH and treatment time. At pH 4.0, 8.0, and 10.0, the larger the microwave power, the more the acrylamide content. Consistent with the above observation, treatment of potato chips with microwave heating for 2.5 to 3.5 min in the range 550 to 750 W similarly resulted in acrylamide formation. The highest acrylamide content was formed by 750 W microwave treatment as 0.897 +/- 0.099 mg/kg, which was significantly higher than that produced by traditional frying (180 +/- 1 degrees C), 0.645 +/- 0.035 mg/kg (P < 0.05).

Antifungal activity of Cynara scolymus L. extracts.

Chloroform, ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of Cynara scolymus L. leaves, heads and stems were tested for their antifungal activity using the agar-well diffusion assay technique. The leaves extracts and the ethanol fractions were found to be the most effective extract against all the tested organisms.

Phosphine and methane generation by the addition of organic compounds containing carbon-phosphorus bonds into incubated soil.

Formation of phosphine and methane in anaerobic incubation systems was investigated under stirred and unstirred conditions. The PH3 and CH4 levels in the headspace, as well as the matrix-bound PH3 content in the stirred soil, significantly increased upon the addition of phosphonoacetic acid (P(O)(OH)2CH2COOH). Both the levels of matrix-bound PH3 and CH4 are positively correlated to the buffered dithionite fraction of reactive phosphorus in the soil samples, while a negative correlation was observed between matrix-bound PH3/CH4 levels and the reactive phosphorus fraction.

Cellular neural network analysis for two-dimensional bioheat transfer equation.

The cellular neural network (CNN) method is applied to solve the Pennes bioheat transfer equation, and its feasibility is demonstrated. Numerical solutions were obtained for a cellular neural network for a two-dimensional steady-state temperature field obtained from focused and unfocused ultrasound heat sources. Transient-state temperature fields were also studied and compared with experimental results obtained elsewhere. The cellular neural networks' key features of asynchronous parallel processing, continuous-time dynamics and local interaction enable real-time temperature field estimation for clinical hyperthermia.

[The effects of bizhongxiao decotion (BZX) on T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of BZX on T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and study the mechanism of curative effects of BZX in immunization. METHODS: 42 patients with RA in active stage were divided into 1. treatment group with BZX 2. control group with western medicine and twenty healthy control group (HCG) was arranged before treatment. Their CD4+ and CD8+ were tested and the ratio of CD4+ cells to CD8+ cells was calculated before treatment and after 3 months treatment. RESULTS: In the peripheral blood of patients with RA, CD4+ was more than that of the HCG. but CD8+ was lower and the ratio of CD4+ cell to CD8+ cells was higher than that of the HCG. After 3 months treatment, CD4+ decreased, CD8+ increased and the ratio of CD4+ cells to CD8+ cells decreased. In addition, all results were similar to the normal. We found there were no significant differences between the two treatment groups in the results after treatment. CONCLUSION: There were cell immunoregulation disorders in patients with RA. BZX can regulate the disorder of T-lymphocyte subsets, help rebuild the immune steading and have effects of immune suppression similar to MTX combined medicine.

[Effects of nao-yi-an on expressions of nerve growth factor and interleukin-1 beta following injury induced by hemoglobin in cultured hippocampal neurons].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Nao-yi-an (NYA) on protecting the cultured hippocampal neurons against the injury induced by hemoglobin (Hb) and modulating the expressions of nerve growth factor (NGF) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) following Hb injury. METHODS: The experimental techniques of neuronal culture, alive cells count, Northern blotting, and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were employed to detect the survival rate of cultured neurons, the expression level of NGF and IL-1 beta following Hb injury in cultured hippocampal neurons. RESULTS: 1. The hippocampal neurons survived for more than 5 months in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM) containing 2% bovine serum. 2. 38.5% cultured neurons were dead in Lock' s solution with 5 mmol.L-1 glucose containing 50 mumol.L-1 Hb. The rate of survival neurons was significantly increased by addition of decoction of NYA. 3. The expression of IL-1 beta was markedly increased at 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, and 12 h after Hb injury. The expression of NGF was temporarily increased. 4. The levels of IL-1 beta mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in NYA treated group, while the expression of NGF mRNA and protein was not reduced. CONCLUSION: NYA has the effects on increasing the neuronal survival, decreasing the expression of IL-1 beta, and maintaining the expression of NGF following Hb injury in cultured neurons.

Chinese herb "destagnation" series I: Combination of radiation with destagnation in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC): a prospective randomized trial on 188 cases.

The results of a prospective randomized trial on 188 patients with NPC is reported to evaluate the validity of Chinese herbal medicine-Destagnation combined with radiotherapy. Ninety patients were allotted to the Destagnation group (radiation plus Destagnation) and 98, to the control group (radiation only). The 5-year success rate (number surviving minus number recurred but salvaged by re-treatment) of the Destagnation group is 53% (48/90) in comparison to 37% (36/98) of the control group (p less than 0.05). Minor complications of Destagnation included occasional anorexia and frequency of bowel movement. The reduced rate of local recurrence at the primary site in the Destagnation group (14%-13/90) as compared to that of the control group (29%-28/98) (p less than 0.05) suggests that Destagnation may be a radiosensitizer. The similar metastatic rates in both groups; 21% (19/90) in the Destagnation group and 21% (21/98) in the control group may refute the belief that Destagnation enhances hematogenous spread.