Tanshinone IIA Prevents Rat Basilar Artery Smooth Muscle Cells Proliferation by Inactivation of PDK1 During the Development of Hypertension.

Basilar vascular smooth muscle cells (BASMCs) hyperplasia is a prominent feature of cerebrovascular remodeling and stroke during the development of hypertension. Tanshinone IIA (Tan) has been reported to exhibit a protective effect against the pathological features of hypertension. Previous studies have shown that phosphoinostitide-3 kinase (PI3K)/3'-phosphoinostitide dependent kinase (PDK1)/AKT pathway is involved in the regulation of proliferation of various cell types. Therefore, there may be a crosstalk between Tan antihypertension processes and PI3K/PDK1/AKT proliferative effect in BASMCs. To test this hypothesis, we used a 2-kidney, 2-clip hypertension model to examine the effect of Tan on PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway by cellular, molecular, and biochemical approaches. Our results revealed that the abundance of PDK1 in plasma was paralleled with an increase in blood pressure and the cross-sectional area of basilar artery in hypertensive rats. Tan decreased blood pressure and hypertension-induced PDK1 phosphorylation but produced no effect on the phosphorylation of PI3K. Moreover, Tan attenuated endothelin 1 induced the activation of PDK1/AKT pathway in rat BASMCs. Tan could inhibit cell cycle transition by regulating the expression of cyclin D1 and p27, in turn, prevent proliferation of BASMCs. Our study provides a novel mechanism by which Tan prevents cerebrovascular cell proliferation during hypertension, and thus Tan may be a potential therapeutic agent for cerebrovascular remodeling and stroke.

Folate intake, serum folate levels, and prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis of prospective studies.

BACKGROUND: Studies have reported inconsistent results concerning the existence of associations of folate intake and serum folate levels with prostate cancer risk. This study sought to summarise the evidence regarding these relationships using a dose-response meta-analysis approach. METHODS: In January 2014, we performed electronic searches of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify studies examining the effect of folate on the incidence of prostate cancer. Only prospective studies that reported effect estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the incidence of prostate cancer for more than 2 categories of folate were included. RESULTS: Overall, we included 10 prospective studies reporting data on 202,517 individuals. High dietary folate intake had little or no effect on prostate cancer risk (risk ratio [RR] = 1.02; 95% CI = 0.95-1.09; P = 0.598). The dose-response meta-analysis suggested that a 100 µg per day increase in dietary folate intake has no significant effect on the risk of prostate cancer (RR = 1.01; 95% CI = 0.99-1.02; P = 0.433). However, high serum folate levels were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (RR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.05-1.39; P = 0.008). The dose-response meta-analysis indicated that a 5 nmol/L increment of serum folate levels was also associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (RR = 1.04; 95% CI = 1.00-1.07; P = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that dietary folate intake had little or no effect on prostate cancer risk. However, increased serum folate levels have potentially harmful effects on the risk of prostate cancer.

Intracoronary versus intravenous administration of abciximab in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Abciximab is a widely used adjunctive therapy for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the effect of intracoronary (i.c.) administration of abciximab on cardiovascular events remains unclear when compared with intravenous (i.v.) therapy. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We systematically searched the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases and reference lists of articles and proceedings of major meetings for obtaining relevant literature. All eligible trials included ACS patients who received either i.c. administration of abciximab or i.v. therapy. The primary outcome was major cardiovascular events, and secondary outcomes included total mortality, reinfarction, and any possible adverse events. Of 660 identified studies, we included 9 trials reporting data on 3916 ACS patients. Overall, i.c. administration of abciximab resulted in 45% reduction in relative risk for major cardiovascular events (RR; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24-60%), 41% reduction in RR for reinfarction (95% CI, 7-63%), and 44% reduction in RR for congestive heart failure relative to i.v. therapy (95% CI, 8-66%); however, compared to i.v. therapy, i.c. administration of abciximab had no effect on total mortality (RR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.45-1.07). No other significant differences were identified between the effect of i.c. abciximab administration and i.v. therapy. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: I.c. administration of abciximab can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, reinfarction, and congestive heart failure when compared with i.v. therapy.

[Practice and exploration on clinical evaluations of hospital-made Chinese herbal formulas in the Pudong new area of Shanghai].

Chinese herbal formulas can well present the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with their simple, convenient, inexpensive and effective uses. However, due to the high cost of production, manufacturing pharmacies inside the hospital closed down one after another, which rendered the difficult situation of developing preparation of Chinese herbal formulas. The Pudong New Area of Shanghai, as a pilot region for comprehensive reforms on national development of TCM, vigorously explores the standardized research on and application of hospital-made Chinese herbal formulas. The Health Bureau of the Pudong New Area, based on the Shuguang Hospital, has established a clinical evaluation center for hospital-made Chinese herbal formulas. Through screening, manufacturing, quality control, unified allocation, and standardized clinical evaluation, the clinical evaluation center has summarized its experience on these processes.

Generalized atmospheric turbulence MTF for wave propagating through non-Kolmogorov turbulence.

A generalized exponential spectrum model is derived, which considers finite turbulence inner and outer scales and has a general spectral power law value between the range 3 to 5 instead of standard power law value 11/3. Based on this generalized spectrum model, a new generalized long exposure turbulence modulation transfer function (MTF) is obtained for optical plane and spherical wave propagating through horizontal path in weak fluctuation turbulence. When the inner scale and outer scale are set to zero and infinite, respectively, the new generalized MTF is reduced to the classical generalized MTF derived from the non-Kolmogorov spectrum.