Cordyceps sinensis protects against liver and heart injuries in a rat model of chronic kidney disease: a metabolomic analysis.

AIM: To test the hypothesis that the traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps sinensis could improve the metabolic function of extrarenal organs to achieve its anti-chronic kidney disease (CKD) effects. METHODS: Male SD rats were divided into CKD rats (with 5/6-nephrectomy), CKD rats treated with Cordyceps sinensis (4 mg•kg-1•d-1, po), and sham-operated rats. After an 8-week treatment, metabolites were extracted from the hearts and livers of the rats, and then subjected to (1)H-NMR-based metabolomic analysis. RESULTS: Oxidative stress, energy metabolism, amino acid and protein metabolism and choline metabolism were considered as links between CKD and extrarenal organ dysfunction. Within the experimental period of 8 weeks, the metabolic disorders in the liver were more pronounced than in the heart, suggesting that CKD-related extrarenal organ dysfunctions occurred sequentially rather than simultaneously. Oral administration of Cordyceps sinensis exerted statistically significant rescue effects on the liver and heart by reversely regulating levels of those metabolites that are typically perturbed in CKD. CONCLUSION: Oral administration of Cordyceps sinensis significantly attenuates the liver and heart injuries in CKD rats. The (1)H NMR-based metabolomic approach has provided a systematic view for understanding of CKD and the drug treatment, which can also be used to elucidate the mechanisms of action of other traditional Chinese medicines.

Efficacy and safety of a modified intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator regimen in Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Thrombolytic treatment with intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA; 0.90 mg/kg, with a maximum dose of 90 mg) has been recommended as the standard management for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) thrombolysis. However, the dose of IV rtPA in Asia remains controversial. METHODS: This study was designed to verify the safety and efficacy of IV rtPA treatment for AIS with a lower dosage (0.90 mg/kg, with a maximum dose of 50 mg). Patients were divided into 3 dosage groups according to body weight (BW): group 1, <55 kg for 0.90 mg/kg; group 2, 55 to 67 kg for 0.75 to 0.90 mg/kg; and group 3, >67 kg for <0.75 mg/kg. The following data were collected: patient demographics, vascular risk factors, neuroimaging results, time of rtPA administration, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score before treatment and at 24 hours, and a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months. RESULTS: Eighty-three AIS patients who were of Han Chinese descent were included in the study. The baseline characteristics of the 3 dosage groups were well matched. In group 1 (BW <55 kg for 0.90 mg/kg; n = 19), 57.1% had a favorable outcome at 3 months, compared with 61.2% of patients in group 2 (BW 55-67 kg for 0.75-0.90 mg/kg; n = 33) and 51.5% in group 3 (BW >67 kg for <0.75 mg/kg; n = 31; P = .362). There were no significantly statistical differences in the incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS: This IV rtPA regimen (0.90 mg/kg, with a maximum dose of 50 mg) not only shows sufficient favorable outcome in clinical practice in Chinese patients with AIS but also good health economic savings. This regimen could be suitable for many developing countries.

[The zonal characterization of elemental concentrations in brown rice of core collection for rice landrace in Yunnan Province by ICP-AES].

In the present paper, the contents of 8 elements in brown rice of 789 accessions core collection for rice landrace from 16 prefectures of five rice regions in Yunnan province were determined by ICP-AES technique. The method proves to be simple, rapid, highly sensitive and accurate, and can be used to determine many elements at the same time. Its recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged from 97.1% to 110.2%, and its RSD was from 0.7% to 4.4%. The analytical results showed that the elemental concentrations (mg x kg(-1) ) in brown rice are in turn of P(3 834.83 +/- 486.49) > K(2 567.72 +/- 336.74) > Mg (2 567.72 +/- 336.74) > Ca (153.67 +/- 55.90) > Zn( 33.35 +/- 13.65) > Fe(32.08 +/- 25.51) > Cu (14.22 +/- 11.85) > Mn(13.58 +/- 3.22). The highest P content is in brown rice from the northwest Yunnan with the rich nonferrous metals and most abundance of biodiversity in the world, the highest Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn concentrations are in brown rice from the middle Yunnan with early cambrian fauna and phosphorite enrichment, and the highest Cu and Mn contents are in brown rice from the southwest Yunnan with the prominent crop diversity. The distributing zones with the highest P and K, middle Ca, Mg and Mn and lowest Fe and Zn in Yunnan are the enrichment zone of minal resources and largest biodiversity. As far as we know, this is the first report that the zonal characterstics of mineral elemental concentractions in brown rice are associated with a lot of factors, such as biodiversity center, enrichment zone of minal resources, origin of life, mountain ranges and rivers and so on, and further it was deduced that the asymmetry of distribution for mineral elements and its reciprocity of mountain ranges and rivers are the key of origin of life. The above results provided reliable data and theory bases for the malnourished Fe and Zn and Ca for 4 billion people in the world, origin of life, the genetic breeding and production of functional rice.

[Microsatellite marker analysis of gynogenesis by artificial induction in Pseudosciaena crocea].

Gynogenesis was induced in two groups of Pseudosciaena crocea by the cool-shock and hydrostatic pressure method. The 24 fry in the gynogenetic families G1 and G2, 20 fry in their contrast groups and their parents were PCR amplified using 6 pairs of microsatellite marker primers LYC0002, LYC0003, LYC0013, LYC0012, LYC0004 and LYC0006 and analyzed. The results showed that the effect of cool-shock method, obtained a hatching rate of 35.3%, and a survival rate of 9.9% at 45 days, was obviously better than hydrostatic pressure method. Four pairs of primers could amplify clearly distinct parental bands. The results of primers LYC0012 and LYC0006 revealed no male gene in G1, suggesting they all derived from gynogenesis. Amplification using primers LYC0013 and LYC0004 in G2 revealed the presence of male genes in 3 individuals, suggesting they came from normal fertilization. The homozygosity ratio of the offspring from the two families was 87.5% and 76.2% and the average was 81.9%. They were 0 respectively in their contrast groups. The homozygous ratio of gene improved for 81.9% by gynogenesis. This study shows that gynogenesis is an effective method to promote gene purification In addition, microsatellite marker technique is an effective method of gynogenesis verification and genetic analysis.

Comparison of Therapeutic Effect of Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator by Treatment Time after Onset of Acute Ischemic Stroke.

We aimed to compare the therapeutic effect of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) administered at different time windows within the first 6 hours after onset of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). A retrospective analysis was performed of data collected from 194 patients who received rt-PA thrombolysis within 4.5 hours after AIS onset and from 29 patients who received rt-PA thrombolysis between 4.5-6 hours after AIS onset. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were statistically decreased in both groups (P < 0.05) at 24 hours and 7 days after onset. There was no statistical difference in the modified Rankin score or mortality at day 90 after treatment between the two groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, AIS patients who received rt-PA treatment between 4.5-6 hours after onset were similar in therapeutic efficacy to those who received rt-PA within 4.5 hours after onset. Our results suggest that intravenous thrombolytic therapy for AIS within 4.5-6 hours after onset is effective and safe.

Histopathological findings in a critically ill patient with avian influenza A (H7N9).

To date, data regarding the pulmonary histopathology of human H7N9 disease are scarce. We herein describe a patient with a severe case of avian influenza A (H7N9). A chest computerized tomography (CT) scan showed diffuse ground-glass opacities and consolidation throughout the lungs. A resection of pulmonary bullae in the right middle lobe was performed by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) based on the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) supportive technique on the 23(rd) day after the onset of symptoms because of a right pneumothorax persistent air leak. The histopathological findings of the resected lung tissue revealed pneumocyte hyperplasia and fibroproliferative changes along with diffuse alveolar damage. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimens for influenza A (H7N9) virus were continuously positive for more than three weeks, despite oseltamivir treatment, and continuous viral replication significantly prolonged the course of the disease. The patient's clinical status continuously deteriorated, with the development of refractory hypoxemia due to progressive and rapid lung fibrosis, which was confirmed by the final histological changes observed from a limited post-mortem biopsy of lung tissue. Pre-terminally, he developed multi-organ failure and died on the 39(th) day after symptom onset, despite corticosteroid treatment.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase protects neurons against ischemic injury through regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression.

AIMS: Several lines of evidence demonstrated that endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) confers protective effects during cerebral ischemia. In this study, we explored the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuroprotection by eNOS. METHODS: A series of in vivo and in vitro ischemic models were employed to study the role of eNOS in maintaining neuronal survival and to identify the downstream factors. RESULTS: The current data showed that pretreatment with a specific eNOS inhibitor, L-N5-(1-iminoethyl) ornithine (L-NIO), aggravated the neuronal loss in the rat cerebral ischemic model, accompanied by reduction in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level, which was consistent with the findings in an oxygen-glucose deprivation model (OGD) with two neuronal cells: primary rat cortical neurons and human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, the extensive neuronal loss induced by L-NIO was totally abolished by exogenous BDNF in both in vitro and in vivo models. On the other hand, eNOS overexpression through an adenoviral vector exerted a prominent protective effect on the neuronal cells subject to OGD, and the protective effect was totally abrogated by a neutralizing anti-BDNF antibody. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our results indicate that the neuroprotection of neuron-derived eNOS against the cerebral ischemia was mediated through the regulation of BDNF secretion. In conclusion, our discovery provides a novel explanation for the neuroprotective effect of eNOS under pathological ischemic conditions such as stroke.

Therapeutic effect of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator on acute cerebral infarction at different times.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to compare the therapeutic effect of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) on the onset of acute cerebral infarction (ACI) at different time points of the first 6 hours. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted in 74 patients who received rt-PA thrombolysis treatment within 4.5 hours after ACI and another 15 patients who received rt-PA thrombolysis treatment between 4.5-6 hours after ACI. RESULTS: National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were statistically decreased in both groups (P>0.05) at 24 hours and 7 days after ACI. There was no significant difference in modified ranking scores and mortality at 90 days after the treatment between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic effect and mortality of rt-PA treatment in patients with ACI between 4.5-6 hours after the onset of the disease were similar to those in patients who received rt-PA within 4.5 hours after the onset of this disease. Therefore, intravenous thrombolytic therapy for ACI within 4.5-6 hours after ACI was effective and safe.