Fatal toxic epidermal necrolysis associated with sinomenine in a patient with primary membranous nephropathy.

Sinomenine (SIN), the alkaloid monomer extracted from Sinomenium acutum, is a kind of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug widely used in China to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and various glomerular diseases. It has various pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-tumor. As a strong histamine-releasing agent, SIN has drawn increasing attention in regards to its side effects such as allergic, gastrointestinal, and circulatory systemic reactions. In this report, we first described a patient with primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) who was treated with oral intake of SIN and developed medicine-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and subsequently died of septic multi-organ failure. The present case report intends to demonstrate the underestimated side effects of SIN that can eventually lead to death.

Hydrogen-rich water ameliorates neuropathological impairments in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease through reducing neuroinflammation and modulating intestinal microbiota.

Hydrogen exhibits the potential to treat Alzheimer's disease. Stereotactic injection has been previously used as an invasive method of administering active hydrogen, but this method has limitations in clinical practice. In this study, triple transgenic (3×Tg) Alzheimer's disease mice were treated with hydrogen-rich water for 7 months. The results showed that hydrogen-rich water prevented synaptic loss and neuronal death, inhibited senile plaques, and reduced hyperphosphorylated tau and neurofibrillary tangles in 3×Tg Alzheimer's disease mice. In addition, hydrogen-rich water improved brain energy metabolism disorders and intestinal flora imbalances and reduced inflammatory reactions. These findings suggest that hydrogen-rich water is an effective hydrogen donor that can treat Alzheimer's disease. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee of Shenzhen University, China (approval No. AEWC-20140615-002) on June 15, 2014.

Proliferation of Bifidobacterium L80 under different proportions of milk protein hydrolysate.

The intestinal microecological environment is critical to an infant's growth. For those infants consuming milk power, it is very important to improve the intestinal microecological environment to promote the healthy growth of infants. In this paper, Milk protein hydrolysate (MPH), consisting of different proportions of proteins and small molecule peptides (5:5, 4:6, 3:7, 2:8, 1:9) were added to infant formula powder (IFP). The effects of MFP-enriched IFP addition on proliferation and metabolism of Bifidobacterium L80 were studied. Compared with MPH-free IFP, MFP-enriched IFP with 1:9 of proteins to small molecule peptides significantly enhanced the proliferation of Bifidobacterium L80, resulting in higher cell density, greater viable counts and higher titratable acidity. MFP-enriched IFP increased the content of seven organic acids and H2O2 in the system, and improved the antibacterial activity to E. coli BL21. This study suggested that MPH could be an effective addition to infant formula powder to promote the growth of Bifidobacterium, so to improve the intestinal health of infants.

Phylogeography and the population genetic structure of flowering cherry Cerasus serrulata (Rosaceae) in subtropical and temperate China.

Cerasus serrulata (Rosaceae) is an important flowering cherry resource which is valuable for developing new cultivars of flowering cherries. It is broadly distributed and possesses abundant variations. In this study, phylogeographic analysis was conducted to reveal the evolutionary history to better understand the genetic diversity and genetic structure of C. serrulata so as to provide more accurate molecular insights into better conservation and utilization of the germplasm resources. A total of 327 individuals from 18 wild populations were collected. Three chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments (matK, trnD-E, and trnS-G) and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were utilized. The results showed a high genetic diversity at both species level and population level of C. serrulata. High genetic differentiation and the existence of the phylogeographic structure were detected. No significant expansion events were discovered. Two geographic lineages were inferred. One was confined to the Qinling Mountains and the Taihang Mountains. The other was from the Wuling Mountains to the Jiangnan Hilly Regions and then went northeast to the coast of Asia. In addition, some taxonomic treatments of the C. serrulata complex are discussed and reconsidered. Conservation and utilization strategies of wild C. serrulata germplasm resources were recommended.

Effect of Huanshuai Recipe Oral Liquid ([characters: see text]) on renal dysfunction progression in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Huanshuai Recipe Oral Liquid ([characters: see text], HSR) on retarding the progression of renal dysfunction in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS). METHODS: A total of 52 ARAS patients with the Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome of qi deficiency and blood stasis, phlegm and dampness retention were recruited and randomly assigned into the treatment group (36 cases) and the control group (16 cases). Both groups received a basic treatment (high-quality low-protein diet, blood pressure control, lipid-lowering, correcting the acidosis, etc.). In addition, the treatment group received 20 mL HSR and the control group received placebo, 3 times a day for 6 months. Renal function (serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and uric acid) and blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein) were examined monthly. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and CM syndrome score were compared between groups. RESULTS: After treatment, compared with the control group, the serum creatinine level, uric acid level and CM syndrome score of the treatment group were significantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the eGFR in the treatment group were significantly increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: HSR can effectively improve the renal function and clinical symptoms of ARAS patients.

MAPKs are not involved in triptolide-induced cell growth inhibition and apoptosis in prostate cancer cell lines with different p53 status.

Triptolide showed excellent antitumor activity against several solid tumors. However, its mechanism has not been fully understood. To further elucidate it, the effects of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) on the activity of triptolide towards prostate cancer cell lines were investigated in the present study using both LNCaP (p53 positive and androgen-dependent) and PC-3 (p53 deficient and androgen-independent) cells. Our results showed that triptolide exerted potent growth inhibitory and apoptotic effects on both cell lines, and the effects were independent of the expression of p53. Although upregulation of ERK and JNK phosphorylation was observed after the triptolide treatment, the results with inhibitors showed that these MAPKs were not involved in the mechanism of triptolide activity in human prostate cancer cell lines with different p53 status.

[Genetic diversity and molecular authentication of wild populations of Dendrobium officinale by RAPD].

AIM: Genetic diversity, relationship and molecular authentication of total 8 wild populations of Dendrobium officinale were investigated using RAPD markers. METHODS: 10 random decamer primers were screened for Random Amplified Polymophic DNA (RAPD) fragments. A DNA molecular dendrogram was established based on cluster analysis by UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic average), and the relationship of the wild populations were analyzed, and all the wild populations were authenticated. RESULTS: A total of 439 loci with an average of 43.9 loci per primer and 54.9 loci per population were amplified from 8 wild populations by 10 effective primers. In the total 104 amplified bands, 95 were polymorphic, corresponding to 91.35% genetic polymorphism. The genetic distances were 0. 590 to 0. 727, with an average of 0. 686. CONCLUSION: Distinct genetic differences and extensive genetic diversity were presented among the wild populations. RAPD markers were an informative and useful tool for the genetic diversity, evaluation and authentication of wild populations of Dendrobium officinale. Primer S412 could be used to authenticate 8 wild populations completely.