[Ameliorative Effects of Cang-ai Volatile Oil on Left Ventricular Remodeling in Rats].

Objective: To evaluate with 7T cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tracking imaging (CMR-TT) the ameliorative effect of Cang-ai volatile oil (CAVO) on left ventricular remodeling (LVR) in rats induced by isoproterenol (ISO), and to make preliminary investigation into CAVO's effects on endothelial dysfunction in LVR. Methods: A total of 35 healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to two groups, the experimental group ( n=27) and the normal control group ( n=8). The rat model of LVR was established by subcutaneous injection of ISO solution at 10 mg·kg -1·d -1 at multiple sites for 10 consecutive days. After modeling was completed, the surviving rats ( n=24) in the experimental group were then randomly assigned to the blank experimental group, CAVO group, and Shexiang Baoxin pill (SXBXP) group ( n=8 in each group). Rats in each group were given via gavage the corresponding intervention medicine or an equivalent amount of normal saline solution for 28 consecutive days. At the end of modeling and intragastric intervention, 7T CMR cine sequence scanning was conducted to collect data. Then, post-processing software CVI42 was used to analyze the images and to compare and contrast the changes in the parameters of left ventricular cardiac function and myocardial strain in each group before and after the administration of the medication. The rats were sacrificed after MRI scanning, and their hearts were harvested for pathological examination. The levels of serum biochemical indicators were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: CAVO significantly increased LV ejection fraction and overall myocardial strain parameters in LVR rats, while it decreased LV volume, mass, and serum levels of endothelial function indicators in LVR rats. In addition, pathological staining showed marked improvements in the hypertrophy, necrosis and interstitial fibrosis of cardiomyocytes. Conclusion: Through the regulation of myocardial vascular endothelial function, CAVO can significantly improve cardiac functions in LVR rats, delay the process of ventricular remodeling, and have a certain amount of protective effect on cardiac structure and function in rats.

Field-Free Magnetoplasmon-Induced Ultraviolet Circular Dichroism Switching in Premagnetized Magnetic Nanowires.

Broadband modulation of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) using a relatively low magnetic field or by producing a field-free magnetoplasmonic effect in the remnant magnetic state was achieved by the integration of the noble metals (NMs) Au and Ag and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of Co with ZnO nanowires (NWs) used as the template. The samples containing NMs revealed MCD sign reversals and enhancements when compared with the original Co/ZnO NWs. The magnetoplasmonic effect of Au close to the visible light spectrum could induce the CD change in the visible region. Notably, the ultraviolet (UV) CD in Ag/Co/ZnO NWs is 12.5 times larger under a magnetic field (∼0.2 T) and 10 times greater in the remnant state (field-free) than those of the original Co/ZnO NWs because of the magnetoplasmonic effect of Ag in the UV spectrum. These results are attributable to the coupling of the remnant magnetic state of Co magnetization, the magnetoplasmons of the NMs, and the excitons of the ZnO NWs. The findings are potentially applicable in magneto-optical recording, biosensing, and energy contexts involving magnetoplasmonic functionalization.

Induction of autophagy via the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway by astragaloside â £ contributes to the amelioration of inflammation in RAW264.7 cells.

Cigarette smoking-related lung injury is one of the most common and fatal etiologies of many respiratory diseases, for which no effective interventions are available. Astragaloside Ⅳ (ASⅣ) is an active component extracted from Astragalus membranaceus. It is prescribed as a treatment for upper respiratory tract infections. Here, we report the potential anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of ASⅣ on cigarette smoking extract- (CSE)-exposed RAW264.7 cells. Murine macrophages were exposed to CSE, followed by administration of ASⅣ at 25-100 µg/mL for 24 h. ASⅣ significantly rescued CSE-induced cell death by inhibition of release pro-inflammatory cytokines. We measured autophagy as an intracellular scavenger by analyzing autophagic flux using tandem mRFP-GFP-LC3 fluorescence microscopy. Following administration with ASⅣ in CSE-exposed RAW264.7 cells, there was a notable increase in autophagosomes and a range of autophagic vacuoles were generated, as seen with transmission electron microscopy. Loss of autophagy following transfection siRNA aggravated inflammatory injury and release of inflammatory cytokines. Mechanistically, ASⅣ-triggered autophagy is mediated by the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway to reduce inflammation. Taken together, our findings suggest that ASⅣ acts stimulates autophagy, and that ASⅣ induces autophagy by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, contributing to alleviation of inflammation.

[Basic Research on Neuroprotective Effect of Volatile Oil of Cang Ai after Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Based on Diffusion Tensor Imaging].

OBJECTIVE: To study the neuroprotective effect of inhalation of volatile oil of Cang Ai (VOCA) on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury model by MRI diffusion tensor imaging. METHODS: Twenty-four healthy adult male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model (middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) ) group and VOCA group. Evaluated the degree of neurological impairment of rats in each group immediately after successful establishment of model or 7 d later according to Zea Longa scoring. Coronal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scan was performed at 3 h, 3 d, and 7 d after the model successfully established by using 7.0 T magnetic resonance imaging. Measured the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and anisotropy score (FA) of the DTI in the striatal region and the motion flat zone of the maximum infarct level and then calculate the relative apparent diffusion coefficient (rADC) and relative anisotropy score (rFA). TTC staining was used to evaluate the cerebral infarction volume of rats in each group at 7 d post model establishment, and the correlation analysis of rFA, rADC and neural score was performed. RESULTS: No neurological defect was detected in mice in the sham operation group. The MCAO group and the VOCA group showed neurological defect to different degrees. The neurological function score of the VOCA group was obviously lower than that of MCAO group at 7 th day (P<0.05). The DTI scan results showed that the rADC value of striatum of rats in VOCA group was higher than that in MCAO group at 3 h and 3 d after modeling (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between the three groups at 7 th day. The rADC value of the motor cortex in the VOCA group was higher than that in the MCAO group at 3 h after modeling (P<0.01), and there was no significant difference at 3 rdday and 7 thday. The rFA value of striatum in VOCA group was higher than that in MCAO group at 3 rd day and 7 th day after modeling (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in rFA value between the MCAO and the VOCA group at three time points. TTC staining results showed that there was no infarcted area in the sham operation group, and the infarct volume in the VOCA group was smaller than that of the MCAO group (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the striatum rFA value was highly correlated with neurological scores (r=－0.847, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: For the first time, we found that VOCA can effectively protect the neurological function of MCAO rats by reducing the toxic edema of cells in the ischemic area and accelerating the recovery of nerve fiber bundles after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. rFA and rADC values can be used as effective indicators to evaluate the recovery of nerve function after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.

Bisintercalating DNA redox reporters for real-time electrochemical qLAMP.

The electrochemical detection methods have emerged as a potential alternative to the bench-top optical systems in monitoring nucleic acid amplification. DNA intercalating redox reporters play a crucial role in such monitoring schemes. Here, a series of bisintercalating redox probes have been tailor-made to meet specific requirements of electrochemical quantitative loop-mediated isothermal amplification (qLAMP). The probes composed of two naphthoquinone-imidazole (NQIM) derivatives as signal motifs that are covalently bridged by different linkers (R). They are bis-NQIM-R; R = Alkane (Ak), ethylene glycol (EG) and phenyl (Ph). The linkers allow the probes to be fine-tuned for securing ideal redox reporter. DNA binding studies via electrochemical and fluorescence techniques demonstrate that the bis-NQIM-R probes possess better ds-DNA bisintercalating ability compared to their mono-analogs. The bis-NQIM-Ph was implemented in a real-time electrochemical qLAMP, for which a prototype custom-made device that can perform fully automated multiplexed analyses is devised. A single copy of Salmonella DNA was quantified in just 10 min and the performance is comparable to the benchtop fluorescence method. Thus, the bisintercalating redox reporters incorporated electrochemical detection schemes hold great promise in qLAMP.

Tea Consumption is Associated with Increased Risk of Kidney Stones in Northern Chinese: A Cross-sectional Study.

Kidney stones are a common urinary system condition that can progress to kidney disease. Previous studies on the association between tea consumption and kidney stones are inconsistent. A cross-sectional study to investigate the association between tea consumption and kidney stones was conducted from 2013 to 2014 and recruited 9,078 northern Chinese adults. A total of 8,807 participants were included in the final analysis. Participants' prevalence of kidney stones was 1.07%, 1.73%, and 2.25% based on their tea consumption frequency of never, occasionally, and often groups, respectively. Compared with the 'never' group, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the occurrence of kidney stones were 1.57 (1.00-2.46) and 1.65 (1.06-2.57) in the 'occasionally' and 'often' groups, respectively. After adjusting for sex, age, and other potential confounding factors, tea consumption still significantly increased the risk of kidney stones. Tea consumption is independently associated with an increased risk of kidney stones in the investigated population, suggesting that a decrease in the consumption of tea may be a preventive strategy for kidney stones.

Glucose biosensor based on glucose oxidase immobilized at gold nanoparticles decorated graphene-carbon nanotubes.

Biopolymer pectin stabilized gold nanoparticles were prepared at graphene and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (GR-MWNTs/AuNPs) and employed for the determination of glucose. The formation of GR-MWNTs/AuNPs was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy methods. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was successfully immobilized on GR-MWNTs/AuNPs film and direct electron transfer of GOx was investigated. GOx exhibits highly enhanced redox peaks with formal potential of -0.40 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The amount of electroactive GOx and electron transfer rate constant were found to be 10.5 × 10(-10) mol cm(-2) and 3.36 s(-1), respectively, which were significantly larger than the previous reports. The fabricated amperometric glucose biosensor sensitively detects glucose and showed two linear ranges: (1) 10 µM - 2 mM with LOD of 4.1 µM, (2) 2 mM - 5.2 mM with LOD of 0.95 mM. The comparison of the biosensor performance with reported sensors reveals the significant improvement in overall sensor performance. Moreover, the biosensor exhibited appreciable stability, repeatability, reproducibility and practicality. The other advantages of the fabricated biosensor are simple and green fabrication approach, roughed and stable electrode surface, fast in sensing and highly reproducible.

[Cross-sectional study of relation between blood pressure and heart rate variability in patients with peritoneal dialysis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the possible relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure in peritoneal dialysis patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 93 continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients (CAPD) patients were enrolled. Patients were divided into three groups according blood pressure. HRV which reflects autonomic nerve function (ANF) were measured by using 5-minutes recordings of a stationary system by a standardized method. Both time-domain and frequency domain parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: HRV time domain indices [the standard deviation of all normal RR intervals (SDNN), the square root of the mean of the squared differences between adjacent normal RR intervals (rMSSD), the standard deviation of differences between adjacent NN intervals (SDSD), the percentage of differences between adjacent normal RR intervals that were >50 ms computed (PNN50)] and frequency domain indices [the low-frequency energy in the power spectrum 0.04-0.15 Hz (LF), the high-frequency energy in the power spectrum 0.15-0.4 Hz (HF)] were significantly lowest in hypertensive group (P<0.05) whereas LF/HF was highest as compared to normal BP group (P<0.05). Univariable correlation analysis showed that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were negatively correlated with SDNN (r=-0.386, P<0.001; r=-0.399, P<0.001), rMSSD (r=-0.373, P<0.001; r=-0.426, P<0.001), SDSD (r=-0.375, P<0.001; r=-0.425, P<0.001), PNN50 (r=-0.223, P=0.032; r=-0.245, P=0.018), TP (r=-0.328, P=0.001; r=- 0.312, P=0.002), LF (r=-0.260, P= 0.012; r=-0.194, P=0.063), HF (r=-0.394, P<0.001; r=-0.365, P<0.001), and positively correlated with LF/HF (r=0.275, P=0.008; r=0.171, P=0.1). Multivariable regression analysis showed that HRV indicators were independently factor affecting both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in PD patients. CONCLUSION: ANF assessed by HRV were significantly different in PD patients with blood status, parasympathetic nerve were activated in hypotension group whereas sympathetic nerve were activated in hypertension group. ANF was independently factors associated with blood pressure.

A preliminary study on the medical expenditure of Chinese medicine and integrative medicine treatment for influenza A (H1N1) in the fever clinics.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness of Chinese medicine and integrated Chinese and Western medicine for influenza A (H1N1) in the fever clinics and its relevant expenditure. METHODS: A prospective survey on the clinical epidemic observation and follow-up was conducted from July 2009 to October 2009 with a self-developed questionnaire whose contents including the clinical data of the confirmed 149 H1N1 cases and their relevant therapeutic expenditure. The patients were assigned to the Chinese medicine group (22 cases treated by Chinese medicine alone) and integrative medicine group (124 cases treated by both Chinese medicine and Western medicine). The data were processed with descriptive analysis, t test and χ (2), and sum-rank test. RESULTS: The proportion of clinical recovery of Chinese medicine group (81.8%) was higher than that of integrative medicine group (54.8%) with statistical significance (P=0.02). The average fever durations in both groups were 3.5 to 4 days, showing no significant difference (P=0.86). In the comparisons of average cost of Chinese herbs, drugs, therapies, and total cost, those of the Chinese medicine group were lower than those in the integrative group (P=0.01, P=0.00, P=0.00, P=0.00). CONCLUSIONS: The H1N1 patients in the fever clinic who received Chinese medicine treatment had a higher clinical recovery proportion than those who received integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment with lower medical cost. However, due to small sample size of the Chinese medicine group in the study, the conclusion needs further confirmation by studies with large sample size.

Effects of Tongguan Capsule on post-myocardial infarction ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Tongguan Capsule (TGC) on post-myocardial infarction ventricular remodeling and heart function in rats. METHODS: A rat model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was established by coronary ligation. Experimental rats were randomized to 4 groups including three model groups (Group A: captopril 5 mg/kg * day, n=7; Group B: TGC 10 g/kg * day, n=7; and Group C: placebo, n=8), and a sham-control group (Group D: blank control, n=6). Animals were treated for 4 weeks. The cardiac function of rats was assessed at the end of the experiment based on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular short axis fractional shortening (LVFS) detected by colored echocardiography; meanwhile, the condition of ventricular remodeling was observed through the levels of left ventricular mass (LVM), plasma aldosterone (ALD), myocardial angiotensin II (Ang II) and myocardial collagen measurements. RESULTS: At the end of the experiment, LVEF and LVFS in Group A and B were improved significantly, while those in Group C were unchanged, the LVEF in Group A, B, C, and D was 0.57+/-0.46, 0.61+/-0.08, 0.36+/-0.55 and 0.76+/-0.02, respectively; and their LVFS was 0.31+/-0.52, 0.34+/-0.04, 0.23+/-0.57 and 0.45+/-0.03, respectively. The difference was statistically significant when comparing the two indexes in Group A and B with those in Group C and D (P<0.05). LVM, levels of plasma ALD and myocardial Ang II were lower in Group A and B than in Group C, but a comparison between Group A and B showed an insignificant difference in lowering LVM and ALD, while the lowering of Ang II was more significant in Group B than in Group A (754.7 +/- 18.7 pg/mL vs 952.6+/-17.6 pg/mL, P<0.05). Morphological examination showed that in Group A and B the swollen myocardial cells had shrunk, with regularly arranged myocardial fibers and decreased collagen proliferation, but the improvements in Group B were more significant. CONCLUSION: TGC could markedly improve the post-infarction ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in rats, showing that the efficacy was better than or equal to that of captopril.

[Effect of Tongguan capsule on post-intervention patients of coronary heart disease with qi-deficiency and blood stasis syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Tongguan Capsule (TGC), a Chinese herbal preparation for supplementing qi and activating blood circulation, in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with qi-deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. METHODS: One hundred patients after successful PCI operation were assigned to two groups, 50 in each group. Western routine therapy with anti-thrombosis and anti-coagulant agents were applied in all patients before, during and after operation, while to the patients in the treated group, TGC was given additionally. The therapeutic course for both groups was one month. The efficacy was evaluated by observing the effect on angina pectoris, main TCM syndromes and scores of qi-deficiency syndrome and blood stasis syndrome at 3 time points (the day before, 3 days and 30 days after operation). RESULTS: The total effective rate in relieving angina pectoris was 96.0% (48/50) in the treated group and 92.0% (46/50) in the control group, showing insignificant difference between them (P > 0.05). The score of qi-deficiency in both groups raised 3 days after PCI as compared with that before PCI, but showed no statistical significance (P > 0.05); 30 days after PCI, it increased in the control group, as compared with that before PCI (P < 0.05). The score of blood stasis syndrome significantly lowered at the 3rd and the 30th day after PCI in both groups as compared with before PCI, showing statistical significance (P < 0.05); while in comparing the value at the 3rd day with that at the 30th day, the difference showed significance in the treated group but not in the control group (P < 0.05); and comparison between the two groups at the 30th day showed it was much lower in the treated group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TGC could significantly improve the clinical symptoms of qi-deficiency and blood stasis syndrome in patients after PCI.

[Study on changes of TCM syndrome in patients with coronary heart disease before and after intervention treatment].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the changing laws of TCM syndrome type in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) before and after intervention treatment (IT) and to explore the influence of IT on TCM syndrome type. METHODS: The TCM syndrome type of 71 patients with "Chest-Bi" was differentiated before and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment, of which the most common syndrome types were qi deficiency, yang deficiency, yin deficiency, qi stagnation, blood stasis, phlegm, cold coagulation, heat-syndrome, etc. RESULTS: Before PCI treatment, syndrome types of blood stasis (53 cases, 74.6%), qi deficiency (46 cases, 64.8%), and phlegm (28 cases, 39.4%) were the commonest, while there were 12 cases of qi stagnation (16.9%) and 12 cases of cold coagulation (16.9%); One week after PCI treatment, the most commonly seen types were blood stasis (47 cases, 66.2%), qi deficiency (39 cases, 54.9%) and phlegm (23 cases, 32.4%), while qi stagnation (2 cases, 2.8%) and cold coagulation (1 case, 1.4%) were also found; One month after PCI, qi deficiency (47 cases,85.4%), blood stasis (40 cases,72.7%), phlegm (31 cases, 56.4%) were the most commonly seen types. Comparison of the syndrome types between before and after PCI showed that the syndromes of qi deficiency and phlegm were progressively aggravating, while syndromes of qi stagnation and cold coagulation were alleviated after PCI. CONCLUSION: Although PCI treatment could relieve patients' symptoms of excess in superficiality, it can't radically change the pathogenetic nature of CHD, namely, the deficiency in origin and excess in superficiality, which indicates that one should pay full attention to the importance and necessity of CHD after PCI treatment.