Update on the natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery for gallbladder preserving gallstones therapy: A review.

Cholecystectomy remains the "gold standard" for the management of symptomatic gallstones. Minimally invasive laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been the treatment of choice for the past 3 decades. However, the technique of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery cholecystolithotomy is evolving, with some experts advocating gallbladder stone removal without gallbladder excision in order to preserve gallbladder function and eliminate post-cholecystectomy syndromes, including complications of the surgical incision, bile duct injury, functional gastrointestinal, and psychological conditions, and possibly an increase in colon cancer. In addition, transluminal endoscopic cholecystolithotomy is an option for elderly patients who are not suitable candidates for open surgery and those who desire scar-free minimally invasive surgery with organ preservation. This article summarizes the established pure natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery gallbladder preserving gallstone removal techniques and highlights the pros and cons of different popular available endoscopic approaches to gallstone therapy and how flexible endoscopic surgery via the natural orifice is compared to the well-established cholecystectomy.

Does renewable energy electricity and economic complexity index help to achieve carbon neutrality target of top exporting countries?

Despite extensive studies into international trade and CO2 pollution, a panel of only top exporting economies was not considered. As the current research is an endeavor to address the gap by exploring the impact of economic complexity index (ECI) and renewable energy electricity (RELC) on consumption-based carbon emissions (CCO2) in the presences of exports, imports, and gross domestic product (GDP) in the top exporting countries from 1990 to 2019. The results confirm a relationship between consumption-based carbon emissions, economic complexity index, renewable energy electricity, exports, imports, and economic growth in both the short-run and long run. Empirical evidence for cross-sectional auto-regressive distributed lags (CS-ARDL) estimates, confirms that economic complexity index imports and GDP are positively associated and have significant adverse short-run and long-run impacts on consumption-based carbon emission. Whereas, export and renewable energy electricity significantly reduce carbon emissions. To achieve carbon neutrality target, policymakers should make economic complexity reforms, import green products, and promote investments in sustainable sources.

Research Progress in Modern Pharmacology of Magnolia Officinalis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex（MOC） is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） in China. It is spicy-warm in property and bitter in flavor. It has the effects in eliminating dampness， eliminating phlegm and removing fullness. It is commonly used for dampness obstruction to spleen and stomach， chest and epigastric distension， glutinous grains， nausea， vomiting， abdominal pain and abdominal distension. It has a good efficacy in treating gastrointestinal discomfort and anorexia in clinic. The results showed that MOC mainly contains phenolic compounds， alkaloids and volatile oil. Magnolol， honokiol and other phenolic compounds are the main active substances， with obvious pharmacological activities on digestive， nervous， cardiovascular and respiratory systems. In addition， it also has anti-inflammatory， analgesic， anti-bacterial， anti-tumor and anti-oxidation effects. Except for magnolol and honokiol and other active substances， MOC flowers also contain volatile oil， with a similar effect with MOC but a weaker function. It is mainly used for treating spleen and stomach dampness， fullness， chest and epigastric distension. In addition to magnolol and honokiol and other phenolic compounds， MOC leaves also contain volatile oil， flavonoids and polysaccharides and other chemical components， which have antibacterial， antioxidative， vasodilatory and other pharmacological effects. It can be used as medicine instead of MOC in clinic. In this paper， the pharmacology studies of MOC in recent 5 years was reviewed， in order to better develop and utilize magnolia bark and its waste flowers and leaves， and further develop relevant functional products with MOC as the main drug， while providing new ideas for expanding the resources of TCM.

Induction of cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in human cholangiocarcinoma cells by pristimerin.

Pristimerin, a triterpenoid isolated from Celastraceae and Hippocrateaceae, is known to induce cytotoxicity in several cancer cell lines. However, whether pristimerin can induce apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma cells and the underlying mechanism remain unexplored. We assessed the function of human cholangiocarcinoma QBC and RBE cell lines using various experimental methods such as the cell viability assay to elucidate the viability of cells, flow cytometry to detect the death rate of cells, and Western blot analysis to evaluate the expression of cell cycle-related proteins and autophagy-related proteins. Human cholangiocarcinoma QBC cells were transplanted to nude mice to establish an animal model, and the effect of pristimerin on tumor growth in this model was observed. QBC and RBE cell lines treated with pristimerin (0, 5, 10, and 20 µmol/L) demonstrated the induction of apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The cell viability assay revealed a reduction in the cell viability with an increase in the pristimerin concentration. Similarly, flow cytometry revealed a gradual increase in the cell death rate with an increase in the pristimerin concentration. In addition, pristimerin significantly lowered the expression of apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and procaspase-3), but increased the Bax expression. Furthermore, pristimerin resulted in the G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest, reducing the expression of cell cycle-related proteins (cyclin E, CDK2, and CDK4), and increased the expression of autophagy-related proteins (LC3) in QBC cell line. Treatment with pristimerin could inhibit tumor growth in the nude mouse model. Overall, this study suggests the potential effect of pristimerin on the cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in human cholangiocarcinoma cells.

Hypokalemia is a biochemical signal of poor prognosis for acute paraquat poisoning within 4 hours.

Anecdotal reports have suggested that hypokalemia is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with acute paraquat poisoning. However, the clinical significance of hypokalemia has not been systematically investigated in the early stage of paraquat poisoning. This study aimed to evaluate whether initial hypokalemia is a good predictor of mortality in patients with acute paraquat poisoning within 4 h. We retrospectively analyzed patients who were admitted to the emergency department after paraquat poisoning between September 2012 and January 2015. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were recorded, and the prognostic significance of hypokalemia was analyzed. A total of 120 patients were included. The 60-day mortality was 71.7 %. Serum potassium concentrations were significantly lower in non-survivors (3.1 ± 0.5 mmol/L) than in survivors (3.8 ± 0.3 mmol/L, P < 0.001). Independent predictors of death were amount of paraquat ingested (hazard ratio 1.005; 95 % confidence interval 1.002-1.007), serum potassium (0.498, 0.277-0.897), bicarbonate (0.934, 0.876-0.995), and white blood cell count (1.032, 1.001-1.065). For receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, serum potassium had an area under the curve of 0.852 (95 % confidence interval 0.784-0.920, P < 0.001), and the best cutoff value was 3.5 mmol/L (sensitivity, 88.2 %; specificity, 75.6 % in predicting survivors). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that decreased serum potassium concentrations were associated with an increase in 60-day mortality (P < 0.001). Hypokalemia may be a reliable predictor in evaluating prognosis in paraquat poisoning within 4 h. The mechanism is not clear, and further studies verifying the precise mechanism of hypokalemia are required.

Dynamic Expressions of Tenascin-C at Different Phases of Atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- Mice / 中国循环杂志

Objective: To investigate the dynamic expressions of tenascin-C (TN-C) at different phases of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/-mice. Methods: Our research included in 2 groups: ApoE-/- group, n=50 SPF male mice with ApoE-/- and Control group, n=50 wild male C57BL/6 mice. Atherosclerosis model was established by high fat diet in both groups. The mice were sacrificed at 4, 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks, blood lipids were examined, pathologic changes of plaque were observed by microscope for quantitative analysis and TN-C expressions in atherosclerosis plaque were measured by immunohistochemistry. Results: Compared with Control group, ApoE-/- group had elevated blood levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), both P<0.05. In ApoE-/- group, plaque area and the ratio of plaque area/lumen area were increasing upon prolonged modeling time, all P<0.05; TN-C expressions were increasing by progress of atherosclerosis, the highest TN-C expression was found at 32 weeks of modeling (0.49±0.07) which was higher than it was at 8 weeks (0.04±0.02), 16 weeks (0.12±0.03) and 24 weeks (0.21±0.04), all P<0.05. Conclusion: TN-C expression was increasing with plaque progress which might be related to the development of atherosclerosis and plaque instability.

Bilirubin-induced calcium overload in synaptosomes isolated from brainstem neurons of rats / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective· To observe real-time changes of calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) exposure to bilirubin in synaptosomes isolated from brainstem nucleus of rats. Methods · Forty P7-14 SD rats were randomly assigned to three groups: control group, bilirubin group (with levels of 0.1, 1 and 10 μmol/L) and bulirubin plus glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA) group. The synaptosomes were purified from brainstem nucleus by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. After loading OG-BAPTA in synaptosomes, two dimensional image of intracellular calcium and analysis of fluorescence intensity were achieved by Confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results · Synaptosomes with well biological activity were obtained from brainstem of the SD rats. In the control group, a progressive increase in fluorescent intensity of [Ca2+]I was detected. In the bilirubin group, acuter increases in fluorescent intensity were observed in all levels of bilirubin, with a manner of both concentration and time-dependent (P<0.05). Fluorescent intensity of [Ca2+]I was reduced in the present of GUDCA, which was not significant compared with the control group (P=0.656). However, GUDCA could abate the increase of fluorescent intensity of [Ca2+]I induced by bilirubin exposure, of which showing significant decrease in 10 μmol/L bilirubin exposure (P=0.000). Conclusion · Bilirubin could induce calcium overload in synaptosomes. GUDCA could abate bilirubin-induced calcium overload in synaptosomes, possibly explaining its protection effect of neurons from bilirubin neurotoxicity.

Field X-ray vehicle frame motion control simulation based on Proteus / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To develop a field X-ray vehicle frame motion control simulation circuit based on Proteus.Methods Corresponding component models of Proteus were selected to construct the circuit according to the circuit block diagram.SCM control program was developed and debugged.The frame motion control simulation was executed through dynamic simulation of motor running,simulation results analysis with different parameters and verification of the circuit efficacy.Resnlts DC motor positive and negative rotation controlled by the button was realized,which solved the problems of X-ray vehicle frame motion.Conclusion Proteus can be used to implement system simulation of analog circuit,digital circuit,SCM and peripheral circuit as well as to construct virtual circuit lab.The equipment maintainer enhances medical equipment maintenance based on circuit simulation,circuit model analysis,failure simulation and failure position determination.

Field X-ray vehicle frame motion control simulation based on Proteus / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To develop a field X-ray vehicle frame motion control simulation circuit based on Proteus.Methods Corresponding component models of Proteus were selected to construct the circuit according to the circuit block diagram.SCM control program was developed and debugged.The frame motion control simulation was executed through dynamic simulation of motor running,simulation results analysis with different parameters and verification of the circuit efficacy.Resnlts DC motor positive and negative rotation controlled by the button was realized,which solved the problems of X-ray vehicle frame motion.Conclusion Proteus can be used to implement system simulation of analog circuit,digital circuit,SCM and peripheral circuit as well as to construct virtual circuit lab.The equipment maintainer enhances medical equipment maintenance based on circuit simulation,circuit model analysis,failure simulation and failure position determination.

Ankle arthroscopy for ankle impingement syndrome through anterior and posterior passage / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze clinical efficiency and intraoperative considerations of ankle arthroscopy for ankle impingement syndrome through anterior and posterior passage.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From April 2011 to April 2015, the clinical data of 17 patients diagnosed as ankle impingement syndrome were performed arthroscopy, including 12 males and 5 females, with an average age of 32.4 years (ranging from 22 to 47). Ankle arthroscopy cleaning were carried out according to clinical symptoms and radiological imaging, crashed part were cleaned too. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate were used as conventional postoperatively treatment. AOFAS score and Ogilvie-Harris score were used to assess preoperative situation and postoperative situation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Intra-operative conditions showed 8 cases with anterior lateral impingement syndromes, 2 cases with anterior medial impingement syndromes, 2 cases with posterior impingement syndromes and 3 cases combined with anterior and posterior impingement syndromes. Distal bundle of anterior tibiofibular ligament, anterior talusfibular ligament and synovial tissue and scar tissue were cleared up during operation. Four patients were combined with concomitant articular cartilage injury, and damage area were about 1 mm×3 mm to 1.5 mm×4 mm. Microfracture treatment were performed by 1.2 mm diameter Kirschner wire. All patients were followed up from 8 to 24 months with an average of 14.3 months. AOFAS score increased from 62.3±5.20 preoperatively to 87.6±5.40 postoperatively, Ogilvie-Harris ankle score increased from 6.70±0.98 preoperatively to 12.80±1.21 postoperatively. No neurovascular damage, wound infection or wound healing problem occurred. Ankle swelling were appeared with different degrees, but disappeared at 4 to 8 weeks postoperatively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>For ankle impingement syndrome patients, ankle arthroscopy through anterior with posterior passage could effectively clear up bone and soft tissue impingement. Postoperatively non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate could effectively relieve ankle pain and swollen and achieve good therapeutic effect.</p>

A Computerized Evaluation of Sensory Memory and Short-term Memory Impairment After Rapid Ascent to 4280 m / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

To evaluate the effect of acute high-altitude exposure on sensory and short-term memory using interactive software, we transported 30 volunteers in a sport utility vehicle to a 4280 m plateau within 3 h. We measured their memory performance on the plain (initial arrival) and 3 h after arrival on the plateau using six measures. Memory performance was significantly poorer on the plateau by four of the six measures. Furthermore, memory performance was significantly poorer in the acute mountain sickness (AMS) group than in the non-AMS group by five of the six measures. These findings indicate that rapid ascent to 4280 m and remaining at this altitude for 3 h resulted in decreased sensory and short-term memory, particularly among participants who developed AMS.

Hydrogen Therapy Reduces Oxidative Stress-associated Risks Following Acute and Chronic Exposure to High-altitude Environment / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Low pressure, low oxygen concentration, and intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation in high-altitude environments, can cause oxidative stress which can trigger mountain sickness. A recent study demonstrated that hydrogen gas with a good permeability in biological membranes can treat various disorders by exerting its selective anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory effects, indicating that hydrogen therapy plays a role in scavenging free radicals and in balancing oxidation and anti-oxidation systems of cells. Therefore, we hypothesize that inhaling low-dose hydrogen or drinking hydrogen-saturated water is a novel and simple method to prevent and treat oxidative stress injury caused by low pressure, low oxygen concentration and intense UV radiation in plateaus, thus reducing the risk of mountain sickness.

Study on HPLC specific chromatograms of Lu Dangshen / 中国中药杂志

In this paper, the RP-HPLC specific chromatography was adopted, with DIKMA-C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 µm) as the chromatographic column, with a gradient elution compose of acetonitrile and 0.1% phosphoric acid at flow rate of 0.8 mL · min(-1), the detection wavelength was 220 nm. The difference of the HPLC specific chromatograms between the Lu Dangshen and other different base sources and different producing area of Codonopsis Radix was compared, involved in the similarities and differences of the number and the relative peak area of characteristic peaks in the HPLC specific chromatograms. The HPLC specific chromatograms of Lu Dangshen was established and the relative retention times of seven peaks was determined, and the peaks of codonopyrrolidium B, syringin, lobetyolin, tangshenoside I and atractylenoide III were identified; The HPLC specific chromatograms of Lu Dangshen provided a method for scientific evaluation and effective control the quality of Lu Dangshen from Shanxi famous-region.

Proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid: toward the identification of biomarkers for gliomas.

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults and, despite advances in the understandings of glioma pathogenesis in the genetic era, they are still ineradicable, justifying the need to develop more reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for this malignancy. Because changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are suggested to be capable of sensitively reflecting pathological processes, e.g., neoplastic conditions, in the central nervous system, CSF has been deemed a valuable source for potential biomarkers screening in this era of proteomics. This systematic review focused on the proteomic analysis of glioma CSF that has been published to date and identified a total of 19 differentially expressed proteins. Further functional and protein-protein interaction assessments were performed by using Protein Analysis Through Evolutionary Relationships (PANTHER) website and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software, which revealed several important protein networks (e.g., IL-6/STAT-3) and four novel focus proteins (IL-6, galanin (GAL), HSPA5, and WNT4) that might be involved in glioma pathogenesis. The concentrations of these focus proteins were subsequently determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in an independent set of CSF and tumor cyst fluid (CF) samples. Specifically, glioblastoma (GBM) CF had significantly lower GAL, HSPA5, and WNT4 levels than CSF from different grades of glioma. In contrast, IL-6 level was significantly higher in GBM CF when compared with CSF and, among different CSF groups, was highest in GBM CSF. Therefore, these candidate protein biomarkers, identified from both the literatures and in silico analysis, may have potentials in clinical diagnosis, prognosis evaluation, treatment response monitoring, and novel therapeutic targets identification for patients with glioma.

Serum GFAP autoantibody as an ELISA-detectable glioma marker.

Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor, yet the high cost of diagnostic imaging has made early detection of asymptomatic glioma a formidable challenge. Thus, the development of a convenient, sensitive, and cost-effective diagnostic strategy, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on glioma-specific and World Health Organization (WHO) grade-specific autoantibody serum markers, is necessary. To this end, a comparative proteomic analysis based on two-dimensional western blotting was carried out with the sera of glioma patients and normal controls. Of the 11 novel glioma-expressed autoantibodies, the autoantibody against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) showed the highest differential expression. To investigate the potential clinical utility of the GFAP autoantibody as an early diagnostic marker for glioma, an ELISA-based assay was developed and validated with sera from glioma patients with WHO grades II (n = 19), III (n = 17), and IV (n = 24). The GFAP autoantibody level directly correlated with WHO grade and tumor volume. Sera from patients of non-glioma brain tumors, as well as non-brain tumors, showed much lower levels of GFAP autoantibody than those of the glioma patients, indicating that elevated GFAP autoantibody is specific to glioma patients. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristics curve suggested that the new ELISA has good distinguishing power and sensitivity for diagnosing glioma patients. This is the first ELISA assay developed for an autoantibody of a glioma antigen and may prove valuable for the clinical detection of glioma.

Effects of huperzine A on acute hypobaric hypoxic-induced apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in rats / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of huperzine A on ameliorating acute hypobaric hypoxic-induced spatial learning and memory deficits, and on relieving the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in rats. Methods Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into four groups (12 each): the champaign (plain) group (control group), champaign+huperzine A group, high altitude group (simulated 6000m plateau) and high altitude+huperzine A group. One day before the decompression simulation experiment, rats in huperzine A-treated groups were given intragastrically with huperzine A suspension (10mg/ml) in a dose of 0.1mg/kg. The spatial learning and memory performance of rats in each group were tested by Morris Water Maze. The apoptosis of hippocampal neurons was determined by TUNEL. The expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax) and anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl- 2) of hippocampus tissues were evaluated by Western blotting. Results Compared with those in high altitude group, significantly shortened escape latency (P<0.05), more platform crossing within 60s (P<0.05), longer retention time in target (P<0.05), lower rate of hippocampal neurons apoptosis (P<0.05), down-regulated expression of Bax (P<0.05) and up-regulated expression of Bcl- 2 (P<0.05) in the hippocampus tissues were found in the high altitude+huperzine A group. However, no significant difference in the above mentioned findings was found between high altitude+huperzine A group and champaign control group. Conclusion Huperzine A treatment may have a protective effect against acute hypobaric hypoxic-induced apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in rats, and it ameliorates spatial learning and memory deficits in rats.

EGFR-mediated G1/S transition contributes to the multidrug resistance in breast cancer cells.

Despite the improvement of strategies against cancer therapy, the multidrug resistance (MDR)is the critical problem for successful cancer therapy. Recurrent cancers after initial treatment with chemotherapy are generally refractory to second treatments with these anticancer therapies. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the therapy-resistant mechanism for development of effective therapeutic modalities against tumors. Here we demonstrate a phase-specific chemotherapy resistance due to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in human breast cancer cells. Thymidine-induced G1-arrested cultures showed upregulated chemosensitivity, whereas S-phase arrested cells were more resistant to chemotherapeutic agents. Overexpression of EGFR promoted the MDR phenotypes in breast cancer cells via accelerating the G1/S phase transition, whereas depletion of EGFR exerted the opposite effects. Furthermore, CyclinD1, a protein related to cell cycle, was demonstrated to be involved in above EGFR-mediated effects since EGFR increased the expression of CyclinD1, and the specific RNA interference against CyclinD1 could primarily abolish the EGFR-induced MDR phenotypes. These data provide new insights into the mode by which MDR breast cancers evade cytoxic attacks from chemotherapeutic agents and also suggest a role for EGFR-CyclinD1 axis in this process.

Huperzine a relieves acute hypobaric hypoxic-induced oxidative stress injury in rat brain / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of huperzine A in ameliorating acute hypobaric hypoxic-induced spatial memory deficits and in relieving oxidative stress injury in rat brain. METHODS: A total of 48 rats were randomly divided into four groups, the champaign group (control group), champaign + huperzine A group (0.1 mg · kg-1), high altitude group (simulated 6000 m plateau) and high altitude + huperzine A group. The Morris water maze learning and memory test, the concentration of GSH, MDA as well as the activities of CAT, SOD and LDH in hippocampus were measured and compared. RESULTS: Compared with those of high altitude group, escape latency of high altitude + huperzine A group was significantly shorter (P < 0.05), platform crossings within 60 s was significantly more (P < 0.05), time spent in target was significantly longer (P < 0.05), GSH content, SOD and CAT activity in hippocampal tissue were significantly higher (P < 0.05), MDA and LDH activity in hippocampal tissue was significantly lower (P < 0.05), and all these changes had no significantly difference as compared with the champaign group. CONCLUSION: Huperzine A treatment has protective effects against acute hypobaric hypoxic-induced oxidative stress injury in rat brain, and ameliorates spatial memory deficits in rats. Copyright 2012 by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Clinical observation on the origin of antrochoanal polyp / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the origin and etiopathogenesis of antrochoanal polyp (ACP) based on the clinical data.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-six patients with ACP were included in the study. All the ACP patients were documented by preoperative endoscopy and computer tomographic (CT) scans. All patients were treated under endonasal endoscopic surgery. The relationship between polyp in middle meatus and lesions in the antrum was observed during the surgery. Following surgical removal, the polyps and lesions in the antrum were studied under macroscopy and microscopy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among 26 cases with ACP, 17 cases were confirmed by preoperative endoscopic examination that polyp originating from antrum ostium, 19 cases showed intimate relationship between the polyp and antrum lesions in CT scan, and 23 cases were found that the polyp originating from the antrum cyst. The pedicle of polyp connected the cyst through autrum ostium, and the polyp existed as a part of capsule wall.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Based on the data obtained, it is tempting to suggest that the ACP mainly develops from antral cyst, an increase in pressure in cyst forced capsule wall to herniate to middle meatus through the antral ostium, and the continuous herniation and hyperplasy leading to the formation of ACP.</p>

Berberine attenuates cardiac dysfunction in hyperglycemic and hypercholesterolemic rats.

The positive effects of berberine (30 mg/kg/day, i.g. for 6 weeks) on cardiac dysfunction were evaluated in the rat model of hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia. Hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia were induced by feeding high-sucrose/fat diet (HSFD) consisting of 20% sucrose, 10% lard, 2.5% cholesterol, 1% bile salt for 12 weeks and streptozotocin (30 mg/kg, i.p.). The plasma sugar, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were significantly increased (422, 194 and 82%, respectively) in the HSFD/streptozotocin-treated rats, when compared with control animals receiving normal diet and vehicle. Berberine treatment reduced the plasma sugar and lipid levels by 24-69% in the rat model of hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia. Cardiac functions signed as values of cardiac output, left ventricular systolic pressure, the maximum rate of myocardial contraction (+dp/dtmax), left ventricular end diastolic pressure and the maximum rate of myocardial diastole (-dp/dtmax) were injured by 16-55% in the hyperglycemic/hypercholesterolemic rats. Berberine increased cardiac output, left ventricular systolic pressure and +dp/dtmax by 64, 16 and 79%, but decreased left ventricular end diastolic pressure and -dp/dtmax by 121 and 61% in the rats receiving HSFD/streptozotocin, respectively, when compared with the drug-untreated rats of hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia. Berberine caused significant increase in cardiac fatty acid transport protein-1 (159%), fatty acid transport proteins (56%), fatty acid beta-oxidase (52%), as well as glucose transporter-4 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), but decrease in PPARα mRNA and protein expression in hyperglycemic/hypercholesterolemic rats. These results indicated that berberine exerted protective effects on cardiac dysfunction induced by hyperglycemia/hypercholesterolemia through alleviating cardiac lipid accumulation and promoting glucose transport.