CYP2C8 and CYP2J2 gene variations increase the risk of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: Many studies have shown that cytochrome P450 (CYP) gene polymorphisms are usually associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. To explore the association of CYP2C8 and CYP2J2 gene polymorphisms with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH) in the Han Chinese population. METHODS: Forty HICH patients and 40 control subjects were recruited for this study. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) (rs1058932, rs2275622) in the CYP2C8 gene and two SNPs (rs2271800, rs1155002) in the CYP2J2 gene were selected for genotyping by direct sequencing. Statistical analysis was applied to examine the effect of genetic variation on HICH. RESULTS: We found that variant alleles of CYP2C8 rs1058932 (A) and rs2275622 (C) were both significantly associated with HICH, especially in females. We also found significant associations of CYP2C8 rs1058932 (A) and rs2275622 (C) variant alleles with poor outcomes in HICH patients, especially in males. CONCLUSIONS: CYP2C8 gene polymorphisms might increase the risk of HICH in the Han Chinese population and might lead to poor outcomes. This finding adds to the body of literature supporting novel therapeutic strategies for HICH.

Microstructure and Lamellae Phase of Raw Natural Rubber via Spontaneous Coagulation Assisted by Sugars.

Natural rubber (NR) as a renewable biopolymer is often produced by acid coagulation of fresh natural latex collected from Hevea brasiliensis. However, this traditional process is facing a huge economic and environmental challenge. Compared with the acid coagulation, spontaneous or microorganism coagulation is an ecofriendly way to obtain NR with excellent performance. To clarify the influence of different sugars on NR quality, several sugars were used to assist the coagulation process. Influence of different sugars on microstructure and cold crystallization were examined by 1H NMR, DSC, etc. The results indicated that sugars exhibit different biological activity on terminal components of fresh field latex and can influence the resultant molecular structure and basic properties. Brown sugar exhibits higher metabolic activity and is inclined to decompose the protein and phospholipids crosslinking compared with other sugars. The larger molecular weight of sugar molecule is beneficial for the formation of the stable α lamellae phase and higher overall degree of crystallization.

Adults with severe Japanese encephalitis: a retrospective analysis of 9 cases in Linyi, China.

OBJECTIVE: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a critical problem of public health worldwide; however, there is limited data about the clinical features and indicators of outcome in adults with severe Japanese encephalitis. METHODS: The clinical manifestations and laboratory study on brain neuroimaging of patients with severe JE were statistically analyzed retrospectively. All patients were followed up for 6 months after discharge. The patients were grouped into good outcome and poor outcome according to the results of the follow-up. RESULTS: This retrospective study consists of 9 adults with severe JE, including 5 cases with poor outcome, defined as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of greater than or equal to 4 points, and remained ventilator dependent. Typical clinical manifestations of JE include fever (100%), altered consciousness (100%), headache (66.7%), flaccid weakness (66.7%), and status epilepticus (44.4%). Serological examination revealed that a higher percentage of neutrophils and a lower percentage of lymphocytes at admission may be associated with a poor outcome. Abnormal neuroimaging of the thalamus (85.7%), hippocampal (71.4%), midbrain (28.6%), and basal ganglia (14.3%) was found. 42.9% of patients left severe irreversible disability, and the most prominent were mental symptoms (71.4%) and memory or understanding disorder (57.1%). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that respiratory failure is one of the important causes of early death. Serologic examination, coma, and status epilepticus may indicate a poor outcome for severe JE. Additionally, the hippocampus is the second most common lesion in the adults with severe JE. A large-scale clinical trial is required to further confirm these conclusions.

The Role of Non-Rubber Components on Molecular Network of Natural Rubber during Accelerated Storage.

Though the non-rubber components have long been recognized to be a vital factor affecting the network of natural rubber (NR), the authentic role of non-rubber components on the network during accelerated storage has not been fully illuminated. This work attempts to clarify the impact of non-rubber components on the network for NR during accelerated storage. A natural network model for NR was proposed based on the gel content, crosslinking density, and the non-rubber components distribution for NR before and after centrifugation. Furthermore, the effect of non-rubber components on the network was investigated during accelerated storage. The results show that terminal crosslinking induced by non-rubber components and entanglements are primary factors affecting the network formation during accelerated storage. By applying the tube model to analyze the stress-strain curves of NR, we found that the contribution of the entanglements to the network formation is larger than that of terminal crosslinking during accelerated storage. The work highlights the role of non-rubber components on the network during accelerated storage, which is essential for understanding the storage hardening mechanism of NR.

Design and Development of a Novel Chalcone Derivative as an Anticholinesterase Inhibitor for Possible Treatment of Dementia.

BACKGROUND Cognitive decline (e.g., memory loss), which mainly occurs in the elderly, is termed dementia. In the present study, we intended to explore the cholinesterase inhibitory activity of some novel synthesized chalcones, together with their effect on ß-amyloid anti-aggregation. MATERIAL AND METHODS A novel class of chalcone derivatives have been synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and mass and elemental analysis. These derivatives were later used for the determination of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory and b-amyloid anti-aggregation activity. RESULTS The results of the study showed that among the developed compounds, 8g inhibits AChE more prominently than BuChE, as suggested by a selectivity index (SI) of 2.88. Furthermore, the most potent compound, 8g, showed considerable action in inhibition of ß-secretase and Aß aggregation, but not as prominent as that of curcumin as a standard. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, our study revealed a novel class of chalcone derivatives as a selective inhibitor of AChE with considerably action against ß-secretase and Aß aggregation. Our results may be useful in developing AD drug therapy and warrant further investigation to generate more advanced analogues.

Luteal-phase protocol in poor ovarian response: a comparative study with an antagonist protocol.

Objective This retrospective study compared the effect of the luteal phase ovarian stimulation protocol (LP group) with the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol (AN group) in women with poor ovarian responses. Methods Ovarian stimulation was initiated with 225 IU of human gonadotrophin (hMG) daily. When the dominant follicle diameter exceeded 13 mm, 0.25 mg of a GnRH antagonist was used daily until human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) administration in the AN group. A GnRH antagonist was not used in the LP group. Ovulation was induced with HCG for all patients when at least one follicle reached a diameter of 16 mm or one dominant follicle reached 18 mm. The highest quality embryos were transferred or cryopreserved for later transfer. Results From January 2013 to December 2015, 274 women with poor ovarian response were included. A total of 108 patients underwent the luteal phase ovarian stimulation protocol while 166 patients underwent the GnRH antagonist protocol. hMG was used for more total days in the LP group was than in the AN group. Oestradiol levels on the day of HCG administration in the LP group were significantly lower than those in the AN group. The mean number of oocytes retrieved in the LP and AN groups was 3.5 ± 2.5 and 3.5 ± 2.9, respectively. The mean number of embryos of the highest quality was 1.7 ± 1.2 and 1.7 ± 1.5, respectively. The clinical pregnancy and implantation rates in the LP and AN groups were 26.2% (22/84) and 25% (29/116), and 15.5% (24/155) and 16.3% (35/215), respectively. Conclusions The luteal phase ovarian stimulation protocol can be applied in women with poor ovarian response and attain comparable clinical pregnancy and implantation rates to those of the GnRH antagonist protocol.