[Fluorescence Properties and the Detection of Nitrobenzene of Lanthanides Complex with 3,4-Thiophenedicarboxylic Acid and 1,10 Phenanthroline].

3,4-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (3,4-H2tdc) as the first ligand, 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) as the auxiliary ligand, three complexes Ln2(Htdc)2(tdc)2(phen)2(H2O)4(Ln=Eu 1, Gd 2, Tb 3) were synthesized with hydrothermal method. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that complexes 1-3 were isostructural crystallize and both of complexes are binuclear molecules. In the complexes 1-3, the coordination number is nine. Each metal is bound to two 3, 4-tdc ligand, one 3,4-Htdc ligand, one phen and two water molecule. Complexes 1 and 3 display the red and green light under UV lamp, corresponding the characteristic peaks from 619 nm (5D0→7F2) and 545 nm (5D4→7F5). Complex 2 expresses a broad band at 425 nm is attributed to π*→π transition. Furthermore, under the excitation wavelength of 329 nm, the effects of different solvents on complex 1 was discussed and complex 1 could be a potential luminescent probe for detecting nitrobenzene through fluorescence quenching mechanism.

[Lanthanum Coordination Polymer Based on Benzimidazole-Dicarboxylic Acid and Phenanthroline: Crystal Structure, Fluorescence and Fluorescent Sensing for Organic Small Molecules].

Two new complexes, {[Eu3(bidC)4(phen)2(NO3)] · 2H2O}n, (1) and [Tb2(bidC)3(H2O)2] (2) (bidc=benzimidazole-dicarboxylate, phen=1, 10-phenanthrolIne) were synthesized. Complex 1 shows 1D chain structure. The asymmetric unit of 1 contains three crystallographically different Eu(3+), Eu(1)O6N2, Eu(2)O8 and Eu(3)O6N2. Complex 2 reveals 2D structure. It contains two crystallographically similar Tb(3+), Tb(1)O8 and Tb(2)O8. Complex 1 displays the emission peaks at 581, 593, 615, 654 and 702 nm, corresponding to the (5)D0-->(7)FJ (J=0-4) transitions of Eu(3+). The most intense emission at 615 nm is attributed to the (5)D-->(7)F2 transition, implies a red emission light of 1. The intensity rations I((5)D0/(7)F2)/I((5)D0/(7)F1) is about 2.5, indicating the chemical environment around Eu(3+) does not have an inversion center. Complex 2 exhibits four emission peaks at 492, 545, 584 and 622 nm, corresponding to the (5)D4-->(7)FJ (J=6-3) transitions of Tb(3+). The emission band at 545 nm corresponds to the (5)D4-->(7)F5 transition of the Tb(3+), which gives an intense green luminescence output for the solid sample. Notably, the solvent-dependent luminescence behavior of complexes 1 and 2 was discussed. They show highly selective for nitrobenzene via a fluorescence quenching mechanism. The highly selective and sensitive sensing nitrobenzene leads to its application in environmental system.

[The Classification of Wheat Varieties Based on Near Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging and Information Fusion].

Hyperspectral imaging technology has great potential in the identification of crop varieties because it contains both image information and spectral information for the object. But so far most studies only used the spectral information, the image information has not been effectively utilized. In this study, hyperspectral images of single seed of three types including strong gluten wheat, medium gluten wheat, and weak gluten wheat were collected by near infrared hyperspectra imager, 12 morphological characteristics such as length, width, rectangularity, circularity and eccentricity were extracted, the average spectra of endosperm and embryo were acquired by the mask which was created by image segmentation. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLADA) and least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) were used to construct the classification model with image information, results showed that the binary classification accuracy between strong gluten wheat and weak gluten wheat could achieve 98%, for strong gluten wheat and medium gluten wheat, it was only 74.22%, which indicated that hyperspectral images could reflect the differences of varieties, but the accuracy might be poor when recognizing the varieties just by image information. Soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA), PLSDA and LSSVM were used to established the classification model with spectral information, the classification effect of endosperm is slightly better than the embryo, it demonstrated that the grain shape could influence the classification accuracy. Then, we fused the spectral and image information, SIMCA, PLSDA and LSSVM were used to established the identification model, the fusion model showed better performance than the individual image model and spectral model, the classification accuracy which used the PLSDA raise from 96.67% to 98.89%, it showed that digging the morphological and spectral characteristics of the hyperspectral image could effectively improve the classification effect.

Activation of the stress proteome as a mechanism for small molecule therapeutics.

Various small molecule pharmacologic agents with different known functions produce similar outcomes in diverse Mendelian and complex disorders, suggesting that they may induce common cellular effects. These molecules include histone deacetylase inhibitors, 4-phenylbutyrate (4PBA) and trichostatin A, and two small molecules without direct histone deacetylase inhibitor activity, hydroxyurea (HU) and sulforaphane. In some cases, the therapeutic effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors have been attributed to an increase in expression of genes related to the disease-causing gene. However, here we show that the pharmacological induction of mitochondrial biogenesis was necessary for the potentially therapeutic effects of 4PBA or HU in two distinct disease models, X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy and sickle cell disease. We hypothesized that a common cellular response to these four molecules is induction of mitochondrial biogenesis and peroxisome proliferation and activation of the stress proteome, or adaptive cell survival response. Treatment of human fibroblasts with these four agents induced mitochondrial and peroxisomal biogenesis as monitored by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and/or western analyses. In treated normal human fibroblasts, all four agents induced the adaptive cell survival response: heat shock, unfolded protein, autophagic and antioxidant responses and the c-jun N-terminal kinase pathway, at the transcriptional and translational levels. Thus, activation of the evolutionarily conserved stress proteome and mitochondrial biogenesis may be a common cellular response to such small molecule therapy and a common basis of therapeutic action in various diseases. Modulation of this novel therapeutic target could broaden the range of treatable diseases without directly targeting the causative genetic abnormalities.

Intercellular adhesion molecular-1, Fas, and Fas ligand as diagnostic biomarkers for acute allograft rejection of pancreaticoduodenal transplantation in pigs.

BACKGROUND: The early diagnosis of pancreas allograft dysfunction is crucial for the management and long-term survival of transplanted pancreases. We investigated whether intercellular adhesion molecular-1 (ICAM-1), Fas, and Fas ligand (FasL) can be used as novel biomarkers of acute pancreaticoduodenal allograft dysfunction in pigs. METHODS: Forty outbred landraces were randomly divided into three groups. In the control group (8 pigs), a sham operation was performed but no drugs were administered. In groups 1 and 2 (8 pairs each), pancreaticoduodenal transplantation was performed, with the latter administered immunosuppressive drugs and the former not administered drugs. The expression of ICAM-1, Fas, and FasL mRNA in the peripheral vein blood was assessed by flow cytometry and RT-PCR, pre-transplant and on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after transplantation. Simultaneously, the levels of glucose, insulin, and glucagon in the serum of the recipients were evaluated. The allograft pancreas tissue was obtained to assess the pathological damage and the expression of Fas and FasL by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: On the first 7 days after transplantation, ICAM-1, Fas, and FasL mRNA expression in the blood leukocytes of the recipient increased significantly in groups 1 and 2 compared with the control group (P < 0.01). However, the levels in group 2 were significantly lower than those in group 1 (P < 0.05). Interestingly, the FasL expression increased but the Fas expression decreased gradually in the graft pancreas tissue during the first week after transplantation in both groups 1 and 2 compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The levels of serous glucose, insulin, and glucagon in groups 1 and 2 obviously changed on day 1 after transplantation but returned to normal on day 2. The recipient's pancreas pathological sections did not exhibit any rejection changes on days 1 and 3 after transplantation but showed rejection damage on days 5 and 7. CONCLUSION: ICAM-1, Fas, and FasL were found to be sensitive biomarkers of acute pancreas allograft dysfunction after pancreaticoduodenal transplantation in pigs, and their monitoring could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the immunosuppression therapy.

Mechanisms of manipulating valley splitting in MoTe2/MnS2 van der Waals heterostructure by electric field and strains.

In this study, we discuss the tunability of valley splitting using first-principles calculations with a monolayer MoTe2 and layered ferromagnetic MnS2 heterostructure as an example. We observe that, due to the magnetic proximity effect (MPE) at the interface, a monolayer of MoTe2 can exhibit a significant valley splitting of 55.2 meV. The production of the interlayer dipoles with spin-adapted configuration could be the origin of MPE at the interface. Furthermore, the valley splitting can be regulated continuously by the perpendicular electric field and biaxial strain. Interestingly, the valley splitting increases with the increasing induced magnetic moments in MoTe2 by applying an electric field while the inverse laws are presented by applying biaxial strains, which indicates that the mechanisms of valley splitting manipulating in these two ways are quite different. The calculation results suggest that the electric field influences the electric dipole distributions at the interface, which determines the induced magnetic moments in monolayer MoTe2, and results in valley splitting variations. However, biaxial strains not only affect MPE at the interface but also the intrinsic spin splitting caused by spin-orbital coupling (SOC) effects of monolayer MoTe2 itself and the latter is even the dominating mechanism of valley splitting variations.

Short-chain fatty acids regulate erastin-induced cardiomyocyte ferroptosis and ferroptosis-related genes.

Background: Ferroptosis has been proven to contribute to the progression of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and can be inhibited or promoted by ATF3. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have shown benefits in various cardiovascular diseases with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, the impact of SCFAs on ferroptosis in ischemic-stimulated cardiomyocytes remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of SCFAs on cardiomyocyte ferroptosis, the expression of ATF3, and its potential upstream regulators. Methods and results: The expression of ATF3, ferroptosis pathway geneset (FPG), and geneset of potential regulators for ATF3 (GPRA, predicted by the PROMO database) was explored in the public human myocardial infarction single-cell RNA-seq (sma) dataset. Cardiomyocyte data was extracted from the dataset and re-clustered to explore the FPG, ATF3, and GPRA expression patterns in cardiomyocyte subclusters. A dose-dependent toxic experiment was run to detect the suitable dose for SCFA treatment. The erastin-induced ferroptosis model and hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) model (10 h of hypoxia followed by 6 h of reoxygenation) were adopted to assess the effect of SCFAs via the CCK8 assay. Gene expression was examined via RT-PCR and western blot. Ferroptosis markers, including lipid peroxides and Fe2+, were detected using the liperfluo and ferroOrange probes, respectively. In the sma dataset, upregulated ferroptosis pathway genes were mainly found in the infarction-stimulated cardiac cells (border zone and fibrotic zone), particularly the cardiomyocytes and adipocytes. The ATF3 and some of its potential transcription factors (VDR, EGR3, PAX5, and SP1) can be regulated by SCFA. SCFA can attenuate erastin-induced lipid peroxidation in cardiomyocytes. SCFA treatment can also reverse erastin-induced Fe2+ increase but may strengthen the Fe2+ in the H/R model. We also precisely defined a ferroptosis subcluster of cardiomyocytes (CM09) that highly expressed FPG, ATF3, and GPRA. Conclusion: The ATF3 and the ferroptosis pathway are elevated in cardiomyocytes of injury-related cardiac regions (border zone, ischemic zone, and fibrotic zone). SCFA can attenuate cardiomyocyte ferroptosis and regulate the expression of ATF3. Our study offers novel insights into the potential targets of SCFAs in the cardiovascular system.

The importance of ammonia volatilization in estimating the efficacy of nitrification inhibitors to reduce N2O emissions: A global meta-analysis.

Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) have been shown to be an effective tool to mitigate direct N2O emissions from soils. However, emerging findings suggest that NIs may increase soil ammonia (NH3) volatilization and, subsequently, indirect N2O emission. A quantitative synthesis is lacking to evaluate how NIs may affect NH3 volatilization and the overall N2O emissions under different environmental conditions. In this meta-analysis, we quantified the responses of NH3 volatilization to NI application with 234 observations from 89 individual studies and analysed the role of experimental method, soil properties, fertilizer/NI type, fertilizer application rate and land use type as explanatory factors. Furthermore, using data sets where soil NH3 emission and N2O emission were measured simultaneously, we re-evaluated the effect of NI on overall N2O emissions including indirect N2O emission from NH3 volatilization. We found that, on average, NIs increased NH3 volatilization by 35.7% (95% CI: 25.7-46.7%) and increased indirect N2O emission from NH3 emission (and subsequent N deposition) by 2.9%-15.2%. Responses of NH3 volatilization mainly varied with experimental method, soil pH, NI type and fertilizer type. The increase of NH3 volatilization following NI application showed a positive correlation with soil pH (R2 = 0.04, n = 234, P < 0.05) and N fertilizer rate (R2 = 0.04, n = 187, P < 0.05). When the indirect N2O emission was considered, NI's N2O mitigation effect decreased from 48.0% to 39.7% (EF = 1%), or 28.2% (EF = 5%). The results indicate that using DMPP with ammonium-based fertilizer in low pH, high SOC soils would have a lower risk for increasing NH3 volatilization than using DCD and nitrapyrin with urea in high pH, lower SOC soil. Furthermore, reducing N application rate may help to improve NIs' overall N2O emission mitigation efficiency and minimize their impact on NH3 volatilization.

Diagnostic Techniques for COVID-19: A Mini-review of Early Diagnostic Methods.

The outbreak of severe pneumonia at the end of 2019 was proved to be caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreading out the world. And COVID-19 spread rapidly through a terrible transmission way by human-to-human, which led to many suspected cases waiting to be diagnosed and huge daily samples needed to be tested by an effective and rapid detection method. With an increasing number of COVID-19 infections, medical pressure is severe. Therefore, more efficient and accurate diagnosis methods were keen urgently established. In this review, we summarized several methods that can rapidly and sensitively identify COVID-19; some of them are widely used as the diagnostic techniques for SARS-CoV-2 in various countries, some diagnostic technologies refer to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) or/and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) detection, which may provide potential diagnosis ideas.

Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD with a built in T helper epitope induces strong neutralization antibody response.

Without approved vaccines and specific treatments, COVID-19 is spreading around the world with above 26 million cases and approximately 864 thousand deaths until now. An efficacious and affordable vaccine is urgently needed. The Val308 - Gly548 of spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 linked with Gln830 - Glu843 of Tetanus toxoid (TT peptide) (designated as S1-4) and without TT peptide (designated as S1-5) were expressed and renatured. The antigenicity and immunogenicity of S1-4 were evaluated by Western Blotting (WB) in vitro and immune responses in mice, respectively. The protective efficiency was measured preliminarily by microneutralization assay (MN50). The soluble S1-4 and S1-5 protein was prepared to high homogeneity and purity. Adjuvanted with Alum, S1-4 protein stimulated a strong antibody response in immunized mice and caused a major Th2-type cellular immunity supplemented with Th1-type immunity. Furthermore, the immunized sera could protect the Vero E6 cells from SARS-CoV-2 infection with neutralizing antibody titer 256. Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD with a built in T helper epitope could stimulate both strong humoral immunity supplemented with cellular immunity in mice, demonstrating that it could be a promising subunit vaccine candidate.

Total and Formal Syntheses of Fostriecin.

Two formal syntheses and one total synthesis of fostriecin (1) have been achieved, as well as, the synthesis of its related congener dihydro-dephospho-fostriecin. All the routes use the Sharpless dihydroxylation to set the absolute stereochemistry at C-8/9 positions and a Leighton allylation to set the C-5 position of the natural product. In the formal syntheses a Noyori transfer hydrogenation of an ynone was used to set the C-11 position while the total synthesis employed a combination of asymmetric dihydroxylation and Pd-π-allyl reduction to set the C-11 position. Finally in the total synthesis, a trans-hydroboration of the C-12/13 alkyne was used in combination with a Suzuki cross coupling to establish the Z,Z,E-triene of fostriecin (1).

Pretreatment with erythropoietin reduces hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: During hepatectomy, a period of ischemia and restoration of the blood supply can result in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Current research indicates that erythropoietin (EPO) has a protective effect in animal models of cerebral ischemia, myocardial infarction, and renal IRI. However there is lack of research into the role of EPO in hepatic IRI. This study aimed to explore the role of EPO in hepatic IRI and its possible mechanism of action. METHODS: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: (1) ten rats in the experimental group were given 1000 IU/kg EPO one day before the operation; (2) ten rats in a control group were given normal saline preoperatively as a placebo; and (3) ten rats served as a sham-operated group. Hepatic IRI was induced by occluding the hepatic arteries of the three cephalad hepatic segments and the portal vein for about 45 minutes, while in the sham-operated group only laparotomy was performed. The levels of ALT and AST were tested 24 hours pre- and post-operation. All rats were sacrificed 24 hours after the operation to assess the pathologic changes in the liver and measure the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) through Western blotting and RT-PCR. RESULTS: Hepatic IRI was markedly mitigated in the experimental group as compared with the control group. Moreover, the expression of HO-1 at the level of both transcription and protein increased prominently (P<0.05) in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that EPO can up-regulate HO-1 in liver tissues and accordingly decrease hepatic injury through its anti-inflammatory property.

DNA-templated Au nanoclusters coupled with proximity-dependent hybridization and guanine-rich DNA induced quenching: a sensitive fluorescent biosensing platform for DNA detection.

In this paper, the fluorescence signal of poly(A) DNA-templated Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) is found to be greatly quenched by photoinduced electron transfer (PET) when they are close to guanine (G)-rich DNA. Based on the findings, we have designed a low-cost fluorescence biosensing strategy for the sensitive detection of DNA. Highly luminescent and photo-stable poly(A) DNA-AuNCs were utilized as the fluorescent indicator and G-rich DNA was utilized as the fluorescent quencher. In the absence of target DNA, DNA-AuNCs failed to hybridize with the G-rich DNA and did not form the duplex DNA structure. Strong fluorescence intensity at 475 nm was observed due to the DNA-AuNCs being far away from the G-rich DNA. However, in the presence of target DNA, the DNA-AuNCs together with G-rich DNA could hybridize with the target DNA, leading to the 5' terminus of the DNA-AuNCs and the 3' terminus of G-rich DNA being in close proximity and promoting the cooperative hybridization. Therefore, a "Y" junction structure was formed and the G-rich sequences were brought close to the AuNCs. Therefore, the fluorescence intensity of the sensing system decreased significantly. Taking advantage of the poly(A) DNA-templated Au nanoclusters and G-rich DNA proximity-induced quenching, the strategy could be extended to determine other biomolecules by designing appropriate sequences of DNA probes.

Anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, and lipid lowering effects of the thyroid receptor beta subtype selective agonist KB-141.

Selective thyroid hormone receptor subtype-beta (TRbeta) agonists have received attention as potential treatments for hypercholesterolemia and obesity, but have received less attention as treatments for diabetes, partly because this condition is not improved in thyroid hormone excess states. The TRbeta selective agonist KB-141 induces 5-10% increases in metabolic rate and lowering of plasma cholesterol levels without tachycardia in lean rats, unlike the major active thyroid hormone, T3. In the current study, we determined whether KB-141 promotes weight loss in obese animals and whether it exhibits anti-diabetogenic effects. Body weight, adiposity (DEXA), and lipid levels were examined following p.o. administration of KB-141 to obese Zucker fa/fa rats at 0.00547-0.547 mg/kg/day for 21 days, and in ob/ob mice at 0.5mg/kg/day KB-141 for 7 days. In rats, KB-141 reduced body weight by 6 and 8%, respectively, at 0.167 and 0.0547 mg/kg/day without tachycardia and adiposity was reduced at 0.167 mg/kg/day (5-6%). In ob/ob mice, KB-141 lowered serum cholesterol (35%), triacylglycerols (35%) and both serum and hepatic free fatty acids (18-20%) without tachycardia. Treatment of ob/ob mice with KB-141 (0.0547 or 0.328 mg/kg/day over 2 weeks) improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in a dose-dependent manner with no effect on heart rate. Thus, KB-141 elicits anti-obesity, lipid lowering and anti-diabetic effects without tachycardia suggesting that selective TRbeta activation may be useful strategy to attenuate features of the metabolic syndrome.

PEX11alpha is required for peroxisome proliferation in response to 4-phenylbutyrate but is dispensable for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha-mediated peroxisome proliferation.

The PEX11 peroxisomal membrane proteins promote peroxisome division in multiple eukaryotes. As part of our effort to understand the molecular and physiological functions of PEX11 proteins, we disrupted the mouse PEX11alpha gene. Overexpression of PEX11alpha is sufficient to promote peroxisome division, and a class of chemicals known as peroxisome proliferating agents (PPAs) induce the expression of PEX11alpha and promote peroxisome division. These observations led to the hypothesis that PPAs induce peroxisome abundance by enhancing PEX11alpha expression. The phenotypes of PEX11alpha(-/-) mice indicate that this hypothesis remains valid for a novel class of PPAs that act independently of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) but is not valid for the classical PPAs that act as activators of PPARalpha. Furthermore, we find that PEX11alpha(-/-) mice have normal peroxisome abundance and that cells lacking both PEX11alpha and PEX11beta, a second mammalian PEX11 gene, have no greater defect in peroxisome abundance than do cells lacking only PEX11beta. Finally, we report the identification of a third mammalian PEX11 gene, PEX11gamma, and show that it too encodes a peroxisomal protein.

Association of statin use and stress-induced hyperglycemia in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Only a few information is available on the risk of stress hyperglycemia following acute myocardial infarction after statin use. We investigate the association of stress-induced hyperglycemia following statin use in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: An observational analysis of 476 consecutive patients who suffered acute myocardial infarction was carried out. All selected patients were divided into diabetes mellitus and non-diabetes based on the presence or absence of diabetes. The cardiac incidence of in-hospital and stress-induced hyperglycemia was recorded. RESULTS: Among patients with stress hyperglycemia in non-diabetes mellitus subgroups, the average fasting plasma glucose values in statin users were higher than in non-statin users (P < 0.05). But in diabetes mellitus subgroups, the average fasting plasma glucose did not have a significant difference between statin users and non-statin users (P > 0.05). In non-diabetes mellitus patients, the incidence of stress hyperglycemia with statin therapy was significantly higher than with non-statin therapy (P = 0.003). But in diabetes mellitus patients group, there is no significant difference in incidence of stress hyperglycemia between patients with statin therapy and patients without statin therapy (P = 0.902).The incidence of heart failure and in-hospital mortality of acute myocardial infarction in patients with stress-induced hyperglycemia was significantly higher than in non-hyperglycemia patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Statins are related to higher stress hyperglycemia and cardiac incidences after acute myocardial infarction.

A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue Method in Treating Diabetic Nephropathy.

Objective. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the evidence of Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue Method for diabetic nephropathy. Methods. 11 electronic databases, through September 2015, were searched to identify randomized controlled trials of Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue Method for diabetic nephropathy. The quality of the included trials was assessed using the Jadad scale. Results. 26 randomized controlled trials were included in our review. Of all the included trials, most of them were considered as high quality. The aggregated results suggested that Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue Method is beneficial to diabetic nephropathy in bringing down the microalbuminuria (SMD = -0.98, 95% CI -1.22 to -0.74), serum creatinine (SMD = -0.56, 95% CI -0.93 to -0.20), beta-2 microglobulin (MD = 0.06, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.12), fasting plasma glucose (MD = -0.35, 95% CI -0.62 to -0.08), and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (MD = 1.13, 95% CI 0.07 to 2.20), but not in decreasing blood urea nitrogen (SMD = -0.72, 95% CI -1.47 to 0.02) or 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (SMD = -0.48, 95% CI -1.01 to 0.04). Conclusions. Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue Method should be a valid complementary and alternative therapy in the management of diabetic nephropathy, especially in improving UAER, serum creatinine, fasting blood glucose, and beta-2 microglobulin. However, more studies with long follow-up are warrant to confirm the current findings.

[Effects of NBP on ATPase and anti-oxidant enzymes activities and lipid peroxidation in transient focal cerebral ischemic rats].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was designed to explore the effect of (+/-) -3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) on ATPase, anti-oxidant enzymes activities and lipid peroxidation of mitochondria and cerebral cortex in rats subjected to 24 hours of reperfusion following 2 hours of cerebral ischemia (tMCAO). METHODS: Activities of SOD (Superoxide Dismutase), GSH-Px (glutathione Peroxidase,) and CAT (Catalase), and MDA level of mitochondria or cortex were measured by using biochemical methods in tMCAO rats. RESULTS: (1) The activities of mitochondrial Na+K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg2+ ATPase were found to decrease significantly in the vehicle group (ischemia + saline). Pre-treatment with NBP (5, 10, 20 mg/kg, i.p.) 10 min before tMCAO markedly enhanced the activities of Na+K(+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)-ATPase, compared with vehicle group. (2) The activities of SOD and mitochondrial GSH-Px were decreased and MDA level increased in vehicle groups as compared with that in sham group (non-ischemia + saline). NBP (20 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly enhanced total mitochondrial SOD activity, and also enhanced cerebral cortex total SOD activity (in 5, 10, 20 mg/kg groups). However, it had no obvious effect on CuZn-SOD activity. NBP (20 mg/kg i.p.) markedly increased mitochondrial (but not in cerebral cortex) GSH-Px activity; NBP 10, 20 mg/kg markedly decreased mitochondrial MDA level compared with that in vehicle group (P < 0.05). (3) The action of raceme NBP on the increase of the activities of ATPase and antioxidative enzymes seemed to be beneficial than that of (-) -NBP or (+) NBP. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that NBP improves energy pump and subsides oxidative injury which may contribute to its anti-neuronal apoptotic effect.

Neurotoxic effects of dexmedetomidine in fetal cynomolgus monkey brains.

The neuroprotective effects of dexmedetomidine have been reported by many investigators; however its underlying mechanism to reduce neuronal injury during a prolonged anesthesia remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the neurotoxic effects of dexmedetomidine in fetal monkey brains. In the present study, we compare the neurotoxic effects of dexmedetomidine and ketamine, a general anesthetic with a different mechanism of action, in fetal cynomolgus monkeys. Twenty pregnant monkeys at approximate gestation day 120 were divided into 4 groups: non-treatment controls (Group 1); ketamine at 20 mg/kg intramuscularly followed by a 12-hr infusion at 20-50 mg/kg/hr (Group 2); dexmedetomidine at 3 µg/kg intravenously (i.v.) over 10 min followed by a 12-hr infusion at the human equivalent dose (HED) of 3 µg/kg/hr (Group 3); and dexmedetomidine at 30 µg/kg i.v. over 10 min followed by a 12-hr infusion at 30 µg/kg/hr, 10 times HED (Group 4). Blood samples from both dams and fetuses were measured for concentration of dexmedetomidine. Each fetus was perfusion-fixed, serial sections were cut through the frontal cortex, and stained to detect for apoptosis (activated caspase 3 and TUNEL) and neurodegeneration (silver stain). In utero treatment with ketamine resulted in marked apoptosis and degeneration primarily in layers I and II of the frontal cortex. In contrast, fetal brains from animals treated with dexmedetomidine showed none to minimal neuroapoptotic or neurodegenerative lesions at both low- and high-dose treatments. Plasma levels confirmed systemic exposure of dexmedetomidine in both dams and fetuses. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that dexmedetomidine at both low-dose (HED) and high-dose (10 times HED) does not induce apoptosis in the frontal cortex (layers I, II, and III) of developing brain of cynomolgus monkeys.

Association between gene polymorphisms of IRAK-M and the susceptibility of sepsis.

The aim of this study was to explore the association between the single-nucleotide polymorphisms of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-M (IRAK-M) gene and the susceptibility of sepsis. The allele frequency and genotype distribution of IRAK-M gene polymorphisms were assessed in 118 controls and 82 sepsis patients by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Associations between IRAK-M polymorphisms and the susceptibility of sepsis were analyzed by Cox regression. Data were analyzed by the χ(2) test and the Student's t test, whenever appropriate. Statistical calculations were performed by using statistical package SPSS version 18.0. The genotype distribution of IRAK-M+22148 polymorphism significantly differed between the sepsis and control groups (P < 0.0001). The frequency of the G allele was remarkably more common in the sepsis group than that of the control group (P < 0.0001). However, the frequency of the A allele was significantly less common in the sepsis group than that of control group (P < 0.0001). Moreover, the plasma levels (in picograms per milliliter) of TNF-α and IL-6 in patients with G/G genotype were greatly higher than those with A/A genotype after lipopolysaccharide stimulation (P < 0.05). The genetic polymorphism of IRAK-M+22148 G>A is associated with the susceptibility of sepsis. The G/G genotype of IRAK-M increases the risk of developing sepsis, and the A/A genotype may play a protective role in the process of developing sepsis.