Consumption of dried fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida (hawthorn) suppresses high-cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats

Author name used in this publication: Mabel Yin-Chun YauAuthor name used in this publication: Peter Hoi-Fu Yu2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Evaluation of anti-oxidant capacity of root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, in comparison with roots of polygonum multiflorum thunb and Panax ginseng CA Meyer

Author name used in this publication: Jian-Hong WuAuthor name used in this publication: Alice Lai-Shan AuAuthor name used in this publication: Peter Hoi-Fu Yu2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Formononetin, an isoflavone, relaxes rat isolated aorta through endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent pathways

Author name used in this publication: Jian-Hong WuAuthor name used in this publication: Min-Yi WuAuthor name used in this publication: De-Jian GuoAuthor name used in this publication: Shi-Lin ChenAuthor name used in this publication: Alice L. S. AuAuthor name used in this publication: Christina C. W. Poon2010-2011 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Five insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a rules-based synthesis of the available evidence on levels and trends in health outcomes, a diverse set of risk factors, and health system responses. GBD 2019 covered 204 countries and territories, as well as first administrative level disaggregations for 22 countries, from 1990 to 2019. Because GBD is highly standardised and comprehensive, spanning both fatal and non-fatal outcomes, and uses a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of hierarchical disease and injury causes, the study provides a powerful basis for detailed and broad insights on global health trends and emerging challenges. GBD 2019 incorporates data from 281 586 sources and provides more than 3.5 billion estimates of health outcome and health system measures of interest for global, national, and subnational policy dialogue. All GBD estimates are publicly available and adhere to the Guidelines on Accurate and Transparent Health Estimate Reporting. From this vast amount of information, five key insights that are important for health, social, and economic development strategies have been distilled. These insights are subject to the many limitations outlined in each of the component GBD capstone papers.Peer reviewe

Monoamine oxidase-A-mediated generation of reactive oxygen species by 5-hydroxytryptamine in HUVECs

Poster SessionThis journal issue is proceedings of ICSM 2010BACKGROUND: 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), a potent vasoactive neurotransmitter, after released is terminated at the nerve terminals mainly via enzymatic metabolism such as monoamine oxidases (MAOs), resulted in the generation of different metabolites (e.g. 5-HIAA, 5-HTOL and H2O2). In HUVECs, generation of H2O2 and the role(s) of MAOs in response to 5-HT challenge is unknown. METHODOLOGY: Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells …link_to_OA_fulltextThe 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Medicine (ICSM), Hong Kong, China, 18 December 2010. In Journal of the Hong Kong College of Cardiology, 2010, v. 18 n. 2, p. 80, abstract no. P2

N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine reduces high glucose-induced mitochondrial ROS generation and cortical F-Actin cytoskeleton levels in pancreatic islets β-Cells of obese/diabetic mice

This journal issue is proceedings of ICSM 2010Abstracts for PostersBACKGROUND: Failure of insulin secretion associated with β-cell dysfunction caused by glucotoxicity is a key factor in the development and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The beneficial effects of ...link_to_OA_fulltextThe 14th Annual Scientific Meetingof the Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Medicine, Hong Kong, China, 18 December 2010. In Journal of the Hong Kong College of Cardiology, 2010, v. 18 n. 2, p. 77, abstract no. P2

Distinct effects of simvastatin on cytosolic Ca2+ changes and Ca2+: sensing receptor expression of isolated pancreatic islets ß cells of obese/diabetic mice

Abstracts for Posters: no. P30link_to_OA_fulltex

Amelioration of hyperglycemia-induced mitochondrial ROS generation of single pancreatic islet β-cells of obese/diabetic mice by chronic N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine

This journal issue contain abstracts of the 13th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Medicine 2009Abstracts for Posters: no. P12BACKGROUND: Mitochondria are the principal source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in pancreatic islets β-cells and impairment of mitochondrial functions is intrinsically related with diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemiainduced ROS production by mitochondria is an important aspect in β-cell glucose toxicity. However, most previous studies were performed in either normal islets/single β-cells or insulinoma cells which were bathed in high glucose medium which could not mimic the pathophysiological conditions. OBJECTIVES: To compare and measure hyperglycemia-induced mitochondria ROS generation of primary pancreatic islet β-cells of obese/diabetic (+db/+db) and lean/control (+db/+m) mice, and the effects (acute and chronic) of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) on ROS generation. METHODS: Collagenase-dissociated single pancreatic islet β-cells of C57BL/KsJ obese/diabetic (+db/+db) mice which exhibit phenotypes of the human T2DM were harvested, and the effects (acute, 10 min; chronic, 24 h) of NAC (20 mM) on high glucose-induced mitochondrial ROS generation were evaluated. Mitochondrial ROS levels were estimated by MitoTracker Red (reduced form) (a selective fluorescence probe for mitochondrial ROS measurement) using con-focal microscope. RESULTS: A trend of, but a non-significant, higher resting/basal ROS level was observed in single pancreatic β-cells of +db/+db mice compared to +db/+m mice. High glucose (15 mM) application gradually caused an increase in ROS levels in single pancreatic β-cells of +db/+db mice whereas no apparent change was observed in +db/+m mice. Chronic (24 h), but not acute (10 min), treatments with NAC (20 mM) ameliorated high-glucose induced ROS generation in single pancreatic β-cells of +db/+db mice. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperglycemia elicited mitochondrial ROS generation only in single pancreatic β-cells of +db/+db mice. Chronic NAC (a well known anti-oxidant) pre-treatment eradicated high glucose-induced ROS generation. Current study is underway to elucidate the underlying mechanism(s) involved in the differential effects of high glucose on ROS generation as well as the identification of the particular mitochondrial ROS generating system.link_to_OA_fulltex

Comparison of vascular relaxation, lipolysis and glucose uptake by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ activation in + db/+ m and + db/+ db mice

In this study, we determined the in vitro effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) activation on the aortic relaxation, lipolysis and insulin-induced [ 3H]-glucose uptake of the abdominal (omental) adipocytes of the non-diabetic (+ db/+ m) and obese/diabetic (+ db/+ db) mice. The expression of PPAR-γ (mRNA and protein) in aorta and adipose tissues was evaluated and compared. Cumulative application of ciglitazone, pioglitazone and troglitazone (PPAR-γ agonists) caused a concentration-dependent aortic relaxation (sensitive to 2-chloro-5-nitro-N-phenylbenzamide (GW9662) (1 μM, a selective PPAR-γ antagonist) and N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) (20 μM, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor)) with a maximum relaxation of ∼ 30% (3 μM) in + db/+ m mice, whereas no relaxation was observed in + db/+ db mice. All PPAR-γ agonists examined did not alter the basal lipolysis of both species, but forskolin caused a concentration-dependent lipolysis, with a greater magnitude observed in + db/+ m mice. Insulin (0.1 and 1 μM) caused an enhancement of [ 3H]-glucose uptake into adipocytes with a greater magnitude in + db/+ m mice. In contrast, none of the PPAR-γ agonists tested (0.1, 1 and 10 μM) altered the basal and the insulin (0.1 μM)-induced [ 3H]-glucose uptake into adipocytes of both species. In addition, there was no difference in PPAR-γ expression (mRNA and protein) in the aorta and adipose tissues between the species. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that PPAR-γ is present in the abdominal (omental) adipose tissue and thoracic aorta. An acute activation of PPAR-γ produced a small (∼ 30%) aortic relaxation (nitric oxide/endothelium-dependent) of + db/+ m mice. However, all PPAR-γ agonists examined have no acute effect on lipolysis and the insulin-induced glucose uptake into adipocytes of both + db/+ m and + db/+ db mice. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex