Anticonvulsant and sedative effect of Fufang Changniu pills and probable mechanism of action in mice

Purpose: To investigate the anticonvulsant and sedative effects of Fufang Changniu Pills (FCP) and its probable mechanism of action in mice.Methods: The water decoction of FCP was prepared and the main constituents were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The anticonvulsant activities of FCP were evaluated by maximal electroshock (MES) and  pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in mice. Pentobarbital sodium-induced sleeping time and locomotor activity measurements were performed to evaluate the sedative effects of FCP in mice. Finally, PTZ-induced chronic seizures were  established, and expressions of gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABA-A) and glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) in the brains of the mice were assayed by western blot in order to explore the probable mechanisms of action of the drug.Results: Gallic acid, liquiritin, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamic acid and glycyrrhizic acid were detected in FCP decoction. FCP (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) showed significant anticonvulsant and sedative effects on epileptic mice induced by MES (p < 0.05) and PTZ (p < 0.05). Moreover, pentobarbital sodium-induced sleeping time and  locomotor activity tests showed that FCP possesses sedative effect (p < 0.05). Western blot data indicate that FCP significantly up-regulated GABA-A and GAD 65 in the brains of chronic epileptic rats (p < 0.05).Conclusion: FCP has significant anticonvulsant and sedative effects, and the  mechanism of its action may be related to the up-regulation of GABA-A and GAD 65 in mice brain.Keywords: Epilepsy, Fufang Changniu pills, Anticonvulsant, Sedative effect,  Gamma-aminobutyric acid, Glutamate dehydrogenas

Reduced expression of Toll-like receptor 4 inhibits human breast cancer cells proliferation and inflammatory cytokines secretion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tumor cell expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) can promote inflammation and cell survival in the tumor microenvironment. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling in tumor cells can mediate tumor cell immune escape and tumor progression, and it is regarded as one of the mechanisms for chronic inflammation in tumorigenesis and progression. The expression of TLR4 in human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and its biological function in the development and progression of breast cancer have not been investigated. We sought to characterize the expression of TLR1-TLR10 in the established human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, and to investigate the biological roles of TLR4 in breast cancer cells growth, survival, and its potential as a target for breast cancer therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>TLRs mRNA and protein expressions were detected in human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 by RT-PCR, real-time PCR and flow cytometry (FCM). RNA interference was used to knockdown the expression of TLR4 in MDA-MB-231. MDA-MB-231 transfected with the vector pGenesil-1 and the vector containing a scrambled siRNA were as controls. Recombinant plasmids named TLR4AsiRNA, TLR4BsiRNA and TLR4CsiRNA specific to TLR4 were transfected into human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with Lipfectamine™2000 reagent. TLR4 mRNA and protein expressions were investigated by RT-PCR, real-time PCR, FCM and immunofluorescence after silence. MTT analysis was performed to detect cell proliferation and FCM was used to detect the secretion of inflammatory cytokines in supernatant of transfected cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 was found to express TLR1-TLR10 at both the mRNA and protein levels. TLR4 was found to be the highest expressed TLR in MDA-MB-231. TLR4AsiRNA, TLR4BsiRNA and TLR4CsiRNA were found to significantly inhibit TLR4 expression in MDA-MB-231 at both mRNA and protein levels as compared to vector control(vector transfected cells). TLR4AsiRNA mediated the strongest effect. Knockdown of TLR4 gene in MDA-MB-231 resulted in a dramatic reduction of breast cancer cell viability. The cytokines which were secreted by the TLR4 silenced cells, such as IL-6 and IL-8, also decreased significantly as compared with vector control. No significant difference was observed in siRNA control (Recombinant plasmid named ScrambledsiRNA transfected cells) compared to vector control.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These studies identified the expression levels of multiple TLRs in human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and demonstrated that knockdown of TLR4 could actively inhibit proliferation and survival of breast cancer cells. Taken together, our results suggest RNAi-directed targeting of TLR4 may be a beneficial strategy for breast cancer therapy.</p

Toxic Effects of Silica Nanoparticles on Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have been widely used in biomedical and biotechnological applications. Environmental exposure to nanomaterials is inevitable as they become part of our daily life. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the possible toxic effects of SiNPs exposure. In this study, zebrafish embryos were treated with SiNPs (25, 50, 100, 200 μg/mL) during 4-96 hours post fertilization (hpf). Mortality, hatching rate, malformation and whole-embryo cellular death were detected. We also measured the larval behavior to analyze whether SiNPs had adverse effects on larvae locomotor activity. The results showed that as the exposure dosages increasing, the hatching rate of zebrafish embryos was decreased while the mortality and cell death were increased. Exposure to SiNPs caused embryonic malformations, including pericardial edema, yolk sac edema, tail and head malformation. The larval behavior testing showed that the total swimming distance was decreased in a dose-dependent manner. The lower dose (25 and 50 μg/mL SiNPs) produced substantial hyperactivity while the higher doses (100 and 200 μg/mL SiNPs) elicited remarkably hypoactivity in dark periods. In summary, our data indicated that SiNPs caused embryonic developmental toxicity, resulted in persistent effects on larval behavior. © 2013 Duan et al.published_or_final_versio

Mindfulness-based stress reduction combined with early cardiac rehabilitation improves negative mood states and cardiac function in patients with acute myocardial infarction assisted with an intra-aortic balloon pump: a randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention combined with early cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) assisted with an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP).MethodsA total of 100 AMI patients with IABP assistance due to hemodynamic instability at Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital were enrolled in the study. The participants were divided into two groups using the random number table method (n = 50 each group). Patients receiving routine CR were assigned to the CR control group, while patients receiving MBSR plus CR were assigned to the MBSR intervention group. The intervention was performed twice a day until the removal of the IABP (5–7 days). Each patient's level of anxiety/depression and negative mood state were evaluated before and after intervention using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and profiles of mood state scale (POMS). The results of the control and intervention groups were compared. IABP-related complications and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), measured with echocardiography, were also assessed and compared between the two groups.ResultsThe SAS, SDS, and POMS scores were lower in the MBSR intervention group than in the CR control group (P &lt; 0.05). There were also less IABP-related complications in the MBSR intervention group. LVEF was significantly improved in both groups, but the degree of LVEF improvement was more significant in the MBSR intervention group than in the CR control group (P &lt; 0.05).ConclusionsMBSR combined with early CR intervention can assist in alleviating anxiety, depression, and other negative mood states, reduce IABP-related complications, and further improve cardiac function in AMI patients with IABP assistance

Recent Update on the Pharmacological Effects and Mechanisms of Dihydromyricetin

As the most abundant natural flavonoid in rattan tea, dihydromyricetin (DMY) has shown a wide range of pharmacological effects. In addition to the general characteristics of flavonoids, DMY has the effects of cardioprotection, anti-diabetes, hepatoprotection, neuroprotection, anti-tumor, and dermatoprotection. DMY was also applied for the treatment of bacterial infection, osteoporosis, asthma, kidney injury, nephrotoxicity and so on. These effects to some extent enrich the understanding about the role of DMY in disease prevention and therapy. However, to date, we still have no outlined knowledge about the detailed mechanism of DMY, which might be related to anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation. And the detailed mechanisms may be associated with several different molecules involved in cellular apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation, such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), protein kinase B (Akt), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) and so on. Here, we summarized the current pharmacological developments of DMY as well as possible mechanisms, aiming to push the understanding about the protective role of DMY as well as its preclinical assessment of novel application

Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Seroprevalence in Children Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy for Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Infection in China, 2005–2009

Coinfection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) may compromise pediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) in China. In this study, we evaluated the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV in children receiving ART and associated factors

Two low-power optical data transmission ASICs for the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter readout upgrade

A serializer ASIC and a VCSEL driver ASIC are needed for the front-end optical data transmission in the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter readout phase-I upgrade. The baseline ASICs are the serializer LOCx2 and the VCSEL driver LOCld, designed in a 0.25-{\mu}m Silicon-on-Sapphire (SoS) CMOS technology and consumed 843 mW and 320 mW, respectively. Based on a 130-nm CMOS technology, we design two pin-to-pin-compatible backup ASICs, LOCx2-130 and LOCld-130. Their power consumptions are much lower then of their counterparts, whereas other performance, such as the latency, data rate, and radiation tolerance, meet the phase-I upgrade requirements. We present the design of LOCx2-130 and LOCld-130. The test results of LOCx2-130 are also presented.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

“Caracterización de los sistemas de producción de ovinos de pelo en el suroeste del departamento de Matagalpa 2010”

Con el objetivo de caracterizar los sistemas de producción de ovinos de pelo en el territorio suroeste del departamento de Matagalpa 2010. (Sébaco, Ciudad Darío, San Isidro y Matagalpa). Se aplicó una encuesta a 103 productores que poseen ovinos de pelo, la muestra se definió aleatoriamente utilizando la ecuación planteada por Scheaffer (1987), se utilizó la técnica de muestreo de bola de nieve, planteada por Frey et al (2000). Esta investigación permitió conocer las debilidades y oportunidades en los sistemas de explotación de esta especie promisoria para la zona seca del país. Con los resultados obtenidos de las encuestas se procedió ha elaborar una base de datos en el programa SPSS versión 11.5 en español. Encontrando un predominio del sexo femenino como titulares de las explotaciones ovinas, 58.3% cursó educación primaria, el 98% de las explotaciones cuentan con raza pelibuey, el 100% de las explotaciones realizan destete y monta de forma natural, una media de mortalidad de corderos de 1, alimentan a las ovejas con potrero sin división (81.6%), se suministra pasto de corte, pastoreo, leguminosas y se suplementa sal común 49.5%, aplican vacunas contra ántrax y pierna negra (63.1%), desparasitaciones internas y externas (66%), ambos con una frecuencia de 2 veces al año, en el manejo productivo no se lleva control en la actividad ovina (100%), los equipo e instalaciones son rústicas, los corrales ovinos el son elaborados con alambre y/o madera, techado con plástico y/o zinc (49.51%), en cuanto a asistencia técnica el 58.3% ha recibid