Investigation of the antidepressant effects of Shu-Gan-Jie- Yu granule and its mechanism of action

Purpose: To study the antidepressant effects of Shu-Gan-Jie-Yu granule (SJG) and its possible mechanisms in mice.Methods: The anti-depressive effects of SJG were evaluated by three techniques, viz, forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and open field test (OFT). The levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine (NE), DA, and 5-HT in the brains of depressive mice were determined using commercially available kits. In addition, the effects of SJG on the BDNF expression in the mice brain were determined by western blot.Results: Administration of SJG significantly reduced the duration time of immobility in the experiments of FST and TST. In addition, relative to the control mice, SJG (800 mg/kg) administration significantly affected the mobility performance (p < 0.05) of mice. The levels of the three  neurotransmitters (DA, NE and 5-HT) and BDNF in the brains of depressive mice were increased by treatment with SJG at the doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg (p < 0.05). The results suggested that SJG exerted a significant antidepressant effect, which could be attributed to increases in the levels of neurotransmitters, and the up-regulation of BDNF expression.Conclusion: The results suggested that SJG exerted a significant antidepressant effect, most probably via regulation of related neurotransmitters (including DA, NE, and 5-HT) and BDNF in the brain. Keywords: Shu-Gan-Jie-Yu granule, Antidepressant, dopamine, norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, brain-derived neurotrophic facto

Existence of Positive Solution for BVP of Nonlinear Fractional Differential Equation

We consider the following boundary value problem of nonlinear fractional differential equation: (CD0+αu)(t)=f(t,u(t)),  t∈[0,1],  u(0)=0,   u′(0)+u′′(0)=0,  u′(1)+u′′(1)=0, where α∈(2,3] is a real number,  CD0+α denotes the standard Caputo fractional derivative, and f:[0,1]×[0,+∞)→[0,+∞) is continuous. By using the well-known Guo-Krasnoselskii fixed point theorem, we obtain the existence of at least one positive solution for the above problem

Current Status of Indocyanine Green Tracer-Guided Lymph Node Dissection in Minimally Invasive Surgery for Gastric Cancer

With the rapid development and popularization of laparoscopic and robotic radical gastrectomy, gastric cancer surgery has gradually entered a new era of precise minimally invasive surgery. The era of precision medicine has put forth new requirements for minimally invasive surgical treatment of patients with gastric cancer at different disease stages. For patients with early gastric cancer, avoiding surgical trauma caused by excessive lymph node dissection improves quality of life while pursuing radical treatment of the tumor. In patients with advanced gastric cancer, systematic lymph node dissection can be achieved without increasing surgical complications. With the successful application of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging technology in minimally invasive surgical instrumentation in recent years, researchers have found that ICG fluorescence imaging yields good tissue penetration and can identify lymph nodes in fat tissue better than other dyes. Therefore, whether ICG fluorescence imaging technology can guide surgeons in performing safe and effective lymph node dissection has attracted much attention. The present review discusses the clinical applications and research progress of ICG tracer-guided lymph node dissection in patients with gastric cancer

Tris(1H-imidazole-κN 3)(7-oxabicyclo­[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxyl­ato-κ3 O 2,O 3,O 7)cobalt(II) 3.35-hydrate

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Co(C8H8O5)(C3H4N2)3]·3.35H2O, the central CoII ion is in a slightly distorted octa­hedral environment, coordinated by the bridg­ing O atom from the bicyclo­[2.2.1]heptane ligand, by two carboxyl­ate O atoms from two different carboxyl­ate groups and by three N atoms from imidazole ligands. Uncoordinated water mol­ecules, some of them disordered, are present in the crystal structure. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are linked by O—H⋯O, N—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen-bonding inter­actions

Protective effect of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate on ultraviolet b-induced skin damage in hairless mice

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of green tea (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) on ultraviolet B (UV-B)-induced skin damages in hairless mice in order to develop a natural sunscreen compound for use in skin care products and cosmetics.Methods: EGCg was dissolved in acetone at concentrations of 1.0, 10.0 and 50.0 mg/mL, and topically applied to the skin of hairless mice at doses of 0.2 mL/cm2, with acetone as control. The mice were then irradiated by 100 μW/cm2 UV-B for 30 min daily. EGCg treatment and UV-B irradiation were carried out daily for 28 consecutive days. The mice were then sacrificed and their dorsal skin examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on the 28th day.Results: UV-B irradiation induced severe macroscopic skin damage including chapping, cracking and abnormal desquamation in the treated hairless mice. EGCg showed dose-dependent protective effects against UV-B induced damage on the skin. Treatments with 10.0 and 50.0 mg/mL EGCg alleviated UVB- induced skin damage by suppressing both keratinocyte apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction, along with inhibiting the production of melanin pigment.Conclusion: Topical application of green tea EGCg shows dose-dependent protective effect against UV-B-induced damage on hairless mouse skin. Thus, the plant compound can potentially be used as an alternative agent for photoprotection against UV-B exposure.Keywords: UV-B, Green tea EGCg, Photoprotection, Stratum corneum,  Mitochondrion, Melanosom

Micro-tensile Testing of the Lightweight Laminated Structures of Beetle Elytra Cuticle

Quantitative measurements of the mechanical properties of insect cuticle are a useful tool in the development of bio-mimetic materials suitable for industrial products. In this study, a micro-tensile tester was used to investigate the mechanical properties of elytra cuticle of the dung beetle (Copris ochus Motschulsky). Micro tensile testing show that: yield strength (Fs) =17.12±3.55N, Maximum tensile (Fb) =14.74±4.11N, yield strength ( ) =1.4±0.15GPa, tensile strength ( )=1.2±0.21GPa, elastic modulus(E) =14.56±4.20GPa, plastic index(δ) =0.241±0.10. Tensile elongation of the specimens was between 12.1-36.3%. Our results demonstrate that the elytra possess ductile material characteristics. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used to investigate the detailed structure of the elytra cross section in both the transverse and longitudinal directions. In the transverse direction, the fibers of the deeper layers of the endocuticle are orientated in a constant, rotated angle with neighboring fibers rotated in relation to the each other in the same direction. The fibers in the longitudinal direction show that the epicuticle, exocuticle and endocuticle layers clearly create a parallel hierarchical structure. We believe this is a result of the composite effect of the hierarchical structure. Finally, we developed a laminated model based on the parameters provided by tensile testing, FESEM imaging and nanoindentation measurements, and compared the results of the model to our experimental results. Key words: nanoindentation; micro-tensile testing; coupled analysis; laminated structur

Construction of a BAC library and mapping BAC clones to the linkage map of Barramundi, Lates calcarifer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Barramundi (<it>Lates calcarifer</it>) is an important farmed marine food fish species. Its first generation linkage map has been applied to map QTL for growth traits. To identify genes located in QTL responsible for specific traits, genomic large insert libraries are of crucial importance. We reported herein a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library and the mapping of BAC clones to the linkage map.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This BAC library consisted of 49,152 clones with an average insert size of 98 kb, representing 6.9-fold haploid genome coverage. Screening the library with 24 microsatellites and 15 ESTs/genes demonstrated that the library had good genome coverage. In addition, 62 novel microsatellites each isolated from 62 BAC clones were mapped onto the first generation linkage map. A total of 86 BAC clones were anchored on the linkage map with at least one BAC clone on each linkage group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have constructed the first BAC library for <it>L. calcarifer </it>and mapped 86 BAC clones to the first generation linkage map. This BAC library and the improved linkage map with 302 DNA markers not only supply an indispensable tool to the integration of physical and linkage maps, the fine mapping of QTL and map based cloning genes located in QTL of commercial importance, but also contribute to comparative genomic studies and eventually whole genome sequencing.</p