Exogenous High-Mobility Group Box 1 Protein Injection Improves Cardiac Function after Myocardial Infarction: Involvement of Wnt Signaling Activation

Exogenous high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) injection could prevent left ventricular remodeling and enhance left ventricular function during myocardial infarction (MI). However, the mechanism remains unclear. This paper was to investigate in the mechanism of cardioprotection of HMGB1 during MI in rats. Anesthetized male rats were treated once with HMGB1 (200 ng) 4 h after MI and then executed after 7 and 28 days, respectively. Cardiac function, collagen deposition, and dishevelled-1 and β-catenin protein expression were measured. After MI 7 days or 28 days, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was significantly decreased compared to that of sham-operated control group (P < 0.05). However, the LVEF HMGB1-treated groups were significantly higher compared to those of the MI group in both 7 days and 28 days (P < 0.05). The collagen volume fraction was significantly reduced in the HMGB1-treated group in infarcted border zone. HMGB1 could activate the expression of dishevelled-1 and β-catenin proteins (P < 0.05). Our study suggested that exogenous high-mobility group box 1 protein injection improves cardiac function after MI, which may be involved in Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation

Moxibustion for Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background. The complementary and alternative medicines in treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) are controversial. Methods. We searched PubMed, Ovid Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library databases, CNKI, Wanfang Database, CBM, VIP, and AMED for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of moxibustion compared with pharmacological medications in patients with IBS-D. A meta-analysis was performed using both fixed and random-effects models based on heterogeneity across studies. Results. In total, 568 patients in 7 randomized controlled trials were randomly treated with moxibustion and pharmacological medications. The improvement of global IBS-D symptoms and overall scores was significant (P=0.0001 and P<0.0001, resp.) in patients treated by moxibustion only compared to pharmacological medications. The specific IBS-D symptoms of abdominal pain, abdominal distension, abnormal stool, and defecation frequency were alleviated in patients treated by moxibustion compared to pharmacological medications, but no significance was found except for abdominal distension and defecation frequency (P=0.03 and P=0.02, resp.). There were no serious adverse events related to moxibustion. Conclusions. Moxibustion appears to be effective in treating IBS-D compared with pharmacological medications. However, further large, rigorously designed trials are warranted due to insufficient methodological rigor in the included trials

Degradation of Toxic Organic Contaminants by Graphene Cathode in an Electro‐Fenton System

A novel composite electrode was constructed by pressing graphene and CuO, using a cathode in an electro‐Fenton (EF) system. Cyclic voltammetry, charge/discharge curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to characterize the composite electrode. The degradation of a toxic organic contaminant, Terramycin, by EF system was studied in an undivided electrolysis cell. The possible degradation products of Terramycin were studied by a Fourier transform‐infrared spectrum, and the findings showed that the structure of Terramycin was damaged. The variations of hydrogen peroxide and the relative content of hydroxyl radical (.OH) during the degradation process were traced by enzyme catalysis method and fluorescence spectrometry. The results showed that the electro‐catalytic degradation of Terramycin occurred by an ·OH radical mechanism. More importantly, this as‐prepared cathode was very stable and could be reused without any catalytic activity decrease, suggesting its potential application in the wastewater treatment

Exendin-4 attenuates myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury by inhibiting high mobility group box 1 protein expression

Background: High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) plays an important role in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. Exendin-4 (Ex-4), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, has been reported to attenuate myocardial I/R injury. This study was to investigate the potential mechanism by which Ex-4 attenuates myocardial I/R injury in rats.Methods: Anesthetized male rats were once treated with Ex-4 (5 μg/kg, i.v.) 1 h before ischemiain the absence and/or presence of exendin (9-39) (an antagonist for glucagon-like peptide-1receptor, 5 μg/kg, i.v.), and then subjected to ischemia for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 4 h. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and infarct size were measured. HMGB1 expression was assessed by immunoblotting.Results: The results showed that pretreatment of Ex-4 could significantly decrease the infarct size and the levels of LDH and CK after 4 h reperfusion (all p &lt; 0.05). Ex-4 could also significantly inhibit the increase of the MDA level, the decrease of the SOD level (both p &lt; 0.05). Meanwhile, Ex-4 could signifi cantly inhibit HMGB1 expression induced by I/R. Administration of exendin (9-39) could abolish the protective effect of Ex-4 (all p &lt; 0.05).Conclusions: The present study suggested that Ex-4 could attenuate myocardial I/R injury which may be associated with inhibiting HMGB1 expression

Desipramine Pretreatment Improves Sympathetic Remodeling and Ventricular Fibrillation Threshold after Myocardial Ischemia

Abnormal increase in sympathetic nerve sprouting was responsible for the ventricular arrhythmogenesis after myocardial infarction. This study investigated whether the norepinephrine transporter inhibitor, desipramine, can modulate sympathetic remodeling and ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) after myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. Rats were administered desipramine (0.8 mg/kg, IV) before or after myocardial ischemia. VFT, infarct size, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43)-positive nerve fibers were measured after one week. The VFT of preischemic treatment group was 11.0±2.65 V and significantly higher than that of control ischemic group (7.2±1.30 V, P<0.05). Infarct size in the preischemic treatment group (23.3±2.4%) was significantly lower than that in the control ischemic group (30.8±1.3%, P<0.05) and the delayed application group (27.1±2.6%, P<0.05). The density of TH and GAP43-positive nerve fibers in the control ischemic group was significantly higher than that in the other three groups (P<0.05). The density of nerve fibers improved after desipramine treatment. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between the VFT and both TH and GAP43-positive nerve fiber density in the infarct border zone (P<0.05). Desipramine treatment before acute myocardial ischemia can decrease infarct size, improve sympathetic remodeling, and increase VFT and electrical stability of ischemic hearts. Desipramine appears to cause myocardial ischemic preconditioning

Moxibustion for Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background. The complementary and alternative medicines in treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) are controversial. Methods. We searched PubMed, Ovid Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library databases, CNKI, Wanfang Database, CBM, VIP, and AMED for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of moxibustion compared with pharmacological medications in patients with IBS-D. A meta-analysis was performed using both fixed and random-effects models based on heterogeneity across studies. Results. In total, 568 patients in 7 randomized controlled trials were randomly treated with moxibustion and pharmacological medications. The improvement of global IBS-D symptoms and overall scores was significant ( = 0.0001 and &lt; 0.0001, resp.) in patients treated by moxibustion only compared to pharmacological medications. The specific IBS-D symptoms of abdominal pain, abdominal distension, abnormal stool, and defecation frequency were alleviated in patients treated by moxibustion compared to pharmacological medications, but no significance was found except for abdominal distension and defecation frequency ( = 0.03 and = 0.02, resp.). There were no serious adverse events related to moxibustion. Conclusions. Moxibustion appears to be effective in treating IBS-D compared with pharmacological medications. However, further large, rigorously designed trials are warranted due to insufficient methodological rigor in the included trials