Effect of Songyu Anshen Fang on expression of hypothalamic GABA and GABA(B) receptor proteins in insomniac rats induced by para-chlorophenylalanine

Purpose: To investigate the effects of the Chinese compound, Songyu Anshen Fang (SYF) on levels of GABA and GABA(B) receptor proteins in insomniac rats induced by para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA).Methods: All rats were randomly separated into either a control group, insomnia group, or a SYF group (at a dose of 8.5 g/kg or 17 g/kg body weight per day). The rat model of insomnia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of PCPA, and SYF was administered intragastrically in suspension. All experimental groups were treated with a corresponding agent for one week. The levels of glutamic acid (Glu) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); mRNA and protein expressions, and GABA(B) receptor levels were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot.Results: SYF treatment with 8.5 or 17 g/kg/day decreased the levels of Glu and Glu/GABA ratios in the hypothalamus following abnormal increase by PCPA. Moreover, GABA(B) receptor, mRNA and protein expression decreased by PCPA in hypothalamus were significantly normalized by SYF.Conclusion: The study indicates that the effects of PCPA-induced insomnia can be alleviated by SYF modulation of neurotransmitter levels and the expression of GABA(B) receptor in the hypothalamus. This suggests that clinical application of SYF to treat insomnia may be feasible.Keywords: Songyu Anshen Fang, Para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), GABA(B) receptor, Insomni

Atomically dispersed Fe in a C2N based catalyst as a sulfur host for efficient lithium-sulfur batteries

Altres ajuts: ICN2 is funded by the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. Part of the present work has been performed in the framework of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Materials Science PhD program. J.L. is a Serra Húnter Fellow and is grateful to ICREA Academia program.Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are considered to be one of the most promising next generation energy storage systems due to their high energy density and low material cost. However, there are still some challenges for the commercialization of LSBs, such as the sluggish redox reaction kinetics and the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPS). Here a 2D layered organic material, CN, loaded with atomically dispersed iron as an effective sulfur host in LSBs is reported. X-ray absorption fine spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations prove the structure of the atomically dispersed Fe/CN catalyst. As a result, Fe/CN-based cathodes demonstrate significantly improved rate performance and long-term cycling stability. Fe/CN-based cathodes display initial capacities up to 1540 mAh g at 0.1 C and 678.7 mAh g at 5 C, while retaining 496.5 mAh g after 2600 cycles at 3 C with a decay rate as low as 0.013% per cycle. Even at a high sulfur loading of 3 mg cm, they deliver remarkable specific capacity retention of 587 mAh g after 500 cycles at 1 C. This work provides a rational structural design strategy for the development of high-performance cathodes based on atomically dispersed catalysts for LSBs

Percutaneous angioplasty and/or stenting versus aggressive medical therapy in patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis: a 1-year follow-up study

BackgroundSymptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS) is one of the common causes of ischemic stroke. However, the treatment of sICAS remains a challenge in the past with unfavorable findings. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of stenting versus aggressive medical management on preventing recurrent stroke in patients with sICAS.MethodsWe prospectively collected the clinical information of patients with sICAS who underwent percutaneous angioplasty and/or stenting (PTAS) or aggressive medical therapy from March 2020 to February 2022. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to ensure well-balanced characteristics of two groups. The primary outcome endpoint was defined as recurrent stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) within 1 year.ResultsWe enrolled 207 patients (51 in the PTAS and 156 in the aggressive medical groups) with sICAS. No significant difference was found between PTAS group and aggressive medical group for the risk of stroke or TIA in the same territory beyond 30 days through 6 months (P = 0.570) and beyond 30 days through 1 year (P = 0.739) except for within 30 days (P = 0.003). Furthermore, none showed a significant difference for disabling stroke, death and intracranial hemorrhage within 1 year. These results remain stable after adjustment. After PSM, all the outcomes have no significant difference between these two groups.ConclusionThe PTAS has similar treatment outcomes compared with aggressive medical therapy in patients with sICAS across 1-year follow-up

Identifying the Role of the Cationic Geometric Configuration in Spinel Catalysts for Polysulfide Conversion in Sodium-Sulfur Batteries

An AB2X4 spinel structure, with tetrahedral A and octahedral B sites, is a paradigmatic class of catalysts with several possible geometric configurations and numerous applications, including polysulfide conversion in metal-sulfur batteries. Nonetheless, the influence of the geometric configuration and composition on the mechanisms of catalysis and the precise manner in which spinel catalysts facilitate the conversion of polysulfides remain unknown. To enable controlled exposure of single active configurations, herein, Cotd2+ and Cooh3+ in Co3O4 catalysts for sodium polysulfide conversion are in large part replaced by Fetd2+ and Feoh3+, respectively, generating FeCo2O4 and CoFe2O4. Through an examination of electrochemical activation energies, the characterization of symmetric cells, and theoretical calculations, we determine that Cooh3+ serves as the active site for the breaking of S-S bonds, while Cotd2+ functions as the active site for the formation of S-Na bonds. The current study underlines the subtle relationship between activity and geometric configurations of spinel catalysts, providing unique insights for the rational development of improved catalysts by optimizing their atomic geometric configuration.This work was supported by the Innovation fund for small and medium-sized Enterprises in Gansu Province (No. 22CX3JA006), Lanzhou Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project (No. 2022-2-81), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61801200), and partially by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No.: lzujbky-2021-it33). J.S. Li acknowledges financial support from the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan province (2022NSFSC1229). ICN2 acknowledges funding from Generalitat de Catalunya 2021SGR00457. This study is part of the Advanced Materials programme and was supported by MCIN with funding from European Union NextGenerationEU (PRTR-C17.I1) and by Generalitat de Catalunya. The authors thank the support from the project NANOGEN (PID2020-116093RB-C43), funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, by the “European Union”. ICN2 is supported by the Severo Ochoa program from Spanish MCIN/AEI (Grant No.: CEX2021-001214-S) and is funded by the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. AGM has received funding from Grant RYC2021-033479-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. L.B. thanks the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain through the OXISHOT project (PID2021-128410OB-I00). ICN2 acknowledges funding from Project IU16-014206 (METCAM-FIB) from Generalitat de Catalunya and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, by the European Union.With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000917-S).Peer reviewe

15-Deoxy- γ

Objective. 15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) reduces inflammation and has been identified as an anti-inflammatory prostaglandin in numerous animal models. In this study, we investigated both effects of 15d-PGJ2 and its protection mechanism in concanavalin A- (ConA-) induced autoimmune hepatitis in mice. Materials and Methods. In vivo, Balb/C mice were injected with ConA (25 mg/kg) to induce acute autoimmune hepatitis, and 15d-PGJ2 (10 μg or 25 μg) was administered 1 h before the ConA injection. The histological grade, proinflammatory cytokine levels, and NF-κB and PPARγ activity were determined 6, 12, and 24 h after the ConA injection. In vitro, LO2 cells and RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with 15d-PGJ2 (2 μM) 1 h before the stimulation with ConA (30 μg/mL). The NF-κB and PPARγ activity were determined 30 min after the ConA administration. Results. Pretreatment with 15d-PGJ2 reduced the pathological effects of ConA-induced autoimmune hepatitis and significantly reduced the levels of cytokines after injection. 15d-PGJ2 activated PPARγ, blocked the degradation of IκBα, and inhibited the translocation of NF-κB into the nucleus. Conclusion. These results indicate that 15d-PGJ2 protects against ConA-induced autoimmune hepatitis by reducing proinflammatory cytokines. This reduction in inflammation may correlate with the activation of PPARγ and the reduction in NF-κB activity

A Biological role for GnRH I and GnRH II at the maternal-fetal interface

Remodeling of the endometrial extracellular matrix, which occurs during the early stages of pregnancy in the human, is mediated by the temporal expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in both the maternal and fetal compartments and counterbalanced by their respective endogenous inhibitors, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in both an autocrine and paracrine manner. To date, the factors capable of regulating the expression of uPA and MMP proteolytic systems at the maternal-fetal interface remain poorly characterized. However, the direct correlation between the expression of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH I) and the activity of uPA, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the human endometrium and placenta has led to the hypothesis that GnRH I may play a regulator of this developmental event. In these studies, we have examined the ability of GnRH I and the second mammalian form of GnRH (GnRH II), which is also expressed in the human endometrium and placenta, to regulate uPA/ PAI-1 and MMP-2, MMP-9 /TIMP-1 mRNA and protein expression levels in primary cultures of decidual stromal cells or extravillous cytotrophoblasts isolated from first trimester tissues. GnRH I and GnRH II increased uPA, MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA and protein expression levels in both of cell types. In contrast, GnRH I and GnRH JJ were capable of increasing TIMP-1 levels in extravillous cytotrophoblasts but had no significant effect on its expression levels in decidual stromal cell cultures. Furthermore, both forms of GnRH down-regulated PAI-1 mRNA levels in extravillous cytotrophoblasts whereas GnRH I increased and GnRH II decreased PAI-1 mRNA and protein expression levels in these decidual cell cultures. Antagonists specific for the GnRH I receptor, Cetrorelix and Antide, were capable of inhibiting the regulatory effects of GnRH I, but not GnRH II on these primary cell cultures. Collectively, these observations strengthen our hypothesis that GnRH is a key regulator of the proteolytic degradation of the endometrial ECM during implantation. However, the observed biological actions of GnRH I and GnRH II on these primary cell cultures appear to be mediated by distinct, tissue-specific molecular mechanisms, which as yet, remain to be elucidated.Medicine, Faculty ofMedical Genetics, Department ofGraduat