3,3′-Dibenzyl-2,2′-dimethyl-1,1′-methyl­enediimidazolium dipicrate

In the title salt, C23H26N4 2+·2C6H2N3O7 −, the dihedral angle between the imidazolium rings in the dication is 69.9 (1)°. The aromatic ring of the benzyl group is almost perpendicular to the N-heterocyclic ring that is directly connected to it [dihedral angles = 83.2 (2) and 77.3 (3)°]

Antidiabetic effect of Tibetan medicine Tang-Kang-Fu-San on high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the antidiabetic effects of a Tibetan medicine, Tang-Kang-Fu-San (TKFS), on experimental type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats and to explore its underlying mechanisms. Firstly two major chemical compositions of TKFS, gallic acid and curcumin, were characterized by HPLC fingerprint analysis. Next T2DM in rats was induced by high-fat diet and a low-dose streptozotocin (STZ 35 mg/kg). Then oral gavage administration of three different doses of TKFS (0.3 g/kg, 0.6 g/kg, and 1.2 g/kg) was given to T2DM rats. Experimental results showed that TKFS dramatically reduced the levels of fasting blood glucose, fasting blood insulin, triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol, even though it did not alter the animal body weight. The downregulation of phosphorylation-AKT (p-AKT) and glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) in skeletal muscle of T2DM rats was restored and abnormal pathological changes in pancreas tissues were also improved. Our work showed that TKFS could alleviate diabetic syndromes, maintain the glucose homeostasis, and protect against insulin resistance in T2DM rats, and the improvement of AKT phosphorylation and GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle would be one of its possible underlying mechanisms

Comparison of Sterile and Clean Dressing Techniques in Post-operative Surgical Wound Infection in a Chinese Healthcare Facility

Purpose: To investigate the effect of sterile and clean dressing techniques on wound management in a Chinese hospital, and to compare their impact on wound healing and the cost of the dressing materials with respect to postoperative surgical wounds.Methods: A total of 130 patients, comprising 70 (53.8 %) males and 60 (46.2 %) females, who had undergone surgery in The Affiliated Hospital of Changchun Traditional Chinese Medicine University, Changchun, China in 2012 – 2014 were enrolled in the study. Of these, 65 (50 %) received sterile dressings and 65 (50 %) clean dressings. A control group comprising 25 patients, 15 (60 %) males and 10 (40 %) females, who attended the clinic for change dressings only, was also included. The patients’ dressings were changed four times daily with 2x sterile and 2x clean dressings. Details of all the changes, including the nutritional status of the patients, were recorded. The patients were followed-up up to the time of their discharge.Results: Twelve (18.5 %) patients out of those who received sterile or clean dressings were found to have acquired an infection. The size of the wounds was approximately 1.8 to 32.4 cm3 (mean: 5.2 ± 6.4 cm3) in size at the start of the study and 0.6 to 4.2 cm3 at the end of the study. A significant difference was identified between the sterile and clean dressing groups at the beginning of the study (U = 72.5; p < 0.12). A decrease in wound size was observed in both of these groups but was not statistically significant, while the change in wound volume, was significantly different (U = 84.5; p < 0.25). When the cost of the two dressing types was compared, the sterile items were more expensive than that of the clean items; thus, sterile dressing procedure was significantly more costly than clean dressing procedure (p < 0.01).Conclusion: With mounting concern regarding antimicrobial resistance and hospital-acquired infections, suitable wound dressing techniques are required to prevent infection and reduce the duration of wound healing after surgery without compromising patient safety.Keywords: Wound dressing, Postoperative, Antimicrobial resistance, Hospital acquired infection

Toll-like receptor 4-dependent upregulation of cytokines in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aβ deposits in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are closely associated with innate immune responses such as activated microglia and increased cytokines. Accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that innate immune/inflammatory responses play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of AD: either beneficial or harmful effects on the AD progression. The molecular mechanisms by which the innate immune system modulates the AD progression are not well understood. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are first-line molecules for initiating the innate immune responses. When activated through TLR signaling, microglia respond to pathogens and damaged host cells by secreting chemokines and cytokines and express the co-stimulatory molecules needed for protective immune responses to pathogens and efficient clearance of damaged tissues. We previously demonstrated that an AD mouse model homozygous for a destructive mutation of TLR4 has increases in diffuse and fibrillar Aβ deposits as well as buffer-soluble and insoluble Aβ in the brain as compared with a TLR4 wild-type AD mouse model. Here, we investigated the roles of TLR4 in Aβ-induced upregulation of cytokines and chemokines, Aβ-induced activation of microglia and astrocytes and Aβ-induced immigration of leukocytes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using the same model, levels of cytokines and chemokines in the brain were determined by multiplex cytokine/chemokine array. Activation of microglia and astrocytes and immigration of leukocytes were determined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry followed by densitometry and morphometry, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10 and IL-17 in the brains of TLR4 wild-type AD mice were significantly higher than those in TLR4 wild-type non-transgenic littermates. Such increases in cytokines were not found in TLR4 mutant AD mice as compared with TLR4 mutant non-transgenic littermates. Although expression levels of CD11b (a microglia marker) and GFAP (a reactive astrocyte marker) in the brains of TLR4 mutant AD mice were higher than those in TLR4 wild type AD mice, no difference was found in levels of CD45 (common leukocyte antigen).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first demonstration of TLR4-dependent upregulation of cytokines in an AD mouse model. Our results suggest that TLR4 signaling is involved in AD progression and that TLR4 signaling can be a new therapeutic target for AD.</p

Event and strategy analytics

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Demonstration of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering with Enhanced Subchannel Discrimination

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering describes a quantum nonlocal phenomenon in which one party can nonlocally affect the other's state through local measurements. It reveals an additional concept of quantum nonlocality, which stands between quantum entanglement and Bell nonlocality. Recently, a quantum information task named as subchannel discrimination (SD) provides a necessary and sufficient characterization of EPR steering. The success probability of SD using steerable states is higher than using any unsteerable states, even when they are entangled. However, the detailed construction of such subchannels and the experimental realization of the corresponding task are still technologically challenging. In this work, we designed a feasible collection of subchannels for a quantum channel and experimentally demonstrated the corresponding SD task where the probabilities of correct discrimination are clearly enhanced by exploiting steerable states. Our results provide a concrete example to operationally demonstrate EPR steering and shine a new light on the potential application of EPR steering.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, appendix include