Chinese Medicine Injection Qingkailing for Treatment of Acute Ischemia Stroke: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Qingkailing (QKL) injection was a famous traditional Chinese patent medicine, which was extensively used to treat the acute stages of cerebrovascular disease. The aim of this study was to assess the quantity, quality and overall strength of the evidence on QKL in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Methods. An extensive search was performed within MEDLINE, Cochrane, CNKI, Vip and Wan-Fang up to November 2011. Randomized controlled trails (RCTs) on QKL for treatment of acute stroke were collected, irrespective of languages. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and data analyses were conducted according to the Cochrane standards, and RevMan5 was used for data analysis. Results. 7 RCTs (545 patients) were included and the methodological quality was evaluated as generally low. The pooled results showed that QKL combined with conventional treatment was more effective in effect rate, and the score of MESSS and TNF-α level compared with conventional treatment alone, but there was no significant difference in mortality of two groups. Only one trial reported routine life status. There were four trials reported adverse events, and no obvious adverse event occurred in three trials while one reported adverse events described as eruption and dizziness

Refined Qingkailing Protects MCAO Mice from Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Apoptosis with a Broad Time Window

In the current study, we are investigating effect of refined QKL on ischemia-reperfusion-induced brain injury in mice. Methods. Mice were employed to induce ischemia-reperfusion injury of brain by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). RQKL solution was administered with different doses (0, 1.5, 3, and 6 mL/kg body weight) at the same time of onset of ischemia, and with the dose of 1.5 mL/kg at different time points (0, 1.5, 3, 6, and 9 h after MCAO). Neurological function and brain infarction were examined and cell apoptosis and ROS at prefrontal cortex were evaluated 24 h after MCAO, and western blot and intracellular calcium were also researched, respectively. Results. RQKL of all doses can improve neurological function and decrease brain infarction, and it performed significant effect in 0, 1.5, 3, and 6 h groups. Moreover, RQKL was able to reduce apoptotic process by reduction of caspase-3 expression, or restraint of eIF2a phosphorylation and caspase-12 activation. It was also able to reduce ROS and modulate intracellular calcium in the brain. Conclusion. RQKL can prevent ischemic-induced brain injury with a time window of 6 h, and its mechanism might be related to suppress ER stress-mediated apoptotic signaling

Structural and physicochemical effects on the starch quality of the high-quality wheat genotype caused by delayed sowing

BackgroundBread wheat is one of the most important food crops associated with ensuring food security and human nutritional health. The starch quality is an important index of high-quality wheat. It is affected by a complex series of factors; among which, suitable sowing time is a key factor.Aim and methodsTo analyze the integrative effects of sowing time on the starch quality of high-quality wheat, in the present study, we selected a high-quality bread wheat cultivar Jinan 17 and investigated the effect of different sowing times on the starch properties and the related genes by analyzing X-ray diffraction patterns, apparent amylose content, thermal properties, pasting properties, in vitro starch digestibility, and qRT-PCR. Meanwhile, we also investigated the agronomic and yield performance that may be associated with the starch properties.ResultsDelayed sowing had little effect on starch crystalline morphology, but there was a tendency to reduce the formation of crystals within wheat starch granules: (1) delayed sowing for 15 days altered the thermal properties of starch, including onset, peak and termination temperatures, and enthalpy changes; (2) delayed sowing for 30 days changed the thermal characteristics of starch relatively insignificant; (3) significant differences in pasting characteristics occurred: peak viscosity and hold-through viscosity increased, while final viscosity, breakdown viscosity, and setback viscosity tended to increase and then decrease, suggesting that delayed sowing caused changes in the surface of the starch granules resulting in a decrease in digestibility. Analysis of related genes showed that several key enzymes in starch biosynthesis were significantly affected by delayed sowing, leading to a reduction in apparent straight-chain starch content. In addition to starch properties, thousand-kernel weight also increased under delayed sowing conditions compared with normal sowing.ConclusionThe impact of delayed sowing on starch quality is multifaceted and complex, from the fine structure, and functional properties of the starch to the regulation of key gene expression. Our study holds significant practical value for optimizing wheat planting management and maximizing the potential in both quality and yield

Effects of air pollution on neonatal prematurity in guangzhou of china: a time-series study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Over the last decade, a few studies have investigated the possible adverse effects of ambient air pollution on preterm birth. However, the correlation between them still remains unclear, due to insufficient evidences.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The correlation between air pollution and preterm birth in Guangzhou city was examined by using the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) extended Poisson regression model in which we controlled the confounding factors such as meteorological factors, time trends, weather and day of the week (DOW). We also adjusted the co linearity of air pollutants by using Principal Component Analysis. The meteorological data and air pollution data were obtained from the Meteorological Bureau and the Environmental Monitoring Centre, while the medical records of newborns were collected from the perinatal health database of all obstetric institutions in Guangzhou, China in 2007.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 2007, the average daily concentrations of NO₂, PM₁₀and SO₂in Guangzhou, were 61.04, 82.51 and 51.67 μg/m³respectively, where each day an average of 21.47 preterm babies were delivered. Pearson correlation analysis suggested a negative correlation between the concentrations of NO₂, PM₁₀, SO_2,and temperature as well as relative humidity. As for the time-series GAM analysis, the results of single air pollutant model suggested that the cumulative effects of NO₂, PM₁₀and SO₂reached its peak on day 3, day 4 and day 3 respectively. An increase of 100 μg/m³of air pollutants corresponded to relative risks (RRs) of 1.0542 (95%CI: 1.0080 ~1.1003), 1.0688 (95%CI: 1.0074 ~1.1301) and 1.1298 (95%CI: 1.0480 ~1.2116) respectively. After adjusting co linearity by using the Principal Component Analysis, the GAM model of the three air pollutants suggested that an increase of 100 μg/m³of air pollutants corresponded to RRs of 1.0185 (95%CI: 1.0056~1.0313), 1.0215 (95%CI: 1.0066 ~1.0365) and 1.0326 (95%CI: 1.0101 ~1.0552) on day 0; and RRs of the three air pollutants, at their strongest cumulative effects, were 1.0219 (95%CI: 1.0053~1.0386), 1.0274 (95%CI: 1.0066~1.0482) and 1.0388 (95%CI: 1.0096 ~1.0681) respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study indicates that the daily concentrations of air pollutants such as NO₂, PM₁₀and SO₂have a positive correlation with the preterm births in Guangzhou, China.</p

Polymerization of micropollutants in natural aquatic environments: A review

Micropollutants with high ecotoxicological risks are frequently detected in aquatic environments, which has aroused great concern in recent years. Humification is one of the most important natural detoxification processes of aquatic micropollutants, and the core reactions of this process are polymerization and coupling. During humification, micropollutants are incorporated into the macrostructures of humic substances and precipitated from aqueous systems into sediments. However, the similarities and differences among the polymerization/coupling pathways of micropollutants in different oxidative systems have not been systematically summarized in a review. This article reviews the current knowledge on the weak oxidation-induced spontaneous polymerization/coupling transformation of micropollutants. First, four typical weak oxidative conditions for the initiation of micropollutant polymerization reactions in aquatic environments are compared: enzymatic catalysis, biomimetic catalysis, metal oxide oxidation, and photo-initiated oxidation. Second, three major subsequent spontaneous transformation pathways of micropollutants are elucidated: radical polymerization, nucleophilic addition/substitution and cyclization. Different solution conditions are also summarized. Furthermore, the importance of toxicity evolution during the weak oxidation-induced coupling/polymerization of micropollutants is particularly emphasized. This review provides a new perspective for the transformation mechanism and pathways of micropollutants from aquatic systems into sediments and the atmosphere and offers theoretical support for developing micropollutant control technologies. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Cobalt Nanoparticles Embedded into N-Doped Carbon from Metal Organic Frameworks as Highly Active Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Cystosepiment-like cobalt nanoparticles@N-doped carbon composite named Co-NPs@NC with highly efficient electrocatalytic performance for oxygen evolution reaction was prepared from carbonization of N-doped Co-MOFs. The optimized Co-NPs@NC-600 shows overpotentials of 315 mV to afford a current density of 10 mA&#183;cm&#8722;2. Meanwhile, the electrocatalys presents excellent long-term durability. The outstanding electrocatalytic performance can be attributed to the unique cystosepiment-like architecture with high specific surface area (214 m2/g), high conductivity of N-doped carbon and well-distributed active sites

A novel aspartic protease inhibitor inhibits the enzymatic browning of potatoes

Enzymatic browning greatly affects the quality of fresh-cut potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). The transcript level of a novel aspartic protease inhibitor gene, StASPI, was found significantly higher in browning-less potatoes than in browning-susceptible potatoes, and exogenous aspartic protease inhibitor Pepstatin A inhibited the browning of potato pulp. Therefore, we speculated that StASPI plays important roles in browning-resistance of potatoes. The effects of overexpressed-StASPI on browning, total free amino acids (FAAs), antioxidant enzyme activity and ROS accumulation in potatoes were investigated in this study. Results showed that overexpression of StASPI effectively reduced enzymatic browning after cutting, significantly decreased protease activity, and reduced the accumulation of total FAAs in potatoes. Browning degrees of transgenic potato mash were increased by supplementing exogenous FAAs, but the degrees were still significantly lower than that of wild-type (WT) mash. Furthermore, overexpression of StASPI decreased PPO activity, enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT, and reduced H2O2 and O2˙― contents. These results indicated that overexpression of StASPI inhibited the enzymatic browning of potatoes, decreasing FAAs accumulation, reducing PPO activity, and enhancing activity of antioxidant enzymes. This study provides a new perspective on the strategies for inhibiting enzymatic browning of potatoes

Baicalin’s Therapeutic Time Window of Neuroprotection during Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia and Its Antioxidative Effects In Vitro and In Vivo

We investigated the effects of baicalin on an ischemia-reperfusion-induced brain injury model in rats and its antioxidative activities in vitro and in vivo. An ischemia-reperfusion injury of the brain via a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was induced in rats. Baicalin was injected at different time points (0, 2, 4, and 6 h) after the MCAO was induced. Baicalin can improve neurological function and significantly decrease brain infarction within a time window of 4 h. Moreover, baicalin was able to reduce cell apoptosis and had the strong antioxidative effect of reducing reactive oxygen species production and malondialdehyde generation. In contrast, baicalin interfered with superoxide dismutase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 2′-phosphate oxidase activities. Moreover, baicalin also exhibited strong neuroprotective effects against H2O2-mediated injury and improved the SOD activity of neurons. Furthermore, baicalin demonstrated good scavenging of hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anions, and DPPH radicals and exerted an additional effect of inhibiting xanthine oxidase. Baicalin showed beneficial effects against MCAO-induced injury within a 4 h time window, and its antioxidative effects both in vitro and in vivo may partly elucidate its mechanism of action