Pharmacological effects of Radix Angelica Sinensis (Danggui) on cerebral infarction

Radix Angelica Sinensis, the dried root of Angelica sinensis (Danggui), is a herb used in Chinese medicine to enrich blood, promote blood circulation and modulate the immune system. It is also used to treat chronic constipation of the elderly and debilitated as well as menstrual disorders. Research has demonstrated that Danggui and its active ingredients, as anti-arthrosclerotic, anti-hypertensive, antioxidant anti-inflammatory agents which would limit platelet aggregation, are effective in reducing the size of cerebral infarction and improving neurological deficit scores

Purification and Characterization of Neutral Sphingomyelinase from Helicobacter pylori †

ABSTRACT: Phospholipase activities of human gastric bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, are regarded as the pathogenic factors owing to their actions on epithelial cell membranes. In this study, we purified and characterized neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) from the superficial components of H. pylori strains for the first time. N-SMase was purified 2083-fold with an overall recovery of 37%. The purification steps included acid glycine extraction, ammonium sulfate precipitation, CM-Sepharose, Mono-Q, and Sephadex G-75 column chromatography. Approximate molecular mass for the native N-SMase was around 32 kDa. When N-ω-trinitrophenylaminolauryl sphingomyelin (TNPAL-SM) was used as a substrate, the purified enzyme exhibited a K m of 6.7 µM and a V max of 15.6 nmol of TNPAL-sphingosine/h/mg of protein at 37°C in 50 mM phosphate-buffered saline, pH 7.4. N-SMase reaches optimal activity at pH 7.4 and has a pI of 7.15. The enzyme activity is magnesium dependent and specifically hydrolyzed sphingomyelin and phosphatidylethanolamine. The enzyme also exhibits hemolytic activity on human erythrocytes. According to Western blot analysis, a rabbit antiserum against purified N-SMase from H. pylori cross-reacted with SMase from Bacillus cereus. Sera from individuals with H. pylori infection but not uninfected ones recognizing the purified N-SMase indicated that it was produced in vivo. In enzymelinked immunosorbent assays, the purified N-SMase used as an antigen was as effective as crude protein antigens in detecting human antibodies to H. pylori

The Role of Urocortins in Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) causes an accumulation of blood in the brain parenchyma that disrupts the normal neurological function of the brain. Despite extensive clinical trials, no medical or surgical therapy has shown to be effective in managing ICH, resulting in a poor prognosis for the patients. Urocortin (UCN) is a 40-amino-acid endogenous neuropeptide that belongs to the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) family. The effect of UCN is activated by binding to two G-protein coupled receptors, CRH-R1 and CRH-R2, which are expressed in brain neurons and glial cells in various brain regions. Current research has shown that UCN exerts neuroprotective effects in ICH models via anti-inflammatory effects, which generally reduced brain edema and reduced blood-brain barrier disruption. These effects gradually help in the improvement of the neurological outcome, and thus, UCN may be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of ICH. This review summarizes the data published to date on the role of UCN in ICH and the possible protective mechanisms underlined

Triphasic Computed Tomography Enterography with Polyethylene Glycol to Detect Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastases to the Small Bowel

Enteroclysis was first used to diagnose small bowel obstruction in 1996. However, nasojejunal intubation required during enteroclysis causes discomfort to the patient. Triphasic computed tomography (CT) enterography, a noninvasive procedure that does not require intubation, was found to be an efficient method to diagnose small bowel lesions. We describe our experience of using triphasic CT enterography with polyethylene glycol (PEG) for diagnosing renal cell carcinoma (RCC) metastases to the small intestine. RCC can metastasize to many organs and can cause variable clinical presentations. We report the case of a 56-year-old man with RCC who had psoas muscle involvement and lung metastasis. The patient presented with melena and intermittent abdominal pain. Two conventional CT and small bowel series examinations had shown no obstructive lesion in the small intestine. However, triphasic CT enterography with PEG detected two enhanced masses suggestive of small bowel metastasis. The patient underwent laparotomy and segmental resection of the jejunum with primary anastomosis. Histologic examination was compatible with RCC. This is the first report where RCC metastasis to the small bowel was diagnosed using triphasic CT enterography. Our study emphasizes the importance of triphasic CT enterography in cases of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, especially in patients suspected of having small bowel metastasis

Fibers and Conductive Films Using Silver Nanoparticles and Nanowires by Near-Field Electrospinning Process

The silver nanowires (AgNWs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized. With near-field electrospinning (NFES) process, fibers and thin films with AgNPs and AgNWs were fabricated. In the NFES process, 10 k voltage was applied and the AgNPs and AgNWs fibers can be directly orderly collected without breaking and bending. Then, the characteristics of the fibers were analyzed by four-point probe and EDS. The conductive film was analyzed. When the thickness of films with AgNWs and AgNPs was 1.6 µm, the sheet resistance of films was 0.032 Ω/sq which was superior to that of the commercial ITO. The transmissivity of films was analyzed. The transmissivity was inversely proportional to sheet resistance of the films. In the future, the fibers and films can be used as transparent conductive electrodes

Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Experience on the NIMBY Effect

[[abstract]]隨著人們對於環境品質的要求越來越高，鄰避設施的設立也越來越難被當地人民所接受，因此，居民的感受成為企業不可忽略的重要議題之一。本研究回顧相關文獻的理論架構及個案實證探討後，以居民的企業社會責任經驗作為調節變數，探討睦鄰回饋、風險認知及信任等三個重要因素對於鄰避效應的影響。本研究以鄰近六輕的六個鄉鎮居民作為研究對象，總共回收175份有效問卷，透過集群分析將居民分為有、無企業社會責任經驗，以獨立樣本t檢定證實不同的企業社會責任經驗在睦鄰回饋、風險認知及信任的作答上有顯著的差異，最後，以多元迴歸分析驗證企業社會責任經驗確實會調節影響鄰避效應的因素，進而影響對鄰避設施的支持。研究結果發現，增加居民的企業社會責任體驗可以改善鄰避設施開發商與居民之間的關係，並且改善鄰避效應，擁有企業社會責任經驗的居民，在提升睦鄰回饋的補助及對企業擁有較高的信任程度時，更能接受鄰避設施的設立。[[abstract]]Acceptanceofestablishingnot-in-my-backyard(NIMBY)facilityisbecomingdifficultforlocalresidentsalongwiththeincreasingdemandforenvironmentalquality.Thus,thefeelingsofresidentsareanimportantissuethatenterprisescannotdisregard.Basedontheexperientialmarketingtheory,thisstudytakesthecorporatesocialresponsibility(CSR)experienceofresidentsasthemoderatortoexploretheinfluenceofthreeimportantfactors,namelycompensation,riskperception,andtrust,ontheNIMBYsyndrome.Inthisstudy,175validquestionnairesarecollectedfromsixsettlementslocatedneartheNo.6NaphthaCrackerComplex(NCC6).Residentsaredividedintotwogroupsthroughclusteranalysis;onewithCSRexperience,andtheotherwithoutCSRexperience.IndependentsamplettestconfirmsthatresidentswhowithdifferentCSRexperiencescanfurtheraffectthevariablesofcompensation,riskperceptionandtrust.Accordingtotheresultofmultipleregressionanalysis,CSRexperienceexhibitsamoderatingeffectontheNIMBYfactorsandfurtheraffectsthesupportofNIMBYfacility.ResultindicatesthatenterprisetakingCSRinitiativecanimprovetherelationshipbetweenresidentsandNIMBYfacilitydeveloperandtheNIMBYeffect.ResidentswithCSRexperiencetendtoacceptNIMBYfacilitywhencompensationandthedegreeoftrustinenterpriseareraised

Exploring blockchain technology in international trade Business process re-engineering for letter of credit

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of blockchain technology in international trade process from a perspective of letter of credit payment. Design/methodology/approach A blockchain-based re-engineering process is designed by employing the blockchain and its affiliated smart contract technology to harvest the benefits of distributed ledger and distributed business workflow automation. Findings Comparative analysis and feasibility study were conducted to identify and validate the prospects, in terms of facilitating process flow and enhancing overall trade performance, of the proposed blockchain-based international trade process model. Practical implications Traditional trade processes suffer from a great number of issues about intermediaries, information latency and trust, which, in turn, hinder overall process efficiency. The emerging blockchain technology may have potentials to mitigate those issues by revolutionizing business processes across enterprise borders in various industries. Originality/value This study contributes to the conceptual design of a blockchain- and smart-contract-based process along with a provision of practical case in business process re-engineering. Further endeavors devoted to blockchain research and application across different sectors are suggested to reach better performance of business process operations

Protective Effects of Casticin From Vitex trifolia Alleviate Eosinophilic Airway Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in a Murine Asthma Model

Casticin has been isolated from Vitex trifolia and found to have anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. We also previously discovered that casticin can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and ICAM-1 expression in inflammatory pulmonary epithelial cells. In the present study, we evaluated whether casticin reduced airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), airway inflammation, and oxidative stress in the lungs of a murine asthma model and alleviated inflammatory and oxidative responses in tracheal epithelial cells. Female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups: normal controls, ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma, and OVA-induced asthma treated with intraperitoneal injection of casticin (5 or 10 mg/kg) or prednisolone (5 mg/kg). Casticin reduced AHR, goblet cell hyperplasia, and oxidative responses in the lungs of mice with asthma. Mechanistic studies revealed that casticin attenuated the levels of Th2 cytokine in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and regulated the expression of Th2 cytokine and chemokine genes in the lung. Casticin also significantly regulated oxidative stress and reduced inflammation in the lungs of mice with asthma. Consequently, inflammatory tracheal epithelial BEAS-2B cells treated with casticin had significantly suppressed levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and eotaxin, and reduced THP-1 monocyte cell adherence to BEAS-2B cells via suppressed ICAM-1 expression. Thus, casticin is a powerful immunomodulator, ameliorating pathological changes by suppressing Th2 cytokine expression in mice with asthma