Effect of Prunella vulgaris L extract on hyperplasia of mammary gland in rats

Purpose: To explore the effects of Prunella vulgaris L extract (PVE) on hyperplasia of mammary gland (HMG) in rats.Methods: Forty virgin female Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal group, control group (HMG model), positive control group (Rupixiao Capsule, RPXC), and low-, medium- and high-dose (150, 300 and 600 mg/kg) of PVE groups. Injections of estrogen and progestogen were given at the same time to prepare rat. Changes in nipple height were measured, while serum estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were evaluated by ELISA; Uterus and ovary indices were determined.Results: Compared with control group, PVE reduced elevated nipple height to 2.25 ± 0.09 mm (p < 0.01) and uterus index to 2.29 ± 0.41 mg/g (p < 0.01), as well as reduced the number of mammary gland lobules and secretion in HMG rats. Compared with control group, serum E2 (2.81 ± 0.17 pmol/L), PRL (269.38 ± 8.28 pg/mL) and FSH (0.13 ± 0.03 IU/L) levels (p < 0.01) were lowered, but serum P (1.31 ± 0.13 ng/mL) and LH (1.73 ± 0.08 mIU/mL) levels were higher (p < 0.01) in rats treated with highdose PVE.Conclusion: These results suggest that PVE exerts anti-HMG effect in rats induced by estrogen and progestogen.Keywords: Prunella vulgaris L; Anti-inflammatory; Anti-hyperplasia of mammary glan

Serum zinc levels in 368 patients with oral mucosal diseases: a preliminary study

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the serum zinc levels in patients with common oral mucosal diseases by comparing these to healthy controls. Material and Methods: A total of 368 patients, which consisted of 156 recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) patients, 57 oral lichen planus (OLP) patients, 55 burning mouth syndrome (BMS) patients, 54 atrophic glossitis (AG) patients, 46 xerostomia patients, and 115 sex-and age-matched healthy control subjects were enrolled in this study. Serum zinc levels were measured in all participants. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way ANOVA, t-test, and Chi-square test. Results: The mean serum zinc level in the healthy control group was significantly higher than the levels of all other groups ( p < 0.001). No individual in the healthy control group had a serum zinc level less than the minimum normal value. However, up to 24.7% (13/54) of patients with AG presented with zinc deficiency, while 21.2% (33/156) of patients with RAS, 16.4% (9/55) of patients with BMS, 15.2% (7/46) of patients with xerostomia, and 14.0% (8/57) of patients with OLP were zinc deficient. Altogether, the zinc deficiency rate was 19.02% (70/368) in the oral mucosal diseases (OMD) group (all patients with OMD). The difference between the OMD and healthy control group was significant ( p < 0.001). Gender differences in serum zinc levels were also present, although not statistically significant. Conclusions: Zinc deficiency may be involved in the pathogenesis of common oral mucosal diseases. Zinc supplementation may be a useful treatment for oral mucosal diseases, but this requires further investigation; the optimal serum level of zinc, for the prevention and treatment of oral mucosal diseases, remains to be determined

Interventional therapy of diabetes mellitus type 2 complicated with acute cerebral hemorrhage by using dexmedetomidine

AbstractObjectiveTo study the effects of dexmedetomidine on cerebral injury, inflammation, oxidative stress and renal function of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 complicated with acute cerebral hemorrhage.MethodsA total of 98 cases who had been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2 complicated with acute cerebral hemorrhage and treated with interventional therapy in Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from September 2014 January 2016 were chosen to be our study subjects. Among them, 50 cases given dexmedetomidine treatment in the process of anesthesia were included in the dexmedetomidine group (Group A), while the other 48 cases treated with equal amount of normal saline were considered as the negative control group. The postoperative cerebral injury indexes and the serum biochemical indexes were detected after 24 h.ResultsThe contents of serum S100β [(2.1 ± 0.2) μg/L] and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) [(14.2 ± 1.3) μg/mL] in Group A were all significantly lower than serum S100β [(2.9 ± 0.3) μg/L] and NSE [(16.6 ± 1.7) μg/mL] of patients in negative control group. The contents of cerebrospinal fluid S100β [(0.9 ± 0.1) μg/L] and NSE [(10.7 ± 1.3) μg/mL] in Group A were all significantly lower than cerebrospinal fluid S100β [(1.3 ± 0.2) μg/L] and NSE [(15.3 ± 1.7) μg/mL] of patients in negative control group. The contents of erythrocyte sedimentation rate [(11.7 ± 2.5) mm/h], c-reactive protein [(2.3 ± 0.4) mg/L], urea nitrogen [(10.7 ± 1.2) mmol/L] and serum creatinine [(151.6 ± 14.9)] μmol/L in Group A were all significantly lower than erythrocyte sedimentation rate [(23.6 ± 3.8) mm/h], c-reactive protein [(6.9 ± 1.1) mg/L], urea nitrogen [(16.7 ± 1.7) mmol/L] and serum creatinine [(192.5 ± 18.3)] μmol/L of patients in negative control group.ConclusionsThe application of dexmedetomidine in the interventional therapy of diabetes mellitus type 2 complicated with acute cerebral hemorrhage could protect brain and renal functions and reduce systemic inflammatory responses

Inhibition of USP7 activity selectively eliminates senescent cells in part via restoration of p53 activity.

The accumulation of senescent cells (SnCs) is a causal factor of various age-related diseases as well as some of the side effects of chemotherapy. Pharmacological elimination of SnCs (senolysis) has the potential to be developed into novel therapeutic strategies to treat these diseases and pathological conditions. Here we show that ubiquitin-specific peptidase 7 (USP7) is a novel target for senolysis because inhibition of USP7 with an inhibitor or genetic depletion of USP7 by RNA interference induces apoptosis selectively in SnCs. The senolytic activity of USP7 inhibitors is likely attributable in part to the promotion of the human homolog of mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) ubiquitination and degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This degradation increases the levels of p53, which in turn induces the pro-apoptotic proteins PUMA, NOXA, and FAS and inhibits the interaction of BCL-XL and BAK to selectively induce apoptosis in SnCs. Further, we show that treatment with a USP7 inhibitor can effectively eliminate SnCs and suppress the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) induced by doxorubicin in mice. These findings suggest that small molecule USP7 inhibitors are novel senolytics that can be exploited to reduce chemotherapy-induced toxicities and treat age-related diseases

Methological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on acupuncture for stroke: a review of review

Objective: To assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses regarding acupuncture intervention for stroke and the primary studies within them. Methods: Two researchers searched PubMed, Cumulative index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge, Cochrane, Allied and Complementary Medicine, Ovid Medline, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and Traditional Chinese Medical Database to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses about acupuncture for stroke published from the inception to December 2016. Review characteristics and the criteria for assessing the primary studies within reviews were extracted. The methodological quality of the reviews was assessed using adapted Oxman and Guyatt Scale. The methodological quality of primary studies was also assessed. Results: Thirty-two eligible reviews were identified, 15 in English and 17 in Chinese. The English reviews were scored higher than the Chinese reviews (P=0.025), especially in criteria for avoiding bias and the scope of search. All reviews used the quality criteria to evaluate the methodological quality of primary studies, but some criteria were not comprehensive. The primary studies, in particular the Chinese reviews, had problems with randomization, allocation concealment, blinding, dropouts and withdrawals, intent-to-treat analysis and adverse events. Conclusions: Important methodological flaws were found in Chinese systematic reviews and primary studies. It was necessary to improve the methodological quality and reporting quality of both the systematic reviews published in China and primary studies on acupuncture for stroke