Aqueous Extracts of Herba Cistanche

Traditional Chinese medicine was reported to have good effects in treating functional constipation. This work attempted to prove the effects of aqueous extracts of Herba Cistanche (AEHC) on STC treatment and to determine the possible mechanisms by a loperamide-induced slow transit constipation (STC) model. HPLC was performed for identification and confirmation of the bioactive components in the AEHC. It was found that AEHC attenuated STC responses based on increased fecal quantity, moisture content, and intestinal transit rate, as well as serum levels of GAS, MTL, SS, and CGRP. The protein and mRNA levels of c-kit, a labeling of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), also increased. Meanwhile, only the protein level of SCF, a ligand of c-kit, increased. The analysis of our data suggested that AEHC could obviously improve the function of ICC via a signaling pathway involving PI3K, SCF, and c-kit and enhance colonic motility indices such as GAS, MTL, SS, and CGRP. It is interesting to note that AEHC appeared to be effective on constipation, so further experiments are necessary to clarify the exact mechanisms involved

Atherosclerosis and Helminths Infection

Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease that causes various cardiovascular complications. Plaque formation in atherosclerosis is considered similar to the pathogenesis of other autoimmune diseases; thus, immunomodulation and immunosuppression may present strategies for the treatment and prevention of these diseases. Interestingly helminth infection was found to inhibit T helper 1-mediated autoimmune diseases and T helper 2-mediated allergy and asthma, indicating significant potential for clinical application. Some study even found that therapeutic efficacy of the viable tapeworm was superior to dexamethasone treatment. Recently, some studies have shown an inverse association between helminth infections and inflammatory diseases, including diabetes mellitus, lipid abnormality, and atherosclerosis. Will the underlying mechanism bring us a new idea on the treatment for these diseases? We tried to find an answer by reviewing recent articles

Proteomic Analysis of Aorta and Protective Effects of Grape Seed Procyanidin B2 in db/db Mice Reveal a Critical Role of Milk Fat Globule Epidermal Growth Factor-8 in Diabetic Arterial Damage

Atherosclerosis is one of the major complications of type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM), leading to morbidity and mortality. Grape seed procyanidin B2 (GSPB2) has demonstrated protective effect against atherosclerosis, which is believed to be, at least in part, a result of its antioxidative effects. The aim of this study is to identify the target protein of GSPB2 responsible for the protective effect against atherosclerosis in patients with DM

Genome-Wide Association Analyses Identify SPOCK as a Key Novel Gene Underlying Age at Menarche

For females, menarche is a most significant physiological event. Age at menarche (AAM) is a trait with high genetic determination and is associated with major complex diseases in women. However, specific genes for AAM variation are largely unknown. To identify genetic factors underlying AAM variation, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) examining about 380,000 SNPs was conducted in 477 Caucasian women. A follow-up replication study was performed to validate our major GWAS findings using two independent Caucasian cohorts with 854 siblings and 762 unrelated subjects, respectively, and one Chinese cohort of 1,387 unrelated subjects—all females. Our GWAS identified a novel gene, SPOCK (Sparc/Osteonectin, CWCV, and Kazal-like domains proteoglycan), which had seven SNPs associated with AAM with genome-wide false discovery rate (FDR) q<0.05. Six most significant SNPs of the gene were selected for validation in three independent replication cohorts. All of the six SNPs were replicated in at least one cohort. In particular, SNPs rs13357391 and rs1859345 were replicated both within and across different ethnic groups in all three cohorts, with p values of 5.09×10−3 and 4.37×10−3, respectively, in the Chinese cohort and combined p values (obtained by Fisher's method) of 5.19×10−5 and 1.02×10−4, respectively, in all three replication cohorts. Interestingly, SPOCK can inhibit activation of MMP-2 (matrix metalloproteinase-2), a key factor promoting endometrial menstrual breakdown and onset of menstrual bleeding. Our findings, together with the functional relevance, strongly supported that the SPOCK gene underlies variation of AAM

Quantifying the pathway and predicting spontaneous emulsification during material exchange in a two phase liquid system

Kinetic restriction of a thermodynamically favourable equilibrium is a common theme in materials processing. The interfacial instability in systems where rate of material exchange is far greater than the mass transfer through respective bulk phases is of specific interest when tracking the transient interfacial area, a parameter integral to short processing times for productivity streamlining in all manufacturing where interfacial reaction occurs. This is even more pertinent in high-temperature systems for energy and cost savings. Here the quantified physical pathway of interfacial area change due to material exchange in liquid metal-molten oxide systems is presented. In addition the predicted growth regime and emulsification behaviour in relation to interfacial tension as modelled using phase-field methodology is shown. The observed in-situ emulsification behaviour links quantitatively the geometry of perturbations as a validation method for the development of simulating the phenomena. Thus a method is presented to both predict and engineer the formation of micro emulsions to a desired specification

Effects of resuscitation with crystalloid fluids on cardiac function in patients with severe sepsis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The use of hypertonic crystalloid solutions, including sodium chloride and bicarbonate, for treating severe sepsis has been much debated in previous investigations. We have investigated the effects of three crystalloid solutions on fluid resuscitation in severe sepsis patients with hypotension.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ninety-four severe sepsis patients with hypotension were randomly assigned to three groups. The patients received the following injections within 15 min at initial treatment: Ns group (n = 32), 5 ml/kg normal saline; Hs group (n = 30), with 5 ml/kg 3.5% sodium chloride; and Sb group (n = 32), 5 ml/kg 5% sodium bicarbonate. Cardiac output (CO), systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood gases were measured.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no differences among the three groups in CO, MAP, heart rate or respiratory rate during the 120 min trial or the 8 hour follow-up, and no significant differences in observed mortality rate after 28 days. However, improvement of MAP and CO started earlier in the Sb group than in the Ns and Hs groups. Sodium bicarbonate increased the base excess but did not alter blood pH, lactic acid or [HCO₃]^-values; and neither 3.5% hypertonic saline nor 5% sodium bicarbonate altered the Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺or Cl^-levels.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>All three crystalloid solutions may be used for initial volume loading in severe sepsis, and sodium bicarbonate confers a limited benefit on humans with severe sepsis.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN36748319.</p