Effects of a multi-herbal extract on type 2 diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An aqueous extract of multi-hypoglycemic herbs of <it>Panax ginseng </it>C.A.Meyer, <it>Pueraria lobata, Dioscorea batatas Decaisne, Rehmannia glutinosa, Amomum cadamomum Linné, Poncirus fructus </it>and <it>Evodia officinalis </it>was investigated for its anti-diabetic effects in cell and animal models.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Activities of PPARγ agonist, anti-inflammation, AMPK activator and anti-ER stress were measured in cell models and in <it>db/db </it>mice (a genetic animal model for type 2 diabetes).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>While the extract stimulated PPARγ-dependent luciferase activity and activated AMPK in C2C12 cells, it inhibited TNF-α-stimulated IKKβ/NFkB signaling and attenuated ER stress in HepG2 cells. The <it>db/db </it>mice treated with the extract showed reduced fasting blood glucose and HbA_1clevels, improved postprandial glucose levels, enhanced insulin sensitivity and significantly decreased plasma free fatty acid, triglyceride and total cholesterol.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The aqueous extract of these seven hypoglycemic herbs demonstrated many therapeutic effects for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in cell and animal models.</p

Korean Nova Records in A.D. 1073 and A.D. 1074: R Aquarii

R Aqr is known to be a symbiotic binary system with an associated extended emission nebula, possibly produced by a historic outburst. To find the associated historic records, we searched for and compiled all 'Guest Star' and 'Peculiar Star' records in three Korean 'official' history books that cover almost two thousand years, Samguksagi, Goryeosa, Joseonwangjosillok. In addition to the record of A.D. 1073, previously noted by Li (1985), we have found in Goryeosa another candidate record of A.D. 1074, which has the same positional description as that of A.D. 1073 with an additional brightness description. We examined various aspects of the two records and conclude that they both are likely to be the records of outburst of R Aqr. This means that there were two successive outbursts in A.D. 1073 and in A.D. 1074, separated by approximately one year. Based on these records, we estimate the distance to R Aqr to be 273 pc if the expansion of the nebula has been at a constant rate. The brightness record of A.D. 1074 corresponds to the absolute magnitude at outburst of M_(outburst) = -6.2 mag. ~ -5.2 mag. at this distance. The two Korean records associated with R Aqr may provide astronomically meaningful constraints to the outburst model of R Aqr and the formative process of its nebulosity.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 1 appendix. To appear in Astronomy and Astrophysic

NRG1 functions downstream of EDS1 to regulate TIR-NLR-mediated plant immunity in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in plants involves a large family of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors, including Toll/IL-1 receptor-NLRs (TNLs) and coiled-coil NLRs (CNLs). Although various NLR immune receptors are known, a mechanistic understanding of NLR function in ETI remains unclear. The TNL Recognition of XopQ 1 (Roq1) recognizes the effectors XopQ and HopQ1 from Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas, respectively, which activates resistance to Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and Xanthomonas gardneri in an Enhanced Disease Susceptibility 1 (EDS1)-dependent way in Nicotiana benthamiana In this study, we found that the N. benthamiana N requirement gene 1 (NRG1), a CNL protein required for the tobacco TNL protein N-mediated resistance to tobacco mosaic virus, is also essential for immune signaling [including hypersensitive response (HR)] triggered by the TNLs Roq1 and Recognition of Peronospora parasitica 1 (RPP1), but not by the CNLs Bs2 and Rps2, suggesting that NRG1 may be a conserved key component in TNL signaling pathways. Besides EDS1, Roq1 and NRG1 are necessary for resistance to Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas in N. benthamiana NRG1 functions downstream of Roq1 and EDS1 and physically associates with EDS1 in mediating XopQ-Roq1-triggered immunity. Moreover, RNA sequencing analysis showed that XopQ-triggered gene-expression profile changes in N. benthamiana were almost entirely mediated by Roq1 and EDS1 and were largely regulated by NRG1. Overall, our study demonstrates that NRG1 is a key component that acts downstream of EDS1 to mediate various TNL signaling pathways, including Roq1 and RPP1-mediated HR, resistance to Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas, and XopQ-regulated transcriptional changes in N. benthamiana

High-Performance Heterostructured Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries with a Ni-Rich Layered Oxide Core and a Li-Rich Layered Oxide Shell

The Ni-rich layered oxides with a Ni content of &gt;0.5 are drawing much attention recently to increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. However, the Ni-rich layered oxides suffer from aggressive reaction of the cathode surface with the organic electrolyte at the higher operating voltages, resulting in consequent impedance rise and capacity fade. To overcome this difficulty, we present here a heterostructure composed of a Ni-rich LiNi0.7Co0.15Mn0.15O2 core and a Li-rich Li1.2-xNi0.2Mn0.6O2 shell, incorporating the advantageous features of the structural stability of the core and chemical stability of the shell. With a unique chemical treatment for the activation of the Li2MnO3 phase of the shell, a high capacity is realized with the Li-rich shell material. Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) provides direct evidence for the formation of surface Li-rich shell layer. As a result, the heterostructure exhibits a high capacity retention of 98% and a discharge- voltage retention of 97% during 100 cycles with a discharge capacity of 190 mA h g(-1) (at 2.0-4.5 V under C/3 rate, 1C = 200 mA g(-1)).ope

Antioxidant effect of lidocaine and procaine on reactive oxygen species-induced endothelial dysfunction in the rabbit abdominal aorta

Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce lipid peroxidation and tissue damage in the endothelium. We tested the antioxidant effect of lidocaine and procaine on ROS-induced endothelial damage in the rabbit aorta. Methods: Aortic rings isolated from rabbits were suspended in an organ bath filled with Krebs-Henseleit (K-H) solution bubbled with 5% CO2 and 95% O 2 at 37.5??C. After precontraction with phenylephrine (PE, 10 -6 M), changes in tension were recorded following a cumulative administration of acetylcholine (ACh 3 ?? 10-8 to 10 -6 M). Differences were measured as percentages of ACh-induced relaxation of aortic rings before and after exposure to ROS as generated by electrolysis of the K-H solution. The aortic rings were pretreated with lidocaine or procaine (10-5 M to 3 ?? 10-3 M) to compare their effects, as well as ROS scavengers, catalase, mannitol, sodium salicylate, and deferoxamine, and a catalase inhibitor, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3AT). Results: Lidocaine and procaine dose-dependently maintained endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by ACh despite ROS activity (P &lt; 0.05 vs control value). The 3AT pretreated procaine (3 ?? 10-3 M) group decreased more significantly than the un-pretreated procaine group (P &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: These findings suggest that lidocaine and procaine dose-dependently preserve endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation against ROS attack, potentially via hydrogen peroxide scavenging. Copyright ?? Korean Society of Anesthesiologists, 2010

Association between shift work and obesity among female nurses: Korean Nurses’ Survey

Background: Shift work has been hypothesized as a risk factor for obesity. In this study, we investigated the association between current shift work and body mass index (BMI) among female nurses in Korea. The relationship between duration of shift work and BMI of the participants was also evaluated. Methods: This cross-sectional survey evaluated participants in the Korean Nurses’ Survey, conducted from October to December 2011, using web-based self-administered questionnaires. A total of 9,989 nurses were included among 10,000 who registered on the survey web site (5,287 shift workers and 4,702 non-shift workers). Current shift workers were divided into tertiles of shift work duration (0.08–3.00 years, n = 1,732; 3.08–6.75 years, n = 1,731; and 6.83–38.00 years, n = 1,686). The BMI thresholds of overweight and obesity were ≥23 kg/m2 and ≥25 kg/m2, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Mean participant age was 33.2 ± 8.6 years and the mean BMI was 20.9 ± 2.5 kg/m2. There were statistically significant differences in current smoking status, regular drinking habit, dietary habits, regular exercise, sleep problems and self-perceived health status according to duration of shift work. The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity (18.6%) and obesity (7.4%) increased significantly as shift work duration increased from the lowest to highest tertile (P for trend <0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed no association between current shift work and BMI. However, after adjusting for potential confounders, the participants with the longest duration of shift work were 1.63 (95% CI, 1.22–2.17) times more likely to be overweight or obese than those with the shortest duration. There was a significant positive association between obesity and shift work duration in the unadjusted analysis; however, it was attenuated and no longer significant in the multivariate model. Conclusions: The duration of shift work was positively associated with prevalence of overweight/obesity in nurses in Korea. Although these findings need to be confirmed in prospective studies, they suggest that special attention should be paid to female nurses with a long duration of shift work