Berberine plays a cardioprotective role by inhibiting macrophage Wnt5a/β-catenin pathway in the myocardium of mice after myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the diseases with high fatality rate. Berberine (BBR) is a monomer compound with various biological functions. And some studies have confirmed that BBR plays an important role in alleviating cardiomyocyte injury after MI. However, the specific mechanism is unclear. In this study, we induced a model of MI by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and we surprisingly found that BBR significantly improved ventricular remodeling, with a minor inflammatory and oxidative stress injury, and stronger angiogenesis. Moreover, BBR inhibited the secretion of Wnt5a/β-catenin pathway in macrophages after MI, thus promoting the differentiation of macrophages into M2 type. In summary, BBR effectively improved cardiac function of mice after MI, and the potential protective mechanism was associated with the regulation of inflammatory responses and the inhibition of macrophage Wnt5a/β-catenin pathway in the infarcted heart tissues. Importantly, these findings supported BBR as an effective cardioprotective drug after MI.     

Does DRD2 polymorphism influence the clinical characteristics of prolactinoma?

ObjectivesGenetic alterations explaining the clinical variability of prolactinomas still could not be clarified and dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) polymorphism is a putative candidate for the variable response to dopaminergic treatment. The present study was conducted to investigate the influence of DRD2 TaqI A polymorphism on initial and follow-up characteristics of prolactinoma.Patients and methodsSeventy-two patients with prolactinoma and 98 age and gender matched control subjects were recruited to the case-control study. Serum prolactin levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and DRD2 polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction length polymorphism analysis.ResultsDecrease of prolactin levels and the tumor shrinkage after cabergoline treatment were 93.9 ± 5.9% and 58.3 ± 33.1% in microadenomas and 96.1 ± 6.1% and 51.7 ± 29.3 in macroadenomas (P = 0.02 and P > 0.05, respectively). We observed no significant difference for DRD2 genotypes and the alleles between the patients and healthy group (P > 0.05). Prolactin levels before treatment were correlated with tumor diameter before and after treatment and the percentage of prolactin decrease with treatment (P < 0.001 r = 0.58, P < 0.001 r = 0.40 and P < 0.001 r = 0.47, respectively). Tumor diameter before the treatment was also correlated with the tumor diameter after the treatment (P < 0.001 r = 0.64) and the percentage of prolactin decrease (P = 0.01 r = 0.30). However, no significant association was found between characteristics of prolactinoma and DRD2 genotypes and alleles (P > 0.05).ConclusionThis study revealed that DRD2 TaqI A receptor polymorphism was not associated with the development of prolactinoma and its clinical characteristics. Future studies are needed to clarify the clinical implications of genetic alterations in prolactinoma.     

HPLC同时测定不同生长年限和不同采收期网果酸模中6个成分含量

目的 建立网果酸模Rumex chalepensis中6个成分的含量测定方法。方法 采用HPLC法,色谱柱Agilent Extend-C₁₈（250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm）,254 nm波长处二极管阵列检测器检测,流动相为甲醇-0.1%甲酸,梯度洗脱,体积流量1 mL/min,柱温25℃,进样量5 μL。结果 对照品大黄酚-8-O-β-D-葡萄糖苷、大黄素-8-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖苷、酸模素、大黄素、大黄酚、大黄素甲醚分别在208~3 120、22.40~336.35、178.9~2 908.8、16.7~250.8、104.4~1 566.0、45.2~677.7 ng,线性关系良好,平均回收率（n=6）分别为97.66%、97.10%、98.78%、97.38%、102.48%和95.51%。16批网果酸模中大黄酚-8-O-β-D-葡萄糖苷、大黄素-8-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖苷、酸模素、大黄素、大黄酚、大黄素甲醚的质量分数分别为0.6~7.1、0~2.7、1.0~6.5、0.1~0.6、0.7~4.3、0.1~0.4 mg/g;对比分析不同生长年限、不同采收期、不同地块样品含量,2年生网果酸模初春或夏末初秋采集,6个成分含量总和较高,为12.2 mg/g。结论 所建立的方法可用于同时测定网果酸模中6个成分含量,确定了网果酸模的采收年限和季节,为网果酸模药材质量评价标准的制定提供了科学依据。     

Observations and Single-Center Outcomes in Orthotopic Heart Transplant for Patients With Adult Congenital Heart Disease: A Call for Equity and Parity

BackgroundFor persons with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD), optimum patient selection and eligibility for orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) is not well defined. There is difficulty quantifying risk in patients with ACHD, leading to variability in OHT listing time and status. They are often disadvantaged due to a lack of mechanical support options, a shortage of congenital surgeons, and encounters with risk adverse health care programs. We examined patient characteristics and outcomes of a contemporary cohort of patients with ACHD undergoing OHT at a single high-volume Adult Congenital Heart Association accredited transplant center.MethodsRetrospective analysis of 49 consecutive patients with ACHD who underwent OHT from November 2010 through March 2020 was performed. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier analysis.ResultsSurvival at 1 month, 1 year, 3 years, and 10 years was 94%, 92%, 92%, and 83%, respectively.ConclusionsThis study highlights the diversity and complexity of the population with ACHD proceeding to OHT as well as the multispecialty care needed to overcome disadvantages and optimize survival. Continued national discussions and policy adjustments will be necessary to bring parity and equity to this unique population.     

Surgical treatment of digestive cancer in a well-defined elderly population

IntroductionDigestive cancer is of concern because of its frequency and severity with an increasing older median age of onset. The purpose of this study was to describe in a well-defined population presenting with non-metastatic digestive cancer the frequency of surgical resection and outcomes according to age.Patients and methodsWe analyzed 7760 patients with a non-metastatic digestive cancer, recorded in the Burgundy population-based digestive cancer registry between 2009 and 2017. There were 3506 non-colorectal cancers and 4254 colorectal cancers with 3292 colon and 962 rectal cancers. The frequency of surgical resection was analyzed according to age (classified into four categories <70, [70–80[, [80–85[, and ≥85), sex, comorbidities and obesity. Postoperative mortality at 30 and 90 days was determined according to age, sex, comorbidity, obesity, location, surgery R0 or not. The 5-year survival study included 2952 patients with colorectal cancer, non-metastatic and who benefited from an R0 resection.ResultsOverall, 64% of the patients with M0 digestive cancer underwent a surgical resection, varying from 31% for Non colorectal Digestive cancers to 94% for colon site. The percentage of patients operated on for a resectable disease decreases from 71% before age 70 to 43% from age 85. Age and comorbidities were the main criteria influencing the probability of resection.At 30 days, postoperative mortality was 3%, all localizations and ages combined. At 90 days, this rate was 5%. In patients over 85 years old it gradually increases from 7% at 30 days and to 10% at 90 days.A man under 70 years of age has a net survival of 0.88 at 5 years, and 0.91 for a woman. For a man between 70 and 80 years old, it decreases to 0.81 and to 0.66 from 80 years old. In women, net survival is 0.87 between 70 and 80 years of age at 5 years, then drops to 0.75 from age 80.ConclusionOur study shows a drop in access to surgery at different pivotal ages depending on the tumor location. This sudden drop in the resection rate is not justified by the increase in mortality with age, which is linear. In addition, the expected benefits of surgery are significant, with a net survival, mainly after the 1st year, of the same order as for younger patients. Age by itself should not be the only criterion in the medical decision. The challenge is to detect and treat the comorbidities that worsen the operative risk and the prognosis.There are few data on the management of digestive cancers specifically in the elderly. Our study shows that access to surgery is strongly linked to age and this in a non-linear way, whereas the expected benefits of surgery are significant, of the same order as for younger patients. Age itself should not be the only criterion in the medical decision.     

Targeting AGEs-RAGE pathway inhibits inflammation and presents neuroprotective effect against hepatic ischemia-reperfusion induced hippocampus damage

BackgroundThe present study aimed to investigate the role of AGEs-RAGE signaling and its potential as a treatment target in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (HIR)-induced hippocampus damage.MethodsHIR operation was conducted in mice, followed by collection of hippocampus tissue at 1 day, 3 days and 7 days. Additionally, low dose, moderate dose and high dose FPS-ZM1 (RAGE inhibitor) was intraperitoneally injected into HIR mice. Besides, sham operation was conduced in mice which served as control.ResultsHIR increased the hippocampal damage and enhanced its neuron apoptosis within 3 days, which recovered to some extent from day 3 to day 7 post operation. Meanwhile, the expressions of AGEs, RAGE, the downstream proteins in AGEs-RAGE signaling pathway (including PI3K, pAKT, pNKκB p65 and pERK1/2), and the inflammatory cytokines (including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) were increased within 3 days, but were reduced from day 3 to day 7 post operation by HIR. Notably, moderate and high dose of FPS-ZM1 attenuated hippocampal damage, inhibited its neuron apoptosis, inactivated AGEs-RAGE signaling, and suppressed the expressions of inflammatory cytokines (including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α); but lose dose of FPS-ZM1 failed to achieve these effects.ConclusionsTargeting AGEs-RAGE pathway inhibits inflammation and presents neuroprotective effect against HIR-induced hippocampus damage.     

Biological evaluation of chuangYuLing dressing—A multifunctional medicine carrying biomaterial

Summary The safety of Chuangyuling (CYL) dressing—a multifunctional medicine carrying biomaterial was evaluated in order to provide foundation for the application of CYL as material used in the wound healing. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) extract solution was compounded with scaffolds (gelatin and Bletilla hyacinthine gum), and then frozen and dried to form spongy and porous material CYL. According to the standard of biological evaluation of medical devices that was instituted by the ministry of health of China^[1], the biological evaluation of CYL dressing was conducted. The results showed that all the contents of biological evaluation test consisting of acute toxicity, skin irritation, sensitization and cytotoxicity met the requirement of standards. It was concluded that the biomaterial carrying TCM (CYL dressing) is safe for application of wound healing. PENG Rui, male, born in 1967, Associate Professor