Pharmacological inhibition of fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) protects against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury

Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) is a key mediator of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis in diabetes and atherosclerosis. Studies also confirmed that circulating FABP4 depended on renal function in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) patients. However, the function of FABP4 in AKI remains poorly understood and the aim of this study was to investigate the role of FABP4 in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced AKI. In the present study, renal I/R injury triggered the high expression of the FABP4 gene and protein in the nucleus and cytoplasm of tubular cells of mouse kidney tissue compared to that of Sham. Pretreatment with BMS309403, a highly selective inhibitor of FABP4 at a dose of 20 mg kg⁻¹ d⁻¹ for 4 d, significantly reduced serum creatinine levels to improve acute renal dysfunction and attenuated renal tubular damage in injured kidneys. Pharmacological inhibition of FABP4 also decreased the number of TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) positive apoptotic tubular cells, accompanied by the down-regulation of cleaved-caspase-3 expression. Furthermore, oral administration of FABP4 inhibitor resulted in a significant attenuation of ER stress indicated by its maker proteins expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and caspase-12 in I/R injured kidneys. In vitro, the increased expression of FABP4 in the human renal proximal tubule cell line (HK-2 cell) was induced by hypoxia followed by reoxygenation (HR) and the FABP4 inhibitor resulted in a significant attenuation of cell apoptosis and ER stress in HR-induced HK-2 cells. In summary, these findings indicated that FABP4 contributed to the pathogenesis of I/R-induced AKI and suggested that the inhibition of FABP4 might be a promising therapeutic strategy for AKI treatment.

FABP4 inhibition might attenuate I/R-induced AKI through reducing ER stress and apoptosis.     

Retracted Article: Chrysin attenuates myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury by inhibiting myocardial inflammation

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chrysin (CH) on myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury. Cytokines were reduced by CH in coronary artery occlusion-induced rats and also in H9C2 cells. The ST segment was also restored by CH. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and pathological analysis showed that CH could alleviate myocardial injury. Results in H9C2 cells showed that CH improved heart injury in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) of H9C2 cells. In addition, the expressions of the HMGB1-related inflammation pathway in rats and H9C2 cells were significantly decreased by CH. The present study shows the protective effects of CH on myocardial injury via inflammation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chrysin (CH) on myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury.     

An In‐House Prevocational Training Program for Newly Discharged Psychiatric Inpatients: Exploring Its Employment Outcomes and the Predictive Factors

Individuals with severe mental disorders continue to experience low employment rates. Occupational therapists play an important role in helping these individuals develop the skills and obtain the supports necessary for productive living. This retrospective cohort study aimed to explore employment outcomes and identify factors predictive of the outcomes of an in‐house prevocational training program designed for newly discharged psychiatric inpatients. Data retrieved from the files of 58 participants including demographics, diagnostic history, physical fitness, functional assessment results, the use of vocational counselling service and employment status were analyzed. The overall employment rates among the participants were high (67.2–79.3%) within the 6 months following the prevocational training program. No significant differences were found in the employment rates across the 1, 3 and 6‐month time periods post‐training. Vocational counselling service post‐training and hand function were two factors predictive of participants' employment outcomes. Occupational therapists should attend to the clients' need for continuous vocational support and carefully identify the personal, functional and environmental factors contributing to successful employment. Caution in interpreting the results is warranted because of the lack of control and randomization in this retrospective study. Additional longitudinal cohort or experimental studies would add further certainty to the current findings. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

电针结合穴位敷贴治疗肛肠手术后便秘临床观察

目的观察电针结合穴位敷贴治疗肛肠手术后便秘的临床疗效。方法 100例肛肠手术后便秘患者随机分为两组。治疗组采用针刺双侧天枢、足三里、上巨虚,同时在两侧天枢及上巨虚采取电针治疗,治疗30min后,将中药敷贴贴于神阙穴上;对照组采用开塞露灌肠治疗。2个疗程后比较两组治疗效果,及治疗前后排便次数、排便困难程度的变化。结果治疗组总有效率与对照组比较有明显差异(P0.05);治疗后两组排便次数较治疗前有明显变化(P0.05);治疗组治疗后排便困难程度积分较治疗前比较有明显差异(P0.05),对照组无明显变化。结论电针结合穴位敷贴是一种治疗肛肠手术后便秘的有效方法。     

中药灌肠治疗胃肠术后腹胀疗效观察

目的观察中药灌肠治疗胃肠术后腹胀的临床疗效。方法 90例胃肠术后腹胀患者随机两组。治疗组采用中药灌肠治疗,对照组口服西沙比利,连续治疗5d后评定疗效。结果治疗组总有效率明显优于对照组(P0.01)。结论中药灌肠治疗胃肠术后腹胀疗效可靠。     

床头床尾警示卡在保障患者安全中的应用效果观察

目的：探讨床头床尾警示卡在保障患者安全中的应用效果。方法设计制作床头床尾警示卡,并制定统一、切实可行的管理规范,与未使用警示卡患者护理的不良事件发生率进行对比。结果警示卡使用后护理不良事件的发生率下降,与未使用者比较差异有统计学意义（P<0.01）。结论合理使用床头床尾警示卡能够有效规避护理风险,减少不良事件的发生,确保临床护理安全。     

Design,synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of novel 2-chloro-3-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)quinoline derivatives as antitumor agents: in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity,cell cycle arrest and apoptotic response

A series of novel 2-chloro-3-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)quinoline derivatives (3a₁−3d₆) were designed and synthesized as antitumor agents. In vitro antitumor assay results showed that some compounds exhibited moderate to high inhibitory activities against HepG2, SK-OV-3, NCI-H460 and BEL-7404 tumor cell lines, and most compounds exhibited much lower cytotoxicities against HL-7702 normal cell line compared to 5-FU and cisplatin. In vivo antitumor assay results showed that the representative compound 3a₁ exhibited effective inhibition on tumor growth in the HepG2 xenograft mouse model. Mechanistic studies suggested that 3a₁ may exert antitumor activity by the up-regulation of Bax, intracellular Ca²⁺ release, ROS generation, p21, p27 and p53, downregulation of Bcl-2, activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 and subsequent cleavage of PARP, and inhibition of CDK activity.

A series of novel 2-chloro-3-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)quinoline derivatives were designed and synthesized as antitumor agents under the combination principle. The antitumor activity and mechanisms were then evaluated.     

Extraction in cholinium-based magnetic ionic liquid aqueous two-phase system for the determination of berberine hydrochloride in Rhizoma coptidis

A magnetic ionic liquids (MILs)-based aqueous two-phase system (MIL-ATPs) obtained by mixing with a series of inorganic salts, which involves five cholinium MILs with the piperidinyloxy radical anion is reported for the first time. Phase diagrams for the new ATPs were experimentally determined at different temperatures (298.15–318.15 K) and the liquid–liquid equilibrium data for two-phase systems were correlated according to the empirical nonlinear expression. The effects of the types of MILs, temperature and inorganic salts on the binodal curve are discussed in detail. The MIL-ATPs coupled with HPLC-UV analysis was developed in the quantitation of berberine hydrochloride in Rhizoma coptidis. Under optimal conditions, the partition coefficient of berberine hydrochloride was 127.68 with the precision values (RSD%) of 1.40% and 2.83% for intra-day (n = 6) and inter-day (n = 3), respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for berberine hydrochloride were 0.023 mg L⁻¹ and 0.077 mg L⁻¹, respectively. The recoveries were obtained in the acceptable range of 97.4–101.2%. Moreover, the content of berberine hydrochloride in the raw material of Rhizoma coptidis was measured as 123.95 mg g⁻¹ with this method. Finally, 99.8% MIL was recovered for cycle application after the removal of berberine hydrochloride by using D101 resin. This study provides a meaningful reference for the application of MIL-ATPs with great prospects.

Five cholinium type organic magnetic ionic liquids have been applied in ionic liquid-based aqueous two-phase systems by mixing with a series of inorganic salts, which is reported to extract berberine in quantitative analysis for the first time.     

Novel Mn4+-activated LiLaMgWO6 far-red emitting phosphors: high photoluminescence efficiency,good thermal stability,and potential applications in plant cultivation LEDs

Double perovskite-based LiLaMgWO₆:Mn⁴⁺ (LLMW:Mn⁴⁺) red phosphors were synthesized by traditional solid-state route under high temperature, and they showed bright far-red emission under excitation of 344 nm. The crystal structure, luminescence performance, internal quantum efficiency, fluorescence decay lifetimes, and thermal stability were investigated in detail. All samples exhibited far-red emissions around 713 nm due to the ²E_g → ⁴A_2g transition of Mn⁴⁺ under excitation of near-ultraviolet and blue light, and the optimal doping concentration of Mn⁴⁺ was about 0.7 mol%. The CIE chromaticity coordinates of the LLMW:0.7% Mn⁴⁺ sample were (0.7253, 0.2746), and they were located at the border of the chromaticity diagram, indicating that the phosphors had high color purity. Furthermore, the internal quantum efficiency of LLMW:0.7% Mn⁴⁺ phosphors reached up to 69.1%, which was relatively higher than those of the reported Mn⁴⁺-doped red phosphors. Moreover, the sample displayed good thermal stability; the emission intensity of LLMW:0.7% Mn⁴⁺ phosphors at 423 K was 49% of the initial value at 303 K, while the activation energy was 0.39 eV. Importantly, there was a broad spectral overlap between the emission band of LLMW:Mn⁴⁺ phosphors and the absorption band of phytochrome P_FR under near-ultraviolet light. All of these properties and phenomena illustrate that the LLMW:Mn⁴⁺ phosphors are potential far-red phosphors for applications in plant cultivation LEDs.

Novel Mn⁴⁺-activated LiLaMgWO₆ far-red emitting double-perovskite phosphors with high photoluminescence efficiency and good thermal stability were developed for applications in plant cultivation LEDs.