Antiosteoporotic chemical constituents from Er-Xian Decoction, a traditional Chinese herbal formula

AIM OF THE STUDY: Er Xian Decoction (EXD), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, has long been used for the treatment of osteoporosis and menopausal syndrome in China. The present study was designed to investigate the antiosteoporotic constituents of EXD, and evaluate their antiosteoporotic effects in ovariectomized rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Osteoblasts in neonatal calvaria cultures and osteoclasts derived from rat marrow cells were used to bioactivity-guided screen the active constituents. The proliferation of osteoblast was assayed by MTT methods. The activity of ALP and TRAP was measured by p- nitrophenyl sodium phosphate assay. The antiosteoporotic effects of icariin (1), anemarsaponin B II (8) and berberine (6) were verified by using OVX rats model. The bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry using the small animal scan mode. The undecalcified longitudinal proximal tibial metaphysical (PTM) sections were cut and stained for the bone histomorphometric analysis. RESULTS: Bioactivity-guided fractionation has led to the successful isolation of antiosteoporotic constituents, i.e., icariin (1), icariside I (2), baohuoside I (3), mangiferin (4), neomangiferin (5), berberine (6), anemarsaponin B (7), anemarsaponin BII (8), anemarsaponin C (9), anemarrhenasaponin I (10), rubiadin-1-methyl ether (11) and obaculactone (12) from EXD. Further study showed that icariin (1), anemarsaponin BII (8) and berberine (6) increased the BMD in ovariectomized rats, and icariin (1) not only increased the bone formation, but also inhibited bone resorption; anemarsaponin BII (8) mainly increased bone formation and berberine (6) only inhibited the bone resorption in ovariectomized rats. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that multiple ingredients are responsible for antiosteoporotic activity in traditional Chinese medicine formula Er-Xian decoction.     

滋肾育胎丸治疗黄体不健性月经失调临床观察

目的:根据中医"异病同治"的观点,探讨滋肾育胎丸治疗黄体不健性月经失调的临床疗效及作用机理。方法:采用前瞻性随机对照,通过分析治疗前后临床症状、月经情况、内分泌指标、基础体温和子宫内膜的变化,对比滋肾育胎丸与醋酸甲羟孕酮治疗黄体不健性月经失调的临床疗效。结果:滋肾育胎丸治疗黄体不健性月经失调治愈率达70%,有效率96.7%;而西药组治愈率为43.3%,有效率为86.7%。两组比较有显著性差异(P<0.05)。滋肾育胎丸可使孕激素水平上升,调整雌、孕激素之动态平衡,从而促进卵泡发育及排卵,使黄体期延长,月经正常。结论:滋肾育胎丸能滋补肾阴肾阳,健脾养血,益气培元,治疗黄体不健性月经失调疗效满意,体现了中医"异病同治"的观点。     

Autophagic and apoptotic cell death in amniotic epithelial cells

The aim of this paper is to determine if autophagic cell death is associated with apoptosis and whether it participates in the process of term amniotic rupture. Forty pieces of fresh term amnions, including twenty from a position near the margin of the placentas and twenty from the margin of the naturally ruptured part of the placentas in term gestation were collected, respectively. The amnions were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and amniotic epithelial (AE) cells were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Autophagic and apoptotic cell death (PCD) were assayed by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) or flow cytometry using monodansylcadaverin (MDC) and propidium iodide (PI) stain. BCL(2) and BAX were examined by immunoblotting. Under SEM the amniotic epithelia appeared normal in the position near the placenta. They had an atrophied appearance in the margin of their natural broken parts. In the AE cells PCD was divided into three subtypes by TEM: autophagic cell death with positive stains of MDC and PI; apoptotic cell death; and the mixed type. Quantitative detection showed that there were more death cells, including autophagic and apoptotic, in the AE cells near the ruptured parts than near the placentas. An increased expression of BAX and a decreased expression of BCL(2) protein in the AE cells near the broken margin were observed. Apoptotic and autophagic cell death by the intrinsic pathway are the basic event in the AE cell and they are involved in the cause of membrane rupture of the human amnion in term gestation.     

2型糖尿病患者降血糖治疗前后血皮质醇浓度的变化及其临床意义

目的探讨2型糖尿病患者血糖控制前后血皮质醇浓度的变化及其临床意义。方法应用放射免疫法测定76例2型糖尿病患者高血糖状态下及血糖良好控制4个月后晨8时、下午4时和午夜0时的血清皮质醇(F)浓度。结果2型糖尿病各组治疗前、后皮质醇昼夜节律基本存在;高血糖状态下,晨8时、下午4时和午夜0时皮质醇浓度与对照组比较显著升高(P<0.01);血糖良好控制4个月后病程短、无慢性并发症者均恢复至正常范围,病程长、有慢性并发症者皮质醇未能良好恢复。结论2型糖尿病患者一定程度上存在皮质醇分泌功能紊乱,应动态观察其变化。     

Inhibiting DNA methylation alleviates cisplatin-induced hearing loss by decreasing oxidative stress-induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis via the LRP1–PI3K/AKT pathway

Cisplatin-related ototoxicity is a critical side effect of chemotherapy and can lead to irreversible hearing loss. This study aimed to assess the potential effect of the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor RG108 on cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Immunohistochemistry, apoptosis assay, and auditory brainstem response (ABR) were employed to determine the impacts of RG108 on cisplatin-induced injury in murine hair cells (HCs) and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Rhodamine 123 and TMRM were utilized for mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) assessment. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) amounts were evaluated by Cellrox green and Mitosox-red probes. Mitochondrial respiratory function evaluation was performed by determining oxygen consumption rates (OCRs). The results showed that RG108 can markedly reduce cisplatin induced damage in HCs and SGNs, and alleviate apoptotic rate by protecting mitochondrial function through preventing ROS accumulation. Furthermore, RG108 upregulated BCL-2 and downregulated APAF1, BAX, and BAD in HEI-OC1 cells, and triggered the PI3K/AKT pathway. Decreased expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and high methylation of the LRP1 promoter were observed after cisplatin treatment. RG108 treatment can increase LRP1 expression and decrease LRP1 promoter methylation. In conclusion, RG108 might represent a new potential agent for preventing hearing loss induced by cisplatin via activating the LRP1-PI3K/AKT pathway.KEY WORDS: Cisplatin, DNMT, Apoptosis, Hair cell, Spiral ganglion neurons, RG108, Mitochondrial dysfunction, ROS     

NiCoP–CeO2 composites for efficient electrochemical oxygen evolution

In this study, a novel NiCoP–CeO₂ composite was constructed on a Ni foam by a simple hydrothermal method and thermal phosphating strategy. In the OER test, NiCoP–CeO₂ exhibited a low overpotential of 217 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², 45 mV dec⁻¹ of Tafel slopes. With the help of theoretical calculations and experimental characterization, the reason for performance improvement was analyzed in depth. The results show that CeO₂ leads to a confinement effect, maintaining the nanosheet morphology of NiCo-LDHs, which contributes to sustaining the catalyst in favourable contact with H₂O and minimizing the OER potential. Furthermore, by loading CeO₂ onto NiCoP, the hydrophilicity of the catalyst is significantly enhanced. Our work provides an ingenious synthesis strategy for the preparation of efficient and inexpensive electrocatalytic materials.

A NiCoP–CeO₂ composite was constructed by a simple hydrothermal method and thermal phosphating strategy. Benefiting from the confinement effect and optimized H₂O adsorption ability, NiCoP–CeO₂ exhibits superior OER performance than NiCoP.     

高血压药对糖尿病肾病血液透析患者代谢的影响

目的比较血管紧张素转换酶抑制剂（ACEI）、钙离子拮抗剂（CCB）和β-受体阻滞剂等抗高血压药对糖尿病肾病及高血压透析患者的血糖和代谢的影响。方法糖尿病肾病血液透析患者分别经福辛普利（Fosinopril）、维拉帕米（Verapamil）和普萘洛尔（Propranol01）治疗5个月后记录透析前后心率和血压改变,检测透析前空腹血糖、糖化血红蛋白（HbA1c）、果糖胺、胰岛素、胆固醇和甘油三脂等。结果Fosinopril、Verapamil对血糖及物质代谢无不良影响,Propranolol可引起血糖、果糖胺、HbA1c和甘油三脂升高及透析过程中低血压和心率减慢。结论Fosinopril、Verapamil和Propranolol均为控制糖尿病肾病透析患者轻、中度高血压的较可靠药物,且Fosinopril和Verapamil对糖尿病患者血糖和物质代谢无不良影响。     

依达拉奉对大鼠肠部分缺血再灌注后肝损伤保护作用的实验研究

目的观察依达拉奉（edaravone）对大鼠肠部分缺血再灌注所致肝损伤的保护作用。方法选择健康雄性SD大鼠30只，体重240—280g，随机分为三组，假手术组（C组）、肠部分缺血再灌注组（IR组）、依达拉奉治疗组（E组），每组10只。除C组外，用自行设计的血流阻断器阻断SMA血流量70％左右，缺血60min，然后开放SMA，再灌注120min，E组于开放SMA同时静脉内给予依达拉奉3mg／kg，在试验过程中均以生理盐水10ml／kg／h持续输注。光镜下观察肝组织的损伤情况，测定血和肝组织中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性、丙二醛（MDA）和一氧化氮（NO）水平。结果IR组肝组织产生明显损伤，血和肝组织中SOD活性明显下降，MDA和NO水平明显升高，与C组比较差异具有显著性（P〈0．05）．与IR组比较，E组肝组织损伤程度较轻，血和肝组织中SOD活性升高，MDA和NO的水平明显降低。结论依达拉奉对大鼠肠部分缺血再灌注所致肝损伤具有良好的保护作用，与其清除自由基，抑制脂质过氧化，降低NO的释放有关。     

电视胸腔镜术在重度阻塞性通气功能障碍患者治疗中的临床研究

目的 探讨电视胸腔镜术在重度阻塞性通气功能障碍患者中的治疗的可行性。方法 总结电视胸腔镜手术治疗重度阻塞性通气功能障碍患者的经验和体会。术前肺功能测定：重度阻塞性通气功能障碍17例，（FEV1＜40％，FEV1／FVC＜40％）。结果 肺楔形切除9例，肺段切除1例，肺大疱切除4例，心包开窗术1例，后纵隔肿瘤摘除术1例，肺减容术1例。术中出血为10－100ml13例；出血110－200ml4例，术后需呼吸机辅助呼吸2例（48－68h）。术后出现心律失常，胸腔积液，漏气等并发症3例，无手术死亡，无需手术中输出。结论 VATS手术是一种创伤小、安全性高的手术。电视胸腔镜手术对重度阻塞性通气功能障碍重度肺功能减退患者是首选的方法。