活力隆胶囊抗衰老作用的实验研究

活力隆胶囊由人参、黄芪、淫羊藿、灵芝、枸杞、原蚕蛾等2 0余味中药经现代科学方法研制而成。此方有滋补阴阳、大补气血、滋补强壮延年益寿之功效 ,临床应用已获预防和治疗效果。本文就其抗衰老作用进行了实验研究。1　材料1.1　动物昆明种健康小鼠 ,由山西中医研究所动物研究室提供。1.2　药品活力隆胶囊 ,由河北医科大学中西医结合学院药理实验室提供 ,实验用浓度为每mL含有生药量 1g ;龟龄集由山西省中药厂提供 ,药用浓度为每mL含生药量 0 .0 6 g。2　方法与结果2 .1　对小鼠抓绳耐力和游泳耐力的影响 (小鼠抓绳实验法、游泳实验法[1] …     

人源性及牛源性乳铁蛋白抑制丙型肝炎病毒复制作用的对比研究

目的：探讨人乳铁蛋白(HLF)及牛乳铁蛋白(BLF)在体外HepG2细胞中对丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)感染增殖的抑制作用，为乳铁蛋白用于临床治疗HCV感染提供理论和实验依据。方法：以HepG2细胞作为HCV复制体系，以RT nPCR方法，测定培养细胞提取物中病毒正、负链，并用活性细胞定量鉴定法(MTT)对两种乳铁蛋白的细胞毒性作用及药物剂量进行研究。结果：细胞毒实验显示，实验中两种乳铁蛋白的浓度小于1.5 mg·mL 1时对HepG2细胞生存率无显著影响。HCV阳性血清接种HepG2细胞后，HCV正、负链可于第8，10，12天被检测到。当两种乳铁蛋白(浓度分别为1.5，1.0，0.5，0.1 mg·mL 1)先与HCV阳性血清作用后再接种细胞时，不同时期提取物中均未测定到HCV正、负链。而当乳铁蛋白(浓度同上)先与细胞作用后洗去再与HCV阳性血清作用时，不同时期细胞提取物中可测定到HCV正、负链。结论：乳铁蛋白能在非细胞毒性剂量时能防止HCV感染HepG2细胞；乳铁蛋白可能主要是通过与病毒颗粒本身相互作用发挥上述功能；两种来源的乳铁蛋白在体外抑制HCV复制的作用差异无显著性。     

Associations of multiple unhealthy lifestyle behaviors with overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity among Brazilian adolescents: A country-wide survey

Background and Aims

Physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking and heavy drinking are four key unhealthy lifestyle behaviors (ULB) that may influence body weight and obesity development. More recently, sedentary time has been recognized as another potentially emerging ULB related to obesity. We therefore investigated the association of multiple ULB with overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity among Brazilian adolescents.

Gas flow during bronchoscopic ablation therapy causes gas emboli to the heart: a comparative animal study

BACKGROUND: Thermal ablation is one of the most commonly used modalities to treat central airway obstruction. Both laser and argon plasma coagulation (APC) have been reported to cause gas emboli and cardiac arrest. We sought to determine whether bronchoscopic ablation therapy can result in systemic gas emboli, correlate their presence with the rate of gas flow, and establish whether a zero-flow (ZF) modality would result in the significant reduction or elimination of emboli. METHODS: CO(2) laser delivered through a photonic bandgap fiber (PBF) and APC were applied in the trachea and mainstem bronchi of six anesthetized sheep at varying dosages and gas flow rates. Direct epicardial echocardiography was used to obtain a four-chamber view and detect gas emboli. RESULTS: The presence of gas flow accompanying APC and the CO(2) laser with forward flow correlated significantly with the appearance of gas bubbles in the atria. A definite dose response was observed between the gas flow rate and the number of bubbles seen. When the CO(2) laser was delivered through a PBF with ZF to the trachea or bronchi, no bubbles were observed. CONCLUSION: Bronchoscopic thermal ablation therapy using gas flow is associated with gas emboli in a dose-dependent fashion. The use of the flexible PBF with ZF is not associated with the development of gas emboli. Further study is required to determine whether a clinically safe threshold of gas emboli exists, and the relationships among the pathologic depth of tissue destruction, gas flow, pulse duration, and the development of gas emboli.     

Phenotype classification using the combination of lung sound analysis and fractional exhaled nitric oxide for evaluating asthma treatment

Background

We report the utility of combining lung sound analysis and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) for phenotype classification of airway inflammation in patients with bronchial asthma.We investigated the usefulness of the combination of the expiration-to-inspiration sound power ratio in the mid-frequency range (E/I MF) of 200–400 Hz and FeNO for comprehensively classifying disease type and evaluating asthma treatment.

LV Mechanics in Mitral and Aortic Valve Diseases: Value of Functional Assessment Beyond Ejection Fraction

The assessment of myocardial function in the context of valvular heart disease remains highly challenging. The myocardium deforms simultaneously in 3 dimensions, and global left ventricular (LV) function parameters such as volume and ejection fraction may remain compensated despite the changes in myocardial deformation properties. Current guidelines recommend valve replacement/repair in the presence of symptoms or reduced LV ejection fraction, but the resolution of symptoms or recovery of LV function post-surgery may not be reliably predicted. A wealth of evidence currently suggests that LV dysfunction is frequently subclinical despite normal ejection fraction. It may precede the onset of symptoms and portend a poor outcome due to progressive myocardial remodeling and dysfunction during the post-operative period. The advent of novel tissue-tracking echocardiography techniques has unleashed new opportunities for the clinical identification of early abnormalities in LV function. This review gathers and summarizes current evidence regarding the use of these techniques to assess myocardial deformation in patients with valvular heart disease.     

Postprandial coagulation activation in overweight individuals after weight loss: Acute and long-term effects of a high-monounsaturated fat diet and a low-fat diet

Diet is important in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, and it has been suggested that a high-MUFA diet is more cardioprotective than a low-fat diet. We hypothesised that the postprandial thrombotic risk profile is improved most favourably by a high-MUFA diet compared with a low-fat diet. This was tested in a parallel intervention trial on overweight individuals (aged 28.4 (SD 4.7) years) randomly assigned to a MUFA-diet (35-45% of energy as fat; > 20% as MUFA, n = 21) or a low-fat (LF) diet (20-30% of energy as fat, n = 22) for 6 months after a weight loss of ~ 10%. All foods were provided free of charge from a purpose-built supermarket. Meal tests designed after the same principles were performed before and after the dietary intervention, and blood samples were collected at 8.00 h (fasting), 12.00 h, and 18.00 h and analysed for factor VII coagulant activity (FVII:C), activated FVII, fibrinogen, prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2), D-dimer, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI:Ag), and thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor. There were significant postprandial increases in F1 + 2 and D-dimer before and after dietary intervention, with significantly lower values after 6 months. No significant differences were observed between the postprandial changes induced by the two diets. The postprandial decrease in FVII:C and PAI:Ag did not differ before and after intervention, irrespective of the diets. Our findings suggest postprandial coagulation activation in overweight subjects with more pronounced acute than long-term effects. We observed similar effects of the MUFA diet and the LF diet on the postprandial prothrombotic risk profile.     

Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Healthy Humans Reduces Sympathetic Nerve Activity

BackgroundVagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is currently used to treat refractory epilepsy and is being investigated as a potential therapy for a range of conditions, including heart failure, tinnitus, obesity and Alzheimer's disease. However, the invasive nature and expense limits the use of VNS in patient populations and hinders the exploration of the mechanisms involved.ObjectiveWe investigated a non-invasive method of VNS through electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve distributed to the skin of the ear – transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) and measured the autonomic effects.MethodsThe effects of tVNS parameters on autonomic function in 48 healthy participants were investigated using heart rate variability (HRV) and microneurography. tVNS was performed using a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine and modified surface electrodes. Participants visited the laboratory once and received either active (200 μs, 30 Hz; n = 34) or sham (n = 14) stimulation.ResultsActive tVNS significantly increased HRV in healthy participants (P = 0.026) indicating a shift in cardiac autonomic function toward parasympathetic predominance. Microneurographic recordings revealed a significant decrease in frequency (P = 0.0001) and incidence (P = 0.0002) of muscle sympathetic nerve activity during tVNS.ConclusiontVNS can increase HRV and reduce sympathetic nerve outflow, which is desirable in conditions characterized by enhanced sympathetic nerve activity, such as heart failure. tVNS can therefore influence human physiology and provide a simple and inexpensive alternative to invasive VNS.