Obvious Beneficial Effect Research Articles

Efficacy of an oral formulation of afoxolaner and milbemycin oxime against Tunga penetrans in naturally infected dogs

BackgroundThe sand flea Tunga penetrans is one of the agents of tungiasis, an important parasitic skin disease affecting humans and several mammalian species. Tungiasis is mainly observed in disadvantaged rural and peripheral urban communities in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. The dog is a major reservoir of Tunga fleas. Hematophagous adult female Tunga spp. embed and grow in their host’s epidermis and cause cutaneous inflammatory disorders. NexGard Spectra® is an orally administered endectocide for dogs, a co-formulation of the isoxazoline afoxolaner and the macrocyclic lactone milbemycin oxime. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of this product against canine tungiasis.MethodsA blinded, negative-controlled field trial was conducted in a Brazilian community known to be highly endemic for tungiasis. Sixty-six dogs naturally infected with live T. penetrans were randomly allocated to a treated group (44 dogs) and an untreated control group (22 dogs). In a first phase, dogs from the treated group were treated on days 0, 30, and 60. Efficacy was evaluated on the basis of the macroscopic parasitic skin lesions (Fortaleza classification) on days 7, 14, 21, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90. In a second phase, to evaluate natural reinfections, all dogs were treated on day 90 and evaluated every 2 weeks thereafter until at least 30% of dogs were infected with live sand fleas.ResultsDuring the first phase, efficacy (reduction in live sand fleas) of 92.4% was demonstrated on day 7. From day 14 until day 90, the efficacy of NexGard Spectra® was 100%. In the second phase, all dogs were free of live T. penetrans from 15 until 45 days after the day 90 treatment; 60 days post-treatment, 11% of dogs were reinfected, and 75 days post-treatment, 40% of dogs were reinfected.ConclusionsNexGard Spectra® was demonstrated to be highly effective against canine tungiasis. In addition to an obvious beneficial effect on the health and welfare of the treated dog, the use of this product may have a one-health benefit on human cases by controlling the main reservoir of sand fleas.Graphical

Effect of copolymerization on the thermal characteristics and behavior of crystallization of biobased semi‐aromatic PA10T/10I

AbstractThis work synthesized the pure poly (decamethylene terephthalamide) acid (PA10T) and a series of PA10T/10I through an efficient one‐pot melt polymerization method. The structures, thermal behavior, crystallization performance, and mechanical properties of PA10T and PA10T/10I were investigated by FT‐IR, DSC, TGA, POM, XRD, and mechanics performance testing, respectively. The thermal analysis demonstrates that the melting temperature of PA10T/10I gradually decreased with the increase of isophthalic acid (IPA) copolymerization proportions. Specifically, it was observed that, the Tm1 of pure PA10T was 299.5°C, while the Tm1 of PA10T/10I‐4 with a linear downward trend was 284.7°C. And the introduction of IPA copolymerization has an obvious beneficial effect on the thermal stability of PA10T/10I (Td,5 varied from 429.5 to 434.5°C) with a wider temperature range of processing, which could potentially be applied in high‐temperature scenes. POM and XRD were used to characterize the crystallization behavior of all samples further. It was discovered that although adding IPA did not alter the crystal structure of PA10T, it dramatically reduced the size of crystalline grains and increased the number of crystal nuclei. In addition, the copolyamides possess excellent mechanical properties, and the tensile strength of PA10T/10I varied between 42.91 and 46.89 MPa, the bending strength varied between 76.69 and 85.83 MPa, and the izod impact strength varied between 25.41 and 29.82 kJ m−2. Moreover, the influence of the IPA comonomer of copolyamides PA10T/10I on melting points, thermal stability, crystallization behavior, and mechanical characteristics was investigated. This work provides a reference for preparing biobased semi‐aromatic copolyamides PA10T/10I with outstanding processing performance, excellent thermal characteristics, and adjustable mechanical properties.

Antiplatelet therapy in patients with myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries: A clinical perspective.

Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a heterogeneous group of diseases with different pathological mechanisms, and it is uncertain whether the classical secondary prevention and treatment strategies for myocardial infarction in obstructive coronary artery disease (MI-CAD) are appropriate for patients with MINOCA. Therefore the choice of antiplatelet agents and the therapeutic effect may vary depending on the etiology and pathophysiological mechanisms of MINOCA. This requires our clinical and scientific researchers to properly design prospective studies to explore the pathophysiology of MINOCA and its corresponding etiology in greater depth, so as to understand the effectiveness and safety of medical therapies for different etiologies of MINOCA. Although the current observational studies do not show an obvious beneficial effect of antiplatelet therapy on MINOCA. We are eager to conduct specific prospective randomized controlled trials of antiplatelet agents to assess the specificity, efficacy and safety of different types of antiplatelet agents in patients with MINOCA of different etiologies.

Comparative pharmacokinetics of 11 components from the active part of Gerberae Piloselloidis Herba after oral administration in control and asthmatic mice.

Gerberae Piloselloidis Herba, a traditional Chinese medicine, is often employed to treat such lung-related diseases as coughs, asthma, and pulmonary carbuncles in southwest China. Our previous study demonstrated that its active fraction, prepared from Gerberae Piloselloidis Herba, exerts an obvious beneficial effect on asthma. However, the pharmacokinetics of its major constituents remain unclear. Therefore, an ultra-performance mass spectrometry-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method was successfully established to simultaneously perform the pharmacokinetics of the main 11 components of the active fraction between normal and ovalbumin-induced asthmatic mice. Compared to the normal group, in asthmatic mice the peak concentration of arbutin, marmesin, caffeoylquinic acids, and flavonoid glycosides clearly increased, while for luteolin it significantly declined; the area under the curve for arbutin and luteolin showed an increase, but the values of marmesin, caffeoylquinic acids, and flavonoid glycosides revealed a decline; the peak time for arbutin, caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoid glycosides decreased, while for marmesin and luteolin it significantly augmented; apart from marmesin, the half-life for all compounds shortened significantly. It is indicated that the pathology of asthma could lead to an alteration in the pharmacokinetic profiles of the 11 components in plasma, providing a reference for further exploration of the pharmacodynamic basis of the anti-bronchial effect of Gerberae Piloselloidis Herba.

The Effect of Noninvasive Ventilation Support on COVID-19 Patients and Risk Factors for Invasive Ventilation - A Retrospective and Multicenter Study.

BackgroundOxygen therapy (OT) is the most widely used supportive regime in patients with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of noninvasive ventilation support on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and risk factors for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed confirmed COVID-19 subjects from nine hospitals outside Wuhan. All hospitalized patients who tested positive for COVID-19 by real-time polymerase chain reaction between January 1st and March 31st, 2020, were recruited. The patients were divided into four groups based on the most advanced OT regime, including no OT, nasal oxygen therapy, high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNOT) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV), and IMV. Multiple logistic regression models were performed to determine risk factors for IMV.ResultsOf the 683 recruited subjects, 315 (46.1%) subjects did not need OT, 300 (43.9%) received nasal oxygen therapy, 51 (7.5%) received HFNOT or NIV, while 17 (2.5%) subjects had to be intubated. The lactate in the OT group was higher than in the no OT group (2.7 vs 1.6, P = 0.02). In addition, HFNOT or NIV patients had a higher respiratory rate, but a lower PaO2 (P < 0.001). HFNOT and NIV had an obvious beneficial effect on ARF with 75% of COVID-19 patients recovering from respiratory failure. Patients with IMV were older (P < 0.001), had a higher rate of hypertension (P < 0.001) and more secondary bacterial infections (P < 0.001) compared to those without intubation. The multivariate model showed that secondary bacterial infection (OR = 6.87, P = 0.009) was independently associated with IMV failure among COVID-19 patients.ConclusionWe identified that HFNOT and NIV had an obvious beneficial effect on ARF among COVID-19 patients. We also demonstrated that secondary bacterial infection was an independent risk factor for NIV failure in patients infected by SARS-COV2.

Supplementation of the freezing medium with Coenzyme Q10 attenuates oxidative stress and improves function of frozen-thawed giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) spermatozoa

Incorporation of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to the freezing medium provides advantageous effect for sperm cryopreservation in a variety of animal species, yet which has not been tested in giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus). This research was designed to elucidate if CoQ10 could be used as a potential additive to improve giant grouper sperm quality after cryopreservation. After the process of freezing and thawing, various sperm quality parameters including motility, viability, apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, DNA fragmentation as well as fertilization rate were evaluated with CoQ10 added at concentrations of 0, 25, 50 and 100 μM. Compared to the control group (0 μm), addition of CoQ10 in the medium yielded significantly higher total motility and curvilinear velocity, whereas the progressive motility, straight-line velocity and average path velocity were not differ from each other. An obvious improvement in viability was observed in spermatozoa cryopreserved with 25 and 50 μM CoQ10, while the apoptosis rate in CoQ10 treated groups (25, 50 and 100 μM) exhibited significantly lower values than that of the control. Besides, the production of ROS was significantly decreased with CoQ10 addition groups when compared with the control. In consistent with the improvement in antioxidant defense, CoQ10 supplementation in the medium also enhanced mitochondrial activity and reduced DNA fragmentation. In addition, freezing medium supplemented with CoQ10 also improved the fertilization success, a significantly higher fertilization rate was recorded at the concentration of 50 μM, but this value was not differ from that of 25 μM. Overall, the antioxidant CoQ10 provided an obvious beneficial effect on post-thaw quality of giant grouper spermatozoa. It was concluded that the optimal concentration of CoQ10 is 50 μM in the freezing medium.

Efficient Treatment of Wood Vinegar via Microbial Electrolysis Cell With the Anode of Different Pyrolysis Biochars

Microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) had a good performance during the treatment of bio-refractory wastewater. This study focused on wood vinegar (from biomass pyrolysis) treatment via MECs with biochar anode. The results indicated that MECs with coconut shell biochar as the anode had an obvious beneficial effect for treating wood vinegar. When wood vinegar was used as the substrate of MECs, COD removal reached up to 71.4%, and effluent COD was 359.0 mg COD/L. GC-MS analysis showed that furfurals present in the wood vinegar were thoroughly degraded after MEC treatment. One interesting finding is that hydrocarbons accounted for a large portion of the compounds in the effluent, which may be the comprehensive result of complex organic reactions, including decarboxylation reactions, dehydration reaction, etc. The dominant microbial populations in MEC with biochar anode mainly included Geobacter, Macellibacteroides, Oscillibacter, Sedimentibacter, Comamonas and Lachnoclostridium. In particular, Lachnoclostridium (3.34%), a new family of exoelectrogens, may be correlated with the degradation of wood vinegar. This study demonstrated that pyrolysis biochar could be incorporated as a high-efficiency MEC anode material, and MECs with the inclusion of biochar could provide a feasible way for the treatment of recalcitrant wood vinegar.

Heated fennel therapy promotes the recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients after complex abdominal surgery: A single-center prospective randomized controlled trial in China

BackgroundPostoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction remains a major determinant of the duration of stay after complex abdominal surgery. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of heated fennel therapy in accelerating the recovery of gastrointestinal function. MethodsThis surgeon-blinded, prospective randomized controlled study included 381 patients with hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and gastric tumors who were divided into 2 groups. The patients in the experimental groups received heated fennel therapy, and those in the control groups received heated rice husk therapy. We compared the baseline characteristics, time to first postoperative flatus and defecation, fasting time, duration of postoperative hospital stay, grading of abdominal pain, classification of abdominal distension, inflammatory markers, and nutritional status indicators. ResultsThe time to first flatus and first defecation and the fasting time were statistically significantly less in the heated fennel therapy group than those in the control groups (P < .05 each); and abdominal distension was also relieved in the experimental groups (P < .001). Heated fennel therapy had no obvious beneficial effect on inflammatory markers but improved the serum albumin (ALB) level of the patients at postop day 9 (P < .001). Among the patients with alimentary tract reconstruction, those in the heated fennel therapy group had a clinically important, lesser hospital stay than those in the control group (9.2 5 ± 5.1 versus 11.1 ± 6.4; P < .023). ConclusionHeated fennel therapy facilitated the gastrointestinal motility function of patients early postoperatively.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of an Al-Cu-Mg-Sc alloy reinforced with in-situ TiB2 particulates

TiB2 reinforcing particulates (4 wt %) were produced in-situ via salt-melt reactions in an Al2618 wrought alloy containing 0.11 wt % Sc. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the TiB2/Al2618 composite are studied both as-rolled and T6 treated. Microstructural analyses revealed submicron-sized in-situ TiB2 particulates dispersed in both the intergranular and intragranular regions of the matrix. Energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDS) discovered a high tendency of Sc enrichment in association with Al-Cu-Ni and Al-Cu-Mg intermetallics in the as-rolled composites. After T6 treatment, the Al-Cu-Mg type intermetallic is dissolved. Meanwhile, Al-Cu-Ni type intermetallic with the enrichment of Sc element remains. The TiB2/Al2618 composites have an evidently higher hardness than the Al2618 matrix alloy. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are increased by 20% and 8% respectively with the introduction of TiB2 and a minor amount of Sc, while the ductility is affected adversely under both as-rolled and T6 treated conditions. Analysis on the strengthening mechanisms revealed an obvious beneficial effect of Sc on yield strength after T6 treatment, however, a limited role on the yield strength at the as-rolled state.

SAT-LB042 Effect of Dehydroepiandrosterone on the Perimenopausal Ovary

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation can improve oocyte quality in women with diminished ovarian function1-2. However, it is unclear if similar beneficial effects of DHEA supplementation can be obtained during the perimenopause, a period when the number of ovarian follicles shows a marked age-associated decline. To address this question we examined the impact of 2.5-months of daily oral DHEA supplementation (5 mg) on the number of ovarian follicles as well as on the concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) – a marker of ovarian function. The study used perimenopausal adult rhesus monkeys; like women, these long-lived nonhuman primates show ~28-day menstrual cycles and eventually undergo menopause. Furthermore, they show similar age-related neuroendocrine changes, including a marked decrease in circulating DHEA concentrations3-4. Our experimental design involved the following three groups (N = 6 per group): Young adult (mean age = 11.6 years), Old control (mean age = 23.1 years), and Old DHEA-treated (mean age = 23.5 years). Histological examination of the ovaries revealed a significant (P<0.05) age-related decrease in the mean number of pre-antral follicles but no obvious beneficial effect of DHEA supplementation. Similarly, AMH concentrations within the ovaries and serum, assessed by Western analysis and ELISA respectively, showed a significant (P<0.05) age-related decrease but no obvious beneficial effect of DHEA supplementation. Taken together, the results indicate that short-term DHEA supplementation alone is insufficient to enhance ovarian function during the perimenopause and they complement findings from our earlier studies, which showed no obvious benefit of DHEA supplementation on cognitive function5. On the other hand, it remains plausible that chronic DHEA supplementation, earlier DHEA intervention, and supra-physiological DHEA doses may have more therapeutic potential. 1Gleicher N et al.Reprod Biomed Online, 21:360-365, 2010. 2Yilmaz N et al. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol, 169:257-260, 2013. 3Downs JL & Urbanski HF. Biol Reprod, 75: 539-546, 2006. 4Sorwell KG et al. Neurobiol Aging, 33:1487.e1-e13, 2012. 5Sorwell KG et al. Genes Brain Behav, 16:361-368, 2017. Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO are embargoed until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. s presented at a news conference are embargoed until the date and time of the news conference. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.

Effect of tin addition on corrosion behavior of a low-alloy steel in simulated costal-industrial atmosphere

The effect of tin addition on the atmospheric corrosion behavior of a low-alloy steel in simulated coastal-industrial atmosphere has been investigated by indoor wet/dry cyclic corrosion test (CCT). The results indicate that tin addition can obviously make the steel substrate more resistant to atmospheric corrosion by suppressing the cathodic H+ reduction reaction, and but tin addition is not of obvious beneficial effect when the steel is covered with a thicker rust layer during long-term corrosion process. The reason lies in the fact that the presence of un-reduced H+ can lower the electrolyte pH value and lead to a loose and porous rust layer on tin-containing steel sample than that on tin-free steel sample. In addition, the 120 CCT cycles corrosion process of the two steels can be divided into three stages. Both the tin-free and tin-containing steels show an increasing corrosion rate during the initial corrosion stage and then exhibit a decreasing corrosion rate during the second and third corrosion stages. Moreover, tin addition makes the tin-containing steel rust layer have a higher amount of α-FeOOH and lower amount of γ-FeOOH and Fe3O4 than the tin-free steel rust layer.

Effect of Tai Chi on Cardiac and Static Pulmonary Function in Older Community-Dwelling Adults at Risk of Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

To evaluate the effect of tai chi exercise on cardiac and static lung function for older community-dwelling adults at risk of ischemic stroke. A total of 170 older community-dwelling adults (aged 55-75 years old) at risk of ischemic stroke were allocated to either tai chi training group (85 cases, five 60-min sessions of tai chi training per week for 12 weeks) or control group (85 cases, usual pbysical activity for 12 weeks) using a computer-generated randomization. The echocardiographic parameters of cardiac structure, cardiac function and static lung function were measured at baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention and additional 12-week follow-up period by a blinded professional staffmember using a color Doppler ultrasound imaging device or a cardiopulmonary function instrument. The t test and linear mixed model based on the intentionto-treat analysis principle was used to calculate the effect. The adverse effect was observed. Most of echocardiographic parameters on the cardiac structure, cardiac function and static lung function between the tai chi group and control group did not have a significant difference either post 12-week intervention or additional 12-week follow-up period. Only three parameters involving in right ventricular diameter (P=0.024), main pulmonary artery diameter (P=0.002) and vital capacity maximum (P=0.036) were beneficial to be improved in the tai chi group compared to the control group by the analysis of mixed linear model. No adverse effects were found during the intervention period. The 12-week tai chi exercise did not have an obvious beneficial effect on cardiac structure, cardiac function and static lung function in older community-dwelling adults at risk of ischemic stroke. The study with a longer duration of intervention should be necessary. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR-TRC-13003601).

Analysis of short-term treatment with the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor tadalafil on long bone development in young rats

Cyclic GMP (cGMP) is an important intracellular regulator of endochondral bone growth and skeletal remodeling. Tadalafil, an inhibitor of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) type 5 (PDE5) that specifically hydrolyzes cGMP, is increasingly used to treat children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but the effect of tadalafil on bone growth and strength has not been previously investigated. In this study, we first analyzed the expression of transcripts encoding PDEs in primary cultures of chondrocytes from newborn rat epiphyses. We detected robust expression of PDE5 as the major phosphodiesterase hydrolyzing cGMP. Time-course experiments showed that C-type natriuretic peptide increased intracellular levels of cGMP in primary chondrocytes with a peak at 2 min, and in the presence of tadalafil the peak level of intracellular cGMP was 37% greater ( P < 0.01) and the decline was significantly attenuated. Next, we treated 1-mo-old Sprague Dawley rats with vehicle or tadalafil for 3 wk. Although 10 mg·kg-1·day-1 tadalafil led to a significant 52% ( P < 0.01) increase in tissue levels of cGMP and a 9% reduction ( P < 0.01) in bodyweight gain, it did not alter long bone length, cortical or trabecular bone properties, and histological features. In conclusion, our results indicate that PDE5 is highly expressed in growth plate chondrocytes, and short-term tadalafil treatment of growing rats at doses comparable to those used in children with PAH has neither obvious beneficial effect on long bone growth nor any observable adverse effect on growth plate structure and trabecular and cortical bone structure.

The impact of FLT3 mutations on treatment response and survival in Chinese de novo AML patients

ABSTRACTObjective: Two distinct forms of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations, internal tandem duplication (ITD) in the juxtamembrane domain and point mutation within the activation loop of the tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), have been identified in considerable number of patients with AML. This study was aimed to analyze the impacts of these mutations on clinical outcomes, and assess the efficacy of different therapeutic regimens (allo-HSCT, sorafenib, or conventional chemotherapy) for AML patients with FLT3 mutations after the standard induction therapy.Materials and methods: We analyzed DNA samples from 158 consecutive de novo AML patients (18–60 years, excluding APL) with FLT3 mutations between July 2010 and October 2015.Results: We found that AML patients with FLT3-TKD mutations have more favorable clinical outcomes than those with FLT3-ITD mutations. We also found that allo-HSCT therapy subgroup achieved longer OS and RFS than non-allo-HSCT therapy subgroup for FLT3-ITD positive patients (p < 0.001, p = 0.071). However, compared with the clinical outcomes in non-primary refractory patients, sorafenib did not show an obvious beneficial effect for the primary refractory patients. Further study on a large scale is still recommended.Conclusions: FLT3-TKD-mutated AML patients have more favorable clinical outcomes than those with FLT3-ITD mutations. Allo-HSCT therapy subgroup achieved longer OS and RFS than non-allo-HSCT therapy subgroup for FLT3-ITD positive patients. Compared with the clinical outcomes in non-primary refractory patients, sorafenib did not show an obvious beneficial effect for the primary refractory patients.

A-Site Effect on the Conversion of Bio-Ethanol into Isobutene over Ternary A&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;1&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;Zn&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;y&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;Zr&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;z&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;O&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;n&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; Catalysts

Ternary multifunctional A1ZnyZrzOn catalysts are prepared by introducing A-site transition metals with the redox capability into binary Zn1Zr8On. Structure and morphology were investigated by means of XRD, BET and FESEM, respectively. Activity data showed that Cr addition exhibited obvious beneficial effect to promote isobutene production from direct conversion of bio-ethanol compared to other A-site metal dopants. A significant higher yield of isobutene over Cr-promoted Zn1Zr8On catalyst was also observed with respect to its binary Zn1Zr8On counterpart. The choice of A-site metal is of prime importance in the isobutene production, catalyzing mainly the ethanol dehydrogenation, meanwhile the appropriate addition of zinc on the catalyst surface is also essential for good isobutene yield.

Retinoic acid promotes the endogenous repair of lung stem/progenitor cells in combined with simvastatin after acute lung injury: a stereological analysis.

BackgroundThe treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), most commonly seen during the organ dysfunction remains unsatisfied. Presently, the stem/progenitor cell-based endogenous repair has been aroused attention enormously. This report investigated the effects of retinoic acid (RA) plus simvastatin (SS) with respect to dynamics of lung repair cells as well as to elucidate the underlying mechanism.Materials and methodsThe experimental Sprague–Dawley rats were divided randomly into normal control (control), sham operated (sham), ARDS, ARDS + vehicle and ARDS + RA + SS groups. ARDS was reproduced through hemorrhagic shock/resuscitation (shock) and subsequent intratracheal LPS (4.5 mg/kg, Escherichia coli serotype O55: B5) injection. The rats were treated by intragastric administration of RA (2 mg/kg/day) and SS (2 mg/kg/day) for 5 days in the ARDS + RA + SS group. Seven days after the first RA-SS injection, a right lower lobe of lung was sampled for histological analysis concerning systemic uniform random sampling method. Immunohistochemistry of inflation-fixed lungs for alveolar type 1 (AT1), alveolar type 2 (AT2) and Clara cells was measured by AQP5, Pro-SPC and CCSP staining respectively. The alveolar cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed with Ki67 staining and terminal deoxylnucleotidyl transferase mediated-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. Meanwhile, the alveolar cell numerical and surface density (alveolar cells, AT1, AT2, Clara, proliferating and apoptotic cells) were evaluated by stereology.ResultsRA-SS compound exerted anti-inflammatory and pro-repairing effects on respiratory tracts in ARDS induced by hemorrhagic-endotoxin shock. The numerical density and surface density of alveolar cells, AT1 cell fraction, and numerical density of AT2 and Clara cells were significantly increased after treatment with RA-SS compound in ARDS. Concurrently, the Ki67+ alveolar cells were obviously increased while the TUNEL+ alveolar cells were reduced, which was correlated with the attenuation of inflammatory injury and functional repair in injured lung tissues.ConclusionsOur data convincingly indicated that the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of RA plus SS had obvious beneficial effect on the remodeling/regeneration of injured pulmonary tissues, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms are related to the re-balance between regeneration and apoptosis in lung stem/progenitor cells.

Age and CHADS2 Score Predict the Effectiveness of Renin-Angiotensin System Blockers on Primary Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation.

Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers have potential protective effects against atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study was to determine if patient characteristics and underlying co-morbidities could predict the efficacy of RAS blockers in AF prevention. Patients aged ≥ 45 years with hypertension were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. After propensity-score matching, a total of 22,324 patients were included in this study. Risk of new-onset AF in RAS blockers users and non-users was estimated. During up to 10 years of follow-up, 1,475 patients experienced new-onset AF. Overall, RAS blockers reduced the risk of AF by 36% (adjusted HR 0.64; 95% CI 0.58 to 0.71; p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that RAS blockers use was beneficial for AF prevention in patients aged ≥ 55 years or with a CHADS2 score of 1, 2, or 3. The therapy provided no obvious beneficial effect for AF prevention in those aged less than 55 years or with a CHADS2 score ≥ 4. In conclusion, RAS blockers reduced the risk of new-onset AF in patients aged ≥ 55 years or with a CHADS2 score of 1, 2, or 3, but not in patients aged less than 55 years or with a CHADS2 score ≥ 4.

The effect of real time continuous blood glucose monitoring system versus intermittent blood glucose monitoring in critically ill patients under the intensive insulin therapy: a Meta-analysis

Objective To evaluate the value of real time continuous blood glucose monitoring system (RT-CGMS) versus intermittent blood glucose monitoring (IGM) in the critically ill patients under intensive insulin therapy (IIT) . Methods A systematic searching randomized and controlled trials (RCT) in databases was performed for meta-analysis by Review Manager 5.2 software. Outcomes were hypoglycemia episode, alteration of mean blood glucose level, the percentage of time at a blood glucose level within optimal target range, and the early mortalities. Results Six studies, totally 531 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled SMD of mean blood glucose level was =-0.21 (95% SMD: -0.43 - 0.01, P =0.07) . The pooled SMD of percentage of time at a blood glucose level within optimal target range was 0.20 (95% SMD: -0.09 -0.49, P =0.18) . The pooled OR of hypoglycemia episode frequency was 0.20 (95% CI: 0.09 -0.43, P <0.01) . The pooled OR of early mortalities was 0.35 (95% CI: 0.14 -0.89, P =0.03) . Conclusions In critically ill patients under the intensive insulin therapy, RT-CGMS had obvious beneficial effect on reducing hypoglycemic events. RT-CGMS had no obvious beneficial effect on keeping blood glucose level within optimal target range. Key words: Critically ill patients; Real time continuous glucose monitoring system; Intensive insulin therapy; Meta-analysis

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide improves traumatic cognition via reversing imbalance of apoptosis/regeneration in hippocampal neurons after stress

AimsPrevious studies in our laboratory have demonstrated the increased neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus and abnormal hippocampal morphology after severe stress, which directly correlates to the pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aims to investigate the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on intrusive memory of posttraumatic stress in rats, and to analyze the mechanism of regeneration/apoptosis balance in the hippocampal neurons. Main methodsThe experimental rats received 20 inescapable electric foot shocks in an enclosed box for six times in three days. The rats were treated by intragastric administration of LBP (20mg/kg/day) for 3days before stress in the stress plus prophylactic group, and for 28days after stress in the stress plus therapeutic group. The emotion, intrusive memory-related behavior (freezing, open field, pain latency, spatial cognition), hippocampus cell morphology, and relation of neurogenesis and apoptosis in dental gyrus of the hippocampus were observed. The hippocampus volume was evaluated by stereology. Meanwhile, the neurogenesis and apoptosis were analyzed with 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine and terminal deoxylnucleotidyl transferase mediated-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. Key findingsThe treatment of LBP in pre-stress and post-stress had obvious beneficial effect on the behaviors and neurogenesis. The stressed rats showed improvement of intrusive memory related cognition defect, alleviation of the apoptosis in the hippocampus and recovery for the neurogenesis, which was related to the hippocampus volume after LBP treatment. SignificanceLBP treatment might effectively improve the traumatic cognition defect induced by severe stress and be useful for the intrusive memory-related cognition recovery.

Health-related quality of life after successful surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism: no additive effect from vitamin D supplementation: results of a double-blind randomized study.

Vitamin D insufficiency is common in primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). Patients with pHPT frequently have a reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Our objectives were to evaluate whether HRQoL in pHPT is associated with vitamin D insufficiency and whether vitamin D supplementation after parathyroidectomy (PTX) could improve HRQoL. A randomized, double-blind study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00982722). The study included 150 pHPT patients randomized, 6 weeks after PTX, to daily treatment with either cholecalciferol 1600 IU and calcium carbonate 1000 mg (D+) or calcium carbonate alone (D-). HRQoL was estimated with SF-36 before and after PTX and after 12 months of study medication. Three-quarters (77%) of the pHPT patients had vitamin D insufficiency, defined as 25OHD <50 nmol/l. The pHPT patients scored lower than a reference population in all domains of SF-36. A total of 135 patients completed the entire study period. Improvements in nearly all domains were registered at the follow-up 6 weeks after PTX. At the end of the study medication period, the D+ group had a significantly higher median serum (s-) 25OHD concentration (76 (65; 93) (lower; upper interquartile ranges) vs 48 (40; 62) nmol/l, P<0.001) and a lower plasma (p-) parathyroid hormone concentration (40 (34; 52) vs 49 (38; 66) ng/l, P=0.01) than the D- group. The improvements in HRQoL remained unchanged at the follow-up 1 year after PTX. Postoperative vitamin D supplementation had no obvious effect on HRQoL. PTX resulted in significant improvements in HRQoL. Despite a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, 1 year of postoperative vitamin D supplementation had no obvious beneficial effect on HRQoL.