Protective mechanism of tetramethylpyrazine on cardiovascular system / 中国中药杂志

Tetramethylpyrazine is the main component of Ligusticum chuanxiong. Studies have found that tetramethylpyrazine has a good protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. In the heart, tetramethylpyrazine can reduce myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting oxidative stress, regulating autophagy, and inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Tetramethylpyrazine can also reduce the damage of cardiomyocytes caused by inflammation, relieve the fibrosis and hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes in infarcted myocardium, and inhibit the expansion of the cardiac cavity after myocardial infarction. In addition, tetramethylpyrazine also has a protective effect on the improvement of familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Besides, the mechanisms of tetramethylpyrazine on blood vessels are more abundant. It can inhibit endothelial cell apoptosis by reducing oxidative stress, maintain vascular endothelial function and homeostasis by inhibiting inflammation and glycocalyx degradation, and protect vascular endothelial cells by reducing iron overload. Tetramethylpyrazine also has a certain inhibitory effect on thrombosis. It can play an anti-thrombotic effect by reducing inflammatory factors and adhesion molecules, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and suppressing the expression of fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor. In addition, tetramethylpyrazine can also reduce the level of blood lipid in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, inhibit the subcutaneous deposition of lipids, inhibit the transformation of macrophages into foam cells, and inhibit the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, thereby reducing the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. In combination with network pharmacology, the protective mechanism of tetramethylpyrazine on the cardiovascular system may be mainly achieved through the regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/Akt), hypoxia-inducible factor 1(HIF-1), and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) pathways. Tetramethylpyrazine hydrochloride and sodium chloride injection has been approved for clinical application, but some adverse reactions have been found in clinical application, which need to be paid attention to.

Influencing factors for intrahepatic distant recurrence of liver cancer after radiofrequency ablation / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the influencing factors affecting intrahepatic distant recurrence after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for primary hepatic cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty patients with primary hepatic tumors underwent RFA treatment between January 2002 and June 2005 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 49 males and 31 females aged from 34 to 84 years old. The tumor size was less than 5 cm and no more than 3 nodules. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate the risk factors for intrahepatic distant recurrence after RFA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cumulative rates of intrahepatic distant recurrence were 6.3%, 32.0%, and 67.3% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that pretreatment serum AFP level of >or= 50 microg/L (P = 0.029), decarboxy prothrombin (DCP) level of >or= 40 mAu/ml (P = 0.004), ablative margin of < 1 cm (P = 0.035), prothrombin time activity percent target of < 70% (P = 0.012), and poor Child-Pugh grade (P = 0.002) were related to intrahepatic distant recurrence. A multivariate analysis revealed that pretreatment serum AFP and DCP level, ablative margin and Child-Pugh grade were independent risk factors for intrahepatic distant recurrence.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Primary liver cancer patients with high serum AFP, DCP and poor Child-Pugh grade before RFA should be carefully followed up to monitor any intrahepatic distant recurrence. A sufficient ablative margin in RFA for primary liver cancer is required to prevent recurrence.</p>

A Chinese autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease family probably related to PKD2 gene / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the genetic heterogeneity of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in Chinese.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and non-denatured polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the authors analyzed eight microsatellite markers closely linked to PKD1 or PKD2 genes respectively in a Chinese ADPKD family.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Seven informative markers were found in this family, including KG8, SM6, CW4 and CW2 which are tightly linked to PKD1, and D4S1563, D4S414 and D4S423 which are linked to PKD2. After the process of genotyping, the haplotypes were estimated with Cyrillic 2.0, and the linkage-based analysis suggested that the disease is not linked to PKD1 other than PKD2.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In China this non-PKD1 family is the second one, but it is the first reported PKD2 family showing the genetic heterogeneity of ADPKD in Chinese. In the family the affected mother transmits the disease and the affected members' phenotypes are eterogeneous. In addition, the existing "anticipation" and the presence of the disease in a child of this family suggest that non-PKD1 linked families may have early-onset of the disease in child.</p>