Meanings of polysaccharides in traditional Chinese medicines decoction from the viewpoint of its gut microbiota regulation effects / 药学学报

Decoction is one of the traditional dosage forms of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). In addition to small molecular components, decoction also contains polysaccharides and other macromolecular components. For a long time, ethanol precipitation has been commonly used during TCMs based new drug development to remove "ineffective macromolecular components", and enrich "active small molecules components", so as to improve the subsequent formability of the preparations. With the recognition of the relationships between gut microbiota and host health/disease, and the potential prebiotic effects of natural polysaccharides, the important values of polysaccharides in TCMs decoctions have been gradually emerged. Based on the representative findings of our own research and the literatures, the potential prebiotics function of TCMs polysaccharides were reviewed regarding its related effects on host physiological and pathological processes of metabolic function, bowel function, immunity, inflammation, emotion and tumor, on the metabolism and absorption of coexisting small molecule components, as well as the structure-function features, so that the meanings of polysaccharides in TCMs decoction were discussed and emphasized, and hopefully to provide enlightenment for the premise of attaching importance to the existence of polysaccharide components in the process of innovative drug research and development based on classical and clinical TCMs prescriptions.

Determination of medium- and short-chain fatty acids in feces by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS with pre-column derivatization / 药学学报

A pre-column derivatization and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) method was developed for qualitative and quantitative determination of medium- and short-chain fatty acids in mice feces, and was further applied to evaluate variations in the feces of mice before and after antibiotic treatment. This animal experiment had been approved by Animal Experimental Ethics Committee of Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. By optimizing the derivatization conditions and UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS parameters a new UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS method with 3-nitrophenylhydrazine as the derivatization reagent was developed for simultaneous determination of 16 medium- and short-chain fatty acids. Validation studies showed that the linearity of the calibration curves was good (R2>0.99), the RSD of intra-day and inter-day precision was less than 10%, the repeatability RSD was less than 6%, the recovery rate was between 80% - 120% at three spiked levels, and the stability RSD was less than 7% within 36 h. The types and amounts of the detected medium- and short-chain fatty acids in feces significantly changed after the mice were treated with antibiotics. The content of formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, valeric acid, and lactic acid decreased, whereas that of heptanoic acid and succinic acid increased significantly. All these results suggest that the newly established method is accurate and reliable, and can be used for determination of medium- and short-chain fatty acids in feces.

Investigating mechanism of Qingfei Dayuan Granules for treatment of COVID-19 based on network pharmacology and molecular docking / 中草药

Objective: To explore the main active components, key targets and signaling pathways of Qingfei Dayuan Granules in treating of COVID-19 based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. Methods: TCMSP, ETCM and YATCM databases were used to search the chemical constituents of Qingfei Dayuan Granules, and the threshold values of OB ≥ 30% and DL ≥0.18 were used to screen the potential active compounds. SIB and STITCH databases were used to query the targets corresponding to the active compounds, and the PPI network and network topology parameters were obtained by using STRING database. Cytoscape 3.6.0 was used to screen the hub targets. The key targets were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO), the Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment and tissue enrichment using DAVID 6.8 software. The molecular docking was performed by AutoDock Tools 1.5.6 software. Results: A total of 251 active compounds and 1 037 targets were obtained, 107 key targets and 185 corresponding compounds were screened. The key targets involved ESR1, AR, EGFR, KDR, MMP2, and 52 genes were coexpressed with ACE2. The results of GO function enrichment analysis showed that Qingfei Dayuan Granules mainly regulated the biological processes of cell surface signaling transduction, molecular function, phosphorylation and transcription. KEGG pathway enrichment mainly involved chemokine signaling pathway, T cell receptor signaling pathway, B cell receptor signaling pathway, natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity and Toll like receptor signaling pathway. The results of tissue enrichment showed that the key gene expression sites were mainly in lung and epithelial cells, involving a variety of immune cells, such as T cells, B cells, lymphocytes, etc. Molecular docking showed that the compounds with good binding power to SARS-CoV-2-RBD-ACE2 complex in Qingfei Dayuan granules were mainly come from Bupleuri Radix, Codonopsis Radix, Anemarrhenae Rhizoma, and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. Saikosaponin, glycyrrhizic acid, anemarsaponin had good binding power with SARS-CoV-2-S-RBD-ACE2, which may be potential active components against SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion: Qingfei Dayuan Granules has the characteristics of multi-components, multi-targets and multi-pathway regulation. Saikosaponin, glycyrrhizic acid, and anemarsaponin may be the potential active components against SARS-CoV-2. The mechanisms of its treatment against COVID-19 may be related to the regulation of the co-expressed genes with ACE2, inhibition of inflammation and immune related signaling pathways, and the destruction of the complex structure of SARS-CoV-2-S-RBD-ACE2.

Active Components and Mechanism of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma on Renal Fibrosis Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To explore the active components, potential targets and signaling pathways of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma in the treatment of renal fibrosis based on the network pharmacology method, and then to verify the target genes in vitro. Method::Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID) were retrieved to obtain the main active ingredients of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. The potential anti-renal fibrosis targets of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma were predicted by similarity ensemble approach (SEA), Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) and GeneCards Database. Target protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by using String Version 10.5 database. David 6.8 software was used for gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the key targets. Cytoscape Version 3.6.0 software was used for visualized analysis of PPI network, active ingredient-key target network and the ingredient-target-signal pathway network. In combination with Malachards database, the signal pathways with high correlation with renal fibrosis were screened. Then, cell experiments were used for verification: HK-2 cells were selected to establish fibrosis model by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) stimulation. The cells were treated with rhein for 48 hours. Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression level of hypoxia inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1 α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α (PDGFR-α). Protein expression levels of E-cadherin and α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were detected by immunofluorescence. Apoptosis was detected with flow cytometry. Result::Totally 17 active ingredients of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and 424 targets of anti-renal fibrosis effect were screened out, including five key targets: protein kinase B(Akt)1, mitogen activated protein kinases 3(MAPK3), epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), interleukin(IL)-6 and VEGFA in turn. The biological process of GO enrichment mainly involved signal transduction, cell proliferation and apoptotic process. The results of KEGG pathway enrichment showed that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/Akt, HIF-1, VEGF, and forkhead transcription factor (FoxO) pathways were related to the anti-renal fibrosis mechanism of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. Results of the in vitro experiment proved that rhein could inhibit the expression of E-cadherin, α-SMA, HIF-1α, VEGF and PDGFR-α. In addition, rhein inhibited apoptosis induced by TGF-β1 in HK-2 cells. Part of the prediction results of network pharmacology were verified. Conclusion::This study reflects the multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway mechanism characteristics of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. The mechanisms of its anti-renal fibrosis effects may be related to inhibiting HIF-1 α / VEGF /PDGFR-α signaling pathway, apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular epithelial cells.

Effect of Different Effective Parts of Taohe Chengqitang on Synthesis and Degradation of Extracellular Matrix in HK-2 Cells Induced by TGF-β1 / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of different effective parts of Taohe Chengqitang on the synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix in human kideny-2（HK-2） cells induced by transforming growth factor-β1（TGF-β1）. Method:Petroleum ether extract, ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract, raffinate and polysaccharide extract, mirabilite extract were extracted with 70% ethanol by systematic solvent method. The HK-2 cell fibrosis model induced by TGF-β1 was built to intervene the cells in different parts of Taohe Chengqitang with different concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 mg·L-1). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）kit assay was used to detect collagen（Col）-Ⅰα1 and fibronectin （FN）in supernatant to screen out the main active parts. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）method was used to determine the best concentration of intervention site of bioactive components. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression levels of Col-Ⅰ, Col-Ⅲ, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor2 (TIMP2), and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the expression of α-smooth muscle actin（α-SMA）. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） analysis was used to detect the mRNA expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1（PAI-1）. Result:ELISA kit assay demonstrated that compared with the model group, ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract and chloroform extract significantly reduced the Col-Ⅰα1 and FN content at the concentrations of 200 and 400 mg·L-1 (P<0.05, P<0.01). CCK-8 assay showed that the cells viability was significantly inhibited with drug intervention at the concentrations of 400 and 800 mg·L-1 (P<0.01). Western blot demonstrated that compared with the model group, ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract and chloroform extract decreased the expression levels of Col-Ⅰ, Col-Ⅲ, TIMP2 and CTGF in HK-2 cells induced by TGF-β1, and increased the expression of MMP-2 (P<0.05), with more significant effect in n-butanol extract (P<0.01). The results of immunofluorescence showed that ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract and chloroform extract could inhibit the expression of α-SMA (P<0.05), with more significant effect in n-butanol extract (P<0.01). The results of Real-time PCR showed that ethyl acetate extract and chloroform extract inhibited mRNA expression of PAI-1 (P<0.05), with more significant effect in n-butanol extract (P<0.01). Conclusion:The extracts of ethyl acetate, n-butanol and chloroform are the active parts of Taohe Chengqitang with the anti-renal fibrosis effect, with n-butanol extract as the most active part. The mechanism on anti-renal fibrosis may be related to its regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and degradation.

Effect of Coptidis Rhizoma on Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathway PERK/ATF4/CHOP in Pancreas of Rats with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To observe the effect of Coptidis Rhizoma on blood sugar, inflammatory factors and protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK)/activating transcription factor 4(ATF4)/CCAAT/enhace-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) pathway in type 2 diabetic mellitus rats. Method: The 80 SPF grade male rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group,metformin hydrochloride group, Coptidis Rhizoma group,with 20 rats in each group.The rats in the abnormal group were given "10-week high-sugar and high-fat diet+intraperitoneal injection of low dose streptozotocin (STZ)" regimen. Metformin hydrochloride group was given 0.2 g·kg-1·d-1, while rhizoma coptidis group was given 0.4 g·kg-1·d-1. Both model group and normal group were given the same amount of distilled water once a day.Fasting blood glucose (FBG),C reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) at an acute stage after 5-week intervention were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. Immunohistochemistry method was perforined with proteins glucoseregulated protein 78 (GRP78),ATF4,CHOP.Western blot assay was used to detect PERK,phosphorylated PKR like endoplasmic reticulum regulating kinase(p-PERK). Result: Compared with normal group,the FBG,CRP,TNF-α,p-PERK,GRP78,ATF4 and CHOP of model group improved(Pα,p-PERK,GRP78,ATF4,CHOP in contrast with model group(PConclusion: Coptidis Rhizoma can reduce blood sugar and reduce the levels of inflammatory factors,inhibit plasmic reticulum stress PERK/ATF4/CH0P pathway, and reduce CHOP, ATF4, GRP78, p-PERK expression in rats.

Selective impairment of musical emotion recognition in patients with amnesic mild cognitive impairment and mild to moderate Alzheimer disease / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have deficits in emotion recognition. However, it has not yet been determined whether patients with AD and aMCI also experience difficulty in recognizing the emotions conveyed by music. This study was conducted to investigate whether musical emotion recognition is impaired or retained in patients with AD and aMCI.@*METHODS@#All patients were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between March 1, 2015 and January 31, 2017. Using the musical emotion recognition test, patients with AD (n = 16), patients with aMCI (n = 19), and healthy controls (HCs, n = 16) were required to choose one of four emotional labels (happy, sad, peaceful, and fearful) that matched each musical excerpt. Emotion recognition scores in three groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. We also investigated the relationship between the emotion recognition scores and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) using Pearson's correlation analysis test in patients with AD and aMCI.@*RESULTS@#Compared to the HC group, both of the patient groups showed deficits in the recognition of fearful musical emotions (HC: 7.88 ± 1.36; aMCI: 5.05 ± 2.34; AD: 3.69 ± 2.02), with results of a one-way ANOVA confirming a significant main effect of group (F(2,50) = 18.70, P < 0.001). No significant differences were present among the three groups for the happy (F(2,50)=2.57, P = 0.09), peaceful (F(2,50) = 0.38, P = 0.09), or sad (F(2,50) = 2.50, P = 0.09) musical emotions. The recognition of fearful musical emotion was positively associated with general cognition, which was evaluated by MMSE in patients with AD and aMCI (r = 0.578, P < 0.001). The correlations between the MMSE scores and recognition of the remaining emotions were not significant (happy, r = 0.228, P = 0.11; peaceful, r = 0.047, P = 0.74; sad, r = 0.207, P = 0.15).@*CONCLUSION@#This study showed that both patients with AD and aMCI had decreased ability to distinguish fearful emotions, which might be correlated with diminished cognitive function.

Selective impairment of musical emotion recognition in patients with amnesic mild cognitive impairment and mild to moderate Alzheimer disease / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background@#Patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have deficits in emotion recognition. However, it has not yet been determined whether patients with AD and aMCI also experience difficulty in recognizing the emotions conveyed by music. This study was conducted to investigate whether musical emotion recognition is impaired or retained in patients with AD and aMCI.@*Methods@#All patients were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between March 1, 2015 and January 31, 2017. Using the musical emotion recognition test, patients with AD (n = 16), patients with aMCI (n = 19), and healthy controls (HCs, n = 16) were required to choose one of four emotional labels (happy, sad, peaceful, and fearful) that matched each musical excerpt. Emotion recognition scores in three groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. We also investigated the relationship between the emotion recognition scores and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) using Pearson’s correlation analysis test in patients with AD and aMCI.@*Results@#Compared to the HC group, both of the patient groups showed deficits in the recognition of fearful musical emotions (HC: 7.88 ± 1.36; aMCI: 5.05 ± 2.34; AD: 3.69 ± 2.02), with results of a one-way ANOVA confirming a significant main effect of group (F(2,50) = 18.70, P < 0.001). No significant differences were present among the three groups for the happy (F(2,50)=2.57, P = 0.09), peaceful (F(2,50) = 0.38, P = 0.09), or sad (F(2,50) = 2.50, P = 0.09) musical emotions. The recognition of fearful musical emotion was positively associated with general cognition, which was evaluated by MMSE in patients with AD and aMCI (r = 0.578, P < 0.001). The correlations between the MMSE scores and recognition of the remaining emotions were not significant (happy, r = 0.228, P= 0.11; peaceful, r= 0.047, P= 0.74; sad, r= 0.207, P= 0.15).@*Conclusion@#This study showed that both patients with AD and aMCI had decreased ability to distinguish fearful emotions, which might be correlated with diminished cognitive function.

Neurological responses of embryo-larval zebrafish to short-term sediment exposure to decabromodiphenylethane / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) has been widely used as an alternative flame retardant due to the restriction or phase-out of traditional polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and is of increasing concern regarding its ubiquity, persistence, and potential adverse effects. In the present study, the toxicological effects of DBDPE were evaluated using zebrafish as an in vivo model. Upon being exposed to DBDPE-polluted sediments for a short term, it was found that the mortality and malformation of zebrafish (including edema, bent notochord, and bent tail) were not affected even at the highest concentration tested (1000.0 µg/kg dry sediment). Regarding behavioral responses, it was found that zebrafish larvae of 48 hours post fertilization (hpf) in all groups escaped successfully with a touch to the dorsal fin. However, when exposed to the highest DBDPE concentration, the larvae of 120 hpf exhibited significantly smaller distances as compared to the control. Moreover, the results of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, the expression levels of two important nerve-related genes, and the cell apoptosis all indicated that DBDPE posed low neurotoxicity in embryo-larval zebrafish. The results in this study shed some light on the potential risks of DBDPE in the real environment and highlight the application of the sediment exposure route in the future.

Correlation Factor Analysis for Cardiac Morphology and Valvular Regurgitation in Normal Tibetan Population at High Altitude Area / 中国循环杂志

Objective: To explore the correlation factors for cardiac morphology and valvular regurgitation in normal Tibetan population at high altitude area. Methods: Based onTibetan permanent resident population, a 4-stage cluster random sampling was conducted to drawn normal Tibetan subjects. Personal information and medical history were collected; physical parameters including blood and urine tests, ECG, chest X-ray and echocardiography were examined; cardiac morphology and valvular stenosis and regurgitation were detected. Canonical correlation study and Logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate the correlation factors for cardiac structure and function. Results: A population of 4 688 in Tibetan area were involved and 1 820 normal subjects were studied including 694 from Lhasa, 575 from Naqu, 286 from Nyingchi and 265 from Shigatse area. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that in normal Tibetan population, the major relevant physiological parameters for measuring right ventricle were age, blood oxygen saturation and body weight; for left ventricle were body weight, age and height; gender had no real differences. Logistic regression analysis presented that body weight, pulse and blood oxygen saturation were negatively related to mild tricuspid regurgitation; age was positively related to mild mitral and aortic regurgitations, all P<0.01. Conclusion: Age and body weight were the correlation factors for cardiac morphology and mild valvular regurgitation in normal Tibetan population at high altitude area, which should be alert in heart disease investigation.

Development of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS combined with reference herb approach to rapidly screen commercial sulfur-fumigated ginseng / 中国中药杂志

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) combined with reference herb method was developed to rapidly screen commercial sulfur-fumigated ginseng. Sufur-fumigated ginseng reference herb was prepared using genuine ginseng by conventional procedure. Then the reference sulfur-fumigated ginseng sample was analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS to identify characteristic marker components. 25-hydroxyl-Re sulfate with higher abundance was se- lected as marker compound from 8 characteristic components identified in sulfur-fumigated ginseng reference herb. The fragmentation of 25-hydroxyl-Re sulfate was extensively investigated, fragment ion m/z 879.44 with higher intensity was chosen as the characteristic ion of sulfur-fumigated ginseng. The response of ion m/z 879. 44 was improved by optimizing the MS conditions so that this ion could be used as the characteristic marker ion for screening purpose in ion extracting screening mode. The established approach was successfully applied to inspect 21 commercial ginseng samples collected from different cities in China It was found that the chemical profiles of 9 samples were similar to that of sulfur-fumigated ginseng reference herb, and the characteristic ion m/z 879. 44 of 25-hydroxyl-Re sulfate was also detected in these samples, suggesting that there were nearly 43% ginseng samples analyzed being sulfur-fumigated. This findng agreed well with the results of sulfur dioxide residues of these 21 commercial ginseng samples determined with the method documented in Chinese Pharmacopeia Compared with the method documented in Chinese Pharmacopeia, the proposed approach is more rapid and specific for screening sulfur-fumigated ginseng. SFDA of China should strengthen the enforcement to prohibit ginseng being sulfur-fumigated, so that ginseng and it preparations could be effectively and safely benefit to the health of human beings.

A comparative study of target vessel assessments by three- and two-dimensional quantitative coronary X-ray angiography and visual estimation / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) quantitative coronary X-ray angiography (QCA) and visual estimation in the assessment of target vessels.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The radiographic data of 60 patients (65 vessel segments) receiving coronary angiography and interventional stent placement were retrospectively analyzed. The area stenosis, diameter stenosis, lesion length, and reference diameter assessed by Medis 3D QCA, Siemens 2D QCA and visual estimation were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Three-dimensional reconstruction was successfully performed for 65 vessel segments, and 3 target vessel were excluded due to the lack of a second angiographic view for 3D reconstruction. There were significant differences in the assessments of the area stenosis [(73.87 ∓ 8.98)% vs (79.10 ∓ 8.06)% vs (83.53 ∓ 8.19)%, P<0.001], lesion length (28.95 ∓ 17.31 mm vs 26.20 ∓ 16.04 mm vs 27.21 ∓ 16.58 mm, P<0.001), reference diameter (28.95 ∓ 17.31 mm vs 26.2 ∓ 16.04 mm vs 27.21∓16.58 mm, P<0.001) by 3D QCA, 2D QCA and visual estimation; the diameter stenosis assessed by 3D [(54.21 ∓ 9.48)%] and 2D QCA [(57.84 ∓ 10.17)%] also differed significantly (P=0.016).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>3D QCA allows successful three-dimensional reconstruction of the target vessel and restores the actual dimensions of the vessel for a more accurate assessment of coronary artery disease than 2D QCA and visual estimation.</p>

Effect of losartan on renal expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and transforming growth factor-β(1) in rats after unilateral ureteral obstruction / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of losartan on the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1) and transforming growth factor-β(1) (TGF-β(1)) in the kidney of rats with unilateral urethral obstruction (UUO) and evaluate protective effect of losartan against reanal interstitial fibrosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rat models of UUO were treated with losartan at the routine dose, high dose, and very high dose (50, 200, and 500 mg/kg daily, respectively), and saline was given to UUO model rats and rats with sham operation. At 7, 14, and 21 days, the tail cuff blood pressure (TCP), 24-h urine protein (Upro), serum Scr, BUN, K(+), percentage of renal damage and renal interstitial fibrosis (%INT) were measured in the rats. MCP1 protein in the renal tissues was detected using immunohistochemistry, and MCP1 and TGF-β(1) mRNA expressions were assayed using RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>As the UUO prolonged, Upro, TCP, tubular damage, %INT, and MCP1 and TGF-β(1) mRNA expressions all increased significantly (P<0.05). High and very high doses of losartan, compared with the routine dose, obviously reversed these changes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>High-dose losartan can effectively control blood pressure, reduce renal damage and fibrosis, and inhibit MCP1 and TGF-β(1) expression in rats with UUO, and at a very high dose, losartan can more effectively reduce 24-h Upro than the high-dose group. High and very high doses of losartan offer better protective effect on the kidney in rats with UUO.</p>

Analysis of glucose levels and the risk for coronary heart disease in elderly patients in Guangzhou Haizhu district / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes and their association with the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) in elderly residents in Haizhu District of Guangzhou.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Stratified random sampling was employed to select a total of 1800 resident aged 50 years or older in the region. The fasting fingertip blood glucose>5.6 mmol/L was used as the criterion for the initial screening. The data were collected from qualified subjects via scheduled questionnaire surveys, blood collection and testing, and physical examination. The subjects were divided into the 3 groups, namely normal blood glucose, prediabetes, and diabetes groups. The combination rates of the relevant risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipemia, obesity, and central obesity) were compared among the groups by Framingham Heart Study to predict the occurrence of CHD in 10 years.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence was 11.00% for prediabetes and 7.56% for diabetes in the elderly residents in Haizhu District. The occurrence of hypertension, hyperlipemia, obesity, and central obesity was significant higher in the prediabetes and diabetes group than in the normal blood glucose group, and showed no significant differences between the former two groups. The 10-year risks for CHD were markedly higher in both the prediabetes and diabetes groups than in the normal blood glucose group, but similar between the former two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Elderly patients with prediabetes and diabetes have significantly increased 10-year risk for CHD in comparison with those with normal blood glucose, but the risk is similar between the former two groups, indicating a close association of IGR (impaired fasting glucose+ impaired fasting glucose) with CHD. Early control of blood glucose is essential to the prevention and control of CHD.</p>

Risk factors of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a case-control study / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the potential risk factors of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) in China.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>A case-control study including 317 patients with pathologically confirmed ICC and 634 healthy individuals was conducted. The cases and controls were matched in age, sex and inhabitancy. Data were statistically analyzed by Chi-square test and conditional logistic regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Univariate analysis showed significant difference in HBsAg seropositivity, liver cirrhosis, hepatolithiasis, choledocholithiasis and schistosomiasis between ICC patients and healthy controls (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that HBsAg seropositivity, liver cirrhosis, hepatolithiasis and hepatic schistosomiasis were associated with ICC, and their adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) were 10.265 (6.676-15.783), 13.101 (5.265-32.604), 18.242 (3.580-92.958), 18.435 (1.930-176.082), 15.102 (4.607-49.499) and 11.820 (3.522-39.668), respectively. The incidence of hepatic cyst, cholecystolithiasis, hepatic hemangioma, fatty liver, diabetes mellitus, smoking and drinking were not significantly different between ICC patients and controls.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The HBV infection, liver cirrhosis, hepatolithiasis and hepatic schistosomiasis may be the risk factors for ICC in China.</p>