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Objective@#To investigate the effects of tanshinone ⅡA on atherosclerosis plaque formation and adventitial mast cells activation in high-fat-diet induced Apo E-/- mice model.@*Methods@#Sixteen 8-week-old Apo E-/-male mice and eight 8-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were randomly allocated into following group: the control group (C57BL/6 + carboxymethyl cellulose per gavage), the atherogenic group (Apo E-/-+carboxymethyl cellulose per gavage) and the tanshinoneⅡA intervention group (Apo E-/-+30 mg/kg tanshinone ⅡA per gavage). All three groups were fed with high-fat-diet for 26 weeks. Tanshinone ⅡA/carboxymethyl cellulose was applied by the method of gavage administration 6 weeks before execution. After 26 weeks, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) andinterleukin (IL)-6 levels in serum were assessed by ELISA. Carotid artery was removed, fixed with paraformaldehyde, embedded with paraffin and sectioned. Percentage of stenosis was evaluated on HE stained sections. Plaque progression was assessed by Movat staining. Toluidine blue staining was used to evaluate mast cells infiltration and activation. Immunochemistry staining was used to assess 5-HT, TNF-α and IL-6 expression. mRNA expression of mast cell marker Fcer1a in adventitial tissue was detected by real time-PCR.@*Results@#After high-fat-diet for 26 weeks, the mice in the atherogenic group showed advanced atherosclerosis, tanshinoneⅡA intervention reduced the percentage of carotid artery stenosis caused by atherosclerotic plaque formation ((58.48±8.07)% vs. (80.31±4.08)%, P<0.05). Compared with the atherogenic group, tanshinone ⅡA intervention group had lower level of TNF-α ((12.39±1.62)pg/ml vs. (17.44±1.42)pg/ml) and IL-6 ((116.24±12.16)pg/ml vs. (166.05±19.09)pg/ml) in serum, lower TNF-α ((20 145±1 556) vs. (25 288±1 671)) and IL-6 ((25 688±1 604) vs. (35 286±4 198)) expression in adventitia (all P<0.05). TanshinoneⅡA intervention also decreased the number of mast cells infiltration and activation, reduced 5-HT expression and mast cell marker Fcer1a mRNA relative expression in adventitia (all P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#Tanshinone ⅡA could attenuate induced by high-fat-diet carotid artery atherosclerosis in Apo E-/- mice. The protective effect of tanshinoneⅡA is probably mediated through reducing the number and activation percentage of mast cells, decreasing the release of inflammatory cytokines and inflammation of carotid artery in adventitia.
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Objective@#To establish the mouse aorta dissection (AD) model through drinking water containing β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN).@*Methods@#Forty 3-week-old C57B1/6J male mice were divided into four groups according to randomized block design: control, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN groups (dissolving respective dose of BAPN in the drinking water, n=10 each group). Arterial systolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured weekly in conscious, restrained mice using a noninvasive computerized tail-cuff system. Mice those died of rupture of aortic dissecting aneurysm during the study were autopsied and the aorta was examined. After 4 weeks, survived mice were sacrificed by an overdose of sodium pentobarbital and the whole aorta was harvested and analyzed.@*Results@#The incidence of AD and the mortality of ruptured AD was 0 and 0 in control group, 30% (3/10) and 20% (2/10) in 0.2 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN group, 50% (5/10) and 40% (4/10) in 0.4 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN group, 90% (9/10) and 70% (7/10) in 0.8 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN group (both P<0.05 vs. control group). The incidence of AD and the mortality of ruptured AD increased in proportion to BAPN concentration increase. In 0.8 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN group, 7 mice died of dissecting aneurysm rupture during the experiment, among which 5 dissecting aneurysms were mainly located in the thoracic aorta and 2 dissecting aneurysms in abdominal aorta. The diameters of thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta were (1.38±0.19) and (1.23±0.13) mm in control group, (2.43±1.56) and (1.30±0.26) mm in 0.2 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN group, (2.45±1.28) and (1.30±0.31) mm in 0.4 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN group, (2.87±0.57) and (1.95±0.81) mm in 0.8 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN group (both P<0.05 vs. control group). The diameters of thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta in mice also increased in proportion with BAPN concentration increase. Furthermore, blood-filled false lumen formation and elastic fibers fragmentation were evidenced in hematoxylin-eosin stained and Vitoria blue-Sirius red stained aortic cross-sections of mice in the 0.8 g·kg-1·d-1 BAPN group.@*Conclusion@#BAPN treatment induced aortic dissection model in C57Bl/6J mice can serve as a useful wild-type mouse model for the mechanism and pharmaceutical studies of AD.
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Objective To establish a mouse model of aorta dissection (AD) by β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) in drinking water + subcutaneously pumped angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion.Methods Forty 3-week-old C57B1/6J male mice were randomly divided into two groups.All animals received 0.1 g/kg/d BAPN in drinking water for 4 weeks.Then the BAPN drinking + saline infusion group and BAPN drinking + Ang II infusion group received continuous saline or Ang II (1,000 ng/kg/min) infusion, respectively, via subcutaneous osmotic minipump for 72 hour.The mice were restricted in a noninvasive computerized tail-cuff system and their arterial systolic blood pressure and heart rate were monitored.Autopsy was performed if a mouse died during the experiment.At the end of the experiment, mice were sacrificed by injection with an overdose of sodium pentobarbital and the aortas were harvested.The formation of aortic false lumen was observed by pathology using hematoxylin-eosin staining.Results The overall incidence of AD in the BAPN drinking administration +Ang II infusion group was 95%, whereas the incidence of AD in the BAPN drinking administration +saline infusion group was only 5%.The mortality from dissecting aneurysm rupture was 24% in the BAPN drinking administration +Ang II infusion group during the experiment.Pathological examination of the aortic cross-sections clearly showed the formation of blood-filled false lumens induced by Ang II.Conclusions A mouse model with high incidence of aortic dissection is successfully established.
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Objective To determine the ameliorative effects of Junzhi beverageⅠon neurobehavioral functions in subjects exposed to long-term sustained work.Methods Forty male students of a military institution were randomized into control group ( n=20 ) and the intervention group ( n=20 ) .All the subjects were exposed to 10-hours′high intensity mental work continuously (8∶00-18∶00).At 12∶50, the intervention group drunk a bottle of water with Junzhi beverageⅠ, but the control group drunk water of the same volume only.At 17∶00, neurobehavioral functions of all the subjects were tested by neurobehavioral core test battery (WHO-NCTB) and attention span test(AST).Results According to the results of WHO-NCBT, after 10-hours′continuous mental work,the profile of mood state in the intervention group was more stable than in the control group with lower scores in negative mood and higher scores in positive mood.Meanwhile, some of the neurobehavioral indexes were also found to be significantly improved, including shortened mean time of simple reaction and decreased error reaction rate, enhanced digit span backward, higher scores in Beton test , digit symbol test, Santa Ana practice hand and correct dot number (P<0.05).In addition, higher scores were obtained in the intervention group in AST(P<0.05).Conclusion Junzhi beverageⅠ can significantly improve the neurobehavioral function under sustained mental work conditions, which suggests that the beverage has the potential to postpone mental fatigue protect and enhance cognitive function.
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Objective To study the relationship between plasma free fatty acids composition and the incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) .Methods By the design of case‐control study ,105 patients with NAFLD as cases and 110 healthy peo‐ple as controls were enrolled into the study .Plasma free fatty acid levels were determined by gas chromatography .Results High level of plasma palmitic acid(C16 :0)(OR=1 .769) was the risk factors of NAFLD ,while plasma levels of linoleic acid(C18 :2 n‐6) (OR=0 .855) and arachidonic acid(C20 :4 n‐6)(OR=0 .181)were negatively associated with the incidence of NAFLD .Conclusion These findings suggest that a proper ratio of diet fatty acids intake may reduce the risk of NAFLD .
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Recurrent urinary tract infection (RUTI) is a common disease in China. Modern medicine usually treats it with antibiotics. However, the drug resistance and adverse reaction of antibiotics lower the therapeutic effects and the compliance of patients. Based on the overall concept of Chinese medicine and the relationship of pathogenic factors and vital qi, Professor Zhang Qi proposed the general principles of RUTI treatment according to its different phases and patterns. The principles are listed as follows, eliminating method was used in the treatment of excess pattern;invigorating method was used in the treatment of deficiency pattern; and promoting of body resistance and eliminating pathogenic factors method was used in the treatment of the deficiency-excess complex pattern. These principles have instructional significance for clinical application.