Cerebralcare Granule® combined with nimodipine improves cognitive impairment in bilateral carotid artery occlusion rats by reducing lipocalin-2.

AIMS: Clinically, Cerebralcare Granule® (CG) has been widely utilized to treat various types of headache, chronic cerebral insufficiency and other diseases, and the effect is significant. Clinical studies have shown that CG can significantly relieve vascular dementia (VaD), however, the molecular mechanisms haven't been established. To clear the therapeutic mechanisms of CG against VaD, a hypothesis was proposed that CG could treat neurovascular injury by inhibiting the production of lipocalin-2 (LCN 2). MAIN METHODS: 90 dementia rats were selected by water maze test and randomly divided into 6 groups, including nimodipine (NM), CG L (low dose) (0.314 g kg-1), CG H (high dose) (0.628 g kg-1), and combined group (CG + NM). And in vitro neuronal cell OGD modeling to evaluate the effect of CG on JAK2/STAT3. KEY FINDINGS: CG could significantly shorten the escape latency of two-vessel occlusion (2-VO) rats, increase their exploratory behavior, alleviate the symptoms of VaD and improve the ultrastructural pathological damage of neurovascular unit and accelerate the recovery of cerebral blood perfusion. CG combined with NM is better than NM alone. It was further showed that CG could inhibit the pathogenicity of LCN 2 through JAK2/STAT3 pathway and suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines. It plays a role in the protection of cerebral microvasculature and BBB in 2-VO rats. SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, there data has supported notion that CG can protect the integrity of cerebral blood vessels and BBB and improve cognitive impairment through mainly inhibiting LCN 2, which provides scientific evidence for clinical application.

Caring characters and professional identity among graduate nursing students in China-A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Caring is recognized as the essence of nursing and the core of nursing practice while a positive professional identity can lead to personal, social and professional fulfillment. Analyzing caring characters and professional identity yields important indications for the improvement of teaching methods. This study aims to explore the graduate nursing students' professional identity and caring characters in China, and analyze their correlation. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to collect data from 216 graduate nursing students between January and February 2017 in China. RESULTS: Graduate nursing students perceived they possessed positive caring characters while their professional identity was at a low level. A significant positive correlation was found between the Nursing Caring Characters Assessment Tool and Professional Identity Scale for Nursing Students. CONCLUSION: Graduate nursing students' professional identity was not satisfactory and one strategy to improve this is to internalize caring into the education process. Nursing educators should focus more on the formation of the students' professional identity and caring as a contributing factor to it.

[Modern research and application of Longgu].

Longgu is the fossil of ancient mammals which was used as a common kind of mineral medicine. Longgu is always used to treat neurological diseases. Currently, the quality standard of Longgu is incomplete. Moreover, because of the non-renewable nature of the resource and the increase of national protection of fossils, the clinical application of Longgu is facing a series of problems. As the discovery of the ingredient and the development of forging technology researchers launched to search the substitutes of Longgu. The article summarizes the usage and the study of Longgu, in order that we can discuss the modern usage and substitutability of Longgu.

Tricycloalternarene derivatives from endophytic fungus Alternaria tenuissima SY-P-07.

A new tricycloalternarene, TCA 11a (1), was isolated from the culture broth of an endophytic fungus, Alternaria tenuissima SY-P-07, along with four known structurally related compounds 2-5. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, especially 2D NMR, and the absolute stereochemistry of 1 was suggested on the basis of the CD spectral analysis and NOESY data.

The synthetic melanocortin (CKPV)2 exerts anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory effects against Candida albicans vaginitis via inducing macrophage M2 polarization.

In this study, we examined anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory effects of the synthetic melanocortin peptide (Ac-Cys-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2)2 or (CKPV)2 against Candida albicans vaginitis. Our in vitro results showed that (CKPV)2 dose-dependently inhibited Candida albicans colonies formation. In a rat Candida albicans vaginitis model, (CKPV)2 significantly inhibited vaginal Candida albicans survival and macrophages sub-epithelial mucosa infiltration. For mechanisms study, we observed that (CKPV)2 inhibited macrophages phagocytosis of Candida albicans. Meanwhile, (CKPV)2 administration inhibited macrophage pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6) release, while increasing the arginase activity and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 production, suggesting macrophages M1 to M2 polarization. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) production was also induced by (CKPV)2 administration in macrophages. These above effects on macrophages by (CKPV)2 were almost reversed by melanocortin receptor-1(MC1R) siRNA knockdown, indicating the requirement of MC1R in the process. Altogether, our results suggest that (CKPV)2 exerted anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory activities against Candida albicans vaginitis probably through inducing macrophages M1 to M2 polarization and MC1R activation.

[Photodynamic therapy of pigmented choroidal melanomas in rabbits using hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose is to determine the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy of experimental choroidal melanoma in rabbits using hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME). METHODS: Pigmented choroidal melanomas were established in 46 New Zealand albino rabbit eyes. The animals were treated with daily injection of cyclosporine A. The tumors were followed up with funduscopic examination and ultrasonography until they were 1.5 to 4.6 mm in height. Then the rabbits were divided randomly into two groups. In the treatment group, 41 rabbits were injected intravenously with hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME, 10 mg/kg). 3 hours later, the tumors were irradiated at 630 nm through an He-Ne laser at estimated total light doses of 60 approximately 150 J/cm(2). Control animals (5 rabbit eyes) were treated with light only (2 rabbit eyes), photosensitizer only (2 rabbit eyes), or observation only (1 rabbit eyes). Each animal then was followed up for 4 to 5 weeks with indirect ophthalmoscopy, ultrasonography, and fundus photography (16 rabbit eyes among the treatment group were extirpated for pathologic examination 24 hours or 1 week after the treatment). In the end, all the rabbits were sacrificed and the pathologic examinations were performed. RESULTS: With the fluences of >or= 70 J/cm(2), all the tumors regressed evidently. With the fluence of 60 J/cm(2), not all the animals showed complete tumor arrest. In the control group, all the tumors showed continuous growth and filled most of the vitreous cavity in 2 to 3 weeks. CONCLUSION: The photodynamic therapy with homemade photosensitizer HMME may have a role in the treatment of pigmented choroidal melanomas.