Endovascular treatment of ruptured lobulated anterior communicating artery aneurysms: A retrospective study of 24 patients.

BACKGROUND: Lobulated intracranial aneurysm is a special type of aneurysm with at least one additional cyst in the neck or body of the aneurysm. Lobulated intracranial aneurysm is a complex aneurysm with complex morphology and structure and weak tumor wall, which is an independent risk factor for rupture and hemorrhage. Lobular aneurysms located in the anterior communicating artery complex account for 36.9% of all intracranial lobular aneurysms. Due to its special anatomical structure, both craniotomy and endovascular treatment are more difficult. Compared with single-capsule aneurysms, craniotomy for lobular intracranial aneurysms has a higher risk and complication rate. AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment for ruptured lobulated anterior communicating artery aneurysm (ACoAA). METHODS: Patients with ruptured lobulated ACoAA received endovascular treatment in Sanming First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University from June 2020 to June 2022 were retrospectively included. Their demographic, clinical and imaging characteristics, endovascular treatment methods and follow-up results were collected. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients with ruptured lobulated ACoAA were included, including 9 males (37.5%) and 15 females (62.5%). Their age was 56.2 ± 8.9 years old (range 39-74). The time from rupture to endovascular treatment was 10.9 ± 12.5 h. The maximum diameter of the aneurysms was 5.1 ± 1.0 mm and neck width were 3.0 ± 0.7 mm. Nineteen patients (79.2%) were double-lobed and 5 (20.8%) were multilobed. Fisher's grade: Grade 2 in 16 cases (66.7%), grade 3 in 6 cases (25%), and grade 4 in 2 cases (8.3%). Hunt-Hess grade: Grade 0-2 in 5 cases (20.8%), grade 3-5 in 19 cases (79.2%). Glasgow Coma Scale score: 9-12 in 14 cases (58.3%), 13-15 in 10 cases (41.7%). Immediately postprocedural Raymond-Roy grade: grade 1 in 23 cases (95. 8%), grade 2 in 1 case (4.2%). Raymond-Roy grade in imaging follow-up for 2 wk to 3 months: grade 1 in 23 cases (95.8%), grade 2 in 1 case (4.2%). Follow-up for 2 to 12 months showed that 21 patients (87.5%) had good functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score ≤ 2), and there were no deaths. CONCLUSION: Endovascular treatment is a safe and effective treatment for ruptured lobulated AcoAA.

The Complexity of Neuropathic Pain and Central Sensitization: Exploring Mechanisms and Therapeutic Prospects.

Neuropathic pain is a common pain syndrome, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. The mechanism of neuropathic pain is complex. Peripheral tissue injury can trigger peripheral sensitization; however, what really plays a key role is the sensitization of the central nervous system. Central sensitization is a key factor in the perception of chronic pain. Central sensitization refers to the increased sensitivity of the central nervous system to pain treatment, which is related to the change of the functional connection mode of the neural network. The current study aims to reveal the basic molecular mechanisms of central sensitization, including the involvement of P2 purine X4 receptor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. In terms of treatment, although there are drugs and physical therapy, the accuracy of targeting is limited and the efficacy needs to be further improved. Future therapeutic strategies may involve the development of new drugs designed to specifically inhibit the central sensitization process. This article focuses on the effector molecules involved in central sensitization, aiming to elucidate the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain and provide a basis for the development of more effective treatment models.

A Study on the Effectiveness of 650-nm Red-Light Feeding Instruments in the Control of Myopia.

INTRODUCTION: This study analyzed the effectiveness of 650-nm red-light feeding instruments in the control of myopia. METHODS: In this study, 164 school-aged participants diagnosed with myopia in the city of Shenzhen were enrolled in a red-light feeding instrument study. Of these, 41 were enrolled in the mild-to-moderate myopia group that received red-light feeding (RLMM group), 65 were enrolled in the mild-to-moderate myopia group that received single-vision spectacle treatment (SVSMM group), and 58 were included in the severe myopia group that received red-light feeding (RLS group). RESULTS: After the baseline values of the three groups were matched, the right eye data were used for statistical analysis. The average return visit time of each group was 60.42 days, and changes in the observation indexes before treatment and after follow-up treatment were compared. As the primary outcome, the axial length changes in the right eye of the SVSMM group (0.08 ± 0.40 mm), the RLMM group (-0.03 ± 0.11 mm), and the RLS group (-0.07 ± 0.11 mm) were compared and showed a statistical result of p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: The study results verified that red light had a noticeable effect on the control of myopia and that low-level red-light therapy played a vital role in the treatment of severe myopia.

Association of CFH and MAP1LC3B gene polymorphisms with age-related macular degeneration in a high-altitude population.

AIM: To evaluate the association of complement factor H (CFH) and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (MAP1LC3B) gene polymorphisms with the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a high-altitude population. METHODS: The study group consisted of 172 participants with symptoms of AMD who were examined and diagnosed between January 2019 and June 2020. The control group was composed of 120 healthy individuals. Each participant was required to provide two milliliters of peripheral blood for DNA extraction. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CFH (rs1061170 and rs800292) and two SNPs of MAP1LC3B (rs8044820 and rs9903) were genotyped. The genotypes and allele frequencies of the SNPs in the study and control groups were further compared using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: In a high-altitude population, the nominally significant differences of rs800292 and rs9903's genotype AG frequencies were observed in the AMD group (P=0.034 and 0.004, respectively). The frequencies of allele G of rs800292 and allele A of rs9903 were also significantly different in the AMD group compared to the control [(P=0.034, OR=0.70, 95%CI: 0.50-0.98) and (P=0.004, OR=1.60, 95%CI: 1.15-2.22), respectively]. No significant differences in the genotype distributions (P=0.16 and 0.40, respectively) and allele frequencies (P>0.05) of rs1061170 and rs8044820 were observed in the AMD group. CONCLUSION: Genotype AG of rs800292 may be a protective factor for AMD. Conversely, rs9903 seems to be a risk factor for AMD. Therefore, allele G of rs800292 may be a protective factor, and allele A of rs9903, a risk factor for AMD in Qinghai high-altitude population.

Analysis of Therapeutic Targets of A Novel Peptide Athycaltide-1 in the Treatment of Isoproterenol-Induced Pathological Myocardial Hypertrophy.

Myocardial hypertrophy is a pathological feature of many heart diseases. This is a complex process involving all types of cells in the heart and interactions with circulating cells. This study is aimed at identifying the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in myocardial hypertrophy rats induced by isoprenaline (ISO) and treated with novel peptide Athycaltide-1 (ATH-1) and exploring the mechanism of its improvement. ITRAQ was performed to compare the three different heart states in control group, ISO group, and ATH-1 group. Pairwise comparison showed that there were 121 DEPs in ISO/control (96 upregulated and 25 downregulated), 47 DEPs in ATH-1/ISO (27 upregulated and 20 downregulated), and 116 DEPs in ATH-1/control (77 upregulated and 39 downregulated). Protein network analysis was then performed using the STRING software. Functional analysis revealed that Hspa1 protein, oxidative stress, and MAPK signaling pathway were significantly involved in the occurrence and development of myocardial hypertrophy, which was further validated by vivo model. It is proved that ATH-1 can reduce the expression of Hspa1 protein and the level of oxidative stress in hypertrophic myocardium and further inhibit the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, JNK, and ERK1/2.

Permeability characteristics and structural evolution of compacted loess under different dry densities and wetting-drying cycles.

Permeability characteristics of compacted loess is always an important topic in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. This study explored the permeability characteristics of compacted loess under different dry densities and wetting-drying cycles, and found that as the dry density increases, the compacted loess surface became denser, the saturation permeability coefficient and saturation infiltration rate decreased. However, the wetting-drying cycle presented the opposite result. Meanwhile, the evolution of the microstructure was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to explain the change of its permeability characteristics. The size of compacted loess aggregates was quantitatively analyzed by Image-Pro Plus (IPP) software. It showed that the size of compacted loess aggregates for different dry densities were concentrated from 10-100 µm, occupying 65.0%, 58.19%, and 51.64% of the total aggregates area respectively. And the interesting finding was that the area occupied by 10-50 µm aggregates remained basically unchanged with the number of wetting-drying cycles increasing. Therefore, the size of 10-50 µm aggregates represented the transition zone of compacted loess. NMR analyses revealed that with increasing dry density, the volume of macropores in the compacted loess rapidly decreased, the volume of mesopores and small pores increased. Meanwhile, the change in micropores was relatively small. The pore volume of the compacted loess after three wetting-drying cycles increased by 8.56%, 8.61%, and 6.15%, respectively. The proportion of macropores in the total pore volume shows the most drastic change. Variations in aggregate size and connection relationships made it easier to form overhead structures between aggregates, and the increased of macropore volume will form more water channels. Therefore, the change in permeability characteristics of compacted loess is determined by aggregate size, loess surface morphology, and the total pore volume occupied by macropores.

Pinocembrin Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment Induced by Vascular Dementia: Contribution of Reelin-dab1 Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND: As a substrate of apoER2, Reelin has been verified to exert neuroprotection by preventing memory impairment. Pinocembrin is the most abundant natural flavonoid found in propolis, and it has been used to exert neuroprotection, blood-brain barrier protection, anti-oxidation, and inflammation diminishing, both in vitro and in vivo. However, the roles and molecular mechanisms of pinocembrin in neurobehavioral outcomes and neuronal repair after vascular dementia are still under investigation. PURPOSE: To explore the role of pinocembrin in the involvement of the Reelin-dab1 signaling pathway in improving memory impairment, both in cell culture and animals experiments. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Behavioral tests were conducted on day 48 to confirm the protection of pinocembrin against cognitive impairment. Cell and molecular biology experiments demonstrated that the Reelin-dab1 pathway mediates the underlying mechanism of cognitive improvement by pinocembrin. RESULTS: It was showed that pinocembrin alleviated learning and memory deficits induced by vascular dementia, by inducing the expression of Reelin, apoER2, and p-dab1 in the hippocampus. The expression of Reelin and p-dab1 was both inhibited following Reelin RNA interference in SH-SY5Y prior to oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) injury, suggesting that Reelin played a core role in pinocembrin's effect on OGD in vitro. CONCLUSION: Pinocembrin improves the cognition via the Reelin-dab1 signaling pathway.

Sustained increased CaMKII phosphorylation is involved in the impaired regression of isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats.

To understand the mechanism underlying the regression of cardiac hypertrophy, we investigated the pathological changes after isoproterenol (ISO) withdrawal in ISO-induced cardiomyopathy models in rats and neonatal cardiomyocytes. Cardiac hypertrophy was induced in rats by two weeks of ISO administration; however, the hypertrophy did not regress after three weeks of natural maintenance after ISO administration was withdrawn (ISO-wdr group). The remaining hypertrophy in the ISO-wdr group was accompanied by a sustained increase in the level of phosphorylated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (p-CaMKII). Additionally, the increased expression levels of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) and the CaV1.2 channel and amounts of CaMKII bound with HDAC4 and CaV1.2 were not recovered in the ISO-wdr group. The results in cardiomyocyte models were similar to those seen in rat models. Losartan, metoprolol or amlodipine neither ameliorated the increase in atrial natriuretic peptide nor inhibited the increase in p-CaMKII and bound CaMKII. In contrast, autocamtide-2-related inhibitor peptide, a CaMKII inhibitor, reduced these increases. This study investigated the phosphorylation status of CaMKII after hypertrophic stimulus was withdrawn for the first time and proposed that CaMKII as well as its complexes with CaV1.2 could be potential targets to achieve effective regression of cardiac hypertrophy.

Distinct roles of calmodulin and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in isopreterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Intracellular calcium is related to cardiac hypertrophy. The CaV1.2 channel and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and CaM regulate the intracellular calcium content. However, the differences in CaMKII and CaM in cardiac hypertrophy are still conflicting and are worthy of studying as drug targets. Therefore, in this study, we aim to investigate the roles and mechanism of CaM and CaMKII on CaV1.2 in pathological myocardial hypertrophy. The results showed that ISO stimulation caused SD rat heart and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In vivo, the HW/BW, LVW/BW, cross-sectional area, fibrosis ratio and ANP expression were all increased. There were no differences in CaV1.2 channel expression in the in vivo model or the in vitro model, but the ISO stimulation induced channel activity, and the [Ca2+]i increased. The protein expression levels of CaMKII and p-CaMKII were all increased in the ISO group, but the CaM expression level decreased. AIP inhibited ANP, CaMKII and p-CaMKII expression, and ISO-induced [Ca2+]i increased. AIP also reduced HDAC4, p-HDAC and MEF2C expression. However, CMZ did not play a cardiac hypertrophy reversal role in vitro. In conclusion, we considered that compared with CaM, CaMKII may be a much more important drug target in cardiac hypertrophy reversal.

Comparison and quantitative analysis of microstructure parameters between original loess and remoulded loess under different wetting-drying cycles.

The microstructural evolution of loess had a significant impact on the collapsibility of loess during wetting-drying cycles. Based on the analysis of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images by using Image-Pro Plus, the present study quantitatively compared the microstructural parameters of original loess and remoulded loess with different moisture content before and after wetting-drying cycles in size, shape, and arrangement. In size, the average diameter of both original loess particles and remoulded loess particles increased with the increasing of initial moisture content. However, the average diameter of original loess particles was slightly larger than that of remoulded loess particles before wetting-drying cycles. In contrast, the average diameter of both original loess particles and remoulded loess particles were very close to each other after three wetting-drying cycles. In shape, before wetting-drying cycles, the average shape factor of original loess particles was higher than that of remoulded loess particles. After three wetting-drying cycles, the difference in the average shape factor of both two loess samples with 5% initial moisture content is similar to that before wetting-drying cycles. Nevertheless, the average shape factor of both original loess particles and remouled loess particles with 15% initial moisture content were very close to that with 25% initial moisture content. In the arrangement, directional frequency indicated remoulded loess appeared to be more vertically aligned than original before and after three wetting-drying cycles. Furthermore, the directed anisotropy rate of remoulded loess was higher than that of the original loess before and after three wetting-drying cycles. In summary, the size, shape, and arrangement of both original loess particles and remoulded loess particles varied in different degrees before and after three wetting-drying cycles. Combined with the water retention curve of the loess, we analyzed the microstructural evolution mechanism of two loess particles during wetting-drying cycles. It is an excellent significance to study the engineering properties of original loess and remoulded loess.

Rapid pyrolysis of Cu2+-polluted eggshell membrane into a functional Cu2+-Cu+/biochar for ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of nitrite in water.

Bioremediation is one of efficient methods to solve the issues of water or soil contaminated by metal ions. However, the harvested biowaste is often troublesome to handle owing to the second pollution. Herein, the waste eggshell membrane was used to adsorb Cu2+ in wastewater, which was then converted into biochar containing copper ions (Cu2+-Cu+/Biochar) via a rapid pyrolysis. By integrating the collective advantages of eggshell membrane and Cu2+-Cu+, such as superior electrical conductivity, enlarged electrochemically active surface area, unique three-dimensional porous network characteristics, and fast charge transport, the Cu2+-Cu+/Biochar system can be used as a self-supporting sensor for detection of nitrite (NO2-). The sensor demonstrated superior electrochemical sensing abilities accompanied by a broad linear range (1-300 µM), ultralow detection limit (0.63 µM), and high sensitivity (30.0 µA·mM-1·cm-2). In addition, the fabricated electrochemical sensor has excellent stability, good reproducibility, and strong anti-interference performance. More importantly, the sensor has a high recovery rate when it is used to detect nitrite in tap water, mineral water, and sausage, indicating the feasibility of using this sensor in practical applications. This study provides a green and sustainable approach for simultaneous treatment of biomass waste eggshell membrane, remedy of heavy metals, and electrochemical detection of nitrite.

Facile Synthesis of Eggshell Membrane-Templated Au/CeO2 3D Nanocomposite Networks for Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Dopamine Sensor.

Dopamine acts as a neurotransmitter to regulate a variety of physiological functions of the central nervous system. Thus, the fabrication of electrochemical active nanomaterials for sensitive dopamine detection is extremely important for human health. Herein, we constructed a highly efficient dopamine nonenzymatic biosensor using eggshell membrane (ESM) as a 3D network-like carrier-loaded Au and CeO2 nanocomposites. This approach has led to the uniform distribution of CeO2 and Au nanoparticles on the surface of ESM. The structure and properties of the as-prepared ESM templated Au/CeO2 (ESM-AC) nanocomposites were characterized. The electrochemical properties of non-enzymatic oxidation of dopamine by ESM-AC electrode were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The detection limit of the ESM-AC modified electrode for dopamine is 0.26 µM with a linear range from 0.1 to 10 mM. The ESM-AC-modified electrode performs a higher catalytic activity for dopamine electrocatalytic oxidation than that ESM-templated CeO2 (ESM-C) electrode, which is mainly due to the unique structure of ESM and more active sites provided from Au. Collectively, this biological waste-ESM provides a cheap and unique template for the preparation of 3D network-like nanostructures and expands the application in electrochemical dopamine detection. ESM-AC nanocomposites prepared from biological waste was successfully modified on the surface of glassy carbon electrode and a dopamine-based electrochemical biosensor was constructed.

Supercritical Fluid-Assisted Fabrication of Manganese (III) Oxide Hollow Nanozymes Mediated by Polymer Nanoreactors for Efficient Glucose Sensing Characteristics.

Despite their inherent efficacy in significantly accelerating the rate of chemical reactions in biological processes, the applicability of natural enzymes is often hindered because of their intrinsic limitations such as high sensitivity, poor operational stability, and relatively high cost for purification as well as preparation. Thus, the fabrication of catalytically active nanomaterials as artificial enzymes (nanozymes) has become a newly burgeoning area of research in bionic chemistry, aiming in designing functional nanomaterials that mimic various inherent properties of natural enzymes. To address these issues, we present the supercritical fluid (SCF)-assisted fabrication of discrete, monodisperse, and uniform-sized manganese (III) oxide (Mn2O3)-based hollow containers as high-efficiency nanozymes for glucose sensing characteristics. Initially, the core-shell nanoreactors based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-encapsulated manganese (III) acetylacetonate (Mn(acac)3) as precursors are fabricated using the SCF technology and subsequent calcination resulted in the Mn2O3 hollow nanoparticles (MHNs). This eco-friendly approach has resulted in the PVP-coated Mn(acac)3 nanoreactors with an average diameter of 220 nm and subsequent calcined hollow products are about one-fifth to that of the precursor. Such MHNs conveniently catalyzed 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a prominent peroxidase mimic, resulting in the oxidation products (TMB*+) at a specific absorption (UV-vis) maxima of 652 nm. Following typical Michaelis-Menten theory, this approach is further utilized to develop visual nonenzymatic sensing of glucose in a linear range of 0.1-1 mM at a detection limit of 2.31 µM. Collectively, this reliable as well as a cost-effective system with high precision potentially allows rapid detection of analytes, providing a convenient way for its utilization in diverse fields.

Effect of visual perception training combined with total nutrition meal sequential therapy on myopic amblyopia in preschool children / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

·AIM: To observe the therapeutic effect of visual perception training combined with total nutrition meal sequential therapy in the treatment of myopic amblyopia.·METHODS:Totally 73 children ( 135 eyes ) with myopic amblyopia were divided into control group ( 36 cases, 67 eyes) and treatment group (37 cases, 68 eyes) according to random number table. The control group were treated with traditional spectaculars and grating covering combined with fine eyesight training;the treatment group were treated with visual perception training combined with total nutrient meal sequential therapy. The visual acuity, diopter and average diopter of two groups were compared before and after treatment at 3, 6mo and 1a. The curative effect of two groups of children was compared after 1a treatment. And the adverse reactions were recorded in two groups during the treatment period. The recurrence rate of amblyopia in 1a follow-up was compared between two groups.·RESULTS: The difference of visual acuity between two groups was not significant at 3mo (P>0. 05). The visual acuity of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group at 6mo and 1a (P<0. 05). There was no significant difference in diopter between the two groups after 3, 6mo and 1a (P>0. 05), but the average annual refractive changes in the treatment group were significantly lower than that in the control group ( P<0. 05). The basic cure rate and total effective rate of the treatment group were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0. 05). There were no severe adverse reactions occurred between two groups during the treatment period. The recurrence rate of amblyopia in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0. 05) after 1a follow-up.· CONCLUSION: Visual perception training combined with total nutrition meal sequential therapy in the treatment of myopic amblyopia in preschool children can significantly improve patients' visual acuity, reduce the average annual diopter changes, improve the therapeutic effect, reduce the recurrence rate of amblyopia.

Cardioprotection with 8-O-acetyl shanzhiside methylester on experimental myocardial ischemia injury.

8-O-acetyl shanzhiside methylester (ND01) was isolated from the leaves of Lamiophlomis rotata (Benth.) Kudo. In this study, we investigated the anti-myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury effects of ND01 in vivo and elucidated the potential mechanism in vitro. The results indicated that ND01 significantly attenuated hypoxia-induced cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner in H9c2 cells. Treatment of H9c2 cells with ND01 9 µM blocked TNF-α-induced nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) phosphorylation by blocking High-mobility group box1 (HMGB1) expression. Treatment of rats with ND01 10mg/kg, (i.v.) protected the animals from myocardial I/R injury as indicated by a decrease in infarct volume, improvement in hemodynamics and reduction of myocardial damage severity. Treatment with ND01 also lowered serum levels of pro-inflammatory factors and reduced High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) and phosphorylated NF-κB expression in ischemic myocardial tissue. Additionally, continuous i.v. of ND01 14 days attenuated cardiac remodeling. These protective effects suggested that ND01 might be due to block of myocardial inflammatory cascades through an HMGB1-dependent NF-κB signaling pathway.

Effects of L-carnitine against oxidative stress in human hepatocytes: involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha.

BACKGROUND: Excessive oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation have been demonstrated to play important roles in the production of liver damage. L-carnitine is a natural substance and acts as a carrier for fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane for subsequent beta-oxidation. It is also an antioxidant that reduces metabolic stress in the cells. Recent years L-carnitine has been proposed for treatment of various kinds of disease, including liver injury. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of L-carnitine against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced cytotoxicity in a normal human hepatocyte cell line, HL7702. METHODS: We analyzed cytotoxicity using MTT assay and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation were estimated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, activities and protein expressions of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) formation. Expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha and its target genes were evaluated by RT-PCR or western blotting. The role of PPAR-alpha in L-carnitine-enhanced expression of SOD and CAT was also explored. Statistical analysis was performed by a one-way analysis of variance, and its significance was assessed by Dennett's post-hoc test. RESULTS: The results showed that L-carnitine protected HL7702 cells against cytotoxity induced by H2O2. This protection was related to the scavenging of ROS, the promotion of SOD and CAT activity and expression, and the prevention of lipid peroxidation in cultured HL7702 cells. The decreased expressions of PPAR-alpha, carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1) and acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX) induced by H2O2 can be attenuated by L-carnitine. Besides, we also found that the promotion of SOD and CAT protein expression induced by L-carnitine was blocked by PPAR-alpha inhibitor MK886. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings suggest that L-carnitine could protect HL7702 cells against oxidative stress through the antioxidative effect and the regulation of PPAR-alpha also play an important part in the protective effect.

Ibandronate for prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in rabbits.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of ibandronate (IBN) in prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in rabbits. A total of 60 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly allocated into six groups. Twenty rabbits in the control group were injected with saline. Forty rabbits received dexamethasone (DX) treatment at a dose of 3 mg/kg twice weekly during the first 6 weeks, while 10 of these rabbits (group IBN&DX) were injected additionally with IBN at a dose of 2 mg/kg before DX treatment. At week 6, the rabbits from IBN&DX group, 10 rabbits from control group (group CNTR-1) and 10 rabbits treated with DX (group DX6) were killed. Half (10) of the remaining rabbits in DX group were continued for DX treatment at a dose of 3 mg/kg once weekly (group DX12), while the other half (10) rabbits (group DX&IBN) additionally received IBN injection (2 mg/kg) once before continuing DX treatment. The remaining rabbits (10) in an additional of control group (group CNTR-2) continuously received saline. At week 12, all rabbits were killed for bone biomechanical analysis and histological examination. At week 6, the analysis of bone biomechanical and histological results of group CNTR-1 and DX6 showed that GIOP rabbit models were successfully established. Compared with group DX6, bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb.N) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) of lumbar spine in group IBN&DX were increased by 100, 45.74 and 40.55%, respectively (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, BV/TV and Tb.N of femoral neck were increased by 30.29 and 16.86%, respectively (P < 0.01). The maximum compressive load, the maximum bending stress and the maximum torque were increased by 24.19, 29.91 and 37.24%, respectively (P < 0.01). At week 12, in comparison of the results between group DX12 and group DX6, the histomorphometric and mechanical analysis demonstrated that prolonged DX treatment could lead to further loss of bone mass and strength. Compared with group DX12, BV/TV, Tb.N and Tb.Th of lumbar spine in group DX&IBN were increased by 73.34, 39.02 and 23.87%, respectively (P < 0.05), the parameters of femoral neck were increased by 88.75, 31.29 and 42.01%, respectively (P < 0.01), and the biomechanical parameters were increased by 54.36, 21.38 and 105.75%, respectively (P < 0.05). IBN could effectively prevent and treat high-dosing glucocorticoid-induced loss of bone mass and strength in rabbits.

[Present research of hot shock protein and cataract occurrence].

The hot shock proteins (HSP) were discovered by Ritossa in the fruit fly salivary gland after heat stimulation, giving the name HSP. In following comprehensive studies, it was recovered that HSP was a group of highly conservative cell stress proteins in all organisms. HSP are expressed under many stress conditions, e.g. in the presence of high temperature, heavy metal, oxygen deficit, ethyl alcohol and viral or bacteria infections, etc. HSP, as the molecular companion, play a vital role in the folding, stability and synthesis of the protein. The lens opacification (cataract) is one of most common causes of blindness in the world. Various studies indicate that the occurrence of cataract is directly related to free radical production, oxidized damage, changes of the proportion of lens protein and apoptosis of lens capsule epithelial cells, etc. Recent studies indicated that the lens expresses a series of HSP. They play a key role in maintaining the stability and transparency of the lens. This article is a summary of the relationship between the HSP and the occurrence of cataract.