A High-sugar High-fat Diet Induced Metabolic Syndrome Shows some Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease in Rats.

OBJECTIVES: Cases of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD) are the predominant form of the age-related dementia. New evidence suggests that metabolic syndrome (MS), a metabolic disorder, is an initiating factor of some SAD cases. A high-sugar high-fat diet could cause MS, we aimed to investigate whether it could directly lead to SAD. MEASUREMENTS: The characteristic molecules of AD (hippocampus Aß and Tau) were tested by using ELISA and western blotting to confirm the happening hallmarks of AD in brain. MS and inflammation related biochemical indicators were measured using immunological method. Proteins associated with the insulin resistance signal pathway (JNK, PI-3K, AKT, GSK-3ß, GLUT3) were evaluated using western blotting method. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by immunofluorescence method. RESULTS: Expressions of hippocampus Aß, phosphorylation-Tau (p-Tau), inflammatory factors and p-JNK, Gsk-3ßwere higher in the model rats than those in the control rats and expressions of p-PI3K, p-AKT and GLUT3 were reversed. CONCLUSIONS: The MS model animals, which can induce the characteristics symptoms of AD, and therefore it may be preliminarily considered that the AD pertains to the MS-related diseases.

Risk factors and surgical interventions associated with primary postpartum haemorrhage unresponsive to first-line therapies.

The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors and surgical interventions associated with primary postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) unresponsive to first-line therapies. A retrospective analysis was performed of 212 women who experienced primary PPH (blood loss ≥ 500 ml). Logistic regression analysis identified that caesarean section (odds ratio [OR] 2.745; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.063-7.085; p = 0.037) and abnormal placental adhesion (OR 3.823; 95% CI, 1.333-10.963; p = 0.013) were risk factors for PPH unresponsive to first-line therapies. There was no significant difference in blood loss, blood transfusion and success rate among intrauterine tamponade, B-Lynch suture and uterine artery ligation. Intrauterine tamponade is the least invasive and most rapid approach, so it should be taken as the first choice for surgical management after unresponsiveness to first-line therapies.

Overexpression of G100S mutation in PRKAG2 causes Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in zebrafish.

The Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome was believed to be associated with PRKAG2 gene mutations. In this study, we verified the pathopoiesis of G100S mutation, a novel mutation only discovered in Chinese patients with WPW, in cardiac disorder. Similar to R302Q, when overexpressed PRKAG2 G100S mutant in zebrafish, we observed a thicker heart wall, detected a decreased AMPK enzymatic activity by tissue AMPK kinase activity colorimetric technique, as well as examined an increased glycogen storage in heart wall using the method for periodic acid-Schiff staining, in comparison with the zebrafish without exogenous PRKAG2 (mock) or with wild-type PRKAG2 (WT). Taken together, we concluded PRKAG2 G100S mutation might contribute to impair the AMP-activated protein kinase function, which resulted in increased cardiac glycogen storage, serving as a pathogenesis for WPW syndrome in Chinese.

Difference between periportal and pericentral Kupffer cells in lipopolysaccharide uptake in rats.

AIM: To reveal the difference in the ability of Kupffer cells in the periportal and pericentral regions of the liver to uptake lipopolysaccharides (LPS) injected into the portal vein. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: normal control group (n = 6) and GdCl3-treated group (n = 8). Sixteen hours before the experiment, rats in the GdCl3-treated group were injected with GdCl3 via the tail vein to eliminate Kupffer cell function specifically in the periportal region. LPS at a dose of 20 µg/100 g body weight was injected into rats of both groups via the portal vein. Zero, 2, 5, 10, 30, and 60 min after LPS injection, liver samples were obtained and the distribution of LPS in Kupffer cells was observed by immunofluorescence imaging of monoclonal antibody-specific LPS staining using a confocal laser scanning microscope. RESULTS: In the normal control group, positive reactions to LPS were found in Kupffer cells in the periportal region with the peak at two minutes after LPS injection. Kupffer cells in the pericentral region showed the peak at five minutes after LPS injection, but its fluorescent intensity to LPS at the peak time in the cytoplasm was significantly lower than that of Kupffer cells in the pericentral region. In the GdCl3-treated group, Kupffer cells in the pericentral region showed the peak at two minutes following LPS injection, and the LPS fluorescent intensity showed no significant difference from that of the normal control rats at the peak point. No significant changes of LPS fluorescent intensities were found in Kupffer cells in the periportal region at various time points following LPS injection in GdCl3-treated rats. CONCLUSION: Kupffer cells in the periportal and pericentral regions showed differences in LPS uptake via the portal vein.

Changes in mucosal permeability to lipopolysaccharide in the colon of chronic alcoholic rats.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of chronic alcohol abuse on mucosal permeability to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the colon of rats. METHODS: Escherichia coli LPS (20 mg/L) was injected into the colon of chronic alcoholic rats (n = 10) that had been supplied with Lieber diet every other day for six weeks. Before and 5, 10, 20, and 30 min after LPS injection, portal vein blood samples were obtained and the LPS levels in the blood were measured. The distribution of LPS in the colon tissues was observed with confocal laser scanning microscopy by immunofluorescence technique using a monoclonal antibody specific to the lipid A region of LPS. Normal rats were used as the controls (n = 6). RESULTS: Before LPS injection, LPS levels in the portal vein blood of chronic alcoholic rats were significantly higher than that of the normal controls (3.56 ± 0.67 ng/L vs 2.45 ± 0.15 ng/L, P < 0.01). At 5, 10, 20, and 30 min after LPS injection, LPS levels were significantly higher than that before LPS injection (173.56 ± 3.45 ng/L, 154.78 ± 0.57 ng/L, 43.89 ± 0.67 ng/L, 45.38 ± 0.89 ng/L vs 3.56 ± 0.67 ng/L, respectively, P < 0.01). Most mucosal cells in the chronic alcoholic rats showed strong positive reactions to LPS, but in the normal rats, there were no significant changes in portal vein blood LPS levels and in the fluorescence reactions to LPS in the mucosal cells after LPS injection. CONCLUSION: Chronic alcohol abuse results in a significant increase in LPS permeability in the colon mucosa cells of rats.

Effects of phorbol ester on intracellular Ca2+ and membrane currents in cultured human microglia.

The effects of protein kinase C (PKC) activation by phorbol ester on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and membrane currents in human microglia grown in culture were investigated. Treatment of microglia with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) resulted in a large increase in [Ca2+]i in cells loaded with fura-2. The increased levels of [Ca2+]i were not altered following removal of the phorbol ester. In Ca(2+)-free medium, application of PMA did not increase [Ca2+]i. In addition, PMA application in standard Ca(2+)-solution containing lanthanum (1.8 mM) had no effect on the microglial response to PMA, suggesting that the phorbol ester actions were due to transmembrane influx of Ca2+ but not through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Whole-cell patch clamp measurements demonstrated that PMA potentiated an outward K+ current and inhibited an inward rectifier K+ current. This study is the first demonstration that PKC activation by phorbol ester leads to increased intracellular [Ca2+] and changes in membrane currents in human microglia.

[Quality of rhizoma Anemarrhenae grown for different periods of time and gathered in different seasons].

The experimental results have shown that except the stem and leaves all kinds of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae and all parts of the herb contain sarsasapogenin, but the contents are different. Furthermore, the root and peel of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae may be used as drug instead of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae.

Study of large DNA fragments in agarose gels by transient electric birefringence.

The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFG) is a newly developing technique used in the fractionation of large DNA fragments. Advances in PFG demand a better understanding in the corresponding mechanisms of DNA dynamics in the gel network. Detailed experiments are needed to verify and to extend existing theoretical predictions as well as to find optimum conditions for efficient separation of large DNA fragments. In the present study, deformation of large DNA fragments (40-70 kilobase pairs) imbedded in agarose gels were investigated by using the transient electric birefringence (TEB) technique under both singular polarity and bipolarity electric pulses at low applied electric field strengths (E less than or equal to 5 V/cm). The steady-state optical retardation (delta s) of DNA molecules is linearly proportional to E2. At a given E, the amplitude of optical retardation [delta(t)] increases monotonically with the pulse width (PW) and then reaches a plateau value [delta(t = 0) = delta s] where t = 0 denotes the time when the applied field is turned off or reversed. The field-free decay time (tau-a few minutes) is several orders of magnitudes slower than that from previous TEB observations using high electric field strengths (E-kV/cm) and short pulse widths (PW-ms). The degree of deformation (stretching and orientation) and the time of restoration to the equilibrium conformation of overall DNA chains have been related to delta and tau. In field inversion measurements, exponentially rising and linearly falling of birefringence signals in the presence of forward/inverse applied fields were observed. The rising and falling of birefringence signals were reproducible under a sequence of alternating pulses. Comparison of our results with literature findings and discussions with theories are presented.