Comparative effects of different enzymatic hydrolysates of konjac glucomannan on gut flora and constipation in rats.

This study aimed to compare the effects of different hydrolysates (named GKOS and MKOS) on constipated rats, which were obtained by degradation from konjac glucomannan by ß-glucanase and ß-mannanase, respectively. GKOS and MKOS were characterized and administered by gavage at 100 mg kg-1 to constipated rats. The variation of the gut flora, content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), defecation function, gastrointestinal motility, and intestinal mucus secretion were determined to evaluate their regulatory effects on constipation. The results revealed the more prominent augmentation of species richness in MKOS than with GKOS. They also possessed diverse modulatory effects on different genera, such as Prevotella and Parabacteroides. Unexpectedly, there was no statistical divergence between GKOS and MKOS in defecation parameters, gastrointestinal transit, serum parameters, and mucous secretion. Overall, MKOS and GKOS exhibited differential regulatory function on gut microbiota in vivo, but with nearly consistent therapeutic effects on constipation.

Long-term follow-up for patients with nonprogressive epilepsia partialis continua in a single center in China.

Epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) is a rare variant of epilepsy. Cases from China are rare. We present a case series of seven patients to analyze its clinical features, imagining findings, etiology, drug use, and long-term outcome in a single epilepsy center. We made assessments of drug effects twice (Stage I - when they left our hospital; Stage II in March 2017 - by telephone interviews to rate their long-term outcome). The mean duration of the second follow-up was 4.8years. Of the seven patients, four patients characterized motor and sensory EPC and three motor EPC. Local distributions of EPC were: the left face (2 patients), right face (1 patient), left leg (3 patients), right leg and arm (1 patient). CT/MR was abnormal in four, normal in two, and not available in one patient. EEG abnormalities commonly consisted of spike-waves, sharp-waves (or) slow wave activity, and periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges. They were all nonprogressive EPC (encephalitis: 2; tumor: 2; head trauma: 1; and not found in 2 cases). In our observations, topiramate might be effective in patients with facial muscles continuous jerking, while carbamazepine in cases of limbs continuous myotonia. Our cases had favorable long-term outcome. Thus, our cases' etiology differentiated from other regions. Some drugs used by referring to EPC distributions might help to control EPC and their outcome were usually favorable.

Risk Factors for In-Hospital Complications of Fall-Related Fractures among Older Chinese: A Retrospective Study.

Purpose. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors and the efficacy of the preventive measurements for the in-hospital complications of fall-related fractures. Methods. The data on older Chinese patients with fall-related fractures were collected, including information on the patients, diseases, and preventive measurements. The potential risk factors for the in-hospital complications included health status on admission, comorbidity, fractures, preventive measures of the complications, and drugs use for the comorbidity. After univariate analyses, multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to investigate the impact of the potential risk factors on the number of the complications and each individual complication, respectively, and the efficacy of the preventive measurements. Results. A total of 525 male and 1367 female were included in this study. After univariate analyses, multiple logistic regression showed that dementia, pneumonia, antidepressant, postural hypotension, and cerebral infarction could increase the incidence and number of comorbidities. Meanwhile, dementia has shown the strongest association with each individual complication. Conclusions. Different combinations of comorbidity, medication use, and preventive measurements were related to the in-hospital complications of fall-related fractures. Dementia emerged as the most important risk factor for these complications, while most of the preventive measurements could not reduce their incidences.

[Accumulation of lead in Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) and its impact on the population].

The heavy metals pollution is one of the ecological problems which have been paid close attention to Spodoptera exigua Hübner, one of the key pests on vegetables and cotton in the Yangtze River and its southern area in China, has broken out more frequently in recent years. In this study, accumulation of Pb2+ in S. exigua and its excretion were detected when fed with artificial diets with different Pb2+ concentrations (0.3, 1.2, 4.8, 19.2 and 76.8 mg x kg(-1), respectively). Life table was constructed according to the survival and growth of different stages of S. exigua. The effect of lead on three successive generations of beet armyworm was studied using the life table in the laboratory. It was found that the Pb2+ contents were significantly different when S. exigua was reared at different Pb2+ concentrations in the same generation in a significant dose-dependent manner. The concentration of Pb2+ increased with prolonging the stress time at the same time. The Pb2+ concentrations at the three developmental stages of beet armyworm followed the order of larvae > adult > pupa. The beet armyworm could excrete heavy metals by means of faeces, prepupa exuviate and puparium, and the concentrations of Pb2+ in faeces and prepupa exuviate were far higher than in puparium. According to the survival rates of different developmental stages, the female ratios and the egg numbers, the laboratory population life table was constructed. It showed that low doses of Pb2+ promoted the growth of the population, and high doses inhibited the growth, and the index of population trend (I) declined more rapidly with the increase of stress time. The study could provide references for long-term and objective assessment of heavy metal hazard and its effect on the populations of important agricultural pests.

Accumulation and excretion of cadmium in three successive generations of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and impact on the population increase.

Nowadays, heavy metal pollution has become more and more serious. Cadmium is one of the heavy metals that have caused serious pollution. Spodoptera exigua Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), one of important agricultural pests, has broken out more frequently in recent years. In this study, accumulation at different developmental stages and excretion of Cd were detected, and effect of cadmium (Cd concentrations were 0.2, 0.8, 3.2, 12.8, and 51.2 mg/kg, respectively) on three successive generations of beet armyworm was also studied using life table in the laboratory. Results showed that Cd2+ contents were significantly different when S. exigua was reared under different Cd2+ concentrations in the same generation in a significant dose-dependent manner. The concentration of Cd2+ increased with extension of stress time. Cd2+ concentration at different developmental stages was different, that is, larvae > pupa > adult. After emergence, Cd2+ concentration in both females and males decreased gradually, but that in paired adults decreased to a greater extent than that in unpaired ones. Beet armyworm could excrete heavy metals by means of faeces, prepupa exuviate, and puparium. Life table of the laboratory population was constructed, which showed that low doses of cadmium promoted the increase of population, whereas high doses inhibited the increase, meanwhile, with the extension of exposure length, the index of population trend (I) declined more rapidly. The study might provide references for the long-term and objective assessment of heavy metal pollution and its effect on the populations of important agricultural pests.

[The expression and significance of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA in mouse lymph node of experimental autoimmune myositis].

AIM: To investigate TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA levels in mouse lymph node with experimental autoimmune myositis(EAM)and determine the role of TLR4 in autoimmune myositis. METHODS: Thirty femal BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups (n=6 animals per group): group 1 was the control, while animals in other four groups were killed at different time point: group 2 in the first week, group 3 in the second week, group 4 in the third week and group 5 in the fourth week since they had been given myosin for preparing EAM. The expressions of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA were measured with real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: (1)The expressions of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA in each EAM group were significantly high compared with those in the normal control group, which was significantly highest in group 3 of all(P<0.01) and significantly higher in group 4 than in group 5(P<0.01).(2)The expression level of TLR4 mRNA had significant positive correlations with the expressions of MyD88 mRNA and NF-κB mRNA(r=0.906, r=0.967, P<0.01), and the latter two also had significant positive correlations(r=0.919, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: TLR4 played an important role in the development of autoimmune myositis and run its function mainly by MyD88-dependent pathway that could activate NF-κB for promoting the release of inflammatory factors.