Therapeutic efficacy of classic Tibetan formulas combined at different hours in resisting cerebral ischemia.

The study focused on the therapeutic efficacy of Tibetan medicines on cerebral ischemia. The combined medication methods and administration habits in clinic for more than 10 years were simulated. Three typical Tibetan medicines, i.e., 25-Herb Shanhu pill, Wishful-Treasure pill and 20-Herb Chenxiang pill, were administered to the animal model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in the morning, noon and evening, respectively. On the second day after the final administration, the activity of serum oxidative stress marker SOD and the content of MDA were evaluated. Infarct volumes were quantified through TTC staining. Inflammatory reaction maker NF-kappaB p65 gene and apoptosis. makers Bax and Cyct were selected to study the molecular mechanism of combined herbs with the immunohistochemistry technique. According to the result, the respective combination of 25-Herb Shanhu pill, Wishful-Treasure pill and 20-Herb Chenxiang pill in the morning, noon and evening showed unique advantages in reducing the damage of oxidative stress, infarct volumes, encephaledema caused by ischemia, inflammatory factor aggregation and inhibiting apoptosis, with consistent therapeutic efficacies in clinic.

[Advance in studies on traditional Chinese medicine on Abeta's scavenging effect].

Aggregation and accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) in brain tissues contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the promotion of Abeta clearance is one of the key targets for preventing and treatment Alzheimer's disease. Studies proved that some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compounds and extracts could impact the activity of degrading enzyme in amyloid peptide, the transport of hemato encephalic barrier and the phagocytosis of microglial cells, promote Abeta clearance, and improve learning and memory of animal models with Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we made an summary for the relations between Abeta and Alzheimer's disease, the Abeta clearance mechanism and the clearance effect of traditional Chinese medicines.

Meta-analysis of the relationship between the Metholenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T genetic polymorphism, folate intake and esophageal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T genetic polymorphism (MTHFR C677T) and folate intake on the risk of esophageal cancer. METHODS: A total of 17 studies (3,277 cases and 4,661 controls) regarding MTHFR C677T and 6 studies (1,817 cases and 7,678 controls) regarding folate intake published between 2001 and 2011 were identified through researching MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Chinese Biomedical Database. The data of the last search was February 2011. A meta-analysis was performed to obtain summary estimated odd ratios and 95% confidence intervals of folate intake and MTHFR C677T for esophageal cancer. RESULTS: A significant association was seen between MTHFR 677 CT [adjusted OR (95% CI)=1.55(1.28-1.88)] and TT [crude OR (95% CI)=1.63(1.24-2.15)] genotypes and esophageal cancer. Folate intake was seen to have a preventive effect on esophageal cancer [OR (95% CI)=0.60(0.50-0.70)]. Non-drinkers with MTHFR 677 CT and TT showed light esophageal cancer risk, and higher esophageal cancer risk was found among smokers. Also, the MTHFR 677 CT and TT genotypes were associated with light esophageal cancer risk in non-drinkers and a higher risk in drinkers. The meta-regression analysis showed the effect of MTHFR 677 CT and TT increased with the level of alcohol and tobacco consumption. The MTHFR 677 TT genotype showed a decreased risk of esophageal cancer in the high folate intake group. CONCLUSION: MTHFR 677CT/TT increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and the effects are greatly modified by alcohol, tobacco and folate intake. Folate intake was seen to have a preventive effect on developing esophageal cancer.