Tetramethylpyrazine exerts a protective effect against injury from acute myocardial ischemia by regulating the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3ß signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the protective effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on injury related to acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) induced by isoproterenol (ISO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were randomly assigned to five groups: control, ISO, ISO + propranolol (10 mg/kg), ISO + TMP (10 mg/kg) and ISO + TMP (20 mg/kg). The rats in the three ISO + groups were pretreated with propranolol or TMP, while the rats in the control and ISO groups were pretreated with an equal volume of saline. Afterwards, the rats in the four administration groups were subcutaneously injected with ISO for two consecutive days. The levels of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1ß in the serum were measured using ELISA. The expressions of B-cell lymphoma-associated X-2 (Bax-2), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK-3ß), MDA5 and SOD1 were determined using western blotting assay. The phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt and GSK-3ß were also determined using western blotting assay. The left ventricles of the rats were extracted and stained using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). The ST segment was recorded using electrocardiograms (ECGs). RESULTS: Administration of TMP (10, 20 mg/kg) reduced the levels of MDA and CK and the activities of SOD and LDH in the serum. Pretreatment with TMP significantly reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α. Treatment with TMP also improved the histopathological alteration and decreased the ST elevation. Furthermore, TMP ameliorated the expressions of Cu, SOD1, MDA5, Bax-2, Bcl-2, p-PI3K, p-Akt and p-GSK-3ß in ISO-induced rats. CONCLUSIONS: Tetramethylpyrazine protected against injury due to AMI by regulating the PI3K/Akt /GSK-3ß signaling pathway.

Clinical significance of analysis of the level of blood fat, CRP and hemorheological indicators in the diagnosis of elder coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the levels of blood fat, C-reactive protein (CRP) and hemorheological indicators in the elder patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), so as to provide evidence for prospective study and treatment of elder CHD. METHODS: We collected the clinical data of 127 elder CHD patients who admitted to this hospital between July 2016 and December 2017 to detect the levels of blood fat, CRP and hemorheological indicators. RESULTS: In elder CHD patients, levels of the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterin (LDL-C) were significantly higher than the normal reference, and comparison with the control group also showed significant increases (p < 0.01); average levels of the high-density lipoprotein cholesterin (HDL-C), phospholipid (PL), lipoprotein a [LP (a)] and free fatty acid were in the range of normal reference. Abnormal levels of TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C were identified in 59.06%, 58.27%, 51.18% and 18.11% of the elder CHD patients, most of which were concomitant with obesity or hypertension, and levels of these indicators were significantly higher than those in the control group with statistically significant differences (p < 0.01). Comparisons of the age, gender distribution, hypotension, exercise and sleep showed that differences had no statistical significance (p > 0.05). In comparison with the control group, the levels of CRP, the whole blood viscosities at high and low shears, plasma viscosity, hematocrit value, aggregation index and rigidity index of red blood cells (RBC) were all higher than those in the control group, and the differences had statistical significance (p < 0.01). However, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), deformity index of RBC, blood flow rates in the bilateral middle cerebral arteries (MCA), anterior cerebral arteries (ACA), terminal internal carotid artery (TICA), posterior cerebral arteries (PCA), vertebral arteries (VA) and basilar artery (BA) were significantly lower than those in the control group, and the differences had statistical significance (p < 0.05 or 0.01). CONCLUSION: In elder CHD patients, anomaly is mainly seen in levels of TC, TG and LDL-C with concentrated, adhesive and aggregating blood.

Cotemplating synthesis of a rare borate Ni(en)3·Hen·[B9O13(OH)4]·H2O with a chiral polyanonic chain constructed from two different clusters.

Ni(en)3·Hen·[B9O13(OH)4]·H2O was prepared under the cotemplating effect of [Ni(en)3](2+) and Hen(+). It was the first example of a cotemplated borate with an unusual chiral polyanionic chain, which was constructed from [B5O8(OH)2] and [B4O7(OH)2] clusters.

The first ferroelectric templated borate: [Ni(en)2pip][B5O6(OH)4]2.

The title compound (GDUT-4) is the first templated borate compound shown to have ferroelectric properties. Its structure consists of a metal complex and isolated polyanion. The chiral structure of the compound was induced by guest-complex cations according to host-guest symmetry through hydrogen bonds (H-bonds). The origins of ferroelectricity in GDUT-4 was shown to be dependent on proton transfer through H-bonds.