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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP)., Methods: We conducted a computer literature search in five databases and comprehensively extracted all kinds of information from each article. Traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system (TCMISS) V2.5 was adopted to perform association analysis. The effectiveness, safety and methodological quality were analyzed using randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs)., Results: A total of 2880 related articles were collected. Finally, 423 articles which included 312 RCTs were included for in-depth analysis. We collected 369 Chinese medicine prescriptions and found that the top three frequently used herbs in the treatment of PMOP were Epimedii Folium (Yinyanghuo), Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata (Shudihuang) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Danggui). The top Chinese patent medicine was Gushukang capsule. No serious adverse reaction (AR) had been reported in the Chinese medical treatment group., Conclusion: The effectiveness of TCM in treating PMOP needs to be further explored, and the safety is good. Therefore, high-quality evidence is urgently needed to supplement.

Introduction: Parental vaccine-hesitancy can lead to delays or refusal to vaccinate children despite the availability of vaccines. This is a population-based, cross-sectional study investigating whether parents in China are hesitant to vaccinate their children with a COVID-19 vaccine booster., Methods: Parents in Taizhou, China, responded to a self-reported online questionnaire on their hesitancy to vaccinate their children with a COVID-19 vaccine booster. Of the 1252 parents who were invited to answer the structured questionnaire, 514 (41.1%) samples had valid data for data analysis., Results: A total of 41.8% of participants were hesitant to give their children a COVID-19 vaccine booster. After adjusting for confounders, parental gender (female vs. male parent, OR=0.56 95% CI: 0.32-0.87), parental opinion (yes vs. no, OR=0.17, 95% CI: 0.09-0.30), parental attitudes (yes vs. no, OR=0.28, 95% CI: 0.16-0.50), the presence of people around them who are generally hesitant to receive COVID-19 booster vaccines for children (yes vs. no, OR=0.14, 95%CI: 0.08-0.23), the individual hesitancy of people around them to administer booster COVID-19 vaccines to children (yes vs. no, OR=0.02, 95%CI: 0.02-0.22), and parents' hesitancy to receive a booster vaccine for their children showed significant correlation. The disparity of factors related to booster vaccine-hesitancy for children between fathers and mothers was also found., Conclusions: We found that a moderate proportion of parents reported that they were hesitant to give their children a COVID-19 vaccine booster. The results suggest that an in-depth, dynamic assessment and further health education planning are necessary to reduce Chinese parents' hesitancy to vaccinate their children., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest The authors have no proprietary interest in any aspect of this study., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, their involvement in sunitinib resistance remains largely unknown. Herein, we identified a novel circRNA, named circME1, which contributes to sunitinib resistance development in ccRCC. CircME1 also promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion of ccRCC cells. Further mechanism analysis showed that circME1 interacted with U1 snRNP at the promoter of its parental gene ME1, thereby upregulating the expression of ME1, enhancing aerobic glycolysis of ccRCC, and promoting its malignant phenotype. Furthermore, ME1 specific inhibitor could effectively repress the oncogenic functions of circME1. Taken together, our study demonstrates that the circME1/ME1 pathway is involved in ccRCC progression and sunitinib resistance development, which may be exploited for anticancer therapy., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Patients' lack of correct understanding of cardiovascular disease and interventional therapy is often accompanied by varying degrees of fear, depression and anxiety. Negative emotion will affect the hemodynamic fluctuation of patients undergoing interventional surgery, which is not conducive to the smooth and safe operation of interventional surgery. Therefore, it is very important to implement effective nursing intervention in the operating room., Aim: To explore the intervention effect of motivational psychological nursing combined with programmed nursing on compliance and bad mood of patients in interventional operating room., Methods: A total of 98 patients in the interventional operating room of our hospital from October 2019 to March 2021 were randomly divided into study group ( n = 49) and control group ( n = 49). The control group took routine nursing. However, the study group took motivational psychological nursing combined with procedural nursing on the basis of the control group. Statistics were made on rehabilitation compliance, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule of bad mood, Simplified Coping Styles Questionnaire score of coping style and satisfaction of intervention between the two groups before and after intervention., Results: The rehabilitation compliance of the study group (95.92%) was higher than that of the control group (81.63%) ( P < 0.05). After intervention, the scores of upset, fear, irritability, tension and fear in the study group were respectively, which were lower than those in the control group ( P < 0.05). After intervention, the score of positive coping in the study group was higher than that in the control group. However, the score of negative coping in the study group was lower than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). The intervention satisfaction of the study group (93.88%) was higher than that of the control group (79.59%) ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The intervention of motivational psychological nursing combined with procedural nursing can improve the rehabilitation compliance, and alleviate the bad mood. In addition, it can change their coping style to the disease, and the patients are more satisfied with the nursing work., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict-of-interest to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although the ratio of apolipoprotein B (apo B) to apolipoprotein A1 (apo A1) (apo B/apo A1) seems to be associated with mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients, the association of apo B/apo A1 ratio with death remains not clear in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients., Aims: The study targets to examine the relationship of apo B/apo A1 ratio with survival in patients receiving PD treatment., Methods: In this single-center prospective observational cohort study, we enrolled 1,616 patients receiving PD treatment with a median follow-up time of 47.6 months. We used a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model to examine the relationship between apo B/apo A1 ratio and cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality. The association of apo B/apo A1 ratio with atherosclerotic and non-atherosclerotic CV mortality was further evaluated by competing risk regression models., Results: During the follow-up, 508 (31.4%) patients died, 249 (49.0%) died from CV events, of which 149 (59.8%) were atherosclerotic CV mortality. In multivariable models, for 1-SD increase in apo B/apo A1 ratio level, the adjusted hazard ratios for CV and all-cause mortality were 1.26 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07-1.47; P = 0.005] and 1.20 (95% CI, 1.07-1.35; P = 0.003), respectively. The adjusted subdistribution hazard ratios for atherosclerotic and non-atherosclerotic CV mortality were 1.43 (95% CI, 1.19-1.73; P < 0.001) and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.64-1.13; P = 0.256), respectively. For quartile analysis, patients in quartile 4 had higher CV, all-cause, and atherosclerotic CV mortality compared with those in quartile 1. Moreover, apo B/apo A1 ratio had a diabetes-related difference in CV, all-cause, and atherosclerotic CV mortality., Conclusion: Elevated apo B/apo A1 ratio level was significantly associated with CV, all-cause, and atherosclerotic CV mortality in patients undergoing PD. Moreover, the association was especially statistically significant in patients with diabetes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yu, Xia, Huang, Qiu, Yang, Mao, Chen and Huang.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Semen Cuscutae, called Tu-si-zi in Chinese, is a kind of dried mature seed in the Convolvulaceae family. It mainly distributes in China, Korea, Pakistan, Vietnam, India and Thailand. It is used as a kidney-tonifying drug for treatment of aging related diseases such as osteoporosis in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the exact mechanisms on bone resorption are poorly studied., Aim of the Study: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effect of Semen Cuscutae on ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis in mice and clarify the exact mechanisms by which Semen Cuscutae exert the anti-osteoporosis effect., Materials and Methods: Qualitative and quantitative analyses of Semen Cuscutae were performed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and HPLC-MS/MS, respectively. Changes in bone mineral density (BMD) induced by OVX in mice were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-computed tomography (μCT). Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining as well as hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining were used to observe bone microarchitectural changes. ELISA kits were used to assess the therapeutic effects of Semen Cuscutae on the serum levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP-5b), and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANKL). The effect of Semen Cuscutae on primary cell viability was assessed using CCK-8 and anti-tartrate phosphatase assays. TRAP staining and actin ring staining were used to observe the effect of Semen Cuscutae on osteoclast differentiation. Western blotting was used to measure the effects of Semen Cuscutae on expressions of NFATC1, c-Src kinase, and c-fos., Results: Results from UPLC-Q-TOF-MS showed that the main components of Semen Cuscutae were flavonoid compounds that included quercitrin, quercetin, hyperoside, caffeic acid, rutin, chlorogenic acid, luteolin, apigenin, kaempferol, isoquercetin, cryptochlorogenic acid, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, and astragalin. After the Semen Cuscutae extract was orally administered to OVX mice, bone density increased (P < 0.01) and bone microstructure was significantly improved (P < 0.01 or 0.05). Additionally, Semen Cuscutae exhibited a significant descending effect in the levels of serum TRACP-5b and RANKL, while there was a significant increase in OPG in the Semen Cuscutae group compared with the OVX group, especially at high doses. Moreover, we found that increasing of c-fos, c-Src kinase, and NFATC1 protein expressions were reversed by Semen Cuscutae in vitro and in vivo., Conclusions: Our results showed that Semen Cuscutae exhibited anti-osteoporosis effects through the c-fos/c-Src kinase/NFATC1 signaling pathway., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and associated factors of hyperkalemia in dialysis patients. Methods: Patients underwent hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) from multi-center databases were recruited from January 2017 to December 2019, and those aged ≥18 years and with dialysis duration ≥3 months were included to analyze the prevalence and related factors of hyperkalemia. Results: A total of 12 364 patients were enrolled in the study, and 6 836 cases were men. The average age of the patients was (51±15) years. Among these patients, 4 230 cases underwent HD while 8 134 received PD. Hyperkalemia was detected in 20.7% (2 554/12 364) of the patients while hypokalemia was found in 17.0%(2 102/12 364) of the patients. Multivariate logistic regression showed that HD ( OR =2.25, 95% CI : 1.54-3.30), diabetes mellitus (DM) ( OR =1.65, 95% CI : 1.17-2.32), high body mass index (BMI) ( OR =1.06, 95% CI : 1.03-1.09), high levels of serum albumin ( OR =1.04, 95% CI : 1.01-1.07) and phosphorus ( OR =3.12, 95% CI : 2.44-4.00), low levels of serum bicarbonate ( OR =0.89, 95% CI : 0.87-0.92), triglycerides ( OR =0.76, 95% CI : 0.68-0.85) and creatinine ( OR =0.95, 95% CI : 0.90-0.99), usage of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/Angiotensin Ⅱ receptor antagonist (ACEI/ARB, OR =1.38, 95% CI : 1.11-1.72) and beta-blocker ( OR =1.32, 95% CI : 1.07-1.64) were associated with hyperkalemia. Conclusions: Hyperkalemia occurred in 20.7% of the dialysis patients. HD, DM, high BMI, high levels of serum albumin and phosphorus, low levels of serum bicarbonate, triglycerides and creatinine, use of ACEI/ARB were associated with hyperkalemia.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Erzhi formula (EZF) consists of Ecliptae herba (EH) and Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) at a ratio 1:1, and constitutes a well-known formula in China that is commonly used for treating menopausal diseases., Aim of the Study: In this study, we explored the pharmacologic actions and potential molecular mechanisms underlying EZF's action in preventing and treating osteoporosis., Materials and Methods: The active components and related targets of EZF's anti-osteoporotic effects were predicted by network pharmacology, and functional enrichment analysis was also performed. We then used an osteoporosis model of ovariectomized (OVX) mice to detect the effects of EZF on osteoporosis., Results: The results from network pharmacology identified a total of 10 active ingredients from EH and 13 active ingredients from FLL that might affect 65 potential therapeutic targets. GO enrichment analysis revealed that EZF affected bone tissue primarily via hormone (particularly estradiol)-related pathways and bone resorption by osteoclast differentiation. KEGG analysis demonstrated that bone-related factors such as Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), Ca2, estrogen receptor1 (ESR1), androgen receptors (AR), and TNFα served as the primary targets during osteoclastic differentiation. In vivo experiments showed that the formula significantly improved the diminution in estrogen and the subsequent uterine atrophy induced by ovariectomy (P < 0.01 or 0.05), implying that the EZF exerted its actions via regulation of estradiol and the nourishing effects of the uterus in OVX mice. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-CT showed that EZF significantly inhibited bone loss and improved bone micro-architecture by statistically increasing the number of bone trabeculae and decreasing the separation of bone trabeculae in OVX mice (P < 0.01 or 0.05); EZF also inhibited bone loss and enhanced bone-fracture load. Furthermore, we confirmed that EZF reduced the calcium concentrations, augmented protein and mRNA levels for Runx2 in the bone marrow, and reduced PPARγ levels. RANKL-a key downstream regulatory protein of many targets that was referred to in our results of network pharmacology as being involved in the regulation of osteoclastogenesis-was significantly diminished by EZF; it also elevated OPG content. In addition, we used monocytes of bone-marrow origin to detect the effects of the potential components of EZF on osteoclast differentiation and found that wedelolactone, oleanolic acid, echinocystic acid, luteolin, and luteolin-7-o-glucoside significantly inhibited osteoclast differentiation from monocytes induced by 25 ng/mL MCSF and 50 ng/mL RANKL (P < 0.01 or 0.05)., Conclusions: Our present study indicated that EZF significantly inhibited the bone loss induced by OVX in mice by its regulation of estradiol combined with the nourishing effect of the uterus, and that it also attenuated bone resorption by decreasing the RANKL/OPG ratio so as to inhibit osteoclast maturation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: San-Ye-Tang-Zhi-Qing formula (SYTZQ) is an effective prescription for the treatment of pre-diabetes disorders of glycolipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It consists of five Chinese herbs including Mori Folium, Nelumbinis Folium, Crataegi Folium, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Paeoniae Radix Rubra., Aim of the Study: This study was aimed to reveal the pharmacological mechanism of pharmacokinetic target components of SYTZQ for the treatment of T2DM., Materials and Methods: A rapid, precise and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to quantify simultaneously nuciferin, vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside, paeoniflorin and rosmarinic acid in rat plasma after oral administration of SYTZQ. The network pharmacology was used to analyze the effect of the compounds absorbed into the blood of SYTZQ on T2DM. The effects of paeoniflorin, nuciferine and rosmarinic acid on adipogenic differentiation were validated in vitro experiments., Results: The separation was performed on an ACQUITY UHPLC HSS T3 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) using acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water as the mobile phase in gradient elution. The calibration curves of five analytes showed good linearity (r ≥ 0.9991) with the lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) between 0.3 and 5.0 ng/mL. The recoveries and matrix effects of five analytes ranged from 81.1% to 113%. The RSDs of inter-day and intra-day precision were all within 13.7%. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of five ingredients after oral administration of SYTZQ to rat. 39 major targets and 22 candidate pathways of five compounds absorbed into the blood of rats after administration of SYTZQ were identified and successfully constructed a compound-target-disease-pathway network. It was confirmed that paeniforin, nuciferine and rosmarinic acid could decrease the adipogenicity differentiation in vitro experiments., Conclusions: The pharmacokinetic parameters indicated that the five components (nuciferin, vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside, paeoniflorin and rosmarinic acid) were absorbed and eliminated quickly in vivo. These five absorbed components were associated with 22 pathways, including insulin resistance, regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, PI3k/AKT-, TNF-, cAMP- and cGMP-PKG-signaling pathway. Paeoniflorin, nuciferine and rosmarinic acid have the effect of inhibiting adipocyte differentiation. This study could provide more reference for quality control, and provide a firm basis for evaluating the clinical efficiency of SYTZQ., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We investigated the relationship between the expression of tumor necrosis factor-inducible gene 6 (TSG-6) with inflammation and integrity of the bladder epithelium in the bladder tissues of patients with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) and the mechanism of action using a rat model of BPS/IC., Materials and Methods: Expression of TSG-6 and uroplakin III was determined by immuno- histochemistry of bladder biopsy samples from control human subjects and patients with verified BPS/IC. Our rat model of BPS/IC was employed to measure the perfusion of bladders with hyaluronidase, and assessment of the effect of TSG-6 administration on disease progression. Treatment effects were assessed by measurement of metabolic characteristics, RT-PCR of TGR-6 and interleukin-6, bladder histomorphology, and immunohistochemistry of TGR-6 and uroplakin III., Results: The bladders of patients with BPS/IC had lower expression of uroplakin III and higher expression of TSG-6 than controls. Rats treated with hyaluronidase for 1 week developed the typical signs and symptoms of BPS/IC, and rats treated with hyaluronidase for 4 weeks had more serious disease. Administration of TSG-6 reversed the effects of hyaluronidase and protected against disease progression., Conclusion: Our results indicate that TSG-6 plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the bladder epithelial barrier.

1. To identify the origin of table eggs more accurately, a method based on hyperspectral imaging technology was studied. 2. The hyperspectral data of 200 samples of intensive and extensive eggs were collected. Standard normalised variables combined with a Savitzky-Golay were used to eliminate noise, then stepwise regression (SWR) was used for feature selection. Grid search algorithm (GS), genetic search algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimisation algorithm (PSO) and cuckoo search algorithm (CS) were applied by support vector machine (SVM) methods to establish an SVM identification model with the optimal parameters. The full spectrum data and the data after feature selection were the input of the model, while egg category was the output. 3. The SWR-CS-SVM model performed better than the other models, including SWR-GS-SVM, SWR-GA-SVM, SWR-PSO-SVM and others based on full spectral data. The training and test classification accuracy of the SWR-CS-SVM model were respectively 99.3% and 96%. 4. SWR-CS-SVM proved effective for identifying egg varieties and could also be useful for the non-destructive identification of other types of egg.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Danhong injection (DHI), derived from Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., Labiatae, Danshen in Chinese) and Flos Carthami (Carthamus tinctorius L., Compositae, Salvia militiorrhiza Bunge), is an extensively-used Chinese material standardized clinical product for treatment of cardiovascular diseases., Aim of the Study: Cardiac hypertrophy (CH) is an adaptive response of cardiomyocytes. Long-lasting cardiac hypertrophy results in the loss of compensation by cardiomyocytes which could ultimately develop into heart failure. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect and exact mechanisms of DHI on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced CH., Materials and Methods: H9c2 cells and male Wistar rats were stimulated by ISO in the present study to establish CH models in vitro and in vivo. CCk-8 assay, Western blot, real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and Echocardiography were used in the present study., Results: DHI significantly attenuated ISO-induced CH of H9c2 cells (p<0.01). DHI decreased ISO-induced atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) elevation both at the mRNA and protein levels (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). Western blot showed that DHI down-regulated the phosphorylation of p38. Furthermore, we found that DHI inhibited the nuclear translocation and activation of NF-κb. Echocardiography from ISO-induced CH rats showed that DHI significantly decreased left ventricle (LV) mass, the thickness of the LV end-systolic posterior wall (LVPWs), and the LV end-diastolic posterior wall (LVPWd) elevated by ISO (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively)., Conclusion: These data demonstrate that DHI might exert anti-cardiac hypertrophic effects by regulating p38 and NF-κb pathway., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Renal dysfunction predicts all-cause mortality in general population. However, the prevalence of renal insufficiency and its relationship with mortality in cancer patients are unclear.We retrospectively studied 9465 patients with newly diagnosed cancer from January 2010 to December 2010. Renal insufficiency was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. The hazard ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality associated with baseline eGFR was assessed by Cox regression.Three thousand sixty-nine patients (32.4%) exhibited eGFR <90 mL/min/1.73 m and 3% had abnormal serum creatinine levels at the time of diagnosis. Over a median follow-up of 40.5 months, 2705 patients (28.6%) died. Compared with the reference group (eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m), an elevated all-cause mortality was observed among patients with eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m stratified by cancer stage in the entire cohort, the corresponding hazard ratios were 1.87 (95% CI, 1.41-2.47) and 1.28 (95% CI, 1.01-1.62) for stage I to III and stage IV, respectively. However, this relationship was not observed after multivariate adjustment. Subgroup analysis found that eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m independently predicted death among patients with hematologic (adjusted HR 2.93, 95% CI [1.36-6.31]) and gynecological cancer (adjusted HR 2.82, 95% CI [1.19-6.70]), but not in those with other cancer. Five hundred fifty-seven patients (6%) had proteinuria. When controlled for potential confounding factors, proteinuria was a risk factor for all-cause mortality among patients in the entire cohort, regardless of cancer stage and eGFR values. When patients were categorized by specific cancer type, the risk of all-cause death was only significant in patients with digestive system cancer (adjusted HR, 1.85 [1.48-2.32]).The prevalence of renal dysfunction was common in patients with newly diagnosed cancer. Patients with eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m or proteinuria were associated with increased risk for all-cause mortality, this relation depended on cancer site.

Nitrogen fertilizer is necessary to improve yield and quality of lettuce. Spectroscopy is one of the most effective techniques used to detect crop nitrogen content. In this study, canopy reflectance spectra were acquired under five levels of nitrogen, and then were Savitzky-Golay smoothed, the first-order derivative spectra were calculated from the smoothed spectra to eliminate noise effects. Backward interval partial least squares (BiPLS), genetic algorithm (GA) and successive projections algorithm (SPA) were combined to select the efficient wavelengths. The number of variables was decreased from 2,151 to 8. The optimal intervals or variables were used to build multivariable linear regression (MLR) model, radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) models and extreme learning machine (ELM) models. This work proved that the results of BiPLS-GA-SPA-ELM model was superior to others with RMSEC was 0.241 6%, Rc was 0.934 6, RMSEP was 0.284 2% and Rp was 0.921 8. Our research results may provide a foundation for nutrition regulation and developing instrument.

Wogonin, a natural flavonoid, is one of the bioactive compounds of the medicinal herb Eucommia ulmoides OLIV. widely used in southeastern Asia for treating hypertension. However, the molecular mechanisms for the therapeutic benefits remain largely unclear. The present study investigated the vasodilatory effect of wogonin and its possible mechanisms. The flavonoid (0.1-100 µM) caused concentration-dependent relaxations in endothelium-intact aortic rings precontracted with norepinephrine (NE, 1 µM) or potassium chloride (KCl, 60 mM). Preincubation with wogonin (10, 100 µM) for 20 min significantly inhibited the contractile responses to NE (0.1, 1, 10 µM) or KCl (7.5, 15, 30, 60 mM). Relaxant responses to wogonin were not inhibited by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methylester (100 µM) or endothelial denudation. In a Ca(2+)-free Krebs' solution, wogonin not only blocked Ca(2+) influx-dependent vasoconstriction by either NE (1 µM) or KCl (100 mM), but also inhibited NE (1 µM)-induced tonic contraction, which is dependent on intracellular Ca(2+) release. Wogonin also suppressed the elevation of [Ca(2+)]i induced by KCl (60 mM) after exhausting the calcium store in sarcoplasmic and endoplasmic reticula with thapsigargin (1 µM) or by ATP (100 µM) in primary vascular smooth muscle cells. These findings suggest that wogonin-induced responses are mainly due to the inhibition of both intracellular Ca(2+) release and extracellular Ca(2+) influx.

With 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% and 150%, five levels of, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) nutrition stress samples cultivated in Venlo type greenhouse soilless cultivation mode as the research object, polarized reflectance spectra and hyperspectral images of different nutrient deficiency greenhouse tomato leaves were acquired by using polarized reflectance spectroscopy system developed by our own research group and hyperspectral imaging system respectively. The relationship between a certain number of changes in the bump and texture of non-smooth surface of the nutrient stress leaf and the level of polarization reflected radiation was clarified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On the one hand, the polarization spectrum was converted into the degree of polarization through Stokes equation, and the four polarization characteristics between the polarization spectroscopy and reference measurement values of N, P and K respectively were extracted. On the other hand, the four characteristic wavelengths of N, P, K hyperspectral image data were determined respectively through the principal component analysis, followed by eight hyperspectral texture features extracted corresponding to the four characteristic wavelengths through correlation analysis. Polarization characteristics and hyperspectral texture features combined with each characteristics of N, P, K were extracted. These 12 characteristic variables were normalized by maximum-minimum value method. N, P, K nutrient levels quantitative diagnostic models were established by SVR. Results of models are as follows: the correlation coefficient of nitrogen r = 0.961 8, root mean square error RMSE= 0.451; correlation coefficient of phosphorus r = 0.916 3, root mean square error RMSE = 0.620; correlation coefficient of potassium r = 0.940 6, root mean square error RMSE = 0.494. The results show that high precision tomato leaves nutrition prediction model could be built by using polarized reflectance spectroscopy combined with high spectral information fusion technology and achieve good diagnoses effect. It has a great significance for the improvement of model accuracy and the development of special instruments. The research provides a new idea for the rapid detection of tomato nutrient content.

In order to improve accuracy of quantitative analysis model for the greenhouse tomato nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrient stress, and explore the advantages of polarization non-destructive detection in single-leaf plants scale, polarized reflectance characteristics of greenhouse nutrient deficiency tomato leaves in different growing seasons and different deficiency extents were both examined via means of polarized reflectance spectroscopy system, which was self-developed by the research group. The main factors with effects on the polarized reflectance characteristics of tomato leaves were discussed, such as incident zenith angle, azimuth angle, detection zenith angle, light source polarizer degree, and detector polarizer degree. Experiments were carried out to verify the optimum level of above five parameters by means of range analysis of orthogonal experiments, through that way we can know the best angle combination of five parameters. Based on the above analysis, the angle combination and sorting of detecting tomato nutrients deficiency leaves via means of polarization spectroscopy system were obtained as follows: incident zenith angle 60 degrees, light source polarizer degree 0 degrees, detection zenith angle 45 degrees, detector polarizer degree 45 degrees and azimuth angle 180 degrees. At the same time, both the spectra of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium deficiency leaves in different growth stages and different deficiency extent leaves were compared with each other. Results show that there is a positive correlation between the greenhouse nutrient deficiency tomato leaves growth cycle and tomato leaves polarized reflectance spectra. Nutrient excess or nutrient deficiency can both lead to polarized reflectance decline and polarized reflectance decline extent of greenhouse tomato leaves is more obvious during the fruiting and harvest period. This paper has a certain theoretical and practical significance in the research on nutrition rapid detection on the plant single leaf scale by means of polarized reflectance spectrum.

In order to facilitate lettuce fertilization in an economically rational way, an intelligent method to identify lettuce leaf nitrogen levels was studied. Lettuce samples of different nitrogen levels were cultivated in greenhouse with soilless cultivation method. In a particular growth period, the lettuce samples in various nitrogen levels were collected, then the FieldSpech3 spectrometer was used to acquire the hyperspectral data of the cultivated lettuce leaves. As there were much noise and redundant information in original hyperspectral data, standard normal variate transformation (SNV) was used to reduce the noise of the original hyperspectral data in this paper, then the principal component waves were extracted by principal component analysis (PCA). While K nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine (SVM) were used for classification studies on the processed hyperspectra data respectively, adaptive boosting (Adaboost) was introduced into the two classifiers as it could improve the classification performance of weak classifiers, then Adaboost-KNN and Adaboost-SVM, the two integrated classification algorithms, were proposed. At last, the four classification algorithms were used for classification and identification of the same test sample data respectively, with the results showing that the classification accuracies of KNN, SVM, Adaboost-KNN and Adaboost-SVM were high up to 74.68%, 87.34%, 100% and 100%, among which the classification accuracies of Adaboost-KNN and Adaboost-SVM proposed in this paper were both good, and the stability of Adaboost-SVM was the best. Therefore, Adaboost-SVM used as a modeling method is suitable for the identification of lettuce leaf nitrogen level based on hyperspectrum, and it can also be used for reference to identify the nutrient elements of other crops in nondestructive testing methods.

Purpose: The efflux activity of transmembrane P-glycoprotein prevents various therapeutic drugs from reaching lethal concentrations in cancer cells, resulting in multidrug resistance. We investigated whether drug resistant bladder cancer cells could transfer functional P-glycoprotein to sensitive parental cells., Materials and Methods: Drug sensitive BIU-87 bladder cancer cells were co-cultured for 48 hours with BIU-87/ADM, a doxorubicin resistant derivative of the same cell line, in a Transwell® system that prevented cell-to-cell contact. The presence of P-glycoprotein in recipient cell membranes was established using fluorescein isothiocyanate, laser scanning confocal microscopy and Western blot. P-glycoprotein mRNA levels were compared between cell types. Rhodamine 123 efflux assay was done to confirm that P-glycoprotein was biologically active., Results: The amount of P-glycoprotein protein in BIU-87 cells co-cultured with BIU-87/ADM was significantly higher than in BIU-87 cells (0.44 vs 0.25) and BIU-87/H33342 cells (0.44 vs 0.26, each p <0.001), indicating P-glycoprotein transfer. P-glycoprotein mRNA expression was significantly higher in BIU-87/ADM cells than in co-cultured BIU-87 cells (1.28 vs 0.30), BIU-87/H33342 (0.28) and BIU-87 cells (0.25, each p <0.001), ruling out a genetic mechanism. After 30 minutes of efflux, rhodamine 123 fluorescence intensity was significantly lower in BIU-87/ADM cells (5.55 vs 51.45, p = 0.004) and co-cultured BIU-87 cells than in BIU-87 cells (14.22 vs 51.45, p <0.001), indicating that P-glycoprotein was functional., Conclusions: Bladder cancer cells can acquire functional P-glycoprotein through a nongenetic mechanism that does not require direct cell contact. This mechanism is consistent with a microparticle mediated process., (Copyright © 2013 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Peritoneal membranes can be categorized as high, high average, low average, and low transporters, based on the removal or transport rate of solutes. In this study, we used proteomic analysis to determine the differences in proteins removed by different types of peritoneal membranes. Peritoneal transport characteristics in patients who received peritoneal dialysis therapy were assessed by a peritoneal equilibration test. Two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis technology followed by quantitative analysis was performed to study the variation in protein expression from peritoneal dialysis effluents (PDE) among different groups. Proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analyses. Further validation in PDE or serum was performed utilizing ELISA analysis. Proteomics analysis revealed ten protein spots with significant differences in intensity levels among different groups, including vitamin D-binding protein, complement C3, apolipoprotein-A1, complement factor C4A, haptoglobin, alpha-1 antitrypsin, immunoglobulin kappa light chain, alpha-2-microglobulin, retinol-binding protein 4 and transthyretin. The levels of vitamin D-binding protein, complement C3, and apolipoprotein-A1 in PDE derived from different groups were greatly varied (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the serum levels of these proteins among different groups (P>0.05 for all groups). This study provides a novel overview of the differences in PDE proteomes of four types of peritoneal membranes. Vitamin D-binding protein, complement C3, and apolipoprotein-A1 showed enhanced expression in PDE of patients with high transporter., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ecological planning is one of the most important tools in realizing city's sustainable development. The ecological planning in China was started in the 1980s, and on the basis of assimilating the existing theoretical and practical experiences from western countries, basically formed a theoretical system in accordance with the Chinese characteristics and acquired a series of practical results. This paper reviewed the research and development processes of China' s ecological planning. It is considered that the study of our ecological planning was derived from the geographical principles of land resources ecological utilization, the ecological principles of complex ecological system theory, and the combination of these two principles. The ecological planning has experienced three research stages, i. e., single-disciplinary exploration, multi-disciplinary and multi-perspective study (including landscape ecology, ecology and urban planning), and interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration research. The ecological planning and the related conceptions, primary principles, main academic points, and representatives at each research stage were summarized, and through the discrimination of the basic conceptions of ecological planning and other related plans, it was pointed out that ecological planning is an general conception which includes land ecological planning, urban ecological planning, and eco-city planning, and the principles and theories of ecological planning should be integrated into, led and restricted the present planning system to promote the city's and regional sustainable development.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Zuojin Pill (ZJP), a traditional Chinese medicinal decoction, contains two herbal drugs: Coptis chinensis Franch. and Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. in the ratio of 6:1 (w/w). Previous pharmacological studies have shown that two herbs in ZJP have the antagonistic effects on catecholamine secretion in bovine adrenal medullary cells. Furthermore, the alkaloids from the two herbs in ZJP may provide a protective effect for depression in individuals with a low expressing 5-HTT allele by increasing receptor concentration in serotonergic neurons. However, antidepressant effect has not been reported before and has not been fully clarified., Aim of the Study: The present study aimed to investigate the antidepressant potential of ethanol extract from ZJP and its monoaminergic mechanism in mice., Materials and Methods: Seven alkaloids were determined from the ethanol extract of ZJP using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with the gradient mobile phase. The ethanol extract from ZJP was used to evaluate the antidepressant potential in mice. Mouse models of depression including the tail suspension test (TST) and the forced swim test (FST) were used to evaluate the effects of the ethanol extract from ZJP. A possible mechanism was explored in the tests of antagonism of reserpine-induced ptosis and hypothermia, and 5-HTP induced head twitch response in mice. The contents of monoamine neurotransmitters including norepinephrine (NE), serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) in hippocampus of mice and NE, 5-HT, dopamine (DA) in striatum of mice were determined by HPLC system with Electrochemical Detector (ECD)., Results: The results showed that intragastric administration of the ethanol extract from ZJP (5, 10, 20mg/kg) or fluoxetine (7.5mg/kg) significantly reduced the duration of immobility in TST and FST. However, the effect was not dose-dependent. Ethanol extract from ZJP (5, 10, 20mg/kg) also increased the accumulative number of the 5-HTP-induced head twitch response in mice. The mice were treated with the ethanol extract from ZJP (5, 10, 20mg/kg) or fluoxetine (7.5mg/kg), which could antagonize reserpine-induced ptosis and hypothermia, moreover, both of them could elevate the contents of NE, 5-HT in hippocampus as well as NE, 5-HT, DA in striatum significantly., Conclusion: These results indicate that the ethanol extract from ZJP produced antidepressant-like effect and the possible mechanism, at least in part, is via the central monoaminergic neurotransmitter system and 5-HT plays a major role., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Despite recent progress in the proteomic analysis of peritoneal dialysate effluent (PDE), there remains unresolved problems in the development of an optimal sample preparation method., Experimental Design: We examined five protocols for concentrating PDE proteins and the effects of immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips with different pH ranges and sample loading techniques. In addition, we examined three kits for depleting high abundance proteins by SDS-PAGE and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE)., Results: PDE proteins precipitated with 75% acetonitrile (ACN) showed the greatest number of protein spots by 2-DE, with over 800 distinct spots. Higher-resolution images were obtained using IPG strips with a pH range of 4-7. The ProteoPrep immunoaffinity albumin and IgG depletion kit removed high abundance proteins with higher efficiency and more compatibility with isoelectric focusing (IEF). Removing high abundance proteins also increased the resolution and improved the intensity of low abundance proteins., Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: High-resolution 2-DE images of PDE proteins were obtained by concentrating samples with 75% ACN, using pH 4-7 IPG strips, and depleting high abundance proteins. This optimized method will enable future studies to discover predictive biomarkers of disease in patients on dialysis., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS) has proved to predict the prospective mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. However, its value of long-term mortality predictability in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients has not been adequately studied., Methods: A total of 155 chronic stable PD patients from November 2005 to December 2006 were enrolled. At baseline, the MIS, Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), as well as clinical, laboratory, and anthropometric parameters were recorded. All patients were followed until October 2009 to evaluate mortality as a primary outcome., Results: The MIS correlated very well with SGA and other nutrition and inflammation markers. Patients with a higher MIS had a worse survival rate compared to those with lower MIS. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, one unit increase of MIS was associated with a 1.27-fold greater death risk (hazard ratio: 1.27, 95% confidence interval: 1.19 - 1.36; p < 0.001). MIS had a superior mortality predictability compared with SGA. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses denoted MIS, age, dialysis vintage, and comorbidities as independent predictors of total mortality., Conclusion: MIS is a promising marker for malnutrition inflammation assessment and an independent predictor of long-term mortality in Chinese PD patients.

Ecological civilization is to normalize human development behaviors to harmonize the relationships between social and ecological development and eco-environment protection. In this paper, a comparative analysis was made on the ecological demonstration activities of ecological demonstration areas led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, exemplar cities of national environmental protection, and ecological provinces, cities, and counties. It was considered that all the ecological demonstration activities had the problems of lacking pertinence of construction goals, disordered construction subjects, inefficient construction processes, and lacking continuous incentive mechanisms of assessment. In the meantime, through the analysis of the connotations of eco-civilization, the relationships between eco-civilization and eco-demonstration constructions were approached, and the eco-civilization construction mode was put forward in terms of construction goal, construction subject, and construction processes and assessment. The construction mode included the construction goal based on regional characteristics; the synergistic cooperation of construction subjects, the expanding ways of public participation, and the establishment of evaluation system for comprehensively measuring the 'actions and results'.

Introduction and Hypothesis: Intravesical instillation of hyaluronic acid (HA) may restore the integrity of glycosaminoglycan layer in patients with painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC), and the benefit may be improved with addition of alkalinized lidocaine (AL)., Methods: 48 women with severe PBS/IC who failed oral medications were enrolled and divided into one trial and two control groups. The trial group received intravesical 40 mg HA, 10 ml of 2 % lidocaine and 5 ml of 8.4 % sodium bicarbonate on a weekly basis for 8 weeks and then monthly for 4 months with a subsequent follow-up of 24 weeks, while the two control groups received 40 mg HA and mixture of 10 ml of 2 % lidocaine and 5 ml of 8.4%sodium bicarbonate respectively following the same procedure. Response to therapy was evaluated by Global Response Assessment, voids per day, Visual Analogue Scale for pain, frequency and urgency, O'leary-Sant Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index and Problem Index, cystoscopy and bladder capacity., Results: Overall 45 patients finished this study protocol. The HA + AL group and the AL group showed significant improvement at week 2 (P < 0.01), while the HA group began to show effect at week 4 (P < 0.01). There was no improvement in the AL group at week 24 and these patients quitted the study without follow up. Contrarily, the HA + AL and HA group kept on improving till the end of the study without significant difference between the two groups., Conclusions: Intravesical instillation of HA and AL may provide both immediate and sustained relief of symptoms in severe PBS/IC in this preliminary study.

Background: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is widely used as a marker of inflammation and an indicator of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. However, its prognostic value in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is still unknown., Methods: We studied 138 newly started PD patients and 60 healthy controls at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. Baseline NLR as well as demographic, clinical, and biochemical parameters were recorded. All patients were followed up until March 2011 to evaluate mortality as the primary outcome. Overall and cardiovascular disease-free survival rates were compared according to NLR level. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess the prognostic value of NLR., Results: Baseline NLR levels (mean 3.5 ± 1.6) were significantly increased in PD patients compared to healthy controls (mean 1.5 ± 0.5; P < 0.001). Patients with higher NLR had a higher mortality rate compared with patients with lower NLR (51.5% vs 22.9%; P = 0.006). The 1-year and 3-year overall survival rates were 86.6% and 65.9% for patients with higher NLR compared with 97% and 85.1% for patients with lower NLR (P = 0.006). Patients with higher NLR also showed a higher cardiovascular mortality rate, compared with patients with lower NLR (38% vs 7.6%; P = 0.003). The 1-year and 3-year cardiovascular event-free survival rates were 90.7% and 81.9% for patients with higher NLR, compared with 98.6% and 95.1% for patients with lower NLR. Multivariate analysis showed high NLR value was an independent risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality., Conclusion: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is a strong predictor for overall and cardiovascular mortality in PD patients.

Objective: To investigate the vasodilator effect and the endothelium-dependent mechanism of oroxylin A in thoracic aorta isolated from rats., Methods: Thoracic aorta was isolated from Wistar rats. After pretreatment with norepinephrine or KCl, the effects of oroxylin A at different concentrations were detected on isolated vascular rings prepared from rats' thoracic aorta. The response of thoracic aortic ring was evaluated in the presence and absence of endothelium, and NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a specific inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase., Results: Oroxylin A (10 and 100 μmol/L) caused vasodilation on endothelium-intact aortic rings pretreated with norepinephrine (1 μmol/L) and KCl (60 mmol/L) compared with the control (P<0.05, P<0.01). The vasodilation function of 10 and 100 μmol/L oroxylin A on the endothelium-denuded aorta rings was significantly lower than that on the endothelium-intact aorta rings (P<0.05, P<0.01). L-NAME pretreatment significantly attenuated the effect of 100 μmol/L oroxylin A on endothelium-intact aorta rings (P<0.05, P<0.01)., Conclusion: Oroxylin A can induce the relaxation of the aorta ring in endothelium-dependent manner. Nitric oxide may be involved in the endothelium-dependent effect of oroxylin A.

Background: Long-term outcomes for patients with adult idiopathic nephrotic syndrome correlate closely with steroid responsiveness. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the difference in serum proteomes between steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) and steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) patients and identify potential biomarkers for the prediction of SRNS., Methods: We performed a gel-based proteomic study of serum obtained from SRNS and SSNS patients and healthy controls at the time of presentation (n = 6 for each group). Proteins from the serum samples were separated using 2-D electrophoresis, digested in-gel and subjected to MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analysis. Further validation was performed utilizing Western blot and ELISA. The sensitivities and specificities of the candidate proteins for predicting SRNS were determined using receiver operating characteristic curves., Results: Thirteen differentially expressed proteins were identified as haptoglobin (Hp) with different isoelectric points and molecular weights. Western blot and ELISA analysis of samples from 146 subjects (healthy controls = 52, SSNS = 54, SRNS = 40) showed a markedly increased level of Hp in the serum, but not urine, of SRNS compared to SSNS patients. The optimal serum cutoff level of Hp was set at ≥1,279 µg/ml using the receiver operating characteristic curve. The sensitivity and specificity for predicting SRNS were 85.0 and 96.3%, respectively., Conclusions: This study provides a novel overview of the difference in serum proteomes of SSNS and SRNS patients. Serum Hp may be a useful predictive biomarker for steroid therapy efficacy in the treatment of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome., (Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

The morphological symptom of phosphorus deficiency at early stage is similar to the appearance of leaf aging process in preliminary phase, so that visual diagnostics of phosphorus deficiency in mini-cucumber plants at early stage is practically impossible. Near infrared reflectance spectra contain information about differences in compositions of leaf tissues between phosphorus-deficient plants and healthy plants. In the present paper, near infrared reflectance spectroscopy was used to provide diagnostic information on phosphorus deficiency of mini-cucumber plants grown under non-soil conditions. Near infrared spectra was collected from 90 leaves of mini-cucumber plants. Raw cucumber spectra was preprocessed by SNV and divided into 27 intervals. The top 10 principal components (PCs) were extracted as the input of BP-ANN classifiers by principal component analysis (PCA) while the values of nutrient deficient were used as the output variables of BP-ANN and three layers BP-ANN discrimination model was built. The best experiment results were based on the top 3 principal components of No. 7 interval when the spectra was divided into 27 intervals and identification rates of the ANN model are 100% in both training set and the prediction set. The overall results show that NIR spectroscopy combined with BP-ANN can be efficiently utilized for rapid and early diagnostics of phosphorus deficiency in mini-cucumber plants.

Objective: Depression, the most common psychological disorder among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is associated with poor survival. The prevalence of depression and its relation with the malnutrition-inflammation complex syndrome (MICS) have not yet been clearly defined in Chinese continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients., Patients and Methods: A total of 142 patients on CAPD were enrolled in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and the malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS) were used for depression and MICS evaluation, respectively. Clinical, socioeconomic, and malnutrition-inflammation factors were compared among patients with and without depression. Binary regression analysis was performed to investigate the independent association between depression and MICS., Results: The mean HAMD and MIS scores were 7.12 ± 5.28 and 4.45 ± 3.56, respectively. According to HAMD, 37 patients (26.1%) had depression and 70 patients (49.3%) had potential depression. Older age, longer dialysis vintage, worse residual renal function, lower employment and reimbursement status, and higher comorbidity index were positively correlated with depression. Compared to non-depressed patients, the depressed ones also showed lower levels of serum albumin and higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). Correlation results showed that the HAMD scores were significantly and positively correlated with MIS (r = 0.46, P < 0.01). Moreover, the incidence of peritonitis was significantly higher in depressed compared to non-depressed patients. Binary regression analysis showed that MIS was the only independent risk factor for depression., Conclusion: Depression is commonly encountered in Chinese CAPD patients. A close relationship exists between depression and MICS.

Background: The maximal use of the limited resource to improve peritoneal dialysis (PD) penetration and clinical outcomes is a challenge for all PD centers. In this study, we reported the experience and outcomes in successfully managing a rapidly growing PD center in Southern China., Methods: A standard PD program with a team consisted of 6 nephrologists (3 doctors were in charge of catheter insertion and in-patients care, the other 3 doctors focused on PD patients' follow-up and education) and 11 nurses in a PD center at Sun Yat-sen University was established for PD patients follow-up in 2005. A prospective and observational study was conducted in all patients undergoing continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) at our center from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2009., Results: The yearly number of prevalent CAPD patients was 297, 409, 547 and 695 in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively. The PD catheter insertion was performed by the nephrologists with open surgical procedure and 94% of catheters were patent at one year. In 841 incident CAPD patients, the survival rates at the end of 1, 2, 3 and 4 years were 94%, 87%, 83% and 76%, respectively, while cumulative technique survival rates (death-censored) were 98%, 95%, 91% and 90%, respectively. Peritonitis rate was 1/68.5 patient months., Conclusions: Better patient and technical survival rates as well as lower peritonitis episode have been achieved in our rapidly growing PD center. A standardized PD program, well-trained team members of PD doctors and nurses, and continuous quality improvement of PD are important elements in managing a successful PD program.

In order to research the target of superior efficacy and lesser side effects, combination of herbal materials has been applied to phytotherapy for thousands of years in China and some other countries. Zuojin Wan (ZJW), a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula, is used in treating gastric diseases in China. It is composed of two herbs, Rhizoma Coptidis (RC) and Fructus Evodiae (FE) in the ratio of 6: 1(w/w). In the present study, we examined the effects of ZJW, RC, FE and active components isolated from these herbs on catecholamine (CA) secretion and intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. Extracts of ZJW and RC and berberine, palmatine and jatrorrhizine, components of RC, all inhibited CA secretion and rise in [Ca(2+)](i) induced by acetylcholine (ACh), veratridine (Ver) and/or 56 mM K(+). On the other hand, extract of FE, evodiamine and rutaecarpine, components of FE, stimulated CA secretion and rise in [Ca(2+)](i) induced by ACh. Furthermore, different proportions of RC and FE caused different responses in CA secretion. The present findings suggest that two herbs in ZJW have opposite effects, i.e., inhibitory effect of RC and stimulatory effect of FE, on CA secretion induced by acetylcholine in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells., ((c) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Automatic detection of weeds is necessary for site--specific application of herbicides or precise physical weed control. Leaf reflectance is mainly determined by photosynthetic pigments, leaf structural properties and water content, so spectral reflectance characteristics can be used for weed discrimination. The spectral reflectance of cotton, rice and weeds was determined in the range from 350 to 2 500 nm using the Analytical Spectral Device Full Range FieldSpec Pro (ASD) in laboratory. The discrimination analysis was done using the statistical software package SAS. The characteristic wavelengths were selected by using STEPDISC procedure. With the selected characteristic wavelengths, discriminant models were developed using the DISCRIM procedure in SAS. For distinguishing spine-greens from cotton, three characteristic wavelengths, 385, 415, and 435 nm, were selected, and good classification performance (100% accuracy) was achieved. The combination of characteristic wavelengths 415 and 435 nm has the biggest contribution to discrimination model. For distinguishing barnyard-grass from rice, five characteristic wavelengths, 375, 465, 585, 705, and 1 035 nm, were selected, and also good classification performance (100% accuracy) was obtained. The transition point from yellow to orange wavelength (585 nm) and the wavelength 705 nm in the red edge contributed more to discrimination model.

To monitor tea tree growth and nitrogen nutrition in tea leaves, visible-near infrared spectroscopy was used to determine total nitrogen content. One hundred eleven fresh tea leaves of different nitrogen levels were sampled according to different tea type, plant age, leaf age, leaf position and soil nutrients, which covered a wide range of nitrogen content. Visible-near infrared reflectance spectra were scanned under the sunlight with a portable spectroradiometer (ASD FieldSpec 3) in field. The software of NIRSA developed by Jiangsu University was used to establish the calibration models and prediction models, which included spectra data editing, preprocessing, sample analysis, spectrogram comparison, calibration model and prediction model, analysis reporting and system configuration Eighty six samples were used to establish the calibration model with the preprocessing of first/second-order derivative plus moving average filter and the algorithm of PLS regression, stepwise regression, principal component regression, PLS regression plus artificial neural network and so on The result shows that the PLS regression calibration model with 7 principal component factors after the preprocessing of first-order derivative plus moving average filter is the best and correspondingly the root mean square error of calibration is 0. 973. Twenty five unknown samples were used to establish the prediction model and the correlation coefficient between predicted values and real values is 0.8881, while the root mean square error of prediction is 0. 130 4 with the mean relative error of 4.339%. Therefore, visible-near infrared spectroscopy has a huge potential for the determination of total nitrogen content in fresh tea leaves in a rapid and nondestructive way. Consequently, the technique can be significant to monitoring the tea tree growth and fertilization management.

Objective: To investigate the mRNA expression of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-adapter proteins, TNF receptor-associated death domain protein (TRADD), Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD), receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP-1), and TNF receptor-associated factor-2 (TRAF-2) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to explore the relationship between the expression of these adaptors and the SLE disease activity., Methods: PBMC were isolated from venous blood of 51 SLE patients and 17 healthy subjects. The mRNA expression of TRADD, FADD, RIP-1, TRAF-2, Caspase 3, and interleukin (IL)-1beta were analyzed by quantitative real time RT-PCR. Disease activity was measured using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI)., Results: All healthy subjects showed mRNA expressions of TRADD, FADD, RIP-1, and TRAF-2. The mRNA expression levels of TRADD, FADD, RIP-1, and TRAF- in the PBMC from the patients were 0.38, 0.69, 0.59, and 0.55 tomes that from the control subjects (all P < 0.05). The expression levels of these 4 adapters of the SLE patients with the SLEDAI >/= 10 were significantly lower than those of the SLE patients with the SLEDAI < 10 (all P < 0.05). The Caspase3 mRNA expression of the SLE patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls (P < 0.01); however, the IL-1beta mRNA expression was not significantly different between the SLE and control subjects. The mRNA expression levels of TRADD, FADD, RIP-1 and TRAF-2 in the PBMC from the SLE patients were all negatively correlated with the SLE activity index with the coefficient correlation of -0.285, -0.280, -0.307, and -0.298 respectively (all P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The mRNA expression levels of the TNF adapter molecules, such as TRADD, FADD, RIP-1, and TRAF-2, decrease significantly in the PBMC from the SLE patients, and are negatively correlated with the SLE activity index. These abnormalities may participate in the immunopathogenic injury mediated by the aberration TNFalpha signaling pathway in SLE.

The events that precipitate cell death and the stress proteins responsible for cytoprotection during ATP depletion remain elusive. We hypothesize that exposure to metabolic inhibitors damages mitochondria, allowing proapoptotic proteins to leak into the cytosol, and suggest that heat stress-induced hsp72 accumulation prevents mitochondrial membrane injury. To test these hypotheses, renal epithelial cells were transiently ATP depleted with sodium cyanide and 2-deoxy-D-glucose in the absence of medium dextrose. Recovery from ATP depletion was associated with the release into the cytosol of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), proapoptotic proteins that localize to the intermitochondrial membrane space. Concomitant with mitochondrial cytochrome c leak, a seven- to eightfold increase in caspase 3 activity was observed. In controls, state III mitochondrial respiration was reduced by 30% after transient exposure to metabolic inhibitors. Prior heat stress preserved mitochondrial ATP production and significantly reduced both cytochrome c release and caspase 3 activation. Despite less cytochrome c release, prior heat stress increased binding between cytochrome c and hsp72. The present study demonstrates that mitochondrial injury accompanies exposure to metabolic inhibitors. By reducing outer mitochondrial membrane injury and by complexing with cytochrome c, hsp72 could inhibit caspase activation and subsequent apoptosis.

To compare the effects of two inocula on the induction of amyloidosis in normal and thymectomized ducks, 180 normal and 50 thymectomized ducks were injected intravenously weekly for up to 16 weeks with either crude endotoxin or crude whole cell extract of a virulent strain of Escherichia coli (O78), and another 60 ducks were injected with normal saline as study control. During the first 5 weekly injections, the initial doses of inducing agents were the smallest and then adjusted upward to the maximum study doses (1 or 2 mg/bird of crude endotoxin and 15-18 x 10(8) bacteria/bird of crude whole cell extract), which were then maintained over the course of the study. The incidence of amyloid deposition were: 50.00% (25/50) for thymectomized ducks that received 1 mg/bird/week of crude endotoxin, 61.67% (37/60) for intact ducks that received 15 x 10(8)-18 x 10(8) bacteria (crude whole cell extract)/bird/week, 53.33% (32/60) for intact ducks received 2 mg/bird/week of crude endotoxin, and 63.33% (38/60) for intact ducks received 1 mg/bird/week of crude endotoxin. The results suggest that crude whole cell extract and crude endotoxin induced amyloidosis in ducks at similar rates and that, in ducks, thymectomy has no appreciable effect on the occurrence of amyloidosis.