Endothelium-independent vasorelaxant effects of Curcuma phaeocaulis essential oil and its representative compound isocurcumenol.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The rhizomes of Curcuma phaeocaulis Val. are a Rhizoma curcumae source in Chinese pharmacopoeia, and this traditional Chinese medicine has been extensively used in China to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. However, little is known regarding the vasodilatory effects and underlying mechanisms.

Research Progress on Sesquiterpenoids of and Their Pharmacological Effects.

, a traditional Chinese medicine with a wide range of pharmacological activities, is obtained from the dried rhizomes of VaL., S. G.

A time-dependent density functional theory study of a fluorescent probe to detect hydroxyl radicals: Inhibiting the twisted intramolecular charge-transfer process.

Due to the relevance to excited-state processes, sensing mechanisms of fluorescent probes were difficult to study directly by experimental methods. This work investigated theoretically the sensing mechanism of a reported bifunctional fluorescent probe to detect intracellular hydroxyl radicals and their environmental viscosity (J. Am.

Persistent Viral Presence Determines the Clinical Course of the Disease in COVID-19.

Background: The clinical management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is dependent on understanding the underlying factors that contribute to the disease severity. In the absence of effective antiviral therapies, other host immunomodulatory therapies such as targeting inflammatory response are currently being used without clear evidence of their effectiveness. Because inflammation is an essential component of host antiviral mechanisms, therapies targeting inflammation may adversely affect viral clearance and disease outcome.

Mink Aleutian disease seroprevalence in China during 1981-2017: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mink Aleutian disease (AMD) is the first of the three major diseases of fur animals. It is a common immunosuppressive disease in mink farms worldwide, which seriously endangers the development of the mink farming industry. Strengthening the understanding of the positive serum rate and spatial distribution of AMD is of great significance for the prevention and control of disease caused by the Aleutian virus.

Tip Crack Imaging on Transparent Materials by Digital Holographic Microscopy.

With this study, we propose a method to image the tip crack on transparent materials by using digital holographic microscopy. More specifically, an optical system based on Mach-Zehnder interference along with an inverted microscopy (Olympus CKX53) was used to image the tip crack of Dammar Varnish transparent material under thermal excitation. A series of holograms were captured and reconstructed for the observation of the changes of the tip crack.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Brucellosis, Chlamydiosis, and Bluetongue Among Sika Deer in Jilin Province in China.

Brucellosis and chlamydiosis are important zoonotic diseases and bluetongue virus (BTV) is an arthropod-borne viral disease of ruminants. They are widely distributed around the world, cause large economic losses, and significant harmful effects on humans. However, epidemiological information relating to transmission from commercial sika deer in China is limited.

Effect of coronary artery revascularization on in-hospital outcomes and long-term prognoses in acute myocardial infarction patients with prior ischemic stroke.

Objective: To investigate whether coronary artery revascularization therapies (CART), including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), can improve the in-hospital and long-term outcomes for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with prior ischemic stroke (IS).

Methods: A total of 387 AMI patients with prior IS were enrolled consecutively from January 15, 2005 to December 24, 2011 in this cohort study. All patients were categorized into the CART group (n = 204) or the conservative medications (CM) group (n = 183).

Impact of Mean Platelet Volume on Long-Term Mortality in Chinese Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

We investigated the association between mean platelet volume (MPV) and risk of all-cause mortality in Chinese patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). We enrolled 1836 patients with STEMI in Xuanwu Hospital from January 2008 to December 2013. Based on MPV, patients were categorized into the following groups: < 9.

Protective effect of Bu-7, a flavonoid extracted from Clausena lansium, against rotenone injury in PC12 cells.

Aim: To investigate the protective effect and underlying mechanisms of Bu-7, a flavonoid isolated from the leaves of Clausena lansium, against rotenone-induced injury in PC12 cells.

Methods: The cell viability was evaluated using MTT assay. The cell apoptosis rate was analyzed using flow cytometry.

InCl(3)-catalyzed asymmetric aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with imines generated from O-pivaloylated beta-D-galactosylamine.

The highly diastereoselective InCl(3)-catalyzed aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction of substituted indoles with aldimines generated from Kunz's amine was studied. The reaction afforded the desired product in good to high yields with up to >19:1 diastereoselective ratios. The O-pivaloylated beta-D-galactosyl moiety could not be cleaved under the traditional acidic conditions.

Polygalasaponin XXXII from Polygala tenuifolia root improves hippocampal-dependent learning and memory.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the cognition-enhancing activity and underlying mechanisms of a triterpenoid saponin (polygalasaponin XXXII, PGS32) isolated from the roots of Polygala tenuifolia Willd.

Methods: The Morris water maze was used to evaluate the spatial learning and memory of mice. To detect the basic properties of synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus of rats, electrophysiological recordings were made of evoked potentials.

PEG-conjugated PAMAM dendrimers mediate efficient intramuscular gene expression.

Generations 5 and 6 (G5 and G6) poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers have been shown to be highly efficient nonviral carriers in in vitro gene delivery. However, their high toxicity and unsatisfied in vivo efficacy limit their applications. In this study, to improve their characteristics as gene delivery carriers, polyethylene glycol (PEG, molecular weight 5,000) was conjugated to G5 and G6 PAMAM dendrimers (PEG-PAMAM) at three different molar ratios of 4%, 8%, and 15% (PEG to surface amine per PAMAM dendrimer molecular).