Efficacy of Liangxue Guyuan decoction on radiation-induced intestinal injury in rats via the toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation primary response 88/ nuclear factor-kappa B pathway.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Liangxue Guyuan decoction ( LGD) on radiation-induced intestinal injury in rats, and the possible underlying mechanism of action.

Methods: A total of 255 male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. 15 rats were assigned to the control group and the remaining 240 rats were exposed to a 60Co source at a dose of 11 Gy.

Extracts from Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongoliciplus) and Ezhu (Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis) inhibit Lewis lung carcinoma cell growth in a xenograft mouse model by impairing mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, vascular endothelial growth factor production, and angiogenesis.

Objective: To study the anti-tumor effects of the extracts from Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongolici) and Ezhu (Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis) on the growth of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) in a xenograft mouse model and to investigate the possible underlying mechanism.

Methods: LLC tumor-bearing C57BL/6 mice were treated with normal saline, cisplatin (2 mg/kg intraperitoneally every other day), or Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongolici) and Ezhu (Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis) (1∶1, 2∶1, or 3∶1 ratio; 5 , 8 , or 11 g/kg crude drug intragastrically every day) for 15 d. Body weights and tumor volumes were measured every other day.

Two solvent-induced variable host-guest two-dimensional binary frameworks mediated by hydrogen bonding.

Two-dimensional binary hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks constructed from 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (TMA) and 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid (BDA) on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in heptanoic acid and octanoic acid solvents. High-resolution STM observations demonstrated that various assemblies of hydrogen-bonded networks are strongly dependent on the nature of the solvent. Well-ordered porous rectangular flowerlike networks were revealed at the heptanoic acid/HOPG interface, whereas two different coexisting densely packed guest-host BDA/TMA structures were observed at the octanoic acid/HOPG interface.

Effect of optimal combination of Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongolici) and Ezhu (Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis) on proliferation and apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells.

Objective: To investigate the effect of optimal combination (E) of Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongolici) and Ezhu (Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis) on proliferation and apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells and the possible mechanism underpinning the action.

Methods: A uniform design method was used to optimize the E of Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongolici) and Ezhu (Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis) in A549 lung cancer cells. MTS assay was applied to analyze the effect of the component formula of Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongolici) and Ezhu (Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis) on A549 cells viability in various uniform design groups.

and Ameliorate Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Rats by Regulating the Toll-Like Receptor 4/Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Signaling Pathway.

and (AM/SM) are well used in Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) for nourishing Qi and activating blood circulation method. From TCM theory, the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) was determined as Qi deficiency and blood stagnation. In this study, we are aiming to investigate the protective and therapeutic effects of AM/SM on a rat model of lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced ALI in rats and to elucidate potential molecular mechanisms.

A Novel Canine Model of Acute Vertebral Artery Occlusion.

Background: The extended time window and theoretic reduction in hemorrhage make mechanical strategies an attractive approach for the treatment of patients with ischemic stroke. However, a limited availability of suitable animal models of cerebrovascular thrombosis has hampered the study of novel endovascular interventions. The aim of the present study was to develop a new technique for site-specific placement of a thrombus in a canine model that would allow for the evaluation of mechanical thrombectomy and clot retrieval methods and the visualization of thrombus dislocation or fragmentation during angiographic manipulation.

Shuyusan-containing serum protects SH-SY5Y cells against corticosterone-induced impairment.

The Chinese herb Shuyusan, whose main constituent is jasminoidin, has been shown to protect SH-SY5Y cells against corticosterone-induced damage. SH-SY5Y cells injured by 400 μmol/L corticosterone were treated with 5 and 30 μg/mL Shuyusan-containing serum. Results revealed that Shuyusan-containing serum elevated the survival rate of SH-SY5Y cells, reduced Bax expression, increased Bcl-2 expression, markedly elevated brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression, and blocked cell apoptosis.

[Effects of shuyu ningxln recipe on the praxiology and the expressions of hippocampal BDNF and trkB of model rats with chronic stress-induced depression].

Objective: To observe the effects of Shuyu Ningxin Recipe (SNR) on the praxiology and the expressions of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) of model rats with chronic stress-induced depression, thus exploring its anti-depression mechanisms.

Methods: Sixty adult SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, i.e.

Tunable and sizable band gap in silicene by surface adsorption.

Opening a sizable band gap without degrading its high carrier mobility is as vital for silicene as for graphene to its application as a high-performance field effect transistor (FET). Our density functional theory calculations predict that a band gap is opened in silicene by single-side adsorption of alkali atom as a result of sublattice or bond symmetry breaking. The band gap size is controllable by changing the adsorption coverage, with an impressive maximum band gap up to 0.

Giant magnetoresistance in silicene nanoribbons.

By performing first-principle quantum transport calculations, we predict a giant magnetoresistance in zigzag silicene nanoribbons (ZSiNRs) connecting two semi-infinite silicene electrodes through switch of the edge spin direction of ZSiNRs. Spin-filter efficiency of both the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic ZSiNRs is sign-changeable with the bias voltage. Therefore, potential application of silicene in spintronics devices is suggested.

[Purification and properties of thermostable catalase in engineered E. coli].

A thermostable catalase in engineered bacterium E. coli was purified to electrophoretic homogenenity by heat treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation precipitation, DEAE-A50 ion exchange chromatography, HiPrep 16/10 Phenyl hydrophobic interaction chromatography and Superdex200 HR 10/30 size exclusion chromatography with 187.2-fold purification and 9.