Qihuang needle therapy in senile cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.

Background: Neurogenic cervical spondylosis [cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR)] accounts for ~50-60% of all types of cervical spondylosis, and its incidence is the highest among all types of cervical spondylosis.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of the Qihuang needle in the treatment of senile cervical radiculopathy.

Methods: A total of 55 elderly patients with neurogenic cervical spondylosis were randomly divided into the general acupuncture group (27 cases) and the Qihuang acupuncture group (28 cases).

Propofol affects the growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer via ADAM8.

Background: Anesthesia is a major component of surgery and recently considered an important regulator of cell phenotypes. Here we aimed to investigate propofol, an anesthesia drug, in suppressing pancreatic cancer (PDAC), focusing on A disintegrin and metalloprotease 8, (ADAM8) as a molecular mediator.

Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot were used to assess the change of ADAM8 expression in Panc1 PDAC cells treated with 5 or 10 μg/mL propofol, using cells treated with BB-94 inhibitor as controls.

Effect of sevoflurane treatment on microglia activation, NF-kB and MAPK activities.

Microglia activation has been implicated in neurodegenerative disease. Sevoflurane is fluorinated methyl isopropyl ether with anti-inflammatory activity. In this study, we evaluated the potential effects of sevoflurane on lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced microglia activation.

Morin Alleviates Vincristine-Induced Neuropathic Pain via Nerve protective Effect and Inhibition of NF-κB Pathway in Rats.

Vincristine is a toxic chemotherapeutic agent which often triggers neuropathic pain through inflammation. Morin isolated from figs (Ficus carica) exerts anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. We investigated whether morin ameliorates vincristine-induced neuropathic pain and the underlying mechanism.

Sevoflurane anesthesia impairs metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent long-term depression and cognitive functions in senile mice.

Aim: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction is often observed in older patients. Previous reports described the link between postoperative cognitive dysfunction and general anesthetics, such as sevoflurane, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. We therefore sought to characterize the effects of sevoflurane on hippocampal-dependent cognitive functions, as well as hippocampal plasticity, and to delineate the underlying mechanisms.

Neonatal exposure to sevoflurane caused cognitive deficits by dysregulating SK2 channels and GluA2-lacking AMPA receptors in juvenile rat hippocampus.

Anesthetics exposure to neonates leads to impairment of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions later in life. This phenomenon complies with the concept of metaplasticity: a priming stimulation can affect induction of synaptic plasticity mins or days later. We aimed to understand whether small conductance Ca-activated potassium channel type2 (SK2) and subunit composition of AMPA receptors are altered and contribute to sevoflurane-induced metaplasticity.

MiR-145 ameliorates neuropathic pain via inhibiting inflammatory responses and mTOR signaling pathway by targeting Akt3 in a rat model.

Neuropathic pain perplexes a large population of patients with various diseases. Inflammation plays a key role in the physiopathology of neuropathic pain. Anti-inflammatory can be a promising strategy to treat neuropathic pain.

NaHS Protects against the Impairments Induced by Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation in Different Ages of Primary Hippocampal Neurons.

Brain ischemia leads to poor oxygen supply, and is one of the leading causes of brain damage and/or death. Neuroprotective agents are thus in great need for treatment purpose. Using both young and aged primary cultured hippocampal neurons as models, we investigated the effect of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), an exogenous donor of hydrogen sulfide, on oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) damaged neurons that mimick focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) induced brain injury.

Involvement of spinal glutamate transporter-1 in the development of mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia associated with type 2 diabetes.

Little is known about the effects of the development of type 2 diabetes on glutamate homeostasis in the spinal cord. Therefore, we quantified the extracellular levels of glutamate in the spinal cord of Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats using in vivo microdialysis. In addition, protein levels of glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) in the spinal cord of ZDF rats were measured using Western blot.

Impacts of Thermal Atomic Layer-Deposited AlN Passivation Layer on GaN-on-Si High Electron Mobility Transistors.

Thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD)-grown AlN passivation layer is applied on AlGaN/GaN-on-Si HEMT, and the impacts on drive current and leakage current are investigated. The thermal ALD-grown 30-nm amorphous AlN results in a suppressed off-state leakage; however, its drive current is unchanged. It was also observed by nano-beam diffraction method that thermal ALD-amorphous AlN layer barely enhanced the polarization.

AlGaN/GaN MISHEMTs with AlN gate dielectric grown by thermal ALD technique.

Recently, AlN plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) passivation technique had been proposed and investigated for suppressing the dynamic on-resistance degradation behavior of high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). In this paper, a novel gate dielectric and passivation technique for GaN-on-Si AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (MISHEMTs) is presented. This technique features the AlN thin film grown by thermal ALD at 400°C without plasma enhancement.

Connection changes in somatosensory cortex induced by different doses of propofol.

Background: The mechanism by which general anesthetics, widely used in clinical practice for over 160 years, effects on sensory responsiveness has been unclear until now. In the present study, the authors sought to explore the effect of different doses of propofol on somatosensory cortex by whisker stimulation in rats.

Methods: In a fixed cage, rats were anesthetized with propofol 80 mg/kg intraperitoneally and then cathetered tail vein with 23-gauge metal needle connected with a pump.

The neurotoxicity of β-amyloid peptide toward rat brain is associated with enhanced oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis, all of which can be attenuated by scutellarin.

This study was designed to investigate the processes underlying the neurotoxicity induced by β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) in the rat brain, as well as to examine whether scutellarin (Scu) can prevent this neurotoxicity. Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, i.e.

Chemical form of metals in traditional medicines underlines potential toxicity in cell cultures.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) are frequently found in traditional medicines as sulfides, such as cinnabar (HgS) and realgar (As(4)S(4)). There is a general perception that any medicinal use of such metal-containing remedies is unacceptable. An opposing opinion is that different chemical forms of arsenic and mercury have different toxic potentials.

[Analysis of Belamcanda chinensis with space flight mutagenesis by FTIR].

The amorphous active components of the space mutagenesis Belamcanda chinensis and the ground group were measured, compared and analyzed. The purpose was to get a comprehensive understanding of the changes in quality of the 4th generation space mutagenesis Belamcanda chinensis, accumulate data for further studies, and try to establish the quality criterions of space mutagenesis Belamcanda chinensis. The result shows that the FTIR spectra of the space sample are almost the same as that of the ground one in terms of the main absorption peaks positions and shapes, but there are obvious differences in intensities.

[Analysis of the 4th generation Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi with space mutagenesis via FTIR spectroscopy].

Determination and analysis for the Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi with space mutagenesis and the ground group were carried out with FTIR for the first time in order to fully understand the quality changes of the 4th generation of space mutagenesis of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and do further research. The result shows that for the FTIR spectra of the two samples the position and shape of main absorption peaks are approximately the same, indicating that the major components and the structures of space group remain intact, but the intensities of the absorption peaks are obviously different, with the intensities of the space group significantly enhanced compared to the ground group, especially for the flavonoid compounds (baicalin, baicalein, wogonoside, wogonin and wogonoside etc), which are the main active components of the Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, the absorption peak intensities at 3391, 1655 and 1069 cm(-1) are obviously stronger than those of the ground group, so the contents of flavonoid compounds and other components are higher, and the amorphous active components are optimized. Space mutation breeding is conducive to breeding new varieties of highly active components, and it is also one of the ways to innovate Chinese medicines germplasm resources efficiently.

[Measurement and analysis of platycodon grandiflorum with space flight mutagenesis breeding by XRF].

X-ray fluorescence spectrum (XRF) analytic method was used to analyze and compare the contents of various mineral elements in the ground group platycodon grandiflorum, the comparison group platycodon grandiflorum and the fourth generation platycodon grandiflorum with space flight mutagenesis breeding. The result indicated that the contents of microelements Zn, Mn and Fe in the outer space group increase by 1.9, 2.

[Study on spaceflight mutagenesis Platycodon grandiflorum via FTIR].

Objective: To establish a method for analyzing amorphous organic compound components of space Platycodon grandflorum rapidly.

Method: FTIR was applied for measuring and comparing P. grandflorum of comparison group,the ground group and the 4" generation of space group.

[Research on the fourth generation of Saposhnikovia divaricata by XRF].

To cultivate oriented new varieties, Saposhnikovia divaricata seeds were carried by Shenzhou "3" satellite and filtered when they were being brought back. In the present paper, X-ray fluorescence(XRF) was used to mensurate and analyze the contents of elements of the two samples from the ground group and the 4th generation of space Saposhnikovia divaricata (space group) that have advantages in branches and leaves and yields. The contents of the main mineral elements in the two samples are the same basically.