Anti-Glioma Effects of Ligustilide or n-Butylphthalide on Their Own and the Synergistic Effects with Temozolomide via PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway.

Background: Ligustilide (LIG) and n-butylphthalide (NBP) have neuroprotective effects in cerebral ischemia; however, their roles in gliomas are not well-known.This study aimed to explore the anti-glioma effects of LIG and NBP individually and the synergistic effects of temozolomide (TMZ) via the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway.

Materials And Methods: Cytotoxicity of LIG and NBP alone and in combination with TMZ in U251 cells was determined using the CCk-8.

Sepsis Due to Infection After Multiple Trauma in a Non-Cystic Fibrosis Patient: A Case Report from Southeast China.

() infection is of great concern as these gram-negative bacillus species are multidrug-resistant and usually isolated from the patients' respiratory tract suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). A few cases of infection have also been reported in non-CF patients due to its rare pathogenic nature with unclear and overlapping clinical, biochemical, and microbiological characteristics with other species. Here, we report an unusual case of a 46-year-old non-CF female, who presented with multiple pelvic fractures, acute traumatic brain injury, multiple rib fractures, and multiple burns (18% of the total body surface area, II°) by the collapse of a brick kiln, suffered from sepsis due to wound infection.

Experimental Study on Axial Compressive Performance of Polyvinyl Alcohol Fibers Reinforced Fly Ash-Slag Geopolymer Composites.

Geopolymer concrete (GC) has been gaining attention in research and engineering circles; however, it is a brittle material with poor tensile performance and crack resistance. To address these problems, we introduced fibers into GC. In this study, axial compression and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests were carried out on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) short fiber reinforced low-calcium fly ash-slag-based geopolymer concrete (PFRGC).

Confined Concrete in Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Partially Wrapped Square Columns: Axial Compressive Behavior and Strain Distributions by a Particle Image Velocimetry Sensing Technique.

Strengthening existing reinforced concrete (RC) columns using a partial wrapping strengthening technique (PWST) by fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strips has been widely implemented. However, compared with the confinement mechanism of confined concrete in columns strengthened with the FRP full wrapping strengthening technique (FWST), the confinement mechanism of confined concrete in FRP partially wrapped columns is less understood. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation into the behavior of confined concrete in FRP partially wrapped square columns under axial compression.

Pharmacological and immunological effects of praziquantel against Schistosoma japonicum: a scoping review of experimental studies.

Background: Chemotherapy for schistosomiasis has been around for 100 years. During the past century, great efforts have been made to develop new antischistosomal drugs from antimonials to nonantimonials, and some of these have been used extensively in clinical treatment. With the exception of a few drugs, such as oxamniquine and metrifonate, most of the antischistosomals developed in the pre-praziquantel period have variable limitations with respect to safety and efficacy.

Formation of a Snf1-Mec1-Atg1 Module on Mitochondria Governs Energy Deprivation-Induced Autophagy by Regulating Mitochondrial Respiration.

Autophagy is essential for maintaining glucose homeostasis, but the mechanism by which energy deprivation activates autophagy is not fully understood. We show that Mec1/ATR, a member of the DNA damage response pathway, is essential for glucose starvation-induced autophagy. Mec1, Atg13, Atg1, and the energy-sensing kinase Snf1 are recruited to mitochondria shortly after glucose starvation.

Schistosoma hemozoin and its possible roles.

More than 95years ago Schistosoma pigment had been deemed as a degradation product of haemoglobin. Until the 1950s, scientists initiated to pay attention to understand the hematophagous habit of schistosomes, and to study the degradation of haemoglobin as well as the formation of hemozoin inside the gut of the worms. For a long time, the formation of hemozoin in both Plasmodium and in Schistosoma was considered to be the major route of heme detoxification, and hemozoin served a role in waste disposal.

Significance of higher drug concentration in erythrocytes of mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum and treated orally with mefloquine at single doses.

The purpose of the present study is to understand the pharmacokinetic feature of mefloquine measured by erythrocytes and plasma in Schistosoma japonicum (S. j.)-infected mice and non-infected mice after oral administration of the drug at single doses.

Efficacy and safety of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation to treat muscle spasticity following brain injury: a double-blinded, multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating the clinical efficacy and safety of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) to treat muscle spasticity after brain injury (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-TRC-11001310).

Methods: A total of 60 patients with muscle spasticity after brain injury were randomized to the following 3 groups: 100, 2, and 0 Hz (sham) TEAS. The acupoints Hegu (LI4)--Yuji (LU10) and Zusanli (ST36)--Chengshan (BL57) on the injured side were stimulated at 0, 2, or 100 Hz, 5 times per week for 4 weeks.

[Location of mediastinal lymph nodes for conventional transbronchial needle aspiration].

Objective: To explore the shape and the location of mediastinal spaces (mediastinal lymph node locations) associated with conventional transbronchial needle aspiration technique (C-TBNA), and to determine the relationship between the mediastinal spaces and physiological and anatomical marks in trachea-bronchial lumen for choosing the puncture points of C-TBNA.

Methods: The chest HRCT images of 1 000 consecutive patients preparing for bronchoscopic examination were analyzed to determine the shape and the location of the mediastinal gap, and which physiological and anatomic markers in the airway were suitable for locating the mediastinal spaces and lymph nodes. Eighty-one groups of lymph nodes from 52 patients were punctured by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) to verify the locating of puncture points by these markers for the mediastinal lymph nodes under general anesthesia.

Efficacy and safety of praziquantel, tribendimidine and mebendazole in patients with co-infection of Clonorchis sinensis and other helminths.

Background: Both tribendimidine and mebendazole are broad-spectrum drugs for anti-intestinal nematodes. We aim to assess the efficacy and safety of tribendimidine and mebendazole in patients with co-infection of Clonorchis sinensis and other helminths.

Method: We performed a randomized open-label trial in Qiyang, People's Republic of China.

Effect of ozonide OZ418 against Schistosoma japonicum harbored in mice.

The in vitro and in vivo efficacies of ozonide carboxylic acid OZ418 against Schistosoma japonicum were investigated. For in vitro experiments, juvenile (14-day-old) and adult schistosomes were collected from mice infected with 80-100 S. japonicum cercariae for 14 and 35 days post-infection and the worms were maintained in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 supplemented by 10% calf serum.

Ultrastructural alterations of adult Schistosoma japonicum harbored in mice treated with a single oral dose of OZ78.

Objective: To observe the ultrastructural alterations of adult Schistosoma japonicum induced by synthetic trioxolane OZ78.

Methods: Eight out of ten mice infected with 40-60 S. japonicum cercariae for 35 d were treated orally with OZ78 at a single dose of 400 mg/kg.

[Comparative observation on inhibition of hemozoin formation and their in vitro and in vivo anti-schistosome activity displayed by 7 antimalarial drugs].

Objective: To observe and compare the inhibition of hemozoin formation and the in vitro as well as in vivo antischistosomal activity induced by seven antimalarial drugs.

Methods: Inhibition of hemozoin formation displayed by chloroquine phosphate, quinine hydrochloride, quinidine, mefloquine hydrochloride, pyronaridine phosphate and lumefantrine at 25 micromol/L, and artemether at 100 micromol/L was performed by assay of inhibition of beta-hematin formation in 1 mol/L sodium acetate buffers containing hematin with various pH of 4.0, 4.

[Preliminary observation on the effect of mefloquine against egg granuloma formation in the liver of mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum].

Objective: To explore whether mefloquine possesses the effect on granuloma formation induced by Schistosoma japonicum eggs.

Methods: Seventeen out of twenty-eight mice infected with 20 S. japonicum cercariae for 35 days were treated orally with mefloquine at a single dose of 200 mg/kg, and groups of 2-3 mice were sacrificed at various intervals post-treatment.

Mefloquine in combination with hemin causes severe damage to adult Schistosoma japonicum in vitro.

In order to explore the interaction of mefloquine with hemin against adult Schistosoma japonicum in vitro, the 50% and 95% lethal concentration (LC50 and LC95) of mefloquine and hemin against schistosomes, some factors, such as other iron providing agents, iron chelaters, zinc protoporphyrin-IX, and biological relevant reductants, that might impact on antischistosomal activity induced by interaction of mefloquine with hemin, and preliminary analysis of chemical interaction of both compounds were undertaken. The LC50 and LC95 of mefloquine and hemin alone against schistosomes were determined to be 6.5μg/ml and 7.

Mefloquine, a new type of compound against schistosomes and other helminthes in experimental studies.

Up to date, schistosomiasis is still prevalent worldwide. It is estimated that more than 200 million individuals are infected, and 120 million suffer from clinical morbidity. Facing such huge cases of schistosomiasis, only heavy reliance on a single praziquantel for schistosomiasis control does not adapt and may promote the selection and spread of drug-resistant parasites.

Advances with the Chinese anthelminthic drug tribendimidine in clinical trials and laboratory investigations.

The anthelminthic drug tribendimidine has been approved by Chinese authorities for human use in 2004, and a first comprehensive review was published in Acta Tropica in 2005. Here, we summarise further advances made through additional clinical trials and laboratory investigations. Two phase IV trials have been conducted in the People's Republic of China, the first one enrolling 1292 adolescents and adults aged 15-70 years and the second one conducted with 899 children aged 4-14 years who were infected with one or multiple species of soil-transmitted helminths.

[Study progress on mefloquine against schistosomes and other helminths].

In recent years, antimalarial drug mefloquine, an amino alcohol compound, has been found to exhibit potential effect against schistosomes. The feature of antischistosomal properties of mefloquine is that the drug possesses similar killing effect against various development stages of juvenile and adult schistosomes. This paper summarizes the recent three years' progress in experimental studies of mefloquine against schistosomes and other helminthes.

[Research on needle-acupointomics].

The concept of needle-acupointomics should be clarified initially in order to discuss the relative researches. The comprehension can be deepened through the aspects of researching methods, content and goals. Proper researching model and analysis method should be selected so as to bring the advantages of the ancient acupuncture literatures, case records and clinical experiences of famous physicians into full play.

Confocal laser scanning microscopic observation on adult Schistosoma japonicum harbored in mice following treatment with single-dose mefloquine.

The aim of the present study is to assess the mefloquine-induced alteration of adult Schistosoma japonicum using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Eight out of ten mice infected with 60-80 S. japonicum cercariae for 35 days were treated orally with mefloquine at a single dose of 400 mg/kg.

Effectiveness of synthetic trioxolane OZ78 against Schistosoma japonicum in mice and rabbits.

Antischistosomal activities of a synthetic peroxide OZ78 (an ozonide carboxylic acid) against Schistosoma japonicum have been studied in mice and rabbits. Among 132 mice used, 30 of them were infected with 80-100 S. japonicum cercariae for collection of juvenile and adult schistosomes applied in in vitro tests.

Histopathological changes of juvenile Schistosoma japonicum harbored in mice treated orally with mefloquine at a smaller single dose.

The histopathological changes of 14-day-old Schistosoma japonicum induced by a smaller single dose of mefloquine have been studied. Twenty-three mice infected with 60-80 S. japonicum cercariae for 14 days were treated orally with mefloquine at a single dose of 200 mg/kg (free base), and groups of three mice were killed at various intervals posttreatment.

Acquired hookworm immunity in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) elicited by living Necator americanus third-stage infective larvae.

The aim of the study is to demonstrate and understand the acquired immunity in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) elicited by primary Necator americanus infective third-stage larvae (L3) infection. Hamsters infected with 150 L3 for 1, 2, 3, 6 and 10 weeks, were challenged with the same number of L3 and sacrificed 25 days post challenge. The primarily infected hamsters exhibited 99-100% protection against subsequent L3 challenge compared to un-infected naive hamsters.

Further studies on mefloquine and praziquantel alone or interaction of both drugs against Schistosoma japonicum in vitro.

The aim of the present study is to further understand and analyze the interaction of mefloquine with praziquantel against adult Schistosoma japonicum in vitro. Mice infected with S. japonicum cercariae for 35-37 days were sacrificed, and adult schistosomes were collected by perfusion.