The recent advance and prospect of natural source compounds for the treatment of heart failure.

Heart failure is a continuously developing syndrome of cardiac insufficiency caused by diseases, which becomes a major disease endangering human health as well as one of the main causes of death in patients with cardiovascular diseases. The occurrence of heart failure is related to hemodynamic abnormalities, neuroendocrine hormones, myocardial damage, myocardial remodeling , lead to the clinical manifestations including dyspnea, fatigue and fluid retention with complex pathophysiological mechanisms. Currently available drugs such as cardiac glycoside, diuretic, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, vasodilator and β receptor blocker are widely used for the treatment of heart failure.

Cumulative incidence and risk factors of brain metastasis for acral and mucosal melanoma patients with stages I-III.

Purpose: Few studies focused on the incidence of brain metastasis in patients with acral and mucosal melanoma, and a better understanding of the incidences and predictors of brain metastasis is needed in these patients.

Method: A prospectively accrued cohort of 799 patients with acral and mucosal melanoma in stages I-III from July 2011 to December 2015 at Peking University Cancer Hospital were included in this study. Competing risk models (Fine and Gray) were used to estimate the cumulative incidence of brain metastasis and compare the differences in cumulative incidence curves between different primary lesions, stages, and molecular types.

Integrated analysis of microRNA and mRNA interactions in ovary of counter-season breeding and egg-ceased geese (Anser cygnoides).

Egg-ceasing is a phenomenon that occurs in most avian species and significantly reduces productivity. Although several factors are reported to regulate the reproduction progress, the underlying molecular mechanism of egg-ceasing remains obscure. Herein, we identified and explored the differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs involved in ovarian atrophy via high throughput sequencing.

An Evidence-Based Staging System for Mucosal Melanoma: A Proposal.

Background: There is no widely employed staging system for mucosal melanoma (MuM) that incorporates all anatomic sites. We hypothesized that MuM patients arising from different anatomical sites could be staged using a common approach.

Methods: A prospective database contained 1814 MuM patients with a median follow-up of 5.

Integration of MRI-Based Radiomics Features, Clinicopathological Characteristics, and Blood Parameters: A Nomogram Model for Predicting Clinical Outcome in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a nomogram model based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics features, clinicopathological characteristics, and blood parameters to predict the progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: A total of 462 patients with pathologically confirmed nonkeratinizing NPC treated at Sichuan Cancer Hospital were recruited from 2015 to 2019 and divided into training and validation cohorts at a ratio of 7:3. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was used for radiomics feature dimension reduction and screening in the training cohort.

Real-world analysis of clinicopathological characteristics, survival rates, and prognostic factors in patients with melanoma brain metastases in China.

Purpose: We aimed to establish the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with melanoma brain metastases (MBM) in the East Asian population.

Methods: Overall survival (OS) and intracranial progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cox regression analyses were used to determine prognostic factors associated with intracranial PFS and OS.

Treatment of severe upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by Mallory-Weiss syndrome after primary coronary intervention for acute inferior wall myocardial infarction: A case report.

Background: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is not an uncommon complication. Acute UGIB caused by Mallory-Weiss syndrome (MWS) is usually a dire situation with massive bleeding and hemodynamic instability. Acute UGIB caused by MWS after an AMI has not been previously reported.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 ameliorates pancreatic fibrogenesis via regulating polarization of macrophages.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive, irreversible inflammatory and fibrotic disease. The characteristics of this disease are progressive inflammation, acinar atrophy and fibrosis. Numerous factors are involved in CP such as inflammation, and oxidative stress.

PPAR- Activation Exerts an Anti-inflammatory Effect by Suppressing the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Spinal Cord-Derived Neurons.

Persistent inflammation disrupts functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-) activation promotes functional recovery in SCI rats by inhibiting inflammatory cascades and increasing neuronal survival. We sought to clarify the relationship between PPAR- activation and NACHT, LRR and PYD domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome suppression, and the role of NF-B in activating the NLRP3 inflammasome in neurons.

Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Exerts its Anti-inflammatory Effects on Multiple Cell Types of Adipose Tissue in Obesity.

Objective: Obesity-related, chronic, low-grade inflammation has been identified as a key factor in the development of many metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Adipocytes, preadipocytes, and macrophages have been implicated in initiating inflammation in adipose tissue. This study aims to investigate the effects of fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) on obesity-related inflammation and its mechanisms in vivo and in vitro.

A New Perspective for Chinese Medicine Intervention for Coronary Artery Disease: Targeting Inflammation.

Inflammation, which plays a critical role in atherosclerosis and the occurrence of acute cardiovascular events, may be a new target for treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) to reduce residual cardiovascular risk. Recently, Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease (CANTOS), the largest scale clinical trial that targeted inflammation but not lipids, has affirmed for the first time the inflammatory hypothesis of artherosclerosis and marked the advent of an exciting era of targeting inflammation for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Chinese medicine (CM) is a promising adjuvant therapy for CAD in light of its safety and pleiotropic effect of anti-inflammation, anti-platelet, lipid-regulating, endothelium-protection, microcirculation-improving, etc.

Safety and Efficacy of Apatinib Combined with Temozolomide in Advanced Melanoma Patients after Conventional Treatment Failure.

Objective: Asian melanoma patients, predominantly comprised of acral and mucosal subtypes, might not benefit from immunotherapy and targeted therapy as much as Caucasian patients. Novel treatment strategies are demanded after conventional treatment failure. This was a prospective, single-arm, and single-center dose escalation study to investigate the safety and preliminary efficacy of apatinib combined with temozolomide in heavily treated advanced melanoma patients.

[Effects of total flavonoids in Astragali Complanati Semen on liver lipid level and ERα expression on liver in hyperlipidemia rats with kidney-Yang deficiency pattern].

Menopausal women appear lipid metabolism disorder with the ovarian function decline and the estrogen levels decreased. Modern clinical usually use estrogen replacement therapy and with long time application with lots of side effect appear. Traditional Chinese medicine has more secure and effective methords,using warming Yang drugs and methods.

Sodium Tanshinone II A Sulfonate for Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objective: To assess whether an adjunctive therapy of Sodium Tanshinone II A Sulfonate Injection (STS) is effective and safe in improving clinical outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: A literature search was conducted through PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Knowledge Infrastructure Databases (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed), Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP) and Wanfang Database up to August 2017. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing STS with placebo or no additional treatments on the basis of standard conventional medicine therapies were included.

Multifactorial Analysis of Prognostic Factors and Survival Rates Among 706 Mucosal Melanoma Patients.

Background: The hypothesis that mucosal melanomas from different anatomic sites would have different prognostic features and survival outcome was tested in a multifactorial analysis.

Methods: Complete clinical and pathological information from 706 mucosal melanoma patients from different anatomical sites was compared for overall survival (OS) and prognostic factors.

Results: Mucosal melanomas arising from different anatomical sites did not have any significant differences in OS in a multivariate analysis (p = 0.

Improving hyperglycemic effect of FGF-21 is associated with alleviating inflammatory state in diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is accompanied by abnormal glucose metabolism and low-grade chronic inflammation. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) is a novel metabolic regulator and can function as an endocrine hormone to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. Recently, FGF-21 was found to have anti-inflammatory effect, to our knowledge, the effect of FGF-21 on inflammatory state in diabetes has not been elucidated.

FGF-21 Plays a Crucial Role in the Glucose Uptake of Activated Monocytes.

Monocytes display a gradual change in metabolism during inflammation. When activated, the increase in glucose utilization is important for monocytes to participate in immune and inflammatory responses. Further studies on the mechanism underlying this biological phenomenon may provide a new understanding of the relationship between immune response and metabolism.

Treatment of CIA Mice with FGF21 Down-regulates TH17-IL-17 Axis.

Recently, FGF21 was reported to play an important role in anti-inflammation. The aim of the study is to explore the mechanism for FGF21 alleviating inflammation of CIA. CIA mice were injected with FGF21 once a day for 28 days after first booster immunization.

[Effect of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma combined with Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma on p53 and p21 gene expression of IEC-6 cells].

To study the effect of the combined administration of different doses of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma on the proliferation of DFMO-treated intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6) and p53, p21 mRNA and protein expressions, in order to define the molecular basis for the effect of the combined administration of different doses of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma on the cell proliferation. The effect of the drugs on the cell division rate and cell cycle of IEC-6 cells was detected by FCM. Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze the effect of the drugs on mRNA of p2l and p53 related to IEC-6 proliferation.

Artemisinin mimics calorie restriction to trigger mitochondrial biogenesis and compromise telomere shortening in mice.

Calorie restriction is known to extend lifespan among organisms by a debating mechanism underlying nitric oxide-driven mitochondrial biogenesis. We report here that nitric oxide generators including artemisinin, sodium nitroprusside, and L-arginine mimics calorie restriction and resembles hydrogen peroxide to initiate the nitric oxide signaling cascades and elicit the global antioxidative responses in mice. The large quantities of antioxidant enzymes are correlated with the low levels of reactive oxygen species, which allow the down-regulation of tumor suppressors and accessory DNA repair partners, eventually leading to the compromise of telomere shortening.

Artemisinin mimics calorie restriction to extend yeast lifespan via a dual-phase mode: a conclusion drawn from global transcriptome profiling.

Calorie restriction (CR) promotes longevity among distinct organisms from yeast to mammals. Although CR-prolonged lifespan is believed to associate with enhanced respiratory activity, it is apparently controversial for accelerated energy consumption regardless of insufficient nutrient intake. In reconciling the contradiction of less food supply versus much metabolite dispense, we revealed a CR-based mode of dual-phase responses that encompass a phase of mitochondrial enhancement (ME) and a phase of post-mitochondrial enhancement (PME), which can be distinguished by the expression patterns and activity dynamics of mitochondrial signatures.

[Integrative medicine on coronary heart disease: annual academic review 2013].

The progress in integrative medicine (IM) of coronary heart disease (CHD) in 2013 was summarized in this paper. Gratifying progress has taken place both in clinical studies and basic research of IM on CHD during 2013. We got some innovation in Chinese medical etiologies and pathogeneses of CHD.

Recombinant murine fibroblast growth factor 21 ameliorates obesity-related inflammation in monosodium glutamate-induced obesity rats.

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of FGF21 in obesity-related inflammation in livers of monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced obesity rats. The MSG rats were injected with recombinant murine fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21) or equal volumes of vehicle. Metabolic parameters including body weight, Lee's index, food intake, visceral fat and liver weight, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance, glucose, and lipid levels were dynamically measured at specific time points.

[The synergism and mechanism of action of rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL on HCC].

To investigate the cell-killing effect and its possible mechanism of rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL on human hepatic carcinoma (HCC) cell line, first of all, recombinant plasmid pee12.4-hDR5 was introduced into HepG2 cells by liposome transfection. After five rounds of screening by flow cytometry, HepG2 cells expressing high levels of DR5 on cell surface were isolated.

Removing residual DNA from Vero-cell culture-derived human rabies vaccine by using nuclease.

The clearance of host cell DNA is a critical indicator for Vero-cell culture-derived rabies vaccine. In this study, we evaluated the clearance of DNA in Vero-cell culture-derived rabies vaccine by purification process utilizing ultrafiltration, nuclease digestion, and gel filtration chromatography. The results showed that the bioprocess of using nuclease decreased residual DNA.