The prolonged effect of film mulch and P application on lucerne forage yield in a semiarid environment.

Introduction: Limited water and soil phosphorus (P) availability often hampers lucerne productivity in semiarid regions. Plastic film mulch and P application typically enhance young lucerne (2-3 years) productivity by increasing soil water use and P availability. However, the prolonged impact of film mulch and P application on lucerne productivity as the stand ages remains unclear.

Virtual screening-molecular docking-activity evaluation of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) swingle bark in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Background: The dried bark of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. The objective of this study was to explore the therapeutic basis of the dried bark of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive Polyether Micelle Nanomaterials for Targeted Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis.

As one of the most challenging inflammatory diseases, the incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing year by year, but the existing therapeutic drugs are not effective and lack of targeting. Nanomaterials are expected to become promising delivery system due to their good targeting effects. Here, we designed a nanomaterial sensitive to reactive oxygen species, which can be used to treat IBD, especially UC.

Integrating bioinformatics with pharmacological evaluation for illustrating the action mechanism of herbal formula Jiao'e mixture in suppressing lung carcinoma.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Lung carcinoma (LC) is not only a kind of disease that seriously threatens human life but also an intractable problem in modern medicine. Jiao'e Mixture (JEM) is an innovative Chinese medicine formula with Chinese patent, which is composed of two herbal extracts with a specific ratio-zedoary turmeric oil and medicinal Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim(Z. bungeanum Maxim) seeds oil (ZMSO).

[Ruyi Jinhuang Plaster suppresses BPH by reducing the expressions of P38, JNK2, NF-кBP65 and STAT3 in the prostate tissue of rats].

Objective: To investigate the effect of Ruyi Jinhuang Plaster (RJP) on testosterone propionate-induced BPH in the rat model and its action mechanisms.

Methods: Forty-eight SD male rats were randomly divided into six groups of equal number: normal control, BPH model control, finasteride, and high-, medium- and low-dose RJP. The BPH model was made in the latter five groups by hypodermic injection of testosterone propionate.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate ameliorates insulin resistance in hepatocytes.

Hyperglycemia is a typical pathogenic factor in a series of complications among patients with type II diabetes. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major polyphenol extracted from green tea and is reported to be an antioxidant. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of EGCG on insulin resistance in human HepG2 cells pretreated with high concentrations of glucose.

Synergistic antinociception of propofol-alfentanil combination in mice.

Drug combination is frequently used in pain treatment, which can produce similar analgesia with reduced dosage and side effects. In the present study, we examined the effects of co-administration of propofol, a general anesthetic, and alfentanil, an opioid analgesic drug, and the types of interactions between them in heat induced acute phasic and acetic-acid induced acute tonic pain models using the up-and-down method. In both pain models, alfentanil was administered in fixed-dose fractions of the 50% effective dose (ED50), and the types of interactions were determined by isobolographic analysis.

Resveratrol sensitizes tamoxifen in antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer cells with epithelial-mesenchymal transition features.

Tamoxifen resistance remains to be a huge obstacle in the treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancer, and this therefore highlights the dire need to explore the underlying mechanisms. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a molecular process through which an epithelial cell transfers into a mesenchymal phenotype. Roles of EMT in embryo development, cancer invasion and metastasis have been extensively reported.

Polydatin attenuates hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and reverses remodeling through protein kinase C mechanisms.

Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension is a life-threatening emergency if untreated. Consistent pulmonary hypertension also leads to arteries and ventricular remodeling. The clinical therapeutic strategy for pulmonary hypertension and the corresponding remodeling mainly interacts with NO, angiotensin II (Ang II) and elevated endothelin (ET) targets.

[Association of the tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms in transforming growth factor beta-1 gene with hypertension in the Han nationality population in Xinjiang].

Objective: Essential hypertension (EH) was a complex disease resulted from the interaction of cumulative effect of multiple genetic and environment factors. The relationship between the genetic polymorphisms in the transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), the blood levels and EH have been investigated, but the conclusions were different. Therefore, we investigate the relationship between the tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) (rs1800469, rs2241716, rs11466345, rs2241715, rs4803455) in TGF-beta1 gene, blood levels and EH in the Han nationality population in Xinjiang, to clarity the pattern of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and the feature of the structure of haplotype.

[Association of the TGF-beta1 gene polymorphisms and blood TGF-beta 1 level with essential hypertension in Kazakh Chinese].

Objective: To investigate the association of the transforming growth factor- beta 1 (TGF- beta 1) gene polymorphisms and blood TGF- beta 1 level with essential hypertension (EH) in Kazakh Chinese.

Methods: The polymorphisms of TGF- beta 1 gene in 354 Kazakh EH patients and 435 healthy controls were detected with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing. The blood level of TGF- beta 1 was quantified using specific sandwich ELISA.

[Determination the chemical speciation of Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn in Radix Scutellariae by AAS].

An analysis method was developed to determine the chemical speciation of Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn in radix scutellariae decoction using atomic absorption spectroscopy(AAS). The decoction can be divided into suspension and soluble species by 0.45 microm filter membrane and the soluble species can be separated into organism and inorganic species by LSA-10 macroporous resin.