Effects of Disease-Related Knowledge on Illness Perception and Psychological Status of Patients With COVID-19 in Hunan, China.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the current status of disease-related knowledge and to analyze the relationship among the general condition, illness perception, and psychological status of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 118 patients using convenience sampling. The general questionnaire, disease-related knowledge questionnaire of COVID-19, Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ), and Profile of Mood States (POMS) were used to measure the current status of participants.

ZTW-41, a Potent Indolizinoquinoline-5,12-Dione Derivative Against Drug-Resistant and Bacteria.

ZTW-41, an indolizinoquinoline-5,12-dione derivative, was investigated for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, especially methicillin-resistant (MRSA). In our study, the MICs (minimum inhibitory concentrations) of ZTW-41 against MRSA (MRSA,  = 200), methicillin-sensitive (MSSA,  = 100), (,  = 32), and ( = 32) were 0.25, 0.

miR-204-5p promotes diabetic retinopathy development via downregulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a chronic and progressive complication of diabetes mellitus. DR impairs sight due to neuronal and vascular dysfunction in the retina. It is critical to investigate the pathogenesis of DR to develop effective treatment.

BBT improves glucose homeostasis by ameliorating β-cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetic mice.

Impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and increasing β-cell death are two typical dysfunctions of pancreatic β-cells in individuals that are destined to develop type 2 diabetes, and improvement of β-cell function through GSIS enhancement and/or inhibition of β-cell death is a promising strategy for anti-diabetic therapy. In this study, we discovered that the small molecule, N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-5-bromo-2-thiophenecarboxamide (BBT), was effective in both potentiating GSIS and protecting β-cells from cytokine- or streptozotocin (STZ)-induced cell death. Results of further studies revealed that cAMP/PKA and long-lasting (L-type) voltage-dependent Ca(2) (+) channel/CaMK2 pathways were involved in the action of BBT against GSIS, and that the cAMP/PKA pathway was essential for the protective action of BBT on β-cells.

Nicotine inhibits microglial proliferation and is neuroprotective in global ischemia rats.

Ischemic injury in rodent models reliably leads to the activation of microglia, which might play a detrimental role in neuronal survival. Our preliminary studies suggest that nicotine plays a potential role in decreasing the numbers of cultured microglia in vitro. In the present study, we found treatment with nicotine 2, 6, and 12 h after ischemia for 7 days significantly increased the survival of CA1 pyramidal neurons in ischemia/reperfusion rats.

Association between the CYP4A11 T8590C variant and essential hypertension: new data from Han Chinese and a meta-analysis.

Objective: CYP4A11 oxidizes endogenous arachidonic acid to 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, a renal vasoconstrictor and natriuretic in humans. Previous studies demonstrated an association between a functional variant (T8590C) of CYP4A11 and essential hypertension, though with conflicting results. To elucidate this relationship, a case-control study and meta-analysis were performed to assess the possible association of essential hypertension with CYP4A11 genetic variations.

Sophoridine exerts an anti-colorectal carcinoma effect through apoptosis induction in vitro and in vivo.

Aims: To further investigate the anti-colorectal carcinoma (CRC) effect of Sophoridine (SRI) which is a quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Sophora alopecuroides L. and detect the mechanism involved, provide some basis for the development of S. alopecuroides L.

An L-type calcium channel agonist, bay K8644, extends the window of intervention against ischemic neuronal injury.

Our previous data indicate that the inhibition of L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) might be the cause of post-ischemic neuronal injury and that the activation of LTCCs can give rise to neuroprotection. In the present study, we aimed to profile the intervention window of Bay K8644, an LTCC agonist, and determine the involved mechanisms. The four vessel occlusion and oxygen-glucose deprivation models were employed to mimic ischemia/reperfusion damage in vivo and in vitro.

Wingspan stenting of symptomatic middle cerebral artery stenosis and perioperative evaluation using high-resolution 3 Tesla MRI.

High-resolution MRI (HR MRI) was employed to study intracranial arterial walls in a patient who underwent angioplasty and stenting for middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis using the Wingspan stent (Boston Scientific, Natick, MA, USA). HR MRI clearly depicted the wall structure of the MCA. As a complementary method, HR MRI may improve intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis diagnosis and therapy.

Compensatory remodeling in symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis: a high-resolution MRI and microemboli monitoring study.

Objective: To investigate the existence of an association between compensatory remodeling in symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR MRI) and transcranial color Doppler monitoring of microembolic signals (MESs).

Methods: A total of 36 consecutive patients with symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis underwent MES monitoring by transcranial color Doppler and 3-T HR MRI. Proton density-weighted cross-sectional images with submillimeter voxel size were obtained.

Intermittent hypoxia promotes hippocampal neurogenesis and produces antidepressant-like effects in adult rats.

Increasing evidence indicates that stimulating hippocampal neurogenesis could provide novel avenues for the treatment of depression, and recent studies have shown that in vitro neurogenesis is enhanced by hypoxia. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential regulatory capacity of an intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (IH) regimen on hippocampal neurogenesis and its possible antidepressant-like effect. Here, we show that IH promotes the proliferation of endogenous neuroprogenitors leading to more newborn neurons in hippocampus in adult rats.

Behavioral animal models of depression.

Depression is a chronic, recurring and potentially life-threatening illness that affects up to 20% of the population across the world. Despite its prevalence and considerable impact on human, little is known about its pathogenesis. One of the major reasons is the restricted availability of validated animal models due to the absence of consensus on the pathology and etiology of depression.

Fuzi polysaccharide-1 produces antidepressant-like effects in mice.

Current antidepressants are clinically effective only after several weeks of administration. We show that Fuzi polysaccharide-1 (FPS), a new water-soluble polysaccharide isolated from Fuzi, which has been used to treat mood disorders in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, increases the number of newborn cells in the dentate gyrus in adult mice, and most of these cells subsequently differentiate into new neurons. We also found that FPS administration reduces immobility in the forced swim test, and latency in the novelty suppressed-feeding test.