Sesquiterpenoid-Chromone Heterohybrids from Agarwood of as Potent Specific Smad3 Phosphorylation Inhibitors.

Aquilarines A () and B (), two unprecedented sesquiterpenoid-chromone heterohybrids, were isolated from agarwood. is an alkaloid featuring an unusual pyridine nucleus, and possesses a rare sesquiterpenoid-chromone skeleton via a C-C bond. A plausible biosynthetic pathway for and was proposed.

COVID-19-Associated Acute Brain Dysfunction Related to Sepsis.

In global term, as of November 30, 2020, over 30 million people has been infected by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and more than 10,000,000 of them died of acute organ failure. Our reviews have shown that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have life-threatening acute brain dysfunction (ABD), ranging from altered mental status/delirium to stupor/coma. Altered mental status/delirium was the most common manifestation of ABD caused by severe COVID-19.

Acute dizziness with potential life-threatening event: A case series from single ICU.

Background: Whether the acute dizziness would be associated with potentially life-threatening event, which was previously unknown.

Methods: Between Jan 2014 and Dec 2016, We performed a retrospective survey to investigate the clinical data of patients with acute dizziness from an intensive care unit (ICU) in China. Inclusion criteria for all cases were presented with acute dizziness at onset, and then with a potentially life-threatening event.

Acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury are the most common causes of critical illness in the ICU and have high early mortality.

Background: Critical care covers multiple disciplines. However, the causes of critical illness in the ICU, particularly the most common causes, remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the incidence and the most common causes of critical illness and the corresponding early mortality rates in ICU patients.

Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) and the Pattern and Risk of Sepsis Following Gastrointestinal Perforation.

BACKGROUND Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is characterized by systemic inflammation and tissue injury. Secondary sepsis is a common critical illness associated with poor clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of SIRS-positive and SIRS-negative sepsis following gastrointestinal (GI) perforation.

The "bad" cholesterol can predict abnormal apolipoprotein B levels in a large unselected outpatient cohort.

Background: The significant association between total cholesterol (TC), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) has been shown to be associated with Apolipoprotein B (Apo B). The objective of this study was to assess whether abnormal levels of TC, non-HDL and LDL can be used as predictors of abnormal serum Apo B levels.

Results: TC ( = 0.

No Awakening in Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage Is Potentially Caused by Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND Acute supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) with secondary sepsis is increasing in frequency. We investigated whether no awakening (NA) after sICH with coma is potentially caused by sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). MATERIAL AND METHODS A case-control study of 147 recruited sICH cases with NA and 198 sICH controls with subsequent awakening (SA) was performed at 2 centers in China.

Neuroanatomical circuitry between kidney and rostral elements of brain: a virally mediated transsynaptic tracing study in mice.

The identity of higher-order neurons and circuits playing an associative role to control renal function is not well understood. We identified specific neural populations of rostral elements of brain regions that project multisynaptically to the kidneys in 3-6 days after injecting a retrograde tracer pseudorabies virus (PRV)-614 into kidney of 13 adult male C57BL/6J strain mice. PRV-614 infected neurons were detected in a number of mesencephalic (e.

Risk factors for nosocomial nontraumatic coma: sepsis and respiratory failure.

Background: Coma's are a major cause of clinical deterioration or death. Identification of risks that predispose to coma are important in managing patients; however, the risk factors for nosocomial nontraumatic coma (NNC) are not well known. Our aim was to investigate the risk factors in patients with NNC.

Metabolic Syndrome Is a Strong Risk Factor for Minor Ischemic Stroke and Subsequent Vascular Events.

Background: Minor ischemic stroke (MIS) represents a major global public health problem worldwide due to high incidence. The aim of this study was to investigate whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a strong risk for MIS and subsequent vascular events (SVE).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed examining symptomatic MIS in a Chinese neurologic outpatient population aged over 25 years without history of stroke.

Establishing Reference Intervals of Aspartate Aminotransferase-to-Platelet Ratio Index for Apparently Healthy Elderly.

Background: Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI) serves as a parameter in evaluating liver fibrosis in current clinical practice. However, reference standard (reference intervals, RIs) or baseline levels of APRI have not been previously reported. The purpose of this paper is to establish the reference intervals of APRI in apparently healthy elderly people from the region of Shuyang, China.

Transient and persistent symptoms in patients with lacunar infarction: results from a prospective cohort study.

Background: The transient symptoms with lacunar infarction (TSI) and persistent symptoms with lacunar infarction (PSI) are the most common forms of symptomatic lacunar infarction (LI). The aim of this study was to compare the differences in TSI and PSI of symptomatic LI.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in the neurologic outpatients of the tertiary teaching hospital in Northern China between February 2011 and February 2012.

Early prediction and outcome of septic encephalopathy in acute stroke patients with nosocomial coma.

Background: Septic encephalopathy (SE) is the most common acute encephalopathy in ICU; however, little attention has been focused on risk of SE in the course of acute stroke. Our aim is to investigate the early prediction and outcome of SE in stroke patients with nosocomial coma (NC).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in an ICU of the tertiary teaching hospital in China from January 2006 to December 2009.

Laboratory reference intervals of complete blood count for apparently healthy elderly people in Shuyang, China.

Background: Currently, there are no appropriate RIs of blood cells available for the elderly in most clinical laboratories in China. The aim of this study is to establish the RIs of complete blood cell count for apparently healthy elderly people.

Methods: Blood specimens were collected from elderly residents by standard procedures.

Reference intervals for total bilirubin, ALT, AST and creatinine in healthy Chinese elderly.

Background: The aim of this study was to establish the reference intervals (RIs) of total bilirubin (TBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and creatinine (CREA) for apparently healthy elderly (Han ethnicity) in Shuyang, China.

Material And Methods: A total of 54 912 blood specimens from elderly residents age 65-104 years were collected by standard procedures in Shuyang county of Jiangsu province. TBIL, ALT, AST, and CREA for each participant were determined by automatic biochemical analyzer.

Remote ischemic postconditioning protects against gastric mucosal lesions in rats.

Aim: To investigate the protective effects of remote ischemic postconditioning (RIP) against limb ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced gastric mucosal injury.

Methods: Gastric IR was established in male Wistar rats by placing an elastic rubber band under a pressure of 290-310 mmHg on the proximal part of both lower limbs for 3 h followed by reperfusion for 0, 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 h. RIP was performed using three cycles of 30 s of reperfusion and 30 s of reocclusion of the femoral aortic immediately after IR and before reperfusion for up to 24 h.

Hemorrhagic pure sensory strokes in the thalamus and striatocapsular area: causes, clinical features and long-term outcome.

Background: Although there have been sporadic reports of patients with hemorrhagic pure sensory strokes (HPSS) in the thalamus and striatocapsular areas, the causes, clinical featuring and long-term outcome have not been adequately investigated.

Methods: We recruited 7 consecutive patients without hemiparetic stroke who had HPSS in the thalamic and striatocapsular areas. A CT scan was performed to verify brain imaging patterns, and their causes, clinical featuring and long-term outcome were observed.