Tetrandrine and cepharanthine induce apoptosis through caspase cascade regulation, cell cycle arrest, MAPK activation and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal modification in glucocorticoid resistant human leukemia Jurkat T cells.

Tetrandrine (TET) and cepharanthine (CEP) are two bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids isolated from the traditional herbs. Recent molecular investigations firmly supported that TET or CEP would be a potential candidate for cancer chemotherapy. Prognosis of patients with glucocorticoid resistant T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) remains poor; here we examined the anti-T-ALL effects of TET and CEP and the underlying mechanism by using the glucocorticoid resistant human leukemia Jurkat T cell line in vitro.

Novel and traditional anthropometric indices for identifying arterial stiffness in overweight and obese adults.

Background: Obesity and arterial stiffness are both independently associated with cardiovascular risk. New anthropometric indices can better reflect abdominal obesity than traditional anthropometric indices. Thus, we hypothesized that compared with conventional parameters, these newly developed anthropometric parameters were more accurate to identify arterial stiffness among overweight and obesity population.

The feasibility of two anthropometric indices to identify metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and inflammatory factors in obese and overweight adults.

Objectives: A body shape index (ABSI) and body roundness index (BRI) were reported to predict diabetes and hypertension in general population, but their validity was regularly questioned. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ABSI and BRI are the best anthropometric indices to reflect metabolic syndrome (MetS), insulin resistance (IR), and inflammatory factors in obese and overweight Chinese adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional data on sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric indices, clinical characteristics, and biochemical measurements were collected for 1442 Chinese obese and overweight adults.

Traditional Chinese Medicine for Refractory Nephrotic Syndrome: Strategies and Promising Treatments.

Refractory nephrotic syndrome (RNS) is an immune-related kidney disease with poor clinical outcomes. Standard treatments include corticosteroids as the initial therapy and other immunosuppressants as second-line options. A substantial proportion of patients with RNS are resistant to or dependent on immunosuppressive drugs and often experience unremitting edema and proteinuria, cycles of remission and relapse, and/or serious adverse events due to long-term immunosuppression.

Small dense low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and cholesterol ratios to predict arterial stiffness progression in normotensive subjects over a 5-year period.

Background: Small dense low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (sdLDL-C), cholesterol ratios and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) impart risk for all-cause morbidity and mortality independently of conventional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. This study was designed to identify feasible indicators for predicting arterial stiffness progression.

Methods: We followed up 816 normotensive participants without diabetes or CVD for nearly 5.

Autoantibodies against AT and α-adrenergic receptors predict arterial stiffness progression in normotensive subjects over a 5-year period.

Arterial stiffness is an independent indicator of cardiovascular risk. Autoantibodies (AAs) against angiotensin AT receptor (AT-AAs) and α-adrenergic receptor (α-AAs) are important in the pathogenesis of hypertension. We identified the types of AT-AAs and α-AAs in normotensive subjects, with the aim of determining whether these antibodies predict aortic stiffness progression.

Immunosuppressive efficacy of tetrandrine combined with methylprednisolone against mitogen-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of haemodialysis patients.

Immunosuppressive therapy for prevention of acute rejection episode occasionally causes serious adverse effects, and thus it is important to develop new therapeutic approach for renal transplant recipients. This study evaluated the immunosuppressive pharmacodynamics of tetrandrine (TET) and/or methylprednisolone (MP) in haemodialysis patients in vitro by using the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from whole blood of haemodialysis patients. The median (range) of MP IC values against the proliferation of patients PBMCs was 7.

Tetrandrine potentiates the glucocorticoid pharmacodynamics via inhibiting P-glycoprotein and mitogen-activated protein kinase in mitogen-activated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Glucocorticoids play significant roles in treatments of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Some patients show a poor or absent response even to high doses of glucocorticoids. The purpose of this study was to explore whether tetrandrine combined with glucocorticoids could be a new treatment strategy to resolve glucocorticoids resistance.

Genetic polymorphism of CYP11B2 gene and stroke in the Han Chinese population and a meta-analysis.

Objective: The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is important for cerebrovascular research because it influences blood pressure, vasoconstriction, thrombosis, and vessel wall damage. We hypothesized that genetic variations in CYP11B2 gene might contribute to the susceptibility for stroke.

Methods And Results: Here, we present genetic association analyses on CYP11B2 gene variants in two independent ischemic stroke (IS) cohorts.

Exploring epistatic relationships of NO biosynthesis pathway genes in susceptibility to CHD.

Aim: To assess the epistatic relationships of nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis pathway genes in susceptibility to coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: A total of 2142 subjects enrolled in two case-control studies was genotyped for 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within NO biosynthesis pathway genes using TaqMan assays. The association analyses were performed at both SNP and haplotype levels.

Association of common variants of CYP4A11 and CYP4F2 with stroke in the Han Chinese population.

Objective: 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid has been shown to play an important role in cerebral vascular function. We hypothesized that polymorphisms in genes encoding 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid synthesizing enzymes might confer susceptibility to stroke.

Methods And Results: To test the hypothesis, haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms and potential functional polymorphisms of CYP4A11 and CYP4F2 genes were genotyped in 558 ischemic stroke patients, 221 hemorrhagic stroke patients and 557 controls.

9p21 is a shared susceptibility locus strongly for coronary artery disease and weakly for ischemic stroke in Chinese Han population.

Background: Recent studies on genome-wide association have identified common variants on chromosome 9p21 associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Given that ischemic stroke and CAD share several aspects of etiology and pathogenesis, we investigated the association of variants on chromosome 9p21 with ischemic stroke and CAD in the Chinese Han population by capturing the majority of diversity in this locus using haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

Methods And Results: We performed a shared control-cases study using 15 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms and 2 previously reported susceptibility single-nucleotide polymorphisms spanning 58 kb of the chromosome of 9p21 in a set of 558 patients with ischemic stroke, 510 patients with CAD, and 557 unaffected participants (controls) in the Chinese Han population.