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Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Either Aconite Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi) or Pinelliae Rhizoma (Banxia) exerts anti-inflammatory activity and their combination has long been used in China for treating cardiovascular diseases. However, combination of two drugs is controversially prohibited in clinical prescriptions because it serves a representative incompatible pairs in "eighteen antagonisms". Up to date, whether the combination of Fuzi and Banxia could be used for treating heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) especially charactered by systemic inflammation and the potential mechanisms have not been elucidated. Aim of the study The pros and cons of Fuzi in combination with Banxia were evaluated in pressure overload (PO) rat models of HF in vivo. Materials and methods Male Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to abdominal aorta constriction or sham-operated procedure. From week 12, rats were administered with low dose Fuzi (5.4 g kg−1 d−1), Banxia (5.4 g kg−1 d−1), combination (5.4 g kg−1 d−1 + 5.4 g kg−1 d−1), high dose Fuzi (10.8 g kg−1 d−1) or with vehicle (n = 15 per group) orally for additional 6 weeks. Results Fuzi alone treatment led to exaggerated cardiac-renal response to PO, and occurred dramatically at high dose as manifested by markedly exacerbated cardiac-renal inflammation and myocardial fibrosis. Further studies revealed that cardiotoxicity of Fuzi may be associated with highly expression levels of β2-AR and PKA. In contrast, coadministration of Fuzi and Banxia restored cardiac function, as indicated by relieving inflammation and fibrosis as well as normalizing electrocardiogram parameters, which were accompanied by PKA down-regulation. More importantly, both high dose Fuzi and combination treatment enhanced induction of apoptosis, which could be partially associated with inhibition of β2-AR-Gi signaling. Conclusion Thus, combination of Fuzi and Banxia elicited concurrent protective and toxic effects in PO induced HF. The protective effect appeared to predominate and was associated with suppression of PKA/β2-AR-Gs signaling pathway. Unlike the eighteen antagonisms theory where Fuzi and Banxia combination was considered incompatible, in the present study, this herb pairs appeared to be benefit, and probably had potential therapeutic prospect in treating HFpEF and diseases associated with inflammation. Graphical abstract fx1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing industrialization and use of antimicrobial agents in aquaculture production, have led to heavy metals and multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens becoming serious problems. These resistances are conferred in two ways: intrinsic and transfer via conjugation, or transformation by the major transmission mediators. Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are one of the major mediators; however, few studies on ICEs of environmental origin have been reported in Asia. Herein, we determined the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility, heavy metal resistance and genotypes of 126 strains of Vibrio cholerae isolated from aquatic products and the environment in Shanghai, China. 92.3% of isolates were ICEs-positive from aquaculture water and 89.3% of isolates from shrimp showed MDR. Tracing the V. cholerae genotypes, showed no significant relevance of genotype among the antimicrobial resistance strains bearing the ICEs or not. Thus, in aquaculture, ICEs are not the major transmission mediators of resistance to antibiotics or heavy metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of activating 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5AP) gene polymorphisms on stroke risk may be influenced by the coexistence of modifiable predisposing conditions. We explored the interactions of ALOX5AP polymorphisms and cigarette smoking in a case-control study of patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction (ACI). Three polymorphisms of the ALOX5AP gene (rs10507391, rs4769874, and rs9551963) were analyzed in 420 ACI patients and 488 unrelated healthy controls matched for age and sex from a Northern Han Chinese population. Among the three single nucleotide polymorphisms, only rs10507391 genotype TT/TA was observed to be associated with an increased risk of ACI on multivariate analysis (odds ratio [OR]=1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.14–2.92, p =0.012) compared with the AA genotype. However, after stratifying by smoking status, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that rs10507391 genotype TT/TA and rs9551963 genotype CC/CA had a 5.63-fold (OR=5.63, 95%CI=2.00–15.84, p =0.001) and a 2.71-fold (OR=2.71, 95%CI=1.28–5.73, p =0.009) increased risk for ACI patients who smoked compared with the AA genotype, respectively. Additionally, according to the haplotype analysis, the risk of haplotype TGC (OR=3.12, 95%CI=2.00–4.88, p <0.001, corrected p [pc] <0.001) increased for ACI patients who smoked compared to the data (OR=1.60, 95%CI=1.28–1.98, p <0.001, pc <0.001) in total samples. These results suggest that ALOX5AP polymorphisms are associated with ACI, and cigarette smoking along with ALOX5AP could increase the risk of ACI. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two-dimensionally (2D) reinforced C/C–SiC–ZrC composites were prepared by ICVI combined with RMI method. The ablation properties of the composites were tested under an oxyacetylene flame. The results indicate that the temperature of RMI has remarkable effect on the microstructure and ablation properties of C/C–SiC–ZrC composites, the linear and mass ablation rates of the C/C–SiC–ZrC prepared at 2300°C are greatly reduced compared with those of C/C–SiC–ZrC prepared at 2000°C and C/C composites. The formation of a dense ZrC–SiC coating and its oxide layer are the reasons for high ablation resistance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]