Search

Constipation is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders accompanied with intestinal dysbiosis. Laxatives for constipation usually have side effects. Bee honey is a natural food with unique composition, antimicrobial properties, and bifidogenic effect. In order to assess whether honey can ameliorate loperamide‐induced constipation in BALB/c mice through the alteration of the gut microbiota, the present study was undertaken. Mice were given Jarrah honey (7.5 g/kg body weight) by gavage once per day for 5 days. Fecal water content, intestinal transit rate together with the colon concentrations of substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine; 5‐HT) were evaluated. Furthermore, we determined the effect of honey treatment on gut microbiota in mice using stool genomic 16S rRNA sequencing. As a result, honey showed an obvious improvement in fecal water content and alleviated constipation by modulating the microbial composition of the microbiota, and this was highly associated with a proportional decrease in gut Desulfovibrio. In addition, we found that the colon level of neurotransmitters SP and VIP was significantly related to microbial variations. Our results indicate that gut microbiota is involved in the alleviation of loperamide‐induced constipation by honey supplementation in mice, and it could be considered as an evaluating parameter in constipation therapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a kind of feedback control based on discrete-time state observations was proposed to stabilize continuous-time hybrid stochastic systems in the mean-square sense. We find that the feedback control there still depends on the continuous-time observations of the mode. However, it usually costs to identify the current mode of the system in practice. So we can further improve the control to reduce the control cost by identifying the mode at discrete times when we make observations for the state. In this paper, we aim to design such a type of feedback control based on the discrete-time observations of both state and mode to stabilize the given hybrid stochastic differential equations (SDEs) in the sense of mean-square exponential stability. Moreover, a numerical example is given to illustrate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to stabilize hybrid stochastic differential equations with norm-bounded uncertainties by feedback controls based on the discrete-time observations of both state and mode. The control structure appears only in the drift part (the deterministic part) of a stochastic differential equations, and the controlled system will be robustly exponentially stable in mean square. Our stabilization criteria are in terms of linear matrix inequalities whence the feedback controls can be designed more easily in practice. An example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of our results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic imides were selectively reduced to the corresponding ω-hydroxylactams in high yields with (EtO)3SiH (triethoxysilane) or PMHS (polymethylhydrosiloxane) under catalysis of zinc diacetate dehydrate [Zn(OAc)2.2H2O] (10%) and tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) (10%). This catalytic protocol showed good functional group tolerance as well as excellent regioselectivity for unsymmetrical imides bearing coordinating groups adjacent to the carbonyl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim The endocannabinoid system is involved in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS). Here, we investigated whether genetic variants of the cannabinoid type 1 receptor ( CNR1) and fatty acid amide hydrolase ( FAAH) are associated with the pathogenesis of IBS. Methods In total, 292 patients with IBS and 298 healthy controls were enrolled. Polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) and DNA sequencing were applied to determine the genotyping of polymorphic triplet AAT repeats located at the 3′-end of the CNR1 gene. The single nucleotide polymorphism ( SNP) C385A at the FAAH gene (rs324420) was determined by PCR using Taq Man SNP Genotyping Assay Sets. Results A total of eight alleles with AAT triplet repeats in the CNR1 gene were detected. The alleles were divided into two groups (≤ 10 and > 10) and three genotypes (≤ 10/≤ 10, ≤ 10/> 10, and > 10/> 10). The frequency of > 10 alleles was significantly higher in the IBS group (90.6%) when compared with the control group {81.7%, P < 0.001, odds ratio ( OR) (95% confidence interval [ CI]) = −0.128}. In addition, the genotypes > 10/> 10 were significantly associated with IBS ( P < 0.001, OR [95% CI] = −0.163). The frequency of the A allele and the distribution of the AA genotype in the FAAH gene in the IBS group were not significantly different from those in the control group ( P > 0.05), even though the frequency of the AA genotype was lower in the IBS group (1.0%) than that in the control group (3.4%, P = 0.089, OR [95% CI] = 3.345). Conclusions The variation in the ( AAT)n repeat of the CNR1 gene conferred an increased risk for developing IBS, while rs324420 ( C385) in the FAAH gene was not associated with IBS pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of soil P leaching on water eutrophication have widely been concerned. However, there is no dependable method to quantitatively estimate the P leaching risk of soils. In this study, a simple soil column method was developed using two calcareous Fluvisols, silt loam and loam. The soil column was 20 cm in length and 5 cm in diameter, and distilled water was continuously supplied from the top. The volume and dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentrations of leachate were measured. Results showed that DRP concentrations in leachate increased slowly for the low soil Olsen-P levels but rapidly for the high Olsen-P levels. According to these two-phase changes in the DRP versus soil Olsen-P contents, the thresholds of P leaching risk were estimated to be 41.1 and 62.3 mg P kg−1 (Olsen-P) for silt loam and loam, respectively. The P leaching intensity of soils increased by 3- to 540-fold if the soil Olsen-P contents accumulated from 6.6 to 155.5 mg P kg−1. The outcomes derived from this study regarding the determination of P leaching threshold and intensity by the soil column method also need a further verification on more soils with a wide range of physical and chemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dopamine transporter gene ( SLC6A3) represents a promising candidate involved in the development of alcoholism. This study aimed to explore the association between the 9-repeat allele ( A9) of a 40-bp variable number tandem repeat ( VNTR) polymorphism in the 3′ un-translated region (3′ UTR) of the SLC6A3 gene and alcoholism. Methods: The SLC6A3 VNTR was genotyped by PCR in unrelated Mexican Americans including 337 controls and 365 alcoholics. Pearson's chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare the genotype and allele distribution. Meta-analyses were performed for population-based case-control association studies of the SLC6A3 VNTR polymorphism with alcoholism. Data were analyzed under random effect models with the Comprehensive Meta-analysis (v.2) statistical software package. Results: In Mexican Americans, no significant difference was found in allele and genotype distribution between controls and alcoholics or between controls and alcoholics with alcohol withdrawal seizure (AWS) or delirium tremens (DT) (unadjusted p > 0.05). A total of 13 research articles were included in the meta-analyses. No significant difference of the SLC6A3 VNTR A9 was noted between controls and alcoholics at the genotypic and allelic level when all ethnic populations, only Caucasian populations, or only Asian populations were considered ( p > 0.05). Significant associations were observed between SLC6A3 VNTR A9 and alcoholics with AWS or DT at the genotypic as well as allelic level when all ethnic populations or only Caucasian populations were considered ( p < 0.05, OR 1.5-2.1). Conclusions: Meta-analyses suggest a possible association between the SLC6A3 VNTR A9 and alcoholic subgroup with AWS or DT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground: We have performed series studies to investigate the effect of intragastric pH on control of peptic ulcer bleeding. In laboratory and animal studies, both platelet aggregation and gastric mucosal bleeding time were shown to be extremely sensitive to different pH levels. Platelet aggregation decreased significantly at pH ≥ 6.8 and gastric mucosal bleeding time fell significantly at pH ≥ 6.4. In a prospective clinical trial, primed infusions of different dosages of omeprazole (8 or 4 mg/h) after a bolus (40 mg) produced consistently high intragastric pH values in patients with bleeding duodenal ulcer. These results were not significantly different from that obtained from omeprazole 40 mg bolus treatment every 12 h (P > 0.05). However, primed injection with cimetidine (800 mg/12 h) was less effective (P < 0.05). Methods: In a retrospective analysis, 303 patients with bleeding peptic ulcer who were treated with cimetidine and 326 patients who were treated with omeprazole were compared. Results: The emergency surgery (4.91%) and mortality rates (1.84%) in the omeprazole group were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from those (7.28 and 1.99%) in the cimetidine group. However, the standardized emergency surgery rate of the omeprazole group (3.28%) was significantly lower than that (9.28%) of the cimetidine group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: We conclude that increased intragastric pH to at least 6.4 with omeprazole is helpful in controlling peptic ulcer bleeding. Chinese patients require a lower dose of omeprazole than their Western counterparts to control ulcer bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Bismuth triple therapy provides consistently good results in Helicobacter pylori eradication worldwide, whereas quadruple therapy using a combination of omeprazole and bismuth triple regimen has produced cure rates in excess of 90%. The prevalence of metronidazole-resistant strains was 26.8% in our area. Colloidal bismuth pectin (CBP) is a new, lower-priced bismuth salt made in China. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of CBP triple and quadruple regimens in the treatment of H. pylori–positive duodenal ulcer. Materials and Methods. In this prospective trial, 205 patients with H. pylori–positive duodenal ulcer were allocated randomly to receive one of four regimens: metronidazole, 200 mg; amoxicillin, 250 mg; and colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS), 120 mg (group 1), or CBP, 100 mg qid (group 2) for 2 weeks, then continued CBS, 240 mg, or CBP, 200 mg bid for a further 2 weeks. A quadruple regimen using a combination of omeprazole, 20 mg bid, and CBS triple therapy (group 3) or CBP triple therapy (group 4), respectively, was given to patients for 1 week, followed by omeprazole, 20 mg once daily for a further 3 weeks. Further endoscopy was performed at least 4 weeks after cessation of the treatment. H. pylori status was determined by histology, a 14C urea breath test, and a urease test. Results. The per-protocol H. pylori cure rates were 85% (22 of 26 patients), 90% (35 of 39), 96% (46 of 48), and 95% (75 of 79) for groups 1 through 4. In the intention-to-treat analysis, cure rates were 79% (22 of 28), 83% (35 of 42), 90% (46 of 51), and 89% (75 of 84), respectively. The cure rates of quadruple therapy were higher than those of triple therapy; an 8.2% difference was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3–18.7%). The ulcer-healing rates were 88%, 87%, 98%, and 97%, respectively, for groups 1 through 4. The ulcer pain was relieved more rapidly in quadruple- than in triple-therapy regimens. Two patients discontinued treatment prematurely owing to drug-related side effects. Conclusion. One-week quadruple therapy is highly effective and safe in H. pylori eradication in Chinese patients. CBP is as effective as CBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mild title method provides various N,2-diarylacetamides in moderate to often high yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title reaction can be achieved by using simple ketones and easily available diamines as substrates with O2 as the sole oxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses construction of 2-Azaspiro (4.5) decanes through light-induced Intramolecular Dearomative Cyclization of a-Bromo-N-benzyl-alkylamides.