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There is strong evidence of roles of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and nitric oxide (NO) synthase-NO system in depression, but the relationship between them is unknown. The aim of this study, therefore, was to elucidate whether there is any correlation between NO and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. In 16 outpatients with MDD and 18 healthy controls, the plasma amino acids citrulline (Cit) and arginine (Arg) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, and CRH levels was measured by radioimmunoassay. The Cit/Arg ratio was calculated as an index of NO synthesis. Correlations between NO and CRH were examined with the Spearman test. Before treatment, no significant correlation was observed between the plasma NO level and CRH levels in MDD patients. The plasma NO levels were significantly higher in MDD patients. A significant correlation was found between NO levels and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores in MDD patients. The plasma CRH levels were significantly higher in MDD patients than in controls. After monotherapy for 2 months, the NO levels had dramatically declined but were also higher than those in the controls. This study is the first report of the absence of a significant correlation between plasma NO and CRH levels, although both levels are elevated in MDD patients. Furthermore, the strong links between the plasma NO levels and the HAMD scores, as well as the increased NO reduction after remission, suggest that NO plays a key role in depression and may be an indicator of therapeutic success., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Problem: Cholestasis can cause translocation of gut bacteria, and endotoxemia, and systemic inflammation. Now, little is known about the effects of cholestasis on the testicular inflammation and autophagy., Methods: A rat biliary cholestasis model caused by common bile duct ligation (CBDL), together with biliary decompression (choledochoduodenostomy), was used., Results: The magnitude of MCP-1 expression and CD68(+) macrophage infiltration within testes was progressively up-regulated in rats along with increasing duration of CBDL and was maintained at relatively high level in rats with biliary decompression. The large up-regulation of testicular ATG-12, LC3II, and autophagic vacuoles was found with the extending duration of CBDL and kept at 5 weeks following biliary decompression. The autophagic contents were a large accumulation of mitophagy in testes in rats with CBDL, and cytosol components in rats with biliary decompression., Conclusion: Secondary biliary cholestasis can promote inflammatory reaction and the activation of mitophagy and autophagy in testes., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) insufflation has been proposed as an alternative to air insufflation to distend the lumen in gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy., Aim: To perform a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which CO(2) insufflation was compared with room air insufflation in GI endoscopy., Methods: Electronic and manual searches were combined to search RCTs. After methodological quality assessment and data extraction, the efficacy and safety of CO(2) insufflation were systematically assessed., Results: Twenty-one RCTs [13 on colonoscopy, four on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), two on double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE), one on oesophagogastroduodenoscopy, and one on flexible sigmoidoscopy] were identified. For colonoscopy, CO(2) insufflation resulted lower postprocedural pain intensity, and increased the proportion of patient without pain at 1 h (RR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.37-2.47) and 6 h (RR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.14-1.44) postprocedure. For ERCP, the pain-releasing effect of CO(2) insufflation was not obvious (SMD: -1.48, 95% CI: -3.56, 0.59). CO(2) insufflation revealed no consistent advantages in the RCTs of DBE, but was shown as safe as air insufflation in oesophagus/stomach endoscopic submucosal dissection in one study. pCO(2) level showed no significant variation during these procedures., Conclusions: Compared with air insufflation, CO(2) insufflation during colonoscopy causes lower postprocedural pain and bowel distension without significant pCO(2) variation. More RCTs are needed to assess its advantages in other GI endoscopic procedures., (© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

A novel Cd(II) metal-organic framework, [Cd(C(3)H(2)O(4))(NH(3))](n), was synthesized by liquid diffusion conducted in the presence of ammonia. The Cd(II) atom has seven-coordinate O(6)N pentagonal-bipyramidal geometry. Six Cd(II) centers are joined by six malonate ligands to form an S(6)-symmetric [Cd(6)(malonate)(6)] metallomacrocycle, which is further extended through a side-on chelating malonate ligand to form a three-dimensional network. Topologically, each Cd(II) center is connected to four others to yield an infinite three-periodic four-coordinated SOD (sodalite) network with point symbol {4(2)·6(4)}. The overall network structure in the crystal is maintained and stabilized by the presence of N-H...O hydrogen bonds.

In the mol-ecule of the title compound, C(14)H(8)Cl(2)N(4)S, all the ring atoms in the pyrazolopyrimidine system are almost coplanar, the largest deviation from the mean plane being 0.027 (2) Å for a C atom. The conformation of the methyl-sulfanyl group is anti-periplanar, with a torsion angle of -176.7 (2)°. A weak inter-molecular C-H⋯N hydrogen bond and a Cl⋯N halogen bond [Cl⋯N = 3.196 (5) Å] with a nearly linear N⋯Cl-C angle [174.2 (1)°] link the mol-ecules into a two-dimensional assembly. Face-to-face π-π stacking, with a centroid-centroid separation of 3.557 (2) Å and an angle of 7.1 (1)° between the two planes, completes the inter-molecular inter-actions in the solid state.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C(24)H(14)Cl(3)NO(2)S, the tetra-hydro-pyridine ring adopts a half-chair conformation and both pendant benzene rings are oriented nearly perpendicular to the thio-chromeno[2,3-b]pyridine system.

The title compound, [CuI(C(11)H(10)N(2)S(2))](n), is built around centrosymmetric dinuclear Cu(2)I(2) cores, each of which is linked to four neighboring Cu(2)I(2) units via flexible dithioether ligands, viz. 4,4'-(methylenedithio)dipyridine, to form a two-dimensional grid containing rhombus-shaped cavities with diagonal distances of ca 15 and 22 A. Two of these networks interpenetrate in a woven fashion, and the resulting structure does not possess any open channels or cavities. Each Cu atom is in a distorted tetrahedral coordination environment.

The title compound, C(30)H(25)Cl(2)NO(3), was prepared by the reaction of 3-oxo-N,3-diphenyl-propane-thio-amide, 2,5-dichloro-benzaldehyde and 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclo-hexa-nedione (1:1:1) in ethanol. The cyclohexene ring adopts a half-chair conformation. The crystal structure exhibits intra-molecular N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O, and inter-molecular C-H⋯O inter-actions.

The title complex, [Cu(4)I(4)(C(21)H(15)N(3))(2)], lies on an inversion centre located at the centroid of a four-membered ring formed by one of the crystallographically independent Cu(I) ions and a triply bridging iodide ligand. The 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (phterpy) ligand chelates each of the independent Cu(I) centres in a bidentate fashion, with the N atom of the central pyridyl ring bridging the two Cu(I) centres and those of the outer pyridyl rings binding the two independent Cu(I) ions individually to form a dinuclear system. These are further linked by triply-bridging I(-) anions to form the centrosymmetric tetra-nuclear units. One independent Cu atom binds to each of the inversion-related I(-) anions while the other coordinates to one bridging and one terminal monodentate iodide ligand. The outer pyridyl rings are twisted relative to the central pyridyl ring of the phterpy ligand with dihedral angles of 18.7 (1) and 35.6 (1)°, respectively.