Search

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible degenerative illness of the central nervous system with characteristic histological alterations, known as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). Aggregation of plaques and tangles in the brain induces neurotoxicity and synaptic dysfunction, eventually contributing to neuronal cell death and neurodegeneration. Recent studies have revealed that COVID-19 has a great impact on the development of AD, directly or indirectly, by facilitating the accumulation of amyloid plaques, causing altered functional brain integrity or increasing the phosphorylation rate of tau protein. As two important bioactive components of Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE), ginkgolides and bilobalide (BB) have been reported to show neuroprotective effects in AD via multiple mechanisms such as anti-excitotoxicity, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities. Intriguingly, ginkgolides and BB also seem to demonstrate antiviral properties against COVID-19 by inhibiting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease. Herein, we review studies on the neuroprotective and antiviral mechanisms of ginkgolides and bilobalide, as well as their therapeutic potential against AD and COVID-19.

Cardiogenic stroke, manifested as a clinical syndrome in which emboli from the heart and aortic arch pass through the circulation and cause cerebral artery embolism and corresponding brain dysfunction, accounts for 20% to 30% of all ischemic strokes. Regarding the etiological classification, the boundary between cardiogenic stroke and cryptogenic stroke, especially embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS), as well as aortic arch atheromas categorization remain uncertain. Concerning the diagnosis, the criteria need to be formulated and unified, and thus the author proposes new diagnostic criteria. With regard to the treatment, anticoagulation therapy should be started or restarted several days to several weeks after the onset of stroke (e.g., atrial fibrillation-related), and treatment during acute phase and for prevention of stroke recurrence should be initiated after multi-disciplinary consultation.心源性卒中占全部缺血性卒中的20%~30%，是指来自心脏和主动脉弓的栓子通过循环导致脑动脉栓塞引起相应脑功能障碍的临床综合征。在病因分类方面，心源性卒中与隐匿性卒中、不明来源栓塞性卒中的界定，主动脉弓粥样硬化的归属有待明确；在诊断方面，其标准亟须制订统一，对此笔者提出了新的诊断标准；在治疗方面，笔者认为应于卒中（房颤相关）发病数天至数周后启动或重启抗凝治疗，急性期和预防卒中复发的治疗应经多学科会诊后积极进行。.

目的 分析我国孤立性浆细胞瘤患者分布特征并测算2016年患病率。 方法 基于2016年1月1日至12月31日我国21个省城镇职工和城镇居民医疗保险数据开展研究。通过疾病诊断名称、疾病诊断编码识别孤立性浆细胞瘤患者。根据性别、地区和年龄进行亚组分析，并进行敏感性分析以考察结果的稳健性。基于我国2010年全国人口普查数据、欧洲2013年标准人口数据、美国2010年人口数据以及澳大利亚2011年人口数据计算按年龄调整的标化患病率。 结果 2016年我国孤立性浆细胞瘤患病率为1.18/10万（95%CI 1.06~1.31），其中男性患病率为1.26/10万（95%CI 1.10~1.43），女性患病率为1.10/10万（95%CI 0.93~1.29）。基于我国2010年全国人口普查数据所得标化患病率为0.85/10万（95%CI 0.82~0.88）。 结论 本研究利用全国城镇医疗保险数据测算我国孤立性浆细胞瘤的患病率，为孤立性浆细胞瘤相关医疗政策制定以及基础研究提供线索。

Long non-coding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 3 (SNHG3) has been shown to participate in several tumorigenesis. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer, which is the first leading cause of new cancer diagnoses in women globally. However, the role of SNHG3 remains little known in breast cancers, especially in TNBC.Expression of SNHG3, miRNA-326-5p (miR-326) and integrin α5 (ITGA5) was detected using Real Time-PCR and Western blotting. Cell viability, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assays, respectively. Vav2/Rac1 signaling pathway was evaluated by Western blotting by analyzing Vav2 and Rac1 levels. The interaction among miR-326, SNHG3 and ITGA5 was confirmed by Dual-Luciferase reporter assay.We found that the expression of SNHG3 and ITGA5 was upregulated and miR-326 was downregulated in TNBC tumors and cell lines (MDA-MB-231, BT-549, MDA-MB-468 and SUM159). Functionally, both SNHG3 silencing and miR-326 overexpression enhanced cell apoptosis, but depressed cell viability, migration and invasion in MDA-MB-231 and BT-549 cells, as well as inhibited Vav2 and Rac1 expression. Notably, miR-326 deletion could abolish the tumor-suppressive role of SNHG3 silencing; meanwhile, the similar anti-tumor effect of miR-326 overexpression was abrogated by ITGA5 restoration. Mechanically, SNHG3 silencing downregulated ITGA5 expression by functioning as a molecular "sponge" for miR-326.Silencing of SNHG3 suppressed the malignant development of TNBC cells, at least partially, through miR-326/ITGA5 axis and inhibiting Vav2/Rac1 signaling pathway.

This study aimed to research the effect of miR-202-5p-mediated ATG7 on autophagy and apoptosis of degenerative nucleus pulposus cells.The intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue of patients with intervertebral disc degenerative disease and normal intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue of patients with spinal fractures was collected as the research object. Normal NP cells and degenerative NP cells were isolated. Low expression of miR-202-5p and overexpression of ATG7 were carried out in degenerative NP cells. The expression of miR-202-5p and ATG7 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. The expression of ATG7, LC3-II, Bax, and Bcl-2 proteins was detected by Western blot. The autophagy of cells was detected by MDC staining. The apoptosis of NP cells was detected by flow cytometry. The targeting relationship between miR-202-5p and ATG7 was detected by Dual-Luciferase reporter.In the degenerative NP tissues, miR-202-5p was highly expressed and ATG7 was low expressed. The inhibition of miR-202-5p expression can effectively promote autophagy of NP cells, increase the expression of ATG7 and LC3-II, inhibit the apoptosis of NP cells, inhibit the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, and promote the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 proteins. The upregulation of ATG7 expression in degenerative NP cells alone had the same effect as the downregulation of miR-202-5p. The assay of the Dual-Luciferase reporter confirmed the targeting relationship between miR-202-5p and ATG7.MiR-202-5p can affect the autophagy and apoptosis of degenerative nucleus pulposus cells through targeted adjustment of ATG7, which may be a new therapeutic target for intervertebral disc degenerative diseases.

Influence of bismuth substitution on calcium site in CaCu3Ti4O12 has been investigated. Compositions of Ca1-3/2xBixCu3Ti4O12 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) were fabricated by solid-state sintering method. Crystal structure is remained cubic. X-ray diffraction indicates the presence of secondary phase of CuO in CCTO ceramics. Bismuth doping restrains the formation of CuO phase apparently. The grain size of CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics was greatly decreased by Bi3+ doping, resulting from the ability of bismuth to inhibit the grain growth. The dielectric and electric properties of CCTO ceramics were found to be influenced by bismuth doping. The fitting results of the complex impedance spectra showed an increase of the resistance of grain and grain boundary by bismuth substitution. Ca0.70Bi0.20Cu3Ti4O12 showed the highest dielectric constant in the low frequency range. A modest composition such as Ca0.85Bi0.10Cu3Ti4O12 expressed the optimized dielectric properties of higher dielectric constant (1.3 × 104) and lower dielectric loss (0.06) than pure CCTO. The low and high temperature dielectric loss spectra demonstrate the interfacial polarization of the initial and secondary oxygen ionization, relating with the grain and grain boundary (the electrode contact for Ca0.70Bi0.20Cu3Ti4O12) respectively.

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been found to have a decreased effector function in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we co-cultured naïve CD4+ T cells of MS patients with myelin basic protein (MBP)85-99 peptide as specific antigen and allogenic B cells as antigen-presenting cells, in an attempt to generate adequate antigen-specific CD4+CD25+ Tregs with normal or improved immune function.Naïve CD4+ T cells were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with MS (n=5) and healthy controls (HC, n=5). Furthermore, these purified naive CD4+ T cells were co-cultured with the CD40-activated B cells and MBP85-99 peptide to induce MBP-reactive CD4+CD25highCD127low Tregs. After harvesting these Tregs via a flow sorter, real-time PCR and mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay were performed to characterize cellular immune function. Supernatant interleukin (IL)-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 protein levels were detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).With this method, the frequency of CD4+CD25highCD127low Tregs in CD4+ T cells was 3.5%-6%. In both MS and HC groups, there were relatively lower proliferation indices (PI) of MLR assay but higher supernatant IL-10 and TGF-β1 levels in the presence of MBP than those in the presence of other control antigens, where no significant differences were found.Via the ex vivo culture, adequate MBP-reactive CD4+CD25+ Tregsderived from autologous naïve CD4+ T cells of MS patients, were obtained and returned to normal without immune defects, and even upregulated their immunosuppressive function mostly through the elevated release of IL-10 and TGF-β1.

Cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II, CDDP) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents and is widely used in the treatment of cervical cancer (CC), but cancer cell acquired resistance to this drug during the course of its treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of cyclin I to cisplatin resistance in CC cell.Cervical tumor specimens from 30 patients were recruited in this study. We analyzed the expression of cyclin I by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blotting examination of downstream effectors. Cell proliferation assay and xenograft experiments were performed for cisplatin cytotoxicity assay. Lentivirus-mediated and siRNA-mediated genes overexpression or knockdown were applied to investigate the role of cyclin I to cisplatin resistance in CC cell.We found that high level of cyclin I was associated with cisplatin resistance in CC. Here, we described that cyclin I protein becomes highly expressed in human CC patients resistant to cisplatin chemotherapy. Stable overexpressed cyclin I promotes Hela cell resistance to higher concentrations of cisplatin. In addition, upregulated level of cyclin I increased tumor cells growth in vitro and enhanced tumor resistance to cisplatin in vivo. The further mechanism investigated showed that cyclin I upregulated the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) promoting cisplatin resistance by preventing apoptosis in CC cell line. Consistently, the cyclin I overexpressed Hela cell lines produce increased sensitivity to cisplatin treatment through knockdown of Cdk5 protein with siRNA.These data suggest that a cyclin I-Cdk5 complex forms a critical antiapoptotic factor in the process of generating cisplatin resistance in cervical cancer.

A method of module calibration and image processing based on a measurement system for 3-D foot shapes is described, which contains a module calibration system for the compensation of different position errors. A double scanning process with a calibration frame structure is performed, realizing thus a mapping conversion between the two coordinate systems. With the feature points formed by the intersection of the edges of the calibration frame and the light sectioning planes, different position errors can be automatically compensated. The disadvantages caused by the gradient prediction method can be reduced. Calibration and measurement experiments were conducted with satisfactory results.

With the integration and development of materials engineering, applied mechanics, automatic control and bionics, light cured composite has become one of the most favourite research topics in the field of materials and engineering at home and abroad. In the UV curing system, the prepolymer and the reactive diluent form the backbone of the cured material together. And they account for more than 90% of the total mass. The basic properties of the cured product are mainly determined by the prepolymer. A low viscosity epoxy acrylate photosensitive prepolymer with a viscosity of 6800 mPa • s (25 °C ) was obtained by esterification of 5 hours with bisphenol A epoxy resin with high epoxy value and low viscosity.

Self-healing composite material is an important intelligent composite material. In this paper, according to the recent research progress of the self-healing of composite materials, introduced the two kinds of typical extrinsic self-healing methods, which are microcapsule self-healing and hollow fiber self-healing, the paper expounds the repair mechanism of the two methods of self-healing, self-healing system characteristics and research status. This paper introduces some problems existing in the field of self-healing, and looks forward to the application prospect and development direction of self-repairing intelligent composite materials.

The aim of this study was to investigate clinical application of remifentanil in local anesthesia for resection of tumors in functional brain area.Twenty-four patients were randomly divided into two groups: control group and remifentanil group. In remifentanil group remifentanil was infused intravenously with micro pump in 0.05-0.1 µg·kg-1·min-1. The hemodynamic changes and complications during operation were monitored.The satisfactory degree for surgical procedure was evaluated. The surgery of two groups could be completed in a conscious state. Mean artery pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) in remifentanil group during opening or closing skull or intra- cranial period were significantly lower than control group (p0.05). There were no conspicuous complications in two groups such as respiratory depression, nausea, vomitting and dysphoria. Satisfaction rate of remifentanyl group was significantly higher than control group (p0.05).Awake brain tumor surgery could be completed in rational use of remifentanil on the base of good local anesthesia, and hemodynamics were stable and the patients were well tolerated.

CD137 ligand (CD137L) is expressed by various immune cells and exists in membrane-bound and soluble forms. Recently, CD137L was found to be localized to macrophages in human atherosclerotic lesions and CD137L levels were much higher in atherosclerotic lesions than in normal arteries. However, the role of CD137L with different forms in atherothrombotic stroke remains unclear.The soluble CD137L (sCD137L) protein and CD137L expression on monocytes were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry in peripheral blood of patients with acute ischemic atherosclerotic stroke, atherosclerosis controls and normal controls.During the initial 24h after onset, the stroke patients had elevated plasma sCD137L levels (133.2 pg/ml) and CD137L expression on monocytes [7.9 ± 4.1%, 7.0 ± 4.0 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)] as compared with normal controls (75 pg/ml, p0.05; 4.6 ± 2.4%, 4.1 ± 2.7 MFI, p0.05).The dysregulation of CD137L expression may reflect a persistent chronic inflammatory response that may have been induced during early stages of the disease. Our results strongly suggest that the abnormal expression of CD137L on monocytes may lead to dyregulated CD137L/CD137 signaling and consequently form part of a positive-feedback, inflammation-promoting circuit in stroke, while the elevated sCD137L protein levels may function as a self-regulatory mechanism of CD137/CD137L interaction and costimulation.

Phytophthora capsici from seven provinces of China were investigated for their mating type, hyphal growth, zoospore production, and virulence. All of the morphological characteristics and the results of polymerase chain reaction confirmed that these isolates were indeed Phytophthora capsici. The test of mating type showed that the mating types of 19 representative isolates from China varied. The hyphal growth and the amount of zoospores produced from these isolates differed and there was no evident relationship between them, which indicated the existence of genetic diversity among the isolates in China. Also, the isolates that were more virulent on the pepper cultivars that we checked produced more zoospores than other isolates.

Growing evidence suggests that long-term abuse of ketamine does harm the heart and increases the risk of sudden death. The present study was performed to explore the cardiotoxicity of ketamine and the protective effects of metoprolol.Rats and rabbits were divided into control, ketamine, metoprolol alone and ketamine plus metoprolol groups. Ketamine (40 mg·kg(-1) ·day(-1), i.p.) and metoprolol (20 mg·kg(-1) ·day(-1), p.o.) were administered continuously for 12 weeks in rats and 8 weeks in rabbits. Cardiac function, electrophysiological disturbances, cardiac collagen, cardiomyocte apoptosis and the remodelling-related proteins were evaluated.Rabbits treated with ketamine showed decreased left ventricular ejection fraction, slowed ventricular conduction velocity and increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia. Metoprolol prevented these pathophysiological alterations. In ketamine-treated rats, cardiac collagen volume fraction and apoptotic cell number were higher than those of control animals; these effects were prevented by co-administration of metoprolol. Consistently, the expressions of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases-1, apoptosis-inducing factor and NF-κB-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells were all increased after ketamine treatment and sharply reduced after metoprolol administration. Moreover, ketamine enhanced sympathetic sprouting, manifested as increased growth-associated protein 43 and tyrosine TH expression. These effects of ketamine were prevented by metoprolol.Chronic treatment with ketamine caused significant ventricular myocardial apoptosis, fibrosis and sympathetic sprouting, which altered the electrophysiological properties of the heart and increased its susceptibility to malignant arrhythmia that may lead to sudden cardiac death. Metoprolol prevented the cardiotoxicity of ketamine, indicating a promising new therapeutic strategy.

Supercritical fluid extraction is being investigated for the production of mesophase pitch, a liquid crystalline precursor for the manufacture of high-performance carbon fibers. A continuous-flow apparatus is being used to fractionate an isotropic petroleum pitch feedstock with supercritical toluene at temperatures to 400 °C and pressures to 200 bar. This pitch was separated into isotropic and liquid crystalline, or mesophase, portions in a region of liquid-liquid equilibrium. Since the phases are opaque, an electrical impedance technique was used to monitor the location of the liquid-liquid interface. A 100% mesophase pitch was produced at 340 °C and 70 bar using a solvent-to-feed ratio of 3:1. This material was spun into 10 μm-diameter fibers which were oxidized, carbonized and tested for physical properties. The final fibers exhibit tensile strengths and moduli comparable to the best pitch-based fibers currently available. With these fiber properties and the continuous nature of this process, supercritical extraction is an attractive alternative to existing pitch treatment processes.

Plants were regenerated from immature embryo cultures of 35 winter wheat genotypes. A total of 7142 R2 spike lines from 1593 R1 plants were assessed in the field for somaclonal variants of morphological traits in 1985/86, 1986/87 and 1987/88. Selected variants were studied for their possible genetic basis. Populations of R1 plants were highly variable due mainly to the physiological disturbances resulting from the in vitro processes. Overall somaclonal variation frequencies were 14.2% on the R1 plant basis and 5.3% on the R2 spike basis. Spectra of the variants were similar in the different R2 populations with predominant variants being altered negatively in plant height, maturity, awnedness, and spike and plant types. Over 90% of the variants were observed in some spike progenies of individual regenerants, while the others appeared in all spike progenies of the regenerants and in progenies of different regenerants derived from the same explant embryos. Both uniform R2 variant families and spike lines were found in addition to the segregating variants, which constituted the majority. On average, in a variant family and line, 18 and 14% of their component lines and plants varied, respectively. Inheritability was demonstrated for the variations in both segregated and uniform variant families and spike lines. Of 134 variant selections tested, about 70% was classified inhernable. Both recessive and dominant gene mutations at one, two or three loci were evident in some of the variants as suggested by segregation data.

The pooled results of four large-scale clinical trials of antihypertensive treatments carried out in China were assessed, with an overall study population of 10,457 patients.The fixed effect model was used for data analysis.A pooled analysis at the individual level showed that the average time of treatment was 3.4 years, after which an average reduction in blood pressure of 9/4 mmHg was found. The meta-analysis showed that stroke was reduced by 36% (95% CI 25%-46%, P0.001), cardiovascular death and total deaths were reduced by 22% and 20% respectively (P0.05) and total cardiovascular events were significantly reduced by 33% (P0.001). However, the reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) was much smaller and was not statistically significant (P0.05), whereas the significant reduction in stroke was epidemiologically expected.The benefit of antihypertensive treatment obtained was mostly due to a reduction in the incidence of stroke.

To study the roles of Tripterygium wilfordii saponins (TII) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) on dendritic cells (DC)-induced experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT).We used mice as autoimmune thyroiditis model animals and divided them into 4 groups, namely DC group, TII group, IL-10 group, and control group. The level of thyroglobulin (Tg) antibody was assayed by ELISA. TNF beta production in the cultured supernatants and nitric oxide (NO) in the serum were measured by biological activation assay and Griess reaction, respectively. Tg-stimulated proliferation of lymphocytes was detected with MTT incorporation assay. The histopathological analysis of thyroid was carried out.Tg-pulsed DC were able to induce EAT with increase in the concentration of TgAb in serum and lymphocytes infiltration in thyroid. After treatment with TII or IL-10, DC could not induce EAT with lower levels of TgAb and no lymphocyte infiltration. The concentration of NO in serum, TNF beta activation, and the proliferation of lymphocytes in response to thyroglobulin in TII or IL-10 group were lower than those in DC group.TII and IL-10 are able to strongly inhibit the ability of DC to induce experimental autoimmune thyroiditis.

Previous studies have shown the effects of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) on rats with renovascular hypertension (RVH). In the present study low dose alpha-hANF (0.025 microgram/kg/min) was administered intravenously for 60 minutes to seven RVH patients. Results demonstrated an inhibition of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), reduction of plasma catecholamine and arginine vasopressin(AVP), diuresis and natriuresis, increase of hematocrit and creatinine clearance, and slight decrease of blood pressure. These results showed that most factors involved in the establishment and maintenance of RVH are affected by ANF infusion.

Better markers are needed to monitor the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We investigated the effects of zidovudine (ZDV) and dideoxycytidine (ddC) on the presence of unintegrated HIV-1 DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from AIDS patients. DNA was extracted from PBMCs and separated into low molecular weight (unintegrated) and high molecular weight (integrated) chromosomal fractions. These DNA fractions were then amplified by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the amount and percentage of unintegrated HIV DNA were determined. Very high levels of unintegrated HIV DNA were found in AIDS patients not receiving treatment with ZDV or ddC (median = 95% unintegrated HIV DNA). In contrast, most patients who had received 4 or more weeks of antiretroviral therapy had lower levels of unintegrated HIV DNA (median = 30% unintegrated HIV DNA for patients receiving ZDV). Paired samples taken from five patients before and after therapy showed a striking reduction in the percentage of unintegrated HIV DNA. The decrease in the proportion of unintegrated HIV DNA in AIDS patients was due to both a reduction in the copy number of unintegrated HIV DNA and an increase in the copy number of integrated HIV DNA. Thus, measurements of unintegrated and integrated HIV DNA may be useful in providing objective assessments of the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapies.

A new resultant force formulation of 8-node solid element is presented for the linear and nonlinear analysis of thin-walled structures. The global, local and natural coordinate systems were used to accurately model the shell geometry. The assumed natural strain methods with plane stress concept were implemented to remove the various locking problems appearing in thin plates and shells. The correct warping behavior in the very thin twisted beam test was obtained by using an improved Jacobian transformation matrix. The 2 × 2 Gauss integration scheme was used for the calculation of the element stiffness matrix. From the computational viewpoint, the present solid element is very efficient for a large scale of nonlinear modeling. A lot of numerical tests were carried out for the validation of the present 8-node solid-shell element and the results are in good agreement with references.

The main objective of the research is to study the effectiveness and safety of gossypol as a male contraceptive drug. Using a double-blind, randomized, controlled study design, gossypol was found to be an effective male antifertility drug, with no adverse effects on libido nor appetite. In terms of serum potassium levels, there were no statistical differences between gossypol and placebo groups at the end of the loading phase. However, through the ensuing 12 months of maintenance phase, a statistically significant trend toward reduced serum potassium level was evident.The contraceptive efficacy of gossypol was investigated in a double-blind, randomized, control study. 75 male volunteers were placed on a regimen of 20 mg of gossypol per day, while the 77 controls received a placebo. Each of the volunteers continued use of gossypol for at least 14 1/2 months. Of the 64 gossypol-treated participants who completed the study, 31% achieved azoospermia and 61% had a sperm count less than 4 x 10 6. A 92% efficacy rate was achieved at the end of the loading phase. Incidence rates for fatigue, decrease of libido, and appetite did not differ significantly between subjects and controls, nor were there any differences in terms of body weight, hemoglobin, serum potassium, or blood pressure. Efficacy rates of 87%, 97%, 95%, 92%, and 98% were achieved at the end of loading, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of maintenance, respectively. The only significant side effect appeared to be a lowering of serum potassium levels during the maintenance phase. The attrition rate was 26% at 6 months and 39% at 12 months. There were no pregnancies among the wives of the volunteers. At present, gossypol research in China is aimed at the supplementation of gossypol contraception with potassium salt or with a potassium blocker to ameliorate gossypol-related hypokalemia.

The present study demonstrated that the plasma calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) concentration was lower but the CGRP content of abdominal aorta was higher in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) than in normotensive rats (WKY), using specific CGRP radioimmunoassay (P less than 0.01). In eighteen patients with essential hypertension, the concentration of plasma CGRP was also much lower than that of normal subjects, suggesting that a decreased release of arterial CGRP might be a part of the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. In SHR, a significant decrease in blood pressure was found following intravenous injection of 2.5 micrograms/kg of CGRP; similarly, in seven patients with essential hypertension intravenous injection of CGRP (50 micrograms) could induce a significant hypotensive effect. These data suggest that CGRP is a new potential drug for the treatment of essential hypertension.