Effects of Radix Puerariae, Radix Rehmanniae and Their Compatibility on Blood Glucose and Blood Lipids in Mice

[Objectives]To explore the effects of the compatibility of Radix Puerariae and Radix Rehmanniae on blood glucose and blood lipids in diabetic mouses.[Methods]Diabetic mouse model was established.The body weight and fasting blood glucose of mice were measured after 7 and 14 d of administration,and the biochemical indicators of blood lipids(TC,HDL-C,and LDL-C)were detected after 14 d of administration.[Results]Compared with the Radix Puerariae group and Radix Rehmanniae group,the compatibility group(1:2)had the best hypoglycemic effect(P<0.05),and TC and LDL-C in the compatibility group(2:1)significantly decreased(P<0.05),while HDL-C in the compatibility group(1:1)significantly increased(P<0.05).[Conclusions]Radix Puerariae,Radix Rehmanniae and their combination can reduce the blood glucose of diabetic mice.The compatibility group(1:2)had a significant hypoglycemic effect(P<0.05),and LDL-C in the compatibility group(2:1)significantly declined,while HDL-C in the compatibility group(1:1)rose significantly.

Long-lasting discussion: Adverse effects of intraoperative blood loss and allogeneic transfusion on prognosis of patients with gastric cancer

Gastrectomy with radical lymph node dissection is the most promising treatment avenue for patients with gastric cancer. However, this procedure sometimes induces excessive intraoperative blood loss and requires perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion. There are lasting discussions and controversies about whether intraoperative blood loss or perioperative blood transfusion has adverse effects on the prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. We reviewed laboratory and clinical evidence of these associations in patients with gastric cancer. A large amount of clinical evidence supports the correlation between excessive intraoperative blood loss and adverse effects on the prognosis. The laboratory evidence revealed three possible causes of such adverse effects: anti-tumor immunosuppression, unfavorable postoperative conditions, and peritoneal recurrence by spillage of cancer cells into the pelvis. Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have suggested the adverse effects of perioperative blood transfusions on prognostic parameters such as all-cause mortality, recurrence, and postoperative complications. There are two possible causes of adverse effects of blood transfusions on the prognosis: Anti-tumor immunosuppression and patient-related confounding factors (e.g., preoperative anemia). These factors are associated with a worse prognosis and higher requirement for perioperative blood transfusions. Surgeons should make efforts to minimize intraoperative blood loss and transfusions during gastric cancer surgery to improve patients’ prognosis.

Long-term effects of early antibiotic intervention on blood parameters,apparent nutrient digestibility, and fecal microbial fermentation profile in pigs with different dietary protein levels

Backgroud： This study aimed to determine the effects of early antibiotic intervention（EAI） on subsequent blood parameters, apparent nutrient digestibility, and fecal fermentation profile in pigs with different dietary crude protein（CP） levels. Eighteen litters of piglets（total 212） were randomly allocated to 2 groups and were fed a creep feed diet with or without in-feed antibiotics（olaquindox, oxytetracycline calcium and kitasamycin） from postnatal d 7 to d 42. On d 42, the piglets within the control or antibiotic group were mixed, respectively, and then further randomly assigned to a normal-（20%, 18%, and 14% CP from d 42 to d 77, d 77 to d 120, and d 120 to d 185,respectively） or a low-CP diet（16%, 14%, and 10% CP from d 42 to d 77, d 77 to d 120, and d 120 to d 185,respectively）, generating 4 groups. On d 77（short-term） and d 185（long-term）, serum and fecal samples were obtained for blood parameters, microbial composition and microbial metabolism analysis.Results： EAI increased（P 〈 0.05） albumin and glucose concentrations in low-CP diet on d 77, and increased（P 〈 0.05） urea concentration in normal-CP diet. On d 185, EAI increased（P 〈 0.05） globulin concentration in normal-CP diets, but decreased glucose concentration. For nutrient digestibility, EAI increased（P 〈 0.05）digestibility of CP on d 77. For fecal microbiota, the EAI as well as low-CP diet decreased（P 〈 0.05） E. coli count on d 77. For fecal metabolites, on d 77, EAI decreased（P 〈 0.05） total amines concentration but increased skatole concentration in low-CP diet. On d 185, the EAI increased（P 〈 0.05） putrescine and total amines concentrations in low-CP diets but reduced（P 〈 0.05） in the normal-CP diets. The low-CP diet decreased the concentrations of these compounds.Conclusions： Collectively, these results indicate that EAI has short-term effects on the blood parameters and fecal microbial fermentation profile. The effects of EAI varied between CP levels, which was characterized by the significant alteration of glucose and putrescine concentration.

Effects of tanshinone Ⅱ sodium sulfonate plus cinepazide maleate on the hemorrheologic indexes and blood lipids in patients with acute cerebral infarction

BACKGROUND： The severity of cerebral infarction is associated with the increase of blood viscosity caused by hyperfibrinogenemia and hyperlipidemia, etc. Thus it has become one of the target for treating cerebral infarction to decrease blood viscosity by integrated Chinese and western medicine. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the influence and clinical therapeutic effects of cinepazide maleate combined with tanshinone Ⅱ A sodium sulfonate on the hemorrheologic indexes and blood lipids of patients with acute cerebral infarction, and compare the results with those of simple cinepazide maleate treatment. DESIGN： A non-randomized case-controlled observation. SETTINGS： Hebei North University; the Second Affiliated Hospitals of Hebei North University; the Third Affiliated Hospitals of Hebei North University, PARTICIPANTS： Eighty-six inpatients with cerebral infarction were selected from the infirmary, the Second and Third Affiliated Hospitals of Hebei North University from September 2004 to October 2006. They were all diagnosed to have acute cerebral infarction by CT or MRI, and accorded with the diagnostic standards for acute cerebral infarction set by the Fourth National Academic Meeting for Cerebrovascular Disease in 1995. Meanwhile, 40 teachers and medical staff of voluntary physical examinees were selected as the control group. Informed contents were obtained from all the patients and their relatives. METHODS： The patients were divided into combined treatment group （n=43） and simple treatment group （n=3）. In the combined treatment group, the patients were administrated with 160 mg cinepazide maleate injection （Beijing Four-ring Pharmaceutical, Co.,Ltd, No. H200220125; 80 mg/2 mL） added in 5% glucose, and 40 mg tanshinone Ⅱ sodium sulfonate （Shanghai No.1 Biochemical ＆ Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd., No. H31022558, 10 mg/2 mL） added in 250 mL normal saline. In the simple treatment group, the patients were only administrated with cinepazide maleate 320 mg added in 5% glucose or 250 mL normal saline. They were treated for 1 or 2 courses, once a day, and 14 days as a course. The patients were detected before treatment and at 14 and 28 days after treatment respectively. ① Determination of hemorrheologic indexes： Whole blood viscosity was determined with LBY-N6B automatic hemorrheologic meter; Plasma viscosity with LBY-F200B automatic plasma viscosity meter; Volume of fibrinogen was determined by the method of 12.5% sodium nitrate depositing biuret reaction. ② Determination of blood lipids： The serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）, triglyceride （TG）, low density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） and high density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） were determined. ③ Severity of neurological deficit： The total score of neurological deficit score （NDS） ranged from 0 to 45 points, 0 - 15 points was taken as mild, 16 - 30 points as moderate and 31 - 45 points as severe.④ Evaluation of curative effects： Generally cured： NDS decreased by 91% - 100%, and disabled severity of grade 0; Significantly improved： NDS decreased by 46% - 90%, and disabled severity of grades 1 - 3; Improved： NDS decreased by 18% - 45%; No change： NDS decreased by less than 18%; Aggravated： NDS increased by more than 18%. Generally cured and significant improved were taken as significant effect. ⑤ The adverse events and side effects after medication were observed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ① Results of hemorrheologic indexes and blood lipids; ② NDS results in the combined treatment group and simple treatment group; ③ Therapeutic effects and adverse events. RESULTS： All the 86 patients with cerebral infarction and 40 healthy controls were involved in the analysis of results. ① Results of hemorrheologic indexes and blood lipids： The hemorrheologic indexes and blood lipids before treatment were manifested as abnormalities to different extents in both the combined treatment group and simple treatment group; The hemorrheologic indexes after treatment were obviously improved in both groups. But the hemorrheologic indexes were improved more obviously in the combined treatment group as compared with those in the simple treatment group （P 〈 0.05）; The levels of TC, TG and LDL-C after treatment in the combined treatment group were obviously lowered （P 〈 0.05）, whereas those in the simple treatment group were not significantly changed （P 〉 0.05）. ② NDS results： The NDS scores at 14 and 28 days after treatment in the combined treatment group [（6.23±2.34）, （4.27± 1.83） points] were obviously lower than those in the simple treatment group [（8.76±3.41）, （6.65±2.49） points, P 〈 0.05]. ③ Therapeutic effects and side effects： The total significant effective rates in the combined treatment group and simple treatment group were 93% and 81% respectively. In the combined treatment group, 1 case suffered from palpitation, dizziness and agrypnia. In the simple treatment group, 1 case suffered from palpitation, dizziness and agrypnia, 1 case had itch of skin. All the above symptoms disappeared gradually after the transfusing speed was adjusted to be slower. No drug withdrawal occurred in the patients due to the adverse events. CONCLUSION： Cinepazide maleate combined with tanshinon can obviously improve the abnormalities of hemorrheologic indexes and blood lipids and nerve function in patients with acute cerebral infarction, and its curative effect is faster than that of simple cinepazide maleate treatment.

Blood Lead Dynamics of Lead-Exposed Pregnant Women and Its Effects on Fetus Development

The dynamics of blood lead (Pb-B) and blood zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP-B) of women in early pregnancy and parturient women with lead exposure and the effects on fetus development were investigated. Pb-B of lead-exposed women was high: 0.984 μmol/L (20.38 μg/dl) and ZPP was 84.52μg/dl. Cord blood Pb-B was 0.896 μmol/L(18.56μg/dl)and cord blood ZPP was 69.24μg/dl. In the control group, Pb-B was 0.261μmol/L(5.41μg/dl), ZPP-B, 37.59 μg/dl, cord blood, Pb-B 0.34 μmol/L (7.93 μg/dl), and cord ZPP-B 49.0μg/dl. There was a significant correlation between blood lead and blood ZPP, maternal Pb-B and cord Pb-B, maternal Pb-B and cord ZPP-B. The significance of the consistency of high level Pb-B and the effects on fetus development is discussed.

Resilience provides mediating effect of resilience between fear of progression and sleep quality in patients with hematological malignancies

BACKGROUND Hematological tumors are common malignant tumors,with high morbidity and mortality rates.Most patients with hematological malignancies develop sleep disorders that seriously affect their life and health because of acute onset of disease,rapid progression,high recurrence rates,complex treatment methods,and treatment costs.AIM To explore the mediating effect of resilience on fear of disease progression and sleep quality in patients with hematological malignancies.METHODS A cross-sectional analysis of 100 patients with hematological malignancies,treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University between August 2022 and August 2023,was conducted.Patients were assessed using a general data survey,a simplified scale for the fear of progression(FoP)of disease,a resilience scale,and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.Statistical analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between various patient characteristics and FoP,resilience,and sleep quality.Spearman’s correlation analysis was used to examine the correlations between mental resilience,FoP,and sleep quality.RESULTS The total FoP score mean value in patients with hematological malignancies was 38.09±5.16;the total resilience score mean value was 40.73±7.04;and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score mean value was 10.72±1.90.FoP,resilience,and sleep quality of the patients were associated with family per capita monthly income and patient education level(P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis revealed that FoP was negatively correlated with resilience and sleep quality scores(r=-0.560,-0.537,P<0.01),respectively,and resilience was significantly associated with sleep quality scores(r=0.688,P<0.01).Mediation analysis showed that the mediating effect of resilience between FoP and sleep quality in patients with hematological malignancies was-0.100 and accounted for 50.51%of the total effect.This indicated that FoP directly and indirectly affected sleep quality through the mesomeric effect of resilience.CONCLUSION Resilience is an intermediary variable between FoP and sleep quality in patients with hematological malignancies.Medical staff should evaluate and follow-up FoP and resilience to implement measures to improve sleep quality.

Effects of Activating Blood Circulation to Resolve Blood Stasis and Glucosamine Capsules Therapy on the Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinase in Post-traumatic Knee Osteoarthritis

[Objectives] To observe the clinical effects of activating blood circulation to resolve blood stasis and glucosamine hydrochloride capsules therapy on post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis treatment,to measure the expression of matrix metalloproteinase in post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis patients before and after treatment,and to explore its relevant molecular mechanisms. [Methods]A total of 60 patients with posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis in early stage in Affiliated Hospital of Shannxi University of Chinese Medicine from January 2015 to December2017 were selected and randomly divided into the control group( n = 30) and the observation group( n = 30). The control group was given oral administration of glucosamine hydrochloride capsules for 6 courses of the treatment. The observation group was using the activating blood circulation to resolve blood stasis therapy for 6 courses of treatment. The recovery of traumatic knee osteoarthritis and the symptom of traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) in 2 groups was compared before and after treatment. The symptoms and the quantitative assessment rating scale of knee osteoarthritis,the pain index of knee and the TCM symptom scores were recorded in both groups. And the synovial fluid and serum of patients were collected to detect the expression of matrix metalloproteinase. [Results]The symptoms and the quantitative assessment rating scale of knee osteoarthritis,the pain index of knee and TCM symptom scores of the 2 groups in the 1 st week,the 12 th week and the 24 th week after the treatment were significantly lower than those before the treatment,and the difference was statistically significant( P < 0. 05). Two therapeutic methods had certain therapeutic effects on the recovery from traumatic knee osteoarthritis,and could significantly improve the TCM syndrome. There were better therapeutic effects on oral decoction of traditional Chinese medicine than oral glycosaminoglycans hydrochloride capsules on treating traumatic knee osteogenesis( P < 0. 05). The expression level of MMP3 was decreased significantly in both groups( P <0. 001),while the expression level of MMP13 had no significant change in both groups( P >0. 05). The expression level of MMP1 was decreased significantly in the observation group( P < 0. 001),but there was no significant change in the control group after treatment( P >0. 05). [Conclusions]Two treatment methods have been effective in this clinical study. We found that the expression level of MMP3 was decreased significantly after treatment in 2 therapies,which can be clinically applied.

Blood Oxidant/Antioxidant Status in overfed Aging Rats: Comparative Effects of Sunflower and Olive-Linseed Mixture Oil Rich Diets

Obesity, one of the most common health problems, is associated with glucose and lipid metabolism abnormalities, increased cardiovascular risk and oxidative stressI1}. Aging is also associated with an increase in oxidative stress[2]. Considering that older adults are already at risk for oxidant stress, the additional metabolic perturbations of obesity aggravated the susceptibility to oxidant stress. Modulating age-related oxidative stress via dietary interventions could reduce free radical production and significantly improve health in aging.

The effects of decompressive craniectomy on cerebral blood flow volume and brain metabolism in different aged patients with severe traumatic brain injury

Objective To explore effects of decompressive craniectomy on cerebral blood flow volume and brain metabolism in different aged patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Methods 71 cases were divided into three groups according age: group A( 【 30 years) ,group B ( 30 ～ 50 years) 。

Reliability of Blood Pressure Measurements: An Analysis of the White Coat Effect and Its Fluctuations

In this paper, we evaluate the difference between the first and second measurements of blood pressure (BP) when BP is measured twice using the results of 17,775 medical checkups. The two measurements for both systolic BP (SBP) and the diastolic BP (DBP) fluctuated a large amount even though they were measured at a short interval. The first measurements were 6.7 and 2.4 mmHg higher than the second ones for SBP and DBP, suggesting a white coat effect. Then, the factors that might affect the differences between the two measurements were analyzed by the regression models. For both SBP and DBP, the difference increased as the first measurement increased. Age, gender, BMI and alcohol consumption were other important factors affecting the difference. In the case of a typical male individual, the typical criteria for hypertension of 140/90, 160/100 and 180/110 mmHg criteria in the first measurement would correspond to 135/86, 150/94 and 165/102 mmHg in the second measurement. The necessity of developing accurate and cost-efficient BP measurement methods is strongly suggested.

Effects of erythromycin on pressure in pyloric antrum and plasma motilin and somatostatin content in dogs

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Understanding the effect of propofol and electrical cardioversion on the systolic blood pressure of emergency department patients with atrial fibrillation

Dear editor,We read with pleasure the well-designed study by Butler et al of electrical cardioversion of emergency department patients with atrial fibrillation.^([1])We appreciate their analysis of the distinctives of procedural sedation when employed for this indication.Understanding the dosing adjustments to propofol undertaken by

Effect of Konjac Food on Blood Glucose Level in Patients with Diabetes

Seventy-two type II diabetic subjects were given Konjac food for 65 days. The data analyzed by multiple F test indicate that the fasting blood glucose (FBG) and the 2-h postprandial blood glucose (PBG) on the 30th and the 65th days after the food was ingested were significantly reduced (P = 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively), as was the glycosylated hemoglobin level at the end of the trial (P < 0.05). The final FBG and PBG of the subjects with initial FBG-O >200 mg% decreased on the average by 51.8 and 84.6 mg%. respectively; those with FBG-0 150-200 mg% decreased by 24.1 and 68.7 mg%; and those with FBG-O < 150 mg% decreased by 4.8 and 21.4 mg%. No significant changes in blood lipid indexes were observed, except that the triglycer-ide values of subjects with hypertriglyceridemia (>200 mg%) significantly decreased by 118.7 mg%. It was concluded that Konjac food is very useful in the prevention and treatment of hyperglycemia. (C)1990 Academic Press. Inc.

Lethal effect of mononuclear cells derived from human umbilical cord blood differentiating into dendritic cells after in vitro induction of cytokines on neuroblastoma cells

BACKGROUND： Dendritic cell is the most major antigen presenting cell of organism. It is proved in recent studies that human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells induced and cultured in vitro by recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor （rhG-MCSF） and recombinant human interleukin-4 （rhlL-4） can generate a great many dendritic cells and promote the lethal effect of T cells on human neuroblastoma, but it is unclear that whether the lethal effect is associated with the most proper concentration of dendritic cells. OBJEETIVE： To investigate the lethal effect of human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells induced in vitro by cytokines differentiating into dendritic cells on human neuroblastoma, and its best concentration range. DESIGN ： Open experiment SEI-FING： Department of Pediatrics, the Medical School Hospital of Qingdao University MATERIALS ： The study was carried out in the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory （Laboratory for the Department of Pediatrics of the Medical School Hospital of Qingdao University） during September 2005 to May 2006. Human umbilical cord blood samples were taken from the healthy newborn infants of full-term normal delivery during October to November 2005 in the Medical School Hospital of Qingdao University, and were voluntarily donated by the puerperas. Main instruments： type 3111 CO2 incubator （Forma Scientific, USA）, type 550 ELISA Reader （Bio-Rad, USA）. Main reagents： neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH （Shanghai Institute of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences）, RPMI-1640 culture fluid and fetal bovine serum （Hyclone）, rhlL-4 （Promega, USA）, rhG-MCSF （Harbin Pharmaceutic Group Bioengineering Co.Ltd）, rat anti-human CDla monoclonal antibody and FITC-labeled rabbit anti-rat IgG （Xiehe Stem cell Gene Engineering Co.Ltd）. METHODS： ① Human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells obtained with attachment methods differentiated into human umbilical cord blood dendritic cells, presenting typical morphology of dendritic cells after in vitro induction by rhG-MCSF and rhlL-4. ② Different concentrations of dendritic cells[ dendritic cells： neuroblastoma cells=20：1,50：1,100：1 （2×10^8 L^-1,5×10^8 L^-1,1×10^9 L^-1）], 1×10^9 L^-1 T cells and 1×10^7 L^-1 neuroblastoma cells were added in the experimental group. 1 ×10^9 L^-1 T cells and 1 ×10^7 L^-1 neuroblastoma cells were added in the control group. ③ Main surface marker CDla molecules of dendritic cells were detected with indirect immunofluorescence, and the percent rate of dendritic cells was counted with ultraviolet light and expressed as the expression rate of CD1a^＋ cells. ④Single effector cells and target cells were respectively set in the experimental group and control group to obtain the lethal effect. The lethal effect of dendritic cells on neuroblastoma cells was indirectly evaluated by detecting cellular survival with MTT assay. The lethal effect（%）= （1-A experimentat well-A effector cell /A target cell well）×100%.⑤The expenmental data were presented as Mean ±SD, and paired t test was used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ① Morphological characters of dendritic cells in the process of induction and differentiation. ②CD1a^＋ cellular expression rate. ③Lethal effect of dendntic cells on neuroblastoma cells. RESULTS： ①Morphological characters of dendritic cells in the process of induction and differentiation： On the 15^th day after human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells were induced by rhG-MCSF and rhlL-4, typical morphology of dendritic cells could be seen under an inverted microscope. ②Expression rate of CD1a^＋ cells was （43.12±5.83）%. ③Lethal effect of dendritic cells on neuroblastoma cells： Lethal effect of dendritic cells stimulated T cells in each experimental group （ dendritic cells： neuroblastoma cells=100：1,50：1, 20：1 respectively） on neuroblastoma cells was significantly higher than that in control group[（31.00 ±4.41 ）%, （30.92±5.27）%,（33.57±5.35）%,（26.23±5.20）%, t=3.51,2.98,4.24, P〈 0.01 ）; But the lethal effect of dendntic cells on neuroblastoma was significantly lower when their ratio was 100：1 and 50：1 in comparison with 20：1 （t=2.01,2.36, P 〈 0.05）, and no significant difference in lethal effect existed between the ratio at 100：1 and 50：1 （t=0.06,P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Dendritic cells differentiated from human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells after in vitro induction of cytokines can promote the lethal effect of T cells on neuroblastoma cells. The lethal effect is associated with the concentration of dendritic cells within some range.

Influence of carbonyl stress on rheological alterations of blood materials and decarbonylation effect of glutathione

The effects of various toxic carbonyls such as malondialdehyde(MDA),a secondary product of lipid peroxidation,and other aldehydes on rheological parameters and their relationship with aging-associated alterations were studied.Both MDA and glutaraldehyde(Glu) in different concentrations significantly increase viscosity,plastic viscosity and yield stress of human plasma and erythrocyte suspensions.MDA(20 mmol/L) reduces sharply the typical fluorescence of proteins(excitation 280 nm/emission 350 nm),and produces age pigment-like fluorescence with a strong emission peak at 460 nm when excites at 395 nm by only being incubated for some hours.In contrast,Glu decreases merely the fluorescence of proteins without producing age pigment-like fluorescence.These data suggest interestingly that the MDA-induced gradual protein cross linking seems to form from different mechanisms compared to the fast rheological changes of blood materials which may take place either in acute and chronic diseases or during aging.On the other hand,MDA induces various deleterious alterations of erythrocytes whereas glutathione(GSH) inhibits the MDA-related carbonyl stress in a concentration-dependent manner.The results indicate that carbonyl-amino reaction exists in the blood widely and GSH has the ability to interrupt or reverse this reaction in a certain way.It implies that carbonyl stress may be one of the important factors in blood stasis and suggests a theoretical and practical approach in anti-stresses and anti-aging.

Antiamylase Potential of Telfairia occidentalis Leaves from Cameroon and Effect of Their Dietary Supplementation on Fasting Blood Glucose in Wistar Rats

The study of edible plants, especially in developing countries, might provide more affordable means for the management of diabetes. Telfairia occidentalis is one of the plants whose leaves are commonly consumed in Cameroon. This work hereby studied the antiamylasic potential of its aqueous leaves extract and the effect of its dietary supplementation on fasting blood glucose in Wistar rats. An aqueous extract (1:6) was prepared from shed-dried T. occidentalis leaves by maceration. Its antiamylase activity was evaluated in vitro and a phytochemical screening was realized. Its acute toxicity and its effect on an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were evaluated in rats. The effect of T. occidentalis leaves dietary supplementation (10%) on fasting blood glucose was studied for 28 days in rats fed with carbohydrate enriched diet, using Glibenclamide (0.3 mg/kg body weight) as reference hypoglycemic drug. Results showed that there was total inhibition of α-amylase activity in vitro by T. occidentalis aqueous leaves extract at 0.075 mg/ml. The presence of tannins, flavonoids and anthocyanins was revealed by the phytochemical screening. No sign of toxicity was observed in rats after an oral administration of the extract at 2000 mg/kg body weight. The extract significantly hindered a rise in blood glucose at 400 mg/kg body weight during an oral glucose tolerance test. Dietary supplementation with T. occidentalis leaves caused a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in fasting blood glucose as compared to the positive control. Telfairia occidentalis leaves and their aqueous extract could be used in the management of hyperglycemia and diabetes.

A Computational Study on the Effect of Bifurcation Lesions with DifferentStructures on Blood Velocity and Temperature

Treating coronary bifurcation stenosis is still a challenging task. Existing procedures still display a relatively smallrate of success. This paper aims to investigate numerically the effect of bifurcation lesions with different structureson the dynamics of blood flow and related temperature. The problem geometry is parametrically varied by changing the bifurcation angle and radius. A finite volume method is used to simulate the three-dimensional flow. Theeffects induced by the structure of the stenosis, the artery bifurcation angle and radius, and the inlet velocity ofblood are discussed in terms of flow pattern, pressure distribution, and shear stress at the blood wall. The heattransfer from the solid tissue is also determined for different stenosis configurations. The present study has beenconducted with the explicit intention to generate useful data for the development of methods curing the vascularstenosis with thermal ablation.