Nitric oxide ameliorates the damaging effects of oxidative stress induced by iron deficiency in cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120

Patients with acute myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation: association of anaemia with risk of in-hospital bleeding, stroke and other death causes

PURPOSES

To explore the association of anaemia with risk of outcomes of in-hospital patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and atrial fibrillation (AF).

METHODS

Patients with AF and AMI at their first hospitalizations in three hospitals (Beijing Tongren Hospital, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University and China-Japan Friendship Hospital) were retrospectively reviewed and divided into two groups (with vs. without anaemia) according to haemoglobin within one day before or after admission.

RESULTS

864 patients with AF and AMI (mean age:74.22 years; 39.9% female) were included in the current study. Patients with anaemia had increased risk of any bleeding (adjusted OR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.43-3.68, p = 0.001), minor bleeding (adjusted OR: 2.37, 95% CI:1.40-4.01, p = 0.001), gastrointestinal bleeding (adjusted OR: 2.53, 95% CI:1.51-4.25, p < 0.001) and other death causes (adjusted OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.07-2.72, p = 0.02) compared to those without anaemia according to logistic regression. However, there was no difference in the risk of stroke or/and systematic embolism (SE) between patients with and without anaemia.

CONCLUSIONS

In the Chinese in-hospital AMI and AF cohort, anaemia was shown to be associated with increased risk of any bleeding, minor bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding and other death causes, but not the risk of stroke or/and SE.

Nitrate reductase rather than nitric oxide synthase activity is involved in 24-epibrassinolide-induced nitric oxide synthesis to improve tolerance to iron deficiency in strawberry (Fragaria × annassa) by up-regulating the ascorbate-glutathione cycle

Involvement of nitrate reductase (NR) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-like enzyme in 24-epibrassinolide (EB)-triggered nitric oxide (NO) synthesis to improve iron deficiency (ID) tolerance in strawberry plants was studied. EB was sprayed to strawberry plants every two days for two weeks. Then, the EB-treated plants were pre-treated with inhibitors of NR, tungstate, or NOS, L-NAME for 3 h. During the first three weeks, Fe was supplied as 100 μM EDTA-Fe or FeSO₄ to Fe-sufficient or Fe-deficient plants, respectively. Thereafter, plants were subjected for further three weeks to control (100 μM EDTA-Fe) and Fe deficiency (ID; without Fe). ID reduced biomass, chlorophyll, and chlorophyll fluorescence, while increased oxidative stress parameters, ascorbate (AsA), glutathione (GSH), endogenous NO, and the activities of NR, NOS, and antioxidant enzymes. Pre-treatments with EB and EB + SNP improved ID tolerance of strawberry by improving leaf Fe²⁺, plant growth, and antioxidant enzyme activities, and causing a further elevation in AsA, GSH, NO, NR and NOS. L-NAME application reversed NOS activity, but it did not eliminate NO, however, tungstate application reversed both NR activity and NO synthesis in plants exposed to ID + EB, suggesting that NR is the main contributor of EB-induced NO synthesis to improve ID tolerance in strawberry plants.

Acupuncture Application in Chronic Kidney Disease and its Potential Mechanisms

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasing major public health problem worldwide. The number of CKD patients on hemodialysis is growing rapidly as well. Acupuncture technique is one of the traditional Chinese medicine methods and has been used in a variety of diseases. Nowadays, the clinical application of acupuncture technique for CKD patients has become the focus for its effectiveness and security. In this paper, we will review the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of different acupuncture techniques for CKD patients. In patients with CKD, acupuncture improves renal function, reduces proteinuria, controls hypertension, corrects anemia, relieves pain, and controls many hemodialysis-related complications such as uremic pruritus, insomnia and fatigue. The mechanisms are related to the regulation of sympathetic nerve and the activation of bioactive chemicals. In conclusion, acupuncture is proved to be beneficial for CKD patients. More research, however, is needed to verify the potential mechanisms.