The results suggested that the inhibitory effect of AG on the protein and gene expression levels of iNOS and COX-2 in IL-1β-treated chondrocytes was dose-dependent. In addition, AG decreased the level of phosphorylation of IKKβ, IκBα and NF-κB p65, the degradation of IKKβ, IκBα and p65, and the translocation of NF-κB in IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes. The most significant inhibitory effect of AG was observed at a concentration of 1 mM. Therefore, the present study suggested that AG may serve as a potential agent to reduce the inflammatory response of chondrocytes stimulated by IL-1β.The onset of depression and anxiety during the antenatal stage of pregnancy is common. Despite the conception of numerous interventions in the past decades, studies show no signs of decline in the prevalence of antenatal depression and anxiety. Recently, the use of midwife-supported psychotherapy to treat these psychosomatic disorders has garnered a lot of attention. However, no attempt to date has been made to synthesize the evidence evaluating the influence of midwife-supported psychotherapy on antenatal depression, anxiety, and overall maternal health-status. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to demonstrate the effectiveness of midwife-supported psychotherapy on depression, anxiety, and maternal health-status outcome during the antenatal stage of pregnancy. A systematic identification of literature was performed according to PRISMA guidelines on four academic databases MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE and CENTRAL. A meta-analysis evaluated the influence of midwife-supported psychotherapy on depression, anxiety, and maternal health-status outcome as compared to conventional obstetric care. Of the 1,011 records, 17 articles, including 6,193 pregnant women (mean age 28.9±2.2 years) were included in this meta-analysis. Eleven studies compared the effects of midwife-supported therapy on depression, 14 compared its effects on anxiety and 2 compared its effects on maternal health-status outcome. The meta-analysis reveals the beneficial effects of midwife-supported psychotherapy for reducing depression (Hedge's g -0.9), anxiety (-0.8) and enhancing maternal health-status outcome (0.1), as compared to conventional obstetric care. The current systematic review and meta-analysis recommend the use of midwife-supported psychotherapy for the reduction of depression, anxiety and enhancing maternal health-status during the antenatal stage of pregnancy.Acute pancreatitis is a common disorder in the gastrointestinal system, which is characterized by an increasing incidence and a high mortality. Currently, symptomatic treatment becomes the predominant option for the treatment of acute pancreatitis. To date, there is little knowledge on the treatment of acute pancreatitis through alleviation of pancreatic ductal hypertension and removal of pancreatic ductal obstruction. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), an effective treatment for acute biliary pancreatitis, may alleviate the obstruction and edema in the common channel of the bile duct and pancreatic duct, to achieve the indirect treatment of acute pancreatitis, and may achieve the removal of intrapancreatic ductal obstruction and reduction in the intrapancreatic ductal pressure. Hereby, we report 3 cases with acute pancreatitis that were successfully treated by the pancreatic duct decompression via ERCP in one single center from China. Our data demonstrate that pancreatic duct decompression via ERCP is effective for the treatment of acute pancreatitis, which may shorten the course of acute pancreatitis through alleviating pain, shortening fasting duration and controlling the inflammatory reactions. It is recommended to use further prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pancreatic duct decompression via ERCP for acute pancreatitis.The purpose of this study was to systematically search the literature and analyze evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing tolvaptan with conventional diuretics for postoperative fluid management in cardiac surgery patients. An electronic search of PubMed, Scopus, BioMed Central, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and Google scholar databases was carried out up to 1st December 2019. Four RCTs were included. Tolvaptan was co-administered with conventional diuretics in all the studies. The mean postoperative urine output was significantly greater in patients receiving tolvaptan as compared to controls (MD=0.39; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.61; P=0.006, I2=48%). Body weight of patients on tolvaptan returned to pre-operative levels significantly earlier (MD=-1.57; 95% CI -2.48 to -0.66; P=0.007, I2=50%). There was statistical significant difference in the highest postoperative serum sodium levels (MD=2.34; 95% CI -1.65 to 3.03; p less then 0.00001, I2=0%), lowest serum sodium levels (MD=2.05; 95% CI 1.41 to 2.68; p less then 0.00001, I2=0%) and mean serum sodium levels (MD=1.69; 95% CI 0.98 to 2.40; p less then 0.00001, I2=0%) between the tolvaptan and control groups. Lowest serum potassium was significantly higher with tolvaptan as compared to the control group (MD=0.10; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.18; P=0.03, I2=19%). There was no significant difference in the length of ICU stay or incidence of arrhythmias between the two groups.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ve-822.html  The quality of the included studies was not high. Within the limitations of our study, our results indicate that co-administration of tolvaptan with low dose of conventional diuretics significantly increases urine output while maintaining electrolyte balance in postoperative cardiac surgery patients. Faster return of body weight to pre-operative levels is evident with tolvaptan. Further high-quality RCTs are required to confirm this evidence.Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can enhance the recanalization of thrombosis during the progression of cerebral infarction. Prazosin plays a therapeutic role in expanding the peripheral vasculature and regulating infarction cardiosclerosis by inhibiting phosphoinositide signaling. However, the possible mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of prazosin have not been fully explored. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the anti-apoptotic effects of prazosin on EPCs in a rat cerebral infarction model. The results showed that prazosin treatment decreased apoptosis of EPCs. Prazosin treatment decreased the serum expression levels of the inflammatory factors, interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in rats with cerebral infarctions as well as in EPCs in vitro. In addition, prazosin reduced the expression levels of Akt, NF-κB, phosphorylated (p)-Akt and p-NF-κB in EPCs and the middle cerebral artery of rats with cerebral infarction. These findings demonstrated that prazosin inhibited EPC apoptosis in the cerebral infarction rats through targeting the Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.