Epimedium brevicornum Maxim, a Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been used for the treatment of impotence, sinew and bone disorders, "painful impediment caused by wind-dampness," numbness, spasms, hypertension, coronary heart disease, menopausal syndrome, bronchitis, and neurasthenia for many years in China. Recent animal experimental studies indicate that icariin, a major bioactive component of epimedium may effectively treat Alzheimer's disease, cerebral ischemia, depression, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, as well as delay ageing. Our recent study also suggested that epimedium extract could exhibit radio-neuroprotective effects and prevent ionizing radiation-induced impairment of neurogenesis. This paper reviewed the pharmacodynamics of icariin in treating different neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases, ageing, and radiation-induced brain damage. The relevant molecular mechanisms and its anti-neuroinflammatory, antiapoptotic, anti-oxidant, as well as pro-neurogenesis roles were also discussed.

Background:The role of prophylactic central lymph node dissection (pCLND) for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remains contentious, and the impact of pCLND on long-term patient outcomes is unclear. Methods:A retrospective analysis of data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was performed. Patients diagnosed with PTC who did not undergo pCLND between 2004 and 2015 were included in this study, and patients with pN0 PTC who underwent CLND were included as the control group. The researchers calculated the subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) using the Fine-Gray model and the hazard ratio (HR) using the Cox proportional hazards regression to compare Thyroid cancer-specific survival (TCSS) and overall survival (OS) of the different groups.Results: A total of 38,205 T1-2cN0 PTC patients without pCLND were eligible for the study entry, and 24,157 patients with T1-2pN0 PTC patients who had received CLND were included as the control group. The actuarial 10-year TCSS and OS rates of patients without pCLND were 99.53% and 92.77%, respectively. Patients without pCLND had similar TCSS compared with the control group after adjusting for age, sex, race, tumor stage, multifocality, thyroid surgery, and radiation (SHR = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.95 -1.93). However, patients without pCLND had a significantly poorer OS than the control group (HR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.26 -1.51).Conclusions: Patients without pCLND had similar TCSS compared with the control group after adjusting for confounders but had significantly poorer OS. Whether the OS disparities were attributed to pCLND or other factors still needs further study.

Silica/yeast composites were prepared for removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution. The effects of pH, contact time and initial concentration were examined. The optimum pH was 5.0. The kinetic data were investigated by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. The kinetic rates were better fitted to the pseudo-second-order model. The experimental data were fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich models to analyze the equilibrium isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity calculated from Langmuir isotherm was 73.53 mg/g. The Langmuir isotherm was more favorable to describe the experimental data.