The Yanbian area is located in the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) of China and is characterized by widespread Phanerozoic granitic intrusions. It was previously thought that the Yanbian granitoids were mainly emplaced in the Early Paleozoic (so-called 'Caledonian' granitoids), extending east-west along the northern margin of the North China craton. However, few of them have been precisely dated; therefore, five typical 'Caledonian' granitic intrusions (the Huangniling, Dakai, Mengshan, Gaoling and Bailiping batholiths) were selected for U-Pb zircon isotopic study. New-age data show that emplacement of these granitoids extended from the Late Paleozoic to Late Mesozoic . This indicates that no 'Caledonian' granitic belt exists along the northern margin of the North China craton. The granitoids can be subdivided into four episodes based on our new data: Early Permian (285 ± 9 Ma), Early Triassic (249-245 Ma), Jurassic and . The 285 ± 9 Ma tonalite was most likely related to subduction of the Paleo-Asian Oceanic Plate beneath the North China craton, followed by Triassic (249-245 Ma) syn-collisional monzogranites, representing the collision of the CAOB orogenic collage with the North China craton and final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. The Jurassic granitoids resulted from subduction of the PaleoPacific plate and subsequent collision of the Jiamusi-Khanka Massif with the existing continent, assembled in the Triassic. The Early Cretaceous granitoids formed in an extensional setting along the eastern Asian continental margin.

Context: In vitro and in vivo research has shown that curcumin can alleviate diabetes and the relevant complications. Objective: To investigate the effect of curcumin on gestational diabetes (GD). Materials and methods: C57 BL/KsJ db /+ ( db /+) mice and C57 BL/KsJ +/+ mice (10–12 weeks old) were divided into four groups ( n = 15): normal pregnancy (C57 BL/KsJ +/+ ), GD (C57 BL/KsJ db /+ ), GD plus low dose curcumin (50 mg/kg, orally gavage every day) and GD plus high dose curcumin (100 mg/kg, orally gavage every day). The tolerance of glucose and insulin were measured on gestation day 10. Body weight at birth and litter size of offspring were investigated, and the expression of oxidative stress factors [thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)] and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), phospho-AMPK, histone deacetylases 4 (HDAC4), pHDAC4 and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) in the livers were analyzed by ELISA and Western blot on gestation day 20. Results: High dose curcumin could partly ameliorate the intolerance of glucose and insulin, and completely restore the litter size and the body weight of GD mice through decreased TBARS expression ( p < 0.05) and increased GSH, SOD and CAT expression ( p < 0.05). Enhanced AMPK activation, accompanied with decreased HDAC4 and G6Pase expression ( p < 0.05) were partly contributed to the alleviation of GD mediated by curcumin. Conclusions: Although further detailed mechanism needs to be deciphered, curcumin can be considered as an alternative treatment for gestational diabetes.

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IntroductionA high incidence of myocardial infarction among patients with gout has been suggested by several observational studies. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between gout and the risk of myocardial infarction.Materials and MethodsThe PubMed and Embase databases were searched from inception to October 2014 for cohort studies that evaluating the association between gout and the risk of myocardial infarction. Summary estimates were derived using a random-effects model and reported as relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsFive studies involving 8,656,413 participants with a total of 1000 MI events were included. Overall, gout was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction (RR 1.45; 95% CI, 1.19–1.75; p<0.001), and the association referred to non-fatal myocardial infarction (RR 1.29; 95% CI, 1.19–1.39; p <0.001) but not fatal myocardial infarction (RR 1.11; 95% CI, 0.96–1.28; p = 0.174). The increased risk was observed in both women (RR 1.62; 95% CI, 1.18–2.21; p = 0.003) and men (RR 1.45; 95% CI, 1.21–1.74; p <0.001). Stratified analysis revealed a gradual increase in myocardial infarction risk with a younger age of gout onset (age 20–44 years old (RR 2.82; 95% CI, 1.38–5.79; p = 0.05); 45–69 years old (RR 1.85; 95% CI, 1.22–2.82; p = 0.04); ≥70 years old (RR 1.52; 95% CI, 1.22–1.88; p <0.001)).ConclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that patients with gout have an increased risk of myocardial infarction.

Human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (pMSCs) are considered a good source for cell therapy. The purpose of this study was to observe whether the transplantation of human pMSCs would affect the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN)-prone MRL/lpr mice. Multiple injections (at the 16th, 18th, and 20th week of age) of 1 × 106pMSCs were administered. Urine was collected to evaluate proteinuria and urine creatinine levels. Blood was collected for the measurement of serum antinuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibody levels. Renal tissues were collected for histological staining and examination by light and electron microscopy quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western Blot. The results confirmed that pMSC treatment reduced the severity of 24-h proteinuria, decreased the production of anti-dsDNA antibodies, and ameliorated renal pathological changes in MRL/lpr mice. Furthermore, pMSCs reduced renal inflammation by inhibiting the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and then downregulating the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). Therefore, our present study demonstrated a protective effect of pMSCs against renal injury and inflammation in MRL/lpr mice.