The spontaneous variation of blood pressure is defined as "blood pressure variability" (BPV). The chronic sinoaortic-denervated (SAD) rat is a model of high BPV without sustained hypertension. Little is known about vascular remodeling in this model. In the present study, we examined blood pressure, vascular remodeling, and aortic angiotensin II concentration in chronic SAD rats in separate experiments. In experiment 1, intra-arterial blood pressure was continuously recorded in conscious unrestrained rats. The 16-week SAD rats had a significant increase in BPV and no change in the mean level of blood pressure over a 24-h period. In experiment 2, we measured structural changes of seven kinds of arteries by histologic method and computer image analysis and functional changes of thoracic aortas by isolated artery preparation. Structural remodeling after 16-week sinoaortic denervation was characterized by increase in wall thickness, wall area, and ratio of wall thickness to internal diameter, with different changes in internal diameter and external diameter in different arteries, indicating that arterial structural remodeling expresses itself mainly as vascular growth. This vascular growth might be caused by medial smooth muscle cell growth and collagen accumulation. Aortic contraction induced by norepinephrine was potentiated, whereas aortic relaxation induced by acetylcholine was attenuated after sinoaortic denervation. In experiment 3, plasma and aortic angiotensin II concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. The former remained unchanged, whereas the latter was significantly increased in 10-week SAD rats. It is concluded that in rats chronic sinoaortic denervation can produce vascular remodeling that might be related to increased BPV and an activated tissue renin-angiotensin system.

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Fresh or dried ginger is a common traditional Chinese medicine as well as an important spice in China. The volatile components of ginger play important roles in its flavor and bioactivities. In this work, headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to study the effects of oven drying, microwave drying, and silica gel drying methods on the degree of dehydration and volatile components of ginger. Sixty compounds were identified by GC-MS. The major volatile compounds were zingiberene (26.4-37.1%), b-phellandrene (7.4-12.9%), b-sesquiphellandrene (10.2-12.8%), and geranial (6.6-8.1%). The volatiles of silica gel-dried ginger were similar to those of fresh ginger. Microwave-dried ginger had a higher content of zingiberene and satisfactory dehydration efficiency. The result showed that microwave and silica gel can be used in drying of ginger to maintain the taste and appearance of fresh ginger.

Riboflavin prolonged the lifespan and increased the reproduction of fruit flies through anti-oxidative stress pathway involving enhancing the activity of SOD1 and CAT and inhibiting LF accumulation. Riboflavin deserves more attention for slowing human aging.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Shangdong rural areas increased rapidly between 1985 and 2014. Rural areas should not be neglected in obesity intervention, policy-makers and experts should pay more attention to the new tendency.