Ferroptosis in Treatment of Liver Fibrosis with Chinese Medicine： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Hepatic fibrosis characterized by various chronic liver injuries can lead to abnormal activation of hepatic stellate cells， unbalanced production and degradation of extracellular matrix proteins， and excessive deposition that destroys the normal structure of the liver. The aggravated liver fibrosis can cause irreversible cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma， becoming a great challenge to the global health. Ferroptosis is a new form of iron-dependent cell death discovered in recent years， which mainly involves abnormal iron metabolism， lipid peroxide accumulation， and weakening of the antioxidant defense system. A number of studies have reported that inducing ferroptosis in hepatic stellate cells or alleviating ferroptosis in the liver can ameliorate liver fibrosis and reduce liver injury. Chinese medicine widely applied in the treatment of chronic liver diseases has demonstrated good safety， wide therapeutic effects， and easy access compared with Western medicine. Therefore， The intervention of hepatic stellate cells or hepatic ferroptosis by Chinese medicine may be a new direction for the prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis in the future. This paper summarized the various regulatory mechanisms of ferroptosis and expounded how ferroptosis affected the progression of liver fibrosis， providing theoretical support for the prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis with Chinese medicine in the future.

Lung protection of remote limb ischemic preconditioning during one-lung ventilation in patients undergoing esophageal cancer resection / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective To evaluate the lung protection of remote limb ischemic preconditioning during one-lung ventilation (OLV) in the patients undergoing esophageal cancer resection.Methods Seventyone patients of both sexes,aged 30-64 yr,with body mass index of 15-28 kg/m2,of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ,scheduled for elective esophageal cancer resection,were randomly divided into control group (group C,n =34) and remote limb ischemic preconditioning group (group RLIP,n =37) using a random number table.Patients in group RLIP received three cycles of 5-min ischemia/5-min reperfusion induced by a blood pressure cuff placed on one upper arm before OLV.Before OLV (T0),at 1 and 2 h of OLV (T1,2),at 20 min after re-expansion of the collapsed lung (T3),and at 2 h after operation (T4),blood samples were drawn from the radial artery for blood gas analysis,oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) and alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (A-aDO2) were calculated.At T0,T2,T3 and T4,blood samples were collected from the radial artery for determination of plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α),interleukin-6 (IL-6),and IL-10 concentrations.Results Compared with group C,PaO2/FiO2 was significantly increased,and A-aDO2was decreased at T1,2,the plasma TNF-α concentrations were decreased at T2-4 (P＜0.05),and no significant change was found in the plasma IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations and rate of abnormal pulmonary function at T1-4 in group RLIP (P＞O.05).Conclusion Although remote limb ischemic preconditioning can produce lung protection during OLV in the patients undergoing esophageal cancer resection,it provides no clinical significance.

Family-based association study of a variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism of DAT1 gene with Tourette syndrome in a Chinese Han population / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the association of a 40 bp variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism within 3 untranslated region of dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) with Tourette syndrome (TS) in a Chinese Han population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 160 TS patients and their parents were recruited. The VNTR polymorphism was detected with polymerase chain reaction-VNTR analysis, and its association with TS and its subtypes were assessed through a family-based association study comprising transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) and haplotype relative risk (HRR) analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The repeat numbers at the DAT1 40 bp locus were 11, 10, 9, 7.5 and 7 among the patients and their parents, with the most common type being a 10-repeat allele. No significant association was detected between the polymorphism and TS (TDT: X ² = 0.472, df = 1, P = 0.583; HRR: X ² = 0.313, P = 0.576, OR = 0.855, 95%CI: 0.493-1.481).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our data suggested that the VNTR polymorphism of DAT1 gene is not associated with susceptibility to TS in Chinese Han population. However, our results are to be validated in larger sets of patients collected from other populations.</p>

Gene cloning, expression and activity detection of porcine interleukin-18 mature protein in Escherichia coli / 生物工程学报

Porcine interleukin-18 mature protein gene was amplified from porcine spleen cells by RT-PCR. PCR product was cloned into the T vector pGEM-T for sequencing. The nucleotide sequence of this gene was 474 bp. Then, it was subcloned into the prokaryotic expressing plasmid vector pGEX6P-1 and transformed into host E. coli strain BL21 for expression. The expression of pIL-18 mature protein gene was identified by SDS-PAGE .The expression product was fusion protein with molecular weight of 45 kD and the percentage of expression protein in E. coil protein was 28%. The protein was purified by washing of inclusion bodies and the activity was measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT).

Diagonsis establishment of fluorescen quantitative PCR assay for pseudorabies wild-type virus and vaccine virus / 生物工程学报

We designed two pairs of primers and their corresponding TaqMan probes according to gH, gE gene of PRV. By optimizing the probe's concentration, Mg2+ concentration, primers concentration and sample DNA extraction, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR) which can quickly identity field virus and vaccine virus of PRV was established. According to our results, the dynamic range of the FQ-PCR assay is between 10 x 10(1) copies/microL and 10 x l0(8) copies/microL, and the detection limit of FQ-PCR is 1.0 x 10(1) copies/microL, which is 100 fold higher than that of conventional PCR. We detected 60 doubtful tissue samples using the FQ-PCR assay, serum neutralization and conventional PCR. In conclusion, the FQ-PCR method is rapid, sensitive, specific and accurate, and can be used to detect field strains of PRV rapidly. The closed-tube format of the assay minimized the risk of contamination of subsequent reaction and the assay can be performed in 2 h or less. Development of real-time quantitative PCR provides the basis for the early and rapid detection and analyzing quantitatively the infectious degree of PRV.