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Elucidating the active components of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is essential for understanding the mechanisms of TCM and promote its rational use as well as TCM-derived drug development.Recent studies have shown that surface plasmon resonance(SPR)technology is promising in this field.In the present study,we propose an SPR-based integrated strategy to screen and analyze the major active components of TCM.We used Radix Paeoniae Alba(RPA)as an example to identify the compounds that can account for its anti-inflammatory mechanism via tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1(TNF-R1).First,RPA extraction was analyzed using an SPR-based screening system,and the potential active in-gredients were collected,enriched,and identified as paeoniflorin and paeonol.Next,the affinity con-stants of paeoniflorin and paeonol were determined as 4.9 and 11.8 μM,respectively.Then,SPR-based competition assays and molecular docking were performed to show that the two compounds could compete with tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)while binding to the subdomain 1 site of TNF-R1.Finally,in biological assays,the two compounds suppressed cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced by TNF-α in the L929 cell line.These findings prove that SPR technology is a useful tool for determining the active in-gredients of TCM at the molecular level and can be used in various aspects of drug development.The SPR-based integrated strategy is reliable and feasible in TCM studies and will shed light on the eluci-dation of the pharmacological mechanism of TCM and facilitate its modernization.
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Objective:To study the mechanism of Shengmaisan in treating atrial fibrillation by regulating relative genes and signaling pathways based on network pharmacology. Method:Target genes of Shengmaisan were obtained using Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of TCM（BATMAN-TCM） database，and target genes of atrial fibrillation were obtained through GeneCards，OMIM and DisGeNET databases. The target genes of Shengmaisan-atrial fibrillation intersection protein were obtained through the integration of the two groups of genes. STRING was used to build the protein-protein interaction network and visualize the results. The drug-disease intersection genes were introduced into the DAVID 6.8 database for gene ontology （GO） analysis and enrichment analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Geomes （KEGG）. Result:A total of 159 active ingredients for Shengmai powder for atrial fibrillation were obtained. After the drug targets and the disease targets were intersected，206 common targets were obtained. PPI protein interaction network analysis showed that AKT1，TP53，PRKACA，IL-1B，TNF，INS，PPAR，RXR，F2，CACAN1C PKC might be the core targets of Shengmaisan in treating AF. GO enrichment analysis was used to identify 175 items （P<0.05），among which biological processes mainly included regulation of heart rate by cardiac conduction，membrane depolarization during action potential；cell components mainly included voltage-gated sodium/ potassium/calcium channel complex；molecular functions mainly included high-voltage-gated calcium channel activity，steroid hormone receptor activity. Through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis，100 signaling pathways were identified，mainly including cGMP/PKG signaling pathway，cAMP signaling pathway，serotonergic synapse，renin secretion，calcium signaling pathway. Conclusion:Based on the network pharmacology，Shengmaisan has multiple mechanisms in the prevention and treatment of atrial fibrillation. This study explores relevant signaling pathways，advantages and research directions of Shengmaisan in treatment of atrial fibrillation，so as to lay the foundation for further experimental verification.
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To further investigate the application of positron emission tomography (PET) technology in acupuncture research field, with "PET" and "acupuncture" as keywords, the related literature published from 1997 to 2018 was searched in PubMed, CNKI and WANFANG database; then the literature was classified and analyzed. The results showed that in clinical and experimental studies, whether in physiological or pathological conditions, PET technology has verified the specificity of acupoints, bidirectional regulation of acupoints, and the clinical effect of -arrival from the level of brain functional activity. It has deeply revealed the central mechanism underlying that acupuncture has multi-target, multi-channel and multi-level overall effects. The purpose of this study is to provide objective scientific basis for acupuncture research, and then potentially guide the clinical practice.
Subject(s)
Acupuncture Points , Acupuncture Therapy , Positron-Emission TomographyABSTRACT
Objective To compare the efficacy of neuroendoscopic vs microscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary adenoma resection and effects on hormone levels and clinical symptoms. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 211 cases with pituitary tumor resection patients from January 2012 to June 2016, of which 112 cases with endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary tumor resection (group A), 99 cases with microscopic transsphenoidal pituitary tumor resection (group B), and operation related indexes, hormone variations before discharge and symptoms remission 24 weeks after operation were extracted and compared. Results Two groups of patients with different tumor resection extent (Z = 2.14, P = 0.032), group A achieved total resection rate was significantly higher than the group B (79.5% vs 67.7%) (P = 0.037); the operation time of group A was significantly longer than group B [(93.6 ± 26.7) vs (79.8 ± 20.2) min, t = 4.26, P = 0.000], group A with the mean hospitalization stay was significantly less than group B [(7.9 ± 2.5) vs (10.2 ± 4.3) d, t = 4.67, P = 0.000], postoperative complications of group A were significantly lower than those of group B (5.4% vs 14.1%, χ2 = 4.73, P = 0.030). Two groups of postoperative hormone levels decreased in different degree (Z = 2.42, P = 0.016), group A with hormone recovery rate before discharge was significantly higher than group B (82.2% vs 66.7%, χ2 = 6.09, P = 0.014), and decline on prolactinomas, ACTH adenoma, ghrelin hormone were significantly higher than group B [(43.2 ± 10.5) vs (33.5 ± 9.1) ng/ml, (26.0 ± 8.8) vs (20.2 ± 7.0) pmol/L, (11.0 ± 3.9) vs (8.7 ± 3.2) μg/L, t = 3.60, t = 2.65, t = 2.12, all P < 0.05]. There was no significant differences between the two groups in remission of clinical symptoms 24 weeks after operation (P > 0.05). Conclusion Neuroendoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary adenoma resection is more efficient and less operative complications compared with microscopic surgery, which is more conducive to the recovery of postoperative hormone levels.
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Professor LI Zhi-dao's acupuncture technique at muscle belly and its clinical experiences for the treatment of arthralgia are introduced. From aspects of TCM, anatomical physiology and sports biomechanics, the theory basis of this technique is explained, while its method is elaborated in details from acupoint selection and manipulation combined with classic medical cases. The acupuncture technique at muscle belly is applied at the muscles which already have pathological changes, avoiding re-stimulation on the pain area. It provides new thinking methods and references for acupuncture to treat arthralgia.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Acupuncture Points , Acupuncture Therapy , Methods , Arthralgia , TherapeuticsABSTRACT
Maintaining genetic diversity is a major issue in conservation biology. In this study, we demonstrate the differences of genetic diversity levels between wild and captive individuals of Elliot's Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti. Wild individuals showed a higher genetic diversity level than that of the captive individuals. Nucleotide diversity and haplotype diversity of wild individuals were 0.00628 and 0.993, while those of captive individuals were 0.00150 and 0.584 respectively. Only 3 haplotypes of mtDNA control region sequence were identified among 36 captive individuals, while 16 unique haplotypes were identified among the 17 wild individuals in this study. One captive haplotype was shared by a wild individual from Anhui Province. It is concluded that a low number of founders was the likely reason for the lower level genetic diversity of the captive group. Careful genetic management is suggested for captive populations, particularly of such an endangered species, to maintain genetic variability levels.
Subject(s)
Animals , Animals, Wild , Genetics , Animals, Zoo , Genetics , Base Sequence , DNA, Mitochondrial , Genetics , Galliformes , Genetics , Genetic Variation , Genetics , Haplotypes , Molecular Sequence Data , Polymorphism, Genetic , GeneticsABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the impact of congenital cytomegalovirus infection on the hearing ability in infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>By using the tools of distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and auditory brain-stem response (ABR), the hearing ability of 38 infants with congenital cytomegalovirus infection and 16 cases of normal controls during neonatal periods was screened with a follow-up study at 6 and 24 months.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>In infants with congenital cytomegalovirus infection, 86.8% (66/76) ears at neonatal stage and 76.3% (58/76) ears at 6 months passed the tests; while in normal controls, 96.9% (31/32) ears passed the tests. The reaction threshold of ABR V in infants with congenital cytomegalovirus infection was higher than that in normal controls (P<0.005). Furthermore,in infants with congenital cytomegalovirus infection, 13 ears (17.1%) were extreme hearing loss, 5 ears (6.6%) were severe hearing loss, and 6 ears (7.9%) were moderately severe hearing loss. The incidence of hearing loss during the follow-up was 7.9% (3/38) at neonatal stage, 23.7% (9/38) at 3-4 months, and 7.9% (3/38) after 6 months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The congenital cytomegalovirus infection could cause the prompt and late-onset hearing loss. The combination of the laboratory evidence with the dynamic hearing screening may contribute to the early detection of hearing loss in infants with congenital cytomegalovirus infection.</p>