Role of PNPT1 in cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of inhibiting polyribonucleotide nucleotidyl-transferase 1 (PNPT1) on oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced apoptosis of mouse atrial myocytes.@*METHODS@#Cultured mouse atrial myocytes (HL-1 cells) with or without OGD were transfected with PNPT1-siRNA or a negative control siRNA (NC-siRNA group), and the cell survival rate was detected using CCK-8 assay. The expression levels of ACTB and TUBA mRNA were detected with qPCR, and the protein expression of PNPT1 was detected with Western blotting. The apoptosis rate of the treated cells was determined with flow cytometry, the mitochondrial membrane potential was detected using JC-1 kit, and the mitochondrial morphology was observed using transmission electron microscope.@*RESULTS@#With the extension of OGD time, the protein expression levels of PNPT1 increased progressively in the cytoplasm of HL-1 cells (P < 0.05). Transfection with PNPT1-siRNA significantly reduced PNPT1 expression in HL-1 cells (P < 0.05). Exposure to OGD significantly enhanced degradation of ACTB and TUBA mRNA (P < 0.05) and markedly increased the apoptosis rate of HL-1 cells (P < 0.05), and these changes were significantly inhibited by transfection with PNPT1-siRNA (P < 0.05), which obviously increased mitochondrial membrane potential and improved mitochondrial morphology of HL-1 cells exposed to OGD.@*CONCLUSION@#Inhibition of PNPT1 improves mitochondrial damage and reduces degradation of apoptotic-associated mRNAs to alleviate OGD-induced apoptosis of mouse atrial myocyte.

Mu-Opioid Receptors Expressed in Glutamatergic Neurons are Essential for Morphine Withdrawal / 神经科学通报·英文版

Although opioids still remain the most powerful pain-killers, the chronic use of opioid analgesics is largely limited by their numerous side-effects, including opioid dependence. However, the mechanism underlying this dependence is largely unknown. In this study, we used the withdrawal symptoms precipitated by naloxone to characterize opioid dependence in mice. We determined the functional role of mu-opioid receptors (MORs) expressed in different subpopulations of neurons in the development of morphine withdrawal. We found that conditional deletion of MORs from glutamatergic neurons expressing vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) largely eliminated the naloxone-precipitated withdrawal symptoms. In contrast, conditional deletion of MORs expressed in GABAergic neurons had a limited effect on morphine withdrawal. Consistently, mice with MORs deleted from Vglut2 glutamatergic neurons also showed no morphine-induced locomotor hyperactivity. Furthermore, morphine withdrawal and morphine-induced hyperactivity were not significantly affected by conditional knockout of MORs from dorsal spinal neurons. Taken together, our data indicate that the development of morphine withdrawal is largely mediated by MORs expressed in Vglut2 glutamatergic neurons.

Effects of probiotic supplements on insulin resistance in patients with diet-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus / 医学研究生学报

ObjectiveAt present, there are few reports on the therapeutic effect of probiotic supplements in patients with dietary-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study aims to evaluate the effect of probiotic supplements on insulin resistance in patients with dietary-controlled GDM.Methods122 pregnant women with dietary-controlled GDM who could control blood glucose less than 92 mg/dL through diet and exercise were selected from the Obstetrics Department in Bayannur Hospital from February to December 2018. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: Probiotics Group (probiotic supplements containing bifidobacterium and lactobacillus) and Placebo Group (placebo capsules). 61 patients in each group were treated continuously for 4 weeks. The main evaluation index was the mean difference of fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) between the two groups, and the secondary evaluation index was the change of maternal weight after intervention.ResultsThe increase of fasting blood glucose [(0.59±6.42)mg/dL], fasting plasma insulin [(1.14±1.95)mIU/mL] and HOMA-IR (0.27±0.45) in the Probiotics Group after intervention were significantly lower than those in the Placebo Group [(4.78±7.47 mg/dL), (3.86±1.82) mIU/mL, (0.86±0.59)], and the difference was statistically significant (P 0.05).ConclusionDuring pregnancy, probiotic supplements for four weeks in patients with dietary-controlled GDM can reduce fasting blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity. Therefore, probiotic supplements can be used as adjunctive therapy for blood glucose control in patients with dietary-controlled GDM.

Effects of probiotic supplements on insulin resistance in patients with diet-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus / 医学研究生学报

ObjectiveAt present, there are few reports on the therapeutic effect of probiotic supplements in patients with dietary-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study aims to evaluate the effect of probiotic supplements on insulin resistance in patients with dietary-controlled GDM.Methods122 pregnant women with dietary-controlled GDM who could control blood glucose less than 92 mg/dL through diet and exercise were selected from the Obstetrics Department in Bayannur Hospital from February to December 2018. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: Probiotics Group (probiotic supplements containing bifidobacterium and lactobacillus) and Placebo Group (placebo capsules). 61 patients in each group were treated continuously for 4 weeks. The main evaluation index was the mean difference of fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) between the two groups, and the secondary evaluation index was the change of maternal weight after intervention.ResultsThe increase of fasting blood glucose [(0.59±6.42)mg/dL], fasting plasma insulin [(1.14±1.95)mIU/mL] and HOMA-IR (0.27±0.45) in the Probiotics Group after intervention were significantly lower than those in the Placebo Group [(4.78±7.47 mg/dL), (3.86±1.82) mIU/mL, (0.86±0.59)], and the difference was statistically significant (P 0.05).ConclusionDuring pregnancy, probiotic supplements for four weeks in patients with dietary-controlled GDM can reduce fasting blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity. Therefore, probiotic supplements can be used as adjunctive therapy for blood glucose control in patients with dietary-controlled GDM.

Development of novel self-adhesive resin cement with antibacterial and self-healing properties / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#This study aimed to develop novel self-adhesive resin cement with antibacterial and self-healing properties. Furthermore, the dentin bonding strength, mechanical properties, self-healing efficiency, and antibacterial property of the developed cement were measured.@*METHODS@#Novel nano-antibacterial inorganic fillers that contain quaternary ammonium salts with long-chain alkyls were synthesized. These fillers were added into self-adhesive resin cement containing self-healing microcapsules at mass fractions of 0, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, or 10.0%. The dentin shear bonding test was used to test the bonding strength, whereas the flexural test was used to measure the flexural strength and elastic modulus of the cement. The single-edge V-notched beam method was used to measure self-healing efficiency, and human dental plaque microcosm biofilms were chosen to calculate the antibacterial property.@*RESULTS@#The dentin shear bond strength significantly decreased when the mass fraction of the nano-antibacterial inorganic fillers in the novel cement reached 7.5% (P0.1). Resin cement containing 2.5% mass fraction or more nano-antibacterial inorganic fillers significantly inhibited the metabolic activity of dental plaque microcosm biofilms, indicating strong antibacterial potency (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The novel self-adhesive resin cement exhibited promising antibacterial and self-healing properties, which enable the cement to be used for dental applications.

Mu-Opioid Receptors Expressed in Glutamatergic Neurons are Essential for Morphine Withdrawal / 神经科学通报·英文版

Although opioids still remain the most powerful pain-killers, the chronic use of opioid analgesics is largely limited by their numerous side-effects, including opioid dependence. However, the mechanism underlying this dependence is largely unknown. In this study, we used the withdrawal symptoms precipitated by naloxone to characterize opioid dependence in mice. We determined the functional role of mu-opioid receptors (MORs) expressed in different subpopulations of neurons in the development of morphine withdrawal. We found that conditional deletion of MORs from glutamatergic neurons expressing vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) largely eliminated the naloxone-precipitated withdrawal symptoms. In contrast, conditional deletion of MORs expressed in GABAergic neurons had a limited effect on morphine withdrawal. Consistently, mice with MORs deleted from Vglut2 glutamatergic neurons also showed no morphine-induced locomotor hyperactivity. Furthermore, morphine withdrawal and morphine-induced hyperactivity were not significantly affected by conditional knockout of MORs from dorsal spinal neurons. Taken together, our data indicate that the development of morphine withdrawal is largely mediated by MORs expressed in Vglut2 glutamatergic neurons.

Role of 8-allyl Garcinol in the Chemoprevention of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To evaluate the chemopreventive effects of 8-allyl garcinol on oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC).Methods OSCC cell line CAL27 were cultured and treated with different concentrations of garcinol or 8-allyl garcinol. Their effects on the biological behaviors of OSCC cell line CAL27 were measured by MTT assay,clony formation assay,scratch migration assay,and flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC/PI staining assay. We established DMBA-induced hamster cheek pouch models of dysplasia. While the negative control group was not treated,the positive group was treated with 0.5% DMBA solution tropically to the left cheek pouch three times per week for three consecutive weeks. The other four groups received 0.5 mmol/L or 1.0 mmol/L garcinol or 8-allyl garcinol respectively three times within the following two weeks after DMBA treatment. Hamsters were sacrificed at the fifth week to obtain tissue samples of the left cheek pouch. The samples were examined by histopathology and BrdU immunohistochemisty.Results MTT assay showed that both garcinol and 8-allyl garcinol inhibited the proliferation of CAL27 cells in a concentration-and time-dependent manner. The half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC)of 8-allyl garcinol[(13.13±2.55)μmol/L] was significantly lower than garcinol[(32.20±3.24)μmol/L;t=8.008,P=0.001]. Comparing the two grougs of medicine in the same concentration,the inhibiting proliferation effects 8-allyl garcinol had significantly stronger effect in inhibiting proliferation than garcinol when the same dose was applied,and the difference was largest at the concentrations of 10(24 h:t=8.012,P=0.001;48 h:t=5.939,P=0.001;72 h:t=12.551,P=0.001)and 20 μmol/L(24 h:t=8.887,P=0.001;48 h:t=9.324,P=0.002;72 h:t=5.361,P=0.002). The clone formation assay showed the clone formation rates after the treatment with 20 μmol/L garcinol and 20 μmol/L 8-allyl garcinol were(44.1±0.4)% and(23.6±0.6)%,respectively,which were significantly lower than those after treatment with 10 μmol/L garcinol[(55.6±2.8)%;t=6.894,P=0.019] and 10 μmol/L 8-allyl garcinol[(31.0±0.6)%;t=15.556,P=0.001]. The inhibiting effects of 8-allyl garcinol at the concentrations of 10 μmol/L(t=14.682,P=0.003)and 20 μmol/L(t=51.514,P=0.001)were significantly stronger than garcinol.Scratch test showed the relative cell migration rates after treatment with 10 and 20 μmol/L garcinol for 12 hours were(16.00±4.55)%(t=3.139,P=0.026)and(3.00±3.16)%(t=6.608,P=0.001),respectively,which were lower than negative control [(30.33±7.64)%]. The relative cell migration rates after treatment with 10 and 20 μmol/L 8-allyl garcinol for 12 hours were(16.25±3.86)%(t=3.245,P=0.023)and(6.00±2.65)%(t=5.214,P=0.006),respectively,which were also lower than negative control[(30.33±7.64)%]. In addition,the relative cell migration rates after treatment with 10 and 20 μmol/L garcinol for 24 hours were(23.75±4.57)%(t=4.718,P=0.005)and(5.75±1.50)%(t=10.432,P=0.001),respectively,which were lower than negative control[(45.33±7.64)%]. The relative cell migration rates after treatment with 10 and 20 μmol/L 8-allyl garcinol for 24 hours were(23.50±2.38)%(t=5.529,P=0.003)and(11.67±2.31)%(t=7.308,P=0.002),respectively,which were also lower than negative control[(45.33±7.64)%]. Furthermore,the relative cell migration rate after treatment with 20 μmol/L garcinol for 24 hours was significantly lower than after treatment with 8-allyl garcinol(t=4.151,P=0.009). The apoptosis experiments showed that the early apoptosis rate of CAL27 cells was(5.00±0.10)% after treatment with 10 μmol/L garcinol,which was significantly higher than negative control[(1.57±0.21)%;F=70.950,P=0.001]. The early and late apoptosis rates of CAL27 cells were(5.90±0.78)%(t=39.384,P=0.001)and(9.73±1.67)%(t=10.101,P=0.001),respectively,after treatment with 20 μmol/L garcinol,which were also significantly higher than negative control. The early apoptosis rate of CAL27 cells was(4.63±1.16)% after treatment with 8-allyl garcinol,which was significantly higher than negative control(t=4.511,P=0.041). The effects of 8-allyl garcinol in promoting cell apoptosis were weaker than garcinol(10 μmol/L:t=5.982,P=0.004;20 μmol/L:t=8.578,P=0.001). The histopathological test also showed that the hyperplastic areas of oral mucosal epithelium in hamsters after treatment with 0.5 mmol/L garcinol(t=2.546,P=0.031),0.5 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol(t=3.485,P=0.008),1.0 mmol/L garcinol(t=4.556,P=0.001),and 1.0 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol(t=5.393,P=0.001)were significantly smaller than positive control. The dysplasia areas of oral mucosal epithelium in hamsters after treatment with 0.5 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol(t=2.130,P=0.046),1.0 mmol/L garcinol(t=3.434,P=0.010),and 1.0 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol(t=4.518,P=0.004)were also smaller than positive control;1.0 mmol/L garcinol group(t=2.793,P=0.023)and 1.0 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol group(t=4.997,P=0.001)were smaller than 0.5 mmol/L garcinol treatment group. Immunohistochemical staining of BrdU showed that the BrdU-labeled indicators were significantly lower in negative control group(t=7.563,P=0.001),0.5 mmol/L garcinol(t=2.862,P=0.029),0.5 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol(t=4.693,P=0.002),1.0 mmol/L garcinol(t=5.071,P=0.002),and 1.0 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol(t=5.133,P=0.001)when compared with the positive control. The BrdU-labeled indicators in 0.5 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol(t=3.724,P=0.007),1.0 mmol/L garcinol(t=7.000,P=0.001),and 1.0 mmol/L 8-allyl garcinol(t=4.413,P=0.003)were also significantly lower than in 0.5 mmol/L garcinol group.Conclusions 8-allyl garcinol could inhibit the proliferation and migration of OSCC cell line CAL27 and promotes apoptosis. It also has prominent inhibitory effects on DMBA-induced hamster cheek pouch dysplasia. However,the specific effects are slightly different from garcinol.

Congenital human cytomegalovirus infection and neurologic diseases in newborns / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

OBJECTIVE@#This review aimed to summarize research progress regarding congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection-related nervous system diseases and their mechanisms.@*DATA SOURCES@#All literature quoted in this review was retrieved from PubMed and Web of Science using the keywords "Cytomegalovirus" and "Neurologic disease" in English. To identify more important information, we did not set time limits.@*STUDY SELECTION@#Relevant articles were selected by carefully reading the titles and abstracts. Then, different diagnosis and clinical treatment methods for human CMV infection-related neurologic diseases were compared, and the main mechanism and pathogenesis of neurologic damage caused by CMV were summarized from the selected published articles.@*RESULTS@#cCMV infection is a major cause of neonatal malformation. cCMV can infect the fetal encephalon during early gestation and compromise neurodevelopment, resulting in varying degrees of neurologic damage, mainly including hearing impairment, central nervous system (CNS) infection, neurodevelopmental disorders, ophthalmic complications, cerebral neoplasms, infantile autism, epilepsy, and other neurologic abnormalities.@*CONCLUSIONS@#cCMV infection-induced neurodevelopmental abnormalities, which were directly caused by fetal encephalon infection, thus inducing neuroimmune responses to damage nerve cells. Such abnormalities were also caused by suppression of the proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitor cells by CMV's gene products. cCMV infection in the fetal encephalon can also inhibit neuronal migration and synapse formation and indirectly trigger placental inflammation and thus disrupt the oxygen supply to the fetus.

Congenital human cytomegalovirus infection and neurologic diseases in newborns / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Objective@#This review aimed to summarize research progress regarding congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection-related nervous system diseases and their mechanisms.@*Data sources@#All literature quoted in this review was retrieved from PubMed and Web of Science using the keywords "Cytomegalovirus" and "Neurologic disease" in English. To identify more important information, we did not set time limits.@*Study selection@#Relevant articles were selected by carefully reading the titles and abstracts. Then, different diagnosis and clinical treatment methods for human CMV infection-related neurologic diseases were compared, and the main mechanism and pathogenesis of neurologic damage caused by CMV were summarized from the selected published articles.@*Results@#cCMV infection is a major cause of neonatal malformation. cCMV can infect the fetal encephalon during early gestation and compromise neurodevelopment, resulting in varying degrees of neurologic damage, mainly including hearing impairment, central nervous system (CNS) infection, neurodevelopmental disorders, ophthalmic complications, cerebral neoplasms, infantile autism, epilepsy, and other neurologic abnormalities.@*Conclusions@#cCMV infection-induced neurodevelopmental abnormalities, which were directly caused by fetal encephalon infection, thus inducing neuroimmune responses to damage nerve cells. Such abnormalities were also caused by suppression of the proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitor cells by CMV’s gene products. cCMV infection in the fetal encephalon can also inhibit neuronal migration and synapse formation and indirectly trigger placental inflammation and thus disrupt the oxygen supply to the fetus.

Epidemiological analysis of brucellosis in Jinzhou City, China, 2001-2015 / 中国人兽共患病学报

We analyzed the epidemiological characteristics of brucellosis in Jinzhou from 2001 to 2015 and provided scientific evidence for the development of prevention and control measures.The descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data and surveillance result of human brucellosis in Jinzhou during that period.We also conducted correlation analysis of positive rate(sera agglutination titers) and incidence rate of human brucellosis in Jinzhou City.The prevalence of human brucellosis in Jinzhou during 2001-2015 was 0.45/100 000 to 16.53/100 000.The surveillance results showed that the reporting time of human brucellosis case mainly concentrated in March to July,accounting for 66.89％ of the total.In 2003-2015,5 904 blood samples were collected from risk population.Totally,296 were positive for Brucella (5.01％) by sera agglutination titers.From 2007,63 strains of Brucella were isolated from 136 blood samples in which 48 were Brucella melitensis type 3,12 were Brucella melitensis type 1,2 were Brucella melitensis variation type and 1 was Brucella canis.Human brucellosis cases in Jinzhou City is upward trend in recent years and the predominant strain circulated was Brucella melitensis type 3.The situation of dogs carrying Brucella should be given a certain view,and timely elimination of sick dogs should be implemented.

Inconsistent effect of chloroquine on apoptosis of normal gastric epithelial cells GES-1 and gastric cancer cell line HGC-27 / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To compare the effect of chloroquine on apoptosis of normal gastric epithelial cells and gastric cancer cell line HGC-27. Methods:Change of these two kinds of cells were observed by inverted microscope after treating with CQ. HGC-27 cells were detected on the effect of apoptosis by DAPI nuclear staining after treating with CQ. The proliferation of cells were measured by CCK-8. Changes of mitochondrial membrane potential were investigated by JC-1 after treating with CQ. The expression of apoptosis protein effector enzyme Caspase-3 and substrate PARP in these two kinds of cells were tested by Western blot after using chloroquine (CQ) and rapamycin ( rapamycin, RAP ) to treat cells 72 h. Results: After treated with 10 μmol/L CQ 72 h, morphological characteristics of GES-1 cells and HGC-27 cells could be visible under the microscope,CQ induced apoptosis of GES-1 cells,on the contrary,it could make the HGC-27 cell get widened,the number of apoptotic cells gradually increased,the cell density decreased,cell atrophy and gradually turned round,cytoplasm reduced,at last,lose normal cell morphology. After two kinds of cells treated with CQ 72 h,as for GES-1 cell nuclei stained light,nuclear size and shape were not changed,however,HGC-27 nuclei showed pyknosis or granular fluorescence dense concentrated form. CCK-8 results showed that comparing with normal gastric epithelial cells GES-1,the pro-liferation of gastric cancer HGC-27 cells activity could be inhibited by CQ. JC-1 results showed that the change of the red fluorescence to green fluorescence in HGC-27 cells treated by CQ. Western blot showed that after being treated with CQ and RAP in normal gastric epithelial cells and HGC-27 cell line 72 h,the expression of apoptosis protein Caspase-3 and PARP in gastric cancer cell HGC-27 decreased significantly,comparing to that in GES-1 cells. Conclusion:Compared to normal gastric epithelial cells,CQ can inhibit human gastric cancer HGC-27 cell viability and induce apoptosis.

Serum levels of interleukin-38 and interleukin-1β in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the expression of serum cytokines, interleukin-38 (IL-38) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease (KD) in children and the association of IL-38 and IL-1β with inflammatory response in the acute phase and the development of coronary artery lesion (CAL).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 40 children with KD who were hospitalized in the hospital between July 2015 and June 2016 were enrolled, with 21 children in the CAL group and 19 in the non-CAL (NCAL) group. Thirty healthy children and 19 children with infection and pyrexia, who were matched for sex and age, were enrolled as healthy control group and pyrexia control group respectively. ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of IL-38 and IL-1β in the 40 children in the acute phase of KD. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlations of IL-1β and IL-38 with interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), procalcitonin (PCT), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum level of IL-38 in the children in the acute phase of KD was significantly lower than that in the healthy control group (P<0.05), but significantly higher than that in the pyrexia control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the level of IL-38 between the CAL and NCAL groups (P>0.05). The children in the acute phase of KD had a significantly higher level of IL-1β than the healthy control group (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between this group and the pyrexia control group (P>0.05). There was also no significant difference in the level of IL-1β between the CAL and NCAL groups (P>0.05). Serum IL-1β and IL-38 levels were not correlated with serum levels of CRP, ESR, PCT, IL-6, and NT-ProBNP or blood lipids (TG and TC) (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>IL-38 is involved in an inflammatory response in the acute phase of KD and may exert an anti-inflammatory effect, which is opposite to the effect of IL-1β to promote inflammatory response. However, there is no significant correlation between these two cytokines and the development of CAL in KD.</p>

Autophagy and its role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis / 解放军医学杂志

Autophagy generally reside in eukaryote and is a highly conserved protein degradation pathway,which take part in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis as well as the growth of cells.The characterization of autophagy being reported over years has revealed that it involved in immune response,such as removal of intracellular bacteria,inflammatory cytokine secretion,antigen presentation,and lymphocyte development,and then involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis indirectly.So,in this review,we focus on the pathway ofautophagy and the role of which in the multiple sclerosis (MS) in order to further understand the important effect and potential therapeutic value of autophagy in MS.

Effect of sonicated extracts of Porphyromonas gingivalis on receptor activator of NF-κB ligand and osteoprotegerin expression in periodontal ligament cells / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects of sonicated extracts of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) on receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) expression in human periodontal ligament cells (HPDLC) and the effect of Pg on bone resorption in periodontitis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HPDLC were exposed to 25, 50 mg/L sonicated extracts of Pg for 6 h, HPDLC without treatment served as control. The expression of RANKL-OPG mRNA and protein were examined by real time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. OPG protein in the supernatant was examined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data were statistically analyzed by SPSS 13.0 and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>When HPDLC were exposed to sonicated extracts of Pg, the expression of RANKL mRNA and protein in 25 mg/L and 50 mg/L groups were higher than that of control group (P < 0.05), the expression of OPG mRNA in 50 mg/L group (0.087 ± 0.021) was lower than that of control group (0.240 ± 0.019) (P < 0.05), and OPG protein in 25 mg/L and 50 mg/L groups (0.813 ± 0.007, 0.398 ± 0.009) was lower than that of control group (1.131 ± 0.005) (P < 0.01). OPG protein expression in the supernatant was not significantly different between experimental group and control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Sonicated extracts of Pg exposed to HPDLC can up-regulate RANKL expression, down-regulate OPG expression and influence bone metabolism.</p>

Inhibitory effects of Zengshengping fractions on DMBA-induced buccal pouch carcinogenesis in hamsters / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Zengshengping (ZSP) tablets had inhibitory effects on oral precancerous lesions by reducing the incidence of oral cancer. However, the severe liver toxicity caused by systemic administration of ZSP limits the long-term use of this anti-cancer drug. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tumor inhibitory effects due to the topical application of extracts from ZSP, a Chinese herbal drug, on 7, 12-dimethlbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) induced oral tumors in hamsters. The study also investigated the anti-cancer mechanisms of the ZSP extracts on oral carcinogenesis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>DMBA (0.5%) was applied topically to the buccal pouches of Syrian golden hamsters (6 - 8 weeks old) three times per week for six weeks in order to induce the development of oral tumors. Different fractions of ZSP were either applied topically to the oral tumor lesions or fed orally at varying dosages to animals with oral tumors for 18 weeks. Tumor volume was measured by histopathological examination. Tumor cell proliferation was evaluated by counting BrdU labeled cells and by Western blotting for mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) protein levels. The protein levels of apoptosis marker Caspase-3 and regulator Bcl-2 protein were also measured by Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Topical application of DMBA to the left pouch of hamsters induced oral tumor formation. Animals treated with DMBA showed a loss in body weight while animals treated with ZSP maintained normal body weights. Both the ZSP n-butanol fraction and water fraction significantly reduced tumor volume by 32.6% (P < 0.01) and 22.9% (P < 0.01) respectively. Topical application of ZSP also markedly decreased the BrdU-positive cell numbers in oral tumor lesions and reduced the expression level of MAPK. In addition, ZSP promoted tumor cell apoptosis by increasing Caspase-3 expression but decreasing Bcl-2 protein production.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The n-butanol and water fractions of ZSP are effective at inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and stimulating apoptosis in oral cancer suggesting that these fractions have chemopreventive effects on DMBA induced oral carcinogenesis.</p>

Effects of hydrogen sulfide on myocardial mitochondrial injury during acute myocardial ischemia in rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on mitochondrial function in acute myocardial ischemia in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Acute myocardial ischemia models were established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery (LADC) of rats. Fourty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n = 8): sham operation group, ischemia group, ischemia + sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) low, middle and high dose groups and ischemia + DL-proparglycine(PPG) group. The ultrastructures of myocardial mitochondria were observed with electron microscope. The content of H2S in plasma and the activity of cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE) in myocardial tissue of rats were respectively detected. The swelling and activity of myocardial mitochondria were determined. The activities of ATPase, GSH-Px, SOD and the content of malondial-dehyde (MDA) in myocardial mitochondria of rats were also measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with those of the sham operation group, the content of H2S in plasma, the activity of CSE in myocardial tissue and the activity of myocardium mitochondria were significantly decreased. The activities of ATPase, SOD, GSH-Px in myocardial mitochondria were significantly decreased, The content of malondial dehyde(MDA) in myocardial mitochondria and the swelling of mitochondria were distinctly increased in the ischemia group (P < 0.01). Compared with those of the ischemia group, the content of H2S in plasma and the activity of CSE in myocardial tissue were increased, and the activities of mitochondria, ATPase, SOD, and GSH-Px in myocardial mitochondria were significantly increased in ischemia + NaHS low, middle and high-dose groups; the swelling of mitochondria and the content of MDA in myocardial mitochondria were significantly decreased in ischemia + NaHS middle and high-dose groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The administration of PPG could partially reduce the myocardial protection of hydrogen sulfide (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It could be concluded that the administration of hydrogen sulfide could enhance the activities of mitochondrial ATPase, SOD, GSH-Px, decrease the level of mitochondrial lipid peroxidation, and play a protective effect against acute myocardial ischemia.</p>

Chemopreventive effect of boswellic acid and curcumin on 7,12-dimethyl benzanthracene-induced hamster cheek pouch carcinogenesis / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the chemopreventive effects of boswellic acid and curcumin on 7,12-dimethyl benzanthracene(DMBA)-induced oral carcinogenesis in the hamster cheek pouch model.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Male Syrian golden hamsters (6 - 8 weeks old, 80 - 130 g in weight) were randomly divided into seven groups, with group A serving as the untreated negative control. The left cheek pouch of the remaining hamsters was topically treated with 0.5% DMBA in mineral oil three times a week for 6 weeks. They were then randomized to six groups with group B serving as a positive control and receiving no further treatment. Groups C-G were treated topically with 5, 10 mg/L boswellic acid, 5, 10 µmol/L curcumin, or the combination of 5 mg/L boswellic acid and 5 µmol/L curcumin three times per week for 18 weeks. The animals were injected with bromodeoxyuridine intraperitoneally at 50 mg/kg 2 h prior to killing. At the 25 th week all the hamsters were sacrificed and cheek pouch tissue was harvested. One half of the tissue was snap frozen in liquid nitrogen for analysis of arachidonic acid metabolites, and the other half was fixed in 10% phosphate-buffered saline(PBS)-buffered formalin for histopathological examination.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Six-weeks of DMBA followed by 18-weeks of topical application of boswellic acid and curcumin, both boswellic acid (5, 10 mg/L) and curcumin (5, 10 µmol/L) significantly inhibited the incidence from 93.8% to 73.9% (P > 0.05), numbers from 2.19 ± 0.98 to 1.13 ± 0.81 (P < 0.01) and size of visible tumors. Microscopically the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma and BrdU index were also significantly suppressed by boswellic acid and curcumin.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Both boswellic acid and curcumin were effective in preventing oral carcinogenesis in DMBA-induced hamster cheek pouch model.</p>

Expression of survivin, caspase-3 in oral precancerous lesions and oral squamous-cell carcinoma / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the roles of surviving and caspase-3 in the development of oral cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Archival tissue sections of 17 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), 28 oral leukoplakia with dysplasia, 10 normal oral mucosa were obtained from Capital Medical University School of Stomatology for immunohistochemical staining of markers of survivin and caspase-3. The cell apoptosis was detected with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nucleotide shift enzyme (TdT) mediated d-UTP end labeling (TUNEL). Positively stained cells were counted and analyzed statistically to determine potential relationship between survivin, caspase-3 and cell apoptosis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of survivin was faint or negative in normal epithelial cells. The average positive rate of survivin was (1.05 ± 1.21)% in control group and (21.89 ± 10.45)% in OSCC. Caspase-3 was expressed in all the normal mucosa,but it obviously down-regulated in dysplasia and OSCC. The apoptosis index (AI) decreased from (0.89 ± 0.46)% in normal mucosa to (0.21 ± 0.12)% in OSCC.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Both survivin and caspase-3 are associated with carcinogenesis of the oral mucosa. Survivin may restrain cell apoptosis by inhibiting caspase-3.</p>

The effect of local mild hypothermia on MMP-2/9 expression and brain edema in experimental intracerebral hemorrhage in rats / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To study the effect of local mild hypothermia on the expression of matrix metallopro- teinases-2/9 (MMP-2/9) and brain edema in experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rat. Methods One hundred and forty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normothermia sham-operation (NSO) group ( n = 15 ), a normothermia intracerebral hemorrhage (NICH) group (n = 75 ) and a mild hypotbermia intracerebral hemor- rhage (MHICH) group (n = 75). Autologous arterial blood was stereotaxically injected into the right caudate nucleus of the rats of the NICH and MHICH groups to make intracerebral hemorrhage model. The rats in the MHICH group were then subjected to 4 hours of local mild hypothermia, while those in the NICH group were under the room temper- ature. The brain water content, permeability of brain-blood barrier (BBB) and expressions of MMP-2/9 were meas- ured by immunohistochemistry method at 6 h, 24 h, 72 h, 5 d and 7 d after operation. Results In NICH group, the brain water content, permeability of BBB and expression of MMP-9 all began to increase at 6 h and peaked at 3 d after injection of blood and still higher than the NSO group at 7 d. The expression of MMP-2 only began to increase little at 24 h and peaked at 5 d after operation and remained highly expressed at 7 d. In the MHICH group, the chan- ges of brain water content, permeability of BBB and expression of MMP-9 were similar to those of the NICH group, but the extent of changes was significantly lower at the every time point. In NICH group and MHICH group, MMP-9 expression was positively correlated with both the brain water content and the permeability of BBB, but MMP-2 ex- pression was not correlated with them. Conclusion Mild hypothermia might protect BBB against injury caused by ICH and relieve brain edema and inflammation reaction through inhibiting the expression of MMP-2/9.

Study on chemical constituents of rhizome of Anemone raddeana / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the chemical constituents of the rhizome of Anemone raddeana Regel, so as to find new active compounds.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The ethanol extracts of the rhizome of Anemone raddeana were obtained by silica column, HPLC. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by means of physico-chemical method and spectral analysis (IR, FAB-MS, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, DEPT, 1H-1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Nine compounds were isolated and identified as 27-hydroxyolean-12(13)-en-28-oic acid-3-0-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (1), eleutheroside K (2), Oleanolic acid-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[beta-D- glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)]-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside (3), betulin (4), betulic acid (5), acetyloleamolic acid (6), evonymitol (7), oleamolic acid (8) and diosgenin (9).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compound 1 is a new compound, named raddeanoside 12. Compounds 3-7 were isolated from this plant for the first time.</p>