Research progress of the regulatory role of autophagy in metabolic liver diseases / 中华肝脏病杂志

Autophagy is one of several hepatic metabolic processes in which starved cells are supplied with glucose, free fatty acids, and amino acids to produce energy and synthesize new macromolecules. Moreover, it regulates the quantity and quality of mitochondria and other organelles. As the liver is a vital metabolic organ, specific forms of autophagy are necessary for maintaining liver homeostasis. Protein, fat, and sugar are the three primary nutrients that can be altered by different metabolic liver diseases. Drugs that have an effect on autophagy can either promote or inhibit autophagy, and as a result, it can either increase or inhibit the three major nutritional metabolisms that are affected by liver disease. Thus, this opens up a novel therapeutic option for liver disease.

Coactivator p300-induced H3K27 acetylation mediates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory mediator synthesis / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the role of acetylated modification induced by coactivator p300 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- induced inflammatory mediator synthesis and its molecular mechanism.@*METHODS@#Agilent SurePrint G3 Mouse Gene Expression V2 microarray chip and Western blotting were used to screen the molecules whose expression levels in mouse macrophages (RAW246.7) were correlated with the stimulation intensity of LPS. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (chip-qPCR) were used to verify the binding of the molecules to the promoters of IL-6 and TNF-α genes. The effects of transfection of RAW246.7 cells with overexpression or interfering plasmids on IL-6 and TNF-α synthesis were evaluated with ELISA, and the binding level of the target molecules and acetylation level of H3K27 in the promoter region of IL-6 and TNF-α genes were analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing technique (chip-seq).@*RESULTS@#Gene microarray chip data and Western blotting both confirmed a strong correlation of p300 expression with the stimulation intensity of LPS. Immunocoprecipitation confirmed the binding between p300 and c-myb. The results of EMSA demonstrated that c-myb (P < 0.05), but not p300, could directly bind to the promoter region of IL-6 and TNF-α genes; p300 could bind to the promoters only in the presence of c-myb (P < 0.05). The expressions of p65, p300 and c-myb did not show interactions. Both p300 overexpression and LPS stimulation could increase the level of promoter-binding p300 and H3K27 acetylation level, thus promoting p65 binding and inflammatory gene transcription; such effects were obviously suppressed by interference of c-myb expression (P < 0.05). Interference of p65 resulted in inhibition of p65 binding to the promoters and gene transcription (P < 0.05) without affecting p300 binding or H3K27 acetylation level.@*CONCLUSION@#LPS can stimulate the synthesis of p300, whose binding to the promoter region of inflammatory genes via c-myb facilitates the cohesion of p65 by inducing H3K27 acetylation, thus promoting the expression of the inflammatory genes.

A new anti-hypoxia sesquiterpene from the rhizome of Petasites japonicus / 药学学报

A new sesquiterpene, bakkenolide-Ⅵa (1), was isolated from the rhizome of Petasites japonicas (Sieb. et Zucc.) Maxim. The structure was characterized on the basis of various NMR (1H, 13C, 1H-1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC and NOESY) and mass spectrometry data. Bakkenolide-Ⅵa showed potent cerebral hypoxia-ischemia protective activity in mice subjected to decapitation through prolonging the survival time and gasping time. It also exhibited a protective activity against hypoxia injury in PC12 cells in anaerobic culture by inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release.

Effect of altitude chronic hypoxia on liver enzymes and its correlation with ACE/ACE2 in yak and migrated cattle / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the difference of liver enzyme levels and its correlation with serum ACE/ACE2 among yak and cattle on Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, and to further explore the biochemical mechanism of their liver of altitude adaptation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The serum samples of yak were collected at 3,000 m, 3,500 m, 4,000 m and 4,300 m respectively, meanwhile the serum samples of migrated cattle on plateau (2,500 m) and lowland cattle (1,300 m) were also collected. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cholinesterase (CHE), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum lipase (LPS), angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE), angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) in serum were measured by using fully automatic blood biochemcal analyzer. We analysed the differences of the above enzymes and its correlation with ACE/ACE2. We used one way analysis of variance (ANOVA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of ALT in 4,000 m group and 4,300 m group of yak increased significantly compared with other groups, there were no statistically significant differences in AST, CHE, GGT, ACE/ACE2 levels of yaks at different altitudes. As compared to lowland cattle, the serum levels of AST and CHE were increased, the level of LPS and ACE was decreased significantly, respectively, and especially, the ratio of ACE/ACE2 of migranted cattle reduced nearly two times. The levels of LPS were significantly correlated to the ratio of ACE/ACE2 in yak (r = 0.357, P < 0.01), and a high correlation between ALP and ACE/ACE2 in lowland cattle( r = 0.418, P < 0.05), But the biggest contribution rate of the ratio of ACE/ACE2 was only 17.5% for the changes of the levels of liver enzyme.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results indicated that with the altitude increased did not significantly influence the changes of liver enzymes' activities in mountainous yaks but not in cattle. However, all above these changes weren't actually correlated to the ratio of ACE/ACE2.</p>

Study on chemical constituents of Petasites japonicus / 第二军医大学学报

Objective: To isolate and identify the chemical constituents in the rhizome of the Petasites ja ponicus. Methods: Dried rhizome of Petasites ja ponicus were subjected to extraction with EtOH, and the chemical constituents in the extract were isolated and their structures were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral analysis. Results: Five compounds were obtained and identified from the rhizome of Petasites ja ponicus, inlcuding as β-sitoterol (I), ergosterol (II), bakkenolide-B (III), bakkenolide-D (IV) and furanofukinol (V). Conclusion: Compound (II) has been obtained from Petasites japonicus for the first time.

The changes of bcl-2, bax expression and neuron apoptosis in the hippocampus after the blockade of cervical lymphatics of rats / 生理学报

To investigate the changes in bcl-2, bax expression and neuron apoptosis in the hippocampus after the blockade of cervical lymphatics, the model of lymphostatic encephalopathy was established by occluding and removing both the superficial and deep cervical lymph nodes in rats. The animals were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 14 d after operation. H and E staining was used to observe the structure of brain tissues and TUNEL staining was used to detect in situ cell apoptosis in the hippocampus. The expression of bcl-2 and bax in the hippocampus were examined by RT-PCR. The results showed that cerebroedema appeared at day 2 and was most serious at day 5 after the blockade of cervical lymphatics. The number of TUNEL positive cells began to increase at day 2 and reached the maximum at day 5. The expression of bax began to increase at day 1 and reached the maximum at day 2. The expression of bcl-2 began to decrease at day 1 and dropped to the minimum at day 5. The items mentioned above recovered to control level at day 14. These results suggest that lymphostatic encephalopathy following the blockade of cervical lymphatics result in changes in bcl-2 and bax expression in the hippocampus and that apoptosis is the main form of neuron death.

Energy metabolism in patients with chronic viral hepatitis and posthepatitic cirrhosis / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective To evaluate the pattern of energy metabolism and nutrients intake in patients with chronic viral hepatitis and posthepatitic cirrhosis to effectively direct their nutrition therapy.Methods Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured with open-circuit indirect Jorimetry in 60 patients with chronic viral hepatitis and 60 patients with posthepatitic cirrhosis.Their normal basal energy expenditure (BEE) was predicted by Harris-Benedict equation and energy intake (EI) was determined by diet recall. Correlation between REE and indicators for nutrition assessment was analyzed.Results REE was (77? 21) kJ?kg~(-1)?d~(-1) in 60 patients with pusthepatitic cirrhosis,significantly lower than BEE[(95?16) kJ? kg~(-1)?d~(-1)(P0.05,and their EI was (127?34) kJ?kg~(-1)?d~(-1),1.41?0.43 times as REE,in which PROI was (1.02?0.29) g?kg~(-1)?d~(-1),1.31?0.61 times as PROE (0.87?0.34) g?kg~(-1)?d~(-1),also indicating a negative nitrogen balance (-2.02?4.07).REE,EI and intake of three nutrients,serum level of albumin and prealbumin (PA) and body weight significantly decreased in patients with posthepatitic cirrhosis,as compared to those in patients with chronic viral hepatitis (P

Epidemiological study on semen quality of 562 volunteers aged 22-30 / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This study is to understand the difference of semen quality among the different areas and the related factors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Five hundred and sixty-two people were under from seven provinces.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Results showed that the quantity and density of semen, the rate of moving forward semen, livability, percent age of normal formed semen and the total number of semen were statistically different among the seven areas. The difference was ranged as 28.82%, with the highest 2.95 ml in Shanxi province and the lowest 2.29 ml in Henan province. Geometric mean of semen density was found the lowest 36.27 x 10(6)/ml in Guizhou province, next to it was 42.52 x 10(6)/ml in Shandong province and the highest was 74.77 x 10(6)/ml in Hebei province. The percent age with forward progression of semen was seen the lowest 44.40% in Henan province, followed by 51.88% in Hebei province and 52.88% in Zhejiang province and the highest were 76.50% in Shanghai, 75.24% in Shanxi province, with a range of 72.30%. The highest semen viability was 85.89% in Shanghai, while the lowest 72.35% in Henan, with a range of 18.71%. Normal sperm morphology was seen the lowest 68.45% in Hebei province, with the highest 88.06% in Guizhou province, and the range was 28.65%. The geometric mean of total sperm count was seen the highest 204.23 x 10(6)/ml in Hebei province and the lowest 77.69 x 10(6)/ml in Guizhou province. Results showed through analysis of variance that some indexes were different in some provinces.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results indicated that the semen quality was different in different regions in China and its influential factors may be region and geography environment.</p>