Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma Treats Atherosclerosis via NLRP3 Inflammasome-mediated Pyroptosis of Macrophages / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma （SRCR） on atherosclerosis （AS） in mice and the effect of SRCR on macrophage pyroptosis in plaques via NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain-associated protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasomes. MethodApoE-/- mice were fed with a high-fat diet for the modeling of AS and randomized into model， atorvastatin （5 mg·kg-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （1.95， 3.9， 7.8 g·kg-1， respectively） SRCR groups. Normal C57BL/6J mice were selected as the control group. After 8 weeks of administration， hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the pathological status of the aortic plaque. The lipid accumulation in aortic plaque was observed by oil red O staining. The serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） in mice were measured. Immunofluorescence double staining was employed to detect the co-localized expression of EGF-like module-containing mucin-like hormone receptor-like 1 （EMR1）/NLRP3 and EMR1/gasdermin D （GSDMD）. The serum levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and interleukin-18 （IL-18） were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The protein levels of NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein （ASC）， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， N-terminus of GSDMD （GSDMD-NT）， pro-IL-1β， IL-1β， and IL-18 were determined by Western blot， and the mRNA levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD， IL-1β， and IL-18 were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultCompared with the control group， the model group showed obvious plaques， elevated serum levels of TG， TC， LDL-C， IL-1β， and IL-18 （P<0.01）， lowered serum level of HDL-C （P<0.01）， and up-regulated expression of NLRP3 inflammasomes and molecules related to pyroptosis in the aortic plaques （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， SRCR， especially at the medium and high doses， alleviated the plaque pathology， reduced the lipid content in plaques （P<0.05， P<0.01）， recovered the serum lipid levels （P<0.05）， reduced the macrophage recruitment （P<0.01）， activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes， and pyroptosis in aortic root plaques （P<0.05）， lowered the serum IL-1β and IL-18 levels （P<0.01）， and down-regulated the protein levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， cleaved Caspase-1， GSDMD， GSDMD-NT， pro-IL-1β， IL-1β， and IL-18 （P<0.05） and the mRNA levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， GSDMD， IL-1β， and IL-18 in the aortic tissue （P<0.05）. ConclusionSRCR exerts a therapeutic effect on high-fat diet-induced AS in mice by inhibiting the activation NLRP3 inflammasomes and reducing the pyroptosis of macrophages in plaques.

ADAM17 knockdown increases sensitivity of SW480 cells to cetuximad / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the association between expression of ADAM17 and cetuximad resistance in human colorectal cancer SW480 cells.@*METHODS@#The expression of ADAM17 was detected using Western blotting in different human colorectal cancer cell lines, and the cells highly expressing ADAM17 were selected as the target cells. SW480 cells were transfected with ADAM17-siRNA 1 and ADAM17-siRNA 2 and the changes in the expression of ADAM17 protein were detected using Western blotting. SW480 cells were exposed to cetuximad for 24 h and the cell apoptosis was analyzed using flow cytometry. Transwell assay was used to examine the migration ability of SW480 cells with different expression levels of ADAM17; Western blotting was used to analyze the changes in the expressions of AKT signaling pathway-related proteins in the treated cells.@*RESULTS@#The baseline expressions of ADAM17 were significantly higher in SW480 cells than in the other human colorectal cancer cell lines tested ( < 0.05). Both ADAM17-siRNA 1 and 2 effectively reduced the expression of ADAM17 protein in SW480 cells. Knockdown of ADAM17 with siRNA 1 significantly increased the sensitivity of SW480 cells to tocetuximad ( < 0.05), obviously inhibited the cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and significantly reduced the expressions of p-EGFR and p-AKT in the cells ( < 0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#ADAM17 knockdown obviously inhibits EGFR-AKT signaling pathway and increases the sensitivity of SW480 cells to tocetuximad.

Methods and Applications of Psychological Stress State Assessment / 生物医学工程学杂志

In this paper, the response of individual's physiological system under psychological stress state is discussed, and the theoretical support for psychological stress assessment research is provided. The two methods, i.e., the psychological stress assessment of questionnaire and physiological parameter assessment used for current psychological stress assessment are summarized. Then, the future trend of development of psychological stress assessment research is pointed out. We hope that this work could do and provide further support and help to psychological stress assessment studies.

A Review of Methods for Early Evaluation of Alzheimer's Disease / 生物医学工程学杂志

With the intensified aging problem, the study of age-related diseases is becoming more and more significant. Alzheimer's disease is a kind of dementia, with senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles as the main pathological features, and has become one of the major diseases that endanger the health of the elderly. This review is concentrated on the research of the early assessment of Alzheimer's disease. The current situation of early diagnosis of the disease is analyzed, and a prospect of the future development of early assessment means of the disease is also made in the paper.

Clinical Observations on Needle Knife Treatment for Knee Meniscus Injury / 上海针灸杂志

ObjectiveTo observe andanalyze the clinical efficacy of needle knife treatment for knee meniscus injury from improving knee biomechanical balance and to provide a therapeutic basis and method for clinical practice.MethodOne hundred patients (112 knees) with knee meniscus injury meeting the inclusion criteria were allocated, in order of visits, to observation and control groups, 50 cases each. They were treated with a needle knife and an injection of sodium hyaluronate injectio into knee joint cavity, respectively. Changes in the indices were observed and assessed in the two groups by recording the plantar pressure analysis score and the knee function score before and after treatment and at follow-up. The clinical therapeutic effects were evaluated in the two groups.ResultThemaximum load, time integral difference value and load ratio around the knee joint decreased significantly in both observation and control groups after treatment and at follow-up (P<0.05). The regulating effect on knee joint force balance was better in theneedle knife group than in the control group (P<0.05). The improving effect on knee joint function was significantly better in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.01). The excellence rate was significantly higher in the observation groupthan in the control group after treatment and at follow-up (P<0.05).ConclusionNeedle knife treatment restores the function of the knee joint by loosing focal soft tissues around the knee joint, improving knee joint load imbalance and correcting the mechanical equilibrium around the knee joint in patient with knee meniscus injury. It has a definite curative effect on the disease.

Experimental study of Yanshu injection acted on SGC-7901,HepG2 and BEL-7402 tumor cell / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective To discuss the clinical mechanism of Yanshu injection by observing its function to the tumor cells SGC-7901,HepG2 and BEL-7402 in vitro.Method The kill rate by MTT,flow cytometry were used to detect the change of cell cycle and apoptosis rate,and the expression of bcl-2,CD44V6 and nm23 of HepG2,SGC-7901 and BEL-7402 were observed.Results In vitro,to HepG2,SGC-7901 and BEL-7402,the living rate after using Yanshu injection was 72 %,40 % and 50 %.Compared with the control,the cell quantity in S phase decreased,and the apoptosis rate was higher,the expression of CD44V6 and nm23 changed a lot.Conclusion To the tumor cells,HepG2,SGC-7901 and BEL-7402,Yanshu injection can kill them,arrest them in G2 phase,block the conversion to M phase,accelerate cell apoptosis which has no correlation with the expression of bcl-2,and it still can restrain tumor metastasis.

Comparison of Medical Humanistic Education between China and Britain / 中国医学伦理学

Nowadays,with the ever-tenser physician-patient relationship,construction of medical professionalism has turned out to be a heated topic.This essay tries to explore the construction of medical professionalism from the perspective of cultivating a humanistic culture among medical students.Based on the comparison of medical humanistic education between China and Britain,this article arrives at the conclusion that defective humanistic education is one of important reasons that cause the inadequacy of medical professionalism among Chinese physicians,and points out some effectual measures to improve the medical professionalism in our country by the inspiration from our British counterparts.

Present Situation and Development Countermeasures of Evidence-Based TCM Oncology / 中医杂志

Since 1980s, medical clinical practice turns towards evidence-based medicine model from experimental medical model, traditional TCM diagnosis of tumor difficultly link up with diagnostic methods of modern medicine, and syndrome differentiation typing is difficultly qualified and unified. Clinical studies often lack strict and reasonable design and rigorous manipulation standardization, and do not rapidly adapt changes of modern medicine model. Therefore. in the present paper it is put forward that standardization of clinical diagnosis and assessment of therapeutic effects should be further completed. First establishing and adopting randomized control test of small scale and single center, and using systematical assessing techniques to scientifically evaluate results of relative studies; and scientifically and systematically systematize and strictly re-test and verify rich clinical experiences of famous and older physicians of TCM. In brief, principles of evidence-based medicine should be adopt to guide and standard TCM diagnosis and treatment and scientific studies of malignant tumor.