Mechanism of Xianglian Pills in improving dyslipidemia in obese mice induced by high-fat diet based on network pharmacology and intestinal flora / 中国中药杂志

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Xianglian Pills(XLP) on lipid metabolism in obese mice and explore the underlying mechanism based on network pharmacology and intestinal flora. Firstly, network pharmacology was used to predict the possible effect of XLP on obesity. Secondly, an obese mouse model induced by a high-fat diet was established to observe changes in mouse body weight, adiposity index, liver and adipose tissue pathology. Lipid profiles, liver and kidney function markers, insulin content, and the expression of recombinant uncoupling protein 1(UCP-1) and PR structural domain protein 16(PRDM16) were measured. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used to analyze the changes in the intestinal flora. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis showed that XLP mainly played a role in improving obesity by regulating lipolysis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance. The results of animal experiments showed that XLP significantly reduced body weight, adiposity, blood lipid levels, and serum insulin levels in obese mice, while enhancing the expression of UCP-1 and PRDM16 in adipose tissue without causing damage to the liver or kidneys. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing results showed that XLP decreased the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes(F/B) ratio at the phylum level, increased the relative abundance of Akkermansia and Bacteroides at the family and genus levels, and reduced the abundance of Allobaculum. Therefore, XLP can effectively improve lipid metabolism disorders in high-fat diet-induced obese mice, and the mechanism is related to the improvement of brown adipose function, the browning of white fat, the accelerated lipid metabolism, and the improvement of intestinal flora. However, its effect on promoting the conversion of white adipose to brown adipose still needs to be further studied.

A systematic survey of LU domain-containing proteins reveals a novel human gene, LY6A, which encodes the candidate ortholog of mouse Ly-6A/Sca-1 and is aberrantly expressed in pituitary tumors / 医学前沿

The Ly-6 and uPAR (LU) domain-containing proteins represent a large family of cell-surface markers. In particular, mouse Ly-6A/Sca-1 is a widely used marker for various stem cells; however, its human ortholog is missing. In this study, based on a systematic survey and comparative genomic study of mouse and human LU domain-containing proteins, we identified a previously unannotated human gene encoding the candidate ortholog of mouse Ly-6A/Sca-1. This gene, hereby named LY6A, reversely overlaps with a lncRNA gene in the majority of exonic sequences. We found that LY6A is aberrantly expressed in pituitary tumors, but not in normal pituitary tissues, and may contribute to tumorigenesis. Similar to mouse Ly-6A/Sca-1, human LY6A is also upregulated by interferon, suggesting a conserved transcriptional regulatory mechanism between humans and mice. We cloned the full-length LY6A cDNA, whose encoded protein sequence, domain architecture, and exon-intron structures are all well conserved with mouse Ly-6A/Sca-1. Ectopic expression of the LY6A protein in cells demonstrates that it acts the same as mouse Ly-6A/Sca-1 in their processing and glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchoring to the cell membrane. Collectively, these studies unveil a novel human gene encoding a candidate biomarker and provide an interesting model gene for studying gene regulatory and evolutionary mechanisms.

Recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of Sj?gren′s syndrome in China / 中华内科杂志

Sj?gren′s syndrome (SS) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocyte proliferation and progressive exocrine gland damage. In addition to the impairment of salivary and lacrimal gland function, SS can present with multi-system and multi-organ involvement, accompanied by autoantibodies in serum and hyperimmunoglobulinemia. SS can be divided into primary and secondary forms based on the absence or presence, respectively, of concurrent connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Based on evidence and guidelines from China and other countries, the Chinese Rheumatology Association drafted standardized criteria for the diagnosis and treatment of primary SS. The objectives were to standardize the detection and interpretation of key indicators for the diagnosis of SS, including serum anti-SSA antibody and labial gland pathology, suggest the use of the widely accepted European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)-SS disease activity index for the evaluation of the disease, and standardize the rational management of SS patients with topical and systemic therapies.

Progress on the application of porcelain veneers in the restoration of dental fluorosis and its influencing factors / 中华地方病学杂志

Due to the cloud-like appearance of the dental surface of dental fluorosis, serious tooth defect may occur, thus affecting the overall beauty of the face. The clinical effect of dental fluorosis is not better than that of normal teeth in the application of repair, which brings some difficulties to the clinicians. The application of porcelain veneers in the restoration of dental fluorosis has been widely concerned by clinicians and researchers due to its advantages of high aesthetics, small amount of tooth tissue abrasion, and good biocompatibility. Therefore, this article comprehensively discusses the application effect and influencing factors of porcelain veneers in the restoration of dental fluorosis, in order to provide some reference for clinical application.

TRPV4-induced Neurofilament Injury Contributes to Memory Impairment after High Intensity and Low Frequency Noise Exposures / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#Exposure to high intensity, low frequency noise (HI-LFN) causes vibroacoustic disease (VAD), with memory deficit as a primary non-auditory symptomatic effect of VAD. However, the underlying mechanism of the memory deficit is unknown. This study aimed to characterize potential mechanisms involving morphological changes of neurons and nerve fibers in the hippocampus, after exposure to HI-LFN.@*METHODS@#Adult wild-type and transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 4 knockout (TRPV4-/-) mice were used for construction of the HI-LFN injury model. The new object recognition task and the Morris water maze test were used to measure the memory of these animals. Hemoxylin and eosin and immunofluorescence staining were used to examine morphological changes of the hippocampus after exposure to HI-LFN.@*RESULTS@#The expression of TRPV4 was significantly upregulated in the hippocampus after HI-LFN exposure. Furthermore, memory deficits correlated with lower densities of neurons and neurofilament-positive nerve fibers in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) and dentate gyrus (DG) hippocampal areas in wild-type mice. However, TRPV4-/- mice showed better performance in memory tests and more integrated neurofilament-positive nerve fibers in the CA1 and DG areas after HI-LFN exposure.@*CONCLUSION@#TRPV4 up-regulation induced neurofilament positive nerve fiber injury in the hippocampus, which was a possible mechanism for memory impairment and cognitive decline resulting from HI-LFN exposure. Together, these results identified a promising therapeutic target for treating cognitive dysfunction in VAD patients.

Progress of the talin and the mechanical basis theory of memory / 解剖学报

Memory loss induced by aging and hypoxia is very common, so exploring the mechanism of memory production, storage and retrieval is of great significance to daily life and clinical work. The storage and retrieval of memory is probably similar to the computer. We summarized the research progress of MeshCODE theory, the mechanical basis of memory. Memory loss in certain diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease) or pathological conditions (such as aging, lack of oxygen) may be associated with abnormal folding of talin, a mechanosensitive protein. It can dynamically regulate synaptic activity by changing the state of the domain, storing or updating information about small changes in mechanical forces in binary form, and initiating chemical processes such as ligand redistribution in neurons, so that memory is stored in the brain in a binary format, known as the MeshCODE theory.

Factors affecting penile appearance and erectile function for postoperative hypospadias patients in adulthood: a long-term follow-up observational study / 现代泌尿外科杂志

【Objective】 To investigate the penile appearance, sexual function, psychological status and related influencing factors of adult patients who underwent hypospadias repair surgery in their minors, so as to provide reference for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of hypospadias. 【Methods】 This study included 50 adult hypospadias patients who underwent urethroplasty in our hospital during May 2005 and Aug. 2018. The present appearance, sexual function and psychological status were evaluated. The correlation and consistency between hypospadias objective scoring evaluation (HOSE) and pediatric penile perception score (PPPS) were analyzed. Factors affecting the results were determined with univariate and multivariate regression analysis. 【Results】 The satisfaction rate of HOSE was significantly correlated with the urethral length and complications (P=0.024, P=0.033). The satisfaction rate of PPPS was significantly correlated with the number of urethral operations and postoperative complications (P=0.041, P=0.023). There was a weak correlation between HOSE and PPPS (r=0.291, P=0.040), but almost no consistency (Kappa=0.2, P=0.107). Sixty percent of the patients paid attention to the ventral appearance of penis, whose dissatisfaction rate of PPPS was higher than those who did not pay attention to the ventral appearance of the penis (19/30 vs. 6/20, P=0.021). Patients with multiple operations (>1), postoperative complications or unsatisfactory penile appearance were more likely to have inferiority complex (52.6% vs. 22.6%, P=0.029; 59.1% vs.14.3%, P=0.001;61.5% vs. 24.3%, P=0.015). Multivariate regression analysis showed that dissatisfaction with the appearance of the penis was an independent risk factor for patients’ perception of their own physical defects. Among the patients who believed that they had physical defects, the percentage of patients with grade IV penile erectile hardness was significantly lower than that of those who denied they had physical defects (9/17 vs. 27/33, P=0.047). 【Conclusion】 The undesirable postoperative penis appearance is likely to have a negative impact on patients’ long-term psychological state, which might further damage the sexual function in adulthood. Surgeons should pay attention to the penile appearance during the conduction of hypospadias repair.

Identification of mixed medicinal powder of Epimedii Folium with different origins based on pyrosequencing technology / 药学学报

There are many multi-original medicinal materials in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and the mixed use of medicinal materials from different sources is common, which has certain influence on the stability of clinical medication. In this study, pyrosequencing technology was used to screen species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from commonly used DNA barcode sequences, and a rapid and accurate molecular identification method for original species in mixed medicinal powder of Epimedii Folium was established. Multiple sequence alignment analysis showed that the 176th (C/T) mutation and the 196th (A/G) mutation of ITS, the 123rd (C/G) mutation of matK and the 892nd (A/C) mutation of rbcL could be used as the unique SNPs of E. sagittatum, E. koreanum, E. brevicornu and E. pubescens, respectively. In this study, the applicability of pyrosequencing and Sanger sequencing methods in the sequencing of mixture samples was investigated from the perspective of sensitivity and stability. Pyrosequencing method has higher detection sensitivity than Sanger sequencing method for low content samples in the mixed samples. Stability analysis showed that pyrosequencing technology could still obtain effective sequencing results for the amplified products of template DNA after 45 min of 95 ℃ high temperature water bath, while the critical point of Sanger sequencing method was 30 min. In this study, a new identification technology of Epimedii Folium mixed powder primordial species based on pyrosequencing and specific SNP was developed, which can quickly and accurately identify the mixed use of Epimedii Folium with high sensitivity and stability, and can also support the identification of different primordial species and mixed powder primordial herbs, which is conducive to ensuring the consistency and stability of clinical medication.

Molecular epidemiological characteristics of the virus in 96 children with acute diarrhea in Changdu of Tibet, China / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the molecular epidemiological characteristics of the virus in children with acute viral diarrhea in Changdu of Tibet, China.@*METHODS@#Fecal specimens were collected from 96 children with acute diarrhea who visited the People's Hospital of Changdu, Tibet, from November 2018 to November 2020 and were tested for adenovirus, norovirus, astrovirus, sapovirus, and rotavirus. Gene sequencing was performed for the genotypes of these viruses.@*RESULTS@#The overall positive rate of the five viruses was 39% (37/96), among which astrovirus had the highest positive rate of 17%, followed by norovirus (9%), rotavirus (8%), adenovirus (7%), and sapovirus (5%). There was no significant difference in the positive rate of the five viruses among different age groups (P>0.05). Only the positive rate of astrovirus was significantly different among the four seasons (P<0.05). For adenovirus, 6 children had F41 type and 1 had C2 type; for norovirus, 6 had GⅠ.3 type, 1 had GⅠ.7 type, 1 had GⅡ.3 type, and 2 had GⅡ.4 Sydney_2012 type; HAstrV-1 type was observed in all children with astrovirus infection; for sapovirus, 1 child each had sporadic GⅠ.2, GⅠ.6, and GⅡ.1 sapovirus and 2 children had unknown type; 6 children had rotavirus G9[P8].@*CONCLUSIONS@#Astrovirus and norovirus are important pathogens in children with acute diarrhea in Changdu, Tibet. The positive rate of adenovirus, norovirus, astrovirus, sapovirus, and rotavirus is not associated with age, and only the positive rate of astrovirus has obvious seasonality. F41 type is the dominant genotype of adenovirus; GⅠ.3 is the dominant genotype of norovirus; HAstrV-1 is the dominant genotype of astrovirus; sporadic GⅠ.2, GⅠ.6, and GⅡ.1 are the dominant genotypes of sapovirus; G9[P8] is the dominant genotype of rotavirus.

Hypoglycemic mechanism of Psoraleae Fructus and its main chemical constituents / 中国中药杂志

With the rise of incidence, fatality rate, and number of young cases, diabetes mellitus has been one of the seven major diseases threatening human health. Although many antidiabetic drugs(oral or for injection) are available, the majority have serious side effects during the long-term use. Thus, it is of particularly vital to develop new drugs with low risk and definite effect. Psoraleae Fructus, a traditional medicinal widely used in the folk, has hypoglycemic, anti-osteoporosis, antitumor, estrogen-like, and anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, it has great clinical application potential. Chinese medicine and the active ingredients, characterized by multiple targets, multiple pathways, and multiple effects in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, have distinct advantages in clinical application. However, the safety of Chinese medicine remains to be a challenge, and one of keys is to clarifying the mechanism of a single Chinese medicinal and its active ingredients. With the method of literature research, this study summarized and analyzed the hypoglycemic mechanisms of Psoraleae Fructus and its main active ingredients over the last decade: regulating glucose metabolism, improving insulin resistance, and directly acting on pancreatic β-cells. The result is expected to serve as a reference for further research on the effects of Psoraleae Fructus and its main chemical constituents in lowering blood glucose and preventing diabetes mellitus and the clinical application.

Effect of air-oxygenated normothermic mechanical perfusion on rat kidney recovery following ischemic injury from donation after cardiac death / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective:To develop an ex vivo normothermic mechanical perfusion(NMP)and compare the effect of air-oxygenated NMP versus oxygen-oxygenated NMP on reducing renal injury from donor after cardiac death(DCD).Methods:All kidneys from DCD rats were subjected to 30 min in situ warm ischemia after cardiac attest.And harvested kidneys were stored for 8h under static cold preservation after NMP for 2h.In experimental groups, kidneys were subjected to either air-oxygenated NMP(group A, n=6)or oxygen-oxygenated NMP(group O, n=6). Sham operation(group C, n=6)and DCD kidneys under static cold preservation without NMP(group SCS, n=6)were employed as controls.The evaluation parameters included creatinine(Cr), aspartate amino transferase(AST)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)in perfusate, pathological changes by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining, histological criteria, expressions of myeloperoxidase and intercellular adhesion molecular-1(ICAM-1)by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay and level of malondialdehyde(MDA)by thiobarbital method and activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)by WST-8 in renal tissues.Differences between two groups were analyzed by two-tailed unpaired Student's test and differences among more than two groups by one-way ANOVA.Results:Renal arterial oxygen tensions in NMP perfusate were(576.3±68.2)mmHg with oxygen-oxygenation and(137.0±39.1)mmHg with air-oxygenation.There was significant difference( P<0.05). The pathological injury scores in groups SCS, O and A by HE staining were(7.0±0.1), (5.0±0.9)and(2.5±0.5); injury scores and the expressions of renal proximal tubular epithelial cell vacuolar degeneration in groups O and A were lower than those in group SCS( P<0.05)and injury score in group A was lower than group O( P<0.05). In perfusate, the levels of △Cr, △AST and △LDH in groups O and A were(43.9±52.8)μmol/L and(12.6±3.5)μmol/L, (532.3±52.8)U/L and(49.1±50.4)U/L and(9998.0±2014.4)U/L and(1477.0±810.4)U/L.There were significant differences( P<0.05). In perfused kidneys, the MDA level and SOD activity in groups O and A were(0.192±0.018)mmol/g, (0.162±0.023)mmol/g, (0.6±0.3)×10 3 U/g, (1.7±0.4)×10 3 U/g; TNF-α and IL-6 levels in groups O and A were(124.376±19.635)and(89.331±13.123)ng/g, and(4.038±1.026)×10 3 and(1.774±0.518)×10 3 ng/g.After air-oxygenated NMP, lower renal damage indices were characterized by a lower MDA level and a higher SOD activity, the lower levels of TNF-α and IL-6 and the lower expressions of MPO and ICAM-1 than those in oxygen-oxygenated NMP( P<0.05). Conclusions:NMP with air-oxygenation mimics renal perfusion under physiological conditions and decreases oxidative stress and inflammation injury.It may confer a better retrieval in DCD kidney against warm ischemia injury.

Impact of group cognitive behavioral therapy counseling on cognitive control among college students with high obsessive compulsive traits / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the effect of group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) on cognitive control among college students with high obsessive compulsive traits, to provide basic information for the psychological counseling intervention for college students.@*Methods@#From March to April 2019, 687 students were conveniently selected from 2 universities in Hefei. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 58 students with high obsessive traits were selected and divided into experimental group ( n =29) and control group ( n =29) by random number table method. The experimental group received cognitive behavioral group counseling for 4 weeks (1.5 h each time, twice a week), while the control group receive no intervention. The Obsessive Compulsive Inventory Revised (OCI-R), Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT), Digital Span Test (DST), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WSCT) were used to assess in two groups at baseline and 4 weeks later.@*Results@#After 4 weeks, the scores of OCI-R in the GCBT group (10.28±7.22) was lower than that of in the control group (15.90±10.20) ( t=2.42, P<0.05). Before and after intervention, compared with the control group [(21.89±6.63, 20.52±7.37)s, (8.62±4.43, 8.04±4.84)s] in Stroop C and Stroop interfere effects (SIE), the GCBT group [(22.14±4.92, 16.81±3.43)s, (8.36±3.87, 4.82±1.86)s], the interaction of time group was statistically significant ( F =14.60, 10.54, P <0.05). Compared with the control group (6.21±1.35, 6.55±1.45)times, the scores of DST reverse in the GCBT group (6.31±1.44, 7.24±1.38) times were statistically significant ( F=3.96, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#It suggests that cognitive behavioral group counseling can improve the inhibitory control and working memory of college students with high obsessive compulsive traits, but does not change the cognitive flexibility.

The inhibition mechanism of ZST93 on proliferation of K562 through regulating cell cycle and apoptosis induced by autophagy / 中国药理学通报

Aim To evaluate the effect of ZST93 on the proliferation in human chronic myeloid leukemia(CML)cells(K562)and explore the possible mechanism.Methods MTT assay, cell growth curve and inverted microscope were used to investigate the effect of ZST93 on proliferation of K562 cells.Cell transfection and Western blot were performed to detect the autophagy, while PI staining, Annexin V-FITC/PI and flow cytometry were conducted to determine cell apoptosis and its anticancer mechanism.Results ZST93 could significantly inhibit the proliferation of K562(IC50=2.59 μmol·L-1)and induce cell cycle arrest at G1-phase in a dose- and time-dependent manner.Also, through leading to accumulation of GFP-LC3, transition into LC3- II from LC3- 1 , and decrease of p62 expression, ZST93 induced autophagy initiation and autophagic flux.Furthermore, ZST93 induced extrinsic apoptotic pathway by activating caspase-8, and further promoted the cleavage of apoptosis related proteins including caspase-9, caspase-3 and PAR P.Moreover, Z-DEYD-FMK, the specific inhibitor of caspase-3 , could dramatically reduce the apoptosis induced by ZST93.Taken together, ZST93 could effec tively inhibit CML cells, arrest eell cycle at G,-phase, induce cell apoptosis anrl initiate autophagy.Conclusions The potential mechanism may he related to the regulation of autophagy intiation/caspase-8/caspase-3 signaling pathway, which provides a new idea and theoretical basis for the treatment of CML.

Clinical analysis of 379 patients of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Chengdu / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To analyze the clinical features and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Methods    A total of 379 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu from January 16 to November 30, 2020 were divided into two groups including an elderly group (42 patients, ≥60 years) and a non-elderly group (337 patients, <60 years) by age. The epidemiology, clinical features, laboratory tests, treatment and prognosis of the two groups were compared. Results    Among the 379 patients, 286 (75.5%) were males and 93 (24.5%) were females, aged from 2 months to 87 years, with an average age of 41.2 years. The average age of the elderly group was 69.5 years, and 61.9% of them were females. They were imported from Wuhan or local secondary patients (73.8%), mainly common or critical type (88.1%). While, the average age of the non-elderly group was 37.8 years, and males were more common (80.1%). There were mostly from foreign input (75.7%), mainly mild or ordinary type (95.0%). A total of 179 patients (47.2%) had one or more underlying diseases. Hypertension (15 patients, 35.7%) and diabetes (11 patients, 26.2%) were more common in the elderly group, while non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (132 patients, 39.2%) was more frequent in the non-elderly group. The most common clinical manifestations were fever (138 patients, 36.4%) and cough (129 patients, 34.0%). Fever, cough, dyspnea, and fatigue were more common in the elderly group than those in the non-elderly group (P<0.05). Compared with the non-elderly group, the elderly group had lower total lymphocyte count, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell count, higher level of myocardial injury or inflammation markers (P<0.05). Abnormal echocardiography in 139 patients (36.7%) was mainly caused by decreased left ventricular diastolic function (22.7%) and heart valve regurgitation (14.0%), and the rate in the elderly group was significantly higher than that in the non-elderly group (85.7% vs. 30.6%, P<0.05). After treatment, 3 patients in the elderly group died, and the others were cured and discharged. The hospitalization duration of the elderly group was longer than that of the non-elderly group (22.1 d vs. 18.8 d, P=0.033). Conclusions    Elderly COVID-19 patients are mainly imported from Wuhan or secondary to the local population, mainly common or critical type, often associated with basic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes. While, non-elderly COVID-19 patients are mainly imported from abroad, mainly mild or common type, often associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. After treatment, most of the patients have a good prognosis.

CAR T-cell immunotherapy: a powerful weapon for fighting hematological B-cell malignancies / 医学前沿

The current standard of care in hematological malignancies has brought considerable clinical benefits to patients. However, important bottlenecks still limit optimal achievements following a current medical practice. The genetic complexity of the diseases and the heterogeneity of tumor clones cause difficulty in ensuring long-term efficacy of conventional treatments for most hematological disorders. Consequently, new treatment strategies are necessary to improve clinical outcomes. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) immunotherapy opens a new path for targeted therapy of hematological malignancies. In this review, through a representative case study, we summarize the current experience of CAR T-cell therapy, the management of common side effects, the causative mechanisms of therapy resistance, and new strategies to improve the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy.

Application of DNA Microarray in Genetic Mutation Detection in Patients with Thalassemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To perform dried blood spots thalassemia gene detection in patients with positive blood phenotypes by microarray technology, and evaluate its value in clinical detection.@*METHODS@#DNA samples were extracted from dried blood spots of 410 patients. Microarray technology was used to detect 3 deletion and 3 non-deletion types of α-thalassemia and 19 β-thalassemia point mutations which were common gene mutions in China.@*RESULTS@#There were 357 positive cases in all the 410 tested samples with the positive rate 87.07%, among which 299 cases (72.93%) carried deletion or point mutations of α-thalassemia, 29 cases (7.07%) carried point mutations of β-thalassemia and 29 cases (7.07%) carried gene mutations of complex αβ-thalassemia syndrome. The mutations of α-thalassemia were involved with --@*CONCLUSION@#The most common genetic mutations are --

Methodological Evaluation of Microarray in the Detection of α-Thalassemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To proceed the clinical evaluation of DNA microarray for thalassemia gene detection.@*METHODS@#Peripheral blood samples of 166 thalassemia gene test subjects were collected and tested for thalassemia genes by microarray chip method and Gap-PCR method combined with PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization method according to double-blind control test. The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and total coincidence rate of the microarray chip method were evaluated. When the two methods were inconsistent, multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was used to verify the deletional α-thalassemia.@*RESULTS@#Compared with Gap-PCR method, specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, Youden index, and total coincidence rate of microarray chip method was 100% (70/70), 96.88% (93/96), 100% (93/93), 95.89% (70/73), 0.969, and 97.59% (162/166), respectively, while compared with PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization method was 100% (125/125), 100% (41/41), 100% (41/41), 100% (125/125), 1, and 100% (166/166), respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The microarray chip method for α-thalassemia gene detection shows the advantages of high specificity, sensitivity, and throughput.

Tissue-engineered cartilage nanoscaffolds prepared with collagen, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective:To explore the possibility of constructing tissue-engineered cartilage three-dimensional nanoscaffolds with collagen Ⅱ (COLⅡ), hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS).Methods:The tissue-engineered cartilage scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning techniques with the mixture COLⅡ-HA-CS solvent, which dissolved by 3-trifluoroethanol-water. The surface topography was observed under electron microscope (SEM). And the diameter of nanofibers, the water absorption rate, contact angle and degradation rate were also detected. Generation 2 rabbit chondrocytes were seeded into the scaffold. The cell survival rate and proliferation were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8.Results:When the concentration range of electrospinning was 80-120 mg/ml and the mixing ratio of Col, HA and CS was 6-8∶1∶1-2, the tissue engineered cartilage nanoscaffolds could be successfully prepared. Their diameters were mainly distributed between 126.5±23.3 nm and 374.7±14.1 nm. The scaffolds had satisfactory hydrophilicity and degradability. The chondrocytes could well adhere and proliferate on the scaffold.Conclusions:The COLⅡ-HA-CS tissue-engineered cartilage nanoscaffolds have good physical and biological properties, which suggests its promising application in tissue-engineered cartilage.

Experimental study of the effects of Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction on the expression of EGFR and MUC5AC in lung tissue of asthmatic rat model / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction on airway mucus hypersecretion of asthmatic rats and its regulation on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) / mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) signal pathway. Methods:Seventy SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, high dose group, medium dose group, low dose group, western medicine group and combined group, with 10 rats in each group. Except the normal group, the other groups were sensitized with 1 ml ovalbumin and aluminum hydroxide mixture to establish the asthma rat model. On the 16th day of the experiment, the high, medium and low dose groups were given Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction of 40, 20, 10 g/kg, respectively, the western medicine group was given carboxymethylstein tablets of 150 mg/kg, and the combined group was given Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction of 20 g/kg and carboxymethylstein tablets of 150 mg/kg, once a day, for 4 weeks. The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) in serum of rats were detected by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), the total number and classification of leukocytes in BALF were observed by Wright Giemsa staining, the pathological changes of lung tissue were observed by glycogen staining (PAS). The protein expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and MUC5AC (MUC5AC) were detected by Western blotting, and the mRNA expression of EGFR and MUC5AC was detected by Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Results:Compared with the model group, the level of IL-13 and TNF-α in the high, medium and low dose groups of traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine group and combined group was significantly decreased ( P<0.05). The levels of WBC, eosinophils and neutrophils in rat alveolar lavage fluid were significantly decreased ( P<0.05). The expression of EGFR (0.466 ± 0.023, 0.354 ± 0.047, 0.667 ± 0.066, 0.553 ± 0.065, 0.290 ± 0.033 vs. 0.782 ± 0.047) and MUC5AC (0.424 ± 0.022, 0.313 ± 0.033, 0.603 ± 0.051, 0.495 ± 0.041, 0.243 ± 0.024 vs. 0.806 ± 0.090) significantly decreased ( P<0.05), the m RNA expression of EGFR (2.302 ± 0.321, 2.549 ± 0.623, 3.084 ± 0.453, 2.585 ± 0.314, 1.810 ± 0.379 vs. 4.101 ± 0.567), MUC5AC (3.243 ± 0.742, 3.283 ± 1.064, 4.419 ± 0.572, 3.817 ± 0.637, 2.469 ± 0.424 vs. 5.840 ± 0.661) in the high, medium and low dose groups, western medicine group and combined group was significantly decreased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Yunpi-Xiefei-Huatan Decoction ccould inhibit asthma, and its mechanism mightbe related to the EGFR/MUC5AC signaling pathway.

Development of Fucosterol Certified Reference Material / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:According to the GB/T 15000.3-2008， to develop a fucosterol certified reference material based on the project approved by Standardization Administration. Method:Fucosterol was isolated from <italic>Laminaria japonica</italic> dried thallus via 95% ethanol extraction， vacuum concentration， repeated column chromatography separation， recrystallization in petroleum ether-ethyl acetate， and residual solvent removal. Its chemical structure was identified by elemental analysis （EA）， infrared spectrum （IR）， mass spectrometry （MS）， nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Its homogeneity， stability， and cooperative certification conducted by 8 laboratories were carried out by high performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detector. Result:For the fucosterol reference material， the certified value of purity was 99.54% with expanded uncertainty of 0.16% in confidence interval of 95%， the stability was good within 24 months storage period at 2-4 ℃， which met the technical requirements of reference material and passed the acceptance organized by Standardization Administration. Conclusion:The national standard materials of fucosterol has been successfully developed， which can be used for the determination of this component， the evaluation of detection methods， and the detection and quality control of related products.