The investigation on the role of mitochondrial fusion protein 1 in the development of myopia.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to preliminarily investigate the expression of mitochondrial fusion protein 1 (MFN1) in a lens‑induced animal myopia (LIM) model and to explore the relationship between MFN1 and the visual development. Materials and Methods: MFN1 gene expression in guinea pigs was examined during the development of minus LIM, 15 tri‑colored guinea pigs were obtained, and one eye of each pig was randomly selected and treated with −7.00D lenses. Ocular refraction and axial length were collected before intervention and 1, 2, and 3 weeks after intervention. After the refraction and axial length measurements at 1, 2, and 3 weeks of lens intervention, five guinea pigs were randomly selected. MFN1 expression in the retina of both eyes was tested by immunohistochemistry technique. Results: MFN1‑positive cells could be observed in the retina of both eyes. The positive cells in the LIM eyes were staining deeper, and much more positive cells could be observed. Furthermore, MFN1‑positive expression could be seen mainly in ganglion cells after 1 week of minus lens intervention, and with time extension, more and more positive cells appeared in the rod‑cone cell and bipolar cell layer, and this phenomenon could not be found in the normal control eyes. Conclusion: This study suggested that MFN1 might be correlated to the development of myopia.

Danhong injection, ligustrazine injection, combined adsorbable biomembranes prevented adhesion of tendons after the repair operation: a clinical research / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect and the mechanism of Danhong Injection (DI), Ligustrazine Injection (LI), and adsorbable biomembranes in preventing the adhesion of tendons and tissues.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 120 patients all suffering from simple flexor digitorum tendon rupture on the hand zone two damaged by sharp weapons were randomly assigned to Group A (Dikang adsorbable biomembrane), Group B (Tianxinfu adsorbable biomembrane), Group C (Tianxinfu adsorbable biomembrane + Ligustrazine group), and Group D (Tianxinfu adsorbable biomembrane + DI group) in accordance with random digit table, 30 cases in each group. Indicators such as total active movement (TAM) of the hand tendon, Minnesota manual dexterity test (MMDT), and finger flex strength test (FFST) were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The TAM and the favorable rate were higher in Group C and D than in Group A and B at post-operative 4 and 8 week (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference between Group C and D (P > 0.05). Each index of MMDT was lower in Group C and D than in Group A and B (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in FFST among all the 4 groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Combined application of LI or DI with Tianxinfu adsorbable biomembranes could effectively prevent the adhesion of tendons. DI showed equivalent effect as LI did. Besides, the combined application was superior in preventing adhesion to using Xintianfu adsorbable biomembrane or Dikan adsorbable biomembrane alone.</p>

Characterization of cry2-type genes of Bacillus thuringiensis strains from soil-isolated of Sichuan basin, China

Sichuan basin, situated in the west of China, is the fourth biggest basin in China. In order to describe a systematic study of the cry2-type genes resources from Bacillus thuringiensis strains of Sichuan basin, a total of 791 Bacillus thuringiensis strains have been screened from 2650 soil samples in different ecological regions. The method of PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to identify the type of cry2 genes. The results showed that 322 Bacillus thuringiensis strains harbored cry2-type genes and four different RFLP patterns were found. The combination of cry2Aa/cry2Ab genes was the most frequent (90.4 percent), followed by cry2Aa (6.8 percent) and cry2Ab alone (2.5 percent), and only one novel type of cry2 gene was cloned from one isolate (JF19-2). The full-length of this novel gene was obtained by the method of thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (Tail-PCR), which was designated as cry2Ag1 (GenBank No. ACH91610) by the Bt Pesticide Crystal Protein Nomenclature Committee. In addition, the result of scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observation showed that these strains had erose, spherical, bipyramidal, and square crystal. And the results of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) demonstrated that these strains harbored about one to three major proteins. These strains exhibited a wide range of insecticidal spectrum toxic to Aedes aegypti (Diptera) and Pieris rapae Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera). Particularly, JF19-2 contained cry2Ag gene had the highest insecticidal activity. All these researches mentioned above revealed the diversity and particularity of cry2-type gene resources from Bacillus thuringiensis strains in Sichuan basin.