Protective Effect of Tangshen Formula () on Interstitial Cells of Cajal in Colon of Diabetic Rats / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of Tangshen Formula (, TSF), a Chinese herbal medicine, on interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the colon of diabetic rats.@*METHODS@#Fifty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control (NC, n=14) and high-fat diet (HFD) groups (n=40). After 6 weeks, the rats in the HFD group were injected intraperitoneally streptozotocin once (30 mg/kg). Thirty rats with fasting blood glucose higher than 11.7 mmol/L were randomly divided into diabetes (DM) and TSF groups, 15 rats in each group. Rats in the NC and DM groups were intragastrically administered with saline, and those in the TSF group were given with TSF (2.4 g/kg) once daily for 20 weeks. Expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 in colonic smooth muscle layer were measured by Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. The number of ICC was determined by immunohistochemical staining. Immunofluorescence was used for analyzing the ratio of classically activated macrophages (M1) and alternatively activated macrophages (M2) to total macrophages. Electron microscopy was used to observe the epithelial ultrastructure and junctions.@*RESULTS@#TSF appeared to partially prevented loss of ICC in DM rats (P<0.05). Compared with the NC group, expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, and TNF-α as well as the ratio of M1 to total macrophages increased in DM rats (all P<0.05), and the ratio of M2 to total macrophages decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the DM group, TSF decreased the expression levels of abovementioned proteins and restore M2 to total macrophages ratio (P<0.05 or P<0.01). TSF appeared to attenuate the ultrastructural changes of epithelia and improve the tight and desmosome junctions between epithelia reduced in the DM rats.@*CONCLUSION@#Reduced number of ICC in DM rats may be associated with damage of the intestinal barrier. The protective effects of TSF on ICC may be through repair of the epithelial junctions, which attenuates inflammation and inflammation-initiated apoptosis in colon of DM rats.

Identification of common differential genes in three animal models of diabetic nephropathy / 医学研究生学报

ObjectiveAnimal model is an important means to study the pathogenesis and drug therapy of diabetic nephropathy. In this paper, the techniques of bioinformatics were used to analyze the common susceptibility genes and pathways in the kidneys of three diabetic nephropathy animal models of BKS db/db, BKS eNOS-/db/db and DBA-STZ3, so as to discover new and important genes and pathways, thus providing new ideas for the study of the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.MethodsThe GSE33744 dataset was downloaded from the GEO database, and the differential genes of three animal models of diabetic nephropathy were analyzed by Limma package in R language. The genes differentially expressed in all models were obtained by intersection, and were then analyzed by GO, KEGG and PPI networks and screened for key genes and pathways.Results144 genes were differentially expressed in three animal models of diabetic nephropathy. GO analysis showed that these genes were enriched in the cell membrane and extracellular regions; in biological processes such as innate immune response, oxidation-reduction process and immune system process; and in molecular functions such as oxidoreductase activity, carbohydrate binding and heme binding. KEGG analysis indicated that the differential genes were enriched in signaling pathways such as PPAR signaling pathway, arachidonic acid metabolism, butyric acid metabolism and circadian rhythm. PPI network analysis suggested that Cd68, Ccl6, Fcer1g, Tyrobp, Clec4n, Lyz2, Ms4a6d, Ly86, Ctss, Cfp and Mpeg1 may be the key genes in the development of diabetic nephropathy.ConclusionSome genes and signaling pathways are altered in multiple kidneys of the diabetic animal models, suggesting that these genes and pathways play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.

Hand hygiene cognition among healthcare-associated infection management staff in Gansu Province / 中国感染控制杂志

Objective To understand the cognition and influencing factors of hand hygiene (HH) among healthcare-associated infection (HAI) management staff in Gansu Province, and provide reference for enhancing the special competency of HAI management staff.Methods According to geographical area, natural and human characteristics, HAI management staff in 69 hospitals in different areas of Gansu Province were selected to conduct a questionnaire and field survey on their basic condition and knowledge of HH, current situation, and influencing factors for HH knowledge were analyzed.Results Among 69 surveyed hospitals, 82.61％ were secondary hospitals, 17.39％ were tertiary hospitals;among 125 surveyed HAI management staff, 82.40％ were full-time staff and 17.60％ were parttime staff.33.60％ and 66.40％ of HAI management staff had complete and incomplete knowledge of HH respectively;the knowledge about importance of HH, use of hand disinfectant, installation of HH facilities, hand washing methods, hand drying methods, HH indications, and standard for judging qualified HH in tertiary hospitals were all higher than those in secondary hospitals (all P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that independent protective factors for HH cognition were working for≥5 years and＜10 years in HH management (OR=3.067), bachelor's degree (OR=3.331), and full-time job (OR=10.309).Conclusion HAI management staff's cognition on HH among is low, especially those who have been engaged in HH management for less than 5 years, whose educational background is secondary school or lower, and part-time personnel.It is necessary to combine with actual condition to strengthen professional competence training for HH management staff.

Study on mechanism of astragaloside Ⅳ in treatment of pulmonary fibrosis with epithelial-mesenchymal transition / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE Currently discussing the clinical treatment of pulmonary fibrosis commonly used drugs astragalus main active ingredient astragalosideⅣ(ASTⅣ)in vitro after transforming growth factor-β1 induced lung adenocarcinoma A549 epithelial cells after epithelial cell interstitial Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition(EMT). METHODS The effect of astragalosideIV on the proliferation of A549 cells was detected by MTT assay for the first time.No significant effect of astragaloside on the prolifera-tion of A549 cells was found in the range of 1.25-20 μmol/L. A549 cells in vitro were divided into 5 groups: normal group, control group, low, medium and high experimental groups, which were treated for 72 hours,and the morphological changes of cells in each group were observed by light microscope. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting were performed. Detection of gene and protein expression levels. RESULTS The results of real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that the quantitative analysis of high-dose astragalosideⅣin the experimental group was lower than that of the control group in the α-SMA analysis,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The dose of AstragalosideⅣ in the experimental group was higher than that of the control group in the E-Cad analysis,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Western Blot results showed that the expression of α-SMA antibody in the high-dose and low-dose experimental group was lower than that in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The high-dose experimental group had a significantly higher expression of E-Cad antibody than the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). CONCLUSION This study uses A549 epithelial cells as a model, A549 cells were modeled and confirmed that Astragaloside can effectively inhibit TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)and provide a new basis for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Identification and preparation of a glycol-protein fraction AN from tea extracts and its and anti-hyperglycosemia activity / 中国中药杂志

The present study compared active ingredients of tea from different sources to select tea type and the fraction of tea extracts for the highest anti-hyperglycemic activity, and to verify anti-hyperglycemic activity of the selected tea extract. Tea extracts were separated and enriched by molecular weight using ultra-filtration technology. The extracts were first screened by -glucosidase inhibition assay, followed by using a rat inverted intestine sac system to measure the effect on glucose transport. Both alloxan-induced diabetic rat model and high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin-induced rat diabetes mellitus model were used to study the effects of active components on blood glucose, body weight, insulin resistance. The experimental results showed that the different kinds of tea extracts had different inhibitory effects on -glucosidase, and the inhibitory effect of tea extract E on -glucosidase was stronger. The effects of different components of tea extract E also varied greatly, of which Fraction AN protein had stronger inhibitory effect on -glucosidase than other fragments, and Fraction AN protein had a strong inhibitory effect on glucose transport, reduced blood sugar and normalized insulin secretion in diabetic rats. The results suggest that a glycol-protein fraction(AN) from the extracts might be responsible for the anti-hyperglycemic activity of tea polysaccharides. The AN glycol-protein fraction has strong inhibitory effects on both -glucosidase activity and glucose transport by the small intestine. It also reduced blood glucose level and normalized insulin secretion in diabetic rats, and has a protective effect on diabetic rats.

Experimental study of Tangshen formulain improved lipid metabolism and phenotypic switch of macrophage in db/db mice / 中国中药杂志

Obesity and its associated metabolic disorders, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), have become major chronic diseases threatening public health. NAFLD is a chronic liver disorder that is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity. In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanism of Tangshen formula (TSF) on hepatic dyslipidemia and phenotypic switch of macrophage in db/db mice. Eight-week-old male C57BLKS/J db/m control and db/db mice were divided into 3 groups (namely db/m, db/db, db/db+TSF), and fed with TSF or distilled water for 12 weeks. It was found that after treatment with TSF, the triglycerides accumulation in db/db mice was decreased on the basis of oil red O staining with cryosections of liver tissues. And protein expressions of macrophage activation markers CD68 and F4/80 were decreased according to immunohistochemical analysis of hepatic sections. The mRNA level of TNF-α (M1 marker) was significantly decreased by TSF in db/db mice, but with no significant difference in Mrc1 and Arg1 (M2 marker). According to the results, TSF attenuated hepatic steatosis and relieved dyslipidemia, its mechanism may be correlated with the regulation of macrophage activation and phenotypic switch.

Impact of hypothyroidism on sperm motility of male rats / 中国地方病学杂志

Objective To study the impact of hypothyroidism on sperm motility in male rat.Methods According to body weight,20 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group and hypothyroidism group (1 ml/100 g/day,0.1％ propylthiouracil by intragastric administration for 60 days) 10 rats in eachgroup.Body weight of these rats was observed every 3 days.After the last intragastric administration,all rats were killed.The levels of thyroid hormones [total triiodothyronine (T3),total thyroxine (T4),and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)] were measured by radioimmunoassay.Sperm motility parameters[average path velocity(VAP),straight fine velocity (VSL),straightness (STR),amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH),sperm density(p),curvilinear velocity (VCL),linearity(LIN),wobble (WOB),mean angular deviation (MAD) and beat cross frequency (BCF)] were measured by a WLJY-9000 color-detection system.Results Compared with the control groups[(298.20 ± 12.15) g,(344.00 ± 13.73)g],the weights of hypothyroidism group of the 30 days[(239.00 ± 15.02) g] and the 60 days [(232.67 ± 17.86)g] were significantly lower(t =7.704,11.380,all P ＜ 0.05).The levels of T3[(373.3 ± 101.3) ng/L] and T4 [(4.00 ± 0.89) × 103 ng/ml] of hypothyroidism group were significantly decreased compared with that of the control groups [(1000.0 ± 273.5)ng/L,(44.33 ± 7.84)× 103 ng/L,t =5.262,12.520,all P ＜ 0.05].Level of TSH[(5.77 ± 0.89) × 103 U/L] of hypothyroidism group was significantly increased compared with that of the control group[(1.87 ± 0.70) × 103 U/L,t =8.413,P ＜ 0.05].Values of VAP[(27.45 ± 1.59)μm/s],VSL [(21.08 ± 1.10)μm/s],STR[(70.53 ± 3.48)％] and ALH[(1.96 ± 0.26)μm] of hypothyroidism group were significantly increased compared with that of the control groups[(24.38 ± 2.59)μm/s,(17.99±2.06)μm/s,(65.93 ± 2.71)％,(1.53 ± 0.27)μm,t =2.687,2.404,2.420,3.175,all P ＜ 0.05].p[(5.07 ± 0.74)109/L] of hypothyroidism group was significantly decreased compared with that of the control group [(8.76 ± 1.01)109/L,t =6.463,P ＜ 0.05].VCL[(52.83 ± 5.56)μm/s],LIN[(38.58 ± 3.41)％],WOB[(52.64 ± 3.24)％],MAD [(64.21 ± 6.71) radian/s] and BCF [(8.93 ± 0.62) Hz] of hypothyroidism group were not significantly different compared with that of the control groups[(49.92 ± 6.43) μm/s,(36.52 ± 2.73)％,(52.49 ± 3.49)％,(62.77 ± 7.34)radia/s,(9.32 ± 0.61)Hz,t =0.805,1.089,0.037,0.341,1.033,all P ＞ 0.05].Conclusion Hypothyroidism can affect sperm activity in male rats,decrease sperm density and cause damage to the reproductive system.

The theory of homogeny of liver and kidney in the treatment of kidney and liver fibrosis / 中国结合医学杂志

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic liver disease are both very harmful to human health almost all over the world, which lead to the fibrosis of the two organs ultimately. Currently, there are few satisfactory therapeutic methods in treating the two diseases. Some research works from Chinese medicine and Western medicine were done in the area recently, the results showed that kidney and liver fibrosis shared similar biological signals and events such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and transforming growth factor β 1, the same herbal mesenchymal medicine exhibited significantly improving effects on both liver fibrosis and kidney fibrosis by involving similar mechanism. This coincides with the theory of homogeny of Liver (Gan) and Kidney (Shen) of Chinese medicine. It would provides new clues in exploring the treatment of liver fibrosis and kidney fibrosis.

The effects of fluoride on metal elements in the testis tissue of male rats / 中国地方病学杂志

Objective To probe into the effects of fluoride on metal elements in the testis tissue of male rats, and provide experimental basis to further research for reproductive toxicity of fluoride. Methods Thirty-two healthy male Wistar rats, weighting 150 - 180 g, were randomly divided into 4 groups, normal sodium(control) by intragastrie administration for 90 days, and body weight was observed daily. After the last intragastric administration, all rats were killed by cervical dislocation. The contents of calcium(Ca), ferri(Fe), zincum(Zn),cuprum(Cu ) and magnesium(Mg) in the testis tissue were measured by atomic absorption speetrophotometry.Results After 30 days exposure, the difference of body weight between groups was statistically significant(F=3.884, P 0.05). The difference of Ca, Zn and Mg levels among four groups was statistically significant(F = 6.630, 6.844, 5.333, all P 0.05). Conclusion Chronic fluorosis can affect the levels of metal elements in rat testis and damage the reproductive system.