Mechanism of Didangtang in Inhibiting Aortic NLRP3 Inflammasome Cascade of Mice with Diabetic Macrovascular Disease / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the progression of diabetic macrovascular disease and the effects of Didangtang at different doses on it. Method:Four-week-old male apolipoprotein-E knockout （ApoE^-/-） mice with diabetic macrovascular disease induced by exposure to high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin （STZ） were randomly divided into the model， simvastatin， as well as high-， medium-， and low-dose Didangtang groups. The age-matched ApoE^-/- mice of the same batch only fed with a high-fat diet were classified into the ApoE^-/- （model control） group， and C57BL/6 mice with the same genetic background receiving a regular diet into the normal group. The sampling was conducted at the 8th and 20th weeks of the experiment for observing the pathological characteristics of the aorta and the proportion of plaque area in mice of each group at different time points， followed by the comparison of blood glucose， blood lipid， and oxidized low-density lipoprotein （ox-LDL） levels. The aortic NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） and cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1 （Caspase-1） protein expression was detected by Western blot assay， and the serum interleukin-1<italic>β</italic> （IL-1<italic>β</italic>）， interleukin-18 （IL-18）， interleukin-1<italic>α</italic> （IL-1<italic>α</italic>）， and tumor necrosis factor-<italic>α</italic> （TNF-<italic>α</italic>） levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Result:The comparison with the normal group revealed that the proportions of plaque area in the ApoE^-/- group and the model group were increased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， while the proportion of plaque area in each administration group was significantly reduced in contrast to that of the model group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The aortic NLRP3 and Caspase-1 protein expression levels as well as the serum IL-1<italic>β</italic>， IL-18， IL-1<italic>α</italic>， and TNF-<italic>α </italic>levels in the ApoE^-/- group and the model group were significantly higher than those in the normal group （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with the model group， each administration group exhibited a significant reduction in aortic NLRP3 and Caspase-1 protein expression and serum IL-1<italic>β</italic>， IL-18， IL-1<italic>α</italic>， and TNF-<italic>α</italic> levels （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， with the strongest inhibitory effect detected in the medium-dose Didangtang group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Conclusion:Didangtang directly alleviates diabetic macrovascular disease possibly by down-regulating NLRP3 and Caspase-1 protein expression and easing the inflammatory cascade.

Pulmonary ventilation function parameters of children aged 5-14 years in Kunming, China: a comparative analysis of measured values versus predicted values based on Zapletal equation / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the percentage of the measured values of the main pulmonary ventilation function parameters in their predicted values based on Zapletal equation among healthy children aged 5-14 years in Kunming, China, and to provide a basis for accurate judgment of pulmonary ventilation function in clinical practice.@*METHODS@#A total of 702 healthy children aged 5-14 years (352 boys and 350 girls) from Kunming were enrolled. The Jaeger spirometer was used to measure the nine indices:forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), forced expiratory flow at 25% of forced vital capacity (FEF25), forced expiratory flow at 50% of forced vital capacity (FEF50), forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF75), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV). The values obtained from the Zapletal equation of predicted values provided by the spirometer were used as the predicted values of children, and the percentage of measured values in predicted values was calculated.@*RESULTS@#In the 702 children, the percentages of the measured values of the main pulmonary ventilation function parameters PEF, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and MVV in their predicted values fluctuated from 102% to 114%, 94% to 108%, 98% to 113%, 98% to 107%, and 141% to 183% respectively. As for the main airway velocity parameters, the percentages of the measured values of FEF25, FEF50, FEF75, and MMEF in their predicted values fluctuated from 98% to 116%, 85% to 102%, 71% to 98%, and 83% to 100% respectively. The percentages of the measured values of PEF, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, MVV, FEF25, FEF50, FEF75, and MMEF in their predicted values had the lower limits of normal of 88.2%, 88.4%, 92.0%, 94.4%, 118.5%, 82.9%, 70.0%, 62.1%, and 70.1% respectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#There are differences between pulmonary ventilation function parameter levels and normal values provided by Zapletal equation in healthy children aged 5-14 years in Kunming. As for the pulmonary ventilation function parameters of PEF, FVC, FEV, FEV1/FVC, MVV, FEF25, FEF50, FEF75, and MMEF in these children, the lower limits of normal of measured values in predicted values may be determined as 88.2%, 88.4%, 92.0%, 94.4%, 118.5%, 82.9%, 70.0%, 62.1%, and 70.1% respectively.

Changes of C-Reactive Protein and Von Willebrand Factor in Children with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Caused by Non-Infective Diseases / 实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To explore the changes of C-reactive protein(CRP) and von willebrand(VW) factor levels on pathogenesis of systemic inflammatory response syndrome(SIRS)caused by non-infective diseases in children.Methods Thirty-two children who attained to SIRS criterias caused by non-infective diseases were selected as study group,who were further divided into multiple organ(fai)-lure(MOF)group and non-MOF group according to whether the patients had MOF.Blood samples were taken to measure VW factor and CRP by ELISA and immune turbidimetry respectively.Twenty health children were as control group.Results Concentrations of blood VW factor(37 mg/L) and CRP[(185.50?27.71)%] were significantly higher in children with SIRS than those in control group(all(P