Preparation and evaluation of Indigo Naturalis dry suspension based on powder surface modification / 药学学报

A dry suspension of Indigo Naturalis (IN) based on lactose-IN composite particles was designed by powder modification technology to meet the clinical needs of IN. The contact angle was used as an evaluation index to investigate the effects of the type of modifier lactose, the amount of lactose, and the co-grinding time of lactose and IN on the hydrophilicity of IN. The difference between IN before and after modification was compared through physical properties such as particle size and scanning electron microscope, as well as hydrophilic properties such as surface free energy and multiple light scattering. The optimal process of lactose-IN composite particles is as follows: after lactose is ground alone for 2 minutes, it is co-ground with IN at a ratio of 1∶1 for 6 minutes. The results of the investigation of powder properties show that the particle size d0.9 of IN is reduced from 112.75 μm to 87.30 μm after modification. The BET and Langmuir specific surface areas decreased by 8.661 m2·g-1 and 12.512 m2·g-1, respectively. SEM shows that lactose is attached to the surface of modified IN (MIN); surface element analysis shows that Si, Ca, and Mg elements of MIN are smaller than IN, and O elements are larger. The infrared spectrum shows that the MIN possesses the characteristic peaks of both IN and lactose. Compared MIN with IN, the contact angle and the non-polar surface free energy decreased by 35.1° and 9.975 mJ·m-2, respectively; the polar surface free energy and the surface free energy increased by 36.956 and 26.950 mJ·m-2, respectively. The results of multiple light scattering showed that the light transmittance of MIN was 35% lower than that of IN, and the backscattered light intensity was increased by about 25%. Only one excipient was used to successfully prepare IN dry suspension with good wettability and suspending property, which provided a basis for the development of new preparations of IN.

Species differences of Baishouwu based on characteristic chromatogram and content determination of acetophenones / 药学实践杂志

Objectives To provide scientific basis for the quality control of different species of Baishouwu by establishing the HPLC fingerprint of domestic of Baishouwu and determining the main active components of acetophenones. Methods HPLC-DAD method was used to determine the HPLC fingerprints of domestic of Baishouwu. Then, the content of 4 kinds of acetophenones in Baishouwu was determined. The column was Diamonsil C18（250mm×4.6mm, 5μm）with the mobile phase of methanol and 0.1% phosphoric acid at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The detection wavelength of p-Hydroxyl acetophenone, baishouwu benzophenone, 2',4'-Dihydroxy acetophenone was set at 260 nm and 2',5'-Dihydroxy acetophenone at 280 nm respectively. Results The similarity and cluster analysis in HPLC fingerprint showed that the constituents were significantly different among C. bungei, C. auriculatum and C. wilfordii. The content of total acetophenones in C. wilfordii was significantly higher than that in other localities of C. auriculatum and C. bungei. Conclusions Acetophenone could be used as the evaluation index to evaluate the quality of Baishouwu in different origins. The content of total acetophenone in C. wilfordii is the highest, which could be used as the best quality resource of Baishouwu.

Research progress on the correlation between Helicobacter pylori and ocular diseases / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Helicobacter pylori is a common gram-negative bacterium, which is associated with a variety of gastroenteric diseases, such as gastritis, duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer. Recent studies suggested a potential role of Helicobacter pylori in the pathogenesis of common ocular diseases, such as central serous chorioretinopathy, glaucoma, anterior uveitis and ocular adnexal lymphoma. Helicobacter pylori might affect the pathophysiological process of ocular diseases through oxidative damage, circulatory disorders and immune injury. Some studies also suggested that eradication of Helicobacter pylori had certain effects on some ocular diseases. This review aims to summarize current evidence of the Helicobacter pylori in the pathogenesis of common ocular diseases, so as to encourage innovative approaches in the prevention and treatment of these ocular diseases.

Effect of Guilu Erxiangao on Alzheimer's Disease and Its Mechanism Based on Kidney-brain Correlation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of Guilu Erxiangao on Alzheimer's disease （AD） model rats induced by hydrocortisone and amyloid β-protein（Aβ） based on the theory of kidney-brain correlation. MethodIntraperitoneal injection of hydrocortisone and intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ were performed to induce AD in rats， and different concentrations of Guilu Erxiangao were used for intervention. The indexes of hippocampus， kidney and adrenal gland were measured， and the spatial learning and memory ability of AD rats was observed by Morris water maze experiment. The levels of testosterone （T） and corticosterone （CORT） in serum samples were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （LC-MS） was used to collect and analyze the serum metabolic data of model rats. The active components and corresponding targets of Guilu Erxiangao were collected using Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform（TCMSP）， a Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechANism of Traditional Chinese Medicine （BATMAN-TCM） and Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database（TCMID）. GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） were retrieved to obtain AD-related targets， and protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed to perform gene ontology （GO）and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analysis. The expression level of interleukin-6 （IL-6） in the hippocampus of rats was detected by Western blot. ResultCompared with the model group， the low-， medium- and high-dose groups of Guilu Erxiangao exhibited significantly increased hippocampus index， kidney index and adrenal gland index， reduced CORT levels in serum and down-regulated IL-6 levels in hippocampal tissues. According to the results of water maze experiment， as compared with the model group， the platform crossing times of rats was significantly increased in the low- and high-dose groups of Guilu Erxiangao， with evidently prolonged distance traveled in quadrant Ⅲ （%） and time in quadrant Ⅲ （%）. A total of 24 serum differential metabolites associated with AD were identified by LC-MS， and 50 high-frequency common compounds and 187 high-frequency common targets for AD treatment were screened by network pharmacology method. Results demonstrated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases（PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt） signaling pathway plays an important role in the complex AD pathological mechanism. ConclusionGuilu Erxiangao can significantly improve the cognitive dysfunction of AD model rats induced by hydrocortisone and Aβ， reduce serum CORT levels and IL-6 levels in hippocampal tissues， and regulate the metabolic level， which provides a reference for its clinical application.

Progress in risk factors of diabetic macular edema / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#Diabetic macular edema(DME)is a severe ocular complication of diabetes and one of the leading causes of vision loss in diabetic patients. The pathogenesis of DME is complicated, and the key to treatment is controlling the systemic factors that cause the deterioration of DME. The existing studies have shown that the increased risk of DME is related to many factors. In this paper, the risk factors of DME were reviewed to provide theoretical support for the research and prevention of DME.

Mechanical stress and melanoma: a retrospective analysis of 129 cases of plantar melanoma / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To analyze potential roles of mechanical stress in the formation of plantar melanoma.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 129 cases of plantar melanoma in Xiangya Hospital, Central South University between 2014 and 2021, and the distribution and clinical characteristics of plantar melanoma were analyzed. The goodness-of-fit test was used to compare the distribution of plantar melanoma between weight-bearing areas (the toes, forefoot, lateral midfoot, heel) and non-weight-bearing areas of the foot (the arch) , while t test, Fisher′s exact test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to analyze differences in clinicopathological characteristics of plantar melanoma between weight-bearing areas and non-weight-bearing areas of the foot. Results:Among the 129 patients with plantar melanoma, 66 (51.2%) were males and 63 (48.8%) were females, and their age at onset was 60.6 ± 13.1 years. Plantar melanoma mostly occurred on the heel (65 lesions, 1.31 lesions per square centimeter) , followed by the forefoot (31 lesions, 0.41 lesions per square centimeter) , the bottom of the toes (15 lesions, 0.43 lesions per square centimeter) , lateral midfoot (11 lesions, 0.38 lesions per square centimeter) and the arch of foot (7 lesions, 0.16 lesions per square centimeter) . The goodness-of-fit test showed that melanoma was more prone to occur in the weight-bearing areas than in the non-weight-bearing areas ( χ2 = 66.59, P < 0.001) ; compared with the arch of foot, a higher incidence density was observed in the heel and forefoot ( χ2 = 38.29, 5.23, P < 0.001, = 0.022, respectively) . There were no significant differences in the gender ratio, age and occupation of patients, prevalence rates of left/right foot involvement, Breslow thickness, ulceration status, Clark grades, lymph node metastasis rate, and stages between melanomas in the weight-bearing areas and those in non-weight-bearing areas (all P > 0.05) . Conclusion:Plantar melanoma was more prone to occur in the weight-bearing areas than in the non-weight-bearing areas, suggesting that mechanical stress may be related to the occurrence and development of melanoma.

Recommendations for the medication of rheumatic diseases in periconceptional period / 中华内科杂志

Rheumatic diseases are a kind of chronic inflammatory diseases mainly involving joints and surrounding tissues. Most patients with rheumatic diseases need long-term treatment, which is difficult to be avoided during pregnancy. Treatment efficacy, as well as maternal and fetal safety should be taken into account in the medical decision. Based on the domestic and foreign guidelines, consensus, diagnosis and treatment experience, Chinese Rheumatology Association developed the standardization of medication use in patients with rheumatic diseases preparing and during pregnancy, aiming on the application and precautions of commonly used medicines for rheumatic diseases in preparing pregnancy, pregnancy and lactation.

Rehmanniae Radix and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata improve diabetes induced by high-fat diet coupled with streptozotocin in mice through AMPK-mediated NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway / 中国中药杂志

This study investigated the differential mechanisms of Rehmanniae Radix and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata in improving diabetes in mice through AMPK-mediated NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. The diabetic mouse model was established with high-fat diet coupled with streptozotocin(STZ, intraperitoneal injection, 100 mg·kg~(-1), once a day for three consecutive days), after which the mice were randomly divided into model group, low-dose(5 g·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(15 g·kg~(-1)) Rehmanniae Radix groups, low-dose(5 g·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(15 g·kg~(-1)) Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata groups, catalpol group(250 mg·kg~(-1)), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(5-HMF) group(250 mg·kg~(-1)), metformin group(250 mg·kg~(-1)), with the normal group also set. The organ indexes of heart,liver, spleen, lung, kidney and pancreas were calculated after four weeks of administration. The pathological changes and fibrosis of pancreas, kidney and liver in mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and Masson staining. Western blot was used to determine the expression levels of Toll-like receptor-4(TLR4), nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB), Nod-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3),interleukin-1β(IL-1β), adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK), phosphorylated AMPK(p-AMPK) in the pancreas, kidney and liver of mice. Compared with the model group, the administration groups witnessed significant decrease in the liver,spleen, kidney, pancreas and fat indexes of diabetic mice, and there was no significant difference in heart and lung indexes. The pathological states and fibrosis of pancreatic, kidney and liver tissues were significantly improved after administration. Additionally, the expression levels of TLR4, NF-κB and NLRP3 in pancreas, kidney and liver of diabetic mice were significantly lowered. The expression levels of p-AMPK/AMPK were enhanced significantly in kidney and liver of mice in Rehmanniae Radix group while in pancreas, kidney and liver in Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata group. This suggests that Rehmanniae Radix and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata differ in the mechanism of regulating energy metabolism of multiple organs and thereby exerting anti-inflammatory effects to alleviate symptoms of diabetic mice.

Kinetic Characteristics of Neutralizing Antibody Responses Vary among Patients with COVID-19 / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to present a major challenge to public health. Vaccine development requires an understanding of the kinetics of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).@*Methods@#In total, 605 serum samples from 125 COVID-19 patients (from January 1 to March 14, 2020) varying in age, sex, severity of symptoms, and presence of underlying diseases were collected, and antibody titers were measured using a micro-neutralization assay with wild-type SARS-CoV-2.@*Results@#NAbs were detectable approximately 10 days post-onset (dpo) of symptoms and peaked at approximately 20 dpo. The NAb levels were slightly higher in young males and severe cases, while no significant difference was observed for the other classifications. In follow-up cases, the NAb titer had increased or stabilized in 18 cases, whereas it had decreased in 26 cases, and in one case NAbs were undetectable at the end of our observation. Although a decreasing trend in NAb titer was observed in many cases, the NAb level was generally still protective.@*Conclusion@#We demonstrated that NAb levels vary among all categories of COVID-19 patients. Long-term studies are needed to determine the longevity and protective efficiency of NAbs induced by SARS-CoV-2.

HIF / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#To analyze the expressions and distributions of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), CD147, and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) in epidermis from psoriasis vulgaris and normal people, and to explore the associations among these proteins and their roles in hypoxic HaCaT cell line.@*METHODS@#The expression levels of HIF-1α, CD147, and GLUT1 were determined by immunohistochemistry staining in skin biopsies from 48 psoriasis vularis patients and 33 healthy subjects. Cobalt chloride (CoCl@*RESULTS@#HIF-1α, CD147, and GLUT1 were highly expressed and the glycolytic capacity was increased in lesions of psoriasis vulgaris; HIF-1α upregulated the expression of CD147 and GLUT1, increased the lactate production and decreased the ATP level in CoCl@*CONCLUSIONS@#Glycolytic capacity increases in the injured keratinocytes of psoriasis vulgaris, suggesting that HIF-1α, CD147, and GLUT1 are associated with glycolysis, which can be considered as the promising targets for psoriasis therapy.

Prevalence and risk factors of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, and urticaria in China / 中南大学学报(医学版)

By searching the database of CNKI, Wanfang and PubMed, the prevalence and risk factors of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, and urticaria were relatively more investigated, which were the skin diseases of more concern in the current epidemiological study of skin diseases. Three national epidemiologic surveys reported that the prevalence of atopic dermatitis increased from 0.69% in 1998, to 3.07% in 2002, and 12.94% in 2014, respectively. The prevalence of psoriasis increased from 0.123% in 1984 to 0.47% in 2009 according to 2 national surveys. The prevalence of acne was 8.1% in a national investigation in 2008. Representative national prevalence data of urticaria is not available. Risk factors for these skin diseases are distinct. Atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and urticaria are more related to environment and mental stress, while acne is more related to skin type and dietary factors. Owing to the heterogeneities in diagnostic methods used in the dermatoepidemiologic surveys (some of the diagnoses were self-reported) and a lack of follow ups, the reliability of data remained questionable, and the comparability across the surveys was difficult. As a result, it is necessary to conduct population-based cohort studies on skin diseases in China.

Clinical features of 9 cases of Brucella endocarditis / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with Brucella endocarditis. Methods: The clinical data of 9 patients with Brucella endocarditis admitted to Beijing Ditan Hospital from October 2008 to August 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Through the electronic medical record system of the hospital. Through assessing the electronic medical record system of the hospital, demographic data, main symptoms, vital signs, blood culture, Rose Bengal Plate Agglutination Test, echocardiography, electrocardiogram, chest imaging and other clinical data of included patients were inquired and recorded. Patients were followed up by telephone for medication, operation and outcome. Results: The 9 patients were all Han nationality, aged from 25 to 66 years, 7 out of 9 patients were male, and they came from Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Beijing. Of the 9 patients, 5 were farmers, 2 were self-employed, 1 was a technician, and 1 was unemployed. Of the 9 cases, 8 had a history of close contact with cattle and sheep, and 5 had a history of eating beef and mutton. Rose-Bengal Plate Agglutination Test and blood culture were positive in all 9 patients. Aortic valve was involved in 7 out of 9 patients, mitral and tricuspid valve was involved in 1 patient, respectively, and aortic dissection occurred in 1 patient. Condition of 1 patient rapidly deteriorated after admission and finally died during hospitalization despite antibiotic therapy, the remaining patients received long-term antibiotic treatment. A total of 7 patients who underwent valve replacement were followed up. One patient died of cerebral hemorrhage 6 months after operation, and the remaining 6 patients recovered well after valve replacement. Heart failure occurred in all 9 patients, and pericardial effusion occurred in 8 patients. Electrocardiogram showed low voltage of the QRS complex in the limb in 3 cases and poor R-wave progression in V(1)-V(3) lead in 2 cases, and sinus tachycardia in 2 cases. One patient developed non-specific ST-T abnormalities. All patients had fever, 7 patients complained of weakness, and 6 patients complained of palpitations. Among the 9 patients, 7 cases had anemia, 7 patients had pneumonia, 6 had bilateral pleural effusion, 4 had thrombocytopenia. Creatinine was above normal in 4 patients, urine protein was positive in 3 patients, Delta Bilirubin was higher in 3 cases. Conclusions: Patients with Brucella endocarditis often suffer from heart failure and have severe complications. Adequate antibiotic therapy in combination with valve replacement is effective for the treatment of patients with Brucella endocarditis.

Dermoscopic features of common nail disorders / 中华皮肤科杂志

Nail diseases have similar clinical manifestations with a variety of causes. Dermoscopy, a non-invasive examination tool, can be used to rapidly and comprehensively evaluate changes of diseased nails at the early stage by observing nail cuticles, nail folds, nail plates, etc. It can be applied for diagnosis and treatment of nail diseases or evaluation of surgical performance. To improve clinicians′ understanding of nail diseases, the authors summarize dermoscopic manifestations of common nail diseases based on dermoscopic manifestations of definitely diagnosed nail diseases in Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from June 2017 to February 2019.

Generation of human monoclonal antibody Fab fragment to Zika Virus by Phage Display Technology / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#In this study, phage display technology was used to construct the human anti-Zika virus(ZIKV), phage antibody library and to obtain and express the monoclonal antibody. The aim was to master the preparation and expression of human phage antibody library screening method for highly specific antibodies.@*Methods@#The whole blood samples of Zika patients were collected and the lymphocytes were isolated. The RT-PCR method was used to amplify the antibody light chain and heavy chain Fab gene from lymphocyte Ig mRNA. The pComb3H system was used to construct the gene with genetic diversity Preparation of human anti-ZIKV phage antibody library. The purified antibody library was screened by using the purified ZIKV and the obtained ZIKV E protein antigen.@*Results@#The monoclonal antibody Fab fragment gene was successfully obtained for the ZIKV E protein antigen. The gene can be efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli.@*Conclusions@#According to the sequence analysis, this study showed that the monoclonal antibody was a new human genetically engineered antibody against ZIKV, which laid the foundation for the early diagnosis of ZIKV, and obtain a specific monoclonal antibody to ZIKV for human treatment of ZIKV infection.

Imapct of home environment on emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children / 中华疾病控制杂志

Objective To investigate the status of mental health in preschool children of Yangzhou city, and to explore the effect of home environment. Methods A total of 2 531 children from 7 kindergartens were selected by random cluster sampling. Questionnaire (including SDQ tests) was used to analyse the status and characteristics of mental health. Results The rate of children with mental disorder was 6.4%, the most prominent problem was peer relationship difficulty (17.8%), followed by hyperactivity/inattention (13.7%), prosocial behavior (9.4%), conduct problems (7.0%) and emotional problems (5.7%). Except for emotional symptoms, the detection rates of all other investigated problems among boys were higher than those among girls. Logistic regression analysis showed that the low level of mother's education (OR=1.85, 95%CI:1.04-3.29) and the joint family (OR=1.81, 95%CI:1.19-2.75) were risk factors, and gender of girl was protective factor (OR=0.71，95%CI：0.51-0.98). Conclusions The rate of mental disorder is low, but hyperactivity in boys and emotional problems in girls are quite popular, especially in children who have mother with low level of education or live in the joint family.

Application and significance of willingness-to-pay in measuring the burden of skin diseases / 中华皮肤科杂志

According to the new biopsychosocial medical model,status and burden of diseases should be evaluated comprehensively,and health-related quality of life can be an important measurement index of the burden of diseases.Conventional assessment methods for health-related quality of life include interval-based assessment methods and preference-based assessment methods (health utilities and willingness-to-pay).This review introduces willingness-to-pay,and summarizes its applications in skin diseases.However,at present,only a small quantity of small-scale studies are available on willingness-to-pay,with only a few kinds of skin diseases involved.In the application of health-economic assessment of skin diseases,willingness-to-pay can serve as an approximate index of benefit gains,and be more valuable in practice than health utilities (the index of utility gains).With the increase in health-economic researches on skin diseases,more attention is paid to the willingness-to-pay for skin diseases and other health-economic assessment methods,and large-scale health-economic assessment-related researches are expected to be conducted on more kinds of skin diseases.

Effect of loureirin A against Candida albicans biofilms / 中国天然药物

Loureirin A is a major active component of Draconis sanguis, a traditional Chinese medicine. This work aimed to investigate the activity of loureirin A against Candida albicans biofilms. 2, 3-Bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT)reduction assay and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the anti-biofilm effect. Minimal inhibitory concentration testing and time-kill curve assay were used to evaluate fungicidal activity. Cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) assay and hyphal formation experiment were respectively carried out to investigate adhesion and morphological transition, two virulence traits of C. albicans. Real-time RT-PCR was used to investigate gene expression. Galleria mellonella-C. albicans and Caenorhabditis elegans-C. albicans infection models were used to evaluate the in-vivo antifungal effect. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells and C. elegans nematodes were used to evaluate the toxicity ofloureirin A. Our data indicated that loureirin A had a significant effect on inhibiting C. albicans biofilms, decreasing CSH, and suppressing hyphal formation. Consistently, loureirin A down-regulated the expression of some adhesion-related genes and hypha/biofilm-related genes. Moreover, loureirin A prolonged the survival of Galleria mellonella and Caenorhabditis elegans in C. albicans infection models and exhibited low toxicity. Collectively, loureirin A inhibits fungal biofilms, and this effect may be associated with the suppression of pathogenic traits, adhesion and hyphal formation.

Confocal microscopy features in chronic corneal edema / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To report <i>in vivo</i> confocal microscopic(IVCM)in corneal edema.<p>METHODS: Twenty-one patients with clinically diagnosed corneal edema were involved. All cases, in addition to control group of five normal eyes, were examined with IVCM. <p>RESULTS: IVCM findings in corneal edema showed that epithelial bullae appeared as dark, round areas with well-defined margins in all of the patients; Subepithelial fibroblasts and scarring; Other IVCM features included absent(57%)or reduced(43%)subbasal nerves in central corneal; Apart from the associated scar tissue, BZ presented a branching pattern of fine, darklines in all of the patients. Furthermore, fine or coarse granularity with avariable degree of reflectivity were noted in the anterior stroma in 13 of the 21 cases(62%); The number of keratocytes in the stroma of corneas was less than that in the normal corneas measured by using confocal microscopy in all of the patients; Endothelial changes with total obscuration of endothelial cell borders were seen in all of the patients. IVCM findings in the control group showed normal patterns.<p>CONCLUSION: This is the study in which IVCM features of corneal edema have been found in detail. Subepithelial fibroblasts, reduced subbasal corneal nerves and stromal keratocyte were well documented in this study. With increasing popularity of endothelial keratoplasty this work supports the role of IVCM in quantitative evaluation of corneal edema in preoperative stages, as well as after surgery.

Results of confocal microscopy examinations after epithelium-off collagen cross-linking in patients with keratoconus / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To analyze microstructural changes, after epithelium-off corneal collagen cross-linking for progressive keratoconus by using <i>in vivo</i> confocal microscopy(IVCM).<p>METHODS: Totally 15 eyes in 15 patients with progressive keratoconus were treated by the photochemical epithelium-off cross-linking method. Patients were examined pre- and postoperatively by confocal <i>in vivo</i> laser scanning microscopy.<p>RESULTS: The sub-basal nerve significantly decreased or disappeared and the anterior corneal stroma had a honeycombed appearance but without the typical hy-perreflective keratocyte nuclei after early stage of treatment. At 3mo postoperatively, the corneal stroma had a small amount of the typical hy-perreflective keratocyte nuclei. After 12mo,the corneal stroma almost recovered to the preoperative level, but the sub-basal nerve were still sparse and didn't reach the preoperative level. The endothelial cells showed no significant reduction during the follow-up.<p>CONCLUSION: This IVCM study revealed loss of the sub-basal nerve plexus and loss of anterior stromal keratocytes in the early postoperative period, with regeneration of keratocyte repopulation by 12mo postoperatively, but the sub-basal nerve plexus didn't reach the preoperative level.

Effect of miR-24 on chemotherapy sensitivity in lung cancer A549 cells / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To study the effect of microRNA (miR)-24 on chemotherapy sensitivity and its possible mechanisms in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. METHODS:The expression of miR-24 in the A549 cells and A549/DDP cells was determined by real-time PCR. Transfection of miR-24 inhibitor was used to down-regulate the miR-24 level in the A549/DDP cells. The viability and apoptosis rate were measured by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respec-tively. The protein levels of Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, cytochrome C (Cyt C), phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK) and P53 were detected by Western blot. Luciferase reporter assay was used to predict and identify the target genes of miR-24. RESULTS:The expression of miR-24 was significantly higher in the A549/DDP cells than that in the A549 cells (P<0.05). miR-24 inhibitor induced cell apoptosis and increased the sensi-tivity of the A549/DDP cells to cisplatin. Furthermore, miR-24 inhibitor down-regulated the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax, while up-regulated the protein levels of P53, p-ERK, cleaved caspase-9, cleaved caspase-3 and Cyt C. Incubation with U0126, a specific ERK inhibitor, partly reversed the viability of miR-24 inhibitor transfected A549/DDP cells. Bioinformatics analy-sis demonstrated that p53 was a potential target gene of miR-24. Co-teansfection of miR-24 inhibitor and P53 siRNA in A549/DDP cells partially reversed the effect of miR-24 inhibitor on cell viabiltiy. CONCLUSION:Down-regulation of miR-24 increases the sensitivity of A549/DDP cells to cisplatin. The mechanism may be related to directly targeting p53 gene and over-activation of ERK/P53 signaling pathway, thus promoting apoptosis via mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.