Dynamic control of ERG20 expression to improve production of monoterpenes by engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae / 中国中药杂志

Monoterpenes are widely used in cosmetics, food, medicine, agriculture and other fields. With the development of synthetic biology, it is considered as a potential way to create microbial cell factories to produce monoterpenes. Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce monoterpenes has been a research hotspot in synthetic biology. In S. cerevisiae, the production of geranyl pyrophosphate(GPP) and farnesyl pyrophosphate(FPP) is catalyzed by a bifunctional enzyme farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase(encoded by ERG20 gene) which is inclined to synthesize FPP essential for yeast growth. Therefore, reasonable control of FPP synthesis is the basis for efficient monoterpene synthesis in yeast cell factories. In order to achieve dynamic control from GPP to FPP biosynthesis in S. cerevisiae, we obtained a novel chassis strain HP001-pERG1-ERG20 by replacing the ERG20 promoter of the chassis strain HP001 with the promoter of cyclosqualene cyclase(ERG1) gene. Further, we reconstructed the metabolic pathway by using GPP and neryl diphosphate(NPP), cis-GPP as substrates in HP001-pERG1-ERG20. The yield of GPP-derived linalool increased by 42.5% to 7.6 mg·L~(-1), and that of NPP-derived nerol increased by 1 436.4% to 8.3 mg·L~(-1). This study provides a basis for the production of monoterpenes by microbial fermentation.

Pharmacological effect of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus and relative active components on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases / 中国中药杂志

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCDs) are the primary causes of death in Chinese adults. With the increase in morbidity and mortality rates and the decrease in the age of onset, CCD becomes a very natural target for traditional Chinese medicine. Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus (SCF) is the dry ripe fruit of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., which features a sweet and sour taste and the effects of calming the heart and tranquilizing the mind. It is mainly used for treatment of dysphoria and palpitation, insomnia and dreamful sleep due to the lack of spirit preservation. The main components of SC include lignans, volatile oils and polysaccharides. This review summarized the pharmacological effects of SC and its active components in the treatment of CCDs. The results showed that SCF and its active components protect against cardiovascular diseases mainly through the antioxidant, apoptosis inhibition and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. In addition, they protect against cerebrovascular diseases mainly by increasing energy metabolism, regulating autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis, antioxidant, and regulating nerve neurotransmitters and circadian genes. In conclusion, lignans are the most active components in SCF. This study provides a reference for the clinical research and utilization of SCF, as well as the application basis for co-treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Regulatory effect of icariin and oleanolic acid combined with dexamethasone on JAKs/STATs signaling pathway in hormone-resistant CEM-C1 cells / 医学研究生学报

Objective The mechanisms of epimedium and Ligustrum Lucidum with glucocorticoid (GC) acting on asthma are closely related to the regulation of the JAKs / STATs pathway associated with the Th1/Th2 balance in the lung tissue of the asthmatic rats. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic effect of icariin and oleanolic acid with dexamethasone on the protein expressions of JAKs/STATs in GC-sensitive CEM-C7 and GC-resistant CEM-C1 cells.Methods We divided CEM-C7 and CEM-C1 cells into groups A (complete culture medium control), B (dexamethasone at 10-6mol/L), C (icarrin at 100 mg/mL), D (oleanolic acid at 100 mg/mL), E (icarrin+oleanolic acid both at 50 mg/mL), and F (icariin+oleanolic acid+dexamethasone at 50 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL and 10-6 mol/L, respectively), and treated them with corresponding agents for 24 hours. Then, we determined the protein expressions of JAKs (JAK1 and JAK2) and STATs (STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, and STAT6) in the CEM-C7 and CEM-C1 cells of different groups by Western blot.Results The protein expressions of JAK1 and JAK2 in the CEM-C1 cells were 0.22±0.01 and 0.23±0.01 in group A, 0.24±0.01 and 0.24±0.01 in group B, 0.23±0.01 and 0.22±0.01 in group C, 0.24±0.01 and 0.23±0.01 in group D, 0.22±0.01 and 0.21±0.01 in group E, and 0.18±0.01 and 0.19±0.01 in group F, both significantly lower in groups E and F than in B (P<0.01), and in groups C, D and F than in E (P<0.01). The expressions of STAT1 and STAT3 proteins were 0.23±0.01 and 0.23±0.01 in group A, 0.23±0.01 and 0.22±0.01 in group B, 0.23±0.01 and 0.22±0.01 in group C, 0.23±0.01 and 0.23±0.01 in group D, 0.18±0.01 and 0.20±0.02 in group E, and 0.17±0.01 and 0.16±0.01 in group F, both remarkably lower in groups E and F than in B (P<0.01), and that of STAT3 even lower in F than in E (P<0.01). The expressions of STAT5 and STAT6 were 0.24±0.01 and 0.24±0.01 in group A, 0.23±0.01 and 0.23±0.02 in group B, 0.23±0.01 and 0.24±0.01 in group C, 0.23±0.01 and 0.24±0.01 in group D, 0.19±0.01 and 0.19±0.01 in group E, and 0.16±0.01 and 0.20±0.02 in group F, both markedly lower in groups E and F than in B (P<0.01), and even lower in F than in E (P<0.01). The protein expressions of JAK1 and JAK2 in the CEM-C7 cells were 0.24±0.01 and 0.22±0.02 in group A, 0.12±0.01 and 0.49±0.01 in group B, 0.23±0.01 and 0.27±0.01 in group C, 0.25±0.01 and 0.25±0.02 in group D, 0.27±0.01 and 0.23±0.01 in group E, and 0.20±0.01 and 0.32±0.01 in group F, the former increased while the latter decreased significantly in groups B, C, D, E and F as compared with group A (P<0.01), the former even lower and the latter even higher in groups C and F than in E (P<0.01). The expressions of STAT1 and STAT3 were 0.23±0.01 and 0.23±0.01 in group A, 0.10±0.01 and 0.11±0.02 in group B, 0.27±0.01 and 0.26±0.01 in group C, 0.27±0.01 and 0.27±0.01 in group D, 0.28±0.01 and 0.27±0.01 in group E, and 0.21±0.01 and 0.23±0.02 in group F, both remarkably higher in groups C, D, E and F than in B (P<0.01), though lower in F than in E (P<0.01). The expressions of STAT5 and STAT6 were 0.24±0.01 and 0.24±0.01 in group A, 0.10±0.01 and 0.11±0.02 in group B, 0.23±0.01 and 0.23±0.02 in group C, 0.23±0.01 and 0.23±0.01 in group D, 0.24±0.01 and 0.24±0.01 in group E, and 0.20±0.01 and 0.21±0.05 in group F, both significantly upregulated in groups C, D, E and F as compared with B (P<0.01), though lower in F than in E (P<0.05).Conclusion In case of hormone resistance, icariin and oleanolic acid combined with dexamethasone may regulate the JAKs/STATs signaling pathway and improve the sensitivity to hormone action.

Effect of chorioamnionitis on brain injury in preterm infants / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the association between chorioamnionitis and brain injury in preterm infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 88 preterm infants (28-34 weeks), who were born between June 2008 and June 2011, were divided into a case group (n=41) and a control group (n=47) according to whether or not they had chorioamnionitis. All the infants were examined by brain ultrasonography periodically after birth and underwent brain diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) between 3 and 7 days after birth. The two groups were compared in terms of the incidence of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and periventricular and intraventricular hemorrhage (PVH-IVH) by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the corrected gestational age of 40 weeks.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was statistical significance in the incidence of PVL between the case and the control groups (32% vs 6%; P<0.05), but no significant difference in the incidence of PVH-IVH between the two groups (27% vs 23%; P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Chorioamnionitis is associated with brain injury in preterm infants, increasing the incidence of PVL but having little influence over the incidence of PVH-IVH.</p>

Prevalence of internet addiction and the related factors in middle school students in Guangzhou / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the status of and the factors contributing to Internet addiction among middle school students in Guangzhou.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cluster sampling method was used to recruit an urban middle school, a rural junior middle school and a rural senior high school to conduct the survey with the stressful life event questionnaire, the trait-oriented coping styles questionnaire and the Internet Addiction Test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The majority of respondents were classified as normal users of the Internet (n=1392, 89.2%), with 158 (10.2%) moderately and 10 (0.6%) severely addicted to the Internet. Fifty-eight students had never used the Internet. There were significant differences in gender, the father's education, the 4 dimensions of the stressful life event questionnaire and the coping styles between students with and without Internet addiction. Binary logistic analysis showed that the factors contributing to Internet addiction included passive coping styles, male gender and stressful life event experienced in family and interpersonal communication.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The incidence of Internet addiction is high among middle school students in Guangzhou. Male students with stressful life events in family and interpersonal communication, poor education on the part of the father, and frequent use of negative coping styles are more likely to develop Internet addiction.</p>

Contribution of blood pressure variability to the effect of nitrendipine on end-organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats / 第二军医大学学报

Objective:It has been proposed that blood pressure variability(BPV) is positively related to end-organ damage(EOD) in hypertension.The present work was designed to observe the effects of long-term treatment with nitrendipine and hydralazine on BPV and EOD in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR),to examine the hypothesis that lowering BPV with an antihypertensive drug is an important factor in organ protection.Design and methods:Drugs were mixed in rat chow.After 4 months of drug administration,blood pressure was recorded continuously in conscious freely moving rats for 24 h.The heart,kidneys,and brain were then isolated and examined.Results:It was found that nitrendipine significantly decreased blood pressure and BPV,and significantly decreased EOD score in SHR.Hydralazine decreased blood pressure,but did not lower BPV.No effect on EOD was found in hydralazine-treated rats.In control rat(n=38),EOD score was weakly related to systolic blood pressure(r=0.331,P<0.05) and closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.551,P<0.01).In nitrendipine-treated rats,EOD score was closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.602,P<0.01),but not to blood pressure level(r=0.174,P>0.05).Conclusion:BPV plays an important role in the organ-protecting effects of nitrendipine.

Contribution of blood pressure variability to the effect of nitrendipine on end-organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats / 第二军医大学学报

Objective:It has been proposed that blood pressure variability(BPV) is positively related to end-organ damage(EOD) in hypertension.The present work was designed to observe the effects of long-term treatment with nitrendipine and hydralazine on BPV and EOD in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR),to examine the hypothesis that lowering BPV with an antihypertensive drug is an important factor in organ protection.Design and methods:Drugs were mixed in rat chow.After 4 months of drug administration,blood pressure was recorded continuously in conscious freely moving rats for 24 h.The heart,kidneys,and brain were then isolated and examined.Results:It was found that nitrendipine significantly decreased blood pressure and BPV,and significantly decreased EOD score in SHR.Hydralazine decreased blood pressure,but did not lower BPV.No effect on EOD was found in hydralazine-treated rats.In control rat(n=38),EOD score was weakly related to systolic blood pressure(r=0.331,P<0.05) and closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.551,P<0.01).In nitrendipine-treated rats,EOD score was closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.602,P<0.01),but not to blood pressure level(r=0.174,P>0.05).Conclusion:BPV plays an important role in the organ-protecting effects of nitrendipine.

Quality of Life of Patient with Primary Insomnia / 中国心理卫生杂志

Objective:To explore the quality of life in patients with primary insomnia.Methods:Comprising 85 patients diagnosed as primary insomnia and 57 healthy controls,the study analyzed and compared the differences in quality of life between the two groups.Results:(1)Compared with healthy controls,the patients with primary in- somnia decreased in quality of life.total score,Physical functions,psychological function and social function in pri- mary insomnia group were significantly lower than those in control group in score of generic quality of life inventory (score:254.9?26.4/287.1?30.4,t=-5.15,P