Effect of ceramic materials on the optical properties of porcelain veneers for tetracycline-stained teeth / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To analyze the chromatic properties and translucency of porcelain veneers made from different ceramic materials against the background of tetracycline-stained teeth.@*METHODS@#Porcelain specimens (A1, A3, B2, B4) measuring 0.50 mm in thickness were prepared by heat-press casting and layering. The L*, a*, and b* values of the specimens against simulated tetracycline tooth and black-and-white backgrounds were measured by a spectrophotometer, and color differences ΔE@*RESULTS@#The ΔE@*CONCLUSIONS@#When changing the color of tetracycline-stained teeth, 0.50 mm-thick IPS d.SIGN feldspathic veneers with an opaque layer provide better chromatic properties than IPS e.max Press LT glass ceramic veneers. However, the translucency of feldspathic veneers is generally poorer than that of glass ceramic veneers.

Effect of parental factors on junior high students′ physical activity in their leisure time outside school / 上海预防医学

Objective To investigate the effects of parental support for the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of their children and to promote physical activity for children and adolescents. Methods A total of 622 students were selected by stratified clustering sampling methods.Physical activity and parental support factors were assessed by self-report questionnaire survey.Logistic regression was used to analyze determinants of physical inactivity. Results Nearly 58.7% of the parents purchased sports equipment for their children and 57.6% of the parents accompanied their children to do exercise.The rate of parental explicit modeling was 22.8%.The students who received parental logistic support and explicit modeling did longer MVPA on weekends.The students with parental logistic support were prone to be in activity (OR=1.51, 95%CI:1.01-2.27). Conclusion Family-based interventions from parental logistic support and explicit modeling could promote middle-to-high-intensity activities for junior high school students.

Psoralen and isopsoralen improve lipid metabolism disorder via inhibition of NF-κB activation in LO2 cells / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this paper was to investigate the mechanism and effect of psoralen and isopsoralen in the treatment of lipid accumulation in LO2 cells. Human LO2 cells nonalcoholic fatty liver models were established by using palmitic acid( PA). Then psoralen and isopsoralen were administered for intervention. Intracellular triglyceride( TG) and total cholesterol( TC) content,the cell supernatant alanine aminotransferase( ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase( AST) levels were determined by enzyme method. Cell supernatant proinflammatory cytokines( IL-6,TNF-α) and chemokines( IL-8,MCP-1) were determined by ELISA method. Western blot method was conducted to detect the protein expression of intracellular nuclear factor( NF-κB) p65 phosphorylation( p-p65),nonphosphorylated protein( p65),and transforming factor TGF-β1. Result showed that as compared with the model group,intracellular TG and TC levels,the cell supernatant ALT and AST levels,proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were decreased( P < 0. 01,P <0. 05); the p-p65/p65 ratio and TGF-β1 protein expression were also significantly decreased( P< 0. 01,P< 0. 05) in psoralen intervention group. As compared with the model cells,intracellular TG content had no significant changes,but all the other indexes were reduced( P<0. 01,P<0. 05) in the cells of isopsoralen intervention group. Psoralen exhibited better effect than isopsoralen( P< 0. 01,P<0. 05). It is concluded that psoralen could improve the adipogenesis of LO2 cells induced by PA; both psoralen and isopsoralen are effective in ameliorating LO2 cells injury induced by PA,reducing inflammation via inhibiting the activation of NF-κB and down-regulating the expression of TGF-β1.

Advance in drug treatment of autoimmune diseases / 中国药理学通报

Autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.) are diseases characterized by local or systemic abnormal inflammatory immune response. At present, the treatment drugs of autoimmune diseases mainly include nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (chemical medicine, natural medicine and biological agents), etc. With the pathological mechanism of autoimmune diseases to be clarified deeply and the discovery of new drug targets, new biological agents targeting cytokines and cell surface molecules have been developed rapidly. In recent years, multiple small molecule drugs targeting Janus kinase/ signal transducers and activators of transcription signaling pathway have been developed and applied in clinic. Soft regulation of inflammatory immune response drugs are the drugs with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, as well as less adverse reactions. To develop this type of drug will be a new strategy and one of the main directions for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The research progress of medicines to treat autoimmune diseases has been reviewed in this paper.

Adrenal hemorrhage in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus / 北京大学学报(医学版)

A 58-year-old female was referred to our department with intermittent suffocation for 1.5 years, aggravated for a month. 1.5 years before she developed oral ulcer, raynaud phenomenon, proteinuria, bilateral pleural effusion, ANA and anti-dsDNA positive. This patient was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). After given hormones, hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ), her symptom relieved soon. The patient stopped her pills 1 year ago. One month ago, she had chest tightness, increased urine foam, and suffered from oliguria. Her admission medical examination: blood pressure (BP) 130/80 mmHg, conjunctiva pale, and lower lung breath sounds reduced. There was no tenderness, rebound pain and abdominal muscle tension in the abdomen. Liver and spleen rib inferior, mobile dullness negative, and lower extremity edema. Blood routine tests were performed with hemoglobin (HGB) 57 g/L. Urine routine: BLD (3+). 24-hour urinary protein 3.2 g. serum albumin 20.5 g/L, C-reactive protein (CRP) 12.85 mg/L, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) 140 mm/h. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) (H)1:10 000, anti-dsDNA antibody 1:3 200; anti-Smith antibody, anti-U1-snRNP/Sm antibody were positive, blood complement 3(C3) 0.43 g/L, complement 4(C4) 0.07 g /L. Anticardiolipin antibody (ACL), anti-β2-GP1, lupus anticoagulant (LA) were negative; HRCT suggested bilateral medial pleural cavity product liquid. Admission diagnosis: SLE lupus nephritis, anemia, pleural effusion, and hypoproteinemia. We treated her with methylprednisolone 1 000 mg×3 d, late to 48 mg/d and cyclophosphamide 1.0 g, HCQ 0.2 g bid, gamma globulin 10 g×5 d. Day 2 of treatment, this patient developed acute right upper quadrant pain, not accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blood stool and diarrhea. Antipyretic antispasmodic treatment was invalid, after the morning to ease their own abdominal pain. Day 4 of treatment, daytime blood HGB 77 g/L. Bilateral renal vascular ultrasound: bilateral renal artery blood flow velocity was reduced. The abdominal pain of the above symptoms recurred at night, BP was 120/80 mmHg, and no positive signs were found on abdominal examination. No abnormality was found in the vertical abdominal plain film. Blood routine examination: HGB 53 g/L, Plasma D dimer 2 515 μg/L, amylase in hematuria was normal, the stool occult blood was negative. Abdominal computed tomography (CT): normal structure of right adrenal gland disappeared, irregular mass shadow could be seen in adrenal region, CT value was about 50 HU. Morphological density of left adrenal gland was not abnormal. The retroperitoneum descended along the inferior vena cava to the right iliac blood vessel and showed a bolus shadow. The density of some segments increased. The lesion involved the right renal periphery and reached the left side of abdominal aorta. Most lesions surrounded the inferior vena cava, the right renal vein and part of the small intestine. The boundary between the upper lesion and the vena cava was unclear. Iodinecontaining contrast agent was taken orally. No sign of contrast agent overflowing was found in the abdominal cavity. Hematoma and exudative changes were considered in retroperitoneum. CONCLUSION of contrast-enhanced ultrasound of blood vessels: The retroperitoneal inferior vena cava (volume 3.5 cm×3.5 cm×1.5 cm) was hypoechoic and had no blood flow lesion. The adrenal gland had a high possibility of origin. Left renal vein thrombosis extended to inferior vena cava. According to the above data, it was analyzed that the cause of retroperitoneal hematoma of the patient was left adrenal vein thrombosis caused by hypercoagulable state, which led to vascular rupture and hemorrhage caused by increased vascular pressure in adrenal gland. Therefore, on the basis of continuing to actively treat the primary disease, and on the basis of dynamic observation of no active hemorrhage for 3 days, the anticoagulant therapy was continued with 10 mg/d of apixaban. Clinical symptoms were gradually eased, HGB did not decrease. Two weeks later, the ultrasonic examination showed that the irregular cluster hypoechoic range behind the inferior vena cava was significantly smaller than that before (1.8 cm×1.2 cm×0.7 cm). Abdominal CT examination after 1 month showed that there was no abnormal morphological density of bilateral adrenal glands and basic absorption of retroperitoneal exudation. Adrenal hemorrhage is uncommon. SLE with adrenal hemorrhage is rarer. In SLE patients, especially those complicated with APS, if abdominal pain accompanied by HGB decrease occurs, except after gastrointestinal hemorrhage, the possibility of adrenal hemorrhage should be warned.

Advances of gene polymorphism affecting rheumatoid arthritis drug efficacy and adverse drug reactions / 中国药理学通报

Drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis ( RA) include disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs ( DMARDs ), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) and biological agents, etc. These drugs are critical in preventing the process and complications of RA. However, the outcome of treatment and adverse drug reactions with these drugs in RA patients are different individually. Drug-metabolizing enzymes (dihydrofolate reductase, cytochrome P450enzymes, N-acetyltransferases, and so on. ), drug transporters ( ATP-binding cassette transporters) and drug targets ( tumor necrosis factor-α receptors) are coded for by variant alleles. The gene polymorphism of drug transport-ers can change the distribution and excretion of drugs. The poly-morphisms of drug target affect significantly drug sensitivity. These gene polymorphisms may influence the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and side effects of medicine. In this article, we review the genetic polymorphisms that affect the efficacy of drug or the occurrence of adverse drug reactions in RA.

Effect of Gli2 on apoptosis and ROS level in renal tubular epithelial cells under high glucose / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of Gli2 on apoptosis and ROS level in renal tubular epithelial cells under high glucose. Methods:The renal tubular epithelial cell NRK-52E was used as the object of study,Gli2 overexpression vector and control vector were transfected,the non transfected cells were also used as controls,RT-PCR and Western blot detected Gli2 levels,culture of non transfected cells by high glucose and low glucose cell culture medium, cells transfected with Gli2 overexpression vector were cultured in high glucose medium,apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry,the ROS content was detected by DCFH-DA probe method, the content of SOD was detected by xanthine oxidase method; Bax, Cleaved Caspase-3 and Smo levels were detected by Western blot. Results:The Gli2 mRNA and protein levels of NRK-52E cells transfected with Gli2 overexpression vector were significantly higher than that of control cells(P＜0. 01),the Gli2 mRNA and protein levels in the NRK-52E cells transfected with the control vector were not different from those of the control cells(P＞0. 05). The apoptosis rate of NRK-52E cells without transfection was elevated after high glucose culture,elevated ROS content,SOD content decreased,the levels of Bax,Cleaved Caspase-3 were elevated in the cells,Smo levels declined,compared with the control cells,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0. 01). After overexpression of Gli2 over-expression vector,NRK-52E cells were cultured with high glucose,the rate of apoptosis decreased,ROS content decreased,elevated SOD content,the levels of Bax,Cleaved Caspase-3 decreased,elevated levels of Smo,compared with NRK-52E cells cultured with simple high glucose,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0. 01). Conclusion:Apoptosis and oxidative damage in renal tubular epithelial cells induced by high glucose, Gli2 can decrease the apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells induced by high glucose, mitigate oxidative damage.

Role of H1R, PAR-2/TRPV1 itch signal pathway on acute eczema and mechanism study of Portulaca extracts / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the influence of Portulaca extracts on H1R,PAR-2 and TRPV1 in skins of rats and the regulation mechanism of H1R,PAR-2/TRPV1 itch signal pathway with atopic eczema.Methods:30 SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group,model group and Porulaca group,each group contained 10 rats.In addition to the normal group,2,4-dinitrochloro-benzene was used on the rest of group for making rat model with atopic eczema.After the success of the model manufacture,each group was given corresponding drugs.After the last administration,EASI was evaluated.The levels of H1R,PAR-2 and TRPV1 in rats skins were detected by immunohistochemical method.Ca2+concentration was analyzed by flow cytometry.Results: Compared with normal control group,EASI(P<0.01),the levels of H1R(P<0.05) and PAR-2(P<0.01),and Ca2+concentration(P<0.01) of rats in model group were significantly increased.The levels of TRPV1 were not increased obviously (P>0.05).Compared with model group,EASI (P<0.01),the levels of H1R(P<0.01) and PAR-2(P<0.01),and Ca2+concentration(P<0.05) of rats in Porulaca group were sig-nificantly reduced,and the levels of TRPV1 were not decreased obviously(P>0.05).Conclusion:Purslane could reduce the levels of H1R,PAR-2 and Ca2+concentration to treat the acute eczema.The mechanism may be to lose the activation of downstream molecule TRPV1 and reduce the inflow of Ca2+by reducing the levels of upstream molecules H1R and PAR-2,then to achieve the effect of anti itch.

Pleurodesis in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus complicated with refrac-tory pleural effusion / 军事医学

Objective To investigate the effect and feasibility of pleurodesis in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)complicated with refractory pleural effusion.Methods The clinical data on four patients were diagnosed with SLE complicated with refractory pleural effusion and received pleurodesis was retrospectively analyzed.At the same time,using such terms as"lupus"and"pleural effusion",we searched English literature in Pubmed and in Wan-Fang Database of China.Results A total of 7 cases with relative complete data were found from the literature.Six patients were female,and one was male.Three cases had bilateral pleural effusion,two had left pleural effusion,and two had right pleural effusion.Then,these eleven patients were analyed together.Those patients who suffered significant dyspnea were related to chronic pleural effusion.They were all treated with a large dose of corticosteroid and immunosuppressive agents before pleurodesis,but none of the therapies was valid.They had undergone frequent multiple fluid aspirations.The total aspirated volume of one patient exceeded 80 L before pleurodesis.The patients with pleurodesis were well tolerated and had no complications after operation.There was no relapse in follow-up.After pleurodesis,the pleural effusion of all the patients was completely improved.Conclusion The clinical manifestations of refractory pleural effusion are relatively rare in patients with SLE.Drug therapy has poor effect,while traditionally used pleurodesis may be safer and preferred in such cases.It can effectively improve patients′prognosis and quality of life,but due to the small number of reported patients,the best type of intervention waits to be found.

Neural Respiratory Drive Measured Using Surface Electromyography of Diaphragm as a Physiological Biomarker to Predict Hospitalization of Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background@#Neural respiratory drive (NRD) using diaphragm electromyography through an invasive transesophageal multi-electrode catheter can be used as a feasible clinical physiological parameter in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to provide useful information on the treatment response. However, it remains unknown whether the surface diaphragm electromyogram (EMGdi) could be used to identify the deterioration of clinical symptoms and to predict the necessity of hospitalization in acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) patients.@*Methods@#COPD patients visiting the outpatient department due to acute exacerbation were enrolled in this study. All patients who were subjected to EMGdi and classical parameters such as spirometry parameters, arterial blood gas analysis, COPD assessment test (CAT) score, and the modified early warning score (MEWS) in outpatient department, would be treated effectively in the outpatient or inpatient settings according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guideline. When the acute exacerbation of the patients was managed, all the examination above would be repeated.@*Results@#We compared the relationships of admission-to-discharge changes (Δ) in the normalized value of the EMGdi, including the change of the percentage of maximal EMGdi (ΔEMGdi%max) and the change of the ratio of minute ventilation to the percentage of maximal EMGdi (ΔVE/EMGdi%max) with the changes of classical parameters. There was a significant positive association between ΔEMGdi%max and ΔCAT, ΔPaCO, and ΔpH. The change (Δ) of EMGdi%max was negatively correlated with ΔPaO/FiOin the course of the treatment of AECOPD. Compared with the classical parameters including forced expiratory volume in 1 s, MEWS, PaO/FiO, the EMGdi%max (odds ratio 1.143, 95% confidence interval 1.004-1.300) has a higher sensitivity when detecting the early exacerbation and enables to predict the admission of hospital in the whole cohort.@*Conclusions@#The changes of surface EMGdi parameters had a direct correlation with classical measures in the whole cohort of AECOPD. The measurement of NRD by surface EMGdi represents a practical physiological biomarker, which may be helpful in detecting patients who should be hospitalized timely.

Clinical characteristic of 74 cases of malignant tumor in rheumatoid arthritis / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with malignant tumor.@*METHODS@#Retrospective summary was made of 1 562 in patients of RA from January 2011 to June 2017. In the study, 74 RA patients with malignant tumor were reviewed and analyzed, and the general conditions, tumor types, RA and tumor onset sequence, and the medication situation were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The incidence of malignant tumor in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis in our center was 4.16%. The 74 patients were complicated with malignant tumor, of whom 53 were female, and 21 male. The age of RA at presentation was (52.6±17.8) years. The average disease duration of malignant tumor was (63.4 ± 12.7) years. The onset time of rheumatoid arthritis was earlier than that of malignant tumors in 51 cases (51/74), with an average of (17.2±14.2) years between 2 and 60 years. The incidence of malignant tumor was earlier than that of rheumatoid arthritis in 16 cases (16/74), with an average of (6.2±5.9) years between 1 and 21 years, of which 10 cases were sex hormone related tumors. Seven cases (7/74) were diagnosed with RA at the same time, and the time interval between the two diseases was within 1 year. All the patients were over 60 years old with digestive tract tumors. All the 7 patients showed polyarthritis, significantly increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, including 4 rheumatoid factor positive cases and 2 anti-CCP antibody positive cases. The effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and traditional drugs to improve the condition of the disease was poor in the 7 patients, and the condition was relieved after using low-dose glucocorticoids. Gastrointestinal tumors, breast and reproductive system tumors were the most common, followed by respiratory, urological and blood system tumors.@*CONCLUSION@#The risk in patients of rheumatoid arthritis complicated with malignant tumor is higher than that of the general population. A variety of factors play an important role in cancer risk of RA, including disease activity, some estrogen metabolites, the use of drugs and so on. Therefore, all RA patients should be screened for malignant tumor during diagnosis, and malignant tumor surveillance is mandatory for all rheumatoid arthritis patients after diagnosis.

Effect of Psoralea corylifolia in treating fatty liver disease in juvenal mouse by inhibiting hepatic NF-κB activation / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the mechanism and effect of Psoralea corylifolia(PC) in the treatment of NAFLD in juvenal mice. The NAFLD model in juvenal mice was established by feeding high-fat diet. Then PC herbal granules (at low and high dose) were administered for 5 weeks. Blood glucose (FBG, PG-1 h/2 h), blood lipid (TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C), fasting insulin, liver function (ALT, AST) were examined. HOMA-IR was calculated. Hepatic histological changes were observed. The content of TG, inflammatory factor (TNF-α, IL-8) and protein expressions of CD44, NF-κB p65, p-NF-κB p65 in hepatic tissues were determined. The ratio of p-NF-κB p65 to NF-κB p65 (p-p65/p65) was calculated. The result showed that compared with the model group, both PC treatment groups showed reduction in hepatic steatosis, inflammatory cell infiltration and fibroplasia in portal area. HOMA-IR, ALT, AST, FBG, PG-2 h, TC, TG, LDL-C concentrations and hepatic TG content were also significantly decreased, with the reduction of TNF-α, IL-8 contents, CD44 expression and p-p65/p65 ratio in hepatic tissues (P<0.01). High-dose PC group had a better effect than low-dose group (P<0.01, P<0.05). In conclusion, PC is effective in treating hepatic injury, glucolipid metabolism disturbances and fibrosis in juvenal NAFLD mice. The mechanism may be related to inhibition of inflammation and down-regulation of the activation of hepatic NF-κB.

Mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in enhanced malignant phenotype of non-small cell lung cancer induced by anti-angiogenesis therapy

Objective: To study the mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the enhanced malignant phenotype of A549 cells of human non-small cell lung cancer induced by the anti-angiogenesis therapy. Methods: The siRNA technique was employed to inhibit the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in A549 cells and simulate the clinical course of anti-angiogenesis therapy. Real-time PCR and western blot were used to study the change in the expression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling molecules at the mRNA and protein level respectively, as well as the effect on the epithelial mesenchymal transition in A549 cells. The proliferation and invasion abilities of tumor cells were detected to discuss the mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the enhanced malignant phenotype of non-small cell lung cancer induced by the anti-angiogenesis therapy. Results: The specific siRNA could significantly inhibit the expression of VEGF in cells to simulate the anti-angiogenesis therapy. Under the action of 50 nM VEGF siRNA, the proliferation ability of A549 significantly increased (P < 0.05). After being treated with VEGF siRNA, the invasion ability of cells increased. Twenty-four hours after the transcription of 50 nM siRNA into cells, the number of cells that come through the membrane was 278.3 ± 12.9. Compared with the Ctrl siRNA group, when VEGF was inhibited, the expression of β-catenin and Cyclin D1 increased by 86% and 55% respectively. Meanwhile, the expression of E-cadherin decreased, while the one of vimentin increased. Conclusions: siRNA can significantly inhibit the expression of VEGF. For the anti-angiogenesis therapy, the inhibited expression of VEGF can activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to cause the epithelial mesenchymal transition and then the enhanced malignant phenotype of non-small cell lung cancer.

Effect of aspheric multifocal toric IOL implantation on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in patients with cataract / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To observe the effect of intraocular lens ( IOL) implantation on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in patients with cataract. METHODS: Fifty - eight cases ( 72 eyes ) cataract patients with regular cornel astigmatism, in our hospital from May 2014 to May 2015 were randomly divided into two groups to undergo phacoemulsification and IOL implantation: the observation group: 29 cases (36 eyes) received multifocal toric IOL implantation; the control group: 29 cases (36 eyes) received monofocal toric IOL implantation. Uncorrected distance visual acuity ( UCDVA), uncorrected near visual acuity ( UCNVA), best corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA), the best corrected near visual acuity ( BCNVA ), total eye astigmatism, and the dark contrast sensitivity were observed for these patients at 1 and 6mo after cataract surgery. RESULTS: There were no statistical significant difference between the two groups at postoperative 1, 6mo on UCDVA, BCNVA, BCDVA and total eye astigmatism(P>0. 05). UCNVA of observation group at 1 and 6mo were better than those of control group ( P CONCLUSION: Both monofocal toric IOL implantation, and aspheric multifocal toric IOL implantation for cataract with regular corneal astigmatism are effective to improve visual acuity. But the latter treatment would contribute to the improvement of uncorrected near visual acuity and the dark contrast sensitivity.

Protective effect of emodin pretreatment in young rats with intrahepatic cholestasis / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the protective effect of emodin in young rats with intrahepatic cholestasis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 120 young Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, model, and high-, medium-, and low-dose emodin groups, with 24 rats in each group. The rats in the control and model groups were given sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution by gavage, while the other groups were given different doses of emodin solution by gavage. On the 5th day of experiment, alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT, 50 mg/kg) was applied by gavage to establish the model of intrahepatic cholestasis in all groups except the control group. At 24, 48, and 72 hours after gavage, 8 rats in each group were sacrificed. Colorimetry was used to measure the serum levels of total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), total bile acid (TBA), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in each group, and hematoxylin-eosin staining was applied to observe the morphological changes of the liver under a light microscope at different time points.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the model group had significantly increased serum levels of TBIL, DBIL, TBA, ALP, GGT, ALT, and AST at the 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour time points (P<0.01). In the model group, the serum levels of TBIL, DBIL, TBA, ALT, and AST showed varying degrees of increase at 48 hours after establishment of model, compared with the values at 24 and 72 hours (P<0.05). At 24, 48, and 72 hours, the high-, medium-, and low-dose emodin groups had varying degrees of reductions in the serum levels of TBIL and TBA compared with the model group (P<0.05); the high- and low-dose emodin groups had significantly increased serum levels of TBA compared with the medium-dose emodin group (P<0.05). The model group had the most severe pathological changes at 48 hours. Compared with the model group, the high-, medium-, and low-dose emodin groups showed certain improvement in pathological changes of the liver at each time point, and the medium-dose emodin group had better improvement compared with the high- and low-dose emodin groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Emodin can effectively improve ANIT-induced intrahepatic cholestasis in young rats, and medium-dose emodin shows the best effect.</p>

Mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in enhanced malignant phenotype of non-small cell lung cancer induced by anti-angiogenesis therapy

OBJECTIVE@#To study the mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the enhanced malignant phenotype of A549 cells of human non-small cell lung cancer induced by the anti-angiogenesis therapy.@*METHODS@#The siRNA technique was employed to inhibit the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in A549 cells and simulate the clinical course of anti-angiogenesis therapy. Real-time PCR and western blot were used to study the change in the expression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling molecules at the mRNA and protein level respectively, as well as the effect on the epithelial mesenchymal transition in A549 cells. The proliferation and invasion abilities of tumor cells were detected to discuss the mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the enhanced malignant phenotype of non-small cell lung cancer induced by the anti-angiogenesis therapy.@*RESULTS@#The specific siRNA could significantly inhibit the expression of VEGF in cells to simulate the anti-angiogenesis therapy. Under the action of 50 nM VEGF siRNA, the proliferation ability of A549 significantly increased (P < 0.05). After being treated with VEGF siRNA, the invasion ability of cells increased. Twenty-four hours after the transcription of 50 nM siRNA into cells, the number of cells that come through the membrane was 278.3 ± 12.9. Compared with the Ctrl siRNA group, when VEGF was inhibited, the expression of β-catenin and Cyclin D1 increased by 86% and 55% respectively. Meanwhile, the expression of E-cadherin decreased, while the one of vimentin increased.@*CONCLUSIONS@#siRNA can significantly inhibit the expression of VEGF. For the anti-angiogenesis therapy, the inhibited expression of VEGF can activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to cause the epithelial mesenchymal transition and then the enhanced malignant phenotype of non-small cell lung cancer.

Compatibility of olfactory ensheathing cells with functionalized self-assembling peptide scaffold in vitro / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation is a promising or potential therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the effects of injecting OECs directly into SCI site have been limited and unsatisfied due to the complexity of SCI. To improve the outcome, proper biomaterials are thought to be helpful since these materials would allow the cells to grow three-dimensionally and guide cell migration.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In this study, we made a new peptide hydrogel scaffold named GRGDSPmx by mixing the pure RADA16 and designer peptide RADA16-GRGDSP solution, and we examined the molecular integration of the mixed nanofiber scaffolds using atomic force microscopy. In addition, we have studied the behavior of OECs in GRGDSPmx condition as well as on RADA16 scaffold by analyzing their phenotypes including cell proliferation, apoptosis, survival, and morphology.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The experimental results showed that GRGDSPmx could be self-assembled to form a hydrogel. Inverted optical microscopic and scanning electron microscopic analyses showed that OECs are viable and they proliferate within the nanostructured environment of the scaffold. Thiazolyl blue (MTT) assay demonstrated that OEC proliferation rate was increased on GRGDSPmx scaffold compared with the pure RADA16 scaffold. In addition, OECs on GRGDSPmx scaffolds also showed less apoptosis and maintained the original spindle-shaped morphology. Calcein-AM/PI fluorescence staining revealed that OECs cultured on GRGDSPmx grew well and the viable cell count was 95%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results suggested that this new hydrogel scaffold provided an ideal substrate for OEC three-dimensional culture and suggested its further application for SCI repair.</p>

Construction and immunoscreening of cDNA library of Armillifer agkistrodontis nymphs / 中国地方病学杂志

Objective To construct cDNA entry library and cDNA expression library of Armillifer agkistrodontis (A.) nymphs and make a preliminary immunoscreening for the cDNA expression library.Methods The nymphs were collected from the Kunming mice infected experimentally with A.agkistrodontis eggs and the total RNA were extracted from the nymphs using TRIzol Reagent.After purifying the mRNA,the synthesized cDNAs were cloned into the donor vector pDONR222 by BP reaction of Gateway technology and the recombinants were transformed into the DH10B cells by electroporation,the cDNA entry library was obtained.Next,the expression vector pDEST17 was ligated with entry clones by LR reaction,and the recombinants were transformed into the BL21 (DE3) cells.Hence,the cDNA expression library was constructed.Then,the expression library was immunoscreened with the mixed sera of mice infected with A.agkistrodontis,and the insertions of positive clones were sequenced.After that,the open reading frame(ORF) of positive slone sequence,the homology of the screened genes and their encoded proteins were analyzed by Finder and BLAST (basic local alignment search tool) program of National Center of Biotechnology Information(NCBI),and the discovered new genes were submitted into the GenBank.Besides,the physico-chemical properties,secondary structure and B cell epitopes of encoded proteins were also analyzed by bioinformatics software.Results The average titer and total clones of the cDNA entry library were 1.45 × 105 CFU/ml(colony-forming unit,CFU) and 1.74 × 106 CFU,respectively,and the range of fragment length of the inserted cDNA was between 0.2-4.0 kb,with an average of 1.4 kb.The total clones of cDNA expression library were 1.00 × 105 CFU,and the fragment length of the inserted cDNA was between 0.3-2.2 kb,with an average of 1.0 kb.Five positive clones,coded S1,S5,A1,D1 and F1,respectively,were obtained through preliminary immunoscreening.The sequence and homology of the five positive clones were sequenced and analyzed by BLAST program.No significant similarities were found in pentastomida species,which meant that they were all novel genes of A.agkistrodontis.The gene sequences were submitted to GenBank,with the accession number from JQ180451 to JQ180455.Also,results obtained by bioinformatics software showed that the predictive encoding proteins were all potential to be valuable recombinant diagnostic antigens.Conclusions The cDNA library of A.agkistrodontis nymphs is successfully constructed,and five new genes of A.agkistrodontis are discovered.The establishment of cDNA library and the discovery of the new genes will lay a foundation for further studying the gene functions and screening the immunodiagnostic antigens.

EGFR inhibitors sensitize non-small cell lung cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis / 癌症

Apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can be regulated by the epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling pathway. In this study, recombinant adenoviral vectors that encode TRAIL gene from the hTERT/RGD promoter (AdTRAIL) was combined with drugs including gefitinib, elotinib, and cetuximab that inhibit EGFR and the EGF signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines to investigate their antitumor activity. In vitro, compared to single reagent, AdTRAIL combined with EGFR inhibitors reduced proliferation and enhanced apoptosis in H460, A549, and SW1573 cell lines. Western blot results suggested that these effects were relative to up-regulation of pro-apoptosis protein BAX and down-regulation of p-AKT. In vivo, AdTRAIL combined with cetuximab resulted in a significant growth reduction in H460 xenografts without damage to the main organs of nude mice. Histological examination and TUNEL analyses of xenografts showed that cetuximab enhanced cell apoptosis induced by AdTRAIL. These results indicate that EGFR inhibitors enhanced AdTRAIL anti-tumor activity in NSCLC cell lines and that inhibiting the AKT pathway played an important role in this enhancement.

Spontaneous differentiation potency of induced pluripotent stem cells into male germ cells in vitro / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the expression profile of male germ cell-associated genes during the spontaneous differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) and assess the potency of their spontaneous differentiation into male germ cells in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Embryoid body (EB) formation was used to promote the spontaneous differentiation of iPS into male germ cells, and the expressions of germ cell-associated genes were detected by real-time PCR and PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Real-time PCR and PCR revealed different expression levels of relevant genes at different times of iPS spontaneous differentiation into male germ cells. Each of the 9 genes analyzed exhibited one of the four temporal expression patterns: wavelike increase of Oct4, progressive decrease of Dppa3 and Stra8, wavelike decrease of Dazl, and decrease following initial increase of Tex14, Msy2, Scp1, Scp3 and Akap3.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Induced pluripotent stem cells express male germ cell-associated genes and male haploid genes during their spontaneous differentiation through EB formation, and have the potency of differentiating into male gametes.</p>