Role of selenoprotein M knockdown in the melatonin antagonism of nickel-induced apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress in mouse heart / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of selenoprotein M (SelM) in endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in nickel-exposed mouse hearts and to explore the detoxifying effects of melatonin. At 21 d after intraperitoneal injection of nickel chloride (NiCl2) and/or melatonin into male wild-type (WT) and SelM knockout (KO) C57BL/6J mice, NiCl2 was found to induce changes in the microstructure and ultrastructure of the hearts of both WT and SelM KO mice, which were caused by oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis, as evidenced by decreases in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activity. Changes in the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of genes related to endoplasmic reticulum stress (activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), inositol-requiring protein 1 (IRE1), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP)) and apoptosis (B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and Caspase-12) were also observed. Notably, the observed damage was worse in SelM KO mice. Furthermore, melatonin alleviated the heart injury caused by NiCl2 in WT mice but could not exert a good protective effect in the heart of SelM KO mice. Overall, the findings suggested that the antioxidant capacity of SelM, as well as its modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis, plays important roles in nickel-induced heart injury.

Adrenocorticotrophic hormone stimulation in adrenal vein sampling / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective:To explore the value of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) stimulation in adrenal vein sampling (AVS) with its effect on the sampling success rate and lateralization determination.Methods:The clinical data of 54 patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) who underwent AVS in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from July 2018 to June 2020 were collected retrospectively. Blood samples from bilateral adrenal veins were collected simultaneously at baseline and after ACTH stimulation. The selectivity index (SI), lateralization index (LI), and relative aldosterone secretion index (RASI) were examined.Results:The concentration of serum cortisol level in left and right adrenal vein and peripheral vein increased significantly after ACTH stimulation ( P<0.001). SI of left adrenal vein increased from 18.00 (2.29, 20.29) to 34.76 (12.10, 46.86) , and the SI of right adrenal vein increased from 26.61(5.24, 31.85) to 28.40 (27.65, 56.05, P<0.001). The bilateral vein sampling success rate increased from 80%(43/54) to 93%(50/54). LI decreased from 2.85(1.78, 6.20) at baseline to 2.45(1.40, 6.10) after ACTH stimulation without significant difference( P>0.05). Eleven patients who identified unilateral secretion at baseline demonstrated bilateral after ACTH stimulation, and the RASI of these patients decreased from 0.50 (0.38, 1.25 ) to 0.37 (0.22, 0.84, P=0.019). Conclusion:ACTH stimulation significantly increased SI and the AVS success rate in patients with PA: ACTH stimulation decreased the relative aldosterone secretion in the dominant side of some patients with aldosterone producing adenoma, thus reduced the proportion of identified unilateral PA.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors of impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus in acromegaly / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective To investigate the frequencies of the impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus in a large cohort of active acromegaly and to identify risk factors associated with the presence of diabetes at diagnosis in these patients.Methods This study included 88 patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly.Patients were further divided into normal glucose tolerance (NGT),impaired glucose regulation (IGR),and diabetes (DM) groups according to oral glucose tolerance test or previous history.Insulin sensitivity and β cell function were also evaluated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA).Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the independent risk factors for diabetes in patients with acromegaly.Results Impaired glucose regulation was found in 25 (28.4％),and DM in 37(42.0％) acromegaly patients.Compared to NGT and IGR patients,higher proportion of DM patients had family history of diabetes (P＜0.05).Compared to NGT group,higher post-OGTT growth hormone (GH) levels were detected in IGR and DM groups.Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels were higher in IGR group while lower in DM group (P＜0.01).Homeostasis model assessment for β cell function (HOMA-β) was slightly higher in IGR group,but significantly lower in DM group (P ＜ 0.01).Homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was slightly higher in IGR and DM groups but without significant difference among 3 groups.In multivariate analyses,family history of diabetes(OR=12.710,95％ CI 1.176-137.30,P=0.036),age(OR=1.106,95％ CI 1.018-1.202,P=0.017),and GH levels(OR=1.075,95％ CI 1.007-1.147,P=0.030) were independent risk factors of diabetes in acromegaly patients.Conclusion Impaired glucose metabolism is present in nearly 70％ of patients at diagnosis of acromegaly,and is associated with age,family history of diabetes,and higher GH levels,but not with IGF-1 levels.

Ultrasound diagnosis of left inferior vena cava and double inferior vena cava in fetus / 浙江大学学报·医学版

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the application of ultrasonography in prenatal diagnosis of left inferior vena cava and double inferior vena cava in fetus.@*METHODS@#The clinical data and ultrasonographic findings of the fetuses with left inferior vena cava (18 cases) or double inferior vena cava (16 cases) were retrospectively analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The ultrasonographic images of left inferior vena cava showed that in the transverse view of the fetal upper abdomen the inferior vena cava and abdominal aorta were in the normal position; below the level of the hilum, the inferior vena cava was located behind the left side of the abdominal aorta; at the level of the hilum, it crossed the front of the abdominal aorta and run diagonally to the upper right, forming the right inferior vena cava and finally entered into the right atrium. The ultrasonographic images of double inferior vena cava showed that in the transverse view of the fetal lower abdomen, in front of spine there were three transections of blood vessels; in coronal plane of abdomen, the veins run on both sides of the abdominal aorta and entered to the iliac vein of the same side. In 34 cases of abnormal inferior vena cava, there were 17 cases complicated with other system abnormalities, including 13 cases of cardiac anomalies.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The left inferior vena cava and double inferior vena cava have characteristic imaging findings, and prenatal diagnosis can be made with ultrasonography. This type of congenital deformity is frequently complicated with other system abnormalities, which should be excluded in fetus, especially for heart system.

"Discussion on LI Shimao's Academic View of ""Tracing the Origin and Differentiating the Pulse and Syndrome""" / 中医杂志

This article summarizes LI Shimao's academic view of tracing the origin and differentiating the pulse and syndrome in six aspects.1) Emphasizing pulse in diagnosis:he put forward the new theories of pulse diagnosis such as differentiating syndrome by pulse diagnosis outline theory,deficiency and excess pulse diagnosis outline theory and interpreting pulse mechanism with Qi and blood outline theory.2) Emphasizing sweat promotion method in the three methods (including sweat promotion,emetic method and purgative method):he promoted sweat with acrid-warm drugs not only in the treatment of excess cold syndrome,but also in the treatment of deficiency cold syndrome.3) Emphasizing Yang deficiency in cold damage syndrome:he regarded Yang deficiency as an important reason for the attack of externally-contracted wind-cold.4) Emphasizing fire constraint in warm disease:he was the first to pinpointed that the nature of warm disease is stagnated heat,he was good at treating warm disease with clearing,venting and enriching methods of which venting is the core and he invented Xinjia Shengjiang San (新加升降散) to treat stagnated heat;5) Emphasizing treating phlegm and stasis in the complicated diseases:he thought the difficult and complicated diseases in modem medicine were similar to the phlegm syndrome and stasis syndrome in Chinese medicine,so he liked modifying Daotan Tang (导痰汤),ZHANG Zhongjing's formulae,WANG Qingren's formulae for removing blood stasis and Taohong Siwu Tang (桃红四物汤) to treat phlegm and stasis syndromes;6) Emphasizing emergencies in rescue period:he thought Chinese medicine did a great work in treating emergencies,and modern scientific and technological methods should be used in studying emergencies in Chinese medicine.

Effect of phosphorus deficiency on erythrocytic morphology and function in cows

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of phosphorus (P) deficiency on the morphological and functional characteristics of erythrocytes in cows. Forty Holstein-Friesian dairy cows in mid-lactation were randomly divided into two groups of 20 each and were fed either a low-P diet (0.03% P/kg dry matter [DM]) or a control diet (0.36% P/kg DM). Red blood cell (RBC) indices results showed RBC and mean corpuscular hemoglobin decreased while mean corpuscular volume increased significantly (p < 0.05) in P-deficient cows. Erythrocyte morphology showed erythrocyte destruction in P-deficient cows. Erythrocytes' functional characteristics results showed total bilirubin and indirect bilirubin concentrations and aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase activity levels in the serum of P-deficient cows were significantly higher than those in control diet-fed cows. Activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in erythrocytes were lower, while the malondialdehyde content was greater, in P-deficient cows than in control diet-fed cows. Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and Mg²⁺-ATPase activities were lower in P-deficient cows than in control diet-fed cows; however, Ca²⁺-ATPase activity was not significantly different. The phospholipid composition of the erythrocyte membrane changed and membrane fluidity rigidified in P-deficient cows. The results indicate that P deficiency might impair erythrocyte integrity and functional characteristics in cows.

Effect of Mirror Therapy on Upper Extremity Motor Function and Activities of Daily Living after Stroke:A Meta-analysis / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To systematically summarize the effects of mirror therapy on upper extremity motor function and activities of dai-ly living after stroke. Methods The literatures about mirror therapy published between January, 2006 and May, 2016 were recalled from Medline, PubMed, CINAHL, OT seeker, PEDro, Wanfang and CNKI databases. The randomized control trials were included, and those didn't concern upper extremity motor function and activities of daily living were excluded. The data were extracted and analysed with Rev-Man 5.3. Results Fourteen trials were included. Mirror therapy could significantly improve Fugl-Meyer Assessment score (SMD=0.81, 95%CI=0.43-1.20, P<0.001, I2=64%). Subgroups analysis indicated movement based mirror therapy was more effective on mild to moderate hemiplegia (SMD=0.96, 95%CI=0.59~1.34, P<0.001, I2=51%) and the subgroup differences were also significant (P=0.004). Mirror therapy could improve score of Action Research Arm Test (SMD=0.33, 95%CI=0.01-0.64, P=0.040, I2=0), Box and Block Test (SMD=0.70, 95%CI=0.03-1.37, P=0.040, I2=62%) and Brunstrom stages (SMD=1.56, 95%CI=1.07-2.06, P<0.001, I2=41%) of affected upper extremities. It could also improve activities of daily living (SMD=0.93, 95%CI=0.62-1.24, P<0.001, I2=0). No evidence revealed mirror therapy could change muscle tone of flexors of affected upper limbs (SMD=-0.22, 95%CI=-0.73-0.28, P=0.890, I2=0). Conclusion Mirror therapy can signifi-cantly improve upper extremity motor function and activity of daily living.

Progress on anti-tumor molecular mechanisms of dihydroartemisinin / 浙江大学学报·医学版

Artemisinin is an anti-malarial drug with poor water solubility and oral absorption; so a variety of derivatives based on the parent nucleus have been developed. Compared with artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has a stronger anti-malaria activity, and has the advantages of high metabolic rate and better water solubility. Recent studies have discovered that DHA has a good inhibitory effect on tumor cells, which is closely related to the peroxide bridge in its molecular structure. Since tumor cells need more Fethan normal cells, there are a large number of transferrin receptors on the tumor cell membrane. DHA can break the peroxide bridge in the presence of Fe, and the free radicals generated can play its lethal effect on tumor cells. In addition, DHA can promote endocytosis of transferrin receptor, and thus prevent cancer cells from taking Fefrom microenvironment. This article reviews the anti-tumor molecular mechanism of DHA, including accelerating oxidative damage, inducing apoptosis, inhibiting the growth, proliferation and invasion of tumor cells, reversing tumor multidrug resistance.

Influence of the cytosine content in liposome-coated 99Tcm-HYNIC-survivin ASODN on tumor bearing nude mice imaging / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective To investigate whether specific cellular uptake of 99Tcm-survivin-ASODN in nude mice bearing human HCC is influenced by its cytosine content.Methods Three kinds(A1,A2,A3) of synthesized survivin ASODN with three cytosine contents(10％,20％,30％),20 bases per single-strand were prepared.They were labeled with 99Tcm by conjugating with a bifunctional chelator HYNIC,purified through Cellufine GH-25 and then encapsulated with liposome.Antisense gene imaging and the biodistribution of 99Tcm-HYNIC-survivin ASODN in nude mice bearing HCC were performed.The data were analysed by Kruskal-Wallis H test.Results At 4 h post injection,all the 3 labelled compounds showed increased uptake by tumor,liver and kidney.With increase in cytosine content,the uptake increased in kidney (％ID/g:1.50±0.06,2.80±0.09 and 3.96±0.03),and decreased in tumor (％ID/g:2.08±0.08,1.69±0.01 and 1.20±0.09).T/NT in imaging (4.49-4.93,4.12-4.21,3.35-3.85;H=12.50,P＜0.05) and in biodistribution (4.08-4.94,4.02-4.18,3.66-3.85;H=10.82,P＜0.05) were all significantly different.Conclusion ASODN with lower cytosine content shows higher uptake by HCC tumor cells and less stasis in kidneys,thus providing better quality in antisense gene imaging.

Chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia ameliorates myocardial apoptosis through inhibiting mitochondrial pathway in rats with metabolism syndrome / 中国药理学通报

Aim To confirm the inhibitory effect of chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia ( CIHH) on my-ocardial apoptosis induced by metabolism syndrome ( MS) , and to investigate its mechanism. Methods A rat model of MS induced by fructose was used. The blood pressure and the plasma content of glucose, tri-glyceride, cholesterol, and insulin after 12 h fasting were detected. HE stain were used to detect the cardi-ac structure. The TUNEL staining and activity of caspase-3 were used to detect the apoptosis of myocar-dium. The protein expression of Bcl-2 and Bax was detected by Western blot . Results Compared with the control rats, the blood pressure and the plasma content of glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, and insu-lin were all increased in rats with MS. In rats with MS, the impairment of cardiac structure and the increase of apoptosis were also observed. The protein expression of Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated, and that of Bax was significantly up-regulated in MS rats. The ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was also significantly decreased. Interest-ingly, CIHH could ameliorate all of the above issues. There was no significant difference between control group and CIHH group. Conclusion CIHH may im-prove the increased apoptosis in rats with MS via inhib-iting the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. This stud-y might provide new targets for therapy and the preven-tion of MS patients.