Characteristics of the chloroplast genome of Camellia insularis / 生物工程学报

In this study, the chloroplast genome of Camellia insularis Orel & Curry was sequenced using high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the chloroplast genome of C. insularis was 156 882 bp in length with a typical tetrad structure, encoding 132 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Codon preference analysis revealed that the highest number of codons coded for leucine, with a high A/U preference in the third codon position. Additionally, 67 simple sequence repeats (SSR) loci were identified, with a preference for A and T bases. The inverted repeat (IR) boundary regions of the chloroplast genome of C. insularis were relatively conserved, except for a few variable regions. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that C. insularis was most closely related to C. fascicularis. Yellow camellia is a valuable material for genetic engineering breeding. This study provides fundamental genetic information on chloroplast engineering and offers valuable resources for conducting in-depth research on the evolution, species identification, and genomic breeding of yellow Camellia.

Targeting autophagy and beyond: Deconvoluting the complexity of Beclin-1 from biological function to cancer therapy

Beclin-1 is the firstly-identified mammalian protein of the autophagy machinery, which functions as a molecular scaffold for the assembly of PI3KC3 (class III phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase) complex, thus controlling autophagy induction and other cellular trafficking events. Notably, there is mounting evidence establishing the implications of Beclin-1 in diverse tumorigenesis processes, including tumor suppression and progression as well as resistance to cancer therapeutics and CSC (cancer stem-like cell) maintenance. More importantly, Beclin-1 has been confirmed as a potential target for the treatment of multiple cancers. In this review, we provide a comprehensive survey of the structure, functions, and regulations of Beclin-1, and we discuss recent advances in understanding the controversial roles of Beclin-1 in oncology. Moreover, we focus on summarizing the targeted Beclin-1-regulating strategies in cancer therapy, providing novel insights into a promising strategy for regulating Beclin-1 to improve cancer therapeutics in the future.

Study on quality standard for Miao medicine Clinopodium gracile / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To establish the quality standard of Clinopodium gracile. METHODS Ten batches of C. gracile were collected to perform appearance and property identification， microscopic identification and thin layer chromatography （TLC） identification. Moisture， total ash， acid-insoluble ash and dilute ethanol extract were detected， and the content of rosmarinic acid was determined by HPLC. RESULTS The stem of C. gracile was slender， square columnar， covered by white fluff， the surface was grayish green or greenish brown； epidermal cells， non-glandular hairs， cortical cells and so on were seen in the cross section of the stem. Non-glandular hairs， ducts， wood fibers， mesophyll cells and so on could be seen in the powder. Results of TLC identification showed that there were spots of the same color in the chromatographic position corresponding to the chromatographic position of buddlejasaponin Ⅳb control. The contents of water， total ash， acid-insoluble ash， dilute ethanol extract and rosmarinic acid in 10 batches of samples were 8.69%-12.33%， 5.96%-13.33%， 0.14%-3.29%， 18.57%-32.61%， 0.35%-0.82%， respectively. The average values were 10.10%， 9.73%， 1.06%， 23.54% and 0.56%， respectively. CONCLUSIONS The established method can be used for quality control of C. gracile. It is preliminarily proposed that the ash content in the herb should not exceed 12.0%， the total ash content should not exceed 12.0%， the acid-insoluble ash content should not exceed 1.5%， the dilute ethanol extract should not be less than 18.0%， and the rosmarinic acid content should not be less than 0.45%.

Effects and mechanisms of ferroptosis on high glucose-induced retinal pigment epithelial cells injury / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To observe the effects and mechanisms of ferroptosis on high glucose(HG)-induced retinal pigment epithelium(RPE)cells injury, and to provide new ideas for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy(DR).METHODS: The ARPE-19 cell lines cultured in vitro were divided into normal control group(NC group), high glucose group(HG group), and high glucose+Ferrostatin-1 group(Fer-1 group). The cell viability of each group was detected by CCK-8 assay. The expressions of interleukin 6(IL-6), IL-1β and monocyte chemotactic protein-1(MCP-1)were detected using ELISA kits. The levels of malondialdehyde(MDA), glutathione(GSH), glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4)and iron content were detected using the corresponding assay kits. The mitochondrial changes in ARPE-19 cells were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expressions of ferroptosis-related proteins including long-chain lipoyl CoA synthase 4(ACSL4)and GPX4, as well as vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining.RESULTS: Compared with NC group, the cell viability of HG group decreased significantly, the expression levels of inflammatory factors in cell supernatant increased, the contents of MDA and iron significantly increased, GSH and GPX4 significantly decreased(all P<0.01), the mitochondria of ARPE-19 cells shrunk, the expression of proteins ACSL4 and VEGF increased, while the expression of GPX4 decreased(all P<0.01). Compared with HG group, the cell viability of Fer-1 group significantly increased, the expression levels of inflammatory factors in cell supernatant decreased, MDA and iron contents significantly decreased, GSH contents and GPX4 viability significantly increased(all P<0.05), the morphology of mitochondria in ARPE-19 cells improved, the expression of ACSL4 and VEGF decreased, while the expression of GPX4 increased(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Ferroptosis is involved in the injury of RPE induced by HG. Inhibiting ferroptosis can improve cell viability, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and alleviate HG-induced RPE cells injury.

LDHA inhibitor combined with targeted drugs synergistically inhibit the proliferation of fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma cells / 现代泌尿外科杂志

【Objective】 To explore the therapeutic effects of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) inhibitor and targeted drugs on fumarate-hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma (FH-d RCC). 【Methods】 RNA-sequencing was used to detect the mRNA expression in FH-d RCC tissues, which was further validated with real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. Human-derived FH-d RCC cell line UOK262 and murine-derived FH-d RCC cell line FH1-/-CL19 (CL19) were treated with LDHA inhibitor [(R)-GNE-140] and listed kidney cancer targeted drugs (Axitinib, Cabozantinib, Sunitinib, Sorafenib, Pazopanib, Everolimus) respectively, and then treated with LHDA inhibitor in combination with the targeted drugs to observe the alteration of cell proliferation. The combination index (CI) of different dose groups of the combination drugs were analyzed with CompuSyn software to determine the optimal combination regimen. 【Results】 LDHA inhibitor and targeted drugs, including Cabozantinib, Sorafenib and Sunitinib, had a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of FH-d RCC cells, and the combination of Cabozantinib and Sorafenib or Pazopanib had a significant anti-tumor effect. 【Conclusion】 LDHA inhibitor combined with targeted drugs can significantly inhibit the growth of FH-d RCC cells, indicating that LDHA may be a potential therapeutic target of FH-d RCC.

Changes and distribution of antibodies in plasma before and after infection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To determine the best collection time period of plasma which can be used for human COVID-19 immunoglobulin for intravenous injection through SARS-CoV-2-IgG change and neutralizing antibody distribution against different virus strain in representative mixed plasma before and after Omicron strain infection by ELISA and pseudovirus neutralization test. 【Methods】 An ELISA method for quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2-IgG was established and its linear range,accuracy and precision was verified. SARS-CoV-2-IgG potency was detected in 25 convalescent plasma which were collected 20-40 days after confirmed Omicron infection, two groups of mixed plasma samples WP1 and WP2 were prepared according to the SARS-CoV-2-IgG results, and pseudovirus neutralization experiments with different virus strain (prototype strain, BA. 1,BA.2, BA.4/5, BF.7, BQ.1.1) were carried out to determine the distribution of neutralizing antibodies against different virus strain. SARS-CoV-2-IgG potency of representative mixed plasma collected from 14 plasma stations subordinate to the company before and after Omicron strain infection was detected, including Omicron convalescent plasma (OP) collected from different plasma stations from December 2022 to May 2023 and normal pool plasma (VN) feed in March 2023 which collected from March 2022 to December 2022. According to the results, the difference and the change rule with time of SARS-CoV-2-IgG before and after Omicron strain infection were analyzed. 【Results】 The linearity of SARS-CoV-2-IgG ranged from 6.25 to 200 EIU/mL, the accuracy in-batch ranged from 81.793% to 106.985%, the precision in-batch ranged from 1. 100% to 13.000%, and the total error in-batch ranged from 2.988% to 22.679%. The accuracy between batches ranged from 90.788%to 96.893%, the precision between batches ranged from 4.870% to 6.272%, and the total error between batches ranged from 9.192% to 15.399%. The results of pseudovirus neutralizing antibody showed that the potency of different virus strain neutralizing antibodies were in the order of prototype strain>BA.2>BA.4/5>BF.7≈ BQ.1.1>BA.1 and the correlation between WP1 and WP2 was high (Pearson r=0. 931 1, P=0.002 3) which indicated that the potency distribution of neutralizing antibodies of different virus strain in Omicron convalescent plasma was basically stable. Compared with the mixed convalescent plasma sample G128 collected in June 2022, the potency of Omicron neutralizing antibodies of WP series were significantly higher, the ratio of BA.2 antibody to prototype antibody increased from 26.9% (before infection) to 82.6%-87.5% (after infection). The results of VN series before Omicron infection were < 100 EIU/mL, and the results of OP series after Omicron infection showed that the plasma collected from the beginning of December 2022 was the peak of antibody in the same month,and then dropped sharply, entering a short plateau in February-March 2023 (potency was about 40% of the peak value),and then dropped sharply again in April (potency was about 20% of the peak value). 【Conclusion】 The potency and proportion of neutralizing antibody against Omicron subtype in convalescent plasma after COVID-19 Omicron strain infection increased significantly. IgG antibody of plasma donors in different regions reached its peak in the month of infection, then continued to dropped sharply. The best collection period of plasma that can be used for human COVID-19 immunoglobulin for intravenous injection was 1 to 2 months after infection.

Preliminary Construction of Evaluation Index System for Traditional Chinese Medicine Medicated Diet based on Delphi Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process / 中医杂志

ObjectiveTo build an evaluation index system for traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） medicated diet， promoting the scientific and standardized development of medicated diet in TCM. MethodsThe framework of the evaluation index system was constructed through literature review and Delphi expert consultation method. The analytic hierarchy process was used to construct a hierarchical structure model. Pairwise comparisons between the indicators were conducted using the Saaty 1-9 scale method， and the weight of each indicator was calculated using Yaahp 10.3. ResultsThe response rates for the two rounds of expert consultation were 93.33% and 100%， respectively. The Kendall's W coefficients for the first-level and second-level indicators in the second round were 0.270 and 0.281， respectively （both P＜0.001）. Finally， an evaluation index system for TCM medicated diet therapy was constructed， consisting of 6 primary indicators and 27 secondary indicators. The weightings of the primary indicators were as follows： sensory appearance （0.1843）， health value （0.3569）， ingredient compatibility （0.1271）， packaging （0.0370）， production and preparation （0.1005）， and reliability （0.1940）. ConclusionA comprehensive and universally applicable evaluation index system for TCM medicated diet has been developed， taking into conside-rations of color， taste， appearance， efficacy， preparation， quality and others. This system can provide valuable reference for the evaluation of the value of medicated diet as well as its development.

Potential targets for traditional Chinese medicine treatment of chronic inflammation in obesity: macrophage polarization / 中国中药杂志

Obesity has been identified as a chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and a key risk factor for diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and malignancies, and has become an urgent global health burden. Adipose tissue macrophages play a significant role in adipose immune homeostasis and inflammatory responses. Under different conditions, they can be polarized into pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype or anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. In obese individuals, there is abnormal polarization of macrophages in adipose tissue, leading to an imbalance in the M1/M2 phenotype dynamic equilibrium and the development of pathological inflammation. Therefore, restoring the balance of M1/M2 macrophage polarization is an important potential target for the treatment of chronic inflammation in obesity. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) can positively modulate macrophage polarization and produce beneficial effects on obesity. Based on existing evidence, this paper systematically reviewed the potential mechanisms of TCM in improving chronic inflammation in obesity from the perspective of macrophage polarization, in order to provide evidence for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of chronic inflammation in obesity with TCM and offer new insights for related research design and the development of new TCM.

Preliminary study on the material basis for expectorant and cough relief effects of the fruits of Phellodendron chinense var. glabriusulum Schneid / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To explore the material basis and mechanism of expectorant and cough relief effects of the fruits of Phellodendron chinense var. glabriusulum Schneid. METHODS The expectorant and cough relief effects of volatile oil and water decoction of the fruits of P. chinense var. glabriusulum Schneid. were studied by ammonia water cough induction and drug expectorant model mice experiments； GC-MS and UPLC-MS technologies were used to identify its volatile oils and non-volatile components of the fruits of P. chinense var. glabriusulum Schneid. The active ingredients， core targets and pathways of expectoration and cough relief were analyzed by network pharmacology. RESULTS The volatile oil （0.8， 0.2 g/kg， calculated by volatile oil） and water decoction （12， 3 g/kg， calculated by crude drug） of the fruits of P. chinense var. glabriusulum Schneid. both had obvious expectorant and cough relief effects， and showed obvious dose-dependent relationship. A total of 38 volatile oil components were identified from the medicinal herbs， and the relative percentage contents of 8 components were greater than 1%， such as α -pinene， myrcene， β -caryophyllene， germanene D， isospathulenol； a total of 69 non-volatile oil components were identified， mainly including phenolic compounds， alkaloids， and flavonoids. The active ingredients screened from the identified components included 13 compounds such as α-pinene， myrcene， chlorogenic acid， luteolin， berberine. There were a total of 55 intersection targets with diseases， and the core targets were tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA）， serine/threonine kinase proteins （AKT1） and Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）. The molecular docking results showed that the active ingredients and the core targets had good binding ability. GO functional analysis found that the targets were significantly enriched in biological processes such as the reaction affecting lipopolysaccharides， the positive regulation of peptidyl serine phosphorylation， and the positive regulation of the biosynthesis process of nitric oxide. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis found that the targets were significantly enriched in the signaling pathways such as cancer， non-small cell lung cancer， proteoglycans in cancer. CONCLUSIONS Fruits of P. chinense var. glabriusulum Schneid. have obvious expectorant and cough relief effects， and its material basis may be α-pinene， myrcene， chlorogenic acid， luteolin， berberine， etc.， and mainly act on TNF， EGFR， VEGFA， AKT1， TLR4 and its significantly enriched signaling pathway.

Anti-HMGCR immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy: A case report / 北京大学学报(医学版)

The patient was a 55-year-old man who was admitted to hospital with "progressive myalgia and weakness for 4 months, and exacerbated for 1 month". Four months ago, he presented with persistent shoulder girdle myalgia and elevated creatine kinase (CK) at routine physical examination, which fluctuated from 1 271 to 2 963 U/L after discontinuation of statin treatment. Progressive myalgia and weakness worsened seriously to breath-holding and profuse sweating 1 month ago. The patient was post-operative for renal cancer, had previous diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease medical history, had a stent implanted by percutaneous coronary intervention and was on long-term medication with aspirin, atorvastatin and metoprolol. Neurological examination showed pressure pain in the scapularis and pelvic girdle muscles, and V- grade muscle strength in the proximal extremities. Strongly positive of anti-HMGCR antibody was detected. Muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2-weighted image and short time inversion recovery sequences (STIR) showed high signals in the right vastus lateralis and semimembranosus muscles. There was a small amount of myofibrillar degeneration and necrosis, CD4 positive inflammatory cells around the vessels and among myofibrils, MHC-Ⅰ infiltration, and multifocal lamellar deposition of C5b9 in non-necrotic myofibrils of the right quadriceps muscle pathological manifestation. According to the clinical manifestation, imageological change, increased CK, blood specific anti-HMGCR antibody and biopsy pathological immune-mediated evidence, the diagnosis of anti-HMGCR immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy was unequivocal. Methylprednisolone was administrated as 48 mg daily orally, and was reduced to medication discontinuation gradually. The patient's complaint of myalgia and breathlessness completely disappeared after 2 weeks, the weakness relief with no residual clinical symptoms 2 months later. Follow-up to date, there was no myalgia or weakness with slightly increasing CK rechecked. The case was a classical anti-HMGCR-IMNM without swallowing difficulties, joint symptoms, rash, lung symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, heart failure and Raynaud's phenomenon. The other clinical characters of the disease included CK as mean levels >10 times of upper limit of normal, active myogenic damage in electromyography, predominant edema and steatosis of gluteus and external rotator groups in T2WI and/or STIR at advanced disease phase except axial muscles. The symptoms may occasionally improve with discontinuation of statins, but glucocorticoids are usually required, and other treatments include a variety of immunosuppressive therapies such as methotrexate, rituximab and intravenous gammaglobulin.

HbA1c comparison and diagnostic efficacy analysis of multi center different glycosylated hemoglobin detection systems / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: Compare and analyze the results of the domestic Lanyi AH600 glycated hemoglobin analyzer and other different detection systems to understand the comparability of the detection results of different detectors, and establish the best cut point of Lanyi AH600 determination of haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in the diagnosis of diabetes. Methods: Multi center cohort study was adopted. The clinical laboratory departments of 18 medical institutions independently collected test samples from their respective hospitals from March to April 2022, and independently completed comparative analysis of the evaluated instrument (Lanyi AH600) and the reference instrument HbA1c. The reference instruments include four different brands of glycosylated hemoglobin meters, including Arkray, Bio-Rad, DOSOH, and Huizhong. Scatter plot was used to calculate the correlation between the results of different detection systems, and the regression equation was calculated. The consistency analysis between the results of different detection systems was evaluated by Bland Altman method. Consistency judgment principles: (1) When the 95% limits of agreement (95% LoA) of the measurement difference was within 0.4% HbA1c and the measurement score was≥80 points, the comparison consistency was good; (2) When the measurement difference of 95% LoA exceeded 0.4% HbA1c, and the measurement score was≥80 points, the comparison consistency was relatively good; (3) The measurement score was less than 80 points, the comparison consistency was poor. The difference between the results of different detection systems was tested by paired sample T test or Wilcoxon paired sign rank sum test; The best cut-off point of diabetes was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results: The correlation coefficient R2 of results between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument in 16 hospitals is≥0.99; The Bland Altman consistency analysis showed that the difference of 95% LoA in Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in Jiangsu Province (reference instrument: Arkray HA8180) was -0.486%-0.325%, and the measurement score was 94.6 points (473/500); The difference of 95% LoA in the Tibetan Traditional Medical Hospital of TAR (reference instrument: Bio-Rad Variant II) was -0.727%-0.612%, and the measurement score was 89.8 points; The difference of 95% LoA in the People's Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT) was -0.231%-0.461%, and the measurement score was 96.6 points; The difference of 95% LoA in the Taihe Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine in Anhui Province (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT) was -0.469%-0.479%, and the measurement score was 91.9 points. The other 14 hospitals, Lanyi AH600, were compared with 4 reference instrument brands, the difference of 95% LoA was less than 0.4% HbA1c, and the scores were all greater than 95 points. The results of paired sample T test or Wilcoxon paired sign rank sum test showed that there was no statistically significant difference between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument Arkray HA8180 (Z=1.665,P=0.096), with no statistical difference. The mean difference between the measured values of the two instruments was 0.004%. The comparison data of Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument of all other institutions had significant differences (all P<0.001), however, it was necessary to consider whether it was within the clinical acceptable range in combination with the results of the Bland-Altman consistency analysis. The ROC curve of HbA1c detected by Lanyi AH600 in 985 patients with diabetes and 3 423 patients with non-diabetes was analyzed, the area under curve (AUC) was 0.877, the standard error was 0.007, and the 95% confidence interval 95%CI was (0.864, 0.891), which was statistically significant (P<0.001). The maximum value of Youden index was 0.634, and the corresponding HbA1c cut point was 6.235%. The sensitivity and specificity of diabetes diagnosis were 76.2% and 87.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Among the hospitals and instruments currently included in this study, among these four hospitals included Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in Jiangsu Province (reference instrument: Arkray HA8180), Tibetan Traditional Medical Hospital of TAR (reference instrument: Bio-Rad Variant Ⅱ), the People's Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT), and the Taihe Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine in Anhui Province (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT), the comparison between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instruments showed relatively good consistency, while the other 14 hospitals involved four different brands of reference instruments: Arkray, Bio-Rad, DOSOH, and Huizhong, Lanyi AH600 had good consistency with its comparison. The best cut point of the domestic Lanyi AH600 for detecting HbA1c in the diagnosis of diabetes is 6.235%.

Further progress of the etiology,diagnosis and treatment of peripheral precocious puberty / 中华预防医学杂志

Peripheral precocious puberty(PPP),also known as puberty independent from hypothalamic-pituitary axis activation,is stimulated by hormones from other sources, with only partial sexual characteristics development but without mature sexual function. The secondary sexual characteristics development occurs before 7.5 years of age in girls and before 9 years of age in boys. Clinical manifestations are diverse, and PPP has varied etiology including congenital adrenal hyperplasia, McCune-Albright syndrome, ovarian cyst, adrenal tumor, ovarian tumor, testicular tumor, human chorionic gonadotropin producing tumor, familial male precocious puberty, aromatase excess syndrome, and environmental estrogen. Early identification of etiology, accurate differential diagnosis and prenatal gene screening play a significant role in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Current status and prospect of composite nano-phototherapy agents in the phototherapy for breast cancer treatment / 中国药房

As an adjuvant alternative therapy， phototherapy is widely used for early diagnosis and late treatment of breast cancer due to its non-invasive treatment characteristics. But the application of phototherapeutic agents has been limited in the clinic due to poor hydrophobicity and tissue targeting， low photostability， and obvious toxic side effects in vivo. With the development of nanotechnology， new composite nano-phototherapy agents have emerged. This paper summarizes the latest developments and findings of new composite nano-phototherapy agents for phototherapy in the field of breast cancer treatment in the past 5 years. With the development of multifunctional nanomaterials in the field of breast cancer imaging diagnosis and treatment， the modified phototherapy agent achieved further development respectively from improving light response to improve the light thermal conversion or increasing the generation of reactive oxygen species， targeting tumor microenvironment， immune cells and cancer cell surface receptors to achieve drug controllable response release， using biomimetic materials and endogenous substances to improve biocompatibility. Although phototherapeutic agents exhibit high cell-killing rates in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer models and effectively inhibit their recurrence and metastasis， problems remain regarding the safety and compatibility of synergistic therapy. Future studies can not only improve the existing effects of phototherapeutic agents， but also develop oral drugs with more convenient routes based on immunotherapy to amplify the immune response and resist breast cancer through multiple routes.

Dental erosion caused by glucocorticoid therapy in a patient with optic neuritis: a case report / 华西口腔医学杂志

Dental erosion is characterized by progressively destroyed teeth, which has no relation to bacteria but to chemicals. Some internal factors, such as gastroesophageal reflux induced by bulimia, anorexia, gastrointestinal diseases, or drugs, and external factors, such as diet, drugs, and occupational acid exposure, are considered promotive factors for this disease. This article presents a patient suffering from severe dental erosion in the whole dentition, especially in the maxillary teeth, due to gastroesophageal reflux induced by glucocorticoid therapy for optic neuritis. This article discusses the mechanism between optic neuritis glucocorticoid therapy and dental erosion.

Effect of Oleanolic Acid on Abnormal Water Metabolism of Mice with Water-dampness Retention Caused by Spleen Deficiency / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of oleanolic acid （OA） on water metabolism in mice with water-dampness retention caused by spleen deficiency and the mechanism. MethodThe 60 SPF Kunming （KM） mice were randomized into blank group （n=10） and modeling group （n=50）. Through long-term living in damp place and irregular diet， water-dampness retention caused by spleen deficiency was induced in modeling mice. Then the model mice were randomly classified into model group， natural recovery group， and low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose OA groups. The mice in the blank group， model group， and natural recovery group were given （ig） 10 mL·kg-1·d-1 normal saline， and mice in the low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose OA groups received 50， 100， 200 mg·kg-1·d-1 OA， respectively. The intervention lasted 7 days. Before and after modeling and administration， the general conditions of the mice were observed and body weight of mice was measured. The water content in feces and tissues was detected with the oven-drying method， and water load index and organ coefficient were measured with the weighing method. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to detect the urinary D-xylose excretion， serum gastrin （GAS）， total protein （TP）， albumin （ALB）， total cholesterol （TC）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， antidiuretic hormone （AVP）， aquaporin 1 （AQP1） in renal medulla， and liver Na+-K+-ATPase. At the same time， OA was docked with ALB， IL-6， AQP1， and Na+-K+-ATPase. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed withered hair， emaciation， laziness， bradykinesia， slow weight growth， infrequent spontaneous activities， high water content in feces and tissues， low weight loss after water loading， high coefficient of each organ （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， the model group had less urinary D-xylose excretion， lower serum levels of GAS， TP， ALB， and HDL-C， higher levels of TC， LDL-C， AVP， and IL-6， lower expression of Na+-K+-ATPase in the liver， and higher expression of AQP1 in renal medulla than the blank group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The three OA groups demonstrated better general conditions， faster weight gain， more frequent spontaneous activities， lower water content in feces and tissues， larger weight loss after water loading， and lower coefficient of each organ than the model group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Moreover， compared with the model group， the three OA groups had high D-xylose excretion， high serum levels of GAS， TP， ALB， and HDL-C， low serum levels of TC， LDL-C， AVP， and IL-6， high expression of Na+-K+-ATPase in liver， and low expression of AQP1 in renal medulla （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The recovery in each OA group was better than that in natural recovery group. Molecular docking results also confirmed that OA had high binding affinity with ALB， IL-6， AQP1， and Na+-K+-ATPase. ConclusionOA can alleviate the abnormal water metabolism in mice with water-dampness retention caused by spleen deficiency， which lays a basis for its potential clinical application.

Maternal liver damage induced by cadmium exposure in pregnant mice through hypoxia inducible factor-1α-mediated upregulation in DRP1 / 环境与职业医学

Background Mitochondrial dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) regulates mitochondrial division and plays an important role in maintaining hepatocyte function. However, the role of DRP1 in cadmium exposure-induced maternal liver damage in pregnant mice remains unclear. Objective To investigate the role and mechanism of DRP1 in maternal liver damage induced by cadmium exposure during pregnancy. Methods This study consisted of animal experiments and cell experiments. (1) Animal experiments. Mice at 14 days of gestation were randomly divided into three groups: a control group, a low-dose cadmium group (LCd group: 2.5 mg·kg−1), and a high-dose cadmium group (HCd group: 5 mg·kg−1). The pregnant mice were intraperitoneally injected with cadmium chloride (CdCl2) for 6 and 24 h in the next morning. The weights of pregnant mice, uterus, maternal liver, and fetal mice were recorded after sacrifice. Serum and liver of pregnant mice were collected, the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum were detected, and liver tissues were stained with HE to observe changes in liver function and liver tissue structure. The expressions of oxidative phosphorylation-related proteins, hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and DRP1 proteins in liver of pregnant mice were detected by Western blotting. (2) Cell experiments. AML12 cells were treated with CdCl2 (10 μmol·L−1) for 0, 2, 6, 12, and 24 h. The expressions of oxidative phosphorylation-related proteins, DRP1, and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) proteins were detected. AML12 cells were pretreated with DRP1 inhibitor Mdivi-1 for 1 h and then CdCl2 (10 μmol·L−1) for 12 h to detect the expression of oxidative phosphorylation-related proteins and DRP1 protein. AML12 cells were treated with Hif-1α siRNA for 48 h and CdCl2 (10 μmol·L−1) for 6 h to detect the expression of HIF-1α and DRP1 proteins. Results The results of animal experiments showed that cadmium exposure in pregnant mice had no effects on maternal liver weight and liver coefficient. However, the histomorphological changes and necrosis in hepatocytes were observed. Compared with the control group, the serum ALT and AST levels of pregnant mice in the LCd group were significantly increased after 6 h (P＜0.05), and the levels in the HCd group were significantly increased after 6 and 24 h (P＜0.05). Cadmium exposure during pregnancy significantly up-regulated HIF-1α and DRP1 expressions and down-regulated the expressions of oxidative phosphorylation-related proteins in maternal livers. In vitro cell experiments showed that the expressions of oxidative phosphorylation-related proteins was significantly decreased and HIF-1α and DRP1 protein expressions were significantly increased in the AML12 cells treated with CdCl2 for 6 h. Mdivi-1 pretreatment significantly antagonized the inhibitory effect of cadmium on the expressions of oxidative phosphorylation-related proteins in AML12 cells, while Hif-1α siRNA pretreatment significantly antagonized the up-regulative effect of cadmium on DRP1 expression in AML12 cells. Conclusion Cadmium exposure in pregnant mice may up-regulate DRP1 expression by activating HIF-1α signaling, then inhibit oxidative phosphorylation level of hepatic cells, and ultimately lead to maternal liver damage.

The role of Nrf2 in the alteration of tight junction protein expression in choroid plexus epithelial cells created by lanthanum-activated MMP9 / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To investigate the effect of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in the alteration of tight junction protein expression in choroid plexus epithelial cells created by lanthanum-activated matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) . Methods: In October 2020, immortalized rat choroid plexus epithelial cell line (Z310) cells were used as the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier in vitro, and were divided into control group and 0.125, 0.25, 0.5 mmol/L lanthanum chloride (LaCl(3)) treatment group. After treating Z310 cells with different concentrations of LaCl(3) for 24 hours, the morphological changes of Z310 cells were observed under inverted microscope, the protein expression levels of MMP9, occludin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) were observed by cellular immunofluorescence method, and the protein expression levels of MMP9, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase1 (TIMP1) , occludin, ZO-1 and Nrf2 were detected by Western blotting. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells was detected by flow cytometry. Results: Compared with the control group, Z310 cells in the LaCl(3) treatment group were smaller in size, with fewer intercellular junctions, and more dead cells and cell fragments. The expression level of MMP9 protein in cells treated with 0.25 and 0.5 mmol/L LaCl(3) was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05) , and the expression level of TIMP1 and tight junction proteins occudin and ZO-1 was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05) . Compared with the control group, the ROS production level in the 0.25, 0.5 mmol/L LaCl(3) treatment group was significantly increased (P<0.05) , and the Nrf2 protein expression level in the 0.125, 0.25, 0.5 mmol/L LaCl(3) treatment group was significantly decreased (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Lanthanum may increase the level of ROS in cells by down regulating the expression of Nrf2, thus activating MMP9 to reduce the expression level of intercellular tight junction proteins occludin and ZO-1.

Effect of Ganmai Dazao Decoction on ethology of rats with PTSD and its mechanism / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to explore the effect of Ganmai Dazao Decoction on the ethology of rats with posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) and study the related mechanism through the changes in magnetic resonance imaging and protein expression. Sixty rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, namely the normal group, the model group, the low(1 g·kg~(-1)), medium(2 g·kg~(-1)), and high-dose Ganmai Dazao Decoction groups(4 g·kg~(-1)), and the positive control group(intragastric administration with 10.8 mg·kg~(-1) of fluoxetine), with 10 rats in each group. Two weeks after inducing PTSD by single-prolonged stress(SPS) in rats, the positive control group was given fluoxetine hydrochloride capsule by gavage, the low, medium, and high-dose groups were given Ganmai Dazao Decoction by gavage, and both the normal group and the model group were given the same volume of normal saline by gavage, each for 7 days. The open field experiment, elevated cross elevated maze, forced swimming experiment, and new object recognition test were carried out for the behavioral test. Three rats in each group were selected to detect the expression of neuropeptide receptor Y1(NPY1R) protein in the hippocampus by Western blot. Then, the other three rats in each group were selected to use the 9.4T magnetic resonance imaging experiment to observe the overall structural changes in the brain region and the anisotropy fraction of the hippocampus. The results of the open field experiment showed that the total distance and central distance of rats in the model group were significantly lower than those in the normal group, and the total distance and central distance of rats in the middle and high-dose Ganmai Dazao Decoction groups were higher than those in the model group. The results of the elevated cross maze test showed that medium and high-dose Ganmai Dazao Decoction remarkably increased the number of open arm entries and the residence time of open arm of rats with PTSD. The results of the forced swimming experiment showed that the immobility time in the water of the model group rats was significantly higher than that of the normal group, and Ganmai Dazao Decoction hugely reduced the immobility time in the water of rats with PTSD. The results of the new object recognition test showed that Ganmai Dazao Decoction significantly increased the exploration time of new objects and familiar objects in rats with PTSD. The results of Western blot showed that Ganmai Dazao Decoction significantly reduced the expression of NYP1R protein in the hippocampus of rats with PTSD. The 9.4T magnetic resonance examination found that there was no significant difference in the structural image among the groups. In the functional image, the fractional anisotropy(FA value) of the hippocampus in the model group was significantly lower than that in the normal group. The FA value of the hippocampus in the middle and high-dose Ganmai Dazao Decoction groups was higher than that in the model group. Ganmai Dazao Decoction reduces the injury of hippocampal neurons by inhibiting the expression of NYP1R in the hippocampus of rats with PTSD, thereby improving the nerve function injury of rats with PTSD and playing a neuroprotective role.

Identification of Human Body Fluid Stains and Non-Biological Stains by Three-Dimensional Fluorescence Spectroscopy / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To establish a rapid and nondestructive identification method for human body fluid stains and non-biological stains using three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy.@*METHODS@#The collected three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum data of human saliva, 3% blood, coffee and Fanta® stains were processed with dimensionality reduction. After wavelet transform, spectral denoising and feature extraction, the classification formula was established. The Fisher discriminant was used for spectrum matching and recognition to establish the analysis method to distinguish stain types.@*RESULTS@#According to the results of data training and comparison, all the recognition accuracies of Fanta®, coffee, saliva and blood were more than 91.39%. Among them, saliva reached 100% recognition accuracy.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy is a potential method for rapid and nondestructive identification of biological and non-biological stains.

Observation on the therapeutic efficacy and survival rate of oral Etoposide in children with disseminated medulloblastoma after the standard treatment plan / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To explore the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of oral Etoposide chemotherapy in children with disseminated medulloblastoma (MB) after the standard treatment plan.Methods:The clinical data of 86 children with disseminated MB admitted in the Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Shijitan Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2016 to May 2020 were analyzed retrospectively.The median age of children was 8.8 (3.0-16.7) years old.Among them, 33 children treated with maintenance chemotherapy via oral Etoposide were included in the chemotherapy group, and 53 children without oral maintenance chemotherapy were included in the non-chemotherapy group.The gender distribution, surgical resection range, pathological type, molecular classification, postoperative mutism, M-stage and survival[progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)] of the 2 groups were compared.The main adverse events of oral Etoposide chemotherapy were recorded. Chi- square test is used for data comparison, Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot the survival curve of disseminated MB patients, followed by the Log- rank test. Results:There were no significant differences in gender, surgical resection range, pathological type, molecular typing, postoperative mutism and M-stage between the 2 groups (all P>0.05). Of 86 patients, the median PFS and OS were 3.0 (0.2-6.3) years, and 3.6 (0.5-6.3) years, respectively.Twenty five cases (29.1%) relapsed, 13 cases (15.1%) died.The 3-year[(65.8±6.8)% vs.(82.0±7.3)%] and 5-year PFS[(56.8±7.7)% vs.(82.0±7.3)%] in non-chemotherapy group were significantly lower than those of chemotherapy group ( P=0.037). The 3-year[(81.6±5.6)% vs.100.0%] and 5-year OS[(71.2±7.7)% vs.(92.3±7.4)%] in non-chemotherapy group were significantly lower than those of chemotherapy group ( P=0.025). Among the children with the SHH subtype, the PFS of children with oral Etoposide maintenance chemotherapy after a regular treatment was significantly higher than that without oral maintenance chemotherapy (100.0% vs.57.1%)( P=0.021). The major adverse events of oral Etoposide were myelosuppression and gastrointestinal symptoms, which were mostly relieved after a symptomatic treatment.Treatment-related deaths were not reported. Conclusions:The prognosis of disseminated MB in children is relatively poor.Oral Etoposide for maintenance therapy after a standard treatment is beneficial in reducing relapse and improving the 5-year survival, which is well tolerated.