Survey of possible aerosol transmission of a COVID-19 epidemic caused by 2019-nCoV Delta variant / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and the transmission chain of a family clustering of COVID-19 cases caused by severe acute respiratory 2019-nCoV Delta variant in Changping district of Beijing. Methods: Epidemiological investigation was conducted and big data were used to reveal the exposure history of the cases. Close contacts were screened according to the investigation results, and human and environmental samples were collected for nucleic acid tests. Positive samples were analyzed by gene sequencing. Results: On November 1, 2021, a total of 5 COVID-19 cases caused by 2019-nCoV Delta variant were reported in a family detected through active screening. The infection source was a person in the same designated isolation hotel where the first case of the family cluster was isolated from 22 to 27, October. The first case was possibly infected through aerosol particles in the ventilation duct system of the isolation hotel. After the isolation discharge on October 27, and the first case caused secondary infections of four family members while living together from October 27 to November 1, 2021. Conclusion: 2019-nCoV Delta variant is prone to cause family cluster, and close attention needs to be paid to virus transmission through ventilation duct system in isolation hotels.

Study on the contrast-enhanced ultrasound characteristics of unstable carotid plaques and their correlation with histopathological findings in elderly patients / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the imaging characteristics on contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)of carotid plaque instability and their correlation with histopathological changes in elderly patients.Methods:Twenty-three patients undergone carotid endarterectomy(CEA)at the Department of Neurosurgery of Beijing Hospital from June 2018 to November 2020 were retrospectively enrolled, including 27 males and 5 females, aging from 60 to 87(68.1±6.3)years.They were diagnosed with moderate to severe carotid artery stenosis(50%-99%)based on digital subtraction angiography(DSA).Carotid artery CEUS was conducted before surgery, and HE staining and CD34 immunohistochemical staining were used to record histopathological scores and microvessel density(MVD)counts.Results:The mean pathological score and MVD count were 2.46±0.66 and 37.17±12.88 for 32 cases with hypoechoic patterns, 22.42±0.55 and 38.06±13.66 for 18 cases with mixed echo patterns, and 2.75±0.35 and 23.50±9.192 for 2 cases with strong echo patterns, respectively.CEUS grading was positively correlated with histopathology score and MVD count( r=0.53、0.76, all P<0.01). Conclusions:Low echo and mixed echo plaques are more unstable than strong echo plaques.CEUS can be used to comprehensively assess the vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques and to decide the optimal surgical time for patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaque stenosis.

Cytogenetic and molecular genetic analysis of three fetuses at high risk of trisomy-16 detected by cell-free fetal DNA testing / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the power and prenatal diagnosis strategies of cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) testing for chromosomal aneuploidy screening apart from trisomy-13/18/21.Methods:This study collected the clinical data of three cases at high risk of trisomy-16 indicated by cffDNA testing in Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from March 2019 to March 2020. Results of the conventional G-banding karyotype analysis of amniotic fluid, single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-array) and low-coverage massively parallel copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) of placenta/fetal skin samples were analyzed.Results:(1) cffDNA testing results suggested that case 1-3 were at high risk of trisomy-16 and the Z values of chromosome 16 were 20.57, 24.88 and 17.87, respectively. (2) Karyotype analysis of amniotic fluid samples did not identify any abnormalities in Case 1 and 2, while SNP-array revealed a 19.2 Mb and 23.0 Mb heterozygous deletion at 16p13.3p12.3 and 16q22.1q24.3 in Case 1, and a 16.0 Mb loss of heterozygosity at 16q22.3q24.3 in Case 2. Case 3 had a mosaicism karyotype of 47,XY,+16[3]/46,XY[97] and SNP-array analysis showed no heterozygous deletion greater than 5 Mb or copy number variation. (3) Ultrasonography indicated fetal growth restriction in Case 1 and 2 and fetal death in Case 3. All three pregnancies were terminated. CNV-seq analysis of placental tissue in the center of both fetal and maternal side revealed mosaic trisomy 16, with the copy numbers of chromosome 16 of 2.56/2.70, 2.73/2.82, 2.80/2.81, respectively. However, no copy number variation was detected in Case 1 or 2 by CNV-seq analysis of fetal skin tissues. Conclusions:cffDNA testing has a certain power in detecting trisomy-16 apart from trisomy-13/18/21. For high-risk cases of trisomy-16 indicated by cffDNA testing, SNP-array analysis combined with karyotype analysis is suggested to rule out low-level mosaicism and loss of heterozygosity.

An observational study of the effect of baseline renal cortical blood perfusion with contrast-enhanced ultrasound on short-term outcomes of stent implantation for severe renal artery stenosis / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of the cortical blood perfusion parameter of wash-in area under curve (iAUC) with contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS) on the effect of short-term outcomes of stent implantation in patients with severe renal artery stenosis (RAS).Methods:Retrospective analysis was performed on 82 patients with unilateral severe RAS who received stent implantation in Beijing Hospital from October 2017 to December 2019. According to the baseline iAUC before CEUS, all patients were divided into the poorly-perfused group (iAUC<850.0 dB×s) (37 cases) and the well-perfused group (iAUC≥850.0 dB×s) (45 cases). Baseline and perioperative clinical-imaging data were analyzed between the two groups. Followed up for 10-12 (11.5±1.7) months, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Log-rank test were used to analyze the rate of adverse cardiac and renal vascular events and hypertension control rates.Results:Compared with the well-perfused group, the poorly-perfused group showed a longer course of hypertension, more diabetic patients, higher systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, 24 h average systolic blood pressure, and 24 h average diastolic blood pressure, lower glomerular filtration rate, and severe renal artery stenosis. Besides, the iAUC, wash-out AUC and the peak intensity were lower, the average transit time was longer, and the hypoglycemic treatment rate was higher (all P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Log-rank test analysis showed that the occurrence of cardio-renal vascular events ( HR=0.361, 95% CI=0.144-0.907, P=0.012) and renal function deterioration rate ( HR=0.286, 95% CI=0.090-0.914, P=0.035) in the well-perfused group were significantly lower than those in the poorly-perfused group. The blood pressure results demonstrated that the effective rate of hypertension treatment in the well-perfused group was significantly higher than that in the poorly-perfused group (93.3% vs 59.5%, P<0.001), but the improvement rate of hypertension (60.0% vs 43.2%) and cure rate (28.9% vs 16.2%) were not statistically significant between the two groups(all P>0.05). Conclusions:Severe RAS patients with decreased baseline iAUC often have diabetes, longer duration of hypertension, significantly reduced glomerular filtration rate and more severe RAS, short-term outcomes are worse with stent implantation.

Regulation of glutathione S-transferase P1 on the radiosensitivity of mouse Lewis lung cancer cells / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To explore the regulatory effect of glutathione S-transferase P1(GSTP1) on the radiosensitivity of mouse Lewis lung cancer (LLC) cells.Methods:GSTP1-shRNA lentivirus and negative control lentivirus were used to respectively infect the LLC cells, and stable transgenic strains were selected. Real-time PCR and Western blot were conducted to quantitatively measure the expression levels of GSTP1 mRNA and protein in the LLC cells to verify the knockdown effect. The cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay was used to detect cell viability after irradiation. The colony formation assay was utilized to assess the cell proliferation ability after irradiation. Flow cytometry was performed to assess the level of cell apoptosis after irradiation. The tumor-bearing mice were established and irradiated to detect the changes in the tumor volume after irradiation. TUNEL staining was employed to detect the level of tumor apoptosis after irradiation. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the number of CD 4+ CD 8+ T cells in the tumor after irradiation. Results:Real-time PCR and Western blot showed that after shRNA lentivirus interference, the expression levels of GSTP1 mRNA and protein were significantly down-regulated. Down-regulation of GSTP1 reduced cell viability and proliferation, and increased the rate of cell apoptosis after irradiation. The tumor volume of the tumor-bearing mice after irradiation in the GSTP1 knockdown group was significantly smaller than that in the NC group, whereas the tumor apoptosis rate was significantly higher and the number of infiltrating CD 4+ CD 8+ T cells in the tumor was remarkably higher compared with those in the control group. Conclusion:Knockdown of GSTP1 can significantly increase the radiosensitivity of LLC cells and enhance the infiltration of lymphocytes in tumor tissues.

Medication rule of Chinese materia medica in treatment of pulmonary fibrosis based on data mining / 中草药

To explore the medication rule of Chinese materia medica (CMM) in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, and provide reference for the prevention and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in the novel coronavirus pneumonia. Using Excel 2013 and SPSS Statistics 23.0, the literatures with the theme of “pulmonary fibrosis” that met the screening criteria were searched, and the association rule analysis was carried out. Frequency analysis showed that the occurrence frequency of Astragali Radix (148, 45.82%), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (124, 38.39%) and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (102, 31.58%) was the highest in the clinical treatment literature. In the statistics of nature and flavor, warm (10 times, 50.00%) and neutral (six times, 30.00%) were the most common. The highest frequency of meridian tropism was found in the spleen (11 times, 25.58%), lung (10 times, 23.26%) and sweet (11 times, 36.67%). In the analysis of association rules, six groups of TCM combinations with high frequency correlation strength were obtained. The high frequency and high correlation CMM combinations obtained from this data analysis were mainly effective in strengthening the spleen and invigorating qi, and warming the spleen and lung, which can be used to prevent the early patients from developing to the critical stage and prevent the patients from reinfection due to low immunity in the convalescence stage.

Automatic segmentation of head and neck organs at risk based on three-dimensional U-NET deep convolutional neural network / 生物医学工程学杂志

The segmentation of organs at risk is an important part of radiotherapy. The current method of manual segmentation depends on the knowledge and experience of physicians, which is very time-consuming and difficult to ensure the accuracy, consistency and repeatability. Therefore, a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) is proposed for the automatic and accurate segmentation of head and neck organs at risk. The data of 496 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were reviewed. Among them, 376 cases were randomly selected for training set, 60 cases for validation set and 60 cases for test set. Using the three-dimensional (3D) U-NET DCNN, combined with two loss functions of Dice Loss and Generalized Dice Loss, the automatic segmentation neural network model for the head and neck organs at risk was trained. The evaluation parameters are Dice similarity coefficient and Jaccard distance. The average Dice Similarity coefficient of the 19 organs at risk was 0.91, and the Jaccard distance was 0.15. The results demonstrate that 3D U-NET DCNN combined with Dice Loss function can be better applied to automatic segmentation of head and neck organs at risk.

Non-invasive prenatal testing and genetic analysis of a fetus with partial trisomy 21 / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To carry out prenatal diagnosis for a fetus with high risk predicted by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT).@*METHODS@#Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to analyze free fetal DNA (ffDNA) in the maternal plasma. Chromosomal karyotyping and single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-array) were used to ascertain copy number variation in the fetus and its parents.@*RESULTS@#SNP-array analysis and chromosomal karyotyping revealed that the fetus had a 15.018 Mb duplication at 4q34.1q35.2 and a 7.678 Mb duplication at 21q11.2q21.1, which were derived from a t(4;21)(q34.1;q21.1) translocation carried by its mother.@*CONCLUSION@#NIPT is capable of detecting submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities of the fetus. Combined use of genetic techniques, in particular SNP-array, is crucial for the diagnosis of partial trisomy 21q in this case.

Genetic analysis of a pedigree with MECP duplication syndrome / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic etiology of a pedigree with mental retardation and hypotonia by using chromosome microarray analysis (CMA), low coverage massive parallel copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) and quantitative PCR (qPCR).@*METHODS@#Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples from two male patients and healthy members from the pedigree. CNV-seq was carried out for one patient. Suspected CNV was verified by qPCR. CNV-seq or single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP array) were carried out for another patient and his family members.@*RESULTS@#Both patients showed severe hypotonia and global development delay, in particular language delay. CNV-seq and SNP array indicated that both patients had carried a Xq28 duplication, with spanned 0.26 Mb and 0.42 Mb, respectively. Both duplications encompassed the MECP2 gene. CNV-seq analysis of their family members confirmed that the mother and one sister had carried similar duplications, while an elder brother was normal.@*CONCLUSION@#CNV-seq and CMA are rapid and effective tools for the diagnosis of MECP2 duplication syndrome in children with mental retardation, hypotonia and recurrent infections.

Effect of Effective Components of Salvia Miltiorrhiza on TGF-β1 Induced Interstitial Transformation of Pulmonary Epithelial Cells / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To screen out the effective components of Salvia miltiorrhiza by establishing an in vitro model of pulmonary epithelial mesenchymal transformation. Method::Different concentrations of salvianolic acid A (10, 20, 40, 80, 160 μmol·L-1), salvianolic acid B (10, 20, 40, 80, 160 μmol·L-1), tanshinol (10, 20, 40, 80, 160 μmol·L-1), tanshinoneⅡA (10, 20, 40, 80, 160 μmol·L-1) and the blank group were applied to A549 cell, cell proliferation and cytotoxicity assay (MTS) were used to detect the proliferation effect of menthol on A549 cells.After screening the safe concentration of the active ingredients of salvia miltiorrhiza by MTS, cells were divided into blank group, model group, salvianolic acid A group, salvianolic acid B group, tanshinol group and tanshinoneⅡA.Then, the inhibitory effect of the active ingredients of salvia miltiorrhiza on the proliferation of A549 cells induced by TGF-β1 was detected by MTS. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method to detect salvia miltiorrhiza effective component of fiber protein(FN), collagen type I (COL-Ⅰ) expression. Based on the above results, the active components of salvia miltiorrhiza, which have best inhibition were screened out, and their effects on the expression of E-calcium-viscosity (E-Cad) protein were detected by Western blot. Result::Compared with blank group, salvianolic acid A 40 μmol·L-1, salvianolic acid B 160 μmol·L-1, tanshinol 160 μmol·L-1 had toxic effects on A549 cells (P<0.05). In the non-toxic concentration range, compared with the model group, salvianolic acid A 10, 20 μmol·L-1, salvianolic acid B 80 μmol·L-1 showed inhibition effect after 24 h culture (P<0.05). After 72 h culture, salvianolic acid A 5, 10, 20 μmol·L-1, salvianolic acid B 40, 80 μmol·L-1inhibition effect was very significant (P<0.01). ELISA results showed that with the blank group, model group cells the expression of FN and COL-Ⅰ increased significantly (P < 0.01). Compare with model group, salvianolic acid A 20 μmol·L-1, salvianolic acid B 80 μmol·L-1 inhibited FN and COL-Ⅰ(P<0.05). Western blot results showed that salicylic acid A and salicylic acid B had protective effects on E-Cad (P<0.01). Conclusion::Salvianolic acid A and salvianolic acid B have inhibitory effects on epithelial mesenchymal transformation by TGF-β1, which may be the main effective components of salvianolic acid in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

A qualitative study on the cognition and management of the head nurse of orthopedics department on the risk assessment and management of patients with deep vein thrombosis / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To understand the current situation of the head nurses of orthopedics department on bleeding risk assessment and management in the prevention of DVT, to provide a reference for future clinical practice of bleeding risk assessment.Methods:Using phenomenological research methods, five head nurses of orthopedics department were interviewed one-on-one and analyzed by Colaizzi ′s phenomenological analysis. Results:Four themes were refined for the awareness and management of bleeding risk assessment in DVT prevention, mainly focusing on risk assessment, choice of assessment timing, multiple risk assessment methods, and unclear grading attitudes.Conclusions:The bleeding risk assessment work needs to be further explored. It is necessary to further scientifically clarify the timing and methods of bleeding risk assessment, effectively guide clinical practice, strengthen nurses ′ awareness of bleeding risk classification, and promote clinical nursing practice, so as to better conduct bleeding assessment and Care.

The protective effects of different dosages of curcumin on lung injury of rats in dry heat environment / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To study the protective effects of different concentrations of curcumin on lung injury of rats in dry heat environment.Methods:Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly (random number) divided into five groups ( n = 10 each group): normal control group (NC), dry heat control group (DHC), and three different concentrations of curcumin pretreated dry-heat groups (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 200 mg/kg). Rats in the NC and DHC groups were given a gavage of normal saline, and rats in the curcumin pretreatment groups were given a gavage of curcumin with different concentrations, once a day for 7 consecutive days. At 8th day, all groups except for the NC group were transferred to the climate cabin (The Simulated Climate Cabin for Special Environment of Northwest of China), with a temperature of (41 ± 0.5) and relative humidity of (10 ± 1)%. Rats in each group were anesthetized and sampled after reaching the state of heat stroke at 150 min, and same done to the NC group. Lung tissues were harvested and pathological changes were observed by HE staining. Lung wet/dry (W/D) weight ratio was detected and lung injury indicators such as total protein, white blood cell count and neutrophil count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were also determined. Results:The lung injury pathology score, W/D weight ratio, total protein, white blood cell count and neutrophil count in BALF were the lowest in the NC group, and the highest in the DHC group, with significant difference ( P <0.01). With the increase of the concentration in the curcumin pretreatment groups, lung injury pathology score, W/D weight ratio, total protein, white blood cell count and neutrophil count in BALF were all declined. There were significant differences among the different concentration groups of curcumin and the NC and DHC groups ( P <0.01). Correlation analysis indicated that lung injury scores were correlated with W/D weight ratio of lung tissue, alveolar total protein content in BALF, white blood cell count, and neutrophil count (correlation coefficient r = 0.879, r = 0.935, r = 0.916, and r = 0.880, respectively, P <0.01). Conclusions:Pretreatment with different concentrations of curcumin can exert protective effects on lung injury of heat stroke rats in dry heat environment. Curcumin may have important clinical value in prevention and treatment of lung injury caused by heat stroke in dry heat environment.

Characteristics of renal cortical perfusion and its association with renal function among elderly patients with renal artery stenosis / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the characteristics of renal cortical blood perfusion assessed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in elderly patients with renal artery stenosis (RAS) and its relationship with renal function.@*Methods@#Ninety-three elderly patients diagnosed with RAS, who were admitted in Beijing Hospital during June 2017 and December 2018, were retrospectively enrolled. According to the degree of RAS, 186 renal arteries were divided into normal renal artery group (n=79), mild RAS group (30% to 49%, n=59), moderate RAS group (50% to 70%, n=33), and severe RAS group (70% to 99%, n=15). Renal cortical blood perfusion and renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured by CEUS and radionuclide renal dynamic imaging. According to the renal GFR, 186 kidneys were divided into normal renal function group (GFR≥35 ml/min, n=42) and mild renal insufficiency group (35 ml/min>GFR≥25 ml/min, n=51), moderate renal insufficiency group (25 ml/min>GFR≥15 ml/min, n=75) and severe renal insufficiency group (GFR<15 ml/min, n=18). The renal cortical blood perfusion time-intensity curve (TIC) and related parameters were analyzed, including the area under the curve (AUC), the slope of the ascending branch (A), the peak intensity (PI), the peak time (TTP) and the mean transit time (MTT), the kidneys of different RAS groups and patients with different renal function groups were analyzed. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between renal cortical blood perfusion parameters and renal GFR.@*Results@#(1) Renal cortical blood perfusion and GFR: CEUS showed that parameter A of TIC was significantly reduced, while TTP was prolonged in the mild renal artery stenosis group compared with the normal renal artery group (both P<0.05), GFP was similar between the two groups. Cortical perfusion parameters, such as AUC, A, PI and GFR were significantly lower, while TTP and MTT were significantly prolonged in the moderate and severe renal artery stenosis group than in the normal and mild stenosis groups (all P<0.05). Compared with the moderate stenosis group, AUC, A, PI and GFR were significantly lower while TTP, MTT were significantly prolonged in the severe renal artery stenosis group (all P<0.05). (2) TIC showed that the renal perfusion parameters, AUC, PI and A were significantly lower, while TTP was significantly longer in the mild renal dysfunction group than in the normal renal function group (all P<0.001). The changes aggravated in proportion with renal dysfunction. (3) Correlation between perfusion parameters and GFR: Pearson correlation analysis showed that the AUC (r=0.774, P<0.05), A (r=0.815, P<0.05) and PI (r=0.772, P<0.05) were positively correlated with GFR; serum creatinine level (r=-0.841, P<0.05), renal function grading (r=-0.731, P<0.05), TTP (r=-0.803, P<0.05) and MTT (r=-0.741, P<0.05) were negative correlated with GFR. The degree of stenosis was negatively correlated with GFR (r=-0.427, P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Cortical perfusion parameters differ significantly among patients with various degree of RAS and renal dysfunction. The renal cortical blood perfusion parameters are correlated with renal GFR.

Genetic etiology analysis of 420 children with neurodevelopmental disorders / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective@#To investigate the genetic etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), and to provide a theoretical basis for its genetic counseling, family risk evaluation and prenatal diagnosis.@*Methods@#Karyotype analysis and chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) were conducted of the data from 420 children diagnosed accor-ding to NDD diagnostic criteria at Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hunan Province from January 2016 to December 2018.@*Results@#Among the 420 cases, 14 cases (3.33%, 14/420 cases) with global developmental disabilities/intellectual disabilities (GDD/ID) had chromosomal abnormalities.The location of chromosome breakpoints and the range of deleted or duplicated fragments in 13 cases were further determined by using CMA.In this study, pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs) were detected in 61 children (14.52%, 61/420 cases), which included 31 cases (50.82%, 31/61 cases) of known syndromes, including Angelman/Prader-Will syndrome (8 cases), Williams syndrome (3 cases), Phelan-McDermid syndrome (3 cases) and other 13 syndromes, and 30 cases with clinically significant pathogenic CNVs.Additionally, by the combination of CMA and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), a family were diagnosed with mental retardation caused by 10q26 and 12p13 occult rearrangement.@*Conclusions@#Chromosomal abnormalities and genomic microdeletion/duplication are the primary genetic causes for children with NDD.Combination of karyotype analysis, CMA and FISH can provide definite etiological diagnosis for these children, which has important clinical signi-ficance for the treatment of children and guidance of their parents′ reproduction.

Commonly Used Vomiting Animal Models / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Vomiting is a common clinical symptom. Long-term severe vomiting could seriously reduce the life quality of patients, so it is necessary to be intervened with antiemetic drugs. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history in the treatment of vomiting with remarkable a curative effect. It has the advantages of multi-component, multi-target and multi-system synergistic antagonism. However, due to the active substance and unclear mechanism, it is urgent to adopt an internationally recognized vomiting model system to evaluate the antiemetic characteristics, elucidate the vomiting mechanism, and provide reference for better clinical application. Therefore, this paper systematically introduces several vomiting animal models that are widely used at home and abroad. According to the authors' own experimental experience, this paper focuses on the rat and mice pica models for reference of relevant researchers. Specifically, ferrets are an internationally recognized ideal vomiting animal model, and the golden standard for evaluating the effects of antiemetic drugs, suncus murinus is the smallest mammalian vomiting model. Rodents have no vomiting reflexes, but studies have shown that its pica behavior is equivalent to the vomiting behavior of other species. Because the easy availability and operation, the model has been promoted and applied in mainland China. Guizhou mini-pig model is a self-developed medium-sized mammalian vomiting model with a similar anatomical structure and vomiting characteristics to human, and worthy of popularization and application. In conclusion, different vomiting models have their own characteristics that need to be optimized according to the purpose of experiments and samples.

Effect and Mechanisms of Lycii Fructus on Hepatoma HepG2 Cell Line-induced Cachexia in Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effect and mechanism of the extracts from fresh Lycii Fructus (LBL) on hepatoma HepG2 cell-induced cachexia in mouse.Method: The human hepatoma cell line HepG2 was injected into BALB/C mice to establish the cachexia model.Then the LBL was fed to the models respectively in low dose (5 mg·kg-1) or high dose (25 mg·kg-1).After 28 days of continuous feeding,the mice's body weight was detected.The expression levels of creatine kinase (CK),interleukin-1β (IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The muscle degradation and the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) were detected by immunohistochemistry staining.The expression levels of phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38 MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were determined by Western blot.Result: Compared with cachexia group,the loss of body weight and muscle decomposition were significantly inhibited both in the low dose LBL group and high dose LBL group (P0.05,PPβ,IL-6 and TNF-α in both the low-dose LBL group and the high-dose LBL group (PPPκB were inhibited both in the low-dose LBL group and the high-dose LBL group (PConclusion: LBL could inhibit the cachexia induced by hepatoma HepG2 cell line in mouse,suggesting LBL could reduce major cytokine and plasma inflammatory factors through p-p38 MAPK pathway.

Mechanism of Dichroa Alkali Salt Inducing Vomiting Based on Pica in Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To study the possible mechanism of dichroa alkali salt (DAS) in inducing vomiting. Method: Mice pica model was used to observe the antagonistic effect of the three different kinds of antiemetic drugs[dopamine receptor antagonist metoclopramide, 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist ondansetron and neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist aprepitant] on body mass, food intake, kaolin consumption, diarrhea and death induced by DAS to preliminarily clarify the possible pathogenic pathway of DAS. Then, the expression of 5-HT and substance P(SP) in ileum and medulla of mice induced by DAS alone at different time points was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to confirm whether DAS could affect the changes of these two neurotransmitters. Result: After treatment with ondansetron and aprepitant, DAS-induced reduction in food intake of mice was significantly improved on the 4th day after continuous administration and on the 1st day after drug administration (Prd day after administration, DAS-induced body mass loss of mice was significantly improved (PConclusion: The mice pica model can be used to effectively characterize DAS-induced vomiting. DAS-induced pica in mice may be associated with the increase of 5-HT and SP in ileum and medulla. Ondansetron and aprepitant can effectively antagonize DAS-induced pica in mice.

Investigation of Physicochemical Properties and Determination Methods of Liposomal Entrapment Efficiency of Dichroa Alkali Hydrochloride / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To study on the physical and chemical properties of dichroa alkali hydrochloride and to establish a method for the determination of entrapment efficiency of dichroa alkali hydrochloride liposomes. Method: HPLC was used to determine the content of dichroa alkali hydrochloride with mobile phase of acetonitrile-water-triethylamine-glacial acetic acid(9:91:0.35:0.75) and detection wavelength at 265 nm.The oil-water partition coefficient of this compound in different pH range was measured by shake flask method.The stability of the dichroa alkali hydrochloride in phosphate buffer solution with different pH after sterilization at 125℃ for 30 min was investigated.Ammonium sulfate gradient method was used to prepare dichroa alkali hydrochloride liposomes.The microcolumn was prepared by dextran gel and cation exchange resin,respectively.Then the free drug and liposome were separated by centrifugation,the drug content was measured,and the encapsulation efficiency was calculated.The t-test was performed using SPSS 20.0 software,the differences between these two methods were compared. Result: In the pH 6-9,the oil-water partition coefficient of dichroa alkali hydrochloride increased with increasing of pH,which was between 0.016 and 1.44;the recovery rate of dichroa alkali hydrochloride after sterilization was 37.16%-57.91%.Between the dextran gel microcolumn centrifugation and the cation exchange resin microcolumn centrifugation,there was no significant difference in the entrapment efficiency of the liposomes. Conclusion: Dichroa alkali hydrochloride is suitable for preparation of liposomes.However,its stability is not ideal,so the experimental temperature should be strictly controlled in the preparation process.Dextran gel microcolumn centrifugation and cation exchange resin microcolumn centrifugation can be used to determine the entrapment efficiency of dichroa alkali hydrochloride liposomes,and the cation exchange resin microcolumn centrifugation is suggested after comparison.

Protective Effect of Renshen Sinitang and Its Active Ingredients on Myocardial Cell Injury Induced by Pentobarbital Sodium / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To explore the protective effect and mechanisms of Renshen Sinitang and its active ingredients on cardiomyocyte injury induced by pentobarbital sodium. Method: H9C2 cells were sub-cultured with ginsenoside Rb2 0.01, 0.1, 1 μmol ·L-1, Re 0.01, 0.1, 1 μmol·L-1, isoliquiritigenin 20, 40, 80 μmol·L-1, glycyrrhetinic acid 10, 20, 40 μmol·L-1, Renshen Sinitang, 10, 100, 400 mg·L-1, for 4 h. After treatment with 0.1% of sodium pentobarbital for 30 min, cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lipid peroxide malondialdehyde (MDA), Na+-K+-adenosine triphosphate(ATP) ase, Ca2+-ATPase activity, and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) were used to detect the expressions of peroxisome proliferative activated receptor-1α (PGC-1α), B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X protein(Bax) and cysteine aspartate-specific protease-3(Caspase-3) mRNA. Result: Renshen Sinitang and its active ingredients have a protective effect on heart failure cell model. Compared with the normal group, the cell survival rate of the model group decreased significantly, while the LDH and MDA contents increased significantly, and the Na+-K+-ATPase activity increased. Ca2+-ATPase activity was significantly decreased, PGC-1α mRNA expression was down-regulated, Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA expressions indicates the modeling(P+-K+-ATPase activity, increased Ca2+-ATPase activity, up-regulated PGC-1α mRNA expression, and inhibited Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA expression (PPConclusion: Renshen Sinitang and its active ingredients have a significant protective effect on heart failure cell model, and its mechanisms of action are related to anti-oxidation, improvement of mitochondrial energy metabolism and inhibition of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

Genetic analysis of a child with mental retardation and hypospadia / 中华医学遗传学杂志

Objective@#To carry out genetic testing for a boy presenting with mental retardation and hypoplasia.@*Methods@#Conventional karyotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and single nucleotide polymorphism based array (SNP-array) were used to analyze the boy and his parents.@*Results@#SNP-array has detected a 25.7 Mb microduplication at 2q33.3q36.3 in the boy. Chromosomal karyotyping and FISH analysis indicated that his mother had a karyotype of 46, XX, ish ins(11; 2)(p15; q33q36), and that the boy has carried an abnormal chromosome 11 derived from the maternal translocation. The karyotype of the boy was ascertained as 46, XY, ish der(11)ins(11; 2)(p15; q33q36)mat.@*Conclusion@#SNP-array combined with G-banding and FISH can delineate the cryptic translocation and is valuable for the assessment of recurrence risk for subsequent pregnancies.