Effect of carrier materials on the properties of the andrographolide solid dispersion

Abstract In the work the andrographolide (AG)-solid dispersions (SDs) were prepared by the spray-drying method, using polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG8000), Poloxamer188, polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVPK30), Soluplus® as carrier materials. The effect of different polymers as carrier materials on the properties of the AG-SDs were studied. The results showed obvious differences in intermolecular interaction, thermal stability, drug state, powder properties, dissolution behavior, and so on of AG-SDs prepared using different polymers as carrier materials. AG-PEG8000-SD was a partial-crystalline and partial-amorphous powder with smaller surface area and pore volume, but it was easy to wetting and did not swell in contact with dissolved medium. AG-Soluplus®-SD was completely amorphous powder with larger specific surface area and pore volume, but it swelled in contact with water. Therefore, the dissolution profile of AG in AG-PEG8000-SD was similar to that in AG-Soluplus®-SD. Soluplus® and PEG8000 were suitable polymers to design AG-SDs, considering both physicochemical properties and dissolution behaviors. The results of this reseach showed that when selecting carrier materials for SD, we should not only consider the state of drugs in SD and the powder properties of SD, but also consider whether there is swelling when the carrier materials are in contact with the dissolution medium.

Beta-ecdysterone promotes in vitro proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: β-ecdysterone as a “phytoestrogen” has the ability to stimulate protein synthesis, promote carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, relieve hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, protect endothelial cells from apoptosis and induce their proliferation. Some scholars have reported that it also plays an important role in the treatment of osteoporosis, fractures and other bone inflammatory diseases. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of β-ecdystrone on the proliferation of mouse pre-osteoblasts(MC3T3-E1 cells) in vitro, and to explore whether β-ecdysterone can induce osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 at a safe dose. METHODS: The fourth generation MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in the osteogenic induction medium for 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 days. The osteogenic differentiation proteins(alkaline phosphatase, type I collagen, osteopontin, and calcified nodules) were detected at different time points, to identify whether the cells have the ability of osteogenic differentiation. MC3T3-E1 cells were then seeded into the induction medium containing different final concentrations of β-ecdysterone(0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 µmol/L). The proliferation activity of the cells was detected by cell counting kit-8 method at days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 after induction. The control group(general induction medium group) and the experimental group(general induction medium + β-ecdysterone) were cultured under the same conditions, and the expression levels of osteogenic marker proteins in each group of cells at different time periods were determined. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the MC3T3-E1 cells stimulated by the osteogenic induction medium, alkaline phosphatase staining and type I collagen florescence staining showed higher expression at day 10 of induction, and this was also confirmed by detection of alkaline phosphatase activity(P 0.05). The expression of alkaline phosphatase and type I collagen was higher in the experimental group than in the control group at day 10 of induction. The expression of osteopontin and osteocalcin in the cells was higher at day 14 of induction, and there was no significant difference in the calcified nodule staining between the two groups at day 28 of induction. These findings indicate that β-ecdysterone can promote the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells in vitro and induce MC3T3-E1 cells to differentiate into osteoblasts at a safe dose.

Effect and mechanism of moxibustion on oxidative stress injury in rats with Parkinson's disease by activating Nrf2/ARE pathway / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of moxibustion on oxidative stress injury of nigrostriatal system in rats with Parkinson's disease (PD) based on nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway, and to explore its mechanism.@*METHODS@#A total of 48 SD rats were randomized into a blank group, a sham-operation group, a model group and a moxibustion group, 12 rats in each group. Unilateral two-point injection with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was adopted in the model group and the moxibustion group to establish the PD model; the operation manipulation in the sham-operation group was the same as the model group and the moxibustion group, and the same volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solutions was given by unilateral two-point injection. Moxibustion was adopted at "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Sishencong" (EX-HN 1) in the moxibustion group for 20 min, once a day, 6 times a week for 6 weeks. No intervention was given in the other 3 groups. Morphology of right mesencephalon substantia nigra was observed by HE staining, the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in right mesencephalon substantia nigra was detected by immunohistochemistry method, the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in corpus striatum was detected by colorimetry method, and the expression of Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) proteins was detected by Western blot in the 4 groups.@*RESULTS@#Clear tissue structure and complete dopaminergic neurons of right mesencephalon substantia nigra were observed in the blank group and the sham-operation group; unclear tissue structure, decreased and swelling dopaminergic neurons were observed in the model group; compared with the model group, more neurons were observed and the swelling of cyton was reduced in the moxibustion group. Compared with the sham-operation group, the expression of TH in right mesencephalon substantia nigra was decreased in the model group (<0.01); compared with the model group, the expression of TH in right mesencephalon substantia nigra was increased in the moxibustion group (<0.05). Compared with the sham-operation group, the expression of ROS, MDA was increased (<0.01), the expression of GSH, GSH-Px, Nrf2 and HO-1 was decreased in the model group (<0.01, <0.05); compared with the model group, the expression of ROS, MDA was decreased (<0.05, <0.01), the expression of GSH, GSH-Px, Nrf2 and HO-1 was increased in the moxibustion group (<0.05, <0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#Moxibustion can alleviate oxidative stress injury of nigrostriatal system in rats with Parkinson's disease by activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway, and protect the dopamine neurons.

Roles of PTBP1 in alternative splicing, glycolysis, and oncogensis / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1) plays an essential role in splicing and is expressed in almost all cell types in humans, unlike the other proteins of the PTBP family. PTBP1 mediates several cellular processes in certain types of cells, including the growth and differentiation of neuronal cells and activation of immune cells. Its function is regulated by various molecules, including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and RNA-binding proteins. PTBP1 plays roles in various diseases, particularly in some cancers, including colorectal cancer, renal cell cancer, breast cancer, and glioma. In cancers, it acts mainly as a regulator of glycolysis, apoptosis, proliferation, tumorigenesis, invasion, and migration. The role of PTBP1 in cancer has become a popular research topic in recent years, and this research has contributed greatly to the formulation of a useful therapeutic strategy for cancer. In this review, we summarize recent findings related to PTBP1 and discuss how it regulates the development of cancer cells.

Expression of CYP4A11 and CYP4A22 in triple negative breast carcinoma and its relation to M2 tumor-associated macrophages / 临床与实验病理学杂志

Purpose To investigate the expression of CYP4 A11 and CYP4 A22 in triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) and its relationship with clinicopathological features and M2 tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Methods 72 cases of TNBC with clinical and pathological data were collected. The expression of CYP4 A11 and CYP4 A22 in the carcinoma cells and the expression of CD68 and CD163 of the TAMs were detected by immunohistochemically and analyzed with image processing software. The relationship between the expressions of CYP4 A11 and CYP4 A22 with clinicopathologic features and its correlation of the M2 state of TAMs was studied. Results Both the immunohistochemically staining scores of CYP4 A11 and CYP4 A22 were higher in cancer tissues than that in breast tissues (P<0.001, P<0.001). The higher expression of CYP4 A11 was associated with tumor diameter increase (P<0.001), lymph node metastasis (P<0.001), higher clinical stage (P<0.001) and higher Ki-67 index (P=0.011). Both the positive rates of CD68 and CD163 in the high expression group of CYP4 A11 were higher than those in the low expression group of CYP4 A11 (P=0.021, P<0.001). The higher expression of CYP4 A22 was associated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.001), higher clinical stage (P=0.006), higher recurrence rate (P<0.001), and higher Ki-67 index (P=0.040).The positive rates of CD163 in the high expression group of CYP4 A22 was higher than that in the low expression group of CYP4 A22 (P<0.001). Conclusion Both the expression of CYP4 A11 and CYP4 A22 may be associated with M2 polarization state of TAMs, high proliferative activity and lymph node metastasis in the TNBC.

Synergistic antitumor activity of artesunate and HDAC inhibitors through elevating heme synthesis synergistic upregulation of ALAS1 expression

Artemisinin and its derivatives (ARTs) were reported to display heme-dependent antitumor activity. On the other hand, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) were known to be able to promote heme synthesis in erythroid cells. Nevertheless, the effect of HDACi on heme homeostasis in non-erythrocytes remains unknown. We envisioned that the combination of HDACi and artesunate (ARS) might have synergistic antitumor activity through modulating heme synthesis. studies revealed that combination of ARS and HDACi exerted synergistic tumor inhibition by inducing cell death. Moreover, this combination exhibited more effective antitumor activity than either ARS or HDACi monotherapy in xenograft models without apparent toxicity. Importantly, mechanistic studies revealed that HDACi coordinated with ARS to increase 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS1) expression, and subsequent heme production, leading to enhanced cytotoxicity of ARS. Notably, knocking down significantly blunted the synergistic effect of ARS and HDACi on tumor inhibition, indicating a critical role of ALAS1 upregulation in mediating ARS cytotoxicity. Collectively, our study revealed the mechanism of synergistic antitumor action of ARS and HDACi. This finding indicates that modulation of heme synthesis pathway by the combination based on ARTs and other heme synthesis modulators represents a promising therapeutic approach to solid tumors.

Effects of Hypoxia on the Growth and Development of the Fetal Ovine Hepatocytes in Primary Culture / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the development and characterizations of the hepatocytes isolated from fetal ovine and to determine the effect of hypoxia on their growth and metabolism.@*METHODS@#Fresh hepatocytes were isolated from the liver of fetal ovine at late gestation, cultured in specific media, and exposed to normoxia (21% O2) or hypoxia (2% O2). The cellular characteristics and population purity were identified by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry (FCM). The effects of hypoxia on cell cycle and apoptosis of the hepatocytes were evaluated by FCM, whereas the cellular ultrastructure changes were examined with a transmission electron microscope.@*RESULTS@#The cell purity of hepatocytes was over 95%. Under hypoxia exposure, the hepatocytes showed a gradual increase in proportion at the S phase and in proliferative index, followed with a compatible increase in apoptosis and progressively decreased cell viability. Additionally, the organelles of the hepatocytes demonstrated dramatic changes, including swelling of mitochondria, disorder in cristae arrangement, expansion of endoplasmic reticulum, and a large number of circular lipid droplets emerging in the cytoplasm.@*CONCLUSION@#Fetal ovine hepatocytes could be primarily cultured in a short-term culture system with a high purity of over 95% and with their preserved original characteristics. Hypoxia could induce changes in ultrastructural and inhibit the proliferation of cultured fetal ovine hepatocytes through apoptotic mechanisms.

Lipid-lowering effects of oleanolic acid in hyperlipidemic patients / 中国天然药物

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid compound extracted from olea europaeal, a traditional Chinese medicine herb. OA has been used in the clinic as a hepatoprotective medicine in China since 1970s. In our previous study, we observed that OA could ameliorate hyperlipidemia in animal models. In the present study, we conducted a small-scale clinical trial to evaluate the hypolipidemia effect of OA in hyperlipidemic patients. Hyperlipidemic patients were administrated with OA for four weeks (4 tablets once, three times a day). The blood samples of the patients were collected before and after OA treatment. The biological parameters were measured. Furthermore, three patients' blood samples were studied with DNA microarray. After OA administration, the TC, TG, and HDLC levels in serum decreased significantly. DNA microarray analysis results showed that the expressions of 21 mRNAs were significantly changed after OA treatment. Bioinformatics analysis showed 17 mRNAs were up-regulated and 4 mRNAs were down-regulated significantly after OA treatment. Five mRNAs (CACNA1B, FCN, STEAP3, AMPH, and NR6A1) were selected to validate the expression levels by qRT-PCR. Therefore, OA administration differentially regulated the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. The data showed a clinical evidence that OA could improve hyperlipidemia and also unveiled a new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the pharmacological effect of OA on hyperlipidemia.

Detection of Arginine by AuNPs / CQDs Nanoprobes Based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Effect / 分析化学

A novel method for rapid detection of arginine based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer effect (FRET) between carbon quantum dots ( CQDs) and gold nanoparticles ( AuNPs) was developed. Firstly, the CQDs with excellent fluorescence properties were synthesized by one-step microwave assisted method. The AuNPs/ CQDs composites were characterized and their quenching mechanism was analyzed. Then the amount of AuNPs/ CQDs, the pH value and the reaction time were optimal. Under the optimum conditions, the fluorescence system was used to detect the content of arginine, showing a good linear relationship ( R2 = 0. 993 ) between fluorescence intensity and concentration of arginine in the range of 0. 1-10. 0 μmol/ L, and the detection limit was 5. 8 nmol/ L. Finally, the content of arginine in grape juice was determined by this method with recoveries of 105. 4％ -110. 8％ , which indicated that the proposed FRET system had the potential for practical detection of arginine in fruit juice.

A Retrospective Study of Culture-confirmed Mycobacterial Infection among Hospitalized HIV-infected Patients in Beijing, China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

A retrospective analysis was performed in two major HIV/AIDS referral hospitals in Beijing to evaluate the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections in HIV-infected patients. A total of 627 patients' data were reviewed, and 102 (16.3%) patients were diagnosed with culture-confirmed mycobacterial infection, including 84 with MTB, 16 with NTM, and 2 with both MTB and NTM. The most frequent clinical complication by mycobacterial infection was pulmonary infection (48/102, 47.1%). The overall rates of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) were 11.9% and 3.4%, respectively. This study underlines the urgent need to intensify screening for mycobacteria coinfection with HIV and to prevent the spread of drug-resistant TB among HIV-infected patients.

Expression of S1PRl,S1PR4 in triple negative breast carcinoma and its significance / 临床与实验病理学杂志

Purpose To investigate the expression of sphingosine-1 phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) and sphingosine-1 phosphate receptor 4 (SIPR4) in triple negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) and to evaluate its correlation with the clinicopathologic features of TNBC. Methods 72 cases of tissue slides of TNBC were stained immunohistochemically and analyzed with image processing to calculate the S1PR1 and S1PR4 expression. Correlations of the S1PR1 and S1PR4 expression with the clinicopathologic features of TNBC were studied. Results Ki-67 index of high, moderate and low expression of the S1PR1 in TNBC were 48.89％, 36.11％ and 26.48％, respectively. The difference among them was significance (P＜0.001). Ki-67 index of high, moderate and low expression of the S1PR4 in TNBC were42.83％, 31.43％ and 28.93％, respectively. The difference among them was significance (P = 0.007 ). The positive rate of lymph node of high, moderate and low expression of the SI PR1 in TNBC were 31.4％, 48.6％ and 20.0％, respectively. The difference among them was significance (P = 0.012). The positive rate of lymph node of high, moderate and low expression of the S1PR4 in TNBC were 54.3％, 40.0％ and 5.7％, respectively. The difference among them was significance (P=0.010). The CD68 positive rate of high, moderate and low expression of the S1PR1 in TNBC were 47.22％, 42.59％ and31.48％, respectively. The difference among them was significance (P = 0.036). Both the difference of survive rate among high, moderate and low expression of the S1PR1 and S1PR4 were not significance (P = 0.209 and P =0.593 ). Conclusion High expression of S1PR1 and S1PR4 may contribute to the cellular proliferation and lymph node metastases in TNBC. The survive rate of TNBC maybe not related with both the S1PR1 and S1PR4 expression.

Research Progress on Reversing Multidrug Resistance in Tumors by Using Chinese Medicine / 中国结合医学杂志

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major cause of cancer chemotherapy failure, and it is important to develop suitable reversal agents to overcome MDR. A majority of chemical reversal agents have acceptable reversal effects. However, the toxicity and adverse reactions associated with these agents restricts their clinical use. Chinese medicines (CMs) have lower toxicities and adverse reactions and are associated with multiple components, multiple targets and reduced toxicity. CMs have several advantages and could reverse MDR, decrease drug dosage, enhance patient compliance and increase efficacy. This review summarizes the current progress of CM reversal agents..

Roles of flotillins in tumors / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

The identification and use of molecular biomarkers have greatly improved the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors. However, a much deeper understanding of oncogenic proteins is needed for the benefit to cancer patients. The lipid raft marker proteins, flotillin-1 and flotillin-2, were first found in goldfish retinal ganglion cells during axon regeneration. They have since been found in a variety of cells, mainly on the inner surface of cell membranes, and not only act as a skeleton to provide a platform for protein-protein interactions, but also are involved in signal transduction, nerve regeneration, endocytosis, and lymphocyte activation. Previous studies have shown that flotillins are closely associated with tumor development, invasion, and metastasis. In this article, we review the functions of flotillins in relevant cell processes, their underlying mechanisms of action in a variety of tumors, and their potential applications to tumor molecular diagnosis and targeted therapy.

Biological Function and Mechanism of Long Noncoding RNAs Nuclear-Enriched Abundant Transcript 1 in Development of Cervical Cancer / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background@#Accumulating documents have demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in tumorigenesis. As an lncRNA, nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) has been identified to be involved in the progression of many types of cancers. However, the biological function of NEAT1 in cervical cancer is not fully investigated. The aim of this study was to disclose the specific biological function of lncRNA NEAT1 in cervical cancer progression.@*Methods@#Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was utilized to identify the expression of lncRNA NEAT1 in the cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. All cervical cancer samples used in this study were collected from the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between September 2012 and September 2017. The correlation between NEAT1 expression and the overall survival rate of cervical cancer patients was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The effects of NEAT1 knockdown or overexpression on cell proliferation were tested by performing MTT assays and colony formation assays. Transwell assays were conducted to detect the migratory ability of cervical cancer cells, in which NEAT1 was silenced or overexpressed. Western blotting was utilized to validate whether NEAT1 promotes cervical cancer progression through activating PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.@*Results@#High expression of NEAT1 predicted poor prognosis of cervical cancer patients (χ = 0.735, P = 0.005). Knockdown of NEAT1 decreased the number of colonies in CaSki cell from 136.667 ± 13.503 to 71.667 ± 7.506 (t = -18.76, P = 0.003) and decreased the number of colonies in HeLa cell from 128.667 ± 13.317 to 65.667 ± 7.024 (t = -5.54, P = 0.031). However, overexpression of NEAT1 increased the number of colonies in SiHa cell from 84.667 ± 12.014 to 150.667 ± 18.037 (t = 7.27, P = 0.018). Knockdown of NEAT1 decreased the migratory number of CaSki cell from 100.333 ± 9.866 to 58.333 ± 5.859 (t = -8.08, P = 0.015) and reduced the migratory number in HeLa cell from 123.667 ± 12.097 to 67.667 ± 7.095 (t = -6.03, P = 0.026). Overexpression of NEAT1 increased the migratory number of SiHa cell from 127.333 ± 16.042 to 231.333 ± 31.786 (t = 4.92, P = 0.039).@*Conclusion@#NEAT1 may exert oncogenic function in cervical cancer and serve as a novel therapeutic target for cervical cancer.

Lipid-lowering effects of oleanolic acid in hyperlipidemic patients / 中国天然药物

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid compound extracted from olea europaeal, a traditional Chinese medicine herb. OA has been used in the clinic as a hepatoprotective medicine in China since 1970s. In our previous study, we observed that OA could ameliorate hyperlipidemia in animal models. In the present study, we conducted a small-scale clinical trial to evaluate the hypolipidemia effect of OA in hyperlipidemic patients. Hyperlipidemic patients were administrated with OA for four weeks (4 tablets once, three times a day). The blood samples of the patients were collected before and after OA treatment. The biological parameters were measured. Furthermore, three patients' blood samples were studied with DNA microarray. After OA administration, the TC, TG, and HDLC levels in serum decreased significantly. DNA microarray analysis results showed that the expressions of 21 mRNAs were significantly changed after OA treatment. Bioinformatics analysis showed 17 mRNAs were up-regulated and 4 mRNAs were down-regulated significantly after OA treatment. Five mRNAs (CACNA1B, FCN, STEAP3, AMPH, and NR6A1) were selected to validate the expression levels by qRT-PCR. Therefore, OA administration differentially regulated the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. The data showed a clinical evidence that OA could improve hyperlipidemia and also unveiled a new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the pharmacological effect of OA on hyperlipidemia.

Gene Polymorphism of Inflammation-related Cytokines Correlates with the Susceptibility to DLBCL / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship of gene polymorphisms of inflammattion related cytokines with incidence of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL) in Gansu Han population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The gene polymorphism of inflammation-related cytokines were detected by high-resolution melting(HRM) curve.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The homozygous CC genotype carrying IL-1RA rs4251961 gene locus was related with the risk of DLBCL in comparison with homozygous TT, the OR was 0.83 of homozygous CC, 95% CI=0.697-0.997,P<0.05), while the C allele of IL-1RA rs4251961 gene locus significantly correlated with the high incidence of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma compared with T allele(OR=8.83, 95% CI=1.909-40.813,P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The minor allele C of IL-1RA rs4251961 gene locus significantly relates with the susceptibility to DLBCL.</p>

Effects and complication treatments of microwave ablation for benign thyroid nodules / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To explore the effects and complication treatments of microwave ablation(MWA) for benign thyroid nodules.Methods The clinical data of 74 patients with benign thyroid nodules treated with MWA in our department from June 2014 to May 2015 were collected and studied retrospectively.Furthermore,the effects and complication treatments were analyzed and calculated.Results A total of 93 nodules were treated with MWA,of which 46 were the main nodules,cystic 47;7 nodules' ablation were not complete,the complete ablation rate was 92.47％.The postoperative reduction of volume in cystic nodules were significantly higher than solid nodules,and the number of solid nodules decreased more rapidly postoperation.The untreated cystic nodules developed a certain degree of growth after 6 months of surgery.After treatment,the TSH of solid nodules were obviously higher,the FT3 and FT4 were much lower than those before treatment and cystic nodules(P ＜ 0.05).A total of 17 cases of complications occurred in the positive symptomatic treatment,all cases were cured within a few days,there was no serious complications.Conclusion Microwave ablation has a high ablation rate in the treatment of thyroid benign nodules,the ablation effects are different between solid and cystic nodules;early and targeted measures can effectively prevent and deal with surgical complication.

Mesenchymal stem cells homing to rat lung emphysema followed by differentiation into pulmonary vascular endothelial cells / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Mesenchymal stem cells have unique homing,immunoregulation and anti-inflammatory properties.After intravenous injection,mesenchymal stem cells can home to the damaged target organs and tissues,and function to repair damaged tissues.OBJECTIVE:To observe the pathological changes of lung tissues in rats with emphysema after mesenchymal stem cells transplantation.METHODS:Twenty-four female Wistar rats were randomly divided into experimental group,control group and healthy control group.In the first two groups,the model of pulmonary emphysema was established by the method of dropping porcine pancreatic elastase.BrdU-labeled mesenchymal stem cells were injected into the tail vein of the rats in the experimental group,and PBS was injected in the control group.After 14 days,the pathological changes of lung tissues were observed.Tumor necrosis factor-α level,alveolar wall apoptotic index,anti-CD34 and anti-BrdU immunohistochemical changes in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were detected.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the healthy control group,the tumor necrosis factor-α level and apoptotic index of alveolar wall cells increased (P ＜ 0.01),and the relative areas of anti-Brdu and anti-CD34 decreased (P ＜ 0.01) in the control group.Compared with the control group,the level of tumor necrosis factor-α and apoptotic index of alveolar wall cells decreased (P ＜ 0.01),and the relative area of anti-Brdu and anti-CD34 increased (P ＜ 0.01) in the experimental group.The histopathological findings showed that both the control group and the experimental group showed emphysema-like changes,but these changes were milder in the experimental group than the control group.To conclude,mesenchymal stem cells can inhibit inflammatory response and apoptosis in experimental emphysema,improve the pathological changes of the lung,and moreover,bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into lung vascular endothelial cells.

Seasonal Variations in Birth Weight in Suzhou Industrial Park / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Many environmental factors have been shown to adversely influence birth weight, and new insight has been gained into 'seasonal programming'. We studied a total of 23,064 infants. The mean birth weight varied across seasons. Logistic regression analysis was used to obtain the crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for dichotomous outcomes (e.g., macrosomia, low birth weight). There were significant differences in the risks for macrosomia in infants born in different seasons. Compared with those for infants born in spring, the ORs for macrosomia were 0.85 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75-0.98] and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.77-0.99) for infants born in summer and autumn, respectively. These findings suggest that environmental factors may have public health implications and should be considered when primary prevention programs are developed for macrosomia or low birth weight.

Molecular Characteristics and Drug Susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates from Patients Co-infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Beijing, China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

70 clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from AIDS patients in two HIV/AIDS referral hospitals in Beijing were used in this study. M. tuberculosis and non-tuberculosis mycobacterium (NTM) were identified by using multi-locus PCR. M. tuberculosis was genotyped by using 15-locus MIRU-VNTR technique and spoligotyping afterwards. Meanwhile, the drug susceptibilities of the strains to the four first-line anti TB drugs (rifampin, isoniazid, streptomycin, and ethambutol) and the four second-line anti-TB drugs (capreomycin, kanamycin, ofloxacin, and ethionanide) were tested with proportional method. In this study, M. tuberculosis and NTM strains isolated from AIDS patients with TB-like symptoms were identified and genotyping analysis indicated that Beijing genotype was the predominant genotype. In addition, the prevalence of drug-resistant TB, especially the prevalence of XDR-TB, was higher than that in TB patients without HIV infection.