Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Butyrate and β-Hydroxybutyrate in Spinal Cord Injuries / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

A spinal cord injury is a serious disease, and there is currently no effective treatment. The inflammatory reactions start within a few hours after damages to spinal cord tissues and peak within a few days and they may continue for several years. Reducing the inflammatory response after the spinal cord injury is one of the important treatment strategies. Butyrate and β-hydroxybutyrate are two closely related substances. They have similar structures and differ in only one hydroxyl group. They have attracted widespread attention because of their good anti-inflammatory properties in many diseases. Recently it has been demonstrated that butyrate and β-hydroxybutyrate can inhibit the activity of the NF-κB / NLRP3 inflamma-some signaling pathway and reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory factors; or by enhancing the level of antioxidant molecules, it can reduce the inflammatory response after spinal cord injury. Therefore, butyrate and β-hydroxybutyrate may be promising treatments after a spinal cord injury. Here we review the structure and production of butyrate and β-hydroxybutyrate, the mechanism of anti-inflammatory effects in a spinal cord injury, and the treatment prospects, in order to provide theoretical references for researchers in this field.

Role of Inflammasomes in Inducing Neuroinflammation in Spinal Cord Injury / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Treatment and rehabilitation of spinal cord injury has been a major problem in the medical field‚ and little progress has been achieved in the improvement of neuronal function following injury. Secondary damage is the main cause of neurological dysfunction after spinal cord injury‚ and inflammation is the most important pathological process in the secondary injury stage. In the acute phase‚ it is believed that the reduction of secondary damage by inhibiting neuroinflammation can reduce the damage of nerve function and achieve neuroprotection. The inflammasome is a type of protein complex‚ which is assembled and named by the receptor proteins of the NLRs family and the PHYIN family of pattern recognition receptors as the main framework. Common inflammasomes include NLRP1‚ NLRP3‚ NLRC4 (IPAF)‚ and AIM2 etc. When infected or stimulated by injury‚ inflammasomes assemble in the cytoplasm and activate the pro-inflammatory protease caspase-1. Activated caspase-1 promotes the maturation and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 on the one hand‚ and mediates pyroptosis on the other hand. Pyroptosis is a way of programmed cell death induced under pathological conditions of inflammation and stress. Cell swelling and rupture and the release of cell contents are its main characteristics. Both pro-inflammatory cytokines and intracellular substances released by pyroptosis can be used as pro-inflammatory signals to trigger an inflammatory response. Recently‚ it has been discovered that inflammasomes participate in the activation of the inflammatory cascade after spinal cord injury by inducing the release of pro-inflammatory factors and mediating pyroptosis‚ and then aggravate secondary neuroinflammation. Targeted inhibition of the activation of inflammasomes can reduce the inflammatory response‚ promote the survival of nerve cells‚ and achieve neuroprotective effects. Therefore‚ the inflammasome is expected to become a new target for the treatment of spinal cord injury. This article reviewed the structure of the inflammasome and its role in spinal cord injury‚ activation mechanism and treatment‚ which may provide ideas for the follow-up research.

Establishment of a predictive equation for pulmonary ventilation function in school-aged children in northeast China: a prospective study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To establish a predictive equation for commonly used pulmonary ventilation function parameters in children aged 6-<16 years in northeast China.@*METHODS@#A total of 504 healthy children from Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces of China were selected for the prospective study, among whom there were 242 boys and 262 girls. The JAEGER MasterScreen Pneumo spirometer was used to measure pulmonary ventilation function. With the measured values of 10 parameters, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV@*RESULTS@#The boys aged 9-<10 years and 15-<16 years had significantly higher body height, FVC, and FEV@*CONCLUSIONS@#A new predictive equation for the main pulmonary ventilation function parameters has been established in this study for children aged 6-<16 years in northeast China, which provides a basis for accurate judgment of pulmonary function abnormalities in clinical practice.

Effects of Electroacupuncture on Consciousness Disorders Based on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Study with Mismatch Negativity / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture based on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on wakefulness for consciousness disorder. Methods:From January, 2015 to October, 2019, 30 inpatients with consciousness disorder from the General Hospital of Western Theater Command were randomly divided into control group (n = 15) and observetion group (n = 15), Both groups received TMS, and the observetion group received electroacupuncture at Baihui (GV20), Shenting (GV24), bilateral Neiguan (PC6) bilateral Hegu (LI4) and bilateral Yongquan (KI1) in addition, for three months. They were tested the latency of the mismatch negativity (MMN), and assessed with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and persistent vegetative state (PVS) score before, and one month and three months after treatment. Results:The latency of MMN decreased more in the observetion group than in the control group three months after treatment (t = 2.159, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Combination of electroacupuncture on TMS is more effective on wakefulness for consciousness disorder.

Effect of Targeting Mitochondria on Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review Based on Animal Experiments / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To systematically evaluate the effect of targeting mitochondria on spinal cord injury animal models, and provide experimental evidence. Methods:Literatures about animal experiments of targeting mitochondria treatment for spinal cord injury were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Web of Knowledge, CNKI and Wanfang database from establishment to February, 2021. Three researchers independently screened the literatures and extracted the data, and they were summarized by qualitative analysis. Results:Eleven animal experimental studies were enrolled, including 548 animals with spinal cord injury. Six studies selected male or female Sprague-Dawley rats, and the rats in eight studies weighed 150~275 g. The animal models of spinal cord injury in all studies focused on T9~T11 contusive spinal cord injury, but there were differences in the use of spinal cord strikers and striking strength. The type, time, frequency, concentration and dosage of intervention drugs were all different. Due to the large heterogeneity of the included studies in animal species, animal models and outcome measures, qualitative analysis was conducted. Conclusion:Targeting mitochondria for spinal cord injury in animals could promote the recovery of motor function, reduce the damaged spinal cord tissue and increase the remaining tissue, enhance the ability of anti-oxidation and anti-apoptosis, and enhance mitochondrial biogenesis. Limited by the number and quality of included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality studies.

Effect of Iridoid-rich Fraction from Valeriana Jatamansi Jones on Neuron Pyroptosis in Rats with Acute Spinal Cord Injury / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To investigate the effects of iridoid-rich fraction from Valeriana jatamansi Jones (IRFV) on neuronal pyroptosis in rats with acute spinal cord injury, and to explain the related mechanism of neuroprotection. Methods:Twenty-four healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group, model group and treatment group, with eight rats in each group. The model of spinal cord injury was established by using a medical aneurysm clip in the latter two groups. Only the lamina was removed without injury to the spinal cord in the sham-operated group. Four hours after the operation, the treatment group was given IRFV solution 10 mg/kg, the model group and the sham-operated group were given the same volume of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) solution, for seven days. The rats were sacrificed to detected the pathological changes and the residual area of spinal cord tissue through HE staining. The apoptosis of nerve cells of the spinal cord tissue at the perilesional area was detected by TUNEL fluorescent staining. The levels of interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-18 in serum were detected by ELISA Kit and the expression of NLRP3, Caspase-1 and GSDMD were detected by Western blotting. Results:Compared with the sham-operated group, the residual area of spinal cord tissue decreased (P < 0.05), and the positive rate of TUNEL staining, the level of IL-1 and IL-18, and the expression of pyroptosis-associated proteins (NLRP3, Caspase-1 and GSDMD) increased (P < 0.05) in the model group. Compared with the model group, the pathological condition of the spinal cord tissue improved and the residual area of the spinal cord tissue increased (P < 0.05); the positive rate of TUNEL staining, the level of IL-1 and IL-18 and the expression of NLRP3, Caspase-1 and GSDMD decreased (P < 0.05) in the treatment group. Conclusion:IRFV could attenuate the inflammatory response to exert neuroprotective effects, which may be related to the regulation of NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway to inhibit the neuronal pyroptosis in rats with acute spinal cord injury.

Determination of1-bromopropane in the workplace air by GC-FID / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a method for determination 1-bromopropane (1-BP) in workplace air by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID).</p><p><b>METHOD</b>1-bromopropane in workplace air was collected with activated charcoal tube, then desorbed by carbon disulfide and determined by GC-FID. 1-bromopropane was quantitatively measured using retention time and peak area.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Linear regression formula was Y = 3353.4x-10064 in a range of 2.50 ∼ 500.00 µg/ml with regression coefficient R = 0.9998. Detection limit was 0.25 µg/ml and the lowest detection concentration of 1-brmopropane in air was 0.14 mg/m(3) (at air volume 1.8L). The mean recoveries of 1-BP were between 96.8% and 102.6%, and relative standard deviation of inter and intra-assay was less than 10%. The average desorption efficiencies were between 93.2% and 104.4%. The samples in activated charcoal tube could be stably stored for 5 days at room temperature.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The method could be feasible to determine 1-bromopropane in workplace air.</p>

Effects of different treatments on seed germination of Swertia davidii / 中草药

Objective: To evaluate seed morphology of Swertia davidii and the effects of different treatments on seed germination, and to provide a scientific basis for seeding and artificial cultivation of S.davidii. Methods: Seed morphology was observed by microscope and seed germination rates were recorded and analyzed statistically, through setting conditions including different culture temperatures, different light qualities, different seed storage times, and soaking treatment with different concentration of GA3 and KNO 3. Results: S. davidii seeds were small with 0.049 5 g for thousand grain wight (TGW). The suitable temperature range of seed germination was 14-23 °C, and the optimal temperature was 18 °C. Seed germination could be affected under different light qualities and full darkness conditions, in which red light was the most conductive to seed germination, but full darkness was the least conductive to that. After soaking treatment with different concentration of GA3 and KNO3, not only seed growth could be significantly promoted, but also seed germination rates and germination index were affected. When the seeds were stored at room temperature, the seed longevity of S. davidii is only about five months, however, it can be increased at low temperature. Conclusion: The study on seed germination of S. davidii is first reported, which shows the important guidance for seeding and artificial cultivation of S. davidii.