Research advances on the role of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 in wound healing / 中华烧伤杂志

Wound healing is one of the common pathophysiological processes in the body. How to improve the condition of wound healing to promote rapid wound healing has always been a hotspot in research. Oxidative stress is one of the important factors affecting wound healing. Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a classic antioxidant stress factor as well as a factor with great potential in facilitating wound healing. The activation of Nrf2 can regulate the downstream antioxidant stress elements and play roles of anti-apoptosis and cell homeostasis maintaining, which improves wound healing environment and promotes wound repair. This paper summarized the common agonists and inhibitors of Nrf2 and reviewed the roles of Nrf2 in promoting skin wound healing including diabetic ulcers, radiation injury, and ischemia-reperfusion injury, etc.

A glass micropipette vacuum technique of cerebrospinal fluid sampling in C57BL/6 mice / 生理学报

The purpose of this study was to establish a suitable method for extracting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from C57BL/6 mice. A patch clamp electrode puller was used to draw a glass micropipette, and a brain stereotaxic device was used to fix the mouse's head at an angle of 135° from the body. Under a stereoscopic microscope, the skin and muscle tissue on the back of the mouse's head were separated, and the dura mater at the cerebellomedullary cistern was exposed. The glass micropipette (with an angle of 20° to 30° from the dura mater) was used to puncture at a point 1 mm inboard of Y-shaped dorsal vertebral artery for CSF sampling. After the first extraction, the glass micropipette was connected with a 1 mL sterile syringe to form a negative pressure device for the second extraction. The results showed that the successful rate of CSF extraction was 83.33% (30/36). Average CSF extraction amount was (7.16 ± 0.43) μL per mouse. In addition, C57BL/6 mice were given intranasally ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) to establish a model of brain iron accumulation, and the CSF extraction technique established in the present study was used for sampling. The results showed that iron content in the CSF from the normal saline control group was not detected, while the iron content in the CSF from FAC-treated group was (76.24 ± 38.53) μmol/L, and the difference was significant. These results suggest that glass micropipette vacuum technique of CSF sampling established in the present study has the advantages of simplicity, high success rate, large extraction volume, and low bleeding rate, and is suitable for the research on C57BL/6 mouse neurological disease models.

Clinical Impact of Drug Adherence of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Children with Ph-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#This study aimed to explore the impact of ABL1–tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) adherence on the survival of chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) children and clarify the potential predictors of patients’ prognosis from TKIs intake practices. @*Materials and Methods@#Ninety newly diagnosed Ph+ ALL patients who received TKIs were enrolled. We collected the baseline characteristics and adverse events in all children; moreover, TKIs adherence was measured by an eight-item Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) analysis were performed, and risk factors for PFS and OS were evaluated. @*Results@#Among all patients, 69 cases were regarded as adherers, while 21 were non-adherers. The median duration of TKIs interruption was significantly prolonged in the non-adherence group than in the adherence group (13 [0-101] vs. 56 [11-128], p < 0.001). Additionally, dose reduction occurred in 55.2% of non-adherers versus 23.0% of adherers (p=0.002). The PFS and OS in adherers were significantly higher versus non-adherers (p=0.020 and p=0.039). MMAS-8 score was an independent risk factor for PFS (p=0.010) and OS (p=0.031). Among non-adherers, the median OS was only 23.1% (4.2%-42%) in patients aged ≤ 10 years versus 54.4% (38.8%-70%) in adolescents. Most of the patients who experienced TKIs non-adherence suffered pancytopenia. @*Conclusion@#TKIs adherence during treatment significantly influenced the survival of pediatric Ph+ ALL patients, and non-adherers with age ≤ 10 years were more vulnerable to TKIs disruption. The cumulative TKIs dose should be especially emphasized to patients with age ≤ 10 years, which may result in an inferior achievement of relevant treatment milestones.

Effect of fosinopril on angiotensin converting enzyme 2 and vascular endothelial growth factor in diabetic retinopathy mice / 解剖学报

Objective To explore the protective effect of fosinopril (Fos) on streptozotocin ( STZ) induced diabetic retinopatfry( DR) mice and on the expression of angiotensin converting enzyme 2(ACE2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in DR mice. Methods Totally forty-eight healthy male Kunming mice, thirty-six were randomly selected, and a diabetic mouse model induced by STZ was constructed after 6 weeks of high-fat diet. After the successful establishment of the model, the thirty-six mice were randomly divided into three groups: model group, Fos low concentration ( 5 mg/kg) group, and Fos high concentration ( 10 mg/kg) group. The remaining twelve mice were served as the control group. After 8 weeks administration, the bod)' weight and blood glucose level of mice in each group were determined. The change in the retinal structure was verified by HE staining. The serum level of VEGF was measured by ELISA. The expression of ACE2 in the retina tissue was verified by immunohistochemistry. The expression of ACE2 mRNA in diabetic retinopatlry was analyzed by Real-time PCR. The levels of ACE2 and VEGF protein in diabetic retinopatlry were detected by Western blotting. Results Fos ( 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg ) reduced significantly the proliferation of neovascularization in the inner boundaiy layer, down-regulated the expression of VEGF in the serum of diabetic mice and promoted the expression of ACE2 in the retina tissue of diabetic mice. In addition, the effect of the high concentration group of Fos had a stronger effect than the lower concentration group (P<0. 0 5 ) . Conclusion Fos has a protective effect on the retinopatlry of diabetic mice. This protective effect ma)' be mediated through the increased expression of ACE2 and the reduction of VEGF expression.

Ethanol extract of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall ameliorates psoriasis-like skin inflammation and promotes degradation of keratinocyte-derived ICAM-1 and CXCL9 / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore whether the ethanol extract of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall (EHC), a Xizang medicinal plant traditionally used for treating liver diseases, can improve imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation.@*METHODS@#Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining were used to determine the effects of topical EHC use in vivo on the skin pathology of imiquimod-induced psoriasis in mice. The protein levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in mouse skin samples were examined using immunohistochemical staining. In vitro, IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells with or without EHC treatment were used to evaluate the expression of keratinocyte-derived intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and chemokine CXC ligand 9 (CXCL9) using Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and proteasome inhibitor MG132 were utilized to validate the EHC-mediated mechanism underlying degradation of ICAM-1 and CXCL9.@*RESULTS@#EHC improved inflammation in the imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model and reduced the levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17A in psoriatic lesions. Treatment with EHC also suppressed ICAM-1 and CXCL9 in epidermal keratinocytes. Further mechanistic studies revealed that EHC suppressed keratinocyte-derived ICAM-1 and CXCL9 by promoting ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated protein degradation rather than transcriptional repression. Seven primary compounds including ehletianol C, dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol, herpetrione, herpetin, herpetotriol, herpetetrone and herpetetrol were identified from the EHC using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry.@*CONCLUSION@#Topical application of EHC ameliorates psoriasis-like skin symptoms and improves the inflammation at the lesion sites. Please cite this article as: Zhong Y, Zhang BW, Li JT, Zeng X, Pei JX, Zhang YM, Yang YX, Li FL, Deng Y, Zhao Q. Ethanol extract of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall ameliorates psoriasis-like skin inflammation and promotes degradation of keratinocyte-derived ICAM-1 and CXCL9. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(6): 584-592.

Study on related factors and characteristics of multimorbidity of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children in Hunan Province / 中华预防医学杂志

From January 2019 to December 2021, overweight and obese children who visited in health outpatient Center of Hunan Children's Hospital were studied to explore and analyze the rate, related factors and patterns of multimorbidity of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children in Hunan Province. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the multimorbidity-related factors of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. Association rules (apriori algorithm) were used to explore the multimorbidity patterns of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. A total of 725 overweight and obese children were included in this study. The multimorbidity rate of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children was 46.07% (334/725). Age, waist circumference, the frequency of food consumption such as hamburgers and fries and adding meals before bedtime were multimorbidity-related factors of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. The multimorbidity associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was relatively common. The patterns with the top three support degrees were "NAFLD+dyslipidemia","NAFLD+hypertension" and "NAFLD+hyperuricemia". The patterns with the top three confidence and elevation degrees were "Hypertension+dyslipidemia => NAFLD","Hyperuricemia => NAFLD" and "NAFLD+hypertension => dyslipidemia".

Ancient DNA Damage Analysis of Late Quaternary Mammalian Fossil Samples in Northeast China / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

The advancement of the next generation sequencing (NGS) technology has promoted the development of ancient DNA research. Ancient DNA has made outstanding contributions in various fields such as human origin, animal evolution, etc. How to effectively extract and mine the genetic information from fossil and sub-fossil remains excavated from specific locations is a prerequisite for optimizing their important roles in many fields. In this study, we correlated the two main indicators of DNA damage (terminal base replacement rate, average fragment length) with the possible factors such as the burial time, geological epochs, tissue types, and sequencing library construction methods. The results show that the end base replacement rate of ancient DNA from Northeastern China is positively correlated with the water content of the environment and the ages of the samples. Among samples of different geological epochs, ancient DNA end base replacement rates have significant differences. On the contrary, different tissue types of the remains have no significant effects on the end base replacement rate of ancient DNA. The average fragment size of the molecules has no obvious correlation with the factors mentioned above. The results provide both solid data for investigating the characteristics of ancient DNA from specimens collected in Northeastern China, and valuable information for collecting appropriate samples from different geographical locations and the downstream storage before wet lab procedures after excavation.

Dajianzhong decoction in treating visceral pain of irritable bowel syndrome based on ERK 1/2/nuclear factor kB signal pathway / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate whether Dajianzhong decoction can treat visceral pain of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by interfering with ERK1/2/nuclear factor kB (NF-kB) pathway and its downstream molecules.Methods The IBS visceral pain rat model was prepared by method such as mother-infant separation, acetic acid enema, and intraperitoneal injection of chicken ovalbumin. Rats were randomly divided into normal control group (normal saline), model group (normal saline), Dajianzhong decoction (10.8 g/kg) treatment group, and the control group of pinaverium bromide (45 mg/kg). Eight rats in each group were given intragastrically for 14 days. To evaluate the visceral sensitivity of rats, abdominal withdrawal reaction (AWR) was used ; the expression of ERK1/2 mRNA, NF-kB mRNA, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)mRNA, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) mRNA in colon tissue of rats in each group were detected by Real-time PCR; Immunohistochemistry staining method was used to detect the expression of NF-kB and COX-2 in the colon tissue of each group. Results Compared with the normal rats, AWR scores of model rats increased significantly at 60, 40 and 20 mmHg pressure (P0.05). Conclusion Dajianzhong decoction can play a role in treating visceral pain of irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS) by interfering ERK1/2/NF-kB pathway and its downstream molecules..

MicroRNA-128-3p inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition of ovarian cancer cells by regulating zince finger E-bonx binding homeobox 1 / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the effect of mircoRNA-128-3p (miR-128-3p) on epithelial-mesencfrymal transition (EMT) of ovarian cancer cells and its regulatory mechanism on zinc finger E-box binding homobox 1(ZEB1). Methods Real-time PCR technology was used to detect the expression of miR-128-3p in epithelial ovarian cancer tissue (EOC) and adjacent normal tissue (30 cases each), and to observe whether there was a difference. Two human ovarian cancer cell lines, SK0V3 and A2780, were selected and transfected respectively. MiR-128-3p mimic (miR-128-3p mimic group) and negative control mimic (NC mimic group) were used to detect the expression of miR-128-3p in 4 groups by Real-time PCR to verify the interference effect. Transwell assay was used. The migration and invasion abilities of the four groups of cells were observed. The regulatory relationship between miR-128-3p and ZEBl was verified by dual luciferase assay, and the expression level of ZEBl protein after overexpression of miR-128-3p was detected by Western blotting; pcDNA-ZEBl was transfected into SK0V3 and A2780 cell lines to make it overexpression of ZEBl was divided into NC mimic group, miR-128-3p mimic group, and miR-128-3p mimic+pcDNA-ZEBl group. Western blotting was used to detect the EMT-related protein E-cadherin in 6 groups of cells and the expression level of vimentin. Results Real-time PCR result showed that the expression of miR-128-3p in EOC tissues decreased compared with that in adjacent tissues (P < 0. 01); The relative expression of miR-128-3p in the miR-128-3p mimic group was higher than that in the NC mimic group, while the numbers of migrating cells and invasive cells were lower than those in the NC mimic group (P < 0 . 0 1) . The result of dual luciferase experiments showed that miR-128-3p had a negative regulatory effect on ZEBl. In SK0V3 and A2780 cells, the relative expression of ZEBl protein in the miR-128-3p mimic group was lower than that in the NC mimic group, while the relative protein expression of E-cadhein was higher than that in the NC mimic group (P < 0 . 0 1) . The relative protein expression of E-cadhein in the miR-128-3p mimic+pcDNA-ZEBl group was lower than that in the miR-128-3p mimic group (P < 0 . 0 1) . In SKOV3 and A2780 cells, the relative protein expression of vimentin in the miR-128-3p mimic group was lower than that in the NC mimic group, and the relative protein expression of vimentin in the miR-128-3p mimic+pcDNA-ZEBl group was higher than that in the miR-128-3p mimic group (P < 0 . 0 1) . Conclusion The expression of miR-128-3p decreases in epithelial ovarian cancer tissues, which ma)' be due to the regulation of ZEBl to affect the expression of EMT-related proteins and participate in the EMT process of ovarian cancer cells.

Feasibility study on BN rats and RBL-2H3 cells as models of allergic reaction to Yin Zhihuang injection / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the establishment of BN rat animal model and RBL-2H3 cell model of allergic reaction to Yinzhihuang injection. Methods ASA test was performed to compare the symptoms and grades of allergic reactions in BN rats and Hartley guinea pigs, and serum IgE and histamine levels were detected. The amount of histamine released from RBL-2H3 cell supernatant was measured after Yinzhihuang injection affected, and the intracellular Ca

Whole exome sequencing and analysis of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia patients / 中华口腔医学杂志

Objective: To detect gene mutation in patients with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) by using whole exome sequencing, to analyze the pathogenicity of the mutations, and to provide reference for the genetic diagnosis of HED patients. Methods: Peripheral blood genomic DNA was extracted from each of the HED patients and their family members collected in Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from August 2016 to August 2021. Whole exome sequencing and sanger sequencing were performed to detect gene mutations. Functions of the rare variants after the database filtering were analyzed by bioinformatics tools. Results: Three reported mutations of ectodysplasin A (EDA) gene (c.2T>C, c.161A>G, c.467G>A) and a mutation of ectodysplasin A receptor (EDAR) gene (c.871G>A) were detected by whole genome sequencing in four HED patients, and were verified by Sanger sequencing in four HED families. The EDAR gene mutation founded in this research was reported in HED patients for the first time. Bioinformatics tools predicted that the mutations of EDA gene detected in this study were highly species conserved and disease-causing. The combined annotation dependent depletion (CADD) scores of EDA gene mutations c.2T>C, c.161A>G and c.467G>A were 22.5, 26.3 and 25.5 respectively, and the genomic evolutionary rate profiling (GERP) scores were 2.16, 2.26 and 2.18 respectively. The EDAR gene mutation c.871G>A detected in this study was species conserved and possibly disease-causing. The CADD and GERP scores of EDAR gene mutation c.871G>A were 22.0 and 1.93 respectively. Conclusions: Three reported mutations of EDA gene and a previously unreported mutation of EDAR gene were detected in four HED families. Different mutations of EDA gene and EDAR gene could make different influence on the protein function and lead to the occurrence of HED.

Effects of different field processing methods on volatile components of Chuanxiong Rhizoma: an exploration based on headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry / 中国中药杂志

The volatile oil of Chuanxiong Rhizoma(CX) is known as an effective fraction. In order to seek a suitable method for processing CX and its decoction pieces, this study selected 16 volatile components as indices to investigate how different processing methods such as washing/without washing, sun-drying, baking, oven-drying and far-infrared drying at different temperatures affected the quality of CX and its decoction pieces(fresh CX was partially dried, cut into pieces, and then dried) by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS), cluster analysis, principal component analysis and comprehensive weighted scoring. The results showed that the rapid washing before processing did not deteriorate the volatile components of CX. Considering the practical condition of production area, oven-drying was believed to be more suitable than sun-drying, baking, and far-infrared drying. The CX decoction pieces with a thickness of 0.3-0.4 cm were recommended to be oven-dried at 50 ℃. The integrated processing(partial drying, cutting into pieces, and drying) did not cause a significant loss of volatile components. For the fresh CX, the oven-drying at 60 ℃ is preferred. The temperature should not exceed 60 ℃, and drying below 60 ℃ will prolong the processing time, which will produce an unfavorable effect on volatile components. This study has provided the scientific evidence for field processing of CX, which is conducive to realizing the normalization and standardization of CX processing in the production area and stabilizing the quality of CX and its decoction pieces.

Gait Characteristics during Horizontal Obstacle Crossing / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To observe the gait characteristics related to the horizontal obstacle crossing, to optimize obstacle crossing strategy to reduce the risk of falling. Methods:A total of 15 healthy young men were recruited in September, 2019, to complete horizontal obstacle crossing tasks (0 cm, 45 cm, 55 cm and 65 cm wide), with dominant and non-dominant limbs first on a specific experimental path. Gait parameters were collected with infrared camera and biomechanics force plate. Results:As the width of the obstacle increasing, the speed, stride length, step length and toe clearance of trailing limb (TCt) increased; while the heel-to-obstacle distance (HOD) and toe-to-obstacle distance (TOD) decreased. As the non-dominant limb crossing first, the speed of following step was slower, and the TCt, step width, step length and HOD increased. Conclusion:The risk of falling increases with the width of the obstacle during horizontal obstacle crossing. It is recommended to use non-dominant limbs leading crossing, and increase stride length, step length and TCt to reduce the risk of falling.

Effect of Da Jianzhongtang on Visceral Pain in Rats with Irritable Bowel Syndrome / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effects of Da Jianzhongtang on substance P （SP）， mast cells （MC）， Toll like receptor 2 （TLR2）， TLR4 on MC model and nuclear transcription factor （NF）-<italic>κ</italic>B p65 in visceral pain rats with irritable bowel syndrome （IBS）， and explore its mechanism of action on IBS visceral pain. Method:Forty-eight 3-day-old SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups： the control group （control）， irritable bowel syndrome group （IBS）， ketotifen group （Ketotifen，0.18 mg·kg^-1）， Da Jianzhongtang low， medium and high dose groups （DJZT-L， DJZT-M， DJZT-H，2.16，1.08，0.54 g·kg^-1）， with 8 rats in each group. Intragastric administration lasted for 2 weeks. Maternal separation method was used to establish the IBS visceral pain model in rats. The visceral sensitivity of rats was evaluated at 60， 40 and 20 mmHg （1 mmHg≈0.133 kPa） with Abdominal wall withdrawal response （AWR） scale. SP and NF-<italic>κ</italic>B p65 protein expression levels in colon tissue were detected with Western blotting technique. TLR2 and TLR4 proteins on mast cell membrane were detected by immunofluorescence staining. The degranulation rate of mast cells in colon tissue was detected by toluidine blue staining. Result:Compared with normal rats， AWR scores of model rats significantly increased at 60， 40， and 20 mmHg pressure （<italic>P</italic><0.05，<italic>P</italic><0.01）， the degranulation rate of mast cells in colon tissue and SP protein expression in colon tissue significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， TLR2， TLR4， and nuclear NF-<italic>κ</italic>B p65 expression on mast cell membrane significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with model rats， the AWR scores of DJZT-H group （pressure of 40， 20 mmHg） and DJZT-M group （pressure of 60， 40， 20 mmHg） significantly decreased. Meanwhile， the degranulation rate of colon mast cells， and the SP， TLR2， TLR4， and NF-<italic>κ</italic>B p65 expression also significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.05，<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:Da Jianzhongtang can affect mast cell activity and finally decrease visceral pain of IBS rats by down-regulating SP in colon tissue.

Cloning and expression of AeMYB4 gene related to stolon development of Amana edulis / 中国中药杂志

Stolon is an important organ for reproduction and regeneration of Amana edulis. Previous analysis of transcriptome showed that MYB was one of the most active transcription factor families during the development of A. edulis stolon. In order to study the possible role of MYB transcription factors in stolon development, the authors screened out an up-regulated MYB gene named AeMYB4 was by analyzing the expression profile of MYB transcription factors. In the present study, sequence analysis demonstrated that AeMYB4 contained an open reading frame of 756 bp encoding 251 amino acids, and domain analysis revealed that the predicted amino acids sequence contained two highly conserved SANT domains and binding sites for cold stress factor CBF. By multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, it is indicated that AeMYB4 clustered with AtMYB15 from Arabidopsis thaliana, belonging to subgroup S2 of R2 R3-MYB. And most of the transcription factors in this subfamily are related to low temperature stress. The GFP-AeMYB4 fusion protein expression vector for subcellular localization was constructed and transferred into Agrobacterium tumefaciens to infect the leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana, and the results showed the protein was located in the nucleus. To investigate the transcriptional activation, the constructed pGBKT7-AeMYB4 fusion expression vector was transferred into Y2 H Gold yeast cells, which proved that AeMYB4 was a transcription activator with strong transcriptional activity. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression of AeMYB4 gene in three different development stages of stolon and in leaves, flowers, and bulbs of A. edulis, which indicated that AeMYB4 transcription factor was tissue-specific in expression, mainly in the stolon development stage, and that the expression was the most active in the middle stage of stolon development, suggesting that AeMYB4 gene may play an important role in stolon development. This study contributes to the further research on the function of AeMYB4 transcription factor in stolon development of A. edulis.

Selection and validation of reference genes for quantitative Real-time PCR analysis in Amana edulis / 中国中药杂志

Amana edulis is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant with low propagation coefficient. In recent years, the increasing demands of A. edulis lead to a shortage of its wild resources. In order to analyze the expression of related functional genes in A. edulis, the selection of suitable internal reference genes is crucial to improve the accuracy of experimental results. Eight genes(ACT, TUA, CYP, GAPDH, UBQ, UBI, EF1a, UBC)were chosen as candidate reference genes based on the RNA-Seq. Real-time fluorescence quantitative technique was used to detect the expression level of candidate internal reference genes in different organs(bulb, leaf, flo-wer) and stolons at different development stages of A. edulis. Then GeNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper softwares and RefFinder website were used for a comprehensive analysis of the expression stability of the candidate genes.The results showed that among the 8 candidate reference genes, the variation range of Ct value of UBC was the smallest, and the expression level was stable, which was suitable for an reference gene. GeNorm and NormFinder software analysis showed that UBC and UBI were the optimal reference genes. BestKeeper analysis showed that CYP and UBC expression were relatively stable. Comprehensive evaluation of RefFinder website showed that UBC and UBI were the most stable genes, and ACT displayed the lowest stability in all software evaluation, indicating UBC and UBI were suitable for reference genes. Additionally, the most stable UBC, UBI and the most unstable ACT were used as internal reference genes to detect the expression of GBSS gene in A. edulis, and expression pattern of GBSS gene was the same under the calibration of UBC and UBI. The expression data of GBSS gene confirmed that UBC and UBI genes were reliable for A. edulis qRT-PCR as internal reference genes. The results would benefit future studies on related gene expression of A. edulis.

Research progress of Rab proteins in neurodegenerative diseases / 生理学报

As a member of the Ras superfamily, Rab proteins are small GTP-binding proteins. In the process of endocytosis of macromolecules and substances delivery between organelles, Rab proteins act on vesicle formation, transport, tethering and fusion by recruiting their effectors, therefore being key regulatory factors in vesicle trafficking. Disturbance of localizations and functions of Rab proteins and their effectors are involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases. This review focuses on the main functions of Rab proteins and their possible roles in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's disease.

Altered dopamine metabolism and its role in pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease / 生理学报

Parkinson's disease (PD), one of the most frequent neurodegenerative disorders, is characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Genetic vulnerability, aging, environmental insults are believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of PD. However, the cellular and molecular mechanism of dopaminergic neurons degeneration remains incompletely understood. Dopamine (DA) metabolism is a cardinal physiological process in dopaminergic neurons, which is closely related to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the SN. DA metabolism takes part in several pathological processes of PD neurodegeneration, such as iron metabolism disturbance, α-synuclein mis-folding, endoplasmic reticulum stress, protein degradation dysfunction, neuroinflammatory response, etc. In this review, we will describe altered DA metabolism and its contributions to PD pathogenesis.

A drug-eluting Balloon for the trEatment of coronarY bifurcatiON lesions in the side branch: a prospective multicenter ranDomized (BEYOND) clinical trial in China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions remains challenging; a simple strategy has been preferred as of late, but the disadvantage is ostium stenosis or even occlusion of the side branch (SB). Only a few single-center studies investigating the combination of a drug-eluting stent in the main branch followed by a drug-eluting balloon in the SB have been reported. This prospective, multicenter, randomized study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of a paclitaxel-eluting balloon (PEB) compared with regular balloon angioplasty (BA) in the treatment of non-left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions.@*METHODS@#Between December 2014 and November 2015, a total of 222 consecutive patients with bifurcation lesions were enrolled in this study at ten Chinese centers. Patients were randomly allocated at a 1:1 ratio to a PEB group (n = 113) and a BA group (n = 109). The primary efficacy endpoint was angiographic target lesion stenosis at 9 months. Secondary efficacy and safety endpoints included target lesion revascularization, target vessel revascularization, target lesion failure, major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCEs), all-cause death, cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and thrombosis in target lesions. The main analyses performed in this clinical trial included case shedding analysis, base-value equilibrium analysis, effectiveness analysis, and safety analysis. SAS version 9.4 was used for the statistical analyses.@*RESULTS@#At the 9-month angiographic follow-up, the difference in the primary efficacy endpoint of target lesion stenosis between the PEB (28.7% ± 18.7%) and BA groups (40.0% ± 19.0%) was -11.3% (95% confidence interval: -16.3% to -6.3%, Psuperiority <0.0001) in the intention-to-treat analysis, and similar results were recorded in the per-protocol analysis, demonstrating the superiority of PEB to BA. Late lumen loss was significantly lower in the PEB group than in the BA group (-0.06 ± 0.32 vs. 0.18 ± 0.34 mm, P < 0.0001). For intention-to-treat, there were no significant differences between PEB and BA in the 9-month percentages of MACCEs (0.9% vs. 3.7%, P = 0.16) or non-fatal myocardial infarctions (0 vs. 0.9%, P = 0.49). There were no clinical events of target lesion revascularization, target vessel revascularization, target lesion failure, all-cause death, cardiac death or target lesion thrombosis in either group.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In de novo non-left main coronary artery bifurcations treated with provisional T stenting, SB dilation with the PEB group demonstrated better angiographic results than treatment with regular BA at the 9-month follow-up in terms of reduced target lesion stenosis.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02325817; https://clinicaltrials.gov.

Effect of phacoemulsification with different incision on corneal endothelial cells / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To investigate the curative effect of 3.0mm incision phacoemulsification and 1.8mm coaxial micro-incision phacoemulsification and the influence on corneal endothelial cells.<p>METHODS: A total of 78 patients(78 eyes)with age-related cataract who were hospitalized in the hospital from December 2016 to December 2018 were selected as subjects. They were divided into the standard incision group and the micro-incision group with 39 cases(39 eyes)in each group. Patients in the standard incision group were treated with 3.0mm standard incision phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation, while the patients in the micro-incision group were treated with 1.8mm coaxial micro-incision phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. The surgical outcome and corneal endothelial cell parameters were compared between the two groups. <p>RESULTS: The phacoemulsification time of the standard incision group and the micro-incision group were(7.05±0.98)s and(7.22±0.96)s, respectively. The phacoemulsification energy was(17.01±1.89)% and(16.89±1.53)%, respectively(<i>P</i>>0.05). The LogMAR of naked eyes of both groups decreased significantly at 1d, 1wk and 1mo after surgery(<i>P</i><0.001), while the degree of astigmatism increased(<i>P</i><0.001). The naked vision and astigmatism of the micro-incision group were better than those of the standard incision group at 1d and 1wk after surgery(<i>P</i><0.05). Endothelial cell density was significantly decreased at 1d, 1wk and 1mo after surgery(<i>P</i><0.05). The coefficient of variation of corneal endothelial cells and the thickness of central cornea increased. There was no significant difference between the standard incision group and the micro-incision group at each time poilt(<i>P</i>>0.05). There were no severe complications in either group. There was one patient with transient high intraocular pressure in the standard incision group, and the intraocular pressure returned to normal after drug treatment.<p>CONCLUSION: Both coaxial micro-incision phacoemulsification and standard small incision surgery have certain effects on the morphology and function of endothelial cells. Besides, there is no significant difference between them. However, coaxial micro-incision phacoemulsification can minimize the surgical incision and reduce the degree of surgically induced astigmatism, and patients can recover quickly after surgery. It is a relatively safer surgical procedure.