Small Molecules Accelerate Skin Wound Healing: Shikonin Efficacy and Mechanism of Action in Mice / Las Moléculas Pequeñas Aceleran la Curación de Heridas en la Piel: Eficacia de Shikonin y Mecanismo de Acción en Ratones

SUMMARY: The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic wound healing potential and molecular mechanisms of shikonin as small molecules in vitro. A mouse burn model was used to explore the potential therapeutic effect of shikonin; we traced proliferating cells in vivo to locate the active area of skin cell proliferation. Through the results of conventional pathological staining, we found that shikonin has a good effect on the treatment of burned skin and promoted the normal distribution of skin keratin at the damaged site. At the same time, shikonin also promoted the proliferation of skin cells at the damaged site; importantly, we found a significant increase in the number of fibroblasts at the damaged site treated with shikonin. Most importantly, shikonin promotes fibroblasts to repair skin wounds by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. This study shows that shikonin can effectively promote the proliferation of skin cell, and local injection of fibroblasts in burned skin can play a certain therapeutic role.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue investigar el potencial terapéutico de cicatrización de heridas y los mecanismos moleculares de la shikonina como moléculas pequeñas in vitro. Se utilizó un modelo de quemaduras en ratones para explorar el posible efecto terapéutico de la shikonina; Rastreamos las células en proliferación in vivo para localizar el área activa de proliferación de células de la piel. A través de los resultados de la tinción para patología convencional, encontramos que la shikonina tiene un buen efecto en el tratamiento de la piel quemada y promueve la distribución normal de la queratina de la piel en el sitio dañado. Al mismo tiempo, la shikonina también promovió la proliferación de células de la piel en el sitio dañado. Es importante destacar que encontramos un aumento significativo en la cantidad de fibroblastos en el sitio dañado tratado con shikonina. Lo más importante es que la shikonina promueve la función reparadora de fibroblastos en las heridas de la piel regulando la vía de señalización PI3K/ AKT. Este estudio muestra que la shikonina puede promover eficazmente la proliferación de células de la piel y que la inyección local de fibroblastos en la piel quemada puede desempeñar un cierto papel terapéutico.

Response characteristics of tislelizumab combined with chemotherapy in first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To investigate the response characteristics of patients with locally advanced/metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (nsq-NSCLC) treated with tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy in the first line. Methods: Patients with nsq-NSCLC who achieved complete or partial remission after treatment with tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone in the RATIONALE 304 study, as assessed by an independent review board, were selected to analyze the response characteristics and safety profile of the responders. Time to response (TTR) was defined as the time from randomization to the achievement of first objective response. Depth of response (DpR) was defined as the maximum percentage of tumor shrinkage compared with the sum of the baseline target lesion length diameters. Results: As of January 23, 2020, 128 patients treated with tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy achieved objective tumor response (responders), representing 57.4%(128/223) of the intention-to-treat population, with a TTR of 5.1 to 33.3 weeks and a median TTR of 7.9 weeks. Of the responders (128), 50.8%(65) achieved first remission at the first efficacy assessment (week 6), 31.3%(40) at the second efficacy assessment (week 12), and 18.0%(23) at the third and subsequent tumor assessments. The percentages of responders who achieved a depth of tumor response of 30% to <50%, 50% to <70% and 70% to 100% were 45.3%(58/128), 28.1%(36/128) and 26.6%(34/128), respectively, with median progression-free survival (PFS) of 9.0 months (95% CI: 7.7 to 9.9 months), 11.5 months (95% CI: 7.7 months to not reached) and not reached (95% CI: 11.8 months to not estimable), respectively. Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy were generally well tolerated in responders with similar safety profile to the overall safety population. Conclusion: Among responders to tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy for nsq-NSCLC, 82.0%(105/128) achieves response within the first two tumor assessments (12 weeks) and 18.0%(23/128) achieves response at later (18 to 33 weeks) assessments, and there is a trend toward prolonged PFS in responders with deeper tumor response.

Brucella meningoencephalitis in children with status epilepticus A case report and literature review / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To investigate the clinical characteristics and incidence of Brucella encephalitis and meningitis in children. Methods We report the clinical data of a child with Brucella melitensis meningitis in children, and summarize the incidence, diagnosis methods and treatment of Brucella encephalitis or meningitis in children, taking into account the relevant domestic and foreign literature from January 2014 to December 2020. Results　A 4-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital with status epilepticus on March 15, 2021 because of interrupted right limb numbness for 16 hours and convulsions for 2 hours. She had 2 non-febrile convulsions three months before admission and was diagnosed with epilepsy. This incident was acute, accompanied by low fever, with epilepsy as the main manifestation. Cerebrospinal fluid test suggested central nervous system infection, but the nature of infection could not be determined by routine and biochemistry of cerebrospinal fluid.The cerebrospinal fluid next generation sequencing confirmed that the pathogen of the infection was B. melitensis, which was further verified by the peripheral blood antibody test. After effective antibiotics combined with a full course of treatment, the patient recovered after six months of treatment. A total of 60 articles were retrieved in the database, including 29 in Chinese. During this period, a total of 7 cases of brucellosis in children with nervous system involvement were reported, one of which was a case report, and the other 6 cases were mentioned in the comprehensive analysis of children with brucellosis. Conclusions　Brucella encephalitis or meningitis in children has a low incidence and various clinical features, which are easy to be misdiagnosed or missed.

Analysis on echocardiographic data of fetal heart defects at high altitude in Yunnan province and surrounding high altitude areas / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To explore the current situation of fetal heart defects in Yunnan Province and surrounding high altitude areas and the social factors affecting pregnancy outcome. Methods: This is a retrospective study. Pregnant woman who underwent fetal echocardiography and diagnosed as fetal cardiac defects in Yunnan Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital from June 2017 to January 2021 were included. According to the clinical prognostic risk scoring system and grading criteria of fetal cardiac birth defects, the cases were divided into grade Ⅰ to Ⅳ. The disease distribution and proportion of each prognostic grade, pregnancy outcomes were analyzed and compared. The cases were divided into continued pregnancy group and terminated pregnancy group according to pregnancy outcome. The social factors that may affect the selection of pregnancy outcomes were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 4 929 fetal echocardiography examination data were collected, and 4 464 cases (90.57%) were from Yunnan Province and surrounding high altitude areas. 2 166 cases of heart defects were finally analyzed, including 998 cases of congenital heart disease (CHD), 93 cases of cardiac tumors, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia, 1 075 cases of foramen ovale, ductus arteriosus abnormalities and normal variations. The pregnant women were (29.2±5.0) years old with (25.6±3.8) gestational weeks. The number of cases with prognostic grade from Ⅰ to Ⅳ was 1 037 (47.88%), 620 (28.62%), 314 (14.50%), and 44 (2.03%), respectively. And 151 cases (6.97%) were not classified. The cases of normal variation and thin aortic arch development accounted for 42.66% (924/2 166), 5.22% (113/2 166), respectively. The top 3 diseases of grade Ⅱ were ventricular septal defect, coarctation of aorta and mild-moderate pulmonary stenosis, respectively, and their distribution was 11.63% (252/2 166), 3.92% (85/2 166) and 2.35% (51/2 166) respectively in all cases of heart defects, and 25.25% (252/998), 8.52% (85/998) and 5.11% (51/998) respectively in cases of CHD. Among the cases rated as grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ, most of them were complicated congenital heart disease, and the disease types are scattered. The more common cases in grade Ⅲ were complete transposition of great arteries (accounting for 2.40% (52/2 166) of all cases with heart defects, 5.21% (52/998) of all cases with CHD) and pulmonary artery occlusion (type Ⅰ to Ⅲ) with ventricular septal defect (accounting for 2.17% (47/2 166) of all cases with heart defects, and 4.71% (47/998) of all cases with CHD). In grade Ⅳ, single ventricle (0.74% (16/2 166) of all cases with heart defects, 1.60% (16/998) of all cases with CHD) and left ventricular dysplasia syndrome (0.65% (14/2 166) of all cases with heart defects, 1.40% (14/998) of all cases with CHD) are more common. A total of 1 084 cases were successfully followed up, and 675 cases were born, 392 cases were terminated, spontaneous abortion occurred in 17 cases. The proportion of terminated pregnancy cases was significantly increased from grade Ⅰ to Ⅳ, accounting for 5.24% (21/401), 27.78% (70/252), 89.54% (214/239) and 95.56% (43/45), respectively. Among the terminated pregnancy cases, those with grade Ⅲ accounted for the highest proportion (54.59% (214/392)). The distribution of terminated pregnancy cases was mainly complex congenital malformations or diseases with very poor prognosis (pregnancy outcome grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ), and proportion of terminated pregnancy with pregnancy outcome grade Ⅰ and Ⅱ cases (normal variation or good prognosis) accounted for 5.36% (21/392) and 17.86% (70/392), respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pregnant women with low education (high school and below: OR=2.73, 95%CI 1.26-5.93, P<0.001; illiteracy: OR=3.27, 95%CI 1.29-7.10, P<0.001) and low family income (Annual income<100 000 yuan: OR=2.47, 95%CI 1.69-5.12, P<0.001) were more likely to choose termination of pregnancy in case of fetal heart defect. Conclusion: In Yunnan province and the surrounding high altitude areas, the disease distribution of fetal heart defect is mainly simple or low-risk disease, but the complex malformation, especially the disease with poor pregnancy outcome, accounts for a relative high proportion. Pregnancy termination also occurs in some cases with good pregnancy outcome. The education level and family income of pregnant women may affect their choice of pregnancy outcome in case of fetal heart defect.

Research progress of chemokines and their receptors in breast cancer / 药学学报

Chemokines are small cytokines with chemotactic activity, they are involved in regulating immune responses and inflammatory responses. In the development of tumors, chemokines are multi-functional mediators that not only affect the infiltration of immune cells into the tumor, but also have an important impact on tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Besides, they are important targets of tumor therapy. Here we review chemokines involved in the regulation of signaling pathways, analyze the mechanism of chemokines in the development of breast cancer, summarize the chemokines targeted drugs for breast cancer in recent years and make a prospect about the role of chemokines in anti-breast cancer therapy.

Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Effects of Paeoniae Radix Rubra： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Paeoniae Radix Rubra is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in clinical practice， it is mostly wild and widely distributed in different areas of China. In addition， the plant of Paeoniae Radix Rubra also has ornamental value. Modern phytochemical researches showed that the chemical constituents of Paeoniae Radix Rubra were complex. Up to now， more than 300 chemical constituents have been found， mainly including monoterpene glycosides， triterpenoids， flavonoids， tannins， phenolic acids， saccharides， steroids， volatile oils and so on. Among them， the content of monoterpene glycosides was the highest， and the types of volatile oil were the most. Paeoniae Radix Rubra has a wide range of pharmacological effects， exerting different curative effects in multiple systems such as blood， cardiovascular， nervous and digestive system. It can protect myocardial cells and nerve cells， stabilize microcirculation， anti-endotoxin， anti-atherosclerosis， reduce pulmonary hypertension， anti-depression， protect liver， anti-gastric ulcer， anti-tumor， slow down aging， treat Parkinson's syndrome and diabetes and its complications， anti-radiation， anti-inflammatory， anti-virus and so on. Through reviewing the literature on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Paeoniae Radix Rubra， it was found that total glycosides and monomers such as paeoniflorin， albiflorin， benzoylpaeoniflorin and gallic acid may be the main active components of Paeoniae Radix Rubra. At present， the research on Paeoniae Radix Rubra mainly focused on monoterpene glycosides， while the research on flavonoids and volatile oil in Paeoniae Radix Rubra was less. It is suggested that research on these two components should be strengthened in the future.

Reticulated Meta-analysis of effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine therapy for traumatic optic neuropathy / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of different interventions of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of traumatic optic neuropathy by means of mesh Meta-analysis.<p>METHODS:The Computer searched of Chinese databases(CNKI, VIP, WanFang, SinoMed)and English databases(PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library). Search time was limited from their inception to March 2020. Randomized controlled clinical trials of traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of traumatic optic neuropathy were subjected to Meta-analysis. Cochrane evaluation tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies and Stata 14.2 software was used to conduct network Meta-analysis.<p>RESULTS: Twenty-one RCT studies involving 1 297 patients were included and 7 interventions were involved. Among them, Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine+hormone drugs, acupuncture+Chinese medicine+neurotrophic drugs were better than those with neurotrophic drugs alone. Chinese medicine+hormone drugs, acupuncture+Chinese medicine+neurotrophic drugs, acupuncture+Chinese medicine+hormone drugs were better than that of hormone drugs alone(<i>P</i><0.05), and the intervention measures ranked first in terms of effective treatment rate is acupuncture+Chinese medicine+neurotrophic drugs.<p>CONCLUSION: Chinese medicine has advantages in the treatment of traumatic optic neuropathy. Among them, acupuncture+ Chinese medicine+neurotrophic drugs is most likely to be the best choice.

The cell cycle inhibitor p21 promote mouse lung fibrosis by activating alveolar macrophages / 药学学报

This study was to determine the expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 in alveolar macrophages (AMs) and the role of p21 in activation of AMs in bleomycin (BLM) injury-induced lung fibrosis. The expression of CD206 in AMs was measured by immunofluorescence staining. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was used to detect the expression of macrophage activation markers. The coculture assay for macrophage and fibroblast was employed to explore the effect of macrophage on fibroblast activation. Immunofluorescence staining and western blotting assay were adopted to detect the expression of p21 in fibrotic tissues. AMs were treated with p21 knockdown or overexpression virus, RT-PCR and the co-culture system were used to explore the effect of p21 expression on macrophage activation. The Experimental Animal Welfare Ethics Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College approved all of the protocols for this research. Our results showed that the expression of CD206 and macrophage activation markers was increased in AMs from fibrotic mice, indicating that AMs from fibrotic mice were associated with a profibrotic phenotype. Moreover, the expression of p21 was upregulated in AMs after BLM treatment. Depletion of p21 suppressed macrophage activation, while overexpression of p21 promoted the profibrotic phenotype of AMs from healthy mice. In summary, BLM injury causes the progressive accumulation of p21 in AMs, which induces the production of a number of profibrotic factors promoting the development of pulmonary fibrosis.

Resistance of influenza virus in Henan Province to neuraminidase inhibitor from 2017 to 2018 / 中华疾病控制杂志

Objective To analyze the resistance of influenza virus to neuraminidase inhibitors (NAI) in Henan province during 2017-2018. Methods Virus were collected from the Henan Influenza Surveillance Network during 2017-2018. 36 confirmed influenza virus(with 15 H1pdm09，6 H3N2 and 15 B) were selected to test resistance to oseltamivir and zanamivi with fluorescence(FL). The NAI sensitive reference viruses were A/California/12/2012(H1pdm09)-275H,A/Beijing Haidian/1942/2014(H3N2)-119E and B/Rochester/02/2001-198D. The NAI resistant reference viruses were A/ Texas/23/2012(H1pdm9)-H275Y, A/Texas/12/2007(H3N2)-E119V and B/Rochester/02/2001-D198N. Results The half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50) of A/California/12/2012(H1pdm09)-275H, A/Beijing-Haidian/1942/2014(H3N2)-119E and B/Rochester/02/2001-198D for oseltamivir were 0.29 nmol/L (nM),0.10 nM and 12.71 nM, and for zanamivir were 0.2 nM, 0.49 nM and 0.33 nM respectively. The IC50 for oxastatin of H1pdm09 and H3N2 ranged from (0.28-1.37 nM) and (0.08-0.17 nM) respectively, the IC50 for zanamivir ranged from (0.15-0.49 nM) and (0.12-0.22 nM), all was within 10 fold IC50 of the reference virus(corresponding type); the IC50 value of type B for oseltamivir and zanamivir ranged from (11.83-24.59 nM) and (0.48-1.25 nM), all was within 5 fold IC50 of the reference virus. Conclusion All the tested influenza strains isolated in Henan province during 2017-2018 were sensitive to NAI.

Phased Expression of Gene and Protein of NogoA and NgR in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury and Time Window of Electroacupuncture / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective To investigate the phased expression of gene and protein of NogoA and its receptor (NgR) that affects axon growth of spinal cord injury (SCI), and to explore the time window effect of electroacupuncture on SCI rats. Methods A total of 144 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to sham operation group (group A, n=48) and model group (n=96). In the model group, Allen's method was used to establish SCI rats model, and they were further subdivided into model control group (group B, n=48) and electroacupuncture group (group C, n=48). Group C received electroacupuncture on Dazhui (GV14), Yaoyangguan (GV3), bilateral Ciliao (BL32) and Zu-sanli (ST36) with loose-tight wave, for 20 minutes every day, one day, seven days and 14 days after modeling. The rats at every interventional therapy time were randomly subdivided into two subgroups, which accepted sev-en or 14 days of treatment. Groups A and B were killed and the injured spinal cord tissue was extracted one day, three days, seven days, 14 days and 28 days after modeling, group C at the corresponding time. The hind limb motor function was assessed with BBB score before all of rats were killed. Four samples at every time in each group were randomly selected to detect the expression of mRNA and protein of NogoA and NgR at different stage of SCI using reverse transcription real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. Results The BBB score began to increase 14 days after modeling, and significantly increased until 28 days after model-ing (P<0.05), compared with one day, three days and seven days after modeling in group B. The BBB score in-creased in group C than in group B at all the time points (P<0.05), except 14 days after electroacupuncture one day after modeling. The BBB score was higher as electroacupuncture intervening seven days and 14 days after modeling than that at one day after modeling in group C, and no significant difference was found between seven days and 14 days of treatment at either electroacupuncture time point (P>0.05). The expression of gene and pro-tein of NogoA and NgR in group B was in the increasing tendency after SCI, and was at the peak until 21 days af-ter modeling, and was higher in group B than in group A at each time point (P<0.01). The expression of gene and protein of NogoA decreased at all the time points in group C than in group B (P<0.05), except seven days of elec-troacupuncture intervening one day after modeling in the expression of NogoA mRNA (P>0.05). The expression of gene and protein of NogoA and NgR was lower as electroacupuncture intervening 14 days after modeling than one day after modeling in group C (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of gene and protein of NogoA and NgR between electroacupuncture intervening 14 days and seven days after modeling, and seven days and one day after modeling (P>0.05); as well as between seven days and 14 days of treatment at each time point (P>0.05). Conclusion Elerctroacupuncture could improve the hind limb motor function, which may associate with the inhibition of the expression of gene and protein of NogoA and NgR in injured spinal cord of rats after SCI. Elerctroacu-puncture is effective in the treatment of SCI at the early time, however, it is much better in the recovery stage.

Effects of Periplaneta americana extract Ento-A on immune function in immunosuppressed mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effects of Periplane-ta americana extract Ento-A on the immune function in immunosuppressed mice . Methods Immunosup-pressed mouse model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide in KM mice .To evalu-ate the effects of Ento-A on the immune function in im-munosuppressed mice , neutral red method and MTT assay were used respectively to detect the effects of En-to-A on the phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages and T cell proliferation rate in mice; with sheep red blood cell as immunogen , the effects of Ento-A on the pro-duction of serum hemolysin were evaluated;peripheral blood was tested and immune organ index calculated . Results Compared with model control group , the high, medium and low doses of Ento-A could improve the expression of serum hemolysin in immunosup-pressed mice ( P<0.01 ) , and increase the spleen in-dex(P<0.01) and thymus index (P>0.05), signifi-cantly increased the content of WBC ( P<0.01 ) , PLT ( P<0.01 ) , HGB ( P<0.01 ) , while the contents of RBC was on the rise , with no significant difference ( P>0.05 ) in peripheral blood , significantly enhanced phagocytic function and T lymphocyte proliferative abil-ity in a dose-dependent manner ( P<0.01 ) .Conclu-sion Ento-A can enhance the immune function of im-munosuppressed mice .

Mutation Rate and Clinical Characteristics of CALR, JAK2 V617F and MPL W515K Genes in Patients With Primary Thrombocythemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the mutation rate and clinical characteristics of CALR, MPL W515K and JAK2 V617F genes in patients with primary thrombocythemia (PT).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-six patients with PT were selected as the research objects in our hospital. The CALR and MPL W515K gene mutations were determined by genomic DNA-PCR direct sequencing of the PCR products, and the JAK2 V617F gene mutation was detected by allele specific PCR method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 56 patients with PT there were 14 cases of CALR gene mutation with the incidence rate of 25%, including 6 cases of type I, 5 cases of type II and 3 cases of type III. The sex, age, platelet(Plt) count, white blood cell (WBC) count and hemoglobin (Hb) level in the type I case of CALR gene mutation all were not significantly different from that in type II and III(all P>0.05); the WBC level in type III group significantly increased in comparison of type II group (P<0.05), while the sex, age, Hb and Plt levels showed no significant difference between the type III and type II groups (P>0.05). There were 3 cases of MPL W515K gene mutation with the incidence rate of 5.36%; 21 cases of JAK2 V617F gene mutation with the incidence rate of 37.50%. There were 13 cases of CALR gene mutation in negative patients with MPL W515K and JAK2 V617F (18 cases) with 72.22% incidence rate (13/18), and there was no cases of 1 or 2 gene mutations coexisted. The levels of Hb and WBC in peripheral blood of patients with CALR mutation were significantly lower than those of JAK2 V617F mutation (both P<0.05). In 56 cases, there were 3 cases of abnormal karyotype, with the incidence rate of 5.36%. The mutation rate of CALR gene in abnormal karyotypes (66.67%) was significantly higher than that of normal karyotypes (20.75%) (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The incidence of JAK2 V617F gene mutation increases in the patients with primary thrombocythemia; CALR mutation rate is higher in the patients with negative MPL W515K and JAK2 V617F gene mutation, which may closely correlate with abnormal karyotype; the levels of peripheral Hb and WBC in PT the patients with CALR gene mutation are significantly lower than those in patients with JAK2 V617F mutation.</p>

Enhanced tenogenic differentiation by Scleraxis overexpression in human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) are adult stem cells with multipotential differentiation, which can be induced to differentiate into bone, cartilage and other connective tissues. Meanwhile, as a highly specific marker of tenocytes, Scleraxis is involved in aggregation and differentiation of tendon progenitor cells as well as the formation of tendon extracellular matrix. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether hAMSCs have the ability of differentiation into tenocytes by ectopic expression of Scleraxis. METHODS: Agreed by puerpera, the amniotic membrane from the full-term placenta was separated, and hAMSCs were isolated by a two-step enzyme digestion, observed under inverted phase contrast microscope, and identified by flow cytometry. Passage 3 cells were induced via plasmid-mediated Scleraxis overexpression in overexpression group. Untransfected cells cultured in normal medium served as blank control group, and those with empty plasmid transfection were defined as empty plasmid group. Cell proliferation was tested in each group using cell counting kit-8 within 7 days of culture. Real-time quantitative PCR and western blot were used to assess the tenogenic differentiation of hAMSCs in each group at 3 and 7 days of culture. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Findings from the cell counting kit-8 indicated that the cell viability had no significant differences among the groups within 7 days of culture (P > 0.05). Western blot results showed the protein expression of Scleraxis in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the other two groups (P < 0.05). Real-time PCR results showed, at 3 days of culture, the expression of collagen type I, collagen type III, Fibronectin and Tenascin-C in the overexpression group was significantly higher than that in the empty plasmid group (P < 0.05), but the expression of Tenomodulin had no difference (P > 0.05); at 7 days of culture, the expressions of collagen type I, collagen type III, Fibronectin, Tenascin-C and Tenomodulin in the overexpression group were significantly higher than those in the empty plasmid group (P < 0.05). In summary, hAMSCs can be differentiated into tenocytes by ectopic expression of Scleraxis.

Articular cartilage defect repair with particulated juvenile cartilage allograft: existing problems and prospects / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Particulated juvenile cartilage allograft is simple and easy to obtain, and chondrocytes can migrate and proliferate as confirmed by in vitro culture.In the Unite States,this technique has been used in the repair of cartilage defects in the hip, knee, ankle, and elbow joints. OBJECTIVE: To review the present situation, application, and value of particulated juvenile cartilage allograft transplantation for articular cartilage repair. METHODS: A computer-based search of CNKI, PubMed, and Elsevier was performed for retrieving articles concerning particulated juvenile cartilage allograft transplantation for articular cartilage repair published from October 1983 to June 2017. The keywords were "allogeneic juvenile cartilage particles; cartilage tissue engineering; articular cartilage defects;repair" in Chinese and English, respectively. After initial screening of titles and abstracts and exclusion of irrelevant articles, 48 eligible articles were included in final analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Although a variety of treatments for cartilage repair have achieved good clinical outcomes in short-term follow-up, improving the motor function of patients and relieving pain, patients eventually develop progressive degeneration of the articular cartilage and suffer from osteoarthritis. (2) Chondrocytes from allogeneic juvenile cartilage particles have stronger ability of proliferating and repairing cartilage defects in vitro than mature chondrocytes,and have low antigenicity,which cannot cause a strong rejection after in vivo transplantation.What's more, particulated juvenile cartilage allograft transplantation can be performed as one-stage surgery if cartilage defects are confirmed under arthroscopy. (3) Particulated juvenile cartilage allograft transplantation has achieved good outcomes in basic and clinical studies in the United States. Its potential superiority has gradually been accepted by doctors and patients. (4) There are also risks for being contaminated and spreading diseases during the preparation of particulated juvenile cartilage allograft. This technology has been widely used in the United States, but there are rare data concerning its follow-up studies. Therefore, an investigation on its long-term follow-up is indispensable for the objective assessment of its long-term efficacy, with a view to the extensive promotion of this technology in the clinical practice.

Serum C-reactive protein level in COPD patients stratified according to GOLD 2011 grading classification

Background and Objective: The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD] 2011 grading classification has been used to evaluate the severity of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]. However, little is known about the relationship between the systemic inflammation and this classification. We aimed to study the relationship between serum CRP and the components of the GOLD 2011 grading classification

Methods: C-reactive protein [CRP] levels were measured in 391 clinically stable COPD patients and in 50 controls from June 2, 2015 to October 31, 2015 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University. The association between CRP levels and the components of the GOLD 2011 grading classification were assessed

Results: Correlation was found with the following variables: GOLD 2011 group [0.240], age [0.227], pack year [0.136], forced expiratory volume in one second % predicted [FEV1%; -0.267], forced vital capacity % predicted [-0.210], number of acute exacerbations in the past year [0.265], number of hospitalized exacerbations in the past year [0.165], British medical Research Council dyspnoea scale [0.121], COPD assessment test score [CAT, 0.233]. Using multivariate analysis, FEV1% and CAT score manifested the strongest negative association with CRP levels

Conclusions: CRP levels differ in COPD patients among groups A-D based on GOLD 2011 grading classification. CRP levels are associated with several important clinical variables, of which FEV1% and CAT score manifested the strongest negative correlation

Isoflavones and flavans from Millettia nitida var. hirsutissima / 中国中药杂志

The current study to separate and identify constituents from Millettia nitida var. hirsutissima. The compounds from Millettia nitida var. hirsutissima were isolated by means of various chromatographic techniques such as column chromatography over ODS and Sephadex LH-20, preparative HPLC, and the structures of these isolated compounds were identified through spectroscopic analyses. Nine isoflavonoids and two flavans were isolated and identified as 5-O-methy genistein (1), 7-hydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxyisoflavone (2), ononin (3), catechin (4), formononetin (5), genistein (6), calycosin (7), (-)-gallocatechin (8), sissotrin (9), wistin (10), daidzin (11). Compounds 1, 2, 9 are obtained from the genus Millettia for the first time,and compounds 4, 8 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Effect of chronic intermittent hypoxia on theophylline metabolism in mouse liver / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) has been associated with abnormalities in the liver, which is the most important organ for drug metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CIH on theophylline metabolism in mouse liver.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eight C57BL/6J mice were exposed to CIH for 12 weeks. Eight C57BL/6J mice were exposed to room air as a control group. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were measured. Liver histology was observed by light and electron microscopy. Total hepatic cytochrome P450 concentration was measured. Hepatocytes were isolated and incubated with 15 mg/ml theophylline for four hours. After incubation, the theophylline concentration in the supernatant was measured and the theophylline metabolism rate was calculated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CIH did not affect the serum transaminase levels. Livers from mice exposed to CIH showed hepatocellular edema, and liver cells had fuzzy rough endoplasmic reticulum under the electron microscope. The theophylline metabolism rate was significantly inhibited by CIH compared with controls; (16.60 ± 2.43)% vs. (21.58 ± 4.52)% (P = 0.02). The total liver cytochrome P450 concentration in the CIH group was significantly lower than in the control group; (0.83 ± 0.08) vs. (1.13 ± 0.21) mol/mg microsomal protein (P = 0.004).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CIH decreases theophylline metabolism by mouse hepatocytes, which may correlate with the downregulation of cytochrome P450 expression by CIH.</p>

Waist-to-Height Ratio and Elevated Blood Pressure Among Children in Taiwan.

Objectives: To study the association of waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and elevated blood pressure (BP) in children. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Six elementary schools in Taipei, Taiwan. Participants: All children aged 7 years at first grade. Methods: We measured anthropometrics and BP during the regular health examinations among children. Main Outcome Measures: Elevated BP in children was defined as an average systolic BP or diastolic BP greater than or equal to the gender, age, and height-percentile-specific 95th percentile BP value. Results: Among 2,334 eligible school children, the averages of systolic BP and diastolic BP increased with quartiles of WHtR. The prevalence of elevated BP in children among the first quartile of WHtR was 8.8% and increased to 31.2% among the fourth quartile of WHtR (P < 0.0001). Children among the first quartile of WHtR being reference, the adjusted odds ratio of elevated BP for children among the fourth quartile of WHtR was 3.10. The odds ratio of elevated BP with per 0.01 increase of WHtR was 1.11. Conclusions: WHtR, simple to measure, is an important factor associated with elevated BP in children.

Trigeminal neuralgia of hyperactive of liver yang type treated with acupuncture at Xiaguan (ST 7) at different depth: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the differences of therapeutic effect in primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN) of hyperactive of liver yang type treated by deep and shallow puncturing at Xiaguan (ST 7).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-three cases of PTN of hyperactive of liver yang type were randomly divided into a deep puncturing group (32 cases) and a shallow puncturing group (31 cases). Xiaguan (ST 7) of affected region, Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LV 3) of bilateral sides, Cuanzhu (BL 2), Sibai (ST 2) and Jiachengjiang (Extra) relevant to the affected branch of nerve stem were selected in both groups. In deep puncturing group, Xiaguan (ST 7) was punctured to the depth of spheno-palatine ganglion (SPG); Cuanzhu (BL 2), Sibai (ST 2) and Jiachengjiang (Extra) were respectively punctured to the depth of supraorbital foramen, infraorbital foramen and mental foramen. In shallow group, routine puncturing was applied; the needles were connected with G6805 electric acupuncture apparatus, and switched on for 30 min every time; the treatment was applied every other day. Pain index, traditional Chinese medicine symptoms index and clinical therapeutic effect were observed after 2 courses of treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In deep puncturing group, the VAS scores and the traditional Chinese medicine symptoms scores (pain degree, pain frequency, upsetting, conjunctival congestion, bitter mouth and hypochondriac pain) after treatment were much more lower than those before treatment (all P < 0.01); in shallow puncturing group, except hypochondriac pain (P > 0.05), other indices above after treatment were obviously lower than those before treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Compared with the indices in both groups after treatment, the VAS scores, the pain degree, conjunctival congestion and total scores of traditional Chinese medicine symptoms in deep puncturing group were more significant (all P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 93.8% (30/32) in deep puncturing group, superior to that of 87.1% (27/31) in shallow puncturing group (P < 0.05). No any adverse reaction was observed in both groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The therapeutic effect of trigeminal neuralgia of hyperactive of liver yang type treated with electroacupuncture is remarkable, and deep puncturing at Xiaguan(ST 7) to SPG is more effective than routine puncturing.</p>

Etiology and prevalence of abnormal serum alanine aminotransferase levels in a general population in Northeast China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Chronic liver diseases are a major burden in China. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) can be used as an indicator of hepatocyte damage. In this study, we determined the prevalence and etiologies of elevated ALT in an adult population in Jilin, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 4072 individuals aged between 18 and 79 years were first interviewed, and then underwent ultrasonography and blood tests.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prevalence of elevated ALT was 17.53%. The most noticeable risk factor for ALT elevation was non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (accounting for 10.79%), metabolic syndrome (16.25%), or both (20.31%). The development of NAFLD occurred mostly in female peasants and small businessmen with increased income, age, fasting plasma glucose, body mass index, triglyceridemia, and low-density lipoprotein and decreased education level, high-density lipoprotein. Elevated ALT frequently occurred in low education level, male peasants and small businessmen with increased income, body mass index and triglyceride who had NAFLD and/or metabolic syndrome. However, elevated ALT with infection of hepatitis B or C virus was not associated with metabolic disorders, but rather with gender, occupation and increased age.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results from the current study demonstrate that elevated ALT is fairly high in the Northeast population (17.53%) and that the cause of its elevation is mostly due to NAFLD and metabolic syndrome.</p>