Electroacupuncture alleviates postoperative pain through inhibiting neuroinflammation via stimulator of interferon genes/type-1 interferon pathway / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#This work explores the impact of electroacupuncture (EA) on acute postoperative pain (APP) and the role of stimulator of interferon genes/type-1 interferon (STING/IFN-1) signaling pathway modulation in the analgesic effect of EA in APP rats.@*METHODS@#The APP rat model was initiated through abdominal surgery and the animals received two 30 min sessions of EA at bilateral ST36 (Zusanli) and SP6 (Sanyinjiao) acupoints. Mechanical, thermal and cold sensitivity tests were performed to measure the pain threshold, and electroencephalograms were recorded in the primary somatosensory cortex to identify the effects of EA treatment on APP. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to examine the expression and distribution of proteins in the STING/IFN-1 pathway as well as neuroinflammation. A STING inhibitor (C-176) was administered intrathecally to verify its role in EA.@*RESULTS@#APP rats displayed mechanical and thermal hypersensitivities compared to the control group (P < 0.05). APP significantly reduced the amplitude of θ, α and γ oscillations compared to their baseline values (P < 0.05). Interestingly, expression levels of proteins in the STING/IFN-1 pathway were downregulated after inducing APP (P < 0.05). Further, APP increased pro-inflammatory factors, including interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and downregulated anti-inflammatory factors, including interleukin-10 and arginase-1 (P < 0.05). EA effectively attenuated APP-induced painful hypersensitivities (P < 0.05) and restored the θ, α and γ power in APP rats (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, EA distinctly activated the STING/IFN-1 pathway and mitigated the neuroinflammatory response (P < 0.05). Furthermore, STING/IFN-1 was predominantly expressed in isolectin-B4- or calcitonin-gene-related-peptide-labeled dorsal root ganglion neurons and superficial laminae of the spinal dorsal horn. Inhibition of the STING/IFN-1 pathway by intrathecal injection of C-176 weakened the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of EA on APP (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#EA can generate robust analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects on APP, and these effects may be linked to activating the STING/IFN-1 pathway, suggesting that STING/IFN-1 may be a target for relieving APP. Please cite this article as: Ding YY, Xu F, Wang YF, Han LL, Huang SQ, Zhao S, Ma LL, Zhang TH, Zhao WJ, Chen XD. Electroacupuncture alleviates postoperative pain through inhibiting neuroinflammation via stimulator of interferon genes/type-1 interferon pathway. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(5): 496-508.

Influence of enteral feeding initiation time on intestinal flora and metabolites in very low birth weight infants: a prospective study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the influence of enteral feeding initiation time on intestinal flora and metabolites in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.@*METHODS@#A total of 29 VLBW infants who were admitted to the Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, from June to December, 2020, were enrolled as subjects. According to the enteral feeding initiation time after birth, the infants were divided into two groups: <24 hours (n=15) and 24-72 hours (n=14). Fecal samples were collected at weeks 2 and 4 of hospitalization, and 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to analyze the microflora and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) respectively in fecal samples.@*RESULTS@#The analysis of microflora showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in Chao index (reflecting the abundance of microflora) and Shannon index (reflecting the diversity of microflora) at weeks 2 and 4 after birth (P>0.05). The analysis of flora composition showed that there was no significant difference in the main microflora at the phylum and genus levels between the two groups at weeks 2 and 4 after birth (P>0.05). The comparison of SCFAs between the two groups showed that the <24 hours group had a significantly higher level of propionic acid than the 24-72 hours group at week 4 (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the total amount of SCFAs and the content of the other SCFAs between the two groups (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Early enteral feeding has no influence on the diversity and abundance of intestinal flora in VLBW infants, but enteral feeding within 24 hours can increase the level of propionic acid, a metabolite of intestinal flora.

Permeation mechanism of phenolic acid components from traditional Chinese medicine on PES membrane separation process / 中国中药杂志

To explore the permeation mechanism of micro-molecule medicinal ingredients of water extract of tradition Chinese medicine(TCM) in membrane separation process. With phenolic acid components as the model solute, five phenolic acids with similar molecular weight and structure, namely gallic acid, protocatechuate acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid and salicylic acid, were selected in the PES membrane separation experiments. With the relative flux and the transmission rate as indexes, the scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) were used to analyze the permeation mechanism of different phenolic acid components. The results showed phenolic acids with similar molecular weight had different permeation behaviors, with decreased relative flux and increased solute permeation with the increase of solute concentration. According to the permeation behavior analyzed by the molecular structure of solute, the transmission rate of phenolic acids increased with the increase of the number of hydroxyl, and the order of substituent positions of phenolic acids based on the permeation rate as follows: para-substituted > meta-substitution > ortho-substitution. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reflected the role of charge repulsion in the membrane process; that is to say, the greater the resistance is, the less the solute permeation is. Therefore, the permeation phenomenon of the phenolic acid components in the PES membrane is not only the result of simple sieving mechanisms, but also has the effects of steric hindrance and charge repulsion during the membrane process.

UHPLC-HRMS metabonomics to study effect of sulfur-fumigated Ophiopogonis Radix on endogenous metabolites in rats / 中国中药杂志

The project was launched to analyze the effects of sulfur-fumigated Ophiopogonis Radix on endogenous metabolites in rats by metabonomics. The preparation method of sulfur-fumigated Ophiopogonis Radix in laboratory was established. Then the blood samples of SD rats in blank group,Ophiopogonis Radix extract group and sulfur-fumigated Ophiopogonis Radix extract group were investigated by UHPLC-Q-Exactive. The differential metabolites were screened and identified by PCA(principal component analysis),OPLSDA(orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis) and variable importance projection(VIP),and the metabolic pathways were analyzed. Finally,a total of 15 potential biomarkers were identified. Compared with the samples of Ophiopogonis Radix extract group,sulfur-fumigated Ophiopogonis Radix mainly affected the biosynthesis and metabolism of amino acids in normal rats. Its mechanism may be related to the biosynthesis of phenylalanine,tyrosine,tryptophan and aminoacyl-tRNA as well as the metabolism of phenylalanine and tryptophan. Based on UHPLC-HRMS metabonomics,this paper discussed the effects of sulfur-fumigated Ophiopogonis Radix on endogenous metabolites in rats,which provided an idea for the metabolic study of other sulfur-fumigated traditional Chinese medicines.

Danshen: a phytochemical and pharmacological overview / 中国天然药物

Danshen, the dried root or rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., is a traditional and folk medicine in Asian countries, especially in China and Japan. In this review, we summarized the recent researches of Danshen in traditional uses and preparations, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities and side effects. A total of 201 compounds from Danshen have been reported, including lipophilic diterpenoids, water-soluble phenolic acids, and other constituents, which have showed various pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, anti-atherogenesis, and anti-diabetes. This article intends to provide novel insight information for further development of Danshen, which could be of great value to its improvement of utilization.

Metabolites of tanshinone Ⅰ and tanshinone ⅡA in rats / 中国中药杂志

An efficient method of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap) mass spectrometer was established to elucidate the metabolites of tanshinone Ⅰ and tanshinone ⅡA in rats. Urine and plasma samples were collected after oral gavage. After processing biological sample by solid phase extraction, Waters ACQUITY HPLC BEH C₁₈ column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) was used with 0.1% formic acid (A) - acetonitrile (B) solution as the mobile phase for gradient elution. The plasma, urine and the blank samples were then analyzed by ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap equipped with an ESI ion source under positive ion mode. On the basis of the accurate mass measurements, multiple mass spectra and comparison of data with published literature, a total of 26 metabolites were tentatively identified and characterized in the rat samples. Among them, 7 metabolites were derived from tanshinone Ⅰ through metabolic pathways of glucuronide conjugation, hydroxylation, reduction reaction, demethylation reaction, methylation, sulfate conjugation and their composite reactions. Nineteen metabolites were derived from tanshinone ⅡA through metabolic pathways of hydroxylation, reduction reaction, methylation, sulfate conjugation, glucuronidation, glucosylation and their complicated reactions. The results showed that the metabolism of tanshinone Ⅰ and tanshinone ⅡA in rats could be comprehensively clarified by using UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer, providing material basis for the further research in terms of pharmacodynamics, toxicology, and secondary development of Chinese medicine.

Identification of metabolites of Danshensu in rats / 中国中药杂志

To identify the metabolites of Danshensu in plasma and urine in rats by using UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap method. After oral gavage of Danshensu CMC-Na suspension in SD rats, urine and plasma samples were collected and processed by solid phase extraction. ACQUITY UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) was utilized, with 0.1% formic acid (A)-acetonitrile (B) solution as the mobile phase for gradient elution. Negative electrospray ion mode based data-acquisition method was established to collect the mass spectrometry data of biological samples. As a result, Danshensu and 21 Danshensu Ⅰ phase and Ⅱ phase metabolites were finally identified according to the accurate mass measurements, mass fragmentation behaviors and comparing with the reference standards. The main metabolic pathways included dehydration, methylation, glucuronide conjugation, sulfate conjugation and their composite reactions. Consequently, our study expounded metabolites of Danshensu in rats based on UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap method and provided a reference for further researches on therapeutic material basis and mechanism of Danshensu.

G-test and GM-test combined with sputum fungal culture for the early diagnosis of invasive fungal infection in intensive care unit patients / 中国感染控制杂志

Objective To evaluate the detection value of serum (1,3)-β-D glucan (G-test) and galactomannan (GM-test) combined with sputum fungal culture in the early diagnosis of invasive fungal infection(IFI) in intensive care unit(ICU) patients.Methods Inpatients with high risk factors for IFI in the ICU of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University between January 2015 and December 2016 were chosen,they were divided into 3 groups according to the diagnostic criteria of IFI:IFI group(including confirmed and clinically diagnosed cases),suspected IFI group,and non-IFI group.The results of serum G-test,GM-test,and sputum fungal culture in three groups of patients were analyzed,early diagnostic value in IFI with combined three tests was evaluated.Results A total of 264 ICU patients were investigated,IFI group,suspected IFI group,and non-IFI group were 56,43,and 165 cases respectively.Among 56 cases of confirmed IFI,46,39,and 34 were positive for G-test,GM-test,and fungal culture respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of combined three detection were 98.2％,82.4％,65.5％,and 99.3％ respectively,positive likelihood ratio,negative likelihood ratio,and Youden index were 5.58,0.02,and 0.98 respectively.The sensitivity and negative predictive values of combined three detection were both higher than those of single G-test,GM-test,and sputum fungal culture (all P＜0.05);but specificity and positive predictive value of combined three detection were not significantly different from single G-test,GM-test,and sputum fungal culture(all P＞0.05).Conclusion The combination of G-test,GM-tests,and sputum fungal culture can improve the sensitivity of early diagnosis of IFI in ICU patients,and guide the clinicians in the early treatment of IFI.

CeII biocompatibiIity of an aceIIuIar heart scaffoId of Sprague-DawIey neonataI rats / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Owing to the advantages of low sensitization and natural three-dimensional structure, good biocompatibility and cell affinity, acellular heart scaffold materials are of great current interest in cardiac tissue engineering. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cytocompatibility of an acellular heart scaffold of neonatal rats. METHODS: In order to construct the seed cell-scaffold complex, passage 3 bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) of Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats were cultured with an acellular heart scaffold of Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats for 7 and 14 days. Hematoxylin eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy were used to observe the growth of BMSCs in the scaffold. The cell-scaffold complex was induced in myocardial tissue lysate for 14 days. BMSCs with planar orientation differentiation for 14 and 20 days were used as control group. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of myosin heavy chain α-MHC and zinc finger transcription factor GATA-4 in BMSCs. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed the acellular heart scaffold contained a large number of eosinophilic fibrous structures, and the cell number of cell-scaffold complex after co-culture for 14 days was higher than that after co-culture for 7 days. Under the scanning electron microscope, a large amount of cells adhered to the fiber surface of the acellular scaffold at 14 days of co-culture. (2) BMSCs with planar orientation differentiation for 14 and 20 days had the bamboo-like and myotube-like structures. In the cell-scaffold complex with planar orientation differentiation for 14 days, the expression of α-MHC and GATA-4 could be detected, and their expression levels fulfilled the requirement for the presence of bamboo-like cells and myotube-like structure. These results indicate that the acellular heart scaffold exhibits good cytocompatibility.

Association between Ambient Air Pollution and Hospital Emergency Admissions for Respiratory and Cardiovascular Diseases in Beijing: a Time Series Study / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association between ambient air pollution and hospital emergency admissions in Beijing.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In this study, a semi-parametric generalized additive model (GAM) was used to evaluate the specific influences of air pollutants (PM10, SO2, and NO2) on hospital emergency admissions with different lag structures from 2009 to 2011, the sex and age specific influences of air pollution and the modifying effect of seasons on air pollution to analyze the possible interaction.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>It was found that a 10 μg/m3 increase in concentration of PM10 at lag 03 day, SO2 and NO2 at lag 0 day were associated with an increase of 0.88%, 0.76%, and 1.82% respectively in overall emergency admissions. A 10 μg/m3 increase in concentration of PM10, SO2 and NO2 at lag 5 day were associated with an increase of 1.39%, 1.56%, and 1.18% respectively in cardiovascular disease emergency admissions. For lag 02, a 10 μg/m3 increase in concentration of PM10, SO2 and NO2 were associated with 1.72%, 1.34%, and 2.57% increases respectively in respiratory disease emergency admissions.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study further confirmed that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with increased risk of hospital emergency admissions in Beijing.</p>

Effect of trihydroxybenzoic acid dimmer on induction of apoptosis of HL-60 cells / 药学学报

Trihydroxybenzoic acid dimmer is an anti-tumor compound which is separated from water-caltrop. This study is aimed to investigate its anti-proliferation effect on HL-60 cells and the possible mechanism of inducing apoptosis. MTT assay was used to test HL-60 cells proliferation. The apoptosis, ROS levels and the mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by flow cytometry. Cytochrome c released from mitochondria to cytosol fraction was detected by Western blotting. The activity of Caspase-9 and Caspase-3 were measured by colorimetric method. It was found to inhibit HL-60 cells proliferation in a dose and time-dependent manner. Compared with control group, it caused the increase of ROS levels and a concomitant dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential and induced cytosolic accumulation of cytochrome c and activities Caspase-9 and Caspase-3. Therefore it can be concluded that mitochondrial-dependent pathways was involved in its induction of apoptosis of HL-60 cells.

Retrospective analysis on integrative medicinal treatment of chronic heart failure / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the characteristics of integrative medicinal diagnosis and treatment on chronic heart failure (CHF) by retrospectively analyzing the clinical data of 134 patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Data of CHF patients hospitalized in Department of Cardiology, Xiyuan Hospital from Jan. 2003 to Dec. 2004 were collected and their characteristics of TCM syndromes, condition of treatment (both Western and Chinese medicine), and fatality rate were investigated and analyzed using the data system of Chinese medicine clinical research for coronary heart disease.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the 134 CHF patients, the commonly encountered basic diseases were mainly the coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus and hypertension; the main TCM syndrome types were qi deficiency and blood-stasis type, phlegm-stasis inter mingling type, both qi-yin deficiency type, inner water-dampness stagnancy type and yang deficiency type; showing a certain regularity between syndrome type distribution and cardiac functional NYHA grading. The total fatality rate was 6.87%, which was positively correlated with the age of patients, existence of old myocardial infarction and impairing of heart function. The Chinese medicinal treatment applied was mainly the methods of supplementing qi, activating blood circulation, dissolving phlegm and nourishing yin, and the preparations used for intravenous perfusion were mainly injections of Shengmai, Salvia mitrorrhiza, Sanchi total saponin, and acanthopanax.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The syndromes in CHF patients of Xiyuan Hospital mainly covered qi deficiency, blood stasis, phlegm blocking, and yang deficiency, who were mostly treated with integrative medicinal treatment. However, its superiority needs the support from evidence-based medicine.</p>

Optimization of Cultural Conditions of Probiotic Bacteria Lactobacillus casei Zhang for High Cell Density Cultivation / 微生物学通报

To get high cell density,pH-stat fermentations of L.casei Zhang were carried out in the medium optimized previously under different cultural conditions.The influences of neutralizing agents,the concen-tration of buffer salts and glucose in the medium,pH,aeration and fed batch fermentation on the growth of L.casei Zhang were investigated.Based on the values of maximum specific growth rate,biomass and viable cells count in different cultural conditions,the optimal growth condition was regarded as follows:Glucose level of the medium was 80 g/L ～100 g/L;The pH was kept constant at 5.9 with aqua ammonia and anae-robic condition was kept by sparged with nitrogen periodically;The temperature was set at 37?C and cul-tured for 10 h ～12 h.The biomass and viable cells' number of L.casei Zhang under this culture conditions were 7 g/L and 3.5?1010 CFU/mL respectively,and were 7 times as high as that before optimized,which can meet the requirements of probiotics.

Study on the Optimization of Enrichment Medium of Lactobacillus casei Zhang / 微生物学通报

The effects of different carbon source,nitrogen source,proportion of carbon and nitrogen source, microelement and buffer salts on the growth of Lactobacillus casei Zhang isolated from Koumiss were studied.The enrichment medium for Lactobacillus casei Zhang was optimized by response surface methodology and its composition was glucose 20.9 g/L,soy peptone 10.45 g/L,yeast extract 10.45 g/L,K2HPO4 3.5 g/L, sodium acetate 14.6 g/L,sodium citrate 2.35 g/L,MgSO4?7H2O 1.0 g/L,MnSO4?5H2O 54 mg/L, CuSO4?5H2O 10 mg/L,tween 80 1.0 g/L.After cultivated in enrichment medium for 18h at 37℃,the living cells of Lactobacillus casei Zhang were 4.78?109 CFU/mL,which was about 10 times higher than in MRS (4.8?10 8 CFU/mL).