Empagliflozin ameliorates renal tissue damage in diabetic nephropathy mice through autophagy-lysosome pathway / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effeots of empagliflozin on kidney tissue and autophagy-lysosome pathway in diabetio kidney disease (DKD) mice. Methods The db/m group as the control group, the db/db mice were randomly divided into the model group and empagliflozin group. After 8 weeks of administration, the levels of 24 h urine protein (24 h-UTP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HBAlc), total cholestérol (TC), triglycéride (TG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were detected. The expression of p62, LC3B, Beclinl, Agt7, LAMP1, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and Bax in kidney tissue was measured by Western blot. The pathological changes of kidney were observed under light microscope. Results Compared with the control group, the model group showed thickening of basement membrane, increased extracellular matrix, interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration and interstitial fibrosis (P < 0. 01). Moreover, the model group had higher content of FBG, HBAlc, 24h-UTP, TC, TG, BUN, Scr, TNF-α, IL-1β, and MCP-1 (P < 0. 01), higher expression of LC3B-/LC3B- I, Beclinl, LAMP1, Agt7 and Bcl-2 (P<0. 01), and lower expression of p62, caspase-3 and Bax in rénal tissue (P < 0. 01) than those in the control group. Compared with the model group, empagliflozin alleviated the pathological injury in kidney (P < 0. 01), and the changes in the above indicators were reversed. Conclusion By irepairing autophagy-lysosomal pathway in renal tissue, empagliflozin can promote the degradation of autophagy substrates, inhibit the production of inflammatory factors and apoptosis, thereby protecting the kidney.

Pathogenesis of Gouty Arthritis and Intervention with Chinese Medicines： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Gouty arthritis （GA） is the metabolic rheumatism caused by purine metabolism disorder， which can be acute or chronic. The main manifestations of GA include recurrent redness， swelling， heat pain， and dysfunction of the affected joints. According to the theory of modern medicine， GA is closely associated with the increase in uric acid， the participation of inflammatory cytokines， the weakening of antioxidant response， apoptosis， and the imbalance of intestinal flora and bone metabolism， whereas the specific pathogenesis remains unclear. GA is characterized by easy diagnosis， difficult treatment， and high recurrence rate， which seriously affects the life quality of patients. Colchicine， corticosteroids， non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs， and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors are the commonly used western medicines for this disease， which demonstrate remarkable short-term therapeutic effect. However， long-term use of these medicines will bring serious adverse reactions. Chinese medicines， with high safety and causing few adverse reactions， have a variety of active components which can act on multiple pathways and targets to exert synergistic effects， thus attracting wide attention. This paper systematically reviews the literature reporting the Chinese medicines in improving antioxidant response， reducing chondrocyte apoptosis， and regulating intestinal flora and bone metabolism， aiming to further clarify the pathogenesis of GA and provide a scientific basis for the clinical application of Chinese medicines in the prevention and treatment of GA.

Mechanisms of epimedium in the treatment of osteoarthritis based on network pharmacology and protein module / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological studies in modern Chinese medicine have shown that icariin has a very positive effect on osteoarthritis. Because of the complex chemical composition of Epimedium and its unclear mechanism underlying the treatment of osteoarthritis at the molecular level, network pharmacology is introduced to explain the potential chemical components and molecular mechanism of Epimedium in the treatment of osteoarthritis. This can provide a theoretical basis for future drug development and disease treatment. OBJECTIVE: To explore the molecular mechanism of Epimedium in the treatment of osteoarthritis based on network pharmacology. METHODS: TCMSP database was used to screen the active ingredients of Epimedium. TCMSP, Swiss Target Prediction and STITCH database were used to predict the regulatory targets of the active ingredients of Epimedium. OMIM, GeneCards and TTD database were used to predict the therapeutic targets of osteoporosis. The therapeutic target of Epimedium for osteoporosis was obtained by intersecting the therapeutic target of Epimedium and osteoarthritis. A drug-component-target-disease network was then constructed. The protein interaction was analyzed by STRING database, and the related signaling pathways and functions of protein modules were analyzed by DAVID database. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Twenty-three pharmacodynamic components of Epimedium were screened and 230 pharmacodynamic targets of Epimedium and 1 221 therapeutic targets of osteoarthritis were predicted. After crossing, 95 therapeutic targets of Epimedium for osteoporosis were obtained. Protein interaction analysis indicated that JUN, AKT1, RELA, MAPK1, IL6, CXCL8, MAPK8, MAPK14, FOS and IL1B were the core targets of protein interaction network. Key protein modules were mainly involved in interleukin receptor pathway, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, T cell receptor signaling pathway, nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway and osteoclast differentiation pathway. They might play a role in the treatment of osteoarthritis by regulating many biological processes such as cell proliferation and apoptosis, immune cells and immune response, inflammatory factors and inflammatory response, and lipopolysaccharide cell response.

Spray drying process of extract of Wenjing Zhitong Prescription based on mixture design experiment / 中国中药杂志

To improve the spray drying effect of extract of Wenjing Zhitong Prescription, this study takes the yield, hygroscopic property and the fluidity of dry powder as indexes to screen out auxiliary materials, and the proportion of the auxiliary materials was optimized based on the mixing design experiment; based on that, HPLC method was established for the determination of glycyrrhizin and 6-gingerol in spray powder, the yield of spray powder and the retention rate of the two index components were taken as indexes to further optimize the spray drying parameters. The finally selected auxiliary materials were light magnesium oxide, maltodextrin and silica, and regression equations of dry powder yield, moisture absorption rate, angle of rest with proportion of auxiliary materials were established, and the optimized proportion of auxiliary materials was dry paste-light magnesium oxide-maltodextrin-silica=0.5∶0.305∶0.145∶0.05; according to the optimized drying process parameters of Wenjing Zhitong Prescription, initial temperature was 60 ℃, air inlet temperature was 130 ℃, air flow rate was 35 m~3·h~(-1), atomizing pressure was 40 mm, and liquid inlet speed was 4.5 mL·min~(-1). Under these conditions, the dry powder yield was 90.28%, the retention rate of glycyrrhizin was 74.51%, and the retention rate of 6-gingerol was 72.10%. In this study, optimized auxiliary materials can improve the yield of spray drying and the property of spray powder, and the optimized processing conditions were good for retaining the unstable gingerol components, which can lay a foundation for the further preparation research of meridian warming and pain relieving prescriptions, and provide reference for extract of other traditional Chinese medicine extracts that are difficult to spray drying.

Serum Gamma-Glutamyltransferase Level Is Associated with Framingham Risk Score / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

@#【Objective】Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase（GGT）has recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease（CHD）. We aimed to evaluate the association between the serum GGT level and the 10-year risk score for CHD（Framingham Risk Score，FRS）in a Chinese population.【Methods】We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in 9，544 Guangzhou residents aged 40 years and older. Participants were divided into four quartiles according to their GGT levels：Quartile 1 <15 U/L（n=2 407），Quartile 2 15~19.9 U/L（n=2 302）， Quartile 3 20~28.9 U/L（n=2 442），and Quartile 4 ≥29 U/L（n=2 393）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the incidence of intermediate and high risk of developing CHD at 10 years（FRS≥10%）in relation to each quartile increase of serum GGT level.【Results】The incidence of FRS≥10% increased with elevating serum GGT levels（P for trend<0.001）. Compared with the lowest quartile of serum GGT level ，the adjusted odds ratio in the highest quartile was 1.72（95% confidence interval 1.28 to 2.29）.【Conclusion】Serum GGT level is associated with the FRS for CHD ，and might be used as an adjuvant marker for identifying patients at increased risk of cardiovascular events and early intervention.

Effect of iron overload on electrophysiology of slow reaction autorhythmic cells of left ventricular outflow tract in guinea pigs

Objective:To investigate the electrophysiology effects and mechanism of iron overload on the slow response autorhythmic cells in the left ventricular outflow tract of guinea pigs.Methods:Standard microelectrode cell recording techniques were adopted to observe the electrophysiological effects of different concentrations of FeResults:FeConclusions:Fe

Effect of iron overload on electrophysiology of slow reaction autorhythmic cells of left ventricular outflow tract in Guinea pigs

Objective: To investigate the electrophysiology effects and mechanism of iron overload on the slow response autorhythmic cells in the left ventricular outflow tract of Guinea pigs. Methods: Standard microelectrode cell recording techniques were adopted to observe the electrophysiological effects of different concentrations of Fe

Effects of endothelial progenitor cells on proliferation and biological function of hepatic stellate cells under shear stress / 中国应用生理学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) under shear stress on the biological function such as proliferation, adhesion, migration, apoptosis and expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen-I and collagen-Ⅲ of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).@*METHODS@#HSCs and EPCs were inoculated into the upper and lower layers of the co-culture chamber respectively and co-incubated for 24 hours. Then, 12 dyne/cm shear stress was applied to EPCs cells for another 24 hours. After that, proliferation, adhesion, migration and apoptosis of HSCs were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) kit, cell adherent assay, Boyden cell migration assay and flow cytometry respectively. Fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of alpha -SMA, collagen I and collagen-Ⅲ in HSCs.@*RESULTS@#Under shear stress, EPCs ecological niche could obviously inhibit the proliferation, adhesion and migration of HSCs, promote the apoptosis of HSCs, and down-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of collagen-I, collagen-Ⅲ in HSC cells.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Under shear stress, EPCs ecological niche could inhibit the fibrosis development of HSCs to a certain extent.

Effects of Head-down Tilt on Nerve Conduction in Rhesus Monkeys / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Few studies have focused on peripheral nerve conduction during exposure to microgravity. The -6° head-down tilt (HDT) comprises an experimental model used to simulate the space flight environment. This study investigated nerve conduction characteristics of rhesus monkeys before and after prolonged exposure to HDT.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Six rhesus monkeys (3-4 years old) were tilted backward 6° from the horizontal. Nerve conduction studies (NCSs) were performed on the median, ulnar, tibial, and fibular motor nerves. Analysis of variance with a randomized block design was conducted to compare the differences in the NCS before and 7, 21, and 42 days after the -6° HDT.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The proximal amplitude of the CMAP of the median nerve was significantly decreased at 21 and 42 days of HDT compared with the amplitude before HDT (4.38 ± 2.83 vs. 8.40 ± 2.66 mV, F = 4.85, P = 0.013 and 3.30 ± 2.70 vs. 8.40 ± 2.66 mV, F = 5.93, P = 0.004, respectively). The distal amplitude of the CMAP of the median nerve was significantly decreased at 7, 21, and 42 days of HDT compared with the amplitude before HDT (7.28 ± 1.27 vs. 10.25 ± 3.40 mV, F = 4.03, P = 0.039; 5.05 ± 2.01 vs. 10.25 ± 3.40 mV, F = 6.25, P = 0.04; and 3.95 ± 2.79 vs. 10.25 ± 3.40 mV, F = 7.35, P = 0.01; respectively). The proximal amplitude of the CMAP of the tibial nerve was significantly decreased at 42 days of HDT compared with the amplitude before HDT (6.14 ± 1.94 vs. 11.87 ± 3.19 mV, F = 5.02, P = 0.039).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study demonstrates that the compound muscle action potential amplitudes of nerves are decreased under simulated microgravity in rhesus monkeys. Moreover, rhesus monkeys exposed to HDT might be served as an experimental model for the study of NCS under microgravity.</p>

Effects of inward rectifier potassium channel blockers on EPCs function / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of inward rectifier potassium channel blockers (BaCl2, CsCl) on the functions of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Density gradient centrifugation-isolated rat hone marrow mononuclear cells were cultured in vitro. EPCs were harvested and seeded on six culture dish when cells grew to 3-5 passages. Before testing the EPCs were synchronized with M199, which contain 2% fetal calf serum. In the end, EPCs were treated with different intervention. The experiment mainly included two parts: (1) BaCl2 (100 micromol/L) and free BaC2 of Tyrodes solution; (2) CsCl (1 mmol/L) and control. Cell pretreated with blockers above mentioned for 12 h, then the gene expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), epoprotenol (PGI2) were assessed, beyond that the ability of adhesion, migration were assayed with different tests. In addition, the medium was collected when EPCs were treated for 3 days. The levels of SDF-1 were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Going even further, EPCs were treated with the signal pathway blockers in advance, after repeat the above steps, in order to analyze the change of SDF-1 and then discuss its mechanism.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with control group, BaCl2, CsCl could increase EPC adhesion and migration to same extent. Moreover, the gene expression of SDF-1, PGI2 was significantly up-regulated and the production of SDF-1 increased evidently. Furthermore, the mechanism of SDF-1 secretion increasing mainly was associated with eNOS signaling pathways.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ba2+ and Cs+ play important roles in increasing EPCs functions, such as adhesion, migration and secretion.</p>

Effects of shear stress on late endothelial progenitor cell functions / 医用生物力学

Objective To investigate the effects of shear stress on late endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) functions in vitro and in vivo. Methods Density gradient centrifugation-isolated rat bone marrow mononuclear cells were cultured in EGM-2MV and induced into EPCs. The 3rd~4th generation of EPCs, namely late EPCs, were treated with shear stress (1.2 Pa). Then cell biological functions, such as proliferation, adhesion, migration and ability of tube formation, were assayed with EdU incorporation assay, adhesion testing, Boyden chamber assay and Matrigel, respectively. The gene expression of VEFG was analyzed by real time RT-PCR. The apoptosis and aging situation of late EPCs were assayed by FACS and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining. The reendothelialization capacity of late EPCs treated by shear stress was evaluated by establishing models of freshly balloon-injured carotid arteries of rats and cell transplantation in situ. Results Shear stress could increase proliferation, adhesion, migration and tube formation of late EPCs (P＜0.05), upregulate the gene expression of VEGF, inhibit EPC apoptosis and delayed EPC aging (P＜0.05). Transplantation of late EPCs treated by shear stress facilitated in vivo reendothelialization in the injured arterial segment and inhibited neointima formation. Conclusions Shear stress within the physiological range can improve the functions of late EPCs and enhance their therapeutic ability of repairing vascular endothelial injury, which provides experimental basis for the clinic application of EPCs and shear stress-mediated cell therapy.

Efficacy observation on the combination of acupuncture and Chinese medication in prevention of the recurrence of endometriosis after laparoscopic surgery / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture-moxibustion combined with modified Mojie tablet (see text) in the prevention of the recurrence of endometriosis (EMS) after laparoscopic surgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>After laparoscopic surgery, 120 cases of EMS were randomized into an acupuncture-moxibustion group, a western medication group, a Chinese medication group and a combined therapy of acupuncture-moxibustion and Chinese medication group (combined therapy group), 30 cases in each one. In the acupuncture-moxibustion group, acupuncture was applied at Xuehai (SP 10), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Guanyuan (CV 4); the isolated moxibustion with ginger was used at Guanyuan (CV 4), once a day, twice a week. In the western medication group, gestrinone was prescribed for oral administration, 2.5 mg, once a day, twice a week. In the Chinese medication group, the self-prepared Mojie tablet were prescribed for oral administration. In the combined therapy group, acupuncture, moxibustion and modified Mojie tablet for oral administration were used in combination. The therapeutic methods were same as the acupuncture-moxibustion group and the Chinese medication group. Totally, the treatment of 3 months was required. Separately, before treatment, after treatment, in 3 months after treatment and in 6 months after treatment, EHP-5 score (endometriosis health profile-5), the abdominal/vaginal ultrasound examination, serum CA125 detection and safety index (ALT detection) were compared in patients among 4 groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In 3 and 6 months after treatment, the positive rates of EHP-5 score were 0% (0/30) in the combined therapy group and 0% (0/30) in the acupuncture-moxibuston group, which were all lower significantly than 13.3% (4/30) in the western medication group (both P < 0.05). In follow-up stage of 6 months after treatment, there was no recurrence case in abdominal lviginal ultrasound examination in the combined therapy group, which was lower than 13.3% (4/30) in the western medication group (P < 0.05); the serum CA125 detection in the combined therapy group did not find any abnormal case, which was lower than 16.7% (5/30) in the western medication group (P < 0.05). At the end of treatment session and in the follow-up stage of 3 months after treatment, the abnormal rate of ALT were 20.0% (6/30) and 13.3% (4/30) in the western medication group, which were higher than those in any of the rest groups (P < 0.05). In the follow-up stage of 6 months after treatment, there were 3 abnormal cases of ALT in the western medication group, but which was not different significantly as compared with the rest groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupuncture and moxibustion combined with modified Mojie tablet effectively prevent from the recurrence of EMS after laparoscopic surgery and improve the life quality of the patients. This combined therapy brings less damage on the liver as compared with the western medication of gestrinone and indicates its definite efficacy and safety.</p>

Simultaneous determination of five anthraquinones in a Chinese traditional preparation by RP-HPLC using an improved extraction procedure / 中西医结合学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The stable quality of Chinese herbal medicines is a critical factor for their reliable clinical efficiency. An improved liquid-liquid extraction procedure and a liquid chromatographic method were developed to simultaneously analyze five anthraquinones (aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion) in a Chinese traditional hospital preparation, Fuyankang mixture, in order to quantitatively control its quality in a more effective way.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A more economical and repeatable extraction procedure based on conventional liquid-liquid extraction technique was developed and used to extract five marker components in Fuyankang mixture. These anthraquinones were separated in less than 20 min on a C18 column with methanol and 0.1% phosphoric acid (88:12, v/v) as mobile phase. The method was validated for specificity, precision, spiked recovery and stability.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared to conventional liquid-liquid extraction, the improved liquid-liquid extraction was found to be more effective for simultaneous extraction of anthraquinones from an aqueous Chinese herbal preparation, especially for hydrophobic compounds. The improved extraction method was successfully applied to determine the content of five marker components in Fuyankang mixture by the means of reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The improved extraction procedure may be suitable for routine quality control of Fuyankang mixture and other traditional preparations at city-level hospitals in China.</p>

Effects of extracellular matrix on biological characteristics of late endothelial progenitor cells / 生理学报

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of various extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins on the biological characteristics of late endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Density gradient centrifugation-isolated rat bone marrow mononuclear cells were cultured in complete M199 medium, which contained 15% fetal calf serum, 10 μg/L vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and 5 μg/L basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). EPCs were plated on substrates containing fibronectin (Fn), laminin (Ln) or rat tail tendon collagen (Col), and the corresponding cells were defined as Fn, Ln and Col groups. The 3rd generation EPCs, namely late EPCs, were harvested. The proliferation, adhesion, migration and the ability of forming tubes were assayed using CCK-8, adhesion test, wound healing assay and Matrigel, respectively. The mRNA expressions of endothelial cell differentiation markers, vWF and CD31, were analyzed by real time RT-PCR. The apoptosis was assayed by flow cytometry (FCM). The results showed that cell proliferation ability of Fn and Col groups were higher than that of Ln group; Fn group showed increased adhesion compared to Col and Ln groups (P < 0.01); The migration ability of Fn and Col groups were higher than that of Ln group. Moreover, Fn group showed increased tube formation abilities compared to Col and Ln groups (P < 0.05). Although 24-hour free-serum-induced apoptosis in Ln group was the highest, there was no difference of auto-apoptosis among the three groups. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of vWF and CD31 exhibited no difference among the three groups. These results suggest the ECM affects the biological functions of late EPCs, which would have a high probability of providing new directions that lead to the development of artificial heart and blood vessels.

Role of F-actin cytoskeleton in differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells induced by laminar shear stress / 医用生物力学

Objective To investigate effects of F-actin cytoskeleton on differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) under laminar shear stress. MethodsEPCs isolated from rat bone marrow were treated with laminar shear stress (1.2 Pa). Then the gene and protein expressions of the endothelial cell differentiation markers, such as vWF and CD31, were assayed with real time RT-PCR and Flow Cytometry. The effects of laminar shear stress on F-actin cytoskeleton and Ras activity were investigated by immunofluorescence technique and Pull-down assay. Results Compared with the untreated group, the expressions of vWF and CD31 were obviously increased in the group treated with laminar shear stress (P<0.05). Moreover, exposure of EPCs to laminar shear stress led to the reorganization of cytoskeleton and enhanced the activity of Ras in EPCs. The treatment to EPCs with either F-actin stabilizer jasplakinolide or depolymerizers cytochalasin D inhibited the cytoskeleton reorganization induced with laminar shear stress, the activity of Ras and the up-regulation of the vWF and CD31 genes. However, over-expression of Ras augmented the up-regulation of the vWF and CD31 genes induced by laminar shear stress in EPCs.Conclusions The mechanism that laminar shear stress accelerates the differentiation of EPCs may be related with the laminar shear stress-induced cytoskeleton rearrangement and Ras activation. This study is of significance in revealing the mechanism of vascular endothelial repair which could be useful for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Toxicokinetics of paraquat in rabbits / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>to develop a high performance liquid chromatography method (HPLC) for the determination of paraquat in rabbit plasma and study its toxicokinetics in rabbits.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>twelve rabbits were randomly divided into 2 groups with giving oral and intravenous administration of paraquat at a single dose of 60 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg respectively. The plasma paraquat concentrations were determined by HPLC and calculated by DAS pharmacokinetics program.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>the linear range of paraquat in plasma was 0.05 ∼ 50.00 mg/L (r = 0.9998). The relative recoveries of the assay were 99.41% ∼ 102.32%. The absolute recoveries of the assay were 83.72% ∼ 90.48%. Both the intra-day and inter-day validations were less than 10%. For oral administration, the toxicokinetics parameters of paraquat were as follows: Cmax (14.46 ± 2.35) mg/L, Tmax (1.63 ± 0.31) h, AUC(0-t) (177.61 ± 14.62) mg × h/L, AUC(0-∞) (182.24 ± 14.54) mg × h/L, While for intravenous administration, the toxicokinetics parameters of paraquat: Cmax (35.13 ± 5.53) mg/L, Tmax 0.05 h, AUC(0-t) (121.74 ± 12.30) mg × h/L, AUC(0-∞) (125.12 ± 12.17) mg × h/L, The difference of these parameters between the two groups had statistical significance (P < 0.05). The oral bioavailability was (14.66 ± 1.55)%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>the oral bioavailability of paraquat is relatively low. The biological half life of paraquat is relatively long and there is no significant difference between oral administration and intravenous on biological half life. This method is simple, sensitive and accurate. It can be used for the investigation of paraquat in rabbits.</p>

Magnetic fields ameliorates high-fat and high-protein diet-induced fatty liver in rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the mechanism of the effect of low-frequency rotary constant magnetic field on high-fat and high-protein diet-induced fatty liver in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fatty liver model was established in SD rats by feeding on a high-fat and high-protein diet daily. The enzyme activity changes in the serum and liver homogenate were detected at 10, 14, and 18 weeks, and the pathological changes of the liver were observed with optical and electron microscopy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In magnetic field intervention group, the concentration of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase were significantly decreased, and the activity of lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, superoxide dismutase and the concentration of malondialdehyde in the liver homogenate were significantly increased. Under optical microscope and electron microscope, the rats in the model group showed diffusive adipose degeneration in the hepatic cells with large lipid droplets, which became large vacuoles after fat extraction, indicating fatty necrosis. In magnetic field intervention group, remarkably smaller lipid droplets and lessened hepatic cell adipose degeneration were observed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Low-frequency rotary constant magnetic field has beneficial effect on fat metabolism, leading to reduced lipid peroxidation and structural recovery of the degenerated hepatic cells.</p>

Effects of acupuncture combined with medicine on expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 in the rat of endometriosis / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To probe into an effective method for treatment of endometriosis (EMs) and the mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rat EMs model was established and they were randomly divided into a model group, an acup-moxibustion group, a TCM group, an acupuncture and medicine group, with a control group set. The acup-moxibustion group were treated with electroacupuncture at "Xuehai (SP 10)", "Sanyinjiao (SP 6)" and moxibustion at "Guanyuan (CV 4)"; the TCM group were treated with stomach perfusion of modified Mojie Tablet in normal saline; the acupuncture and medicine group were treated with the above two methods; both the control group and the model group were bound and treated with stomach perfusion of saline. After treatment of 35 days, the greatest diameter of the ectopic tissue was measured in the rats, pathological observation of the ectopic tissue was made and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression in the ectopic tissue was determined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The greatest diameter of ectopic tissue and MMP-2 expression in the ectopic tissue in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the model group, the acup-moxibustion group and the TCM group (P < 0.05); and the ectopic endometrium trended to atrophy, and with necrosis of some epithelial cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combination of acupuncture with medicine has a better therapeutic effect on endometriosis and down-regulates the abnormal increase of MMP-2 level to inhibit the invasion of ectopic tissue to extracellular matrix, so as to reduce the ectopic tissue, hence cure of endometriosis.</p>

The characteristics of computer simulation of traffic accidents / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To reconstruct the collision process of traffic accident and the injury mode of the victim by computer simulation technology in forensic assessment of traffic accident.@*METHODS@#Forty actual accidents were reconstructed by stimulation software and high performance computer based on analysis of the trace evidences at the scene, damage of the vehicles and injury of the victims, with 2 cases discussed in details.@*RESULTS@#The reconstruction correlated very well in 28 cases, well in 9 cases, and suboptimal in 3 cases with the above parameters. Accurate reconstruction of the accident would be helpful for assessment of the injury mechanism of the victims.@*CONCLUSION@#Reconstruction of the collision process of traffic accident and the injury mechanism of the victim by computer simulation is useful in traffic accident assessment.

Inhibitory effects of scorpion venom heat resistant protein on the excitability of acutely isolated rat hippocampal neurons / 生理学报

The effects of scorpion venom heat resistant protein (SVHRP) (National invention patent of China, 2004-10-20, No. ZL01 1 06166.92) on the excitability of acutely isolated rat hippocampal neurons were observed by whole-cell recording and the potential molecular mechanisms underlying its antiepileptic effect were investigated further. The results showed that SVHRP could decrease the excitability of hippocampal neurons. SVHRP (1x 10(-2) microg/mL) altered the action potential (AP) firing mode and decreased the AP firing frequency. Out of 52 neurons observed, 45 (86.54%) generated phasic firing, and 7 (13.46%) generated repetitive firing. Among the 45 neurons generating phasic firing, 8 (17.78%) neurons could still be induced phasic firing after treatment with 1x 10(-2) microg/mL SVHRP and 37 (82.22%) neurons had no responses to the stimulation. The AP firing of neurons was dramatically different after treatment with SVHRP (P<0.01, n=45). Among the 7 repetitive firing neurons, all of them could only generate 1 or 0 AP instead of repetitive firing when SVHRP was applied. The number of APs was 14.57 +/- 1.00 and 0.57 +/- 0.20 before and after SVHRP treatment (P<0.01, n=7). The AP rheobase was (75.10 +/- 8.99) pA and (119.85 +/- 12.73) pA before and after 1x 10(-4) microg/mL SVHRP application, respectively (P<0.01, n=8). The AP threshold was increased from (-41.17 +/- 2.15) mV to (-32.40 +/- 1.48) mV after 1x 10(-4) microg/mL SVHRP treatment (P<0.01, n=8). The peak amplitude of AP was (68.49 +/- 2.33) mV for the neurons before treatment with 1x 10(-4) microg/mL SVHRP and (54.71 +/- 0.81) mV after treatment (P<0.01, n=8). These results showed that SVHRP could decrease the AP firing frequency, increase the AP rheobase and threshold, but decrease the AP peak amplitude of hippocampal neurons. In other words, SVHRP can decrease the excitability of hippocampal neurons. SVHRP probably alters the excitability of hippocampal neurons by affecting sodium channels and this may be one of the underlying molecular mechanisms for its antiepileptic effect.