Granzyme B: A novel therapeutic target for treatment of atopic dermatitis

Granzyme B is a serine protease that can play multiple roles in intracellular and extracellular perforin-dependent or non-perforin-dependent mechanisms. Granzyme B has been found to be an important factor involved in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis and is increased in both skin lesions and peripheral blood of atopic dermatitis patients. In this article, we review the correlation between granzyme B and atopic dermatitis to provide a novel therapeutic targeting option for clinical treatment of the latter.

Correlation between soil environment and yield and quality of Sharen (Amomi Fructus) under different planting patterns / 数字中医药（英文）

@#【Objective】  To study the effects of soil environment on the growth, yield, and quality of Sharen (Amomi Fructus) under different planting patterns. 【Methods】  Soil physical and chemical indices and enzyme activities in four periods including early flowering (March), full flowering (June), fruit ripening (September), and late fruit picking (December), were measured under three planting patterns including natural forest, greenhouse, and rubber forest in Xishuangbanna, China. The changes in soil indices during the growth periods of Sharen (Amomi Fructus) under different planting patterns were analyzed, and the differences in plant growth, yield, and quality under different planting patterns were explored. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between soil indices and Sharen (Amomi Fructus) growth, yield, and quality. Principal component analysis was used to investigate the effects of soil environment under different planting patterns on Sharen (Amomi Fructus) growth, yield, and quality. 【Results】  The soil moisture, available potassium content, and urease activity of the three planting patterns of Sharen (Amomi Fructus) increased initially and decreased afterwards throughout the year; pH and organic matter content showed little change in the whole year. Exchangeable manganese content and acid phosphatase activity gradually increased throughout the year. Hydrolyzed nitrogen content, exchangeable calcium content, available zinc content, protease activity, and sucrase activity decreased initially and increased afterwards throughout the year. Exchangeable magnesium content, available iron content, and catalase activity decreased annually. Total nitrogen content, total phosphorus content, and available phosphorus content fluctuated throughout the year. The total potassium content under natural forest and greenhouse planting decreased throughout the year, while the total potassium content under rubber forest showed an upward trend all year round. The organic matter content, total nitrogen content, total potassium content, available potassium content, available zinc content, urease activity, acid phosphatase activity, and catalase activity under greenhouse were significantly lower than those under natural and rubber forests (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that plant growth, yield, and quality of Sharen (Amomi Fructus) were significantly correlated with soil organic matter, total nitrogen, hydrolyzed nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, total potassium, available potassium, exchangeable manganese, exchangeable magnesium, exchangeable calcium, available zinc, urease, acid phosphatase, and invertase (P <  0.05). The results of the principal component analysis indicated that the soil environment of Sharen (Amomi Fructus) under natural forest was the best, followed by rubber forest and greenhouse. The order of its advantages and disadvantages is consistent with the growth index of Sharen (Amomi Fructus), but contrary to the yield of Sharen (Amomi Fructus), indicating that the soil environment directly affects the growth index and nutritional components of plants. 【Conclusion】  Different planting patterns of Sharen (Amomi Fructus) have different soil nutrient content, and the change rules in the growths period are not similar, with some differences. Soil indices have impacts on plant growth, yield, and quality of Sharen (Amomi Fructus). Soil ecological environment is positively correlated with the growth characteristics of Sharen (Amomi Fructus) plants, but has no direct correlation with yield and quality.

Expression of HOPX in cervical cancer tissues and blood serum and its correlation to CEAand CA125 / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@# Objective: To investigate the expression of HOPX gene in cervical cancer tissues and blood serum as well as its effect on cervical cancer HeLa cells, and to analyze its correlation to tumor maker CEAand CA125. Methods: 50 pairs of cervical cancer tissues and para-cancerous tissues as well as the peripheral blood samples from patients with cervical cancer, who were treated at Tianjin Binhai People’s Hospital and Tianjin Wuqing People’s Hospital from June 2015 to December 2017, were collected for this study; in addition, 50 samples of blood serum from healthy people were used as control. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and immumohistochemical staining (IHC) were used to detect mRNA and protein expressions of HOPX in tissue and serum samples, NCBI-GEO data base and TCGA data base were used to collect the information on HOPX gene and patients’prognosis, and the correlation between HOPX expression and patients’prognosis was analyzed. Vectors over-expressing HOPX or control vectors were transfected into HeLa cells; MTT assay and colony formation assay were used to examine the proliferation ability of HeLa cells, Tranwell assay was used to detect the migration and invasion of HeLa cells, and Western blotting was used to detect the expression of EMT-related proteins. Results: Both sample examination and data base information showed that the expression level of HOPX was down-regulated in tissue and serum samples of cervical cancer patients and was positively related with the survival of patients (r=0.736， P<0.05); while it’s expression was negatively related to the level of CEAand CA125 in cervical cancer tissues and serum (r=-0.678, P<0.05). HOPX over-expression inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, promoted the expression of E-cadherin but inhibited the expression of Vimentin and ICAM1 (all P<0.05 or P<0.001). Conclusion: HOPX is low expressed in cervical cancer tissues and blood samples, and negatively correlated with CEA and CA125, but positively correlated with the survival of patients. Thus, combination of HOPX and CEA/CA125 may improve the early diagnosis rate of cervical cancer and provide a new strategy for precision treatment of cervical cancer in future.

Exenatide ameliorates hepatic steatosis and attenuates fat mass and FTO gene expression through PI3K signaling pathway in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disease associated with metabolic syndrome and can lead to life-threatening complications like hepatic carcinoma and cirrhosis. Exenatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist antidiabetic drug, has the capacity to overcome insulin resistance and attenuate hepatic steatosis but the specific underlying mechanism is unclear. This study was designed to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of exenatide therapy on NAFLD. We used in vivo and in vitro techniques to investigate the protective effects of exenatide on fatty liver via fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) in a high-fat (HF) diet-induced NAFLD animal model and related cell culture model. Exenatide significantly decreased body weight, serum glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, serum free fatty acid, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase levels in HF-induced obese rabbits. Histological analysis showed that exenatide significantly reversed HF-induced lipid accumulation and inflammatory changes accompanied by decreased FTO mRNA and protein expression, which were abrogated by PI3K inhibitor LY294002. This study indicated that pharmacological interventions with GLP-1 may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for NAFLD.

Clinical features of von Zumbusch type of generalized pustular psoriasis in children: a retrospective study of 26 patients in southwestern China

Abstract Background: Von Zumbusch type of generalized pustular psoriasis is a rare variant of psoriasis in children. It can occur in patients with or without psoriasis vulgaris. Objective: The aim of the study was to discuss the precipitating factors, clinical manifestations, laboratory data and therapy of von Zumbusch type of generalized pustular psoriasis in children from southwestern China and to improve the diagnosis and treatment level. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted for inpatients aged 14 years old or less with von Zumbusch type of generalized pustular psoriasis in our department from 2005 to 2014. Results: A total of 26 patients were included, of whom four (15.38%) had previous history of psoriasis vulgaris and one (3.85%) had previous history of psoriasis arthropathica. Mean onset age was 6.90 years. Gender distribution was equivalent. Incidence of the disease in summer and autumn was higher than that in winter and spring. Nineteen (73.08%) cases were triggered by infection, two (7.69%) cases were caused by sudden discontinuation of systemic use of corticosteroid. Twenty-four (92.31%) cases had concomitant fever. The initial lesion manifested as non-follicular sterile pustules on erythema. Sixteen patients responded well to acitretin, 11 to Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF), two to cyclosporine, and one to methotrexate. Study limitations: This study is a retrospective one and the number of cases is small. CONCLUSION: Von Zumbusch type of generalized pustular psoriasis is a rare disease in children, infection is the most common precipitating factor, acitretin is the first-line therapy, traditional Chinese medicine TwHF also can be used.

The prevalence of aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme and virulence genes among enterococci with high-level aminoglycoside resistance in Inner Mongolia, China

ABSTRACT This study highlights the prevalence of aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes and virulence determinants among clinical enterococci with high-level aminoglycoside resistance in Inner Mongolia, China. Screening for high-level aminoglycoside resistance against 117 enterococcal clinical isolates was performed using the agar-screening method. Out of the 117 enterococcal isolates, 46 were selected for further detection and determination of the distribution of aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme-encoding genes and virulence determinants using polymerase chain reaction -based methods. Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis were identified as the species of greatest clinical importance. The aac(6')-Ie-aph(2")-Ia and ant(6')-Ia genes were found to be the most common aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes among high-level gentamicin resistance and high-level streptomycin resistance isolates, respectively. Moreover, gelE was the most common virulence gene among high-level aminoglycoside resistance isolates. Compared to Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis harbored multiple virulence determinants. The results further indicated no correlation between aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme gene profiles and the distribution of virulence genes among the enterococcal isolates with high-level gentamicin resistance or high-level streptomycin resistance evaluated in our study.

Effects of different water management options and fertilizer supply on photosynthesis, fluorescence parameters and water use efficiency of Prunella vulgaris seedlings

BACKGROUND: Prunella vulgaris L. is a medical plant cultivated in sloping, sun-shaded areas in China. Recently, owing to air-environmental stress, especially drought stress strongly inhibits plant growth and development, the appropriate fertilizer supply can alleviate these effects. However, these is little information about their effects on P. vulgaris growing in arid and semi-arid areas with limited water and fertilizer supply. RESULTS: In this study, water stress decreased the photosynthetic pigment contents, inhibited photosynthetic efficiency, induced photodamage in photosystem 2 (PS2), and decreased leaf instantaneous WUE (WUEi). The decreased net photosynthetic rate (Pn) under medium drought stress compared with the control might result from stomatal limitations. However, fertilizer supply improved photosynthetic capacity by increasing the photosynthetic pigment contents and enhancing photosynthetic efficiency under water deficit. Moreover, medium fertilization also increased WUEi under the two water conditions, but fertilizer supply did little to alleviate the PS2 photodamage caused by drought stress. Hence, drought stress was the primary limitation in the photosynthetic process of P. vulgaris seedlings, while the photosynthetic characteristics of the seedlings exhibited positive responses to fertilizer supply. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate fertilizer supply is recommended to improve photosynthetic efficiency, enhance WUEi and alleviate photodamage under drought stress.

Variation in concentrations of major bioactive compounds in Prunella vulgaris L. related to plant parts and phenological stages

Prunella vulgaris L. (Labiatae) contains a variety of structurally diverse natural products, primarily rosmarinic acid (RA), ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA), which possess a wide array of biological properties. In the present study, P. vulgaris was harvested at three developmental stages (vegetative, full-flowering and mature-fruiting stages), dissected into stem and leaf tissues and assayed for chemical contents using high performance liquid chromatography. Significant changes in the concentrations of the major secondary metabolites (RA, UA and OA) were observed at the different development stages. The highest concentrations of RA, UA and OA were found at the full-flowering stage (15.83 mg/g dry weight (DW) RA, 1.77 mg/g DW UA and 0.65 mg/g DW OA). Among the different aerial parts of the plant, the concentrations of RA, UA and OA were higher in the leaves than in the stems at the different developmental stages. These results suggest that the full-flowering stage is characterized by the highest concentrations of bioactive compounds. Therefore, this stage may be the optimum point for harvesting P. vulgaris plants. In additional, the leaves of P. vulgaris demonstrated higher RA, UA and OA concentrations than the stems, suggesting higher utilization potential.