Clinical Efficacy of Modified Qilang Prescription in Treatment of Drug-dependent Constipation with Qi and Yin Deficiency and Its Effect on MTL， VIP， 5-HT， and 5-HT4R in Peripheral Blood / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the curative efficacy of modified Qilang prescription on drug-dependent constipation with Qi and Yin deficiency and the effects on serum vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）， motilin （MTL）， 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， and 5-hydroxytryptamine 4 receptor （5-HT4R）. Method:A total of 160 patients diagnosed with drug-dependent constipation were randomly divided into a treatment group （<italic>n</italic>=80， Qilang prescription） and a control group （<italic>n</italic>=80， lactulose oral solution）. The treatment lasted for eight weeks. Changes in clinical symptoms， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome， and serum VIP， MTL， 5-HT， and 5-HT4R before and after treatment were observed. The clinical efficacies of the two groups were compared. An eight-week follow-up was carried out for the observation of recurrent rate and TCM syndrome. Result:The overall response rate of the treatment group （90.91%） was higher than that （75.00%） of the control group<italic> </italic>（<italic>Z</italic>=-6.514，<italic>P</italic><0.05）. There was no significant difference in serum VIP， MTL， 5-HT， and 5-HT4R between the two groups before treatment. After treatment for eight weeks， both groups showed reduced serum VIP level as compared with those before treatment， and the treatment group was inferior to the control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The serum MTL levels of the two groups were both higher than those before treatment （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， and the treatment group was superior to the control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. After treatment， the level of 5-HT in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The post-treatment 5-HT4R level in the treatment group slightly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， but no significant difference in 5-HT4R levels between the two groups after treatment was observed. During the eight-week follow-up， the recurrence rate in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group at the 2nd and 4th weeks （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between the treatment group ［57.14% （40/70）］ and the control group ［64.81% （35/54）］ after eight weeks. Conclusion:Modified Qilang prescription was superior to lactulose in the short- and mid-term efficacy on drug-dependent constipation with Qi and Yin deficiency. No significant difference in the long-term efficacy was observed. The underlying therapeutic mechanism might be related to the regulation of serum VIP， MTL， 5-HT， and 5-HT4R levels.

miR-140-3p Knockdown Suppresses Cell Proliferation and Fibrogenesis in Hepatic Stellate Cells via PTEN-Mediated AKT/mTOR Signaling

PURPOSE: Liver fibrosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and the outcome of various chronic liver diseases. Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is the key event in liver fibrosis. Studies have confirmed that miR-140-3p plays a potential regulatory effect on HSC activation. However, whether miR-140-3p mediates the liver fibrosis remains unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expression of miR-140-3p was detected by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Cell proliferation was measured by MTT, while cell apoptosis rate was determined via flow cytometry. Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of cleaved PARP. The fibrogenic effect was evaluated by expression of α-smooth muscle actin and desmin. Functional experiments were performed in transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)-induced HSC-T6 cells with transfection of anti-miR-140-3p and/or siPTEN. Target binding between miR-140-3p and PTEN was predicted by the TargetScan database and identified using luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: TGF-β1 induced the activation of HSC-T6 cells, and miR-140-3p expression varied according to HSC-T6 cell activation status. Knockdown of miR-140-3p reduced cell proliferation and the expressions of α-SMA and desmin, as well as increased apoptosis, in TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 cells, which could be blocked by PTEN silencing. Additionally, inactivation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway stimulated by miR-140-3p knockdown was abolished when silencing PTEN expression. PTEN was negatively regulated by miR-140-3p via direct binding in HSC-T6 cells. CONCLUSION: miR-140-3p is an important mediator in HSC-T6 cell activation, and miR-140-3p knockdown suppresses cell proliferation and fibrogenesis in TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 cells, indicating that miR-140-3p may be a potential novel molecular target for liver fibrosis.

Preparation of freeze-drying control materials of IgG antibody against Schistosoma japonicum for immunodetection kits / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To prepare freeze-drying control materials of IgG antibody against Schistosoma japonicum for detec-tion kits. Methods The serum samples of schistosomiasis patients from endemic areas and normal people without history of schistosome infection or contact with infested water in Hubei Province were collected.All the sera were detected by the method approved by China Food and Drug Administration and selected for preparation of quality control samples. Results Totally twelve positive quality control materials,ten negative quality control materials,and one sensitive and one precision quality con-trol materials were screened.According to the positive serum level,the positive degrees of quality control materials were divided into strong,medium and weak levels.The stability could be valid for one year.Conclusions The freeze-drying quality control materials of IgG antibody against S.japonicum for detection kits are prepared.They are easy to use and have good stability,and therefore,they may meet the requirement of quality control for the detection of schistosomiasis diagnostics kits.