Efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharide capsules for depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharide (MOO) capsules for depressive disorder. Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched for relevant studies from inception to April 19, 2020. Randomized controlled trials comparing MOO capsules with antidepressants were included. Data analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.3 software. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, and the quality of the studies was evaluated by two researchers using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) software. Results: Seven studies involving 1,384 participants were included in this study. The effect of MOO capsules for moderate depressive disorder was not different from that of antidepressants (risk ratio [RR] = 0.99, 95%CI 0.92-1.06). Regarding adverse events, no significant difference was found between MOO capsules and antidepressants (RR = 0.84, 95%CI 0.65-1.07). In addition, the quality of evidence related to these adverse events was rated as low. Conclusion: This systematic review suggests that the efficacy of MOO capsules in the treatment of mild to moderate depression is not inferior to that of conventional antidepressants, which may provide a new direction for clinical alternative selection of antidepressants. However, more high-quality research and detailed assessments are needed.

Pleiotrophin stimulates growth and albumin secretion of rat hepatocytes in culture / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the influence of pleiotrophin (PTN) on the growth of rat hepatocytes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Primary rat hepatocytes were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats and divided into three groups: group A (negative control), cultivated in normal culture medium; group B (positive control), cultivated with culture medium supplemented with supernatant from the embryonic fibroblast 3T3 cell line; group C (experimental), cultivated with culture medium supplemented with human recombinant (hr) PTN (100 ng/ml). The hepatocytes' growth rate and level of secreted albumin (ALB) were evaluated by microscopy and biochemical assay, respectively. Significance of between-group differences were assessed by one-way ANOVA, and pairwise comparisons were performed by the least significant difference test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The growth rates of hepatocytes in groups A, B and C were 2.800+/-0.084%, 4.300+/-0.132% and 3.800+/-0.053%, respectively. The growth rate of group B was significantly higher than the other two groups (F = 333.735, P less than 0.05). For all groups, the highest levels of secreted ALB were detected between the second and sixth day of culture, with g/L concentrations at day 2, 4 and 6 of: group A, 0.550+/-0.010, 0.900+/-0.030 and 0.300+/-0.040; group B, 0.900+/-0.030, 1.300+/-0.020 and 1.400+/-0.030; group C, 0.900+/-0.010, 1.160+/-0.010 and 0.700+/-0.050. The secreted ALB of group B was significantly higher than that of the other two groups (F = 651.355, 338.831 and 863.205, P less than 0.05 ).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PTN can benefit in vitro culturing of rat hepatocytes by stimulating growth and enhancing their ability to secrete albumin.</p>

Lipoxin A4 negatively regulates lipopolysaccharide-induced differentiation of RAW264.7 murine macrophages into dendritic-like cells / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Lipoxins (LXs), endogenous anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving eicosanoids generated during various inflammatory conditions, have novel immunomodulatory properties. Because dendritic cells (DCs) play crucial roles in the initiation and maintenance of immune response, we determined whether LXs could modulate the maturation process of DCs and investigated the effects of lipoxin A(4) (LXA(4)) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced differentiation of RAW264.7 cells into dendritic-like cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>RAW264.7 cells were cultured in vitro with 1 microg/ml LPS in the absence or presence of LXA(4) for 24 hours, and cellular surface markers (MHC-II, CD80 (B7-1), CD86 (B7-2)) were measured by flow cytometry (FCM). Mixed lymphocyte reaction was performed to evaluate the allostimulatory activity. Cytoplastic IkappaB degradation and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) translocation were detected by Western blotting. Luciferase reporter plasmid was transiently transfected into RAW264.7 cells, and luciferase activity was determined to measure the transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>LXA(4) reduced the ratio of LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells to DCs with morphological characteristics and inhibited the expression of MHC II. LPS-induced up-regulation of CD86 was moderately suppressed by LXA(4) but no obvious change of CD80 was observed. Moreover, LXA(4) weakened the allostimulatory activity of LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells. These alterations of LPS+LXA(4)-treated cells were associated with a marked inhibition of IkappaB degradation, NF-kappaB translocation and then the transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>LXA(4) negatively regulates LPS-induced differentiation of RAW264.7 cells into dendritic-like cells. This activity reveals an undescribed mechanism of LXA(4) to prevent excessive and sustained immune reaction by regulating maturation of DCs.</p>

An experimental study on astrocytes promoting production of neural stem cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The production of neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from embryonic stem (ES) cells was usually very low according to previous studies, which was a major obstacle for meeting the needs of clinical application. This study aimed at investigating whether astrocytes could promote production of NSCs derived from ES cells in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mouse ES cells line-D3 was used to differentiate into NSCs with astrocytes as inducing stromal cells by means of three-stage differentiation procedure. Another group without astrocytes served as control. The totipotency of ES cells was identified by observation of cells' morphology and formation of teratoma in severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) mice. The quantity and purity of NSCs derived from ES cells were analyzed using clonogenic assay, immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry assay. The plasticity of NSCs was detected by differentiating test. Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct-4) and nestin, the specific marker genes of ES cells and NSCs respectively, were detected continuously using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method to monitor the process of cell differentiation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The ES cells of D3 line could maintain the ability of differentiating into cellular derivations of all three primary germ layers after continuous passage culture. At the end of two-stage of inducing process, 23.2 +/- 3.5 neurospheres per plate formed in astrocyte-induced group and only 0.8 +/- 0.3 per plate in the control group (clonogenic assay, P < 0.01), and the ratio of nestin positive cells was (50.2 +/- 2.8)% in astrocyte-induced group and only (1.4 +/- 0.5)% in the control group (flow cytometry, P < 0.01). With the induction undergoing, the expression of Oct-4 gradually decreased and then disappeared, while the expression of nestin was increased step by step, and the ratio of nestin positive cells was up to 91.4% by the three-stage differentiation. The nestin positive cells could be further induced into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in differentiating medium supplemented with fetal calf serum. The results of differentiating test showed that the ratio of NF-200 and NSE positive cells was (42.7 +/- 2.6)% in astrocyte-induced group and only (11.2 +/- 1.8)% in the control group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Astrocytes can not only increase the production of NSCs derived from ES cells but also promote the differentiation of NSCs toward neuronal lineage.</p>

Effect of tetramethylpyrazine on lipopolysaccharides induced macrophage cyclo-oxidase-2 expression and apoptosis of cardiac myocytes / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on lipopolysaccharides (LPS) induced macrophage cyclo-oxidase-2 (COX-2) gene expression and activity in RAW264.7 mice, and to further investigate the effect and mechanism of TMP on LPS induced apoptosis of cardiac myocytes in suckling mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>RT-PCR and Western Blot (WB) were used to investigate the macrophage COX-2 gene expression, ELISA was used to measure its activity, fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the apoptosis of murine neonatal cardiac myocyte, and fluorescence spectrophotometry was used to detect the concentration of intracellular calcium ion (Ca2+).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>TMP of 10(-6) mol/L could significantly reduce the COX-2 mRNA and protein expression (P < 0.05), in 10(-5) mol/L and 10(-4) mol/L could significantly decrease the COX-2 expression (P < 0.01) stimulated by LPS, but couldn't influence the activity of COX-2 by different TMP concentration. TMP in 10(-5) mol/L could significantly lower the concentration of intracellular Ca2+ in cardiac myocyte, and antagonize the LPS induced apoptosis of cardiac myocyte in suckling mice (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TMP has the pharmacological effect in inhibiting LPS induced macrophage COX-2 expression and apoptosis of cardiac myocyte in suckling mice.</p>

The Surgical Removal of Macular Subretinal Hemorrhage

Subretinal hemorrhage affecting the macula may occur secondary to a variety of etiologies and often results in significant visual loss. Recently, we removed five subretinal hemorrhage affecting the macula by means of vitrectomy combined with the use of tissue plasminogen activator(20-40ug) to facilitate clot removal throught a small retinotomy. Mean follow up period was 7 months. The significant visual improvement(defined as 2 lines) was achieved in 4 of 5 eyes. The postoperative complications were retinal detachment(1 eye), macular fold(1 eye) and recurrent retinal membrane(1 eye). These results suggested that subretinal hemorrhage affecting the macula can be surgically removed with improvement of central vision.