Correlation between traditional Chinese medicine and reduced risk of readmission in rheumatoid arthritis patients with hypoproteinemia:a retrospective cohort study / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to explore the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and reduced risk of readmission in patients having rheumatoid arthritis with hypoproteinemia(RA-H). A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 2 437 rheumatoid arthritis patients in the information system database of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from 2014 to 2021, and 476 of them were found to have hypoproteinemia. The patients were divided into TCM users and non-TCM users by propensity score matching. Exposure was defined as the use of oral Chinese patent medicine or herbal decoction for ≥1 month. Cox regression analysis was performed to explore the risk factors of clinical indicators of rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, the use of TCM during hospitalization was analyzed, and analysis of association rules was conducted to investigate the correlation between TCM, improvement of indicators and readmission of patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted to compare the readmission rate of TCM users and non-TCM users. It was found the readmission rate of RA-H patients was significantly higher than that of RA patients. By propensity score matching, 232 RA-H patients were divided into TCM group(116 cases) and non-TCM group(116 cases). Compared with the conditions in the non-TCM group, the readmission rate of the TCM group was lowered(P<0.01), and the readmission rate of middle-aged and elderly patients was higher than that of young patients(P<0.01). Old age was a risk factor for readmission of RA-H patients, while TCM, albumin(ALB) and total protein(TP) were the protective factors. During hospitalization, the TCMs used for RA-H patients were mainly divided into types of activating blood and resolving stasis, relaxing sinew and dredging collaterals, clearing heat and detoxifying, and invigorating spleen and resolving dampness. The improvement of rheumatoid factor(RF), immunoglobulin G(IgG), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR), C-reactive protein(CRP) and ALB was closely related to TCM. On the basis of western medicine treatment, the application of TCM could reduce the readmission rate of RA-H patients, and longer use of TCM indicated lower readmission rate.

Polymerase chain reaction-based assays facilitate the breeding and study of mouse models of Klinefelter syndrome / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is one of the most frequent genetic abnormalities and the leading genetic cause of nonobstructive azoospermia. The breeding and study of KS mouse models are essential to advancing our knowledge of the underlying pathological mechanism. Karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization are reliable methods for identifying chromosomal contents. However, technical issues associated with these methods can decrease the efficiency of breeding KS mouse models and limit studies that require rapid identification of target mice. To overcome these limitations, we developed three polymerase chain reaction-based assays to measure specific genetic information, including presence or absence of the sex determining region of chromosome Y (Sry), copy number of amelogenin, X-linked (Amelx), and inactive X specific transcripts (Xist) levels. Through a combined analysis of the assay results, we can infer the karyotype of target mice. We confirmed the utility of our assays with the successful generation of KS mouse models. Our assays are rapid, inexpensive, high capacity, easy to perform, and only require small sample amounts. Therefore, they facilitate the breeding and study of KS mouse models and help advance our knowledge of the pathological mechanism underlying KS.

Traditional medicinal plants for arthropod-borne diseases of five countries in Lancang-Mekong region:a review / 中国中药杂志

Arthropod-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, have frequently beset five countries(Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand) in the tropical rainy Lancang-Mekong region, which pose a huge threat to social production and daily life. As a resort to such diseases, chemical drugs risk the resistance in plasmodium, non-availability for dengue virus, and pollution to the environment. Traditional medicinal plants have the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, which are of great potential in drug development. Exploring potential medicinals for arthropod-borne diseases from traditional medicinal plants has become a hot spot. This study summarized the epidemiological background of arthropod-borne diseases in the Lancang-Mekong region and screened effective herbs from the 350 medicinal plants recorded in CHINA-ASEAN Traditional Medicine. Based on CNKI, VIP, and PubMed, the plants for malaria and dengue fever and those for killing and repelling mosquitoes were respectively sorted out. Their pharmacological effects and mechanisms were reviewed and the material basis was analyzed. The result is expected to serve as a reference for efficient utilization of medicinal resources, development of effective and safe drugs for malaria and dengue fever, and the further cooperation between China and the other five countries in the Lancang-Mekong region.

Identification of Rubi Parvifolii radix and its adulterants using DNA barcoding / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To identify Rubi Parvifolii Radix from its adulterants using ITS2 sequence. METHODS: All the DNA of Rubi Parvifolii Radix and its adulterants were extracted. All the sequences were assembled using the CondonCode Aligner V3.7.1. The Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) genetic distances and the neighbor joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree were calculated by using MEGA5.1. RESULTS: The ITS2 sequences were succesfully amplified and sequenced. The length of ITS2 sequences of Rubus parvifo-lius was 212 bp, and the average GC content was 57.42%. Among 20 ITS2 sequences of R. parvifolius, three transversions were detected at site 66, 118 and 177. The maximum intra-specific K2P distance of R. parvifolius was 0.014, lower than the minimum interspecific K2P distances of adulterants, except for R. coreanus. Additionally, the ITS2 sequences of all the polytypic species were separated into pairs of divergent clusters in the NJ tree and R. parvifolius can be distinguished clearly from its adulterants. The ITS2 sequences of 23 samples of Rubi Parvifolii Radix collected from different herb markets, were successfully amplified. The NJ tree analysis indicated that 13 samples clustered with R. parvifolius, while the other 10 samples were clustered into other divergent clusters. CONCLUSION: ITS2 Sequence can be used as DNA barcode to correctly identify Rubi Parvifolii Radix from its adulterant.

Prediction of blood tacrolimus concentration in liver transplantation recipients by artificial neural network / 药学学报

This study is to establish an artificial neural network (ANN) for predicting blood tacrolimus concentration in liver transplantation recipients. Tacrolimus concentration samples (176 samples) from 37 Chinese liver transplantation recipients were collected. ANN established after network parameters were optimized by using momentum method combined with genetic algorithm. Furthermore, the performance of ANN was compared with that of multiple linear regression (MLR). When using accumulated dose of 4 days before therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of tacrolimus concentration as input factor, mean prediction error and mean absolute prediction error of ANN were 0.02 +/- 2.40 ng x mL(-1) and 1.93 +/- 1.37 ng x mL(-1), respectively. The absolute prediction error of 84.6% of testing data sets was less than 3.0 ng x mL(-1). Accuracy and precision of ANN are superior to those of MLR. The correlation, accuracy and precision of ANN are good enough to predict blood tacrolimus concentration.

Physical training improves spatial learning and memory impairments following hypoxic ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of physical training on cerebral structure and spatial learning and memory in neonatal rats submitted to hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: a group that was subjected to left carotid ligation followed by 2 hrs hypoxic stress (HIBD); a group that received physical training 2 weeks after the HIBD event; a control group that was subjected to a sham-operation without ligation and hypoxic stress. Following four weeks physical training, motor function test and water maze tasks were performed. Bilateral brain weight, cerebral morphology and left hippocampal ultrastructrue of the animals were examined. The expression levels of phosphor calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were determined by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the motor function and the spatial learning and memory ability in the non-trained HIBD group were significantly decreased, whereas there was no significant difference between the trained-HIBD and the control groups. The left hemisphere weight and neurons in the left hippocampal CA1 zone of both HIBD groups decreased and the reduction was more significant in non-trained HIBD group. The ultrastructure of the left hippocampus was remarkably abnormal in the non-trained HIBD group, while no obvious abnormality was observed in the trained HIBD and the control groups. Phosphor-CaMKII and BDNF expression in the left hippocampus in the trained HIBD group increased significantly compared with that in the non-trained HIBD group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Physical training can restrain brain damage and ameliorate spatial learning and memory impairments in rats with HIBD.</p>