Historical Evolution and Clinical Application of Classical Prescription Xiao Xumingtang / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Xiao Xumingtang in The Catalogue of Famous Ancient Classics （The First Batch） issued by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine is derived from the Important Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergency （Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang） written by SUN Si-miao in the Tang dynasty. The present study systematically explored the origin， development， historical evolution， and clinical application of Xiao Xumingtang. As revealed by the results， Xiao Xumingtang as well as its analogues are primary prescriptions indicated for apoplexy before the Tang and Song dynasties and serve as the benchmark for the treatment of apoplexy. After the Song dynasty， due to the changes in the understanding of the pathogenesis of apoplexy and the limitations of the understanding of Xiao Xumingtang， its clinical application to apoplexy gradually decreased. In modern times， it has been re-recognized and applied， during which its clinical applications have undergone great changes. Its clinical applications are extensive， involving a variety of diseases related to the brain and nervous systems， such as stroke and its sequelae， peripheral facial paralysis， rheumatoid arthritis， hypertension， and other diseases related to the motor nervous system. Its primary indications are stroke and its sequelae， followed by peripheral facial paralysis. Other new indications are gradually found. This study is expected to provide references for the clinical application of Xiao Xumingtang and the transformation of new drugs.

Aberrant immunophenotypes in 126 patients with acute leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

The existence of leukemia aberrant immunophenotypes (LAIP) has been suggested to be a valuable tool for the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD), as they could distinguish leukemic cells from normal hematopoietic progenitors. This study was purposed to analyze the characteristics of LAIP in acute leukemia and further explore the proportion of different types of LAIP in acute leukemia patients. Flow cytometry (FCM) with four color and CD45/SSC gating were used to detect the antigen expression in samples of bone marrow from 126 patients with acute leukemia. The results showed that definite LAIP could be detected in about 76% patients. The LAIP could be divided into four groups as cross-lineage antigen expression, asynchronous antigen expression, antigen overexpression and antigen lack expression. The percentages of these LAIPs were 39%, 46%, 21% and 29% respectively. About 11% out of analyzed cases showed the existence of only one aberrant phenotype while two or more of aberrant phenotypes could be detected in majority cases. It is concluded that the LAIP with four subgroups can be detected in the majority of patients with acute leukemia and immunophenotyping based on LAIP is applicable for the detection of MRD.

Effect of alpha-synuclein on the promoter activity of tyrosine hydroxylase gene / 神经科学通报·英文版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To approach the associated mechanism by which alpha-synuclein (alpha-Syn) might regulate the metabolism of dopamine.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A DNA fragment, located at -495 to +25 of the human tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene, was amplified by PCR and inserted into the pGL(3)-Basic luciferase reporter vector. The recombinant plasmid pGL(3)-THprom was transfected into a dopaminergic cell line MES23.5 or a alpha-Syn over-expressed MES23.5 (named MES23.5/halpha-Syn(+)). The promoter activity was detected by the Dual Luciferase Assay System.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The luciferase activities in the MES23.5 cells transfected with pGL(3)-Basic, pGL(3)-THprom, and pGL(3)-Control vectors were 5.60+/-0.67, 26.80+/-4.11, and 32.90+/-4.75, respectively. On the other hand, the luciferase activity of pGL(3)-THprom in the MES23.5 (26.80+/-4.11) was significantly higher than that in the MES23.5/halpha-Syn(+) (14.40+/-0.61) (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results indicate that the - 495 to +25 region in the TH gene possesses promoter activity for controlling the gene expression, and that alpha-Syn may negatively regulate the metabolism of dopamine by affecting the function of TH promoter as a trans-acting factor.</p>

cDNA cloning, prokaryotic expression and purification of rat alpha-synuclein / 神经科学通报·英文版

Objective To clone the cDNA of rat alpha-Syn gene, investigate its prokaryotic expression and produce purified recombinant rat alpha-Syn protein. Methods Rat alpha-Syn cDNA was amplified from the rat brain total RNA by RT-PCR and was cloned into pGEX-4T-1, a prokaryotie expressing vector. The recombinant plasmid containing rat alpha-Syn gene was transformed into E. Coli BL21 to express a fusion protein with rat alpha-Syn protein tagged by glutathione-S-transferase (GST). The fusion protein was then cleaved by thrombin during passing through the GST-agarose 4B column to release the recombinant rat alpha-Syn protein. The recombinant rat alpha-Syn protein was further purified using Superdex S200 gel filtration.Results DNA sequencing confirmed that the cloned cDNA contained 420 base pairs encoding 140 amino acids, which was identical to the reported amino acid sequence of rat alpha-Syn. After transformation, the recombinant plasmid pGEX-raSyn expressed a soluble protein that was inducible by IPTG. The purified recombinant protein was shown to be single band on SDS-PAGE, with a molecular size of around 18000, which was identical to the reported molecular size of rat alpha-Syn.Western blot analysis demonstrated that the recombinant protein was recognized by specific antibody against alpha-Syn. Conclusion The rat alpha-Syn gene was successfully expressed in prokaryotic expression system and highly purified rat alpha-Syn recombinant protein was produced.

Effect of repeated acute hypoxic treatment on the expression of alpha-synuclein in the mouse brain cortex / 生理学报

An anti-alpha-synuclein (alpha-SYN) monoclonal antibody produced in our laboratory was used to investigate the effect of repeated acute hypoxic treatments on the expression of alpha-SYN in the mouse cerebral cortex. Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of alpha-SYN in the cortex changed accordingly upon hypoxic exposure times, as that the alpha-synuclein level significantly increased after the first hypoxic exposure and then dropped down to the background level after the fourth hypoxic exposure. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the alpha-SYN-immunopositive substance was localized not only in the nerve endings, but also within the nuclei of some neurons. The cell density of the neurons with alpha-SYN immunopositive nuclei was increased significantly after the first hypoxic exposure but returned back to control levels after the fourth hypoxic exposure. Our results indicate that both of the alpha-SYN expression level in the brain and the number of the neurons with alpha-SYN positive nuclei are affected by the repeated acute hypoxic treatments and that this modification is hypoxic time-dependent. The mechanism and the physiological significance underlying these changes need to be further investigated.

Study on quality analysis of essential oil from twig and leaf of Baeckea frutescens / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To provide scientific methods for quality criterion by studying the chemical components of essential oil from Baeckea frutescens.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The chemical components of essential oil from B. frutescens were identified by GC-MS-DS, TLC and capillary GC. The relative contents of main components were determined by area normalization.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>More than 50 peaks were separated, and 38 components were identified, which accounted for over 94% of the total GC peaks areas of the essential oil. The methods for quality evaluation of essential oil from B. frutescens by TLC and capillary GC were established.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The chemical components of essential oil from B. frutescens collected from different habitats and collecting periods have common characteristics as well as differences. Some components, such as linalool, can be used as a standard and chromatography fingerprint to analyze the quality of essential oil from B. frutescens.</p>