Effects and mechanisms of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot in attenuating diabetic tubulopathy by targeting endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced cell apoptosis / 中国中药杂志

Renal tubular injury in patients with diabetic kidney disease(DKD) may be accompanied by glomerular and microvascular diseases. It plays a critical role in the progression of renal damage in DKD, and is now known as diabetic tubulopathy(DT). To explore the multi-targeted therapeutic effects and pharmacological mechanisms in vivo of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot(TFA), an extract from traditional Chinese medicine for treating kidney disease, in attenuating DT, the authors randomly divided all rats into four groups: a normal control group(normal group), a DT model group(model group), a DT model+TFA-treated group(TFA group) and a DT model+rosiglitazone(ROS)-treated group(ROS group). The DT rat model was established based on the DKD rat model by means of integrated measures. After successful modeling, the rats in the four groups were continuously given double-distilled water, TFA suspension, and ROS suspension, respectively by gavage every day. After 6 weeks of treatment, all rats were sacrificed, and the samples of their urine, blood, and kidneys were collected. The effects of TFA and ROS on various indicators related to urine and blood biochemistry, renal tubular injury, renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS), as well as the activation of the protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK)-eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α(eIF2α)-activating transcription factor 4(ATF4)-C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP) signaling pathway in the kidney of the DT model rats were investigated. The results indicated that hypertrophy of renal tubular epithelial cells, renal tubular hyperplasia and occlusion, as well as interstitial extracellular matrix and collagen deposition occurred in the DT model rats. Moreover, significant changes were found in the expression degree and the protein expression level of renal tubular injury markers. In addition, there was an abnormal increase in tubular urine proteins. After TFA or ROS treatment, urine protein, the characteristics of renal tubular injury, renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis and ERS, as well as the activation of the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP signaling pathway in the kidney of the DT model rats were improved to varying degrees. Therein, TFA was superior to ROS in affecting the pathological changes in renal tubule/interstitium. In short, with the DT model rats, this study demonstrated that TFA could attenuate DT by multiple targets through inhibiting renal tubular ERS-induced cell apoptosis in vivo, and its effect and mechanism were related to suppressing the activation of the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP signaling pathway in the kidney. These findings provided preliminary pharmacological evidence for the application of TFA in the clinical treatment of DT.

Effects and mechanisms of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot in improving insulin resistance and podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition in diabetic kidney disease based on IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot(TFA), the extracts from traditional Chinese medicine indicated for kidney diseases, on insulin resistance(IR) and podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) in diabetic kidney disease(DKD), and further to reveal the scientific connotation. Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a TFA group, and a rosiglitazone(ROS) group. The modified DKD model was induced in rats by methods including high-fat diet feeding, unilateral nephrectomy, and streptozotocin(STZ) intraperitoneal injection. After modeling, the rats in the four groups were given double-distilled water, TFA suspension, and ROS suspension correspondingly by gavage every day. At the end of the 8th week of drug administration, all rats were sacrificed, and the samples of urine, blood, and kidney tissues were collected. The parameters and indicators related to IR and podocyte EMT in the DKD model rats were examined and observed, including the general condition, body weight(BW) and kidney weight(KW), the biochemical parameters and IR indicators, the protein expression levels of the key signaling molecules and structural molecules of slit diaphragm in the renal insulin receptor substrate(IRS) 1/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase(Akt) pathway, foot process form and glomerular basement membrane(GBM) thickness, the expression of the marked molecules and structural molecules of slit diaphragm in podocyte EMT, and glomerular histomorphological characteristics. The results showed that for the DKD model rats, both TFA and ROS could improve the general condition, some biochemical parameters, renal appearance, and KW. The ameliorative effects of TFA and ROS were equivalent on BW, urinary albumin(UAlb)/urinary creatinine(UCr), serum creatinine(Scr), triglyceride(TG), and KW. Secondly, they could both improve IR indicators, and ROS was superior to TFA in improving fast insulin(FIN) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR). Thirdly, they could both improve the protein expression levels of the key signaling molecules in the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway and glomerulosclerosis in varying degrees, and their ameliorative effects were similar. Finally, both could improve podocyte injury and EMT, and TFA was superior to ROS. In conclusion, this study suggested that podocyte EMT and glomerulosclerosis could be induced by IR and the decreased activation of the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway in the kidney in DKD. Similar to ROS, the effects of TFA in inhibiting podocyte EMT in DKD were related to inducing the activation of the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway and improving IR, which could be one of the scientific connotations of TFA against DKD. This study provides preliminary pharmacological evidence for the development and application of TFA in the field of diabetic complications.

MF-SuP-pKa: Multi-fidelity modeling with subgraph pooling mechanism for pKa prediction

Acid-base dissociation constant (pKa) is a key physicochemical parameter in chemical science, especially in organic synthesis and drug discovery. Current methodologies for pKa prediction still suffer from limited applicability domain and lack of chemical insight. Here we present MF-SuP-pKa (multi-fidelity modeling with subgraph pooling for pKa prediction), a novel pKa prediction model that utilizes subgraph pooling, multi-fidelity learning and data augmentation. In our model, a knowledge-aware subgraph pooling strategy was designed to capture the local and global environments around the ionization sites for micro-pKa prediction. To overcome the scarcity of accurate pKa data, low-fidelity data (computational pKa) was used to fit the high-fidelity data (experimental pKa) through transfer learning. The final MF-SuP-pKa model was constructed by pre-training on the augmented ChEMBL data set and fine-tuning on the DataWarrior data set. Extensive evaluation on the DataWarrior data set and three benchmark data sets shows that MF-SuP-pKa achieves superior performances to the state-of-the-art pKa prediction models while requires much less high-fidelity training data. Compared with Attentive FP, MF-SuP-pKa achieves 23.83% and 20.12% improvement in terms of mean absolute error (MAE) on the acidic and basic sets, respectively.

The intestinal absorption characteristics of five active components in Lizhong Decoction / 药学学报

The intestinal absorption properties of the main effective components (glycyrrhizic acid, isoliquiritigenin, 6-gingerol, ginsenoside Rb1, atractylode-I) in Lizhong decoction (LZD) extracts were investigated with an in situ single-pass intestinal perfusion model in rats. UPLC-TQ-MS was used to determine the concentration of the five components in the intestinal perfusion. Animal welfare and experimental procedures were in accordance with the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. As evaluation indexes for the intestinal absorption characteristics, the absorption rate constant (Ka) and the apparent permeability coefficient (Peff) of the five main ingredients were analyzed. Results showed that the best absorption sites for glycyrrhizic acid, isoliquiritin and 6-gingerol were the ileum, colon and duodenum, respectively, and the differences between different intestinal segments were statistically significant (P <0.05). There was no notable difference in Ka and Peff between ginsenoside Rb1 and atractylode-I in the different intestinal segments (P > 0.05), suggesting that they were absorbed throughout. The five components were well-absorbed in the whole intestine (Peff > 1.0×10-3 cm·min-1), indicating that LZD is suitable for preparing sustained, controlled release and enteric-coated preparations.

Effects and mechanisms of Supplemented Gegen Qinlian Decoction Formula against podocyte pyroptosis and insulin resistance in model rats with diabetic kidney disease / 中国中药杂志

This study explored the in vivo effects and mechanisms of the modern classical prescription Supplemented Gegen Qinlian Decoction Formula(SGDF) against diabetic kidney disease(DKD). Sixty rats were randomly divided into the normal group, model group, SGDF group, and rosiglitazone(ROS) group. The modified DKD rat model was established by employing the following three methods: exposure to high-fat diet, unilateral nephrectomy, and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ). After modeling, rats in the four groups were treated with double distilled water, SGDF suspension, and ROS suspension, respectively, by gavage every day. At the end of the 6 th week of drug administration, all the rats were sacrificed for collecting urine, blood, and kidney tissue, followed by the examination of rat general conditions, urine and blood biochemical indicators, glomerulosclerosis-related indicators, podocyte pyroptosis markers, insulin resistance(IR)-related indicators, and key molecules in the insulin receptor substrate(IRS) 1/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase(PI3 K)/serine threonine kinase(Akt) signaling pathway. The results showed that SGDF and ROS improved the general conditions, some renal function indicators and glomerulosclerosis of DKD model rats without affecting the blood glucose(BG). Besides, they ameliorated the expression characteristics and levels of podocyte pyroptosis markers, alleviated IR, and up-regulated the protein expression levels of the key molecules in IRS1/PI3 K/Akt pathway to varying degrees. In conclusion, similar to ROS, SGDF relieves DKD by targeting multiple targets in vivo. Specifically, it exerts the therapeutic effects by alleviating podocyte pyroptosis and IR. This study has preliminarily provided the pharmacological evidence for the research and development of new drugs for the treatment of DKD based on SGDF.

Determination of bis(2-chloroethyl)amine hydrochloride and 1-(3-chloropropyl)-4-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine hydrochloride in trazodone hydrochloride by UPLC-MS/MS / 药学学报

An UPLC-MS/MS method was established for the quantification of the genotoxic impurities bis(2-chloroethyl)amine hydrochloride and 1-(3-chloropropyl)-4-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine hydrochloride in trazodone hydrochloride. The chromatographic separation of the two genotoxic impurities was performed on Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) at 20 ℃. A mixture of 5 mmol·L-1 ammonium hydrogen carbonate aqueous solution and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.3 mL·min-1 in gradient elution mode was employed as mobile phase. The UPLC-MS/MS was equipped with electrospray ionization in positive ionization mode and adopted multiple reaction monitoring mode. We found that the calibration curves of the two genotoxic impurities were linear in the range of 0.1-10 ng·mL-1. The limit of detection was 0.10 ng·mL-1 for bis(2-chloroethyl)amine hydrochloride and the average recovery was 101.53% (RSD = 4.06%). The limit of detection was 0.01 ng·mL-1 for 1-(3-chloropropyl)-4-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine hydrochloride and the average recovery was 97.95% (RSD = 1.27%). The sample solution was stable for 24 h. No bis(2-chloroethyl)amine hydrochloride was detected in the samples, and the content of 1-(3-chloropropyl)-4-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine hydrochloride in the samples was within the limit. This research provides a method to improve the quality control standards of trazadone.

Advance in Physical Activity for Brain Plasticity (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

Brain plasticity is adaptability of brain to environment and experience in neural structure and function. Physical activity, such as aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, balance, and Taiji Quan, etc., can improve brain plasticity, involved various brain regions, and the mechanisms of neuronal and molecular pathways.

Progress and perspective of potential anti-coronavirus activity of phenothiazines / 药学学报

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are associated with some mammalian infectious diseases, which have caused several outbreaks of respiratory system infectious diseases in recent years. There is no effective vaccine or approved drug treatment against coronaviruses, and the development of anti-coronavirus agents is an urgent priority. Phenothiazines are a class of antipsychotic drugs, which were found that they have some other biological activities, like promising antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, etc. They can be used for drug repurposing. This review summarizes current researches on the potential anti-coronavirus activity of phenothiazine, discusses the mechanisms and some research difficulties, and provides a foundation for developing anti-coronavirus drugs which use phenothiazine as the lead compound.

Endovascular Thrombectomy for Distal Occlusion Using a Semi-Deployed Stentriever: Report of 2 Cases and Technical Note / 신경중재치료의학

Distal intracranial occlusions can sometimes cause significant neurological deficits. Endovascular thrombectomy in these vessels may improve outcome but carry a higher risk of haemorrhagic complications due to the small calibre and tortuosity of the target vessel. We report two cases of isolated M2/3 artery occlusion causing dense hemiplegia that was successfully treated with stent retrieval thrombectomy. A “semi-deployment technique” of a 3 mm stentriever was employed at the M2/3 bifurcation of the middle cerebral artery. Partial stent unsheathing allowed adequate clot engagement while avoiding excessive tension by the stent metal struts along the tortuous course of a distal vessel. Complete revascularization was achieved after first-pass of the stent retriever without complication, resulting in good clinical outcome in both cases. The described semi-deployment technique reduces the radial and tractional force exerted by the stentreiver on small branches, and may reduce the risk of vessel laceration or dissection in distal vessel thrombectomy.

Molecular mechanisms of non-coding RNA regulating autophagy and interventional effects of Chinese herbal medicine / 中国中药杂志

Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs) and microRNAs(miRNAs),as members of the non-coding RNA family,play important roles in upstream processes that regulate autophagy in mammalian cells. LncRNA and miRNA participate in various phases of the process of autophagy,including initiation,vesicle nucleation,autophagosome maturation and autophagosome fusion. Some non-coding RNAs exert bidirectional regulatory functions in the process of autophagy,include the maternally expressed gene 3(MEG3),H19 and miR-21,whereas others either inhibit autophagy(including GAS5,miR-34 a and miR-30 a) or promote autophagy(including MALAT1,miR-152 and miR-24). The regulation of autophagy by non-coding RNAs has characteristics of conditionality,diversity and complexity. In recent years,researchers at home and abroad have constantly found that some extracts from the individual Chinese herbal medicine(CHM) such as ampelopsin,salvianolic acid B and paeonol,as well as the Chinese herbal compound named Eight Ingredients Decoction,can regulate autophagy by interacting with non-coding RNA in vitro and in vivo. The latest studies have shown that plant-derived small non-coding RNAs(sncRNAs) as one of the active ingredients of CHMs can directly enter the bloodstream and internal organs to regulate gene expressions in humans. In addition,it has been reported that rhein,hyperoside and mycelium of Cordyceps sinensis all can modulate autophagy in renal tubular epithelial cell via regulating the autophagy-related signaling pathways in vivo and in vitro to reduce renal damage and aging,which is likely mediated by the miR-34 a pathway. In summary,the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of autophagy by non-coding RNAs(such as lncRNAs and miRNAs) is essential and required to develop new strategies for the treatments and managements of tumors,immune diseases,metabolic diseases,neurodegenerative diseases and other common diseases and decipher pharmacologic actions of CHMs.

Triptolide inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation and ameliorates podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by high glucose / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this paper was to explore the effects of triptolide( TP),the effective component of Tripterygium wilfordii on improving podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition( EMT) induced by high glucose( HG),based on the regulative mechanisms of Nod-like receptor protein 3( NLRP 3) inflammasome in the kidney of diabetic kidney disease( DKD). The immortalized podocytes of mice in vitro were divided into the normal( N) group,the HG( HG) group,the low dose of TP( L-TP) group,the high dose of TP( HTP) group and the mannitol( MNT) group,and treated by the different measures,respectively. More specifically,the podocytes in each group were separately treated by D-glucose( DG,5 mmol·L~(-1)) or HG( 30 mmol·L~(-1)) or HG( 30 mmol·L~(-1)) + TP( 5 μg·L~(-1))or HG( 30 mmol·L~(-1)) + TP( 10 μg·L~(-1)) or DG( 5 mmol·L~(-1)) + MNT( 24. 5 mmol·L~(-1)). After the treatment of HG or TP at 24,48 and 72 h,firstly,the activation of podocyte proliferation was investigated. Secondly,the protein expression levels of the epithelial markers in podocytes such as nephrin and ZO-1,the mesenchymal markers such as collagen Ⅰ and fibronectin( FN) were detected,respectively. Finally,the protein expression levels of NLRP3 and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein( ASC) as the key signaling molecules of NLRP3 inflammasome activation,as well as the downstream effector proteins including caspase-1,interleutin( IL)-1β and IL-18 were examined,severally. The results indicated that,for the cultured podocytes in vitro,HG could cause the low protein expression levels of nephrin and ZO-1,induce the high protein expression levels of collagen Ⅰ and FN and trigger podocyte EMT. Also HG could cause the high protein expression levels of NLRP3,ASC,caspase-1,IL-1β and IL-18 and induce NLRP3 inflammasome activation. On the other hand,the co-treatment of TP( L-TP or H-TP) and HG for podocytes could recover the protein expression levels of nephrin and ZO-1,inhibit the protein expression levels of collagen Ⅰ and FN and ameliorate podocyte EMT. Also the co-treatment of TP( L-TP or H-TP) and HG could down-regulate the protein expression levels of NLRP3 and ASC,inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation and reduce the protein expression levels of the downstream effector molecules including caspase-1,IL-1β and IL-18. On the whole,HG could activate NLRP3 inflammasome and induce podocyte EMT in vitro. TP at the appropriate dose range could inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation and ameliorate podocyte EMT,which may be one of the critical molecular mechanisms of TP protecting againstpodocyte inflammatory injury in DKD.

Low dose of triptolide ameliorates podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by high dose of D-glucose via inhibiting Wnt3α/β-catenin signaling pathway activation / 中国中药杂志

To explore the effects and molecular mechanisms of triptolide（TP）on improving podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition（EMT）induced by high dose of D-glucose（HG）, the immortalized podocytes of mice were divided into the normal group（N）, the high dose of D-glucose group（HG）, the low dose of TP group（L-TP）, the high dose of TP group（H-TP）and the mannitol group（MNT）, and treated by the different measures respectively. More specifically, the podocytes in each group were separately treated by D-glucose（DG, 5 mmol·L⁻¹）or HG（25 mmol·L⁻¹）or HG（25 mmol·L⁻¹）+ TP（3 μg·L⁻¹）or HG（25 mmol·L⁻¹）+ TP（10 μg·L⁻¹）or DG（5 mmol·L⁻¹）+ MNT（24.5 mmol·L⁻¹）. After the intervention for 24, 48 and 72 hours, firstly, the activation of podocyte proliferation was investigated. Secondly, the protein expression levels of the epithelial markers in podocytes such as nephrin and podocin, the mesenchymal markers such as desmin and collagen Ⅰ and the EMT-related mediators such as snail were detected respectively. Finally, the protein expression levels of Wnt3α and β-catenin as the key signaling molecules in Wnt3α/β-catenin pathway were examined severally. The results indicated that, HG could cause the low protein expression levels of nephrin and podocin and the high protein expression levels of desmin, collagen Ⅰ and snail in podocytes, and inducing podocyte EMT. On the other hand, HG could cause the high protein expression levels of Wnt3α and β-catenin in podocytes, and activating Wnt3α/β-catenin signaling pathway. In addition, L-TP had no effect on the activation of podocyte proliferation, the co-treatment of L-TP and HG could significantly recover the protein expression levels of nephrin and podocin, inhibit the protein expression levels of desmin, collagen I and snail in podocytes, thus, further improving podocyte EMT. And that, the co-treatment of L-TP and HG could obviously decrease the high protein expression levels of Wnt3α and β-catenin induced by HG in podocytes, and inhibit Wnt3α/β-catenin signaling pathway activation. On the whole, HG can induce podocyte EMT by activating Wnt3α/β-catenin signaling pathway; L-TP can ameliorate podocyte EMT through inhibiting Wnt3α/β-catenin signaling pathway activation, which may be one of the effects and molecular mechanisms .

Effect of Electroacupuncture on Learning and Memory and Expression of Beclin-1 in Rats after Cerebral Ischemic-reperfusion / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective To observe the efficacy of electroacupuncture at Baihui (GV20) and Shenting (GV24) on learning and memo-ry in rats after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, and explore the possible mechanism. Methods A total of 45 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group (n=15), ischemia group (n=15) and electroacupuncture group (n=15). The left middle cerebral arteries of the latter two groups were occluded with the modified Longa's method for two hours and reperfused, and the electroacupuncture group received elec-troacupuncture at Baihui and Shenting once a day for seven days, then. They were assessed with Longa's score one, three, five and seven days after intervention. They were tested with Morris water maze since four days after intervention, once a day for four days. The cerebral infarction volume was measured with TTC staining seven days after intervention, while the protein expression of Beclin-1 was detected with Western blotting. Results Longa's score improved in the electroacupuncture group compared with that in the ischemia group since three days after intervention (P<0.05). The escape latency decreased and the times cross the area of platform increased in the electroacupuncture group compared with that in the ischemia group at every point (P<0.05). The cerebral infarction volume reduced (F=7.651, P<0.001) and the expression of Beclin-1 decreased (P<0.05) in the elec-troacupuncture group compared with that in the ischemia group.Conclusion Electroacupuncture can improve learning and memory in rats after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, which may relate with regulation of autophagy network.

Effects of 5HT1A Activation on Gating Profile Following 5HT Depletion in Rats Lacking Social Attachment Since Weanling

OBJECTIVE: Central 5-HT1A receptor is involved in the modulation of sensorimotor gating function. However, its precise role is not clearly defined in developmentally social deprived (isolation rearing, IR) rats featured with impaired sensorimotor gating ability. We therefore aimed to examine the effects of 5HT1A activation on acoustic startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition (PPI) in IR rats in a condition of compromised presynaptic 5-HT functions. METHODS: Social control (SOC) and IR rats received an intracerebraoventricular (ICV) injection of 5-HT depletor, 5,7-DHT. Seven days later rats entered a protocol of 8-OH-DPAT, a 5-HT1A agonist, in which locomotor activity, ASR and PPI and their tissue levels of 5-HT were measured. RESULTS: Our results found that both IR and 5,7-DHT decreased the tissue concentration of 5-HT. IR-induced hyperactivity and gating impairment were unaffected by 5-HT depletion. 8-OH-DPAT strengthened the ASR in IR but not SOC rats and the drug-reduced PPI could be adjusted by 5,7-DHT pretreatment. 8-OH-DPAT at 100 μg/kg enhanced PPI in 5-HT-depleted SOC rats. However for IR rats, 8-OH-DPAT strengthened PPI in sham rats but downgraded it in depletion condition. CONCLUSION: The integrity of central 5-HT system is important to 5-HT1A-modulated sensorimotor gating in isolation-reared rats.

Role of lncRNA PTENP1 in tumorigenesis and progression of bladder cancer and the molecular mechanism / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the molecular mechanism underlying the biological function of lncRNA PTENP1 in bladder cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Expressions of PTENP1, PTEN and miR-17 were examined by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) in 12 bladder cancer tissues. The expression of PTEN was examined by Western blotting in bladder cancer cell lines T24 and 5637 overexpressing PTENP1. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the targeting of miR-17 to PTENP1 and PTEN. T24 and 5637 cell lines with stable overexpression of PTENP1 and mir-17 were used to investigate effect of PTNE and miR-17 on the function of PTENP1 in bladder cancer.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of miR-17 was up-regulated and PTENP1 and PTEN were down-regulated in bladder cancer tissues, where a positive correlation was found between PTENP1 and PTEN expressions and a negative correlation between PTENP1 and miR-17 (P<0.05). Overexpression of PTENP1 in bladder cancer cell lines T24 and 5637 obviously enhanced the expression of PTEN protein. miR-17 was found to target both PTENP1 and PTEN and promote the growth of bladder cancer. miR-17 could partially restore the tumor-suppressing activity of PTENP1 in bladder cancer.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>By binding with miR-17, lncRNA PTENP1 functions as a PTEN competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to suppress the progression of bladder cancer.</p>

Molecular regulative mechanisms of aging and interventional effects of Chinese herbal medicine / 中国中药杂志

Aging is a gradual process during the loss of functions in cells,organs and tissues by time. The molecular mechanisms of aging-related theories include the classical ones such as telomere,oxygen radical and nonenzymatic glycosylation,as well as the newly proposed ones such as DNA methylation,mitochondrial DNA （mtDNA）and autophagy. The latest study showed the anti-aging effect of autophagy in hematopoietic stem cells. In recent years,based on the molecular regulative mechanisms of aging,a number of the promising anti-aging drugs have been found,including nicotinamide mononucleotide（NMN）and FOXO4-DRI,a peptide of anti-aging. In addition,there are many new discoveries in the field of plant extracts,in which,the extracts from Chinese herbal medicine（CHM）,some single CHMs and the classical prescriptions of CHM,represented by curcumin and resveratrol,have the partial anti-aging effects by regulating the molecular mechanisms of aging both in vivo and in vitro. In brief,developing or exploring anti-aging drugs,especially the natural drugs,is one of the main development directions in the field of anti-aging research in the basis of the molecular regulative mechanisms of aging.

Expression of TK1 in benign and malignant tumors / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective To investigate the expression of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) in benign and malignant tumors.Methods From Jan.2013 to May.2015,180 female patients with breast diseases aging 16 to 79 years,including 112 cases of breast cancer (breast cancer group),and 68 cases of breast fibroadenoma (breast fibroadenoma group) were collected.The mean age of the patients was 47 years,with a median age of 43 years.We collected all the patients' fasting venous blood,detected the level of TK1,compared their differences of expression levels between patients with fibroadenoma and breast cancer,and the differences in serum TK1 levels in patients with different pathological characteristics.Results The level of TK1 in breast cancer patients was significantly higher than that in patients with fibroadenoma,and the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.01).In breast cancer group,the tumor size was not correlated with TK1 expression of (P＞0.05).The level of serum TK1 in patients with advanced TNM stage was higher than that in patients with early TNM stage (P=0.038).The level of serum TK1 in patients with advanced lymph node stage was higher than that in early lymph node stage (P=0.048).The level of TK1 in M1 patients was higher than that in M0 patients and the difference had statistical significance (P=0.018).Conclusion TK1,as a new marker of cell proliferation index,can accurately reflect the proliferation of tumor cells in human body,which can be used as an important index to monitor the degree of tumor proliferation and identify benign and malignant tumors.

Clinicopathologic and prognosis features of Claudin-low breast cancers / 中华病理学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the clinicopathologic and prognostic features of Claudin-low breast cancers (CLBC).@*Methods@#Tissue microarray sections were scored semiquantitatively for the immunohistochemical expression of claudin-1, -3, -4, -7 and -8 in 233 cases of invasive breast cancers collected from Qingdao Central Hospital from January 2010 to December 2011.@*Results@#The expression rate of Claudin-3 (72/212, 33.9%) and -4 (56/212, 45.2%) was most similar, and Claudin-4 showed the highest expression. Twenty one cases (21/212, 9.0%) were diagnosed as CLBC, with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounted for the highest proportion (11/21, 52.4%). Among the CLBC cases, the invasive carcinoma no special type (66.7%, 14/21) and metaplastic carcinoma (14.3%, 3/21) were mostly seen, while metaplastic squamous carcinoma did not show Claudin-low pattern. Compared to the non CLBC in this cohort, CLBC had higher proportion of histologic grade 3 and tumors larger than 2 cm, and the proportions were slightly lower than TNBC. Patients with CLBC had lower 5 year disease-free(P>0.05) and overall survival rates(P=0.018).@*Conclusion@#CLBC shows distinct clinicopathologic and prognostic features comparing to other subtypes, and is associated with poor prognosis.

ROCK inhibition with fasudil promotes early functional recovery of spinal cord injury in rats by enhancing microglia phagocytosis / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Emerging evidence indicates that microglia activation plays an important role in spinal cord injury (SCI) caused by trauma. Studies have found that inhibiting the Rho/Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway can reduce inflammatory cytokine production by microglia. In this study, Western blotting was conducted to detect ROCK2 expression after the SCI; the ROCK Activity Assay kit was used for assay of ROCK pathway activity; microglia morphology was examined using the CD11b antibody; electron microscopy was used to detect microglia phagocytosis; TUNEL was used to detect tissue cell apoptosis; myelin staining was performed using an antibody against myelin basic protein (MBP); behavioral outcomes were evaluated according to the methods of Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB). We observed an increase in ROCK activity and microglial activation after SCI. The microglia became larger and rounder and contained myelin-like substances. Furthermore, treatment with fasudil inhibited neuronal cells apoptosis, alleviated demyelination and the formation of cavities, and improved motor recovery. The experimental evidence reveals that the ROCK inhibitor fasudil can regulate microglial activation, promote cell phagocytosis, and improve the SCI microenvironment to promote SCI repair. Thus, fasudil may be useful for the treatment of SCI.

ROCK inhibition with fasudil promotes early functional recovery of spinal cord injury in rats by enhancing microglia phagocytosis / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Emerging evidence indicates that microglia activation plays an important role in spinal cord injury (SCI) caused by trauma. Studies have found that inhibiting the Rho/Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway can reduce inflammatory cytokine production by microglia. In this study, Western blotting was conducted to detect ROCK2 expression after the SCI; the ROCK Activity Assay kit was used for assay of ROCK pathway activity; microglia morphology was examined using the CD11b antibody; electron microscopy was used to detect microglia phagocytosis; TUNEL was used to detect tissue cell apoptosis; myelin staining was performed using an antibody against myelin basic protein (MBP); behavioral outcomes were evaluated according to the methods of Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB). We observed an increase in ROCK activity and microglial activation after SCI. The microglia became larger and rounder and contained myelin-like substances. Furthermore, treatment with fasudil inhibited neuronal cells apoptosis, alleviated demyelination and the formation of cavities, and improved motor recovery. The experimental evidence reveals that the ROCK inhibitor fasudil can regulate microglial activation, promote cell phagocytosis, and improve the SCI microenvironment to promote SCI repair. Thus, fasudil may be useful for the treatment of SCI.