Lipid-lowering effect of drug pair Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma based on lipomics / 中国中药杂志

This study investigated the mechanism of action of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma(SR-CR) in intervening in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) in rats based on lipidomics. Thirty-six SD rats were divided into a control group, a model group, SR-CR groups of different doses, and a simvastatin group, with six rats in each group. Rats in the control group were fed on a normal diet, while those in the remaining groups were fed on a high-lipid diet. After four weeks of feeding, drug treatment was carried out and rats were sacrificed after 12 weeks. Serum liver function and lipid indexes were detected using kits, and the pathomorphology of liver tissues was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and oil red O staining. Changes in lipid levels in rats were detected using the LC-MS technique. Differential lipid metabolites were screened by multivariate statistical analysis, and lipid metabolic pathways were plotted. The changes in lipid-related protein levels were further verified by Western blot. The results showed that compared with the control group, the model group showed increased levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c)(P<0.01), and decreased levels of γ-glutamyl transferase(γ-GT) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-c)(P<0.01), which were significantly recovered by the intervention of SR-CR. HE staining and oil red O staining showed that different doses of SR-CR could reverse the steatosis in the rat liver in a dose-dependent manner. After lipidomics analysis, there were significant differences in lipid metabolism between the model group and the control group, with 54 lipids significantly altered, mainly including glycerolipids, phosphatidylcholine, and sphingolipids. After administration, 44 differential lipids tended to normal levels, which indicated that SR-CR groups of different doses significantly improved the lipid metabolism level in NAFLD rats. Western blot showed that SR-CR significantly decreased TG-synthesis enzyme 1(DGAT1), recombinant lipin 1(LPIN1), fatty acid synthase(FASN), acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1(ACC1), and increased the phosphorylation level of ACC1. These changes significantly decreased the synthesis of TG and increased the rate of its decomposition, which enhanced the level of lipid metabolism in the body and finally achieved the lipid-lowering effect. SR-CR can improve NAFLD by inhibiting the synthesis of fatty acids and TG.

Selection and Validation of Appropriate Reference Genes of Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum cassia var. macrophyllum / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To screen out stable internal reference genes suitable for real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） analysis of different parts of<italic> Cinnamomum cassia</italic> and <italic>C. cassia</italic> var. <italic>macrophyllum</italic>，in order to provide stable internal reference genes for gene expression analysis of three different parts of and <italic>C. cassia</italic> var.<italic> macrophyllum</italic> branches and leaves. Method:With 6 different tissues and organs， such as bark，branches and leaves of two plants of <italic>C. cassia</italic> and <italic>C. cassia</italic> var. <italic>macrophyllum</italic> as experimental materials，Real-time PCR technology was used to detect the five internal reference genes， namely glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase（GAPDH），actin，ubiquitin-ligase enzymes（UBE），histone and tubin（TUB）. The analysis of the expression of the data. Furthermore， three commonly used internal reference gene analysis software，namely geNorm，NormFinder and BestKeeper，was used to analyze and evaluate the stability of the candidate internal reference gene. Result:The internal five reference genes were expressed in the bark，branches and leaves of the two plants，but with differences in stability. Comprehensive analysis showed that the expression stability of candidate internal reference genes was in the order of GAPDH>actin>UBE>histone>TUB. The internal reference genes of the two plants were analyzed separately，and the optimal internal reference gene was still GAPDH，indicating that GAPDH was the most suitable internal reference gene. TUB and histone ranked low in the three software，and should be eliminated in the screening of reference genes. They were not suitable for gene expression analysis of <italic>C. cassia </italic>and <italic>C. cassia</italic> var. <italic>macrophyllum</italic>. Conclusion:The most suitable internal reference gene for different parts of cinnamon，branches，and leaves of <italic>C. cassia</italic> and <italic>C. cassia</italic> var. <italic>macrophyllum</italic> was GAPDH. In this study，a screening system for internal reference genes of Real-time PCR of <italic>C. cassia</italic> and <italic>C. cassia</italic> var. <italic>macrophyllum</italic> was established to provide theoretical basis for studying functional regulation and expression of genes during the accumulation of effective components in different parts.

Applications, roles and problems of exosomes derived from different stem cells in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Exosomes contain DNA fragments, mRNA, miRNA, functional proteins, transcription factors and other substances with biological activities. Their membrane structure also expresses a variety of antigens and antibody molecules, thus producing various biological effects. Recent studies have shown that it has similar therapeutic effects with stem cell transplantation and can be used as a substitute of stem cell transplantation in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the application of exosomes from different stem cells in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, so as to provide reference and basis for exosomes applied in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: Articles in PubMed database from 2005 to 2019 were searched using the search terms of “exosomes, cardiovascular diseases, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells.” Articles in databases of CNKI and VIP from 2014 to 2019 were retrieved with the search terms of “exosome, cardiovascular disease, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells.” The literature and references were reviewed one by one. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Exosomes derived from stem cells are safer and more effective than stem cell transplantation, and have great potential in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, the research on the function and use of exosomes is still in its infancy. In addition, low exosome content and cumbersome extraction process limit its clinical application.

Influence of bigeminy drug regimen on short-term effects, quality of life and recurrence rate in children with adenoid hypertrophy / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective@#To investigate the influence of bigeminy drug regimen on short-term clinical effects, quality of life and recurrence rate in children with adenoid hypertrophy.@*Methods@#One hundred and thirty patients with adenoid hypertrophy were chosen in the period from January 2014 to December 2016. They were randomly divided into 2 groups:control group (65 patients, nasal glucocorticoid used alone) and observation group (65 patients, montelukast sodiumon the basis of control group). The short-term clinical effect, the levels of A/N, serum inflammatory cytokine and OSA-18 score before and after treatment and recurrence rate of 2 groups were compared.@*Results@#The short-term clinical effects of control group and observation group were separately 73.85%(60/65) and 92.31% (48/65). The levels of A/N after treatment in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group and before treatment: 0.60 ± 0.07 vs. 0.74 ± 0.10, 0.94 ± 0.15 (P<0.05). The levels of IL-1β, IL-2 and IL-4 after treatment in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group and before treatment:IL-1β: (1.50 ± 0.48) ng/L vs. (2.21 ± 0.44), (3.42 ± 0.68) ng/L; IL-2: (21.80 ± 2.08) ng/L vs. (24.28 ± 2.50), (26.61 ± 3.35) ng/L; IL-4: (179.12 ± 35.91) ng/L vs. (244.70 ± 44.42), (284.07 ± 51.87) ng/L (P<0.05). The OSA-18 score after treatment in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group and before treatment (P<0.05). The recurrence rate in control group and observation group was separately 32.31%(21/65) and 15.39%(10/65). The recurrence rate in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group (P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#Bigeminy drug regimen in the treatment of children with adenoid hypertrophy can efficiently relieve the respiratory obstruction degree, reduce the levels of inflammatory response, improve the quality of daily life and be helpful to prevent long-term recurrence.

Value of MR imaging and MR angiography in the differential diagnosis of carotid space tumour / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the imaging features of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 2D time of flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) and study the value in the differential diagnosis and surgical planning for carotid space tumors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-six patients with suspected pulsatile carotid space mass were imaged by MRI and 2D TOF MRA from 1996 to 2003. Its characteristic findings were analyzed for lesion shape, margin, signal intensity, angle of common carotid bifurcation, and the relationship between the great vessels and carotid space mass.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 26 patients, 22 were verified histopathologically, including 15 carotid body tumors (1 patient had bilateral carotid body tumors), 4 carotid artery aneurysms, 3 schwannomas, and 1 metastatic carcinoma. The rest four patients had clinical pseudomasses proved by MRI and MRA as considerable dilated or tortuous carotid artery as compared with the contralateral one. Combined MRI and MRA assessment of carotid body tumors and carotid artery aneurysm yielded an accuracy of 100%. It was also revealed that the anatomy shown on the MRI and axial MRA source images was consistent with that found by surgery.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MRI in combination with MRA is considered as non-invasive imaging technique for the evaluation of carotid space tumor showing superiority to other modalities in the differential diagnosis between vascular versus non-vascular tumours. This method may take the place of traumatic carotid angiography.</p>