Research Progress on Developmental Biology of Sarcosaprophagous Insects / 法医学杂志

Forensic entomology provides a feasible way to estimate postmortem interval (PMI), of which the growth and development of sarcosaprophagous insects is the most widely used indicator in forensic practice. Over the years, forensic entomologists have carried out a large number of studies on the development biology of sarcosaprophagous insects. This paper illustrates the main factors that affect the development of sarcosaprophagous insects, including temperature, humidity, light, food types and poisons. The development indicators of sarcosaprophagous insects were reviewed from the perspectives of morphology, differential gene expression and biochemical characteristics. It is emphasized that future research of development biology on sarcosaprophagous insects should fully absorb and integrate the methods of artificial intelligence and omics, and the research object also needs further expansion in order to establish a more objective and more accurate PMI estimation method.

Identification of Common Sarcosaprophagous Flies in the Yangtze River Delta by COⅠ Gene / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To identify the common sarcosaprophagous flies in the Yangtze River Delta based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit Ⅰ(COⅠ) gene sequence and verify the reliability of this method.@*METHODS@#Seven common genetically stable sarcosaprophagous flies in three families and six genera were collected from large domestic pig carcasses placed in the field and cultured in the laboratory for many generations. The whole genome DNA was extracted and the COⅠ gene fragment was amplified. The forward and reverse sequencing was followed by splicing. The base composition of the amplified fragment and the rate of interspecific evolutionary divergence were analyzed by software such as Mega 7.0.26. The phylogenetic tree of COⅠ gene sequence of common necrophagous flies in the Yangtze River Delta was established by neighbor joining (NJ) method and unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) method.@*RESULTS@#The average base composition of different flies was A(30.14%), T(38.23%), C(15.98%), G(15.65%). The rate of interspecific evolutionary divergence ranged from 2.2% to 15.3%, the lowest rate was between Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya pinguis, the highest rate was between Muscina stabulans and Boettcherisca peregrina.@*CONCLUSIONS@#COⅠ gene can be used to identify the common necrophagous flies in the Yangtze River Delta.

Application of Sarcosaprophagous Insects to Estimate the Postmortem Interval in 11 Cases / 法医学杂志

Objective To test the feasibility and accuracy of with sarcosaprophagous insects postmortem interval （PMI） estimation with sarcosaprophagous insects and provide references for estimation practice. Methods Eleven cases confirmed by the detection results, with complete entomological evidence were selected. The insect species, estimation results and true results involved in the cases were statistically analyzed and compared. Results Thirteen species of insects were found at the criminal scene, including Chrysomya megacephala （Fabricius）, Chrysomya rufifacies （Macquart）, Chrysomya nigripes （Aubertin）, Lucilia sericata （Meigen）, Hydrotaea spinigera Stein, Muscina stabulans （Fallén）, Sarcophagid （species were not identified）, Megaselia scalaris （Loew）, Hermetia illucens （Linnaeus）, Saprinus splendens （Paykull）, Creophilus maxillosus （Linnaeus）, Dermestes maculatus （De Geer） and Necrobia ruficollis （Fabricius）. The PMI of all eleven cases was within the range of estimated PMI. The estimated results of 72.73% cases were on the same day of the true results. Conclusion Sarcosaprophagous insects can estimate the PMI simply and conveniently. In cases where the PMI is within the time range of one generation of flies or beetles, the estimation results are relatively accurate. However, the estimation is less accurate when the PMI is beyond the time range.

Research on Medication Rules of Depression Syndrome Based on Ancient Medical Records / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To analyze and excavate the medication rules of ancient physicians in the treatment of depression syndrome, so as to provide reference for clinical treatment of depression syndrome. Method::The ancient medical records of depression syndrome sorted out in Yian Leiju were retrieved and collated, the data of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions in medical records were extracted, the obtained data of TCMs in prescriptions were standardized, and the data mining function of the ancient and modern medical records cloud platform V1.5 was adopted to carry out frequency statistics, cluster analysis, association analysis and complex network analysis of TCM data, the common drugs used by ancient physicians for treatment of depression syndrome, properties and classifications of commonly used medicines, pairs of commonly used medicines and core prescriptions were obtained. Result::After screening, a total of 364 medical cases, 461 visits and 439 prescription data of TCM were included, involving 67 ancient books. A total of 607 Chinese medicines were involved, and the total frequency of medication was 4 127.High frequency medicines included Poria (186 times), Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (115 times), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (113 times), Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (101 times), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (98 times), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (94 times), etc. The main properties and flavors of commonly used Chinese medicines were warm, flat, bitter and acrid, which were mainly attributed to the four meridians of spleen, lung, heart and liver. Commonly used couplet medicines were Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma-Poria, Poria-Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Poria-Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma-Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Poria, etc. The core prescription was based on the addition and subtraction of Danzhi Xiaoyaosan. Conclusion::In the treatment of depression syndrome, ancient physicians adopt the principles of invigorating the spleen, nourishing Qi and blood, soothing the liver and regulating Qi, nourishing the heart and tranquilizing the mind, giving consideration to both Qi and blood, and harmonizing the liver, spleen and heart.

A transcriptomic study on cerebral ischemia rat model / 国际药学研究杂志

Objective: To study the differences in gene expression between cerebral ischemia rats and normal rats. Methods: Sixteen male rats were randomly divided into normal group and model group. Rat left cerebral ischemic model was prepared by thread embolism, and RNA-seq sequencing was performed. Results: There were 530 differential genes between the two groups, including 37 significant difference genes and 98 extremely significant difference genes. After gene ontology(GO)analysis, it was found that the biological processes and the molecular functions of some related genes showed an upward trend. In the genes associated with cellular components, there were both a significant up-regula- tion trend and a significant down-regulation trend;the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway anal- ysis revealed that the genes related to P53 signaling pathway were significantly down-regulated, while the genes related to steroid hormone biosynthetic pathways were significantly up-regulated. Conclusion: The formation of cerebral ischemia was likely to be closely related to the apoptosis and postsynaptic density, and the down-regulation of P53 signal pathway and up-regulation of steroid hormone biosynthesis pathway could affect the formation of cerebral ischemia.

Effects of recasting in vacuum with argon on the chemical composition of ceramic alloys / 华西口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This study aimed to determine the effect of recasting in vacuum with argon on the chemical composition of cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr), commercially pure titanium (cpTi), palladium-based (Pd-based), and aurum-platinum (Au-
Pt) ceramic alloys.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Without adding new alloys, Co-Cr, cpTi, Pd-based, and Au-Pt ceramic alloys were recast one to three times under the condition of vacuum compressive casting with argon. Before recasting, four previously cast ceramic alloys were treated with the corresponding method. After polishing, the chemical composition of the four ceramic alloys recasted one to three times were determined by energy-dispersive spectrometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No significant difference was observed in the chemical composition of the four ceramic alloys recast 1-3 times (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Under the condition of vacuum with argon, the recasting had no obvious influence on the chemical composition of Co-Cr, cpTi, Pd-based, and Au-Pt ceramic alloys.</p>

Role of long noncoding RNA MALAT1 promotes the occurrence and progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of long noncoding RNA MALAT1 in the occurrence and progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-five tissue samples of CSCC and 10 normal epidermal tissues were collected for examination of the expression of MALAT1 using q-PCR and in situ hybridization. Human CSCC A431 cells were transfected with small interfering RNAs (siNC, siMALAT1-1, and siMALAT1-2) using Lipofectamine2000 to knock down MALAT1 gene, and the changes in the cell migration, invasion, mobility and proliferation were analyzed using Transwell assay, wound healing assay, and CCK-8 assay; the changes in the expressions of the related factors of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), including E-cadherin, vimentin, and β-catenin, were detected using qRT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with normal tissues, CSCC tissues of different grades of differentiation all showed significantly increased expression of MALAT1 (P<0.001). In A431 cells, MALAT1 knockdown with siRNAs resulted in significantly lowered cell proliferation (P<0.001), migration (P<0.01), invasion (P<0.01), and mobility (P<0.01). Knocking down MALAT1 gene also caused significantly increased expressions of E-cadherin and β-catenin (P<0.01) and lowered the expression of vimentin (P<0.01) in A431 cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The long noncoding RNA MALAT1 promotes the occurrence and progression of CSCC and can potentially serve as a therapeutic target in treatment of CSCC.</p>

Clinical research on fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion for postherpetic neuralgia / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare efficacy differences between fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion and gabapentin combined with sham acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred cases of PHN were randomly divided into a needle group and a medicine group, 50 cases in each one. In the needle group, pricking method of fire filiform needle was given at the Ashi points, and then mild moxibustion was applied for 15 min. In the medicine group, the oral administration of gabapentin capsule and sham acupuncture at non-acupoints in the distal end of lesions were applied. The treatment was required for 21 days in both groups. The visual analogue score (VAS) was recorded before treatment and on the 1st day, 2nd day, 3rd day, 6th day, 9th day and 12th day of treatment. The most severity of pain within last 24 h, preset severity of pain, immediate analgesia effect and starting time of pain relief were observed, also the efficacy was assessed and improvement of symptoms was observed in the follow-up visit.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate was 94.0% (47/50) in the fire filiform needle group, which was superior to 86.0% (43/50) in the medicine group (P < 0.05). Compared with medicine group, the VAS of the most severity of pain within last 24 h was obviously reduced after the 2nd treatment in the fire filiform needle group while that of present severity of pain was relieved after the 1st treatment (both P < 0.05). The immediate analgesia effect in the fire filiform needle group was obviously superior to that in the medicine group in the first three times of treatment (all P < 0.05). The average time of pain relief was (3.91 +/- 0.82) days in the fire filiform needle group, which was significantly earlier to (6.53 +/- 1.13) days in the medicine group (P < 0.05). 26 cases were cured in the fire filiform needle group in the follow-up visit, which was superior to 2 cases in the medicine group (P < 0.05). The improvement of VAS, pain range and sleep quality in the needle group were also superior to those in the medicine group (all P < 0.05). The direct medical cost in the fire filiform needle group was (232.32 +/- 48.108) yuan, which was significantly lower than (466.00 +/- 41.09) yuan in the medicine group (P < 0.05). There was only one case of adverse effect in the medicine group during the treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion could obviously relieve the pain in PHN patients, which has superior immediate analgesia effect and pain relieving time compared with gabapentin, which also has less adverse effects and cheap cost.</p>

Emdogain regulates the expression of bone sialoprotein gene in human dental pulp cells / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the effects of emdogain(EMD) on the expression of the bone sialoprotein(BSP) gene in human dental pulp cells and to elucidate the molecular mechanism of BSP gene regulated by EMD.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human dental pulp was harvested from premolars freshly extracted for orthodontic purpose and cultured. Cells were divided into different concentrations (25, 50, 100 and 250 mg/L) of EMD and control groups (Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium). Total RNA of cells was extracted. Human BSP mRNA levels was detected with the real-time PCR. Regulations of EMD on human BSP protein levels were detected with Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the real-time PCR, at the same time point, there were significant differences on BSP mRNA levels between 25, 50, 100 and 250 mg/L EMD groups (7 d:1.79 ± 0.03, 2.03 ± 0.10, 2.67 ± 0.08, 2.94 ± 0.07) and control group (7 d:1.06 ± 0.11) (P < 0.001); at the different time point (1, 3, 5 and 7 d), the same dose(250 mg/L) of EMD stimulated human dental pulp cells, BSP mRNA (2.30 ± 0.06, 2.65 ± 0.05, 2.76 ± 0.05, 2.94 ± 0.07) was increased (P < 0.05). Treatment of human dental pulp cells with EMD (250 mg/L) increased the protein levels.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>EMD increases BSP mRNA and protein levels in human dental pulp cells.</p>

Influence of glucose concentration on the inhibition of Streptococcus oligofermentans on Streptococcus mutans / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the inhibition of Streptococcus oligofermentans (So) on Streptococcus mutans (Sm) and the producibility of hydrogen peroxide by So under the influence of glucose concentration environment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The inhibition between So and Sm was observed by plating method under the different glucose concentration environment. The initial synthesis rates and production of hydrogen peroxide by So were determined under the different glucose concentration environment by 4-aminoantipyine-horseradish peroxidase method at A(510).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Under 0, 10 and 50 mmol/L glucose environment, the inhibition of So on Sm was evident. When both Sm and So were inoculated at the same time, the ratio of inhibition area by bacterial membrane area was 0.202 ± 0.005, 0.467 ± 0.025, 0.468 ± 0.028 under 0, 10, 50 mmol/L glucose environment. When So was cultivated first and then Sm applied, the ratio was 0.394 ± 0.004, 0.811 ± 0.075 and 0.816 ± 0.007 under 0, 10 and 50 mmol/L glucose environment respectively. The inhibition under 10 and 50 mmol/L glucose environment were more significant than that under non-glucose environment. There was no significant difference between these two glucose concentrations (P > 0.05). The initial synthesis rates of H2O2 by So under the 10 mmol/L [(23.573 ± 0.263) µmo×L(-1)×min(-1)] and 50 mmol/L [(23.337 ± 0.473) µmol×L(-1)×min(-1)] glucose were higher than without glucose[(10.513 ± 0.516) µmol×L(-1)×min(-1)], P < 0.05. H2O2 was not detected in 1000 mmol/L glucose. However, the production of H2O2 by So under 0 mmol/L glucose was higher than other glucose concentrations (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The capability of the inhibition of So on Sm was affected by glucose environment and was much stronger under certain glucose concentrations (10, 50 mmol/L).</p>

Patterns of herbal combination for the treatment of insomnia commonly employed by highly experienced Chinese medicine physicians / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the most effective herbal combinations commonly used by highly experienced Chinese medicine (CM) physicians for the treatment of insomnia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We collected and analyzed data related to insomnia treatment from the clinics of 7 highly experienced CM physicians in Beijing. The sample included 162 patients and 460 consultations in total. Patient outcomes, such as sleep quality and sleep time per day, were manually collected from the medical records by trained CM clinicians. Three data mining methods, support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression and decision tree, and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR), were used to determine and confirm the herbal combinations that resulted in positive outcomes in patients suffering from insomnia.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Results show that MDR is the most efficient method to predict the effective herbal combinations. Using the MDR model, we identified several combinations of herbs with 100% positive outcomes, such as stir-fried spine date seed, Szechwan lovage rhizome, and prepared thinleaf milkwort root; white peony root, golden thread, and stir-fried spine date seed; and Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit with fresh rehmannia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Results indicate that herbal combinations are effective treatments for patients with insomnia compared with individual herbs. It is also shown that MDR is a potent data mining method to identify the herbal combination with high rates of positive outcome.</p>

Study of the mechanical properties of Co-Cr ceramic alloy after recasts / 华西口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the mechanical properties of Co-Cr ceramic alloy after recasts.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Co-Cr ceramic alloy cast samples were prepared and recast for 3 times without adding any new Co-Cr ceramic alloy. The tensile strength, 0.2% yield strength, percentage of elongation, flexural strength, flexural modulus and Vickers hardness of each specimen were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Being cast for different times, the Co-Cr ceramic alloy showed no significant differences on their tensile strength, 0.2% yield strength, percentage of elongation, flexural strength, flexural modulus and Vickers hardness.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Co-Cr ceramic alloy can be recast for 3 times at least, without decrease of the mechanical properties.</p>

The influence of oxygen on the inhibition between Streptococcus oligofermentans and Streptococcus mutans / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of environmental oxygen on the inhibition between Streptococcus oligofermentans (So) and Streptococcus mutans (Sm) and the producibilities of hydrogen peroxide by So.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The aerobic and anaerobic environment was established by the carbon dioxide cultivation. The inhibition between So and Sm was observed by plating method. The production and synthesis rates of hydrogen peroxide by So were determined in both aerobic and anaerobic environment by 4-ATTP-horseradish peroxidase method at A(510).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>When both Sm and So were inoculated at the same time, Sm was not inhibited under the anaerobic environment, vice versa. Sm was slightly inhibited by So under the aerobic environment, the inhibition area was 1/5 of all bacterial membrane. When So was cultivated first and then Sm applied, So could inhibite Sm growth under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The inhibition area was 1/5 of bacterial membrane under the anaerobic environment, and 4/5 under the aerobic environment. When Sm was cultivated first and then So applied, So was unable to proliferate under both conditions. During the logarithmic phase, the production of H2O2 by So under the aerobic environment was higher than under the anaerobic environment (P < 0.05). The initial synthesis rate of H2O2 by So during growth cycle under the anaerobic condition was (11.84 ± 3.97) µmol/L per minute, which was only 49% of that under the aerobic environment [(24.13 ± 4.46) µmol/L per minute].</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The oxygen has the effect on the inhibition between So and Sm, and the inhibition in the aerobic environment is much stronger than in the anaerobic environment. The synthesis ability of hydrogen peroxide by So under the aerobic environment is higher than under the anaerobic environment.</p>

Drugs and the mechanism for reversing the tolerance of flurazepan in rats / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Benzodiazepines (BDZ) have many effects on various kinds of epilepsies, but long-term treatment with BDZ often leads to drug tolerance. This study aimed to seek drugs which can reverse the tolerance of flurazepam (FZP), and to explore the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the reversal effect.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A rat model of anticonvulsant tolerance to FZP was prepared. The rats with FZP tolerance were randomly assigned to seven groups: FZP-tolerance, and nifedipine, levetiracetam, topiramate, flumazenil, L-NAME and pyridoxamine treatment groups. The tolerance to FZP was evaluated through pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) infusion into a tail vein. The latency to onset of clonic seizure and the PTZ threshold were recorded. The mRNA of NPY receptor Y2 in the hippocampus was determined by RT-PCR, and the distribution of NPY in the hippocampus was examined by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In comparison with the blank control group, the average latency to the onset of clonic seizure was shortened, the average PTZ threshold decreased and the expression of NYT and NPY receptor Y2 mRNA decreased significantly in the FZP-tolerance group (p<0.01). In comparison with the FZP-tolerance group, the average latency to onset of clonic seizure was prolonged by 2 times and the average PTZ threshold doubled in the topiramate treatment group. The average latency to onset of clonic seizure was prolonged by 1 time and the average PTZ threshold increased 1 time in the nifedipine, the levetiracetam and the flumazenil treatment groups. The mRNA expression of NPY receptor Y2 increased by 1 or 2 times in the flumazenil, the nifedipine and the topiramate treatment groups when compared with the FZP-tolerance group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Nifedipine, levetiracetam, topiramate and flumazenil can reverse the anticonvulsant tolerance to flurazepam. NPY may play a role in mediating the reversal effect.</p>

Summary of professor Tian Cong-huo's commonly-used acupoint prescriptions / 中国针灸

Clinically, professor TIAN Cong-huo pays attention to treatment based on syndrome differentiation, with acupoint selection based on syndrome differentiation. In this present paper, clinically commonly-used 19 acupoint prescriptions, and relatively fixed indication ranges, manipulation methods, modified acupoint prescriptions, and professor TIAN's experience in application of these acupoints are summarized and introduced.