Efficacy of Heshouwu () on gut mircobiota in mice with autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

OBJECTIVE: To learn the mechanisms between gut microbiome and the autoimmunity benefits on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in central nervous system (CNS), we investigated the neuro-protection effects and gut mircobiota changes of Heshouwu () on experimental autoimmune encepha-lomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into four groups: EAE mice (control phosphate-buffered saline group), 50 mg·kg·d Heshouwu ()-treated EAE mice, 100 mg·kg·d Heshouwu ()-treated EAE mice, and 200 mg·kg·d Heshouwu ()-treated EAE mice. The spinal cords were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and luxol fast blue for evaluating inflammatory infiltration and demyelination. The percentages of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)+CD4+, interleukin 17 (IL-17)+CD4+, Foxp3 CD4+, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)+CD4+ T cells in the inguinal lymph nodes (LNs) and brain were determined by flow cytometry analysis. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to analyze the changes in gut microbiota. RESULTS: We found that Heshouwu () alleviated the disease severity and neuropathology of EAE as evaluated by clinical and histopathologyical scores. Heshouwu () increased the diversity and abundance of the gut microbiota, and decreased / ratio (F/B ratio). Heshouwu () also decreased the concentrations of IL-10, and IL-21 and increase the levels of GM-CSF, IL-17A, IL-17F and IL-22 in serum of EAE mice. Moreover, Heshouwu () modulated the T cell responses by inhibiting Th17 cells and restoring Treg cells in the small intestine lymphoid tissues and inguinal lymph nodes. Microbiota-depleted mice receiving Heshouwu ()-treated fecal microbiota trans-plantation had lower disease severity, neuropathology scores and alleviation of Th17/Treg imbalance compared to ad libitum group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that the vital neuro-protection role of Heshouwu () (TCM) in immunomodulation effects partly by regulations of gut microbiome.

Hemorrhagic transformation and outcomes in acute ischemic stroke: a retrospective case series study / 国际脑血管病杂志

Objective To investigate hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and outcomes in acute ischemic stroke.Methods The demographics,vascular risk factors,imaging and other clinical data in patients with acute ischemic acute were collected retrospectively and compared.Using the susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) to diagnose HT,and the patients were divided into either a HT group or a non-HT group.The modified Rankin scale was used to evaluate the clinical outcomes.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for HT and poor outcome in HT patients.Results A total of 96 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled and 34 of them had HT (35.4％).The age (66.21 ± 7.04 years vs.61.21 ±13.42 years; t =2.020,P=0.046) and infarct volume (3.88 ±2.20 cm3 vs.1.96 ± 1.37 cm3; t =5.67,P=0.001) in the HT group were significantly older or larger than those in the non-HT group.The proportions of hypertension (58.8％ vs.30.6％;x2 =7.228,P=0.007),diabetes (29.4％ vs.6.5％;x2 =9.293,P=0.002),atrial fibrillation (35.3％ vs.3.2％;x2=18.128,P=0.000),and cardiogenic cerebral embolism (35.3％ vs.3.2％ ; P =0.000) were significantly higher than those in the non-HT group,while the proportion of small arterial occlusive stroke was significantly lower than that in the non-HT group (38.2％ vs.62.9％ ;P =0.032).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio [OR] 1.168,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.059-3.412; P =0.021),infarct volume (OR 3.461,95 ％ CI 1.317-6.270; P =0.044) and atrial fibrillation (OR 1.284,95％ CI 1.117-2.903; P =0.015) were the independent risk factors for HT.In the HT patients,age (69.46 ±7.17 years vs.64.19 ±6.31 years; t =2.248,P =0.032) in the poor outcome group was significantly older than that in the good outcome group.The proportions of hypertension (84.6％ vs.42.9％ ;x2 =781,P =0.016),diabetes (50.0％ vs.14.3％ ;x2 =6.053,P =0.014),cardiogenic cerebral embolism (61.5％ vs.19.0％ ; P =0.025) and hematoma HT (76.9％ vs.19.0％ ;x2 =11.104,P =0.001) were significantly higher than those in the good outcome group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the diabetes (OR 2.151,95％ CI 1.179-3.218; P =0.023),atrial fibrillation (OR 4.136,95％ CI1.010 to 8.413; P =0.046) and hernatoma HT (OR 2.134,95％ CI 1.219-4.452; P =0.039) were the independent risk factors for the poor outcomes of HT patients at 3 months after symptom onset.Conelusions The incidence of HT in patients with acute ischemic stroke was 35.4％.Age,infarct volume and atrial fibrillation were the independent risk factors for HT,and diabetes,atrial fibrillation and hematoma HT were the independent risk factors for the poor outcomes in HT patients at 3 months after symptom onset.