Emerging role of protein modification in inflammatory bowel disease / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

The onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) involves many factors, including environmental parameters, microorganisms, and the immune system. Although research on IBD continues to expand, the specific pathogenesis mechanism is still unclear. Protein modification refers to chemical modification after protein biosynthesis, also known as post-translational modification (PTM), which causes changes in the properties and functions of proteins. Since proteins can be modified in different ways, such as acetylation, methylation, and phosphorylation, the functions of proteins in different modified states will also be different. Transitions between different states of protein or changes in modification sites can regulate protein properties and functions. Such modifications like neddylation, sumoylation, glycosylation, and acetylation can activate or inhibit various signaling pathways (e.g., nuclear factor-‍κB (NF-‍κB), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and protein kinase B (AKT)) by changing the intestinal flora, regulating immune cells, modulating the release of cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-‍‍1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF‍-‍α), and interferon-‍γ (IFN-‍γ), and ultimately leading to the maintenance of the stability of the intestinal epithelial barrier. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of PTM and describe its regulatory role in the pathogenesis of IBD.

Increased circulating level of interleukin-6 and CD8+ T cell exhaustion are associated with progression of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is pandemic. It is critical to identify COVID-19 patients who are most likely to develop a severe disease. This study was designed to determine the clinical and epidemiological features of COVID-19 patients associated with the development of pneumonia and factors associated with disease progression. METHODS: Seventy consecutive patients with etiologically confirmed COVID-19 admitted to PLA General Hospital in Beijing, China from December 27, 2019 to March 12, 2020 were enrolled in this study and followed-up to March 16, 2020. Differences in clinical and laboratory findings between COVID-19 patients with pneumonia and those without were determined by the χ2 test or the Fisher exact test (categorical variables) and independent group t test or Mann-Whitney U test (continuous variables). The Cox proportional hazard model and Generalized Estimating Equations were applied to evaluate factors that predicted the progression of COVID-19. RESULTS: The mean incubation was 8.67 (95% confidence interval, 6.78-10.56) days. Mean duration from the first test severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-positive to conversion was 11.38 (9.86-12.90) days. Compared to pneumonia-free patients, pneumonia patients were 16.5 years older and had higher frequencies of having hypertension, fever, and cough and higher circulating levels of neutrophil proportion, interleukin-6, low count (< 190/µl) of CD8+ T cells, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. Thirteen patients deteriorated during hospitalization. Cox regression analysis indicated that older age and higher serum levels of interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and lactate at admission significantly predicted the progression of COVID-19. During hospitalization, circulating counts of T lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells were lower, whereas neutrophil proportion, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and the circulating levels of interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin were higher, in pneumonia patients than in pneumonia-free patients. CD8+ lymphocyte count in pneumonia patients did not recover when discharged. CONCLUSIONS: Older age and higher levels of C-reactive protein, procalcitionin, interleukin-6, and lactate might predict COVID-19 progression. T lymphocyte, especially CD8+ cell-mediated immunity is critical in recovery of COVID-19. This study may help in predicting disease progression and designing immunotherapy for COVID-19.

Effect of Polyphyllin Ⅰ on Transcriptional Factor FOXQ1 and Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition in Colorectal Cancer Cell HCT116 / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of polyphyllin Ⅰ on the expressions of forkhead box Q1（FOXQ1）and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related factors, in order to explore the possible mechanism of polyphyllin Ⅰ in inhibiting the metastasis of colon cancer. Method:After the treatment with 1.25，2.50 μmol·L-1 polyphyllin Ⅰ on HCT116 cells, Western blot and Real-time PCR were used to detect the expressions of FOXQ1，E-cadherin，Vimentin protein and mRNA. Result:Compared with the blank group, relative expressions of FOXQ1 protein and mRNA in low-concentration polyphyllin Ⅰ group were decreased, while relative expression of E-cadherin mRNA was increased, the differences were not statistically significant, and relative expressions of Vimentin protein and mRNA in low-concentration polyphyllin Ⅰ group were decreased (P<0.05)， and relative expression of E-cadherin protein in low-concentration polyphyllin Ⅰ group was increased (P<0.01). Compared with the blank group, relative expressions of FOXQ1, Vimentin protein and mRNA in high-concentration polyphyllin Ⅰ group were decreased，while relative expressions of E-cadherin protein and mRNA were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with low-concentration polyphyllin Ⅰ group, relative expressions of Vimentin protein and mRNA in high-concentration polyphyllin Ⅰ group were decreased, but the difference was not statistically significant, relative expressions of E-cadherin protein and mRNA in high-concentration polyphyllin Ⅰ group were increased, whereas relative expressions of FOXQ1 protein and mRNA were decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion:Mechanism of polyphyllin Ⅰ inhibiting the metastasis of colon cancer may be related to the decrease of FOXQ1 and Vimentin expressions, and the up-regulation of E-cadherin.

Effect of Jianpi Xiaoai Prescription on Activation of HFL1 into CAFs Induced by Exosomes in Colon Cancer / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of Jianpi Xiaoai prescription on the activation of normal human embryonic lung fibroblasts （HFL1） into tumor-associated fibroblasts （CAFs） induced by human colon cancer cells （HCT116） derived exosomes. Method:SD rats were gavaged with 13.1 g·kg-1 of Jianpi Xiaoai prescription to prepare drug-containing serum， and HCT116 cell exosomes-containing 10% exosomes-free serum and 20% Jianpi Xiaoai prescription drug serum were isolated by ultra-high speed centrifugation. The particle size distribution of exosomes were detected by Nanoparticle tracking analyzer （Zetaview）， and the exosomes' marker proteins apoptotic transfer gene 2 interaction protein X （Alix）， heat shock protein 70 （HSP70）， and tumor-susceptibility gene 101 （TSG101） were identified by Western blot， and the uptake of exosomes labeled with cell membrane staining kit （PKH67） by HFL1 was observed by fluorescence microscope. HFL1 cells were divided into six groups： the blank group， the transforming growth factor-β1 （TGF-β1） group， the TGF-β1 combined with HCT116 exosomes of 2 mg·L-1 group， the TGF-β1 combined with HCT116 exosomes of 4 mg·L-1 group， the TGF-β1 combined with Jianpi Xiaoai prescription exosomes of 2 mg·L-1 group， and the TGF-β1 combined with Jianpi Xiaoai prescription exosomes of 4 mg·L-1 group， and all groups were cultivated for 48 h. Western blot and Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to determine the protein and mRNA expressions of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）. Result:The particle size distribution detected by Zetaview was mainly between 50-100 nm， and the exosomes were verified based on the expressions of marker proteins Alix， HSP70 and TSG101. After co-incubation of HFL1 cells with exosomes， a large number of exosomes were absorbed by HFL1 cells under fluorescence microscope. Compared with the blank control group， the protein and mRNA expressions of α-SMA in the TGF-β1 group and TGF-β1 combined with HCT116 exosome groups were increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the TGF-β1 combined with HCT116 exosome groups， the protein and mRNA expressions of α-SMA were decreased in the TGF-β1 combined with Jianpi Xiaoai prescription exosome groups （P<0.01）. Conclusion:Human colon cancer cell exosomes combined with TGF-β1 can induce the activation of HFL1 into CAFs， and Jianpi Xiaoai prescription can reduce the activation of HFL1 by affecting the expressions of α-SMA， thus antagonizing the lung metastasis of colon cancer.

CT and MRI Imaging Findings of Gallbladder Neuroendocrine Tumor / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

@#【Objective】 To summarize the CT and MRI imaging features of gallbladder neuroendocrine tumor.【Methods】 CT and MRI data of 10 patients with gallbladder neuroendocrine tumors proven by surgical pathology between January 2010 and May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them，6 patients underwent CT examination，3 underwent MRI examination，and 1 patient underwent both CT and MRI examinations. The size，morphologic features and contrast enhancement pattern of gallbladder tumors，and the presence of liver metastasis，bile duct and perihepatic metastasis，lymph node metastasis，and the presence of gallbladder stone were assessed.【Results】Among these 10 cases of gallbladder neuroendocrine tumor，the largest dimension of tumors ranged from 39 mm to 120 mm. The tumors manifest? ed as a mass protruding into the lumen with a broad base adhering to the wall of the gallbladder. In 7 patients who had undergone CT examination，the tumors manifested as an irregular mass with soft tissue density on CT. In 4 patients who had undergone MRI，the tumors showed homogeneous iso-intense signal on T1-weightedimaging，heterogenous hyper-intense signal on T2- weighted imaging，and limited diffusion on diffusion- weighted imaging. All tumors in 10 patients showed moderate，heterogeneous and persistent enhancement. Eight patients had liver metastasis，among whom 7 had metastases in liver segments 4 and 5，and 1 had multiple metastases in other liver segments. Six patients had bile duct invasion and 3 had hilar fat invasion. Seven patients had lymph node metastasis. One patient had gallstone.【Conclusion】Gallbladder neuroendocrine tumor has certain characteristic CT and MRI findings，such as a large mass in gallbladder，which tends to invade adjacent liver parenchyma，and extend along gallbladder neck and gallbladder ducts，accompanied with hepatic portal and retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis，and hilar fat invasion.

Significance of Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 8 Expression in Predicting Survival in Breast Cancer / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Vesicle-associated membrane protein 8 (VAMP8) is a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor receptor protein that participates in autophagy by directly regulating autophagosome membrane fusion and has been reported to be involved in tumor progression. Nevertheless, the expression and prognostic value of VAMP8 in breast cancer (BC) remain unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance and biological function of VAMP8 in BC. METHODS: A total of 112 BC samples and 30 normal mammary gland samples were collected. The expression of VAMP8 was assessed in both BC tissues and normal mammary gland tissues via a two-step immunohistochemical detection method. RESULTS: The expression of VAMP8 in BC tissues was significantly higher than that in normal breast tissues. Furthermore, increased VAMP8 expression was significantly correlated with tumor size (p=0.007), lymph node metastasis (p=0.024) and recurrence (p=0.001). Patients with high VAMP8 expression had significantly lower cumulative recurrence-free survival and overall survival (p < 0.001 for both) than patients with low VAMP8 expression. In multivariate logistic regression and Cox regression analyses, lymph node metastasis and VAMP8 expression were independent prognostic factors for BC. CONCLUSION: VAMP8 is significantly upregulated in human BC tissues and can thus be a practical and potentially effective surrogate marker for survival in BC patients.

Establishment of a Quantitative Medical Technology Evaluation System and Indicators within Medical Institutions / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background</b>The development and application of medical technologies reflect the medical quality and clinical capacity of a hospital. It is also an effective approach in upgrading medical service and core competitiveness among medical institutions. This study aimed to build a quantitative medical technology evaluation system through questionnaire survey within medical institutions to perform an assessment to medical technologies more objectively and accurately, and promote the management of medical quality technologies and ensure the medical safety of various operations among the hospitals.</p><p><b>Methods</b>A two-leveled quantitative medical technology evaluation system was built through a two-round questionnaire survey of chosen experts. The Delphi method was applied in identifying the structure of evaluation system and indicators. The judgment of the experts on the indicators was adopted in building the matrix so that the weight coefficient and maximum eigenvalue (λ max), consistency index (CI), and random consistency ratio (CR) could be obtained and collected. The results were verified through consistency tests, and the index weight coefficient of each indicator was conducted and calculated through analytical hierarchy process.</p><p><b>Results</b>Twenty-six experts of different medical fields were involved in the questionnaire survey, 25 of whom successfully responded to the two-round research. Altogether, 4 primary indicators (safety, effectiveness, innovativeness, and benefits), as well as 13 secondary indicators, were included in the evaluation system. The matrix is built to conduct the λ max, CI, and CR of each expert in the survey, and the index weight coefficients of primary indicators were 0.33, 0.28, 0.27, and 0.12, respectively, and the index weight coefficients of secondary indicators were conducted and calculated accordingly.</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>As the two-round questionnaire survey of experts and statistical analysis were performed and credibility of the results was verified through consistency evaluation test, the study established a quantitative medical technology evaluation system model and assessment indicators within medical institutions based on the Delphi method and analytical hierarchy process. Moreover, further verifications, adjustments, and optimizations of the system and indicators will be performed in follow-up studies.</p>

An Analysis of Biochemical Characteristics of Liver Injury In Duced by Statins / 昆明医科大学学报

Objectives To provide theoretical basis for the clinical rational using of drugs, biochemical characteristics of the liver injuries induced by the atorvastatin, simvastatin and lovastatin were analyzed and compared by replicating the rats model of liver injuries induced by statins, Methods 80 SPF SD rats (8 weeks of age), half male and half female, were divided into four groups randomly: control group, simvastatin group, lovastatin group, atorvastatin group. Human equivalent doses were administered to the latter three groups of rats which were sacrificed to draw blood on the 10 th, 35 th and 55 th day respectively (via the femoral artery) for testing liver function index, including total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), indirect bilirubin (IBIL), aspartateaminotransferase (AST), alanineaminotransferase (ALT), alkalinephosphatase (ALP). Results (1) The increases in TBIL, DBIL, IBIL for treatment group in comparison with control group had statistical significance (P＜0.01).2) At the 55 th day of administration, there was a significant statistical difference between the simvastatin group and the lovastatin group in AST (P＜0.05);3) Meanwhile, there was great statistical difference between the atorvastatin group and lovastatin group in ALP (P＜0.01). Conclusion The rats in the three experimental groups suffered from minor to moderate liver injuries, most of which being cholestasis type. It is speculated that this kind of liver injuries are closely related to the obstacle of transfering bile.

Effects of Jianpi Xiaoai Prescription on Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition of Colorectal Cancer Cell SW620 Induced by TGF-β1 / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe the effects of Jianpi Xiaoai Prescription on epithelial-mesenchymal transition of colorectal cancer cell SW620 induced by TGF-β1; To discuss its possible mechanism of action for prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. Methods Colorectal cancer cells SW620 were cultured in vitro. By conducting CCK-8 and Transwell experiments, the proliferation, invasion and migration of colorectal cancer cell (SW620) were detected. qRT-PCR and Western blot experiments were applied to verify the mRNA and protein expression level of E-cadherin and Vimentin. Results Jianpi Xiaoai Prescription showed in vitro inhibitory effect on the proliferation, invasion and migration of colorectal cancer cell SW620. Compared with blank group, the expression of E-cadherin in TGF-β1 induced group was reduced and Vimentin was increased (P<0.05); Meanwhile, the expression of E-cadherin in Jianpi Xiaoai Prescription group was increased and Vimentin was decreased when compared with TGF-β1 induced group (P<0.05). Conclusion Jianpi Xiaoai Prescription can inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of colorectal cancer cell by reverting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of colorectal cancer cell induced by TGF-β1, with a purpose to achieve the goal of preventing and treating the recurring and migration of colorectal cancer.

Cost Analysis of Cervical Cancer Patients with Different Medical Payment Modes Based on Gamma Model within a Grade A Tertiary Hospital / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background</b>Cervical cancer shows a growing incidence and medical cost in recent years that has increased severe financial pressure on patients and medical insurance institutions. This study aimed to investigate the medical economic characteristics of cervical cancer patients with different payment modes within a Grade A tertiary hospital to provide evidence and suggestions for inpatient cost control and to verify the application of Gamma model in medical cost analysis.</p><p><b>Methods</b>The basic and cost information of cervical cancer cases within a Grade A tertiary hospital in the year 2011-2016 were collected. The Gamma model was adopted to analyze the differences in each cost item between medical insured patient and uninsured patients. Meanwhile, the marginal means of different cost items were calculated to estimate the influence of payment modes toward different medical cost items among cervical cancer patients in the study.</p><p><b>Results:</b>A total of 1321 inpatients with cervical cancer between the 2011 and 2016 were collected through the medical records system. Of the 1321 cases, 65.9% accounted for medical insured patients and 34.1% were uninsured patients. The total inpatient medical expenditure of insured patients was RMB 29,509.1 Yuan and uninsured patients was RMB 22,114.3 Yuan, respectively. Payment modes, therapeutic options as well as the recurrence and metastasis of tumor toward the inpatient medical expenditures between the two groups were statistically significant. To the specifics, drug costs accounted for 37.7% and 33.8% of the total, surgery costs accounted for 21.5% and 25.5%, treatment costs accounted for 18.7% and 16.4%, whereas the costs of imaging and laboratory examinations accounted for 16.4% and 15.2% for the insured patient and uninsured patients, respectively. As the effects of covariates were controlled, the total hospitalization costs, drug costs, treatment costs as well as imaging and laboratory examination costs showed statistical significance. The total hospitalization costs, drug costs, treatment costs as well as imaging and laboratory examination costs of insured patient were 1.33, 1.42, 1.52, and 1.44 times of uninsured patients.</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>The analysis of different payment modes toward the medical economic characteristics based on Gamma model is basically rational. Medical payment modes are having certain influence toward the hospitalization expenses of cervical cancer patients in an extent, as drug costs, treatment costs, and examination costs appear to be the main causes.</p>

Investigation of image guidance strategy for intermittent breath-hold cone beam CT / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To develop a practical image acquisition strategy using intermittent breath?hold cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods A breathing phantom was used to simulate the movement of tumor near the diaphragm during free breathing and breath hold and scanned by conventional breath?hold CBCT and type Ⅰ/Ⅱ intermittent breath?hold CBCT. In the conventional breath?hold CBCT, scan paused and free breathing occurred at the break of breath hold and free breathing was not included in the scan. In the intermittent breath?hold CBCT, one scan covered several breath holds separated by free breathing in a ratio of 3 vs1. Image quality and three?dimensional registration accuracy were quantitatively compared between conventional breath?hold CBCT and type Ⅰ/Ⅱ intermittent breath?hold CBCT. Comparison of image quality parameters between conventional breath?hold CBCT and intermittent breath?hold CBCT was made by paired t test. Results Motion artifacts arose in type I and Ⅱ intermittent breath?hold CBCT scans. There were no significant differences in the reconstructed pixel value or uniformity between intermittent breath?hold CBCT and conventional breath?hold CBCT ( P>0. 05, and P= 0. 02, 0. 53 ) . Compared with conventional breath?hold CBCT images, the signal?to?noise ratios of type I andⅡintermittent breath?hold CBCT images were reduced by 30% and 60%, respectively ( P<0. 05 ) . The registration error was up to 0 . 4 cm in the anterior?posterior direction and less than 0 . 1 cm in other directions . Conclusions The phantom study shows that intermittent breath?hold CBCT does not significantly reduce image quality or registration accuracy compared with conventional breath?hold CBCT. The feasibility of intermittent breath?hold CBCT in clinical application needs to be further validated among a large number of patients.

The impact of doctor's efforts and reputation on the number of new patients in online health community / 中国卫生政策研究

The aim of this paper is to study the impact of doctor and colleague's online efforts and reputation on the number of new patients,by analyzing the online data of haidaifu website in 2008—2016 based on panel negative binomial regression method. The doctors' degree of online effort includes the number of words and their timeliness of their reply. Online reputation includes material evaluation (i.e. gift amount) and non-material evaluation (i. e. thanks letter). Studies have shown that the efforts and reputations of doctors and their colleagues have a significant impact on the number of new patients,and colleagues also play a significant regulatory role. And competition and co-operative relationship also exist between doctors and colleagues.

Effect of dexmedetomidine on stress response during tracheal intubation in patients with ICU / 药物评价研究

Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on tracheal intubation in patients with ICU.Methods A total of 76 severe cases of patients treated in ICU of Kunming General Hospital of Chinese PLA from January 2015 to January 2016 were selected as the subjects,randomly divided into control and observation groups,38 cases in each group.The two groups underwent radial artery puncture before the trachea intubation,and the venous passage was established.The observation group received iv infusion of dexmedetomidine hydrochloride (0.5 g/kg) for 10 min,and the control group received iv injection of normal saline.Then the two groups were given iv infusion of appropriate atracurium and propofol.The anesthesia dosages of two groups were observed;The levels of angiosthenia (MAP),heart rate (HR) and plasma corticosterone were detected before intubation (T1),after intubation (T2),3 min after intubation (T3) and 5 min after intubation (T4) in two groups.Results Propofol and CIS atracurium anesthesia dose of the two groups had no significant difference.The levels of MAP,HR and plasma corticosterone in observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group at T4 and T3 time (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Application of dexmedetomidine anesthesia could reduce the stress response in patients with endotracheal intubation in ICU and maintain stable hemodynamics and plasma corticosterone.

Plasma from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus inhibits suppressive activity of mesenchymal stem cells against lupus B lymphocytes / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether plasma from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) inhibits the suppressive effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on lupus B lymphocytes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MSCs isolated and expanded from the bone marrow of healthy donors were co-cultured with B cells purified from the peripheral blood of SLE patients in the presence of fetal bovine serum or pooled plasma from SLE patients, and the proliferation and maturation of the B lymphocytes were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>s Co-culture with normal MSCs obviously inhibited the proliferation of lupus B cells and suppressed the maturation of B lymphocytes, which showed lowered expressions of CD27 and CD38. The pooled plasma from SLE patients significantly inhibited the suppressive effects of normal MSCs on B cell proliferation and maturation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Plasma from SLE patients negatively modulates the effects of normal MSCs in suppressing lupus B cell proliferation and maturation to affect the therapeutic effect of MSC transplantation for treatment of SLE. Double filtration plasmapheresis may therefore prove beneficial to enhance the therapeutic effects of MSC transplantation for SLE.</p>

Improved power for characterizing longitudinal amyloid-ß PET changes and evaluating amyloid-modifying treatments with a cerebral white matter reference region.

UNLABELLED: In this article, we describe an image analysis strategy with improved power for tracking longitudinal amyloid-ß (Aß) PET changes and evaluating Aß-modifying treatments. METHODS: Our aims were to compare the power of template-based cerebellar, pontine, and cerebral white matter reference regions to track 24-mo florbetapir standardized uptake value (SUV) ratio (SUVR) changes; to relate those changes to 24-mo clinical declines; and to evaluate Aß-modifying treatments in Aß-positive (Aß+) and Aß-negative (Aß-) patients with probable Alzheimer dementia (pAD), in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), in cognitively normal controls (NCs), and in cognitively normal apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) carriers and noncarriers. We used baseline and follow-up (∼24 mo) florbetapir PET scans from 332 Aß+ and Aß- subjects participating in the multicenter Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Each of the proposed analyses included 31 pAD patients, 187 MCI patients, and 114 NCs. Cerebral-to-white matter, cerebellar, and pontine SUVRs were characterized in terms of their longitudinal variability; their power to track longitudinal fibrillar Aß increases in Aß+ and Aß- subgroups and cognitively normal APOE4 carriers and noncarriers; the sample sizes needed to detect attenuated accumulation of or clearance of fibrillar Aß accumulation in randomized clinical trials; and their ability to relate 24-mo fibrillar Aß increases to clinical declines. RESULTS: As predicted, cerebral-to-white matter SUVR changes were significantly less variable and had significantly greater power to detect 24-mo fibrillar Aß increases and evaluate Aß-modifying treatment effects in Aß+ pAD, MCI, and NC subjects and cognitively normal APOE4 carriers. They were also distinguished by the ability to detect significant associations between 24-mo Aß increases and clinical declines. CONCLUSION: A cerebral white matter reference region may improve the power to track longitudinal fibrillar Aß increases, to characterize their relationship to longitudinal clinical declines, and to evaluate Aß-modifying treatments in randomized clinical trials.

Construction of automatic elucidation platform for mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Aim at the two problems in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mechanism elucidation, one is the lack of detailed biological processes information, next is the low efficient in constructing network models, we constructed an auxiliary elucidation system for the TCM mechanism and realize the automatic establishment of biological network model. This study used the Entity Grammar Systems (EGS) as the theoretical framework, integrated the data of formulae, herbs, chemical components, targets of component, biological reactions, signaling pathways and disease related proteins, established the formal models, wrote the reasoning engine, constructed the auxiliary elucidation system for the TCM mechanism elucidation. The platform provides an automatic modeling method for biological network model of TCM mechanism. It would be benefit to perform the in-depth research on TCM theory of natures and combination and provides the scientific references for R&D of TCM.

Design of traditional Chinese medicines with antihypertensive components based on medicinal property combination modes / 中国中药杂志

Multi-component traditional Chinese medicines are an innovative research mode for traditional Chinese medicines. Currently, there are many design methods for developing multi-component traditional Chinese medicines, but their common feature is the lack of effective connection of the traditional Chinese medicine theory. In this paper, the authors discussed the multi-component traditional Chinese medicine design methods based on medicinal property combination modes, provided the combination methods with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine for the prescription combinations, and proved its feasibly with hypertension cases.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus sp. to quinupristin-dalfopristin in China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

This study aimed to determine the in vitro activity of quinupristin-alfopristin against Streptococcus sp. isolated in China. This agent is not yet available for clinical use, but it has been tested against a high proportion of resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. A total of 156 streptococcal isolates, which were recovered from various geographic areas and diseases, were tested using the Etest (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden). Quinupristin-alfopristin showed excellent activity against all of the tested streptococci isolates. These results provide useful data for the clinical use of quinupristin-alfopristin in China.

New ionic liquid-based preparative method for diosgenin from Rhizoma dioscoreae nipponicae.

BACKGROUND: Rhizoma dioscoreae nipponicae is a perennial herb and its roots have been widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). OBJECTIVE: To develop and optimize the extraction and hydrolysis technology of diosgenin from Rhizoma dioscoreae nipponicae. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1-methyl-3-(3-sulfopropyl)-imidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([PSMIM]HSO4), as a kind of functional ionic liquid, replaced inorganic acid, and was used in a one-step ultrasonic extraction and hydrolysis for the preparation of diosgenin (the aglycone of dioscin and an important precursor chemical in the pharmaceutical industry) from Rhizoma dioscoreae nipponicae, for the first time. The effects of various factors were evaluated. The obtained product was studied using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: About 6.35 mg of diosgenin could be obtained from 2.0 g of raw material. Reusability and recycling of the ionic liquid were validated with fairly good results. The ionic liquid solution was reused four times, and the final extraction efficiency only decreased by 5%. CONCLUSION: In virtue of the obvious advantages of the green extraction and catalytic solvent, with further study, it is believed that this new one-step preparative method promises to replace the traditional methods.

ISSR analysis of six medicinal plants in Potentilla L / 中草药

Objective: To analyze the genetic relationship among the medicinal plants of Potentilla L. Methods: Six species of germplasm resources in Potentilla L. were analyzed by ISSR molecular markers. To make up the systematic diagram of genetic relationship by Popgene 1.32 software, cluster by UPGMA method, and establish the dendrogram. Results: A total of 105 ISSR bands were scored for 11 primers, among which 89 were polymorphic bands. The average percentage of polymorphic bands was 84.76%. Genetic similarity coefficient changed from 0.4476 to 0.7905. Conclusion: By cluster analysis, it shows that some of the medicinal plants in Potentilla L. from the same region are in the same group and demonstrates the rule of geographical distribution in the tested materials. This study will provide the foundation for identification and development of medicinal plants in Potentilla L., and guide collection and evaluation of germplasm resources.