Prescription of Sageretia hamosa Brongn Relieved Goiter through Promoted Apoptosis of Thyroid Cells via miR-511-3p and PTEN/PI3K/Akt Pathway.

Goiter is thyroid enlargement, in China, Sageretia hamosa Brongn (SHB) can be used to treat goiter, but it has not been reported. Therefore, data analytics of SHB prescription on thyroid were explored in this study to provide a theoretical support for SHB in the treatment of goiter. In this study, rat in goiter model was constructed by using propylthiouracil (PTU) and treated with SHB prescription. Thyroid function about the triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (T4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured by ELISA; thyroid coefficient was calculated after weighed thyroid; and HE staining was applied to assess the morphology of thyroid tissue. miRNA microarrays were employed to detect miRNA expression in thyroid tissue of rats. Expression of miR-511-3p was measured by RT-qPCR; expression of proteins (PTEN and apoptosis-related proteins) was tested by western blotting; relationship between miR-511-3p and PTEN was investigated by dual luciferase reporter gene assay; cell viability rate was determined by CCK-8; and cell cycle distribution and apoptosis rate were detected by flow cytometry. The results showed that SHB prescription ameliorated goiter and downregulated miR-511-3p. miR-511-3p targeted PTEN in thyroid cells and PTEN negatively regulated the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway. Furthermore, the inhibition of apoptosis in thyroid cells caused by the overexpression of miR-511-3p or the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway was reversed by treatment of SHB prescription, inhibition of miR-511-3p, or overexpression of PTEN. In conclusion, SHB prescription promoted apoptosis of thyroid through decreased miR-511-3p and regulated PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway, it might suggest possible medical applications.

Micromechanism Analysis of Surfactant Wetting of Coal Based on 13C NMR Experiments.

With the gradual improvement in coal mine mechanization and automation, the dust concentration at production sites is increasing significantly as the production efficiency improves, which not only poses a substantial threat to the occupational safety and health of workers but also affects the safe production and social stability of mines. At present, wet dust removal is the most economical and effective technical dust removal measure. However, most coal seams in China have poor wettability, unclear microscopic wetting mechanisms, and poor dust removal effects. Therefore, based on experiments and numerical analysis, this paper qualitatively studies the influencing factors of surfactants on coal wettability and quantitatively constructs an innovative evaluation model of the influence of the microstructure of coal and surfactants on wettability. First, based on 13C NMR experiments, the structural parameters of coal and several surfactants were obtained. Second, the wettability relationship between the coal and the surfactants was determined by optical titration, and the key factors affecting the wettability of coal dust and the wettability of the surfactants were selected. Then, using numerical analysis and function fitting analysis and combining the structural parameters with the coal wetting results, the relationship between the microstructure of the surfactants on different kinds of coal and the wettability of the coal samples was established. The results show that the ether group, the phenol or aromatic ether carbon, the fatty methyl group, and the aromatic methyl group in the surfactants have a substantial influence on the wettability. The research results can provide scientific guidance for the development of efficient and environmentally friendly compound dust suppressants to realize clean production in mines.

A genetic variant in the promoter region of miR-877 is associated with an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Genome wide association study has identified chromosome 6p21.33 as a risk locus of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MiR-877 is located on this region, functioning as a tumor suppressor. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between rs1264440 in the promoter of miR-877 and HCC risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 352 HCC patients and 359 age, gender, ethnicity and living area matched controls were enrolled in this study. The rs1264440 was genotyped using the TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. MiR-877 expression in HCC tissues was examined using quantitative PCR. RESULTS: After Adjustment for age, sex, smoking status, drinking status and HBsAg status, this study showed a significant association between the rs1264440 and HCC risk. Subjects with the rs1264440 TT genotype and T allele showed a 2.20- and 1.44-fold increased risk to develop HCC, respectively (TT vs. CC: 95% CI, 1.18-4.11, P=0.01;T vs. C: 95% CI, 1.07-1.94, P=0.02). The increased risk was also observed in smokers and nondrinkers subgroup. The rs1264440 TT carriers had lower levels of miR-877. CONCLUSION: The rs1264440 in the promoter region of miR-877 may regulate miR-877 expression and serve as an independent biomarker for the risk of HCC.

Anti-fibrotic role and mechanism of Periplaneta americana extracts in CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.

Hepatic fibrosis is resulted from sustained wound-healing responses to various harmful stimuli, including viral infection, drug toxicity, alcohol, and autoimmune hepatopathy, and it has recently attracted the attention of an increasing number of researchers and clinical workers. The aims of this study were to examine the anti-fibrotic effects of extracts of Periplaneta americana (EPA) on CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats, to preliminary determine the anti-fibrotic efficacy of EPA, and to identify a potential and effective therapeutic agent to attenuate hepatic fibrosis. In this study, we routinely detected liver functional indices, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and albumin (Alb). We also measured hepatic fibrosis-related serum markers, including hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), type III procollagen (PC III), and type IV collagen (IV-C) via radioimmunoassay. Moreover, we examined histological activity and fibrosis stage via light microscopy after hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining. Furthermore, we detected the expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), and tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-1 (TIMP-1) in rat liver tissues by immunohistochemical staining. We found that EPA, whose main components are viscous sugar amino acids, can reduce the levels hepatic fibrosis-related factors, including HA, LN, PC III, and IV-C, improve liver function, attenuate, or reverse pathological damage associated with hepatic fibrosis, and thus inhibit the progression of hepatic fibrosis. The mechanism of EPA action may be related to the inhibition of TGF-ß1, NF-κB, and α-SMA expressions and the reduction of TIMP-1 levels in the liver to reduce the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, thereby blocking the relevant signaling pathways and preventing inflammatory responses to attenuate or reverse hepatic fibrosis. EPA may thus be used as a potentially effective therapeutic agent for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.

Aquatic Therapy Improves Outcomes for Subacute Stroke Patients by Enhancing Muscular Strength of Paretic Lower Limbs Without Increasing Spasticity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an aquatic exercise program designed to enhance muscular strength in paretic lower limbs in subacute stroke patients. METHOD: Thirty-six subacute stroke patients were randomly divided to a conventional or an aquatic group (n = 18 each). Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and after 8 wks of training. For the paretic lower limbs, maximum isometric voluntary contraction strength of the rectus femoris and biceps femoris caput longus and the tibialis anterior and lateral gastrocnemius was measured. Cocontraction ratios during knee extension and flexion and ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion were calculated respectively. In addition, Modified Ashworth Scale, Functional Ambulation Category, and Barthel Index were assessed. RESULTS: Compared with the conventional intervention, the aquatic intervention resulted in significantly higher knee extension (P = 0.002) and ankle plantarflexion torque (P = 0.002), accompanied with a significantly lower knee extension cocontraction ratio in the paretic limb (P = 0.000). Functional Ambulation Category (P = 0.009) and Barthel Index (P = 0.024) were greater in aquatic group than conventional group posttreatment. Modified Ashworth Scale scores did not show any differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Aquatic exercise enhanced muscle strength in paretic lower limbs and improved muscle cocontraction without increasing spasticity in subacute stroke patients.

Hydrotherapy vs. conventional land-based exercise for improving walking and balance after stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of hydrotherapy on walking ability and balance in patients with chronic stroke. DESIGN: Single-blind, randomized controlled pilot trial. SETTING: Outpatient rehabilitation clinic at a tertiary neurological hospital in China. SUBJECTS: A total of 28 participants with impairments in walking and controlling balance more than six months post-stroke. INTERVENTION: After baseline evaluations, participants were randomly assigned to a land-based therapy (control group, n = 14) or hydrotherapy (study group, n = 14). Participants underwent individual sessions for four weeks, five days a week, for 45 minutes per session. MAIN MEASURES: After four weeks of rehabilitation, all participants were evaluated by a blinded assessor. Functional assessments included the Functional Reach Test, Berg Balance Scale, 2-minute walk test, and Timed Up and Go Test. RESULTS: After four weeks of treatment, the Berg Balance Scale, functional reach test, 2-minute walk test, and the Timed Up and Go Test scores had improved significantly in each group (P < 0.05). The mean improvement of the functional reach test and 2-minute walk test were significantly higher in the aquatic group than in the control group (P < 0.01). The differences in the mean values of the improvements in the Berg Balance Scale and the Timed Up and Go Test were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that a relatively short programme (four weeks) of hydrotherapy exercise resulted in a large improvement in a small group (n = 14) of individuals with relatively high balance and walking function following a stroke.

[Differential expression and influence of caoguo zhimu decoction on kindling epilepsy related genes].

OBJECTIVE: To screen the relative genes associated with the genesis of kindling epilepsy and the effect of caoguo zhimu decoction (CZD) on these genes. METHODS: mRNA differential display reverse transcription PCR was used to screen differential gene bind, and Northern blotting hybridization was applied to exclude the false positive reaction. RESULTS: There were as more as 110 differential expression bindings in the normal group, model group and the treated group, among them 11 binds with differential expression only appeared in the model group but not in the normal group and disappeared in the treated group. It indicated that the 11 genes are correlated with the genesis and treatment of kindling epilepsy. By searching in the Gene-bank of NCBI, 7 bindings of the 11 were homologous genes and 4 gene fragments are novel genes with unknown function, which have been registered at the Gene-bank, with the registered numbers of CK325391, CK325392, CK325393, CK325394, respectively, and false positive possibility of 3 novel genes was excluded. CONCLUSION: CZD has effect in treating kindling epilepsy may be through influencing the expression of partial gene fragments in the hippocampus.