Inhibition of Bcl-6 Expression Ameliorates Asthmatic Characteristics in Mice.

OBJECTIVE: The function of Bcl-6 in T follicular helper (Tfh) cell maturation is indispensable, and Tfh cells play a pivotal role in asthma. This study investigated the impact of Bcl-6 on asthmatic traits. METHODS: The microscopic pathological alterations, airway resistance (AR), and lung compliance (LC) were determined in asthmatic mice and Bcl-6 interference mice. The surface molecular markers of Tfh cells and the Bcl-6 mRNA and protein expression were determined by flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting, respectively. The relationships between the Tfh cell ratio and the IgE and IgG1 concentrations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined. RESULTS: Asthmatic inflammatory changes were observed in the lung tissue and were attenuated by Bcl-6 siRNA and dexamethasone (DXM). Asthmatic mice exhibited an increased AR and a decreased LC, while Bcl-6 siRNA or DXM mitigated these changes. The percentages of Tfh cells and eosinophils were significantly increased in the asthmatic mice, and they significantly decreased after Bcl-6 inhibition or DXM treatment. RT-qPCR and Western blotting analyses revealed that the Bcl-6 expression level in PBMCs was significantly higher in asthmatic mice, and it decreased following Bcl-6 inhibition or DXM treatment. The IgE expression in the serum and BALF and the B cell expression in PBMCs exhibited a similar trend. In asthmatic mice, the ratio of Tfh cells in the peripheral blood showed a strong positive correlation with the IgE levels in the serum and BALF, but not with the IgG1 levels. CONCLUSION: The amelioration of airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness is achieved through Bcl-6 suppression, which effectively hinders Tfh cell differentiation, ultimately resulting in a concurrent reduction in IgE production.

[Effects of exogenous melatonin on accumulation and chemical form of Cd in rice]. / è¤ªé»‘ç´ å¯¹æ°´ç¨»é•‰ç§¯ç´¯åŠå ¶åŒ–å­¦ç»“åˆå½¢æ€çš„å½±å“.

Effects of exogenous melatonin on accumulation and chemical form of Cd in rice seedlings were investigated. The results showed that Cd stress significantly decreased the biomass of shoots and roots, and the chlorophyll content in rice leaves. The addition of exogenous melatonin could remarkably increase the biomass of rice and significantly decreased Cd content in the shoots and roots. At Cd concentration of 5 Μmol·L-1, addition of 20 Μmol·L-1 exogenous melatonin could decrease Cd content in rice shoots and roots by 48.4% and 16.9% respectively, compared with the control. When the concentration of exogenous melatonin rose to 100 Μmol·L-1, Cd content in rice shoots and roots decreased by 67.5% and 47.9% respectively. Furthermore, the addition of exogenous melatonin obviously decreased the Cd-translocation efficiency of rice seedlings. When the Cd concentration was 20 Μmol·L-1, addition of 20 and 100 Μmol·L-1 exogenous melatonin could decrease the Cd-translocation efficiency by 24.4% and 46.8% respectively. The chemical form of Cd in rice seedlings was analyzed by using sequential extraction. The results showed that exogenous melatonin addition increased the proportion of NaCl-extractable Cd, while decreased the proportion of ethanol-extractable Cd and water-extractable Cd in rice seedlings. It was suggested that the addition of exogenous melatonin could promote the transfer of Cd from strong to weak mobility form, thereby reducing the uptake and transport of Cd in rice seedlings.

Effects of Chinese herbal medicine combined with He-Ne laser on lipoperoxide and superoxide dismutase in chloasma patients.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Chinese decoction and ligustrazin hydrochloride injection combined with He-Ne laser on lipoperoxide (LPO) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) in patients with chloasma. METHODS: 90 cases of chloasma were randomly divided into the following two groups: a treatment group (of 54 cases) treated by a self-prepared prescription for toning the kidneys and relieving the depressed liver to remove blood stasis, ligustrazin hydrochloricde injection and He-Ne laser therapy, and a control group (of 36 cases) treated with oral administration of Vitamin E and Vitamin C plus external application of 20% Azelaic acid cream. RESULTS: The total effective rate in the treatment group was 79.6%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the LPO level in the treatment group was significantly lowered (P < 0.01), and the SOD level was significantly elevated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The therapeutic methods adopted in the treatment group may show the action of antioxidation, providing good clinical effects for treating chloasma.

[Cortical activation induced by intraoral stimulation with water in humans with functional magnetic resonance imaging].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the neural representations of normal humans intraoral water stimulation using non-invasive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurement, provide information for intraoral thermosensory study. METHODS: 13 healthy right-handed subjects (of which 6 were males) participated in the study to receive 23 degrees C deionized distilled water stimuli in mouth. The experimental protocol consisted of a block-design using 5 stimulus. Water stimuli were delivered to the subject's mouth through self-made polythene tubes that were held between lips. Functional MRI scan covering the whole brain was carried out. The fMRI data was analyzed by SPM99 software with statistic t-test to generate the activation map. RESULTS: Significant activations existed in peri-sylvian including pre/ post-central gyrus, insular, orbitalfrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), frontal gyrus, parietal lobule, midbrain and parietal lobule. CONCLUSION: Water's ability to activate nonspecific somatosensory, thermal or taste processing. The findings highlight the complex and distributed processing of different aspects of intraoral perception, and emphasize the importance of controlling for the effects of water when investigating the functional neuroanatomy of taste or temperature.