Understanding Zhongyong Using a Zhongyong Approach: Re-examining the Non-linear Relationship Between Creativity and the Confucian Doctrine of the Mean.

Zhongyong, a central theme of Confucian thought, refers to the "doctrine of the mean," or the idea that moderation in all things is the optimal path. Despite considerable interest in the relationship between zhongyong and creativity, especially in China, studies of this relationship have not yielded consistent results. Based on a review of the literature, we hypothesized that this inconsistency arises from the dual nature of zhongyong itself, which has both a positive side, promoting creativity, and a negative side, inhibiting creativity. We also hypothesized that the negative side of zhongyong takes the form of excessive zhongyong. Indeed, the observations that every coin has two sides and that too much of a good thing is as bad as too little are core principles of zhongyong in traditional Chinese culture. To test these hypotheses, we conducted two empirical studies (measuring explicit and implicit zhongyong personality, respectively) to examine the relationships between positive and negative zhongyong and creativity (measured in terms of creative personality, divergent thinking, and convergent thinking). The results of both studies revealed an interaction between positive zhongyong and negative zhongyong, indicating that only a moderate level of zhongyong is conducive to creativity; both deficiency and excess are harmful. We discuss the implications of these results, suggesting that a zhongyong approach can help to clarify non-linear relationships between things, and recommending to re-assess the creativity of Chinese culture from a neutral and objective outlook. This paper deepens understanding of zhongyong and offers clear insights into creativity from an in-depth cultural perspective.

Simvastatin attenuates acute lung injury by activation of A2B adenosine receptor.

To explore the protective mechanism of simvastatin in acute lung injury (ALI), the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced (5 mg/kg) ALI rat model was used to examine the effects of simvastatin. Following simvastatin treatment, the histopathological evaluation of lung tissues was made using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Also, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), and IL-10 were determined by ELISA. Blood gas analyses of arterial blood samples were performed to assess the pulmonary gas exchange. Moreover, the neutrophil count and total protein content were determined in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. The ratio of wet lung to dry lung (W/D) and the alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) were calculated to estimate the severity of edema. Lastly, the levels of A2BAR, CFTR, claudin4, and claudin18 were also measured by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Simvastatin treatment, in a dose-related manner, markedly improved the lung histological injury and decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and increased IL-10 in LPS induced ALI. Also, pulmonary neutrophil count was alleviated. Besides, a decreased ratio of W/D lung also confirmed the simvastatin intervention. Notably, simvastatin reduced the levels of A2BAR, CFTR, and claudin18 but upregulated claudin4 in lung tissues. Additionally, treatment with PSB1115, an antagonist of A2BAR, countered the protective effect of simvastatin in ALI. Our study demonstrates that simvastatin has a protective effect against LPS-induced ALI by activating A2BAR and should be exploited as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ALI.

Association of matrix metalloproteinase family gene polymorphisms with lung cancer risk: logistic regression and generalized odds of published data.

Many studies have reported the association between the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) polymorphisms and lung cancer susceptibility, but the results were inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis, using a comprehensive strategy based on the logistic regression and a model-free approach, to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship between MMP1, MMP2, MMP9 and MMP13 polymorphisms with lung cancer risk. A total of 22 case-control studies including 8202 cases and 7578 controls were included in this meta-analysis. For MMP1-1607 1G/2G, increased lung cancer risk was found among Asians in additive model(OR = 1.34, 95%CI:1.18-1.53) and with model-free approach(ORG = 1.41, 95%CI:1.21-1.65). For MMP2-1306 C/T and -735 C/T, based on the model-free approach, a significantly reduced risk was found in Asians(MMP2-1306 C/T:ORG = 0.49,95%CI:0.42-0.57; MMP2-735 C/T: ORG = 0.71, 95%CI:0.61-0.84). For MMP9-1562 C/T, a significantly increased risk was found among Asians(OR = 2.73, 95%CI:1.74-4.27) with model-free approach. For MMP13-77A/G, there was no association between this polymorphism and lung cancer risk in the recessive model(OR = 1.02, 95%CI:0.83-1.26) and with the model-free approach(ORG = 0.95, 95%CI:0.76-1.17). Therefore, this meta-analysis suggests that the MMP1-1607 1G/2G, MMP2-1306 C/T, MMP2-735 C/T, MMP9 -1562 C/T polymorphisms were risk factors for lung cancer among Asians, while MMP13 -77A/G polymorphism was not associated with lung cancer risk.

Administration of microparticles from blood of the lipopolysaccharide-treated rats serves to induce pathologic changes of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of intratracheal and intravenous administration of microparticles (MPs) on developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The blood MPs from lipopolysaccharide-treated rats were collected and examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cellular source of the MPs was identified by fluorescent-labeled antibodies after the circulating MPs were delivered to naïve rats. Levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-10 productions in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and plasma were determined 24 h after the rats received intratracheal and intravenous administration of the MPs. Histopathologic examination of lungs was performed by light microscope. A TEM image of MPs showed spherical particles at a variable diameter from 0.1 to 0.5 µm. Endothelial- and leukocyte-derived vesicles were abundant in the investigated samples. Treatment with MPs may lead to significant increases in MPO, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-10 productions in BALF and plasma of the rats (all P < 0.001). Morphological observation indicated that alveolar structures were destroyed with a large amount of neutrophil infiltration in the lungs of the MP-treated rats. Perivascular and/or intra-alveolar hemorrhage were serious and hyaline membrane formed in the alveoli. Intratracheal and intravenous approaches to delivery of the circulating MPs to naïve recipient rats may induce ARDS. This presents an inducer of the onset of ARDS and provides potential therapeutic targets for attenuating lung injury.

Isolation and phenotypic characteristics of microparticles in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the alterations of microparticles in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in rats. METHODS: 18 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into three groups: no intervention, sham (saline control) group and ARDS group (LPS induced). Blood was collected from abdominal aorta and microparticles were extracted through multiple rounds of centrifugation. Particles were analyzed by flow cytometry and transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: The circulating concentration of total microparticles of rats with ARDS induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) did not change compared with other two groups. However, ARDS rats expressed higher concentration of leukocyte- and endothelium- derived microparticles in the three groups. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that leukocyte and endothelial cell-derived particles may play an important role in ARDS. Thus it is important not only to monitor total microparticle levels but also the phenotypes, which may contribute to the prevention and early treatment of ARDS.

Effect of Yangyinqingfei decoction on radiation-induced lung injury via downregulation of MMP12 and TIMP-1 expression.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect and underlying mechanism of Yangyinqingfei decoction on radiation-induced lung injury in rats. Wistar rats (n=75) were randomly divided into five experimental groups (A-E). Rats in two of the groups were administered saline solution, whereas rats in the remaining three groups were administered different doses of Yangyinqingfei decoction. After one week, the rats were irradiated with a single dose of 25 Gy to their right hemi-thoraxes by a 60Co γ-ray, with the exception of the control group, which underwent sham irradiation. The effect of Yangyinqingfei decoction was assessed one, two and four weeks post-irradiation according to the pathological changes and the right lung index (wet weight of right lung/body weight ×100%). Expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in lung tissue were determined using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Pretreatment with Yangyinqingfei resulted in a significant dose-dependent resistance to radiation-induced body weight loss. The expression of MMP-12 and TIMP-1 increased following irradiation. However, the levels of MMP-12 and TIMP-1 in groups receiving Yangyinqingfei were lower four weeks after irradiation compared with those in rats administered saline. Cumulatively, these results suggest that Yangyinqingfei has a protective effect on radiation-induced lung injury in rats, possibly by downregulating MMP-12 and TIMP-1 expression.

Ferulic acid attenuates adhesion molecule expression in gamma-radiated human umbilical vascular endothelial cells.

Radiation induces an important inflammatory response in the irradiated organs, characterized by leukocyte infiltration and vascular changes. Since adhesion molecules play an important role in facilitating the immune response at the inflammation sites, interfering with the expression of these molecules may be an important therapeutic target of radiation induced inflammation. Many adhesion molecules such as intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) have been identified in radiation. Ferulic acid (FA), an effective radioprotector during radiotherapy, is widely used in endothelium protection. The present study examined the effect of FA on the induction of adhesion molecules by gamma-radiation and the mechanisms of its effect in gamma-irradiated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were pretreated for 18 h with FA and then exposed to 10 Gy radiation. The result of cell adhesion assay showed FA inhibited radiation-induced U937 adhesion to HUVECs. FA prevented induction of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in a concentration-dependent manner after stimulation with radiation at the level of mRNA and protein. Inhibitors of the extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways were used to determine which pathway was involved in FA action; the result showed that the inhibitory effect of FA on adhesion molecule expression was mediated by the blockade of JNK. FA appears to be a potential therapeutic agent for treating various inflammatory disorders including radiation induced inflammation.

[Value of blinded sampling methods in the pathogenic diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of blinded protected specimen brush and quantitative culture (BPSB-QC) in the pathogenic diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). METHODS: A prospective, self-controlled clinical trial was conducted during a 36-month period. QC of paired samples of BPSB and PSB via a fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB- PSB) in a total of 54 patients during 125 suspected episodes of VAP was compared. The sensitivity and accuracy, as well as the concordance between BPSB-QC and FOB-PSB-QC result in 48 patients with 106 episodes of VAP were assessed. Both BPSB-QC and FOB-PSB-QC greater than 103 cfu/ml (positive cutoff) was considered diagnostic of VAP. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients with 106 episodes were considered to have VAP (84.8%). The accuracy of BPSB-QC and FOB-PSB-QC were 80.8% (101/125) and 83.2% (104/125), respectively. The rate of complete concordant results was high (75.2%) for BPSB-QC and FOB-PSB-QC. The pathogenic diagnostic agreement between the two techniques was 84.8% (106/125). There were no significant differences with regard to site of pneumonia and positive diagnostic rate between the two techniques. CONCLUSION: BPSB-QC has similar accuracy and same feasibility compared with FOB-PSB-QC which was commonly primarily used in the pathogenic diagnosis of VAP, and that its use is substantially simpler, safe and cost saving, especially when FOB technique is not available.