Potential biomarkers for diagnosis and disease evaluation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease characterized by progressive lung fibrogenesis and histological features of usual interstitial pneumonia. IPF has a poor prognosis and presents a spectrum of disease courses ranging from slow evolving disease to rapid deterioration; thus, a differential diagnosis remains challenging. Several biomarkers have been identified to achieve a differential diagnosis; however, comprehensive reviews are lacking. This review summarizes over 100 biomarkers which can be divided into six categories according to their functions: differentially expressed biomarkers in the IPF compared to healthy controls; biomarkers distinguishing IPF from other types of interstitial lung disease; biomarkers differentiating acute exacerbation of IPF from stable disease; biomarkers predicting disease progression; biomarkers related to disease severity; and biomarkers related to treatment. Specimen used for the diagnosis of IPF included serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lung tissue, and sputum. IPF-specific biomarkers are of great clinical value for the differential diagnosis of IPF. Currently, the physiological measurements used to evaluate the occurrence of acute exacerbation, disease progression, and disease severity have limitations. Combining physiological measurements with biomarkers may increase the accuracy and sensitivity of diagnosis and disease evaluation of IPF. Most biomarkers described in this review are not routinely used in clinical practice. Future large-scale multicenter studies are required to design and validate suitable biomarker panels that have diagnostic utility for IPF.

Risk factors for neonatal asphyxia and establishment of a nomogram model for predicting neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture: a multicenter study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and establish a nomogram model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia.@*METHODS@#A retrospective study was conducted with 613 cases of neonatal asphyxia treated in 20 cooperative hospitals in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture from January to December 2019 as the asphyxia group, and 988 randomly selected non-asphyxia neonates born and admitted to the neonatology department of these hospitals during the same period as the control group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for neonatal asphyxia. R software (4.2.2) was used to establish a nomogram model. Receiver operator characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, respectively.@*RESULTS@#Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that minority (Tujia), male sex, premature birth, congenital malformations, abnormal fetal position, intrauterine distress, maternal occupation as a farmer, education level below high school, fewer than 9 prenatal check-ups, threatened abortion, abnormal umbilical cord, abnormal amniotic fluid, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, emergency caesarean section, and assisted delivery were independent risk factors for neonatal asphyxia (P<0.05). The area under the curve of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia based on these risk factors was 0.748 (95%CI: 0.723-0.772). The calibration curve indicated high accuracy of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. The decision curve analysis showed that the model could provide a higher net benefit for neonates at risk of asphyxia.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture are multifactorial, and the nomogram model based on these factors has good value in predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, which can help clinicians identify neonates at high risk of asphyxia early, and reduce the incidence of neonatal asphyxia.

Evaluation of the consistency of four hematology systems / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To provide consistent data basis for the application of reference intervals for children blood cell analysis in different testing systems.Methods:According to the requirements of American Institute for Clinical and Laboratory Standardization (CLSI) EP9-A3 document, 45 samples were collected and Sysmex XN20-A1 were used as reference system. Beckman DxH800, Siemens ADVIA 2120i, and Mindray BC5310 were comparison systems. Complete blood count and leukocyte classification were performed by four systems. The outliers of the detection results were tested by the generalized extreme student deviate (ESD) method. An optimal regression model was selected by scatter diagram, deviation diagram and frequency distribution diagram, which was used to fit the regression equation and calculate the deviation at the medical decision level and reference interval. The acceptable range for blood count deviation was cited from the Analytical Quality Specifications for Routine Tests in Clinical Hematology. The acceptable range for leukocyte classification was based on the EQA program of Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA).Results:After the outliers were deleted, the scatter plot showed a linear relationship between the reference system and the three comparison systems. The deviation plot showed that the differences were variable. Deming regression or Passing-Bablok regression was selected according to the data distribution. The determination coefficient R2 of reference system and three comparison systems ranged from 0.95 to 0.99 in blood count and leukocyte classification. At the upper and lower limits of the reference interval, the deviations between XN-20A1 and ADVIA 2120 system were all acceptable, except for MONO# at 0.12×10 9/L. The deviations of all parameters at medical decision level were within acceptable ranges. The lower limit of PLT is partially unacceptable at the level of medical decision related to treatment and prognosis. Conclusions:The results of complete blood count and leukocyte classification in reference system and the comparison system had good consistency within the children′s reference interval. Our study provided a scientific basis for the feasibility of adopting a unified reference interval for different detection systems.

Relationship between the Expression of miRNA181a-5p and the Imbalance of Treg/Th17 in Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the role of relationship between the expression of miRNA181a-5p and imbalance of Treg/Th17 in the pathogenesis of primary immune thrombocytopenia(ITP), which contributes to clarify the mechanism of T cell immune imbalance in ITP patients.@*METHODS@#Peripheral blood was collected from 37 ITP patients, concluding 21 untreated patients and 16 effectively treated patients, and 19 healthy controls; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated and the expression of miRNA181a-5p and Notch1 was analyzed by RT-PCR. The proportion of Th17 subsets and Treg cells in the peripheral circulation was detected by flow cytometer (FCM). Clinical data of ITP group was collected, including age, platelet count and disease course.@*RESULTS@#The expression of miR-181a-5p was significantly decreased in ITP group than that of healthy control group (P＜0.01). After effective treatment, the expression of miR-181a-5p was significantly higher than that of ITP group (P＜0.05), but still significantly lower than that of healthy control group (P＜0.01); The expression of Notch1 was significantly increased in ITP group and effectively treated group than that of healthy control group (P＜0.01). There was no significant difference in proportion of Treg cells in ITP group, effectively treated group and healthy control group (P＞0.05). The proportion of Th17 subsets in ITP group was significantly increased than that of healthy control group (P＜0.05), while the ratio of Treg/Th17 was significantly decreased (P＜0.05). There was a positive correlation between the expression of miR-181a-5p and ratio of Treg/Th17 in ITP group (r=0.555).@*CONCLUSION@#The expression of miR-181a-5p is significantly decreased in ITP patients, which is closely related to the imbalance of Treg/Th17 cells. After effective treatment, the expression of miR-181a-5p can be significantly corrected, but still failed to reach the level of healthy people. While the expression of Notch1 is significantly increased in ITP patients, and could not reach the level of healthy people after effective treatment.

Advances in Preparation and Evaluation of Non-vascular Drug-eluting Stents / 中国医疗器械杂志

In recent years, the application of stent intervention in the treatment of non-vascular stenosis caused by benign and malignant factors has been widely concerned by researchers at home and abroad. The high incidence of malignant tumor diseases, further promotes the development of stent intervention. The conventional bare stents are prone to irritate luminal mucosa and produce restenosis and other complications. The emergence of drug-eluting stent is expected to solve this problem and become one of the important development trends of non-vascular stents. In this paper, the drug loading materials, drug loading layer drugs, preparation technology and quality evaluation methods of non-vascular drugeluting stent are described based on the recent research and clinical application documents, so as to provide basis and direction for the follow-up research and development.

Quantitation and content investigation of bilirubin in cultured cow-bezoar / 中国中药杂志

A determination method for bilirubin in cultured cow-bezoar was developed in this study, with which the bilirubin in 15 batches of samples was quantified. The samples were first processed with 10% oxalic acid solution for the conversion of bilirubin from conjugated to unconjugated, followed by the extraction with dichloromethane. Then the obtained sample solutions were analyzed at 450 nm by HPLC[chromatographic column: Agilent TC-C_(18)(4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm); mobile phase: acetonitrile and 1% glacial acetic acid aqueous solution(95∶5); flow rate: 1.0 mL·min~(-1)]. The bilirubin content in the 15 batches of cultured cow-bezoar was ranged from 21.9% to 41.7% with the average of 32.4%. The proposed method is accurate and reliable, thus making it suitable for the quantitation of bilirubin in cultured cow-bezoar and its quality assessment and control.

Baseline left ventricular ejection fraction associated with symptom improvements in both children and adolescents with postural tachycardia syndrome under metoprolol therapy / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a common childhood disease that seriously affects the patient's physical and mental health. This study aimed to investigate whether pre-treatment baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) values were associated with symptom improvement after metoprolol therapy for children and adolescents with POTS.@*METHODS@#This retrospective study evaluated 51 children and adolescents with POTS who received metoprolol therapy at the Peking University First Hospital between November 2010 and July 2019. All patients had completed a standing test or basic head-up tilt test and cardiac echocardiography before treatment. Treatment response was evaluated 3 months after starting metoprolol therapy. The pre-treatment baseline LVEF and LVFS values were evaluated for correlations with decreases in the symptom score after treatment (ΔSS). Multivariable analysis was performed using factors with a P value of  0.050). However, responders had significantly higher baseline LVEF (71.09% ± 4.44% vs. 67.17% ± 4.88%, t = -2.789, P = 0.008) and LVFS values (40.00 [38.00, 42.00]% vs. 36.79% ± 4.11%, Z = -2.542, P = 0.010) than the non-responders. The baseline LVEF and LVFS were positively correlated with ΔSS (r = 0.378, P = 0.006; r = 0.363, P = 0.009), respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that LVEF was independently associated with the response to metoprolol therapy in children and adolescents with POTS (odds ratio: 1.201, 95% confidence interval: 1.039-1.387, P = 0.013).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Pre-treatment baseline LVEF was associated with symptom improvement after metoprolol treatment for children and adolescents with POTS.

Analysis of pertussis surveillance 2017 to 2019 in Minhang District of Shanghai / 上海预防医学

Objective:To analyze the source of infection， clinical symptoms and epidemiological characteristics of pertussis surveillance cases in Minhang District of Shanghai from 2017 to 2019，so as to provide the basis for pertussis surveillance and immunization strategy. Methods:Descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze the pertussis surveillance cases. Results:A total of 334 cases were included in the pertussis active surveillance system， 237 cases were confirmed cases. There were 13 towns or streets in Minhang District， except for Pujin Street， all the other 12 towns or streets had cases. The high risk group （131/237， 55.27% of the cases） were the infants under five months old who did not reach the age of immunization or did not complete the basic immunization of diphtheria， tetanus， and acellular pertussis combined vaccine （DTaP）. The cases mainly occurred in March to July， accounting for 71.31% （169/237）. The highest culture-positive rate of Bordetella pertussis was in August （82.76%， 24/29）； the highest positive rate of polymerase chain reaction （PCR） detection was in March （58.82%， 20/34）. All the monitored cases had cough symptoms with an average cough days of 22.05±9.81 in confirmed cases. A total of 64 clustered outbreaks were detected， with an attack rate of 37.45% （94/251）. 32.91% （78/237） of the cases had contact history with coughing patients 21 days before the onset， and 94.87% （74/78） of them were family members. The aggregation of pertussis was mainly transmitted from adults to infants and infants to adults. Conclusion:Children under five months old are the high incidence population of pertussis， and family members are the main source of infection. It is suggested that pertussis monitoring and prevention should be carried out in adolescents and adults.

Investigation of chemical profile of bile acids and determination of them in cultured Bovis Calculus with UPLC-QDA / 中国中药杂志

In this study, 10 batches of samples of cultured Bovis Calculus(cow-bezoar) were determined for the investigation of chemical profile of bile acids with the UPLC-QDA method established. The results showed that nine common bile acids, cholic acid(CA), deoxycholic acid(DCA), chenodeoxycholic acid(CDCA), taurocholic acid(TCA), taurodeoxycholic acid(TDCA), taurochenodeoxycholic acid(TCDCA), glycocholic acid(GCA), glycodeoxycholic acid(GDCA) and glycochenodeoxycholic acid(GCDCA), were founded in samples and 7 bile acids were quantified except GDCA and GCDCA. In these samples, unconjugated bile acids, the major type of bile acids, accounted for more than 97% of all types of bile acids. As for unconjugated bile acids, CA was the most major bile acid in cultured cow-bezoar and it was about twice as much as DCA. The relative low-cost method established in the current study is accurate, rapid and sensitive, which is suitable for the studies of other drugs from animal bile.

Body mass index is a promising predictor of response to oral rehydration saline in children with vasovagal syncope / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Vasovagal syncope (VVS) greatly impairs quality of life. The therapeutic efficacy of oral rehydration saline (ORS) for unselected VVS patients is not satisfactory due to the diverse mechanisms of the disease. Body mass index (BMI) was demonstrated to reflect blood volume to a certain extent. Therefore, the present study explored the capability of BMI to predict the therapeutic response of children with VVS to ORS treatment.@*METHODS@#Seventy-four children with VVS who visited the Syncope Unit of Pediatrics at Peking University First Hospital from November 2010 to June 2019 receiving ORS treatment were enrolled for this retrospective case-control study. A comparison of demographic, clinical, and hemodynamic characteristics was performed between responders and non-responders. The correlation between baseline BMI and response time was analyzed. To determine the value of baseline BMI in predicting the therapeutic efficacy of ORS in children with VVS, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed.@*RESULTS@#Fifty-two children were identified as responders, and the remaining 22 children were identified as non-responders. The baseline BMI of the responders was much lower than that of the non-responders (16.4 [15.5, 17.8] kg/m2vs. 20.7 ±e6 kg/m2, P < 0.001), and baseline BMI was positively correlated with response time in the head-up tilt test after adjusting for sex (r = 0.256, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.067-0.439, P = 0.029). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of baseline BMI was 0.818 (95% CI: 0.704-0.932, P < 0.001), and an optimal cut-off value of 18.9 kg/m2 yielded a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 73% to predict the efficacy of ORS in VVS.@*CONCLUSION@#Prior to treatment, baseline BMI is a promising predictor of response to ORS in children with VVS.

Current Situation and Reconsideration on the Study of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Andrology / 中国结合医学杂志

The development of Chinese medicine and Western medicine andrology is based on different social background and academic systems, either Chinese medicine or Western medicine andrology has their limitations, therefore, integration of Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) andrology is in a great need. After more than 30 years of development, andrology has made great achievements in the construction of specialized academic association, holding academic conferences and publication of academic monographs, and the research progress on this field is mainly in the combination of disease and syndrome, microdifferentiation of symptoms and signs and basic research development. However, the comprehensive theoretic system of ICWM andrology has not yet established, and the related studies are still on the primary stage. In the future studies, great efforts still need to be made to expand the methods for the investigation of ICWM, and make innovations in the field of andrology.

Roles of cyclins in the progression of spermatogenesis / 中华男科学杂志

Spermatogenesis is a complex and precise process of differentiation of germ cells, which involves three stages: mitosis of spermatogonia, meiosis of spermatocytes and formation of spermatozoa. The process is controlled by many factors, including regulation of cyclins in spermatogenic cells, which plays a pivotal role. Cyclins form heterologous dimer compounds with protein kinase activity by binding to cyclin-dependent kinases, then phosphorylate multiple proteins and promote the orderly conduct of each phase of the cell cycle. In recent years, cyclins A, B, D and E have been found to play important roles in the regulation of spermatogenesis. This article presents an overview on the roles of these four cyclins in regulating the progression of spermatogenesis.

Gut microbiota analysis and its significance in vasovagal syncope in children / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is common in children and greatly affect both physical and mental health. But the mechanisms have not been completely explained. This study was designed to analyze the gut microbiota in children with VVS and explore its clinical significance.@*METHODS@#Fecal samples from 20 VVS children and 20 matched controls were collected, and the microbiota were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The diversity and microbiota compositions of the VVS cases and controls were compared with the independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test. The correlation between the predominant bacteria and clinical symptoms was analyzed using Pearson or Spearman correlation test.@*RESULTS@#No significant differences in diversity were evident between VVS and controls (P > 0.05). At the family level, the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae was significantly higher in VVS children than in controls (median [Q1, Q3]: 22.10% [16.89%, 27.36%] vs. 13.92% [10.31%, 20.18%], Z = -2.40, P  4, P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae in VVS patients was positively correlated with the frequency of syncope (r = 0.616, P < 0.01). In terms of its correlation with hemodynamics, we showed that relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae was negatively correlated with the systolic and diastolic pressure reduction at the positive response in head-up tilt test (HUTT; r = -0.489 and -0.448, all P < 0.05), but was positively correlated with the mean pressure drop and decline rate (r = 0.489 and 0.467, all P < 0.05) as well as diastolic pressure drop and decline rate at the HUTT positive response (r = 0.579 and 0.589, all P < 0.01) in VVS patients.@*CONCLUSION@#Ruminococcaceae was the predominant gut bacteria and was associated with the clinical symptoms and hemodynamics of VVS, suggesting that gut microbiota might be involved in the development of VVS.

Hemodynamic changes in standing-up test of children and adolescents with postural tachycardia syndrome / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the hemodynamic changes in standing-up test of children and adolescents with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and to compare hemodynamic parameters of POTS patients with decreased cardiac index (CI) and those with not-decreased CI.@*METHODS@#A retrospective study was conducted to show the trends of CI, total peripheral vascular resistance index (TPVRI), heart rate and blood pressure in standing-up test of 26 POTS patients and 12 healthy controls, and to compare them between the two groups. The POTS patients were divided into two groups based on CI decreasing or not in standing-up test, namely decreased CI group (14 cases) and not-decreased CI group (12 cases). The trends of the above mentioned hemodynamic parameters in standing-up test were observed and compared between decreased CI group and not-decreased CI group.@*RESULTS@#In standing-up test for all the POTS patients, CI (F=6.936, P=0.001) and systolic blood pressure (F=6.049, P<0.001) both decreased significantly, and heart rate increased obviously (F=113.926, P<0.001). However, TPVRI (F=2.031, P=0.138) and diastolic blood pressure (F=2.018, P=0.113) had no significant changes. For healthy controls, CI (F=3.646, P=0.016), heart rate (F=43.970, P<0.001), systolic blood pressure (F=4.043, P=0.020) and diastolic blood pressure (F=8.627, P<0.001) all increased significantly in standing-up test. TPVRI (F=1.688, P=0.190) did not change obviously. The changing trends of CI (F=6.221, P=0.001), heart rate (F=6.203, P<0.001) and systolic blood pressure (F=7.946, P<0.001) over time were significantly different between the patients and healthy controls, however, no difference was found in TPVRI and diastolic blood pressure (P > 0.05). Among the POTS patients, CI was significantly different between decreased CI group and not-decreased CI group (F=14.723, P<0.001). Systolic blood pressure of the former decreased obviously (F=8.010, P<0.001), but it did not change obviously in the latter (F=0.612, P=0.639). Furthermore, none of the changes of TPVRI, heart rate and diastolic blood pressure in standing-up test were significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). Age was an independent factor for decreased CI patients (P=0.013, OR=2.233; 95% CI, 1.183 to 4.216).@*CONCLUSION@#POTS patients experience vital hemodynamic changes in standing-up test, part of them suffering from decreased CI, but others from not-decreased CI. Age is an independent factor for patients suffering from decreased CI.

Optimization of an Activity Assay of Coprinus Cinereus Peroxidase

ABSTRACT To seek a simple, rapid and sensitive Coprinus cinereus Peroxidase (CIP) activity assay, a convenient one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method and a response surface methodology (RSM) were used. The recombinant CIP expressed in Pichia pastoris was purified with the Ni-NTA spin column. Based on the results of catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) analysis, 2,2'-azinobis (ethylbenzthiazoline -6-sulfonate) (ABTS) was selected as the optimal enzyme substrate. Results of the OFAT method showed that enzymatic reaction performed in 0.1 mol/L sodium acetate (pH 5.0) buffer in a 200-µl reaction mixture containing 0.5 mmol/L ABTS, 10 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), 49.7 ng CIP at 25°C gave an average CIP activity of 88 U/mL. The ABTS and H2O2 concentrations were then further optimized to improve the sensitivity of the assay. To do that, RSM was conducted through central composite design, and a reduced quadratic model with good fit regression equation was generated. ANOVA analysis of this model indicated that the concentrations of ABTS and H2O2 and their interaction had significant impact on the assay sensitivity. The optimal reaction mixture was determined to include an initial ABTS concentration of 0.82 mmol/L 49.7 ng CIP and 16.36 mmol/L H2O2, and the activity under this condition was determined to be 138.89 U/mL.

Chemistry and biology research on bitter-taste Chinese materia medica with function of regulating glycolipid metabolism / 中国中药杂志

The bitter taste is one of the important properties among five flavors of Chinese materia medica (CMM), characterized by downbearing and discharging, drying dampness, and consolidating Yin. In common CMM, bitter-taste CMM accounts for a large proportion, indicating the importance of it. Through the efficacy of clearing away heat and dampness, reducing fire and removing toxin, bitter-taste CMM has achieved good results in treating diabetes in clinical application, proving their definite therapeutic effect on regulating glucose and lipid metabolism (main features of diabetes). At present, there are many reports about the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of CMM on diabetes, but there are few reviews on the chemistry and biology of bitter-taste CMM. This study summarized the properties and compatibility characteristics of bitter-taste CMM for treating diabetes, and mainly analyzed the chemistry and biology basis of bitter-taste CMM with function of regulating glycolipid metabolism, laying foundation for further researches on properties theory of CMM.

Effect of Panax Quinquefolium 20s-Protopanaxtriolsaponins on the Inflammatory Reaction after Cerebral Is-chemia Reperfusion Injury in Rats / 中国药师

Objective:To evaluate the effect of panax quinquefolium 20s-protopanaxtriolsaponins ( PQTS) on the inflammatory reac-tion after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.Methods: Wistar rats were randomly divided into the sham , the model, PQTS treatment groups respectively at dose of 12.5, 25.0 and 50.0 mg· kg-1 and the positive control group (flunarizine hydrochloride injec-tions, FHI, 2.0 mg· kg-1).All the rats were with intraperitoneal injection once a day for 3 consecutive days.The rats were subjected to 2-hour transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24-hour reperfusion.The neurological function was scored and the infarct volume was measured after the 24-hour reperfusion.Brain edema was measured by the dry-wet weight.Myeloperox-idase ( MPO) activity was determined by a spectrophotometer .The permeability of blood brain barrier was evaluated by the Evans blue content in brain determined by a spectrophotometer .The mRNA levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis fac-tor-α( TNF-α) were evaluated by QPCR test .Moreover , the expression of NF-κBp65 was analyzed using Western blotting .Results:Compared with the model group , PQTS and FHI treatment groups (12.5, 25.0 and 50.0 mg· kg-1 ) and FHI group could improve the neurological function , decrease the infarct size , reduce the brain water content , inhibit the MPO activity and reduce the permeability of blood brain barrier.In addition, PQTS and FHI treatment groups (12.5, 25.0 and 50.0 mg· kg-1 ) also effectively inhibited the in-crease in the mRNA levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, and reduced the protein expression of NF-κBp65 when compared with the model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion:The results indicated that PQTS and FHI can significantly protect brain against cerebral is-chemia/reperfusion injury in rats by anti-inflammatory actions.

Endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial contact regulates osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells via mitofusion 2 in inflammatory microenvironment / 中华口腔医学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the effect of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondria coupling and the expression of mitofusion 2 (Mfn2) in periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSC), so as to provide a theoretical basis and therapeutic target for promoting periodontal regeneration in treatment of periodontitis.@*Methods@#The periodontal ligament tissue was scraped from extracted intact human teeth and teeth with periodontitis collected in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the Fourth Military Medical University. The health PDLSC (H-PDLSC) and inflammatory PDLSC (P-PDLSC) were obtained respectively from the primary culture of the human teeth and cloned using 1imited diluted method. The level of ER-mitochondrial coupling was observed by transmission electron microscopy and organelle-specific fluorescence staining. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to detect the expression of Mfn2 in H-PDLSC and P-PDLSC. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was used to simulate the inflammatory microenvironment. H-PDLSC was cultured in normal medium and media containing 5 and 10 mg/L TNF-α, named as H-PDLSC group, H-PDLSC+TNF-α (5 mg/L) group and H-PDLSC+TNF-α (10 mg/L) group, respectively. At the 7th day, qPCR was applied to detect the mRNA level of Mfn2. The expression of Mfn2 in P-PDLSC was down-regulated by small interfering RNA siMfn2. The osteogenic differentiation of P-PDLSC and P-PDLSC+siMfn2 were examined by qPCR at the 7th day, and alizarin red staining and cetyl pyridine chloride quantitative analysis at the 28th day after osteogenic induction.@*Results@#The level of ER-mitochondrial coupling in the P-PDLSC group (the length of the coupling structure/mitochondrial perimeter was 0.55±0.10, the length of the coupling structure/endoplasmic reticulum perimeter was 0.44±0.08) was significantly higher than that in the H-PDLSC group (P<0.01). The co-localization of endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria of P-PDLSC group was 0.71±0.09, which was significantly higher than that of H-PDLSC group (P<0.01). The expression level of Mfn2 in P-PDLSC (1.46±0.10) was higher than that in H-PDLSC (0.99±0.08). The expression levels of Mfn2 in H-PDLSC+TNF-α (5 mg/L) and H-PDLSC+TNF-α (10 mg/L) groups were 1.28±0.19, 1.54±0.43, respectively, which were both significantly higher than that in H-PDLSC (0.82±0.14) (P<0.01). P-PDLSC transfected with siMfn2 down-regulated the expression of Mfn2, and the osteogenic differentiation ability of P-PDLSC was restored. The results showed that the expression of alkaline phosphatase, Runt-related transcription factor-2 (RUNX2) and osteocalcin mRNA in P-PDLSC+siMfn2 group were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.01). The alizarin red staining and quantitative results of cetyl pyridinium chloride were consistent with the qPCR results.@*Conclusions@#In the microenvironment of inflammation, ER-mitochondrial coupling and the expression of Mfn2 of PDLSC increased, which might lead to a decrease in osteogenic differentiation of PDLSC. The specific mechanism needs to be further studied.

Increased Endogenous Sulfur Dioxide Involved in the Pathogenesis of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome in Children: A Case-Control Study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background</b>The pathogenesis of postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the changes and significance of sulfur dioxide (SO) in patients with POTS.</p><p><b>Methods</b>The study included 31 children with POTS and 27 healthy children from Peking University First Hospital between December 2013 and October 2015. A detailed medical history, physical examination results, and demographic characteristics were collected. Hemodynamics was recorded and the plasma SOwas determined.</p><p><b>Results</b>The plasma SOwas significantly higher in POTS children compared to healthy children (64.0 ± 20.8 μmol/L vs. 27.2 ± 9.6 μmol/L, respectively, P < 0.05). The symptom scores in POTS were positively correlated with plasma SOlevels (r = 0.398, P < 0.05). In all the study participants, the maximum heart rate (HR) was positively correlated with plasma levels of SO(r = 0.679, P < 0.01). The change in systolic blood pressure from the supine to upright (ΔSBP) in POTS group was smaller than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The ΔSBP was negatively correlated with baseline plasma SOlevels in all participants (r = -0.28, P < 0.05). In the control group, ΔSBP was positively correlated with the plasma levels of SO(r = 0.487, P < 0.01). The change in HR from the supine to upright in POTS was obvious compared to that of the control group. The area under curve was 0.967 (95% confidence interval: 0.928-1.000), and the cutoff value of plasma SOlevel >38.17 μmol/L yielded a sensitivity of 90.3% and a specificity of 92.6% for predicting the diagnosis of POTS.</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>Increased endogenous SOlevels might be involved in the pathogenesis of POTS.</p>

Inhibitory Effects of Sulfur Dioxide on Rat Myocardial Fibroblast Proliferation and Migration / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background</b>Myocardial fibrosis is an important pathological change in many heart diseases, but its pathogenesis is very complex and has not yet been fully elucidated. The study was designed to examine whether endogenous sulfur dioxide (SO) is a novel myocardial fibroblast proliferation and migration inhibitor.</p><p><b>Methods</b>Primary rat myocardial fibroblasts were isolated and transfected with aspartate aminotransferase (AAT1 and AAT2) knockdown lentivirus or empty lentivirus. SO content in the supernatant was determined with high-performance liquid chromatography, and the expressions of AAT1, AAT2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (p-ERK), and total ERK (T-ERK) in the cells were detected. Cell migration was detected by wound healing test. Independent sample t-test (for two groups) and one-way analysis of variance (three or more groups) were used to analyze the results.</p><p><b>Results</b>Both AAT1 and AAT2 knockdown significantly reduced SOlevels (F = 31.46, P < 0.01) and AAT1/2 protein expression (AAT1, t = 12.67, P < 0.01; AAT2, t = 9.61, P < 0.01), but increased PCNA expression and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) activity as well as the migration in rat primary myocardial fibroblasts (P < 0.01). Supplementation of SOrather than pyruvate significantly inhibited the increase in proliferation and migration caused by AAT knockdown (P < 0.01). Mechanistically, the ratio of p-ERK to T-ERK was significantly increased in the AAT1/2 knockdown groups compared with that in the empty lentivirus group (AAT1, t = -7.36, P < 0.01; AAT2, t = -10.97, P < 0.01). Whereas PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK activation, successfully blocked AAT knockdown-induced PCNA upregulation (F = 74.01, P > 0.05), CCK-8 activation (F = 50.14, P > 0.05), and migration augmentation in myocardial fibroblasts (24 h, F = 37.08, P > 0.05; 48 h, F = 58.60, P > 0.05).</p><p><b>Conclusion</b>Endogenous SOmight be a novel myocardial fibroblast proliferation and migration inhibitor via inhibiting the ERK signaling pathway.</p>