Effect of repeated intravitreal Ranibizumab and Aflibercept injections on the corneal nerves in patients with macular edema / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To investigate the effect of repeated intravitreal injection of ranibizumab and aflibercept on corneal nerve of patients with macular edema.METHODS: A total of 64 patients(64 eyes)enrolled in our hospital from June 2021 to June 2022 were treated with intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF). There were 20 cases(20 eyes)of diabetic macular edema, 19 cases(19 eyes)of wet age-related macular degeneration and 25 cases(25 eyes)of retinal vein occlusion. Corneal confocal microscope was used to collect images of corneal subbasal nerve plexus before injections and at 1mo after each intravitreal injection based on 3+pro re nata(PRN)treatment regimen. Furthermore, the length and density of corneal nerve were measured.RESULTS: There was no significant difference in corneal nerve density of patients injected with aflibercept between pre-injection and post-injection(P>0.05), while the corneal nerve length after 2nd and 3rd injections was lower than that of pre-injection(all P<0.01). There were no significant changes in corneal nerve density and length in patients with intravitreal injections of ranibizumab(all P>0.05), and there was no significant differences in corneal nerve density and length after 3 injections of the two drugs(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION: Repeated intravitreal anti-VEGF drug may affect corneal nerve to some extent. For patients who need repeated intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF, attention should be paid to the changes of corneal nerves.

Long term prognosis of fulminant myocarditis and predictors related to impaired cardiac function post discharge / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To compare the long-term prognosis of fulminant myocarditis (FM) and non-fulminant myocarditis (NFM) patients who survived and discharged from hospital, and to explore the factors associated with the long-term prognosis and impaired cardiac function. Methods: This study was a retrospective study. Consecutive patients with acute myocarditis hospitalized in Tongji Hospital from January 2017 to December 2020 were enrolled and divided into FM group and NFM group according to the type of myocarditis. Then, patients in the FM group were further divided into normal cardiac function group and impaired cardiac function group according the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). All patients with acute myocarditis were treated with antiviral, immunomodulatory, immunosuppressive medications and symptomatic and supportive treatment, while FM patients were treated with comprehensive treatment plan. Clinical data at admission of enrolled patients were collected through the electronic medical record system. Patients were clinically followed-up at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, then once a year after discharge by clinical visit. The primary endpoints included major cardiovascular events, impaired cardiac function was defined by LVEF<55%. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the occurrence of LVEF<55% and left ventricular enlargement during the follow-up of patients in FM group and NFM group, and Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. Cox regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of impaired cardiac function in patients with FM during follow-up. Results: A total of 125 patients with acute myocarditis were enrolled (66 in FM group and 59 in NFM group). Compared with NFM group, the proportion of FM patients with the lowest LVEF<55% during hospitalization was higher (P<0.01), and the recovery time of normal LVEF during hospitalization was longer (P<0.01). The proportion of LVEF<55% at discharge was similar between the two groups (P=0.071). During the follow-up of 12 (6, 24) months, 1 patient (1.5%) died due to cardiac reasons in FM group after discharge, 16 patients (24.2%) had sustained LVEF<55% after discharge, and 8 patients (12.1%) had left ventricular enlargement. In NFM group, 3 patients (5.1%) had sustained LVEF<55%, and 1 patient (1.7%) had left ventricular enlargement. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the incidence of sustained LVEF<55% in FM group was higher than that in NFM group (P=0.003), and the incidence of left ventricular enlargement was also higher than that in NFM group (P=0.024). Subgroup analysis of patients in the FM group showed that, compared with the normal cardiac function group, the time from onset to admission was shorter (P=0.011), the proportion of LVEF<55% at discharge was higher (P=0.039), the proportion of coronary angiography was higher (P=0.014), and the LVEF recovery time during hospitalization was longer (P=0.036) in FM patients with impaired cardiac function. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that longer LVEF recovery time during hospitalization was an independent risk factor for cardiac function impairment after discharge of FM patients (HR=1.199, 95%CI 1.023-1.406, P=0.025). Conclusions: The incidence of reduced LVEF is significantly higher in FM patients than that in NFM patients. Longer LVEF recovery time during hospitalization is an independent risk factor for cardiac function impairment in FM patients after discharge.

The effect of age and abstinence time on semen quality: a retrospective study / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

This study analyzed the effects of male age and abstinence time on semen quality and explored the best abstinence time for Chinese males among different age groups. Semen parameters, including sperm kinetics, morphology, and DNA fragmentation index (DFI), were reviewed from 2952 men. Samples were divided into six age groups (≤25 years, 26-30 years, 31-35 years, 36-40 years, 41-45 years, and >45 years) and were divided into six groups according to different abstinence time (2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, 6 days, and 7 days). The differences in semen quality between the groups were compared, and the effect of age and abstinence time on semen quality was analyzed. Significant differences were observed in semen volume, progressive motility (PR), and DFI among the age groups (all P < 0.05), and no significant differences were observed in sperm morphological parameters (all P > 0.05). There were significant differences in semen volume, PR, and DFI among different abstinence time groups (all P < 0.05) and no significant differences in sperm morphological parameters (all P > 0.05). Pearson analysis showed that male age and abstinence time were both significantly correlated with sperm kinetics and DFI (both P < 0.05), while no significant correlation was found with sperm morphological parameters (all P > 0.05). The box plots and histograms of men's age, abstinence time, and semen quality show that most semen quality parameters differ significantly between the 2 days and 7 days abstinence groups and other groups at different ages. Except for the sperm morphology parameters, sperm kinetic parameters and sperm DFI are linearly related to male age and abstinence time.

Identification of Cordyceps cicadae and Tolypocladium dujiaolongae based on ITS sequences and chemical pattern recognition method / 中国中药杂志

Based on ITS sequences, the molecular identification of Cordyceps cicadae and Tolypocladium dujiaolongae was carried out, and high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprint combined with chemical pattern recognition method was established to differentiate C. cicadae from its adulterant T. dujiaolongae. The genomic DNA from 10 batches of C. cicadae and five batches of T. dujiaolongae was extracted, and ITS sequences were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The stable differential sites of these two species were compared and the phylogenetic tree was constructed via MEGA 7.0. HPLC was used to establish the fingerprints of C. cicadae and T. dujiaolongae, and similarity evaluation, cluster analysis(CA), principal component analysis(PCA), and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) were applied to investigate the chemical pattern recognition. The result showed that the sources of these two species were different, and there were 115 stable differential sites in ITS sequences of C. cicadae and T. dujiao-longae. The phylogenetic tree could distinguish them effectively. HPLC fingerprints of 18 batches of C. cicadae and 5 batches of T. dujiaolongae were established. The results of CA, PCA, and PLS-DA were consistent, which could distinguish them well, indicating that there were great differences in chemical components between C. cicadae and T. dujiaolongae. The results of PLS-DA showed that six components such as uridine, guanosine, adenosine, and N~6-(2-hydroxyethyl) adenosine were the main differential markers of the two species. ITS sequences and HPLC fingerprint combined with the chemical pattern recognition method can serve as the identification and differentiation methods for C. cicadae and T. dujiaolongae.

Effects of Shenfu yixin granule on mitochondrial autophagy of cardiomyocytes in rats with heart failure after acute yocardial infarction / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of Shenfu yixin granule on mitochondrial autophagy of cardiomyocytes in rats with heart failure after acute myocardial infarction. METHODS The model of heart failure after acute myocardial infarction was established by ligaturing the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery in rats. The model rats were divided into model group，Shenfu yixin granule low-dose and high-dose groups （1.76，8.8 g/kg），Fosinopril sodium tablets group （positive control ，4 mg/kg），sham operation group was set up （only threading without ligation at the same position ），with 8 rats in each group. After 4 weeks of drug intervention ，the hemodynamic indexes of rats in each group were measured by physiological recorder. The pathological changes of myocardial tissue were observed in each group. The level of oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes ， mitochondrial membrane potential ，protein expression of PTEN-induced putative kinase 1（PINK1），E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin and ubiquitin binding protein P 62 in myocardial tissue of rats in each group were detected. RESULTS Compared with sham operation group ，the pathological injuries such as myocardial fiber morphology disorder and inflammatory cell infiltration were serious. The left ventricular end systolic pressure （LVESP），maximum rate of rise of left ventricular internal pressure （+dp/dtmax）， maximun rate of decrease of left ventricular internal pressure （－dp/dtmax），total antioxidant capacity ，mitochondrial membrane potential，PINK1，Parkin and P 62 protein expression were significantly decreased in model group （P＜0.01）. The left ventricular end diastolic pressure （LVEDP），the level of reactive oxygen species and the activity of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate in left ventricular ischemic cardiomyocytes were significantly increased （P＜0.01）. Compared with model group ，the pathological injuries of myocardial tissue in intervention groups were alleviated ，and above indexes were improved in varying degrees（P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Shenfu y ixin granule can reduce the level of oxidative stress and alleviate heart failure after acute myocardial infarction ，which may be related to the activation of Parkin-dependent pathway to strengthen mitochondrial autophagy and reduce mitochondrial dysfunction.

Data Mining-Based Macroscopic Exploration of Clinical Medication of Chinese Medicine for Liver Cancer / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the macroscopic medication rule of Chinese medicine for the treatment of primary liver cancer and provide references for clinical medication. Method:The databases of CNKI，VIP， and Wanfang Data were searched for research articles published from September 1959 to June 2019 with the terms of "Chinese medicine" and "liver cancer". A database was established based on the collected Chinese medicinal prescriptions for the treatment of primary liver cancer. The frequency，clustering， and association rules were analyzed by Excel， etc. Result:In this study，106 effective articles were included，and after the modified prescriptions were removed， 92 effective prescriptions were screened out，involving 281 Chinese herbal medicines used for 1 181 times in total. The top 5 high-frequency drugs were Poria （deficiency-tonifying），Astragali Radix （heat-clearing），Bupleuri Radix （blood-activating and stasis-resolving），Paeoniae Radix Alba （urination-promoting and dampness-draining）， and Codonopsis Radix （Qi-regulating）. The analysis of drug flavor with a frequency higher than 10 showed that most of the drugs were sweet，bitter， and pungent in flavor，cold，warm， and plain in nature，and acted on spleen and liver meridians. Four combinations and 10 herbal pairs were obtained by the cluster analysis of high-frequency drugs and association analysis， respectively. The high-frequency drugs and potential herbal pairs were classified targeting the specific clinical syndromes in different stages of liver cancer. Conclusion:Replenishing Qi， invigorating spleen，clearing heat， removing toxin，activating blood， and resolving stasis were the basic principles for the treatment of primary liver cancer. The combination of those drugs was the main therapeutic strategy. In addition，the resulting 10 potential herbal pairs from high-frequency drugs and cluster analysis could inspire the clinical treatment of primary liver cancer in different clinical stages with various clinical syndromes， which was of reference value for the clinical medication.

Diagnosis and treatment of primary cardiac tumors in pediatric patients / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To summarize the experience in diagnosis and treatment of primary cardiac tumors in pediatric patients.Methods:Retrospectively analyzing 7 pediatric patients who were suspected as primary cardiac tumors and diagnosed and treated in Department of Heart Center, Children′s Hospital of Dalian Medical University from August 2013 to February 2019.All patients underwent echocardiography and other examinations, so as to confirm the diagnosis and the treatment plan was chosen based on the size and location of the tumor.All patients were followed up after discharge.Results:A total of 7 patients were diagnosed as primary cardiac tumors by echocardiography, among which 5 cases underwent surgical treatment, and 2 cases were diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis without surgery.In children undergoing surgery, 1 patient underwent autologous heart transplantation to remove the tumor, 1 patient had arrhythmia, 1 patient had mitral regurgitation after surgery, and the mitral regurgitation was corrected again.The remaining children had no adverse complications and were discharged successfully.Histologic examination revealed rhabdomyoma in 4 patients, and fibroma in 1 patient.The patients were followed up for 2-66 months after discharge, and no tumor recurrence was observed in the children who performed surgery.There was a trend of spontaneously regress of cardiac tumor in 2 patients without surgery.Conclusions:Echocardiography is the first choice for the diagnosis of primary cardiac tumors in Pediatric patients.Rhabdomyoma is the most prevalent histologic type of primary cardiac tumors, and tuberous sclerosis should be excluded during the diagnosis process.Patients with tuberous sclerosis selected conservative treatment, and surgical treatment was selected for children with obvious symptoms.According to the location and size of lesion, therapy strategies should be chosen and autologous heart transplantation can be adopted to remove the tumor for children with large tumors.Autologous heart transplantation to remove the tumor is a good surgical treatment.

Singapore's efforts to achieve measles elimination in 2018

@#The World Health Organization verified that Singapore had eliminated endemic transmission of measles in October 2018. This report summarizes the evidence presented to the Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination, comprising information about immunization schedules; laboratory testing protocols and the surveillance system; and data on immunization coverage and the epidemiology of cases. Between 2015 and 2017, a total of 246 laboratory confirmed cases of measles were reported. The source or country of infection was unknown for most cases (195; 79.3%). There were 22 clusters, ranging from two to five cases. The most common genotypes detected were D8 and D9. Transmission of B3 was interrupted in 2017, and H1 cases were sporadic and imported. Phylogenetic analyses of the D8 isolates showed the existence of 13 lineages or clusters. Although a few lineages were circulating concurrently, no lineage propagated continuously for a prolonged period, and transmission of each lineage eventually stopped. Although cases and clusters were reported yearly, molecular data showed that none of the lineages resulted in prolonged transmission. There were fewer measles cases in 2017 compared with 2016. The higher number of clusters was likely due to the overall increase in cases because cluster sizes remained small. The occurrence of small clusters is not unexpected since measles is highly infectious. The majority of imported cases did not result in secondary transmission. With the global increase in the number of measles cases, Singapore needs to stay vigilant and continue to promptly test suspected cases; vaccination is the key to preventing infection.

Identification of Chemical Constituents in Bufei Jianpi Formula by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To identify and analyze the chemical constituents in Bufei Jianpi formula by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Method::An Agilent Poroshell SB-C18 column (4.6 mm×100 mm, 2.7 μm) was used with a mobile phase system of 0.1% formic acid solution (A)-acetonitrile (B) for gradient elution (0-10 min, 3%B; 10-100 min, 3%-50%B; 100-120 min, 50%-100%B) under positive ion mode and water (A)-acetonitrile (B) for gradient elution (0-5 min, 3%B; 5-60 min, 3%-100%B) under negative ion mode, the flow rate was 0.6 mL·min-1, and the column temperature was 30 ℃. Mass spectrometric data were obtained under electrospray inoization (ESI) in positive and negative ion modes, the collection range was m/z 50-1 000.Agilent MassHunter Qualitative Analysis software was used to extract and match chromatographic peaks. Result::Combined with reference, related literature and database analysis, 95 compounds were identified by mass spectrometry information, including 41 flavonoids, 23 alkaloids, 12 lignans, 9 organic acids, and 10 other compounds. Conclusion::The chemical composition of Bufei Jianpi formula is complex, and the cracking rules of different components are different. Flavonoids are prone to deglycosylation, dehydration, Diels-Alder reaction (RDA) cleavage of the ring during lysis, and loss of some neutral molecules such as CO, CO2, CHO. Lignans has a substituent such as a hydroxyl group, a carbonyl group or a methoxy group on the benzene ring, and it is easy to obtain a fragment ion which loses H2O or CO. The basic structure of organic acids is a phenolic hydroxyl group-substituted aromatic ring, acrylic acid, fatty acid or the like, this kind of compound is easy to lose H2O and COOH in negative ion mode, and it is easy to break at the carbonyl to form fragment ions. This established method is rapid, sensitive and accurate, which can quickly identify the chemical constituents in Bufei Jianpi formula and provide evidences for clarifying efficacy material base of this formula.

Clinical value of thrombomodulin combined with thrombin-antithrombin complex for judging prognosis for sepsis / 解放军医学杂志

[Abstract] Objective To determine the prognostic value of thrombomodulin (TM) combined with thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) in patients with sepsis. Methods A retrospective analysis of the clinical data from 80 patients with sepsis who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria admitted to the 908th Hospital of Chinese PLA Logistical Support Force from May 2018 to July 2019. The conventional coagulation tests, thromboelastographic (TEG) parameters, TM, TAT, α2-plasmin inhibitor-plasmin complex (PIC, namely plasmin/alpha 2-antiplasmin complex, PAP) and tissue plasminogen activator-inhibitor-1 complex (t-PAIC) were collected within 2 hours at admission. According to the prognosis of 90 days, the patients were divided into survival group and death group and statistical analysis were performed. Results Compared with TM [11.7(8.8, 15.9) TU/ml] and TAT [11.3(7.0, 20.5) ng/ml] in the survival group, TM [20.2(14.1, 23.8) TU/ml] and TAT [17.7(11.8, 54.6) ng/ml] were significantly increased in the death group (P16.95 TU/ml combined with TAT>10.55 ng/ml. Conclusion TM combined with TAT can effectively judge the prognosis of sepsis patients and early identify sepsis related coagulation disorders.

Quality grading standard of Citrus aurantium seedlings / 中国中药杂志

Forty-three annual Citrus aurantium grafted seedlings from Chongqing, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi and other main producing areas were collected, and the plant height, rootstock diameter, scion diameter, root length, root diameter, lateral root number, root breadth, branch number, branch length, green leaf number, leaf length, leaf width, thorns and other indicators were measured. Through the K-cluster analysis of SPSS 19.0 software, the classification standards were obtained. Combined with the production practice, plant height, scion diameter and branch number were taken as the quality classification indexes of C. aurantium seedlings(annual grafted seedlings), and three classification standards were established. If it does not meet the three-level standard, it is unqualified seedling and cannot be used as seedling. It is suggested to use the first and second level seedlings in production.

Pregnancy and lactation-associated osteoporosis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis: case report and literature review / 中华全科医师杂志

Clinical data of a 33-year-old rheumatoid arthritis patient accompanied with pregnancy and lactation-associated osteoporosis(PLO) was retrospectively reviewed.The patient had two pregnancies within three years,and bone pain occurred during lactation of the second pregnancy after 2 months of delivery.Dual-energy X-ray (DEXA) showed decreased bone density,while thoracolumbar spine and pelvic X-ray film suggested osteoporosis.Her rheumatoid arthritis was stable and previous treatment did not include glucocorticoids.Other causes of metabolic bone diseases were excluded and the diagnosis of PLO was confirmed.The breastfeeding was stopped;calcium,active vitamin D,alendronate sodium were administrated,and the treatment was effective.Domestic and international literature from January 2000 to January 2019 was searched and no cases of PLO accompanied with rheumatoid arthritis were reported.There were only 100 cases of PLO retrieved in the literature,including 19 cases of PLO in China reported by four articles.It is suggested that PLO should be considered in RA patients presenting with arthragia during the lactation,in addition to relapse of disease.Awareness of PLO should be increased in physicians,especially rheumatologists,and anti-osteoporosis therapy is effective in patients with PLO.

A wave is a marker in demyelination subtype in children′s Guillain-Barré syndrome and it correlates with short-term prognosis / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective@#To explore the A wave value in neuroelectrophysiological subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome(GBS)and the clinical severity and short-term prognosis of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy(AIDP).@*Methods@#From March 2014 to March 2017, a total of 56 children with GBS at Department of Neurology of Wuhan Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology were enrolled.The patients were divided into AIDP subtype(40 cases) and axonal GBS subtype(16 cases) according to the results of electrophysiological examination.According to whether there was existence of A wave or not, the GBS children were divided into 2 groups.The first group was the A wave in GBS group(18 cases), and the second group was non-A wave in GBS group(38 cases). In order to explore classification value for GBS with A wave, clinical data including age, gender, history of prodromal infection, cranial nerve dysfunction, autonomic nerve involvement and conduction blocks were analyzed.To explore A wave value in clinical severity and short-term prognosis of AIDP, the age, gender, clinical severity, conduction blocks, short-term prognosis of the 2 groups were analyzed in A wave with AIDP (18 cases) and non-A wave with AIDP(22 cases).@*Results@#Compared with non-A wave GBS patients, A wave GBS patients had more conduction blocks(10 cases vs.2 cases, χ2=18.021, P=0.000). Age, sex, precedent infections, cranial nerve involvement, autonomic nerve involvement were not significantly statistically different(all P>0.05). A wave was only seen in AIDP subtype(18 cases), and the percentage of A wave in AIDP was 45%(18/40 cases). There was no A wave in axonal GBS.Compared with non-A wave in AIDP, A wave in AIDP patients had more conduction blocks(10 cases vs.2 cases, χ2=9.924, P=0.002), poorer clinical motor function[(3.39±1.09) scores vs.(2.50±1.01) scores, t=2.667, P=0.011]and short-term prognosis[(2.06±0.64) scores vs.(1.55±0.60) scores, t=2.607, P=0.013].@*Conclusions@#A wave is correlated with demyelination subtype in children′s Guillain-Barré syndrome and poor short-term prognosis in AIDP.

Effects of Shenfu Yixin Decoction on Reactive Oxygen Species and Energy Metabolism of Primary Hypoxic Cardiomyocytes / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To observe the effects of Shenfu yixin decoction on reactive oxygen species （ROS） and energy metabolism in primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes. METHODS： After isolation， culture and identification， primary cardiomyocytes of neonatal SD rats were randomly divided into normal group， model group， positive control group （coenzyme Q10， 0.1 mmol/L） and Shenfu yixin decoction low-dose and high-dose groups （0.25， 0.5 mg/mL）. Except for normal group， other groups were cultured with 5％O2， 5％CO2 and 90％N2 for 6 h to induce hypoxic injury model. After 6 hours of hypoxia， ROS contents in cardiomyocytes and mitochondria of each group were detected by ROS probe and flow cytometry. Luciferase luminescence and Western blotting were used to detect ATP content and CK protein expression of each group. Transmission electron microscope was used to observe ultrastructure of cardiomyocytes in each group. RESULTS： Compared with normal group， the expression of ROS in primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes and mitochondria as well as the content of ROS were increased significantly， while the content of ATP and expression levels of CK protein were decreased significantly （P＜0.05）； there were swelling of endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria， dissolution or even disappearance of mitochondrial ridge， obvious cardiomyocytes injury. Compared with model group， the expression of ROS in primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes and mitochondria of administration groups， the contents of ROS in primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes of positive control group and Shenfu yixin decoction high-dose group as well as the content of ROS in primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes mitochondria of administration groups were all decreased significantly， while ATP contents in primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes of positive control group and Shenfu yixin decoction high-dose group as well as expression levels of CK protein in primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes of administration groups were all increased significantly （P＜0.05）. The primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes injury was relieved significantly in positive control group and Shenfu yixin decoction high-dose group. CONCLUSIONS： Shenfu yixin decoction can improve primary hypoxic cardiomyocytes， down-regulate the expression of ROS in cardiomyocytes and mitochondria and also improve its energy metabolism.

Discussion on the duration of needle retention / 中国针灸

Needle retention is an important step in the acupuncture procedure. How to optimize scientifically the duration of needle retention according to individual case has been considered in the medical circle. In this paper, by collecting the literatures on needle retention from the early dynasty to the contemporary time, the evolution of the needle retention from a short duration to a long one with the productivity improvement was elaborated. On the base of the views of the medical scholars of all dynasties, it was concluded that the ultimate purpose of needle retention is to improve the effects of acupuncture on the premise of ensuring the safety of acupuncture. Hence, the clinical physician should optimize the duration of needle retention cautiously in compliance with the tolerance of patient so as to save the time cost of both physician and patient, avoid the occurrence of tolerable effect of acupuncture and reduce the potential safety hazard of acupuncture induced by the long duration of needle retention.

Protective Effect of Salvianolic Acid B on Myocardial Injury in Septic Rats / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of salvianolic acid B (Sal-B) on the myocardial apoptosis in rats with sepsis. Method:The 50 male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group (cecal ligation and perforation were performed to replicate the animal model of sepsis)and Sal-B low, medium and high-dose group(6, 12, 24 mg·kg-1).The myocardial necrosis markers troponin T(TnT), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and malonaldialdehyde (MDA) levels in myocardial homogenates were determined by spectrophotometrically. Haematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to evaluate the pathological change in rats. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay (TUNEL) was used to detect apoptosis of myocardial cells in hearts, respectively. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of apoptosis-related protein cysteine protease-3 (Caspase-3), b-lymphocytoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-related X protein (Bax), autophagy microtubule-related light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin-1 in myocardial tissue. Result:Compared with sham group, the levels of TnT, CK-MB and cTnI in model group were significantly increased (Pα, IL-1β and IL-6 in myocardial tissue were significantly increased (PPPPPPPα, IL-1 and IL-6 in the myocardial tissue were significantly decreased (PPPPPPPPPPConclusion:Sal-B showed a protective effect on the myocardial apoptosis in septic rats maybe by depressing inflammatory infiltration, anti-oxidative effects and improving the exceptional expression of the proteins such as Bax, Bcl-2, Caspases-3 by enhancing the level of autophagy.

Discussion on Theory of “Wine Processing Could Promote Efficacy” Based on Brain Protective Effect of Raw and Wine-processed Products of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma on ICH Rats / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the difference of effect of raw and wine-processed products of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma extract on brain protection of rats with intracerebral hemorrhage(ICH) and the connotation of the theory of "wine processing could promote efficacy" of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. Method:Wistar male rats were used to establish the ICH model,extracts of raw and wine-processed products of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma were used for intervention,and these rats were randomly divided into 6 groups(blank group,sham-operated group,model group,raw Rhei Radix et Rhizoma group,wine-processed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma group and Angong Niuhuangwan group).Then the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL) assay.The expression of zonula occludens-1(ZO-1) and vascular endothelial cadherin-2(VE-cadherin-2) in the hemorrhagic brain tissue was detected by immunohistochemical assay.The expression of reduced form of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH) oxidase 2(NOX2) and tumor necrosis factor-α stimulated gene-6(TSG-6) in the hemorrhagic brain tissue was detected by Western blot.The content of glutathione(GSH) in the serum of ICH rats was detected by automatic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay systems.Through these above methods,we investigated the differences between raw products and wine-processed products on brain protection of ICH rats. Result:Compared with the sham-operated group,the apoptosis index of the hippocampal neurons in the model group were increased significantly(PPPPPPPPPPPPConclusion:The raw and wine-processed products of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma all have brain protective effect on ICH rat model,but the protective effect of wine-processed products is slightly better than that of raw products.The result of this study provides experimental basis for exploring the theory of "wine processing could promote efficacy" of this herb.

Analysis and Significance of Autophagy in Liver Cancer Cells Induced by Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and its components play a role in the field of anti-hepatocarcinoma. The definition of its mechanism of action in autophagy contributes to the development of TCM in the field of anti-hepatocarcinoma. In this paper, we summarized reports on the autophagy of liver cancer cells induced by TCM and its active ingredients, including those on promoting apoptosis and cycle inhibition induced by autophagy and inhibiting autophagy to block tumor cell cycle, but with a lack of systematic summarization. In this paper, according to different effect of TCM on autophagy induced by hepatocarcinoma, the TCM and its components were inductively analyzed in four aspects:inducing killing autophagy, inhibiting protective autophagy, inducing protective autophagy in liver cancer, and inducing unclear autophagy. According to the findings, TCMs and components that cause killing autophagy can inhibit the occurrence of autophagy, arrest cell cycle, induce cell senescence or promote apoptosis. TCMs and components that inhibit protective autophagy can inhibit protective autophagy and hepatoma cell proliferation. TCMs and components that induce protective autophagy have a significant anti-hepatocarcinoma effect, shall be considered to be combined with autophagy inhibitors to enhance the lethality of drugs on liver cancer cells, and become a new way for such drugs to treat liver cancer. TCMs and components with an unclear inductive effect shall be first identified for their type of autophagy, then combined with autophagy agonists or blockers according to the type of autophagy to enhance their anti-liver cancer effect, and provide a new clinical therapeutic approach for liver cancer. In the aspect of autophagy, this study not only reveals the molecular mechanism of anti-hepatocarcinoma of TCM, but also makes it a new way to study anti-hepatocarcinoma by TCM.

In vitro study of effects of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 on autophagy in early hypoxic mouse cardiomyocytes and the mechanism / 中华烧伤杂志

Objective@#To explore the effects of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) on autophagy in early hypoxic mouse cardiomyocytes and the mechanism in vitro.@*Methods@#The hearts of 120 C57BL/6 mice aged 1-2 days, no matter male or female, were isolated, and then primary cardiomyocytes were cultured and used for the following experiments, the random number table was used for grouping. (1) The cells were divided into normoxia group and hypoxia 3, 6, and 9 h groups, with one well in each group. The cells in normoxia group were routinely cultured (the same below), the cells in hypoxia 3, 6, and 9 h groups were treated with fetal bovine serum-free and glucose-free Dulbecco′ s modified Eagle medium under low oxygen condition in a volume fraction of 1% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide, and 94% nitrogen for 3, 6, and 9 h, respectively. The protein expressions of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), Beclin-1, TRPV1 were determined with Western botting. (2) The cells were divided into normoxia group and hypoxia group, with two coverslips in each group. The cells in hypoxia group were treated with hypoxia for 6 h as above. The positive expression of TRPV1 was detected by immunofluorescence assay. (3) The cells were divided into 4 groups, with one well in each group. The cells in simple hypoxia group were treated with hypoxia for 6 h as above, and the cells in hypoxia+ 0.1 μmol/L capsaicin group, hypoxia+ 1.0 μmol/L capsaicin group, and hypoxia+ 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin group were respectively treated with 0.1, 1.0, 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin for 30 min before hypoxia for 6 h. The protein expressions of LC3, Beclin-1, and TRPV1 were detected by Western blotting. (4) The cells were divided into 5 groups, with 5 wells in each group. The cells in hypoxia group were treated with hypoxia for 6 h as above, the cells in hypoxia+ chloroquine group, hypoxia+ capsaicin group, and hypoxia+ capsaicin+ chloroquine group were treated with hypoxia for 6 h after being cultured with 50 μmol/L chloroquine, 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin, and 50 μmol/L chloroquine+ 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin for 30 min, respectively. Viability of cells was detected by cell counting kit 8 assay. (5) The cells were divided into simple hypoxia group and hypoxia+ 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin group, with one well in each group. The cells in hypoxia group were treated with hypoxia for 6 h as above, the cells in hypoxia+ 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin group were treated with 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin for 30 minutes and then with hypoxia for 6 h. The protein expressions of lysosomal associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP-1) and LAMP-2 were detected by Western blotting. Each experiment was repeated for 3 or 5 times. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance, least significant difference t test, and Bonferroni correction.@*Results@#(1) Compared with those of normoxia group, the protein expressions of LC3, Beclin-1, and TRPV1 were significantly increased in cardiomyocytes of hypoxia 3, 6, and 9 h groups (t3 h=4.891, 5.890, 4.928; t6 h=9.790, 6.750, 10.590; t9 h=6.948, 6.764, 5.049, P<0.05 or P<0.01), which of hypoxia 6 h group were the highest (1.08±0.05, 1.12±0.10, 0.953±0.071, respectively). (2) The density of TRPV1 in cell membrane and inside the cardiomyocytes in hypoxia group was significantly increased with lump-like distribution, and the expression of TRPV1 was higher than that in normoxia group. (3) Compared with those of simple hypoxia group, the protein expression of Beclin-1 in cardiomyocytes of hypoxia+ 0.1 μmol/L capsaicin group was increased (t=10.488, P<0.01), while the protein expressions of LC3 and TRPV1 were increased without statistically significant differences (t=4.372, 3.026, P>0.05); the protein expressions of LC3, TRPV1, and Beclin-1 in cardiomyocytes of hypoxia+ 1.0 μmol/L capsaicin group and hypoxia+ 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin group were significantly increased (t=15.505, 5.773, 13.430; 20.915, 8.054, 16.384; P<0.05 or P<0.01), which of hypoxia+ 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin group were the highest (2.33±0.09, 1.34±0.07, 1.246±0.053, respectively). (4) Compared with 0.585±0.045 in normoxia group, the cardiomyocyte viability in hypoxia group was significantly decreased (0.471±0.037, t=4.365, P<0.05). Compared with that in hypoxia group, the cardiomyocyte viability in hypoxia+ chloroquine group was further decreased (0.350±0.023, t=6.216, P<0.01), while 0.564±0.047 in hypoxia+ capsaicin group was significantly increased (t=3.489, P<0.05). Compared with that in hypoxia+ chloroquine group, the cardiomyocyte viability in hypoxia+ capsaicin+ chloroquine group did not significantly change (0.364±0.050, t=0.545, P>0.05). (5) Compared with 0.99±0.04 and 0.54±0.04 in simple hypoxia group, the protein expressions of LAMP-1 and LAMP-2 in hypoxia+ 10.0 μmol/L capsaicin group were significantly increased (1.49±0.06, 0.81±0.05, t=12.550, 7.442, P<0.01).@*Conclusions@#TRPV1 can further promote the expression of autophagy-related proteins in hypoxic cardiomyocytes through autophagy-lysosomal pathway, enhance autophagy activity, and improve autophagic flow for alleviating early hypoxic cardiomyocyte injury.

In vitro study of the effect of human antigen R on lysosomal acidification during autophagy in mouse cardiomyocytes / 中华烧伤杂志

Objective@#To investigate the effect of human antigen R on lysosomal acidification during autophagy in mouse cardiomyocytes cultured in vitro.@*Methods@#The hearts of 20 C57BL/6 mice aged 1-2 days no matter male or female were isolated to culture primary cardiomyocytes which were used in the following experiments. (1) The cells were divided into 5 groups according to the random number table (the same grouping method below), i. e., normal control group and sugar-free serum-free 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 h groups. The cells in normal control group were routinely cultured for 54.0 h with Dulbecco′s modified Eagle medium/nutrient mixture F12 (DMEM/F12) medium (the same regular culture condition below), and the cells in sugar-free serum-free 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 h groups were firstly regularly cultured for 53.5, 53.0, 51.0, 48.0 h and then cultured with replaced sugar-free serum-free medium for 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 h, respectively. The protein expressions of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 Ⅱ (LC3Ⅱ), autophagy-related protein 5, and adenosine triphosphatase V1 region E1 subunit (ATP6V1E1) were detected by Western blotting. (2) The cells were divided into normal control group and sugar-free serum-free 3.0 h group. The cells in corresponding groups were treated the same as those in experiment (1), and the cell lysosomal acidification level was observed and detected under a laser scanning confocal microscope. (3) Two batches of cells were grouped and treated the same as those in experiment (1). The protein expression of human antigen R in the whole protein of cells of one batch and its protein expression in the cytoplasm and nucleus protein of cells of the other batch were detected by Western blotting. (4) The cells were divided into normal control group, simple control small interfering RNA (siRNA) group, simple human antigen R-siRNA1 (HuR-siRNA1) group, simple HuR-siRNA2 group, sugar-free serum-free 3.0 h group, sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group, sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group, and sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA2 group. After 48 hours of regular culture, the cells in simple control siRNA group and sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group were transfected with negative control siRNA for 6 h, the cells in simple HuR-siRNA1 group and sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group were transfected with HuR-siRNA1 for 6 h, and the cells in simple HuR-siRNA2 group and sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA2 group were transfected with HuR-siRNA2 for 6 h. Hereafter, the cells in these 8 groups were continuously cultured for 48 h with regular conditon, and then the cells in normal control group and each simple siRNA-treated group were replaced with DMEM/F12 medium, the cells in the other groups were replaced with sugar-free serum-free medium, and they were cultured for 3 h. The protein expression of human antigen R in the whole protein of cells was detected by Western blotting. (5) Two batches of cells were divided into sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group and sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group, and the cells in corresponding groups were treated the same as those in experiment (4). The distribution and expression of human antigen R in the cells of one batch were observed and detected by immunofluorescence method, and the lysosomal acidification level in the cells of the other batch was observed and detected under a laser scanning confocal microscope. (6) Three batches of cells were divided into sugar-free serum-free 3.0 h group, sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group, sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group, and sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA2 group, and the cells in corresponding groups were treated the same as those in experiment (4). The protein expressions of cathepsin D in the whole protein of cells of one batch, human antigen R in the cytoplasm protein of cells of one batch, and ATP6V1E1 in the whole protein of cells of the other batch were detected by Western blotting. (7) The cells were divided into normal control group, sugar-free serum-free 3.0 h group, sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group, and sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group, and the cells in corresponding groups were treated the same as those in experiment (4). The mRNA expression of ATP6V1E1 in cells was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The sample number of each experiment was 3. Data were processed with independent data t test, one-way analysis of variance, least significant difference t test, and Bonferroni correction.@*Results@#(1) Compared with those of normal control group, the protein expressions of LC3Ⅱ and ATP6V1E1 in the whole protein of cells of sugar-free serum-free 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 h groups were significantly increased (t=12.16, 4.05, 4.82, 11.64, 3.29, 8.37, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with that of normal control group, the protein expression of autophagy-related protein 5 in the whole protein of cells of sugar-free serum-free 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 h groups was significantly increased (t=6.88, 10.56, 5.76, 9.91, P<0.05 or P<0.01). (2) Compared with 1.03±0.08 of normal control group, the lysosomal acidification level in the cells of sugar-free serum-free 3.0 group (2.92±0.30) was significantly increased (t=6.01, P<0.01). (3) There was no statistically significant difference in the overall comparison of protein expression of human antigen R in the whole protein of cells among the 5 groups (F=1.09, P>0.05). Compared with that of normal control group, the protein expression of human antigen R in the cytoplasm protein of cells was significantly increased in sugar-free serum-free 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 h groups (t=43.05, 11.07, 5.39, P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the protein expression of human antigen R in the nucleus protein of cells was significantly decreased in sugar-free serum-free 3.0 and 6.0 h groups (t=11.18, 12.71, P<0.01). (4) Compared with that of simple control siRNA group, the protein expression of human antigen R in the whole protein of cells of simple HuR-siRNA1 group and simple HuR-siRNA2 group was significantly decreased (t=4.82, 4.44, P<0.05). Compared with that of sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group, the protein expression of human antigen R in the whole protein of cells of sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group and sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA2 group was significantly decreased (t=4.39, 6.27, P<0.05). (5) Compared with those of sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group, the distribution of human antigen R in the cytoplasm of cells and its expression level were significantly decreased in sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group (t=10.13, P<0.01). Compared with 1.00±0.06 of sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group, the lysosomal acidification level (0.73±0.06) in the cells of sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group was significantly decreased (t=3.28, P<0.01). (6) Compared with those of sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group, the protein expressions of cathepsin D in the whole protein of cells, human antigen R in the cytoplasm protein of cells, and ATP6V1E1 in the whole protein of cells were significantly decreased in sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group and sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA2 group (t=4.16, 3.99, 4.81, 5.07, 11.68, 12.97, P<0.05 or P<0.01). (7) Compared with that of normal control group, the mRNA expression of ATP6V1E1 in the cells of sugar-free serum-free 3.0 h group was significantly increased (t=5.51, P<0.05). Compared with that of sugar-free serum-free+ control siRNA group, the mRNA expression of ATP6V1E1 in the cells of sugar-free serum-free+ HuR-siRNA1 group was significantly decreased (t=5.97, P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#After sugar-free serum-free treatment in vitro, the autophagy in mouse primary cardiomyocytes is activated, the lysosomal acidification is enhanced, and the expression of human antigen R in cytoplasm is increased. Human antigen R function is activated and involved in maintaining lysosomal acidification during autophagy in mouse cardiomyocytes.