The role of central nervous system on hypoglycemia and the feasibility of the brain theory in traditional Chinese medicine on treatment of diabetes mellitus / 中西医结合学报

The central nervous system (CNS) plays a key regulatory role in glucose homeostasis. In particular, the brain is important in initiating and coordinating protective counterregulatory responses when blood glucose levels fall. This may due to the metabolic dependency of the CNS on glucose, and protection of food supply to the brain. In healthy subjects, blood glucose is normally maintained within a relatively narrow range. Hypoglycemia in diabetic patients can increase the risk of complications, such as heart disease and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The clinical research finds that the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a positive effect on the treatment of hypoglycemia. Here the authors reviewed the current understanding of sensing and counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia, and discuss combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine and the theory of iatrogenic hypoglycemia in diabetes treatment. Furthermore, the authors clarify the feasibility of treating hypoglycemia on the basis of TCM theory and CNS and have an insight on its clinical practice.

Genetic diversity of human Parvovirus B19 VP1 unique region / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Human Parvovirus B19 (HPV B19) is a small (23 nm), non-enveloped DNA virus found in 1974. It has been proved that HPV B19 is associated with a variety of childhood diseases, such as erythema infectious, transient aplastic crisis, aplastic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and arthropathy, etc. There have been no any effective vaccines to prevent HPV B19 infection so far. The HPV B19 genome is composed of 5.6 kb single strand DNA. This genome encodes a nonstructural protein NS1, two structural proteins VP1 and VP2. Most neutralizing linear epitopes of HPV B19 cluster in the VP1 unique and VP1-VP2 junction regions. Only proteins encoded by genes of the VP1 unique and VP1-VP2 junction regions can stimulate bodies to produce protective antibodies. Aim of the present study was to get the VP1 unique region gene of HPV B19 and to analyze the genetic diversity so as to further study its function and application.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The VP1 unique region gene of HPV B19 was amplified from the serum of a child with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura by PCR. The purified PCR product was cloned into pGEM-T easy vector and transfected into the host strain E. coli (DH5 alpha). Positive clones were chosen and then the target gene was sequenced.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The target gene sequence of HPV B19 VP1 unique region was amplified and cloned successfully. It had 705 nucleotides. Compared with the relevant sequences published in Genbank, the sequencing results were revealed with two nucleotides changes in the HPV B19 VP1 unique region, but their coding amino acid were not changed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It is suggested that genetic diversity exists in the VP1 unique region of HPV B19. Construction of the recombinant plasmid of HPV B19 VP1 unique region gene might benefit to further study.</p>