Exploring the material basis of genipin-induced hepatotoxicity in vitro / 药学学报

The current study explored the hepatotoxicity among closed-ring genipin, open-ring tautomer of genipin and gardenia blue that generated from genipin and amino acid reaction using HepaRG cells to identify the material basis of genipin-induced hepatotoxicity in vitro. The effects of temperature, pH value and different kinds of amino acids on the chemical structure tautomerism between closed-ring and open-ring tautomer of genipin and the production of gardenia blue were investigated firstly, which aimed to explicit the conditions that could distinguish the closed-ring genipin and its open-ring tautomer, and the conditions generating gardenia blue, which were applied to prepare different kinds of gardenia blue; the CCK-8 kit was employed to analyze the hepatotoxicity of closed-ring genipin, open-ring tautomer of genipin and gardenia blue. From the results, it was found that, the structure transformation from close-ring to open-ring of genipin could be inhibited under the condition with acid environment; being essential groups to generate gardenia blue, the primary amino group and the open-ring tautomer of genipin reacting to generate the dihydropyridine ring was probably the key structure of gardenia blue; the structure characteristics existed apparent distinction at the reactive temperature of 37 ℃ and 80 ℃; compared to the culture condition with pH = 7.4, the concentration of genipin with close-ring in culture medium was significantly increased at pH = 5, but the cell viability did not decreased; the cell toxicity of gardenia blue was apparently lower than open-ring tautomer of genipin, and even some kinds of gardenia blue showed growth promoting effect on HepaRG cells. Here, it was suggested potentially that open-ring tautomer of genipin be the important material basis to induce hepatotoxicity, which could provide a cue and lay a foundation for the elucidation of the underlying mechanism of genipin-induced hepatotoxicity.

Recent progress and challenges in screening and characterization of UGT1A1 inhibitors

Uridine-diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) is an important conjugative enzyme in mammals that is responsible for the conjugation and detoxification of both endogenous and xenobiotic compounds. Strong inhibition of UGT1A1 may trigger adverse drug/herb-drug interactions, or result in metabolic disorders of endobiotic metabolism. Therefore, both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have recommended assaying the inhibitory potential of drugs under development on the human UGT1A1 prior to approval. This review focuses on the significance, progress and challenges in discovery and characterization of UGT1A1 inhibitors. Recent advances in the development of UGT1A1 probes and their application for screening UGT1A1 inhibitors are summarized and discussed in this review for the first time. Furthermore, a long list of UGT1A1 inhibitors, including information on their inhibition potency, inhibition mode, and affinity, has been prepared and analyzed. Challenges and future directions in this field are highlighted in the final section. The information and knowledge that are presented in this review provide guidance for rational use of drugs/herbs in order to avoid the occurrence of adverse effects UGT1A1 inhibition, as well as presenting methods for rapid screening and characterization of UGT1A1 inhibitors and for facilitating investigations on UGT1A1-ligand interactions.

Clostridium perfringens bacteremia with malignant hematopathy:a case report and review of literatures / 中国感染控制杂志

Infection is an important cause of higher mortality in patients with hematological diseases than healthy people, and fever is often the only indication of the disease.Clostridium perfringens(C.perfringens)is a grampositive anaerobic bacillus of the Clostridiumgenus, it belongs to the normal flora of the intestinal tract and is not pathogenic in normal condition.However, when intestinal flora is imbalanced due to low hypoimmunity of human body or influenced by such factors as diet, medicine, environment and other factors, it can enter the blood and cause bacteremia.At present, it has never been reported that bacteremia was caused by C.perfringens in patients with malignant hematological diseases accompanied by neutropenia, this article reported the diagnosis and treatment of C. perfringens bloodstream in one patient with malignant hematopathy, so as to provide basis for diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

monitoring of the structural change of microemulsions in simulated gastrointestinal conditions by SAXS and FRET

Microemulsions are promising drug delivery systems for the oral administration of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, the evolution of microemulsions in the gastrointestinal tract is still poorly characterized, especially the structural change of microemulsions under the effect of lipase and mucus. To better understand the fate of microemulsions in the gastrointestinal tract, we applied small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to monitor the structural change of microemulsions under the effect of lipolysis and mucus. First, the effect of lipolysis on microemulsions was studied by SAXS, which found the generation of liquid crystalline phases. Meanwhile, FRET spectra indicated micelles with smaller particle sizes were generated during lipolysis, which could be affected by CaCl, bile salts and lecithin. Then, the effect of mucus on the structural change of lipolysed microemulsions was studied. The results of SAXS and FRET indicated that the liquid crystalline phases disappeared, and more micelles were generated. In summary, we studied the structural change of microemulsions in simulated gastrointestinal conditions by SAXS and FRET, and successfully monitored the appearance and disappearance of the liquid crystalline phases and micelles.

Pathogenic and clinical characteristics of hospitalized children with hand-foot-and-mouth disease / 中国感染控制杂志

Objective To understand the pathogenic distribution and epidemiological trend of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD),and provide evidence for the prevention and control of HFMD.Methods Children who were diagnosed with HFMD in a hospital between January and December 2015 were investigated,real time fluorescence PCR was used to detect enterovirus universal type EV,enterovirus 71 (EV71),and Coxsackievirus A16 (CoxA16) in specimens from children with HFMD.Positive rates and distribution of various types of EV among children of different months,genders,age groups,and infection types were analyzed.Results A total of 837 throat swab specimens from HFMD children were collected in 2015,380 (45.40％) of which were EV positive specimens.Virus typing showed that 110 (28.95 ％),7 (1.84 ％),6(1.58 ％),and 257(67.63 ％) were positive specimens for EV71,CoxA16,EV71 + CoxA16,and other types of EV.HFMD had a high prevalence since April,reached a peak in May-June,and remained high incidence in July-December.Positive rates of EV in children of different months were statistically different (P＜0.05).The age of onset was mainly in children under 3 years.Positive rates of EV and constitute ratios of different types of EV in children of different age groups were all statistically different (all P＜0.05).The positive rate of EV in severe HFMD cases was higher than common cases (65.34％ vs 27.06％,P＜0.001).The proportion of severe cases in children with EV71 infection and other types of EV infection were 90.00％ and 60.70％ respectively;children with EV71 + CoxA16 double infection were all severe cases.Constitute of EV types in children with different infection types was statistically different(P＜0.001).Conclusion In 2015,EV infection in hospitalized children with HFMD in this hospital was mainly caused by other types of EV (nonEV71 and non-CoxA16),the high prevalence season,high-risk population under 3 years of age,and severe cases should be paid high attention,prevention and treatment should be performed well.

Comparison of the inhibition potentials of icotinib and erlotinib against human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1

UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) plays a key role in detoxification of many potentially harmful compounds and drugs. UGT1A1 inhibition may bring risks of drug-drug interactions (DDIs), hyperbilirubinemia and drug-induced liver injury. This study aimed to investigate and compare the inhibitory effects of icotinib and erlotinib against UGT1A1, as well as to evaluate their potential DDI risksUGT1A1 inhibition. The results demonstrated that both icotinib and erlotinib are UGT1A1 inhibitors, but the inhibitory effect of icotinib on UGT1A1 is weaker than that of erlotinib. The ICvalues of icotinib and erlotinib against UGT1A1-mediated NCHN--glucuronidation in human liver microsomes (HLMs) were 5.15 and 0.68 μmol/L, respectively. Inhibition kinetic analyses demonstrated that both icotinib and erlotinib were non-competitive inhibitors against UGT1A1-mediated glucuronidation of NCHN in HLMs, with thevalues of 8.55 and 1.23 μmol/L, respectively. Furthermore, their potential DDI risksUGT1A1 inhibition were quantitatively predicted by the ratio of the areas under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of NCHN. These findings are helpful for the medicinal chemists to design and develop next generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors with improved safety, as well as to guide reasonable applications of icotinib and erlotinib in clinic, especially for avoiding their potential DDI risksUGT1A1 inhibition.

Preparation and in vitro dissolution of magnolol solid dispersion / 中国中药杂志

In this study, solid dispersion system of magnolol in croscarmellose sodium was prepared by using the solvent evaporation method, in order to increase the drug dissolution. And its dissolution behavior, stability and physical characteristics were studied. The solid dispersion was prepared with magnolol and croscarmellose sodium, with the proportion of 1∶5, the in vitro dissolution of magnolol solid dispersion was up to 80.66% at 120 min, which was 6.9 times of magnolol. The results of DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), IR (infra-red) spectrum and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) showed that magnolol existed in solid dispersion in an amorphous form. After an accelerated stability test for six months, the drug dissolution and content in magnolol solid dispersion showed no significant change. So the solid dispersion prepared with croscarmellose sodium as the carrier can remarkably improve the stability and dissolution of magnolol.

Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in CSF from Three Patients with Meningoencephalitis by Next-Generation Sequencing

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Encephalitis caused by Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is rare but sometimes fatal. Early diagnosis is difficult using routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests, while next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly being used for the detection and characterization of pathogens. METHODS: This study set up and applied unbiased NGS to detect L. monocytogenes in CSF collected from three cases of clinically suspected listeria meningoencephalitis. RESULTS: Three cases of patients with acute/subacute meningoencephalitis are reported. Magnetic resonance imaging and blood cultures led to a suspected diagnosis of L. monocytogenes, while the CSF cultures were negative. Unbiased NGS of CSF identified and sequenced reads corresponding to L. monocytogenes in all three cases. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report highlighting the feasibility of applying NGS of CSF as a diagnostic method for central nervous system (CNS) L. monocytogenes infection. Routine application of this technology in clinical microbiology will significantly improve diagnostic methods for CNS infectious diseases.

A quantitative method using one marker for assay of multi-components in Xianling Gubao Capsule / 中草药

Objective: To investigate the positioning based on the relative retention time of fingerprinting and to establish a new quality evaluation method for traditional Chinese medicine preparations, using one chemical reference substance to calcutate multi- components simultaneously. Methods: Employed icariin as the maker component, icariin relative correction factors (RCF) of epimedin C to icariin, asperosaponin VI to icariin, psoralen to icariin and angelicin to icariin were ealeatated in the chromatographic conditions for determination of the four components in Xianling Gubao Capsule (XGC). The contents of icariin were determined by external standard method, and those of epimedin C, asperosaponin VI, psoralen and angelicin were calculated by icariin and their RCF. The accuracy of the new method was evaluated by comparing the relative retention times and calculating the content which using different brands columns for determination. Results: The analysis methods were established,the linearity was good when sample volume was in the range of at 8.2—328.0 ng for icariine(r = 0.999 5), 0.055 6—2.224 μg for epimedin C (r = 0.999 6), 0.144 1—5.764 μg for asperosaponin VI (r = 0.999 6), 5.4—215.2 ng (r = 0.998 0) for psoralen, 6.6—265.6 ng (r = 0.998 5) for angelicin. The average recoveries of asperosaponin VI, psoralen and psoralen were 97.59%, 98.58%, 98.11%, 97.86%, 98.22%, respectively. The RSDs of recovery were all less than 2.0%; There has been no significant difference between the calculated contents and the determined contents, according to the angle cosine value. Conclusion: The method can control the components without providing epimedin C, asperosaponin VI, psoralen, and angelicin reference. The method is not only save reference substance and medicine resources, but also suitable quality evaluation pattern for TCM preparation. This new method made fingerprinting more meaningful in TCM quality control.

Speckle tracking echocardiography assessment of global and regional contraction dysfunction in the mice model of pressure overload / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has been applied to the evaluation of cardiac contraction dysfunction. However, there were few studies on alteration of global and regional STE parameters in the process of myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure. In this study, STE was applied to evaluate the global and regional cardiac function under heart failure and hypertrophy in the mice model of pressure overload. Adult mice were subjected to mild or severe aortic banding with a 25 Gauge (G) or 27 G needle. After surgery, STE and conventional echocardiography were used in the sham group (n=10), mild trans-aortic banding (TAB) group (n=14) and severe TAB group (n=10) for 8 weeks. The results showed that the mice subjected to severe TAB showed a significant change in fractional shortening (FS), left ventricular (LV) mass, and left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) (P<0.05 for each). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in FS and LVEDD between the sham group and mild TAB group during the experimental procedures (P>0.05 for both). STE analysis revealed that longitudinal strain (LS) was significantly decreased in the severe TAB group as compared with the sham and mild TAB groups (P<0.05 for both) from the postoperative week 1. LS in the mild TAB group was reduced as compared to the sham group (P<0.05). Radial strain (RS) and circumferential strain (CS) were significantly decreased in the severe TAB group as compared to the sham group and the mild TAB group (P<0.05 for both) from the postoperative week 1 (P<0.05 for both). Compared to the sham group, CS in the mild TAB group maintained unchanged during the test period, and RS was reduced only on the postoperative week 6 (P<0.05). Finally, regional contraction dysfunction was analyzed in both hypertrophic and failing myocardium in longitudinal and radial directions. It was found that LS was largest in the apex region and RS was smallest in the apex region in the healthy and hypertrophic myocardium. It was also found that compared to the sham group, only base longitudinal strain in the mild TAB group was decreased. Each of regional strain in the severe TAB group was uniformly depressed in radial and longitudinal directions. It is concluded that STE has provided a non-invasive and highly feasible way to explore the global and regional contraction dysfunction in hypertrophic and heart failure myocardium in the murine model of pressure overload.

Speckle tracking echocardiography assessment of global and regional contraction dysfunction in the mice model of pressure overload / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has been applied to the evaluation of cardiac contraction dysfunction. However, there were few studies on alteration of global and regional STE parameters in the process of myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure. In this study, STE was applied to evaluate the global and regional cardiac function under heart failure and hypertrophy in the mice model of pressure overload. Adult mice were subjected to mild or severe aortic banding with a 25 Gauge (G) or 27 G needle. After surgery, STE and conventional echocardiography were used in the sham group (n=10), mild trans-aortic banding (TAB) group (n=14) and severe TAB group (n=10) for 8 weeks. The results showed that the mice subjected to severe TAB showed a significant change in fractional shortening (FS), left ventricular (LV) mass, and left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) (P0.05 for both). STE analysis revealed that longitudinal strain (LS) was significantly decreased in the severe TAB group as compared with the sham and mild TAB groups (P<0.05 for both) from the postoperative week 1. LS in the mild TAB group was reduced as compared to the sham group (P<0.05). Radial strain (RS) and circumferential strain (CS) were significantly decreased in the severe TAB group as compared to the sham group and the mild TAB group (P<0.05 for both) from the postoperative week 1 (P<0.05 for both). Compared to the sham group, CS in the mild TAB group maintained unchanged during the test period, and RS was reduced only on the postoperative week 6 (P<0.05). Finally, regional contraction dysfunction was analyzed in both hypertrophic and failing myocardium in longitudinal and radial directions. It was found that LS was largest in the apex region and RS was smallest in the apex region in the healthy and hypertrophic myocardium. It was also found that compared to the sham group, only base longitudinal strain in the mild TAB group was decreased. Each of regional strain in the severe TAB group was uniformly depressed in radial and longitudinal directions. It is concluded that STE has provided a non-invasive and highly feasible way to explore the global and regional contraction dysfunction in hypertrophic and heart failure myocardium in the murine model of pressure overload.

Clinical features and genetic screening of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze clinical features of 4 families with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and potential mutations of ENG, ACVRL1 and SMAD4 genes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Four unrelated HHT patients and their affected family members were analyzed. All exons and flanking regions of ENG, ACVRL1 and SMAD4 genes were analyzed with PCR and direct sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) methods.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eleven patients from the 4 families were enrolled in this study. Two ENG and 1 ACVRL1 mutations were identified, among which an ENG mutation (c.207G>A; p.L69L) and an ACVRL1 mutation (c.817C>T; p.L273L) have been previously reported. In addition, a novel ENG mutation (c.1004A>T; p.Q335L) has been found in 3 different families. Similar mutations were not detected in 200 healthy individuals. No mutations of ENG, ACVRL1 and SMAD4 were found in the fourth family.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A novel mutation c.1004A>T (p. Q335L) of ENG has been identified in patients with HHT. And there is significant phenotypic variability and genetic heterogeneity with the disease.</p>

Study on intestinal absorption kinetics of apigenin in rats / 中国中药杂志

To establish an in situ single-way intestinal perfusion model, in order to study the intestinal absorption kinetics of AP. The concentration of AP in the perfusate was determined by HLPC. The results showed different AP concentrations in all intestinal segments, with the fastest absorption rate in duodenum, which was followed by jejunum, ileum and colon. In general, the constant absorption rate (Ka) of AP in duodenum and jejunum first increased and then decreased with the rise in drug concentration (P <0. 05); the absorption mechanism may be related to active transport and facilitated diffusion factors. The constant absorption rate (Ka) of AP in ileum and colon generally kept unchanged with the rise diffusion in drug concentration, the absorption mechanism may be related to passive.

Duration for silicon gastric tube to indwell in stomach of elderly patients / 现代临床护理

Objective To investigate the duration for silicon gastric tube to indwell in stomach of aged patients.Methods One hundred elderly patients needing long-term nutrition support were equally randomized into two groups: control group and observation group.The former had the gastric tubes indwelled in the stomach for 4 weeks and the latter for 3 weeks.The two groups were compared about the used tubes in terms of the color of tube at the length of the first 10cm,the indentation by reflection for 10 seconds at the tube of first 10 cm,the hardness of the tube at the length of the first 10 cm and the springback angle of tube at the first 10cm after reflection.Results The tubes in the observation group were significantly better than those in the control group in terms of color,indentation,hardness and springback angle(all P<0?01).Conclusion The duration of indwelling silicon gastric tubes in stomach can be three weeks for old patients needing long-term nutrition support via indwelling silicon tubes in their stomach.

Effects of nerve growth factor on proliferation of hepatic stellate cells / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) on proliferation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and investigate the related molecular mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>After incubating cultured HSCs for 24 h with different concentrations of NGF (100, 200 or 400 ng/mL), the cell proliferation was observed by XTT colorimetric assay and cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry. Morphological changes in response to a 24 h exposure to 100 ng/mL NGF were observed by transmission electron microscopy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>NGF significantly inhibited HSC proliferation (P less than 0.05) in a dose-independent manner. The optical densities of the XTT colorimetric assay were 0.66+/-0.03 for 100 ng/mL NGF, 0.69+/-0.03 for 200 ng/mL NGF, and 0.66+/-0.03 for 400 ng/mL NGF, all of which were significantly lower than that of the control group (0.73+/-0.01; P less than 0.05). All concentrations of NGF led to significantly higher numbers of HSCs in the G2 phase (100 ng/mL: 14.83+/-5.41%, 200 ng/mL: 14.73+/-2.50%, and 400 ng/mL: 14.87+/-2.06%), compared to that detected in the control group (7.47+/-4.39%; P less than 0.05). Twenty-four hours of exposure to 100 ng/mL NGF caused morphological changes indicative of apoptosis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NGF inhibits the proliferation of HSCs, possibly by arresting the cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. NGF-inhibited cells may also undergo apoptosis.</p>

Study on the mechanism of apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells induced by nerve growth factor / 中国医师杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of NGF on apoptosis of HSC in vitro and explore the possible mechanism.MethodsHSC was incubated with different concentrations of NGF.HSC apoptosis was identified by FCM.The expressions of apoptosis-regulating proteins Caspase-3,p53 and Bcl-2 of HSC after apoptosis induced by NGF were examined by immunohistochemical staining.Expressions of NGF and p75NTR were detected by immunofluorescence.ResultsApoptosis index of HSC was higher than that of control group [(22.36±9.51)％ vs (5.88±1.36)％] after treated with NGF (100 ng/ml) (P＜0.05).After incubating with 100 ng/ml NGF for 24 h,the positive expression rates of p53 and Caspase-3 of HSC increased significantly than those of control group [(78.41±4.00)％ vs (34.96±3.84)％,(39.26±1.57)％ vs (9.27±1.01)％,P ＜0.05].The positive expression rate of Bcl-2 protein of HSC significantly decreased compared with that of control group (18.12±1.38)％ vs (91.53±2.98)％ (P＜0.05).When HSC was stimulated with 100 ng/ml NGF for 24 h,the average optical density of NGF increased significantly than control group (6.53±1.40 vs 1.77±0.17) (P＜0.05),while the expression of p75NTR was not significantly changed (3.52±0.36 vs 4.24±0.38) (P＞0.05).ConclusionsThe mechanism of NGF to induce HSC apoptosis may be associated with the up-regulating expression of Caspase3,P53 and down-regulating expression of Bcl-2 on HSC.NGF could be used as an initiating factor and effect factor to increase the expression of NGF on HSC,but it had no significant effect on p75NTR expression.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy/jejunostomy combined with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage in treating malignant biliary obstruction

To investigate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy/jejunostomy [PEG/PEJ] combined with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage [PTCD] in treating malignant biliary obstruction. Nine patients [6 males and 3 females, average age 71.3 +/- 5.5 years] with complete obstruction of the biliary tract were treated with PEG/PEJ after PTCD. The PEG/PEJ and PTCD tubes were linked outside of the abdominal wall to direct the externally drained bile back to the jejunum through the PEG/PEJ intestinal tube. Clinical symptoms and liver function were assessed following the treatment. The operations were successfully completed in the 9 patients within 40 min [average 35 +/- 2.9 min]. Clinical symptoms such as jaundice, abdominal distension, stomachache and diarrhea appeared but improved within 7 days of the operation. Serum levels of bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were reduced [p < 0.01] 4 weeks following the treatment. There were no procedural complications. Combined PEG/PEJ and PTCD appeared to be safe and effective in the management of malignant biliary obstruction. Further, larger-scale studies will be needed to verify findings of this report

Organotypic slice culture of neonatal rat cortex and induced neural stem cell differentiation / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a method for organotypic slice culture of neonatal rat cortex in a modified condition and investigate the effect of spatial signals on neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The brain slices (200 µm in thickness) of neonatal SD rats (3 to 5 days old) were prepared and cultured in modified serum-free DMEM/F12 medium at 37 degrees celsius; with 95% O(2) and 5% CO(2). The organotypic slice cultures were observed regularly. NSCs isolated from the cortex of rat embryos (14-15 embryonic days) were cultured in serum-free DMEM/F12 supplemented with B27 and N2, and the passage 3 NSCs were labeled by CM-DiI before transplanted onto the organotypic slices cultured for 2 weeks. The survival of transplanted NSCs was assessed, and the cell differentiation was identified by immunofluorescence staining.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The organotypic slice cultures were well maintained for at least 4 weeks in the modified medium. The thickness of the organotypic slices reduced from 200 µm to 130 µm after 2-week culture in vitro due to the migration of the cells on the edge of the slices. CM-DiI-labeled NSCs survived well and differentiated into GFAP(+) glia and β-tubullin III(+) neurons.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Neonatal rat organotypic brain slice can be successfully cultured in a modified condition to serve as a model for studying NSC differentiation induced by spatial signals.</p>

Effect of phospholipomannan of Candida albicans on the production of interleukin 6 and interleukin 8 in monocytes / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether Candida albicans-native phospholipomannan (PLM) induce an inflammation response through Toll-like receptor(TLRé2 in human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human THP-1 monocytes were challenged with PLM in vitro. The mRNA expressions of TLR2, TLR4, proinflammatory cytokine [interleukin(IL)-6], and chemokine (IL-8) were assayed by real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The secretions of IL-6 and IL-8 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of TLR2 was analyzed with Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PLM increased the mRNA expressions and secretions of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6) and chemokines (IL-8) in THP-1 cells (all P=0.0000). PLM up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of TLR2 (P=0.0000), whereas the mRNA level of TLR4 was not altered. PLM hydrolyzed with β-D-mannoside manno hydrolase failed to induce gene and protein expressions of TLR2, IL-6, and IL-8. Anti-TLRS-neutralizing antibody blocked the PLM-induced secretions of IL-6 and IL-8 in THP-1 cells (P = 0.0003, P = 0.0010).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Canidada albicans-native PLM may contribute to the inflammatory responses during Candida infection in a TLR2-dependent manner.</p>

Culture and identification of neural stem cells from mouse embryos / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The purpose of this study was to culture and identify neural stem cells from mouse embryos in vitro using a modified method and provide a basis for further study of the biology of neural stem cells under hypoxia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The cells were isolated mechanically from the front cortex of fetal Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice on embryonic day 14. They were passaged by mechanical dissociation and enzymatic digestion. The neurospheres were identified by immunofluorescent staining of nestin. Cell differentiation was induced by 1% fetal bovine serum and then the cells were identified by immunohistochemistry of β-tubulin III and GFAP.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cells obtained from the front cortex of fetal ICR mice had the capacity of forming neurospheres which showed nestin immunoreactive positivity. After being induced by 1% fetal bovine serum, the cells were differentiated into β-tubulin III-positive cells and GFAP-positive cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Using mechanical dissociation of primary cells and mechanical dissociation with enzymatic digestion of primary cells, the NSCs from the front cortex of mouse embryos can be obtained.</p>