Effect of Xin-Gui Gel Plaster on Peripheral Neuropathy in Diabetic Rats / 中药新药与临床药理

Objective To observe the effects of Xin-Gui Gel Plaster(Cinnamomi Cortex,Asari Radix et Rhizoma,Euodiae Fructus,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Borneolum Syntheticum)on peripheral neuropathy in diabetic rats.Methods A single intraperitoneal injection of 1%streptozotonic(STZ,35 mg·kg-1)was used to replicate a type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)rat model followed by the induction of diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN)in combination with a long-term(8 consecutive weeks)high-fat and high-sugar diet.SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,Mecobalamin group and Xin-Gui Gel Plaster group,with 6 rats in each group.The rats in the Xin-Gui Gel Plaster group were given Xin-Gui Gel Plaster at acupoints once a day for 8 weeks;the rats in the Mecobalamin group were given Mecobalamin solution by gavage(0.045 mg·kg-1),and the rats in the normal group and the model group were given physiological saline by gavage.Body mass and fasting blood glucose(FBG)were measured at weeks 2,4,6 and 8;the latency of thermal withdrawal latency(TWL)was measured at weeks 4 and 8;nerve conduction velocities,including motor nerve conduction velocity(MNCV)and sensory nerve conduction velocity(SNCV),were measured at week 8;and serum total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),fasting blood glucose(FBG)were measured using a fully automated biochemical analyzer.Fasting insulin(FINS)levels were detected by ELISA,and the index of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)was calculated;and pathological changes in the sciatic nerve tissues of rats were observed by HE staining.Results Compared with the normal group,rats in the model group had significantly lower body mass and FINS levels(P＜0.01),significantly higher levels of FBG,TC,TG and HOMA-IR(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);TWL,MNCV and SNCV were significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and sciatic nerve fibres were disorganized and loosely aligned,with demyelination,axon atrophy and vacuole-like phenomenon.Compared with the model group,there was no significant change in body mass and levels of FBG,TC and TG in the Xin-Gui Gel Plaster group(P＞0.05),FINS level was significantly increased(P＜0.05),and HOMA-IR levels was significantly decreased(P＜0.05);TWL,MNCV and SNCV in the Mecobalamin group and Xin-Gui Gel Plaster group were significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),sciatic nerve lesions were improved to different degrees,nerve fibre arrangement was more regular,myelin deficiency and axonal atrophy were significantly improved.Conclusion Xin-Gui Gel Plaster can improve insulin resistance,relieve thermal stimulation sensitivity,improve sciatic nerve conduction velocity to a certain extent in DPN rats,and have a protective effect on peripheral nerves in diabetic rats,but the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects are not obvious.

Diagnosis and treatment of finger flexion contracture caused by forearm flexor disease / 中国修复重建外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To summarize the clinical characteristics, differential diagnosis, and treatment methods of finger flexion contracture caused by three kinds of forearm flexor diseases.@*METHODS@#Between December 2008 and August 2021, 17 patients with finger flexion contracture were treated, including 8 males and 9 females, aged 5-42 years, with a median of 16 years. The disease duration ranged from 1.5 months to 30 years, with a median of 13 years. The etiology included 6 cases of Volkmann's contracture, all of which were flexion deformity of the 2nd to 5th fingers, accompanied by limitation of thumb dorsiflexion in 3 cases and limitation of wrist dorsiflexion in 3 cases; 3 cases of pseudo-Volkmann's contracture, including 2 cases of flexion deformity of middle, ring, and little fingers, and 1 case of flexion deformity of ring and little fingers; 8 cases of ulnar finger flexion contracture caused by forearm flexor disease or anatomical variations, all of which were flexion deformity of middle, ring, and little fingers. Operations such as slide of flexor and pronator teres origin, excision of abnormal fibrous cord and bony prominence, and release of entrapped muscle (tendon) were performed. Hand function was evaluated according to WANG Haihua's hand function rating standard or modified Buck-Gramcko classification standard, and muscle strength was evaluated according to British Medical Research Council (MRC) muscle strength rating standard.@*RESULTS@#All patients were followed up 1-10 years (median, 1.5 years). At last follow-up, 8 patients with contracture caused by forearm flexor disease or anatomical variations and 3 patients with pseudo-Volkmann's contracture achieved excellent hand function, with muscle strength of grade M5 in 6 cases and grade M4 in 5 cases. One patient with mild Volkmann's contracture and 3 patients with moderate Volkmann's contracture without severe nerve damage had excellent hand function in 2 cases and good in 2 cases, with muscle strength of grade M5 in 1 case and grade M4 in 3 cases. Two patients with moderate or severe Volkmann's contracture had poor hand function, with 1 case of muscle strength of grade M3 and 1 case of grade M2, which improved when compared with those before operation. The overall excellent and good rate of hand function and the proportion of patients with muscle strength of grade M4 and above were 88.2% (15/17), respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The finger flexion contracture caused by different etiology can be differentiated by analyzing the history, physical examination, radiographs, and intraoperative findings. After different surgical treatments, such as resection of contracture band, release of compressed muscle (tendon), and downward movement of flexor origin, most patients have a good outcome.

Epigenetic regulation in pulmonary heart disease by non-coding RNA / 中国药理学通报

Pulmonary heart disease (PHD) is a common cardiovascular disease in China, with high mortality ratein its late stage.Currently, PHD treatments are mainly to delay the disease progression, which cannot effectively improve and cure the disease.Consequently, it is in urgent need to find a new treatment for PHD.Epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the occurrence and pathological process of diseases, which provides a novel idea of developing new drugs by regulating non-coding RNA(ncRNA).However, ncRNA studies in PHD are at the stage of few and shallow, stray and scattered.Therefore, this review for the first time summarizes ncRNA related to various PHD phenotypes, and discusses the epigenetic regulation in PHD by ncRNA.

Association of FOXO1 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms with type 2 diabetic nephropathy / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective To investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) of FOXO1 gene and type 2 diabetic nephropathy(T2DN). Methods A total of 654 Chinese Han patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM;394 without and 260 with T2DN) were enrolled. Six FOXO1 gene tags SNPs were selected using the Hapmap database. The genotypes of six SNPs in FOXO1 were determined by PCR-RFLP, and the clinical characteristics of the subjects were also evaluated. The interaction of SNPs with these clinical factors was analyzed by multiple factor reduction(MDR) method. Results After adjusting for age, gender, DM course, body mass index ( BMI ) , HbA1C , total cholesterol ( TC ) , triglycerides ( TG ) , high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ( HDL-C ) , low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ( LDL-C ) , hypertension history, DM family history, smoking, and drinking, FOXO1 rs17446614 variant genotype was significantly associated with an increased risk of T2DN, while rs17446593 variant genotype was associated with a decreased T2DN risk. In the stratified analysis of risk factors, the correlation between rs17446614 and T2DN was unrelated with patient' s gender, hypertension history, and blood TC level. Simultaneously, rs17446614 variant genotype significantly increased the risk of T2DN in people older than 60 years,BMI less than 24 kg/m2 , LDL-C less than or equal to 3. 5 mmol/L , or DM family history. rs2721068 variant genotype significantly decreased the risk of T2DN in people less than 60 years old or without DM family history. rs2951787 variant genotype significantly increased the risk of T2DN in people with DM duration longer than 10 years or with DM family history. A variant genotype rs17592236 significantly increased the risk of T2DN in male or TC higher than 5 mmol/L. A variant genotype rs17446593 significantly decreased the risk of T2DN in male or those DM duration longer than 10 years, or BMI≥24 kg/m2 . The interactions among rs17446614, DM duration, TC, and hypertension history were also observed. Conclusion The genetic variants rs17446614, rs2721068, rs2951787, rs17592236, and rs17446593 in FoxO1 may contribute to the risk of T2DN in T2DM patients.

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.