Neuroprotective and mechanistic study of GJ-4 on okadaic acid-induced memory impairment in mice / 药学学报

GJ-4 is crocin enrichments extracted from Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis, and our previous studies have shown that GJ-4 significantly improved learning and memory impairment induced by Aβ in mice. Herein, a memory deficit model was developed by injecting okadaic acid (OA) into the lateral ventricle of mice, and the neuroprotection and underlying mechanism of GJ-4 on neuronal injury caused by Tau hyperphosphorylation were investigated. The Animal Care & Welfare Committee, Institute of Materia Medica, CAMS & PUMC has approved all procedures (No.00000318). GJ-4 at different doses was intragastric administration to mice for 16 days. Step-down test and Morris water maze test showed that GJ-4 could significantly improve OA-induced memory impairment in mice, and reduced the loss of Nissl bodies in the hippocampus of mice. GJ-4 could also decrease the phosphorylation level of Tau protein at Ser396, Thr231 and Ser404 via increasing protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity and inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity. Besides, further researches indicated that GJ-4 could inhibit the level of oxidative stress in the brain of OA mice, reduce neuronal apoptosis and inhibit the neuroinflammation mediated by activation of astrocytes in the hippocampus of mice, and eventually achieve its effects in improving learning and memory impairment in mice. According to these findings, we anticipated that GJ-4 might be a potential therapeutic drug for Alzheimer's disease.

Effects of Decitabine Combined with Anlotinib on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Multiple Myeloma Cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the biological effects and its relative mechanism of decitabine combined with anlotinib on multiple myeloma cells.@*METHODS@#The human MM cell lines and primary cells were treated with different concentrations of decitabine, anlotinib, and decitabine+anlotinib, respectively. The cell viability was detected and combination effect was calculated by CCK-8 assay. The apoptosis rate was measured by flow cytometry and the level of c-Myc protein was determined by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#Both decitabine and anlotinib could effectively inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of MM cell lines NCI-H929 and RPMI-8226. The effect of combined treatment on the inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis was stronger than that of single-drug treatment. The combination of the two drugs also showed strong cytotoxicity in primary MM cells. Decitabine and anlotinib could down-regulate the level of c-Myc protein in MM cells and the c-Myc level in the combination group was the lowest.@*CONCLUSION@#Decitabine combined with anlotinib can effectively inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of MM cells, which provides a certain experimental basis for the treatment of human MM.

A Health Education Program for Home Emergency Management of Acute Complications of Diabetes in the Elderly / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To establish a health education program for home emergency management of acute complications of diabetes in the elderly.Methods The program was drafted by literature review and panel discussion.The final draft was formed after two rounds of correspondence from 13 experts.Results The recovery rate of the two rounds of expert correspondence was 100%,and the expert authority coefficient was 0.98.The Kendall's harmony coefficients of the two rounds of correspondence were 0.263 and 0.212 respectively(both P<0.001).The established health education program included indicators of three categories:early stage of acute complications of diabetes at home(understanding the inducing factors),emergency warning(quick and early identification in case of emergency),and emergency treatment at home.Conclusion The contents of the health education program are systematic and reliable and meet the needs of health education for home emergency management of the elderly with diabetes.

Use of a catch-up programme to improve routine immunization in 13 provinces of Papua New Guinea, 2020–2022

@#Objective: Routine immunization coverage in Papua New Guinea has decreased in the past 5 years. This persistently low routine immunization coverage has resulted in low population immunity and frequent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease across the country. We describe the use of a catch-up programme to improve routine immunization during the coronavirus disease pandemic in Papua New Guinea during 2020–2022. Methods: In June 2020, 13 provinces of Papua New Guinea were selected to undergo a vaccination catch-up programme, with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund. Twelve provinces received financial and logistic support through the Accelerated Immunization and Health Systems Strengthening programme, and one received support from WHO. All stakeholders were involved in planning and implementing the catch-up programme. Results: Between July 2020 and June 2022, about 340 health facilities conducted catch-up activities. The highest number of children aged under 1 year were vaccinated in 2022 (n = 33 652 for third dose of pentavalent vaccine). The national coverage of routine immunization (including the catch-up vaccinations) increased between 2019 and 2020 – by 5% for the third dose of pentavalent vaccine, 11% for the measles-rubella vaccine and 16% for the inactivated poliovirus vaccine. The coverage declined slightly in 2021 before increasing again in 2022. Discussion: The catch-up programme was an instrumental tool to improve routine immunization coverage between 2020 and 2022 and during the pandemic in Papua New Guinea. With appropriate technical and logistic support, including financial and human resources, catch-up programmes can strengthen routine immunization coverage across the country.

The Effects of Decitabine Combined with All-Trans Retinoic Acid on the Number of Immune Cells in Myeloid Neoplasms / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects of decitabine (DEC) combined with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on the number of immune cells, efficacy and adverse reactions in the treatment of myeloid neoplasms patients.@*METHODS@#Eighty-four patients with myeloid tumors, including AML, MDS-EB-1 or MDS-EB-2 treated by the regimen containing decitabine in our hospital from January 2009 to October 2019 were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed, among the patients, 21 patients treated with DEC alone, 24 patients treated with DEC combined with ATRA (DEC/ATRA) and 39 patients treated with DEC combined with G-CSF priming regimen (DEC/priming). The changes of peripheral blood immune cell levels before and after treatment of the patients between the three groups were compared, and the differences in clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of the patients between the three groups were also compared.@*RESULTS@#There was no statistical differences in the number of immune cells among the patients in the three groups before treatment (P>0.05). NK cell levels decreased significantly in the patients in DEC and DEC/ATRA group after treatment (P<0.05); After treatment, the levels of CD8+ and CD3+T cells in the patients treated by DEC /priming regimen significantly increased (P<0.05), while the levels of CD3-HLA-DR+ B cells significantly decreased (P<0.05). The overall response rate (ORR) of the patients in DEC/ATRA group (75%) and DEC/priming group (74.36%) was significantly higher than 42.86% in DEC monotherapy group, and the differences showed statistically significant (P<0.05), while the ORR between the patients in DEC/ATRA and DEC/priming group showed no statistic differences (P>0.05). There were no statistical differences in overall survival (OS) and incidence of bleeding between the patients in the three groups (P>0.05). The incidences of grade 3 to 4 bone marrow suppression and the infection rate of the patients in DEC monotherapy and DEC/ATRA group were significantly lower than that in DEC/priming regimen group after treatment (all P<0.05), however, there was no statistical difference between DEC monotherapy and the DEC/ATRA group.@*CONCLUSION@#The efficacy of DEC/ATRA on myeloid neoplasms is comparable to that of DEC/priming regimen, and the anti-myeloid tumor effect of DEC/ATRA regimen may be related to the regulation of NK cells and T cells.

Chemical constituents from Dendrobium hancockii / 中草药

Objective: To study the chemical constituents from Dendrobium hancockii. Methods: The compounds were isolated and purified by column chromatography and preparative HPLC, and their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis. Results: A total of nine compounds were isolated from D. hancockii and the structures were identified as 3,α-dihydroxy-4,5,3’- trimethoxybibenzyl (1), 3,4’,5-trihydroxy-3-methoxybibenzyl (2), 4,4’-dihydroxy-3,5,3’-trimenthoxybibenzyl (3), 4,3’-dihydroxy- 3,5’-dimethoxybibenzyl (4), 7-hydroxy-2-methoxy-1,4-phenanthrenequinone (5), 2,5-dihydroxy-4-methoxyphenanthrene (6), 2,5-dihydroxy-4,9-dimethoxyphenanthrene (7), nobilone (8), and crepidatuol B (9). Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new compound named dendrohanol A, and compounds 2-9 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Chemical constituents of Dendrobium bellatulum / 中草药

Objective To study the chemical constituents of Dendrobium bellatulum. Methods The compounds were isolated and purified by column chromatography and preparative HPLC, and their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis. Results Fifteen compounds were isolated and identified as 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-3,6-dimethylbenzoic acid (1), 4’,5-dihydroxy-3,3’- dimethoxybiphezyl (2), 3,3’-dihydroxy-4,5-dimethoxybiphezyl (3), dihydroconiferyl dihydro-p-coumarate (4), aloifol I (5), batatasin III (6), dendrosinen B (7), 2,5,7-trihydroxy-4-methoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (8), p-hydroxyphenyl-propionic acid (9), p-hydroxycinnamic acid (10), ferulic acid (11), caffeic acid (12), dendrosinen D (13), neoolivil (14), and 3-hydroxymethyl-9- methoxy-2-(4’-hydroxy-3’,5’-dimethoxyphenyl)-2,3,6,7-tetrahydrophenanthro [4,3-b] furan-5,11-diol (15). Conclusion All compounds are isolated from D. bellatulum for the first time, and compound 1 is isolated from the family Orchidaceae for the first time.

A new lignan from the hawk tea / 药学学报

The chemical constituents of Litsea coreana were investigated using chromatographic methods, including column chromatography on silica gel, MCI, and semi-preparation HPLC. Two compounds were isolated and identified as hawktealignan A (1) and cinnamophilin (2) by NMR analyses as well as their physical and chemical properties. Compound 1 is a new lignan and compound 2 was isolated from this plant for the first time.

Influenza-associated paediatric respiratory hospitalizations in China, 1996–2012: a systematic analysis

Background@#The World Health Organization recommends that children aged ≥6 months be vaccinated against influenza. Influenza vaccination policies depend on the evidence of the burden of influenza, yet few national data on influenza-associated severe outcomes among children exist in China.@*Methods@#We conducted a systematic review of articles published from 1996 to 2012 on laboratory-confirmed, influenza-associated paediatric respiratory hospitalizations in China. We extracted data and stratified the percentage of samples testing positive for influenza by age group (<2, <5 and <18 years old); case definition; test methods; and geographic location. The pooled percentage of samples testing positive for influenza was estimated with a random effects regression model.@*Results@#Influenza was associated with 8.8% of respiratory hospitalizations among children aged <18 years, ranging from 7.0% (95% confidence interval: 4.2–9.8%) in children aged <2 years to 8.9% (95% confidence interval: 6.8–11%) in children aged <5 years. The percentage of samples testing positive for influenza was consistently higher among studies with data from children aged <5 years and <18 years than those restricted only to children aged <2 years; the percentages were higher in Northern China than Southern China.@*Discussion@#Influenza is an important cause of paediatric respiratory hospitalizations in China. Influenza vaccination of school-aged children could prevent substantial influenza-associated illness, including hospitalizations, in China.

Localization of cystathionine beta synthase in mice ovaries and its expression profile during follicular development / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>In vitro fertilization (IVF) researches have suggested that cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) is involved in oocyte development. However, little is known about the regional and cellular expression patterns of CBS in the ovary. The purpose of this study was to analyze the localization of CBS in mice ovaries and to investigate the expression profile during follicular development.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We used in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical analysis to determine CBS expression in the ovaries of female Balb/c mice. Then the follicles were collected from F1 (C57BL x Balb/c) mice and cultured in vitro. With the method of semi-quantitative RT-PCR, we also investigated the expression profile of CBS during follicular development.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CBS was absent in the oocytes, although it was ubiquitously expressed in the ovary with the strongest expression in follicular cells at all stages. In late antral follicles, CBS expression was markedly higher in granulosa cells located close to the antrum and in cumulus cells around the oocyte. The semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that CBS mRNA was detected in follicles at all stages in vitro. In cumulus-oocyte complexes superovulated, CBS expression also increased rapidly.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CBS was located mainly in the follicular cells in the ovaries. The level of CBS expression is high in follicles during folliculogenesis in mice. Differences in the CBS expression profile between oocyte and follicular cells suggest a role for CBS as a mediator in interactions between oocyte and granulosa cells.</p>

Preliminary exploration of the influence factors of degenerate oligonucleotide primered PCR of genome DNA / 北京大学学报(医学版)

Objective: To explore the influence factors of the degenerate oligonucleotide primered PCR(DOP-PCR). Methods: Genome DNA template from the mouse single oocyte or liver tissue were used to perform DOP-PCR. DOP-PCR was carried out with templates of different origin, different gradient dilution, with or without low melting point gel purified to wipe off the small fragment that might interfere with the following analysis, and then PCR of gene FTCD and CBS were carried out to evaluate the influence of these factors on the amplification efficiency and specificity. Results: Compared with genome DNA template from mouse liver, the template from single oocyte had the same efficiency and specificity but a minor yield and different gradient dilution of DNA template had no effect on the efficiency and specificity. Furthermore, there was a higher specificity in the low melting point gel-purified DOP-PCR product than in untreated ones. Conclusion: We have got a satisfactory result and increased specificity from DOP-PCR product purified with the low melting point gel. Single oocyte of mice could be used for further investigation of special genes detection by DOP-PCR and of an optimization in the yield of the products.

Cloning,identification,and cellular localization of a down-regulated gene fragment related with Down Syndrome / 北京大学学报(医学版)

Objective: To clone a novel gene and explore its expression patterns in tissues and cells,so as to find its role in the process of encephalopathy in DS.Methods: On the base of our previous microarray's result together with the tissue type,we chose EST AI480014 to carry out RACE,then analyzed its expression profiles in liver,spleen,kidney,heart,brain by multi-tissues Northern blot,after that semi-quantitive RT-PCR was used to reexamine the expression profiles.Furthermore,we used ISH to find whether aim gene expressed in neuroglial cells cultured in vitro.Finally we performed semi-quantitive RT-PCR to explore whether it expressed differently between DS and normal.Results: We gained a 682 bp new cDNA fragment(DQ275636)which expressed in all the tissues examined and had no alternative splices in them.It expressed highly in brain especially in frontal lobe and hippocampus.According to the ISH result we convinced that it expressed in neuroglial cells.Using bioinformatics we mapped DQ275636 to chromosome 5q14.Conclusion: We have obtained a new gene fragment based on the(above) results.According to its expression character and tissue type,it can be suggested that this gene has a probable role in the process of encephalopathy in DS.