Clinical characteristics and pathogen analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid pathogens in elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: This was a retrospective observational epidemiological study using that elderly cases diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia receiving treatment at the Affiliated Hospital of North China University of Technology, Tangshan Hongci Hospital and Tangshan Fengnan District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A total of 92 cases were divided into two groups according to age. There were 44 patients over 75-year-old and 48 patients between 65 and 74-year-old. RESULTS: Compared with the elderly 65 to 74-year-old, the elderly over 75-year-old with diabetes are more likely to suffer from CAP (35.42% vs. 63.64%, p = 0.007) and are more likely to have mixed infections (6.25% vs. 22.73%, p = 0.023) or larger lesions (45.83% vs. 68.18%, p = 0.031). Their hospital stays will also be extended (39.58% vs. 63.64%, p = 0.020), and the albumin level (37.51 ± 8.92 vs. 30.93 ± 6.58, p = 0.000), the neutrophils level (9.09(6.26-10.63) vs. 7.18(5.35-9.17),p = 0.026) is significantly lower and the d-dimer (505.42 ± 197.12 vs. 611.82 ± 195.85, p = 0.011), PCT (0.08 ± 0.04 vs. 0.12 ± 0.07, p = 0.001) levels are significantly higher. CONCLUSION: The clinical symptoms and signs of elderly CAP patients are not so typical, and the infection is more serious. Attention should therefore be paid to elderly patients. Hypoalbuminemia and high d-dimer can predict the prognosis of patients.

Polysaccharides from Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae: A Review on Their Extraction, Purification, Structure, and Bioactivities.

Rhizoma Atractylodes macrocephala polysaccharide (RAMP), the main bioactive compound extracted from Rhizoma Atractylodes macrocephala (RAM), exhibits various biological activities in in vivo and in vitro methods, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective effects, and other functions. This review systematically summarizes the recent research progress on the extraction, purification, structural characteristics, and biological activities of RAMP. We hope to provide a theoretical basis for further research on the application of RAMP in the fields of biomedicine and food.

Reassessment of the Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Using a Novel Burst Paradigm on Cardiac Autonomic Function in Healthy Young Adults.

BACKGROUND: Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) may modulate cardiac autonomic function. However, the response rate of the traditional tonic paradigm is low, and the results remain inconsistent. A recent pilot study presented a novel burst paradigm to activate the cardiac parasympathetic system, which might offer a new approach to treat cardiac autonomic function. The present study reassessed the effect of burst taVNS on modulating heart rate variability and explored the difference between burst and traditional tonic paradigms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two young adults were recruited for this study. Each participant underwent three types of taVNS with sham (30 sec of stimulation), tonic (25 Hz, 500 µsec), and burst (five pulses at 500 Hz every 200 msec) paradigms, respectively, with simultaneous electrocardiogram recording. One-way analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance, and linear regression were used for analysis. Multiple testing was performed using Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: Both burst and tonic paradigms induced a significant decrease in heart rate, which continued until poststimulation, and increased cardiac parasympathetic activity. Moreover, two parasympathetic system indicators showed significant increase only in burst taVNS. The response rates during burst (35.7%) and tonic (38.1%) stimulations were both higher than that during sham stimulation (11.9%). The response to taVNS showed parameter specificity with few nonresponders to the tonic paradigm responding to the burst paradigm. The overall response rate increased from 38.1% in tonic taVNS to 54.8% in taVNS using both burst and tonic paradigms. For both burst and tonic responders, baseline cardiac parasympathetic activity was found to be significantly negatively correlated with changes during stimulation. CONCLUSION: The burst parameter could be used as an alternative strategy for regulating cardiac parasympathetic function by taVNS, which has the potential to be used as a complementary paradigm to traditional tonic taVNS for promoting clinical treatment efficacy.

Kangxianruangan granule­containing serum mediated inhibition of hepatic oval cell differentiation into hepatocellular carcinoma cells via the Wnt­1/ß­catenin signaling pathway.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a malignancy with poor clinical prognosis. Hepatic oval cells (HOCs) tend to differentiate into cancerous hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs) in the tumor microenvironment. The purpose of the present study was to explore the role of kangxianruangan granule (KXRG)­containing serum in inhibiting the differentiation of HOCs into HCCs via the Wnt­1/ß­catenin signaling pathway. N­methyl­N'­nitro­N­nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) was applied to induce the transformation of the rat HOC cell line WB­F344 into HCCs. The overexpression plasmid, Wnt­1­up, was utilized to increase Wnt­1 expression. Subsequently, high, medium and low concentrations of KXRG were applied to MNNG­treated WB­F344 cells to assess the inhibitory effect of KXRG on cell differentiation. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect the cell cycle distribution, apoptotic rate and expression of cytokeratin­19 (CK­19) protein in cells. An immunofluorescence double staining protocol was used to detect the expression of Wnt­1 and ß­catenin. ELISAs were performed to detect α fetoprotein in the cell supernatants. Reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and western blotting were conducted to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of Wnt­1, ß­catenin, Cyclin D1, C­myc, matrix metalloproteinase­7 (MMP­7), Axin2 and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in cells. Compared with the normal group, the apoptotic rate, proportion of S phase cells, concentration of AFP in the cell supernatant, level of CK­19 protein, and mRNA and protein expression levels of Wnt­1, ß­catenin, Cyclin D1, C­myc, MMP­7, Axin2 and EpCAM were all significantly increased in the model group. Addition of KXRG significantly reduced the aforementioned indicators compared with the model group. Moreover, Wnt­1 overexpression further increased the aforementioned indicators compared with the model group, whereas KXRG significantly inhibited these effects. The results indicated that KXRG inhibited the differentiation of HOCs into HCCs via the Wnt­1/ß­catenin signaling pathway, which suggested the potential clinical application of KXRG for the prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Role of Parameter Setting in Electroacupuncture: Current Scenario and Future Prospects.

Acupuncture is an ancient therapeutic method based on the theory of Chinese medicine (CM). Traditional acupuncture has many limitations; it is subjective and relies more on the experience of an acupuncturist, and the efficacy is sometimes irreproducible. In contrast, electroacupuncture (EA) has special characteristics in terms of objectivity and stability, thereby gaining considerable attention. Parameter setting plays a crucial role in EA practice. The current paper summarizes the current situation and limitations of parameter setting in EA practice. Objectification is the tendency and future of CM as well as EA. With the development of computerized technologies, such as wearable sensors, vast data, and artificial intelligence, CM syndromes can be successfully objectified. We propose the development of a novel self-feedback-adjust EA system, which may improve the parameter setting in EA and be beneficial to both the patients and clinicians.

Huaier granule prevents the recurrence of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma after thermal ablation: A cohort study.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Clinical trials have demonstrated that Trametes robinophila Murr (Huaier granule) can inhibit recurrence and metastasis after hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resection, but its efficacy as an adjuvant therapy after thermal ablation of early HCC is unknown. AIM OF THE STUDY: To analyze the prognostic value and side effects of Huaier granules in HCC patients undergoing thermal ablation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical information from 340 eligible subjects with early-stage HCC who were admitted to our department from September 1, 2008 to January 1, 2019 was extracted from the electronic medical record database. They were divided into the thermal ablation + TCM group and the thermal ablation group. Differences in their overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), extrahepatic metastatic rate (EMR), and therapeutic side effects (TSEs) between the two groups were compared. Beneficiaries of the integrated treatment and adequate treatment length were predicted. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 32.5 months (range 2-122 months). The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS rates in the integrated treatment group and the control group were 93.2% vs. 92.6%, 54.5% vs. 51.4%, 23.5% vs. 19.7% (p = 0.110, HR 0.76(0.54-1.07)). The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year PFS rates were 78.8% vs. 69.4%, 50.6% vs. 40.6%, 35.3% vs. 26.5%, respectively (p = 0.020, HR 0.67(0.48-0.94)). The median OS (35 vs. 31 months) and PFS (24 vs. 12.5 months) were longer in the integrated treatment group. The EMR in the integrated treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p = 0.018, HR 0.49 (0.27-0.89)). Patients with any two of the following three factors might be predicted to be beneficiaries of the integrated treatment, including younger than 65 years (p =0.039, HR 0.70 (0.50-0.98)), single tumor (p = 0.035, HR 0.70 (0.50-0.98), and tumor size ≤3 cm (p = 0.029, HR 0.69 (0.50-0.96). Patients with continuous oral administration of TCM following ablation had a lower probability of recurrence and metastasis within 2 years (p = 0.015, HR 0.67 (0.49-0.93)). Although the integrated treatment group reported a higher incidence of nausea and emesis, there were no significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: TCM following ablation may prolong PFS and suppress recurrence in patients with HCC, with continuous oral administration for more than 2 years maybe experience a greater benefit. The TSEs of the treatment are mild and can be tolerated.

Phragmunis a suppresses glioblastoma through the regulation of MCL1-FBXW7 by blocking ELK1-SRF complex-dependent transcription.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor. During screening work, we found a new compound named phragmunis A (PGA), which is derived from the fruitbody of Trogia venenata, exhibits a potential cytotoxic effect on patient-derived recurrent GBM cells and temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant cell lines. The present study was designed to investigate the potential molecular mechanism of the anti-glioma effects of PGA in vitro and in vivo. Studies investigating the mechanism revealed that PGA diminished the binding efficiency of ETS family of transcription factor (ELK1) and Serum response factor (SRF), and suppressed ELK1-SRF complex-dependent transcription, which decreased the transcriptional levels of downstream genes Early growth response protein 1 (EGR1)-Polycomb ring finger (BMI1), thus inducing the imbalanced regulation between Myeloid cell leukaemia-1 (MCL1) and F-Box and WD repeat domain containing 7 (FBXW7). Finally, orthotopic xenograft models were established to confirm the anti-glioma effect of PGA on tumour growth. We showed, for the first time, that the cytotoxic effects of PGA occurred by inducing MCL1 inhibition and FBXW7 activation by blocking ELK1-SRF complex-dependent transcription. The blockage of ELK1-mediated transcription resulted in the suppression of EGR1-BMI1, which led to the upregulation of FBXW7 expression and downregulation of MCL1. These findings suggested that PGA could be a therapeutic drug candidate for the treatment of recurrent GBM by targeting the ELK1-SRF complex.

Mechanism Analysis of Bianketong Tablet in Treatment of Constipation-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome Based on Network Pharmacology and Bioinformatics / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the potential mechanism of Bianketong tablet （BKT） in the treatment of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （C-IBS） based on network pharmacology and bioinformatics. Method:The BKT-meridian network was constructed for analyzing the combined effect of the nine Chinese herbs in BKT. The active components and targets of BKT were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） and then screened according to the oral bioavailability （OB） and drug likeness （DL） criteria. Following the acquisition of C-IBS target set from GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM）， Drugbank and DisGeNet， the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed. Cytoscape 3.7.2 was utilized for network visualization. The screened key targets were subjected to gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analysis using DAVID platform. The C-IBS mouse model was established via intragastric administration of ice water， and the key targets of BKT against C-IBS were verified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and immunohistochemistry. Result:The large intestinal meridian was the main site where BKT acted. There were 70 potential active components in BKT， which acted on 227 intersection targets. Through T helper cell 17（Th17） differentiation， Toll-like receptor （TLR）， tumor necrosis factor and other signaling pathways， BKT participated in inflammatory response， immune regulation， intestinal nerve regulation， hormonal regulation， and oxidative stress response， thus exerting the therapeutic effects against C-IBS. As reveled by <italic>in vivo</italic> experiments， BKT significantly improved the small intestinal propulsion rate， up-regulated the expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP） in serum and colon tissue of C-IBS mice， and down-regulated the expression of nuclear transcription factor-<italic>κ</italic>B （NF-<italic>κ</italic>B）， interleukin（IL）-6， and TLR2 in serum and colon tissue， which confirmed the reliability of integration analysis. Conclusion:BKT inhibits C-IBS via multiple components， multiple targets， and multiple pathways. This study has provided ideas for further clinical research and experimental verification of BKT in the treatment of C-IBS.

Obstetric Diseases Responding Specifically to Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

In recent years， with the change in life style， social environment， and national childbearing policy， the proportion of high-risk pregnant women has increased significantly， triggering the spectrum of obstetric diseases to constantly change， which has brought new challenges to the diagnosis and treatment of obstetrics. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has been proved effective in dealing with a variety of obstetric diseases， and various treatment methods are available， which can serve as alternative means for solving refractory obstetric diseases. However， most obstetric clinicians are currently less aware of the therapeutic effects of TCM， which has significantly hindered its participation in clinical treatment. Therefore， the China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） organized the outstanding young obstetricians of TCM and western medicine to discuss 15 obstetric diseases responding specifically to TCM or integrated TCM and western medicine， including hyperemesis gravidarum， threatened abortion， ectopic gestation， cough during pregnancy， pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome， maternal-fetal ABO incompatibility， postpartum hypogalactia， residual pregnancy tissue in uterine cavity， puerperal infection， pantalgia after childbirth， hematoma/undesirable healing after caesarean section， postpartum urinary retention， ileus after cesarean section， pelvic floor dysfunction， and postnatal depression. The suggestions for their treatment with TCM or integrated TCM and western medicine were also proposed， aiming to provide patients with effective and personalized treatments in clinical practice and improve the diagnosis and treatment effects of obstetric diseases， thus benefiting the public. At the same time， more obstetrical clinicians are expected to understand the therapeutic effects and advantages of TCM and draw on the strengths of both TCM and western， thereby promoting the establishment of an obstetric diagnosis and treatment system with Chinese characteristics.

Acupuncture inhibits the activation of spinal microglia in the acute uterine cervical distension rats.

BACKGROUND: Although labor pain is treated clinically by the administration of local anesthetics alone or with opioids in the epidural or spinal spaces, however, the mechanisms of labor pain mechanisms have not been fully elucidated during to the lack of animal models, and the side effects of drugs still existed. Spinal microglia can be activated or mobilized under several pain states, and we want to explore the activation of spinal microglia is involved in the acute uterine cervical distension rats or not. METHODS: (I) The electromyographic (EMG) response to uterine cervical distension (UCD) was observed. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: standard group, sham group, and UCD group (n=8). EMG response to UCD was recorded at 30, 60 and 120 min after distension, respectively. The activation of microglia in the spinal cord at UCD 60 min was seen. Grouping following the first part (n=4), four rats were executed perfusion after distension of 60 min, the T12 to L2 spinal cord segments were removed for immunohistochemical analysis. (II) After successfully implantation of the intrathecal catheter, 36 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the PBS group, minocycline group and UCD group (n=12). EMG response to UCD was recorded before distension and after 30, 60, and 120 min after distension (n=8). Four rats of each group were executed perfusion at 60 min after distension, the T12 to L2 spinal cord segments were removed for immunohistochemical analysis. (III) Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into an electrical acupuncture group, non-acupuncture group, and UCD group (n=12). EMG response to UCD was recorded at 30, 60, and 120 min after distension. Four rats of each group were executed at 60 min after distension, and the T12 to L2 spinal cord segments were removed for immunohistochemical analysis to observe the effect of Hegu and Sanyinjiao acupuncture electric stimulation in the activation of spinal microglia. RESULTS: (I) EMG based value of sham group, standard group, and the UCD group were no statistical significance (P>0.05). After UCD, the EMG of the UCD group were increased at 30, 60, 120 min. Compared with fundamental values (P<0.05), which the most apparent EMG change at 60 min after UCD (P<0.05). Sixty min after UCD, compared with the sham group and the standard group, the EMG of the UCD group was higher (P<0.05), but no difference was observed between standard group and sham group (P>0.05). Compared with the sham group, the number of Iba1 (microglia markers)positive cells in thoracic, lumbar spinal cord (T12 to L2) was higher at 60 min after UCD (P<0.05), the most Iba1 labeled cells expressed in IV-V layer and X layer of lumbar spinal cord dorsal horn. (II) EMG based value of UCD group, PBS group, and minocycline group had no significant difference (P>0.05). Sixty min after UCD, compared with the PBS and UCD group, the EMG of the minocycline group was decreased significantly (P<0.05), but there was no difference between the PBS group and UCD group (P>0.05). At 30 and 120 min after UCD, the difference of EMG among the UCD group, PBS group, and minocycline group was no statistical significance (P>0.05). Compared with the PBS and UCD group, the number of Iba1 positive cells at the thoracic, lumbar spinal cord in the minocycline group decreased significantly (P<0.05). But no difference was observed between the PBS group and minocycline group (P>0.05). (III) In the fourth part of the study: EMG based value of electrical acupuncture group, non-acupuncture group, and UCD group were no different (P>0.05). Sixty min after UCD, compared with non-acupuncture and UCD group, the EMG of the acupuncture group was decreased significantly (P<0.05), but no difference was observed between the UCD group and non-acupuncture group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The activation of spinal microglia is involved in the formation of acute visceral pain induced by uterine cervical distension, Electrical acupuncturing Hegu, and Sanyinjiao alleviate pain, and the possible mechanism is inhibiting the activation of spinal microglia in the acute uterine cervical distension rats.

Baseline Brain Gray Matter Volume as a Predictor of Acupuncture Outcome in Treating Migraine.

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the use of imaging biomarkers to predict the outcome of acupuncture in patients with migraine without aura (MwoA). Methods: Forty-one patients with MwoA received 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment and two brain imaging sessions at the Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University. Patients kept a headache diary for 4 weeks before treatment and during acupuncture treatment. Responders were defined as those with at least a 50% reduction in the number of migraine days. The machine learning method was used to distinguish responders from non-responders based on pre-treatment brain gray matter (GM) volume. Longitudinal changes in GM predictive regions were also analyzed. Results: After 4 weeks of acupuncture, 19 patients were classified as responders. Based on 10-fold cross-validation for the selection of GM features, the linear support vector machine produced a classification model with 73% sensitivity, 85% specificity, and 83% accuracy. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.7871. This classification model included 10 GM areas that were mainly distributed in the frontal, temporal, parietal, precuneus, and cuneus gyri. The reduction in the number of migraine days was correlated with baseline GM volume in the cuneus, parietal, and frontal gyri in all patients. Moreover, the left cuneus showed a longitudinal increase in GM volume in responders. Conclusion: The results suggest that pre-treatment brain structure could be a novel predictor of the outcome of acupuncture in the treatment of MwoA. Imaging features could be a useful tool for the prediction of acupuncture efficacy, which would enable the development of a personalized medicine strategy.

Couplet medicines of leech and centipede granules improve erectile dysfunction via inactivation of the CaSR/PLC/PKC signaling in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the significant complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), and CASR plays an important role in cellular antiapoptosis and NO production in the vascular endothelium by activating PKC. The present study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of Leech and Centipede Granules (LCG) through the CaSR/PLC/PKC signaling. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with streptozotocin to induce the DM model. After 10 weeks, an apomorphine test was used to confirm DMED. Rats with DMED were administrated with LCG and U73122 for 4 weeks. Fasting blood glucose, body weight, insulin and glucagon levels were measured. Erectile function in rats was assessed by apomorphine. Serums were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry, and penile tissues were harvested for histologic and the expression of related targets analyses. After treatment, fasting blood glucose, body weight, insulin, glucagon levels, and erectile function were significantly ameliorated in the LCG groups. The LOX-1, NOX, and EMPs concentrations were significantly decreased with LCG treatment. LCG also continuously increased NO and decreased ET-1 content in penile tissues. LCG and U73122 administration also improved penile fibrosis by significantly decreasing VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and CD62P. The data also showed that LCG reduced the apoptosis level in the penis. Furthermore, the inhibited activation of the CaSR/PLC/PKC pathway was observed in DMED rats with LCG treatment. Collectively, LCG significantly ameliorated erectile function of DMED rats via increased NO generation, inhibiting endothelial cells apoptosis and penile fibrosis, which might benefit from the suppression of CaSR/PLC/PKC pathway in DMED rats.

Observational Study of Chinese Medicine Syndrome Distribution in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction and Its Impact on Prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on admission and its impact on prognosis. METHODS: A total of 525 AMI patients were prospectively recruited and classifified into 4 groups based on their clinical characteristics: excess-heat, excess-cold, deficiency-heat and deficiency-cold syndromes. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) were followed up. RESULTS: The excess syndrome was more common than deficiency syndrome (72.95% vs. 27.05%; P<0.05). Totally 495 (94.29%) of 525 AMI patients were followed up (median 277 days). There were 59 (11.92%) MACEs. After adjusted with confounding factors in Cox regression models, the hazard ratio (95% confifidence interval) of excess-heat, excess-cold, defificiency-heat and defificiency-cold syndrome groups were 1, 1.25 (0.63, 2.49; P<0.05), 2.37 (1.14, 4.94; P<0.05), 3.76 (1.71, 8.28; P<0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Excess syndrome was more common in AMI patients and had better prognosis, while defificiency-cold syndrome had the poorest prognosis. CM syndrome was of value in predicting long-term outcomes in AMI patients.

[oil microbial biomass and enzyme activities among different artificial forests in Ziwuling, Northwest China.] / å­åˆå²­äººå·¥æž—åœŸå£¤å¾®ç”Ÿç‰©ç”Ÿç‰©é‡åŠé ¶æ´»æ€§.

Decades of ecological restoration on the Loess Plateau has achieved significant on-site benefits to reduce soil erosion and improve soil quality, with remarkable off-site effects of reducing sediment delivery to Yellow River. However, regional forest community succession is still far from being adequately developed. The Ziwuling forest region and its highly developed forest community, as an advanced eco-zone, can lend practical experience to other regions on the Loess Plateau and help to identify the most suitable tree species for a better regional restoration in the future. With the aim to systematically understand the potential effects of typical local tree species to soil properties, three typical and well-established artificial forests in the Ziwuling region, Robinia pseudoacacia, Pinus tabuliformis and Platycladus orientalis were investigated in this study, with the climax community Quercus wutaishanica as a reference. All the four forest type had comparable stand age (25 years). Soil samples from 0-20 cm layers were collected from those four plantations. The soil microbial biomass (carbon and nitrogen), soil enzyme (invertase, urease and alkaline phosphatase) activities and their correlations were measured and analyzed. The results showed that: 1) soil invertase activity ranged from 16.94 to 64.49 mg·g-1·24 h-1, the soil urease activity from 0.15 to 0.26 mg·g-1·24 h-1, and the alkaline phosphatase activity from 0.65 to 1.23 mg·g-1·24 h-1. The activities of those three enzymes were significantly higher in the P. orientalis soil that in the R. pseudoacacia and P. tabuliformis soils. The geometric average values in the P. orientalis soil were even greater than that in the Q. wutaishanica soil. 2) The soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen varied from 247.37 to 529.84 mg·kg-1 and 41.48 to 77.91 mg·kg-1, respectively. Both of them were significantly greater in the P. orientalis soil than that in the R. pseudoacacia and P. tabu-liformis soils. Even though the soil microbial biomass carbon in the P. orientalis soil remained lower than that in the Q. wutaishanica soil, its soil microbial biomass nitrogen was greater than in the Q. wutaishanica soil. 3) The dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in the P. tabuliformis soil were much greater than that in other species, even greater than their own soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen. Such a result indicated that dissolved organic matter might play a more important role in providing plant available nutrients than microbial biomass in the P. tabuliformis soil. 4) The microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were significantly positively correlated with the total organic carbon and the total nitrogen, particularly for the R. pseudoacacia and P. tabuliformis soils. There were significantly positive relationships between the soil invertase activity, urease activity and alkaline phosphatase activity, and their soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus contents. 5) Based on the results of principal component analysis, we concluded that the artificial forests types had obvious effects on soil microbial carbon and nitrogen, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, the ratio of carbon to phosphorus, the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus and urease activity. Overall, our findings suggested that P. orientalis is better than R. pseudoacacia and P. tabuliformis in term of improving soil properties in the south forest zone on the Chinese Loess Plateau.

GeneChip analysis of resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis with previously treated tuberculosis in Changchun.

BACKGROUND: With the widespread use of rifampicin and isoniazid, bacterial resistance has become a growing problem. Additionally, the lack of relevant baseline information for the frequency of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) gene mutations is a critical issue, and the incidence of this infection in the city of Changchun has not investigated to date. However, compared with the slow traditional methods of drug susceptibility testing, recently developed detection methods, such as rifampicin and isoniazid resistance-related gene chip techniques, allow for rapid, easy detection and simultaneous testing for mutation frequency and drug resistance. METHODS: In this study, the rifampicin and isoniazid resistance-related gene mutation chip method was employed for an epidemiological investigation. To assess the gene mutation characteristics of drug-resistant TB and evaluate the chip method, we tested 2143 clinical specimens from patients from the infectious diseases hospital of Changchun city from January to December 2016. The drug sensitivity test method was used as the reference standard. RESULTS: The following mutation frequencies of sites in the rifampicin resistance gene rpoB were found: Ser531Leu (52.6%), His526Tyr (12.3%), and Leu511Pro (8.8%). The multidrug-resistance (MDR)-TB mutation frequency was 34.7% for rpoB Ser531Leu and katG Ser315Thr, 26.4% for rpoB Ser531Leu and inhA promoter - 15 (C → T), and 10.7% for rpoB His526Tyr and katG Ser315Thr. In addition, drug susceptibility testing served as a reference standard. In previously treated clinical cases, the sensitivity and specificity of GeneChip were 83.1 and 98.7% for rifampicin resistance, 79.9 and 99.6% for isoniazid resistance, and 74.1 and 99.8% for MDR-TB. CONCLUSIONS: Our experimental results show that the chip method is accurate and reliable; it can be used to detect the type of drug-resistant gene mutation in clinical specimens. Moreover, this study can be used as a reference for future research on TB resistance baselines.

[Effects of vegetation and topography features on ecological stoichiometry of soil and soil microbial biomass in the hilly-gully region of the Loess Plateau, China.] / 黄土丘陵区植被与地形特征对土壤和土壤微生物生物量生态化学计量特征的影响.

The objectives of this study were to explore the effects of vegetation type, topographic features and their combined effects on soil microbial biomass stoichiometry, so as to better understand the interaction of soil, soil microbes and nutrient cycling under different vegetation types in the hilly-gully region of the Loess Plateau. Soils from three vegetation zones (forest zone, forest-steppe and steppe) and five slope positions (south/north backslope, south/north shoulder and summit) were chosen and the effects of vegetation types and topography features on soil and C:N:P ratios in soil microbial biomass were investigated in this study. The results showed that, among the five slope positions, the highest concentrations of soil and soil microbial biomass C, N, P were found at the backslope position and the north-facing slope. The effects of vegetation types on soil and soil microbial biomass C, N and P in the two soil layers were significantly different, whereas the effects of slope aspect and positions were only numerically different. As for different soil layers, the topsoil (0-10 cm) was more affected by slope aspect, while the subsoil (10-20 cm) was more influenced by slop position. While the effects of vegetation type on soil C:N, C:P and N:P and soil microbial biomass C:N, C:P were significant, slope aspect and slope position only influenced soil C:P and N:P. Consequently, on the Loess Plateau, the effects of vegetation type on soil and soil microbial biomass C, N, P were stronger than those of the topographic features. The standardized major axis tests showed that C:N:P stoichiometry in soil microbes was well-constrained, especially in the steppe zone. The soil microbial biomass N:P might be used as a useful tool to assess nutrient limitation of ecosystem processes in terrestrial ecosystems. If combined with plant leaf N:P, they could provide more accurate information to estimate the nutrient limitation of fragile ecosystem in hilly-gully region of the Loess Plateau.

[Discussion on scientific problems in standard decoction of traditional Chinese medicine].

Based on the reviewing of development and disadvantages of Chinese medicine formula granules, the concept of standard decoction of traditional Chinese medicine was proposed in this study, and it was used as the standard mode of Chinese medicine formula granules to standardize the production process and quality standards of formula granules. The standard was unified according to the principles of "standardization of medicinal materials, standardization of process, intellectualization of production, standardization of quality, normalization of packaging, and informatization of storage"; and consistency evaluation was carried out by the analysis of chemical components, pharmacological activities and clinical efficacy of the standardized decoction and the traditional decoction, interpreting the scientific questions to ensure the stability and uniformity of Chinese medicine formula granule as well as the safety and effectiveness of its clinical application.

Andrographolide Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis of Chondrosarcoma by Targeting TCF-1/SOX9 Axis.

Chondrosarcoma is the second most malignant bone tumor with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Thus, development of more effective treatments has become urgent. Recently, natural compounds derived from medicinal plants have emerged as promising therapeutic options via targeting multiple key cellular molecules. Andrographolide (Andro) is such a compound, which has previously been shown to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in several human cancers. However, the molecular mechanism through which Andro exerts its anti-cancer effect on chondrosarcoma remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we showed that Andro-induced G2/M cell cycle arrest of chondrosarcoma by fine-tuning the expressions of several cell cycle regulators such as p21, p27, and Cyclins, and that prolonged treatment of cells with Andro caused pronounced cell apoptosis. Remarkably, we found that SOX9 was highly expressed in poor-differentiated chondrosarcoma, and that knockdown of SOX9 suppressed chondrosarcoma cell growth. Further, our results showed that Andro dose-dependently down-regulated SOX9 expression in chondrosarcoma cells. Concomitantly, an inhibition of T cell factor 1 (TCF-1) mRNA expression and an enhancement of TCF-1 protein degradation by Andro were observed. In contrast, the expression and subcellular localization of ß-catenin were not altered upon the treatment of Andro, suggesting that ß-catenin might not function as the primary target of Andro. Additionally, we provided evidence that there was a mutual regulation between TCF-1 and SOX9 in chondrosarcoma cells. In conclusion, these results highlight the potential therapeutic effects of Andro in treatment of chondrosarcoma via targeting the TCF-1/SOX9 axis. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4575-4586, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Discussion on scientific problems in standard decoction of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Based on the reviewing of development and disadvantages of Chinese medicine formula granules, the concept of standard decoction of traditional Chinese medicine was proposed in this study, and it was used as the standard mode of Chinese medicine formula granules to standardize the production process and quality standards of formula granules. The standard was unified according to the principles of "standardization of medicinal materials, standardization of process, intellectualization of production, standardization of quality, normalization of packaging, and informatization of storage"; and consistency evaluation was carried out by the analysis of chemical components, pharmacological activities and clinical efficacy of the standardized decoction and the traditional decoction, interpreting the scientific questions to ensure the stability and uniformity of Chinese medicine formula granule as well as the safety and effectiveness of its clinical application.