Characterization and tissue expression of twelve selenoproteins in yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco fed diets varying in oxidized fish oil and selenium levels.

BACKGROUND: Selenium (Se) functions through selenoproteins and is essential to growth and metabolism of vertebrates. The present study was conducted to identify twelve selenoproteins genes (selenoe, selenof, selenoh, selneoi, selenom, selenok, selneon, selenoo, selenot, selenos, selenou and msrb1) from yellow catfish. Their mRNA expression patterns, as well as their response to dietary oxidized fish oils and Se addition were explored. METHODS: We use 3'and 5' RACE PCR to clone full-length cDNA sequence of twelve selenoprotein genes from yellow catfish. Their mRNA expression patterns were assessed via quantitative real-time PCR. Yellow catfish were fed diet adequate Se+ fresh fish oil, adequate Se+ oxidized fish oil, high Se+ fresh fish oil and high Se+ oxidized fish oil, respectively, for 10 weeks. Their kidney, heart, brain and testis were used to assess the mRNA expression of twelve selenoprotein. RESULTS: Twelve selenoprotein genes had similar domains with mammals and the other fish. Their mRNAs were expressed widely in eleven tissues but varied with the tissues. Dietary oxidized fish oils and Se addition influenced their mRNA abundances of twelve selenoproteins in a tissue-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated the characterization and expression of twelve selenoproteins, and elucidated their responses in yellow catfish fed diets varying in oxidized fish oils and Se addition, which increased our knowledge into the biological function and regulatory mechanism of Se and selenoproteins in fish.

Data mining-based analysis on medication rules of Chinese herbal medicine treating headache with blood stasis syndrome.

Objective: The incidence of headaches with blood stasis syndrome has increased. Herein, we used scientific, statistical methods to explore the medication rules of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) to treat headaches with blood stasis syndrome and provide a scientific and reliable theoretical basis for clinical treatment. Methods: First, we retrieved studies related to CHMs used to treat headaches with blood stasis syndrome from the VIP, CNKI, Wanfang, and PubMed databases. We used Excel 2013 to establish a database and SPSS Modeler 18.0 and SPSS 25.0 to conduct frequency, association rule, and cluster analyses. Results: Based on the screening criteria, we retrieved 126 CHM prescriptions for headaches with blood stasis syndrome involving 149 herbs. The top three high-frequency herbs were Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Chuanxiong), Angelica Sinensis Radix (Danggui), and Carthami Flos (Honghua). Blood-activating and stasis-eliminating herbs were the most frequently used herb efficacy categories. The liver meridian represented the most frequently used herb meridian tropism. The properties and taste of herbs were mainly warm and bitter, respectively. We obtained 21 association rules and five new clusters. The Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Chuanxiong) and Angelica Sinensis Radix (Danggui) herb pair had the strongest correlation. Conclusion: We analyzed published CHM prescriptions for headaches with blood stasis syndrome and eliminated factors that did not reach an agreement, such as herb dosage. We used different data mining and analysis methods to ensure that the method and process were scientific and the conclusion was reliable, comprising a valuable reference for selecting herbs for the clinical treatment of headaches with blood stasis syndrome. The Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction (XFZYD) was the primary CHM prescription for headaches with blood stasis syndrome. Xiaoyao San (XYS) and Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD) might also be clinical references for treatment selection. Meridian-inducing and insect herbs might be used according to syndromes.

Effects of Dietary Selenium and Oxidized Fish Oils on Intestinal Lipid Metabolism and Antioxidant Responses of Yellow Catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco.

Currently, the effect of selenium and oxidized fish oil interactions on the intestinal lipid metabolism and antioxidant responses of fish remains unknown. Herein, yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco (weight: 3.99 ± 0.01 g) were used as experimental animals and were fed four diets: an adequate amount of selenium (0.25 mg kg-1) with fresh fish oil (A-Se+FFO), an adequate amount of selenium with oxidized fish oil (A-Se+OFO), a high amount of selenium (0.50 mg kg-1) with fresh fish oil (H-Se+FFO), and a high amount of selenium with oxidized fish oil (H-Se+OFO). The feeding experiment was conducted for 10 weeks. The results showed that selenium supplementation alleviated the intestinal tissue damage and reduced the lipid accumulation that was induced by oxidized fish oils. Meanwhile, we also found that 0.50 mg kg-1 selenium reduced the oxidative stress that is caused by oxidized fish oils through increasing the GSH and the activity and mRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes. Dietary selenium and oxidized fish oils also affected the mRNA expression of intestinal selenoproteins including selenow2a, selenop2, and selenot2. Mechanistically, Se and oxidized eicosapentaenoic acid (oxEPA) influenced the GSH content by affecting the DNA binding ability of activating transcription factor (ATF) 3 to the slc7a11 promoter. For the first time, our results suggested that selenium alleviated the oxidized fish oil-induced intestinal lipid deposition and the oxidative stress of the fish. We also elucidated the novel mechanism of selenium increasing the GSH content by affecting the interaction of ATF3 and the slc7a11 promoter.

Antiproliferative Sesquiterpenoids from Ligularia rumicifolia with Diverse Skeletons.

Twenty-two new sesquiterpenoids with four skeletal types and 15 known analogues were isolated from the whole plants of Ligularia rumicifolia. The structures of the isolates were elucidated based on comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis. Compound 1 is a C14 nor-sesquiterpenoid featuring a 6/6/6 tricyclic skeleton with a 9,13-ether bridge. The absolute configuration of 2 was established through single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Compounds 13-16 exhibited in vitro antiproliferative activity against the four human tumor cell lines A-549, HGC-27, HeLa, and MV4-11. Specifically, compounds 13 and 16 showed antiproliferative activity against the MV4-11 cell line with IC50 values of 0.5 ± 0.2 and 1.1 ± 0.5 µM, respectively.

[Application of shear wave elastography in the evaluation of neck-shoulder myofascial pain syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study clinical value of shear wave elastography (SWE) in the evaluation of neck-shoulder myofascial pain syndrome. METHODS: From December 2013 to July 2014,30 patients diagnosed as neck-shoulder myofascial pain syndrome were in the treatment group,including 17 males and 13 females, with an average age of (44 ± 3) years old. Thirty healthy people were in the control group, including 22 males and 8 females, with a mean age of (37 ± 5) years old. The patients in the treatment group were treated with manipulation, once every other day, total 7 times. The SWE was used to detect tension part of trapezius muscle of patients in the treatment group before and after treatment, as well as to detect muscle belly at the descending part of trapezius muscle in the control group. The tissue elasticity and Yang's modulus value were recorded and compared. RESULTS: The tissue elasticity chart of patients in the treatment group before treatment was mainly greenish blue with the score of 3.70 ± 1.53, and the Yang's modulus was (43.4 ± 15.6) kPa. The tissue elasticity figure after treatment was mainly blue with the score of 2.40 ± 0.87, and the Yang's modulus was (29.0 ± 5.9) kPa. Whereas in the control group, the tissue elasticity figure was mainly blue with the score of 1.60 ± 0.72, and the Yang's modulus was (24.0 ± 7.6) kPa. These were statistical differences between the two groups (P = 0.000). CONCLUSION: SWE can be used as an evaluation method of manipulation treatment for neck-shoulder myofascial pain syndrome, which is an objective and sensitive detection method.

[Adjunctive therapy of xuezhikang capsule for coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials].

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the effect and safety of Xuezhikang Capsule (XZKC) for adjuvant treatment for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients accompanied with or without dyslipidemia. METHODS: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) Database, Chongqing VIP Database (VIP), Wanfang Data base, Cochrane Library, and Medline (PubMed) were retrieved with the deadline of August 30, 2013. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) of XZKC in treating CHD patients with or without dyslipidemia were all included. Assessment of bias risk for included studies was conducted according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention (Version 5.0.2): Criteria for judging risk of bias in the "risk of bias" assessment tool. Review Management (5.1.0) was employed for data statistics. If there was no significant heterogeneity, results from the random-effect model were presented. If the heterogeneity was not substantial, a meta-analysis was not performed and a narrative and qualitative summary was performed instead. RESULTS: A total of 28 RCTs (6,949 patients) were included after screening results. The methodological quality of included trial was generally lower. Results of Metaanalysis showed that XZKC was beneficial for CHD patients in decreasing cardiovascular events: when compared with the basic treatment group, the relative risk (RR) was 0.53 and 95% confidence interval (CI) was [0.35, 0.81]; when compared with the placebo + basic treatment group, RR was 0.52 and 95% CI was [0.42, 0.65]; when compared with the basic treatment group, RR for improving symptoms of angina was 1.20 and 95% CI was [1. 12, 1.30]; when compared with the basic treatment group, RR for improving abnormal ECG was 1.38 and 95% CI was [1.21, 1.57]. Thirteen studies showed that XZKC + basic treatment was obviously superior in lowering total cholesterol (TC) to that of the basic treatment group. Three studies showed that XZKC + basic treatment was obviously superior in lowering total cholesterol (TC) to that of the placebo + basic treatment group. Thirteen studies showed that XZKC + basic treatment was obviously superior in lowering low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to that of the basic treatment group. Three studies showed that XZKC + basic treatment was obviously superior in lowering LDL-C to that of the placebo + basic treatment group. A total of 18 studies describing adverse reactions (ADs) involved 61 ADs in the XZKC + basic treatment group. All suffered from mild symptoms or were improved after treatment. No severe ADs occurred. CONCLUSION: Treatment of CHD by XZKC might lower the occurrence of cardiovascular events in CHD patients accompanied with or without dyslipidemia, relieve clinical symptoms, improve ECG, lower blood lipid levels, and with less adverse reactions.

Modelling Fanconi anemia pathogenesis and therapeutics using integration-free patient-derived iPSCs.

Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a recessive disorder characterized by genomic instability, congenital abnormalities, cancer predisposition and bone marrow (BM) failure. However, the pathogenesis of FA is not fully understood partly due to the limitations of current disease models. Here, we derive integration free-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from an FA patient without genetic complementation and report in situ gene correction in FA-iPSCs as well as the generation of isogenic FANCA-deficient human embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines. FA cellular phenotypes are recapitulated in iPSCs/ESCs and their adult stem/progenitor cell derivatives. By using isogenic pathogenic mutation-free controls as well as cellular and genomic tools, our model serves to facilitate the discovery of novel disease features. We validate our model as a drug-screening platform by identifying several compounds that improve hematopoietic differentiation of FA-iPSCs. These compounds are also able to rescue the hematopoietic phenotype of FA patient BM cells.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells derived hepatocytes: rising promise for disease modeling, drug development and cell therapy.

Recent advances in the study of human hepatocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) represent new promises for liver disease study and drug discovery. Human hepatocytes or hepatocyte-like cells differentiated from iPSC recapitulate many functional properties of primary human hepatocytes and have been demonstrated as a powerful and efficient tool to model human liver metabolic diseases and facilitate drug development process. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in this field and discuss the future perspective of the application of human iPSC derived hepatocytes.

Survey of airborne pollen in Hubei province of China.

OBJECTIVE: To study the genera and seasonal distribution of airborne pollen in Hubei province of China, and its relationship with pollinosis. METHODS: From November 2003 to October 2004, an airborne pollen investigation was performed in 16 chosen areas in 12 cities of Hubei province using gravity sedimentation technique. Meanwhile, univalent skin prick tests of pollens were performed and the invasion season was studied on 2,300 patients with pollinosis. Among them, 352 cases underwent the airway responsiveness measurements, and the correlation between airway responsiveness and results of pollen count was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 61 pollen genera were observed and 257,520 pollens were collected. The peak of airborne pollen distribution occurred in two seasons each year: spring (March and April) and autumn (from August to October). The attack of pollinosis corresponded to the peak of pollen distribution. There was a significantly negative relationship between the provocation dose causing a 20% decrease of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) from baseline and airborne pollen concentration (r= -0.6829, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study provides useful information for airborne pollen epidemiology of Hubei province, and it provides important insights to clinical prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pollen-related allergic diseases.