Clinical Application of Fresh Plantaginis Herba in Acient and Modern Medical Works / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical application law and provide literature support and development ideas for the modern application of fresh Plantaginis Herba. MethodThe literature about the application of fresh Plantaginis Herba was retrieved from the fifth edition of Chinese medical dictionary， China national knowledge infrastructure （CNKI）， VIP， Wanfang data， and Chinese medical journals and analyzed. ResultFresh Plantaginis Herba appeared frequently in ancient books， with the effects of clearing heat， cooling blood， promoting urination， and relieving stranguria. It was used for the treatment of stranguria， urine retention， bloody urine， sore and carbuncle， epistaxis， red and swelling eye， suppurative inflammation in the throat， and gynecological and pediatric diseases. According to modern medical publications， fresh Plantaginis Herba is mainly used to treated diseases in the kidney， five sense organs， spleen， stomach， lung， liver， gallbladder， and skin and gynecological and pediatric diseases. Specifically， it is mainly used to treat the syndrome of dampness and heat in kidney and skin diseases caused by the accumulation of dampness and heat toxin， with the effects of clearing heat， removing toxin， promoting urination， and relieving stranguria. Since ancient times， there have been reports of using fresh Plantaginis Herbausing for food and health care. ConclusionFresh Plantaginis Herba is widely used in clinical practice and has a high medical value and economic value. However， its modern application lags behind， so it is necessary to promote the development of fresh Plantaginis Herba from the aspects of medicinal material production， storage， transportation， preparation research and development， and clinical application.

Molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare and rank different targeted therapies or immunotherapies for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma based on efficacy. METHODS: A systematic search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted. All systematic treatment regimens that reported comparisons with sorafenib were included in this analysis. The primary outcome measures were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and other outcome measures included the objective response rate (ORR) and safety analysis according to reported treatment-related adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 29 RCTs involving 13376 patients were included in the analysis, including 10 single-agent therapies and 17 combination therapies. Compared with sorafenib, sintilimab plus IBI305 (HR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.43-0.75), camrelizumab plus rivoceranib (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.49-0.78), and atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (HR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.52-0.83) ranked in the top three in terms of OS. CONCLUSIONS: PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF)-targeting drugs have shown better therapeutic effects in the systematic treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, and the combination of targeted and immune therapy modes should be further developed.

Therapeutic effects of adjuvant therapy with Yinhuang Qingfei Capsule on acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by accumulation of phlegm and heat in the lung / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of adjuvant therapy with Yinhuang Qingfei Capsule in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) caused by accumulation of phlegm and heat in the lung. Methods:A total of 300 patients with AECOPD admitted to Wenling Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2019 to December 2020 were included in this study. They were randomly divided into observation and control groups ( n = 150/group). The control group was treated with conventional therapy, and the observation group was treated with adjuvant therapy with Yinhuang Qingfei Capsule based on conventional therapy. All patients were treated for 14 consecutive days. The clinical efficacy, lung function indexes and serum inflammatory factors pre- and post-treatment as well as adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results:Total response rate was significantly higher in the observation group than the control group [88.0% (132/150) vs. 75.3% (113/150), χ2 = 8.04, P < 0.05]. After treatment, cough score [(2.31 ± 0.49) points], sputum score [(1.93 ± 0.35) points] and wheezing score [(0.91 ± 0.22) points] in the observation group were lower compared with the control group [(2.89 ± 0.54) points, (2.22 ± 0.43) points, (1.36 ± 0.27) points, t = 9.30, 6.41, 15.82, all P < 0.001]. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) [(3.04 ± 1.25) μg/L], C-reactive protein [(26.44 ± 2.31) mg/L] and procalcitonin [(1.25 ± 0.97) μg/L] in the observation group were lower compared with the control group [(3.66 ± 1.32) μg/L, (31.39 ± 2.26) mg/L, (1.79 ± 1.06) μg/L, t = 4.18, 11.18, 4.60, all P < 0.001]. Forced vital capacity [(1.89 ± 0.54) L], forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1) [(64.22 ± 5.80)%] and FEV 1/FVC value [(59.16 ± 5.52)%] in the observation group were higher compared with the control group [(1.58 ± 0.57) L, (60.13 ± 5.77)%pred, (54.43 ± 5.37)%, t = 4.84, 6.12, 7.52, all P < 0.05]. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:Yinhuang Qingfei Capsule can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms of patients with AECOPD caused by accumulation of phlegm and heat in the lung, improves lung function, reduces inflammatory response, and has no obvious adverse reactions. This study is innovative and scientific and deserves clinical promotion.

Meteorin links the bone marrow hypoxic state to hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell mobilization.

Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) are supported and regulated by niche cells in the bone marrow with an important characterization of physiological hypoxia. However, how hypoxia regulates HSPCs is still unclear. Here, we find that meteorin (Metrn) from hypoxic macrophages restrains HSPC mobilization. Hypoxia-induced factor 1α and Yin Yang 1 induce the high expression of Metrn in macrophages, and macrophage-specific Metrn knockout increases HSPC mobilization through modulating HSPC proliferation and migration. Mechanistically, Metrn interacts with its receptor 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2b (Htr2b) to regulate the reactive oxygen species levels in HSPCs through targeting phospholipase C signaling. The reactive oxygen species levels are reduced in HSPCs of macrophage-specific Metrn knockout mice with activated phospholipase C signaling. Targeting the Metrn/Htr2b axis could therefore be a potential strategy to improve HSPC mobilization for stem cell-based therapy.

Treatment of Thin Endometrium in Infertility Based on Thought of "Blood Being Basis of Women" / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Infertility is commonly seen but difficult to treat in the department of obstetrics and gynecology. The incidence of infertility in women of childbearing age has reached as high as 25% in China， which seriously affects social harmony and people's happiness. As the lifestyle of modern women changes， thin endometrium has gradually become an important reason for infertility and embryo transfer failure. Such factors as repeated operations in uterine cavity and oral intake of hormones have resulted in destructed blood vessels and reduced blood flow in endometrium， impaired growth of glandular epithelial cells， insufficient local blood supply， retarded development of endometrium， reduced receptivity， and therefore poor acceptance of endometrium to the implanted gestational sac， which is not conducive to the implantation of fertilized eggs. As a result， the infertility will occur. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a long history of treating infertility. During the long-term clinical practice， physicians of ancient and modern times have gained rich experience in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility. The idea of "blood being the basis of women" sprouted in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods and determined in the Song Dynasty as an important guiding principle that can be applied in various physiological periods of women. It emphasizes "blood regulation" for gynecological diseases to ensure sufficient blood in blood vessels and its normal circulation， thus allowing the thoroughfare and conception vessels and endometrium to be nourished and the pregnancy to be facilitated. With blood as the basis， the paper explored the physiopathological correlations of five zang organs and thoroughfare and conception vessels with blood， pointed out the preference for "blood harmonization" in ancient literature based on the differentiation of infertility into blood stasis， blood cold， blood heat， and blood deficiency syndromes， reviewed the key methods of modern physicians in assisting pregnancy including tonifying kidney and nourishing blood， tonifying kidney and activating blood， tonifying kidney and invigorating spleen， as well as invigorating kidney and soothing liver， and summarized the efficacy of integrated TCM and western medicine in promoting ovulation， regulating hormones， improving blood supply， and nourishing endometrium to assist pregnancy. All these would contribute to the clinical treatment and scientific research of thin endometrium in infertility from multiple angles.

Treatment of Perimenopausal Anovulatory Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding Based on Thought of Liver Being Innate Basis of Women / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Perimenopausal anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding （ADUB） is a severe acute disease that is difficult to be dealt with in gynecology， accounting for about 70% of abnormal uterine bleeding. The significant differences in bleeding patterns make it particularly challenging to treat. The main manifestations of perimenopausal ADUB are prolonged menstrual period， inexhaustible menstrual bleeding， or heavy inter-menstrual vaginal bleeding， which allow it to be classified into the category of metrorrhagia and metrostaxis in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. After conducting in-depth research on this disease， physicians of the past dynasties have figured out its etiology and pathogenesis and accumulated rich experience in its differentiation and treatment， thus forming a relatively systematic theoretical system. The existing literature mainly focuses on four types of its pathogenesis， namely blood heat， blood stasis， spleen deficiency， and kidney deficiency， and there are few discussions on liver. However， patients with metrorrhagia and metrostaxis due to liver dysfunction are commonly seen in clinical practice. The theory of liver being innate basis of women explores the special physiological and pathological characteristics of women and emphasizes the important role of liver in the treatment of this disease based on its characteristic functions and meridian circulation. Considering the close relationship of liver Qi and blood with spleen， kidney， and thoroughfare and conception vessels， this paper discussed the TCM treatment of perimenopausal ADUB from the following four aspects： soothing liver Qi and nourishing liver blood， liver and kidney sharing the same source， simultaneous regulation of liver and spleen， and liver meridian circulation， so as to broaden the clinical treatment options. Perimenopause is a unique physiological period when women tend to suffer from Qi stagnation and blood deficiency. Liver， characterized by Yin in property and Yang in function， governs the free flow of Qi， induces ovulation， stores blood， and regulates blood volume. Therefore， the liver should be emphasized in the treatment of perimenopausal ADUB， which contributes to correcting the hormone disorder caused by abnormal ovulation， stopping bleeding， and alleviating perimenopausal symptoms. This paper has provided a new direction for the clinical treatment of perimenopausal ADUB .

Discussion on registry study of acupuncture-moxibustion for malignant pleural effusion / 中国针灸

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is one of the common complications of tumor. Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy has several advantages for treatment of MPE. Acupuncture is regarded as a complex individualized intervention, and its characteristics of TCM is difficult to be reflected by strict randomized controlled trials. The registry study provides more possibilities for the data collection of individualized diagnosis and treatment under the guidance of the overall concept and syndrome differentiation, and is more suitable for data management and collection of large samples and multi-center trials in the real-world study. It has become an opportunity to carry out real-world study of acupuncture for MPE. There are many challenges in the registry study of acupuncture for MPE. However, it is of great significance to collect real-world data of acupuncture for MPE to improve the clinical effect of MPE and provide a new clinical research method for acupuncture in tumors and related complications.

Comparison of efficiency and safety of rivaroxaban, apixaban and enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis after arthroplastic surgery: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban, apixaban and enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis after arthroplastic surgery. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis containing a wide range of randomized controlled trials about efficiency and safety of rivaroxaban, apixaban and enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis after arthroplastic surgery in the recent decade from January 2006 to June 2018. The present study separately analyzed the following key components: the different efficiency and safety for rivaroxaban and enoxaparin; apixaban and enoxaparin; and enoxaparin and other new developed anticoagulants. RESULTS: Sixteen studies containing 58885 patients were included. In results of efficacy outcomes, total events occurred in 4.89% patients of rivaroxaban group and 9.55% patients of the control group; however, no significant difference was observed in apixaban groups of their efficacy outcomes. Primary events didn't show significant difference when comparing apixaban with the control or comparing enoxaparin with the control. In analysis of safety outcomes, bleeding events occurred in 3.41% patients of rivaroxaban group compared with 2.84% patients of the control groups; bleeding events in apixaban groups were 4.09% compared with the control groups 4.64%. Bleeding events occurred in 3.51% patients of enoxaparin group, slightly lower than 5.82% of the control group. CONCLUSION: Direct oral anticoagulant, rivaroxaban might have better efficacy outcomes in thromboprophylaxis after arthroplastic surgery; however, apixaban showed no significantly different efficacy outcomes compared with enoxaparin, and enoxaparin may have equal or even better safety outcomes compared with direct oral anticoagulants.

A real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR method for source identification of Crocus sativus and Carthamus tinctorius / 中国中药杂志

The specific PCR primer was designed base on ITS2 sequence in GenBank, and we developed a SYBRGreen real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR system for identification of Crocus sativus and Carthamus tinctorius source. Compared with Chinese herbal medicine DNA barcode technique, this method showed characteristics of shorter time, higher specificity and sensitivity. Using this method to detect 15 samples, 4 were C. sativus, 8 were C. tinctorius, and the other 3 samples were none of them. The result was in accordance with Chinese herbal medicine DNA barcode. This study lays the foundation for identification of related Chinese medical materials.

Application of micro-lecture in construction of immunologic technology course / 中国免疫学杂志

Currently,the quick development of information technology is enriching the traditional teaching.As a new form of teaching resource,a micro-lecture focused on a specific topic is a good combination of information technology and traditional teaching.It not only increases the vividness and visualization of teaching,but also boosts the learning interest of students in the course.What's more,it helps to show an integral time-consuming experiment in 5-10 minutes'micro-vedio,which broadens the contents of the course and offers convenience of self-teaching for students.In this article,we took the example of micro-lecture"Western blot"in the course of immunologic technology to post-graduates in Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to clarify the advantages and the procedures of a typical micro-lecture,and to discuss about it.The experience achieved from the construction of this micro-lecture may offer a new idea of modern information education reform.

[Effect of resveratrol in regulating proliferation and apoptosis of rectal cancer cells via up-regulating PTEN].

To analysis the relative expression of PTEN(phosphatase and tensin homology deleted on chromosome ten) in rectal cancer cell lines and the effects of resveratrol on cell proliferation and apoptosis of rectal cancer cells in vitro. Western blot was used to assess the protein expression of PTEN in rectal cancer cell lines and non-malignant colon epithelial cell line. After treating human rectal cancer cell line SW480 with different concentrations of resveratrol, the cellular proliferation was detected by cell counting Kit-8(CCK-8) assay. The apoptotic rate was analyzed by flow cytometry. The protein expressions of Caspase-3, PTEN, p53 and phosphorylase AKT(p-AKT) were detected by Western blot. shRNA(short hairpin RNA) was built to down-regulate PTEN expression in SW480 cells, and detect whether the own-regulated PTEN expression impact resveratrol's effect in growth inhibition and apoptosis induction of in vitro rectal cancer cells. Our results demonstrated that the relative level of PTEN was markedly decreased in Caco-2 and SW480, with statistically significant differences(P<0.001). Resveratrol inhibited the proliferation of rectal cancer cells markedly, and triggered apoptosis of SW480 cells. The protein expressions of Caspase-3, PTEN and p53 were all increased after being treated with resveratrol, while the expression of p-AKT was decreased after the treatment. The expression of endogenous PTEN was significantly decreased in shRNA PTEN-infected SW480 cells. Meanwhile, shRNA PTEN could obviously reduce SW480 cells' anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects. The experimental results suggested that resveratrol can be used as an anti-proliferative and apoptosis induction agent in rectal cancer through up-regulation of PTEN.

Berberine enhances antidiabetic effects and attenuates untoward effects of canagliflozin in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice / 中国天然药物

The present study aimed at determining whether berberine can enhance the antidiabetic effects and alleviate the adverse effects of canagliflozin in diabetes mellitus. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were introduced, and the combined effects of berberine and canagliflozin on glucose metabolism and kidney functions were investigated. Our results showed that berberine combined with canagliflozin (BC) increased reduction of fasting and postprandial blood glucose, diet, and water intake compared with berberine or canagliflozin alone. Interestingly, BC showed greater decrease in blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels and lower total urine glucose excretion than canagliflozin alone. In addition, BC showed increased phosphorylated 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK) expression and decreased tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) levels in kidneys, compared with berberine or canagliflozin alone. These results indicated that BC was a stronger antidiabetic than berberine or canagliflozin alone with less negative side effects on the kidneys in the diabetic mice. The antidiabetic effect was likely to be mediated by synergically promoting the expression of pAMPK and reducing the expression of TNFα in kidneys. The present study represented the first report that canagliflozin combined with berberine was a promising treatment for diabetes mellitus. The exact underlying mechanisms of action should be investigated in future studies.

Effects of acupoint application combined with Chinese medicine iontophoresis therapy on life quality of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中草药

Objective: To investigate the effects of acupoint application combined with Chinese medicine iontophoresis therapy on life quality of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: The study enrolls 120 COPD patients consecutively from October 2013 to June 2015 in General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, who were randomly divided into control group and observation group. The patients in the control group were treated with basic treatment and oral administration of Chinese materia medica (CMM), while the patients in the observation group were treated with transdermal import therapy in acute attack and point application therapy in remittent stage, besides basic treatment. Following up after discharge the patients were given Zhike Pingchuan Patch in acupoint application for 3 weeks of treatment. Then the patients in the two groups were compared. Results: The clinical efficacy rate in the observation group was 93.3%, while 76.7% in the control group. The FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC percentages of estimated value for patients after treatment in the observation group were obviously improved, respectively (P < 0.05). The pulmonary function (PF), degree of dyspnea, and SGRQ scores of patients in the observation group were significantly better than those of patients in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Acupoint application combined with Chinese medicine iontophoresis therapy can significantly improve the life quality of patients with COPD via improving PF and reducing the degree of dyspnea, which provides the further clinical application with significant effecacy.

Characterization of P2X7R and its function in the macrophages of ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis.

P2X purinoceptor 7 (P2X7R), an ATP-gated ion channel, plays an important role during the innate immune response in mammals. However, relatively little is known about the role of P2X7R in the fish immune system. Here, we cloned a cDNA sequence encoding ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) P2X7R (aP2X7R). The predicted protein was composed of 574 amino acid residues with a P2X family signature, two transmembrane domains, and a long C-terminal. aP2X7R transcripts were mainly distributed in ayu immune tissues and significantly increased in all tested tissues and in macrophages after Listonella anguillarum infection. The aP2X7R protein was upregulated significantly in macrophages upon bacterial challenge. An antibody against the ectodomain of aP2X7R (aEPAb) and an antagonist (oATP) were used to block aP2X7R. aP2X7R siRNA was also used to knockdown the receptor expression in ayu macrophages. Cell death induced by ATP was significantly inhibited in ayu macrophages after aEPAb, oATP, or siRNA treatment. Moreover, aP2X7R ablation also resulted in suppression of phagocytic activity and ATP-induced bacterial killing in ayu macrophages. Our results indicated that aP2X7R was upregulated after infection and mediated cell death, phagocytosis, and bacterial killing of ayu macrophages.

[Influences of warming kidney prescription on antiviral therapeutic efficacy and creatine kinase in telbivudine-treated HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients].

To study the influences of warming kidney prescription on antiviral therapeutic efficacy and creatine kinase (CK) level in telbivudine-treated HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with kidney yang deficiency syndrome. Ninety-six cases were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups (n=48 each): warming kidney prescription treatment or control. Both groups were treated for 52 weeks with telbivudine monotherapy, but the treatment group received additional treatment with the warming kidney prescription. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score, biochemical response, virological response, serological response, CK level, and adverse reactions were recorded for each group in order to perform comparative analysis of the warming kidney prescription's effects. A total of 84 patients, including 43 cases in the treatment group, completed the study. The warming kidney prescription led to significantly improved total clinical syndrome efficacy, TCM syndrome score, biochemical response, virological response, and HBeAg serological responses, as evidenced by changes for each parameter observed in the treatment group versus the control group (respectively, 88.37% vs. 63.41%, 4.97+/-1.88 vs. 10.13+/-3.72, 95.35% vs. 75.61%, 81.40% vs. 56.10%, 48.84% vs. 26.83% (all, P less than 0.05)). No patient in either group experienced primary treatment failure. Seven cases, all from the control group, experienced virological breakthrough. Elevated CK was observed in both the treatment and control groups, but significantly more patients in the control group experienced this adverse reaction (respectively, 73.17% vs. 44.19%; P less than 0.01). The warming kidney prescription can increase telbivudine antiviral therapeutic efficacy and decrease the telbivudine-induced increase in creatine kinase in HbeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with kidney yang deficiency syndrome.

Study on different doses of mercury-containing preparations on acute toxicity in rabbits / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of single administration of mercury- containing preparation Jiuyi Dan (calcined gypsum-Shengdan 9: 1) and Shengdan on acute toxicity of rabbits, in order to assess the safety of tested drugs.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups: the calcined gypsum group (excipient control), the Jiuyi Dan group, the 90 mg Shengdan group and the 180 mg Shengdan group. After 270 mg of calcined gypsum, 300 mg of Jiuyi Dan, 90 mg of Shengdan, and 180 mg of Shengdan were used on the surface of wounds (5 cm x 5 cm) on two sides of rabbit back for 5 h, the surfaces of wound were washed by water. The bloods were taken from the rabbit hearts before and after the drug administration for 24 h, 72 h, 7 d and 14 d for determining Hg level in blood and liver & kidney function indicators (ALT, AST, CREAT, and BUN). The rabbits were dissected after the drugs treatment for 14 d, and pathological tests were made for their livers and kidneys.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Compared with the calcined gypsum group, the 90 mg Shengdan group and the 180 mg Shengdan group showed significant increase (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), as evidenced by increase in CREAT for 24 h and 72 h and increase in BUN for 24 h and on 7 d. AST is significantly increased as well (P < 0.01) for 24 h and 72 h compared to that of the group before drug treatment. The Hg level in blood was significantly enhanced (P < 0.01) after the rabbits were administrated with drugs for 24 h to 72 h. The pathological changes in livers and kidneys of rabbits were observed in the two doses of Shengdan treatment groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The Hg blood levels were increased significantly in an obvious dose-effect relationship in all drugs treatment groups. Liver & kidney function indicators were influenced by Shengdan treatment to some extent. Meanwhile, pathological changes in rabbit livers and kidneys were also caused by Shengdan, while Jiuyi Dan has no significantly effect on livers and kidneys.</p>

Focused ultrasound induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The incidence and mortality rate of pancreatic cancer have increased dramatically in China over recent decades. Focused ultrasound (FU) has been somewhat successful in treating pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells induced by FU.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Suspension of human pancreatic carcinoma cell line PaTu 8988t was radiated by FU, using five doses with different radiation parameters and patterns, including one blank control. Temperature increase of the cell suspension was monitored. Cell apoptosis and death after FU radiation was observed using fluorescence microscopy and was tested by flow cytometer at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after ultrasound radiation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The maximum cell suspension temperatures following five radiation doses were 28°C, (42.20 ± 2.17)°C, (50.80 ± 0.84)°C, (55.80 ± 2.17)°C, and (65.20 ± 3.11)°C; differences between the doses were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The apoptosis rate peaked at 24 hours after radiation, at (0.56 ± 0.15)%, (1.28 ± 0.16)%, (1.84 ± 0.29)%, (5.74 ± 1.15)%, and (2.00 ± 0.84)% for the five doses; differences between the doses were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Between doses 1 - 4, cell apoptosis rates increased as the T(max) increased. In dose 5, as the T(max) was above 60°C, the apoptosis rate decreased.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sub-threshold thermal exposures of FU radiation with a continuous radiation pattern could result in higher percentage of apoptosed cells.</p>

Influences of warming kidney prescription on antiviral therapeutic efficacy and creatine kinase in telbivudine-treated HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients / 中华肝脏病杂志

To study the influences of warming kidney prescription on antiviral therapeutic efficacy and creatine kinase (CK) level in telbivudine-treated HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with kidney yang deficiency syndrome. Ninety-six cases were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups (n=48 each): warming kidney prescription treatment or control. Both groups were treated for 52 weeks with telbivudine monotherapy, but the treatment group received additional treatment with the warming kidney prescription. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score, biochemical response, virological response, serological response, CK level, and adverse reactions were recorded for each group in order to perform comparative analysis of the warming kidney prescription's effects. A total of 84 patients, including 43 cases in the treatment group, completed the study. The warming kidney prescription led to significantly improved total clinical syndrome efficacy, TCM syndrome score, biochemical response, virological response, and HBeAg serological responses, as evidenced by changes for each parameter observed in the treatment group versus the control group (respectively, 88.37% vs. 63.41%, 4.97+/-1.88 vs. 10.13+/-3.72, 95.35% vs. 75.61%, 81.40% vs. 56.10%, 48.84% vs. 26.83% (all, P less than 0.05)). No patient in either group experienced primary treatment failure. Seven cases, all from the control group, experienced virological breakthrough. Elevated CK was observed in both the treatment and control groups, but significantly more patients in the control group experienced this adverse reaction (respectively, 73.17% vs. 44.19%; P less than 0.01). The warming kidney prescription can increase telbivudine antiviral therapeutic efficacy and decrease the telbivudine-induced increase in creatine kinase in HbeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with kidney yang deficiency syndrome.

Ferulic acid-induced anti-depression and prokinetics similar to Chaihu-Shugan-San via polypharmacology.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), one of popular antidepressants as "one-compound-one-target" paradigm, cannot but discontinue because of inhibiting gut movement. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Chaihu-Sugan-San (CSS) can simultaneously exert anti-depression and prokinetics. From this thread, we aimed to find a new antidepressant with polypharmacological mechanisms. In vivo antidepressive and prokinetic comparisons between CSS and its absorbed compound ferulic acid (FA) were made. And FA's action mechanisms involved in monoaminergic systems, HPA axis and gastrointestinal peptide ghrelin was then studied in forced swimming test (FST) of rat. Lastly, the jejunal contraction activity evoked by FA was measured in vitro. Compared with vehicle, FA reduced immobility time, increased locomotor activity, accelerated gastric emptying and intestinal transit similar to CSS whose absorbable component FA was identified in hippocampus and jejunum. FA's prokinetics in vivo was further supported by its jejunal contraction in vitro. FA-induced anti-immobility was prevented by pretreated with PCPA, WAY-100635, ketanserin, sulpiride, SCH233390, haloperidol and yohimbine, respectively. CRH, ACTH and 5-HT were significantly decreased, but ghrelin was apparently increased compared with vehicle. In summary, FA induced anti-depression and prokinetics similar to CSS via inhibiting serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine reuptakes, regulating HPA axis, increasing ghrelin and stimulating jejunal contraction simultaneously.

[Molecular cloning, sequence analysis and expression pattern of hepcidin gene in ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis)].

Hepcidin, a member of cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides, plays an important role in both fish adaptive immunity and the regulation of iron metabolism. In this paper, the nucleotide sequence of a full-length cDNA clone for ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) hepcidin gene, 763 nucleotides in length, was determined. Ayu hepcidin gene contained a complete open reading frame (ORF) encoding an 85-amino-acid peptide with a molecular weight of 9.7 k. A signal peptide of 24 residues existed in hepcidin N-terminus. The ayu hepcidin mature peptide sequence contained 25 amino acids with eight cysteines that formed four disulfide bonds. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis showed that ayu hepcidin was most similar to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and the relationships of the different hepcidin coincided well with the evolutionary relationships of their organisms. In healthy ayu, hepcidin mRNA was mainly expressed in the liver, spleen, kidney, heart, and muscle. After Listonella anguillarum infection, liver hepcidin mRNA expression change was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) method. Hepcidin transcripts of ayu liver were significantly up-regulated and peaked at 12 h. These results suggest that hepcidin may be involved in the immune response of ayu.