Three Undescribed Protoilludane-Type Sesquiterpene Aryl Esters from Armillaria gallica.

Three previously undescribed protoilludane-type sesquiterpene aryl esters, armillanals A-C (1-3), along with seven known ones (4-10) were obtained from Armillaria gallica Marxm. & Romagn. Compounds 1 and 2 were a rare class of sesquiterpenes featuring the Δ2(3) and Δ12(13)-protoilludane skeleton. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic methods. Based on electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, the absolute configurations of three new compounds (1-3) were determined. The anti-inflammatory activity of compounds 1-10 was screened and compound 3 could dose-dependently decrease the level of lactate dehydrogenase, showing IC50 value of 4.525 µM.

A cross-sectional survey on occupational stress and associated dyslipidemia among medical staff in tertiary public hospitals in Wenzhou, China.

INTRODUCTION: Occupational stress is considered to be a harmful physical and emotional response to an individual's psychological and/or physiological state in the work environment and is highly prevalent among medical staff. However, few epidemiological studies have investigated occupational stress in medical staff. Our study aims to explore the characteristics of occupational stress and its relationship with dyslipidemia in Chinese medical staff at tertiary hospitals and establish the basis for future preventive strategies. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary public hospitals in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. Data were collected using random sampling procedures to examine demographic characteristics and job-related data. The participants completed the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised (OSI-R) questionnaires and serum lipids tests. Partial correlation analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between occupational stress and dyslipidemia. RESULTS: A total of 1,176 medical staff responses to questionnaires were obtained. The occupational stress levels of medical staff were higher than those of normative populations, while their coping resources were lower. Most of the subscales of occupational stress demonstrated higher results for doctors and males than for nurses and females with crude analyses. Each subscale of OSI-R was found to be associated with a different type of blood lipid level. CONCLUSIONS: The occupational stress level of medical staff in tertiary public hospitals in Wenzhou was high, and occupational stress may contribute to dyslipidemia. An investigation into occupational stress levels and their association with dyslipidemia in this population could draw more attention to medical staff in tertiary public hospitals.

Effects of Fluvastatin on Characteristics of Stellate Ganglion Neurons in a Rabbit Model of Myocardial Ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Stellate ganglion (SG) plays an important role in cardiovascular diseases. The electrical activity of SG neurons is involved in the regulation of the autonomic nervous system. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of fluvastatin on the electrophysiological characteristics of SG neurons in a rabbit model of myocardial ischemia (MI). METHODS: The MI model was induced by abdominal subcutaneous injections of isoproterenol in rabbits. Using whole-cell patch clamp technique, we studied the characteristic changes of ion channels and action potentials (APs) in isolated SG neurons in control group (n = 20), MI group (n = 20) and fluvastatin pretreated group (fluvastatin group, n = 20), respectively. The protein expression of sodium channel in SG was determined by immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: MI and the intervention of fluvastatin did not have significantly influence on the characteristics of delayed rectifier potassium channel currents. The maximal peak current density of sodium channel currents in SG neurons along with the characteristics of activation curves, inactivation curves, and recovery curves after inactivation were changed in the MI group. The peak current densities of control group, MI group, and fluvastatin group (n = 10 in each group) were -71.77 ± 23.22 pA/pF, -126.75 ± 18.90 pA/pF, and -86.42 ± 28.30 pA/pF, respectively (F = 4.862, P = 0.008). Fluvastatin can decrease the current amplitude which has been increased by MI. Moreover, fluvastatin induced the inactivation curves and post-inactive recovery curves moving to the position of the control group. But the expression of sodium channel-associated protein (Nav1.7) had no significantly statistical difference among the three groups. The percentages of Nav1.7 protein in control group, MI group, and fluvastatin group (n = 5 in each group) were 21.49 ± 7.33%, 28.53 ± 8.26%, and 21.64 ± 2.78%, respectively (F = 1.495, P = 0.275). Moreover, MI reduced the electrical activity of AP and increased amplitude of AP, fluvastatin pretreatment could recover amplitude and electrical activity of AP. The probability of neurons induced continuous APs were 44.44%, 14.29%, and 28.57% in control group, MI group, and fluvastatin group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Fluvastatin pretreatment can recover electrophysiology characteristics of ion channel and AP in SG neurons in a rabbit model of MI. It could be considered as potential method for treating coronary heart diseases.

NYD-SP16, a novel gene associated with spermatogenesis of human testis.

By hybridizing human adult testis cDNA microarrays with human adult and embryo testis cDNA probes, a novel human testis gene NYD-SP16 was identified. NYD-SP16 expression was 6.44-fold higher in adult testis than in fetal testis. NYD-SP16 contains 1595 base pairs (bp) and a 762-bp open reading frame encoding a 254-amino acid protein with 73% amino acid sequence identity with the mouse testis homologous protein. The NYD-SP16 gene was localized to human chromosome 5q14. The deduced structure of the NYD-SP16 protein contains one transmembrane domain, which was confirmed by GFP/NYD-SP16 fusion protein expression in the cytomembrane of the transfected human choriocarcinoma JAR cells, suggesting that it is a transmembrane protein. Multiple tissue distribution indicated that NYD-SP16 mRNA is highly expressed in the testes and pancreas, with little or no expression elsewhere. Further analysis of abnormal expression in infertile male patients revealed complete absence of NYD-SP16 in the testes of patients with Sertoli-cell-only syndrome and variable expression in patients with spermatogenic arrest. Homologous gene expression in mouse testis was confirmed in spermatogenic cells by in situ hybridization. The results of cDNA microarray, in situ hybridization, and semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction in mouse testis of different stages indicated that NYD-SP16 expression is developmentally regulated. These results suggest that the putative NYD-SP16 protein may play an important role in testicular development/spermatogenesis and may be an important factor in male infertility.

Expression of a novel HsMCAK mRNA splice variant, tsMCAK gene, in human testis.

Identification of specifically expressed genes in the adult or fetal testis is very important for the study of genes related to the development and function of the testis. In this study, a human adult testis cDNA microarray was constructed and hybridized with 33P-labeled human adult and embryo testis cDNA probes, respectively. After differential display analyzing, a number of new genes related to the development of testis and spermatogenesis had been identified. One of these new genes is tsMCAK. tsMCAK was expressed 2.62 folds more in human adult testis than fetal testis. The full length of tsMCAK is 2401 bp and contains a 2013 bp open reading frame, encoding a 671-amino-acid protein. Sequence analysis showed that it has a central kinesin motor domain and is homologous to HsMCAK gene of the somatic cells. Blasting human genome database localized tsMCAK to human chromosome 1P34 and further investigation showed that it is a splice variant of HsMCAK. The tissue distribution of tsMCAK was determined by RT-PCR and it is expressed highly and specifically in the testis. Southern blot studies of its expression in patients with infertility indicated its specific expression in spermatogenic cells and its correlation with male infertility. The above results suggested that tsMCAK is a candidate gene for the testis-specific KRPs and its specific expression in the testis was correlated with spermatogenesis and may be correlated with male infertility.

Cloning and characterization of a novel isoform of calpastatin in human adult testis.

AIM: To clone a new gene related to human spermatogenesis. METHODS: cDNA probes of embryo and adult testis were used to hybridize the cDNA microarray of adult testis, and the clones of differential hybridization were sequenced and analyzed. RESULTS: A novel isoform of calpastatin exclusively and highly expressed in human adult testis was found. CONCLUSION: A novel isoform of calpastatin expresses in human testis and it is related to spermatogenesis.