The protective effect of C-phycocyanin in male mouse reproductive system.

C-phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis has pharmacological effects such as anti-oxidation, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerosis activities as well as liver and kidney protection. However, there is little research on C-phycocyanin applied in the field of reproductive medicine, and it is therefore the focus of the current study. In this study, a GC-1 spg cell model and male mouse reproductive injury model were constructed by TNF α + Smac mimetic + zVAD-fmk (TSZ) and cyclophosphamide (Cy), respectively. It has been proved that C-phycocyanin can increase cell viability and reduce cell death in GC-1 spg cells induced by TSZ. C-phycocyanin could protect the reproductive system of male mice from cyclophosphamide, improve spermatogenesis, sperm quality and fertility, increase the release of testosterone, stabilize the feedback regulation mechanism, and ensure the spermatogenic ability of mice. It could also improve the ability of anti-oxidation. In addition, C-phycocyanin could play a protective role by down-regulating RIPK1, RIPK3, and p-MLKL to inhibit the necroptotic signaling pathway. These results suggest that C-phycocyanin could protect GC-1 spg cells and the reproductive system of male mice from TSZ and cyclophosphamide, and the protective mechanism may be achieved by inhibiting the signal pathway of necroptosis. Therefore, C-phycocyanin could serve as a promising reproductive system protective agent. C-phycocyanin may enter public life as a health product in the future.

[Effect of combination of acupuncture and psychological intervention on attention, response inhibition and cerebral blood flow in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical curative effect on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and explore the relevant mechanism of acupuncture in treatment. METHODS: A total of 100 ADHD children were randomized into an observation group (50 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a control group (50 cases, 1 case dropped off). In the control group, the routine psychological intervention was used. In the observation group, on the base of the treatment as the control group, acupuncture was applied to Taichong (LR 3), Neiguan (PC 6), Shenmen (HT 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), etc., once daily, for 3 months. The Cambridge neuropsychological tests automated battery (CANTAB) was adopted to evaluate attention and response inhibition in two groups before and after treatment. Digi-Lite color transcranial Doppler was used to measure cerebral arterial blood velocity. The therapeutic effect was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Regarding evaluation of attention, the mean delay time in the observation group after treatment was shorter than that before treatment and that in the control group separately (P<0.05), and rapid visual information processing A' statistics (RVP A') value was higher than that before treatment and that in the control group separately (P<0.05). For evaluation of response inhibition, the number of Go signal error, the time of stop signal response and the number of stop Go signal error after treatment were all reduced as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). The number of stop signal error was also reduced after treatment as compared with that before treatment in the observation group (P<0.05). The number of Go signal error and the number of stop signal error in the observation were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the average flow velocity of bilateral posterior cerebral artery (PCA) was increased than that before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). The average flow velocity of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA-L) and bilateral anterior cerebral artery (ACA) after treatment was increased than that before treatment in the observation group (P<0.05), and the average flow velocity of left PCA, MCA-L and bilateral ACA in the observation group was faster than that in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 90.5% (19/21) in the observation group, remarkably higher than 50.0% (11/22) in the control group in children with attention deficit (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 83.3% (40/48) in the observation group, also higher than 63.3% (31/49) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with psychological intervention may improve attention and response inhibition in ADHD children, which is possibly related to the regulation of cerebral blood flow.

[Effect of maternal immune level at different pregnancy stages on cow's milk protein allergy in infants].

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between maternal Th1/Th2 immune level at different pregnancy stages and cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) in infants. METHODS: The healthy women with a singleton pregnancy, as well as their offspring, who attended Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang and Qingzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from July 2016 to December 2018 were enrolled. The maternal levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) at the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were measured. A CMPA questionnaire survey was conducted within one year after birth. Food avoidance and cow's milk oral challenge tests were performed in infants suspected of CMPA. The 48 infants who met the diagnostic criteria for CMPA were included in the observation group, and the remaining 977 normal infants were included in the control group. A univariate analysis was performed on the infants with CMPA. A Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association between maternal Th1/Th2 immune factors at different pregnancy stages and CMPA. RESULTS: The detection rate of CMPA was 4.68%. The clinical manifestations included the symptoms of the digestive system, skin, and respiratory system and other symptoms. The univariate analysis showed that compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly higher incidence rates of maternal food allergy and maternal history of allergic diseases (P<0.05) and a significantly lower breastfeeding rate (P<0.05). The observation group had significantly lower maternal levels of IL-2 (second and third trimesters) and IFN-γ (third trimester) than the control group (P<0.05). Maternal low IFN-γ at the third trimester and maternal low IL-2 at the second and third trimesters were significantly associated with CMPA in infants (P<0.05). After correction of the factors of breastfeeding, maternal food allergy, and maternal history of allergic diseases, it was found that maternal low IL-2 and IFN-γ at the third trimester were still significantly associated with CMPA in infants (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The maternal decrease in Th1 level at the third trimester of pregnancy may lead to the change in fetal immunity and thus increase the risk of CMPA in offspring.

[Acupuncture combined with medication improves endocrine hormone levels and ovarian reserve function in poor ovarian response patients undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture plus medication in the treatment of poor ovarian response (POR) patients and to explore its mechanisms in assisting pregnancy. METHODS: A total of 100 volunteer POR women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transplantation (IVF-ET) were recruited in the present study. On the 1st cycle of IVF-ET, these POR women received microstimulation of ovulation program (oral administration of Clomiphene, muscular injection of Menotrophin, Chorionic Gonadotrophin triggering, etc.). Before receiving the 2nd period of IVF-ET, these patients were equally and randomly divided into control, medication (Climen, composed of estradiol valerate and cyproterone acetate), acupuncture and acupuncture+medication (combined treatment) groups according to the random number table. Patients of the medication group were asked to orally take Climen (1 tablet/d for 21 days) beginning from the 3rd day of the menstruation, which was repeated for 3 menstrual cycles. Patients of the acupuncture group received manual acupuncture stimulation of Guanyuan (CV4), and bilateral Taixi (KI3), Sanyinjiao (SP6) of and Tai-chong (LR3) from day 8 to 15 of menstruation (follicular phase), once daily for 3 menstrual cycles. On the 2nd day of menstruation of the 1st and 2nd IVF-ET cycle, the ovarian reserve function was detected, including measurement of serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2) contents by using radioimmunoassay, and serum anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) level by using ELISA, and the antral follicles count (AFC) of the ovaries by using a color Doppler ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus. At the end of ovulation induction, the assisted pregnancy indexes and outcomes were detected, including administration of dosage and days of gonadotropin (Gn), the diameter of dominant oocyte, level of E2 on the trigger day, the numbers of ultrasound-guided-retrieved oocyte and the cultivated high-quality embryo (grade 1 and 2). RESULTS: After the treatment, the contents of serum FSH, LH and E2 in the medication, acupuncture and combined treatment groups were significantly reduced (P<0.05), and the content of serum AMH and ovary AFC in the medication, acupuncture and combined treatment groups were obviously increased (P<0.05) in comparison with their own pre-treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of FSH, LH and E2 contents were notably decreased, and the AMH content and AFC significantly increased in the medication, acupuncture and combined treatment groups (P<0.05). Comparison among the three treatment groups showed that the levels of FSH, LH and E2 were notably lower in the combined treatment group than in the acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the AFC was markedly more in the combined treatment group than in the acupuncture group (P<0.05), and LH content was also significantly lower in the combined treatment group than in the medication group (P<0.05). Regarding the pregnancy-assistant indexes and outcomes, the dosage of Gn in the combined treatment group and the number of Gn administration days in the acupuncture and combined treatment groups were significantly fewer (P<0.05), serum E2 levels on the trigger day in the medication, acupuncture and combined treatment groups, and the high-quality embryo number in the combined treatment group were considerably higher in comparison with their own levels of the 1st IVF-ET cycle in each group (P<0.05). Comparison among the three groups showed that the dosage and number of administration days of Gn in the combined treatment group were fewer than those in the medication group(P<0.05), and the dosage of Gn in the combined treatment group were significantly lower than that in the acupuncture group (P<0.05), E2 content of the combined treatment group was markedly higher than that of the medication and acupuncture groups (P<0.05). The high-quality embryo number in the combined treatment group was obviously larger than that of the medication group (P<0.05). No significant differences were found between the 2nd and 1st IVF-ET cycles in the number of the obtained oocyte, between the acupuncture and medication groups in the E2 content at the trigger day, and the numbers of Gn administration days and the high-quality embryo (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with medication improves the level of endocrinal hormones and ovarian reservation function in POR women undergoing IVF-ET, benefiting the ovary environment of pregnancy.

STROBE-A preliminary investigation of IVIM-DWI in cardiac imaging.

This study aims to explore the possibility to apply intravoxel incoherent motion-magnetic resonance imaging (IVIM-MRI) in cardiac imaging.Multi-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequence scanning was performed on 12 healthy volunteers. A double exponential model was adopted, and the b-value sequence was 0, 20, 60, 80, 120, 200, and 600 second/mm. The D-value, D*-value, and f-value of the anterior posterior and lateral walls of the ventricular septum were respectively measured on the short axis section of the heart, the parameters of the myocardium in different blood supply areas in each segment were recorded, and the measured data of these different segments were compared using analysis of variance.Among these 12 healthy volunteers, the D-value, D*-value, and f-value of these 72 segments were not exactly equal, the D-values of the myocardium in the 5th and 11th segment were lower than those in the 2nd, 3rd, 8th, and 9th segments, and the pairwise differences were statistically significant (P < .001). Furthermore, the difference in D-value between the 5th and 11th segments was not statistically significant (P = 1.000). The D*-value and f-value of the myocardium in the 5th and 11th segment were higher than those in the 2nd, 3rd, 8th, and 9th segments, and the pairwise differences were statistically significant (P < .001). Furthermore, the differences in D*-value and f-value between the 5th and 11th segments was not statistically significant (P = .214, .787).The intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) technique can quantitatively reflect the diffusion and blood perfusion status of the myocardium.

Curcumin inhibits osteoclastogenic potential in PBMCs from rheumatoid arthritis patients via the suppression of MAPK/RANK/c-Fos/NFATc1 signaling pathways.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of curcumin on the osteoclastogenic potential of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. PBMCs from patients with RA (n=12) and healthy controls (n=10) were cultured to assess osteoclastogenic potential. The number of tartrate­resistant acid phosphatase­positive osteoclasts differentiated from PBMCs isolated from patients with RA was significantly increased compared with that of the healthy controls. In addition, the osteoclast number in patients with RA was correlated with the clinical indicators, Sharp score (r=0.810; P=0.001) and lumbar T­score (r=­0.685; P=0.014). Furthermore, the resorption area was increased in the RA group compared with the healthy controls. The mRNA and protein expression levels in PBMC­derived osteoclasts treated with curcumin were measured by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. Curcumin inhibited the osteoclastogenic potential of PBMCs, potentially by suppressing activation of extracellular signal­regulated kinases 1 and 2, p38 and c­Jun N­terminal kinase, and inhibiting receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK), c­Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATc1) expression. The results of the present study demonstrated that curcumin may inhibit the osteoclastogenic potential of PBMCs from patients with RA through the suppression of the mitogen­activated protein kinase/RANK/c­Fos/NFATc1 signaling pathways, and that curcumin may be a potential novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of bone deterioration in inflammatory diseases such as RA.

[Relationship between lupus headache and headache due to internal injury in traditional Chinese medicine].

In 1999, the nomenclature and case definitions for neuropsychiatric lupus syndromes were published by American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and the cognition of neuropsychiatric damage of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was gradually unified and standardized. Lupus headache is an intractable problem in SLE, especially in SLE patients complicated with multiple organ injury. In general, vascular headache is common in most SLE patients, and a small number of SLE patients complicated with nervous headache are found in clinic. Moreover, its pathophysiological mechanism is far from being understood. Although early diagnosis is essential for good outcomes, the diagnosis method is rather confused in the world. There still exist some limitations in the proposal of clinical classification of headache from ACR and International Headache Society (IHS), and the proposal does not mention the classification of headache related to psychiatric damage. Current therapeutic regimens are almost exclusively based on empirical evidence. Treatment approaches include symptomatic treatment, immunosuppressive, anticoagulant and anti-aggregant therapies. It provides enormous and hopeful space in research of combined therapy strategy, especially in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. The authors discussed the relationship between lupus headache and headache due to internal injury in the view of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and suggested that the treatment strategy for lupus headache should be made in argument with the headache due to internal injury. Syndrome differentiation treatment according to deficiency in the root and excess in the branch and the therapy for activating blood to dredge collaterals maybe have great advantages in treatment of the headache in SLE.

[Characteristics of membrane fouling and its control in membrane sequencing batch reactor process].

Characteristics of membrane fouling and its control were investigated using synthetic wastewater as feed in an anaerobic/aerobic membrane sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) for 300 days operational period. The experimental results showed that the sludge was in flocculent form, and the range of SVI was 64.6-110.6 mL x g(-1) during the initial 75 days operation. Membrane fouling occurred in a quick exponential growth, and the average growth rate of TMP was 0.309 kPa x d(-1). Membrane resistance was in the range of 0.393 x 10(11) - 1.298 x 10(11) m(-1) x d(-1) and specific membrane flux decreased from 4.4 L x (m2 x h x kPa) (-1) to 0.52 L x (m2 x h x kPa)(-1). The critical membrane flux was 20 L x (m2 x h)(-1) at 75th day. In 75-120 d operation, MSBR condition was regulated, and aerobic granular sludge in reactor appeared. SVI decreased steadily, and finally maintained approximately 40 mL x g(-1) from 170th day on. The sludge particle grew much gradually, and size distribution was mainly in diameter 500-1000 microm at 220th day. Membrane fouling developed very slowly. The average accumulating rate of TMP was only 0.062 kPa x d(-1) membrane resistance varied from 0.291 x 10(11) m(-1) x d(-1) to 0.404 x 10(11) m(-1) x d(-1), specific membrane flux decreased from 4.4 L x (m2 x h x kPa)(-1) to 1.4 L x (m2 x h x kPa) (-1) and critical membrane flux was 40 L x (m2 x h)(-1) at 220th day. These data clearly demonstrated that the formation of aerobic granular sludge was beneficial to cease the growth rate of membrane fouling. Specific membrane flux was the biggest at aeration strength of 100 m3 x (m2 x h)(-1) while membrane fouling rate was the lowest at aeration strength of 69 m3 x (m2 x h)(-1).

[Filamentous overgrowth in aerobic granules].

Filamentous overgrowth has been observed after aerobic granulation in shaking sequencing batch reactors (SSBR). The factors affecting the filamentous overgrowth in aerobic granules and its possible control methods were investigated. It was found that both the influent and sludge inoculation largely influenced the filamentous overgrowth in aerobic granules. With the same activated sludge inoculation, the filamentous overgrowth in R3 treating fresh wastewater was much more severe than that in R1 treating saline wastewater. The filamentous overgrowth in R2 was the least among the three reactors, which was inoculated anaerobic granules and treated saline wastewater. When the filamentous overgrowth happened at the outer aerobic granules, Delta referring the degree of filamentous overgrowth achieved DeltaR1 = 1.4, DeltaR2 = 1.2 and DeltaR3 = 2.0, respectively. Filamentous identification showed that the filamentous microorganisms in R1 mainly composed of Eikelboom 0092 and Nocardia spp., Fungi spp. and Nocardia spp. in R2, S. natans and H. hydrossis in R3. The identified filamentous microorganisms likely occurred in conditions with long SRT, low dissolved oxygen and biodegradable substrates. However, due to the fact that filamentous overgrowth in aerobic granules initiated in the inner part of the granules and acted as frameworks with rod-shape or coccoid bacteria entrapping into in the granulation period, various strategies effectively in dealing with conventional bulking problems including shorting SRT, changing organic loading rate and enhancing aeration et al, could not effectively inhibit the filamentous growth in aerobic granules. The filamentous overgrowth was ultimately controlled through changing the substrate from synthetic glucose-rich wastewater to non-biodegradable wastewater.