Whole-Genome Sequencing of an Escherichia coli ST69 Strain Harboring blaCTX-M-27 on a Hybrid Plasmid.

Objective: Escherichia coli is a common Gram-negative human pathogen. The emergence of E. coli with multiple-antibiotic-resistant phenotypes has become a serious health concern. This study reports the whole-genome sequences of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GC-R) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli EC6868 and explores the acquired antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) as well as their genetic contexts. Methods: E. coli EC6868 was isolated from a vaginal secretion sample of a pregnant patient in China. The antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed, and whole-genome sequencing was conducted. The acquired ARGs, insertion sequence (IS) elements, and integrons within the genome of E. coli EC6868 were identified, and the genetic contexts associated with the ARGs were analyzed systematically. Results: E. coli EC6868 was determined to belong to ST69 and harbored a 144.9-kb IncF plasmid (pEC6868-1) with three replicons (Col156, IncFIBAP001918, and IncFII). The ESBL gene blaCTX-M-27 was located on the structure "∆ISEcp1-blaCTX-M-27-IS903B", which was widely present in the species of Enterobacteriales. Other ARGs carried by plasmid pEC6868-1 were mainly located on the 18.9-kb IS26-composite transposon (five copies of intact IS26 and one copy of truncated IS26) composing of IS26-mphA-mrx(A)-mphR(A)-IS6100, ∆TnAs3-eamA-tet(A)-tetR(A)-aph(6)-Id-aph(3")-Ib-sul2-IS26, and a class 1 integron, which was widely present on IncF plasmids of E. coli, mainly distributed in ST131, ST38, and ST405. Notably, pEC6868 in our study was the first report on a plasmid harboring the 18.9-kb structure in E. coli ST69 in China. Conclusion: The 3GC-R E. coli ST69 strain with an MDR IncF plasmid carrying blaCTX-M-27 and other ARGs, conferring resistance to aminoglycosides, macrolides, sulfonamides, tetracycline, and trimethoprim, was identified in a hospital in China. Mobile genetic elements including ISEcp1, IS903B, IS26, Tn3, IS6100 and class 1 integron were found within the MDR region, which could play important roles in the global dissemination of these resistance genes.

Exposure to okadaic acid could disrupt the colonic microenvironment in rats.

Okadaic acid (OA) is one of the most prevalent marine phycotoxin with complex toxicity, which can lead to toxic symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Studies have shown that the main affected tissue of OA is digestive tract. However, its toxic mechanism is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the changes that occurred in the epithelial microenvironment following OA exposure, including the epithelial barrier and gut bacteria. We found that impaired epithelial cell junctions, mucus layer destruction, cytoskeletal remodeling, and increased bacterial invasion occurred in colon of rats after OA exposure. At the same time, the gut bacteria decreased in the abundance of beneficial bacteria and increased in the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, and there was a significant negative correlation between the abundance of pathogenic bacteria represented by Escherichia/Shigella and animal body weight. Metagenomic analysis inferred that Escherichia coli and Shigella spp. in Escherichia/Shigella may be involved in the process of cytoskeletal remodeling and mucosal layer damage caused by OA. Although more evidence is needed, our results suggest that opportunistic pathogens may be involved in the complex toxicity of OA during OA-induced epithelial barrier damage.

Microcystin-LR exposure interfered maintenance of colonic microenvironmental homeostasis in rat.

Microcystin-leucine arginine (MCLR) is a phycotoxin produced by cyanobacteria. As a hepatotoxin, increasing evidence suggests that it has some negative effects on the mammal gastrointestinal tract, but further studies are warranted. In this study, we investigated the effects of MCLR on the intestinal epithelial microenvironment by oral administration of MCLR. As expected, MCLR at doses of 200 and 400 µg kg-1 bw showed hepatorenal toxicity in rats but without significant gastrointestinal symptoms. MCLR exposure decreased the thickness of the colonic epithelial mucus layer, and down-regulated the expression of main mucin protein (MUC2), cytoskeletal assembly-related genes (Arpc1a, Enah) and cytoskeletal stability-related genes (Ptk2, Prkca, Actn1, Pxn, Tln1, Cttn, Vcl) in colonic tissue to varying degrees, but did not affect the expression of cell connection-related genes including Zo1, Ocln, Cldn2 and Cdh1. In addition, MCLR exposure had a limited effect on gut bacterial diversity but clearly enriched specific bacteria. Prevotella, which plays a crucial role in balancing health and disease, was inhibited, whereas Muribaculaceae concerning the epithelial barrier, was promoted. Together, our findings demonstrate that MCLR exposure can weaken the colonic epithelial barrier by interfering with the stability of the cytoskeleton, which in turn exacerbates the homeostasis maintenance in the intestinal microenvironment.

Dissection of the potential anti-diabetes mechanism of salvianolic acid B by metabolite profiling and network pharmacology.

RATIONALE: Salvianolic acid B (Sal B), the Q-marker in Salvia miltiorrhiza, was proved to present an obvious anti-diabetes effect when treated as a food intake. Until now, the metabolism feature, tissue distribution and anti-diabetes mechanism of Sal B have not been fully elucidated. METHODS: The metabolites of Sal B in rats were profiled using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The potential anti-diabetes mechanism of Sal B was predicted by network pharmacology. RESULTS: A total of 31 metabolites were characterized in rats after ingestion of Sal B at a dosage of 40 mg/kg, including 1 in plasma, 19 in urine, 31 in feces, 0 in heart, 0 in liver, 0 in spleen, 1 in lung, 1 in kidney and 0 in brain. Among them, 18 metabolites were reported for the first time. Phase I reactions of hydrolysis, hydrogenation, dehydroxylation, hydroxylation, decarboxylation and isomerization, and phase II reactions of methylation were found in Sal B. Notably, decarboxylation and dehydroxylation were revealed in Sal B for the first time. The pharmacology network results showed that Sal B and its metabolites could regulate ALB, PLG, ACE, CASP3, MMP9, MMP2, MTOR, etc. The above targets were involved in insulin signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, etc. CONCLUSIONS: The metabolism feature of Sal B in vivo was systematically revealed, and its anti-diabetes mechanism for further pharmacological validations was predicted based on metabolite profiling and network pharmacology for the first time.

Maternal and infant outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective study in Guangzhou, China.

In late December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a great threat to people's lives worldwide. As a special category of the population, pregnant women are vulnerable during emergencies. This study was designed to explore whether or not the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced maternal and infant outcomes. We collected maternal characteristics, laboratory results, condition in the third trimester, maternal outcome, fetal or neonatal outcomes, and characteristics of amniotic fluid, umbilical cord and placenta from pregnant women and fetals or newborns in the first affiliated hospital of Jinan university from 24 January to 31 March 2020 (peak period), chose the same types of data at the hospital during the same period in 2019 and 1 January-23 January 2020 (prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020) as a control. Our study focused on uncomplicated singleton pregnancies among women not infected by COVID-19. The results demonstrated that there was not an increase in adverse outcomes of pregnant women and newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic; This might be associated with the updated design of major epidemic prevention and control systems in Guangzhou, and the extension of pregnant women's rest time during the third trimester of pregnancy. Nevertheless, the survey showed an increased incidence rate of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and zinc deficiency in newborns during the epidemic, implying that pregnant women should participate in appropriate physical exercise, increase their exposure to outdoor sunlight and improve nutrition intake to ensure healthy newborns during the quarantine period. Our study has provided some guidance for maternal management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Characterization of metabolic fate of phellodendrine and its potential pharmacological mechanism against diabetes mellitus by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-coupled time-of-flight mass spectrometry and network pharmacology.

RATIONALE: Characterizing the functional mechanism of quality control marker (Q-marker) was of great importance in revealing the primary pharmacological mechanism of herbs or the other complex system, and drug-related metabolites always contribute to the pharmacological functions. Cortex Phellodendri was used as a core herb in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM). As a Q-marker of Cortex Phellodendri, the role of phellodendrine in DM was still unclear. Thus, the characterization of phellodendrine-related metabolites in vivo and the subsequent induced functional mechanism exerted great importance in elucidating the anti-DM mechanism of Cortex Phellodendri. METHODS: An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-coupled time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF MS) method was developed to profile metabolites of phellodendrine in rats. The potential pharmacological mechanism against DM was predicted by network pharmacology. RESULTS: A total of 19 phellodendrine-related metabolites were screened out in rats for the first time. Among them, M4, M5, M9, and M12 were regarded as the primary metabolites. Meanwhile, phase I metabolic reactions of hydroxylation, demethylation, and isomerization and phase II reactions of glucuronidation and sulfation occurred to phellodendrine; glucuronidation and hydroxylation were the two main metabolic reactions. Moreover, the potential targets of phellodendrine and three main metabolites (M4, M5, and M12) were predicted by a network pharmacological method, and they mainly shared 52 targets, including PDE5A, CHRNA3, SIGMAR1, F3, ESR1, DRD1, DRD2, DRD3, and DRD4. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed that calcium signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, and cAMP signaling pathway were regarded as the core mechanism of phellodendrine to treat DM. CONCLUSION: The metabolic feature of phellodendrine in vivo was revealed for the first time, and its anti-DM mechanism information for further pharmacological validations was also supplied. It also gave a direction to further elucidation of pharmacological mechanism of Cortex Phellodendri in treating DM.

Dissection of the potential pharmacological function of neohesperidin dihydrochalcone - a food additive - by in vivo substances profiling and network pharmacology.

Food additives are widely used in our daily life, and the side-effects caused by them have gained extensive attention around the world. Notably, constituent-oriented metabolites, in some sense, always contribute to pharmacological changes, inducing toxicity, therapeutic effects, etc. Characterization of the metabolites and their potential functions is of great importance to the practical applications. In this work, an integrated strategy by combining metabolite profiling and network pharmacology was applied to characterize the metabolic features and reveal pharmacological changes of neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC) in vivo to demonstrate its pharmacological mechanism and potential functions. As a result, a total of 19 metabolites (3 in plasma, 19 in urine, 8 in feces, 3 in heart, 5 in liver, 0 in spleen, 1 in lung, 2 in kidneys and 2 in brain) were screened and 18 of them were characterized for the first time. Phase I metabolic reactions of hydrolysis and phase II reactions of glucuronidation, sulfation, glutamylation, N-butyryl glycylation and lactylation were the main metabolic reactions of NHDC in vivo. Moreover, the results analyzed by network pharmacology revealed that, in addition to common pathways (steroid hormone biosynthesis) of NHDC, metabolites' targets were involved in pathways in cancer, ovarian steroidogenesis, proteoglycans in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, indicating that these functional changes might result in potential novel functions or other side-effects, such as a disorder of steroid hormones. Our work provided the metabolic features and functional modifications of NHDC in vivo for the first time, and meaningful information for further pharmacological validations or potential functions is supplied.

Gut-Lung Dysbiosis Accompanied by Diabetes Mellitus Leads to Pulmonary Fibrotic Change through the NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Growing evidence shows that the lungs are an unavoidable target organ of diabetic complications. However, the pathologic mechanisms of diabetic lung injury are still controversial. This study demonstrated the dysbiosis of the gut and lung microbiome, pulmonary alveolar wall thickening, and fibrotic change in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis mice compared with controls. In both animal models, the NF-κB signaling pathway was activated in the lungs. Enhanced pulmonary alveolar well thickening and fibrotic change appeared in the lungs of transgenic mice expressing a constitutively active NF-κB mutant compared with wild type. When lincomycin hydrochloride-induced gut dysbiosis was ameliorated by fecal microbiota transplant, enhanced inflammatory response in the intestine and pulmonary fibrotic change in the lungs were significantly decreased compared with lincomycin hydrochloride-treated mice. Furthermore, the application of fecal microbiota transplant and baicalin could also redress the microbial dysbiosis of the gut and lungs in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Taken together, these data suggest that multiple as yet undefined factors related to microbial dysbiosis of gut and lungs cause pulmonary fibrogenesis associated with diabetes mellitus through an NF-κB signaling pathway.

Dissection of the potential anti-influenza materials and mechanism of Lonicerae japonicae flos based on in vivo substances profiling and network pharmacology.

Lonicerae japonicae flos.(LJF) was widely used as a drug to treat upper respiratory tract infection or a tea to clear heat in Asian countries for thousands of years. Despite of its curative effects confirmed by modern pharmacological methods, its functional materials and mechanism against influenza were still unclear and needed further investigation. In this study, an integrated strategy based on in vivo substances profiling and network pharmacology was proposed and applied to screen out the potential anti-influenza substances and mechanism of LJF. An UHPLC/Q-TOF MS method was utilized to profile the chemical components in LJF and their metabolites in rats. The targets of absorbed prototypes were predicted by Swiss Target Prediction, and they were further analyzed by String and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). As a result, a total of 126 chemical components mainly featuring three chemical structure types were characterized, including 70 iridoid glycosides, 17 caffeoylquinic acids, 24 flavonoids, and 15 other types compounds. Among them, ten N-contained iridoid glycosides were characterized as potential novel compounds. Moreover, 141 xenobiotics (74 prototypes and 67 metabolites) were clearly screened out in rat plasma and urine after ingestion of LJF. Phase II reactions (sulfation, glucuronidation, methylation) and phase I reactions (dehydroxylation, hydrogenation, hydrolysis, N-heterocyclization) were the main metabolic reactions of LJF in rats. Further, a total of 338 targets were predicted and TNF, PTGS2 and EGFR were the three main targets involved in the pathology of influenza. In addition to normal NF-κB pathway, T cell signal pathway and mTOR signal pathway were the other patterns for LJF to achieve its anti-flu effects. Our work provided the meaningful data for further pharmacological validation of LJF against influenza, and a new strategy was also proposed for minimizing the process to reveal the mechanism and functional basis of TCMs.

Gestational diabetes mellitus in women increased the risk of neonatal infection via inflammation and autophagy in the placenta.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) produces numerous problems for maternal and fetal outcomes. However, the precise molecular mechanisms of GDM are not clear. METHODS: In our study, we randomly assigned 22 pregnant women with fasting glucose concentrations, 1 hour oral glucose tolerance test (1H-OGTT) and 2 hour oral glucose tolerance test (2H-OGTT), different than 28 normal pregnant women from a sample of 107 pregnant women at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University in China. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were measured from blood plasma of pregnant women and umbilical arteries using ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E), Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) or Masson staining were performed to examine whether diabetes mellitus altered the morphology of placenta. Quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), western blotting and immunofluorescent staining were performed to examine whether diabetes mellitus and autophagy altered the gene expressions of the placental tissue. RESULTS: We found that women with GDM exhibited increased placental weight and risk of neonatal infection. The concentrations of IL-6 protein and IL-8 protein in GDM were increased in both maternal and umbilical arterial blood. H&E, Masson and PAS staining results showed an increased number of placental villi and glycogen deposition in patients with GDM, but no placental sclerosis was found. Q-PCR results suggested that the expression levels of HIF-1α and the toll like receptor 4 (TLR4)/ myeloid differential protein-88 (MyD88)/ nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway were increased in the GDM placenta. Through Western Blotting, we found that the expression of NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha (IKBα) and Nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) in GDM placenta was significantly enhanced. We also showed that the key autophagy-related genes, autophagy-related 7 (ATG7) and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3), were increased in GDM compared with normal pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that women with GDM exhibit an increased risk of neonatal infection via inflammation and autophagy in the placenta.

An integrated strategy for revealing the pharmacological changes based on metabolites profiling and network pharmacology: Arctiin as an example.

Traditional Chinese medicine was widely used in China since its definite effects and therapy. The components of TCM were absorbed into the circle system as the format of prototypes or metabolites, which contributed to the therapy or side effects. Declaring the functional changes in this process was of great importance to the clinical applications. In this work, an integrated strategy based on metabolites' profiling and network pharmacology was proposed for exploring the pharmacological changes of compounds in vivo. Arctiin, the main component in Fructus Arctii with various kinds of bioactivities, was used as an example. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry and metabolynx™software was applied to characterize the metabolites of arctiin in rats at a dosage of 100 mg/kg; network pharmacology was applied to characterize the functional changes. As a result, fifty-three metabolites (32 in plasma, 40 in urine, 19 in bile, 20 in feces, 1 in brain, 12 in liver and 4 in lungs) were screened out and characterized, and 3 of them were unambitiously identified by comparison with standard substances. Among them, 38 metabolites were reported for the first time. It was found the major metabolic pathways of arctiin in rats were demethylation, lactone-opening and phase II conjugations with sulfate and glucuronide.It also confirmed that M14, M15, M18, M23, M22, M43 and M45 were the major circulating forms of arctiin in rats following oral administration. In addition to the above metabolic reactions, phase I reactions of hydrolysis, demethylation, dehydroxylation were also observed, and dehydrogenation were first revealed metabolic patterns of arctiin in rats. Meanwhile, in addition to the main targets of arctiin (MTOR, EGFR and MAPK14), its metabolites targeted additional 392 targets with additional functions of anti-hepatitis B or viral carcinogenesis (SRC, CAPS3, PIK3CA, CDK4, ESR1, MMP9 and ERBB2). The above results provided very important information for understanding the metabolism and functional changes of arctiinin vivo, and supporting data for further pharmacological evaluation. Our work also provided a newsight for elucidation of functional changes of TCMs in vivo.

Discordance of cardiovascular abnormalities in a monozygotic twin pair carrying a class II 1q21.1 microdeletion.

OBJECTIVE: We present the prenatal diagnosis of a class II 1q21.1 microdeletion in monozygotic (MZ) twins with discordant phenotypes. CASE REPORT: A monochorionic diamniotic twin pair presented with discordant ultrasound anomalies; twin A had cardiovascular abnormalities, while twin B did not. No specific complications were noted in the twins during pregnancy. A single nucleotide polymorphism array revealed an identical class II 1q21.1 microdeletion inherited from a phenotypically normal mother and identified the twins as MZ. The deleted region encompassed both the proximal 1q21.1 thrombocytopenia absent radius syndrome region and the distal 1q21.1 recurrent microdeletion region. No other rare copy number variants (CNVs) were identified, and concordance was observed in the CNVs between the twins. CONCLUSION: Discordant cardiovascular abnormalities may occur in MZ twins carrying the same class II 1q21.1 microdeletion. Further studies involving discordant MZ twins are needed to determine the modifying factors of the phenotypic heterogeneity of the microdeletion.

ATP induces caspase-3/gasdermin E-mediated pyroptosis in NLRP3 pathway-blocked murine macrophages.

ATP acts as a canonical activator to induce NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome activation in macrophages, leading to caspase-1/gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis. It remains unclear whether ATP can induce pyroptosis in macrophages when the NLRP3 pathway is blocked by pathogenic infection. In this study, we used cellular models to mimic such blockade of NLRP3 activation: bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) treated with NLRP3-specific inhibitor MCC950 and RAW264.7 cells deficient in ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain) expression. The results showed that ATP treatment induced lytic cell death morphologically resembling canonical pyroptosis in both MCC950-treated BMDMs and RAW264.7 cells, but did not cause the activation of caspase-1 (by detecting caspase-1p10 and mature interleukin-1ß) and cleavage of GSDMD. Instead, both apoptotic initiator (caspase-8 and -9) and executioner (caspase-3 and -7) caspases were evidently activated and gasdermin E (GSDME) was cleaved to generate its N-terminal fragment (GSDME-NT) which executes pyroptosis. The GSDME-NT production and lytic cell death induced by ATP were diminished by caspase-3 inhibitor. In BMDMs without MCC950 treatment, ATP induced the formation of ASC specks which were co-localized with caspase-8; with MCC950 treatment, however, ATP did not induced the formation of ASC specks. In RAW264.7 cells, knockdown of GSDME by small interfering RNA attenuated ATP-induced lytic cell death and HMGB1 release into culture supernatants. Collectively, our results indicate that ATP induces pyroptosis in macrophages through the caspase-3/GSDME axis when the canonical NLRP3 pathway is blocked, suggestive of an alternative mechanism for combating against pathogen evasion.

Gut microbiota-derived endotoxin enhanced the incidence of cardia bifida during cardiogenesis.

Cytotoxicity and inflammation-associated toxic responses could be induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in vitro and in vivo, respectively. However, the mechanism involved in LPS-induced cardiac malformation in prenatal fetus is still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that LPS was induced in gut microbiota imbalance mice, and next, LPS exposure during gastrulation in the chick embryo increased the incidence of cardia bifida. Gene transfection and tissue transplantation trajectory indicated that LPS exposure restricted the cell migration of cardiac progenitors to primary heart field in gastrula chick embryos. In vitro explant allograft of GFP-labeled anterior primitive streak demonstrated that LPS treatments could inhibit cell migration. A similar observation was also obtained from the cell migration assay of scratch wounds using primary culture of cardiomyocytes or H9c2 cells. In the embryos exposed to LPS, expressions of Nkx2.5 and GATA5 were disturbed. These genes are associated with cardiomyocyte differentiation when heart tube fusion occurs. Furthermore, pHIS3, C-caspase3 immunohistological staining indicated that cell proliferation decreased, cell apoptosis increased in the heart tube of chick embryo. Meanwhile, in vivo, pHIS3 immunohistological staining and Hochest/PI staining also draw the similar conclusions. The LPS exposure also caused the production of excess ROS, which might damage the cardiac precursor cells of developing embryos. At last, we showed that LPS-induced cardia bifida could be partially rescued through the addition of antioxidants. Together, these results reveal that excess ROS generation is involved in the LPS-induced defects in heart tube during chick embryo development.

Effect of Taoren Quyu Decoction on human endometrial cells and its anti-endometriosis activity in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Taoren Quyu Decoction (TQD) on endometrial cells in patients with endometriosis (EMs) and EMs in rats. METHODS: A total of 60 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, namely, normal group, model group, positive group and TQD group, each group having 15 rats. Except the normal group, EMs model was established in the other three groups by transplanting the rat autologous endometrium. After 4 weeks of intragastric administration, blood, eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues of rats in each group were collected to detect the serum levels of estrogen (E2), cancer antigen 125 (CA125), endometrial antibody (EMAb), and expressions of microvessel density (MVD), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin (Ang-2). The volume of endometriosis cyst was determined simultaneously. For the in vitro culture of human endometrial cells, 4 groups, namely, normal group, model group, positive group and TQD group were used. The positive group and TQD group were treated with danazol and TQD respectively. Then 24 h after the treatment, the expressions of survivin and tumor suppressor gene (p53) of each group were detected. RESULTS: The volumes of the endometriosis cysts in the positive group and the TQD group were significantly reduced compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The serum levels of E2, CA125 and EMAb, and the expressions of MVD, VEGF and Ang-2 in the model group were significantly increased compared with the normal group (P < 0.05); while they were all significantly reduced in the positive group and TQD group (P < 0.05). Compared with the normal group, the expression of survivin in the model group was significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05), and expression of p53 was significantly reduced (P < 0.05); compared with the model group, the expressions of survivin in the positive and TQD groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and expression of p53 was significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). The difference between positive group and TQD group was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TQD has a significant anti-EMs effect, and its mechanism of action may be related to anti-angiogenesis and promoting apoptosis of ectopic endometrial cell.

[Study on human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells transplantation in treatment of stress urinary incontinence in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUCMSC) transplantation in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in rats. METHODS: The 14 female SD rats of SUI model were established by vaginal balloon dilation after birth and maintain this status for four hours bilateral ovariectomy were performed after two weeks and were routinely reared for two months, then 12 SUI rat model were made. Two months later, transfected with plasmid pEGFP-N1 of HUCMSC were injected into the region surrounding the urinary tract matched with saline injection as control group. To get genitourinary tissue after testing urodynamic indicators, and observe the pathological changes of the bladder, urethra and the surrounding tissue; fluorescent cell of the experimental groups specimens were observed by fluorescence microscope. RESULTS: The leak point pressure(LPP) was (23.8 ± 4.2) mm Hg(1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) of the SUI rats. Transplanting mesenchymal stem cells of SUI rats, the positive rate of sneeze test was 1/6 in SUI group and 5/6 in control group, which reached statistical significance (P < 0.05); LPP was (30.6 ± 2.8) mm Hg in SUI group and (21.4 ± 7.0) mm Hg in control group, which reached statistical significance (P < 0.05) .In SUI rate model, connective tissue content were increased in urethra and the surrounding tissue and more fluorescent cell were observed. CONCLUSIONS: A rat model of female SUI was established successfully through postpartum vaginal balloon dilation and bilateral ovariectomy. MSC can be survived and proliferated in the urethral and the surrounding tissue of injured rats, and improve the urodynamic indicators and the positive rate of sneeze test. Morphology shows renovation of the support structures around the urethra.

[Stereological study of the placenta in parturients with different prophylactic measures for hypotension during spinal anesthesia for cesarean section].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the optimal approach to the prevention of hypotension during cesarean section for the benefits of both the parturients and the newborns. METHODS: Forty singleton full-term pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean delivery were randomly allocated into two equal groups. For prevention of hypotension during spinal anesthesia, ephedrine or pre-anesthetic volume with Voluven was administered. The changes of blood pressure, heart rate, and Apgar scores of the newborns were monitored and recorded, and the umbilical arterial blood gas variables were compared between the two groups. The placental samples were collected and immunohistochemistry for CD34 was performed for stereological study of the placental villous capillaries. RESULTS: The umbilical arterial PaCO(2), PaO(2) and Apgar scores showed no significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). The heart rate, incidence of hypotension and the lactic acid value were significantly higher, and the umbilical arterial pH significantly lower in ephedrine group than in the Voluven group (P>0.05). While the length density of the villous capillaries was comparable between the two groups (P>0.05), the volume density of the villous capillaries was significantly decreased in ephedrine group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Pre-anesthetic volume expansion with Voluven can maintain stable hemodynamics during spinal anesthesia and also efficiently improve the tissue perfusion, microcirculation and uteroplacental blood flow, thus increasing the oxygen supply to the fetus.