Knocking down EGR1 inhibits nucleus pulposus cell senescence and mitochondrial damage through activation of PINK1-Parkin dependent mitophagy, thereby delaying intervertebral disc degeneration.

Mitophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of intervertebral disc (IVD). Early Growth Response 1 (EGR1), a conservative transcription factor, is commonly upregulated under oxidative stress conditions and participates in regulating cellular senescence, apoptosis, and inflammatory responses. However, the specific role of EGR1 in nucleus pulposus (NP) cell senescence and mitophagy remains unclear. In this study, through bioinformatics analysis and validation using human tissue specimens, we found that EGR1 is significantly upregulated in IVD degeneration (IDD). Further experimental results demonstrate that knockdown of EGR1 inhibits TBHP-induced NP cell senescence and mitochondrial dysfunction while promoting the activation of mitophagy. The protective effect of EGR1 knockdown on NP cell senescence and mitochondrion disappears upon inhibition of mitophagy with mdivi1. Mechanistic studies reveal that EGR1 suppresses NP cell senescence and mitochondrial dysfunction by modulating the PINK1-Parkin dependent mitophagy pathway. Additionally, EGR1 knockdown delays acupuncture-induced IDD in rats. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that under TBHP-induced oxidative stress, EGR1 knockdown mitigates NP cell senescence and mitochondrial dysfunction through the PINK1-Parkin dependent mitophagy pathway, thereby alleviating IDD.

Effectiveness and Safety of High-Dose Tranexamic Acid in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and retrospective controlled studies (RCSs) aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of high-dose tranexamic acid (TXA) in spinal correction surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. METHODS: In March 2024, a comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases to identify RCTs and RCSs comparing the effects of high-dose TXA on blood loss and transfusion requirements during spinal correction surgery. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 10 clinical trials encompassing a total of 741 patients. The pooled results indicated that the use of high-dose TXA significantly reduced intraoperative blood loss [WMD = -519.83, 95% CI (-724.74, -314.92), P < 0.00001], transfusion rate [RR = 0.28, 95% CI (0.17, 0.45), P < 0.00001], total blood loss [WMD = -891.09, 95% CI (-1623.92, -158.26), P = 0.02], and postoperative blood loss [WMD = -105.91, 95% CI (-141.29, -70.52), P < 0.00001]. There was no significant difference in operative time [WMD = -18.96, 95% CI (-40.20, 2.28), P = 0.08] and blood loss per segment [WMD = -50.51, 95% CI (-102.19, 1.17), P = 0.06]. Both groups had a comparable incidence of thromboembolic events. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis suggests that the use of high-dose TXA reduces intraoperative blood loss, transfusion rate, total blood loss, and postoperative blood loss in spinal correction surgery for AIS patients. However, there were no significant differences in operative time and blood loss per segment.

Research Progress of Long Non-coding RNA-ZFAS1 in Malignant Tumors.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), although incapable of encoding proteins, play crucial roles in multiple layers of gene expression regulation, epigenetic modifications, and post-transcriptional regulation. Zinc finger antisense 1 (ZFAS1), a lncRNA located in the 20q13 region of the human genome, exhibits dual functions as an oncogene or tumor suppressor in various human malignancies. ZFAS1 plays a crucial role in cancer progression, metastasis, invasion, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, and drug resistance through complex molecular mechanisms. Additionally, ZFAS1 has a long half-life of over 16 h, demonstrating exceptional stability, and making it a potential biomarker. This review integrates recent studies on the role and molecular mechanisms of ZFAS1 in malignancies and summarizes its clinical significance. By summarizing the role of ZFAS1 in cancer, we aim to highlight its potential as an anti-cancer biomarker and therapeutic target.

Research progress on long non­coding RNAs in non­infectious spinal diseases (Review).

Spinal diseases, including intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), ankylosing spondylitis, spinal cord injury and other non­infectious spinal diseases, severely affect the quality of life of patients. Current treatments for IDD and other spinal diseases can only relieve symptoms and do not completely cure the disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the causes of these diseases and develop new treatment approaches. Long non­coding RNA (lncRNA), a form of non­coding RNA, is abundant in diverse sources, has numerous functions, and plays an important role in the occurrence and development of spinal diseases such as IDD. However, the mechanism of action of lncRNAs has not been fully elucidated, and significant challenges remain in the use of lncRNAs as new therapeutic targets. The present article reviews the sources, classification and functions of lncRNAs, and introduces the role of lncRNAs in spinal diseases, such as IDD, and their therapeutic potential.

An ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine in thalamic nucleus reuniens undermines fear extinction via intermediation of hippocamposeptal circuits.

Benzodiazepines, commonly used for anxiolytics, hinder conditioned fear extinction, and the underlying circuit mechanisms are unclear. Utilizing remimazolam, an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine, here we reveal its impact on the thalamic nucleus reuniens (RE) and interconnected hippocamposeptal circuits during fear extinction. Systemic or RE-specific administration of remimazolam impedes fear extinction by reducing RE activation through A type GABA receptors. Remimazolam enhances long-range GABAergic inhibition from lateral septum (LS) to RE, underlying the compromised fear extinction. RE projects to ventral hippocampus (vHPC), which in turn sends projections characterized by feed-forward inhibition to the GABAergic neurons of the LS. This is coupled with long-range GABAergic projections from the LS to RE, collectively constituting an overall positive feedback circuit construct that promotes fear extinction. RE-specific remimazolam negates the facilitation of fear extinction by disrupting this circuit. Thus, remimazolam in RE disrupts fear extinction caused by hippocamposeptal intermediation, offering mechanistic insights for the dilemma of combining anxiolytics with extinction-based exposure therapy.

Enrichment of oligodendrocyte precursor phenotypes in subsets of low-grade glioneuronal tumours.

Current histological classification of low-grade glioneuronal tumours does not adequately represent their underlying biology. The neural lineage(s) and differentiation stage(s) involved and the cell state(s) affected by the recurrent genomic alterations are unclear. Here, we describe dysregulated oligodendrocyte lineage developmental programmes in three low-grade glioneuronal tumour subtypes. Ten dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours, four myxoid glioneuronal tumours and five rosette-forming glioneuronal tumours were collected. Besides a comprehensive characterization of clinical features, known diagnostic markers and genomic alterations, we used comprehensive immunohistochemical stainings to characterize activation of rat sarcoma/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, involvement of neuronal component, resemblance to glial lineages and differentiation blockage along the stages of oligodendrocyte lineage. The findings were further complemented by gene set enrichment analysis with transcriptome data of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours from the literature. Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours, myxoid glioneuronal tumours and rosette-forming glioneuronal tumours occur at different ages, with symptoms closely related to tumour location. Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours and myxoid glioneuronal tumours contain oligodendrocyte-like cells and neuronal component. Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumours contained regions of rosette-forming neurocytic and astrocytic features. Scattered neurons, identified by neuronal nuclei antigen and microtubule-associated protein-2 staining, were consistently observed in all dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours and myxoid glioneuronal tumours examined, but only in one rosette-forming glioneuronal tumour. Pervasive neurofilament-positive axons were observed only in dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour and myxoid glioneuronal tumour samples. Alterations in B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1, fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 and platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha occurred in a mutually exclusive manner, coinciding with strong staining of phospho-p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and low apoptotic signal. All dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours, myxoid glioneuronal tumours and the neurocytic regions of rosette-forming glioneuronal tumours showed strong expression of neuron-glia antigen 2, platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (markers of oligodendrocyte precursor cells) and neurite outgrowth inhibitor-A (a marker of developing oligodendrocytes), but lacked the expression of oligodendrocyte markers ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase family member 6 and myelin basic protein. Notably, transcriptomes of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours were enriched in oligodendrocyte precursor cell signature, but not in signatures of neural stem cells, myelinating oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour, myxoid glioneuronal tumour and rosette-forming glioneuronal tumour resemble oligodendrocyte precursor cells, and their enrichment of oligodendrocyte precursor cell phenotypes is closely associated with the recurrent mutations in rat sarcoma/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

[Traditional Chinese medicine preparations in medical institutions: current situation and inspirations on research and development of new traditional Chinese medicine preparations].

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) preparations in medical institutions embody the characteristics of TCM and are the source for the development of new TCM drugs. This study summarizes the current situation, existing problems, and development trends of the TCM preparations in medical institutions in 31 provinces across China. Furthermore, this paper puts forward the development path of new TCM preparations based on the requirements of registration and management regulations of TCM preparations, providing new ideas for promoting the inheritance, innovation, and development of TCM.

Pirin Promotes the Progression of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer by Increasing ODC1 to Suppress Autophagy.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a common malignant tumor, requires deeper pathogenesis investigation. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosomal degradation process that is frequently blocked during cancer progression. It is an urgent need to determine the novel autophagy-associated regulators in NSCLC. Here, we found that pirin was upregulated in NSCLC, and its expression was positively correlated with poor prognosis. Overexpression of pirin inhibited autophagy and promoted NSCLC proliferation. We then performed data-independent acquisition-based quantitative proteomics to identify the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in pirin-overexpression (OE) or pirin-knockdown (KD) cells. Among the pirin-regulated DEPs, ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1) was downregulated in pirin-KD cells while upregulated along with pirin overexpression. ODC1 depletion reversed the pirin-induced autophagy inhibition and pro-proliferation effect in A549 and H460 cells. Immunohistochemistry showed that ODC1 was highly expressed in NSCLC cancer tissues and positively related with pirin. Notably, NSCLC patients with pirinhigh/ODC1high had a higher risk in terms of overall survival. In summary, we identified pirin and ODC1 as a novel cluster of prognostic biomarkers for NSCLC and highlighted the potential oncogenic role of the pirin/ODC1/autophagy axis in this cancer type. Targeting this pathway represents a possible therapeutic approach to treat NSCLC.

Chronic SIV-Induced neuroinflammation disrupts CCR7+ CD4+ T cell immunosurveillance in the rhesus macaque brain.

CD4+ T cells survey and maintain immune homeostasis in the brain, yet their differentiation states and functional capabilities remain unclear. Our approach, combining single-cell transcriptomic analysis, ATAC-Seq, spatial transcriptomics, and flow cytometry, revealed a distinct subset of CCR7+ CD4+ T cells resembling lymph node central memory (TCM) cells. We observed chromatin accessibility at the CCR7, CD28, and BCL-6 loci, defining molecular features of TCM. Brain CCR7+ CD4+ T cells exhibited recall proliferation and interleukin-2 production ex vivo, showcasing their functional competence. We identified the skull bone marrow as a local niche for these cells alongside CNS border tissues. Sequestering TCM cells in lymph nodes using FTY720 led to reduced CCR7+ CD4+ T cell frequencies in the cerebrospinal fluid, accompanied by increased monocyte levels and soluble markers indicating immune activation. In macaques chronically infected with SIVCL757 and experiencing viral rebound due to cessation of antiretroviral therapy, a decrease in brain CCR7+ CD4+ T cells was observed, along with increased microglial activation and initiation of neurodegenerative pathways. Our findings highlight a role for CCR7+ CD4+ T cells in CNS immune surveillance, and their decline during chronic SIV highlights their responsiveness to neuroinflammation.

Mussel-inspired polydopamine-modified biochar microsphere for reinforcing polylactic acid composite films: Emphasizing the achievement of excellent thermal and mechanical properties.

Having poor interfacial compatibility between biochar microsphere (BM) and polylactic acid (PLA) should be responsible for the unbalance of composite film strength and toughness. Elucidating the effect of polydopamine (PDA) on BM and BM/PLA composite films is the ultimate goal of this study based on the mussel bionic principle. It was found that the strong adhesion of PDA on the BM surface was achieved, which improved the surface roughness and thermal stability. Also, PDA modification can facilitate crystallization, increase thermal properties, improve interfacial compatibility, and enhance the tensile properties of BM/PLA composite films. Silane-based PDA modified BM/PLA composite film exhibited the best tensile strength, tensile modulus, and elongation at break with 77.95 MPa, 1.87 GPa, and 7.30%. These noteworthy findings, achieving a simultaneous improvement in PLA strength and toughness, hold promising implications for its sustainability.

Vaccine-Boosted CCP Decreases Virus Replication and Hastens Resolution of Infection Despite Transiently Enhancing Disease in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Hamsters.

Definitive data demonstrating the utility of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent plasma (CCP) for treating immunocompromised patients remains elusive. To better understand the mechanism of action of CCP, we studied viral replication and disease progression in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected hamsters treated with CCP obtained from recovered COVID-19 patients that were also vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine, hereafter referred to as Vaxplas. Vaxplas transiently enhanced disease severity and lung pathology in hamsters treated near peak viral replication due to immune complex and activated complement deposition in pulmonary endothelium, and recruitment of M1 proinflammatory macrophages into the lung parenchyma. However, aside from one report, transient enhanced disease has not been reported in CCP recipient patients, and the transient enhanced disease in Vaxplas hamsters may have been due to mismatched species IgG-FcR interactions, infusion timing, or other experimental factors. Despite transient disease enhancement, Vaxplas dramatically reduced virus replication in lungs and improved infection outcome in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters.

Comparison of effectiveness and cost of different HCV testing strategies in high-risk populations in China.

High-risk populations are the predominant populations affected by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and there is an urgent need for efficient and cost-effective HCV testing strategies for high-risk populations to identify potential undiagnosed HCV-infected individuals. This study compared several commonly used testing strategies and conducted effectiveness and cost analysis to select the appropriate testing strategy for diagnosing HCV infection in high-risk populations. Among the 2093 samples from high-risk populations in this study, 1716 were HCV negative, 237 were current HCV infection, 137 were past HCV infection, and three were acute early HCV infection. It was found that out of 237 patients with HCV current infection, Strategy A could detect 225 cases, with a missed detection rate of 5.06%, and the total cost was 33 299 RMB. In addition, Strategy B could detect 237 cases of current HCV infection, and the HCV missed detection rate was 0.00%, and the total cost was 147 221 RMB. While 137 cases of past HCV infection could be distinguished by strategy C, but 14 cases with current HCV infection were missed, with an HCV-positive missed detection rate of 5.91%, and the total cost for Strategy C was 43 059 RMB. In conclusion, in high-risk populations, the HCV positivity rate is typically higher. If feasible, the preferred approach is to directly conduct HCV RNA testing, which effectively minimizes the risk of missing cases. However, in situations with limited resources, it is advisable to initially choose a highly sensitive method for anti-HCV screening, followed by HCV RNA testing on reactive samples.

The fairness of shared responsibility for embodied carbon emission: a case study of the Yellow River Basin, China.

Under the dual constraints of China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, as well as ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, clarifying the embodied carbon emissions and responsibility sharing of inter-provincial trade is crucial to the carbon reduction strategy of the Yellow River Basin. This paper uses the MRIO (multi-regional input-output) model to measure the production-side and consumption-side responsibility sharing of nine provinces in the Yellow River Basin in 2012 and 2017, revealing the amount and direction of the embodied carbon transfer between provinces, and finally introduces the share of provincial value added as the responsibility sharing factor to compare and analyze the differences between the three responsibility sharing methods. The results show the following: (1) The embodied carbon emissions on the production side in most provinces of the Yellow River Basin were larger than that on the consumption side, with the most significant differences in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Shandong, among which local demand carbon emissions and intermediate product transfer out of carbon emissions were the main causes of production-side carbon emissions. (2) In general, all provinces except Shaanxi were net carbon transfer-in regions, and the embodied carbon was mainly transferred to Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Hebei. (3) Shared responsibility for carbon emissions was jointly determined by the volume of embodied carbon trade and the ability to obtain value added, which lay between production and consumption side responsibility shares. (4) The Yellow River Basin had a large responsibility-sharing factor and embodied carbon trade, and thus needs to take more responsibility for emission reduction. This study is expected to provide scientific support for the strategy of differentiated emission reduction in the Yellow River Basin and enrich the regional carbon accounting methods.

Diagnosis and treatment of 4 cases imported severe malaria and COVID-19 co-infection / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of imported severe malaria and COVID-19 co-infection cases, and to provide scientific basis for epidemic prevention and control measures. The epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, treatment process and prognosis of 4 cases of severe malaria and COVID-19 co-infection with confirmed diagnosis were analyzed retrospectively. Four cases of severe malaria were African returnees of the same batch, male, aged 40-54 years old, with the same journey track. They all had African work and life history and acute onset. The main clinical manifestations were fever (4/4), chills (3/4), chills (3/4), nausea and vomiting (3/4), diarrhea (4/4), fatigue and anorexia (4/4). Two cases had headache and dizziness, confusion, muscle aches, two cases had cough, one cases had sputum, sore throat and runny urine. All 4 cases were confirmed by positive nucleic acid detection of the new coronavirus (2019-nCOV) in throat swabs. Plasmodium falciparum was found by microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears of all patients, and all of them were consistent with high altitude helminthiasis. All cases were accompanied by abnormal liver function and severe hypoproteinemia, two cases were hyperbilirubinemia, three cases were dyslipidemia, three cases were involved in abnormal tertiary hemogram with different degrees of elevation of procalcitonin, two cases were lactic acid poisoning, and one case was hypoglycemia. One case showed viral pneumonia on chest CT. All cases were treated individually according to the different conditions and were discharged after improvement, and were rechecked for 2019-nCOV nucleic acid and microscopic examination of blood smear negative for Plasmodium.During the global COVID-19 epidemic, the emergence of coinfection cases of con-infection of imported malaria parasites and severe acuterespiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) makes the clinical diagnosis and treatment more complicated. It is important to establish the awareness of simultaneous prevention and diagnosis of COVID-19 and malaria for local prevention and control and early warning of severe cases, and timely and effective formulation of treatment plan to improve the comprehensive treatment efficiency.

Differential Inhibition of Nav1.7 and Neuropathic Pain by Hybridoma-Produced and Recombinant Monoclonal Antibodies that Target Nav1.7 : Differential activities of Nav1.7-targeting monoclonal antibodies / 神经科学通报·英文版

The voltage-gated Na channel subtype Nav1.7 is important for pain and itch in rodents and humans. We previously showed that a Nav1.7-targeting monoclonal antibody (SVmab) reduces Na currents and pain and itch responses in mice. Here, we investigated whether recombinant SVmab (rSVmab) binds to and blocks Nav1.7 similar to SVmab. ELISA tests revealed that SVmab was capable of binding to Nav1.7-expressing HEK293 cells, mouse DRG neurons, human nerve tissue, and the voltage-sensor domain II of Nav1.7. In contrast, rSVmab showed no or weak binding to Nav1.7 in these tests. Patch-clamp recordings showed that SVmab, but not rSVmab, markedly inhibited Na currents in Nav1.7-expressing HEK293 cells. Notably, electrical field stimulation increased the blocking activity of SVmab and rSVmab in Nav1.7-expressing HEK293 cells. SVmab was more effective than rSVmab in inhibiting paclitaxel-induced mechanical allodynia. SVmab also bound to human DRG neurons and inhibited their Na currents. Finally, potential reasons for the differential efficacy of SVmab and rSVmab and future directions are discussed.

Clinical observation on perfusion index for detection of noxious stimuli in pediatric patients under general anesthesia / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective·To observe the changes of perfusion index (PI),bispectral index (BIS),heart rate (HR),systolic blood pressure (SBP) and respiratory rate (RR) under pulling stimuli in children undergoing open inguinal hernia repairs with spontaneous ventilation,so as to evaluate the clinical value of PI in monitoring the stress response.Methods·Thirty children undergoing selective open inguinal hernia repairs with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ were recruited.Anesthesia was induced with fentanyl and propofol,and was maintained with sevoflurane after the insertion of laryngeal mask.The PI,BIS,HR,SBP and RR were observed at the following time points:before induction of anesthesia (T0),before pulling hernia sac (T1),at the time point of pulling hernia sac (T2),1 min after pulling hernia sac (T3) and 5 min after pulling hernia sac (T4).Results·Compared with the baseline level at T0,the PI value at T1,T3 and T4 increased significantly (P=0.000,P=0.033 and P=0.000,respectively).The BIS,HR and SBP values at T1-T4 were significantly lower than baseline levels at T0(all P=0.000).The PI values at T2 and T3 reduced significantly compared with T1.The HR value at T2 was significantly higher than that ofT1 (P=0.033).Compared with the SBP values at T1,the SBP values at T3 and T4 were significantly higher (P=0.000 and P=0.011,respectively).And the RR values at T2 and T3 were higher than that at T1 (both P=0.000).The proportion of children with positive stress response based on PI was significantly higher than that based on other variables (all P=0.000).Conclusion·Perfusion index can reflect the noxious stimuli of the pulling hernia sac effectively and immediately.

Efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy in children and adolescents with insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Insomnia is highly prevalent in children and adolescents. However, the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-i) in children and adolescents remains controversial. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of CBT-i in children and adolescents. We conducted a search of PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and PsycINFO to select primary studies evaluating CBT-i in children and adolescents that were primarily diagnosed through standardized diagnostic criteria. The primary outcomes of the meta-analysis included sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), total sleep time (TST), and sleep efficiency (SE%). Six randomized controlled trials and four open-label trials met all inclusion criteria. A total of 464 participants (ranging from 5-19 years of age) were included. Based on the results from sleep logs, a significant pooled effect size was observed for SOL and SE%. However, no significant pooled effect size was found for WASO or TST. Results from actigraphy were consistent with the sleep logs. A significant pooled effect size was observed for SOL and SE%, and no significant pooled effect size was found for WASO or TST. CBT-i might be effective in the treatment of children and adolescents with insomnia.

Design of signal peptide bombyxin and its effect on secretory expression efficiency and levels of Helicobacter pylori urease subunit B in silkworm cells and larvae

This study employed a Bac-to-Bac/Bombyx mori bioreactor to mass-produce immunogenic urease subunit B (UreB) from Helicobacter pylori. The signal peptide bombyxin from B. mori was used to promote secretory expression to improve expression levels and was designed and integrated into the UreB gene to generate the Bacmid/BmNPV/(signal peptide)-UreB baculovirus expression system. To determine whether the bombyxin signal peptide resulted in secretory expression of recombinant UreB (rUreB) and to determine the secretory efficiency, we tested the secretory expression level of rUreB in Bm5 cells using ELISA. To further investigate whether secretory expression affected cell viability, cells were evaluated using 0.4% trypan blue staining, and Bacmid/BmNPV/UreB without the signal peptide served as a control. The above recombinant bacmid constructs were injected to silkworm larvae, and the secretory expression level of rUreB was detected using SDS-PAGE and semi-quantitative western blot analysis. The results indicated that the bombyxin signal peptide directed the secretory expression of rUreB and that this expression improved the viability of Bm5 cells. Moreover, the results showed that the expression level of rUreB was 1.5 times higher with the Bacmid/BmNPV constructs containing the bombyxin signal sequence than those without the signal sequence. These results demonstrate that secretory expression can enhance rUreB expression levels and is likely to aid in the large-scale expression and yield of rUreB in silkworm larvae.

Estimation of the plasma-effect site equilibration rate content(Ke0)in patients before operation / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective To estimate the value for the plasma-effect site equilibration rate constant(Ke0)of propofol using the time to peak effect(Tpeak)method and two pharmacokinetic models for propofol.Methods The Tpeak after a submaximal bolus dose 1.5 mg?kg~(-1) of propofol was measured with AAI A-line auditory evoked potential monitor in 36 patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia.Using Tpeak and two sets of pharmacokinetic parameters for propofol reported by Marsh and Shafer,the Ke0 was estimated according to the method described by Minto.Results The mean Tpeak was(142?62)s in 30 patients.The Ke0 was 0.626 min~(-1) with the model by Marsh and 0.914 min~(-1) with the model by Shafer.The corresponding t_(1/2) Ke0 values were 1.107 min and 0.759 min respectively(P＜0.01).Conclusion The Ke0 value of propofol estimated depends on the pharmacokinetic models used.The values we estimated in Chinese patients are significantly different from the values reported by foreign authors