Three coordination polymers based on 4,4'-bis(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)diphenyl ether: Synthesis, structure and selective fluorescent sensing properties.

Three CPs [Zn2(PDA)2(BMIOPE)2·3H2O]n (1), [Co(Br-BDC)(BMIOPE)]n (2) and [Co(MIP)(BMIOPE)]n (3) were synthesized by solvothermal method based on dual-ligand strategy (H2PDA, Br-H2BDC, BMIOPE and H2MIP are 1,3-phenylenediacetic acid, 5-bromo-isophthalic acid, 4,4'-bis(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)diphenyl ether and 5-methylisophthalic acid, respectively). Complexes 1 and 3 exhibit twofold parallel interwoven sql nets. Complex 2 is 2D layer structure. The luminescence property investigations showed that complexes 1-3 could act as multi-responsive fluorescent sensors to detect UO22+, Cr2O72- and CrO42- and nitrofurantoin (NFT) through fluorescence turn-off process, presenting excellent sensitivity and selectivity. Finally, the possible fluorescent quenching mechanisms of complexes 1-3 toward the above pollutants are also further investigated by employing spectroscopic methods and quantum chemical calculations. The fluorescence lifetime measurements manifest the mechanism of fluorescence quenching is static quenching process.

MicroRNA-29a-3p Accelerates Inflammatory Damage in Neonatal Pneumonia Via Targeting Krüppel-like Factor 4.

Neonatal pneumonia (NP) is a frequently occurring illness during the neonatal phase. The study investigated the molecular process and the role of microRNA (miR)-29a-3p in NP. Peripheral blood was collected from NP patients and healthy newborns. Human lung fibroblasts cell line (WI-38) were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) to establish a cellular model for NP. Then, miR-29a-3p and Krüppel-like Factor 4 (KLF4) levels were detected by RT-qPCR or Western blot. The relationship between miR-29a-3p and KLF4 was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. Cell survival was assessed using the CCK-8 assay, whereas the levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-1ß were quantified using ELISA. Additionally, apoptosis was evaluated through flow cytometry. Meanwhile, Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by RT-qPCR. Neonatal rats were administered LPS intraperitoneally (3 mg/kg) to induce NP, and pathological injury and inflammatory reaction were analyzed. MiR-29a-3p was elevated but KLF4 was silenced in NP patient's serum, LPS-treated WI-38 cell line, and LPS-treated newborn rats. Silence of miR-29a-3p or elevation of KLF4 constrained cell proliferation with inflammation of LPS-treated WI-38 cell line. MiR-29a-3p immediately targeted KLF4. Additionally, silence of miR-29a-3p alleviated LPS-stimulated lung injury and inflammation in neonatal rats. The protective action of silenced miR-29a-3p in LPS-treated WI-38 cell line and newborn rats was turned around by silencing KLF4. This study demonstrates originally that miR-29a-3p boosts inflammatory damage in NP via targeting KLF4, offering a basis for clinically diagnosing and treating NP.

A new three-dimensional cadmium(II) coordination polymer based on bis[4-(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)phenyl]methanone: synthesis, structure and properties.

A novel three-dimensional CdII coordination polymer, namely, poly[[(µ3-benzene-1,4-diacetato)(µ2-benzene-1,4-diacetato)bis{µ2-bis[4-(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)phenyl]methanone}dicadmium(II)] tetartohydrate], {[Cd(C10H8O4)(C21H18N4O)]·0.25H2O}n or {[Cd(PBEA)(MIPMO)]·0.25H2O}n, (I), was synthesized by the hydrothermal method using benzene-1,4-diacetic acid (H2PBEA), bis[4-(2-methylimidazol-1-yl)phenyl]methanone (MIPMO) and Cd(NO3)2·6H2O. The title compound was structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, and exhibits a three-dimensional pillar-layer framework based on CdII-PBEA layers and MIPMO pillars, which can be simplified into a pcu topological network. The title compound displays a highly selective and sensitive sensing for Fe3+ ions in aqueous solution. In addition, it displays a high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in water under UV light irradiation.

Investigation on newly emerging and re-emerging snail habitats in Anhui, 2017-2021 / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To understand the changes of newly emerging and re-emerging snail areas in Anhui from 2017 to 2021 and analyze its related influencing factors, so as to provide scientific basis for formulating snail control strategies. 　　Methods　According to the historical snail survey data, the information of newly emerging and re-emerging snails from 2017 to 2021 were collected, the causes for the formation of newly emerging and re-emerging snails flourish environments were investigated and analyzed retrospectively. Results During 2017-2021, in Anhui, the area with newly emerging snails was respectively 840.41 hm2, 559.14 hm2 (66.53%) in lake and marshland areas and 281.27 hm2 (33.47%) in hilly areas; the area of re-emerging snails was respectively 1 176.87 hm2, 669.39 hm2 (56.88%) in lake and marshland areas and 507.48 hm2 (43.12%) in hilly and mountainous areas. The sum of newly emerging snail area in Chizhou, Anqing and Wuhu accounted for 89.35% of all, the sum of re-emerging snail area accounted for 88.82%. In 2021, the areas with newly emerging and re-emerging snails peaked at 611.52 hm2 and 976.84 hm2, respectively. The newly emerging and re-emerging snail habitats were mainly distributed in the transmission interruption areas, accounting for 65.54% and 84.30%, respectively. The newly emerging and re-emerging snail habitats were mainly found in fluvial marsh, accounting for 65.54% and 52.12%, respectively. In recent 5 years, the longest time interval of re-emerging snails was more than 50 years. The main causes of newly emerging snails were natural factors such as flood disaster and snail drift along river system. Natural factors, such as flood disaster and snail drift along river system, were the main reasons for the newly emerging snail habitats, accounting for 71.44% and 21.75%, respectively. Human factors, such as soil extraction from snail habitats, construction of water conservancy facilities, farmland abandonment and seedling transplanting, could also lead to the newly emerging snail habitats. Flood disaster was the main cause of re-emerging snail habitats, accounting for 72.29%. In addition, the re-emerging snail habitats were caused by historical snail residue, soil collection in snail habitats for construction projects, land abandonment, seedling transplanting, prohibition of snail control in ecological protection areas, and construction of water conservancy facilities. Conclusions　Flood disaster is an important factor for snail newly emerging and re-emerging. Human factors such as engineering construction and seedling transplanting are also easy to cause snail newly emerging and re-emerging. In order to timely detect and deal with newly emerging and re-emerging snail habitats and prevent snail diffusion, it is necessary to investigate snail distribution after flood disaster, the routine monitoring of historical snail habitats should be strengthened; in engineering construction and seedling transplanting, the disposal of soil with snails should be done well.

New oligomeric neolignans from the leaves of Magnolia officinalis var. biloba.

Six new oligomeric neolignans including two trimeric neolignans (1 and 2) and four dimeric neolignans (3-6) were isolated from the leaves of Magnolia officinalis var. biloba. Their structures were determined based on HR-ESIMS and NMR data, as well as electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compound 1 is formed from two obovatol moieties directly linked to an aromatic ring of the remaining obovatol moiety, which is an unprecedented type of linkage between monomers. All isolates were assessed for their inhibitory effects on NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Compounds 1 and 3 showed significantly inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 6.04 and 3.26 µmol·L-1, respectively.

Prediction of flavor and retention index for compounds in beer depending on molecular structure using a machine learning method.

In order to make a preliminary prediction of flavor and retention index (RI) for compounds in beer, this work applied the machine learning method to modeling depending on molecular structure. Towards this goal, the flavor compounds in beer from existing literature were collected. The database was classified into four groups as aromatic, bitter, sulfury, and others. The RI values on a non-polar SE-30 column and a polar Carbowax 20M column from the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST) were investigated. The structures were converted to molecular descriptors calculated by molecular operating environment (MOE), ChemoPy and Mordred, respectively. By combining the pretreatment of the descriptors, machine learning models, including support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF) and k-nearest neighbour (kNN) were utilized for beer flavor models. Principal component regression (PCR), random forest regression (RFR) and partial least squares (PLS) regression were employed to predict the RI. The accuracy of the test set was obtained by SVM, RF, and kNN. Among them, the combination of descriptors calculated by Mordred and RF model afforded the highest accuracy of 0.686. R 2 of the optimal regression model achieved 0.96. The results indicated that the models can be used to predict the flavor of a specific compound in beer and its RI value.

New lignans and acetophenone derivatives with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity from the leaves of Melicope patulinervia.

Four new lignans, patulinones A-D (1-4) and three new acetophenone derivatives, patulinones E-G (5-7) were isolated from the leaves of Melicope patulinervia. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of the interpretation of HR-ESIMS, NMR, CD data. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Of the isolates, compound 4 was found to exhibit the strongest inhibition against α-glucosidase with IC50 value of 6.02 ± 0.46 µM.

A New Day 4 Grading System to Assess Embryo Quality in Frozen Embryo Transfer Cycles.

To present a new day 4 (D4) embryo grading system to assess embryos in frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles. A new grading system (grades A-E) was developed from the 2011 ESHRE Istanbul Consensus for D4 embryos in FET cycles. Embryos with complete compaction were classified as grade A; those with partial compaction were assigned as grade B; and those without compaction were classified as grades C, D, and E according to their different blastomere number ratio (BNR; number of embryo blastomeres on D4/number of embryo blastomeres on D3, D4/D3). Embryos with a BNR of ≥ 1.5 were defined as grade C, those with a BNR of ≥ 1.2 and < 1.5 were defined as grade D, and those with a BNR of ≥ 1.0 and < 1.2 were defined as grade E. Using this proposed grading model, 5460 embryos with known implantation data were retrospectively analyzed after D4 transfer in FET cycles. The transferred embryos exhibited a similar declining trend in implantation and live birth rates from the top grade A to the lowest grade E. The in vitro fertilization group showed increased implantation rates of grade B and E embryos compared with the intracytoplasmic sperm injection group (grade B: 41.99%, 34.63%, χ2 = 5.84, p < 0.05 and grade E: 18.98%, 14.08, χ2 = 75.62, p < 0.01). Receiver-operating characteristic analysis revealed that our proposed model predicted the implantation outcomes and live birth rates of all embryos (area under the curve = 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI],0.63-0.66; p < 0.01 and AUC = 0.73; 95%CI, 0.65-0.84; p < 0.001, respectively). This study demonstrates that the new grading system provided by us can be a useful tool for assisting embryo selection via changes in embryo morphology. D4 embryo transfer provides a simple and applicable method for FET cycles in daily practice.

Ce(OTf)3-Catalyzed Multicomponent Reaction of Alkynyl Carboxylic Acids, tert-Butyl Isocyanide, and Azides for the Assembly of Triazole-Oxazole Derivatives.

Cerium(III) triflate-catalyzed multicomponent reactions between alkynyl carboxylic acids, tert-butyl isocyanide, and organic azides have been developed. In the presence of Ce(OTf)3 (10 mol %), the cascade reaction of one molecule of alkynyl carboxylic acid with three molecules of tert-butyl isocyanides proceeds chemoselectively and regioselectively via a triple and ordered isocyanide insertion process at room temperature, and then the cesium-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddtion reaction between the resulted alkynyl oxazole and organic azides was further initiated by the temperature elevation (100 °C), thereby leading to multisubstituted triazole-oxazole derivatives in practical, time-saving, one-pot operations. Furthermore, some of the synthesized target compounds showed potential anticancer activities against MGC803 (human gastric cancer cell) with IC50 values below 20 µmol L-1.

FTIR spectroscopy coupled with machine learning approaches as a rapid tool for identification and quantification of artificial sweeteners.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy calibrations were developed to simultaneously determine the multianalytes of five artificial sweeteners, including sodium cyclamate, sucralose, sodium saccharin, acesulfame-K and aspartame. By combining the pretreatment of the spectrum and principal component analysis, 131 feature wavenumbers were extracted from the full spectral range for modelling to qualitative and quantitative analysis. Compared to random forest, k nearest neighbour and linear discriminant analysis, support vector machine model had better predictivity, indicating the most effective identification performance. Furthermore, multivariate calibration models based on partial least squares regression were constructed for quantifying any combinations of the five artificial sweeteners, and validated by prediction data sets. As shown by the good agreement between the proposed method and the reference HPLC for the determination of the sweeteners in beverage samples, a promising and rapid tool based on FTIR spectroscopy, coupled with chemometrics, has been performed to identify and objectively quantify artificial sweeteners.

CT and MRI features of tumors and tumor-like lesions in the abdominal wall.

Masses involving the abdominal wall are common in clinical practice and have many etiologies, including tumors and tumor-like lesions. Abdominal wall tumors include primary and secondary tumors, the former of which constitute a heterogeneous group of soft tissue tumors with their own unique spectrum. Tumor-like lesions, such as hernias, are more common and must be distinguished from true tumors. Medical imaging is valuable for discovering, diagnosing, and evaluating the extent of abdominal wall masses. With the increasing application of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), determining a diagnosis or narrowing the differential diagnosis is often possible, thus facilitating effective management. In this article, we comprehensively review the spectrum of common abdominal wall masses and present the CT and MRI features of typical cases in our hospital. A systematic stepwise diagnostic approach is also proposed for clinical practice.

LncRNA NEAT1 promotes endometrial cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion by regulating the miR-144-3p/EZH2 axis.

Background Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynaecological tumours in the worldwide. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion in EC cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of NEAT1 in EC have not been fully clarified. We conducted this study to reveal the function of NEAT1 in EC tissues and cell lines. Materials and methods Cancer and adjacent tissues were collected from EC patients. HEC-1A and Ishikawa cells were cultured in vitro. NEAT1 expression was downregulated by transfecting small hairpin RNA (shRNA) and miR-144-3p was overexpressed by transfecting miR-144-3p mimics. Cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay and colony formation assay. Cell migration and invasion abilities were assessed by transwell assay. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the relationship among NEAT1, EZH2, and miR-144-3p. The expression level of EZH2 was measured by Western blot and qPCR. Results NEAT1 was highly expressed in EC tissues and cells. Knockdown of NEAT1 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells. Additionally, NEAT1 acted as a ceRNA of miR-144-3p, leading to EZH2 upregulation. Overexpression of miR-144-3p suppressed the proliferation and invasion of EC cells. Conclusions NEAT1 promotes EC cells proliferation and invasion by regulating the miR-144-3p/EZH2 axis.

Positive Effects of Qing'e Pill () on Trabecular Microarchitecture and its Mechanical Properties in Osteopenic Ovariectomised Mice.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of Qing'e Pill (, QEP) on the cancellous bone microstructure and its effect on the level of ß-catenin in a mouse model of postmenopausal osteoporosis. METHODS: Ninety-six 8-week-old specific pathogen free C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (24/group): sham, ovariectomised osteoporosis model, oestradiol-treated, and QEP-treated groups. Three months after surgery, the third lumbar vertebra and left femur of the animals were dissected and scanned using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to acquire three-dimensional (3D) parameters of their cancellous bone microstructure. The impact of ovariectomy, the effect of oestradiol and QEP intervention on cancellous bone microstructure, and the expression of ß-catenin were evaluated. RESULTS: The oestradioland the QEP-treated groups exhibited a significant increase in the bone volume fraction, trabecular number, trabecular thickneßs, bone surface to bone volume ratio (BS/BV), and ß-catenin expression compared with those of the model group (P <0.05). In contrast, the structure model index, trabecular separation, and BS/BV were significantly decreased compared with those of the ovariectomised osteoporosis model group (P <0.05). No differences were observed in the above parameters between animals of the QEP- and oestradiol-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS: The increased ß-catenin expression may be the mechanism underlying QEP's improvement of the cancellous bone microstructure in ovariectomised mice. Our findings provide a scientific rationale for using QEP as a dietary supplement to prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women.

Increased intestinal mucosal leptin levels in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

AIM: To measure the leptin levels in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) and analyze the relationship of leptin with clinical features, visceral sensitivity, mast cells, and nerve fibers. METHODS: Forty-two patients with IBS-D fulfilling the Rome III criteria and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent clinical and psychological evaluations using validated questionnaires (including IBS Symptom Severity Scale, IBS-specific Quality of Life, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and Hamilton Depression Scale), along with colonoscopy, colonic mucosal biopsy, and visceral sensitivity testing. Serum leptin levels were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mucosal leptin expression and localization were evaluated using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Mucosal leptin mRNA levels were quantified using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Mast cell counts and activation rates were investigated by toluidine blue staining. Correlation analyses between these parameters were performed. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, or body mass index between the IBS-D group and the control group. The median IBS Symptom Severity Scale score in the IBS-D group was 225.0 (range, 100-475). IBS-D patients had significantly increased anxiety [IBS-D: median, 6.5; interquartile range (IQR), 3.3; control: median, 2.0; IQR, 2.0; P < 0.001] and depression (IBS-D: median, 7.0; IQR, 3.0; control: median, 3.0; IQR, 2.0; P < 0.001) scores. IBS-D patients had significantly lower first sensation threshold (IBS-D: median, 50.6; IQR, 25.9; control: median, 80.5; IQR, 18.6; P < 0.001), defecation sensation threshold (IBS-D: median, 91.5; IQR, 29.3; control: median, 155.0; IQR, 21.1; P < 0.001) and maximum tolerable threshold (IBS-D: median, 163.2; IQR, 71.2; control: median, 226.2; IQR, 39.3; P < 0.001). Mucosal leptin expression, as reflected by integrated optical density (IBS-D: median, 4424.71; IQR, 4533.63; control: median, 933.65; IQR, 888.10; P < 0.001), leptin mRNA expression (IBS-D: median, 1.1226; IQR, 1.6351; control: median, 0.8947; IQR, 0.4595; P = 0.009), and mast cell activation rate (IBS-D: median, 71.2%; IQR, 12.9%; control group: median, 59.4%; IQR, 18.88%; P < 0.001) were significantly increased in IBS-D patients. The colocalization of leptin and leptin receptors was observed on mast cells and PGP9.5-positive nerve fibers in the intestinal mucosa. Also, leptin expression was positively correlated with anxiety, depression, and the mast cell activation rate, but negatively correlated with the defecation sensation threshold and the maximum tolerance threshold during visceral sensitivity testing (adjusted P < 0.0038). CONCLUSION: Increased levels of mucosal leptin may interact with mast cells and the nervous system to contribute to the pathogenesis of IBS-D.

Effects of Modified Qing'e Pill () on expression of adiponectin, bone morphogenetic protein 2 and coagulation-related factors in patients with nontraumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the regulation of Chinese herbal medicine, Modifified Qing'e Pill (, MQEP), on the expression of adiponectin, bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and other potentially relevant risk factors in patients with nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). METHODS: A total of 96 patients with nontraumatic ONFH were unequal randomly divided into treatment group (60 cases) and control group (36 cases). The treatment group were treated with MQEP while the control group were treated with simulated pills. Both groups were given caltrate D. Six months were taken as a treatment course. Patients were followed up every 2 months. The levels of plasma adiponectin, BMP2, OPG, von Willebrand factor (vWF), von Willebrand factor cleaving protease (vWF-cp), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), C-reactive protein (CRP), blood rheology, bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral head and Harris Hip Score were measured before and after treatment. RESULTS: After 6 months of treatment, compared with the control group, patients in the treatment group had signifificantly higher adiponectin and BMP2 levels (P<0.01 and P=0.013, respectively), lower vWF, PAI-1 and CRP levels (P=0.019, P<0.01 and P<0.01, respectively), and lower blood rheology parameters. BMD of the femoral neck, triangle area and Harris Hip Score in the treatment group were signifificantly higher than those in the control group. Moreover, plasma adiponectin showed a positive association with BMP2 (r=0.231, P=0.003) and a negative association with PAI-1 (r=-0.159, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: MQEP may play a protective role against nontraumatic ONFH by increasing the expression of adiponectin, regulating bone metabolism and improving the hypercoagulation state, which may provide an experimental base for its clinical effects.

Association of VIPR-1 gene polymorphisms and haplotypes with egg production in laying quails.

The laying quail is a worldwide breed which exhibits high economic value. In our current study, the vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor-1 (VIPR-1) was selected as the candidate gene for identifying traits of egg production. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection was performed in 443 individual quails, including 196 quails from the H line, 202 quails from the L line, and 45 wild quails. The SNPs were genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Two mutations (G373T, A313G) were detected in all the tested quail populations. The associated analysis showed that the SNP genotypes of the VIPR-1 gene were significantly linked with the egg weight of G373T and A313G in 398 quails. The quails with the genotype GG always exhibited the largest egg weight for the two mutations in the H and L lines. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis indicated that G373T and A313G loci showed the weakest LD. Seven main diplotypes from the four main reconstructed haplotypes were observed, indicating a significant association of diplotypes with egg weight. Quails with the h1h2 (GGGT) diplotype always exhibited the smallest egg weight and largest egg number at 20 weeks of age. The overall results suggest that the alterations in quails may be linked with potential major loci or genes affecting reproductive traits.

Nerve growth factor and diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D): a potential therapeutic target?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort associated with abnormal bowel habits. Diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) is a major subtype of IBS, the predominant manifestations of which are abdominal pain and diarrhea. The pathogenesis of IBS-D remained unknown until recently. The effects of psychosocial stress, central hypervigilance, neuroendocrine abnormality, disturbed gastrointestinal motility, mucosal immune activation, intestinal barrier dysfunction, visceral hypersensitivity (VH), altered gut flora, and genetic susceptibility may be involved in its development. Recently, increased attention has been placed on the neural-immune-endocrine network mechanism in IBS-D, especially the role of various neuroendocrine mediators. As a member of the neurotrophin family, nerve growth factor (NGF) has diverse biological effects, and participates in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Basic studies have demonstrated that NGF is associated with inflammatory- and stress-related VH, as well as stress-related intestinal barrier dysfunction. The aim of this study is to summarize recent literature and discuss the role of NGF in the pathophysiology of IBS-D, especially in VH and intestinal barrier dysfunction, as well as its potential as a therapeutic target in IBS-D.

Reform in teaching preclinical pathophysiology.

Pathophysiology is a scientific discipline that studies the onset and progression of pathological conditions and diseases, and pathophysiology is one of the core courses in most preclinical medical curricula. In China, most medical schools house a Department of Pathophysiology, in contrast to medical schools in many developed countries. The staff in Chinese Departments of Pathophysiology generally consists of full-time instructors or lecturers who teach medical students. These lecturers are sometimes lacking in clinic knowledge and experiences. To overcome this, in recent years, we have been trying to bring new trends in teaching pathophysiology into our curriculum. Our purpose in writing this article was to share our experiences with our colleagues and peers worldwide in the hope that the insights we have gained in pathophysiology teaching will be of some value to educators who advocate teaching reform in medical schools.

Effect of Qing'e formula on circulating sclerostin levels in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Serum sclerostin is positively associated with serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentration. Our preliminary studies confirmed that Qing'e formula (QEF) could effectively increase serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentration in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP), but the effect of supplementation with QEF on serum sclerostin is unknown. This study investigated the effects of supplementation of QEF on serum sclerostin levels in patients with PMOP. Totally 120 outpatients and inpatients with PMOP treated in our hospital between January and October 2012 were randomly divided into QEF+calcium group, alfacalcidol+calcium group, and placebo+calcium group (n=40 each), with a follow-up period of 2 years. The serum levels of sclerostin, 25 hydroxyvitamin D, and bone turnover markers (ß-CTX, N-MID and T-PINP) at baseline and at the 6th month, 1st year, 1.5th year, and 2nd year after treatment were measured. The results showed that the levels of circulating sclerostin were increased significantly at the 6th month after treatment in QEF+calcium group and alfacalcidol+calcium group as compared with placebo+calcium group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the former two groups (P>0.05). The levels of ß-CTX, N-MID and T-PINP in serum were decreased in both QEF+calcium group and alfacalcidol+calcium group at the 6th month after treatment, without significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). But the levels were significantly lower than that in placebo+calcium group (P<0.05). These results suggest that the mechanism by which QEF modulates bone metabolism in patients with PMOP might be related with the effect of QEF in increasing sclerostin expression. Our findings provide a scientific rationale for using QEF as an effective drug to prevent bone loss in PMOP.

Association of serum Dkk-1 levels with ß-catenin in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Wnt signaling plays an important role in the bone development and remodeling. The Wnt antagonist Dkk-1 is a potent inhibitor of bone formation. The aims of this study were firstly to compare the serum Dkk-1 levels in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients with age-matched healthy controls, and secondly, to assess the possible relationship between Dkk-1 and ß-catenin, sclerostin, or bone turnover markers [CTX, PINP, N-MID-OT and 25(OH)D] in the setting of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A total of 350 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis and 150 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled, and the serum levels of Dkk-1, ß-catenin, sclerostin, OPG, and RANKL were detected by ELISA, and bone turnover markers [CTX, PINP, N-MID-OT and 25(OH)D] were measured by Roche electrochemiluminescence system in two groups. Serum Dkk-1 levels were significantly higher in postmenopausal osteoporosis group than in control group (P<0.001). Univariate analyses revealed that serum Dkk-1 levels were weakly negatively correlated to ß-catenin (r=-0.161, P=0.003) and OPG (r=-0.106, P=0.047), while multiple regression analysis showed a negative correlation between serum Dkk-1 levels with ß-catenin (ß=-0.165, P=0.009) and BMD (ß=-0.139, P=0.027), and a positive correlation between serum Dkk-1 levels and CTX (ß=0.122, P=0.040) in postmenopausal osteoporosis group. No similar correlations ware observed in control group. The results provided evidence for the role of Dkk-1 in bone metabolism and demonstrated the link of Dkk-1 and Wnt/ß-catenin in some ways.