ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non-invasive imaging technique for directly measuring the external magnetic field generated from synchronously activated pyramidal neurons in the brain. The optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) is known for its less expensive, non-cryogenic, movable and user-friendly custom-design provides the potential for a change in functional neuroimaging based on MEG. METHODS: An array of OPMs covering the opposite sides of a subject's head is placed inside a magnetically shielded room (MSR) and responses evoked from the auditory cortices are measured. RESULTS: High signal-to-noise ratio auditory evoked response fields (AEFs) were detected by a wearable OPM-MEG system in a MSR, for which a flexible helmet was specially designed to minimize the sensor-to-head distance, along with a set of bi-planar coils developed for background field and gradient nulling. Neuronal current sources activated in AEF experiments were localized and the auditory cortices showed the highest activities. Performance of the hybrid optically pumped magnetometer-magnetoencephalography/electroencephalography (OPM-MEG/EEG) system was also assessed. CONCLUSIONS: The multi-channel OPM-MEG system performs well in a custom built MSR equipped with bi-planar coils and detects human AEFs with a flexible helmet. Moreover, the similarities and differences of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) and AEFs are discussed, while the operation of OPM-MEG sensors in conjunction with EEG electrodes provides an encouraging combination for the exploration of hybrid OPM-MEG/EEG systems.
Subject(s)
Auditory Cortex , Electroencephalography , Evoked Potentials, Auditory , Magnetoencephalography , Humans , Magnetoencephalography/instrumentation , Evoked Potentials, Auditory/physiology , Auditory Cortex/physiology , Electroencephalography/instrumentation , Electroencephalography/methods , Adult , MaleABSTRACT
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common type of malignant tumor of the central nervous system, characterized by aggressiveness, genetic instability, heterogenesis, and unpredictable clinical behavior. Disappointing results from the current clinical therapeutic methods have fueled a search for new therapeutic targets and treatment modalities. GBM is characterized by various genetic alterations, and RNA-based gene therapy has raised particular attention in GBM therapy. Here, we review the recent advances in engineered non-viral nanocarriers for RNA drug delivery to treat GBM. Therapeutic strategies concerning the brain-targeted delivery of various RNA drugs involving siRNA, microRNA, mRNA, ASO, and short-length RNA and the therapeutical mechanisms of these drugs to tackle the challenges of chemo-/radiotherapy resistance, recurrence, and incurable stem cell-like tumor cells of GBM are herein outlined. We also highlight the progress, prospects, and remaining challenges of non-viral nanocarriers-mediated RNA-based gene therapy.
ABSTRACT
Objective To retrospectively investigate the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training(PFMT)using APP-based home device in the real-world scenario.Methods A retrospective survey was conducted among 171 000 Chinese female users over 18 years old who freely registered APP and performed PFMT using a domestic manufactured home device from Oct 1,2019 to Mar 31,2021.The Patient Global Impression of Improvement(PGI-I)questionnaires concerning pelvic floor general condition,sexual satisfaction and other three major symptoms related to pelvic floor muscle laxity such as stress urinary incontinence(SUI),pelvic organ prolapse(POP),and vaginal laxity(VL)were broadcast public online for users to self-assess the improvement.The vaginal muscle strength values prior and post training recorded by APP were also reported.All data were collected anonymously for further stratified analysis.Results A total of 984 valid questionnaires were collected by systematic sampling.The PGI-I scores of pelvic floor general condition(P=0.000 1),sexual satisfaction(P=0.009),SUI(P=0.000 1),POP(P=0.044)and VL(P=0.034)were statistically significant in users who reported to use the device for 3 months or more compared with those less than 3 months.In addition,the increase of vaginal muscle strength was related to the improvement of PGI-I scores in SUI and POP with statistical significance.There were no significant difference in subgroups such as age,education,parity,and delivery mode.Conclusion The subjective benefit of pelvic floor function-related symptoms and the improvement of vaginal muscle strength could be observed after PFMT for three months or more using APP-based home device in Chinese women in the real-world scenario.
ABSTRACT
Purpose/Significance To meet the urgent needs of mass data analysis and application in the biomedical field and solve the problems such as the lack of standardized management of data analysis and utilization tools.Method/Process The paper comprehen-sively analyzes and summarizes the construction ideas,methods and technical realization of the tool standardization collection,manage-ment and shared utilization of ELIXIR's biomedical data tool service platform system.Some suggestions are put forward from the aspects of ecosystem construction,management norms,operation environment management,benchmark testing and verification,technology renewal strategy and community-driven innovation.Result/Conclusion The useful experience in the construction of ELIXIR's data tool service platform system is learned to provide comprehensive references for the standardized management of biomedical data analysis and utilization tools and service platform construction in China.
ABSTRACT
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete various cytokines with angiogenic and neuroprotective effects. This study aimed to assess the effects of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (hWJ-MSCs) on diabetes-related intracavernosal pressure (ICP) impairment in rats. hWJ-MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly and transplanted into the corpus cavernosum of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats by unilateral injection. The erectile function was evaluated at 4 weeks, as well as the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). STZ-induced diabetic rats showed impaired ICP, which was significantly improved by hWJ-MSC treatment. VEGF, eNOS, IGF1, and bFGF expression levels were higher in hWJ-MSC injection sites than those in control ones in STZ-induced diabetic rats. These results suggest that hWJ-MSC transplantation might improve diabetic erectile dysfunction through increased production of paracrine growth factors, highlighting a novel potential therapeutic option for erectile dysfunction.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Male , Rats , Cell Differentiation , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/therapy , Erectile Dysfunction/therapy , Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Umbilical Cord , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Wharton JellyABSTRACT
In order to investigate the feasibility of in vitro screening the antitumor activity of natural compounds by trypsin, porcine trypsin was used to for screening test, which is marked by inhibition of enzyme activity. Four compounds, namely daidzin, genistin, matrine and oxymatrine, were selected as test subjects. The natural antitumor drug camptothecin was used as the control. The inhibitory effect was detected by two experimental methods: direct detection of trypsin activity inhibition and hydrolysis of bovine serum albumin by trypsin. The results showed the inhibitory effects of the four natural compounds on trypsin, and the inhibition rates of the four natural compounds were significantly different. The enzyme activity assay showed that the inhibitory effect of matrine was better than that of oxymatrine, indicating that trypsin had a good screening resolution. The inhibitory effect was significantly increased with the increased ratio of sample to trypsin, suggesting the structure-activity correlation and dose-effect correlation of the screening methods. Altogether, the experimental method of screening antitumor activity of natural compounds by trypsin has good application values. Since porcine trypsin is similar to human trypsin in terms of molecular structure and performance, it is more applicable for screening of antitumor efficacy of natural pharmacodynamic compounds.
Subject(s)
Humans , Trypsin/chemistry , Alkaloids/pharmacologyABSTRACT
BackgroundRecent studies have focused initial clinical and Epidemiologic characteristics on the COVID-19, mainly revealing situation in Wuhan, Hubei. AimTo reveal more data on the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients outside of Wuhan, in Zhejiang, China. DesignRetrospective case series. Methods88 cases of laboratory-confirmed and 3 cases of clinical-confirmed COVID-19 were admitted to five hospitals in Zhejiang province, China. Data were collected from 20 January 2020 to 11 February 2020. ResultsOf all 91 patients, 88 (96.70%) were laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 with throat swab samples that tested positive for SARS-Cov-2 while 3 (3.30%) were clinical-diagnosed COVID-19 cases. The median age of the patients was 50 (36.5-57) years, and female accounted for 59.34%. In this sample 40 (43.96%) patients had contracted the diseases from local cases, 31 (34.07%) patients had been to Wuhan/Hubei, 8 (8.79%) cases had contacted with people from Wuhan, 11 (12.09%) cases were confirmed aircraft transmission. In particular within the city of Ningbo, 60.52% cases can be traced back to an event held in a temple. The most common symptoms were fever (71.43%), cough (60.44%) and fatigue (43.96%). The median of incubation period was 6 (IQR, 3-8) days and the median time from first visit to a doctor to confirmed diagnosis was 1 (1-2) days. According to the Chest computed tomography scans, 67.03% cases had bilateral pneumonia. ConclusionsSocial activity cluster, family cluster and travel by airplane were how COVID-19 patients get transmitted and could be rapidly diagnosed COVID-19 in Zhejiang.
ABSTRACT
Chromosomal abnormalities and Y chromosome microdeletions are considered to be the two more common genetic causes of spermatogenic failure. However, the relationship between chromosomal aberrations and Y chromosome microdeletions is still unclear. This study was to investigate the incidence and characteristics of chromosomal aberrations and Y chromosome microdeletions in infertile men, and to explore whether there was a correlation between the two genetic defects of spermatogenic failure. A 7-year retrospective study was conducted on 5465 infertile men with nonobstructive azoospermia or oligozoospermia. Karyotype analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed by standard G-banding techniques. Y chromosome microdeletions were screened by multiplex PCR amplification with six specific sequence-tagged site (STS) markers. Among the 5465 infertile men analyzed, 371 (6.8%) had Y chromosome microdeletions and the prevalence of microdeletions in azoospermia was 10.5% (259/2474) and in severe oligozoospermia was 6.3% (107/1705). A total of 4003 (73.2%) infertile men underwent karyotyping; 370 (9.2%) had chromosomal abnormalities and 222 (5.5%) had chromosomal polymorphisms. Karyotype analysis was performed on 272 (73.3%) patients with Y chromosome microdeletions and 77 (28.3%) had chromosomal aberrations, all of which involved sex chromosomes but not autosomes. There was a significant difference in the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities between men with and without Y chromosome microdeletions (P< 0.05).
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:To understand the current management situation and problems of residual drugs in medical institutions in China ,evaluate the practice effect of corresponding control mode of our hospital and to explore the countermeasures to reduce the production of residual drugs and standardize its management. METHODS :By random sampling ,30 third-level hospitals and 20 second-level hospitals in different regions were selected respectively during May 1st to 31st in 2019. For the pharmaceutical personnel,doctors,nurses and other non-pharmaceutical personnel ,a self-designed questionnaire on the status quo of residual drugs in medical institutions was issued. Excel 2010 software was used to count basic data of valid questionnaire ,and the causes , management status ,disposal status and possible hazards of residual drugs in medical institutions were analyzed. A management mode of residual drugs was established and implemented (involving reducing the generation of sources ,implementing process management,and strictly implementing disposal ). The effects of the model were evaluated ,then the countermeasures and suggestions were put forward . RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS:A total of 400 questionnaires were sent out ,and 311 valid questionnaires were collected with effective recovery rate of 77.75%. The causes of drug residual were complicated ,which included the“combination”of the same drugs ,the pre-order dispensing ,adverse drug reactions ,poor compliance of patients ,wrong order imput,sudden transfer ,discharge or death of patients ,wrong dispensing or nurse check error ,etc. The management status of residual drugs was chaotic ,the disposal methods lacked of standardization ,which may lead to harm such as deterioration ,illegal Δ 基金项目:重庆市技术预见与制度创新项目(No.cstc2018jsyj- recycling and pollution . The established whole-link residual zdcxX0093) drug management model in our hospital ,mainly included *主管药师 ,硕士。研究方向 :药事管理 、抗肿瘤药理 。电话: measures of introducing Clinical Departments Residual Drug 023-68774769。E-mail:513293274@qq.com Safety Management Regulations to clarify the responsibilities # 通信作者:主任药师,博士生导师,博士。研究方向:药事管理、 of management group , clinical department , pharmacy 临床药学。电话:023-68755580。E-mail:zrcq73@163.com department; using rational medication control software to 中国药房 2020年第31卷第8期 China Pharmacy 2020Vol. 31 No. 8 ·897· reduce prescription error ;increasing the frequ ency of drug inventory ;introducing Drug Withdrawal and Refund Management to clear out drug withdrwal process ;independently researching and developing “Residual Drug Recovery Management System ”to standardize and simplify the recovery process ;bringing the residual drugs into special fund project management for medical assistance. According to the operation management practice from Jan. to Oct. 2018,a total of more than 1 million yuan worth of residual drugs were recovered. The residual drugs that did not meet the recovery conditions should be destroyed according to the specified process ,and the case number of non-standard notification of ward management would significantly reduced. The whole-link mode management established by our hospital can effectively reduce the production of residual drugs and standardize their management and disposal. It is suggested that the state or province should issue special regulations on the management of residual drugs in medical institutions ,and each medical institution should formulate specific management measures suitable for its own unit. Meanwhile ,the management of residual drugs in medical institutions should be further standardized systematically by actively exploring the ways to reduce residual drugs ,formulating the corresponding financial account processing standards , supporting incentive mechanism and other measures.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of insulin phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/glycogen synthetase kinase-3α (PI3K/GSK3α) signal pathway related proteins in the hippocampus in mice with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to explore the regulatory mechanism of EA on improving the pathological characteristics of AD.@*METHODS@#Twelve male APP/PS1 double transgenic mice were randomly divided a model group and a treatment group, 6 mice in each group; another 6 wild-type male mice were taken as the control group. The mice in the treatment group were treated with EA (continuous wave, 2 Hz of frequency) at "Baihui" (GV 20) and bilateral "Shenshu" (BL 23), once a day; 7-day treatment was taken as a course of treatment, and 2 courses of treatment were given. The immunohistochemistry method and Western blot method were used to detect the distribution and expression level of hippocampal PI3K/GSK3α signal pathway related proteins P85α, P110α, GSK3α and pSGSK3α, and the number of hippocampal senile plaques (SP) was observed.@*RESULTS@#The proteins of P85α, P110α, GSK3α and pSGSK3α were mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of hippocampal neurons, and the GSK3α was also distributed in the axons of neurons in the model group and the treatment group. The immunohistochemistry results showed that the distribution level of GSK3α in the hippocampus in the model group was significantly higher than that in the control group (<0.001), and the distribution level of pSGSK3α, P85α and P110α was significantly decreased (<0.01, <0.001); compared with the model group, the distribution level of GSK3α in the hippocampus in the treatment group was significantly decreased (<0.001), and the distribution level of pSGSK3α, P85α and P110α in hippocampus was significantly increased (<0.05, <0.001). The Western blot results showed compared with the control group, the expression of pSGSK3α, P85α and P110α as well as the ratio of pSGSK3α/GSK3α in the hippocampus in the model group were significantly decreased (<0.001), and the expression of GSK3α was increased (<0.05); compared with the model group, the expression of pSGSK3α, P85α, P110α and the ratio of pSGSK3α/GSK3α in the hippocampus in the treatment group were significantly increased (<0.01, <0.001), and the expression of GSK3α was decreased (<0.05). Compared with the control group, the number of hippocampal SP in the model group was significantly increased (<0.001); compared with the model group, the number of hippocampal SP in the treatment group was significantly decreased (<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#EA could effectively regulate the expression of PI3K/GSK3α signal pathway related proteins in the hippocampus in mice with AD, so as to reduce the formation and deposition of SP.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Mice , Alzheimer Disease , Therapeutics , Electroacupuncture , Hippocampus , Physiology , Insulin , Physiology , Mice, Transgenic , Random Allocation , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
This study proposes an image segmentation method based on bottleneck detection and watershed algorithm to solve the problem of overlapping cervical cell image. First, we use polygon approximation to get all feature points on the cell contour and then use bottleneck detection and ellipse fitting to obtain the correct split point pairs. Therefore, the approximate range of the overlapping region was determined. The watershed algorithm was used to obtain the internal boundary information for the gradient image of the region. Finally, the segmentation results of the overlapped cells were obtained by superimposing with the outer contour. The experimental results show that this algorithm can segment the contour of a single cell from the overlapping cervical cell images with good accuracy and integrity. The segmentation result is close to that of doctors' manual marking, and the segmentation result is better than other existing algorithms.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Algorithms , Cervix Uteri/cytology , Image Processing, Computer-AssistedABSTRACT
() contains a large number of acupuncture medical cases, involving a variety of illnesses, and more cases of the treatment of cancer. The medical cases in point out that the tumor is a tangible evil, and its pathological factors are often regarded as sputum. It should be diagnosed and treated early, and it is easy to be dangerous if delayed. Acupuncture treatment should be based on the treatment of tumor itself, in the consideration of consolidating the root and cultivating the primary, treatment should be clear about the condition of the disease, pay attention to the timing of acupuncture, selecting correctly the reinforcing or reducing technique, emphasizing the use of moxibustion. The academic characteristics of medical treatment of tumors have had a profound impact on later generations, and it is still of great significance for guiding clinical acupuncture treatment of tumor diseases today.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture Therapy , Moxibustion , Neoplasms , TherapeuticsABSTRACT
Nephronectin (NPNT) is a novel extracellular matrix protein and a new ligand of integrin α8β1. Recent studies showed that NPNT is highly expressed in kidney, lung, thyroid, etc, and it may play an important role in many pathological conditions. NPNT is involved in the process of kidney development and acute kidney injury, regulates proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast, and induces the vasculogenesis in vitro. NPNT may play a key role in pathological osteoporosis and therefore be a new therapeutic target of bone diseases. NPNT gene variants are not only associated with lung function, but also potentially implicated in chronic airway diseases development. Moreover, NPNT is also an important factor that mediates pathology of cardiac, epidermis, breast, liver and teeth diseases. In this paper, we reviewed some research progresses on the structure, distribution, physiological and pathophysiological functions of NPNT.
Subject(s)
Humans , Cell Differentiation , Cell Proliferation , Extracellular Matrix Proteins , Physiology , Kidney , Physiology , Osteoblasts , Cell Biology , OsteoporosisABSTRACT
Objective: To prepare Juglone-loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles (Jug-PLGA-NPs), and investigate their physicochemical properties, release characteristics in vitro and anti-tumor activities on A375 melanoma cells in vitro. Method: Jug-PLGA-NPs were prepared by emulsification-solvent evaporation method. Then the particle size, encapsulation efficiency, drug loading rate and in vitro release characteristics were investigated. Fluorescence microscopy was used to observe the uptake of PLGA-NPs in vitro. The distribution of PLGA-NPs in BALB/c nude mice after tail vein injection was observed by the small living animal imaging system. Their inhibition effect on proliferation of A375 cells was detected by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptosis rate and cell cycle detection were performed by flow cytometry. Western blot was used to determine the protein kinase B (Akt), phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and cyclinD1. Result: The average particle size of the prepared Jug-PLGA-NPs was (149.6±21.5) nm, entrapment rate of (68.39±2.51)%, and drug-loading rate of (5.07±0.98)%, showing good sustained-release characteristics. PLGA-NPs showed good penetration and targeting properties in cellular uptake in vitro and in vivo imaging. Different concentrations of Jug-PLGA-NPs could significantly inhibit the proliferation and promote apoptosis of A375 cells in a time and concentration dependent manner (P1 expression (P0/G1 phase (PConclusion: The Jug-PLGA-NPs are easy to prepare and have good sustained-release characteristics, tumor targeting and anti-tumor ability, providing a new pharmaceutical dosage form for the future clinical application of Jug.
ABSTRACT
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) are caused by mutations in the DMD gene. The aim of this study is to identify pathogenic DMD variants in probands and reduce the risk of recurrence of the disease in affected families. Variations in 100 unrelated DMD/BMD patients were detected by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Pathogenic variants in DMD were successfully identified in all cases, and 11 of them were novel. The most common mutations were intragenic deletions (69%), with two hotspots located in the 5' end (exons 2-19) and the central of the DMD gene (exons 45-55), while point mutations were observed in 22% patients. Further, c.1149+1G>A and c.1150-2A>G were confirmed by hybrid minigene splicing assay (HMSA). This two splice site mutations would lead to two aberrant DMD isoforms which give rise to severely truncated protein. Therefore, the clinical use of MLPA, NGS, and HMSA is an effective strategy to identify variants. Importantly, eight embryos were terminated pregnancies according to prenatal diagnosis and a healthy boy was successfully delivered by preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Early and accurate genetic diagnosis is essential for prenatal diagnosis/PGD to reduce the risk of recurrence of DMD in affected families.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Pregnancy , Alternative Splicing , Binding Sites , Biopsy , Creatine Kinase/blood , Exons , Family Health , Gene Deletion , Gene Duplication , Genetic Variation , Heterozygote , High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing , Mothers , Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/genetics , Phenotype , Polymorphism, Single NucleotideABSTRACT
Chinese herbal medicine ultrafine powder has become a research hotspot for the addition of cosmetic raw materials. Dendrobium candidum is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Its extract and stem extract are already cosmetic raw materials and its water extract has the effect of preventing photoaging,but D. candidum ultrafine powder has not been accepted as a raw material for cosmetics,and no relevant research on photoaging prevention has been reported. In this experiment,the ultra-fine powder and fine powder of D. candidum to prevent photoaging were observed and compared,and its mechanism of action was discussed to provide a basis for the prevention of skin photoaging products. Seventy-two female ICR mice were randomly divided into normal group,model group,solvent group,titanium dioxide(Ti O2) group,isooctyl salicylate(2-ES) group,D. candidum ultrafine powder 1(DP1),ultrafine powder 2(DP2) and fine powder(DP3) groups. The photoaging model was established by ultraviolet irradiation for 8 weeks,and the model was intervened while modeling. The skin wrinkle grade,elastic parameters,skin microcirculation blood flow,skin structure and pathological changes(skin thickness,skin collagen fiber,elastic fiber) were observed,the skin transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),Smad3 levels were determined,and the type Ⅰ and type Ⅲ collagen,matrix metalloproteinase-1(MMP-1),activated protein-1(AP-1),VEGF expression were detected. The results showed that ultrafine powder(DP1,DP2) significantly reduced the wrinkle level and skin blood flow of the model mice(P<0. 05,P<0. 01); DP1,DP2 and DP3 could significantly reduce the thickness of the epidermis(P<0. 001),improve collagen fiber,elastic fiber hyperplasia,and distortion and decrease VEGF expression,and DP1 is better than DP2 and DP3; each group could up-regulate type Ⅰ collagen,down-regulate type Ⅲ collagen,AP-1,MMP-1 protein expression,and DP1 improvement optimal. However,it has no obvious effect on TGF-β1 and Smad3. The ultrafine powder and fine powder of D. candidum have certain preventive effect on photoaging,and the effect of ultrafine powder is better than that of fine powder. Ultrafine powder may down-regulate the expression of type Ⅲ collagen,AP-1 and MMP-1 by up-regulating type Ⅰ collagen. Inhibition of collagen degradation plays a role in preventing photoaging.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Mice , Dendrobium , Mice, Hairless , Mice, Inbred ICR , Skin , Skin Aging , Ultraviolet RaysABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of oxidative stress on periprosthetic osteolysis induced by TCP wear particles in mouse calvaria and its mechanism.@*METHODS@#Thirty-six male ICR mice were randomly divided into three groups (=12):sham group, TCP wear particles (TCP) group and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) group. Aperiprosthetic osteolysis model in mouse was established by implanting 30 mg of TCP wear particles onto the surface of bilateral parietal bones following removal of the periosteum. On the 2nd day post-operation, NAC (1.0 mg/kg) was locally injected to the calvarium under the periosteum every other day for 2 weeks. Then, all the mice were sacrificed to obtain blood and the calvaria. Periprosthetic osteolysis in the mouse calvaria was observed by tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining; serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6); total anti-oxidation capacity (T-AOC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were examined by ELISA and chemical colorimetry, respectively; protein levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK), phospho-PERK (p-PERK), eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) and phospho-eIF2α (p-eIF2α) in periprosthetic bone tissue were detected by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#Compared with sham group, serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, and osteolysis area were increased obviously in TCP group (<0.05), and serum level of T-AOC and SOD activity were decreased significantly in TCP group (<0.05), GRP78 expression, the ratio of p-PERK and PERK, p-eIF2α and eIF2α in the mouse calvaria of TCP group were up-regulated markedly. Compared with TCP group, serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, and osteolysis area were decreased markedly in NAC group (<0.05), serum level of T-AOC and SOD activity were increased obviously in NAC group (<0.05), and GRP78 expression, the ratio of p-PERK/PERK and p-eIF2α/eIF2α were obviously down-regulated.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Inhibition of oxidative stress can prevent periprosthetic osteolysis induced by TCP wear particles, which may be mediated by inactivation of PERK/eIF2α signaling pathway.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Osteolysis , Oxidative Stress , Skull , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alphaABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the role of β-catenin,the core protein of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling,in the inner-ear development and polarity regulation.Methods β-catenin was conditionally deleted from precursor cells of inner-ear sensory epithelium (Sox2-positive cells) in embryonic mice.Morphological changes of the inner ear were observed.Immunofluorescence staining was performed to basilar membranes,utricles and saccules to observe the hair-cell changes in arrangement and polarity.Results Compared with the control group,knock-out of β-catenin in Sox2-positive cells resulted in smaller otic vesicles,cochleas and vestibules,and fewer hair cells (HCs) in vestibular sensory epithelium (P<0.01).Stereocilium showed misorientation and kinocillia had a change in location and quantity in the cochlea.Scattered misorented HCs were also observed in the vestibule.Conclusions β-catenin is crucial for the development of inner ear and polarity manipulation of HCs in mice.The canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling may be involved in the regulation of cochlea extension and planar cell polarity (PCP) of inner ear,which is known to be controlled by non-canonical Wnt/PCP signaling.
ABSTRACT
With the rapid development of Internet, the number of online medical service review websites has gradually increased, whereby more and more patients use those engines to share their experience in health treatment, discuss the quality of medical services or rate physicians, and make more researches on medical institutions and doc-tors just to detailed information on the remedies of their health cases. This paper selected the UK and US as typical cases of countries that have rapidly developed in this field, and focused on UK’s NHS Choices and the United States’ RateMDs, Healthgrades and Yelp websites. Their current status, organization structure, content, characteristics, ex-perience and problems were analyzed and summarized. At present, China’s medical service online review is still in the ascendant, but the relevant policies and academic research are facing scarcity. Based on the situation in China and the experience from the UK and US, this paper proposed policy suggestions as follows: (1) Establishing a na-tional comprehensive medical service platform led by the government or professional and competent association which integrates health information query, retrieval and medical service review functions. (2) Set up a scientific and pro-fessional organization structure for standardized and orderly governance. (3) Combining the subjective reviews with objective quality indicators. (4) Adopting performance evaluation, and so on. All of these concerns are proposed in order to improve the medical service transparency and responsiveness, and to promote the medical service quality im-provement.
ABSTRACT
AIM To investigate the distribution of volatile components and inorganic elements from Vernonia amygdalina Del..METHODS Volatile components and inorganic elements in different parts of V.amygdalina were analyzed and measured by HS-SPME-GC-MS and ICP-OES techniques.RESULTS Forty-four,sixty-seven,fifty-seven chemical compounds were identified from the root,stem and leaves of V.amygdalina,accounting for 83.9%,92.0%,83.9% of the volatile components,respectively.Nineteen inorganic elements in total were detected,and the contents of As,Be,Bi,Co were too low to detect;The three inorganic elements with the highest content in root,stem and leaves were Mg,Al and Fe.CONCLUSION There are abundant volatile components and inorganic elements in V.amygdalina,with varying distribution in its different parts.