Artemdubosides A-G, seven unusual polyacetylenes from Artemisia dubia var. subdigitata and their antihepatoma activity.

Artemdubosides A-E (1-5), the first examples of natural polyacetylenes substituted by 6'-O-crotonyl ß-glucopyranoside, and artemdubosides F-G (6-7) that were two unusual polyacetylenes featuring a 6'-O-acetyl ß-glucopyranoside moiety, were isolated from Artemisia dubia var. subdigitata. Their structures were elucidated based on the spectral data including HRESIMS, UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR, and ECD calculations. Antihepatoma assay suggested that compound 1 exhibited activity against HepG2, Huh7, and SK-Hep-1 cells with inhibitory ratios of 77.1%, 90.8%, and 73.1% at 200.0 µM, respectively.

Quality control analysis of brain tissue samples from Shanghai Brain Bank / 解剖学报

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of using brain tissues from Shanghai Brain Bank for the applications on biological research through the analysis of pH value of cerebrospinal fluids, RNA integrity number (RIN), transcriptome, proteome and morphology of brain tissues. Methods The pH value of fresh cerebrospinal fluid was detected by pH test paper; the RNA integrity of cryopreserved brain tissues was examined by Agilent RNA 6000 Nano chip and Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer; the transcriptome sequencing of superior temporal gyrus or caudate was performed using BGIseq-500 sequencer; the proteome of cryopreserved brain tissues was analyzed by Q Exactive HF mass spectrometer; at last, the morphology of the superior temporal gyrus was observed by HE staining. Results The pH value of the cerebrospinal fluid on average was about 6.5. The RIN values of more than 65% of brain tissues were more than 6, indicating good RNA quality. The clean reads ratio after transcriptome sequencing filtering was basically above 80%, indicating that the quality of sequencing library was high. The mass spectrometry analysis of frozen brain samples yielded more than 4000 protein groups and 30 000 peptides, indicating high quality of proteomic data. The morphology of brain tissues was relatively normal, with clearly visible neurons. Conclusion The quality of RNA and protein of brain tissues from Shanghai Brain Bank meets the basic needs for molecular and biological research, and the fixed brain samples can be used for morphological observations.

Effect of traditional Chinese medicine in improving human health by regulating bacterial quorum sensing system / 中国中药杂志

Quorum sensing(QS) is one of the research hotspots in the fields of microbiology and medicine in recent years. Quorum sensing is a cell communication regulatory system, which is used by bacterial flora to pass on information of population density by sensing specific signaling molecules to the environment. The QS system of bacteria can impact biological functions, such as bacterial growth, proliferation, biofilm formation, virulence factor production, antibiotic synthesis, and ultimately adapt the bacteria to environmental changes. At present, more and more active ingredients can regulate quorum sensing have been found in traditional Chinese medicines(TCM). TCM and their active ingredients can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, inhibit the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria and finally achieve the purpose of treating diseases. It embodies multi-pathway and multi-target characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine. This article first introduces molecular types and regulation mechanisms of quorum sensing signals between bacteria. On this basis, the human health-related bacterial quorum sensing is summarized, and the regulatory effect of TCM on bacterial quorum sensing system is discussed. Finally, it is noted that the material basis and mechanisms of TCM in improving human health through bacterial quorum sensing system are still unclear. Future research hotspots will focus on quorum sensing active substances, quorum sensing key nodes and relevant targets. In a word, this article provides reference for the treatment of relevant diseases.

Inhibitory effects of tamoxifen on thyroid papillary carcinoma / 中国现代普通外科进展

Objective:To explore the effects of tamoxifen on proliferation,migration and invasion of human thyroid papillary carcinoma BCPAP cells.Methods:Human thyroid papillary carcinoma BCPAP cells were treated with various concentrations of tamoxifen for 24 hours,respectively,CCK8 assay was used to detect the change of proliferation level;It can be divided into four groups:negative group,10 μmol/L TAM group and 20 μmol/L TAM group.Wound healing test was used to detect the change of migration ability and Transwell assay was used to detect the change of invasion ability.The protein levels of bcl-2 and C-myc in the BCPAP cells treated with various concentrations of tamoxifen were detected by Western blot.Results:CCK8 assay,wound healing test and Transwell assay showed that tamoxifen had induced a dose-dependent decrease in the proliferation,migration and invasion of human thyroid papillary carcinoma BCPAP cells.Furthermore,western blot demonstrated that the tamoxifen decreased the expression of bcl-2 and C-myc in BAPAP cells.Conclusions Tamoxifen can inhibit proliferation,migration and invasion of human thyroid papillary carcinoma BCPAP cells.We speculated that the inhibition of proliferation maybe related to down-regulation of bcl-2 and C-myc expression.

Clinical Study on 136 Children with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The prevalence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in children (CSSNHL) is consistently increasing. However, the pathology and prognosis of CSSNHL are still poorly understood. This retrospective study evaluated clinical characteristics and possible associated factors of CSSNHL.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and thirty-six CSSNHL patients treated in Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Institute of Otolaryngology at Chinese PLA General Hospital between July 2008 and August 2015 were included in this study. These patients were analyzed for clinical characteristics, audiological characteristics, laboratory examinations, and prognostic factors.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 136 patients (151 ears), 121 patients (121 ears, 80.1%) were diagnosed with unilaterally CSSNHL, and 15 patients (30 ears, 19.9%) with bilateral CSSNHL. The complete recovery rate of CSSNHL was 9.3%, and the overall recovery rate was 37.7%. We found that initial degree of hearing loss, onset of treatment, tinnitus, the ascending type audiogram, gender, side of hearing loss, the recorded auditory brainstem response (ABR), and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) had prognostic significance. Age, ear fullness, and vertigo had no significant correlation with recovery. Furthermore, the relevant blood tests showed 30.8% of the children had abnormal white blood cell (WBC) counts, 22.1% had elevated homocysteine levels, 65.8% had high alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 33.8% had high IgE antibody levels, and 86.1% had positive cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgG antibodies.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CSSNHL commonly occurs unilaterally and results in severe hearing loss. Initial severe hearing loss and bilateral hearing loss are negative prognostic factors for hearing recovery, while positive prognostic factors include tinnitus, gender, the ascending type audiogram, early treatment, identifiable ABR waves, and DPOAEs. Age, vertigo, and ear fullness are not correlated with the recovery. Some serologic indicators, including the level of WBC, platelet, homocysteine, ALP, positive CMV IgG antibody, fibrinogen, and some immunologic indicators, are closely related to CSSNHL.</p>