Akt2 inhibitor promotes M2 macrophage polarization in rats with periapical inflammation by reducing miR-155-5p expression / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of Akt2 inhibitor on macrophage polarization in the periapical tissue in a rat model of periapical inflammation.@*METHODS@#Rat models of periapical inflammation were established in 28 normal SD rats by opening the pulp cavity of the mandibular first molars, followed by injection of normal saline and Akt2 inhibitor into the left and right medullary cavities, respectively. Four rats without any treatment served as the healthy control group. At 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after modeling, 7 rat models and 1 control rat were randomly selected for observation of inflammatory infiltration in the periapical tissues by X-ray and HE staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression and localization of Akt2, macrophages and the inflammatory mediators. RT-PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expressions of Akt2, CD86, CD163, inflammatory mediators, miR-155-5p and C/EBPβ to analyze the changes in macrophage polarization.@*RESULTS@#X-ray and HE staining showed that periapical inflammation was the most obvious at 21 days after modeling in the rats. Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR showed that compared with those in the control rats, the expressions of Akt2, CD86, CD163, miR-155-5p, C/EBPβ, and IL-10 increased significantly in the rat models at 21 days (P < 0.05). Compared with saline treatment, treatment with the Akt2 inhibitor significantly decreased the expression levels of Akt2, CD86, miR-155-5p and IL-6 and the ratio of CD86+M1/CD163+M2 macrophages (P < 0.05) and increased the expression levels of CD163, C/EBPβ and IL-10 in the rat models (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Inhibition of Akt2 can delay the progression of periapical inflammation in rats and promote M2 macrophage polarization in the periapical inflammatory microenvironment possibly by reducing miR-155-5p expression and activating the expression of C/EBPβ in the Akt signaling pathway.

The application of virtual simulation experiments of sanitary chemicals in cosmetics testing / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Virtual simulation experiments use the virtual simulation technology to simulate the exper-imental process and experimental instrument,which is intuitive, sharing and cost-saving. Due to the single form of traditional experiment of sanitary chemicals in cosmetics testing and the limitation of experimental time, place and funding, this paper attempts to apply the virtual simulation experiment to sanitary chemicals in cosmetics testing experiment teaching. From the aspects of optimizing experimental items, organizing virtual simulation experiments and evaluating teaching effects, this paper discusses the application of virtual simulation experiment in sanitary chemicals in cosmetics testing experiment teaching.

Analysis of Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Drug-induced Liver Injury / 胃肠病学

Background:Drug-induced liver injury( DILI)is a kind of commonly seen diseases,in which typical clinical manifestations are lacking and misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis are frequently occurred. Aims:To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with DILI. Methods:Clinical data of patients with DILI at Zhongshan Hospital,Xiamen University from January 2014 to December 2015 were collected. Clinical characteristics were retrospectively analyzed and the relationship between clinical characteristics and prognosis was investigated. Results:A total of 51 patients with DILI were enrolled,the ratio of male to female was 1∶ 1. 32,the average age at diagnosis was(50. 6 ± 17. 9)years old,the highest proportion(43. 1% )of patients were aged 60 and older. Hepatocellular damage was the main type of liver injury (84. 3% ). Chinese herbs,cardiovascular drugs,hormone and endocrine drugs were the most common drugs causing DILI, which accounted for 51. 0% ,19. 6% and 9. 8% ,respectively. Concomitant diseases of DILI covered many systems. The clinical manifestation of DILI was atypical,and the laboratory examination also lacked specificity. The positivity rate of autoimmune antibody was 5. 9% . Most patients had good prognosis,and the cure rate and improvement rate were 21. 6%and 66. 7% ,respectively. The mortality rate was 5. 9% with the cause of death being liver failure. Levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),total bilirubin(TBIL),albumin,prothrombin time(PT) and international normalized ratio( INR) at admission were correlated significantly with prognosis( P ﹤ 0. 05 ). Conclusions:DILI commonly occurs in elderly population,and inappropriate use of Chinese herbs maybe the important cause. The clinical manifestation of DILI is not typical,and most patients have good prognosis. Levels of ALT,AST, TBIL,albumin,PT and INR at admission are correlated significantly with prognosis.

Effect of Tibet-medicine Ratanasampil on serum β-amyloid protein and inflamatory cytokine levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To study the effect of ratanasampil (RNSP) which is Traditional Tibetan Medicine on the levels of serum β-amyloid protein, interleukin and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods One hundred AD patients were divided into two groups in randomized controlled study, including treatment group (RNSP 1 g/d) and control group (piracetam 2.4 g/d). The treatment lasted 12 weeks. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Alzheimer' s disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADLs) were taken to evaluate the efficacy. Serum levels of amyloid peptides (Aβ40 and Aβ42 ) were measured by ELISA assay. The radioimmunologic assay was used to determine the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α. Results The scores of MMSE, ADAS-cog and ADL significantly improved at 12 weeks after RNSP treatment (P＜0.01, 0.01, 0.05, respectively), while had no significant changes in piracetam group (P＜0.05).The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and Aβ42 were significantly lower in RNSP group than in Piracetam group (P＜0.01). There was a decrease trend of the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio at 12 weeks after RNSP treatment (P＜0. 05, P＜0.01 ). The serum Aβ42 level had strong correlations with TNF-α, IL-1 β and IL-6. There were no significant differences in Aβ40 and IL-8 between RNSP group and piracetam group. No obvious drug side effect happened on the groups. Conclusions The reductions of serum TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels after RNSP treatment may lead to decrease of Aβ42 production in AD patients. RNSP may decrease the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio and slow down the progress of AD. It may improve the learning and memory ability in treating patients with mild to moderate AD and is well tolerated and safe.