Non-coding RNA-mediated TGF-β1/Smads Signaling Pathway and Liver Fibrosis， and Intervention by Active Components of Chinese Medicinal： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Liver fibrosis is a wound healing response that occurs in the setting of chronic liver injury and is caused by imbalance in the synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix （ECM）. If left untreated， it can progress to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The activation of hepatic stellate cell （HSC） is now well established as a central driver of liver fibrosis. The activated HSC will transform into myofibroblasts that produce ECM protein. Transforming growth factor-β1 （TGF-β1） can induce the activation of hepatic stellate cell （HSC）， and TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway is one of the important pathways to promote liver fibrosis. Non-coding RNA （ncRNA） does not encode proteins during the transcription but plays an important regulatory role in the post-transcriptional process of genes. Accumulating evidence shows that the occurrence of liver fibrosis is closely related to the abnormal expression of ncRNA which participates in the activation of HSC by regulating TGF-β1 signal transduction and then affects the process of liver fibrosis. MiRNA-mediated TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway can not only promote liver fibrosis but also play a role in anti-fibrosis. Long non-coding RNA （lncRNA） not only promotes the development of liver fibrosis by binding to target genes but also enhances TGF-β1 signal transduction by acting as competitive endogenous RNA. circular RNA （circRNA） acts as a ''sponge'' to regulate TGF-β1/Smads pathway， thereby inhibiting HSC activation and exerting the anti-liver fibrosis effect. Chinese medicinal plays an essential part in the prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis， and the active components can inhibit TGF-β1/Smads pathway by regulating the expression of miRNA， thus alleviating liver fibrosis. This article reviews the role and mechanism of miRNA-， lncRNA- and circRNA-mediated TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway in liver fibrosis and summarizes the anti-liver fibrosis effect of active components of Chinese medicinals by regulating miRNA-mediated TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway， which can serve as a reference for clinical treatment of liver fibrosis and the development of new drugs.

Effect of Isodon ternifolius-medicated serum on hepatic stellate cells based on TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway / 中国中药杂志

The present study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect and mechanism of Isodon terricolous-medicated serum on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced hepatic stellate cell(HSC) activation. LPS-induced HSCs were divided into a blank control group, an LPS model group, a colchicine-medicated serum group, an LPS + blank serum group, an I. terricolous-medicated serum group, a Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4) blocker group, and a TLR4 blocker + I. terricolous-medicated serum group. HSC proliferation was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure type Ⅰ collagen(COL Ⅰ), COL Ⅲ, transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1), α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1), cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1(caspase-1), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1(MCP-1). Real-time PCR(RT-PCR) was used to detect mRNA expression of TLR4, IκBα, and NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3), nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) p65, gasdermin D(GSDMD), and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD(ASC) in HSCs. Western blot(WB) was used to detect the protein levels of TLR4, p-IκBα, NF-κB p65, NLRP3, ASC, and GSDMD in HSCs. The results showed that I. terricolous-medicated serum could inhibit the proliferation activity of HSCs and inhibit the secretion of COL Ⅰ, COL Ⅲ, α-SMA, TGF-β1, caspase-1, MCP-1, VCAM-1, and ICAM-1 in HSCs. Compared with the LPS model group, the I. terricolous-medicated serum group, the colchicine-medicated serum group, and the TLR4 blocker group showed down-regulated expression of p-IκBα, NLRP3, NF-κB p65, GSDMD, and ASC, and up-regulated expression of IκBα. Compared with the TLR4 blocker group, the TLR4 blocker + I. terricolous-medicated serum group showed decreased expression of TLR4, p-IκBα, NLRP3, NF-κB p65, GSDMD, and ASC, and increased expression of IκBα. In conclusion, I. terricolous-medicated serum down-regulates HSC activation by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Oceanic dispersal barriers in a holoplanktonic gastropod.

Pteropods, a group of holoplanktonic gastropods, are regarded as bioindicators of the effects of ocean acidification on open ocean ecosystems, because their thin aragonitic shells are susceptible to dissolution. While there have been recent efforts to address their capacity for physiological acclimation, it is also important to gain predictive understanding of their ability to adapt to future ocean conditions. However, little is known about the levels of genetic variation and large-scale population structuring of pteropods, key characteristics enabling local adaptation. We examined the spatial distribution of genetic diversity in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and nuclear 28S gene fragments, as well as shell shape variation, across a latitudinal transect in the Atlantic Ocean (35°N-36°S) for the pteropod Limacina bulimoides. We observed high levels of genetic variability (COI π = 0.034, 28S π = 0.0021) and strong spatial structuring (COI ΦST  = 0.230, 28S ΦST  = 0.255) across this transect. Based on the congruence of mitochondrial and nuclear differentiation, as well as differences in shell shape, we identified a primary dispersal barrier in the southern Atlantic subtropical gyre (15-18°S). This barrier is maintained despite the presence of expatriates, a gyral current system, and in the absence of any distinct oceanographic gradients in this region, suggesting that reproductive isolation between these populations must be strong. A secondary dispersal barrier supported only by 28S pairwise ΦST comparisons was identified in the equatorial upwelling region (between 15°N and 4°S), which is concordant with barriers observed in other zooplankton species. Both oceanic dispersal barriers were congruent with regions of low abundance reported for a similar basin-scale transect that was sampled 2 years later. Our finding supports the hypothesis that low abundance indicates areas of suboptimal habitat that result in barriers to gene flow in widely distributed zooplankton species. Such species may in fact consist of several populations or (sub)species that are adapted to local environmental conditions, limiting their potential for adaptive responses to ocean changes. Future analyses of genome-wide diversity in pteropods could provide further insight into the strength, formation and maintenance of oceanic dispersal barriers.

Correlation and Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention of Pyroptosis and Liver Diseases / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Pyroptosis， also known as cell inflammatory necrosis， is different from apoptosis， necrosis， and other forms of cell death in morphological characteristics， occurrence， and regulatory mechanism. It is a new type of programmed cell death dependent on Caspase， which has been discovered and confirmed in recent years. Studies have shown that pyroptosis is closely related to the occurrence of liver diseases， and is critical in alcoholic liver disease （ALD）， non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）， liver fibrosis， and liver cancer. Pyroptosis causes inflammatory injury of hepatocytes to promote the occurrence and development of liver diseases by activating Caspase-1， cleaving the effector gasdermin-D （GSDMD）， and releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines， such as interleukin-18 （IL-18） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β） mainly through the classical NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome pathway. Clinically， Chinese medicine in the treatment of liver diseases has unique efficacy and low side effects. In the intervention on liver diseases， Chinese medicine blocks the pyroptosis signaling pathway to relieve the liver inflammation by inhibiting the assembly and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome multiprotein complex， blunting the activity of Caspase-1 or Caspase-4/Caspase-5/Caspase-11， and inhibiting the cleavage of GSDMD to reduce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-18 and IL-1β. Therefore， in-depth investigation of pyroptosis facilitates unveiling its role in the occurrence， development， and prognosis of liver diseases， and the enhancement or inhibition of pyroptosis may provide a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of liver diseases by Chinese medicine. At present， NLRP3 inflammasome， a key protein in the classic pyroptosis signaling pathway， has become an anti-liver disease target of Chinese medicine. This study briefly summarized the relationship between pyroptosis and liver diseases and reviewed the intervention of monomers， compound prescriptions， effective fractions and extracts of Chinese medicine in recent years to provide important guidance for further exploring the pathogenic mechanism of pyroptosis and the treatment of liver diseases with Chinese medicine.

Fossil-calibrated molecular phylogeny of atlantid heteropods (Gastropoda, Pterotracheoidea).

BACKGROUND: The aragonite shelled, planktonic gastropod family Atlantidae (shelled heteropods) is likely to be one of the first groups to be impacted by imminent ocean changes, including ocean warming and ocean acidification. With a fossil record spanning at least 100 Ma, atlantids have experienced and survived global-scale ocean changes and extinction events in the past. However, the diversification patterns and tempo of evolution in this family are largely unknown. RESULTS: Based on a concatenated maximum likelihood phylogeny of three genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 mitochondrial DNA, 28S and 18S ribosomal rRNA) we show that the three extant genera of the family Atlantidae, Atlanta, Protatlanta and Oxygyrus, form monophyletic groups. The genus Atlanta is split into two groups, one exhibiting smaller, well ornamented shells, and the other having larger, less ornamented shells. The fossil record, in combination with a fossil-calibrated phylogeny, suggests that large scale atlantid extinction was accompanied by considerable and rapid diversification over the last 25 Ma, potentially driven by vicariance events. CONCLUSIONS: Now confronted with a rapidly changing modern ocean, the ability of atlantids to survive past global change crises gives some optimism that they may be able to persist through the Anthropocene.

Effect of space diffuser on flow characteristics of a centrifugal pump by computational fluid dynamic analysis.

Achieving an optimal configuration of the diffuser is indispensable for high pump performances. In this work, a numerical study on diffuser configuration is conducted for a high pump performance using a computational fluid dynamics code, and the effects of the wrap angle and the relative position of the diffuser vane to the impeller on pump performances are included. The results indicate that the modified diffuser with a suitable wrap angle may improve the pump hydraulic efficiency and the head by approximately 4% and 8%, respectively, while a suitable position of the diffuser vane can enhance the pump head by more than 4%. Meanwhile, the pressure recovery coefficient and the local Euler head of the diffuser are adopted to evaluate the diffuser performance. For a high pump performance, the local Euler head of the diffuser has a peak value at the leading edge with the change rate of zero along the meridian streamline, meaning that no blade loading at the leading edge of the diffuser guarantees a better match between the impeller and the diffuser.

Novel genomic resources for shelled pteropods: a draft genome and target capture probes for Limacina bulimoides, tested for cross-species relevance.

BACKGROUND: Pteropods are planktonic gastropods that are considered as bio-indicators to monitor impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems. In order to gain insight into their adaptive potential to future environmental changes, it is critical to use adequate molecular tools to delimit species and population boundaries and to assess their genetic connectivity. We developed a set of target capture probes to investigate genetic variation across their large-sized genome using a population genomics approach. Target capture is less limited by DNA amount and quality than other genome-reduced representation protocols, and has the potential for application on closely related species based on probes designed from one species. RESULTS: We generated the first draft genome of a pteropod, Limacina bulimoides, resulting in a fragmented assembly of 2.9 Gbp. Using this assembly and a transcriptome as a reference, we designed a set of 2899 genome-wide target capture probes for L. bulimoides. The set of probes includes 2812 single copy nuclear targets, the 28S rDNA sequence, ten mitochondrial genes, 35 candidate biomineralisation genes, and 41 non-coding regions. The capture reaction performed with these probes was highly efficient with 97% of the targets recovered on the focal species. A total of 137,938 single nucleotide polymorphism markers were obtained from the captured sequences across a test panel of nine individuals. The probes set was also tested on four related species: L. trochiformis, L. lesueurii, L. helicina, and Heliconoides inflatus, showing an exponential decrease in capture efficiency with increased genetic distance from the focal species. Sixty-two targets were sufficiently conserved to be recovered consistently across all five species. CONCLUSION: The target capture protocol used in this study was effective in capturing genome-wide variation in the focal species L. bulimoides, suitable for population genomic analyses, while providing insights into conserved genomic regions in related species. The present study provides new genomic resources for pteropods and supports the use of target capture-based protocols to efficiently characterise genomic variation in small non-model organisms with large genomes.

Study of the optimal monochromatic image of coronary stent based on dual-layer detector spectral CT / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To explore the optimal monochromatic level for the observation of coronary in-stent lumen by dual-layer spectral CT (DLCT).Methods:Forty-nine patients with 74 stents after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) who underwent coronary CTA (CCTA) examinations by a DLCT between January 2016 and September 2017 were retrospectively enrolled. A total of 12 groups of images including 60-120 keV (kilo electron voltage) images with 10 keV interval, 140-200 keV images with 20 keV interval and conventional images. In-stent lumen diameter of proximal, mid and distal portion was measured. Difference of CT values between in-stent lumen and ascending aorta was used to describe as blooming artifact, and noise of in-stent lumen as image noise. Then Likert 5-point scale was performed to evaluate images noise, enhancement of in-stent lumen, blooming artifact and diagnostic confidence. Differences of objective and subjective parameters among conventional and various monochromatic images were compared by Friedman test.Results:In the diameter measurement of the proximal, middle and distal segments of the stent, the difference between the images of each group was statistically significant (χ 2 = 427.270, 426.375, 400.981, P< 0.001). The diameter of the lumen measured by 120-200 keV single-level image was larger than that measured by 60-100 keV single-level image, and the difference was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). In the comparison of CT difference between the stent lumen and ascending aorta, the difference between the images of each group was statistically significant (χ 2 = 242.193, P< 0.001), and 100-200 keV single-level images were lower than the conventional images, the difference was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). In the comparison of noise values, the difference between the images of each group was statistically significant (χ 2 = 420.161, P< 0.001), and the difference was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). In the subjective scores of noise, enhancement, halo artifact and diagnostic confidence, there were statistically significant differences among the groups (χ2= 333.827, 455.989, 276.824, 399.497, P< 0.001). The noise score of 100-200 keV single-level image was higher than that of conventional image, the difference was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). The enhancement score of 60 keV was significantly higher than that of other images ( P< 0.05). The halo artifact score of 100-200 keV single level image was higher than that of 60-90 keV image, the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The scores of 90-120 keV single-level images were higher than those of other single-level images, and the difference was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). Conclusions:CCTA examinations can be effectively performed by DLCT in patients after PCI in clinical settings, and 120 keV is recommended as the optimal monochromatic image for the observation of in-stent lumen.

Research Progress of Blood Brain Barrier Model and Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Its Permeability / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Blood brain barrier (BBB), as barrier between plasma and brain cells formed by brain capillary wall and glial cells and barrier between plasma and cerebrospinal fluid formed by choroid plexus, can prevent some brain tissues (mostly harmful substances), so as to maintain a stable internal environment of brain tissues, while stopping most drugs from the intracranial and causeing difficulties to cerebral diseases. The establishment of experimental model of BBB is a key technique for drug treatment of craniocerebral diseases. Therefore, the establishment of the BBB model and the study of its permeability change will deepen the understanding of the neuro-vascular interaction and provide an important theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) can affect brain tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, inhibit myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) content, so as to affect the expression of zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1) or up-regulate the expression of Claudin-5, inhibit BBB permeability under pathological conditions, and play a protective role in BBB. TCM can also promote the changes in BBB permeability by affecting the expressions of cell adhesion factor-1 (CAM-1), ZO-1, filamentous actin(F-actin), P-glycoprotein(P-gp)and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), or increase drug permeability through co-delivery with other drugs. In this paper, the methods, advantages and disadvantages of the establishment of experimental models of the BBB in recent years, as well as the effects of TCM monomers, effective components and TCM compounds on the permeability of the BBB were summarized, so as to provide important guidance and direction for the future treatment of intracranial diseases by traditional Chinese and western medicine.

An improved method for the preparation of Ginsenoside Rg5 from ginseng fibrous root powder.

Ginsenoside-Rg5, which is derived from high temperature-processed ginseng, exhibits beneficial health effects. In the present study, ginsenoside-Rg5 was directly and rapidly prepared through the extraction of ginseng fibrous root powder (GFRP) at atmospheric pressure. The results showed that the highest extraction yield (3.79%) was obtained under optimal conditions (extraction temperature of 85 °C, acid concentration of 0.06 mol/L, sample to solvent ratio of 1:55 g/mL and ethanol concentration of 95% after 4 h). The current method integrates the extraction of original saponins and the modification of the saponins to rare ginsenosides Rg5, which was more simpler operation, more milder preparation condition and more efficient.

Microbial communities and soil chemical features associated with commercial production of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lingzhi in soil.

Crop production, including mushroom farming, may cause significant changes to the underlying substrates which in turn, can influence crop quality and quantity during subsequent years. Here in this study, we analyzed the production of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lingzhi and the associated soil microbial communities and soil chemical features over 24 months from April 2015 to April 2017. This Basidiomycete mushroom, known as Lingzhi in China, is commonly found on dead trees and wood logs in temperate and subtropical forests. Its economic and medicinal importance have propelled the development of a diversity of cultivation methods. The dominant method uses wood logs as the main substrate, which after colonization by Lingzhi mycelia, are buried in the soil to induce fruiting. The soil microbial communities over the 24 months were analyzed using the Illumina HiSeq platform targeting a portion of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1). Overall, a significant reduction of Lingzhi yield was observed over our experimentation period. Interestingly, temporal changes in soil microbial compositions were detected during the 24 months, with the fungal community showing more changes than that of bacteria in terms of both species richness and the relative abundance of several dominant species after each fruiting. The soil chemical features also showed significant changes, with decreasing soil nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and increasing soil pH and iron content after each fruiting. We discuss the implications of our results in sustainable Lingzhi production in soil.

Uncovering bacterial and functional diversity in macroinvertebrate mitochondrial-metagenomic datasets by differential centrifugation.

PCR-free techniques such as meta-mitogenomics (MMG) can recover taxonomic composition of macroinvertebrate communities, but suffer from low efficiency, as >90% of sequencing data is mostly uninformative due to the great abundance of nuclear DNA that cannot be identified with current reference databases. Current MMG studies do not routinely check data for information on macroinvertebrate-associated bacteria and gene functions. However, this could greatly increase the efficiency of MMG studies by revealing yet overlooked diversity within ecosystems and making currently unused data available for ecological studies. By analysing six 'mock' communities, each containing three macroinvertebrate taxa, we tested whether this additional data on bacterial taxa and functional potential of communities can be extracted from MMG datasets. Further, we tested whether differential centrifugation, which is known to greatly increase efficiency of macroinvertebrate MMG studies by enriching for mitochondria, impacts on the inferred bacterial community composition. Our results show that macroinvertebrate MMG datasets contain a high number of mostly endosymbiont bacterial taxa and associated gene functions. Centrifugation reduced both the absolute and relative abundance of highly abundant Gammaproteobacteria, thereby facilitating detection of rare taxa and functions. When analysing both taxa and gene functions, the number of features obtained from the MMG dataset increased 31-fold ('enriched') respectively 234-fold ('not enriched'). We conclude that analysing MMG datasets for bacteria and gene functions greatly increases the amount of information available and facilitates the use of shotgun metagenomic techniques for future studies on biodiversity.

[Clinical observation of warm moxibustion therapy to improve quadriceps weakness after total knee arthroplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of warm moxibustion therapy in the recovery of quadriceps muscle strength in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with analgesia of the femoral nerve block (FNB). METHODS: A total of 174 patients with KOA were randomized into a warm moxibustion group and a rehabilitation group, 87 cases in each group. In the warm moxibustion group, warm moxibustion combined with conventional quadriceps strength training were used. In the rehabilitation group, conventional quadriceps strength training was given. The warm moxibustion was applied at Liangqiu (ST 34) and Zusanli (ST 36), the treatment was given twice a day, 7 days for one course, with a total of 2 courses.The quadriceps muscle strength of the two groups was recorded and compared at 24 h before FNB, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after surgery, and the resting and exercise VAS pain scores were also recorded at the same time point. And the first time for standing up and the first straight raising time in the two groups were compared, and the occurrence of adverse reactions in the two groups were observed. RESULTS: At 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after FNB, the quadriceps muscle strength in the warm moxibustion group was better than that in the rehabilitation group (P<0.05, P<0.01). At 72 h and 96 h after FNB, the resting and exercise VAS scores of the warm moxibustion group were lower than those of the rehabilitation group (both P<0.001). The average first straight leg raising time in the warm moxibustion group was postoperative (31.03±10.78) h, and the time in the rehabilitation group was postoperative (47.23±15.78) h. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The average time of the first time for standing up in the warm moxibustion group was postoperative (25.76±7.00) h, and postoperative (33.12±11.18) h in the rehabilitation group. The difference was also statistically significant (P<0.001). No adverse reactions occurred in both groups. CONCLUSION: Warm moxibustion combined with conventional quadriceps strength training can improve the symptoms of quadriceps weakness in patients with femoral nerve block after total knee arthroplasty, and accelerate the recovery of joint function, which is superior to conventional quadriceps strength training.

Clinical observation of warm moxibustion therapy to improve quadriceps weakness after total knee arthroplasty / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the clinical efficacy of warm moxibustion therapy in the recovery of quadriceps muscle strength in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with analgesia of the femoral nerve block (FNB).@*METHODS@#A total of 174 patients with KOA were randomized into a warm moxibustion group and a rehabilitation group, 87 cases in each group. In the warm moxibustion group, warm moxibustion combined with conventional quadriceps strength training were used. In the rehabilitation group, conventional quadriceps strength training was given. The warm moxibustion was applied at Liangqiu (ST 34) and Zusanli (ST 36), the treatment was given twice a day, 7 days for one course, with a total of 2 courses.The quadriceps muscle strength of the two groups was recorded and compared at 24 h before FNB, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after surgery, and the resting and exercise VAS pain scores were also recorded at the same time point. And the first time for standing up and the first straight raising time in the two groups were compared, and the occurrence of adverse reactions in the two groups were observed.@*RESULTS@#At 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after FNB, the quadriceps muscle strength in the warm moxibustion group was better than that in the rehabilitation group (<0.05, <0.01). At 72 h and 96 h after FNB, the resting and exercise VAS scores of the warm moxibustion group were lower than those of the rehabilitation group (both <0.001). The average first straight leg raising time in the warm moxibustion group was postoperative (31.03±10.78) h, and the time in the rehabilitation group was postoperative (47.23±15.78) h. The difference was statistically significant (<0.001). The average time of the first time for standing up in the warm moxibustion group was postoperative (25.76±7.00) h, and postoperative (33.12±11.18) h in the rehabilitation group. The difference was also statistically significant (<0.001). No adverse reactions occurred in both groups.@*CONCLUSION@#Warm moxibustion combined with conventional quadriceps strength training can improve the symptoms of quadriceps weakness in patients with femoral nerve block after total knee arthroplasty, and accelerate the recovery of joint function, which is superior to conventional quadriceps strength training.

Eficacy of levothyroxine replacement therapy in children with hypothyroidism / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of levothyroxine replacement therapy in children with hypothyroidism.Methods 45 children with hypothyroidism admitted from Apr.2015 to Dec.2016 were selected as observation group,and 45 healthy children in the same period were selected as the control group.Children in the control group received regular diet and were paid attention to nutritional balance.Children in the observation group were given levothyroxine sodium on the basis of dietary guidance.The two groups were treated continuously for 6 months.The levels of thyroid function,insulin-like growth factor,indicators for growth and development and inflammatory factors were measured before and after treatment in both groups.Results After treatment for 3 months and 6 months,the levels of FT3,FT4,IGF-1,IGFBP-3 and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 in the observation group increased significantly compared with those before treatment,and the levels of TSH in the observation group decreased significantly(P＜0.05).The levels of FT3,lFT4,TSH,IGF-1,IGFBP-3 and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 in the observation group after treatment for 6 months were (7.17±0.06)pmol/L,(2.74±0.07)mU/L,(207.67±9.06)μg/L,(0.46±0.02) mg/L and(34.59±1.97).The difference was not statistically significant (P＞0.05).After 3 months and 6 months of treatment,the height,body weight,osteocalcin and 25-(OH)2D3 levels in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P＜0.05),and there was no significant difference between the two groups after 6 months (P＞0.05).The difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05).Conclusion Left thyroid hormone replacement therapy can significantly improve the thyroid function of children with hypothyroidism,increase the level of thyroid-associated hormone and insulin-like growth factor,promote the growth and development of children,which is worthy of clinical application.

Quality standard for Pogostemon auricularius / 中成药

AIM To establish the quality standard for Pogonostemon auricularius (L.) Hassk..METHODS The original,characteristic and microscopic features of P.auricularius were identified,after which TLC was used for qualitative identification,HPLC was adopted in the content determination of verbascoside,and the contents of water,total ash,acid-insoluble ash,extract were determined by Chinese Pharmacopoeia methods.RESULTS The clear TLC plots displayed good reproducibility.Verbascoside showed a good linear relationship within the range of 0.102-2.04 μg (r =0.999 98),whose average recovery was 97.99％ with the RSD of 2.02％.In four-teen batches of samples,the content ranges of water,total ash,acid-insoluble ash,extract were 6.47％-12.07％,7.59％-12.35％,0.23％-3.55％,13.28％-26.82％,respectively.CONCLUSION This stable and reliable method can be used for the quality control of P.auricularius

Shotgun mitogenomics across body size classes in a local assemblage of tropical Diptera: Phylogeny, species diversity and mitochondrial abundance spectrum.

Mitochondrial genomes can be assembled readily from shotgun-sequenced DNA mixtures of mass-trapped arthropods ("mitochondrial metagenomics"), speeding up the taxonomic characterization. Bulk sequencing was conducted on some 800 individuals of Diptera obtained by canopy fogging of a single tree in Borneo dominated by small (<1.5 mm) individuals. Specimens were split into five body size classes for DNA extraction, to equalize read numbers across specimens and to study how body size, a key ecological trait, interacts with species and phylogenetic diversity. Genome assembly produced 304 orthologous mitochondrial contigs presumed to each represent a different species. The small-bodied fraction was the by far most species-rich (187 contigs). Identification of contigs was through phylogenetic analysis together with 56 reference mitogenomes, which placed most of the Bornean community into seven clades of small-bodied species, indicating phylogenetic conservation of body size. Mapping of shotgun reads against the mitogenomes showed wide ranges of read abundances within each size class. Ranked read abundance plots were largely log-linear, indicating a uniformly filled abundance spectrum, especially for small-bodied species. Small-bodied species differed greatly from other size classes in neutral metacommunity parameters, exhibiting greater levels of immigration, besides greater total community size. We suggest that the established uses of mitochondrial metagenomics for analysis of species and phylogenetic diversity can be extended to parameterize recent theories of community ecology and biodiversity, and by focusing on the number mitochondria, rather than individuals, a new theoretical framework for analysis of mitochondrial abundance spectra can be developed that incorporates metabolic activity approximated by the count of mitochondria.

Value of CT in the postoperative evaluation of patellar dislocation triple surgery / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To study the role of CT in the evaluation after patellar dislocation triple surgeries.Methods Retrospectively analysed the CT measurements of 60 recurrent patellar dislocation patients (61 knees),who had undergone patellar dislocation triple surgeries,within one month before and after procedures.The measurements included patellar tilt angle,lateral patellar displacement,trochlear con-gruence angle,Tibial Tuberosity-Trochlear Groove distance,Insall-Salvati Ratio and Caton-Deschamps Index.Moreover,the troch-lear dysplasia classifications of all patients were evaluated.In addtion,an analysis has also been completed for 40 (41 knees)of 60 patients who had second postoperative CT examinations as follow-up assessment 3 to 6 months after surgeries.Results All one-month postoperative measurements decreased obviously with statistical significance(P <0.05 ).Furthermore,one case of subluxa-tion,1 1 cases of abnormal Tibial Tuberosity-Trochlear Groove distance,13 cases of abnormal Insall-Salvati Ratio and 14 cases of Ca-ton-Deschamps Index abnormities were also observed.Besides that,it was also found that all patients had trochlear dysplasia and 5 cases were diagnosed with patellar subluxation or dislocation at the second postoperative follow-up assessment.Conclusion The patients with redislocation or risks for patellar instability can be detectecd by CT which provides objective evidence for postoperative evaluation and further treatments.

Conversion of protopanaxadiol type saponins to ginsenoside Rg3 by lemon.

The ability of fresh lemon (Citrus limon) to convert protopanaxadiol-type saponins into ginsenoside Rg3 was investigated, and the structures of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 (1) and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (2) were identified by 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The experiment showed that lemon possesses the strong ability to hydrolyze ginsenosides. When protopanaxadiol-type saponins (16 mg/mL) were hydrolyzed by fresh lemon juice at 80 degrees C for 3 hrs, the conversion ratios of ginsenoside Rb1, Rb2, Rc and Rd were 92.9%, 90.0%, 96.90/0 and 55.5%, respectively, and the yields of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 were, respectively, 31.2% and 28.3%.

The expression of osteoprotegerin is required for maintaining the intervertebral disc endplate of aged mice.

OBJECTIVE: Human chondrocytes and annulus fibrosus cells of intervertebral disc (IVD) express osteoprotegerin (OPG), but the effect of OPG on the pathogenesis of IVD degeneration remains unknown. Here we assessed the phenotype change of IVD in OPG(-/-) mice. METHODS: The IVDs from 12-, 20-, and 28-week-old OPG(-/-) mice and WT controls were subjected to histologic analyses including TRAP staining for osteoclasts, immunostaining for OPG and type I collagen protein expression, and TUNEL staining for apoptosis. The IVD tissues were also subjected to real time RT-PCR for mRNA expression of genes for osteoblast-osterix, ALP, and osteocalcin; for osteoclasts-trap, rank, mmp9 and cathepsin K, and for chondrocytes-aggrecan, mmp13 and Col10. RESULTS: OPG protein expresses at the cells of endplate cartilage and annulus fibrosis in IVDs of WT mice. Compared to WT mice, OPG(-/-) mice developed aging related cartilage loss and bony tissue appearance at the endplate. Stating from 20 weeks of age, IVDs from OPG(-/-) mice expressed significantly increased mmp13 and Col10 levels, which is associated with increased osteoblast number and elevated expression of osteoblast marker genes. Furthermore, TRAP+ osteoclasts were presented in the endplate cartilage of OPG(-/-) mice. These osteoclasts localized adjacently to and erosion into the cartilage. Increased expression of RANK, mmp9 and cathepsin k was detected in OPG(-/-) IVDs. CONCLUSIONS: OPG at IVD plays an important role for maintaining the integrity of endplate cartilage during aging by preventing endplate cartilage from osteoclast-mediated resorption.