[Mechanism of salidroside in inhibiting proliferation, migration and promoting phenotypic switching of arterial smooth muscle cells].

This study aims to examine the effect of salidroside(SAL) on the phenotypic switching of human aortic smooth muscle cells(HASMC) induced by the platelet-derived growth factor-BB(PDGF-BB) and investigate the pharmacological mechanism. Firstly, the safe concentration of SAL was screened by the lactate dehydrogenase release assay. HASMC were divided into control, model, and SAL groups, and the cells in other groups except the control group were treated with PDGF-BB for the modeling of phenotypic switching. Cell proliferation and migration were detected by the cell-counting kit(CCK-8) assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The cytoskeletal structure was observed by F-actin staining with fluorescently labeled phalloidine. The protein levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA), migration-related protein matrix metalloprotein 9(MMP-9), fibronectin, α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), and osteopontin(OPN) were determined by Western blot. To further investigate the pharmacological mechanism of SAL, this study determined the expression of protein kinase B(Akt) and mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR), as well as the upstream proteins phosphatase and tensin homologue(PTEN) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor ß(PDGFR-ß) and the downstream protein hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. The results showed that the HASMCs in the model group presented significantly increased proliferation and migration, the switching from a contractile phenotype to a secretory phenotype, and cytoskeletal disarrangement. Compared with the model group, SAL weakened the proliferation and migration of HASMC, promoted the expression of α-SMA(a contractile phenotype marker), inhibited the expression of OPN(a secretory phenotype marker), and repaired the cytoskeletal disarrangement. Furthermore, compared with the control group, the modeling up-regulated the levels of phosphorylated Akt and mTOR and the relative expression of PTEN, HIF-1α, and PDGFR-ß. Compared with the model group, SAL down-regulated the protein levels of phosphorylated Akt and mTOR, PTEN, PDGFR-ß, and HIF-1α. In conclusion, SAL exerts a protective effect on the HASMCs exposed to PDGF-BB by regulating the PDGFR-ß/Akt/mTOR/HIF-1α signaling pathway.

[Clinical observation of transforaminal endoscopy combined with interspinous fusion in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis with instability in the elderly].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of transforaminal endoscopy combined with interspinous fusion in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis with instability in the elderly. METHODS: From February 2018 to February 2019, 82 elderly patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and instability were divided into control group and observation group. In the control group, there were 23 males and 18 females;the age was (68.9±4.1) years;the course of disease was (14.1±5.7) months;there were 5 cases of single segment lesions and 36 cases of multi segment lesions;simple bacfuse interspinous fusion was used. In the observation group, there were 22 males and 19 females;the age was (69.1±4.0) years;the course of diseasewas (14.4±5.5) months;there were 6 cases of single segment lesions and 35 cases of multi segment lesions;they were treated with transforaminal endoscopic surgery combined with Bacfuse interspinous fusion. The clinical efficacy, visual analogue scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores (JOA), Oswestry disability index (ODI), Lehmann lumbar function score, posterior disc height and intervertebral foramen height, complication rate and recurrence rate of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The clinical efficacy of the observation group was better than that of the control group;the VAS score of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, the JOA score was higher than that of the control group, and the ODI index at 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up was lower than that of the control group, the Lehmann lumbar function score was higher than that of the control group;the posterior edge height of intervertebral disc and intervertebral foramen height were higher than those of the controlgroup;the incidence of complications and recurrence rate (4.9% and 0.0%) of the observation group were lower than those of the control group (19.5%, 9.8%), the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The clinical effect of transforaminal endoscopy combined with interspinous process fusion in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis with instability in the elderly is ideal. It can reduce postoperative pain, improve lumbar function, improve the height of posterior edge of intervertebral disc and intervertebral foramen, and reduce the incidence and recurrence rate. It is worthy of clinical promotion.

[Assessment of ecosystem in giant panda distribution area based on entropy method and coefficient of variation]. / 基于熵值法与变异系数的大熊猫分布区生态系统评价.

The areas of the habitat and bamboo forest, and the size of the giant panda wild population have greatly increased, while habitat fragmentation and local population isolation have also intensified in recent years. Accurate evaluation of ecosystem status of the panda in the giant panda distribution area is important for giant panda conservation. The ecosystems of the distribution area and six mountain ranges were subdivided into habitat and population subsystems based on the hie-rarchical system theory. Using the panda distribution area as the study area and the three national surveys as the time node, the evolution laws of ecosystems were studied using the entropy method, coefficient of variation, and correlation analysis. We found that with continuous improvement, some differences existed in the evolution and present situation of the ecosystems of six mountain ranges could be divided into three groups. Ecosystems classified into the same group showed many commonalities, and difference between the groups was considerable. Problems of habitat fragmentation and local population isolation became more serious, resulting in ecosystem degradation. Individuali-zed ecological protection measures should be formulated and implemented in accordance with the conditions in each mountain system to achieve the best results.

[Rapid propagation system for tissure culture of Smilax glabra].

OBJECTIVE: Establishing the rapid propagation for plant tissue culture of Smilax glabra in order to rationally protect and utilize the resource. METHODS: The seed, shoot, leaf and rhizome of Similax glabra were cultured as explants. Different media and plant growth regulators at different concerntration were used. RESULTS: The best medium for bud induction was MS + 6-BA 2.0 mg/L + NAA 0.05 mg/L; The optimal medium for proliferation culture was MS +6-BA 2.0 mg/L + NAA 0.5 mg/L; The optimal medium for rooting was H + IBA 0.5 mg/L + NAA 0.5 mg/L; The optimal stroma for seedlings was 50% peat + 50% river sand. CONCLUSION: Different explants except leaf can be induced for tissue culture and rhizome has the optimal bud induction rate. An effective approach for rapid propagation has been provided,which can promote the artificial cultivation of Smilax glabra.

[Terahertz spectroscopic investigation of organophosphorus pesticide parathion-methyl].

The present paper reports the theoretical and experimental vibrational spectra of organophosphorus pesticide parathion-methyl in the frequency range from 0.2 to 2.0 THz respectively. Under the room temperature and nitrogen conditions, the absorption peaks were found at 0.65, 1.33, 1.81 and 1.91 THz, and the average refractive index was 1.39 based on the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). In parallel with the experimental study, density functional theory (DFT) was applied to obtain the structure and vibrational frequencies of parathion-methyl in the terahertz region. The calculated results are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data. The absorption features are caused by the collective vibrational and torsional modes, and the different absorption peaks correspond to different vibrational modes.

Promoter polymorphisms of IL2, IL4, and risk of gastric cancer in a high-risk Chinese population.

Interleukin 2 (IL2) is a typical Th1 cytokine, and interleukin 4 (IL4) is an inducible Th2 cytokine. These cytokines are critical mediators of the Th1/Th2 balance and apoptosis potential and involved in the process of inflammation-mediated carcinogenesis in human organs, including the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that functional variants in IL2 and IL4 were associated with risk of gastric cancer by genotyping two promoter polymorphisms in IL2 G-330T (rs2069762) and IL4 T-168C (rs2070874) in a case-control study of 1045 patients with incident gastric cancer and 1100 cancer-free controls in a high-risk Han Chinese population. We found that, compared with the IL4 -168TT genotype, heterozygous -168TC and combined -168TC/CC genotypes were associated with a significantly decreased gastric cancer risk [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.67-0.98 for -168TC; OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.69-1.00 for -168TC/CC, respectively]. Furthermore, this significant protective effect was more evident for gastric cardia cancer patients (adjusted OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.56-0.95 for -168TC/CC vs. -168TT). For IL2 G-330T, subjects carrying GT/TT genotypes also had a significantly reduced risk of gastric cardia cancer (adjusted OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.46-0.99), compared with those carrying the GG genotype. Our results indicate that IL4 T-168C and IL2 G-330T promoter polymorphisms may contribute to the etiology of gastric cardia cancer in Chinese populations.

[Terahertz spectroscopic investigation of imidacloprid].

Terahertz radiation generated by ultra short laser pulses has a broad band width in the far-infrared range. Terahertz wave interacting with materials is a new research field. In this paper, we performed measurement of absorption coefficient and refractive index of imidacloprid in the frequency range 0.2-2.0 THz at room temperature by THz-TDS. The results indicate that imidacloprid has absorption fingerprints in this frequency range, and the absorption coefficient increases with the frequency. The average refractive index of imidacloprid is 1.65, and the refractive index of imidacloprid increases slightly with frequency. A semi-empirical theory was applied to obtain the structure and vibrational frequencies of the imidacloprid molecules in THz region. The calculated results agree well with the experimental data. The absorption features are caused by the collective vibrational and torsional modes, and different absorption peaks correspond to different vibrational modes. The comparison between experimental and theoretical study shows that far-infrared absorption features are highly sensitive to the structure and spatial arrangement of the molecules. THz-TDS is a potential tool to understand the collective vibrational modes and conformational structures of biomolecules.

[Evaluation on germplasm resources of main production area of Artemisia annua in China].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and select excellent germplasm resources of Artemisia annua L., providing basic data for data base and breeding of A. annua. METHOD: Seventy-two germplasms of A. annua, which were collected from main production areas, were planted in germplasm resources garden in Jingxi and Nanning under the same conditions. The samples were gathered in the squaring stage. Artemisinin was extracted by supersonic wave and determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. RESULT: The leaf's yield and the content of artemisinin in the samples of different germplasms were varied significantly. Effect of environment on artemisinin content was more than that of hereditary factors. The content of artemisinin was different when the same material of A. annua grew in different place. The content of artemisinin in next year's plant was decreasing. CONCLUSIONS: Seven germplasms from south of China have been selected, their content of artemisinin was above 0.9% and calculated yield was more than 2250 kg x hm(-2). The content of artemisinin has been affected by hereditary factors and variation of the growth environment.

PGE2 up-regulates vascular endothelial growth factor expression in MKN28 gastric cancer cells via epidermal growth factor receptor signaling system.

AIM: 1) To evaluate the effect of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in gastric MKN28 cells, and 2) to investigate the role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signal transduction pathway in any effect exerted by PGE2 on VEGF expression. METHODS: MKN28 cells were incubated with the vehicle (control) or with PGE2 in the presence or absence of AG1478, a selective inhibitor of EGFR tyrosine kinase, or PD098059, a selective inhibitor of the kinase responsible for ERK2 phosphorylation (mitogen-activated protein (MAP)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were used to evaluate VEGF mRNA and protein expression. The activity of EGFR and ERK2 was measured by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: PGE2 significantly up-regulated VEGF mRNA and protein expression and increased the activation of EGFR and ERK2. Incubation of MKN28 cells with AG1478 significantly reduced PGE2-induced EGFR activity, ERK2 activity, and VEGF mRNA and protein expression. Meanwhile, incubation of MKN28 with PD098059 reduced PGE2-induced ERK2 activity and VEGF mRNA and protein expression, but had no effect on EGFR activity. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that PGE2 up-regulates VEGF expression in gastric cancer cells via transactivation of EGFR-MAPK signaling pathways, which may be mechanisms underlying the contribution of COX-2 to tumor angiogenesis in gastric cancer.