Application of ultrasound-guided medical thoracoscopy in patients with small amounts or without pleural effusion.

BACKGROUND: Pleural disease is a common clinical condition, and some patients present with a small amount of pleural effusion or no pleural effusion. It is difficult to diagnose such patients in clinical practice. Medical thoracoscopy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of pleural effusion with unknown origin, and guidelines recommend that pneumothorax should be induced in such patients before medical thoracoscopy examination. However, the process of inducing pneumothorax is tedious and has many complications. Our study was conducted to clarify the value of thoracic ultrasound combined with medical thoracoscopy in patients with small amounts or without pleural effusion to simplify the process of medical thoracoscopy examination. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included patients who were assigned to complete medical thoracoscopy. Successful completion of medical thoracoscopy in patients was regarded as letting the endoscope get into the pleural cavity and completion of the biopsy. Finally, we analyzed the value of preoperative ultrasound in patients without or with small amounts of pleural effusion. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were finally included in the study. Among them, 68 patients who underwent ultrasound positioning of the access site successfully completed the examination and four patients failed the examination. Fifty-one cases showed no fluid sonolucent area at the access site, of which 48 cases had pleural sliding signs at the access site, and 47 patients successfully completed the examination; 3 cases without pleural sliding signs at the access site failed to complete thoracoscopy. In 21 cases, the fluid sonolucent area was selected as the access site, and all of them successfully completed thoracoscopy. CONCLUSION: Medical thoracoscopy is one of the methods to confirm the diagnosis in patients with pleural disease with small amounts or without pleural effusion. The application of thoracic ultrasound before medical thoracoscopy can be used for the selection of the access site. It is possible to replace pneumothorax induction before medical thoracoscopy.

Common nutritional/inflammatory indicators are not effective tools in predicting the overall survival of patients with small cell lung cancer undergoing first-line chemotherapy.

Objective: Various studies have investigated the predictive significance of numerous peripheral blood biomarkers in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, their predictive values have not been validated. This study assessed and evaluated the ability of common nutritional or inflammatory indicators to predict overall survival (OS) in patients with SCLC who received first-line chemotherapy. Methods: Between January 2008 and July 2019, 560 patients with SCLC were enrolled at the Sichuan University West China Hospital. Eleven nutritional or inflammatory indices obtained before chemotherapy were evaluated. The cutoff values of continuous peripheral blood indices were confirmed through maximally selected rank statistics. The relationship of peripheral blood indices with OS was investigated through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Harrell's concordance (C-index) and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve were used to evaluate the performance of these indices. Results: A total of 560 patients with SCLC were enrolled in the study. All the patients received first-line chemotherapy. In the univariate Cox analysis, all indices, except the Naples score, were related to OS. In the multivariate analysis, albumin-globulin ratio was an independent factor linked with prognosis. All indices exhibited poor performance in OS prediction, with the area under the curve ranging from 0.500 to 0.700. The lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were comparatively superior predictors with C-index of 0.568 and 0.550, respectively. The LDH showed incremental predictive values, whereas the PNI showed diminishing values as survival time prolonged, especially for men or smokers. The LDH with highest sensitivity (0.646) and advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) with highest specificity (0.952) were conducive to identifying death and survival at different time points. Conclusion: Common inflammatory or nutritional biomarkers are only marginally useful in predicting outcomes in patients with SCLC receiving first-line chemotherapy. Among them, LDH, PNI, and ALI are relatively promising biomarkers for prognosis evaluation.

Targeted delivery and enhanced uptake of chemo-photodynamic nanomedicine for melanoma treatment.

Nanoparticles (NPs) modified with targeting ligands have often shown great potential in targeted drug delivery for tumor therapy. However, the clearance of NPs by the monocyte-phagocyte system (MPS) and the relatively low cellular uptake by tumor cells have significantly limited the antitumor efficacy of a variety of nanomedicines. Tumor microenvironment-mediated multidrug resistance also reduces the antitumor efficacy of internalized nanomedicines. Herein, we developed an innovative nanomedicine for combined chemo-photodynamic therapy of melanoma through targeted drug delivery and significantly improved the cellular uptake of the nanomedicine through the charge-reversal phenomenon. An amphiphilic platinum (IV)-polyethylenimine-chlorin e6 (Pt(IV)-PEI-Ce6) polymer was designed, prepared, and self-assembled into NPs (PPC) in an aqueous solution, and these NPs were subsequently coated with hyaluronic acid (HA) to afford PPC@HA. The surface-coated HA provided PPC with a negatively charged surface potential to reduce the clearance by the MPS during systemic circulation and enhanced the targeted delivery of PPC to CD44-overexpressing melanoma cells. Upon accumulation in the tumor site, hyaluronidase overexpressed in the tumor induced HA degradation to release the positively charged PPC, resulting in an increased internalization of PPC into tumor cells. Bioactive Pt(II) was released in response to high glutathione level in the tumor cells for effective tumor chemotherapy. Under 650 nm laser irradiation, Ce6 produced reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus driving photodynamic therapy. Finally, PPC@HA exhibited combined photodynamic-chemotherapeutic antitumor efficacy against the melanoma cells in mice. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Tumors are one of the greatest threats to human health, and chemotherapy has been one of the most common therapeutic modalities for treating tumors; however, many challenges related to chemotherapy remain, such as low delivery efficiency, side effects, and unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy. Nanomedicines modified with targeting ligands have often shown great potential in improving targeted drug delivery for tumor therapy; however, the clearance of nanomaterials by the monocyte-phagocyte system and the relatively low cellular uptake by tumor cells have significantly limited the antitumor efficacy of a variety of nanomedicines. Herein, we developed a novel charge-reversal-based, hyaluronic acid-coated, Pt(IV) prodrug and chlorin e6-based nanomedicine to improve systemic circulation and targeted accumulation of the nanomedicine in the tumor tissue and to enhance its intracellular uptake. This nanomedicine may provide a potential new platform to improve the drug content inside tumor cells and to effectively inhibit tumor growth through combined chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy.

Case report: Identification of acute promyelocytic leukemia during osimertinib resistance followed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and pembrolizumab.

Background: The occurrence of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) during the management of lung cancer is rare and life-threatening. It was mainly reported to be secondary to chemoradiotherapy. A few studies reported an increased incidence of therapy-related acute promyelocytic leukemia (t-APL) after gefitinib became available. Case presentation: We reported a patient who developed thrombocytopenia after receiving oral osimertinib in combination with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). For half a year, she had an unrecoverable low platelet count, which progressed to concomitant leukopenia and the transient appearance of orthochromatic normoblasts in the peripheral blood test, indicating a dormant myeloid disorder. Due to simultaneous resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), pembrolizumab and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) were administered, revealing prominent signs of hematological malignancy in a peripheral blood test that was later identified as t-APL. Conclusion: In general, patients undergoing EGFR-TKI combined with local radiotherapy should be concerned about their hematological assessment. If patients exhibit unrecoverable abnormalities in routine blood tests, a secondary nonsolid malignancy other than myelosuppression should be considered, and further lung cancer treatment should be discontinued.

Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking-Based Analysis on Bioactive Anticoronary Heart Disease Compounds in Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim and Bulbus allii Macrostemi.

Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. and Bulbus allii Macrostemi are the components of Gualou Xiebai decoction (GLXB), a commonly used herbal combination for the treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) in traditional Chinese medicine. Although GLXB is associated with a good clinical effect, its active compounds and mechanism of action remain unclear, which limits its clinical application and the development of novel drugs. In this study, we explored key compounds, targets, and mechanisms of action for GLXB in the treatment of CHD using the network pharmacology approach. We identified 18 compounds and 21 action targets via database screening. Enrichment analysis indicated that the effects of GLXB in patients with CHD are primarily associated with the regulation of signalling pathways for tumour necrosis factor, nuclear factor-kappa B, hypoxia-inducible factor-1, arachidonic acid metabolism, and insulin resistance. GLXB thus exerts anti-inflammatory, antihypoxic, and antiagglutinating effects; regulates lipid metabolism; and combats insulin resistance in CHD via these pathways, respectively. After reverse targeting, we observed that the main active compounds of GLXB in the treatment of CHD were quercetin, naringenin, ß-sitosterol, ethyl linolenate, ethyl linoleate, and prostaglandin B1. To explore the potential of these compounds in the treatment of CHD, we verified the affinity of the compounds and targets via molecular docking analysis. Our study provides a bridge for the transformation of natural herbs and molecular compounds into novel drug therapies for CHD.

Supramolecular micelles as multifunctional theranostic agents for synergistic photodynamic therapy and hypoxia-activated chemotherapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), where a photosensitizer (under light irradiation) converts molecular oxygen to singlet oxygen to elicit programmed cell death, is a promising cancer treatment modality with a high temporal and spatial resolution. However, only limited cancer treatment efficacy has been achieved in clinical PDT due to the hypoxic conditions of solid tumor microenvironment that limits the generation of singlet oxygen, and PDT process often leads to even more hypoxic microenvironment due to the consumption of oxygens during therapy. Herein, we designed novel supramolecular micelles to co-deliver photosensitizer and hypoxia-responsive prodrug to improve the overall therapeutic efficacy. The supramolecular micelles (CPC) were derived from a polyethylene glycol (PEG) system dually tagged with hydrophilic cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and hydrophobic Chlorin e6 (Ce6), respectively on each end, for synergistic antitumor therapy via PDT of Ce6 and chemotherapy of a hypoxia-responsive prodrug, banoxantrone (AQ4N), loaded into the cavity of CB[7]. In addition, CPC was further modularly functionalized by folate (FA) via strong host-guest interaction between folate-amantadine (FA-ADA) and CB[7] to produce a novel nanoplatform, AQ4N@CPC-FA, for targeted delivery. AQ4N@CPC-FA exhibited enhanced cellular uptake, negligible cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility, and improved intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency. More importantly, in vivo evaluation of AQ4N@CPC-FA revealed a synergistic antitumor efficacy between PDT of Ce6 and hypoxia-activated chemotherapy of AQ4N (that can be converted to chemotherapeutic AQ4 for tumor chemotherapy in response to the strengthened hypoxic tumor microenvironment during PDT treatment). This study not only provides a new nanoplatform for synergistic photodynamic-chemotherapeutic treatment, but also offers important new insights to design and development of multifunctional supramolecular drug delivery system. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has exhibited a variety of advantages for cancer phototherapy as compared to traditional chemotherapy. However, the unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy by PDT alone as a result of the enhanced tumor hypoxia during PDT has limited its clinical application. Herein, we designed multifunctional supramolecular micelles to co-deliver photosensitizer and hypoxia-responsive prodrug to improve the overall therapeutic efficacy. The supramolecular micelles are biocompatible and possess strong red absorption, controlled drug release profile, and ultimately enhanced therapeutic outcome via PDT-chemotherapy. This study not only provides a new nanoplatform for synergistic photodynamic-chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer, but also offers important new insights to design and development of multifunctional supramolecular drug delivery tool for multi-modality cancer therapy.

Microglial Exosome miR-7239-3p Promotes Glioma Progression by Regulating Circadian Genes.

Glioma-associated microglial cells, a key component of the tumor microenvironment, play an important role in glioma progression. In this study, the mouse glioma cell line GL261 and the mouse microglia cell line BV2 were chosen. First, circadian gene expression in glioma cells co-cultured with either M1 or M2 microglia was assessed and the exosomes of M2-polarized and unpolarized BV-2 microglia were extracted. Subsequently, we labeled the exosomes with PKH67 and treated GL261 cells with them to investigate the exosome distribution. GL261 cell phenotypes and related protein expression were used to explore the role of M2 microglial exosomes in gliomas. Then a specific miR-7239-3p inhibitor was added to verify miR-7239-3p functions. Finally, the mouse subcutaneous tumorigenic model was used to verify the tumorigenic effect of M2 microglial exosomes in vivo. Our results showed that in gliomas co-cultured with M2 microglia, the expression of the BMAL1 protein was decreased (P < 0.01), while the expression of the CLOCK protein was increased (P < 0.05); opposite results were obtained in gliomas co-cultured with M1 microglia. After treatment with M2 microglial exosomes, the apoptosis of GL261 cells decreased (P < 0.001), while the viability, proliferation, and migration of GL261 cells increased. Increased expression of N-cadherin and Vimentin, and decreased E-cadherin expression occurred upon treatment with M2 microglial exosomes. Addition of an miR-7239-3p inhibitor to M2 microglial exosomes reversed these results. In summary, we found that miR-7239-3p in the glioma microenvironment is recruited to glioma cells by exosomes and inhibits Bmal1 expression. M2 microglial exosomes promote the proliferation and migration of gliomas by regulating tumor-related protein expression and reducing apoptosis.

Economical bluetooth low energy-based telemetry system with combined data processing method for long-term laboratory animal monitoring for biological rhythm research.

A telemetry system based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) was constructed to simultaneously collect locomotor activity and physiological signals of small animal cohorts for circadian rhythm experiments; it consists of miniature transmitters and mobile phone with customized App. The continuous sampling signals obtained from the 3-axis acceleration and temperature sensors in the transmitters are sent to the mobile phone in real-time through Internet of Things (IoT) for temporary storage and then imported into the computer for summary and rhythm analysis by the general open-source mathematical software. Unlike expensive and complicated commercial telemetry systems with industrial wireless standards, no special data receivers and software are needed. In our validation experiment, six rats were divided into two groups under natural dark and light-dark cycles. For two consecutive weeks, the transmitter mounted on the head of the rat-recorded locomotor activity, skin temperature, and ambient temperature of each rat at a frequency of 6 Hz. After processing with Local Weighted Regression Scatter Smoothing (LOWESS) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) filtering, single cosinor and multi-components cosinor were then used to assess and characterize the circadian rhythm. The results showed that the rhythm values of the two groups of rats coincided with the corresponding light-dark cycle, and that the system was robust to data loss and error from BLE communication failures. Therefore, the proposed system provides a light-weight framework for long-term circadian rhythm monitoring in free-moving rodents to further simplify and promote experimental chronobiology animal studies.

Potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies selected from a human antibody library constructed decades ago

Combinatorial antibody libraries not only effectively reduce antibody discovery to a numbers game, but enable documentation of the history of antibody responses in an individual. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has prompted a wider application of this technology to meet the public health challenge of pandemic threats in the modern era. Herein, we used a combinatorial human antibody library constructed 20 years before the COVID-19 pandemic to discover three highly potent antibodies that selectively bind SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and neutralize authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus. Compared to neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients with generally low somatic hypermutation (SHM), these antibodies contain over 13-22 SHMs, many of which are involved in specific interactions in crystal structures with SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD. The identification of these somatically mutated antibodies in a pre-pandemic library raises intriguing questions about the origin and evolution of human immune responses to SARS-CoV-2.

Robust neutralization assay based on SARS-CoV-2 S-protein-bearing vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) pseudovirus and ACE2-overexpressing BHK21 cells.

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disaster for human society. A convenient and reliable neutralization assay is very important for the development of vaccines and novel drugs. In this study, a G protein-deficient vesicular stomatitis virus (VSVdG) bearing a truncated spike protein (S with C-terminal 18 amino acid truncation) was compared to that bearing the full-length spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and showed much higher efficiency. A neutralization assay was established based on VSV-SARS-CoV-2-Sdel18 pseudovirus and hACE2-overexpressing BHK21 cells (BHK21-hACE2 cells). The experimental results can be obtained by automatically counting the number of EGFP-positive cells at 12 h after infection, making the assay convenient and high-throughput. The serum neutralizing titer measured by the VSV-SARS-CoV-2-Sdel18 pseudovirus assay has a good correlation with that measured by the wild type SARS-CoV-2 assay. Seven neutralizing monoclonal antibodies targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein were obtained. This efficient and reliable pseudovirus assay model could facilitate the development of new drugs and vaccines.

The Clock-Controlled lncRNA-AK028245 Participates in the Immune Response via Immune Response Factors OTUD7B and A20.

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of mammalian circadian systems. Circadian rhythmicity regulates many aspects of our immune system, and perturbation of the circadian clock can augment the inflammatory response. However, knowledge of the precise functions of lncRNAs in the regulation of immune functions within the circadian system is relatively limited. In this study, differentially expressed lncRNAs induced by Clock knockdown were screened via mRNA/lncRNA microarray and bioinformatic prediction analysis. We identified a Clock-regulated lncRNA, AK028245, which was correlated with the activation of the immune response. The expression levels of AK028245 were decreased in the spleen of immunosuppressed mice and elevated in immune-activated mice treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Further, Clock knockdown decreased the expression of OTUD7B and A20, 2 early immune response factors acting on the NF-κB signaling pathway. Interestingly, inhibition of AK028245 increased their expression, mitigating the effects of Clock knockdown. In addition, inhibition of AK028245 downregulated the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in the late stages of LPS stimulation and the expression of interferon-γ and Cxcl12 in the peak stages. We conclude that this newly identified lncRNA plays a role in the crosstalk between Clock and immune response regulators, likely resulting in a proinflammatory response targeting OTUD7B and A20. The lncRNA AK028245 has revealed a new mechanism of the immune response and provided new targets for the treatment of immune disorders.

Serology characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection after exposure and post-symptom onset.

BACKGROUND: Timely diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a prerequisite for treatment and prevention. The serology characteristics and complement diagnosis value of the antibody test to RNA test need to be demonstrated. METHOD: Serial sera of 80 patients with PCR-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were collected at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Total antibody (Ab), IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected, and the antibody dynamics during the infection were described. RESULTS: The seroconversion rates for Ab, IgM and IgG were 98.8%, 93.8% and 93.8%, respectively. The first detectible serology marker was Ab, followed by IgM and IgG, with a median seroconversion time of 15, 18 and 20 days post exposure (d.p.e.) or 9, 10 and 12 days post onset (d.p.o.), respectively. The antibody levels increased rapidly beginning at 6 d.p.o. and were accompanied by a decline in viral load. For patients in the early stage of illness (0-7 d.p.o), Ab showed the highest sensitivity (64.1%) compared with IgM and IgG (33.3% for both; p<0.001). The sensitivities of Ab, IgM and IgG increased to 100%, 96.7% and 93.3%, respectively, 2 weeks later. When the same antibody type was detected, no significant difference was observed between enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and other forms of immunoassays. CONCLUSIONS: A typical acute antibody response is induced during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Serology testing provides an important complement to RNA testing in the later stages of illness for pathogenic-specific diagnosis and helpful information to evaluate the adapted immunity status of patients.

[Comparison between Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai in treatment of diarrfea with damp-heat].

Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai are two febrile disease specialists in same time, and for the treatment of dampness and heat, they have different medication ideas. With the help of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), author has studied two specialists' consilias of dampness and heat, through the statistics and analysis of their medicine during the treatment of dampness and heat, summarizes the similarities and differences of Ye and Xue's medicine application's assoations and models. Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai were both thought that the reason of dampness and heat was damp heat pathogenic factors, for this reason, the spleen and stomach conduction disordered, They both treated from the middle-jiao of Yangming and Taiyin, focused on warm-natured medicine, cold-natured medicine, used less cool-natured and heat-natured medicine, and more bitter, pungent, sweet medicine; Ye Tianshi usually use Scutellariae Radix, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Coptidis Rhizoma, Polyporus, Poria, Alismatis Rhizoma; Xue Shengbai commonly use Poria, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Magnoliae officinalis Cortex, Patchouli, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Lablab Semen Album, Puerariae Lobatae Radix, Mume Fructus, Tsaoko Fructus, Amomi Fructus, Coptidis Rhizoma and Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex. The differences between the two masters in medicine application provide a reference for the clinical treatment of dampness and heat.

Comparison between Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai in treatment of diarrfea with damp-heat / 中国中药杂志

Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai are two febrile disease specialists in same time, and for the treatment of dampness and heat, they have different medication ideas. With the help of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), author has studied two specialists' consilias of dampness and heat, through the statistics and analysis of their medicine during the treatment of dampness and heat, summarizes the similarities and differences of Ye and Xue's medicine application's assoations and models. Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai were both thought that the reason of dampness and heat was damp heat pathogenic factors, for this reason, the spleen and stomach conduction disordered, They both treated from the middle-jiao of Yangming and Taiyin, focused on warm-natured medicine, cold-natured medicine, used less cool-natured and heat-natured medicine, and more bitter, pungent, sweet medicine; Ye Tianshi usually use Scutellariae Radix, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Coptidis Rhizoma, Polyporus, Poria, Alismatis Rhizoma; Xue Shengbai commonly use Poria, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Magnoliae officinalis Cortex, Patchouli, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Lablab Semen Album, Puerariae Lobatae Radix, Mume Fructus, Tsaoko Fructus, Amomi Fructus, Coptidis Rhizoma and Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex. The differences between the two masters in medicine application provide a reference for the clinical treatment of dampness and heat.

[Comparison between Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai in treatment of distention with damp-heat].

Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai were both epidemic febrile diseases specialists in same time of Qing dynasty. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System was used to compare and analyze the therapeutic characteristics of these two specialists in treating damp-heat type fullness or distension in stomach. Distension is commonly caused by qi stagnation accompanied with damp-heat from internal and external factors. In treatment, separation of damp and heat and removing dampness and heat from sanjiao separately were their common therapeutic principles. Both Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai paid much greater attention to eliminating dampness, and the herbs with bitter and pungent flavor, warm in property were usually chosen to regulate qi flow and reduce dampness. Invigorating spleen, nourishing stomach and dispersing lung were the frequently used treatment to balance the organs'harmony. The difference between specialist Ye and specialist Xue was the preference of herbs. Hou Pu (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex), Xing Ren (Armeniacae Semen Amarum), Chen Pi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), and Hua Shi (Talcum) were often used in both administrations. Besides, Ye Tianshi preferred to use Ban Xia (Pinelliae Rhizoma), Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Fuling, et al. Xue Shengbai on the other hand enjoyed using Fu Lingpi(Poriae Cutis), Cao Guo (Tsaoko Fructus), and Guang Huoxiang (Pogostemonis Herba), et al. In herbs compatibility, both of the two specialists were fond of using Chen Pi-Hou Pu, Hou Pu-Xing Ren. Moreover, Ye Tianshi often used Ban Xia- Xing Ren, Ban Xia-Huang Qin, and Hua Shi-Xing Ren to achieve the expected outcome of the treatment. While, Chen Pi, Fu Lingpi, and Hou Pu were the common combination with each other in Xue's cases. The similarities and differences of their administration should have the guidance in current clinical Chinese medicine practice for damp-heat type fullness or distension in stomach.

Comparison between Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai in treatment of distention with damp-heat / 中国中药杂志

Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai were both epidemic febrile diseases specialists in same time of Qing dynasty. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System was used to compare and analyze the therapeutic characteristics of these two specialists in treating damp-heat type fullness or distension in stomach. Distension is commonly caused by qi stagnation accompanied with damp-heat from internal and external factors. In treatment, separation of damp and heat and removing dampness and heat from sanjiao separately were their common therapeutic principles. Both Ye Tianshi and Xue Shengbai paid much greater attention to eliminating dampness, and the herbs with bitter and pungent flavor, warm in property were usually chosen to regulate qi flow and reduce dampness. Invigorating spleen, nourishing stomach and dispersing lung were the frequently used treatment to balance the organs'harmony. The difference between specialist Ye and specialist Xue was the preference of herbs. Hou Pu (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex), Xing Ren (Armeniacae Semen Amarum), Chen Pi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), and Hua Shi (Talcum) were often used in both administrations. Besides, Ye Tianshi preferred to use Ban Xia (Pinelliae Rhizoma), Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Fuling, et al. Xue Shengbai on the other hand enjoyed using Fu Lingpi(Poriae Cutis), Cao Guo (Tsaoko Fructus), and Guang Huoxiang (Pogostemonis Herba), et al. In herbs compatibility, both of the two specialists were fond of using Chen Pi-Hou Pu, Hou Pu-Xing Ren. Moreover, Ye Tianshi often used Ban Xia- Xing Ren, Ban Xia-Huang Qin, and Hua Shi-Xing Ren to achieve the expected outcome of the treatment. While, Chen Pi, Fu Lingpi, and Hou Pu were the common combination with each other in Xue's cases. The similarities and differences of their administration should have the guidance in current clinical Chinese medicine practice for damp-heat type fullness or distension in stomach.

The circadian Clock gene regulates acrosin activity of sperm through serine protease inhibitor A3K.

Our previous study found that CLOCK knockdown in the testes of male mice led to a reduced fertility, which might be associated with the lower acrosin activity. In this present study, we examined the differential expression in proteins of CLOCK knockdown sperm. Clock gene expression was knocked down in cells to confirm those differentially expressions and serine protease inhibitor SERPINA3K was identified as a potential target. The up-regulated SERPINA3K revealed an inverse relationship with Clock knockdown. Direct treatment of normal sperm with recombinant SERPINA3K protein inhibited the acrosin activity and reduced in vitro fertilization rate. The luciferase reporter gene assay showed that the down-regulated of Clock gene could activate the Serpina3k promoter, but this activation was not affected by the mutation of E-box core sequence. Co-IP demonstrated a natural interaction between SERPIAN3K and RORs (α and ß). Taken together, these results demonstrated that SERPINA3K is involved in the Clock gene-mediated male fertility by regulating acrosin activity and provide the first evidence that SERPINA3K could be regulated by Clock gene via retinoic acid-related orphan receptor response elements.

Smeared star spot location estimation using directional integral method.

Image smearing significantly affects the accuracy of attitude determination of most star sensors. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of a star sensor under image smearing conditions, a novel directional integral method is presented for high-precision star spot location estimation to improve the accuracy of attitude determination. Simulations based on the orbit data of the challenging mini-satellite payload satellite were performed. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed method exhibits high performance and good robustness, which indicates that the method can be applied effectively.

The noncircadian function of the circadian Clock gene in the regulation of male fertility.

Mice homozygous for a dominant-negative allele of the Clock gene (Clock (Δ19/Δ19)) have slightly but significantly decreased male fertility. The molecular mechanism for this reduction in fertility is unknown. In the present study, we used a small hairpin RNA (shRNA) strategy to specifically knock down the Clock gene expression in the testes of male mice and determined its effect on male fertility. Clock knockdown led to smaller litter size, a lower in vitro fertility rate, lower blastula formation rate, and lower acrosin activity of the knockdown sperm. Locomotor activity analysis of the Clock knockdown mice revealed that Clock knockdown in testes did not alter their circadian rhythm. Taken together, these results provide the first evidence that Clock gene expression in round spermatids is essential for maintaining male reproductivity and suggest that acrosin may be a novel regulatory target of the Clock gene that would regulate the fertilization and early embryonic development to blastula. These findings may provide new clues for development of novel male contraceptive strategies.

Tetracysteine as a reporter for gene therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To study the feasibility of using tetracysteine (TC) reporter in gene therapy. METHODS: Effects of TC reporter and conventional reporter genes encoding green fluorescence protein (GFP) and luciferase (Luc) on expression and function of the therapeutic gene MGMT(P140K) were compared. Cytotoxicity and drug resistance were studied by Western blot. TC reporter used in therapy was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). RESULTS: The TC reporter had no toxicity to cells and neither affected the expression or activity of therapeutic gene as compared to GFP and Luc. TC could be used in blood sample detection. CONCLUSION: TC is a new kind of reporter gene for lentiviral vector in future gene therapy.