Effects of occupational mercury exposure on the immune function of workers / 中国职业医学

@#Objective To investigate the effects of mercury on T lymphocytes and serum immune indexes of workers with Methods occupational mercury exposure. A total of 45 workers with occupational mercury exposure were selected as the ， mercury exposure group and 47 workers without occupational mercury exposure were selected as the control group using the judgment sampling method. Cold atomic absorption spectrometry was used to detect the urinary mercury level of the two groups. （ ） +， + +， + + - + Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of cluster of differentiation CD 3 CD3CD4 CD3CD8 and CD3CD19 ， - （ - ） - （ - ） cells in peripheral blood and the levels of tumor necrosis factor α TNF α and interleukin 8 IL 8 in serum. The levels of （ ） ， Results immunoglobulin Ig A IgG and IgM in serum were measured by immune nephelometry. The urinary mercury level of （ ： vs ，P ） individuals in the mercury exposed group was higher than that of the control group median 92.7 13.2 μg/g Cr <0.01 . The +， + +， - + proportion of CD3 CD3CD4 CD3CD19 cells in peripheral blood and serum IgG level in the mercury exposed group （ P ）， - - （ P ） decreased all <0.05 and the serum TNF α and IL 8 levels increased all <0.01 compared with the control group. Urinary - + mercury level was negatively correlated with the proportion of CD3CD19 cells in peripheral blood and serum IgG level in the ［ （r） ， ， P ］， study subjects Spearman correlation coefficient S were −0.21 and −0.31 respectively all <0.05 and positively - - （r ， ， P ） ， correlated with serum TNF α and IL 8 levels S were 0.36 and 0.39 respectively all <0.05 . However the urinary mercury （ P ）， +， + +， level was neither correlated with IgA and IgM levels in serum all >0.05 nor with the proportion of CD3 CD3CD4 + + （ P ） Conclusion CD3CD8 cells in peripheral blood all >0.05 . Occupational exposure to mercury can lead to abnormal ， changes in peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets B lymphocytes and serum immune factors in workers. The mercury load of occupational mercury exposure workers may impact their immune function.

Protective effects of andrographolide against cerebral ischemia­reperfusion injury in mice.

Ischemic stroke is one of the most common causes of mortality worldwide and is a primary cause of disability and mortality in adults. There is an unmet need for drugs that can effectively treat ischemic stroke. Hence, the present study explored the neuroprotective effects of andrographolide (Andro) in a mouse model of bilateral common carotid artery occlusion, and systematically evaluated the potential mechanisms underlying its effects. The effects of Andro on mouse brain tissue following cerebral ischemia­reperfusion injury (CIRI) were evaluated by histopathological (H&E and Nissl) and immunofluorescence [glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neuronal nuclei (NeuN)] staining. A traditional Chinese medicine­based network pharmacology method was performed to establish and analyze compound­target­disease and function­pathway networks in order to elucidate the possible mechanisms responsible for the protective role of Andrographis paniculata in CIRI. In addition, western blot analysis and RT­qPCR was performed to evaluate the expression and activation of signaling proteins predicted to be involved in this mechanism. The amelioration of histopathological alterations was observed in mice pre­treated with Andro. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that Andro decreased the expression of GFAP and increased the expression of NeuN, and significantly decreased the levels of pro­inflammatory cytokines (IL­1ß, IL­6 and TNF­α). Network pharmacology analysis revealed that neuroinflammatory response and apoptosis were associated with the effects of Andrographis paniculata on CIRI. Western blot analysis revealed that the mice pre­treated with Andro exhibited an upregulated protein expression of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), p­PI3K and p­Akt, as well as a decrease in the expression of GFAP and an increase in the expression of NeuN. In addition, the data of RT­qPCR indicated that the mice pre­treated with Andro exhibited a significantly decreased expression of encoding IL­1ß mRNA, IL­6 mRNA and TNF­α mRNA in the brain compared to the untreated mice following CIRI. On the whole, the findings of the present study suggest that pre­treatment with Andro exerts a protective effect against CIRI, which may be partly related to its potential to reduce neuroinflammatory response and apoptosis in patients with stroke.

Total glucosides of herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) flower attenuate adenine- and ethambutol-induced hyperuricaemia in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) flower has been used widely in dietotherapy in China and other countries. It has good ethnopharmacological value in the treatment of various metabolic diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms by which it lowers serum uric acid are unknown. The development of pharmaceutical resources is very important. Here, we sought to elucidate the mode of action of herbaceous peony in terms of reducing uric acid levels. AIM OF THE STUDY: In the present research, the effects of the total glucosides of herbaceous peony flower were investigated in a rat hyperuricaemia model. Another aim of the study was to clarify the mechanism by which herbaceous peony flower (TGPF) lowers serum uric acid levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hyperuricaemic rat model was induced via intragastric administration of 100 mg/kg adenine and 250 mg/kg ethambutol hydrochloride (EH) for 23 d. Then TongFengShu 600 mg/kg, allopurinol 42 mg/kg, or TGPF (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, or 200 mg/kg) was administered 1 h after the adenine and EH treatments. RESULTS: TGPF improved weight loss and decreased serum UA, XOD, MCP-1, TNF-α, Cr, and BUN in the rats with hyperuricaemic nephropathy. TGPF downregulated renal URAT1 and GLUT9, upregulated renal OAT1, and ameliorated histopathological changes in the thymus, spleen, and kidney. CONCLUSION: TGPF is promising as a therapeutic agent against hyperuricaemia. It regulates the uric acid transporters and diminished serum uric acid levels, and alleviates renal pathology associated with hyperuricaemia.

[Thinking on safety of "toxic" traditional Chinese medicine for external use].

In recent years,the safety of " toxic" traditional Chinese medicine has received great attention. Similarly,the safety of " toxic" Chinese medicines for external use should not be ignored. In this paper,the adverse reactions of toxic Chinese medicine for external use were systematically studied; the causes for adverse reactions were analyzed; and the key problems on the external use of toxic Chinese medicine in modern clinical practice were put forward. For example,usage dosage(time,area),specific efficacy of external use,early warning index of toxicity,toxic dose,adverse effects,toxic symptoms and corresponding treatment measures all had no reference basis,lacking a systematic toxicity evaluation medication criteria for clinical external use of toxic Chinese medicine. Attention shall be paid to the toxicity of toxic Chinese medicine for external use,and the theory of toxicity evaluation should be established for the external use of " toxic" traditional Chinese medicine under specific conditions. The early warning mechanism for toxic and adverse effects were clarified,and relevant early warning sensitive indicators applicable to clinical use were established in this study to control its risk factors. The study on the mechanism of pharmacodynamics and toxicology of " toxic" traditional Chinese medicine for external use was strengthened to clarify the usage and specific effects of external use. On the basis of this,the study of synergism and reduction of toxicity was carried out to maximize the efficacy of external use of traditional Chinese medicine under specific conditions. A toxicity standard of " toxic" Chinese medicines for external use was put forward,which was of great significance to guide clinical safety,rationality,effectiveness as well as the research and development of new dosage forms for external use of traditional Chinese medicine.

[Frostbite animal model preparation specification(draft)].

Frostbite is a common disease in winter, and systemic or local injury caused by low temperature invasion. Frostbite sites are commonly face, ears, nose, hands, feet and other peripheral blood circulation parts. The main symptoms are pale skin, cold, pain and numbness, skin itching in high temperature, and severe cases may suffer from skin erosions and ulcers. Frostbite model is a pathological model mainly based on Western medicine index. Based on the analysis of clinical symptoms of frostbite in traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, and a large number of experimental studies on the existing animal models, the animal model preparation of specifications (draft) was formulated as follows.

[Animal model analysis on transient ischemic attack based on clinical symptom characteristics of Chinese and Western medicine].

Based on the clinical symptom characteristics of transient ischemic attack in Chinese and Western medicines, the existing models of transient ischemic attack were summarized and analyzed. Then the advantages and disadvantages of each model, the diagnostic criteria of traditional Chinese and Western medicine and clinical symptoms compliance were analyzed to put forward the evaluation method and improvement method of the corresponding animal models. It was found that there were many modeling methods of transient ischemic attack, but they can not reflect the transience, reversibility, recurrence and other typical characteristics of the disease, with significant differences with clinical symptoms. Moreover, there is lack of reasonable quantitative criteria for the success of the animal model. By combining the existing single factor animal models, a composite animal model that was more closely related to the clinical symptoms of transient ischemic attack was established to replicate an animal model that was more compatible with the characteristics of clinical symptoms. It is the future development directions of the transient ischemic attack animal models to establish reasonable quantitative standards, reflect the causes of Chinese and Western medicine symptoms and improving a series of systematic and complete model evaluation methods.