Ulinastatin alleviates neuroinflammation but fails to improve cognitive function in aged rats following partial hepatectomy.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is very common complication of surgery in aged individuals. Accumulated evidence suggests that neuroinflammation may be the underlying cause of POCD. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of ulinastatin (UTI) on neuroinflammation and on learning and memory of aged rats after anesthesia and surgery. Our results showed that anesthetic isoflurane increased the hippocampal mRNA level of IL-1ß, while surgery of partial hepatectomy increased the hippocampal mRNA levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IL-6 as well as impaired rats' spatial memory at day 7 post-surgery. UTI (10,000 U/kg, i.v.) decreased the anesthesia- and surgery-induced increases in mRNA levels of all three cytokines, but did not improve the rats' impaired working memory. In conclusion, moderate and temporary suppression of UTI-induced inflammatory cytokines in hippocampus is not sufficient to alleviate the impairment of working memory.

Mechanism of Yanghe Decoction against subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer through HIF-1α signaling pathway regulating glycolysis:based on network pharmacology and animal experiment / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore the mechanism of Yanghe Decoction(YHD) against subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer, which is expected to lay a basis for the treatment of breast carcinoma with YHD. The chemical components of medicinals in YHD, and the targets of the components were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction. The disease-related targets were searched from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). Excel was employed to screen the common targets and plot the Venn diagram. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed. R language was used for Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment. A total of 53 female SPF Bablc/6 mice were randomized into normal group(same volume of normal saline, ig), model group(same volume of normal saline, ig), and low-dose and high-dose YHD groups(YHD, ig, 30 days), with 8 mice in normal group and 15 mice in each of the other groups. Body weight and tumor size was measured every day. Curves for body weight variation and growth of tumor in situ were plotted. In the end, the subcutaneous tumor sample was collected and observed based on hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining. The mRNA and protein levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α), pyruvate kinase M2(PKM2), lactate dehydrogenase A(LDHA), and glucose transporter type 1(GLUT1) were detected by PCR and Western blot. A total of 213 active components of YHD and 185 targets against the disease were screened out. The hypothesis that YHD may regulate glycolysis through HIF-1α signaling pathway to intervene in breast cancer was proposed. Animal experiment confirmed that the mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α, PKM2, LDHA, and GLUT1 in the high-and low-dose YHD groups were lower than those in the model group. YHD has certain inhibitory effect on subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer in the early stage, which may intervene pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer by regulating glycolysis through HIF-1α signaling pathway.

In vitro bacteriostatic and serum pharmacological tests of Qiguiyin decoction combined with levofloxacin against pseudomonas aeruginosa / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the antibacterial activity and anti-resistant mutation ability of Qiguiyin decoction (a traditional Chinese herbal formula) combined with levofloxacin against pseudomonas aeruginosa byantibacterial experiment in vitro and serum pharmacology. Methods The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of levofloxacin and Qiguiyin decoction were detected respectively by the broth dilution technique.The MIC of the combination of two drugs was determined by the micro chessboard dilution method. The effects of combined drugs on enhancing the antibacterial activity of different strains were evaluated respectively by calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). The drug-containing serum of levofloxa-cin group, Qiguiyin decoction group, Qiguiyin decoction combined with levofloxacin group and control group was prepared. The antibacterial rate, MIC and MBC of 10% ~ 90% serum against the two strains were determined. Results Combined with Qiguiyin decoction, MIC of levofloxacin against pseudomonas aeruginosa (standard/resistant) decreased significantly, 0. 5 < FICI

Mice lacking myotubularin-related protein 14 show accelerated high-fat diet-induced lipid accumulation and inflammation.

The phosphoinositide phosphatase, myotubularin-related protein 14 (MTMR14), has been reported to play an important role in the regulation of muscle performance, autophagy, and aging in mice. We previously showed that MTMR14-knockout (KO) mice gain weight earlier than their wild-type (WT) littermates even on a normal chow diet (NCD), suggesting that this gene might also be involved in regulating metabolism. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of MTMR14 deficiency on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity, lipid accumulation, metabolic disorders, and inflammation in WT and MTMR14-KO mice fed with NCD or HFD. To this end, MTMR14-KO mice fed with HFD showed significantly increased body weight, blood glucose levels, serum triglyceride (TG) levels, and total cholesterol (TC) levels as compared to their age-matched WT control. Additionally, lipid accumulation also increased in the KO mice. Simultaneously, the expression of metabolism-associated genes (Glut4, adiponectin, and leptin) was different in the liver, muscle, and fatty tissue of MTMR14-KO mice fed with HFD. More importantly, the expression of several inflammation-associated genes (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and MCP-1) dramatically increased in the liver, muscle, and fatty tissue of MTMR14-KO mice relative to control. Taken together, these results suggest that MTMR14 deficiency accelerates HFD-induced metabolic dysfunction and inflammation. Furthermore, the results showed that exacerbated metabolic dysfunction and inflammation may be regulated via the PI3K/Akt and ERK signaling pathways.

Study on expression relationship of DNA methyltransferase 1 and forkhead box O3a in colon cancer / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To analyze the relationship between DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a) in colon cancer and the diagnostic efficacy of combined detection in predicting the occurrence of colon cancer by detecting the levels of DNMT1 and FOXO3a in serum of colon cancer patients.Methods:A total of 105 patients with colon cancer diagnosed and treated in Xi′an International Medical Center Hospital from September 2019 to September 2020 were selected as the colon cancer group, and 65 patients with colon polyps diagnosed by biopsy during the same period were selected as control group. The levels of DNMT1 and FOXO3a in serum of patients were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Pearson correlation coefficient method was used to analyze the correlation between the levels of DNMT1 and FOXO3a in serum of patients with colon cancer. Subject operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic values of DNMT1 and FOXO3a levels in colon cancer.Results:The serum levels of DNMT1 in the control group and colon cancer group were 0.93±0.28 and 1.34±0.35, compared with the control group, the level of DNMT1 in the colon cancer group was significantly higher, with a statistically significant difference ( t=7.990, P<0.001). The serum levels of FOXO3a were 1.04±0.39 and 0.69±0.18, compared with the control group, the level of FOXO3a in the colon cancer group was significantly lower, with a statistically significant difference ( t=7.940, P=0.001). The serum levels of DNMT1 and FOXO3a in patients with colon cancer were negatively correlated ( r=-0.687, P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of DNMT1 predicting colon cancer was 0.843, the sensitivity was 71.40%, and the specificity was 90.80%. The AUC of FOXO3a predicting colon cancer was 0.812, the sensitivity was 88.60%, and the specificity was 67.70%. The AUC of the two combined predicting colon cancer was 0.859, the sensitivity was 89.50%, and the specificity was 92.30%. Compared with FOXO3a single detection, the predictive value of combined detection of DNMT1 and FOXO3a were higher ( Z=1.982, P=0.047). Conclusion:The level of DNMT1 in the serum of patients with colon cancer is increased, while the level of FOXO3a is decreased. There is a negative correlation between them in the serum of patients with colon cancer. The combined detection of the DNMT1 and FOXO3a can effectively improve the diagnostic value of colon cancer.

Effect of Shuangyu Tiaozhi Decoction on SRB1/CYP7A1/FXR Signaling Pathway in Liver of Hypercholesterolemic Rats / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of Shuangyu Tiaozhi decoction on B-type scavenger receptor （SRB1）/cholesterol 7<italic>α</italic>-hydroxylase protein （CYP7A1）/farnesol X receptor （FXR） signaling pathway in liver of hypercholesterolemic rats， and its mechanism in reducing blood lipid. Method:Among 40 SD rats， 8 were randomly selected as normal group， and the remaining 32 were successfully established as hypercholesterolemic model， and randomly divided into 4 groups： model group， low and high-dose Shuangyu Tiaozhi decoction groups （7.8， 15.6 g·kg^-1）， and simvastatin group （4 mg·kg^-1）， with 8 rats in each group. The drugs were continuously given for 8 weeks. Serum total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG） and liver TC，free cholesterol （FC） and total bile acid （TBA） were measured. The pathomorphological changes in liver were observed by Hematoxylin and eosin （HE） Staining. The mRNA and protein expressions of SRB1， CYP7A1 and FXR were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. The immunohistochemistry was used to detect CYP7A1 and FXR expressions in liver. Result:Compared with the normal group， TC， TG， FC levels in the model group were significantly increased， while the TBA level was markedly decreased， the morphology showed obvious liver steatosis， and significant declines in expressions of SRB1， CYP7A1， FXR were observed by Real-time PCR， Western blot and immunohistochemistry assays （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with the model group， the levels of TC，TG，FC in each treatment group were reduced significantly， and the TBA level was increased markedly， the liver steatosis decreased significantly， the results of Real-time PCR， Western blot and immunohistochemistry assays showed significant increase in the expressions of SRB1， CYP7A1， FXR （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. The therapeutic effect of high-dose Shuangyu Tiaozhi decoction group was more remarkable than that in low-dose Shuangyu Tiaozhi Decoction group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， with no obvious difference compared with simvastatin group. Conclusion:Shuangyu Tiaozhi decoction can promote hepatic RCT and synthesize bile acid by up-regulating SRB1/CYP7A1/FXR signaling pathway， so as to reduce the blood lipid levels and improve hepatic lipid metabolism of hypercholesterolemic rats.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of desmopressin acetate in rabbits after intraocular administration / 药学学报

We compared the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of desmopressin acetate after intraocular, intravenous and intragastric administration in rabbits to better understand the systemic delivery of peptide drugs through intraocular administration. Fifteen rabbits were randomly divided into three groups (intraocular administration, 7 μg·kg-1; intravenous administration, 0.7 μg·kg-1; and intragastric administration, 7 μg·kg-1). Blood samples were taken from the heart at predetermined time points after dosing and the plasma desmopressin concentration was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Another 21 rabbits were randomly divided into three groups (intraocular administration, 7 μg·kg-1; intravenous administration, 0.7 μg·kg-1; intragastric administration, 7 μg·kg-1) for a pharmacodynamics study. Urine was collected at predetermined intervals after dosing. The pharmacokinetic parameters after intravenous administration were as follows: Cmax was 143.0 pg·mL-1; the area under the plasma concentration–time curve for desmopressin (AUC0-t) was 999.9 pg·h·mL-1. The pharmacokinetic parameters after intraocular administration were as follows: tmax was 5 min, Cmax was 125.6 pg·mL-1, AUC0-t was 873.1 pg·h·mL-1, and absolute bioavailability (F) was 8.7%. The pharmacokinetic parameters after intragastric administration were as follows: tmax was 10 min, Cmax was 104.1 pg·mL-1, AUC0-t was 451.8 pg·h·mL-1, and absolute bioavailability was 4.5%. Intraocular administration and intravenous administration of one tenth of the dosage showed a similar effect, and the urine volume remained decreased for 12 h, but urine volume increased significantly in the second collection period after intragastric administration, and there was no decrease in volume 12 h after dosing. This study demonstrates that peptide drugs such as desmopressin can be absorbed more rapidly after intraocular administration than after intragastric administration and can exert systemic therapeutic effects. In this study, the program of animal testing had been approved by the Laboratory Animal Care and Use Committee at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine.

Study on effects and mechanism of interleukin 16 on pathogenesis of atherosclerosis / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To analyze the expression of interleukin 16 (IL-16) in atherosclerosis (AS) patients, and to study the roles of IL-16in the pathogenesis of AS.Methods Thirty AS patients in Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from August 2015to August 2016were randomly selected as the case group and twenty-nine healthy subjects were selected as the healthy control group.Peripheral blood of the subjects were collected.IL-16levels were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was applied to analyze IL-16mRNA level.IL-16expression in the atherosclerotic plaque samples was detected with immunohistochemical analysis.IL-16expression in aortic atherosclerotic plaque of AS patients and atherosclerotic ApoE-/-mice were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining.The aortic plaque changes of AS mice injected intraperitoneally with recombinant IL-16were detected.Results Both IL-16protein levels and IL-16mRNA levels were higher in case group than those of healthy control group, the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05).The IL-16mRNA was highly expressed in the atherosclerotic plaque.The aortic plaque area of the mice underwent IL-16intraperitoneal injection were decreased while the plaque stability increased.Conclusion IL-16levels elevated in both AS patients and AS mice, which suggested that IL-16might play aprotective role against AS.

Pharmacokinetics of Nimodipine after Intraocular Administration in Rats / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To explore the pharmacokinetics of nimodipine in plasma of rats after intraocular administration.Methods Totally 135 SD rats were randomly divided into three groups according to drug administration routes:intraocular(io group),intravenous (iv group),and intragastric (ig group). The doses were 5.0 mg/kg for IO and IV groups and 10.0 mg/kg for IG group. The serum nimodipine level was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. The main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated and compared.Results The pharmacokinetic parameters in io group were as follows:C:0.52 mg/ml;t:5.0 min;and AUC:21.10 mg/(ml·min). The main pharmacokinetic parameters in iv group were as follows:C:3.62 mg/ml;and AUC:52.58 mg/(ml·min). The main pharmacokinetic parameters in ig group were as follows:C:0.20 mg/ml;t:5.0 min;and AUC:5.98 mg/(ml·min).Conclusions Nimodipine is rapidly absorbed after io administration,and the ophthalmic formulation has a higher bioavailability than the oral solution. Therefore,the io route may help to improve the treatment effectiveness of cardiovascular diseases.

Experimental study on the effect of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction on nasal mucosa infiltration of NK cells in mice with allergic rhinitis / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective@#To observe the effect of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction on the infiltration and activation of NK cells in nasal mucosa of mouse model with allergic rhinitis (AR), and to explore the potential mechanism for effective intervention of AR with Yiqi Wenyang Decoction.@*Methods@#Fourty-eight mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, low, medium and high dose of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction group and Cetirizine group, with 8 rats in each group. After modeling of AR, the model group was filled with 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Yiqi Wenyang Decoction groups of each dose were given different concentrations of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction water extract, while the Cetirizine group was given aqueous solution of Cetirizine. The behavior, morphological changes of nasal mucosa and infiltration of NK cells in nasal mucosa were observed. The levels of IL-4 and INF-γ in nasal lavage fluid were measured. Besides, the drug safety was observed by acute toxicity test.@*Results@#In the respect of behavioral scoring, middle and high dose of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction group were superior to the model group (number of sneezing: q value was 7.189, 8.748, respectively; number of scratching nose: q value was 12.074, 14.560, respectively; all P<0.05). In middle and high dose of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction group, the infiltration of NK cells and nasal lavage fluid IL-4 levels were lower than those in model group (IOD: q value was 10.073, 12.322, respectively; IOD/Area: q value was 10.954, 14.073, respectively; IL-4: q value was 4.705, 6.801, respectively; all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in nasal lavage fluid of INF-γ among each group (Fv=1.166, P>0.05). In acute toxicity test, no obvious poisoning symptoms and death occurred in mice.@*Conclusion@#Yiqi Wenyang Decoction can control the nasal symptom, reduce the local NK cell infiltration of nasal mucosa and inhibit the expression of the 2-type cytokines released by NK cells, which may be related with the potential mechanism of effective intervention of AR with Yiqi Wenyang Decoction.

Lipid metabolomics in serum of hyperuricemic rats induced by fructose based on UPC²-Q/TOF-MS / 中国中药杂志

To explore the differences in lipid metabolites in serum of hyperuricemic rats induced by fructose and normal rats by using lipid metabolomics technology, and screen the potential biomarkers related to hyperuricemia. The metabolic fingerprint spectrum of the serum in hyperuricemic rats(model group) and normal rats(control group) was obtained and analyzed by using ultra performance convergence chromatography-tandem-Q-time of flight mass spectrometry(UPC ² -Q/TOF-MS) method and the differences of metabolic spectra between two groups were compared via the multivariate statistical methods to screen differential metabolites. The results indicated that there was significant difference in metabolic spectra between model group and control group, and 11 differential metabolites were screened. Then eight potential biomarkers such as arachidonic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid were tentatively identified by using the exact mass number and secondary mass spectrometry(MS/MS spectrum). Therefore, a new research method for lipid metabolomics in serum of hyperuricemic rats induced by fructose was established successfully based on UPC ² -Q/TOF-MS. What's more, it was speculated that the abnormal metabolism of fatty acid might be associated with the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia, which would provide scientific basis for early detection and prevention of hyperuricemia.

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Sensor Based on Magnetic Beads-induced Nanoparticles Aggregation for Detection of Bacterial Deoxyribonucleic Acid / 分析化学

A novel method based on the separation and enrichment effect of magnetic beads and the fully complementary hybridization of two DNA strands was developed for highly sensitive detection of bacterial DNA using a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with 5,5’-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB)-modified gold nanoparticles as reporter probes. Capture probe was immobilized onto the surface of streptavidin-enwrapped magnetic beads ( SA-MB ) through high affinity between biotin and avidin, by which the target bacterial DNA sequences that connected with the reported probe decorated AuNPs with DTNB and SH-DNA ( AuNPs@DTNB@DNA) were captured and loaded onto the magnetic beads by the hybridization reaction with the capture probe. Compared with previous methods, this design shortened the distance between particles by the ways that the magnetic beads tempted to nanoparticles aggregation, and produced the plasma resonance coupling effect, which increased the SERS signal significantly. The results showed that, under the optimized conditions and in the concentration range from 5 pmol/L to 5 nmol/L, the method performed a good linear relationship between Raman intensity and DNA concentration. The limit of detection ( LOD) of bacterial DNA was estimated to be 5 pmol/L. The method is simple and low cost, and can be used in the sensitive and selective detection of bacterial DNA.

Association between Polymorphism of Interleukin-23 Receptor and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in Chinese Han Population of Shandong / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) has been shown to be associated with autoimmune diseases in many different populations. This study aimed to investigate the association between IL-23R gene polymorphism and susceptibility to Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) in Chinese Han population of Shandong.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control cohort study was performed in 145 HT patients from First People's Hospital of Jining between February 2010 to October 2013 and 150 healthy controls. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms located in the promoter region of IL-23R gene (rs17375018 and rs7517847) were examined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was performed using the Chi-square test. Genotype frequencies were estimated by direct counting, and allele and genotype frequencies between patients and controls were analyzed by the Chi-square test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rs17375018 GG genotype and the G allele were significantly increased in HT patients compared with healthy controls (P = 0.034 and P = 0.013, respectively). No association was identified between HT patients and healthy controls in rs7517847.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The study demonstrated that polymorphism of IL-23R gene rs17375018 is highly associated with HT in Chinese Han population of Shandong, suggesting that IL-23R gene polymorphism (rs17375018 G) may play a critical role in susceptibility to HT.</p>

Effect of Qiguiyin Decoction on multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in rats / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of Qiguiyin Decoction, QGYD) on multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A pseudomonal infection model in SD rats was established by injecting multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa intraperitoneally. Infected rats were randomized into four groups treated with Pure water, QGYD, ceftazidime, or combined QGYD and ceftazidime. Blood samples were obtained from the abdominal aorta. Serum was then collected and analyzed by peptide array for immune responsiveness to multidrug-resistant beta-lactamase proteins, including Verona integronen-coded metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (VIM-1), Sao Paulo metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (SPM-1), and Temoniera (TEMs). Blood levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>QGYD enhanced antibody reactivity against VIM-1 [epitopes 7-11 and 36-40] and TEM-1 [epitopes 26-27, 52-55, and 66-70]. QGYD treatment restored the compromised antibody reactivity against VIM-1 [epitopes 53-54 and 56-58] and SPM-1 [epitopes 16-19 and 82-85] following pseudomonal infection. Serum levels of IL-1β and Th1/Th2 in the rats were significantly elevated following pseudomonal infection (P<0.05 orP<0.01). In contrast, QGYD and combination QGYD and ceftazidime treatment restored the elevated serum IL-1β and Th1/Th2 levels to normal (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>QGYD improves the immune response to pseudomonal infection in rats by stimulating the production of protective antibodies against drug-resistant proteins VIM-1, SPM-1, and TEM-1. In addition, it protects the immune system and maintains immune responsiveness by restoring IL-1β and Th1/Th2 levels.</p>

Research Progress in Chemical Constituents of Qi-Gui-Yin Compound / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Qi-Gui-Yin (QGY) compound, which composes of five herbal medicines of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge., Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, Lonicera japonica Thunb., Artemisia annua L., and Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb.et Zucc., which is able to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria with antibiotics, and also to delay or even reverse the bacterial resistance producing. However, QGY compound is a complex mixture. And it is very difficult to elaborate its material foundation. Therefore, chemical constituents in five herbal medicines were summarized through searching of the related literatures. And then, 170 kinds of bioactive ingredients were classi-fied in order to provide evidences for the study on chemical constituent of QGY compound and identify its mate-rial foundation of delaying drug resistance .

Combination of mouse nerve growth factor and mecobalamin in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation patients with foot drop / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of mouse nerve growth factor (mNGF) on treatment of patients with lumbar disc hemiation combined with foot drop.Methods The clinical data of 76 patients suffering from lumbar disc herniation combined with foot drop,admitted to our hospital from January 2008 and June 2011,were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into two groups according to the postoperative treatments; in particular,one group of 36 patients was treated with a combination of mNGF and methylcobalamin (Group C),whereas the other group of 40 patients was treated with methylcobalamin alone (Group A).The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and the recovery of neurological function among these patients at 1,4 and 12 weeks,and 12 months after surgery were recorded and compared.Results The follow-up duration ranged from 12 to 54 months (mean 24.8 months).For both groups,patients'VAS scores at observation each time point were lower than their VAS scores prior to treatment (P＜0.05); moreover,the VAS scores of Group C were significantly lower than Group A at every time point (P＜0.05).Higher effective rates of sensory improvement were observed in Group C than those in in Group A and exhibited statistically significant differences at each time point (P＜0.05).The effective rate of muscular strength improvement of the two groups didn't differ significantly at 1 week after surgery (P＞0.05) but exhibited statistically significant differences at subsequent time points (P＜ 0.05).Conclusion Application of mNGF in combination with methylcobalamin promotes the recovery of neurological function in patients suffering from lumbar disc herniation with foot drop.

Site-directed mutagenesis and protein expression of SCN5A gene associated with congenital long QT syndrome / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct the sodium channel gene SCN5A-delQKP1507-1509 mutation associated with congenital long QT syndrome, and its eukaryotic expression vector, and to examine the expression of mutation protein in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eukaryotic expression vector PEGFP-delQKP-hH1 for SCN5A-delQKP1507-1509 mutation was constructed by rapid site-directed mutagenesis. HEK293 cells were transfected with the wild or mutant vector using lipofectamine, and then subjected to confocal microscopy. The transfected cells were immunostained to visualize intracellular expression of the mutant molecules.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Direct sequence and electrophoresis analysis revealed 9 basic group absences at position 1507-1509. The delQKP1507-1509 mutation eukaryotic expression vector was expressed in HEK293 cells. Immunostaining of transfected cells showed the expression of both wild type and mutant molecules on the plasma membrane and there was no difference in the amount of protein, which suggested that the mutant delQKP1507-1509 did not impair normal protein expression in HEK293 cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Successful construction of mutant SCN5AdelQKP1507-1509 eukaryotic expression vector and expression of SCN5A protein in HEK293 cells provides a basis for further study on the functional effects of congenital long QT syndrome as a cause of SCN5A mutation.</p>

Rapid recognition and identification of chemical constituents in Qinghuo Zhimai tablets by SPE-HPLC-ESI-MS(n) / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a method for analyzing solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-HPLC-ESI-MS(n)), in order to recognize and identify the main chemical constituents in Qinghuo Zhimai tablets.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The possible structures of the compounds were determined according to the structure information of compounds observed from molecular ion peaks and fragment ions in HPLC-ESI-MS(n) negative ion mode and by comparing with literature data or control samples.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Through the comparative analysis on Qinghuo Zhimai Tablets and components of its formula, 39 chemical constituents were identified, including 7 caffeoylquinic acids, 7 iridoids, 6 diterpenoid lactones, 5 homoisoflavonoids, 13 steroidal saponins and 1 flavone glycoside.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study provides a simple and rapid method for identifying chemical components in Qinghuo Zhimai tablets.</p>

Determination of trolline in flowers of Trollius chinensis by HPLC / 中国中药杂志

An HPLC method was developed for determinantion of trolline in the flowers of Trollius chinensis commercially available in China. The HPLC analysis was conducted on an Agilent C18 ODS column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) with acetonitrile-0.5% acetic acid solution (gradient: 0-30 min, 2:98-100:0) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL x min(-1). The detecting wavelength was at 258 nm. Linearity of trolline was good in the range of 0.1380-1.2410 microg and the content of trolline in nine batches of the flowers of T. chinensis commercially available in China was ranged from 0.05% to 0.11%. This method is good in terms of precision, accuracy and repeatability and can be used for the quantitative determination of trolline.

Association between paraoxonase concentration and risk of acute coronary syndrome / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between paraoxonase (PON) concentration and the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The levels of serum PON were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 229 patients with confirmed ACS and 129 control subjects without CHD. Logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were applied to analyze the association between PON and ACS.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PON was significantly lower in ACS group than in control group [lgPON: (5.72 ± 0.73) ng/L vs. (5.07 ± 0.57) ng/L, P < 0.05]. Logistic regression analysis showed that the level of PON was an independent risk factor of ACS (regression coefficient was -1.793 in univariate logistic regression, OR = 0.166, 95%CI: 0.088 - 0.316; -0.779 in multivariate logistic regression, OR = 0.459, 95%CI: 0.222 - 0.949). ROC analysis showed that the optimal diagnostic cut-off point of PON for ACS was 180 mg/L (sensitivity: 83.3%, specificity: 71.2%). Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that there was no significant correlation between lgPON and Gensini score in ACS patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Lower PON is linked with increased risk of ACS, but does not relate with the severity of coronary stenosis.</p>