OBJECTIVE:To compare the five kinds of Sini powder prepared in accordance with the standards for antiquity decoction, Japanese standard decoction, traditional recipe, hospital medicine decocting or traditional Chinese medicine granules so as to provide theoretic bases for the experimental study of the decoction and the standardization of its clinical practice. METHODS: HPLC was applied with the comprehensive scores on the contents and the extractum yield of peoniflorin, naringin, ammonium glycyrrhizinate salt and saikoside a as index. RESULTS: The Sini powder decoction prepared in accordance with the traditional recipe showed the highest comprehensive scores. CONCLUSION: The traditional recipe decoction method was established as the preparation technology for the standard Sini powder decoction.

Abstract: Objective This study aimed to investigate the expression of CD73 in colonic tissues in Crohn's disease (CD) and its significance and possible mechanism of action. Methods Thirty male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group, model group and intervention group. The control group was fed normally, and the model group was treated with TNBS+40% alcohol enema to establish a mouse model of Crohn's disease induced by chronic inflammation. The intervention group was treated with AB-680 intraperitoneally on the second day of each enema based on the model group. Mice body weight, fecal traits and fecal occult blood were recorded for disease activity index (DAI) score of inflammatory bowel disease. The animals were sacrificed at 7th week, their colonic tissues were removed, weighed and measured. The tissue inflammation was observed by standard hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Masson staining was used to measure the area of collagen in colon tissue of mice. CD73 was detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of TGF-β, TNF-α and IL-6 in colon tissue of mice were determined by ELISA. Results The DAI score was (0.10±0.16) in the control group, (2.80±0.79) in the model group, and (3.07±0.34) in the intervention group. Compared with the control group, the DAI scores of the model and intervention groups were increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the DAI score of the intervention group was significantly increased (P<0.05). HE staining showed that there was no inflammation in the colon of the control group, while the colon of the model group and the intervention group showed typical inflammatory manifestations such as edema and congestion, inflammatory cell infiltration, and mucosal ulcer. The area ratio of collagen in the control group was (4.95±0.82)%, in the model group was (24.62±1.46)%, and in the intervention group was (54.47±2.75)%. Compared with the control group, the area ratio of collagen in the model group and the intervention group was significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the area ratio of collagen in the intervention group was significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression of CD73 in colon tissue of the model group and the intervention group was significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the expression of CD73 in colon tissue of the intervention group was decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expressions of TGF-β, TNF-α and IL-6 in the model group and the intervention group were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the expression of TGF-β, TNF-α and IL-6 in the intervention group decreased (P<0.05). Conclusions CD73 is upregulated in colon tissue of CD mice, it can inhibit inflammatory reaction and improve fibrosis by up-regulating TGF-β expression. On the other hand, CD73 can aggravate the inflammatory response in CD intestinal inflammation and fibrosis by up-regulating the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α. Therefore, CD73 may play a bidirectional regulatory role in intestinal inflammation and fibrosis of CD.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of PET-CT brain imaging and resting-state fMRI in preoperative localization of temporal lobe epileptic (TLE)focus.Methods PET-CT and resting-state fMRI were performed in 17 patients with refractory TLE,who then underwent surgical treatment.Seventeen healthy volunteers matched with gender and age were recruited as the control group.The resting-state fMRI images were post processed by SPM5 software.Regional homogeneity(ReHo) values of the whole brain and bilateral hippocampus were obtained and analyzed.PET-CT images were analyzed by visual analysis method and asymmetry index method and the standardized uptake value (SUV) of bilateral hippocampus were obtained.The ReHo values and SUV of the bilateral hippocampus were compared by two independent samples t-test,and analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) for optimized diagnostic threshold.Pearson correlation analysis was employed for evaluating the correlation between the SUV and ReHo values of bilateral hippocampus.The consistency between the diagnostic accuracy of PET-CT and resting-state fMRI was assessed by Kappa consistency test.The outcome of the patient group was compared with that of the control group,and with the pathological results,to evaluate the diagnostic value of the two modalities for preoperative localization of temporal lobe epileptic focus.Results Regional or comprehensive low metabolism of 18F-FDG in temporal lobes was presented in all 17 patients,and 11 patients out of 17 showed lateral decreased ReHo value.The diagnostic accuracy of the two examinations was 70.6％ (12/17) and 64.7％ (11/17) for PET-CT and resting-state fMRI respectively compared with pathological results,and could be increased to 76.5％ (13/17) when the two methods were combined for diagnosis.The ReHo values of the TLE group (0.34 ± 0.12)were significantly lower than those of the control group (0.46 ± 0.07) (t =3.230,P =0.003).The sensitivity and specificity of resting-state fMRI were 88.2％ and 94.1％ respectively when the ReHo value was 0.36.There was significant difference between the SUV of the affected (4.17 ±0.63) and healthy side(4.77 ±0.56) of hippocampus in TLE group(t =2.930,P =0.006).The sensitivity and specificity of PET-CT were 88.2％ and 64.7％ respectively when SUV was 4.23.The two values could be used as a threshold in the localization of temporal lobe epileptic focus.Consistency of lesion detection was revealed between PET-CT and resting-state fMRI though it was not high,and the Kappa value was 0.49.However,no correlation was detected between the SUV and ReHo value using Pearson correlation test(r =0.280,P =0.314).Conclusion Combined PET-CT brain imaging and resting-state fMRI as a multi-modality imaging method might improve the diagnostic accuracy of the TLE focus's localization.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inonotus obliquus has been used as antidiabetic herb around the world, especially in the Russian and Scandinavian countries. Diabetes is widely believed to be a key factor in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is widely considered to be type III diabetes. To investigate whether I. obliquus can also ameliorate AD, it would be interesting to identify new clues for AD treatment. We tested the anti-AD effects of raw Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide (IOP) in a mouse model of AD (3×Tg-AD transgenic mice).MATERIALS/METHODS: SPF-grade 3×Tg-AD mice were randomly divided into three groups (Control, Metformin, and raw IOP groups, n = 5 per group). β-Amyloid deposition in the brain was analyzed using immunohistochemistry for AD characterization. Gene and protein expression of pertinent factors of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) was determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. RESULTS: Raw IOP significantly reduced the accumulation of amyloid aggregates and facilitated UPS activity, resulting in a significant reduction in AD-related symptoms in an AD mouse model. The presence of raw IOP significantly enhanced the expression of ubiquitin, E1, and Parkin (E3) at both the mRNA and protein levels in the mouse hippocampus. The mRNA level of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L1, a key factor involved in UPS activation, also increased by approximately 50%. CONCLUSIONS Raw IOP could contribute to AD amelioration via the UPS pathway, which could be considered as a new potential strategy for AD treatment, although we could not exclude other mechanisms involved in counteracting AD processing.

In the study, fluorescent enzyme-linked immnoabsorbent assay for detection of Staphylococcus aureus was established with IgG from pig as capture antibody and quantum dot nanobeads (QBs) labeled vancomycin (QB-Vans) as testing antibody. Quantum dot of about 100 nm partical size nanobeads were prepared and linked with vancomycin. The optimum concentrations of salt ions were 0.01 mol/L, and the optimum pH was 6.0. Under the optimum conditions, the detection sensitivity for S. aureus was 10⁴ CFU/mL, and there was no cross-reaction with other pathogenic bacteria. Thus, the method could be used for rapid screening of S. aureus, for the clinical monitoring and foodborne pathogens detection.

Objective To clarify the distribution of etiological factors in elderly versus non-elderly outpatients with vertigo/dizziness for optimizing the diagnosis and therapy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data of outpatients with vertigo/dizziness in Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital from April 2015 to April 2017 and conducted diagnoses in accordance with the currently wide-accepted diagnostic criteria. Results A total of 3 356 patients with chief complains of vertigo/dizziness were recruited ,and their top seven etiological factors were benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (n＝ 1 320 ,39.3%) ,chronic subjective dizziness(n＝680 ,20.3%) ,vestibular migraine(n＝386 ,11.5%) ,posterior circulation ischemia (n＝213 ,6.4%) ,Meniere's disease (n ＝ 138 ,4.1%) ,vestibular neuritis (n＝ 121 ,3.6%) ,and vestibular paroxysmia(n＝76 ,2.3%). The top four etiological factors for the elderly patients (n＝1 255)were benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (n＝ 498 ,39.7%) ,chronic subjective dizziness (n＝ 279 ,22.2%) ,posterior circulation ischemia(n＝161 ,12.8%) ,and vestibular migraine(n＝73 ,5.8%) ;while the top four etiological factors for non-elderly patients (n＝ 2 101)were benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (n＝ 822 ,39.1%) , chronic subjective dizziness(n＝401 ,19.1%) ,vestibular migraine(n＝313 ,14.9%) ,and vestibular neuritis(n＝105 ,5.0%). The detection rate in elderly patients versus non-elderly patients was significantly higher in chronic subjective dizziness (22.2% vs.19.1%,P＝ 0.032 )and in posterior circulation ischemia (12.8%vs.2.5%,P＝0.000) ,and was significantly lower in vestibular neuritis (1.3% vs.5.0%,P＝ 0.000 ) ,in vestibular migraine(5.8% vs.19.4%,P ＝ 0.000)and in other causes (1.0% vs.2.7%,P ＝ 0.002) . Conclusions The ratio of posterior circulation ischemia is markedly higher in elderly outpatients than in non-elderly outpatients ,whereas the ratios of vestibular migraine and vestibular neuritis in elderly patients are lower than in non-elderly outpatients.

Objective　To investigate the effect of fatty acid binding protein 7 （FABP7） on blood-brain barrier （BBB） permeability in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion （I/R） rats and the mechanisms involved. Methods　BBB cell model was established by co-culture of rat brain microvascular endothelial cells and astrocytes. The BBB model of I/R injury was established by using oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation （OGD/R） method. This model was treated with the FABP7 recombinant protein （rh-FABP7） alone or together with S7155.ENDOHM instrument，Western blotting and flow cytometry were used to determine the transendothelial electrical resistance （TEER），FABP7，TJ and matrix metalloproteinase （MMP） protein levels，and apoptosis. The rat brain I/R model was established，and rh-FABP7 was injected intraperitoneally. The neurological function score，wet and dry weight method，and Evans blue staining were used to determine the neurological function，brain water content，and BBB permeability of rats. Results　FABP7 overexpression reversed the OGD/R-induced down-regulation of TEER，and FABP7 and TJ protein expression，as well as the up-regulation of MMP2/9 expression and apoptosis （P<0.05）. S7155 treatment promoted the effect of FABP7 on MMP2/9 and TJ protein levels，TEER，and apoptosis （P<0.05）. Moreover，FABP7 overexpression reversed the I/R-induced increase of neural function score，brain water content，and BBB permeability and decrease of FABP7 protein level in rats（P<0.05）. Conclusion　FABP7 alleviated the damage of brain I/R to BBB integrity by inhibiting MMP2/9.

Objective To analyze the clinical value of immature granulocytes in peripheral blood for prediction of persistent systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). Methods 1 973 patients with AP in Hunan People's Hospital from 2012 to 2017 were retrospectively enrolled and divided by SIRS duration into the persistent SIRS group, temporary SIRS group and non-SIRS group. The independent risk factor for persistent SIRS in AP patients was evaluated by Logistic regression analysis, and predictive value of immature granulocytes for persistent SIRS in AP patients was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results These 1 973 AP patients (1 165 males, 59.0%) with an average age of 49 (40, 60) years old, including 288 persistent SIRS, 189 temporary SIRS and 1 496 non-SIRS cases. There was no significant difference in gender, age and etiology among three groups. Compared with non-SIRS group, more severe symptoms were observed in the temporary and persistent SIRS groups. Moreover, The acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ), CT severity index (CTSI), multiple organ failure (MOF) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) incidence, mortality and C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), procalcitonin (PCT) and immature granulocytes in persistent SIRS group were further higher than those in the temporary SIRS group [APACHEⅡ: 9 (6, 12) vs. 5 (3, 7), CTSI: 6 (4, 6) vs. 4 (3, 6), MOF incidence: 92.0% vs. 32.8%, ARDS incidence: 39.9% vs. 10.1%, morbidity: 11.1% vs. 4.2%, CRP (mg/L): 25.00 (0.80, 212.25) vs. 0.80 (0.80, 123.50), WBC (×109/L): 15.17±6.78 vs. 14.84±5.86, PCT (μg/L): 0.23 (0.10, 1.76) vs. 0.10 (0.10, 0.31), immature granulocytes: 1.95 (0.90, 4.95) % vs. 0.80 (0.40, 2.10) %, all P < 0.05]. Logistic regression analysis showed that besides pancreatic necrosis, WBC and CRP, immature granulocyte was an independent risk factor for persistent SIRS associated with AP [odds ratio (OR) = 1.844, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.372-2.220]. ROC curve showed that immature granulocytes had better predictive value for persistent SIRS, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.806, which was significantly higher than the APACHEⅡ (AUC = 0.783), CTSI (AUC = 0.752), PCT (AUC = 0.676), CRP (AUC = 0.677), WBC (AUC = 0.644). The cut-off value of immature granulocyte was 0.65%, the sensitivity was 84.0%, the specificity was 66.3%, the positive predictive value was 62.4%, and the negative predictive value was 76.3%. Conclusion Immature granulocyte in peripheral blood is a potential indicator for persistent SIRS in AP patients.

Breast cancer is globally the most common invasive cancer in women and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and endocrine therapy are currently the main treatments for this cancer type. However, some breast cancer patients are prone to drug resistance related to chemotherapy or immunotherapy, resulting in limited treatment efficacy. Consequently, traditional Chinese medicinal materials (TCMMs) as natural products have become an attractive source of novel drugs. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the active components of animal-derived TCMMs, including Ophiocordycepssinensis-derived cordycepin, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of O.sinensis, norcantharidin (NCTD), Chansu, bee venom, deer antlers, Ostreagigas, and scorpion venom, with reference to marked anti-breast cancer effects due to regulating cell cycle arrest, proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and drug resistance. In future studies, the underlying mechanisms for the antitumor effects of these components need to be further investigated by utilizing multi-omics technologies. Furthermore, large-scale clinical trials are necessary to validate the efficacy of bioactive constituents alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs for breast cancer treatment.
Animals ; Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; China ; Deer ; Female ; Humans ; Immunotherapy