Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the important component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, contributes to the integrity of the outer membrane, and protects the cell against bactericidal agents. LPS, also called endotoxin synonymously, is well known as a potent inducer of the innate immune system that often causes septic shock in the intensive cares. Chemically, the amphiphilic LPS is made up of three parts, i.e., hydrophobic lipid A, hydrophilic core oligosaccharide chain, and hydrophilic O-antigenic polysaccharide side chain. Specially, the lipid A is known to be responsible for a variety of biological effects during Gram-negative sepsis. LPS can elicit a strong response from innate immune system and result in local or systemic adverse reactions. LPS can trigger massive inflammatory responses and may result in immunopathology, for which the molecular basis is mediated by the signal path- way of LPS. In recent years, a tremendous progress has been made in determining the associated proteins and receptors in the LPS signaling that leads to the disease. This review gives a summary of recent progresses of research on LPS and LPS receptors.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; chemistry ; Drug Design ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; drug effects ; Lipopolysaccharides ; chemistry

Currently, all the conventional antibiotics have developed corresponding drug-resistant pathogenic strains, which have increasingly become a serious threat to people's health. Development of completely new types of antibiotics is one of effective ways to solve the drug resistance issue. Antimicrobial peptides with broad-spectrum antibacterial and antimicrobial activity and wild variety become the ideal alternative to traditional antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides are derived from wide range of sources, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms. Mechanism of function of the antimicrobial peptides and the investigation approaches of different antimicrobial peptides also vary dramatically. In this paper, we give an overview of preparation, antibacterial mechanisms, and research methodology of antimicrobial peptides.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anti-Infective Agents ; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides ; pharmacology ; Humans

Objective To establish the analytical methods for determining the contents of tannins in different vegetative organs of Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet. Methods The content of tannins, expressed as gallic acid equivalents, was measured by using the phospho molybdenum tungstic acid-casein colorimetry. Results The good linearity between concentrations and absorbances of gallic acid was found in the range of 2～10 mg/L, the average recovery was 99.63% and RSD was 1.08%, the contents of tannins in leaves, stems and roots of Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet were 0.34%, 0.16% and 0.27% respectively. Conclusion The proposed method is sensitive, precise, accurate and reproducible, and it is suitable for the determination of tannins in Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet.

Objective To evaluate the effects of reminfentanil combined with propofl on patients received video assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Methods 40 ASA Ⅰ～Ⅱ patients underwent video assisted thoracoscopic surgery were randomly divided into two groups. BP、HR before anesthesia induction(T0) ,tracheal induction(T1) ,tracheal induction instantly (T2), after five minutes of tracheal induction(T3) were observed; The time of breathing recovery withdrawl,and open eye,extubation and instantly of extubation,VAS;to record in the operation and adverse effect of postoperative nausea were analyzed. Results During tracheal induction, hemodynamic and respiratory variables of groupR less then group F(P ＜ 0. 05), after operation group R time of breathing recovery withdrawl, and open eye, extubation is short of group F(P ＜ 0. 05). Two groups was not appear to know in operation, postoperative nausea is not satistically significant. Conclusion General anesthesia by reminfentanil combined with Propofol on video assisted thoracscopic surgery was safe and feasible.

Objective:To observe the ultrastructure of biological living skin equivalent in vitro.Methods:Keratinocytes and fibroblasts were sourced from the back skin of legally aborted human foetus.Fibroblasts were seeded into bovine type I collagen gel and cultured for 3 days.Keratinocytes were seeded on the surface of collagen gel and cultured for another 2 days,then the equivalent skin was exposed to air-liquid interface to form a protective cornified layer.Histological structure and ultrastructure of the equivalent skin were observed by light microscope and transmission electron microscope.Results:The morphogy of equivalent skin of full thickness consisted of epithlium and dermis.Epithelium was made up of stratum basale,stratum spinosum,stratum granulosum and stratum corneum.lntercellular bridge existed within the cells of different layers.Some ultrastructures in epithelium such as desmosome,Lamelle,tonofibrils and lipid droplet were found in the equivalent skin.Conclusion:Tissue-engineered skin may have the features of natural skin.

This study was aimed to analyze compatibility rules of Chinese drugs and prescription design in the pre-vention and treatment of scleroderma. The database of scleroderma treated by Chinese medicine was set up. And then, association rules were used to analyze the prescription compatibility rules. The results showed the highest fre-quency of drugs in the treatment of scleroderma were Astragalus, Angelica sinensis and Salvia. The tonifying and re-plenishing medicinal, blood-activating and stasis-resolving medicinal and exterior-releasing medicinal were with the highest frequency. The commonly used formula in the treatment of scleroderma was Y ang-He decoction. For herbal groups, occurrence of the highest was the combinations of Ramulus Cinnamomi-Astragalus and Carthamus tinctorius L.-Astragalus. Three kinds of herbals were commonly coupled, such as Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. and Caulis Spatholobi with Salvia, P. multiflorum Thunb. and R. Cinnamomi with Salvia, P. multiflorum Thunb. and Astragalus with Salvia, prepared Radix Rehmanniae and Codonopsis with C. tinctorius L., prepared Radix Rehmanniae and Codonopsis with R. Cinnamomi, Codonopsis and Radix paeoniae rubra with R. Cinnamomi. Four kinds of herbals such as R. Cinnamomi, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Astragalus and Codonopsis were commonly coupled. It was con-cluded that compatibility rules of Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of scleroderma laid the founda-tion for herbal medicine selection and prescription design.

Objective:To explore the traits of gray matter volume in general anxiety disorder (GAD)and ob-sessive compulsive disorder (OCD)by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)technique.Methods:Twenty-eight GAD,25 OCD and 39 normal controls were recruited.All patients were met the Diagnostic and Statistical Mannal of Mental Disorders,Fourth Edition,Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR)or the International Statistical Classifica-tion of Disease and Related Health Problems Tenth Revision (ICD-10)diagnostic criteria for GAD or OCD.All subjects underwent structural MRI scan.The severity of anxiety and OCD symptoms were rated in all patients with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA)and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).The gray matter volume (GMV)was compared between all groups by using the voxel-based morphometry (VBM)a- nalysis.The correlation analysis between GMV and total scores of HAMA and Y-BOCS was performed in GAD and OCD.Results:The GMV was increased in regions including left anterior cingulate cortex in GAD (P =0.016,small volume correction),while only decreased GMV was observed in OCD in bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)(P <0.001,uncorrected).GAD had larger GMV than OCD in several regions including bilateral OFC (P <0.001,un-corrected).The higher total score of HAMA was associated with increased GMV of right temporal cortex in GAD, and with the GMV of OFC in OCD (P <0.001,uncorrected).Conclusion:No sharing of GMV abnormalities in GAD and OCD was observed in the current study.The traits of brain structure and the potential neural substrate of anxiety symptom in GAD and OCD may be significantly different.

Objective To observe the effect of intrathecal p38 MAPK inhibitor(SB203580) treatment on neuropathic pain and the expression of p38 MAPK and BDNF in dorsal horn of spinal cord in rats with chronic constriction injury(CCI),So as to investigate the possible mechanisms of neuropathic pain.Methods Totally 30 SD rats were evenly randomized into 3 groups(n=10) :sham group receiving intrathecal injection of sodium chloride,control group receiving intrathecal injection of sodium chloride and CCI surgery,and SB203580 group receiving intrathecal injection of SB203580 and CCI surgery.SB203580(0.1 ml/kg) was administered 0.5 h before and 1-14 d after CCI surgery.The mechanical thresholds were tested 24 h before and 4-14 d after CCI surgery.p38 MAPK expression and BDNF release in the dorsal horn were determined using immunohistochemistry method 14 d after CCI surgery.Results The mechanical thresholds in the control and SB203580 groups were significantly lower after CCI surgery compared with that before CCI surgery(P0.05).Compared with the sham operation group,the mechanical thresholds were significantly lower in the other two groups after CCI surgery(P

AIM: To evaluate the alterations of maternal hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes and antioxidative function in tobacco-induced intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). METHODS:Pregnant rats were assigned to control group and tobacco group. IUGR model was produced by smoking from gestational days (GD) 9 to GD 20. Fetuses were removed by laparotomy on GD 21. The fetal development parameters such as fetal body weights, litter size and placental weights were recorded. Subcelluar fractions of liver were prepared by differential centrifugation. Activities of drug-metabolizing and antioxidative enzymes were monitored. RESULTS:In the tobacco exposure group, fetal body weights, litter size and placental weights were significantly reduced (P

Objective To analyze the differences of immune responses against Mycobacterium tu-berculosis antigens induced in two different nonhuman primates and to provide rationales for the selection of suitable animal models for vaccine efficacy evaluation.Methods Expression of functional surface markers including CD69 and HLA-DR, the activation markers on CD4+and CD8+T cells from in rhesus macaques and cynomolgus monkeys were measured by flow cytometry analysis.PBMCs were isolated from rhesus ma-caques and cynomolgus monkeys with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and stimulated with PPD and pep-tide pools ( ESAT-6/CFP-10) .Enzyme-linked imunospot ( ELISPOT) assay was performed to detect IFN-γproducing lymphocytes.Results The CD4+and CD8+T cells isolated from rhesus macaques without Myco-bacterium tuberculosis infection expressed higher levels of CD69 and HLA-DR than those from healthy cyno-molgus monkeys (P<0.01).The numbers of IFN-γspot forming cells/106 PBMCs in rhesus macaques with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection for 10 and 11 months were respectively 3 and 3.5 times higher than that of cynomolgus monkeys upon after the stimulation of PBMCs with PPD.The levels of IFN-γproduction by the cells from rhesus macaque group were also higher than those from cynomolgus monkey group upon after the stimulation of PBMCs with ESAT-6 or CFP-10 peptide pools.Conclusion More IFN-γproducing cells were induced in rhesus macaques than that in cynimolgus monkeys after stimulation with Mycobacterium tu-berculosis antigens.Therefore, the rhesus macaques might be a better animal model for evaluating immune responses induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccines.