Benzene ; analysis ; Chemical Industry ; Chromatography, Gas ; methods ; Humans ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis ; Toluene ; analysis ; Trichloroethylene ; analysis ; Xylenes ; analysis

Rhubarb is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), wildly used in treating the disease of hyperlipidemia. However, its components are complicated, so that it is still difficult to clear the specific roles of its various components in blood lipids regulation in. So we decide to systematically study the anti- hyperlipidemia mechanism of rhubarb. We integrated multiple databases, based on entity grammar systems model, constructed molecular interaction network between the chemical constituents of rhubarb and hyperlipidemia. The network includes 231 nodes and 638 edges. Thus we infer the interactions of active targets and disease targets to clarify the anti-hyperlipidemia mechanism. And find that rhubarb can promote excretion of cholesterol; inhibit clotting factors and improve blood circulation; inhibit the release of inflammatory cytokines and maintain fat metabolism balance; inhibit cholesterol and triglyceride synthesis; and other ways to achieve lipid-lowering effect. Thus this study provides reference for novel drug development and component compatibility, and also gives a new way for the systematically study of acting mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.
Animals ; Databases, Factual ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; drug effects ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Lipid Metabolism ; Rheum ; chemistry ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

Animals ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; genetics ; Cell Proliferation ; Gene Expression ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; Liver Regeneration ; Male ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of polydatin on learning and memory and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) kinase activity in the hippocampus of rats with chronic alcoholism.

METHODSForty rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, chronic alcoholism group, low and high polydatin group. The rat chronic alcoholism model was established by ethanol 3.0 g/(kg · d) (intragastric administration). The abstinence scoring was used to evaluate the rats withdrawal symptoms; cognitive function was measured by Morris water maze experiment; Cdk5 protein expression in the hippocampus was detected by immunofluorescence; Cdk5 kinase activity in the hippocampus was detected by liquid scintillation counting method.

RESULTSThe abstinence score, escape latency, Cdk5 kinase activity in chronic alcoholism group rats were significantly higher than those of control group (P < 0.05). The abstinence score, escape latency in high polydatin group rats were significantly lower than those of chronic alcoholism group (P < 0.05); Cdk5 kinase activity in high and low polydatin group rats was significantly lower than that of chronic alcoholism group( P < 0.05); immunofluorescence showed that the Cdk5 positive cells of chronic alcoholism group were significantly increased compared with control group (P < 0.05), and the Cdk5 positive cells of polydatin groups were significantly decreased compared with chronic alcoholism group ( P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPolydatin-reduced the chronic alcoholism damage may interrelate with regulation of Cdk5 kinase activity.

Alcoholism ; physiopathology ; Animals ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glucosides ; pharmacology ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Rats ; Stilbenes ; pharmacology

The cyclization of 2,3-oxidosqualene is the key branch point of ergosterol and triterpenoid biosynthesis. Downregulation of 2,3-oxidosqualene metabolic flux to ergosterol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae may redirect the metabolic flux toward the triterpenoid synthetic pathway. In our study, primers were designed according to erg7 gene sequence of S. cerevisiae. Three fragments including 5' long fragment, 5' short fragment and erg7 coding region fragment were amplified by PCR. 5' long fragment consists of the promoter and a part of erg7 coding region sequence. 5' short fragment consists of a part of promoter and a part of erg7 coding region sequence. These fragments were inserted reversely into pESC-URA to construct antisense expression plasmids. The recombinant plasmids were transformed into S. cerevisiae INVSc1 and recombinant strains were screened on the nutritional deficient medium SD-URA. The erg7 expression level of recombinant strains, which harbored antisense expression plasmid of erg7 coding region, was similar to that of INVScl by semi-quantitative PCR detection. But erg7 expression level of recombinant strains, which harbored 5' long antisense fragment and 5' short antisense fragment, was significantly lower than that of the control. The results of TLC and HPLC showed that the ergosterol content of recombinant strains, which harbored 5' long antisense fragment, decreased obviously. The ergosterol contents of the others were almost equal to that of INVSc1. Lanosterol synthase gene expression was downregulated by antisense RNA technology in S. cerevisiae, which lays a foundation for reconstructing triterpenoid metabolic pathway in S. cerevisiae by synthetic biology technology.
DNA Primers ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression ; Intramolecular Transferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plasmids ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Antisense ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; enzymology ; genetics ; Squalene ; analogs & derivatives ; metabolism ; Transformation, Genetic

This study aimed to construct recombinant adenovirus expressing Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) against nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The C-terminal region fragment of the ebna1 gene of Epstein-Barr virus was amplified from the standard strain B95-8 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The gene fragment was inserted into the pDC316 shuttle plasmid using the EcoRI and BgIII restriction enzyme sites. The pDC316-ebna1 shuttle plasmid and pBHG helper plasmid were cotransfected into HEK293 cells after sequencing. The soluble protein was extracted from HEK293 cells, which caused apparent cytopathic effects. The transcription and expression of the ebna1 gene were confirmed using flow cytometry and Western blotting. rAd-ebna1 titers were measured by the TCID50. rAd-ebna1 was injected into BALB/c mice at a dose of 2 x 10(8) VP per mouse, EBNA1 epitope-specific responses were measured at 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th weeks post-immunization. The target fragment of ebna1 (939 bp) was obtained by PCR, and was in consensus with the sequence from the standard strain B95-8. Cytopathic effects were observed after the pDC316-ebna1 shuttle plasmid and pBHG helper plasmid were cotransfected into HEK293 cells. rAd-ebna1 was successfully recombined in HEK293 cells. EBNA1 protein was detected in HEK293 cells, rAd-ebna1 titers reached 10(8) TCID50/mL. Specific responses to CD4+ epitopes of EBNA1 were detected in the immunized mice. In conclusion, rAd-ebna1 was successfully constructed and induced specific responses to CD4+ epitopes of EBNA1 in immunized mice.
Adenoviridae ; genetics ; immunology ; Animals ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; virology ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ; immunology ; prevention & control ; virology ; Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens ; administration & dosage ; genetics ; immunology ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; immunology ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; genetics ; immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Viral Proteins ; administration & dosage ; genetics ; immunology

Aged ; Cell Dedifferentiation ; Chondrosarcoma ; pathology ; Humans ; Ribs ; pathology

Currently, the herbal prescription therapy for corresponding constitutional diseases is a common constitution regulating method. This method has an obvious effect in treating and regulating constitution-related diseases. However, for people who do not have disease, they prefer to regulate constitution with dietary therapy. In this paper, the researchers came up with a design method of constitution regulating and healthcare foods based on medicinal property combination mode of clinical empirical formulas. With "Yupinfeng San", a common formula for Qi-insufficiency constitution and specific endowment constitution, as the example for constitution regulating and healthcare foods, the researchers proved the effectiveness and rationality of healthcare food schemes in terms of the efficacy of single herb and the modern pharmacological study.
Diet ; Diet Therapy ; Humans ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Prescriptions

OBJECTIVETo investigate the nutritional status, and provide evidence for nutritional treatment option.

METHODSA total of 452 patients with gastrointestinal cancer were selected, including 156 gastric cancer,117 colon cancer, and 180 rectal cancer. The nutritional risk screening 2002(NRS2002) was applied to grade the nutritional risk. A multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to measure the patients' body composition. Albumin (Alb), prealbumin(PA), transferring(Tf), retinol binding protein(RBP), red blood cell(RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit(Hct) were measured after fasting.

RESULTSThe rate of patients with NRS2002 score more than 3 was 70.5%(110/156) for gastric cancer, 53.8%(63/117) for colon cancer, and 46.7%(86/180) for rectal cancer. The score for impaired nutritional status more than 1 for gastric cancer was higher than that for colorectal cancer(P<0.05), while patients with disease score more than 2 was less for gastric cancer(P<0.05). Body mass index(BMI), obesity degree, fat content, fat percentage, and arm circumference were lower in gastric cancer patients as compared to colorectal cancer patients(P<0.05); but protein percentage, muscle percentage, ratio of muscles of arm, and cell mass percentage were higher in gastric cancer patients(P<0.05). The proportions of patients with low Alb, PA, Tf, BC, Hb, Hct were higher for gastric cancer and colon cancer(P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONPatients with gastric cancer are prone to fat loss and therefore have a higher nutritional risk and malnutrition than those with colorectal cancer. Combination of body composition analysis and laboratory examination may achieve comprehensive evaluation of the nutritional status of patients, and provide the evidence of nutritional therapy by being combined with NRS2002 score.

Female ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status ; Risk Factors

Magnetic induction tomography (MIT) is a kind of novel imaging method. In this system, exciting coil directly affects the detection range and detection sensitivity. In order to improve eddy current inductive region magnetic field distribution, we established a 3D four layers homocentric sphere head model in this study. Then we carried out a 3D three dimensional transient finite element calculation in different coil radius, turns and line diameter of the exciting coil of MIT system. Then we analyzed the axial magnetic flux density of the eddy current inductive area and detected the coil induced voltage. The research results showed that the increased magnetic flux density, the augmented detection range and the improved detection sensitivity were all realized by enlarging radius, increasing line diameter and reducing turns.
Electric Conductivity ; Electric Impedance ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Magnetic Fields ; Tomography ; methods