With the methods of light microscopic histochemistry and electron-microscopic cytochemistry, we studied the changes of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) in the anoxic myocardium of the mice; to which normal saline (INSAM group) or 10％ aqueous extract of Ginsengradix rubra (IGRAM group) was injected before the anoxic experiment. The results were as follows:Ⅰ. The Light Microscopic Study:1. In the myocardial sections of the INSAM group, the reaction of SDH of myofibrillae are variegated and the fibrillae vary in thickness. Granular mitochondria are clearly stained and arranged in alignment in the intermyofibrillar spaces. The intercalated discs fail to be stained and their spaces widen. In the IGRAM group, the reactions of SDH are similar to that of the normal control. The enzyme reaction product in the myofibrillae appear as homogeneous diffuse blue precipitate of formazan, the cross striations of myofibrillae are clear and strings of mitochondria are visible.2. The reactions of LDH in the INSAM group reveals that myofibrillar staining is also lost in a length of myofibrilla, strings of mitochondria are clearly stained. The reaction in the IGRAM group is similar to that of the normal control. In the myofibrillae there is a homogenous continuous violet precipitate of formazan.Ⅱ. The Electron-Microscopic Study:1. The reaction of SDH in the INSAM group shows that the enzyme activity in the mitochondrial inner membrane and the cristae is stronger than that of the normal control. The increased activity is represented by the increase of electronic density or darkening and thickening of the membranes. However, the activity in the IGRAM group is simillar to that of the normal control but weaker in reaction.2. The reaction of LDH in the INSAM group reveals that the enzyme activity exhibited by membrane darkening is obviously stronger than that of the normal control but in the IGRAM group it shows clearly a weaker reaction.The results mentioned above suggest that Ginsengradix rubra might alleviate the metabolic disturbance caused by myocardial anoxia.

The epithelial cells of human prostatic hyperplasia had been studied cytochemically for 5'-nucleotidase and thiamine pyrophosphatase activity with light and electron microscopy. The 5'-nucleotidase (5'-Nase) activities were present in the epithelial cells at lysosomes, Golgi vacuoles, vesicles, secretory vacuoles and free surface of plasmic membrane, the secretion material within the acinar lumina of the prostate gland also showed 5'-nucleotidase reaction product. The activity of 5'-nucleotidase has not markedly changed by the actinomyces globispores treatment, but slightly decreased after estrogen treatment. It was no enzyme reaction after treated by testectomy.Activities of thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase) were restricted to the Golgi area, and there were heavy deposits of reaction products in concave face of Golgi saccule. The activities of TPPase were not markedly changed by estrogen and actinomyces globispores treatments but none of enzyme activities could be seen after testectomy.

By means of pharmacohistochemical regimen method and image analysis system,the age-related changes of acetylcholinesterase activity of the substantia nigra neu-rons and the number and size(section area)of the AChE positive neurons in ratswere investigated quantitatively.The results showed that the number of AChE pos-itive neurons in the substantia nigra of the old rats decreased markedly,the rateand quantity of AChE synthesis in the perikaryon remarkable declined.The size(section area)of the AChE positive neurons also reduced with aging.These changeswith aging have never been studied in human or usual experimental animals,so thatsome new parameters were provided for the research field in experimental geronto-logy.In human and animal,the degeneration of the neurons in substantia nigra cau-sed by aging would disturb the balance between dopaminergic and acetylcholinergicsystem and hence interfere with the normal coordination of movement.

AIM: To investigate the role of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in early intestinal injury in scald rats with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. METHODS: 86 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups as follows: normal controls ( n= 10), scald control group( n= 10), postburn sepsis group( n= 50) and SEB monoclonal antibody (MAb)treatment group ( n= 16). Plasma samples were collected to determine SEB, endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor-? (TNF-?) and interferon-? (IFN-?). RESULTS: After scald injury followed by Staphylococcus aureus challenge, the levels of SEB, TNF-? and IFN-? in plasma were significantly higher than those of normal controls, peaking at 2-6 h ( P

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effect and its underlying mechanism of 2,4-diamino-6-hydroxy-pyrimidine (DAHP), an inhibitor of GTP-cyclohydrolase I (GTP-CHI), on postburn Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) sepsis in rats.

METHODSFifty-six Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups, i.e. normal control, scalding control, postburn sepsis group and DAHP treatment group. Tissue samples from liver, kidneys, lungs and heart were aseptically taken, and in which the GTP-CHI and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) contents and the mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) were determined. Furthermore, biopterin (BH(4)) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in these tissue were also measured.

RESULTSAfter the scalding injury followed by bacterial challenge, the GTP-CHI gene expression and biopterin levels were significantly increased in all tissue sampled, and so were iNOS mRNA expression and NO (P < 0.01), especially in liver and lungs. The expressions of GTP-CHI mRNA and iNOS mRNA and the production of BH(4) and NO in all tissue were evidently inhibited by the pretreatment with DAHP (P < 0.05 approximately 0.01). At the same time, the TNFalpha expression was also obviously decreased. In addition, The mortality at 6 hr in rats of DAHP treatment group was decreased.

CONCLUSIONThe prognosis of the scalding rats complicated by sepsis caused by G(+) bacteria could be improved by DAHP pretreatment, which might be related to the inhibition of the production of BH(4) and NO by DAHP.

Animals ; Biopterin ; metabolism ; Burns ; complications ; genetics ; metabolism ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; GTP Cyclohydrolase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Heart ; drug effects ; Hypoxanthines ; pharmacology ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; drug effects ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sepsis ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Staphylococcal Infections ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Sugar Acids ; Time Factors ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics

Here we tell a 20-year long story. It began with an easily overlooked DNA degradation (Dnd) phenomenon during electrophoresis and eventually led to the discovery of an unprecedented DNA sulfur modification governed by five dnd genes. This unusual DNA modification, called phosphorothioation, is the first physiological modification identified on the DNA backbone, in which the nonbridging oxygen is replaced by sulfur in a sequence selective and stereo-specific manner. Homologous dnd gene clusters have been identified in diverse and distantly related bacteria and thus have drawn immediate attention of the entire microbial scientific community. Here, we summarize the progress in chemical, genetic, enzymatic, bioinformatical and analytical aspects of this novel postreplicative DNA modification. We also discuss perspectives on the physiological functions of the DNA phosphorothioate modification in bacteria and their implications.
Bacteria ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA, Bacterial ; chemistry ; history ; metabolism ; Genes, Bacterial ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Multigene Family ; Streptomyces lividans ; genetics ; metabolism ; Sulfur ; chemistry ; history ; metabolism

Objective: To explore the difference of liver inflammation and fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and to investigate the relationship between hepatic pathology and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Methods: 57 patients with chronic HCV infection and 346 patients with chronic HBV infection who were hospitalized at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2012 to September 2016 were enrolled. In chronic HBV infection, including 88 cases whose ALT were more than two times of upper limited of normal (ALT≥2×ULN) and 258 cases whose ALT were less than two times of upper limited of normal (ALT < 2×ULN).All the patients were underwent liver biopsy. Chronic HBV infection (ALT≥2×ULN and ALT < 2×ULN) and chronic HCV infection were compared respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using a Univariate χ²-test and Mann–Whitney U test for comparison. Correlations between variables were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation. Results: In chronic HBV infection group, 169 cases (48.8%) had inflammation grade≥2 (G≥2), 98 cases (28.3%) had fibrosis stage≥2 (S≥2), 81 cases (23.4%) with G≥2 and S≥2.In the ALT < 2×ULN group, there were 109 cases (42.2%) with G≥2, 62 cases (24%) with S≥2, 49 cases (19%) with G≥2 and S≥2. In the ALT≥2×ULN group, 60 cases (68.2%) with G≥2, 35 cases (39.8%) with S≥2, 31 cases (35.2%) with G≥2 and S≥2. The grade of inflammation and fibrosis have significantly different between ALT≥2×ULN group and ALT < 2×ULN group (χ² = 17.66, χ² = 8.06, P < 0.01). In chronic HCV infection group, 47 cases (82.5%) with G≥2, 20 cases (35.1%) with S≥2, 20 cases (35.1%) with G≥2 and S≥2. ALT had no correlation with inflammation and fibrosis (P > 0.05). The grade of inflammation was significantly different between chronic HCV infection and chronic HBV infection whose ALT < 2×ULN (χ² = 30.19, P < 0.01) but the fibrosis have no difference (χ² = 2.96, P > 0.05). Compared with chronic HBV infection whose ALT≥2×ULN, both inflammation and fibrosis had no significantly different (χ² = 3.65, χ² = 0.32, P > 0.05 respectively). Conclusion In chronic HBV infection whose ALT < 2×ULN, about 30%-40% liver tissue with significant necroinflammation and /or fibrosis. About 80% chronic HCV infection with significant necroinflammation, and the grade of inflammation has no correlation with ALT. The grade of inflammation has significantly different between chronic HCV infection group and chronic HBV infection group whose ALT < 2×ULN.

Single-cell multi-Omics(SCM-Omics)and spatial multi-Omics(SM-Omics)technologies provide state-of-the-art methods for exploring the composition and function of cell types in tissues/organs.Since its emergence in 2009,single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)has yielded many groundbreaking new discoveries.The combination of this method with the emergence and development of SM-Omics tech-niques has been a pioneering strategy in neuroscience,developmental biology,and cancer research,especially for assessing tumor heterogeneity and T-cell infiltration.In recent years,the application of these methods in the study of metabolic diseases has also increased.The emerging SCM-Omics and SM-Omics approaches allow the molecular and spatial analysis of cells to explore regulatory states and determine cell fate,and thus provide promising tools for unraveling heterogeneous metabolic processes and making them amenable to intervention.Here,we review the evolution of SCM-Omics and SM-Omics technologies,and describe the progress in the application of SCM-Omics and SM-Omics in metabolism-related diseases,including obesity,diabetes,nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and cardiovascular disease(CVD).We also conclude that the application of SCM-Omics and SM-Omics approaches can help resolve the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases in the body and facilitate therapeutic measures for metabolism-related diseases.This review concludes with an overview of the current status of this emerging field and the outlook for its future.