Objective To measure and compare the expression profdes of plasma miRNA between Tibetan and Han nationality.Methods Plasma samples were taken from 246 healthy Tibetans and 128 Han individuals.The randomly selected 50 Tibetan and Han plasma samples were pooled respectively and the levels of 754 miRNAs were examined using a TaqMan Low Density Array.Two markedly differentially expressed miRNAs,miR-130a-3p and miR-629-5p,were verified in all the plasma samples by individual qRT-PCR.Results The Low Density Array results showed that the correlation coefficient of expression profiles of plasma miRNA for the Tibetan and Han population was 0.592.Compared with Han population,the expression levels of 139 miRNAs were distinctly different,in Tibetan (62 up-regulated and 77 down-regulated).The levels of miR-130a-3p and miR-629-5p were further verified to be significantly higher in the plasma from Tibetans than those in the plasma from Han population [(467 ± 27.30) × 10-5 vs (236 ± 9.69) × 10-5,p ＜ 0.01;(14.67 ±0.94) × 10-5 vs(7.58 ± 0.52) × 10-5,P ＜ 0.01] by qRT-PCR assay.Conclusion There may be marked difference of plasma miRNA expression profile between Tibetan and Han nationality.The influence of the nationality factors on miRNA profiles should be taken into account in the application of miRNAs in clinical detection in the future.

Objective To analyze the changes of serum levels ofαII-spectrin breakdown products (SBDPs)in traumatic brain inj ury (TBI)patients,and further to investigate the clinical diagnosis value of SBDPs for patients with TBI,especially with mTBI.Methods The serum levels of SBDPs were examined in 43 severe TBI (sTBI)patients,43 mild TBI (mTBI)patients and 43 healthy controls using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The diagnostic usefulness of SBDPs for TBI patients were assessed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC)curves analysis.Results There was no significant difference of SBDP145 among the three groups (F=1.340,P>0.05).Serum levels of SBDP120 in controls,mTBI and con-trols were 7.06±2.23,11.67±9.14 and 12.64±11.44 ng/ml,respectively.Compared with controls,serum levels of SB-DP120 were significantly higher in patients with sTBI (F=9.873,P=0.001)and mTBI (F=9.873,P=0.008),while there was no significant difference of SBDP120 between sTBI patients and mTBI patients (F=9.873,P=0.515>0.05). The area under ROC curve (AUC)of SBDP120 for TBI patients was 0.781 (95% CI:0.690~0.872,P<0.001).For mTBI patients,the area under ROC curve was 0.736 (95% CI:0.624~0.848,P<0.001).And for discriminating TBI patients with CT negative or positive,the area under ROC curve was 0.709 (95% CI:0.582~0.837,P=0.007<0.01).Conclusion The serum levels of SBDP120 were significantly increased in TBI patients,especially mTBI patients.And the serum levels of SBDP120 can be used as potential non-invasive biomarker for mTBI patients.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of New Qingkailing injection (NQKLI) on cerebral edema following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) induced by collagenase VII in rats.

METHODSAfter being established into ICH model by collagenase VII, rats were treated with NQKLI by intraperitoneal injection. Forty-eight hrs later, brain contents of water was detected with wet and dry method, calcium content in brain was detected by atomic spectrophotometer, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in brain tissue was determined by liquid competitive ibhibitory immunoassay, and serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively.

RESULTSNQKLI reduced the contents of water, calcium and TNF-alpha content of brain tissue and serum MMP-9 in rats with ICH.

CONCLUSIONNQKLI could alleviate both vasogenic and cytotoxic cerebral edema by prohibiting calcium over-load, protecting basilar membrane and eliminating inflammation.

Animals ; Brain Edema ; etiology ; metabolism ; therapy ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; chemically induced ; complications ; Collagenases ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Injections ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; blood ; Neuroprotective Agents ; administration & dosage ; Phytotherapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

The present study was performed to investigate the seroprevalence and risk factors for Dirofilaria immitis infection in cats from Liaoning province, northeastern China. From October 2014 to September 2016, sera of 651 cats, including 364 domestic cats and 287 feral cats (332 females and 319 males) were assessed. They were tested for the presence of D. immitis antigen using SNAP Heartworm RT test kit. In this population, the average prevalence was 4.5%. Age and rearing conditions (feral or domestic) were found to be associated with the prevalence of D. immitis. The prevalence was significantly higher in feral cats compared with domestic cats (8.4% vs 1.4%, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference between males and females (4.7% vs 4.2%, P>0.05), but older cats (≥3 years old) showed a statistically higher prevalence compared with younger cats ( < 3 years old) in feral populations (16.8 vs 2.4%, P < 0.01), while the difference between the age groups was not statistically significant in domestic cats (2.4% vs 0.51%, P>0.05), all these results suggest that outdoor exposure time may be one of the most important factors for D. immitis prevalence in cats. Results reveal that D. immitis are prevalence in domestic and feral cats in northeastern China, which indicates that appropriate preventive measures should be taken to decrease the incidence of feline heartworm disease in Liaoning province, northeastern China.
Animals ; Cats* ; China* ; Dirofilaria immitis* ; Dirofilaria* ; Dirofilariasis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

Leishmaniasis is a prevalent cause of death and animal morbidity in underdeveloped countries of endemic area. However, there is few vaccine and effective drugs. Antimicrobial peptides are involved in the innate immune response in many organisms and are being developed as novel drugs against parasitic infections. In the present study, we synthesized a 5-amino acid peptide REDLK, which mutated the C-terminus of Pseudomonas exotoxin, to identify its effect on the Leishmania tarentolae. Promastigotes were incubated with different concentration of REDLK peptide, and the viability of parasite was assessed using MTT and Trypan blue dye. Morphologic damage of Leishmania was analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Cellular apoptosis was observed using the annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection kit, mitochondrial membrane potential assay kit and flow cytometry. Our results showed that Leishmania tarentolae was susceptible to REDLK in a dose-dependent manner, disrupt the surface membrane integrity and caused parasite apoptosis. In our study, we demonstrated the leishmanicidal activity of an antimicrobial peptide REDLK from Pseudomonas aeruginosa against Leishmania tarentolae in vitro and present a foundation for further research of anti-leishmanial drugs.

ObjectiveTo study the clinical efficacy of Shire Biqing pill in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis （damp-heat obstruction syndrome） and its effect on the expression of serum osteoprotegerin （OPG）， nuclear factor-κB receptor activating factor ligand （RANKL）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and to explore its mechanism from the perspective of bone destruction. MethodPatients with rheumatoid arthritis （damp-heat obstruction syndrome） were randomly divided into two groups， with 36 patients in each group. The control group was treated with methotrexate tablets and celecoxib capsule， while the treatment group was treated with Shire Biqing pill based on the control group. The treatment period was 3 months. The pain visual analogue scale （VAS） score， joint tenderness number， joint swelling number， disease activity score （DAS28-ESR）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom quantitative score， and related adverse reactions were recorded before and after treatment， and the peripheral serum OPG， RANKL， TNF-α， erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）， and Creactive protein （CRP） were detected. ResultAfter treatment， the total effective rate was 88.57% （31/35） in the treatment group and 79.41% （27/34） in the control group. The total effective rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group （Z=-2.089， P<0.05）. The pain VAS score， joint tenderness number， joint swelling number， and DAS28-ESR of the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment （P<0.05）， and the pain VAS score， joint tenderness number， joint swelling number， and DAS28-ESR of the treatment group were significantly better than those of the control group after treatment （P<0.05）. Compared with that before treatment， the TCM symptom quantitative score in the two groups decreased significantly （P<0.05）， and the decrease was more obvious in the treatment group than in the control group （P<0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， the levels of RANKL， TNF-α， ESR， and CRP in the two groups decreased and the level of OPG increased （P<0.05）， and the changes in the treatment group were more obvious that in the control group （P<0.05）. There were no serious adverse events or serious adverse reactions during this clinical trial. ConclusionShire Biqing pill can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis （damp-heat obstruction syndrome） with good safety. Shire Biqing pill effectively regulate the OPG/RANKL/RANK system and reduce the pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α， which may be its mechanism in the intervention in rheumatoid arthritis bone destruction.