Objective To investigate the effects of chitosan(CS)/pcDNA3.1(+) CrmA on the expression of interleukin-13 (IL-1β3) converting enzyme (ICE) and IL-1β in chondrocytes.Methods Rabbit chondrocytes were isolated and cultured.Chondrocytes were treated with PBS,10 μg/ml CS/pcDNA3.1(+) and CS/pcDNA3.1 (+) CrmA respectively for 6 hours.Then 10 ng/ml IL-1β was added into the culture medium.After 48 hours,the messenger RNA and protein expression of ICE and IL-1β in chondrocytes were detected by using real time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting.Results In CS/pcDNA3.1 (+) CrmA treated group (0.52 ±0.09),the mRNA expression of ICE inchondrocytes was significantly inhibited compared withcorresponding samples of CS/pcDNA3.1 (+) group (0.84±0.11,t=4.42,P＜0.01) and PBS group (1.00±0.10,t=6.58,P＜0.01).ICE protein expression in CS/pcDNA3.1 (+) CrmA treated group (0.20±0.03) was markedly lower than CS/pcDNA3.1 (+) (0.37±0.05,t=4.85,P＜0.01) and PBS treated group (0.44±0.07,t=6.68,P＜0.01).There was no significant difference of ICE mRNA and protein expressions in chondrocytes between CS/pcDNA3.1(+) group and PBS group.Significant difference of IL-1β mRNA expression was found in the three groups.IL-1 β mRNA expression level was significantly lower in CS/pcDNA3.1(+) CrmA treated group (0.55± 0.08) than CS/pcDNA3.1(+) (0.69±0.06,t=3.50,P＜0.01) and PBS group (0.99±0.04,t=11.12,P＜0.01) of chondrocytes.IL-1β protein expression level of chondrocytesin CS/pcDNA3.1(+) CrmA group (0.230±0.020) was significantly lower than CS/pcDNA3.1 (+) (0.450±0.060,t=5.07,P＜0.01)and PBS groups (0.610±0.090,t=8.70,P＜0.01) of cells.Significant difference of IL-1β mRNA and protein expression between CS/pcDNA3.1 (+) and PBS group was also observed (t=7.61,P＜0.01;t=3.63,P＜0.01).Conclusion CrmA mediated by chitosan can significantly suppress the mRNA and protein expression of ICE,thus down regulat the expression of IL-1β,which may be one of the mechanisms of CS/pcDNA3.1 (+) CrmA in the treatment of osteoarthritic cartilage degeneration.

Objective To explore the composition principles of prescriptions for simple obesity based on the analysis of medical literature issued in recently 30 years about Chinese medicine for simple obesity. Methods We collected literature of Chinese medicine in treating simple obesity from VIP, CNKI, Wanfang, CBM and CMCC/CMCI databases, and screened out the formulas for simple obesity to establish a formula database. And then the medication rules were figured out with the Traditional Chinese medicine Inheritance Support System version 2.5 (TCMISS 2.5) software. Results A total of 57 formulas were screened out. And the top 10 herbs with highest occurrence frequency in the prescriptions were Poria, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Rhizoma Alismatis, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Fructus Crataegi, Radix Astragali, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Folium Nelumbinis, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae and Semen Cassiae. After data mining, we got 13 high-frequency herb-pair combinations and 31 core combinations, and 8 new prescriptions were extracted. Conclusion The research has achieved the quantitative description of the relationship between the Chinese medicines, the extraction of the core combinations and the discovery of new Chinese medicine prescriptions for simple obesity. The results will provide references for the development of new Chinese medicines for the treatment of simple obesity .

Endodontic microsurgery is a vital treatment modality for teeth with persistent periradicular pathoses that have not responded to nonsurgical retreatment. The principle is to determine the reason for failure, completely eliminate the infection and promote periapical healing. Within recent years, endodontic microsurgery has evolved to become standardized and presents with a high success rate. However, its outcome is still influenced by many factors, including anatomy, periodontal condition, crown-to-root ratio, occlusion, the type of periradicular lesion, and prosthesis. Moreover, endodontists always concentrate on “the apex”, paying little attention to the general preoperative evaluation, accurate diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment plan. This article reviews the latest literature on these issues and the clinical experience of our research group and discusses the correlation between endodontic microsurgery and other oral disciplines, including periodontology, prosthodontics, oral implantology, oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics. The oral interdisciplinary assessment should be made with comprehensive consideration of the root canal system, periradicular lesion, adjacent anatomical relationships, periodontal condition, occlusion, and esthetic rehabilitation. Based on these findings, the continuity of treatment will be optimized, and the best treatment plan will be proposed to provide clinical strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of complex periradicular diseases.