Adaptation, Psychological ; Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; etiology ; Parents ; Psychology, Adolescent ; Turner Syndrome ; psychology

Acupuncture Analgesia ; Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Catheter Ablation ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain Management

0.05).But the amount of adhered bacteria of surface-polished with titanium alloy is greater than that of surface-polished with zirconia ceramics(P

Animals ; Brain Edema ; Brain Ischemia ; Cerebral Infarction ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Rats ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury

Objective To investigate the function of soluble stem cell factor receptor(s-kit)and stem cell factor(SCF) in chronic aplastic anemia(CAA).Methods ELISA assay was employed to determine the levels of s-kit and SCF in peripheral blood of CAA patients and umbilical cord blood.Results The levels of s-kit and SCF in peripheral blood of CAA patients are lower than those of normal group and umbilical cord blood group.Conclusions The decreased levels of s-kit and SCF show that s-kit and SCF may play a role in CAA mechanism.The raised levels of s-kit and SCF show that s-kit and SCF may be applied in the field of cord blood transplantation.

Objective To evaluate Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis)-specific cellular immunity in individuals with latent or active tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection. Methods One hundred HIV-infected individuals in Yunnan Province were enrolled. The enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay using early secreted antigenic target (ESAT)-6 and culture filtrate protein (CFP)-10 was employed to detect M. tuberculosis-specific T cells in the peripheral blood. The absolute number of CD3+ CD4+and CD3+ CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood from the enrolled subjects were determined by flow cytometry. Data were analyzed using nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Results The prevalence of latent tuberculosis co-infection in HIV-infected individuals without any clinical evidence of active tuberculosis was 67.6%. The absolute numbers of CD3+ CD4+ (532 × 106/L) and CD3+ CD8+ (473 × 106×/L) T cell in HIV-infected individuals with latent tuberculosis co-infection were similar to those of only HIV-infeeted individuals (406 ×106×/L and 504 × 106/L). While those in HIV-infected individuals with active tuberculosis co-infection were 189 × 106/L and 293 × 106/L, respectively, which were both significantly lower than those in other two groups (U=168. 0,U=163. 0,U= 374. 0,U=147. 0, all P<0. 01). Furthermore, ESAT-6 (31/106 cells) and CFP-10 (82/106 cells) specific spot-forming cells in HIV-infected individuals with active tuberculosis co-infection were significantly less than those in HIV-infected individuals with latent tuberculosis co-infection (92 × 106 cells and 109 × 106 cells, U= 507. 0,U= 529. 5, both P<0. 01). Conclusions The prevalence of latent tuberculosis in HIV-positive individuals without any clinical evidence of active tuberculosis is high in China. Both overall cellular immunity and M. tuberculosis-specific immune response in HIV-positive individuals with active tuberculosis co-infection are severely impaired.

A in vitro platelet aggregation bioassay was developed for the quality control of XST capsules. The in vitro anti-platelet aggregation effect in rats was observed to detect the bioactivity of XST capsules. Panax notoginseng saponins and Xuesaitong lyophilizedpowder for injection were taken as standard control substances to determine the potency. According to the results, XST capsules showeda significant inhibitory effect on thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. The in vitro anti-platelet activity oflyophilized powder for injection was stabler than that of Panax notoginseng saponins, and so suitable to serve as a standard control substance. The biological potency of XST capsules compared with standard control substance was detected by using parallel line assay. According to the results, the established bioassay method had a good repeatability (RSD 2.92%). The sample test results could pass thereliability test(linear deviation P > 0.05, parallel deviation P > 0.05). This bioassay method could be used as one of the complementary quality control methods for XST capsules.
Animals ; Capsules ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Male ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Cordyceps Sinensis (CS) and Tripterygium wilfordii Polyglycosidium (TWP) on the podocytes in rats with diabetes nephropathy (DN).

METHODSRat models of DN were established and rats were randomly divided into the normal control group (Group A), the DN group (Group B), the CS group (Group C), the TWP group (Group D), and the CS combined TWP group (Group E). The changes of 24-h urinary protein count (24-h pro), blood glucose (Glu), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), white blood cell (WBC), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and kidney weight/body weight (KW/BW) were determined 12 weeks later. The renal pathological changes were evaluated by HE staining. The microstructural changes of podocytes were observed by transmission electron microscope. The expressions of nephrin and podocin were detected by immunofluorescence staining.

RESULTSCompared with Group A, the levels of SCr and BUN were higher (P < 0.05), Glu, KW/BW, and 24 h pro were obviously higher in Group B (P < 0.01). There were less glomerular disorder, chronic tubulointerstitial damage and glomerular podocyte lesion in Group B. The expressions of the massive cortical nephrin and podocin protein were obviously less in Group B. Compared with Group B, the KW/BW and 24 h pro in Group C, D, and E were lower (P < 0.01). The pathomorphological improvement was exhibited in the glomerulus, tubules, and podocytes. The protein expressions of nephrin and podocin were higher in the renal cortex. Compared with Group C, the KW/BW and 24-h pro decreased in Group D and E, the expressions of nephrin and podocin were enhanced, and the lesions of the glomerulus, tubules, and podocytes were alleviated, showing statistical difference (P < 0.01). The most significant changes happened in Group E.

CONCLUSIONSCS and TWP could alleviate the DN proteinuria, protect and repair podocytes of DN rats. Its mechanisms might be correlated with up-regulating the expressions of nephrin and podocin. The combined use of CS and TWP could increase the efficacy and attenuate adverse reactions of TWP.

Animals ; Cordyceps ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; pathology ; Male ; Podocytes ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tripterygium

Aging can cause degenerative changes in the function of multiple tissues and organs in the body. Gastrointestinal diseases and intestinal dysfunction are very common in the elderly people. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of the total extract of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. on intestinal function and gut microbiota homeostasis in natural aging mice, which will provide clues for further mechanism study. The natural aging mice model is established and animal experiments follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The overall health of the mice was evaluated by the "frailty index" scoring method. The intestinal absorption and transport function were measured by detecting intestinal glucose absorption capacity, transport time, lipase and amylase activities of aging mice. Intestinal inflammation was assessed by detecting inflammatory cytokines by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The pathological changes in the intestines of aging mice were tested by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining and alizarin blue (AB) staining. The qRT-PCR method was used to explore the gene transcription level related with the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells. Microbiota analysis based on 16S rDNA were used to evaluate the composition of gut microbiota. The results showed that Astragalus had a tendency to reduce the "frailty index" of aging mice, but did not show a significant difference. In some indicators of aging phenotype, Astragalus has the most significant effect on hair loss and physical fitness. In terms of intestinal function, Astragalus could increase intestinal glucose absorption capacity, shorten intestinal transportation time and promote lipase secretion in aging mice. The levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-‍α) in the aging intestinal tissue were reduced after Astragalus administration. Astragalus also ameliorated the pathological degeneration of the intestinal tissue of aging mice by increasing the length of small intestinal villi, the thickness of colonic mucosa and goblet cell number. In addition, Astragalus elevated the expression of genes associated with the proliferation and differentiation in jejunum and modulated gut microbiota, especially restoring the abundance of Lachnospiraceae. Taken together, the above research results demonstrate the total extract of Astragalus as a key factor improving the intestinal function and gut microbiota homeostasis of aging mice.

In this study, the ameliorative effects of Flos Abelmoschus manihot on mice with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were investigated and its effects on the structure of the intestinal flora as well as the lipid profile in feces of IBD mice were analyzed. All animal welfare and experimental procedures followed the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Nanjing University of Chinese medicine. A mouse model with chronic IBD induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was used to evaluate changes in body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colonic histopathological damage as well as gene expression levels of inflammatory factors in the colon. Fecal samples from mice in each group were collected and subjected to Illumina high-throughput sequencing to detect the abundance of intestinal flora; samples were analyzed by UHPLC-Q-Exactive^® HF Quadrupole-Orbitrap^® of untargeted lipidomics, which detects lipid content in feces. Administration of Flos Abelmoschus manihot could significantly restore the body weight and ameliorate colonic histopathological damage in IBD mice. Sequencing of the gut microbiota revealed that the species diversity and richness of the gut microbiota in IBD mice were decreased, with a significant increase in the abundance of Verrucomicrobia and a significant decrease in the abundance of Bacteroidetes; Flos Abelmoschus manihot significantly increased the richness and diversity of intestinal microbiota in IBD mice, increased the number of taxa species at each level, and restored the abundance of bacteria in the phylum Bacteroidetes. Analysis of fecal lipid profiles identified the most significant changes in sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid metabolic pathways in IBD mice, with Flos Abelmoschus manihot inhibiting ceramide and sphingomyelin synthesis in sphingolipid metabolism. In summary, Flos Abelmoschus manihot can effectively improve the disease condition of mice with chronic IBD, and it has the effect of regulating intestinal flora homeostasis and lipid metabolism, but the related mechanism between the two still needs to be deeply explored.