To measure carotid intima media thickness(IMT) and to investigate the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and some major risk factors in elder uremic patients, a cross sectional study was carried out in 30unselected elder uremic patients (16on hemodialysis). Fasting blood sampling for serum lipids, BUN, creatinine, hemoglobin, and echo colour Doppler evaluation of common carotid arteries and heart were performed , BP was measured in all patients (before dialysis day in hemodialysis patients). Relationship between the results and miltifactoral regression analysis were also carried out. 17 patients(56 6%)had carotid IMTwhile 12 dialysis patients(75%) had it. 6patients (20%) had at least one plaque. A significant correlation was found in internal diameter of carotid arteries, IMT and blood vessel resistance between left and right carotid arteries. Carotid IMT had a close relationship with serum BUN, creatinine, cholesterol, systolic BP and heart ejection fraction. In multiple regression models, serum creatinine and cholesterol was significant and an independent predictor of the degree of carotid IMT. In elder uremic patients, carotid IMT is quite common. Elder age, hypertension, degree of renal insufficiency and dyslipidemia are associated with carotid atherosclerosis. Serum creatinine and cholesterol appears to serve as an independent predictor of carotid atherosclerosis, which contributes to the cardiovascular complications and high mortality in elder uremic patients.

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are temperature sensitive biopolymers composed of a Val-Pro-Gly-Xaa-Gly pentapeptide repeat that derived from a structural motif found in mammalian elastin. It was a promising tag for recombinant protein purification. Here, we de novo designed a novel ELPs gene and cloned it into the modified expression vector pET-22b(+). Then, we transformed the recombinant expression vector pET-22b-ELPs into Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Upon induction by Isopropyl beta-D-Thiogalactoside (IPTG), ELPs was expressed and purified by a non-chromatographic purification method named inverse temperature cycling. The influences of salts types and concentrations on ELPs were also determined. The results showed that the transition temperature of the [KV8F-20] decreased to 19 degrees C by 0.4 mmol/L Na2CO3. Due to its small molecular weight and sensitivity to salt, the ELPs might be a useful purification tag, which can provide a reliable and simple non-chromatographic method for purification of the recombinant protein by inverse transition cycling.
Chromatography ; Elastin ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Peptides ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Sodium Chloride ; pharmacology

In recent years, the artificial intelligence machine learning and deep learning technology have made leap progress. Using clinical decision support system for auxiliary diagnosis and treatment is the inevitable developing trend of wisdom medical. Clinicians tend to ignore the interpretability of models while pursuing its high accuracy, which leads to the lack of trust of users and hamper the application of clinical decision support system. From the perspective of explainable artificial intelligence, the authors make some preliminary exploration on the construction of clinical decision support system in the field of liver disease. While pursuing high accuracy of the model, the data governance techniques, intrinsic interpretability models, post-hoc visualization of complex models, design of human-computer interactions, providing knowledge map based on clinical guidelines and data sources are used to endow the system with interpretability.

The development of biotechnology and the in-depth research on disease mechanisms have led to increased application of enzymes in the treatment of diseases. In addition, enzymes have shown great potential in drug manufacturing, particularly in production of non-natural organic compounds, due to the advantages of mild reaction conditions, high catalytic efficiency, high specificity, high selectivity and few side reactions. Moreover, the application of genetic engineering, chemical modification of enzymes and immobilization technologies have further improved the function of enzymes. This review summarized the advances of using enzymes as drugs for disease treatment or as catalysts for drug manufacturing, followed by discussing challenges, potential solutions and future perspectives on the application of enzymes in the medical and pharmaceutical field.
Biocatalysis ; Biotechnology ; Catalysis ; Drug Compounding ; Enzymes/metabolism*

Objective: To investigate the mechanisms of miR-375 affecting the proliferation and invasion of hepatoma cells via targeting YAP (Yes-associated protein). Methods: The cancerous tissues and corresponding para-cancerous tissues of 70 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent surgical resection at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2015 to December 2016, as well as the hepatoma cell lines SMMC-7721, Hb611, HepG2 and BEL-7405 were collected for this study. qPCR method was used to detect the expression level of miR-375 in collected HCC tissues and different hepatoma cell lines; Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify the interaction between miR-375 and YAP; The relationship between miR-375 and clinicopathological features of HCC patients was also analyzed; MTT assay was used to detect the effect of miR375 on the proliferation of hepatoma cells; Transwell invasion assay was used to detect the invasive ability of hepatoma cells after inhibiting the expression of miR-375; Western blotting was used to detect the expression of YAP in HepG2 cells. The nude mouse model of subcutaneously transplanted xenograft was established, and the tumor volume and mass of transplanted hepatoma cells were detected after inhibiting the expression of miR-375. The expression of YAP in xenograft of nude mice was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Results: The expression of miR-375 and YAP in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in para-cancerous tissues (all P<0.05). The expression of miR-375 in HepG2 cells was the highest (P<0.05). miR-375 could specifically bind to the 3' UTR of YAP and regulate the expression activity of YAP. After inhibiting the expression of miR-375, the proliferation and invasion abilities of HepG2 cells were reduced (all P<0.05); The tumor volume and mass of transplanted xenografts were significantly reduced (both P<0.05); The expression of YAP protein in the transplanted xenografts was down-regulated (P<0.05). Conclusion: miR-375 plays an important role in the occurrence and development of liver cancer, and can influence the malignant biological behaviors of hepatoma cells by targeting and regulating the expression ofYAP.

【Objective】 To discuss the repair effect of lyophilized platelet lysate (PL) products on articular cartilage injury model of rats. 【Methods】 A total of 25 SD rats were injected with typeⅡcollagenase at the right knuckle articular cavity respectively on day 1, 3 and 5 of experiment, and the modeling conditions were observed 14 days after the last injection of collagenase. The SD rats with successful modeling were randomly divided into three groups, and were injected with lyophilized PL [Group A, 1 mL/(mouse·time)], PL [Group B, 1 mL/(mouse·time)], and normal saline[Group C, 1 mL/(mouse·time)]. The above three substances were injected with corresponding drugs on day 0, 7, 14 and 21 of experiment based on the grouping conditions, and the changes of knee joint diameters of the rats from the three groups were observed and compared. On day 14 and 28, one rat in each group was randomly killed and two knuckle articular cavities of each were taken for tissue sampling, using hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) and immunohistochemistry. 【Results】 After 14 days of modeling by injection of type Ⅱ collagenase, the proportion of successful modeling in rats was 84% (21/25), with the knee joint diameter (mm) before and after modeling at 12.84±1.14 vs 14.11±1.17(P<0.01). On day 14, 21 and 28, groups A and B were superior to group C in the knee joint diameter and activity improvement (P<0.05), with 13.33±1.16 vs 13.37±1.08 vs 14.21±1.08, 13.10±1.09 vs 13.01±1.04 vs 14.09±1.09 and 12.38±1.08 vs 12.51±1.03 vs 14.01±1.07, respectively. Histological observation showed that group A and B were superior to group C in the production and arrangement of chondrocytes and the positive expression of type Ⅱ collagen, and there was no significant difference between group A and group B. 【Conclusion】 The lyophilized PL has similar therapeutic effect to PL in the treatment and repair of articular cartilage injury, and is worthy of clinical application.

【Objective】 To explore the clinical effects of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of postoperative bone nonunion for long bone shaft fractures during operation and after operation. 【Methods】 A total of 34 patients with postoperative bone nonunion for long bone shaft fracture, who were admitted and cured in the Orthopedics Department of our hospital from January 2019 to June 2020, were selected. They were randomly divided into the experimental group(n=17) and control group(n=17). Individuals in the control were treated with autologous iliac bone alone., while the experimental group were treated with autologous iliac bone graft plus autologous PRP during and after operation. After surgery, the autogenous PRP was accurately injected with ultrasound guidance every 7 days (5 mL/person, 4 occasions in total). The clinical healing time of the fracture, the grading of callus formation and the functional rehabilitation level of limbs on the affected side at different time were observed in both groups. 【Results】 All 34 patients were followed up. In the experimental group and the control group, the clinical healing time (month) of the fracture was (5.03±1.24) vs (6.91±1.41), P<0.05. The healing rate of the fracture for 6 months and 9 months was 94%(16/17)vs 59%(10/17)and 94%(16/17)vs 82%(14/17), respectively (P<0.05). The grading of callus formation within 3, 6 and 9 months was (2.11±0.69) vs (1.53±0.80), (3.06±0.90) vs (2.59±0.87) and (3.82±0.73) vs (3.35±0.86), respectively (P<0.05). The acceptance rate of functional rehabilitation of limbs on the affected side was 82.35%(14/17)vs 76.47%(13/17), P<0.05. 【Conclusion】 The application of autologous PRP in the treatment of postoperative bone nonunion for long bone shaft fractures during operation and after operation can achieve good clinical treatment.