Objective: To investigate the hepatoprotective activities of the extracts from Citrullus colocynthis (ECC), a native plant used as traditional Uigur Medicine on acute liver injury in mice. Methods: The activities of ECC of petroleum ether (ECCPE), chloroform (ECCC), ethyl acetate (ECCEA), n-butyl alcohol (ECCBA), and water (ECCW) were evaluated in vivo using two experimental models, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)- and bacillus calmette-guerin (BCG) plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute hepatotoxicity in mice. The contents of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in serum were determined and the liver histological examination was carried out, respectively. Results: The pretreatment with ECC for 7 d obviously reduced the impact of CCl4 toxicity on the serum markers of liver damage, ECCEA and ECCC with a significant difference of AST (P < 0.01, 0.05, respectively) and ALT (P < 0.05, 0.01, respectively). The protective activity was reconfirmed against BCG + LPS-induced injury and the serum enzymatic levels were obviously elevated, for ECCEA and ECCC with a significant difference of AST (P < 0.05, 0.01, respectively) and ALT (P < 0.01, 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: That ECCEA and ECCC are the potent hepatoprotective extracts that could protect liver against the acute injury, and this ability might be attributed to their hepatoprotective potentials. © 2013 Tianjin Press of Chinese Herbal Medicines.

β-xylosidase (EC 3.2.1.37) is an important part of the xylanolytic enzymes system. In the present research, β-xylosidase gene Sxa derived from Selenomonas ruminantium was expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. According to the codon bias and rare codons of P. pastoris, mRNA secondary structure and GC content, Sxa gene was optimized. The optimized full-length gene mSxa was obtained by gene synthesis technique and the recombinant yeast expression vector pPIC9K-mSxa was constructed. After being digested by restriction enzyme BglⅡ, the mSxa gene was transformed into P. pastoris GS115. Then, phenotype and geneticin G418 resistance screening, and PCR were adopted to identify the positive transformants. Finally, the recombinant P. pastoris GS115-pPIC9K-mSxa was obtained. Based on enzymatic activity assay, a high-level expression clone was picked up and then the enzymatic characteristics of the recombinant β-xylosidase were studied. The results showed that the molecular weight of the mSxa expressed in P. pastoris G115 was about 66 kDa. The maximum activity was achieved 287.61 IU/mL at fermenter level. Enzymatic characterization showed the β-xylosidase was stable between 40 ℃ and 60 ℃, and pH between 5.0 and 7.0. The optimal reaction temperature and pH were 55 ℃ and 6.0, and preferentially degrading the β-xylose glycosidic bond. The enzymatic activity was activated by Mn²⁺ and Ca²⁺, and inhibited by Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Mg²⁺, EDTA and SDS. The study indicates that the modified β-xylosidase gene mSxa from Selenomonas ruminantium can express successfully with high activity in P. pastoris. The study lays a foundation for further industrial application of the β-xylosidase.

Objective Thermal injury causes pulmonary edema, which may lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, multiorgan failure and even death. The article aimed to study the mechanism of curcumin pretreatment on inflammatory factors in lung tissues and serum endotoxin of rats with dry-heat environment.Methods A total of 50 SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10): normal control group, dry heat control group, low concentraion group (50mg/kg curcumin pretreatment group), middle concentraion group (100mg/kg curcumin pretreatment group), and high concentration group (200mg/kg curcumin pretreatment group). Rats in normal control group and dry heat control group were given normal saline by gavage, while rats in 3 curcumin pretreatment groups were given curcumin of different concentrations (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) by gavage once a day for 7 consecutive days. At 8d, all the other 4 groups except normal control group were transferred to the climate cabin (The Simulated Climate Cabin for Special Environment of Northwest of China) with the condition of (41±0.5)℃, (10±1)% relative humidity.The rats were put in the dry-heat environment for 150min, then they were anaesthetized and sacrificed at 150min to collect the blood, lung tissues for further analysis. Observation was made on the pathological changes of lung tissues of rats in each group and the changes of inflammatory factors such as IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and LPS.Results Compared with dry heat control group, the concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and LPS in normal control group, curcumin pretreatment groups with low concentration, middle concentration and high concentration were significantly higher(P<0.01). The concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and LPS in curcumin pretreatment group with low concentration were significantly lower than those curcumin pretreatment groups with middle concentration and high concentration(P<0.05). Compared with curcumin pretreatment group with middle concentration, LPS concentration of curcumin pretreatment group with high concentration decreased significantly (P<0.01). Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between the plasma of LPS and inflammatory cytokines of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in lung tissues (correlation coefficient r=0.866, r=0.900, r=0.885, P=0.000).Conclusion Curcumin inhibits bacterial endotoxin in blood, reduces the expression of inflammatory factors, and plays an important role in alleviating secondary multiple organ damage, which means curcumin pretreatment can relieve lung damage caused by heatstroke and reduce the mortality of heatstroke.

Objective To evaluate the function of clinical-diffusion mismatch (CDM) in intraarterial thrombolysis treatment for acute middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and to evaluate specialty of CDM in predicting the putative penumbra.Methods All 106 acute MCAO patients within 6 hours after onset and examined by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) were assigned into two groups:the intraartery thrombolysis group (n =36) and without thrombolysis group ( n =70).Both groups were subdivided into CDM sub-group and non-CDM sub-group based on the criteria of CDM:National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥8 and ischemic volume on DWI ≤25 ml upon admission.NIHSS scores at the day 30 and 3 month after onset,and infarct volumes on T2 weighted imaging (T2 WI)at day 14 after onset were analyzed and compared between each sub-groups.Results The NIHSS scores in the CDM sub-group at both day 30 and the 3 month were significantly lower than the scores in the non-CDM sub-group among the patients having thrombolysis(3.20 ± 2.40 vs 6.76 ± 4.00,t =- 3.330,P =0.002 ; 2.20 ± 1.70 vs 6.05 ± 4.06,t =3.895,P =0.001 ),but not among the non-thrombolysis patients (5.22 ± 2.95 vs 5.66 ± 3.21,t =- 1.756,P =0.084 ;4.34 ± 2.53 vs 5.34 ± 3.42,t =1.234,P =0.353 ).Among the patients having CDM,the thrombolysis group resulted significant lower NIHSS scores at both day 30 and 3 month follow-up than non-thrombolysis group did (3.20 ±2.40 vs 5.22 ±2.95,t =- 2.210,P =0.034;2.20 ± 1.70 vs 4.34 ± 2.53,t =-3.128,P =0.003 ).However,among the patients of non-CDM,there was no difference in the NIHSS score between the thrombolysis group and the non-thrombolysis group at day 30 and 3 month (6.76±4.00 vs 5.66±3.21,t=1.209,P=0.231;6.05 ± 4.06 vs 5.34 ± 3.42,t =1.234,P=0.460).Among the CDM patients,the T2 WI infarct volume in the thrombolysis group was significantly smaller than that in the non-thrombolysis at day 14 onset ( ( 6.29 ± 4.41 ) ml vs ( 60.25 ± 49.23 ) ml,Z =- 4.848,P =0.001 ).Conclusion CDM may predict the putative penumbra with high specificity and can be applied in the therapy of intra-artery thrombolytic for acute MCAO patients.

Objective To investigate the clinical and imaging differences in acute thrombotic and embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion.Methods The cerebral infarction patients with acute middle cerebral artery trtmk occlusion confirmed by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) within 24 hours of onset were divided into large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) group and the cardioembolism (CE) group according to the TOAST classification criteria.Under the circumstances of not receiving thrombolytic therapy,the infarct volume on DWI,morphological characteristics and the changes of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores both at admission and day 14 were compared.Results A total of 102 cerebral infarction patients with acute middle cerebral artery trunk occlusion were included.The age of the CE group was significantly older than that of the LAA group (67.60 ± 9.62 years vs.62.57 ± 10.18 years,P =0.017),and more patients with coronary heart disease (27.27％ vs.2.90％,P=0.001 ).The infarct volume (31.96 ±39.20 ml vs.65.66 ±84.74 ml,P =0.005),the NIHSS score at admission (6.42 ± 3.38 vs.11.67 ±8.50,P=0.007),and the improvement of the disease (i.e.the difference of NIHSS scores between admission and day 14) (1.55 ± 6.43 vs.5.75 ± 9.28,P =0.027) in LAA group were significantly lower than those in the CE group.However,there was no significant difference in the NIHSS score between the 2 groups at day 14 (4.87 ± 6.61 vs.5.97 ± 3.60,P =0.324).The infarct volume was significantly correlated with the NIHSS scores at day 14 (CE group:r=0.625,P=0.001; LAA group:r=0.295,P=0.014).The LAA group was mostly the multiple lesions (71.01％),and the CE group was mostly the single lesions (54.55％) (P =0.016).Conclusion There were differences in morphology of cerebral lesion between the LAA and CE groups.In the early stage after onset,CE caused middle cerebral artery trunk occlusion was more serious and had larger infarct volume,but some patients could naturally significantly improve within a short time after onset.

Objective To study the potential of functional MRI (fMRI) during passive finger extension (FE) for predicting the motor function recovery of hemiplegic stroke survivors.Methods Nineteen survivors of a 1st cerebral infarction in the non-M1 cortex with complete paralysis on one side were selected for study.Within 1 week after the stroke,fMRI was performed while one of the patient's paralyzed fingers was passively flexed and extended.fMRI signals were acquired from the sensorimotor cortex (SMC),the supplementary motor area (SMA) and the premotor area (PM).Fugl-Meyer (FM) scores of arm motor function were recorded one week,one month and three months after the stroke.Results The early fMRI results were used to classify cortex activation performances as type Ⅰ (activation mainly on the affected side,but SMC and SMA activated bilaterally),type Ⅱ (activation of the SMC and SMA only on the affected side) or type Ⅲ (only activation of the SMC on the affected side).At one week after stroke the average FM scores of the three groups were not significantly different.At one month the three average FM scores were 47.1 ± 5.5 points,36 ±6.7 points and 11.2 ± 3.1 points,for groups Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ respectively,each significantly different from the others.At three months the average FM ratings of groups Ⅰ (61.1 ± 3.8 points) and Ⅱ (59 ± 5.2 points) were not significantly different,but both were significantly higher than the average score of group Ⅲ (10.8 ± 5.6 points).Conclusion The early stage fMRI characteristics of hemiplegic patients can be used for predicting motor outcomes.

Objective Comparative analysis for the risk factors associated with early progressive motor deficits in cerebral infarcts of different sizes in white matter of basal ganglia region and the relation between infarctions and middle cerebral artery stem lesions.Methods All 120 patients with single acute infarction located in white matter of basal ganglia region were recruited in this study retrospectively.All patients had brain and neck magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) within 72 h after onset.They were divided into two groups:the first group ( n =60,maximal size of infarctions in diameters were from 1.5 cm to 3.0 cm) and the second group (n =60,maximal diameters ＜1.5 cm) based on the maximal diameters of the infarctions on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI).Dynamic National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) in 7 days after the admission were evaluated,and analyzed by multiple Logistic regression to estimate the independent contribution of the risk factors to the early progressive motor deficits.Then,each of 2 groups was subdivided into 5 subgroups according to the MRA and clinical symptoms.Correlation between infarction and extracranial-intracranial artery lesion was analyzed.Results The proportion of patients with early progressive motor in the first group was significantly higher than that in the second group (19/60,31.6％ vs 5/60,8.3％,x2 =4.671,P=0.001 ).By multiple logistic regression analysis,elevated systolic blood pressure on admission( odds ratio(OR) =5.42,95％confidence interval (CI) 1.507-10.063,P =0.016) was independently related to early progressive motor deficits.The proportion of middle cerebral atery stem lesion in the first group was significantly higher than that in the second group(24/60,40.0％ vs5/60,8.3％,x2=0.916,P=0.000).Concltusions Patientswith acute single infarction located in white matter of basal ganglia and with diameters of 1.5 cm to 3.0 cm are at higher risk of early progressive motor deficits.Elevated systolic blood pressure on admission is the most significant independent factor related to early progressive motor deficits.The pathogenic mechanism of these middle size infarctions may be associated with lesions in middle cerebral artery stem.

Objective To assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of balloon disruption of thrombus by using a deflated balloon catheter combined with intraarterial thrombolysis for the treatment of acute middle cerebral artery(MCA) occlusion. Methods Five consecutive patients with acute MCA occlusion underwent balloon disruption combined with intra-arterial thrombolysis. The microballoon was inflated in the distal carotid artery and then deflated and advanced just distal to the occlusion site in the MCA. Thereafter, intra-arterial thrombolysis of the MCA was applied and the maximum dosage of urokinase was 500,000 U. Results Complete recanalization was achieved in 3 patients and partial recanalization in 2. All patients got favourable clinical outcome. There was no major intracerebral hemorrhage. Conclusion The penetration of the MCA with a deflated balloon catheter combined with an intra-arterial thrombolysis may be a safe and effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke.

Objective: To explore the correlation between eosinophils (Eos) and the incidence of chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in Xinjiang region of China by comparing the proportion of inflammatory cells in the pathological tissues and peripheral blood. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on 582 patients with CRSwNP who underwent endoscopic nasal surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2012 to March 2018, including 367 males and 215 females, aged (45.5±13.4) years (x¯±s). Patients were divided into groups according to demographic characteristics, recurrence and complication of allergic rhinitis (AR). Preoperative blood routine and postoperative pathological section data of nasal polyps were collected to compare the ratio of inflammatory cells in pathological tissue and the ratio of peripheral blood Eos in each group. The correlation between the proportion of inflammatory cells in the pathological tissue of nasal polyps and the recurrence of CRSwNP was analyzed, as well as the distribution of (eosCRSwNP) in Uygur and Han CRSwNP patients in Xinjiang region. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 19.0 software. Results: Compared with non-recurrent CRSwNP patients, the ratio of Eos in nasal polyp tissue and peripheral blood was increased significantly, (Z value was -3.142 and -2.344, respectively, both P<0.05). Compared with CRSwNP patients without AR, the ratio of Eos in nasal polyps and peripheral blood was also increased significantly in patients with AR (Z value was -6.664 and -4.520, respectively, both P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between tissue Eos and CRSwNP recurrence (r=0.130, P=0.002). The majority of CRSwNP patients were both eosCRSwNP in Uygur and Han ethnic groups. Conclusions: Eos is associated with the recurrence of CRSwNP in Xinjiang region, and eosCRSwNP is the dominant factor in both Uygur and Han patients.
China/epidemiology* ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nasal Polyps/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis/epidemiology* ; Sinusitis/epidemiology*

Objective: To explore the effects of lipoic acid in the treatment of burning mouth syndrome. Methods : From May 2015 to May 2016, patients with burning mouth syndrome were selected and divided into experimental group (n=14) and control group (n=15). Patients were treated with lipoic acid in the experiment group while oryzanol, vitamin B2 and vitamin were given in the control group. The pain degrees in two groups were compared before and after treatment, and the adverse drug reaction were monitored during the process. Results: Before and after 1 week treatment, there was no statistical difference between VAS scores in two groups (P > 0.05). However, there were significant differences after 2 or 3 weeks (P < 0.05). Improvement of VAS score was found in both groups after treatment (P < 0.05). No adverse drug reaction was found during the treatment. Conclusion Lipoic acid can relieve the pain of patients with burning mouth syndrome.