ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Xiaoyao powder combined with prozac and psychological therapy on post-stroke depression (PSD).Methods85 PSD patients were randomly divided into the treatment group (n=43) and control group (n=42). All patients were treated with routine therapy, including prozac and psychological therapy. Patients in the treatment group were also given Xiaoyao powder. Scores of Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), modified Barthel index (MBI) and Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS) of all patients were evaluated before and after therapy.ResultsAfter treatment, the effective rate and MBI scores were significantly higher and scores of HAMD and SSS were significantly lower for patients of the treatment group compared with those of the control group (P<0.01).ConclusionXiaoyao powder combined with prozac and psychological therapy can improve depression and neural function of PSD patients significantly.

mended to detect possible leakage of fat within central spinal canal.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the fungal composition in Massa Medicata Fermentata based on culture dependent method and independent PCR-SSCP technique.

METHODFungi were directly isolated from Massa Medicata Fermentata samples. The obtained strains were identified according to morphology and DNA sequence. Meanwhile the total fungal DNA was extracted from Massa Medicata Fermentata samples, the cultural independent PCR-SSCP technique based on β-tubulin gene were used to identify the mycobiota.

RESULTAccording to cultural method, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus oryzae were present in Massa Medicata Fermentata samples, while A. flavus and A. niger were present in fried Massa Medicata Fermentata samples. In contrast, 5 species were obtained by PCR-SSCP technique, A. flavus was overlapped with fungal taxa derived from culture dependent method; A. ambiguu and A. s ivoriensis were dominant with relative abundance of 57% and 35% respectively, while the relative abundance of A. flavus was as low as 4%. None species was obtained from fried Massa Medicata Fermentata samples.

CONCLUSIONPCR-SSCP based on β-tubulin gene could distinguish fungi into species, culture dependent method combined with culture independent method could better understand the fungal composition associated with Massa Medicata Fermentata fermentation.

Fermentation ; Fungi ; isolation & purification ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Tubulin ; genetics

To prepare PLGA fiber scaffolds by electrospinning process and investigate the influence of preparation parameters on the structure of the scaffolds. With the compound of THF and DMF as the solvent, the PLGA fiber scaffolds with different surface morphology were fabricated via altering PLGA solution concentration, flowing rate and applied electric field strength. The morphology and diameter of the fibers were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The biocompatibility of cell-scaffold complex was also evaluated by seeding human dermal fibroblasts onto the PLGA fiber scaffolds, including cell adhesion and proliferation. The results show that the diameter of fibers and the bound of distributing increase with the increase in the concentration of PLGA solution. As the flowing rate increases, the diameter of fibers increases. However, with the increase in the applied electric field strength, no significant difference in the diameter of the fiber can be observed. Furthermore, both the increase in the concentration of PLGA solution and applied electric field strength in the volume range of current investigation can lead to the reduction in the beads formation within the scaffold. The results of in vitro cell culture on the PLGA scaffolds also confirm that the PLGA fiber can support the adhesion and proliferation of huaman dermal fibroblasts.

Synthetic biology research methods which design and build a new artificial biological systems (medicinal plants or microorganisms system) with specific physiological functions through clarifying and simulating the basic law of the biosynthesis of active components of traditional Chinese medicine, is considered to be a potential method to produce an abundant resources of bioactive components. Tanshinones is a kind of diterpene quinone compounds with important pharmacological activities from traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza. This article systematically introduced the research progress of the synthetic biology of S. miltiorrhiza, in order to provide references for studies on other terpenoid bioactive components of traditional Chinese medicines, and give new research strategies for the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine resources.
Diterpenes, Abietane ; biosynthesis ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; metabolism ; Synthetic Biology

Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Glycogen ; metabolism ; Glycogen Storage Disease Type II ; pathology ; Humans ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; pathology ; Muscular Dystrophies, Limb-Girdle ; pathology ; Pyomyositis ; pathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of dopamine (DA) and metabolite in striatum of Parkinson's disease (PD) rats treated by bone mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) modified by plasmid pIRESneo-EGFP-BDNF.

METHODpIRESneo-EGFP-BDNF was transfected to MSCs with electroporation. The rat models of PD were set up by 6-OHDA and then divided into four groups randomly, which were Sham group, PD group, BDNF group. The rotating behavior of rat models induced by apomorphine (APO) intraperitoneally which transplanting bone MSCs or MSCs modified by plasmid pIRESneo-EGFP-BDNF through cerebral lateral ventricle after 2, 4 and 8 weeks. The levels of DA, homovanillic acid (HVA), dihydroxy-phenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in striatum of each group.

RESULTSThe rotation numbers (r/min) of MSCs group or BDNF group in the 2nd, 4th and 8th week after transplanting were significantly decreased compared with that of PD group (P < 0.05). Those of BDNF group were specially significant compared with those of MSCs group (P < 0.05). The levels of DA, HVA, DOPAC and the ratios of DA/HVA, DA/DOPAC in stratum after PD rats intervened by transplanting cells through cerebral lateral ventricle after eight weeks were increased significantly in BDNF group or MSCs group while compared with PD group, especially in BDNF group.

CONCLUSIONThe behavior of rat with PD was improved significantly by increasing the levels of DA and decreasing metabolic rate of DA in striatum while transplanting BDNF modified bone MSCs through cerebral lateral ventricle.

Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; genetics ; Corpus Striatum ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dopamine ; metabolism ; Genetic Engineering ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Parkinson Disease ; metabolism ; Plasmids ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

This study is to investigate the binding capability of lidamycin apoprotein (LDP), an enediyne-associated apoprotein of the chromoprotein antitumor antibiotic family, to human breast cancer and normal tissues, the correlation of LDP binding capability to human breast cancer tissues and the expression of tumor therapeutic targets such as VEGF and HER2. In this study, the binding capability of LDP to human breast cancer tissues was detected with tissue microarray. The correlation study of LDP binding capability to human breast tumor tissues and relevant therapeutic targets was performed on breast cancer tissue microarrays. Immunocytochemical examination was used to detect the binding capability of LDP to human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells. As a result, tissue microarray showed that LDP staining of 73.2% (30/41) of breast cancer tissues was positive, whereas that of 48.3% (15/31) of the adjacent normal breast specimens was positive. The difference between the tumor and normal samples was significant (Chi2 = 4.63, P < 0.05). LDP immunoreactivity in breast cancer correlated significantly with the overexpression of VEGF and HER2 (P < 0.001 and < 0.01, r = 0.389 and 0.287, respectively). Determined with confocal immunofluorescent analysis, LDP showed the binding capability to mammary carcinoma MCF-7 cells. It is demonstrated that LDP can bind to human breast cancer tissues and there is significant difference between the breast cancer tissues and the corresponding normal tissues. Notably, the binding reactivity shows positive correlation with the expression of VEGF and HER2 in breast carcinoma tissues. The results imply that LDP may have a potential use as targeting drug carrier in the research and development of new anticancer therapeutics. This study may provide reference for drug combination of LDM and other therapeutic agents.
Aminoglycosides ; metabolism ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; metabolism ; Apoproteins ; metabolism ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Enediynes ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Protein Binding ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Tissue Array Analysis ; methods ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to clone the acetyl-CoA C-acetyl transferase (AACT) gene from Aquilaria sinensis and analyze the bioinformatics and expression of the gene.

METHODOne unique sequence containing partly AACT gene sequence was discovered in our previous transcriptome dataset of A. sinensis. AACT gene was cloned by RT-PCR and RACE strategy with the template of RNA extracted from A. sinensis stem. The bioinformatic analysis of this gene and its corresponding protein was performed. The AsAACT expression in calli was analyzed with GADPH gene as an internal control gene in wounded condition by qRT-PCR technique.

RESULTOne unique sequence of AACT, named as AsAACT, was cloned from A. sinensis. The full length of AsAACT cDNA was containing a 1 236 bp ORF that encoded 411 amino acids. The result of qRT-PCR displayed that the highest expression level was at 4 h. which indicated that it was possibly involved in early-stage response to wound.

CONCLUSIONCloning and analyzing AsAACT gene from A. sinensis provided basic information for study the function and expression regulation of AsAACT in terpenoid biosynthesis.

Acetyl-CoA C-Acetyltransferase ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Models, Molecular ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Protein Structure, Secondary ; Thymelaeaceae ; enzymology ; genetics

OBJECTIVEHaemophilus (H.) influenzae is a gram-negative bacillus that is a common commensal organism of the human upper respiratory tract and an important cause of human diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, septicemia, epiglottitis and cellulitis. Strains of H. influenzae are classified according to their capsular polysaccharide. There are six serotypes, designated as a through f. In addition, there are nonencapsulated strains. Although the type of infectious diseases caused by H. influenzae has changed considerably in recent years because of the widespread and routine immunization of children against type b H. influenzae (Hib), Hib remains an important pathogen. Ampicillin is the drug of choice for treating many infections caused by H. influenzae, but its usefulness has been compromised by the increasing prevalence of ampicillin-resistant strains. The continued monitoring of resistant strains by using genotyping methods may provide insights into the epidemiology of transmission. A molecular epidemiological study of ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae derived from nasopharyngeal swabs specimens of children less than 5 years of age with respiratory tract infection were investigated in this study.

METHODSA total of 899 isolates were collected from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou during 2000-2003. Susceptibility to ampicillin was determined by using E-test. Ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains were selected according to National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) 2002 breakpoints. Nested PCR method with primers specific for bexA gene and b capsulate type-specific gene was established. Genotyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multiplex PCR assay was performed for all ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains.

RESULTSSeventy-four ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains were obtained. Two strains were positive by nested PCR, characterized as b genotype. The incidence of Hib in ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains was 2.7%; 38 genotypes were detected by PFGE. Detection of five types strains of clonal dissemination by PFGE accounted for 55.4% in all ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains. Among them eighteen H. influenzae strains belonged to one type, accounted for 24.3% in all ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains. Thirty one genotypes were identified by multiplex PCR assay for ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae. The identity ratio of PFGE and multiplex PCR was 63.5%.

CONCLUSIONIn Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou areas 55.4% of ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains had clonal dissemination during the 4 years.

Ampicillin Resistance ; genetics ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; DNA, Bacterial ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; genetics ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Genotype ; Haemophilus Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Haemophilus influenzae ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Nasopharynx ; microbiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; microbiology