Objective:To investigate the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule -1(sICAM-1)in blood serum and gingival tissue in rat periodontitis model in normoxia and chronic intermittent hypoxia environment. Methods:32 male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups(n =8):normoxia control group(group A),normoxia periodontitis group(group B),hypoxic control group(group C)and hypoxia periodontitis group(group D).The periodontitis models were estab-lished by ligating the bilateral maxillary second molar and raised by periodontitis diet.The rats in hypoxia groups were raised under chronic intermittent hypoxia environment,while those in normoxia groups were raised under normoxia environment.After 8 weeks, plaque index(PLI),bleeding index(BI)and attachment lost(AL)were measured,TNF-αand sICAM-1 concentrations in blood serum and gingival tissue were measured by ELISA.Results:TNF-αand sICAM-1 concentrations in blood serum and gingival tissue in group A were higher than those in group B,C(P ＜0.05);in group D were lower than in group B and C(P ＜0.05).TNF-αand sICAM-1 levels in blood serum and gingival tissue were positively correlated with AL(P ＜0.05).Conclusion:In chronic intermittent hypoxic environment TNF-αand sICAM-1 may aggravate periodontitis,and promote the inflammatory response to peripheral vascular system.

Objective To investigate the effect of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) on inducing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to neuron stem-like cell in vitro. Methods MSCs isolated from umbilical cord were transfected with plasmid DNA encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and GFP-fusion ILK, wild and mutant, respectively; and cultured in serum-free media with basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor and B27. It was assessed with the proliferative activity and the efficiency of differentiation into neural stem-like cell. Results MSCs transfected with GFP-fusion wild ILK expressed ILK and kinase-dead mutant ILK stably. The activity of proliferation increased and more of them differentiated into neural stem-like cell, which express CD133 and Nestin validated by PCR and Western blotting, and more of wild than of mutant. Conclusion Integrin-linked kinase may play a positive role in MSC differentiation into neural stem-like cell, which may associate with the activity of kinase.

Objective: To verify the antiviral effects of Reduning Injection against coxsackievirus A16 (CoxA16) in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Vero cells and 5-day-old suckling mice, injected with 75/50 and 106 TCID50 CoxA16, were used as evaluation models. The preventive influences of Reduning Injection against CoxA16 in Vero cells were assessed in the models. The effects of Reduning Injection on the mortality, survival time, change rate of body weight, and clinical symptom scores of suckling mice were observed. Results: In Vero cells, cytopathic effects induced by 75 and 50 TCID50 CoxA16 were obviously relieved by crude drug5.0 mg/mL Reduing Injection respectively. Meanwhile, mice death caused by CoxA16 was markedly rescued, survival time was prolonged, and growth inhibition was recovered by Reduing Injection. Meanwhile, the clinical symptom induced by virus was also improved. Conclusion: The endogenous and exogenous antivirus effects of Reduning Injection on CoxA16 are proven.

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of testosterone on oxidized low-density lipoproteins ( ox-LDL)-stimulated phenotypic transition and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells ( VSMCs) in vitro, and to explore its possible mechanisms. Methods Rat VSMCs cultured in vitro were divided into control group, ox-LDL group(50μg/mlox-LDL),fetalbovineserum(FBS)group(10% FBS),andtestosteronegroups(5×10-8 or5×10-7 mol/L testosterone plus 50μg/ml ox-LDL) . The effect of testosterone on ox-LDL-induced proliferation of VSMCs was explored by WST-1 assay. The cell cycle distribution was determined using flow cytometry. Western blotting was used todetecttheexpressionsofmitofusin2(Mfn2),phosphorylatedextracellularsignal-regulatedkinases1/2(p-ERK1/2) , proliferating cell nuclear antigen ( PCNA) ,α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) ,and osteopontin ( OPN) . Results Compared with control group, the proliferation of VSMCs was promoted by ox-LDL, the number of VSMCs decreased in G0/G1 phase and increased in S phase significantly, the expression levels of Mfn2 and α-SMA were significantly reduced, and the expression levels of p-ERK1/2, PCNA, and OPN were significantly raised in ox-LDL group. Compared with ox-LDL group, the proliferation of VSMCs was inhibited, the number of VSMCs increased in G0/G1 phase and decreased in S phase in two testosterone groups, along with the increased expressions of Mfn2 andα-SMA, and the descended expressions of p-ERK1/2, PCNA, and OPN. Conclusions Testosterone inhibits phenotypic transition and proliferation of VSMCs induced by ox-LDL in vitro, which may be related to the up-regulated expression of Mfn 2 and the suppression of ERK1/2 pathway.

The high production inulase strain was screened from the soil sample where burdock planted in Qin Village,Bayou Town,Pei County,Xuzhou.Inulase activity were determined which produced by 40 strains separated from soil.Three mold stains,C122803、D081506 and D081513,which had higher ability of producing inulase were obtained by using transparent circle method as initial screening and rocker method as re-screening.Enzyme activity of the three strains were 1.411U/ml,1.895U/ml,1.792U/ml,separately.Enzyme activity of D081506,1.895U/ml,was the highest.The fermentation conditions of D081506 were studied and the optimized conditions were lappa juice 2.0%,yeast extraction 1.6%,(NH4)2SO4 0.5%,NaCl 0.5%,K2HPO4 0.5% and pH 5.0.Inulase activity of D081506 was 2.9578U/ml which increased 56.09% under the condition of 27℃,140r/min,24h.

Facing current situation of integrative medicine (IM), authors put forward that clinical and diagnosis program of IM could be carried out from clinical path, pathogenesis, treatment theory and philosophy, and so on, but with different integration degrees. Meanwhile, formulation of concrete program should be disease-targetedly set up, and adjusted from person to person, from place to place, from time to time. As for settled IM program , authors could evaluate it from whether Chinese medicine and Western medicine have formed complementary, synergistic, excitatory actions, and toxicity attenuation; whether more problems could be solved in efficacy, safety, practicability, and economy than previous single mode.
Critical Pathways ; Integrative Medicine ; trends ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; trends

With the rapid economic growth and social development in the BRICS countries, the role of devel-opment assistance for health is becoming more and more significant. This paper describes the scales, recipient coun-tries, mechanisms and characteristics and management systems of development assistance for health in BRICS coun-tries. The paper suggests that a) it is necessary to set up a centralized international aid management agency;b) the mode of development assistance for health must be optimized;c) the scale of development assistance for health shall be increased ( over time);d) each BRIC country should use its own comparative advantages and development experi-ence to carry out development assistance for health while strengthening the cooperative power among the BRICS coun-tries;e) development assistance for health data should be more transparent and open;f) the evaluation of develop-ment assistance for health must be established and perfected.

Objective To investigate the expressions of Transforming Growth Factorβ2 (TGF-β2) and Smad3 in human gliomas associated with pathologic grading. Methods The expressions of TGFβ2 and Smad3 protein were detected with SP immunhistochemistry in 80 human glioma specimens. The Kapan-Meier survival curves of progression-free survival time and overall survival time in different expression levels was compared with log-rank. Results The expression of TGFβ2 and Smad3 correlated with the pathological grading (r=0.545, r=0.570, P<0.01). Both progression-free survival time and overall survival time were significantly different between low expression group and high expression group (P<0.05). Conclusion Both TGF-β2 and Smad3 correlate well with the occurrence and differentiation of human gliomas,which help for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis judgment．

Regenerative medicine focuses on replacing and repairing damaged tissues and organs to restore their normal structure and function.Common techniques in regenerative medicine include tissue engineering,organ transplantation,and cell-free therapy.Cell-free therapy has gained attention due to its potential to reduce immune rejection and tumorigenicity,emerging as a prominent area in regenerative medicine research.The advancement of cell-free therapy has been facilitated by the discovery of extracellular vesicles(EVs),which are small membranous structures released by cells and play crucial roles in intercellular communication.EVs show promise as therapeutic agents and drug delivery vehicles.However,challenges such as short half-life,lack of targeting,and poor retention hinder their effectiveness.Hydrogels offer a solution by enhancing the stability and retention of EVs in vivo,thereby improving their therapeutic potential.In this context,researchers have explored hydrogel-based delivery systems for EVs.This review systematically summarizes recent developments in hydrogel-based EVs delivery systems within the field of regenerative medicine,highlighting both opportunities and challenges for clinical applications.

To clarify the active components in Guizhi Fuling capsule in treatment of intrinsic dysmenorrhea, pelvic inflammation and hysteromyoma, main components were gradually knocked out from the capsules, the effects of knockout capsules on uterine contraction, TNF-α secretion, murine splenocytes (SPL) and hysteromyoma cells proliferation were evaluated, respectively. The inhibition of capsules on uterine contraction was weakened by gradient knockout of paeoniflorin, paeonol, and amygdalin. The suppression of capsulte on TNF-α secretion was reduced by gradient knockout of gallic acid, cinnamaldehyde, pentagalloylglucose, and pachyman. The promotion of SPL cells proliferation was reversed by gradient knockout of gallic acid, paeoniflorin, cinnamaldehyde, quercetin, and pachyman. The depression of capsules on hysteromyoma cells proliferation was attenuated by gradient knockout of paeoniflorin, paeonol, pentagalloylglucose, and albiflorin. In conclusion, the compounds mentioned-above could be the key active basis of Guizhi Fuling capsule in treatment of intrinsic dysmenorrhea, pelvic inflammation and hysteromyoma.
Animals ; Capsules ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Dysmenorrhea ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Molecular Imprinting ; methods ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism