This paper aimed to investigate the botanical origins of Isatidis Radix and Isatidis Folium, and clarify the confusion of its classification. The second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA, the chloroplast matK gene of 22 samples from some major production areas were amplified and sequenced. Sequence assembly and consensus sequence generation were performed using the CodonCode Aligner. Phylogenetic study was performed using MEGA 4.0 software in accordance with the Kimura 2-Parameter (K2P) model, and the phylogenetic tree was constructed using the neighbor-joining methods. The results showed that the length of ITS2 sequence of the botanical origins of Isatidis Radix and Isatidis Folium was 191 bp. The sequence showed that some samples had several SNP sites, and some samples had heterozygosis sites. In the NJ tree, based on ITS2 sequence, the studied samples were separated into two groups, and one of them was gathered with Isatis tinctoria L. The studied samples also were divided into two groups obviously based on the chloroplast matK gene. In conclusion, our results support that the botanical origins of Isatidis Radix and Isatidis Folium are Isatis indigotica Fortune, and Isatis indigotica and Isatis tinctoria are two distinct species. This study doesn't support the opinion about the combination of these two species in Flora of China.
Chloroplasts ; genetics ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; methods ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Genes, Plant ; genetics ; Isatis ; classification ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Plant Leaves ; genetics ; Plants, Medicinal ; classification ; genetics ; Species Specificity

Adult ; Athletes ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Sports ; physiology

Background:Adipocytokines are associated with energy homeostasis and mediate various immune responses and inflammatory reactions.Vaspin is a novel adipocytokine that is thought to be associated with inflammatory reaction.Aims:To investigate the serum vaspin level and its clinical significance in patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC).Methods:Serum vaspin level was determined by ELISA in 150 patients with active UC and 150 healthy controls in Suzhou Municipal Hospital from January 2008 to April 2013,and the correlation of serum vaspin level with the clinical characteristics of UC was analyzed.Results:Serum vaspin level in patients with UC was significantly higher than that in normal controls [(1.86 ±0.38)μg/L vs.(0.96 ±0.43)μg/L,P <0.01].There was significant positive correlation between serum vaspin level and serum CRP and disease activity index in UC patients (r =0.628,P <0.01;r =0.514,P <0.05),but serum vaspin level was not correlated with serum ESR and location of UC (r =0.098,P >0.05;r =0.124,P >0.05).Conclusions:Vaspin may play an important role in the pathophysiology of UC.

Objective To assess the value of combined assays of anti Saccharomyces cerevisia antibody (ASCA) and perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (pANCA) in differential diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods Nineteen patients with IBD, including 9 patients with Crohn's disease(CD) and 10 patients with ulcerative colitis(UC), and 18 healthy subjects were enrolled into study. Serum levels of pANCA and ASCA (IgG and IgA) were measured by indirect immunofluorescence technique and a standardized ELISA, respectively. Results The serum levels of ASCA IgG and ASCA IgA in CD patients (18.51? 6.38 and 11.74 ? 5.46 ) were significantly higher than those in UC patients ( 6.98 ? 5.24 and 3.88 ? 3.52 ) and healthy subjects( 5.90 ? 4.12 and 4.62 ? 3.21 )respectively (P

Objective To investigate the gene polymorphism of inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin- like receptor (iKIR) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and whether the iKIR gene polymorphisms were associated with IBD.Methods Peripheral blood DNA samples were isolated from 100 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC),52 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 106 randomly ethnically matched healthy controls.The iKIR gene polymorphisms were analyzed by sequence specific primer polymerase chain reproduction (PCR-SSP).Phenotypic frequency and gene frequency of iKIR gene were calculated,and differences were compared between IBD patients and healthy controls.Results iKIR genes (including KIR2DL1,KIR2DL2,KIR2DL3,KIR2DL4,KIR2DL5,KIR3DL1,KIR3DL2, KIR3DL3) were found to be present in all subjects at different levels.Interestingly,phenotypic frequencies of KIR2DL1 and KIR2DL3 were significantly lower in UC patients than those in healthy controls (P = 0.001),while phenotypic frequencies of KIR2DL2,KIR2DL4,KIR2DL5,KIR3DL1, KIR3DL2 and KIR3DL3 were no difference between UC patients and healthy controls (P>0.05).The phenotype frequency of KIR2DL1 was significantly decreased in CD patients compared with healthy controls (P = 0.007),while phenotypic frequencies of other iKIR were observed to be no significant change between CD patients and healthy controls (P>0.05 ).Conclusions The KIR2DL1 and KIR2DL3 gene phenotype frequencies are decreased in UC patients,which suggests that these gene polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility of UC,and the polymorphism of KIR2DL1 gene is involved in the susceptibility of CD.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the impacts on the short-term efficacy and the long-term prevention of recurrence of allergic rhinitis treated with the triple-strong stimulation at Dazhui (GV 14) so as to provide the convenient and long-term effective therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion for allergic rhinitis.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty cases of allergic rhinitis were randomized into an acupuncture group, an acupuncture + medication group and a triple-strong stimulation group, 40 cases in each one. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied at Dazhui (GV 14), Fengchi (GB 20), Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 29) and the others, stimulating with reinforcing manipulation for the deficiency and reducing manipulation for the excess, once every day. In the acupuncture + medication group, on the basis of acupuncture therapy, claritin (loratadine tablets) was supplemented for oral administration, 10 mg, once every two days, continuously for 30 days. In the triple-strong stimulation group, on the basis of acupuncture therapy, the strong needling, strong cupping and strong moxibustion were applied at Dazhui (GV 14). This combined therapy was given once every day in the first 3 days and once every two days afterwards. The 10 day treatment made one session, at the interval of 3 days between the sessions and totally 3 sessions were required in the three groups. Separately, before treatment, after treatment and in 6 months after treatment, the changes of symptom and physical sign score and value of single item symptom including nasal itching, nasal blockage, sneezing and rhinorrhea were observed in the patients of the three groups. And the long-term clinical efficacy was compared among the three groups.

RESULTSThe symptom and physical sign score and the value of single item symptom were all reduced in the three groups after treatment and in 6 months after treatment (P < 0.001, P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The results in the triple-strong stimulation group were superior to the other two groups (all P < 0.05). In the triple-strong stimulation group, the total effective rate was 92.5% (36/40) in the follow-up of 6 months after treatment, which was better than 60.5% (23/38) in the acupuncture group and 69.2% (27/39) in the acupuncture + medication group (both P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe combined therapy of acupuncture and the triple-strong stimulation at Dazhui (GV 14) achieves the reliable and effective result in the clinical treatment of allergic rhinitis and displays the good role on the prevention from long-term recurrence.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; therapy ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of the concentration of plasma circulation microRNA155 (miRNA155) in ulcerative cilitis (UC) and its correlation with clinical characteristic of UC.Methods From October 2010 to August 2012,a total of 136 patients diagnosed as UC were enrolled,and at same time,170 healthy individuals were set as healthy control.The blood samples of all participants were obtained and plasma was isolated.The adsorption column was used for RNA extraction according to miRNeasy kit instruction.RNA was reverse-transcribed into cDNA with miScript reverse transcription kit.cDNA was a template and miRNA155 real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with miScript SYBR Green PCR kit.The relative quantity of miRNA155 expression was calculated with 2-△△Ct method.Analysis of variance were performed for comparison between groups.Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used for the diagnostic value of miRNA155 concentration in UC.Multiple linear regression analysis was used for the correlation between miRNA155 concentration and clinical characteristics of UC.Results The concentration of plasma circulation miRNA155 of patients with UC ((1357.43±326.15) fmol/L)was higher than that of healthy controls ((1140.70 ± 312.47) fmol/L) and the differences were statistically significant (F=35.56,P＜0.01).The area under receiver operating characteristic curve of the concentration of plasma circulation miRNA155 of patients with UC was 0.847,and the 95 ％CI was 0.806 to 0.888 (P＜0.01).When the concentration of plasma circulation miRNA155 was 1404.51 fmol/L,its specificity in the diagnosis of UC was 94.7％,and sensitivity was 40.4％.There was correlation between the concentration of plasma circulation miRNA155 and the disease activity in patients with UC (F=12.91,P＜0.05).However there was no correlation with the severity and location of the disease (both P＞0.05).Conclusion Plasma circulation miRNA155 highly expressed in patients with UC,and its concentration is correlated with the disease activity.

Objective To observe the changes of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (CP-RNFL)thickness and optic disk parameters in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) eyes.Methods Prospective clinical case-control study.A total of 25 patients (42 eyes) with RP were in the RP group,and 42 age matched healthy subjects (84 eyes) in the control group.All subjects underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination,in which 37 eyes with 3D optic disk scanning and 5 eyes with circle optic disk scanning.The parameters included average thickness of entire CP-RNFL,thickness of nasal,superior,temporal and inferior quadrant of CP-RNFL,disc area,disc cup area,rim area,cup/disc (C/D) area ratio,C/D horizontal diameter ratio,C/D vertical diameter ratio,disc cup volume and disc rim volume.Results The average thickness and the thickness of temporal and nasal quadrants of CP-RNFL in RP group were significantly thicker than the control group (t=2.27,3.73,6.44;P=0.027,0.00,0.00),while the thickness of inferior and superior areas were the same as control group(t=-1.49,-1.19;P=0.14,0.24).The disc area,disc cup area,C/D area ratio,C/D horizontal diameter ratio,C/D vertical diameter ratio,disc cup volume in RP group were significantly bigger than control group (P＜0.05),while rim area and rim volume were not significant differences (t=1.75,0.40;P=0.08,0.59).Conclusion In comparison with the healthy subjects,the average thickness and temporal and nasal areas of CP-RNFL in RP eyes were thicker,and the disc area,disc cup area,C/D area ratio,C/D horizontal diameter ratio,C/D vertical diameter ratio,disc cup volume in RP eyes were bigger.

To observe the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in rats with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) induced by bleomycin, and to explore the mechanisms of Shenlong Decoction in preventing and treating PF.

Objective To research the applications of resting-state functional MRI in conjunction with voxel-based morphometry on cerebral functions and structures in patients with schizophrenia. Methods Thirty-two patients with schizophrenia and 32 healthy people underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (Rs-fMRI)and sagittal scanning T1WI with 3D FFE Pulse Sequence. Rest1.8 software was applied to calculate the differences of amplitude of standardized low-frequency fluctuation(ALFF)between the two groups,then the voxel-based morphometry(VBM)data of abnormal brain regions were evaluated to compare the differences of grey matter intensity. Finally,combining with ALEF and VBM,we explored the changes of cerebral functions and structures. Results As compared to the control group ,the ALFF-elevated regions were the right putamen ,the left orbital frontal cortex extending to the left putamen and left dorsal-lateral superior frontal gyrus;the ALFF-decreased regions were the right inferior tempotalgyrus,the left posterior cingulated gyrus and the left angular gyrus(P<0.05). No elevated regions of grey matter intensity were found in the patient group. Conclusions Extensive abnormal active regions of the brain under resting state could be found in patients with schizophrenia ,the grey matter intensity of abnormal regions also decreased generally. They are in accordance with the glutamate-hypothesis of schizophrenia ,which involves extensive impairments of neurons ,disorders of neurotransmitter′s circulations and balances.