Rhus chinensis is an important economic species, which could provide raw materials for pharmaceutical and industrial dyes. Rhus chinensis is famous for its resistance to drought, cold, and salt. It grows in temperate, warm temperate, and subtropical regions. We report here Rhus chinensis chloroplast genomes by de novo sequencing. The results show that the length of Rhus chinensis was 159 082 bp, exhibiting a typical four-part structure with two single-copy regions (long single copy [LSC] and short single copy [SSC] sections) separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs). The length of LSC and SSC was 85 394 bp and 18 663 bp, respectively. The genomes contained 126 genes, including 88 protein encoding genes, 8 rRNA and 30 tRNA genes. In the chloroplast genome, 61.97% of the sequence were gene coding region. In the sequence of gene encoding region, the vast majority of sequences were protein encoding region, accounting for 86.65%, followed by rRNA (10 620 bp, 10.77%) and tRNA (2 540 bp, 2.58%). In Rhus chinensis chloroplast genome, only 8 genes contain introns, all containing 1 intron except ycf3 gene (2 introns). The Rhus chinensis chloroplast genome contains 755 SSR locies. SSR mainly consists of dinucleotide and mononucleotide, accounting for 60% (453) and 28.74% (217) respectively. The clustering results show that Anacardiaceae were closest to Rhus chinensis, followed by Aceraceae and Sapindaceae. This study provides a molecular basis for the classification of Rhus chinensis.
Genome, Chloroplast ; genetics ; Open Reading Frames ; Phylogeny ; Rhus ; classification ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVEThymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) plays an important role in initiating dendritic cell mediated allergic inflammation. This study was designed to examine the effects of inhaled budesonide on TSLP expression in the lung tissues and on the bronchial-pulmonary pathology in asthmatic rats.

METHODSThirty-two female Sprague-Dawley rats were sensitized and challenged with inhaled ovalbumin (OVA) to induce asthma. The asthmatic rats were randomly divided into 2 groups on the 22nd day of OVA challenge: a budesonide treatment group that received inhaled budesonide at 0.32 mg/kg daily for 7 days and an asthma control group that received inhaled 0.9% normal saline for 7 days. TSLP expression in the lung tissues was measured by Western blot and fluorescent-immunohistochemistry 29 and 36 days after OVA challenge. Bronchial-pulmonary pathological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin & eosin and periodic acid-schiff staining.

RESULTSBudesonide treatment alleviated airway inflammation when compared with the asthma control group 29 days after OVA challenge. However, the airway inflammatory reactions were aggravated in the budesonide treatment group 36 days after OVA challenge (7 days after budesonide discontinuance). TSLP expression in the lung tissues was significantly lower in the budesonide treatment group than that in the asthma control group both 29 and 36 days after OVA challenge (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSInhaled budesonide can inhibit the TSLP expression in the lung tissues and alleviate lung inflammatory reactions in asthmatic rats, but there is end-of-dose failure.

Administration, Inhalation ; Animals ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Blotting, Western ; Bronchi ; pathology ; Budesonide ; administration & dosage ; Cytokines ; analysis ; Female ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To identify new genes that correlate with prognosis of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC)

OBJECTIVEThe protection rate of inoculation with BCG vaccine is only 50 percent, and most of patients with tuberculosis had a history of BCG vaccine inoculation. Adenosine (ADO) has an immunomodulating effect; it promotes immune reaction by increasing number of macrophage and enhancing phagocytosis. The present study was designed to investigate if combined use of adenosine with BCG enhances the anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis effect of macrophage in mice.

METHODSFifty BALB/C mice were divided randomly into 3 groups: BCG group (n = 21), BCG plus ADO group (n = 21) and control group (n = 8). The mice in BCG and BCG plus ADO groups were inoculated with 0.1 ml BCG intradermally and the mice in BCG plus ADO group were injected intraperitoneally with ADO 30 mg/(kg.d) for 5 days. The mice in BCG group and control group were injected with NS 0.1 ml/d for 5 days. Six weeks after the last injection, all mice were challenged with intravenous 1 x 10(6) CFU human Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulent strain. After challenging, lung and spleen specimens were taken at the 10th, 20th and 30th days from the mice of BCG and BCG plus ADO groups and at the 30th day from mice in control group. The pathological examinations of lung and spleen sections were performed after HE staining and acid-fast staining, and detection of cell apoptosis was also performed.

RESULTSConsolidation with neutrophil infiltration was found in most of the lung tissue taken at the day 30; there were a lot of tuberculous granulomas and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lungs of control group. The alveolar septum in BCG gradually became wide and in interstitium lymphocyte infiltration dominated, and there were less tuberculous granulomas but there were large number of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lungs from 10th to 30th days after challenging. The widening of alveolar septum and consolidation of lung tissue in BCG plus ADO group became milder with monocytes infiltration, and there were few tuberculosis granulomas and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lungs from 10th to 30th days after challenging.

CONCLUSIONADO could increase the number of monocyte-macrophages and promoted anti-bacterial effects of these cells.

Adenosine ; administration & dosage ; immunology ; Animals ; BCG Vaccine ; administration & dosage ; immunology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Injections, Intradermal ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Macrophages ; drug effects ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; immunology ; Neutrophil Infiltration ; drug effects ; Phagocytosis ; drug effects ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; immunology ; prevention & control

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of quantitative detection of α-synuclein and DJ-1 protein in saliva for Parkinson Disease. Methods Twenty seven patients diagnosed with primary Parkinson's disease and 27 healthy controls were studied.The clinical data of all subjects were collected.Each participant received a disease evaluation including Hohn-Yahr stage, unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)-Ⅱ / Ⅲ, 12 Item odor identification test from Sniffin'Sticks (SS-12), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).α-syn and DJ-1 protein in saliva were examined by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The statistical analysis was used to test the difference in these two protein levels between patient and control groups and the correlation with age, gender and course of disease. Results There were significant changes in mean concentration of salivary α-syn (1269.02±16.09 pg/mL、1350.51±25.79 pg/mL,P=0.010) and DJ-1 protein (6.07±3.23 ng/mL、8.43±4.33 ng/mL,P=0.027) between patient and control groups. The sensitivity of α-syn and DJ-1 protein levels in PD diagnosis was 55.56% and 77.8%,and the specificity was 89.19% and 55.6%.The area under the ROC curve in finding the PD of α-syn and DJ-1 was 0.671 and 0.649, respectively. In Parkinson disease group, age, gender, UPDRS-Ⅱ / Ⅲ, Hohn-Yahr stage, SS-12, MMSE and MoCA of Parkinson's disease group were not related to the concentration of α-syn and DJ-1 protein in saliva (P>0.05). Conclusion The detection of α-syn and DJ-1 protein levels in saliva may be an auxiliary tool for diagnosis of PD.

OBJECTIVETo study the alteration of thymus matrix lymphocyte generator (TSLP) and change of the Th factor in the course of disease development, and to analyze the curative effect of inhalation of Vitamin A (VA) with corticosteroid for the treatment of asthmatic pneumonia.

METHODSAsthmatic pneumonia models were prepared by challenging rats with inhalation of ovalbumin for 4 weeks, and rested for 1 week. The treatment with VA and corticosteroid inhalation for 1 week was followed. The rat thymus and lung specimen were examen by histochemical and immunofluorescence staining.

RESULTSAfter 4 - 5 weeks of stimulation, there were more TSLP-positive cells and alveolar macrophages (AM) found in thymus and lung tissue of asthmatic group, the cell proliferation in spleen and thymus was obvious, and blood Th factors elevated. The inflammation within the lung tissue aggravated gradually. In VA group, the expression of TSLP and Th2 factors were all lowered at the 4th week. The TSLP expression slightly increased at the 5th week, and the cell proliferation within T-cell zone of spleen and thymus was strong at first and weakened later. Alveolar microphages (AM) increased significantly and the inflammation in the lung subsided gradually at the 5th week. In the hormone group, TSLP and Th2 factors expression in both thymus and lung were decreased at the 5th week, while the cell proliferation in thymus and lung was gradually increased. The quantity of AM was decreased, whereas the inflammation of the lung was increased gradually at the 5th week.

CONCLUSIONDuring asthmatic period elevated TSLP expression was accompanied by Th2 type responses while VA and corticosteroid both suppressed TSLP and Th2 factors expression. VA alone promoted T lymphocyte proliferation as well as the antigen elimination function by AM, after ceasing the usage, the lung inflammation abated gradually. In contrast, after ceasing the use of corticosteroid, inflammation aggravated.

Administration, Inhalation ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Asthma ; complications ; Beclomethasone ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Pneumonia ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Vitamin A ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use

Objective: To understand the associations between overweight-obesity and puberty timing in children with different genders. Methods: The girls in grade 2, 3, 7, 8 and boys in grade 3, 4, 7, 8 were recruited from primary and middle schools in North new area of Shenyang, Yanqing district of Beijing, Erqi district of Zhengzhou and Jiulongpo district of Chongqing by purposive sampling method between October and December 2014, respectively. The information of demographic characteristics of the respondents were collected and the pubertal development status was evaluated by Pubertal Development Scale (PDS). A total of 6 701 students were recruited; 6 137 out of which were valid with complete questionnaires. The associations between overweight-obesity and puberty timing were estimated by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of overweight-obesity in primary schools were 34.8% (522/1 499) among boys and 24.2% (341/1 409) among girls, respectively. The prevalence of overweight-obesity in middle schools were 31.3% (591/1 658) among boys and 21.8% (342/1 571) among girls, respectively. The prevalence of premature puberty in primary schools were 15.0% (225/1 499) among boys and 14.2% (200/1 409) among girls, respectively. The prevalence of delayed puberty in middle schools were 14.3% (237/1 658) among boys and 14.9% (234/1 571) among girls, respectively. After adjusting the effects of region, age, one-child, family income and the parents' educational levels, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that overweight-obesity had significantly positive association with premature puberty (OR=2.16, 95%CI: 1.56-2.99) among girls in primary schools, and significantly negative association with delayed puberty (OR=0.54, 95%CI: 0.36-0.80) among girls in middle schools when compared with students with normal weights, both P values were <0.05. There was no significant associations among boys in primary and middle schools between overweight-obesity and puberty timing, and the corresponding OR(95%CI) were 1.08(0.80-1.45) and 0.93(0.69-1.27) respectively, both P values >0.05. Conclusion There was significantly positive association between overweight-obesity and premature puberty among girls, and significantly negative association with delayed puberty among girls in middle schools; but the association was not found among boys.

Objective : To explore the expression of chemokine CXCL1 in proliferative infantile hemangioma (IH) , and to study the effect of exogenous CXCL1 on hemangioma stem cells (HemSCs) . Methods : Immunohistochemistry was used to explore the expression of CXCL1 in proliferative IH specimens.Primary HemSCs were isolated from IH tissues by CD133 magnetic beads.5 groups of CXCL1 with different concentrations(0,10,20,50 and 100 ng/ml) were co-cultured with HemSCs, and the effects of exogenous CXCL1 on HemSCs were studied by cell viability and migration experiments. Results : CXCL1 was expressed in the interstitial tissues of proliferative IH.The overall expression of CXCL1 in proliferative IH was low, but the expression of CXCL1 in the proliferative IH interstitial tissues was higher than that of the adjacent interstitial tissues.The CXCL1 positive area rate was(0.773±0.101)% in the tumor compared with(0.268±0.081)% in the adjacent tumor, and the difference was statistically significant(t=7.843,P<0.001).Exogenous CXCL1 promoted the proliferation of HemSCs, and there were statistical differences after adding different concentrations of CXCL1 to HemSCs for 24,48,and 72 h(F=14.610,P<0.001;F=14.430,P<0.001;F=5.388,P<0.01).But the exogenous CXCL1 did not affect the migration ability of HemSCs. Conclusion The expression of CXCL1 in proliferative IH interstitial tissues is higher than that in adjacent interstitial tissues, and exogenous CXCL1 promotes the proliferation of HemSCs.

Objective: Patients with late life depression sometimes refuse to receive electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) owing to its adverse reactions. To alleviate patient’s resistance, a novel ECT stimulation strategy named mixed-strategy ECT (msECT) was designed in which patients are administered conventional ECT during the first three sessions, followed by low energy stimulation during the subsequent sessions. However, whether low energy electrical stimulation in the subsequent stage of therapy affect its efficacy and reduce adverse reactions in patients with late life depression remains unknown. To explore differences between msECT and regular ECT(RECT) with respect to clinical efficacy and side effects Methods: This randomized, controlled trial was conducted from 2019 to 2021 on 60 patients with late life depression who were randomly assigned to two groups: RECT or msECT. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to compare the two stimulation strategies regarding their efficacy and side effects on cognition. Chi-squared test was used to compare side effects in the two strategies. Results: In the intent-to-treat group, the GEE model suggested no differences between-group difference in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 score over time (Wald χ2=7.275, p=0.064), whereas the comparison of side effects in the two strategies favored msECT (Wald χ2=8.463, p=0.015) as fewer patients had adverse events during the second phase of treatment with msECT (χ2 =13.467, p=0.004). Conclusion msECT presents its similar efficacy to RECT. msECT may have milder side effects on cognition.

This study was purposed to evaluate the curative efficacy of second allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) after failure of the first allo-HSCT in aplastic anemia patients, the cause of implant failure after allo-HSCT and clinical data of 10 severe aplastic anemia (SAA) patients in the second allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyszed. The second HSCT conditioning programs include: cyclophosphamide (CTX) + fludarabine (FLU)+ anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) combination chemotherapy for 3 cases; CTX + FLU + white busulfan (Bu) + ATG combination chemotherapy for 7 cases. The prevention regimen of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) include cyclosporine (CsA), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and methotrexate (MTX). The median count of mononuclear cell infusion was 12.17 (5.99-18.12)×10(8)/kg. The CD34(+) cell count was 5.2 (3.8-10.9)×10(6)/kg. The results showed that 10 evaluable patients achieved hematopoietic reconstitution with absolute neutrophil >0.5×10(9)/L, platelets >20×10(9)/L at 15d (8-21d) and 17d (11-27d) after transplantation. The grade I aGVHD occurred in 2 case, grade II in 1 case, chronic GVHD in 3 cases. Transplant-related deaths occurred in 4 cases. The disease-free survival rate, transplant-related mortality, GVHD after transplantation were 60%, 40% and 50% respectively. It is concluded that the second allo-HSCT is an effective therapy for aplastic anemia after allo-HSCT implant failure.
Allografts ; Anemia, Aplastic ; therapy ; Antilymphocyte Serum ; Cyclosporine ; Disease-Free Survival ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Methotrexate ; Mycophenolic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; Retrospective Studies