The five-flavor theory of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) and the flavor efficacy generation mechanism has long been focuses and difficulties in studies on traditional Chinese medicinal properties. In this paper, by using the pharmacophore-based virtual screening technique, the authors discussed the relations between the pungent property and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) by studying the TCM components' role in regulating TRPV1 ion channel. The results showed that the matching relationship between TRPV1 agonist pharmacophore model and TCM chemical components could identify the active ingredients from pungent herbs. Therefore, the authors proposed that TRPV1 is one of the potential targets for efficient pungent herbs. The pungent property of TCMs is decided by its chemical components, and consistent with the inherited and additive characteristics.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Smell ; TRPV Cation Channels ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Taste

Objective To examine the difference of neurological soft signs (NSS) among the remittent schizophrenia patients,first-degree non-psychotic relatives of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.Methods The Cambridge Neurological Inventory (CNI) (the Chinese version) was administered to 86 remittent schizophrenia patients (patient group),86 first-degree non-psychotic relatives of schizophrenia patients (relative group) and 86 healthy controls (control group).Results Compared with relative group,NSS total-score,the subscore of motor coordination and sensory integration were significantly higher in patient group (P＜0.01).Compared with control group,NSS total-score,the subscore of motor coordination and sensory integration were significantly higher in patient group (P＜0.01).Compared with control group,NSS total-score and the subscore of motor coordination were significantly higher in relative group (P＜0.01).Conclusions The levels of NSS in remittent schizophrenia patients and their first-degree non-psychotic relatives are higher than normal control,and the patients have more NSS than their relatives.The motor coordination nay be a potential endophenotype for schizophrenia.

The 125 strains of the symbiotic and epiphyte microorganisms were isolated from marine organisms (Sea cucumber, Sea urchin, Sea anemone, Sea actinia, Ulra, Sargassum, Undaria). Among them,21 strains of bacteria,8 strains of actinomycetes and 2 strains of fungi have shown to have antagonistic activity on bacterial or fungal growth. In the 21 strains of bacteria, 7 strains belong to Bacillus sp., 11 strains belong to Vibro sp., and 3 strains belong to Pseudomonas sp.. In the 8 strains of actinomycetes, 5 strains belong to Streptomyces sp., 3 strains belong to Micromonospora sp.. 2 strains of fungi belong to Penicillum sp..

OBJECTIVETo determine the physiological role of D-bifunctional protein (DBP) in bile acid biosynthesis through investigating the effect of increasing activity of DBP on bile acid biosynthesis.

METHODSTwenty male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). Serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, hepatic DBP activity, and fecal bile acids were assayed. The mRNA levels of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), DBP, and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) were detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSCompared with control group, serum triglyceride level was decreased significantly and PPARalphamRNA level was increased significantly in DEHP group (P < 0.01). Together with a sharp induction of DBP mRNA expression and DBP activity in DEHP group (P < 0.01), the levels of CYP7A1 mRNA and fecal bile acids were significantly increased by 1.9 times and 1.6 times respectively compared to control group (P < 0.01). There was a significantly positive correlation between DBP mRNA level or DBP activity and CYP7A1 mRNA level (r = 0.89, P < 0.01; r = 0.95, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe up-regulation of DBP mRNA and activity in liver can result in the increase in CYP7A1 mRNA expression and bile acid biosynthesis, suggesting that DBP may be involved in bile acid biosynthesis together with CYP7A1.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases ; metabolism ; Animals ; Bile Acids and Salts ; biosynthesis ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase ; analysis ; Enoyl-CoA Hydratase ; metabolism ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Multienzyme Complexes ; metabolism ; PPAR alpha ; analysis ; Peroxisomal Multifunctional Protein-2 ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics of cardiac involvement in children with mitochondriopathies.Methods The clinical data of 23 children with mitochondriopathies were reviewed.The changes of electrocardiography,echocardiography and heart enzymes were analyzed.Results In 15 cases of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy,lactic acidosis,and stroke-like episode(MELAS syndrome),electrocardiography was performed on 9 cases,6 of them showed abnormal electrocardiographic findings,including right bundle branch block,ST-T change,Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome,et al.On echocardiographic examination in 9 MELAS syndrome ca-ses,only 1 case showed hypertrophy cardiomyopathy.Six cases had increased plasma creatine kinaseMB(CK-MB) mass and only one of 12 MELAS syndrome cases had increased cardiac troponin I(cTnI) level.In 8 cases of subacute necrotizing encephalomyopathy(Leigh syndrome),electrocardiography was performed on 5 cases,4 of them showed abnormal electrocardiographic findings,including sinus tachycardia,ST-T change and low voltage.Two cases showed normal electrocardiography.Three out of 6 cases with Leigh syndrome showed increased plasma CK-MB mass.The molecular genetic examinations were performed in 13 cases of MELAS syndrome and 6 cases of Leigh syndrome.The mitochondrial DNA nt 3243 A→G mutation was found in white blood cells of 9 MELAS syndrome cases,the mutation rate being 37%-60%.The mitochondrial DNA nt 8993 T→C mutation was found in white blood cells of 2 Leigh syndrome cases.Conclusion In children with mitochondriopathies,myocardiac involvement is comparatively common,and even cardiomyopathy can occur.

Objective:To reveal the abnormal topology of brain network in Alzheimer′s disease (AD), and evaluate the laterality of tau protein deposition in brains of AD patients based on 18F-APN-1607 PET brain imaging combined with graph theory. Methods:From November 2018 to January 2020, 23 clinically diagnosed AD patients (9 males, 14 females; age (61.3±10.7) years) and 13 normal controls (NC) (9 males, 4 females; age (61.6±4.5) years) who underwent 18F-APN-1607 PET imaging in Huashan Hospital, Fudan University were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. The brain network analysis method based on graph theory was used to construct the tau network of the NC group and the AD group, the network attributes (clustering coefficient, shortest path length, local efficiency, and small-worldness) were calculated, and the asymmetry index (AI) of each group to evaluate the laterality of tau protein deposition was obtained. Permutation test (1 000 times) was used to analyze the differences in brain network parameters between the NC group and the AD group. Results:The tau network of the AD group had obvious topological disorder, and the connections in the olfactory cortex and temporal lobe were weakened, while in the posterior cingulate gyrus, anterior wedge, and parietal occipital lobe, the connections were enhanced. Compared with NC group, clustering coefficient ( t values: 2.28-2.69), local efficiency ( t values: 2.34-3.06) and small-worldness ( t values: 2.26-3.32) were significantly decreased in AD group (all P<0.05) with the sparsity of 20%-50%, while the shortest path length was significantly increased ( t values: 2.13-2.85; all P<0.05). There was significant tau laterality in the posterior cingulate gyrus, superior parietal gyrus, paracentral lobule, superior temporal gyrus and middle temporal gyrus (AI: 10.5%(8.1%, 13.9%), 14.1%(7.6%, 20.3%), -12.4%(-15.7%, -7.8%), -10.8%(-15.3%, -2.1%) , -12.1%(-17.9%, -6.6%), respectively). Conclusion:The tau network analysis based on 18F-APN-1607 may be used to reveal abnormal topological changes of AD patients, and the tau deposition in the posterior cingulate gyrus, superior parietal gyrus, paracentral lobule, superior temporal gyrus and middle temporal gyrus has obvious laterality in AD patients.

Animals ; Fatty Liver ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Liver ; metabolism ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; genetics ; metabolism ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Humans ; Leptin ; blood ; Liver Cirrhosis ; blood ; etiology ; metabolism ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; complications ; Male ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

OBJECTIVETo investigate the local cellular immune response after injection of superantigen, the highly agglutinative staphylococin (HAS), into the tumor bed after ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) in the liver cancer patients.

METHODSNinety-two patients with pathologically proven primary liver cancer were divided into two groups: 45 in group A were treated by PMCT alone and 47 in the group B by combined with ultrasound-guided percutaneous injection of highly agglutinative staphylococin (HAS). Before and after PMCT and HAS treatment, the patients underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy from the tumor bed and the samples were examined by pathology and immunohistochemistry. The infiltration of CD3+, CD4+, CD57+ and CD68+ lymphocytes in treatment zone was compared between the two groups. Moreover, the infiltrating immunocytes were observed by transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTSOne week after HAS injection, the densities of CD3+, CD4+, CD57+ and CD68+ cells in the group B were 54.50 +/- 18.44, 38.14 +/- 12.44, 33.38 +/- 10.79 and 45.56 +/- 16.53, respectively. All the above mentioned parameters increased significantly in varying degrees compared with that before PMCT or HAS injection (P < 0.05). Four weeks after HAS injection, the density of CD3+, CD4+, CD57+ and CD68+ cells in the group B were 32.67 +/- 10.42, 23.43 +/- 6.99, 18.63 +/- 7.89 and 30.01 +/- 11.05, respectively, still significantly higher than those before PMCT (P < 0.05). Five weeks after PMCT and HAS injection, the densities of CD3+, CD4+, CD57+ and CD68+ cells in the group B were 54.50 +/- 18.44, 38.14 +/- 12.44, 33.38 +/- 10.79 and 45.56 +/- 16.53, versus 32.03 +/- 8.11, 15.67 +/- 8.32, 15.23 +/- 8.26 and 29.67 +/- 11.98 in the group A, respectively, still with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). A lot of lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in the immune cells after injection of HAS were observed by transmission electron microscopy.

CONCLUSIONThe local cellular immunity in liver cancer treatment area can be significantly improved by ultrasound-guided injection of highly agglutinative staphylococin after percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy.

Adult ; Aged ; Antigens, CD ; immunology ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic ; immunology ; CD3 Complex ; immunology ; CD4 Antigens ; immunology ; CD57 Antigens ; immunology ; Electrocoagulation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Microwaves ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Superantigens ; therapeutic use ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo discuss the optimal immunization dose by observing the immunoprotective effects of different doses of recombinant Schistosoma japonicum (Chinese strain) signaling protein 14-3-3 (rSj14-3-3).

METHODSSj14-3-3 gene was amplified by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), subcloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET28a, then transformed into E.coli to express by inducing. Purified rSj14-3-3 was prepared through SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), electroelution, dialysis, then BALB/c mice were divided into 5 groups and immunized in rSj14-3-3 protein followed by challenging infection (the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd groups were immunized in 50 microg, 100 microg and 300 microg antigen, respectively. The 4th, 5th groups were immunized in Freund's adjuvant and normal saline controls). After 6 weeks of challenging infection, the mice were killed and the worm and egg reduction rates were calculated. And the mice sera in different time were taken to examine the specific anti-Sj14-3-3 IgG.

RESULTSrSj14-3-3 protein was expressed successfully. After immunizing and challenging, worm reduction was found to be 28.20% in the 1st group, 43.10% in the 2nd group, 40.00% in the 3rd group, respectively. Number of eggs in liver tissue was reduced by 41.80%, 57.50%, 55.70%, respectively. Compared the results of the tested groups to the controls, the differences were of significance by t-test (worm reduction rate: t = 6.8 in the 1st group, t = 8.7 in the 2nd group, t = 7.3 in the 3rd group, P < 0.01 in all tested groups. Egg reduction rate at the group's number above: t = 11.23, t = 11.54, t = 7.99, P < 0.01 in all tested groups). As compared the results between the tested groups by chi(2), the differences were of significance between the 1st and the 2nd groups (worm reduction rate: chi(2) = 8.96, P < 0.05; egg reduction rate: chi(2) = 15.69, P < 0.05), between the 1st and the 3rd groups, the differences were also of significance (worm reduction rate: chi(2) = 6.52, P < 0.05; egg reduction rate: chi(2) = 12.52, P < 0.05). The difference was not of significance between the 2nd and the 3rd groups (worm reduction rate: chi(2) = 1.20, P > 0.05; egg reduction rate: chi(2) = 0.93, P > 0.05). In all tested groups, total anti-Sj14-3-3 specific IgG rose markedly. IgG(1) and IgG(2a) subtypes were high, but IgG(2b) and IgG(3) were near the background in four subtypes tested.

CONCLUSIONImmunoprotection of rSj14-3-3 should have some relations with immunization dose, and the protection obtained from immunizing mice by using 100 microg antigen was the best.

14-3-3 Proteins ; administration & dosage ; immunology ; Animals ; Antibodies, Helminth ; immunology ; Antibody Formation ; Antigens, Helminth ; blood ; Female ; Helminth Proteins ; immunology ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Recombinant Proteins ; Schistosoma japonicum ; genetics ; immunology ; Signal Transduction ; Vaccination