Objective To establish the HPLC fingerprint of Disporum cantoniense. Methods HPLC analysis was performed on Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 chromatographic column ( 250 mm × 4. 6 mm, 5 μm) with the mobile phase consisting of methanol-0.05% phosphoric acid in gradient mode.The flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, the detection wavelength was 256 nm and the column temperature was 30 ℃. Results The HPLC fingerprint of 15 batches of Disporum cantoniense was established. Thirteen common peaks in the fingerprint were demarcated, four of which were identified by reference substances. Chemical pattern recognition of fingerprint was performed by hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis. Conclusion The method is simple, accurate and has a good repeatability, and can be used for quality control of Disporum cantoniense.

?AIM:To investigate the measurement of central anterior chamber depth ( ACD ) in patients with acute primary angle - closure glaucoma ( APACG ) with A - scan ultrasound, Pentacam and ultrasonic biological microscope ( UBM) .?METHODS: Thirty-five patients (35 eyes) with APACG were selected, of whom central ACD were measured with A-scan ultrasound, Pentacam and UBM.?RESULTS: The measurement values of ACD with A-scan ultrasound, UBM and Pentacam were 1. 5633±0. 2089, 1. 5783 ± 0. 2067, 1. 6275 ± 0. 2296mm, which was equal variance tested by the homogeneity of variance, and was significant different by multiple comparision (F=4. 074, P=0. 026). The difference of ACD between the two groups of A-scan ultrasound and UBM, A-scan ultrasound and Pentacam, UBM and Pentacam were statistically significant ( P = 0. 032, 0. 023, 0. 012 ). Altman- Bland analysis showed that the three methods were not consistent with each other.?CONCLUSION: The ACD value of the APACG with the three methods is the largest using Pentacam, followed by UBM and A - scan ultrasound. In clinical the three methods with different advantages can complement each other, but cannot be replaced. In order to obtain more accurate results, we should combine the advantage and make comprehensive analysis.

Objective To quantify aqueous flare and cells in the eyes of healthy subjects and to evaluate the effect of age and sex on the blood aqueous barrier. Design Prospective case series. Participants Four hundred and forty-two eyes of 221 healthy sub- jects. Methods Aqueous flare and cells of 442 eyes were evaluated with FC-2000 laser flare cell meter (LFCM). Main Outcome Mea- sures Aqueous flare and cells. Results The mean flare values of all of eyes was 4.7?2.9 pc/ms, it was 3.1 pc/ms in the age group of less than 10 years, 3.8 pc/ms in the age group of 40-49 years and 11.0 pc/ms in the age group of 80 years or over. The mean flare val- ues in the age groups of 50 years or over were significantly higher than that in the age group of 40-49 years (P

The gene approach to the pathogenesis of male infertility may bring about some strategies for the diagnosis and manage of the condition. Gene knockout technology is the mainstream method currently used in the study of gene function. Screening and identification of testis-specific genes and insights into their features and functions in spermatogenesis are significant for a further understanding of testicular functions and searching for new therapeutic targets for male reproductive disorders. This review focuses on the application of gene knockout technology in the study of spermatogenesis-associated genes.
Animals ; Gene Knockout Techniques ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; genetics ; Male ; Spermatogenesis ; genetics

To explore the effective ingredients and mechanism of Ligusticum wallichii in treating brain ischemia. Four brain ischemia-related target proteins were selected in the joint screening for the 45 component in L. wallichii reported in literatures based on molecular docking by reference to the corresponding drugs in the market. According to the docking results, multiple components in L. wallichii, such as phthalides, were superior to the corresponding drugs in the market, suggesting that they may be the major effective components in L. wallichii for treating brain ischemia. The method can be used to study the material base and molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicines.
Brain Ischemia ; drug therapy ; Ligusticum ; chemistry ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Peroxidase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Phytotherapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; antagonists & inhibitors

Objective To study the transduction efficiency of expressing human neprilysin by using a lentiviral vector (Lenti-NEP) in mouse embryonic neural stem cells (NSC) in vitro.Methods Primary NSC were harvested from C57BL/6J pregnant mouse at embryonic day 11.5 and transducted with LentiNEP.Immunofluorescent stainingand Western blot were performed to detect NEP protein expression in NSC.Degradation of amyloid beta 1-40 (Aβ1-40) by NEP protein transduced with Lenti-NEP in NSC was analyzed using ELISA and HPLC.Results Over 90％ NSC were successfully transduced with Lenti-NEP via observation of fused protein green fluorescent protein under the microscopy.Expressions of NEP transduced with Lenti-NEP in NSC and of the markers of NSC (nestin) and neuron (MAP2).The enzyme activity of 2.5 μg (21.00 ± 2.51) and 1.0 μg (15.00 ± 0.54) NEP on degrading Aβ1-40 was shown to improve significantly compared to 0.5 μg NEP(8.00 ±0.81,t =40.4 and 12.7,respectively,both P ＜0.01).The activity of NEP was inhibited in the presence of 50 μmol/L phosphoramidon (0.5 pg:0.08 ±0.01 ;1.0 μg:0.04 ±0.01 ;2.5 μg:0.05 ±0.01,t =17.2,51.3 and 14.1,respectively,all P ＜0.01).The hydrolytic cleavage on degrading Aβ1-40 by NEP was 11.4％,28.4％ and 93.7％ with incubation for 1 h,4 h and 12 h,respectively.Conclusions Lentiviral vector successfully delivers NEP gene to NSC in vitro.Targeting on NEP and NSC may provide potential therapeutic tool for Alzheimer' s disease.

Objective This study examined the value of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1)in serum and exhaled ventilator condensate (EVC)in early diagnosis and prognosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Methods A total of 37 adult patients undergoing mechanical ventilation were evaluated after treatment,including 24 patients with infection,13 without infection.Of the 24 patients with infection,10 patients were assigned to ineffective subgroup and 14 to effective subgroup.Levels of sTREM-1 in serum and EVC were measured on days 1,3,5,and 7 for all patients.sTREM-1 in serum and EVC were determined in patients by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (DAS-ELISA).The early diagnostic and prognostic value was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curve analysis.Re-sults On Day 1,the sTREM-1 levels in serum and EVC did not show significant difference between the three groups (P>0.05).On Day 3 and Day 5,the level of sTREM-1 in the infection group was higher than that in the non-infection group (P <0.01).On Day 7,the sTREM-1 levels of serum and EVC in ineffective subgroup were higher than those in the effective subgroup and non-infection group (P <0.01). There were no difference between the non-infection group and effective subgroup (P >0.05).For ROC analysis,area under the curve (AUC)of serum sTREM-1 was 0.897,and AUC of EVC sTREM-1 was 0.909 on Day 3.When the cut-off value of EVC sTREM-1 was set at 4.70 ng/mL on Day 3,the sensitivity was 85.8%,specificity was 92.3%.Conclusions The results suggest that the levels of sTREM-1 in serum and EVC are conducive to the early diagnosis of VAP.The levels of sTREM-1 in serum and EVC on Day 7 are helpful for estimating the prognosis.EVC sample is easier to collect than serum.

Action mechanism and material base of compound Danshen dripping pills in treatment of carotid atherosclerosis were discussed based on gene expression profile and molecular fingerprint in this paper. First, gene expression profiles of atherosclerotic carotid artery tissues and histologically normal tissues in human body were collected, and were screened using significance analysis of microarray (SAM) to screen out differential gene expressions; then differential genes were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and KEGG pathway analysis; to avoid some genes with non-outstanding differential expression but biologically importance, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were performed, and 7 chemical ingredients with higher negative enrichment score were obtained by Cmap method, implying that they could reversely regulate the gene expression profiles of pathological tissues; and last, based on the hypotheses that similar structures have similar activities, 336 ingredients of compound Danshen dripping pills were compared with 7 drug molecules in 2D molecular fingerprints method. The results showed that 147 differential genes including 60 up-regulated genes and 87 down regulated genes were screened out by SAM. And in GO analysis, Biological Process ( BP) is mainly concerned with biological adhesion, response to wounding and inflammatory response; Cellular Component (CC) is mainly concerned with extracellular region, extracellular space and plasma membrane; while Molecular Function (MF) is mainly concerned with antigen binding, metalloendopeptidase activity and peptide binding. KEGG pathway analysis is mainly concerned with JAK-STAT, RIG-I like receptor and PPAR signaling pathway. There were 10 compounds, such as hexadecane, with Tanimoto coefficients greater than 0.85, which implied that they may be the active ingredients (AIs) of compound Danshen dripping pills in treatment of carotid atherosclerosis (CAs). The present method can be applied to the research on material base and molecular action mechanism of TCM.
Carotid Artery Diseases ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo observe the neurological protective effects of progesterone (PROG) on focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats and to explore its possible mechanism.

METHODSOne handred and twenty male SD rats were divided into three groups randomly: sham-operated group, middle cerebral artery occlusion ( MCAO ) group and PROG + MCAO group( n = 40). The right temporary MCAO model was established by the line-embolism method. The PROG + MCAO group rats were according to 8 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection PROG, after that 30 min, the rats were suffered ischemia/reperfusion. After rats were suffered ischemia for 2 h and reperfusion 0, 24, 48, 72 h stress, the nervous functional defect degree were evaluated by longe scoring, and the expression of two-pore domain K channel 3 (TASK3) mRNA in brain tissue were detected by the real-time PCR.

RESULTSPROG (8 mg/kg) could significantly reduced the nervous functional defect degree in rats after ischemia/reperfusion 24, 48, 72 h (P < 0.05). The results of real-time PCR showed that the TASK3 mRNA expression in the brain tissue at all time points significantly decreased in MCAO group compared with sham-operated group (P < 0.05). However, compared with MCAO group, the expression of TASK3 mRNA in brain tissue at all time points dramatically increased in PROG + MCAO group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPROG can improve the nervous functional defect degree after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats, and the mechanism might be associated with up-regulating the expression of TASK3 mRNA in brain tissue.

Animals ; Brain ; drug effects ; pathology ; Brain Ischemia ; drug therapy ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; Male ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Potassium Channels, Tandem Pore Domain ; metabolism ; Progesterone ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reperfusion Injury ; drug therapy

Objective To explore the risk factors for lung cancer-related cerebral infarction . Methods The hospitalized active lung cancer patients on anti-cancer therapy with no traditional stroke risk factors, who experienced an acute cerebral infarct in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from January 2005 to December 2015, were consecutively collected as the LCRS ( lung cancer-related stroke) group.The active lung cancer patients without cerebral infarction hospitalized at the same peroid matched with the LCRS group for age and gender were collected as the LC ( lung cancer ) group. Clinical data from the two groups were analyzed .Results A total of 139 LCRS patients and 139 LC patients were enrolled in the study , with 110 male and 29 female in each group , and there were no significant difference for the mean age between the LCRS group (52.1 ±10.4 years old ) and the LC group (52.1 ± 10.1 years old).Two or more acute ischemic lesions of the brain were showed by MRI in most patients in the LCRS group (117 cases, 84.2%).Compared with the LC group, more patients in the LCRS group were found with adenocarcinoma , metastasis, elevated plasma D-dimer, CA125 and CA199 levels [ 88 cases (63.3%) vs 47 cases (33.8%);98 cases (70.5%) vs 56 cases (40.3%);(468.38 ±291.37) μg/L vs (277.59 ±191.22) μg/L;(221.42 ±146.34) U/ml vs (106.84 ±69.97) U/ml;(254.68 ±185.84) U/ml vs (97.15 ±63.64) U/ml;with all P<0.001].By logistic regression analysis of multiple factors , the elevated plasma D-dimer, CA125 and CA199 levels were showed to be independent risk factors for the cerebral infarction (OR=1.003, 95%CI 1.001 -1.004; OR=1.006, 95%CI 1.003 -1.010; OR=1.011, 95%CI 1.007-1.015).Conclusions The elevated plasma D-dimer, CA125 and CA199 levels are the risk factors for the lung cancer related cerebral infarction , which may lead to hypercoagulation and induce cerebral infarction eventually .