OBJECTIVE: To research the content of alkaloids and polysaccharides in different varieties of Aconitum carmichaeli. METHODS: The contents of total alkaloids, diester diterpenoid alkaloids and polysaccharides were measured by acid dye colorimetry, HPLC and sulphuric acid-anthrone colorimetric method respectively. RESULTS: In different varieties, the differences of total alkaloids and diester diterpenoid alkaloids were significant. However, the difference of polysaccharides wasn’t significant. The content of total alkaloids and diester diterpenoid alkaloids in processed A. carmichaeli reduced significantly while the content of polysaccharides increased slightly. CONCLUSION: The results of study could provide a scientific basis for rational breeding of A. carmichaeli.

Background and purpose:Selenium is one of the essential trace elements for human activities, and plays an incomparable role in maintaining human health. It was reported that selenium compound 1,4-bis[2-(benzylse-lanyl)ethoxy] (BSEA) anthracene has antiseptic and antiphlogistic effects. However, the mechanisms underlying anti-cancer effects of BSEA are rarely reported. BSEA-induced apoptosis in human laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells and its mechanisms were studied.Methods:Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to determine inhibition ratio of Hep-2 cells 24 hours after Hep-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of BSEA. Fluorescence microscope was used to observe the morphology change of apoptosis in Hep-2 cells. The apoptosis was detected by Annexin Ⅴ-FITC. Mi-tochondrial membrane potential was assayed by JC-1. Microplate reader detected the activity of caspase-3 and caspase-8. The mRNA and protein levels of Bax and XIAP were measured by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR) and Western blot.Results:The results showed that BSEA caused a dose-dependent inhibition of the growth of human laryngeal carcinoma cell line Hep-2in vitro, andIC50 was 35.74μmol/L. The apoptotic bodies were distinctly observed at a concentration of 80μmol/L of BSEA by AO fluorescence staining. This study found that the eversion of phosphatidyl serine intensified, and mitochondrial membrane potential also began to decline. The activity of caspase-3 appeared the tendency of dependence on dosage, while the activity of caspase-8 did not change significantly. The mRNA and protein expression level of Bax increased, whereas the mRNA and protein expression level of XIAP de-creased.Conclusion:Therefore, BSEA could obviously inhibit human laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells proliferation and induce apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway.

Breast cancer is the principal cause of death in malig-nancy women , usually treated with the combination of surgery , chemotherapy , radiotherapy and endocrinotherapy .With the de-velopment of cell biology , molecular biology , immunology, im-munotherapy becomes a new field of breast cancer treatment .In this review, we discuss new findings in breast cancer immuno-therapy , including recent successes with bispecific antibodies and immune checkpoint blockade .We also discuss therapeutic cancer vaccines and highlight several additional immunotherapy modalities in early stages of development .

AIM: To determine the effect of Radix Angelicae Sinensis(RAS) on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rabbits and to explore its mechanism. METHODS: Twenty-five rabbits were divided randomly into the sham operated group(Control group), renal ischemia/reperfusion injury group(IR group) and RAS+IR group. At the time point of reperfusion 48 h after renal ischemia 1 h, the renal tissue were observed by electron-microscope and the contents of creatinine(Cr) in serum, tumor necrosis factor-?(TNF-?), interleukin-6(IL-6)and basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF) in the renal tissue were measured. RESULTS: A remarkably degenerative changes in renal tissue were showed under electronmicroscope in IR group , but the changes in RAS+IR group were slight . The contents of Cr, TNF-? and IL-6 in IR group were higher than those in Control group, these parameters in RAS+IR group were lower than those in IR group, the difference between these groups was significant ( P

Although previous publications suggest the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1)virus was reassorted from swine viruses of North America and Eurasia, the immediate ancestry still remains elusive due to the big evolutionary distance between the 2009 H1N1 virus and the previously isolated strains. Since the unveiling of the2009 H1N1 influenza, great deal of interest has been drawn to influenza, consequently a large number of influenza virus sequences have been deposited into the public sequence databases. Blast analysis demonstrated that the recently submitted 2007 South Dakota avian influenza virus strains and other North American avian strains contained genetic segments very closely related to the 2009 H1N1 virus, which suggests these avian influenza viruses are very close relatives of the 2009 H1N1 virus. Phylogenetic analyses also indicate that the2009 H1N1 viruses are associated with both avian and swine influenza viruses circulating in North America. Since the migrating wild birds are preferable to pigs as the carrier to spread the influenza viruses across vast distances, it is very likely that birds played an important role in the inter-continental evolution of the 2009 H1N1virus. It is essential to understand the evolutionary route of the emerging influenza virus in order to find a way to prevent further emerging cases. This study suggests the close relationship between 2009 pandemic virus and the North America avian viruses and underscores enhanced surveillance of influenza in birds for understanding the evolution of the 2009 pandemic influenza.

Tsutsugamushi disease is an acute infectious disease caused by Rickettsia. Occasionally it has been reported in Macau, China. Critical cases are rare. Because the clinical manifestations of tsutsugamushi disease are non-specific and diverse, if not diagnosed and treated in time, the disease may progress to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and even death. A patient with tsutsugamushi disease complicated by MODS was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Kiang Wu Hospital in Macau, China on September 30, 2021. Combined with the history of outdoor activities (exposure to chigger mite larvae), clinical symptoms and signs (characteristic eschar of tsutsugamushi disease was found on the abdominal skin), related laboratory examinations (Weil-Felix test: negative). Diagnosis of tsutsugamushi disease with MODS. After admission, the patient was treated by anti-infection, correction of coagulation dysfunction, tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, noradrenalin to maintain blood pressure, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), but the condition didn't improve significantly. We initiated veno-venous ECMO (VV-ECMO), which was initially setted blood flow to 5 L/min (70 mL·kg -1·min -1), rotate speed to 3 500 rpm, fractional concentration of inspired oxygen (FiO 2) to 1.00. Heparin was used as anticoagulant and activated coagulation time (ACT) was kept between 180 and 200 seconds. Meanwhile the speed of fluid removal in CRRT was adjusted. After 9 hours of ECMO support, the oxygenation improved, the blood flow of ECMO was reduced to about 4 L/min (58 mL·kg -1·min -1), rotate speed to 3 000 rpm. The patient's condition improved after 4 days of ECMO treatment and her ECMO flow rate and FiO 2 could be decreased gradually. On hospital day 5, ECMO was removed. Eight days on mechanical ventilation, the patient was successfully weaned and extubated. On day 11 of hospitalization, weaned the CRRT and turned to intermittent hemodialysis. The patient was transferred out of ICU due to her stable condition on the 12th day hospitalization. After that, her spontaneous urine output increased gradually. The functions of various organs returned to normal. After 36 days of hospitalization, she recovered and was discharged.

We isolated a novel Enterobacteria phage IME08 from hospital sewage, then confirmed it was a double-stranded DNA phage by digesting its genetic material with DNase I, RNase A and several restriction endonucleases respectively. BLAST results of random fragments generated by a random PCR cloning method revealed that it belonged to T4-like virus. We subsequently determined the host recognizing genes (g37 and g38) sequence with a PCR-based "genome jumping" protocol based on highly conserved region at 5' terminus of g37 from four other T4-like Bacteriophages (T4, JS98, T2 and K3). These molecular biological methods enabled us to readily characterize the bacteriophage and efficiently determine the sequence of the genes of interest based on very limited conserved sequence information.
Bacteriophage T4 ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Viral ; genetics ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; virology ; Genome, Viral ; genetics ; Host Specificity ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods

Secretory IgA (SIgA) antibodies in external secretions play an important role in mucosal immune response. Polymeric SIgA was advantageous over monomeric IgA (mIgA) and IgG in several aspects. To express secretory IgA antibody against H5N1 virus, we constructed the secretory component and immunoglobulin J expressing plasmids and co-transfected the plasmids into the Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) stably expressing immunoglobulin A. Then we used Zeocin to select the positive clone cells, monoclonal cells stably secreting SIgA was screened through fold dilution method at last. The SIgA antibody secreted from the CHO cells was confirmed by Western blotting, which demonstrated that we had got the complete SIgA molecular. The successful expression of this polymeric anti-H5N1 SIgA in CHO cells will contribute to the production of recombinant SIgA as a preventive agent for infectious disease control.
Animals ; Antibodies, Viral ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; CHO Cells ; Cloning, Molecular ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus ; Genetic Vectors ; Immunoglobulin A ; immunology ; Immunoglobulin A, Secretory ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; immunology ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology

Objective To investigate dynamic changes of serum Tau proteins and their correlation with cognitive dysfunction in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods A total of 95 patients with acute TBI were retrospectively studied by case-control study.There were 61 males and 34 females,with age of 16-65 years [(40.7 ± 13.6)years].The Glasgow coma scale (GCS) was 3-8 points in 9 patients,9-12 points in 11,and 13-15 points in 75.A total of 30 healthy physical examinees were recruited as control group.The levels of Tau proteins were measured at days 1,3,5,7 and 14 after TBI.The cognitive dysfunction was evaluated by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score at 6 months after injury.The correlation between Tau protein levels at different time points and MoCA was determined.Results The serum Tau proteins of TBI group was significantly higher than that of control group at all time points (P ＜ 0.05).In TBI group,39 (41％) out of 95 patients developed cognitive dysfunction assessed by MoCA scale.The main manifestations of cognitive dysfunction were the defects in visual spatial and acting function,delayed memory,language,abstract,attention and calculation,with statistical significance compared with control group (allP ＜ 0.05).The serum Tau proteins of patients with cognitive dysfunction were significantly higher than those without cognitive dysfunction at all time points after TBI (P ＜ 0.05).Tau proteins at days 1,3,5 after TBI was significantly correlated with cognitive dysfunction at 6 months after TBI (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The levels of serum Tau proteins show a significant increase after TBI,the early changes of which are statistically related to cognitive dysfunction.The early changes of serum Tau protein after TBI can be used as a reliable biomarker for early prediction of cognitive function prognosis.