OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of compound preparation of Cordyceps sinensis and Tripterygium hypoglaucum (CSTHC) on survival time of grafted pigskin after allogeneic transplantation and its mechanism. METHODS: The pigskin was treated with CSTHC solution before allogeneic transplantation, and CSTHC ointment was applied for external use on the grafted pigskin after skin transplantation. Cyclosporine A (CsA) and normal saline were served as control. The survival time, the appearance and the histomorphological changes of the grafted pigskin were observed. The histomorphological changes of testicles in pigs were also examined. The CD4 and CD8 expressions in the grafted pigskins were measured by immunohistochemical method. The white blood cell count in peripheral blood and the liver and renal functions were also examined. RESULTS: The survival time of the grafted pigskin in the CSTHC-treated group was (28.50+/-3.26)d, which was much longer as compared with (10.60+/-1.52)d in the untreated group (P<0.01). The survival time of the grafted pigskin in the CsA-treated group was (28.33+/-3.50)d, and there was no remarkable difference in the survival time of the grafted pigskin between the CsA-treated group and the CSTHC-treated group. The expressions of CD4 and CD8 were lower in the CSTHC-treated group than those in the untreated group on the 7th and 14th day after skin graft (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the indices between the CSTHC-treated group and the CsA-treated group. The WBC count was higher in the untreated group than that in the CSTHC-treated group or CsA-treated group on the 7th day after skin graft (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: CSTHC can prolong the survival time of allogeneic grafted pigskin. Its mechanism of inhibiting the immunological rejection may relate to decreasing the expressions of CD4(+) and CD8(+) in the grafted pigskin and reducing the local inflammatory reaction.

Epigenetics refers to the heritable changes of gene expression without altering DNA sequence.Epigentic mechanism involves DNA methylation, microRNA, histone modification and so on.Tetralogy of Fallot(TOF)is a common congenital heart disease characterized by ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, aortic straddling and right ventricular hypertrophy.Many experimental investigations indicate that epigentics plays an important role in the development of the heart.It will be an important research field in the future showing important clinical significance to study the etiology of tetralogy of Fallot.

Congenital heart disease（CHD）is a common congenital anomaly that is the leading cause of death among children under the age of five years with birth defects in both developed and developing countries. With the increasing prevalence of CHD，the importance of early diagnosis and intervention of CHD is well accepted. Prenatal ultrasonography is routinely applied for the screening of CHD but many factors influence its diagnostic accuracy. Biomarker testing is a simple and rapid method that can be used as an adjunct to prenatal screening for CHD. This review aims to provide new ideas for the early diagnosis of children with CHD by exploring the pathogenesis of biomarkers in CHD. In recent years，many studies have been devoted to the exploration of biomarkers related to CHD，and the studies on biomarkers in CHD are summarized from three aspects：epigenetics，proteomics and environmental factors.

Epigenetic modification genes are defined as genes whose products modify the epigenome directly through DNA methylation, histone modification or chromatin remodeling.More and more studies have shown that mutations in epigenetic modification genes are an important etiology of rare diseases with abnormal cardiac development.And these diseases usually affect multiple organs including heart due to the change of epigenetic components.Moreover, children′s lives and health are often threatened by a lack of effective drugs and complex cardiovascular malformations.This article reviews advances in molecule genetics of Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome, Kabuki syndrome, Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, CHARGE syndrome and Sifrim-Hitz-Weiss syndrome, and mainly elaborates the mechanism of cardiovascular malformations caused by mutations in corresponding epigenetic modification genes, providing more comprehensive reference for clinical diagnosis and management.

OBJECTIVE Aim to evaluate the mental level in 4-6 years old children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS). METHODS Children who were diagnosed as OSAHS with a whole night PSG monitor in the sleep center between January 2015 and August 2016, and 30 healthy children were included in the study. Intelligent levels were evaluated at the enrollment day. The following intelligent levels evaluation questionnaires were used: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children and infants. Intelligent levels were compared between the patient and healthy control groups. RESULTS The 60 children, including 30 children with OSAHS(patient group) and 30 healthy children(control group) were enrolled. Comparison of the patient versus the control groups revealed that total intelligence quotient(FIQ) was 96.59±12.60 vs 102.53±8.44; language capability(VIQ) was 94.00±13.24 vs 101.03±9.41; comprehension test was 5.96±2.5 vs 7.57±2.14; visual analysis was 8.85±2.32 vs 10.3±1.93. All the 4 values in the patient group were significantly lower than those in the control group(all P ＜0.05). The accumulated time of SO2＜90％ correlated with PIQ negatively and significantly. CONCLUSION The intelligent level of children with OSAHS was in the normal range, but lower than that of healthy group. Snoring affects the IQ level of 4-6 years old children, and the influence on PIQ is closely related to the accumulated time of SO2＜90％ in total sleep time.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the electrophysiological changes of astrocytes in the process of hyperoxia induced apoptosis and analyze the relationship between electrophysiological characteristics and morphological changes. METHODS: Astrocytes were exposed to 90% hyperoxia for 12-72 h. The electrophysiological characteristics of astrocytes in each group were detected by patch clamp technique, and the morphological characteristics of astrocytes were observed at the same time. Then the same batch of astrocytes were collected, and the expression levels of caspase-1, caspase-3, gasdermin D (GSDMD) and gasdermin E (GSDME) were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: From 12 h to 72 h after hyperoxia exposure, the inward current was significantly lower than that of the control group (<0.05), while the outward current was significantly decreased at 12 h and increased at 48 h (<0.05). There was no significant difference between 24 h or 72 h after hyperoxia exposure and the control group (>0.05). At each time point, the morphology of cells changed correspondingly. Western blotting showed that the expression of caspase-1 was increased significantly at 24 h and decreased significantly at 72 h after hyperoxia exposure (<0.05); the expression of GSDMD was increased at 12 h and decreased gradually from 24 h to 72 h after hyperoxia exposure (<0.05); the expression of caspase-3 did not change significantly at 12 h and 24 h after hyperoxia exposure (>0.05), but began to decrease at 48 h (<0.05); GSDME increased gradually at 24 h after hyperoxia exposure (<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Under hyperoxia exposure, the ion channels of astrocytes are damaged, which can maintain the dysfunction of ion homeostasis, activate GSDME, induce the damaged cells to break away from the apoptotic pathway, and mediate the pyroptosis.
Apoptosis ; Astrocytes ; Caspase 1 ; Humans ; Hyperoxia ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Neoplasm Proteins ; Phosphate-Binding Proteins ; Pyroptosis