Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans

Reflux esophagitis is a common type of gastroesophageal reflux disease.Its pathogenesis is not completely clear,but the body immunity,oxidative stress and chemical damage have gradually become the research focus.According to the latest research, the expressions of related proteins in reflux esophagitis provide a foundation for its pathogenesis. And some kinds of proteins can be used as monitoring index in the development process from reflux esophagitis to esophageal adenocarcinoma. This article is to review the expression and significance of proteins in reflux esophagitis in recent years.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of therapeutic bloodletting at Jing-well points and hypothermia on acute cerebral edema after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats.

METHODSSeventy-five SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group (Sham), TBI group (TBI), bloodletting group (BL), mild-induced hypothermia group (MIH), and bloodletting plus MIH group (BL + MIH) (n = 15). The model of TBI was established by electric controlled cortical impactor (eCCI). The rats of BL group were bloodletting at Jing-well points immediately after injury, twice daily. While the MIH group was settled on a hypothermia blanket promptly after TBI for 6 hours, so that the temperature dropped to 32 degrees. Each of measurement was performed after 48 hours. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to evaluate the dynamic impairment of cerebral edema after TBI (n = 3). In addition, mNSS score, measurements of wet and dry brain weight, and Evans Blue assay were performed to investigate the neurologic deficit, cerebral water content (n = 8), and blood-brain barrier permeability (BBB), (n = 4), respectively.

RESULTSMRI analysis showed that the cerebral edema, hematoma and midline shifting of rats in TBI group was more serious than other treatment group. Meanwhile compared with TBI group, the mNSS scores of every treatment group were meaningfully lower (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, treatment with BL+ MIH group was superior to the separated BL and MIH group (all P < 0.01). In addition, brain water content of each intervention group reduced to varying degrees (all P < 0.05), especially that of MIH group and BL + MIH group (P <0.01). BBB permeability of each treatment group was also significantly improved (all P < 0.01), and the improvement in MIH group and BL + MIH group was much better than the BL alone group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONOur major finding is that bloodletting at Jing-well points and MIH can reduce cerebral edema and BBB dysfunction and exert neuroprotective effects after TBI. The results suggest that the combination of BL and MIH is more effective than other treatment being used alone.

Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Bloodletting ; Brain ; pathology ; Brain Edema ; prevention & control ; Brain Injuries ; therapy ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To understand the clinical features and prognosis of children with severe viral encephalitis (SVE), evaluate the related factors affecting prognosis. Methods Clinical data of 102 children with SVE in pediatric neurological ward and pediatric intensive care unit in Hunan Children's Hospital between January 2014 and January 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. According to prognosis, children were divided into good prognosis group(n =24, children's Glasgow outcome scale[CGOS]: 4 — 5) and poor prognosis group(n = 78, CGOS: 1 - 3), clinical data of two groups of children were compared, risk factors affecting the prognosis of SVE children were analyzed. Results In good prognosis group, 15 cases were cured and 9 had mild sequelae; in poor prognosis group, 14 cases died, 25 had severe sequelae, and 39 had moderate sequelae. The duration of fever and length of hospital stay in good prognosis group were both shorter than poor prognosis group, difference was statistically significant (both P く0.05). Multivariate unconditioned logistic regression analysis showed that adverse factors for prognosis of SVE were as follows: convulsive status, respiratory failure, longer fever period(＞5 days), severely abnormal electroen-cephalogram(EEG), head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions involving more than two sites or lesions involving the infratentorial, and stress hyperglycemia, odds ratio(OR) were 13.468, 4.580, 2.378, 10.196, 3.012, and 6.316 respectively. Conclusion SVE is a serious threat to quality of children's life, convulsive status, respiratory failure, longer fever period, severely abnormal EEG, head MRI lesions involving more than two sites or lesions involving the infratentorial, and stress hyperglycemia are risk factors for prognosis of SVE in children.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antitubercular Agents ; adverse effects ; Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase ; genetics ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; Female ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the hypocholesterolemic activity of red yeast rice (RYR) and its underlying mechanism.

METHODSThree groups of hamsters were fed either the control diet or one of the two experimental diets containing by weight 0.1% RYR (0.1RYR) or 0.3% RYR (0.3RYR). Blood (0.5 mL) was collected from the retro-orbital sinus into a heparinized capillary tube at the end of week 0, 3, and 6. Plasma lipoproteins were measured using enzymatic kits, while fecal neutral and acidic sterols were quantified using a gas-liquid chromatography.

RESULTSPlasma total cholesterol was reduced by 12% in 0.1RYR group and by 18% in 0.3RYR group compared with the control value. Similarly, plasma triacylglycerol was decreased by 11% in 0.1RYR group and by 24% in 0.3RYR group. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that RYR had no effect on sterol regulatory element binding protein 2, liver X receptor, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutary-CoA reductase, LDL receptor, and cholesterol-7alpha-hydroxylase. HPLC analysis confirmed that RYR contained 0.88% monacolin K. It was recently found that RYR supplementation increased excretion of fecal acidic sterols by 3-4 folds compared with the control value.

CONCLUSIONHypocholesterolemic activity of RYR is mediated at least partially by enhancement of acidic sterol excretion.

Animals ; Bile Acids and Salts ; secretion ; Biological Products ; pharmacology ; Blotting, Western ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase ; metabolism ; Cricetinae ; Dietary Supplements ; Feces ; chemistry ; Feeding Behavior ; drug effects ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases ; metabolism ; Lipoproteins ; blood ; Liver ; enzymology ; Liver X Receptors ; Naphthalenes ; analysis ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Orphan Nuclear Receptors ; metabolism ; Receptors, LDL ; metabolism ; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 2 ; metabolism ; Weight Gain ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo study action of Cryptoporus volvatus ferment substance (CVFS) on leukotriene production of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in rats.

METHODSThe level of slow reaction substance (SRS) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in rats in vitro were determined with bioassay and HPLC.

RESULTSCVFS 0.9, 2.7 g.kg-1 by ig significantly inhibited SRS and LTB4 production in PMNs in rats in vivo.

CONCLUSIONThe inhibition effect of CVFS on SRS and LTB4 release may be related to its mechanism of anti-inflammation and anti-asthma.

Animals ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; pharmacology ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; pharmacology ; Cell Separation ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Leukotriene B4 ; metabolism ; Male ; Neutrophils ; metabolism ; Polyporaceae ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; SRS-A ; metabolism

Aim To determine the effect of exosomes from lipopolysaccharide-treated human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on proportion of Ly6Chigh and Ly6Clow monocytes/macrophages in inflammatory micro- environment. Methods BMSCs were obtained by gra-dient centrifugation, identified and then treated with li-popolysaccharide for 48 h. The exosomes were purified from conditional medium with or without LPS treatment and identified by CD63 protein using Western blot and transmission electron microscope. The diameters and concentration were detected by Nanoparticle Trafficking Analysis ( NTA ) . The monocytes/macrophages were sorted from bone marrow of the mice by magnetic beads. Cells were co-cultured with exosomes for 24 hours, and then treated with LPS for 48 hours. The proportion of Ly6C monocytes/macrophages was detec-ted by flow cytometry. Inflammatory cytokines in cell supernatant were investigated using ELISA. Results BMSCs surface markers CD44, CD90 were positively detected, but CD34, CD45 were not expressed. BM-SCs presented adipogenic differentiation ability. Exo-somes were positively expressing CD63 protein, and NTA showed that the diameters of exosomes were up to (82.4 ± 3.7 ) nm. BMSCs stimulated by LPS pro- duced more exosomes ( P < 0.01 ) . Exosomes from BMSCs with or without LPS treatment could increase the ratio of Ly6Chigh monocytes (P<0.01) and down-regulate the ratio of Ly6Chigh macrophages (P<0.05), and the effect of LPS treated-exosomes was more signif-icant than untreated-exosomes (P<0.05). Moreover, the concentration of IL-6 was also elevated under exo-somes treatment ( P <0.05 ) . Conclusions Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes contribute to the regulation of Ly6Chigh monocytes/mac-rophages, indicating that they could be involved in the therapeutic treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) is one of the most effective formulation approaches to enhance the water solubility and oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, maintenance of physical stability of amorphous drug is one of the main challenges in the development of ASD. Crystallization is a process of nucleation and crystal growth. The nucleation is the key factor that influences the physical stability of the ASD. However, a theoretical framework to describe the way to inhibit the nucleation of amorphous drug is not yet available. We reviewed the methods and theories of nucleation for amorphous drug. Meanwhile, we also summarized the research progress on the mechanism of additives influence on nucleation and environmental factors on nucleation. This review aims to enhance the better understanding mechanism of nucleation of amorphous drug and controlling over the crystal nucleation during the ASD formulation development.

Objective The goal of this clinic study is to evaluate the application performance for 2 new HBV DNA Quantitative Fluorescence Diagnostic Kits, which are recently emerged in the market.Methods Serial diluted HBV serum samples and 1001 clinical serum samples with random virus load were tested quantitatively with the 3 diagnostic kits A, B and C. By studying their linear range, specificity,precision and sensitivity, the two new reagents (A and B ) were used to test these samples and also to compare them with the quantitative results from the boiling method kit (C) which is of better quality and reliability than similar diagnostic kits in current market. Furthermore, the immunoassy results of these samples were evalued and compared with their quantitative results. Results The quantitative results of 767 samples showed that their average values of the 3 kits have no significant difference. However, in the low viral load group, the results of kit A showed the best sensitivity(1.00E + 01 IU/ml)and had much better sensitivity than kit B (1.00E + 02 IU/ml), while kit C kit ( 5.00E + 02 IU/ml ) failed to test positive for most of the low concentration samples. Conclusion The nucleic acid extraction-free method ( kit B) showed much better accuracy and much larger linear range than the conventional method. In this method, the nucleic acid templates extracted by lysis buffer all went into the PCR reaction, resulting in high extraction efficiency and minimum nucleic acid loss. With a simple procedure, great accuracy and good sensitivity, this new test kit is suitable for routine clinical lab usage.