To detect into the relationship between tibrosls an liver damage of liver and serum levels C-IV, HA and CG in patients with hepatic diseases． Methods:l63 cases of patients with hepatic disease cases and 60 cases of normal persons were studied, the three substances in serum of them were determined with RIA method． Results:The serum levels of above 3 substances were all high in l63 patients than that in normal persons． Statistics of these data shows that the increasing of them is parallel direct to the degree of liver fibrosis． Conclus ion: It has important clinical significance to determine serum C-IV, HA and CG dynamically in patient s with hepatic diseases

The effects of formaldehyde fixation on the binding capacity of opiate receptors were studied with radioreceptorassay and in vitro receptor autoradiography. Incubation with 1% paraformaldehyde for 30 minutes or 12 hours has no significant influence on the binding capacity of opiate receptors of rat brain P_2 membranes, and incubation with 2% or 4% paraformaldehyde for 30 minutes also did not alter the binding capacity of opiate receptors significantly, but 12 hour incubation with 2% or 4% paraformaldehyde would change the binding capacity significantly. The saturation curve of [~3H]-etorphine binding with opiate receptors in formaldehyde fixed brain tissue sections coincided with that of unfixed brain tissue sections. The opiate receptors were successfully demonstrated with in vitro receptor autoradiography in 1% paraformaldehyde fixed spinal cord sections. These results indicate that formaldehyde fixed tissue are applicable to in vitro receptor autoradiography.

Objective To explore the effects of Chinese herbal compound, Tengmei decoction, on type II collagen-induced arthritis ( CIA) in rats, and to examine the changes of arthritis index ( AI) , limb swelling, joint tissue inflammatory infiltration, and the effects on immune-inflammatory factors.Methods Sprague-Dawley rat models of arthritis were successfully established by intradermal injection of type II collagen and Freund’ s complete adjuvant.The model rats were randomly divided into model group, positive drug group, and high-and low-dose Chinese medicine groups, 6 rats in each group.The intervention and treatment period was 12 weeks.To measure weekly the anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the rear ankles and wrists, the transverse diameter of the claw foot palm pad, the thickness and the highest point width of hind limb plantar joint swelling, and to evaluate the integrated scores of joints and limbs swelling using a vernier caliper.Results ①Compared with the normal group, the total arthritis scores and hind limbs AI scores of the model group were significantly increased ( P <0.05 or P <0.01 ) .The left forelimb AI scores were significantly increased during 10 -12 weeks ( P <0.05 ) .The anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the left hind limb, the thickness of the highest point measurement of the left hind foot pad metatarsal were significantly increased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01) in different time periods between 1-12 weeks.Compared with the model group, the total scores and the left hind limb joints AI scores of the high-and low-dose drug groups were decreased after 6 weeks (P<0.05).②Compared with the normal control group, levels of mRNA transcription and protein expression of IL-6 and TNF-αwere significantly up-regulated ( P<0.01 ) in the model group.Compared with the model group, the levels of mRNA transcription and the expression of IL-6 and TNF-αproteins were significantly down-regulated in the positive group and Chinese medicine groups ( P <0.01 ) .③ Histological examination showed that the low-dose TCM significantly improved the CIA synovial hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration.Conclusions The molecular mechanism of Chinese herbal compound Tengmei decotion in improving joint pathological injury of CIA rat models may be related to its inhibitory effect on the high expression of immune-inflammatory factors in the synovial tissue of CIA rats.

Objective To observe the expression of cysteine-rich protein 61 (Cyr61) in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-activated renal fibroblasts (NRK-49F),and to explore its effect and mechanism.Methods (1) NRK-49F cells were activated by TGF-β1 with different concentrations (0.0,0.5,1.0,2.0,5.0 μg/L).Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Cyr61 protein,and CCK-8 assay was used to test the proliferative activity of NRK-49F cells.(2) NRK-49F cells with low expression and over expression of Cyr61 were established by plasmid transfection.The cells were divided into control group (null vector transfection),over-expression group and lowexpression group.The proliferation was discovered by CCK-8 assay after 24,48 and 72 h.Further,5.0 μg/L TGF-β1 activated these three groups.The proliferation was also discovered by CCK-8 assay and the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry.The mRNA expressions of fibrosis markers (Collα1,Col3αl,MMP9,MMP13) and factors of cell senescence signal pathway (p53,p21,Rb,p16) were ascertained by real time PCR,and the protein expressions of Col3 and MMP9 were detected by Western blotting.Results (1) Compared with 0.0 μg/L TGF-β1 group,the proliferation of NRK-49F cells was enhanced in 0.5,1.0,2.0 and 5.0 μg/L TGF-β1 groups (all P ＜ 0.05),while the expression of Cyr61 protein was decreased in 1.0 μg/L group and increased in 5.0 μg/L group (all P ＜0.05).(2) The proliferation of over-expression group was lower than that of control group after 24,48and 72 h (all P＜ 0.05),which was in a time-dependent manner.(3) Compared with control group activated by TGF-β1,the over-expression group expressed less fibrosis factors (Col1α1 and Col3α1)and more anti-fibrosis factors (MMP9 and MMP13) with decreased proliferation (all P ＜ 0.05).Simultaneously,the proportion of cells bogged down in G1 phases,as well as the expressions of p53,p21 and Rb mRNA increased (all P ＜ 0.05).The above effects of low-expression group were just opposite to over-expression group.Moreover,there was no significant difference in the expression of p16 gene among the three groups (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Cyr61 can curb the proliferation and fibrotic phenotypes of fibroblasts,thereafter slowing down the process of renal fibrosis.The p53/p21/Rb interrelated cell senescence signal pathway may be involved in the anti-fibrosis process.

Quality control of biotech drugs has attracted increasing attentions in recent years. Deamidation reaction is one of the major concerns in quality control of biotech drugs, due to the generation of isoaspartic acid(isoAsp) . This paper describes the deamidation of asparagine(Asn) residues and its effects on the biological drugs. The detection methods currently used in China and overeas for this reaction, including pretreatment protocols and instrumental analysis were described. The identification and determination of isoaspartyl sites were also described in detail, along with the positive impact on the development of biotech drugs in China by the studies on deamidation reactions.

Background As a group of environmental pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are neurotoxic and may cause mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by inducing inflammation. Whether neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an inflammatory indicator, plays a mediating role in the relationship between PAHs exposure and MCI is unclear yet. Objective To investigate a potential mediating role of NLR in the association between exposure to PAHs and MCI in coke oven plant workers. Methods Eleven urine hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) of 530 coke oven plant workers were determined by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. NLR was derived from participants' routine blood examination results using a fully automated haematology analyser. The associations between urinary OH-PAHs and MCI were analyzed by binary logistic regression, the associations between urinary OH-PAHs and NLR were analyzed by multiple linear regression, and the role of NLR in the relationship between urinary OH-PAHs and MCI was evaluated by mediating effect analysis. Results After controlling for confounding factors and other OH-PAHs, the results of binary logistic regression showed that for every e-fold (e is the base of the natural logarithm) increase in the concentration of 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-OHNap) and 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OHPhe), the OR (95%CI) values of reporting MCI positive were 1.21 (1.02, 1.43) and 1.25 (1.04, 1.51) respectively. For each unit increase of NLR, the OR (95%CI) of reporting MCI positive was 1.56 (1.12, 2.18). The results of multiple linear regression showed that each unit increase in natural log-transformed levels of 1-OHPhe was associated with 0.05 (95%CI: 0.01, 0.10) increase of NLR. The results of mediating effect analysis showed that the association between urinary 1-OHPhe and MCI was partially mediated by peripheral blood NLR, with a mediation ratio of 9.8%. Conclusion Exposure to PAHs in coke oven plant workers may increase the risk of reporting MCI positive partially through increased NLR in peripheral blood.

OBJECTIVE: To unravel the underlying mechanism of minocycline in formalin-induced inflammatory pain, and to investigate the effects of minocycline on synaptic transmission in substantia gela-tinosa (SG) neurons of rat spinal dorsal horn. METHODS: Behavioral and immunohistochemistry experiments: 30 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (3-5 weeks old) were randomly assigned to control (n=8 rats), model (n=8 rats), saline treatment model (n=6 rats) and minocycline treatment model (n=8 rats) groups. The control group was subcutaneously injected with normal saline on the right hindpaws. Acute inflammatory pain model was established by injecting 5% (volume fraction) formalin into the right hindpaws. The rats in the latter two groups received intraperitoneal injection of saline and minocycline 1 h before the formalin injection, respectively. The time of licking and lifting was recorded every 5 min within 1 h after the subcutaneous injection of normal saline or formalin for all the groups, which was continuously recorded for 1 h. One hour after the pain behavioral recording, the spinal cord tissue was removed following transcardial perfusion of 4% paraformaldehyde. The expression of c-Fos protein in spinal dorsal horn was observed by immunohistochemistry. Electrophysiological experiment: In vitro whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed in spinal cord parasagittal slices obtained from 26 male SD rats (3-5 weeks old). Two to five neurons were randomly selected from each rat for patch-clamp recording. the effects of minocycline, fluorocitrate and doxycycline on spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) or spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) of SG neurons were investigated. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, both the licking and lifting time and the expression of c-Fos protein in ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn of the model group were significantly increased. Intraperitoneal injection of minocycline largely attenuated the second phase of formalin-induced pain responses (t=2.957, P<0.05). Moreover, c-Fos protein expression was also dramatically reduced in both the superficial lamina (I-II) and deep lamina (III-IV) of spinal dorsal horn (t_I-II=3.912, t_III-IV=2.630, P<0.05). On the other side, bath application of minocycline significantly increased the sIPSCs frequency to 220%±10% (P<0.05) of the control but did not affect the frequency (100%±1%, t=0.112, P=0.951) and amplitude (98%±1%, t=0.273, P=0.167) of sEPSCs and the amplitude (105%±3%, t=0.568, P=0.058) of sIPSCs. However, fluorocitrate and doxycycline had no effect on the frequency [(99%±1%, t=0.366, P=0.099); (102%±1%, t=0.184, P=0.146), respectively] and amplitude [(98%±1%, t=0.208, P=0.253); (99%±1%, t=0.129, P=0.552), respectively] of sIPSCs. CONCLUSION Minocycline can inhibit formalin-induced inflammatory pain and the expression of c-Fos protein in spinal dorsal horn. These effects are probably due to its enhancement in inhibitory synaptic transmission of SG neurons but not its effect on microglial activation or antibiotic action.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Formaldehyde ; Inflammation/complications* ; Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potentials ; Male ; Minocycline/pharmacology* ; Pain/prevention & control* ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord

【Objective】 To investigate the situation of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae(CRE) colonization in patients undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). 【Methods】 A total of 241 consecutive patients who underwent haplo-HSCT in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from June 1, 2021 to June 1, 2022 were enrolled. Anal swab screening was performed within 48 hours of admission and blood cultures were taken when the patient developed fever. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to analyze the colonization rate, distribution, risk factors and the correlation between CRE colonization and post-transplant bloodstream infection(BSI). 【Results】 Among 241 patients with haplo-HSCT, there were 90 cases in CRE colonization positive group, with a colonization rate of 37.3% (90/241). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sex (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.38-4.22, P<0.05) and history of infection within 30 days before transplantation (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.59-7.17, P<0.05) may be independent risk factors for CRE intestinal colonization. Of the 95 CRE strains, the top five species were carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (38/95, 40.0%), carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (29/95, 30.5%), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae (13/95, 13.6%), carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella acidophilus (6/95, 6.3%) and carbapenem-resistant Proteus mirabilis (3/95, 3.1%). The incidence of post-transplant BSI was 12.0% (29/241) in the CRE-colonized group and 3.3% (8/241) in the non-colonized group. In the colonization group, 100% of the pathogens of BSI were identical with those of CRE colonization. 【Conclusion】 Bacterial culture of anal swab during haplo-HSCT is helpful for detection of CRE colonization in intestinal tract, which provides some clinical basis for active monitoring of key flora, prevention and control of infection.