To study the protective effect of Danshen Tongluo capsule on rat hearts in the myocardial infarction (MI) model. After being fed with high fat diets for one month, the SD rats were randomly divided into the sham group and the model group according to the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF). The MI model group was duplicated by ligating coronary artery and then divided into five groups: the model group, the positive control group (model + captopril), the small dose group (model + Danshen Tongluo), the medium dose group (model + Danshen Tongluo) and the high dose group (model + Danshen Tongluo). Four weeks later, changes in myocardium ultra-structure were observed by hemodynamics, cardiac ultrasound and electron microscope. The results showed: (1) All doses of Danshen Tongluo capsule could significantly reduce the left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) (P <0.01), increase the maximum internal pressure of the left ventricle (+ dp/dtmax), and lower the drop rate of left ventricular pressure (- dp/dtmax), with statistical significances in medium and high dose groups; (2) The B ultrasound results showed increase in EF and left ventricular shortening fraction (FS) in all dose groups of Danshen Tongluo capsule; (3) The medium dose group showed significant decrease in myocardial infarction index (P <0.01) and injured and fractured myofilament and sarcomere of ischemic myocardium in myocardial ultra-structure; All of Danshen Tongluo capsule-treated groups revealed reduction in myocardial injury and myocardial infraction area. The study preliminarily proves that Danshen Tongluo capsule can improve hemodynamic function, and has a protective effect on myocardial ischemia.
Animals ; Capsules ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; ultrastructure ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Ventricular Function, Left ; drug effects

On the base of element and metablism balancing, the mathematical model of the cultivation process with Streptomyces aureofaciens was developed, and the unknown parameters in the model were estimated with the method of nonlinear optimization. Firstly the energetic coefficient of CTC biosynthesis was gained, which was 1.8 - 2.8 mol-ATP x C-mol(-1). The macroscopic reaction rates were predicted in the process and compared with the experimental values. The results show that the model can preferably describe the relationships between several macroscopic reaction rates in the process and can supervise the optimization of CTC fermentation process theoretically.
Chlortetracycline ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; physiology ; Models, Theoretical ; Streptomyces aureofaciens ; growth & development ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEDiffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a chronic progressive disease of the lower respiratory tract, which is prevalent in Asian population. So far, many DPB cases have been found in adults in China. To our knowledge, no pediatric DPB case has ever been reported in China. We describe the first pediatric DPB case in Chinese literature and the second case in the English-language literature.

METHODThe clinical manifestations, characteristic imaging and histological features of this DPB case were summarized.

RESULTSThe patient was a 13-year old girl complained of chronic productive cough with wheezing. Chest auscultation revealed fine moist rales and wheezing over both lung fields. The chest X-ray showed small nodules and reticular opacities in left lower lobe. High-resolution thorax computerized tomography (HRCT) demonstrated bilateral diffuse small centrilobuler nodules and bronchial wall thickening or bronchiectasis in some parts of the lungs. Histopathological examination of transbronchial biopsy specimen revealed lymphocytes and foamy histocytes infiltrated in the walls of bronchi, respiratory bronchioles and adjacent alveoli. Lymphoid follicles were present around some bronchi. Sinus radiographs revealed sinusitis. Lung function studies showed obstruction and restriction. PaO2 was 65 mm Hg. The diagnosis of DPB was made according to the current diagnostic criteria. Low-dose erythromycin [5 - 10 mg/(kg.d)] was effective.

CONCLUSIONDPB could occur in children in China. The major diagnostic clues may include the following: (1) persistent cough, sputum, and dyspnea; (2) coexistent chronic sinusitis; (3) bilateral diffuse small nodular opacities on HRCT. Low-dose erythromycin was effective in treatment of the case with DPB.

Adult ; Bronchiolitis ; pathology ; China ; epidemiology ; Chronic Disease ; Cough ; blood ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Respiratory Function Tests ; methods ; Sputum ; microbiology

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects and anti-depression mechanisms of Kaixin Jieyu Decoction (, KJD).

METHODSThe rat vascular depression (VD) model was established by ligation of bilateral common carotid arteries (LBCCA) combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham, VD model, VD + high-dose KJD [15.4 g/(kg·d) of crude drug], VD + medium-dose KJD [7.7 g/(kg·d) of crude drug], and VD + fluoxetine [2.4 mg/(kg·d)] groups (n=8 in each group), and the treatments lasted for 21 days. Changes of behavior and hippocampus pathology were observed. The level of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) protein and mRNA in hippocampus was detected respectively by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTSCompared with the sham group, rats in model group showed a variety of behavioral obstacles, including a significant reduction in sucrose consumption percentage, horizontal and vertical activity scores in open-field tests (P<0.05 or P<0.01), pathological damage like neuronal degeneration, necrosis, and a significant decrease of GFAP protein and mRNA in hippocampus (P<0.01); compared with the model group, rats in the high-dose KJD group, medium-dose KJD group and fluoxetine group obtained notable higher behavioral scores, and pathological injury lessened in hippocampus with a increased expression of GFAP protein and mRNA P<0.05 or P<0.01); compared with the medium-dose KJD group and fluoxetine group, GFAP mRNA in high-dose KJD group expressed higer (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONLBCCA combined with CUMS may cause depression-like behavioral changes resulting in the VD model of rats whose depression state can be ameliorated by KJD, and the mechanism of cerebral protection is related possibly with promoting expression of GFAP in hippocampus.

Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Depression ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats, Wistar ; Transition Temperature

In this report, a heat and high-pressure homogenization method was used to prepare dioscin nanostructured lipid carriers, and the formulation of dioscin nanostructured lipid carriers was optimized by central composite design-response surface methodology. In vitro evaluation data showed that the preparation of dioscin nanostructured lipid carriers under optimal process by central composite design-response surface methodology had a spherical shape and homogeneous size distribution, with a particle size of (90.9±0.6) nm, a polydispersity index of (0.253±0.07), Zeta potential of (-45.7±0.5) mV, encapsulation efficiency of (90.2±0.5)%, and the drug loading of (23.30±0.10)%. These results clearly indicate that the preparation of dioscin nanostructured lipid carriers made with the heat and high-pressure homogenization method have very good physical and chemical properties, suitable for therapeutic applications.

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases affecting the health of human beings. With limited therapeutic options available, complementary and alternative medicine has been widely adopted in cancer management and is increasingly becoming accepted by both patients and healthcare workers alike. Chinese medicine characterized by its unique diagnostic and treatment system is the most widely applied complementary and alternative medicine. It emphasizes symptoms and ZHENG (syndrome)-based treatment combined with contemporary disease diagnosis and further stratifies patients into individualized medicine subgroups. As a representative cancer with the highest degree of malignancy, pancreatic cancer is traditionally classified into the "amassment and accumulation". Emerging perspectives define the core pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer as "dampness-heat" and the respective treatment "clearing heat and resolving dampness" has been demonstrated to prolong survival in pancreatic cancer patients, as has been observed in many other cancers. This clinical advantage encourages an exploration of the essence of dampness-heat ZHENG (DHZ) in cancer and investigation into underlying mechanisms of action of herbal formulations against dampness-heat. However, at present, there is a lack of understanding of the molecular characteristics of DHZ in cancer and no standardized and widely accepted animal model to study this core syndrome in vivo. The shortage of animal models limits the ability to uncover the antitumor mechanisms of herbal medicines and to assess the safety profile of the natural products derived from them. This review summarizes the current research on DHZ in cancer in terms of the clinical aspects, molecular landscape, and animal models. This study aims to provide comprehensive insight that can be used for the establishment of a future standardized ZHENG-based cancer animal model.
Animals ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Hot Temperature ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/therapy* ; Models, Animal ; Syndrome

Objective: To study the anti-hypertrophic scar effect of the six-herb Chinese medicine composition (SCMC) ointment on the rabbit ear hypertrophic scar models. Methods: The optimal formulation of SCMC ointment matrix was screened by the orthogonal designs and a series of evaluation tests. The SCMC ointment was prepared through emulsifying method. The rabbit ear hypertrophic scar models were established and used to investigate the anti-hypertrophic scar effect of SCMC ointment. Results: Our results demonstrated that all the quality control indications of the SCMC ointment met the requirements. Anti-hypertrophic scar activity results showed that all the rabbit ear scar tissues appeared different degrees of shrink and fading, and took an unobvious but palpable shift from hard to soft texture with the low, middle and high concentration SCMC ointments treatments in vivo. Additionally, on 21st day the scar area and thickness in different concentrations of SCMC ointment groups were significantly reduced than control group, in a concentration-dependent manner. The immunohistochemical results also indicated that the SCMC ointment had good anti-hypertrophic scar properties and could inhibit hypertrophic scar formation. Conclusion: The SCMC ointment could improve the blood circulation condition of hypertrophic scar tissues. Our research has demonstrated the Chinese medicine composition ointment with good anti-hypertrophic scar properties that could be used to treat hypertrophic scars. Meanwhile, it provides a theoretical basis for further clinical application.

Background:Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the most common and life-threatening systemic complication of rhabdomyolysis. Inflammation plays an important role in the development of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI. This study aimed to investigate the kidney model of AKI caused by rhabdomyolysis to verify the role of macrophage Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B (TLR4/NF-κB) signaling pathway.

Methods:C57BL/6 mice were injected with a 50% glycerin solution at bilateral back limbs to induce rhabdomyolysis, and CLI-095 or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) was intraperitoneally injected at 0.5 h before molding. Serum creatinine levels, creatine kinase, the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, and hematoxylin and eosin stainings of kidney tissues were tested. The infiltration of macrophage, mRNA levels, and protein expression of TLR4 and NF-κB were investigated by immunofluorescence double-staining techniques, reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting, respectively. In vitro, macrophage RAW264.7 was stimulated by ferrous myoglobin; the cytokines, TLR4 and NF-κB expressions were also detected.

Results:In an in vivo study, using CLI-095 or PDTC to block TLR4/NF-κB, functional and histologic results showed that the inhibition of TLR4 or NF-κB alleviated glycerol-induced renal damages (P < 0.01). CLI-095 or PDTC administration suppressed proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) production and macrophage infiltration into the kidney (P < 0.01). Moreover, in an in vitro study, CLI-095 or PDTC suppressed myoglobin-induced expression of TLR4, NF-κB, and proinflammatory cytokine levels in macrophage RAW264.7 cells (P < 0.01).

Conclusion:The pharmacological inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB exhibited protective effects on rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI by the regulation of proinflammatory cytokine production and macrophage infiltration.

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of children with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and to summarize the mid-term efficacy of China Net Childhood Lymphoma-mature B-cell lymphoma 2017 (CNCL-B-NHL-2017) regimen. Methods: Clinical features of 436 BL patients who were ≤18 years old and treated with the CNCL-B-NHL-2017 regimen from May 2017 to April 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical characteristics of patients at disease onset were analyzed and the therapeutic effects of patients with different clinical stages and risk groups were compared. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression was used to identify the prognostic factors. Results: Among 436 patients, there were 368 (84.4%) males and 68 (15.6%) females, the age of disease onset was 6.0 (4.0, 9.0) years old. According to the St. Jude staging system, there were 4 patients (0.9%) with stage Ⅰ, 30 patients (6.9%) with stage Ⅱ, 217 patients (49.8%) with stage Ⅲ, and 185 patients (42.4%) with stage Ⅳ. All patients were stratified into following risk groups: group A (n=1, 0.2%), group B1 (n=46, 10.6%), group B2 (n=19, 4.4%), group C1 (n=285, 65.4%), group C2 (n=85, 19.5%). Sixty-three patients (14.4%) were treated with chemotherapy only and 373 patients (85.6%) were treated with chemotherapy combined with rituximab. Twenty-one patients (4.8%) suffered from progressive disease, 3 patients (0.7%) relapsed, and 13 patients (3.0%) died of treatment-related complications. The follow-up time of all patients was 24.0 (13.0, 35.0) months, the 2-year event free survival (EFS) rate of all patients was (90.9±1.4) %. The 2-year EFS rates of group A, B1, B2, C1 and C2 were 100.0%, 100.0%, (94.7±5.1) %, (90.7±1.7) % and (85.9±4.0) %, respectively. The 2-year EFS rates was higher in group A, B1, and B2 than those in group C1 (χ²=4.16, P=0.041) and group C2 (χ²=7.21, P=0.007). The 2-year EFS rates of the patients treated with chemotherapy alone and those treated with chemotherapy combined with rituximab were (79.3±5.1)% and (92.9±1.4)% (χ²=14.23, P<0.001) respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that stage Ⅳ (including leukemia stage), serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)>4-fold normal value, and with residual tumor in the mid-term evaluation were risk factors for poor prognosis (HR=1.38,1.23,8.52,95%CI 1.05-1.82,1.05-1.43,3.96-18.30). Conclusions: The CNCL-B-NHL-2017 regimen show significant effect in the treatment of pediatric BL. The combination of rituximab improve the efficacy further.
Adolescent ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Burkitt Lymphoma/drug therapy* ; Child ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Lactate Dehydrogenases ; Lymphoma, B-Cell/drug therapy* ; Male ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rituximab/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome