Background There still is no a uniform diagnostic criteria for increasing population of dry eye.Studies showed that high tear osmotic pressure is one of causes of a variety of ocular surface discomfort,and the change of tear osmolality has been included in the definition of dry eye syndrome by Dry Eye World Study Group (DEWS) in 2007.It is very clinically significant to study the relationship of tear osmolality with dry eye.Objective This clinical trial was to study the correlation between tear osmolarity and dry eye severity based on Preferred Practice Pattern(PPP)of DEWS.Methods A descriptive study was performed.Fifty-four eyes of 54 patients with dry eye disease were asked to complete an evaluation of dry eye signs and symptoms questionnaire based on PPP.The ocular anterior segment was examined under the slit lamp biomicroscope.Cornealfluorescein staining,tear-film breakup time (BUT),Schirmer test Ⅰ (S Ⅰ t)without anesthesia were performed,and tear sample was collected for tear imageology and tear osmolarity admeasurement.The correlation between dry eye score with tear osmolarity was evaluated using Pearson linear correlation analysis.Written informed consent as obtained prior to any relevant medical procedure.Results The ratio of male and female patients was 1: 2 in this study.The negative correlations were found between tear osmolarity with S Ⅰ t or BUT(r =-0.456,-0.699,P＜0.01),and significantly positive correlations were found between tear osmolarity with tear imaging examination,corneal fluorescein staining,conjunctival hyperemia or dry eye symptom score(r=0.545,0.686,0.691,0.803,P＜0.01).Conclusions As a diagnostic method,tear osmolarity can objectively reflects dry eye severity.It can be a biomarker in dry eye severity grade when combined with clinical symptom.

Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Polarity ; Epithelial Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Eye Proteins ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Receptors, Proteinase-Activated ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; metabolism

This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Tiao-Bu Fei-Shen therapies (i.e., Bu-Fei Jian-Pi, Bu-Fei Y i-Shen, Y i-Qi Zi-Shen) on cardiac remodeling of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rats and its mechanisms according to the R-value comprehensive evaluation method. Based on the database of previous experiment of COPD rats, R-value comprehensive evaluation method was used to evaluate the indexes as fellows to discuss efficacy of Tiao-Bu Fei-Shen therapies on cardiac remodeling of COPD rats. ① Indicators of right ventricular morphologic indexes: right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI), cardiac muscle sarcomere lengths, bulk density of myocardial mitochondria (Vv), surface area (δ), membrane surface (δm), Vv, δ, δm of heart mitochondria;② Indicators of mechanisms: right ventricular endothelin-1 (ET-1), transforming growth factor-beta ( TGF-β) , vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ) , basic fibroblast growth factor ( bFGF ) , matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1). The results showed that the sequence of improving effect of right ventricular remodeling at week 20 was Bu-Fei Jian-Pi, Bu-Fei Y i-Shen, aminophylline, and Y i-Qi Zi-Shen; at week 32 and the integrated week 20 and week 32, the sequence of effect was Bu-Fei Jian-Pi, Bu-Fei Y i-Shen, Y i-Qi Zi-Shen, and aminophylline. At integrated week 20 and week 32, Bu-Fei Jian-Pi had significant better intensity correcting effect than aminophylline (P< 0.01). There was no difference between week 20 and week 32. It showed that each treatment group had good long-term effect. For the mechanism of correcting effect on right ventricular remodeling, at week 20, the sequence of comprehensive effect was Bu-Fei Jian-Pi, Bu-Fei Y i-Shen, aminophylline, and Y i-Qi Zi-Shen. And Bu-Fei Jian-Pi had better effect compared with aminophylline and Y i-Qi Zi-Shen (P< 0.01); Bu-Fei Y i-Shen had better effect than Y i-Qi Zi-Shen (P< 0.05). At week 32, the sequence of effect was Y i-Qi Zi-Shen, aminophylline, Bu-Fei Jian-Pi, and Bu-Fei Y i-Shen. At the integrated week 20 and week 32, the sequence of effect was Bu-Fei Jian-Pi, and Bu-Fei Y i-Shen, Y i-Qi Zi-Shen, and aminophylline. Until week 32, the correcting effect of Tiao-Bu Fei-Shen therapies and aminophylline still maintained the same level as at week 20. It indicated that each treatment plan had good long-term effect. It was concluded that Tiao-Bu Fei-Shen therapies can improve the cardiac remodeling of COPD rats and expression of related factors in the cardiac remodeling through the R-value comprehensive evaluation method. And the effect of Bu-Fei Jian-Pi was obvious with good long-term effect.

Administration, Oral ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; administration & dosage ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; drug therapy ; immunology ; virology ; Erythromycin ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; immunology ; Virus Replication

This study is to investigate the effects of sophoridine on NF-kappaB signaling pathway in kidney tissue of endotoxemia mice and the mechanism involved. BALB/c mice were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) caudal vein injection, then sophoridine was administered by intraperitoneal injection. Totally 50 mice were divided into 5 groups: control group, LPS model group, sophoridine treatment 12 mg x kg(-1) group, 6 mg x kg(-1) group and 3 mg x kg(-1) group. All animals were sacrificed at 6 hours after treatment. Kidney and blood samples were harvested. IKKbeta mRNA and TNF-alpha mRNA expression of renal tissue was measured by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and phosphorylation IKKbeta protein (pIKKbeta) was detected by immunohistochemistry. NF-kappaB P65 protein expression and distribution of renal tissue were observed by Western blotting and immunofluorescence laser confocal microscopy. Serum TNF-alpha level was detected by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that the sophoridine significantly reduced the expression of IKKbeta mRNA and pIKKbeta protein, and inhibited the expression of NF-kappaB P65 protein and decreased the entry nuclear rate of NF-kappaB P65 in the renal tissue of endotoxemia mice. Thereby the renal TNF-alpha mRNA expression and serum TNF-alpha level were significantly reduced. These results suggest that sophoridine could inhibit inflammatory reaction induced by LPS through inhibiting activation of NF-kappaB signaling pathway.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; epidemiology ; immunology ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male

Previous studies showed that three methods for regulating and invigorating lung and kidney (lung invigorating and spleen strengthening, lung invigorating and kidney tonifying, and Qi supplementing and kidney nourishing) could regulate inflammatory signaling pathways of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rats, so as to alleviate inflammation. In the present study, R-value comprehensive evaluation method was used to evaluate the comprehensive effect of three methods for regulating and invigorating lung and kidney on inflammatory signaling pathways. Rats were randomly divided into control, model, lung invigorating and spleen strengthening, lung invigorating and kidney tonifying, Qi supplementing and kidney nourishing and aminophylline groups. The COPD rat models were established by cigarette smoking combined with bacterial infection, and orally administered with drugs between the 9th and 20th week. Afterwards, efforts were made to observe the long-term effects between the drug withdrawal and the 32rd week and detect indicators in two batches in the 20th week and 32th week. Specifically, (1) Linking JAK/STAT signaling pathway: JAK2 mRNA, and protein expressions of STAT-1, STAT-3, STAT-5, JAK-2; (2) NF-kappaB signaling pathway: Smad2 mRNA and protein expressions of I-kappaB, NF-kappaB, TGF-beta1; (3) PPARgamma and antioxidant signaling pathway: SOD, PGE mRNA, PPARgamma protein. According to the results, 5 indicators in JAK/STAT pathway, 4 indicators in NF-kappaB pathway, and 3 indicators in PPARgamma pathway were significantly rectified by three methods for regulating and invigorating lung and kidney in between the 20th week and 32nd week. Between the 20th and 32nd week, the recipes for rectifying JAK/STAT pathway with intensity from high to low were recipes for lung invigorating and spleen strengthening, Qi supplementing and kidney nourishing, lung invigorating and kidney tonifying, aminophylline, particularly those for lung invigorating and spleen strengthening; The recipes for rectifying NF-kappaB pathway with intensity from high to low were recipes for lung invigorating and spleen strengthening, lung invigorating and kidney tonifying, Qi supplementing and kidney nourishing and aminophylline, particularly the first three types of drugs. The recipes for rectifying PPARgamma and antioxidant signaling pathway with intensity from high to low were recipes for lung invigorating and kidney tonifying, Qi supplementing and kidney nourishing, lung invigorating and spleen strengthening and aminophylline. Therefore, three methods for regulating and invigorating lung and kidney showed better long-term effects in regulating COPD lung inflammation signaling pathways. Specifically, recipe for lung invigorating and spleen strengthening showed a better effect in JAK/STAT and NF-kappaB pathways, while recipe for lung invigorating and kidney tonifying and Qi supplementing and kidney nourishing showed better effects in PPARgamma and antioxidant signaling pathways. In conclusion, R-value comprehensive evaluation method can evaluate the comprehensive effect of medicines and define the ranking of multiple drugs and their main targets.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Kidney ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Lung ; drug effects ; immunology ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; NF-kappa B ; immunology ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; drug therapy ; immunology ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; Smad2 Protein ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

An ordered mesoporous silica ( OMS ) was synthesized through hydrothermal process. The synthesized material was characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption and transmission electron microscope. The electrochemical characteristics of the OMS modified carbon paste electrode ( OMS/CPE ) were investigated by using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Compared with bare carbon paste electrode ( CPE ) , the OMS/CPE exhibited a larger electrode surface and a faster electron-transfer rate. Electrochemical behaviors and kinetic properties of L-tryptophan ( L-Trp) at the OMS/CPE in the presence of sodium dodecylsulphate ( SDS) were studied. The results showed that the voltammetric response of L-Trp at OMS/CPE was improved due to the synergistic effect of OMS and SDS. The electrochemical oxidation of L-Trp at OMS/CPE in the presence of SDS was an irreversible process involved two electrons and two protons, and the electrode process was controlled by the adsorption step. Some parameters such as SDS concentration, accumulation time, accumulation potential and pH were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the oxidation peak current was linearly proportional to L-Trp concentration in the range of 8. 0×10-8 to 4. 0×10-6 mol/L, with a detection limit of 7. 0×10-8 mol/L (S/N=3 ) . The proposed method was applied for the determination of L-Trp in oral liquid with the recoveries of 99 . 6%-102 . 6%.

Objective To observe the treatment of ~(99)Te-MDP on typeⅡcollagen induced arthritis (CIA)in rat,and the effect on the expression of synovial MMP-3 and TIMP-1 mRNA.To explore the mech anisms of the ~(99)Te-MDP in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Methods The rats in which C1A(n=24)were divided into three group:the control group(n=8),~(99)Tc-MDP group(n=8)and Methotrexate group(n=8). Arthritis were evaluated by arthritis index and histopathological index and the expressions of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 mRNA in synovium were detected by RT-PCR.Results①The arthritis indexs of the control group, the methotrexate group,the ~(99)Tc-MDP group were increased with time.②The histopathological scnres of the control group were significantly higher than those of methotrexate group and ~(99)Tc-MDP group(P＜0.01).The histopathological scores of cartilage destruction and bone erosion of ~(99)Tc-MDP group were lower than those of methotrexate group(P＜0.05).③The levels of MMP-3 mRNA of the control group,~(99)Tc-MDP group, methotrexate group were notably higher than those of the control group(P＜0.01).The levels of control group was notably higher than that of the ~(99)Tc-MDP group(P＜0.05).There was not significant difference in all groups on the levels of TIMP-1 mRNA(P＞0.05).Conclusions ~(99)Tc-MDP can notably relieve the arthritis symdrome and retard the catilage damage and bone erosion of CIA in rats,and could significantly decrease the MMP-3 mRNA in the synovium.Which may be one of the therapeutic mechanism.~(99)Tc-MDP is better than methotrexate in retarding catilage and bone erosion and decreasing MMP-3 mRNA in CIA rats in a 3-week therapeutic intervention.

Technological improvement for microorgnism isolation is important since isolation provides substantial materials for the exploitation of new microbial resources. In this study, a new approach, dispersion and differential cetrifugation (DDC), was applied in the isolation of acidophilic and acidoduric streptomycetes from 12 acid soil samples. Contrast with traditional method, the new approach yielded satisfying results with 2 - 20 times isolation efficiency and good selectivity. 45 representatives out of 249 streptomycetes isolates, which belonged to 12 color groups, showed morphology and cell wall type consistent with streptomycetes. The optimum pH range for their growth were between pH 4.5 - 5.5. It is proved that we succeeded in the rare-streptomycetes isolation using DDC approach.