Functional constipation is a common and frequently occurring disease in childhood. In addition to meeting the clinical di-agnostic criteria for constipation and performing the general routine examinations, there are the need to have further examinations such as colonic transit time measurement, anorectal manometry and colonoscopy in order to rule out other causes. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to introduce several latest research progress in examinations related to constipation in children and to provide some gui-dance and references for clinicians.

OBJECTIVE:To study the diastolic effect and mechanism of Hui medicine Hexin oil solution on isolated thoracic aortic vascular rings of rats,and provide reference for its treatment for cardiovascular diseases. METHODS:Thoracic aortic vascu-lar rings of rats were taken and then soaked in Kelvin's nutrient solution(K-H). Using 1×10-6 mol/L norepinephrine(PE)or 60 mmol/L potassium chloride (KCl) for inducing the contraction of vascular rings,biological signal acquisition and analysis system was used to determine the diastolic effect and mechanism of Hexin oil solution with concentrations of 0.0204,0.0408,0.0612, 0.0816,0.1020 mg/mL on vascular rings,and diastolic rate was calculated. After culturing vascular rings by 0.1 mmol/L nitric ox-ide synthase inhibitor L-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME),cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (INDO),and potassium ion channel blocker glibenclamide(Gli)for 20 min,the diastolic effects of above-mentioned 5 mass concentrations of Hexin oil so-lution on the contraction of vascular rings pre-contracted by PE were determined,and diastolic rate was calculated. The test was based on K-H solution as blank control. RESULTS:Compared with blank control,Hexin oil solution with concentration of 0.0204-0.1020 mg/mL had obvious diastolic effect on the contraction of vascular rings induced by PE and KCl (P<0.05 or P<0.01), showing concentration-dependent relationship. INDO pre-treatment can relieve the diastolic effect of Hexin oil solution on vascular rings pre-contracted by PE;and compared with blank control group,the diastolic rate had no statistical significance (P>0.05). While the pre-treatment of Gli,L-NAME did not affect the diastolic effect of Hexin oil solution on vascular rings pre-contracted by PE;and compared with blank control group,diastolic rate was obviously increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS:Hex-in oil solution can concentration-dependently conduct the relaxation of thoracic aortic vascular rings pre-contracted by PE,KCl. The mechanism may be associated with activation of cyclooxygenase pathway.

Objective To evaluate the protective effect of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2) protein against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced photodamage to HaCaT cells,and to explore its mechanisms.Methods Cultured HaCaT cells were divided into 4 groups:control group receiving no treatment,UVB group irradiated with 30 mJ/cm2 UVB for 30 s,Nrf2 group transfected with a lentiviral vector overexpressing the Nrf2 gene,and Nrf2 + UVB group transfected with a lentiviral vector overexpressing the Nrf2 gene followed by radiation with 30 mJ/cm2 UVB for 30 s.After the treatment,HaCaT cells in the above 4 groups were cultured for another 24 hours.Then,changes in the morphology of HaCaT cells were observed after UVB radiation,Western blot analysis was performed to determine Nrf2 protein expression,cell counting kit-8 (CCKS) assay to detect survival rates of HaCaT cells,flow cytometry to detect levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS),and a biochemical method to detect superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in cells,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the culture supematant of HaCaT cells.One-way analysis of variance was used for comparing means in several groups,and least significant difference (LSD)-t test for multiple comparisons.Results Polygonal and clustered HaCaT cells were observed in the control group.After UVB radiation,HaCaT cells became shrunken and round,the number of floating cells increased,and the number of adherent cells markedly decreased.There was a significant difference in Nrf2 protein expression among the control group,UVB group,Nrf2 group and Nrf2 + UVB group (1.84 ± 0.047,0.63 ± 0.082,2.19 ± 0.168 and 1.43 ± 0.069 respectively;F =64.81,P ＜ 0.05),and the Nrf2 protein expression was significantly higher in the Nrf2 group than in the control group (t =14.82,P ＜ 0.05);the survival rates of HaCaT cells also significantly differed among the above 4 groups (98.00％ ± 2.39％,24.40％ ± 2.98％,71.63％ ± 3.39％and 43.38％ ± 3.39％ respectively;F =236.66,P ＜ 0.05),and the UVB group showed significantly decreased cell viability compared with the control group (t =33.34,P ＜ 0.05)and Nrf2 + UVB group (t=10.07,P ＜ 0.05);a significant difference in the ROS level in HaCaT cells was observed among the above 4 groups (1.27 ± 0.10,5.65 ± 0.19,2.10 ± 0.73 and 3.67 ± 0.19 respectively;F =481.39,P ＜ 0.05),and the UVB group showed a significantly increased ROS level compared with the control group (t =33.68,P ＜0.05) and Nrf2 + UVB group (t =12.47,P ＜ 0.05).The SOD level in HaCaT cells significantly differed among the above 4 groups (F =170.76,P ＜ 0.05),and was significantly lower in the UVB group than in the control group (t =11.25,P ＜ 0.05) and Nrf2 + UVB group (t =17.52,P ＜ 0.05).The IL-6 level also significantly differed among the above 4 groups (F =532.34,P ＜ 0.05),and was significantly higher in the UVB group than in the control group (t =28.48,P ＜ 0.05) and Nrf2 + UVB group (t =27.82,P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the TNF-α level among the above 4 groups (F =2.02,P =0.19).Conclusion Nrf2 can protect HaCaT cells from UVB-induced oxidative damage,by reducing intracellular ROS levels and increasing the activity of the endogenous antioxidant enzyme SOD.

Objective:To evaluate the protective effect of exogenous biliverdin on ultraviolet B (UVB) -induced photodamage to keratinocytes, and to explore its mechanisms.Methods:HaCaT cells were divided into 5 groups: UVB group irradiated with 30 mJ/cm 2 UVB alone, 0.1-, 1- and 10-μmol/L UVB groups treated with 0.1, 1 and 10 μmol/L biliverdin respectively and irradiated with 30 mJ/cm 2 UVB, and control group receiving no treatment. After irradiation, cells in the above groups continued to be cultured for 24 hours. Then, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were detected in HaCaT cells, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect levels of the inflammatory factors interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-8 in the culture supernatants of HaCaT cells. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of means among multiple groups, and least significant difference (LSD) - t test was used for multiple comparisons. Results:Significant differences were observed among the UVB group, 0.1-, 1- and 10-μmol/L UVB groups and control group in the ROS levels (3 613.33 ± 206.61, 2 958.67 ± 193.87, 2 678.33 ± 178.24, 2 274.67 ± 118.81, 1 905.67 ± 250.25, respectively, F = 34.02, P < 0.05), SOD activity (24.41 ± 1.78, 28.96 ± 2.21, 29.75 ± 1.75, 30.19 ± 2.29, 37.52 ± 2.31, respectively, F = 57.36, P < 0.05), MDA contents (5.61 ± 0.32, 5.46 ± 0.55, 4.65 ± 0.22, 2.55 ± 0.93, 1.31 ± 0.05, respectively, F = 214.09, P < 0.05), and supernatant levels of IL-6 ( F = 29.73, P < 0.05) and IL-8 ( F = 11.40, P < 0.05). The UVB group showed significantly increased levels of ROS, IL-6 and IL-8, and MDA contents compared with the other 4 groups (all P < 0.05), but significantly decreased SOD activity compared with the other 4 groups ( P < 0.05) . Conclusion:Exogenous biliverdin has some protective effect on UVB-induced photodamage, likely by reducing oxidative damage to cells, attenuating inflammatory reactions and suppressing lipid peroxidation.