Breath Tests ; methods ; Child ; Humans ; Infant ; Lung Diseases ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Lung Volume Measurements ; Maximal Voluntary Ventilation ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Tidal Volume

A large amount of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) is required for fatty acid synthesis and maintenance of the redox state in cancer cells. Malic enzyme 1(ME1)-dependent NADPH production is one of the three pathways that contribute to the formation of the cytosolic NADPH pool. ME1 is generally considered to be overexpressed in cancer cells to meet the high demand for increased de novo fatty acid synthesis. In the present study, we found that glucose induced higher ME1 activity and that repressing ME1 had a profound impact on glucose metabolism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) cells. High incorporation of glucose and an enhancement of the pentose phosphate pathway were observed in ME1-repressed cells. However, there were no obvious changes in the other two pathways for glucose metabolism: glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. Interestingly, NADPH was decreased under low-glucose condition in ME1-repressed cells relative to wild-type cells, whereas no significant difference was observed under high-glucose condition. ME1-repressed cells had significantly decreased tolerance to low-glucose condition. Moreover, NADPH produced by ME1 was not only important for fatty acid synthesis but also essential for maintenance of the intracellular redox state and the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Furthermore, diminished migration and invasion were observed in ME1-repressed cells due to a reduced level of Snail protein. Collectively, these results suggest an essential role for ME1 in the production of cytosolic NADPH and maintenance of migratory and invasive abilities of NPC cells.
Carcinoma ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Survival ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Glycolysis ; Humans ; Malate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; NADP ; metabolism ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxidative Phosphorylation ; Pentose Phosphate Pathway ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture on rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODSIn a randomized and controlled trial, sixty-three cases with RA were randomly divided into an electroacupuncture group (n = 32) and a simple acupuncture group (n = 31). Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Quchi (LI 11), Waiguan (TE 5), Guanyuan (CV 4) and Zusanli (ST 36) were selected by coordination method combined whole and local acupoints. The electroacupuncture group was treated with electroacupuncture at the local acupoints near painful joints, continuous wave, retaining needle for 30 minutes, and then electroacupuncture at Back-shu acupoints, retaining needle for 15 minutes, and the simple acupuncture group was treated with the same acupoints selection and acupuncture manipulation without electroacupuncture apparatus. They were all treated once every other day for 20 days as one course. After 3 courses, changes of interleukins in peripheral blood and joint fluid of patients were observed.

RESULTSBoth of electroacupuncture and simple acupuncture had significant effect on IL-1, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 in peripheral blood and joint fluid of patients with RA ( P < 0.01, P < 0.05). But after electroacupuncture, the absolute value and improvement value of decreasing IL-1 in peripheral blood and joint fluid were super than those of simple acupuncture (all P < 0.05), and of IL-4 in joint fluid was super than that after simple acupuncture (P < 0.05), and of IL-6 and the absolute value of decreasing IL-10 were almost the same after both treatment (all P > 0.05), and after electroacupuncture, the improvement value of IL-10 in peripheral blood and joint fluid were super than those after simple acupuncture (both P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONElectroacupuncture can effectively decrease the proinflammatory cytokine of IL-1 and IL-6 and increase the inhibition cytokine of IL-4 and IL-10 and improve the internal environment of occurrence and progression of RA.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; blood ; immunology ; therapy ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-1 ; blood ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Interleukins ; blood ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Synovial Fluid ; immunology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEElectron microscopical study of infected cells to identify the pathogenic agent of SARS.

METHODSVero E6 cells infected with lung autopsy samples or nasopharyngeal swabs from SARS patients of Beijing and Guangzhou were inoculated. The supernatant and cultured cells exhibiting identifiable cytopathic effect (CPE) were prepared for electron microscopic study.

RESULTSExamination of CPE cells on thin-section revealed characteristic coronavirus particles within the cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, vesicles and extracellular space. They were mainly spherical or oval in shape, annular or dense, about 80 nm in diameter. Negative-stain electron microscopy identified coronavirus particles in culture supernatant, 80 - 120 nm in diameter, with club-shaped surface projections. Elongated, rod-, kidney- or other irregular shaped virons with the size of 100 - 200 nm by 60 - 90 nm were also found in the cultured cells infected with the lung samples from the Guangdong patients. Infectious virons entered cells by endocytosis or membrane fusion and released through a budding process.

CONCLUSIONThese data indicate a novel coronavirus as the causative agent of SARS. Most viral particles showed typical characteristics of coronavirus. The potential role of special shape viruses is expected to be further investigated.

Animals ; Cercopithecus aethiops ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electron ; SARS Virus ; ultrastructure ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; virology ; Vero Cells

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in peripheral blood and joint synovia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to verify the clinical efficacy of EA.

METHODSAdopting randomized controlled principle, the 63 RA patients enrolled were assigned to two groups, the 32 patients in the EA group were treated with EA, and the 31 patients in the simple needling (SN) group treated with simple needling. According to the integral-local combining method, the acupoints were selected mainly from yang-meridian and local Ashi points (pain-point). EA or SN was applied every other day, 10 times as a course, and each patient received a total of 3 courses of treatment.

RESULTSBlood and synovial levels of TNF-α and VEGF were reduced significantly after treatment in both groups. The lowering (absolute value and difference value) of TNF-α as well as the absolute value of VEGF, either in blood or in synovia, were similar in the two groups (P>0.05); but the lowering of VEGF after treatment was more significant in the EA group than that in the SN group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONEA could effectively lower the contents of TNF-α and VEGF in peripheral blood and joint synovia to improve the internal environment for genesis and development of RA, so as to enhance the clinical therapeutic effectiveness.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; blood ; therapy ; Electroacupuncture ; adverse effects ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Joints ; pathology ; Male ; Synovial Fluid ; metabolism ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Objective:To investigate the application value of advance care planning among patients with chronic heart failure, so as to provide reference for the clinical practice of advance care planning.Methods:A total of 62 chronic heart failure patients from October 2017 to November 2019 in Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital were assigned to control group and experimental group according to the enrolled time, with 31 cases in each group. The patients in the control group from October 2017 to October 2018 recieved routine nursing, the experimental group from November 2018 to November 2019 carried out advance care planning based on the routine care. Before and after 3 weeks of intervention, the fatigue symptom and psychological condition were assessed by the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), respectively.Results:There was no significant difference in the score of MFI-20 and SCL-90 before intervention between the two groups( P>0.05). After 3 weeks of intervention, the mental fatigue scores and total scores in MFI-20 were (8.23 ± 2.77), (51.00 ± 5.03) points in the experimental group, significantly lower than those in the control group (10.23 ± 2.58), (54.06 ± 5.50) points, the differences were statistically significant ( t=2.94, 2.29, all P<0.05). After 3 weeks of intervention, the somatization, obsessive symptoms, depression, anxiety, hostility scores and total score of SCL-90 were (1.28 ± 0.14), (1.43 ± 0.09), (1.19 ± 0.12), (1.13 ± 0.08), (1.33 ± 0.07), (121.00 ± 3.68) points in the experimental group, significantly lower than those in the control group (1.82 ± 0.44), (1.73 ± 0.58), (1.69 ± 0.12), (1.78 ± 0.13), (1.39 ± 0.10), (144.69 ± 9.09) points, the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 2.76-23.06, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Advance care planning can effectively alleviate fatigue symptom and improve psychological condition of patients with chronic heart failure.

Objective Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. The pathophysiology of the disease mostly remains unearthed, thereby challenging drug development for AD. This study aims to screen high throughput gene expression data using weighted co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to explore the potential therapeutic targets.Methods The dataset of GSE36980 was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Normalization, quality control, filtration, and soft-threshold calculation were carried out before clustering the co-expressed genes into different modules. Furthermore, the correlation coefficients between the modules and clinical traits were computed to identify the key modules. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the key module genes. The STRING database was used to construct the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, which were further analyzed by Cytoscape app (MCODE). Finally, validation of hub genes was conducted by external GEO datasets of GSE 1297 and GSE 28146.Results Co-expressed genes were clustered into 27 modules, among which 6 modules were identified as the key module relating to AD occurrence. These key modules are primarily involved in chemical synaptic transmission (GO:0007268), the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and respiratory electron transport (R-HSA-1428517).

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of ferulic acid on PC12 cells injured by H₂O₂ and the molecular mechanisms. Method:The oxidative stress model was established by treating PC12 cells with H₂O₂, and then different dosages of ferulic acid (1, 10, 100 μmol·L^-1) were used for intervention. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to evaluate the cell viability,lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and malondialdelyde (MDA) in cell supernatant, and superoxidedismutase (SOD) in cells was tested by biochemical method respectively. Insulin-like growth factors-1 (IGF-1) mRNA and protein expressions were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR) and Western blot. Result:The 24 h intervention with different dosages of ferulic acid (1, 10, 100 μmol·L^-1) could significantly improve the oxidative damage of PC12 cells induced by H₂O₂, compared with the model group, ferulic acid at 1,10,100 μmol·L^-1 significantly increased PC12 cells viability,significantly decreased LDH and MDA content in cell supernatant (P<0.05, P<0.01), and enhanced SOD activity(P<0.01). Real-time PCR and Western blot showed that compared with control group,IGF-1 mRNA and protein expressions in model group decreased significantly (P<0.01), compared with model group, IGF-1 mRNA and protein expressions in ferulic acid group increased significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion:Ferulic acid exerts a protective effect on H₂O₂-inducing PC12 cells injury,which might be related to insulin signaling pathways.

Objective:To investigate the protective effect and molecular mechanism of Angelicae Sinensis Radix-Chuanxiong Rhizoma medicated serum （ASRCRS） against oxidative damage of PC12 cells induced by H₂O₂. Method:Oxidative damage of PC12 cells was induced by H₂O₂ in vitro， and intervention was performed in the low-， medium-， and high-dose ASRCRS groups with a final volume fraction of 15%. The cell viability was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） assay. Cell morphology was observed by an inverted fluorescence microscope. The content of lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） and malondialdehyde （MDA）， the activity of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and the distribution of reactive oxygen species （ROS） in the cell supernatant were detected by the kits. Cell apoptosis was detected by Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. The protein expression levels of nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， Kelch-like epichlorohydrin associated protein-1 （Keap1）， heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1）， and SOD1 were detected by Western blot. Result:Oxidative damage was induced by 300 μmol·L^-1 H₂O₂ for 24 hours. Compared with the normal group， the model group showed abnormal cell morphology， reduced cell viability （P<0.01）， increased LDH and MDA （P<0.01）， blunted SOD activity， elevated intracellular distribution of ROS， down-regulated protein expression of Nrf2， HO-1， and SOD1 （P<0.05， P<0.05）， and up-regulated protein expression of Keap1 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， ASRCRS groups displayed improved cell morphology， increased cell viability， inhibited cell apoptosis， potentiated SOD activity （P<0.01）， suppressed release of LDH （P<0.01） and generation of ROS， decreased content of MDA （P<0.01）， up-regulated protein expression of Nrf2， HO-1 and SOD1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein expression of Keap1 （P<0.01）. Conclusion:ASRCRS could protect PC12 cells from oxidative damage induced by H₂O₂ by up-regulating the expression of Nrf2 to activate the Nrf2/antioxidant response element （ARE） signaling pathway， enhancing the ability to resist oxidative damage， and inhibiting cell apoptosis.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with chemometrics can achieve rapid detection in process analysis. After variable selection, the redundant information is effectively removed and the characteristic variables related to the response values are selected. Compared with global model, the complexity is significantly reduced and the prediction accuracy is also improved. In this study, near-infrared spectroscopy analysis combined with different variable selection methods was applied to achieve the rapid detection of baicalin in the extraction process of Scutellaria baicalensis. Data sets were divided based on sample set portioning based on joint x-y distance (SPXY) method. Competitive adaptive weighted resampling method (CARS), random frog (RF) and successive projections algorithm (SPA) were applied to variable selection. Partial least squares (PLS) models were constructed based on above three methods, and the prediction results were compared. After CARS, RF and SPA method, 92, 10 and 17 variables were screened out respectively. According to the performance of the models, CARS method is found to be more effective and suitable than RF and SPA. Furthermore, the characteristic variables selected by CARS method have a better correspondence with the chemical structure of baicalin. The root mean square error (RMSEC) of the calibration set and the root mean square error (RMSEP) of the prediction set are 0.528 2 and 0.720 2 respectively. Compared with the global PLS model, the correlation coefficient of the calibration set (Rc) is increased to 0.979 9 from 0.917 0, and the relative standard errors of prediction (RSEP) is reduced to 5.59% from 10.58%.