Objective To investigate the mechanism of white matter damage (WMD) and the neuroprotective effect of Xenon on neonates with WMD.Methods Three-day-old SD rat pups (n =96) were randomly divided into the blank control group (n =24),the WMD control group (n =24),the Xenon intervention group A (n =24) and the Xenon intervention group B (n =24) by random number method according to their birth time.WMD rat models were successfully established by giving intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide(LPS) 0.05 mg/kg combined with carotid artery ligation and hypoxia for 1 hour in the WMD control group and the Xenon intervention groups.In the control group,only 9 g/L saline (0.05 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally,while carotid artery ligation and hypoxia were not administered.Rats in Xenon intervention group A and group B were given inhalation of 500 mL/L Xenon for 3 hours at 0 and 2 hours respectively after establishment of the models.Six rats in each group were randomly selected and decapitated at 0,24,48 and 72 hours after the intervention.The brain white matter on the right was analyzed by using HE staining and myelin basic protein(MBP) immunofluorescence staining,and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expressions level of CLIC4 mRNA.Results (1) Brain tissue pathology:compared with the blank control group,the brain white matter on the right of the WMD control group and the Xenon intervention group A and group B had loose and disordered structure,nuclear pyknosis and cytoplasm loosening.However,the lesions in both Xenon intervention group A and group B were significantly less than those in the WMD control group,and there was no significant difference between the Xenon intervention group A and group B.(2) MBP measurement:the number of MBP-positive cells in the brain white matter on the right of WMD control group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group,while compared with WMD control group,they were significantly higher in Xenon intervention group A and group B.(3) CLIC4 mRNA expression level:compared with blank control group,the expressions levels of CLIC4 mRNA at most time point were higher both in the WMD control group and the Xenon intervention group A and group B (all P ＜ 0.05),except the time point 24 h in the Xenon intervention group A.The expressions of CLIC4 mRNA in group A and group B were significantly decreased compared with those in the WMD control group (all P ＜ 0.05).However,there were no significant differences between Xenon intervention group A and group B (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The expressions of CLIC4 mRNA in brain tissues on neonatal rats with WMD significantly increased,indicating that the mitochondrial pathway could be one of the pathological processes of WMD.Early Xenon intervention may reduce neonatal WMD by reducing the expression of CLIC4 mRNA,which plays a neuroprotective role.

Objective To evaluate the role of chemokine CXC-ligand 16 (CXCL16) in renal fibrosis following renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice.Methods Twenty-four healthy male C57BL/6 mice,aged 8-10 weeks,weighing 20-30 g,were divided into 4 groups (n =6 each) using a random number table method:sham operation group (group S),sham operation plus anti-CXCL16 antibody group (group S+A),group I/R,and I/R plus anti-CXCL16 antibody group (group I/R+A).Renal ischemia was induced by occlusion of the left renal artery for 30 min followed by 72-h reperfusion,and the fight kidney was removed on 5th day in anesthetized mice.CXCL16 antibody 5 mg/kg and the equal volume of normal saline were intraperitoneally injected at 72 h after reperfusion twice a week for 2 consecutive weeks in I/R+A and I/R groups,respectively.Sham operation was performed,and the equal volume of CXCL16 antibody 5 mg/kg and normal saline were intraperitoneally injected at 72 h after reperfusion twice a week for 2 consecutive weeks in S+A and S groups,respectively.Orbital venous blood samples were collected at day 14 after reperfusion for determination of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) concentrations.Animals were then sacrificed and the left kidney was removed for measurement of the renal fibrosis size (using Sirius red staining),expression of t-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA),fibronectin (FN) and type Ⅰ collagen (Col-Ⅰ) in renal tissues by Western blot.Results Compared with group S,the serum BUN and Cr concentrations and renal fibrosis size were significantly increased,and the expression of α-SMA,FN and Col-Ⅰ was up-regulated in group I/R (P＜0.05).Compared with group I/R,the serum BUN and Cr concentrations and renal fibrosis size were significantly decreased,and the expression of α-SMA,FN and Col-Ⅰ was down-regulated in group I/R+A (P＜0.05).Conclusion CXCL16 is involved in the process of renal fibrosis following renal I/R injury in mice.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of modified Shenqi Pill （肾气丸） plus Tongdu Tiaoshen Acupuncture （通督调神针刺） in the treatment of neurogenic bladder after spinal cord injury of kidney-yang deficiency syndrome. MethodsForty-six patients were randomly divided into 23 cases each in the control group and the treatment group. Both groups were given conventional treatment， i.e. oral methylcobalamin tablets （0.5 mg each time， 3 times a day） and paraplegic conventional acupuncture （once a day， 6 consecutive days a week）. The control group was given simple bladder function rehabilitation training on the basis of the conventional treatment； and the treatment group was given modified Shenqi Pill orally （1 dose a day， 150 ml each time， taken warmly in morning and evening） and Tongdu Tiaoshen Acupuncture （once a day， 6 consecutive days per week） in addition to what were given to the control group. The treatment course lasted for 4 weeks. The 24 h urination frequency， 24 h urine leakage frequency， 24 h single urine volume， bladder residual urine volume， international lower urinary tract symptom （LUTS） score， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score were compared between the two groups， and clinical effectiveness and TCM syndrome effectiveness were compared between the two groups after treatment. ResultsTwenty patients in each group were finally analyzed in this study. The number of 24 h urination， the number of 24 h urine leakage， bladder residual urine volume， LUTS score， and the TCM syndrome scores decreased after treatment in both groups， and the 24 h single urine volume increased （P＜0.01）； and much more improvement was found of each index in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The total clinical effectiveness and TCM syndrome effectiveness in the treatment group was 85.00% （17/20） respectively， which were statistically significantly higher than 45.00% （the total clinical effectiveness， 9/20） and 60.00% （TCM syndrome effectiveness， 12/20） in the control group （P＜0.01）. ConclusionModified Shenqi Pill plus Tongdu Tiaoshen Acupuncture can signi-ficantly improve the clinical symptoms of neurogenic bladder patients after spinal cord injury of kidney-yang deficiency syndrome， having better effectiveness than simple bladder function rehabilitation training， and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of the injured nerve function innervating the bladder.

Although still in its infant stage, synthetic biology has achieved remarkable development and progress during the past decade. Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to design and construct gene circuits uploaded into living cells or organisms to perform novel or improved functions, and it has been widely used in many fields. In this review, we describe the recent advances of mammalian synthetic biology for the treatment of diseases. We introduce common tools and design principles of synthetic gene circuits, and then we demonstrate open-loop gene circuits induced by different trigger molecules used in disease diagnosis and close-loop gene circuits used for biomedical applications. Finally, we discuss the perspectives and potential challenges of synthetic biology for clinical applications.