Objective To investigate the expression of interleukin-37 (IL-37) in placenta tissue and its relationship with the pathogenesis of severe preeclampsia. Methods All the patients were recruited in Qilu Hospital of Shangdong University from November 2012 to November 2013. Among them, thirty patients with severe preeclampsia were assigned to the preeclampsia group, and thirty-one healthy pregnant women were assigned to the control group. Immunohistochemistry of SP was used to detect the IL-37 protein expression in placenta tissue of the two groups. The expression level of IL-37 in placenta tissue of the two groups was detected by western blot. Besides, reverse transcription(RT)-PCR was used to detect the expression of IL-37 mRNA. The correlation between the expression of IL-37 mRNA and the delivery gestational age, body mass index(BMI)was analyzed. Results (1) IL-37 were detected in the placenta of both the preeclampsia group and the control group, and the expression site mainly located in the syncytiotrophoblast, with a small amount in cytotrophoblast.(2)The expression levels of IL-37 protein in the preeclampsia group and the control group were 0.59 ± 0.39 and 0.88 ± 0.22, respectively. The IL-37 mRNA levels in the preeclampsia group and the control group were 0.55 ± 0.17 and 1.11 ± 0.21, respectively. Both decreased significantly when compared to the control group (P<0.05). (3) Significant correlation between the expression of IL-37 mRNA and the delivery gestational weeks(r=0.209, P>0.05) was seen neither in the preeclampsia group nor in the control group(r=-0.053, P>0.05). In the severe preeclampsia group, the pregnant women′s BMI had no significant correlation with IL-37 mRNA expression of placenta tissue(r=0.102, P>0.05), neither did the control group(r=-0.115, P>0.05). Conclusion IL-37 expression is significantly lower in severe preeclampsia placenta tissue than that in the normal pregnant women, which may play a protective role in the course of severe preeclampsia.

Objective To investigate the expression of growth arrest-specific protein 6 (Gas6) in the placenta and decidua tissues and its relationship with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Methods All the patients were recruited in Qilu Hospital of Shangdong University from October 2013 to June 2014. Among them, thirty-two women with early-onset severe preeclampsia who received cesarean section were assigned to the preeclampsia group, and thirty healthy pregnant women who received cesarean section were defined as the control group. Blood glucose, blood lipids, platelet count, D-dimer levels and other clinical indicators of the two groups were detected. Immunohistochemistry of SP was conducted to identify the localization of Gas6 protein in the placenta and decidua tissues. And reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was performed for quantitative analysis of Gas6 RNA expression in placentas. The correlations between placental Gas6 mRNA levels with clinical indicators were analyzed. Results (1) The gestational age at delivery, blood pressure, serum albumin, platelet count and birth weight of fetuses showed statistically significant differences between the two groups(P<0.05). (2) The Gas6 protein expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of the syncytiotrophoblasts and decidual cells in the placenta and decidual tissues of the two groups. (3) The Gas6 mRNA expression elevated significantly in the placenta of preeclampsia group (0.60 ± 0.38) when compared to that of the control group (0.34±0.22;P<0.05). (4) The expression of Gas6 mRNA was positively related with body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, free fatty acids and creatinine (P<0.05), while it was negatively associated with serum albumin(P<0.05). Conclusion The high expression of Gas6 in the placenta and decidua tissues may be related to the pathogenesis of severe preeclampsia.

Objective To translate the Eating Behavior Scale (EBS) into Chinese and test its reliability and validity. Methods The Chinese Version of the scale (C-EBS) was developed through translation, back-translation, cross-cultural adaption and pre-test. A convenient sample of 100 old people with dementia was investigated with C-EBS to test its reliability and validity. Results The Cronbach′s α, Guttman Spilt and test-retest reliability of C-EBS were 0.842, 0.865 and 0.840, respectively. The I-CVIand S-CVI of C-EBS were 1.00, and the score of C-EBS was negatively correlated to the total score of The Chinese Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia scale(C-EdFED) (r = 0.727,P < 0.01). Conclusion The C-EBS is reliable and valid and can be used as a valid tool to measure the eating ability among the old people with dementia in China.

Background: Dysregulation of intestinal flora is a key risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine preparations and probiotics have been increasingly applied in the prevention of CRC. Aims: To investigate the preventive effect of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) combined with Bacillus subtilis on CRC. Methods: Thirty female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group (NC group), model group, PNS group, Bacillus subtilis group and PNS combined with Bacillus subtilis group (PaB group). CRC mice model was constructed by azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) method. During the experiment, the mice were weighed, and disease activity index (DAI) score was evaluated. The length of colorectum and tumor number were measured. Serum interleukin (IL) - 6 and IL - 10 contents were determined by ELISA. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the composition of intestinal flora. Results: Compared with model group, DAI score was significantly decreased (P<0.001), colorectal length was significantly increased (P<0.001), number of tumor was significantly decreased (P<0.001), tumor volume was significantly decreased (P<0.01), serum IL-6 content was significantly decreased (P<0.000 1), and serum IL-10 content was significantly increased in PaB group (P<0.000 1). The results of intestinal flora sequencing showed that Simpson index was significantly decreased in PaB group than in model group (P<0.05), Shannon index and Chao index were significantly increased (P<0.05), abundance of Bacteroidota was significantly increased (P<0.01), abundances of Firmicutes, Helicobacter and Oscillibacter were significantly decreased (P all <0.05), abundance of Lactococcus was significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions: The combination of PNS and Bacillus subtilis can effectively alleviate the occurrence of CRC caused by AOM/DSS, and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of composition of intestinal microbial community.

Fermentative production of amino acids is one of the pillars of the fermentation industry in China. Recently, with the fast development of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology technologies, the metabolic engineering for production of amino acids has been flourishing. Conventional forward metabolic engineering, reversed metabolic engineering based on omics data and in silico simulation, and evolutionary metabolic engineering mimicking the natural evolution, have shown increasingly promising applications. A series of highly efficient and robust amino acids-producing strains have been developed and applied in the industrial production of amino acids. The increasingly fierce market competition has put forward new requirements for strain breeding and selection, such as developing high value-added amino acids, dynamic regulation of cellular metabolism, and adapting to the requirements of new process. This review summarizes the advances and prospects in metabolic engineering for the production of amino acids.
Amino Acids ; China ; Corynebacterium glutamicum/genetics* ; Metabolic Engineering ; Synthetic Biology

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the hotspots in the research field of neurodegenerative diseases, and its pathogenesis is still controversial. Trace metal elements play an important role in normal growth and development of the human body. Metal ions can cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain, leading to α-synapnuclein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, and then inducing the occurrence of PD. This article mainly reviewed the potential mechanisms of metal elements in PD, discussed the role of metabolic imbalance of common trace metals (copper, iron, manganese, and zinc) in PD, and put forward new insights into the treatment of PD.