OBJECTIVETo study the correlation between Chinese medical types of coronary heart disease (CHD) [i.e., phlegm turbidity syndrome (PTS) and qi deficiency syndrome (QDS)] and their metabolites.

METHODSRecruited were 65 CHD patients including 37 cases of PTS and 28 cases of QDS. Serum endogenous metabolites in the two syndrome types were determined by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer-computer (GC/MS), and their differences between their metabolic profiles analyzed.

RESULTSMore than 100 chromatographic peaks were totally scanned. Chromatograms obtained was matched with mass spectrum bank, and finally we got the category contribution value of 46 kinds of substances. Results of MCTree analysis showed patients of PTS and patients of QDS could be effectively distinguished. Compounds contributing to identify the two syndromes were sequenced as serine, valine, 2 hydroxy propionic acid. Comparison of metabolites showed contents of serine and 2 hydroxy propionic acid were higher in patients of PTS than in patients of QDS (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe differences in the metabonomics of CHD TCM syndrome types could provide material bases for TCM syndrome differentiation of CHD, indicating that metabonomics technologies might become a new research method for TCM syndrome typing.

Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Disease ; metabolism ; therapy ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metabolome ; physiology ; Metabolomics ; Middle Aged ; Qi ; Research ; Sputum ; Syndrome

AIM: To study the protective effects of Dachuanxiong Decoction (Rhizoma Chuan Xiong, Rhizoma Gastrodiae, etc) on injury induced by ischemia in nerve cells. METHODS:The level variation of activity and calcium ions of nerve cell were observed, choosing nerve cell ischemia model with hypoxia device and adapting confocal laser scanning microscopy and MTT method.. RESULTS:Dachuanxiong Decoction adjusted the abnormal structure of ischemia nerve cell, inhanced the survival rate and nerve call's, activity and decreased the concentration of calcium ions of nerve cell. CONCLUSION: Dachuanxiong Decoction blocked the calcium ion channels, nourished and protected nerve cells from ischemic injury.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the protective effect of the compatibilities of ginsenosides Rg1 and aconitine on myocar-dial cell of in vitro cultured heart failure model. METHODS:The myocardial cells of neonate rat were grouped into normal control group,model group,positive control group(Deslanoside injection,1×10-7 mol/L),ginsenosides Rg1 group(1×10-8 mol/L),acon-itine group (1 × 10-9 mol/L) or their compatibilities groups (1∶1,2∶1,1∶2,V/V). Except for normal control group,other groups were given 0.8%pentobarbital sodium to induce heart failure model of myocardial cells. After modeling,each group was given rele-vant medicine for 1 h,and then the activities of T-ATPase,Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase,Na+-K+-ATPase in cells were all detected. The activi-ties of acyl carrier protein(ACP)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),and the contents of brain natriuretic party(BNP),TNF-α and total glycogen were measured in cell culture fluid. RESULTS:Compared with normal control group, T-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activities were decreased significantly in model group;meanwhile,Na+-K+-ATPase activity was increased signifi-cantly,and ACP,LDH activities and BNP content in cell culture fluid were increased significantly(P<0.05). Compared with mod-el group,the activities of T-ATPase in treatment groups were increased significantly,while the activity of LDH in cell culture fluid was decreased significantly;when the volume ratio of ginsenoside Rg1 to aconitine was 2∶1,protective effect was the strongest;the activities of Na+-K+-ATPase in aconitine group and compatibility groups were all decreased significantly,with statistical signifi-cance(P<0.05). The activities of ACP and BNP in cell culture fluid were all decreased in treatment groups,but the content of to-tal glycogen in cells and the TNF-α content of in cell culture fluid had no change (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Compatibility of ginsenosides Rg1 and aconitine can improve ATPase activities and membranous permeability,regulate BNP secretion and protect myocardial cell of heart failure model,especially the compatibility of ginsenosides Rg1 to aconitine of 2∶1 ratio.

Objective: To study the effects of Dachuanxiong Prescription(Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, etc.) on nerve cell apoptosis of migraine model rat. Methods : To choose disease model of migraine with nitroglycerin by means of flow cytometry and transmission electron microscope. Results : Dachuanxing Prescription can adjust the abnormal ultra-structure of nerve cell of migraine model rats, decrease the incidence and the apoptosis percentage. Conclusion : Dachuanxing Prescription can block the nerve cell apoptosis of migraine model rat.

Objective: To investigate the dietary lead exposure level among children aged 3 to 4 years in Jiading District, Shanghai Municipality, and assess the health risk caused by lead exposure, so as to provide the basis for the management of children's food safety. Methods: Based on the 2023 Dietary and Health Status Surveillance Project in Jiading District, children aged 3 to 4 years from 12 streets (townships) in Jiading District were selected as the subjects using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. The consumption frequency and daily intake of seven subcategories of four major food groups (beans, tofu), cereals (wheat, rice), meat (animal viscera), and aquatic products (mantis shrimps, bivalves) consumed by children over the past three months were collected using a food frequency questionnaire. Food samples were collected according to the food safety risk monitoring plan in Jiading District, and the lead content was detected. The health risks of dietary lead exposure among 3-4-year-old children were quantitatively assessed using the single-factor pollution index method, the Nemerow comprehensive pollution index method, and the margin of safety (MOS) method. Results: A total of 143 3-4-year-old children were surveyed, including 69 boys (48.25%) and 74 girls (51.75%). A total of 317 food samples were tested, and lead was detected in all seven subcategories of food samples, with an overall detection rate of 77.29%. The detection rates of lead in bivalves and mantis shrimps of aquatic products were relatively high (98.75% and 100.00%, respectively). The mean lead content of various foods ranged from 0.003 4 to 0.090 7, with the highest level found in bivalves. The lead content of all food samples did not exceed the standard. The single-factor pollution index of seven subcategories ranged from 0.017 2 to 0.148 0, and the Nemerow comprehensive pollution index ranged from 0.116 5 to 0.424 4, both of which were less than 0.7. The MOS (mean) ranged from 0.000 3 to 0.003 9, with an overall MOS (mean) of 0.012 2. The MOS (P95) ranged from 0.005 7 to 0.055 9, with an overall MOS (P95) of 0.112 4, both of which were less than 1. Conclusions The lead pollution level in the diet among children aged 3 to 4 years in Jiading District is safe and clean, with an acceptable impact on food safety. However, the detection rate of lead is relatively high, and the main source of dietary lead exposure is aquatic products.

N-type voltage-gated calcium (Ca²⁺) channels (N-type VGCC, Ca_V2.2) mediate Ca²⁺ influx in response to action potential at the presynaptic terminal, and play an important role in synaptogenesis, neurotransmitter release and nociceptive signal transduction. It is a new target for the development of drugs for the treatment of neuralgia (chronic pain) and other major diseases. Due to the difficulty of calcium channel expression in vitro and the detection of channel current, there is a great lack of new drug screening models. In this study, we established and optimized the electrophysiological drug screening model using Xenopus laevis oocytes for the recombinant expression of Ca_V2.2 in vitro (this study were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Guangxi University, approval number: GXU-2023-0249). Firstly, the linear plasmids encoding cDNA of major subunit α1B and auxiliary subunits α2δ1 and β3 of rat Ca_V2.2 were used as templates for in vitro transcription to generate their related mRNA (cRNA), after which three kinds of cRNA were injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes at the mass ratio of 2∶1∶1 for expression. The two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) technique was used to detect the inward current produced by Ca_V2.2. At the same time, the expression conditions of Ca_V2.2 were optimized, and its gating function was characterized from the aspects of channel activation and inactivation. The results showed that 3-5 days after cRNA microinjection, stable Ca_V2.2-mediated barium ion (Ba²⁺) currents were successfully detected. The interference of endogenous potassium channels and Ca²⁺-activated chloride channels can be eliminated by tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH) and 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetrakis (BAPTA-AM) treatment. The maximum potential for Ca_V2.2 activation is 0 mV, and the current reverses to be outward when the membrane potential is greater than +50 mV. By fitting the steady-state activation and inactivation curves, the half-maximal activation potential and half-maximal inactivation potential of Ca_V2.2 are identified as -15.9 and -60.2 mV. In this study, a stable Ca_V2.2 expression system was established based on Xenopus laevis oocytes. The in vitro expression system can provide a new way for the screening of Ca_V2.2 active compounds or lead drugs.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility and the efficacy of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in treating thoracolumbar fractures.

METHODSFrom October 2000 to December 2009, the data of 44 patients with thoracolumbar fractures were retrospetively analyzed. All patients were treated with anterior decompression, auto-iliac bone graft and anterior internal fixation system. They were divided into thoracoscopic group (23 cases, treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery) and traditional group (21 cases, treated with traditional anterior approach surgery). In the thoracoscopic group, there were 15 males and 8 females with an average age of 41.4 years (ranged, 19 to 76); and in the traditional group, there were 14 males and 7 females with an average age of 39.3 years (ranged, 20 to 74). All patients were followed up from 6 to 36 months with an average of 18 months. The operative time, volume of the blood loss, the decreased value of the occupation ratio of spinal canal (OR), the corrected and loss degree of Cobb angle, the improved condition of ASIA classification were compared between two groups.

RESULTSIn traditional group, operative time, volume of the blood loss, the decreased value of the occupation ratio of spinal canal (OR), the corrected and loss degree of Cobb angle, the improved grade of ASIA classification were (150.0 +/- 19.4) min, (970.0 +/- 72.0) ml, (35.5 +/- 6.4)%, (25.1 +/- 4.8) degrees, (1.0 +/- 0.7) degrees, (1.8 +/- 0.9) grades, respectively; and in thoracoscopic group, the above items were (170.0 +/- 20.8) min, (650.0 +/- 65.4) ml, (33.2 +/- 8.0)%, (23.6 +/- 5.4) degrees, (1.1 +/- 0.8) degrees, (2.0 +/- 1.1) grades, respectively. There was significant difference in volume of the blood loss between two groups (P < 0.05); there was no significant difference in operative time, the decreased value of the occupation ratio of spinal canal (OR), the corrected and loss degree of Cobb angle,the improved grade of ASIA classification between two groups (P > 0.05). The rate of fusion of all patients was 100%.

CONCLUSIONCompared with the traditional anterior approach surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has advantages of little incision,less blood loss, less trauma, can obtain same clinical outcome and is a safe,effective method in treating thoracolumbar fractures.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; injuries ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Injuries ; surgery ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted ; methods ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; injuries ; surgery

Thrombospondin-1,an important extracellular matrix glycoprotein,is recognized as an effective endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor and can affect and regulate the adhesion,motility and proliferation of endothelial cells,as well as closely correlated with the development and progress of tumor and neovascular diseases.In recent years,it has been found that Tsp-1 is associated with many pathologic changes in diabetic retinopathy and is critical for the maintenance of retinal vascular balance.And the mechanism of action of TSP-1 and its role in the development of DR will be reviewed in this paper.

Visfatin was expressed in rat anti mouse islets,as well as in MIN6 cells. The visfatin expression was affected by various concentrations of environmental glucose (5.5 and 33.3 mmoL/L) and palmitate(0.5 mmol/L). As compared with low-level glucose medium (5.5 mmol/L, 1.0±0.11) , visfatin expression increased in media with high glucose and palmitate (1.32 ±0. 18, 1. 33±0. 15,1.72±0.27, all P<0. 05). The result suggests that visfatin seems to be involved in the regulation of insulin secretion.

Objective To investigate the effects of differentiated 3T3-L1 adipoeytes on inflammation of rat islet cells,as well as the protective effect of a-lipoic acid on the inflammation in vitro.Methotis Rat islet cells were divided into three groups:the control group,the experimental co-culture system group(cocuhured with differentiated mature 3T3-LI adipoeytes)and the intervention group (cocuhured with mature 3T3-LI adipocytes containing 4 μg/ml a-lipoic acid).Insulin releasing lest wag performed for estinmting the function of islet cells in culture supernatant of difierent groups.At the same time,the expression level of IKKIβin islet cells Was detected by western blot and realtime PCR.Results There was significant decrease of insulin stimulation index (SI) in experimental co-culture system group compared with the control group and intervention group(1.0 ±0.1 vs 2.6±0.2,2.5±0.5 respectively;P<0.01),while,the mRNA(4.62±0.60 vs1.00±0.46 and 2.25±0.75;P<0.01)and protein expression of IKKβ were significandy increased in the experimental group as compared with the other two groups.Conclusions In the co-culture system of adipocytes/islet cells,impaired function of islet cells could be induced by IKKβ activation,IKKβ Was a key molecule in inflamnmtion signal pathway in islet cells and could be activated by 3T3-LI adipocytes.a-lipoic acid Was able to reverse the impaired function of islet cells by suppressing IKKβ expression.