This study was to report the effect of Tangshen Formula on phospholipids metabolism in diabetic nephropathy patients. A normal phase-HPLC-TOF/MS method was used in this study for the determination of seven species of phospholipids in human plasma. Then, the concentration changes of potential phospholipids biomarkers were discussed in diabetic nephropathy phase III and phase IV patients among different groups, including before and 3, 6 months after administration of Tangshen Formula. Significant increases of PE750, PI885, PC792, PC826, PC830, PC854 and PC802 levels were observed 6 months after administration of Tangshen Formula and conventional western medicine, as well as a decrease of LPC540 level, when compared with those before medication. Concentrations of all the potential phospholipids biomarkers showed a tendency towards normal levels; however, both the improvement degree and onset time of these compounds were not same. Additionally, Tangshen Formula treatment based on conventional western medicine treatment was more efficient in adjusting the levels of these compounds when compared with western medicine treatment alone, especially for the phase IV patients. These results indicated that Tangshen Formula was capable in regulating and improving phospholipids metabolism in diabetic nephropathy patients, which may be related with the direct or indirect inhibition of protein kinase C pathway and the corresponding reduction of phospholipase A2 activity. Therefore, Tangshen Formula may be used as an effective drug for diabetic nephropathy therapy, at least as an adjunctive therapeutic drug.
Diabetic Nephropathies ; blood ; metabolism ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Glycerophospholipids ; blood ; Humans ; Lysophosphatidylcholines ; blood ; Phospholipases A2 ; metabolism ; Phospholipids ; blood ; classification ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Protein Kinase C ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Sphingomyelins ; blood

Metabonomics technology has been widely applied in the field of biology and pharmacy nowadays. The integration on mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and other modern analytical techniques, made up of the metabonomics technology platform, have accelerated the study on metabonomics. In this paper, the past results of metabonomics studies are reviewed, and the applications of metabonomics to traditional Chinese medicine are prospected.
Chromatography, Liquid ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Mass Spectrometry ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; trends ; Metabolomics ; methods ; Proteomics ; methods ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the infection of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) in the liver tissue of patients with chronic liver disease and the association between Hp and chronic liver disease.

METHODSLiver tissue samples were obtained by liver biopsy and surgical resection from 30 healthy subjects, 30 patients with chronic hepatitis, 30 with cirrhosis and 30 with liver cancer. All the samples were confirmed by pathological examination. The gene fragment coding for 16SrRNA were amplified by PCR with sequence analysis.

RESULTSThe PCR product of the 16SrRNA gene was 109 bp in length. Hp 16SrRNA was detected in 18 out of 30 liver biopsy samples from patients with primary cancer (60.0%), in 14 samples from patients with liver cirrhosis (47.0%), and in none of the samples from normal subjects or patients with chronic hepatitis. Sequencing analysis of Hp 16SrRNA gene in the liver tissue showed a 98.8% homology with the gene fragment encoding Hp 16SrRNA.

CONCLUSIONHp is identified in the liver tissue of patients with chronic liver disease, suggesting the possible correlation between Hp infection and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Adult ; Aged ; Base Sequence ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections ; complications ; diagnosis ; microbiology ; Helicobacter pylori ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; complications ; microbiology ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; microbiology ; Liver Neoplasms ; complications ; microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Sequence Data ; RNA, Bacterial ; analysis ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; analysis ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the current situation and factors influencing the behavior of fruit and vegetable intake in adolescents, and to discuss health education strategy related to the behavior.

METHODS1677 students were selected from primary school and middle school in urban area of Hangzhou by a multistage sampling method. The behavior of fruit and vegetable intake was surveyed by questionnaires of the patient-centered assessment and counseling for exercise plus nutrition project (PACE+) for adolescent-scale of fruit and vegetable consumption, and analyzed by Transtheoretical Model on the servings of intake, the stage of change, process of change, decisional balance and the current status of self-efficacy.

RESULTSThe average intake of fruit and vegetable in adolescents was (3.21 +/- 1.50) servings per day ("one serving" means 100 g cooked vegetable or 100 g fruit). The behavior of consuming fruit and vegetable in most of the adolescents was in the contemplation stage, accounting for 36.91% (619/1677). The process of behavior change, decisional balance (Pros) and self-efficacy existed a positive correlation with the process of stage (r(process) = 0.38, r(decisional balance (Pros)) = 0.26, r(self-efficacy) = 0.33, t values were 16.78, 11.02 and 14.31, P < 0.05). The servings of fruit and vegetable intake existed a positive correlation with stage transition and self-efficacy (beta(stage transition) = 0.665, t = 35.07, P < 0.05; beta(self-efficacy) = 0.050, t = 2.63, P < 0.05), and existed a negative correlation with decisional balance (Cons) (beta(decisional balance (Cons)) = -0.051, t = -2.84, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONFruit and vegetable intake of these adolescents are under the recommended dietary intake. Along with behavior stage development and self-efficacy improvement, the intake of fruit and vegetable also increased correspondingly. Intervention strategies should aim at improving the awareness of adolescents on the health benefits of fruit and vegetable intake and promoting their confidence to reach the recommended servings.

Adolescent ; Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; Child ; China ; Eating ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Theoretical ; Students ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vegetables

OBJECTIVETo establish standard serum proteomic pattern for early liver cancer and explore its value in early liver cancer diagnosis.

METHODSThe serum samples were obtained from 12 healthy subjects and 12 patients with early liver cancer. After removal of serum albumin and IgG, 300 µg serum sample was mixed with the hydrating solution for two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Each experiment was repeated for 3 times. With silver staining and image analysis, the differentially expressed proteins were identified to establish the standard proteomic pattern for early liver cancer. The proteomics pattern was then tested in the diagnosis of 13 cases of chronic liver disease and 10 healthy individuals in a double-blind manner.

RESULTSThirty-eight differentially expressed protein spots were identified. Eleven protein spots with differential expressions by over 5 folds were analyzed to establish the standard proteomics pattern for early liver cancer, which showed a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 90% in early diagnosis of liver cancer.

CONCLUSIONThe standard serum 2-DE proteomic pattern for early liver cancer shows distinct differences from that of healthy subjects. The differentially expressed proteins and their specific combination pattern may have the potential for diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of early liver cancer.

Adult ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; Blood Proteins ; analysis ; Early Detection of Cancer ; methods ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; blood ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Proteome ; metabolism ; Proteomics ; methods

Objective To assess the myocardial blood flow and reserve function by rest and stress 13 N-NH3 PET myocardial perfusion imaging ( MPI) , and evaluate the diagnostic value of PET and risk fac-tors of non-obstructive coronary microvascular disease ( CMVD) type 1. Methods A total of 56 patients (28 males, 28 females;age:(52.0±7.6) years) with clinical suspected CMVD type 1 from April 2017 to December 2018 were prospectively enrolled. The coronary CT angiography, coronary angiography and other clinical data were recorded. All patients underwent one-day rest and stress 13 N-NH3 PET MPI. Images were analyzed and the absolute myocardial blood flow ( MBF) and coronary flow reserve ( CFR) were obtained. Patients were divided into CMVD type 1 ( CMVD) group and non-CMVD group. The differences between 2 groups were analyzed by two-sample t test and logistic regression. Results Among 56 patients, 20 patients were diagnosed as CMVD type 1, and 36 patients were excluded as non-CMVD group. The proportion of smoking and diabetes in the CMVD group was significantly higher than that in the non-CMVD group (χ2 val-ues:9.433 and 4.114, both P<0.05). The stress MBF ((2.37±0.61) vs (3.83±1.25) ml·min-1·g-1;t=-4.807, P<0.001) and CFR (2.67±0.60 vs 3.81±0.96;t=-4.751, P<0.001) were lower in smokers than those in non-smokers, and the stress MBF was lower in diabetes patients than that in non-diabetes patients ((2.63±0.98) vs (3.62±1.28) ml·min-1·g-1;t=-2.758, P=0.008). Smoking might be the risk factor for lower stress MBF (odd ratio (OR)=0.310, 95％ CI:0.114-0.880) and lower CFR (OR=0.278, 95％ CI:0. 080-0.894), and diabetes might be the risk factor for lower stress MBF (OR=0.254, 95％ CI:0.073-0. 887) . Conclusions PET MPI can be used for the diagnosis of CMVD type 1. Smoking and diabetes are likely to be associated with the onset of CMVD type 1.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between estrogen receptor (ER) gene polymorphisms and HBV-induced cirrhosis. METHODS: Xba I and Pvu II polymorphisms of ER gene were analyzed in 98 patients with HBV-induced cirrhosis, 72 patients with chronic hepatitis B, and 84 healthy controls by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. RESULTS: The frequencies of Pp genotype and P allele of ER gene in patients with HBV-induced cirrhosis were higher than those in patients with chronic hepatitis B and controls, while the frequencies of pp genotype and p allele of ER gene in patients with HBV-induced cirrhosis were lower than those in patients with chronic hepatitis B and controls (P < 0.05). The risk of HBV-induced cirrhosis occurrence in carriers with Pp and pp genotype was 2.23 folds than that in carriers with pp genotype. There was no significant difference in frequencies of allele and genotype in Xba I polymorphism among the HBV-induced cirrhosis group, the chronic hepatitis B group, and the control group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION Pp genotype and P allele might be the susceptibility gene for HBV-induced cirrhosis while pp genotype and p allele might be the protective gene.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Alleles ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; genetics ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; etiology ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Receptors, Estrogen ; genetics

Objective:To observe the effect of acupuncture on the expression of mitochondrial proteome in hippocampus of senescence-accelerated mouse prone g (SAMPg) mice models with Alzheimer disease (AD),and to explore the possible protective mechanism of acupuncture on mitochondria.Methods:Sixty 6-month-old male SAMP8 mice were randomly divided into an acupuncture at acupoint group,an acupuncture at non-acupoint group and a model group,20 mice in each group.The 20 male senescence-accelerated mouse/resistance 1 (SAMR1) mice of the same age were used as a normal control group.Shenshu (BL 23),Baihui (GV 20),Xuehai (SP 10) and Geshu (BL 17) were selected for acupuncture intervention in acupuncture at acupoint group.After an 8-week intervention,mitochondrial tissues were extracted from the hippocampus.Differentially expressed proteins were identified by subcellular organelle proteomics.Western blot was used to verify the expressions of some related proteins in hippocampal mitochondria.Results:Compared with the model group,there were 13 differentially expressed protein spots in the acupuncture at acupoint group,of which,9 were up-regulated,including neurofilament light polypeptide (NFL),actin (cytoplasmic 1,database ID:ACTB),tubulin beta-2A chain (TBB2A),tropomodulin-2 (TMOD2),pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 component subunit beta (PDHE1-β),NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase 75 kDa subunit (database ID:NDUS1),heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein (HSC71),pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 component subunit alpha (PDHE1-α) and ATP synthase beta subunit (ATP-β);4 were down-regulated,including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP),pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 (PDP1),mitochondrial-processing peptidase subunit alpha (MMP-α) and adenosine kinase (ADK).According to the information provided in the protein database,most of the differentially expressed proteins involve the regulation of mitochondrial function and structure.The expression levels of NFL and TBB2A in the normal control group and the acupuncture at acupoint group were significantly higher than those in the acupuncture at non-acupoint group (P＜0.05).ATP-β and NDUS1 expression levels were significantly higher in the acupuncture at acupoint group than those in the acupuncture at non-acupoint group (P＜0.05);there was no significant difference between the acupuncture at non-acupoint group and the model group (P＞0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture may achieve the potential therapeutic effect on AD by regulating the structure and functional proteins of hippocampal mitochondria.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have showed that apoptosis of endothelial cells plays a curial role in the progress of sepsis. But the role of simvastatin in apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by sepsis is not clear. The present study aimed to investigate the role of simvastatin in apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by sepsis and its mechanism. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were randomly divided into three groups: control group, sepsis serum intervention group (sepsis group) and simvastatin+sepsis serum intervention group (simvastatin group). After 24-hour incubation with corresponding culture medium, the relative growth rate of HUVECS in different groups was detected by MTT assay; the apoptosis of HUVECs was detected by Hoechst33258 assay and flow cytometry; and the expression of the Bcl-2 and Bax genes of HUVECs was detected by PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the sepsis group, HUVECs in the simvastatin group had a higher relative growth rate. Apoptotic HUVECs decreased significantly in the simvastatin group in comparison with the sepsis group. Expression of the Bcl-2 gene in HUVECs decreased obviously, but the expression of the Bax gene increased obviously after 24-hour incubation with sepsis serum;however, the expression of the Bcl-2 and Bax genes was just the opposite in the simvastatin group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that simvastatin can inhibit apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by sepsis through upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulating Bax. It may be one of the mechanisms for simvastatin to treat sepsis.

OBJECTIVETo study the risk factors of hepatitis B virus (HBV) intrauterine infection.

METHODSRisk factors of HBV intrauterine infection were analyzed by nested case control study.

RESULTSData from univariate analysis revealed that risk factors of HBV intrauterine infection were positive results on HLA-DR3 (OR = 4.71, 1.62-13.66), HBV DNA (OR = 6.59, 2.72-15.97) and HBeAg (OR = 4.53, 1.93-10.64) in pregnant women, HLA-DR3 (OR = 3.91, 1.18-12.94) in newborn, HLA-I) R3 (OR = 5.96, 1.14-31.15) both in pregnant women and her newborns and HBV infection in placentas (OR = 2.51,1.12-5.60). Results from Multivariate unconditional logistics regression analysis showed that the risk factors of HBV intrauterine infection were positive in both HLA-DR3 (OR = 4.65, 1.44-15.05) and HBV DNA (OR = 6.56, 2.65-16.23) in pregnant women. However, there was no interaction between the two factors. The exposure rate of other factors did not reveal the difference in the two groups. With the increase of HBV DNA in pregnant women, the risk of HBV intrauterine infection was rising (chi2 = 16.74, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONRisk factors of HBV intrauterine infection were HLA-DR3 positive and HBV DNA positive in pregnant women but there was no interaction between the two factors. The risk of HBV intrauterine infection was increased along with the increase of HBV DNA in pregnant women.

Adult ; DNA, Viral ; genetics ; Female ; HLA-DR3 Antigen ; metabolism ; Hepatitis B ; virology ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; Logistic Models ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ; virology ; Risk Factors