Objective To investigate the effects of warming-needle acupuncture on the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the articular cartilage in knee osteoarthritis induced by immobilization in rabbits.MethodsA total of 30 adult male Japanese white rabbits were randomly assigned into three groups by random number table method: a normal group, a model group and a treatment group, with 10 rabbits in each group. Knee osteoarthritis was induced by 6 weeks of immobilization. The rabbits in the treatment group received warming-needle acupuncture after modeling at points of “Neixiyan” (EX-LE4), “Dubi” (ST35), “Zusanli” (ST36) and “Yanglingquan” (GB34) for 4 weeks. The level of MMP-1 and IL-1β in the articular cartilage of the knee were determined with radioimmunological assay.ResultsThere were significant difference in the levels of MMP-1(0.16 ± 0.02 ng/mg, 0.37 ± 0.02 ng/mg, and 0.28 ± 0.03 ng/mg;F=258.251) and IL-1β (0.21 ± 0.01 pg/mg, 0.34 ± 0.02pg/mg, and 0.31 ± 0.04 pg/mg;F=127.112) among the normal group, model group and treatment group. The levels of MMP-1 and IL-1β both in the model group and treatment group were significant higher than those in the normal group (allP<0.01), while the levels of MMP-1 and IL-1β in the treatment group were significant lower than those in the model group (allP<0.01).ConclusionWarming-needle acupuncture can effectively reduced the levels of MMP-1 and IL-1β in the articular cartilage in knee osteoarthritis induced by immobilization in rabbits.

Objective To investigate the influence of anti-depression therapy on inflammatory cytokines and quality of life(QOL) in patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS) complicating depression.Methods Ninety-four patients with ACS complicating depression(HAMD total score ≥8) were randomly divided into the treatment group and control group,47 cases in each group.The control group was given the conventional drug therapy,pantoprazole 40 mg /d,on this basis the treatment group was given sertraline 50 mg/d.The treatment course in the two groups was 6 months.The change of HAMD score,inflammatory cytokines,QOL and incidence of adverse cardiovascular events were observed and compared between the two groups.Results The HAMD score after 3-,6-month treatment in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05).The levels of inflammatory cytokines after treatment in the two groups were all reduced,while the IL-6 and TNF-α levels in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05);the scores of all dimensions and total scores of SAQ after 6-month treatment in the treatment group were significantly improved,and the anginal attack situation,treatment satisfaction degree and total score were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05).During 12-month follow-up,the incidence rate of major and minor cardiovascular events,alimentary tract hemorrhage events and total events had no statistical difference between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion The antidepressant therapy is safe and effective for treating ACS patients,can effectively improve the depression emotion,inhibits inflammatory reaction,relieves somatic symptoms,and improves QOL.

The effect of phenol concentration on the structure and function of microbial communities,which were cultured in different conditions using coking wastewater biofilm as seeding,was investigated by Biolog and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE)methods.The less number of bands of cultivated sam-ples on the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprint of 16S rRNA gene indicated reduction of di-versity after enrichment and cultivation.Some bands on the DGGE gel were significantly influenced by the phenol concentration in medium.The results of Biolog showed that the original biofilm sample had the highest substrate utility capacity as measured by average well color development(AWCD).But low concen-tration of phenol enriched sample S7 showed more diverse activity on the utility of Carboxylic acids.The principal component analysis(PCA)of Biolog data revealed that the metabolic patterns were similar when using the same phenol concentration,although the sample S7 much less similar to other cultivated samples.These results suggested that the enrichment and cultivation with phenol supplemented decreased the diver-sity and also changed the metabolic function of the microbial community.Lower phenol concentration in-creased the microbial community metabolic activity.The phenol degrading capacity of isolates from each samples indicated that the enrichment and cultivation condition had changed the type and property of cul-truable bacteria.Based on these results,we concluded that the different microorganisms will be isolated un-der different cultivation condition.

The quality markers (Q-markers) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have become a topic of interest in TCM research in recent years. Nonetheless, there is still no consensus on how to scientifically characterize TCM Q-markers. Our study establishes an identification method for TCM Q-markers based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the entropy weight comprehensive method. By constructing an evaluation system encompassing the target layer, the factor layer and the control layer, AHP can be used to analyze the weight of three core TCM quality attributes, including effectiveness, testability and specificity. Following that, the entropy weight method is employed to analyze the specific indicators for each attribute based on the literature and experimental data. Finally, the comprehensive weight of each index is obtained by combining the two weights, and the comprehensive weight and the specific value of each component is multiplied and summed to obtain the integrated score ranking, and thereby identify the TCM Q-markers. Taking Shaoyao Gancao decoction as an example, the analysis revealed that the top 8 components are as follows: paeoniflorin > quercetin > albiflorin > glycyrrhizic acid > naringenin > liquiritin > oxypaeoniflorin > benzoylpaeoniflorin, and can be identified as Q-markers of Shaoyao Gancao decoction. This study not only provides support for the establishment of quality standards and process quality control of TCM formulae, but also provides innovative ideas and methods for quantitative evaluation and accurate identification of TCM Q-markers.

A novel chitosan derivant, N-octyl-N-arginine chitosan (OACS) with a mimetic structure of cell-penetrating peptides was synthesized by introducing hydrophilic arginine groups and hydrophobic octyl groups to the amino-group on chitosan's side chain. Structure of the obtained polymer was characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR. The substitution degree of octyl and arginine groups was calculated through element analysis and spectrophotometric method, separately. The critical micelle concentration of OACS was 0.12 - 0.27 mgmL(-1) tested by fluorescence spectrometry. The solubility test showed OACS could easily dissolve in pH 1 - 12 solutions and self-assemble to form a micelle solution with light blue opalescence. The OACS micelles have a mean size of 158.4 - 224.6 nm, polydisperse index of 0.038 - 0.309 and a zeta potential of +19.16 - +30.80 mV determined by malvern zetasizer. AFM images confirmed free OACS micelle has a regular sphere form with a uniform particle size. MTT test confirmed that OACS was safe in 50 - 1 000 micromol-L(-1). The result of HepG2 cell experiment showed that the cell internalization of OACS micelles enhanced with increased substitution degree of arginine by 40 folds compared to chitosan. Thus, OACS micelles were a promising nano vehicle with permeation enhancement and drug carrier capability.
Arginine ; analogs & derivatives ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Biocompatible Materials ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Cell Survival ; Cell-Penetrating Peptides ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Chitosan ; analogs & derivatives ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Drug Carriers ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Micelles ; Nanoparticles ; Particle Size ; Polymers ; Solubility ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared

In order to clarify the chemical constituents of Si-Wu Decoction rapidly and holistically, we analyzed the ethanol extract of Si-Wu Decoction by UPLC/Q-TOF-MSE and UNIFI which based on traditional Chinese medicine database, the probable structures of 113 compounds were identified. The results show that this method can rapidly and effectively characterize the chemical compounds of Si-Wu Decoction and provide a new solution for identification of components from complex TCM extract.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Databases, Pharmaceutical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Objective To evaluate the clinical application of stress/rest MPI in the patients with 50％-75％ coronary artery stenosis.Methods The criteria for patient selection were that the patients should have at least one main coronary artery with stenosis more than 50％,and the maximal stenosis should be less than 75％ according to CAG.The stress/rest MPI was performed in 2 weeks before or after CAG.A total of 244 patients (178 males,66 females) with mean age (57 ± 10) years were included in this study.Symptom restriction stress test was used and stress MPI was performed 1 - 1.5 h after 99Tcm-MIBI (925 MBq)injection at the exercise peak.Rest MPI was performed within 48 - 72 h after stress MPI.Myocardial ischemia was diagnosed when there was a reduced uptake or even a defect in 2 different tomographic sections or in the same part of a myocardium in the continuous 2 slices.When there was an irreversible reduced uptake or defect,myocardial infarction was given as the final diagnosis.No reduced uptake or defect in all slices was shown as normal.The impact of MPI images on the selection for optimal clinical therapy plans was also discussed.X2 test was used for statistical analysis.Results A total of 340 coronary arteries with stenosis 50％ - 75％ were found by CAG.According to stress/rest MPI results,207 patients (84.8％)presented normal,33 had myocardial ischemia,3 had myocardial infarction,and 1 had both myocardial infarction and ischemia.In abnormal MPI images,there were 61 ischemic segments and 9 infarct segments,which were associated with 43 stenotic arteries (23 LAD,10 LCX,and 10 RCA).Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the results of MPI:Group 1 with normal MPI (207/244,84.8％ ) and Group 2 with abnormal MPI (37/244,15.2％ ).In Group 1,9 patients underwent coronary artery revascularization (PTCA or CABG),and the others had medical treatment.Eight patients had PTCA and 29 patients had medical treatment in Group 2.There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups ( X 2 =11.9,P =0.001 ).Conclusion Stress-rest MPI may be an effective method to evaluate ischemia degree for patients with 50％ -75％ coronary artery stenosis and a useful indicator for the individual treatment.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression profiles of serum Golgi protein-73 (GP73) in liver cirrhosis and primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) and determine its clinical value for differential diagnosis.

METHODSSerum protein expressions of GP73 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescence assay, respectively, in patients with PHC (n=80), liver cirrhosis (n=65), and healthy controls (n=50). Inter-group changes were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis test, and significance of these differences was assessed by Mann-Whitney test. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency and determine the cut-off values for GP73 and AFP. Sensitivity and specificity were compared by the Chi-squared test. Correlation between serum GP73 expression and clinical parameters was determined by Spearman's rank correlation analysis.

RESULTSThe PHC group showed significantly higher serum GP73 (282.0 mug/L) than the liver cirrhosis group (211.8 mug/L) and control group (58.3 mug/L) (H = 93.30, P less than 0.01). For differential diagnosis of PHC and liver cirrhosis, the cut-off value was 318.1 mug/L for GP73 and 13.4 mug/L for AFP. Sensitivity of GP73 was lower than AFP (45% (36/80) vs. 65% (52/80); X2 = 8.02, P less than 0.05). Specificity of GP73 was lower than AFP but no significance was found (83.1% (54/65) vs. 87.7% (57/65); X2=0.27, P more than 0.05). The areas under the ROC curves were not significantly different between GP73 and AFP (0.65 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.54~0.72) vs. 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67~0.83); Z = 1.88, P more than 0.05). The area under the ROC curves increased but not significantly (0.80 (95% CI: 0.73~0.88) vs. 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67~0.83); Z=2.61, P more than 0.05). Serum GP73 was correlated with liver cirrhosis (r=0.27), vascular invasion (r=0.29), and TNM staging (r=0.27) (all P less than 0.05), but not with sex (r=0.13), age (r=0.10), enhanced AFP (> 13.4 mug/L; r=0.03), tumor size (r=0.18), or distant metastasis (r=0.04), all P less than 0.05.

CONCLUSIONSerum GP73 and AFP have comparable diagnostic efficiency, but the sensitivity of AFP is superior for differential diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and primary hepatic carcinoma. Elevated serum GP73 may be correlated with liver tumor load and aggressiveness.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; diagnosis ; Case-Control Studies ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnosis ; Liver Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; blood ; Middle Aged ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Transcriptome ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDThe level of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) increases rapidly after cerebral ischemia. However, the molecular mechanisms for the effects of bFGF on cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (cMVECs) have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, a murine cMVEC line, bEnd.3, was employed to study the effects of bFGF on cyclooxygenase (COX) expression and its downstream effects in cMVECs.

METHODSAfter treatment with bFGF, RT-PCR and Western blotting analyses were carried out to evaluate the changes in COX-2 mRNA and protein expression, respectively. MTT assays were performed to measure cell proliferation. The prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations in the culture medium were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSCOX-2 mRNA and protein expressions in bEnd.3 cells were induced by bFGF in time- and dose-dependent manners. The bFGF-induced COX-2 upregulation led to enhanced PGE2 production by bEnd.3 cells, and this effect was abolished by the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS-398. bFGF also increased VEGF production by bEnd.3 cells, and this effect was blocked by NS-398 and the EP1/2 (PGE2 receptors) antagonist AH6809. Furthermore, exogenous PGE2 increased VEGF production in bEnd.3 cells, and AH6809 blocked this effect.

CONCLUSIONbFGF increases VEGF production in an autocrine manner by increasing COX-2-generated PGE2 in cMVECs and subsequently stimulates MVEC proliferation and angiogenesis.

Blotting, Western ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology ; Dinoprostone ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Receptors, Prostaglandin E ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Xanthones ; pharmacology

Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) is a new tool that can provide the element composition, size distribution, and number concentration of nanoparticles. Here we discussed the effects of dwell time and settling time on analysis of nanoparticles by SP-ICP-MS. We analyzed standard materials of gold nanoparticles (30, 40 and 60 nm AuNPs, from NIST and NCNST), showing that better signal-to-noise ratio and higher determination efficiency could be achived when using shorter dwell time and settling time. We utilized a nano mode for SP-ICP-MS, in which the dwell time was set as 0. 05 ms and the settling time was 0. The size of NIST AuNP standard material determined here was in accord with the certified size using the developed method. The detection limits of size and number concentration of AuNPs were 8 nm and 1. 1×105 particle / L, respectively.