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.

OBJECTIVE:To provide reference for the perfection of relevant system of licensed pharmacist qualification exami-nation in China. METHODS:Using the self-made network questionnaire,the survey was conducted among the candidates who par-ticipated in the National Licensed Pharmacist Qualification Examination in 2016 about their evaluation on relevant system of li-censed pharmacist qualification examination. The survey data was analyzed statistically so as to put forward suggestions. RE-SULTS:A total of 4209 questionnaires were collected,including 4205 valid questionnaires with effective rate of 99.90%. 41.90%of the interviewed candidates thought that the examination paper was a good reflection of"to determine the content of the examina-tion according to the need"principle;nearly half of them thought the paper content was reasonable;69.25% thought that the prac-tice of examination paper for the overall promotion of candidates'professional skills and practice level of performance were not sat-isfactory. 80.10% and 68.94% of the interviewed candidates thought that the outline and guidelines of the new national licensed pharmacist qualification examination could guide the preparation of examination. More than half of the interviewed candidates be-lieved that pharmaceutical services and practical experience should be added in examination outline. 49.51% of the candidates thought the persons majoring in pharmacy and TCM should be allowed to participate in this examination. 39.52% of the candidates thought that the requirements of education degree for applicants should be increase to college or bachelor degree or above. 57.18%of the respondents considered that the validity of qualified branch scores should be extended. CONCLUSIONS:The vast majority of the candidates give a high evaluation on the new version of the national licensed pharmacist qualification examination outline and guideline,while some people think that the outline of the examination,the form of examination and entry criteria and other aspects need to be improved. It is recommended that the state attach importance to the cultivation of pharmacy service personnel,raise the threshold of entry and examination,improve the quality of examination quality and improve the form of examination and focus on requirements according to the different areas of practice examination.

Objective To prepare dual?modality single?photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)?MRI molecular nanoprobes targeting HAb18G/CD147 expressed on breast cancer cell membranes and investigate the physicochemical and biological properties in vitro. Methods Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs) were prepared by one?pot reaction method as described. The single?chain antibody fragments HAb18F(ab')2 were conjugated to SPIOs via chemical method and then labeled with 125I using Iodogen method. The final 125I?SPIO?HAbF18(ab')2 nanoprobes were purified. SPIOs or 125I?HAb18F(ab')2 were used as control. We carried preliminary evaluation on their physicochemical properties and biological characteristics in vitro: transmission electron microscope (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to measure these nanoparticle sizes and the hydrodynamic diameters. The MRI T2 transverse relaxation efficiency of these nanoprobes at different Fe2+concentrations were measured with 1.5 T clinical MR scanner. The 125I?SPIO?HAb18F(ab')2 and 125I?HAb18F(ab')2 radiochemical purity were measured by thin layer chromatography and the radio chemical yield was calculated. We also conducted stability tests in vitro and octanol/water partition coefficient experiments. Two breast tumor cell lines, MDA?MB?231 (HAb18G?overexpressing cells,experimental group) and MDA?MB?468 (control), were used for assessment of cells viability at different Fe2 + concentrations (1, 5, 10, 20, 40 μg/ml) by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. Specific binding experiments in vitro included two parts:magnetic resonance imaging and radionuclide tests, the above?mentioned breast cancer cell lines were incubated with 125I?SPIO?HAb18F(ab')2 nanoprobes respectively and took MDA?MB?231 cells which were not treated as blank group. First comparing the MR signal intensity differences among experimental group, the control group and blank group, then calculated the rate of MRI signal changes;Two breast tumor cell lines, MDA?MB?231 and MDA?MB?468 were incubated with 125I?SPIO?HAb18F(ab')2 nanoprobes too, then measured radioactivity counting byγcounter at different time and calculated the cell binding rates, and did statistical analysis by using one?way ANOVA. Results The SPIOs were fairly homogeneous with an average core size of (10.32±1.30) nm;the SPIO and 125I?SPIO?HAb18F(ab')2 hydrodynamic diameter of 44.80 and 52.64 nm, and MRI scanning showed that the transverse relaxation efficiency of SPIO and 125I?SPIO?HAb18F(ab')2 were 38.79 and 106.73 mM-1 · s-1, respectively. The radio chemical yield of 125I?SPIO?HAbF18(ab')2 and 125I?HAb18F(ab')2 were 41.90% and 85.50%, respectively. The radio chemical yield of the two groups were >95%, suggesting well stability in vitro. The lipo?hydro partition coefficient values were -0.99 ± 0.03 and-1.49 ± 0.08, respectively, which demonstrated that they were both water?soluble substances. Different Fe2+concentrations (1,5,10,20,40μg/ml) of 125I?SPIO?HAb18F(ab')2 on breast cancer cell lines MDA?MB?231 and MDA?MB?468 showed no significant inhibition of cell proliferation (F values were 0.78, 0.66; P values were 0.58, 0.66). The cell?specific binding experiment showed: MRI signal intensity values on experimental group, the control group and the blank group were (1 670 ± 5), (1 930 ± 8), (2 349 ± 14), respectively, significant differences existed among these groups (F=4 408.48,P=0.000), the rate of signal intensity change of experimental group and the control group were 28.87%,17.78%. SPECT:MDA?MB?231 could uptake 125I?SPIO?HAb18F(ab')2, the cell binding rates were (6.52 ± 0.60)% and (10.52 ± 2.04)% in 20 min and 4 h, respectively.Conclusions Our results suggested that the dual?modality SPECT?MRI nanoprobes 125I?SPIO?HAb18F(ab')2 were prepared successfully with good physicochemical properties and biological characteristics in vitro. These dual?modality molecular imaging nano?probes may have potential to improvearly detection and diagnosis of HAb18G/CD147?expressing cancers and to facilitate the development of HAb18G/CD147?directed interventions.

Objective: To investigate whether small endoscopic biopsies of colorectal cancer were sufficient for quality and accurate mutational analysis by amplicon-based next-generation sequencing (NGS). Methods: By using an amplicon-based targeted NGS panel for mutational detection on Illumina Miseq platform, a total of 109 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) endoscopic biopsies of colorectal cancer were retrospectively selected, based on specific histopathologic criteria, from January 2012 to June 2016 at West China Hospital of Sichuan University and Peking University Third Hospital. Twelve of these biopsies had corresponding FFPE surgical resection specimens. Quality control parameters of NGS testing were analyzed and NGS results were confirmed by other methods. Mutation calls of the 12 paired endoscopic biopsies and surgical resections were compared. Results: Of the endoscopic biopsy specimens, 97.2% (106/109) had sufficient DNA and qualified sequencing library. NGS generated excellent sequencing data, with a median of 848× for median read depth and 95.7% for uniformity. The success rate of NGS was 95.4% (104/109). Conventional methods confirmed the results of NGS for KRAS and BRAF, and the concordance rate was 100.0%. The clinically actionable mutations detected in the 12 paired endoscopic biopsies and surgical resections were concordant. Conclusion FFPE endoscopic biopsies of colorectal cancer is suitable for targeted NGS, providing quality sequencing data and accurate mutational information to guide targeted therapy.

Objective: To compare the performance of Miseq and Ion Torrent PGM platforms and library construction method for next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology for formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples. Methods: A total of 204 FFPE cancer samples including 100 non-small cell lung cancers at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, and 104 colorectal cancers at West China Hospital of Sichuan University were retrospectively selected from January 2013 to December 2016. By using the same samples, DNA was extracted, and the same amount of DNA was used for library construction with the same kit, and sequenced on Miseq and Ion Torrent PGM respectively, after passing the quality control. Any discordant mutations between two platforms were validated by amplified refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) method and Sanger sequencing. Results: A total of 204 FFPE samples were included and 197 samples were successfully analyzed by both platforms. The number of reads generated by the samples on Miseq platform sequencing was higher than PGM platform (median 391 634 vs. 298 030, P<0.01). Alignment with human reference genome showed that the mapping rate of Miseq platform was higher than PGM platform (median 100.0% vs. 99.7%, P<0.01). The median sequence depth of samples on Miseq was higher than PGM platform (median 853× vs. 698×, P<0.01). A total of 236 mutations were detected by two platforms, of which 221 were detected on both platforms, with a 93.6% concordance. Miseq platform detected 11 mutations not detected on PGM platform, while PGM platform detected 4 more mutations not detected on Miseq platform. With validation by ARMS-PCR and Sanger sequencing, Miseq platform was more reliable for low-frequency mutations. The main reasons for the discordant mutations between two platforms were that mutation frequency on undetected platform was lower than mutation reporting range (5%) and FFPE samples were stored for a long time. Conclusions Compared with PGM, Miseq platform shows higher sequencing quality in terms of the number of reads, alignment results and coverage depth, and the test results are more reliable. In clinical practice, the appropriate platform should be chosen based on sample size and actual throughput requirements to aid in the molecular characterization of tumors.

Objective:To investigate the preventive effect of postoperative pancreatic fistula by pedicled omentum wrapping pancreaticojejunostomy in pancreaticoduodenectomy.Methods:The clinical data of 78 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University from September 2017 to August 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into the modified pancreaticojejunostomy group (conventional approach group, n=43) and the pedicled omentum wrapping pancreaticojejunostomy group (omentum wrapping group, n=35) according to the surgical mode. Postoperative pancreatic fistula, postoperative abdominal bleeding, delayed gastric emptying and postoperative hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Results:Compared with the conventional approach group, the postoperative pancreatic fistula rate in omentum wrapping group was significantly reduced (2.9% vs 18.6%), and the difference was statistically different ( P=0.030); postoperative abdominal bleeding rate(0 vs 4.7%)and the delayed gastric emptying rate were significantly reduced (8.6% vs 25.6%), but both of them were not statistically different ( all P value>0.05); the length of postoperative hospital stay was significantly reduced [(11.3±2.9) days vs (12.8±3.5)days], and the difference was statistically different ( P=0.045). Conclusions:The pedicled omentum wrapping pancreaticojejunostomy was simple and convenient, which can significantly reduce the rate of postoperative pancreatic fistula. It can shorten the time of the length of hospital stay after surgery.

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ObjectiveTo clarify the intervention effect of Osteoking （OK） in rats with myofascial pain syndrome （MPS） and preliminarily explore the pharmacological mechanism of OK in relieving chronic pain from the perspective of anti-inflammatory disease. MethodThe 60 SD rats were divided into normal group， model group， low， medium， and high dose OK groups （0.66， 1.31， 2.63 mL·kg^-1）， and positive celecoxib group （21 mg·kg^-1）. The MPS rat model was established by beating combined with the centrifugal exercise method， and the OK and celecoxib were given at the same time. SMALGO paw pressure pain manometer detected the shock pain point tenderness threshold of rats， and the Von-Frey needle and acetone stimulation method detected the mechanical hyperalgesia threshold and cold hyperalgesia stimulation response respectively. Eight weeks and 10 weeks after modeling， the spontaneous discharge state and convulsion response of MPS rats were determined by electromyograph （EMG） instrument. The gait changes of MPS rats were detected using a CatWalk gait analyzer. The expression levels of interleukin-1 β （IL-1β）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， substance P （SP）， and bradykinin （BK） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The protein expression levels of nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） inhibiting protein α （IκBα）， phosphorylates （p）- IκBα， NF-κB p65， and p-NF-κB p65 were detected in MPS rats by Western blot. The positive expression of p-NF-κB p65 was detected by immunofluorescence. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group shows 100% positive rates for EMG signal and local convulsions response at both the 8th and 10th weeks. The tenderness threshold and mechanical hyperalgesia threshold are significantly reduced. Cold hyperalgesia score is significantly increased， and gait is abnormal. The expression levels of serum and trigger points IL-1β， TNF-α， SP， BK， p-IκBα， and p-NF-κB p65， as well as the positive expression intensity of p-NF-κB p65 are significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the positive rate of EMG detection and local convulsion response is significantly reduced in the medium and high dose OK groups （P<0.05）. The tenderness threshold and mechanical hyperalgesia threshold increase significantly in the medium and high dose OK groups， and the cold hyperalgesia score is significantly reduced in the high dose OK group （P<0.01）. The standing time， swing time， and walking period are significantly increased. The swing speed， maximum contact area， and maximum contact intensity are significantly decreased in the high dose OK group （P<0.05）. Moreover， the protein expression levels of p-IκBα/IκBα and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 are significantly reduced in the medium and high dose OK groups （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The positive expression intensity of p-NF-κB p65 is significantly decreased in the high dose OK group （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe mechanism of OK in relieving the pain in trigger points of MPS and improving gait abnormalities is related to the downregulation of the NF-κB p65 inflammatory signaling pathway to reduce the expression of inflammatory factors and pain mediators in blood and trigger point tissue.

A fundamental challenge that arises in biomedicine is the need to characterize compounds in a relevant cellular context in order to reveal potential on-target or off-target effects. Recently, the fast accumulation of gene transcriptional profiling data provides us an unprecedented opportunity to explore the protein targets of chemical compounds from the perspective of cell transcriptomics and RNA biology. Here, we propose a novel Siamese spectral-based graph convolutional network (SSGCN) model for inferring the protein targets of chemical compounds from gene transcriptional profiles. Although the gene signature of a compound perturbation only provides indirect clues of the interacting targets, and the biological networks under different experiment conditions further complicate the situation, the SSGCN model was successfully trained to learn from known compound-target pairs by uncovering the hidden correlations between compound perturbation profiles and gene knockdown profiles. On a benchmark set and a large time-split validation dataset, the model achieved higher target inference accuracy as compared to previous methods such as Connectivity Map. Further experimental validations of prediction results highlight the practical usefulness of SSGCN in either inferring the interacting targets of compound, or reversely, in finding novel inhibitors of a given target of interest.
Drug Delivery Systems ; Proteins ; Transcriptome