Objective:To evaluate the effect of mucosal administration of altered collagen Ⅱ(CⅡ)263-272 peptide(267Q→A,270K→A and 271G→A) on collagen induced arthritis(CIA),and to explore the mechanism of the inhibitory effect of the altered CⅡ263-272 peptide on CIA.Methods:CIA was induced in Lewis rats by immunization with bovine CⅡ.Altered CⅡ263-272 peptide was given intranasally beginning from the onset of arthritis(100 ?g/dose,daily for 5 doses and continuing every other day for other 7 doses).Wild CⅡ263-272 peptide(100 ?g/dose) or PBS was administered as controls with the same procedure.Therapeutic effects were evaluated by arthritis scores,body weight change,and joint pathologic scores.The anti-CⅡ antibody and its subtypes were measured with ELISA.The cytokines of IFN-? and IL-10 were measured with ELISA.The induction of regulatory T cells was assessed by FACS analysis of percentage of peripheral CD4+CD25+ T cells,and by real-time PCR analysis of the expression of Foxp3 and TGF-? mRNA.Results:(1) Following treatment with the altered CⅡ263-272 peptide,arthiritis scores were reduced and body weight was increased.The mean arthritis scores of rats treated with altered peptide,wild peptide and PBS were 2.50?2.43,4.50?2.23 and 6.33?2.73,respectively.The altered peptide could retard the histologic lesion of the joints.(2) The titers of anti-CⅡ antibodies IgG and IgG1 in the three groups were similar,but the IgG2a in altered peptide-treated rats decreased markedly as compared with PBS-treated rats(0.56?0.19 vs 0.95?0.29,P

BACKGROUND:Recent studies have suggested that intranasal administration is one of the ways to target drugdelivery, and can effectively make the drug that cannot pass through the blood brain barrier by other pathways to bypass the blood brain barrier, resulting in targeted delivery to the brain. It provides a promising route for the treatment of central nervous system diseases. OBJECTIVE: To study the pharmacokinetic and brain-targeted channel-tropism tissue distribution character of cimicifugoside H-1 after nasal and intravenous administration in plasma and tissues in rats, in order to evaluate the feasibility of developing brain-targeted nasal delivery system of cimicifugoside H-1 by the passage between nose and brain in nasal olfactory area. METHODS: After intravenous injection and nasal administration of cimicifugoside H-1, the drug concentrations of plasma and channel-tropism organs (lung, spleen, stomach, large intestine, liver, kidney, brain, brain, cerebelum, cerebrospinal fluid, olfactory bulb and olfactory region) were detected. Drug-time curve was drawn. DAS program was used to select apartment model and pharmacokinetics parameters. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) The pharmacokinetics characters of cimicifugoside H-1 are rapidly absorbed and extensively distribution. Among major channel-tropism organs, drug concentrations were higher in the lung and brain than in the other organs. (2) Cimicifugoside H-1 could be straightly transported into brain by the intranasal administration. The molecule through olfactory mucosa in nasal cavity entered into olfactory bulb in arachno-hypostegal cavity, and then entered into olfactory region, cerebrospinal fluid, cerebrum and cerebelum gradualy. Olfactory bulb was the only way for drug molecule to go through nasal cavity into brain. (3) Compared with the intravenous injection, cimicifugoside H-1 through the intranasal administration has a significant

ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic performance of CTCA in predicting myocardial perfusion defects through comparative analysis between MPI defects and severity of coronary stenosis on CTCA.MethodsFour hundred and seventy-eight patients who underwent CTCA and 99Tcm-MIBI MPI in the same period were analyzed retrospectively.According to the severity of coronary stenosis judged by visual evaluation of the vessel diameter,the patients were divided into five groups:no stenosis,mild stenosis,moderate stenosis,severe stenosis and total occlusion.MPI results were classified as negative or positive for perfusion defects,and the prevalence of perfusion defects in every group was calculated per-patient and per-vessel basis.The cut-off of stenotic severity for predicting myocardial perfusion defects was designated as 50％ or 75％,with MPI as standard reference.True positive,true negative,false positive and false negative statistics were thus determined separately on patient and vessel basis.The diagnostic performance for CTCA were calculated and compared.Pearson Chi-square and its partition tests or Fisher exact test were used to compare ordinal variables.ResultsFifty-eight patients showed myocardial perfusion defects.Either by patientbased or vessel-based analysis,the prevalence of myocardial perfusion defects showed an increasing trend with greater coronary artery stenosis in each group,and there were statistical differences among them (x2 =116.62 and 483.83,both P ＜ 0.05).On patient-based analysis,sensitivity ( SN),specificity ( SP),positive predictive value( PPV),negative predictive value(NPV) and accuracy (AC) for CTCA predicting myocardial perfusion defects were 62.1 ％ ( 36/58 ) and 34.5％ ( 20/58 ) (x2 =8.84,P ＜ 0.05 ),84.5％(355/420) and 97.1％ (408/420) (x2 =40.16,P ＜0.05),35.6％ (30/101) and 62.5％ (20/32) (x2 =7.19,P＜0.05),94.2％ (355/377) and 91.5％ (408/446) (x2 =2.18,P ＞0.05),81.8％ (391/478)and 89.5 ％ (428/478) (x2 =11.66,P ＜ 0.05 ) when the cutoff was set to 50％ and 75％,respectively.On vessel-based analysis,the SN,SP,PPV,NPV and AC for CTCA predicting myocardial perfusion defects were 58.8％ (40/68) and 30.9％ (21/68) (x2 =10.73,P ＜ 0.05),95.9％ (1768/1844) and 99.0％ (1826/1844) (x2 =36.72,P ＜ 0.05 ),34.5％ (40/116) and 53.8％ (21/39) (x2 =4.59,P ＜0.05 ),98.4％ (1768/1796) and 97.5％ ( 1826/1873 ) (x2 =4.14,P ＜ 0.05 ),94.6％ ( 1808/1912 ) and 96.6％ ( 1847/1912 ) (x2 =10.31,P ＜ 0.05 ),respectively.ConclusionsThe prevalence of myocardial perfusion defects correlates positively with the severity of coronary stenosis seen on CTCA.CTCA may predict perfusion defects with high SP and NPV.However,the PPV of CTCA in predicting myocardial perfusion defects is poor when the stenosis cut-off is set at 50％.It is significantly improved when the cutoff value is set at 75 ％.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects and mechanisms of multi-glycoside of Tripterygium wilfordii (GTW) on improving glomerular inflammatory lesion in rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN).

METHODDN model was induced by unilateral nephrectomy and intraperitoneal injection of STZ (35 mg x kg(-1)) twice. The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, the sham-operated group (Sham group, n = 5), the vehicle-given group (Vehicle group, n = 5 ) and GTW-treated group (GTW group, n = 5). After the model was successfully established, the rats in GTW group were daily oral administrated with GTW suspension (50 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), meanwhile, the rats in Vehicle group were daily oral administrated with distilled water (2 mL) for 8 weeks. From the beginning of the administration, all rats were killed 8 weeks later. Blood and renal tissues were collected,and then UAlb, renal function, glomerular morphology characteristics and glomerular macrophages (ED1 + cells) infiltration, as well as the protein expressions of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-lβ, and the key molecules in p38MAPK signaling pathway including p38 mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphorylated p38 (p-p38MAPK) and transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1 were investigated respectively.

RESULTGTW not only ameliorated the general state of health and body weight,but also attenuated UAlb, glomerulosclerosis, the infiltration of glomerular ED1 + cells and the protein expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, p-p38MAPK and TGF-β1 in the kidney in DN model rats.

CONCLUSIONBy means of DN model rats, we demonstrated that GTW has the protective effect on renal inflammatory damage in vivo via inhibiting inflammatory cells infiltration and inflammatory cytokines expression. Furthermore, GTW could improve renal inflammatory lesion through down-regulating the expressions of the key signaling molecules in p38MAPK pathway such as p-p38MAPK and TGF-β1 ,and inhibiting the activation of p38MAPK signaling in the kidney.

Animals ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; drug therapy ; Disease Models, Animal ; Glomerulonephritis ; drug therapy ; Glycosides ; pharmacology ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; drug effects ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; analysis ; Tripterygium ; chemistry ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; physiology

Objective: To analyze the relationship between thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor ( TAFI ) and coronary heart disease ( CHD ), and to provide evidence for the prevention of CHD. Methods: The patients with CHD in Fushun Central Hospital in Liaoning Province were selected as the case group, the patients without CHD in the same hospital and period were selected as the control group. The demographic information and clinical examination results ( serum TAFI, lipid, glucose, etc. ) were collected to analyze the association between TAFI and CHD by logistic regression models.The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between TAFI and CHD. Results: There were 222 cases, including 100 cases of stable angina, 44 cases of unstable angina and 78 cases of acute myocardial infarction, and 222 controls. The median ages of cases and controls were 62 and 57 years old. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that serum TAFI>22.88 μg/mL ( P75 of controls ) was associated with the risk of CHD ( OR=1.619, 95%CI: 1.011-2.593 ), unstable angina ( OR=2.917, 95%CI: 1.433-5.939 ) and acute myocardial infarction ( OR=2.626, 95%CI: 1.007-6.847 ). Conclusion The high level of TAFI is related to CHD, unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction.

This paper introduces the current development and challenges of vision prosthesis.
Prosthesis Design ; Visual Prosthesis

OBJECTIVETo determine the physiological role of D-bifunctional protein (DBP) in bile acid biosynthesis through investigating the effect of increasing activity of DBP on bile acid biosynthesis.

METHODSTwenty male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). Serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, hepatic DBP activity, and fecal bile acids were assayed. The mRNA levels of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), DBP, and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) were detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSCompared with control group, serum triglyceride level was decreased significantly and PPARalphamRNA level was increased significantly in DEHP group (P < 0.01). Together with a sharp induction of DBP mRNA expression and DBP activity in DEHP group (P < 0.01), the levels of CYP7A1 mRNA and fecal bile acids were significantly increased by 1.9 times and 1.6 times respectively compared to control group (P < 0.01). There was a significantly positive correlation between DBP mRNA level or DBP activity and CYP7A1 mRNA level (r = 0.89, P < 0.01; r = 0.95, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe up-regulation of DBP mRNA and activity in liver can result in the increase in CYP7A1 mRNA expression and bile acid biosynthesis, suggesting that DBP may be involved in bile acid biosynthesis together with CYP7A1.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases ; metabolism ; Animals ; Bile Acids and Salts ; biosynthesis ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase ; analysis ; Enoyl-CoA Hydratase ; metabolism ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Multienzyme Complexes ; metabolism ; PPAR alpha ; analysis ; Peroxisomal Multifunctional Protein-2 ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of adiponectin (APN) on the expression of T-cadherin in cultured Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat cardiomyocytes injured by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Primary myocardial cells from neonatal rats were obtained by enzymatic digestion. The cells were divided into control group, H/R group and H/R+APN (3, 10, 20 and 30 μg/mL) groups. The H/R group was incubated in anoxic environment (anoxic solution saturated with high concentration N2) for 3 h, and then in the reoxygenation environment (the reoxygenation solution saturated with pure oxygen) for 1 h. The H/R+APN group was pretreated with different concentrations of APN for 24 h prior to the initiation of H/R. The content of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was measured by chemistry chromatometry. Cellular apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The expression of T-cadherin was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that, compared with control group, the apoptotic rate and release of LDH were significantly increased in the H/R group, whereas the expressions of T-cad mRNA and protein were decreased. Pretreating with APN significantly and dose-dependently decreased apoptotic rate and LDH release, and up-regulated T-cad mRNA and protein level in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes under H/R conditions. These results suggest that APN may protect cardiomyocytes against H/R-induced injury by up-regulating H/R-decreased T-cad expression.
Adiponectin ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cadherins ; metabolism ; Cell Hypoxia ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Oxygen ; adverse effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo determine whether the GABA-containing neurons in rat central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) can be activated by acute sodium deprivation.

METHODSAcute sodium depletion was induced by subcutaneous injection of furosemide in rats followed by 24 h of dietary sodium deprivation. The rats underwent 0.3 mol/L NaCl/distilled water two bottle choice test, and the activated neurons were labeled and identified with GABA/Fos-double labeling immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe rats with acute sodium depletion exhibited significantly more numerous c-fos-positive neurons and GABA/Fos double-labeled neurons in the CeA than the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). Consumption of 0.3 mol/L NaCl significantly increased the number of c-fos and GABA/Fos double labeled neurons compared to the distilled water group (P<0.001, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONGABAergic neurons in the CeA may play an inhibitory role in the regulation of sodium intake in rats with acute sodium depletion.

Amygdala ; cytology ; metabolism ; Animals ; GABAergic Neurons ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium Chloride, Dietary ; metabolism ; Sodium, Dietary