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

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 ％.

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 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 investigate the functional role of hippocampal mossy fiber sprouting in the pathophysiologic mechanism of initiation and propagation of epilepsy.

METHODSThe authors examined hippocampal mossy fiber synaptic reorganization and the changes of hippocampal neurons in P77PMC rats at different stages in the course of recurrent seizures using Timm's method of silver sulfide staining and Nissl staining and observed the effects of recurrent audiogenic seizures (AGSs) on seizure behavior of P77PMC rats.

RESULTSFrequent recurrent AGSs could cause neuronal loss in CA(1) region of hippocampus and hippocampal mossy fiber sprouting got into the inner molecular layer of dentate gyrus in P77PMC rats, and could decrease the latency of IV/V grade of AGSs, increase the durations of AGSs. The mean A of CA(1) region of hippocampus in Nissl staining after 50 times of AGSs was 35.3 +/- 0.8, which was markedly lower than that of the control (44.1 +/- 0.5; F = 333.89, P < 0.001). The mean A of the inner molecular layer of dentate gyrus in Timm's staining after 50 times of AGSs was 49.3 +/- 4.6, which was markedly higher than that of the control (26.8 +/- 1.7; F = 76.83, P < 0.001). After 30 and 50 times of AGSs, the latent periods of IV/V grade of AGSs were 12 +/- 8 (t = 3.805; P < 0.02) and 17 +/- 7 (t = 5.927; P < 0.002) seconds shorter than the initial period of stimulation respectively on average, and the durations of AGSs were 19 +/- 18 (t = 2.644; P < 0.05) and 10 +/- 7 (t = 3.780; P < 0.02) seconds longer.

CONCLUSIONHippocampal mossy fiber sprouting and neuronal loss not only presents in limbic seizure, but also in AGS, the seizure can be initiated in brainstem but rapidly generalized;in AGS-prone rats, recurrent AGSs can cause mossy fiber synaptic reorganization and neuronal loss in hippocampus, and can also enhance seizure susceptibility of P77PMC rats. In the course of recurrent AGSs, enhanced seizure susceptibility happened before hippocampal mossy fiber sprouting. Their temporal relationships indicate that the anatomical changes may be preceded by functional changes of elevated excitability in the brain.

Acoustic Stimulation ; adverse effects ; Animals ; Epilepsy ; pathology ; Mossy Fibers, Hippocampal ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Seizures ; etiology ; pathology

Objctive To explore the clinical value of Chitinase-3-like protein 1(CHI3L1)in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB),liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.Methods 96 clinically diagnosed patients in Department of Infectious Diseases Hos-pital of Anhui Provincial Hospital from Jan 2016 to Feb 2017(28CHB,44livercirrhosis,24liver cancer,15healthy controls) were analyzed.The serum level of CHI3L1 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay(ELISA).The Golgi pro-tein(GP73)was tested by double-antibody sandwich immunochromatographic assay.The Alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)was tested by means of chemical luminescence.Results There were significant differences between the groups of chronic hepati-tis B(CHB),liver cirrhosis,liver cancer and healthy controls on the CHI3L1 level(χ2=70.249,P<0.001).The CHI3L1 level of the liver cirrhosis group and the liver cancer group increased significantly compared with that of the healthy controls (P<0.001).The GP73 levels of these groups were significantly different(χ2=44.963,P<0.001).The GP73 levels of the CHB group,the liver cirrhosis group and the liver cancer group all increased significantly compared with that of the healthy controls(P<0.05).The AFP levels of these groups were significantly different(χ2=57.606,P<0.001).The AFP level of the liver cancer group increased significantly compared with that of the CHB group,the liver cirrhosis group and the healthy controls(P<0.001).Based on the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of CHI3L1,GP73 and AFP in the CHB group and the liver cirrhosisgroup,the Area Under roc Curve(AUC)of CHI3L1 was 0.953(95%CI:0.902~1.000),the sensitivity was 88.6%,and the specificity was 92.9%,which was higher than GP73 and AFP.Based on the ROC curve of CHI3L1,GP73 and AFP in the liver cirrhosis group and the liver cancer group,the AUC of AFP was 0.930(95% CI:0.871~0.989),the sensitivity was 75.0%,and the specificity was 97.7%,which was higher than CHI3L1 and GP73.The corre-lation between the CHI3L1,GP73 and AFP in CHB,liver cirrhosis and liver cancer groups were analyzed.There was a posi-tive correlation between AFP and GP73(rs=0.491,P<0.001),a positive correlation between AFP and CHI3L1(rs=0.452,P<0.001),a positive correlation between GP73 and CHI3L1(rs=0.554,P<0.001).Conclusion CHI3L1 is good at diagnosis of liver cirrhosism,better than GP73 and AFP.And AFP could be more beneficial in patients with liver cancer, better than CHI3L1 and GP73.

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