Oxytocin ( OT ) is a cyclic neuropeptide containing nine amino acids residues, in addition to the traditional roles of uterine contraction and lactation, it also plays important roles in the central nervous system and other peripheral organs, such as improving schizophrenia, autism - related psychiatric and psy-chological symptoms. Oxytocin exhibits its physiological func-tions by binding to its receptor (oxytocin receptor,OTR). Cur-
rently researchers are manipulating OT system by developing new OTR ligand ( agonists and antagonists ) , hoping to prevent and treat OTR related diseases. This paper reviews the latest devel-opment of OTR agonists, antagonists and its physiological roles in central nerve system and peripheral organs.

AIM: To study the quality control of Fuyankang Capsule(Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae,Radix Paeoniae Rubra,Radix Scutellariae,etc.) METHODS: The presence of Radix Paeoniae Rubra,Herba Taraxaci,Radix Scutellariae,Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati were identified by TLC.The content of hydroxybenzyl laxticacid,dansensu in the capsule was assayed by HPLC. RESULTS: Linearity of dansensu was found in the range from 0.04 ?g to 0.20 ?g.The average recovery was 98.8% and RSD was 1.5%. CONCLUSION: The method is highly sensitive,simple,precise and reproducible and can be used for the quality control of the capsule.

OBJECTIVE:To compare in vivo and in vitro permeation behaviors of the ethosome gels of testosterone,testoster-one propionate and testosterone undecanoate. METHODS:The ethosome gels of testosterone,testosterone propionate and testoster-one undecanoate were prepared. With cumulative permeating amount and permeation rate as the indexes,Franz diffusion cell and HPLC were employed to compare in vitro permeation behaviors of 3 kinds of ethosome gels in mouse skin. With testosterone patch as the positive control drug, electrochemistry method was adopted to detect the concentration of testosterone in plasma 0,3,6, 9,12,24,36 and 48 h after applying such 3 kinds of ethosome gels on the back of rats,and then pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated with DAS 2.0 software. RESULTS:24 h cumulative permeating amounts of the ethosome gels of testosterone,tes-tosterone propionate and testosterone undecanoate were(234.31±13.8),(175.63±41.1)and(72.60±15.3)μg/cm2,and the per-meation rates were(10.25±1.9),(7.64±1.4)and(2.96±0.8)μg/(cm2·h),respectively. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the above-mentioned three kinds of ethosome gels and the positive control drug were respectively as follows as cmax of(20.19±2.57), (17.50±2.91),(0.23±0.04),(14.97±2.12)ng/ml,t1/2Ka of(2.80±0.45),(3.36±0.59),(4.02±0.62),(4.20±0.71)h,AUC0-48 h of(13.85±1.96),(13.93±2.13),(0.35±0.07),(11.76±2.31)ng·h/ml. CONCLUSIONS:in vivo and in vitro permeation behav-iors of the ethosome gels of testosterone and testosterone propionate are fairly good.

Natural killer (NK) cells, as an essential part of innate immunity, can directly identify and kill tumor cells after being activated by the synergistic action of surface inhibitory receptors and activated receptors. It can secrete cytokines to recruit dendritic cells (DCs), induce DCs maturation and enhance adaptive immune response. It can target cancer stem cells (CSCs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to inhibit cancer metastasis. NK cells have a unique inflammatory tendency, which can respond to cytokines and chemokines released from tumor sites and migrate to tumor sites, making them occupy an important advantage in cancer targeted therapy. The research on cancer targeted therapy of NK cells as drug delivery carriers, NK cell membrane-coated biomimetic nanoparticles, and NK cell extracellular vesicles (NKEVs) has attracted more and more attention. The article will focus on the mechanism of NK cells inhibiting cancer, and summarize the research progress of cancer targeted therapy of NK cells.

Objective To investigate prescriptions,usage and influencing factors of the secondary prevention medication for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in six months after discharge.Methods Totals of 102 patients with ACS were documented and analyzed,and followed up by phone for six months.According to the prescriptions during six months after discharge,they were divided into the users and non-users,and influencing factors were analyzed.Results Drug-prescribing rates of antiplatelet drugs,β-blockers,ACEI/ARB,and statins were respectively 96.1％,67.6％,53.9％ and 83.3％ at discharge,94.1％,48％,43.1％ and 78.4％ in three months,88.2％,43.1％,33.3％ and 75.5％ in six months.At discharge,whether doctor had prescribed β-blockers and statins was affected by income and history of hyperlipidemia,and prescription of ACEI/ARB only related with history of hypertension.After three months,prescription of ACEI/ARB related with history of hypertension,and statins was affected by history of drinking and hypertension.After six months,antiplatelet drug prescription was impacted by disease diagnosis and implanted stents during this hospitalization or not,β-blocker was associated with BMI and history of PCI,ACEI/ARB was related with family history of cardiovascular disease and history of hypertension,and statins was related with history of implanted stents.Drug-taking rates of antiplatelet drugs,β-blockers,ACEI/ARB,and statins were respectively 87.3％,41.2％,19.6％ and 68.6％.And antiplatelet drugs,beta-blockers and statins,drug usage in 6-month were affected by whether doctor had prescribed these medication in six month after discharge.Conclusions During 6 months of follow-up,drug-prescribing rates of β-blockers and ACEI/ARB were decreased,as well as the medication compliance of ACEI/ARB,and drug-prescribing and taking rates of ACEI/ARB were the lowest.

A in vitro platelet aggregation bioassay was developed for the quality control of XST capsules. The in vitro anti-platelet aggregation effect in rats was observed to detect the bioactivity of XST capsules. Panax notoginseng saponins and Xuesaitong lyophilizedpowder for injection were taken as standard control substances to determine the potency. According to the results, XST capsules showeda significant inhibitory effect on thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. The in vitro anti-platelet activity oflyophilized powder for injection was stabler than that of Panax notoginseng saponins, and so suitable to serve as a standard control substance. The biological potency of XST capsules compared with standard control substance was detected by using parallel line assay. According to the results, the established bioassay method had a good repeatability (RSD 2.92%). The sample test results could pass thereliability test(linear deviation P > 0.05, parallel deviation P > 0.05). This bioassay method could be used as one of the complementary quality control methods for XST capsules.
Animals ; Capsules ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Male ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins ; pharmacology

Objective To evaluate Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis)-specific cellular immunity in individuals with latent or active tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection. Methods One hundred HIV-infected individuals in Yunnan Province were enrolled. The enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay using early secreted antigenic target (ESAT)-6 and culture filtrate protein (CFP)-10 was employed to detect M. tuberculosis-specific T cells in the peripheral blood. The absolute number of CD3+ CD4+and CD3+ CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood from the enrolled subjects were determined by flow cytometry. Data were analyzed using nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Results The prevalence of latent tuberculosis co-infection in HIV-infected individuals without any clinical evidence of active tuberculosis was 67.6%. The absolute numbers of CD3+ CD4+ (532 × 106/L) and CD3+ CD8+ (473 × 106×/L) T cell in HIV-infected individuals with latent tuberculosis co-infection were similar to those of only HIV-infeeted individuals (406 ×106×/L and 504 × 106/L). While those in HIV-infected individuals with active tuberculosis co-infection were 189 × 106/L and 293 × 106/L, respectively, which were both significantly lower than those in other two groups (U=168. 0,U=163. 0,U= 374. 0,U=147. 0, all P<0. 01). Furthermore, ESAT-6 (31/106 cells) and CFP-10 (82/106 cells) specific spot-forming cells in HIV-infected individuals with active tuberculosis co-infection were significantly less than those in HIV-infected individuals with latent tuberculosis co-infection (92 × 106 cells and 109 × 106 cells, U= 507. 0,U= 529. 5, both P<0. 01). Conclusions The prevalence of latent tuberculosis in HIV-positive individuals without any clinical evidence of active tuberculosis is high in China. Both overall cellular immunity and M. tuberculosis-specific immune response in HIV-positive individuals with active tuberculosis co-infection are severely impaired.

To interpret the flash evoked potential (FVEP) as dynamic high-order responses to natural and experimental stimulation in healthy preterm infants, waveform analysis of FVEP in 36 healthy preterm infants (postconceptional age 28~42 weeks) were performed using an autoregressive analysis. Based on the histogram of damping frequency of different component impulse response waveforms, the waveforms were divided into 4 groups: group I (0 ~ <2 Hz), group II (2 ~ <6.5 Hz), group III (6.5 ~ <12.0 Hz) and group IV (12~25 Hz). The total power, power of component impulse responses (group I~IV), and damping time (group II~IV) changed significantly with increasing postconceptional age (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Identification of an impulse response component with dominant frequency which undergoes a well-identified change with age is considered to be a useful tool for discriminating between normal and abnormal changes in the FVEP with age in healthy preterm infants.
Evoked Potentials, Visual ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; physiology ; Male ; Reaction Time ; Sleep ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo compare the features of brain injury in neonatal rats with different severities of hypoxia-ischemia (HI), and explore the role of microglial activation and cytokines.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty 7-day-old rats were randomized to three groups: sham control, mild HI, and severe HI. The rats in the HI groups were subjected to right carotid artery occlusion and 8% oxygen hypoxia exposure (40 minutes, 34.5 Celsius degree in the mild HI group; 65 minutes, 35.5 Celsius degree in the severe HI group). MRI, microtubule associated protein (MAP2) and TUNEL staining were used to confirm the severity of brain injury. Changes in expression of activated microglia (ED1) and signs of cytokine involvement or oxidative stress (TNF-alpha, nitrotyrosine) were assessed immunohistochemically.

RESULTSIn the mild HI group, MRI scans demonstrated increased T2 values in the ipsilateral subcortical white matter and a slight loss of T2 values in the cortex, corresponding to a medium loss of MAP2 in the ipsilateral cortex. There was an increase in the number of TUNEL positive cells compared to the control group within the subcortical white matter. In the severe HI group, the T2 value increased in the majority of the hemisphere, corresponding to a severe loss of staining for MAP2 in the ispilateral hemisphere. The number of TUNEL positive cells significantly increased in the ipsilateral cortex and white matter. In the mild HI group, ED1, TNF-alpha and nitrotyrosine expression increased only in the acute stage and was only observed in subcortical white matter. In contrast, after severe HI, the increase in ED1, TNF-alpha and nitrotyrosine expression was observed in the whole ipsilateral hemisphere and prolonged for weeks.

CONCLUSIONSFollowing a mild HI a relatively selective white matter injury compares to the pannecrosis in the cortex and white matter following a severe HI. Microglial activation and over-expression of cytokines might contribute to the development of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Apoptosis ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Microglia ; pathology ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; analysis ; Rats ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; analysis ; Tyrosine ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo describe the pathologic features and diagnostic algorithm of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP).

METHODSThirty-nine biopsy and postmortem cases of PAP were studied by light microscopy and histochemical staining using periodic acid-Schiff (with digestion) (PAS-D), mucicarmine (with digestion) (mucicarmine-D) and alcian blue.

RESULTSHistologically, the affected lung tissue displayed the following characteristic features: (1) alveoli and some of the small bronchioles were filled with eosinophilic and fine granular proteinaceous material with needle-like clefts; (2) proteinaceous material was seen admixed with various numbers of degenerated and sometimes exfoliated pneumocytes; (3) pneumocytes were hyperplastic; (4) alveolar capillaries and alveolar septa had become hyperemic, but pulmonary interstitial inflammation was not obvious; (5) no significant inflammation was identified in the bronchial wall; (6) compensating emphysema was noted in the surrounding lung parenchyma. Fragments of eosinophilic, finely granular proteinaceous material with needle-like clefts were also found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid under light microscopy. The proteinaceous material was stained red by PAS-D. The staining for mucicarmine-D was negative, while alcian blue staining was either weakly positive (faint blue staining) or negative. Pathologic examination of lung biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid thus remaines the gold standard for diagnosis of PAP.

CONCLUSIONSIdentification of homogeneous, eosinophilic, finely granular and PAS-D-positive proteinaceous material with needle-like clefts in alveolar spaces or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is of diagnostic importance in PAP. Bronchoalveolar lavage, being a relatively safe and non-invasive procedure, can be a useful adjunct in arriving at the final conclusion.

Adult ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Pulmonary Alveoli ; pathology