Objective To investigate the concentration of 17β-estradiol in bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) and different tissues of rats, and study the function of estradiol produced in extragonadal sites prelimi-narily. Methods (1) The concentration of 17β-estradiol in lysate of BMSCs and in supernatant cell culture media were detected by Elisa method after rats BMSCs were serum-free cultured in 0 h , 24 h and 48 h respective ly . (2) The tissues of organs were grinded and broken under ultrasonic wave , then washed and weighed. The con-centration of 17β-estradiol in different tissues was detected by Elisa method. Results Compared with the concen-tration of 17β-estradiol at 24 h, the concentration of 17β-estradiol at 48h significantly increased (P < 0.05). The concentration of 17β-estradiol among different tissues were higher, but the difference is not significant (P > 0.05). Conclusions (1) 17β-estradiol can be secreted by BMSCs , and the concentration is proportional to the time to some degree. But whether the extragonadal estrogen can function locally is still unclear. (2) The concentration of 17β-estradiol is non- gonad dependent but whether it is secreted locally remains to be elucidated. The non- gonad estrogen could be the estrogen source of bone metabolism in order to sustain bone health after menopause.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the serum SRC-3 levels and the bone loss severity in postmenopausal women. Methods Fifty-eight PMW with osteopenia or osteoporosis and nineteen healthy PMW were enrolled in this study from June 2012 to September 2013. BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck were observed by DXA Lunar Prodigy Vision. The levels of serum SRC-3 were detected by ELISA. The diagnosis value was evaluated by the ROC curves analysis. Results The levels of serum SRC-3 were significant higher in the normal group than those in the osteopenia or the osteoporosis groups (P<0.001 for both), no statistical significance was found between the osteopenia and the osteoporosis group(P=0.056). The levels of serum SRC-3 were negatively correlated with the BMD diagnosis grading (r=-0.543, P < 0.001). By using the ROC curve analysis, the serum level of SRC-3 for PMW with osteoporosis and osteopenia were found to be 0.297 ng/mL and 0.347 ng/mL, respectively. The levels of serum SRC-3 were positively associated with BMI (r=0.395, P<0.001) and LS-BMD (r=0.503,P<0.001) in the postmenopausal women. Conclusion SRC-3 might be an useful index to reflect the severity of lumbar spine bone loss.

With the development of electronics and information technology, the application of functional electrical stimulation in the medical field has been expanding. However, the use of functional electrical stimulation to treat patients with peripheral facial paralysis is still in its infancy. The main problems include: (1) Finding in the signals which could fire the stimulator; (2) Exploring the parameters for the stimulator; (3) The effects on the muscle attributed to the electrical stimulation. A review on these problems is presented.
Electric Stimulation Therapy ; methods ; Facial Paralysis ; physiopathology ; rehabilitation ; therapy ; Humans ; Muscle Contraction

Objective To explore the effect of timosaponin B-II ( TB-II) on the differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) into tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive neurons in neonatal rats. Methods The biological functions of self-proliferation and multi-differentiation of NSCs were identified by primary culture, cell proliferation counting,morphological observation and immunology. NSCs of SD rats were cultured in vitro and treated with different concentrations of TB-II (10 μg/ml,30 μg/ml ,100 μg/ml) for 7 days. Immuno-histochemistry was used to detect the effect of TB-II on the differentiation of NSCs into TH-positive neurons, and Western blot was used to detect the expression of TH protein in neurons. Results ( 1) The cultured cells had the ability to self-proliferation,expressed nestin protein and differentiated into neurons and glial cells. So the cultured cells were conformed to the biological function of neural stem cells. (2)Compared with the control group,the TH positive cell ratio of TB-II 30 μg/ml group and TB-II 100 μg/ml group increased ((10. 03± 1. 36)%),( 20. 01± 3. 37)%),(31. 32± 3. 98)%) ,the difference was significant ( t=6. 15, 16. 54,both P<0. 05). There was no significant difference between TB-II 10 μg/ml group and control group (P>0. 05). (3)Western results showed that the relative expression of TH protein in TB-II 30 g/ml group and TB-II 100 μg/ml group was higher than that in control group,the difference was statistically significant (con-trol group: (1. 02±0. 24),TB-II 30μg/ml group: (3. 64±1. 78),TB-II 100 μg/ml group: (5. 88±2. 34);t=12. 58,9. 15,both P<0. 05). There was no significant difference between TB-II 10 μg/ml group and con-trol group (P>0. 05). Conclusion TB-II can promote the differentiation of NSCs into TH-positive neurons.

The study aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of rituximab in the treatment of 23 cases of lupus nephritis and explore the prospect of half-dose rituximab in lupus nephritis treatment. Twenty-three patients with lupus nephritis hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from May 2013 to December 2021 were selected. Eighteen patients received rituximab 375 mg/m 2 on the first and 14th days, 5 patients received 500 mg of rituximab on the first and 14th days, and rituximab was used as needed 6 months later. Methylprednisolone (80-120 mg) was given together with rituximab. Afterward, 1 mg/kg prednisone was used for 4 weeks, which was progressively tapered to maintenance doses or discontinued. B lymphocyte level, renal function, 24-h urine protein level, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI2K) score before and after treatment were recorded. The efficacy and adverse reactions were analyzed. The results showed that 11 patients suffered from renal insufficiency [creatinine (162.7±58.6) μmol/L ] at baseline, while the creatinine level of 9 patients returned to normal 12 months after the treatment [ (66.3±10.1)μmol/L ]. Normal renal function of the other 12 patients was maintained during treatment. After 12 months, the 24-h urine protein level decreased from 4.00 (2.00,6.80) g in the baseline period to 0.10 (0.08,0.40) g. SLEDAI2K score decreased from 22 (18,26) in the baseline period to 3 (0,6) 12 months after the treatment. The B lymphocyte level reached 0.00 (0.00,0.01)% at 3 months. Of 23 patients, 13 patients achieved complete remission, and 7 patients achieved partial remission after 6 months of rituximab treatment. Five patients experienced adverse reactions related to rituximab, including 1 case of transfusion reaction, 1 case of perioral herpes with pulmonary infection, and 3 cases of decreased IgG levels. Therefore, rituximab regimen used in this study can be an effective treatment strategy for lupus nephritis.

OBJECTIVE：To optimize the hot sand processing technology of Alpinia officinarum，and to provide scientific evidence for the standardized processing of A. officinarum. METHODS：The contents of galangin and curcumin in processed A. officinarum were determined by HPLC. Based on single factor test，using processing temperature and processing time as factors，comprehensive score of galangin and curcumin contents as index，central composite design-response surface method was used to optimize hot sand processing technology of A. officinarum，and the processing technology was validated. RESULTS：The optimal processing technology included processing temperature of 200 ℃ and processing time of 5.5 min. In validation tests，average comprehensive score was 94.38 （RSD＝1.02％），relative deviation of which to predicted value 93.74 was 0.68％. CONCLUSIONS：The optimized processing technology is simple and predictable. It can be used for hot sand processing technology of A. officinarum.

Fermentum Rubrum（FR） is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine with dual-use functions of medicine and food， which has been used for more than 1 000 years. By referring to the ancient herbal classics and modern laws and regulations， the author sorted out the origin of FR， sorted out the development of processing， and analyzed the problems existing in the quality standard， aiming to provide a basis for further research and development of FR. There are many theories about the origin of FR. After summarizing and sorting out the relevant literature， three viewpoints are mainly drawn， including Han dynasty origin theory， Wei and Jin origin theory and Tang dynasty origin theory. After synthesizing the views of various schools， it is believed that the origin of FR should be no later than the Eastern Han dynasty. FR is made from rice by fermentation， which has the effect of strengthening the spleen， eliminating food， promoting blood circulation and removing stasis after fermentation. Although the natural fermentation in ancient times has been able to pay attention to the influence of temperature， humidity and strain on the quality of FR， due to the low level of science and technology， there are still problems such as complicated and cumbersome process， large workload and high labor cost. To the pure fermentation in modern times， the fermentation processing method of FR has been evolved， gradually improved and perfected. However， due to the lack of standardized research， there is no unified standard for the fermentation process of FR in various regions， and the quality standard lags behind seriously， which leads to the unstable product quality on the market. Among the 15 specifications for the preparation of FR， only 6 have been published in the past 5 years， and most of them have not been revised in a timely manner， and some of them have not been included in the updated version. Based on this， it is recommended to carry out a systematic study on processing technology of FR， and the best process is selected to accelerate the revision and improvement of its standardization， so as to improve the quality of FR sold in the market and promote its stable and sustainable development.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of total saponins from Panax japonicus (TSPJ) against high-fat dietinduced testicular Sertoli cell junction damage in mice. METHODS: Forty male C57BL/6J mice were randomized into normal diet group, high-fat diet group, and low-dose (25 mg/kg) and high-dose (75 mg/kg) TSPJ treatment groups (n=10). The mice in the normal diet group were fed a normal diet, while the mice in the other groups were fed a high-fat diet. After TSPJ treatment via intragastric administration for 5 months, the testes and epididymis of the mice were collected for measurement of weight, testicular and epididymal indices and sperm parameters. HE staining was used for histological evaluation of the testicular tissues and measurement of seminiferous tubule diameter and seminiferous epithelium height. The expression levels of ZO-1, occludin, claudin11, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin in Sertoli cells were detected with Western blot, and the localization and expression levels of ZO-1 and β-catenin in the testicular tissues were detected with immunofluorescence assay. The protein expressions of LC3B, p-AKT and p-mTOR in testicular Sertoli cells were detected using double immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: Treatment with TSPJ significantly improved high-fat diet-induced testicular dysfunction by reducing body weight (P < 0.001), increasing testicular and epididymal indices (P < 0.05), and improving sperm concentration and sperm viability (P < 0.05). TSPJ ameliorated testicular pathologies and increased seminiferous epithelium height of the mice with high-fat diet feeding (P < 0.05) without affecting the seminiferous tubule diameter. TSPJ significantly increased the expression levels of ZO-1, occludin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin (P < 0.05) but did not affect claudin11 expression in the testicular tissues. Immunofluorescence assay showed that TSPJ significantly increased ZO-1 and β-catenin expression in the testicular tissues (P < 0.001), downregulated LC3B expression and upregulated p-AKT and p-mTOR expressions in testicular Sertoli cells. CONCLUSION TSPJ alleviates high-fat diet-induced damages of testicular Sertoli cell junctions and spermatogenesis possibly by activating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and inhibiting autophagy of testicular Sertoli cells.
Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Testis ; Sertoli Cells ; beta Catenin ; Diet, High-Fat ; Occludin ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Seeds ; Cadherins ; Intercellular Junctions