A pot experiment was conducted to study effect of drought stress on leaf physiological characteristics and growth of one year old Stellaria dichotoma seedlings. The result showed that plant height and shoot dry weight significantly decreased with decrease in soil water content; however, root length and root dry weight increased at light drought stress and decreased at severe drought stress. The result also showed that with the decrease of soil water content, proline content in S. dichotoma leaves decreased then increase, while solube protein content decreased. Activities of SOD and POD in S. dichotoma leaves significantly decreased as soil water content decreased, while activity of CAT significantly decreased at severe drought stress. Membrane permeability in S. dichotoma leaves increased, while MDA content decreased then increased as soil water decreased. These results suggest that S. dichotoma had osmotic stress resistance ability and reactive oxygen scavenging capacity at light drought stress, which caused S. dichotoma growth was no inhibited at a certain extent drought stress.
Droughts ; Plant Leaves ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Proline ; metabolism ; Seedlings ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Stellaria ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Water ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo research the effects of incorporating tetrapod-like zinc oxide whisker (T-ZnOw) of different proportions on the antibacterial activity of different kinds of soft denture liners.

METHODSThe minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of T-ZnOw against Saccharomyces albicans (S. albicans) were examined by the broth dilution test. Add T-ZnOw 0%, 1%, 2%, 3% to Silagum soft denture liners and soft denture liners respectively. The antimicrobial rate of S. albicans was determined by the membrane covering method.

RESULTSThe MIC of T-ZnOw against S. albicans was 78 microg mL(-1) and the MBC was 156 microg mL(-1). Comparing 1%, 2%, 3% T-ZnOw group with control group, the results showed significant difference (P<0.05). And as the T-ZnOw antibacterial agent added ratio increased, antibacterial increased significantly.

CONCLUSIONThe soft denture liners incorporating with 1%, 2%, 3% of T-ZnOw can improve antibacterial activity. Following the increased proportions of T-ZnOw, antibacterial rate was significantly increasing.

Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Denture Liners ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Vibrissae ; Zinc Oxide

Objective To compare the perioperative characteristics and long term outcomes between extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-conventional cardiopulmonary switch (experimental group,26 cases) and off-pump high-risk coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG group,24cases).Methods Perioperative characteristics and survival rate were retrospectively analyzed between experimental group and OPCABG group.Long term survival rates without major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE) were comparatively analyzed via Kaplan-Meier curves.Results The average Euroscore value were 11.7 ± 2.4 and 10.9 ± 2.0,respectively(P =0.208).The experimental group had a higher complete revascularization rate (96.2％ vs.66.7％,P =0.009),a shorter length of postoperative ECMO support [(33.1±23.6)h vs.(80.8±18.5)h],an intensive care unit stay[(4.8±1.1)d vs.(10.2±9.0)d]and a hospital stay [(17.7±6.3)d vs.(28.2±17.5)d] (all P＜0.05) as compared with OPCABG group.Preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) grading of cardiac function (r =0.511,P =0.008) and intraoperative ultrafiltration volume (r =-0.442,P =0.024) were significantly correlated with postoperative ECMO continuation in the experimental group.The follow-up period was (45.4 ± 15.2) months.The experimental group had a higher survival rate without MACE than had the OPCABG group (Log-rank test:x2=4.828,P=0.028).Conclusions The ECMO-conventional cardiopulmonary switch mode might facilitate a higher complete revascularization,a lower incidence of postoperative morbidities and improve the longterm survival rate without MACE for patients with high risks.

Research on the participation of exosomes in pathogenesis and prognosis of multiple myeloma(MM)has made encouraging progress.However,the specific mechanism has not yet been clarified.Recently,domestic and foreign researchers have pressed forward on deeper study on exosomes.This article mainly summarizes the role of exosomes in the pathophysiological processes,such as bone marrow microenvironment changes,immunosuppression,myeloma bone disease generation and myeloma drug resistance,so as to provide new reference for further clinical research of exosomes as potential biomarkers for MM.

Objective:To analyze the gene variants in patients with primary distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA), and explore the correlation between the genotype and phenotype.Methods:The Sanger direct sequencing or whole-exome sequencing was used to identify causal variants and the variation pathogenicity was evaluated according to 2015 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) standards and guidelines in 44 dRTA patients (37 families) diagnosed in the Affiliated Qingdao Municipal Hospital of Qingdao University and the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from April 2010 to September 2020. The clinical features of the patients were summarized, and the correlation between the genotype and phenotype was investigated.Results:Seven variants of SLC4A1 gene, 17 variants of ATP6V0A4 gene, and 15 variants of ATP6V1B1 gene were identified in 44 patients with dRTA, and of which 11 variants were new ones. According to ACMG guidelines, the pathogenic, likely pathogenic, benign variants among the 39 variants were 22, 16 and 1, respectively. Nine patients were autosomal dominant hereditary dRTA caused by SLC4A1 gene mutation, 4 patients with autosomal recessive hereditary dRTA complicated with Southeast Asian ovalocytosis and anemia were caused by SLC4A1 gene mutation, and 14 patients caused by ATP6V0A4 gene mutation and 8 patients caused by ATP6V1B1 gene mutation were autosomal recessive hereditary dRTA; Two children with dRTA were found to carry one monoallelic defect in ATP6V1B1, and no causal gene mutation was identified in 7 patients. One patient showed incomplete dRTA, and the other 43 patients showed complete dRTA. The prevalence of sensory neural hearing loss caused by ATP6V0A4 and ATP6V1B1 mutation were 2/14 and 6/10 respectively. The frequency of chronic kidney disease in adults, children and infants were 4/4, 2/4, and 1/36, separately. After the drug treatment based on potassium citrate and sodium citrate, the growth and development (28/40) and electrolyte disturbance (41/44) of most patients were significantly improved. Conclusions:The present study has identified 39 variants of SLC4A1, ATP6V0A4 and ATP6V1B1 genes in 44 patients with dRTA, including 11 novel ones. There is a close relationship between genotype and phenotype in dRTA patients and most patients' conditions were improved after proper treatment. This study enriches the human gene mutation database and provides valuable references for diagnosis, treatment and genetic counseling in patients with dRTA.

Humans ; Research Design ; Clinical Trials as Topic

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of Compound Zhebei Granule (, CZBG) combined with chemotherapy on surface markers of leukemia stem cell (LSC) in the bone marrow of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

METHODSSeventy-eight patients with AML received bone marrow aspiration and the percentages of CD34(+) CD123(+) and CD33(+) CD123(+) cells were tested using flow cytometry method. A total of 24 refractory or relapsed AML patients were enrolled and treated with one cycle of standard chemotherapy combined with CZBG. Bone marrow samples were obtained before and after treatment, and the percentages of CD34(+) CD123(+) and CD33(+) CD123(+) cells were examined by flflow cytometry.

RESULTSCompared with refractory or relapsed AML patients, patients achieved remission had a significant lower percentage of CD34(+) CD123(+) cells(P<0.01) and CD33(+) CD123(+) cells (P<0.01), indicating that controlling the LSC percentage may be important for patients with AML to achieve sustainable remission. Compared with those before treatment, the expression levels of CD34(+) CD123(+) were significantly decreased after CZBG combined with chemotherapy treatment (P<0.01). The percentages of CD34(+) CD123(+) cells and CD33(+) CD123(+) in patients achieving complete remission after CZBG combined with chemotherapy treatment were both significantly lower than those in patients with nonremission (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONCZBG combining chemotherapy could reduce the percentages of CD34(+) CD123(+) and CD33(+) CD123(+) LSC, which might improve the clinical efficacy of refractory or relapsed AML.

Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Bone Marrow Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Remission Induction

ObjectiveThe differential expression of microRNAs （miRNAs） between the active stage and the remission stage of ulcerative colitis （UC） was analyzed by bioinformatics method， and the regulatory relationship was constructed by screening the differentially expressed genes （DEGs）. The mechanism of Xizhuo Jiedu recipe in the treatment of UC was speculated and verified by animal experiments. MethodThe miRNAs data set of colonic mucosa tissue of UC patients was obtained from the gene expression database （GEO）， and the most differentially expressed miRNAs were screened by GEO2R， Excel， and other tools as research objects. TargetScan， miRTarbase， miRDB， STRING， TRRUST， and Matescape databases were used to screen key DEGs， predict downstream transcription factors （TFs）， gene ontology （GO）， and conduct Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analysis. The key signaling pathways were selected for animal experiments. In animal experiments， the UC mouse model was prepared by making the mouse freely drink 2.5% dextran sodium sulfate （DSS）. Xiezhu Jiedu recipe and mesalazine were given by gavage for seven days， and the inflammatory infiltration of colonic mucosa was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of miR-155-5p in colon tissue. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the protein expression levels of cytokine signal transduction inhibitor （SOCS1）， phosphorylated transcriptional signal transductor and activator 3 （p-STAT3）， phosphorylated Janus kinase 2 （p-JAK2）， and retinoic acid-associated orphan receptor-γt （ROR-γt）. The expression levels of transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）， interleukin-17 （IL-17）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in serum were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultThe GSE48957 dataset was screened from the GEO database， and miR-155-5p was selected as the research object from the samples in the active and remission stages. 131 DEGs were screened. The GO/KEGG enrichment analysis was closely related to biological processes such as positive regulation of miRNA transcription and protein phosphorylation， as well as signaling pathways such as stem cell signaling pathway， IL-17 signaling pathway， and helper T cell 17 （Th17） cell differentiation. The Matescape database was used to screen out 10 key DEGs， among which SOCS1 was one of the key DEGs of miR-155-5p. Further screening of the TFS of key DEGs revealed that STAT3 was one of the main TFs of SOCS1. The results of animal experiments showed that Xiezhu Jiedu Recipe could effectively down-regulate the mRNA expression of miR-155-5p and protein expression of p-STAT3， p-JAK2， and ROR-γt in colon tissue of UC mice and the expression of IL-17 and IL-6 in serum of UC mice， up-regulate the protein expression of SOCS1 and the expression of TGF-β and IL-10， increase the level of anti-inflammatory factors， and reduce inflammatory cell infiltration. ConclusionIt is speculated that Xizhuo Jiedu recipe may interfere with SOCS1 by regulating the expression of miR-155-5p in UC mice， inhibit the phosphorylation of STAT3， inhibit the differentiation of CD4⁺ T cells into Th17 cells， reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors （IL-17 and IL-6）， and increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors （TGF-β and IL-10）. As a result， the inflammation of colon mucosa in UC mice was alleviated.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of excretory-secretory protein (AES) from adult Trichinella spiralis on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic rhinitis in mice. Methods Eighteen female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups, including the blank control group (Group A), OVA-induced rhinitis group (Group B) and AES treatment group (Group C). Mice in Group A were given PBS. Mice in Group B were intraperitoneally injected with antigen adjuvant suspension for systemic sensitization, once every other day for seven times; then, local excitation was intranasally induced with 5% OVA solution once a day for seven times to establish a mouse model of allergic rhinitis. In addition to induction of allergic rhinitis, mice in Group C were given 25 μg AES at baseline sensitization and local excitation. Following the final challenge, mice were observed for 30 min in each group, and the behavioral score was evaluated. The serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and TGF-β were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in mice, and the pathological changes of mouse nasal mucosa were observed under a microscope. Results There was a significant difference in the mouse behavioral scores among the three groups (F = 110.12, P < 0.01). The mouse behavioral score was significantly higher in Group B than in Group A (7.17 ± 0.75 vs. 1.33 ± 0.52, P < 0.01), and more remarkable pathological damages of mouse nasal mucosa were seen in Group B than in Group A, while the mouse behavioral score was significantly decreased in Group C than in Group B (P < 0.01), and the pathological damages of mouse nasal mucosa remarkably alleviated in Group C relative to Group B. There was a significant difference in serum IFN-γ level among the three groups (F = 7.50, P < 0.01) and the serum IFN-γ level in Group B was significantly lower than in group A and C (both P < 0.05). There were significant differences in serum IL-4 (F = 470.81, P < 0.01) and IL-5 levels (F =68.20, P < 0.01) among the three groups, and significantly greater serum IL-4 and IL-5 levels were detected in Group B than in Group A (P < 0.01), while significantly lower serum IL-4 and IL-5 levels were detected in Group C than in Group B (P < 0.01). There were significant differences in serum IL-10 (F = 174.91, P < 0.01) and TGF-β levels (F = 9.39, P < 0.01) among the three groups, and significantly greater serum IL-10 and TGF-β levels were seen in Group C than in Group B (both P < 0.05). Conclusion T. spiralis AES has a remarkable protective activity against OVA-induced allergic rhinitis in mice.

Humans ; Pharyngeal Neoplasms ; Esophageal Neoplasms/surgery*