Objective:To explore the effect of electroacupuncture on the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) in the spine and the activity of α 2 adrenergic receptors in rats with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Methods:In all, 48 adult female rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group and an acupuncture group. The sham operation group received sham vaginal distention. Both the model and acupuncture groups had SUI induced using endovaginal balloon dilatation. The former group then had no further intervention, while the latter was given acupuncture on the sanyinjiao point for one week. Urodynamic testing and leak point pressure (LPP) determination were then conducted with all three groups, as well as urethral sphincter electromyography. The expression of NMDA in the L 6-S 1 spinal segments using the polymerase chain reaction and α 2 adrenergic receptor activity was analyzed using western blotting. Results:No significant differences in the urodynamic variables were observed among the three groups. However, compared with the sham operation group, a significant decrease in the average LPP and the frequency and amplitude of the external urethral sphincter electromyography was observed in the model group. Moreover, compared with the model group, the acupuncture group showed significantly increased average LPP and higher electromyographic frequency and amplitude. The average mRNA and protein expression of NMDA in the spine were also significantly higher in the acupuncture group, as was the average α 2 receptor activity. Conclusions:Vaginal distention is an effective method of establishing urinary incontinence in rats. Electroacupuncture can not only improve the ability to store urine, it also increases urination, which may be related to the up-regulation of the expression of NMDA and α 2 adrenergic receptors.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between mRNA and protein expression of HtrA and Streptococcus mutans i-solated from the children with different caries experience and to provide the theoretical and experimental basis on prediction of dent-al caries in deciduous teeth .Methods The strains of Streptococcus mutans isolated from children with different carious experiences in the preliminary experiments were divided into three groups :high caries-susceptible group ,middle caries-susceptible group ,caries-free group .All strains were reanimated on the agar plate of MS ,and after smear pure culture examination ,typical bacteria were in-cubated in BHI ,then purified nucleic acid and extracted all the RNA of streptococcus mutans by reverse transcription PCR and de-tected it by agarose gel electrophoresis integrality .Synthetic cDNA and take further PCR amplification with cDNA products .Ob-serve records results by Gel imaging system .HtrA of target gene and electrophoresis image were gray scan by Gel quantitative soft-ware Gel-Pro analyzer 4 .0 was used to analyze relative expression value of gene .After purifying protein ,collected total protein of Streptococcus mutans strains by Western Blot method ,then tested the concentration of total protein sample .The results of Chemilu-minescence imaging were scanned into computer by Bio-Rad analyzing system ,calculated the gray value by software Quantity One 4 .4 .0 which showed the relative expression level of protein .Results There were significant differences in HtrA mRNA and protein expression of different Streptococcus mutans isolated from the children with different caries susceptibility .high caries-susceptible group> middle caries-susceptible group> caries-free group (P< 0 .05) .Conclusion There were significant differences in HtrA mRNA and protein expression of different Streptococcus mutans isolated from the children with different caries susceptibility .The higher caries susceptibility the group was ,the more HtrA mRNA and protein the strain express .

Objective: To observe the effect of strengthening qi and nourishing yin recipe (SQNY recipe) on the expressions of estrogen receptor ? (ER?) and CyclinD1 of Lewis lung cancer in C57BL/6 mice with immunohistochemistry, and discuss the mechanism of its anti-proliferation and anti-metastasis effects, and analyse the correlation between ER? and CyclinD1. Methods: Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups. They were all transplanted with Lewis lung cancer cells, and received the interventions the next day as follows: tumor-bearing control group was fed with 0.9% NaCl, and TCM group was treated with SQNY recipe, and DDP group was given intraperitoneal DDP injection. All of mice were killed on the 20th day, weighed the tumor and counted lung metastases to calculate the inhibition rates of tumor growth and metastasis. The expressions of ER?, CyclinD1 in tumor tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: The inhibition rates of tumor growth and metastasis were 35.02% and 54.20% in TCM group, and were 41.18% and 39.02% in DDP group, respectively (all P

Xiang thinking is the key way of thinking to construct the life model of human body in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and the theory of ascending and descending of qi movement is an important manifestation of xiang thinking in the theory of TCM. Based on the theory of qi movement， this paper interpreted the mechanism of ischemic stroke through the perspective of xiang thinking "earth weakness - wood constraint - fire hyperactivity"， as "earth weakness in the central and dampness accumulated to phlegm" "wood constraint and stirring wind led to blood stasis" and "fire hyperactivity and fire toxin showed flaming upward" due to disorder of qi movement. Combined with the "xiang of medicinal properties and therapy methods" to discuss the treatment and prescriptions of ischaemic stroke， applying wind medicinals to elevate ji-earth （己土） and yi-wood （乙木）， so that phlegm and stasis can be eliminated， and cold medicinals to descend jia-wood （甲木） and wu-earth （戊土） so that fire toxin can be cleared， with a view to restore ascending and descending of qi movement for ischaemic stroke.

As the guiding theory for the diagnosis and treatment of encephalopathy in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， The marrow sea theory has important theoretical connotation and clinical value. This paper summarized the clinical research literature on the differentiation and treatment of common encephalopathy based on the marrow sea theory published in recent years， analyzed the treatment method and effects from eight aspects in terms of stroke， dizziness， insomnia， headache， constraint syndrome， dementia， tremor syndrome， and atrophy syndrome， and discussed the possible mechanism based on the relevant basic research. It is believed that marrow sea depletion is the common pathogenesis of encephalopathy in TCM. Guided by the method of supplementing essence and boosting marrow， the corresponding formulas and medicinals are recommended in accordance with differentiated syndromes， which can effectively improve the symptoms of the disease， delay the progression， increase the daily life ability of the patients， and improve the quality of life. Based on the marrow sea theory， the method of supplementing essence and boosting marrow， rectifying healthy qi and dispelling pathogen can be used to highlight the advantages of TCM and provide ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of encephalopathy in TCM.

ObjectiveTo explore the material basis and molecular mechanism of Linggui Qihua prescription （LGQH） against myocardial fibrosis in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction （HFpEF）. MethodLiquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （LC-MS） was used to qualitatively analyze the active components of LGQH. AutoDock software was employed for molecular docking between the active components of LGQH and target proteins including α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， type Ⅰ collagen （ColⅠ）， type Ⅲ collagen （ColⅢ）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 （TIMP-1）. In vivo experiments were conducted on 40 spontaneously hypertensive rats （SHRs） aged 4 weeks， which were divided into an HFpEF group， an Entresto group （0.018 g·kg^-1）， and low- and high-dose LGQH groups （3.87， 7.74 g·kg^-1）. A high-fat， high-salt， and high-sugar diet was administered for 16 weeks along with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin solution for 8 weeks to establish an HFpEF model in rats. The blank group consisted of 10 Wistar Kyoto （WKY） rats and 10 SHRs. After successful modeling， the WKY， SHR， and HFpEF groups were given equal volumes of normal saline， while the other three groups received predetermined interventions. Daily oral gavage was performed for 6 weeks. After intervention， echocardiography was conducted to measure left ventricular （LV） anterior wall thickness （LVAWd）， LV posterior wall thickness （LVPWd）， LV internal diameter at end-diastole （LVIDd）， LV ejection fraction （LVEF）， isovolumic relaxation time （IVRT）， early diastolic peak velocity of mitral valve inflow （E）， and early diastolic mitral annular velocity （e'）. The E/e' ratio was calculated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum atrial natriuretic peptide （ANP）， B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP）， and galectin-3 （Gal-3）. Myocardial fibrosis was observed through Masson staining of pathological sections， and collagen volume fraction （CVF） and perivascular fibrosis ratio （PFR） were calculated. Real-time polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and Western blot were employed to detect LV myocardial mRNA and protein expression of α-SMA， ColⅠ， ColⅢ， MMP-9， and TIMP-1. ResultLC-MS identified 13 active components in LGQH. Molecular docking indicated stable binding of the 13 compounds with five target proteins. In vivo experiments showed that compared with the blank group， the HFpEF group had significantly increased LVAWd， LVPWd， LVIDd， IVRT， E/e'， ANP， BNP， Gal-3， CVF， and PFR. LV myocardial α-SMA， ColⅠ， and ColⅢ mRNA and protein expression was significantly upregulated， while MMP-9/TIMP-1 mRNA and protein ratios were significantly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the HFpEF group， LGQH might dose-dependently reduce LVAWd， LVPWd， LVIDd， IVRT， E/e'， ANP， BNP， Gal-3， CVF， and PFR， downregulated myocardial α-SMA， ColⅠ， ColⅢ mRNA expression， α-SMA， and ColⅠ protein expression， and upregulated MMP-9/TIMP-1 mRNA and protein expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionLGQH contains multiple active components and may inhibit myocardial fibrosis in HFpEF rats. It may further alleviate LV hypertrophy， dilation， and diastolic dysfunction， making it an effective Chinese medicinal prescription for treating HFpEF.

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of gene mutation on the effectiveness of arsenic-containing Chinese herbal compound formulas in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes （MDS） of different traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） patterns， so as to provide the basis for the clinical application. MethodsClinical data of 442 MDS patients who were treated with arsenic-containing herbal compound formulas were retrospectively collected， including the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Based on the TCM four examinations， the patients were divided into the spleen-kidney deficiency group as well as the qi-yin deficiency group， and according to the results of the next-generation sequencing （NGS） test， they were divided into the group with and without gene mutation respectively. The influence of gene mutation on the clinical effectiveness of patients with different TCM patterns was analyzed， the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients with different outcomes of the two TCM patterns were compared， and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted on the influencing factors of the effective rate of MDS patients with gene mutation. ResultsA total of 190 cases were included in the spleen-kidney deficiency group （119 cases with gene mutation） and 43 cases in the qi-yin deficiency group （23 cases with gene mutation）. No statistically significant differences were noted in effectiveness assessment， total effective rate， and total response rate between the spleen-kidney deficiency group and the qi-yin deficiency group （P＞0.05）. In the spleen-kidney deficiency group， the total effective rate of MDS with gene mutation was 65.55% （78/119）， which was lower than 80.28% （57/71） of MDS without gene mutation， with statistical significance （P = 0.033）， while no statistical differences in effectiveness assessment and total response rate were noted （P＞0.05）. In the qi-yin deficiency group， no statistical differences were observed in effectiveness assessment， total effective rate， and total response rate of the patients in with or without gene mutation （P＞0.05）. In the spleen-kidney deficiency group with gene mutation， the rate of complex karyotype （P = 0.031） and the mutation rate of CBL gene （P = 0.032） in the ineffective population were higher than those in the effective population， while the mutation rate of DDX41 gene in the effective population was higher than that in the ineffective population （P = 0.033）. No statistically significant differences were found in other gene mutations， age， gender distribution， number of gene mutations， bone marrow hyperplasia degree， blast cell range， reticular fiber tissue proliferation or not， and prognosis of chromosomal abnormalities between the effective and ineffective populations （P＞0.05）. In the qi-yin deficiency group with gene mutation， no statistically significant differences were found in various items between populations with different outcomes （P＞0.05）. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that complex karyotype， CBL mutation， and DDX41 mutation were independently associated with the effective rate of MDS with spleen-kidney deficiency and gene mutation （P＜0.05）. DDX41 mutation was an independent protective factor in the spleen-kidney deficiency group （OR＞1）， while complex karyotype and CBL mutation were independent risk factors （OR＜1）. ConclusionThe arsenic-containing TCM compound formulas exhibited better effectiveness in MDS with spleen-kidney deficiency pattern without mutation； and in MDS with spleen-kidney deficiency pattern without complex karyotypes， CBL mutation， and with DDX41 mutations. Furthermore， DDX41 mutation was an independent protective factor in the spleen-kidney deficiency group， while complex karyotype and CBL mutation were independent risk factors. In MDS with qi-yin deficiency pattern， gene mutation-related factors showed no significant impact on the effectiveness of arsenic-containing TCM compound formulas.

Though Runx2 and Osterix are both key transcription factors in the pathway of osteoblast differentiation, whether Runx2 positively regulates Osterix being unknown. It was showed that Runx2 induced the gene expression of Osterix both in the non-osteoblastic cell lines, either pluripotent or differentiated, and in the osteoblastic cell lines. At the same time, the results also indicated that Runx2 up-regulated the activity of the 3.2 kb human Osterix promoter. Further experiments identified a highly conserved and functional Runx2 binding site "AGTGGTT" within the promoter. Thus the results support the hypothesis that Runx2 is involved in the regulation of the Osterix gene expression. Moreover, the transient transfection and dual-luciferase assay showed Osterix up-regulated the activity of the 2.3 kb type Ⅰ collagen promoter in the non-osteoblastic cells, but Runx2 did not. This difference implies that Osterix, the down stream transcription factor of Runx2 during osteoblast differentiation, is needed to stimulate the osteoblast-specific gene expression of type Ⅰ collagen.

OBJECTIVETo observe blood flow features in elderly hypertension patients of different Chinese medical syndrome types and to test their correlation with rheological properties of red blood cells (RBCs) by applying micro-channel array flow analyzer (MC-FAN).

METHODSRecruited were 109 elderly hypertension patients were assigned to phlegm-stasis blocking collateral group (35 cases), yin deficiency yang hyperactivity group (42 cases), Shen deficiency group (32 cases) according to Chinese medical syndrome typing. Besides, another 21 elderly healthy subjects were recruited as the control group. The hemorheology visualization testing of elderly hypertension patients was detected using MC-FAN. The erythrocyte deformation index (DI), erythrocyte aggregation index (EAI), and erythrocyte related plasma ATPase activity were observed. The correlation between the transiting time (TT) of blood hemorheology visualization and rheological indicators of RBCs were analyzed.

RESULTSThe hemorheology visualization TT was significantly prolonged more in the phlegm-stasis blocking collateral group than in the yin deficiency yang hyperactivity group, the Shen deficiency group, and the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the DI was significantly lower in the phlegm-stasis blocking collateral group than in the yin deficiency yang hyperactivity group, the Shen deficiency group, and the control group (P < 0.05) when the shear rate was 100 s(-1). Compared with the control group, the plasma Na+ -K(+) -ATPase activity and the plasma Ca2+ -Mg2+ -ATPase activity were significantly lower in elderly hypertension patients (P < 0.01). Among the three groups, plasma Ca2+ -Mg2+ -ATPase activity was significantly lower in the phlegm stasis blocking collateral group than in the Shen deficiency group (P < 0. 05). The hemorheology visualization TT (10, 30, 60, and 100 microL) was negatively correlated with DI. The hemorheology visualization TT at 100 microL was positively correlated with EAI.

CONCLUSIONChanges of hemorheology visualization TT of elderly hypertension patients were significant and correlated with traditional EAI.

Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Erythrocyte Aggregation ; Erythrocyte Deformability ; Female ; Hemorheology ; Humans ; Hypertension ; blood ; diagnosis ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Middle Aged

Diabetic cardiomyopathy refers to dysfunction of cardiac muscle in patients with diabetes that cannot be directly ascribed to hypertension， coronary heart disease or other defined cardiac abnormalities. Imbalance in metabolic flexibility is the underlying cause of diabetic cardiomyopathy， which is manifested as distorted nutrient sensing， slow substrate switching， and impaired energy homeostasis. In the case of diabetes/insulin resistance， cardiac fatty acid oxidation increases while glucose oxidation decreases， resulting in the imbalance in cardiac metabolic flexibility. Thus， the heart fails to switch substrates depending on the changes （taking food/fasting， rest/exercise） and the energy production in cardiomyocytes reduced， causing cardiac dysfunction. Moreover， the excessive cardiac fatty acid fails to be degraded by the mitochondrial β oxidation， triggering cardiac lipid accumulation and reduction in glucose oxidation. Therefore， the glucose in the pentose phosphate （PPP） and the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway （HBP） increases and the production of advanced glycation end products rises， inducing glycolipotoxicity. The intermediates of abnormal substrate metabolism cause oxidative stress， inflammation， mitochondrial dysfunction and further result in impaired myocardial function. Qi and blood are the main functional substances for the normal functioning of the body. Qi and blood harmonize and work together to defend against external pathogen， while disharmony of blood and Qi will induce the production of various pathological products that lead to the occurrence of diseases. The function and regulation of Qi-Blood movement are similar to those of metabolism. Qi deficiency and blood stasis， Qi stagnation and blood stasis， and other "blood-Qi disharmony" types run through the whole process of diabetic cardiomyopathy， and "blood-Qi disharmony" will affect systemic substrate metabolism and lead to impaired energy metabolism. By systematically explaining the relationship between "blood-Qi disharmony" and "metabolic flexibility" in diabetic cardiomyopathy， we provide scientific research and clinical formulation ideas for targeting "metabolic flexibility" in the prevention of diabetic cardiomyopathy with Qi-replenishing and Blood-activating medicinals.