BACKGROUND: Special anatomical location makes eye lens expose to stressful situation in a long term. Whether the environmental stress can up-regulate the expression of heat shock proteins in human lens epithelial cells? Whether the synthesis increase occurs in the level of trenscdption or translation, remains unclear.OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression and location of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in human lens epithelial cells under the conditions of high temperature and oxidative stress, and to investigate the pathogenesis of the cataract.METHODS: Human lens epithelial cells cultured in vitro were exposed to heat (45 ℃) and oxidative stress (50 mmol/L H_2O_2) for 30 minutes, respectively, then allowed to recover normal conditions. At different intervals (0, 2, 4, 6, 16, 24 hours),immunocytochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were used to determine the expression and localization of HSP27.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: HSP27 was shown to express in both physiological and stressful conditions. The expressions of HSP27 mRNA and protein ware remarkably increased at 2 hours following heat and oxidative stress, and reached the peak at 6 hours. HSP27 could maintain a high level for 16 hours. The stress-induced HSP27 protein positive particles transferred from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, and gradually shift back to the cytoplasm along time. It is proved that HSP27 exists in lens epithelial cells and can be increased after stress. The data suggested it may play an important protective role in lens epithelial cells in respond to cellular stress.

Purpose To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata(RRP)on the footpad inflammation induced by complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA)in rats.Methods CFA 100 μL were injected subcutaneously to the Wistar rats at the pad of right hindfoots.19 days later,the rats were daily siven RRP water extract(0.625,1.250,2.500 g/kg·bw)or dexamethasone(0.5mg/ks·bw)intragastrically.The changes of body weight and foot volume were measured.The indexes of organ and blood were determined at the 29th day,the foot pad was removed,and routine paraffin section was performed.Results The model rats kept foot swelling and lymphocyte infiltrating,and the platelet number decreased.The other indexes were statistically insignificant when compared to the controls.RRP did not display any anti-inflammatory effect on the swollon foots,but thoracic gland and spleen indexes were rescued,and platelet number and creatinine content were increased by RRP administration in a dose-dependent manner.The anti-inflammation of dexamethasone was conspicuous,but the side effects were also significant.Conclusion RRP may be plays an adjunctive action in herbal recipes to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective To investigate the association between levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and the risks of cardiovascular disease in Chinese. Methods A survey of 10 375 subjects aged 40 or older in Jiading District of Shanghai was performed using cluster sampling. All the subjects were recruited to undergo questionnaire interview, anthropometric measurements, and fasting blood sampling. A total of 8 877 participants were included in the final analyses, including 5 664 females and 3 213 males. The mean age of individuals was ( 58.68 ± 9.22)yearsinmenand(57.65±8.93)yearsinwomen(P＜0.01).10-yearriskforafirsthardatherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) event was calculated. Results Increased ALT levels were associated with more unfavorable cardiovascular risk profiles and 10-year risk for ASCVD. Increased ALT levels were associated with the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in female participants, while in male participants the prevalence of diabetes mellitus appeared as a U-distribution. The prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia were 66.04%, 52.74%and 64.49%, 47.63% respectively. Increased serum ALT was associated with higher prevalence of 10-year risk for ASCVD. As compared with participants in the first ALT quartile, the risks of 10-year risk for ASCVD were increased by 148%(OR＝2.48, 95%CI 1.78-3.45) and 139%(OR＝2.39, 95%CI 1.78-3.19), respectively in male and female participants. As compared with participants in the first ALT quartile, higher prevalence of 10-year risk for ASCVD were increased by 96%(OR＝1.96, 95%CI 1.30-2.95), while there was no significantly statistical difference in men. Conclusion A high-normal serum ALT level was significantly associated with an increased risk of the cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and elderly Chinese.

ObjectiveTo observe the antidepressant effect of Chaihu Shugansan combined with ferulic acid on the rat model of chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS） and explore the mechanism from the histomorphology of frontal cortex， expression of key molecules in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）/tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） signaling pathway， and changes in monoamine neurotransmitter levels. MethodsSixty adult male SD rats were randomized into six groups （n=10）： blank control， depression model， Chaihu Shugansan （3.3 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， ferulic acid （50 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， Chaihu Shugansan （3.3 g·kg^-1·d^-1） + ferulic acid （50 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， and fluoxetine （2.1 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）. Rats in other groups except the blank control group were subjected to a mild chronic unpredictable stress stimulus every day. Seven stimuli were used， including fasting with free access to water for 24 h， water deprivation with free access to food for 24 h， wetting the bedding with water in the cage， restraint for 3 h， tail clamping for 1 min， swimming in ice water at 4 ℃， and day and night reversal. Each stimulus was used 1 to 3 times， and the modeling lasted for a total of 21 days. At the same time of stimulation， rats in each medication group were treated with corresponding agents by gavage， while those in the blank control group and the depression model group received equal volumes of normal saline by gavage. The open field test， sucrose preference test， and forced swimming test were conducted before and after modeling. The rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of 3% pentobarbital sodium， and the frontal cortex was isolated on ice. The mRNA and protein levels of BDNF， TrkB， and cyclic adenosine monophosphate-responsive element-binding protein （CREB） in the frontal cortex were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. The levels of monoamine neurotransmitters 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE） in the frontal cortex were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Light microscopy was employed to observe the histopathological changes in the frontal cortex. ResultsCompared with the blank control group， the depression model group showed reduced body mass （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased number of crossings and rearings in the open field test and sucrose preference （P<0.01）， prolonged time of immobility in the forced swimming test （P<0.01）， reduced neuronal cells， increased necrotic cells， and darkening cell staining in the frontal cortex， down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of BDNF， TrkB， CREB， and lowered levels of 5-HT， NE， and DA in the frontal cortex （P<0.01）. Compared with the depression model group， each intervention group showed improved general state， increased body mass （P<0.05）， increased number of crossings （P<0.05）， shortened immobility time in the forced swimming test （P<0.01）， increased neuronal cells， reduced necrotic cells， and lightened cellular staining in the frontal cortex， up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of BDNF， TrkB and CREB， and elevated levels of 5-HT， NE， and DA in the frontal cortex （P<0.01）. Moreover， the Chaihu Shugansan + ferulic acid group outperformed the Chaihu Shugansan group and the ferulic acid group in increasing the body mass and the 5-HT content in the frontal cortex （P<0.05）. The combination group outperformed the Chaihu Shugansan group regarding the number of rearings and up-regulation in the mRNA level of BDNF in the frontal cortex （P<0.05）， and it was superior to the ferulic acid group in terms of shortening the immobility time in the forced swimming test， up-regulating the mRNA levels of BDNF， TrkB， and CREB and the protein levels of BDNF and CREB in the frontal cortex， and increasing the DA content in the frontal cortex （P<0.05）. ConclusionChaihu Shugansan combined with ferulic acid can exert antidepressant effect on the rat model of CUMS by regulating the BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway and monoamine neurotransmitter content in the frontal cortex. Moreover， the antidepressant effect of Chaihu Shugansan combined with ferulic acid was more significant than that of Chaihu Shugansan and ferulic acid used alone.

The association between serum uric acid and the risk of incident diabetes in Chinese adults remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate this association in a community-dwelling population aged ≥ 40 years in Shanghai, China. Oral glucose tole3rance test was conducted during baseline and follow-up visits. Relative risk regression was utilized to examine the associations between baseline gender-specific serum uric acid levels and incident diabetes risk. A total of 613 (10.3%) incident diabetes cases were identified during the follow-up visit after 4.5 years. Fasting plasma glucose, postload glucose, and glycated hemoglobin A1c during the follow-up visit progressively increased across the sex-specific quartiles of serum uric acid (all Ps < 0.05). The incidence rate of diabetes increased across the quartiles of serum uric acid (7.43%, 8.77%, 11.47%, and 13.43%). Multivariate adjusted regression analysis revealed that individuals in the highest quartile had 1.36-fold increased risk of diabetes compared with those in the lowest quartile of serum uric acid (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 1.36 (1.06-1.73)). Stratified analysis indicated that the association was only observed in women. Accordingly, serum uric acid was associated with the increased risk of incident diabetes among middle-aged and elderly Chinese women.
Adult ; Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Uric Acid