Objective To investigate the relationship between the incidence and degree of carotid atherosclerosis(CAS) and traditional Chinese medical(TCM) syndrome patterns in aged patients with isolated systolic hypertension(ISH).Methods A prospective cohort trial was applied.Thirty healthy volunteers were in the normal control group.One hundred and twenty aged ISH patients were classified into four TCM syndrome patters.The relationship between TCM syndrome patters and CAS was studied.Results The maximum carotid intima-media thickness(IMTmax) was larger in aged ISH patients than the normal control group(P

The National Excellent Course of Gynecology of Chinese Medicine is a main clinical subject of TCM,which puts emphasis on clinical application.The non-medical doctoral students are lack of the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine and clinical experience,and the existing classroom teaching has the problem of the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine being out of line with the clinical application,which has become the hindering factors of TCM gynecology teaching.By designing and perfecting the process of preparation before class-classroom teaching-discussion teaching-clinical probation-after class feedback,the related teaching teachers better improve the non medical doctoral students' ability to put the traditional Chinese medicine gynecology basic knowledge into clinical practice,which is well received by the students.

Baicalein-nicotinamide(BE-NCT)co-crystal was chosen as model drug to investigate the thermody-namic characteristics.Solubilities of BE in NCT solutions in ethyl acetate at different temperatures were deter-mined in order to explain the complexation behavior of BE-NCT co-crystal.Thermodynamic parameters of co-crys-tal formation progress were calculated.Ternary phase diagrams (TPDs)of the BE-NCT-ethyl acetate systems at various temperatures were established.The non-linear fitting equation according to 1 ∶1 complexation mechanism of BE-NCT co-crystal demonstrated a good correlation between calculated and experimental data (R2 >0.98). Co-crystal formation is a spontaneous process(ΔG°<0).Increase in temperature resulted in the increase of Ksp;decrease of K11 and a narrowed co-crystal zone.The degree of spontaneous reaction also decreased with increased temperature.The spontaneous reaction no longer carried out if the temperature reached T* =315 K sinceΔG°=0(ΔH°=-6.314 ×10 -2 kJ/mol;ΔS°=-0.200 5 J/mol.K).A drop in temperature favors the complexation between BE and NCT in ethyl acetate.Since NCT has higher solubility than BE in ethyl acetate;the TPDs of co-crystal was asymmetric.The DSC diagrams of products prepared via three presupposed methods confirmed that the BE-NCT co-crystal could be generated in solutions of nonstoichiometric compositions.

OBJECTIVE The N-methyl-D-aspartate(NMDA)receptor has been shown to be strongly associ-ated with rapid antidepressant effects.GW043 is a com-pound with a novel structure that we designed and syn-thesized to act on the NMDA receptor(NMDAR).METH-ODS In this study,we first confirmed the target of GW043 using a receptor binding assay.We observed the effect of GW043 on NMDAR currents in vivo and in vitro assays using a membrane clamp technique with a view to characterizing the function of GW043.We investi-gated the antidepressant effect of GW043 in rodent behavioral models such as FST,TST and CUMS.Fur-thermore,we explored the mechanism of GW043 onset using Western blotting,BrdU staining,Golgi staining and electrophysiological techniques.RESULTS GW043 interacts with high affinity only at the NMDAR.Electro-physiological studies have indicated that GW043 is a par-tial agonist of NMDAR.Meanwhile,behavioral experi-ments were conducted to confirm the antidepressant effect of GW043 in rodents.The mechanism study found that GW043 regulate synaptic plasticity through LTP and BDNF/mTOR pathways and increase the number of new-born neurons to cause antidepressant effects.GW043,a partial agonist of NMDAR,reversed depression-like behav-ior in rats by modulating synaptic plasticity,suggesting an antidepressant effect.CONCLUSION The results suggest that GW043 is a partial agonist of NMDA recep-tors and has significant antidepressant effects.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a cell-based system for the diagnosis of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factor deficiency 1 (VKCFD1). METHODS: In HEK293 cells stably expressing the reporter gene FIX-Gla-PC, the gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX) gene was knocked out by using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), DNA sequencing and Western blotting were used to identify the GGCX gene knockout cells. A quickchange point variant method was used to construct the GGCX variant. ELISA was used to assess the influence of GGCX variant on the activity of reporter gene. RESULTS: Two monoclonal cell lines with no reporter activity by ELISA was identified. Edition and knockout of the GGCX gene was confirmed by DNA sequencing and Western blotting. The activity of the reporter gene was recovered by transfection of the wild-type GGCX gene. Thereby two monoclonal cells with GGCX knockout were obtained. By comparing the wild-type and pathogenic GGCX variants, the reporter activity was decreased in the pathogenic variants significantly. CONCLUSION A cell-based system for the detection of GGCX activity was successfully developed, which can be used for the diagnosis of VKCFD1 caused by GGCX variants.

Diabetic osteoporosis （DOP） is a kind of bone complication caused by diabetes， which is characterized by the decrease of bone mineral density， the change of bone microstructure and the increase of bone fragility. The process of DOP is closely related to high glucose， insulin resistance， oxidative stress and other mechanisms. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays an important role in mediating insulin resistance and bone metabolic balance in diabetes. Regulation of Wnt signal transduction promotes the expression of glycogen synthase kinase-3β（GSK-3β）phosphorylation and improves glucose and lipid metabolism. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is also an important way regulating osteocyte-driven bone remodeling， which not only plays an important regulatory role in the balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts and improve bone metabolic homeostasis， but also promotes the expression of osteopontin， osteocalcin and type Ⅰ collagen， and improves bone proliferation and osteogenic differentiation by regulating the Wnt pathway. In recent years， the research of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the prevention and treatment of DOP has gradually increased， and the exploration of TCM to interfere with the Wnt pathway to improve DOP has made some progress. This paper collects and summarizes the studies on the Wnt signaling pathway in glucose metabolism， bone metabolism and DOP worldwide in the past decade， as well as the related literature on the intervention of DOP by TCM compounds （classical and other compounds）， single Chinese medicine and TCM monomers based on the Wnt pathway， in order to provide a reference and direction for the development of new drugs for clinical prevention and treatment of DOP.

Rhodotorula toruloides is a non-conventional red yeast that can synthesize various carotenoids and lipids. It can utilize a variety of cost-effective raw materials, tolerate and assimilate toxic inhibitors in lignocellulosic hydrolysate. At present, it is widely investigated for the production of microbial lipids, terpenes, high-value enzymes, sugar alcohols and polyketides. Given its broad industrial application prospects, researchers have carried out multi-dimensional theoretical and technological exploration, including research on genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and genetic operation platform. Here we review the recent progress in metabolic engineering and natural product synthesis of R. toruloides, and prospect the challenges and possible solutions in the construction of R. toruloides cell factory.
Gene Editing ; Metabolic Engineering ; Rhodotorula/metabolism* ; Lipids

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and application value of submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection(STER)for upper gastrointestinal submucosal tumors(SMTs). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the endoscopic and clinical data of 44 cases with SMTs who received STER from January 2015 to June 2016 in Chinese PLA General Hospital. Results The rate of complete resection was 88.6%(39/44). The operating time was 60.1±30.6 min. The hospitalization time was 10.1± 3.3 days. The rate of complications was 6.8%(3/44). The diagnosis of SMTs by pathology and endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS),the size of SMTs measured by EUS and ruler after STER,and the growing direction judged by EUS and CT were consistent. Conclusion STER for SMTs has a higher complete resection rate, shorter operating time and hospitalization time, and fewer complications. EUS combined with CT is an effective method for preoperative evaluation.

Objective To explore the value of plaque-to-aorta CT value ratio(standardized CT value)in differentiating coronary lipid and fibrous plaques,and to preliminarily analyze the stability of the cutoff.Methods Patients who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography(CCTA)and intravascular ultrasound(IVUS)within 1 week were included.The plaque CT value was obtained by measuring the all,four and two short-axis planes,respectively.The CT value of the ascending aorta was measured and standardized(plaque-to-aorta CT value ratio).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves of the standardized and the traditional CT values were drawn.Results A total of 60 patients with 74 plaques were included,35 lipid and 39 fibrous plaques were diagnosed by IVUS.The aorta CT value was significantly correlated with the plaque(r=0.420,P<0.01);the cutoffs for the CT value of all,four and two plaque slices were 55 HU,48 HU and 52 HU,respectively,and all there of the cutoffs of standardized CT value were 0.149;the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV)and negative predictive value(NPV)of four-slice traditional and standardized CT values to differentiate lipid and fibrous plaques were 69%,87%,83%,76%and 91%,82%,82%,91%,respectively.Conclusion Compared with traditional CT value,the standardized CT value can greatly improve the sensitivity and NPV in differentiating coronary lipid and fibrous plaques,while maintaining modest to high specificity and PPV.Furthermore,the cutoff is stable.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical effect of Jiechang Buxu pills on chronic relapsing ulcerative colitis （syndrome of spleen-kidney Yang deficiency） and the repair effect on mucosal barrier injury. MethodA total of 108 patients were randomly assigned into observation （54 cases） and control （54 cases） groups. Both groups were treated with mesalazine enteric-coated tablets， 0.5 g/time， 3 times/d. In addition， the observation group received Jiechang Buxu pills， 10 g/time， 3 times/d， and the control group received simulant of Jiechang Buxu pills， 10 g/time， 3 times/d. Both groups were treated for 3 consecutive months. During monthly follow-up， clinical response， clinical remission rate， C-reactive protein （CRP） compliance rate， fecal calprotectin （FC） compliance rate， and endoscopic mucosal healing rate were compared. The early recurrence rate was recorded after 3 months of follow-up. The modified Mayo score， mucosal histological score， colonoscopic mucosal score， inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire （IBDQ） score， and syndrome score of spleen-kidney Yang deficiency were compared before and after treatment. The levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）， diamine oxidase （DAO）， D-lactic acid （D-LA）， interleukin（IL）-1β， IL-6， IL-17A， IL-22， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， T helper 17 （Th17）， and regulatory T cells （Treg）， and Th17/Treg ratio were measured and calculated before and after treatment. ResultThe clinical response rate， clinical remission rate， and CRP compliance rate in the observation group were higher than those in the control group （P<0.05， P<0.01） 1， 2 and 3 months after treatment. The FC compliance rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group （P<0.05） 2 and 3 months after treatment. After treatment， the observation group had higher endoscopic mucosal healing rate （P<0.01） and lower early recurrence rate （P<0.05） than the control group. In addition， the observation group had lower Mayo score， mucosal histological score， colonoscopic mucosal score， and syndrome score of spleen-kidney Yang deficiency （P<0.01）， higher IBDQ score （P<0.01）， lower levels of HIF-1α， DAO， D-LA， IL-1β， IL-6， IL-17A， TNF-α， Th17， and Th17/Treg and higher levels of IL-22 and Treg （P<0.01） than the control group. ConclusionJiechang Buxu pills combined with mesalazine enteric-coated tablets can improve the clinical response rate， clinical remission rate， CRP compliance rate， FC compliance rate， and endoscopic mucosal healing rate， reduce the early recurrence rate and disease activity， promote histological remission， and improve the quality of life in the patients with chronic relapsing ulcerative colitis （syndrome of spleen-kidney Yang deficiency）. The therapy may exert the therapeutic effect by inhibiting inflammation， inducing intestinal mucosal immune tolerance， and protecting the function of intestinal mucosal barrier.