Objective To investigate the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and CD_(74), the receptor of MIF, in preeclamptic placenta and its correlation with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.Methods From March 2008 to November 2008,69 preeclamptic women who delivered in the Department of Obstetrics, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College,were recruited,including 33 women with mild preeclampsia (MPE group) and 36 women with severe preeclampsia (SPE group).Another 43 healthy pregnant women were taken as control group.Immunoturbidimetry was applied to measure the concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) in maternal blood.The expressions of MIF and CD_(74) in placenta were tested with immunohistochemistry and the expressions of MIF mRNA and CD_(74) mRNA were detected by semiquantitative RT-PCR.The relationship between maternal blood level of CRP and MIF mRNA and CD_(74) mRNA in placenta was analyzed in the MPE and SPE group.Results (1) MIF and CD_(74) were expressed in the placenta of all pregnant women in the 3 groups, as shown in brown-yellow color, and significantly higher expression was found in the MPE and SPE group.(2) The expression of MIF mRNA and CD_(74) mRNA in the MPE group (0.70±0.13 and 0.96±0.16), SPE group (0.88 ± 0.12 and 1.08 ± 0.15) were significantly higher than in the control group (0.67 ± 0.11 and 0.83 ± 0.14) (P < 0.01), and statistical significance was also found between the MPE and SPE group (P <0.01).(3)The maternal blood concentrations of CRP in the MPE and SPE group were significantly higher than in the control group [(15.3±7.0) mg/L and (21.6±9.1)mg/L vs (4.8 ± 1.8) mg/L, P <0.01] , and significant difference was also found between the MPE and SPE group (P <0.01).(4) In the two preeclamptic groups, the blood concentrations of CRP were positively correlated with the expression of both MIF mRNA(r =0.67 ,P <0.01)and CD_(74) mRNA(r =0.83 ,P <0.01) in placenta.Positive correlation was also found between the levels of MIF mRNA and CD_(74) mRNA in placenta (r =0.93 ,P < 0.01).Conclusions Overexpression of MIF and CD_(74) in the placenta may up-regulate the CRP level in maternal blood, resulting in systemic inflammatory reaction and vascular endothelium damage which may be involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Objective To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of metabolic obesity with normal weight (MON W) in Han nationality adult population,and to identify the cut-off points of body fat percentage (％ BF) by dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA) for defining MONW.Methods Six hundred and sixty subjects (403 men and 257 women) with body mass index(BMI) ranged from 18.5 to 23.9 kg/m2 were recruited into this study.Waist circumference(WC),blood pressure (BP),BM1,and ％ BF were measured.Serum concentrations of glucose,triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol (TC),high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C),low-density lipoproteincholesterol(LDL-C),serum insulin,and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were tested.Those within the highest quartile in the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) with a normal BM1 between 18.5 and 23.9 kg/m2 were classified as MONW.Results The prevalence of MONW was 11.34％ for men and 16.34％ for women amongst normal-weight subjects,there was no significant different between men and women in the prevalence(P＞0.05).Multivariable Logistic regression analysis showed that TG(OR =5.92,P=0.001),LDLC (OR =13.65,P =0.009),hsCRP (OR =2.09,P =0.011),WC (OR =2.35,P ＜ 0.01),％ BF (total,OR =3.65,P＜0.01) and ％ BF(abdominal,OR =26.07,P＜0.01) were the risk factors of MONW amongst men.For women,TG (OR =9.12,P＜0.01),LDL-C (OR =2.64,P =0.005),HDL-C (OR =0.020,P＜ 0.01),hsCRP (OR =2.15,P =0.039),WC (OR =1.32,P =0.045),％ BF(total,OR =1.73,P＜0.01) and ％ BF(abdominal,OR =8.43,P＜0.01) were the risk factors of MONW.The cut-off points of ％ BF for diagnosing MONW by ROC were ％ BF≥25％ for men,％ BF ≥35.0％ for women.Conclusion MONW is quite common in Han nationality adult population;.％ BF,WC,hsCRP and lipid profiles were independently associated with MONW ％ BF ≥25 ％ for men,％ BF≥35.0％ for women can be used as reference cut-off.point for diagnosing MONW.

To investigate the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of the main flavonoid components of Silybum marianum (S. marianum) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), we identified nine flavonoids in S. marianum through TCMSP, PubChem database and corresponding literatures. The potential therapeutic targets of NAFLD were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction, GeneCards and Venny 2.1.0 platform, while the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of potential targets was analyzed using String platform and Cytoscape software. Then GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed using David 6.8 database, followed by molecular docking verification using AutoDock software. In vitro, components with higher degree value in the "components-targets-pathway" network were chosen for further analysis. L02 cells were used to establish lipid accumulation model and treated with different components. Furthermore, the effects of four pure active compounds from S. marianum on lipid accumulation in hepatocytes were analyzed by oil red O staining. The results showed that the main nine flavonoids extracted from S. marianum contained 24 potential NAFLD targets. Several critical pathways closely related to NAFLD process were identified by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) pathway, type 2 diabetes pathway, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathway and insulin resistance pathway. The results of molecular docking further indicated that the core components displayed strong binding abilities with key targets respectively, and silandrin showed better binding activity as compared to other components. The results obtained from L02 cells showed that the lipid accumulation was reduced by treatment with isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silydianin and silychristin, while the activity of isosilybin B was better than that of isosilybin A. Taken together, we concluded that the main flavone components of S. marianum could improve lipid accumulation through multiple signaling pathway in hepatocytes, and this could be a potential new strategy for the treatment of NAFLD.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and progressive lung disease that poses a threat to human health. Current treatment options are limited, highlighting the urgent need for more effective therapeutic strategies. Tetrandrine (TET), a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Stephania tetrandra, has been known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects, but its specific mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the anti-fibrotic effects of TET in a chronic model of pulmonary fibrosis, aiming to delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying TET-mediated inhibition of fibroblast activation. The results showed that TET significantly alleviated the pathological changes in a murine model of multiple bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and effectively inhibited TGF-β1-induced fibroblast activation. Mechanistically, TET predominantly inhibited the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway and diminished intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 library screening, we identified that angiotensin II type 1 receptor associated protein (AGTRAP) and membrane palmitoylated protein 6 (MPP6) played important roles in TET's suppressive impact of ROS levels, with the knockout of two genes attenuating TET's antifibrotic activity. All animal treatment procedures were approved according to the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMB-20230406D507). This research not only elucidates the pharmacological mechanism of TET but also provides a novel therapeutic avenue for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the prognostic effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with local advanced gastric cancer.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed prognosis in 191 patients with advanced gastric cancer, of whom 71 were treated with NAC and 120 received surgery only between February 2007 and July 2013. Postoperative complication rate was recorded. Survival by clinicopathological features, pathological T and N stages, and histopathological tumor regression was retrospectively compared between the two groups.

RESULTSAccording to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, none of the 71 patients in the NAC followed by surgery group showed complete response, 36 showed partial response, 25 had stable disease, and 10 had progressive disease. The chemotherapy response rate was 50.7%; the disease control rate was 85.9%. Grade 3/4 adverse events were seen in less than 20% patients, with acceptable toxicities. No difference was found in the overall postoperative complication rates between the two groups (7 versus 22 cases, P=0.18). Median survival time was significantly different, at 54 months in the NAC combined with surgery group and 25 months in the surgery-only group (P=0.025).

CONCLUSIONIn patients with operable gastric adenocarcinomas, NAC can significantly improve overall survival without increasing surgical complications.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo measure the stability of Evans procedure and Chrisman-Snook technique in the treatment of II degree lateral collateral ligament of ankle joint, and provide basis for treatment and prognosis.

METHODSFrom July 2008 to June 2009,18 frozen corpes were collected, including 10 males and 8 females, with an average age of fresh 39.3 +/- 11.2 years. The frozen corpes were randomly divided into three group, including normal controls(group A), Evans procedure (group B) and Chrisman-Snook technique ( group C), 6 specimens in each group. Anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament were cut off to cause II degree lateral collateral ligament in group B and C. Evans procedure or Chrisman-Snook technique were applied to restore lateral collateral ligament, and measure biomechnics. The displacement of tibiotalar joint and subtalar joint were observed.

RESULTS(1) The lateral stress results of tibiotalar joint showed the displacement by Evans procedure (group B) was greater than other groups (P < 0.0001). There were no significant differences between group A and C (P > 0.05). (2) The lateral stress results of subtalar joint showed the displacement by Evans procedure (group B) was greater than other groups (P< 0.0001). There were no significant differences between group A and C (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAnkle instability is caused by ankle joint lateral collateral ligament injury. Chrisman-Snook technique is better than Evans procedure in stability on the early stage of ankle joint restoration, and conform to principle of biomechanics.

Adult ; Ankle Joint ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Female ; Humans ; Lateral Ligament, Ankle ; diagnostic imaging ; injuries ; surgery ; Male ; Mechanical Phenomena ; Prognosis ; Radiography ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods

Objective To investigate potential problems and solutions within the data of national surveillance of Keshan disease(KSD), to improve the quality of surveillance data and the reliability of the results. Methods Four key variables (name, sex, age, and KSD diagnosis) in the national surveillance data of KSD in 2009 were cleaned by SPSS 15.0. Cleaning contents included duplicate records, missing values, outliers and logic errors. Name, sex, age, currently residing in townships and currently residing in villages and other variables were combined into different filters to find duplicate records by the command of Identify Duplicate Cases , then the duplicate records were returned to the data reporting agencies, and finally delete or merge. Data with missing values, outliers, or logical errors were found by commands of Frequencies, Descriptives and Select if, then the duplicate records were returned to the data reporting agencies. Data were revised based on not only the feedback , but also by using the relationship between variables, and by consulting KSD clinical experts. Results Four hundred and sixty-four cases of duplicate records were found and cleaned. The number of missing values was 2 047 (specifically, name 0, sex 3, age 32 and KSD diagnosis 2 012). The number of outliers was 1 988 (specifically, name 6, sex 3, age 10 and KSD diagnosis 1 969). The records of 5 kinds of logic errors of KSD diagnosis were 105 in all. Conclusion There are duplicate records, missing values, outliers and logic errors in the national surveillance data of KSD, cleaning work could improve the quality of surveillance data, ensure the authenticity and rliability of the monitoring data.

Objective:To compare and explore the effects of needling acupoints at different nerve segmentson the oxytocin (OT) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN) and the intragastric pressure, and discuss the possible mechanisms. Methods: Thirty-two healthy adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were numbered and divided into 4 groups according to the random number table, a Zusanli (ST 36) group, a Neiguan (PC 6) group, a Weishu (BL 21) group and a control group, with 8 rats in each group. Except the control group, rats in the other three groups received acupuncture at the corresponding acupoints. To observe the differences in double-labeled OT neurons and c-fos neurons of the hypothalamic PVN and the intragastric pressure after acupuncture among the three groups of needling acupoints at different nerve segments. Results:Compared with the control group, the numbers of double-labeled cells in the PVN of the Zusanli (ST 36) group and the Neiguan (PC 6) group decreased significantly, while the intragastric pressure increased significantly (allP<0.05), and the inter-group differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The intragastric pressure in the Weishu (BL 21) group decreased significantly, and the inter-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the Weishu (BL 21) group, the numbers of OT/c-fos double-labeled cells in PVN of the Zusanli (ST 36) group and the Neiguan (PC 6) group decreased significantly, and the intragastric pressure increased significantly, the inter-group differences were statistically significant (allP<0.01). Conclusion:Acupoints at different nerve segments have different regulation effects on intragastric pressure. The difference may be related to the different nerve conduction pathways by acupoints at different nerve segments in regulating the intragastric pressure. The PVN may be one common integration center for the regulation of gastric function in the three acupoints [Zusanli (ST 36), Neiguan (PC 6) and Weishu (BL 21)] at different nerve segments.

The commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials is a measure of the quality of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), which directly impacts on the safety and effectiveness of clinical medicines. It is an urgent problem to establish a set of standards which can both interpret the scientific connotation of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials and play a significant role on clinical medicines as well as markets. This paper reviews the research methods of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials such as sensory evaluation, chemical assessment, biological evaluation, and cited the applications of various methods for the classification of TCMs. It provides technical support for establishing standards of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials, and also constructs scientific basis for clinical rational drug use.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; economics ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; economics ; standards ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Research Design

OBJECTIVETo identify hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) families based on the germline mutations of MLH1 and MSH2 mRNA.

METHODSRNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the 14 members from 12 different families fulfilling Amsterdam Criteria II. The germline mutations of MLH1 and MSH2 mRNA were detected by cDNA sequencing analysis following reverse transcription-PCR(RT-PCR) with special primers, heat-resistance reverse transcriptase, and expand long template PCR. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the 14 members, the corresponding exons, in which mutations were found using the above method, were amplified with Taq enzyme, sequencing analysis was followed.

RESULTSSix germline mutations were detected and identified from the 6 different families based on mRNA, 4 of them to be in MLH1, the other 2 in MSH2. The MLH1 mutations distribute in the exon 8, 12, 16, and 19. The MSH2 mutations distribute in exons 1 and 2. The 6 mutations were identified from the corresponding exons respectively in genomic DNA sequencing analysis. The mutation types involve in 4 missense, 1 silent, and 1 non-coding area mutations. Five out of the 6 mutations have not been reported previously. Five out of the 6 mutations were pathological, involving in 5 different families. The five families were identified to HNPCC families.

CONCLUSIONHNPCC family can be identified with RNA-based sequencing of MLH1 and MSH2 from peripheral blood, which has the advantages of both cost, time saving and high sensitivity.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; genetics ; Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Female ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Male ; MutL Protein Homolog 1 ; MutS Homolog 2 Protein ; genetics ; Mutation ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; Nuclear Proteins ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis