Objective To evaluate the effect of Chinese gentian extracts on the proliferation of,apoptosis and phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in HaCaT cells induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF).Methods Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was performed to evaluate the proliferation of HaCaT cells pretreated with EGF of 20 μg/L for 24 hours followed by 24 hours of treatment with various concentrations of Chinese gentian extracts.Flow cytometry was carried out to detect apoptosis in HaCaT cells pretreated with EGF of 20 μg/L for 24 hours followed by 4 hours of treatment with different concentrations of Chinese gentian extracts.Western blot was conducted to measure the level of phosphorylated EGFR in HaCaT cells treated with different concentrations of Chinese gentian extracts for 24 hours followed by treatment with EGF of 20 μg/L for 10 minutes.Results Chinese gentian extracts inhibited the proliferation (r =-0.991,P ＜ 0.01),but promoted the apoptosis (r =0.996,P ＜ 0.05) of HaCaT cells induced by EGF in a dose-dependent manner.At the same time,the extracts suppressed the phosphorylation of EGFR in HaCaT cells induced by EGF,and the suppressing effect increased with the rise in the concentration of the extracts.Conclusions Chinese gentian may inhibit the proliferation,but promote the apoptosis of keratinocytes by decreasing EGFR phosphorylation and blocking relevant intracellular signaling pathways.

Objective:To observe the effects of warming triple needling plus Chinese medication on inflammatory responses and daily functioning ability in patients with knee osteoarthritis(KOA)due to wind-cold-dampness Bi-impediment. Methods:A total of 101 patients with KOA due to wind-cold-dampness Bi-impediment were divided into an acupuncture-medication group and a Chinese medication group using the random number table method.Fifty cases in the Chinese medication group took oral Fang Feng Xi Bi Tang for treatment,and 51 cases in the acupuncture-medication group received additional warming triple needling therapy.The symptom score of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),inflammatory factor levels,and motor function of the knee joint were compared before and after treatment.The clinical efficacy was also compared between the two groups after treatment. Results:Three cases in the acupuncture-medication group and 2 cases in the Chinese medication group dropped out during the study,and the two groups each had 48 cases being included in statistical analysis ultimately.The total effective rate was 95.8%in the acupuncture-medication group,higher than 79.2%in the Chinese medication group,and the between-group difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).After treatment,the TCM symptom score dropped in both groups(P<0.05)and was lower in the acupuncture-medication group than in the Chinese medication group(P<0.05).The levels of interleukin(IL)-6,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α,and IL-1β dropped after the intervention in both groups(P<0.05)and were lower in the acupuncture-medication group than in the Chinese medication group(P<0.05).The scores of knee pain intensity,knee joint stiffness,and diurnal functioning decreased after treatment in the two groups(P<0.05)and were lower in the acupuncture-medication group than in the Chinese medication group(P<0.05). Conclusion:Warming triple needling plus Fang Feng Xi Bi Tang can reduce inflammatory responses,improve daily functioning ability,and enhance the quality of life in patients with KOA due to wind-cold-dampness Bi-impediment.

OBJECTIVETo assess the association of impairment of surface area of first-episode schizophrenia(SZ) with polymorphisms of COMT gene, and the difference in the impaired patterns between familial patients with schizophrenia(FPS) and sporadic patients with schizophrenia(SPS).

METHODSNinety-eight patients with first-episode SZ(FPS=40, SPS=58) and 78 healthy controls were recruited. COMT gene was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Participants were scanned for 3.0T magnetic resonance images. Freesurfer software was used to analyze the difference in brain surface area between SZ and controls, its association with COMT genotypes, and the difference between SPS, FPS and control groups. Multiple tests were corrected using a Monte Carlo simulation at P<0.05.

RESULTSCompared with controls, SZ showed decreased surface area in right occipital cortex and left prefrontal cortex. No association was found between COMT polymorphisms and whole brain area difference. Among the three subgroups, SPS showed smaller left prefrontal area compared with both FPS and control groups. Patients with SPS also showed significant area reduction in right occipital lobe compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONSurface area impairment can be found in those with first-episode SZ, but without association with COMT gene polymorphisms. The SPS have more severe area impairment than FPS, indicating that SPS and FPS may be attributed to different etiological mechanisms.

Adult ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; Catechol O-Methyltransferase ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Radiography ; Schizophrenia ; diagnostic imaging ; enzymology ; genetics ; Young Adult

Substantial evidence supports the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia. Meanwhile, progressive neurodegenerative processes have also been reported, leading to the hypothesis that neurodegeneration is a characteristic component in the neuropathology of schizophrenia. However, a major challenge for the neurodegenerative hypothesis is that antipsychotic drugs used by patients have profound impact on brain structures. To clarify this potential confounding factor, we measured the cortical thickness across the whole brain using high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in 145 first-episode and treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 147 healthy controls. The results showed that, in the patient group, the frontal, temporal, parietal, and cingulate gyri displayed a significant age-related reduction of cortical thickness. In the control group, age-related cortical thickness reduction was mostly located in the frontal, temporal, and cingulate gyri, albeit to a lesser extent. Importantly, relative to healthy controls, patients exhibited a significantly smaller age-related cortical thickness in the anterior cingulate, inferior temporal, and insular gyri in the right hemisphere. These results provide evidence supporting the existence of neurodegenerative processes in schizophrenia and suggest that these processes already occur in the early stage of the illness.