Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has become a leading cause of irreversible visual loss in senior population with serious influence to their ability of living independently.Epidemiological researches have revealed various risk factors of AMD,some of which are not controllable such as age,heredity and race ;while others are modifiable such as lifestyle,eye conditions and other systemic diseases.However,the awareness of AMD risk factors is alarmingly low in public.Meanwhile,the understanding of AMD risk factors among ophthalmologists is also unsatisfactory.Therefore,the risk factors of AMD are reviewed here in order to improve the understanding of the ophthalmologists and better guide the clinical management of AMD.

Identification and validation of a new target is one of the most important steps for new antituberculosis (TB) drug discovery. Researches have shown that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) encodes 20 CYP450 enzymes which play important roles in the synthesis and metabolism of lipid, cholesterol utilization, and the electron transport of respiratory chain in Mtb. With the critical roles within the organism as well as the protein structures of six Mtb CYP450 enzymes being clarified, some of them have been highlighted as potential anti-tuberculosis targets. In this paper, the phylogenetic analysis, the structural features, and the enzymatic functions of Mtb CYPs, as well as the mechanism of interactions with selective inhibitors such as azole antifungal agents for the CYPs have been reviewed and summarized. The druggability of the CYPs has also been analyzed for their further utility as targets in high throughput screening and rational design of more selective inhibitors.
Antitubercular Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Azoles ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; genetics ; metabolism ; Drug Delivery Systems ; methods ; Drug Discovery ; Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; drug effects ; enzymology ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Tuberculosis ; drug therapy ; microbiology

Objective We investigated female patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (ⅡM),including polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) to understand if the activity and treatment of ⅡM affected the fetus outcomes as well as the correlation between pregnancy and the pathogenesis of ⅡM.Methods Questionnaires were designed,including patients' fertility,the activity and treatment of ⅡM during pregnancy and after childbirth,and the fetal outcomes.The questionnaires were conducted on 75 female patients (22-53 years old),who once hospitalized at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2007 to 2013.The mutual effect between the ⅡM disease activity,pregnancy and the fetus were compared by Chi square.Results Seventy-five patients (19 PM,56 DM) had 144 pregnancies,but only 18 of them became pregnant after the onset of the disease.There were two patients had onset of DM during pregnancy,and two patients suffered from DM after delivery or abortion within one month.The rates of abnormal pregnancy in patients with pregnancy before the onset of ⅡM was significantly lower than those with pregnancy after the onset of ⅡM (x2=10.21,P=0.001).Of the 18 pregnancies after the onset of ⅡM,7 had active ⅡM during pregnancy,3 of them flareddue to pregnancy.The 5 abnormal pregnancies (5/7) were seen in seven pregnancies totally,including two spontaneous abortion,one embryo diapause and two premature births.While of the other 11 pregnanciesin stable condition had only 2 abnormal pregnancies (2/11),including one fetus ended prematurely and one embryo diapause.The fetal outcomes were significantly related to the status of illness (x2=5.103,P=0.024).Two patients became pregant after the onset of the disease,both of them had stable disease before pregnancy.However,the disease became active during the pregnancies.One of them flared with rash during two pregnancies.The fetal end in embryo diapause and premature birth (33+4 weeks),respectively.Another flared with muscle weakness at five months of gestation.The fetal ended in premature birth (36+3 weeks).Two patients had onset of DM within one month following the delivery and voluntary abortion.Patients with active disease had taken medium to large doses of prednisone (30-60 mg) orally,in combination with hydroxychloroquine (0.2 bid) or without.In addition,two patients administrated with intravenous gamma globulin (IVIG) at low dose,whose illness condition had been well controlled.Conclusion Pregnancies after the onset of ⅡM tend to end with spontaneous abortion,embryo diapause,premature birth.The fetal outcomes are significantly related to disease activity.When ⅡM flared during pregnancy,IVIG might be the most effective and safe treatment,combined with corticosteroids.

Objective To evaluate the clinical value of serum MUC1(sMUC1)in the patients with multiple myeloma.Methods The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to compare the sMUC1 levels in the 12 cases of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.15 cases of post-chemotherapy and 46 healthy donors.Results The mean concentration of sMUC1 in the newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma was 33.44 U/ml(10.86～88.80 U/ml).In the patients of post-chemotherapy the mean concentration was 11.6U/ml(3.92～22.22 U/ml),and in the healthy donors the concentration was 12.81 U/ml(3.84～30.45 U/ml).The level of sMUC1 in the new diagnosed patients was significandy higher than that in the patients of post-chemotherapy(P=0.001)and healthy donors(P=0.000).There was no significant difference between post-chemotherapy and healthy donors(P=0.461).Conclusion sMUC1 may be one of the tumor markers for the diagnosis of multiple myeloma.sMUC1 could also be used as one of the indicators of prognosis and the evaluation of the chemotherapy efficacy.sMUC1 might be a potential target for the immunotherapy to the patients with multiple myeloma.

Objective To explore the correlation between personality traits in children and parental rearing patterns.Methods Two hundred and seventy-nine middle school students were investigated with egma minnenav bardndasnauppforstran(EMBU)and Eysenck personality questionnaire,and then Pearson correlation was analyzed.Results High positive correlation were found among scores of parental rearing patterns and those of neuroticism(N)and psychoticism(P).P score correlated significantly with parent's punishment,rejection and negative reaction,over interference and over protection,while high negative correlation with the score of parent's emotional warmth.N correlated significantly with parent's punishment,overprotection and rejection,high positive correlated the score of lie with parent's emotional warmth.Conclusion Parental rearing patterns play very important roles in children's personality development.

2cm~2.Conclusions The auto-cranial pedicle flap via endonasal repairing blow-out fractures of or- bital inferior wails is an effective technique.The results are good for improving eye movement especially for fracture ranged≤2cm~2. (Ophthalmol CHN,2007,16:388-390)

Objective To evaluate the echocardiographic features of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy( ApHCM). Methods Twenty-seven patients with ApHCM including 21 men and 6 women, average age (42.7 ± 5. 1 ) years old were followed up from 1995 to 2008 to investigate the clinical, electroeardiographic and echocardiographic features. Results The major features of ECG were increased R amplitude( V_4 > V_5 > V_3)and inverteted T wave(especially in V_(3-5) leads and the voltage of the inverteted T waves may be up to ≥10 mm). The major feature of echocardiography was the thickening of left ventricular apical wall to 15 - 37 ( 18. 0± 3. 3 ) mm. The final follow up showed that the mean thickness of the apical wall was ( 19. 7 ±3. 7) mm. The ratio of the thickness of left ventricular apical wall to posterior wall before and after the follow up was 1. 7 ±0. 3 and 1. 9 ±0. 9 respectively, with significant statistical difference ( P < 0. 05). There was no difference in the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and left ventricular ejection fraction. The main cardiovascular events were atrial fibrillation ( 16 cases) , heart failure of NYHA ID-IV class (3 cases) , anterior wall myocardial infarction ( 1 case) and sudden death ( 1 case). Conclusions The final diagnosis of ApHCM depends on the characteristic inverteted T wave in ECG and apical hypertrophy in echocardiography. The prognosis of ApHCM is rather good for its progression is relatively slow.

Taxa-4(5),11(12)-diene is the precursor for paclitaxel biosynthesis. The diterpenoid paclitaxel (marketed as Taxol), a plant secondary metabolite isolated from yew, is an effective drug widely used in the treatment of numerous cancers. However, further application of taxol has been restricted due to its low yield in plants and the difficulties in extraction. To increase the intact isoprene flux, we constructed the fusion gene plasmid pBgGGTS and individual cassette plasmid pBgGGgTS to enhance the expression levels of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase gene (ggpps) and a taxadiene synthase gene (ts) in Coprinopsis cinerea. These two plasmids were separately transformed into C. cinerea LT2 strain, resulting in several putative transformants. Putative transformants were determined by PCR technique, indicating that 5 out of 13 putative transformants transformed by pBgGGTS and 6 out of 13 putative transformants transformed by pBgGGgTS, respectively. Additionally, the Southern blotting analysis of these 10 transformants confirmed that both ggpps and ts gene were stably integrated into the genome of C. cinerea. Crude extracts from each of the transformants were analyzed. There is no difference in the mycelium extracts among the wild-type LT2 and two types of transformants. However, analysis of culture filtrates indicated that an additional GC peak was found at the retention time of 16.762 min which was absent in the wild type control. The mass fragmentation pattern of this peak had the same diagnostic ions with taxa-4(5),11(12)-diene. According to peak area, the amounts of taxa-4(5),11(12)-diene in each fermented broth were 44 ng/L (transformed with pBgGGgTS) and 30 ng/L (transformed with pBgGGTS), respectively. In conclusion, co-expression of the ggpps and ts gene could increase the taxadiene production in C. cinerea.
Agaricales ; metabolism ; Alkenes ; metabolism ; Diterpenes ; metabolism ; Farnesyltranstransferase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Engineering ; Isomerases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Paclitaxel ; Plasmids

Administration, Inhalation ; Animals ; Female ; Male ; Pesticides ; analysis ; toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVE:To prepare paeonol-HP-β-cyclodextrin (PAE-HP-β-CD) inclusion compound and to optimize its pre-scription technology. METHODS:PAE-HP-β-CD was prepared by freeze drying method and validated. Using inclusion rate as in-dex,main drug-accessory ratio,inclusion time,inclusion temperature and stirring speed as factors,the preparation technology was optimized by central composite design-response surface methodology. RESULTS:Prepared PAE-HP-β-CD underwent phase transfor-mation. The optimal inclusion technology was as follows as main drug-accessory ratio of 3.39∶1,inclusion temperature of 50 ℃, inclusion time of 3.2 h, stirring speed of 350 r/min. Relative error between measured value (87.46%) and predicted value (89.12%) of inclusion rate was 1.86%(n=6). CONCLUSIONS:PAE-HP-β-CD inclusion compound is prepared successfully, and its prescription technology is stable and feasible.