Objective To evaluate the feasibility to detect Prototheca in a mouse model of Prototheca zopfii cutaneous infection by using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).Methods The model of Prototheca zopfii cutaneous infection was established by abdominal subcutaneous inoculation of Prototheca zopfii suspensions into 20 male BALB/c mice.Seven days after the inoculation,the mice were sacrificed,and tissue specimens were obtained from abdominal skin and subjected to microscopic examination,fungal culture and paraffin embedding.A PZ-probe was artificially synthesized and used to detect Prototheca in paraffin-embedded sections by using FISH.Moreover,both periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining were performed to examine the paraffin-embedded sections.Skin specimens obtained from normal mice and Candida albicans-or Cryptococcus neoformans-infected mice served as the negative control.Results Clinical presentations,pathological examination and fungal culture results all confirmed the successful establishment of Prototheca zopfii skin infection model in mice.Prototheca was identified by FISH with the PZ-probe in the paraffin-embedded skin tissue sections from the murine model of Prototheca zopfii cutaneous infection,but not detected in the negative control tissue specimens,which was consistent with the results of PAS and HE staining.Conclusion FISH can be used to detect Prototheca in paraffin-embedded skin sections from the mouse model of Prototheca zopfii cutaneous infection.

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a common acquired pigmentary disease caused by destruction of epidermal melanocytes in underlying autoimmune response. Few studies have been focused on the role of chemokines in non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) concomitant with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and alopecia areata (AA). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the best serum biomarker for predictive role in the progression of vitiligo and to evaluate the influence of AA and/or AITD on vitiligo by using the biomarker. METHODS: This prospective cohort study recruited 45 NSV patients: 14 without either AITD or AA, 12 with AITD, 11 with AA, and 8 with both AITD and AA. Serum levels of CXCL1, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL12, CXCL13, and CXCL16 were analyzed by ELISA. CXCR3 mRNA expression was detected on PBMCs by RT-PCR. Improvement was evaluated using repigmentation scales. RESULTS: Serum CXCL10 levels, along with the expression of CXCR3 mRNA were higher in NSV patients with AITD or AA alone than in those without AITD or AA. Moreover, serum CXCL10 levels, along with the expression of CXCR3 mRNA were higher in NSV patients with both AITD and AA than in those with AITD or AA alone. Poorer repigmentation was observed in NSV patients with both AA and AITD than in those with AA or AITD alone. CONCLUSION: CXCL10 could be a biomarker to predict the progression of NSV. Dermatologists should pay much attention to those NSV patients concomitant with AITD and/or AA, for comorbidity might lead to more active autoimmune reaction.
Alopecia Areata ; Alopecia ; Autoimmunity ; Chemokine CXCL10 ; Chemokines ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; Prospective Studies ; RNA, Messenger ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Vitiligo ; Weights and Measures

Xiaoruwan is one of the classic prescriptions included in the Catalogue of Ancient Classic Prescriptions （the Second Batch of Pediatrics） published by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM） in 2022 with definite clinical efficacy， but it has not been converted into Chinese patent medicine preparations. The authors collected 173 pieces of data based on ancient literature on Xiaoruwan by the method of bibliometrics and selected 99 pieces of effective data， involving 46 ancient books of TCM. The study analyzed the historical development origin， prescription names， formulation rules， dosage， drug origin， preparation method and usage， indications and functions， and other aspects of Xiaoruwan. The results showed that Xiaoruwan was presumably derived from Ying Hai Miao Jue Lun（《婴孩妙诀论》） written by TANG Minwang， a doctor in the Song Dynasty. In the records of ancient medical books， there are names such as Xiaoshiwan，Yangshi Xiaoruwan， and Kuaige Xiaoshiwan， but they are mainly recorded in the name of Xiaoruwan. The prescription was composed of Cyperi Rhizoma， Amomi Fructus， Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium， Massa Medicata Fermentata， Hordei Fructus Germinatus， and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. In terms of processing method， Cyperi Rhizoma， Massa Medicata Fermentata， and Hordei Fructus Germinatus are fried， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma is processed， and raw materials of Amomi Fructus and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium are used directly. In terms of function， it is effective in warming the middle， improving digestion， stopping vomiting， and digesting milk and food. The main indications include vomiting， diarrhea， night crying， and other diseases caused by milk and food stagnation. The dosage of the most used prescription in the records of ancient books is Cyperi Rhizoma 41.30 g， Amomi Fructus 20.65 g， Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium 20.65 g， Massa Medicata Fermentata 20.65 g， Hordei Fructus Germinatus 20.65 g， and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma 20.65 g， which are prepared into pills. In the taking method， it is recommended to take it with warm boiled water or ginger soup after meals. The study summarized the historical evolution of Xiaoruwan and identified the key information， with a view to providing a reference for the modern development and research of Xiaoruwan.

Background and objective Cisplatin is the ifrst-line drug for the chemotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the acquired chemoresistance restricted the effect of its treatment. hTe aim of this study is to validate the miRNAs related to the Cisplatin resistance in lung cancer and elucidate the molecular mechanisms. Methods We performed miRNA microarray and RT-PCR to obtain the aberrant differential expressed miRNAs between A549 and its paired Cisplatin-resistant cell line A549/DDP cells, and then we investigated the biological functions of miR-192, which is the aberrant differen-tial expressed miRNA. Atfer transfection of the miR-192 into A549 cells, we measured the half inhibition concentration (IC50), cell apoptosis of the trasfectant cells, and then we used biological sotfwares and dual-luciferase report assay to explore the target gene of the miR-192, which was further validated by RT-PCR and Western blot. Result MiR-192 was highly over-expressed in A549/DDP cells , whose quantity was 37.59±0.35 fold higher than that in A549 cells. Overexpression of miR-192 in A549 cells signiifcantly conferred resistance to Cisplatin and inhibited apoptosis. By contrast, down-expression of miR-192 in A549/DDP cells remarkably restrained the Cisplatin resistance and induced apoptosis. MiR-192 binded to Bim 3’-UTR and negatively regulated Bim expression at the post-transcriptional level in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Conclusion Our data suggested that miR-192 induced Cisplatin-resistance and inhibited cell apoptosis in lung cancer via negative targeting Bim expression.

Gastric cancer is the most prevalent gastrointestinal tumor in China， threatening the life and health of patients. Surgery is one of the available therapies， which， however， induces postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction （PGD） and other common complications. The pathogenesis of PGD is still unclear and no efficient targeted drug is available. In addition， the limited treatment measures fail to effectively improve gastrointestinal function. As a result， patients generally suffer from low quality of life and poor prognosis. In Chinese medicine， PGD belongs to the categories of "vomiting"， "stuffiness and fullness"， "regurgitation"， "abdominal distension"， "intestinal impediment"， and "intestinal accumulation". In recent years， there has been an explosion of research on the PGD of gastric cancer in Chinese medicine， and many research results have been obtained. On this basis， this study introduced PGD in modern medicine， and causes and pathogenesis， syndrome differentiation-based treatment， and clinical studies of PGD. It was found that diverse internal and external treatments are available in Chinese medicine for PGD such as internal use of Chinese medicine， Chinese medicine enema， auricular point seed-embedding， acupuncture， and moxibustion， which feature ease of implementation， small side effects， definite efficacy， and significant effect in combination with other therapies. This paper summarized the ideas and measures for treatment of PGD of gastric cancer by Chinese medicine， the research outcomes， limitations， and research directions， which can serve as a reference for further research on treatment of PGD of gastric cancer by Chinese medicine.