Depression is a common mental disease, which mainly presents with a state of low mood and aversion to activity. Epigenetics is to study the influence of structural modification of pre?transcriptional gene to gene function in chromatin level. Recent studies have found that epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modification, and non?coding RNA regulation play important roles in the pathogenesis of depression. This article reviews the research advances on epigenetic mechanisms of depression.

Objective To investigate the relationship between interleukin (IL)-34 and bone erosions in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients.Methods Forty PsA patients,20 psoriasis (Ps) patients and 20 healthy volunteers were recruited into this study.The levels of IL-34 and osteoclast related cytokines [including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α,receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL),osteoclast precursors (OPG)] were detected in the serum samples of all subjects.The correlations among IL-34,the number of osteoclast precursors (OCP),disease activity and imaging scores were analyzed.All data were analyzed by graphpad prism 6.Differences between groups was analyzed with One-way analysis of variance,q tests,and Spearman's correlation was used to explore the relation between disease activity/radiographic scores and laboratory results and followed by linear regressions.Results The serum level of IL-34 in patients with PsA [(328±476) pg/ml] was higher than that in Ps [(33±52) pg/ml,q =3.92,P＜0.01] and healthy controls [(32±32) pg/ml,q =3.93,P＜0.01],the erosive PsA group were higher than the non-erosive PsA group [(449±527) pg/ml and (47±24) pg/ml,q=4.04,P＜0.01].The levels of TNF-α,RANKL and OCP in patients with PsA [(125±79) pg/ml,(488± 475) pg/ml and (17.7±4.8) 5 sigh views] were higher than those in PS [(40±22) pg/ml,(26±3) pg/ml and (5.2± 0.8),q=7.32,6.14 and 2.94,P＜0.01] and healthy controls [(41±19) pg/ml,(65±8) pg/ml and (6.2±1.8),q=6.67,5.62 and 2.71,P＜0.01],whereas the OPG/RANKL ratio in PsA patients (0.5±0.4) was significantly lower than Ps patients (4.3±2.7,q=-3.30,P＜0.01) and healthy controls (1.8±0.6,q=-1.72,P＜0.01).IL-34,TNF-α and RANKL levels were all positively correlated with OCP (r=0.10,P＜0.05;r=0.12,P＜0.05;r=0.13,P＜0.(5,respectively).Conclusion The level of IL-34 is not only high in patients with PsA but also positively correlates with the number of OCP.In PsA,IL-34 is probably related to the OCP and osteoclast differentiation,and further participates in the process of bone destruction.Therefore,IL-34 is promising to become a new target or alternative choice for the treatment of PsA.

ObjectiveThe clinical features, bacteria distribution and antibiotic resistance proifle of blood stream infection(BSI) were investigated in the patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis for better management of such infections.MethodsThe clinical data of BSI were collected in the patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis between January, 2012 and December, 2014, and reviewed retrospectively in terms of risk factors, diagnosis and treatment, pathogen distribution and prognosis.ResultsOf the 1 071 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis and suspected bacterial infection, 154 (14.4%) were diagnosed as BSI evidenced by blood culture. Of these patients, the leukocyte count in the peripheral blood was higher than 10×109/L in only 48 (31.2%) patients; neutrophil proportion>0.75 in 133 patients (86.4%); serum procalcitonin level>0.5 ng/mL in 74 patients (68.5%). A total of 155 bacterial strains were isolated, including 115 strains of gram-negative bacilli and 40 strains of gram-positive cocci. Most patients (68.8%) recovered and 31.2% died or discharged from hospital voluntarily. All these BSI patients had Child-Pugh grade C liver function. Some patients also had other serious systemic diseases or repeated hospitalization.ConclusionThe prevalence of BSI is high in the decompensated liver cirrhosis patients with poor prognosis. Gram-negative bacilli are the major pathogens of such septicemia. Early diagnosis and proper use of antibiotics based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing are important to improve patient outcome.

Objective: To understand the HIV infection status and related factors in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Tianjin during 2016-2018. Methods: According to the sentinel surveillance protocol, continuous cross-sectional studies were conducted to collect the information about the awareness of AIDS, related behaviors, HIV infection, syphilis prevalence and HCV infection in the MSM in Tianjin with the annual sample seize of 400 between April and June during 2016-2018. Results: From 2016 to 2018, a total of 1 200 MSM were surveyed. The condom use rate in anal sex was 45.4% (544/1 198) in the past 6 months. The HIV test rate in MSM recruited through network declined with year (trend χ²=42.742, P<0.001). The overall HIV infection rate was 3.3% (40/1 200). The HIV-1 infection rate was 2.6% (95%CI: 1.7%-3.5%). The overall prevalence rate of syphilis was 6.7% (80/1 200). The overall HCV infection rate was 0.8% (9/1 200). Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors associated with HIV infection in the MSM included divorced or widowed (compared with unmarried, aOR=7.137, 95%CI: 1.621-31.419) and syphilis positive group (compared with syphilis negative group, aOR=3.684, 95%CI: 1.520-8.932). The protective factors for HIV infection in the MSM included consistent use of condom in the past 6 months (compared with occasional use of condom, aOR=0.343, 95%CI: 0.126-0.932) and HIV test (compared with receiving no HIV test, aOR=0.314, 95%CI: 0.123-0.801). Conclusions The HIV infection rate in the MSM in Tianjin was high from 2016 to 2018. Syphilis prevalence status in MSM should not be neglected. The rate of consistent condom use in anal sex was low in the MSM. It is necessary to take effective measures to promote condom use and strengthen HIV test in MSM.

ObjectiveTo study the effect of sub-chronic exposure to deltamethrin(DM) on neural behavior and expression of NMDA receptor in hippocampus of mice.Methods 60 Female SPF Kunming mice were divided into 4 groups and given DM 60 days by gavage.Hot-plate,rotarod,grip strength,hing limb landing foot splay were used to examine the sensory and motor change of mice.Autonomic activity test was used for detecting the functional status of the central nervous system in mice.Passive avoidance test for detection of the behavior changes of learning and memory,and RQ-PCR was employed to measure the expression of NMDA receptor in hippocampus of mice.ResultsThe behavior of sensory and motor of mice sub-chronic exposure to deltamethrin did not have changes significantly(P ＞ 0.05 ).In the test of autonomic activity test,the average of autonomic activity times were (93 ± 18) times,(107 ± 13) times,(105 ±22) times.Compared with the control group,the average of autonomic activity times in middle-and high-dose groups were increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05 ).The latent periods in poisoning groups were (175.4 ±38.4) s,(146.4 ±51.2)s,(132.3 ±45.0) s,and the error times were (0.7 ±0.3)times,( 1.4 ± 0.5 ) times,( 1.8 ± 0.9) times.Compared with the control group,latent periods of high-dose group were decreased and the error times of middle-and high-dose groups were increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05 ).Compared with the control group,the relative expression levels of NR1 and NR2A mRNA in hippocampus of middle and high-dose groups were increased significantly (P＜ 0.05 ),and the relative expression level of NR2B mRNA in highdose group was decreased significantly(P ＜ 0.05).ConclusionSub-chronic exposure to DM could increase the excitability of mice,damage the function of learning and memory,and influence the expression of NMDA receptor in hippocampus of mice.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic non-specific disease of the rectum and colon. The disease cause is still unclear. Due to the repeated episodes of UC, the treatment is very difficult. There are serious impact on pa-tients' life and work. According to the current UC condition and existed problems with Chinese medicine treat-ment and in combination with experiences of new Chinese medicine drug development of the author, a new Chi-nese medicine drug research idea of UC has been proposed. It includes the establishment of UC animal model in line with the characteristics of Chinese medicine and the selection of appropriate clinical treatment targets.

Objective: To investigate the optimal gene transfer protocols of hematopoietic cells mediated by retrovirus. Methods: Murine bone marrow cells were infected by co-culture with murine bone marrow stromal cell line TC-1 or retro-virus packaging cells or retrovirus supernatant. Human mdr-1 and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were used as report genes. Results: Stromal cells could greatly increase the gene transfer efficiency when compared with that of supernatant transfection. Transduction efficiency was highest when infected BM cells were co-cultured with virus producer cells. Conculsion: It may be clinically feasible in gene therapy to perform retroviral transduction by co-culture of target cells with stromal cells or cell lines.

Objective To investigate the apoptosis, immunity response and angiogenesis factor changes in rabbits with pancreatic cancer xenografts after treatment with irreversible electroporation (IRE,commonly known as nanoknife), cryoablation, or radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and to observe the antitumor effects of the above minimally invasive techniques for pancreatic cancer xenografts. Methods Eight pancreatic cancer xenograft model rabbits were randomly divided into the control, IRE, cryoablation, and RFA groups, with each group containing 2 rabbits. The vital signs of the animals were observed during the treatment and all the rabbits were executed on the next day after treatment. The serum samples were collected to examine the liver, kidney function and creatine kinase levels; and ELISA method was used to detect the cardiac troponin I(CTnI), Caspase-3, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) levels in the plasma. Morphological changes of the tumor tissues were subjected to H-E staining, and Tunnel assay was used to detect the apoptosis of tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry method was applied to detect Bcl-2, HSP70 and VEGF expression in pancreatic cancer xenograft tissues. Results All the rabbits survived after treatment. The tumors had a clear border and were hard in texture. Obvious coagulative necrosis areas were seen in the treatment areas in each treatment group. H-E staining showed a clear borderline between the necrotic and normal areas, which was especially true in the IRE group. A large number of red blood cells and inflammatory cell infiltration were seen around the border of the necrosis in each group, with some live cells seen in the cryoablation and RFA groups. Tunnel assay showed that RFA significantly increased the apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells compared with the other two treatment groups. The plasma Caspase-3,TNF-α and VEGF levels were increased in each treatment group. Bcl-2 and VEGF expression was decreased and HSP70 expression was increased in the treatment areas. Post-treatment serological test showed that serum amylase, liver, kidney functions and CTnI were all within the normal range, except for a significantly higher level of creatine kinase in the IRE group. Conclusion IRE, cryoablation, and RFA can inhibit pancreatic cancer xenograft through inducing apoptosis, producing specific antitumor immune response and inhibiting angiogenesis; they are safe and effective. IRE has certain advantages in producing specific antitumor immune response and protecting important peripheral organs.

Objective To investigate the stimulative effects of CollagenⅠon the increased adhesion of rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), cytoskeleton actin organization and intracellular free Ca~(2+) concentration. Methods The third generation BMSCs isolated from mature rabbits were cultured at different initial concentrations on cover-slice coated by collagenⅠin RPMI1640 containing 10% fetal calf serum, and cultured on the same kind of cover-slice untreated with collagenⅠas control. The cells adhesive behavior at different times was assessed. Cellular actin organization was described as either typeⅠor typeⅡcells. In general, typeⅠcells are round and represent a preliminary stage of actin assembly, while typeⅡcells are elongated with organized actin fiber network. At the same time intracellular free Ca~(2+) concentration was measured by using calcium fluorescent probe Fluo-3/AM and laser confocal microscope. Results We found more typeⅡcells in BMSCs cultured with collagen typeⅠsix hours after culture than in the control group. At 12 hours 89% of the BMSCs were typeⅡcells, while only 55% were typeⅡcells in the control group. This indicated active cellular actin organization after being modified by collagen typeⅠ. We also found that the BMSCs cultured with collagen typeⅠincreased intracellular free Ca~(2+) concentration in monolayer culture. Conclusions CollagenⅠis effective in promoting the cellular adhesion, which suggests that a kind of internal relationship or cross-talk may exist between cellular actin organization, intracellular free Ca~(2+) concentration and cell adhesion. Further study, however, is needed.

In order to meet the requirements of cultivating the practical abilities and creativities of students who receive higher education, we initiated the reformation of education in the microbiology experiment teaching methods, implementing a system for module-based education, carefully monitoring every link in teaching, combining the encouragement and strict requirements together, adopting a proper way of assessment. It is proven that the implementation of the educational reformation mobilizes the interests of students and enhances the comprehensive qualities of students, which accomplishes the purposes of teaching.