The global regulatory gene, nsdA, negatively regulates antibiotics production in Streptomyces coelicolor. Southern blot experiment, using an nsdA fragment of S. coelicolor as probe, indicated that nsdA gene existed in many Streptomyces. Primers were designed based on the published sequences of S. coelicolor and S. avermitilis. PCR amplification and sequencing showed that nsdA in Streptomyces was conservative and that of S. lividans ZX64 has a 100% identity in the nucleotide sequence comparing with that of S. coelicolor A3 (2). The nsdA disrupted mutant of S. lividans was constructed named as WQ2. WQ2 was able to produce actinorhodin but the wild-type strain ZX64 did not, which has a silent gene cluster contributing to the biosynthesis of actinorhodin. However, the ability was lost when another copy of the wild nsdA gene was introduced into WQ2. All the results above indicate that nsdA homologous gene is wildly existent and conserved in Streptomyces. And it plays a role in negatively regulating the actinorhodin synthesis in S. lividans and disruption of it can activate the silent gene cluster.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; biosynthesis ; Blotting, Southern ; Genes, Bacterial ; physiology ; Genes, Regulator ; physiology ; Multigene Family ; Streptomyces lividans ; genetics

To investigate the chemical constituents of the whole plants of Bidens bipinnata, the separation and purification of constituents were performed by chromatography on macroporous resin, silica gel, MCI and Sephadex LH-20. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data as quercetin (1), quercetin-3-0-alpha-L-rhamnoside (2), keampferol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), keampferol-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside (4), 3', 5-dyhydroxy-3, 6, 4'-trimethoxyl -7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside flavonoid (5), 7, 8, 3', 4'-tetraflavanone(6), (2S)- and (2R)-isookanin-7-O-beta-D- glucopyranoside (7a/7b), (2S)- and (2R)-3'-methoxy-isookanin-8-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8a/8b), 6, 7, 3', 4'-tetrahydroxyaurone(9), maritimetin (10), esculetin (11), 3-O-caffeoyl-2-methyl-d-erythrono-1, 4-lactone (12), (7S, 8R) balanophonin-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (13), eugenyl-O-beta-apiofuranosyl-( 1"-6') -O-beta-glucopyranoside (14), and (+)-syringaresinol-4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (15). Compounds 8, 13, 14, and 15 were isolated from this genus for the first time. Compounds 1 and 6 were potent inhibitors against HSC-T6 cells in vitro and compounds 1, 2, 6, and 7 were capable of decreasing the inflammatory cytokine production of macrophage cells in vitro.
Bidens ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Molecular Structure ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

BACKGROUND: Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is characterized by bilateral granulomatous uveitis with neurologic, auditory, and dermatologic manifestations. However, acute myelitis complicating VKH disease has rarely been reported. CASE REPORT: A 50-year-old Chinese Han woman presented with difficulty walking, numbness on the left side of the body, and difficulty with urination. The patient was diagnosed with incomplete VKH disease and received corticosteroid treatment prior to the neurological presentation. Acute myelitis was diagnosed based on both clinical and spinal-cord MRI findings. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should consider acute myelitis as a rare possible neurological manifestation in VKH disease patients, and early systemic administration of corticosteroids will suppress the acute inflammatory process and prevent recurrences. This report raises the possibility that VKH disease and acute myelitis share common pathogenic pathways.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Mobility Limitation ; Myelitis ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Recurrence ; Urination ; Uveitis ; Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome

OBJECTIVETo explore the neuro-protective effect and mechanism of qingkailing injection (QKL) against cerebral injury caused by E. coli-meningitis (CM).

METHODSThe CM model rabbits were treated by ampicillin with QKL as adjuvant. The leukocyte count and protein content in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), the contents of water, sodium, potassium and calcium in cerebral tissues were measured before, 16 h and 26 h after Bacillus coli injection respectively. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was determined at the same time.

RESULTSAdjunctive treatment with QKL can not only inhibit the increase of leukocyte cells, protein content in CSF, and water, sodium, calcium content in cerebral tissues, but also the decrease of potassium content revealed during simple antibiotic treatment. It also can decrease the expression of MMP-9 in cerebral tissues of rabbits with CM.

CONCLUSIONAs an adjunctive treatment, QKL can prevent transient inflammatory reaction and aggravation of brain injury in CM induced by simple antibiotic treatment, its mechanisms might relate with calcium antagonism and attenuation of MMP-9 expression in brain tissues.

Ampicillin ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Brain ; metabolism ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Injections ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; biosynthesis ; Meningitis, Escherichia coli ; drug therapy ; Neuroprotective Agents ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Rabbits

OBJECTIVESTo establish a Chinese national standard for a nucleic acid test (NAT) for HBV DNA.

METHODSThe candidate sample of HBV DNA positive plasma was diluted with HBV-negative human plasma. The sample was lyophilised with a concentration of approximately 300,000 copies/ml. The measurement methods used included Roche Amplicor assay (version 2.0) and real-time PCR. The lyophilised preparation was calibrated by the international standard (NIBSC code: 97/746) from NIBSC.

RESULTSThe quantity of this lyophilised preparation was (1.29+/-0.24) x 10(5)IU/ml in comparison with the international standard for HBV DNA 97/746. The stability test indicated that the sample was stable at room temperature (20 to 25 degrees C) for 2 weeks and at 37 degrees C for at least 1 week. Long-term stability was observed at 2 to 8 degrees C for 6 months and at -20 degrees C for more than 2 years with no significant changes. The vial-to-vial imprecision rate was 3.53%.

CONCLUSIONBased on the results of this study, our lyophilized sample can be used as a standard in China for the nucleic acid test (NAT) for HBV DNA.

DNA, Viral ; blood ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; standards ; Plasma ; chemistry

BACKGROUNDRecent studies have suggested that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signalling pathway plays an important role in hepatic fibrosis. This study explored the antifibrotic effect of oxymatrine on tetrachloromethane induced liver fibrosis in rats and its modulation on the p38 MAPK signalling pathway.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups: normal (n = 20), induced fibrosis (n = 20), colchicine (n = 20) and three treatment groups of oxymatrine (n = 20 x 3). We obesrved changes in deposition of collagen, hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), collagen type IV (CIV), procollagen III (PCIII) and hydroxyproline (Hyp), a-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and phosphor-p38 (pp38).

RESULTSThe relative indicators of changes in histopathology, HA, LN, CIV, PCIII, Hyp, alpha-SMA and pp38 were raised significantly in the induced fibrosis group (P < 0.01 vs normal group). The semiquantitative hepatic fibrosis staging scores of middle dose group and high dose group were decreased (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively vs the induced fibrosis group), as was the average area of collagen in rats' liver, the concentrations of serum HA, LN, CIV, PCIII and liver tissue homogenate Hyp. The gene expression of alpha-SMA mRNA was considerably decreased in the treated animals, as was the protein espression of pp38 protein.

CONCLUSIONSOxymatrine is effective in reducing the production and deposition of collagen in the liver tissue of experimental rats in ways which relate to modulating the fibrogenic signal transduction via p38 MAPK signalling pathway.

Actins ; metabolism ; Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; pharmacology ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; Collagen ; metabolism ; Collagen Type IV ; metabolism ; Hyaluronic Acid ; metabolism ; Hydroxyproline ; metabolism ; Laminin ; metabolism ; Liver Cirrhosis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Male ; Procollagen ; metabolism ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

The biological characters of Sindbis virus strain of Yunnan(YN87448 strain) were studied by the test of the filtration, acid-resistant, ether-resistant, CPE, susceptibility of animal, HA, plague, determination of virus titres, and the cross-HI, cross-IFAT and PRNT as well.The results indicated that YN87448 strain belongs to Sindbis virus, Alphavirus, Togaviridae. YN87448 strain virus was plaque purified(PYN87448). The biological character of PYN87448 strain virus was studied too. PYN87448 strain virus will be used in the molecule biological test.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Sangxing Zhike Prescription in treating postinfectious cough(PIC)of warm dryness invading the lung type.Methods A total of 66 PIC patients with warm dryness invading the lung type who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to June 2022 were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 33 patients in each group.The treatment group was given Sangxing Zhike Prescription combined with Compound Methoxyphenamine Capsules,and the control group was given Compound Methoxyphenamine Capsules combined with Chinese medicine placebo.The course of treatment covered 7 days.The changes in the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores of the severity of cough,the scores of cough symptom,and the scores of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome in the two groups were observed before and after the treatment.After treatment,the clinical efficacy and safety in the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)During the trial,one case fell off from the treatment group and 4 cases fell off from the control group,and eventually 61 cases completed the observation,of which 32 cases were in the treatment group and 29 cases were in the control group.(2)After 7 days of treatment,the total effective rate of the treatment group was 84.38%(27/32)and that of the control group was 58.62%(17/29),and the intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the therapeutic efficacy of the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the VAS scores of the severity of cough,and the scores of daytime cough,nighttime cough of the Cough Symptom Score Scale as well as the overall cough scores in the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),and the reduction of the VAS scores and the overall cough symptom scores in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,obvious improvement was presented in the scores of TCM symptoms of cough,throat itching,dry throat,foreign body sensation in the throat,sore throat and pharyngeal signs as well as total TCM syndrome scores in the treatment group when compared with the pre-treatment period(P＜0.01),whereas in the control group,only the scores of cough,throat itching,dry throat,and sore throat and the total TCM syndrome scores were improved compared with the pre-treatment period(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The post-treatment intergroup comparison showed that the treatment group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the scores of throat itching,foreign body sensation in the throat,and pharyngeal signs as well as total TCM syndrome scores(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)During the treatment process,no significant adverse reactions occurred in both groups,or no abnormal changes were shown in the safety indexes such as blood routine test,liver and kidney functions of the patients.Conclusion Sangxing Zhike Prescription combined with Compound Methoxyphenamine Capsules exerts certain effect in treating patients with PIC of warm dryness invading the lung type,and its efficacy is significantly superior to that of Compound Methoxyphenamine Capsules treatment alone with relatively high safety profile.

Objective To investigate the perinatal complications, birth defects and growth of children conceived through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Methods A total of 575 children conceived by ICSI in our reproductive medical center, were studied. The follow-up study would include items as pregnant complications, neonatal complications, birth defects in perinatal period, subsequently detected birth defects, body weight and body length/height growth. Results Prematurity and low birth weight of ICSI children were higher in the multiple births than in the singleton births. The rates of materal gestational hypertension, neonatal asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome, infection diseases were higher in the multiple pregnancies than in the singleton pregnancies(P＜0.05). Eleven ICSI children had died. Ten of them died in the neonatal period and they were preterm infants. One fullterm singleton ICSI child died of hepatoblastoma at the age of 2. The rate of birth defects in perinatal period was higher in ICSI children of multiple pregnancies than in the general population (P＜0.05). The body weight and body length/height of most ICSI children had obtained the standard range between 1 to 3 year-olds. Conclusion The higher rates of perinatal complications in ICSI children were closely related to multiple pregnancies.

OBJECTIVETo explore the pathophysiological and biomechanical features of skeletal muscular injury for providing a rational basis for its treatment, prevention and rehabilitation.

METHODSIn 70 adult rabbits, the left tibialis anterior (TA) muscle was stretched to injury, while the right TA muscle served as control. Histological, enzymohistochemical and biomechanical changes were observed on days 0, 1, 2, 3, and 7 after injury. Cytochrome oxidase (CCO), acid phosphatase (ACP), ATPase, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), NADH-diaphorase (NADHD), glutamatedehydrogenase (GDH), alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (alpha-GPD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured. The examined biomechanical parameters included maximal contractile force, ultimate load, length, energy absorption, tangent stiffness, and rupture site.

RESULTSPartial or complete rupture of TA muscle occurred near the muscle-tendon junction. There was an intense inflammatory reaction on day 1 and 2 after injury. Endomysium fibrosis and myotube formation were observed on day 3, and developed further on day 7. The activity of cell oxidases (CCO, ATPase, MDH, alpha-GPD, SDH, NADHD and GDH) showed a significant drop from day 0 to 2, and resumed with different levels on day 3. The increment of enzymatic activities continued on day 7 and the levels of NADHD and alpha-GPD reached to the levels of control muscle. Maximal contractile force was 70.17%+/-3.82% of controls immediately after injury, 54.82%+/-3.09% at 1 day, 66.41%+/-4.36% at 2 days, 78.39%+/-4.90% at 3 days and 93.64%+/-5.02% at 7 days. Ultimate load was 85.78%+/-7.54% of controls at the moment of injury, 61.44%+/-5.91% at 1 day, 49.17%+/-4.26% at 2 days, 64.43%+/-5.02% at 3 days, and 76.71%+/-6.46% at 7 days.

CONCLUSIONSEndomysium fibrosis and scar formation at the injured site are responsible for frequent recurrence of skeletal muscle injury. Recovery of tensile load slower than that of maximal contractile force may be another cause. Whether the injured muscle returns to normal exercise is mainly determined by the tensility on which the muscle-tendon can bear rather than the maximal contractile force.

Acid Phosphatase ; analysis ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; analysis ; Animals ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase ; analysis ; Electron Transport Complex IV ; analysis ; Glutamate Dehydrogenase ; analysis ; Glycerolphosphate Dehydrogenase ; analysis ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; analysis ; Malate Dehydrogenase ; analysis ; Muscle, Skeletal ; injuries ; pathology ; physiology ; Rabbits ; Succinate Dehydrogenase ; analysis