ObjectiveTo study the mechanism of Shexiang Tongxin Dripping pills-containing serum （STDP） in ameliorating angiotensinⅡ （AngⅡ）-induced cell phenotype transformation， proliferation， migration， and dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells. MethodsAn AngⅡ-induced proliferation and migration model of vascular smooth muscle cells was established. The cells were treated with STDP at 5%， 10%， and 20% for 24 h. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to detect the expression of α smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） and matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2）. The cell-counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine （EdU） staining were employed to detect the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells， and the scratch assay was employed to detect the migration of the cells. Western blot was employed to determine the expression levels of pathway proteins such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 （ACE2）， angiotensin Ⅱ type 2 （AT2）， angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 （AT1）， as well as proliferation and migration proteins such as typeⅠ collagen （ColⅠ） and osteopontin （OPN）. ResultsCompared with the model group， STDP increased the expression of α-SMA， reduced the expression of MMP-2， and inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells （P<0.05）. Furthermore， STDP up-regulated the expression levels of ACE2， AT2， and MAS1， while down-regulating the expression level of AT1， PCNA， ColⅠ， MMP-9， Rock1， Rock2， and SRF （P<0.05）. Compared with the STDP group， the ACE2 inhibitor reversed the regulatory effects of STDP. ConclusionSTDP inhibits the phenotype transformation， proliferation， and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells and regulates the expression of cell proliferation and migration-related proteins to ameliorate the dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells. It exerts the effects by up-regulating the expression of proteins in the ACE2-AT2/MAS pathway and down-regulating the expression of proteins in the AT1-Rock signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo study the mechanism by which Shexiang Tongxin dropping pills （STDP） ameliorate the dysfunction of coronary microvascular endothelial cells in the rat model of heart failure. MethodsThe heart failure model was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in rats， which were then allocated into sham， model， STDP， and telmisartan （TLM） groups and treated for 21 days. The heart function was detected by echocardiography， and the levels of myocardial injury markers， nitric oxide （NO）， endothelin-1 （ET1）， and angiotensinⅡ （AngⅡ） were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The protein levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase （eNOS） and inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） were determined by Western blot. The model of cardiac microvascular endothelial cell injury was established by AngⅡ induction and then treated with the STDP-containing serum （5%， 10%， and 20%） for 24 h. The levels of NO and ET1 were measured by ELISA. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of eNOS， iNOS， angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 （ACE2）， and angiotensinⅡ receptor 2 （AT2）. MLN-4760， an ACE2 inhibitor， was used to explore the mechanism underpinning the regulatory effect of STDP on the ACE2-AT2/MAS pathway. ResultsCompared with the sham group， the model group showed decreases in left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） and left ventricular fractional shortening （LVFS） （P<0.05）， a decline in serum NO level， elevations in serum AngⅡ and ET1 levels， a reduction in p-eNOS/eNOS ratio， and up-regulation in iNOS expression （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， STDP increased LVEF， LVFS， and cardiac output （P<0.05）， raised the level of NO and lowered the levels of AngⅡ and ET1 in the serum （P<0.05）， increased the p-eNOS/eNOS value， and inhibited iNOS expression （P<0.05）. Compared with the AngⅡ group， STDP increased the NO content and decreased the ET1 content in endothelial cells （P<0.05）， increased the p-eNOS/eNOS ratio， and inhibited the iNOS expression （P<0.05）. The ACE2 inhibitor MLN-4760 reversed the regulatory effects of STDP on p-eNOS， eNOS， and iNOS. ConclusionSTDP improves the cardiac function in the rat model of heart failure， enhances the synthesis and release of NO in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells， reduces AngⅡ and ET1 levels， and regulates the expression of p-eNOS and eNOS， thereby ameliorating the dysfunction of microvascular endothelial cells in heart failure. This mechanism is related to the upregulation of the expression of proteins in the ACE2-AT2/MAS pathway.

Objective To investigate the effects of Shechuangzi San on Th1/Th2 immune function in eczema rats and analyze its mechanisms in treating eczema.Methods Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group,Shechuangzi San high dose group,Shechuangzi San low dose group,and Bingbaiye liquid group,with 10 rats in each group.The rat eczema model was established using 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene.The blank group and model group were topically treated with 0.9%saline,the Shechuangzi San high dose group was topically treated with a decoction of Shechuangzi San at a concentration of 2.32 g·mL-1,and the low dose group was topically treated with a decoction of Shechuangzi San at a concentration of 1.16 g·mL-1.And the Bingbaiye liquid group was topically treated with the original liquid of Bingbaiye,once in the morning and once in the evening,for a total of 14 days.After the last administration,the skin lesions on the rats'backs were observed and the skin lesion scores were evaluated.The pathological changes of eczema lesions were observed by HE staining,and semi-quantitatively scored.ELISA method was used to detect the levels of IFN-γ,IL-4,IL-18,and IL-33 in rat serum.Flow cytometry was used to determine the Th1/Th2 ratio in the serum.Results Compared to the blank group,the rat skin lesion score in the model group was significantly increased(P<0.05),with a series of skin lesions including edema,erythema,scaling,lichenification appearing on the back.Pathological sections showed excessive keratosis,thickening of cuticular layer,edema of epidermis sponge,infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells in epidermis,and the semi-quantitative score of skin lesions was significantly increased(P<0.05).Serum levels of IL-4,IL-18,and IL-33 were significantly increased(P<0.05),while the level of IFN-γ was significantly decreased(P<0.05).Serum Th1/Th2 ratio decreased(P<0.05).Compared to the model group,the rat skin lesions in the Shechuangzi San high and low dose groups and the Bingbaiye liquid group were significantly improved(P<0.05),Pathological sections showed that the structure of epidermis was restored to normal,the cuticle became thinner,the spongy edema of epidermis disappeared,epidermal inflammatory cells disappeared,and the semi-quantitative score of skin lesions decreased(P<0.05).Serum levels of IL-4,IL-18,and IL-33 were decreased(P<0.05),while the level of IFN-γ was increased(P<0.05),serum Th1/Th2 ratio increased significantly(P<0.05).and the therapeutic effect of the Shechuangzi San high and low dose groups was superior to that of the Bingbaiye liquid group(P<0.05).Conclusion Shechuangzi San can effectively improve the skin lesions of rats with eczema,repair the pathological damage of skin lesions,and reduce the levels of inflammatory factors.Its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of secretion of inflammatory factors such as IL-4,IL-18,and IL-33,promotion of IFN-γ release,and restoration of Th1/Th2 imbalance.

Humans ; Psoriasis/drug therapy* ; Registries ; China/epidemiology*

The global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has infected over 109 million people, leading to over 2 million deaths up to date and still lacking of effective drugs for patient treatment. Here, we screened about 1.8 million small molecules against the main protease (M^pro) and papain like protease (PL^pro), two major proteases in severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 genome, and identified 1851M^pro inhibitors and 205 PL^pro inhibitors with low nmol/l activity of the best hits. Among these inhibitors, eight small molecules showed dual inhibition effects on both M^pro and PL^pro, exhibiting potential as better candidates for COVID-19 treatment. The best inhibitors of each protease were tested in antiviral assay, with over 40% of M^pro inhibitors and over 20% of PL^pro inhibitors showing high potency in viral inhibition with low cytotoxicity. The X-ray crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 M^pro in complex with its potent inhibitor 4a was determined at 1.8 Å resolution. Together with docking assays, our results provide a comprehensive resource for future research on anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development.
Humans ; Antiviral Agents/chemistry* ; COVID-19 ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; High-Throughput Screening Assays ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Protease Inhibitors/chemistry* ; SARS-CoV-2/enzymology* ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins

Objective:To investigate the effect of gonadotropin (Gn) on embryo aneuploidy rate and pregnancy outcome during preimplanptation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) cycles.Methods:The clinical data of patients undergoing PGT-A cycle at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from January 1, 2013 to May 31, 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into younger patient group (<35 years old) and elder patient group (≥35 years old) by maternal age, then divided into two groups in line with Gn dosage (≤2 250 U, >2 250 U), and into four groups by number of oocytes retrieved (1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and ≥16 oocytes). The embryo aneuploidy rate and pregnancy outcome between the groups were compared. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between the cumulative amount of Gn, embryo aneuploidy rate and live-birth rate.Results:A total of 402 cycles (338 patients) and 1 883 embryos were included in the study. (1) In the younger patients, the aneuploidy rate was 52.5% (304/579) in the group of Gn≤2 250 U and 48.6% (188/387) in the group of Gn >2 250 U, with no significant difference between them ( P=0.232). In the elderly patients, the difference in embryo aneuploidy rate between the two Gn group [57.9% (208/359) versus 60.6% (319/526)] was not statistically significant ( P=0.420). (2) The embryonic aneuploidy rate in different protocol of ovary stimulation was analyzed,in the younger group, the embryonic aneuploidy rate in patients using antagonist long protocol was 50.3% (158/314), it was 50.0% (121/242) in agonist long protocol, 52.1% (207/397) in agonist short protocol and 6/13 in luteal phase protocol, no statistical difference was found in above groups ( P=0.923); in the elder group, embryonic aneuploidy rate was 60.8% (191/314) in antagonist protocol, 58.4% (132/226) in agonist long protocol, 59.2%(199/336) in agonist short protocol, 5/9 in luteal phase protocol, respectively,no significant difference was found ( P=0.938). (3) In the younger patients, the aneuploidy rate in 1-5 oocytes group, 6-10 oocytes group, 11-15 oocytes group and ≥16 oocytes group was 37.9% (11/29), 54.0% (94/174), 52.5% (104/198) and 50.1% (283/565) respectively, no significant difference was found between the groups ( P=0.652); while in the elder patients, the difference between aneuploidy rate in each retrieved oocytes group [73.6% (89/121), 57.5% (119/207), 56.3% (108/192), 57.8% (211/365)] was statistically significant ( P=0.046). (4) Logistic regression analysis of age, cumulative dosage of Gn, number of oocytes obtained, and embryo aneuploidy rate showed that there was no association between the amount of Gn and embryo aneuploidy rate ( P>0.05); the increase in maternal age would increase the risk of aneuploidy rate of embryos, which was statistically significant ( OR=1.031, 95 %CI: 1.010-1.054, P=0.004); the increase in oocytes retrived would significantly decrease the risk of aneuploidy ( OR=0.981, 95 %CI: 0.971-0.991, P<0.01). (5) There was no significant difference in biochemical pregnancy rate [55.6% (80/144) versus 52.1% (63/121)], clinical pregnancy rate [50.0% (72/144) versus 47.9% (58/121)] and live-birth rate [46.5% (67/144) versus 40.5% (49/121)] between different Gn dosage groups ( P=0.613, P=0.738, P=0.324). The logistic regression analysis showed that the maternal age, the cumulative dosage of Gn, the number of oocytes obtained, and the ovarian stimulation protocol had no effect on the live-birth rate (all P>0.05). Conclusions:In PGT-A cycle, the dosage of Gn has no association with the embryo aneuploidy rate and pregnancy outcome. In the patients ≥35 years old, the increase in number of oocytes obtained may decrease the risk of aneuploidy. Age is an important factor affecting the embryo aneuploidy in PGT-A cycle.

Objective:To analyze the characteristics of plasmids in KPC-2-producing Serratia marcescens ( S. marcescens) isolates. Methods:Four carbapenem-resistant S. marcescens strains were isolated from four patients admitted to the hepatobiliary ward of Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University in 2016. BD Phenix-100 was used to identify the strains and detect the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Homology analysis was performed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The modified Hodge test was used to detect the phenotypes of carbapenemase. PCR and gene sequencing were used to detect the types of carbapenem resistance genes. The transferability of plasmids was detected by conjugation test. The characteristics of plasmids were analyzed by genomic alignment method after whole genome sequencing. DNAMAN V9 software was used to compare the amino acid sequences of the replication initiation proteins. A phylogenetic tree was constructed with neighbor-joining method using MEGA7.0. Results:All of the four S. marcescens strains were resistant to carbapenem antibiotics. They were highly homologous according to PFGE. Hodge test results were all positive and the carbapenemase genotype was blaKPC-2. Conjugation test results were positive. The plasmid was a circular DNA of 42 742 bp in length. It had the similar skeleton of incX6 plasmid and the similar amino acid sequence of replication initiation protein. Moreover, it and incX6 plasmid were at the same node in the phylogenetic tree. The blaKPC-2 was located in the core of drug resistance, which was composed of insertion elements including Tn3 family transposons, recombinant enzyme genes, △ISKpn6 and ISKpn27. Conclusions:The plasmid was incX6-like. The blaKPC-2 gene was located in the transposon of △Tn6296. More attention should be paid to the bacteria carrying KPC-2 in incX plasmids.

This retrospective study aims to demonstrate the effect of antitubercular treatment (ATT) on the pregnancy outcomes and prognoses of patients with genital tuberculosis (GTB) who had received laparoscopy and/or hysteroscopy. This study included 78 patients with infertility and who were diagnosed with GTB through laparoscopy and/or hysteroscopy over the period of November 2005 to October 2015. The recruited patients were divided into ATT and nonATT groups on the basis of ATT duration. The GTB recurrence rates, menstrual patterns, and pregnancy outcomes of the patients were determined at follow-up. Among the 78 patients, 46 received ATT and 32 did not receive ATT. The menstrual volumes of patients in the ATT group significantly decreased relative to those of patients in the nonATT group. GTB did not recur among all patients regardless of treatment. A total of 11 pregnancies (36.7%) in the ATT group and 19 pregnancies (63.3%) in the nonATT group were observed. Pregnancy rates significantly differed (P = 0.002) between the two groups. ATT may decrease the menstrual volume and pregnancy rates of patients who were diagnosed with GTB through laparoscopy and/or hysteroscopy. In addition, ATT did not improve the prognosis of patients with chronic GTB.
Adult ; Antitubercular Agents ; therapeutic use ; China ; Female ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy ; Infertility, Female ; etiology ; Laparoscopy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Rate ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis, Female Genital ; complications ; drug therapy ; Young Adult

Objective To study plasmid-mediated transfer,plasmid replicon typing,and genetic environment of blaNDM-1 gene in Enterobacteraerogenes(E.aerogenes).Methods E.aerogenes HN-NDM0711 was used as the subject of this research,the transferable properties of plasmid were analyzed by conjugation testing,conjugant was performed stability testing,plasmid type was determined by PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT),downstream and upstream of blaNDM-1 were sequenced using chromosome walking method,genetic context was analyzed by BLASTN and BALSTP,as well as annotated using Vector NTI 11.5.1 software,sequence pipeline graph was made,the sequence was submitted to Genbank through software Banklt.Results The conjugation testing of E.aerogenes pHN-NDM0711 was positive,after positive conjugant was conducted 4-day passage,minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of imipenem and meropenem to all the cloned strains didn't change,blaNDM-1 were all positive.The replicon type was IncA/C;blaNDM-1 gene was localized between ISAba14 and IS91,at upstream of the blaNDM-1,class 1 integron and Tn3 transposon were identified,class 1 integron contained a new mosaic structure of a drug-resistant resistance gene cassette.Conclusion E.aerogenes pHN-NDM071 1,bearing blaNDM-1 gene in IncA/C plasmid,derived from gene recombination under different antimicrobial selection pressure.Antimicrobial use in clinical,industrial and agricultural area should be strictly controlled,so as to reduce the emergence of such bacteria.

Objective: To study the predictive and prognostic significance of high-sensitivity modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (HS-mGPS) on the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. Methods: 117 patients with advanced gastric cancer received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with SOX (oxaliplatin+ S1) or mFOLFOX 6(oxaliplatin+ CF+ 5-FU) regimen. HS-mGPS was calculated according to blood C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration and serum albumin (ALB) level. The correlation between HS-mGPS and clinicopathological characteristics was determined and the predictors of survival were analyzed. Results: 117 patients with stage ⅡB (43 cases), stage Ⅲ (60), and stage Ⅳ (14) received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The overall response rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 61.5%(72/117), and the tumor control rate was 88.0% (103/117), with a pathological response rate of 91.5% (107/117). The R0 resection rate was 81.2% (95/117). The median disease-free survival (DFS) was 21.0 (95% CI 6.4-35.6) months. The median overall survival (OS) was 39.0 (95% CI 21.4-56.6) months. Higher HS-mGPS was associated with higher T stage, local lymph-node metastasis, distant metastasis, lower chemotherapy overall response rate and lower pathological response rate (all P<0.05). The univariate analysis and multivariate analysis showed that higher HS-mGPS, presence of local lymph-node metastasis and non R0 resection were associated with poorer DFS and OS (P<0.05). Conclusion HS-mGPS can be used to predict the benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and as an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer.