To investigate the effect of Yunkang Oral Liquid on preventing lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced abortion and regulating immune tolerance in mice,sixty normal ICR mice were randomly divided into normal group,model group,Yunkang Oral Liquid high,middle and low dose groups and progesterone group.Abortion model was established by tail vain injection of LPS(0.1μg/mouse)on the 7th day of pregnancy.Since the first day of pregnancy,the same volume of distilled water,Yunkang Oral Liquid at the dose of 36,18 and 9 m L·kg~(-1)·d~(-1),and progesterone at the dose of 0.038 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)were given in corresponding groups.The mice were sacrificed at the 9th day of pregnancy,and the embryo loss of each group was calculated.The levels of Th1 type cytokines(TNF-α,IFN-γ)and Th2 type cytokines(IL-4,IL-10)in uterus homogenate were detected by ELISA.HE staining was performed to examine the histopathological changes in the decidua.The expression levels of CD14,F4/80 in macrophages of uterus were detected by immunohistochemistry.Western blot was used to investigate the protein expression of TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κB in uterine decidua.In our study,all Yunkang Oral Liquid groups could significantly reduce the embryo absorption rate of mice,while high dose group can significantly increase the levels of IL-10 and IL-4;both medium and high dose groups can significantly decrease TNF-α,and IFN-γlevelsin the uterus of model mice,reduce the protein expression of NF-κB,MyD88 and TLR4 in uterine decidua tissue.Various treatment groups could reduce the counts of F4/80,CD14 macrophages and decrease expression area in uterine tissue.Our results showed that Yunkang Oral Liquid could prevent LPS-induced abortion,and the mechanism may be associated with inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway and regulating the balance of Th1/Th2 immune factors,which could improve the endometrial receptivity of mice,and promote the development of decidua and implantation of embryo.
Abortion, Induced ; Animals ; Female ; Immune Tolerance ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; NF-kappa B ; Pregnancy

Sangzhi alkaloids (SZ-A) are derived from traditional Chinese medicine Ramulus Mori, serving well as an innovative antidiabetic drug, due to α-glucosidase inhibition. To evaluate the potency of glucosidase inhibitory effect of SZ-A, the enzyme-based screening platforms, including sucrase, maltase and amylase were established, and IC₅₀ was calculated. The effects of SZ-A on postprandial blood glucose at a single dose, oral sucrose, starch and glucose loading were determined in normal ICR mice and alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice. To confirm the anti-diabetic effects of SZ-A on glucose and lipid metabolism after long-term administration, the postprandial and fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, urinary glucose levels, glycosylated serum proteins and blood lipid levels were determined in high-fat fed C57 obese mice (pre-diabetic HFC57 mice) and diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ). The Experimental Animal Welfare Ethics Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College approved all of the protocols for this research. We found that SZ-A exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the sucrase and maltase. SZ-A showed no effect on amylase. In normal ICR mice and alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice, SZ-A at a single dose significantly delayed and reduced the peak of blood glucose after sucrose or starch loading, but showed no effect on the increase of blood glucose after glucose loading. In STZ diabetic rats, SZ-A significantly reduced the postprandial or fasting blood glucose levels, glycosylated serum proteins and urinary glucose. SZ-A also reduced serum triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol (TC) levels after 3 weeks of treatment. SZ-A ameliorated the postprandial blood glucose or the fasting blood glucose elevation, and reduced the incidence of hyperglycemia in HFC57 mice. SZ-A decreased the basal insulin level, improved insulin sensitivity, and ameliorated glucose intolerance in pre-diabetic HFC57 mice. Our results indicated that SZ-A had a novel inhibitory activity on α-glucosidase, especially on disaccharidases. SZ-A at a single dose significantly reduced the peak of blood glucose elevation and delayed the increase of blood glucose in normal and diabetic mice after disaccharide and polysaccharide loading. Long-term SZ-A treatment improved glucose and lipid metabolic profiles by delaying carbohydrate absorption from the intestine and reduced the postprandial blood glucose levels in both pre-diabetic and diabetic animal models. Therefore, SZ-A application may display a beneficial role in preventing the development and complications of diabetes.

Aimed to solve the issues of pesticide residue, heavy metal contents and harmful elements in the productive process of Chinese herbal medicines, the research team built the technical regulations for production of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines. This regulation included the environment of production area, the process of production, quality of products etc., which were the key steps controlled the quality of Chinese herbal medicines. The environment of production area was selected according to the ecological factors which were stipulated by Ecological Suitability Regionalization of Chinese herbal medicines (second edition). The quality of air should be attain the one or two levels of GB/T3095-2012 standard values. The cultivation soils should reach to the one or two levels of GB15618 and NY/T391 standard values. The quality of irrigation water should accord with the stipulation of GB5084-2005. Aimed to the production of Chinese herbal medicines, disease-resistant and superior varieties which were suitable to the local stations should be selected, and the breeding of superior seeds and seedlings should be strengthened. Additionally, rational fertilizer application of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines should be conformed to the principles, requirements, and the kinds of fertilizers allowed or limited for use, which were stipulated by the standard of DB13/T454. Furthermore, the plant protection policy of priority to prevention and synthetical prevention should be followed; improving ecological environment and strengthening cultivation management should be served as the basics. Agricultural measures, and biological and physical control strategies should be preferred to use; and high toxicity, residue pesticide and its mixture should be inhibited; the use of chemical pesticides should be minimized and then to decrease contamination and residue. Additionally, the quality of products should be reached to the standard of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines; high toxicity and detection rate of pesticide residues and the contents of heavy metal and harmful elements (e.g. plumbum, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and cuprum) should accord with the common criteria of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines. Application of technical regulations for production of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines guarantees significantly social, economic and ecological benefits.

Background: Several studies have shown that detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an independent prognostic factor. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of dynamic MRD pretransplantation on outcome of AML patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 145 consecutive AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT in complete remission status between June 2013 and June 2016. MRD was determined with multiparameter flow cytometry after the first and second courses of chemotherapy and pre-HSCT. Results: In matched sibling donor transplantation (MSDT) settings, patients with positive MRD had higher cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) than those without MRD after the first (32.3 ± 9.7% vs. 7.7 ± 3.1%, χ = 3.661, P = 0.055) or second course of chemotherapy (57.1 ± 3.6% vs. 12.5 ± 2.7%, χ = 8.759, P = 0.003) or pre-HSCT (50.0 ± 9.7% vs. 23.0 ± 3.2%, χ = 5.547, P = 0.019). In haploidentical SCT (haplo-SCT) settings, the MRD status at those timepoints had no significant impact on clinical outcomes. However, patients with persistent positive MRD from chemotherapy to pre-HSCT had higher CIR than those without persistent positive MRD both in MSDT and haplo-SCT settings. Patients with persistent positive MRD underwent MSDT had the highest relapse incidence, followed by those with persistent positive MRD underwent haplo-SCT, those without persistent MRD underwent haplo-SCT, and those without persistent MRD underwent MSDT (66.7 ± 9.2% vs. 38.5 ± 6.0% vs. 18.8 ± 8.7% vs. 12.0 ± 1.0%, χ = 20.763, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that persistent positive MRD before transplantation was associated with higher CIR (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.200-2.382, P = 0.003), worse leukemia-free survival (HR = 1.812, 95% CI: 1.168-2.812, P = 0.008), and overall survival (HR = 2.354, 95% CI: 1.528-3.627, P < 0.001). Conclusion Our results suggest that persistent positive MRD before transplantation, rather than positive MRD at single timepoint, could predict poor outcome both in MSDT and haplo-SCT settings.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm, Residual ; diagnosis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDRenal function is associated with mortality and functional disabilities in stroke patients, and impaired autonomic function is common in stroke, but little is known regarding its effects on stroke patients with renal dysfunction. This study sought to evaluate the association between autonomic function and stroke in patients with renal dysfunction.

METHODSThis study comprised 232 patients with acute ischemic stroke consecutively enrolled from February 2013 to November 2014 at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine in China. All patients recruited underwent laboratory evaluation and 24 h Holter electrocardiography (ECG). Autonomic function was measured based on the heart rate variability (HRV) using 24 h Holter ECG. Renal damage was assessed through the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and stroke severity was rated according to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The Barthel index and modified Rankin score were also determined following admission. All the clinical covariates that could potentially affect autonomic outcome variables were adjusted with linear regression.

RESULTSIn the patients with a mild or moderate decreased eGFR, the values for the standard deviation of the averaged normal-to-normal RR interval (SDANN) index (P = 0.022), very low frequency (VLF) (P = 0.043), low frequency (LF) (P = 0.023), and ratio of low-to-high frequency power (LF/HF) (P = 0.001) were significantly lower than those in the patients with a normal eGFR. A multinomial linear regression indicated that eGFR (t = 2.47, P = 0.014), gender (t = -3.60, P < 0.001), and a history of hypertension (t = -2.65, P = 0.008) were the risk factors of LF/HF; the NIHSS score (SDANN index: t = -3.83, P < 0.001; VLF: t = -3.07, P = 0.002; LF: t = -2.79, P = 0.006) and a history of diabetes (SDANN index: t = -3.58, P < 0.001; VLF: t = -2.54, P = 0.012; LF: t = -2.87, P = 0.004) were independent factors for the SDANN index, VLF, and LF; the Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project (t = -2.38, P = 0.018) was related to the SDANN index.

CONCLUSIONSAutonomic dysfunction is aggravated with the progression of eGFR stage in patients with acute ischemic stroke; the eGFR is an independent factor of LF/HF in the adjusted models. Stroke severity and a history of diabetes are more significantly associated with HRV in patients with acute ischemic stroke at different stages of renal dysfunction.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; physiology ; Heart Rate ; physiology ; Humans ; Kidney ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Observational Studies as Topic ; Stroke ; physiopathology

Purpose To investigate the relationship between M2 microphage infiltration and the pathological grading and staging of prostate cancer.Methods 58 patients who accepted the radical resection of prostate cancer were selected.After operation,pathologic specimens were hematoxylin eosin stained and immunohistochemical of SP stained to identify the pathological grading,staging,and M2 microphage infiltration.Then,Chi-squared test was used to analyze the relationship between M2 microphage infiltration and the pathological grading and staging of prostate cancer.Results There were 71.4％ high stage (≥T2c) cases and 60％ lymph node metastasis cases in M2 microphage infiltration group,which was significantly higher than those in non M2 microphage infiltration group.However,there was no relationship between M2 microphage infiltration and pathological grading.Conclusion M2 macrophage infiltration may participate in the prostate cancer cell growth and metastasis,whose pathophysiological mechanism needs further exploration.

Bi-yuan-ling granule (BLG) is a traditional Chinese medicine compound composed mainly of baicalin and chlorogenic acid. It has been demonstrated to be clinically effective for various inflammatory diseases such as acute rhinitis, chronic rhinitis, atrophic rhinitis and allergic rhinitis. However, the underlying mechanisms of BLG against these diseases are not fully understood. This study aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of BLG, and examine its protective effects on mouse acute lung injury (ALI). The hot plate test and acetic acid-induced writhing assay in Kunming mice were adopted to evaluate the pain-relieving effects of BLG. The anti-inflammatory activities of BLG were determined by examining the effects of BLG on xylene-caused ear swelling in Kunming mice, the cotton pellet-induced granuloma in rats, carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. The results showed that BLG at 15.5 mg/g could significantly relieve the pain by 82.5% (P<0.01) at 1 h after thermal stimulation and 91.2% (P<0.01) at 2 h after thermal stimulation. BLG at doses of 7.75 and 15.5 mg/g reduced the writhing count up to 33.3% (P<0.05) and 53.4% (P<0.01), respectively. Additionally, the xylene-induced edema in mice was markedly restrained by BLG at 7.75 mg/g (P<0.05) and 15.5 mg/g (P<0.01). BLG at 5.35 and 10.7 mg/g significantly reduced paw edema by 34.8% (P<0.05) and 37.9% (P<0.05) at 5 h after carrageenan injection. The granulomatous formation of the cotton pellet was profoundly suppressed by BLG at 2.68, 5.35 and 10.7 mg/g by 15.4%, 38.2% (P<0.01) and 58.9% (P<0.001), respectively. BLG also inhibited lung W/D ratio and the release of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in ALI mice. In addition, the median lethal dose (LD50), median effective dose (ED50) and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of BLG were found to be 42.7, 3.2 and 12.33 mg/g, respectively. All the findings suggest that BLG has significantly anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and it may help reduce the damage of ALI.
Acetic Acid ; Acute Lung Injury ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Analgesics ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Carrageenan ; administration & dosage ; Chlorogenic Acid ; pharmacology ; Dinoprostone ; antagonists & inhibitors ; biosynthesis ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dosage Forms ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Ear ; pathology ; Edema ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Lipopolysaccharides ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Pain ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Xylenes ; administration & dosage

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of premature rupture of the membrane (PROM) on neonatal complications in premature infants.

METHODSThe registration information of 7684 preterm infants with gestational age <37 weeks were collected from the cooperative units in the task group between January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Specially trained personnel from each cooperative units filled in the unified form in a standardized format to record the gender, gestational age, birth weight, PROM, placental abruption, antenatal corticosteroid, Apgar score, amniotic fluid pollution, and complications of the infants. The data were analyzed comparatively between the cases with PROM and those without (control).

RESULTSThe preterm mortality rate was significantly lower but the incidences of ICH, NEC, ROP and BPD were significantly higher in PROM group than in the control group (P<0.05). The 95% confidence interval of the OR value was <1 for mortality, and was >1 for ICH, NEC, ROP and BPD. After adjustment for gestational age, birth weight, gender, mode of delivery, placental abruption, placenta previa, prenatal hormones, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), gestational period hypertension and 5-min Apgar score <7, the incidences of NEC, ROP and BPD were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05) with 95% confidence interval of OR value >1, but the mortality rate and incidence of ICH were not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONPROM is a risk factor for NEC, ROP and BPD in preterm infants, and adequate intervention of PROM can reduce the incidences of such complications as NEC, ROP and BPD in the infants.

Apgar Score ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture ; pathology ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases ; etiology ; Infant, Premature ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors

A simple and high throughput method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of valproic acid and its two toxicant ene-metabolites, 2-enevalproic acid and 4-enevalproic acid in epilepsy patient plasma using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Probenecid was used as in-ternal standard and solid-phase extraction was selected for sample preparation. A chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Poroshell SB-C18 column (50 mm ? 4.6 mm i.d., 2.7μm) by an optimized gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.9 mL/min. The total run time was 7 min. Electrospray ionization was used in negative ion mode by multiple reaction monitoring of the precursor-to-product ion transitions at m/z 143.0-143.0 for valproic acid, m/z 140.9-140.9 for 2-enevalproic acid and 4-enevalproic acid for their poor fragments, and m/z 283.9-239.9 for probenecid. The results showed good linearity of valproic acid, 2-enevalproic acid and 4-enevalproic acid in their respective linear ranges. The correlation coefficients were more than 0.998. The intra- and inter-day precision of the assay was less than 11.0%and the accuracy ranged from 2%to 12%. This analytical method was successfully applied to assay plasma concentrations of valproic acid and its two ene-metabolites in epilepsy patient plasma and used for therapeutic drug monitoring.

Objective To assess the diet quality of pregnant women during the second trimester using the dietary inflammatory index ( DII) and to explore the correlation between the DII in second trimester of preg-nancy and preterm delivery.Methods A total of 253 women with singleton pregnancy in 16-20 gestational weeks who had received routine prenatal care between August 2014 and April 2015 at the First Affiliated Hospi-tal of Anhui Medical University were enrolled with cluster random sampling.The included women were asked to recall daily dietary intake in the 3 days prior to the survey.All dietary data were analyzed for energy and nutri-ents intake with a nutritional analysis software, followed by calculation of DII according to previous reports. Based on quartiles of the DII scores, the participants were divided into three groups, namely the anti-inflam-matory group (DII<-5.10), intermediate group (DII -5.10--2.55), and the pro-inflammatory group (DII>-2.55).The participants were followed up until delivery and the pregnancy outcomes were recorded. The relationship between the DII in second trimester of pregnancy and preterm delivery were analyzed. Results DII scores of the 253 pregnant women during the second trimester of pregnancy ranged from -7.913 to 3.872.The risks of preterm birth in the anti-inflammatory diet group, the intermediate group, and the pro-inflammatory diet group were 0, 1.6%, and 6.3%, respectively, with statistically significant differences among the groups (P=0.034).The higher DII scores (pro-inflammatory) were associated with higher inci-dence of preterm birth ( P<0.05 ) .Conclusion DII may be used to assess diet quality of pregnant women during the second trimester and to predict the risk of preterm birth.