OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism of Pingchuanning Formula (PCN) for inhibiting airway inflammation in rats with asthmatic cold syndrome. METHODS: A total of 105 SD rats were randomized equally into 7 groups, including a control group, an asthmatic cold syndrome model group, 3 PCN treatment groups at high, medium and low doses, a Guilong Kechuanning (GLCKN) treatment group, and a dexamethasone (DEX) treatment group. In all but the control rats, asthma cold syndrome models were established and daily gavage of saline, PCN, GLCKN or DEX was administered 29 days after the start of modeling. The changes in general condition, lung function and lung histopathology of the rats were observed, and inflammatory factors in the alveolar lavage fluid (BALF), oxidative stress, lung tissue ultrastructure, cytokine levels, and expressions of the genes related to the HMGB1/Beclin-1 axis and autophagy were analyzed. RESULTS: The rat models had obvious manifestations of asthmatic cold syndrome with significantly decreased body mass, food intake, and water intake, reduced FEV_0.3, FVC, and FEV_0.3/FVC, obvious inflammatory cell infiltration in the lung tissue, and increased alveolar inflammation score and counts of neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and leukocytes in the BALF. The rat models also had significantly increased MDA level and decreased SOD level and exhibited obvious ultrastructural changes in the lung tissues, where the expressions of HMGB1, Beclin-1, ATG5, TNF-α, IL-6,IL-1β, and IL-13 and the LC3II/I ratio were increased, while the levels of Bcl-2 and IFN-γ were decreased. PCN treatment significantly improved these pathological changes in the rat models, and its therapeutic effect was better than that of GLKCN and similar to that of DEX. CONCLUSIONS PCN can effectively alleviate airway inflammation in rat models of asthmatic cold syndrome possibly by modulating the HMGB1/Beclin-1 signaling axis to suppress cell autophagy, thereby attenuating airway inflammatory damages.
Animals ; Rats ; Autophagy/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Asthma/pathology* ; Beclin-1 ; HMGB1 Protein/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Lung/pathology* ; Inflammation

Objective:To investigate the correlation between low-order and high-order aberrations and objective depth of focus in the human eye, and the factors that influence objective depth of focus.Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed.Seventy-six patients (152 eyes) with myopia and astigmatism patients who were treated at the Refractive Surgery Center of Tianjin Eye Hospital from February to April 2022 were selected, including 41 males and 35 females.The patients' whole-eye low-order and high-order aberrations and objective depth of focus were measured at 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm manually selected pupil diameters using the iTrace visual function analyzer.The correlation between objective depth of focus and low-order and high-order aberrations at different pupil diameters was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation analysis.Objective depth of focus was compared between individuals with different degrees of myopia and astigmatism, individuals with different pupil diameters, right and left eyes, and different sexes.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin Eye Hospital (No.2022039).Results:Objective depth of focus was positively correlated with total low-order aberrations at 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm pupil diameter ( rs=0.380, 0.317, 0.385, 0.519, all at P<0.01). Objective depth of focus was positively correlated with defocus at 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm pupil diameter ( rs=0.377, 0.323, 0.403, 0.512, all at P<0.01), and with astigmatism at 6 mm pupil diameter ( rs=0.255, P<0.05). There were statistically significant overall differences in objective depth of focus between groups with different degrees of myopia at 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm pupil diameter ( H=6.440, 7.370, 9.990, 16.930; all at P<0.05). Among them, the objective depth of focus of high myopia was significantly higher than that of low myopia at different pupil diameters, and the objective depth of focus of high myopia was higher than that of moderate myopia at 6 mm pupil diameter, with statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05). Objective depth of focus was positively correlated with total high-order aberration at pupil diameters of 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm ( rs=0.911, 0.807, 0.733, 0.677; all at P<0.001). Among various high-order aberrations, objective depth of focus was positively correlated with total coma at 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm pupil diameter ( rs=0.727, 0.557, 0.620, 0.487; all at P<0.001), positively correlated with vertical coma at 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm pupil diameter ( rs=0.439, 0.405, 0.553, 0.400; all at P<0.001), positively correlated with horizontal coma at 5 and 6 mm pupil diameter ( rs=0.308, 0.308; both at P<0.01), positively correlated with trefoil aberration at 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm pupil diameter ( rs=0.344, 0.443, 0.316, 0.330; all at P<0.01), positively correlated with spherical aberration at 4, 5, and 6 mm pupil diameter ( rs=0.321, 0.310, 0.428; all at P<0.01). There was a significant difference in objective depth of focus between 3 and 4 mm, 5 and 6 mm pupil diameters ( P=0.011, 0.004). There was no statistically significant difference in objective depth of focus between different degrees of astigmatism, between males and females, or between left and right eyes (all at P>0.05). Conclusions:The objective depth of focus of the human eye is mainly strongly correlated with vertical coma, trefoil aberration in high-order aberrations, as well as defocus in low-order aberrations.Horizontal coma and spherical aberration are strongly correlated with objective depth of focus only when the pupil diameter is large.In addition, if the pupil diameter is too small (3 mm) or too large (6 mm), it has a significant effect on the objective depth of focus.

Objective:To discuss the improved methods for the isolation and culture of primary chondrocytes from the neonatal rats,and to establish an efficient and economical in vitro chondrocyte culture system.Methods:The primary chondrocytes were isolated from the joints of neonatal rats and divided into overnight digestion(OD)group and rapid digestion(RD)group for separation.The chondrocytes in OD group were digested overnight by type Ⅱ collagenase,while the chondrocytes in RD group were separated by the combination of pre-digestion with physical and chemical digestion methods.The chondrocytes were cultured in modified media containing 0％(blank group 1),1％,2％,4％,and 10％fetal bovine serum(FBS),0(blank group 2),0.1,0.2,0.4,0.8,1.0,and 2.0 g·L-1 vitamin C(VC),and 0(blank group 3),0.5,1.0,2.0,4.0,8.0,10.0 μg·L-1 poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA)nanoparticles.The media containing different concentrations of FBS,VC,and PLGA were mixed with Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium/nutrient mixture F-12(DMEM/F12),and were divided into related groups based on the concentrations of ingredients.Cell counter was used to count the chondrocytes in various groups and the survival rates and diameters of the chondrocytes in various groups were detected;Toluidine blue staining was used to detect the morphology of the chondrocytes in various groups;CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferative activities of the chondrocytes in various groups;cell adhesion assay was used to detect the adhesion rates of the chondrocytes in various groups;Hoechst/propidium iodide(PI)staining was used to detect the apoptosis of the chondrocytes in various groups;MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation activities of the chondrocytes in various groups after treated with modified media.The cells were divided into DMEM/F12+10％FBS group,DMEM/F12+1％FBS group,and DMEM/F12+1％FBS+0.4 g·L-1 VC+1 μg·L-1 PLGA group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method was used to detect the expression levels of sex-determining region Y-box 9(SOX9),collagen type Ⅱ alpha 1 chain(Col2A1),collagen type X alpha 1 chain(Col10A1),and matrix metallopeptidase 13(MMP13)mRNAs in the chondrocytes in various groups after treated with modified media;immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expressions of type Ⅱ collagen(COL Ⅱ)and SOX9 in the chondrocytes in various groups after treated with modified media.Results:The survival rate of primary chondrocytes in OD group was lower than that in RD group,and the average cell diameter was larger than that in RD group.The primary chondrocytes in OD group were larger and spindle-shaped,and most cells exhibited pseudopodia;in RD group,the primary chondrocytes were smaller,mostly rhomboid in shape,with only a portion of the cells showing pseudopodia.The Toluidine blue staining results showed significant coloration in both groups,but the digestion time of the chondrocytes in RD group was shorter,and compared with OD group,the actual culture time of the chondrocytes was reduced by 9-13 h,and more immature morphology of the primary chondrocytes were observed.The proliferation activity of the primary chondrocytes in OD group was slow at 24 h of culture but increased at 48 h of culture,and the proliferation activity of the primary chondrocytes was significantly higher at 48 h of culture compared with 12 h of culture(P＜0.01).Compared with 12 h of culture,the proliferation rates of the primary chondrocytes in RD group were increased at 24 and 48 h of culture(P＜0.01).At 24 and 48 h of culture,compared with OD group,the proliferation rates of the primary chondrocytes in RD group were increased(P＜0.05).The number of apoptotic chondrocytes in RD group was lower than that in OD group,and no necrotic chondrocytes were observed in either group.The proliferation activities of chondrocytes of the rats were increased with the rising of FBS concentration in the culture medium.Compared with blank group 1,the proliferation activities of chondrocytes of the rats after treated with culture mediums containing 1％,2％,4％,and 10％FBS were significantly increased(P＜0.05).Compared with blank group 2,the proliferative activities of chondrocytes of the rats after treated with culture mediums containing 0.2-1.0 g·L-1 VC were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the highest proliferation activity was found when the concentration of VC was 0.4 g·L-1(P＜0.01).Compared with blank group 3,the proliferation activities of chondrocytes of the rats after treated with culture mediums containing 1-4 μg·L-1 PLGA were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the highest proliferation activity was found after treated with culture medium containing 1 μg·L-1 PLGA(P＜0.05).Compared with DMEM/F12+10％FBS group,the expression levels of SOX9 mRNA and Col2A1 mRNA in the chondrocytes in DMEM/F12+1％FBS group were significantly increased(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Compared with DMEM/F12+10％FBS group,the expression levels of SOX9 mRNA and Col2A1 mRNA in the chondrocytes in DMEM/F12+1％FBS+0.4 g·L-1 VC+1 μg·L-1 PLGA group were significantly increased(P＜0.01).The immunofluorescence staining results showed that the green fluorescence signal of COL Ⅱ and the red fluorescence signal of SOX9 were observed in some chondrocytes in DMEM/F12+10％FBS group under fluorescence microscope,and the fluorescence intensity was weak.In DMEM/F12+1％FBS group,most chondrocytes exhibited COL Ⅱ green fluorescence signal and SOX9 red fluorescence signal,and the fluorescence intensity was significantly stronger than that in DMEM/F12+10％FBS group.In DMEM/F12+1％FBS+0.4 g·L-1 VC+1 μg·L-1 PLGA group,the COLⅡ green fluorescence signal and SOX9 red fluorescence signal were found in all the chondrocytes,and the fluorescence intensity was significantly higher than those in DMEM/F12+10％FBS and DMEM/F12+1％FBS groups.The expression levels of COLⅡ and SOX9 proteins in the chondrocytes in DMEM/F12+1％FBS group were significantly higher than those in DMEM/F12+10％FBS group,and the expression levels of COL Ⅱ and SOX9 proteins in the chondrocytes in DMEM/F12+1％FBS+0.4 g·L-1 VC+1 μg·L-1 PLGA group were significantly higher than those in DMEM/F12+10％FBS group.Conclusion:The improved methods for the isolation and culture of primary chondrocytes of the rats can overcome the shortcomings of traditional methods,shorten the isolation time of primary chondrocytes,and improve the quality of in vitro culture of primary chondrocytes.

Objective To study the impact of a subject's testing state on residual noise level and ABR wave V amplitude during non-sedated ABR testing using Kalman-weighted averaging(KWA).Methods Twenty-one adults(18～34 years old,42 ears)with normal hearing were enrolled for non-sedated ABR testing under three different states(lying,sitting,and writing)in a quiet room using a new Kalman-weighted averaging ABR system(vivosonic integrity system).The residual noise level and the amplitude of wave V for click ABR(cABR)of each subject were recorded.The traditional ABR test system(interacoustics,IA)was also used to record ABR with the residual noise level and the amplitude of wave V measured at the same time.Results ① There was no significant difference in am-plitude of wave V between traditional ABR and non-sedated ABR in three different testing states(P＞0.05).②The residual noise levels in the lying and sitting states of KWA ABR were lower than those of traditional ABR,but there was no statistically difference(P＜0.05).The residual noise level of the KWA ABR system in writing state was significantly higher than that of the other three conditions(P＜0.05).③ There was no significant difference between the left and right ears in the residual noise level and amplitude of wave V for non-sedated ABR in writing state(P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared with traditional ABR,the non-sedated KWA ABR system in uriting state was significantly higher than that of the other three conolitions.Haw ever,the residual noise level in lying and sit-ting states had no significant difference with conditional ABR,and different states of the subject had impact on the residual noise level in the ABR testing to sone extent.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Mashao Pingchuan decoction （MSPC） on lipopolysaccharides （LPS）-induced autophagy in human bronchial airway epithelial cells （16HBE） via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway. Method16HBE cells were selected for the study， and cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） was used to detect the activity of of LPS-induced 16HBE cells and the effect of MSPC-containing serum on the cells. Suitable LPS-induced 16HBE cells were screened by the CCK-8 method， and the content of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） was measured to identify the established model. And MSPC-containing serum was prepared. The cells were divided into normal group， LPS group， LPS+MSPC group， LY294002+LPS group and LY294002+LPS+MSPC group. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to observe the changes in autophagic vesicles and ultrastructure of the cells. Western blot was performed to detect the protein expressions of PI3K， phosphorylated PI3K （p-PI3K）， Akt， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， mTOR， phosphorylated mTOR （p-mTOR） and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B （LC3B）， and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the expressions of inflammatory factors interleukin-5 （IL-5）， IL-6， TNF-α and IL-10 in the five groups. ResultLPS inhibited the 16HBE cells in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the normal group， the LPS group （150 mg·L^-1 of LPS） increased the expression of pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α after 24 h of treatment （P<0.05） and facilitated the autophagosome formation， and MSPC-containing serum exerted a concentration-dependent promotion effect on the 16HBE cells， inhibited the autophagy to a certain degree and enhanced the cell status. Western blot revealed that the protein expressions of p-PI3K， p-Akt and p-mTOR in the model group were lower （P<0.05） and the protein expression of LC3B was higher （P<0.01） than those in the normal group. Compared with the conditions in the LPS group， the protein expressions of p-PI3K， p-Akt and p-mTOR in the LPS+MSPC group were elevated （P<0.05） and that of LC3B was reduced （P<0.05）. Compared with the LPS+LY294002 group， the LY294002+LPS+MSCP group had up-regulated protein expressions of p-PI3K， p-Akt and p-mTOR （P<0.05） and down-regulated protein expression of LC3B （P<0.05）. ELISA showed that the LPS group had higher levels of IL-5， IL-6， TNF-α and IL-10 than the normal group， while the levels of TNF-α， IL-6 and IL-8 were decreased （P<0.01） and the level of IL-10 was increased （P<0.01） after treatment with MSCP. ConclusionMSCP may lower the LPS-induced autophagy in 16HBE cells and improve the inflammatory response through activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Objective:To explore the pupil size distribution of the Chinese myopic population under different mesopic conditions, and to analyze the possible influencing factors.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted.Two hundred and fourteen myopic patients (428 eyes) who underwent refractive surgery in Tianjin Eye Hospital from December 2018 to April 2019 were randomly selected.The patients were 17 to 45 years old, with an average age of (22.62±4.88) years old.The patients were divided into astigmatism <-1.5 D group (372 eyes) and astigmatism ≥-1.5 D group (56 eyes) according to their astigmatism measurements.The low mesopic pupil size (LMPS) (0.2 lx) was measured with the infrared Colvard pupillometer, and the high mesopic pupil size (HMPS) (6-12 lx) was obtained through the anterior Pentacam segment analyzer.The pupil size was compared between both eyes, different sexes and different astigmatism measurements.The relationship between pupil size and possible influencing factors, such as age, sex, spherical equivalent, spherical diopter, cylinder diopter, axis, mean keratometry(Km), and central cornea thickness was analyzed.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin Eye Hospital (No.201912). Written informed consent was obtained from each subject or their guardians.Results:The pupil sizes measured by the Colvard pupillometer and Pentacam were (6.806±0.776)mm and (3.312±0.540)mm, respectively.The pupil size of male subjects was (6.692±0.754)mm, which was larger than (6.668±0.792)mm of females, showing a statistically significant difference ( t=2.935, P=0.004). Under the high mesopic condition, the pupil size of astigmatism ≥-1.5 D group was lower than that of astigmatism <-1.5 D group, with a statistically significant difference ( t=2.611, P=0.009). Under the low mesopic condition, pupil size was negatively correlated with age and Km ( r=-0.213, -0.210; both at P<0.001). Under the high mesopic condition, pupil size was weakly positively correlated with cylinder power ( r=0.124, P=0.010) and was weakly negatively correlated with Km ( r=-0.142, P=0.003). The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the LMPS=0.659×HMPS-0.019×age-0.084×Km+ 8.662.About 28% of pupil size under low mesopic conditions could be predicted by Pentacam.LMPS of ≤7 mm could be better predicted when the results were below 3.6 mm. Conclusions:Age and corneal curvature are influencing factors of mesopic pupil size.Older people with steep curvature have a smaller pupil.At high mesopic conditions, astigmatism affects pupil size.Pentacam measurements can predict LMPS to some degree but are not a substitute for dark-adapted pupil diameter.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with oral isotretinoin in the treatment of moderate to severe acne.Methods:Ninty patients with moderate and severe acne [42 males and 48 females; aged 18-35 (23.98±4.25)] in the Department of Dermatology, China Japan Friendship Hospital of Jilin University from January to June, 2018, were divided into three groups: PDT combined with isotretinoin group (combined group), PDT group and isotretinoin group, with 30 patients in each group. The curative effect was evaluated on the 30th and 60th day of the treatment and the follow-up was carried out regularly.Results:At 10, 20, and 30 days of the treatment, the clearance rates of non-inflammatory skin lesions and total skin lesions were better than that of the PDT group; the clearance rates of inflammatory, non-inflammatory and total skin lesions in the combined group were better than those of the isotretinoin group. At 30 days of treatment, the efficacy of the combined group was better than that of the PDT group (χ 2=13.169, P<0.05) and isotretinoin group (χ 2=19.606, P<0.05). The treatment course of the combined group was shorter than that of the PDT group ( P<0.05). Six months after the treatment, the recurrence rate of the combined group was lower than that of the isotretinoin group (χ 2=4.941, P<0.05). And there was no significant difference of the incidence of adverse reactions between the above two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The combination of photodynamic therapy and oral isotretinoin therapy for moderate to severe acne can improve the efficacy, shorten the course of treatment, and reduce the recurrence rate and adverse reactions, which provides a new idea for the treatment of acne.

Wavefront aberration is an evaluation index of objective visual quality.In recent years, the relationship between the wavefront aberration compensation in human eyes and the visual quality has been paid more and more attention.There is a mutual compensation relationship between various aberration terms, between corneal aberration and intraocular aberration, and between the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces, and the visual nervous system compensates human eye aberrations.The characteristics of aberration compensation change with age, and are different in analysis of different regions.Vision correction methods, such as refractive surgery and contact lenses, will change the aberration compensation relationship in human eyes, and the changes caused may have an impact on visual quality.It is important to understand the relationship between the aberration compensation characteristics in human eyes and the visual quality.Therefore, not only the existing aberrations should be taken into consideration, but also the compensation characteristics of human eye aberrations must be elucidated to make personalized correction for the aberrations and improve the visual quality after correction.The research progress and significance on the relationship between human eye aberration compensation characteristics and visual quality were reviewed in this article.

Objective To investigate clinical significance and the correlation between oxygen uptake efficiency slope(OUES) measured by the cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPET) and echocardiographic left ventricular function in elderly patients with coronary heart diseases after the percutaneous coronary intervention.Methods Patients aged 65 years and over after PCI and CPET were enrolled to collect relevant parameters including the peak oxygen consumption(VO2peak),oxygen pulse(VO2/HR),OUES and cardiorespiratory fitness(CRF) index,also mitral annulus systolic peak speed(Sm),early diastolic mitral flow velocity Em and mitral annular early diastolic peak velocity Em ratio(E/Em) using the echocardiography.Patients with systolic velocity of mitral annulus(Sm)≥8 cm/s were assigned to the normal Sm group,while the rest were selected into the lower Sm group.The correlation between the cardiopulmonary fitness and cardiac function was analyzed.Results Four hundred and two patients were enrolled,with an average age of 71 ± 5 years,283 males(70.40％),and 119 females(29.60％).Among them,111 (27.61％) were 75 years of age or older,202(50.25％) ranging from 65 to 69 and 89 (22.14％) between 70 and 74.Totally 227 patients were diagnosed as angina pectoris(56.47％),62 as acute myocardial infarction (15.42％),and 113 patients with old myocardial infarction (28.11％).It was found that the heart systolic function was associated with CRF:Sm and OUES were positively correlated independently(r=29.220,P=0.001);Em was positively related to VO2peak(r=0.176,P＜0.001) andOUES (r=0.151,P=0.003).However,E/Em was negatively correlated with VO2peak (r=-0.199,P＜0.001),VO2/HR (r=-0.118,P=0.018) and OUES (r=-0.201,P＜0.001).The left atrial pressure was negatively correlated with VO2peak (r=-0.187,P＜0.001),VO2/HR (r=-0.108,P=0.030) and OUES (r=-0.185,P＜ 0.001).Left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular end diastolic diameter were not found to be related to cardiorespiratory fitness parameters (P＞0.05).Conclusion The cardiopulmonary exercise test can be used as a practical method to evaluate and guide the rehabilitation exercises.The CRF parameters can evaluate the heart function exercise and is significantly correlated to the resting cardiac systolic and diastolic function parameters.

Circular RNA is a kind of single-stranded RNA ring without 5'capping and 3'polyadenylation.As a new member of non-coding RNA, circular RNA is evolutionally conserved, relatively stable,highly specific and enormously abundant.Instead of liner RNA,circular RNA became the research hotspot.So far,cerebellar degeneration-related protein 1 antisense(CDR1as)is a molecule that has garnered intense research.CDR1as harbors 74 conventional miRNA-7 binding sites.Expression of CDR1as efficiently tethers micro RNA-7, resulting in reduced micro RNA-7 activity and increased levels of micro RNA-7 targeted transcripts consistent with the micro RNA sponge and competing endogenous RNA(ceRNA)hypothesis.Moreover,CDR1as can restore micro RNA-7 and release it at right time.CDR1as can be stabilized in the exosomes.And its level has correlation with many clinical characteristics.