Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1(APE 1)is a multifunctional protein that plays important roles in DNA repair and regulation of gene expression.Because APE 1 is overexpressed in various cancers,it can serve as a cancer biomarker for aiding clinical diagnosis,guiding therapy,and monitoring prognosis.On this basis,a label-free fluorescent probe was designed based on the primer exchange reaction(PER)strategy for highly sensitive detection of APE 1 activity.In the absence of APE 1,the structure of catalytic hairpin(HP)was stable and could not form G-quadruplex.Therefore,the background fluorescence of this sensing system was very low due to the dissociation of thioflavin T(ThT).In the presence of APE 1,the apurinic/apyrimidinic(AP)site of HP was cleaved by APE 1 and a short nucleic acid fragment that acted as a primer to initiate PER was generated.After PER reaction,a large number of G-quadruplex were produced,which could specifically bind with ThT and resulted in significant increase of fluorescence signal.The combination of low background design of HP and PER amplification made this biosensor had high sensitivity with a detection limit(3σ)of 0.0008 U/mL.Furthermore,the primer sequence was directly generated by the cleavage of APE 1 without additional addition,which not only increased the specificity of the reaction,but also simplified the experiment procedure.Moreover,the use of label-free fluorescence signal reduced the cost of the experiment,and realized rapid detection of APE 1.Finally,this sensor was used to detect APE 1 in human serum samples with spiked recoveries of 91%-104%,proving great potential in study of biological enzyme.

For the treatment of atrial fibrillation,Professor WU Wei innovatively put forward the theory of heart-blood-vessels trinity and the theory of stasis-toxin causing palpitation.It is believed that atrial fibrillation is caused by stasis and toxin,and affects the heart,blood and vessels.The core pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation is due to qi stagnation,blood stasis and toxin.The treatment for atrial fibrillation should be closely based on the pathogenesis,the therapeutic principles of treating from the perspective of stasis and together by removing toxin gradually is advocated.And the therapy of regulating qi,activating blood and removing stasis is also the way to remove toxin.The medication is based on the modified Taoren Honghua Decoction,which is mainly composed of Persicae Semen,Carthami Flos,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Corydalis Rhizoma,Rehmanniae Radix,Paeoniae Radix Rubra,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Jujubae Fructus,Puerariae Lobatae Radix,Nardostachyos Radix et Rhizoma,Ostreae Concha,Poria,and Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma.According to the characteristics of Lingnan climate and atrial fibrillation mostly being easy to affect the emotions,the pungent drugs in the prescription are usually removed,and the specific herbal pair of Puerariae Lobatae Radix-Nardostachyos Radix et Rhizoma is added to remove toxin according to the differentiation of disease.Moreover,for the treatment of atrial fibrillation,Professor WU Wei also adopts traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)external treatment such as foot bath,acupuncture and moxibustion,and physical-breathing exercise as well as health-care methods for comprehensive regulation,relieving the toxin and restoring the original qi.During the treatment atrial fibrillation,Professor WU Wei follows the principle of precise intervention and comprehensive regulation with Chinese medicine,so as to achieve the purpose of eliminating symptoms,restoring sinus rhythm and improving physical constitution.The thoughts of Professor WU Wei for the syndrome differentiation and treatment of atrial fibrillation will provide reference for the treatment of atrial fibrillation with TCM.

Macrophages play an important role in maintaining homeostasis of the body, and they are also one of the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). These macrophages are often called tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which play an important role in the development of tumor and are an important target for tumor therapy. Studies have shown that tumor growth and metastasis can be inhibited by regulating the function of macrophages, but the therapeutic efficacy was often hampered by the poor performance of the drugs such as lack of targeting, poor solubility, low bioavailability, and severe side effects. After introduction of the background of macrophage and tumor therapy, this review focuses on the research progress of nano-drug delivery systems in the modulation of the function of macrophages to enhance tumor immunotherapy. Nano-drug delivery systems are diverse in structures and functions, and can regulate macrophage functions through a variety of mechanisms. Four important aspects of macrophage modulation, which included TAMs depletion, repolarization of TAMs, promoted phagocytosis of TAMs, and combinational modulation of TAMs were summarized. Each strategy together with typical examples was reviewed and future directions in this field were also prospected.

Betacoronavirus ; genetics ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; Fluorescence ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; methods ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; diagnosis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods

AIM:To investigate the effects of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 9, X-linked (USP9X) down-regula-tion on apoptosis and invasion ability in gastric carcinoma cells, and to explore its possible molecular mechanisms. METH-ODS:USP9X small interfering RNA (siRNA) and control siRNA were used to be transfected into gastric carcinoma AGS cells. The cells were divided into 3 groups, including untreated AGS group, control siRNA group and USP9X siRNA group. The expression of USP9X at mRNA and protein levels in the AGS cells with different treatments was determined by real-time PCR and Western blot. The cell viability was analyzed by CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry and Boyden chamber were employed to examine the apoptosis and invasion ability of the AGS cells. RESULTS:USP9X siRNA significantly down-regulated the expression of USP9X at mRNA and protein levels in the AGS cells. Down-regulation of USP9X markedly induced apoptosis and reduced invasion ability of the gastric carcinoma AGS cells. Notably, down-regulation of USP9X sig-nificantly reduced the protein expression of Mcl-1 and MMP-2, but markedly increased the protein level of Bax. CON-CLUSION:USP9X may be a key regulator for apoptosis and invasion in gastric carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the treatment evaluating value of ESAT－6 and CFP－10 in T－SPOT.TB kit for tuberculous vertebral osteomyelitis.Medthods This retrospective study analyzed 29 cases diagnosed as TVO in the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from January 2013 to January 2016. All cases were the first－time consultancy. The Wilcoxon－singed－rank－test and chi－square test were used to analyze the changes of ESAT－6 and CFP－10 in the procedure of treatment. The linear－regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between ESR, CRP, VAS and two specific antigens.Results The pretherapeutic spot counts of ESAT－6 and CFP－10 were compared with the first and the last follow－up respectively. The results of two antigenic spots change showed a higher consistency (P＜0.05) .The positive rates of CFP－10 at the prior treatment, the first follow－up and the last follow－up were 86.20% , 79.31% and 58.62% respectively. The result of chi－square test showed a higher consistency (P＜0.05) . ESAT－6 only correlated with VAS. CFP－10 had the relationship with VAS and ESR. But all of these relativities were weak.Conclusion The decrease in the spot counts of ESAT－6 and CFP－10 suggest that the treatment is effective,and CFP－10 may be one available index to evaluate the treatment effect.

OBJECTIVETo explore whether fractional anisotropy (FA) value could be taken as a quantitative indicator for tracing and reexamining amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and to analyze the correlation between FA value and integrative medical treatment.

METHODSTotally 18 ALS patients were recruited in this study. All patients received diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using 3. OT (Propeller HD) MRI twice. Six regions of interest (ROI) were selected to measure FA values. Survival analyses were performed in 11 cases of end point events.

RESULTS(1) Three ROI (cerebral peduncle, posterior limb of internal capsule, and corona radiata) all indicated that FA value was the highest in patients with mild health status scale of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/HSS). (2) There was statistical difference in the means of FA values in cerebral peduncle, posterior limb of internal capsule, and corona radiata of 18 cases between initial examination and reexamination (P < 0.01). (3) Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed the survival rate of ALS patients decreased as time went by, with the median survival time of 48 months.

CONCLUSIONSFA value was inversely proportional to the severity of ALS, the more severe, the lower FA values. FA value was an objective indicator for assessing the severity of ALS. ALS is an incurable disease till now. Integrative medical treatment might become one direction for ALS patients.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Anisotropy ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine

This study was aimed to analyze the correlation between commercial specifications of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix and quantitative indexes of sevent kinds of ginsenosides (ginsenosides Rg¹, Re, Rb¹, Rc, Rb₂, Rb₃, Rd) contained in Panacis Quinquefolii Radix by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), explore the correlation between the characteristics of the traditional Panacis Quinquefolii Radix specifications and modern chemical quantitative indicators, and provide a theoretical basis for the quality grade evaluation of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix. The HPLC fingerprint method was used to analyze 40 batches of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix. A total of 19 peaks were marked, and the similarity was above 0.900 for all samples. On this basis, processing methods, product specifications, contents of 7 components, and the total contents of ginsenoside Rg¹, Re and Rb¹ were used as the original variables for cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The results showed great correlation between the quality of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix and the information on their origins, but the difference was less with the characteristics of traditional commercial specifications, indicating some limitations in the division of commercial specifications of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix. The results revealed the intrinsic relationship between the product specifications, traditional qualitative indexes, and quantitative indexes of chemical components of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix, providing a new idea for the objective comprehensive evaluation of the quality of Panacis Quinquefolii Radix.

OBJECTIVECentral obesity is considered to be a central component of metabolic syndrome. Waist circumference (WC) has been widely used as a simple indicator of central obesity. This study is aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of WC cut-off values for predicting metabolic risk factors in middle-aged Chinese.

METHODSThe study involved 923 subjects aged 40-65 years. The metabolic risk factors were defined according to the Chinese Joint Committee for Developing Chinese Guidelines on Prevention and Treatment of Dyslipidemia in Adults. WC cut-off 85-90 cm and ⋝90 cm were used as cut-off values of central pre-obesity and central obesity in males, respectively, while WC 80-85 cm and ⋝85 cm were used as cut-off values of central pre-obesity and central obesity in females.

RESULTSFirst, WC values corresponding to body mass index (BMI) 24 kg/m2 and visceral fat area (VFA) 80 cm2 were 88.55 cm and 88.51 cm in males, and 81.46 cm and 82.51 cm in females respectively. Second, receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the optimal WC cut-off of value was 88.75 cm in males, higher than that in females (81.75 cm). Third, the subjects with higher WC values were more likely to have accumulating metabolic risk factors. The prevalence of metabolic risk factors increased linearly and significantly in relation to WC levels.

CONCLUSIONWC cut-off values of central pre-/central obesity are optimal to predict multiple metabolic risk factors.

Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; physiopathology ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; physiopathology ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; diagnosis ; ROC Curve ; Waist Circumference

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods