BACKGROUND:Inflammation is one of the important factors that induce cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.Studies have shown that electroacupuncture can effectively reduce inflammation after ischemic stroke and improve the symptoms of neurological deficits,but the mechanism is not clear. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS:Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham operation group,model group and electroacupuncture group,with 16 rats in each group.The rat model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was prepared by middle cerebral artery occlusion.At 24 hours after modeling,the rats in the electroacupuncture group were treated with electroacupuncture,once a day,20 minutes each time,for a total of 5 days.The sham operation group and the model group did not do any intervention.After 5 days of intervention,Longa method was used to evaluate the degree of neurological injury in rats.Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining were used to measure the volume of cerebral infarction and the pathological changes of brain tissue in rats.Serum interleukin-6,interleukin-18 and tumor necrosis factor-α were detected by ELISA.Expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-κB in the cerebral cortex at mRNA and protein levels were detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR and western blot,respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the sham operation group,the neurological function scores,serum interleukin-6,interleukin-18,and tumor necrosis factor-α levels,Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-κB mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly higher in the model group(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,electroacupuncture significantly reduced the neurological function scores,serum interleukin-6,interleukin-18,and tumor necrosis factor-α levels,Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-κB mRNA and protein expression levels(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Compared with the sham operation group,the volume of cerebral infarction in the model group increased significantly(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the volume of cerebral infarction in the electroacupuncture group decreased(P＜0.05).In the model group,the arrangement of neurons was disordered,some nerve cells disappeared,nuclei presented with pyknosis and incomplete structure.After electroacupuncture intervention,the degree of neuronal degeneration and neuronal loss in the cerebral cortex of rats were reduced compared with those in the model group.To conclude,electroacupuncture can significantly improve the neurobehavior of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury,reduce brain tissue injury,and effectively reduce the level of serum inflammatory factors.The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the expression of circulating exosome miR-485-3p and STYX with the risk of premature coronary heart disease.Methods A total of 50 inpatients with early onset coronary heart disease diagnosed by coronary angiography or CT angiography (CTA) in Af-filiated Puyang Municipal People's Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College from August to December 2023 were selected as the study group and 50 patients with excluded coronary artery disease by examination during the same period were included in the control group.The general clinical data of the two groups were collected,the plasma exosome miR-485-3p and STYX levels were detected.The degree of coronary arterial lesions in the pa-tients of the study group was evaluated by the Gensini score.The Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between plasma exosome miR-485-3p and STYX with LDL and Gensini score.The re-ceiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of plasma exosome miR-485-3p and STYX in the diagnosis of premature coronary heart disease.The multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent risk factors for premature coronary heart disease.Results Compared with the control group,the family history of coronary heart disease,smoking history,LDL and plasma exo-some miR-485-3p level in the study group were increased,the plasma STYX level was decreased and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05);the Spearman correlation analysis showed that miR-485-3p was positively correlated with LDL (r=0.546) and Gensini score (r=0.485),and negatively correlated with STYX (r=-0.576).STYX was negatively correlated with LDL (r=-0.389) and Gensini score (r=-0.531).The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of miR-485-3p,STYX and their combination in the diagnosis of premature coronary heart disease was 0.821 (95％CI:0.736-0.906),0.850 (95％CI:0.772-0.927) and 0.899 (95％CI:0.837-0.960) respectively.Conclusion The expression of circulating exosome miR-485-3p in premature coronary heart disease is up-regulated and the expression of STYX is down-regulated,the both are closely related to the degree of coronary artery lesion,which could be used as the po-tential biomarkers for the diagnosis of premature coronary heart disease.

Objective To investigate the changes of macrophage polarization during acute rejection (AR) after intestinal transplantation. Methods Six Brown Norway (BN) rats and 24 Lewis rats were divided into the sham operation group (6 Lewis rats), syngeneic transplantation group (Lewis→Lewis, 6 donors and 6 recipients) and allogeneic transplantation group (BN→Lewis, 6 donors and 6 recipients). At postoperative 7 d, the intestinal graft tissues in all groups were collected for hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Pathological manifestations and cell apoptosis were observed. The expression levels of serum cytokines related to M1 and M2 macrophage polarization were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Surface markers of M1 and M2 macrophages of intestinal graft tissues in each group were co-localized and counted by immunofluorescence staining. Results HE staining and TUNEL assay showed that the intestinal epithelial morphology and structure were normal and no evident apoptotic bodies were found in the sham operation and syngeneic transplantation groups. At 7 d after transplantation, the epithelial villi structure of intestinal graft tissues was severely damaged, the number of crypts was decreased, the number of apoptotic bodies was increased, and inflammatory cells infiltrated into the whole intestinal wall, manifested with moderate to severe AR in the allogeneic transplantation group. ELISA revealed that the expression levels of serum cytokines related to M1 macrophage polarization, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-12, of the recipient rats in the allogeneic transplantation group were higher than those in the sham operation and syngeneic transplantation groups. The expression levels of serum cytokines related to M2 macrophage polarization, such as IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, in the syngeneic transplantation group were higher compared with those in the sham operation and allogeneic transplantation group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed that the number of M1 macrophages in the allogeneic transplantation group was higher than those in the sham operation and syngeneic transplantation groups, and the number of M2 macrophages in the syngeneic transplantation group was higher than those in the sham operation and allogeneic transplantation groups, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions Among the allografts with AR after intestinal transplantation, a large number of macrophages, mainly M1 macrophages secreting a large number of pro-inflammatory cytokines, infiltrate into the whole intestinal wall. Regulating the direction of macrophage polarization is a potential treatment for AR after intestinal transplantation.

Anesthesia, General/adverse effects* ; Hypertension/etiology* ; Humans

Evolution and natural selection have endowed animal venoms, including scorpion venoms, with a wide range of pharmacological properties. Consequently, scorpions, their venoms, and/or their body parts have been used since time immemorial in traditional medicines, especially in Africa and Asia. With respect to their pharmacological potential, bioactive peptides from scorpion venoms have become an important source of scientific research. With the rapid increase in the characterization of various components from scorpion venoms, a large number of peptides are identified with an aim of combating a myriad of emerging global health problems. Moreover, some scorpion venom-derived peptides have been established as potential scaffolds helpful for drug development. In this review, we summarize the promising scorpion venoms-derived peptides as drug candidates. Accordingly, we highlight the data and knowledge needed for continuous characterization and development of additional natural peptides from scorpion venoms, as potential drugs that can treat related diseases.
Animals ; Scorpion Venoms/pharmacology* ; Peptides/pharmacology* ; Scorpions ; Drug Development ; Medicine, Traditional

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of sonication, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, calcium salt solution and their combination on the content of related growth factors (GFs) released by platelet rich plasma (PRP). METHODS: Twenty PRPs from healthy blood donors were divided into 9 groups, including sonication group, freeze-thaw group, calcium gluconate group, calcium chloride group, sonication + calcium gluconate group, sonication + calcium chloride group, freeze-thaw + calcium gluconate group, freeze-thaw + calcium chloride group, and sonication + freeze-thaw group. After PRP activated by above 9 methods, the content of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: The platelet concentration of the samples was (966.7±202.6)×10⁹/L. The content of TGF-β1 in sonication + freeze-thaw group was the highest, while the lowest was in freeze-thaw group. The content of VEGF in freeze-thaw + calcium chloride group was the highest, while the lowest was in calcium gluconate group. The content of PDGF-BB in sonication + freeze-thaw group was the highest, while the lowest was in calcium gluconate group. There was no significant differences in the three GFs between calcium gluconate group and calcium chloride group. CONCLUSION Among the 9 activated methods of PRP, there is no difference between two calcium salt solutions. And the combination of repeated freeze-thaw cycles and sonication may be the best treatment method to promote PRP to release GFs, while calcium gluconate is the weakest way.
Humans ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Calcium Gluconate ; Calcium ; Calcium Chloride ; Becaplermin ; Platelet-Rich Plasma

Key requirements of successful animal behavior research in the laboratory are robustness, objectivity, and high throughput, which apply to both the recording and analysis of behavior. Many automatic methods of monitoring animal behavior meet these requirements. However, they usually depend on high-performing hardware and sophisticated software, which may be expensive. Here, we describe an automatic infrared behavior-monitor (AIBM) system based on an infrared touchscreen frame. Using this, animal positions can be recorded and used for further behavioral analysis by any PC supporting touch events. This system detects animal behavior in real time and gives closed-loop feedback using relatively low computing resources and simple algorithms. The AIBM system automatically records and analyzes multiple types of animal behavior in a highly efficient, unbiased, and low-cost manner.

Objective:To meet the individualized needs of residents in standardized residency training of cardiac intervention specialty for cardiac ultrasound teaching, to construct a bionic 3D printing model of ultrasound source, and to discuss its application value in ultrasound teaching and simulation exercises.Methods:Sixty residents majored in cardiovascular medicine receiving standardized residency training of ultrasound in ultrasound imaging department of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were randomized into experimental group and control group in average. The experimental group adopted ultrasound bionic 3D printing heart model combined with problem-based learning (PBL) teaching method, and the control group adopted traditional multimedia PPT combined with PBL teaching method. At the end of teaching activities, theoretical examination, operation assessment and questionnaire survey were conducted to evaluate and compare the teaching effect between the two groups. SPSS 21.0 software was performed for t test. Results:The theoretical examination scores of the experimental group and the control group were (81.4±8.2) points and (74.8±9.4) points, respectively, P=0.002, and the operation assessment scores were (89.1±5.6) points and (71.5±8.8) points, respectively, P<0.001. The questionnaire survey showed that the experimental group had better feedbacks than the control group in the aspects of mastery of heart anatomy knowledge, learning experience, learning interest, learning efficiency, understanding of interventional heart disease, clinical skills of interventional operation and overall satisfaction (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Ultrasound bionic 3D printing combined with PBL teaching method can help strengthen the mastery of cardiac anatomy knowledge, promote the learning experience of cardiac ultrasound and improve the skills of interventional operation. The teaching effect is significant and the students' satisfaction is high.

Objective: To investigate the role of microRNA-96-5p in the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells and its molecular mechanism. Methods: From June 2015 to January 2017, 53 resected specimens were collected. The transcriptional levels of microRNA-96-5p and forkhead box Q1 (FoxQ1) in gastric cancer tissues and the matched para-cancerous tissues were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression of FoxQ1 protein was also detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationship between microRNA-96-5p expression and the clinicopathological features of gastric cancer and its correlation with FoxQ1 expression were analyzed. The expressions of miRNA-96-5p in gastric cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue were detected by qRT-PCR. miRNA-96-5p mimics was transfected to BGC-823 gastric cancer cells. The effects of miRNA-96-5p on cell proliferation and invasion were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The protein expressions of FoxQ1, E-cadherin and vimentin were determined by western blot. The relationship between FoxQ1 and miRNA-96-5p expressed in BGC-823 cells was detected by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results: The median expression of miRNA-96-5p in gastric cancer tissue was 1.05, significantly lower than 3.23 of para-cancerous tissues (P<0.05). The positive rate of FoxQ1 expression in gastric cancer tissue was 71.7%, significantly higher than 28.3% of para-cancerous tissues (P<0.05). The expression of FoxQ1 was negatively corelated with the level of miRNA-96-5p (r=-0.613, P=0.006). The expression of miRNA-96-5p in gastric cancer cell BGC-823 was significantly decreased compared with normal gastric epithelial cell (0.96±0.08 vs 2.84±0.15, P<0.05). The results of CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay showed that overexpression of miRNA-96-5p significantly reduced the proliferation and invasion abilities of gastric cancer cells (P<0.05). Overexpression of miRNA-96-5p decreased the protein level of FoxQ1. Moreover, it upregulated the expression of E-cadherin and downregulated the expression of vimentin. The result of dual-luciferase-3′-UTR reporter assay confirmed that miRNA-96-5p binds to the 3′UTR of FoxQ1. Conclusion miRNA-96-5p may suppress the proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of gastric cancer cell by down-regulation of FoxQ1.

Objective To investigate the role of microRNA?96?5p in the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells and its molecular mechanism. Methods From June 2015 to January 2017, 53 resected specimens were collected. The transcriptional levels of microRNA?96?5p and forkhead box Q1 (FoxQ1) in gastric cancer tissues and the matched para?cancerous tissues were quantified by quantitative real?time PCR (qRT?PCR). The expression of FoxQ1 protein was also detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationship between microRNA?96?5p expression and the clinicopathological features of gastric cancer and its correlation with FoxQ1 expression were analyzed. The expressions of miRNA?96?5p in gastric cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue were detected by qRT?PCR. miRNA?96?5p mimics was transfected to BGC?823 gastric cancer cells. The effects of miRNA?96?5p on cell proliferation and invasion were detected by cell counting kit?8 (CCK?8) assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The protein expressions of FoxQ1, E?cadherin and vimentin were determined by western blot. The relationship between FoxQ1 and miRNA?96?5p expressed in BGC?823 cells was detected by dual?luciferase reporter assay. Results The median expression of miRNA?96?5p in gastric cancer tissue was 1.05, significantly lower than 3.23 of para?cancerous tissues (P＜0.05).The positive rate of FoxQ1 expression in gastric cancer tissue was 71.7%, significantly higher than 28.3% of para?cancerous tissues ( P＜0.05). The expression of FoxQ1 was negatively corelated with the level of miRNA?96?5p (r＝－0.613, P＝0.006). The expression of miRNA?96?5p in gastric cancer cell BGC?823 was significantly decreased compared with normal gastric epithelial cell (0.96±0.08 vs 2.84± 0.15, P＜0.05). The results of CCK?8 assay and Transwell assay showed that overexpression of miRNA?96?5p significantly reduced the proliferation and invasion abilities of gastric cancer cells ( P＜ 0.05 ). Overexpression of miRNA?96?5p decreased the protein level of FoxQ1. Moreover, it upregulated the expression of E?cadherin and downregulated the expression of vimentin. The result of dual?luciferase?3′?UTR reporter assay confirmed that miRNA?96?5p binds to the 3′UTR of FoxQ1. Conclusion miRNA?96?5p may suppress the proliferation, migration and epithelial?mesenchymal transition (EMT) of gastric cancer cell by down?regulation of FoxQ1.