Objective To investigate the biological basis of disease and syndrome by studying the spectrum of myocardial tissue metabolites in the rat model of coronary heart disease with heart blood stasis syndrome.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group and model group.The left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to prepare the rat model of coronary heart disease with heart blood stasis syndrome.The general condition was observed,and the tongue chromaticity,electrocardiogram,cardiac function were detected.HE staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe myocardial tissue morphology and ultrastructure.UPLC-MS technology was used to investigate the differential metabolites in rat myocardial tissue,and enrichment analysis was conducted on metabolic pathways.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the tongue chromaticity R,G,B values of model group rats were significantly reduced(P<0.05),ECG heart rate and ST segment elevation amplitude significantly increased(P<0.05),LVEF and LVFS significantly decreased,and LVIDs and LVIDd significantly increased(P<0.05).Myocardial tissue pathology revealed that the structure was blurred,inflammatory cells infiltrated,mitochondria swelled,ruptured,and dissolved,and crista structure fracture decreased.A total of 29 potential biomarkers with significant differences between the sham-operation group and the model group were identified in metabolomics(7 upregulated and 22 downregulated),with the majority of 10 pathways enriched in thiamine metabolism,arginine biosynthesis,purine metabolism,aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis,alanine,aspartate and glutamate metabolism,pentose and glucuronate interconversions,glycolysis/gluconeogenesis,valine,leucine and isoleucine degradation,TCA cycle,pyruvate metabolism.Conclusion Ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery can mimic the pathological process of coronary heart disease with blood stasis syndrome in a good way,and its pathological mechanism involves the disruption of multi-level metabolic networks such as glucose metabolism,mitochondrial energy metabolism,amino acid metabolism,protein biosynthesis,and purine metabolism.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of age combined with albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score for the occurrence of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) in patients with cirrhosis complicated by esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 87 patients with cirrhosis complicated by EGVB who underwent TIPS. The patients were followed up for 6 months, and were divided into OHE group (27 cases) and non-OHE group (60 cases) based on whether OHE occurred. The indicators with significant differences between the two groups were screened out through univariate analysis, and binary Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the independent risk factors for OHE occurrence. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive performance of the individual and combined independent risk factors for OHE. The differences in area under the curve (AUC) were compared using MedCalc software. Results Among 87 patients, 27 developed OHE within 6 months after surgery, with a prevalence rate of 31.03%. Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in age, albumin, serum sodium, and ALBI score between the OHE group and the non-OHE group (P < 0.05). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.08; 95%CI, 1.02 to 1.14; P=0.01) and ALBI score (OR=13.68; 95%CI, 3.00 to 62.44; P < 0.01) were independent risk factors for OHE in patients with cirrhosis complicated by EGVB after TIPS. ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC for age and ALBI score in predicting OHE were 0.67 (95%CI, 0.55 to 0.79; P=0.01)and 0.72 (95%CI, 0.60 to 0.85; P < 0.01), respectively; the AUC for age combined with ALBI score in predicting OHE was 0.80 (95%CI, 0.70 to 0.91; P < 0.01), with a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 75.0%. There was no significant difference in the AUC by age and ALBI score alone in predicting OHE (P>0.05); however, the AUC for age combined with ALBI score in predicting OHE was greater than that of age or ALBI score alone in predicting OHE, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion Age and ALBI score are independent risk factors for the occurrence of OHE in patients with cirrhosis complicated by EGVB after TIPS. The combination of age and ALBI score has a higher predictive efficacy in predicting OHE than age or ALBI score alone.

The synthesis of fine chemicals using multi-enzyme cascade reactions is a recent hot research topic in the field of biocatalysis. The traditional chemical synthesis methods were replaced by constructing in vitro multi-enzyme cascades, then the green synthesis of a variety of bifunctional chemicals can be achieved. This article summarizes the construction strategies of different types of multi-enzyme cascade reactions and their characteristics. In addition, the general methods for recruiting enzymes used in cascade reactions, as well as the regeneration of coenzyme such as NAD(P)H or ATP and their application in multi-enzyme cascade reactions are summarized. Finally, we illustrate the application of multi-enzyme cascades in the synthesis of six bifunctional chemicals, including ω-amino fatty acids, alkyl lactams, α, ω-dicarboxylic acids, α, ω-diamines, α, ω-diols, and ω-amino alcohols.
Amino Acids ; Biocatalysis ; Amino Alcohols ; Coenzymes/metabolism* ; Diamines

Chronic heart failure （CHF）， the end stage of heart disease due to a variety of causes， features high disability rate and mortality， which has become a hot spot in cardiovascular field. As recorded in Treatise on Cold Damage（《伤寒论》）， Zhenwutang is composed of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata， Poria Cocos， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae， Paeoniae Radix Alba， and Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens. With the functions of warming Yang and excreting water， it is a classical prescription for the treatment of CHF in clinical settings. By searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， PubMed， Wanfang Data， and VIP， we find Zhenwutang exerts therapeutic effect on CHF through multiple targets and multiple pathways. Experiments show that it alleviates CHF by antagonizing the overactivation of neuroendocrine system， inhibiting immune-inflammatory response， suppressing cardiac remodeling， restricting apoptosis， regulating autophagy， improving myocardial energy metabolism， inhibiting oxidative stress injury， protecting endothelial function， and decreasing volume load. Clinical research shows that Zhenwutang can significantly alleviate the clinical symptoms of CHF patients in a safe manner with little adverse reactions. This paper systematically summarizes the mechanisms of and clinical research on Zhenwutang in the treatment of CHF in recent years， so as to provide theoretical and experimental data for the further research and development of Zhenwutang.

Objective:To explore the molecular genetics of myeloid neoplasms in elderly patients.Methods:High-throughput DNA sequencing was performed to detect 49 target gene mutations in 26 patients with acute myeloid leukemia(AML)and 51 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS). Genomic DNA-PCR and Sanger sequencing were used to detect the mutations of CALR gene exon 9, NMP1 gene exon 12, FLT3-ITD and the two functional domains, TAD and BZIP, in CEBPA.Results:(1)Of the 77 patients enrolled, the overall incidence of gene mutations was 91.0%(71/77), with an average of 2 mutations per patient and an incidence of 42.9% for the coexistence of 3 or more gene mutations(33/77), and the most common genetic mutations were NPM1, U2AF1, RUNX1, TET2, ASXL1, TP53, DNMT3A, IDH2, BCOR, and FLT3-ITD, and the incidence of other genetic mutations was<10%.(2)The incidence of double gene mutations in the AML group was significantly higher than that in the MDS group, and the incidence of≥3 gene mutations in the MDS group was higher than that in the AML group( P<0.05). The AML group was associated with significantly higher incidences of NPM1, FLT3-ITD, and CEBPA double mutations and lower incidences of BCOR and ASXL1 mutations than those in the MDS group(all P<0.05). Functional classification showed that tyrosine kinase receptor gene mutations mainly occurred in the AML group( P=0.004), while chromatin modified gene mutations mainly occurred in the MDS group( P=0.007). (3)Fifty-one cases with MDS were followed up and 9 cases developed leukemia transformation with an average transformation time of 6.5 months during the period, and the conversion rate of patients with RUNX1 and U2AF1 mutations was 44.4%, which was higher than that of other gene mutations. Conclusions:Elderly patients with myeloid neoplasms have unique gene mutation profiles.The types and frequencies of common myeloid tumor gene mutations are different in AML and MDS, and some gene mutations in patients with MDS are related to leukemia transformation.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the mutational profile of patients with core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML). METHODS: A total of 81 acute myeloid leukemia patients were recruited, which included 36 cases of CBF-AML and 45 cases of cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML) . Mutations of FLT3-ITD, FLT3-TKD, NPM1, c-KIT, NRAS, KRAS, TET2, IDH1/2, RUNX1, DNMT3A, GATA2, ASjXL1, TP53, PTPN11, JAK2V617F, SETBP1 and CEBPA genes were simultaneously detected by DNA-based PCR and Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Over all, mutations were detected in 68 patients (83.9%), with the most common ones including double CEBPA mutations (n=17), followed by NPM1 (n=15), c-KIT (n=11), NRAS (n=10), TET2 (n=9), FLT3-TKD (n=9), FLT3-ITD (n=8), IDH1 (n=7), RUNX1 (n=7), KRAS (n=7), DNMT3A (n=6), IDH2 (n=4), and GATA2 (n=4) mutations. AML1-ETO and CBFβ-MYH11 fusions were present in 21 and 15 patients, respectively. Coexistence of ≥2 mutations was more common in CN-AML comparing with CBF-AML. The mutation rate of NPM1, FLT3-ITD, DNMT3A, IDH1 and CEBPA double mutations were higher in patients with CN-AML. NRAS, c-KIT and KRAS mutations were identified more frequently in patients with CBF-AML (P<0.05). Based on the function, aberration of genes involved in DNA methylation, NPM1 proteins and transcription predominated in CN-AML, while tyrosine kinase receptor signaling and RAS pathways have predominated in CBF-AML. CONCLUSION The genomic landscape of CBF-AML patients has differed from that of CN-AML patients. Synergy of fusion genes with particular mutations may impact the clinical phenotype and prognosis of patients.
Core Binding Factors ; genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; Mutation ; Prognosis

Objective: To compare the effect of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) inhibitor and insulin on renal interstitial macrophage infiltration in mice with type 2 diabetic kidney disease (DKD) mice. Methods: Twenty-four male C57BL/6 mice were selected. After 1 week of adaptive feeding, 6 rats were randomly selected as the control group. The other mice were intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin (30 mg/kg) after 8 weeks of high-fat and high-sugar feeding. After 72 h, the type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) models were successfully established if random blood glucose was greater than 16.7 mmol/L. After 8 weeks, if the proteinuria of DM mice increased, the DKD models were successful. DKD mice were divided into 3 groups by random number remainder method: DKD group (n=6), DKD+insulin group (insulin group, n=6, subcutaneous injection of 1-2 U/d insulin) and DKD+IGF-1R inhibitor (IGF-1R inhibitor group, n=6, administered with 30 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 IGF-1R inhibitor). They were continuously treated for 8 weeks. Random blood glucose was tested by glucometer. Blood and urine were collected, and biochemical indicators, such as serum creatinine, urea nitrogen and urine protein were measured by biochemical analyzer. Renal pathological changes were detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) and periodic acid-schiff staining (PAS). Suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) mRNA and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA were detected by in situ hybridization. The protein expressions of SOCS2, F4/80, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and CD68 were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: Compared with the control group, blood glucose, serum creatinine, serum urea nitrogen and urinary protein excretion rate were significantly higher in DKD mice (all P<0.05), and CD68⁺ cells number, F4/80⁺ cells number and the expression of TLR4 in the tubulointerstitial of DKD mice were significantly higher (all P<0.05). After intervention with insulin or IGF-1R inhibitor, serum creatinine, serum urea nitrogen and urinary protein excretion rate of DKD mice were significantly reduced (all P<0.05). Insulin intervention could significantly reduce blood glucose in mice (P<0.05), but had no significant effect on macrophages. Although IGF-1R inhibitor did not significantly reduce blood glucose, it could significantly reduce the number of CD68, F4/80 positive cells and the expression of TLR4 protein in renal interstitium of DKD mice (all P<0.05). Compared with the DKD group, insulin intervention significantly reduced the expression of IGF-1 protein and mRNA (both P<0.01), and increased the expression of SOCS2 mRNA and protein (both P<0.01). And the expression of SOCS2 protein was correlated with the number of F4/80⁺ cells in insulin group (R²=0.8461, P=0.005). However, IGF-1R inhibitors had no significant effect on SOCS2 expression, but had better inhibition of macrophage infiltration. Conclusion IGF-1R inhibitor has a better inhibitory effect on DKD renal interstitial macrophage infiltration than insulin. The mechanism may be related to the fact that IGF-1R inhibitor does not up-regulate SOCS2 expression, whereas insulin up-regulates SOCS2 expression to activate some potential pathways.

Objective To explore the predictive value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio on the prognosis of H7N9 avian influenza.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 28 H7N9 avian influenza patients (treatment group) at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from April 2013 to January 2016.Thirty healthy physical examiners in the same period were enrolled as the healthy control group.The 28 patients were followed up for half a year and divided into the improvement group (18 cases) and the death group (10 cases) according to the clinical prognosis.Inflammatory indicators including white blood cells (WBC),neutrophil (N),lymphocyte (L),monocytes (M),platelet (PLT),creatine kinase (CK),lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),high sensitive C reactive protein were collected at day 1,day 3 and week 1 of admission.Calculation of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR),platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR),lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR),△NLR3 (day 3 of admission NLR-on day 1 of admission NLR),△NLR7 (week 1 of admission NLR-day 3 of admission NLR) and so on calculating △PLR3,△PLR7,△LMR3,△LMR7.Differences of the above indicators between the improvement group and death group were compared.The measurement data with normal distribution were tested by t-test of two independent samples,and the count data with non-normal distribution were tested by Mann-Whitney U-test.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to explore the prognostic factors and the working characteristic curve of subjects was used to evaluate the predictive value of inflammatory response indexes for H7N9 avian influenza death.Results In the treatment group,the baseline WBC,L,N,PLT,the proportion of lymphocytes,neutrophils,monocytes,and NLR,PLR,and LMR were all statistically different compared with the healthy control group (all P ＜0.01).After treatment,day 3 NLR,△NLR3 in improvement group were both significantly decreased to 10.93 (15.71)and0.87 (-15.63),respectively when compared with death group (17.62[23.63] and 7.42[22.68],respectively) (Z =-2.16 and-2.014,respectively,both P＜0.05).Day 7 NLR,△NLR7 in improved group were 6.51 (13.23) and-0.37 (-12.38),respectively,which were both lower than those of death group (27.90 [25.64] and 11.54 [-26.22]) with statistically significant differences (Z =-2.444 and -2.111,respectively,both P ＜ 0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicates that △NLR3 is the main factor that affects the prognosis of the H7N9 infection (odds ratio [OR] =1.153,95％ confidence interval [CI]:1.052-1.263,P =0.002).Reciver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.733 (95 ％ CI:0.532-0.935,P =0.044).Based on the principle of Youden index,the cutoff value of △NLR3 to predict the death risk of H7N9 avian influenza was 5.453 with sensitivity of 0.700 and the specificity of 0.722.The mortality was higher when △NLR3 was higher than 5.453.Conclusions Dynamic monitoring NLR,especially △NLR3 may reflect the condition and prognosis of H7N9 infection,which is an independent predictor of death.

Objective To evaluate therapeutic effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(MSC)derived exosomes on alcohol-induced liver injury.Methods Eighteen male C57BL/6 mice aged 6 to 8 week were randomly divided into control group,model group and exosomes group,with 6 mice in each group.The mice in the model group and the exosomes group were fed with Lieber-DeCarli ad libitum diet(Dyets Inc.)for 4 weeks,followed by gavage a bolus of ethanol at day 26,27 and 28.The mice in the control group matched the alcohol-derived calories with dextran-maltose.Meanwhile,the mice in exosomes group were injected with MSC-exosomes via the tail vein at day 14 and 26.After the experiment,serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransaminase(AST)were detected,and the pathological changes of liver tissues were observed.The expressions of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf-2),heme oxygenase-1(HO-1),CD63,CD81,TSG101 and Cytochrome C were analyzed by Western blot,and mRNA levels of Nrf-2,HO-1,interleukin(IL)-10 and IL-17 were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).The commercial kits were used to detect serum IL-10,IL-17 levels and liver tissue malondialdehyde(MDA),glutathione(GSH),superoxide dismutase(SOD)oxidative stress indicators.The numbers of regulatory T cell(Treg)and help T(Th)17 cells in the liver were analyzed by flow cytometry.One-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between groups.Results MSC-exosomes expressed positive markers CD63,CD81 and TSG101,but did not express the negative markers Cytochrome C.The serum ALT and AST levels in model group were(87.3±25.1)U/L and(223.2±43.5)U/L,respectively,while those in exosomes group were(47.7±12.0)U/L and(128.2±33.6)U/L,respectively.The differences between the two groups were both statistically significant(F=12.818 and 12.226,respectively,both P<0.05).Compared with control group,the SOD activity and GSH level in the model group significantly decreased with statistically significant differences(F=4.245 and 24.074,respectively,both P <0.05).Lieber-DeCarli ethanol feeding significantly increased intrahepatic MDA level in the model mice,which was reversed by MSC-exosomes supplementation,and the difference was statistically significant(F=36.675,P <0.05).Compared with control group,the intrahepatic protein expressions of Nrf-2 and HO-1 in model group were significantly decreased,while the expressions in exosomes group were obviously increased.The differences were statistically significant(F=33.623 and 14.960,respectively,both P <0.05).The expression trends of Nrf-2 and HO-1 mRNA were the same as those of protein expressions(F=20.784 and 276.336,respectively,both P <0.05).The proportions of liver Treg/Th17 in the control group,model group and exosomes group were 4.3±0.9,0.4±0.2,and 3.4±0.5,respectively.The differences among groups were statistically significant(F=64.227,P <0.05).Compared with control group,the serum protein and intrahepatic gene expression of IL-17 in the model group were significantly increased,which were reversed by MSC-exosomes treatment.The differences were statistically significant(F=15.581 and 40.095,respectively,both P<0.05).Serum IL-10 protein levels and intrahepatic IL-10 gene expression were significantly decreased after Lieber-DeCarli ethanol feeding,which were lower than the exosomes group.The differences were statistically significant(F=98.268 and 153.743,respectively,both P <0.05).Conclusions MSC-exosomes transplantation may relieve alcohol-induced liver injury.The mechanism could involve reduction of oxidative stress in the liver via regulating Nrf-2/HO-1 and normalizing the balance of Treg and Th17 cells.

Objective To study the clinical efficacy of transnasal transsphenoidal surgery in acromegaly caused by pituitary adenoma and the clinical characteristics of patients achieved early biochemical remission after surgery. Methods Thirty-three patients with acromegaly caused by pituitary adenoma, admitted to and underwent transnasal transsphenoidal surgery in our hospital from September 2014 to June 2017, were chosen in our study. Clinical data and treatment efficacy of these patients were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into biochemical remission group and non-biochemical remission group according to serum growth hormone (GH) trough value and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) 3 months after surgery, and endocrinology test results of the two groups were compared. Results Thirty-three acromegaly patients underwent microscopic transnasal pituitary surgery. For these patients, 24 achieved total resection, two achieved subtotal resection, 5 achieved massive resection, and two achieved partial resection. Patients were followed up for an average of 13.2 (3-36) months. At 3 months after surgery, blood sugar of two patients with diabetes were restored to normal level; reduction or restoration of hypertension was observed in most patients with preoperative hypertension (81.8％ , 9/11); improvement of cardiac hypertrophy or cardiac enlargement was observed in about 1/3 patients with preoperative cardiac organic changes; heart enlargement was improved in 4 patients; one patient had normal sinus arrhythmia. The average interventricular septum thickness of the patients after surgery was significantly reduced as compared with that before surgery ([8.36±1.56] mm vs. [9.22±1.24] mm, P<0.05). The early biochemical remission was achieved in 19 patients (57.6％); as compared with the 14 patients failed to achieve early biochemical remission, those patients achieved early biochemical remission had significantly smaller adenoma diameters and volumes, lower percentages of patients with degrees of adenoma packaging internal carotid artery<135° and Knosp grading 0-2, and higher extent of surgical resection, lower IGF-1 level at one week and three months after surgery, lower GH level one, two and three d, one week and three months after surgery, and lower GH trough value after OGTT before surgery, one week and 3 months after surgery, with significant differences (P<0.05). Conclusions Transsphenoidal surgery is effective treatment for acromegaly caused by pituitary adenoma. Most patients could achieve biochemical remission three months after surgery. And the surgery could help in improving the cardiovascular complications of patients. The patients who are able to achieve early biochemical remission may have the features of smaller adenoma, lower GH trough value after OGTT before and one week after surgery, and lower GH and IGF-1 levels after surgery.