AIM To investigate the effects of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula on neuronal apoptosis in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury based on the study of oxidative stress and inflammatory response.METHODS The rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group,the model group,the edaravone group(3.0 mg/kg),the low,medium and high dose groups(9.0,18.0,36.0 g/kg)of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula,with 18 rats in each group.The middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion was conducted by thread embolism method to simulate cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in rats followed by 6 days corresponding drugs administration.Subsequently,the rats had their neurological function deficit scored by Zeal Longa scoring method;their sizes of cerebral infarction areas measured by TTC staining;their pathological damage and apoptosis of neurons in hippocampal CA1 area of ischemic penumbra of the brain tissue detected by HE staining and TUNEL staining;their SOD activity and levels of GSH,MDA,IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α in brain tissue detected by kits;and their protein expressions of Bax,Bcl-2,caspase-3,cleaved-capase-3,TLR4,NF-κB p65,Nrf2,HO-1 in rat brain tissue determined by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with edaravone,medium and high dose of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula displayed improvements in the scores of nerve function defects,the rate of cerebral infarction,the rate of neuronal apoptosis,the levels of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α and MDA in the ischemic penumbra of brain tissues,the protein expressions of Bax and TLR4,the ratio of cleaved-capase-3/caspase-3 and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65(P＜0.05),the levels of GSH,the activity of SOD and the protein expressions of Bcl-2,Nrf2 and HO-1(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Being an inhibitor of oxidative stress and inflammatory response,Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula can alleviate brain injury in rats with cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury through the inhibition of neuronal apoptosis and improvement of neural function mediated by the inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signal pathway and activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway.

Background: Developmental hypothyroidism impairs learning and memory in offspring, which depend on extensive neuronal circuits in the entorhinal cortex, together with the hippocampus and neocortex. The entorhinal-dentate gyrus pathway is the main entrance of memory circuits. We investigated whether developmental hypothyroidism impaired the morphological development of the entorhinal-dentate gyrus pathway. Methods: We examined the structure and function of the entorhinal-dentate gyrus pathway in response to developmental hypothyroidism induced using 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole. Results: 1,1´-Dioctadecyl-3,3,3´,3´-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate tract tracing indicated that entorhinal axons showed delayed growth in reaching the outer molecular layer of the dentate gyrus at postnatal days 2 and 4 in hypothyroid conditions. The proportion of fibers in the outer molecular layer was significantly smaller in the hypothyroid group than in the euthyroid group at postnatal day 4. At postnatal day 10, the pathway showed a layer-specific distribution in the outer molecular layer, similar to the euthyroid group. However, the projected area of entorhinal axons was smaller in the hypothyroid group than in the euthyroid group. An electrophysiological examination showed that hypothyroidism impaired the long-term potentiation of the perforant and the cornu ammonis 3–cornu ammonis 1 pathways. Many repulsive axon guidance molecules were involved in the formation of the entorhinaldentate gyrus pathway. The hypothyroid group had higher levels of erythropoietin-producing hepatocyte ligand A3 and semaphorin 3A than the euthyroid group. Conclusion We demonstrated that developmental hypothyroidism might influence the development of the entorhinal-dentate gyrus pathway, contributing to impaired long-term potentiation. These findings improve our understanding of neural mechanisms for memory function.

ObjectiveTo optimize the existing genetic transformation system of Armillaria gallica to improve the transformation efficiency and lay a foundation for the follow-up research on Armillaria molecular marker-assisted breeding and gene function. MethodThe genetically transformed plasmid pH101-PAgGPD-GFP-TrpC was constructed，transformed into Escherichia coli，amplified， and cultured，and the plasmid was extracted. The extracted plasmid was transformed into four different agrobacteria LBA4404，EHA105，GV3101，and AGL-1，respectively. The transformed agrobacteria were used for impregnating A. gallica，and the agrobacteria with the highest conversion rate were screened out. Then the agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation system of A. gallica was optimized from the type and concentration of antibiotics，co-culture time，concentration of bacterial solution， and impregnation method. The phenotype profiles of A. gallica under different conditions were observed using Synbiosis ProtoCol 3. ResultThe optimized genetic transformation conditions of A. gallica were as follows： the Agrobacterium strain of EHA105 at absorbance A_{600 nm}=0.6， the co-culture time of 2 d， the infection mode of negative pressure impregnation for 10 min， the primary screening medium of PDA medium containing 400 mg·L^-1 cefotaxime sodium and 10 mg·L^-1 hygromycin，and the secondary screening medium of PDA medium containing 12 mg·L^-1 hygromycin. ConclusionIn this study，the existing genetic transformation system of A. gallica was optimized，and there was a significant difference in the transformation rate before and after optimization （P<0.05）. After optimization，the transformation efficiency of A. gallica was about 4.33%，which was about eight times higher than that before optimization.

OBJECTIVE: To construct a preoperative evaluation system for partial nephrectomy using CT three-dimensional visualization technology and to explore its practical value. METHODS: The clinical data of the patients who underwent partial nephrectomy for renal tumors in Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital were collected retrospectively. At the same time, the homogenized standard data of patients who underwent partial nephrectomy for renal tumors were collected in 16 clinical centers in China. The CT three-dimensional visualization system was applied (IPS system, Yorktal) to evaluate tumor anatomy, blood supply, perirenal fat and other information. The parameters were summarized to build a three-dimensional nephrometry system, on the basis of which virtual surgery design and intraoperative navigation were completed. RESULTS: A three-dimensional visualization image was established based on the enhanced CT urography. The nephrometry system included the longest diameter and volume of the tumor, proportion volume of tumor invading the parenchyma, maximum depth of the tumor invading the parenchyma, contact surface area, flatness of the tumor surface, renal segment where the tumor was located, vascular variation, and perirenal fat. The average two-dimensional diameter of the tumor was (2.78±1.43) cm, the average three-dimensional maximum diameter was (3.09±1.35) cm, and the average postoperative pathological size was (3.01±1.38) cm. The maximum tumor diameter in the three-dimensional image was significantly related to the prolonged renal artery clamping time and intra-operative blood loss (r=0.502, P=0.020; r=0.403, P=0.046). The three-dimensional and pathological tumor volume were (25.7±48.4) cm³ and (33.0±36.4) cm³, respectively (P=0.229). The tumor volume was significantly related to the intraoperative blood loss (r=0.660, P < 0.001). The proportion volume of the tumor invading into renal parenchyma was significantly related to the prolongation of renal artery clamping and the occurrence of postoperative complications (r=0.410, P=0.041; r=0.587, P=0.005). The tumor contact surface area and the presence of vascular variation did not show correlation with the perioperative data and postoperative complications. While the preoperative evaluation was completed, the reconstructed three-dimensional image could be zoomed, rotated, combined display, color adjustment, transparency, and simulated cutting on the Touch Viewer system. The process generally consisted of showing or hiding the tissue, adjusting the transparency of the interested area, rotating and zooming the image to match the position of the surgical patient. Together, these functions met the requirements of preoperative virtual surgery plan and intraoperative auxiliary navigation. CONCLUSION Three-dimensional images can provide a more intuitive anatomical structure. The CT three-dimensional visua-lization system clearly displays tumor anatomical parameters, blood supply and perirenal fat. The three-dimensional nephrometry system for renal tumors can help predict the difficulty of partial nephrectomy and perioperative complications. Importing the reconstructed three-dimensional visualization image into the specified program or robot operating system can complete virtual surgery and intraoperative navigation, helping the surgeon to better grasp the surgical process. The indexes included in the nephrometry system and the score weights of each index need to be confirmed and perfected by multi-center study with large samples.
China ; Humans ; Kidney/surgery* ; Kidney Neoplasms/surgery* ; Laparoscopy ; Nephrectomy ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: To develop a new Chinese medicine (CM)-based drug and to evaluate its safety and effect for suppressing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: A putative ARDS-suppressing drug Keguan-1 was first developed and then evaluated by a randomized, controlled two-arm trial. The two arms of the trial consist of a control therapy (alpha interferon inhalation, 50 µg twice daily; and lopinavir/ritonavir, 400 and 100 mg twice daily, respectively) and a testing therapy (control therapy plus Keguan-1 19.4 g twice daily) by random number table at 1:1 ratio with 24 cases each group. After 2-week treatment, adverse events, time to fever resolution, ARDS development, and lung injury on newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients were assessed. RESULTS: An analysis of the data from the first 30 participants showed that the control arm and the testing arm did not exhibit any significant differences in terms of adverse events. Based on this result, the study was expanded to include a total of 48 participants (24 cases each arm). The results show that compared with the control arm, the testing arm exhibited a significant improvement in time to fever resolution (P=0.035), and a significant reduction in the development of ARDS (P=0.048). CONCLUSIONS Keguan-1-based integrative therapy was safe and superior to the standard therapy in suppressing the development of ARDS in COVID-19 patients. (Trial registration No. NCT04251871 at www.clinicaltrials.gov ).
Administration, Inhalation ; Adult ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Interferon-alpha ; administration & dosage ; Lopinavir ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; Risk Assessment ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; Severity of Illness Index ; Survival Rate

Objective: To evaluate the associative role of depression and apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele (APOEε4) in subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and its progression to objective cognitive decline. Methods: After literature search in electronic databases, studies were selected by following precise eligibility criteria. Meta-analyses were performed to examine the role of APOEε4 and depression in SCD or its progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Results: APOEε4 positivity was not different between SCD and normal individuals but was significantly higher in individuals with SCD plus than in normal individuals [odds ratio: 2.39 (95% CI: 1.87, 3.05); p<0.00001] and in SCD converters than in non-converters [odds ratio: 5.19 (95% CI: 2.36, 11.42); p<0.00001]. Depression was significantly higher in individuals with SCD [standardized mean difference: 0.63 (0.45, 0.82); p<0.00001] and SCD plus [standardized mean difference: 0.83 (0.43, 1.22); p<0.0001] than in normal individuals. However, depression was not different between SCD and MCI or between SCD converters and non-converters. Age of SCD converters was higher than non-converters [mean difference: 2.95 years (0.58, 5.31)]. Conclusion Whereas APOEε4 positivity was higher in SCD plus and SCD converters, depression was higher in SCD and SCD plus but was not different between SCD and MCI.

To address the increasing need for detecting and validating protein biomarkers in clinical specimens, mass spectrometry (MS)-based targeted proteomic techniques, including the selected reaction monitoring (SRM), parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), and massively parallel data-independent acquisition (DIA), have been developed. For optimal performance, they require the fragment ion spectra of targeted peptides as prior knowledge. In this report, we describe a MS pipe-line and spectral resource to support targeted proteomics studies for human tissue samples. To build the spectral resource, we integrated common open-source MS computational tools to assemble a freely accessible computational workflow based on Docker. We then applied the workflow to gen-erate DPHL, a comprehensive DIA pan-human library, from 1096 data-dependent acquisition (DDA) MS raw files for 16 types of cancer samples. This extensive spectral resource was then applied to a proteomic study of 17 prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Thereafter, PRM validation was applied to a larger study of 57 PCa patients and the differential expression of three proteins in prostate tumor was validated. As a second application, the DPHL spectral resource was applied to a study consisting of plasma samples from 19 diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients and 18 healthy control subjects. Differentially expressed proteins between DLBCL patients and healthy control subjects were detected by DIA-MS and confirmed by PRM. These data demonstrate that the DPHL supports DIA and PRM MS pipelines for robust protein biomarker discovery. DPHL is freely accessible at https://www.iprox.org/page/project.html?id=IPX0001400000.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of MicroRNA-3963(miR-3963) on the adipogenic differentiation of mouse bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells(MSC).

METHODSMSCs were isolated from C57BL/6 mice bone fragment and transfected with miR-3963 mimic, miR-3963 inhibitor and negative control. The expression of miR-3963 and transfection efficiency were detected by q-PCR. These transfected cells were induced to adipocytes and stained with oil red O after 14 days culture. q-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of adipogenic differentiation marker genes C/EBPα and PPARγ at transcriptional level and protein level.

RESULTSThe results of q-PCR revealed that miR-3963 expression level was up-regulated after transfection with miR-3963 mimic (P<0.0001), and down-regulated after transfection with miR-3963 inhibitor (P<0.0001). After oil red staining, overexpression of miR-3963 in MSCs could promote the formation of lipid droplet. The q-PCR and Western blot analyses showed the significant increase of expression of adipogenic marker genes C/EBPα and PPARγ in MSC transfected with miR-3963 mimic. Additionally, compared with the control group, miR-3963 inhibitor could decrease adipogenic differentiation of MSC.

CONCLUSIONmiR-3963 can regulate and promote adipogenic differentiation of mouse bone-derived MSC.

To investigate the dynamic changes of endogenous hormones contents in Salvia miltiorrhiza after the inoculation of Glomus versiforme(GV).The contents of endogenous hormones of ABA, ZR, GA, IAA and MeJA by ELISA were measured. Infection rata of GV reached plateau of 90% at the 90th d of inoculation; fresh weight of overground part and leaf number were significantly higher in GV group, with 2.7 and 1.96 fold than that of control; contents of all endogenous hormones apart from ABA in over- and under-ground part were markedly lower (P<0.05) in GV group at the 75th and 90th d, respectively, with 63% to 75% and 45% to 81% of that in control, and were significantly higher (P<0.05) in both over- and under-ground part in GV group at the 105th d, with 1.4 to 1.7 fold higher than that of control; content of ABA in underground part increased significantly at 60th, 75th and 105th d. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi could promote the growth of S. miltiorrhiza, and affect the dynamic changes of endogenous hormones contents in different infection periods.

ABSTRACT:OBJECTIVE To explore the preventive effect of evodiamine on inflammation associated colorectal carcinoma through the establishment of model in mice.METHODS The mice were administrated with AOM/DSS and divided into con-trol group,model group,low dose of evodiamine group(10EV)and high dose of evodiamine group(20EV).Body weights and death rates of mice were recorded once a week.The length of colorectum,tumor number and sizes were compared among all groups.Morphology of colorectal tissues in each group were stained by HE.Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the expression of COX-2 and PCNA.RESULTS AOM/DSS caused the loss of body weight and increased mortality of mice, while evodiamine improved the condition,and also reduced the development of colorectal cancer,alleviated the inflammatory response and inhibited abnormal proliferation of cancer cells.CONCLUSION Evodiamine can display promising preventive effects on inflammation-associated colorectal cancer,which is relative to the reduction of inflammation and abnormal cell prolif-eration.