Ferrets offer an advantage in nonclinical studies of anti-infective drugs because of their ability to be infected with and spread pathogenic microorganisms,especially viral strains,without the need for host adaptation.Additionally,the clinical symptoms exhibited by infected ferrets are very similar to those of humans.Although ferrets play a very important role in the research and development of antiviral drugs,the scope of their application remains limited.This may be related to the lack of corresponding national standards for laboratory animal feeding and application of ferrets as well as the lack of specific diagnostic and detection reagents.This paper summarizes the characteristics of ferrets as infectious disease models with a summary and analysis of the application direction of ferrets in anti-infective drug research.Our aim is to promote further standardization of the use of ferrets.

Objective This study established a model of invasive Aspergillus niger lung disease in immunosuppressed rats to provide theoretical support for the pharmacodynamic evaluation of anti-invasive pulmonary aspergillosis drugs and mechanism studies.Methods Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into a normal control group;cyclophosphamide control group,and cyclophosphamide+fungal infection low,medium,and high dose groups,with 12 animals in each group.General clinical observations were performed daily,and the serum levels of immunoglobulin(Ig)G and IgM and galactomannan(GM)were detected by ELISA on the 3rd and 7th days of modeling.Simultaneously,the ratio of CD4+and CD8+cells,content of white blood cells(WBCs)and neutrophils(Neu)in peripheral blood,the Aspergillus niger load in alveolar lavage,and morphological changes to rat lung tissue were observed.Results Rats in the cyclophosphamide control and cyclophosphamide+fungal infection groups showed reduced voluntary activity and erect hair after modeling,and rats in the cyclophosphamide+fungal infection group also had shortness of breath and audible wet rhonchi in the lungs.Compared with the normal control group,rats in the cyclophosphamide control group showed significant reductions in the levels of CD4+,WBC,Neu,IgG,and IgM in the blood,and their proportion of CD8+cells was significantly higher(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Compared with the cyclophosphamide control group,rats in the cyclophosphamide+fungal infection medium-and high-dose groups had significantly reduced blood levels of IgG,IgM,and CD4+cells(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);while the cyclophosphamide+fungal infection low-,medium-,and high-dose groups had significantly reduced blood levels of WBC and Neu(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Additionally,rats in the cyclophosphamide+fungal infection medium-and high-dose groups had significantly increased blood CD8+cells(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),Blood GM levels and the alveolar lavage Aspergillus niger load were significantly increased in rats in the cyclophosphamide+fungal infection low-,medium-,and high-dose groups compared with the cyclophosphamide control group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The lung tissues of the cyclophosphamide+fungal infection low-,medium-,and high-dose groups showed mycelial distribution and destruction of alveolar epithelium,increase of bronchial epithelial cup cells in the alveoli,and infiltration of inflammatory cells,and the degree of lesions was positively correlated with the modeling dose.Conclusions In this study,we used Aspergillus niger combined with cyclophosphamide immunosuppressant to construct a model of invasive Aspergillus niger lung disease.The duration of the disease was positively correlated with the concentration of bacterial fluid and modeling time,confirming that cellular immunity plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease.At the same time,Ig can also affect the development of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis,and it is speculated that the pathogenesis may be related to the level of Ig produced by humoral immunity.

ObjectiveTo explore the distribution mechanism of network modules in the combined treatment of liver cancer with Jiuwei Zhengxiao granules （JWZX） based on the analysis framework of module pharmacology. MethodThe cell experiment and the animal experiment were carried out to investigate the in vitro anti-liver cancer efficacy of JWZX of different concentrations and the effect on the survival time of H22 ascites tumor mice. By virtue of the analysis strategy of modular pharmacology，the distribution characteristics of nine Chinese drugs in the liver cancer disease network modules were investigated based on the constructed liver cancer disease network and module division by MCODE. In this study，the average degree （AD） of the nodes in the modules was used as an index to screen the main modules of the disease，and the intervention of the sovereign drugs，minister drugs，and assistant drugs on the main modules was explored. Finally，the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis was performed on the drug-acted modules by Metascape. ResultAs revealed by the cell experiment，JWZX could significantly inhibit the proliferation of H22 cells. The animal experiment demonstrated that the medium- and high-dose JWZX could significantly prolong the survival time of mice with H22 ascites tumor （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The distribution of targets of JWZX in the liver cancer disease network modules showed that JWZX interfered with tumor necrosis factor （TNF），epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR），vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA），transcription factor （JUN），tumor protein p53 （TP53），and other 26 targets and 8 modules. The sovereign drug Ginkgo Semen mainly intervened in modules 3 and 8，and the minister drugs such as Centipeda Herba jointly intervened in modules 1，3，5，8，10，and 12. Centipeda Herba and Phyllanthi Fructus intervened in module 7 and module 19 individually. Artemisiae Annuae Herba and other assistant drugs jointly intervened in modules 3，5，10，and 12. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis found that 135 pathways were enriched in 8 modules，and the pathway functions involved 12 categories including cancer，signal transduction，immune system，endocrine system，and amino acid metabolism. The functions of the four major modules involved cancer，signal transduction，and immune system. According to the results of literature verification，the key links of JWZX on the liver cancer disease network and the core mechanism were presumedly related to the inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 （HIF-1） signaling pathways，reduction of the immunosuppressive effect in the tumor microenvironment，and improvement of the anti-tumor immune response. ConclusionJWZX possesses pharmacological activity against liver cancer，and the therapeutic efficacy was achieved through the multiple targets，multiple modules，and multiple functions of drugs alone or in combination to intervene in the disease. The present study reduced the complexity of drug-disease target network analysis with module analysis strategy and explored the network module distribution mechanism of JWZX in the treatment of liver cancer，which provides a new idea for interpreting the complex mechanism of prescription compatibility.

OBJECTIVES: Cough variant asthma (CVA) is the main cause of obstinate cough. This study aimed to observe the therapeutic effect of Xiaochuan pill on CVA in a rat model, and to explore the mechanisms. METHODS: The rats were sensitized and challenged with 4% ovaibumin (OA) and 2% Al(OH) to establish the CVA models. They were treated with Xiaochuan pill (at the dose of 0.9, 1.8, 3.6 g/kg) or montelukast sodium once a day for 14 days. After 7 and 14 days of intervention, 5 and 10 rats were randomly selected from each group to collect bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), trachea, and lungs. The number of white blood cells (WBC) and eosinophils (EOS), and the levels of IL-1β, TNF- α, and IFN-γ in BALF were detected. Histopathological examination of lung tissue was performed to observe the histomorphological changes. The expressions of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κBp65, and p-p65 in lung tissue were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: The numbers of WBC and EOS in BALF of CVA rats were significantly decreased by Xiaochuan pill (<0.05 or <0.01). The hyperplasia of tracheal, bronchial mucosa and the infiltration of inflammatory cells in lung were alleviated obviously. After 14 d of intervention, high dose of Xiaochuan pill significantly increased the level of IFN- γ (<0.01), reduced the levels of IL-1β (<0.05) and TNF-α (<0.05), and decreased the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, p65, and p-p65 (<0.05 or <0.01). CONCLUSIONS Xiaochuan pill exerts the significant therapeutic effect on obstinate cough in rats. The mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of TLR4-MyD88-NF-κBp65 signaling pathway as well as the inflammation and immune response.
Animals ; Cough ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 ; NF-kappa B ; Rats ; Signal Transduction ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

This study aimed to observe the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Jinshuibao tablet on acute renal injury induced by cisplatin. Acute renal injury models in SD rats were induced separately by single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin(5 mg/kg)and intravenous injection for 5 consecutive days at a dosage of 2 mg/kg per day. The renal function and renal histopathological changes were observed in rat acute renal injury models after prevention and treatment with Jinshuibao tablet, respectively. The content of tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α)and reactive oxygen species(ROS), the activity of Caspase 3 and the expression of t-p38, p-p38, Bax and Bcl-2 in the kidneys were detected. The results showed that preventive and therapeutic administration of Jinshuibao tablets could both significantly inhibit the increase of the blood urea nitrogen(BUN)and creatinine(CRE), increase the creatinine clearance rate, reduce the contents of TNF-α and ROS, and decrease the activity of Caspase 3 in acute renal injury models induced by cisplatin. The renal histopathological results showed that Jinshuibao tablets could significantly reduce renal histopathology scores, ameliorate renal tubule degeneration and inflammatory infiltration. Western blot results showed that Jinshuibao tablets could significantly decrease the expression of t-p38 and p-p38, while increasing the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in the kidneys. These results suggested that preventive and therapeutic administration of Jinshuibao tablets could both improve renal function and pathological changes of renal tissue, which might be related to the inhibition of TNF-α and the ROS-p38 MAPK-Caspase3 pathway and thus inhibition of apoptosis.

Objective:To explore the testicular descent process and temporal morphology and position changes of its neighboring tissues and organs in mice with three dimensional (3D) histological reconstruction technique.Methods:Tissue below the kidney plane of male Kunming mice was harvested on gestation days (GD)15, GD17, GD19, postnatal days (PD)3 and PD7.The tissue was then serially sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE). Slices were scanned and saved by the PerkinElmer automatic section analysis system.Afterward, Photoshop software was used for image registration and alignment, and 3D-doctor software was employed for 3D reconstruction and analysis.Results:(1)The epididymis enveloped the testis, and the tail of the epididymis was connected with the gubernaculum, but no direct connection was found between the lower pole of the testis and the gubernaculum.During pregnancy, each part of the epididymis and the vas deferens of mice were piled up into a mass, making it hard to identify the epididymis.The gubernaculum leads to " swelled" . After birth, the epididymis became large, elongated, and morphologi-cally recognizable, and the gubernaculum degenerated into fibrous cords.During the whole process, the volume of gubernaculum was significantly smaller than that of testicle.(2)Testicles on both sides were similar in shape and asymmetrical in position.The left testicle was lower than the right testicle, and descended before the right one.During pregnancy, testicles on both sides descended from the lower pole of the kidney, the left testical stopped at the lower part of the bladder.and the right one stopped at middle part of the bladder.After birth, the left testicle dropped below the neck of the bladder.Finally, the left testicle was lower than the right testicle.(3) The epididymis descend prior to the testicles.Throughout the process, the tail of the epididymis descended before the testicles, and it pulled the whole epididymis down.Testicles entered the scrotum along the descending path of the epididymis.After the complete descent, the tail of the epididymis remained below the testicles.Conclusions:Through observation, the testicular descend process in mice includes the following steps.First, the tail of the epididymis is pulled down to the inner ring by the gubernaculum, and the tail and body of the epididymis expand the inner ring and the inguinal canal through their morphological changes.The epididymis then continues to go down into the scrotum and expands it.Finally, the testicles and the head of the epididymis follow the epididymis body and enter the scrotum through the enlarged inner ring and inguinal canal.

The mechanism of testicular descent in development of testis in embryonic period is very complex,and undescended testes(cryptorchidism) is a very common anomaly of the male genitalia.As it is close relatively with the later impaired fertility and cancer risk,involving reproduction,development,endocrinology and psychology,et al,the explorations of the mechanisms of testicular descent are continuing,and the studies on undescended testes such as the exact cause,pathogenesis,proper strategies for diagnosis and treatment are in progress.Along with some muddle becoming clear,the new puzzles often emerged.Perhaps this is getting closer to the truth.This paper is basically outlining the current research situation from the known and unknown aspects.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To observe the preventive effect of oxaliplatin induced peripheral neuropathy treated by fumigation of Siteng Yixian decoction.METHODS Totally 150 colorectal cancer patients from oncology department Of Hainan provincial hospital of TCM between January 2010 and December 2014 were enrolled in this study.And they were randomized into two groupswith 75 cases in each.The patients in the control group only received oxaliplatin based chemotherapy.While the pa-tients in the treatment group were given the chemotherapy combined with fumigation of Siteng Yixian decoction.The fumiga-tion lasted for forty minutes a timetwice a day.After the treatment of two cycles chemotherapythe incidence rate and sever-ity classification of peripheral neuropathy was analyzed one month later to evaluate the preventive effect.RESULTS The difference of incidence rate of peripheral neuropathy was significantwith the rate being 18.7% in the treatment group and 56. 0% in the control groupP <0.01.The severity classification was evidently higher in the control group90.37than those in the treatment group60.63and there exised a statistical significanceP <0.05.Among the patients who had second degree peripheral neuropathy or abovethe oxaliplatin accumulative dose was1 054.76±124.6in the treatment group and823.47 ±190.67 in the control groupand the difference was statistically significantP <0.05.Logistic regression indicated that fu-migation of Siteng Yixian decoction was the protective factor for the oxaliplatin?induced peripheral neuropathy.CONCLUSION Fumigation of Siteng Yixian decoction can reduce the incidence ratedecline the severity classification of oxaliplatin?induced peripheral neuropathy and increase the oxaliplatin tolerance dose.It is the independent preventive factor for oxaliplatin?induced peripheral neuropathy.

Blood transfusion therapy is widerly used in pediatric surgery as it's validity in many acute and chronic pediatric diseases.Compared to adults,pediatric perioperative transfusion therapy,particularly the approach to massive blood transfusion can be quite complex because of the unique physiologic characteristics.Perioperative transfusion therapy in children can cause significant metabolic disturbance,and further,cause severe complications.This paper presents an overview of the physiologic characteristics which related to pediatric perioperative transfusion therapy.And also the metabolisms related to massive perioperative blood transfusion in children.These may accordingly primarily useful to treat the pediatric patients.