黄芩苷改善肿瘤缺氧微环境抑制乳腺癌移植瘤的生长＊

目的 通过观察黄芩苷对乳腺癌组织毛细血管通透性（Capillary Vessel Permeability，CVP）、赖氨酰氧化酶（Lysyl Oxidase，LOX）及血清丙二醛（Malondialdehyde，MDA）等相关指标的影响，探讨黄芩苷可能的抗乳腺癌作用机制。方法 通过在裸鼠皮下接种MDA-MB-231乳腺癌细胞株建立乳腺癌移植瘤模型；实验分为模型组、黄芩苷组、阿霉素组、黄芩苷+阿霉素组。于接种第7日开始：黄芩苷组每天灌胃黄芩苷水溶液（100 mg·kg^-1），连续14天；阿霉素组每3天腹腔注射一次阿霉素（5mg·kg^-1），共用药5次；模型组每天灌胃生理盐水（10 mL·kg^-1），连续14天；黄芩苷+阿霉素组每天灌胃黄芩苷水溶液（100 mg·kg^-1），连续14天，并每3天腹腔注射一次阿霉素5 mg·kg^-1，共5次。给药期间监测移植瘤体积；紫外可见分光光度计620 nm下测OD值来反映黄芩苷对肿瘤毛细血管通透性的影响；硫代巴比妥酸（Thiobarbituric acid，TBA）比色法检测黄芩苷对裸鼠血清中丙二醛（MDA）的影响；免疫组化染色法检测乳腺癌组织中赖氨酰氧化酶（LOX）的表达情况。结果 ①与模型组比较，黄芩苷组、阿霉素组、黄芩苷+阿霉素组瘤体重量均明显减轻（P<0.05）；黄芩苷+阿霉素组瘤体重量较阿霉素组明显减轻（P<0.05）。②与模型组比较，黄芩苷组降低乳腺癌组织毛细血管的通透性，而阿霉素组则增加肿瘤组织中毛细血管的通透性，差异均具有统计学意义（P<0.05）。③黄芩苷组能够明显抑制荷瘤裸鼠血清MDA的表达，与模型组比较差异有显著统计学意义（P<0.01）；阿霉素组促进MDA的表达，与模型组比较差异有统计学意义；黄芩苷+阿霉素组促进MDA的表达，与模型组比较差异无统计学意义。④与模型组比较，黄芩苷组裸鼠乳腺癌组织LOX的表达显著下调（P<0.01），阿霉素组肿瘤组织中LOX表达增加（P<0.05）；黄芩苷+阿霉素组能下调裸鼠乳腺癌组织LOX的表达，与模型组比较差异无统计学意义。结论 黄芩苷能够明显抑制乳腺癌移植瘤的生长，其机制可能与黄芩苷降低肿瘤组织毛细血管的通透性，抑制裸鼠血清中丙二醛、乳腺癌组织中赖氨酰氧化酶的表达，从而改变肿瘤缺氧微环境有关。     

Role of site-directed mutagenesis and adjuvants in the stability and potency of anthrax protective antigen

Anthrax is a zoonotic infection caused by the gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Depending on the origin of the infection, serious health problems or mortality is possible. The virulence of B. anthracis is reliant on three pathogenic factors, which are secreted upon infection: protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF). Systemic illness results from LF and EF entering cells through the formation of a complex with the heptameric form of PA, bound to the membrane of infected cells through its receptor. The currently available anthrax vaccines have multiple drawbacks, and recombinant PA is considered a promising second-generation vaccine candidate. However, the inherent chemical instability of PA through Asn deamidation at multiple sites prevents its use after long-term storage owing to loss of potency. Moreover, there is a distinct possibility of B. anthracis being used as a bioweapon; thus, the developed vaccine should remain efficacious and stable over the long-term. Second-generation anthrax vaccines with appropriate adjuvant formulations for enhanced immunogenicity and safety are desired. In this article, using protein engineering approaches, we have reviewed the stabilization of anthrax vaccine candidates that are currently licensed or under preclinical and clinical trials. We have also proposed a formulation to enhance recombinant PA vaccine potency via adjuvant formulation.     

Capillary leak syndrome: A rare cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome

Capillary leak syndrome (CLS) is a rare clinical syndrome associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Intensive care and supportive therapy constitute the mainstay of the treatment, along with judicious use of crystalloids and colloids such as dextran and starch during the leak phase. The advantages of proning, steroids, and intravenous immunoglobins are worth contemplating in patients with such a presentation. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation appears to be an excellent strategy to surmount the impediments of the leak and post leak phase of CLS, especially in patients with severe or refractory hypoxemia.     

江西省锐尖山香圆亲缘关系与群体结构的ISSR分析

目的:利用简单序列重复区间扩增多态性(ISSR)分子标记技术对江西省锐尖山香圆进行亲缘关系和遗传结构分析,为该药材资源的保护和利用提供理论依据。方法:采集江西省4个县6个采样地的22份锐尖山香圆叶片样本,利用试剂盒法提取基因组DNA。利用64条通用ISSR分子标记引物进行聚合酶链式反应(PCR)扩增,运用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(PAGE)方法检测条带。选择NTsys 2. 10e软件,采用非加权配对算术平均法(UPGMA)计算遗传相似系数并聚类分析。利用Structure 2. 1软件分析群体遗传结构。结果:有48条ISSR引物扩增后获得了产物,多态性条带百分率处于45. 45%～100%。UPGMA聚类分析表明4个县的锐尖山香圆资源不能按照行政区域划分分别聚为一类,群体遗传结构分析表明22份锐尖山香圆群体可以划分为3个类群。结论:江西省锐尖山香圆群体间存在着基因交流,会影响该药材不同地理来源种质资源的遗传结构组成。     

A rapid method for simultaneous determination of nitrate,nitrite and thiocyanate in milk by CZE-UV using quaternary ammonium chitosan as electroosmotic flow inverter

This paper proposes a rapid method for the simultaneous determination of nitrate, nitrite and thiocyanate in different milk samples (cow, goat and soy) using capillary zone electrophoresis. The separations were conducted in a fused silica capillary dynamically coated with quaternary ammonium chitosan, with a total length of 48.5 cm (40 cm effective x 75 μm internal diameter) and direct detection in the UV region at 210 nm. The background electrolyte (BGE) was composed of 30 mmol L⁻¹ of aminocaproic acid and 24 mmol L¹ of perchloric acid (pH 3.85).A typical anodic electroosmotic flow of -31 × 10^-9 m² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ was observed at the pH of the separations. Bromate was used as the internal standard. The samples were injected by hydrodynamic pressure (50 mbar, 40 s) and the separation voltage was −30 kV. The proposed method was validated and presented good linearity (R²> 0.99) in the linear range of 0.1–4.0 mg L⁻¹. The ranges of the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.03-0.04 and 0.05–0.07 mg L⁻¹, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision values were better than 4.2 and 8.7 %, respectively. Recovery values ranged from 85 to 104% for the different samples of milk. The proposed method was applied in 12 commercial samples with run times of less than 2 min. The good analytical performance indicates that the method proposed is a promising alternative for the determination of nitrate, thiocyanate and nitrite in milk samples.     

MiR-92b-3p ameliorates inflammation and autophagy by targeting TRAF3 and suppressing MKK3-p38 pathway in caerulein-induced AR42J cells

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease with high morbidity and mortality. Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) was involved in human diseases, including AP. However, the effects of miR-92b-3p on AP process and its mechanism remain not been fully clarified. The expression levels of miR-92b-3p and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor-3 (TRAF3) were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The protein levels of TRAF3, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) TNF-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3 (p-MKK3), MKK3, p38 and phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) were detected by western blot. The concentration of TNF-α and IL-6 in the medium was measured using ELISA kits. The possible binding sites of miR-92b-3p and TRAF3 were predicted by TargetScan and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. The expression level of miR-92b-3p was decreased and TRAF3 expression was increased in AR42J cells stimulated with caerulein. Moreover, the protein levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) were markedly elevated, and the expression levels of autophagy-related markers Beclin1 as well as the ratio of LC3-II/I were obviously increased in AR42J cells treated with caerulein. In addition, overexpression of miR-92b-3p or knockdown of TRAF3 significantly suppressed the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and autophagy in caerulein-induced AR42J cells. Furthermore, TRAF3 was a direct target of miR-92b-3p and its upregulation reversed the effects of miR-92b-3p overexpression on inflammatory response and autophagy. Besides, overexpression of miR-92b-3p inhibited the activation of the MKK3-p38 pathway by affecting TRAF3 expression. In conclusion, miR-92b-3p attenuated inflammatory response and autophagy by downregulating TRAF3 and suppressing MKK3-p38 pathway in caerulein-induced AR42J cells, providing a novel avenue for treatment of AP.     

Interstitial lung diseases in children

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) in children (chILD) is a heterogeneous group of rare respiratory disorders that are mostly chronic and associated with high morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis of the various chILD is complex and the diseases share common features of inflammatory and fibrotic changes of the lung parenchyma that impair gas exchanges. The etiologies of chILD are numerous. In this review, we chose to classify them as ILD related to exposure/environment insults, ILD related to systemic and immunological diseases, ILD related to primary lung parenchyma dysfunctions and ILD specific to infancy. A growing part of the etiologic spectrum of chILD is being attributed to molecular defects. Currently, the main genetic mutations associated with chILD are identified in the surfactant genes SFTPA1, SFTPA2, SFTPB, SFTPC, ABCA3 and NKX2-1. Other genetic contributors include mutations in MARS, CSF2RA and CSF2RB in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, and mutations in TMEM173 and COPA in specific auto-inflammatory forms of chILD. However, only few genotype-phenotype correlations could be identified so far. Herein, information is provided about the clinical presentation and the diagnosis approach of chILD. Despite improvements in patient management, the therapeutic strategies are still relying mostly on corticosteroids although specific therapies are emerging. Larger longitudinal cohorts of patients are being gathered through ongoing international collaborations to improve disease knowledge and targeted therapies. Thus, it is expected that children with ILD will be able to reach the adulthood transition in a better condition.