人参全球产地生态适宜性分析及农田栽培选地规范

通过开展人参全球范围内产地生态适宜性分析及农田栽培选地规范制定,为农田栽参合理规划生产布局及规范化种植提供科学依据。采用中国中医科学院中药研究所自主研发的"药用植物全球产地生态适宜性区划信息系统"(global geographic information system for medicinal plant,GMPGIS),以本草文献记载的道地产区、野生分布区以及当前主产区271个样点的生态环境因子值为计算依据,经过生态相似性分析获得人参全球范围内的最佳生态适宜产区和潜在种植区,主要包括美国、加拿大、中国、俄罗斯、日本、朝鲜、法国、意大利、乌克兰、韩国等国家。其中,人参在中国的生态适宜产区主要包括黑龙江、吉林、辽宁、陕西、甘肃、湖北、四川、内蒙古、山东和山西等省区。另外,在产地生态适宜性分析结果和项目组多年农田栽参研究数据基础上,结合文献及对部分种植基地的调研结果,初步制订了农田栽参选地规范。该研究为人参农田规模化种植、引种栽培和保护抚育提供科学依据,农田栽参选地规范为高品质人参的科学生产奠定基础。     

Early high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone is effective in preserving retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in patients with neuromyelitis optica

Background  

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a recurring inflammatory neurological disease characterized by severe optic neuritis and myelitis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) is correlated with the clinical presentations in patients with NMO and to determine the clinical factors that lead to poor visual outcomes.     

Acute retrobulbar optic neuritis with anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease complicated with microscopic polyangiitis: A case report

Rationale:Anti-myelin oligodendrocyte protein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a new disease entity with various clinical phenotypes. MOGAD often present with recurrent optic neuritis (ON), and it can also develop as a compartment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Moreover, multiple autoantibodies such as an anti-myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) had been reported in the serum of patients with NMOSD.Patient concerns:We report an 86-year-old woman with a 2-year history of microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). The patient had a rapid loss of vision in her left eye. No abnormal findings were observed on her left fundus, and she tested negative for MPO-ANCA upon admission. However, anti-MOG antibodies were observed in the patient''s serum and cerebrospinal fluid.Diagnosis:A diagnosis of MOGAD complicated with MPA was made.Interventions:The patient received twice steroid pulse therapy and oral azathioprine as maintenance therapy.Outcomes:Her vision rapidly recovered, and no subsequent relapse was observed during the 8-month observation period.Conclusion:To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of MOGAD complicated with MPA, and steroid pulse therapy and azathioprine therapy were effective for ON caused by MOGAD.     

Interleukin‐8‐producing primary cardiac undifferentiated sarcoma in a child with sustained fever

We report the case of a 12‐year‐old boy with primary undifferentiated sarcoma of the left atrium. He had sustained fever during the clinical course and multiple lung and brain metastases. Chemotherapy and irradiation were ineffective; he died 41 days after hospitalization. On retrospective analysis, interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) was elevated; this was supported by immunohistochemistry and gene expression analysis of tumor samples. IL‐8 continued to increase with tumor progression accompanied by elevated neutrophil count and C‐reactive protein. IL‐8 is involved in malignant tumor proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis and may have been related to the clinical condition and prognosis in the present case.     

BQ‐788, A Selective Endothelin ETB Receptor Antagonist

We describe characteristics of a selective endothelin (ET) ET_B receptor antagonist, BQ‐788 [N‐cis‐2,6‐dimethylpiperidinocarbonyl‐L‐γ‐methylleucyl‐D‐1‐methoxycarbonyltryptophanyl‐D‐norleucine], which is widely used to demonstrate the role of endogenous or exogenous ETs in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, BQ‐788 potently and competitively inhibited ¹²⁵I‐labeled ET‐1 binding to ET_B receptors in human Girrardi heart cells (hGH) with an IC₅₀ of 1.2 nM, but only poorly inhibited the binding to ET_A receptors in human neuroblastoma cell line SK‐N‐MC cells (IC₅₀, 1300 nM). In isolated rabbit pulmonary arteries, BQ‐788 showed no agonistic activity up to 10 μ and competitively inhibited the vasoconstriction induced by an ET_B‐selective agonist (pA₂, 8.4). BQ‐788 also inhibited several bioactivities of ET‐1, such as bronchoconstriction, cell proliferation, and clearance of perfused ET‐1. Thus, it is confirmed that BQ‐788 is a potent, selective ET_B receptor antagonist. In vivo, in conscious rats, BQ‐788, 3 mg/kg/h, i.v., completely inhibited a pharmacological dose of ET‐1‐ or sarafotoxin6c (S6c) (0.5 nmol/kg, i.v.)‐induced ET_B receptor‐mediated depressor, but not pressor responses. Furthermore, BQ‐788 markedly increased the plasma concentration of ET‐1, which is considered an index of potential ET_B receptor blockade in vivo. In Dahl salt‐sensitive hypertensive (DS) rats, BQ‐788, 3 mg/kg/h, i.v., increased blood pressure by about 20 mm Hg. It is reported that BQ‐788 also inhibited ET‐1‐induced bronchoconstriction, tumor growth and lipopolysaccharide‐induced organ failure. These data suggest that BQ‐788 is a good tool for demonstrating the role of ET‐1 and ET_B receptor subtypes in physiological and/or pathophysiological conditions.