Volatile Oil from Acorus gramineus Ameliorates the Injury Neurons in the Hippocampus of Amyloid Beta 1-42 Injected Mice

In recent years, the extraction fraction of volatile oil from Acorus gramineus has significant effects on anti-dementia and improving the learning and memory of animals. To date, limited studies have determined whether volatile oil from A. gramineus has the protective effect on neuronal damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of volatile oil from A. gramineus on Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice, by means of behavior test, immunohistochemistry and western blot methods. In this study, mice were injected with Aβ_1-42 in the bilateral hippocampus to establish the AD model. On the seventh day after modeling, the mice with cognitive dysfunction were selected by the novel object recognition task. Subsequently, the volatile oil treatment groups underwent intragastric administration for per 10 g body weight 2.5 or 5 μL volatile oil from A. gramineus for 3 weeks. The control group and the AD group were given the same amount of saline. Our results showed that after treatment of volatile oil from A. gramineus, the number of Doublecortin and Nestin positive cells increased significantly, suggesting that the volatile oil from A. gramineus may induce the regeneration of hippocampal neurons in mice, and promote the growth of hippocampal neurons by upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tyrosine protein kinase B, and neurotrophin-3 expression. These results might provide more experimental evidences for underlying mechanism about the neuroprotective effects of volatile oil from A. gramineus against AD relevant symptoms. Anat Rec, 302:2261–2270, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy     

探析药品注册管理课堂教学内容与方法有机融合

目的：以人民卫生出版社出版的《药事管理学》6版教材为蓝本，以本科阶段教学效果提高为指标，探讨改进课堂教学的方法。方法：以"药品注册管理"一章教学内容为例，筛选、调整和优化教学方法。结果：教学过程中，按照教学内容特点选择适宜教学方法，确定"教学方法与内容相融合"的课堂教学模式，在完成教学大纲基础上，适当增加执业药师及药学时事相关内容。结论：根据现代学生获取知识途径，充分利用高新技术背景下"智慧教室"资源，采取传统与现代教学方法相结合的教学模式，使课堂理论教学相关内容在以教材内容为主的前提下与国家当前药事时事相关联，可以增加学生课堂学习兴趣、培养自主学习习惯，从而提高教师教学能力和教学质量，实现培养具备专业知识、技能和法律、道德素养的药学应用型综合人才的预期目标。     

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio: a controversial marker in predicting Crohn’s disease severity

Peripheral blood-derived inflammation-based scores such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have recently been proposed as prognostic markers in ulcerative colitis. In some previous serological markers are commonly used to detect the severity of the Crohn’s disease (CD), but their sensitivity and specificity are relatively low. So we want to use simple indicators which are easy to obtain to predict disease severity. Now, we investigated and compared the capacity of NLR and other inflammatory markers in detecting CD activity and differentiating CD patients from healthy controls. These CD patients had not received corticosteroid or immunosuppressive drugs within a defined period of time. Data from our hospital between 2010 and 2012 was used. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cells (WBC), platelet count and albumin were measured in 44 patients with active CD, 66 patients with inactive CD, and 55 healthy blood donors. Disease activity was assessed by the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index. In the active CD group, NLR values were found to be elevated compared to inactive CD patients and controls (6.00±7.38, 5.53±6.18 and 1.84±0.85, respectively), but statistical difference was not found between active and inactive CD groups. The overall accuracy of NLR (cutoff: 2.13 fl), CRP (cutoff: 10.5 mg/dl), ESR (cutoff: 19.5 mm/hour) and WBC (cutoff: 9.2 × 10⁹/l) in differentiating CD patients from healthy controls was 80.9%, 67.3%, 71% and 60% respectively. NLR values were found to be correlated with WBC and CRP levels. NLR increased in CD patients compared with healthy subjects. NLR had the best accuracy in determination of CD patients and healthy controls. NLR did not show a discriminative value in disease activity.     

Two novel genetic variants in the STK38L and RAB27A genes are associated with glioma susceptibility

Glioma is the most common malignant primary brain tumors with poor prognosis. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) of glioma in populations with Western European ancestry were completed in the US and UK. However, our previous results strongly suggest the genetic heterogeneity could be important in glioma risk. To systematically investigate glioma risk–associated variants in Chinese population, we performed a multistage GWAS of glioma in the Han Chinese population, with a total of 3,097 glioma cases and 4,362 controls. In addition to confirming two associations reported in other ancestry groups, this study identified one new risk-associated locus for glioma on chromosome 12p11.23 (rs10842893, p_meta = 2.33x10-12, STK38L) as well as a promising association at 15q15-21.1 (rs4774756, p_meta = 6.12x10-8, RAB27A) in 3,097 glioma cases and 4,362 controls. Our findings demonstrate two novel association between the glioma risk region marked by variant rs10842893 and rs4774756) and glioma risk. These findings may advance the understanding of genetic susceptibility to glioma.     

中风病急性期痰热证与MMP-1和MMP-3表达的影响＊

目的 研究缺血性中风病急性期痰热证与MMP-1和MMP-3表达的相关性，其相关性研究能否形成微观辨证的依据。方法 筛选发病7天内就诊于中国中医科学院西苑医院的缺血性中风痰热证患者45名，非痰热证44名，对每例患者分别作出痰湿证、气虚证、血瘀证、内风证、阴虚证和内火证的量化诊断，并用ELISA法检测血清中MMP1和MMP-3的含量。结果 痰热证组和非痰热证组MMP-1和MMP-3的表达均无明显差异。结论 MMP-1和MMP-3不能作为痰热证的微观指标，需进一步寻找微观指标对中风病痰热证证候诊断及疗效评价提供更加客观支持。     

急性胆源性胰腺炎肝损伤研究进展

急性胆源性胰腺(acute biliary pancreatitis,ABP)不仅存在胰腺的急性炎症,还往往合并胆道系统的梗阻或感染,肝功能损伤是ABP最常见的并发症之一,病理机制主要包括感染和内毒素、胆汁淤积、胰酶损伤、微循环障碍和氧化应激等,其研究结论多来源于动物实验.在内科常规治疗ABP基础上,积极抗感染治疗和尽快解除胆道梗阻能促进ABP相关肝损伤的恢复.     

Identification of a functional dddD-Rh for dimethyl sulfide production in the Antarctic Rhodococcus sp. NJ-530

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is widespread in the oceans, and its biological metabolite, dimethyl sulfide (DMS), plays an important role in the atmosphere. The Antarctic region has become a hotspot in DMS studies due to the high spatial and temporal variability in DMS(P) concentration, but the level of bacterial DMS production remains unclear. In this study, a bacterium isolated from Antarctic floating ice, Rhodococcus sp. NJ-530, was found to metabolize DMSP into DMS, and the rate of DMS production was measured as 3.96 pmol·mg protein⁻¹·h⁻¹. Rhodococcus sp. NJ-530 had a DddD-Rh enzyme containing two CaiB domains, which belonged to the CoA-transferase III superfamily. However, the DddD-Rh had a molecular weight of 73.21 kDa, which was very different from previously characterized DddD enzymes in sequence and evolution. In vitro assays showed that DddD-Rh was functional in the presence of acetyl-CoA. This was the first functional DddD from Gram-positive Actinobacteria. Moreover, a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that high temperature facilitated the expression of dddD-Rh, and changes of salinity had little effect on it. This study adds new evidence to the bacterial DMS production in the Southern Ocean and provides a basis for investigating the metabolic mechanism of DMSP in extreme environments.     

Increasing radiofrequency ablation volumes with the use of internally cooled electrodes and injected hydrochloric acid in ex vivo bovine livers

Purpose: We used an impedance-controlled generator with an internally cooled electrode to perform radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in ex vivo bovine livers, with a single injection of either 38.5% sodium chloride (NaCl) or 10% hydrochloric acid (HCl), to determine the relative effects of these two solutions on tissue impedance, temperature and ablation volume.

Materials and methods: We performed 10 ablations each with injections of NaCl (NaCl-RFA), HCl (HCl-RFA) or nothing (RFA-alone), with a power setting of 200 W for 15?minutes. We recorded tissue impedance before and after injection. We logged temperatures obtained from thermocouple probes positioned 5, 10, 15 and 20?mm from the internally cooled RF electrode. After ablation, we measured ablation zone longitudinal and transverse diameters, and we calculated a spherical ratio (SR) for each ablation.

Results: Mean post-injection impedance of 30.3 (standard deviation [SD] 2.5) ohms for HCl was significantly lower than that of 55.4 (SD 3.5) ohms for NaCl (p?<?.001). Mean maximum temperatures recorded at each respective distance from the RFA electrode were all highest for HCl-RFA and lowest for RFA-alone (p?<?.001). Mean longitudinal and transverse diameters after HCl-RFA (5.50 [SD 0.25] cm and 5.28 [SD 0.22] cm, respectively) were significantly larger than those after NaCl-RFA (4.24 [SD 0.35] cm and 3.55 [SD 0.43] cm, respectively) and after RFA-alone (3.60 [SD 0.10] cm and 2.70 [SD 0.13] cm, respectively) (p?<?.001). Mean SR after HCl-RFA (0.93, SD 0.02) was significantly higher than mean SR after NaCl-RFA (0.76, SD 0.06) and RFA-alone (0.72, SD 0.04) (p?<?.001).

Conclusion: Monopolar, impedance-controlled RFA, with an internally cooled electrode and a single 10% HCl injection may allow larger tumors to be treated, potentially resulting in improved patient outcomes.