Identification of biomarkers for essential hypertension based on metabolomics

AimEssential hypertension (EH) is one of the most important public health problems worldwide. However, the pathogenesis of EH is unclear and early diagnostic methods are lacking. Metabolomics demonstrates great potential for biomarker discovery and the mechanistic exploration of metabolic diseases.Data synthesisThis review included human and animal metabolomics studies related to EH in the PubMed and Web of Science databases between February 1996 and May 2020. The study designs, EH standards, and reported metabolic biomarkers were systematically examined and compared. The pathway analysis was conducted through the online software MetaboAnalyst 4.0.Twenty-two human studies and fifteen animal studies were included in this systematic review. There were many frequently reported biomarkers with consistent trends (e.g., pyruvate, lactic acid, valine, and tryptophan) in human and animal studies, and thus had potential as biomarkers of EH. In addition, several shared metabolic pathways, including alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and arginine biosynthesis, were identified in human and animal metabolomics studies. These biomarkers and pathways, closely related to insulin resistance, the inflammatory state, and impaired nitric oxide production, were demonstrated to contribute to EH development.ConclusionsThis study summarized valuable metabolic biomarkers and pathways that could offer opportunities for the early diagnosis or prediction of EH and the discovery of the metabolic mechanisms of EH.     

学前听障儿童开展聋健融合教育形态的思考

在学前聋健融合教育实践与研究在国内部分聋校及幼儿园已逐渐开展.笔者结合多年的教育实践,将学前聋健融合教育分为初期融合、半日融合、全日融合3种形态,从安置参考依据、安置形式、集体教学内容和个别化教育内容、融合教育指导策略等方面进行了阐述,旨在为学前聋健融合教育研究提供借鉴.     

A multimodal approach using TMS and EEG reveals neurophysiological changes in Parkinson's disease

IntroductionAlterations in large scale neural networks leading to neurophysiological changes have been described in Parkinson's disease (PD). The combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) has been suggested as a promising tool to identify and quantify neurophysiological mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate specific changes in electrical brain activity in response to stimulation of four brain areas in patients with PD.Methods21 healthy controls and 32 patients with PD underwent a combined TMS-EEG assessment that included stimulation of four brain areas: left M1, right M1, left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and right DLPFC. Six measures were calculated to characterize the TMS evoked potentials (TEP) using EEG: (1) wave form adherence (WFA), (2) late phase deflection (LPD), (3) early phase deflection (EPD), (4) short-term plasticity (STP), (5) inter-trial adherence, and (6) connectivity between right and left M1 and DLPFC. A Linear mixed-model was used to compare these measures between groups and areas stimulated.ResultsPatients with PD showed lower WFA (p = 0.052), lower EPD (p = 0.009), lower inter-trial adherence (p < 0.001), and lower connectivity between homologs areas (p = 0.050), compared to healthy controls. LPD and STP measures were not different between the groups. In addition, lower inter-trial adherence correlated with longer disease duration (r = −0.355, p = 0.050).ConclusionsOur findings provide evidence to various alterations in neurophysiological measures in patients with PD. The higher cortical excitability along with increased variability and lower widespread of the evoked potentials in PD can elucidate different aspects related to the pathophysiology of the disease.     

Utilizing quantitative certificate of analysis data to assess the amount of excipient lot-to-lot variability sampled during drug product development

Understanding variability in excipient physico-chemical properties is becoming an important aspect of Quality-by-Design drug product development. However, present experimental methods have only been able to study a few physico-chemical properties for a few excipient lots due to time, cost, and sample gathering considerations. An alternative analysis method is proposed here that shows how quantitative physico-chemical property data reported in vendor certificates of analysis can evaluate excipient lot-to-lot variability in a comprehensive and low cost manner. Microcrystalline cellulose, spray-dried lactose, and magnesium stearate were selected as commonly-used excipients for this demonstration. The proposed analysis method offers drug product developers several advantages over present experimental methods, including the ability to: (1) examine excipient products for manufacturing site and/or year-to-year variations, (2) quantify a domain of prior experience for each excipient by determining the percentage of excipient lots contained within a multi-dimensional ellipsoid described by the excipient lots used during drug product development, and (3) rationally select excipient lots from the vendors inventory to maximize the domain of prior experience throughout the drug development process. For cases where certificate of analysis data may contain insufficient information, drug product developers and excipient vendors should work together to identify more appropriate datasets for analysis.     

林洁从“阳化气,阴成形”论治多囊卵巢综合征

多囊卵巢综合征(polycystic ovary syndrome,PCOS)患者的卵泡发育异常与"阳化气,阴成形"功能失衡密切相关。在PCOS患者的月经周期变化中,"阳化气"与"阴成形"的功能失调常见两种阴阳失衡表现。其一是"阴成形"不足,"阳化气"相对过盛;其二是"阴成形"太过,"阳化气"乏力。林洁教授将PCOS患者从胖、瘦两种体型辨证施治,瘦型PCOS患者的发病之本为"阳化气"太过,其标为"阴成形"不足,多辨为心肝火旺证,采用以丹栀逍遥散为基础方化裁的多囊Ⅰ号方治疗;胖型PCOS患者发病之本为"阳化气"乏力,其标为"阴成形"太过,采用以导痰汤为基础化裁的多囊Ⅱ号方治疗。另外,属患者养成健康的饮食习惯和良好的生活习惯,选择适合的运动方式,病情严重者进行必要的心理疏导。     

A Simulated Stomach Duodenum Model Predicting the Effect of Fluid Volume and Prandial Gastric Flow Patterns on Nifedipine Pharmacokinetics From Cosolvent-Based Capsules

Nifedipine is a Biopharmaceutics Classification System class II drug displaying large variability in absorption even when administered as immediate-release soft gelatin capsules of a cosolvent formulation. This in vitro study sought to understand the reasons behind variability in nifedipine absorption, how it can be minimized, and if it can be predicted using in vitro models. A dynamic in vitro simulated stomach duodenum model was used to explore drug concentration–time profiles of nifedipine soft gelatin capsules under conditions simulating how patients take their medicines. Specifically, the effect of prandial gastric emptying patterns and fluid volume administration (250 mL vs. 50 mL water) were investigated. Significant supersaturation of nifedipine was observed. While administration of large and small water volumes gave rise to a similar C_max and area under the curve (AUC_∞), the coefficient of variation in AUC was 4.8% and 49%, respectively, which can be attributed to differences in precipitation kinetics. Fasting and fed gastric emptying patterns also gave rise to a similar AUC; however, C_max was significantly lower in the fed state. These trends are consistent with previously published in vivo results in healthy volunteers. The simulated stomach duodenum provides a good discriminative screening tool for predicting trends in drug concentration profiles of Biopharmaceutics Classification System class II drugs.     

Tracking Spinal Cord Injury Functional Outcomes Across the Lifespan: Validation of Linking Coefficients

ObjectiveValidation of linking coefficients to transform Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Activity Measure (PEDI-SCI/AM) scores to adult Spinal Cord Injury-Functional Index (SCI-FI) scores.DesignThis cross-sectional study administered PEDI-SCI/AM and SCI-FI computerized adaptive tests (CATs) and short forms (SFs) to children with SCI and parents or caregivers.SettingHospitals, university, and rehabilitation institute.ParticipantsAbout 107 children with SCI and 96 parent or caregivers.InterventionsNot applicable.Main Outcome MeasuresLinking coefficients estimated SCI-FI (est-SCI-FI) scores from PEDI-SCI/AM scores for matched domains. Correlations between est-SCI-FI and actual SCI-FI scores were calculated. If correlations exceeded the criterion linking (0.866), the following analyses to compare est-SCI-FI and actual SCI-FI scores were conducted: paired t tests, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs 3, 1), percent of cases with absolute score differences at different thresholds.ResultsTwo matched domains, PEDI-SCI/AM Daily Routine/SCI-FI Self-Care and PEDI-SCI/AM General Mobility/SCI-FI Basic Mobility, met the linking criterion for both respondent-types (parent and child) and administration modes (CAT and SF). PEDI-SCI/AM Daily Routine and SCI-FI Fine Motor Function did not meet linking criterion for respondent type or mode. The linking criterion was met for wheelchair domains (child SF and CAT) and ambulation domains (child SF only). Significant differences between est-SCI-FI and actual SCI-FI scores were noted for all matched domains except Daily Routine/Self-Care (child SF only; parent SF and CAT). ICC values showed excellent agreement (range=0.75-0.89). Absolute differences between est-SCI-FI and actual SCI-FI scores were less than 1 standard deviation (except wheelchair CAT child).ConclusionsLinking coefficients applied to PEDI-SCI/AM scores can provide valid SCI-FI estimates that vary by domain, mode, and respondent type.     

中药配方精油——一种中药入药新形式的思考

饮片是中医临床用药的主体,随着中医用药现代化,中药配方颗粒逐步发展并初具规模。虽有中药注射剂、口服液等的加工形式,但只占中药市场的少部分,并以内服为主。而脂溶性成分口服时,溶出受限,吸收相对较少,且具有刺激胃肠道的副作用,造成患者耐受性低。虽有水提、醇提等加工制成的外用制剂,但多为粗制剂,且剂量随意,在一定程度上造成了脂溶性成分的浪费。而中药的脂溶性成分大多具有较好的生物活性,如五味子乙素、丹参酮、绿原酸甲酯等,但却没有合适的药用形式。若想"药"尽其用,就必须对中药的脂溶性成分进行系统研究,在提取、分离和收集工艺均相当成熟的基础上,研发以脂溶性成分为主的,药理药效确切的,又利于其吸收的药用形式。中药精油具有抗衰老、抗痴呆、抗氧化等多种活性,已广泛应用于临床、药妆、保健品等领域。但单方精油作用有限,配伍既可增强药效、降低毒性,也可扩大精油应用范围。因此,可将中药配方精油作为中药入药新形式,并以外用为主、内服为辅,以弥补中药外用多为粗制剂、剂量随意的不足和内服吸收少、刺激胃肠道的劣势,满足临床用药需求,更快、更准、更好、更强地发挥脂溶性成分的药效。