舒血宁注射液辅助治疗急性病毒性心肌炎136例临床观察

目的：探索舒血宁注射液对急性病毒性心肌炎的辅助治疗效果。方法：采用前瞻性随机单盲对照的研究方法,将272例急性病毒性心肌炎患者随机分为治疗组和对照组,每组各136例。在一般治疗的基础上,治疗组给予舒血宁注射液20 mL静滴,日1次,10 d为1疗程;对照组给予舒血宁注射液安慰剂20 mL静滴,日1次,10 d为1疗程,两组均连续应用2疗程。治疗结束后观察两组各项指标的变化以及临床治愈病例随访3月复发率。结果：治疗过程中治疗组脱失3例,对照组脱失2例,两组均无明显不良反应。经不同方法治疗后,治疗组乏力、气短症状的恢复显著优于对照组（P〈0.05）,异常心电图的恢复率显著优于对照组（P〈0.05）,每搏输出量（SV）和左心室射血分数（LVEF）均较对照组有显著提高（P〈0.05）,血清肌钙蛋白I及C反应蛋白均较对照组有显著降低（P〈0.05）,治疗效果显著优于对照组（P〈0.05）,3月复发率显著低于对照组（P〈0.05）。结论：舒血宁注射液可以改善急性病毒性心肌炎患者的乏力、气短症状,纠正异常心电图,改善心功能,促进疾病恢复,提高治疗效果,降低复发,临床应用舒血宁注射液安全可靠。     

Insulin induces internalization of the plasma membrane 5-hydroxytryptamine2A (5-HT2A) receptor in the isolated human endothelium-denuded saphenous vein via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway

The aim of this study was to investigate the relaxant effect of insulin on the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-induced constriction of the human endothelium-denuded saphenous vein (SV) and its signal transduction pathway. During the 5-HT-induced sustained constriction of vessels, insulin induced vasorelaxation in a concentration-dependent manner. This insulin-induced vasorelaxation was partially attenuated by L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, and was abolished by wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) inhibitor. Insulin increased the Ser(473) phosphorylation of Akt. Endothelial NOS and inducible NOS protein expressions were observed in SV smooth muscle when insulin induced relaxation of SV vessels preconstricted with 5-HT. Although insulin did not affect the total protein level of 5-HT(2A) receptors, it decreased the particulate protein level and reciprocally increased the soluble protein level of 5-HT(2A) receptors in a concentration-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that insulin can induce the internalization of 5-HT(2A) receptors from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm. The insulin-induced internalization of 5-HT(2A) receptors was abolished by wortmannin but was not affected by L-NAME. These results suggest that the relaxant effect of insulin on 5-HT-induced vasoconstriction is mediated in part by the internalization of plasma membrane 5-HT(2A) receptors and the production of nitric oxide via the PI3-K/Akt pathway.     

SV40 host-substituted variants: a new look at the monkey DNA inserts and recombinant junctions

The available monkey genomic data banks were examined in order to determine the chromosomal locations of the host DNA inserts in 8 host-substituted SV40 variant DNAs. Five of the 8 variants contained more than one linked monkey DNA insert per tandem repeat unit and in all cases but one, the 19 monkey DNA inserts in the 8 variants mapped to different locations in the monkey genome. The 50 parental DNAs (32 monkey and 18 SV40 DNA segments) which spanned the crossover and flanking regions that participated in monkey/monkey and monkey/SV40 recombinations were characterized by substantial levels of microhomology of up to 8 nucleotides in length; the parental DNAs also exhibited direct and inverted repeats at or adjacent to the crossover sequences. We discuss how the host-substituted SV40 variants arose and the nature of the recombination mechanisms involved.     

SV40 reporter viruses

Three simian virus 40 (SV40) reporter viruses were constructed in this study. One expresses the green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a fusion protein with the first exon of large-T (LT) antigen and is useful for live-cell imaging. A second reporter virus has a FLAG epitope tag at the C-terminus of large-T antigen (vC-LT^FLAG), and a third has the FLAG tag at the N-terminus of LT (vN-LT^FLAG). The vC-LT^FLAG construct grows to titers near those of wild-type (WT) virus and functions well as a reporter virus for SV40 infection. The vN-LT^FLAG construct, while viable, has a defect in the production and spread of infectious particles. All three viruses are useful in detecting superinfecting virus in cells in which nuclear LT is already present, such as persistently infected human mesothelial cells.     

Detection of polyomavirus SV40 in tonsils from immunocompetent children

BACKGROUND: BK virus (BKV), JC virus (JCV) and simian virus 40 (SV40) are nonenveloped DNA viruses, members of the family Polyomaviridae. BK and JC viruses establish persistent infections in humans, and evidence suggests that SV40 can infect humans, as well. Whether persistence occurs in the lymphoid system is unknown. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tonsils from 220 immunocompetent children (mean age 9.3 years) were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect viral DNA of BKV, JCV, SV40, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). RESULTS: Polyomavirus-specific DNA sequences were detected in 8.3% (29/351) of specimens collected from 220 children. Twenty-one (9.5%) children had polyomavirus DNA present in at least one tonsil, with sequences identified as SV40 (n=20) and BKV (n=1). Polyomavirus JCV was not detected. Among patients positive for SV40, 8 of 14 (57%) contained viral DNA in both available tonsils. EBV DNA was detected in 99 (28.2%) samples from 67 (30.5%) patients. Eleven samples (3.1%) from 8 (3.6%) children were positive for both polyomavirus and EBV. SV40-positive children were significantly older than the SV40-negative subjects (P<0.001). T-antigen expression was detected in an SV40 DNA-positive tonsil by immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SV40 can infect tonsils, that lymphoid tissue may represent a site for polyomavirus persistence, and that immunohistochemistry is not a useful detection assay when there are very few virus-infected cells in a tissue.     

Treatment with crocin improves cardiac dysfunction by normalizing autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis in STZ-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy

Background and aim

The association of diabetes mellitus (DM) and poor metabolic control with high incidence of cardiovascular diseases is well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential cardioprotective effect of crocin (Crocus sativus L. extract) on diabetic heart dysfunction and to elucidate the mediating molecular mechanisms.