[Research progress on role of traditional Chinese medicine in hepatic fibrosis based on miRNA-mediated activation of NLRP3 inflammasome].

In recent years, liver fibrosis has become a hotspot in the field of liver diseases. MicroRNA(miRNA)-mediated Nod-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3) inflammasome activation is pivotal in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. The present study mainly discussed the role of miRNA-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis.

A post-surgical adjunctive hypoxic therapy for myocardial infarction: Initiate endogenous cardiomyocyte proliferation in adults.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major threat to health worldwide, but today's methods for recovering heart function are limited, which is due largely to the deficient proliferative capacity of adult cardiomyocytes in the human body. To successfully overwhelm this deficiency, we propose a promising hypoxic therapy and highlight its unique role in directly eliciting endogenous myocardial regeneration in vivo. In the hypothesis, sufficient oxygen could be a restrictive factor of myocardial growth, whereas a moderate hypoxia might stimulate cardiomyocyte proliferation and enhance myocardial regeneration, heart weight and cardiac function recovery.

Anatomical, animal, and cellular evidence for Zika-induced pathogenesis of fetal microcephaly.

Several recent articles published by Brain and Development in 2016 demonstrated some rare, but innovative, genetic mechanisms for microcephaly. This concise mini-review presented another novel pathogenic mechanism for microcephaly, which has actually been a worldwide medical challenge since the World Health Organization (WHO) defined the outbreak of the Zika virus (ZIKV) as an International Public Health Emergency on 1 Feb, 2016. As a recent noteworthy clinical phenomenon, the ZIKV outbreak was accompanied by a dramatically increased number of microcephalus fetuses.

The double-edge role of B cells in mediating antitumor T-cell immunity: Pharmacological strategies for cancer immunotherapy.

Emerging evidence reveals the controversial role of B cells in antitumor immunity, but the underlying mechanisms have to be explored. Three latest articles published in the issue 521 of Nature in 2015 reconfirmed the puzzling topic and put forward some explanations of how B cells regulate antitumor T-cell responses both positively and negatively. This paper attempts to demonstrate that different B-cell subpopulations have distinct immunological properties and that they are involved in either antitumor responses or immunosuppression.

Mfsd2a-based pharmacological strategies for drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) keeps the central nervous system (CNS) safe from various brain diseases, while the BBB makes it difficult for effective drugs to enter the CNS. Mfsd2a is specifically expressed on the cell membrane of brain-microvascular endothelial cell (BMEC) and is implicated in the delivery of some substances across the BBB. Mfsd2a is the first inhibitor of the transcytosis and the first transporter for lysophosphatidylcholine-docosahexaenoic acid (LPC-DHA) in BMECs.

Ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy in children with post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans: a pilot study.

Purpose: Childhood post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is an infrequent lung disease leading to narrowing and/or complete obliteration of small airways. Ventilation and perfusion (V/Q) scan can provide both regional and global pulmonary information. However, only few retrospective researches investigating post-infectious BO involved V/Q scan, the clinical value of this method is unknown.

Differentiation of α- or β-aspartic isomers in the heptapeptides by the fragments of [M + Na]+ using ion trap tandem mass spectrometry.

Electrospray ionization coupled with low energy collision induced dissociation (CID) in an ion trap mass spectrometer was used to examine the fragmentation patterns of the [M + Na](+) of eight pairs of heptapeptides containing α- or β-Asp residues in second and sixth amino acid positions, respectively. Selective cleavages at the peptide backbone C-terminal to two Asp residues were observed, which generated a series of C-terminal y(5) ions and N-terminal b(6) ions. Two typical ions: [y5 + Na - H]+ and [b6 + Na + OH]+, produced by α-Asp containing peptides were noted to be much more abundant than those of the peptides with β-Asp, which could be used for distinction of the isomers in Asp2 and Asp6, respectively.

Antioxidant and antiinflammation capacities of some pear cultivars.

Unlabelled: Five commercial pear cultivars were investigated for total phenolics and flavonoids contents, the main phenolic compounds, and their antioxidant and antiinflammation capacities. Four in vitro oxidant and 2 in vivo antiinflammation models were used to evaluate the pharmacological activities of the different pears. The main phenolic compounds were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detector, which result indicated that gallic acid ranged from 5.

Protective effect of carnosol on lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion.

Purpose: Carnosol is a phenolic diterpene that has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the preconditioning effects of carnosol on lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (II/R).

Methods: Rats were divided into control, II/R, and carnosol groups.

[Expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in human and nude mouse ectopic endometrium and the effect of estrogen and progestin on their expression].

Objective: To explore the roles of matrix metalloproteinase-1(MMP-1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1(TIMP-1) in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and the effects of estrogen and progestin on their expression.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR were employed to detect the expression of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in the ectopic tissues of 35 patients with endometriosis, 22 eutopic endometrium tissues from women with endometriosis and 28 normal controls. Fifty-nine nude mice were injected with human late secretory endometrial chippings and randomized into estrogen group, progestin group, estrogen-progestin group and control group with corresponding treatments.

[Intrathecal injection of MK-801 inhibited the NOS activity and NO content of hippocampus in rat during the process of formalin-induced inflammatory pain].

Aim: To study the effect of intrathecal injection of MK-801, a NMDA receptor antagonist, on the NOS activity and NO content of hippocampus in rat during the process of formalin-induced inflammatory pain as well as the pain behavior of rat.

Methods: The degree of pain was determined by observing the time of licking and biting the injected paw. NOS expression in the hippocampus was determined by using NADPH-d histochemical staining.

[Stress myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography imaging in the detection of coronary artery disease in woman].

Objective: To assess the diagnostic efficacy of stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in female coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-nine consecutive female patients, aged 60 +/- 8, underwent stress myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging and coronary angiography with an interval of < 60 days. Among them, 227 patients underwent exercise MPI, injected intravenously with (99m)Tc-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (MIBI) 740 - 925 MBq when the exercise end point was reached, and 32 patients underwent pharmacologic stress MPI, injected intravenously with persantine or adenosine and then (99m)Tc-MIBI.

[Formalin-induced pain enhanced nitric oxide synthase expression and nitric oxide production in the rat hippocampus].

Aim: To observe the changes of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and nitric oxide (NO) content of hippocampus including their time course and region distribution character in rat during the process of formalin-induced inflammatory pain as well as the pain behavior of rat.

Methods: The pain threshold (PT) was determined by radiant heat-induced tail flick test. NOS expression in the hippocampus was determined by using NADPH-d histochemical staining.

[Effects of scopolamine on morphine-dependence in mice and the relationship between the effect and hippocampus intracellular calcium].

Aim: To observe the effect and mechanism of scopolamine on morphine(Mor)-induced mice dependence.

Methods: The Mor-dependent mice model was established by intraperitoneal (ip) administered Mor for seven days. Pain threshold, times of jump and hippocampus intracellular free calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) were determined by the heat plate test, naloxone (Nal)-precipitated jumping response and flow cytometry, respectively.

[Protein kinase C agonist phorbol 12-Myristate-Acetate induces nociception and enhances nitric oxide production in the spinal cord of rats].

Aim: To determine the involvement of NO signal pathway in the development of hyperalgesia induced by activation of protein kinase C (PKC ), nociceptive responses and nitric oxide synthase(NOS) expression and nitric oxide (NO) content in the spinal cord were observed after administration of Phorbol 12-Myristate-Acetate (PMA), a PKC agonist, in rats.

Methods: Nociceptive response was observed by behavioral approach. Pain threshold was assayed using thermal tail-flick test.