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Objective To investigate the effect of ulinastatin (UTI) on the level of oxidative stress as well as intestinal flora in rats with sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI), providing theoretical support for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis-induced ALI. Methods Eighteen male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: sham operation group (Sham group), cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) induced sepsis group (CLP group), and sepsis+UTI intervention group (CLP+UTI group, intraperitoneal injection of 100 kU/kg UTI instantly after CLP), with 6 rats in each group. Lung tissues were obtained from rats executed 24 hours after modeling, and pathological changes were observed under the light microscope. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was measured by western blotting. The mRNA expression of Nrf2, HO-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The changes of intestinal flora in rats were detected by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results Compared with the Sham group, histopathologic analysis observed that the lungs of the CLP group exhibited alveolar effusion, inflammatory cell infiltration, and structural disorganization; the mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly elevated in lung tissue, SOD activity decreased, the content of MDA increased; the mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 in lung tissue were decreased. Compared with the CLP group, the lung tissue damage in the CLP+UTI group was significantly relieved, the mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly decreased in lung tissue (P＜0.05), SOD activity increased ［SOD (U/mg prot): 11.83±0.99 vs 6.74±0.43, P＜0.05］, the content of MDA decreased ［MDA (nmol/mg prot): 0.16±0.04 vs 0.38±0.03, P＜0.05］; the mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 in lung tissue were increased (P＜0.05). Conclusion UTI has a significant protective effect against sepsis-induced ALI, possibly by modulating the intestinal flora which in turn ameliorates inflammatory injury and reduces oxidative stress injury.

Lignin is the second largest natural organic polymer after cellulose in natural plants. The conversion of lignin to energy and chemicals is one of the important research contents of biomass high value utilization. Solvent is an important part of the lignin catalytic conversion reaction system and an important factor affecting the reaction process. Selecting the appropriate solvent system can promote the dissolution of lignin and effectively improve the conversion efficiency. In this paper, starting from the composition of solvent system, the research progress of catalytic conversion of lignin in single-phase solvent, two-phase solvent and multi-solvent was reviewed, the influence of solvent effect on lignin degradation was analyzed, and the related research was summarized and prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To sequence the metagenome of field samples, and analyze the polymorphism of genes related to metabolic detoxification enzyme. Methods Anopheles mosquitoes were captured with people as bait in Caoxian and Beihu, from Jining Shandong. An. sinensis species were identified by morphologic and molecular markers. The metagenome was carried out by Illumina platform. Eight genes of metabolic detoxification enzymes download from NCBI database were belong to CYP450s, GSTs and Coe, respectively. Metagenomic reads was mapping to the gene sequences related to metabolic detoxification enzymes by DNASTAR software. The reads data collection and SNP analysis were performed by SeqMan Pro software, respectively. The position of SNPs in codons was fixed by open reading frame, and synonymous mutation SNPs or nonsynonymous mutation SNPs was determined. Results The number of 31 and 12 An. sinensis female adults were obtained from Caoxian and Beihu Jining Shandong. They were divided into 2 samples for metagenomic sequencing. The reads generated by each sample from Illumina sequencing was nearly 200 Mb. The mean length was 101 bp, and GC content were 41% and 42%. The number of reads mapping to the 8 metabolic detoxification enzyme genes ranged from 391 to 2 810 and mean coverage of each locus from 23.72 to 144.93. Total of 135 SNP positions in 8 metabolic detoxification enzyme genes was found in this An. sinensis population. Of which 109 lead to synonymous mutations, as 80.74%; and 26 non-synonymous mutation SNP positions, percentage for 19.26%. The range of SNP numbers per Kb was from 8.73 to 29.94. The position of non- synonymous mutant SNPs in the codon was mainly the first, the percentage for 50.00% (13/26), the second and third position was for 26.92% (7/26) and 23.08% (6/26), respectively. Conclusion There was a considerable polymorphism of metabolic resistance genes with metagenome sequences of An. sinensis obtained by Illumina platform, which could provide important basis for further study of the molecular resistance mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An optimizing design method for NCSs is presented to solve this kind of problems in the design of common NCSs controller with clock-driven sensors, event-driven controllers and actuators. In the design of networked control systems (NCSs) based on Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality (LMI), the number of variables in LMI often exceeds the number of LMI constraints, which may present the difficulty in solving the parameters of controller. The optimal controller parameters can be found on the basis of the gradient optimization. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the present method for UUV heading control system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the potential mechanism of action in the intervention of acute lung injury(ALI) based on the blood entry components of Ganke Granules in rats and in conjunction with network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experimental validation. The blood entry components of Ganke Granules in rats were imported into the SwissTargetPrediction platform to predict drug targets, and ALI-related targets were collected from the disease database. Intersections were taken, and protein-protein interaction(PPI) networks were constructed to screen the core targets, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) functional and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and gnomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. A "blood entry components-target-pathway-disease" network was constructed, and the core components for disease intervention based on their topological parameters were screened. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding ability of the core components to key targets. The key targets of Ganke Granules in the intervention of ALI were verified by the lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced ALI mouse model. Through PPI topological parameter analysis, the top six key targets of STAT3, SRC, HSP90AA1, MAPK3, HRAS, and MAPK1 related to ALI were obtained. GO functional analysis showed that it was mainly related to ERK1 and ERK2 cascade, inflammatory response, and response to LPS. KEGG analysis showed that the main enrichment pathways were MAPK, neutrophil extracellular trap(NET) formation, and so on. Six core components(schizantherin B, schisandrin, besigomsin, harpagoside, isotectorigenin, and trachelanthamine) were filtered out by the "blood entry components-target-pathway-disease" network based on the analysis of topological parameters. Molecular docking results showed that the six core components and Tectoridin with the highest content in the granules had a high affinity with the key targets of MAPK3, SRC, MAPK1, and STAT3. In vivo experiment results showed that compared with the model group, Ganke Granules could effectively alleviate LPS-induced histopathological injury in the lungs of mice and reduce the percentage of inflammatory infiltration. The total protein content, nitric oxide(NO) level, myeloperoxidase(MPO) content, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), gamma interferon(IFN-γ), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), and chemokine(C-X-C motif) ligand 1(CXCL1) chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) were decreased, and the expression levels of lymphocyte antigen 6G(Ly6G), citrullinated histones 3(Cit-H3), and phosphorylated proteins SRC, ERK1/2, and STAT3 in lung tissue were significantly down-regulated. In conclusion, Ganke Granules could effectively inhibit the inflammatory response of ALI induced by LPS, protect lung tissue, regulate the release of inflammatory factors, and inhibit neutrophil infiltration and NET formation, and the mechanism of action may be related to inhibiting the activation of SRC/ERK1/2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

To investigate the effects of leaves and stems on the accumulation and transport of cadmium(Cd) and arsenic(As) in wheat shoots after flowering, a field experiment was conducted in a typical Cd and As co-contaminated agricultural land to explore the distribution and translocation of Cd and As in the different parts of two wheat cultivars after flowering. The results showed that Cd was mainly distributed in the nodes of two varieties, and the translocation factors of Cd from internode 3 to node 2, from internode 2 to node 1, and from sheath 1 to node 1 were markedly higher than those of other aboveground parts during the grain-filling stage. However, Cd was mainly distributed in the leaves, and the translocation factors of Cd from sheath to leaf and from node 1 to rachis was significantly higher than those of other parts at the mature stage. In addition, the transport capacity of Cd from glume to rachis and from rachis to grain in JM22 was significantly lower than that in SN28, which significantly reduced Cd concentrations in the rachis, glume, and grain of JM22 by 22.3%, 40.8%, and 44.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, As was mainly distributed in the wheat leaves from the grain-filling stage to the mature stage, and As concentrations in the glume and grain of JM22 were 25.8% and 33.3% lower than those of SN28, respectively. Additionally, the translocation factors of As from the sheath to the node were significantly 438% and 190% higher than that from leaf to sheath and from node to internode during the whole grain filling stage and mature stage. Moreover, the translocation factors of As from glumes to grains and from rachis to grains in JM22 were 40.6% and 44.4% lower than that in SN28, respectively. In summary, flag leaf, node 1, and the rachis had regulated Cd transport and accumulation in wheat grains, whereas leaf 3, flag leaf, node 1, the glumes, and the rachis were mainly responsible for As transport and accumulation in wheat grains.

Sj9gren's syndrome(SS) is an autoimmune disease with glandular dysfunction caused by the massive infiltration of the exocrine glands by lymphocytes. The pathogenesis of this disease is related to the chronic inflammatory response of the exocrine glands due to excessive activation of B cells and T cells. In addition to dry mouth and eyes, SS can also cause damage to other organs and systems in the human body, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has definite clinical efficacy in the treatment of SS as it can alleviate symptoms and regulate immune disorders without causing adverse reactions, demonstrating high safety. This paper reviews the current status of preclinical and clinical trials about the TCM treatment of SS in the past decade. TCM mainly mitigates SS symptoms such as dry mouth, dry eyes, dry skin, and joint pain and improves the prognosis and quality of life of patients by regulating the abnormally activated B cells and T cells, inhibiting the autoimmune response, restoring the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and reducing the pathological damage caused by immune complexes to exocrine glands and joints in SS patients.

Qingjin Huatan Decoction is a classic prescription with the effects of clearing heat, moistening lung, resolving phlegm, and relieving cough. In order to explore the critical quality attributes of Qingjin Huatan Decoction, we identified the blood components of Qingjin Huatan Decoction by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) under the following conditions, chromatographic column: Acquity UPLC BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm); mobile phase: 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile(A)-0.1% formic acid in water(B); gradient elution; flow rate: 0.2 mL·min~(-1); column temperature: 30 ℃; injection volume: 5 μL. The electrospray ionization(ESI) source was used to collect data in both positive and negative ion modes under the following conditions, capillary voltage: 3 kV for the positive ion mode and 2 kV for the negative ion mode; ion source temperature: 110 ℃; cone voltage: 30 V; cone gas flow rate: 50 L·h~(-1); nitrogen degassing temperature: 350 ℃; degassing volume flow rate: 800 L·h~(-1); scanning range: m/z 50-2 000. In this experiment, a total of 66 related components of Qingjin Huatan Decoction were identified, including 22 prototype components and 44 metabolites. The results of this study preliminarily revealed the pharmacodynamic material basis of Qingjin Huatan Decoction in vivo, which has provided an experimental basis for the determination of quality markers of Qingjin Huatan Decoction and the development of new drugs.

Paeoniae Radix Alba is the dried root of Paeonia lactiflora, which was first recorded in the Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and listed as the top grade. It is a common blood-tonifying herb, and its chemical components are mainly monoterpenes and their glycosides, triterpenes, flavonoids and so on. Modern research has demonstrated that Paeoniae Radix Alba has the activities of anti-inflammation, pain easing, liver protection, and anti-oxidation, and thus it is widely used in clinical practice and has broad development prospects. In this paper, the research progress on the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and quality control of Paeoniae Radix Alba were summarized. On this basis, the Q-markers of Paeoniae Radix Alba were predicted from the aspects of mass transfer and traceability, chemical composition specificity, and availability and measurability of chemical components, which will provide a scientific basis for the quality evaluation of Paeoniae Radix Alba.

Epoxy ether type and isophthalene type saponin are the main saponins of Bupleurum chinense. However,due to the difference of their UV spectrum,there is no quantitative method for simultaneous determination of these two kinds of saponins. In this paper,a dual-wavelength high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was developed for simultaneous determination of five saponins in epoxidized ether(saikosaponin a,c,d) and isosorbide type(saikosaponin b1,b2). The mobile phase was eluted with acetonitrile-water(0.1% phosphoric acid) gradient at a column temperature of 30 °C and a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min⁻¹. The detection wavelengths were 208 nm for saikosaponins a,c, and d, and 254 nm for saikosaponins b₁ and b₂. The results showed that the separation of five kinds of saikosaponin was good, with the linear range of 9.70-1 935.00( r =0.999 4),8.20-1 380.00( r =0.999 3),6.90-1 640.00( r =0.999 0),5.25-630.00( r =0.999 4), and 5.15-618.00 mg·L⁻¹( r =0.999 5), respectively. The average recoveries were 97.70%-100.2% and the RSD was less than 3%( n =6). The method is simple,rapid and reproducible. It can be used for the determination of five kinds of saikosaponins in B. chinense., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Both Patrinia Herba and Patrinia Radix are traditional Chinese herbal medicines. The herbal source and medicinal part of them are confusing in the herbal medicine market of China. To explore the evolution and transition of the herbal source and medicinal part of Patrinia Herba and Patrinia Radix, this paper systematically summarizes the record of the herbal source and medicinal part of them in ancient classics of herbal medicine in China. According to the findings, before Ming Dynasty, Patrinia Herba originated from the radix of the plants with yellow flowers of Patrinia. In Ming and Qing Dynasty, Patrinia Herba originates from the whole plant (including the radix)of the plant with white flowers of Patrinia. In Ming Dynasty, Patrinia Radix, stemming from the radix of the plants with yellow flowers of Patrinia, started to be used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which had the same herbal source with that of Patrinia Herba before Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Patrinia Herba and Patrinia Radix can be seen as the same traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and the genuine of Patrinia Herba should be the radix and the whole herba of P. scabiosaefolia and P. heterophylla., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Objective: To investigate the protection mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) therapy against Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like neurotoxicity induced by Isoflurane., Methods: Twenty-four APPswe/PS 1 dE9 double transgenic mice (one of the most extensively used transgenic mouse model of AD) and 24 littermate wild-type mice were randomly assigned into control (Con) group, isoflurane (Iso) group and EA group, respectively (n = 8 in each group). EA (2 Hz/100 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Yongquan" (KI 1) for 15 min, once a day for 3 days. The transgenic mice were exposed to a closed box filled with 1.2% isoflurane + 30% O2 +70% N2 for 4 h. The animals' learning-memory ability was detected by Morris water maze test. The expression of cleaved Caspase-3 in the CA 1 area of hippocampus was detected by immunohistochemistry, and that of hippocampal Bcl-2 and Bax proteins detected by Western blot., Results: Compared with the wilde-type mice, the average escape latency of place navigation test was significantly longer, while the percentage of target-quadrant stay time and the target- platform crossing times of spacial probe test were marked decreased in AD + lso mice (P < 0.05). After acupuncture intervention, the abovementioned changes were reversed (P < 0.05). Correspondingly, compared with the AD-Con group, the number of hippocampal activated Caspase-3-positive cells and the expression of Bax protein were significantly increased in the AD-Iso group (P < 0.05). After EA intervention, the increased Caspase-3-positive cell number and Bax protein expression were remarkably down-regulated in the AD-EA group, and the decreased ratio of Bcl-2/Bax in AD-Iso mice was obviously up-regulated in AD-EA mice (P < 0.05). No significant changes were found in the average escape latency, the percentage of target-quadrant stay time and the target-platofrm corssing times, and inthe number of hippocampal activated Caspase-3-positive cells, the expression levels of hippocampal Bcl-2 and Sax and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax in the three groups of wilde-type mice (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: EA intervention can improve the learning-memory ability in AD + Isoflurane mice, suggesting a reduction of AD-like neurotoxicity, which may be associated with its actions in inhibiting the overexpression of activated Caspase-3 and Bax proteins in the hippocampus.

The quality index among "Medical Parasitology" exam papers and measured data for students in three majors from the university in 2010 were compared and analyzed. The exam papers were formed from the test item bank. The alpha reliability coefficients of the three exam papers were above 0.70. The knowledge structure and capacity structure of the exam papers were basically balanced. But the alpha reliability coefficients of the second major was the lowest, mainly due to quality of test items in the exam paper and the failure of revising the index of test item bank in time. This observation demonstrated that revising the test items and their index in the item bank according to the measured data can improve the quality of test item bank proposition and reduce the difference among exam papers.

Objective: To confirm the diagnosis of a human case with atypical vivax-malaria from Yunnan Province by molecular technique., Methods: DNA was extracted from blood films of unidentified sample, and of four known Plasmodium species (P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. knowlesi, and P. cynomolgi). A DNA-based diagnosis with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes of genus- and species-specific (two human malaria species and P. knowlesi) was introduced., Results: The PCR amplification with primer pair specific for P. knowlesi produced a single fragment of 150 bp. Sequence analysis showed that the amplified fragment was identical to the sequence of P. knowlesi., Conclusion: The patient was naturally infected with P. knowlesi.

Objective: To develop and identify the monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) against Region II+ motif in circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum., Methods: BALB/c mice were immunized with 12 peptides within Region II+ in circumsporozoite protein of P. falciparum. Spleen cells isolated from the immunized mice were fused with myeloma cell. After three times screening with ELISA, 3 positive hybridoma cell lines were obtained., Results: ELISA test indicated that the McAbs reacted with recombinant circumsporozoite protein fragment containing tandemly repeat region and conserved Region II+. IFA test showed that the McAbs recognized not only the sporozoites of P. falciparum, but also the sporozoifes of P. yoelii., Conclusion: McAbs obtained can probe the Region II+ motif in circumsporozoite protein of P. falciparum, which might also recognize that of other Plasmodium species.