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Objectives: Successful antiviral treatment in patients with hepatitis C can lead to reduced liver stiffness. In this study, we attempted to compare 2‐dimensional (2D) shear wave elastography (SWE), shear wave dispersion (SWD), and attenuation imaging (ATI) with transient elastography (TE) and the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) in patients under direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. Methods: Patients with chronic hepatitis C infection undergoing DAA therapy from January 2017 to June 2020 were retrospectively examined. The results of 2D SWE, SWD, ATI, TE, and CAP were recorded before and 12 weeks after the completion of DAA therapy. Results: A total of 122 patients with a median age of 61 years were investigated; among them, 121 (99.2%) achieved a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after DAA therapy. Fibrosis 4, the aspartate aminotransferase–to–platelet ratio index, 2D SWE, and TE were reduced after DAA therapy. The CAP was increased; however, SWD and ATI showed no statistically significant changes after DAA therapy. Two‐dimensional SWE and TE were strongly correlated (r = 0.885–0.897; P <.001). Albumin and the baseline liver stiffness measurement were independent factors of liver stiffness measurement changes after DAA therapy. Conclusions: Direct‐acting antiviral therapy can significantly decrease liver stiffness (using both 2D SWE and TE) but not SWD and ATI values in patients with hepatitis C. An increased CAP is also observed after DAA therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The study was aimed to further investigate the purification process of anthocyanins from Ipamoea batatas residue after water extraction for pigment, in order to provide the theoretical basis and reference for the comprehensive development and utilization of I. batatas residue. Methods The depurated performance of AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin was investigated through static adsorption and desorption, dynamic adsorption and desorption experiments. Then the crude extraction of anthocyanins from I. batatas residue was purified. Results The AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin had strong adsorption capacity for anthocyanins from crude extraction of I. batatas residue, with the adsorption rate of 81.47%. The solution with pH 1.5 had the best adsorption effect on anthocyanin. The best desorption rate of anthocyanins was 65.69% when 2BV of 80% ethanol was used as eluent with flow rate of 1mL/min. After evaporation and concentration, the concentrated solution of anthocyanins was froze and dried in ultra low temperature freezer of -80 °C to obtain powder. The purity of anthocyanins from I. batatas residue was 91.37% after purification two times on AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin. Conclusion The purification process of anthocyanins from I. batatas residue after water extraction for pigment with AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin has a good purification effect. The method is simple and feasible. The pure anthocyanin products from residue could be applied in biological activity research and practical production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare the immunogenicity and digestibility in-vitro simulated gastric fluid, the protein extracts of white-leg shrimp, Chinese shrimp (female and male shrimp were separated), Southern rough shrimp,Acetes chinensis, Mantis shrimp and crawfish were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, indirect ELISA and Western blotting. The results showed that except forAcetes chinensis, the larger proportion of molecular mass were near to 25 kDa (sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein) and 38 kDa (tropomyosin). White-leg shrimp protein and Southern rough shrimp protein had a maximum similarity of 68.2%. White-leg shrimp protein had higher immunogenicity than others. There were much more IgE-binding bands in male Chinese shrimp protein, while Crawfish just had only one IgE-binding band (38 kDa, tropomyosin). In simulated gastric fluid system, the protein such as 25 kDa was rapidly degraded within 0.5 mins, while tropomyosin (38 kDa) was relatively resistant to pepsin digestion. The Western blotting results indicated that the allergenicity of those crustacean protein extracts still remained even they were digested with simulated gastric fluid for 60 min. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aerospace medicine has paid more and more attention to abnormal changes of physiological functions induced by weightlessness and studies on their prevention during space flight. In this paper, the effect of space weightlessness on cognitive functions was introduced. We tried to analyze the correlation between the cognitive function changes and relevant Chinese medical syndromes, thus providing a potential available way to prevent and treat weightlessness induced cognitive deficit during space flight.

Objective: The effect of chronic morphine treatment on the I(A) (transient outward K+ current) of prefrontal cortical neurons of newborn rat. On this basis, we use AGS3 antibody to inhibit the function of AGS3, for observing the impact of AGS3 on the I(A), thus further explore the mechanism of AGS3 protein in morphine addiction., Methods: By using whole-cell patch-clamp technique, I(A) was recorded. In the whole-cell configuration, observed the impact of morphine on the current density-voltage curve (I-V) of I(A) and the effect of AGS3 antibody with three different concentrations on the I(A) of morphine treated rat prefrontal cortical neurons., Results: Morphine increased the I(A). When the test potential was + 55 mV, different concentrations of AGS3, 10(-3) microg/L, 10(-2) micdrog/L and 10(-1) microg/L acted on morphine treated rat prefrontal cortical neurons, the enhanced IA by morphine was inhibited., Conclusion: Morphine increases the I(A), AGS3 protein may participate in signal transduction pathway involved with I(A).

Objective: To evaluate the effects of two sample preparation methods on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE)-based serum protein separation, and produce high-resolution and reproducible 2-DE images for identifying disease-related serum protein., Methods: Direct solubilization and hot SDS methods were used separately to extract and handle the total proteins of serum samples from patients with colorectal carcinoma. Immobilized pH gradient 2-DE was used to separate the total proteins. After image analysis of silver-stained 2-D gels, 3 differential protein spots were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/time-of-flight mass spectrometry., Results: The total proteins treated with hot SDS method were used to perform 2-DE. 2-DE patterns with high resolution and reproducibility were obtained for human serum samples. 2-DE was performed 3 times for the samples treated by direct solubilization and hot SDS methods, respectively, resulting in the average number of spots of 675-/+46 and 702-/+49, respectively. The average matching protein spots were 573-/+42 and 623-/+52, with average matching rate of 85.3% and 89.6%, respectively. The average position deviation of matched spots in different gels was 0.85-/+0.30 mm and 0.81-/+0.28 mm in IEF direction, and 1.02-/+0.18 mm and 0.97-/+0.12 mm in SDS-PAGE direction. Mass spectrometry of the 2-D gels treated with hot SDS method generated high-quality mass spectra, and the sample preparation method allowed detection of relatively low abundance protein., Conclusion: Hot SDS method is more effective for human serum protein sample preparation and well-resolved, reproducible 2-DE profiles of human serum have been established in this study.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of amino acids (AA) on the development of in vitro cultured preimplantation embryos of Kunming mice, and define the optimal AA concentration for embryo culture., Methods: Totally 630 zygotes were collected from the oviducts of superovulated female Kunming mice, which were cultured in protein-free potassium simplex optimized medium (mKSOM) supplemented with Eagle's essential amino acids and Eagle's non-essential amino acids of different concentrations (mKSOM, mKSOM+1/16AA, mKSOM+1/8AA, mKSOM+1/4AA, mKSOM+1/2AA, mKSOM+AA, and mKSOM+2AA)., Results: The embryos cultured with the amino acids showed higher development rate to both 8-cell embryo stage and blastocyst stage than those cultured without amino acids. The correlation of amino acid concentration with 8-cell and blastocyst development rates conformed to the cubic model, with the highest development rate to both of the two stages observed at half of the amino acid concentration., Conclusion: Amino acids can promote the development of preimplantation Kunming mouse embryos, but excessively high concentration of amino acids impair embryo development possibly because of metabolic and osmotic pressure changes of the embryos as well as toxicity of ammonium resulting from the metabolism of amino acids.

Objective: To study the mechanism of Astragalus membeanaceus and Angelica sinensis inrenal ischemia reperfusion injury of rabbits., Method: Thirty-four heathy mature Japanese big-ear rabbits were randomized into control group, IR model group, Astragalus Membeanaceus + IR groupand Danggui + IR group. Renal ischemia lasted for 1 hour and then the renal reperfusion lasted for 48 hours. At the end, kidneys were observed with Electron Microscopy and the level of Cr in serum and the level of TNF-alpha and bFGF in kidneys were measured., Result: The changes of kidneys in IR model group were significant, but they were slight in Astragalus Membeanaceus + IR group and Danggui + IR group. The level of Cr in serum and the level of TNF-alpha in kidneys of IR model group were higher and yet the level of bFGF decreased obviously. The level of Cr and TNF-alpha in Astragalus Membeanaceus + IR group and Danggui + IR group was lower than that in IR model group and the level of bFGF was higher than that in IR model group., Conclusion: The mechanism of Astragalus Membeanaceus and Danggui in remedying renal IR injury may be relative to their regulation of TNF-alpha, bFGF and other cytokines.