Abstract Numerous studies have demonstrated that Radix Astragali can inhibit gastric ulcers in mice. Anhydrous ethanol (0.01 mL/g) administered to mice by intragastric infusion can induce gastric ulcer injury. This study was performed to compare the stomach tissue distribution profiles of four major bioactive constituents of Radix Astragali(calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, calycosin, ononin and formononetin) after oral administration of extract of Radix Astragali (ERA)in normal and gastric ulcer mice. The abundance of Radix Astragali constituents was determined using an ultra-pressure liquid chromatograph with a photodiode array detector (UPLC-PDA), after which histograms were drawn. In comparison with normal mice, the contents of calycosin- 7-O-β-d-glucoside, calycosin, ononin and formononetin in the stomach tissue samples of gastric ulcer mice showed significant differences at the selected time points (P < 0.05).The abundance of each of the four tested constituents in the normal groups was higher than that of the gastric ulcer groups. This study provides an empirical foundation for future studies focused on developing clinical applications of Radix Astragali.

We aimed to investigate the association of long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (lnc-MALAT1) with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), and its association with disease severity, inflammation, and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in AIS patients. One hundred and twenty AIS patients and 120 controls were recruited. Venous blood samples from AIS patients (within 24 h after symptoms onset) and controls (at entry to study) were collected to detect plasma lnc-MALAT1 expression by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. AIS severity was assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. Plasma concentrations of inflammation factors (including C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, and IL-22) were measured and RFS was calculated. lnc-MALAT1 expression was decreased in AIS patients compared to controls, and it had a close correlation with AIS (AUC=0.791, 95% CI: 0.735-0.846). For disease condition, lnc-MALAT1 expression negatively correlated with NIHSS score and pro-inflammatory factor expression (including CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-22), while it positively correlated with anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 expression. Furthermore, lnc-MALAT1 expression was elevated in AIS patients with diabetes. For prognosis, no statistical correlation of lnc-MALAT1 expression with RFS was found, while a trend for longer RFS was observed in patients with lnc-MALAT1 high expression compared to those with lnc-MALAT1 low expression.

Abstract Purpose To examine effects of resveratrol on renal ischemia/ reperfusion injury (I/R) in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model. Methods Twenty-four male Sprague Dawley rats were treated with STZ injection for the development of diabetes, and divided into the following groups: Sham group, I/R group and Resveratrol group (n=8). Resveratrol (RSV) was administered at a dose of 10 mg.kg-1.d-1 fourteen days prior to suffering from I/R. Renal function, histology, SOD, MDA, TUNEL assay and expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, NF-κB-P65, COX-2 and Caspase3, Bcl2 and Bax were analyzed. Results Administration of RSV significantly reduced the serum levels of renal dysfunction and injury markers, including creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and MDA; in the other hand, it significantly increased the serum levels of SOD. The protective effect of RSV was also reflected on histologic evaluation. RSV reduced the number of apoptotic cells as determined by TUNEL assay. RSV significantly reduced the protein expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, NF-κB-P65, COX-2 and Caspase3, and Bax. Meanwhile, RSV significantly increased the protein expression of Bcl2. Conclusion RSV attenuated I/R-induced renal injury in diabetic rats through the modulation of oxidative stress and TNF-α-stimulated inflammation.

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the effect of Picroside II on testicular ischemia and reperfusion (l/R) injury and the underlying mechanism. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: sham operated group (Sham), Sham with Picroside II treatment group (Sham+ Pic II), l/R group (l/R) and l/R with Picroside II treatment group (I/R+ Pic II). l/R model was established by rotating the left testis 720° in a clock-wise direction for 4 hours. The histopathologic and spermatogenetic evaluation was performed. The apoptosis changes and the levels of HO-1 (heme oxygenase-1), MPO (myeloperoxidase), NOX (NADPH oxidase), SOD (superoxide dismutase), XO (xanthine oxidase) and NOS (nitric oxide synthase) were measured. Results: The seminiferous tubules were damaged in l/R rats, but Picroside II alleviated the changes induced by l/R. The increased level of apoptosis was decreased by Picroside II (P=0.01, 9.05±0.35 vs. 4.85±0.25). The activities of HO-1, MPO, NOX, XO and MDA content were increased and the SOD activity was decreased in l/R (P<0.05) and could be reversed by Picroside II (P=0.03, 405.5±7.5 vs. 304±17U/mgprot; P=0.02, 0.99±0.05 vs. 0.52±0.04 mgprot; P=0.01, 260+7 vs. 189±2 mgprot; P=0.04, 10.95+0.55 vs. 8.75+0.35 U/mgprot; P=0.045, 6.8+0.7 vs. 3.75+0.35 mgprot; P=0.04, 44.5+3.5 vs. 57.5+3.5 mgprot). Western blot showed that the expression of iNOS, nNOS and eNOS were increased in l/R (P<0.05); however, they were decreased after Picroside II treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Picroside II attenuated testicular I/R injury in rats mainly through suppressing apoptosis and oxidative stress through reduction of nitric oxide synthesis.

ABSTRACT: Biological degumming is an eco-friendly, efficient, high-quality and low-cost method that has become the leading bast fiber degumming technology. However, bacterial strains with short degumming cycles, high gum removal rates and small fiber damage are few. To screen high quality microbial resources with bast-fiber biological degumming function, soil samples were collected from a continuously cultivated banana plantation and then used to be enriched by ramie and kenaf materials in turn. A selective pectin-degrading medium was used to screen for excellent bacteria. A dominant bacterial strain was identified by phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, and its biological degumming effects on ramie and kenaf were verified by a comprehensive evaluation system. Results showed that seven bacterial strains secreting pectinase were obtained and the largest hydrolysis circle with a diameter ratio H/C of 2.4 was produced by the bacterial strain hn1-1, which was preliminarily identified as the Bacillus cereus by colony morphological characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence (GenBank accession number: KX013542) cluster analysis. The fiber production of ramie and kenaf degummed by B. cereus hn1-1 for 10 h were 72 % and 76 %, the residual gum rates were 4 % and 5 %, respectively. These values satisfied the textile industry requirement of < 6 % residual gum rate. Therefore, an effective biological degumming bacterium, B. cereus, was identified using a pectin-hydrolysis selective medium through a simple, economical, and time-saving method. Furthermore, the biological degumming technology by B. cereus for ramie and kenaf had a short cycle, ideal removal gum rate, and high-quality and productive fiber output.

Abstract A novel two-step process of Cr-Mn pack cementation and thermal oxidation was applied to fabricate a MnCr2O4 spinel coating on HP 40 alloy. The Cr-Mn diffusion layer formed after the Cr-Mn pack cementation process is lacking in Fe and Ni. A dense and uniform coating formed on the alloy following thermal oxidation. The coating is mainly composed of MnCr2O4 spinel phase, while the outer surface of the coating is completely MnCr2O4 spinel. The coating exhibits a favorable thickness of about 7 µm according to SEM and EDS maps of its cross-section. The MnCr2O4 spinel coating significantly affects the coking mechanism and coke property according to coking experiments. Raman spectroscopy shows that the coated sample inhibits catalytic coke formation as more disordered carbon and amorphous carbon layers are present. Moreover, the coating is stable in coking and decoking environments.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficiency and safety of bipolar plasma vaporization using plasma-cutting and plasma-loop electrodes for the treatment of posterior urethral stricture. Compare the outcomes following bipolar plasma vaporization with conventional cold-knife urethrotomy. METHODS: A randomized trial was performed to compare patient outcomes from the bipolar and cold-knife groups. All patients were assessed at 6 and 12 months postoperatively via urethrography and uroflowmetry. At the end of the first postoperative year, ureteroscopy was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the procedure. The mean follow-up time was 13.9 months (range: 12 to 21 months). If re-stenosis was not identified by both urethrography and ureteroscopy, the procedure was considered “successful”. RESULTS: Fifty-three male patients with posterior urethral strictures were selected and randomly divided into two groups: bipolar group (n=27) or cold-knife group (n=26). Patients in the bipolar group experienced a shorter operative time compared to the cold-knife group (23.45±7.64 hours vs 33.45±5.45 hours, respectively). The 12-month postoperative Qmax was faster in the bipolar group than in the cold-knife group (15.54±2.78 ml/sec vs 18.25±2.12 ml/sec, respectively). In the bipolar group, the recurrence-free rate was 81.5% at a mean follow-up time of 13.9 months. In the cold-knife group, the recurrence-free rate was 53.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The application of bipolar plasma-cutting and plasma-loop electrodes for the management of urethral stricture disease is a safe and reliable method that minimizes the morbidity of urethral stricture resection. The advantages include a lower recurrence rate and shorter operative time compared to the cold-knife technique.

PURPOSE:To investigate if oxymatrine pretreatment could ameliorate renal I/R injury induced in rats and explore the possible role of oxymatrine in Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.METHODS: Unilaterally nephrectomized rats were insulted by I/R in their left kidney. Twenty four rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham group, I/R + saline-treated group, I/R + OMT-treated group. Oxymatrine or vehicle solution was administered intraperitoneally injected 60 min before renal ischemia, respectively. Renal function, histology, makers of oxidative stress, cell apoptosis and Nrf2/HO-1 expressions were assessed.RESULTS: Oxymatrine pretreatment exhibited an improved renal functional recovery, alleviated histological injury and oxidative stress, inhibiting tubular apoptosis, and accompanied by upregulated the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 proteins.CONCLUSION:Oxymatrine may attenuate renal ischemia/reperfusion injury, and this renoprotective effect may be through activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Our aim was to construct a recombinant adenovirus co-expressing truncated human prostate-specific membrane antigen (tPSMA) and mouse 4-1BBL genes and to determine its effect on dendritic cells (DCs) generated from bone marrow suspensions harvested from C57BL/6 mice for which the effect of 4-1BBL on DCs is not clear, especially during DCs processing tumor-associated antigen. Replication deficient adenovirus AdMaxTM Expression System was used to construct recombinant adenovirus Ad-tPSMA-internal ribosome entry site-mouse 4-1BBL (Ad-tPSMA-IRES-m4-1BBL) and Ad-enhanced green fluorescent protein. Day 7 proliferating DC aggregates generated from C57BL/6 mice were collected as immature DCs and further mature DCs were obtained by lipopolysaccharide activated immature DCs. After DCs were exposed to the recombinant adenovirus with 250 multiplicity of infection, the expression of tPSMA and m4-1BBL proteins were detected by Western blot, and the apoptosis and phenotype of DCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. Cytokines (IL-6 and IL-12) in the supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Proliferation of T cells was detected by allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions. The tPSMA and m4-1BBL proteins were expressed correctly. The apoptosis rate of DCs transfected with Ad-tPSMA-IRES-m4-1BBL was 14.6%, lower than that of control DCs. The expression of co-stimulatory molecules [CD80 (81.6 ± 5.4%) and CD86 (80.13 ± 2.81%)] up-regulated in Ad-tPSMA-IRES-m4-1BBL-pulsed DCs, and the level of IL-6 (3960.2 ± 50.54 pg/mL) and IL-12 (249.57 ± 12.51 pg/mL) production in Ad-tPSMA-IRES-m4-1BBL-transduced DCs were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those in control DCs. Ad-tPSMA-IRES-m4-1BBL induced higher T-cell proliferation (OD450 = 0.614 ± 0.018), indicating that this recombinant adenovirus can effectively enhance the activity of DCs.