Abstract Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a serious microvascular complication of diabetes that affects both type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients at a high incidence rate. Naja Naja atra venom (NNAV) has been shown to have protective effects and improved renal function in diabetic rats. However, its mechanism of action is still unclear. This study aims to unravel the effectiveness and mechanisms of NNAV on DKD. Methods: We conducted in vitro experiments in which Human Kidney-2 (HK-2) cells were stimulated with high glucose, and exposed to varying concentrations of NNAV. Cell morphology, as well as α-SMA, TGF-β1, and E-cadherin levels, were analyzed using immunofluorescence and western blot. In vivo experiments involved a diabetic rat model, where varying concentrations of cobra α-neurotoxin (CTX) were administrated via gastric treatment. We observed and noted pathomorphological changes, measured biochemical and oxidative stress indices, and used western blot to assess podocin and nephrin levels. Results: High glucose levels can induce a decrease in E-cadherin expression and an increase in α-SMA and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression in HK-2 cells. NNAV can inhibit the transdifferentiation of HK-2 cells to myofibroblast (MyoF) in a high glucose environment and reduce the expression of TGF-β1. Cobra α-neurotoxin (CTX) can reduce urine protein in diabetes model rats at an early stage, which is dose-independent and has a time application range. CTX can regulate the expression of nephrin and podocin. Conclusion: The present study indicates that CTX and NNAV attenuate STZ and high glucose-induced DKD. Its mechanisms of action are associated with inhibiting oxidative stress and TEMT. The study suggests that NNAV and CTX might be a potential therapeutic drug for treating DKD.

Abstract Introduction/objectives Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a classic prototype of the multisystem autoimmune disease and follows a relapsing and remitting course. Triptolide is a diterpene triepoxide extracted from Chinese medicine Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, with potent immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties. Our previous work observed that triptolide alleviated lupus in MRL/lpr lupus mice with the upregulation of regulatory T cells (Treg) proportion in previous study. In this study, we explored the proportion of follicular T regulatory (Tfr), follicular T helper (Tfh) and germinal center (GC) B cells in lupus mice and evaluated the efficacy of triptolide for lupus treatment in vivo. Methods 20 female MRL/lpr mice were randomly divided into 2 treatment groups and treated orally with vehicle or triptolide. C3H mice were all housed as controlled group and treated orally with vehicle. The percentage of Tfr cells, Tfh cells and GC B cells in spleen of mice were detected by Flow cytometric analysis and immunohistochemistry after 13 weeks of treatment. Results We found that the percentage of Tfr cells decreased in MRL/lpr mice compared with controlled mice. The percentage of Tfh cells in MRL/lpr mice was significantly higher compared with that in controlled mice. The ratio of Tfr/Tfh is also decreased in lupus mice. After treated with triptolide in MRL/Lpr mice in vivo, the percentage of Tfr cells and ratio of Tfr/Tfh increased. The proportion of GC B cells also decreased in mice treated with triptolide by FACS and immunohistochemistry. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the effect of triptolide in alleviating lupus is partly by reversing immune imbalance with increased percentage of Tfr cells and ratio of Tfr/Tfh. Triptolide might also has effect on immune response through inhibiting proliferating GC B cells.

Abstract Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a specific microvascular complication arising from diabetes, and its pathogenesis is not completely understood. tRNA-derived stress-induced RNAs (tiRNAs), a new type of small noncoding RNA generated by specific cleavage of tRNAs, has become a promising target for several diseases. However, the regulatory function of tiRNAs in DR and its detailed mechanism remain unknown. Results: Here, we analyzed the tiRNA profiles of normal and DR retinal tissues. The expression level of tiRNA-Val was significantly upregulated in DR retinal tissues. Consistently, tiRNA-Val was upregulated in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) under high glucose conditions. The overexpression of tiRNA-Val enhanced cell proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis in HRMECs, but the knockdown of tiRNA-Val decreased cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, tiRNA-Val, derived from mature tRNA-Val with Ang cleavage, decreased Sirt1 expression level by interacting with sirt1 3’UTR, leading to the accumulation of Hif-1α, a key target for DR. In addition, subretinal injection of adeno-associated virus to knock down tiRNA-Val in DR mice ameliorated the symptoms of DR. Conclusion: tiRNA-Val enhance cell proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis via Sirt1/Hif-1α pathway in HRMECs of DR retinal tissues.

RESUMEN Debido a la interferencia del espectro de masas y del espectro no masivo, la precisión de la traza de elementos de tierras raras en la roca circundante de formación geológica es baja. En este trabajo se realizó el pretratamiento del reactivo de la muestra de prueba, disolución del residuo de la muestra de prueba, caracterización de materiales dopados con elementos de tierras raras, análisis de espectrometría de masas e interferencia sin espectrometría de masas en el seguimiento de elementos de tierras raras, con un algoritmo de posicionamiento tridimensional para rastrear elementos de tierras raras en los estratos geológicos que rodean la roca. En el experimento se seleccionaron cinco muestras de rocas circundantes de estratos geológicos como índices experimentales. Los resultados experimentales muestran que la precisión de seguimiento de cuatro elementos de tierras raras es alta.

ABSTRACT Because of the interference of mass spectrum and non-mass spectrum, the tracing accuracy of rare earth elements in the surrounding rock of geological formation is low. Pretreatment of test sample reagent, dissolution of test sample residue, characterization of rare earth element doped materials, analysis of mass spectrometry and non-mass spectrometry interference in rare earth element tracking, using three-dimensional positioning algorithm to track rare earth elements in geological strata surrounding rock. In the experiment, five samples of surrounding rock of geological strata are selected as experimental indexes. The experimental results show that the tracking accuracy of four rare earth elements is high.

Introducing a hybrid xanthene as a fluorophore, an ‘ensemble’-based fluorescent sensor (E)-2-(6-(diethylamino)-2-((2-hydroxyphenylimino)methyl)-3-oxo-3H-xanthen-9-yl)benzoic acid (a) was designed and synthesised for detection of cysteine. Cysteine can release CuII ion from the non-fluorescent a-CuII complex. Then hydrolytic cleavage of Schiff base a produces a pink fluorescent compound 2-(6-(diethylamino)-2-formyl-3-oxo-3H-xanthen-9-yl)benzoic acid (2). We call this process a fluorescence off-on change. An obvious color change from purple a to pink 2 can be easily observed by the naked-eye. The calibration curve showed that the fluorescence intensity at 560 nm linearly increased over the cysteine concentration range of 0.379-100 µmol L-1 with a limit of detection of 0.379 µmol L-1. Sensor a-CuII displayed excellent selectivity for cysteine, even homocysteine and glutathione did not show influence. The sensor was also used for detecting cysteine in human breast adenocarcinoma cells, which illustrates the practical value. Overall, the sensor appears to be useful for rapid, convenient and selective cysteine detection in living tissues.

Given their relationship with metabolic syndrome and systematic inflammatory diseases, the pathogenesis of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia is closely related. To explore the common genes among these three conditions, spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR), spontaneous diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats (GK) and hyperlipidemia rats (HMR) were reared for experiments. Gene array was used to identify the genes of SHR, GK and HMR compared with normal Wistar rats using TBtools software. First, real-time PCR was applied to verify these genes, and Cytoscape software was used to construct networks based on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. Second, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database analysis was performed to classify the genes. Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) database and Gene Ontology database were used to explore the biological function. Finally, Onto-tools Pathway Express was used to analyze the pathways of shared genes. Importantly, upregulated common genes, such as Bad, Orm1, Arntl and Zbtb7a, were used to construct a network of 150 genes, while downregulated genes, such as Mif and Gpx1, formed a network of 29 genes. Interestingly, the networks were involved in various pathways, such as insulin signal pathway, endometrial cancer pathway, circadian rhythm pathway, and pancreatic cancer pathway. We discovered common genes of SHR, GK and HMR compared with normal Wistar rats, and the association of these genes together with biological function were preliminarily revealed.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder in humans, and the inflammatory reaction plays an important role in development and onset of psoriasis. 4'-O-β-D-glucosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol (4GMV) is one of the major active chromones isolated from Saposhnikoviae divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk, which has been reported to exhibit excellent anti-inflammatory activities. However, the possible therapeutic effect on psoriasis and underlying mechanism has not been reported. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of 4GMV on the imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like lesions in BALB/c mice and the anti-inflammatory effect on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 macrophages. The results demonstrated that 4GMV decreased IMQ-induced keratinocyte proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration. Moreover, 4GMV treatment significantly inhibited the production of NO, PEG 2, and cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, interferon (IFN)-γ, and IL-22 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. 4GMV also suppressed the LPS-upregulated protein expressions of iNOS and COX-2 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis showed that 4GMV down-regulated the mRNA level of IL-1β and IL-6 expression. Further studies by western blot indicated that 4GMV inhibited the activation of upstream mediator NF-κB by suppressing the expression of TLR4 and the phosphorylation of IκBα and p65. The phosphorylation of JNK, p38, and ERK were also markedly reversed by 4GMV in LPS-treated RAW264.7 macrophages. Taken together, these results demonstrated that 4GMV showed a protective effect in IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mice and inhibited inflammation through the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways, indicating that 4GMV might be a potential therapeutic drug for psoriasis.

Abstract Aflatoxin is a carcinogenic secondary metabolite produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which can seriously endanger the health of humans and animals. Oxidative stress is a common defense response, and it is known that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can induce the synthesis of a series of secondary metabolites, including aflatoxin. By using mutants lacking the afap 1 gene, the role of afap 1 gene in oxidative stress and aflatoxin synthesis was assessed. The growth of the mutant strains was significantly inhibited by the increase in the concentration of H2O2, inhibition was complete at 40mmol/l. However, in the quantitative analysis by HPLC, the concentration of AFB1 increased with the increased H 2O 2 until 10mmol/l. Following an analysis based on the information provided by the NCBI BLAST analysis, it was assumed that Afap1, a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor, was associated with the oxidative stress in this fungus. Treatment with 5mmol/l H 2O 2 completely inhibited the growth of the mutant strains in afap 1 but did not affect the growth of the CA14PTs strain (non-mutant strain). In addition, the concentration of AFB 1 in the mutant strains was approximately V of that observed in the CA14PTs strain. These results suggested that Afap1 plays a key role in the regulation of oxidative stress and aflatoxin production in A. flavus. ©2018 Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. on behalf of Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Resumen La aflatoxina es un metabolito secundario cancerígeno producido principalmente por Aspergillus flavus y Aspergillus parasiticus, que pone en riesgo grave a la salud de los humanos y los animales. El estrés oxidativo es una respuesta de defensa común, y es sabido que las especies reactivas de oxígeno (ROS) pueden inducir la síntesis de una serie de metabolitos secundarios, incluida la aflatoxina. Empleando mutantes carentes del gen afap1 se evaluó el papel de Afap1 en el estrés oxidativo y la síntesis de aflatoxinas. El crecimiento de las cepas mutadas se vio significativamente inhibido con el aumento de la concentración de H 2O 2, la inhibición fue completa a 40mmol/l. Sin embargo, en el análisis cuantitativo por HPLC, la concentración de la aflatoxina AFBi aumentó con el aumento de la concentración de H 2O 2 hasta 10mmol/l. Tras un análisis apoyado en la información provista por la herramienta NCBI BLAST, se supuso que Afap1, un factor de transcripción de la cremallera de leucina básica (bZIP), estaba asociado con el estrés oxidativo en este hongo. El tratamiento con 5mmol/l de H 2O 2 inhibió completamente el crecimiento de las cepas mutantes en afap1, pero no afectó el crecimiento de la cepa CA14PTs (cepa no mutada). Además, la concentración de AFB 1 en las cepas mutadas fue de aproximadamente 1/4 de la observada en CA14PTs. Estos resultados sugieren que Afap1 juega un papel clave en la regulación del estrés oxidativo y la producción de aflatoxinas en A. flavus.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate whether the S100B polymorphisms are associated with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) in a Chinese population. A total of 313 SLE patients and 396 control subjects were enrolled in the present study. The genotypes of three SNPs (rs9722, rs881827 and rs1051169) in S100B gene were detected by single base extension polymerase chain reaction (SBE-PCR). Serum S100B levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Rs1051169 was associated with an increased risk of SLE (C vs. G: adjusted OR=1.46, 95% CI, 1.18-1.80, p=0.001; CC vs. GG: adjusted OR=1.99, 95% CI, 1.32-3.02, p=0.001; CC+GC vs. GG: adjusted OR=1.54, 95% CI, 1.13-2.11, p=0.007; CC vs. GC+GG: adjusted OR=1.67, 95% CI, 1.16-2.42, p=0.006). Haplotype analysis showed that the G-G-C haplotype was associated with an increased risk of SLE (OR=1.50, 95% CI, 1.14-1.98, p=0.004). Stratified analyses showed that the rs1051169 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of neurologic disorder in SLE patients (C vs. G: OR=1.78, 95% CI, 1.22-2.59, p=0.003; GC vs. GG: OR=2.33, 95% CI, 1.14-4.77, P=0.019; CC vs. GG: OR=3.02, 95% CI, 1.39-6.53, p=0.004; CC+GC vs. GG: OR=2.57, 95% CI=1.31-5.04, p=0.005). In addition, SLE patients with neurologic disorder carrying the rs1051169 GC/CC genotypes present a higher serum S100B levels compared with that carrying the GG genotype (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that the rs1051169 polymorphism may be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.

RESUMO A tecnologia da informação alcança diversos aspectos da vida moderna, incluindo a medicina. Com o objetivo de aprimorar o ensino, pesquisa e assitência médica, seja por motivos geográficos ou econômicos, a telemedicina é uma tendência em ascenção. A teleoftalmologia é possivelmente uma das aplicações mais desafiadoras da telemedicina, uma vez que requer imagens digitais de alta resolução. Entretanto, avanços tecnológicos estão continuamente melhorando a transmissão de informações e expandindo o potencial da teleoftalmologia. Um revisão da literatura foi realizada para investigar a evolução e o status atual da teleoftalmologia, descrevendo e explorando sua aplicação em diferentes subespecialidades. Apesar de não representar uma substituição para a assistência oftalmológica tradicional, e, embora ainda existam desafios frente a uma implementação adequada, a teleoftalmologia é um método efetivo de assistência, facilitando a distribuição de atendimento, especialmente em regiões remotas e/ou menos desenvolvidas.

ABSTRACT Information and communication technology has rapidly reached diverse aspects of modern life, including medicine and health-related matters. Aiming to improve teaching, research, and health care delivery for geographic or economic reasons, telemedicine is an ascending trend. Teleophthalmology might be one of the most challenging applications of telemedicine given its need for standardized and high definition digital images. However, technological advances are enhancing information transmission continuously and expanding the potential of teleophthalmology. In this review, we investigate the evolution and current status of teleophthalmology, describe its use in different areas, and explore its applicability. Although teleophthalmology is not a replacement for traditional eye care and still faces challenges for adequate implementation, it represents an effective care delivery method, facilitating appropriate and timely distribution of service especially in remote and/or underdeveloped regions.

Summary Objective: Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are located in the hair follicles and play an important role in hair growth. These cells have the ability to induce hair follicle formation when they display aggregative behavior. DPCs derived from the androgenetic alopecia (AGA) area undergo premature senescence in vitro, associated with p16INK4a expression. The aim of the current study was to investigate the expression of p16INK4a in aggregative and non-aggregative DPCs and the effect of p16INK4a down-regulation in these cells by adenovirus-mediated RNA interference (RNAi). Method: DPCs were isolated and cultured from healthy human scalp. p16INK4a gene and protein were detected in aggregative and non-aggregative cells. Expression of p16INK4a in DPCs was silenced by infection with rAd5-CDKN1A-1p2shRNA. Cell fate was monitored after infection. The growth of cells was measured by MTT assay. Cell cycle was evaluated by flow cytometry (FCM). Results: DPCs were isolated by digestion and showed aggregative behavior for six passages. The expression of p16INK4a showed a clear upward trend in non-aggregative cells when compared with aggregative group. p16INK4a expression was silenced by rAd5-CDKN1A-1p2shRNA (p<0.05). The p16INK4a-silenced cells grew more rapidly and exhibited a trend towards aggregative growth. There was an increase in the proportion of cells in G1 phase, while those in S phase were reduced after p16INK4a gene silencing (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that p16INK4a plays an important role in the premature senescence and aggregative behavior of DPCs. These observations can lead to novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of AGA.

Abstract: Introduction and aim. Hyponatremia is common in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and is associated with increased mortality. Tolvaptan, a vasopressor V2 receptor antagonist, can increase free wáter excretion, but its efficacy and safety in cirrhotic patients remain unclear. Material and methods. We studied the usage and safety of tolvaptan in cirrhotic patients in a real-life, non-randomized, multicenter prospective cohort study. Forty-nine cirrhotic patients with hyponatremia were treated with tolvaptan 15 mg daily, and 48 patients not treated with tolvaptan in the same period served as controls. Improvement in serum sodium level was defined as an increase in serum sodium from < 125 to ≥ 125 mmol/L or from 125-134 to ≥ 135 mmol/L on day 7. Results. Twenty-three (47%) patients in the tolvaptan group and 17 (35%) in the control group had normal serum sodium on day 7 (p = 0.25). Serum sodium improved in 30 (61%) patients in the tolvaptan group and 17 (35%) patients in the control group (p = 0.011). Adverse events occurred in 46-47% of patients in both groups, and tolvaptan was not associated with worsened liver function. No patient with normal serum sodium on day 7 died within 30 days of treatment, whereas 16% of those with persistent hyponatremia died (p = 0.0019). Conclusion. In conclusion, short-term tolvaptan treatment is safe and can improve serum sodium level in cirrhotic patients with hyponatremia. Normalization of serum sodium level is associated with better survival.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between the severity of intervertebral disc injury and the anteroposterior type of thoracolumbar vertebral fractures. METHODS: Fifty-six cases of thoracolumbar vertebral fractures treated in our trauma center from October 2012 to October 2013 were included in this study. The fractures were classified by the anteroposterior classification, whereas the severity of intervertebral disc injury was evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between the severity of intervertebral disc injury and the anteroposterior type of thoracolumbar fractures, whereas a χ2 test was adopted to measure the variability between different fracture types and upper and lower adjacent disc injuries. RESULTS: The Spearman correlation coefficients between fracture types and the severity of the upper and lower adjacent disc injuries were 0.739 (PU<0.001) and 0.368 (PL=0.005), respectively. It means that the more complex Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) classifications are the disc injury is more severe. There was also a significant difference in the severity of injury between the upper and lower adjacent discs near the fractured vertebrae (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In thoracolumbar spinal fractures, the severity of the adjacent intervertebral disc injury is positively correlated with the anteroposterior fracture type. The injury primarily involves intervertebral discs near the fractured end plate, with more frequent and severe injuries observed in the upper than in the lower discs. The presence of intervertebral disc injury, along with its severity, may provide useful information during the clinical decision-making process.

ABSTRACT To investigate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi on maize growth, osmoregulation substances and photosynthetic physiology, a popular maize variety ZD 958 was measured under potted condition. Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) symbiosis promoted plant growth, and enhanced plant height, leaf length, mean leaf width and dry weight. Higher soluble sugar and protein, but lower proline concentrations were detected in AM seedlings than corresponding non-AM seedlings. Quantum yield of PSII photochemistry and potential photochemical efficiency increased by arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi, meanwhile, AM plants had lower primary fluorescence but higher maximal fluorescence and variable fluorescence than non-AM plants. AM enhanced apparent quantum efficiency, maximum net photosynthetic rate, dark respiration rate and light saturation point, but reduced light compensation point. The conclusion was that, after the seedling inoculated with Glomus. tortuosum, AM symbioses could protect cell from being hurt through regulating substances related to osmotic adjustment, besides, the efficiency of light utilization, the capacity of using low light and the capacity of fitting and using high light were all increased by AM symbiosis.

Este trabalho objetiva o estudo da patogênese de deficiência no aprendizado e memória de prole de ratos resultante da anestesia maternal por enflurano, por meio da expressão da subunidade 2B do receptor do ácidoN-metil-D-aspártico (NR2B) no hipocampo dos filhotes. Dividiram-se, aleatoriamente, 30 fêmeas de ratos Sprague-Dawley em três grupos: controle (grupo C), exposição ao enflurano por 4 h (grupo E1) e por 8 h (grupo E2). De oito a 10 dias após o início da gravidez, os ratos dos grupos E1 e E2 inalaram enflurano 1,7% em 2 L/min de oxigênio, por 4 h e 8 h, respectivamente. Ratos do grupo C inalaram apenas 2 L/min de oxigênio. O labirinto de água de Morris foi empregado para analisar as funções de aprendizado e memória da cria em 20 e 30 dias após o nascimento. Utilizaram-se ensaios de RT-PCR e de imuno-histoquímica para medir os níveis de mRNA e expressão da proteína do NR2B, respectivamente. Em comparação com os ratos controle do grupo C, aqueles dos grupos E1 e E2 exibiram latências de escape mais longas, menor número de travessias na plataforma e menos tempo gasto no quadrante alvo no teste de exploração espacial (P < 0,05). Adicionalmente, os níveis de expressão de mRNA e de proteína do NR2B no hipocampo dos filhotes nos grupos E1 e E2 estavam reduzidos (P < 0,05). Não se observaram diferenças significativas entre os grupos E1 e E2 (P < 0,05) quanto aos níveis de mRNA e à expressão de proteína de NR2B. A função cognitiva dos filhotes é prejudicada quando as mães são expostas ao enflurano durante o início da gravidez. O mecanismo possível para esse efeito está relacionado à diminuição na expressão de NR2B.

This work aims to study the pathogenesis of learning and memory impairment in offspring rats resulting from maternal enflurane anesthesia by focusing on the expression of the N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptor subunit 2B (NR2B) in the hippocampus of the offspring. Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: control (C group), 4 h enflurane exposure (E1 group), and 8 h enflurane exposure (E2 group) groups. Eight to ten days after the initiation of pregnancy, rats from the E1 and E2 groups were allowed to inhale 1.7% enflurane in 2 L/min oxygen for 4 h and 8 h, respectively. Rats from the C group were allowed to inhale 2 L/min of oxygen only. The Morris water maze was used to assay the learning and memory function of the offspring on postnatal days 20 and 30. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry assays were then used to measure the mRNA levels and protein expression of NR2B, respectively. Relative to offspring rats from the C group, those from the E1 and E2 groups exhibited longer escape latencies, lesser number of crossings over the platform, and less time spent in the target quadrant in the spatial exploration test (P < 0.05). In addition, the mRNA and protein expression levels of NR2B in the hippocampus of offspring rats in the E1 and E2 groups were down-regulated (P < 0.05). No significant differences between the E1 and E2 groups were observed (P > 0.05) in terms of mRNA levels and protein expression of NR2B. The cognitive function of the offspring is impaired when maternal rats are exposed to enflurane during early pregnancy. A possible mechanism of this effect is related to the down-regulation of NR2B expression.