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Background and Aims: Many children with Wilson's disease are complicated with dyslipidemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for the development of fatty liver disease (FLD) in children with Wilson's disease., Methods: We evaluated sex, age, weight, the disease course, treatment course, clinical classification, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, total biliary acid, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, homocysteine, uric acid, fibrinogen (FBG), creatinine, procollagen III N-terminal propeptide, laminin, hyaluronic acid, type IV collagen, and performed receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to investigate the forecast value of individual biochemical predictors and combined predictive indicators to evaluate FLD in Wilson's disease., Results: The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that ALT [odds ratio (OR), 1.011; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.004-1.02; P  = 0.006], uric acid (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.002-1.018; P  = 0.017), FBG (OR, 3.668; 95% CI, 1.145-13.71; P  = 0.037), creatinine (OR, 0.872; 95% CI, 0.81-0.925; P  < 0.001), and laminin (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.002-1.018; P  = 0.017) acted as independent risk factors in Wilson's disease complicated with FLD. The receiver operating characteristic curves for combined predictive indicators demonstrated an area under the curve values of 0.872, which was found to be a significant predictors for FLD in Wilson's disease., Conclusions: We screened out the most important risk factors, namely ALT, uric acid, creatinine, FBG, and laminin for Wilson's disease complicated with FLD. The joint prediction achieved is crucial for identifying children with Wilson's disease complicated with FLD., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is gaining worldwide popularity as a complementary and alternative medicine. The isolation and characterization of active ingredients from TCM has become optional strategies for drug development. In order to overcome the inherent limitations of these natural products such as poor water solubility and low bioavailability, the combination of nanotechnology with TCM has been explored. Taking advantage of the benefits offered by the nanoscale, various drug delivery systems have been designed to enhance the efficacy of TCM in the treatment and prevention of diseases. Methods: The manuscript aims to present years of research dedicated to the application of nanotechnology in the field of TCM. Results: The manuscript discusses the formulation, characteristics and therapeutic effects of nano-TCM. Additionally, the formation of carrier-free nanomedicines through self-assembly between active ingredients of TCM is summarized. Finally, the paper discusses the safety behind the application of nano-TCM and proposes potential research directions. Discussion: Despite some achievements, the safety of nano-TCM still need special attention. Furthermore, exploring the substance basis of TCM formulas from the perspective of nanotechnology may provide direction for elucidating the scientific intension of TCM formulas., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhang, Wang, Wang, Peng, Kong and Tian.)

Ecological divergence due to habitat difference plays a prominent role in the formation of new species, but the genetic architecture during ecological speciation and the mechanism underlying phenotypic divergence remain less understood. Two wild ancestors of rice (Oryza rufipogon and Oryza nivara) are a progenitor-derivative species pair with ecological divergence and provide a unique system for studying ecological adaptation/speciation. Here, we constructed a high-resolution linkage map and conducted a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of 19 phenotypic traits using an F 2 population generated from a cross between the two Oryza species. We identified 113 QTLs associated with interspecific divergence of 16 quantitative traits, with effect sizes ranging from 1.61% to 34.1% in terms of the percentage of variation explained (PVE). The distribution of effect sizes of QTLs followed a negative exponential, suggesting that a few genes of large effect and many genes of small effect were responsible for the phenotypic divergence. We observed 18 clusters of QTLs (QTL hotspots) on 11 chromosomes, significantly more than that expected by chance, demonstrating the importance of coinheritance of loci/genes in ecological adaptation/speciation. Analysis of effect direction and v-test statistics revealed that interspecific differentiation of most traits was driven by divergent natural selection, supporting the argument that ecological adaptation/speciation would proceed rapidly under coordinated selection on multiple traits. Our findings provide new insights into the understanding of genetic architecture of ecological adaptation and speciation in plants and help effective manipulation of specific genes or gene cluster in rice breeding., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Noninvasive methods have been developed to detect fibrosis in many liver diseases due to the limits of liver biopsy. However, previous studies have focused primarily on chronic viral hepatitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The diagnostic value of transient elastography for autoimmune liver diseases (AILDs) is worth studying., Aim: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of imaging techniques with serum biomarkers of fibrosis in AILD., Methods: The PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMBASE databases were searched. Studies evaluating the efficacy of noninvasive methods in the diagnosis of AILDs [autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)] were included. The summary area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), diagnostic odds ratio, sensitivity and specificity were used to assess the accuracy of these noninvasive methods for staging fibrosis., Results: A total of 60 articles were included in this study, and the number of patients with AIH, PBC and PSC was 1594, 3126 and 501, respectively. The summary AUROC of transient elastography in the diagnosis of significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with AIH were 0.84, 0.88 and 0.90, respectively, while those in patients with PBC were 0.93, 0.93 and 0.91, respectively. The AUROC of cirrhosis for patients with PSC was 0.95. However, other noninvasive indices (aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio, fibrosis-4 index) had corresponding AUROCs less than 0.80., Conclusion: Transient elastography exerts better diagnostic accuracy in AILD patients, especially in PBC patients. The appropriate cutoff values for staging advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis ranged from 9.6 to 10.7 and 14.4 to 16.9 KPa for PBC patients., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Ropivacaine oil delivery depot (RODD) can slowly release ropivacaine and block nerves for a long timejavascript:;. The aim of the present work was to investigate the safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary pharmacodynamics of RODD in subcutaneous injection among healthy subjects., Methods: The abdomens of 3 subjects were subcutaneously administered with a single-needle RODD containing 12~30 mg of ropivacaine. The irritation, nerve blocking range and optimum dose were investigated. Forty-one subjects were divided into RODD groups containing 150, 230, 300, 350 and 400 mg of ropivacaine and a ropivacaine hydrochloride injection (RHI) 150 mg group. Multineedle subcutaneous injection of RODD or RHI was performed in the abdomens of the subjects. The primary endpoint was a safe dose or a maximum dose of ropivacaine (400 mg). Subjects' vital signs were observed; their blood was analyzed; their cardiovascular system and nervous systems were monitored, and their dermatological reactions were observed and scored. Second, the ropivacaine concentrations in plasma were determined, pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated, and the anesthetic effects of RODD were studied, including RODD onset time, duration and intensity of nerve block., Results: Single-needle injection of RODD 24 mg was optimal for 3 subjects, and the range of nerve block was 42.5±20.8 mm. Multineedle subcutaneous injection of RODD in the abdomens of subjects was safe, and all adverse events were no more severe than grade II. The incidence rate of grade II adverse events, such as pain, and abnormal ST and ST-T segment changes on electrocardiography, was approximately 1%. The incidence rate of grade I adverse events, including erythema, papules, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypotension was greater than 10%. Erythema and papules were relieved after 24 h and disappeared after 72 h. Other adverse reactions disappeared after 7 days. The curve of ropivacaine concentration-time in plasma presented a bimodal profile. The results showed that ropivacaine was slowly released from the RODD. Compared with the 150 mg RHI group, Tmax was longer in the RODD groups. In particular, Tmax in the 400 mg RODD group was longer than that in the RHI group (11.8±4.6 h vs. 0.77±0.06 h). The Cmax in the 150 mg RODD group was lower than that in the 150 mg RHI group (0.35±0.09 vs. 0.58±0.13 μg·mL-1). In particular, the Cmax increased by 48% when the dose was increased by 2.6 times in the 400 mg group. Cmax, the AUC value and the intensity of the nerve block increased with increasing doses of RODD. Among them, the 400 mg RODD group presented the strongest nerve block (the percentage of level 2 and 3, 42.9%). The corresponding median onset time was 0.42 h, and the duration median was 35.7⁓47.7 h., Conclusions: RODD has a sustained release effect. Compared with the RHI group, Tmax was delayed in the RODD groups, and the duration of nerve block was long. No abnormal reaction was found in the RODD group containing 400 mg of ropivacaine after subcutaneous injection among healthy subjects, suggesting that RODD was adequately safe., Trial Registration: Chictr.org: CTR2200058122; Chinadrugtrials.org: CTR20192280., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Lu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The origin of domesticated Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been controversial for more than half a century. The debates have focused on two leading hypotheses: a single domestication event in China or multiple domestication events in geographically separate areas. These two hypotheses differ in their predicted history of genes/alleles selected during domestication. Here we amassed a dataset of 1,578 resequenced genomes, including an expanded sample of wild rice from throughout its geographic range. We identified 993 selected genes that generated phylogenetic trees on which japonica and indica formed a monophyletic group, suggesting that the domestication alleles of these genes originated only once in either japonica or indica. Importantly, the domestication alleles of most selected genes (~80%) stemmed from wild rice in China, but the domestication alleles of a substantial minority of selected genes (~20%) originated from wild rice in South and Southeast Asia, demonstrating separate domestication events of Asian rice., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Objective: To explore the changes of cerebral white matter diffusion tensor in epilepsy., Methods: This study was a retrospective study based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Twenty-six epileptic patients and 42 normal controls matched for sex, age and handedness were enrolled in our research. Based on the method of tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), we analyzed the changes of each relevant parameter index of DTI in white matter of the brain in all subjects, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD)., Results: In comparison with the control group, epileptic patients had decreased FA and elevated MD, AD, and RD in the anterior thalamic radiation, corticospinal tract, forceps major, forceps minor, cingulum, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus and uncinate fasciculus ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Widespread white matter integrity was observed in epileptic patients, which may be the structural basis for the development of affective disorders, impaired cognition, and motor abnormalities., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2022.)

Objective: This study aims to explore the risk signals of osteonecrosis of the jaw induced by antiresorptive drugs and provide references for the clinical safety application. Method: According to the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), from January 2004 to September 2021, we chose "Osteonecrosis of the jaw (10064658)" and "Exposed bone in jaw (10071014)" as preferred terms, "antiresorptive drugs" as the target drugs, and primary suspect drug as the drug role code in the dataset. We evaluated the association between drugs and adverse events by using reporting odds ratio (ROR) based on disproportionality analysis. We took the High-Level Terms (HLT) of MedDRA ® as the classification level of indications to calculate ROR to compare the signal difference of ONJ in different indications. In addition, patients with antiresorptive-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw and the time of onset of the condition following different antiresorptive medications were collected for the study. Results: The FAERS contained 18,421 reports relating to jaw osteonecrosis from January 2004 to September 2021. A total of eight antiresorptive agents were included in the analysis. From high to low, the ROR of ONJ induced by antiresorptive agents (regardless of indication) is pamidronate (ROR = 494.8), zoledronic acid (ROR = 431.9), denosumab (ROR = 194.8), alendronate (ROR = 151.2), risedronate (ROR = 140.2), etidronic acid (ROR = 64.5), ibandronate (ROR = 40.8), and romosozumab (ROR = 6.4). HLT ROR values for "metabolic bone disorders" were the lowest for each drug, while HLT ROR values were high for "tumor-related indications," including breast and nipple neoplasms malignant, plasma cell myelomas, and prostatic neoplasms malignant. The onset time for osteonecrosis of the jaw as median (Q1, Q3), osteoporosis-related indications, and the onset time for ONJ were 730 (368, 1268), 489.5 (236.3, 909.8), 722.5 (314, 1055), 761 (368, 1720), and 153 (50, 346) for zoledronic acid, denosumab, ibandronate, risedronate, and romosozumab, respectively. Cancer-related indications: the onset time for ONJ were 680.5 (255.3, 1283), 488 (245, 851), and 696.5 (347, 1087) for zoledronic acid, denosumab, and pamidronate, respectively. Conclusion: When antiresorptive drugs are used for metastasis, they have the largest risk signal, followed by malignancy, and the smallest is osteoporosis. The onset time of ONJ may not be related to the indications. The onset time of ONJ for BPs was about 2 years, denosumab about 1.3 years, and romosozumab less than 1 year, which may be related to sequential treatment. When used according to the instructions, the risk of ONJ caused by denosumab was higher than that of zoledronic acid, regardless of the indication. Based on these findings, researchers will continue to monitor and identify risk factors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Peng, Wang, Liu, Xu, Wang, Chen, Wu, Ren, Liang, Liu and Ban.)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on quality of life, anxiety, and depression in patients with epilepsy., Methods: Each study subject was randomly assigned to a CBT (n=46) or control (n=49) group (1:1 ratio), and the first group underwent an 8-week CBT treatment. Anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QOLIE-31) were assessed at both baseline and endpoint using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Hamilton Depression Scale (HDMA) and quality of life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) scales. The statistical analyses included between-and within-group comparisons of the effects of CBT on these measures and associations with demographic and clinical variables., Results: No differences were found between variables at baseline (P>0.05). The repeated-measures analyses found that CBT group had greater improvement in depression score compared to the control group ( P <0.05). The analysis of anxiety score showed that compared to the control group, CBT intervention had no statistical significance in the total anxiety population. However, the CBT intervention decreased anxiety in women and Combined-drug group ( P <0.05). The CBT group had greater improvement in overall score, medication effect, and seizure worry score than the control group ( P <0.05). Stratified analysis found total and medication effects score of CBT intervention group for the combined-drug group were higher than those of the single drug group ( P <0.05)., Conclusion: Increases in overall scores, seizure worry, cognitive functioning, and medication effect were better in the CBT group. CBT can improve anxiety, depression, and quality of life in patients with epilepsy. Women and combined-drug patients with epilepsy benefit most from CBT., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2022.)

Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification that plays essential roles in various physiological and pathological processes. Protein ubiquitination depends on E3 ubiquitin ligases that catalyze the conjugation of ubiquitin molecules on lysine residues of targeted substrates. RING finger protein 115 (RNF115), also known as breast cancer associated gene 2 (BCA2) and Rab7-interacting RING finger protein (Rabring7), has been identified as a highly expressed protein in breast cancer cells and tissues. Later, it has been demonstrated that RNF115 catalyzes ubiquitination of a series of proteins to modulate a number of signaling pathways, and thereby regulates viral infections, autoimmunity, cell proliferation and death and tumorigenesis. In this review, we introduce the identification, expression and activity regulation of RNF115, summarize the substrates and functions of RNF115 in different pathways, and discuss the roles of RNF115 as a biomarker or therapeutic target in diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Liuyu and Zhang.)

Introduction: Ropeginterferon alfa-2b is a novel mono-pegylated human recombinant interferon (IFN) with the addition of N-terminal proline covalently attached by a 40-kDa polyethylene (peg) moiety. The present study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD) profiles and safety of the product in healthy Chinese., Methods: Forty subjects were enrolled and treated with a single subcutaneous injection of either 180 mcg peg-IFN alfa-2a or 90, 180, and 270 mcg ropeginterferon alfa-2b., Results: The mean T max of ropeginterferon alfa-2b was 92-141 h and the elimination half-life was 78-129 h. Dose-related, non-proportional increase in ropeginterferon alfa-2b exposure was observed, which was higher than for peg-IFN alfa-2a. The PD parameters were similar between each dose level of ropeginterferon alfa-2b. The mean T max of β 2 -microglobulin ranged from 118 to 132 h after a single dose of ropeginterferon alfa-2b. The average E max was 3 mcg/ml in all dose levels and the mean AUEC 0-t ranged from 1608 to 1775 h/mcg/ml. The TEAEs were comparable among each treatment group and no death nor drug-related SAE was reported., Conclusion: Ropeginterferon alfa-2b is safe and well tolerated after a single subcutaneous injection up to 270 mcg in healthy Chinese., Clinical Trial Registration: www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn , CTR20190451., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Healthcare Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model for ropeginterferon alfa-2b and to compare its PK properties between Caucasian and Chinese populations. Methods: A population PK model was developed based on data from two phase I clinical trials conducted in Caucasian and Chinese individuals, to evaluate the influence of ethnicity on the PKs of ropeginterferon alfa-2b. Results: We included 456 observations from 30 healthy Caucasian subjects and 438 observations from 27 healthy Chinese subjects in the population PK analysis. The PKs of ropeginterferon alfa-2b were best described by a one-compartment quasi-equilibrium approximated target-mediated drug disposition model with first-order absorption and absorption lag times. The typical value (relative standard error%) of apparent clearance ( CL/F ) and volume of distribution of ropeginterferon alfa-2b in 70-kg subjects were 0.778 (12%) L/day and 2.32 (14%) L, respectively. Body weight was the only significant factor affecting the CL/F . There were no obvious differences in the PK properties of ropeginterferon alfa-2b, and predicted steady-state exposure was similar in the Chinese and Caucasian populations. Conclusion: No significant ethnic differences in ropeginterferon alfa-2b PKs were observed between the Chinese and Caucasian populations., Competing Interests: The author WW is the employee of PharmaEssentia Biotechnology (Beijing) Limited and holds the stocks and shares in the company. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zhu, Wang, Li, Wang, Su and Jiao.)

Background: Albuvirtide is a once-weekly injectable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 fusion inhibitor. We present interim data for a phase 3 trial assessing the safety and efficacy of albuvirtide plus lopinavir-ritonavir in HIV-1-infected adults already treated with antiretroviral drugs., Methods: We carried out a 48-week, randomized, controlled, open-label non-inferiority trial at 12 sites in China. Adults on the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended first-line treatment for >6 months with a plasma viral load >1000 copies/mL were enrolled and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive albuvirtide (once weekly) plus ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (ABT group) or the WHO-recommended second-line treatment (NRTI group). The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with a plasma viral load below 50 copies/mL at 48 weeks. Non-inferiority was prespecified with a margin of 12%., Results: At the time of analysis, week 24 data were available for 83 and 92 patients, and week 48 data were available for 46 and 50 patients in the albuvirtide and NRTI groups, respectively. At 48 weeks, 80.4% of patients in the ABT group and 66.0% of those in the NRTI group had HIV-1 RNA levels below 50 copies/mL, meeting the criteria for non-inferiority. For the per-protocol population, the superiority of albuvirtide over NRTI was demonstrated. The frequency of grade 3 to 4 adverse events was similar in the two groups; the most common adverse events were diarrhea, upper respiratory tract infections, and grade 3 to 4 increases in triglyceride concentration. Renal function was significantly more impaired at 12 weeks in the patients of the NRTI group who received tenofovir disoproxil fumarate than in those of the ABT group., Conclusions: The TALENT study is the first phase 3 trial of an injectable long-acting HIV drug. This interim analysis indicates that once-weekly albuvirtide in combination with ritonavir-boosted lopinavir is well tolerated and non-inferior to the WHO-recommended second-line regimen in patients with first-line treatment failure., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02369965; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov.Chinese Clinical Trial Registry No. ChiCTR-TRC-14004276; http://www.chictr.org.cn/enindex.aspx., (Copyright © 2020 The Chinese Medical Association, produced by Wolters Kluwer, Inc. under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.)

Severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19 has resulted in many deaths worldwide. Here, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of the first 17 reported cases of death due to COVID-19 pneumonia in Wuhan, China. Demographics, initial symptoms, complications, chest computerized tomography (CT) images, treatments, and prognoses were collected and analyzed from the National Health Committee of China data. The first 17 reported deaths from COVID-19 were predominately in older men; 82.35% of patients were older than 65 years, and 76.47% were males. The most common initial symptoms were fever or fatigue (14 cases, 82.35%), respiratory symptoms, such as cough (12 cases, 70.59%), and neurological symptoms, such as headache (3 cases, 17.65%). The most common finding of chest CT was viral pneumonia (5 cases, 29.41%). Anti-infectives (11 cases, 64.71%) and mechanical ventilation (9 cases, 52.94%) were commonly used for treatment. Most of the patients (16 cases, 94.12%) died of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Our findings show that advanced age and male gender are effective predictors of COVID-19 mortality, and suggest that early interventions to reduce the incidence of ARDS may improve prognosis of COVID-19 pneumonia patients.

It is of critical importance for our understanding of speciation process to determine the forms of reproductive isolation and their relative importance in species divergence. Oryza nivara and O. rufipogon are direct ancestors of Asian cultivated rice and a progenitor-daughter species pair. Investigating the reproductive isolation between them provides insights into plant speciation and helps understanding of the rice domestication. Here, we quantitatively measured the major components of reproductive isolation between the two species based on common garden and crossing experiments for three pairs of sympatric populations in Nepal, Cambodia and Laos. We revealed significant differences in the flowering times between species pairs, with O. nivara flowering much earlier than O. rufipogon. A very weak reduction in seed set but no reduction in F1 viability and fertility were detected for the crosses between species relative to those within species. Moreover, we detected asymmetrical compatibility between species and found that emasculation significantly decreased pollination success in O. nivara but not in O. rufipogon. Our study demonstrates that the divergence between O. nivara and O. rufipogon is maintained almost entirely by the difference in flowering times and suggests that differential flowering times contribute to both habitat preferences and reproductive isolation between species.

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A mixture of D. officinale and American ginseng has been shown to enhance cell-mediated immunity, humoral immunity, and monocyte/macrophage functions in mice. Here, the effects of a D. officinale and American ginseng mixture on the structure of gut microbial community in dogs were examined using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The data revealed that while the mixture did not change the diversity of gut microbial community significantly, differences among individuals were significantly reduced. Furthermore, the mixture-responsive operational taxonomic units (OTUs) exhibited a phase-dependent expression pattern. Fifty-five OTUs were found to exhibit a mixture-induced expression pattern, among which one third were short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing genera and the others were probiotic genera included Lactobacillus spp., Sutterella, Alistipes, Anaerovorax, Bilophila, Coprococcus, Gordonibacter, Oscillibacter, among others. By contrast, 36% of the OTUs exhibiting a mixture-repressed expression pattern were disease-associated microorganisms, and six genera, namely Actinomyces, Escherichia/Shigella, Fusobacterium, Slackia, Streptococcus and Solobacterium, were associated with cancer. In addition, five genera were closely associated with diabetes, namely Collinsella, Rothia, Howardella, Slackia and Intestinibacter. Our results indicate that this D. officinale and American ginseng mixture may be used as a prebiotic agent to enhance SCFA-producing genera and prevent gut dysbiosis., (Copyright © 2020 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

With the occurrence of aging process, decreased neuron dopamine, disrupted brown adipose tissue (BAT) remodeling and decreased butyrate level all reflect a weak host healthy in certain degree. Nevertheless, the signs of mid-adult gut microbiota, and its association with host healthy are not well understood. In current study, we deemed to illustrate the associations of age, neuron dopamine, BAT remodeling, butyrate and gut microbiota with the aid of traditional herbal formula Kang Shuai Lao Pian (KSLP), which is known for its anti-aging effect. Here, ELISA was performed to detect the production of brain dopamine, the mass of inguinal white adipose tissue versus interscapular brown adipose tissue (iWAT/iBAT) was calculated and considered as a sign of BAT remodeling, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to the detection of gut microbiota profiling and gas chromatography was used to measure the butyrate level in mice feces. Our results indicated mid-adult mice already present distinctive gut microbiota profiling compared with young mice, concomitant with which are the lower brain dopamine level and disrupted brown adipose remodeling. KSLP treatment improved the host healthy and regulated gut microbiota with enriched Firmicutes at the expense of Bacteroidetes, particularly increased the relative abundance of bacteria functionally related to dopamine and butyrate productions, which suggest KSLP treatment constructs a healthier gut environment. In conclusion, modulation of gut microbiota and butyrate may connectively regulate dopamine production and BAT remodeling through gut-brain axis and gut-metabolism axis., (Copyright © 2020 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Reproductive factors associated with breast cancer risk may also affect the prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of multiple reproductive factors with breast cancer prognosis and the modifying effects of menopausal status. We obtained data from 3805 breast cancer patients recruited between October 2008 and June 2016 in Guangzhou. The subjects were followed up until 30 June 2018. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using multivariate Cox models to estimate the associations. It was found that there were U-shaped patterns for the associations of age at first birth and durations from first/last birth to diagnosis with breast cancer prognosis. The adverse effects of old age at first birth [>30 years vs 23-30 years, HR (95% CI): 1.59 (1.01-2.50)] and long intervals from first [≥20 years vs 10-19 years, HR (95% CI): 1.55 (1.07-2.27)] or last [≥20 years vs 10-19 years, HR (95% CI): 1.63 (1.08-2.46)] birth to diagnosis on progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly more pronounced among premenopausal women. Additionally, long interval (>5 years) between first and second birth was associated with a better PFS [HR (95% CI): 0.64 (0.42-0.97)]. These results suggested that age at first birth, durations from first/last birth to diagnosis, and intervals between first and second birth should be taken into account when following the patients and assessing the prognosis of breast cancer, particularly for premenopausal patients. These findings would also have implications for further insight into the mechanisms of breast cancer development., (© 2019 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The occurrence of parallel speciation strongly implies the action of natural selection. However, it is unclear how general a phenomena parallel speciation is since it was only shown in a small number of animal species. In particular, the adaptive process and mechanisms underlying the process of parallel speciation remain elusive. Here, we used an integrative approach incorporating population genomics, common garden, and crossing experiments to investigate parallel speciation of the wild rice species Oryza nivara from O. rufipogon. We demonstrated that O. nivara originated multiple times from different O. rufipogon populations and revealed that different O. nivara populations have evolved similar phenotypes under divergent selection, a reflection of recurrent local adaptation of ancient O. rufipogon populations to dry habitats. Almost completed premating isolation was detected between O. nivara and O. rufipogon in the absence of any postmating barriers between and within these species. These results suggest that flowering time is a "magic" trait that contributes to both local adaptation and reproductive isolation in the origin of wild rice species. Our study thus demonstrates a convincing case of parallel ecological speciation as a consequence of adaptation to new environments., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.)

Background: DNA methylation (DNAm) age was found to be an indicator for all-cause mortality, cancer incidence, and longevity, but no study has involved in the associations of DNAm age with the prognosis of breast cancer., Methods: We retrieved information of 1076 breast cancer patients from Genomic Data Commons (GDC) data portal on March 30, 2017, including breast cancer DNAm profiling, demographic features, clinicopathological parameters, recurrence, and all-cause fatality. Horvath's method was applied to calculate the DNAm age. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to test the associations between DNAm age of the cancerous tissues and the prognosis (recurrence of breast cancer and all-cause fatality) with or without adjusting for chronological age and clinicopathological parameters., Results: The DNAm age was markedly decelerated in the patients who were premenopausal, ER or PR negative, HER2-enriched or basal-like than their counterparts. In the first five-year follow-up dataset for survival, every ten-year increase in DNAm age was associated with a 15% decrease in fatality; subjects with DNAm age in the second (HR: 0.52; 95%CI: 0.29-0.92), the third (HR: 0.49; 95%CI: 0.27-0.87) and the fourth quartile (HR: 0.38; 95%CI: 0.20-0.72) had significant longer survival time than those in the first quartile. In the first five-year follow-up dataset for recurrence, every ten-year increase in DNAm age was associated with a 14% decrease of the recurrence; in the categorical analysis, a clear dose-response was shown (P for trend =0.02) and the fourth quartile was associated with a longer recurrence free survival (HR: 0.32; 95%CI: 0.14-0.74). In the full follow-up dataset, similar results were obtained., Conclusions: DNAm age of breast cancer tissue, which associated with menopausal status and pathological features, was a strong independent predictor of the prognosis. It was suggested that the prognosis of breast cancer was related to intrinsic biological changes and specific molecular targets for treatment of breast cancer may be implicit.

Young and elderly breast cancer patients are more likely to have a poorer outcome than middle-aged patients. The intrinsic molecular features for this disparity are unclear. We obtained data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) on May 15, 2017 to test the potential mediation effects of the molecular features on the association between age and prognosis with a four-step approach. The relative contributions of the molecular features (PAM50 subtype, risk stratification, DNAm age, and mutations in TP53, PIK3CA, MLL3, CDH1, GATA3, and MAP3K1) to age disparities in survival were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models with or without the features. Young patients were significantly more likely to have basal-like subtype, GATA3 mutations, and younger DNA methylation (DNAm) age than middle-aged patients (P < .05). Both the young and elderly patients had a significantly increased risk of breast cancer recurrence after adjusted by race, tumor size, and node status (Hazard ratio [HR] (95% confidence interval [CI]): 2.81 [1.44, 5.45], 2.37 [1.45, 3.89], respectively). This increased risk was weakened in the young patients after further adjustments in the molecular features, particularly basal-like subtype, GATA3 mutations, and DNAm age (HR [95%CI]: 1.87 [0.81, 4.32]), resulting in 33.5% decreased risk of recurrence. Meanwhile, the adjustments of the molecular features did not alter the recurrence risk for the elderly patients. Compared with middle-aged patients of breast cancer, poorer prognosis of elderly patients may be caused by aging, while poorer prognosis of young patients was probably mediated through intrinsic characteristics, such as basal-like subtype, GATA3 mutations, and DNAm age of the cancerous tissues., (© 2018 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Serum response factor (SRF), a transcription factor highly expressed in neurons, is involved in neuronal survival and the pathogenesis of some neurodegenerative disorders. The ablation of SRF renders the midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons vulnerable to 1-methyl 4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced neurotoxicity, however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we report decreased SRF levels in the substantia nigra (SN) of rotenone-treated rats that was associated with the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons. SRF expression was also reduced in rotenone-treated PC12 cells in vitro. In addition, Srf knockdown augmented rotenone-induced toxicity in PC12 cells. In contrast, overexpression of Srf attenuated the cells' sensitivity to rotenone and alleviated rotenone-induced α-synuclein accumulation. The protective effect of SRF was abolished when the expression of autophagy-related proteins Beclin 1 and Atg5 was suppressed. These results suggested that SRF may promote DA neuron survival by regulating autophagy, and thus serves as a critical molecule in PD progression., (Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) is increasingly implicated as a critical pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in chronic inflammation and neurodegeneration of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the cellular and molecular events that lead to dopaminergic neuron degeneration are not fully understood. In this study, we demonstrated that microglia-released and recombinant TNF disrupted α-synuclein (α-SYN) degradation and caused its accumulation in PC12 cells and midbrain neurons. At subtoxic doses, recombinant TNF was found to increase the number of LC3 puncta dots and LC3II protein level, associated with the increases of P62 protein level. Inhibition of lysosomal degradation with Bafilomycin A1 pretreatment abrogated the TNF-induced elevation in LC3II protein level whereas autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine did not affect it. Moreover, TNF led to a marked increase in the number of yellow LC3 dots with a marginal elevation in red-only dots in RFP-GFP-tandem fluorescent LC3 (tf-LC3) transfected PC12 cells, implying the impairment in autophagic flux. Furthermore, TNF treatment reduced lysosomal acidification, as LysoTracker Red fluorescence and LysoSensor fluorescence shift from blue to yellow was markedly decreased in TNF-treated PC12 cells. Co-treatment with mammalian target of rapamycin kinase complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibitor PP242, which activated transcription factor EB (TFEB) signaling and lysosome biogenesis, partially rescued the accumulation of α-SYN in PC12 cells and midbrain neurons. Taken together, our results demonstrated that at subtoxic levels, TNF was able to impair autophagic flux and result in α-SYN accumulation by compromising lysosomal acidification in dopaminergic cells. This may represent a novel mechanism for TNF-induced dopaminergic neuron degeneration in PD., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It has been demonstrated that acid sensing ionic channels (ASICs) are present in the central and peripheral nervous system of mammals, including the retina. However, it remains unclear whether the zebrafish retina also expresses ASICs. In the present study, the expression and distribution of zasic1 were examined in the retina of zebrafish. Both zasic1 mRNA and protein expressions were detected in the adult zebrafish retina. A wide distribution of ASIC1 in zebrafish retina was confirmed using whole mount in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry study. Acidosis-induced currents in the isolated retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were also recorded using whole cell patch clamping. Moreover, blockade of ASICs channel significantly reduced the locomotion of larval zebrafish in response to light exposure. In sum, our data demonstrate the presence of ASIC1 and its possible functional relevance in the retina of zebrafish., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To assess the effect of inhibition of caspase-1 on acute renal injury in rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP)., Methods: Forty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: healthy controls (HC, n = 6), SAP rats treated with saline (SAP-S, n = 18), or SAP rats treated with a caspase-1/interleukin (IL)-1β-converting-enzyme (ICE) inhibitor (SAP-I-ICE, n = 18). SAP was induced by retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate into the bile-pancreatic duct. HC rats were subjected to identical treatment and surgical procedures without sodium taurocholate. Rats received an intraperitoneal injection of isotonic saline (SAP-S) or the inhibitor (SAP-ICE-I) at 2 and 12 h after induction of acute pancreatitis. Surviving rats were sacrificed at different time points after SAP induction; all samples were obtained and stored for subsequent analyses. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) were measured using automatic methods, and serum IL-1β concentrations were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Intrarenal expression of IL-1β, IL-18 and caspase-1 mRNAs was detected by RT-PCR. IL-1β protein expression and the pathologic changes in kidney tissues were observed by microscopy after immunohistochemical or hematoxylin and eosin staining, respectively., Results: The serum levels of BUN and Cr in the SAP-S group were 12.48 ± 2.30 mmol/L and 82.83 ± 13.89 μmol/L at 6 h, 23.53 ± 2.58 mmol/L and 123.67 ± 17.67 μmol/L at 12 h, and 23.60 ± 3.33 mmol/L and 125.33 ± 21.09 μmol/L at 18 h, respectively. All were significantly increased compared to HC rats (P < 0.01 for all). Levels in SAP-ICE-I rats were significantly decreased compared to SAP-S rats both at 12 and 18 h (P < 0.01 for all). Serum IL-1β levels in the SAP-S group were 276.77 ± 44.92 pg/mL at 6 h, 308.99 ± 34.95 pg/mL at 12 h, and 311.60 ± 46.51 pg/mL at 18 h; all significantly higher than those in the HC and SAP-ICE-I groups (P < 0.01 for all). Intrarenal expression of IL-1β mRNA was weak in HC rats, but increased significantly in SAP-S rats (P < 0.01). ICE inhibition significantly decreased the expression of IL-1β and IL-18 mRNAs (P < 0.05 for all vs SAP-S), whereas caspase-1 mRNA expression was not significantly different. Weak IL-1β immunostaining was observed in HC animals, and marked staining was found in the SAP-S group mainly in renal tubular epithelial cells. IL-1β immunostaining was significantly descended in SAP-ICE-I rats compared to SAP-S rats (P < 0.05). Caspase-1 inhibition had no effect on the severity of kidney tissue destruction., Conclusion: The expression of caspase-1-activated cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 plays a pivotal role in acute renal injury in rats with experimental SAP. Caspase-1 inhibition improves renal function effectively.

Background: Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), inducing and accelerating dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss. Autophagy, a critical mechanism for clearing misfolded or aggregated proteins such as α-synuclein (α-SYN), may affect DA neuron survival in the midbrain. However, whether autophagy contributes to neuroinflammation-induced toxicity in DA neurons remains unknown., Results: Intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 mg/kg) into young (3-month-old) and aged (16-month-old) male C57BL/6J mice was observed to cause persistent neuroinflammation that was associated with a delayed and progressive loss of DA neurons and accumulation of α-SYN in the midbrain. The autophagic substrate-p62 (SQSTM1) persistently increased, whereas LC3-II and HDAC6 exhibited early increases followed by a decline. In vitro studies further demonstrated that TNF-α induced cell death in PC12 cells. Moreover, a sublethal dose of TNF-α (50 ng/ml) increased the expression of LC3-II, p62, and α-SYN, implying that TNF-α triggered autophagic impairment in cells., Conclusion: Neuroinflammation may cause autophagic impairment, which could in turn result in DA neuron degeneration in midbrain.

Objective: To observe the effects of ginseng and Ligustrazine drug containing serum on the proliferation, vitality, and extracellular-signal-responsive kinase (ERK) pathway in neural stem cells undergoing in vitro oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation culture., Methods: The cultured neural stem cells were randomly divided into 5 groups, i.e., the normal control group (Group A), the oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation group (Group B), the oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation +ginseng serum group (Group C), the oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation + Ligustrazine serum group (Group D), and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation +ginseng and Ligustrazine drug serum group (Group E).The protein expression levels of ERK and phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) were observed using immunoblotting. The proliferation of neural stem cells was observed using 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay. The vitality of neural stem cells was detected using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetry., Results: The p-ERK level increased transiently at 10 min and 30 min after reoxygenation, but it decreased to the normal level at 4 h, 6 h, and 1 day, respectively. Compared with Group B, the p-ERK level at 6 h after reoxygenation could be elevated in Group C, D, and E. The proliferation and the vitality of neural stem cells at 1 day after reoxygenation could be enhanced. Furthermore, the effects of combination of ginseng and Ligusticum were better than those of using ginseng or Ligusticum alone., Conclusions: Combination of ginseng and Ligusticum could promote the proliferation and vitality of rats' neural stem cells undergoing oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation culture through ERK signal pathway. Its effects was better than that of using ginseng or Ligusticum alone.

Objective: To investigate the in vivo functional roles of the La autoantigen (La), the human homologue of the 33-kDa vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein (hVAP-33), and the subunit gamma of the human eukaryotic initiation factors 2B (eIF2Bgamma) as co-infection factors supporting chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV)., Methods: Small interfering (si)RNAs were designed against the HCV internal ribosome entry site (IRES) and transfected into Huh7 cells chronically infected with the HCV pseudovirus (designated as Huh7-HCV cells). The IRES siRNA producing the most effective silencing was selected for further analysis by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). siRNAs designed against La, hVAP-33, and eIF2Bgamma and the IRES-specific siRNA were then transfected, respectively or in various combinations, into the Huh7-HCV cell line for 48 h. The delta CT values were calculated and used to compare the HCV inhibitive efficacies of the siRNAs in isolation or in combination. Western blotting analysis was used to compare the quantity of core protein expression in each group., Results: The four gene-specific siRNAs, in isolation or in combination, caused inhibition of HCV replication and gene and protein expressions to varying degrees. The combination of La + IRES siRNAs produced the strongest inhibition of HCV core antigen expression. The combinations of hVAP-33 + IRES siRNAs and eIF2Bgamma + IRES siRNAs produced stronger inhibitions of HCV replication and gene and protein expressions than either hVAP-33 siRNA or eIF2Bgamma siRNA alone., Conclusion: La, hVAP-33, and eIF2Bgamma act as co-infection factors of HCV chronic infection in vivo. HCV replication and gene and protein expression can be inhibited significantly by RNA interference of these co-infection factors and/or HCV IRES.

Two 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase-producing bacterial strains (DP24 and XG32) were isolated from surface-sterilized tomato roots and rizhospere soil. The strains were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar. IV (XG2) and Erwinia herbicola (DP24) by physiological and biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA gene analysis. Both strains showed positive plant growth-promoting activity when inoculated into cucumber (Cucumis sativus), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), pepper (Capsicum annuum) and rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Colonization ability and behavior of these two strains were determined by treating mutant strains with rifampicin and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay with rRNA targeted probes, respectively. Both strains were endophytic colonizers of pepper plants. The behavior of the two strains was not identical. Strain XG32 only colonized the root and reached the max level of 27.7 × 10(7) c.f.u./g (fresh weight), after 12 days postinoculation, while strain DP24 was able to colonize the roots, stems and leaves. The max level was reached at 40.87 × 10(7) c.f.u./g (fresh weight) in the roots, 17 × 10(7) c.f.u./g in the stems after 7 days postinoculation and 44.84 × 10(7) c.f.u./g in the leaves after 12 days postinoculation.

Two compounds, apigenin-8-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside and 2-(hydroxymethylthio)ethanol, were extracted from the fermentation products of a strain of endophytic fungus, Colletotrichum sp. NTB-2, isolated from the leafstalk of Ginkgo biloba. The structures of the two compounds were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR spectral data. The compounds wereobtained from microorganisms for the first time.

Objective: To explore the main characteristics of syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in post-stroke depression (PSD) and to provide basis for treatments with TCM herbs., Methods: According to diagnostic criteria of PSD, stroke patients and depression patients from Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were assigned into cerebral stroke group (150 cases), depression group (151 cases) and PSD group (123 cases). Neuropsychological assessments and imaging and biochemical analyses were conducted. TCM syndrome differentiation for these diseases was performed. We also determined the characteristics of TCM syndromes of PSD, relative risk of the syndromes and their correlations with ages as well., Results: Scores of qi stagnation and blood stasis, liver qi depression, and transformation of fire due to qi stagnation in PSD group were significant higher than those in cerebral stroke group (P<0.05, P<0.01). In cerebral stroke group, majority of the patients displayed one syndrome, while in PSD and depression groups, the patients had three or more syndromes. Of these syndromes, the incidence rate of syndrome of liver qi depression complicated with transformation of fire due to qi stagnation or flaring of fire due to yin deficiency was high. The syndrome of liver qi depression occurred much more frequently in PSD group and depression group than in cerebral stroke group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The logistic regression analysis showed that the syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis had high relative risk to PSD. The syndrome of deficiency of heart and spleen was positively correlated with age in cerebral stroke group., Conclusion: The main TCM syndromes of PSD and depression are qi stagnation and blood stasis, liver qi depression, and transformation of fire due to qi stagnation. The syndrome of deficiency of heart and spleen is closely related to age among the stroke patients. The syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis serves as an independent risk factor for PSD. The more complicated the syndromes are, the more serious depression becomes.

Objective: To determine the advantage of U1 small nuclear RNA as a ribozyme vector (U1-Rz) to inhibit HCV replication in vivo., Methods: The 3rd stem-loop was substituted by HCV core specific ribozyme to construct an U1-Rz eucaryotic expression plasmid. Then it was co-transfected with pCMV/T7-NCRC Delta-luc into Huh7 cell line mediated by lipofectin. The cell lysis supernatant was subjected to Western blot and lumenometer to determine the luciferase levels., Results: A U1 snRNA chimeric ribozyme was constructed successfully. Both Rz and U1-Rz inhibited luciferase expression in Huh7 by 48.64% and 87.46%, respectively., Conclusion: Rz has more efficacy in cells when using U1 snRNA delivery system. U1 can be an efficient vector for HCV specific ribozyme.

Objective: To study the cleavage activity on the HCV RNA of a chimeric recombinant of HCV specific ribozyme and U1 small nuclear RNA, which compartmentalizes within the nucleolus., Methods: The third stem-loop sequence of human U1 snRNA (position 95-116) within pBSIISK+ U1 was substituted by hammerhead ribozyme against HCV RNA by PCR and cloning methods, and the constructed plasmid was named pBSIISK+ (U1-Rz). Then the whole gene fragment of the chimeric ribozyme was cloned into a pGEM-T vector under the control of T7 promoter, and the constructed plasmid was named pGEM- (U1-Rz). The pGEM- (U1-Rz) and pGEM-Rz (containing the same ribozyme sequence as that in U1-Rz) transcripts as enzyme were transcribed in vitro. Also the (32)P-labeled pCMV/T7-NCRC luc (containing the gene sequence of the whole 5'-NCR and part core of HCV RNA) transcripts as target-RNAs were transcribed in vitro. The enzymes were incubated with the target RNAs under different conditions and autoradiographed after denaturing gel-electrophoresis., Results: The sequencing result showed that the construction of U1 snRNA chimeric ribozyme was correct. Compared with the ribozyme alone, both of them were active at 37 degree C and with Mg2+ (10 mmol/L) and TrisCl (10 mmol/L, pH7.9), and there was no remarkable difference between them. The cleavage activity of the chimeric ribozyme increased with the prolongation of reaction time and increment of enzyme concentration., Conclusion: Both ribozyme and U1 snRNA chimeric ribozyme exhibited specifically catalytic activity against HCV RNA in vitro. There was no remarkable difference between their cleavage efficiencies.