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Objective: To explore the relationship between the expressions of P21, P27 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in glomerular mesangial tissue and poor renal prognosis in patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy. Methods: A total of 145 patients with IgA nephropathy treated in Xiaogan Central Hospital from April 2017 to August 2019 were selected as the research object. The expressions of P21, P27 and PCNA in glomerular mesangial tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry. All patients were followed up for 24 months, and the prognosis were counted. The expressions of P21, P27 and PCNA in glomerular mesangial tissue of patients with different prognosis were compared and the influencing factors of poor prognosis in patients with IgA nephropathy were analyzed by Logistic regression analysis. Results: The expression rates of P21, P27 and PCNA positive cells in glomerular mesangial tissue of patients with IgA nephropathy were (38.69±6.83)%, (55.94±8.08)%, (33.47±5.72)%, respectively. The incidence rete of poor prognosis in patients with IgA nephropathy was 17.24%, and the expression rates of P21 and PCNA positive cells in glomerular mesangial tissue of patients with poor prognosis were higher than those in good prognosis group (P<0.05), while the expression rate of P27 positive cells was lower than that in good prognosis group (P<0.05). Logistic multiple regression analysis showed that elevated diastolic blood pressure, increased 24 h proteinuria, mesangial cell proliferation, segmental glomerulosclerosis, renal tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis, crescentic body, increased expression rates of P21 and PCNA positive cells and decreased expression rate of P27 positive cells were all risk factors affecting the poor prognosis of patients with IgA nephropathy (P<0.05). Conclusion: There are positive expressions of P21, P27 and PCNA in glomerular mesangial tissue of IgA nephropathy. The expression rates of P21 and PCNA positive cells in glomerular mesangial tissue of of patients with poor prognosis of IgA nephropathy are higher than those with good prognosis, while the expression rate of P27 protein positive cells is lower than those with good prognosis, which are risk factors for poor prognosis of patients with IgA nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the light extraction efficiency, the optical wave vector model in the GaN light emitting diode (LED) structure and the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) energy band of Ag photonic crystal were analyzed. The luminescence of the GaN--LED structure with uncovered and covered Ag photonic crystals was simulated. The light extraction efficiency of GaN--LEDs with different lattice directions was studied by changing the diameter and the period of the Ag photonic crystal and the angle of incident light. The result shows that when the Ag photonic crystal has a period of 800 nm and a diameter of 70 nm, the total transmittance of the GaN--LED reaches the maximum, and the light extraction efficiency increases by 34.43%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on proliferation and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. Methods MC3T3-E1 cells were divided into 7 groups after subculture. They were exposed to 50 Hz PEMFs (0.0, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, 2.4, 3.0, and 3.6 mT, respectively) for 90 min/day. Cell proliferation was assessed using MTT method. ALP activity was examined on 3, 6, 9, and 12 days. Expression levels of BMP-2, Runx-2, and OPG mRNA were analyzed after 12 hours of PEMFs. Results Six intensities of PEMFs promoted MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation. The highest promotion was achieved under 0. 6 mT intensity (P <0. 01). Under the osteogenic culture condition, ALP activity gradually increased along with the time of exposure PEMFs. The peak was on the 9th day and it decreased thereafter. ALP activity was promoted under 0. 6 mT, 3. 0 mT, and 3.6 mT of PEMFs exposure. The highest promotion was achieved under 0. 6 mT intensity (P <0. 01). The expression levels of the 3 genes increased after first 12 h PEMFs treatment at 0. 6 mT, 1. 2 mT, 3. 0 mT, and 3. 6mT intensity. The most significant effect was still at 0. 6mT exposure. Conclusion Exposure at 50Hz 0. 6mT of PEMFs significantly promotes the proliferation and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. This may provide ideal reference for the treatment of osteoporosis using PEMFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the effect of the oral medication of icariin (ICA) on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone quality in rats. Methods Twenty-four 1-month-old female SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, and each group had 12 rats. Rats in the medication group were given an oral administration of 25mg/kg icariin, while rats in control group (CON) were given an administration of same volume of distilled water. The body weight of all the rats was monitored weekly. And BMD of all the rats was measured monthly. All the rats were sacrificed after 3-month treatment. Blood was collected and the serum levels of osteocalcin (OC) and anti4artaric acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP 5b) were measured. The bilateral femurs and the tibia were also collected and BMD detection, µCT scanning, and biomechanical evaluation were performed. The heart, the liver, the stomach, the kidney, the adrenal, and the uterus were all collected and weighted. The organ index was calculated and the routine pathological detection was performed. Results No significant difference of the body weight of the rats in both groups was observed during 3 months (P > 0.05). The organ index of all the organs showed no significant difference, and the pathological observation also showed no abnormal changes. BMD of the total bone in both groups at the 1st and the 2nd month showed no significant difference (P > 0.05), but 3 months later, BMD in ICA group was significantly higher than that in CON group, and the same trend was also observed in the BMD of the femur (P < 0. 05). The serum level of OC in ICA group increased while the level of TRACP 5 b decreased (P < 0.05). The result of µCT scanning revealed that the bone volume/tissue volume, the trabecular thickness, and the trabecular number in ICA group were all higher than that in CON group, but the trabecular separation and the coefficient of the model were significant lower than that in CON group (P < 0.05). The maximum load, the elasticity modulus, and structural model index (SMI) of the femur in ICA group were significantly higher than that in CON group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Oral medication of icariin can promote bone formation by inhibiting bone resorption, improve peak BMD and bone quality, which has significant importance for the prevention of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures caused by different reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the physiological mechanisms of temperature stress on the diapause larvae of rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis Walker at physiological and biochemical levels, determinations were made on the contents of water, lipid, total sugar and low molecular mass carbohydrates and the activities of SOD, POD, CAT in the larvae after series temperature stress (STS) and gradient temperature stress (GTS). With the decrease of temperature, the water content in the larvae decreased, and the decrement below 0 ° was significantly larger in treatment GTS than in treatment STS. The lipid content in the larvae decreased gradually, but no significant difference was observed between treatments STS and GTS. The total sugar content in the larvae in treatment STS increased after an initial decrease, but that in treatment GTS continued to decline. Four species of low molecular carbohydrates, i. e. , trehalose, glucose, glycerol and fructose were detected in the larvae. In treatment STS, the contents of glycose, glycerol and fructose in the larvae decreased after an initial increase, while the trehalose content was in adverse. In treatment GTS, the trehalose content de- creased first and increased then, the glucose and glycerol were in adverse, but the fructose content had little change. In the range from 14 to -14 °, the SOD and POD activities in the larvae in treatment STS were significantly lower than those in treatment GTS, but the CAT activity was in ad- verse. The changes of these indices reflected the physiological responses of C. suppressalis diapause larvae to different temperature stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-stressing concrete-filled steel tube (SSCFST) is made by sulfoaluminate-type expansive concrete instead of common concrete. 7 SSCFST specimens were tested to investigate the effects of long-term loading on defdrmation behaviors of the members. Taking the initial constrained effects of self-stressing into account, using the creep coefficients proposed by AC1209 Committee, the effective modulus method adjusted by age of concrete is used to predict the load-axial strain curves. The calculation and test results have a basal accordance. Self-stressing, steel ratio, axial compression ratio, the factors influencing the creep deformation are systemically analyzed. The results indicate that SSCFST short columns have larger creep deformation than common concrete-filled steel tubular columns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steel fiber reinforced self-stressing concrete(SFRSC) was used as strengthening material, and fatigue properties of damaged simple-support beams strengthened to continuous beams were studied. SFRSC, steel fiber concrete and ordinary concrete were used as wet joints and composite layer materials to strengthen simple-support beams respectively. Through fatigue tests, stress levels of reinforcements in hogging moment area and mid-span, crack widths and mid-span deflection were comparatively analyzed. The experimental results show that SFRSC strengthening simple-support beams to continuous beams can reduce stress amplitude of reinforcements in hogging moment area and mid-span, crack widths and mid-span deflection, and can improve structure fatigue life and normal use performance. Compared with beams strengthened by ordinary concrete, the maximum crack width in hogging moment area of beams strengthened by SFRSC can be decreased 25. 0%-32. 0% after 100 thousand fatigue cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the tests of 12 reinforced concrete (RC) beams with different concrete covers, the crack spacing and crack width at various heights in the tensile region were measured under several loadings of serviceability state. The effects of concrete cover variation on average crack spacing and average crack width at different heights were analyzed,and the results show that in the range of the bottom surface to 1.5a5,the average crack spacing and the average crack width increase with the thickness of concrete cover cincreasing. The positions of maximum crack width were given: occurring at the bottom surface for RC beams with c=60-70 mm; with c=40-50mm also occurring at the bottom surface, but at the web of beam it is wider; occurring at the web with c=20-30mm. The relationships of crack widths at any position in the tensile zone and at the reinforcement level on the side surface of beam were studied, and by theoretical and statistical analyses,a method is proposed to calculate the ratios of crack widths between any position and the reinforcement level on the side surface of reinforced concrete beams with different thickness of concrete cover. The results of comparisons show that the proposed formulas agree well with the test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To correctly predict the creep and its effect on the long-term mechanical performance of self-stressing concrete-filled steel tube, the creep computation module of the steel tube under axial load was analyzed by theory and tests. A numerical model to analyze the deformation of self-stressing concrete-filled steel tube under long-term loading was established using age-adjusted effective modulus method. It is showed that the ultimate bearing capacity of self-stressing concrete-filled steel tube subjected to the load for one year is higher than that of the sample without load, and the numerical model provided can simulate the creep test results well. Compared with the common concrete, the long-term deformation of self-stressing core concrete restrained by steel tube is very small, but the stress redistribution between steel tube and concrete is correspondingly large. The area of steel tube to concrete core ratio has more remarkable effect on the long-term deformation of self-stressing concrete-filled steel tube than other factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the experimental study of 13 specially-shaped RC (reinforced concrete) columns under low cyclic load, the method of nonlinear analysis of specially-shaped columns is put forward and the computer program is developed to deal with the load-displacement skeleton curve. The calculated results agree well with the tested data and the method is convenient for predicting the nonlinear behavior of specially-shaped RC columns in earthquake. Furthermore, the influences of design parameters such as axial compression ratio and different length of limbs on bearing capacity and displacement are analyzed. It is shown that the bearing capacity increases and the deformation capacity decreases with increasing of axial compression ratio. Also, the horizontal ultimate load-carrying capacity of specimen is improved greatly when the web length increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the effect of extract of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma, and Chuanxiong Rhizoma(hereinafter referred to as GNS) on the SIRT1-autophagy pathway of endothelial cell senescence induced by hydrogen peroxide(H&#95;2O&#95;2). To be specific, vascular endothelial cells were classified into the blank control group(control), model group(model), model + DMSO group(DMSO), resveratrol group(RESV), and GNS low-dose(GNS-L), medium-dose(GNS-M), and high-dose(GNS-H) groups. They were treated with H&#95;2O&#95;2 for senescence induction except the control. After intervention of cells in each group with corresponding drugs for 24 h, cell growth status was observed under an inverted microscope, and the formation of autophagosome under the transmission electron microscope. In addition, the changes of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3β(LC3 B) were detected by immunofluorescence staining. The autophagy flux was tracked with the autophagy double-labeled adenovirus(mRFP-GFP-LC3) fusion protein. Dansylcadaverine(MDC) staining was employed to determine the autophagic vesicles, and Western blot the expression of sirtuin 1(SIRT1), ubiquitin-binding protein p62, and LC3Ⅱ. After H&#95;2O&#95;2 induction, cells demonstrated slow growth, decreased adhesion ability, raised number of SA-β-gal-stained blue ones, a certain number of autophagosomes with bilayer membrane and secondary lysosomes in the cytoplasm, and slight rise of autophagy flux level. Compared with the model group, GNS groups showed improved morphology, moderate adhesion ability, complete and smooth membrane, decreased SA-β-gal-stained blue cells, many autophagosomes, autophagic vesicles, and secondary lysosomes in the cytoplasm, increased autophagolysosomes, autophagy flux level, and fluorescence intensity of LC3 B and MDC, up-regulated expression of SIRT1 and LC3Ⅱ, and down-regulated expression of p62, suggesting the improvement of autophagy level. GNS can delay the senescence of vascular endothelial cells. After the intervention, the autophagy flux and related proteins SIRT1, LC3Ⅱand p62 changed significantly, and the autophagy level increased significantly. However, EX527 weakened the effect of Chinese medicine in delaying vascular senescence. GNS may delay the senescence of vascular endothelial cells through the SIRT1 autophagy pathway.

Microarray data of hippocampal tissue(HC) of the cognitively intact elderly(60-99 years old) were compared with those of the middle-aged and the young(20-59 years old) by bioinformatics techniques to initially screen out differentially expressed genes(DEGs) and then predict potential effective Chinese medicinals for the treatment of brain aging. The gene expression profile(accession: GSE11882) was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO) and DEGs were screened based on R package. The key DEGs were identified by STRING, Cytoscape and the plug-in, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway analysis. Then the key genes and the medical ontology information retrieval platform(Coremine Medical) were mapped against each other to single out the Chinese medicinals for the treatment of brain aging and construct the &quot; Chinese medicinal-active constituent-target&quot; network. Among the resultant 268 DEGs(246 down-regulated and 22 up-regulated), the 15 key genes were mainly involved in biological processes such as leukocyte migration, neutrophil activation, cell chemotaxis, microglia activation and response to external stimulus, and pathways such as inflammatory process, immune response, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, PI3 K-Akt signaling pathway, Rap1 signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. The potential effective Chinese medicinals were Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Astragali Radix. The analysis of DEGs and key genes enhances the understanding of the mechanisms of brain aging. This study provides potential gene targets and ideas for the development of Chinese medicine for brain aging.

The aim of this paper was to observe the changes of intestinal flora in vascular aging mice, in order to explore the relationship between vascular aging and intestinal flora and the effects of extracts of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Chuanxiong Rhizoma on intestinal flora of vascular aging mice. A model of vascular aging in mice was induced through intrape-ritoneal injection with streptozotocin(STZ) combined with high-fat diet. Biochemical detection was performed on serum cholesterol(CHO), triglyceride(TG), high-density liptein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density liptein cholesterol(LDL-C) and blood glucose(GLU). HE staining was used to detect mice thoracic aorta morphology, and the expressions of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2 A(p16) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 A(p21) protein in mice thoracic aorta were detected by Western blot. The 16 S rDNA gene of mice intestinal flora was detected by Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology to explore the changes of intestinal flora in each group. The results demonstrated that the GLU level in low-dose and high-dose TCM groups decreased, but with unobvious changes in blood lipid indexes. Metformin could significantly decrease the levels of GLU(P&lt;0.01), CHO and LDL-C in mice(P&lt;0.05). Intravascular injury was not obvious in each drug group, and the expressions of p16 and p21 protein were significantly decreased(P&lt;0.05). The intestinal flora of each group was mainly composed of Firmicutes(F) and Bacteroidetes(B) at the level of the phylum, but the B/F ratio was different from that of the youth group and the blank control group. The B/F ratio of the model group was significantly lower(P&lt;0.01), and compared with the model group, the B/F ratio of the high-dose group and the metformin group was signi-ficantly higher(P&lt;0.05). There were dominant and differential floras in the intestine of each group of mice. The results showed that extracts of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Chuanxiong Rhizoma could improve the intestinal flora structure and create a good intestinal environment by increasing the B/F ratio, which provides a new possible pathway for lowering blood glucose and blood lipids and delaying vascular aging.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of notoginsenoside R₁ in delaying H₂O₂-induced vascular endothelial cell senescence through microRNA-34a/SIRT1/p53 signal pathway. In this study， human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) were selected as the study object; the aging model induced by hydrogen peroxide(H₂O₂) was established， with resveratrol as the positive drug. HUVECs were randomly divided into four groups， youth group， senescence model group， notoginsenoside R₁ group and resveratrol group. Notoginsenoside R₁ group and resveratrol group were modeled with 100 μmoL·L⁻¹ H₂O₂ for 4 h after 24 h treatment with notoginsenoside R₁(30 μmoL·L⁻¹) and resveratrol(10 μmoL·L⁻¹) respectively. At the end， each group was cultured with complete medium for 24 h. The degree of cellular senescence was detected by senescence-associated β-galactosidase(SA-β-Gal) staining kit， the cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8， the cell cycle distribution was analyzed by flow cytometry， and the cellular SOD activity was detected by WST-1 method in each group. The expressions of SIRT1， p53， p21 and p16 proteins in HUVECs were detected by Western blot. In addition， the mRNA expressions of miRNA-34a， SIRT1 and p53 in HUVECs were assayed by Real-time PCR. These results indicated that notoginsenoside R₁ significantly reduced the positive staining rate of senescent cells， enhanced the cell proliferation capacity and intracellular SOD activity， decreased the proportion of cells in G₀/G₁ phase， and increased the percentage of cells in S phase simultaneously compared with the senescence model group. Moreover， notoginsenoside R₁ decreased the mRNA expressions of miRNA-34a and p53 and the protein expression of p53， p21 and p16.At the same time， notoginsenoside R₁ increased the protein and mRNA expressions of SIRT1. The differences in these results between the senescence model group and the notoginsenoside R₁ group were statistically significant( P <0.05). However， there was not statistically significant difference in these results between the notoginsenoside R₁ group and the resveratrol group. In conclusion， the senescence of endothelial cells induced by H₂O₂ can be used as a model for studying aging. Notoginsenoside R₁ has an obvious anti-aging effect on vascular endothelial cells in this study. The possible mechanism is that notoginsenoside R₁ can delay the senescence process of vascular endothelial cells induced by H₂O₂ by regulating microRNA-34a/SIRT1/p53 signal pathway., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

This paper reports the diagnosis and treatment of 2 cases of acute schistosomiasis with ectopic lesion in the lung. It suggests that in schistosomiasis endemic areas, if the patients with the contact history of infested water have the symptom of fever, while the effects of anti-infection and the corresponding treatments are not good, the clinician should consider acute schistosomiasis.

To observe the effect of extracts of ginseng, notoginseng, and Chuanxiong Rhizome on the cytoskeleton protein F-actin and G-actin of the replicative senescence vascular smooth muscle cells, with human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) as the research object, and the replicative senescence 9th generation cells as the senescence models, the experiment was divided into youth group (5th generation cells), model group (9th generation cells), Chinese medicine low dose group (100 mg•L⁻¹), middle dose group (200 mg•L⁻¹), and high dose group (400 mg•L⁻¹) and resveratrol group (10 μmol•L⁻¹). The intervention time was 48 h. β-Galactosidase specific staining method was used to calculate the ratio of blue dyeing cells. CCK-8 method was used to detect the cells proliferation. The flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell cycle. Immunofluorescent staining was used to observe morphological changes of F-actin and G-actin. The western blot assay was used to determine the expression of F-actin protein. Compared with the model group, the Chinese medicine groups and resveratrol group significantly reduced the number of blue dyeing cells, improved the ability of cells proliferation, reduced the number of cells in G0/G1 phase, increased the number of cells in S phase, and reduced the protein expression of F-actin and the formation of stress fibers, with obvious intervention effect and statistically significant difference. Therefore, the replicative senescence vascular smooth muscle cells can be used as the models for senescence research, with significant changes in morphology and protein expression of cytoskeleton protein F-actin and G-actin in the process of cells aging. The extracts of ginseng, notoginseng, and Chuanxiong Rhizome have obvious intervention effect on F-actin and G-actin, and it might be indirectly associated with delaying the aging of blood vessels., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Studying effects of 50 Hz sinusoidal electromagnetic fields (SEMFs) with different intensities on peak bone mass (PBM) of rats may provide a theoretical basis for application of electromagnetic clinical field. 30 female SD rats, 6 weeks of age, were randomly divided into three groups: the control group, 0.1 mT electromagnetic field group (EMFs) and 0.6 mT EMFs. The EMFs groups were treated for 3 h/day. After 8 weeks, we examined their bone mineral densities (BMD) , measured their bone biomechanical properties, and made serum levels of osteocalcin (OC), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP 5b), and histomorphometry. It was found that the BMD (P < 0.01), maximum mechanical load (P < 0.01) in the 0.1 mT group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and Yield strength (P < 0.05), the analyses of serum bone turnover markers and histomorphometric parameters were better than those in the control group (P < 0.05). However, the 0.6 mT group did not have significantly difference comparing with that in the control group. This study proved that 50 Hz 0.1 mT SEMFs can increased BMD, bone strength, and bone tissue microstructure. Therefore, 50 Hz 0.1 mT SEMFs can improve peak bone mass of rats.

Objective: To investigate the effects of different-intensity sinusoidal electromagnetic fields (SEMFs) on bone mineral density (BMD) and histomorphometry in SD rats., Methods: Thirty female SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: group A (a control group), group B (0.1 mT group) and group C (0.6 mT group). The rats in group B and C were exposed to 50 Hz SEMFs 3 hours each day. However,the magnetic intensity was different between group B and group C:0.1 mT for group B and 0.6 mT for group C. After 8 weeks, all the animals were killed. Changes of BMD and histomorphometric properties were observed., Results: Compared with group A, the BMD of whole body, femur and vertebrae of rats in group B increased significantly; the area percentage, number and width of bone trabeculae in vertebrae and femur of rats in group B were larger than those of group A; but the resolution of bone trabeculae of rats in group B was lower than that of group A. The trabecular number in group C rats were significantly decreased, compared with that in group A rats. The outcome of double fluorescence labeling in group B was found to be significantly different with that in group A. But the difference between rats in group A and C was not significant., Conclusion: This study demonstrates that 50 Hz 0.1 mT SEMFs can increase BMD, improve bone tissue microstructure and, promote bone formation.

Objective: To compare the ability of osthole (OST) and genistein (GEN) in enhancing bone peak bone mass of rats to prevent osteoporosis., Methods: Thirty-six female one-month-old SD rats of (125 +/- 3) g body weight were randomly divided into three groups, 12 rats in each group, one group was orally administered osthole at 9 mg x kg(-1) d(-1), one group was given genistein at 10 mg x kg(-1) d(-1) and another was given equal quantity of distilled water as the control. The body weight was monitored weekly and the bone mineral density (BMD) of total body was measured every month. All rats were sacrificed after three months, the femoral bone mineral density, the serum levels of osteocalcin (OC) and anti-tartaric acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP 5b) were measured by Elisa. The bone microarchitectures were analyzed with micro-CT and the bone biomechanics properties were tested with universal material machine., Results: No significant differences were observed between O-treated or GEN group and the control for the food-intake and body weight during three months. However, the rats treated with OST had significant higher BMD for both total body and femur than the control and GEN group. The O-treated rats also had higher level of serum OC and lower level of TRACP 5b. Besides, they owned bigger bone volume/tissue volume, trabecular thickness, trabecular number but smaller trabecular spacing. In the three point bending tests of femurs,they were found to have larger maximum load, the young's modulus and structural model index (SMI)., Conclusion: Orally administered osthole could efficiently increase the peak bone mass of rats,which provide new ideas for preventing osteoporosis.

Objective: Through researching the relationship among osteoporosis and inflammatory reaction besides angiogenesis, to compare pharmacological differences between icariin and genistein to inhibit bone loss., Methods: 6 months old female SD rats were randomly divided into SHAM group, model group, ICA group, GEN group and E group. The bone mineral density of total, femur and lumbar, serum OC, TRACP 5b, IL-6 and VEGF, biomechanics of femur and tibia microarchitecture were analyzed., Results: Compared with SHAM group, model group of body weight, uterine weight, bone mineral density of total, femur and lumbar, serum OC, TRACP 5b, IL-6 and VEGF, biomechanics of femur and lumbar and tibia microarchitecture were significantly changed (P < 0.05). Compared with model group, ICA group of body weight, bone mineral density of total and femur, serum TRACP 5b and femural biomechanics were significantly changed (P < 0.05). GEN group of bone mineral density of total, femur and lumbar, serum OC, TRACP 5b, IL-6 and VEGF, biomechanics of femur and lumbar and tibia microarchitecture were significantly changed (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Icariin inhibits bone loss on model rat through suppressing bone resorption. Genistein prevents bone loss on model rat by the pathway of inhibiting inflammatory reaction, activating angiogenesis, enhancing bone formation and inhibiting bone resorption. Moreover, pharmacological activity of genistein is more potential than icariin.

Objective: To compare the effects of icariin (ICA) and genistein (GEN) on rats bone peak mass and thus screen for a drug that can more effectively prevent osteoporosis., Methods: Totally 36 one-month SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: ICA group [25 mg/(kg·d), intragastric administration], GEN group [10 mg/(kg·d), intragastric administration], and control group (fed with equal volume of distilled water). The body weight was monitored weekly and the bone mineral density of total body was measured monthly. All rats were sacrificed three months later. The femoral bone mineral density and the serum levels of osteocalcin and anti-tartaric acid phosphatase 5b, N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen, and C-terminal propeptide of type 1collagen were measured. The bone microarchitectures were analyzed with micro-CT and the bone biomechanics properties were tested with universal material machine., Results: The body weight and organ index showed no significant difference among these three groups(P>0.05). No obvious pathological change was found. The bone mineral density was also not significantly different in the first and second months; however, in the third months, the ICA group had significant higher bone mineral density for both total body and femur than those in the control and GEN group (P<0.05). The same trends were found for both femur bone mineral density and whole-body bone mineral density (P<0.05). The ICA group also had significantly higher serum levels of osteocalcin (P<0.05) and lower level of anti-tartaric acid phosphatase 5b(P<0.05). Besides, rats in the ICA group had significantly larger bone volume/tissue volume, trabecular thickness, and trabecular number than the control group, whereas the trabecular spacing and model coefficients were signicantly lower(all P<0.05), which, however, were not significantly different between ICA group and GEN group (P>0.05). Femoral maximum load, Youg's modulus, and yield load were significantly higher in these two groups than in the control group (P<0.05), which, again, were not significantly different between ICA group and GEN group (P>0.05)., Conclusion: Orally administered ICA is more efficient than GEN in inhibiting resorption and promoting bone formation, and thus can dramatically improve the peak bone mineral density and bone quality.

Objective: To investigate the effect of osthole on bone metabolism in rat femoral tissues in vitro., Methods: The rat femoral tissues were isolated in vitro. The optimal concentrations of ostehole (1×10(-5) mol/L) and estradiol (1×10(-8) mol/L) (the positive control) were selected by alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP). The ALP and calcium levels were detected by commmerical regents, and the expressions of osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand, runx-related gene 2, and bone morphogenetic protein-2 mRNA were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction., Result: The osthole (1×10(-5) mol/L) significantly increased the activity of ALP, calcium level as well as the expressions of osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand, runx-related gene-2 and bone morphogenetic protein-2 mRNA in rat femoral tissues in vitro., Conclusion: Osthole can improve calcium level and ALP activity and regulate the bone metabolism-related genes in rat femoral tissues.

Objective: To investigate the molecular mechanisms of icariin (ICA) in regulating the bone formation of osteoblasts and the bone resorption of osteoclasts., Methods: Primary osteoblast cell cultures were obtained from newborn rat calvarial. Calcified nodules were stained by alizarin red. The mRNA levels of osterix (OSX), runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx-2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Collagen1, osteoprotegerin (OPG), and receptor activator of nuclear factor-ΚB ligand (RANKL) were analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR, the protein levels of OPG, RANKL, and Collagen1 were examined by Western blotting, and the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration of osteoblasts was measured on a flow cytometer using the Cellquest program., Results: Compared with control group, ICA markedly promoted bone formation by significant up-regulating the gene expressions of OSX, Runx-2,ALP, and Collagen1, the protein expression of Collagen1(all P<0.01), and the Ca(2+) concentration. Furthermore, ICA remarkably inhibited bone resorption by significant up-regulating the mRNA and protein expressions of OPG as well as the OPG/RANKL ratio., Conclusions: ICA could promote bone formation of osteoblasts through inducting the gene expressions of OSX,Runx-2, ALP and Collagen1, and the protein expressions of Collagen1, and by increasing the Ca (2+) concentration. Moreover, ICA could inhibit bone resorption of osteoclasts through regulating OPG/RANKL signal pathway.

This study is to investigate effects of genistein on rat femoral bone metabolic in vitro. Rat femoral tissues was isolated and randomly divided into two groups including control group and genistein (1 x 10(-5) mol x(-1)) group. Determinations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, calcium content and osteoprotegerin (OPG), type I-collagen (Collagen-I), RANKL, Runx-2 and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) mRNA expression were done by real-time PCR. The results showed that 1 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1) genistein could increase the activity of ALP and contents of Ca, regulate bone metabolism activity of OPG, RANKL, BMP-2, Collagen-I and Runx-2 mRNA expression level. Genistein can significantly modulate bone metabolism related gene expression level of rat femoral tissue in vitro, and can increase calcium content and the activity of ALP.

Objective: To compare the effects of 8-prenylnaringenin (PNG) and naringenin (NG) on the activity and apoptosis of osteoclasts cultured in vitro, in order to study physiological activity of 8-prenyl perssad., Method: Osteoclasts were separated from long-limb bones of newly born rabbits, cultured in alpha-MEM containing 10% FBS, and then added with PNG and NG with the concentration of 1 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1). They were stained with TRAP and determined for enzymatic activity with TRAP after 4 d, and analyzed by toluidine blue staining after 7 d. The apoptotic osteoclasts were analyzed by Annexin V-FITC staining after 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours, to observe their apoptosis. Their total RNAs were extracted, and analyzed for TRAP and Cathepsin K expressions by Real-time RT-PCR., Result: Compared with the control group, both of the PNG group and the NG group showed much less osteoclasts (TRAP positive cells), lower TRAP activity and TRAP and Cathepin K (CTSK) expression, and smaller number of bone resorption pits and areas. The PNG group show lower indexes than the NG group. Additionally, the PNG group reached the apoptotic peak of osteoclasts at 12 h after drug administration, whereas the NG group reached after 24 h. And the former had more apoptotic cells than the latter., Conclusion: 8-PNG is much more active than NG in inhibiting the resorption of osteoclasts and inducing apoptosis of osteoclasts. Their only difference lies in 8-prenyl perssad, which is proved to be able to enhance the anti-bone resorption activity of 8-prenylnarigenin.

Objective: To compare the effect of icariin and genistein in the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (rBMSC)., Method: Rat marrow stromal cells were seperated in vitro, and the optimal concentration of genisten and icriin were screened. Genistein and icariin with the concentration of 1 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1) were adopted to intereven rBMSCs cultured in vitro. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was determined at 3, 6, 9, 12,15 d after intervention; calcified nodule was detected with alizarin red staining at 12 d; OXS, Runx-2, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) and Collagen-I mRNA expression were observed with Real-time RT-PCR at 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 h., Result: Genistein and icariin with the concentration of 1 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1) could increase the activity of ALP and the content of Ca, regulate OXS, BMP-2, Runx-2 and Collagen-I mRNA expression., Conclusion: Icariin showed a stronger effect in improving the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells than genistein.

To understand the physiological mechanisms of temperature stress on the diapause larvae of rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis Walker at physiological and biochemical levels, determinations were made on the contents of water, lipid, total sugar and low molecular mass carbohydrates and the activities of SOD, POD, CAT in the larvae after series temperature stress (STS) and gradient temperature stress (GTS). With the decrease of temperature, the water content in the larvae decreased, and the decrement below 0 degrees C was significantly larger in treatment GTS than in treatment STS. The lipid content in the larvae decreased gradually, but no significant difference was observed between treatments STS and GTS. The total sugar content in the larvae in treatment STS increased after an initial decrease, but that in treatment GTS continued to decline. Four species of low molecular carbohydrates, i. e. , trehalose, glucose, glycerol and fructose were detected in the larvae. In treatment STS, the contents of glycose, glycerol and fructose in the larvae decreased after an initial increase, while the trehalose content was in adverse. In treatment GTS, the trehalose content decreased first and increased then, the glucose and glycerol were in adverse, but the fructose content had little change. In the range from 14 to -14 degrees C, the SOD and POD activities in the larvae in treatment STS were significantly lower than those in treatment GTS, but the CAT activity was in adverse. The changes of these indices reflected the physiological responses of C. suppressalis diapause larvae to different temperature stress.

Aimed to understand the mechanisms of cold-resistance of overwintering Chilo suppressalis (Walker) larvae at physiological and biochemical levels, the supercooling point (SCP) and the contents of water, ash, elements, fat, fatty acid, glycrol, total sugar, and protein in the larvae samples collected at different time were determined. The results showed that the SCP and the contents of free water, dissociated fat, total sugar, and protein in the overwintering larvae decreased first and increased then, whereas the contents of bound water, ash, combined fat, K, Na, Mg, Fe, Ni and Cr, and glycerol decreased after an initial increase. The components of fatty acids in overwintering larvae had some changes, but the main components were still 9-hexadecenoic acid, 9-hexadecanoic acid, and 9-octadecenoic acid. The contents of 9-hexadecenoic acid and 9-hexadecanoic acid decreased first and increased then, while that of 9-octadecenoic acid was in adverse. The dynamic changes of the contents of test substances could reflect the cold-resistance of overwintering C. suppressalis larvae.