Search

XingNaoJing injection (XNJ), extracted from a traditional compound Chinese medicine Angong niuhuang pill, is well known for treating stroke in the clinic, but the specific effects and mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the mechanistic basis for the protective effect of XNJ on cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Five groups of 10 SD rats underwent 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24 h reperfusion. XNJ at 10 and 15 mL/kg was intraperitoneally administered 24 h before ischaemia and at the onset of reperfusion respectively. The silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) inhibitor EX527 was intracerebroventricularly injected 0.5 h before reperfusion. Cerebral infarction size, neurological scores, morphological changes, and expression levels of inflammatory mediators and SIRT1 were measured. Furthermore, human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) were subjected to 3 h oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) followed by 24 h reoxygenation to mimic cerebral I/R in vitro. EX527 pre-treatment occurred 1 h before OGD. SIRT1 and inflammatory mediator levels were analyzed. Both XNJ doses significantly decreased cerebral infarct area (40.11% vs. 19.66% and 9.87%) and improved neurological scores and morphological changes. Inflammatory mediator levels were remarkably decreased in both model systems after XNJ treatment. XNJ also enhanced SIRT1 expression. Notably, the SIRT1 inhibitor EX527 attenuated the XNJ-mediated decrease in inflammation in vivo and in vitro. XNJ improved cerebral I/R injury through inhibiting the inflammatory response via the SIRT1 pathway, which may be a useful target in treating cerebral I/R injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Based on reports, infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is believed to induce the development of antibodies that are considered to be biological indicators for the diagnosis of some other diseases. However, conflicting results have been published regarding the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) in patients with tuberculosis. We aim to study the seroprevalence of ANCA in a population of Chinese patients with tuberculosis, which may lead to the misdiagnosis of vasculitic disorders. METHODS: The study was conducted from January 2016 to May 2017 to evaluate the presence of ANCA in 103 Chinese patients using indirect immunofluorescent assay. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed for anti-myeloperoxidase (MPO) and anti-proteinase 3 (PR3) detection. RESULTS: Perinuclear ANCA (p-ANCA) was detected in 4.8% (5/103) of patients, whereas cytoplasmic ANCA (c-ANCA) was not detected; 1.9% (2/103) of patients with tuberculosis was positive for anti-MPO antibodies, and none had anti-PR3 antibodies. Both anti-MPO-positive patients were diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitides. CONCLUSIONS: ANCA positivity may be more related to vasculitis and immunological disorders than to a M. tuberculosis infection. Therefore, to improve diagnostic accuracy, patients with M. tuberculosis who are ANCA positive should be investigated for concurrent diseases, including the effects of drugs. Therefore, even in tuberculosis epidemic area, ANCA seropositivity, detected by ELISA, is still more suggestive of ANCA-associated vasculitides.

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a form of chronic pancreatitis that is categorized as type 1 or type 2 according to the clinical profile. Type 1 AIP, which predominantly presents in a few Asian countries, is a hyper-IgG4-related disease. We report a case of IgG4-related AIP overlapping with Mikulicz's disease and lymphadenitis, which is rare and seldom reported in literature. A 63-year male from Northeast China was admitted for abdominal distension lasting for one year. He presented symmetric swelling of the parotid and submandibular glands with slight dysfunction of salivary secretion for 6 mo. He had a 2-year history of bilateral submandibular lymphadenopathy without pain. He underwent surgical excision of the right submandibular lymph node one year prior to admission. He denied any history of alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug use. Serological examination revealed high fasting blood sugar level (8.8 mmol/L) and high level of IgG4 (15.2 g/L). Anti-SSA or anti-SSB were negative. Computed tomography of the abdomen showed a diffusely enlarged pancreas with loss of lobulation. Immunohistochemical stain for IgG4 demonstrated diffuse infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells in labial salivary gland and lymph node biopsy specimens. The patient received a dose of 30 mg/d of prednisone for three weeks. At this three-week follow-up, the patient reported no discomfort and his swollen salivary glands, neck lymph node and pancreas had returned to normal size. The patient received a maintenance dose of 10 mg/d of prednisone for 6 mo, after which his illness had not recurred.

Objective: To investigate the effects of dimethyloxalyl glycine on hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in newborn rats., Methods: Forty eight postnatal day 10 SD rats were divided into 3 groups, including sham surgery group, hypoxic-ischemic group and DMOG treated group. The brain tissues were collected at 4, 8, 24 and 72 hours after the hypoxic-ischemic treatment. The expressions of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alfa) protein and anti apoptoticprotein cleaved caspase 3 (CC3) were detected by immunohistochemistry. The apoptotic cells were detected by TUNEL staining., Results: The expression level of HIF-1alpha was significantly higher in DMOG treated group than in hypoxic-ischemic group. While the expression level of CC3 was lower and the number of tunel positive cells was fewer in DMOG treated group than that in hypoxic-ischemic group., Conclusion: Dimethyloxalyl glycine may play a neuro-protective role in hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in newborn rats by stabilizing HIF-1alpha.

Objective: To identify the risk factors for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in neonates., Methods: Fifty infants with PDA and 100 infants without PDA were enrolled. Chi-square test, Student's t test and the linear correlation analysis were used to study the clinical data. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the independent risk factors for PDA., Results: The prevalence of PDA was negatively correlated with the gestation age (r=-0.03, P<0.05) and birth weight (r=-0.04, P<0.05). Oxygen inhalation was a protective factor for the development of PDA. Fetal distress, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, oligohydramnios, cord entanglement, 1 minute Apgar score <8, maternal infection and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy were the independent risk factors for the development of PDA., Conclusions: The incidence of PDA can be reduced by preventing maternal infection, premature birth, low birth weight and hypoxia.