Investigation of the antidepressant effects of Shu-Gan-Jie- Yu granule and its mechanism of action

Purpose: To study the antidepressant effects of Shu-Gan-Jie-Yu granule (SJG) and its possible mechanisms in mice.Methods: The anti-depressive effects of SJG were evaluated by three techniques, viz, forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and open field test (OFT). The levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine (NE), DA, and 5-HT in the brains of depressive mice were determined using commercially available kits. In addition, the effects of SJG on the BDNF expression in the mice brain were determined by western blot.Results: Administration of SJG significantly reduced the duration time of immobility in the experiments of FST and TST. In addition, relative to the control mice, SJG (800 mg/kg) administration significantly affected the mobility performance (p < 0.05) of mice. The levels of the three  neurotransmitters (DA, NE and 5-HT) and BDNF in the brains of depressive mice were increased by treatment with SJG at the doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg (p < 0.05). The results suggested that SJG exerted a significant antidepressant effect, which could be attributed to increases in the levels of neurotransmitters, and the up-regulation of BDNF expression.Conclusion: The results suggested that SJG exerted a significant antidepressant effect, most probably via regulation of related neurotransmitters (including DA, NE, and 5-HT) and BDNF in the brain. Keywords: Shu-Gan-Jie-Yu granule, Antidepressant, dopamine, norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, brain-derived neurotrophic facto

Alpha-1 antitrypsin is a potential biomarker for hepatitis B

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Function exertion of specific proteins are key factors in disease progression, thus the systematical identification of those specific proteins is a prerequisite to understand various diseases. Though many proteins have been verified to impact on hepatitis, no systematical protein screening has been documented to hepatitis B virus (HBV) induced hepatitis, hindering the comprehensive understanding to this severe disease.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>To identify the major proteins in the progression of HBV infection from mild stage to severe stage.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed an integrated strategy by combining two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) analysis, and tissue microarray techniques to screen the functional proteins and detect the localization of those proteins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Interestingly, MS/MS identification revealed the expression level of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) was significantly elevated in serum samples from patients with severe chronic hepatitis. Immunoblotting with a specific AAT antibody confirmed that AAT is highly expressed in serum samples from patients with hepatic carcinoma and severe chronic hepatitis. Furthermore, we observed that AAT is with highest expression in normal tissue and cells, but lowest in hepatic carcinoma and severe chronic hepatitis tissues and cells, suggesting the specific secretion of AAT from tissues and cells to serum.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest the possibility of AAT as a potential biomarker for hepatitis B in diagnosis.</p

catena-poly[[[(2,2′-bipyridine-2κ2 N,N′)-μ-cyanido-1:2κ2 N:C-cyanido-2κC-tris­(methanol-1κO)(nitrato-1κ2 O,O′)iron(II)yttrium(III)]-di-μ-cyanido-1:2′κ2 N:C;2:1′κ2 C:N] methanol solvate hemihydrate]

The title complex, {[FeIIYIII(CN)4(NO3)(C10H8N2)(CH3OH)3]·CH3OH·0.5H2O}n, is built up of ladder-like chains oriented along the c axis. Each ladder consists of two strands based on alternating FeII and YIII ions connected by cyanide bridges. Two such parallel chains are connected by additional cyanide anions (the ‘rungs’ of the ladder), which likewise connect FeII and YIII ions, such that each [Fe(bipy)(CN)4]2− (bipy is 2,2′-bipyridine) unit coordinates with three YIII ions and each YIII ion connects with three different [Fe(bipy)(CN)4]2− units. The FeII atom is six-coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral geometry and the YIII atom cation is eight-coordinated in a distorted dodeca­hedral environment. The uncoordinated methanol solvent mol­ecules are involved in hydrogen-bonding inter­actions with the one terminal cyanide group and a coordinated methanol mol­ecule from another [YIII(NO3)(CH3OH)3]2+ unit. Adjacent ladder-like chains are also held together by hydrogen bonds between the terminal cyanide ligands of the [Fe(CN)4(bipy)]2− units in one chain and the OH donors of CH3OH ligands from [YIII(NO3)(CH3OH)3] units in neighboring chains. The water molecule exhibits half-occupation

Temperature and impurity effects of the polaron in an asymmetric quantum dot

We study the temperature and impurity effects of the ground state energy and the ground state binding energy in an asymmetric quantum dot by using the liner combination operator method. It is found that the ground state energy and the ground state binding energy will increase with increasing the temperature. The ground state ener-gy is a decreasing function of the Coulomb bound potential, whereas the ground state binding energy is an in-creasing one of it

4,5,6,7-Tetra­chloro-2-(4-fluoro­phen­yl)isoindoline-1,3-dione

The title compound, C14H4Cl4FNO2, has crystallographic twofold symmetry with the N and F atoms and two C atoms of the benzene ring located on a twofold rotation axis. The isoindole­dione ring system is almost planar [maximum atomic deviation = 0.036 (3) Å], and is twisted with respect to the florobenzene ring, making a dihedral angle of 58.56 (16)°. Weak inter­molecular C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonding is present in the crystal structure

Modeling the fear effect in the predator-prey dynamics with an age structure in the predators

We incorporate the fear effect and the maturation period of predators into a diffusive predator-prey model. Local and global asymptotic stability for constant steady states as well as uniform persistence of the solution are obtained. Under some conditions, we also exclude the existence of spatially nonhomogeneous steady states and the steady state bifurcation bifurcating from the positive constant steady state. Hopf bifurcation analysis is carried out by using the maturation period of predators as a bifurcation parameter, and we show that global Hopf branches are bounded. Finally, we conduct numerical simulations to explore interesting spatial-temporal patterns

The research and practice based on the full-time visitation model in clinical medical education

临床教学医院，承担着高等医学院校的医学生的临床教学任务，传统的“小二段”教学模式即前期进行理论教学、后期安排临床实习，存在实习时间过于集中、学生理论与实习脱节的弊端。笔者选取日照市人民医院这一多家医学院校临床教学医院，2005年9月—2014年7月对新接收的高等医学院校临床本科1398名医学生，执行教学任务，采用随机抽样的方法，分成 “全程实习教学模式”的观察组700名和 “小二段”教学模式的对照组698名，制定和使用实习手册、OSCE考核及自行设计临床教学质量问卷调查量表，对调查问卷进行了信度和效度调查，预试后确定考评细则，进行登记、记录、理论考试、技能考核，医学生身心健康、医患沟通、人文关怀及对临床科室冲击力影响采用调查问卷的方式进行考评，统计分析教学质量的差异。单项因素分析，在人文关怀为（x2＝5.958，P＝0.015）、爱伤观念（ x2＝7.331，P＝0.007）、医患沟通（x2 ＝32.342，P＝0.000）、实践技能（x2 ＝10.664，P＝0.001）、创造思维能力（ x2＝4.936，P＝0.026）、学生身心健康（ x2＝6.224，P＝0.013）和对临床影响（x2 ＝4.151，P＝0.042）两组差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；而理论知识（x2 ＝0.222，P＝0.637）指标两组差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）；总体评价观察组采用“全程实习教学模式”临床教学质量优于传统“小二段”教学对照组（x2 ＝12.237，P＝0.001），P＜0.05。基于临床“全程实习教学模式”，构建新型实习临床实践教学模式，较传统的“小二段”教学模式，在医学生的医患沟通、爱伤观念、理论基础知识、临床实践技能及研究生录取率等方面都明显提高。不断改进和完善OSCE考试会使评价更合理、更客观、更公正。Most of the higher medical colleges and universities teaching hospital carry certain clinical teaching tasks, but the traditional teaching pattern of "two stage", including the early stage of the theory of teaching, the late arrangement of clinical practice, had some drawbacks such as practice time is too concentrated and the chasm between students' theory and practice. It is suggested that students contact clinical diagnosis and treatment earlier, visit more patients and increase the ratio of visitation and course. But as more and more students flood into university, clinical visitation has turned into a difficulty to improve students’ ability. To resolve this problem, we have made some efficient practice and exploration in Rizhao City People's Hospital from September 2005 to July 2014. The students were divided into full-time visitation model group and “two stage” pattern group randomly. The single factors are of great difference between the two groups. The full-time visitation model in clinical medical education builds a new mode of practice of clinical practice teaching in the medical stuents' concept of doctor-patient communication, humanistic care to patients, basic theoretical knowledge, clinical practice skills and graduate admission rate increased significantly. Continuous improvement of OSCE exam is needed to make evaluation more scientific, objective and fair

Cucurbitacin E inhibits the Yes‑associated protein signaling pathway and suppresses brain metastasis of human non‑small cell lung cancer in a murine model.

Human non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with an extremely poor prognosis especially for the 40% of patients who develop brain metastasis, and few treatment strategies exist. Cucurbitacin E (CuE), an oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenoid isolated from plants particularly of the family Cucurbitaceae, has shown anti‑tumorigenic properties in several types of cancer, yet the mechanism remains unclear. Yes‑associated protein (YAP), a main mediator of the Hippo signaling pathway, promotes tumorigenesis, drug resistance and metastasis in human NSCLC. The present study was designed to ascertain whether CuE inhibits YAP and its downstream gene expression in the human NSCLC cell lines H2030‑BrM3 (K‑rasG12C mutation) and PC9‑BrM3 (EGFRΔexon19 mutation), which have high potential for brain metastasis. The efficacy of CuE in suppressing brain metastasis of H2030‑BrM3 cells in a murine model was also investigated. It was found that after CuE treatment in H2030‑BrM3 and PC9‑BrM3 cells, YAP protein expression was decreased, and YAP signaling GTIIC reporter activity and expression of the downstream genes CTGF and CYR61 were significantly (P&lt;0.01) decreased. CuE treatment also reduced the migration and invasion abilities of the H2030‑BrM3 and PC9‑BrM3 cells. Finally, our in vivo study showed that CuE treatment (0.2 mg/kg) suppressed H2030‑BrM3 cell brain metastasis and that mice treated with CuE survived longer than the control mice treated with 10% DMSO (P=0.02). The present study is the first to demonstrate that CuE treatment inhibits YAP and the signaling downstream gene expression in human NSCLC in vitro, and suppresses brain metastasis of NSCLC in a murine model. More studies to verify the promising efficacy of CuE in inhibiting brain metastasis of NSCLC and various other cancers may be warranted