Study on the effect and mechanism of Swertia mussotii Franch. in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis based on bioinformatics and in vitro experiments

Background:Primary biliary cholangitis(PBC)is a chronic biliary autoimmune liver disease characterized by intrahepatic cholestasis.Swertia mussotii Franch.(SMF)is a Tibetan medicine with hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory activities.In this study,the therapeutic effect and potential mechanisms of SMF on PBC were investigated by bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experimental validation,with the aim of promoting the progress of SMF and PBC research.Methods:We first explored the therapeutic effects and key targets of SMF on PBC using a network pharmacology approach,further screened the core targets using the GSE79850 dataset,and finally validated the results using molecular docking techniques and in vitro experiments.Results:By bioinformatics analysis,we identified core targets of SMF for PBC treatment(STAT3,JAK2,TNF-α,and IL-1β)and important signaling pathways:JAK-STAT,TNF,and PI3K-AKT.The molecular docking results showed that the significant components of SMF had good binding properties to the core targets.In vitro experiments showed that SMF extracts improved the extent of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells and had a significant reversal effect on epithelial-mesenchymal transition process markers and potential targets in PBC.Conclusion:SMF may exert its therapeutic effects on PBC by acting on important targets such as STAT3,JAK2,TNF-α,IL-1β,Vimentin,and E-cadherin and the pathways in which they are involved.

RBP4在增生期糖尿病性视网膜病变患者玻璃体中的表达及临床意义

目的:探讨RBP4在增生期糖尿病性视网膜病变(proliferative diabetic retinopathy,PDR)炎症反应中的作用。方法:收集2017-02/07在武汉大学人民医院眼科中心就诊患者65例66眼玻璃体标本,其中PDR组23例,非增生期糖尿病性视网膜病变(nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy,NPDR)组16例,非糖尿病患者26例作为对照组。各组患者人口基线特征相匹配,PDR组及NPDR组患者糖尿病病程、血糖水平及糖化血红蛋白水平差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。ELISA检测各组玻璃体标本中视黄醇结合蛋白4(RBP4)、白细胞介素-6(IL-6)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)的浓度。应用单因素方差分析比较并分析各组玻璃体中RBP4、IL-6、TNF-α的浓度。采用Pearson相关分析法分析RBP4与IL-6的相关性。结果:RBP4在PDR组、NPDR组、对照组中浓度分别为13.68±2.66、11.03±1.12、10.45±1.17μg/mL。IL-6在PDR组、NPDR组、对照组中浓度分别为56.0±10.27、20.92±5.77、10.26±1.91pg/mL。PDR组中RBP4、IL-6浓度明显高于对照组及NPDR组,3组间总体差异有统计学意义(F=12.135、161.167,P<0.01),NPDR组玻璃体中RBP4浓度与对照组RBP4浓度差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。NPDR组玻璃体中IL-6浓度较对照组显著升高,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。玻璃体中RBP4浓度与IL-6浓度成明显正相关(r=0.606,P=0.001)。结论:RBP4可能参与糖尿病性视网膜病变增生期的炎症反应过程,为疾病的诊断与治疗提供新的思路。

The levels of serum cystatin C, brain natriuretic peptide in traumatic patients and correlation analysis with traumatic severity

Objective:To observe the levels of serum cystatin C (Cys C), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in traumatic patients and correlation analysis with traumatic severity.Methods:120 emergency traumatic patients in emergency department of our hospital were rolled from December 2015 to December 2016, who were divided into minor trauma group (n=41), severe trauma group (n=43) and critical trauma group (n=36) according to the injury severity score (ISS). The levels of serum Cys C, BNP of the patients in the 3 groups were detected on 0 h, 24 h, 3 d and 7 d after admission respectively. Pearson correlation analysis of the levels of serum Cys C, BNP and ISS.Results: There were no significant differences in the levels of serum Cys C, BNP on 0 hours between the three groups;There were no significant differences in the levels of serum Cys C, BNP on 0 h, 24 h, 3 d and 7 d in minor trauma group;The levels of serum Cys C, BNP on 24 h, 3 d and 7 d were all higher than those of 0 h in severe trauma group, and the levels of serum Cys C on 3 d and 7 d were both higher than those of 24 h;The levels of serum Cys C, BNP on 24 h, 3 d and 7 d were all higher than those of 0 h in critical trauma group, the levels of serum Cys C, BNP on 3 d and 7 d were both higher than those of 24 h, and the levels of serum Cys C on 7 d were higher than those of 3 d;The levels of serum Cys C, BNP in severe trauma and critical trauma groups were significantly higher compared with minor trauma group on 24 h, 3 d and 7 d. Pearson correlation analysis, the level of serum Cys C were positively correlated with ISS, the level of serum BNP were positively correlated with ISS.Conclusion:Different levels of traumatic patients had different levels of serum Cys C, BNP increased at different times. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the levels of serum Cys C, BNP were both positively correlated with traumatic severity, which suggested that the levels of serum Cys C, BNP may be important indicators of traumatic severity and could provide important reference value for clinical evaluation of traumatic severity.

A case report of spontaneous abortion caused by Brucella melitensis biovar 3

Background:Brucellosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp.Brucella invades the body through the skin mucosa,digestive tract,and respiratory tract.However,only a few studies on human spontaneous abortion attributable to Brucella have been reported.In this work,the patient living in Shanxi Province in China who had suffered a spontaneous abortion was underwent pathogen detection and Brucella melitensis biovar 3 was identified.Case presentation:The patient in this study was 22 years old.On July 16,2015,she was admitted to Shanxi Grand Hospital,Shanxi Province,China because of one day of vaginal bleeding and three days of abdominal distension accompanied by fever after five months of amenorrhea.A serum tube agglutination test for brucellosis and blood culture were positive.At the time of discharge,she was prescribed oral doxycycline(100 mg/dose,twice a day)and rifampicin(600 mg/dose,once daily)for 6 weeks as recommended by the World Health Organization(WHO).No recurrence was observed during the six months of follow-up after the cessation of antibiotic treatment.Conclusions:This is the first reported case of miscarriage resulting from Brucella melitensis biovar 3 isolated from a pregnant woman who was infected through unpasteurized milk in China.Brucellosis infection was overlooked in the Maternity Hospital because of physician unawareness.Early recognition and prompt treatment of brucellosis infection are crucial for a successful outcome in pregnancy.