The effect of Xin-Nao-Xue-Mai-Ning on SD rats with hypothyroidism and IRE1-XBP1 signaling

Objective:To investigate the effect of Xin-Nao-Xue-Mai-Ning(XNXMN)on hypothyroidism in SD rats and explore the effect of IRE1-XBP1 signaling pathway on hypothyroidism in rats,and to analyze the possible mechanism of XNXMN in the treatment of hypothyroidism.Method:Twenty-four male SD rats were given a 0.1%concentration of propylthiouracil(PTU)solution by gavage every day to establish a hypothyroidism animal model.After the completion of the model building,intervention with XNXMN.Observe the general conditions of rats,serum triiodothyronine(T3),tetraiodothyronine(T4),thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)levels,X box binding protein 1(XBP-1)protein expression level,and perform statistical analysis.Results:XNXMN can improve the general condition of hypothyroidism rats,reduce serum TSH,increase T3,T4 and reduce the expression of XBP1 protein in thyroid endoplasmic reticulum.Conclusion:XNXMN can improve the symptoms of hypothyroidism rats and has the effect of treating hypothyroidism.Its mechanism of action may be related to the expression of IRE1-XBP1 signaling pathway proteins that regulate the unfolded protein pathway of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Increased intestinal mucosal leptin levels in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome

AIM To measure the leptin levels in patients with diarrheapredominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS-D) and analyze the relationship of leptin with clinical features, visceral sensitivity, mast cells, and nerve fibers. METHODS Forty-two patients with IBS-D fulfilling the Rome Ⅲ criteria and 20 age-and sex-matched healthy controls underwent clinical and psychological evaluations using validated questionnaires(including IBS Symptom Severity Scale, IBS-specific Quality of Life, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and Hamilton Depression Scale), along with colonoscopy, colonic mucosal biopsy, and visceral sensitivity testing. Serum leptin levels were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mucosal leptin expression and localization were evaluated using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.Mucosal leptin m RNA levels were quantified using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Mast cell counts and activation rates were investigated by toluidine blue staining. Correlation analyses between these parameters were performed.RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, or body mass index between the IBS-D group and the control group. The median IBS Symptom Severity Scale score in the IBS-D group was 225.0(range, 100-475). IBS-D patients had significantly increased anxiety [IBS-D: median, 6.5; interquartile range(IQR), 3.3; control: median, 2.0; IQR, 2.0; P < 0.001] and depression(IBS-D: median, 7.0; IQR, 3.0; control: median, 3.0; IQR, 2.0; P < 0.001) scores. IBS-D patients had significantly lower first sensation threshold(IBS-D: median, 50.6; IQR, 25.9; control: median, 80.5; IQR, 18.6; P < 0.001), defecation sensation threshold(IBS-D: median, 91.5; IQR, 29.3; control: median, 155.0; IQR, 21.1; P < 0.001) and maximum tolerable threshold(IBS-D: median, 163.2; IQR, 71.2; control: median, 226.2; IQR, 39.3; P < 0.001). Mucosal leptin expression, as reflected by integrated optical density(IBS-D: median, 4424.71; IQR, 4533.63; control: median, 933.65; IQR, 888.10; P < 0.001), leptin mR NA expression(IBS-D: median, 1.1226; IQR, 1.6351; control: median, 0.8947; IQR, 0.4595; P = 0.009), and mast cell activation rate(IBS-D: median, 71.2%; IQR, 12.9%; control group: median, 59.4%; IQR, 18.88%; P < 0.001) were significantly increased in IBS-D patients. The colocalization of leptin and leptin receptors was observed on mast cells and PGP9.5-positive nerve fibers in the intestinal mucosa. Also, leptin expression was positively correlated with anxiety, depression, and the mast cell activation rate, but negatively correlated with the defecation sensation threshold and the maximum tolerance threshold during visceral sensitivity testing(adjusted P < 0.0038).CONCLUSION Increased levels of mucosal leptin may interact with mast cells and the nervous system to contribute to the pathogenesis of IBS-D.

Theoretical Studies on Structures and Relative Stability for Polynitrohexaazaadamantanes

The density function theory at the B3LYP/6-31G＊ level was employed to study the structures, including the total energies （EZpE）, the geometries, the oxygen balances （OB100）, the dipole moments, of polynitrohexaazaadamantanes （PNHAAs） and the potential candidates of high energy density compounds （HEDCs）. The structural parameters of PNHAAs, such as the the maximum N-NO2 hond length （LBmax）, the least N-N Mulliken population （BN-N）, the least negative charge on the nitro group （QNO2） and OB100, were studied to predict their relative stability or sensitivity （the easiness for initiating a detonation, high sensitivity means low stability）. It was found that the same conclusion was drawn from the four parameters. With the number of nitro groups increasing, the stabilities of these compounds decrease. OB100 failed in identifying the isomers, but the EZpE energy and the dipole moment were considered to give more reliable results for the isomers.

Nerve growth factor and diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS-D):a potential therapeutic target?

Irritable bowel syndrome （IBS） is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort associated with abnormal bowel habits. Diarrhea-predominant IBS （IBS-D） is a major subtype of IBS, the predominant manifestations of which are abdominal pain and diarrhea. The pathogenesis of IBS-D remained unknown until recently. The effects of psychosocial stress, central hypervigilance, neuroendocrine abnor- mality, disturbed gastrointestinal motility, mucosal immune activation, intestinal barrier dysfunction, visceral hyper- sensitivity （VH）, altered gut flora, and genetic susceptibility may be involved in its development. Recently, increased attention has been placed on the neural-immune-endocrine network mechanism in IBS-D, especially the role of var- ious neuroendocrine mediators. As a member of the neurotrophin family, nerve growth factor （NGF） has diverse bio- logical effects, and participates in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Basic studies have demonstrated that NGF is associated with inflammatory- and stress-related VH, as well as stress-related intestinal barrier dysfunction. The aim of this study is to summarize recent literature and discuss the role of NGF in the pathophysiology of IBS-D, especially in VH and intestinal barrier dysfunction, as well as its potential as a therapeutic target in IBS-D.

Association of VIPR-1 gene polymorphisms and haplotypes with egg production in laying quails

The laying quail is a worldwide breed which exhibits high economic value. In our current study, the vas- oactive intestinal peptide receptor-1 （VIPR-1） was selected as the candidate gene for identifying traits of egg produc- tion. A single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP） detection was performed in 443 individual quails, including 196 quails from the H line, 202 quails from the L line, and 45 wild quails. The SNPs were genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RFLP）. Two mutations （G373T, A313G） were detected in all the tested quail populations. The associated analysis showed that the SNP genotypes of the VIPR-1 gene were sig- nificantly linked with the egg weight of G373T and A313G in 398 quails. The quails with the genotype GG always exhibited the largest egg weight for the two mutations in the H and L lines. Linkage disequilibrium （LD） analysis in- dicated that G373T and A313G loci showed the weakest LD. Seven main diplotypes from the four main reconstructed haplotypes were observed, indicating a significant association of diplotypes with egg weight. Quails with the hlh2 （GGGT） diplotype always exhibited the smallest egg weight and largest egg number at 20 weeks of age. The overall results suggest that the alterations in quails may be linked with potential major loci or genes affecting reproductive traits.