Chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft combined with ciliary neurotrophic factor promotes sciatic nerve repair

A chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft can reduce postoperative immune rejection, similar to an autologous nerve graft, and can guide neural regeneration. However, it remains poorly understood whether a chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft combined with neurotrophic factors provides a good local environment for neural regeneration. This study investigated the repair of injured rat sciatic nerve using a chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft combined with ciliary neurotrophic factor. An autologous nerve anastomosis group and a chemical acellular allogeneic nerve bridging group were prepared as controls. At 8 weeks after repair, sciatic functional index, evoked potential amplitude of the soleus muscle, triceps wet weight recovery rate, total number of myelinated nerve fibers and myelin sheath thickness were measured. For these indices, values in the three groups showed the autologous nerve anastomosis group 〉 chemically extracted acellular nerve graft ＋ ciliary neurotrophic factor group 〉 chemical acellular allogeneic nerve bridging group. These results suggest that chemically extracted acellular nerve grafts combined with ciliary neurotrophic factor can repair sciatic nerve defects, and that this repair is inferior to autologous nerve anastomosis, but superior to chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve bridging alone.

ICT and E-learning, the Road to Hell or Paradise? The Need for a Strategic Thinking on Sustainable Digital Environment for E-learning

The paper mainly discusses the negative sides of technology in education that have arisen from the the rapid development of technology.

Treatment of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome with Chinese Medicine in China： Opportunity, Advancement and Challenges~

Chinese medicine （CM） has been used in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus （HIV） infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome （AIDS） for 30 years and the demonstrated therapeutic effects of CM, such as reducing plasma HIV viral load, increasing CD4＊T cell counts, promoting immunity reconstitution, ameliorating symptoms and signs, improving the health related quality of life （HRQOL） and counteracting against the effects of anti-retroviral drugs, were summarized and reviewed in this article. The authors point out that it had been a good opportunity to use CM for the treatment of HIV infection and AIDS in the past and also there are huge challenges ahead for CM research and clinicians to discover more effective CM and its underlying mechanisms for treatment of AIDS.

Adjuvant Effects of Fermented Red Ginseng Extract on Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Chemotherapy

Objective： To investigate the adjuvant therapeutic effects of fermented red ginseng（FRG） extract on non-small cell lung cancer（NSCLC） patients treated with chemotherapy. Methods： A total of 60 patients with advanced NSCLC were assigned to two groups using a random number table, i.e., the gemcitabine plus cisplatin（GP） chemotherapy alone group（26 patients） and the FRG ＋ GP chemotherapy group（34 patients）, for 60-day treatment. Patients were then assessed according to the Fatigue Symptom Inventory, Chinese medicine symptoms score, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Karnofsky Performance Status Scale, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung. In addition, chemotherapy toxicity and tumor biomarkers were measured. Results： For NSCLC patients after chemotherapy, FRG extract significantly improved the FSI score, CM symptoms score, psychological status, physical conditions, and quality of life and reduced chemotherapy toxicity（P〈0.01）, but the expression levels of carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin-19 fragments, and neuron-specific enolase were not significantly different between the chemotherapy alone and the FRG ＋ chemotherapy groups or between pre-and post-treatments（P〉0.05）. Conclusions： This study demonstrated that FRG extract had an adjuvant effect on advanced NSCLC patients treated with chemotherapy. Further studies with a larger sample size will verify the current findings.

Beneficial Effects of Celastrol on Immune Balance by Modulating Gut Microbiota in Experimental Ulcerative Colitis Mice

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease caused by many factors including colonic inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis.Previous studies have indicated that celastrol(CSR)has strong anti-inflammatory and immune-inhibitory effects.Here,we investigated the effects of CSR on colonic inflammation and mucosal immunity in an experimental colitis model,and addressed the mechanism by which CSR exerts the protective effects.We characterized the therapeutic effects and the potential mechanism of CSR on treating UC using histological staining,intestinal permeability assay,cytokine assay,flow cytometry,fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT),16S rRNA sequencing,untargeted metabolomics,and cell differentiation.CSR administration significantly ameliorated the dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced colitis in mice,which was evidenced by the recovered body weight and colon length as well as the decreased disease activity index(DAI)score and intestinal permeability.Meanwhile,CSR down-regulated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and up-regulated the amount of anti-inflammatory mediators at both mRNA and protein levels,and improved the balances of Treg/Th1 and Treg/Th17 to maintain the colonic immune homeostasis.Notably,all the therapeutic effects were exerted in a gut microbiota-dependent manner.Furthermore,CSR treatment increased the gut microbiota diversity and changed the compositions of the gut microbiota and metabolites,which is probably associated with the gut microbiota-mediated protective effects.In conclusion,this study provides the strong evidence that CSR may be a promising therapeutic drug for UC.

Russian Physicians in Harbin (1920-32)

This study analyzes medical practitioners’adaptation to a dynamic cultural and political scene and examines the impact of medical refugees on a local community.In the early 1920s,there was an influential Russian medical community in Harbin that established medical societies and medical schools.The organization of medical societies was a part of the active formation of a professional community and represented a thoughtful|measure for countering the control of Chinese officials.The high degree of cooperation between Russian and Chinese medical personnel in the medical-sanitary department of the Chinese Eastern Railway and in Harbin municipal medical facilities was a part of Harbin physicians’activities.