Stem cells are a group of cells with unique self-renewal and differentiation abilities that have great prospects in the repair of spinal cord injury. However, stem cell renewal and differentiation require strict contr...Stem cells are a group of cells with unique self-renewal and differentiation abilities that have great prospects in the repair of spinal cord injury. However, stem cell renewal and differentiation require strict control of protein turnover in the stem cells to achieve cell remodeling. As a highly conserved “gatekeeper” of cell homeostasis, autophagy can regulate cell remodeling by precisely controlling protein turnover in cells. Recently, it has been found that the expression of autophagy markers changes in animal models of spinal cord injury. Therefore, understanding whether autophagy can affect the fate of stem cells and promote the repair of spinal cord injury is of considerable clinical value. This review expounds the importance of autophagy homeostasis control for the repair of spinal cord injury from three aspects—pathophysiology of spinal cord injury, autophagy and stem cell function, and autophagy and stem cell function in spinal cord injury—and proposes the synergistic therapeutic effect of autophagy and stem cells in spinal cord injury.展开更多
Background:The coronavirus(COVID-19)outbreak in 2019 triggered psychological and emotional responses.This research investigates the psychological status and emotional problems of those who sought psychological assista...Background:The coronavirus(COVID-19)outbreak in 2019 triggered psychological and emotional responses.This research investigates the psychological status and emotional problems of those who sought psychological assistance during the epidemic period by calling a mental health hotline.Methods:This study aims to combine qualitative and quantitative research.Descriptive analysis was used for undertaking qualitative research.We ana-lyzed the data from group 1(n=706),in which the people used the mental health hotline from 25 January 2020 to 23 June 2020.A self-designed questionnaire was developed in accordance with the classification and sum-marized items from group 1’s psychological problems and emotional status.To implement the quantitative research,we conducted a cross-sectional descriptive survey and used the self-compiled scale and HADS to inves-tigate group 2(n=553)from May 2020 to June 2020.Results:Descriptive statistics and comparative analysis revealed that:①Visitors mainly reported behavior,emotional,family relationship problems and sleep disorders.②Anxiety,comorbidities,sleep disorders and coping problems were the most frequently reported problems.③There were significant differences in the number of visitors experiencing various problems or exhibiting harmful behaviors(sorrow,worry,fear,depression,sleep disorders,self-harm or suicide,and coping problems,anxiety,hypochondria,and comorbidity)in the four stages of the epidemic.④More than a quarter of participants still suffered from anxiety or depression in the later stages of the epidemic.Conclusion:Different problems manifested at different stages of the epidemic,and psychological interventions and assistance should be tailored to reflect this.展开更多
Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for anti-abortion is based on the theory of gynecology of TCM,which aims to prevent and treat abdominal pain during pregnancy,fetal leakage,uneasy fetal movement,and fetal atrophy.Beca...Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for anti-abortion is based on the theory of gynecology of TCM,which aims to prevent and treat abdominal pain during pregnancy,fetal leakage,uneasy fetal movement,and fetal atrophy.Because of the complexity of the ingredients of Chinese Materia Medica,and the imprecise intervention mechanism for tocolysis,further investigation about the effects of Chinese herbs and their components on tocolysis by utilizing advanced technologies is required to be made.All the information available about TCM and its effects on pregnant women and fetuses was collected via electronic search using Web of Science,PubMed,and CNKI,and a library search was performed to locate classic herbal medicine books.The active ingredients in TCM were screened with the help of Traditional chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform(TCMSP).The keywords being used included herbal names,pharmacology,pregnancy,threatened abortion,and fetus.Modern pharmacological studies have shown that TCM mainly prevents threatened abortion by a direct effect on the pregnant woman’s immune system,sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone,the uterus and the endometrium,and the decidual tissue such as the placenta.It may also address pregnancy complications due to advanced maternal age,infection,polycystic ovary syndrome,diabetes,and mental disorders caused by threat of a miscarriage.TCM protects against spontaneous miscarriage,but its mechanisms are largely unknown.This research applies scientific methods to characterize and examine the effective components of TCM and their application to lower the risk of abortion to the pregnant women and fetuses.展开更多
Objective: To evaluate the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of intravenously administered tetrandrine(TET) in female BALB/c mice. Methods: The median lethal dose(LD_(50)) of intravenously administered TET was calculated...Objective: To evaluate the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of intravenously administered tetrandrine(TET) in female BALB/c mice. Methods: The median lethal dose(LD_(50)) of intravenously administered TET was calculated in mice using Dixon's up-and-down method. In the acute toxicity study, mice were intravenously administered with TET at a single dose of 20, 100, 180, 260 and 340 mg/kg, respectively and were evaluated at 14 days after administration. In the sub-acute toxicity study, mice were intravenously administered various doses of TET(30, 90 and 150 mg/kg) each day for 14 consecutive days. Clinical symptoms, mortality, body weight, serum biochemistry, organ weight and histopathology were examined at the end of the experiment, as well as after a 1-week recovery period. Result: LD_(50) was found to be 444.67±35.76 mg/kg. In the acute toxicity study, no statistically significant differences in body weight, blood biochemistry, or organ histology were observed between the administration and control groups when mice were intravenously administered with single dose at 20, 100, 180, 260 and 340 mg/kg of TET(P>0.05). In the sub-acute toxicity study, no significant changes in body weight, biochemistry and organ histology were observed with up to 90 mg/kg of TET compared with the control group(P>0.05), however, in the 150 mg/kg administered group, TET induced transient toxicity to liver, lungs and kidneys, but withdrawal of TET can lead to reversal of the pathological conditions. Conclusions: The overall findings of this study indicate that TET is relatively non-toxic from a single dose of 20, 100, 180, 260 or 340 mg/kg, and that up to 90 mg/kg daily for 14 consecutive days can be considered a safe application dose.展开更多
Gene transfection is an indispensable approach for studying gene function since it provides important information on gain-and/or loss-of-function.Chick embryos are also extensively employed for studying biological fun...Gene transfection is an indispensable approach for studying gene function since it provides important information on gain-and/or loss-of-function.Chick embryos are also extensively employed for studying biological function since they are easily accessible and can be maintained alive after manipulation.The combination of both techniques presents a powerful approach to understanding how genes regulate embryo development.Furthermore,combining these approaches with tissue transplant techniques make even more attractive for elucidate gene function.Electroporation,employing parallelly fashioned electrodes,has been widely used in chick embryos.However,experimenters have been frustrated by unsuccessfully transfection in some embryonic tissue of interest because the electrodes were improperly positioned.We presently demonstrated the different patterns of organizing and positioning the electrodes,in combination with tissue transplantation,to efficiently and specifically transfect the chick embryonic head,trunk neural tube,heart tube,somites and neural crest cells with the GFP reporter gene.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,Nos. 32170825 and 31971108 (both to GW)。
文摘Stem cells are a group of cells with unique self-renewal and differentiation abilities that have great prospects in the repair of spinal cord injury. However, stem cell renewal and differentiation require strict control of protein turnover in the stem cells to achieve cell remodeling. As a highly conserved “gatekeeper” of cell homeostasis, autophagy can regulate cell remodeling by precisely controlling protein turnover in cells. Recently, it has been found that the expression of autophagy markers changes in animal models of spinal cord injury. Therefore, understanding whether autophagy can affect the fate of stem cells and promote the repair of spinal cord injury is of considerable clinical value. This review expounds the importance of autophagy homeostasis control for the repair of spinal cord injury from three aspects—pathophysiology of spinal cord injury, autophagy and stem cell function, and autophagy and stem cell function in spinal cord injury—and proposes the synergistic therapeutic effect of autophagy and stem cells in spinal cord injury.
基金supported by Guangdong Philosophy and Social Sciences Funding(GD21CXL03).
文摘Background:The coronavirus(COVID-19)outbreak in 2019 triggered psychological and emotional responses.This research investigates the psychological status and emotional problems of those who sought psychological assistance during the epidemic period by calling a mental health hotline.Methods:This study aims to combine qualitative and quantitative research.Descriptive analysis was used for undertaking qualitative research.We ana-lyzed the data from group 1(n=706),in which the people used the mental health hotline from 25 January 2020 to 23 June 2020.A self-designed questionnaire was developed in accordance with the classification and sum-marized items from group 1’s psychological problems and emotional status.To implement the quantitative research,we conducted a cross-sectional descriptive survey and used the self-compiled scale and HADS to inves-tigate group 2(n=553)from May 2020 to June 2020.Results:Descriptive statistics and comparative analysis revealed that:①Visitors mainly reported behavior,emotional,family relationship problems and sleep disorders.②Anxiety,comorbidities,sleep disorders and coping problems were the most frequently reported problems.③There were significant differences in the number of visitors experiencing various problems or exhibiting harmful behaviors(sorrow,worry,fear,depression,sleep disorders,self-harm or suicide,and coping problems,anxiety,hypochondria,and comorbidity)in the four stages of the epidemic.④More than a quarter of participants still suffered from anxiety or depression in the later stages of the epidemic.Conclusion:Different problems manifested at different stages of the epidemic,and psychological interventions and assistance should be tailored to reflect this.
基金supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China(Grant Number 81741016,31971108)。
文摘Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for anti-abortion is based on the theory of gynecology of TCM,which aims to prevent and treat abdominal pain during pregnancy,fetal leakage,uneasy fetal movement,and fetal atrophy.Because of the complexity of the ingredients of Chinese Materia Medica,and the imprecise intervention mechanism for tocolysis,further investigation about the effects of Chinese herbs and their components on tocolysis by utilizing advanced technologies is required to be made.All the information available about TCM and its effects on pregnant women and fetuses was collected via electronic search using Web of Science,PubMed,and CNKI,and a library search was performed to locate classic herbal medicine books.The active ingredients in TCM were screened with the help of Traditional chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform(TCMSP).The keywords being used included herbal names,pharmacology,pregnancy,threatened abortion,and fetus.Modern pharmacological studies have shown that TCM mainly prevents threatened abortion by a direct effect on the pregnant woman’s immune system,sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone,the uterus and the endometrium,and the decidual tissue such as the placenta.It may also address pregnancy complications due to advanced maternal age,infection,polycystic ovary syndrome,diabetes,and mental disorders caused by threat of a miscarriage.TCM protects against spontaneous miscarriage,but its mechanisms are largely unknown.This research applies scientific methods to characterize and examine the effective components of TCM and their application to lower the risk of abortion to the pregnant women and fetuses.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81171542 and No.81471995)
文摘Objective: To evaluate the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of intravenously administered tetrandrine(TET) in female BALB/c mice. Methods: The median lethal dose(LD_(50)) of intravenously administered TET was calculated in mice using Dixon's up-and-down method. In the acute toxicity study, mice were intravenously administered with TET at a single dose of 20, 100, 180, 260 and 340 mg/kg, respectively and were evaluated at 14 days after administration. In the sub-acute toxicity study, mice were intravenously administered various doses of TET(30, 90 and 150 mg/kg) each day for 14 consecutive days. Clinical symptoms, mortality, body weight, serum biochemistry, organ weight and histopathology were examined at the end of the experiment, as well as after a 1-week recovery period. Result: LD_(50) was found to be 444.67±35.76 mg/kg. In the acute toxicity study, no statistically significant differences in body weight, blood biochemistry, or organ histology were observed between the administration and control groups when mice were intravenously administered with single dose at 20, 100, 180, 260 and 340 mg/kg of TET(P>0.05). In the sub-acute toxicity study, no significant changes in body weight, biochemistry and organ histology were observed with up to 90 mg/kg of TET compared with the control group(P>0.05), however, in the 150 mg/kg administered group, TET induced transient toxicity to liver, lungs and kidneys, but withdrawal of TET can lead to reversal of the pathological conditions. Conclusions: The overall findings of this study indicate that TET is relatively non-toxic from a single dose of 20, 100, 180, 260 or 340 mg/kg, and that up to 90 mg/kg daily for 14 consecutive days can be considered a safe application dose.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31071054,30971493,31271455)the National Basic Research Program of China(2010CB529703)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(S2011010001593)
文摘Gene transfection is an indispensable approach for studying gene function since it provides important information on gain-and/or loss-of-function.Chick embryos are also extensively employed for studying biological function since they are easily accessible and can be maintained alive after manipulation.The combination of both techniques presents a powerful approach to understanding how genes regulate embryo development.Furthermore,combining these approaches with tissue transplant techniques make even more attractive for elucidate gene function.Electroporation,employing parallelly fashioned electrodes,has been widely used in chick embryos.However,experimenters have been frustrated by unsuccessfully transfection in some embryonic tissue of interest because the electrodes were improperly positioned.We presently demonstrated the different patterns of organizing and positioning the electrodes,in combination with tissue transplantation,to efficiently and specifically transfect the chick embryonic head,trunk neural tube,heart tube,somites and neural crest cells with the GFP reporter gene.
