Decreasing mitochondrial fission ameliorates HIF-1α-dependent pathological retinal angiogenesis

Angiogenesis plays a critical role in many pathological processes, including irreversible blindness in eye diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity. Endothelial mitochondria are dynamic organelles that undergo constant fusion and fission and are critical signalling hubs that modulate angiogenesis by coordinating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and calcium signalling and metabolism. In this study, we investigated the role of mitochondrial dynamics in pathological retinal angiogenesis. We showed that treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; 20 ng/ml) induced mitochondrial fission in HUVECs by promoting the phosphorylation of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1). DRP1 knockdown or pretreatment with the DRP1 inhibitor Mdivi-1 (5 μM) blocked VEGF-induced cell migration, proliferation, and tube formation in HUVECs. We demonstrated that VEGF treatment increased mitochondrial ROS production in HUVECs, which was necessary for HIF-1α-dependent glycolysis, as well as proliferation, migration, and tube formation, and the inhibition of mitochondrial fission prevented VEGF-induced mitochondrial ROS production. In an oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model, we found that active DRP1 was highly expressed in endothelial cells in neovascular tufts. The administration of Mdivi-1 (10 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.p.) for three days from postnatal day (P) 13 until P15 significantly alleviated pathological angiogenesis in the retina. Our results suggest that targeting mitochondrial fission may be a therapeutic strategy for proliferative retinopathies and other diseases that are dependent on pathological angiogenesis.

Decoding the Key Functional Combined Components Group and Uncovering the Molecular Mechanism of Longdan Xiegan Decoction in Treating Uveitis

Objective

Longdan Xiegan Decoction (LXD) is a famous herbal formula in China. It has been proved that LXD has been shown to have a significant inhibitory effect on suppresses the inflammatory cells associated with uveitis. However, the key functional combination of component groups and their possible mechanisms remain unclear.

Methods

The community detecting model of the network, the functional response space, and reverse prediction model were utilized to decode the key components group (KCG) and possible mechanism of LXD in treating uveitis. Finally, MTT assay, NO assay and ELISA assay were applied to verify the effectiveness of KCG and the accuracy of our strategy.

Results

In the components-targets-pathogenic genes-disease (CTP) network, a combination of Huffman coding and random walk algorithm was used and eight foundational acting communities (FACs) were discovered with important functional significance. Verification has shown that FACs can represent the corresponding C-T network for treating uveitis. A novel node importance calculation method was designed to construct the functional response space and pick out 349 effective proteins. A total of 54 components were screened and defined as KCG. The pathway enrichment results showed that KCG and their targets enriched signal pathways of IL-17, Toll-like receptor, and T cell receptor played an important role in the pathogenesis of uveitis. Furthermore, experimental verification results showed that important KCG quercetin and sitosterol markedly inhibited the production of nitric oxide and significantly regulated the level of TNF-α and IFN-γ in Lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells.

Discussion

In this research, we decoded the potential mechanism of the multi-components-genes-pathways of LXD’s pharmacological action mode against uveitis based on an integrated pharmacology approach. The results provided a new perspective for the future studies of the anti-uveitis mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.

[Correlation between swallowing function and pulmonary ventilation function and respiratory muscles strength in patients with dysphagia after stroke]

Objective: To observe the difference of pulmonary function among patients with dysphagia after stroke, patients without dysphagia and normal people, and to explore the correlation between swallowing function and pulmonary function. Methods: From September 2018 to April 2019, 310 stroke patients were enrolled from the rehabilitation department and neurology department of sun yat-sen memorial hospital, sun yat-sen university, of which 60 were selected as standard stroke patients. Pulmonary function of the three groups was assessed by pulmonary function detector and further compared. The swallowing function of the dysphagia group after stroke was examined by using videofluroscopic swallowing study (VFSS). The swallowing function was quantitatively assessed by Rosenbek penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), dysphagia outcome and severity scale (DOSS) and videofluoroscopy dysphagia scale (VDS), and the correlation between swallowing function and respiratory function was analyzed. Results: There were significant differences in pulmonary function among three groups (P<0.05). Besides the FEF25,FVC, FIVC between patients with dysphagia after stroke and patients without dysphagia, the FEF75 between patients without dysphagia and normal people (all P>0.05), there were significant differences in the pairwise comparison of other indicators (all P<0.05). There were correlations between PAS and MIP (r=-0.618, P=0.001),PAS and MEP (r=-0.410, P=0.038), PAS and PEF (r=-0.443, P=0.024), DOSS and MIP (r=0.602, P=0.000),DOSS and MEP (r=0.496, P=0.005), DOSS and PEF (r=0.553, P=0.002), VDS and MEP (r=-0.483, P=0.012),VDS and PEF (r=-0.494, P=0.010), respectively. Conclusion: The pulmonary function of dysphagia patients after stroke decrease significantly, and the severity of dysphagia is correlated with the decrease of pulmonary function.

[ZHUANG Li-xing's experience of using mind-regulation acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia]

Professor ZHUANG Li-xing's clinical experience of using mind-regulation acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia is summarized. Professor ZHUANG believes that the physical pain symptoms in patients could cause negative emotions, which often lead to a series of mental symptoms, which in turn aggravate or induce pain. Therefore, the treatment for this disease should start with mind regulation, with Baihui (GV 20) through Sishenzhen, Shenmen (HT 7), Neiguan (PC 6), Shenmai (BL 62), Zhaohai (KI 6), Siguan (Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3)), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Shuigou (GV 26) and Suliao (GV 25) as main acupoints to regulate mind and relieve pain, in combination of local analgesia and ear acupuncture, which has obtained satisfied curative effect.

[Post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome treated with floating-needle therapy combined with rehabilitation training: a randomized controlled trial]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the clinical efficacy in the treatment of post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome between floating-needle therapy and conventional acupuncture on the basis of rehabilitation training.

METHODS

One hundred cases of post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome were randomized into a floating-needle group and an acupuncture group, 50 cases in each one. The passive and positive rehabilitation training was adopted in the two groups. Additionally, in the floating-needle group, the floating-needle therapy was used. The needle was inserted at the site 5 to 10 cm away from myofasical trigger point (MTrP), manipulated and scattered subcutaneously, for 2 min continuously. In the acupuncture group, the conventional acupuncture was applied at Jianqian (EX-UE), Jianyu (LI 15), Jianliao (TE 14), etc. The treatment was given once every two days, 3 times a week, and 14 days of treatment were required. The shoulder hand syndrome scale (SHSS), the short form McGill pain scale (SF-MPQ) and the modified Fugl-Meyer motor function scale (FMA) were used to evaluate the damage severity, pain and motor function of the upper limbs before and after treatment in the two groups. The clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

SHSS score, SF-MPQ score and FMA score were improved significantly after treatment in the two groups (all P < 0.01), and the improvements in the floating-needle group were superior to those in the acupuncture group (all P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 94.0% (47/50) in the floating-needle group, which was better than 90.0% (45/50) in the acupuncture group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The floating-needle therapy combined with rehabilitation training achieves a satisfactory efficacy on post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome, which is better than the combined therapy of conventional acupuncture and rehabilitation training.

Optical emission from C60-molecule-coupled Si nanocrystallites

Using C60 molecule as a kind of surface-passivated agent to modify the electronic structure of Si nanocrystallites in porous silicon, we disclose that this kind of C60/nanocrystalline Si coupling system can show a strong blue emission at approximately 460 nm when stored in air for more than one year. After a full characterization of the photoluminescence properties, we propose a luminescent center in the SiOx layer at the surface of a Si nanocrystallite. It is a pair consisting of an oxygen vacancy and an interstitial oxygen. The interstitial oxygen also forms a peroxy linkage with a neighboring lattice oxygen. Radiative recombination of carriers photogenerated from Si nanocrystallite cores in the luminescent centers results in the observed blue photoluminescence. Neutron irradiation experiments support our assignment of the blue emission mechanism. This work improves the understanding of the origin of blue emission from silicon/oxygen-related nanostructured materials.

Guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) and cations regulate melatonin receptors, and melatonin inhibits cyclic AMP production in the spinal cord

Effects of guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) and cations on 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding were investigated in membrane preparations of the chicken spinal cord. At concentrations of 10 and 50 mumol/l, GTP gamma S dose-dependently increased (p < 0.05) the equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) and depressed (p < 0.05) the maximum number of binding sites (Bmax). Na+ at a concentration of 125 mmol/l significantly increased (p < 0.05) the Kd and decreased (p < 0.05) the Bmax, and Mg2+ (2.5 mmol/l) significantly increased (p < 0.05) the Bmax without changes in Kd. In addition, Na+ and Mg2+ affected the interactions of GTP gamma S with melatonin receptors. In the spinal cord explants, melatonin (10 nmol/l) attenuated forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP production by 53.1%, and preincubation with pertussis toxin abolished this effect of melatonin. These results suggest that the melatonin receptors in the chicken spinal cord are linked to its second messenger via a pertussis-toxin-sensitive guanine-nucleotide-binding protein, and that cations modulate these receptors. Our studies further support a previous hypothesis that melatonin exerts a direct action on spinal cord functions.