Defective branched-chain amino acid catabolism in dorsal root ganglia contributes to mechanical pain

Impaired branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism has recently been implicated in the development of mechanical pain, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. Here, we report that defective BCAA catabolism in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons sensitizes mice to mechanical pain by increasing lactate production and expression of the mechanotransduction channel Piezo2. In high-fat diet-fed obese mice, we observed the downregulation of PP2Cm, a key regulator of the BCAA catabolic pathway, in DRG neurons. Mice with conditional knockout of PP2Cm in DRG neurons exhibit mechanical allodynia under normal or SNI-induced neuropathic injury conditions. Furthermore, the VAS scores in the plasma of patients with peripheral neuropathic pain are positively correlated with BCAA contents. Mechanistically, defective BCAA catabolism in DRG neurons promotes lactate production through glycolysis, which increases H3K18la modification and drives Piezo2 expression. Inhibition of lactate production or Piezo2 silencing attenuates the pain phenotype of knockout mice in response to mechanical stimuli. Therefore, our study demonstrates a causal role of defective BCAA catabolism in mechanical pain by enhancing metabolite-mediated epigenetic regulation.

Benzene metabolite hydroquinone enhances self-renewal and proliferation of preleukemic cells through the Ppar-γ pathway

Benzene is a known hematotoxic and leukemogenic chemical. Exposure to benzene cause inhibition of hematopoietic cells. However, the mechanism of how the hematopoietic cells inhibited by benzene undergo malignant proliferation is unknown. The cells carrying leukemia-associated fusion genes are present in healthy individuals and predispose the carriers to the development of leukemia. To identify the effects of benzene on hematopoietic cells, preleukemic bone marrow (PBM) cells derived from transgenic mice carrying the Mll-Af9 fusion gene were treated with benzene metabolite hydroquinone in serial replating of colony-forming unit (CFU) assay. RNA sequencing was further employed to identify the potential key genes that contributed to benzene-initiated self-renewal and proliferation. We found that hydroquinone induced a significant increase in colony formation in PBM cells. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Ppar-γ) pathway, which plays a critical role in carcinogenesis in multiple tumors, was significantly activated after hydroquinone treatment. Notably, the increased numbers of the CFUs and total PBM cells induced by hydroquinone were significantly reduced by a specific Ppar-γ inhibitor (GW9662). These findings indicated that hydroquinone can enhance self-renewal and proliferation of preleukemic cells by activating the Ppar-γ pathway. Our results provide insight into the missing link between premalignant status and development of benzene-induced leukemia, which can be intervened and prevented.

Prognostic Value of Exosomal Noncoding RNA in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-analysis

High morbidity, recurrence and mortality make hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) a leading cause of cancer-related burden and deaths. The lack of prognostic evaluation methods weakened the therapeutic efficacy for HCC. Exosomal noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a key role in cancer development. Our meta-analysis aimed to assess the prognostic value of exosome-transferred noncoding RNAs in predicting the outcomes of patients with HCC. We obtained 16 articles from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE up to 4 November 2021. The ncRNAs were divided into three parts：microRNAs (miRNA), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) and circular RNAs (circRNA). In the pooled hazard ratios (HRs), upregulated miRNAs were 3.06 (95% CI = 2.51-3.73), downregulated miRNAs were 3.28 (95% CI = 2.61-4.11), lncRNAs were 3.34 (95% CI = 1.87-5.96), and circRNAs were 1.76 (95% CI = 1.36-2.14). As the results of subgroup analysis, upregulated miRNAs had a pooled HR of 3.10 (95% CI = 1.66-5.81), and the HR of downregulated miRNAs was 3.04 (95% CI = 2.17-4.28) for multivariate analysis of overall survival (OS). Meanwhile, upregulated miRNAs had a pooled HR of 2.61 (95% CI = 1.89-3.60), and the HR of downregulated miRNAs was 3.77 (95% CI = 1.11-12.73) for multivariate analysis of other endpoints. Remarkably, miR-21 has a pooled HR of 2.48 (95%CI = 1.52-4.05, I 2 = 0) for disease-free survival (DFS). In conclusion, the expression of exosomal noncoding RNAs can be used to evaluate the prognosis of patients with HCC. Exosome-transferred miR-21 might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in HCC.

Obesity by High-Fat Diet Increases Pain Sensitivity by Reprogramming Branched-Chain Amino Acid Catabolism in Dorsal Root Ganglia

Obesity is a significant health concern as a result of poor-quality diet, for example, high-fat diet (HFD). Although multiple biological and molecular changes have been identified to contribute to HFD-induced pain susceptibility, the mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we show that mice under 8 weeks of HFD were sensitive to mechanical and thermal stimuli, which was coupled with an accumulation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRG) due to local BCAA catabolism deficiency. This HFD-induced hyperalgesic phenotype could be exacerbated by supply of excessive BCAAs or mitigated by promotion of BCAA catabolism via BT2 treatment. In addition, our results suggested that HFD-related pain hypersensitivity was associated with a pro-inflammatory status in DRG, which could be regulated by BCAA abundance. Therefore, our study demonstrates that defective BCAA catabolism in DRG facilitates HFD-induced pain hypersensitivity by triggering inflammation. These findings not only reveal metabolic underpinnings for the pathogenesis of HFD-related hyperalgesia but also offer potential targets for developing diet-based therapy of chronic pain.

Development and external validation of a nomogram for individualized adjuvant imatinib duration for high-risk gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A multicenter retrospective cohort study

Introduction

The main emphasis of the research about adjuvant imatinib for high‐risk gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) is prolonging the treatment duration and ignores the heterogeneous that 10‐year recurrence rates ranged from about 20%–100%. Thus, this study evaluated the effect of different durations of adjuvant imatinib on outcomes in high‐risk GISTs to explore the feasibility of individual treatment.

Methods

We analyzed 855 high‐risk GIST patients from three centers who underwent macroscopically complete resection between December 2007 and September 2020. The patients were divided into training (n =564) and two validation cohorts (n = 238 and53) based on their source. Recurrence‐free survival (RFS) was the primary point. Cox multivariate analysis was used to develop the nomogram. C‐index, time‐dependent area under the curves, and calibration plots were used to assess the performance of the nomogram.

Results

Univariate analysis showed that longer adjuvant imatinib was significantly associated with better 5‐year RFS (p < 0.0001). Further investigation identified that the same high‐risk patients with lower tumor‐associated recurrence risk benefitted little from prolonged treatment and that the recommended adjuvant imatinib duration was insufficient for those with higher recurrence risk. A nomogram for predicting 2‐, 3‐, and 5‐year RFS based on different treatment durations and four major risk factors, namely, tumor site, size, mitotic count, and rupture status, was built and validated, with a C‐index of 0.82, 0.74, and 0.70 in training and two external validation cohorts, respectively. An online dynamic nomogram was further developed for clinical applications (https://ruolinliu666.shinyapps.io/GIST/), offering predictive recurrence rates based on different treatment durations and tumor features.

Conclusions

We developed a nomogram to predict the recurrence risk for high‐risk patients according to tumor features and treatment durations of imatinib to help physicians on decision‐making for individualized treatment duration.

Umifenovir treatment is not associated with improved outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019: a retrospective study

Objectives

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Umifenovir (Arbidol®) is an antiviral drug being used to treat influenza in Russia and China. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of umifenovir for COVID-19.

Methods

A retrospective study was performed in a non-intensive care unit (ICU) ward in Jinyintan Hospital from 2 February 2020 to 20 March 2020. COVID-19 was confirmed by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay of pharyngeal swab specimens. The confirmed patients were divided into the umifenovir group and the control group according to the use of umifenovir. The main outcomes were the rate of negative pharyngeal swab tests for SARS-CoV-2 within 1 week after admission and the time for the virus to turn negative. The negativity time of SARS-CoV-2 was defined as the first day of a negative test if the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 was negative for two consecutive tests.

Results

A total of 81 COVID-19 patients were included, with 45 in the umifenovir group and 36 in the control group. Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Thirty-three out of 45 (73%) patients in the umifenovir group tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 within 7 days after admission, the number was 28/36 (78%) in the control group (p 0.19). The median time from onset of symptoms to SARS-CoV-2 turning negative was 18 days (interquartile range (IQR) 12–21) in the umifenovir group and 16 days (IQR 11–21) in the control group (p 0.42). Patients in the umifenovir group had a longer hospital stay than patients in the control group (13 days (IQR 9–17) vs 11 days (IQR 9–14), p 0.04). No deaths or severe adverse reactions were found in both groups.

Discussion

Umifenovir might not improve the prognosis or accelerate SARS-CoV-2 clearance in non-ICU patients. A randomized control clinical trial is needed to assess the efficacy of umifenovir.

MiR-221 is involved in depression by regulating Wnt2/CREB/BDNF axis in hippocampal neurons

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of miR-221 in depression.

METHODS

The molecules expressions were measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. The sucrose preference test (SPT), forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to detect depressive-like symptoms. MTT assay and flow cytometric was used to measure the proliferation and apoptosis of hippocampal neuronal.

RESULTS

MiR-221 expression in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum of major depressive disorder patients and the hippocampus of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice were increased, while the expression of Wnt2, p-CREB and BDNF were decreased. Additionally, silence of miR-221 increased sucrose preference of CUMS mice and shortened the immobility time of CUMS mice in SPT and FST. MiR-221 could targeted regulate Wnt2, and knockdown of Wnt2 reversed the effect of miR-221 inhibitor on the proliferation and apoptosis of hippocampal neurons and countered the promoting effect of miR-221 inhibitor on the expression of Wnt2, p-CREB and BDNF.

CONCLUSION

MiR-221 could promote the development of depression by regulating Wnt2/CREB/BDNF axis.

A comparative study of magnetic resonance imaging on the gray matter and resting-state function in prodromal and first-episode schizophrenia

It is very difficult to predict the future development possibility of schizophrenia through the clinical symptoms of the high-risk cases. Therefore, how to determine the possibility of developing into schizophrenia individuals before the onset of the diseases are particularly important. The study investigated cerebral gray matter volume differences and resting-state functional connections among patients with psychosis risk syndrome (PRS), patients with first-episode schizophrenic (FES), and healthy controls (HC), aiming to provide scientific clinical evidence for schizophrenia early identification and intervention. A total of 19 PRS patients, 18 FES patients, and 29 HC were recruited. Gray matter volume and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) during resting-state functional studies were measured. Comparison of gray matter volumes showed that PRS and FES groups had common reduced gray matter volume in the right caudate. PRS and FES patients showed altered connectivity mainly in the semantic processing-related brain areas. fALFF analysis found that PRF and FES patients had significant differences in fALFF values of the brain region mainly located in the subcortical network, visual recognition network, and auditory network. In addition, PRF individuals had a higher fALFF value and a lower fALFF value in the anterior wedge of the cerebral network than the HC group. Gray matter volume loss between related brain areas might appear prior to illness onset. Similar fALFF values occurred in PRS and FES groups indicated that multiple brain regions of neuronal activity abnormalities and unconventional neural network mechanism have been existed in PRS patients.

Altered functional connectivity strength and its correlations with cognitive function in subjects with ultra-high risk for psychosis at rest

AIMS

Evidence of altered structural and functional connectivity in the frontal-occipital network is associated with cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia. However, the altered patterns of functional connectivity strength (FCS) in individuals with ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis remain unknown. In this study, whole-brain FCS was assessed to examine the altered patterns of FCS in UHR subjects.

METHODS

A total of 34 UHR subjects and 37 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled to undergo resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The imaging data were analyzed using the graph theory method.

RESULTS

Compared with healthy controls, UHR subjects showed significantly decreased FCS in the left middle frontal gyrus and significantly increased FCS in the left calcarine cortex. The FCS values in the left middle frontal gyrus were positively correlated to the scores of the Brief Assessments of Cognitionin Schizophrenia Symbol Coding Test (r = 0.366, P = 0.033) in the UHR subjects. A negative correlation was found between the FCS values in the left calcarine cortex and the scores of the Stroop color-naming test (r = -0.475, P = 0.016) in the UHR subjects. A combination of the FCS values in the 2 brain areas showed an accuracy of 87.32%, a sensitivity of 73.53%, and a specificity of 100% for distinguishing UHR subjects from healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Significantly altered FCS in the frontal-occipital network is observed in the UHR subjects. Furthermore, decreased FCS in the left middle frontal gyrus and increased FCS in the left calcarine have significant correlations with the cognitive measures of the UHR subjects and thus improve our understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia. Moreover, a combination of the FCS values in the 2 brain areas can serve as a potential image marker to distinguish UHR subjects from healthy controls.

Associations among maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain and risk of autism in the Han Chinese population

BACKGROUND

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an unclear etiology. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) have been suggested to play a role in the etiology of autism. The current study explores the associations among maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG and the risk of autism in the Han Chinese population.

METHODS

Demographic information, a basic medical history and information regarding maternal pre-pregnancy and pregnancy conditions were collected from the parents of 705 Han Chinese children with autism and 2236 unrelated typically developing children. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for the relationship among pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG and the occurrence of autism. The interaction between pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG was analyzed by performing stratification analyses using a logistic model.

RESULTS

After adjusting for the children's gender, parental age and family annual income, excessive GWG was associated with autism risk in the entire sample (OR = 1.327, 95% CI: 1.021-1.725), whereas the relationship between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and autism was not significant. According to the stratification analyses, excessive GWG increased the risk of autism in overweight/obese mothers (OR = 2.468, 95% CI: 1.102-5.526) but not in underweight or normal weight mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

The maternal pre-pregnancy BMI might not be independently associated with autism risk. However, excessive GWG might increase the autism risk of offspring of overweight and obese mothers.

[Combined cytotoxicity mechanism of chlorpyrifos and carbofuran pesticides in vitro]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the single and combined effects of chlorpyrifos( CPF) and carbofuran( CF) pesticides on cell lines cultured in vitro, and clarify the pattern of joint action.

METHODS

Rat pheochromocytoma( PC12 cells) were treated with different concentrations of CPF( 0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 μmol/L) and CF( 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 μmol/L) for 12 h separately, the combined effects of two kinds of pesticides should be studied respectively in the low dose( CPF 50 μmol/L, CF 25 μmol/L) and high dose( CPF 200 μmol/L, CF 100 μmol/L) levels. After exposure, detectingacetylcholinesterase( ACh E) activity and using fluorescent probe 2', 7'-dichlorfluorescin diacetate( DCFH-DA), thiobarbituric acid( TBA) method, xanthine oxidation, 5, 5 '-dithio-bis-2-nitrobenzoic acid( DTNB) coloration to detect the intracellular reactive oxygen species( ROS) production, lipid peroxidation production malondialdehyde( MDA), activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase( SOD) and glutathione peroxidase( GPx), respectively.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, CPF and CF could decrease the ACh E activity, induce ROS overproduction in a dose-effect way and increase the activity of SOD, GPx( P < 0. 01), but MDA content showed no significant change. Factorial ANOVA revealed that the combined effect of CPF and CF, there was no interaction at lower dose level, but interaction existed at higher dose level( P < 0. 01). The main mode of action was synergistic effect.

CONCLUSION

Chlorpyrifos, carbofuran single or combined, has cytotoxicity effect. The main combined effect between chlorpyrifos and carbofuran is synergistic effect, oxidative stress damage may be one of the mechanisms.

Activation of PPARγ/P53 signaling is required for curcumin to induce hepatic stellate cell senescence

Activation of quiescent hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is the major event in hepatic fibrogenesis, along with enhancement of cell proliferation and overproduction of extracellular matrix. Although inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis are potential strategies to block the activation of HSCs, a better understanding of the senescence of activated HSCs can provide a new therapeutic strategy for prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis. The antioxidant curcumin, a phytochemical from turmeric, has been shown to suppress HSC activation in vitro and in vivo. The current work was aimed to evaluate the effect of curcumin on senescence of activated HSCs and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. In this study, curcumin promoted the expression of senescence marker Hmga1 in rat fibrotic liver. In addition, curcumin increased the number of senescence-associated β-galactosidase-positive HSCs in vitro. At the same time, curcumin induced HSC senescence by elevating the expression of senescence markers P16, P21 and Hmga1, concomitant with reduced abundance of HSC activation markers α-smooth muscle actin and α1(I)-procollagen in cultured HSCs. Moreover, curcumin affected the cell cycle and telomerase activity. We further demonstrated that P53 pharmacological inhibitor pifithrin-α (PFT-α) or transfection with P53 siRNA abrogated the curcumin-induced HSC senescence in vitro. Meanwhile, curcumin disruption of P53 leading to increased senescence of activated HSCs was further verified in vivo. Further studies indicated that curcumin promoted the expression of P53 through a PPARγ activation-dependent mechanism. Moreover, promoting PPARγ transactivating activity by a PPARγ agonist 15d-PGJ2 markedly enhanced curcumin induction of senescence of activated HSCs. However, the PPARγ antagonist PD68235 eliminated curcumin induction of HSC senescence. Taken together, our results provided a novel insight into the mechanisms underlying curcumin inhibition of HSC activation through inducing senescence.

Cognitive functioning in schizophrenia with or without diabetes

OBJECTIVE

To determine the influence of schizophrenia patients with diabetes on cognitive function.

METHODS

Altogether 78 schizophrenia patients with diabetes and 118 patients with schizophrenia were enrolled and Negative and Positive Syndrome Scale, Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised Visual Reproduction Test, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Digit Symbol Test, Computerized Wisconsin Card Sorting Test,Trail Making Tests, Part A and B, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Digit Span Test were used to assess the clinical syndrome and to test the cognitive function.

RESULTS

Impairment of Processing Speed, Attention/Working Memory, Executive Functioning and Visual Memory in schizophrenia patients with diabetes was significantly poorer than that of the schizophrenia patients (all P<0.05). WAIS-R Digit Symbol Test score and Trail Making Test A and B scores were associated with diabetes duration and age at diabetes onset (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

The impairment of cognitive function in schizophrenia patients with diabetes is severer than schizophrenia patients, suggesting that the prevention and management of diabetes may improve cognitive outcome in schizophrenia patients.

[Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions and efferent control of cochlea]

OBJECTIVE

To study the relationship between spontaneous otoacoustic emissions(SOAE) and efferent control of cochlea and their clinical significance.

METHODS

SOAE, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE), distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) and contralateral white noise (60 dB SPL) suppression of TEOAE and DPOAE experiments were conducted in 312 ears of 95 patients with retrocochlear impairment and/or MOCS dysfunction and 64 normal young adults.

RESULTS

MOCS dysfunction was shown in 126 ears of 65 patients (130 ears) with auditory neuropathy, 2 ears of 2 patients with unilateral acoustic neuroma, 4 ears of 2 patients with hyperacusis, 14 ears of 26 patients(48 ears) with normal hearing level in unilateral or bilateral tinnitus. Stronger EOAE could be recorded in total 146 ears with MOCS dysfunction at any pure tone hearing level. SOAE could be recorded in 126 of 146 ears (86.3%) with MOCS dysfunction and 44 of 128 ears (34.3%) with normal hearing. SOAE of ears with MOCS dysfunction was mainly at frequencies from 0.693 to 3.055 kHz and SOAE of normal ears was at frequencies from 1.135 to 2.746 kHz. Average value of maximum amplitude of SOAE spectrum (-3.4 +/- 6.4) dB SPL was significantly greater than that in normal ears (-6.8 +/- 7.8) dB SPL (P < 0.01). The major frequency range of SOAE (0.693-3.055 kHz) in MOCS dysfunction ears was essentially consistent with that of efferent suppression in normal ears (0.7-3 kHz).

CONCLUSION

The modulation of the cochlear active mechanisms by MOCS mainly presents in the low- and mid-frequency regions, these frequencies correspond to the frequency range of SOAE. Stronger SOAE indicates pathophysiological significance. There is a clear clinical relationship between SOAE and the efferent modulation of the cochlea.

[An association study of histocompatibility leukocyte antigen-class II with Meniere's disease]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relation between histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-class II DRB1 and Meniére's disease in Chinese.

METHODS

Polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) technique was used. HLA-class II allele distribution were measured in 60 patients with Meniére's disease, in comparison with those in 85 normal population.

RESULTS

The results showed that the frequency of DRB1*09 allele was significantly lower in Meniére's disease patients than in those of controls (relative risk = 0.17, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

HLA-DRB1*09 of the patients with Meniére's disease was significant low. It implied that DRB1*09 may be a protective gene for Meniére's disease.

Capability of serum to convert streptomycin to cytotoxin in patients with aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss

Individual variations in sensitivity to the ototoxic effects of aminoglycoside antibiotics are well documented. Our research demonstrates that there is an apparent difference in serum from patients who are resistant or susceptible to aminoglycoside ototoxicity. In the first study, the cytotoxicity of sera from patients with and without hearing loss after various time periods following the discontinuation of aminoglycoside treatment was assayed using the isolated outer hair cell toxicity assay. The results indicate that sera from patients with hearing loss were significantly more toxic than sera from patients with normal hearing or minimal hearing loss. This toxicity may persist for up to 1 year after discontinuation of aminoglycoside therapy. In a second study, sera were obtained from patients who had received aminoglycoside therapy several years previously. None of these sera was toxic to isolated outer hair cells in vitro. Streptomycin was then incubated with the sera or a protein fraction isolated from sera, and the incubation mixtures were tested for toxicity. The percentage of damaged outer hair cells was significantly higher when streptomycin had been treated with sera or a serum protein fraction from patients with hearing loss (58+/-10% and 68+/-9%, respectively) than with sera or a serum protein fraction from a control group (10+/-5% and 17+/-4%, respectively). In addition, several incubation mixtures were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. A new chromatographic peak was only found in the incubations of streptomycin with serum protein from patients with hearing loss. The results suggest that sera from individuals sensitive to aminoglycoside antibiotics may metabolize these drugs to cytotoxins.

[Mondini's deafness]

Mondini's deafness was the congenital malformation of inner ear. We studied 199 ears of 106 cases. Most of them were found deaf when they were babies. High resolution computed tomography of temperal bone was described: cochlea malformation 4 ears; malformation of cochlea, vestibule and semicircular canal 90 ears; vestibular of semicircular malformation without cochlea malformation 105 ears, this type was called the vestibule malformation or untypically Mondini's. Of all the 199 ears there were 81 ears with enlargement of the vestibule aqueducts. The pathogeny, clinical manifestation and treatment were discussed.

[Study on essence of liver-qi stagnation in ulcerative colitis]

The links between stagnation of the Liver-Qi in the pathogenesis and ulcerative colitis (UC) were clinically and experimentally studied using the principle of nourishing the Liver in treated group and the principle of invigorating the Spleen in control group. The results showed that the effective rate was 96% in treated group and 82% in control group, and the difference was significant (P < 0.05); the formation rate of E rosettes and the transformation rate of lymphocytes were significantly raised in the two groups compared with the pre-treatment period, treated group was evidently superior to control group in the rate of dysfunction of autonomous nerve system (P < 0.01). The level of intestinal styrenated phenol (SP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) of UC model were determined in rats. The results showed that the level of SP and VIP significantly increased in UC model group. They markedly lowered in treated group compared with model group (P < 0.01) and there was significant difference in comparing with control group (P < 0.01). It revealed that Wei Chang Ning, a drug to nourishing the Liver, had the action of regulating neurological -endocrinological (gastrointestinal hormone)-immunological system.