[Clinical analysis of 28 cases of calculous pyonephrosis undergoing B-ultrasound-guided renal puncture and drainage followed by secondary percutaneous nephrolithotomy]

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects of first phase renal puncture and drainage guided by B ultrasound and second phase percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PCNL) in the treatment of urinary calculi complicated with pyonephrosis. Methods: From January 2014 to April 2018, 28 patients with upper ureteral segment and kidney calculi complicated with pyonephrosis were collected. All patients received the pyonephrosis puncture under B ultrasound. After the inflammation was controlled and the clinical situation improved, the second phase was treated by PCNL. During the operation, routine in dwelling ureteral stent drainage and renal fistula wereperformed. The outcomes of the operation were observed. Results: A total of 28 cases were successfully punctured, the obstruction was relieved and the inflammation was controlled. Additionally, the second phase of PCNL surgery was successful, and there were no significant stone residues after PCNL. There were no complications such as severe systemic inflammatory response syndrome and severe hemorrhage. After 3 to 12 months of follow-up, renal function was restored to varying degrees, and there were no renal failure patients who needednephrectomy. Conclusions: Early diagnosis of urinary calculi complicated with pyonephrosis is the key to successful treatment. Active and effective B ultrasound-guided renal puncture and drainage, drainage of pus, and removal of urinary obstruction can improve the safety of the second phase of PCNL, and thus it attaches great importance to the treatment of pyonephrosis.

The chemokine CXCL1 and its receptor CXCR2 contribute to chronic stress-induced depression in mice

Depression is increasingly recognized as an inflammatory disease, with inflammatory crosstalk in the brain contributing its pathogenesis. Life stresses may up-regulate inflammatory processes and promote depression. Although cytokines are central to stress-related immune responses, their contribution to stress-induced depression remains unclear. Here, we used unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) to induce depression-like behaviors in mice, as assessed through a suite of behavioral tests. C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1)-related molecular networks responsible for depression-like behaviors were assessed through intrahippocampal microinjection of lenti-CXCL1, the antidepressant fluoxetine, the C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) inhibitor SB265610, and the glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) inhibitor AR-A014418. Modulation of apoptosis-related pathways and neuronal plasticity were assessed via quantification of cleaved caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein, cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein expression. CXCL1/CXCL2 expression was correlated with depression-like behaviors in response to chronic stress or antidepressant treatment in the UCMS depression model. Intrahippocampal microinjection of lenti-CXCL1 increased depression-like behaviors, activated GSK3β, increased apoptosis pathways, suppressed CREB activation, and decreased BDNF. Administration of the selective GSK3β inhibitor AR-A014418 abolished the effects of lenti-CXCL1, and the CXCR2 inhibitor SB265610 prevented chronic stress-induced depression-like behaviors, inhibited GSK3β activity, blocked apoptosis pathways, and restored BDNF expression. The CXCL1/CXCR2 axis appears to play a critical role in stress-induced depression, and CXCR2 is a potential novel therapeutic target for patients with depression.-Chai, H.-H., Fu, X.-C., Ma, L., Sun, H.-T., Chen, G.-Z., Song, M.-Y., Chen, W.-X., Chen, Y.-S., Tan, M.-X., Guo, Y.-W., Li, S.-P. The chemokine CXCL1 and its receptor CXCR2 contribute to chronic stress-induced depression in mice.

[Testicular CR16 and spermatogenesis]

Spermatogenesis is a complex regulatory process depending on a variety of hormones (such as FSH, LH, T, and 17beta estradiol), cytokines, and genes. Research on gene regulation in spermatogenesis has become a hot spot and revealed some spermato-genesis-related genes, such as AYZ, DAZ, YRRM, NOSTRIN, and so on. Reports are rarely seen on the role of CR16 in male reproduction, and its action mechanism in spermatogenesis is not yet clear. This article updates the role of CR16 in spermatogenesis in the male reproductive system from the perspective of Sertoli cells forming a blood-testis barrier.

[Protective effects of orientin on myocardial ischemia and hypoxia in animal models]

OBJECTIVE

To study the protective effects of orientin against myocardial ischemia and hypoxia in rats.

METHODS

The protective effect of orientin against myocardial ischemia and hypoxia was observed in mice by recording their survival time under closed normobaric hypoxia and time of cardiac electric disappearance due to trachea clamping, in rabbits by evaluating arachidonic acid (AA)-induced blood platelet aggregation, in guinea pigs by measuring the coronal flow in the isolated heart and in SD rats with myocardial ischemia induced by pituitrin injection.

RESULTS

Orientin (1, 2, 4 mg/kg) significantly prolonged the survival time of mice under closed normobaric hypoxia and the gasping duration induced by decapitation. Orientin at concentrations of 3, 10, and 30 micromol/L also inhibited AA-induced blood platelet aggregation in rabbits and increased coronal flow in the isolated heart of guinea pigs. At 0.75, 1.5, and 3.0 mg/kg, orientin significantly antagonized pituitrin-induced ECG changes.

CONCLUSION

Orientin may offer protection against myocardial ischemia and hypoxia in animal models in dose-dependent fashions.

Prediction of plasma protein binding of cephalosporins using an artificial neural network

An artificial neural network model is developed to predict the fraction of cephalosporins bound to plasma proteins (f(b)) from their molecular structural parameters. These molecular structural parameters are the molecular weight (MW), the surface area occupied by oxygen and nitrogen atoms (S(O),N), and the surface area occupied by hydrogen atoms attached to oxygen or nitrogen atoms (S(H)). For a training set of 20 cephalosporins and a test set of 3 cephalosporins, root mean squared errors (RMSE) between experimental fb values and calculated/predicted fb values are 0.036 and 0.045, respectively.

Branched-chain alkanols as skin permeation enhancers: quantitative structure-activity relationships

One long-standing approach for improving transdermal drug delivery is using penetration enhancers which reversibly decrease the skin barrier resistance. Though the skin permeation enhancement effect of chemical penetration enhancers has been studied extensively, their quantitative structure-activity relationships have not been adequately investigated. In this paper, we established the correlation equations between enhancement potencies and the physico-chemical parameters relevant to lipophilicity and position of hydroxyl group for 16 alkanols using the stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. These equations reveal that the enhancement potencies of alkanols are excellently correlated with their lipophilicity and position of the hydroxyl group. The enhancement potency of an alkanol will increase when it has greater lipophilicity but will decrease as the hydroxyl group moves from the end of the alkyl chain towards the center.

Prediction of human intestinal absorption using an artificial neural network

An artificial neural network model is developed to predict percent human intestinal absorption (%FA) of compounds from their molecular structural parameters. These parameters are the polar molecular surface area (PSA), the fraction of polar molecular surface area (FPSA, polar molecular surface area/ molecular surface area), the sum of the net atomic charges of oxygen atoms (Q(O)), the sum of the net atomic charges of nitrogen atoms with net negative atomic charges (Q(N)), the sum of the net atomic charges of hydrogen atoms attached to oxygen or nitrogen atoms (Q(H)), and the number of carboxyls (nCOOH). For a training set of 85 compounds anda test set of 10 compounds, root mean squared errors (RMSE) between experimental %FA valuesand calculated/predicted %FA values are 8.86% and 14.1%, respectively.

Vasodilatation produced by orientin and its mechanism study

In this paper we investigated the vascular activity and possible mechanism of Orientin, from bamboo leaves (Phyllostachys nigra), in isolated thoracic aortic rings from New Zealand rabbit. Among the four compounds, studied, only Orientin relaxed phenylephrine-induced contractions with an IC50 value of 2.28 microM in the endothelium intact and with an IC50 value around 7.27 microM in the endothelium removed aortic rings. The vasorelaxant effect of Orientin on endothelium-intact thoracic aortic rings was attenuated by the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, but not by indomethacin (a cyclooxygenase inhibitor), tetraethylammonium chloride (K+ channels inhibitor) or propranolol (beta-receptor inhibitor). Furthermore, Orientin inhibited norepinephrine (NE), CaCl2 and KCl-induced vasoconstriction concentration dependently in a non-competitive manner, and also reduced both the initial fast release and the sustained phases of phenylephrine-induced contractions. Orientin can stimulate NO production from endothelial cells. Orientin also increased cyclic guanosine 3,5-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) levels without changes in adenosine-3',5'-cyclic phosphoric acid (cAMP) in rabbit aorta. The results showed that Orientin relaxed thoracic aortic rings by the nitric oxide-cGMP pathway, and in the vascular smooth muscle inhibited the contraction induced by the activation of receptor-operating and voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Cyclooxygenase pathway, potassium channels, beta-receptors and cAMP pathway, on the other hand, had no apparent roles. The inhibition of both intracellular Ca2+ release and extracellular Ca2+ influx may be one of the main vasorelaxant mechanisms of Orientin.

A simple predictive model for blood-brain barrier penetration

A simple two-descriptor model to predict blood-brain barrier penetration is derived from a training set of 79 compounds: log BB = - 13.31V2 + 9.601V - 2.231PSA - 0.5290 (n = 79, r2 = 0.83) where log BB is the logarithm of the ratio of the steady-state concentration of the compound in the brain to in the blood, V (nm3) is the molecular volume, PSA (nm2) is the polar surface area which is defined as the sum of the van der Waals surface areas of oxygen atoms, nitrogen atoms, and attached hydrogen atoms in a molecule, n is the number of compounds, and r is the correlation coefficient. The model is validated by a leave-one-out procedure and an external test set (25 compounds). The results indicate that the model developed is statistically sound and is sufficiently reliable and robust for predictive use. The descriptors in the model can be easily computed and it is suitable for the rapid prediction of the blood-brain barrier penetration for a wide range of drug candidates.

Prediction of drug release from HPMC matrices: effect of physicochemical properties of drug and polymer concentration

A working equation to predict drug release from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) matrices was derived using a training set of HPMC matrices having different HPMC concentration (w/w, 16.5-55%) and different drugs (solubilities of 1.126-125.5 g/100 ml in water and molecular volumes of 0.1569-0.4996 nm(3)). The equation was log(M(t)/M( infinity ))=-0.6747+1.027 log t -0.1759 (log C(s)) log t +0.4027 (log V) log t -1.041C(H) +0.3213 (log C(s)) C(H) -0.4101 (log V) C(H) -0.3521 (log V) log C(s) (n=263, r=0.9831), where M(t) is the amount of drug released at time t, M( infinity ) the amount of drug released over a very long time, which corresponds in principle to the initial loading, t the release time (h), C(s) the drug solubility in water (g/100 ml), V the volume of drug molecule (nm(3)), and C(H) is HPMC concentration (w/w). The benefit of the novel model is to predict M(t)/M( infinity ) values of a drug from formulation and its physicochemical properties, so applicable to the HPMC matrices of different polymer levels and different drugs including soluble drugs and slightly soluble drugs.

A mathematical model to predict the release of water-soluble drugs from HPMC matrices

A mathematical model to predict the fraction of water-soluble drug released as a function of release time (t, h), HPMC concentration (CH, w/w), and volume of drug molecule (V, nm3) was derived with ranitidine hydrochloride, diltiazem hydrochloride, and ribavirin as model drugs. The model is log (M(t)/M(infinity)) = 0.5 log t-0.3322CH-0.2222V-0.2988 (n = 140, r = 0.9848), where M(t) is the amount of drug released at time t, M(infinity) is the amount of drug released over a very long time, which corresponds in principle to the initial loading, n is the number of samples, and r is the correlation coefficient. The model was validated using isoniazid and satisfactory results were obtained. The model can be used to predict the release fraction of various soluble drugs from HPMC matrices having different polymer levels.

A predictive model for the release of slightly water-soluble drugs from HPMC matrices

A model to predict the fraction of slightly water-soluble drug released as a function of release time (t, h), HPMC concentration (C(H), w/w), drug solubility in distilled water at 37 degrees C (C(s), g/100 mL), and volume of drug molecule (V, nm3) was derived when theophyline, tinidazole, and propylthiouracil were selected as model drugs. The model is log (M(t)/M(infinity)) = 0.8683 logt-0.1930C(s) logt + 0.5406V logt-1.227C(H) + 0.1594C(s) + 0.4423C(H)C(s) - 0.8655 (n = 130, r = 0.9969), where Mt is the amount of drug released at time t, Minfinity is the amount of drug released over a very long time, which corresponds in principle to the initial loading, n is the number of samples, and r is the correlation coefficient. The model was validated using sulfamethoxazole and satisfactory results were obtained. The model can be used to predict the release fraction of variousslightly water-soluble drugs from HPMC matrices having different polymer levels.

Limitation of Potts and Guy's model and a predictive algorithm for skin permeability including the effects of hydrogen-bond on diffusivity

The Potts and Guy's model for skin permeability, log P = alpha log K - beta MV + delta where P is the permeability coefficient of a compound from aqueous solution through human skin in vitro, K and MV are octanol-water partition coefficient and molecular volume of the compound respectively, and alpha, beta, delta are constants, is examined for a data set of 53 miscellaneous compounds. The model will result in over-estimation for penetrants having higher hydrogen-bond donor activity and underestimation for penetrants having no hydrogen-bond donor. A predictive algorithm for skin permeability including the effects of hydrogen-bond on diffusivity is proposed: log P = alpha log K - beta MV - gamma Hb + delta where Hb is the descriptor of hydrogen-bonding capacity of penetrants and gamma is a constant. The calculated log P values from the latter model are in good accordance with respective experimental ones for the data set.

Predicting blood-brain barrier penetration of drugs using an artificial neural network

An artificial neural network model is developed to predict the ratios of the steady-state concentrations of drugs in the brain to those in the blood (log BB) from their molecular structural parameters. These molecular structural parameters are the molecular volume (V), the sum of the absolute values of the net atomic charges of oxygen and nitrogen atoms which are hydrogen-bond acceptors (Q(O, N)), and the sum of the net atomic charges of hydrogen atoms attached to oxygen or nitrogen atoms (Q(H)). For a training set of 56 compounds and a test set of 5 compounds, root mean squared errors (RMSE) between experimental log BB values and calculated/predicted log BB values were 0.236 and 0.258, respectively. These molecular structural parameters can be obtained easily from quantum chemical calculations. The model is suitable for the rapid prediction of the blood-brain barrier penetration of drugs.

Predicting blood-brain barrier penetration of drugs by polar molecular surface area and molecular volume

AIM

To predict the blood-brain barrier penetration by polar molecular surface area and molecular volume.

METHODS

Polar molecular surface area and molecular volume are calculated by Monte Carlo method from the lowest energy conformation obtained using the semiempirical self-consistent field molecular orbital calculation AM1 method. The stepwise multiple regression analysis is used to derive the correlation equations between the ratios of the steady-state concentrations of the training compounds in the brain to in the blood (logBB)and their structural parameters.

RESULTS

For a training set of 56 compounds, logBB values are well correlated with the sums of surface areas of oxygen and nitrogen atoms (SO,N, A2, excluding the nitrogen atoms in nitrogen molecule or in nitro) and molecular volumes (V, A3). The regression equation is logBB = -1.331 x 10(-5)V2 + 9.228 x 10(-3)V -0.02439 SO,N -0.4318 (n = 56, r = 0.9043). The calculated logBB values of a test set of 10 compounds from the model agree well with their experimental logBB values.

CONCLUSION

The model is simple and effective. It can be used to predict the logBB values of candidate molecule in drug design.

[Predicting skin permeability of drugs with theoretical parameters]

AIM

To predict skin permeability of drugs with theoretical parameters.

METHODS

The semiempirical self-consistent field molecular calculation AM1 method is utilized to obtain the structural parameters of drug molecules. Stepwise multiple regression analysis or BP network is then utilized to establish the correlation between skin permeability of drugs and their structural parameters.

RESULTS

The calculated human skin permeability coefficients (kp) of 22 model drugs in vitro or the R values (R = absorbed/unabsorbed) of 17 drugs in vivo are in good agreement with their observed values.

CONCLUSION

Theoretical parameters can be used to predict skin permeability of drugs.

Activation of the receptor kinase domain of the trk oncogene by recombination with two different cellular sequences

A new chimeric oncogene, trk-2h, has been generated by recombination of two segments of MDA-MB231 human breast carcinoma cell line DNA after transfection in NIH/3T3 cells. The rearranged DNA segments form a fused transcriptional unit. Sequences at the 3' end are homologous to the tyrosine kinase receptor moiety found in the trk oncogene which resembles a truncated growth factor receptor lacking part of its extracellular domain (Martin-Zanca et al., 1986). The 5' sequence of the trk-2h oncogene is contributed by a gene which is expressed in all human cells tested, and is not related to any known gene. Transfection of the receptor kinase domain DNA fragment into NIH/3T3 cells generated another oncogene, trk-3mh, which contains a mouse-specific sequence fused 5' to the receptor kinase. All three trk recombinants have the receptor kinase moiety fused to an activating amino terminus at the same nucleotide in their transcriptional product.