Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Jin.
It has been discovered through investigation across the country that, thus far, the Radix Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae is derived from 12 species (varieties, forms) of 3 families. Their classification characters are discussed and a key is given in this paper.
Four compounds were isolated from the roots of Euphorbia nematocypha. Three of them were identified as A'-neogammacer-22(29)-en-3 beta-ol (18 beta.21 alpha) (II), jolkinolide E (III) and beta-sitoesterol (IV). Among them, II was obtained from the genus Euphorbia and III from this plant for the first time.
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The Shi-ka-Ron, and its constituent Chinese herbs Lithospermum erythrorhizon, Astragalus membranaceus and Ligusticum Wallichii were administered with antitumor agent, mitomycin C (MMC) to ICR mice, and their effects on murine macrophages and lymphocytes were studied. Peritoneal macrophages were significantly inhibited both in their number and chemotactic activity by MMC treatment. Splenic weight and blastogenic responsiveness to Concanavalin A of spleen lymphocytes also decreased significantly in MMC-treated mice. NK cell activity was also suppressed by MMC treatment. When these mice were orally treated with extracts of Shi-ka-ron or each Chinese herbs mentioned above, it showed protective effects to immunosuppressive mice on all 5 items studied. The number of macrophages, and the functions of macrophages and lymphocytes maintained the same or more than normal levels in MMC plus each group of these extracts treated mice. These results suggest that the Shi-Ka-Ron and Chinese herbs could resist immunosuppression induced by antitumor agent MMC, and its mechanisms might be correlated with stimulation of the RES (reticuloendothelial system), activation of T cell blastogenesis and NK cell cytotoxicity.
Liver biopsy and autopsy specimens of 153 cases, including 39 cases of acute severe hepatitis (ASH), 21 cases of subacute severe hepatitis (SSH), 11 cases of chronic severe hepatitis (CSH), 22 cases of active cirrhosis (AC), 20 cases of acute mild (AMH), chronic persistent (CPH) and active hepatitis (CAH), respectively, were immunohistochemically stained for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) to compare the proliferative activity of hepatocytes by using labelling index (LI). LI is higher in CAH, SSH, and AMH than in AC and CSH (P < 0.01). In the latter, LI was completely negative in most of the specimens (25/33, 75.8%) and few scattered hepatocytes positive for PCNA were found in the remaining 8 cases (8/33, 24.2%) in the area next to the fibrotic septum and varied greatly in different pseudolobules. The results showed that the proliferative activity was very low in the AC and CSH. In some cases of ASH, the residual hepatocytes still kept prominent proliferating ability; it meant that the survived percentage would have been increased with regeneration of hepatocytes if those patients had not died early. In ASH and SSH, LI was significantly higher in patients who survived than in those who died (P < 0.01). The detection of PCNA in liver tissue with severe viral hepatitis is useful for prognostic evaluation.
The epitopes have been localized for a set of monoclonal antibodies specific for the alpha subunit of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. The antibodies are classified into three groups based on their epitopic assignments. Group 1, mAb 123C2, maps in the N terminus of alpha between amino acids 1 and 23; Group 2 antibodies (mAb 129C4, mAb 124D1 and mAb 121C5) map in the central region between amino acids 190 and 210; Group 3 antibodies (mAb 130B1 and mAb 125C6) map in the C terminus between amino acids 310 and 320. mAb 130C2 is anomalous since it maps to the N terminus between amino acids 1 and 23 as well as to the C terminus between amino acids 320 and 329. The antibodies were used to investigate the role of alpha in transcription activation with cAMP receptor protein-dependent promoters. Three antibodies (130C2, 121C5, and 125C6) inhibited cAMP receptor protein-dependent initiation with lac P+ but not with lac UV5 or gal P+. Inhibition was observed with free RNA polymerase and the closed promoter complex; the preformed open promoter complex was insensitive. Only lac P+ was sensitive to these anti-alpha antibodies supporting the concept that the mode of interaction of RNA polymerase with cAMP receptor protein differs between lac P+ and gal P+.
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Shi-Ka-Ron is a prescription composed of 8 crude extracts of Chinese herbs. It reduces suppression of cytokine production by peritoneal macrophages in mice Immunocompromised by the anti-tumor agent, cyclophosphamide (CY), in vivo. Although it dose not increase IL-1 production in vitro, it enhances TNF production. We found that Ginseng radix, Lithospermi radix, Astragli radix and Glycyrrhizae radix somewhat reduced suppression of cytokine production in CY treated macrophages. Especially, Glycyrrhizae radix shows an active immune response both in vivo and in vitro. Our results suggested that the mechanism underlying immunomodulation of Shi-Ka-Ron is closely related to cytokine production: each herb stimulating macrophages.
Extracts of Chinese herbs were administered with antitumor agent, cyclophosphamide (CY), and their effects on macrophages and lymphocytes were studied. Number of peritoneal macrophages significantly decreased and their chemotactic activity was suppressed by treatment with CY. Blastogenic responsiveness to Concanavalin A and NK cell activity of spleen lymphocytes were suppressed significantly in CY-treated mice. Extracts of Lithospermi radix, Astragali radix and Glycyrrhizae radix showed protective effects on immunosuppressive mice. The number of macrophages, chemotactic activity of macrophages and blastogenic response of lymphocytes were recovered to the same or more than that of normal levels. An extract of Ginseng radix showed protective effects on the number and functions of macrophages by treatment with CY but did not show any effects on the lymphocytic blastogenesis. On the contrary it showed a strong inhibitory effect on the NK cell activity. These results suggest that Chinese herbs could modulate cellular immune response, especially in the activation of macrophages and splenic lymphocytes.
One hundred and eight cases of sequelae of cerebro-vascular accident were randomly divided into two groups temporal point group (TG, 58 cases) and body acupuncture group (BG, 50 cases). It was shown that after 30 treatments the therapeutic effects were significantly different statistically (P < 0.01) between the two groups. The effect in TG was better than that in BG. It indicates that the two acupuncture therapies can improve blood rheology in patients. The ameliorative function in TG was better than that in BG.
We have used a combination of spectroscopic, calorimetric, and computational techniques to characterize the properties of nucleic acid complexes with 2',5''- and 3',5''-phosphodiester linkages. Specifically, we have compared the properties of complexes formed by the association of 3',5'' single-stranded 16-mers of adenylic acid (A16) and thymidylic acid (T16) with the complexes formed by the corresponding single-stranded 16-mers with 2',5''-phosphodiester linkages (A*16 and T*16). Our results reveal the following differential features: (i) the 3',5'' strands form either a duplex or a triplex, depending on the sodium ion concentration, whereas the 2',5'' strands form either a triplex or no complex at all; (ii) the 2',5'' and 3',5'' triplexes exhibit significantly different CD spectra, suggesting that the two triplex states are conformationally nonequivalent; (iii) the 2',5'' triplex has a lower charge density than the 3',5'' triplex; (iv) the thermal stability of the 3',5'' triplex, as expected, is concentration dependent, whereas the thermal stability of the 2',5'' triplex is concentration independent; (v) relative to their component single strands, the 2',5'' triplex is thermodynamically much less stable than the 3',5'' triplex, despite being thermally more stable; (vi) the reduced thermodynamic stability of the 2',5'' triplex relative to the 3',5'' triplex is overwhelmingly enthalpic in origin. In the aggregate, our results reveal and characterize significant differences in the properties of complexes formed by the association of strands with identical base sequences but different phosphodiester linkages. We describe a structural model that is consistent with many of the differential properties observed. We also speculate on how these differential properties may have provided an evolutionary advantage for 3',5'' linkages and how the properties of 2',5'' complexes might be exploited in antisense strategies.
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Guinea pigs have been used extensively to model pulmonary hypersensitivity responses. Although guinea pigs produce mainly immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) antibodies and humans produce IgE, both immunoglobulin classes have been shown to be regulated similarly. We used an established guinea pig model to examine the role of IgG1 in immediate- and late-onset pulmonary hypersensitivity responses. IgG1 was purified from the serum of ovalbumin-immunized animals and shown to be free of IgE. It was transferred into naive recipients in doses quantified on the basis of its biological activity as measured in the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) assay. Inhalation challenge of recipient animals 24 h later with an ovalbumin aerosol produced immediate-onset airway constrictive responses, with response dependent upon the quantity of antibody passively administered. None of the recipient animals displayed a late-phase response previously shown to be characterized by increased breathing frequency, airflow limitation during exhalation, and mild fever. However, pulmonary eosinophilia, measured at 24 h postinhalation challenge, was detected with the severity of the eosinophilia dependent upon the quantity of IgG1 administered. The results indicated that immediate-, but not late-onset, responses were associated with IgG1 antibody. Occurrence of late-onset pulmonary eosinophilia indicated that eosinophilic inflammation, a recognized characteristic of hypersensitivity responses, was related to antigen-specific IgG1 antibody.
Phagocytosis, a secondary function of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells essential to sight, was significantly decreased, when measured with latex beads, during persistent rubella virus (RV) infection of human cultured RPE cells. A target for RV in vivo, RPE cells infected with RV (RPE/RV) ingested fewer fluorescent microspheres (26%) than did uninfected RPE cells (68%) (P < 0.001), as measured by flow cytometry. In RPE/RV cells, with characteristic RPE monolayer appearance and normal growth during subculturing over 6 months, persistent RV infection was shown by specific RV antigen immunofluorescence, by the presence of the RV genome in RPE/RV cell messenger RNA, and by recovery of cell-free RV after cocultivation with Vero cells. The adhesion of latex beads to apical cell surfaces of RPE/RV and uninfected RPE cells appeared similar, as imaged by scanning electron microscopy. Cytoskeletal actin, a component of phagocytosis in RPE, appeared altered in 60 to 75% of RPE/RV cells by antiactin immunofluorescence staining, as previously described in other RV-infected cells, but its role in the disturbed phagocytosis of latex beads was not determined. Persistently RV-infected human RPE is an additional example of RV-associated secondary cellular dysfunction in the absence of cytopathic effects.