ABSTRACT The effects of rheum on serum parameters in a taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) rat model were investigated using pathological and biochemical tests, and a proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabonomic strategy. Healthy rats and rats with AP were either treated with rheum (7.5% at a dose of 1.5 g/kg) or left untreated. Serum samples were collected from the AP and rheum-treated groups at 6, 12, and 24 h after treatment. The effect of rheum on pathological changes in the pancreatic was investigated to validate the AP model. We obtained 1H NMR spectra and analyzed the results using the partial least squares discriminant method. The results of the pathological and metabolic analyses revealed an amelioration of multiple metabolic abnormalities and an increase in the aerobic respiration ratio after treatment, compared with the AP groups. These results were attributed to improvements in energy supply and the elimination of metabolic products. The study also promoted NMR-based metabonomic analysis as a feasible method of assessing traditional Chinese drugs.

ABSTRACTThe genus Enterovirus, a member of thePicornavirus family, are RNA viruses that can cause poliomyelitis, hand-food-mouth disease, viral meningitis or meningoencephalitis, viral myocarditis and so on. MicroRNAs are a class of highly conserved, small noncoding RNAs recognized as important regulators of gene expression. Recent studies found that MicroRNAs play a significant role in the infection ofEnterovirus, such as enterovirus 71, coxsackievirus B3 and other Enterovirus. Enteroviral infection can alter the expression of cellular MicroRNAs, and cellular MicroRNAs can modulate viral pathogenesis and replication by regulating the expression level of viral or host's genes. Herein, this review summarizes the role of MicroRNAs in enteroviral infection.

A polyhistidine-tagged recombinant tegumental protein Schistosoma japonicum very lowdensity lipoprotein binding protein (SVLBP) from adult Schistosoma japonicum was expressed in Escherichia coli. The affinity purified rSVLBP was used to vaccinate mice. The worm numbers and egg deposition recovered from the livers and veins of the immunized mice were 33.5% and 47.6% less than that from control mice, respectively (p<0.05). There was also a marked increase in the antibody response in vaccinated mice: the titer of IgG1 and IgG2a, IgG2b in the vaccinated group was significantly higher than that in the controls (>1:6,400 in total IgG). In a comparison of the reactivity of sera from healthy individuals and patients with rSVLBP, recognition patterns against this parasite tegumental antigen varied among different groups of the individuals. Notably, the average titres of anti-rSVLBP antibody in sera from faecal egg-negative individuals was significantly higher than that in sera from the faecal egg-positives, which may be reflect SVLBP-specific protection. These results suggested that the parasite tegumental protein SVLBP was a promising candidate for further investigation as a vaccine antigen for use against Asian schistosomiasis.