Objective Identify the arsenic and fluorin contents in coal from major producing coal mines in south of Shaanxi,providing a scientific foundation for the formulation of the prevention strategy.Methods In the 6 major coal mine areas governed by Ankang and Hanzhong city,the 62 mines with comparatively large production scales and sales locally,which may have some effective forces on the causing of the local arsenic and fluorin poisoning,were inveatigated,on-the-spot sampling are carried out,the fluorine in coal was determined by the combustion-hydrolysis/fluoride-ion selective electrode method and the arsenic in coal was determined by the atomic fluorescence.Results The maximum of the fluoride content in coal from the 62 investigated coal mines was 3 053.04 mg/kg,and the minimum was 6.58 mg/kg;the arithmetic mean was 1 034.30 mg/kg;the geometric mean was 656.85 mg/kg;The maximum of arsenic content in coal was 484.71mg/kg,and the minimum was 29.64 mg/kg;the arithmetic mean was 197.64 mg/kg,the geometric mean was 174.29 mg/kg.Conclusion The contents of fluoride and arsenic are seriously exceeded the standard limits in the 62 investigated coal mines,especially in stone coal mines.

Objective To investigate the expression of type Ⅱ collagen in the articular chondrocyte of osteoarthritis (OA) patients and normal human. Methods The samples of articular cartilage were obtained from the patients undergoing total joint replacement, including 8 primary OA patients, 8 secondary OA patients and 9 normal subjects. Type Ⅱ collagen expression in chondrocyte was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results The expressin of type Ⅱ collagen mRNA in normal OA group was higher than that in primary OA group and secondary OA group with a statistical difference (P=0.014), while there was no statistical difference between primary OA group and secondary OA group(P=0.716). Conclusions The reduction of type Ⅱ collagen expression leads to the change of collagen directly and possibly plays an important role in OA, which is the common pathway of the occurrence of both the primary and secondary OA.

Objective To investigate the relationship of the expression of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase(PI3K)subunits,P85 and P110 to the pathogenesis of psoriasis.Methods Immunohistochemical staining for P85 and P110 was performed in the tissue specimens from patients with psoriasis(n=30),chronic dermatitis(n=20),seborrheic keratosis(n=20),squamous cell carcinoma(n=20),basal cell carcinoma(n=30)and normal human controls(n=10).The absorbance of immunostained tissue was quantified with image analysis system (Q550CW,Leica,Manheim,Germany).Statistical analysis was carried out by ANOVA,Results Among these groups,a significant difference was observed in the expression level of P110 in the epidermis(F=35.64,P＜0.01),as well as in that of P85(F=59.98,P＜0.01)and P110(F=323.23,P＜0.01)in the lymphocytes infiltrating the lesion.Increased expression of P110 was found in the epidermis of psoriatic lesions compared with the lesions in the other disorders,whereas no significant difference was noticed among the other disorders.In the case of P85 and P110 expression in the lesion-infiltrating lymphocytes infiltrating the lesion,psoriasis and squamous cell carcinoma significantly differed from the other disorders,while no difference was observed between psoriasis and squamous cell carcinoma (P＞0.05).Conclusions The high expression of P110 might be closely correlated to the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes;but filrther study is needed to clarify the relationship of increased expression of P85 and P110 to the activation and proliferation of lymphocytes in psoriatic lesions.

Objective To investigate the significance of Akt in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.Methods Tissue specimens were obtained from involved and uninvolved skin of 30 patients with progressive psoriasis vulgaris and normal skin of 20 human controls.Immunohistochemistry.immunobloting and kinase activity assay were performed to detect the expressions of Akt and phosphorylated Akt as well as Akt activities in these specimens.Immunostaining intensity Was assessed by optical density detection and the results of immunobiot and activity assay by grey scanning.Statistical analyses were performed by variance analysis and student's t test.Results As immunohistochemistry revealed.there was no significant difierence in Akt protein expression among normal epidermis,psoriatic epidermis and uninvolved epidermis(F=0.611,P＞0.05):the level of phosphorylated Akt in psoriatic epidermis was significantly higher than that in normal epidermis and psoriatic uninvolved epidermis(F=19.081.P＜0.01).while no significant difierence was observed between normal epidermis and psoriatic uninvolved epidermis (t=0.624.P＞0.05).Immunoblot showed a significant difierence in phosphorylated Akt(t=237.75.P＜0.01)but not in Akt(t=1.378,P＞0.05)between psoriatic involved epidermis and normal epidermis.In comparison with normal epidermis,the activity of Akt in psoriatic involved epidermis was increased significantly(t=138.44 1.P＜0.0 1).Conclusion The overproliferation of psoriatic keratinocytcs may be associated with increased activation of Akt.

Objective:To evaluate and screen the anti-atrial ifbrillation drug with multiion channel targets by micro-electrode chip technology in a rapid atrial pacing (RAP) rabbit model.
Methods:A total of 32 rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups, n=8 in each group. Potassium channel blocker (TEA) group, Potassium channel blocker (BaCl2) group, Potassium channel blocker (CdCl2) group and Amiodarone group.
The electrode was inserted into right atrium via internal jugular vein with rapid right atrial pacing (600 beat/min) and the effect of each anti-atrial ifbrillation drug on ifeld action potential (fAPD) were measured in different groups.
Results:With 24 hour RAP, the fAPD was prolonged from (176.67 ± 8.66) ms to (196.11 ± 10.76) ms, P=0.012 in TEA group;from (182.22 ± 12.87) ms to (191.11 ± 13.09) ms, P=0.039 in BaCl2 group;from (178.33±7.85) ms to (206.67 ± 9.70) ms, P=0.0015 in CdCl2 group;from (167.38 ± 13.67) ms to (185 ± 15.14) ms, P=0.002 in Amiodarone group.
Conclusion: RAP induced atrial fibrillation in experimental rabbit model is a simple and feasible method for screening the anti-atrial fibrillation drugs, combining with micro-electrode chip technology, it might be used for developing the new product.

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constituents of Swertia macrosperma.

METHODThe air-dried whole plants of Swertia macrosperma were extracted with boiling water. The extract was concentrated to a small amount of volume and extracted with petroleum ether, EtOAc and n-BuOH, successively. The compounds were isolated and purified by column chromatography from the EtOAc fraction, and identified based on spectral analyses (MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR).

RESULTThirteen compounds were isolated from S. macrosperma, and were characterized as norbellidifolin (1), 1-hydroxy-3,7, 8-trimethoxy-xanthone (2), norswertianolin (3), swertianolin (4), 1,3,7,8-tetrahydroxyxanthone-8-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), swertiamatin (6), decentapicrin (7), coniferl aldehyde (8), sinapaldehyde (9), balanophonin (10), together with beta-sitosterol, daucosterol, and oleanolic acid .

CONCLUSIONCompounds 2, 4-10 were obtained from Swertia macrosperma for the first time.

In pursuit of effective agents for hepatocellular carcinoma derived from the Artemisia species, this study built upon initial findings that an ethanol (EtOH) extract and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of the aerial parts of Artemisia dubia Wall. ex Bess. exhibited cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells with inhibitory rates of 57.1% and 84.2% (100 μg·mL^-1), respectively. Guided by bioactivity, fourteen previously unidentified sesquiterpenes, artemdubinoids A-N (1-14), were isolated from the EtOAc fraction. Their structural elucidation was achieved through comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and corroborated by the comparison between the experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Single crystal X-ray diffraction provided definitive structure confirmation for artemdubinoids A, D, F, and H. Artemdubinoids A and B (1-2) represented unique sesquiterpenes featuring a 6/5-fused bicyclic carbon scaffold, and their putative biosynthetic pathways were discussed; artemdubinoid C (3) was a novel guaianolide derivative that might be formed by the [4 + 2] Diels-Alder reaction; artemdubinoids D and E (4-5) were rare 1,10-seco-guaianolides; artemdubinoids F-K (6-11) were chlorine-containing guaianolides. Eleven compounds exhibited cytotoxicity against three human hepatoma cell lines (HepG2, Huh7, and SK-Hep-1) with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values spanning 7.5-82.5 μmol·L^-1. Artemdubinoid M (13) exhibited the most active cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values of 14.5, 7.5 and 8.9 μmol·L^-1 against the HepG2, Huh7, and SK-Hep-1 cell lines, respectively, which were equivalent to the positive control, sorafenib.
Humans ; Artemisia/chemistry* ; Sesquiterpenes/chemistry* ; Cell Line ; Hep G2 Cells ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; Molecular Structure

Leading by cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells, bioactivity-guided fractionation of the EtOAc fraction from