OBJECTIVE:To provide reference for AIDS vaccine R&D in China through investigating AIDS vaccine patent ap-proval in America. METHODS:By combining keywords as HIV vaccine(s),AIDS vaccine(s) and Vaccine of HIV(AIDS) and classification number as A61K,A61P and C12P,related patents were retrieved from Thomson Innovation platform during Jan. 1981-Mar. 2015,and then analyzed in respects of patent data,patent approval trend,R&D ability,patent technology field distribu-tion,etc. RESULTS:A total of 1 272 patents were retrieved,including 405 valid patents. From 1985 to 2014,there were three stages for the change of AIDS vaccine application quantity,which were slow rise,fast rise and slow decline period;on the whole, the trend was on the rise. The main players were Duke University,United States Department of Health and Human Services,Pas-teur Institute,Connaught Laboratories Limited and Merck Group. AIDS vaccine R&D focused on pharmaceutical preparation,thera-peutic activity of medicinal preparations,microorganism,enzyme,etc. American scientific research institutions focused more on pharmaceutical preparation and peptide study. CONCLUSIONS:Though the AIDS vaccine field develops slowly,the future is still promising. In this field,America has stronger patent advantage and scientific research strength. AIDS vaccine R&D concentrates on pharmaceutical preparation,therapeutic activity of medicinal preparations and composition.

Objective To explore the change of plasma orexin-A levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods Lung function test and blood gas analysis were performed in 15 obese COPD patients,20 COPD patients without obesity,20 obese controls and 20 normal healthy adults(control group).In both obese COPD group and obese group,the body mass index(BMI)was higher than 25 and there was no significant difference in BMI.The plasma was deproteinized by chromatography,and the plasma orexin-A levels were determined by radioimmunoassay.Results The plasma orexin-A levels in the obese COPD group[(8.82?1.90)ng/L]and the non-obese COPD group[(8.69?1.84)ng/L]were significantly higher than those in the obese group[(7.18?1.45)ng/L(P 0.05).Plasma orexin-A levels in patients with COPD correlated negatively with partial pressure of oxygen(PaO_2)(r = -0.527 ,P

Objective Taking the total amino-acid, total flavones, chlorogenic acid, and volatile oil in Chrysanthemum morifolium as index to investigate the internal quality which relates to collection periods and processing methvods in order to compare the quality of species from oringinal habitats. Methods The contents of colorogenic acid in C. morifolium was analyzed by HPLC; the content of total flavones and amino-acid in C. morifolium were measured by spectrophotometery; and the volatile oil obtained by steam distilation extraction was weighted. Results The every indexes of viviparious chrysanthemum except chlorogenic acid was the best among various flowering periods so the viviparious chrysanthemum can be used as the first-class tea. The common tea produced by half-booming and full-booming flowers with higher yield and appropriate index. The machine processing is fast and suitable for the production to a large-scale. Conclusion The quality of C. morifolium planted in Ruicheng, Shanxi Province is equal to that in Tongxiang, Zhejiang Province, which depends on the collecting periods and processing methods, so does the volatile oil rather than the evironment of the habitat.

To compare the chemical change of Paeoniae Radix Alba (PRA) after vinegar-baking processing, as well as the effect of vinegar types exerted on the processing, 1H NMR-based metabolomic approach combined with multivariate statistical analysis was used to investigate the different metabolites between the raw and two vinegar-baked PRA. More than thirty metabolites were identified in the 1H NMR spectrum of PRA, and the multivariate statistical analysis showed that raw and two vinegar-baked PRA could be separated obviously. After vinegar-baking, the contents of isoleucine, lactate, alanine, arginine, albiflorin, and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) elevated, while those of sucrose, paeoniflorin and its analogues (calculated by benzoate) decreased. The chemical compositions of two vinegar-baked PRA were also different. Shanxi vinegar- baked PRA showed higher levels of leucine, isoleucine, valine, and albiflorin, while rice vinegar-baked PRA contained more sucrose and paeoniflorin's analogues (calculated by benzoate). And the chemical changes in Shanxi vinegar-baked PRA were greater than those of rice vinegar-baked PRA. The results revealed the chemical differences between raw and vinegar-baked PRA, as well as the influence of vinegar type on processing, in a holistic manner, the results obtained suggested that the correlations between the chemical change and the drug action after processing, as well as the vinegar type used in processing, should be further studied.

As an important kind of plant secondary metabolites and widely distributed in the plant kingdom, triter-penoid saponins have a variety of biological activities. The constitution and content of triterpenoid saponin are deter-mined by some key enzymes and their expressing level in triterpenoid saponins biosynthesis pathway. So, it is very important to illuminate the molecular mechanism of triterpenoid saponins biosynthetic pathway. In recent years, illu-mination of the entire biosynthetic pathway especially the confirmation and cloning of the key enzymes, such as squa-lene synthase, squalene epoxidase, cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and UDP-glycosyltransferase, had become one of the hot spots by many scholars. In this paper, the entire biosynthetic pathway and some kinds of key enzymes in-volved in the synthesis of carbon skeleton, and its oxidation, and glycation were reviewed for further demonstrating the biosynthetic pathway of triterpenoid saponins and providing a theoretical basis for artificial biosynthesis.

The association of spontaneous intracranial hypotension with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is rare. We report here a case of extensive cerebral venous sinus thrombosis involving three sinuses following spontaneous intracranial hypotension. The patient presented no other thrombotic risk factors except for spontaneous intracranial hypotension. This case adds to the evidence that spontaneous intracranial hypotension is a risk factor for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.

Objective To package the recombinant lentivirus containing HIV-1 Vpr gene and detect the effect of Vpr protein expression on the latent infection and lyric replication of KSHV.Methods The fragment of Vpr gene from expression plasmid pCI-neo-Vpr was cloned into the lentivirus vector pHAGE-CMV-MCS-IzsGreen,then the recombinant plasmid pHAGE-Vpr,package vector psPAX2 and envelope vector pMD2.G were cotransfected into 293T cells.GFP expression was observed by fluorescent microscopy.Culture media of 293T cells were harvested and filtered through 0.45 μm filter.After 293T cells were infected by a series of diluted lentivirus,the virus titer was checked by observing GFP expression.Vpr mRNA transcripts in 293T cells were detected by RT-PCR.Then BCBL-1 cells were infected by the recombinant lentivirus with 1 MOI,GFP expression was observed by fluorescent microscopy,and the mRNA transcripts and protein expression of Vpr in BCBL-1 cells were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot.Meanwhile,the mRNA transcripts and protein expression of KSHV lytic cycle gene Rta were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot,respectively.Results The recombinant lentivirus carrying HIV-1 Vpr was packaged successfully with the virus titer of 4 × 107 TU/ml.After infected with lentivirus,BCBL-1 cells could express GFP,and the exact band of Vpr was detectable by RT-PCR and Western blot.Moreover,the expression of KSHV Rta mRNA and protein were downregulated by Vpr protein.Conclusion Overexpression of HIV-1 Vpr mediated by the recombinant lentivirus could inhibit KSHV lytic replication and enhance KSHV latent infection.

The purpose of this study is to explore depression metabolic markers in rat hippocampus and to investigate the anti-depressant effect of genipin and its mechanisms using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabonomics. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) procedure was conducted to establish the depressive rat model. At the beginning of the third week, genipin low dose (25 mg x kg(-1)), middle dose (50 mg x kg(-1)), high dose (100 mg x kg(-1)), and venlafaxine (50 mg x kg(-1)) were given to the CUMS rats separately once daily for two weeks except control and model groups. Rat hippocampus was analyzed by 1H NMR based metabonomics after drug administration for 2 weeks. Significant differences in the metabolic profile of rat hippocampus of the CUMS treated group and the control group were observed with metabolic effects of CUMS including decreasing in glycine and N-acetylaspartate, increasing in inositol, glutamate, lactate, glutamine, taurine and alanine. Genipin showed ideal antidepressive effects at a dose of 50 mg x kg(-1) in rats, decrease of inositol, glutamate, lactate, alanine were observed, while glycine and N-acetylaspartate were increased. Important influence has been found on normal nervous system function of these significant changed metabolites, which suggests that the antidepressant effect of genipin may be played by enhancing the activity of neurons in hippocampus, repairing and improving the function of the neuron. The metabonomics approach is an effective tool for the investigation of the anti-depressant effect and pharmacologic mechanisms of genipin.

Water soluble extract (WSE) is an important index for the quality evaluation of Astragali Radix (AR). In this study, the WSE of the wild AR from Shanxi province (SX) and the cultivated AR from Gansu Province (GS) were compared. The WSEs of two types of AR were determined according to the appendix of Chinese pharmacopoeia. Then the WSEs were subjected to NMR analysis, and the obtained data were analyzed using HCA, PCA, OPLS-DA, microarray analysis, and Spearman rank analysis. In addition, the Pearson correlation of differential metabolites were also calculated. The results showed that the WSE content of GS-AR (37.80%) was higher than that of SX-AR (32.13%). The main constituent of WSE was sucrose, and other 18 compounds, including amino acids, organic acids, were also detected. Multivariate analysis revealed that SX-AR contained more choline, succinic acid, citric acid, glutamate, taurine and aspartate, while GS samples contained more sucrose, arginine and fumaric acid. In addition, the Pearson correlations between different metabolites of the two types of AR also showed apparent differences. The results suggested that the WSE of two types of AR differs not only in the content, but also in the chemical compositions. Thus, the cultivation way is important to the quality ofAR. This study supplied a new method for the comparison of extract of herbal drugs.

The conventional therapy for arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) is Western medicine. However, it has some adverse effects and does not respond to some patients, and it is also very expensive.