OBJECTIVETo identify comparatively several commercial Chinese herbal medicines and their counterfeits.

METHODThe micromorphological characters were identified. The shape, surface, section and other characters of the medicinal materials were identified by using anatomical lens and scanning apparatus. Pictures were taken and saved.

RESULTMain micromorphological differences between several Chinese herbal medicine including Lonicera macranthoides, L. similis, Cuminum cyminum, Plantago asiatica, Cuscuta chinensis, Sinapis alba, Salvia miltiorrhiza and their counterfeits were identified.

CONCLUSIONThe reference for the authenticity identification of Chinese herbal medicine and helpful experiences for the research of the same subject were provided.

Cuminum ; anatomy & histology ; classification ; Cuscuta ; anatomy & histology ; classification ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Plants, Medicinal ; anatomy & histology ; classification ; Quality Control ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; anatomy & histology ; classification ; Sinapis ; anatomy & histology ; classification

Aim To study the influence of Sodium fer-ulate ( SF) on bone metabolism in glucocorticoid–in-duced osteoporosis rats. Methods Thirty cases of fe-male Wistar Rats(3-month-old) were divided into con-trol group, model group and SF group ( low-dose group, middle-dose group, high-dose group ) by ran-domized block design. Double fluorochrome labeling with calcein was performed before necropsy. The left tibia was taken for bone histomorphometry. Results In static parameters, the proximal tibia cancellous bone trabecular thickness, trabecular quantity and area ratio were significantly reduced in model group compared with control group;while compared with model group, those were increased in middle and high-dose SF group. Trabecular separation degree was increased in model group compared with control group, while it was decreased in middle and high-dose SF group compared with model group. In dynamic parameters, the calcula-tion parameters of cancellous bone mark perimeter rate and the bone formation rate were increased in model group compared with control group, in middle and high-dose SF group the bone formation rate was in-creased compared with model group. In bone cells, os-teoclast number per mm, osteoblast number per mm, percent osteoblast surface perimeter and percent osteo-clast surface perimeter were increased in model group compared with control group. In growth-plate, the thickness of growth-plate was increased in model group compared with control group. In bone cells and growth-plate there was no statistical significance between treat-ment group and model group. Conclusion This study demonstrates that SF can increase bone mass and im-prove bone structure,which may be related to the im-provement of bone formation. SF is effective for GIOP in rats.

Stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA), defined as a decrease in responses to a common stimulus that only partially generalizes to other rare stimuli, is a widespread phenomenon in the brain that is believed to be related to novelty detection. Although cross-modal sensory processing is also a widespread phenomenon, the interaction between the two phenomena is not well understood. In this study, the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), which is regarded as a hub of the attentional system that contains multi-modal neurons, was investigated. The results showed that SSA existed in an interactive oddball stimulation, which mimics stimulation changes from one modality to another. In the bimodal integration, SSA to bimodal stimulation was stronger than to visual stimulation alone but similar to auditory stimulation alone, which indicated a limited integrative effect. Collectively, the present results provide evidence for independent cross-modal processing in bimodal TRN neurons.
Acoustic Stimulation ; Animals ; Auditory Perception/physiology* ; Geniculate Bodies ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Thalamic Nuclei/physiology*