To compare the chemical components of supercritical extracts from Herba Ephedrae and honey-prepared Herba Ephedrae. Volatile oils were extracted from Herba Ephedrae and honey-prepared Herba Ephedrae by supercritical CO 2 extraction and then identified by the combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Twenty kinds of components such as diethylsulfate obtained from Herba Ephedrae were not found in honey-prepared Herba Ephedrae and twelve different components such as hydroxymethylfurfural were obtained from honey-prepared Herba Ephedrae. The extraction rate of volatile oils was 2.1% in herba ephedrae and 1.0% in honey-prepared Herba Ephedrae. [ Conclusion]The components of supercritical extractions from Herba Ephedrae differ from those in honey-prepared Herba Ephedrae.

[Objectivej To establish a gas chromatography (GC) method for the determination of the content of camphor, isoborneol and borneol in Anmo Ointment. [ Methods ] The determination was performed by programmed temperature GC, in which a 100% concentration of dimethylpolysiloxane was used as stationary liquid phase and the GC was equipped with FID detector at 300℃. [Results] The isolation and the linearity were fine with the rate of recovery of camphor 100.5% (RSD being 1.4%), isoborneol 99.1% (RSD being 1.8%) and borneol 100.8% (RSD being 1.3%). [Conclusion] This method is sensitive, rapid and accurate. It can be used to control the quality of Anmo Ointment.

Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain. Alterations in GABAergic function are associated with a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, noninvasive in vivo measurement of GABA is difficult because of its low concentration and the presence of overlapping resonances. To study GABA concentration in the occipital cortex in major depressive disorder (MDD), a group of medication-naive, first episode depressed patients (n = 18, HAMD > 17), and a group of healthy controls (n = 23) were investigated using a Point Resolved Spectroscopy (MEGA-PRESS) on a 3.0 T MR scanner. The results showed that occipital GABA levels were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the patient group than those in the healthy controls, yet the correlations between the severity of MDD (HAMD, BDI) and the GABA concentration is insignificant. Therefore, our data suggest that patients with first episode, unmedicated MDD have changes in cortical concentrations of GABA. This biochemical abnormality may be a marker of a trait vulnerability to mood disorder, and may explain the visual problem of severe MDD patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Male ; Occipital Lobe ; metabolism ; Young Adult ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; analysis ; metabolism

Rat models of liver fibrosis were made by carbon tetrachloride, and the serum levels of AST, ALT, γ-GT, MDA, GSH-px, SOD were detected, serum markers of PCⅢ, IV-C, LN, HA were detected by ELISA method. HE and Masson staining were conducted in hepatic tissues to observe pathological variations. Collagen Ⅲ, TGF-β, α-SMA, E-cadherin were detected by Western blot. The curative effect of the extract of Ornithogalum caudatum on rat liver fibrosis induced by CCl4was observed and the mechanism was discussed. The experiment results showed that the extract of O. caudatum (50, 150, 500 mg•kg⁻¹) obviously decreased the serum levels of AST, ALT, γ-GT, MDA, increased the serum levels of GSH-px, SOD, decreased the expression of serum markers of PCⅢ, IV-C, LN, HA, and improved the liver pathological variations of fibrotic rats. The experiment proved that the extract of O. caudatum could treat the liver fibrogenesis induced by CCl4 in rats. The positive medicine may inhibit accumulation of extracellular and activate hepatic stellate cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.