OBJECTIVETo examine the saponins constituents in roots of Panax quinquefolium cultivated in China.

METHODThe methanol extract from roots of P. quinquefolium cultivated in Jiling province of China was extracted by chloroform and n-butanol successively. Ten pure saponins were isolated from the n-butanol extract by silica gel and RP-8 reversed-phase column chromatography. Their structures were identified by means of spectral methods and compared with known compounds.

RESULTTen saponins were isolated from P. quinquefolium. They were identified as ginsenoside Rg1(2), Re(5), Rd(7), Rc(8), Rb1(9), Rb2(10), 24(R)-ginsenoside Rg3(3), 24(R)-pseudoginsenoside RT5(1), F11(4) and notoginsenoside K(6), respectively.

CONCLUSIONThis work has elucidated the saponins constituents of P. quinquefolium cultivated in Jilin province of China and has shown that compound 1 was isolated from this plant for the first time.

China ; Ginsenosides ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Saponins ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo investigate the constituents of fermented leaves of Agave americana, and discover new compounds.

METHODCompounds were purified with silica gel and C8 reverse--phase silica gel column chromatography. The structures were elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic evidence.

RESULTThree steroidal compounds were obtained and their structures were identified as (25R)-5 alpha-spirostan-3 beta, 6 alpha, 23 alpha-triol 6-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(1), (25R)-5 alpha-spirostan-3 beta, 6 alpha, 23 alpha-triol-3, 6-di-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (cantalasaponin-1) (2) and (25R)-5 alpha-spirostan-3 beta, 6 alpha, 23 alpha-triol(hongguanggenin) (3).

CONCLUSIONCompound 1 is new compound, named agamenoside C.

Agave ; chemistry ; Fermentation ; Glycosides ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Structure ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Triterpenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy and technical key points of genioplasty for the deformities of the chin.Methods 153 patients with chin deformities were treated with the genioplasty,and the chin was moved in any direction,including sagittally,vertically and transversely;the key points of this procedure were summarized.Results There was no severe complication such as infection or nonunion observed.15 patients had ecchymosis and faded in 2 weeks;33 patients had hypaesthesia and recovered in 12 weeks.With the 12-24 months follow-up,all the patients healed well with satisfactory aesthetic results.Conclusions The genioplasty is a reliable and efficient method for the deformities of the chin,and it can significantly improve the appearance of the chin.

Objective:To observe the lipid-lowering effect of different transdermal absorption enhancers applied to the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion in hyperlipidemia model rabbits, and to explore the possible mechanism. Methods:Forty New-Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups using the random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. Rabbits in the blank group were fed routinely with normal diet; rabbits in the other groups were fed with high-fat diet for 12 weeks to establish the hyperlipidemia model. Rabbits in the blank and the model groups were not treated. After the model was prepared, rabbits in the non-transdermal absorption enhancer group received herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion without transdermal absorption enhancer; rabbits in the laurocapram group and the borneol group received herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion with laurocapram or borneol respectively. After 4 weeks of treatment, serum was collected for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the liver tissues were isolated for immunohistochemistry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western-blotting (WB) detection. Results: Serum ELISA results showed that leptin was significantly decreased in the model group compared with the blank group (P＜0.05); compared with the model group, leptin was significantly increased in the non-transdermal absorption enhancer, the laurocapram and the borneol groups (all P＜0.05); compared with the non-transdermal absorption enhancer group, leptin was significantly increased in the laurocapram group and the borneol group (both P＜0.05); there was no significant difference in leptin between the laurocapram and the borneol groups (P＞0.05). The qPCR results of rabbit liver tissues showed that the mRNA expressions of leptin, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in the model group were significantly lower than those in the blank group (all P＜0.05); compared with the model group, the mRNA expressions of leptin, leptin receptor (LR), JAK2 and STAT3 in the non-transdermal absorption enhancer, the laurocapram and the borneol groups were significantly increased (all P＜0.05); compared with the non-transdermal absorption enhancer group, the mRNA expressions of leptin, LR, JAK2 and STAT3 in the laurocapram and the borneol groups were significantly increased (all P＜0.05); compared with the laurocapram group, the mRNA expressions of leptin, LR, JAK2 and STAT3 in the borneol group were significantly increased (P＜0.05). The trend of immunohistochemistry and WB detection results was basically consistent with the qPCR assay results. The immunohistochemistry and WB detection results of phosphorylated JAK2 (phospho-JAK2) and phosphorylated STAT3 (phospho-STAT3) were basically consistent with those of JAK2 and STAT3. Conclusion: The molecular expression of Leptin/JAK2/STAT3 pathway in the hyperlipidemia model rabbits was decreased. The molecular expression of Leptin/JAK2/STAT3 pathway was significantly increased after the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion. The application of laurocapram and borneol, as transdermal absorption enhancers, in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion could more obviously up-regulate the factors of the Leptin/JAK2/STAT3 lipid-regulating pathway than the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion alone.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate intraventricular mechanical synchrony in systole by real-time tri-plane tissue synchronization imaging (TSI).

METHODSReal-time tri-plane TSI was performed in 20 normal subjects, and the apical 4-chamber, 2-chamber and long-axis views of the left ventricular (LV) were obtained simultaneously. The data were post-processed offline, and a TSI surface map of LV colorized according to the time-to-positive peak systolic velocity (TTP) was generated to reflect the segment TTP semi-quantitatively. The segmental TTP of the six-basal and six-mid segments of LV was measured and compared.

RESULTSThe myocardium was color-coded mainly by well-distributed green, and only a small portion displayed yellow or red color in the apical area; the TTP showed no significant differences between the segments measured (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIn normal subjects, the long-axis systolic motions of the LV are highly synchronized. TSI allows immediate visual identification of intraventricular mechanical synchrony and quantitative measurement of regional TTP.

Adult ; Aged ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Color ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Contraction ; physiology ; Systole ; physiology ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEDiscuss the functional mechanism of treating male infertility with Bushen Shengjing pill (BS).

METHODFill the SD rat with adenine so as to injure the germ cell which will produce the model rat with kidney yang deficiency. Measure the activity of SOD and NOS, the amount of NO and MDA in the testicle.

RESULTBS can promote the activity of SOD, reduce the activity of NOS and the amount of NO and MDA.

CONCLUSIONBS has the function of protecting the germ cell which is closely related to the function that the pill can promote the activity of SOD, reduce the activity of NOS and the amount of NO and MDA.

Adenine ; Animals ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Fertility Agents, Male ; pharmacology ; Kidney Diseases ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spermatogenesis ; drug effects ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Testis ; metabolism ; Yang Deficiency ; chemically induced ; metabolism

Objective To compare the efficacy between autologous fat and hyaluronic acid in filling nasolabial grooves.Methods Sixty patients who wanted improvement of nasolabial grooves were involved in the study.They were randomly and equally classified into two groups:autologous fat injection group and hyaluronic acid injection group.Photographs were taken before,half a year,and one year after injection.The nasolabial grooves were also graded before,half a year,and one year after injection.The grade improvement was obtained after postoperative grade minus preoperative grade.If the grade improvement was more than 1 grade,the treatment was regarded as effective to evaluate the outcome between the two methods.Results The results of the two groups were tested by SPSS 13.0 software.The effects of the two methods were not significantly different after half a year of filling (P＞0.05).The difference was significant one year after filling (P＜0.05).In autologous fat injection,the patients had a long and magnificant swelling and redness around the nasolabial grooves;on the contrary,the patients who underwent hyaluronic acid had slight and short-time local reaction like swelling and redness.No other serious complications were found in both the groups.Conclusions The effects of the autologous fat and the hyaluronic acid are equal after half a year of filling.The autologous fat has a longer effect in one year.Both methods are safe and effective.Surgeons can select the method accordingly.

Objective: To observe the effects of laurocapram and borneol as transdermal penetration enhancers applied to herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion on liver lipids, hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase in hyperlipidemia rabbits.Methods: Forty New-Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups using the random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. Rabbits in the blank group were fed routinely with a normal diet; rabbits in the other groups were fed with high-fat diet for 12 weeks to establish the hyperlipidemia model. Rabbits in the blank and the model groups were not given any intervention. After the model was prepared successfully, rabbits in the non-transdermal penetration enhancer group received herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion without transdermal penetration enhancers; rabbits in the laurocapram group and the borneol group received herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion with laurocapram or borneol respectively. After 4 weeks of treatment, the serum was isolated and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied for the detection of HSL and HMG-CoA reductase. The liver tissues were isolated, and total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) were measured by enzymatic methods. One-step method was applied for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) detection, and transmission turbidimetry was for apolipoprotein A1 (Apo-A1) and apolipoprotein B (Apo-B) detection. Results: The serum concentrations of the drugs in the laurocapram and the borneol groups were significantly higher than those in the non-transdermal penetration enhancer group (both P<0.05); all drug penetrations in the borneol group were significantly higher than those in the laurocapram group (both P<0.05), except for tanshinone ⅡA. Compared with the non-transdermal penetration enhancer group, the HSL was significantly increased while the HMG-CoA reductase was significantly decreased in the laurocapram and the borneol groups (both P<0.05); between groups, the HSL in the borneol group was significantly higher than that in the laurocapram group (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the levels of LDL-C, TG, TC and Apo-B in rabbit liver were significantly increased in the model group (P<0.05); compared with the model group, the levels of LDL-C, TG, TC and Apo-B in the non-transdermal penetration enhancer, the laurocapram, and the borneol groups were significantly decreased (all P<0.05); between groups, the TG and TC in the laurocapram group and the LDL-C, TG, TC and Apo-B in the borneol group were significantly lower than those in the non-transdermal penetration enhancer group (all P<0.05), and the TG, LDL-C and Apo-B in the borneol group were significantly lower than those in the laurocapram group (all P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the HDL-C and Apo-A1 were significantly decreased in the model group (both P<0.05), while compared with the model group, the HDL-C and Apo-A1 were significantly increased in the non-transdermal penetration enhancer, the laurocapram, and the borneol groups (all P<0.05). Between groups, the Apo-A1 in the laurocapram group, the HDL-C and Apo-A1 in the borneol group were significantly higher than those in the non-transdermal penetration enhancer group (all P<0.05).Conclusion: The application of laurocapram and borneol, as transdermal penetration enhancers, in herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion can promote the penetration of the drugs in the herbal cake, increase the levels of HDL-C and Apo-A1, improve the metabolism of HSL and HMG-CoA reductase, and also simultaneously reduce the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C and Apo-B in the liver. The transdermal penetration enhancement effect of borneol is slightly better than or equivalent to that of laurocapram.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical features of unexpected sudden death (SUD) clustered in families in Yunnan province.

METHODSThis retrospective study analyzed the clinical features of SUD occurred between July to September 2005 in 7 families in Yunnan province.

RESULTSAll 16 SUD patients shared common clinical features such as fatigue and repeated syncope and one group of SUD patients (n = 8 from 4 families) presented with the gastric intestinal tract manifestations including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea with suspected dietary history and abnormal laboratory enzyme findings (GOT/GPT, CK/CKMB, LDH/LDH1 etc.). In SUD patients without gastric intestinal tract manifestations (n = 8 from 3 families), there were no clear symptoms before death and repeated ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation were recorded in one survivor. There was no clear evidence for the involvements of hereditary and infectious factors for observed SUD.

CONCLUSIONThe reason for the unexpected sudden death clustered in 7 families in Yunnan remains unclear. Repeated syncope and fatigue served as the common clinical features in the presence or absence of gastric intestinal tract manifestations in all SUD cases. Further studies are needed to clarify the pathology and detailed clinical manifestations of SUD occurred in this area.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Bias ; Cause of Death ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Death, Sudden ; epidemiology ; Family ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to analyze the electrocardiographic features of the people living in the area with high incidence of unexplained sudden deaths in Yunnan province.

METHODThe electrocardiograms of 338 residents from three villages (Dayao, Ninglang, Heqing) with high incidence of unexplained sudden deaths and one control village (Dali) were analyzed [averaged age was (33.4 +/- 11.7) years, 175 men and 163 women].

RESULTSThe incidence of cardiac arrhythmias was similar low in all groups. The left ventricular hypertrophy was observed in 34.6% of residents from Dayao. QTc significantly prolonged in the residents from all 3 high incidence areas compare the control area of Dali [control (386.8 +/- 27.22) ms, Ninglang (428.92 +/- 25.71) ms, Heqing (440.67 +/- 28.03) ms, Dayao (417.7 +/- 24.00) ms, P < 0.05 vs. control]. Incidence of U wave was significantly higher in Heqing village than that in control village (P < 0.05). The QUc of these 3 villages was: (613.67 +/- 37.34) ms, (597.19 +/- 46.47) ms, (608.59 +/- 39.59) ms respectively, and also significantly longer than the control village of Dali (589.33 +/- 41.27) ms (P < 0.05). The typical pattern of U wave presents as enlarged U wave and apparent T-U complex. In the 7 residents who have the family history of unexplained sudden death, 6 residents have U wave, and 4 of them present typical U wave pattern.

CONCLUSIONThe significant ECG changes in villages with high incidence of unexplained sudden death in Yunnan province were prolonged QTc, enlarged U wave and apparent T-U complex and these ECG features suggested the repolarization abnormalities of the heart in these subjects.

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Death, Sudden ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Electrocardiography ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome ; physiopathology ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult