The effect of sowing date on grain protein, hordein fraction content and malting quality of two-rowed spring barley was investigated by using ten commercial cultivars with different grain protein content and the relationships among these traits were examined. The results showed that grain protein content and B hordein content increased as the sowing date postponed and were significantly affected by sowing date, while C and D hordein contents were less influenced by sowing date. There were significant differences in grain protein and hordein fraction content among the ten cultivars. The coefficient of variation of D hordein content was much larger than that of B and C hordein contents, suggesting its greater variation caused by different sowing dates. Beta-amylase activity and diastatic power were also significantly affected by sowing date, with malt extract being less affected. Significant differences in measured malt quality were found among the ten cultivars. Grain protein was significantly correlated with B hordein and malt extract positively and negatively, respectively. There was no significant correlation between beta-amylase activity or diastatic power and grain protein content. B hordein was negatively and significantly correlated with malt extract, but no significant correlations between C hordein, D hordein and malting quality traits.
Edible Grain ; chemistry ; Food Analysis ; Food Technology ; Glutens ; Hordeum ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Seeds ; growth & development ; metabolism

Progresses in the studies on chemical constituents and bioactivities of Chloranthus S. were systemically reviewed in this article. The whole plants of most species in Chloranthus have long been used as folk medicine in China for detumescence, treating on snake bite and wound. 68 compounds obtained from the plants in Chloranthus fall into the following compound classes: terpenoids, coumarins, amides, organic acids and sterols. Fifty one sesquiterpenes were got. The results of studies on their bioactivities show that most of the plants in this genus have antibacterial and antitumor activities. Further phytochemical and biological studies on the species in Chloranthus are needed for better medicinal utilization.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Magnoliopsida ; chemistry ; classification ; Uterine Contraction ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constituents in the heartwood of Taxus cuspidata.

METHODSilica gel column chromatography, preparative HPLC and preparative TLC were used to isolate and purify the chemical constituents; 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopic methods were used for structural identification.

RESULTTen compounds, taxinine (1), taxusin (2), beta-sitosterol (3), 1 beta-hydroxybaccatin I (4), 2alpha, 5alpha, 10beta-triacetoxy-14beta-(2'-methyl) butanoyloxy-4 (20), 11-taxadiene (5), 2alpha, 5alpha, 10beta-triacetoxy-14beta-(2'-methyl-3'-hydroxy-butanoyloxyl-4 (20), 11-taxadiene (yunnanxane) (6), 9alpha, 10beta, 13alpha-triacetoxy-5alpha-cinnamoyltaxa-4 (20), 11-diene (7), 2-deacetoxytaxinine J (8), taxezopidine G (9), 2alpha, 7beta, 9alpha, 10beta, 13alpha-pentaacetoxyl-taxa-4 (20), 11-dien-5-ol (5-decinnamoyltaxinine J) (10), were isolated and identified from the heartwood of T. cuspidata.

CONCLUSIONThree taxanes, 1 beta-hydroxybaccatin I (4), 2alpha, 5alpha, 10beta-triacetoxy-14beta-(2'-methyl-3'-hydroxy-butanoyloxy)-4 (20), 11-taxadiene (yunnanxane) (6), and 2alpha, 7beta, 9alpha, 10beta, 13alpha-pentaacetoxyltaxa-4 (20) , 11-dien-5-ol (10), were obtained from this plant for the first time.

Diterpenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Taxoids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Taxus ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical characteristics, drug sensitivity of isolated strains, and risk factors of drug resistance in children with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). METHODS: The clinical characteristics and drug sensitivity of the isolated strains of 246 hospitalized children with IPD in nine grade A tertiary children's hospitals from January 2016 to June 2018 were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 246 children with IPD, there were 122 males and 124 females. Their ages ranged from 1 day to 14 years, and among them, 68 (27.6%) patients were less than 1 year old, 54 (22.0%) patients were 1 to 2 years old, 97 (39.4%) patients were 2 to 5 years old, and 27 (11.0%) patients were 5 to 14 years old. Pneumonia with sepsis was the most common infection type (58.5%, 144/246), followed by bloodstream infection without focus (19.9%, 49/246) and meningitis (15.0%, 37/246). Forty-nine (19.9%) patients had underlying diseases, and 160 (65.0%) had various risk factors for drug resistance. The isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were 100% sensitive to vancomycin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, and levofloxacin, 90% sensitive to ertapenem, ofloxacin, and ceftriaxone, but had a low sensitivity to erythromycin (4.2%), clindamycin (7.9%), and tetracycline (6.3%). CONCLUSIONS IPD is more common in children under 5 years old, especially in those under 2 years old. Some children with IPD have underlying diseases, and most of the patients have various risk factors for drug resistance. Pneumonia with sepsis is the most common infection type. The isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae strains are highly sensitive to vancomycin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, ertapenem, and ceftriaxone in children with IPD.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ceftriaxone ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Pneumococcal Infections ; Streptococcus pneumoniae

BACKGROUNDMyelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs), also called preleukemias, are a group of myeloid hematopoietic malignant disorders. We studied the transformation of MDS into acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

METHODSLeukemic transformation in 151 patients with MDS was dynamically followed up. The clinical manifestation, peripheral blood and bone marrow condition, karyotypes, immunophenotypes, response to treatment, and prognosis of AML evolution from MDS (MDS-AML) were also observed.

RESULTSDuring the course of this study, over the past eight years and seven months, 21 (13.91%) of 151 MDS patients progressed to overt leukemia, with a median interval of 5 (1 - 23) months. There were no significant differences between rates of leukemic transformation in comparison with the refractory anemia (RA), RA with excess of blasts (RAEB), and RAEB in transformation (RAEB-t) patient groups. Transformation occurred either gradually or rapidly. There were five parameters positively correlated to leukemic transformation: under 40 years of age, pancytopenia of 3 lineages, more than 15% blasts in the bone marrow, at least two abnormal karyotypes, and treatment with combined chemotherapy. All of the 21 patients with leukemia suffered from MDS-AML, and most of them were M2, M4, or M5. Two (9.52%) MDS-AML patients developed extramedullary infiltration. Leukopenia was found in 47.62% of these patients. Two thirds of these patients, whose bone marrows were generally hypercellular, suffered from neutropenia. After developing AML, 8 (47.06%) patients developed abnormal karyotypes. High expression of immature myeloid antigens, including CD33 [(49.83 +/- 24.50)%], CD13 [(36.38 +/- 33.84)%], monocytic antigen CD14 [(38.50 +/- 24.60)%], and stem cell marker CD34 [(34.67 +/- 30.59)%], were found on bone marrow mononuclear cells from MDS-AML patients after leukemic transformation. In some cases, lymphoid antigens, such as CD5, CD7, CD9, and CD19, coexisted with myeloid antigens. A low complete remission rate (31.25%) and a short survival time, with median survival of 6 (1 - 28) months, were found in patients with MDS-AML treated by induction chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONSMDS has a high risk of developing into AML, either gradually or rapidly. Patients with MDS-AML have specific biological characteristics and a worse prognosis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Female ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; etiology ; genetics ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; complications ; genetics ; immunology ; Prognosis

BackgroundOutflow tract (OFT) septation defects are a common cause of congenital heart disease. Numerous studies have focused on the septation mechanism of the OFT, but have reported inconsistent conclusions. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the septation of the aortic sac and the OFT in the early embryonic human heart.

MethodsSerial sections of 27 human embryonic hearts from Carnegie stage (CS) 10 to CS19 were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies against α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and myosin heavy chain.

ResultsAt CS10-CS11, the OFT wall was an exclusively myocardial structure that was continuous with the aortic sac at the margin of the pericardial cavity. From CS13 onward, the OFT was divided into nonmyocardial and myocardial portions. The cushion formed gradually, and its distal border with the OFT myocardium was consistently maintained. The aortic sac between the fourth and sixth aortic arch arteries was degenerated. At CS16, the α-SMA-positive aortopulmonary septum formed and fused with the two OFT cushions, thus septating the nonmyocardial portion of the OFT into two arteries. At this stage, the cushions were not fused. At CS19, the bilateral cushions were fused to septate the myocardial portion of the OFT.

ConclusionsData suggest that the OFT cushion is formed before the aortopulmonary septum is formed. Thus, the OFT cushion is not derived from the aortopulmonary septum. In addition, the nonmyocardial part of the OFT is septated into the aorta and pulmonary trunk by the aortopulmonary septum, while the main part of the cushion fuses and septates the myocardial portion of the OFT.

Actins ; metabolism ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; metabolism ; Aorta ; embryology ; Heart ; embryology ; Heart Valves ; embryology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; metabolism

Objective: To explore the effect of Huangqisan on endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling pathway in liver tissues of high-fat diet-induced obese rats and its mechanisms. Method: Male SD rats were selected and fed with high-fat diet for 7 weeks continuously to establish an obese rat model. Then, the rats were randomly divided into model group, low and high-dose Huangqisan group (1.2, 2.4 g·kg^-1), and Lipitor group (2 mg·kg^-1), and orally administered with drugs for 15 consecutive weeks. The control group and the model group were perfused with the same volume of normal saline. The body weight, epididymal fat coefficient and liver coefficient of each group were determined separately. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were determined by biochemical reagent method. The epididymal visceral adipose tissue and liver pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. And the protein expression levels of sterol regulation element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBP-1c), protein kinase R (PKR)-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), inositol requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1α), p-inositol requiring enzyme 1 (p-IRE1α) in liver tissues were detected by Western blot methods. Result: Compared with the control group, the body weight, epididymal fat coefficient and liver coefficient of the model group were significantly increased(P<0.01), and the levels of FPG, TC, TG and LDL-C were also higher than those of the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01). The cell volume of epididymal fat and liver in the model group were enlarged, and numerous fat vesicles were observed in the cells. Meanwhile, the protein expression levels of the endoplasmic reticulum stress-related factors SREBP-1c, PERK, IRE1α/p-IRE1α were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01). Compared with the model group, high-dose and low-dose Huangqisan groups could significantly reduce the body weight, epididymal fat coefficient, liver coefficient and levels of glucose and lipid(P<0.05,P<0.01), and pathological examination showed that the lesion degrees of epididymal fat and liver tissues were alleviated obviously. In addition, Huangqisan could mostly reduce SREBP-1c, PERK, IRE1α/p-IRE1α protein expression levels to different degrees(P<0.05,P<0.01). Conclusion: Huangqisan could regulate the glucose and lipid metabolism, alleviate liver pathology and reduce body weight, and its mechanism was probably related to reduction of SREBP-1c, PERK, IRE1α/p-IRE1α proteins expression levels.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical value of the expression of glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) for assessment of severity, chemoresistance and prognosis in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma ( GC) .

METHODSA cohort of 237 patients with gastric cancer was included in this study. 160 patients of them were treated by D2 radical gastrectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy. The GRP78 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry and 80 patients of them were tested in vitro for cancer chemosensitivity by ATP-tumor chemosensitivity assay (ATP-TCA). In addition, the relationships were analyzed between GRP78 and age, gender, tumor differentiation, invasion, disease stage, lymph node metastasis and chemoresistance as well as disease-free survival (DFS).

RESULTSThe positive rate of GRP78 expression in the gastric adenocarcinoma was 68.8% before the initiation of chemotherapy. The positive GRP78 expression was significantly correlated with tumor invasion depth, poor differentiation, TNM stages, and lymph node metastasis (all P < 0.05), not correlated with gender and age, and high GRP78 expression was associated with the chemoresistance of the gastric cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Negative GRP78 expression was associated with higher sensitivity to both drugs and regimens. The DFS of GRP78-positive group and GRP78-negative group was (53.6 ± 0.9) months and (38.3 ± 0.8) months, respectively (P = 0.041). Interestingly, subgroup analysis revealed that the DFS in GRP78-negative and-positive patients treated with taxane-containing chemotherapy was (58.6 ± 2.6) months and (49.1 ± 2.7) months, respectively, but the difference was statistically not significant (P = 0.111). In contrast, in the subset of GRP78-negative and- positive patients treated with taxane-containing regimens, the DFS was (45.5 ± 1.9) months and (35.1 ± 2.2) months, respectively, showing a significant difference (P = 0.038). In the group of patients with positive GRP78 expression, the patients treated with taxane-containing chemotherapy had a longer DFS [(49.1 ± 2.7) months] than those without that treatment [(35.1 ± 2.2) months], showing a significant difference (P = 0.017). Univariate analysis revealed that DFS was correlated with histological grade, GRP78 expression and lymph node metastasis (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that GRP78 expression and TNM staging were independent influencing factors for gastric cancer (both P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe results of our study suggest that GRP78 may be a novel biomarker for assessment of malignant degree and prediction of chemoresistance in gastric cancer, and may be helpful to chemotherapy planning and prognosis prediction in patients with gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Bridged-Ring Compounds ; administration & dosage ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Taxoids ; administration & dosage

Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases ; GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go/metabolism*

UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with network pharmacology and experimental verification was used to explore the mechanism of acupoint sticking therapy(AST) in the intervention of bronchial asthma(BA). The chemical components of Sinapis Semen, Cory-dalis Rhizoma, Kansui Radix, Asari Radix et Rhizoma, and Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens were retrieved from TCMSP as self-built database. The active components in AST drugs were analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, and the targets were screened out in TCMSP and Swiss-TargetPrediction. Targets of BA were collected from GeneCards, and the intersection of active components and targets was obtained by Venny 2.1.0. The potential targets were imported into STRING and DAVID for PPI, GO, and KEGG analyses. The asthma model induced by house dust mite(HDM) was established in mice. The mechanism of AST on asthmatic mice was explored by pulmonary function, Western blot, and flow cytometry. The results indicated that 54 active components were obtained by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and 162 potential targets were obtained from the intersection. The first 53 targets were selected as key targets. PPI, GO, and KEGG analyses showed that AST presumedly acted on SRC, PIK3 CA, and other targets through active components such as sinoacutine, sinapic acid, dihydrocapsaicin, and 6-gingerol and regulated PI3 K-AKT, ErbB, chemokine, sphingolipid, and other signaling pathways to intervene in the pathological mechanism of BA. AST can improve lung function, down-regulate the expression of PI3 K and p-AKT proteins in lung tissues, enhance the expression of PETN protein, and reduce the level of type Ⅱ innate immune cells(ILC2 s) in lung tissues of asthmatic mice. In conclusion, AST may inhibit ILC2 s by down-regulating the PI3 K-AKT pathway to relieve asthmatic airway inflammation and reduce airway hyperresponsiveness.
Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Asthma/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Immunity, Innate ; Lymphocytes ; Mice ; Network Pharmacology