Objective: To explore the balance of peripheral blood T helper 17 cells/regulatory T cell (Th17/Treg) ratio and the polarization ratio of M1 and M2 macrophages in lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO). Methods: A rat model of lower extremity ASO was established, and blood samples from patients with lower extremity ASO before and after surgery were obtained. ELISA was used to detect interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10, and IL-17. Real-time RCR and Western blot analyses were used to detect Foxp3, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17 expression. Moreover, flow cytometry was applied to detect the Th17/Treg ratio and M1/M2 ratio. Results: Compared with the control group, the iliac artery wall of ASO rats showed significant hyperplasia, and the concentrations of cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly increased (P<0.01), indicating the successful establishment of ASO. Moreover, the levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in ASO rats were pronouncedly increased (P<0.05), while the IL-10 level was significantly decreased (P<0.05). In addition to increased IL-6 and IL-17 levels, the mRNA and protein levels of Foxp3 and IL-10 in ASO rats were significantly decreased compared with the control group. The Th17/Treg and M1/M2 ratios in the ASO group were markedly increased (P<0.05). These alternations were also observed in ASO patients. After endovascular surgery (such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and arterial stenting), all these changes were significantly improved (P<0.05). Conclusions: The Th17/Treg and M1/M2 ratios were significantly increased in ASO, and surgery can effectively improve the balance of Th17/Treg, and reduce the ratio of M1/M2, and the expression of inflammatory factors.

Objective:To construct the targeting evaluation method of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） preparations based on supramolecular Qi chromatography theory， and to study the liver targeting effect of Bupleuri Radix on Pien Tze Huang. Method:The molecular connectivity index （MCI） was used to analyze the characteristics of imprinted template and liver targeting tendency of TCM mainly attributed to liver meridian and components of Pien Tze Huang， and combined with target dynamics and total statistical moment principle， aimed at the independent action characteristics of multi-component imprinted template of TCM， a method for evaluating the targeting of TCM preparations was established. Hepatoma rats in Pien Tze Huang group， Bupleuri Radix group， Pien Tze Huang+Bupleuri Radix group and blank group were tested and verified. Result:After the average value of MCI of TCM mainly attributed to liver meridian was deducted， the MCI similarity between Pien Tze Huang group and Bupleuri Radix group was 0.376 8， Pien Tze Huang+Bupleuri Radix group and Bupleuri Radix group was 0.988 2， so it was predicted that Bupleuri Radix could enhance the liver targeting of Pien Tze Huang. A system for evaluating the targeting of TCM compounds was established， including relative total uptake efficiency （RUE_T）， relative total concentration （RC_T）， relative imprinted tendency （RIT_T） and relative imprinted variance （RIV_T）. The RUE_T and RC_T of liver were the highest in all tissues （RUE_T=1.88>1，RC_T=2.30>1）， and the corresponding values of other tissues were all <1， indicating that Pien Tze Huang combined with Bupleuri Radix could increase its distribution in liver and enhance liver targeting. Except for plasma， the RIT_T and RIV_T of other tissues fluctuated around 1.0， indicating that targeted modification did not change imprinted tendency of Pien Tze Huang and had no significant effect on the types of components. Conclusion:Under the guidance of supramolecular Qi chromatography theory， a targeting evaluation parameter system can be established to characterize the multi-component imprinted effect of TCM preparations by MCI and total statistical moment parameters， so as to realize the evaluation of targeting of TCM preparations. The addition of Bupleuri Radix can increase the liver targeting of Pien Tze Huang.

Chuanxiong Chatiaosan was first recorded in Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang, which was made up of 8 herbs, including Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Menthae Haplocalycis Herba, Asari Radix et Rhizoma, Schizonepetae Herba, Saposhnikoviae Radix, Angelicae Dahuricae Radix, Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. This prescription mainly contains a variety of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, volatile oils and other compounds, which play the biological activity of promoting blood circulation and relieving pain. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that Chuanxiong Chatiaosan can reduce blood viscosity, improve cerebral circulation, and has central analgesic effect to treat migraine effectively. However, the mechanism for treating migraine of this prescription is still unclear. The author elaborated the research status of Chuanxiong Chatiaosan from four aspects, including quality control method, chemical composition, preparation technology and pharmacological research, hoping to provide references for rational clinical application and explanation of pharmacological mechanism of this prescription.

The chromaticity space parameters of the samples during the processing of Gardeniae Fructus Praeparatus(Jiaozhizi in Chinese herbal name, JZZ) were measured by the visual analyzer to analyze the color variation rule during the processing of JZZ, and the content changes of total reducing sugar, total amino acid and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(5-HMF) related to Maillard reaction were measured. Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression analysis of the data were carried out by SPSS 24.0 software. The experimental results showed that the objective coloration of the samples in the processing of JZZ was basically consistent with the traditional subjective color judgment; the contents of total reducing sugar and total amino acids showed a decreasing trend during the processing of JZZ, and the content of 5-HMF showed an increasing trend, which was in line with Maillard reaction law. Pearson correlation analysis results showed that there was a significant correlation between the chromaticity space parameters L~*(lightness value), a~*(red green value), b~*(yellow blue value), E~*ab(total color value) and the contents of total reducing sugar, total amino acid and 5-HMF(P<0.01), among which the values of L~*, a~*, b~*, E~*ab were positively correlated with the contents of total reducing sugar and total amino acid, and negatively correlated with the contents of 5-HMF. The results of linear regression analysis also showed that these two were highly correlated. In this study, by establishing the correspondence relationship between the color change of JZZ processing and Maillard reactants, wecan not only provide a basis for the objective digital expression of subjective color of JZZ, but also provide a reference for explaining the processing mechanism of JZZ from a new perspective.
Amino Acids ; Color ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Fruit ; Gardenia ; Maillard Reaction

Ischemic stroke is one of the diseases that seriously threaten human health. It is characterized by the high morbidity, disability rate and mortality, and has been lacking effective treatment. Its occurrence is related to metabolic disorder, calcium overload, free radical injury, inflammatory reaction, etc. Gardeniae Fructus not only has antipyretic, analgesic, hepatoprotective and cholagogic effects, but also has protective effects against ischemic brain injury. At present, there are more studies about the main components of Gardeniae Fructus against ischemic brain injury, but the mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the mechanism of the main active ingredients from Gardeniae Fructus in the treatment of cerebral ischemia injury in recent years was reviewed, and the effective component monomer and the whole were analyzed, so as to provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of ischemic brain injury of Gardeniae Fructus decoction pieces, and provide a reference for further research and application of this decoction pieces.

Bupleuri Radix is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in clinical practice, which has the effects of relieving fever, relieving liver and depression, and promoting Yangqi. At present, the varieties of Bupleuri Radix are relatively chaotic, and the processing in the production areas is relatively extensive. In the processing of Bupleuri Radix, the processed products contained in the 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia are raw products and vinegar-processed products. In addition, the specifications on Chinese medicine processing in various provinces and cities contain many processing methods, such as stir-frying with wine, stir-frying with honey, processed with turtle blood, etc. However, there are great differences in processing specifications among provinces and cities, and the processing methods lack clear process parameters, so the quality of Bupleuri Radix decoction pieces produced on these basis is uneven, which affects the clinical application of the decoction pieces. By consulting ancient books and relevant literature, the authors conduct textual research on the varieties of Bupleuri Radix, and systematically summarized the processing methods and processing methods in the producing area, so as to provide reference for the establishment of processing technology specifications and quality standards of Bupleuri Radix decoction pieces.

Commercially available japonica rice and indica rice with different trade names were collected,and then based on the method of rice stir-frying,their many indexes were evaluated,for example the physical and chemical properties such as appearance color,grain type,broken kernel ratio,length-width ratio,1 000-grain weight,specific heat capacity,moisture content,amylose content,and protein content. The discriminant function analysis was used to determine the effective factors affecting the quality of rice as excipients. The results showed that two types of rice could be distinguished by rice color parameter a*,grain parameter circularity,1 000-grain weight and amylose content. These four effective factors can be used as the quality evaluation indexes for fried rice as excipients.Protein is one of the main components of rice,and its content affects the quality of rice. There is a significant difference in the protein content between japonica rice and indica rice. Therefore,protein content should be used as one of the evaluation indexes for rice quality. After comprehensive consideration,it is suggested that the red-green value a*shall not be less than 0. 50; the circularity not less than 53. 0,the 1 000-grain weight not less than 16. 0 g,the amylose content not less than 12. 0% and the protein content not less than4. 0% in the japonica rice; the red-green value a*shall not be lower than-1. 0,the circularity not less than 41. 0,the 1 000-grain weight not less than 13. 0 g,the amylose content not less than 9. 0% and the protein content not less than 3. 5% in the indica rice. In this study,the quality evaluation standards for rice as excipients( japonica rice,indica rice) were supplemented and improved,laying foundation for the development of quality standards for rice as excipients with the rice stir-frying method.
Amylose ; Cooking ; Excipients ; Food Quality ; Hot Temperature ; Oryza ; chemistry

In this experiment,the gradation analysis method was used to evaluate the quality of different pieces of Gardeniae Fructus through the extraction rate difference and the difference analysis of the main components in the extract. In this experiment cold-dip and hot-dip methods were used to compare the yield of Gardeniae Fructus extract and the content of chemical constituents with water,25%,50%,75% and 95% ethanol fractions. By weighted calculation,the optimal extraction method of Gardeniae Fructus was determined,and this was verified by practical application. RESULTS:: showed that for the water-soluble extract,cold dip method was better than the hot dip method; and for alcohol-soluble extract,75% ethanol under cold dip method was best. The verification results showed that water-soluble extracts under cold dip methods could be used to significantly distinguish the raw Gardeniae Fructus( GF) and processed( stir-baked) GF( GFP) collected from the market. Meanwhile,this method could be also used to distinguish the same batch of GF,GFP and carbonized GF( GFC) with significant differences,respectively( P<0. 05). Ethanol-soluble extract can be used to clearly distinguish GFP and GFC pieces in the same batch( P<0. 05). The results of content determination showed that the variation coefficient of components in GF processed products was higher than that in extracts,and the content of hydroxygeniposide was the most significant component between GF and its processed products. It is suggested that the method of water-soluble extract of GF and the determination of the content of gardoside should be combined together to evaluate the quality of GF and its heat processed products.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Gardenia ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; analysis

Kidney stones are a common urinary system condition that can progress to kidney disease. Previous studies on the association between tea consumption and kidney stones are inconsistent. A cross-sectional study to investigate the association between tea consumption and kidney stones was conducted from 2013 to 2014 and recruited 9,078 northern Chinese adults. A total of 8,807 participants were included in the final analysis. Participants' prevalence of kidney stones was 1.07%, 1.73%, and 2.25% based on their tea consumption frequency of never, occasionally, and often groups, respectively. Compared with the 'never' group, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the occurrence of kidney stones were 1.57 (1.00-2.46) and 1.65 (1.06-2.57) in the 'occasionally' and 'often' groups, respectively. After adjusting for sex, age, and other potential confounding factors, tea consumption still significantly increased the risk of kidney stones. Tea consumption is independently associated with an increased risk of kidney stones in the investigated population, suggesting that a decrease in the consumption of tea may be a preventive strategy for kidney stones.

OBJECTIVETo study the proliferation and apoptosis of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on leukemic U937 cells and its possible mechanism.

METHODThe inhibitory effect of TMP on the proliferation of U937 cells was detected by CCK-8 assay. The cell apoptosis and cycle distribution were examined by the flow cytometry. The mRNA expressions of bcl-2 and P27 were determined by the Real-time PCR. Western blot was carried out to detect bcl-2, caspase-3, cyclin E1, CDK2 and P27 expressions.

RESULTTMP inhibited the proliferation of U937 cells in a dose-and-time dependent manner, with IC50 value of 160 mg x L(-1) at 48 h. In addition, TMP could induce the apoptosis of U937 cells and block the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase. According to the results of Real-time PCR and Western blot, TMP could down-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related molecule bcl-2, cycle-related protein cyclin E1 and CDK2 and up-regulate caspase-3 and P27.

CONCLUSIONTMP shows the effects in inhibiting the proliferation of leukemic U937 cells and inducing the apoptosis. Its mechanism may be related to the impacts on the cell cycle distribution, down-regulation of the bcl-2 expression, which finally activates caspase-3, starts the apoptosis path and causes the cell apoptosis.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 ; analysis ; Humans ; Leukemia ; drug therapy ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; analysis ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; U937 Cells