A comprehensive analysis was conducted on resources composition of Chinese Herbs Sang (Morus sp.) in Sichuan using survey data and related literature. The original plants, germplasm collections, cultivation areas, main cultivated varieties and production sale of crude drugs of Sang in Sichuan were clearly expounded. Strategies for development and utilization of Sichuan mulberry resources were suggested.
Biotechnology ; China ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; methods ; Gardening ; methods ; Morus ; growth & development ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on the safety in peri-operational stage of hip operation in aged patients.

METHODSRetrospective analysis was performed on the complications and the following therapy in peri-operational stage of hip operation in 1872 aged patients, the incidence and treatment of complication were analyzed and compared between patients who received TCM decoction alone and those received TCM decoction combined with Danshen Injection and Shenmai Injection. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTSAll treatments showed good effects in preventing and treating the complications in peri-operational stage of hip operation in aged patients, while the effect of combined therapy was better in improving dyspepsia and preventing deep vein thrombosis than that of TCM decoction alone.

CONCLUSIONTreatment with TCM of reinforcing qi and activating blood circulation has favorable effects in preventing occurrence of complication in peri-operational stage of hip operation in aged people.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Femoral Neck Fractures ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Postoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Preoperative Care ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Salvia miltiorrhiza

OBJECTIVETo find the expression of specific genes related to the meiosis of germ cells during spermatogenesis in the rat testis.

METHODSSegments of seminiferous tubules were obtained from the adult male SD rats, at stages XIII - I of meiosis, and the interstitial cells of the same testis were isolated under the stereomicroscope. The total RNAs of stages XIII - I segments and the testicular interstitial cells were extracted respectively, and mRNA differential display RT-PCR (DDRT-PCR) was conducted. The obtained cDNA fractions were purified and recovered, the reverse dot blot hybridization, sub-clones and screens of blue/white dots performed, and the results of sub-clones were identified by restriction endonuclease EcoR I digestion.

RESULTSSixteen differential cDNA fractions were obtained through primary DDRT-PCR, 7 from stages XIII - I segments and 9 from the testicular interstitial cells. Another 11 were selected for further screening by reverse dot blot hybridization, their size ranging from 200 to 500 bp, of which 6 were from the stages XIII - I segments of seminiferous tubules and the other 5 from the rat testicular interstitial cells. All of the 11 cDNA fractions were sub-cloned and screened by blue/white dots.

CONCLUSIONSpecifically expressed differential cDNA fractions can be obtained and primarily identified from testicular interstitial cells and the seminiferous tubules, which, as the sequence tags of the testicular meiotic expression, deserve further investigation.

Animals ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Leydig Cells ; cytology ; Male ; Meiosis ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Seminiferous Tubules ; cytology ; Spermatogenesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical efficacy of drug toothpaste containing 2% Zanthoxylum Nitidum extract in reducing accumulation of dental plaque and occurrence of gingivitis in adults.

METHODSAdopting double-blind, stratified and parallel design, the status of dental plaque and gingivitis in 200 healthy adults enrolled in the trial (100 in the treated group took the drug toothpaste to clean teeth, and 100 in the control group use common toothpaste instead) were assessed at before experiment, 3 months and 6 months after experiment.

RESULTSAt the end of the 3rd month and the 6th month, as compared with the control group, the L e-Silness Gingival Index (GI) in the treated group was decreased by 9.1% (P > 0.05) and 13.9 % (P< 0.5), in the same period, the Quigley-Hein(Turesky Modification) Plaque Index (PlI) decreased by 18.7% and 22.6% (P<0.05), respectively.

CONCLUSIONToothpaste containing Zanthoxylum Nitidum extract can obviously decrease the incidence of dental plaque and enhance gingival health.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Dental Plaque ; drug therapy ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gingivitis ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Toothpastes ; chemistry ; Zanthoxylum ; chemistry

Animals ; Astrocytes ; immunology ; metabolism ; Male ; Microglia ; immunology ; metabolism ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Oxidopamine ; metabolism ; Parkinson Disease ; immunology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Lemuel Shattuck (1793-1859) was a famous American public health reformer, historian and statistician in the mid-19th century. He introduced statistics into the American system of vital statistics registration and promoted the modernization of the United States demographics. In 1850, he submitted Report of a General Plan for the Promoting of Public and Personal Health to the Sanitary Commission of Massachusetts, which built a blueprint for the future development of the American public health system and laid the foundation for the widespread development of the public health movement in the late 19th century. Shattuck is not only a pioneer in the modern American census, but also a leader in public health in the United States.

Animals ; Dynorphins ; metabolism ; Parkinson Disease ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Peptides ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Scorpion Venoms ; pharmacology

Global Health ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H2N2 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; history ; mortality ; virology

OBJECTIVETo explore the alterations of apoptosis factor Bcl-2/Bax in the early Parkinson's disease (PD) rats and the protective effect of scorpion venom derived bioactive peptide.

METHODSHealthy male SD rats (180-220 g) were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 10): early PD model group, sham operation group, scorpion venom derived bioactive peptide control group, scorpion venom derived bioactive peptide therapy group. 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was used to prepare the early PD rat model. The immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 and further explore the mechanism of anti-apoptosis regarding the neuroprotective effect of scorpion venom derived bioactive peptide.

RESULTSThe results indicated that compared with the control rats, the immunostaining of Bax in the brain increased significantly while that of Bcl-2 decreased significantly in the lesion side of 6-OHDA treated rats. Interestingly, scorpion venom derived bioactive peptide could attenuate the above abnormal changes.

CONCLUSIONUp-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2 could participate in the early stage of PD and the anti-apoptotic mechanism could be involved in the neuroprotective effect exerted by scorpion venom derived activity peptide regarding the dopaminergic neuron in the early stage.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Disease Models, Animal ; Down-Regulation ; Male ; Neuroprotective Agents ; chemistry ; Oxidopamine ; Parkinson Disease ; metabolism ; Peptides ; chemistry ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Scorpion Venoms ; chemistry ; Up-Regulation ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEUltrasound scanning can provide the information of acoustic impedance through the ultrasonic reflection theory. This study tries to introduce the application of the ultrasonic technique in predicting biomechanical properties of cancellous bone.

METHODSThe rat femoral head embedded in plexiglass was used as the bone specimens for ultrasound scanning and the gray scale images scanned by ultrasound microscope were collected and analyzed.

RESULTSThe value of acoustic impedance was calculated by analyzing the gray scale image.

CONCLUSIONThe application of ultrasonic microscopy can show more value about the microstructure of biomechanical properties of bone tissue.

Animals ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Bone Density ; Femur Head ; diagnostic imaging ; physiology ; Microscopy, Acoustic ; methods ; Osteoporosis ; physiopathology ; Rats