In order to increase the yield and quality of the medicinal plant and enhance the competitive power of industry of medicinal plant in our country, this paper analyzed the status, problem and countermeasure of the tissue culture of medicinal plant on large scale. Although the biotechnology is one of the most efficient and promising means in production of medicinal plant, it still has problems such as stability of the material, safety of the transgenic medicinal plant and optimization of cultured condition. Establishing perfect evaluation system according to the characteristic of the medicinal plant is the key measures to assure the sustainable development of the tissue culture of medicinal plant on large scale.
Drug Industry ; methods ; standards ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; standards ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; growth & development ; Quality Control ; Tissue Culture Techniques ; methods ; standards

Objective To investigate the expressions of Wnt-1 and FZD-1 in small cell lung cancer(SCLC) patients and their relations with chemotherapy resistance,clinical feature and prognosis.Methods Peripheral blood specimens were collected from 41 SCLC patients.The expression of Wnt-1 and FZD-1 in peripheral blood monouclear cells (PBMC) were detected.The relationship among the expression of Wnt-1 and FZD-1,clinicopathologic feature and prognosis was analyzed.Results The relative expression of Wnt-1 and FZD-1 in chemotherapy resistant group was significantly higher than that in chemotherapy sensitive group (all P ＜ 0.05).The expression of Wnt-1was positively correlated with that of FZD-1 (r =0.186,P ＜ 0.05).The FZD-1expression level was not correlated with patients' age,sex and smoking history (all P ＞ 0.05),but closely with clinic-staging (P =0.008).The Wnt-1 expression level was not correlated with patients' clinical features (all P ＞ 0.05).There was statistical difference in median survival time between Wnt-1 and FZD-1 high-expression group and low-expression group.Conclusions Wnt-1 and FZD-1relationships with chemotherapy resistance and prognosis.Wnt-1 and FZD-1 may act as an important role in chemotherapy resistance of SCLC and could be served as indicators for the chemotherapy resistance and outcome assessment of SCLC.

OBJECTIVETo study on the chemical stability of Salvia miltirrhiza hairy root.

METHODThe rolA gene was detected by PCR in DNA and the chemical contituent variances were detected by HPLC.

RESULTThe rolA gene was found in all the 10 batches of the culfured hairy root. The similarities of the chromatographic fingerprints of the 10 batches are higher than 0. 95.

CONCLUSIONThere are no significant differences of the chemical constituents in 10 hairy root samples.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Genes, Plant ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reproducibility of Results ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry ; genetics ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Synthetic biology research methods which design and build a new artificial biological systems (medicinal plants or microorganisms system) with specific physiological functions through clarifying and simulating the basic law of the biosynthesis of active components of traditional Chinese medicine, is considered to be a potential method to produce an abundant resources of bioactive components. Tanshinones is a kind of diterpene quinone compounds with important pharmacological activities from traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza. This article systematically introduced the research progress of the synthetic biology of S. miltiorrhiza, in order to provide references for studies on other terpenoid bioactive components of traditional Chinese medicines, and give new research strategies for the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine resources.
Diterpenes, Abietane ; biosynthesis ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; metabolism ; Synthetic Biology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Qindan capsule (QC) on collagen synthesis and the mechanism underlying the process in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).

METHODSTwentyfour SHRs were divided into three groups: the hypertension model group, the QC treatment group, and the losartan treatment group. Eight Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as the normal control group. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) of the rats was monitored, and the thoracic aorta adventitia of the rats was segregated. The expressions of transforming growth factor 1 (TGF-β1), Smad3, and collagens I and were measured by histological staining and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTSThe SBP was significantly higher in the model group than in the normal control group (P<0.01). However, a significant SBP-lowering effect was observed in QC or losartan treatment groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01) after 3 weeks of treatment. QC-treated rats showed a decrease of approximately 40 mm Hg, and the losartan-treated rats showed a decrease of approximately 50 mm Hg at the end of treatment compared with the beginning of treatment. The protein and gene levels of TGF-β1, Smad3, and collagens I and in the model group were significantly increased compared with those in the normal control group (P<0.01). However, the levels were significantly decreased in the QC or losartan treatment group compared with the model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). However, there was no significant difference between the QC and losartan treatment groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSQC could exert its antihypertensive effect through down-regulating TGF-β1-stimulated collagen expressions. The TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway may be involved in this process.

Adventitia ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Animals ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Blood Vessels ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Capsules ; Collagen ; biosynthesis ; Collagen Type I ; genetics ; metabolism ; Collagen Type III ; genetics ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Losartan ; pharmacology ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Smad3 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Staining and Labeling ; Systole ; drug effects ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of short-term forest bathing on human health.

METHODSTwenty healthy male university students participated as subjects and were randomly divided into two groups of 10. One group was sent on a two-night trip to a broad-leaved evergreen forest, and the other was sent to a city area. Serum cytokine levels reflecting inflammatory and stress response, indicators reflecting oxidative stress, the distribution of leukocyte subsets, and plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentrations were measured before and after the experiment to evaluate the positive health effects of forest environments. A profile of mood states (POMS) evaluation was used to assess changes in mood states.

RESULTSNo significant differences in the baseline values of the indicators were observed between the two groups before the experiment. Subjects exposed to the forest environment showed reduced oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory level, as evidenced by decreased malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor a levels compared with the urban group. Serum cortisol levels were also lower than in the urban group. Notably, the concentration of plasma ET-1 was much lower in subjects exposed to the forest environment. The POMS evaluation showed that after exposure to the forest environment, subjects had lower scores in the negative subscales, and the score for vigor was increased.

CONCLUSIONForest bathing is beneficial to human health, perhaps through preventive effects related to several pathological factors.

Baths ; China ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; blood ; Life Style ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; Male ; Nature ; Recreation ; Stress, Physiological ; Testosterone ; blood ; Trees ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficiency of one-step multiplex RT-PCR for identifying four common fusion transcripts (TEL/AML1, E2A/PBX1, MLL/AF4 and BCR/ABL) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

METHODSTotal RNA was extracted from bone marrow samples of 76 children who were newly diagnosed with ALL between January 2003 and December 2010. These RNAs were analyzed for TEL/AML1, E2A/PBX1, MLL/AF4 and BCR/ABL by one-step multiplex RT-PCR or common nested-multiplex PCR. The PCR products were confirmed by DNA sequencing.

RESULTSTEL/AML1 was found in 12 cases (the length of products was 298 bp in 9 cases and 259 bp in 3 cases), E2A/PBX1 was found in 3 cases (the length of products was 373 bp), BCR/ABL was found in 1 case (the length of products was 2 124 bp), and MLL/AF4 was found in 7 cases (the length of products was 427 bp in 1 case and 673 bp in 6 cases) using one-step multiplex RT-PCR combined with DNA sequencing. The results were consistent with those using common nested-multiplex PCR.

CONCLUSIONSOne-step multiplex RT-PCR may be another alternative for detection of common fusion transcripts in children with ALL.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit ; genetics ; Female ; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein ; genetics ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Objective To investigate whether the mannose-binding-lectin 2 (MBL2) gene was associated with type 2 diabetes in the populations living the northern part of China. Methods The study involved 318 type 2 diabetic patients and 448 normoglycemic controls. The variances of rs1800450, rs1800451 and rs11003125 were determined by the Multiplex SNaPshot method. Fasting blood-glucose, triglyceride and total cholesterol were also measured. All of these results were analyzed by logistic regression method. Linkage disequilibrium and Haplotype measures were computed in all samples using Haploview. Results There seemed no mutation on rs 1800451 while the rs 1800450 and rs11003125 polymorphism was consistent with Hardy-Weinberg expectations in both the case and the control groups. Genotypes and allele frequencies of rs1800450 as well as rs11003125 were observed (P=0.006, P=0.003) and (P=0.010, P=0.004), respectively. Data from logistic regression analysis revealed that factors as overweight, abdominal obesity, hypercholesterolemia, GG genotype frequencies of Exonl rs1800450 polymorphism as well as (GC + CC) genotype frequencies of rs11003125 polymorphism in MBL2 conferred increased risks for type 2 diabetes. Haplotype analyses of the two SNPs (rs1800450, rs11003125) revealed similar effects as compared with the single SNP associations. Only haplotype constructed from GC alleles conferred increased trends for type 2 diabetes (OR=2.21, 95％ CI: 1.47-3.33, P=0.000). Conclusion Our result suggested that the Exonl rs1800450 polymorphism and promoter region rs11003125 polymorphism in MBL2 gene were both associated with type 2 diabetes in the Chinese population living in the northern areas of China. The G allele of rs 1800450 and C allele of rs 11003125 might be the risk factors of type 2 diabetes.

The study aims at predicting ecological suitability of Ephedra intermedia in China by using maximum entropy Maxent model combined with GIS, and finding the main ecological factors affecting the distribution of E. intermedia suitability in appropriate growth area. Thirty-eight collected samples of E. intermedia and E. intermedia and 116 distribution information from CVH information using ArcGIS technology were analyzed. MaxEnt model was applied to forecast the E. intermedia in our country's ecology. E. intermedia MaxEnt ROC curve model training data and testing data sets the AUC value was 0.986 and 0.958, respectively, which were greater than 0.9, tending to be 1.The calculated E. intermedia habitat suitability by the model showed a high accuracy and credibility, which indicated that MaxEnt model could well predict the potential distribution area of E. intermedia in China.

OBJECTIVETo study the potential risk factors of human infecting with Streptococcus suis.

METHODS1: M matched case-control study was conducted. 29 human cases of Streptococcus suis infection in the early phase were included in the case group, Patients' family members, neighbors and peoples who had worked together with patients to handle deceased or sick pigs in the last week were recruited as matched controls. There were 147 controls in total. Both cases and controls received questionnaire investigation including the ways to contact sick/dead pigs. Conditional logistic regression was employed to analyze matching data.

RESULTSAccording to the results of multivariate analysis, slaughtering (OR = 11.978, 95% CI: 3.355-42.756), carcasses cutting and processing (OR = 3.008, 95% CI: 1.022-8.849) sick/dead pigs were associated with cases related to human Streptococcus suis infection. The attributable risk proportion were 91.65% and 66.76% respectively. The other types of exposures to sick/ dead pigs, including feeding, selling, burying and eating, were not associated with the human Streptococcus suis infection in our study population.

CONCLUSIONSlaughtering, carcasses cutting and processing sick/dead pigs were important risky behavior for humans to be infected by Streptococcus suis.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; statistics & numerical data ; Risk Factors ; Streptococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; etiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcus suis ; physiology