This study aimed to characterize and identify the non-volatile components in Pogostemonis Herba by using ultra-perfor-mance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined with UNIFI and an in-house library. The chemical components in 50% methanol extract of Pogostemonis Herba were detected by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS in both positive and negative MS~E continuum modes. Then, the MS data were processed in UNIFI combined with an in-house library to automatically characterize the metabolites. Based on the multiple adduct ions, exact mass, diagnostic fragment ions, and peak intensity of compounds and the fragmentation pathways and retention behaviors of reference substances, the structures identified by UNIFI were further verified and those of the unidentified compounds were tentatively elucidated. A total of 120 compound structures were identified or tentatively identified, including flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, fatty acids, alkaloids, and phenylethanoid glycosides. Sixteen of them were accurately identified by comparison with reference substances, and 53 compounds were reported the first time for Pogostemonis Herba. This study systematically characterized and identified the non-volatile compounds in Pogostemonis Herba for the first time. The findings provide a scientific basis for revealing the pharmacodynamic material basis, establishing a quality control system, and developing products of Pogostemonis Herba.

Central sensitization is essential in maintaining chronic pain induced by chronic pancreatitis (CP), but cortical modulation of painful CP remains elusive. Here, we examined the role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in the pathogenesis of abdominal hyperalgesia in a rat model of CP induced by intraductal administration of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). TNBS treatment resulted in long-term abdominal hyperalgesia and anxiety in rats. Morphological data indicated that painful CP induced a significant increase in FOS-expressing neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and ACC, and some FOS-expressing neurons in the NTS projected to the ACC. In addition, a larger portion of ascending fibers from the NTS innervated pyramidal neurons, the neural subpopulation primarily expressing FOS under the condition of painful CP, rather than GABAergic neurons within the ACC. CP rats showed increased expression of vesicular glutamate transporter 1, and increased membrane trafficking and phosphorylation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunit NR2B and the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) subunit GluR1 within the ACC. Microinjection of NMDAR and AMPAR antagonists into the ACC to block excitatory synaptic transmission significantly attenuated abdominal hyperalgesia in CP rats, which was similar to the analgesic effect of endomorphins injected into the ACC. Specifically inhibiting the excitability of ACC pyramidal cells via chemogenetics reduced both hyperalgesia and comorbid anxiety, whereas activating these neurons via optogenetics failed to aggravate hyperalgesia and anxiety in CP rats. Taken together, these findings provide neurocircuit, biochemical, and behavioral evidence for involvement of the ACC in hyperalgesia and anxiety in CP rats, as well as novel insights into the cortical modulation of painful CP, and highlights the ACC as a potential target for neuromodulatory interventions in the treatment of painful CP.
Animals ; Anxiety/etiology* ; Chronic Pain/etiology* ; GABAergic Neurons ; Gyrus Cinguli/metabolism* ; Hyperalgesia/metabolism* ; Pancreatitis, Chronic/pathology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism* ; Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid/toxicity*

Acute Kidney Injury ; physiopathology ; Adolescent ; Cardiomyopathies ; pathology ; Crush Syndrome ; physiopathology ; Earthquakes ; Humans ; Male

Objective To present the experience and advantage of cooperation management by head and neck surgery and neurosurgery for communicating skull base tumors. Methods A review of 54 communicating skull base tumors (benign tumor 21, malignant tumor 33) cooperation resection by head and neck surgery and neurosurgery from July 2005 to July 2008 in the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences was presented. The tumor originated in the anterior skull base in 19 cases, originated in the lateral skull base in 12, in the central skull base in 17, and in the posterior skull base in 6. Results All procedures were conducted in a single stage by a muhidisciplinary team. Total resection of tumor was achieved in 45 cases, and subtotal resection was achieved in 9. There was no operative death. There were 2 cases postoperative hemorrhage. All cases except 3 were followed up with a period of 8 to 43 months (median, 19. 1 months for benign tumor and 21.0 months for malignant tumor). Three patients with malignant tumor were lost. Twelve cases of malignant tumor and one case of benign tumor recurred postoperatively. Nine patients with malignant tumor had died( one of these died from heart trouble). Three-year disease-free survival rates and overall survival rates of malignant tumor were 52. 7% and 53.0%, respectively. Conclusions It suggested that a special operative team constituted of head and neck surgeon and neurosurgeon may improve the outcome of the difficult skull base tumors.

Humans ; Liver Transplantation ; Transplantation, Autologous

Humans ; Liver Transplantation ; methods ; Transplantation, Autologous ; methods

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical significance of piggy-back liver transplantation in treating acute liver failure (ALF).

METHODSFifteen ALF patients (13 caused by HBV and 2 with acute Wilson disease) had piggy-back liver transplantations (PBLT) in our hospital from Sept 1999 to Feb 2006. The outcomes of these patients were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSOne year survival rate of the 15 patients was 87% (13/15). Excellent outcome was achieved in the 2 acute Wilson disease cases: their corneal Kayser-Fleischer rings disappeared and serum ceruloplasmin levels returned to normal. Among the 15 cases, one died of severe pulmonary infection and another died of multiple organ system failure on the 6th and 11th postoperative days. HBsAg positivity was observed in 13 cases before liver transplantation. Eleven patients survived and later received anti-HBV treatment recommended by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Their HBsAg became negative.

CONCLUSIONLiver transplantation is an effective therapy for ALF and can improve survival rate significantly.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Failure, Acute ; mortality ; surgery ; Liver Transplantation ; methods ; mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

To investigate the cause of death of a pregnant woman with undefined pneumonia reported from the People's Hospital of Tongling City in Anhui Province on November 8, 2005, the patient's tracheal aspirates and serum samples were collected and tested by RT-PCR and Real-time PCR to detect viral nucleic acids of HA of A/H5N1, A/H7N7, A/H9N1 and A/M. Tracheal aspirates were inoculated into special pathogen free (SPF) embryonated eggs for cultivation and identification of virus. The HA gene of the virus was sequenced and analyzed. Serum samples were tested by HI assay to detect antibody of H5N1. The results showed that HA gene of A/H5N1 virus and A/M were positive in tracheal aspirates by both PCR tests. The serum sample collected on Nov. 9 was A/M gene positive by Real-time PCR. The analysis of HA gene of A/AnHui/1/2005 sequence showed that the receptor specificity and the connecting peptide between HA1 and HA2 were still avian influenza origin. The HI antibody of H5N1 was negative at 7th, 8th, 9th d of disease onset. This undefined pneumonia case was confirmed as the first pregnant woman case of avian influenza (H5N1) virus infection by etiology in the mainland of China.
Adult ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests ; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza, Human ; etiology ; virology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ; etiology ; virology ; Trachea ; virology

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy induced by hypertension.

METHODSUsing immunofluorescent labeling, confocal microscopy and Western blotting, the expression and subcellular localization of FAK in the cardiac myocytes of left ventricle were determined in 2, 6, 12, and 18 month-old rats with spontaneously hypertensive heart failure (SHHF) along with age-matched control Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference of FAK expression between 2 month-old SHHF and WKY rats (50.5+/-6.9 vs. 49.8+/-5.0, n=6, P>0.05). In contrast with the control groups, the expression of FAK significantly increased in 6, 12 and 18 month-old SHHF rats (130.6+/-3.0 vs. 47.3+/-1.3, 144.7+/-5.4 vs. 46.4+/-3.1, 141.4+/-9.8 vs. 48.5+/-2.2, each groups n=6, P<0.05) with FAK protein primarily cumulated in the intercalated disks and nuclei.

CONCLUSIONSFAK may play a role in the cell signaling transduction leading to cardiac hypertrophy, presumably through regulations of hypertrophic gene transcription and RNA processing.

Animals ; Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 ; metabolism ; Heart Ventricles ; pathology ; Hypertension ; complications ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; enzymology ; etiology ; Male ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Signal Transduction

Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; blood supply ; virology ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Endothelial Growth Factors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Viral ; Hepatitis B virus ; pathogenicity ; physiology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; blood supply ; virology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Trans-Activators ; physiology