A novel method was developed for the rapid determination of multi-indicators in corni fructus by means of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) based least squares support vector machine was investigated to increase the levels of quality control. The calibration models of moisture, extractum, morroniside and loganin were established using the PSO-LS-SVM algorithm. The performance of PSO-LS-SVM models was compared with partial least squares regression (PLSR) and back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN). The calibration and validation results of PSO-LS-SVM were superior to both PLS and BP-ANN. For PSO-LS-SVM models, the correlation coefficients (r) of calibrations were all above 0.942. The optimal prediction results were also achieved by PSO-LS-SVM models with the RMSEP (root mean square error of prediction) and RSEP (relative standard errors of prediction) less than 1.176 and 15.5% respectively. The results suggest that PSO-LS-SVM algorithm has a good model performance and high prediction accuracy. NIR has a potential value for rapid determination of multi-indicators in Corni Fructus.

Aim To study the effect of EA on the injury induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation in primary cultures of rat hippocampal neurons.Methods Rat hippocampal neurons in primary culture were used,and a apoptosis model was induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation.MTT assay and LDH releasing rate were used to detect the cell viability.The apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons was analyzed by Hoechst 33258 staining,flow cytometry with AnnexinV-FITC and PI staining.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of AKT and p-AKT.Results Compared to control group,three hours of hypoxia followed by sixteen hours of reoxygenation induced hippocampal neuronal apoptosis.EA could raise the neuronal viability and reduce apoptosis rate and the damage degree of rat hippocampal neurons.EA could increase the expressing of p-AKT.Conclusions EA has protective effects on damaged neurons,and the mechanism may be related to activating the PI3K-AKT signal transduction pathway.

Aim To observe the neurological protective effects of astragalosides(AST) on focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(I/R) injury in rats and to explore its possible mechanism.Methods Male SD rats received right middle cerebral artery occlusion for 120 min,and were decapitated 1,3,7,and 14 days after reperfusion.AST(40 mg?kg-1) was orally administered after I/R.Neurological deficit score was daily determined,the expressions of BDNF and p75NTR mRNA were detected by RT-PCR,and the expression of TrkB mRNA was detected by real-time PCR.Results AST reduced the neurological deficit score on days 3,increased the expression of BDNF mRNA on days 3,7 and 14,decreased p75NTR mRNA and increased TrkB mRNA on days 3 and 7.Conclusions AST improves the neurological deficits after I/R in rats.The mechanism may be related with increasing BDNF,and TrkB mRNA,and decreasing p75NTR mRNA.

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effects and mechanisms of astragaloside (AST) and astragalus saponin I (ASI) on the memory impairment in senescent rats treated by glucocorticoid (GC).

METHODY maze test was performed to determine the effects of AST and ASI on memory impairment of hydrocortisone(HC)-induced senescent rats. Using Ca2+ sensitive fluorescent indicator (Furo-2), free intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured by double wavelength fluorescence sepectrophotometer in thymocytes and hippocampal neurons induced dexamethasone (DEX). And apoptosis was detected by DNA gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry.

RESULTCompared with HC control, AST and ASI can improve the memory of the senescent rats treated by HC, lower [Ca2+]i and suppress apoptosis of thymocytes and hippocampal neurons induced by DEX.

CONCLUSIONAST and ASI can delay the aging in rats treated by HC, and its mechanism may includ lowering[Ca2+]i and suppressing the apoptosis of thymocytes and hippocampal neurons.

Aging ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Dexamethasone ; adverse effects ; Female ; Glucocorticoids ; adverse effects ; Hippocampus ; pathology ; Intracellular Space ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Memory Disorders ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; prevention & control ; Neurons ; drug effects ; pathology ; Rats ; Saponins ; pharmacology

The research on human hepatobiliary development and disorders has been constrained by minimal access to human fetal tissue, and low accuracy of animal models. To overcome this problem, we have established a system for the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into functional hepatobiliary organoids (HBOs). We have previously reported that our 45-d approach closely mimics key stages of hepatobiliary development, starting with the differentiation of hiPSC into endoderm and a small part of mesoderm, and subsequently into hepatoblast-like cells, followed by the parallel generation of hepatocyte-like cells and cholangiocyte-like cells, formation of immature HBO expressing early hepatic and biliary markers, and mature HBO displaying hepatobiliary functionality. In this study, we present an updated version of our previous protocol, which only needs 35 days to achieve maturation in vitro. Furthermore, a hepatobiliary culture medium is developed to functionally maintain the HBOs for more than 1.5 months. The capacity of this approach for producing large amounts of functional HBOs and enabling long-term culture in vitro holds promise for applications on developmental research, disease modeling, as well as screening of therapeutic agents.

OBJECTIVE To mine the risk sig nals o f iodine contrast media from spontaneous reporting system. METHODS Reporting odds ratio ，proportional reporting ratio ，Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and Bayesian confidence propagation neural network were used to mine risk signals of 5 iodine contrast media （iopamidol，iohexol，iopromide，ioversol， iodixanol）. RESULTS 1 164（2 446 case times ）adverse drug reaction of iodine contrast media were included ，a total of 14 risk signals involving systems/organs such as respiratory system （3，2，4，3，2 for the above 5 iodine contrast media ）and immune system and 32 specific adverse drug reaction signals including anaphylactic shock ，rash and flushing （11，7，7，3，4 for the above 5 iodine contrast media ）were found in 5 iodine contrast media. CONCLUSIONS The risk signals of 5 iodine contrast media verify that there is a certain correlation between these drugs and above adverse drug reactions. It is suggested that before using iodine contrast media in clinic ，it is necessary to pay attention to whether the patient has a history of tumor and combined medication ，evaluate the patient’s renal function ，and give preventive measures such as hydration in advance. When using iodine contrast media ，it is necessary to pay attention to the temperature ，dose and injection rate. And medical staff need to follow up the patient ’s situation in time after using iodine contrast media to avoiding the impact of delayed adverse reactions.