Ligularia duciformis is a plant of the Ligularia genus (Compositae) which has been reported to have therapeutic effects of treating diseases such as bronchitis and coughing. In order to find out the bioactive components, the 85% ethanol extract of the root and rhizome of L. duciformis was treated by solvents extraction and column chromatography on silica gel and Sephadex LH-20. Six compounds were obtained from the ethyl acetate fraction and identified as 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylpropyl caffeate (I), 6beta, 8beta-dihydroxyeremophil-7 (11)-en-12, 8alpha-olide (II), 6beta, 8alpha-dihydroxyeremophil-7 (11)-en-12, 8beta-olide (III), 6beta-hydroxyeremophil-7 (11)-en-12, 8alpha-olide (IV), stigmasterol (V) and beta-daucosterol (VI) by analysis of their physic-chemical constants and spectral data. Compound I is a new compound and compounds II - V were isolated from L. duciformis for the first time. The antitussive effect of the compounds is under evaluation.
Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Amniotic Fluid ; metabolism ; Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Embolism, Amniotic Fluid ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Keratin-13 ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Aspiration ; metabolism ; pathology

BACKGROUNDPim-1 plays an important role in the apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation of cancer cells and progression of cancer. In this study we detected the expression of pim-1 mRNA in normal prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer (PCa) and explored its diagnostic value for PCa.

METHODSThe prostate tissues were collected from 23 patients with PCa, 37 patients with BPH, and 3 healthy volunteers. Pim-1 mRNA expression levels in these samples were determined by the quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR). The differences of expression were calculated based on a standard curve.

RESULTSThe ratio of pim-1 mRNA to beta-actin in the normal prostate, BPH, and PCa were 1.05 +/- 0.04, 2.57 +/- 0.74 and 4.45 +/-0.63, respectively. The differences among PCa, BPH and NT were significant (P < 0.05, respectively).

CONCLUSIONDetecting pim-1 mRNA expression by QRT-PCR provides a reliable metric for the diagnosis of PCa.

Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1 ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship of oxidative stress with DNA integrity and semen parameters in infertile men with varicocele (VC).

METHODSThis prospective study included 98 infertile males with VC. According to the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the semen, we divided the patients into a high ROS group (n=44) and a low ROS group (n=54), determined the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), motility and morphology, and analyzed their correlation with ROS in the two groups of patients.

RESULTSCompared with the patients of the low ROS group, those of the high ROS group showed a significantly higher DFI (27.38±8.10 vs 34.49±6.05, P=0.039) and a higher concentration of seminal leukocytes (［0.65±0.15］×10⁶/ml vs ［0.86±0.41］×10⁶/ml, P=0.022), but lower sperm motility (［36.16±22.83］% vs ［18.22±25.21］%, P=0.017), percentage of progressively motile sperm (［23.34±11.53］% vs ［16.34±9.22］%, P=0.041), sperm curvilinear velocity (［27.03±6.21］ vs ［20.62±4.38］ μm/s, P=0.013), and sperm linearity (［29.75±8.24］% vs ［18.30±7.93］%, P=0.024). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that the ROS level was correlated positively with the concentration of seminal leukocytes (r=0.41, P<0.01) and DFI (r=0.21, P=0.006), but negatively with sperm curvilinear velocity (r=－0.24, P=0.017), linearity (r=－0.24, P=0.021), motility (r=－0.31, P=0.002), and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (r=－0.41, P=0.012). Additionally, the sperm DFI manifested a significant negative correlation with sperm motility (r=－0.29, P<0.01) and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (r=－0.34, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe level of seminal ROS is positively correlated with the sperm DFI in infertile men with varicocele, and both the ROS level and DNA integrity are associated with semen parameters.

DNA Fragmentation ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; complications ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; Prospective Studies ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Semen ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; pathology ; Varicocele ; complications