AIMTo investigate the water-soluble phenolic glycosides from the whole plant of Bulbophyllum odoratissimum.

METHODSColumn chromatography techniques were used to isolate the chemical constituents, physico-chemical constants and spectroscopic analysis were employed for structural elucidation.

RESULTSBulbophyllinoside (1), a new phenolic glycoside and three known compounds were isolated from the whole plant of Bulbophyllum odoratissimum Lindl. Their structures were determined as 3-hydroxyphenethyl alcohol 4-O-( 6'-O-beta-apiofuranosyl) -beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), 3-methoxyphenethyl alcohol 4-O-beta-D-glucopynanoside (2), 3, 5-dimethoxyphenethyl alcohol 4-O-alpha-D-glucopynanoside (3) and syringin (4).

CONCLUSIONBulbophyllinoside (1) is a new compound.

Glucosides ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Glycosides ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Structure ; Orchidaceae ; chemistry ; Phenols ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Phenylpropionates ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Solubility ; Water ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical efficacy difference of the thunder-fire moxibustion combined with celecoxib for knee osteoarthritis(KOA)before and after the treatment.METHODS Forty five patients with KOA were randomly divid-ed into the celecoxib-intervened first group and the thunder-fire moxibustion-intervened first group.The celecoxib-intervened first group was treated by celecoxib for two weeks,then treated by thunder-fire moxibustion for another two weeks after one week of elusion,and the thunder-fire moxibustion-intervened first group was treated conversely.Four weeks'follow-up was performed for both groups after the treatment.The degree of tenderness,swelling,activity and WOMAC function score of knee joints were observed before and after the treatment.RESULTS After two weeks of treatment,the degree of tenderness, swelling and activity of knee joint in two groups improved significantly(P<0.05),and WOMAC function total score also de-creased(P<0.05).The degree of tenderness and swelling,activity improvement of the knee joints in the thunder-fire moxi-bustion-intervened first group were better than those of the celecoxib-intervened first group(P<0.05),and WOMAC total score decreased more significantly than that of the celecoxib-intervened first group(P<0.05).After one week of elution, there was no significant improvements of the four aspects in the celecoxib-intervened first group,while the improvements of the above four aspects in the thunder-fire moxibustion-intervened first group were significantly different compared with pre-treat-ment(P<0.05).During the follow-up period of the end of the treatment the degree of tenderness,swelling and activity of knee joints in both groups were significantly improved than those of the pre-treatment(P<0.05),and WOMAC total score decreased significantly than that of the pre-treatment(P<0.05).But there was no significant difference between two groups.CONCLUSION Thunder-fire moxibustion and celecoxib can improve the joint tenderness,swelling,activity and dysfunction of KOA patients,but the thunder-fire moxibustion shows more advantages in improving KOA patients'joint tenderness,swell-ing,activity and other functions.The combination of thunder-fire moxibustion and celecoxib shows similar effects no matter which one is used first.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of aspartate-ornithine granules in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

METHODSSeventy-two patients with NASH were included in this multiple-dose parallel controlled clinical trial and received a 12-week course of aspartate-ornithine granule treatment at either high-dose (6 g bid po; n = 38) or low-dose (3 g bid po; n = 34). Clinical efficacy was assessed by monitoring data from urinalysis, serologic tests (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and triglyceride (TG)), and abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan. Safety was assessed by occurrence of adverse events (fatigue, anorexia, abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting). Statistical analyses were conducted to determine the significance of differences between parameters before (baseline) and after treatment.

RESULTSAfter 12 weeks of treatment, the liver and spleen CT ratios in both the high-dose group (0.89 +/- 0.19) and the low-dose group (0.80 +/- 0.15) were significantly higher than at baseline (S = 329, P less than 0.0001 and S = 246, P less than 0.0001); the overall improvement was more robust in the high-dose group (52.63%) than in the low-dose group (38.23%) (Z = -2.1042, P less than 0.05). After 6 and 12 weeks of treatment, the serum ALT levels in both the high-dose group and the low-dose group were significantly lower than at baseline (6 weeks: S = 324.5, P less than 0.0001 and S = 223, P less than 0.0001; 12 weeks: S = 370.5, P less than 0.0001 and S = 297.5, P less than 0.0001); the overall improvement was more robust in the high-dose group (79.0%) than in the low-dose group (53.0%) (Z = -2.0533, P less than 0.05). Similar trends were seen for the serum levels of AST and GGT after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment (all P less than 0.01) and serum levels of TG after 12 weeks of treatment. The rate of adverse reactions was low and similar between the two groups (high-dose: 4.8% and low-dose: 4.4%; all gastrointestinal).

CONCLUSIONAspartate-ornithine granule therapy was an effective and safe treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, with the higher dose of 6 g bid po providing more robust clinical benefit without affecting the safety profile.

Adult ; Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Dipeptides ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Triglycerides ; blood ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; blood