On account of the dense cuticles of the fresh stem and the light, hard and pliable texture of the dried stem, Dendrobii Caulis is difficult to dry or pulverize. So, it is very important to the ancient doctors that Dendrobii Caulis should be properly treated and applied to keep or evoke its medicinal effects. The current textual research results about the preliminary processing, processing and usage methods of Dendrobii Caulis showed that: (1) In history the clinical use of fresh or processed Dendrobii Caulis as teas and tinctures were very common. (2) Its roots and rhizomes would be removed before using. (3) Some ancillary approaches were applied to shorten drying times, such as rinsing with boiling mulberry-ash soup, washing or soaking with liquor, mixing with rice pulp and then basking, etc. (4) According to the ancients knowledge, the sufficient pulverization, by means of slicing, rasping, hitting or pestling techniques, was necessary for Dendrobii Caulis to take its effects. (5) The heat processing methods for Dendrobii Caulis included stir-baking, stir-frying, steaming, decocting and stewing techniques, usually with liquor as an auxiliary material. Among above mentioned, steaming by pretreating with liquor was most commonly used, and this scheme was colorfully drawn in Bu Yi Lei Gong Pao Zhi Bian Lan (Ming Dynasty, 1591 CE) ; moreover, decocting in advance or long-time simmering so as to prepare paste products were recommended in the Qing Dynasty. (6) Some different processing programs involving stir-baking with grit, air-tightly baking with ondol (Kangs), fumigating with sulfur, which appeared in modern times and brought attractive outward appearance of the drug, went against ancients original intentions of ensuring drug efficacy.
Dendrobium ; History, Ancient ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; history ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; history

An old male patient visited the hospital due to shortness of breath and palpitation for 6 h, with fever 3 days before and pump failure at admission. Having no risk factor of coronary diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus and obesity, with ST-T changes and abnormal Q wave on ECC, the signs were compatible with those of acute anterior wall myocardial infarction, while the characteristics of cardiac biomarkers ( significant increase in Troponin I and creatine kinase's isoform, and normal creatine kinase) were not in accordance with those of acute myocardial infarction. Emergency angiography was performed, which indicated normal coronary artery, normal pulmonary artery and global systolic dysfunction of left ventricle. The diagnosis of acute severe myocarditis was established, and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) was employed to provide hemodynamic support. Severe myocarditis mimicking acute myocardial infarction may be fatal, and can be easily misdiagnosed. Careful analysis of clinical manifestations, early diagnostic angiography and possible IABP placement are important for the successful treatment.

0.05);2)After 12,24,36 months' treatment,BP was decreased significantly in each group (P0.05).Conclusion Both combined spirono- lactone/HCTZ and captopril/HCTZ significantly reduced BP and LVMI or LVMI and the maguitude of reduction was further enhanced after prolonged treatment.

AIMTo detect effect of the different frequency of chronic electrical stimulation (CES) on myofibrillar isoform, myosin heavy chain (MHC) and metabolic enzyme activities.

METHODSThe histochemical method and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were respectively employed.

RESULTS(1)There were a significant increase in I myo-fibrillar isoform and I MHC isoform and decrease in II B myofibrillar isoform and II B MHC isoforms in the chronic low frequency electrical stimulation (CLFES) 10 Hz and 20 Hz groups, but opposite results were found in the chronic high frequency electrical stimulation (CHFES) 50 Hz and 100 Hz groups. (2) There were a significant increase in the aerobic-oxidative enzyme activities and capacity, and a concomitant significant drop in glycolysis enzyme activities in CLFES groups, but opposite results were found in CHFES 50 Hz and 100 Hz groups.

CONCLUSIONIt was suggested that there was a significant dependent relation between chronic electrical stimulation frequency and myofibrilla isoforms, myosin heavy chain (MHC) and metabolic enzyme activities.

Adaptation, Physiological ; Animals ; Diaphragm ; enzymology ; metabolism ; physiology ; Electric Stimulation ; Muscle Contraction ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; metabolism ; Nonmuscle Myosin Type IIB ; metabolism ; Protein Isoforms ; Rabbits

Objective To study the doses and methods of F1 antigen(F1Ag) to immune Balb/c mice during the establishment of hybridoma cell strains. Secreting McAbs against F1Ag of Yersinia pestis. Methods Balb/c mice of seven to nine weeks old were randomly divided into six groups. The first four groups were 150, 100, 50 and 25 μg F1Ag inoculated group, having multipoint hypodermic inoculation of F1Ag of 150, 100, 50 and 25 μg followed by multipoint hypodermic inoculation of F1Ag of 100 μg for a second time and then intraperitoneal injection of 100 μg. Next, hypodermically inoculated group received F1Ag of 100 μg for three times in multiple points. Finally, the intraperitoneal injection group was intraperitoneally inoculated with F1Ag of 100 μg for three times. Emulsification liquid of F1Ag + Complete Frednd's adjuvant(CFA) of equivalence was used in the first inoculation, emulsification liquid of F1Ag + Incomplete Frednd's adjuvant(IFA) balanced mix in the second, F1Ag liquid in the third. One week afterwards, tail blood of the mice was collected to test antibody titers of anti-F1Ag by double antigens sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAgS-ELISA) and trace indirect hemagglutination assay(IHA). Results The levels of antibody of anti-F1Ag in 150,100,50 and 25 μg groups had statistics difference (DAgS-ELISA method: G = 12 173.87,13 440.37,15 024.19 and 4466.72, F= 3.11, P< 0.05;IHA: G = 19 972.32,18 089.40,23 170.47 and 4871.08, F = 4.11, P < 0.05). Immune effect of the 3 groups of 150, 100 and 50 μg was almost the same (P> 0.05), and excelled as compared with that in 25 μg group with statistics difference(DAgS-ELISA method: t = 2.18,2.39,2.73, P < 0.05;IHA: t = 2.54,2.73,3.13, P< 0.05). The titer of F1 antibody had an increasing trend from the 100 μg group to hypodermic group and intraperitoneal injection groups, but without statistics difference (DAgS-ELISA method: G = 8933.44, 9986.16, 13 440.37;IHA: G = 13 777.25,16 384.00, 18 089.40, F = 0.66,0.25, all P > 0.05). Conclusions Hyodermical inoculation of F1Ag with the first dose of 50 μg in multiple points for mouse is appropriate, and a strengthening dose of 100 μg in an intraperitoneal injection may shorten the immune period.

OBJECTIVETo establish an FTIR method for the analysis of Dendrobium.

METHODUsing fourier transform infrared spectrometer to record the characteristic spectra of eleven samples of Dendrobium, and to compare the spectra by PCA (principal component analysis).

RESULTThe FTIR spectra of the upper part of the stem displayed significant differences between fresh and dried samples of Dendrobium. On the other hand, differences were observed in the spectra of the middle and lower parts of stems of D. guangxieuse when compared to other species.

CONCLUSIONThe method of applying PCA to FTIR analysis is a rapid and dependable method for comparing samples of Dendrobium.

Dendrobium ; chemistry ; classification ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; classification ; Principal Component Analysis ; methods ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; methods

To improve the reliability and credibility of genotyping hepatitis E virus (HEV) and to explore the possibility of unifying standards of HEV genotyping by designing HEV universal primers for amplification of a long genomic fragment of different HEV genotypes. A set of universal primers (HEVuPrimer) was designed based on conserved regions determined by alignment analysis of 82 HEV strains with complete genome in GenBank. HEVuPrimer was compared with a set of previously used primers (MXJ primers) for their sequence-matching to different HEV strains and applied to amplify HEV genomic fragments from HEV reference strains with known different genotypes and clinical serum samples with anti-HEV-IgM by RT-nPCR. HEV genotyping based on the fragments amplified with HEVuPrimer was compared and validated with that based on HEV full genome and fragments obtained with MXJ primers. HEV genotyping by the phylogenetic analysis supplemented with the percent of nucleotide identity of the HEVuPrimer-determined fragments showed good correspondence with that based on HEV full-length genome. In addition, HEVuPrimer was much better than MXJ primers in matching sequences of HEV strains available from GenBank, and was able to amplify all the reference HEV strains with different genotypes. Among 124 samples with anti-HEV-IgM, 60 were positive for HEV RNA determined by a 644bp amplicon of RT-nPCR with the HEVuPrimenr. All the positive isolates belonged to HEV genotype 4 with nucleotide homology of 80.0%-99.9%, and could be further divided into 4 subgenotypes. Moreover, a novel subtype was identified with 6 HEV strains isolated very recently. The RT-nPCR using the HEVuPrimer and phylogenetic analysis of the amplified region provided strong evidences for its feasibility in HEV genetic classification. Our data have new implication for the consensus of genotype classification of HEV.
DNA Primers ; genetics ; Genome, Viral ; genetics ; Genotype ; Hepatitis E virus ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods

AIM:To study the protective effect of heat shock factor1(HSF1) on the mice with lipopolysaccha-ride (LPS)-induced acute lung injury(ALI),and to screen the relevant differentially-expressed genes. METHODS:ALI mouse model was established by LPS intracheal instillation. The macroscopic and pathological changes of the lung tissue were observed,and the concentrations of total protein,TNF-α, IL-β, IL-6 and VEGF in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed. Differentially-expressed genes in the lung tissues of HSF1 +/ +mice and HSF1 -/- mice with ALI induced by LPS were screened by gene chips. The key gene was verified by real-time qPCR. RESULTS:The macroscopic and pathological changes of the lung injury in HSF1 -/- +LPS mice were more serious than those in HSF1 +/ ++LPS mice.The concentrations of total protein,VEGF,TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in the BALF of HSF1 -/- +LPS mice were significantly higher than those of HSF1 +/ ++LPS mice(P<0.05). Compared with the HSF1 +/ +mice,a total of 918 differentially-ex-pressed genes were indentified in the HSF1 -/- mice, among which the expression levels of 65 genes had obvious diffe-rence,with 28 genes up-regulated,including Atg7,ccr1,cxcr2,Tbl1xr1,Mmp9,Pparg,Plcb2,Arrb2,Cntn1,Col4a6, etc, and 37 genes down-regulated,including Fgfr1,Fgfr2,Map4k4,Ddx58,Tfg,Stat3,Smad4,Lamc1,Sdc3,etc. The results of real-time qPCR showed that the mRNA level of CXCR2 in HSF1 -/- + LPS mice was significantly higher than that in HSF1 +/ ++ LPS mice,which was consistent with the results of gene chips. CONCLUSION:HSF1 has protective effect on the mice with LPS-induced ALI. CXCR2 may be involved in the protective effect of HSF1 on this process.

BACKGROUNDThe control of blindness in children is a high priority within the VISION 2020 initiative. To determine the causes of severe visual impairment and blindness in children from Shanghai Blind Children School (SBCS) can provide useful information on childhood blindness in Shanghai.

METHODSA cross-sectional investigation of students in SBCS was conducted in May 2010. The World Health Organization/Prevention of Blindness (WHO/PBL) eye examination record system for children with low vision and blindness was used. The results were further compared with the findings of two previous investigation studies conducted in 1986 and 2004, respectively in SBCS.

RESULTSOf the 146 children observed, 80 children (54.8%) were blind (best corrected best visual acuity less than 0.05), 27 children (18.5%) had severe visual impairment (best corrected visual acuity less than 0.1 but better than or equal to 0.05), and 34 children (23.3%) had moderate visual impairment (best corrected visual acuity less than 0.3 but better than or equal to 0.1). The major affected anatomic sites in the 107 children with severe visual impairment and blindness (SVI/BL) were retina (47.7%), whole globe (16.8%), optic nerve (13.1%) and lens (9.3%). The leading causes of SVI/BL were retinopathy of prematurity (ROP, 25.2%), followed by retinal dystrophy (15.9%), optic nerve atrophy (9.3%) and microphthalmos (9.3%). The two leading etiologic categories of SVI/BL were perinatal/neonatal (36.4%) and congenital/hereditary groups (29.0%). The leading cause of moderate visual impairment was aphakia after cataract surgery (congenital cataract, 44.1%). Compared with the findings in two previous investigations in SBCS, the proportion of ROP in visual impairing diseases increased, while the proportion of disorders of the lens (cataract and aphakia) significantly decreased.

CONCLUSIONSThe leading cause of childhood blindness in SBCS nowadays is ROP. It is projected that without improvement in perinatal medical care that ROP will continue to be a major cause of childhood blindness.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; complications ; Vision Disorders ; etiology

Adult ; Aged ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Bone Transplantation ; Female ; Fibula ; transplantation ; Fractures, Bone ; surgery ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; injuries ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Transplantation, Autologous