Acupuncture Therapy ; adverse effects ; Humans

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Adult ; Coronary Disease ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

This study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical properties of Polyporus umbellatus sclerotial exudate. Morphological characteristics of the sclerotia and its exudate were observed during different stages of sclerotial formation. The pH of the exudate was detected at different time during cultivation. A phenol-sulfuric acid method was employed to determine the polysaccharide content of P. umbellatus sclerotial exudate during cultivating time. Additionally, the protein content was measured by means of BCA protein assay. Furthermore, CAT content was detected using ultraviolet absorption method. That the protein content of the exudate and CAT specific activity rose gradually during the passage of the cultivating time indicated a high level of oxidative stress during P. umbellatus sclerotial exudate formation. The results showed that the pH of the exudate increased gradually and then dropped down during sclerotial formation. That the pH of the exudate maintained the acidity state during the cultivation indirectly indicated that acidic environment would help sclerotial formation. The exudate produced gradually and was absorbed by the sclerotia itself.
Culture Media ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Fungal Proteins ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Fungi ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Oxidative Stress ; Polyporus ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Polysaccharides ; chemistry ; metabolism

Geographic distribution of Polyporus umbellatus was predicted by using distribution records. Based on 42 distribution records from 12 provinces and bioclimatic data (1950-2000), georaphic distribution of P. umbellatus was modeled using Maxent. The results showed thatthe Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis method was used to assess the accuracy of MAXENT model and the area under ROC curve (AUC) value of MAXENT was 0. 960 which suggested that the result of assessment was dependable. The geographic distribution pattern of were divided into three distribution block based on distribution values of 0.5-0.8: small area of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Hebei province, the board area of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, the southeast area of Tibet and the most area of Shanxi and Shannxi, the southeast board area of Shannxi, Gansu and Ningxia. Jackknife Test showed that average precipitation in warm seasons had the greatest contribution to the distribution gain of P. umbellatus, followed by mean temperature of driest quarter and annual mean temperature. The object suggests the potential distribution areasof P. umbellatus which is useful for the habitat conservation and introduction of P. umbellatus.
China ; Ecosystem ; Entropy ; Polyporus ; growth & development

A research combined trickling filter system and active sludge aeration system was applied in the treatment of industrial wastewater from gas-generating with heavy oil. The wastewater contained both high contents of NH+4-N and mixed hydrocarbons including various PAHs. Its BOD5/COD ratio was less than 0.3 and belongs to recalcitrant, toxic wastewater. The results showed a touch-growth biofilms system was formed on the porous packing material and it played a key role in the decrease of toxicity of the influent. It could also improve the biodegradability of the wastewater.

Four small GTPase genes which may be relative to sclerotial development were firstly cloned from medicinal fungus Polyporus umbellatus using rapid amplification of cDNA end PCR (RACE) method. The results showed that full-length cDNA of PuRhoA was 698 bp contained 585 bp ORF, which was predicted to encode a 194 amino acid protein with a molecular weight of 21.75 kD with an isoelectric point (pI) of 6.44; the full length cDNA of PuRhoA2 was 837 bp in length and encoded a 194 amino acid protein with a molecular weight of 21.75 kD and an isoelectric point (pI) of 6.33; the full length cDNA of Puypt1 was 896 bp in length and encoded a 204-aa protein with a molecular weight of 22.556 kD and an isoelectric point (pI) of 5.75; the full length cDNA of PuRas was 803 bp in length and encoded a 212-aa protein with a molecular weight of 23.821 kD and an isoelectric point (pI) of 5.2. There are fani acyl transferase enzyme catalytic site and myrcene-transferase enzyme catalytic site in PuRhoA1 while the PuRhoA2 only possess myrcene-transferase enzyme catalytic site. Puypt1 contains the Rab1-Ypt1 conserved domain of small GTPase family and PuRas contains the fani acyl transferase enzyme catalytic site. According to the phylogenetic analysis all these four small GTPase clustered with basidiomycete group. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that Puypt1, PuRas and PuRhoA1 transcripts were significantly higher in the beginning of sclerotial formation than that in the mycelia, whereas the transcripts levels of PuRhoA2 gene were particularly lower in sclerotia than that in mycelia, suggesting that these four genes might be involved in P umbellatus selerotial development.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; Fungal Proteins ; genetics ; GTP Phosphohydrolases ; genetics ; Genes, Fungal ; Mycelium ; Phylogeny ; Polyporus ; enzymology ; genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo verify the regulatory effects of acupuncture on exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at stable phase.

METHODSThirty cases of COPD were randomly divided into a treatment group (16 cases) and a placebo group (14 cases). Based on specified aerobic exercise, acupuncture was applied in the treatment group and placebo acupuncture was used in the placebo group. The acupoints included Danzhong (CV 17), Rugen (ST 18), Guanyuan (CV 4), Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25) and so on. The needle did not penetrate into the skin for the placebo group. The treatment was required for 2 to 3 times per week for totally 5 weeks. The indices of exercise tolerance, including 6-min walking distance (6-MWD), exercise time, maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC), maximum ventilatory volume (MVV), St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) were observed in two groups before and after treatment.

RESULTS(1) Exercise tolerance: the differences of 6-MWD and exercise time were statistically significant between groups, which were more superior in the treatment group (both P<0.01); the VO2max was significantly increased after treatment in the treatment group (P<0.05), but there was no difference between two groups (P>0.05). (2) Pulmonary ventilation function: the differences of FEV1%, FEV1/FVC and MVV% were statistically significant between groups, which were more superior in the treatment group (P<0.05, P<0.01); (3) SGRQ: the SGRQ was significantly improved after treatment in the treatment group (P<0.05), but there was no difference between two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe acupuncture could improve the exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at stable phase, and shorten the onset time of aerobic exercise. Besides, acupuncture combined with aerobic exercise could effectively improve the pulmonary function.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Exercise Tolerance ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; physiopathology ; therapy

To investigate such physical indexes as hygroscopicity, angle of repose, bulk density, fillibility of compression of mixed powder of directly compressed auxiliary materials and fermented cordyceps powder by using micromeritic study methods. The results showed that spray-dried lactose Flowlac100 and microcrystalline cellulose Avicel PH102 had better effect in liquidity and compressibility on fermented cordyceps powder than pregelatinized starch. The study on the impact of directly compressed auxiliary materials on the powder property of fermented cordyceps powder had guiding significant to the research of fermented cordyceps powder tablets, and could provide basis for the development of fermented cordyceps powder tablets.
Cellulose ; chemistry ; Cordyceps ; chemistry ; Drug Compounding ; methods ; Fermentation ; Lactose ; chemistry ; Powders ; chemistry ; Tablets ; chemistry ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

Objective To explore the prevalence of health literacy in China in 2011-2013.Methods The eligible studies were identified by searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI),Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM),VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP),Wanfang database,PubMed and Embase.The Meta-analysis was applied with Stata 12.0 software.Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robust of the results.Results A total of 28 studies,including 53 308 residents,were finally included in the review.Meta-analysis revealed the prevalence of health literacy in China to be 16％ (95％CI 15％-16％),and the prevalence of health concepts and knowledge was 25％ (95％CI 25％-26％),and healthy lifestyles and behaviors was 13％ (95％CI 12％-14％),and health skills was 32％ (95％CI 31％-32％).Conclusions The health literacy levels of residents showed a rising trend.There were differences between rural and urban health literacy levels and different regions.Rural residents' health literacy level increased more significantly than that of the city.Due to limited kinds of methods,more scientific and effective methods were needed to evaluate the health literacy.

The roles of voltage-dependent K(+) channels during activation and damage in alveolar macrophages (AMs) exposed to different silica particles were examined. Rat AMs were collected by means of bronchoalveolar lavage, and were adjusted to 5x10(5)/mL. After AMs were exposed to different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 mug/mL) of quartz particles and 100 mug/mL amorphous silica particles for 24 h, the voltage-depended K(+) current in AMs was measured by using patch clamp technique. Meanwhile the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the viability of AMs were detected respectively. Patch clamp studies demonstrated that AMs possessed outward delayed and inward rectifying K(+) current. Exposure to quartz particles increased the outward delayed K(+) current but it had no effect on inward rectifier K(+) current in AMs. Neither of the two K(+) channels in AMs was affected by amorphous silica particles. Cytotoxicity test showed that both silica particles could damage AM membrane and result in significant leakage of LDH (P<0.05). MTT studies, however, showed that only quartz particles reduced viability of AMs (P<0.05). It is concluded that quartz particles can activate the outward delayed K(+) channel in AMs, which may act as an activating signal in AMs to initiate an inflammatory response during damage and necrosis in AMs induced by exposure to quartz particle. K(+) channels do not contribute to the membrane damage of AMs.