AIM: To establish the quality standard for Tongfeng Huadu Tincture (Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae, Radix Angelicae Pubescentis, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Herba Asari, etc.). METHODS: The Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae, Radix Angelicae Pubescentis, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Herba Asari of Tongfeng Huadu Tincture were identified by TLC. Strychnine of Tincture was determined by HPLC. RESULTS: The average recovery was 97.07% and RSD and 2.1% (n=5). CONCLUSION: The method is reliable, accurate and specific. It can be used for quality control of Tongfeng Huadu Tincture.

Objective To explore the most important risk factors in metabolic syndrome(MS) components.Methods Ninety-four individuals were classified into MS and non-MS group according to the diagnostic criteria for MS proposed by Chinese Diabetes Society(CDS) revised in 2006 or International Diabetes Federal(IDF) in 2005.Age,waist circumference(WC),body mass index(BMI),fasting plasma glucose,lipid profile,blood pressure and blood cell counts in two groups were compared.Partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLSDA) was carried out to determine the most important components of MS.Results Patients with MS diagnosed by CDS or IDF criteria have significantly older age,higher BMI,WC,blood pressure,fasting plasma glucose,triglycerides,insulin levels,insulin resistance index,high sensitivity CRP and fibrinogen levels compared with non-MS group.PLSDA analysis shows WC,BMI,blood pressure and aging are most important components of MS.Conclusion Obesity,hypertension and aging are three most important components of MS with obesity is the utmost among them.

Background Some aboard studies showed that polyatomic pathway play an important role in the microsvasculopathy of type 2 diabetes,and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) gene is involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy(DR).There is no relevant research at home up to now.Objective This study was to investigate the correlation of sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) G-888C gene polymorphism with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods The SDH genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reactionreaction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 187 patients with diabetes and 123 normal contrels.Patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence or absence of DR(DR:n=118;NDR:n=69).The frequencies of SDH genotype and allele were assayed and compared among these groups.This study was approved by Ethic Committee of Guangdong General Hospital.Written informed consent was obtained from each individual prior to any relevant medical procedure.Results The disease course in the DR group was significantly longer than that in NDR group(t=2.070,P=0.042),and other clinical features in both groups were non-significant (all P>0.05).The genotype frequencies in the DR group,NDR group and normal control group were 24.6%,8.7% and 8.1%,respectively,and frequencies of the G allele were 42.4%,25.4% and 29.7%,showing statistically significant differences among these three groups.The GG genotype and G allele frequencies were significantly higher in the DR group than those in the NDR group and normal control group (GG:P=0.007,P=0.001;G:P=0.001,P=0.004).There were no significant differences in the frequencies of the GG genotype and G allele between the NDB group and normal control group ( P>0. 05) as well as the proliferative DR group and non-proliferative DR group (P>0.05).Conclusion SDH G-888C gene polymorphism is associated with the development of diabetic retinopathy in southern Chinese.

Objective To study the anti-oxidative stress effects of benazepril and candesartan.Methods SHRs of 12 weeks old were given benazepril(10 mg/kg?d,n=9)or candesartan(4 mg/kg?d,n=9)or combina- tion(Ben:10 mg/kg?d+Can:4 mg/kg?d)for 12 weeks.The tail arterial pressure was measured every two weeks.At end of study,pathological changes in the thoracic aorta,activity of SOD,serum contents of NO and hydroxy radicals,plasma Ang Ⅱ and cGMP,eNOS and P22~(phox)protein expressions in aortic tunica intima were de- termined.Results The thoracic aorta wall was thickened markedly in SHRs,and blood pressure,hydroxy radi- cal,Ang Ⅱ and P22~(phox)protein expression were increased significantly,while the serum NO,level of cGMP and eNOS expression were decreased.Benazepril(Ben)or Candesartan(Can)inhibit the thickening of vessel wall, enhance the activity of SOD(Ben:68.7?2.1,Can:65.6?4.2 vs SHR:48.8?3.2 U/mL,P

Objective To observe the effects of calcium cyanamide (Rongbao) on the histological and morphological changes of Oncomelania hupensis snails in order to explore its molluscicidal mechanisms.Methods The serial snails' slides were fixed after soaking in a concentration of Rongbao leached liquor at different time.The histological and morphological changes of the snails were compared among these slides.Results After soaking in the Rongbao leached liquor for 48 h,the mantle epithelia,respiratory epithelia of the gill,liver cells,and muscle cells of gastropods were injured seriously,which resulted in the death of the snails directly.The death rates of the snails were 96.70% and 100% after soaking in the Rongbao leached liquor for 48 h and 72 h,respectively.Conclusion Rongbao is an effective molluscicide by damaging the several snail tissues.

The potential biodegradation of crude oil was assessed based on the development of a fermentative process with a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which produced 15.4 g/L rhamnolipids when cultured in a basal mineral medium using glycerol as a sole carbon source. However, neither cell growth nor rhamnolipid production was observed in the comparative culture system using crude oil as the sole carbon source instead. As rhamnolipid, an effective biosurfactant, has been reported to stimulate the biodegradation of hydrocarbons, 1 g/L glycerol or 0.22 g/L rhamnolipid was initially added into the medium to facilitate the biodegradation of crude oil. In both situations, more than 58% of crude oil was degraded and further converted into accumulated cell biomass and rhamnolipids. These results suggest that Pseudomonas aeruginosa could degrade most of crude oil with direct or indirect addition of rhamnolipid. And this conclusion was further supported by another adsorption experiment, where the adsorption capacity of crude oil by killed cell biomass was negligible in comparison with the biologic activities of live cell biomass.
Biodegradation, Environmental ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Glycolipids ; pharmacology ; Petroleum ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; drug effects ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Water Pollutants, Chemical ; metabolism ; Water Purification ; methods

Objective To predict the response of induction chemotherapy in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)by using pretreat-ment apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)values.Methods 35 patients with advanced NPC underwent DWI examination prior to 2-week in-duction chemotherapy.The patients were divided into CR (complete response)group,PR (partial response)one and SD (stable disease)one according to the tumor response of treatment.The effective responders included CR and PR groups.The patients were divided into children-adolescents(below 20 years)group and adults one according to the age,into non-keratinizing undifferentiated carcinoma group and non-kera-tinizing differentiated carcinoma one according to the pathological type,and also into T2,T3 and T4 groups according to the T-staging (UICC2010).Statistical analysis was used to compare the pretreatment ADC values between different groups.Results The average pre-treatment ADC values of CR,PR,responders and SD groups were (0.70±0.06)×10 -3 mm2/s,(0.72±0.04)×10 -3 mm2/s,(0.71± 0.04)×10 -3 mm2/s and (0.85±0.02)×10 -3 mm2/s respectively.The average pretreatment ADC value of the SD group was signif-icantly higher than that of PR group and responders,and the differences were significant (P <0.05).The average pretreatment ADC value of children-adolescents and adults groups were (0.73±0.07)×10 -3 mm2/s and (0.75 ±0.07)× 10 -3 mm2/s,which showed no significant differences.The average pretreatment ADC value of non-keratinizing undifferentiated carcinoma and non-keratinizing dif-ferentiated carcinoma groups were (0.76 ±0.08)×10 -3 mm2/s and (0.74±0.06)×10 -3 mm2/s,which showed no significant differ-ences.The average pretreatment ADC values of T2,T3 and T4 groups were (0.78±0.05)×10 -3 mm2/s,(0.77 ±0.07)×10 -3 mm2/s and (0.75±0.08)×10 -3 mm2/s.Although there were no significant differences between T2,T3 and T4 groups,a trend towards lower ADC was observed with increasing tumor T-staging.Conclusion Pretreatment ADC value is a valuable quantitative parameter,and it can be used for predicting induction chemotherapy response in advanced naso-pharyngeal carcinoma.

Objective To summarize the CT features of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC).Methods CT manifestations of 12 patients with ATC confirmed by surgery or biopsy were analyzed retrospectively.Results 1 1 (91.7%)patients had single lesion. The lesions appeared as low attenuation mass with cord-like,flocculent or patchy high attenuation areas.The lesions had mild to moderate enhancement in 1 1 cases (91.7%).Coarse calcifications were detected in 8 cases (66.7%),4 of them were incomplete rim or eggshell.11 cases (91.7%)showed invasion into adjacent structures,including trachea (6 cases,50%),esophagus (4 cases,33.3%),strap muscles (7 cases,58.3%),larynx (2 cases,1 6.7%),blood vessels (6 cases,50%).5 cases (41.7%)had tumor thrombus in the internal jugular vein.10 cases (83.3%)had lymph nodes metastasis.The enhancements of lymph nodes were divided into 3 types:mild homogeneous enhancement (4 cases,40%),mild enhancement with internal low-attenuation areas (7 cases,70%)and ring-like enhancement without internal enhancement (7 cases,70%).Conclusion CT features of ATC include low-density mass with cords,flocculent and patchy high-density areas,coarse calcification and mild to moderate enhancement,invasion to adjacent structure and lymph node metastasis with necrosis are common.

The specific fragment of Pneumococcal surface protein A(PspA)and Pneumococcal Surface Adhesin A(PsaA)gene was amplified by PCR from Streptococcus pneumonia 5 and Streptococcus pneumonia 19.The amplified fragnent of PspA and PsaA gene was ligated into pET-27b(+)vector and transformed into BL 21 E.coli for expression and obtain the expressive production of PspA and PsaA.Induced by IPTG,the expression level was as high as 75 % of the total disolube protein.The result showed that the recombinant plasmid could express a specific 75 kDa and 37 kDa fusion protein in E.coli BL 21,which showed the good immunogenicity and a broadly cross reactivity with the other serotypes.

Multidrug resistance proteins (MRP2, ABCC2) may play a role in drug resistance in epilepsy by limiting gastrointestinal absorption and brain access of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). We sought to investigate the effects of ABCC2 polymorphisms on plasma carbamazepine (CBZ) concentrations and pharmacoresistance in Chinese patients with epilepsy. ABCC2 rs717620, rs2273697, rs3740066 polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis or direct automated DNA sequencing in 80 patients treated with CBZ monotherapy. There were no differences in CBZ maintenance doses or adjusted plasma CBZ concentrations among the ABCC2 rs717620, rs2273697 and rs3740066 genotypic groups. No associations between all the studied genotypes and haplotypes involving the three SNPs of ABCC2 and CBZ resistance were observed in this patient cohort. These results suggest that ABCC2 polymorphisms may not contribute to interindividual variabilities in CBZ daily maintenance doses, plasma concentrations, and treatment efficacy.
Epilepsy