This paper aims to establish a method for the determination of sulfur dioxide in sulfur fumigation Chinese herbs. Sample powder and hydrochloric acid solution were isolated by paraffin layer in order to avoid early reactions, with the generation of sulfur dioxide, headspace with airtight needle was used to transfer sulfur dioxide into gas chromatograph, and detected with thermal conductivity detector. The analytical performance was demonstrated by the analysis of 12 herbs, spiked at four concentration levels. In general, the recoveries ranging from 70% to 110%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) within 15%, were obtained. The limit of detection (LOD) was below 10 mg x kg(-1). Standard addition can be used for low recovery samples. The method is simple, less time-consuming, specific and sensitive. Methods comparison revealed that gas chromatography is better than traditional titration in terms of method operability, accuracy and specificity, showing good application value.
Chromatography, Gas ; methods ; Fumigation ; Limit of Detection ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Sulfur ; chemistry ; Sulfur Dioxide ; analysis

AIMTo isolate and purify gonyautoxins from Alexandrium mimutum Halim Amtk2 strain.

METHODSThe ethanol extracts of culture Alexandriun minutum Halim Amtk2 were isolated by means of gel filtration chromatography, the toxin fraction obtained was then purified by ion exchange chromatography.

RESULTSFrom 100 liter of cultivation liquid of Alexandrium mimutum Halim Amtk2 (6.74 +/- 0.31) x 10(9) cells were obtained. The ethanol extracts of Alexandriun minutum Halim purified by gel filtration chromatography obtained gonyautoxins mixture 29.59 mg. 4.06 mg of the mixture was further purified by two steps of ion exchange chromatography, and obtained pure GTX-4 (0.40 +/- 0.002) mg, GTX-1 (5.95 +/- 0.03) x 10(-2) mg, GTX-3 (6.92 +/- 0.05) x 10(-4) mg and GTX-2 (0.11 +/- 0.005) mg.

CONCLUSIONPure gonyautoxins can be obtained by means of gel filtration chromatography and ion exchange chromatography from ethanol extracts of cultured Alexandriun minutum Halim Amtk2 strain.

Animals ; Chromatography, Gel ; methods ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; Dinoflagellida ; chemistry ; Marine Toxins ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Structure ; Saxitoxin ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET)/CT for the diagnosis and management of lung nodules.

METHODSTwenty patients were evaluated: 15 with suspected cancer and 5 confirmed cancer. PET/CT scans were performed by discovery LS-PET/CT system.

RESULTS(1) The diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT was 100% in these 20 patients. Of 15 patients with suspected cancer, 7 were diagnosed as having benign disease and 8 malignant. All the 5 patients with confirmed cancer were all FDG positive. Of 11 single lesions on CT, 3 were positive by PET/CT images, 6 of 8 with positive CT images were diagnosed as having metastasis to the tissue outside the lung and the other 2 were metastatic. (2) After PET/CT scanning, the therapy scheme of 16 out of 20 patients were changed, and continual observation was practiced in 2, 3 were treated by anti-inflammation regimen, 2 by operation, 4 by local radiotherapy, 3 by chemotherapy only, 4 by radiotherapy plus chemotherapy or operation. (3) The radiotherapists made use of PET/CT fusion imaging for positioning in 8 patients who were indicated for radiotherapy. One of them who had received MM50 one course of intensity medulated conformal radiotherapy was re-examined by PET/CT after one and half months, the former parenchymal nodule disappeared and the glucose metabolism returned to normal. Two of them were finally operated after the surgeons have decided an operative approach on estimation of extent of lesion by the PET/CT fusion images. Pathological results showed no cancer cell involvement in the specimen margin or the local lymph nodes.

CONCLUSION(1) PET/CT is better in discriminating malignant from benign lung nodules than CT only. (2) PET/CT scanning facilitates an accurate assessment of response in clinical staging and neoadjuvant therapy scheme of lung cancer. (3) PET/CT fusion imaging provides an accurate biological target for radiotherapy and confirms the operation plan and extent of surgery.

Adult ; Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Acetylcysteine ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; drug therapy ; Magnesium Compounds ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To analyze the effects of-γ-knife treatment with different dosages on level of prolactin (PRL) in patients with different sizes of functional pituitary prolactinomas, and determine an index to guide hormone replacement therapy and the prognosis of -γ-knife treatment in patients with functional pituitary prolactinomas through comparing the changes of tumor sizes and the levels of PRL before and after -γ-knife treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 248 patients with functional pituitary prolactinomas was performed; gamma knife treatment was performed on these patients from September 2004 to March 2008. We divided the patients into 3 groups: group Ⅰ (50 Gy≤central dose<60 Gy, 20 Gy＜marginal dose<30 Gy), group Ⅱ (40 Gy≤ central dose＜50 Gy, 15 Gy＜marginal dose<25 Gy) and group Ⅲ (30 Gy ≤ central dose<40 Gy, 12 Gy＜marginal dose<20 Gy). The irradiation dose on optic nerves in the 3 groups was under 9 Gy. Radioimmunoassay was employed to detect the serum PRL level before and 1, 3 and 12 months after γ-knife treatment. The changes of the tumor sizes were observed and compared with cranial MRI 1 and 2 years after -γ-knife treatment.Results Significant differences on the PRL level were noted before -γ-knife treatment between each 2 groups (P<0.05); the PRL level in group Ⅲ was lower as compared with that in group Ⅰ and Ⅱ before γ-knife treatment; however, the PRL level in group Ⅲ was higher as compared with that in group 112 months after -γ-knife treatment; the PRL level in all the 3 groups after γ-knife treatment was significantly lower as compared with that before γ-knife treatment (P<0.05). MRI showed that the tumor had 80% partial response rate (198/248) in the 1st year, 82% complete response rate (203/248) in the 2nd year, increased volume in 19 patients (7.7%) and no change in 26 patients (10.4%). Conclusion Different treatment doses of Gamma knife on functional pituitary prolactinomas has great influences on postoperative recovery of endocrine; the higher doses of the center and edge (especially center), the higher normal rate of postoperative PRL level. Whether it will cause long-term hypopituitarism needs continue follow-up.

Alveolar echinococcosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by an infection with Echinococcosis multilocularis.The liver is the primary organ of alveolar echinococcosis.Alveolar echinococcosis is usually characterized by invasive growth and consequently iscalled"parasitic cancer."Resection of radical lesions is a preferred and effective treatment for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.End-stage hepatic alveolar echinococcosis often occurs with parasiticcirrhosis,such as secondary biliary cirrhosis,congestive liver cirrhosis or Budd-Chiari syndrome.Few studies have examined hepatic multilocular echinococcosis leading to cirrhosis.This article reviews the aspects of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis involving the invasion of important blood vessels and bile ducts,thereby leading to secondary biliary cirrhosis and congestive liver cirrhosis caused by hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

OBJECTIVETo find an ideal method inducing dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) osteogenic differentiation. To compare the effect of co-culture method and that of mineralizing culture medium.

METHODSDPSC were co-cultured with osteoblasts using cell culture inserts system as experiment group, and DPSC were cultured in mineralizing culture medium as control group. The cell morphology and ultrastructure and mineralized nodes were analyzed under phase contrast microscope, transmission electron microscope, and alizarin red S staning. Bone sialoprotein (BSP), Runx-2, osteocalcin, and collagen-1 (Col-1) osteoblastic genes expressions of DPSC cultivated in special niche of osteoblasts were assayed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSThe mineralization nudoles of experiment group were more than control group. Fifteen days later, BSP and Col-1 genes in the DPSC of co-cultures were 9.807 ± 1.135 and 2.913 ± 0.310, respectively. And those in the DPSC of mineralizing culture medium were 6.478 ± 0.781 and 1.703 ± 0.184, respectively. Co-cultures and mineralizing were significantly different (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAs osteoblasts can secret lots of osteogenic cell cytokines, they have more significant effect than mineralizing culture medium on osteogenesis of DPSC.

Cell Differentiation ; Coculture Techniques ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit ; metabolism ; Dental Pulp ; cytology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Humans ; Integrin-Binding Sialoprotein ; metabolism ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; Osteocalcin ; metabolism ; Osteogenesis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; ultrastructure

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect and mechanism of ginsenoside Rg3 (Shenyi Capsule) on the postoperative life span of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSThe prospective, randomized, controlled method was adopted. One hundred and thirty-three patients with NSCLC were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Shenyi Capsule group (43 cases), combined therapy group (Shenyi Capsule plus chemotherapy, 46 cases), and chemotherapy group (44 cases). The survival rates, immune function and the correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and clinical effect were analyzed in the three groups.

RESULTS(1) The 1-year survival rate in the Shenyi group, the combined group and the chemotherapy group was 76.7% (33/43), 82.6% (38/46), and 79.5% (35/44), respectively; the 2-year survival rate was 67.4% (29/43), 71.7% (33/46), and 70.5% (31/44), respectively; and the 3-year survival rate was 46.5% (20/43), 54.3% (25/46), and 47.7% (21/44), respectively. There was no significant difference among the 3 groups (P>0.05). (2) NK cells were increased to different degrees and the ratio of CD4/CD8 was normal in the Shenyi Capsule group and the combined group, while the ratio of CD4/CD8 was disproportional in the chemotherapy group. (3) In the chemotherapy group, the 3-year survival rate was lower in patients with positive expression of VEGF than in patients with negative expression (37.0% vs 64.7%, chi2=17.9, P<0.01), but no signifi cant statistical difference was shown in the other two groups (53.6% vs 55.6%, P>0.05; 44.4% vs 50.0%, P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONShenyi Capsule, especially in combination with chemotherapy, can improve the life span of patients with NSCLC after operation. The mechanism might be correlated with improving the immune function and anti-tumor angiogenesis

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; immunology ; mortality ; Female ; Ginsenosides ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo establish a method for GC fingerprint determination of the chemical constituents in Herba Asari.

METHODGC and GC-MS were used to optimize the fingerprint determination method, and identify the main peaks in the GC fingerprint.

RESULTA preferable method for GC fingerprint determination of the chemical constituents in Herba Asari was established.

CONCLUSIONA general acquaintance of the chemical constituents in Herba Asari can be obtained by using the preferable GC fingerprint determination method, which is useful for quality evaluation of the crude drug of Herba Asari.

Anisoles ; analysis ; Asarum ; chemistry ; classification ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Monoterpenes ; analysis ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Safrole ; analysis

Adult ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Benzene ; poisoning ; Biomarkers ; analysis ; Bone Marrow Cells ; drug effects ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; drug effects ; Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis