As a part of the project for the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition), the quality standard of Sophora flavescens root extract was investigated and established. According to the methods described in the Appendix of Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition), the water and ash inspections were carried out. The marker components trifolirhizin, sophoraflavanone G, oxymatrine and oxysophocarpine in the samples were identified by qualitative TLC. The determination of oxymatrine, matrine, oxysophocarpine and sophocarpine was conducted by HPLC and the total flavonoids were measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometry, using sophoraflavanone G as reference substance. The results indicated the spots on the plate were clear with good resolution and the contents of oxymatrine, matrine, oxysophocarpine and sophocarpine in the 13 batches of the samples were 3.87% - 11.1%, 0.970% - 4.33%, 1.30% - 2.59% and 0.260% - 1.14%, respectively. The total flavoids in the 13 batches of the samples were 3.88% - 7.93%. In the study, the validated methods were reproducible and the established quality standard was feasible, which could be used for the quality control of S. flavescens root extract and related preparations.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Flavonoids ; analysis ; Plant Extracts ; analysis ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Sophora ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo observe therapeutic effect of acupuncture at acupoints selected according to rehabilitation medical theory on upper limb spasticity in the patient of poststroke.

METHODSSixty cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and an electro-stimulation group, 30 cases in each group. The acupuncture group were treated by acupuncture at the contralateral scalp motor region of the affected limb, Jiquan (HT 1), Chize (LU 5), Daling (PC 7) on the flexor side and Jianyu (LI 15), Tianjing (TE 10), Yangchi (TE 4) on the extensor muscle side of the affected limb; the electro-stimulation group were treated by electric stimulation. The two groups also were treated with necessary medical treatment and anti-spasm rehabilitation motor training. The course was 3 weeks. Modified Ashworth Scale for muscle spasm (MAS), modified Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) for upper limb motor function, and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) for ability of daily living were used for assessment of the therapeutic effect.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the spasm was significantly alleviated, the motor function of the upper limb and daily living ability were significantly increased (P<0.01) in the two groups; after treatment, BMI scores in the acupuncture group was very significantly superior to that in the electro-stimulation group. The total effective rate was 93.3% in the acupuncture group and 86.7% in the electro-stimulation group, with no significant difference between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONProper acupuncture is an effective method for upper limb spasm in the patient of poststroke, and the therapeutic effect is better for mild-moderate spasm of the upper limb.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Spasticity ; therapy ; Stroke Rehabilitation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) on the expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) on periodontal ligament fibroblasts.

METHODSHuman periodontal ligament fibroblasts were stimulated with HMGB1 at concentrations of 10, 30, and 100 ng x mL(-1) for 24 h. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to check mRNA and protein expression of IL-6, RANKL and OPG on the cells.

RESULTSThe ratio of RANKL/OPG was increased at both mRNA and protein level after HMGB1 stimulation at 10, 30, 100 ng x mL(-1). Inflammatory cytokine IL-6 was upregulated by HMGB1 at the concentration of 100 ng x mL(-1).

CONCLUSIONIncreased ratio of RANKL/OPG and IL-6 on periodontal ligament fibroblasts suggests that HMGB1 might play a role in the pathogenesis and progression of periodontal disease.

Cells, Cultured ; Fibroblasts ; metabolism ; HMGB1 Protein ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Osteoprotegerin ; metabolism ; Periodontal Ligament ; cytology ; RANK Ligand ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo determine the differential protein expressions of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers E-cadherin and vimentin in hepatocellular carcinorma (HCC) and to investigate their correlation to the molecular mechanisms of metastasis to explore their potential utility as prognostic indicators of HCC.

METHODSTumor tissues and patient-matched adjacent non-tumor tissues were collected from individuals diagnosed with HCC. E-cadherin and vimentin protein expressions in the tissue specimens were quantified by western blot with densitometry of fluorescence emission and comparatively analyzed to determine the associations with molecular and clinical features. The expressions of E-cadherin and vimentin, as well as the other EMT-related protein Twist, were also detected in the tissue specimens by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were carried out by paired-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman rank correlation analysis.

RESULTSE-cadherin expression was significantly lower in tumor tissues (0.082 +/- 0.063 vs. adjacent non-tumor tissues: 0.226 +/- 0.215, t = -4.050, P less than 0.01), lower in patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (vs. non-thrombic HCC patients, P = 0.001), and correlated with TNM stage (III/IV > I/II, P = 0.003). Vimentin expression was significantly higher in tumor tissues (vs. adjacent non-tumor tissues, P = 0.002), negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression (t = -0.509, P = 0.004), and closely associated with some clinical parameters, such as portal vein tumor thrombus (P less than 0.01), TNM stage (P less than 0.01), and Milan criteria (P = 0.005). Immunohistochemistry showed that E-cadherin expression was very weak in tumors but very strong in the cell membranes of non-tumor tissues, and that vimentin and Twist expressions were strong in tumors but undetectable in non-tumor tissue.

CONCLUSIONExpression levels of the EMT markers E-cadherin and vimentin in HCC are related to clinical parameters, including portal vein tumor thrombus and TNM stage, and may represent useful prognostic markers of metastasis.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; Cadherins ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; Vimentin

Objective To evaluate the correlation between lesions of dorsal artery of foot and type 2 diabetes on CDFI. Methods Dorsal artery of foot was examinated in 97 cases with type 2 diabetes and 46 cases without diabetes mellitus. Results There were variable changes in intima-media of dorsal artery of foot in type 2 diabetes patients.And the patients with hyperlipidemia and hypertension showed serious lesions in the dorsal artery of foot and bifurcation of the blood vessel .Simple arteriosclerosis showed not only lesions in intima-media of dorsal artery of foot but also relative mild lesions in bifurcation of the blood vessel. Blood vessel lesion incidence in type 2 diabetes was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.01). Conclusions There was a significant correlation between lesions of dorsal artery of foot and type 2 diabetes patient's condition. CDFI is an effective method in evaluating patient's condition, degree and prognosis of type 2 diabetes, and has an important clinical value in early diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.Simple arteriosclerosis showed focal lesions in bifurcation of the blood vessel while dorsal artery of foot showed relatively mild lesions .

Objective To explore the changes of metabonomics in blood of mice after high-voltage electric shock,then screen out the significantly changed differential metabolites and metabolic pathways.Methods The head of C57BL/6J mice was subjected to high-voltage electric shock(electric shock group)or exposed to acoustic and optical stimulation of high-voltage electric(control group),then the whole blood from mice were collected to separate serum.The dual platform combined metabonomic analysis based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometer(GC-MS)and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer(LC-MS)was performed and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)was used to screen the differential metabolites and related metabolic pathways.Results A total of 415 differential metabolites were screened out in metabonomics in blood of mice after high-voltage electric shock,including 187 up-regulated and 228 down-regulated metabolites.These differentially metabolites were significantly enriched in metabolic pathways including central carbon metabolism in cancer,glucagon signaling pathway,etc.Conclusion By establishing the model of high-voltage electrical injury on experimental mice,this study reveals the significant change of metabolite content and metabolic pathway in blood by high-voltage electrical injury.Which provides a basis for the damage of blood metabolic activity by high-voltage electrical injury,and suggests the potential harm of high-voltage electrical injury to blood metabolic activity in the whole body.

Objective To study the change of lipidomics in chronic cadmium-exposed mice,thereby screening out lipid subclasses,lipid molecules and enriched metabolic pathways with significant differences.Methods Twelve SPF male C57BL/6J mice(8 weeks old)were randomly divided into the control group(normal water feeding)and the experimental group[cadmium water(0.6 mg/L of CdCl2)feeding],with 6 mice in each group.Mice were sacrificed after 6 months of cadmium exposure,and fresh liver tissues were collected immediately.Lipid oil red O staining and lipidomics analysis were performed on liver tissue.Results Compared with the control group,the liver tissue of mice in the experimental group did not appear red after lipid oil red O staining.Seventeen lipid subclasses with significant differences and 144 lipid molecules with significant differences were screened out by lipidomics.These lipid molecules with significant differences were enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism,linoleic acid metabolism,alpha-linolenic acid metabolism,glycosylphosphati-dylinositol biosynthesis,glycerolipid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism by KEGG.Conclusion This study reveals that chronic cadmium exposure can induce the disorder of lipid subclasses and lipid metabolites in the liver of mice,which provides a basis for understanding the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease caused by chronic cadmium exposure.

Objective To evaluate the anorectal function and its influencing factors in patients with mid and low rectal cancer.Methods Patients diagnosed with mid and low rectal cancer in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from September 2012 to November 2013 were consecutively enrolled in this study.We surveyed the defecation symptoms based on a questionnaire in the face-to-face interview manner and detected the anorectal functions using three-dimensional high-resolution manometry system.The patients were divided into mid and low groups according to the distance from the distal margin of tumor to the anal margin.Results A total of 66 pa-tients were enrolled in this study, including 45 males and 21 females, with a mean age of (58.86 ±10.99) years.There were 44 patients in the mid group and 22 patients in the low group.Hematochezia was the most common symptom (95.5%), frequent bowel movement occurred in 50.0% patients, abnormal bowel forms, urgency, sensation of incomplete defecation, and tenesmus occurred in 30.3%-40.9%of the patients.The occurrences of hematochezia, frequent bowel movement and sensation of incomplete defecation were positively correlated with the depth of tumor infiltration (r=0.308, P=0.012;r=0.290, P=0.018;r=0.305, P=0.013).The rec-toanal inhibitory reflex was preserved in all the patients.The volume of constant desire to defecate and the maxi-mum tolerated volume were both lower than the normal references, and both negatively correlated with the depth of tumor infiltration (r=-0.333, P=0.007; r=-0.323, P=0.009).Compared with the mid group, the low group had a higher percentage of patients with difficulties to defecate (27.2%vs.6.8%, P=0.031) , and a significantly lower mean anal resting pressure [ 87.20 ( 49.80 ) mm Hg vs.108.25 ( 41.80 ) mm Hg, P=0.017].Conclusions Mid and low rectal cancer patients manifest with various bowel symptoms with no speci-ficity, except for hematochezia.Patients with mid and low rectal cancer have obviously impaired rectal sensory function.Their anorectal sensory and dynamic functions are influenced by the depth of tumor infiltration and dis-tance from the distal margin of tumor to anal margin.

Objective To investigate the regulatory effect of swimming exercise(SE)on lipid metabolism in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)mice.Methods A total of 27 C57BL/6J mice were divided into the control group(normal diet),high fat diet(HFD)group and HFD+SE group,with 9 mice in each group.Twelve weeks later,liver tissues were collected for untargeted lipidomics detection by LC-MS.Dimensional statistical analysis of lipidomics profiles was carried out by constructing OPLS-DA model,and combined with the t-test,the lipids with OPLS-DA VIP>1,P<0.05 were screened out from all samples as significantly different lipids.Results There were 81 different lipids between HFD group and the control group;and there were 27 different lipids between HFD+SE group and HFD group.The different lipids mainly belong to glycerides,glycerophospholipids and sphingomyelins.Conclusion Lipid metabolism profile of NAFLD mice has been changed,and swimming exercise can improve lipid metabolism of NAFLD mice.

Background: and Purpose Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) following endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is a severe complication associated with adverse functional outcomes and increased mortality rates. Currently, a reliable predictive model for sICH risk after EVT is lacking. Methods: This study used data from patients aged ≥20 years who underwent EVT for anterior circulation stroke from the nationwide Taiwan Registry of Endovascular Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke (TREAT-AIS). A predictive model including factors associated with an increased risk of sICH after EVT was developed to differentiate between patients with and without sICH. This model was compared existing predictive models using nationwide registry data to evaluate its relative performance. Results: Of the 2,507 identified patients, 158 developed sICH after EVT. Factors such as diastolic blood pressure, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, platelet count, glucose level, collateral score, and successful reperfusion were associated with the risk of sICH after EVT. The TREAT-AIS score demonstrated acceptable predictive accuracy (area under the curve [AUC]=0.694), with higher scores being associated with an increased risk of sICH (odds ratio=2.01 per score increase, 95% confidence interval=1.64–2.45, P<0.001). The discriminatory capacity of the score was similar in patients with symptom onset beyond 6 hours (AUC=0.705). Compared to existing models, the TREAT-AIS score consistently exhibited superior predictive accuracy, although this difference was marginal. Conclusions The TREAT-AIS score outperformed existing models, and demonstrated an acceptable discriminatory capacity for distinguishing patients according to sICH risk levels. However, the differences between models were only marginal. Further research incorporating periprocedural and postprocedural factors is required to improve the predictive accuracy.