Objective To prospectively assess the predictive power of centralization phenomenon in the curative effect of automated PLD.Methods The survey population was consisted of 109 patients with inclusion heraiation demonstrated by CT/MRI,74 men and 35 women with average age of 43.1 years(17～75 years). All were complained of low back pain,with varying degrees of lower extremity pain and altered sensation, lasting for more than 2 months;including one symptomatic disc in 99 patients and two symptomatic discs in 10 patients.Patients were undergone dynamic mechanical spinal test and reported whether the test would aggravate their pain.The assessment included forward flexion,extension,rotation of the trunk to the right and left, rotation to the left with fight extension,rotation to the fight with left extension,and whether straight leg raising in the supine position would aggravate back pain or leg pain.Symptom resposes were categorized into three groups:centralization group(CG),partial-centralization group(PCG)and noncentralization group(NCG). Centralization of pain is the progressive retreat of the most distal extent of the referred or radicular pain toward or to the lumbar midline.Noncentralization of pain is the peripheralization of pain in one or more directions, and no change in the distal-most pain location or intensity.All patients received a single therapy with PLD. Results A follow-up of 109 patients for 3 to 6 months,including 46 cases with 24 as exellent and 22 as good reaching 100% of excellent good rate in CG by MacNab standards;43 cases with 5 as exellent,29 as good,9 as fair and poor,with total effective rate of 79.1% in PCG.Twenty cases of NCG symptoms showed no improvement and therefore surgery was considered.Conclusions Centralization phenomenon occurrence during initial mechanical evaluation is a very accurate predictor for successful PLD outcome.Nonoccurrence of centralization would accurately predict poor PLD outcome and thus helpful as early predictor of the need for surgical treatment.

Euphorbia kansui (EK) is a toxic herbal drug, and often used after vinegar-processing to reduce its toxicity. In present study, a 1H-NMR based metabonomic approach was used to evaluate the detoxification effect of vinegar-processed EK. The water extracts of EK and VEK were administered orally to male SD rats at doses of 9 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) for 1 week, respectively, and one more week observation was further conducted. The control group was orally given with saline. Histopathological studies of liver samples on the 8th and 15th day were conducted, and the metabolites of rat urine and liver were analysed by 1H-NMR. Histopathological studies of liver samples from EK and VEK treated rats showed no negative impacts. In metabonomic analyses of urines, changes of metabolites indicated liver damages, kidney lesions and imbalance of gut microbes in the second week. VEK-treated rats showed a quite lower toxicity compared with EK-treated ones. The present study revealed that the metabonomic approach might be helpful for the evaluation of toxicity of EK and detoxic effect of VEK.
Acetic Acid ; chemistry ; Animals ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; toxicity ; Euphorbia ; chemistry ; Inactivation, Metabolic ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Male ; Metabolomics ; methods ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Urinalysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the characteristic of colonic transmission in functional constipation (FC) and the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Sini Powder (SP) on it.

METHODSThe colonic transmission time (CTT) of 36 patients with FC (the FC group) and 22 healthy subjects (control group) was measured through colonic transmission test, and CTT of entire colon and that of various subsections was calculated with Hinton method and Arhan method respectively. After then, the FC group was treated with SP for 7 days, and CTT was detected again after treatment.

RESULTSBefore treatment, body mass index (BMI) was higher, CTT of entire colon, left half colonic section, and sigmoid-rectal section were longer in the FC group than those in the control group (P < 0.05), no statistical difference in CTT of right half colon was found between the two groups (P > 0.05). After FC patients being treated with SP, their CTT of whole colon, left half colonic section and sigmoid-rectal section were significantly shortened (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONFC patients were characterized by increased BMI and CTT prolonged and unevenly distributed in subsections, especially in the left half colon, sigmoid and rectum; SP could shorten the CTT in FC patients.

Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Colon ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Colon, Sigmoid ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Constipation ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Transit ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

A strain of yeast capable of hydrolyzing ethyl ester of racemic Ketoprofen with high enantioselectivity has been isolated from soil after two-step enrichment. The yeast was identified as Trichosporon brassicae. The process of growth and enzyme production was investigated. The catalytic performance of the resting cell of KET4 in kinetic resolution of Ketoprofen was also investigated. When the conversion of substrate reached 41% , enantiomeric excess of the (S) - Ketoprofen produced was 91 % , indicating a high enantiomeric ratio of 45.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the five most malignant cancer. ZX-1201 is one of the active constituents in Alismatis Rhizoma,a well-known traditional Chinese medi-cine with a wide variety of pharmacological properties including diuretic,anti-hyperlipidemic,anti-atheroscle-rotic,anti-cancer,anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities.We investigated the inhibitory effect of ZX-1201 on pancreatic cancer and the relevant molecular mechanism in vitro and in vivo. ZX-1201 inhibited the growth and metastasis of PANC-1 cells in BALB/c nude mice significantly.ZX-1201 inhibited the function of AQP1 via directly interaction and involved in the reversion process of ZX-1201 on TGF-β1. CTGF was an important protein in the reversion process of ZX-1201 on TGF-β1.ZX-1201 inhibited the migration of PANC-1 and CPFAC-1 cells induced by TGF-β1in vitro.ZX-1201 reversed the down-regu-lated of epithelial markers and up-regulated of mesenchymal markers, as well as the up-regulated of Snail and p-Smad2/3 induced by TGF-β1.And ZX-1201 reversed Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by down-regulating AQP1 and inhibiting translocation of β-catenin, the promotor of CTGF. According to these,ZX-1201 inhibited the migration of pancreatic cancer cells.We concluded that ZX-1201 inhibited the growth and metastasis of PANC-1 cells in vivo significantly.And AQP1,β-catenin and CTGF were the pivotal proteins in the process of ZX-1201 inhibiting PANC-1 cells migration induced by TGF-β1.

Objective To explore the predictive value of combined ABCD2 scores and tracheal constriction resulted from internal carotid atherosclerosis (ICAS) in cerebral infarction within 7 d of onset of a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods The clinical data of 171 patients with TIA,admitted to our hospital from September 2008 to March 2011, were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were evaluated with ABCD2 scale and degrees of tracheal constriction resulted from ICAS were examined by Color Doppler ultrasound.And 7-d follow-up of patients was performed to select those patients appearing cerebral infarction; and then, the relationships between risk of post-TIA cerebral infarction and both ABCD2 scores and degrees of tracheal constriction were analyzed using chi-square test. Results Among 171 TIA patients,39 (22.8％) suffered cerebral infarction within 7 d of onset of TIA.Significant difference of risk of post-TIA cerebral infarction was noted in patients with different ABCD2 scores and degree of tracheal constriction (P＜0.05): the higher the ABCD2 scores/ the degrees of tracheal constriction, the higher incidence of cerebral infarction in TIA patients. Conclusion A rather high accuracy may be achieved with ABCD2 scale in the prediction of short-term risk of cerebral infarction after onset of TIA,and a higher accuracy may be expected by combination of ABCD2 scale with carotid atherosclerosis findings.

In this study, the ameliorative effects of Flos Abelmoschus manihot on mice with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were investigated and its effects on the structure of the intestinal flora as well as the lipid profile in feces of IBD mice were analyzed. All animal welfare and experimental procedures followed the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Nanjing University of Chinese medicine. A mouse model with chronic IBD induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was used to evaluate changes in body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colonic histopathological damage as well as gene expression levels of inflammatory factors in the colon. Fecal samples from mice in each group were collected and subjected to Illumina high-throughput sequencing to detect the abundance of intestinal flora; samples were analyzed by UHPLC-Q-Exactive^® HF Quadrupole-Orbitrap^® of untargeted lipidomics, which detects lipid content in feces. Administration of Flos Abelmoschus manihot could significantly restore the body weight and ameliorate colonic histopathological damage in IBD mice. Sequencing of the gut microbiota revealed that the species diversity and richness of the gut microbiota in IBD mice were decreased, with a significant increase in the abundance of Verrucomicrobia and a significant decrease in the abundance of Bacteroidetes; Flos Abelmoschus manihot significantly increased the richness and diversity of intestinal microbiota in IBD mice, increased the number of taxa species at each level, and restored the abundance of bacteria in the phylum Bacteroidetes. Analysis of fecal lipid profiles identified the most significant changes in sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid metabolic pathways in IBD mice, with Flos Abelmoschus manihot inhibiting ceramide and sphingomyelin synthesis in sphingolipid metabolism. In summary, Flos Abelmoschus manihot can effectively improve the disease condition of mice with chronic IBD, and it has the effect of regulating intestinal flora homeostasis and lipid metabolism, but the related mechanism between the two still needs to be deeply explored.

Objective To investigate the role of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) of hippocampal neurons in process of hydrogen-rich saline attenuating global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.Methods Seventy-two male Sprague Dawley rats,weighing 250-300 g,were randomly divided into six groups ( n =12 each):sham operation group (group S),cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group (group IR),normal saline group (group NS),hydrogen-rich saline group (group H),atractyloside group (group A) and hydrogen-rich saline + atractyloside group (group HA).Global cerebral I/R injury was produced by four-vessel occlusion method.Bilateral vertebral arteries were cauterized.Then bilateral common carotid arteries were occluded for 15min and followed by reperfusion.In groups H and HA,hydrogen-rich saline 5 ml/kg was injected intraperitoneally immediately after reperfusion,while equal volume of normal saline was injected in the other four groups.The rats in groups A and HA received intracerebroventricular injection of atractyloside 15 μl 10 min before reperfusion,while groups NS and H received intracerebroventricular injection of equal volume of normal saline.After the neurological behavior was evaluated at 24 h of reperfusion,8 rats in each group were sacrificed and the hippocampi were immediately isolated and homogenized followed by density gradient centrifugation.The opening degree of mPTP was assayed with spectrophotometry and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was detected with Rhodamine 123 method.Four rats in each group were killed at 72 h of reperfusion and the brains were removed for microscopic examination of the area CA1 of the hippocampus and determination of the number of normal pyramidal neurons.Results Compared with group S,the neurological behavior was compromised,MMP was decreased and mPTP opening degree was enhanced in the other five groups ( P ＜ 0.05).The neurological behavior was better,MMP was increased and mPTP opening degree was decreased in groups H and HA as compared with group IR ( P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group H,the neurological behavior was compromised,MMP was decreased and mPTP opening degree was enhanced in group HA ( P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group IR,the number of normal pyramidal neurons at 72 h of reperfusion in the CA1 region of the hippocampus was higher in group HA ( P ＜0.05).The injury of the CA1 region of the hippocampus at 72 h of reperfusion was attenuated in group H as compared with groups IR,NS,A and HA.Conclusion Hydrogen-rich saline can attenuate global cerebral I/R injury throngh inhibiting the mPTP opening and reducing the dissipation of MMP,thus maintaining the mitochondrial function.

Objective To investigate the effect of hydrogen-rich saline combined with mild hypothermia on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in rats. Methods Fifty male SD rats, aged 9-10 weeks, weiging 250-300 g, were randomly divided into 5 groups (n= 10 each): sham operation group (group S), group IR, hygrogen-rich saline group (group H), mild hypothermia group (group M) and hydrogen-rich saline + mild hypothermia group (group HM). In group IR, H, M and HM cerebral IR was induced by 15 min ligation of bilateral carotid artery followed by 6 h reperfusion. In group H and HM intraperitoneal hydrogen-rich saline 5 ml/kg was injected immediately after reperfusion, while the equal volume of normal saline was injected instead of hydrogen-rich saline in the other three groups. At the same time, the rectal temperature was maintained at 37-38 ℃ in group S,IR and M, while it was reduced to 32-34 ℃ by physical method within 15 min, lasting for 6 h, in group M and HM. The animals were sacrificed after 6 h of reperfusion, and then the hippocampus was removed for microscopic examination. The expression of HO-1 and content of MDA and TNF-α were determined by Western blot. Results The cerebral IR injury was attenuated in group H, M and HM compared with group IR, with the slightest injury in group HM. The expression of HO-1 and content of MDA and TNF-α were significantly higher in group IR, H, M and HM than in group S. The expression of HO-1 was significantly higher, while the content of MDA and TNF-α were lower in group H, M and HM than in group IR, and in group HM than in group H and M. There was no significant difference in the expression of HO-1 and content of MDA and TNF-α between group H and M. Conclusion Hydrogen-rich saline combined with mild hypothermia can attenuate cerebral I/R injury in rats via up-regulating the expression of HO-1 and decreasing the content of MDA and TNF-α in hippocampus.

Aging can cause degenerative changes in the function of multiple tissues and organs in the body. Gastrointestinal diseases and intestinal dysfunction are very common in the elderly people. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of the total extract of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. on intestinal function and gut microbiota homeostasis in natural aging mice, which will provide clues for further mechanism study. The natural aging mice model is established and animal experiments follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The overall health of the mice was evaluated by the "frailty index" scoring method. The intestinal absorption and transport function were measured by detecting intestinal glucose absorption capacity, transport time, lipase and amylase activities of aging mice. Intestinal inflammation was assessed by detecting inflammatory cytokines by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The pathological changes in the intestines of aging mice were tested by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining and alizarin blue (AB) staining. The qRT-PCR method was used to explore the gene transcription level related with the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells. Microbiota analysis based on 16S rDNA were used to evaluate the composition of gut microbiota. The results showed that Astragalus had a tendency to reduce the "frailty index" of aging mice, but did not show a significant difference. In some indicators of aging phenotype, Astragalus has the most significant effect on hair loss and physical fitness. In terms of intestinal function, Astragalus could increase intestinal glucose absorption capacity, shorten intestinal transportation time and promote lipase secretion in aging mice. The levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-‍α) in the aging intestinal tissue were reduced after Astragalus administration. Astragalus also ameliorated the pathological degeneration of the intestinal tissue of aging mice by increasing the length of small intestinal villi, the thickness of colonic mucosa and goblet cell number. In addition, Astragalus elevated the expression of genes associated with the proliferation and differentiation in jejunum and modulated gut microbiota, especially restoring the abundance of Lachnospiraceae. Taken together, the above research results demonstrate the total extract of Astragalus as a key factor improving the intestinal function and gut microbiota homeostasis of aging mice.