For natural products are one of the important sources for drug discovery, libraries and databases of natural products are significant for the development and research of natural products. At present, most of compound libraries at abroad are synthetic or combinatorial synthetic molecules, resulting to access natural products difficult; for information of natural products are scattered with different standards, it is difficult to construct convenient, comprehensive and large-scale databases for natural products. This paper reviewed the status of current accessing libraries and databases for natural products at abroad and provided some important information for the development of libraries and database for natural products.
Animals ; Biological Products ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Databases, Factual ; Drug Design ; Humans ; Internet

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of warm needling plus tuina in treating senile functional constipation. ＜br> Methods: Ninety elderly patients with functional constipation were randomized into two groups. Forty-six patients in the treatment group were intervened by warm needling plus tuina; the other forty-four patients in the control group were intervened bySan Huang tablet. ＜br> Results: In the treatment group, 19 patients were cured, 24 cases showed improvement, 3 cases failed, and the total effective rate was 93.5%; in the control group, 16 patients were cured, 18 cases showed improvement, 10 cases failed, and the total effective rate was 77.3%. There was a significant difference in comparing the therapeutic efficacy (P＜0.05), and the therapeutic efficacy of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group. ＜br> Conclusion: Warm needling plus tuina can produce a higher therapeutic efficacy than takingSan Huang tablet in treating senile functional constipation.

The tumor microenvironment (TME), a dynamic and complex local environment, interacts with the tumor cells and is closely related to tumor growth, metastasis, immune escape and drug resistance. Thus, targeting the TME has been a worldwide focus in cancer therapy. Many natural products possess the advantages of multiple targets, multiple pathways and wide pharmacological functions, and are the main source of antitumor drugs. In recent years studies have found that some natural products had advantageous effects on the TME. In this review, we summarize the components and functions of the TME and some natural products that target the TME, with references to the drug therapy of cancer.

Objective To observe and evaluate the effect of ultrasound guided percutaneous ethanol injection for hyperparathyroidism secondary to chronic renal failure. Methods Fifty-three patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism in Nanjing General Hospital Military Command from January 2011 to May 2013 were treated by percutaneous ethanol injection. The echogenicity, size and blood supply of parathyroid glands were observed by color Doppler ultrasound before and after treatment. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and volumes of parathyroid glands were analyzed and compared with non-paired t test. Results Before treatment, the parathyroid gland volume was (5.28±0.84) cm3. The enlarged parathyroid glands had homogeneous hypoechogenicity and abundant blood supply, and the PTH was (1041.6±37.1) ng/L. After treatment, the size of solitary parathyroid gland was (3.93±0.67) cm3 which did not change significantly compared with that before treatment. The echogenicity of parathyroid glands enhanced and blood supply decreased after injection ethanol into solitary parathyroid. PTH [(509.2±27.6) ng/L] decreased obviously (t=3.792, P < 0.05). Conclusion Color Doppler ultrasound guided percutaneous injection of ethanol has an important role in the treating of secondary hyperparathyroidism and the curative effect can be observed timely.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of Ziyin Huoxue Granule (ZHG) combined glucocorticoids and antibiotics in treatment of radiation pneumonitis.

METHODSTotally 70 radiation pneumonitis patients were assigned to the treatment group and the control group according to random digit table, 35 in each group. All patients received glucocorticoids and antibiotics. Patients in the treatment group additionally took ZHG, one dose per day for 4 successive weeks. Watters clinical-radiologic-physiologic (CRP) score, Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS) , and acute radiation injury classification [set by Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG)] were observed in the two groups before and after treatment. The application time for antibiotics and glucocorticoids was compared between the two groups.

RESULTSAll patients completed this trial, and nobody dropped out or died. There was no statistical difference in Watters-CRP scores, KPS, or RTOG between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). Compared with before treatment in the same group, RTOG classification was obviously improved in the two groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, Watters-CRP scores decreased, KPS increased, the application time for antibiotics and glucocorticoids was reduced (P < 0.05). The efficacy of RTOG classification was better in the treatment group than in the control group, but with no statistical difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONZHG combined glucocorticoids and antibiotics was superior in treating radiation pneumonitis to using glucocorticoids or antibiotics alone in elevating Watters-CRP scores, shortening the application time for glucocorticoids and antibiotics, and improving patients' physical conditions.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Glucocorticoids ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Karnofsky Performance Status ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; drug therapy

Dust ; analysis ; Environmental Monitoring ; methods ; Silicon Dioxide ; analysis

BACKGROUND:In oral warm and moisture circumstance, al oy which contains Be is easily to be eroded to release Be2+. But there is stil no research focusing on beryl ium influence on genotype of Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbriae gene cluster. OBJECTIVE:To investigate Be 2+effect on genotype of Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbriae gene cluster. METHODS:The revived Porphyromonas gingivalis was resuscitated for 48 hours in the anaerobic culture medium with different concentration of Be 2+(10×10-6, 5×10-6, 1.25×10-6). Through PCR amplification and sequencing, we investigated the effects of Be2+RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) When Be on genotypes of Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbriae gene cluster. 2+concentration was 5×10-6, we found the peak of 217 and 257 sites on DNA sequence expressing G/A overlap peak, different from G single peak of the other groups, suggesting the suspicious bases changes, part of the single base G mutated into A. (2) On al concentrations, we found a base group composed of seven A bases was inserted into the 101 site of DNA sequence. Up to now, there is no direct contacts of the mutations occurring to Be2+concentration. Changes of gene may lead to the shifting of the reading frame, the abnormal synthesis of proteins, the change of Porphyromonas gingivalis fimA gene toxicity, and lastly the unbalance of the micro-ecological environment.

Background The application of mesenchymal stem cells to transfer specific genes is under investigation in various diseases.Using this strategy may provide a more effective method to supply exogenous neurotrophic factors to the cental nervous system,including retina.Objective This study was to construct ciliary neurotrophic factor(CNTF)-overexpressing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) using lentiviral vectors.Methods Rat secreted-CNTF gene cDNA was synthesized and subcloned into a lentiviral vector plasmid pHⅣ-dTomato to construct recombinant vector CNTF-dTomato.CNTF-dTomato/pH Ⅳ-dTomato plasmid were co-transfected into 293T packaging cell line with packaging plasmid psPAX2 and enveloped plasmid pMD.2G to produce recombinant lentivirus CNTF-lenti and control-lenti.Rat BMSCs were infected with CNTF-lenti/control-lenti to produce CNTF-BMSCs and control-BMSCs.Expression of dTomato and efficiency of infection was evaluated under the fluorescence microscope.Uninfected BMSCs(pure BMSCs) served as the blank control.CNTF protein level in the supernate was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared among the blank-BMSCs group,control-BMSCs group and CNTF-BMSCs group.Adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of CNTF-BMSCs were induced using adipogenic-inducible medium and osteogenic-inducible medium and identified using oil-red O staining and alizarin red S (ARS) staining.Results After CNTF-dTomato plasmid was transfected into Stbl3 competent cells,the colony PCR product was 1 033 bp.The inserted sequence in the pHⅣ-dTomato plasmid was coincident with the expected one.The results of DNA sequencing showed that CNTF-dTomato plasmid was successfully constructed.The infection rate of CNTF-lenti was approximately 95％.ELISA showed that on the post-infected day 2,3,7,the CNTF protein levels in the supernate were significantly higher in the CNTF-BMSCs group than those in the blankBMSCs group and control-BMSCs group (all at P=0.000).In the CNTF-BMSCs group,the CNTF protein levels in the supernate were significantly increased on post-infected day 2,3,7 compared with day 1 (P =0.013,0.004,0.042).The adipogenic-induced cells showed the red staining to oil red O,and osteogenic-induced cells presented the orange staining to ARS.Conclusions BMSC line with stable expression of CNTF is successfully established by lentiviral vectors.CNTF-BMSCs have the potential to differentiate towards adipocytes and osteoblasts.

ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics of attentional blink (AB) in the patients with depression.MethodsThirty-five antidepressant-free, non-elderly patients with depression diagnosed according to CCMD-Ⅲ as well as thirty-five health control subjects matched for education, age and sex were tested with the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm.ResultsAll cases of two groups showed an AB, and AB for depressive participants was larger and longer.ConclusionThe patients with depression have attentional impairments.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether subjects with major depression display attention deficits.Methods35 antidepressant-free,non-elderly patients with unipolar depression diagnosis according to ICD-10 and CCMD-Ⅲ as well as 35 health control subjects matched for education,age and sex were administered three tests for attention(sustained attention,Selective attention and Attention Blink).ResultsOn the Continuous Performance Test(CPT),depressed participants needed more reaction time and made more mistake than nondepressed participants.There were no differences between two block in reaction time in the CPT of patients and control subjects.The performance on the Stroop Color-Word Test was impaired in depression.Compared with normal subjects,depressed participants presented increased choice reaction times(CRT).Stroop interference was higher in depressed patients than in controls.On Attention Blink(AB) paradigm,both groups performed equally well at reporting the first target appearing in a rapidly presented stream of stimuli.All groups showed an AB,and AB for depressive participants were larger and longer.Correlations were observed between the HAMD score and the reaction time in CPT.ConclusionThe depressive participants showed a decrement tendency in vigilance,a higher Stroop interference and a larger and longer AB.