OBJECTIVE To find the active principle in Radix Scutellariae,Radix Sophorae Flavescentis and Flos Lonicerae in Gansu inhibiting yeast-like fungi of deep infection.METHODS Radix Scutellariae,Radix Sophorae Flavescentis and Flos Lonicerae were separately cleaned,toasted and grinded to fine power.Five kinds of(8 strains) yeast-like fungi that were collected and spread into 90mm Sabouraud plate.On aseptic condition,bored holes on Sabouraud plate with the drilling instrument of 6mm diameter,and filled every holes with 25.73mg fine powder of Radix Scutellariae,Radix Sophorae Flavescentis and Flos Lonicerae,and added 3 to 5 drops of distilled water in the medicinal powder.Under 35℃,the bacteria were cultured for 24 to 48 hours,and the size of bacteriostatic ring was observed.RESULTS The diameters of the bacteriostatic ring of Radix Scutellariae powder inhibiting five kinds of yeast-like fungi were separately 16.0mm,13.5mm,13.0mm,13.0mm and 10.5mm,respectively,and the diameter of Radix Sophorae Flavescentis and Flos Lonicerae powder was 0.CONCLUSIONS There is the active principle inhibiting yeast-like fungi in Radix Scutellariae,but not that in Radix Sophorae Flavescentis and Flos Lonicerae.

Objective To investigate the effect of maternal exposure to bisphenol A(BPA) via drinking water on body weight of immature offspring during pregnancy and lactation. Methods The pregnant female ICR mice were exposed to BPA groups(2. 282 9,22. 829 0,228. 290 0 μg/L) by drinking water from gestational day(GD)0 till postnatal day (PND)21,water and dimethyl sulfoxide(0. 01%) were served as blank and vehicle control. Maternal body weight was recorded every three days during pregnancy. Weight of pups per litter was measured every three days during lactation. Body weight of offspring was taken notes every week till PND 42 after delactation. ResultsThere was no significant difference in pregnant maternal body weight, average numbers and body weight of pups per litter preweaning among all groups. The offspring weight of the high-dose group at PND 42 was increased compared with control groups(P<0.05). The weight of female offspring was not significantly different among all groups at PND 28~42. The male offspring weight of the middle/high group at PND 35 and all groups at PND 42 significantly was elevated(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the high group was most significant. Conclusion Body weight of immature offspring is affected,especially male offspring after delectation by pregnant and lactational BPA exposure.

AIM: To discover specific neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation-promoting factor, which will contribute to study on development of nervous system and treatment of nervous system diseases. METHODS: The extracts of forebrain, midbrain,afterbrain and cerebellum of neonatal mice were prepared, and the NSCs of newborn mice were cultured in vitro. Neurospheres were observed, immunocytochemical staining of characteristic protein, nestin, and MTT assay were performed to identify NSCs and their proliferative properties. RESULTS: A great deal of neurospheres were formed in the presence of the extracts of afterbrain and cerebellum, which were positive for characteristic protein (Nestin) of NSC showed by immunocytochemical staining. CONCLUSION: The afterbrain and cerebellum extracts can increase the total number of NSCs isolated from newborn mice in vitro in a dose-dependent manner.

BACKGROUND: Ephedra, a Chinese medicine, is often used to treat obesity with relatively satisfying results recently. However, the effects of Ephedra on the perimenopausal and postmenopausal obese women remain unclear.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of oral Ephedra decoction on body mass and the levels of blood lipids, blood glucose and hormone in ovarietomized obese rats.DESIGN: A completely randomized and controlled experiment.SETTING: Institute of Physiology and Psychology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University.MATERIALS: The experiment was performed in the Key Laboratory of Pre-clinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province and the Laboratory of Institute of Physiology and Psychology, School of Basic Medical Sciences,Lanzhou University from February 2006 to June 2006. Forty-four healthy female SD rats were randomly divided into four groups with 11 rats in each group, namely sham-operated group, ovariectomized group, estrogen replacement therapy group and Ephedra group.METHODS: ① After having been narcotized by cloraminone (110 mg/kg),rats were underwent a bilateral ovariectomy except those in the sham-operated group, which were also operated, but their ovaries were not cut off. ②Rats in the sham-operated group and ovariectomized group were subcutaneously injected with sesame oil (0.2 mL/each rat) every day postoperatively till the end of the experiment. ③ The rats in the estrogen replacement therapy group were given estradiol (1 mg/kg) by subcutaneous injection every day postoperatively till the end of the experiment. ④ The rats in the Ephedra group freely drank 1% water extracts from Ephedra postoperatively, later the concentration of Ephedra gradually increased to 8% on the sixth day, which lasted until the end of the experiment. ⑤ The food intake was monitored daily, and body mass was measured every ten days. ⑥ At the end of the experiment, all the rats were fasted for 12 hours and collected blood samples for the measurement of serum indexes. The body mass and body length were measured to calculate the Lee's index [(g)×103/body length (cm)] at the same time.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Body mass and Lee's index at different time points in each group. ② Food intake at different time points in each group. ③ Levels of blood lipids and blood glucose in each group. ④Levels of estrogen, progesterone and insulin in each group.RESULTS: Forty-four rats all entered the analysis of results. ① Result of body mass and Lee's index at different time points: The body masses on the 20th, 30th, 40th and 50th days in the ovariectomized group were (256.4±14.3),(271.3±16.1), (276.4±12.7), (285.7±24.2) g, which were significantly higher than those in the sham-operated group [(226.5±11.5), (241.8±12.6),(243.1±13.5), (251.1±22.4) g, P ＜ 0.05-0.01], and the Lee's index in the ovariectomized group was greater than that in the sham-operated group(317.2±13.5, 280.4±11.2, P ＜ 0.01). The body masses on the 40th and 50th days in the estrogen replacement therapy group were (243.7±14.8) and(246.2±11.9) g, which were significantly lower than those in the ovariectomized group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01), and the Lee's index (289.9±13.5) was lower than that in the ovariectomized group (P ＜ 0.01). The body masses on the 40th and 50th days in the Ephedra group were (245.4 ±14.1) and(252.4±14.9) g, and the Lee's index was 294.4±11.0, which were all lower than those in the ovariectomized group (P ＜ 0.05). ② Result of Food in take at different time points: The food intakes on the 30th, 40th and 50th days in the Ephedra group were (17.8±2.4), (22.3±3.9), (26.1±3.5) g per day,which were decreased as compared with those in the ovariectomized group[(25.9±4.7), (28.5±5.3), (32.8±5.5) g per day, P ＜ 0.05]. ③ Levels of blood lipids and blood glucose: The levels of triglyceride, cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the ovariectomized group were (1.73±0.32), (1.45±0.50), (0.78±0.19) mmol/L, which were higher than those in the sham-operated group [(0.94±0.29), (1.05±0.30), (0.08±0.11) mmol/L, P ＜ 0.01]. After the estrogen replacement therapy, the levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL-C and blood glucose were (1.10±0.34),(1.14±0.30), (0.17±0.05), (5.88±1.21) mmol/L, which were lower than those in the ovariectomized group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01), but the level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was higher than that in the ovariectomized group [(1.11±0.31), (0.88±0.21) mmol/L, P ＜ 0.05]. The levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C in the Ephedra group were (0.97±0.16), (1.11±0.20), (0.59±0.07) and (0.45±0.061) mmol/L, which were lower than those in the ovariectomized group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01). ④ The serum levels of estrogen, progesterone and insulin in each group: The serum levels of estrogen and progesterone in the ovariectomized group were lower than those in the sham-operated group [(17.09±9.00), (28.51 ±7.99) μg/L;(58.69±12.11), (62.73±10.93) μg/L, P ＜ 0.01], the serum level of insulin was higher than that in the sham-operated group [(31.74±6.69),(23.75±6.66) mU/L, P ＜ 0.01]. The serum levels of estrogen in the estro gen replacement therapy and Ephedra group were (36.03±8.83) and (30.18±8.61) ng/L, which were higher than those in the ovariectomized group(P ＜ 0.05-0.01), the level of insulin were (21.34±4.57), (24.86±6.20) mU/L,which were lower than those in the ovariectomized group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01).The serum level of progesterone in the Ephedra group [(17.68±6.19) μg/L]was lower than that in the ovariectomized group (P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: Ephedra can promote loss of body mass, reduce levels of the blood lipids and insulin, and increase the serum levels of hormones in ovariectomized obese rats.

BACKGROUND: Salvia miltiorrhiza is widely used to treat angina cordis, ischemic stroke and other ischemic cardiovascular diseases. However, the effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza on ovariectomized rats remain unclear.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza on the body mass, food intake, and levels of blood lipids and malondialdehyde (MDA) in ovariectomized rats.DESIGN: A completely randomized and controlled experiment.SETTING: Institute of Physiology and Psychology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University.MATERIALS: The experiment was performed in the Key Laboratory of Pre-clinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province and the laboratory of Institute of Physiology and Psychology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University from November 2005 to December 2006. Twenty-four healthy female SD rats of 3 months old and (220±2) g were selected. Salvia miltiorrhiza water decoction (equal to 1 g/mL crude drug) was identified and extracted by Drug Control Institute of Gansu Province; MDA kit was purchased from Nanjing Jiancheng Institute of Bioengineering.METHODS: ①The rats were randomly divided into three groups with 8 rats in each group: sham-operated group,ovariectomized group and Salvia miltiorrhiza group. The rats were underwent a bilateral ovariectomy except those in the sham-operated group, which were subjected to a removal of bilateral fat as much as ovariectomized group with the ovaries remained. Rats in sham-operated group and ovariectomized group freely drank water; rats in Salvia miltiorrhiza group freely took 1% water extracts from Salvia miltiorrhiza postoperatively, and the concentration of Salvia miltiorrhiza gradually increased to 12% on the eighth day, which was lasted until the end of the experiment (55 days). ②The food intake of rats in each group was monitored daily, and the body mass was measured every five days. At the end of the experiment, femoral artery blood samples of rats were collected to determine the levels of blood lipids. At the same time,MDA was measured according to the kit.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The body mass, food intake, levels of blood lipids and malondialdehyde in each group.RESULTS: Twenty-four rats all entered the result analysis. ①The body mass of rats in 3 groups was nearly the same before operation (P ＞ 0.05). While the body mass in ovariectomized group on the postoperatively 10th, 20th, 25th, and 55th days was significantly higher than those in sham-operated group (P ＜ 0.01). The body mass in Salvia miltiorrhiza group on the postoperatively 20th, 25th, and 55th days was significantly lower than those in ovariectomized group (P ＜0.05-0.01). ②The food intake in ovariectomized group on the postoperatively 15th, 40th, and 55th days was significantly higher than those in sham-operated group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01), and that in Salvia miltiorrhiza group was significantly lower than those in ovariectomized group at those 3 time points (P ＜ 0.05-0.01). ③At the end of the experiment, the levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride in ovariectomized group were significantly higher than those in sham-operated group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01). The levels of triglyceride and MDA in Salvia miltiorrhiza group were significantly lower than those in ovariectomized group (P＜0.01, 0.05).CONCLUSION: Salvia miltiorrhiza can significantly reduce the body mass and levels of triglyceride and MDA in ovariectomized rats.

Objective To evaluate the value of L-(methyl-11C)-labeled methionine positron emissions tomography (MET PET) and MRI in target volume delineation for postoperative radiotherapy for brain high grade glioma (HGG).Methods Thirty-seven patients with supratentorial HGG were included.Both MRI and MET PET scan were performed in the same treatment position for all patients.The consistency to determine residual tumor between MRI and MET PET was analyzed.Imaging data of MET PET and MRI were coregistered using the BrainLAB image fusion software.The extension of the volume with high uptake (VMET) on MET PET were compared quantitately with the enhancing area on MRI T1W gadolinium enhancement (VGd) and the hyperintensity area on MRI T2W (VT2).Results Both MET PET and MRI were positive for 19 patients and negative for 7 patients.The consistency between these two scans was 70.3%.MET PET was integrated with MRI in 30 patients with positive MET uptake.VMET were partially or entirely outside VGd in 29 patients and VT2 in 17 patients, whereas VGd and VT2 were partially or entirely outside VMET in all patients.The maximal distance from the margin of VMET to VGd was ≥ 2.0 cm in 50%patients and the corresponding distance of VMET to VT2 was ≥ 1.0 cm in 33% patients.Conclusions The differences are existing between MET PET and MRI in determination and identification of the location and extension of residual tumor for patients with HGG.The integration of MET PET and MRI can accurately delineate radiation target volume.

Objective To select the components for quality control of Fructus Lycii based on the absorption of its extract. Methods To investigate metabolism of components of Fructus Lycii, everted rat gut sacs was carried out as well as the blood was taken from abdominal aorta,.and all samples were analysised by HPLC. Results There are twelve constituents absorbed between ileum and jejunum of rat , and four constituents were detected in the blood. Compound 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 were absorbed in prototype forms in the intestine directly,and compound 1, 7, 8, 12 were new ones. On the other hand, four compositions(3, 7, 10, 13)could be absorbed into blood through analysis serum samples obtaining from aorta abdominalis of rats. Two of them (3, 10)could be absorbed directly by intestine, while(7)was absorbed into blood in new form . Conclusion Based on the intestinal absorption experiment and analysion of compsition in blood, components (3, 10, 13) can be the quality control ingredients of Fructus Lycii.

Objective To establish the chromatographic fingerprint of mushroom polysaccharides by 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone( PMP) pre-column derivatization. Methods The mushroom polysaccharides was extracted by hot distilled water, precipitated by alcohol, and hydrolyzed into monosaccharides by Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA). The hydrolysate was derivatized with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone ( PMP ) and tested via HPLC to study the monosaccharide components in mushroom polysaccharides. Results Fingerprint was established with 13 common peaks, 6 peaks in which were identified as mannose, D-glucuronic acid, D-glucose, galactose, xylose and L-fucose. The glucose accounted for the most, followed by mannose, galactose and fucose. Conclusion Development of fingerprint chromatogram by HPLC is a stable, simple, and repeatable way, which can be applied to the quality control of mushroom polysaccharides.

Objective To analyze the clinicopathologic features of mucinous cervical adenocarcinoma (ADC) and supply some reference for its diagnosis,treatment and prognosis.Methods Totally 88 cases with primary mucinous ADC diagnosed between January 2003 and December 2007 in Jiangxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital were retrieved.Their clinical and pathological data were reviewed and analyzed.Results Among 88 patients,70 cases of them were endocervical ADC,11 cases were minimal deviation adenocarcinoma (MDA),2 cases were intestinal subtype and 5 cases were villoglandular ADC.The positive rate of cervical Pap smear cytology was only 28％ (10/36).There were 10 cases were performed several times of cervical Pap smear cytology test and biopsies,while still no abnormality was found.Finally,7 cases of them were diagnosed by cervical excisional biopsy and endocervical curettage,including 5 cases with endocervical ADC and 2 cases with MDA; 2 cases (1 case with stage Ⅰ b1 endocervical ADC and 1 case with Ⅰ b1 MDA) were diagnosed by cold knife conization,and 1 case with stage Ⅰ b1 endocervical were diagnosed by uteroscopically directed biopsy.The overall 5-year survival rate was 60.0％.Using univariate analysis results showed that age (P =0.046),stage (P =0.007),tumor size (P =0.007) and therapeutic methods (P =0.009) were significant prognostic factors.Multivariate analysis showed that therapeutic methods was an independent predictor for survival (P =0.013).Stage Ⅱ b-Ⅲ b MDA patients occupied 7/11 of all MDA patient,while there was only one such patient of 5 cases with villoglandular ADC.The overall HPV infection rate was 65％ (57/88),and there was no obvious differences about the HPV infection rates among different types of mucinous ADC.Conclusions Cervical smear cytology is of little significance to the diagnosis of mucinous cervical adenocarcinoma.Early stage mucinous ADC is difficult to be detected,especially for MDA.Cervical excisional biopsy,endocervical curettage,cold knife conization,uteroscope are beneficial to its diagnosis.Therapeutic methods is an important prognostic factor for mucinous ADC and comprehensive treatment should be given to those patients with risky postsurgical factors.

The present study aims to investigate the kinetic histocytochemical changes of acupoints in different condition. The expression of tryptase (+) mast cells, histamine (HA) , serotonin (5-HT) and nociceptive neuropeptides including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP) were observed by immunohistochemistry combined with confocal technology. Mast cells were labeled with anti-mast cell tryptase antibody and simultaneously with HA or 5-HT primary antibodies to observe their co-expression. The results showed that: (1) SP and CGRP were expressed more highly on the cutaneous nerve fibers of "Hegu" (LI 4) after acupuncture stimulation than that of the control. Mast cells aggregated in close proximity to the blood vessels in intra-epidermis and dermis, and some of them with degranulation in the lower dermis and subcutaneous tissue of "Hegu" (LI 4). Both mast cells and their granules appeared with HA (+) and 5-HT (+) expression at stimulated LI 4 sites, while a few intact mast cells with a little expression of 5-HT and HA were distributed in areas of non-stimulated Ll 4. (2) The acupoints in different locations such as Baihui (GV 20), Weishu (BL 21), Zhongwan (CV 12) and LI 4 had the same constituent but the contents were different. (3) The histocytochemical responses of acupoints sensitized by the Gastric mucosa injury (GMI) were also investigated. GMI resulted in neurogenic plasma extravasation by Evans Blue (EB) in the skin of the acupoints over the back and abdomen, which mostly occurred in the T9-T11 dermatomere. The EB extravasation dots just like acupoints sensitization appeared after GMI and disappeared gradually during the natural self-recovery of the gastric mucosa. More SP and CGRP positive nerve fibers were distributed in EB dots than in regions beside EB dots and in the control, mostly distributed in the nerve fibers around both the vessels and root of hair follicle. Mast cells also aggregated and degranulated to release algogenic substances of 5-HT and HA around the vessels in areas of the EB dots. Collectively the acupoints displayed the same histocytochemical responses due to either acupuncture stimulation or GMI. This may potentially be the histocytochemical basis in the local acupoints and acupoints displayed kinetic changes in different condition.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide ; metabolism ; Gastric Mucosa ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Histocytochemistry ; Humans ; Mast Cells ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Mice ; Rats ; Serotonin ; metabolism ; Skin ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Substance P ; metabolism