Objective: To study the chemical constituents in the stems of Zhuang Medicine Alsophila spinulosa. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by silica gel, polyamide, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Their structures were elucidated by physicochemical properties and spectral analyses. Results: Sixteen compounds were isolated from the 50% and 95% ethanol extracts and identified as 30-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-dryocrassol (1), pimaric acid (2), 9α-hydroxy-1β-methoxycaryolanol (3), 6β-hydroxy-24-ethyl-cholest-4-en-3-one (4), 1-O-hexadecanolenin (5), clovandiol (6), decumbic acid (7), n-tetracosane (8), 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-p-coumaric acid (9), (E)-4-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl caffeic acid (10), cyathenosin A (11), protocatechualdehyde (12), protocatechuic acid (13), stigmastane-3, 6-dione (14), β-sitosterol (15), and daucosterol (16). Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new compound named alspineoside A, and compounds 2-11 are isolated from the stems of A. spinulosa for the first time.

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of Gynostema pentaphyllum. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by silica gel, polyamide, and Sephadex LH-20 chromatography. Their structures were elucidated by physicochemical properties and spectral analysis. Results: Seventeen compounds were isolated and identified as dodecanoic acid (1), β-sitosterol (2), 3, 3', 5-trihydroxy-4', 7-dimethoxyflavanone (3), 1-2-benzenediol (4), 3'-O-methyltaxifolin (5), quercetin (6), rhamnetin (7), α-spinasterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), 3, 4-dihydroxy benzoic acid (9), narcissoside (10), L-rhamnosemono-hydrate (11), malonic acid (12), β-ethoxy-rutinoside (13), rutin (14), ombuoside (15), ginsenoside Rb1 (16), and β-daucosterol (17). Conclusion: Compound 1, 3-5, 7, 9, 10, and 12 are obtained from G. pentaphyllum for the first time.

Objective: To study chemical constituents of Argyreia acuta. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by silica gel, macroporous resin adsorption, MCI GEL CHP 20P, Sephadex LH-20 chromatography, and preparative liquid chromatography. Their structures were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral analysis. Results: Ten compounds were isolated and identified as ethyl caffeate (1), hispidulin (2), quercetin (3), scopolin (4), paprazine (5), mannitol (6), hesperetin (7), ipalbidinium-4’-O-β-D-(6-O-trans-coumaroyl)-glucoside (8), nepitrin (9), and homoplantaginin (10). Conclusion: Compound 8 is a new compound named argyreiacutine, and compounds 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, and 10 are isolated from A. acuta for the first time.

Objective To elucidate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of human metapneumovirus(hMPV)in hospital- ized children with respiratory infection.Methods A total of 452 hospitalized children with lower respiratory tract infection were observed from Aug 2004 to Jan 2005.Respiratory tract aspirates were collected from all patients within 48 hours after admis sion.The specimens were routinely tested for respiratory syncytial virus,influenza virus A and B,parainfluenza virus 1 to 3 and adenovirus by direct fluorescent assay(DFA).The 245 specimens negative by DFA were tested for hMPV by RT-PCR. PCR products of hMPV M gene from some patients were randomly selected for sequencing analysis.Results hMPV was identi- fied in 59(24.1%)of the 245 specimens tested,hMPV infection alone accounted for 13.1% of the infections in the 452 chil- dren under study,The prevalence of hMPV was higher than other respiratory viruses in winter.The mean age of hMPV-infec- ted children(n=59)was 27.7 months.There was no significant difference between age groups in terms of the prevalence of hMPV(P＞0.05).There were no statistically significant difference in demographics and clinical symptoms between hMPV in- fection and other common respiratory virus infection.Genotyping for the hMPV M gene from 23 Shanghai patients showed two distinct hMPV genotypes.Sequence analysis of these hMPV M genes showed 82.8%-100% homology to the registered se- quence in GenBank.There was no significant difference in clinical characteristics between the 2 genotypes.Conclusions hMPV plays an important pathogenic role in lower respiratory tract infection of children,hMPV prevailed in the winter of 2004.Clini- cally,hMPV infection can not be discriminated from the infection of other respiratory viruses.Clinical manifestation is similar between the two hMPV genotypes.

More than one hundred strains of marine molds have been isolated from the sediment and the sample of seawater collected from the South China Sea. By the first screening, more than 30 strains of marine molds which can inhibit tested fungi such as Candida albicans and Fursarium sp. were obtained.The results of the second screening showed those strains designed as B 4#-6、B 4#-3、1-B 6-6、1-B 6-10-5、1-B 6-22、C 2#-5、A 2-9 and 1-B 6-10 can produced extracelluar antifungi metabolic products and the crude extract of the strains 1-B 6-10-5 and B 4#-3 can inhibit the growth of many other species of fungi.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was to explore the parental experience of making a "do not resuscitate" (DNR) decision for their child who is or was cared for in a pediatric intensive care unit in Taiwan. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted following parental signing of a standard hospital DNR form on behalf of their critically ill child. Sixteen Taiwanese parents of 11 children aged 1 month to 18 years were interviewed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, analyzed and sorted into themes by the sole interviewer plus other researchers. RESULTS: Three major themes were identified: (a) "convincing points to sign", (b) "feelings immediately after signing", and (c) "postsigning relief or regret". Feelings following signing the DNR form were mixed and included "frustration", "guilt", and "conflicting hope". Parents adjusted their attitudes to thoughts such as "I have done my best," and "the child's life is beyond my control." Some parents whose child had died before the time of the interview expressed among other things "regret not having enough time to be with and talk to my child". CONCLUSION: Open family visiting hours plus staff sensitivity and communication skills training are needed. To help parents with this difficult signing process, nurses and other professionals in the pediatric intensive care unit need education on initiating the conversation, guiding the parents in expressing their fears, and providing continuing support to parents and children throughout the child's end of life process.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; *Decision Making ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Palliative Care/*psychology ; Parents/*psychology ; *Professional-Family Relations ; Qualitative Research ; Resuscitation Orders/*psychology ; Taiwan ; Young Adult

Seven compounds were isolated from Onychium japonicum by macroporous resin, silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by NMR, MS and other spectroscopic methods as onychone A (1), quercetin (2), quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (3), kaempferol-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (5), (-)-prunin (6), and norathyriol (7). Compound 1 is a novel macrocyclic flavonoid, and all the others are reported from this plant for the first time. In vitro cytotoxic activities of compounds 1-7 were evaluated by MTS testing with five cancer cell lines. Compound 7 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines A549, SMMC-7721, and SW480.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of naringin of Drynaria Rhizome, a Chinese medical component of Zhuanggu Jianxi Recipe (ZJR) containing serum on caveolin-p38MAPK signal factors (such as caveolin-1, p-p38, p-ATF-2, IL-1β, and TNF-α) in IL-1β induced rabbit degenerated chondrocytes, and further to explore its mechanism for protecting articular cartilages.

METHODSNaringin of Drynaria Rhizome was obtained and analyzed by HPLC-TOF/MS. Four weeks old New Zealand rabbits were killed and their bilateral knee joints were isolated aseptically. CDs were isolated and then cultured in vitro. The second generation of CDs were used for later experiment. The effect of naringin on CDs proliferation was detected by MTT assay. The effect of naringin on the expression of IL-1β-induced collagen II in CDs was detected by immunohistochemical method. The effect of naringin on caveolin-1, p-p38, and p-ATF-2 protein in IL-1β-induced CDs was detected by Western blot. The effect of naringin on mRNA expression of IL-1β and TNF-α in IL-1β-induced CDs was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSThe appearance time of naringin in flow graphs of naringin standard solution and ZJR containing serum was 23.5 min, and the molecular weight ranged between 581.0 and 581.5 m/z. Naringin could promote the proliferation of CDs, and inhibit the effect of IL-1β on collagen II in CDs. Compared with the model group, naringin could reduce the expression of caveolin-1, p-p38, p-ATF-2, IL-1β, and TNF-α in IL-1β induced CDs (P < 0.05), which was approximate to the level of the normal group.

CONCLUSIONSNaringin could not only promote the proliferation of CDs, but also protect IL-1β-induced CDs. Its mechanism might be associated with decreasing the expression of caveolin-1, p-p38, and p-ATF-2 proteins, inhibiting caveolin-p38MAPK signal pathway, and further reducing mRNA expression of IL-1β and TNF-α in the downstream of caveolin-p38MAPK signal pathway.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cartilage, Articular ; Caveolins ; Chondrocytes ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Flavanones ; pharmacology ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Polypodiaceae ; Rabbits ; Rhizome ; Signal Transduction ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo establish a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for rapid diagnosis of Vibrio cholerae.

METHODSBased on the ompW nucleic sequence of Vibrio cholerae, a pair of primers was designed for LAMP. The reaction conditions were optimized, and the specificity, sensitivity, and practicability of LAMP were tested using 47 bacterial strains and simulated contaminated sites.

RESULTSThe results of viable bacterium count showed that LAMP was capable of detecting Vibrio cholerae at a level as low as 1.6x10(2) cfu/ml. The minimal detectable concentration was 1.6+10(3) cfu/ml for simulated contaminated samples such as feces and seawater, and 1.6+10(4) cfu/ml for contaminated milk. All the 21 strains of Vibrio cholerae yielded positive results in LAMP, and the 26 strains of other bacteria all showed negative results, with a detection specificity of 100%.

CONCLUSIONThe established LAMP method has high specificity and sensitivity for detecting Vibrio cholerae and is applicable in field monitoring and epidemiological study of Vibrio cholerae.

Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; Cholera ; diagnosis ; microbiology ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; methods ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vibrio cholerae ; genetics ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVECigarette smoke extract (CSE) can induce injuries of pulmonary II epithelial cells, activate nuclear factor-kappaB and increase tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) secretion. This study aimed to investigate whether azithromycin can protect pulmonary II epithelial cells from injuries induced by CSE and relevant mechanisms.

METHODSPulmonary II epithelial cells (A549 cells) were cultured in vitro. After 48 hrs of culture the cells were randomly treated with serum-free DMEM only (blank control group), azithromycin + serum-free DMEM, CSE+ serum-free DMEM or CSE+azithromycin. Eight hours later the morphology of A549 cells, the activity of NF-kappaB and the levels of TNF-alpha were measured by inverted microscope, immunohistochemistry and ELISA.

RESULTSThe morphology and structure of A549 cells were changed, NF-kappaB activity increased (dark brown staining ) and TNF-alpha levels (0.307 +/- 0.036 pg/mL vs 0.234 +/- 0.028 pg/mL)increased in the CSE+ serum-free DMEM group compared with the blank control group (P < 0.01). CSE together with azithromycin treatment recovered partly the morphological injuries of A549 cells. It also attenuated NF-kappaB staining and decreased TNF-alpha levels from 0.307 +/- 0.036 pg/mL (CSE+serum-free DMEM group) to 0.269 +/- 0.009 pg/mL (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAzithromycin may inhibit NF-kappaB activity, decrease TNF-alpha secretion and thus lessen cytotoxicity of CSE to A549 cells.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Azithromycin ; pharmacology ; Cells, Cultured ; Epithelial Cells ; drug effects ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; NF-kappa B ; analysis ; Smoke ; adverse effects ; Tobacco ; adverse effects ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; analysis