A new flavonone, named as (2R, 3S)-pinobanksin-3-cinnamate(1), together with six known compounds, pinocem-brin (2), pinobanksin (3), 3-O-acetylpinobanksin (4), galangin (5), kumatakenin(6), and 3-methylkaempferol (7), were isolated from a 95% ethanol extract of seeds of Alpinia katsumadai through a combination of various chromatographic techniques, including silica gel and Sephadex LH-20. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis. Compound 1 exhibits a potent neuroprotective effect against the corticosterone-damaged PC12 cells, which may be underlying the effect by scavenging intracellular ROS.
Alpinia ; chemistry ; Animals ; Cell Death ; drug effects ; Cholestenones ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cinnamates ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; DNA Fragmentation ; drug effects ; Neuroprotective Agents ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; PC12 Cells ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Seeds ; chemistry

Objective To assess quality of life in elderly in Shanghai communities and to analyze relevant influence factors.Methods The quality of life and relevant influence factors of 4 395 residents aged 60 years or older who were registered in the health records of three community healthcare centers in Shanghai were investigated through questionnaire survey.Results Total 4 350 valid questionnaire were retrieved with a response rate of 99.0％.The mean physical component summary scale (PCS) score was (50.1± 10.1) and the mean mental component summary scale (MCS) score was (47.3±7.9).Factors influencing the quality of life in order of importance were depressive symptom(B=-8.41),self-care ability(B=7.45),disease score(B=-1.91),participating in outdoor activities(B=1.89),proportion of medical expenses over income(B=-1.72),social intercourse score(B=-1.48),gender(B=-1.37),education level(B=-1.03) and age(B=-0.93).Conclusion The quality of life in elderly residents of Shanghai is relatively high,but the mental components of quality of life need to be further improved.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Gonorrhea ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Syphilis ; epidemiology ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; epidemiology

AIMTo investigate the chemical constituents of the Tibetan herbal medicine Halenia elliptica by guidance of in vivo absorption and distribution of the constituents.

METHODSHPLC with a diode array detector (DAD) and HPLC-MS were used for detecting the constituents of extracts of Halenia elliptica and animal samples. Several kinds of column chromatography were used for the isolation and purification of the main in vivo absorbed and distributed compounds from the extract of Halenia elliptica.

RESULTSSix main components detected in the extracts of the animal samples were isolated from the ethanolic extract of Halenia elliptica.

CONCLUSIONAfter rats were treated with different extracts of Halenia elliplica, low polar components xanthone aglycon of Halenia elliptica were clearly observed in the extracts of liver, lipid, blood, hidney, heart and brain tissue of rats, while the polar components xanthone glycosides were detected in very small amounts in the animal samples. The xanthone glycosides can be decomposed into xanthone aglycons during the digestion, absorption and metabolism procedure. Therefore, the in vivo activity of the xanthone glycosides might be exhibited by their decomposed products. It is an accessibly valuable method to investigate chemical components of herbal medicines under the guidance by detecting in vivo absorption and distribution of chemical components of the herbal medicine extract.

Absorption ; Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Female ; Gentianaceae ; chemistry ; Glycosides ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tissue Distribution ; Xanthones ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases reported in Xianyang City from January to February 2020. Methods We retrospectively studied 17 COVID-19 patients diagnosed in Xianyang Central Hospital. The patients were characterized clinically and epidemiologically. Results The 17 patients included 10 male and 7 female, with an average age of(39.59±17.31)years. The median interval of time between onset and diagnosis was four days(1-10 days), whereas the median duration of COVID-19 was 16 days(3-23 days). Of the patients, six were mild, 10 were pneumonia, and one was severe. A total of 15 patients had fever as the onset, accompanied by fatigue, sore throat, sputum, vomit, muscle soreness; the other two patients were asymptomatic. There were no complications documented in all the patients. Patients had low levels of white blood cells and lymphocytes. Chest CT scan showed diverse diffuse ground-glass shadow. Eleven patients had travel history in Wuhan before the onset, four patients had contact with people who had travel history or residence history in Wuhan, and the other two patients did not report epidemiological exposure history. In addition, four of the 17 patients were clustered cases. Conclusion General population is susceptible to COVID-19. The majority of the confirmed cases have epidemiological exposure history. Routine examination, including white blood cell, lymphocyte count and CT scan may facilitate early diagnosis.