Based on vector auto-regression (VAR) model, this paper takes advantage of Granger causality test, variance decomposition and impulse response analysis techniques to carry out a comprehensive study of the factors influencing the price of Chinese herbal, including herbal cultivation costs, acreage, natural disasters, the residents' needs and inflation. The study found that there is Granger causality relationship between inflation and herbal prices, cultivation costs and herbal prices. And in the total variance analysis of Chinese herbal and medicine price index, the largest contribution to it is from its own fluctuations, followed by the cultivation costs and inflation.
Agriculture ; economics ; Commerce ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; economics ; Humans ; Models, Statistical ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Regression Analysis

Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; pathology ; Middle Aged ; Sarcoma, Synovial ; pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

A rapid screening model for biosurfactant-producing strains is described in this paper, according as biosurfac-tant can make the blood-plate hemolysis and produce the blue cycles in blue-glue-plate. 12 microorganisms have been got from soil and water samples sampled from oil field and refinery using this model, and one of them can produce the glyco-lipid biosurfactant, which can depress the interfacial tension of water from 71. 3mN/m to 30. 5mN/m, and yield is 6.5 g/L.

Doctor WANG Zhi-zhong in the Southern Song Dynasty proposed the acupoint view of "location of disease", which explained the connotation of acupoints from the angle of clinic. Its meaning included two levels, one level meant pathological change on the body surface, that was the location of acupuncture diagnosis-treatment, and the other one indicated that the body surface which was the reflecting point of pathological change on the distal area or inside the body was the location of acupuncture diagnosis-treatment. The specific connotations of clinical acupoints were: location of pathogenic factors or reflection of pathogenic factors, regularity between acupoints un- der disease and specific organ, morphological differences and positioning variability after acupoints under disease, and acupoints examination, diagnosis and treatment.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; history ; China ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Medicine in Literature ; Meridians

Objective To optimize the extraction technology for Yangxin Anshen Granules. Methods With yield of volatile oil as index, single factor tests were adopted to investigate effects of water, soaking time and distillation time on extraction technology of volatile oil. Using water amount, extraction time and extraction times as factors, the contents of paeoniflorin and total solid as indexes, orthogonal test was employed to optimize the extraction technology of Yangxin Anshen Granules. Results The optimical extraction technology conditions were as follows:Cinnamomi Ramulus, Saposhkoviae Radix, and Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus were extracted to get volatile oil with eight-folds amount water of herbs for 6 hours; other herbs were boiled with eight-folds amount water of herbs and extrancted for two times, 1 h each time. Conclusion This extraction process is reasonable and practical, and can well guarantee the quality of preparation.

Suspension cultures cell of Sorbus aucuparia (SASC) was used as materials, the changes of physiological and biochemical indexes of SASC after treatment with yeast extract (YE) were detected, and the synthetic mechanism of secondary metabolites in SASC treated with YE was preliminarily explored. The results were as follows: under the assay conditions, SASC was induced to synthesize five biphenyl compounds, and these compounds content changed differently with induction time prolonging; YE treatment inhibited cell growth, the culture medium pH was gradually reduced after treatment; water-soluble protein content showed a trend of slow decline, which was significantly increased in YE treatment group (YE group) compared with the control group (CK group), the maximum relative content was 147.76% in contrast with CK group; both YE group and CK group were extracellular Ca2+ flow influx, but the YE group flow was significantly slow than CK group. The results indicate that YE induced the cells in a stress state, which was not conducive to the growth of cells and forced the cells to synthesize biphenyl compounds against external stress; water-soluble protein may serve as intracellular enzymes involved in the synthesis of compounds regulation; Ca2+ may as signal molecule mediate cell signal transduction respond to YE stress.
Cell Culture Techniques ; instrumentation ; methods ; Culture Media ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; chemistry ; Secondary Metabolism ; Sorbus ; growth & development ; metabolism

Metabonomics is a new method to study on the metabolic network and the relationship between body and environment, which conforms to the way of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research. In the study process of modernization of traditional Chinese medicine, effectively conjunction with metabonomics method will facilitate the integration of TCM with modern biological science and technology, and promote the modernization of TCM. This paper introduce the application of metabonomics in the research of toxicity mechanism of TCM, compatibility mechanism of TCM formula, pharmacology effect of TCM and processing mechanism of TCM. This paper summarize the problems in the TCM metabonomics research and prospect its bright future.
Animals ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; analysis ; metabolism ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; trends ; Metabolomics ; methods ; trends

We revisited the "Xiao Chaihu Decoction event (XCHDE)" occurred in late 1980s in Japan and the Bupleuri Radix related adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports in China After careful review, comparison, analysis and evaluation, we think the interstitial pneumonitis, drug induced Liver injury (DILI) and other severe adverse drug envents (ADEs) including death happened in Japan is probably results from multiple factors, including combinatory use of XCHDE with interferon, Kampo usage under modern medicine theory guidance, and use of XCHD on the basis of disease diagnosis instead of traditional Chinese syndrome complex differentiation. There are less ADE case reports related to XCHD preparation in China compared to Japan, mostly manifest with hypersensitivity responses of skin and perfuse perspiration. The symptoms of Radix Bupleuri injection related ADEs mainly manifest hypersensitivity-like response, 2 cases of intravenous infusion instead of intramuscular injection developed hypokalemia and renal failure. One case died from severe hypersensitivity shock. In Chinese literatures, there is no report of the interstitial pneumonitis and DILI associated with XCHDG in Japan. So far, there is no voluntary monitoring data and large sample clinical research data available. The author elaborated the classification of "reevaluation" and clarified "re-evaluation upon events" included the reaction to the suspected safety and efficacy events. Based on the current status of the clinical research on the Radix Bupleuri preparations, the author points out that post-marketing "re-evaluation upon suspected event" is not only a necessity of continuous evaluation of the safety, efficacy of drugs, it is also a necessity for providing objective clinical research data to share with the international and domestic drug administrations in the risk-benefit evaluation. It is also the unavoidable pathway to culture and push the excellent species and famous brands of TCM to the international market, in that it enhances the pharmaceutical manufactures the ability to control enterprise risk and eliminate the negative impact on traditional Chinese medicine. With the widely used and ADR report concentrated Radix Bupleuri injection as an example, the author provide a new approach to post-marketing clinical research.
Bupleurum ; chemistry ; Drug Compounding ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; etiology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Product Surveillance, Postmarketing ; methods ; Safety

AIMIsolation and structural elucidation of the triterpenoid saponins of Oplopanax elatus Nakai.

METHODSSolvent extraction and column chromatography were used to isolate the triterpenoid saponins, physico-chemical constants and spectroscopic analysis were employed for structural elucidation.

RESULTSFour newtriterpenoid saponins named cirenshenoside S (1), cirenshenoside T (2), cirenshenoside U (3) and cirenshenoside V (4) were isolated, and their structures were elucidated to be 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl 3beta,23-dihydroxylup-20 (29)-en-28-oic acid 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1 --> 4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl hederagenin 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1 --> 4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl 3beta-hydroxyolean-9(11),12-dien-28-oic acid 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1 --> 4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3) and 3alpha-hydroxyolean-12-dien-23,28-dioic acid 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1 --> 4 )-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), respectively.

CONCLUSIONCompounds 1-4 are new triterpenoid saponins and isolated from the leaves of Oplopanax elatus Nakai for the first time.

Molecular Conformation ; Molecular Structure ; Oplopanax ; chemistry ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Saponins ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Bridging ; complications ; Myocardial Infarction ; etiology ; Myocardium ; pathology