The effects of four natural organic soil amendments on the quality and pesticide residues of Panax notoginseng were investigated through field experiments and the suitable dosage ratio of each soil amendment was selected to provide a new idea for the pollution-free cultivation of P. notoginseng. The four natural organic soil amendments used in this study were Jishibao, Jihuo, Fudujing, and omnipotent nutrients, which were produced by mixed fermentation of aboveground parts of different plants, biological waste residue, and biochar. During the experiments, only four soil amendments were applied to P. notoginseng instead of any pesticides and fertilizers. The experiment was designed as four factors and three levels. There were three dosage gradients(low, medium, and high) for Jishibao(A), Jihuo(B), Fudujing(C), and omnipotent nutrients(D). When the dosage of one soil amendment changed, the do-sage of the other soil amendments remained medium. There were 10 groups in addition to the soil amendment-free group as control(CK). The results showed that the four soil amendments could significantly improve the growth environment of P. notoginseng and increase the seedling survival rate and saponin content of P. notoginseng. The seedling survival rates of the treatment groups increased by 8.24%-30.05% as compared with the control group. Furthermore, the content of pesticide residues in P. notoginseng was too low to be detected, and that of heavy metals in P. notoginseng was far lower than the specified content in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020). The optimal effect was achieved at medium dosage for all the soil amendments with the highest content of saponins, high seedling survival rate, and significantly reduced heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.
Arsenic ; Metals, Heavy/analysis* ; Panax notoginseng ; Soil ; Soil Pollutants/analysis*

DNA marked-assisted selection of medicinal plants accelerated the breeding and promotion of new cultivars, and guaranteed the healthy development of Chinese medicinal materials industry. The first disease-resistant cultivar of notoginseng, namely "Miaoxiang Kangqi 1", served as the object of study. We evaluated the Kangqi's resistance of seeds, seedlings and root against the pathological bacteria (Fusarum oxysporum) of root rot. Compared to the traditional cultivars, the disease index of notoginseng seeds declined by 52.0% after inoculation for seven days; the death rate of seedlings and disease index of root respectively decreased by 72.1% and 62.4% after inoculation for 25 days. Additionally, the growth inhibition ratio of notoginseng seeds and seedlings declined after inoculation. The seeds, seedlings and roots of "Miaoxiang Kangqi 1" showed significantly resistant to root rot. The evaluation of disease-resistance of Kangqi provided the basis for the popularization of new cultivar and guaranteed the favoring conduct of notoginseng pollution-free cultivation.

Objective:To investigate the discriminant function of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in the diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and to evaluate the correlation between vessel density, as measured by OCTA, and visual field mean defect (MD) in patients with POAG.Methods:A case control study was designed.Ninety-five eyes of 54 patients with POAG and ninety-six eyes of 48 healthy subjects in Changsha Aier Eye Hospital were included in this study.The vessel density in the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) network, the macular vessel density, the ganglion cell complex (GCC) layer thickness, the macular thickness, and the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness were tested for correlation with MD.The aera under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC), as well as sensitivities at fixed vessel density specificities in the RPC network, and macular regions were analyzed.ROC regression was used to evaluate the effect of covariates on the diagnostic abilities.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Changsha Aier Eye Hospital.Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects prior to entering the study cohort.Results:Compared with the normal control group, the macular area and vessel density in the RPC network were significantly decreased in the POAG group ( P<0.001). Also in the POAG group, except for the capillary density inside the disc, all other measurements including the density of superficial capillaries in the macula, the density of deep capillaries in the macula, the density of RPC layers around the optic disc, the average capillary density of the optic disc RPC layer, the capillary density of the optic disc RPC layer (above, below, nasal, and temporal), the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer, the thickness of the whole macular layer, and the thickness of the GCC layer of the macula area were positively correlated with the MD value ( r=0.586, 0.352, 0.610, 0.592, 0.598, 0.589, 0.445, 0.587, 0.578, 0.530, 0.609; all at P<0.01). The AUCs of vessel densities ranged from 0.623 to 0.927.The highest diagnostic efficiency was the RPC vessel density (whole image), the AUC value was 0.927. Conclusions:The OCTA parameters have a high diagnostic ability for POAG, except for the capillary density of inside the disc, all other vascular parameters are positively correlated with the MD value.

In this study, the Geographic Information System for Global Medicinal Plants (GMPGIS) was used to assess the global production and ecological adaptation of Panax notoginseng. Based on climate factors and soil types of P.notoginseng from 326 sampling sites, which cover both traditional and current major producing regions, as well as on the results of the ecological similarity computing analysis, we obtained the maximum ecological similarity areas for P.notoginseng worldwide. The results indicated that China was the most suitable ecological and cultivated area globally for P.notoginseng, accounting for more than 70% of the total cultivated area in the world. The United States, Brazil, Portugal, and other 22 countries also had a small amount of potential suitable producing area. China has eight potential suitable producing provinces, including Yunnan, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, etc. The prediction is consistent with the new district of P.notoginseng reported in recent years, which verifies the accuracy of the prediction of GMPGIS. We conducted a literature analysis on resource regeneration and quality ecology on P.notoginseng, and summarized the cultivation, wild tending models, and effects of environmental factors on the quality of P. notoginseng. The results provide scientific basis for selection of P.notoginseng, as well as the introduction, cultivation, and production of P. notoginseng worldwide.

DNA marker-assisted selection of medicinal plants is based on the DNA polymorphism, selects the DNA sequences related to the phenotypes such as high yields, superior quality, stress-resistance and so on according to the technologies of molecular hybridization, polymerase chain reaction and high-throughput sequencing, and assists the breeding of new cultivars. This study bred the first disease-resistant cultivar of notoginseng "Miaoxiang Kangqi 1" using the technology of DNA marker-assisted selection of medicinal plants and systematic breeding. The disease-resistant cultivar of notoginseng contained 12 special SNPs based on the analysis of Restriction-site Associated DNA Sequencing (RAD-Seq). Among the SNP (record_519688) was related to the root rot-resistant characteristics, which indicated this SNP could serve as genetic markers of disease-resistant cultivars and assist the systematic breeding. Compared to the conventional cultivated cultivars, the incidence rate of root-rot and rust-rot in notoginseng seedlings decreased by 83.6% and 71.8%, respectively. The incidence rate of root-rot respectively declined by 43.6% and 62.9% in notoginseng cultivation for 2 and 3 years compared with those of the conventional cultivated cultivars. Additionally, the potential disease-resistant groups were screened based on the relative SNP, and this model enlarged the target groups and advanced the breeding efficiency. DNA marker-assisted selection of medicinal plants accelerated the breeding and promotion of new cultivars, and guaranteed the healthy development of Chinese medicinal materials industry.

The flavonoids in Panax notoginseng were qualitatively analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), and the content of three main flavonoids in P. notoginseng of different specifications and grades collected from different habitats was determined by HPLC-DAD. Flavonoids and anthocyanins were analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Twelve flavonoid glycosides and one anthocyanin glycoside in P. notoginseng were identified, but no flavonoid aglycones were detected. Among them, 12 compounds were identified in the underground part of P. notoginseng for the first time and eight compounds were first reported in this plant. Moreover, six and four compounds were identified in the Panax genus and the Araliaceae family for the first time, respectively. A method for simultaneous determination of three flavonoids in P. notoginseng was established by HPLC-DAD. The content of flavonoids in 721 P. notoginseng samples of 124 specifications and grades collected from 20 different habitats was simultaneously determined. Among three flavonoids determined, the content of quercetin-3-O-(2″-β-D-xylosyl)-β-D-galactoside was the highest with the average content in the tested samples of 161.0 μg·g~(-1). The content of compounds quercetin-3-O-hexosyl-hexoside and kaempferol-3-O-pentosyl-hexoside was relatively low, with the average content of 18.5 μg·g~(-1)(calculated as quercetin-3-O-sophoroside) and 49.4 μg·g~(-1)(calculated as kaempferol-3-O-sangbu diglycoside). There were significant differences in flavonoids content of samples from different production area. The content of flavonoids in spring P. notoginseng was significantly lower than that in winter P. notoginseng when the other influencing factors such as production areas, germplasm resources, and cultivation conditions were fixed. As for P. notoginseng of different specifications, the flavonoid content in the part connecting the taproot and the aboveground stem was significantly higher than that in other parts. The results of large-scale data showed that the flavonoid content gradually increased with the increase in the number of heads. There were significant differences between the flavonoid content in most specifications and grades, especially the 20-head P. notoginseng and countless head P. notoginseng, whose content was significantly lower and significantly higher than that of other specifications and grades, respectively. This study provides a scientific basis for the study of the effective components and quality control of P. notoginseng from the perspective of flavonoids.
Flavonoids/analysis* ; Anthocyanins/analysis* ; Quercetin ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Kaempferols ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Glycosides

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the expression of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 α (HNF-1α) and the occurrence and development of liver inflammation and fibrosis in liver tissues of patients with chronic hepatitis B.Methods:Sixty-four patients with chronic hepatitis B who were diagnosed and treated in our hospital from 2011 to 2018 were selected. All patients underwent ultrasound-guided aspiration liver biopsy. The pathological results of liver biopsy were collected for inflammation grading and fibrosis staging. The liver puncture biopsies was collected by paraffin sectioning. The expression of HNF1α in the liver tissue was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Mantel-Haenszel χ2 test was used for bidirectional ordered grouping data, and Spearman’s rank-correlation test was used for rank correlation analysis. Results:There were varying degrees of inflammatory necrosis and fibrosis in the liver tissues of patients with chronic hepatitis B. There was a linear relationship between the expression of HNF1α and the level of inflammation in liver tissues ( χ2MH = 40.70, P < 0.05). The expression of HNF1α in liver tissues of patients with chronic hepatitis B was decreased with the increase of liver inflammation. The expression intensity of HNF1α was negatively correlated with the inflammation grade ( rs = -0.815, P < 0.05). There was a linear relationship between the expressions of HNF1α and the degree and stage of liver fibrosis ( χ2MH = 31.95, P < 0.05). The expression level of HNF1α in liver tissue was gradually decreased with the aggravation of liver fibrosis. The expression intensity of HNF1α was negatively correlated with fibrosis stage ( rs = -0.713, P < 0.05). Conclusion:HNF1α is closely related to the occurrence and development of liver tissue inflammation and fibrosis, and is expected to be a sensitive indicator for evaluating the level of liver tissue inflammation and fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B. In addition, its down-regulation may be involved in the process of occurrence and development of liver inflammation and liver fibrosis, and may become a new target for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

Objective:Using the established epilepsy patient database to validate the efficacy of the web-based epilepsy diagnosis and anti-seizure medications (ASM) selection tool, EpiPick, for domestic epilepsy patients.Methods:The retrospective collection of clinical data was conducted on patients aged 10 and above who were diagnosed with epilepsy at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from January 2017 to December 2020, with regular follow-up and complete information. According to the first ASM recommended by the EpiPick tool and whether they are consistent with the actual ASM used by patients, patients were divided into EpiPick group and clinical group to verify the effectiveness of the EpiPick tool in selecting ASM. The drug retention rate, Engel score, and cumulative probability of no consecutive episodes within 30 months after using the first ASM were compared between the 2 groups, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were drawn. Finally, the diagnostic results provided by the EpiPick tool were compared with the actual types of epileptic seizures diagnosed clinically, and consistency tests were performed.Results:A total of 364 epilepsy patients were included, including 237 in the EpiPick group and 127 in the clinical group. The ASM retention rates of patients in the EpiPick group and clinical group were 67.9%(161/237) and 56.7%(72/127), respectively, with statistically significant differences (χ2=4.534, P=0.039). Grades Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ according to the Engel scores in the EpiPick group patients who took the first ASM after diagnosis accounted for 47.3%(112/237), 14.8%(35/237), 12.7%(30/237), and 25.3%(60/237), respectively, compared to the clinical group of 32.3%(41/127), 11.8%(15/127), 11.0%(14/127), and 44.9%(57/127), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in Engel scores between the 2 groups (χ2=14.968, P=0.002). The cumulative seizure-free rates in the EpiPick group at the 1st, 6th, 12th, 30th month and above after starting the first ASM were 73.8%, 61.2%, 53.2%, and 50.6%, respectively, which in the clinical group were 52.0%, 44.1%, 40.2%, and 33.5%, respectively. The logrank test showed a statistically significant difference in the cumulative probability of consecutive seizure freedom between the 2 groups ( HR=0.644 ,95% CI 0.476-0.871 ,P<0.001). After grouping by seizure type [focal seizures (196 cases) and generalized seizures (168 cases)], the cumulative seizure-free rates at the 1st, 6th, 12th, 30th month and above after starting ASM were significantly higher in the EpiPick group than in the clinical group (comparison between the 2 groups in patients with focal seizures: HR=0.654, 95%CI 0.443-0.964, P=0.004; comparison between the 2 groups in patients with generalised seizures: HR=0.586, 95%CI 0.361-0.954, P=0.014). Among 364 patients, 293 cases were clinically diagnosed with seizure classification consistent with the classification results of EpiPick tool. Agreement between the algorithm and the experts in classifying generalized seizures was 83.9%(104/124), which in classifying focal seizures was 78.8%(189/240; Kappa=0.591, P<0.001). Conclusion:Web-based EpiPick tool is suitable to be used to select the first ASM, and is portable for Chinese non-epilepsy specialists to choose ASM for epilepsy patients.

Panax notoginseng is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine with blood activating effect while has continuous cropping obstacle problem in planting process. In present study, a semimicroextraction method with water-saturated n-butanol on 0.1 g notoginseng sample was established with good repeatability (RSD<2.5%) and 9.6%-20.6% higher extraction efficiency of seven saponins than the conventional method. A total of 16 characteristic peaks were identified by LC-MS-IT-TOF, including eight 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) type saponins and eight 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) type saponins. The established method was utilized to evaluate the quality of notoginseng samples cultivated by manual intervened methods to overcome continuous cropping obstacles.As a result, HPLC fingerprint similarity, content of Fa and ratio of notoginsenoside K and notoginsenoside Fa (N-K/Fa) were found out to be as valuatable markers of the quality of samples in continuous cropping obstacle research, of which N-K/Fa could also be applied to the analysis of notoginseng samples with different growth years.Notoginseng samples with continuous cropping obstacle had HPLC fingerprint similarity lower than 0.87, in consistent with normal sample, and had significant lower content of notoginsenoside Fa and significant higher N-K/Fa (2.35-4.74) than normal group (0.45-1.33). All samples in the first group with manual intervention showed high similarity with normal group (>0.87), similar content of common peaks and N-K/Fa (0.42-2.06). The content of notoginsenoside K in the second group with manual intervention was higher than normal group. All samples except two displayed similarity higher than 0.87 and possessed content of 16 saponins close to normal group. The result showed that notoginseng samples with continuous cropping obstacle had lower quality than normal sample. And manual intervened methods could improve their quality in different levels.The method established in this study was simple, fast and accurate, and the markers may provide new guides for quality control in continuous cropping obstacle research of notoginseng.

Objective: To understand the basic characteristics of previously reported patients with hepatitis C and analyze the related factors affecting their antiviral treatment. Methods: A convenient sampling method was adopted. Patients who had been previously diagnosed with hepatitis C in the Wenshan Prefecture of Yunnan Province and Xuzhou City of Jiangsu Province were contacted by telephone for an interview study. The Andersen health service utilization behavior model and related literature were used to design the research framework for antiviral treatment in previously reported hepatitis C patients. A step-by-step multivariate regression analysis was used in previously reported hepatitis C patients treated with antiviral therapy. Results: A total of 483 hepatitis C patients, aged 51.73 ± 12.06 years, were investigated. The proportion of male, agricultural occupants who were registered permanent residents, farmers and migrant workers was 65.24%, 67.49%, and 58.18%, respectively. Han ethnicity (70.81%), married (77.02%), and junior high school and below educational level (82.61%) were the main ones. Multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that married patients with hepatitis C (OR = 3.19, 95% CI: 1.93-5.25, compared with unmarried, divorced, and widowed patients) with high school education or above (OR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.54-4.20, compared with patients with junior high school education or below) were more likely to receive antiviral treatment in the predisposition module. Patients with severe self-perceived hepatitis C in the need factor module (compared with patients with mild self-perceived disease, OR = 3.36, 95% CI: 2.09-5.40) were more likely to receive treatment. In the competency module, the family's per capita monthly income was more than 1,000 yuan (compared with patients with per capita monthly income below 1,000 yuan, OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.02-2.47), and the patients had a high level of awareness of hepatitis C knowledge (compared with patients with a low level of knowledge, OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.01-2.35), and the family members who knew the patient's infection status (compared with patients with an unknown infection status, OR = 4.59, 95% CI: 2.24-9.39) were more likely to receive antiviral treatment. Conclusion: Different income, educational, and marital statuses are related to antiviral treatment behavior in hepatitis C patients. Family support of hepatitis C patients receiving hepatitis C-related knowledge and their families knowing the infection status is more important in promoting the antiviral treatment of patients, suggesting that in the future, we should further strengthen the hepatitis C knowledge of hepatitis C patients, especially the family support of hepatitis C patients' families in treatment.
Humans ; Male ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; China ; Hepatitis C/drug therapy* ; Hepacivirus ; Logistic Models