To study the oxidative alkaline-degradation products of PQS (Panax quinquefolium saponin), two compounds were isolated from the crude product of oxidative alkaline-degradation by silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and recrystallized methods. On the basis of spectroscopic analysis, their structures were established as (12R, 20S, 24R)-20, 24; 12, 24-diepoxy-24-deisopropyl-dammarane-3beta-ol (1) and (20S, 24R)-20, 24-epoxydammarane-3beta3, 12beta, 25-triol (2). Compounds 1 and 2, dammarane type triterpene with cyclization at the side chain, were obtained for the first time from alkaline-degradation products of total ginsenosides of Panax quinquefolium L., compound 1 is a new compound.
Cyclization ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Panax ; chemistry ; Sapogenins ; chemistry ; Saponins ; chemistry ; Steroids ; chemistry ; Triterpenes ; chemistry

The methods to determine the total phenols, total saponins, and marker constituents salidroside, chlorogenic acid and 3, 4-dihydroxy-phenylethyl-β-D-glucopyranoside in the samples of Sargentodoxae Caulis were established to provide the evidence for the improvement and revision of the quality standard of the crude material recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 Edition). The content of total phenols was determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometry, using gallic acid as a reference substance. The content of total saponins was determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometry, using 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-2)-O-β-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-28-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl] asiatic acid as a reference substance. The contents of salidroside, chlorogenic acid and 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylethyl-β-D-glucopyranoside were detected by HPLC. The linear ranges were 1.01-7.04 mg x L(-1) for total phenols, 37.7-201 μg for total saponins, 0.025 8-1.55 μg for salidroside, 0.076 2-5.44 μg for chlorogenic acid, and 0.064 9-3.47 μg for 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylethyl-βP-D-glucopyranoside, respectively. Their average recoveries were 99.12%, 99.11% 105.5%, 99.08%, and 101.6%, respectively. The contents of total phenols and total saponins were 3. 04% -11. 9% and 0. 87% -3. 63%. The contents of salidroside, chlorogenic acid and 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylethyl-β-D-glucopyranoside fluctuated from 0.018% to 0. 572%, from 0.041% to 1.75% and from 0.035% to 1.32%. The established methods were reproducible, and they could be used for the quality control of Sargentodoxae Caulis. The present investigation suggested that total phenols, salidroside, and chlorogenic acid should be recorded in the quality standard of Sargentodoxae Caulis and their contents should not be less than 6.8% for total phenols, 0.040% for salidroside, and 0.21% for chlorogenic acid.
China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Magnoliopsida ; chemistry ; Phenol ; analysis ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Saponins ; analysis ; Triterpenes ; analysis

Sargentodoxae Caulis was prepared from the stems of Sargentodoxa cuneata. Twenty compounds from the the stems of S. cuneata collected in Huangshan Mountain, Anhui province, were isolated and purified by column chromatography on macroporous resin (HPD100), silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of physico-chemical properties and spectral data analyses as (7R,8S)-3,3 '-5-trimethoxy-4,9-dihydroxy-4',7-expoxy-5',8-lignan-7'-en-9'-oic acid 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(1), 1-O-(vanillic acid) -6-O-vanilloyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside(2), 4-hydroxyphenylethyl-6-O-coumaroyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside(3), citrusin B(4), cinnamoside(5), (-) -isolariciresinol 4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (6), (-) -isolariciresinol 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (7), 1-O-(vanillic acid) -6-(3", 5"-dimethoxy-galloyl) -beta-D-glucopyranoside (8), 4-hydroxyphenyl-ethyl-6-O-(E) -caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9), (-)-syringaresinol 4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (10), (-)-syringaresinol di-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (11), aegineoside (12), calceolarioside B (13), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-acetophenone-4-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (14), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-acetophenone-4-O-beta-D-apiofuranosyl-(1 --> 6) -beta-D-glucopyranoside (15), (-) -epicatechin (16), salidroside (17), 3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl ethyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (18), chlorogenic acid (19) and protocatechuic acid (20). Compound 1 was a new compound and compounds 2-7 were isolated from this plant for the first time.
Lignans ; isolation & purification ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Ranunculaceae ; chemistry

OBJECTIVESTo investigate prognostic effect of postoperative resection-margin status for intraoperatively positive resection margin in advanced gastric cancer and discuss the treatment choice for intraoperatively positive resection margins.

METHODSA retrospective study was investigated in 64 advanced gastric cancer patients with positive resection margin after potentially curative resection. The survival between 50 patients who was re-excised to a negative resection margin (NR group) and 14 patients who were left with positive resection margin (PR group) was compared. Prognostic factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression model analysis.

RESULTSThe median survival in the PR group was 17.0 months (95%CI: 11.6 - 22.4) as compared with 23.0 months (95%CI: 20.5 - 25.5) in the NR group (P = 0.045). However, resection-margin status lost significance on multivariate analysis. In the subgroup of D2 lymphadenectomy, the median survival in the PR group and NR group were 17.0 months (95%CI: 12.0 - 22.0) and 24.0 months (95%CI: 19.8 - 28.1) respectively; multivariate analysis further identified resection margin status as an independent prognostic factor.

CONCLUSIONSRe-excision for intraoperatively positive margin to negative margin improves the prognosis of the patients with advanced gastric cancer, and re-excision is the first choice when intraoperative frozen section detects a positive margin. Routine frozen section of resection margin should be mandatory in all advanced gastric cancer undergoing potentially curative surgery.

Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Frozen Sections ; Gastrectomy ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; surgery

Objective To assess the effect of exogenous N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) on passive avoidance learning and memory in adult rats. Methods Slow-release films containing different concentrations of NMDA were prepared and placed on the surface of the rat brain through frontoparietal craniectomy. Three weeks after the operation, the results of step-through test and NMDA receptor activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were compared between the groups. Results No significant differences were found in the latency time (P=0.846) and error frequency (P=0.792) in the step-through test, or in NMDA receptor activity in the vmPFC and ACC (P=0.546) among the groups 3 weeks after the operation. The NMDA receptor activity in these regions, however, tended to decrease with the increment of NMDA concentration in the slow-release films. Conclusion Exogenous NMDA does not produce obvious effect on passive avoidance learning and memory in adult rats. The results of this experiment may provide the basis for further studies of the effects of NMDA in altering the neural plasticity in the impaired brain.

Objective To assess the left ventricular longitudinal rotation (LR) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).Methods Conventional echocardiography (GE-Vivid7) was performed in 35 healthy subjects and 42 DCM patients.Left atrial diameter was measured by M-mode echocardiography,left ventricular end-systolic,end-diastolic volume and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were calculated by bi-plane simpson's method.The peak velocity during early diastole (Ve) and late diastole (Va) of anterior mitral valve were measured by pulse-waved doppler,and the ratio Ve/Va was calculated.The peak radial systolic strain,strain rate in systolic,early and late diastolic periods were measured.Segmental LR and global LR were assessed using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI).Results The peak radial systolic strain,strain rate in systolic,early and late diastolic periods in DCM group were significantly lower than in healthy subjects,the rotation degrees of the middle and base lateral,the apex and the base septum walls were significantly lower than those of the healthy subjects.A prominent counterclockwise LR (0.76° +2.63°) was shown in healthy subjects while prominent clockwise LR ( -1.58° ± 3.42° ) was present in DCM patients.The time delay between the left ventricular lateral wall and the base septum wall in DCM patients significantly correlated with the peak LR of the left ventricular ( r =0.409,P ＜0.01; r=0.396,P＜0.01).Conclusions 2D-STI can be used to assess the LR in DCM patients and a clockwise LR is present in DCM patients which might be caused by the time delay between the left ventricular lateral wall and the base-septum wall.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of complement C3 with clinical and serological features of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.MethodsData was collected by the same methods in the past ten years in fifteen hospitals in Jiangsu Province and then data weres summarized for retrospective analysis.Clinical and laboratory data were selected and then analyzed by Chi-square test,Wilcoxon rank sum test and Logistic regression.ResultsOne thousand four hundred and five patients were investigated.One thousand and forty two had low serum complement C3 level.In this case control study,hospitalization age,disease course,admission times,pleurisy,gastrointestinal involvement,general lymphadenopathy/hepatosplenomegaly,white blood cell count, haemoglobin level,platelet count, serum C-reactive protein level,serum albumin level,serum creatinine level,Urine protein quantification,anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA),anti-dsDNAantibodies, anti-SmantibodiesandSLEDAIscore were possible factors associatedwith complement C3 reduction(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that CRP (OR=0.396,0.254-0.617,P=0.000),ANA (OR=2.907,1.267-6.670,P=0.012),urine protein level(OR=1.702,1.043-2.779,P=0.033) and SLEDAI score (OR-0.930, 0.886-0.975,P-0.003) were correlated with complement C3 reduction.Conclusion Complement C3 level is valuable for lupus flare assessment.The complement C3 reduction is a risk factor for renal impairment.

Objective To investigate and analyze the impact of gender difference on outcome and prognosis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods This was a prospective and multicentered observation study.All the patients with acute STEMI admitted to the hospitals from June 1st 2009 to June 1st 2010 were continuously recruited.In this study,a unified questionnaire was applied and the 382 patients satisfied the criteria.A unified follow-up questionnaire was used on patients who were discharged from the hospital.Results On average,the female patients were 8 years older than the males.The median “symptom-to-balloon time” was 312.5 minutes in females and 270.0 minutes in males,and it was significantly different (P=0.007).During hospitalization,a higher proportion of female patients developed heart failure,angina and bleeding.No gender differences were found on the in-hospital mortality rates and medical therapy recommended by the guideline.The female patients were more prone to multi-vessel disease than males (P=0.002).Success rates of primary PCI did not show any gender differences.One-month mortality and other cardiovascular events also did not show gender difference when the patients were followed for one month after being discharged.The rates of heart failure and re-hospitalization due to cardiac incidents among female patients were obviously higher than the males,three months after being discharged (P=0.007,respectively).However,the three-month and long-term cardiac mortality did not show differences related to gender.Female patients were associated with higher all-cause mortality than that in males,but there was no statistically significant difference (female 4.2％ vs.male 1.6％;P=0.056).Data from multi-factor regression analysis showed that being female was not an independent predictor related to in-hospital mortality or during the follow-up period.Conclusion Being female was not an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality or during follow-up period among patients who were treated with primary PCI.Worse long-term outcome seen in female patients was likely to be explained by older age or longer pre-hospital delayed time.

Objective To analyze the impact of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels at hospital admission on the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACCE) in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (ASTEMI).Methods 1067 patients with ASTEMI who were admitted to the 20 hospitals in Liaoning region and with lipid profile tested within the 24 hours of admission from May 2009 until May 2010,were enrolled.Data on basic demographic,clinical,status on admission and method of treatment were collected.Rate on various medical use and MACCE (cardiovascular death,non-fatal myocardial infarction,revascularization and stoke) were compared between the two groups through follow-up observation.Cox proportional hazard analysis was estimation.Results The median HDL-C level was 1.27 mmol/L,with 587 patients having HDL-C below and 489 patients HDL-C above the median level.The incidence rates of non-fatal myocardial infarction and MACCE at one-year follow-up period,was higher in low HDL-C group (4.8％ vs.0.9％,P＜0.001:23.7％ vs.18.1％,P=0.03,respectively) At one month follow-up,the incidence rate of non-fatal myocardial infarction was higher in low HDL-C group (1.4％ vs.0.0％,P=0.01 ).At six month follow-up,the incidence rates of non-fatal myocardial infarction and MACCE on one-year follow-up was higher in low HDL-C group (2.8％ vs.0.4％,P=0.003; 18.3％ vs.13.7％,P=0.04,respectively).Results from Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that age ( HR =1.02,95％ CI:1.006- 1.035,P =0.005 ),diabetes (HR =1.05,95％ CI:1.053-2.171,P=0.03 ),HDL-C level ( HR =0.56,95％CI:0.340-0.921,P=- 0.02 ) were significantly related to the incidence of MACCE.Conclusion The incidence rates of one year and six month MACCE (mainly non-fatal myocardial infarction) and one month non-fatal myocardial infarction were significant higher in patients with low than high HDL-C levels at admission while kept on the ascending along with time.Age,diabetes,HDL-C level were independent risk factors related to the incidence of MACCE.

Objective To analyze the impact of body mass index (BMI) on the presentation,treatment,and clinical outcomes of patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI).Methods 1414 patients with STEMI who were admitted to the 20 hospitals in Liaoning region from May 2009 until May 2010 were enrolled.Patients were stratified according to the BMI levels as normal weight group (18.5 kg/m2≤BMI＜24.0 kg/m2) (n＝485),overweight (24.0 kg/m2≤BMI＜28.0 kg/m2) (n＝736),or obesity (BMI≥28.0 kg/m2) (n＝193).Presentation,treatment and mortality during hospitalization,MACCE (cardiovascular death,non-fatal myocardial infarction,revascularization and stroke) were compared between the three groups at 3-month and 1-year follow-up.Results Obesity in patients with STEMI was associated with younger age (P＜0.001),being male (P＜0.001),with diabetes (P＝0.013) or hypertension (P＜0.001) and hyperlipidmia (P＜0.001).A higher prevalence of reperfusion treatment (P ＝ 0.018),mainly percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (P＜0.001) was seen during the period of hospitalization.Rates of using other kinds of medicines as well as the mortalities during hospitalization,were similar among the groups with different BMI categories.At 3-month and 1-year follow-up,more use of asprin (3-months:P＝0.018; 1-year:P＝0.002) and β-receptor blockers were seen in the obesity group (3-months:P＝0.025; 1-year:P＝0.030) while the use of other drugs were not significantly different among the three groups.The incidence rates of MACCE were not significantly different among the BMI categories while the cumulative survival rate was similar between obese group and normal weight group.Results from the Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that factors as age (HR＝1.045,95％ CI:1.028-1.062,P＜0.001),diabetes (HR＝ 1.530,95％ CI:1.107-2.301,P＝0.041),hyperlipidmia (HR＝2.127,95％ CI:1.317-3.435,P＝0.002),urgent PCI (HR＝0.473,95％CI:0.307-0.728,P＝0.001) and the use of β-receptor blockers at 3-months follow-up period (HR＝0.373,95％ CI:0.195-0.713,P＝0.003) were significantly related to the incidence of MACCE at 1-year follow-up period.Conclusion Despite the fact that patients with obesity presented with STEMI at younger age and having received active treatment of reperfusion and medicine,both the 3-month and 1-year outcomes did not show significant difference among the BMI categories.