Objective Obtaining chemical constituents of Angelica apaensis collected in Qiaojia County of Yunnan Province and detecting their anti-tumor activities in vitro. Methods The MeOH extract of was repeatedly subjected to column chromatography over silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and/or RP-18 and semipreparative HPLC. Their anti-tumor activities in vitro were measured by MTT colorimetric assay. Results Eight compounds were isolated from the roots of this plant. Conclusion The major type of chemical constituents of in Yunnan is furocoumarin. These separated compounds showed weak anti-tumor activity in vitro.

The prescriptions containing pericarpium citri reticulatae that built by Professor. Yan were collected to build a database based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inheritance assist system. After analyzed by data mining, such as apriori algorithm, the frequency of single medicine, the frequency of drug combination, the association rules between drugs and core drug combinations can be get from the database. Through the analysis of 1 027 prescriptions with pericarpium citri reticulatae, these prescriptions were commonly used to treat stomach aches, cough and other syndromes. The most frequency drug combinations were "Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium-Poria", "Paeoniae Radix Rubra-Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium" and so on. The drug association rules that the confidence was 1 were "Glycyrrhizae Radix ex Rhizoma --> Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium", "Paeoniae Alba Radix-Cyperi Rhizoma --> Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium", "Poria --> Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium", and so on. The drugs in the prescriptions containing pericarpium citri reticulatae that built by Professor Yan mostly had the effects of regulating the flow of Qi and invigorate blood circulation, which reflected the clearly thought when making prescriptions.
Citrus ; chemistry ; Data Mining ; Drug Interactions ; Drug Prescriptions ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Practice Patterns, Physicians'

AIM: To evaluate the anatomic and visual outcomes of 25-gauge vitrectomies combined with air tamponade for the treatment of idiopathic macular hole (IMH).METHODS: Thirty eyes of 27 patients with IMH were included in this prospective interventional study.All patients underwent 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with phacoemulsification and air tamponade.Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR), perimetry and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) were conducted before and after the operation.Anatomical changes were evaluated with optical coherence tomography (OCT).RESULTS: The macular holes closed successfully in 28 eyes after the primary vitrectomy.The mean BCVA improved from 0.72±0.22 logMAR preoperatively to 0.29±0.18 logMAR postoperatively (P<0.001).In the visual field of central 10°, the average mean deviation (MD) decreased from-3.59±1.83 dB preoperatively to-2.51±1.36 dB postoperatively (P<0.001) and the average pattern standard deviation (PSD) decreased from 1.86±0.68 dB preoperatively to 1.33±0.32 dB postoperatively (P=0.001).The retinal response densities of mfERG in the foveal and perifoveal area increased significantly, and implicit times of rings 4-6 prolonged significantly (P<0.05).The symptom duration and baseline N1 amplitude densities at ring 1 had a significant impact on postoperative BCVA (P<0.001, P=0.001, respectively).CONCLUSION: The 25-gauge PPV and air tamponade with 1 day prone positioning produce favorable anatomic and functional outcomes.

The prescriptions including Polygoni Multiflori Caulis that built by Pro. Yan were collected to build a database based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inheritance assist system. The method of association rules with apriori algorithm was used to achieve frequency of single medicine, frequency of drug combinations, association rules between drugs and core drug combinations. The datamining results indicated that in the prescriptions that including Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, the highest frequency used drugs were parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Ostreae Concha, Ossis Mastodi Fossilia, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix Et Rhizoma, Paeoniae Rubra Radix, and so on. The most frequent drug combinations were "Polygoni Multiflori Caulis-parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen", "Ostreae Concha-Polygoni Multiflori Caulis", and "Polygoni Multiflori Caulis-Ossis Mastodi Fossilia". The drug association rules of confidence coefficient 1 were "Ostreae Concha-->Polygoni Multiflori Caulis", "Poria-->Polygoni Multiflori Caulis", "parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-->Polygoni Multiflori Caulis", and "Paeoniae Alba Radix-->Polygoni Multiflori Caulis". The core drug combinations in the treatment of insomnia were Ossis Mastodi Fossilia, Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Ostreae Concha, Polygalae Radix, Margaritifera Concha, Poria, and parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen. And the core drug combinations in the treatment of obstruction of Qi in chest were Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix Et Rhizoma, Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Trichosanthis Fructus, Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus, and Paeoniae Rubra Radix.
Data Mining ; methods ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Polygonaceae ; chemistry ; Prescriptions

The only difference of primary structure between single-chain prourokinase (pro-UK or scu-PA) and two-chain urokinase (UK or tcu-PA) is the cleavage of a single peptide bond (Lys158-Ile159) and transform scu-PA into its active two-chain form. A 13-peptide (Thr-Leu-Arg-Pro-Arg-Phe-Lys-Ile-Ile-Gly-Gly-Glu-Cys), which spans the cleavage peptide bond, was synthesized and linked to KLH (Keyhole limpet hemocyanin). The Balb/c mice were immunized by the conjugated protein with proper adjuvant. According to the Kohler and Milstein's methods, a hybridoma cell line G7 secreting monoclonal antibody specific for scu-PA was obtained. The anti-scu-PA McAb, purified from the supernatant of porous microcarrier hybridoma cell culture, was conjugated to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B to prepare an immuno-affinity chromatography column. The u-PA was purified only by this affinity column from the supernatant of cultivating the u-PA-producing recombinant CHO cell, the u-PA recovery ratio is 90.4%, the purification factor was about 50, with the specific activity of 1.2 x 10(5) IU/mg, the scu-PA ratio in the u-PA product was 96.3%. Compared to immuno-affinity chromatography, the 3-step process for purifying u-PA (cation-exchange column, gel filtration column and benzamidine affinity column) has a u-PA recovery ratio of about 65%, with a specific activity of 1.0 x 10(5) IU/mg, and an scu-PA ratio of about 90%. These results showed that immuno-affinity chromatography is simple to recover u-PA and effective to separate scu-PA from tcu-PA.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Recombinant Proteins ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; immunology ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the safety and efficacy of Compound Shiwei Tablet (CST) in treating upper and lower urinary tract infection (UTI, pyretic stranguria of dampness-heat of the Lower-jiao type in 'TCM).

METHODSA multi-center, randomized, and opened clinical trial was conducted in the UTI patients with Sanjin Tablet (ST) as the parallel positive control medicine. The comprehensive efficacy, effect on TCM syndrome score, and change of urinary leukocyte count were observed, and the adverse reaction was recorded.

RESULTSIn the 147 upper UTI cases and the 312 lower UTI cases after treatment, the comprehensive effect was higher and urinary leukocyte was less in the CST treated patients than in the ST treated patients (P < 0.05); but significant difference in the improvement of TCM symptoms was found between them only in the lower UTI cases ( P < 0.05); and no adverse reaction was observed during the treatment course.

CONCLUSIONCST has definite therapeutic efficacy on UTI and is safe in clinical application.

Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Syndrome ; Tablets ; Treatment Outcome ; Uric Acid ; urine ; Urinary Tract Infections ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; urine

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of cerebral computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation of the severity of brain injury following hypoxia in neonates.

METHODSA total of 114 full-term newborns who had perinatal hypoxia, including 25 cases of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), 36 cases of neonatal asphyxia and 53 cases of simple intrauterine fetal distress, were enrolled in this study. Twenty normal newborns served as the Control group. All had cerebral CT scan at 2-7 days of age. Neonatal behavior neurological assessment (NBNA) was performed at 5 days of age.

RESULTSThe average NBNA scores were significantly lower and the abnormality rate of NBNA was significantly higher in the HIE group than in the other three groups (P < 0.05). The Asphyxia and the Distress groups had also lower NBNA scores and higher abnormality rate of NBNA than the Control group (P < 0.05). Twenty-two patients were found to have cerebral CT abnormality in the HIE group, but there was only 1 case in the Control group (P < 0.01). The abnormality rate of cerebral CT in the Asphyxia and the Distress groups was not statistically different from that of the Control group. Twenty-five cases of HIE were divided into mild (n=15), medium (n=6) and severe (n=4) by clinical grading but were divided into normal (n=3), mild (n=10), medium (n=7) and severe (n=5) by CT grading. CT and clinical grading on HIE was not consistent. The sensitivity of CT in the diagnosis of mild, moderate and severe HIE was 47%, 33% and 50% respectively, the specificity was 70%, 74% and 86% respectively and the accuracy was 48%, 64% and 80% respectively.

CONCLUSIONSCT evaluation on mild brain injury induced by asphyxia or intrauterine fetal distress is not of any value and the role of CT evaluation on the HIE grade is uncertain and doubtful.

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; diagnostic imaging ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Fetal Distress ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Neurologic Examination ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo study the technological parameters of the purification process of Depsides in Salvia miltiorrhiza with macroporous resin.

METHODThe adsorptive characteristics and eluting parameters of the process were studied by taking the content of depsides as index.

RESULT85 mL of extractive of depsides (1.25 g x mL(-1)) was purified with a column of macroreticular resin ( Phi30 mm,127 mL) and washed with 4 BV of distilled water, the eluted with 4 BV of 80% ethanol (1% ammonia).

CONCLUSIONThis process of applying macroporous resin to adsorb and purify depsides in S. miltiorrhiza is feasible.

Depsides ; isolation & purification ; Ethanol ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results ; Resins, Synthetic ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

OBJECTIVETo explore the feasibility of serial slices microscopic histological investigation for the elaborate evaluation of reproductive system malformations.

METHODSNewborn male mice prenatally exposed to different doses of subcutaneously given diethylstilbestrol (DES) from gestational day 9 to 17 were treated by fixing parts of the abdomen in situ and setting them to transected serial slices. All the slices were stained, studied under the microscope and serially recorded by software. The gubernaculum was morphologically analyzed and its location and size were measured.

RESULTSMorphologically, the gubernaculum could be identified clearly, its structure inhomogeneous from proximal to distal and dissymmetric from right to left. The environmental estrogen produced different effects on the morphology of the gubernaculum in different parts and most obviously affected its length.

CONCLUSIONPrenatal exposure to environmental estrogen has evident and general effects on the gubernacular development of newborn male mice. The morphological study with serial histological slices gives a precise and systematic evaluation of genital malformations.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Carcinogens ; toxicity ; Diethylstilbestrol ; toxicity ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Testis ; anatomy & histology ; drug effects ; Urogenital Abnormalities ; chemically induced ; pathology

This study was purposed to investigate the serum levels of soluble intracellular adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1), interleukin 18 (IL-18) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and their clinical significance. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect sVCAM-1, IL-18 and VEGF in serums of 30 patients with AA and 25 normal controls. The results showed that the serum levels of sVCAM-1 and IL-18 in patients with AA [(839.08 +/- 173.97) ng/ml, (380.35 +/- 47.76) pg/ml] were significantly higher than those in normal controls [(538.16 +/- 91.21) ng/ml, (256.39 +/- 59.52) pg/ml] (p < 0.01; p < 0.01). The levels of sVCAM-1 and IL-18 in severe AA patients [(969.94 +/- 182.54) ng/ml, (388.96 +/- 46.06) pg/ml] were higher than those in chronic AA patients [(709.26 +/- 165.32) ng/ml, IL-18 (352.21 +/- 47.08) pg/ml] (p < 0.01; p < 0.05), but the level of VEGF in AA patients [(69.63 +/- 27.42) pg/ml] was lower than that in the normal controls [(125.62 +/- 32.15) pg/ml] (p < 0.01)]. The level of VEGF in severe AA patients [(51.30 +/- 29.86) pg/ml] was significantly lower than that in chronic AA patients [(80.02 +/- 25.14) pg/ml] (p < 0.01). The levels of sVCAM-1 and IL-18 in AA patients after treatment were lower than those before treatment (p < 0.01; p < 0.05), but the level of VEGF after treatment was significantly higher than that before treatment (p < 0.05). It is concluded that the high levels of sVCAM-1, IL-18 and low level of VEGF in serum may be involved in the pathogenesis and progress of AA.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Anemia, Aplastic ; blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; blood ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood ; Young Adult