OBJECTIVE: To explore the inner quality of two kinds of single decoction solution. METHODS: The methods of HPLC, UV, TLC etc. were used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis. RESULTS: The contents of main components in single decoction solution of herbs in granule form were higher than those in slice form- CONCLUSION: The decocting rate of herbs in granule form is higher. It is worth popularizing.

AIM: To develop a method for determining contents of ginsenoside Rb_1,ginsenoside Rg_1 and notoginsenoside R_1 in Sanxue Mingmu Tablet(Radix et Rhizoma Notoginseng,Pheretima,Herba Leonuri,Rhizoma Imperatae,etc.). METHODS: The contents of ginsenoside Rb_1,ginsenoside Rg_1 and notoginsenoside R_1 were separated by gradient elution on Hypersil ODS C_(18) column(5 ?m ? 4.6 mm?100 mm) as stationary phase;acetonitrile and water as gradient mixed mobile phase;detected at 203 nm wavelength;(25 ?C) of column temperature and 1.0 mL/min of mobile rate. RESULTS: Ginsenoside Rb_1,ginsenoside Rg_1 and notoginsenoside R_1 had good linearities(r=0.999 9;n=6) at the ranges of 1.480 0-14.800 ng;0.372 0-3.720 ng and 1.072 0-10.720 ng.The average recoveries were 98.44%(RSD=0.96%);99.02%(RSD=0.94%);97.95%(RSD=(1.02%)),respectively. CONCLUSION: This method is high in column efficiency and satisfactory for isolation and repeatability,the result is accurate.It can be adopted for quality control of Sanxue Mingmu Tablet.

Objective To analyze the optimal scales of secondary public hospitals so as to optimize the expansion of public hospitals.Methods Forty-six secondary public general hospitals in Beijing were selected as the sample,with input and output indicators pinpointed,for analysis of the status of economic return to scale of such hospitals from 1996 to 2012,and identification of inflexion points of the returns to scale.These efforts will help find an optimal scale of such hospitals.Resalts The period from 1996 to 2012 found the general effectiveness of such hospitals in a decline.In 2012,only 4 of the 46 hospitals were in DEA effectiveness status,and the other 42 hospitals were not; Forty-three inflexion points were identified.This study found that the strict control standards for secondary public general hospitals in Beijing were 298 beds and 585 staffs; the flexible control standards were 421 beds and 807 staffs.Conclclsion The optimal scales for secondary public hospitals were drown from the analysis,for references of other regions in China.The hospitals should prioritize resources efficiency instead of scale expansion.

Recently, plasma sterilization has attracted increasing attention in dental community for the atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma jet (APNPs), which is driven by a kilohertz pulsed DC power, may be applied to the dental and oral diseases. However, it is still in doubt whether APNPs can effectively kill pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity and produce no harmful effects on normal oral tissues, especially on normal mucosa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bacterial-killing effect of APNPs in the biofilms containing a single breed of bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis, P.g.), and the pathological changes of the oral mucosa after treatment by APNPs. P.g. was incubated to form the biofilms in vitro, and the samples were divided into three groups randomly: group A (blank control); group B in which the biofilms were treated by APNPs (the setting of the equipment: 10 kHz, 1600 ns and 8 kV); group C in which the biofilms were exposed only to a gas jet without ignition of the plasma. Each group had three samples and each sample was processed for up to 5 min. The biofilms were then fluorescently stained, observed and photographed under a laser scanning confocal microscope. In the animal experiment, six male Japanese white rabbits were divided into two groups randomly (n=3 in each group) in terms of the different post-treatment time (1-day group and 5-day group). The buccal mucosa of the left side and the mucosa of the ventral surface of the tongue were treated by APNPs for 10 min in the same way as the bacterial biofilm experiment in each rabbit, and the corresponding mucosa of the other sides served as normal control. The clinical manifestations of the oral mucosa were observed and recorded every day. The rabbits were sacrificed one or five day(s) after APNPs treatment. The oral mucosa were harvested and prepared to haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections. Clinical observation and histopathological scores were used to assess mucosal changes. The results showed the obvious P.g. biofilms were formed at 10 days, and most of the bacteria in groups A and C were alive under a laser scanning confocal microscope, but the bacteria in the group B were almost all dead. In animal experiment, no ulcers, anabrosis and oral mucositis were found in both the 1-day and 5-day groups. The average mucous membrane irritation index was -0.83 and -0.67 in the 1-day and 5-day groups, respectively, suggesting that no intense mucosal membrane irritation responses occurred. It was concluded that APNPs could effectively kill P.g. in the biofilms and did not cause any pathological changes in the normal mucosa, suggesting that the plasma jet (APNPs) may be applied to oral diseases as a novel sterilization device in the future.

Recently,plasma sterilization has attracted increasing attention in dental community for the atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma jet (APNPs),which is driven by a kilohertz pulsed DC power,may be applied to the dental and oral diseases.However,it is still in doubt whether APNPs can effectively kill pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity and produce no harmful effects on normal oral tissues,especially on normal mucosa.The aim of this study was to evaluate the bacterial-killing effect of APNPs in the biofilms containing a single breed of bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis,Pg.),and the pathological changes of the oral mucosa after treatment by APNPs.Pg.was incubated to form the biofilms in vitro,and the samples were divided into three groups randomly:group A (blank control);group B in which the biofilms were treated by APNPs (the setting of the equipment:10 kHz,1600 ns and 8 kV); group C in which the biofilms were exposed only to a gas jet without ignition of the plasma.Each group had three samples and each sample was processed for up to 5 min.The biofilms were then fluorescently stained,observed and photographed under a laser scanning confocal microscope.In the animal experiment,six male Japanese white rabbits were divided into two groups randomly (n=3 in each group) in terms of the different post-treatment time (1-day group and 5-day group).The buccal mucosa of the left side and the mucosa of the ventral surface of the tongue were treated by APNPs for 10 min in the same way as the bacterial biofilm experiment in each rabbit,and the corresponding mucosa of the other sides served as normal control.The clinical manifestations of the oral mucosa were observed and recorded every day.The rabbits were sacrificed one or five day(s) after APNPs treatment.The oral mucosa were harvested and prepared to haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections.Clinical observation and histopathological scores were used to assess mucosal changes.The results showed the obvious P.g.biofilms were formed at 10 days,and most of the bacteria in groups A and C were alive under a laser scanning confocal microscope,but the bacteria in the group B were almost all dead.In animal experiment,no ulcers,anabrosis and oral mucositis were found in both the 1-day and 5-day groups.The average mucous membrane irritation index was -0.83 and -0.67 in the 1-day and 5-day groups,respectively,suggesting that no intense mucosal membrane irritation responses occurred.It was concluded that APNPs could effectively kill P.g.in the biofilms and did not cause any pathological changes in the normal mucosa,suggesting that the plasma jet (APNPs) may be applied to oral diseases as a novel sterilization device in the future.

Objective:To measure the change in Young′s modulus of the biceps brachii during passive stretching and to assess the potential of shear wave elastography (SWE) as an auxiliary quantitative technique for assessing muscle tone.Methods:Forty-nine stroke survivors and 30 healthy subjects were evaluated using the modified Ashworth scale (MAS). According to their MAS scores they were divided into a healthy group, a healthy elbow group, an MAS class-0 group, an MAS class-1 group, an MAS class-1 + group and an MAS class-2 group. During passive extension of the subjects′ elbows, shear wave elastography was used to image the biceps brachii. Six points of the elbow were selected to record the instantaneous Young′s modulus ( EX) and calculate its change during the movement (Δ E). Those data were correlated with the MAS scores and compared among the groups. Results:Persons with higher MAS scores tended to have a higher Young′s modulus of the biceps brachii, and the modulus was likely to increase more with increases in the angle of elbow extension. From half of the range of motion to full extension there were significant differences in EX and Δ E between MAS class-0 and class-1 groups, as well as between the class-0 and class-1 + groups. There were, however, no significant differences between MAS class-1 and MAS class-1 + . Conclusions:MAS scores can usefully predict biceps brachii stiffness during passive elbow flexion. Shear wave elastography can quantify that stiffness and also muscle tone.

Objective To investigate the effect and related mechanism of microRNA (miR)-494 on the hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI). Methods Twenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=6 in each group). In the sham operation group, abdominal surgery without hepatic ischemia-reperfusion was performed. In the HIRI group, partial liver ischemia was performed for 60 min, followed by 6 h perfusion. In the HIRI+agomir-miR-494 group, intraperitoneal injection of agomir-miR-494 (20 μL) was daily given within preoperative 7 d. In HIRI+agomir-NC group, an equivalent quantity of agomir-NC was daily injected intraperitoneally within preoperative 7 d. The expression level of miR-494 messenger RNA(mRNA) in the liver tissues in each group was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression levels of liver injury and oxidative stress related indexes were measured by relevant kits. The histopathological changes of the liver in each group were observed. The quantity of apoptotic cells and cytoplasmic histone-related DNA fragments in the liver tissues of rats was detected by relevant kits. The expression levels of the proteins related to the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase(AKT) signaling pathway were measured by Western blot. Results The expression level of miR-494 mRNA in the rat liver tissues in the HIRI+agomir-miR-494 group was significantly higher than that in the HIRI+agomir-NC group (P < 0.01). The levels of the serum liver injury and oxidative stress related indexes in the HIRI+agomir-miR-494 group were significantly lower than those in the HIRI+agomir-NC group (all P < 0.01). Compared with those in the HIRI+agomir-NC group, the quantity of cellular necrosis was significantly reduced, the cell integrity was considerably increased and the quantity of TUNELpositive cells was evidently decreased in the HIRI+agomir-miR-494 group (all P < 0.05). The expression levels of poly ADP-ribose polymerase(PARP), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3(Caspase-3) and Bax in the HIRI+agomirmiR-494 group were significantly lower than those in the HIRI+agomir-NC group (all P < 0.05). The quantity of DNA fragments in the HIRI+agomir-miR-494 group was significantly less than that in the HIRI+agomir-NC group (P < 0.01). The expression levels of p-AKT, p-mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) and p-p70S6K in the HIRI+agomir-miR-494 group were significantly higher than those in the HIRI+agomir-NC group (all P < 0.05). Conclusions miR-494 can alleviate the severity of HIRI in rats by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

In this study, we explored the neural mechanism underlying impaired stereopsis and possible functional plasticity after strabismus surgery. We enrolled 18 stereo-deficient patients with intermittent exotropia before and after surgery, along with 18 healthy controls. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected when participants viewed three-dimensional stimuli. Compared with controls, preoperative patients showed hypoactivation in higher-level dorsal (visual and parietal) areas and ventral visual areas. Pre- and postoperative activation did not significantly differ in patients overall; patients with improved stereopsis showed stronger postoperative activation than preoperative activation in the right V3A and left intraparietal sulcus. Worse stereopsis and fusional control were correlated with preoperative hypoactivation, suggesting that cortical deficits along the two streams might reflect impaired stereopsis in intermittent exotropia. The correlation between improved stereopsis and activation in the right V3A after surgery indicates that functional plasticity may underlie the improvement of stereopsis. Thus, additional postoperative strategies are needed to promote functional plasticity and enhance the recovery of stereopsis.
Humans ; Exotropia/surgery* ; Depth Perception/physiology* ; Strabismus/surgery* ; Oculomotor Muscles/surgery*

Aging associated cognitive decline has been linked to dampened neural stem/progenitor cells (NSC/NPCs) activities manifested by decreased proliferation, reduced propensity to produce neurons, and increased differentiation into astrocytes. While gene transcription changes objectively reveal molecular alterations of cells undergoing various biological processes, the search for molecular mechanisms underlying aging of NSC/NPCs has been confronted by the enormous heterogeneity in cellular compositions of the brain and the complex cellular microenvironment where NSC/NPCs reside. Moreover, brain NSC/NPCs themselves are not a homogenous population, making it even more difficult to uncover NSC/NPC sub-type specific aging mechanisms. Here, using both population-based and single cell transcriptome analyses of young and aged mouse forebrain ependymal and subependymal regions and comprehensive "big-data" processing, we report that NSC/NPCs reside in a rather inflammatory environment in aged brain, which likely contributes to the differentiation bias towards astrocytes versus neurons. Moreover, single cell transcriptome analyses revealed that different aged NSC/NPC subpopulations, while all have reduced cell proliferation, use different gene transcription programs to regulate age-dependent decline in cell cycle. Interestingly, changes in cell proliferation capacity are not influenced by inflammatory cytokines, but likely result from cell intrinsic mechanisms. The Erk/Mapk pathway appears to be critically involved in regulating age-dependent changes in the capacity for NSC/NPCs to undergo clonal expansion. Together this study is the first example of using population and single cell based transcriptome analyses to unveil the molecular interplay between different NSC/NPCs and their microenvironment in the context of the aging brain.
Aging ; genetics ; Animals ; Astrocytes ; cytology ; metabolism ; Brain ; cytology ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; genetics ; Cell Division ; genetics ; Cell Proliferation ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation ; genetics ; Mice ; Neural Stem Cells ; metabolism ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Transcriptome ; genetics

The mammalian brain is heterogeneous, containing billions of neurons and trillions of synapses forming various neural circuitries, through which sense, movement, thought, and emotion arise. The cellular heterogeneity of the brain has made it difficult to study the molecular logic of neural circuitry wiring, pruning, activation, and plasticity, until recently, transcriptome analyses with single cell resolution makes decoding of gene regulatory networks underlying aforementioned circuitry properties possible. Here we report success in performing both electrophysiological and whole-genome transcriptome analyses on single human neurons in culture. Using Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analyses (WGCNA), we identified gene clusters highly correlated with neuronal maturation judged by electrophysiological characteristics. A tight link between neuronal maturation and genes involved in ubiquitination and mitochondrial function was revealed. Moreover, we identified a list of candidate genes, which could potentially serve as biomarkers for neuronal maturation. Coupled electrophysiological recording and single cell transcriptome analysis will serve as powerful tools in the future to unveil molecular logics for neural circuitry functions.
Antigens, Differentiation ; biosynthesis ; Electrophysiological Phenomena ; physiology ; Gene Expression Regulation ; physiology ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Human Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Multigene Family ; physiology ; Neurons ; cytology ; metabolism ; Transcriptome ; physiology