Astragali Radix was firstly recorded in the "Shen Nong's Herbal Classic" as a top-grade and commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. Its frequently used slices include raw Astragali Radix and honey-processed products. In current studies, many reports were made on honey-processed Astragali Radix, whereas fewer study reports were made on the cutting process of Astragali Radix. Currently, because Astragali Radix is primarily cut by drug workers according to their operating experience, but with out specific cutting parameters, it is easy to cause the loss or mildew of active ingredients. As a result, the quality of Astragali Radix circulated in the market is not guaranteed, and the quality of their slices and preparations are hard to be controlled, which seriously impact the clinical efficacy. In response, this experiment was performed, in which the optimum cutting process of Astragali Radix was taken as the study objective, the Box-Benhnken central composite design in the response surface analysis was adopted, and the content and appearance character of astragaloside and calycosin-7-glucoside were regarded as the study indicators. Three factors, namely the softening time, the drying temperature and the drying time, were selected to optimize the cutting process of Astragali Radix and obtain the optimum cutting process parameters as follows: the softening time was 3 hours, the drying temperature was 50 degrees C, and the drying time was 4 hours. According to the verification test, the Astragali Radix cutting process is steady and feasible, which has certain significance for normalizing the cutting process of Astragali Radix.
Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Glucosides ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry

Preparative HPLC was used to prepare ferulic acid, senkyunolide I and senkyunolide H from Ligusticum chuanxiong. The separation was conducted on a Shim-Pack Prep-ODS (20.0 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column with the mobile phase of methanol-0.2% glacial acetic acid (50:50)at the flow rate of 5 mL x min(-1). The detection wavelength was 278 nm, and the purity of each compound was detected by HPLC analysis. Spectral data analyses including UV, ESI-MS and NMR were used to identify their structures. This method is simple, fast, which is suitable for preparation of standard reference of ferulic acid, senkyunolide I and senkyunolide H from L. chuanxiong and can meet the requirement of new drug research and development.
Benzofurans ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Coumaric Acids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Ligusticum ; chemistry

Objective:Clonidine,by activating peripheral α-sbrenoceptors, produces transient pressor response after i.v.injection in anesthetized animals.Moxonidine, with at least 40-fold higher affinity to I1-imidazoline receptors than to α2-adrenoceptors,produces also a transient pressor response. This work was designed to investigate whether I1-imidazoline receptors are involved in this pressor effect of moxonidine. Methods:Female spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHRs,aged 14-16 weeks)were anesthetized with urethane.To observe the transient pressor responses,moxonidine 0.1,0.3,1.0mg/kg(intravenous,i.v),2.0μg(intracerebroventricular,i.c.v.)and 1.0,10.0mg/kg(intragastric,i.g.)were administrated in different groups of rats.To evaluate the roles of α1-adrenoceptors,α2-adrenoceptors and I1-imidazoline receptors in the transient pressor responses to moxonidine, prazosin(10.0μg/kg),yohimbine(2.0mg/kg),phentolamine(0.2mg/kg),idazoxan(1.0mg/kg)or yohimbine+idazoxan(2.0mg/kg+1.0mg/kg)were intravenously given to the animals before moxonidine 0.3mg/kg (i.v.).Results:It was found that i.v.moxonidine produced a greater pressor response than clonidine when producing a similar reduction of blood pressure.This effect of moxonidine was not influenced by prazosin, but was partly inhibited by yohimbine, phentolamine or idazoxan,and completely blocked by the combination of yohimbine and idzaxon.Neither i.c.v.injection nor i.g. administration of moxonidine induced transient pressor responses.Conclusion:The transient pressor response of i.v. moxonidine is mediated by both peripheral I1-imidazoline receptors and α2-adrenoceptors.

To investigate the implementation effect of health education path in neo-natal disease screening , then promoting popularization and development of neonatal disease screening . [ Methods] The health education path was worked out for neonatal disease screening .A total of 986 cases of single birth mothers and their newborns were as the observation group , in which the path of health educa-tion was implemented for them .And 1 052 cases of single birth mothers and their newborns were as the con-trol group, in which the traditional method of health education was done .Comparison was made between the two groups in neonatal disease screening rate , positive recall rate , degree of parturient about understanding and mastering the knowledge of neonatal disease screening , parturient satisfaction and parental satisfaction . [ Results] The neonatal disease screening rate , positive recall rate , degree of parturient about under-standing and mastering the knowledge of neonatal disease screening , parturient satisfaction and parental satisfaction were all better in the observation group than those in the control group ( P <0.05 ). [ Conclusion] The health education path for neonatal disease screening can effectively promote its devel-opment and popularization .

OBJECTIVETo understand the epidemic status of Rickettsia in Xinyang areas of Henan province.

METHODSSamples including liver, spleen, kidney from mouse and chigger mites from Xinyang areas and serum samples were detected by nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA).

RESULTSIn 62 viscus samples from mice organs, the positive rates were 16.13%, 8.06% and 6.45% for Orientia tsutsugamushi, R. typhii and Spotted fever group rickettsiae respectively. In blood clots samples from mice, the positive rates were 8.06%, 6.45% and 1.61 % for O. tsutsugamushi, R. typhii and Spotted fever group rickettsiae respectively. Three out of 26 mouse serum samples were positive for the predicted fluorexcent intensity O. tsutsugamushi.

CONCLUSIONUsing nested-PCR and IFA methods, O. tsutsugamushi, R. typhii and Spotted fever group rickettsiae were detected in the captured mice living in Xinyang areas of Henan province. Results showed that there were intensive natural reserviors of Rickettsia in Henan province, suggesting that the risk of outbreak of Rickettsia in these areas was high.

Animals ; China ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans ; Kidney ; microbiology ; Liver ; microbiology ; Mice ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; Phylogeny ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rickettsia ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; Scrub Typhus ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Spleen ; microbiology

This article reports the clinical features and endocrine and metabolic features of 4 children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). All the patients were female and aged 6-12 years at diagnosis. All of them had clinical manifestations of obesity, unusual facies, developmental retardation, and intellectual disability. Genetic detection showed that 2 patients had paternal deletion of the 15q11.2-q13 region, one patient had maternal autodiploid in the 15q11.2-q13 region, and one patient had no abnormality in the 15q11.2-q13 region. All patients had varying degrees of endocrine and metabolic disorders: 2 patients had short stature, among whom one had delayed appearance of secondary sex characteristics and the other one had type 2 diabetes; one patient had insulin resistance and no mammary gland development; one patient had a body height of P-Pand precocious puberty. Patients with PWS have various endocrine disorders, so long-term endocrine follow-up and management is very important.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Endocrine Glands ; physiopathology ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Prader-Willi Syndrome ; genetics ; physiopathology

Child, Preschool ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Genetic Carrier Screening ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male

OBJECTIVETo explore the biomarker of manganese exposure by analyzing the relationship between manganese exposure and concentration in some biomaterials.

METHODSThe air samples were collected through the individual air sample. According to the manganese levels in the air, workers were assigned to control group, low concentration group and high concentration group, and manganese in the hair, urine, serum, blood cell and saliva from different group were measured respectively. The correlations between concentration of external manganese exposure and manganese concentrations in biomaterials, and years of employment and concentrations in biomaterials were analyzed.

RESULTSIn the high concentration group, saliva manganese was 32.17 µg/L, hair manganese was 37.39 mg/kg, urine manganese was 2.50 µg/L, plasma manganese was 29.61 µg/L, blood manganese was 14.49 µg/L, were higher than those in the control group (10.40 µg/L, 1.60 mg/kg, 0.77 µg/L, 10.30 µg/L, 4.56 µg/L respectively) (P < 0.01). The manganese concentration in the saliva was significantly correlated with airborne manganese concentration (r = 0.649, P < 0.01), with the years of employment (r = 0.404, P < 0.01), with the total exposure of manganese (r = 0.342, P < 0.01), with the manganese concentration of plasma (r = 0.303, P < 0.01) and with the manganese concentration in blood cells (r = 0.359, P < 0.01), respectively.

CONCLUSIONSThe concentration of manganese in saliva could work as a biomarker of manganese internal exposure.

Adult ; Air Pollutants, Occupational ; analysis ; Biomarkers ; analysis ; Hair ; chemistry ; Humans ; Manganese ; analysis ; blood ; urine ; Manganese Poisoning ; prevention & control ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control ; Saliva ; chemistry ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the gene mutations of mannose binding protein(MBP) and the progression of hepatitis B.

METHODSThe MBP gene mutations in 52 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 62 patients with severe hepatitis B and 64 HBsAg-negative healthy controls were investigated. The mutations in MBP gene were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct DNA sequencing.

RESULTSA mutation of MBP gene codon 54 was found. The mutation frequency in the group of severe hepatitis B (35.5%, 22/62) was higher than those in the chronic hepatitis B group (15.4%, 8/52) and the HBsAg-negative healthy controls(14.1%, 9/64), respectively, and their difference was significant (chi-square was 7.79, P< 0.01; chi-square was 5.89,lzP<0.05). The difference between the chronic hepatitis B group and the HBsAg-negative healthy control group was not significant (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere is only mutation in codon 54 of the MBP gene in patients with hepatitis B infection in the area analyzed. Codon 54 mutation of MBP gene is not related to the persistence of hepatitis B, but it was associated with the progression of hepatitis B infection.

Adult ; Aged ; Codon ; genetics ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Mannose-Binding Lectin ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the effects of radiofrequency catheter ablation(RFCA)on the blood coaguable states and the clinical value of perioperative plasma D-dimer.Methods The plasma level of D-dimer was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)in blood samples of 30 children who were undertaken RFCA.Blood samples were consecutively obtained before cannulating,after electrophysiologic(EP)study,immediately after RFCA,the second day and the seventh day after RFCA.The centrifuged spead was 3 000 r/min,keep it for 10 minutes to obtain the upper plasma,and the crvopreserve.Results The plasma levels of D-dimer was highest at the time point when RFCA was successfully accomplished and restored to preoperative level in the seventh day after RFCA.There were statistically significant difference in the paried values at different time points(Pa