Objective To observe the coronary vessel lumen diameter and bifurcation angle in subjects with normal CT coronary angiography (CTCA) imaging.Methods64-row CT coronary angiography imaging from 526 adult people with excellent image quality and normal vascular image were analyzed in this study.The lumen diameter from the origin to distal with 2 mm lumen of left main coronary artery (LM),anterior descending branch (LAD),left circumflex branch (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA) was measured at 1 cm interval in CPR image.The vascular tapered ratio was calculated.The bifurcation angle in the diagonal branch,obtuse marginal branch,posterior descending branch,acute marginal branch as well as the origin diameter was also measured in VR image.Results The LAD average length was 13 cm and lumen diameter was 3.92 mm at origin and 2.10 mm at distal.The average decremented ratio of LAD was 7.7％ ( male 7.0％,female 8.4％ ).The maximal decremented ratio 8.0％ -10.0％ occurred at 3 -5 cm apart from the origin of LAD.The LCX average length was 13 cm and lumen diameter was 3.57 mm at origin and 2.10 mm at distal.The average decremented ratio of LCX was 9.7％( male 9.6％,female 9.7％ ).Lumen decremented ratio was less than 3.0％ between origin and proximal 3 cm and 8.3％ - 10.7％ in the rest portion of the LCX.The RCA average length was 18 cm and lumen diameter was 3.97 mm at origin and 2.15 mm at distal.The average decremented ratio of RCA was 5.1％(male 4.9％,female 5.3％ ).The decremented ratio of RCR was less than 4.0％ between origin and proximal 10 cm and 6.1％ - 15.2％ in the rest portion.The bifurcation angle was 50,55,66 and 76 degree for LAD with diagonal branch,LCX with obtuse marginal branch,RCA with posterior descending branch and RCA with obtuse marginal branch respectively.Conclusion Coronary artery length,lumen diameter and decremented ratio as well as bifurcation angel could be identified in 64 row CTCA image in vivo.This information could help us to understand the in vivo coronary artery anatomy.

Licorice-gypsum (gancao-shigao, GC-SG) drug pair was used as the research object, using supramolecular chemistry to explore the scientific connotation of combining herbal medicine GC with insoluble mineral medicine SG in clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine. ① The Tyndall effect, microscopic morphology and particle size of the single and co-decocted of GC and SG were observed, the paste content and conductivity were determined, and the interaction between GC and SG was detected by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and infrared absorption spectroscopy (IR). ② Calcium chloride (CaCl₂), a soluble calcium salt of equal gypsum quality, was used instead of SG with GC for co-decocting to explore the effect of calcium salt content on the water decocting, and the characteristics were combined with the Tyndall effect, microscopic morphology, paste content and conductivity. ITC and IR techniques were used to detect the interaction between the two, and the interaction between them was detected by ITC and IR. The zeta potential and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-vis) of GC-SG and GC-CaCl₂ co-decoction were compared, and the inorganic and organic components in the co-decoction were detected by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed: ① Compared with the liquid phase of single decoction, GC-SG co-decoction had more obvious Tyndall effect, and showed uniform spherical nanoparticles under electron microscope. Physical characterization results such as paste content and conductivity showed that co-decoction promoted the dissolution of each other's components; ITC and IR results showed that there was strong interaction between GC and SG, which preliminatively indicated that GC and SG co-decoction promoted the formation of uniform and stable supramolecular system of traditional Chinese medicine. ② When soluble calcium salt was used to substitute insoluble SG with GC for co-decocting, a stronger but astigmatic light path appeared than single decocting solution, the zeta potential was reduced, and a large number of accumulated polymers were formed. The results of paste content and conductivity showed that the dissolution of the co-decocting component was reduced than the single decocting component. ITC, UV-vis and IR results showed that there was interaction between GC with Ca²⁺ and SG. The formation of polysink indicated that a large amount of soluble calcium salt would destroy the stability of supramolecular Chinese medicine. The results of ICP-OES and HPLC showed that the glycyrrhizic acid (GA) content of the former lower than the latter, which was related to the formation of a large number of polycondensates with the increase of Ca²⁺ concentration and the decrease of the dissolution of GA and other active ingredients. This study indicates that the compatibility of GC and SG can form a uniform and stable supramolecular system of traditional Chinese medicine. Calcium salt, the main component of SG, is taken as the starting point. Excessive soluble Ca²⁺ can promote the aggregation of active ingredients such as GA, so as to reveal the scientific connotation of the compatibility of GC and SG, an insoluble mineral medicine.

The effect of different concentrations of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and Zn²⁺ on the self-assembly of metal complexes was investigated by forming metal complexes, and the properties and assembly mechanisms of the formed carrier-free supramolecular hydrogel were characterised. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and zeta potential were used to characterise the microscopic morphology and stability of the GA-Zn complex hydrogel, which had spherical-like particles of about 1 μm with good stability; the rheometer was used to detect its materialistic properties, which showed excellent stability, self-healing property and reversibility; through in vitro bacterial inhibition, it was found that the GA-Zn carrier-free supramolecular hydrogel has enhanced bacterial inhibition function after assembly. The hydrogel was also found to possess both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant efficacy when evaluated using LPS and H₂O₂ induced RAW 264.7 cell damage models, respectively. The above results suggest that GA-Zn hydrogel not only has good materialistic properties, but also possesses good antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which has the value of clinical research as a carrier-free multi-functional antimicrobial dressing, and the present study provides a reference for the discovery of novel biomedical materials from active molecules of natural traditional Chinese medicine.

Based on the interaction between supramolecule of traditional Chinese medicine and enterobacteria, the material basis of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma was explored. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the morphological differences of Rhubarb single decoction, Coptis single decoction and Rhubarb and Coptis co-decoction. An in vitro antibacterial model (E. coli, E. faecium and B. subtilis) was established to evaluate the damage effect of the combination of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma on enterobacteria. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the changes of chemical components of single decoctions and co-decoctions. The co-decoction of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma was turbid after decocting. The spherical particles of 300-400 nm were observed under SEM, and the co-decoction was more uniform and stable than that of single decoction. The interaction between supramolecules formed after the combination of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma and enterobacteria was significantly different from that of single decoction. In the process of interaction between supramolecules and enterobacteria, the spherical state was maintained, and the medicinal ingredients in Coptidis Rhizoma or Rhei Radix et Rhizoma were blocked, which could effectively alleviate the damage to enterobacteria. This study provided a reference for subsequent studies on the regulation of intestinal flora homeostasis by the combination of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma.

The aim of this study is to apply 3D printing technology to hospital drug dosing operations, and explore its feasibility and scalability. Drugs often dosed in hospitals are selected as models. The commercially available drug was ground into powder, diluted with medicinal excipients and then mixed with 75% ethanol and binder to prepare a paste for 3D printing. The dose and physicochemical properties of divided tablets were controlled by setting print parameters and printing models in computer software. Different 3D printers were employed to evaluate the impact of the device on the dosing tablet. Two drugs were dosed in this study to explore the scalability of 3D printing technology between different drugs. The drug content of the three divided dose tablets (warfarin sodium 1 mg, 2 mg, hydrochlorothiazide 5 mg) was 1.02±0.03, 1.96±0.01, 5.19±0.06 mg. The content uniformity was 1.0, 5.3, 2.6, respectively. The drug dissolution rate was (99.3±1.2)%, (101.5±0.3)%, (98.1±0.8)% in 45, 45 and 30 min. The mechanical properties of the three sub-doses and the stability within 30 days were in line with the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015) requirements. At the same time, it was found that the printing parameters and prescriptions can affect the properties of the divided dose tablets. By controlling the dilution ratio of commercial drug and printing parameters, the drug release rate can be customized to achieve individualized treatment. Both different modes of 3D printers can produce qualified sub-doses, and 3D print dispensing technology was also versatile between the two drugs. 3D printing can prepare small-volume, high-precision, high-repetition dosing tablets, with all properties in compliance with pharmacopoeia regulations. Thus, this method can be used as a new and scalable sub-dosing method.

Fifty male Wistar rats were fed a standard chow diet or a high-fat (HF) diet, and different concentrations of green tea polyphenols (GTPs) (0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 g/L) were administered in the drinking water. We found that the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the HF diet group was significantly higher than that in the control (CON) group (P<0.05). Decreased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α and sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) expression, and increased manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) acetylation levels were also detected in the HF diet group (P<0.05). GTP treatment upregulated SIRT3 and PPARα expression, increased the pparα mRNA level, reduced the MnSOD acetylation level, and decreased MDA production in rats fed a HF diet (P<0.05). No significant differences in total renal MnSOD and PPAR-γ coactivator-1α (PGC1-α) expression were detected. The reduced oxidative stress detected in kidney tissues after GTP treatment was partly due to the higher SIRT3 expression, which was likely mediated by PPARα.
Acetylation ; drug effects ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Diet, High-Fat ; adverse effects ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; drug effects ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Polyphenols ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Sirtuin 3 ; metabolism ; Tea ; chemistry