The research was carried out to establish HPLC fingerprints of Tibetan medicinal herb "Songdi" (Saxifraga umbellulata var. pectinata), and to provide reference for identification an quality control of it. It was performed on an Amethyst-C18-P (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column with the mobile phase of methanol-0.4% formic acid in a linear gradient mode at a flow rate of 1.0 mL x min(-1). The column temperature was 30 degrees C, and the detection wavelength was set at 254 nm. The software for chromatographic fingerprint was applied to analyse the pattern analysis, the common peaks and similarity. Cluster analysis was done based on the common peaks data of 33 samples from different plant species and sources by SPSS software. Ten common chromatographic peaks were identified by fingerprint, showing a low similarity in constituent and variety. Flavonoids and saponins were the principal components. The number and area of peaks were affected by the collection sources and method. The high similarity are showed by the samples derived from the same area with high accuracy and high purity. The method is so simple, exclusive, stable and high repeatable that it can provide reference for identification and quality assessment of "Songdi" (S. umbellulata var. pectinata).
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Medicine, Tibetan Traditional ; Quality Control ; Saxifragaceae ; chemistry

Objective To observe the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy(HBOT) on Glasgow coma scale(GCS) in patients with traumatic brain injury(TBI) and the influences of course and initiating time of HBOT on the therapeutic effects.Methods 105 cases of TBI patients,which performed HBOT more than 30 days in HBOT Center of Southwest Hospital,were analyzed retrospectively.The GCS improvements were compared with 29 cases of TBI patients without HBOT during the same period.They were also compared between patients with different severity,initiating times and courses of HBOT.Results The GCS improvement of patients with HBOT was 3.97?2.65,especially in severe TBI patients(5.22?2.49),Both were higher than that without HBOT(2.38?2.16)(P

Aim To study on the mitochondrial mass change in mouse thymocyte apoptosis.Method Control and Dexamethasone(DEX) groups were set;at 6h,we studied mitochondrial mass changes by NAO and Mitotracker Green(MG) staining flowcytometry and detected mitochondrial membrane potential change with DiOC_6(3) staining flowcytometry.We also used Annexin V-PE/MG double staining flocytometry to examine the mitochondrial changes in apoptosis progress.Results NAO staining results showed that 1 ?mol?L~(-1) DEX stimulation reduced the cardiolipin content of thymocyte mitochondria(P

OBJECTIVETo investigate how network education can improve college students' knowledge on sexual and reproductive health in Ningbo city.

METHODSFrom December 2012 to June 2013, we conducted a questionnaire investigation among college students in Ningbo city about the effects of network education on their knowledge about sexual psychology, sexual physiology, sexual ethics, and reproductive health.

RESULTSA total of 7 362 college students accomplished the investigation, of whom 2 483 (42.1% males and 57.9% females) received network education, while the other 4 879 (24.1% males and 75.9% females) did not. Approximately 47.1% of the male and 28.0% of the female students acquired sexual and reproductive knowledge via network education. Reproductive health-related network education significantly enriched the students' knowledge about the reproductive system and sex, pubertal development, sexual physiology, conception and embryonic development, methods of contraception, sexual psychology, sexually transmitted diseases and their prevention, pregnancy care and eugenics, and environment- and occupation-related reproductive health (P < 0.01). It also remarkably improved their cognitive attitude towards reproductive health knowledge (P < 0.01). Those who received reproductive health-related network education showed a significantly higher rate of masturbation (P < 0.01) but markedly later time of the first masturbation (P < 0.01) than those who did not.

CONCLUSIONNetwork education can enhance the effect of reproductive health education among college students and improve their sexual experience and health.

China ; Contraception ; Female ; Health Education ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Male ; Masturbation ; Pregnancy ; Reproduction ; Reproductive Health ; Sexual Behavior ; physiology ; psychology ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Students ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Universities

OBJECTIVETo establish a real-time quantitative PCR method for detecting the levels of the signal joint T cell receptor excision circles (sjTRECs) in murine thymocytes and spleen lymphocytes for determining the amount of naive T cells and evaluating the thymic function.

METHODSThe genomic DNA was extracted from murine thymocytes and splenocytes for PCR amplification of the target fragments. After purification of the PCR product, the recombination-activating gene 2 (RAG(2)) fragment was cloned into pGEMT-Easy vector to construct the standard plasmid. After PCR optimization, the standard curve was obtained and the samples (thymocytes and splenocytes of BALB/c and C(57)BL/6 mice) were detected for sjTRECs by real-time quantitative PCR.

RESULTSThe standard plasmid was correctly constructed, and the standard curve with high reliability was obtained. No statistical difference was observed in sjTREC contents in the T lymphocytes between the two mouse strains.

CONCLUSIONSReal-time quantitative PCR for sjTREC analysis is established successfully, which offers an important means for thymic function analysis and a reliable model establishment for study the thymus.

Animals ; Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte ; Lymphocyte Count ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; Thymus Gland ; cytology ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo measure the expression of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3 (CD58) in childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and to explore the feasibility of CD58 as an indicator for minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in childhood B-ALL.

METHODSEighty-seven children diagnosed with B-ALL between January 2014 and September 2014 were enrolled, and 20 hospitalized children who had no tumor or blood disease and had normal bone marrow cell morphology served as the control group. The expression features of CD58 in bone marrow samples from the two groups (at diagnosis, on day 15 of induction chemotherapy) were analyzed by four-color flow cytometry (FCM). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and FCM were used to detect MRD in B-ALL patients on day 33 of induction chemotherapy.

RESULTSThe mean fluorescence intensity of CD58 expression in the 87 B-ALL cases (91±33) was significantly higher than that in the 20 controls (14±6) (P<0.01); CD58 was over-expressed in 44 of the B-ALL cases. In the B-ALL children, the expression of CD58 on day 15 of induction chemotherapy (105±22) was not significantly different from that at diagnosis (107±26) (P>0.05). In the 44 B-ALL patients with CD58 over-expression, FCM showed 9 MRD(+) cases and 35 MRD(-) cases, while qRT-PCR showed 11 MRD(+) cases and 33 MRD(-) cases; 42 cases (95%) showed consistent results of the two tests, so there was no significant difference between the two methods in detecting MRD (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCD58 is over-expressed and stable in children with B-ALL, and it can be considered as an indicator for MRD detection in childhood B-ALL.

Adolescent ; CD58 Antigens ; analysis ; Cell Lineage ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Infant ; Male ; Neoplasm, Residual ; diagnosis ; Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; drug therapy ; immunology

Objective To identify the association between gestational weight gain and birth weight over the past 9 years in Kunshan city,Jiangsu province,China.Methods This population-based study was conducted between 2001 to 2009.Data were retrieved from Perinatal Monitoring System of Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Kunshan.The study population consisted of 33 631 women and singleton live fetus.Gestational weight gain was defined as the total weight gain during the last and first prenatal care program and divided by the interval weeks.Results From 2001 to 2009,the average incidence of low birth weight was 1.86％,while the average incidence of macrosomia was a bit higher,fluctuating around 8.47％.On those underweight mothers,after adjustment for potential confounders,and stratified by the BMI levels,which were evaluated at the first prenatal care program,we found that weight gain in the 3rd and 4th intervals,could reduce the risk of low birth weight (less than 2500 g).With those mothers with normal-weight,weight gain in the 2 rid,3 rd and 4th intervals,would reduce the risk of low birth weight.Risks in the 4th quantile among underweight and normal-weight group were prevalence odds radio (POR) 95％CI:0.51 (0.32-0.80) and 0.58 (0.42-0.79),respectively.The risks showed a significant downward trend in underweight and normal- weight groups with increased gestational weight gain.As for macrosomia (≥4000 g),the risks increased (POR 95％CI) 4.69(2.82-7.81 ) in underweight,4.15 (3.43-5.03) in normal-weight,in overweight,3.64 (2.62-5.06) and 1.96 (1.48-2.60) in obese mothers with increased levels of gestational weight gain.Trend tests indicated that the risks of marcosomia increased in all levels of BMI,with the increase of gestational weight gain.Conclusion Findings from this population-based study suggested that gestational weight gain could reduce the risks of low birth weight among underweight and normal-weight groups,while increase the risks of macrosomia in all parturients,as compared with lowest levels of gestational weight gain.

Intestinal barrier dysfunction always accompanies cirrhosis in patients with advanced liver disease and is an important contributor facilitating bacterial translocation (BT), which has been involved in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis and its complications. Several studies have demonstrated the protective effect of Vitamin D on intestinal barrier function. However, severe cholestasis leads to vitamin D depletion. This study was designed to test whether vitamin D therapy improves intestinal dysfunction in cirrhosis. Rats were subcutaneously injected with 50% sterile CCl₄ (a mixture of pure CCl₄ and olive oil, 0.3 mL/100 g) twice a week for 6 weeks. Next, 1,25(OH)₂D₃(0.5 µg/100 g) and the vehicle were administered simultaneously with CCl₄ to compare the extent of intestinal histologic damage, tight junction protein expression, intestinal barrier function, BT, intestinal proliferation, apoptosis, and enterocyte turnover. Intestinal heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and oxidative stress were also assessed. We found that vitamin D could maintain intestinal epithelial proliferation and turnover, inhibit intestinal epithelial apoptosis, alleviate structural damage, and prevent BT and intestinal barrier dysfunction. These were achieved partly through restoration of HO-1 and inhibition of oxidative stress. Taken together, our results suggest that vitamin D ameliorated intestinal epithelial turnover and improved the integrity and function of intestinal barrier in CCl₄-induced liver cirrhotic rats. HO-1 signaling activation was involved in these above beneficial effects.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Bacterial Translocation ; Cholestasis ; Enterocytes ; Fibrosis ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; Heme ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Olive Oil ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Tight Junctions ; Vitamin D ; Vitamins

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between the -344T/C polymorphism of aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) gene and essential hypertension in Chinese Mongolian population.

METHODSBy cluster-sampling method, a total of 1575 Mongolian people in Tongliao city of Inner Mongolia were included in this study. And 417 subjects were normotension, 596 subjects were prehypertension and 562 subjects were essential hypertension. A survey was conducted to collect data by personal interview using a standard questionnaire, meanwhile fasting blood samples were drawn. Height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood-fat indexes and fasting plasma glucose were measured. The variant genotypes of CYP11B2 were identified by PCR assays. The relationship between the -344T/C polymorphism of CYP11B2 gene and essential hypertension were analyzed by multinomial logistic regression model.

RESULTSCrude prevalence of prehypertension among Mongolian people was 37.84% (596/1575) and hypertension was 35.68% (562/1575). The age-standardized prevalence of prehypertension was 38.57% and hypertension was 31.53%. The frequency of the T and C allele was 0.66 (481/728) and 0.34 (247/728) for normotension group, 0.69 (696/1042) and 0.33 (346/1042) for prehypertension group, 0.71 (706/998) and 0.29 (292/998) for hypertension group. The multiple logistic models showed CYP11B2 variant genotypes were associated with prehypertension (TT/CC, OR = 1.33, 95%CI: 0.87 - 2.01; TC/CC, OR = 1.74, 95%CI: 1.13 - 2.67; TC + TT/CC, OR = 1.49, 95%CI: 1.01 - 2.22); CYP11B2 variant genotypes were associated with hypertension (TT/CC, OR = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.07 - 2.70; TC/CC, OR = 1.59, 95%CI: 0.98 - 2.50; TC + TT/CC, OR = 1.66, 95%CI: 1.06 - 2.58).

CONCLUSIONCYP11B2 gene -344T/C polymorphism were associated with essential hypertension in Chinese Mongolian population.

Adult ; Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Blood Pressure ; genetics ; China ; epidemiology ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP11B2 ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo establish a method of microscopic identification of Tibetan medicinal herb " Songdi" (Saxifraga umbellulata var. pectinata).

METHODThe different characteristics and microscopic identification of 4 species of Songdi were compared, including the main variety (Saxifraga umbellulata var. pectinata ) and approximate varieties (S. unguiculata, S. przewalskii and S. tanguTi,) were studied and compared.

RESULTThe botanical anatomy characteristics of Saxifraga umbellulata var. pectinata (including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, stalks and fruits) have been measured. The methods for powder identifications and transverse section of stems root and leaves of four species of Songdi were established.

CONCLUSIONFour species of Songdi can be identified by the growth pattern of basal leaves, type of hair, type of inflorescence, number of flowers, proportion of tissue structures in stem, form of pollen grains.

Medicine, Tibetan Traditional ; Microscopy ; Plants, Medicinal ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; cytology ; Saxifragaceae ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; cytology