Objective: To rapidly and quantitatively analyze the monoester alkaloids (MAs) in the extracting and concentrating process of Aconiti Radix Cocta (ARC) by near infrared spectroscopy (NIR). Methods: Using NIR to collect the data of 103 ARC samples and using partial least squares (PLS) regression method to establish the quantitative analysis model of MAs between the information of NIR and MAs. Results: The spectral range of MAs model of ARC was 9 264.35-7 274.11 cm-1. The root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) was 1.171 and correlation coefficient (r) of the calibration model was 0.999 4.Through the external validation, the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) was 1.321 and r of the validation model was 0.992 1. According to the results of statistical analysis, r of the predicted value and the reference value of MAs was 0.999 0. The value of P is less than 0.001. This revealed that the NIR and HPLC methods had a good correlation in determining MAs and could accurately predict the amount of MAs in the covered range. Conclusion: This method is convenient, rapid, accurate, and environment protective, and could be used for the on-line determination of MAs in the extracting and concentrating process of ARC and for the determination of the extraction and concentration endpoint of ARC.

Diabetes Mellitus ; etiology ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; complications ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance

BACKGROUNDIntraperitoneal lymphangioma (IL) used to be thought of as a benign lymphatic malformation with a low rate of preoperative diagnosis. This retrospective study aimed to explore the connection between the cysts and clinical manifestation and imaging characteristics, and to study diagnostic confusion, therapeutic principles and potential recurrent reasons, to further enhance the comprehension of this rare disease.

METHODSHere, we retrospectively reviewed 21 patients diagnosed with IL. Age, sex, complaints, physical findings, and imaging features of each patient were documented. The therapies, postoperative complications and treatments were discussed.

RESULTSSymptomatology included eight patients (38%) with intermittent dull pain in the abdomen, and three patients (14%) complained of abdominal persistent pain. The physical examination revealed an abdominal mass in 16 patients (76%), and eight (38%) were reported no discomfort. IL was correctly established preoperatively in 19 patients (90%). Patients were treated using laparotomy, except one who was treated with laparoscopy. Two recurrences were noted during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONSIL should be suspected in any patient with a mobile abdominal mass and surgery is required immediately after discovery of the tumor.

Abdomen ; pathology ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Lymphangioma ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the mechanism of hepatic carcinoma cell apoptosis induced by small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) P65 silencing.

METHODSHepatic carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells were exposed to liposome-mediated transfection with NF-kappaB P65 siRNA synthesized by in vitro transcription, and the cells with empty liposome transfection and those without particular treatment served as the control groups. The expression of NF-kappaB P65 in the cells was detected by Western blotting, the cell viability examined by MTT assay, and the cell apoptosis assessed by flow cytometry. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax.

RESULTSsiRNA transfection significantly inhibited the expression of NF-kappaB P65 in SMMC-7721cells, with inhibition rates of 64.74% compared with the untreated cells and of 34.52% compared with the liposome-treated cells. The siRNA-treated SMMC-7721 cells also exhibited significant decrease in cell proliferation by 33.39% and 27.23% in comparison with the untreated and liposome-treated cells, respectively. NF-kappaB P65 siRNA induced obvious cell apoptosis with down-regulated Bcl-2 and up-regulated Bax expressions.

CONCLUSIONNF-kappaB p65 siRNA can induce SMMC-7721 cell apoptosis via the Bcl-2/Bax pathway.

Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Gene Silencing ; Humans ; Liposomes ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; pharmacology ; Transcription Factor RelA ; metabolism ; Transfection ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo objectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yimusake Tablet in the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE) through a multi-centered large-sample trial.

METHODSWe conducted a multi-centered, open, fixed-dose, and self-compared clinical trial among 300 patients with diagnosed PE. The trial lasted 12 weeks, including 4 weeks without any medication and 8 weeks of treatment with Yimusake Tablet, 2 pills (1 g) per night. We observed the intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) before and after treatment, evaluated the safety of medication, and performed a questionnaire investigation on the patients' satisfaction.

RESULTSOf the 300 PE patients, 288 accomplished the clinical trial. The patients ranged in age from 22 to 60 years, averaging at 31.6 years. The mean IELT of the patient was 62.5 seconds at baseline, 168.9 seconds after 4 weeks of treatment with Yimusake Tablet, and 222.2 seconds after 8 weeks of medication. Among the 157 patients with normal erectile function (IIEF >21), the mean IELT was 71.4 seconds before treatment, 147.4 seconds after 4 weeks of medication, and 172.5 seconds after 8 weeks of medication. The patients' satisfaction was significantly increased after treatment. Those complicated by mild to moderate erectile dysfunction achieved different degrees of improvement in the IIEF-5 score, with a mean increase of 3.8. Only a few patients experienced mild adverse events, including constipation, dry mouth, nose bleeding, abdominal pain, and lumbosacral pain, which were all relieved without drug withdrawal.

CONCLUSIONYimusake Tablet is a safe and effective medicine for the treatment of PE.

Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Ejaculation ; drug effects ; physiology ; Erectile Dysfunction ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Satisfaction ; Penile Erection ; Phytotherapy ; Premature Ejaculation ; drug therapy ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tablets ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the quantity and ratio of Th1, Th2 cells in the bone marrow of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients, and to evaluate the correlation between the ratio of the blast cells and the number of the Th1 cells in the bone marrow of MDS patients.

METHODSBy FACS, the quantity and ratio of IFN-gamma producing CD4(+) T cell (Th1) and IL-4 producing CD4(+) T cell (Th2) cells in the bone marrow were detected in 21 MDS patients, 18 normal controls and 13 severe aplastic anemia (SAA) patients respectively. The karyotypes of 18 MDS patients and 15 normal controls were assayed. The correlation between the ratio of the blast cells in the bone marrow and the number of the Th1 cells in the MDS patients were analyzed.

RESULTSThe percentages of Th1 cells, Th2 cells and ratio of Th1/Th2 in the bone marrow of normal controls were (0.48 +/- 0.10)%, (0.24 +/- 0.19)% and 2.31 +/- 0.76 respectively, while those of the MDS patients were (0.36 +/- 0.11)%, (0.76 +/- 0.35)% and 0.51 +/- 0.13. The percentage of Th1 cells of patients with MDS was reduced and the Th1/Th2 ratio was significantly lower than that of normal controls (P < 0.01). Those of the patients with SAA were (4.75 +/- 0.49)%, (0.40 +/- 0.28)% and 26.5 +/- 8.79 respectively, their Th1 cells and Th1/Th2 ratio were markedly higher than those of normal controls (P < 0.01). In all of the 15 normal controls the karyotypes were normal, but that of MDS patients was (50.00 +/- 0.10)%. The lower ratio of the Th1 cells in the bone marrow of the patients with MDS and the AML which progressed from MDS was negatively correlated with the higher percentage of the blast cells (r = -0.563, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS(1) The immune function of T lymphocytes in MDS is abnormal: the balance between Th1 and Th2 cells is broken. (2) With descending of the number of Th1 cells in the bone marrow of the MDS patients, the disease is progressing to leukemia.

Adult ; Aged ; Bone Marrow ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; genetics ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer ; immunology

BACKGROUNDDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a common disease accompanied with a high incidence of hind limb ischemia (HLI). In recent years, numerous studies demonstrated that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are involved in angiogenesis and maintenance of vascular integrity following HLI. On the other side, it has been proved that Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) could promote angiogenesis. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of APS and EPCs on enhancing angiogenesis after experimental HLI caused by femoral artery ligation in rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes.

METHODSRats (n = 110) were randomly assigned to the following groups: sham group, ischemia group, APS group, EPCs group and APS+EPCs group. APS, EPCs or an equal volume of vehicle was administered intramuscularly after HLI induction, and 6 rats were assessed by angiography at 28 days after induction of HLI, 6 rats were sacrificed at the same time point to take histological studies, biochemical tests were also performed at that point in the rest rats.

RESULTSAPS or EPCs treatment induced an increase, respectively, in the protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (36.61%, 61.59%), VEGF receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) (35.50%, 57.33%), VEGFR-2 (31.75%, 41.89%), Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) (37.57%, 64.66%) and Tie-2 (42.55%, 76.94%) (P < 0.05), after HLI injury. And combined therapy of APS and EPCs enhanced the effort of angiogenesis after HLI induction in diabetic rats, through elevating protein expression of VEGF (99.67%), VEGFR-1 (105.33%), VEGFR2 (72.05%), Ang-1 (114.30%) and Tie-2 (111.87%) (P < 0.05). Similarly, mRNA expression of VEGF, VEGFR-1, VEGFR2, Ang-1, Tie-2 also show similar trends as well as protein expression (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAPS or EPCs could enhance angiogenesis, and the combined treatment leads to better effort, at least, partially via VEGF/VEGFR and Ang-1/Tie-2 signaling pathway.

Animals ; Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Endothelial Progenitor Cells ; physiology ; Hindlimb ; pathology ; Ischemia ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Male ; Polysaccharides ; therapeutic use ; Rats

Pectin methylesterase (PME) is an important pectinase that hydrolyzes methyl esters in pectin to release methanol and reduce the degree of methylation of pectin. At present, it has broad application prospects in food processing, tea beverage, paper making and other production processes. With the in-depth study of PME, the crystal structures with different sources have been reported. Analysis of these resolved crystal structures reveals that PME belongs to the right-hand parallel β-helix structure, and its catalytic residues are two aspartic acids and a glutamine, which play the role of general acid-base, nucleophile and stable intermediate, in the catalytic process. At the same time, the substrate specificity is analyzed to understand the recognition mechanism of the substrate and active sites. This paper systematically reviews these related aspects.
Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Catalytic Domain ; Crystallography ; Pectins ; metabolism ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Substrate Specificity

Aim To investigate the effect of microinjection of EX527, a selective SIRT1 antagonist, into the ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO) on morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), and to explore the role of CREB/BDNF in it. Methods The cannulas were implanted bilaterally in the VLO of rats by brain stereotaxis surgery, and the model of morphine-induced CPP was established. The behavioral experiment consisted of four stages:habituation (d 1), pre-test (d 2-4), conditioning training (d 5-14) and test (d 15). At the stage of conditioning training, EX527 (1 μL, 5 g·L

The present study was aimed to investigate the role of necroptosis in the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The rat model of ARDS was induced by intravenous injection of oleic acid (OA), and observed for 4 h. The lung injury was evaluated by arterial blood gas, lung wet-dry weight ratio (W/D) and histological analyses. Simultaneously, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for total and differential cell analysis and total protein determination. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) level in BALF was determined with a rat TNF-α ELISA kit. Expressions of receptor interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), RIPK3 and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) in lung tissue were determined by Western blot and immunohistochemical staining. The interaction between RIPK1 and RIPK3 was explored by immunoprecipitation. The results showed that, compared with those in control group, total white blood cells count (WBC), polymorphonuclear percentage (PMN%), total protein concentration, TNF-α level in BALF, W/D, and the alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference (P(A-a)O) in OA group were significantly increased at 4 h after OA injection. Western blot and immunostaining further showed remarkably increased expressions of RIPK1, RIPK3 and MLKL in lung tissue from OA group. Additionally, immunoprecipitation results indicated an enforced interaction between RIPK1 and RIPK3 in OA group. Collectively, the TNF-α level in BALF and the RIPK1-RIPK3-MLKL signaling pathway in lung tissue were found to be upregulated and activated with the process of ARDS. These findings implicate that RIPK1/RIPK3-mediated necroptosis plays a possible role in the pathogenesis of ARDS, which may provide a new idea to develop novel drugs for the therapy of ARDS.
Acute Disease ; Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Disease Models, Animal ; Lung Diseases ; Necrosis ; Oleic Acid ; Rats ; Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases ; Respiration Disorders ; Signal Transduction ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha