Objective To observe the protection of Caspase inhibitor(zVAD-fmk,benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone) on neonatal rat with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD).Methods Thirty-six neonatal rats,7 days old,were randomly divided into hypoxic-ischemic(HI) control group(A),zVAD-fmk treated group(B) and sham group(C).Before HI insult,a pan-Caspase inhibitor,zVAD-fmk or normal buffer solution was injected into the cerebral ventricle.The water content of cerebral hemisphere was measured and the percentage of apoptofic cells in hippocampal neurons was measured by Flow cytometer(Annexin V/PI) at 24 hours after HI insult.The effect on body weights(percentage of increased weight,WIP) and macroscopical changes(percentage of cortox and hippocampal dead neurons) were assessed at 14 days.Results Compared with group A,the water content of ischemic hemisphere and apoptosis percentage of hippocampal neurons in group B reduced significantly.The difference of percentage of increased weight at 14 days in group B was not significantly.Microscopic examination showed that cortox and hippocampus neural death rate in group B was proved significantly reduced compared with that in group A.Conclusion Intracerebral administration of zVAD-fmk has protective effects on hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in neonatal rat.

Objective To investigate genotypes and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli producing plasmid-mediated AmpC ?-lactamase in Anhui province.Methods A total of 407 clinical isolates of nonrepeated Escherichia coli were collected from different cities in Anhui province.AmpC ?-lactamase producing isolates were identified by cefoxitin three-dimensional test and antibiotic susceptibility was identified by agar dilution test.Plasmid extraction,PCR amplication of corresponding group was performed, followed by sequencing.Results The positive rate of cefoxitin three-dimensional test was 8.1% (33/407), and the prevalence of plasmid-mediated AmpC ?-lactamase was 3.0% (12/407).bla_(CMY-2) gene,bla_(DHA-1) gene and bla_(ACT-2) gene were identified by PCR amplification and confirmed by sequencing in 5 strains,4 strains and 2 strains,respectively.A new CMY genotype was identified,with its sequence revealed 97% identity to the deduced amino acid sequence with previous CMY-2.This is also the first report on ACT-2 genotype in China.The susceptibility test showed that all strains were resistant to cephamycins and piperacillin,and susceptible to imipenem.Two strains of Escherichia coli producing DHA-1 were resistant to fourth-generation cephalosporin.Conclusions CMY-2,DHA-1 and ACT-2 are the most common genotypes in plasmid-mediated AmpC ?-lactamase produced by clinical Escherichia coli isolates in Anhui province. Carbapenems could be the first choice for the treatment of infection caused by AmpC ?-lactamase producers.

OBJECTIVETo develop a method for determination of nerolidol in the volatile oil of Dalbergia odorifera.

METHODGC method was used. The samples were separated on Agilent HP-5 column (320 microm x 30 m, 0.25 microm) with the mobile phase of highly pure N2. Flow rate was 2 mL x min(-1).

RESULTLinearity of nemlidol was good linearity in the range of 0.059-1.97 mg x mL(-1), and the average recovery was 97.5%, RSD 2.3%.

CONCLUSIONThis method is simple, accurate, rapid and reproducible.

Chromatography, Gas ; Dalbergia ; chemistry ; Oils, Volatile ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sesquiterpenes ; analysis

As the preparation process from Salvia miltiorrhiz herbs to S. miltiorrhiz injection involves complicated technology and has relatively more factors impacting quality safety, the overall quality control is required for its effectiveness and safety. On the basis of the component structure theory, and according to the material basis of S. miltiorrhiz injection, we discussed the multi-dimensional structure and process dynamic quality control technology system of the preparation, in order to achieve the quality control over the material basis with safety and effectiveness of S. miltiorrhiz injection, and provide new ideas and methods for production quality standardization of S. miltiorrhis injection.
Drug Compounding ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; chemistry ; Injections ; Quality Control ; Safety ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry

This study aims to investigate the biotransformation of Epimedium brevicornu flavonoids under the effect of hydrolytic enzymes in vitro. Snailase was mainly used to hydrolyze E. brevicornu flavonoids, and HPLC was used to determine the content of the main flavonoids in E. brevicornu flavonoids. The data results showed that the main known flavonoids included icariin, epimedin A, epi-mendin B and epimendin C, which were completely transformed into baohuoside I, sagittatoside A, sagittatoside B and 2"-O-rhamnosyl-icariside II in 1-2 h, respectively. Their transformed products were continuously hydrolyzed over time. In conclusion, snailase could transform E. brevicornu flavonoids into secondary glycoside or aglycone under 37 degrees C in pH 6.0 HBSS balanced salt solution in 2 h. Moreover, its enzymatic hydrolysates were consistent with intestinal metabolites.
Biotransformation ; Epimedium ; chemistry ; Flavonoids ; metabolism ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hydrolases ; metabolism ; Hydrolysis ; Temperature

Airway Remodeling ; physiology ; Animals ; Asthma ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; PPAR gamma ; biosynthesis ; Rats

OBJECTIVETo compare the difference in the efficacy on low back pain of cold-damp pattern between electric-thermal Bian-stone therapy and moxibustion box therapy.

METHODSForty-one cases of low back pain of cold-damp pattern were randomized into an electric-thermal Bian-stone therapy group (group A, 26 cases) and a box moxibustion therapy group (group B, 15 cases). In the group A, the electric-thermal Bian-stone was placed over Shenshu (BL 23) and Weizhong (BL 40). The temperature of stone was adjusted in accordance with patient's comfort. In the group B, moxibustion box was used over Shenshu (BL 23) and Weizhong (BL 40). The treatment was given once every day or every two days. Ten treatments made one session. The symptom and physical signs score of low back pain and the score of cold-damp syndrome were observed before and after treatment in the patients.

RESULTSThe symptom and physical signs score of low back pain and the score of cold-damp syndrome were all improved in the two groups (all P < 0.01). The changing rate of symptom and physical signs and syndrome were (37.04 +/- 32.68)% and (22.85 +/- 29.95)% in the group A, and were (47.29 +/- 22.08)% and (23.89 +/- 22.53)% in the group B, respectively, without significant difference in comparison between the two groups (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe efficacy on low back pain of cold-damp pattern treated with the electric-thermal Bian-stone therapy is similar to that of moxibustion box therapy. This therapy is characterized as more convenient, safer operation and less pollution.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; therapy ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion

This article firstly established a new efficient method for screening anti-osteoporosis ingredients, which used two-dimensional zebrafish model combined with hyphenated chromatographic techniques to evaluate anti-osteoporosis activities of epimedin A and its metabolite baohuoside I. Adult zebrafish was used for metabolism of epimedin A in 0.5% DMSO, and LC-MS was used for analysis of the metabolite, which was captured by HPLC, and prednisolone-induced osteoporosis model of zebrafish was used to evaluate the anti-osteoporotic activities of trace amounts of epimedin A and baohuoside I. The results indicated that epimedin A and baohuoside I can prevent prednisolone-induced osteoporosis in zebrafish. The developed method in this paper enables the separation, enrichment and analysis of micro-amount metabolite of epimedin A, and anti-osteoporosis activities in vivo of epimedin A and baohuoside I was simple and efficient screening resorting to zebrafish osteoporosis mode. This paper would provide new ideas and methods for a rapid and early discovery of anti-osteoporosis activities of micro-ingredients and its metabolite of traditional Chinese medicine.
Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Flavonoids ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Mass Spectrometry ; Osteoporosis ; drug therapy ; Zebrafish

OBJECTIVETo break through the restrictions of the evaluation model and the quantity of compounds by using the two-dimensional zebrafish model combined with chromatographic techniques, and establish a new method for the high-throughput screening of active anti-osteoporosis components.

METHODAccording to the research group-related studies and relevant foreign literatures, on the basis of the fact that the zebrafish osteoporosis model could efficiently evaluate the activity, the zebrafish metabolism model could efficiently enrich metabolites and the chromatographic techniques could efficiently separate and analyze components of traditional Chinese medicines, we proposed that the inherent combination of the three methods is expected to efficiently decode in vivo and in vitro efficacious anti-osteoporosis materials of traditional Chinese medicines.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONThe method makes it simple and efficient in the enrichment, separation and analysis on components of traditional Chinese medicines, particularly micro-components and metabolites and the screening anti-osteoporosis activity, fully reflects that efficacious materials of traditional Chinese medicines contain original components and metabolites, with characteristic of "multi-components, multi-targets and integral effect", which provides new ideas and methods for the early and rapid discovery of active anti-osteoporosis components of traditional Chinese medicines.

Animals ; Chromatography ; methods ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; trends ; Osteoporosis ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Phytotherapy ; methods ; trends ; Reproducibility of Results ; Zebrafish ; physiology

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of 64 multidetector-row CT angiography for internal carotid artery(ICA)stenosis and the application in the follow-up of carotid endarterectomy and percutaneous transluminal stenting.Methods Forty transient ischemie attack(TIA)patients with interpretable CTA and DSA of the cervical carotid arteries were selected from May 2005 to December 2005. This yielded a total of 80 vessels.The CTA curved planar reformations(CPR)and DSA images referenced to the distal cervical internal carotid were graded by two senior neuroradiologists blindly,according to the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial(NASCET)guidelines.The paired-t test was used to verify the statistical significant difference between pre-operating and post-operating of carotid endarterectomy or percutaneous transluminal stenting in measuring the vascular diameter and area of cross section using CTA.Results When the 70% stenosis was used as the cut-off value,the seasitivity,specificity,negative predictive value,and the positive predicting value were 97%,95%,95%,and 98%,respectively.There was statistically significant difference in measuring the vascular diameter(P