[ ABSTRACT] AIM:To investigate the effects of paeoniflorin ( Pae) on the functional responses induced by acute hypoxic insult in the rat cerebellar Purkinje cells ( PCs) .METHODS:The whole-cell patch clamp was used for the intra-cellular recording of PCs in the rat cerebellar slices to evaluate the changes of membrane potential, the excitability of PCs, and the parallel fibre ( PF)-PC excitatory postsynaptic currents ( EPSCs) upon acute hypoxic insult alone or with the pre-sence of Pae.RESULTS:PCs showed an initial hyperpolarization followed by brief depolarization and long lasting post-hy-poxia hyperpolarization after hypoxia exposure.Pae completely blocked hypoxia-induced hyperpolarization and decreased the amplitude and the duration of hypoxic depolarization.Hypoxia up-regulated the excitability of rat PCs.Pae didn’t show any significant effect on the hypoxia-induced hyperexcitability in PCs.Acute hypoxia induced long-term depression ( LTD) in rat cerebellar PF-PC EPSCs, and Pae partially reversed hypoxia-induced depression in PF-PC EPSCs.CONCLUSION:Pae significantly suppresses hypoxia-induced responses in rat PCs and probably increases the tolerance of rat PCs to acute hypoxia.

Objective: To evaluate the degree of trust of patients in community traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)physicians, based on the TCM service capability promotion program, and to analyze the impacts by TCM prevention and health care service. Methods: 1 391 patients at 22 primary health service centers in 3 cities from Zhejiang province were investigated using the Chinese version of Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale(WFPTS)in September, 2017. Quantitative and qualitative variables were described by mean±SD, and ratio respectively. Differences were compared by t test, ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: Chinese version of WFPTS had good reliability and validity in measuring community TCM physicians. The average scoring of patients′ trust in community TCM physicians was 38.00±6.42, while their benevolence and competence were 19.14±3.41, 18.82±3.50 respectively.For patients with different demographic characteristics, their quantity and the way to acquire and utilize TCM prevention and health care service had different degrees of trust in community TCM physicians. Patients′ gender, age, awareness and utilization of TCM prevention and health care service, etc. affect the degree of trust in community TCM physicians. Conclusions Patients have higher degree of trust in community TCM physicians, and improving the rate of awareness and utilization of TCM prevention has positive impacts on the degree of trust in these physicians. It is proposed that health knowledge education be strengthened and skills of community TCM physicians′ capacity be enhanced through various ways.