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

OBJECTIVETo observe the prevention and clinical efficacy of combination of Liuwei Dihuang Pill (LDP) and Ginkgo Leaf Tablet (GLT) for early diabetic retinopathy (DR).

METHODSUsing randomized, double-blind, double simulation, parallel controlled clinical trial, 140 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) outpatients were recruited and assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 70 in each group. All patients received basic Western medicine treatment (such as blood glucose and pressure control). Patients in the treatment group took LDP (8 pills each time, 3 times per day) and GLT (19.2 mg each time, 3 times per day), while those in the control group took LDP placebos and GLT placebos. All treatment lasted for 24 consecutive months. All subjects were followed-up every month. The general clinical data as sex, age, and metabolic data such as blood glucose, blood pressure, blood lipid, and DR prevalence rate were collected and statistically analyzed.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference in levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, or blood lipid between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment the DR incidence rate was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group [3.1% (2/64) vs 18.6% (11/59), P < 0.05)]. Meanwhile, the DR prevalence rate of the treatment group was also significantly lower than that of the control group [6.3% (4/64) vs 20.0% (13/59), P < 0.05].

CONCLUSIONCombination of LDP and GLT could effectively prevent and treat the development of DR in T2DM patients.

Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Blood Pressure ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; drug therapy ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Ginkgo biloba ; chemistry ; Humans ; Phytotherapy ; Tablets

Objective To investigate the trends in and characteristics of syphilis epidemiology in China,and to provide a scientific basis for the development of control strategies.Methods An epidemiological study was performed on syphilis cases reported from 31 provinces,autonomous regions and municipalities between 2000 and 2013.Results The reported syphilis incidence increased yearly from 6.43 per 100 000 person-years in 2000 to 32.86 per 100 000 person-years in 2013,with an average annual growth rate of 13.37％.Syphilis was reported in most (99％) counties/districts in China mainland except for a few remote mountain areas,with a significant difference in the incidence of syphilis between different regions.The regions with a high incidence of syphilis included minority areas in Northwest China (Xinjiang,Qinghai and Ningxia),Minjiang River area,Yangtze River Delta (Zhejiang,Shanghai),Zhujiang River Delta (Guangxi,Guangdong),etc.There had been a rapid increase in the incidence of syphilis in some regions previously reported to have a low incidence (such as Guizhou,Shaanxi,Henan,etc).Among the reported cases,female patients predominated with an average male/female ratio of 0.92 ∶ 1.The incidence of syphilis was highest in the age group of 20-39 years,but increased yearly by more than 30％ in the population aged ＞ 60 years.Of 20 occupations,peasant workers accounted for the highest proportion (31.56％) of syphilis cases,and retired population showed the most rapid increase by about 27.35％ per year.The constituent ratio of primary and secondary syphilis in all the syphilis cases had declined yearly,while that of latent syphilis increased by more than 50％ after 2010.Conclusions Syphilis remains a major public health issue in China,and measures based on the epidemiological features are urgently needed to effectively control epidemic syphilis.

Objective To investigate the biological activities of a conditioned medium for human dermal papilla. Methods Culture medium of the lower passage human dermal papilla cells was collected as the conditioned medium. The growth pattern and the growth curve of the higher passage human dermal papilla cells cultured with conditioned medium were observed in vitro. And the morphology of the co-culture of the higher passage human dermal papilla cells and the lower passage human dermal papilla cells was observed. Results The higher passage human dermal papilla cells, which was cultured with conditioned medium from the lower passage human dermal papilla cells, showed aggregative growth pattern. And the growth curve of the higher passage human dermal papilla cells was much better than that in the control groups (P

Multi-target drugs attract increasing attentions for the therapy of complicated neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, a computer-assisted strategy was applied to search for multi-target compounds by the pharmacophore matching. This strategy has been successfully used to design dual-target inhibitor models against both the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1). Based on two pharmacophore models matching and physicochemical properties filtering, one hit was identified which could inhibit AChE with IC50 value of (0.337 +/- 0.052) micromol x L(-1) and PARP-1 by 24.6% at 1 micromol x L(-1).
Acetylcholinesterase ; metabolism ; Cholinesterase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Computer-Aided Design ; Drug Discovery ; methods ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors

Objective To investigate epidemiological characteristics and trends of gonorrhea in China, and to provide a scientific basis for the development of control strategies. Methods An epidemiological study was performed on gonorrhea cases reported from 31 provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the central government between 2000 and 2014. Results The reported incidence rate of gonorrhea decreased from 22.92 per 100 000 in 2000 to 7.25 per 100 000 in 2014, with the average annual rate of decrease being 7.89%. There was a significant difference in the incidence of gonorrhea between different regions. The regions with the highest incidence rate of gonorrhea were Yangtze River Delta region(Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu)and Zhujiang River Delta region(Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan), followed by northwest China (Xinjiang, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia). The incidence of gonorrhea was higher in males than in females, and the average male/female ratio increased from 1.96 ∶ 1 in 2000 to 4.52 ∶ 1 in 2014. The population aged 20 - 44 years showed high incidence of gonorrhea, and the highest incidence rate of gonorrhea was observed in the age group 25 - 29 years in both men and women. The incidence of gonorrhea decreased in all the age groups from 2000 to 2014 except the age group 15 - 19 years with an annual growth rate of 4.18%. Of 20 occupations, peasant workers accounted for the highest proportion (26.00%)of reported gonorrhea cases, and the number of reported gonorrhea cases showed a decreasing trend in all the occupations. Conclusions Gonorrhea remains a major public health issue in China, and effective measures based on epidemiological features are urgently needed to control gonorrhea.

Objective To investigate epidemiologic features of genital Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection in China,and to provide scientific evidence for developing control strategies.Methods A descriptive epidemiological study was conducted to analyze personal,spacial and temporal distribution of genital Ct infection cases reported from 105 national sexually transmitted disease (STD) surveillance sites in China between 2008 and 2015.Results The reported incidence rate of genital Ct infection increased from 32.48 per 100 000 in 2008 to 37.18 per 100 000 in 2015,with the average annual rate of increase being 1.95％.There was marked variation in the reported incidence of genital Ct infection (range,＜ 1/100 000-615.99/100 000) among different STD surveillance sites,which was relatively high in the Pearl River Delta region,Yangtze River Delta region,Minjiang River region and some ethnic minority areas in western China,but low in north China and central China.In addition,no cases were reported at a few sites in rural areas.The reported annual incidence rate was higher in females than in males from 2008 to 2015,and the ratio of male to female cases decreased from 0.61:1 in 2008 to 0.46:1 in 2015.Among all age groups,the sexually active population aged 20-44 years showed high reported incidence of genital Ct infection,with the highest reported incidence observed in the group aged 25-29 years (range,116.72/100 000-142.98/100 000);the group aged 15-19 years showed the highest average annual rate of increase (10.06％) in the reported incidence of genital Ct infection.Among all kinds of medical institutions,general hospitals had the largest number of reported cases (range,66.00％-74.22％),followed by gynecology hospitals,Maternal and Child Health (MCH) hospitals and specialized dermatovenereology hospitals.Conclusions Genital Ct infection has been one of important public health issues in China,more attention should be paid to its prevention,and effective preventive measures are needed to be developed according to epidemiologic features.

Background Contrast sensitivity (CS) of amblyopia has been extensively studied,but its relationship with spatial frequency channels needs further research. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons of the CS deficits in amblyopia through comparing the differences in CS between amblyopic and normal eyes from the point of view of spatial frequency channels. MethodsThe CS values of 166 normal children eyes and 143 amblyopic children abnormal eyes were measured by adopting OPTEC 6500.Then,spatial frequency channels' tuning curves were derived via principal component analysis and non-orthogonal rotation.Also,numbers and bandwidths of channels were calculated using the method of full width at half maximum ( FWHM ).All of these were used to analyze the variations of CS between amblyopia and normal eyes by comparing the numbers and the bandwidths of the channels.The reliability of spatial frequency channel was verified by a cross-validation study of 43 amblyopic children. ResultAt spatial frequency of 1.5,3.0,6.0,12.0,18.0 cpd,the mean of CS of amblyopia were 36.35±21.40,50.33 ± 33.46,46.88 ± 41.72,16.24 ± 17.26,4.67 ± 5.79,and the mean of CS of normal eyes were 49.49±24.69,87.23±40.87,93.18±51.99.36.63±24.72,15.70±13.87,with the rank-sum test results were H =27.83,66.61,68.34,78.23,89.88,P＜0.05.There existed three spatial frequency channels in both amblyopia and normal eyes.At the peaks of 3.0,6.0 and 12.0 cpd,the bandwidths of normal eyes were 1.03,1.02 and 0.99 octaves,and the bandwidths of amblyopia were 1.04,1.01and 0.73 octaves.Conclusions The reduction in bandwidths of the corresponding spatial frequency channels may cause the CS deficits in amblyopia.

To improve the quality of personnel training,carry out the complementary ascendancy and resource sharing,grasp the law and optimize the program of practice teaching,we designed the undergraduate practice teaching of 9 disciplines including clinical medicine,biotechnology,pharmacy,etc.,formulated the practice teaching pattern named "two-stage & two-model",and carried out the practice teaching step by step. The results show that the profession level and overall quality of students have been improved.

Objective To investigate the location and proliferation of human hair follicle stem cells. Methods The expression of keratin 19(K19) in the human hair follicles on the occiput was detected by immunohistochemical staining, and the positive area was located. The follicle epithelium containing the K19-positive area above the hair bulb were cultured with or without mesenchymes (dermal papilla cells, DPCs) at the air-liquid interface of the collagen gel. When the proliferating colonies formed, the distance from the colony to the bottom of hair follicles was measured and the relationship between the K19-positive position and the proliferation colonies was analyzed. The ultrastructure of the proliferation colony was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Results Two portions were found positive for K19 in the outer root sheath of the human hair follicles, the upper one being at the bulge region and the lower one at the outer root sheath above the hair bulb. The proliferating colony formed only when the epithelium of the hair follicle was co-cultured with mesenchymes cells. The statistical analysis suggested the lower portion positive for K19 and the proliferation colonies in the culture were traced to locate at the same site of the human hair follicles. Under electron microscopy, juvenile cells, mature keratinocytes and apoptotic cells were found in the proliferating colonies. Conclusions The human hair follicles may contain two distinct reservoirs for stem cells, which locate in the bulge area and in the region of the outer root sheath above the hair bulb, respectively. Mesenchymes are needed for the proliferation of stem cells. New stem cells, mature keratinocytes and apoptotic cells may be three endings of the stem cells′ proliferation.