In this study, we investigate the bioaccessibility of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, As, Cd and Hg) in wild Artemisia annua and use target hazard quotients (THQ) proposed by US Environmental Protection Agency to assess the health risk under the heavy metal exposure. The results showed that the bioaccessibility of Cu, Pb, As, Cd and Hg in A. annua are 0.77, 0.66, 0.46, 0.68 and 0, respectively, and that the value of THQ for adults and children were 0.030 and 0.025 calculated by risk assessment model. The results indicated that the heavy metals in A. annua were not able to be completely absorbed by human body and that their contents were in a safe range. In this study, by combining the bioavailability of heavy metal and health risk assessment, we assessed the security of heavy metals of wild A. annua, which will provide reference for the standard of heavy metals for medicinal materials.
Artemisia annua ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Consumer Product Safety ; Drug Contamination ; Humans ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis ; metabolism ; Risk Assessment ; Soil Pollutants ; analysis ; metabolism

Cellular fibronectin (cFn) is a type of bioactive non-collagen glycoprotein regarded as the main substance used to maintain periodontal attachment. The content of cFn in some specific sites can reflect the progress of periodontitis or peri-implantitis. This study aims to evaluate the expression of cFn messenger RNA (mRNA) in tissues of adult periodontitis and peri-implantitis by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to determine its clinical significance. A total of 30 patients were divided into three groups of 10: healthy, adult periodontitis and peri-implantitis. Periodontal tissue biopsies (1 mm×1 mm×1 mm) from each patient were frozen in liquid nitrogen. Total RNA was extracted from these tissues, and the content, purity and integrity were detected. Specific primers were designed according to the sequence, and the mRNA expression levels of cellular fibronectin were detected by real-time PCR. The purity and integrity of the extracted total RNA were both high, and the specificity of amplified genes was very high with no other pollution. The mRNA expression of cFn in the adult periodontitis group (1.526±0.441) was lower than that in the healthy group (3.253±0.736). However, the mRNA expression of cFn in the peri-implantitis group (3.965±0.537) was significantly higher than that in the healthy group. The difference revealed that although both processes were destructive inflammatory reactions in the periodontium, the pathomechanisms were different and the variation started from the transcription level of the cFn gene.
Adult ; Alveolar Bone Loss ; metabolism ; Female ; Fibronectins ; analysis ; genetics ; Gingiva ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peri-Implantitis ; metabolism ; Periodontal Attachment Loss ; metabolism ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontal Pocket ; metabolism ; Periodontitis ; metabolism ; Periodontium ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transcription, Genetic ; genetics ; Young Adult

Objective To identify the important risk factors for type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and develop effective strategies to address the problem of T2DM.Our study aimed to evaluate the association between apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genetic polymorphism and type 2 diabetes,and to provide clues for the etiology of T2DM.Methods Based on the criteria of inclusion and exclusion,we extracted,pooled,analyzed and assessed the case-control studies of ApoE polymorphism and T2DM published in PubMed,Web of Science,Medline,WanFang,VIP,and CNKI databases by R soft-ware (version 3.4.3).We used Random-effect models when heterogeneity was present in between-study,and fixed-effect models otherwise.Results We had 59 studies covering 6,872 cases with T2DM and 8,250 controls,and compared the alleles and genotypes of ApoE between cases and controls.When we conducted a comparison between ApoE ε4 and ε3 alleles,we produced a pooled OR of 1.18 (95％ CI:1.09-1.28;P ＜ 0.001).ApoE ε2/ε2 genotype displayed a possible association with T2DM (OR =1.46;95％ CI:1.11-1.93;P =0.007),ε3/ε4 genotype showed a 1.11-fold risk (OR =1.11;95％ CI:1.01-1.22;P =0.039) and ε4/ε4 genotype had a 1.71-fold risk of developing T2DM (OR =1.71;95％ CI:1.33-2.19;P ＜ 0.001) when they were compared with ε3/ε3 genotype.Conclusions There is an association between ApoE polymorphism and T2DM:allele ε4 and genotypes (ε2/ε2,ε3/ε4,and ε4/ε4) are associated with the increased risk for the development of T2DM,and they may be risk factors for T2DM.

AIMTo study the active constituents of Swertia davidi Franch..

METHODSChromatography was used to isolate and purify the chemical components, their structures were identified by spectral analysis.

RESULTSThree compounds were identified as 1,7-dihydroxy-3,8-dimethoxyxanthone (gentiacaulein) (V), 1,8-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone (methylswertianin) (VI) and 1,8-dihydroxy-3,4,7-trimethoxyxanthone (VII).

CONCLUSIONCompound VII is a novel xanthone, named daviditin A, the others were isolated from Swertia davidi Franch. for the first time.

Molecular Structure ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Swertia ; chemistry ; Xanthones ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

Using the absorbent resin, silica gel and ODS column chromatography as well as semi-preparative HPLC, ten compounds were isolated from 70% ethanol extract of tubers of Dioscorea zingiberensis C. H. Wright, and their structures were elucidated as trigoneoside XIIIa (1), parvifloside (2), trigoneoside IVa (3), deltoside (4), protobioside (5), lilioglycoside k (6), zingiberensis newsaponin I (7), deltonin (8), prosapogenin A of dioscin (9), and trillin (10) on the basis of NMR and MS spectral data analysis. Among these compounds, 1, 3, 5 and 6 were isolated from this plant for the first time. In the screening test on platelet aggregation, compounds 7 and 8 exhibited induction effect on platelet aggregation, while compound 9 exhibited significant inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation in vitro.
Animals ; Dioscorea ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mass Spectrometry ; Molecular Structure ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Saponins ; chemistry ; pharmacology

Coronary artery disease (CAD)is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, and consumes a considerable amount of medical resources every year.Clopidogrel is a first-line antiplate-let therapy for CHD, butit is associated with substantial variability in PK and pharmacodynamics re-sponse. To date, gene variants explain only a smallproportion of the variability.The study aimed to identify new genetic loci-modifying antiplatelet response to clopidogrel in Chinese patients with CAD by a systematic analysis combining antiplatelet effects and PK, and further to investigate the PON1 gene promoter DNA methylation and genetic variations possibly influencing clinical outcomes in pa-tients undergoing PCI. We identified novel variants in two transporter genes (SLC14A2rs12456693, ATP-binding cassette [ABC]A1 rs2487032) and in N6AMT1 (rs2254638) associated with P2Y12 reac-tion unit (PRU) and plasma active metabolite (H4) concentration. These new variants dramatically im-proved the predictability of PRU variability to 37.7％. The associations between these loci and PK pa-rameters of clopidogrel and H4 were observed in additional patients, and its function on the activation of clopidogrel was validated in liver S9 fractions (P<0.05). Rs2254638 was further identified to exert a marginal risk effect formajor adverse cardiac events in an independent cohort.Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that PON1methylation level at CpG site-161 (OR=0.95; 95％ CI=0.92–0.98;P<0.01)and the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors(OR=0.48;95％ CI=0.26–0.89;P<0.01) were associated with decreased risk of bleeding events. In conclusion, new genetic variants were systematically identified as risk factors for the reduced efficacy of clopidogrel treatment.The ab-normal expression of DNA methylation-regulating key genes in the pharmacokinetic and pharmacody-namics pathways of clopidogrel and aspirin may modify clinical outcomes in dual antiplatelet-treated pa-tients undergoing PCI.

OBJECTIVETo study the biomarkers of styrene and to provide theoretical basis for bio-monitoring of styrene.

METHODSUrinary mandalic acid (MA), phenylglyoxalic acid (PGA) and mercapturic acid (MUA) of styrene were examined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

RESULTSThe correlation regression equations between exposure dose and MA, PGA and MUA level in morning urinary samples were: ŷ = 2.58x + 70.82; ŷ = 1.66x + 37.42; ŷ = 0.05x + 0.55 respectively. The correlation regression equations between exposure dose and MA, PGA and MUA level in post-shift urinary samples were: ŷ = 1.85x + 89.02; ŷ = 1.33x + 4.32; ŷ = 0.04x + 0.68 respectively. All showed close dose-response relationship.

CONCLUSIONSThe level of MA, PGA and MUA in morning or post-shift urinary samples may be used as bio-monitoring indexes of styrene.

Acetylcysteine ; urine ; Adult ; Biomarkers ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Environmental Monitoring ; Glyoxylates ; urine ; Humans ; Male ; Mandelic Acids ; urine ; Regression Analysis ; Styrene ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDTo evaluate the influence ultrasonic processing on the aggregation of PrP(Sc) in the brain extracts prepared from the scrapie-infected hamsters, and to seek for the way to prepare lower molecular PrP(Sc) polymer.

METHODSThe extracts of infected brains were prepared with a lysis solution, and treated with ultrasonics at various conditions during the different phases. The distribution and aggregation state of PrP(Sc) were analyzed by proteinase K treated. Western blot, and afterwards, quantitatively calculated with a commercially supplied software Image Totaltech.

RESULTSThe amount of PrP(Sc) in the supernatant of brain homogenates was 1.29-to 1.58-fold increased with appropriate sonication (15 s for 30 times). At the same conditions of ultrasound, the PrP amount in the supernatant prepared from the scrapie-infected hamster brain was significantly increased, whereas that prepared from healthy animal used as normal control showed little change. Comparative analyses of PrP(Sc) pellets prepared by high-speed centrifugation revealed that about 90% PrP(Sc) released into supernatant after ultrasound processing.

CONCLUSIONAppropriate sonication of homogenate of scrapie-infected brain increases the extracted amount of PrP(Sc), being favorable to laboratory diagnosis. Larger molecular PrP(Sc) aggregates can be crashed by ultrasonic processing, engendering lower molecular PrP(Sc) polymers.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Brain Chemistry ; Cricetinae ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; PrPSc Proteins ; analysis ; Scrapie ; metabolism ; Sonication

AIMTo study the chemical constituents of Polygala aureocauda Dunn..

METHODSChemical compounds were isolated by column chromatography and their structures were determined mainly by spectroscopic means (UV, IR, MS, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, HMQC, HMBC).

RESULTSThree compounds were isolated and identified as 3-hydroxy-1,4-dimethoxyxanthone (I), 1, 7-dihydroxy-2, 3-methylendioxyxanthone (II), 7-hydroxy-1-methoxy-2, 3-methylendioxyxanthone (III).

CONCLUSIONCompounds I-III were isolated from Polygala aureocauda Dunn. for the first time, whereas compound I is a new xanthone.

Molecular Conformation ; Molecular Structure ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polygala ; chemistry ; Xanthones ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of c-fos in rats' skin during wound healing. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was conducted on paraffin section from incised wounding model of rat skin. RESULTS: Fos protein improved from the time of 10 min after wounding in the wound edge, then it reached peak at 3 h. 24 h after injury, the quantity of Fos expression had no difference with that of normal skin. CONCLUSION Fos is sensitive after wound, but should be used with other criteria in wounding interval estimation as it's unstediness.
Animals ; Genes, Immediate-Early ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/biosynthesis* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin/metabolism* ; Time Factors ; Wounds and Injuries/metabolism*