Plants in Ainsliaea genus, belongs to Compositae family, are traditional Chinese medicine and widely used in folk. These plants contain various types of chemical components, and main components are sesquiterpene lactone and its glycosides. In addition, there are triterpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, phenolic acid, long chain fatty acid and volatile oils. Recently, much attention has been payed to varlous research of A. fragrans. This paper reviewed and summarized the chemical components to provide the theoretical basis for the use of Ainsliaea.
Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Molecular Structure

OBJECTIVETo study the inhibition effect of grape procyanidin (GPC) on the cell apoptosis and injury of proliferation induced by radiation.

METHODSThree indices including apoptosis rate, proliferation rate and expression of bcl-2 and bax protein were examined in the mice pancreas after taking different dose GPC by mouth and radiation by (60)Co-gamma ray once.

RESULTSThe cell proliferation and bcl-2 expression in high dose GPC group (3.16% +/- 0.13% and 49.8% respectively), were higher than those in radiation control group (0.64% +/- 0.11%, 29.7%), but the cell apoptosis rate and bax expression (19.8% and 55.0% respectively), were lower than those in radiation control group (35.6%, 85.7%). All the above differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONGPC has certain protective effect against the mice pancreatic cell apoptosis and the abnormal expression of bcl-2 and bax protein induced by (60)Co-gamma.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Biflavonoids ; pharmacology ; Catechin ; pharmacology ; Cell Proliferation ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Pancreas ; cytology ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Proanthocyanidins ; pharmacology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; Vitis ; chemistry ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Background Sirius system,a new Scheimpflug camera combined with Placido topography,improved the capability of imaging the anterior eye segment significantly.However,the study of assessing the repeatability and agreement between Sirius and Pentacam is still lack up to now.Objective This study was to evaluate the repeatability and agreement of the anterior ocular segment measuring parameters by Sirius and Pentacam in myopia received laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).Methods Thirty-five myopic eyes of 35 patients received LASIK were included in School of Optometry and Ophthalmology Eye Hospital from 2010 May through 2010 July.Corneal power flat keratometry (Kf),step keratometry (Ks),mean keratometry (Km),thinnest corneal thickness(TCT),the location of TCT,anterior chamber depth (ACD) and anterior chamber volume (ACV) were measured by Sirius and Pentacam in all the eyes,respectively.The repeatability of the measuring results were evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Cronbach's coefficient alpha (CoA),and the agreement of measuring parameters between Sirius and Pentacam was analyzed using Bland-Altman plot.Results Both Sirius and Pentacam demonstrated high intraobserver repeatability,with all ICC and CoA more than 0.90.No significant differences were found in Kf values and Ks values between the two methods (t =-1.533,-1.750,P＞0.05).Km value was (39.14 ± 1.95) D by Sirius measurement,which was sígnificantly higher than (39.05 ± 1.91) D by Pentacam measurement (t =3.572,P =0.001).The TCT was (457.6 ± 40.9) μm by Sirius method,showing a significant reduce in comparison with (465.4±37.5) μm of Pentacam method (t =-6.689,P＜0.001).A positive correlation was seen in the TCT between the two methods (r=0.988,P＜0.001).The Bland-Alrman plots showed the 95％ CI-21 μm to 6 pm in the TCT value between the two devices.Pairwise comparison of the location of TCT measurements showed significant differences between the two devices (t =-4.132,-5.696,P＜0.001),with a good correlation (r=0.751,0.775) and the 95％ CI (-0.36-0.17 mm,-0.35-0.12 mm).A very good agreement was seen in ACD between the two devices (-0.02-0.12 mm),but the agreement result was not very well in the ACV between the two devices with the 95％ CI (-27.70-6.20 mm3).Conclusions Sirius and Pentacam measurements for anterior ocular segment parameters have a very good repeatability in post-LASIK eyes.In addition,good agreement results are exhibited in corneal power,TCT and ACD between Sirius and Pentacam with an acceptable maximal different value between them.Sirius and Pentacam can be used interchangeably in clinical examination.However,the two devices can not interchangeably for ACV measurement and TCT location.

Objective This study was undertaken to evaluate the ecological association between terrestrial natural radionuclide,indoor radon concentration,natural radioactivity and leukemia incidence among children under 18 years of age.Methods Data were gathered from the disease surveillance program and literature reading while software SPSS 13.0 was used to calculate the Spearman's correlation.Results The incidence rates of childhood(0-18 year)leukemia showed significant differences in different places with the highest as 3.13/105in Jiangmen area and the lowest as 0.42/105 in Maoming area.The incidence in Jiangmen was 7.45 times higher than that in Maoming.There was a rank correlation between the incidence of childhood leukemia and the mean concentrations of natural radio-nuclides in soll(226Ra and 232Th),with a Positive correlation observed for overall leukemia(rs=0.70,P=0.011;rs=0.66,P=0.02 for226 Raand 232Th respectively)and acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL)(rs=0.66,P=0.019;rs=0.64,P=0.025 for 226 Ra and 232Th respectively).Associations between the incidence of childhood leukemia and the indoor γ radiation dose rate,the total annual average effective dose equivalent from natural background radiation were also analyzed(both rs=0.59,P=0.042).Conclusion The natural radioactivity was likely to be a causative factor for childhood leukemia in Guangdong.

The dense extracellular matrix (ECM) of the tumor severely limits the deep penetration of nanomedicine and weakens its anti-tumor effect. Based on this, the yeast vesicle biomimetic nanomedicine with active deep penetration ability of tumor tissue was designed and developed for enhanced tumor therapy. Results of characterization showed that the yeast cell vesicles (YCV) displayed a spherical morphology with diameter of around 100 nm and was well dispersed. Then the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) was selected as a model drug, and DOX was loaded into YCV to obtain YCV/DOX through electrostatic interaction, the encapsulation efficiencies of DOX were calculated as 82.5%. The drug release profile of YCV/DOX implied that DOX release showed a manner of pH-dependent, it may be that pH has affected the electrostatic effect of YCV and DOX. Compared with liposomes (Lipo), in vitro cell experiments showed that YCV from natural sources had stronger permeability in three-dimensional multicellular spheres. It is speculated that the mechanism may be good deformation capacity of YCV. A 4T1 xenograft tumor model was established to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of YCV/DOX. The results suggested that YCV/DOX has stronger tumor tissue penetration ability and could effectively inhibit the tumor growth. All animal experiments were performed in line with national regulations and approved by the Animal Experiments Ethical Committee of Zhengzhou University. This study brings new ideas for the development of biomimetic nanomedicine to overcome the ECM of solid tumors.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes on lipopolysaccharide(LPS) induced hepatocyte inflammation of rats and TLR4/p38MAPK signal pathway.

METHODThe hepatocytes of SD rats were cultured and identified in vitro. The medicated serum of soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes was prepared. The hepatocytes were treated with soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes. Then Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression in cultural supernatants were assayed by ELISA. The expressions of Toll-Like 4 (TLR4), p38 mitogen activated protein kinases (p38MAPK) and p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38MAPK) were detected by Western blot.

RESULTThe rat medicated serum of soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes was extracted for 2-3 mL. The purified rat hepatocytes were 1.5 x 10(8)-2.0 x 10(8). The cell viability was above 95% detected by Typan blue staining. The hepatocytes were identified by immumofluorescence assay. The detection of hepatocyte cultural supernatants: compared with that of the control group, IL-6 and TNF-α expression were increased in the LPS group (P < 0.01). While compared with that of the LPS group, the expressions of IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased after soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes intervention (P < 0.01). The detection of hepatocyte proteins: compared with that of the control group, the protein expressions of p38MAPK, p-p38MAPK and TLR4 were all increased significantly in the LPS group (P < 0.01). Compared with that of the LPS group, the protein expressions of p38MAPK was decreased significantly in SB239063 group and it was also decreased in the soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes group, but with no significant difference. Compared with that of the LPS group, p38MAPK expression was reduced significantly in the soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes group and the SB239063 (p38MAPK pathway inhibitor) group (P < 0.01). TLR4 protein expression was decreased markedly in the soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes group (P < 0.01) but had no difference between the SB239063 group and the LPS group.

CONCLUSIONThe soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes may regulate hepatocyte inflammatory injury of rats through TLR4/p38MAPK signaling pathway.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Hepatocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lipopolysaccharides ; adverse effects ; Liver ; drug effects ; injuries ; metabolism ; Male ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Spleen ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; genetics ; metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of berberine on lipid metabolism disorder and lipid deposition in liver cells of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) rats induced by high fat diet.

METHODSAfter one week adaptable feeding, 45 SPF level male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, the normal control group, the model group, and the berberine group, 15 in each group. Except those in the normal control group, all rats were fed with high fat diet to prepare NAFLD model. As for rats in the berberine group, Berberine Hydrochloride was administered by gastrogavage. HE staining and oil red O staining were performed to identify the model after 8 weeks. Hepatocytes were isolated, and their activities and purities were tested by Typan blue staining and flow cytometry (FCM). Serum levels of TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C were detected using automatic biochemical analyzer. mRNA expression levels of LXRα and FAS in liver cells were analyzed by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Protein levels of LXRα and FAS in liver cells were examined by Western blot.

RESULTSThe NAFLD rat model was successfully established by high fat diet. The yields of purified liver cells in each rat were (6.0-7.5) x 10(8). The viability of isolated liver cells with purity over 90% (tested by FCM analysis) was higher than 95%. Compared with the normal control group,the expression of LXRα and FAS at mRNA and protein levels was higher in the model group (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of LXRα and FAS at mRNA and protein levels was obviously down-regulated in the berberine group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSLXRα/FAS signaling pathway was one of important signaling pathways of NAFLD lipid metabolism disorders. Berberine could recover hepatocyte fatty deposits in NAFLD rats by adjusting the LXR/FAS signaling pathway of hepatocytes, which might be one of important mechanisms for fighting against NAFLD.

Animals ; Berberine ; therapeutic use ; Diet, High-Fat ; Down-Regulation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Fatty Liver ; Hepatocytes ; Lipids ; Male ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; RNA, Messenger ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; pathology ; secondary ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; secondary ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary ; genetics

AIMTo determine the feasibility of establishing the heterologous expression model of human- serotonin transporter(hSERT or 5-HTT).

METHODScRNA of SERT was transcribed from cDNA, which was cloned in the pOTV vector. Each oocyte of mature xenopus laevis was injected with transcribed cRNA in vivo and incubated at room temperature for 4-9 days. Recording the current induced by 5-HT with voltage clamp technique tested the function of the expressed 5-HT transporter.

RESULTSThe transporter current could be observed in Ringer's solution containing 5-HT, and the 5-HT induced current were concentration-dependent. Norepinephrine and dopamine could not induce the transporter current while the 5-HT induced current could be specifically inhibited by 5-HTT blocker, desipramine.

CONCLUSIONThe results demonstrate that the heterologous expression product in xenopus laevis oocytes is human 5-HT transporter.

Animals ; Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Models, Animal ; Oocytes ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Serotonin ; metabolism ; Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Xenopus laevis

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of staged Chinese herbal medicinal therapy combined with chemotherapy in treating patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of stage III or IV.

METHODSAdopting prospective randomized controlled multi-centered method, the 116 patients enrolled were assigned to the treated group (n = 60) and the control group (n = 56). The control group was treated by chemotherapy alone, while the treated group treated by chemotherapy combined with Chinese herbal medicine, i.e. Kangliu Zengxiao Decoction (KLZX) was administered in the chemotherapy stage, followed with Feiyanning Decoction (FYN) in the stage after ending the chemotherapy. The survival time, Karnofsky score, main clinical symptoms and adverse reactions, etc. were observed.

RESULTSThe median survival time was 15.57 months in the treated group, which was higher than that in the control group (11.17 months, P< 0.01). The improvements in tumor related symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, etc. in the treated group were better than those in the control group (P <0.05). In addition, adverse reactions such as leucopenia, digestive reaction (such as nausea and vomiting) in the treated group were less than those in the control group (P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONChinese herbal medicine combined with chemotherapy shows favorable effect in improving quality of life and prolonging survival time on patients with advanced NSCLC.

Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Phytotherapy ; Prospective Studies ; Single-Blind Method ; Treatment Outcome