A high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry- charged aerosol detection ( HPLC-MS-CAD) method was established for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of four Lignans in Magnoliae Flos extract. The components were separated on a YMC-Pack ODS-A column (250 mm× 4. 6 mm, 5 μm) by gradient elution with methanol and water as the mobile phase at aflow rate of 1. 0 mL/min. Then the elution solution was routed into MS equipment at a flow rate of 0. 3 mL/min and CAD detector at a flow rate of 0. 7 mL/min by a split ratio of 3:7 for the further detection. The column temperature was 25 ℃ and the detection wavelength was 278 nm. A method was developed for the quantitative analysis of muti-components by single maker ( QAMS) to determine pinoresinol dimethylether, magnoli, 1irioresinol B dimethylethe and epi-magnoli A . Magnoli was selected as internal standard and the relative correction factors ( RCF) of the four Lignans were calculated. The contents of the four Lignans in Magnoliae Flos extract were determined by both external standard method and QAMS. The QAMS method was evaluated by comparison of its assay result and that of external standard method. Under the selected chromatographic condition, the limits of detection of pinoresinol dimethylether, magnoli, lirioresinol B dimethylethe and epi-magnoli A were 0. 34, 0. 55, 0. 50 and 0. 58 mg/L, respectively, while the linear range were within 6. 8-270 mg/L, 11-546 mg/L, 2. 0-101 mg/L and 2. 3-116 mg/L. The recoveries ( n=9 ) were 98. 2%-99. 5%, and the correlation coefficient were 0 . 9995-0 . 9998 . No significant differences were found between the quantitative results of external standard method and QAMS method. The developed method is accurate, feasible, and can be used for quality evaluation of Magnoliae Flos .

Based on repeated experiments as well as continuous researching and improving, an efficient scheme to measure velocity and displacement of the coxa and knee movements based on video image processing technique is presented in this paper. The scheme performed precise and real-time quantitative measurements of 2D velocity or displacement of the coxa and knee using a video camera mounted on one side of the healing and training beds. The beds were based on simplified pinhole projection model. In addition, we used a special-designed auxiliary calibration target, composed by 24 circle points uniformly located on two concentric circles and two straight rods which can rotate freely along the concentric center within the vertical plane, to do the measurements. Experiments carried out in our laboratory showed that the proposed scheme could basically satisfy the requirements about precision and processing speed of such kind of system, and would be very suitable to be applied to smart evaluation/training and healing system for muscles/balance function disability as an advanced and intuitional helping method.
Biomechanical Phenomena ; Calibration ; Hip ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Knee Joint ; Movement

Objective To observe the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on learning and memory ability and on the level of myelin basic protein (MBP) in the brain tissue of rats with delayed neurological sequelae (DNS) after acute carbon monoxide poisoning (COP).Methods Forty-eight male SD rats had their cognitive performance assessed with the Morris water maze.After basic training with the Morris water maze and screening,the rats were randomly divided intoanormalcontrol (NC) group (n=11),a COP group (n=17) and an HBO group (n=17).Pure CO gas was injected intraperitoneally to establish acute COP in the latter two groups.The NC group received a similar injection of air.The HBO group was given HBO therapy.The rats in each group were tested for changes in their learning and memory abilities using the Morris water maze.On the 21 st day after the treatment,paraffin tissue sections of the rats' brains were subjected to immunohistochemical (IHC) examination and Western blotting (WB) was used to detect any expression of MBP in the brain tissue.Results After 21 days,morbidity among the COP group was 64.3％,while it was 26.7％ in the HBO group,a significant difference.The average maze escape latency in the COP group was significantly longer than in the HBO group.IHC staining and Western blotting showed that MBP in the hippocampal tissue of the COP group was significantly lower than that in the HBO group.In gray scale comparisons of the rats' brain tissue,that from the NC group was significantly better than that from the COP and HBO groups,but that from the HBO group was significantly better than that from the COP group.Conclusion HBO can effectively reduce DNS after acute COP,mitigate the severity of DNS,reduce demyelination of brain tissue and thus play an important role in protecting brain cells.

Objective To prepare hepatocyte growth factor(HGF) recombinant protein and confirm its activity preliminarily according to building HGF gene prokaryotic expression vector and transforming into E.coli.Methods Clone HGF inserted into the vector pET-26b(+) to construct prokaryotic expression vector pET-26b(+)-HGF and transform into E.coli Rosseta(DE3).The transformed bacteria induced by IPTG was purified through Ni-NTA resin affinity chromatography frozen-drying after renaturation.Results HGF gene recombinant prokaryotic expression vector pET-26b(+)-HGF was constructed successfully.E.coli Rosseta(DE3) which was transformed into pET-26b(+)-HGF expresses the target protein as the form of inclusion bodies,accounting for 38％ of the total bacterial proteins,and confirmed by Western blot.HGF protein which was purified by Ni-NTA resin affinity chromatography,has a purity of about 95％,and can promote proliferation,migration,and inhibition of apoptosis for human non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 cells after interaction.Conclusion HGF gene recombinant prokaryotic expression vector pET-26b (+)-HGF was constructed and expressed in transformed E.coli Rosseta(DE3) successfully.They resumed their recombinant HGF protein structure after purification and renaturation,and had biological activity confirmed by in vitro studies.

Forest musk deer is one of the large-scale farming musk deer animals with the largest population at the same time. The male musk deer can secrete valuable medicines, which has high medicinal and economic value. Due to the loss of habitat and indiscriminate hunting, the numbers of wild population specie and the distribution have been drastically reduced. Therefore, in-depth understanding of the molecular genetics progress of forest musk deer will pave a way for musk deer protection and breeding. In this review, the progress associated with the molecular marker, genetic classification, artificial breeding, musk secretion and disease in past decades were reviewed, in order to provide a theoretical basis for subsequent molecular genetic researches in forest musk deer.
Animals ; Breeding ; Deer ; classification ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Ecosystem ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Female ; Male

BACKGROUND: Splint fixation was a common treatment for limb fracture, but there were some limitations, such as lack of individual difference, easy to lose and being unable to self-adjusting.OBJECTIVE: To explore the design method of digital splint and related finite element analysis.METHODS: Forearms were scanned with CT; periphery parameters were extracted, followed by reverse modeling and modifying. The digital splint models were constructed. Material attribute and mechanical loading were conducted. Thelimb length, maximum stress and displacement of the bone, soft tissue and splint were calculated by finite elementanalysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The digital splint has favorable tight attaching and balanced stress to skin, and whichkeeps well stability for the micro-motion fracture ends. Our study indicated that better tight attaching splint could bedesigned by digital modeling technology. Favorable fracture fixation and mechanical property could be also achieved.

OBJECTIVE: To identify possible risk factors for cerebral palsy (CP) in children. METHODS: A Population-based survey was conducted (including 92 CP cases) in 66 townships of 15 cities of Zhejiang Province from October to November, 1998. 184 of matched controls were selected for comparison. RESULTS: Factors identified which were statistically significant for risk of subsequent childhood Cerebral Palsy included some neonatal diseases, some maternal diseases, low birth weight (<2500 g), maternal irregular menstruation, toxic, substances during pregnancy, malnutrition during pregnancy,and paternal age. CONCLUSION: Several risk factors for Cerebral Palsy were identified. Their prevention may result in redduction of the incidence of Cerebral Palsy.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the killing effect of ZD6474 combined with adriamycin (ADM) on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

METHODSThe inhibitory effects of ZD6474 and ADM alone and in combination on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells were assessed by MTT assay. The cell cycle and cell apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry.

RESULTSZD6474 and ADM both significantly inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells, showing a synergistic effect of their reactions in combined use (P<0.05). ZD6474 or ADM alone caused cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 and S phases, respectively. Combined use of the two drugs resulted in significant reduction of the M-phase cell percentage and cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 and S phases. The coadministration of the drugs significantly increased the apoptosis rate of the cells as compared with ZD6474 or ADM treatment alone (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSZD6474 and ADM show a synergistic effect in inhibiting the proliferation and inducing apoptosis of MCF-7 cells.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Doxorubicin ; pharmacology ; Drug Synergism ; Female ; Humans ; Piperidines ; pharmacology ; Quinazolines ; pharmacology

Using whole-cell patch clamp technique this study investigated the effects of adenosine (Ado) on action potential, L-type calcium current (I(Ca.L)), delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs), and transient inward current (I(ti)) induced by isoproterenol (Iso) in guinea pig isolated single ventricular myocytes. The results showed: (1) Ado alone had no significant direct effects on action potential and I(Ca.L) in guinea pig ventricular myocytes at 20-100 micromol/L. However, Ado significantly attenuated the prolongation of action potential duration (APD) and the increase of the peak amplitude of I(Ca.L) induced by Iso. Iso (10 nmol/L) markedly increased APD(50) and APD(90) from 340+/-21 ms to 486+/-28 ms and from 361+/-17 ms to 501+/-29 ms, respectively (P<0.01), and increased the amplitude of I(Ca.L) from 6.53+/-1.4 pA/pF to 18.28+/-2.4 pA/pF (P<0.01). The peak potential of current-potential relationship shifted to the left. Ado (50 micromol/L) abbreviated APD(50), APD(90) to 403+/-19 ms and 419+/-26 ms (P<0.01), and decreased the peak amplitude of I(Ca.L) to 10.2+/-1.5 pA/pF (P<0.01 vs Iso), but did not change resting membrane potential (RMP), action potential amplitude (APA), and overshoot (OS). (2) Iso (30 nmol/L) reproducibly elicited DADs with 100% incidence of DADs under this condition. Ado (50 micromol/L) completely inhibited Iso from inducing DADs. Iso (30 nmol/L) elicited I(ti) with 2-second depolarizing voltage-clamp pulses rising to +20 mV from a holding potential of -40 mV, the incidence of I(ti) being 100%, and the I(ti) was suppressed in the presence of Ado (50 micromol/L) with the incidence of I(ti) decreased to 14.3% (P<0.05). These data indicate that Ado antagonizes the stimulatory effect of Iso, and that the antiarrhythmic mechanism of Ado preventing Iso-induced DADs is due to the inhibition of intracellular Ca(2+) overload through attenuating the prolongation of APD, the enhance of I(Ca.L) and I(ti).
Action Potentials ; drug effects ; Adenosine ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; pharmacology ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; physiopathology ; Calcium Channels, L-Type ; drug effects ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Heart Ventricles ; cytology ; Isoproterenol ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Male ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; physiology ; Patch-Clamp Techniques

AIMTo study the mechanisms of anti-diabetic nephropathy of rhein on cultured human mesangial cells (HMCs).

METHODSTo mimic the hyperglycemic (HG) environment of diabetic nephropathy, 30 mmol x L(-1) glucose were added to 10% FBS RPMI 1640. The HMCs were treated with rhein for 8, 24, 48 or 72 h, at these time, the bioactivity, total activity of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFbeta1), activity of p38MAPK (p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases, by using immunoprecipitate and Western blot), MMP-2 (matrix metalloproteinase-2), and MMP-9 (matrix metalloproteinase-9, by using gelatinase zymography) and the proliferation of HMCs in high glucose media were measured. Meanwhile the levels of secretion of FN in cultured HMCs were measured.

RESULTSThe results showed that rhein markedly inhibit the proliferation of HMCs, significantly reduce the bioactivity of TGFbeta1 and FN secretion in HMCs, and decrease the increased activity of p38MAPK, but showed no action on the activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9.

CONCLUSIONRhein reduced the secretion of FN and inhibited the proliferation of HMCs may through inhibiting the bioactivities of TGFbeta1 and p38MAPK.

Animals ; Anthraquinones ; pharmacology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Fibronectins ; secretion ; Glomerular Mesangium ; cytology ; metabolism ; Glucose ; antagonists & inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Lung ; cytology ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Mink ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism