Antihypertensive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Endothelin Receptor Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo compare the changes of digestive and absorptive functions in three different models of Pi-deficiency syndrome (PDS).

METHODSExperimental mice were divided into four groups, the control group(CG), the rhubarb group (RG), the exhaustion group (EG) and the over-exertion group(OG). Criteria including general physical signs, D-xylose excretion rate, serum amylase activity, velocity of stomach emptying and enterokinesia, serum gastrin content and indexes of organs were determined before and after treatment.

RESULTSDecrease of D-xylose excretion rate and increase of stomach emptying and enterokinesia velocity appeared in all the three PDS models. As compared with CG, changes of all indices in OG were significant, while the decreasing of spleen index and serum amylase activity in EG, and the changes of serum gastrin content and thymus index in RG were insignificantly different.

CONCLUSIONAll the changes in various criteria showed that PDS mice model established by over-exertion was superior to that established by frequently used methods as purging with rhubarb and exhausting by swimming.

Animals ; Digestion ; physiology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Intestinal Absorption ; physiology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Splenic Diseases ; Syndrome ; Xylose ; urine ; Yang Deficiency

Objective To evaluate the performance of nested PCR in the detection of different fungi in paraffin wax embedded tissues. Methods Forty-four tissue samples were resected from rats infected with Fonsecaea monophora, patients with chromoblastomycosis, sporotrichosis or penicilliposis marneffei followed by preparation of paraffin wax embedded tissue sections for pathological examination and DNA extraction. Nested PCR was performed by using specific primers targeting the ribosomal DNA of Fonsecaea, Sporothrix and Penicillium marneffei, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of nested PCR were analyzed and compared with those of pathological examination. Results The nested PCR showed positive results in 8 of 20 samples from rats with chromoblastomycosis, 7 of 10 samples from patients with sporotrichosis and all of the 10 samples from patients with penicilliposis marneffei, but not in the control samples. In the detection of Fonsecaea,Sporothrix schenki and Penicillium marneffei, the sensitivity was 40% ,70% and 100%, respectively, and the specificity was consistently 100%, for the nested PCR. Pathological examination revealed fungal elements in 95%, 70% and 80% of the corresponding samples, respectively. Conclusion Detection of fungal DNA in paraffin wax embedded tissue by nested PCR can be applied to the diagnosis of deep mycosis, especially to the diagnosis of penicilliposis marneffei.

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and premature coronary heart disease (PCHD) patients with blood stasis syndrome (BSS).

METHODSrs4343, rs4293, and rs4267385 were selected at SNP from ACE gene. Allele and genotype were detected. Frequencies of allele and genotype were compared by using time-of-flight mass spectrometry technique (TOF-MS).

RESULTSCompared with the healthy control group, genotype of rs4293 and rs4267385 in ACE gene were similar, but there was statistical difference in polymorphisms and allele frequencies of rs4343 in the I and II group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The frequency of G allele was higher in the 3 groups than in the healthy control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The relative risk analysis showed that the risk for PCHD occurrence in G allele carriers at rs4343 (GG +AG) was 3. 6 times the risk in non-G allele carriers (95% CI: 1.224-10.585, P = 0.02). There was also statistical difference in sex, age, TC, and TG after adjusted Logistic regression analysis (OR = 3.994, 95% CI: 1.230-12.974, P = 0.021).

CONCLUSIONThe polymorphism at rs4343 (G2350A) might be one of risk factors for PCHD occurrence, but not a predisposing factor for PCHD patients of BSS.

Alleles ; Case-Control Studies ; Coronary Artery Disease ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Risk Factors

This study aimed to simultaneously determine the contents of astilbin and engeletin in dong medicine "sunl gaems" of Guizhou origin by quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS), with astilbin as the internal standard substance. On UPLC and HPLC chromatograms, different models of instruments were used to investigate relative correction factors (RCF), in order to discuss the interoperability of RCFs established in different chromatographic systems. The engeletin content was calculated based on the established RCFs and compared by the one point external standard method and the external standard working curve method, in order to verify the accuracy of QAMS. According to the result, in different chromatograms, the ratios between RCF and retention time of engeletin and astilbin had a good reproducibility, with RSD between 2.0% and 1.8%, both were less than 3%. The relative differences among results of QAMS, the external standard working curve method of dong medicine "sunl gaems" ranged between 1.6% and 3.9%, with RSD between 2.02%-0.80% in line with relevant requirements and Pearson correlation coefficient at 0.9998 (P <0.01). The findings showed that QAMS was an accurate, reliable and highly reproducible method to determine the contents of astilbin and engeletin in dong medicine "sunl gaems" of Guizhou origin and so could be used to control the inherent quality of the herb.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Flavonols ; analysis ; Glycosides ; analysis

The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture-moxibustion for the treatment of agrypnia was systematically reviewed. The clinical randomized controlled trial (RCT) of acupuncture-moxibustion for agrypnia were collected. The literature and document on acupuncture-moxibustion RCT for the treatment of agrypnia that published from January of 2001 to March of 2012 was searched with computer in PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP database. According to Cochrane Handbook 5. 1. 0, the bias risk and quality assessment were performed on every included trial and RevMan 5. 0 software was applied to make the Meta analysis. Totally 14 researches were included, involving 2662 cases. The Meta analysis showed that the differences of total effective rate between acupuncture-moxibustion and clinical routine treatment were significant [RR = 1.16, 95% CI (1.12, 1.19), Z = 9.32, P < 0.000 01]. The results indicate that total effective rate of acupuncture-moxibustion for agrypnia is obviously superior to that of clinical routine treatment, meaning clinical efficacy of acupuncture-moxibustion is served credit.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Amblyopia ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Moxibustion

Adolescent ; Anesthetics ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Polychondritis, Relapsing ; drug therapy

This study aims to construct a dynamic two-dimensional characterization technique for the hygroscopicity of traditional Chinese medicine extracts and investigate the effect of material properties of powders on hygroscopicity. The dynamic hygroscopicity-time curves of the powders were measured at 25 ℃ and 75% humidity, and the semi-equilibrium hygroscopicity time (t_1/2) and equilibrium hygroscopicity (F^∞) were derived as two-dimensional evaluation indicators. Finally, the correlation between the material properties and the hygroscopic behavior was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares analysis (PLS). The results showed that the dynamic two-dimensional characterization system of hygroscopicity constructed with 1/t_1/2 = 0.1 h^-1 and F^∞ = 15% as the center can classify the hygroscopic behavior of traditional Chinese medicine extracts into four categories: fast hygroscopicity with strong hygroscopicity, slow hygroscopicity with strong hygroscopicity, fast hygroscopicity with weak hygroscopicity and slow hygroscopicity with weak hygroscopicity. The moisture absorption was negatively correlated with D₅₀, D₉₀, ρ_b and ρ_t; the moisture absorption rate was negatively correlated with D₁₀, D₅₀, D₉₀, ρ_b, ρ_t, and positively correlated with moisture content. The hygroscopicity dynamic two-dimensional characterization indicators of Chinese medicine extracts (CMEs) constructed in this study matched with the physical properties. The method of dynamic multi-dimensional characterization technology is feasible and scientific, and the idea has strong promotional value.

Objective To investigate the association between genetic polymorphisms of ERCCl-C8092A and susceptibility to liver cancer, as well as the gene-environmental interaction on the etiology of liver cancer in Fuzhou. Methods A case-control study was conducted to collect the information on environmental exposure while genetic polymorphism of ERCC1 was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. General relative risk regression models were further applied to fit the interaction between genetic polymorphisms of ERCC1-C8092A and the environmental factors of liver cancer. Results ERCC1-C8092A variant genotypes were associated with significant increasing risk of liver cancer adjusted odds ratio (OR= 3.789,95%CI:2.792-5.142 ), compared to the wild-type homozygote. Data from the analysis of interaction showed that genetic polymorphism of ERCC1-8092A appeared superadditive interaction with drinking pond-ditch or with hepatitis B, and super-multiplicative interaction with eating moldy food. Conclusion The point mutation in ERCC1-8092A was possibly susceptible to liver cancer, and related synergistically with other risk factors in hepatocelluar carcinogenesis in Fuzhou.

Chloroplast genome sequences have comprehensive application prospects in DNA barcoding and chloroplast engineering in traditional Chinese medicine. The complete chloroplast genome of Magnolia officinalis sequenced by high-throughput pyrosequencing and a sequencing procedure was established. Fourteen contigs were obtained after de nove assembly. The sequencing percent of coverage was 99.99%. The chloroplast genome is 160 183 bp in size, and has a typical quadripartite structure with the large (LSC, 88 210 bp) and small copy (SSC, 18 843 bp) regions separated by two copies of an inverted repeat (IRs, 26 565 bp each). chloroplast genes were successfully annotated, of which 17 genes located in each IR region. The chloroplast genome features in Magnolia officinalis are nearly identical to those from other Magnoliid chloroplast genomes. Phylogenetic analyses were performed based on 81 shared coding-genes for a total of 9 Magnolia samples of 5 closely related species. Results showed that distinguishing among species was generally straightforward at the species and population level. This study confirmed the effectiveness of our chloroplast genome sequencing procedure. The chloroplast genome can provide distinguishing differences to help identify Magnolia officinalis and its closely related plants.
Base Sequence ; Chloroplasts ; genetics ; DNA, Chloroplast ; genetics ; Genes, Chloroplast ; Genes, Plant ; Genome, Chloroplast ; Genome, Plant ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Magnolia ; classification ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Sequence Analysis, DNA