The dynamic changes of germination percentage, germination potential, thousand-seed weight, antioxidase activity in Desmodium styracifolium seeds with different storage time were tested, and electrical conductivity, contents of soluble sugar, soluble protein, starch in seed leach liquor were also determined in order to reveal the mechanism of seed deterioration. The results as the following. (1) The germination percentage, germination potential and thousand-seed weight of D. styracifolium seeds declined, while the seed coat color darkened with the extension of storage time. (2) The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) decreased with the prolongation of storage period. The SOD activity declined fastest in 1,095-1,185 d of storage, while the POD activity declined significantly in 365-395 d of storage. (3) The electrical conductivity and the contents of soluble sugar, starch in seed leach liquor increased, while the content of soluble protein declined with the extension of storage time. (4) Correlation analysis indicated that the germination percentage, germination potential and thousand-seed weight of D. styracifolium seeds have a significantly positive correlation with SOD and POD activity, while have a significantly negative correlation with the electrical conductivity, contents of soluble sugar and starch. It can be concluded that during the storage of D. styracifolium seeds, physiological and biochemical changes including decrease in antioxidase activity, rise in electrical conductivity, degradation effluent of soluble sugar and starch, degradation of soluble protein were the main factors leading to the seed deterioration.
Color ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Germination ; Peroxidases ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Seeds ; chemistry ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Starch ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Time Factors

To understand Lophatherum gracile plant community's structural characteristics, a survey of community structure and species diversity was conducted through quadrat sampling in Yongchuan district of Chongqing. The results showed that there were 386 species vascular plants, belonging to 117 families and 229 genera. Based on habitat, community structure and species composition, L. gracile were found in three community types: Pinus massoniana community, banboo community, shurb community. Vertical structure was composed of three layers, including tree layer, shrub layer and herb layer. Species in shrub layer was the richness. P. massoniana is the only dominant species of the community, it can not regenerate naturally, the shrub layer has a greater effect on the community of L. gracile in the future. In addition, the banboo community and shurb community is not stable because of human's activity. Therefore, the community characters of L. gracile should be taken care of conservation when the resources are utilized.
China ; Ecosystem ; Pinus ; physiology ; Plants ; Poaceae ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo research the constituents in needles of Pinus sylvestris.

METHODRepeated column chromatography and preparation HPLC are used for compound isolation, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data analysis.

RESULTSix compounds, pinifolic acid (1), 15-oxo-8 (17) -labden-18-oic acid (2) , 15-acetoxy-labd-8 ( 17)-en-18-oic acid (3), dehydroabietic acid (4), 7alpha-hydroxydehydroabietic acid (5), 7beta-hydroxydehydroabietic acid (6) were isolated from the needles of P. sylvestris.

CONCLUSIONCompound 3-6 were isolated from the needles of P. sylvestris for the first time, and compound 3 is a new natural product. The petroleum ether and EtOAc extracts showed significant cytotoxic effects to Hela and A549. Compounds 2, 4-6 revealed a positive distinction compared to the control group.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Diterpenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Molecular Structure ; Pinus sylvestris ; chemistry ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Structure-Activity Relationship

Moderate drought stress has been found to promote the accumulation of active ingredients in Glycyrrhiza uralensis root and hence improve the medicinal quality. In this study, the transcriptomes of 6-month-old moderate drought stressed and control G. uralensis root (the relative water content in soil was 40%-45% and 70%-75%, respectively) were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2000. A total of 80,490 490 and 82 588 278 clean reads, 94,828 and 305,100 unigenes with N50 sequence of 1,007 and 1,125 nt were obtained in drought treated and control transcriptome, respectively. Differentially expressed genes analysis revealed that the genes of some cell wall enzymes such as β-xylosidase, legumain and GDP-L-fucose synthase were down-regulated indicating that moderate drought stress might inhibit the primary cell wall degradation and programmed cell death in root cells. The genes of some key enzymes involved in terpenoid and flavonoid biosynthesis were up-regulated by moderate drought stress might be the reason for the enhancement for the active ingredients accumulation in G. uralensis root. The promotion of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of auxin, ethylene and cytokinins by moderate drought stress might enhance the root formation and cell proliferation. The promotion of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of abscisic acid and jasmonic acid by moderate drought stress might enhance the drought stress tolerance in G. uralensis. The inhibition of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of gibberellin and brassinolide by moderate drought stress might retard the shoot growth in G. uralensis.
Droughts ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; genetics ; Plant Roots ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Stress, Physiological ; Transcriptome

Objective: To observe the inhibitory effects of biotic royal jelly on the ascitic hepatoma cell H22. Methods: Mice bearing H22 tumor were fed on different types of royal jelly: No.1, 2 and 3. Their anti-tumor effects were observed in vivo. The general royal jelly and normal saline were observed as control. Results: Among these biotic royal jelly, the biotic royal jelly No.1 showed obvious tumor-inhibiting and survival-prolonging effects. In addition, it increased the number of WBC and augmented the amount of IL-2 and IFN-γ; the pathological study also indicated the denaturing and necrosis of most tumor cells with nuclei constraining and cell membrane rupturing, and large amount of lymphocytes and plasmacytes infiltrating around the mass. Conclusion: The No.1 biotic royal jelly has obvious anti-tumor effect, and it may take effects by inhibiting or killing tumor cells and improving the immunity of the host.

Objective To investigate the effect of L-arginine on expression of protein kinase C(PKC)mRNA during pulmonary ischemia and reperfusion injury(PIRI)in the rabbits.Methods Single lung ischemia and reperfusion animal model was used in vivo.The rabbits were randomly divided into three groups(n=9,in each),sham operated group (Sham),PIR group(I-R)and PIR+L-arginine group(L-Arg).Changes of several rariables including malondialdehyde (MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),malandialde hyde(MDA),nitril oxide(NO),wet to dry ratio of lung tissue weight(W/D)and index of quantitative assessment(IQA)of histolngic lung injury were recorded at 60 minutes after reperfusion in lung tissue.Meanwhile the location and expression of PKC mRNA were observed.Lung tissue was prepared for light microscopic and electron microscopic observation at 60 minutes after reperfusion.Results In comparison with group I-R,PKC mRNA strongly expressed in intima and extima of small pulmonary artery as well as thin-waU vessels (mostly small pulmonary veins).The average optical density values of PKC-?,?and?mRNA in small pulmonary veins in L-Arg group had significance(all P＜0.01);SOD increased while MDA,W/D and IQA decreased at 60 minutes after reperfusion in lung tissue(P＜0.01 and P＜0.05).A morphologically abnormal changes of the lung tissue,were lessen markedly in L-Arg group.Conclusion L-arginine possess notably protective effects on PIRI in rabbits by activating PKC-?,?and?mRNA expression in lung tissue,raising NO level,dropping oxygen free radical level and decreasing lipid peroxidation.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on the morphology and function of the left cardiac ventricle in young rats with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rhGH in the treatment of DCM.

METHODSSixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally assigned to control group, DCM group, and rhGH group. Furazolidone (0.25 mg/g) was given by gavage for 12 weeks to prepare the DCM model. Rats in the rhGH group received an intraperitoneal injection of rhGH (0.15 U/kg) once per day for 12 weeks, while rats in the DCM group received an equal volume of normal saline instead. Rats in the control group did not receive any treatment. Cardiac indices, serum biochemical parameters, hemodynamic indices, cardiac histopathological changes, and levels of myocardial collagen fibrils in each group were determined using Doppler echocardiography, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, multi-channel physiological recorder, light and electron microscopy, and picrosirius red staining plus polarization microscopy, respectively.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, rats in the DCM group had significantly increased cardiac chamber size, significantly reduced ventricular wall thickness, and significantly decreased fractional shortening (FS) and ejection fraction (EF) (P<0.05). Rats in the rhGH group had significantly improved cardiac chamber size, ventricular wall thickness, FS, and EF compared with the DCM group (P<0.05). Those indices in the rhGH group were similar to those in the control group (P>0.05). There were significant differences in serum biochemical parameters and hemodynamic indices between the DCM and control groups (P<0.05). Compared with the DCM group, the rhGH group had significantly improved serum biochemical parameters and hemodynamic indices (P<0.05). Those indices in the rhGH group were similar to those in the control group (P>0.05), except for the levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3. The DCM group had a significantly higher collagen type I/collagen type III (Col I/Col III) ratio in the myocardium than the control group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the Col I/Col III ratio between the control and rhGH groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSrhGH plays a certain role in improvement in the morphology and function of the left cardiac ventricle in young rats with DCM.

Animals ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Collagen Type III ; analysis ; Echocardiography ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Human Growth Hormone ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Myocardium ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective:To explore clinical application effect of cardiac remote real -time monitoring system.Methods:Cardiac remote real -time monitoring warning instrument(iHolter)was applied in 210 patients.The iHolter gave a-lerts automatically in case of ECG abnormalities for corresponding treatment in time,and it offered corresponding reports on monitoring results.According to age,patients were divided into youth group(<45 years,n=59),mid-dle-aged group(45160 years,n=56)and aged group(≥60 years,n=95).Characteristics of arrhythmias among different age and sex were analyzed.Results:ECG abnormalities were found in 191 cases(90.95%)out of 210 pa-tients,including eight cases with malignant arrhythmias,in which five cases were treated and survived after timely intervention via alerts.Compared with youth group and middle -aged group,there were significant rise in percenta-ges of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia(16.9%,26.8% vs.54.7%)and atrial fibrillation(0%,0% vs.8.4%)in aged group,P< 0.05 or <0.01;abnormal percentages of heart rate variability of middle -aged group and aged group were significantly higher than that of youth group(25.0%,36.8% vs.5.1%,P<0.01 both).Male percent-age of paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia was significantly higher than that of female(81.3% vs.18.8%,P=0.013).Conclusion:Cardiac remote real-time monitoring system can offer timely alerts for cardiovascular events such as arrhythmia and myocardial ischemia etc.,fight for more time for rescuing patients,maximally protect cardi-ac function and improve accuracy of clinical diagnosis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH) for the detection of complex chromosomal abnormalities (CCA) of chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis (CML-BC).

METHODSM-FISH was used to study 26 cases of CML-BC with CCA assayed by conventional cytogenetics (CC).

RESULTSSixty-nine kinds of structural rearrangements were detected by M-FISH besides typical t (9;22) translocation, among them only 10 were balanced ones and 59 unbalanced ones including 1 insertion, 6 deletions, 52 translocations and derivative chromosomes. In addition, 23 numerical abnormalities were detected. All chromosomes were involved in CML-BC, and chromosomes 17, 2, 8, 16 involvements were the most frequent. M-FISH failed to find out the abnormal clone in 1 case, discovered CCA clones that were missed CC in 6 cases. Clarified 16 kinds of aberrations which could not be identified CC and corrected 5 aberrations made wrong description by CC. Thirty-five kinds of translocations were found by M-FISH which were missed by CC. The aberrations of der (9) t (16; 6; 9; 22) and der (18) t (16; 18; 19) we found were reported in the literature for the first time.

CONCLUSIONSM-FISH can refine CCA in CML-BC, find out or correct the missed or misidentified abnormalities by CC. The frequent secondary chromosomal abnormalities in CML-BC with CCA are different from that in CML.

Adult ; Blast Crisis ; genetics ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Karyotyping ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Accelerated Phase ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo explore the molecular cytogenetic abnormalities in multiple myeloma (MM).

METHODSBone marrow plasma cells from 23 previously untreated MM patients were purified by CD138 McAb magnetic cell sorting system, and a panel of probes for interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization were used to detect the 13q14 deletion, p53 deletion and IgH gene translocation in the sorted MM cells.

RESULTSAmong 23 MM patients, 13q14 deletion was observed in 10 (43.5%) cases, with the positive rate of 13q14 deleted cells ranged from 79% to 96%; 14q32 translocation was observed in 11 (47.8%) cases; 13q14 deletion and 14q32 translocation were simultaneously observed in 7 (30.4%) cases; and p53 deletion was observed in none of the 23 cases.

CONCLUSIONThe frequency of 13q14 deletion and IgH gene translocation in multiple myeloma are high; and the relationship between 13q14 deletion, IgH gene translocation and prognosis is worth further investigating.

Aged ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Female ; Gene Deletion ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains ; genetics ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma ; genetics ; Plasma Cells