AIM To study the dynamic changes of color and five constituents during processing of Gardeniae Fructus.METHODS Camera and Adobe Photoshop software were applied to collecting images and obtaining chromatic values (L,a,b) of processed products,respectively.HPLC was adopted in the content determination of genipin-1-β-D-gentiobioside,geniposide,crocin-Ⅰ,crocin-Ⅱ,crocin-Ⅲ.Then the correlation between color and constituent contents was investigated by linear regression and partial least squares method.RESULTS With the process of processing,the chromatic values of epicarp and seed pellets expelled showed decreasing trends,especially for that of the former.On the whole,the contents of geniposide,crocin-Ⅰ and crocin-Ⅱ were decreased,while those of genipin-1-β-D-gentiobioside and crocin-Ⅲ were first increased and then decreased.The chromatic values of epicarp and seed pellets expelled showed significant correlations with crocin-Ⅰ content.CONCLUSION Color and crocin-Ⅰ can be considered as control index and monitoring index during processing of Gardeniae Fructus,respectively.

Objective To design a test phantom for clinical routine quality control of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Methods The commonly used phantom such as Magphan SMR170 and Victoreen 76-903 were used for experiments with the same parameters,and the test data of all the modules were compared.The advantages and disadvantages of all the modules were analyzed,and an optimization scheme was proposed accordingly.Results The phantom could be applied to the detection of high-image-quality MRI machine,and solved the problems in positioning,size matching and etc.Conclusion The new phantom meets the demand of magnetic resonance imaging clinical routine testing,and provides a certain reference for phantom optimization design.

Objective To propose a new diagnostic criterion for rosacea based on the analysis of clinical features of rosacea in a large sample.Methods A total of 1 090 Chinese outpatients with rosacea were enrolled from Department of Dermatology of Xiangya Hospital,and their demographic data,clinical manifestations and subjective symptoms were collected.According to results of descriptive analysis,clinical features of rosacea were summarized,and a new diagnostic criterion for rosacea was set up.Then,the sensitivity and specificity of the new diagnostic criterion were verified among 1 200 outpatients clinically characterized by facial erythema.Results Of 1 090 patients with rosacea,131 (12.0％) were male and 959(88.0％) were female,and the average age was 33.5 ± 11.1 years (range,10-66).Among the 1 090 patients,715 (65.6％) had initial lesions on the cheek,of whom,712 (99.6％) had intermittent flushing as the initial symptom,and 689 (96％) had sensitive skin symptoms such as dryness,burning and itching sensations;208 (19.1％) had initial lesions on the perioral region,of whom,204 (98.1％) had persistent erythema as the initial symptom;167 (15.3％) had initial lesions on the nose,of whom,163 (97.6％) had persistent erythema as the initial symptom;in addition,311 (28.5％) had lesions on the ocular region,and only 24 (2.2％) had lesions outside the face on the neck and retroauricular region.Based on these clinical features,a new diagnostic criterion for rosacea was proposed,including 1 major condition (intermittent flushing or persistent erythema on the cheek,perioral region or nose) and 5 minor conditions (1.sensitive skin symptoms such as burning,tingling,drying or itching sensations;2.telangiectasia;3.papules or pustules;4.hypertrophy;5.ocular symptoms).If with the major condition and at least one minor condition were met,patients could be diagnosed with rosacea.After verification among 1 200 patients with facial dermatitis clinically characterized by facial erythema,the new criterion was proved to have a sensitivity of 99.3％ and a specificity of 95.8％.Conclusion A new diagnostic criterion for rosacea with high sensitivity and specificity is proposed,which is worthy of clinical application.

The use of biodegradable polyurethane as medical appliance has rapidly become a fascinating new field of research in biomedical science. Tremendous progress has been made in this area during the last years. Applications of these materials in the field of organic repairing, tissue engineering and drug-controlled delivery system were reviewed. These new type materials possess excellent properties, such as good biocompatibility and mechanical strength, facile formation and inexpensive, so it can be expected to find wide application in the medical treatment in future.
Absorbable Implants ; Biocompatible Materials ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Biomedical Engineering ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drug Implants ; Polyurethanes ; chemistry ; Skin, Artificial ; Sutures

Objective To explore the effect of QizhiJiangtang Capsule on the insulin resistance (IR)in the diabetic rats,and to clarify the action mechanism.Methods The diabetes rat models were induced by high fat diet combined with STZ injection.The successful models of the rats were randomly divided into diabetes group (DM), ShenqiJiangtang Granule group (SQ)and high (QJH),middle-(QJM),low (QJL)doses of QizhiJiangtang Capsule groups;at the same time control group (NC)was established. The drug concentrations in high, middle and low-doses of QizhiJiangtang Capsules groups were 1.35, 0.68, and 0.34 g · kg-1 respectively;and the concentration of ShenqiJiangtang Granule was 0.27 g·kg-1.After the diabetic model was established successfully, the rats were treated for 8 weeks on the basis of drug dose.Then the levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG),fasting insulin (FINS),insulin resistance index (IRI)and biochemical indexes related to lipid metabolism of the rats were measured using blood glucose detector and automatic biochemistry analyser.The gene expression of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1),phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K),and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4)in liver tissue were examined by Real Time PCR.The levels of tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α)and adiponectin (ADPN)in serum were detected using ELISA.Results Compared with control group,the levels of FBG,FINS and IRI of the rats in diabetes group were significantly increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01 );the serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG)and low density lipoprotein (LDL)levels were significantly increased (P<0.05 ), while the serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL)level was significantly decreased (P<0.05);the mRNA expression levels of IRS-1,PI3K and GLUT4 in liver tissue were decreased (P<0.05);the level of serum TNF-αwas increased (P<0.05),but the ADPN level was decreased (P<0.05).Compared with diabetes group,the FBG level and IRI of the rats in QizhiJiangtang Capsule and ShenqiJiangtang Granule groups were significantly decreased (P<0.01);the levels of FINS of the rats middle and high doses of in QizhiJiangtang Capsule groups and ShenqiJiangtang Granule group were significantly decreased (P<0.05);the levels of serum TC,TG and LDL of the rats in middle dose of QizhiJiangtang Capsule group and ShenqiJiangtang Granule group were significantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01),but the HDL level was increased (P<0.05);the mRBA expression lvels of IRS-1,PI3K and GLUT4 inliver tissue were increased (P<0.05);the levels of serum TNF-αof the rats in middle dose of QizhiJiangtang Capsule group and Shenqijiangtang Granule group were significantly decreased (P<0.05),but the serum ADPN levels were increased (P<0.05 ). Conclusion QizhiJiangtang Capsule can significantly improve the IR in the diabetic rats,and the pharmacological mechanisms are related to adapting the blood lipid component and insulin signal transduction pathways.

The experiment was conducted by directed evolution strategy (error-prone PCR) to improve the activity of aflatoxin detoxifzyme with the high-throughput horse radish peroxidas and recessive brilliant green (HRP-RBG) screening system. We built up a mutant library to the order of 10(4). Two rounds of EP-PCR and HRP-RBG screening were used to obtain three optimum mutant strains A1773, A1476 and A2863. We found that mutant A1773 had upper temperature tolerance of 70 degrees C and that its enzyme activity was 6.5 times higher than that of the parent strain. Mutant strains A1476 worked well at pH 4.0 and its enzyme activity was 21 times higher than that of the parent strain. Mutant A2863 worked well at pH 4.0 and pH 7.5, and its enzyme activity was 12.6 times higher than that of the parent strain. With DNA sequencing we found that mutant A1773 revealed two amino acid substitutions, Glu127Lys and Gln613Arg. Mutant A1476 revealed four amino acid substitutions: Ser46Pro, Lys221Gln, Ile307Leu and Asn471lle. Mutant A2863 revealed four amino acid substitutions: Gly73Ser, Ile307Leu, Va1596Ala and Gln613Arg. The results provided a useful illustration for the deep understanding of the relationship between the function and structure of aflatoxin detoxifzyme.
Aflatoxin B1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; chemistry ; Amino Acid Substitution ; Directed Molecular Evolution ; Enzyme Activation ; Enzyme Stability ; Multienzyme Complexes ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mutant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Protein Engineering

Objective To study the efficacy of auxiliary early-adoption of Xinnao shutong capsules on anti-cerebral ischemia and neurological protection in senile patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods Eighty senile patients with acute ischemic stroke were equally randomized into control group and treatment group. Conventional treatment was given to the control group; besides the conventional treatment, the Xinnao shutong capsules at a dosage of 3 pills and three- times daily for 30 d was given to the treatment group. The clinical efficacy and European stroke scale (ESS) scores were recorded and evaluated. Results The ESS scores in the treatment and control groups before the treatment were (56.24±10.48) and (57.73±9.85), respectively. The ESS scores in the treatment group on the 15th and 30th d of treatment (65.41±11.82, 72.52±13.21) was significantly improved as compared with those in the control group (59.52±10.13, 62.48±12.73) (P＜0.05). Significant differences on the clinical efficacy were noted between the 2 groups (Z=-2.813, P=0.005). Conclusion Xinnao shutong capsules have the effect of anti-cerebral ischemia and decreasing the neurological deficits in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Objective To investigate the characteristics and diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in patients with secondary malignant peripheral nerve lesions. Methods 18F-FDG PET/CT studies of 8 cases of secondary malignant peripheral nerve lesions confirmed by histopathology or follow-up were analyzed retrospectively. The maximum standardized uptake value ( SUVmax ) of infiltrating peripheral nerves and contralateral normal peripheral nerves was measured and compared with their morphological appearances on CT. Paired student t-test was performed by SPSS 10.0. Results Twelve secondary malignant peripheral nerve lesions with high 18F-FDG metabolism were found in 8 cases. On PET imaging,the lesions distributed along the neurovascular tissues or intervertebral foramina with appearances resembling those of fibre bundles,radices or nodes on PET but no density differences with the surrounding soft tissue or fat planes on CT. The SUVmax was 6.86 ± 3.87. The contralateral normal peripheral nerves showed no abnormal 18F-FDG uptake with a SUVmax of 1.10 ±0.46,which was significantly different from that of the secondary malignant peripheral nerve lesions (t = 9.231,P ＜ 0.001 ). Conclusion 18 F-FDG PET/CT may be useful in locating the secondary malignant peripheral nerve lesions and in assessing its regional infiltration.

OBJECTIVETo study inhibitory the effects of Cryptoporus volvatus ferment substance(CVFS) on leukotriene production in vitro from neutrophils in rats.

METHODSNeutrophil aggregation was induced by intraperitoneal injection of glycogen in rats. After 16 h, intraperitoneal lavage fluid(PLF) was collected and neutrophils were removed. Neutrophils were stimulated by calcium ionophore A23187 in vitro to produce leukotriene B(4), C(4), D(4). The concentrations of leukotriene B(4), C(4) and D(4) were measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).

RESULTCVFS at 0.25, 1, 4 mg x L(-1)decreased leukotriene B(4), C(4), D(4) release from neutrophils in a concentration-dependent manner. Inhibitory rate of CVFS 0.25, 1, 4 mg x L(-1 )on A23187-induced leukotriene B(4) production was 27.4%, 54.2% and 78.8%(P<0.05), respectively. Inhibitory rate of leukotriene C(4) production was 65.1%, 74.3 and 79.0%(P<0.05), respectively. Inhibitory rate of leukotriene D(4) production was 55.6%, 60.9% and 72.8%(P<0.05), respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggest that suppression of leukotriene release may be a mechanism of the anti-inflammation and anti-asthma effects of CVFS.

Animals ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Fermentation ; Leukotriene B4 ; secretion ; Leukotriene C4 ; secretion ; Leukotriene D4 ; secretion ; Male ; Neutrophils ; drug effects ; physiology ; Polyporaceae ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo observe the protective effect of metformin on the endothelial function and the mechanisms in rats with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) injection.

METHODSA single dose (4 mg/kg) of natural LDL was injected through the sublingual vein of rats to induce vascular endothelial dysfunction. Blood samples were then collected from the rats to detect the concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO), activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and serum lipid levels. The thoracic aorta of rats was obtained to assay acetylcholine (ACh)-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced endothelium-independent relaxation. The effects of metformin pretreatment on the endothelial functions in the rats were investigated.

RESULTSA single-dose LDL significantly inhibited ACh-induced EDR without affecting SNP-induced endothelial-independent relaxation. The injection decreased serum NO and elevated serum MDA level, but had no effect on serum lipid level. Metformin markedly attenuated LDL-induced inhibition of EDR, serum MDA elevation, and serum NO reduction without affecting the serum lipid levels.

CONCLUSIONMetformin provides protection against vascular endothelial dysfunction induced by LDL in rats, the mechanism of which is probably associated with protection of endothelium-dependent relaxation factor and inhibition of the oxidative stress.

Animals ; Endothelium, Vascular ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors ; metabolism ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Metformin ; pharmacology ; Nitric Oxide ; blood ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Vasodilation ; drug effects ; physiology