To comprehensively evaluate the quality of commercial Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra, 43 batches of commercial Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra were collected to determine the content of nine ginsenosides Rg_1, Re, Rb_1, Rk_3, Rh_4, 20(S)-Rg_3, 20(R)-Rg_3, Rk_1, and Rg_5 by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The quality of the commercial Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra was evaluated by correlation analysis, principal component analysis, factor analysis, analysis of variance(ANOVA), and cluster heatmap analysis. The content determination indicated that the content of common ginsenosides in commercial Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra were higher while that of rare ginsenosides were lower. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that ginsenosides Rg_1 and Rb_1 were significantly positively correlated with rare ginsenosides, and Rg_1, Rb_1 and rare ginsenosides played an important role in evaluating the quality of commercial Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra. In combination with the processing principle and current quality situation of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra, it is recommended to improve the content limit of Rb_1 in the existing quality standards.
Panax ; Ginsenosides/analysis* ; Rhizome/chemistry* ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

Most of the active ingredients of herbs are secondary metabolites of plants. Cytochrome P450s (P450s) are hemoglobin-containing monooxygenases encoded by a super-gene family, which play important roles in the metabolic network of plants. This review focuses on the role of P450s on biosynthesis of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids and phenylpropanoids. This will provide references for biosynthesis and regulation of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants.

Tanshinones are abietane-type norditerpenoid quinones that make up the main bioactive ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza. Cytochrome CYP450 plays an important role in the post-structural modification of tanshinone biosynthesis pathway. Long non-coding RNA( lncRNA) have been defined as transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides,which have been functionally characterized in regulating the growth and development,secondary metabolism and stress of medicinal plants. In this study,we perform a comprehensive identification of lncRNAs in response to tanshinone metabolism induced by yeast extract( YE) and Ag~+ S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots. Deep RNA sequencing was used to identify a set of different 8 942 lncRNAs,of which 6 755 were intergenic lncRNAs. We predicted a total of 1 115 814 lncRNA-coding gene pairs,including 122 lncRNA-coding gene as cis pairs. The correlation analysis between lncRNA and CYP450 related to tanshinone biosynthesis was carried out and a total of 16 249 lncRNA-CYP450 target gene pairs were identified. Further analysis with functional known CYP76 AH1,CYP76 AH3 and CYP76 AK1 involved in tanshinone biosynthesis,we also identified a set of 216 target genes. These candidate genes will be the important target in the downstream regulation mechanism analysis of the tanshinone biosynthesis pathway.
Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; genetics ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; biosynthesis ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Roots ; RNA, Long Noncoding ; genetics ; RNA, Plant ; genetics ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; genetics

Objective:To obtain the information of alkaloids in Evodia rutaecarpa by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Method:Inter Sustain-C₁₈ column (4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm) was used with 0.2% formic acid water-acetonitrile as the mobile phase for gradient elution. The column temperature was 25℃,the volume flow rate was 1.0 mL·min^-1,and the sample volume is 5 μL. The detection wavelength was 245 nm,and the chromatographic effluent was detected and analyzed by using both positive and negative ions. Result:According to molecular ion peaks and secondary mass spectrometry characteristic fragment ions,as well as the mass spectrometry information of reference substances and relevant literature reports,more than 40 major peaks were analyzed,and 21 alkaloids were identified from the methanol extract of E. rutaecarpa, including 10 kinds of indole alkaloids,10 kinds of quinolone alkaloids,and 1 kind of ephedrine. Main types of alkaloids in E. rutaecarpa were basically clarified. And the research found that the alkaloids have a good response mainly in the positive mode. Conclusion:Based on HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technology, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation,mass spectrometry determination of molecular mass,pyrolysis data,literature analysis and retrieval were performed to quickly,accurately and comprehensively identify alkaloids in E. rutaecarpa, so as to provide a scientific basis for the further extraction and separation of the chemical constituents of E. rutaecarpa.

OBJECTIVEAcupuncture has a definite therapeutic effect on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) has been shown to be involved in regulation of inflammation. In this study, we investigated whether electro-acupuncture (EA) affects the CAP in COPD.

METHODSSprague-Dawley rats were induced into COPD through exposure to cigarette smoke combined with lipopolysaccharide. EA treatment was applied at Zusanli (ST36) and Feishu (BL13) points for 30 min/d for 7 d. Seventy-two rats were randomly divided into six study groups, including normal, normal + EA, normal + α-bungarotoxin (α-BGT) (the antagonist of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 subunit (α7nAChR)) + EA, COPD, COPD + EA, and COPD + α-BGT + EA. Lung function, pathology and vagus nerve discharge were tested. The levels of acetylcholine (ACh), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA and protein expression and immunoreactivity of α7nAChR and its postreceptor inflammation signal pathway, including janus kinase 2 (JAK2), signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), were observed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSCompared with normal rats, there were a significant decline in lung function and discharge of the vagus nerve (P < 0.01), a marked sign of lung inflammation and an increase of ACh, AChE, IL-6 and TNF-α level in BALF or lung tissue (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) and higher expression of α7nAChR, JAK2, STAT3 and NF-κB (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) in the COPD rats. In rats receiving EA, the lung function and vagal discharge were enhanced (P < 0.01), lung inflammation was improved and the levels of ACh, AChE, IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased (P < 0.01). Further, the expression of α7nAChR, JAK2, STAT3 and NF-κB was downregulated (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). However, the above effects of EA were blocked in rats injected with α-BGT (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONEA treatment can reduce the lung inflammatory response and improve lung function in COPD, which may be related to its involvement in the regulation of CAP.

Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expressions of acetylcholine (ACh) and mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) in the lungs of rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),and explore the mechanism of EA in treating COPD.Methods:Thirty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a control group,a COPD group,and an EA group,with 10 rats in each group.The control group was a group of normal rats.The COPD rat model was induced by cigarette smoke combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).The COPD rats were treated with EA at bilateral Feishu (BL 13) and Zusanli (ST 36) in the EA group,30 min each time,once a day,successively for 14 d.The lung function was tested.The contents of ACh and MUC5AC in lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Pearson method was used to analyze the correlation between pulmonary function and the content of MUC5AC in lungs.The mRNA and protein expressions of MUC5AC in lung tissues were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot (WB),respectively.The immune response of MUC5AC was observed by immunohistochemistry.Results:Eight rats were left in each group,and the other two died.Compared with the control group,the total airway resistance (Raw) increased significantly and dynamic compliance (Cdyn) decreased significantly in the COPD group (P＜0.01);compared with the COPD group,the Raw level declined significantly and Cdyn increased significantly in the EA group (P＜0.01).The contents of ACh and MUC5AC in the lungs and BALF were remarkably higher in the COPD group compared with those in the control group (P＜0.01,P＜0.001);compared with the COPD group,the contents of ACh and MUC5AC were significantly lower in the EA group (P＜0.05,P＜0.001).There was a negative correlation between MUC5AC content and lung function (P＜0.001).The mRNA and protein expressions of MUC5AC in the lungs were significantly higher in the COPD group than in the control group (P＜0.001);compared with the COPD group,the expressions were significantly lower in the EA group (P＜0.01).Compared with the control group,the immune response of MUC5AC in the airway epithelium significantly increased in the COPD group (P＜0.001);the immune response of MUC5AC was significantly lower in the EA group compared with that in the COPD group (P＜0.001).Conclusion:EA treatment can improve the lung function of COPD rats,which may be related to its effect in the down-regulation of ACh and MUC5AC contents in the lungs as well as the inhibition of mucus hypersecretion.

Objective: To explore the clinical significance of transcranial Doppler flow grades for patients with acute cerebral infarction combined with H type hypertension. Methods: 92 patients with acute cerebral infarction combined with H type hypertension were divided into observation group, and 78 patients with acute cerebral infarction were divided into control group during the same period. The differences of the two groups were compared and researched. The correlation between transcranial Doppler flow grade of acute cerebral infarction combined with H type hypertension and the score of NIHSS was compared and analyzed. Results: As the results of transcranial Doppler flow grades, the ratio of the patients in 0 grade was 10.87% in observation group, and it was significantly higher than that of control group (1.28%) (x2=4.925, P<0.05). The ratio of the patients in 5 grade was 6.52% in observation group, and it was significantly lower than that of control group (21.79%) (x2=8.417, P<0.05). The blood flow velocities of systole and diastole of observation group were significantly lower than that of control group (t=3.645, t=5.251, P<0.05), respectively. The cerebral infarct size of observation group was significantly larger than that of control (t=4.405, P<0.05). The score of NIHSS of observation group was significantly higher than that of control group (t=2.688, P<0.05). The results of Pearson linear correlation analysis indicated that there was a significantly negative correlation between transcranial Doppler flow grades and NIHSS (r=-0.284, P<0.05). Conclusion: The transcranial Doppler flow grades can identify the order of severity for patients with acute cerebral infarction combined with H type hypertension.

Objective To investigate the standard prescription in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to provide a reference for rational drug use. Methods A total of 157 patients with COPD in our hospital were included into the study from June 2016 to January 2017. Of patients, there were 3 patients with mild airflow limitation, 18 patients with moderate airflow limitation, 39 patients with severe airflow limitation and 97 patients with extremely severe airflow limitation. The self-made questionnaire was used to understand the basic situation, complications and irrational drug use. Results Most severe and extremely severe COPD patients were male, and most of them combined with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Of the 157 patients, 12 cases with moderate airflow limitation used inhaled therapy of corticosteroids/bronchodilator medications, 45 cases combined with pneumocardial disease used compound methoxyphenamine, 26 cases used leukotriene receptor antagonist, 14 cases used antibiotics for no obvious infection symptom and 11 cases used systemic corticosteroids in stable COPD. All of them belong to rational drug use. Conclusion There are some unreasonable situations of drug using in patients with stable COPD. The medical staff should strictly control indications, strengthen the education for drug use, guide rational drug use and avoid the occurrence of adverse consequences.

Objective To observe the effect of the intensive training of core stabilization on the general function of patients with femoral neck fractures in old patients after hip arthroplasty. Methods From January, 2011 to December, 2012, 60 old patients accepted hip arthroplas-ty for femoral neck fractures were randomly divided into control group (n=30) and observation group (n=30). The control group received routine rehabilitation training 50 minutes each time, and the observation group received intensive training of core muscles 20 minutes each time based on the routine rehabilitation training 30 minutes each time, twice a day, five days a week for two weeks. Both groups were evalu-ated with Harris Hip Score (HHS), Charnley Hip Score (CHS) and modified Barthel Index (MBI) before training and one week, two weeks and three months after training. Results There was no significant difference in the scores of HHS, CHS and MBI before and one week after training (P>0.05). All the scores increased with time in both groups (F>248.165, P<0.001). The scores of HHS, CHS and MBI were signifi-cantly higher in the observation group than in the control group two weeks and three months after training (t>3.211, P<0.001). Conclusion Early intensive training of core stabilization may facilitate to recover hip function and activity of daily living in old patients after hip arthro-plasty.