During the process of growth, harvesting, transportation, processing and storage, Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) can be easily contaminated by fungi and their metabolites like mycotoxins, which not only express negative effects on the quality and safety of CHMs and their processed products, but also pose great threats to human health. Now, some chemical synthetic fungicides have been frequently used to control the growth of fungi and accumulation of mycotoxins in the preservation of CHMs. However, the concentration and type of chemical fungicides allowed for postharvest application are restricted due to the disadvantages of their high residual toxicity, long degradation period and pollution to the environment and so on. Therefore, it is critical to research and develop some highly effective, safe and non-toxic, natural, environment-friendly fungistatic agents from plants to prevent CHMs from being contaminated by fungi and mycotoxins. The paper reviews mycotoxins and their harmfulness, the effective compounds of fungistatic plants as well as the antifungal mechanism to provide scientific evidences for developing novel and effective fungistatic agents plants. Then, the application prospect of fungistatic agents from plants in the preservation of CHMs was discussed.
Animals ; Fungi ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Fungicides, Industrial ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Mycotoxins ; metabolism ; toxicity ; Plant Diseases ; microbiology ; prevention & control ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; microbiology ; Preservation, Biological ; methods

To compare two enrichment and preservation methods of urinary proteins, stored in polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane (Urimem) or direct freezing, we examined the differences between the two methods in time, space, costs of supplies and electricity, degree of protein degradation and convenience of the sample handling. The urimem method is superior in the storage space, the cost of electricity and the clinical convenience compared to the direct freezing method. However, the direct freezing method is superior in the time and the cost of supplies to the urimem method. The enrichment and preservation of urinary proteins using urimem have more cost-effective benefits compared to those of the direct freezing method.
Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Freezing ; Humans ; Polyvinyls ; Preservation, Biological ; methods ; Proteins ; chemistry ; Urine ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) can decrease the extent of ovarian follicle loss caused by cisplatin treatment. METHODS: Twenty-one adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Fourteen rats were administered 2 mg/kg/day cisplatin by intraperitoneal injection twice per week for five weeks (total of 20 mg/kg). Half of the rats (n=7) were treated with 1 mL/kg/day physiological saline, and the other half (n=7) were treated with 100 microg/kg/day G-CSF. The remaining rats (n=7, control group) received no therapy. The animals were then euthanized, and both ovaries were obtained from all animals, fixed in 10% formalin, and stored at 4degrees C for paraffin sectioning. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture and stored at -30degrees C for hormone assays. RESULTS: All follicle counts (primordial, primary, secondary, and tertiary) and serum anti-Mullerian hormone levels were significantly increased in the cisplatin+G-CSF group compared to the cisplatin+physiological saline group. CONCLUSION: G-CSF was beneficial in decreasing the severity of follicle loss in an experimental rat model of cisplatin chemotherapy.
Animals ; Anti-Mullerian Hormone/blood ; Antineoplastic Agents/*toxicity ; Biological Markers/blood ; Cisplatin/*toxicity ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical/methods ; Female ; Fertility Preservation/methods ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/*therapeutic use ; Ovarian Follicle/drug effects/pathology ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency/blood/chemically induced/pathology/*prevention & control ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of applying multiple displacement amplification (MDA) to DNA typing in forensic pathological section. METHODS: Ninety-eight pieces of pathological sections were prepared in terms of 3 factors as the period of preservation, tissue types and death ages, and randomized into groups by Latin square by double 7-order design. Silicon bead method was used to extract the DNA template. Compared with the PCR amplification performed directly by AmpFlSTR Identifiler kit in the control group, MDA was performed before amplification in the experimental group. Based on the samples from fresh autopsies as the standard genotypes, the number of detection and the detection rate were analyzed and compared between the experimental group and the control group. RESULTS: Between the control group and the experimental group, there was significantly statistical difference regarding the rate of DNA typing in each period of the tissue sections preserved (P<0.01). The detection rate of the 16 loci in the experimental group was more than 95% when the period of the tissue sections were preserved within 360d. There was significant difference in different tissue types (P<0.01). But there was no significant difference in different death ages (P>0.01). CONCLUSION MDA is efficacious in DNA typing of forensic pathological sections, for it can improve the DNA template quantification through abating the inhibiting factor's concentration of PCR and reducing the rate of allele drop out (ADO). However, the period of the sections preserved and tissue types would affect the results of genotyping by MDA.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Brain Chemistry ; Cadaver ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA/genetics* ; DNA Fingerprinting/methods* ; Feasibility Studies ; Forensic Pathology/methods* ; Frozen Sections ; Genetic Loci ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infant ; Kidney ; Liver ; Loss of Heterozygosity/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques/methods* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Preservation, Biological/methods* ; Time Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo establish cryopreservation system of shoot-tips from Fritillaria anhuiensis.

METHODTaking vitrification as system of cryopreservation, the shoot tips with length 2-3 mm were precultured in MS medium enriched with 0.4 mol x L(-1) sucrose for 3 d. They were treated for 20 min with 60% PVS2 at 25 degrees C, and then subjected to ice-cooled vitrification solution for 60 min and transferred to 2 mL cryotubes with fresh vitrification solution (PVS2) and plunged into liquid nitrogen. After rapid thawing in 40 degrees C water bath for 1 min, shoot-tips were expelled into MS medium containing 1.2 mol x L(-1) sucrose for 20 min. Further recovery and growth took place on regeneration medium in the dark at 25 degrees C for 2 weeks, and then with light/dark cycle of 12/12 h. The genetic integrity of cryopreserved shoot-tips was identified through products of PCR with arbitrary primers.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONThe highest survival rates of shoot-tips reached 79.9% by vitrification, and the regeneration rates were 52.3%. No changes were found between treated materials and untreated materials in genomic DNA.

Cryopreservation ; methods ; Cryoprotective Agents ; chemistry ; Fritillaria ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genomic Instability ; genetics ; Plant Shoots ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; metabolism ; Preservation, Biological ; Survival Analysis ; Vitrification

This study was purposed to investigate the effects of 25 Gy gamma-ray irradiation on the CD62p expression, platelet count and the mean platelet volume (MPV) of manually enriched platelet suspension in different time of shelf life at 22 degrees C. Each of 16 bags with plasma-rich platelet was divided into two bags, one of which was exposed to 25 Gy gamma-ray of 137Cs and the other ones was not exposed. 16 bags then were preserved for 72 hours according to AABB standards. The irradiated platelets were regarded as the observation group, and the other ones were regarded as the control group, the expression of p-selectin (CD62p) in the above 2 groups was detected by flow cytometry before irradiation and at 24, 72 hours after irradiation respectively; at the same time, the platelet count and MPV were assayed by using blood cell counter. The results showed that the expression level of CD62p on platelet in irradiated and control groups increased along with the prolonging of preservation time, the expression rate of CD62p on the platelets preserved for 24 hours was higher than that on fresh platelets with significant difference (p<0.05); the expression rate of CD62p on the platelets preserved for 72 hours obviously was enhanced as compared with platelets preserved for 24 hours (p<0.01). There were no significant differences in CD62p expression rate, platelet count and MPV between irradiated and control groups preserved for 24 and 72 hours (p>0.05), however the MPV of irradiated and control groups preserved for 72 hours was higher than that of fresh platelets (p<0.05). It is concluded that the gamma-ray irradiation does not affect the quantity and quality of platelets, but the preservation time for manually enriched platelet suspension should be shortened as far as possible.
Blood Platelets ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Flow Cytometry ; Gamma Rays ; Humans ; P-Selectin ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Platelet Count ; Plateletpheresis ; Preservation, Biological ; methods

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vivo viability of human platelets cryopreserved at -80 degrees C by using SCID mouse model and flow cytometry. The fresh human platelets were frozen with 5% DMSO at -80 degrees C for 10 days, thawed, and centrifuged for concentration. A 100 ml aliquot of concentrated platelets was injected into the SCID mouse tail vein by using a 1 ml insulin-syringe fitted with a 29-gauge ultra-fine needle. The whole blood was collected into heparinized capillary tube at 0.5, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours after infusion via a tail vein and was labelled with CD61-PE. Then the human platelets in mouse whole blood were detected by flow cytometry. The 30 minute time point was used as 100% to calculate the survival time of human platelets. The results showed that the survival time of cryopreserved human platelets were more significantly decreased than that of fresh platelets in SCID mice. Survival rates at 4 hours after transfusion of fresh platelets and cryopreserved platelets in SCID mice were 79.5% +/- 9.1% (n = 8) and 40.6% +/- 6.6% (n = 8) respectively, and a T(1/2) estimated were 7 hours for fresh platelets, but 2.5 hours for the cryopreserved. In conclusion, platelets survival time in SCID mice was shortened after frozen with DMSO at -80 degrees C.
Animals ; Blood Platelets ; Blood Preservation ; methods ; Cell Survival ; Cryopreservation ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, SCID ; Models, Biological ; Platelet Count ; Platelet Transfusion

This study investigated the feasibility and effects of organ bath to be used for detection of bronchial function of non-heart-beating donor (NHBD) lung after 1-h warm ischemia. Sixteen Swedish pigs were divided into two groups randomly: heart-beating donor (HBD) group and NHBD with 1-h warm ischemia (NHBD-1 h) group. The bronchial rings whose lengths and inner diameters were both 1.5 mm were obtained from isolated left lungs of all the pigs. Acetylcholine, arachidonic acid natrium and papaverine were used to test and compare the contractile and relaxant function of bronchial smooth muscles and epithelium-dependent relaxation (EpiDR) response between HBD and NHBD-1 h groups. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the values of bronchial precontraction between HBD and NHBD-1 h groups (5.18+/-0.07 vs 5.10+/-0.11 mN, P>0.05). No significant difference in the values of EpiDR responses between HBD and NHBD-1 h groups (1.26+/-0.05 vs 1.23+/-0.07 mN, P>0.05) was observed either. During the process of EpiDR induction, the rings had no spontaneous relaxation in two groups. In addition, papaverine solution completely relaxed the bronchial smooth muscles of all bronchial rings. It was concluded that after warm ischemia for 1 h, the contractile and relaxant abilities of bronchial smooth muscles, and the epithelium-dependent adjustment both kept intact. Organ bath model could be a liable and scientific way to evaluate the bronchial function of NHBD lung.
Biological Factors/metabolism ; Bronchi/metabolism ; Bronchi/*physiology ; Heart Arrest/*metabolism ; Heart Arrest/physiopathology ; Lung Transplantation ; Models, Biological ; Muscle Relaxation/physiology ; Organ Preservation/*methods ; Random Allocation ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control ; Swine ; Tissue and Organ Procurement ; Warm Ischemia/*methods

OBJECTIVEReal-time monitoring for temperature is required in cold chain for the medical products that are sensible with temperature, such as blood and bacterin, to guarantee the quality and reduce their wastage.

METHODSThis wireless monitoring system in cold chain is developed with Zigbee technology.

RESULTSFunctions such as real-time monitoring, analyzing, alarming are realized.

CONCLUSIONThe system boasts such characteristics as low power consumption, low cost, big capacity and high reliability, and could improve the capability of real-time monitoring and management in cold chain effectively.

Blood Preservation ; instrumentation ; Computer Communication Networks ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Preservation, Biological ; instrumentation ; Refrigeration ; instrumentation ; Telemetry ; instrumentation ; methods ; Vaccines

OBJECTIVETo investigate effects of different drying methods on the content of anthraquinones and tannins in water extract from Radix et Rhiroma Rhei (DHY).

METHODDHY was dried by freeze drying, vacuum drying, drying under normal press and spray drying respectively until its moisture has been 5%. The content of anthraquinones and tannins of samples by different drying methods was determined and compared with.

RESULTThe content of total anthraquinones, free anthraquinones, conjugated anthraquinones and tannins of samples by different drying methods was some different. Samples with freeze drying were highest and samples with drying under normal press at 100 degrees C were low.

CONCLUSIONTemperature is an important pole in drying process water extract from Radix et Rhiroma Rhei. In our study water extract from Radix et Rhiroma Rhei was stable under 60 degrees C on the whole and unstable when drying exceed in 90 degrees C.

Aerosols ; Anthraquinones ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Freeze Drying ; Preservation, Biological ; methods ; Pressure ; Rheum ; chemistry ; Tannins ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Temperature ; Water ; chemistry