Effects of feeding tyrosine and phenylalanine on the accumulation of phenylethanoid glycosides to Cistanche deserticola cell suspension culture

AIM： To investigate the effects of feeding phenylalanine （Phe） and tyrosine （Tyr） on the accumulation of total phenolic compounds and four phenylethanoid glycosides （PeGs） to a cell suspension culture of the parasitic plant Cistanche deserticola.METHOD： A cell suspension culture of C. deserticola was established and precursors of different concentrations were fed. In each group, the cell was sampled at the 24^th day after inoculation. The content of total phenolic compounds and four PeGs compounds were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and an HPLC method, respectively.RESULTS： In the Phe fed cells, the maximum PeGs yield was achieved when Phe was fed at 1.5 mmol·L^-1 and the yield reached 1.13 times the control cell concentration. In the Tyr fed cells, the maximum yield of PeGs was 1.60 times of control when 0.75 mmol·L^-1 Tyr was fed to the cells. Furthermore, it was found that the salidroside yield was 4.01 times of control group when 5 mmol·L^-1 Tyr was fed.CONCLUSION： Tyr is a better precursor for PeGs accumulation compared with Phe, and the rate limiting enzymes might be involved in the Tyr branch.     

Capillary blood flow in patients with dysmenorrhea treated with acupuncture

OBJECTIVE; To observe capillary blood flow at acu- points during acupuncture treatment of primary dysmenorrhea and gain new insights into its anal- gesic mechanism. METHODS： Patients with primary dysmenorrhea were enrolled and randomly assigned to a treat- ment or control group. Subjects＇ symptoms were differentiated into various Traditional Chinese Medi- cine （TCM） syndromes and treated for 10 sessions with puncturing acupuncture or self-pressing right-hand Hegu （LI 4）, adding other acupoints based on syndrome. Laser speckle was used tocompare the change in the vasomotor amplitude and perfusion of the capillaries in Hegu （LI 4） be- fore and during the treatment. Each subject was re- quired to finish the period pain symptoms observa- tion form, verbal rating scales, numerical rating scale, pain rating index, face rating scale, Zung self-rating depression scale, Zung self-rating anxi- ety scale, and numerical rating scale before and af- ter treatments. RESULTS： After 10 sessions, the symptom scores, pain index （PI）, and visual analog scale （VAS） de- creased significantly in treatment group. The vol- ume of blood flow in Hegu （LI 4） declined slightly. No significant evidence supported that needling caused capillary contraction, but the capillary vaso- motor amplitude at Hegu （LI 4） increased remark- ably. CONCLUSION： Acupuncture can increase the capil- lary blood flow, thus promoting the flow of Qi and blood in terms of TCM theory, which facilitates pain relief.     

Curative effect of Xuebijing injection on severe pulmonary contu- sion

OBJECTIVE： To investigate the curative effects of Xuebijing （XBJ） injection, a Chinese patent medi- cine, on severe pulmonary contusion （PC）. METHODS： Sixty-three patients with PC were ran- domized to conventional therapy plus XBJ injec- tion （n=33） or conventional therapy alone （n=30）. Between groups differences in corticosteroid treat- ment, immune regulation therapy, hemofiltration, infusion volume, transfusion volume and antibiotic period were measured, as were intensive care unit（ICU）-free time, ventilation time, 28-day mortality rate and incidence of ventilation-associated pneu- monia （VAP）. Serum concentrations of procalcito- nin （PCT）, tumor necrosis factor-a （TNF-a）, interleu- kin （IL）-6, and 11_-10, white blood cell （WBC） counts and percentages of human leukocyte antigen DR/ CD14＋ （HLA-DR/CD14＋） peripheral blood mononu- clear cells were compared. Markers of ventilation were determined by blood gas analysis and ventila- tor parameters. RESULTS： WBC counts and serum concentrations of PCT, TNF-a, 11.-6 and IL-10 were reduced signifi- cantly more quickly, and CD14＋ percentage was in- creased significantly earlier, in the XBJ group than in the control group （P〈0.05 each）. The level of ven- tilation and oxygenation index were ameliorated earlier in the XBJ than in the control group （P〈 0.05）. XBJ treatment significantly reduced ICU-free time, ventilation time and incidence of VAP （P〈0.05 each）, but had no effect on 28-day mortality rate （P〉0.05）. CONCLUSION： XBJ treatment can shorten ICU-free and ventilation times and reduce the incidence of VAP, improving outcomes in patients with severe PC. XBJ may act by regulating inflammation and im- munity, alleviating systemic inflammatory response syndrome induced by trauma.     

Effects of Chinese herbs in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis：a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE： To research the curative effect of Chi- nese herbs for clearing away heat, promoting diure- sis, nourishing the kidney, and consolidating es- sence in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis（HSPN） with internal accumulation of damp-toxin using randomized controlled observa- tions on large samples. To seek the mechanism of the therapy and its scope of indications. METHODS： Overall, 186 children with HSPN were randomly divided into two groups： treatment group（n=126） treated with Chinese herbs for clear- ing heat and promoting diuresis and a control group（n=60） treated with Western Medicine. The treatment was carried out for three courses of 4 weeks each. We recorded changes in patient urine routines, 24 h urinary protein, blood-coagulating series, immunoglobulin and T-cell subgroups, and improvements in main symptoms. We evaluated the alleviation of clinical symptoms and the im- provement of proteinuria, hematuria, and other lab-oratory test results. Finally, we analyzed the patient population suitable for this therapy according to the relationship between the grouping of patient body weight and curative effect. RESULTS： Damp-heat syndrome improved in the treatment group, with a significant difference in to- tal effective rate after a 4-week treatment（χ2= 13.5220, P=0.0002） and in curative rate after a 12-week treatment（χ2=6.3410, P=0.0118）, com- pared to those in the control group.The curative ef- fect in the treatment group was greater than that in the control group but there was no statistical dif- ference between the two groups. The curative ef- fect after a 4-week treatment of patients in the treatment group weighing 30 kg or less based on Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM） signs and uri- nary protein was significantly greater than that in the control group. However, there was no statistical difference in the curative effect on urinary red cells and various indexes after a 12-week treatment be- tween the two groups. CONCLUSION： Therapy for clearing away heat, pro- moting diuresis, nourishing the kidney, and consoli- dating essence using TCM is effective in children with HSPN from internal accumulation of damp-toxin. The therapy is especially suitable for patients weighing 30 kg or less. The curative effect may be related to the improvement of immune function and blood-coagulation.     

Effect of Morinda officinalis capsule on osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats

AIM： To explore the therapeutic effects ofMorinda officinalis capsules （MOP） on osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats. METHOD： Six-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were induced for postmenopausal osteoporosis （PMOP） by bilateral ovariectomy and divided into seven groups as follows： sham-operated group, ovariectomized （OVX） control group, OVX treated with xianlinggubao （XLGB） （270 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） , OVX treated with alendronate sodium （ALN） （3 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）, and OVX treated with Morinda officinalis capsule （MOP） of graded doses （90, 270 and 810 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） groups. Oral treatments were administered daily on the 4th week after ovariectomy and lasted for 12 weeks. The bone mineral density was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase （TRAP）, alkaline phosphatase （AKP）, and osteocalcin （OC） levels in the serum and plasma were determined by standard colorimetric and enzyme immunoassays methods. Bone biomechanical properties and morphological parameters were analyzed by three-point bending test and histomorphometry respectively. RESULTS： Morinda officinalis capsules at all doses were able to significantly prevent the OVX-induced loss of bone mass due to diminishing serum AKP and TRAP levels while elevating OC level in the plasma. Morinda officinalis capsules also enhanced the bone strength and prevented the deterioration of trabecular microarchitecture. CONCLUSION： Morinda officinalis capsules possess potent anti-osteoporotic activity in OVX rats which could be an effective treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.     

Combinatorial effects of conception and governor vessel electroacu- puncture and human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells on pathomorphologic lesion and cellular apoptosis in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion

OBJECTIVE： To investigate the combinatorial ef- fects of conception and governor vessel electroacu- puncture （EA） and human umbilical cord blood-de- rived mesenchymal stem cells （HUCB-MSCs） on pathomorphologic lesion and cellular apoptosis in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. METHODS： With the HUCB-MSCs isolated, cultured and identified and the models of cerebral isch- emia-reperfusion established, the HUCB-MSCs of passage three were intracranially transplanted andthe EA at conception and governor vessels was ap- plied. The pathomorphologic lesion by hematoxy- lin-eosin staining and the cellular apoptosis by ter- minal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling method around the ischemic fo- cus were observed. RESULTS： The cultured adherent HUCB-MSCs ex- hibited a spindle shape and expressed MSC-specif- ic markers, with the cell purity and proliferation rate significantly increasing after the primary pas- sage. HE staining showed that there were no patho- logical changes observed in the sham surgery group. However, in the PBS transplantation group, degeneration and necrosis of a great number of nerve cells were seen. In both the HUCB-MSCs transplantation group and the HUCB-MSCs trans- plantation ＋ EA group, reparative changes of the pathomorphism of the tissue were found. Both combination treatment and simple MSCs treat- ment were able to improve the pathomorphorlogic lesion following cerebral ischemia and reduce the abnormal TUNEL-positive numbers, with former better than latter. CONCLUSION： HUCB-MSCs improve pathological lesions and inhibit the cellular apoptosis around the cerebral ischemic area. EA at conception and governor vessels also improve pathological lesion and inhibit the cellular apoptosis in rats treated with HUCB-MSCs transplantation, which effects were superior to that of simple HUCB-MSCs trans- plantation.     

王氏保赤丸治疗消化系统疾病概述

王氏保赤丸系根据清代道光年间通州著名中医王胪卿祖传九世秘方配制,并由其嫡孙王绵之教授监制的纯中药制剂。该药由大黄、黄连、制天南星、川贝母等组成。方中大黄苦寒,攻积导滞,泻火凉血,行瘀通经;黄连苦寒,清热燥湿,泻火解毒;制天南星苦凉,化痰熄风定惊;川贝母苦寒,化痰止咳,清热散结。王氏     

Study on perfume stimulating olfaction with volatile oil of Acorus gramineus for treatment of the Alzheimer's disease rat

Objective：To probe into the therapeutic efect of perfume stimulating olfaction with volatile oil of Acorus Gramineus on the Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） rat. Methods： Totally 50 adult SD rats, male,weighing 300±10 g, were randomly divided into 5 groups, normal group （group A）, olfactory nerve severing model group （group B）, AD model group （group C）, AD model plus perfume stimulation group （group D）, AD model olfactory nerve severing plus perfume stimulation group （group E）, 10 rats in each group. After perfume stimulation, Morris maze test was conducted for valuating the learning and memory ability; Malondaldehyde （MDA） content, and superoxide dismutase （SOD） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px） activities in the brain, and the brain weight were detected. Results： Compared with the AD model group,the average escape latency and swimming distance in 6 days were significantly shorter than those in the group A, B, D （P〈0.01）, with no significant differences between the group C and the group E （P〉0.05）; Compared with the group A, B and D, MDA content in the group C significantly increased （P〈0.01）, and SOD and GSH-Px activities significantly decreased （P〈0.01）, and brain weight/body weight decreased significantly in the group C （P〈0.01）, with no significant differences between the group C and the group E （P〉0.05）. Conclusion： Perfume stimultating olfaction with volatile oil of Acorus Gramineus can significantly increase the learning-memory ability, decrease MDA content and increase SOD and GSH-Px activities and weight of brain in AD rats.     

Effects of Chaiyuwendan decoction on endocannabinoids levels in adipose tissue of rats with chronic stress-induced depression

OBJECTIVE： To investigate how Chaiyuwendan de- coction（CWD） affects endocannabinoid levels in the adipose tissue of depressed rats. METHODS： Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups with six rats in each. One group was randomly selected as the control group. The remaining three groups were subjected to chronic stress to induce depression. Groups were randomly assigned as a model group, CWD group, and amitriptyline group. CWD was giv- en to the CWD group once a day from the second day of modeling. The amitriptyline group was ad- ministered amitriptyline intragastrically（10 mg/kg） once a day. After treatment for 21 days, body weight and fat weight were measured and the lev- els of N-arachidonoylethanolamine（AEA）, 2-arachi- donoylglycerol（2-AG）, and N-palmitoylethanol- amine（PEA） in adipose tissue were determined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.RESULTS： Compared with the control group, body weight, fat weight, AEA, and PEA were significantly lower, and 2-AG was higher, in the model group（P 0.05, P0.01）. Compared with the model group, body weight, fat weight, the AEA, and PEA levels were significantly higher, and 2-AG level was signifi- cantly lower in the CWD group（P0.05）. However, the levels did not differ significantly between the CWD group and the amitriptyline group. CONCLUSION： CWD could regulate the levels of AEA, 2-AG, and PEA in rats with depression induced by chronic stress.     

Mixed nanomicelles loaded with thymopeptides-sodium deoxycholate/phospholipid improveDrugabsorption简

AIM： To improve the absorption of thymopeptides （TH） by preparing sodium deoxycholate/phospholipid-mixed nanomicelles （SDC/PL-MMs）. METHODS： TH-SDC/PL-MMs were prepared by a film dispersion method, and then evaluated using photon correlation spectroscopy （PCS）, zeta potential measurement, as well as their physical stability after storage for several days. Further- more, in situ intestinal single-pass perfusion experiments and pharmacodynamics in immunodeficient mice were performed to make a comparison with TH powders and the control drug in absorption properties. RESULTS： A narrow size distribution of nanomicelles, with a mean particle size of （149 ± 8.32） nm and a zeta potential of （-31.05 ± 2.52） mV, was obtained. The in situ intestine perfusion experiments demonstrated a significant advantage in absorption characteristics for TH compared to the other formulations, and oral administration of TH-SDC/PL-MMs potentiated an equivalent effect with i.h. TH in pharmacodynamic studies in immunodeficient mice. CONCLUSIONS： TH-SDC/PL-MMs prepared by a film dispersion method are able to improve the absorption of TH. SDC/PL-MMs might be a good approach for the more effective delivery of drugs like TH.     

DT-13, a saponin of dwarf lilyturf tuber,exhibits anti-cancer activity by down-regulating C-C chemokine receptor type 5 and vascular endothelial growth factor in MDA-MB-435 cells简

AIM： To investigate the anticancer activity of DT-13 under normoxia and determine the underlying mechanisms of action. METHODS： MDA-MB-435 cell proliferation, migration, and adhesion were performed to assess the anticancer activity of DT-13, a saponin from Ophiopogonjaponicus, in vitro. In addition, the effects of DT-13 on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo were evaluated by orthotopic implantation of MDA-MB-435 cells into nude mice; mRNA levels of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）, C-C chemokine receptor type 5 （CCR5） and hypoxia-inducible factor 1a （HIF-1a） were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR; and CCR5 protein levels were detected by Western blot assay. RESULTS： At 0.01 to 1 umol·L -1, DT-13 inhibited MDA-MB-435 cell proliferation, migration, and adhesion significantly in vitro. DT-13 reduced VEGF and CCR5 mRNAs, and decreased CCR5 protein expression by down-regulating HIF-1 a. In addition, DT-13 inhibited MDA-MB-435 cell lung metastasis, and restricted tumor growth slightly in vivo. CONCLUSION： DT-13 inhibited MDA-MB-435 cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration in vitro, and lung metastasis in vivo by reducing VEGF, CCR5, and HIF-la expression.     

Effects of Radix Ginseng on microbial infections： a narrative review

OBJECTIVE： To summarized the antimicrobial-like effects of Radix Ginseng, which provide important information to the relevant researchers and clinicians, and will benefit the clinical treatment of infectious diseases. METHODS： PubMed and Google were used to search for and collect scientific publications related to Radix Ginseng and microbial infections. The authors read, classified, and discussed the associated scientific results or evidences, and summarized the corresponding results. RESULTS： In this review, recent studies on the beneficial effects of Radix Ginseng extracts on microbial and biofilm infections were reviewed. The impor- tance and significance of Radix Ginseng＇s beneficial effects are discussed. Evidence for the favorable ef- fects of Radix Ginseng extracts on viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections and the possible un- derlying mechanisms are summarized. CONCLUSION-＂ Radix Ginseng might be a promising supplemental remedy for the prevention and treat- ment of infectious diseases.     

Therapeutic effect in patients with coronary heart disease based on information analysis from Traditional Chinese Medicine four diagnostic methods

OBJECTIVE： To study information gained by Tradi- tional Chinese Medicine（TCM） four diagnostic methods and characteristics of syndrome develop- ment before and after treatment in patients with coronary heart disease, and to probe into assess- ment indexes of therapeutic effects with distinctive TCM features. METHODS： Information from the four diagnostic methods before and after treatment in 100 patients with coronary heart disease was collected using the TCM interrogation scale, a pulse condition in- strument, a tongue-face diagnosis instrument, anda voice diagnosis information collection system. Changes in the four diagnostic method results from before and after treatment were analyzed with frequency analysis and t-test methods. RESULTS： Before treatment, deficiency syndrome complicated with hyperactivity of pathogenic fac- tors was most common. After treatment, deficiency syndrome was most common. This change from complex syndromes to single syndromes indicates disease and syndrome alleviation. Frequencies of symptoms gained by interrogation after treatment for syndrome of deficiency of heart-Qi, syndrome of deficiency of heart-Yin, and turbid phlegm syn- drome were all less severe than those before treat- ment. Parameters of face color, color on all sub-re- gions of tongue, color of tongue fur, septic and greasy fur, and lip color after treatment all had sig- nificant changes. After treatment, part of the voice diagnosis parameters in the deficiency of heart-Yin and turbid phlegm syndromes had significant changes, but no significant changes were found in the deficiency of heart-Qi syndrome. CONCLUSION： Use of the TCM four diagnostic methods can provide an effective basis forTCM syn- drome diagnosis, observation of development of state of illness, and evaluation of clinical therapeu- tic effects.     

Classification and reduction manipulation of fractures in Chinese traditional Mongolian osteopathy

OBJECTIVE： To explore the concept of classifica- tion and reduction manipulation of fractures in Chi- nese traditional Mongolian osteopathy. METHODS： Based on the linear classification of fractures in Chinese traditional Mongolian osteopa- thy and the practice of reduction manipulation, a dynamic classification and reduction manipulation concept of fractures was established with the use of modern biomechanical principles and methods. RESULTS： We classified the linear classification and reduction manipulation of fractures in Chinese tra- ditional Mongolian osteopathy based on the achievement of fracture line and used the cause of the formation of the fracture line for our dynamic classification and reduction manipulation of frac- tures concept.CONCLUSION： The etiology of the formation of fracture lines can be used to decrease diagnostic er- ror, increase therapeutic effects of manipulation, and further provide a new concept and method for the development of the reduction concept of frac- tures.     

Qingkailing injection for the treatment of acute stroke： a systematic review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate systematically the clinical efficacy and safety of Qingkailing(QKL) injection in the treatment of acute stroke.METHODS: Searches for randomized controlled trials into acute stroke treated with QKL injection were performed in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wan fang Database,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed and Cochrane Library, from January 1979 to March2013. Two reviewers independently retrieved the RCTs and extracted the information. The Cochrane risk of bias method was used to assess the quality of the included studies, and a Meta-analysis was conducted with Review Manager 5.2 software.RESULTS: A total of 13 studies with 1110participants were included. The quality of the studies was generally low. The Meta-analysis indicated that the combined use of QKL and Western Medicine was significantly superior to control group therapy in terms of the total effective rate. The relative risk(RR) in the acute cerebral hemorrhage(ACH) sub-group was 1.17 [95%confidence interval(CI)(1.08, 1.26), P=0.0001]. In the acute cerebral infarction(ACI) sub-group, RR was 1.27 [95% CI(1.14, 1.42), P0.0001], and in the ACH and ACI mixed sub-group, RR was 1.34 [95% CI(1.20,1.50),P0.00001]. Additionally, QKL promoted the absorption of hematoma [mean difference(MD)=﹣3.73, 95%CI(﹣4.48, ﹣2.98), P0.000 01],decreased neurological damage in ACI [MD=﹣5.60, 95% CI(﹣8.50, ﹣2.70), P=0.0002] and ACH[MD= ﹣ 4.08, 95% CI( ﹣ 8.00, ﹣ 0.16), P=0.04],promoted the recovery of awareness [RR=1.56, 95%CI(1.09, 2.21), P=0.01] and reduced the whole blood viscosity coefficient [MD=﹣ 0.75, 95% CI( ﹣1.47, ﹣0.03), P=0.04]. There were no adverse drug reactions reported in the included studies.CONCLUSION: Based on this systematic review,QKL combined with conventional therapy was effective compared with control treatment.However, because the articles used in the study were not of high quality, further studies should be conducted into the efficacy and safety of QKL in treating acute stroke.     

Anti-breast cancer effects and mechanisms of Xihuang pill on hu- man breast cancer cell lines

OBJECTIVE： To investigate the anti-breast cancer （BC） effects and mechanisms of action of Xihuang pill （XHP） by conducting in vitro experiments on hu- man BC cell lines. METHODS： Two human BC cell lines （MCF-7 and MDA- MB231） were cultured and treated with XHP. Cell viability was detected using the 3-（4, 5-Dimeth- ylthiazol-2-yl）-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide （MTT） assay. Flow cytometry was used to measure the cell cycle and apoptosis. The cell cycle was ana- lyzed with propidium iodide staining. Apoptosis was evaluated using the Annexin V-fluorescein iso- thiocyanate/propidium iodide method. Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of es- trogen receptor （ER）-α and ER-13.RESULTS： XHP had growth-inhibitory effects on MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 cells with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration （IC50） of 10.14 mg/mL （MCF-7） and 8.98 mg/mL （MDA-MB231）. Apoptosis was induced to some extent. Certain changes in the ER were caused. Upregulation of ER-a protein was found in MCF-7 cells. ER-β expression in MDA-MB231 cells was increased. Cell-cycle arrest was not observed in the two BC cell lines. ER-β ex- pression in MCF-7 cells was unchanged. No ER-a ex- pression was shown in MDA-MB231 cells. CONCLUSION： These data suggest that XHP can af- fect cell viability and cause apoptosis, but that the cell cycle is not blocked. XHP has a certain impact on ER expression, but its mechanisms of action of anti-13C effects may not be due to regulation of ER expression.