Saikosaponins: a review of pharmacological effects

Over the past decades, a number of phytochemicals have been reported to possess potent pharmacological effects. Saikosaponins represent a group of oleanane derivatives, usually as glucosides, which are commonly found in medicinal plants Bupleurum spp., which have been used as traditional Chinese medicine for more than 1,000 years in China. Emerging evidence suggests that saikosaponins have many pharmacological effects, including sedation, anticonvulsant, antipyretic, antiviral, immunity, anti-inflammation, antitumor properties, protecting liver and kidney and so on. The present review provides a comprehensive summary and analysis of the pharmacological properties of saikosaponins, supporting the potential uses of saikosaponins as a medicinal agent.     

Auditory brainstem,middle and late latency responses to short gaps in noise at different presentation rates

Objective: The effects of rate on auditory-evoked potentials (AEP) to short noise gaps (12?ms) recorded at high sampling rates using wide-band filters were investigated. Design: Auditory brainstem (ABR), middle latency (MLR), late latency (LLR) and steady-state (ASSR) responses were simultaneously recorded in adult subjects at four gap rates (0.5, 1, 5 and 40?Hz). Major components (V, Na, Pa, Nb, Pb, N1 and P2) were identified at each rate and analysed for latency/amplitude characteristics. Gap responses at 40?Hz were recovered from Quasi-ASSRs (QASSR) using the CLAD deconvolution method. Study Sample: Fourteen right ears of young normal hearing subjects were tested. Results: All major components were present in all subjects at 1?Hz. P1 (P50) appeared as a low-pass filtered component of Pa and Pb waves. At higher rates, N1 and P2 disappeared completely while major ABR-MLR components were identified. Peak latencies were mostly determined by noise onsets slightly delayed by offset responses. Conclusions: Major AEP components can be recorded to short gaps at 1?Hz using high sampling rates and wide-band filters. At higher rates, only ABR and MLRs can be recorded. Such simultaneous recordings may provide a complete assessment of temporal resolution and processing at different levels of auditory pathways.     

Whole genome SNP genotyping in a family segregating developmental dysplasia of the hip detected runs of homozygosity on chromosomes 15q13.3 and 19p13.2

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is one of the most prevalent developmental orthopedic diseases worldwide. DDH is a spectrum of anatomical abnormalities of the hip joint and is characterized by premature arthritis in later life. Sporadic cases have been reported more frequently; however, some studies have reported families segregating DDH. Studies have suggested that the genetic factors play a significant role in the development of DDH. In order to detect genetic defect underlying DDH, we performed Sanger sequencing of all DDH associated genes, whole genome SNP genotyping and exome sequencing in a Saudi family with four individuals having DDH. Sanger sequencing of all known genes did not identify any pathogenic variant. Genotype data analysis using HomozygosityMapper identified shared homozygous regions on chromosome 15q13.3 and chromosome 19p13.2 flanked by rs17228178‐rs1534200 and rs466123‐rs2112461, respectively. These data were also analyzed by cnvpartition software for identification of DDH associated copy number variations (CNV). A shared copy number gain of approximately 15 kb on chr6p21.32 (chr6:33 053 906–33 069 893) was discovered in all affected individuals. Partial gain of this region has also been found in unaffected sibling of this family. Exome data did not reveal any candidate sequence variant. Whole genome sequencing is required to identify deep intronic variants in the shared homozygous regions. Identification of genetic variants involved in pathogenesis of DDH may open up interesting perspectives into the function of the gene(s) in hip joint development.