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Platycodin D is one of the most important monomers of the Qinbaiqingfei pellet (Qinbai), which has already been approved as the first effective new Traditional Chinese Medicine used to fight against Mycoplasma pneumoniae ( M. pneumoniae ) in clinic in China. In previous studies, pharmacodynamics experiment has proved that Platycodin D has anti- M. pneumoniae effect and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is 16mμg/ml. This paper further clarified that the mechanism underlying the anti- M. pneumoniae effect of Platycodin D might be due to M. pneumoniae adhesion proteins P1 and P30. P1 and P30 expression levels in M. pneumoniae strain, M. pneumoniae -infected BALB/c mice, and M. pneumoniae -infected A549 cells were determined by reverse transcription PCR. Platycodin D strongly inhibited P1 and P30 expression in M. pneumonia and high dosage of Platycodin D exhibited a greater effect on reducing P1 and P30 expression than low dose Platycodin D. Platycodin D prevented M. pneumoniae infection through inhibiting the expression of adhesion proteins, which might be one of the mechanisms for the anti-M. pneumoniae properties of Qinbai. These results provide a foundation to further explore the mechanisms of action of Qinbai in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigate the spectrum of the resonance fluorescence from a coherent driven four-level atomic system. We observe interesting features such as controllable triple narrow peaks. The number, widths and heights of the emission peaks can be controlled by tuning the Rabi frequencies of the laser fields and the microwave field. We attribute these features to the effects of Spontaneously Generated Coherence between the close-lying levels in the dressed state picture. We also explain the observed spectrum with the transition properties of the dressed states generated by the coupling of the two laser fields and the microwave field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective To evaluate the safety, clinical efficacy, and long-term outcome of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) intravenous infusion for pulmonary metastases in patients with HCC. Materials and Methods Sixty consecutive patients who were diagnosed with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with pulmonary metastasis were randomized 1:1 into the treatment and control groups. Treatment group underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for the primary liver tumor and then underwent As2O3 treatment, whereas control group underwent TACE alone. The treatment group underwent a continuous 5-h intravenous infusion of 10 mg/day As2O3. The course of As2O3 treatment was initiated 3-5 days after TACE (to allow liver and gastrointestinal function to recover) and continued for 14 consecutive days. All patients in the treatment group underwent at least four treatment courses. Response to treatment was evaluated after four treatment courses. Result In treatment group, two patients had a complete response (CR), six had a partial response (PR), 10 had stable disease (SD), and 12 had progressive disease. A clinically effective rate (CR + PR) was achieved in 26.7%, and the clinical benefit rate (CR + PR + SD) was 60%. In the control group, no patients had a CR or PR, five had SD, and 25 had progressive disease. The clinically effective rate was 0%, and the clinical benefit rate was 16.7%. The overall 1-year survival was 56.7% in treatment group and 36.7% in control group. The overall 2-year survival was 16.7% in treatment group and 3.3% in control group. Conclusion Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization plus an intravenous infusion of As2O3 effectively controlled pulmonary metastasis and prolonged overall survival in patients with HCC compared with TACE alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]