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From the dawn of the computer age, man has mass produced binary components for computers, due to which ternary or higher radix computers are not yet commercially used. It has been proved that ternary logic can be more efficient than binary logic and there are many devices in development that operate on more than two internal states. Therefore an efficient method to produce multi-valued logic on the basis of binary input provided is needed. In this article, an effective, simple, flexible, and low power consumption implementation has been proposed that can convert any binary number to a number of chosen radix. The proposed design is implemented in 32 nm TSMC CMOS. The proposed design is then evaluated in power/delay space and its performances are compared with the latest state of art designs. The proposed circuit exhibits power saving up to 92 % over previous models.

Background and aim: Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix plus Semen Vaccariae are traditional Chinese medicines, which have been widely applied in the treatment of migraine and Erectile Dysfunction (ED) for many years. This study verified the effect of Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix plus Semen Vaccariae in improving migraine-induced ED and explored its potential mechanism. Methods: Key targets and signaling pathways of Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix plus Semen Vaccariae in migraine-induced erectile dysfunction treatment were predicted by network pharmacology. A rat model of migraine was established by nitroglycerin injection. Apomorphine was injected into rats to screen the migraine-induced erectile dysfunction model, Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix-Semen Vaccariae granule suspension administered, and erectile function evaluated. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to compare the histological structure of the penile tissue, while RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to determine mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Results: Screening allowed us to identify common targets for migraine and ED; the signaling pathway exhibiting the greatest change was the Myosin light chain kinase- Calcium (MLCK-CaM) signal pathway. From Western blotting and RT-qPCR, we found that the levels of MLCK mRNA and protein in rats from Group B rats were significantly higher (P Conclusion: Data indicate that the regulatory effects of Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix plus Semen Vaccariae on migraine-induced ED in a rat model are mediated by the MLCK-CaM signaling pathway.

Elucidating the active components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is essential to understand the mechanisms of TCM and promote its rational use as well as TCM-derived drug development. Recent studies have shown that surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology is promising in this field. In the present study, we propose an SPR-based integrated strategy to screen and analyze the major active components of TCM. We used Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) as an example to identify the compounds that could account for its anti-inflammatory mechanism via tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1 (TNF-R1). First, RPA extraction was analyzed using an SPR-based screening system and the potential active ingredients were collected, enriched, and identified as paeoniflorin and paeonol. Next, the affinity constants of the paeoniflorin and paeonol were determined as 4.9 and 11.8 μM, respectively. Then, SPR-based competition assays and molecular docking were performed to show that the two compounds could compete with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) while binding to the subdomain 1 site of TNF-R1. Finally, in biological assays, the two compounds suppressed cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced by TNF-α in the L929 cell line. These findings prove that SPR technology is a useful tool for determining the active ingredients of TCM at the molecular level and can be used in various aspects of drug development. The SPR-based integrated strategy is reliable and feasible in TCM studies and will shed light on the elucidation of the pharmacological mechanism of TCM and facilitate its modernization.

Background: Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Red Sage root) is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with demonstrated curative effects, based on the concept of "one drug with multiple therapeutic targets," which appears to be a good strategy for AD treatment. Objective: This study aimed to develop of high-throughput screening (HTS) method for multitherapeutic target components found in complex TCMs, which are active against AD, using Red Sage root as the case study. Method: Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors (AChEIs) from Red Sage root extracts were pre-screened by ultrafiltration-HPLC (UF-HPLC) analysis, in which AChE was added to the extract and then ultrafiltered to remove non-binding compounds. Potential AChEIs were identified by HPLC analysis of compounds bound to AChE. A microplate-based HTS was then used to quantify the AChE inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity of the pre-screened compounds. Results: Pre-screening found ten potential inhibitors, which were identified by ESI-TOF/MS; six of these were purified by semi-preparative HPLC: Oleoyl neocryptotanshinone (1), Dihydrotanshinone Ⅰ (2), Cryptotanshinone (3), Tanshinone Ⅰ (4), Tanshinone ⅡA (5) and Miltirone (6). All six compounds had good AChE inhibitory activity and weak DPPH scavenging capacity. Conclusion: This study provides a platform and technology support for the rapid discovery of multi-target components, potentially active against AD, from complex TCMs and with strong potential for adaptation to the discovery of treatments for other diseases.

Natural long-chain alkanol and alkyl carboxylic acid were used to prepare novel hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDESs). These HDESs are liquid at room temperature and have low viscosity (12.26 mPa‧s), low polarity (lower than that of methanol, ChCl-based deep eutectic solvents and other reported HDESs), and low density (0.928 g/mL). A simple one-pot method based on a novel HDES-water two-phase extraction system was constructed for the extraction of weak-polarity bioactive components, anthraquinones, from Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. This HDES-based new extraction method does not consume hazardous organic solvents and can obtain a total anthraquinone yield of 21.52 mg/g, which is close to that obtained by the Chinese pharmacopoeia method (21.22 mg/g) and considerably higher than those by other reported HDESs-based extraction methods (14.20-20.09 mg/g

Introduction: Asari Radix et Rhizoma (ARR) and dried ginger (Zingiber officinalis) (DG) are often used together in drug preparations in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat respiratory diseases, including cold, bronchitis and pneumonia. Previous studies suggested that ARR and/or DG may influence the pharmacokinetics of other herbal components. In the current study, we examined pharmacokinetic interactions between ARR and DG in rats after oral administration. Methods: We developed a method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry to simultaneously measure serum concentrations of two active components each in ARR (L-asarinin and sesamin) and DG (6-gingerol and 6-shogaol). Adult Sprague- Dawley rats were starved overnight, then given ARR extract, DO extract, or a co-decoction of ARR and DG by gastric gavage (6 g raw material per kg body weight; n = 6 per group). Blood samples were collected prior to drug administration and at the following times (h) afterward: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 12.0 and 24.0. Pharmacokinetic parameters were compared using Student’s t test for independent samples. Results: A simple, rapid, sensitive analytical method has been developed to detect four bioactive components simultaneously in the ARR-DG herbal pair. Pharmacokinetic parameters including Cmax, Tmax, T1/2 and AUC(0~t) were calculated using the non-compartmental model with the DAS 2.0 pharmacokinetic software. For L-asarinin, Tmax was 2.00 ± 0.00 h in ARR animals and 1.67±0.26 h in ARR-DG animals (Pmax was 350.48 ± 23.85 ng/mL in DG animals and 300.21 ± 20.02 ng/mL in ARR-DG (Pmax was 2.83 ± 0.41 h in DG and 2.17 ± 0.41 h in ARR-DG (P(0~t) was 1.93 ± 0.15 mg/mL.h in ARR and 1.70 ± 0.15 mg/mL.h in ARR-DG (Pmax was 390.28 ± 26.02 ng/mL in DG animals and 455.63 ± 31.01 ng/mL in ARR-DG (Pmax was 2.93 ± 0.10 h in DG and 1.92 ± 0.10 h in ARR-DG (P1/2 was 3.74 ± 0.29 h in DG and 3.28 ± 0.22 h in ARR-DG (P(0~t) was 2.15 ± 0.18 mg/mL.h in DG and 2.73 ± 0.15 mg/mL.h in ARR-DG (P Conclusions: Pharmacokinetic interactions between ARR and DG decreased Tmax, increased T1/2 but did not affect the overall bioavailability of L-asarinin in ARR. The interactions in ARR-DG decreased Cmax and Tmax but increased T1/2 and AUC(0~t) of 6-gingerol in DG. The interactions increased Cmax and AUC(0~t) but decreased Tmax and T1/2 of 6-shogaol in DG. Interactions in ARRDG did not affect the pharmacokinetics of sesamin.

The objective of this research was to investigate the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of peptides released from Changii Radix protein under the optimal enzymatic hydrolysis conditions of trypsin, flavourzyme, compound proteinase, papain, alkaline proteinase, neutral protease, and in vitro simulated human gastrointestinal digestive conditions. The hydrolysate with the best activity was further purified by ultrafiltration, size-exclusion chromatography and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography. The peptides in the most active fraction were subsequently identified by nano-LC–MS/MS and screened for bioactivity. As a result, the GID-3-SG-2-RP-2 fraction (with smaller molecular weight and more hydrophobic) manifested the highest effect with an IC50 value of 32 μg/mL. Three peptides of this fraction were synthesized, SQHISTAGMEASGTSNMKF, KVIISAPSKDAPMF, and STFQQMW, and provided an IC50 of 1.051, 0.032, and 1.104 mg/mL, respectively. Thus, the results indicated that Changii Radix derived peptides may have potential functions in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes.

Background Astragali Radix (AR) is widely used because of its dual use in medicine and food. Wild Astragali Radix from Hunyuan county of Shanxi province in China is accepted as a geo-authentic medicine with high quality and good medicinal effects. Multi-elements of Astragali Radix partially reflect its efficacy and safety. However, there has been no systemic research about the elemental analysis of geo-authentic Astragali Radix until now. Objective In this paper, multi-elemental profiling of Astragali Radix from Gansu, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces in China was carried out. Methods A microwave digestion coupled with inductively coupled plasma-MS (ICP-MS), principal component analysis (PCA), and partial-least square-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) were used for analysis of the unique elemental accumulation ability of Shanxi wild AR. Results Compared to the samples from Gansu, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi provinces, and the cultivated samples from Shanxi, for 53 stably detected elements, the concentrations of most elements (Ba, Cs, Ga, La, Pr, and so on) were significantly higher while a few (Cd, Cu, P, W and Zn) were significantly lower in wild Astragali Radix from Shanxi. After binary logistic regression, combinational variable Ba-P was found to be a good marker to distinguish wild Astragali Radix of Shanxi province from the samples with other origins, and the total positive prediction probability of the test samples, both bought from the market and gathered from their original field, could reach 93.8% through external validation using the model. Conclusion Multi-elemental analysis coupled with PCA, PLS-DA, nonparametric analysis and binary logistic regression can be a good tool for the identification of wild Astragali Radix from Shanxi province. Highlights An ICP-MS method was developed and validated for multi-elements. Fifty-three elements in Astragali Radix from samples with different origins were compared. The wild Astragali Radix from Shanxi had unique elemental characteristics. Combinational variable Ba-P is a good marker to identify wild AR from Shanxi.

Peucedani Radix is the dry root of Peucedanum praeruptorum of the umbelliferous family, but the dry root of Angelica decursiva was also the source of Peucedani Radix in the past. As one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, the certified source of Peucedani Radix is still disputed. To better understand the relationship between A. decursiva and P. praeruptorum, we sequenced their chloroplast (cp) genomes. The gene structure, codon usage bias, repeat, simple sequence repeat (SSR), as well as their borders of inverted repeat (IR) regions of the two cp genomes are analyzed to identify potential genetic markers. Great variation is exhibited in the repeat sequences of IR, large single copy regions and the SSRs of the two cp genomes, which can be used as molecular markers to distinguish them. The phylogenetic analysis also indicates that they belong to two different genera in Apiaceae family: A. decursiva is an Angelica plant and P. praeruptorum is a Peucedanum plant. Our observations suggest that the two species are somewhere different in gene features, which contributes to support A. decursiva as an independent species from P. praeruptorum. The results also provide new evidence that A. decursiva should not be regarded as the certified source of Peucedani Radix in taxonomy.

In recent years, as a result of advancing VLSI technology, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has received a great deal of attention and has been adopted in many new generation wideband data communication systems such as IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.16e, HiPerLAN/2, Digital Audio/Video Broadcasting (DAB/DVB), and for 4G Radio mobile communications. This is because of its high bandwidth efficiency as the use of orthogonal waveforms with overlapping spectra. The immunity to multipath fading channel and the capability for parallel signal processing make it a promising candidate for the next generation mobile communication systems. The modulation and demodulation of OFDM based communication systems can be efficiently implemented with an FFT and IFFT, which has made the FFT valuable for those communication systems. The complexity of an OFDM system highly depends upon the computation of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm. With the advent of new technology in the fields of VLSI and communication, there is also an ever growing demand for high speed processing and low area design. It is also a well-known fact that the multiplier unit forms an integral part of processor design. Due to this regard, high speed multiplier architectures become the need of the day.

Objectives Curcumae Radix, the medicinal part is radix, commonly called as Yujin (Chinese:郁金), is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for its high medicinal value and health benefits. Curcumae Radix has been used to treat conditions such as syndrome of heat disease and unconsciousness, epilepsy and internal stagnation of phlegm, qi stagnation and blood stasis, dysmenorrhoea, jaundice, cholelithiasis caused by dampness heat of liver and gallbladder. This review aims to summarize the botany, traditional usages, processing, phytochemistry, quality control, pharmacology and toxicology of Curcumae Radix to better understand its therapeutic potential. Key findings So far, a variety of chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from Curcumae Radix, mainly including volatile oil and diphenylheptanes. Modern research shows that the extracts and compounds from Curcumae Radix possess wide-ranging pharmacological effects, including anti-tumour, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, anti-thrombosis, as well as effects on the nervous system and others. Summary Curcumae Radix holds an important position in traditional system of medicine. It is cost-effective and an important plant with curative application in contemporary medicine. However, further in-depth studies are also needed to determine the medical uses of this plant and its chemical constituents, pharmacological activity, quality control and toxicology.

Objective To analyze the medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) oral prescriptions for the prevention of COVID-19. Methods The preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 published by national and provincial health and wellness committees, administrations of TCM, medical institutions at all levels, and medical masters and Chinese medicine experts were collected to establish a database, manual screening was carried out according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and frequency statistics, association rule analysis. The mutual information method, entropy hierarchical clustering and other methods were improved through Excel and the TCM inheritance auxiliary platform V2.5 to mine the rules and characteristics of medication. Results The selected 157 prescriptions contained a total of 130 TCMs. The top five TCMs with the highest use frequency were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (86), Astragali Radix (80), Lonicerea Japonicae Flos (70), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (62), Saposhnikoviae Radix (60). In accordance with TCM efficacy classification, most of them were medicines for qi-tonifying (279), followed by medicines for clearing heat and drying dampness (163), dispelling pathogenic wind-cold (126), resolving dampness (111), as well as dispelling pathogenic wind-heat (99). The characteristics of four-natures of the selected medicines are as follows: most of them were cold (59), followed by warm (38) and mild (21). In terms of five-taste, most of them were sweet (26) and acrid-and-bitter (24), followed by sweet-and-bitter (20), bitter (20) and acrid (15). For the meridian attribution, the five-zang organs and six-fu organs were all involved, most of them attributed to lung meridian (80), followed by stomach meridian (57) and spleen meridian (40). Based on association rule analysis, 12 commonly used medicine combinations with two or three TCMs were found. The commonly used medicinal pairs included Astragali Radix and Saposhnikoviae Radix (51), Astragali Radix and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (46), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Saposhnikoviae Radix (43), Astragali Radix and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Saposhnikoviae Radix (38), Forsythiae Fructus and Astragali Radix (37), and so on. In addition, 14 core combinations of medicines were obtained by complex system entropy cluster analysis, on this basis, six new prescriptions were screened out based on unsupervised entropy hierarchical clustering analysis. According to The Catalogue of Edible Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials, Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials for Health Food, and New Resources of Food published by National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, there are 35 species belonging to the group of edible traditional Chinese medicinal materials, 20 species belonging to the group of new resources of food, 31 species belonging to the group of traditional Chinese medicinal materials for health food, 19.11% of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 were composed of the medicines belonging to the above three groups. Besides, there are 11 toxic species, and 24.84% of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 contained toxic traditional Chinese medicines. Conclusion We found that invigorating qi and resolving dampness were the main treatment used to prevent for COVID-19, combined with the methods for strengthening vital energy and eliminating pathogenic factors. Most of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 were treated in lung, spleen and stomach meridians. In the process of selecting prescriptions and using TCMs to prevent for COVID-19, the safety of preventive medicines was also emphasized. And the theory of "Preventive Treatment of Disease" was embodied in these preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19. For the prescriptions containing toxic TCMs, special attention should be paid to their safety in clinical application.

The gastroprotective effects of polysaccharides had become a hot topic in the field of functional polysaccharides research. Three polysaccharides, namely HPS-80-1, HPS-80-2, and HPS-80-3 were purified by DEAE-52 column chromatography. The thermodynamic characteristics, scanning electron microscopy, and Congo red experimental results of the above polysaccharides were greatly distinctive. Then a mature GES-1 oxidative stress cell model induced by H2O2 was established to screen out subsequent research subjects. It turned out that HPS-80-1 had a desirable protective effect, which was confirmed by analyses of cell cycle & apoptosis, and oxidative stress-related factors in the cell culture media, and so on. Furthermore, Structural features demonstrated that the backbone of HPS-80-1 appeared to mainly consist of →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →4,6)-β-L-Glcp-(1→, and →6)-α-D-Galp-(1→, with branches at O-1, O-4, and O-6 position consisting of →2,4)-β-D-Rhap-(1→, →1)-α-D-Galp-(4→, and →3,4)-α-D-Manp-(1→. It was speculated that the excellent gastric mucosal protective activity of HPS-80-1 may be due to the high amount of glucose in the backbone. In addition, it was also related to the anti-inflammatory activity and antioxidant bases such as (1 → 4)-Glcp and (1 → 6)-Galp in the structure of HPS-80-1. These findings provide a scientific basis for further utilization of polysaccharides from Radix Hedysari.

Objective To evaluate the quality of Arnebiae Radix (AR) and Dictamni Cortex (DC) and study the efficacy of herbal extracts of these two herbs on the treatment of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Methods Qualitative and quantitative analysis of effective components was performed using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC), High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and HPLC-Quadrupole Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS). In vitro allergic ACD 3D model was established by incubating 3D reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) with skin sensitizer, potassium dichromate. A total of 65 gene expression that were associated with ACD, which included 24 antioxidant responsive element (ARE) and 41 SENS-IS genes were quantified by qRT-PCR. More than or equal to 10 ARE genes and 18 SENN-IS genes were induced by 1.3-fold, demonstrating the successful establishment of in vitro ACD model. Oil extracts of AR and DC were applied on the in vitro ACD model to study the efficacy. Results Batch 3 of AR and batch 2 of DC showed presence of all active ingredients with the highest concentrations. Active ingredients of the herbs were extracted using a special oil and formulated into herbal oil extracts. The herbal oil extracts were able to down regulate the induced genes in the in-vitro ACD skin model, bringing the tissue back to homeostatic status. Conclusion The oil extracts showed the potent efficacy of using AR and DC in ACD treatment. The combination study will be done to optimize the formulation ratio which will be developed into a topical cream.

Although Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR) has been widely used as a tonic and an anti-aging remedy for centuries, the extensively reported hepatotoxicity and potential kidney toxicity hindered its safe use in clinical practice. To better understand its toxicokinetics, the current study was proposed, aiming to evaluate the biodistributions of the major PMR components including 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (TSG), emodin, emodin-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (EMG) and physcion as well as their corresponding glucuronides following bolus and multiple oral administrations of PMR to rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received a bolus dose or 21 days of oral administrations of PMR concentrated granules at 4.12 g/kg (equivalent to 20.6 g/kg raw material). Fifteen minutes after bolus dose or the last dose on day 21, rats were sacrificed and the blood, liver, and kidney were collected for the concentration determination of both parent form and glucuronides of TSG, emodin, EMG, and physcion by HPLC-MS/MS. Among all the tested analytes, TSG, EMG, EMG glucuronides in liver and TSG, EMG, as well as all the glucuronides of these analytes in the kidney demonstrated the most significant accumulation after multiple doses. Moreover, the levels of the parent analytes were all significantly higher in liver and kidney in comparison to their plasma levels. Strong tissue binding of all four analytes and accumulation of TSG, EMG, and EMG glucuronides in the liver and TSG, EMG, as well as the glucuronides of all four analytes in the kidney after multiple dosing of PMR were considered to be associated with its toxicity.

The dried root of Dipsacus asperoides is known as Radix Dipsaci extract(RDE). It's a kidney-toning herbal medication with a lengthy track record of safe usage in the treatment of bone fractures and joint disorders. The drug rosiglitazone (RSG) causes an imbalance in bone remodelling, which results in increased apoptotic death of osteogenic cells and decreased bone production. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of RDE on RSGinduced bone loss in diabetic rats in a systematic way. Five groups of six Wistar albino rats were studied: control (vehicle therapy), Streptozotocin (diabetes) group, RDE group, Rosiglitazone, and Rosiglitazone +RDE group. Insulin, oxidative stress, and bone turnover markers in the blood were all detected using ELISA tests. When compared to diabetic control rats, RDE therapy significantly raised insulin and osteocalcin levels. RDE may be able to prevent diabetic osteoporosis by boosting osteogenesis and lowering oxidative stress in the bone.These findings support the use of RDE as a bone loss inhibiting in diabetics. Well-designed clinical trials are likely to yield further scientific evidence on its bone-protective effects and safety. Keywords: Radix Dipsaci, Diabetic osteoporosis, Rosiglitazone.

Objectives: This study aims to describe the utilization of herbal formulas from Wenrejingwei by using network analysis and understand the treatment of acute exogenous febrile diseases.Methods: We constructed a matrix of high-frequency herbal combinations (HCs) from Wenrejingwei and Shang Han Lun and cluster networks based on cohesive analysis. Network analysis was performed to compare the results.Results: The results of the high-frequency HC network in Wenrejingwei showed cohesive patterns in three categories corresponding to dampness-heat and warm-fever treatment. Compared to the Shang Han Lun network, the Wenrejingwei network indicated a careful approach in the use of pungent and warm herbs such as Guizhitang. Moreover, the combination of Scutellaria baicalensis and Coptis chinensis along with the use of herbs strengthening yin, such as Ginseng Radix and Liriopes Radix, provide evidence of a holistic approach in the treatment of exogenous febrile diseases by considering the balance of the human body damaged by heat.Conclusion: The results of this study could help select appropriate herbal formulas and treatment methods for treating Onbyeong and modern acute febrile infectious diseases.

A rapid, sensitive and convenient method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside (CCSG), ononin, calycosin, (6aR,11aR)-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan-3-O-β-d-glucopyanoside (DPPG), and 7,2′-dihydroxy-3′,4′-dimethoxyisoflavan-7-O-β-d-glucopyanoside (DIFG) in rat plasma after oral administration of the methanol extraction from Radix Astragali. Theophylline played the role of internal standard (IS). Preparation of plasma samples by liquid-liquid extraction method with ethyl acetate after precipitation of protein with methanol. The analytes were detected with a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometery (MS) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and a positive ion electrospray ionization (ESI). The method was validated with the concentration ranges of 1.96–62.69 ng/mL for CCSG, 1.70–54.5 ng/mL for ononin, 1.85–59.06 ng/mL for calycosin, 2.14–137.24 ng/mL for DPPG and1.96–125.25 ng/mL for DIFG, respectively. The method had the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) with 0.49, 0.21, 0.92, 1.07, and 0.98 ng/mL for CCSG, ononin, calycosin, DPPG and DIFG respectively, and the precision less than 10%. The RSD of the accuracy was in the range of −4.35–8.91%. The results may be helpful to provide more accurate references to clinical application of this herb.

Introduction Codonopsis Radix (CR) is an edible food and traditional Chinese herb medicine that is widely used in China and Southeast Asia. Saccharides, including fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and polysaccharides, are among the most important active substances in CR. However, a quality evaluation of CR based on oligosaccharides has not been conducted. Objective This study aimed to establish a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detector method (HPLC-CAD) for the quality evaluation of CR and processed products based on analysis of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides. Method A sensitive and rapid HPLC-CAD method for the simultaneous determination of two monosaccharides (D-fructose and D-glucose), sucrose, and FOS (GF2-GF6) was established to evaluate the quality of CR for the first time. In the present study, 65 batches of CR from three species of the genus Codonopsis were analysed using multivariate statistical techniques. Furthermore, the effects of cultivation management measures (plant growth retardants supply, harvesting time, and growth period) and primary process (drying methods) in the production areas on the target compounds were studied by analysing 34 batches of processed samples. Results Different varieties of CR resulted in considerably different saccharide contents. Cultivation management measures and processing method remarkably affected the quality of CR. Low concentration of plant growth retardants was recommended. The best harvest time is in October after 4 years of growth. Dryer-drying was suggested to meet the requirement for large-scale processing. Conclusion This method would provide an efficient analytical tool for monosaccharides and oligosaccharides of CR and contribute to the improvement of CR quality.

As a valuable medicine food homology plant, Codonopsis Radix has been widely used in China. This study aimed to analyze the content of nine potentially toxic elements in three Codonopsis Radix varieties and evaluate their health risks to the human body. In this study, a total of 147 samples were collected from five provinces in China. The content of nine potentially toxic elements (Al, Mn, Cu, Cr, Ni, As, Pb, Cd, and Hg) were determined by ICP-MS. Results showed that the average contents of Al, Mn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, As, Cd, and Hg were 486.81, 30.30, 5.59, 1.38, 1.24, 0.40, 0.20, 0.16, and 0.11 mg/kg, respectively. The Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. samples from Hubei showed the highest contents of eight elements (Al, Mn, Cr, Ni, Pb, As, Cd, and Hg) among three varieties, and the highest Cu level was found in Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. samples from Shanxi. The content of toxic elements in three Codonopsis Radix varieties showed significant differences (p

Objective To retrieve the core drug of osteoarthritis in clinic using Data Mining, predict the drug molecular action target through the Network Pharmacology, identify the key nodes of the interaction by combining with the related targtes of osteoarthritis, explore the pharmacological mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine against osteoarthritis and other possible mechanisms of actions. Methods to retrieve the commonly used therapeutic formulations for osteoarthritis patients in clinical with PubMed, CNKI, VIP, CBM, WanFang Database and other databases, and screen out the core drugs through the Ancient and Modern Medical Case Cloud Platform and software Gephi, filter out the core drug molecules and targets combined with TCMSP database and the targets of osteoarthritis in Genecard and OMIM database, plunge those data into R project and Cytoscape to construct the intersection model of Drug molecule-osteoarthritis, establish PPI network and GO and conduct KEGG enrichment analysis with String database. Vina molecular docking was finally implemented to draw molecular docking diagram, and the results were analyzed after comprehensive analysis. Results The core drug pairs were identified as "Eucommiae Cortex - Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix" through correlation analysis, complex network analysis based on the coefficient. "Eucommiae Cortex - Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix" can intervene cell behavior through multiple pathways and regulate cell metabolism, cytokine synthesis, oxidative and cellular immunity with the help of topology analysis in String Database. Conclusions The core molecules of Quercetin and Kaempferol derived from "Eucommia bark - achyranthes" can change the spatial conformation of PTGSs by hydrogen bonding with PTGSs, the hydrophobic bonds and van der Waals forces generated by Baicalein, Wogonin and β-carotene, thereby changing the activity of PTGSs and affecting bone properties the process of osteoarthritis.

Approximate computing is an efficient approach for reducing computational costs. This method involves a trade-off between computational accuracy and the circuit’s power consumption, delay, and area. However, the accuracy requirements may differ for different applications. In some situations, precise results are required. Therefore, this paper proposes an accuracy-configurable radix-4 adder (ACRA), which uses the power gating technique to turn on or turn off the partial logic gates of an adder element dynamically to compute accurate or approximate results. When the ACRA operates in the approximate mode, the partial sum of one adder element is modified to reduce the error distance between the approximate and accurate results. A comparison of the ACRA with two state-of-the-art accuracy-configurable adders indicated that the ACRA achieved the best trade-off between the power–delay product and computational accuracy. In addition, in the image processing experiment conducted in this study, under half-approximate computation, the peak signal-to-noise ratio of the ACRA was less than 1 dB and its structural similarity index measure was maintained above 0.99. These results are superior to those obtained for other accuracy-configurable adders.

Radix Paeoniae Rubra (RPR) is a widely used herb medicine. To better understand the mechanism of RPR in the treatment of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI), in this study, the network of protein–protein interaction of the RPR-MIRI targets was constructed and analyzed through network pharmacology and molecular docking. The enrichment analysis was performed and the network map was established, and the componenttarget network was then verified by molecular docking. In the result, there were 14 components and 52 targets related to MIRI. The results of Gene Ontology (GO) analysis displayed 182 biological processes, 44 cellular components, 56 molecular functions. 45 signal pathways were collected from Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, which were mainly related to Rap1, PI3 K-Akt signal pathway and so on. Molecular docking verified that the active components had lower binding energy with key targets, indicating that it had better binding activity. In conclusion, the treatment of RPR on MIRI is implemented through multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway, which makes a provision for exploring the therapeutic mechanism of RPR and expanding its clinical application.

Herb pairs are the unique combinations of two relatively fixed herbs, intrinsically convey the basic idea of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. The compatibility of Radix ginseng and Schisandra chinensis has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating Alzheimer's disease for many years. However, there are few studies on Radix ginseng-Schisandra chinensis herb pair, and the underlying action mechanism is still unclear. In this study, the mechanism of Radix ginseng-Schisandra chinensis herb pair on Alzheimer's disease was investigated by using mass spectrometry-based urinary metabolomics method. 16 urinary endogenous metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers. Meanwhile, 10 biomarkers were quantified with tandem mass spectrometry. The study result showed that the brain pathologic symptoms of model rats were improved and the potential biomarkers were adjusted backwards significantly after the herb pair administration. The metabolic pathways linked to the herb pair-regulated endogenous biomarkers included phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, purine metabolism, and so on. The above metabolic pathways reflected that Radix ginseng-Schisandra chinensis herb pair mainly regulates abnormal energy metabolism, reduces inflammation and regulates gut microbiota and neurotransmitters in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Stemonae Radix (dried roots of Stemona japonica (Bl.) Miq., Stemona sessilifolia (Miq.) Miq., and Stemona tuberosa Lour.), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is also known as “Baibu” (Chinese: 百部). Stemonae Radix has a wide range of pharmacological effects, mainly used to treat respiratory diseases and as an insecticide. In this review, with the help of both published materials (such as ancient and modern books, monographs on medicinal plants, and the pharmacopoeia of different countries) and electronic databases (such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar), we have summarized the up-to-date research progress in botany, traditional application, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity, and quality control, and discussed the research prospects and development direction of Stemonae Radix and its origin plants. Up to now, more than 170 compounds were isolated and identified from the three official species of Stemonae Radix, mainly including Stemona alkaloids, Stemona stilbenoids and other components. This medicine has also exhibited pharmacological activities, including antitussive, antiviral, insecticidal, antitumor, antioxidant, and therapeutic effects on lung diseases. However, pharmacological reports most often attribute activities to various extracts, rather than specific compounds. This hampers the establishment of a connection between chemical constituents and pharmacological activities, resulting in a difficulty to identify the major active compounds. Therefore, in the future, it is necessary to design experiments to deeply understand the development and clinical use of Stemonae Radix.

The 14-membered cycloisodityrosine is the core structure of RA-series antitumor bicyclic peptides obtained from Rubia plants (Rubiaceae). In this study, an efficient method for the synthesis of cycloisodityrosines from commercially available l-tyrosine derivatives was developed. Using synthetic cycloisodityrosines and cycloisodityrosines with modified structures, several RA-VII analogues were designed and synthesized to explore structure–activity relationships of the cycloisodityrosine moiety of the RA-series peptides, and newly isolated natural peptides were synthesized to establish their structures. Graphic abstract

Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata (PMRP) is used as Chinese herbal medicine with long history. However, reports about PMRP hepatotoxicity have increased recently, and producing area might be one reason. This article aims to figure out the relationship between producing area and hepatotoxic ingredients in PMRP. HPLC fingerprint for PMRP was established and the contents of gallic acid, trans-stilbene glycoside (TSG), emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside (EG), emodin and physcion were determined. Clustering heatmap was implemented by TCMNPAS software，and principal component analysis was implemented by SPSS and SIMCA-P software. Hepatotoxic constituents’ contents of PMRP from separate producing area were different. PMRP from Guangxi had the highest content of gallic acid, TSG, EG, emodin and physcion, followed by Hubei, Guangdong, Guizhou, Yunnan. PMRP from Henan had the lowest contents of hepatotoxic components. Hepatotoxic components’ contents of PMRP in southern were higher than central China. This study carried out a preliminary qualitative and quantitative investigation on the PMRP from different producing places, which provided a basis for safe medication of PMRP.

Purpose: To determine the molecular mechanism involved in the anti-migraine effect of Asari Radix et Rhizoma (ARR) using network pharmacology. Methods: The compounds present in ARR were identified through information retrieval from literature and public databases, and were screened based on absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity. Target genes related to the selected compounds and migraine were identified or predicted from public databases. Hub genes in ARR against migraine were identified through analysis of interactions in overlapping genes between compounds and migraine target genes, based on STRING database. Gene enrichment analysis of overlapping genes was performed using Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery. Results: A total of 138 compounds were selected as potential bioactive compounds in ARR. Target genes related to the selected compounds (611 genes) and migraine (278 genes) were obtained, including 71 overlapping genes. The hub genes in the anti-migraine effect of ARR were BDNF, IL6, COMT, APP and TNF. Gene enrichment analysis showed the top 10 biological processes or pathways involved in the mechanism of anti-migraine action of ARR. The tissue source of the overlapping genes was not limited to the brain. The results from gene enrichment analysis revealed that the effect of ARR on migraine was holistic, which is characteristic of traditional Chinese medicines. Conclusion: Network pharmacology has been used to decipher the molecular mechanism involved in the action of ARR against migraine. The results provide a scientific basis for the clinical effect of ARR on migraine.

Background: Cancer cachexia is a complex disease secondary to cancer, and no specific therapy for it has been found. The Chinese herb Kushen (Radix Sophorae flavescentis) is the dried root of Sophora flavescens Aiton, which has been widely applied in treating digestive and urinary inflammatory diseases. Matrine, one of the main components of Radix Sophorae flavescentis, can alleviate cancer cachexia. Methods: Compounds from Radix Sophorae flavescentis were screened using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. The targets related to cancer cachexia were queried from the Therapeutic Target Database (http://db.idrblab.net), DisGeNET database (http://www.disgenet.org), and Search Tool for Interacting Chemicals database, related literature, and constructed cancer cachexia-protein network. Cancer cachexia-protein network was merged with compound-protein networks respectively using Cytoscape software as well as network topology data and key targets counting. Pathway enrichment analysis was conducted via the Database for Functional Annotation Bioinformatics Microarray Analysis. Protein crystal structures and compound structures were queried from RCSB and PubChem databases, respectively. Molecular docking was conducted using Discovery Studio software. Results: The anticancer cachexia compounds of Radix Sophorae flavescentis were screened as oxymatrine, matrine, and kurarinol, and targets such as BIRC2, TNF and STAT3 were found. The mechanisms of oxymatrine, matrine, and kurarinol have the characteristics of synergy and complementarity. Kurarinol has a mechanism similar to that of matrine, which includes the FoxO signaling pathway, insulin resistance and mTOR signaling pathway. TNF signaling pathway is a common signaling pathway of kurarinol, oxymatrine and matrine. Adipocytokine signaling pathway is the other common pathway of kurarinol and oxymatrine except for the TNF signaling pathway. Kurarinol can be successfully docked with CYCS, GPX2, BIRC7, etc., and kushenol C can be successfully docked with IKBKB and PIK3CD. Conclusion: Kurarinol, matrine, oxymatrine, and kushenol C may be the key compounds of Radix Sophorae flavescentis treating cancer cachexia. Additionally, TNF signaling pathway is the key pathway for the synergistic action of kurarinol, matrine and oxymatrine.

Qi-Yu-San-Long decoction (QYSLD) is a classic traditional Chinese medicine prescription consisting of ten types of herbal medicines, including Astragali Radix, Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma, Scolopendra, Pheretima, Solanum nigrum L., Hedyotis diffusa Willd., Coicis Semen, Euphorbia helioscopia L., Curcumae Rhizoma, and Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus, combined in a ratio of 15∶5∶3∶3∶10∶10∶10∶3∶5∶3 by weight. QYSLD has been used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for over 20 years in clinical practice, and its curative effect is considered credible. However, the chemical constituents of QYSLD have not been revealed because of their complexity, which has significantly hindered the systematic clarification of the efficacy of the materials and quality evaluation. In this study, a reliable strategy based on the data-independent acquisition (DIA) technology of ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) combined with a targeted screening method was established to investigate the chemical components of QYSLD. A 2-μL aliquot from each vial was injected into a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) to separate complex components. The temperature of the column was 35 ℃, and the flow rate was set at 0.2 mL/min. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile. Detection was conducted using an Xevo G2-XS QTOF-MS with a LockSpray capable-electrospray interface. The data for complex components in QYSLD were collected by full-information tandem mass spectrometry (MS E) in the positive and negative ion modes. In the MSE mode, data acquisition was performed using a mass spectrometer by rapidly switching from a low-collision-energy (CE) scan to a high-CE scan during a single LC run. Thus, accurate precursor and fragment ions were collected in a single run, which was helpful for the structural elucidation of multiple components in QYSLD. In addition, systematic information on isolated chemical compounds was collected and distinguished from the ten individual herbs in QYSLD using databases such as China Academic Journals Full-text database (CNKI), PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and ChemSpider. Accordingly, a self-building library of QYSLD, including the component name, molecular formula, and structure of the components from the herbs, was established. Subsequently, the raw MSE data of the collected samples and the self-building chemical composition library were imported into a natural product post-processing screening (UNIFI) platform for targeted screening of the chemical components in QYSLD. The parameters for UNIFI platform were as follows: the retention time deviation was ±0.1 min; an error margin of no more than 5×10 -6 for the identified compounds was allowed; positive adducts, including [M+H]+and [M+Na]+, were selected; and negative adducts, including [M-H]- and [M+HCOO]-, were selected. The results showed that a total of 166 compounds were initially identified, including 22 saponins, 13 alkaloids, 27 flavonoids, 32 terpenes, 20 amino acids, 16 phenylpropanoids, 9 organic acids, 6 sterols, 6 anthraquinones, and 15 other components. Among them, sixteen components were confirmed unambiguously with the reference substances. To better understand the chemical contribution of individual herbs to the entire decoction, the attributes of each component were summarized. This study provides a foundation for exploring the pharmacodynamic substances of QYSLD.

The 2,3,5,4’-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside (THSG) is a main active ingredient of Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR). In this study, THSG was found to be a differential chemical composition b...

Scrophulariae Radix is one of the widely used traditional Chinese medicines. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry method was established for the simultaneous determination of multiple bioactive constituents including four iridoid glycosides, two phenylpropanoid glycosides, six organic acids, 11 nucleosides and 16 amino acids in Scrophulariae Radix. The validated method was used to analyze nine Scrophulariae Radix samples processed by different processing methods. In addition, Grey relational analysis and DTOPSIS were used to evaluate the samples according to the content of 39 ayalytes. The results showed that the quality of Scrophulariae Radix processed by cutting into slices, sun drying and “sweating” methods were better. All the results proved that the developed method was available and could be used to evaluate the quality of Scrophulariae Radix.

For a formal language [Formula: see text], the problem of language enumeration asks to compute the length-lexicographically smallest word in [Formula: see text] larger than a given input [Formula: see text] (henceforth called the [Formula: see text]-successor of [Formula: see text]). We investigate this problem for regular languages from a computational complexity and state complexity perspective. We first show that if [Formula: see text] is recognized by a DFA with [Formula: see text] states, then [Formula: see text] states are (in general) necessary and sufficient for an unambiguous finite-state transducer to compute [Formula: see text]-successors. As a byproduct, we obtain that if [Formula: see text] is recognized by a DFA with [Formula: see text] states, then [Formula: see text] states are sufficient for a DFA to recognize the subset [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] composed of its lexicographically smallest words. We give a matching lower bound that holds even if [Formula: see text] is represented as an NFA. It has been known that [Formula: see text]-successors can be computed in polynomial time, even if the regular language is given as part of the input (assuming a suitable representation of the language, such as a DFA). In this paper, we refine this result in multiple directions. We show that if the regular language is given as part of the input and encoded as a DFA, the problem is in [Formula: see text]. If the regular language [Formula: see text] is fixed, we prove that the enumeration problem of the language is reducible to deciding membership to the Myhill-Nerode equivalence classes of [Formula: see text] under [Formula: see text]-uniform [Formula: see text] reductions. In particular, this implies that fixed star-free languages can be enumerated in [Formula: see text], arbitrary fixed regular languages can be enumerated in [Formula: see text] and that there exist regular languages for which the problem is [Formula: see text]-complete.

In this paper, a novel high performance structure has been demonstrated which can be widely used for circuit-level realization of radix-4 Booth scheme. The notable privilege of proposed scheme is its higher speed for generation of Partial Products (PPs) compared to the previous designs. The objective has been achieved by means of the modified truth table of Booth algorithm. Moreover, Pass-Transistor Logic (PTL) has been employed to reduce the middle stage capacitances which has considerably enhanced the operating frequency of the designed architecture. The thorough analysis over previously reported works has also been provided to help the authors for optimized implementation of the Booth circuitry. Simulation results for TSMC 0.18µm CMOS technology and 1.8V power supply using HSPICE indicate the correct operation of the proposed scheme. In addition, the best-reported works have been redesigned and simulated on the same conditions to provide a fair comparative environment with our designed scheme. The results demonstrate the superiority of our circuit over the selected structures.

Ligustici Radix (Chinese name: maoqianhu) consists of the dried roots of Ligusticum brachylobum Franch., which is mainly distributed in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. This herbal medicine has been primarily used for the treatment of cough in traditional Chinese medicine. Ligustici Radix is rich in coumarin derivatives. Interestingly, enantiomers and diastereomers are widely used for these coumarins, thus posing a great challenge for in-depth chemical profile characterization. In the present study, a new analytical platform, achiral-chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (achiral-chiral LC-MS/MS) was configured to profile the chemical composition of Ligustici Radix. Because achiral and chiral columns were serially coupled, especially enantiomers, both chemically and enantiomerically selective separations could be accomplished simultaneously. The newly configured achiral-chiral LC-MS/MS platform did not require any electronic valve; hence, it could overcome the drawbacks of heart-cutting achiral-chiral two-dimensional LC, i. e., sophisticated instrumentation and limited reproducibility due to the use of electronic valve(s) and the undesired retention time shift across different analytical runs. Some available candidates for chemically selective or enantiomerically selective separation were assayed; then, Capcell core RP-C18 column that was packed with core-shell type particles, and AD-RH column embedding amylose coated particles were employed the achiral and the chiral columns, respectively. The narrow-bore core-shell RP-C18 column served as the front tool to achieve efficient chemoselective separation of coumarin analogs, and enantioselective enantiomers were obtained by using a wide-bore AD-RH chiral column. The predictive multiple reaction monitoring (predictive MRM) mode allowed for the sensitive detection of potential components, and an enhanced product ion (EPI) scan, which was a unique function of Qtrap-MS, was programmed to record the MS2 spectra for all captured signals and thus aid structural annotation. Online energy-resolved mass spectrometry (online ER-MS) was introduced to pursue the suitable collision energy for each compound; in particular, inferior collision energy instead of the optimal one was utilized to suppress the response of the primary components such as praeruptorin A, B and pteryxin. The criteria to judge enantiomers or not included identical quantitative and qualitative precursor-to-product ion transitions, identical quantitative versus qualitative responses, and longer retention times from achiral-chiral LC over single-column achiral LC. As a result, a total of sixty components were observed and structurally identified. In particular, enantiomerically selective separations were achieved for eight enantiomers, cis-khellactone (CKL), qianhucoumarin G (QC-G), pteryxin (Pte), praeruptorin A (PA), cis-3'-isovaleryl-4'-acetylkhellactone (IAK), praeruptorin B (PB), praeruptorin E (PE), and cis-3',4'-diisovalerylkhellactone (DIK). Notably, none of the enantiomers were present as racemates; instead, the proportion of one enantiomer in each pair was greater than the other. Achiral-chiral LC-predictive MRM is a feasible choice for the quantitative and qualitative analyses of Ligustici Radix as well as other herbal medicines characterized by enantiomers and diastereomers.

Anatomical variations of the root canal system of mandibular molars are common and often present challenges for endodontic treatment. In some cases, an additional root is located in the distolingual, radix entomolaris (RE), or more rarely in the buccal, radix paramolaris (RP). This case report illustrates rare nonsurgical retreatment of the complex root canal morphology of a RP and demonstrates the utility of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and 3D printing in managing such a case. Underscored is the need for clinicians to understand the possible variations of root canal morphology of mandibular molars and the role CBCT imaging can play in addition to periapical radiographs in order to successfully treat a tooth with radix paramolaris.

Colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (CGIA) is commonly used for the on-site detection of β-agonists that are sometimes used illegally as feed additives in swine diets. However, few studies have evaluated the causes of false-positive results that sometimes occur when applying CGIA in agricultural settings. In this study, we investigated if this false-positive phenomenon is related to the addition of certain traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) to swine feed. We established and verified an extraction method for TCMs, and then applied CGIA to detect β-agonists in the extracts of 105 TCMs and in the urine of swine dosed with TCMs, respectively. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to validate the results of the urine samples tested positive for β-agonists using CGIA. The results were also verified using TCMs and colloidal gold test strips produced by different manufacturers. The extracts of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, Chaenomelis Fructus, and Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix Et Rhizoma were tested positive for β-agonists. Meanwhile, the addition of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium to swine feed resulted in false-positive results for β-agonists in swine urine. The results provide a new way to explain false-positive CGIA results and provide valuable information for livestock feeding programs.

Objective To establish an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method for simultaneous determination of umbelliferonel, nodakenin, psoralen, xanthotoxin and bergapten contents in Peucedanum decursivum Radix. Methods The analysis was achieved on a Symmetry®C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm), with acetonitrile and water as the mobile phase in gradient elution mode. The column temperature was maintained at 30°C, with flow rate 1.0 mL·min−1. The injection volume of sample was 10 μL. The ultraviolet detection wavelength was set at the maximum absorption wavelength 325 nm for umbelliferonel and nodakenin, 259 nm for psoralen, xanthotoxin and bergapten, respectively. Results The five kinds of coumarins in Peucedanum decursivum Radix were separated well and the linear relation was obtained (R2 ≥ 0.9998). The average recoveries were 101.31, 105.27, 90.85, 106.42 and 90.19%, respectively, with Relative standard deviation (RSD) 3.07, 3.17, 1.62, 2.53 and 4.54%, respectively. Conclusions The established method was accurate and feasible, which could be used as the basis of quality control of Peucedanum decursivum Radix.

Inhibition of protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) has been attempted as a promising anti-cancer strategy. However, there is still no currently available PDI inhibitors approved for clinical use. Here, we isolated seven high yield alkaloids from Stephaniae tetrandrae Radix (STR), a medical herb frequently prescribed in anti-tumor condition, and identified two potent natural PDI inhibitors, dicentrine and dicentrinone. Among the seven alkaloids isolated, dicentrinone (1), dicentrine (2), tetrandrine (4), and fangchinoline (5) could significantly reduce cell viability in a dosage dependent manner detected by MTT assay in human hepatoma cells. To examine whether the candidate compounds are potent PDI inhibitors, we performed insulin turbidity assay and found dicentrine and dicentrinone, but not tetrandrine and fangchinoline, could effectively inhibit PDI activity, with IC50 of 56.70 μM and 43.95 μM respectively. Meanwhile, dicentrine and dicentrinone failed to further reduce the cell number index when co-treated with siRNA of PDI, suggesting the compounds behave as PDI inhibitors. Furthermore, dicentrinone and dicentrine have been successfully docked to the active pocket of PDI (PDB #3UEM) by molecular docking, suggesting the existence of physical interaction between compounds and PDI. Our results suggested that dicentrine and dicentrinone may be developed into safe PDI inhibitors.

Elliptic curve scalar multiplication $k$ . $P$ , where $k$ is a nonnegative constant and $P$ is a point on the elliptic curve, requires two distinct operations: addition (ADD) and doubling (DBL). To reduce the number of ADDs without increasing the number of DBLs, a recoding of $k$ with fewer nonzero digits is necessary. Based on Radix- $2^{w}$ arithmetic, we introduce a principled $w$ -bit windowing method where the properties of speed, memory, and security are described by exact analytic formulas as proof of superiority. Contrary to existing windowing algorithms, to minimize the number of ADDs the window size ( $w$ ) is guided by an optimum depending on the bit-length ( $l$ ) of the scalar k. The number of required precomputations is minimal regarding the value of $w$ . The proposed method recodes the binary string $k$ and evaluates the multiplication on-the-fly from right-to-left and left-to-right, likewise. Radix- $2^{w}$ method is very easy to be used and highly reconfigurable, allowing speed-memory and speed-security trade-offs to satisfy different crypto-system constraints. Furthermore, the method shows a high resilience to side-channel attacks based on power, timing, and statistical analysis. All Radix- $2^{w}$ properties are confronted to standard windowing methods’ through an in-depth analysis of the complexities. An overall comparison is made via NIST-recommended GF( $2^{l}$ ) finite fields.

Objectives Radix Bupleuri–Radix Paeoniae Alba (BP), a traditional Chinese medicine herb pair, has treated depression by coordinating the liver in Chinese classical medicine books and modern research. This study aims to verify the antidepressant effect of BP by behavioural examination, and reveal the underlying antidepressant mechanisms of BP. Methods The antidepressant effects in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) of BP were observed by behavioural indicators and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) metabonomics techniques combined with the related analysis platforms. Key findings BP could significantly improve the depressive behaviour of CUMS rats. Compared with the model group, body weight (P < 0.05), the number of crossing (P < 0.001) and rearing (P < 0.01) and sucrose preference rate (P < 0.01) were significantly enhanced, and the immobility time was shortened in the forced swimming test (P < 0.001) of the BP group. In metabonomics study, 35 depression-related metabolites were identified by 1H NMR and UHPLC-MS/MS metabonomics by comparing model and control groups. BP could significantly retrieve 17 depression-related metabolites. Thirteen depression-related metabolic pathways were found through Met-PA and BP could regulate seven metabolic pathways. Conclusions BP herb pair had significantly antidepressant effect, which provides a basis for further finding drug targets.

Radix Angelica sinensis (RAS) is a famous Chinese medicine with hematinic effects and has been applied for the treatment of blood deficiency syndrome for many years. Previous studies have indicated that RAS has beneficial effects in the treatment of hemolytic anemia. The hemolytic anemia/blood deficiency syndrome is a common syndrome that is often presented in most traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinics. Based on routine blood indicators, metabolomics analysis was conducted to investigate the mechanism of RAS in the treatment of hemolytic anemia. Multivariate and univariate statistical analysis were used to identify potential biomarkers in the serum. On administering RAS to the haemololitic anaemic rat, the levels of WBC, RBC, HGB, and PLT in AG tended to shift toward that of the control group. Additionally, all the 26 metabolites such as cholic acid, succinic acid and orotate which are regulated by blood deficiency appeared normal through the five metabolic pathways, such as linoleic acid metabolism, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamate metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism. Thus, three metabolic pathways predicted by the network pharmacology were consistent with the metabolism pathway of Angelica sinensis: linoleic acid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, tryptophan metabolism. The integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology comprehensively improved the understanding of the physiological and metabolic state of an organism. The possible hematopoietic effects and underlying mechanism of action on hemolytic anemia rats after lavage with RAS water extracts, could potentially be elucidated by combining pharmacology with untargeted metabolomics. These pointed out the significance of metabolomics as a valuable tool for studying the essence of Chinese medicine’s syndrome theory and the mechanism of RAS under anti-blood deficiency syndrome.

This paper presents the implementation and design of Radix-8 booth Multiplier using 32-bit parallel prefix adders. High performance processors have a high demand in the industrial market. For achieving high performance and to enhance the computational speed multiplier plays a key role in performance of digital system. But the major drawback is it consumes more power , area and delay. To enhance the performance and decrease the area consumption and delay there are many algorithms and techniques. In this paper we designed a radix-8 Booth Multiplier using two parallel prefix adders and compared them for best optimized multiplier. The number of parital products generation can be reduced by n/3 by using radix-8 in the multiplier encoding. To further reduce the additions we have used booth recoding mechanism .We have implemented the design using Kogge stone adder and Brent kung adder. We observed that by using parallel prefix adders reduces the delay further more which results in significant increase in speed of the digital systems. The simulation results are carried out on XILINX VIVADO software.

Shrinkage is an important factor affecting the final quality of Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) slices during drying processes. In this study, drying experiments were carried out to determine the effect ...

Objective Astragalus Radix (AR, Huangqi in Chinese) has been widely used as a qi (energy) restoring herb that is thought to act through reinvigorating the spleen and lung. Aconite is used to rebalance the body temperature during illness and played an irreplaceable role in disease control since ancient times, but it is limited by its strong neuro and cardiotoxicity. Since the Song Dynasty (1227), the two herbs have been commonly used as herbal pairs including in the famous Qifu Decotion, from the “Wei's Family Prescription”. However, many ancient texts also record that they are not compatible using together, suggesting they can have negative outcomes when mixed. This study investigated whether Astragali Radix had either positive or negative effects on absorption of six different active alkaloids derived from aconite. Methods Single intestinal perfusion model was used to study the effects of Astragali Radix on aconite alkaloids absorption. Response of ABC transporters and distribution of three tight junction proteins on the surface of intestinal enothelium were assessed by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot and immunofluorescence microscopy, respectively. Results The results showed that aconite alkaloids absorption could be inhibited, and different concentrations of Astragali Radix considerably increased the expression levels of the ABC transporters and tight junction proteins with Astragali Radix treatment. Conclusion These results suggest that Astragali Radix can block absorption of aconite alkaloids through the upregulation expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) and tight junction proteins. It demonstrates that co-administration of Astragali Radix with other drugs might change the absorption profile of the second drug which is important to know in clinic therapy.