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Objectives: To investigate the changes in the serum levels of oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and their association with coronary artery disease (CAL) in children in the acute stage of Kawasaki disease (KD), as well as the clinical significance of OxPLs and eNOS., Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 95 children in the acute stage of KD (KD group). According to the presence of absence of CAL, the KD group was further divided into a CAL subgroup and a non-CAL (NCAL) subgroup. Thirty children with fever due to lower respiratory tract infection were enrolled as the fever group. Thirty healthy children who underwent physical examination were enrolled as the healthy control group. The above groups were compared in terms of general information and serum levels of OxPLs, eNOS and other laboratory indexes, and the correlation between OxPLs level and eNOS level was analyzed., Results: The KD group had a significantly higher level of OxPLs and a significantly lower level of eNOS compared with the fever group and the healthy control group ( P <0.05). After treatment, the children with KD had a significantly decreased OxPLs level and a significantly increased eNOS level ( P <0.05). Compared with the NCAL subgroup, the CAL subgroup had a significantly higher level of OxPLs and a significantly lower level of eNOS ( P <0.05). Among the children of KD, the level of OxPLs was negatively correlated with that of eNOS ( r s =-0.353, P <0.05)., Conclusions: Serum OxPLs and eNOS in the acute stage of KD may be involved in the development of CAL in children with KD, and therefore, they may be used as the biomarkers to predict CAL in these children.

Based on transcriptome sequencing technology, the mouse model of prediabetes treated with Huangjing Qianshi Decoction was sequenced to explore the possible mechanism of treating prediabetes. First of all, transcriptome sequencing was performed on the normal BKS-DB mouse group, the prediabetic model group, and the Huangjing Qianshi Decoction treatment group(treatment group) to obtain differentially expressed genes in the skeletal muscle samples of mice. The serum biochemical indexes were detected in each group to screen out the core genes of Huangjing Qianshi Decoction in prediabetes. Gene Ontology(GO) database and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) database were used to conduct signaling pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) was used to verify them. The results showed that the levels of fasting blood glucose(FBG), fasting insulin(FINS), insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR), total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) in the mouse model were significantly decreased after treatment with Huangjing Qianshi Decoction. In the results of differential gene screening, there were 1 666 differentially expressed genes in the model group as compared with the normal group, and there were 971 differentially expressed genes in the treatment group as compared with the model group. Among them, interleukin-6(IL-6) and NR3C2 genes, which were closely related to the regulation of insulin resis-tance function, were significantly up-regulated between the model group and the normal group, and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA) genes were significantly down-regulated between the model group and the normal group. However, the expression results of IL-6, NR3C2, and VEGFA genes were adverse between the treatment group and the model group. GO functional enrichment analysis found that the biological process annotation mainly focused on cell synthesis, cycle, and metabolism; cell component annotation mainly focused on organelles and internal components; and molecular function annotation mainly focused on binding molecular functions. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis found that it involved the protein tyrosine kinase 6(PTK6) pathway, CD28-dependent phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/AKT) pathway, p53 pathway, etc. Therefore, Huangjing Qianshi Decoction can improve the state of prediabetes, and the mechanism may be related to cell cycle and apoptosis, PI3K/AKT pathway, p53 pathway, and other biological pathways regulated by IL-6, NR3C2, and VEGFA.

Objectives: To systematically evaluate the effect of prophylactic use of hydrolyzed protein formula on gastrointestinal diseases and physical development in preterm infants., Methods: A computerized search was performed in the databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Weipu, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify randomized controlled trials of the effect of prophylactic use of hydrolyzed protein formula on gastrointestinal diseases and physical growth in preterm infants. RevMan 5.3 software was used to perform a Meta analysis for the included studies., Results: A total of 7 randomized controlled studies were included. The results of Meta analysis showed that compared with the whole protein formula, the prophylactic use of hydrolyzed protein formula could reduce the risk of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis ( RR =0.40, P =0.04) and feeding intolerance ( RR =0.40, P =0.005), and had no significant effect on the growth of weight, length and head circumference ( P >0.05)., Conclusions: Compared with the whole protein formula, the prophylactic use of hydrolyzed protein formula in preterm infants may reduce the occurrence of necrotizing enterocolitis and feeding intolerance, and can meet the nutrient requirement of physical development. However, the evidence is limited, and the results of this study cannot support the routine prophylactic use of hydrolyzed protein formula in preterm infants.

This study analyzed the molecular mechanism of Huangjing Qianshi Decoction(HQD) in the treatment of prediabetes based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. The active components of HQD were identified and screened based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP, http://Lsp.nwu.edu.cn/tcmsp.php) and then the targets of the components and the genes related to prediabetes were retrieved, followed by identifying the common targets of the decoction and the disease. The medicinal component-target network was constructed by Cytoscape to screen key components. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was established by STRING and hub genes were identified by Cytoscape-CytoNCA, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) of the hub genes with R-clusterProfi-ler. Thereby, the possible signaling pathways were predicted and the molecular mechanism was deduced. A total of 79 active components of HQD and 785 diabetes-related targets of the components were screened out. The hub genes mainly involved the GO terms of tricarboxylic acid cycle, peptide binding, amide binding, hydrolase activity, and kinase activity regulation, and the KEGG pathways of AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, and insulin signaling pathway. Western blot result showed that HQD-containing serum significantly reduced the expression of AKT1, AGE, and RAGE proteins in insulin resistance model cells. HQD's treatment of prediabetes is characterized by multiple pathways, multiple targets, and multiple levels. The main mechanism is that the components zhonghualiaoine, baicalein, kaempferol, and luteolin act on AKT1 and inhibit the AGE-RAGE axis.

Denitrification is a key process in the nitrogen cycle of ecosystems. Most existing studies of nitrogen emissions and denitrifying bacterial communities are carried out in ecosystems with significant human interference, yet few focus in natural ecosystems with low human disturbance. Here, the denitrification rates and characteristics of nirS -type denitrifying bacterial communities in rhizosphere and bulk soils from alpine wetland plants at different altitudes(Tangke, Jiuzhi, Maduo, and Dari) and seasons(spring and summer) in the Yellow River source region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were investigated. The 15 N isotope tracer technique was used to estimate the denitrification rates, and high-throughput sequencing technology was used to determine the composition and relative abundance of nirS -type denitrifying bacterial communities. We also investigated the environmental factors(temperature and altitude) and soil physical and chemical properties(pH, soil organic carbon, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite) controlling the denitrification and related microorganisms. The results show that the denitrification rates of alpine wetland soils ranged from 0.80 to 14.98 nmol·(g·h) -1 , and the contribution to the total N 2 production ranged from 11.23% to 71.16%. The soil samples from Tangke, Jiuzhi, and Dari showed higher denitrification rates in rhizosphere soils than the corresponding bulk soils( P <0.05). Proteobacteria was the most dominate denitrifying bacteria phylum. At the genus level, unclassified Proteobacteria(2.86%-29.41%) showed the highest relative abundance, indicating that unique unidentified bacteria may dominate denitrification in these wetland soils. The genera with the next highest relative abundances were Pseudomonas (2.45%-26.52%) and Cupriavidus (0%-34.14%). Distance-based redundancy analysis showed that the community structure of the nirS -type denitrifying bacteria was mainly affected by altitude, pH, and nitrite concentrations; Pearson correlation analysis showed that denitrification rates and the Shannon index are significantly negatively correlated with soil pH( P <0.05), and the relative abundance of the main denitrifying bacterial genera were influenced by temperature and soil pH( P <0.05). This study provides valuable insights for understanding the nitrogen cycle in the unique alpine wetlands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Objective: To investigate the safety of warfarin for Kawasaki disease (KD) with coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) and its prognosis. Methods: Twenty one children with KD complicated with giant CAA, multiple CAA in one coronary artery or thrombosis in coronary artery were enrolled in this prospective study. Warfarin was used to control the goal international normalized ratio (INR) ranging from 2.0 to 3.0. The CAA diameter, number, location and thrombus in coronary artery were recorded at the beginning of treatment, 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks and 2, 3, 6, 12 months after treatment, as well as the influence on INR, electrocaroliogram, creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), troponin I. Standardized warfarin bleeding risk training and management was implemented. Children were divided into implementation group and non-implementation group according to the status of actual implementation of their parents. The incidence of bleeding events was compared between the two groups. Comparisons between groups were performed using a Rank sum test and a Fisher exact test. Results: In the 21 patients (15 males and 6 females), the age of onset ranged from 2 months to 6 years. There were 4 cases with grade Ⅱ, 7 cases with grade Ⅲ, 7 cases with grade Ⅳ and 3 cases with grade Ⅴ according to the severity of coronary arterial lesions before treatment. The time of clinical detection of thrombus in 10 children with thrombosis ranged from the fourth day to the fourth month. The dose distribution of warfarin was 0.06-0.10 mg/(kg·d), and the INR was 1.80-2.59. Among the 10 cases with thrombus, 8 cases had disappearance of thrombi and 2 cases with grade Ⅴ had thrombus organization to different degree. After treatment, the coronary artery ectasia of the 4 cases with grade Ⅱ all returned to normal. Among the 7 cases with grade Ⅲ, 3 cases of coronary artery aneurysms returned to normal, and 4 cases did not change. Among the 7 cases with grade Ⅳ , 5 cases of coronary artery aneurysms shrank to grade Ⅲ, and 2 cases remained unchanged. Three cases with grade Ⅴ lesions had no changes in aneurysm. Neither new thrombus nor new CAA was detected during the treatment. There was no significant change in electrocardiogram before and after treatment. No statistically significant difference was found regarding the troponin I (0.07 (0-3.01) vs. 0.04 (0-0.29) μg/L, Z =0.932, P >0.05) and CK-MB (20.6 (11.2-58.2) vs . 29.0 (16.7-47.0) U/L, Z =1.906, P >0.05) before and after treatment. The incidence of bleeding events in the implementation group was significantly lower than that in the non-implementation group (2/15 vs . 4/6, Fisher=5.689, P =0.031). Conclusions: The application of goal INR of 2.0-3.0 and adjustment of warfarin dose according to the severity of CAA combined with standardized and strict warfarin bleeding risk training and management, can increase the safety of warfarin therapy in children with KD, improve the prognosis of coronary artery lesions, promote the dissolution of thrombi, prevent new thrombosis, and effectively reduce the incidence of bleeding complication.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of fluconazole in the prophylaxis of invasive fungal infection in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants., Methods: Databases including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang Data, Weipu, and CNKI were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of prophylactic fluconazole in VLBW infants. Review Manager 5.3 software was used to perform a Meta analysis of the included studies., Results: A total of 12 RCTs were included, involving 1 679 VLBW infants. The Meta analysis showed that prophylactic fluconazole significantly reduced the incidence of invasive fungal infection (RR=0.44, 95%CI: 0.27-0.71, P<0.001), the incidence of fungal colonization (RR=0.31, 95%CI: 0.24-0.40, P<0.001), and the mortality during hospitalization (RR=0.74, 95%CI: 0.58-0.94, P=0.01) compared with the control group. There were no significant differences between VLBW infants using different doses of fluconazole in the incidence of invasive fungal infection and fungal colonization (P>0.05). No significant differences were found in the incidence of fluconazole resistance and complications between the fluconazole and control groups (P>0.05)., Conclusions: Prophylactic fluconazole can effectively and safely prevent invasive fungal infection in VLBW infants, even at a small dose.

Objective: To study the changes and significance of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) in left ventricular remodeling in FVB/N mice., Methods: A total of 54 FVB/N mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: 0 d group with 8 mice, 7 d group with 10 mice, 14 d group with 16 mice, and 21 d group with 20 mice. A model of cardiac remodeling was established by intraperitoneal injection of isoproterenol (ISO) at a daily dose of 30 mg/kg, and the 7 d, 14 d, and 21 d groups were injected for 7, 14, and 21 consecutive days respectively. The 0 d group was given intraperitoneal injection of an equal volume of normal saline. Echocardiography was used to measure left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end diastole (dLVPW) and the ratio of heart weight to tibia length (HW/TL) was measured. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to measure left ventricular myocardial fiber diameter. Picric-Sirius red staining was used to measure myocardial collagen deposition area in the left ventricle. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of ASK1, type I collagen (collagen I), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). The mortality rate was observed for each group., Results: There were gradual increases in HW/TL, myocardial fiber diameter, and dLVPW after 0, 7, and 14 days of ISO injection (P<0.05). There were no significant changes in HW/TL ratio and dLVPW from days 14 to 21 of ISO injection (P>0.05), while there was a significant reduction in myocardial fiber diameter (P<0.05), which was similar to the value on day 7 (P>0.05). There were significant increases in myocardial collagen deposition area and the mRNA expression of collagen I, ASK1, and BNP after 0, 7, 14, and 21 days of ISO injection, which reached the peaks on day 21 (P<0.01). The mRNA expression of ASK1 was positively correlated with myocardial collagen deposition area and the mRNA expression of collagen I and BNP and had a weak correlation with HW/TL, myocardial fiber diameter, and dLVPW. There was a significant increase in the mortality rate of the mice over the time of ISO injection., Conclusions: The expression of ASK1 in the myocardium is closely associated with left ventricular remodeling. The increase of ASK1 expression may lead to the aggravation of left ventricular remodeling, and the mechanism of which needs further study.

Objective: To study the association of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome with inflammatory response in the acute stage and coronary artery lesion (CAL) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD)., Methods: A total of 42 children with KD who were hospitalized from January to October 2017 were enrolled as the KD group, among whom 9 had CAL (CAL group) and 33 had no CAL (NCAL group). Fifteen age- and gender-matched children with pneumonia and pyrexia were enrolled as the pneumonia-pyrexia group. Fifteen healthy children were enrolled as the healthy control group. Real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of NLRP3 inflammasome (NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The Spearman rank correlation test was used to investigate the correlation of NLRP3 mRNA expression with serum levels of C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, procalcitonin, albumin and prealbumin., Results: The KD group had significantly higher mRNA expression of NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 in the acute stage than the pneumonia-pyrexia and healthy control groups (P<0.05). The CAL group had significantly higher mRNA expression of NLRP3 than the NCAL group (P<0.05). NLRP3 mRNA expression was correlated with C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, and prealbumin levels in children with KD in the acute stage (r s =0.449, 0.376, 0.427, and -0.416 respectively; P<0.05)., Conclusions: NLRP3 inflammasome may participate in inflammatory response in the acute stage and the development of CAL in children with KD.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of intraperitoneal injection of isoproterenol (ISO) to induce cardiac remodeling in FVB/N mice., Methods: Forty-eight FVB/N mice were divided into back subcutaneous saline group (subcutaneous saline group), intraperitoneal saline group, back subcutaneous ISO group (subcutaneous ISO group), and intraperitoneal ISO group according to the route of administration of saline or ISO. ISO (30 μg/g body weight/day) was given to the subcutaneous ISO group and the intraperitoneal ISO group, twice daily with an interval of 12 hours, for 14 consecutive days. The subcutaneous saline group and the intraperitoneal saline group were injected with an equal volume of saline. The left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness was measured by echocardiography, and the ratio of heart weight to tibia length was determined. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to determine the myocardial fiber diameter. Picric-sirius red staining was used to determine the myocardial collagen deposition area. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of collagen I., Results: Compared with the subcutaneous ISO, subcutaneous saline, and intraperitoneal saline groups, the intraperitoneal ISO group had increased sizes of the cardiac cavity and the heart. Compared with the subcutaneous saline and intraperitoneal saline groups, the subcutaneous ISO group showed no significant changes in the gross morphology of the cardiac cavity and the heart. The intraperitoneal ISO group showed significant increases in the ratio of heart weight to tibia length, myocardial fiber diameter, left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness, myocardial collagen area percentage, and the mRNA expression of collagen I compared with the subcutaneous ISO, subcutaneous saline, and intraperitoneal saline groups (P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the above five indices between the subcutaneous ISO group and the subcutaneous saline and intraperitoneal saline groups (P>0.05). No significant difference in the mortality rate was found between the subcutaneous ISO and intraperitoneal ISO groups (P>0.05)., Conclusions: Intraperitoneal injection of ISO can induce cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in FVB/N mice.

Objective: To assess the influence of the different exercise intervention mode, aerobic exercise training(AET), resistance training(RT) and AET RT, on blood glucose of pre-diabetes., Methods: Literatures were identified from the PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO, CNKI and Wanfang databases. Relevant journals or conference proceedings were also searched manually. The qualities of randomized con-trolled trials that conformed to inclusion criteria were evaluated. Meta-analysis of the obtained related data was completed utilizing RevMan 5.2 statistical software. Mean difference of index related in exercise intervention groups and control group were calculated across the studies., Results: Eight original literatures enrolled in this study. Compared with control group, combined effect of different exercise interventions on fast-ing blood glucose showed no significant, consistent with different intervention subgroups analysis. RT group and AET + RT group showed a sig-nificantly reduced role on 2 h postprandial blood index ( P < 0.05). AET group showed a significantly reduced role on insulin resistance in-dex., Conclusions: To pre-diabetic, effects of exercise on postprandial 2 h blood glucose and insulin resistance index are related to modes of ex-ercise. Effects of exercise on fasting blood glucose, but still could not be determined.

To study the tissue distribution of galactosyl daphnoretin liposomes in rats. At the dose of 10 mg•kg⁻¹, daphnoretin solution, daphnoretin liposomes, and galactosyl daphnoretin liposomes were administered to healthy SD rats via tail vein injection. The blood and tissue of heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, small intestine, brain and thymus were collected at 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 120, 240, 360 min after administration. The concentrations of daphnoretin in plasma and tissue samples were determined by HPLC. The results showed that galactosyl daphnoretin liposomes group had the highest concentration of daphnoretin in liver of unit weight at different time points; and at all of the time points, the target index DTI values of galactosyl daphnoretin liposomes to liver were greater than that of daphnoretin liposomes. Compared with daphnoretin solution, the AUC0-6 and Cmax of galactosyl daphnoretin liposomes in liver were 2.23, 5.22 times, respectively. This indicated that galactosyl daphnoretin liposomes can be concentrated at liver, with a significant liver targeting effect., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Objective: To investigate the relationship between hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) gene polymorphism and aerobic endurance., Methods: The (CA)n repeats polymorphism genotypes in HSL intro 6 of 123 outstanding long distance runners and 127 controls of Han nationality in northern China were analyzed by PCR and Fluorescence labeled STR-genescan. Repeat polymorphisms were grouped according to segmentation point and alleles were divided into long or short chains. Chi-square test was used to analyze the frequency difference of allelic and genotypic between athlete and control groups., Results: (CA) n repeats polymorphism in HSL gene was total of 9 different repeat number of alleles, which composed of 25 different genotypes. The chi-square test result showed that when compared short and long chain alleles split by 4, there was a significant difference (P <0.05) of genotype distribution in 5/10 km group compared with control. Compared the rest groups with control, there was no significant difference., Conclusion: Compared short and long chain alleles split by 4, the LL genotype of (CA)n of HSL was associated with aerobic endurance and it might be a molecular marker of elite 5/10 km long distance runners.

Objective: E23K polymorphism in KCNJ11 gene is associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In order to explore the mechanism of E23K correlation to related diseases, the effect of E23K polymorphism in KCNJ11 gene on membrane current was investigated., Methods: The exon of KCNJ11 was obtained by PCR amplification and the G-->A mutation was completed by overlap extension PCR. The sequences of KCNJ11 exon contained 23E or 23K was inserted into pcDNA3.1/CT-GFP vector respectively. The recombinant plasmid, pcDNA3.1-KCNJ11(E) and pcDNA3.1-KCNJ11(K), were transfected into HEK293T cells by lipofectamine and the membrane current density was determined by whole-cell patch clamp technique., Results: 1,173 bp sequences of KCNJ11 gene's exon were amplified by PCR and the recombinant expression plasmid, pcDNA3.1-KCNJ11(E) and pcDNA3.1-KCNJ11(K), were constructed successful. Positive and negative currents were detected in HEK293T cells transfected with difference plasmid by whole-cell patch clamp technique. Results showed that the reversed voltage was 50mV. The current in HEK293T cells with pcDNA3.1-KCNJ11(E) was significantly greater than that with pcDNA3.1-KCNJ11(K) (P < 0.05, n = 10)., Conclusion: The polymorphism of E23K in exon of KCNJ11 gene changed the membrane currents in HEK293T cells. It could be an experiment support for the possible mechanism between the locus and related diseases.

Objective: To explore the rule of influence of chitosan flocculation clarification and alcohol precipitation on the chemical compositions in aqueous extract of Paeoniae Radix Alba., Methods: The fingerprints of aqueous extracts of Radix Paeoniae Alba were established by HPLC method, and the influences of the two purification methods on the chemical compositions in aqueous extract of Paeoniae Radix Alba were compared with the apparent content and relative apparent content of the composition as evaluation indexes., Results: The chitosan flocculation clarification was superior to alcohol precipitation for keeping the polar compositions in aqueous extract, close to alcohol precipitation for keeping the medium polar compositions, and inferior to alcohol precipitation for keeping the lower polar compositions., Conclusion: The experiment result provides evidence for reasonably selecting above two purification methods to purify aqueous extract of Chinese medicinal herbs.

The exponentially modified Gaussian (EMG) model-based genetic algorithm was used as a fitness function for fitting fluorescence spectrogram. The method was effective for solving the interference of fluorescent substance in the course of the multi-component quantitative analysis. As an example, the interference of endogenous fluorophores in different urines with the fluorescence of gatifloxacin (GFLX) was examined. A good eradicating efficacy was achieved by using the fitting fluorescence spectrogram. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the good linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity and GFLX concentration was obtained in the range of 0.06-3.5 microg x mL(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9994. The detection limit and recovery were 0.02 microg x mL(-1) and 99.2%-109.4%, respectively, with the relative standard deviation from 1.3% to 2.7%. The proposed fitting fluorescence spectrometric method was rapid, simple and highly sensitive for the determination of GFLX in different human urine without preseparation. The recovery, selectivity, linearity, precision and accuracy of the method are convenient for routine assays and pharmacokinetic studies.

Objective: To study the metabolomics of focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in rats' brain treated by musk combined with borneol., Methods: Amino acids, fatty acids, organic acids, glucose,and sterols were transferred to ethers or esters which were heat stable and evaporated easily. The chromatographic conditions were optimized to analyze the endogenous metabolites from serum of the rats., Results: The metabolic fingerprints of the endogenous metabolites were obtained by the optimum method. Twenty-nine chromatographic peaks in the metabolic fingerprints were identified by mass data and standard references. And the difference between normal, model rats, and model rats treated by musk with borneol was analyzed by the Principal Component Analysis (PCA)., Conclusion: The metabolic fingerprints based on the derivation reaction combined with GC-MS could analyze the endogenous metabolites; The variation between different groups was related to the quantity of the biomarkers which could be in accordance with focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury.

Contributions of Xin'an medical school and physicians to acupuncture theory were introduced in the article. Academic theories or characteristics of several physicians of Xin'an school such as YANG Xuan-cao, WU Kun, WANG Ji, WU Yi-ding, ZHENG Mei-jian and XU Chun-fu, et al were sorted out. Contributions of inheriting and illustrations on acupuncture theory were analyzed so as to expound its significance and value on modern acupucture clinic.

Objective: To optimize the extraction technology of total flavonoids from Tricyrtis maculata., Methods: With UV spectrophotometry as detection method and the content of total flavonoids as index,using single factor experiment and L9 (3(4)) orthogonal test, the optimal condition was deterined., Results: The best extraction technology was as follows:soaked the medicinal materials for 15 minutes, water-decoted for 3 times, the solid-water ratio was 1:45, 1:40, 1:40 and the decotion time was 1, 0.5, 0.5 h respectively., Conclusion: The optimal extraction technology is reasonable and provides a basis for its further study.

Objective: To investigate the effect of vitamin E on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (RI/RI) in young and aged rats., Methods: The model of (RI/RI) was induced by bilateral clamping the renal artery and vein for 45 min followed by reperfusion. The contents of BUN, Scr, MDA, SOD, NO and iNOS were measured. Proteins of HSP70 were observed by immunohistochemistry. Flow cytometer was used to estimate the apoptosis rate of renal cortex cells., Results: After ischemia/reperfusion injury, the contents of BUN, Scr and iNOS were increased. Compared with young ischemia/reperfusion group, the contents of MDA were higher and the contents of SOD were lower in aged ischemia/reperfusion group. The expression of HSP70, the contents of NO and the apoptosis rate of renal cortex cells were higher in aged ischemia/reperfusion group than that in control group. Vitamin E significantly decreased the contents of BUN, Scr, MDA and iNOS, and increased the contents of NO and SOD after RI/RI. The expression of HSP70 was increased in both VE groups than that in both I/R groups. The apoptosis rate of renal cortex cells was less in both VE groups than that in both I/R groups., Conclusion: Vitamins E may up-regulate the expression of HSP70, increase the contents of SOD and NO, and enhance an ability of clear free radicals, which may contributes to decreasing renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in young and aged rats.

Irreversible sorption behavior of two phthalate acid esters (PAEs), Dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and Di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (DEHP), on four natural sediment samples from the Yangtze River and the Yellow River has been studied by equilibrium sorption and multiple cycles of adsorption/desorption experiments. The equilibrium sorption experiment results showed that the organic carbon-normalized partition coefficients (lgKoc) of DMP and DEHP were higher than those reported in references. This means that the sorption of DMP and DEHP on natural sediments include other sorption mechanisms besides the linear partition on organic carbon. The multiple cycles of adsorption/desorption experiment results showed that the sorption of PAEs included linear reversible sorption and irreversible sorption. For the four sediment samples, the maximum of irreversible sorption capacities were 125.19-337.37 microg/g and 515.89-591.41 microg/g for DMP and DEHP, respectively, which were positive correlated to the surface areas, cation exchange capacity and black carbon content of the sediments. The OC-normalized partition constants for the reversible compartment (lgk(oc)(rev)) were 3.69-4.98 L/kg for DMP; they were higher than those (lgKoc) reported in references, suggesting other reversible sorption mechanisms exist besides the linear partition on organic carbon. The lgk(oc)(rev) were 4.12-5.31 L/kg for DEHP; they were close to those (lgKoc) reported in references, suggesting the linear partition on organic carbon is the main reversible sorption mechanism. Although the physiochemical properties of DMP and DEHP are different, the OC-normalized partition constant for the irreversible compartment on the four sediments is essentially constant with lgk(oc)(rev) = (6.46 +/- 0.38) L/kg. As irreversible sorption exists for PAEs, the maximum of irreversible sorption capacity should be considered when studying the sediment quality criteria.

Objective: To investigate the chemical kinetics of tanshinone IIA in different conditions quantitatively and calculate the chemical kinetic parameters and equations in order to find out the major factors affecting the stability of tanshinone IIA., Methods: The kinetic line was obtained by setting the ln (C(t)/C0) as ordinate and making time as abscissa. The slope of the kinetic line was the reaction constant of tanshinone IIA in such condition. The t1/2 was calculated by the equation t1/2 = 0. 692/K., Results: The influences of initial concentration, pH value, temperature and light on stability of tanshinone IIA in solutions were carried out, respectively. The results suggested the degradation of tanshinone IIA in solutions fitted the pseudo-first-order reaction. The chemical kinetics parameters including rates constant and half time of degradation in different conditions were obtained by the means of ln (C(t)/C0) versus reaction time. The activation energy of tanshinone IIA in solutions were also available from the calculation of rate constants under different temperature according to the Arrhenius equation and was 82. 74 kJ/mol., Conclusion: Tanshinone IIA is unstable in the high temperature and light conditions, and is prone to degradation, this may be the main reason for its decrease in the whole process of extraction, concentration, granulation, drying and ending product of Danshen prescription.

The loach is widely distributed in China and cultivated enormously with the price increased in recent years. Its sex determination type and sex chromosome has not been recognized. In the present study, we report a novel sex-specific DNA marker in loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus. The animals used in our experiments were collected from a wild population in wetland on the ancient Yellow river, Yanjin Country, Henan Province. 220 random primers were used for random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) with the genomic DNA from two sex individuals as template. When using the S2111 primer, a novel 1040 bp sex-specific PCR product was amplified from known male fish. This fragment of DNA was cloned and sequenced. Two primers (MAmf1-P1 and -P2) were designed from the cloned sex-specific sequence to amplify the male-specific fragment using PCR for sexing, with the house-keeping gene beta-actin as positive control. Sex-specific bands in the gel were represented in the males but none were found in the females. The PCR products in the gel were then transferred onto nylon membranes and hybridized with a DIG-labeled probe of the cloned male-specific DNA fragment. Clear hybridization signals were found only in the male loach. The same result was obtained from dot blotting hybridization. The fragment is a repetitive DNA, and presents its closely related species Paramisgurnus dabryanus but not linked to sex. The cloning of the male-specific DNA laid a good foundation for the isolation of gender-specific chromosome segments with chromosomal walking or gene library, and improved the mechanism exploration of sex chromosome evolution in fish.

To probe into training of the clinical thinking of the students of modern acupuncture and moxibustion speciality, analyze YANG Ji-zhou's clinical thinking of acupuncture and moxibustion from YANG Ji-zhou's medical records in Zhenjiu Dacheng. Results indicate that YANG Ji-zhou's many points of view in clinical acupuncture and moxibustion still can enlighten the train of thought of later generations, suggesting that YANG Ji-zhou's clinical thinking is of an important practical significance for training of the clinical thinking of the students of the acupuncture and moxibustion speciality.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of Sanyinjiao (SP 6) on perimenopausal syndrome (PMS)., Methods: Multicentral randomized controlled trials and single blind test were adopted in the present study. A total of 157 PMS patients were randomly divided into EA group (n=81) and medication group (n=76) . EA (2/100 Hz, 8-10 mA) was applied to bilateral Sanyinjiao (SP 6), 3 times a week and for 3 months (mon). Patients of medication group were treated by oral administration of nylestriol, 2 mg/time, twice a mon for 3 mon. For PMS patients, medroxyprogesterone (6 mg/d, for 10 days) was added from the third mon on after the treatment. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by using "symptoms-signs score scale", and changes of serum estradiol (E2), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteotrophic hormone (LH) were detected by chemiluminescence immune assay. Kupperman index was determined before and after the treatment., Results: In comparison with pre-treatment, Kupperman index of EA group decreased significantly (P < 0.01). After the treatment, contents of serum FSH and LH of EA group decreased significantly (P < 0.01), while serum E2 contents of EA and medication groups increased significantly (P < 0. 01). Serum LH and E2 levels of EA group were significantly lower than those of medication group (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between two groups in Kupperman index, markedly-effective rates and total effective rates (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: EA of Sanyinjiao (SP 6) is able to regulate serum E2, FSH and LH levels and effectively improve perimenopausal syndrome.

Samples of water and sediment were collected at 30 sites in Wuhan section of the Yangtze River in high and low water period. Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) concentrations in each sample were determined by Gas Chromatography. The results were shown as follows: (1) PAEs concentrations in water phase of lakes and tributaries ranged from 0.114-1.259 microg/L in high water period and 0.25-132.12 microg/L in low water period, while slight increasing trends could be discovered in the main stream (0.034-0.456 microg/L and 35.73-91.22 microg/L in high and low water period, respectively). (2) PAEs concentrations in sediment phase of tributaries and lakes in low water period were from 6.3 to 478.9 microg/g. Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) both had strong trends from water to sediment phase, and the PAEs concentration ranges of the sediment phase in the main stream were 151.7-450.0 microg/g in high water period and 76.3-275.9 microg/g in low water period; DBP could transfer from sediment to water in high water period, while DEHP still had a potential for adsorption in low water period. (3) Among five studied PAEs compounds, DBP and DEHP were the main pollutants. According to the Surface Water Quality Criteria of China (GB 3838-2002), the limit values of DBP and DEHP for drinking water sources were 0.001 and 0.004 mg/L. All water samples in high water period were up to standard while the standard-exceeding sections accounted for 82.4% in low water period. (4) The PAEs pollution of the Wuhan section was similar to the Velino lake in Italy or the middle and lower stream of the Yellow River in China. However, PAEs concentrations in water phase of the Wuhan section in high water period were lower than most water bodies at home and abroad.

Objective: To our knowledge, there has been no clinical report of artesunate in the treatment of lung cancer. This study was designed to compare the efficacy and toxicity of artesunate combined with NP (a chemotherapy regimen of vinorelbine and cisplatin) and NP alone in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Methods: One hundred and twenty cases of advanced NSCLC were randomly divided into simple chemotherapy group (control group, n=60) and combined artesunare with chemotherapy group (trial group, n=60). Patients in the control group were treated with NP regimen, including vinorelbine (25 mg/m(2), once-a-day intravenous injection, at the 1st and 8th day) and cisplatin (25 mg/m(2), once-a day intravenous drip, at the 2nd to 4th day). Patients in the trial group were treated with the basal therapy NP (in the same method and doses as control group) and artesunate (120 mg, once-a-day intravenous injection, from the 1st day to 8th day, for 8 days). At least two 21-day-cycles of treatment were performed. The short-term survival rate, disease controlled rate (DCR), time to progression (TTP), mean survival time (MST) and 1-year survival rate were analyzed as the primary end points, and the toxicity and safety were estimated., Results: There were no significant differences in the short-term survival rate, MST and 1-year survival rate between the trial group and the control group, which were 45.1% and 34.5%, 44 weeks and 45 weeks, 45.1% and 32.7%, respectively (P>0.05). The DCR of the trial group (88.2%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (72.7%) (P<0.05), and the trial group's TTP (24 weeks) was significantly longer than that of the control group (20 weeks) (P<0.05). No significant difference was found in toxicity between the two groups, such as myelosuppression and digestion reaction (P>0.05)., Conclusion: Artesunate can be used in the treatment of NSCLC. Artesunate combined with NP can elevate the short-term survival rate and prolong the TTP of patients with advanced NSCLC without extra side effects.

Microcosm experiments have been carried out to study the effects of suspended sediment on the transformation of organic nitrogen contaminants under different conditions, including with and without spiking bacteria to the water-sediment system. When with the natural water and sediment as cultivation media and without spiking bacteria to the water system, the presence of sediment could stimulate the transformation of organic nitrogen, and the transformation rates were correlated well with the sediment concentration. When the initial concentration of organic nitrogen in the water system was 5 mg/L, and the suspended sediment content were 0, 5 and 10 g/L, the first-order transformation rate constants of organic nitrogen were 0.286,0.333 and 0.538 d(-1), respectively; the nitrification rate constants (K4) were 0.001 8, 0.003 8 and 0.0050 L x (d x micromol)(-1), respectively, when fitting the nitrification process with the Logistic kinetics. When spiking the water systems with the same initial bacteria density, the first-order transformation rate constants of organic nitrogen and nitrification rate constants (K4) increased with the sediment content. With the natural water and sediment as cultivation media, the mechanism regarding the effects of suspended sediment on organic nitrogen transformation includes the following aspects: (1) The initial amount of bacteria increased with the sediment content in the water system. (2) The growth of bacteria was promoted by the sediments, and bacteria tended to attach to the sediment. In addition, most of organic nitrogen was attached to the sediment phase and the transformation of organic nitrogen in the water system mainly occurred at the sediment/water interface. (3) The presence of sediment increased the contact chances between bacteria and organic nitrogen, thus stimulated the transformation of organic nitrogen contaminants.

Objective: To observe the regulative effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of Sanyinjiao (SP 6) on genito-endocrine in patients with perimenopausal syndrome (PMS)., Methods: A total of 175 PMS patients (157 cases with complete data) were randomized into EA group (n=81) and medication group (n=76) according to multi-center (3 hospitals) and single-blind control trial method. EA (2/100 Hz, 8-10 mA) was applied to bilateral Sanyinjiao (SP 6) for 30 min, 3 times every week, with one month being a therapeutic course, 3 courses altogether. Patients in medication group were ordered to take nilestriol (2 mg, twice/month for 3 months) and medrysone (2 mg, t. i. d. for 10 days from the 3rd month on). Serum estradiol (E) 2, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were detected with a chemiluminescence immo-analysis system., Results: After EA treatment, serum FSH and LH contents decreased significantly and serum E2 increased considerably (P < 0.001) compared with its basic values. Comparison between two groups showed that FSH, LH and E2 levels in EA group were significantly lower than those of medication group (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: EA of Sanyinjiao (SP 6) has a good regulative effect on reproductive endocrine function in PMS patients.

Ammonium nitrogen contamination is one of the major problems of the Yellow River in China. The speciation, concentration and sources of nitrogen compounds as well as the water environment conditions of the Yellow River had been analyzed to study the reasons for the fact that the ammonium nitrogen concentration was above the water quality standard. In addition, laboratory experiments had been carried out to investigate the effects of suspended sediment (SS) on nitrification rate. The results indicated that the presence of SS could accelerate the nitrification process, therefore, the effects of SS on nitrification rate was not the reason for the high level of ammonium nitrogen in the river. The excessive and continuous input of nitrogen contaminants to the river was the fundamental reason for the high concentration of ammonium nitrogen. Organic and ammonium nitrogen with high concentration inhibitted the nitrification processes. When the initial NH4+ -N concentrations were 10.1, 18.4 and 28.2 mg/L, nitrification efficiencies were 17.4%, 13.0% and 2.5%, respectively. When the initial organic nitrogen concentrations were 5.5 and 8.6 mg/L, the maximum concentrations of ammonium nitrogen produced by the oxidation of organic nitrogen would reach 0.47 and 1.69 mg/L and they would last for 2 days and 6 days, respectively. The oxygen-consuming organics and toxic substance existing in the river water could inhibit the activity of nitrifying bacteria, and thus lead to the accumulation of ammonium nitrogen. In addition, the high pH value of river water resulted in the high concentration of nonionic ammonium nitrogen which would reduce the activity of nitrifying bacteria and decrease the nitrification rates. Besides, low river runoff, low SS content and low activity of nitrifying bacteria resulted in the high level of ammonium nitrogen of the river in the low water season.

Samples of water, suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment in the Yellow River was analyzed. The total concentration of PAHs in the main river varies from 179 ng/L to 369 ng/L (sigma 15PAHs) in water, from 54 microg/kg to 155 microg/kg (sigma 13PAHs) in SPM dry weight, and from 31 microg/kg to 133 microg/kg (sigma 13PAHs) dry weight in sediment. The levels of PAHs in water of tributaries are higher than those in the corresponding sites in the main river, and concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene in most of the stations sampled are above drinking water standard. In SPM, PAHs of 3 to 6 benzene rings are mainly correlated to the content of total organic carbon (TOC) in different sites of the main river, while only 4 to 6 rings PAHs in sediment of main river are correlated to TOC for the influence of Mengzhou Canal, whose concentration of 3-ring PAHs are quite high. The distribution of PAHs in all media sampled in the main river indicates that PAHs are mainly transported from water into SPM between Mengzhou and Jiaogong Bridge, while in the reach between Jiaogong bridge and Huayuankou a great reduce of PAHs in SPM is mainly due to the diluting effect in the interchanging process between sediment and SPM. Source analysis also reveals that PAHs are mainly originating from coal burning, although in some tributaries PAH inputs could come from combustion of petroleum.

Experiments were carried out to study the sorption of PAHs Benzo(a)pyrene, chrysene and Benzo(g, h, i)perylene on particles of the Yellow River. The contributions of adsorption and partition to the sorption of PAHs were investigated. Several significant results were obtained from the study: (1) The total sorption capacity increases with the particle content while the sorption capacity of unit weight particle decreases; the isotherms of Benzo(a)pyrene depend on the particle content. (2) Isotherms of Benzo(a) pyrene can be fitted with the Dual Adsorption-Partition model under different particle content; the measured value of the adsorption and partition are in accord with the theoretical value of the Dual Adsorption-Partition model. (3) The adsorption is predominant in the sorption of Benzo(a)pyrene. When the particle contents are 3, 8 and 15 g/L and the liquid equilibrium concentrations are 2.84, 2.35 and 3.4 microg/L, respectively, the contributions of adsorption are 67.8%, 65.6% and 62.69%, respectively. In addition, the contributions of adsorption have a decreasing trend with the increase of the particle content. (4) The sorption capacity of Benzo (a) pyrene being alone are bigger than that with other PAHs chrysene and Benzo(g, h, i)perylene coexisting in the water system, this also proves that the adsorption is predominant in the sorption of PAHs.

Effect of particulate size and composition on the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in nature waters was examined. Experimental study was carried out for the Yellow River. The results showed that the biodegradation of benzo[a] pyrene and chrysene in water system could be fitted with one-order kinetics and the existence of particulates promoted the biodegradation. When the particulate content was 4 g/L, the sequence of increasing trend in the PAH biodegradation rates was: water system with middle size particulates (7-25 microm) > water system with small size particulates (<7 microm) > water system with large size particulates (>25 microm). The biodegradation rate constants for benzo[a]pyrene in water systems with middle, small and large size particulates were 0.0248 d(-1), 0.0212 d(-1), 0.0192 d(-1), respectively, and that for chrysene were 0.0288 d(-1), 0.0261 d(-1), 0.0218 d(-1), respectively. The mechanisms regarding the effects of particulate size on the biodegradation of PAHs include several aspects. First, the particulate size and composition affected the PAHs degraders level in water system as well as the distribution of PAHs degraders in water and particulate phases. The population of PAHs-degraders in water systems with middle and small size particulates was higher than that with large size particulates. Second, PAHs tended to be sorbed on the particulate phase, and the desorption of PAHs from the particulate phase would lead to a higher concentration of PAHs in the interface between water and particulate phases. Since the PAHs-degraders also tended to grow in the interface between water and particulate phases, this would result in a higher contact chances for PAHs and PAHs-degraders. Therefore, the existence of particulates stimulated the biodegradation of PAHs in water system. Third, the sorption capacity of PAHs and PAHs-degraders on the middle and small size particulates was higher than that on the large size particulates. Consequently, the biodegradation rates of PAHs in water systems with middle and small size particulates were higher than that with large size particulates. However, the desorption capacity of PAHs from middle size particulates was higher than that from small size particulates, leading to that PAHs concentration in the water/particulate interface of the former system was higher than that of the latter system. Therefore, the biodegradation rates of PAHs in water system with middle size particulates were higher than that with small size particulates.

Objective: To evaluate therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) on infantile malnutrition., Methods: Multicentral, randomized, controlled and single blind test was adopted. 222 infants of malnutrition were divided into an acupuncture group (n=110) and a medicine group (n=112). The acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at bilateral Sifeng (EX-UE 10), once each week, for 4 times; and the medicine group were treated with oral administration of Yiqi Jianpi Oral Liquid, twice each day, one ample each time, for 4 weeks. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by improvement of symptoms and signs in the syndrome cumulative score scale, and changes of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), pre-albumin (PA), hemoglobin and red-cell count., Results: Two hundred and twenty-two cases were enrolled in the 4 centers and 212 cases completed the test. The acupuncture group in improvement of appetite, body weight, subcutaneous fat thickness of the abdomen, etc. were superior to the medicine group (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in improvement of the body height. There was no significant increase of serum IGF-I level in the two groups, and the acupuncture group in increase of PA was superior to the medicine group (P < 0.05). After treatment, hemoglobin and red-cell count increased significantly in the treatment group (P < 0.01), and hemoglobin increased significantly in the medicine group., Conclusion: Acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) has obvious therapeutic effect on infantile malnutrition.

Photodegradation of chrysene, benzo(a)pyrene and benzo(ghi)perylene in natural water of the Yellow River was studied using simulation sunlight. The effects of particulates on the photodegradation were explored. Several results arose from this study: (1) The photodegradation of PAHs can be fitted with first-order kinetics when no particulates exist in water system, and the first-order constant increase with the decrease of initial concentration of PAHs. The photodegradation rates of the three PAHs are related to their molecule absorption spectrum. (2) The presence of loess exerts two kinds of effects on the photodegradation of PAHs, which include the inner filter effects and the photosensitizing effects of humic substance in Loess. These two opposite effects lead to the difference of net effects among different contents of loess. When the loess contents are 0.1 g/L and 5.0 g/L, the presence of loess stimulates the photodegradation of chrysene, benzo(a)pyrene. When the loess content is 5.0 g/L, the presence of loess stimulates the photodegradation of benzo(ghi)perylene. In addition, the photodegradation of PAHs can be fitted with the second-order kinetics when there is loess in the water system. (3) The dissolvable humic substances in loess can accelerate the photodegradation of PAHs while the indissoluble part cannot. (4) Since the dissolvable humic substances in the suspended solids of the river have been dissolved in water, the addition of suspended solids to the water system can only cause the decrease of photodegradation rate of PAHs due to its inner filter effects, and the photodegradation rate decreases with the suspended solid content as a power exponent function.

Collateral therapy includes treatment of diseases of collaterals, and treatment of human other diseases with collaterals as treating subjects. In collateral therapy of Huangdi's Internal Classic, collaterals were used as treating subjects, and the treatment was directly given at the collaterals of lesion; for treatment methods, acupuncture and moxibustion were adopted as main method, including pricking blood therapy, moxibustion of collaterals, acupuncture; the diseases and syndromes of treatment included diseases and syndromes of channels and collaterals, and human other diseases and syndromes; the principles of reinforcing and reducing, and the principles of treatment varying from time to time were stressed, and it indicated contraindications for treatment.

Objective: To observe the effect of the antithrombin-III (AT-III) on cytokine levels in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in rats., Methods: Seventy Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group, MODS group, and AT-III treatment group. The rats in MODS group and the treatment group were given lipopolysaccharide (LPS) two times to replicate systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)/MODS model. One hour after the injections of LPS, the rats in the treatment group were given AT-III (25 U/kg, 0.5 ml/100 g) intravenously. Four hours after treatment, blood samples were collected in rats. The tissue samples were collected and preserved in formalin. By use of radioimmunoassay and histopathology, the effect of the AT-III was observed in rats with SIRS/MODS., Results: Endotoxin (ET), interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were all increased significantly in MODS animals (all P<0.01), and they were decreased after AT-III treatment (all P<0.01), though still higher than those of the normal controls (all P<0.01). The pathologic changes in lung, kidney and liver in the treatment group were milder than in the MODS group., Conclusion: These data suggest that AT-III could inhibit systemic inflammatory response and it might be used in the treatment of SIRS/MODS.

Experiments were carried out to study the influence of humic substance in solids (Loess soil) on CODMn in the Yellow River. Several significant results were abtained from the study: (1) The total CODMn of water sample including liquid and solid phases increased significantly with the increase of solid content; The CODMn of liquid phase of water sample under pre-treatment with acid (LPWSPC) also increased significantly with the increase of solid content while that without pre-treatment did not increased significantly. (2) With the increasing of solid content, the total BOD5 of water sample increased much slower than the total CODMn and the CODMn of LPWSPC. (3) The humic substances with the content of 0.76% in solids (Loess soil) contributed greatly to the total CODMn of water sample. When the solid contents were 7.5 g/L and 15.0 g/L, the humic substances in solids accounted for 15.9% and 21.7% of the total CODMn of water sample, respectively. (4) When solid contents were 7.5 g/L and 15.0 g/L, fulvic acid,one of the main compositions of humic substance contributed to 23.6% and 50.6% of the CODMn of LPWSPC, respectively. Since the fulvic acid can hardly be biologically oxidized under natural conditions, the CODMn of LPWSPC in water quality monitoring exaggerates the oxygen-consuming organic contamination of the Yellow River.

Petroleum contaminants is one of the major pollutants in the Yellow River. Laboratory simulation experiments were carried out to study the natural biodegradation of the petroleum contaminants. When adding 10 mg/L petroleum contaminants to the Yellow River water samples containing 0 or 0.5 g/L sediment, the petroleum contaminants-degrading bacteria increased gradually after about one week of acclimatization. With the sediment content of 0.5 g/L, about 85% petroleum contaminants with the initial concentration of 11.64 mg/L in river water could be degraded within 63 days at 20 degrees C. The biodegradation rate was greatly influenced by the sediment content and the initial concentration of petroleum contaminants, and such effect was different from one degradation stage to another. In addition, the existence of sediment affected the biodegradation kinetics of petroleum contaminants.

Aim and Methods: By using electrophysiological technique, the effects of nitric oxide (NO) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on renal afferent nerve activity (RANA) induced by intrarenal arterial injection of endothelin-1(ET-1) were examined in anesthetized rat., Results: (1) In response to intrarenal arterial injection of ET-1 (1 microg/kg) MAP was initially decreased and subsequently increased, and RANA was increased to 208.33 +/- 16.60% (P < 0.001). (2) Pretreatment with L-Arg or ANP could effectively inhibit the above biological actions induced by ET-1., Conclusion: Intrarenal arterial injection of ET-1 can markedly induce the increase in RANA, an effect which is abolished by L-arg or ANP administered by the same route.

Objective: To observe the effect of infantile umbilical paste (IUP) in abating infantile fever., Methods: Two hundred and twenty cases were randomly divided into two groups, the 120 cases in Group A were treated with IUP and the 100 cases in Group B treated with compound Aspirin (APC). The effect in abating fever and side-effects were observed., Results: The total effective rate of the two groups were not statistically different (P > 0.05). But a better effect in abating fever was shown in Group A 4 hrs later (P < 0.01). The effect in patients of age under 1 year was the best., Conclusion: IUP has good effect in abating infantile fever, and it shows no influence on white blood cells, liver and kidney functions.