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In this chapter the biogeochemical processes in the Bohai Sea are described. The main contents deal with the distributions, transformation, and their controlling factors of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, and pollutants such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the seawaters and sediments. In the Bohai Sea, human activity and riverine input are the most important controlling processes in the variation of biogenic elements and pollutants.

In this chapter the biogeochemical processes in the Yellow Sea (YS) are described. The focus is on C, N, P, and Si in the seawaters and sediments, heavy metals and POPs in the sediments, and the main research areas are the South Yellow Sea and Jiaozhou Bay. In the Yellow Sea, the biological pump and riverine input are very important controlling processes in the variation of biogenic elements.

Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 28 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured at a 2-cm interval in a core sample from the middle of the southern Yellow Sea for elucidating their historical variations in inflow and sources. The chronology was obtained using the 210Pb method. PAHs concentrations decreased generally with depth and two climax values occurred in 14–16 cm and 20–22 cm layers, demonstrating that the production and usage of PAHs might reach peaks in the periods of 1956–1962 and 1938–1944. The booming economy and the navy battles of the Second World War might explain why the higher levels were detected in the two layers. The result of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that PAHs were primarily owing to the combustion product. Down-cored variation of PCB concentrations was complex. Higher concentrations besides the two peaks being the same as PAHs were detected from 4 to 8 cm, depositing from 1980 to 1992, which probably resulted from the disposal of the out-dated PCB-containing equipment. The average Cl percentage of PCBs detected was similar to that of the mixture of Aroclor 1254 and 1242, suggesting they might origin from the dielectrical and heat-transfer fluid. The total organic carbon (TOC) content played a prevalent role in the adsorption of high molecular weight PAHs (≥ 4-ring), while no obvious relationship among total PCBs, the concentration of congeners, and TOC was found.

The Bohai Sea costal area is one of the most developed zones of China and the sewage water from populous and developed cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao and Dalian is discharged into the Bohai Sea. Additionally, its semi-enclosed characteristic restricts water exchange, which leads to high accumulation of pollutants in the environment. This overview presents the residues of 6 classes of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including PAHs, DDTs, HCHs, PCBs and PCDD/Fs, in the sediments and mollusks of the Bohai Sea through analyzing previous literatures. In the sediments, the highest PAH concentrations were detected in the vicinities of Qinhuangdao, while the northeast corner of the Bohai Bay possessed the highest levels of DDTs and PCBs. The investigations on HCHs and PCDD/Fs distributions on the whole sea scale have not been reported. In mollusks, PAH concentrations were in the same order of magnitude in the whole Bohai Sea, so were DDTs, HCHs and PCBs, while the outlier maximum values of PCDDs and PCDFs occurred in Yingkou. In general, the POPs residues in mollusks collected from Shandong Province were higher than the other areas. The compositions of DDTs, HCHs and PCBs in sediments indicated their recent usage. By comparing POP concentrations in sediments with the recommended criterions, it was shown that some individual PAH compounds occasionally associated with adverse biological effects in the vicinities of the Liaodong Bay and Qinhuangdao, and the Liaohe River Estuary were heavily contaminated with DDTs, but PCBs were all below the thresholds. In order to reveal the transference and transformation of POPs in the environment, further studies concerning with their behavior, fate and bioaccumulation in the different trophic levels should be programmed. Moreover, laws and regulations should be enforced to ban the illegal usage of POPs-containing pesticides to guarantee health of the environment and human. Keywords: POPs, Distribution, Ecological risk, Sediments, Mollusks, The Bohai Sea

Organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and 210Pb in core sediment were measured to quantify the burial of organic carbon and the relative importance of allochthonous and autochthonous contributions during the past one hundred years in Jiaozhou Bay, North China. The core sediment was dated using 210Pb chronology, which is the most promising method for estimation of sedimentation rate on a time scale of 100-150 years. The variation of the burial flux of organic carbon in the past one hundred years can be divided into the following three stages: (1) relatively steady before 1980s; (2) increasing rapidly from the 1980s to a peak in the 1990s, and (3) decreasing from the 1990s to the present. The change is consistent with the amount of solid waste and sewage emptied into the bay. The OC:TN ratio was used to evaluate the source of organic carbon in the Jiaozhou Bay sediment. In the inner bay and bay mouth, the organic carbon was the main contributor from terrestrial sources, whereas only about half of organic carbon was contributed from terrestrial source in the outer bay. In the inner bay, the terrestrial source of organic carbon showed a steady change with an increase in the range of 69%-77% before 1990 to 93% in 2000, and then decreased from 2000 because of the decrease in the terrestrial input. In the bay mouth, the percentage of organic carbon from land reached the highest value with 94% in 1994. In the outer bay, the sediment source maintained steady for the past one hundred years.

Cytogenetic analysis is essential for the diagnosis and prognosis of hematopoietic neoplasms in current clinical practice. Many hematopoietic malignancies are characterized by structural chromosomal abnormalities such as specific translocations, inversions, deletions and/or numerical abnormalities that can be identified by karyotype analysis or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays offer high-resolution identification of copy number variants (CNVs) and acquired copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity (LOH)/uniparental disomy (UPD) that are usually not identifiable by conventional cytogenetic analysis and FISH studies. As a result, SNP arrays have been increasingly applied to hematopoietic neoplasms to search for clinically-significant genetic abnormalities. A large numbers of CNVs and UPDs have been identified in a variety of hematopoietic neoplasms. CNVs detected by SNP array in some hematopoietic neoplasms are of prognostic significance. A few specific genes in the affected regions have been implicated in the pathogenesis and may be the targets for specific therapeutic agents in the future. In this review, we summarize the current findings of application of SNP arrays in a variety of hematopoietic malignancies with an emphasis on the clinically significant genetic variants.

Introduction: Cytogenetic analysis is well integrated into the work up of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In fact, cytogenetics constitute the single most important prognostic indicator for AML and are frequently found in MDS (50-80%). It may be assumed that their prognostic impact is due to loss of candidate genes that lie in abnormal regions [e.g., MEGF1 in del(5q)]. The advantage of karyotype or fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) testing is that they offer a high level of view of the genome detecting large structural changes that may not be amenable to evaluation by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Conversely, the resolution of karyotype is insufficient to detect single nucleotide variants better evaluated by NGS. Thus, each offers unique and complementary genetic data. In this study we investigated associations between commonly mutated genes in myeloid disease by NGS and cytogenetic abnormalities (CA) detected by karyotyping/FISH studies in the hopes of uncovering possible cooperative mechanisms of disease. Materials and Methods: All patients between May 2011 and October 2014 with hematopoietic malignancies and available mutational analysis by NGS were included in this study. All NGS was done in a CAP/CLIA certified laboratory environment, using a 5 gene panel initially and later a 21 gene panel. A subset of cases were evaluated on 405 gene panel. Karyotyping was performed at a CAP/CLIA certified lab using standard procedures. FISH studies were performed at our center. Results: Four hundred and ninety patients were tested for mutation by the 5 or 21 gene panel, while 33 patients were tested by a 436 gene panel (total n=523). There were 186 (35.6%) AML, 165 (31.5%) MDS, 44 (8.4%) MPN, 44 (8.4%) MDS/MPN, 42 (8%) others (including aplastic anemia, lymphoma, ALL, and multiple myeloma), and 42 (8%) cases with normal morphology. Of these patients, 267 (51%) had cytogenetic abnormalities (CA) and 358 (69%) patients had gene mutations. The data for most common mutations and CA are summarized in Figure 1. The most common CA were: del(7) 24%, del(5) 20.6%, +8 15%, del(20) 12%, and del(17) 8.8%. From all genes interrogated, 80 genes were found to be mutated. TET2 had the highest mutation rate (19.2%), followed by ASXL1 (17.9%) and DNMT3A (13%). TP53 had a mutation rate of 11.1%. However, TP53 mutated cases were most likely to harbor a concurrent CA (85% of TP53 mutated patients). Other frequently mutated genes, namely TET2, ASXL1, DNMT3A, JAK2, RUNX1, had a concurrent CA nearly half of the time (42.1%, 46.5%, 43.9%, 34.2%, 47.8%, respectively). The most frequent mutation and CA combinations were TP53 with del(5) (8%), TP53 with del(7) (6.2%), TP53 with del(17) (5.5%), and TP53 with trisomy 8 (4.2%). TET2 and ASXL1 tended to co-occur with del(7) (4% each). There appears to be a preferential association between TP53 mutation and chromosomal deletions. As previously known, FLT3 and NPM1 mutations were more likely to occur in patients without CA. ASXL1 mutation and del(7) co-occurred in 18 of the patients, 15 of which are AML patients (83%). TP53 and del(5), which is the most frequent combination, occurred in 31 patients, 14 (45.2%) of which were AML patients. Similarly, 52.4% of patients with TP53 mutations and del(17), and 50% of patients with TP53 mutations and +8 were AML patients. Therefore, the percentages of gene mutations co-occurring with CA were higher in AML than in other categories of disease. Conclusions: TET2 and ASXL1 are the most common mutations in the hematologic malignancies tested, but TP53 mutations are most likely to coincide with concurrent CA, while FLT3 and NPM1 are less likely to do so. Del(5) is the CA most commonly found in cases with gene mutations detected by NGS. Concurrent gene mutations and CA [e.g., ASXL1 with del(7), TP53 with del(17), TP53 with trisomy 8, TP53 with del(5)] are enriched in AML patients indicating possible cooperation of mutation and genes housed within these structural abnormalities in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

In this paper, the spatial distribution and source of the PCBs in surface sediments of the Southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and influencing factors, such as the sediment characteristics (components, relative proportions and total organic carbon contents), and hydrodynamic conditions were analyzed. PCB concentrations in the surface sediments ranged from 518-5848 pg/g, with average values of 1715 pg/g decreasing sharply compared to last year. In the study area, the PCB pollution level in the middle area was the highest, followed by that of the east coast and the west coast, respectively. Although the PCB level in the coastal areas was lower than that in the middle areas, it was proven in our study that the Yellow Sea obtained PCBs by virtue of river inputs. There was a positive and pertinent correlation between the clay proportion and PCB concentrations, and the increase of the PCB concentrations was directly proportional to the increase of TOC contents, with r = 0.61, but it was contrary to the sediment grain size. Consequently, the factors controlling PCB distribution had direct or indirect relationships with sediment grain size; moreover, the hydrodynamic conditions determined the sediment components and grain size. In conclusion, hydrodynamic conditions of the Yellow Sea were the most important influencing factors effecting the distribution of PCBs in the surface sediments of the SYS. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fucoidans, the sulfated polysacchrides extracted from brown algae, have been extensively studied for their diverse biological activities. However, there is no detailed report investigating the toxicity of fucoidan. In this study, the acute and subchronic (6 months) toxicity of varying levels of fucoidan extracted from Laminaria japonica was investigated in Wistar rats after oral administration. The results showed that no significant toxicological changes were observed when 300 mg/kg body weight per day fucoidan was administered to rats. But when the dose was increased to 900 and 2500 mg/kg body weight per day, the clotting time was significantly prolonged. Besides this, no other signs of toxicity were observed. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the no adverse effect level of fucoidan from L. japonica is 300 mg/kg body weight per day. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In order to study the relationship between chemical structure and properties of modified carrageenans versus antioxidant activity in vitro, K-carrageenan oligosaccharides were prepared through mild hydrochloric acid hydrolysis of the polysaccharide, and these were used as starting materials for the partial synthesis of their oversulfated, acetylated, and phosphorylated derivatives. The structure and substitution pattern of the oligosaccharides and their derivatives were Studied using FTIR and C-13 NMR spectroscopy, and their in vitro antioxidant activities were investigated. Certain derivatives of the carrageenan oligosaccharides exhibited higher antioxidant activity than the polysaccharides and oligosaccharides in certain antioxidant systems. The oversulfated and acetylated derivatives, which scavenge superoxide radicals, the phosphorylated and low-DS acetylated derivatives, which scavenge hydroxyl radicals, and the phosphorylated derivatives, which scavenge DPPH radicals, all exhibited significant antioxidant activities it, the systems examined. The effect of the molecular weight of the carrageenan on antioxidant activities, however, is not obvious from these studies. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We report here the sequence of chromosome II from Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. The 1.2-Mb pairs encode about 470 predicted genes organised in 17 directional clusters on either strand, the largest cluster of which has 92 genes lined up over a 284-kb region. An analysis of the GC skew reveals strand compositional asymmetries that coincide with the distribution of protein-coding genes, suggesting these asymmetries may be the result of transcription-coupled repair on coding versus non-coding strand. A 5-cM genetic map of the chromosome reveals recombinational 'hot' and 'cold' regions, the latter of which is predicted to include the putative centromere. One end of the chromosome consists of a 250-kb region almost exclusively composed of RHS (pseudo)genes that belong to a newly characterised multigene family containing a hot spot of insertion for retroelements. Interspersed with the RHS genes are a few copies of truncated RNA polymerase pseudogenes as well as expression site associated (pseudo)genes (ESAGs) 3 and 4, and 76 bp repeats. These features are reminiscent of a vestigial variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) gene expression site. The other end of the chromosome contains a 30-kb array of VSG genes, the majority of which are pseudogenes, suggesting that this region may be a site for modular de novo construction of VSG gene diversity during transposition/gene conversion events.

Clustering the mast cell function-associated antigen (MAFA), a membrane glycoprotein expressed on 2H3 cells, by its specific monoclonal antibody G63 substantially inhibits secretion normally triggered by aggregating these cells' Type I Fcepsilon receptor (FcepsilonRI). To explore possible MAFA-FcepsilonRI interactions giving rise to this inhibition, we have studied by time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy the rotational behavior of both MAFA and FcepsilonRI as ligated by various reagents involved in FcepsilonRI-induced degranulation and MAFA-mediated inhibition thereof. From 4 to 37 degrees C the rotational correlation times (mean+/-S.D.) of FcepsilonRI-bound, erythrosin-conjugated IgE resemble those observed for MAFA-bound erythrosin-conjugated G63 Fab, 82+/-17 micros and 79+/-31 micros at 4 degrees C, respectively. Clustering the FcepsilonRI-IgE complex by antigen or by anti-IgE increases the phosphorescence anisotropy of G63 Fab and slows its rotational relaxation. Lateral diffusion of G63 Fab is also slowed by antigen clustering of the receptor. Taken together, these results suggest that unperturbed MAFA associates with clustered FcepsilonRI. They are also consistent with its interaction with the isolated receptor, a situation also suggested by FRET measurements on the system.

Purpose: Several studies have identified amino acid residues located on the hydrophobic side of the helix that forms transmembrane domain 6 (TM6) of the ABC transporter P-glycoprotein (Pgp) as being important for function. The purpose of this study was to determine if alterations to residues on the hydrophilic side could also affect function and to determine the extent to which altering the hydrophobic nature of residues on the hydrophobic side would impair the protein. Methods: A full-length cDNA encoding wild-type Pgp1 from CHL cells was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis. Eight different mutations, three on the hydrophilic side and five on the hydrophobic side, were prepared and transfected into drug-sensitive host cells. Wild-type transfectants served as controls. Drug resistance levels, RD50 values for cyclosporin A (CsA) and verapamil, iodoarylazidoprazosin (IAAP) photolabeling and verapamil-stimulated ATPase activity were evaluated. Results: Substitution of any one of three amino acid residues on the hydrophilic side of TM6 disrupted function and led to alterations in drug resistance, CsA sensitivity, IAAP photoaffinity labeling, and in one case verapamil-stimulated ATPase activity. Replacement of a hydrophobic residue on the hydrophobic face of the helix with increasingly hydrophilic side-chains led to functional changes, the extent of which did not correlate with the degree of side-chain hydrophilicity. Finally, while the placement of a proline residue along either face of the helix had varying effects on function, in all cases its presence interfered with verapamil-stimulated ATPase activity. Conclusions: Taken together these results indicate that both faces of TM6 mediate Pgp1 function and that the expected conformational changes resulting from proline substitutions at a variety of locations within the helix can alter the protein's enzymatic activity.

The outer membrane of mitochondria contains channels called VDAC (mitochondrial porin), which are formed by a single 30-kDa protein. Cysteine residues introduced by site-directed mutagenesis at sites throughout Neurospora crassa VDAC (naturally devoid of cysteine) were specifically biotinylated prior to reconstitution into planar phospholipid membranes. From previous studies, binding of streptavidin to single biotinylated sites results in one of two effects: reduced single-channel conductance without blockage of voltage gating (type 1) or locking of the channels in a closed conformation (type 2). All sites react with streptavidin only from one side of the membrane. Here, we extend this approach to VDAC molecules containing two cysteines and determine the location of each biotinylated residue with respect to the other within the membrane. When a combination of a type 1 and a type 2 site was used, each site could be observed to react with streptavidin. Two sets of sites located on opposite surfaces of the membrane were identified, thereby establishing the transmembrane topology of VDAC. A revised folding pattern for VDAC, consisting of 1 alpha helix and 13 beta strands, is proposed by combining these results with previously obtained information on which sites are lining the aqueous pore.

The permeability of the outer mitochondrial membrane to most metabolites is believed to be based in an outer membrane, channel-forming protein known as VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel). Although multiple isoforms of VDAC have been identified in multicellular organisms, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been thought to contain a single VDAC gene, designated POR1. However, cells missing the POR1 gene (delta por1) were able to grow on yeast media containing a nonfermentable carbon source (glycerol) but not on such media at elevated temperature (37 degrees C). If VDAC normally provides the pathway for metabolites to pass through the outer membrane, some other protein(s) must be able to partially substitute for that function. To identify proteins that could functionally substitute for POR1, we have screened a yeast genomic library for genes which, when overexpressed, can correct the growth defect of delta por1 yeast grown on glycerol at 37 degrees C. This screen identified a second yeast VDAC gene, POR2, encoding a protein (YVDAC2) with 49% amino acid sequence identity to the previously identified yeast VDAC protein (YVDAC1). YVDAC2 can functionally complement defects present in delta por1 strains only when it is overexpressed. Deletion of the POR2 gene alone had no detectable phenotype, while yeasts with deletions of both the POR1 and POR2 genes were viable and able to grow on glycerol at 30 degrees C, albeit more slowly than delta por1 single mutants. Like delta por1 single mutants, they could not grow on glycerol at 37 degrees C. Subcellular fractionation studies with antibodies which distinguish YVDAC1 and YVDAC2 indicate that YVDAC2 is normally present in the outer mitochondrial membrane. However, no YVDAC2 channels were detected electrophysiologically in reconstituted systems. Therefore, mitochondrial membranes made from wild-type cells, delta por1 cells, delta por1 delta por2 cells, and delta por1 cells overexpressing YVDAC2 were incorporated into liposomes and the permeability of resulting liposomes to nonelectrolytes of different sizes was determined. The results indicate that YVDAC2 does not confer any additional permeability to these liposomes, suggesting that it may not normally form a channel. In contrast, when the VDAC gene from Drosophila melanogaster was expressed in delta por1 yeast cells, VDAC-like channels could be detected in the mitochondria by both bilayer and liposome techniques, yet the cells failed to grow on glycerol at 37 degrees C. Thus, channel-forming activity does not seem to be either necessary or sufficient to restore growth on nonfermentable carbon sources, indicating that VDAC mediates cellular functions that do not depend on the ability to form channels.

Previous research on the mitochondrial channel VDAC from the yeast S. cerevisiae had identified protein strands forming the wall of VDAC's aqueous pore. Here we report the results of analyzing the primary sequences of VDAC from various sources to see if the transmembrane folding pattern identified from this yeast is conserved for VDAC of different species. We analyzed the primary sequences of VDAC from higher plants, fungi, invertebrates, and vertebrates and found that all have a very similar "beta-pattern" profile with 12-15 peaks indicating potential sided beta strands that are candidates for protein strands forming the wall of the aqueous pore. All these VDAC sequences can be put into the 13 transmembrane strand folding pattern previously identified for yeast VDAC. These folding patterns agree with available experimental data: both electrophysiological and protease digestion data. Although the primary sequences of VDAC from very diverse organisms show low homology, sequence similarity in the proposed corresponding 13 transmembrane strands is substantial. Competing proposals utilizing 16 transmembrane beta strands are in conflict with electrophysiological experimental observations and violate the constraints on such strands, such as no charged amino acids facing the phospholipid membrane and sufficient number of residues to span the membrane.

Forward scattering solutions, whereby one predicts the scattered electromagnetic field given the goemetry, find numerous engineering applications in computer aided design. Therefore, a fast way to solve the forward scattering problem will impact a number of areas, like high- speed circuits, integrated optics, antenna analysis, remote sensing, geophysical sensing, and inverse scattering. We will describe several fast methods developed in our group to solve the forward scattering problem rapidly. These methods involve solving the volume integral equation of scattering as well as surface integral equation of scattering. Different strategies are used to accelerate the solutions of these integral equations. Both iterative and direct solution techniques will be considered. The computational complexity and memory requirement of various scattering algorithms will be discussed. In inverse scattering, one reconstructs the physical goemetry of a scatterer from the measured scattered field. Hence, it finds applications in image and profile reconstructions. When using a linear method, multiple scattering within a scatterer is ignored. By using a nonlinear inverse scattering method, such multiple scattering effect is accounted for. Image and profile reconstruction using such nonlinear inverse algorithm can remove artifacts that linear methods would not remove. We will discuss the use of the distorted Born iterative method and local shape function method to reconstruct a scattering object.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

The motion of the sensor regions in a mitochondrial voltage-gated channel called VDAC were probed by attaching biotin at specific locations and determining its ability to bind to added streptavidin. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to introduce single cysteine residues into Neurospora crassa VDAC (naturally lacks cysteine). These were chemically biotinylated and reconstituted into planar phospholipid membranes. In the 19 sites examined, only two types of results were observed upon streptavidin addition: in type 1, channel conductance was reduced, but voltage gating could proceed; in type 2, channels were locked in a closed state. The result at type 1 sites is interpreted as streptavidin binding to sites in static regions close to the channel opening. The binding sterically interferes with ion flow. The result at type 2 sites indicates that these are located on a mobile domain and coincide with the previously identified sensor regions. The findings are consistent with closure resulting from the movement of a domain from within the transmembrane regions to the membrane surface. No single site was accessible to streptavidin from both membrane surfaces, indicating that the motion is limited. From the streptavidin-induced reduction in conductance at type 1 sites, structural information was obtained about the location of these sites.

Background Astragalus is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine and has been proven beneficial for many aspects of human health. It is important to explore the neuroprotective effect and mechanism of astragalus injection in cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. Methods The focal cerebral ischemic model with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) reperfusion was established by Longa’s method in healthy adult male Wistar rats, and treated by injecting intraperitoneally astragalus injection (3 ml/kg). The neurobehavioral function of rats was evaluated by Longa’s test. The cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry and the cerebral infarct volume was calculated by tetrazolium chloride (TTC) stain. The shape and structure of neurons in parahippocampal area was observed by HE stain and the neuronal apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and flow cytometry. The expressions of c-jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3) mRNA and protein were determined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemical assay and Western blotting respectively. Results After treatment with astragalus injection, the expressions of JNK3 mRNA and protein reduced significantly, the number of neuronal apoptosis minus, the cerebral infarct volume shrink, the neuronal shape-structure and animal neurobehavioral function improved significantly than those in model rats. Conclusions It is suggested that astragalus injection could inhibit neuronal apoptosis, reduce infarct volume and improve neurobehavioral function by down-regulating the expression of JNK3 gene after cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in rats.