Search

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic utility of clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in distinguishing between histological grading and isocitrate dehydrogenase ( IDH ) classification in adult diffuse gliomas., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 247 patients diagnosed with adult diffuse glioma. Experienced radiologists evaluated DWI and MRS images. The Kruskal-Wallis test examined differences in DWI and MRS-related parameters across histological grades, while the Mann-Whitney U test assessed molecular classification. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves evaluated parameter effectiveness. Survival curves, stratified by histological grade and IDH classification, were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier test., Results: The cohort comprised 141 males and 106 females, with ages ranging from 19 to 85 years. The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences in ADC mean, Cho/NAA, and Cho/Cr concerning glioma histological grade ( P  < .01). Subsequent application of Dunn's test showed significant differences in ADC mean among each histological grade ( P  < .01). Notably, Cho/NAA exhibited a marked distinction between grade 2 and grade 3/4 gliomas ( P  < .01). The Mann-Whitney U test indicated that only ADC mean showed statistical significance for IDH molecular classification ( P  < .01). ROC curves were constructed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the specified parameters. Survival curves were also delineated to portray survival outcomes categorized by histological grade and IDH classification. Conclusions: Clinical MRS demonstrates efficacy in glioma histological grading but faces challenges in IDH classification. Clinical DWI's ADC mean parameter shows significant distinctions in both histological grade and IDH classification., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Chiral epichlorohydrin (ECH) is an attractive intermediate for chiral pharmaceuticals and chemicals preparation. The asymmetric synthesis of chiral ECH using 1,3-dicholoro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) catalyzed by a haloalcohol dehalogenase (HHDH) was considered as a feasible approach. However, the reverse ring opening reaction caused low optical purity of chiral ECH, thus severely restricts the industrial application of HHDHs. In the present study, a novel selective conformation adjustment strategy was developed with an engineered HheC PS to regulate the kinetic parameters of the forward and reverse reactions, based on site saturation mutation and molecular simulation analysis. The HheC PS mutant E85P was constructed with a markable change in the conformation of (S)-ECH in the substrate pocket and a slight impact on the interaction between 1,3-DCP and the enzyme, which resulted in the kinetic deceleration of the reverse reactions. Compared with HheC PS , the catalytic efficiency (k cat(S)-ECH /K m(S)-ECH ) of the reversed reaction dropped to 0.23-fold (from 0.13 to 0.03 mM -1  s -1 ), while the catalytic efficiency (k cat(1,3-DCP) /K m(1,3-DCP) ) of the forward reaction only reduced from 0.83 to 0.71 mM -1  s -1 . With 40 mM 1,3-DCP as substrate, HheC PS E85P catalyzed the synthesis of (S)-ECH with the yield up to 55.35% and the e.e. increased from 92.54 to >99%. Our work provided an effective approach for understanding the stereoselective catalytic mechanism as well as the green manufacturing of chiral epoxides., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

This study aimed to investigate the gap between adaptive functioning and cognitive functioning, especially verbal and nonverbal intelligence quotient (IQ) in Chinese children with ASD. We systematically explored cognitive functioning, ASD severity, early signs of developmental abnormalities, and socioeconomic factors as mediating factors of adaptive functioning. We enrolled 151 children (age: 2.5?6 years) with ASD and categorized them into one group with IQ ≥ 70 and another with IQ < 70. The two groups were calibrated for age, age at diagnosis, and IQ, and the relationship of adaptive skills with vocabulary acquisition index (VAI) and nonverbal index (NVI) were separately analyzed. Results show that the gap between IQ and adaptive functioning was significant in children with ASD having IQ ≥ 70, with both VAI and NVI showing statistically significant differences (all P < 0.001). VAI correlated positively with scores for overall adaptive skills and specific domains, whereas NVI had no significant correlations with adaptive skill scores. Age of first walking unaided had an independent positive correlation (all P < 0.05) with scores of adaptive skills and specific domains. IQ-adaptive functioning gap is significant in children with ASD having IQ ≥ 70, suggesting that defining "high-functioning autism" merely on the basis of IQ is not appropriate. Verbal IQ and early signs of motor development are specific and possible predictors of adaptive functioning in children with ASD, respectively., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) is a technique that uses specific off-resonance saturation pulses to pre-saturate targeted substances. This process influences the signal intensity of free water, thereby indirectly providing information about the pre-saturated substance. Among the clinical applications of CEST, Amide Proton Transfer (APT) is currently the most well-established. APT can be utilized for the preoperative grading of gliomas. Tumors with higher APTw signals generally indicate a higher likelihood of malignancy. In predicting preoperative molecular typing, APTw values are typically lower in tumors with favorable molecular phenotypes, such as isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations, compared to IDH wild-type tumors. For differential diagnosis, the average APTw values of meningiomas are significantly lower than those of high-grade gliomas. Various APTw measurement indices assist in distinguishing central nervous system lesions with similar imaging features, such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, central nervous system lymphoma, solitary brain metastases, and glioblastoma. Regarding prognosis, APT effectively differentiates between tumor recurrence and treatment effects, and also possesses predictive capabilities for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Deng, Zhang, Huang, Deng, Luo, Li, Lei, Liu and Lin.)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in clinical symptoms, including bradykinesia, resting tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. The pathophysiological changes in PD are inextricably linked to the subcortical structures. Shape analysis is a method for quantifying the volume or surface morphology of structures using magnetic resonance imaging. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in morphological analysis techniques for studying the subcortical structures in PD in vivo . This approach includes available pipelines for volume and shape analysis, focusing on the morphological features of volume and surface area., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Thyroid hormone receptor interactor 13 (TRIP13) plays a crucial role in poor prognosis and chemotherapy resistance of cancer patients. This present study is aimed at investigating the role of high expression of TRIP13 inducing nedaplatin (NDP) resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells. High expression of TRIP13 promoted the proliferation and migration of ESCC cells performed by MTS assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay, and transwell assay. High TRIP13 expression induced NDP resistance to ESCC based on the cell proliferation promoting/inhibition rate and cell migration promoting/inhibition rate analysis, flow cytometry assay of apoptotic subpopulations with a combination of Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide, and Western blot analysis downregulating cleaved PARP, γ H2A.X, cleaved caspase-3, and Bax and upregulating Bcl-2 expression. This study indicated that high expression of TRIP13 promoted proliferation and migration of ESCC cells and induced NDP resistance via enhancing repair of DNA damage and inhibiting apoptosis. This will provide a preliminary reference for the clinical use of NDP in ESCC treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Lin-Ting Zhang et al.)

Objective: To study the characteristics and risk factors of psychological and behavioral problems of children and adolescents of different ages and genders in long-term home-schooling during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic. Further, to provide scientific basis for more targeted psychological intervention and coping strategies in the future. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using an online questionnaire was conducted on students aged 6-16 years old in five representative cities of North (Beijing), East (Shanghai), West (Chongqing), South (Guangzhou) and Middle (Wuhan) in China. In this study, the social behavior and psychological abnormalities which was defined as the positive of any dimension were investigated in multiple dimensions during long-term home-schooling. The influencing factors of psycho-behavioral problems were analyzed by Logistic regression, and the confounding factors were corrected with graded multivariable adjustment. Results: A total of 6 906 valid questionnaires were collected including 3 592 boys and 3 314 girls, of whom 3 626 were children (6-11 years old) and 3 280 were adolescents (12-16 years old). The positive detection rate of psychosocial-behavioral problems were 13.0% (900/6 906) totally, 9.6% (344/3 592) in boys and 16.8% (556/3 314) in girls respectively, and 7.3%(142/1 946) in boys aged 6-11, 14.0%(235/1 680) in girls aged 6-11, 12.3%(202/1 646) in boys aged 12-16, 19.6%(321/1 634) in girls aged 12-16 respectively. There were significant differences between the psychological problems group and the non-psychological problems group in gender, parent-offspring conflict, number of close friends, family income change, sedentary time, homework time, screen exposure time, physical activity, dietary problems (χ²=78.851, 285.264, 52.839, 26.284, 22.778, 11.024, 10.688, 36.814, 70.982, all P <0.01). The most common symptoms in boys aged 6-11 years were compulsive activity, schizoid and depression, in girls aged 6-11 years were schizoid/compulsive activity, hyperactivity and social withdrawal, in boys aged 12-16 years were hyperactivity, compulsive activity and aggressive behavior, and in girls aged 12-16 years were schizoid, anxiety/compulsive activity and depression/withdrawal, respectively. After graded multivariable adjustment, besides the common risk factors, homework time and online study time were the risk factors of 6-11 years old groups [boys OR (95% CI ): 1.750 (1.32-2.32), 1.214(1.00-1.47), girls: 1.579(1.25-1.99), 1.222(1.05-1.42), all P <0.05], videogames time were the risk factors of 12-16 years old groups [ boys: 2.237 (1.60-3.13), girls: 1.272 (1.00-1.61), all P <0.05]. Conclusions: Some children and adolescents may have psychological and behavioral problems during long-term home-schooling. The psychological and behavioral manifestations differed in age and gender subgroups, which deserve special attention in each subgroups. Schools, families and specialists should actively provide precise psychological support and comprehensive intervention strategies according to special features and risk factors.

The Psychoeducational Profile 3rd Edition (PEP-3) is a comprehensive assessment tool designed for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although its original English version has been validated, few validation studies have been conducted on translated versions including Chinese ones. Based on 554 Chinese children with ASD and 311 typically developing Chinese children as the control group, this study investigated the psychometric properties of a simplified Chinese PEP-3 (sCPEP-3) in China mainland. Psychometric evaluation of the sCPEP-3 showed satisfactory internal consistency, test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, convergent validity, construct validity, and factorial validity. The findings have several implications such as utilizing the sCPEP-3 in mainland China for customized educational program planning, early identification, and evaluating the treatment effects for children with ASD.

Asymmetric synthesis of chiral epichlorohydrin (ECH) from 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) using halohydrin dehalogenases (HHDHs) is of great value due to the 100% theoretical yield and high enantioselectivity. The vital problem in the asymmetric synthesis is to prepare optically pure ECH. In this study, key amino acid residues located at halide ion channels of HheC (P175S/W249P) (HheC PS ) were modified to regulate the kinetic parameters. HheC PS I81W, F86N and V94R were constructed with the corresponding halide ion channels destroyed. The catalytically efficiencies (k cat /K m ) of the three mutants exhibited 0.38-, 0.23- and 0.23-fold decrease toward (S)-ECH and the reverse reaction was significantly inhibited. As the results, (S)-ECH was synthesized with >99% enantiomeric excess (e.e.) and 63.42%, 67.08% and 57.01% yields, respectively, under 20 mM 1,3-DCP as substrate. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of the molecule kinetic modification of HHDHs and also the first report for the biosynthesis of optically pure (S)-ECH from 1,3-DCP using HHDHs., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that shown a close association with impaired lipid metabolism. The acyl-carnitine spectrum status in Chinese children with ASD has not been reported. In this study, we assessed the levels of blood acyl-carnitines in Chinese children with ASD and examined the relation between acyl-carnitine profiles and the intelligence levels. Blood levels of acyl-carnitines were determined by tandem mass spectrometry in 60 children with ASD and 30 typically developing children. Chinese Wechsler Young Children Scale of Intelligence (C-WYCSI) was used in ASD group. Blood levels of free carnitine, glutaricyl carnitine, octyl carnitine, twenty four carbonyl carnitine and carnosyl carnitine in the ASD group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Glutaryl carnitine and carnosyl carnitine might be potential biomarkers for diagnosis of ASD. The changes in the acyl-carnitine spectrum indicate potential mitochondrial dysfunction and abnormal fatty acid metabolism in preschool ASD children., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Asymmetric synthesis of chiral epichlorohydrin (ECH) from 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) using halohydrin dehalogenase (HHDH) is of great value due to the 100% theoretical yield and high enantioselectivity. In this study, HheC (P175S/W249P) was immobilized on an A502Ps resin and used for the preparation of (S)-ECH. In aqueous system, the immobilized HheC catalyzed the biosynthesis of (S)-ECH with 83.78% yield and 92.53% enantiomeric excess (ee) at 1,3-DCP concentration of 20 mM. The non-aqueous system was further developed using water saturated ethyl acetate as solvent and reaction phase. The non-aqueous bioconversion system showed higher enantioselectivity (>98% ee) toward (S)-ECH production with modest conversion (52.34%) compared with ever reported aqueous reactions. Batch reactions were performed in a packed-bed bioreactor for 45 batches in aqueous phase and 24 batches in non-aqueous phase. The present work demonstrated the potential of immobilized HheC (P175S/W249P) in aqueous and non-aqueous phase biosynthesis of chiral ECH., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Abnormal fat metabolism is a major disorder in adults who were small for gestational age (SGA). Peroxisome prolferator-activated receptor (PPARγ) participates in adipocyte differentiation and the regulation of lipid metabolism. This study explored the role of PPARγ in the regulation of fat catch-up growth (CUG) and the lipid metabolism of SGA individuals., Methods: The CUG-SGA rats were treated with pioglitazone. The weight of the visceral adipose tissue, serum lipid levels, and PPARγ expression in the visceral adipose tissue were detected at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of age., Results: The PPARγ expression in the visceral adipose tissue in the CUG-SGA group was lower than that in the appropriate for gestational age (AGA) group at 4, 8, and 12 weeks (P < 0.05). The serum triglycerides in the CUG-SGA group were elevated compared with that in the AGA group at 4 and 12 weeks (P = 0.005; P = 0.037); however, they were significantly decreased after 8 weeks of pioglitazone intervention (P = 0.001)., Conclusions: PPARγ expression in the visceral adipose tissue was lower in SGA rats and may be related to the regulation of adipocyte differentiation. The early increased PPARγ expression by pioglitazone might reduce serum triglycerides and decrease the CUG of the visceral adipose tissue in SGA., (© 2017 The Obesity Society.)

Background: Researchers from several different countries have found the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) to have good psychometric properties. However, to our knowledge, no studies on this subject have been reported in Mainland China. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Chinese Mandarin version of the SRS when used in Mainland China., Methods: The reliability and validity of the parent-report SRS in a sample of 749 children of 4- to 14-year-olds: 411 typically developing and 338 clinical participants (202 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)) were examined., Results: Internal consistency for total scale (0.871-0.922), test-retest reliability (0.81-0.94), and convergent validity with the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) (0.302-0.647) were satisfactory. The SRS total score discriminated between the ASD and other developmental disorders. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses revealed that the SRS was predicted to accurately classify 69.2-97.2% of youth ASD. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) supported a single-factor solution for the ASD subsample. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) did not confirm the theoretical construct of five factors model with inadequate fit in the ASD subsample., Conclusions: Overall, our findings supported the reliability and validity of the parent-report SRS as one ASD screening instrument. In addition, we also suggest that the use of separate cut-offs for screening purposes (optimizing sensitivity) vs. clinical confirmation (optimizing specificity) should be considered.

Yifuning is a traditional Chinese medicine recipe that has been used for many years in China for its effects on treating climacteric syndrome in women. The present study aimed to demonstrate the effects and underlying molecular mechanism of Yifuning on the ovaries of aging rats. Selected aging rats were administered different doses of Yifuning (1.0 or 2.0 g/kg by lavage), and after 6 weeks the rats were sacrificed. The activit of indicators of oxidative stress in the serum were measured. The expression levels of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHDG) and p53 in the ovaries were examined using immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of the corresponding genes and proteins were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analyses, respectively. The results indicated that Yifuning significantly prevented ovarian failure, as indicated by improvements in estrous cycling, reproductive organ weights and sex hormone serum levels. Yifuning significantly increased the levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and reduced malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide levels. Yifuning reduced DNA damage in the ovaries by reducing the expression of 8‑OHDG and p53. Treatment with Yifuning significantly reduced the age‑induced p19, p53, p21 and Rb activity in the ovaries. The present study demonstrates that Yifuning prevents ovarian failure and the mechanism involved is partly associated with antioxidants and suppression of the Rb/p53 signal transduction pathway.

Autism spectrum disorder is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders with the higher prevalence in males. Our previous studies have indicated lower progesterone levels in the children with autism spectrum disorder, suggesting involvement of the cytochrome P-450scc gene (CYP11A1) and cytochrome P-45011beta gene (CYP11B1) as candidate genes in autism spectrum disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate the family-based genetic association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms, rs2279357 in the CYP11A1 gene and rs4534 and rs4541 in the CYP11B1 gene and autism spectrum disorder in Chinese children, which were selected according to the location in the coding region and 5' and 3' regions and minor allele frequencies of greater than 0.05 in the Chinese populations. The transmission disequilibrium test and case-control association analyses were performed in 100 Chinese Han autism spectrum disorder family trios. The genotype and allele frequency of the 3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms had no statistical difference between the children with autism spectrum disorder and their parents (P> .05). Transmission disequilibrium test analysis showed transmission disequilibrium of CYP11A1 gene rs2279357 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (χ(2)= 5.038,P< .001). Our findings provide further support for the hypothesis that a susceptibility gene for autism spectrum disorder exists within or near the CYP11A1 gene in the Han Chinese population., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

Objective: Insulin resistance has been observed in individuals born small for gestational age (SGA) with catch-up growth (CUG), yet the mechanisms involved remain unclear. This study examined the role of GH and insulin signaling crosstalk in insulin resistance of SGA rats with CUG., Design and Methods: SGA rats were developed by dietary restriction in pregnant rats. GH receptor inhibition was performed on four-week old CUG-SGA and AGA rats. Phosphorylation of IRS-1, AKT, and ERK, and expression of SOCS3 in the skeletal muscle were determined via immunoblot analysis at baseline and after insulin stimulation in CUG-SGA, NCUG-SGA and AGA groups., Results: Compared to AGA controls, phosphorylation of IRS-1 and AKT in response to insulin stimulation in CUG-SGA rats was significantly blunted (P<0.05), and phosphorylation of ERK at baseline was dramatically activated (P<0.05). SOCS3 expression was significantly increased in CUG-SGA compared to AGA (P = 0.001) and NCUG-SGA (P = 0.006) rats, and was significantly suppressed following GHR inhibition (P<0.05). Furthermore, phosphorylation of IRS-1 and AKT in response to insulin stimulation increased after GHR inhibition (P<0.05)., Conclusions: Insulin resistance in CUG-SGA rats is associated with impairment of IRS-1-PI3K-AKT signaling, which may result from GH signaling-induced up-regulation of SOCS3.

Aims: To further investigate the anti-colorectal carcinoma (CRC) effect of Sophoridine (SRI) which is a quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Sophora alopecuroides L. and detect the mechanism involved, provide some basis for the development of S. alopecuroides L., Main Methods: The anti-proliferation of SRI in human colorectal cells SW480 were detected by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay. The potential mechanism of anti-proliferation was also investigated using apoptosis assays. The rate of apoptosis cells was detected also. The apoptosis-related proteins cysteinyl aspartate specific protease (caspase), caspase-3, caspase-7, caspase-9, and poly-ADP-ribose-poly-merase (PARP) were determined by western blotting analysis. In animal studies, nude mice were subcutaneously injected with SW480 cells in the armpit to establish the xenograft tumors and administrated with different drugs (control, 5-Fu, SRI H, and SRI L). The general state of health of the mice and the growth of tumors were observed and the inhibitory rate was calculated. The pathology and ultrastructure of xenograft tumors treated with SRI were observed also., Key Findings: SRI significantly inhibited the growth of SW480 cells, and the administration of SRI significantly inhibited the growth of xenograft tumors without apparent toxicity. SRI's mechanism of action involved the induction of apoptosis., Significance: These results suggest that SRI produces obvious anti-tumor effects in vitro and in vivo. It supports the viability of developing SRI as a novel therapeutic prodrug for CRC treatment, as well as providing a method for identifying new anti-tumor drugs in TCM., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It has been recently proposed that the robustness of complex networks can be efficiently characterized through the natural connectivity, a spectral property of the graph which corresponds to the average Estrada index. The natural connectivity corresponds to an average eigenvalue calculated from the graph spectrum and can also be interpreted as the Helmholtz free energy of the network. In this article, we explore the use of this index to characterize the robustness of Erdős-Rényi (ER) random graphs, random regular graphs, and regular ring lattices. We show both analytically and numerically that the natural connectivity of ER random graphs increases linearly with the average degree. It is also shown that ER random graphs are more robust than the corresponding random regular graphs with the same number of vertices and edges. However, the relative robustness of ER random graphs and regular ring lattices depends on the average degree and graph size: there is a critical graph size above which regular ring lattices are more robust than random graphs. We use our analytical results to derive this critical graph size as a function of the average degree.

Background and Objective: The study was performed to determine whether catch-up growth is associated with the development of insulin resistance and to explore serum endocrine markers associated with the metabolism of adipose tissue in a Chinese population born small for gestational age(SGA) SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We recruited 56 children born SGA with catch-up growth and 55 born without catch-up growth, who were further grouped into groups I (with BMI catch-up) and II (without BMI catch-up) respectively, as well as 52 children born appropriate for gestational age (AGA) with normal height. Their serum fasting insulin, fasting glucose, insulin-like growth factor-1, adiponectin, IGFBP-1, triglyceride concentrations, and the homeostasis assessment model for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were evaluated., Results: (1) The HOMA-IR values in SGA-I with catch-up growth group were significantly higher than those in SGA-II with catch-up growth, SGA-I without catch-up growth and AGA children respectively. (2) The serum adiponectin levels of individuals in the SGA-I without catch-up growth and SGA-II with catch-up growth groups were significantly lower than those from the SGA-II without catch-up growth group. There was no difference in triglyceride or IGFBP-1 levels among the groups. (3) The degree of HOMA-IR was positively correlated with age, current BMI and △height SDS in SGA children., Conclusion: The development of insulin resistance and lower levels of adiponectin were closely correlated with higher BMI and the postnatal height catch-up growth in SGA children.

Introduction: Sophora alopecuroides L., a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, has been widely used for treating enteritis and bacillary dysentery for many years. Sophocarpine is a major ingredient of S. alopecuroides L. and has a wide range of pharmacological effects., Materials and Methods: In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of sophocarpine for treating dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental ulcerative colitis in C57BL/6 mice, a well-characterized murine model of ulcerative colitis. Experimental colitis was induced in these mice by dissolving 5% DSS in their drinking water for 7 days and sophocarpine (60, 30, and 15 mg/kg of body weight) and sulfasalazine (520 mg/kg) were administered orally once a day for 7 days., Results: Sophocarpine significantly ameliorated DSS-induced colitis as identified by a reduced disease activity index and wet weight of colons as well as recovery of body weight. Furthermore, the oral administration of sophocarpine significantly decreased myeloperoxidase activity and the level of interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 in serum (P < 0.01), while there was no significant effect on the level of IL-4., Conclusions: In conclusion, sophocarpine significantly ameliorated DSS-induced colitis in mice by regulating the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production. Based upon our results, we suggest that sophocarpine is an effective agent for treating colonic inflammation.

Objective: Using 64-slice spiral CT to reconstruct virtual knee joints of adults, we measured the gradient of proximal tibia-fibular joint and compared this result with bare joint measurement. We then discuss the accuracy of these measurements using a 64-slice spiral CT., Methods: Two hundred healthy adults were selected, including 100 males and 100 females, aged from 18 to 90 years. The gradient of the longitudinal axis of the fibula and the articular surface, and the angle of horizon of the proximal tibia-fibular articular surface and the horizontal line were measured by using a 64-slice spiral CT scan., Results: The angle between the longitudinal axis of the fibula and the articular surface (angle A) was 56.80° ± 6.59°, both the left and the right fibula showed no significant difference (t = 0.308, P = 0.758). The angle between horizontal line and the articular surface (angle B) was 32.80° ± 6.49°. The regression or correlation analysis findings showed that there is a negative relationship (r = -0.952, P = 0.000), and there is significant difference (t = 51.87, P < 0.01) between the angle A and the angle B., Conclusion: The measurement value of using 64-slice spiral CT to reconstruct the slope of proximal tibia-fibular joints has no difference compared to the measurement value of the slope of bare proximal tibia-fibular joints. It is a precise, convenient method and is easy to apply for clinical study., (© 2012 Tianjin Hospital and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

Background/aim: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a high-protein (HP) diet on insulin resistance and body fat in catch-up growth (CUG) rats born small for gestational age (SGA)., Methods: SGA rats were randomly divided into standard diet and HP diet groups. Perirenal fat weight and blood glucose, serum insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels were measured at 4 and/or 8 weeks. Insulin resistance and β-cell function were evaluated by homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and HOMA%., Results: The values of HOMA-IR in both CUG-SGA groups were significantly higher than those in the appropriate for gestational age (AGA) group (p < 0.01), whereas they were significantly lower in the HP diet CUG-SGA group than in the standard diet CUG-SGA group at week 8 (p < 0.01). At week 8, perirenal fat weight and adipocyte diameters were higher in both CUG-SGA groups than in the AGA group (p < 0.05), but these values were significantly lower in the HP diet CUG-SGA group than in the standard diet CUG-SGA group (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: The HP diet had positive effects on the prevention of insulin resistance, which may have been caused by the reduction of body fat., (Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of total alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides (TASA) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice., Methods: Chronic experimental colitis was induced by administration of 4 cycles of 4% DSS. Fifty mice were randomly distributed into 4 groups (normal, DSS, DSS/high-dose TASA, and DSS/low-dose TASA groups) by a random number table with body weight stratification. Mice in the normal group (n=11) and DSS-induced colitis control group (n=15) received control treatment of 20 mL/kg distilled water; DSS plus TASA high- and low-dose groups (n=12 each) were treated with TASA solution (20 mL/kg) at the doses of 60 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg, respectively. The severity of colitis was assessed on the basis of clinical signs, colon length, and histology scores. Moreover, secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and haptoglobin (HP) were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and macrophage-migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene expressions were analyzed by quantitative reverse transcriptase realtime polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) using SYBA green I; and nuclear factor κ B (NF-κ B) expression and activation and p65 interaction with the promoter of ICAM-1 gene were assessed by Western blotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay., Results: TASA administration significantly attenuated the damage and substantially reduced HP elevation and maintained the level of cecum sIgA. TASA inhibited the ICAM-1 gene expression and had no effect on MIF gene expression. Also, TASA was able to reduce phospho-I κ B α (p-I κ B α) protein expression; however, it had no effect on the activation of I κ B kinase α (IKK α) and inhibitor of NF-κ B α (I κ B α). Moreover, TASA inhibited the p65 recruitment to the ICAM-1 gene promoter., Conclusions: TASA had a protective effect on DSS-induced colitis. Such effect may be associated with its inhibition of NF-κ B activation and blockade of NF-κ B-regulated transcription activation of proinflammatory mediator gene.

Objective: To explore possible relationship between copy-number variations (CNVs) in 15q11-13, 16p11 and SHANK3 gene by using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and the phenotypes in children with autism and to further explore the clinical application of MLPA to make an etiological diagnosis of Autism., Methods: The diagnosed of autism was made according to the criteria of the ICD-10 and DSM-IV, with typical cluster of symptoms comprise social disability, communication impairments and repetitious behaviors. MLPA KIT P343-C1 AUTISM-1 was used to detect and describe the incidence of CNVs in these three domains., Results: Among 109 cases collected from 102 autistic pedigrees, 2 individuals had SHANK3 microdeletion, accounting for approximately 2% (2/109) of cases, suggesting the proportion of SHANK3 microdeletion might contribute to typical autism. The phenotypic traits of patients with SHANK3 microdeletions showed homogenicity in severe core symptoms and mental retardation., Conclusions: SHANK3 microdeletion is an important genetics component for autism, which may explain 2% typical autism cases. SHANK3 microdeletion might explain autistic core symptoms and mental retardation. MLPA is a sensitive and a high throughput technique to detect CNVs in specific DNA segments, which is beneficial for further investigation of etiology of autism.

Objective: To study the anti-tumor effect of total alkaloid of Sophora alopecuroides (TASA) on human colon adenocarcinoma SW480 cells and Balb/c nude mice tumor xenograft., Methods: The effect of TASA on cell proliferation was assessed using MTT assay and the cell apoptosis was detected using Annexin V-FITC apoptosis assay. The nude mouse model bearing transplanted solid tumor SW480 was established. The changes of the volume and weight of the tumor were determined after treatment the mice with TASA. Fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and BCL-2 mRNA expressions in the tumor., Results: TASA inhibited the proliferation of SW480 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The apoptotic rate of cells was the best when the concentration of TASA was 0.92 mg/mL at 48 hours. The volume and weight of the tumor xenograft in TASA groups were decreased when compared with those of the control group. The results of RT-PCR showed that TASA activated the pro-apoptotic Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 and lowered expressions of BCL-2., Conclusion: TASA can inhibit the growth of SW480 cells and the growth of transplanted solid tumor of human SW480 cell line, the mechanism of which involves the effect of Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and BCL-2 expression.

This study was performed to test whether children born small for gestational age (SGA) with catch-up growth (CUG) could be associated with the early development of insulin resistance and the β-cell dysfunction and to explore the impacts of height CUG and weight CUG on the insulin resistance in a Chinese population. A total of 30 children born SGA with CUG, 37 non-CUG (NCUG), and 42 born appropriate for gestational age (AGA) with normal height were recruited. Their fasting serum insulin, fasting glucose, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations, and the homeostasis assessment model for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and β-cell function (HOMA%) were evaluated. The values of HOMA-IR in CUG SGA were significantly higher than that in NCUG SGA (P = 0.002) and AGA children (P = 0.036), respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that the concentrations of fasting serum insulin were positively correlated with IGF-1 (r = 0.443, P = 0.001) and Δheight standard deviation score (SDS; r = 0.500, P = 0.002) in ≤ 6-year-old SGA children, but only with Δweight SDS (r = 0.496, P = 0.030) in >6-year-old children. In conclusion, SGA children with CUG in height and a higher body mass index are prone to the development of insulin resistance. Higher levels of insulin were closely correlated with the postnatal height CUG in young SGA children and with the weight CUG in old children.

Sophoridine (SRI), one of the quinolizidine alkaloids, is a new anticancer drug with noticeable antitumor action and lower toxicity. To our knowledge, there is no report about its effect on colitis. Repeated colitis was induced by administration of four cycles of 4% DSS. The severity of colitis was assessed on the basis of clinical signs, colon length and histology scores. Moreover, cecum secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and plasma haptoglobin (HP) were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and ICAM-1, and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene expression was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction using SYBR Green I. SRI administration significantly attenuated the damage and caused substantial reduction of the rise in plasma HP, and maintained the level of cecum sIgA. SRI inhibited the ICAM-1 gene expression and had no effect on MIF gene expression. In conclusion, for the first time, the activity of SRI on DSS-induced colitis mice was investigated, which suggests that SRI could be an attractive therapeutic option in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Oviductus Ranae (OR) on the expressions of CyclinD1, CDK6 and P15 in the liver of aged male rats., Methods: Eighteen male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 equal groups, namely the OR group, VE group and ageing model group. The rats received subcutaneous injection of D-galactose for 6 weeks to establish the aging models, and another 6 rats were injected daily with normal saline (NS) to serve as the normal control group. From the third week of the experiment, the rats were given oral OR or Vitamin E (VE) accordingly till the sixth week. After completion of the drug administration, all the rats were sacrificed for detecting the expressions of CyclinD1, CDK6 and P15 in the liver tissue by Western blotting., Results: The relative expression levels of CyclinD1, CDK6 and P15 in the liver of the rats in the OR group were 41.73-/+0.54, 23.29-/+0.30 and 1.49-/+0.30, respectively, significantly up-regulated as compared with those in the ageing model group (P<0.01). The expressions of the proteins were obviously down-regulated in the model group in comparison with those in the normal control group., Conclusions: OR treatment can lower the expressions of Cyclin D1 and CDK6 in the liver to enhance the liver cell proliferation in aged male rats. OR also promotes the expression of P15 through a feedback mechanism to prevent excessive proliferation of the cells. The effect of OR against ageing is mediated possibly by up-regulation of the proteins associated with the cell proliferation in the liver, a mechanism different from that of VE.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the total alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides (TASA), which contains many different ingredients like sophocarpine, matrine, oxymatrine, sophoridine, sophoramine, aloperine and cytosine, were able to protect colon against ulcers caused by 2,4,6-trinitrobenze sulphonic acid (TNBS)/ethanol treated models. In order to elucidate the mechanisms by which TASA exerts its effect of anti-inflammation and immunoregulation on rats with colitis, DAI (disease activity index) and histological grading of colitis were evaluated in the animal model. Moreover, the expression of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) and IL-10 in rats with experimental colitis were observed by FCM, ELISA and RT-PCR in this study. Results showed that TASA (15, 30 or 60 mg/kg/day) significantly up-regulated CD4(+)CD25(+)Tregs (P = 0.02, P = 0.02, P = 0.03) and IL-10 levels (ELISA: P = 0.03, P = 0.02, P = 0.00; RT-PCR: P = 0.04, P = 0.02, P = 0.01) respectively and decreased the DAI and histological grading of colitis in the peripheral blood (PB) and colon of rat colitis models (3.44 +/- 1.53, 4.25 +/- 1.27, 4.42 +/- 1.24 and 3.50 +/- 1.42, 4.05 +/- 1.32, 4.51 +/- 1.55 vs. 7.18 +/- 1.32 and 7.38 +/- 1.52, P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). Most interestingly, a negative correlation was demonstrated between the expression of CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs and DAI (Pearson r(PB) = -0.677, P < 0.01; Pearson r(COLON) = -0.663, P < 0.01, n = 60), or histological grading of colitis (Pearson r(PB) = -0.725, P < 0.01; Pearson r(COLON) = -0.623, P < 0.01, n = 60). Simultaneously, a positive correlation existed between CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs and IL-10 cytokine (IL-10 mRNA) in the colon and PB of rats (Pearson r(PB) = 0.789, P < 0.01, n = 60; Pearson r(COLON) = 0.678, P < 0.01, n = 60). These results may explain to some extent the mechanisms of TASA on treating rats with experimental colitis.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Yi Fu Ning Soft Gelatin Capsules (YFN) on reproductive endocrine-immune function of ovariectomized rats., Methods: 60 3-month old female Sprague-Dawley rats were used, 50 of them were ovariectomized and randomly divided into 5 groups: ovariectomizy (OVX) group, OVX with diethylstilbestrol tablets (DT) group, OVX with YFN (high dose, middle dose and low dose) group. The others were sham-operated group. The rats were administrated initially in the 4th week after the operation. After drugs had been given for 12 weeks the rats were sacrificed, blood serum hormone, IL-2 content and T lymphocyte subpopulation were detected with methods radioimmunoassay and flow cytometry (FCM)., Results: (1) Compared with sham group, the level of serum E2, Te and P significantly decreased (P < 0.01), FSH, LH content significantly increased; Blood T lymphocyte subpopulation CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio significantly decreased, serum IL-2 content also significantly decreased (P < 0.01). (2) Compared with model group, after treated by YFN, the level of serum E2 and P significantly increased (P < 0.01), serum FSH and LH content significantly decreased; T lymphocyte subpopulation CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio were improved significantly and serum interleukin-2 (IL-2) content increased significantly., Conclusion: YFN can increase serum sexual hormone content,reduce the level of FSH and LH, and improve imbalanced T lymphocyte subpopulation, stimulate IL-2 excretion, which means YFN can regulate inordinate reproductive endocrine-immune network in ovariectomized rats.

Objective: To prepare colon-targetting tablets of total alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides and evaluate the effect of pectins of different degree of esterification (DE) on sophoridine release profiles in-vitro., Method: Wet granulation technique was employed to prepare petin-based matrix tablets, then tablets were coated the optimal formulation with Kollicoat MAE 30 DP based on the optimal formulation and analysed their release., Result: Coated formulation E could target total alkaloids of S. alopecuroides to colon and various DE of pectin exerted different effects on sophoridine release. The release of low DE pectin-based matrix tablets coating with Kollicoat MAE 30 DP approximatedly fitted zere-order eqution, which was erosion depended., Conclusion: Low DE pectin-based matrix tablet coating with Kollicoat MAE 30 DP can deliver sophoridine to colon, hence improve the effectiveness of sophoridine.

Objective: To observe the protective effect of Oviductus Ranae (OR) capsules on the reproductive organs in an aged mouse model established by D-galactose injection., Methods: Forty-eight female Kunming mice were randomly divided into 4 equal groups, namely the high- and low-dose OR groups, diethylstilbestrol (DT) group, and model group. The mice received subcutaneous injection of D-galactose for 6 weeks to establish aging models. Another 12 mice were injected daily with normal saline (NS) to serve as the normal control group. From the third week of the experiment, the mice were given oral OR at low or high doses (in the OR groups) or vegetable oil (in the model or control groups) till the sixth week. In the last two weeks, the vaginal smears were obtained from the mice for evaluating the changes of the vaginal keratinocytes and counting the days of estrus. After completion of drug administration, all the mice were sacrificed and the serum content of estradiol (E(2)) was detected by radioimmunoassay, with the ovarian and uterine indices determined. The ovarian and uterine pathologies were observed using HE staining, and SOD and MDA activities in the ovary and uterus were also assessed., Results: OR obviously increased E(2) level and the ovarian and uterine indices in the aged mice, also alleviating the pathological change of the ovary and uterus. OR substantially depressed MDA content and enhanced SOD activity in the ovary and uterus., Conclusion: OR has definite antioxidative effects and ameliorates the degenerative changes of the reproductive organs in mouse models of aging.

Objective: To test 5 kinds of alkaloid of Sophora alopecuraides L., the effects of TBSA, MT, OMT, SC, SRI against adenocarcinoma of colon cell line SW620., Methods: SW620 cell line was treated with alkaloid at various concentrations. The effect on cell proliferative activity was measured by MTT assay and the effects of alkaloids against cell growth were compared. The changes of cell morphology were observed through optical microscope and fluorescence microscope and the cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry and Annexin V-FITC apoptosis assay after the treatments., Results: According to the results of MTT assay, all of the 5 kinds of alkaloid especially SRI and MT were identified to produce growth inhibition against SW620 cells. The sequence of the intensity of effect was TBSA < OMT < SC < MT < SRI. Further study of SRI and MT demonstrated their effects on inducing SW620 cell apoptosis, and SRI showed the strongest effect. Both SRI and MT induced SW620 cells to apoptosis in a dose-and-time-dependent manner., Conclusion: The 5 kinds of alkaloid especially SRI and MT may inhibit the growth of SW620 cells,and induce SW620 cell apoptosis. The results of this study pave the way for further identification of the effective components in Sophora alopecuraides L. that inhibit colorectal carcinoma both in vivo and in vitro.

Objective: To investigate the chemical constituents of Lespedeza virgata., Method: The constituents were isolated by column chromatography and their structures were elucidated by chemical properties and spectroscopic evideuce., Result: Seven components were isolated and identified as quercetin 3-O-[2"-O-( E'-6"-O-feruloyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-beta-D-galact opyranoside (1), kaempferol-7-O-L-rhamnopyranoside (2), 7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyransyl-kaempeferol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), quercetine (4), E-beta-hydroxycinnamic acid (5), protocatechuic acid (6), p-hydroxybenzoic (7)., Conclusion: Seven components are isolated from L. virgata for the first time.

Objective: To study the contents of the flavonoids in the extract of Lespedeza virgate., Methods: The constituents in the ethanol extraction of the aerial parts of Lespedeza virgate were isolated and purified using column chromatography, and the isolated compounds were identified according to their physicochemical and spectral data., Results and Conclusion: Eight flavonoids were isolated and identified as tricin (I), kaempferol (II), apigenin (III), kaempferitrin (IV), morin (V), luteolin (VI), quercetin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside (VII), chrysoeriol-7-rutinoside (VIII). The compounds I, II, III, V and VI were isolated for the first time from the plant, and the compound VIII was isolated from this genus for the first time.

Objective: To study the effect of the mixture of Rhizoma Curcumae (YFN) and Oviducts Ranae on serum estrogen and spleen estrogen receptor expressions and its effect on reproductive endocrine-immune network in ovariectomized (OVX) rats., Methods: Female SD rat models of climacteric syndrome (CS) were established by ovariectomy. After administration of YFN in the rats for 12 consecutive weeks, the serum estrogen levels (E2, FSH, LH, T, and P) and interleukin-2 were determined using radioimmunoassay, and the expression levels of estrogen receptor in the spleen were detected with immunofluorescence assay., Results: The serum E2, T, P, and interleukin-2 levels (P<0.01) and spleen estrogen receptor expression (P<0.05) were significantly increased after high-dose YFN administration in the OVX rats as compared with the levels in the untreated OVX rats. YFN also resulted in lowered serum FSH and LH levels, but the changes were not statistically significant., Conclusion: YFN can increase the serum estrogen levels and estrogen receptor expression in the spleen of OVX rats, suggesting its clinical potential for relieving CS.

Objective: To investigate the effects of matrine on the cell cycle and apoptosis in human colon adenocarcinoma SW620 cells and explore the possible mechanisms., Methods: The effect of matrine on cell proliferation was assessed using MTT assay, and the cell cycle arrest induced by matrine was determined by flow cytometry. The changes of cell morphology were observed through optical microscope, fluorescence microscope and electron microscope, and the cell apoptosis was detected using Annexin V-FITC apoptosis assay., Results: Matrine inhibited the proliferation of SW620 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Compared with the control group, the matrine-treated cells showed increased cell percentage arrested in G 0/G1 phase with decreased S-phase cells. Morphologically, the SW620 cells treated with matrine exhibited cell shrinkage, cell size reduction, plasma condensation, cytoplasmic vacuolar changes, and formation of apoptotic body with also the presence of the signet-ring cells, all typical of apoptotic cells., Conclusion: Matrine exposure of SW620 cells inhibits the cell proliferation, causes cell cycle arrest at G 0/G1 phase, and induces apoptosis in a dose- and time- dependent manner.

Objective: To observe the effects of Yifuning (YEN) capsule on blood lipids of ovariectomized hyperlipidemia rats., Method: Fifty-six female mature Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 7 groups: normal control group, model control group, diethylstilbestrol tablets (DT) group, Xuezhikang group, YFN high, middle and low dose groups. The ovariectomized rats were fed on high fat diet and administrated with the drugs for 3 weeks, then were killed and estimated body weight, liver index and five items of blood lipid (TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, VLDL) by test kit. Enzyme (such as HP, LDL, and whole lipase) was detected too., Result: The weight and liver index of model control group increased obviously as compared with normal group. YFN could reduce TG, TC, and LDL-C (P < 0.05) of ovariectomized hyperlipidemia rats obviously and increase HP, LDL and whole lipase (P < 0.05) on the other hand., Conclusion: YFN can ameliorate blood lipids of ovariectomized hyperlipidemia rats.

Objective: To study the effects of Yifuning soft gelatin capsules (YFN) on pathology and biomechanical indexes of ovariectomied female rats., Method: Sixty female Sprague-Dawley rats without pregnancy and delivery were used,50 of them were ovariectomized and randomly divided into 5 groups: ovariectomy(OVX), OVX with diethylstilbestrol tables (DT), OVX with YFN (high dose,middle dose and low dose), the others were sham-operated group. The rats began to take the rats drugs in the fifth week after the operation. After 12 weeks of treat ment the rats were killed, and the bones were collected to inspect. The pathology of bone was observed with the HE stain and the area of trabecular was detected. The electronic testing device was used to detect the biomechanical properties., Result: The results indicated that the rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) was a success. Compared with the model group, after application of the drugs, the observation of HE showed different repairing around trabecular. The biomechanical parameters also increased significantly., Conclusion: YFN can effectively prevent the loss of bone in OVX rats and strengthen bone quality, and has a good effect on PMO oostmenopausal osteoporosis.

Objective: To investigate the effects of total base of Sophora alopecuroides on expression of SOD, MDA, NO, MPO in rats with experimental colitis (UC)., Method: SD rats were randomized into 6 groups and colitis was induced by administrating 2,4,6-trinitrobenzesulphonic acid (TNB) recatlly in rats. Rats were given drug by stomach after the first day for 3 weeks, and sacrificed at 23rd day to determine the content of MDA and activities of SOD, NO, MPO in colonic mucosa, and to estimate the symptom and colonic histology., Result: In UC rats, SOD was significantly decreased whereas MDA, NO, MPO were increased when compared with the normal group (P < 0.05). In all treatment groups, Sophora alopecuroides could increase SOD, decrease MDA, NO, MPO (P < 0.05), and improve the symptoms and histological damages., Conclusion: The total dose of S. alopecuroides may ameliorates or alleviate the symptoms of UC through inhibiting oxygen free radical reaction, decreasing the generation of NO and exerting anti-inflammatory effects.

Objective: To investigate the effects of the Yifuning soft gelatin capsules(YFN)on estrogen receptor (ER) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in ovariectomized rats., Method: Fifty female mature sprague-dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control; model control; diethylstilbestrol tablets (DT); YFN (high dose and low dose). After 4 weeks' treatment, the serum E2 levels were detected by radioimmunoassay. The estrogen receptor (ER) levels of uterus and artery were detected with method of radioligand binding assay of receptor (RBAR). The uterus pathologic changes were investigated with light microscope. NO and NOS levels of the artery and the uterus index were detected too., Result: YFN can obviously improve serum E2, increase index and ER of uterus (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), and ameliorate the uterus' pathologic changes in OVX rats. It also can increase the artery' ER, NO and NOS levels., Conclusion: YFN can cure the climacteric syndrome and prevent the cardiovascular disease after post-menopause.

Objective: To study the effects of Yifuning soft capsules on postmenopausal osteoporosis in ovariectomized female rats., Method: 60 female sprague-dawley rats in 3-month were used, 50 of them were ovariectomized and randomly divided into 5 groups: ovariectomy (OVX), OVX with diethylstilbestrol tables (DT), OVX with YFN (high dose, middle dose and low dose), the others were sham-operated group. Began to give the rats drugs in the fifth week after the operation. After 12 weeks killed the rats. The blood,the uterus and bones were collected to inspect. The content of estrogen (E2) in serum was detected by radioimmunoassay method. The contents of Ca, P, ALP in serum were detected using the automic biochemistry-analyse device. The uterus were weight and the length, width, dry weight and net weight of the shoulder bone were measured. The contents of Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn in the bone were measured using the automic absorption spectrophotometer. The right femer and the third lumbar vertebra were detected for BMD using the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner and compression test using electronic testing device., Result: After using the drugs,the content of E2, Ca in serum, the weight of uterus, the contents of Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn in the bone and the BMD of right femer increased significantly, the content of P, ALP in serum decreased significantly., Conclusion: Yifuning soft capsules has a good effect on postmenopausal osteoporosis, which provides evidence for clinical use.

Objective: To study the therapeutic effect of Lespedeza Michx in experimental rat model of minimal change nephropathy (MCN)., Method: The rat MCN model was reproduced by tail-intravenous injection of Adriamycin. The treatment effect of Lespedeza Michx was determined by the detection of urine protein collection for 24 hours, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ATCO, IL-8, TNF-alpha in serum, and renal histopathological changes were observed by microscope., Result: Lespedeza Michx could decrease the contents of urine proteinuria, MDA, IL-8, and TNF-alpha in serum, increase SOD level and improved the pathological change of glomeruli., Conclusion: Lespedeza Michx was effective on MCN.

Objective: To express recombinant growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) peptide in E.coli by genetic engineering and examine its biological activity., Method: GHRH peptide was purified to homogeneity by means of cell lysis, washing, ethanol precipitation, acid hydrolysis, SP-Sephadex C25 and Sephadex G-25 column chromatographies., Result: SDS-PAGE showed that the recombinant plasmid pET-28a /L-ansB-GHRH in E.coli BL21(DE3) expressed the fusion protein under the induction with IPTG. The fusion protein was expressed in the form of inclusion body, accounting for 30% of the total bacterial protein. After the purification procedures, the peptide was purified about 147-fold with a peptide yield of 0.68%. The molecular mass of the peptide was 5 235 Da as determined by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrum, in agreement with the predicted value, and SDS-PAGE presented a single peak in assessment of the purity. Experiment showed that there were significant differences in the growth hormone released by the peptide between the dose groups and the blank control group, and the differences tended to be more obvious with the increase of the doses., Conclusion: The recombinant GHRH peptide possesses good biological activities.

Objective: To survey medicinal plant resources of the Chinese endemic genera of seed plants., Method: On the basis of herbarium, we studied on more than 800 specimens of the medicinal plant from Chinese endemic genera of seed plants and reviewed literature., Result: There are 67 genus, 78 species, 3 varitas in medicinal plant from the Chinese endemic genera of seed plants, which belong to 41 family. Their habitat and medicinal value are provided., Conclusion: Medicinal plant resources of the Chinese endemic genera of seed plants should be actively protected and widely utilized.

Objective: To study the therapeutic mechanism of YFN on climacteric syndrome by investigating the effect of Yi-Fu-Ning soft gelatin capsules (YFN), which can nourish the kidney and activate blood, on serum sex hormone levels and hypothalamic monoamine transmitters contents in ovariectomized rats., Method: Fifty female mature Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups:sham operation;ovariectomy(OVX);OVX with diethylstilbestrol tablets(DT);OVX with YFN(high dose and low dose). After drugs had been given for 4 weeks, hypothalamic monoamine transmitters (NE, DA, 5-HT, 5-HIAA) contents were detected by fluorospectrophotometric method and serum sex hormone by radioimmunoassay. Adrenal gland index, uterus index and thymus index were also determined., Result: YFN could obviously improve serum E2 and increase adrenal gland and uterus index in OVX rats (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). It could reduce hypothalamic 5-HT and 5-HIAA, which were increased in OVX rats(P < 0.01); It could also increase reduced NE and DA in OVX rats and reduce the ratio of 5-HT to NE and 5-HT to DA(P < 0.01)., Conclusion: YFN can regulate procreate endocrine in various ways and ameliorate the function of hypothalamic monoamine neurotransmitter in OVX rats. So it can stabilize inner condition of body and relieve symptoms of climacteric syndrome.

Objective: To observe the effect of the Niaoduqing Tablet(NDT) on the diuresis in normal rats and the hemorheology in rats of blood stasis and compare it with the Niaoduqing Granule(NDG), so as to provide some laboratory data for the clinic application and innovation of the dosage forms., Method: Diuretic effect of the NDT on experimental rats burthened with 1% Sodium deoxycholate was observed by using the metabolize cage examination. The changes of whole blood and plasma viscosity in the blood-stasis rat-model were measured with Viscometer-R80. Plasma was separated and fibrinogen measured by using the turbidimetric method., Result: Every dose of NDT had the diuretic effect on experiment rats, but only the big and middle dose increasing the urine quantity in 6 hours had the significance. Each dose could reduce the viscosity of whole blood and the fibrinogen in the blood-stasis rat model, and had the superiority to NDG., Conclusions: NDT has the diuretic effect and can ameliorate the hemorheology in the blood-stasis rat model, which may delay the course of the chronic renal failure (CRF).