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BACKGROUND: Safflower, whose botanic name is Carthamus tinctorius L., is a member of the family Compositae or Asteraceae. Carthamus yellow (CY) is the main constituent of safflower and is composed of safflomin A and safflomin B. Dried safflower petals are used in folk medicine and have been shown to invigorate blood circulation, break up blood stasis, and promote menstruation. In addition, dried safflower petals contain yellow dyes that are used to color food and cosmetics. In this study, we investigated the effects of dried safflower petals aqueous extracts (SFA) and CY on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation using RAW264.7 macrophages. RESULTS: Our data showed that treatment with SFA (1–1000 µg mL−1) and CY (1–2000 µg mL−1) does not cause cytotoxicity in cells. SFA and CY inhibited LPS-stimulated nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) release, through attenuation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression. Further, SFA and CY suppressed the LPS-induced phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB, which was associated with the inhibition of IκB-α degradation. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that SFA and CY provide an anti-inflammatory response through inhibiting the production of NO and PGE2 by the downregulation of iNOS and COX-2 gene expression. Thus safflower petals have the potential to provide a therapeutic approach to inflammation-associated disorders. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

Background: Cupping therapy is a popular technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Cupping is the application of a vacuum to a closed system cup on a specific area of skin. Subject and setting: A 55-year-old, previously healthy man presented at our emergency department (ED) due to tingling and a painful sensation on his back after receiving cupping therapy while on his private airplane. Physical examination of the patient's back revealed multiple blisters within circular marks of differing sizes and varying shades of redness, petechiae, and ecchymosis. Results: After regular, judicious changes of sterile dressing over several weeks at our ED, the vesicle healed well and left no visible scars. Conclusions: Although bleeding, erythema, edema, and ecchymosis are created on purpose to achieve acupuncture point microcirculation, complications such as burn injury and thrombocytopenia also have been reported. We report a case of cupping-related blisters as a result of changes in atmospheric pressure re...

This paper presents a statistical method to predict NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) star ratings at early stages of the vehicle development process when only limited vehicle information, such as weight and a few basic dimensions, is available. The heart of this method is a probabilistic model, in which the probability distribution of NCAP star ratings, conditional on vehicle characteristics, is estimated using residual analysis. Seventy-nine NCAP tests from model year 1999 to model year 2002 were collected from NHTSA public database and used for the analysis. Given a vehicle’s weight and basic dimensions, the estimated probabilities reflect variations among similar existing vehicles due to detailed vehicle structure design, interior geometry layout, restraint system design, and the inherent variability of hardware and crash testing. The statistical method developed in this study provides a fast, probabilistic assessment of a concept vehicle’s potential NCAP performance.Copyright © 2004 by ASME

A virtual, computer-aided test laboratory was developed to simulate Federal Motor Vehicle Regulation (FMVR) No. 581, governing low speed bumper collisions. Required input for the virtual laboratory is an LS-DYNA keyword file containing bumper geometry (nodes and elements), constraints, and material properties. The virtual test laboratory reads the bumper model file and creates all pendulums and rigid barrier in position for computational efficiency. Several FORTRAN files were written to execute the pendulum and barrier placement. A command shell script was written to run the FORTRAN code and LS-DYNA simulations. An example using a simple front bumper is presented demonstrating use of this virtual laboratory.

A design strategy to simultaneously address the interaction of two restraint systems (airbag and belt) and two test conditions (FMVSS 208 and NCAP) was investigated. This design strategy was implemented using a math-based methodology for a midsize car passenger side restraint system. A number of airbag and safety belt design variables were examined and optimized resulting in improved NCAP performance for the midsize car used in the simulations. The result of this study shows that this math-based methodology could be used to project the potential performance of restraint systems for future vehicle programs. As is the usual recommended procedure for math-based results of highly complex nonlinear mechanical analyses of the type under consideration herein, test validation should be carried out prior to implementation of specific results in a production program.

This paper presents a statistical method to predict Side-Impact New Car Assessment Programme (SNCAP) star ratings at early stages of the vehicle development process when only limited vehicle information, such as basic dimensions and restraint choices, is available. The heart of this method is a probabilistic model, in which the probability distribution of SNCAP star ratings, conditional on vehicle characteristics, is estimated using residual analysis. A total of 80 SNCAP tests from model year 1999 to model year 2002 were collected from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public database and used for the analysis. Given a vehicle's basic dimensions and the choice of side air bags, the estimated probabilities reflect variations among similar existing vehicles due to detailed vehicle structure design, interior geometry layout, restraint system design and the inherent variability of hardware and crash testing. The statistical method developed in this study provides a fast, probabilistic assessment of a concept vehicle's potential SNCAP performance.

The purpose of this research was the validation of an offset deformable barrier (ODB) model using component and sled testing and simulations of both. The material parameters developed in component punch tests and their simulations work well for the ODB model. The finite model developed in this report results in good correlation between sled tests and simulations and this ODB model can now be used in vehicle simulations. This will allow the various ODB tests to be better modelled with better predictions of vehicle response. Thus, crashworthiness engineers may be able to design better for the ODB test. An additional finding of interest was that the honeycomb material in an ODB is somewhat unstable, because its strength is approximately two orders of magnitude greater in the primary loading direction than in the other two directions.