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The effects of general anesthetics on cognitive impairment are unclear and complicated. Laser laryngeal surgery (LLS) requires the administration of low levels of oxygen, which may increase the risk of desaturation and brain function impairment. This prospective randomized trial aimed to compare the effects of desflurane and propofol-based general anesthesia on the occurrence of early postoperative cognitive decline in elderly patients undergoing LLS.Seventy-three patients classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists grade I or II and at least 65 years of age were randomly allocated to receive either desflurane-based (Group D) or propofol-based (Group P) anesthesia during LLS. The standard anesthesia protocol was performed, with a bispectral index between 40 and 60 and a mean arterial pressure within 20% of baseline values. Intraoperative regional oxygen saturation values were recorded. Each patient was assessed using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) test during the preoperative period (baseline), 30 min after extubation in the postanesthesia care unit, and 1, 3, and 24 h after surgery.MMSE scores improved slightly in both groups compared to baseline during the early postoperative period, but these increases were not statistically significant. No significant differences were identified in MMSE scores between groups. Only three patients (9.6%) in group D and one patient (3.1%) in group P developed cognitive impairment (p = 0.583).Low intraoperative inspired oxygen concentration during short-duration LLS did not reduce early postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients. Desflurane or propofol-based anesthesia had similar effects on early neurocognition after LLS.2 Laryngoscope, 2022.

To determine the prevalence, factors associated with and patterns of concomitant Chinese medicine (CM) with Western treatment use among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a tertiary referral centre (Singapore General Hospital) in Singapore. We conducted a cross-sectional interviewer-administered survey of a consecutive sample of patients with RA in Singapore General Hospital centre regarding their CM use including data on patient demographics, disease characteristics, concomitant use of CM and reasons, concerns and disclosure patterns from March to August 2015. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the associations of CM use. Prevalence of CM use among the 258 patients surveyed (male: female 42: 216; Chinese: Malay: Indian 191: 29: 34; mean age: 61 years; mean duration of RA: 10 years) was 46.1% (119/258). On multivariate analysis, Chinese ethnicity (OR, 95% CI: 4.11, 1.49–11.36), Chinese speakers (OR, 95% CI: 2.35, 1.03–5.54), middle-income group (OR, 95% CI: 2.53, 1.01–6.31) and greater learned helplessness (OR, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.04–1.22) were significantly associated with CM use. More CM users disclosed their CM use to CM physicians (87.3%, 96/110), sought advice from them on treatment interactions (59.4%, 57/96) and how best to combine treatments (49.0%, 47/96) than did so with rheumatologists (42.0%, 50/119; 40.0%, 20/50; and 42.0%, 21/50, respectively). Forty-two percentage (29/69) of patients who concealed CM use from rheumatologists because their rheumatologists did not specifically enquire about CM use. Concomitant CM use among patients with RA treated in a tertiary referral centre in Singapore is high but voluntary disclosure is low. The associations identified can help doctors identify and enquire about CM use, minimizing potential adverse interactions.

Pile-fermentation is a critical procedure for producing Chinese dark tea, during which thermophilic microorganisms would play an irreplaceable role. However, there have been little researches on the influences of thermophilic microorganism pile-fermentation (TMPF) in high-temperature of Chinese dark tea. Thus, we conducted high-performance liquid chromatography and nontargeted metabolomic to analyze the non-volatile metabolites of TMPF. Our results discovered that the amounts of ( −)-epigallocatechin gallate, ( −)-epigallocatechin, ( −)-epicatechin gallate, and ( −)-epicatechin were decreased significantly (p

Thermophilic bacteria play an important role in aroma formation during pile-fermentation process of dark tea. With the aim to reveal the impact of thermophilic bacteria on volatile compounds in dark tea, Bacillus licheniformis (thermophilic bacteria) were inoculated into sun-dried green tea for spontaneous fermentation. In this study, headspace solid phase microextraction combined to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS), odor activity value (OAV), principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) were employed to investigated the characteristics of volatile compounds during thermophilic bacteria pile-fermentation. According to HS-SPME-GC-MS, a total of 64 volatile compounds were identified. PCA revealed that tea samples could be clearly discriminated from each other. Furthermore, sulcatone, hexanoic acid, linalool, 2-methyl-trans-decalin, myrtenal, and α-ionone were found to play an important role in discrimination of tea samples, based on OPLS-DA. In addition, the OAV could effectively characterize the aroma contribution of volatile compounds during thermophilic bacteria pile-fermentation, and (Z)-linalool oxide (furanoid), α-ionone, (E)-2-nonenal, and linalool were the critical volatile compounds of aroma quality in dark tea. This study provides insight into volatile compounds characteristics during thermophilic bacteria pile-fermentation in dark tea.

With the aim to reveal the microbial community succession at various temperatures in the fermentation of Qingzhuan tea (QZT), the Illumina NovaSeq sequencing was carried out to analyze bacterial and fungal community structure in tea samples collected from the fermentation set at various temperatures, i.e., 25 °C, 30 °C, 37 °C, 45 °C, 55 °C, and room temperature. The results showed that fermentation temperature profoundly affected the microbial community succession in the QZT fermentation. Microbial richness and community diversity decreased along with the increase of fermentation temperature. Despite the differences between microorganisms and their metabolic types among various temperatures, most bacteria and fungi showed positive correlations at the genera level. Klebsiella, Paenibacillus, Cohnella, and Pantoea were confirmed as the main bacterial genera, and Aspergillus and Cyberlindnera were the main fungal genera in QZT fermentation. The microbial genera (i.e. Aspergillus, Rhizomucor, Thermomyces, Ralstonia, Castellaniella, and Vibrio) were positively correlated with fermentation temperature (P 0.05), while Klebsiella, Paenibacillus, and Aspergillus had good adaptability at different temperatures. Conversely, Pantoea and Cyberlindnera were only suitable for low temperature (≤37 °C) growth, and Thermomyces was only suitable for high temperature (37 °C) growth. Aspergillus had a significant positive correlation with tea aroma quality (r = 0.64, p 0.05). This study would help to understand the formation mechanism of QZT from microflora perspective.

Caffeine is a major component of tea and coffee. Apart from the stimulatory effects, cumulative intake of caffeine has caused several diseases. In addition, the presence of caffeine brings out the deterioration of environmental pollution. Therefore, the demand for decaffeinated products, especially decaffeinated coffee and tea, is increasing. However, Pseudomonas putida as the most widely studied bacteria isn't suitable for producing decaffeinated tea and coffee due to the production of an unpleasant odor and endotoxins at the same time. A more appropriate system (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens HZ-12:ndmABCDE) is needed to produce decaffeinated products; and HZ-12:ndmABCDE was constructed by orderly integrating N-demethylase genes (ndmABCDE) in a safer strain HZ-12. Demethylases (NdmABCDE) in P. putida can degrade caffeine to xanthine, which was further degraded to CO2 and NH4+ by the purine metabolic pathway. Finally, HZ-12:ndmABCDE could degrade 52.6% of caffeine in the optimized medium, 31.5% higher than HZ-12; caffeine was demethylated in sequence to form theobromine, paraxanthine, 7-methylxanthine and xanthine; and there are no endotoxins and unpleasant odor. This study provides a safer strain (HZ-12:ndmABCDE) for producing decaffeinated tea and coffee and a new idea that B. amyloliquefaciens HZ-12 can heterologously express the demethylase genes in P. putida.

The recent novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection resulted in a coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic that significantly strained healthcare systems globally. The early wave of patients in Singapore with severe pneumonia requiring intensive care units are gradually being referred for post-critical illness management with our inpatient medical rehabilitation unit. There is growing information regarding the actual rehabilitation process for patients severely affected by coronavirus disease 2019. This case report shares experiences and challenges faced during rehabilitation of severe coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia and post-intensive care syndrome. It also describes the post-discharge rehabilitation program in a setting of strict nationwide safe distancing and stay-home policies.

Background Bostrycin has many biological functions, such as anticancer activity, and is becoming increasingly popular. Nigrospora sphaerica HCH285, which has the ability to produce high levels of bostrycin, can be used to ferment sun-dried green tea of Camellia sinensis through acclimation, resulting in the development of a Nigrospora-fermented tea. The effects of fermentation time on the production of bostrycin by the HCH285 strain were investigated. Results After 45 days of fermentation, the bostrycin content reached 3.18 g kg-1 , which is the highest level during the whole fermentation. At 50 days, the tea liquor was red, had a strong mushroom odour and a sweet taste, and presented optimal quality. The contents of free amino acids, tea polyphenols and soluble sugars in the fermented tea decreased generally during the fermentation, although the content of water-soluble substances increased. Additionally, the results of a 14-day acute oral toxicity test showed that Nigrospora-fermented tea was nontoxic. Conclusion The optimum fermentation time of Nigrospora-fermented tea was concluded to be 45-50 days. These results provide insights with respect to the development of tea biotechnology and new tea products with active ingredients. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

The major limitation of optimization models applied previously for rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems is the systematic evaluation of environmental and human health impacts across all the lifecycle stages. This study integrated life cycle assessment (LCA) into a multi-objective optimization model to optimize the construction areas of green rooftops, porous pavements and green lands in Beijing of China, considering the trade-offs among 24 h-interval RWH volume (QR), stormwater runoff volume control ratio (R), economic cost (EC), and environmental impacts (EI). Eleven life cycle impact indicators were assessed with a functional unit of 10,000 m2 of RWH construction areas. The LCA results showed that green lands performed the smallest lifecycle impacts of all assessment indicators, in contrast, porous pavements showed the largest impact values except Abiotic Depletion Potential (ADP) elements. Based on the standardization results, ADP fossil was chosen as the representative indicator for the calculation of EI objective in multi-objective optimization model due to its largest value in all RWH systems lifecycle. The optimization results for QR, R, EC and EI were 238.80 million m3, 78.5%, 66.68 billion RMB Yuan, and 1.05E + 16 MJ, respectively. After the construction of optimal RWH system, 14.7% of annual domestic water consumption and 78.5% of maximum daily rainfall would be supplied and controlled in Beijing, respectively, which would make a great contribution to reduce the stress of water scarcity and water logging problems. Green lands have been the first choice for RWH in Beijing according to the capacity of rainwater harvesting and less environmental and human impacts. Porous pavements played a good role in water logging alleviation (R for 67.5%), however, did not show a large construction result in this study due to the huge ADP fossil across the lifecycle. Sensitivity analysis revealed the daily maximum precipitation to be key factor for the robustness of the results for three RWH systems construction in this study.

In this work, we study the statistical behavior of entanglement in quantum bipartite systems under the Hilbert-Schmidt ensemble as assessed by the standard measure - the von Neumann entropy. Expressions of the first three exact cumulants of von Neumann entropy are known in the literature. The main contribution of the present work is the exact formula of the corresponding fourth cumulant that controls the tail behavior of the distribution. As a key ingredient in deriving the result, we make use of newly observed unsimplifiable summation bases that lead to a complete cancellation. In addition to providing further evidence of the conjectured Gaussian limit of the von Neumann entropy, the obtained formula also provides an improved finite-size approximation to the distribution., 51 pages, 1 figure. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1910.01199

Although active peptide is an important functional component, the mechanism of releasing peptides promoted by the degradation of tea protein during fermentation is still unclear. The profiles of peptides and tea proteins in pickled tea during anaerobic fermentation were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The results showed that water-soluble proteins are the main target of hydrolysis in the fermentation, and the degradation of tea protein clusters at different fermentation time triggers the continuous release of peptides. ILW, WLR, WY, YV, ELW, FY, and PYV are considered to be the key peptides related to the antioxidant activity of pickled tea, and enzyme proteins especially rubisco and tubulin family proteins may be responsible for the release of these potential antioxidant peptides. Peptides derived from tea proteins are suggested to be one of the key antioxidants in pickled tea. The findings can promote to targeted degradation of tea protein to increase the active peptides and function in microbial fermented tea.

There were little reports on effects of fermentation conditions on the quality and function of Fu-brick tea. In this study, gallic acid contents and antioxidant properties of Eurotium cristatum-fermented loose tea at different fermentation temperatures were analyzed. The results showed that E. cristatum fermentation had resulted in an obvious increase of the antioxidant ability, and fermentation temperature significantly affected gallic acid and antioxidant ability of E. cristatum-fermented loose tea (p

Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of high body mass index (BMI) on surgical outcome of laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC). Systematic literature search was performed using PubMed and Embase databases. The relevant data were extracted, and surgical outcomes and postoperative complications were compared between BMI≥25 kg/m2 and BMI

Table S1. SPIRIT 2013 checklist: recommended items to address in a clinical trial protocol and related documents. Table S2. Checklist for items in STRICTA 2010. Table S3. Checklist to ensure standardization of acupuncture treatment. (DOCX 37â kb)

Although aged fragrance is the most outstanding quality characteristic of dark tea, its formation still is not much clear. Thus, the volatiles of Qingzhuan tea (QZT) during the whole post-fermentation process were investigated at an industrial scale. The results showed that most of volatiles increased during pile-fermentation of QZT and weakened during aging storage, but some new volatiles were produced through aging storage. Hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-decenal, 2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde, heptanal, (E)-2-octenal, (R)-5,6,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,4,7a-trimethyl-2(4H)-benzofuranone, ionone, 2-heptanone, 3-ethyl-4-methyl-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione, (R,S)-5-ethyl-6-methyl-3-hepten-2-one, cis-5-ethenyltetrahydro-5-trimethyl-2-furanmethanol, and linalool generated by pile-fermentation should be the basic volatiles of aged fragrance in QZT, and 4-(2,4,4-trimethyl-cyclohexa-1,5-dienyl)-but-3-en-2-one, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, safranal, guaiene, trans-2-(2-propynyloxy)-cyclohexanol, nonanal, and 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-butanone formed during aging storage should be the transformed volatiles of aged fragrance in QZT, which together constitute the characteristic components of aged fragrance. Notably, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-butanone, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, and safranal were selected as the key volatiles of QZT. These results contribute to understand better the formation of agedfragrance in dark tea.

Microbial tea products are widely welcomed for their unique quality characteristics. However, the quality characteristics of pickled tea, a microbial tea product traditionally consumed in most Asian countries remain unclear. Therefore, the quality characteristics of pickled tea processed using Camellia sinensis leaves through anaerobic solid-state fermentation were analyzed. During 60-d fermentation, the free amino acids, caffeine, and tea polyphenols in pickled tea kept much stable, the soluble sugar content showed significant and continuous decrease, but the water extract showed a continuously increasing trend. The optimal fermentation time for pickled tea was 30 d, at which its normal quality characteristics were formed: the sensory quality was the best, most free amino acids evidently increased, a high level of gallic acid was produced up to 25.7 g/kg, and volatile compounds were mainly alkanes such as heptadecane and hexadecane. It is the first report that high levels of gallic acid in a microbe-fermented tea processed by anaerobic fermentation reached to that levels in Galla chinensis, which will benefit development of a functional tea with high levels of active components and understanding the microbial transformation of tea components through anaerobic fermentation.

Background: There is no consensus in existing literature on the pulse power, application time, frequency and the dose of energy of laser therapy for the patients. Therefore, we conducted this research for the assessment of safety and efficiency of ultrasound and high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) in the lumbar disc herniation (LDH) patients. Methods: Our present research was approved by the institutional review board in the West China-Guangan Hospital. All the participants would acquire the written informed consent. From December 2020 to December 2021, we will conduct a prospective evaluation via a senior surgeon for 1 hundred LDH patients who plan to undergo the conservative treatment at our hospital. In this research, the inclusion criteria contained: the patients with lumbar disc herniation diagnosed by lumbar MRI; the patients with no history of trauma or congenital abnormalities; and the patients with sufficient psychological ability to understand and then answer the questions raised in assessment scale. The participants were randomly divided into the control group or HILT group after performing the examination of baseline. The main outcome was the pain score of visual analog scale. The other results contained the adverse effects, back range of motion as well as functional scores. Conclusions: We assumed that the HILT is as effective as the ultrasound therapy in treating pain for LDH. Trial registration: This study protocol was registered in Research Registry (researchregistry5975).

Polysaccharide conjugates were water-extracted from low-grade green tea; this extract was designated as TPC-W. Various concentrations of TPC-W (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 wt%) were then used as an emulsifier stabilize to oil-in-water emulsions prepared using medium chain triglycerides. The emulsion stabilized using 2.0 wt% TPC-W remained relatively constant during 10 days of storage at 25 °C, with the mean particle diameter (MPD) (d32) and zeta potential increasing from 1.8 to 2.4 μm and from −19.8 to −18.9 mV, respectively. The effect of metal ions (Na+, Ca2+, and Al3+) and the pH value on the stability of the 2.0 wt% TPC-W emulsions was also studied at 25 °C for 10 days. The system remained stable at Na+ concentrations between 0.10 and 0.50 mol/L and Ca2+ concentrations below 0.030 mol/L, with little change in the MPD (d32) of the emulsion droplets. When Al3+ was added to the emulsion system, the MPD (d32) of the emulsion changed significantly; the addition of 0.001 mol/L Al3+ increased the MPD (d32) from 2.2 to 5.8 μm. The MPD (d32) of 2.0 wt% TPC-W emulsions with pH values of 2.0–4.0 increased significantly during the storage period, but remained stable for emulsions in the pH range 5.0–8.0. The results revealed new applications of TPC-W extracted from low-grade green tea as an emulsifier.

Background Axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) is a chronic disease which results in fatigue, pain, and reduced quality of life (QoL). Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), especially acupuncture, has shown promise in managing pain. Although a TCM collaborative model of care (TCMCMC) has been studied in cancer, there are no randomized controlled trials investigating TCM in AxSpA. Therefore, we will conduct a pragmatic trial to determine the clinical effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of TCMCMC for patients with AxSpA. We define TCMCMC as standard TCM history taking and physical examination, acupuncture, and TCM non-pharmacological advice and communications with rheumatologists in addition to usual rheumatologic care. The purpose of this paper is to describe the rationale for and methodology of this trial. Methods/design This pragmatic randomized controlled trial will recruit 160 patients who are diagnosed with AxSpA and have inadequate response to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Simple randomization to usual rheumatologic care or the intervention (TCMCMC) with a 1:1 allocation ratio will be used. Ten 30-min acupuncture sessions will be provided to patients assigned to the TCMCMC arm. All participants will continue to receive usual rheumatologic care. The primary endpoint — spinal pain — will be evaluated at week 6. Secondary endpoints include clinical, quality of life, and economic outcome measures. Patients will be followed up for up to 52 weeks, and adverse events will be documented. Discussion This trial may provide evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of a TCMCMC for patients with AxSpA. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03420404. Registered on 14 February 2018. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-3117-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Radix Bupleuri (RB) has been popularly used for treating many liver diseases such as chronic hepatic inflammation and viral Hepatitis in China. Increasing clinical and experimental evidence indicates the potential hepatotoxicity of RB or prescriptions containing RB. Recently, Saikosaponins (SS) have been identified as major bioactive compounds isolated from RB, which may be also responsible for RB-induced liver injury. Methods Serum AST, ALT and LDH levels were determined to evaluate SS-induced liver injury in mice. Serum and liver total triglyceride and cholesterol were used to indicate lipid metabolism homeostasis. Liver ROS, GSH, MDA and iNOS were used to examine the oxidative stress level after SS administration. Western blot was used to detect CYP2E1 expression. A 8-Plex iTRAQ Labeling Coupled with 2D LC - MS/MS technique was applied to analyze the protein expression profiles in livers of mice administered with different doses of SS for different time periods. Gene ontology analysis, cluster and enrichment analysis were employed to elucidate potential mechanism involved. HepG2 cells were used to identify our findings in vitro. Results SS dose- and time-dependently induced liver injury in mice, indicated by increased serum AST, ALT and LDH levels. According to proteomic analysis, 487 differentially expressed proteins were identified in mice administrated with different dose of SS for different time periods. Altered proteins were enriched in pathways such as lipid metabolism, protein metabolism, macro molecular transportation, cytoskeleton structure and response to stress. SS enhanced CYP2E1 expression in a time and dose dependent manner, and induced oxidative stress both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion Our results identified hepatotoxicity and established dose-time course-liver toxicity relationship in mice model of SS administration and suggested potential mechanisms, including impaired lipid and protein metabolism and oxidative stress. The current study provides experimental evidence for clinical safe use of RB, and also new insights into understanding the mechanism by which SS and RB induced liver injury.

Background: Appropriate safety measures need to be implemented during acupuncture treatment to ensure protection of both patients and practitioners. Objective: The aim of this article is share information about the safety culture of the Acupuncture Services in the Pain Management Centre of Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Methods: Acupuncture-related adverse events are prevented by adopting stringent standards of safety culture and practice with rigorous auditing in the following aspects: patient and staff education; an infection-control protocol; standardization of treatment services delivered by accredited Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physicians; obtaining consent for procedures; proper procedure documentation and record-keeping; and discharge advice and follow-up plans. Results: Over the past 14 years, the SGH Acupuncture Services maintains zero incident and adverse-event rates for a total of 68,504 acupuncture treatment sessions. The total number of patients increased from 1822 (1998–2...

BACKGROUND: Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) causes the postharvest loss of fruits and vegetables but is also a key factor in the quality development of tea. However, there are no reports on engineered active plant PPO purified from prokaryotic cells. RESULTS: In this study the ppo gene of about 1800 bp from Camellia sinensis cv. Yihongzao was successfully cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The PPOs purified from both the soluble fraction and the inclusion bodies showed activity. In addition, 1.0 × 10−7 mol L−1 Cu2+ and acidic conditions were found to be favourable for the engineered PPO catalysis of catechol oxidation. CONCLUSION: This paper represents the first report on C. sinensis ppo expression in E. coli and engineered active PPO purification. The results of the study provide a basis for the large-scale preparation and application of PPO. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

Decision-making on behalf of an incapacitated patient at the end of life is a complex process, particularly in family-centric societies. The situation is more complex when attempts are made to accommodate Eastern concepts of end-of-life care with more conventional Western approaches. In this case report of an incapacitated 74-year-old Singaporean man of Malay descent with relapsed Stage 4 diffuse large B cell lymphoma who was without an established lasting power of attorney, we highlight the difficult deliberations that ensue when the patient's family, acting as his proxy, elected to administer lingzhi through his nasogastric tube (NGT). Focusing on the questions pertaining to end-of-life decision-making in Asia, we consider the issues surrounding the use of NGT and lingzhi in palliative care (PC) and the implementation of NGT for administering lingzhi in a PC setting, particularly in light of a dearth of data on such treatment measures among PC patients.

The standardized management of acupuncture-moxibustion in Singapore General Hospital is introduced. With gradual improvement of outpatient infrastructure, re-training of medical staff, strict disinfection of manipulation, periodical inspection of medical instruments, unified management of writing, saving and processing in medical records and public education of TCM knowledge, a standardized management system in accordance with modernized hospital is gradually established. As a result, efficiency and quality of clinical treatment is continuously increasing. From April of 1998 to December of 2012, a total of 74 654 times of treatment were performed, and treatment amount per day is gradually increased. The unusual condition of acupuncture is avoided. Periodical strict inspection of joint committee authenticated by domestic and overseas medical health organization is repeatedly passed and accepted. Additionally, three clinical researches funded by Singapore Health-care Company are still in progress in acupuncture-moxibustion department.

OBJECTIVE To study the influence of saikosaponins on function of rats' liver mitochondria, its liver damage mechanism was discussed. METHOD Administrating alcohol eluent of saikosaponins of different dose for 15 days to rats, and the high, middle and low lose-group are separately 300, 150, 50 mg x kg(-1) caculated by total saikosaponins. The liver index in serum, the respiratory function of liver mitochondria,the content of ATP and the activity of ATP enzyme were detected. The weight of heart, liver, spleen, lung, renal of rats were precisionly weighed, and the ratio of organ to body were calculated. The histopathologic examination of hepatic tissue were examined. RESULT Alcohol eluent of saikosaponins of different dose can induce apparent decrease of PCR, P/O value, respiratory oxygen consumption and the activity of ATP enzyme; the level of ALT, AST and ALB in serum increased; the liver weight and the ratio of liver to body increaseed, and the hepatic tissue damage is obvious in the histopathologic examination of hepatic tissue. The above-mentioned changes gradually aggravates with dose increasing, and it is obviously discrepancy compared with control group. CONCLUSION Alcohol eluent of saikosaponins can induce liver damage by restraining the respiratory function of mitochondria and effecting liver's energy metabolism. Other hepatoxicity mechanism still need to be discussed.