Ecological Suitability Regionalization of Ziziphus jujuba / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To analyze the main factors affecting the <italic>Ziziphus jujuba</italic> distribution and expand the understanding of its distribution and the corresponding influencing factors by comparing the distribution sites of <italic>Z. jujuba</italic> predicted by models with those recorded in the literature. Method:More than 200 distribution sites of <italic>Z. jujuba</italic> accompanied by 55 environmental factors were obtained from literature and specimen review. The environmental factors that affect the distribution of <italic>Z. jujuba</italic> were explored by maximum entropy （MaxEnt） model， and the potential distribution areas of <italic>Z. jujuba</italic> in China were analyzed by ArcGIS， followed by the verification of the main environmental factors using receiver-operating characteristic （ROC） curve and Jackknife method. Result:The area under the curve （AUC） values for the test data and training data were both greater than 0.9， which perfectly satisfied the standard， indicating that the research results were accurate and reliable. Conclusion:The annual average temperature， the average temperature in May， the average temperature in the warmest season， vegetation type， soil type， average temperature in June， average temperature in September， and average temperature in August are proved to be the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of <italic>Z. jujuba</italic>， which can be found almost all over China， except for Heilongjiang and Tibet. <italic>Z. jujuba</italic> is most suitable to be planted in southeastern Sichuan， Chongqing， southern Gansu， Ningxia， most areas of central Shaanxi， eastern and southwestern Shanxi， Henan， eastern and northern Hubei， northern and eastern Anhui， Shandong， Hebei， Beijing， Tianjin， western Liaoning， and Zhejiang. As revealed by literature review， the most suitable growing areas of <italic>Z. jujuba</italic> are southeastern Sichuan， central Shaanxi， southwestern Shanxi， western and northern Henan， Shandong， and southwestern and eastern Hebei.

Simultaneous determination of inorganic elements in Mume Fructus from different regions by ICP-MS / 中草药

Objective: To establish an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of 16 inorganic elements of Mume Fructus, and the elements were analyzed and evaluated. Methods: ICP-MS was used to determine the content of 16 inorganic elements in the samples after microwave digestion. Principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis were performed using SPSS21.0. Results: There were no differences in the types of inorganic elements in the samples of Mume Fructus, and the content of K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe and B was abundant in the 16 elements. Through principal component analysis, 27 batches of samples from the same origin were all clustered together, indicating that the difference of inorganic element content was related to the ecological environment of the origin, but the difference between varieties was not obvious. The characteristic elements of Mume Fructus were Cu, Zn, Ca, Mg, and the results showed that the scores of samples from Sichuan was the highest. Conclusion: This study established an accurate and efficient method for the analysis and evaluation of inorganic elements in Mume Fructus from different habitats, which provided a scientific reference for the breeding, safety evaluation, and comprehensive utilization of Mume Fructus resource.

Diversity of fungal communities on lesions of the face, upper limbs and back in patients with atopic dermatitis / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate the diversity and structural characteristics of fungal communities on lesions of the face, upper limbs and back in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) .Methods:Samples were collected from the lesions on the face, upper limbs and back of 10 AD patients, who visited the Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College from September to October in 2015, and collected from the corresponding body sites of 10 healthy controls. DNA was extracted from the samples, and subjected to MiSeq high-throughput sequencing for diversity index analysis, species composition analysis and principal component analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out by using two-independent-sample t test for comparisons between two groups, one-way analysis of variance for comparisons among multiple groups, and least significant difference- t test for multiple comparisons. Results:Diversity index analysis showed that Shannon index was significantly higher in the samples from the lesions on the face, upper limbs and back of the AD patient group than in those from corresponding body sites of the healthy control group ( t = 2.67, 2.37, 3.34 respectively, all P < 0.05) . Species composition analysis showed that Malassezia was predominant in the skin samples from the face, upper limbs and back of the AD patient group and healthy control group, and the total abundance of Malassezia globosa and Malassezia restricta was about 80%. The abundance of Candida and Aspergillus in the total samples was significantly higher in the AD patient group than in the healthy control group ( t = 3.515, 2.137 respectively, both P < 0.05) . There was no significant difference in the abundance of major fungal genera on the face between the AD patient group and healthy control group (all P > 0.05) ; the abundance of Candida in the upper limbs was significantly higher in the AD patient group than in the healthy control group ( t = 3.186, P < 0.05) , and the abundance of Aspergillus in the back was significantly higher in the AD patient group than in the healthy control group ( t = 2.736, P < 0.05) . In either the AD patient group or the healthy control group, there was no significant difference in the abundance of major fungal genera among samples from the face, upper limbs and back (all P > 0.05) . Moreover, no significant difference in the abundance of major fungal genera was observed among the mild, moderate and severe AD patient groups (all P > 0.05) . Principal component analysis showed that fungal communities in the samples from the lesions on the face, upper limbs and back of the AD patient group were not clustered by the disease severity. Conclusions:The diversity of fungal communities is significantly higher in the lesions on the face, upper limbs and back of the AD patients than in the normal skin at the corresponding body sites of the healthy controls. Malassezia is the dominant fungal genus in both lesions of the AD patients and normal skin of the healthy controls at the above body sites. The composition of fungal communities in lesional samples may be uncorrelated with the disease severity in AD patients.

Simultaneous determination and analysis of amino acids and nucleosides in Dendrobium by UHPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS / 中国中药杂志

By using multivariate statistical analysis to evaluate essential quality, and provide scientific basis for their comprehensive utilization, we established an UHPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS method for the fast, precise, efficient determination of 21 kinds of amino acids and 10 kinds of nucleosides in different species of Dendrobium. The analysis was performed on a Waters XBridge Amide column(2.1 mm×100 mm,3.5 μm) with elution by mobile phase of 0.2% formic acid in water-0.2% formic acid in acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min~(-1) with the column temperature at 30 ℃. The target compounds were analyzed by the positive ion multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) mode. The comprehensive evaluation of different species of Dendrobium was carried out by PCA and TOPSIS analysis. All 21 kinds of amino acids and 10 nucleosides showed good linearity among certain concentration range(r>0.999), the RSDs of the stability, precision, and repeatability tests were less than 3.0%. The recovery rate was in the range from 93.31% to 107.5%, and RSD was in the range of 1.1%-3.7%. The comprehensive evaluation index obtained with PCA showed that D. huoshanense was significantly higher than others regarding amino acids and D. officinale has higher nucleosides than other species. The biggest C_i difference of TOPSIS was 68.7%, and comprehensive evaluation showed that D. huoshanense produced the highest comprehensive quality. The method is precise, fast and efficient and can provide reliable basis for further researches and intrinsic quality control of Dendrobium.

Effect of Sanqi Oral Liquid on the expressions of CD4⁺, CD8⁺ and CD68⁺ cells in 5/6 nephrectomized rats with chronic renal failure / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine Sanqi Oral Liquid, composed of Astragalus membranaceus and Panpax notoginseng, in alleviating renal injury by observing its effect on the expressions of CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells in 5/6 nephrectomized rats with chronic renal failure.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 102 SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: three treatment groups were administrated with high, medium and low dosage of Sanqi Oral Liquid respectively by gavage; a normal group, a 5/6 nephrectomized model group, and a group treated with coated aldehyde oxygenstarch were used as controls. Following oral administration of Sanqi Oral Liquid for 12 weeks, the general condition and renal pathological changes were observed, and the renal function, platelet count (PLT) and the expressions of CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells were determined for each group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were proliferation of mesangial matrix, renaltubularnecrosis and obvious tubulointerstitial fibrosis in the model group, and they were much milder in the treatment groups. Compared with the model group, the amounts of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr) and PLT in the treatment groups decreased (P<0.05 for all); and in the group administrated of medium dosage of Sanqi Oral Liquid, the expression of CD4(+) cells was up-regulated and those of CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells were down-regulated (P<0.05 for all), leading to an increased ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+)(P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sanqi Oral Liquid has a significant effect on regulating lymphocyte subsets, reducing the infiltration of macrophages in renal tissues and alleviating tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and this may be one of mechanisms of Sanqi Oral Liquid in delaying the progression of chronic kidney diseases.</p>

Association of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with coronary artery disease / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) remains largely unknown. This study aimed to explore the association of COPD with CAD, especially with multi-vessel disease (VD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The data of 354 patients who underwent multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) for suspected CAD were analyzed. Luminal narrowing was defined as at least one lesion 50% or greater stenosis. The analysis of serum biochemistry profile and spirometry were performed on all eligible patients, and the diagnosis of COPD was defined as the criteria of Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Patients with CAD had a significantly higher complication of COPD than those without CAD (11.8% vs. 3.7%, P < 0.001). Comparing with patients without COPD, those with COPD were more likely to have multi-VD, proportion of smoking and high C-reactive protein (CRP) (P < 0.001). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that the multi-VD was significantly correlated with COPD (P=0.012) and CRP (P=0.015).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There was a high complication of COPD in patients with CAD, and COPD may be a critical risk factor for CAD, especially for multi-VD. CAD and COPD were closely associated and the interplay of systemic inflammation might in part explain the relationship between them.</p>

Relationship between 6-minute walk test and pulmonary function test in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with different severities / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The relationship between the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and pulmonary function test in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear. We evaluate the correlation of 6MWT and spirometric parameters in stable COPD with different severities. 6MWT data assessed included three variables: the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), 6-minute walk work (6MWORK), and pulse oxygen desaturation rate (SPO(2)%).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>6MWT and pulmonary function test were assessed for 150 stable COPD patients with different severities. Means and standard deviations were calculated for the variables of interest. Analysis of variance was performed to compare means. Correlation coefficients were calculated for 6MWT data with the spirometric parameters and dyspnea Borg scale. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was used to screen pulmonary function-related predictors of 6MWT data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The three variables of 6MWT all varied as the severities of the disease. The 6MWD and 6MWORK both correlated with some spirometric parameters (positive or negative correlation; the absolute value of r ranging from 0.34 to 0.67; P < 0.05) in severe and very severe patients, and the SPO2% correlated with the dyspnea Borg scale in four severities (r = -0.33, -0.34, -0.39, -0.53 respectively; P < 0.05). The 6MWD was correlated with the 6MWORK in four severities (r = 0.56, 0.57, 0.72, 0.81 respectively, P < 0.05), and neither of them correlated with the SPO(2)%. The percent of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)% predicted) and residual volume to total lung capacity ratio (RV/TLC) were predictors of the 6MWD, and the maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) was the predictor of the 6MWORK.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>6MWT correlated with the spirometric parameters in severe and very severe COPD patients. 6MWT may be used to monitor changes of pulmonary function in these patients.</p>

Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome among a Chinese population

To investigate the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori [H. pylori] in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome [OSAS], and to determine any association between H. pylori infection and severity of OSAS. Two hundred and forty-three subjects were recruited in this cross-sectional study at the Department of Respiratory Medicine in the West China Hospital, Sichuan, P. R. China, from October 2006 to April 2008. Polysomnography [PSG] was used to determine the apnea-hypopnea index [AHI], and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to test H. pylori IgG. According to the AHI, subjects were divided into 4 groups: the control group [AHI <5/hours], patients with mild OSAS group [AHI: 5-14/hours], moderate OSAS group [AHI: 15-29/hours], and severe OSAS group [AHI: >/= 30/hours]. The prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with OSAS was 75.5%, and in the controls it was 53.4% [p=0.000]. The prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with mild OSAS was 57.1%, with moderate OSAS was 76.5%, and with severe OSAS was 90.9%. There were significant differences between patients with moderate and severe OSAS and the controls, as well as among the mild, moderate, and severe OSAS groups. Helicobacter pylori infection may be associated with OSAS. In addition, increased severity of OSAS might be associated with higher seroprevalence of H. pylori

Establishment of a stable transfectant 32D/Gfi1 cell line by recombinant lentiviral expression vector / 中国实验血液学杂志

The aim of study was to establish the packaging system of the recombinant lentiviral vector encoding Gfi1 gene for eukaryotic expression and to realize the efficient, stable expression of Gfi1 32D cells so as to provide effective platform for further studying the development of Gfi1 gene in hematologic malignancies. The three-plasmid recombinant lentiviral vector consisting of transfer plasmid (pLOX-Gfi1/pLOX), the packaging plasmid (pCMVDeltaR8.2) and the envelop plasmid (pMD.G) was prepared and purified. Human embryonic kidney 293T cells were cotransfected with the three plasmids by lipofectamine 2000. After transfection for 48 hours, the viral supernatant was collected and the target cell 32D was transfected with the recombinant lentivirus; the Gfi1 integration and expression in 293T and 32D cells were detected by Western-blot. The results showed that the three plasmids of lentivirus could be transfected into 293T with high efficiency and packaged successfully, and the Gfi1 protein could be detected by fluorescent microscopy. The recombinant lentiviruses carrying Gfi1 could transfer and deliver Gfi1 gene to 32D cells, and the Gfi1 expression in 293T and 32D cell could be detected by Western blot. It is concluded that the recombinant lentivirus carrying Gfi1 can deliver target gene to 32D cells with high efficiency, and the expression of Gfi1 protein is stable in 32D.

Simvastatin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced airway mucus hypersecretion in rats / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Mucus hypersecretion in the respiratory tract and goblet cell metaplasia in the airway epithelium contribute to the morbidity and mortality associated with airway inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to examine the effect and mechanisms of simvastatin on airway mucus hypersecretion in rats treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mucus hypersecretion in rat airways was induced by intra-tracheal instillation of LPS. Rats treated with or without LPS were administered intra-peritoneally simvastatin (5 and 20 mg/kg) for 4 days. Expression of Muc5ac, RhoA and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) p38 in lung were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry or Western blotting. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and IL-8 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were assayed by an enzyme-linked lectin assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Simvastatin attenuated LPS-induced goblet cell hyperplasia in bronchial epithelium and Muc5ac hypersecretion at both the gene and protein levels in lung (P <0.05). Moreover, simvastatin inhibited neutrophil accumulation and the increased concentration of TNF-alpha and IL-8 in BALF follows LPS stimulation (P < 0.05). The higher dose of simvastatin was associated with a more significant reduction in Muc5ac mRNA expression, neutrophil accumulation and inflammatory cytokine release. Simultaneously, the increased expression of RhoA and p38 MAPK were observed in LPS-treated lung (P <0.05). Simvastatin inhibited the expression of RhoA and p38 phosphorylation in lung following LPS stimulation (P < 0.05). However, the increased expression of p38 protein in LPS-treated lung was not affected by simvastatin administration.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Simvastatin attenuates airway mucus hypersecretion and pulmonary inflammatory damage induced by LPS. The inhibitory effect of simvastatin on airway mucus hypersecretion may be through, at least in part, the suppression of neutrophil accumulation and inflammatory cytokine release via inactivation of RhoA and p38 signaling pathway.</p>

Simvastatin attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Bleomycin-induced fibrosis is extensively used to model aspects of the pathogenesis of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. This study aimed to determine the benefic effects and mechanisms of simvastatin on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mice were administered with simvastatin in different doses for 28 days. We measured inflammatory response, fibrogenic cytokines and profibrogenic markers in both bleomycin-stimulated and control lungs, and correlated these parameters with pulmonary fibrosis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Simvastatin attenuated the histopathological change of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and prevented the increase of lung hydroxyproline content and collagen (I and III) mRNA expression induced by bleomycin. Moreover, simvastatin down-regulated the increased expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) induced by bleomycin at both gene and protein levels. Simultaneously, the accumulation of neutrophils and lymphocytes and the increased production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid were inhibited by simvastatin in early inflammatory phase after bleomycin infusion. The higher dose of simvastatin was associated with a more significant reduction in these inflammatory and fibrotic parameters. Furthermore, the inactivation of p38, RhoA and Smad2/3 signaling pathways was observed during simvastatin administration.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Simvastatin attenuated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, as indicated by decreases in Ashcroft score and lung collagen accumulation. The inhibitory effect of simvastatin on the progression of pulmonary fibrosis may be demonstrated by reducing inflammatory response and production of TGF-beta1 and CTGF. These findings indicate that simvastatin may be used in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.</p>

Increased expression of human calcium-activated chloride channel 1 is correlated with mucus overproduction in the airways of Chinese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is usually complicated with mucus overproduction in airway. Recently the increased expression of the human calcium-activated chloride channel 1 (CaCC(1)) was found to play an important role in mucus overproduction in the asthmatic airways. To investigate the relationship of CaCC(1) and mucus overproduction in the airway of Chinese patients with COPD, the expressions of CaCC(1), MUC5AC and mucus in bronchial tissues were examined.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Bronchial tissues were obtained from fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchial biopsy in West China Hospital from April to July in 2004. Twenty-five patients were diagnosed as the patients with COPD overproduction, and other 20 were the control subjects. The expressions of CaCC(1), MUC5AC and mucin in bronchial tissues were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in situ hybridization with digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled RNA probe, immunohistochemical and alcian blue-periodic acid Schiff (AB-PAS) staining, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the stronger expressions of CaCC(1) were further detected throughout the bronchial tissues from patients with COPD (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the stronger expressions of the CaCC(1) mRNA were related to the severity of airflow obstruction. Samples from COPD showed a stronger staining for MUC5AC than those in control subjects (P < 0.01) and AB-PAS staining revealed more mucins in COPD patients' submucosal gland comparing with that in control subjects (P < 0.01). Expression levels of the CaCC(1) mRNA were respectively negatively correlated with the patients' forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1))/forced vital capacity (FVC) data, FEV(1)% predicted data, V(50)% predicted data, V(25)% predicted data (r = -0.43, r = -0.43, r = -0.35, r = -0.36, P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.05, P < 0.05). While the expression levels of the CaCC(1) mRNA were well correlated with the expression levels of the MUC5AC mRNA of airway epithelium and the PAS-AB stained area of submucosal glands (r = 0.39, r = 0.46, P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Expression levels of the MUC5AC mRNA were negatively correlated with the patients' FEV(1)/FVC data (P = 0.01), FEV(1)% pred data (P = 0.01), V(50)% predicted data, V(25)% predicted data (r = -0.53, r = -0.53, r = -0.48, r = -0.43, P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.01). While the expression levels of the MUC5AC mRNA were well correlated with the positively PAS-AB stained area of submucosal gland (P < 0.05), and the correlation coefficients were 0.43.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results suggest that the stronger gene expression of CaCC(1) exists, complicated with mucus overproduction in the airway of Chinese patients with COPD.</p>

Determination of ginsenoside Rd and its metabolites in rat urine by LC-MS / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To study the metabolic pathways of ginsenoside Rd in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Urine samples were collected before and after 24 h of single oral administration of 150 mg and intravenous administration of 60 mg of ginsenoside Rd to six rats, separately. The samples were purified by SPE column and then were analyzed by liquid chromatography-ESI-mass spectrometry for putative metabolites.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Parent drug and its seven metabolites were identified in rat urine based on comparing total ion chromatograms of the blank with the metalolic urine as well as mass spectra. Its main metabolic pathways and possible structures are elucidated.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Oxidation, combination and deglucosylation were found to be the major metabolic pathway of ginsenoside Rd in rats.</p>