Dynamic Changes of Ultrasonographic Images of Zusanli (ST 36) Region During Deqi of Acupuncture Needle Stimulation / 针刺研究

OBJECTIVE: To observe the dynamic changes of ultrosonographic images of Zusanli (ST 36) area during Deqi after inserting acupuncture needles, so as to provide objective evidence for clinical Deqi. METHODS: Sixty healthy volunteers (30 men and 30 women) were recruited in the present study. The subjects were asked to take a supine position on a test-bed, sterilized disposable filiform needles were perpendicularly inserted into bilateral ST 36 till Deqi (without lifting, thrusting and twirling), when, high-resolution ultrasound scanning was conducted over the regional skeletal muscles by using a radio-frequency (5-12 MHz) coil probe (Philips IU Elite Ultrasound Diagnostic Instrument) after smearing a layer of gel at the skin of ST 36. RESULTS: Among these 120 points of the 60 volunteer subjects, a marked Deqi was obtained from 108 points (consisting of 90%) including 52 points in men and 56 in women, and 53 at the left ST 36 and 56 at the right ST 36. Ultrosonographic scanning displayed that when a strongest Deqi feeling was obtained from bilateral ST 36 in these 60 volunteers, the acupuncture needle-tip was about (25.32±5.82) mm in the vertical depth, and was (5.45±0.55) mm lateral to the tibia, involving the anterior tibial muscle near the deep fascia in 46 acupoints, and the intersection fascia of anterior tibial muscle and extensor digitorum longus in 62 acupoints. CONCLUSIONS: The anterior tibial muscle near the deep fascia and the intersection fascia of anterior tibial muscle and extensor digitorum longus around ST 36 are involved in strongest Deqi. There are no significant differences in the gender and location (left and right).

Synthesis of 13-β-elemene ester derivatives and evaluation of their antioxidant activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells / 中国天然药物

In the present study, a series of 13-β-elemene ester derivatives were designed and prepared, and their antioxidant activity was investigated in the H2O2-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Among the test compounds, the dimer compounds 5v and 5w exhibited the most potent antioxidant activity with significant ROS suppression being observed. Both compounds markedly inhibited the H2O2-induced changes in various biochemical substances, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), malonyldialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), which were superior to that of the positive control vitamin E. Further more, they did not produce any obvious cytotoxicity, but increased the viability of HUVECs injured by H2O2 in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, compound 5w, designed as a prodrug-like compound, showed improved stability relative to compound 4 in vitro.

Current natural products with antihypertensive activity / 中国天然药物

Natural products have been an important source of new drugs, which also played a dominant role in the discovery and research of new drugs for the treatment of hypertension. This review article reviews the recent progress in the research and development of natural lead compounds with antihypertensive activity, including alkaloids, diterpenes, coumarins, flavonoids, and peptides. We summarized their structures, sources, as well as the antihypertensive mechanisms. These information provides instructive reference for the following structural modifications and optimization.

Glycosylation of ent-kaurene derivatives and an evaluation of their cytotoxic activities / 中国天然药物

AIM@#To discover more active and water-soluble derivatives of tetracyclic diterpenoids containing an exo-methylene cyclopentanone or an α-methylenelactone moiety.@*METHODS@#All of the key intermediates were synthesized from stevioside, and the target compounds were obtained through glycosylation of the 4-carboxyl group. The cytotoxicity of the target compounds against six human cancer cell lines, HepG2, Bel-7402, A549, U251, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, were evaluated by the MTT assay.@*RESULTS@#Compound 1b was more effective than the positive control adriamycin against the HepG2, Bel-7402, A549, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines with IC50 values of 0.12, 0.91, 0.35, 0.08, and 0.07 μmol·L(-1), respectively. Moreover, compound 3c exhibited the most potent and selective cytotoxic activity against the HepG2 cell line (IC50, 0.01 μmol·L(-1)).@*CONCLUSION@#Compounds 1b and 3c could be considered as potential anticancer candidates for further study.

Total synthesis of neokotalanol, a potent α-glucosidase inhibitor isolated from Salacia reticulata / 中国天然药物

Neokotalanol, a potent α-glucosidase inhibitor isolated from Salacia reticulata, was synthesized through a key coupling reaction between a perbenzylated thiosugar and an appropriately protected perseitol triflate derived from D-mannose. This key step was found to be quite temperature dependent, and a simultaneous cyclization of the triflate leading to a characteristic 2,4,7-trioxabicyclo[4.2.1]nonane system was detected.

Synthesis and β-adrenergic blocking activity of oxime ether hybrids derived from a natural isochroman-4-one / 中国天然药物

AIM@#In a search for new cardiovascular drug candidates, a series of novel oxime ethers derived from a natural isochroman-4-one were synthesized.@*METHOD@#Compounds 3 and 6, derived from the natural antihypertensive compound 7, 8-dihydroxy-3-methyl-isochroman-4-one (XJP), were designed and synthesized. Subsequently, a series of novel isochroman-4-one oxime ether hybrids were prepared by hybridizing various N-substituted isopropanolamine functionalities to isochroman-4-one oxime. Furthermore, β1-adrenergic blocking activities of the synthesized compounds were assayed using the isolated rat left atria.@*RESULTS@#Twenty target compounds were obtained, and the preliminary structure-activity relationships were deduced. The most promising compound Ic exhibited β1-adrenoceptor blocking activity (inhibition: 52.2%) at 10(-7) mol·L(-1), which was superior to that of propranolol (inhibition: 49.7%).@*CONCLUSION@#The results suggested that natural product XJP/isopropanolamine moiety hybrids may provide a promising approach for the discovery of novel cardiovascular drug candidates.

Comparison on in vitro dissolution behavior of notoginsenoside R1, ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 between ordinary fine and ultrafine powder of Panax notoginseng / 中草药

Objective: To compare the dissolution behavior of notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg1 between the ordinary fine and ultrafine powder of Panax notoginseng and to investigate the effect of micronization on the dissolution of saponin ingredients in P. notoginseng. Methods: The oar method was adopted. The in vitro dissolution of the three kinds of saponins including notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 in different particle sizes was determined by HPLC. The dissolving rates of the powder in various particle sizes were compared. Results: The dissolving rates of the three kinds of saponins were greatly increased after ultramicro-pulverization. Conclusion: The ultramicro-pulverization is helpful to the dissolution of saponins in P. notoginseng pieces, and the particle size of the powder exerts the great influence on the dissolution of the three kinds of saponins.

Research progress of the biological characteristics of IkappaB kinase and its inhibitors / 药学学报

The NF-kappaB pathway regulates the expression of over 150 target genes, e.g., cytokines, chemokines, leukocyte adhesion molecules and inducible effector enzymes. Consequently, it plays a crucial role in innate and adaptive immune responses, inflammatory response, stress responses, apoptosis and so on. IkappaB kinase (IKK) is the key of this pathway, and it owns a special structure which consists of catalytic subunit and regulatory subunit. Naturally, the activation of IKK needs the interaction of the two subunits and phosphorylation by its upstream kinases. Actually, there are two methods of activation of the NF-kappaB pathway, and both of the methods need the IKK complex. Given to the crucial role of IKK, researchers have isolated and synthesized amounts of IKK inhibitors, and these provide a great convenience to develop novel anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor drugs.

Classification and synthesis of ubiquitin-proteasome inhibitor / 药学学报

The inhibition of protein degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a recently developed approach to cancer treatment which extends the range of cellular target for chemotherapy. This therapeutic strategy is very interesting since the proteasomes carry out the regulated degradation of unnecessary or damaged cellular proteins, a process that is dysregulated in many cancer cells. Based on this hypothesis, the proteasome complex inhibitor Bortezomib was approved for use in multiple myeloma patients by FDA in 2003. Drug discovery programs in academy and the pharmaceutical industry have developed a range of synthetic and natural inhibitors of the 20S proteasome core particle that have entered human clinical trials as significant anti-cancer leads. The main results from the use of proteasome inhibition in cancer chemotherapy, the structure of several proteasome inhibitors and their synthesis is going to be reviewed in this paper.

Assessment of BIOMED-2 assays for detection of clonal Ig gene rearrangements in mature B-cell lymphomas / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficiency of the BIOMED-2 PCR assay and its implication in the diagnosis of mature B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical features of 72 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were studied, including 25 reactive lymphoid hyperplasia, 37 diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and 35 extranodal marginal zone lymphomas of mucosa associated lymphoid tissues (MALT lymphoma and in addition, 25 cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia were used as the controls). DNA was exacted from the paraffin embedded formalin fixed tissue blocks and the quality of DNA was assessed using the BIOMED-2 specimen control reaction. Adequate samples were then analyzed by BIOMED-2 for immunoglobulin heavy and kappa light chain rearrangements.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Adequate DNA was obtained in 83 of 97 samples, including 60 mature B cell lymphomas and 23 reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. Clonal B-cell gene rearrangements were detected in 57 of 60 (95%) lymphomas. In contrast, clonal Ig gene rearrangements were not detected in any of the 23 cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>BIOMED-2 assay is highly sensitive and specific for the detection of clonal B cell gene rearrangement using routine paraffin embedded formalin fixed specimens.</p>

Progress in small-molecule inhibitors of Bcl-2 family proteins / 药学学报

Apoptosis is an essential factor in keeping homeostasis of the organism. Apoptosis is regulated by a series of cytokines. Bcl-2 family proteins are key regulators of apoptosis. The Bcl-2 family includes both anti- and pro-apoptotic proteins with opposing biological functions. Their interaction regulates the transmission of the apoptosis signal. High expression of anti-apoptotic members such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL are commonly found in human cancers. In recent years, following the disclosing of the crystal structures of Bcl-2 family proteins, researchers have paid attention to the development of the small molecule inhibitors of Bcl-2 family proteins. This article reviews the progress in this field from the view of drug design.

Identification of Amur like virus in Apodemus peninsulae and its molecular characteristics in China / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To confirm the existence of Amur-like viruses in Apodemus peninsulae in China, and to understand the molecular characteristics of these viruses.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Total RNA was extracted from lungs of A. peninsulae captured in Jilin of Northeast China with Trizol reagent. Complete S and partial M segments of Amur virus were amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses on multiple nucleotide sequences were performed with the Clustal method and DNASTAR software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>383 bp cDNA of M segment and 1696 bp of S segment of Amur like virus were recovered from lung tissue of A. peninsulae, named JilinAP06. The full-length of its S gene comprised of 1696 nucleotides with ORF including 1287 nucleotides and encoding a protein which comprised 429 amino acids. The phylogenetic analysis of this sample with other hantaviruses revealed that the complete S and partial M segment sequence of JilinAP06 both were closely related to those Amur viruses such as AP63, AP61, AP1371 and AP1168 found in A. peninsulae from Far East region of Russia and B78 strain, Liu strain and H5 strain, which were all from Chinese patients. The complete S and partial M segment sequence of JilinAP06 had only 81.0% identities with the nucleotide sequences of HV prototype 76-118 strain.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Amur-like viruses did exist in A. peninsulae from Northeasern China while A. peninsulae might be the natural reservoir of Amur-like viruses in China and was the important infectious source to HFRS patients which were caused by Amur-like viruses.</p>

Investigation on Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in rodents from forest areas in northeastern China / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in rodents from forest areas in northeastern China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>PCR amplification, followed by sequence analysis was carried out. The sequences of 16S rRNA and gltA gene fragment amplified from rodent specimens were compared with corresponding part of the sequences deposited in GenBank.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total number of 276 rodents were tested, including 102 in Jilin province, 61 in Helongjiang province and 113 in Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The positive rates were 8.82%, 1.64% and 0.00%, respectively. The infection rate in rodents infected by ticks was 11.30 times higher than that in rodents without ticks (P = 0.002). The S. A. phagocytophilum 16S rRNA sequences from rodents in Jilin and Heilongjiang were identical and differed in 3-5 bases compared with the corresponding parts of A. phagocytophilum from America, Sweden and Japan. Compared with the sequences registered in GenBank, the nucleotide sequence of gltA varied from 87%-97% and its deduced amino acid sequence changed from 84%-99%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A. phagocytophilum infection was presented in rodents from Jilin and Heilongjiang province.</p>

A wireless mobile monitoring system based on bluetooth technology / 中国医疗器械杂志

This paper presents a wireless mobile monitoring system based on Bluetooth technology. This system realizes the remote mobile monitoring of multiple physiological parameters, and has the characters of easy use, low cost, good reliability and strong capability of anti-jamming.

Investigation on hantaviruses infection in rodents from free markets in Beijing areas / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>In order to find out the factors related to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) infection, and to evaluate the probability of ecdemic hantaviruses (HV) infection in rodents in Beijing areas.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rodents were collected in a large-scale railway station and a produce market with 'trap nights' method from April to May, 2004. The IgG reacting sera to HV antigen were detected using ELISA. The partial M and S segment of HV from captured rodent lung samples were amplified with RT-PCR. The PCR products were purified and sequenced. BLAST program was then used to perform on nucleotide pairwise alignment with all available sequence in GenBank. The alignment of the multiply nucleotide and the deduced amino acid sequences, together with phylogenetic analysis were completed with DNASTAR software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average population density was 3.49% (24/690). The overall seroprevalence of HV infection was 8.3% (2/24). RT-PCR positive rates were 8.3% (2/24). The nucleotide sequences of 356 bp region (1958 - 2313) of M segment obtained from 2 samples were all identified to Seoul virus (SEOV), with 7.6% heterogeneity. The dc501 strain from railway station was closely related to SD227 and Hebei4 from Shandong and Hebei provinces respectively. BjFT01 strain from the farm product market had more special nucleotide transitional mutations than other known SEOV from Beijing in GenBank. This strain, together with known HN71 from Hainan province, K24-E7 from Zhejiang province, L99 from Jiangxi province and R22 from Henan province, represented a monophylogentic linkage.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The higher HV prevalence of rodents in transportation center was the potential and important risk for HFRS epidemic in Beijing. The increasing prevalence of M. musculus should call for attention. It was possible that SEOV in Beijing was imported by infected rodents through vehicles from other provinces.</p>

Study on the association between hantavirus infection and Rattus norvegicus / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To further understand the association of hantavirus (HV) harbored and transmitted in wild brown rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rattus norvegicus (n = 570) were trapped in 10 sites in Beijing. RT-PCR was used to test rodent lung samples for hantavirus infection. Unconditional multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, with PCR positive as the dependent variable and the characteristics of Rattus norvegicus population as independent variables.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The overall HV prevalence in Rattus norvegicus was 9.1% (52/570). Significant association between HV infection in Rattus norvegicus and some biological characteristics of host population was observed. Adult Rattus norvegicus had a higher HV prevalence than juveniles. Males in the reproduction periods and rats with wounds were more likely to be infected with HV than others.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It was further confirmed that there existed parallel transmission of HV in Rattus norvegicus hosts. Aggression might be the primary mode of HV transmission among male Rattus norvegicus.</p>

Study on the coinfection status of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and spotted fever group Rickettsia in ticks from Hunchun, Jilin province / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To understand the coinfection status of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B.b.s.l) and spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) in Hunchun of Jilin province, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer of B. b. s. l and ompA of SFGR in ticks was collected in Hunchun,Jilin province. The amplification products of positive ticks were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis was conducted by PHYLIP software package.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The infection rate of B. b. s. l was 36.0% in Ixodes persulcatus ticks and the SFGR was discovered in I. persulcatus ticks,with an infection rate of 2.0%. The coinfection rate of both agents was 2.0%. In 327 Dermacentor siltarum ticks, the positive rates of B. b. s. l and SFGR were 30.9% and 29.1% respectively. 55 ticks (16.8%) were coinfected with the two pathogens. The sequence analysis of B. b. s. l showed that the B. b. s. l in Jilin area, which were highly homologous, all belonged to B. garinii genotypes. The sequence analysis of SFGR positive products showed that the DNA secquence of the newly detected agent (JL-95) was close to the two previously described rickettsiae which were detected in I. ricinus from Slovakia (called IRS3 and IRS4). Phylogenetic relationships inferred from the comparison of these sequences with those of other genus Rickettsiae indicated that JL-95, IRS3 and IRS4 constituted a new rickettsial genotype and formed a separate cluster among the spotted fever group Rickettsiae.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Coinfection of B. b. s. l and SFGR existed in Hunchun, Jilin province. The sequencing of specific fragment confirmed a new SFGR which was different from other rickettsiae known in China.</p>

Investigation on rodents' natural infection of Orientia tsutsugamushi in some areas of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, China / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate rodents' natural infection of Orientia tsutsugamushi (Ot) in some areas of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>DNAs were extracted from spleens of the captured mice and nested-polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) technique was used to detect the Ot-Sta56 gene. Six positive samples were sequenced and analyzed by Clustal X (5.0) and DNA Club software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 90 rodents were captured in Inner Mongolia, and the overall prevalence of Ot was 6.67%. There was no significant difference in infection rates among the positive rodents species. 20 rodents were captured in Xinjiang, and the prevalence of Ot was 5.00%. The geographical difference in infection rates was not statistically significant between Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. 9 rodents were captured in farmlands of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang but there was no positive samples found. 101 rodents were captured in grasslands, and the prevalence of Ot was 6.93%. The Sta56 gene nucleotide sequence homology to Karp strain of N59 (from Microtus maximowiczii), N69 (from Cricetulus barabensis) and X33(from Cricetus cricetus) was 99%. The sequence homology to Taitung-2 strain and TW461 strain of N65 (from C. barabensis) was 94%, and the sequence homology to Taitung-2 strain and TW461 strain of N88(from Apodemus agrarius) was also 94%. The sequence homology to Oishi strain of N90 (from A. agrarius) was 96.00%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our findings indicated that infections of Ot did exist in rodents captured from Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. The genotypes of Ot in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang were quite complex, with some of them belonged to Karp type, and the others belonged to Taitung-2, TW461 and Oishi types which providing evidence for further investigation on the scrub typhus fuci in the two areas.</p>

Investigation on Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks and rodents collected in Da Xing-An Mountains Forest areas of China / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect and study the types of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in ticks and rodents from Da Xing-An Mountains Forest areas of China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Nested PCR was performed to amplify 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer of B. burgdorferi. Positive products were analysed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), specimens showing unique RFLP profile were sequenced and analysed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>1336 Ixodes persulcatus, 144 Dermacento silvarum, 144 Haemaphysalis concinna and 145 rodents of 9 species were collected from 16 sections of Da Xing-An Mountains Forest areas of China. Specific fragments were amplified from 293 I. persulcatus and 6 D. silvarum and 5 rodents of 4 species. B. burgdorferi was not detected in H. concinna. Among the positively tested I. persulcatus, 209 contained B. garinii genospecies and 45 contained B.afzelii genospecies based on RFLP. Moreover, B.garinii genospecies consisted of B. garinii 20047 and B. garinii NT29. 17 adult I. persulcatus were simultaneously infected with B. garinii 20047 and B. garinii NT29. Nine adult I. persulcatus were simultaneously infected with B. garinii 20047 and B. afzelii. Four adult I. persulcatus were simultaneously infected with B. garinii 20047 and B. garinii NT29 and B. afzelii. Two D. silvarum were infected with B. garinii 20047, 1 D. silvarum with B. garinii 20047, 2 D. silvarum with B. afzelii. 3 rodents were infected with B. garinii 20047 while 2 rodents were infected with B. garinii NT29. Mixed infection was not found in D. silvarum and rodents. In addition, nine I. persulcatus and one D. silvarum specimens showed unique RFLP pattern. Data from sequential analysis showed that they all belonged to B. garinii. PCR-SSCP profiles of 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer of B. burgdorferi in the positive specimens exceeded 36 types; B. garinii 20047 showed 16 types while B. garinii NT29 showing 11 types, B. afzelii showing 9 types. SSCP profiles of the specimens coinfected with multiple B. burgdorferi was relatively complex.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The infection of B. burgdorferi was found in the ticks and rodents in Da Xing-An Mountains Forests areas. The infection rate of I. persulcatus was high. B. garinii was predominant genospecies, and the population of B. burgdorferi was heterogeneous in the area. Mixed infections of different B. burgdorferi genospecies in ticks were found. I. persulcatus and Clethrionomys rufocanus were possibly served as major vector and major host for B. burgdorferi, respectively, suggesting that further study is needed to confirm the coinfection in humans and animals in this region.</p>

A case-control study on the mxA polymorphisms and susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndromes / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association between the genetic polymorphisms of myxovirus resistance 1 (MxA) gene and susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control study was conducted and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to detect the T/G polymorphism at position-88 in the mxA gene promoter. Information on related factors of SARS was collected using a pre-testing questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were conducted with SPSS software package.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Sixty-six cases and sixty-four controls were selected for the study. Comparing with GG genotype, the proportion of GT genotype were significantly higher in the case group (81.3%) than that in the control group (62.5%)) with an OR (95% CI) of 2.700 (1.208-6.037). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the significant association remained after factors as wearing masks, protection gowns and eye-protection when contacting with SARS patient etc. were adjusted with an OR (95 % CI) of 2.911 (1.027-8.250).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>mxA promoter-88G/T SNP might be confered to host genetic susceptibility to SARS in Chinese Han population.</p>