ABSTRACT
To ensure the safety of medications, it is vital to accurately authenticate species of the Apocynaceae family, which is rich in poisonous medicinal plants. We identified Apocynaceae species by using nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and psbA-trnH based on experimental data. The identification ability of ITS2 and psbA-trnH was assessed using specific genetic divergence, BLAST1, and neighbor-joining trees. For DNA barcoding, ITS2 and psbA-trnH regions of 122 plant samples of 31 species from 19 genera in the Apocynaceae family were amplified. The PCR amplification for ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences was 100%. The sequencing success rates for ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences were 81% and 61%, respectively. Additional data involved 53 sequences of the ITS2 region and 38 sequences of the psbA-trnH region were downloaded from GenBank. Moreover, the analysis showed that the inter-specific divergence of Apocynaceae species was greater than its intra-specific variations. The results indicated that, using the BLAST1 method, ITS2 showed a high identification efficiency of 97% and 100% of the samples at the species and genus levels, respectively, via BLAST1, and psbA-trnH successfully identified 95% and 100% of the samples at the species and genus levels, respectively. The barcode combination of ITS2/psbA-trnH successfully identified 98% and 100% of samples at the species and genus levels, respectively. Subsequently, the neighbor joining tree method also showed that barcode ITS2 and psbA-trnH could distinguish among the species within the Apocynaceae family. ITS2 is a core barcode and psbA-trnH is a supplementary barcode for identifying species in the Apocynaceae family. These results will help to improve DNA barcoding reference databases for herbal drugs and other herbal raw materials.
ABSTRACT
We report a case of ovarian function fluctuation during long-term follow-up in a patient with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). The patient finally obtained clinical pregnancy with subsequent uneventful full-term delivery after several intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) cycles. This case demonstrates that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and assisted reproductive therapy should be applied as soon as possible to young patients with POI who have a strong desire for pregnancy in the absence of contraindications. This strategy helps such patients obtain pregnancy and delivery before the exhaustion of ovarian function.
ABSTRACT
We report a case of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF?ET) with oocyte donation in a woman with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) complicated by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during pregnancy. The patient had a diagnosis of POI 4 years earlier and 11 weeks after successful pregnancy by IVF?ET with oocyte donation in 2003, she presented with facial edema, and further examinations confirmed the diagnosis of lupus nephritis. She received treatment with prednisone to control the activity of SLE and aspirin and low?molecular?weight heparin to improve placental blood flow with close monitoring of gravida and fetus throughout pregnancy. The condition of the patient remained unstable during pregnancy, and liver damage and placental circulation disorder occurred in late gestational weeks with suspected intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) of the fetus. For maternal and fetal safety, the patient received elective caesarean section and delivered a premature boy at 31 weeks of gestation. She subsequently received further medications for SLE and showed good recovery of the immunological parameters and absence of SLE symptoms during the follow?up for 14 years, indicating a clinical cure of SLE. Her son shows normal growth and development. Based on the experience with this case and literature review, we believe that immunological factor is an important cause of POI and thus recommend full immunological examinations in cases of idiopathic POI.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the incidence, management, and outcomes of monozygotic twin (MZT) pregnancy conceived by assisted reproductive techniques (ART).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective analysis was performed of clinical pregnancies after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) and introcytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) from January, 2010 to June 2015 at our center. We investigated the incidence, managements and outcomes of 94 MZT pregnancies. Comparison of the pregnancy outcomes was made between the expectantly managed MZT pregnancies, dizygotic twin (DZT) pregnancies, monozygotic (MZ)-triplet pregnancies with selective embryo reduction (SER) to 2 fetuses and 1 fetus, and non-MZ triplet pregnancies with SER to 2 fetuses.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Ninety-four MZT pregnancies occurred in the total of 6257 clinical pregnancy cycles with an incidence of 1.5%. No significant difference was found in the incidence of MZT pregnancies between IVF and ICSI cycles or between fresh and thawed cycles (P>0.05). Of the 94 MZT pregnancies, 45 were MZT pregnancy cycles, 43 were MZ-triplet pregnancy cycles, 3 were MZ-quadruplet pregnancy cycles and 3 were ectopic pregnancies. The expectantly managed MZT was associated with a significantly greater rate of miscarriage and malformation and a lower rate of live birth and term birth (P<0.05) in comparison with DZT pregnancy cycles that did not undergo SER. Similar outcomes were found between MZ-triplet pregnancies with SER to 2 fetuses and MZ-triplet pregnancies with SER to 1 fetus (P>0.05), and between MZ-triplets with SER to 2 fetuses and non-MZ triplet pregnancies with SER to 2 fetuses (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>ART is associated with a much higher incidence of MZT pregnancies than spontaneous conception. MZT pregnancies are at high risk of adverse outcomes, and reduction of MZT in multiple pregnancies may help to improve the outcomes.</p>
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical outcomes in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) in women aged over 40 years.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed 1050 non-donor IVF/ICSI-ET cycles performed from January, 2007 to December, 2015 in women at the age 40 years or above, including 393 women at 40 years of age, 266 at 41 years, 158 at 42 years, 107 at 43 years, 64 at 44 years, and 65 at 45-51 years. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of the women in different age groups were compared and analyzed. The pregnancy outcome of different ovarian stimulation protocols and different numbers of embryo transferred were also compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Oocyte retrieval was achieved in 1032 treatment cycles. Of the 750 embryo transfer cycles, the clinical pregnancy rate was 17.7% (113/750), and the live birth rate was 8.5% (64/750). The clinical pregnancy rate in the 5 age groups was 23.4%, 21.0%, 13.1%, 9.2%, 5.6% and 0%, and the implantation rate was 11.2%, 10.2%, 6.3%, 5.1%, 2.3% and 0%, respectively; the early spontaneous abortion rate was 31.0%, 35.9%, 42.9%, 42.9% and 100%, and the live birth rate was 11.9%, 11.8%, 2.8% and 3.9%. The clinical pregnancy rates of long protocol, short prorocol, GnRHa antagonist protocol, and ovulation induction protocol were 23.6%, 10.2%, 13.3%, and 2.3%, respectively. In the 750 transfer cycles, the clinical pregnancy rate was 3.8% with single embryo transfer, 12.6% with double embryos transfer, and 23.0% with 3 embryos transfer.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In women aged 40 years or above, the clinical pregnancy rate decreased significantly with age, and the live birth rate was extremely low in women aged beyond 44 years. Assisted reproductive technique is recommended for women aged 40 years and above even when no identifiable causes of sterility are present. For women aged above 44 years of age, oocyte donation may be a better option.</p>
ABSTRACT
In recent years, with the price rise of Amomum villosum, the quality of A. villosum in the market has been in disorder. To understand the quality status of A. villosum in the market and provide reference for the commercial size fifty-seven samples were collected from different producing areas or markets from August 2013. The samples were detected with evaluation on appearance quality, determination of the contents of bornyl acetate, determination of pesticide residues and heavy metals residues based on Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015. The results showed that the pesticide residues and heavy metals residues met the requirments, all the samples from different producing areas were qualified except one sample from Fujian province. The qualified rate of native products and imports products samples from market were 43.75% and 14.29%, respectively, the qualified rate of the samples of Yunnan province from producing areas was higher than that from the market. There are two ports at the national level in Yunnan province, where the southern herbs from. A. villosumis one of import medicines from Southeast Asia, and lots of A. villosum samples import to China from Yunnan ports. Most of pharmacists believed that all of the samples from Yunnan province produced in Yunnan. The great majority of commercial species was A. villosum, but A. longiliglare was scarce. Through the survey, it isfound that the main factors affecting the quality of Amomi Fructus was source, lots of A. villosum samples have been replaced by the Amomi Fructus, so the source of imports Amomi Fructus was not clear, which was also more difficult to identify. The quality of A. villosum needs to protect, optimize germplasm, strict control of medicinal sources, specification for medicinal harvesting and processing technology.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy of Salviae injection and ligustrazine injection (S & L) in combining with Western medicine for treatment of early onset of severe pre-eclampsia (EOSP), and its impact on pregnancy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>An open prospective controlled study was conducted on 63 women suffering from EOSP during the 29th-32th week of pregnancy. They were assigned, according to the sequence of hospitalizing, to the treated group (32 cases) and the control group (31 cases). Both groups were treated with conventional Western medical treatment, but S & L were administered additionally to the treated group. Levels of plasma D-dimer, blood viscosity, and outcome of the pregnancy were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The effect in prolonging the pregnancy and lowing the incidence of fetal distress and newborn death in the treated group was superior to that in the control group, the corresponding data were 11.0 +/- 1.2 days, 11 cases, 4 cases in the treated group and 6.0 +/- 1.5 days, 16 cases and 8 cases in the control group, respectively. Levels of blood viscosity ratio and D-dimer in the treated group were lowered significantly after treatment (1.20 +/- 0.13 vs 2.29 +/- 0.13, 1.61 +/- 0.45 mg/L vs 2.40 +/- 0.09 mg/L), which had no remarkable change in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combined application of S & L for treatment of EOSP could improve the blood hyperviscosity, prolong the pregnancy week, and improve the outcome of pregnancy to reduce incidence of perinatal morbidity and mortality in patients.</p>