Effects of different drying methods on quality of male flowers of Eucommia ulmoides based on color and chemical composition / 中国中药杂志

To study the effects of different drying methods on the quality of male flowers of Eucommia ulmoides(MFOEU), we treated fresh MFOEU samples with drying in the shade(DS), vacuum freeze drying(VFD), high-or low-temperature hot air drying(HTHAD, LTHAD), microwave drying(MD), and vacuum drying(VD), respectively. The color, total flavonoid content, total polysaccharide content, and main active components such as geniposide, geniposidic acid, rutin, chlorogenic acid, galuteolin, pinoresinol diglucoside, and aucubin in MFOEU were taken as the evaluation indicators. The quality of MFOEU was comprehensively evaluated by entropy weight method combined with color index method, partial least squares discriminant analysis and content clustering heat map. The experimental results showed that VFD and DS basically kept the original color of MFOEU. The MFOEU treated with MD had higher content of total polysaccharides, phenylpropanoids, lignans, and iridoids. The MFOEU treated with LTHAD had higher content of total flavonoids and that treated with VD had lower content of active components. According to the results of comprehensive evaluation, the quality of MFOEU dried with different methods followed the order of MD>HTHAD>VFD>LTHAD>DS>VD. Considering the color of MFOEU, the suitable drying methods were DS and VFD. Considering the color, active components, and economic benefits of MFOEU, MD was the suitable drying method. The results of this study are of a reference value for the determination of suitable methods for MFOEU processing in the producing areas.

Progress in Application of Measuring Skeleton by CT in Forensic Anthropology Research / 法医学杂志

Individual identification by measuring the human skeleton is an important research in the field of forensic anthropology. Computed tomography （CT） technology can provide high-resolution image of skeleton. Skeleton image can be reformed by software in the post-processing workstation. Different skeleton measurement indexes of anthropology, such as diameter, angle, area and volume, can be measured on section and reformative images. Measurement process is barely affected by human factors. This paper reviews the literatures at home and abroad about the application of measuring skeleton by CT in forensic anthropology research for individual identification in four aspects, including sex determination, height infer, facial soft tissue thickness measurement and age estimation. The major technology and the application of CT in forensic anthropology research are compared and discussed, respectively.

Expressions of SLC22A14 and SPAG6 proteins in the ejaculated sperm of idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the expressions of solute carrier family 22 member 14 (SLC22A14) and sperm-associated antigen 6 (SPAG6) in the sperm of idiopathic asthenospermia men.@*METHODS@#We collected semen samples from 50 idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients and another 50 normal sperm donors, purified the sperm by discontinuous density centrifugation on Percoll gradients, and then determined the mRNA and protein expressions of SLC22A14 and SPAG6 by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the normal controls, the idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients showed significantly decreased mRNA expressions of SLC22A14 (0.77 ± 0.08 vs 0.53 ± 0.10, P<0.01) and SPAG6 (0.78 ± 0.09 vs0.52 ± 0.10 , P<0.01) and protein expressions of SLC22A14 (0.80 ± 0.09 vs 0.55 ± 0.10 , P<0.01) and SPAG6 (0.78 ± 0.09 vs 0.56 ± 0.09, P<0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#T The expressions of SLC22A14 and SPAG6 are reduced in the sperm of the patients with idiopathic asthenospermia, which may be one of the important causes of asthenospermia.

Sterol extracts from Begonia Sinensis Rhizome against respiratory inflammation / 中国中药杂志

The acute and chronic respiratory tract inflammation models were made to investigate the effect and mechanism of sterol extracts from Begonia Sinensis Rhizome (BSR). The first model of acute lung injury was made with Kunming mice by inhaling cigarette smoke, then the mice were treated with different concentrations of BSR sterol extracts. Lung tissue morphology was detected by HE staining, TNF-alpha/MPO were detected by Elisa, and cPLA2 protein were, detected by Western blotting respectively. Results showed that in model group, lung sheet became real, alveolar space shrank or disappeared, alveolar septum was thickened, plenty of inflammatory cells were infiltrated, capillary blood vessels were congestive and the expression of TNF-α, MPO, cPLA2 increased; after administration, a small amount of inflammatory cells were infiltrated, alveolar septum became obvious, capillary congestion status was significantly relieved and the expression of TNF-α, MPO, cPLA2 decreased (P < 0.05). The second model of chronic respiratory tract inflammation in BALB/c mice with bronchial asthma was induced by OVA, then the mice were treated with different concentrations of BSR sterol extracts. Lung tissue morphology was detected by HE staining, indexes such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 were detected by Elisa, and the cPLA2 protein expression was detected by Western blotting respectively. Results showed that in model group, a lot of inflammatory cells around lung vessels and bronchi exuded, bronchial goblet cells proliferated and the expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, cPLA2 increased; after administration, inflammatory and goblet cell hyperplasia reduced, the expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, cPLA2 also decreased (P < 0.05). The above results showed BSR sterol extracts could resist against respiratory inflammation by inhibiting cPLA2 in a dose-dependent manner.

Synthesis of novel curcumin mimics and preliminary evaluation for their antitumor activity / 药学学报

Curcumin has been reported to possess antitumor activity with low toxicity. However, the clinical application of curcumin has been significantly limited by its instability and poor metabolic property. In order to overcome these limitations and discover novel small molecules with potential antitumor activity, 29 curcumin mimics were synthesized, which were confirmed by 1H NMR and HR-MS, and their cytotoxic property was evaluated against five human cancer cell lines in vitro. Compounds 16, 18 and 19 exhibited good cytotoxic property, their IC50 value were even below 5 micromol x L(-1) to some cancer cell lines, 5-9 times better than curcumin.

Effects of Enshi green tea tea polysaccharide on serum glucose in experimental diabetic rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of Enshi green tea tea polysaccharide on serum glucose in experimental diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Diabetic rats model were established by alloxan, Enshi green tea tea polysaccharide was poured into rats' stomach for four weeks, then the changes of the level about fasting blood glucose (FBG), glucokinase (GK), insulin (INS), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), spleen index and thymus index were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Enshi green tea tea polysaccharide could reduce the level of FBG in diabetic rats, and increase the activity of KG, SOD and GSH-Px, moreover, it could reduce the level of MDA and increase the spleen index and thymus index.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Enshi green tea tea polysaccharide has remarkable effect on playing down the blood sugar, and can increase the antioxygenic activity and immunity.</p>

Expression of TEKT4 protein decreases in the ejaculated spermatozoa of idiopathic asthenozoospermic men / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of the TEKT4 protein in the pathogenesis of idiopathic asthenozoospermia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We separated and purified the ejaculated sperm from idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients and normozoospermic men by Percoll discontinuous density gradients, and detected the distribution and the expressions of TEKT4 mRNA and TEKT4 protein by RT-PCR and Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>RT-PCR revealed that the expression of TEKT4 mRNA was significantly lower in the sperm of the idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients than in those of the normozoospermic men (0.59 +/- 0.13 vs 0.75 +/- 0.15, t = 4.325, P < 0.05), and Western blot confirmed the results of RT-PCR (0.48 +/- 0.14 vs 0.69 +/- 0.13, t = 5.939, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of TEKT4 is significantly decreased in the ejaculated sperm of idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients, which might be one of the causes of idiopathic asthenozoospermia.</p>

The protective effects of Shenfu injection on the global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury of rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the the protective effects and mechanism of Shenfu injection on the global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Divided 40 SD male rats into 4 groups randomly (n = 10): sham operation group, model control group, nimodipine group( 30 mg/kg) and Shenfu injection group (10 mg/kg). Made global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury model (CI/R) by adopting Pulsinelli's Four Arterial Acclusion method,and then practised administration three times, respectively one day before the surgery, one hour before the surgery and 30 minutes before reperfusion. Finally, measured the contents of brain tissue glutamate (Glu), aspartic acid (Asp) and Glycine (Gly) by means of High Performance Liquid Chromatography, the content of Ca2+ by means of Atomic absorption spectrophotometry, the brain water content by means of wet and dry weight, the activity of brain tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) by means of chemical colorimetry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the sham operation group, the contents of Glu, Ca2+, MDA and water in the brains of CI/R model group rats increased remarkably (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), while the activity of SOD decreased apparently (P < 0.05); Shenfu injection could significantly decrease the contents of Glu, Ca2+ and water (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) in brain tissue and remarkably increased the activity if SOD and the ration of SOD/MDA (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The mechanism of Shenfu injection preventing cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury is relevant to excitatory amino acid toxicity reduction, Ca2+ overload blockage and antioxidant capacity improvement.</p>

Expression of SEPT4 protein in the ejaculated sperm of idiopathic asthenozoospermic men / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of the SEPT4 protein in the pathogenesis of idiopathic asthenozoospermia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Samples of ejaculated sperm from idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients and normozoospermic men were separated and purified by Percoll discontinuous density gradients, the distribution and expression of SEPT4 in the sperm samples were determined by immunocytochemistry, and the expressions of SEPT4 mRNA and SEPT4 protein were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Immunocytochemistry showed that the expression of SEPT4, located in the annulus, was significantly reduced in the sperm of the idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients (t = 3.452, P < 0.01). RT-PCR revealed that the expression of SEPT4 mRNA was significantly lower in the sperm of the idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients than in those of the normozoospermic men (t = 3.521, P < 0.05). Western blot confirmed the results of RT-PCR (t = 5.872, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of SEPT4 is significantly decreased in the ejaculated sperm of idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients, which might be one of the causes of idiopathic asthenozoospermia.</p>

CatSper1 protein and idiopathic asthenozoospermia / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of the cation channel of sperm 1 (CatSper1) protein in the pathogenesis of idiopathic asthenozoospermia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sperm samples from patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia were separated by Percoll discontinuous density gradients, and the distribution and expression of the CatSper1 protein were determined by immunocytochemistry. Western blotting was used to detect the different expressions of CatSper1 in the ejaculated sperm from the normal control, mild asthenozoospermia, moderate asthenozoospermia and severe asthenozoospermia groups, followed by statistical analyses.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of CatSper1, located in the principle piece of the sperm tail, was reduced significantly in the samples from the idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients as compared with the normal controls (t = 2.188, P = 0.042). The relative contents of the CatSper1 protein in the sperm of the control, mild asthenozoospermia, moderate asthenozoospermia and severe asthenozoospermia groups were 0.806 +/- 0.266, 0.669 +/- 0.207, 0.505 +/- 0.214 and 0.295 +/- 0.162, respectively, significantly decreased in the asthenozoospermia patients in comparison with the normal controls (P <0.05). There was a positive correlation between the percentage of progressively motile sperm and the relative content of the CatSper1 protein (r = 0.633, P = 0.000).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The decreased or abnormal expression of the CatSper1 protein may be a factor involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic asthenozoospermia.</p>

EFFECTS OF SELENIUM TEA ON APOLIPOPROTEIN AND BLOOD RHEOLOGY OF RATS / 营养学报

Objective: To study the health effects of selenium tea on cardiovascular system. Methods : Four groups of Wistar rats were fed standard diet and water, standard diet and selenium tea , high fat diet and water ,high fat diet and selenium tea respectively. Twelve weeks later, the plasma apoA , apoB, body weight, whole blood viscosity , plasma viscosity , and hematorcrit were determined while plasma fibrinogen and inhibition of erythrocyte aggregation were calculated. Results: At the end of the experiment ,the plasma apoA level of selenium tea groups was significantly higher than that of control group, while the ratio of apoB/apoA was significantly lower than that of control group. Selenium tea decreased the whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity and inhibited erythrocyte aggregation and body weight. Conclusion: Selenium tea could significantly improve the lipoprotein metabolism and hermorrheology and decrease body weight of the rats fed high fat diet.

Effects of central and peripheral administration of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor on AVP-induced hypothermia in rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>AIM</b>To explore the role of nitric oxide (NO) in arginine vasopressin (AVP)-induced hypothermia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Colonic temperature was measured at 30 min intervals with a digital thermometer. Effects of central and peripheral administration of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on AVP-induced hypothermia were observed in rats.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Intravenous injection (i.v.) of AVP (4 microg x kg(-1)) and L-NAME (30 mg x kg(-1)) produced a significant drop in body temperature, respectively. Coadministration of L-NAME i.v. with AVP i.v. did not significantly influence the magnitude of AVP-induced hypothermia. (2) Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of L-NAME (1 mg x kg(-1)) caused a significant increase in body temperature, but when the treatments with AVP and L-NAME were combined, i.c.v. injection of L-NAME markedly blocked the hypothermic effect of AVP intravenous injection.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Endogenous NO in the central nervous system plays a major role in AVP-induced hypothermia. In addition, central NO seems to play a tonic thermoregulatory role by reducing normal body temperature because an increase in body temperature was observed after treatment with NOS inhibitor L-NAME.</p>