Studies on volatile oils compounds of Acorus macrospadiceus based on GC-MS, an ethnomedicinal and food plant used by local people in southwest China / 中国中药杂志

Acorus macrospadiceus is a common medicinal and food plant used different ethnic groups in Guizhou and surrounding areas. In this paper, the leaf and rhizome tissues of A. macrospadiceus were hydro-distilled to extract the volatile oils. The chemical constituents of these oils were analyzed by GC-MS and identified using the NIST 14.0 & NIST 14.0s mass spectral libraries. The relative contents of chemical constituents from the different plant parts were determined by area normalization. The analysis of A. macrospadiceus volatile oils resulted in the identification of 25 compounds from the leaf and 36 compounds from the rhizome. The identified compounds accounted for 97.85% of the leaf essential oil content and 97.18% of the rhizome essential oil content. The main volatile constituent of A. macrospadiceus was identified as estragole (93.56% of total oil content in leaf and 71.62% of total oil content in rhizome). Fourteen compounds were found to be common to essential oils of both leaf and rhizome. However, the relative amounts of these compounds were significantly different between the plant parts; the remaining identified compounds were unique to each part. This comparison of volatile oils from the different parts of A. macrospadiceus can serve as a reference for future development. Because of the higher estragole content and better harvesting sustainability of the leaves compared to rhizomes, the leaves of A. macrospadiceus deserve consideration for sustainable development. However, when we use it as a medical plant, we should draw a distinction between it with A. tatarinowii.

Lupus Myocarditis: A Case-Control Study from China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Myocarditis is an uncommon but serious manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aimed to investigate clinical characteristics and outcomes of lupus myocarditis (LM) and to determine risk factors of LM in hospitalized Chinese patients with SLE.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We conducted a retrospective case-control study. A total of 25 patients with LM from 2001 to 2012 were enrolled as the study group, and 100 patients with SLE but without LM were randomly pooled as the control group. Univariable analysis was performed using Chi-square tests for categorical variables, and the Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test was performed for continuous variables according to the normality.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>LM presented as the initial manifestation of SLE in 7 patients (28%) and occurred mostly at earlier stages compared to the controls (20.88 ± 35.73 vs. 44.08 ± 61.56 months, P = 0.008). Twenty-one patients (84%) experienced episodes of symptomatic heart failure. Echocardiography showed that 23 patients (92%) had decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (<50%) and all patients had wall motion abnormalities. A high SLE Disease Activity Index was the independent risk factor in the development of LM (odds ratio = 1.322, P < 0.001). With aggressive immunosuppressive therapies, most patients achieved satisfactory outcome. The in-hospital mortality was not significantly higher in the LM group than in the controls (4% vs. 2%,P = 0.491).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>LM could result in cardiac dysfunction and even sudden death. High SLE disease activity might potentially predict the occurrence of LM at the early stage of SLE. Characteristic echocardiographic findings could confirm the diagnosis of LM. Early aggressive immunosuppressive therapy could improve the cardiac outcome of LM.</p>

p53 in fibroblast-like synoviocytes can regulate T helper cell functions in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>p53 is a tumor suppressor and plays a key role in regulating cell hyperplasia, repairing DNA and inducing apoptosis. This study was to investigate p53 expression in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) and its effect on CD4(+) T lymphocytes from patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human FLS were transfected with p53 siRNA and cocultured with CD4(+) T lymphocytes from patients with active RA. The expressions of osteoprotegerin and interleukin (IL)-6 were detected in p53 siRNA and scramble siRNA-transfected FLS. In addition, protein levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-17, IL-4 and CD25 as well as mRNAs of IFN-γ, retinoic acid-related orphan receptor (ROR)-γt, IL-17 and Foxp3 in cocultured CD4(+) T lymphocytes were also measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>IL-6 decreased in p53-knockdown FLS while osteoprotegerin expression was not altered. FLS with p53 deletion significantly increased the production of IL-17 and IFN-γ by CD4(+) T cells and upregulated Foxp3 mRNA expression without effects on the proportion of CD4(+)CD25(high) T lymphocytes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>p53 in FLS might regulate Th1 and Th17 functions in patients with RA and participate in the pathogenesis of RA.</p>