[Effect of moxibustion on plaque psoriasis complicated with obesity].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of moxibustion combined with coptis chinensis ointment sealing on plaque psoriasis complicated with obesity. METHODS: A total of 52 patients of plaque psoriasis complicated with obesity were randomized into an observation group (26 cases) and a control group (26 cases, 2 cases dropped off). Coptis chinensis ointment sealing was adopted in the control group. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, moxibustion was applied at ashi point (area of local target lesions), Zhongwan (CV 12) and bilateral Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40), Quchi (LI 11), Tianshu (ST 25), Shangjuxu (ST 37) in the observation group. The treatment was given 30 min each time, once a day for 4 weeks in both groups. The psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score, obesity related indexes (body mass, waist circumference, body mass index [BMI]), triglyceride, cholesterol, uric acid and plasma glucose were compared before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the PASI scores were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01), and the PASI score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05); the body mass, waist circumference, BMI, triglyceride, cholesterol, uric acid and plasma glucose were decreased compared with those before treatment in the observation group (P<0.01, P<0.05), the triglyceride and cholesterol in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 53.8% (14/26) in the observation group, which was superior to 20.8% (5/24) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Moxibustion combined with coptis chinensis ointment sealing can effectively improve the clinical symptoms in patients of plaque psoriasis complicated with obesity.

Cp*Rh(III)-Catalyzed C-H Arylation of Ferrocenethionamides with Aryl Boronic Acids for the Synthesis of Aryl-Ferrocenes.

We developed a Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H arylation of ferrocenethionamides with arylboronic acids for the synthesis of aryl-ferrocenes under mild and base-free conditions, using Ag2 CO3 as oxidant. The reaction results in high yields and excellent regioselectivity accommodating a broad scope of substrate range and functional group compatibility, and provides an alternative protocol for the generation of highly functionalized aryl-ferrocene compounds.

Thioamide directed iridium(I)-catalyzed C-H arylation of ferrocenes with aryl boronic acids.

The first Ir(I)-catalyzed thioamide-assisted C-H arylation of ferrocenes with aryl boronic acids under base-free mild reaction conditions in the presence of Ag2CO3 as an oxidant with eco-friendly 2-MeTHF as a solvent was developed. This reaction has a wide range of substrates (37 examples) and functional group tolerance (18-94% yields), and provides promising access to aryl thioamide-ferrocene compounds with good yields and regioselectivity.

Solvothermal synthesis and photocatalytic activities of cubic potassium tantalite and cuprum doped potassium tantalite.

KTaO3 and Cu2+ doped KTaO3 were prepared by a solvothermal process. The measurements of XRD, FTIR, XPS, SEM, BET specific surface area, DRS, photoluminescence, photocurrent and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were carried out to investigate their physical and chemical properties. Especially, the photocatalytic activities of them were revealed by the photocatalysis of MB with irradiation of light in UV-Vis region. The measurements indicate that the Cu2+ doping does not obviously influence the phase and microstructure of KTaO3, but highly changes the optical and electrochemical properties. Cu2+ doped KTaO3 shows higher photocatalytic activity than KTaO3 in the degradation of methylene blue with irradiation of light in UV-Vis region, which results from the enhanced light absorbance, more efficient transfers and separation of photogenerated charge carriers.

Cynanchum bungei Decne and its two related species for "Baishouwu": A review on traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cynanchum bungei Decne. (CB) (Asclepiadaceae) and its two related species Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight. (CA) and Cynanchum wilfordii (Maxim.) Hemsl. (CW) are well known Chinese herbal medicines known by the name Baishouwu. Among them, CB has long been used for nourishing the kidney and liver, strengthening the bones and muscles, and regulating stomachache. However, to date, no comprehensive review on Baishouwu has been published. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary on traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of the three herbal components of Baishouwu with the ultimate objective of providing a guide for future scientific and therapeutic potential use of Baishouwu. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature search was undertaken on CB, CA and CW by analyzing the information from scientific databases (SciFinder, Pubmed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Baidu Scholar). Information was also gathered from local classic herbal literatures and conference papers on ethnopharmacology and the information provided in this review has been obtained from peer-reviewed papers. RESULTS: Comparative analysis of literature search indicate that ethnopharmacological use of CB was recorded in China, however, CA and CW have been used in China, Korea and Japan. To date, 151 chemical compounds have been isolated from these species, and the major chemical constituents have been revealed to be acetophenones, C21-steroids, terpenoids, and alkaloids. These compounds and extracts have been proven to exhibit significant pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hypolipidemic, anti-obesity, hepatoprotective, antifungal, antiviral, anti-depressant, vasodilating and estrogenic activities. CONCLUSIONS: CB, CA and CW collectively known as Baishouwu are valuable medicinal herbs with multiple pharmacological activities. The traditional use for nourishing liver is closely associated with the hepatoprotective activity. The available literature performs that various of the activity of Baishouwu can be attributed to acetophenones and C21-steroids. It is high time that more efforts should be focused on the underlying mechanisms of their beneficial bioactivities and the structure activity relationship of the constituents, as well as their potential synergistic and antagonistic effects. The proper toxicology evaluation is crucial to guarantee the safety, efficacy, and eligibility for medical use. Further research on the comprehensive evaluation of medicinal quality and the understanding of multi-target network pharmacology of Baishouwu is in great request.

Factors Affecting the Dissolution of Indomethacin Solid Dispersions.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of factors such as carrier type, drug/carrier ratio, binary carriers, and preparation method on the dissolution of an insoluble drug, indomethacin (IM), under supersaturation conditions. Using a solvent evaporation (SE) method, poloxamer 188 and PVP K30 showed better dissolution among the selected carriers. Furthermore, as the ratio of carriers increased (drug/carrier ratio from 1:0.5 to 1:2), the dissolution rate increased especially in almost two times poloxamer 188 solid dispersions (SDs), while the reverse results were observed for PVP K30 SDs. For the binary carrier SD, a lower dissolution was found. Under hot melt extrusion (HME), the dissolution of poloxamer 188 SD and PVP K30 SD was 0.83- and 0.94-folds lower than that using SE, respectively, while the binary carrier SD showed the best dissolution. For poloxamer 188 SDs, the drug's crystal form changed when using SE, while no crystal form change was observed using HME. IM was amorphous in PVP K30 SDs prepared by both methods. For binary carrier systems, amorphous and crystalline drugs coexisted in SD using SE, and negligible amorphous IM was in SD using HME. This study indicated that a higher amorphous proportion in SD did not correlate with higher dissolution rate, and other factors, such as carrier type, particle size, and density, were also critical.

[Feeding habitats and trophic levels of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye in Liaodong Bay based on analyzing carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes.] / åŸºäºŽç¢³æ°®ç¨³å®šåŒä½ç´ æŠ€æœ¯ç ”ç©¶è¾½ä¸œæ¹¾æµ·èœ‡çš„é£Ÿæ€§å’Œè¥å »çº§.

By using stable isotope techniques, we analyzed the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye and its potential feed materials in Liaodong Bay of Bohai Sea, aiming to identify potential food sources and trophic levels of R. esculentum . The results showed that the δ13C and δ15N values for R. esculentum ranged from -20.27‰ to -23.06‰ (ave raged at -21.33‰), and from 6.82‰ to 10.03‰ (averaged at 8.25‰), respectively. The main food sources for R. esculentum included suspended materials, phytoplankton, fish eggs, zooplankton (≤1000 µm), zooplankton (1000-1500 µm), zooplankton (>1500 µm), among which, zooplankton (≤1000 µm) was the most important food source and contributed 71%-88% of the total food sources, followed by zooplankton (>1500 µm) (6%-19%), zooplankton (1000-1500 µm) (0%-22%), suspended materials (0%-10%), phytoplankton(0%-8%) and fish eggs (0%-2%). A Pearson correlation test indicated that there was significant negative relationship between the diameter and δ13C value of R. esculentum (P<0.05), while no significant correlation was found between its diameter and δ15N value (P>0.05). The trophic level of R. esculentum ranged from 2.79 to 3.88 depending on diameter classes,with a mean valu of 3.28 These results indicated that R. esculentum plays a key role in controlling microzooplankton in the Liaodong Bay, which is significant for providing deeper understanding into the tropic structure of biological communities as well as into the material cycles and energy flow of entire ecosystem in the Liaodong Bay.

Effect of subarachnoid nerve block anesthesia on glutamate transporter GLAST and GLT-1 expressions in rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of subarachnoid nerve block anesthesia on glutamate transporter glutamate-aspartate transporter (GLAST) and GLT-1 expressions in rabbits, and to investigate the effect of peripheral nerve anesthesia on the morphology and function of the spinal cord. METHODS: Twenty healthy New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group and control group; with 10 rabbits in each group. For spinal nerve anesthesia, 5 g/L of bupivacaine was used in the experimental group, and sterile saline was used in the control group. After 30 min of cardiac perfusion, GLAST and GLT-1 protein expression in spinal neurons were detected by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: GLAST and GLT-1 protein-positive cells increased in neurons in the experimental group, compared with the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: After subarachnoid nerve block anesthesia, rabbit glutamate transporter GLAST and GLT-1 expression is increased; and spinal cord nerve cell function is inhibited.