Application of multiple chemical and biological approaches for quality assessment of Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower) by determining both the primary and secondary metabolites.

BACKGROUND: The florets of Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower) serve as the source of a reputable herbal medicine targeting gynecological diseases. Conventional investigations regarding the quality control of safflower, however, mainly focused on the secondary metabolites with primary metabolites ignored. PURPOSE: To holistically evaluate the quality difference of safflower samples collected from five different producing regions by multiple chemical and biological approaches with both the primary and secondary metabolites considered. METHODS: A precursor ions list-triggered data-dependent MS2 approach was established by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-Orbitrap MS) to comprehensively identify the secondary metabolites from safflower. Primary metabolites were identified by various 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. Similarity evaluation and quantitative assays of all the characterized primary metabolites and a quinochalcone C-glycoside (QCG) marker, hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), were performed by quantitative 1H NMR (qNMR) using an external standard method. Multiple in vitro models with respect to the antioxidant, anti-platelet aggregation, and antioxidant stress injury effects, were assayed to determine the efficacy differences. RESULTS: Totally thirteen primary metabolites (including one nucleoside, two sugars, five organic alkali/acids, and five amino acids) and 135 secondary metabolites (97 QCGs and 38 flavonoids) could be identified or tentatively characterized from safflower. Good chemical consistency was observed between the commercial safflower samples and a standard safflower sample, with similarity varying in the range of 0.95‒0.99. The results from qNMR-oriented quantitative experiments (thirteen primary metabolites and HSYA) and biological assays indicated the quality of safflower samples from Xinjiang (XJ-2 and XJ-4), Hunan (HuN-1 and HuN-2), and Sichuan (SC), was comparable to the standard safflower sample. CONCLUSION: The integration of multiple chemical (using two analytical platforms, UHPLC/Q-Orbitrap MS and NMR) and biological (four in vitro models) approaches by determining both the primary and secondary metabolites demonstrated a powerful strategy that could facilitate the holistic quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.

Association between obesity and blood pressure in preschool children in urban areas / 中华疾病控制杂志

Objective To investigate the blood pressure status of preschool children in urban areas of Qingdao, and to determine the relationship between obesity and blood pressure in preschool children. Methods A stratified cluster sampling method was used to select a total of 13 kindergartens in urban districts of Qingdao. Height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference and blood pressure of children in three classes were measured. Body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio and waist to height ratio were calculated and the relationship between obesity and blood pressure was analyzed. Results The mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in preschool children in urban areas of Qingdao were (95.52±7.66) and (62.78±6.52) mmHg, respectively.The detection rate of hypertension in preschool children was 13.50%. The SBP and DBP were positively correlated with BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist to height ratio. There was a linear regression relationship between body mass index and age and blood pressure. The risk of hypertension in overweight and obese children was 5.191 and 2.824 times of normal body weight, respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of hypertension in preschool children in Qingdao urban areas is high.Overweight and obesity are risk factors for elevated blood pressure.Therefore, while preventing preschool children from obesity, preschool children's blood pressure monitoring and blood pressure monitoring and early intervention of hypertension of preschool children should be implemented.

Molecular epidemiological characteristics of Streptococcus pyogenes strains involved in an outbreak of scarlet fever in China, 2011 / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate molecular characterization of streptococcus pyogenes isolates involved in an outbreak of scarlet fever in China in 2011.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-four Streptococcal pyogenes involved in an outbreak of scarlet fever were isolated from pediatric patients in the areas with high incidence in China from May to August of 2011. Emm genotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), superantigen (SAg) genes and antimicrobial susceptibility profiling were analyzed for these isolates.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 4 different emm types were identified. Emm12 was the most prevalent type which contained four predominating PFGE patterns corresponding to four different virulence and superantigen profiles. Emm12 (79.7%) and emm1 (14.9%) accounted for approximately 94% of all the isolates. The speA gene was all negative in emm12 isolates and positive in emm1 isolates. All strains were resistant to erythromycin, and 89.4% of them were resistant to erythromycin, tracycline, and clindamycin simultaneously.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Several highly diversified clones with a high macrolide resistance rate comprise a predominant proportion of circulating strains, though no new emm type was found in this outbreak. The data provide a baseline for further surveillance of scarlet fever, which may contribute to the explanation of the outbreak and development of a GAS vaccine in China.</p>