[Materia medica illustrations related to the regional names in Shandong province in Ben Cao Tu Jing].

Ben Cao Tu Jing had 48 materia medica illustrations related to the regional names in Shandong province. It was found that 42 of them were plant medicinal materials, distributed in seven areas in Shandong province. This study examined these illustration of plant medicinal materials and found that 26 species of these illustration of plant medicinal materials were identified with three genera and 11 illustrations were unverified. Most materia medica illustrations relating to the regional names in Shandong province were found mainly in Yanzhou, Qizhou and Zizhou. This indicated that materia medica were widely used in these areas in the Northern Song Dynasty. The haustorium of Cuscuta Chinensis were depicted in the "Shanzhou Tu Si Zi" and the habitat of wild poriacocos was described. This showed that the illustrators of Ben Cao Tu Jing might have conducted fieldwork and reflected on the main principles about how to identify materia medica in Ben Cao Tu Jing Zou Chi. Inconsistencies were found between the illustrations and the expressions of plant medicinal materials in some illustrations, such as Gui Jiu, Ginsen and Shan Zhu Yu. This suggested that in the Northern Song Dynasty Stemmacantha Uniflora, Belamcanda chinensis might have been mixed up with Dysosma and Pinellia Pedatisecta might have been mixed up with Pinellia Ternata. This was in line with the compiling theories of Su Song that they could be recorded together when the illustrations and literature were inconsistent with each other.

[Materia medica illustrations related to the regional names in Zhejiang province in Ben Cao Tu Jing].

Ben Cao Tu Jing had 38 materia medica illustrations related to the regional names in Zhejiang province. It was found that 30 of them were identified as being named after regional names in Zhejiang province, involving 20 families and 29 genera. One of the 38 materia medica illustrations was mineral medicine and seven of them were unverified. The twenty-five of these materia medica illustrations with regional names were found to be consistent with their names used today. Five of them came from similar names in Zhejiang province in the Northern Song Dynasty, another five of the 25 names were known with the names but not entity for the lack of full descriptions and drawings. It was found that the drawing and the text of "Ming Zhou Huang Yao" and "Qin Zhou Hong Yao" in Ben Cao Tu Jing were reversed. By comparing the materia medica illustrations related to regional names in Da Guan Ben Cao by Liu Jia and Zheng He Ben Cao by Zhang Huicun, the name and the illustration of "Jin Zhou Bei Mu" in Zheng He Ben Cao by Zhang Huicun was more believable than "Yue Zhou Bei Mu" in Da Guan Ben Cao by Liu Jia. "Tai Zhou Wu Yao" and "Zhe Ba Wei", as genuine medicinal materials in Zhejiang, can be traced back to the illustrations of "Tai Zhou Wu Yao", "Yue Zhou Bai Zhu", "Mu Zhou Mai Dong", "Wen Zhou Peng 'e Shu", "Yue Zhou Bei Mu" and "Tian Tai Wu Yao" in Ben Cao Tu Jing. These findings provided text and drawing literature of herbs in the Song Dynasty for the research of genuine medicinal materials and their characteristics in Zhejiang province. They also showed that the utilization and development of the resources of traditional Chinese medicine in Zhejiang in the Northern Song Dynasty mainly focused on the coastal areas.

[Types of medicine paintings in herbaceous and woody medicines in Ben Cao Tu Jing].

A total of 568 paintings of herbaceous plants and woody plants as medicine were involved in Ben Cao Tu Jing, accounting for 60% of the total drug illustrations and 76% of the botanical medicine paintings. These medicinal paintings can be classified into four types: original plant paintings, medicinal material paintings, plant and medicinal material paintings, and plant and their habitat paintings. The original plant paintings can be specifically divided into five sections: the whole plant paintings with roots, partial aerial part paintings with roots, plant paintings with ground lines, rootless plant paintings, and broken branch paintings. Among them, the drawings of " the broken branch paintings " and " the whole plant paintings with roots " are consistent with the basic principles of collecting plant specimens. Additionally, "the plant and medicinal material paintings " and "the medicinal material paintings "reflect that they were drawn based on the market survey of medicinal materials or collected medicinal materials specimens. These medicine painting demonstrate rich characteristics of medicinal plants and medicinal materials and a high artistic quality with realistic details.These paintings in Ben Cao Tu Jing echoes Tu Jing, combine the art of painting with the cognition ofnatural science, as the rudiment of early paintings of plant science.

[Factors influencing the quality of Peucedanum Praeruptorum Dunn and "assessment of quality based on its features"].

The factors influencing the evaluation of the quality of Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn, called "Qianhu" in Chinese, include the botanical origin, places of production, harvesting time and its nature of "Ci Xiong" (bolting and unbolting) etc. The orthodox products are derived from Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn in successive dynasties, especially the unbolting one produced in Anhui and Zhejiang Provinces picked up during the Beginning of Winter. The "assessment of quality based on its features" includes the "Earthworm head" , "black skin of the root" , "gold inlaid with white jade" , "soft texture like sweet rice" and "strong fragrant smell" . Therefore, the "assessment of quality based on its features" is the summary of all its properties, including the morphology, color, flavor, and property, and it's also the background for evaluating its quality and embodying the wisdom of distinguishing experiences of ancient herbologists.

Robot-assisted versus standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: comparison of perioperative outcomes from a single institution.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in a teaching hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Queen Mary and Tung Wah hospitals, Hong Kong. PATIENTS: The first 10 consecutive patients who had robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal tumours between January 2008 and September 2009 with prospective data collection were evaluated. Their outcomes were compared with the last 10 consecutive patients in our database, who had standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy between November 2004 and October 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographics, tumour characteristics, perioperative outcomes, renal function, and pathological outcomes. RESULTS: There were no differences between the groups with regard to age (63 vs 56 years; P=0.313) and tumour size (2.7 vs 2.8 cm; P=0.895). No significant difference was found between the two groups with respect to the operating room time (376 vs 361 min; P=0.722), estimated blood loss (329 vs 328 mL; P=0.994), and length of hospital stay (7 vs 14 days; P=0.213). A statistically significant shorter mean warm ischaemic time for the robot-assisted group was noted (31 vs 40 minutes; P=0.032). Respective renal functional outcomes as shown by the difference between day 0 and day 60 serum creatinine levels were comparable (+10 vs +7 mmol/L; P=0.605). In both groups, there were no intra-operative complications or instances of surgical margin tumour involvement. Three patients endured postoperative complications in the standard laparoscopic group (a perinephric haematoma, urine leakage, and lymph leakage) compared with one in the robot-assisted group (a perinephric haematoma). These complications all resolved with conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is a technically feasible alternative to standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and provides comparable results. Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy appears to offer the advantage of decreased warm ischaemic time. Longer follow-up is required to assess renal function and oncological outcomes. Further experience and randomised trials are necessary to compare robot-assisted with standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

Comparison of the psychospiritual needs of Chinese heart transplant recipients at pre- and postoperative stages.

PURPOSE: This project sought to compare Chinese heart transplant (HT) recipients' psychospiritual needs during the preoperative (PS) and the postoperative predischarge stage (PDS). METHODS: Thirty HT recipients from two leading medical centers in Taiwan were recruited for this research. Data collected by face-to-face interview were analyzed by content analysis. RESULTS: The patients' ages ranged from 23 to 45 years (mean [M] +/- standard deviation [SD] = 28.5 +/- 4.1); 90% were married. The subjects' cardiac disease history ranged from 4.2 to 12.3 years (M +/- SD = 8.2 +/- 2.3). The waiting time list for HT ranged from 1.2 to 6.4 years (M +/- SD = 3.1 +/- 2.6). The subjects had the following six psychospiritual concerns: death (PS), unfulfilled family responsibilities (PS and PDS), unaccomplished personal life goals (PS and PDS), poor body image (PDS), loss of significant others' support and love (PDS), and discrimination by others (PDS). The following seven needs of help were reported: comforting the fear of failure in heart transplantation (PS and PDS), meeting unfulfilled family responsibilities (PS and PDS), accomplishing personal life goal (PS and PDS), religious support (PS and PDS), establishing confidence in body image (PDS), establishing positive relationship with significant others (PS and PDS), and preparation for dying with dignity when necessary (PS and PDS). CONCLUSION: The in-depth investigation on Chinese HT recipients' psychospiritual needs was first compared in PDS and PS. More distress and needs were found in PDS than PS. These findings were attributed by the dilemma of pursuing prospective future versus taking the risk of loss of life, valuing families' and health professionals' support system, and expecting grief and dying with dignity. Health professionals are encouraged to understand and provide stage-specific support to help them meet psycho-spiritual needs.

Primary cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma with regional lymph node metastasis.

Primary cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma (PCACC) is a particularly rare variant of sweat gland carcinoma with characteristics of indolent and progressive course and high incidence of perineural invasion and local recurrence. However, regional lymph node metastasis in PCACC is exceedingly rare and its prognostic implication is unknown. Only two previous cases of recurrent scalp PCACC were reported to be associated with cervical lymph node metastases at 42 months and 20 years, respectively, after the initial treatment. We present a case of PCACC occurring in the left parotid region with regional neck lymph node metastasis in a 64-year-old man. Because the occurrence of lymph node metastasis seems to be associated with recurrent PCACC, we suggest that neck dissection may be included in the treatment for recurrent PCACC patients.

Regulation of expression of N-methylpurine DNA glycosylase in human mammary epithelial cells: role of transcription factor AP-2.

The DNA repair enzyme, N-methylpurine DNA glyclosylase (MPG), is overexpressed in breast cancer as compared with its expression in normal breast epithelial cells. In an effort to determine the mechanism responsible for this difference in expression, we studied rates and regulation of transcription of the MPG gene in normal (HMEC), spontaneously immortalized (MCF10A), and malignant (T47D) mammary epithelial cells. Steady state levels of MPG mRNA are 3-4-fold greater in T47D cells than in MCF10A cells. Nuclear "run-off" transcription measurements revealed MPG transcription rates to be approximately 3-fold greater in the tumor cells than in normal cells. Characterization of the MPG promoter by deletion analysis and transient transfection experiments revealed that all basal promoter activity resided between nucleotides -227 and -81 upstream from the ATG translation start site. Constructs containing this region were expressed at 4-fold greater levels when transfected into malignant T47D cells (56 x baseline) than in MCF10A cells (14 x baseline). Computer database analysis of the region of nucleotides -227 to -81 revealed multiple overlapping Sp1 consensus binding sites and two overlapping consensus AP-2 binding sites located between bases -181 and -169. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that while Sp1 bound this region of the promoter, nuclear extracts from both cell types contained equal Sp1 binding activity. In contrast, AP-2 binding activity was significantly greater in T47D cells, and Western blots confirmed increased AP-2 protein levels in these cells. Cotransfection into MCF10A cells of the MPG promoter construct and an AP-2 expression plasmid increased MPG promoter activity 2.1-fold. Cotransfection of a dominant negative mutant of AP-2 into T47D cells reduced the extent of MPG promoter-driven transcription by 50%. To investigate the functional significance of the two overlapping AP-2 consensus binding sites, each site was mutated separately. Mutation of the upstream site decreased promoter activity by 15%, but mutation of the downstream site decreased promoter activity by 45% and abolished AP-2 binding to the promoter sequence. These data suggest that AP-2 is important in regulating MPG expression in breast cancer cells, and that the increased amount of AP-2 in these cells plays a major role in directing the increased expression of MPG.

The proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (NDH-1) of thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB-8. Complete DNA sequence of the gene cluster and thermostable properties of the expressed NQO2 subunit.

The genes encoding the proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (NDH-1) of a thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB-8 were cloned and sequenced. They constitute a cluster that is composed of 14 structural genes and contains no unidentified reading frames. All of the 14 structural genes, which are designated NQO1-14, encode subunits homologous to those of Paracoccus denitrificans NDH-1, respectively, and are arranged in the same order as other bacterial NDH-1 genes. T. thermophilus NDH-1 contains at most nine putative iron-sulfur cluster binding sites, eight of which are commonly found in other organisms. The T. thermophilus NQO2 subunit was expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed subunit bears a single [2Fe-2S] cluster whose optical and EPR properties are very similar to those of N1a cluster in the P. denitrificans NQO2 subunit (Yano, T., Sled', V.D., Ohnishi, T., and Yagi, T. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 494-499). These results strongly suggest that the T. thermophilus NDH-1 is similar to other NDH-1 enzyme complexes in terms of subunit and cofactor composition. The T. thermophilus NQO2 subunit displayed much higher stability than the mesophilic equivalent and its iron-sulfur cluster remained intact even after incubation for 3 h at 65 degrees C under anaerobic conditions. With the advantage of thermostability, the T. thermophilus NDH-1 provides a great model system to investigate the structure-function relationship of the NDH-1 enzyme complexes.

Conformational properties of the proline region of porcine neuropeptide Y by CD and 1H-nmr spectroscopy.

We synthesized porcine neuropeptide Y (pNPY) N-terminal fragments by solid-phase synthesis techniques and analyzed them for solution conformational properties by CD and 1H-nmr spectroscopy. The analogues pNPY1-9 and pNPY1-14 displayed CD spectra indicative of random structures and showed no evidence for induced alpha-helical structures in trifluoroethanol (TFE) up to 50%. However, the CD spectra of pNPY1-9 suggested a conformational shift in tetrahydrofuran. Although in aqueous solution the CD spectra of pNPY1-21 indicated random structures with induction of only a small percentage of alpha-helix in aqueous TFE, pNPY1-25 displayed 13% alpha-helical structure in aqueous solution that increased to 40 and 41% by the addition of TFE and methanol, respectively. The nmr spectra of pNPY1-9 and the proline region of pNPY1-25 indicated extended structures with all-trans conformers at Pro5 and Pro8 for pNPY1-9 and at Pro5, Pro8, and Pro13 for pNPY1-25; in each case the Tyr1-Pro2 amide bond was in both cis and trans conformations. However, observed nuclear Overhauser effect correlations and HN exchange experiments indicated an alpha-helical segment in pNPY1-25 initiated by Pro13 and extending from residues 14 to 25. Thus, the N-terminal polyproline region of NPY has no propensity to fold into a regular secondary structure, although Pro13 is a helix initiator, a result consistent with the proposed role of this amino acid in the NPY structural model.

Benextramine-neuropeptide Y (NPY) binding site interactions: characterization of 3H-NPY binding site heterogeneity in rat brain.

Pre-incubation of rat brain membranes with 200 microM benextramine followed by extensive dilution and washing to remove unbound ligand reduced Bmax for N-[propionyl-3H]-NPY (3H-NPY) specific binding by 61% relative to control membranes treated identically but in the absence of benextramine. When rat brain membranes were co-incubated with 3H-NPY and 57 microM benextramine, there was a significant shift to the right; the apparent Kd for 3H-NPY binding increased two-fold relative to control membranes. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that benextramine is a competitive and irreversible ligand for a population (60-65%) of rat brain NPY binding sites. 'Paired tube' assays were then used to determine the selectivity of these benextramine-sensitive and insensitive 3H-NPY binding site populations. PYY, NPY and NPY13-36 each displaced 100% of 3H-NPY from rat brain membrane binding sites both in the absence and presence of 1 mM benextramine. In contrast, [Leu31,Pro34]NPY displayed the same binding site selectivity as benextramine in displacing 65% of 3H-NPY from specific binding sites on untreated rat brain membranes, and it failed to displace 3H-NPY from membranes treated with 1 mM benextramine. Thus the selectivity of the benextramine-insensitive 3H-NPY binding site population--PYY > = NPY > NPY13-36 >> [Leu31,Pro34]NPY--is characteristic of a Y2-like NPY binding site population, while the benextramine-sensitive 3H-NPY binding sites appear to be a Y1-like binding site population.

Cooperative clinical studies of hyperthermia using a capacitive type heating device GHT-RF8(Greenytherm).

Yonsei Cancer Center developed an RF(Radiofrequency) capacitive type heating device, GHT-RF8(Greenytherm) in cooperation with Green Cross Medical Corp., Korea in 1986 for the first time in Korea. Cooperative clinical studies of hyperthermia for the treatment of cancer using GHT-RF8 were conducted by Yonsei Cancer Center in collaboration with the Presbyterian Medical Center, Chonju, Korea. A total of forty patients with various histologically proven malignant tumors, including superficial (N = 13) and deep-seated tumors (N = 27), were treated with this newly developed heating device in conjunction with radiotherapy (N = 38) or chemotherapy (N = 2) at two different institutes between October 1986 and September 1987. These patients were locally far advanced or recurrent cases and considered to be refractory to conventional cancer treatment modalities. Radiotherapy was given in 200cGy per day, five times a week fractionations with a total tumor dose of 50-60Gy in 5-6 weeks. Within an hour after radiotherapy, the RF capacitive type of hyperthermia was given two times a week for a total of 4-10 treatment sessions and an attempt was made to maintain the tumor temperature at 41-45 degrees C for 30-60 minutes. Of forty patients treated, 14 patients with deep-seated tumors showed complete response and 20 patients showed partial response. The overall response rate was 85% (34 out of 40 patients) and only 6 patients showed no response. Complications from this treatment were mainly burns, superficial first degree burn in 2 cases, second degree in 4 cases and subcutaneous fat necrosis was observed in 2 cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Structure of a potential cross-linking reagent: 2,2'-bis(methoxymethylene)-2,2'-sulfonyldiacetonitrile (MMSBA).

The title compound (I) was prepared as a potential cross-linking reagent for nucleic acids and/or proteins. The compound is a stable, but reactive, crystalline solid which can be stored indefinitely upon adequate protection. The reagent reacts with amine nucleophiles - primary, secondary as well as heterocyclic - to afford bis-enamines. C8H8N2O4S, Mr = 228.23, monoclinic, C2/c, a = 18.031 (5), b = 9.372 (3), c = 13.455 (6) A, beta = 108.08 (5) degrees, V = 2161 (1) A3, Z = 8, Dx = 1.40 g cm-3, lambda(Mo K alpha) = 0.71069 A, mu = 2.81 cm1, F(000) = 944, T = 295 K. Final R = 0.041 for 1033 observed reflections. The bond distances in (I) are: S-O, 1.424 (3); S-C, 1.737 (4); C-CN, 1.417 (5); C=C, 1.342 (5); = C(H)-O, 1.295 (4); and C identical to N, 1.138 (5) A. The diagonal distance, alpha-alpha', between the two trans C atoms is 4.976 A.

Lung transfer factor and KCO at cardiac frequency 100 beats/min as a guide to impaired function of lung parenchyma.

Transfer factor (TL) and KCO have been measured by the single breath carbon monoxide method in 39 patients with confirmed or suspected lung disease, mostly of occupational origin, and 37 healthy subjects. TL and KCO at an exercise cardiac frequency of 100 beats/min (TL100 and KCO100) and the slopes of the regression of exercise transfer factor and KCO on exercise cardiac frequency (delta TL/delta fC and delta KCO/delta fC) were obtained. The discriminatory performance of these indices in detecting defective gas transfer was compared with that of TL and KCO at rest (TLrest and KCOrest). The slope indices did not distinguish between healthy subjects and patients with emphysema or conditions of the lung parenchyma, including asbestosis. The slope indices also failed to distinguish between individuals with normal and abnormal gas transfer at rest. The indices TL100 and KCO100 contributed additional information not contained in the indices at rest and they merit further study.

Use of intravenous fluids before cesarean section: effects on perinatal glucose, insulin, and sodium homeostasis.

Perinatal glucose, insulin, and sodium homeostases were assessed in relation to antepartum intravenous infusions administered to 59 normal mothers undergoing cesarean section at term without labor under epidural anesthesia. Group A (N = 20) received 1 L of Ringer's lactate without dextrose during one hour; group B (N = 20), 1 L of 5% dextrose in water during one hour; and group C (N = 19), 1 L of 5% dextrose in water during two and one half hours. Mean maternal and fetal serum glucose and insulin and sodium concentrations at delivery differed among all groups in direct relationship to the rate of glucose infusion. Neonatal hypoglycemia (30 mg/dL or less) correlated with the presence of a glucose infusion, a maternal glucose concentration of 117 mg/dL or greater, and an umbilical venous insulin concentration of 26 microU/mL or greater. Among group A patients who received sodium, and group B and C patients who did not, fetal hyponatremia (umbilical venous sodium 130 mEq/L or less) correlated with the absence of sodium in the prepartum infusion. The results suggest that the antepartum administration of a balanced electrolyte solution without excess glucose infusion can minimize the incidence of fetal hyperglycemia and hyponatremia and neonatal hypoglycemia.

Comparison of pepsins isolated from porcine, bovine and Penicillium jathiuellum.

1. The reactivities of pepsins, isolated from three different sources (porcine, bovine, and Penicillium jathiuelum), toward ester and peptide substrates were compared. 2. Porcine pepsin showed the highest activity followed by penicillopepsin with bovine pepsin being the least active. 3. The esterase activity of penicillopepsin was greater than that of porcine pepsin with bovine pepsin again showing the least activity. 4. The CD spectra indicate that porcine and bovine pepsin have similar conformations, even though bovine pepsin shows less ellipticity at 220 nm. 5. Penicillopepsin showed a completely opposite sign in the near-u.v. region of the CD spectrum. 6. The far-u.v. region of the CD spectrum of penicillopepsin strongly suggests a beta-sheet structure. 7. Previously reported X-ray crystallographic data suggest that porcine pepsin has a compact three-dimensional structure, while the structures of bovine and penicillopepsins are partially unfolded.