Ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage for treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency: a randomized controlled clinical trial / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage (tuina) in treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency. Methods: Ninety infants were randomly divided into a massage plus moxibustion group, a massage group and a drug group by the random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. The intervention was conducted for two consecutive courses. The infants in the massage plus moxibustion group were treated with pediatric massage and ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8). The infants in the massage group were treated with pediatric massage alone, while those in the drug group were treated with smecta. The primary and secondary symptom scales were assessed before and after treatment and at the follow-ups, and the total effective rate was evaluated after treatment. Results: The total effective rate in the massage plus moxibustion group was significantly different from that in the massage group and drug group (both P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of primary and secondary symptoms decreased in all three groups, with statistically significant intra-group differences (all P<0.05); the scores of primary symptoms were significantly different between the massage plus moxibustion group and the drug group (P<0.05); the scores of secondary symptoms in the massage plus moxibustion group and the massage group were significantly different from that in the drug group (both P<0.05). The differences in the time to recover normal bowel movement frequency among the three groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage compared with pediatric massage or smecta monotherapy shows superior clinical efficacy in treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, and has the advantages of appetite improvement, physique strengthening and short course.

Bioactive chemical constituents from the brown alga Homoeostrichus formosana.

A new chromene derivative, 2-(4',8'-dimethylnona-3'E,7'-dienyl)-8-hydroxy-2,6-dimethyl-2H-chromene (1) together with four known natural products, methylfarnesylquinone (2), isololiolide (3), pheophytin a (4), and ß-carotene (5) were isolated from the brown alga Homoeostrichus formosana. The structure of 1 was determined by extensive 1D and 2D spectroscopic analyses. Acetylation of 1 yielded the monoacetylated derivative 2-(4',8'-dimethylnona-3'E,7'-dienyl)-8-acetyl-2,6-dimethyl-2H-chromene (6). Compounds 1-6 exhibited various levels of cytotoxic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities. Compound 2 was found to display potent in vitro anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the generation of superoxide anion (IC50 0.22 ± 0.03 µg/mL) and elastase release (IC50 0.48 ± 0.11 µg/mL) in FMLP/CB-induced human neutrophils.

Cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory metabolites from the soft coral Scleronephthya gracillimum.

Five new pregnane-type steroids, sclerosteroids J-N (1-5), and a diterpenoid with a new chemotype 3-methyl-5-(10'-acetoxy-2',6',10'-trimethylundecyl)-2-penten-5-olide (6), have been isolated from a soft coral Scleronephthya gracillimum. The structures of the metabolites were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis. Compound 4 exhibited cytotoxicity against HepG2, A549, and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines. Furthermore, steroids 2 and 4 were found to significantly inhibit the accumulation of the pro-inflammatory iNOS protein, and 1, 2, 4 and 5 could effectively reduce the accumulation of COX-2 protein in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells.

A new cytotoxic amide from the stem wood of Hibiscus tiliaceus.

A new coumarin, hibiscusin, and a new amide, hibiscusamide, together with eleven known compounds including vanillic acid, P-hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, P-hydroxybenzaldehyde, scopoletin, N- trans-feruloyltyramine, N-cis-feruloyltyramine, a mixture of beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol, a mixture of beta-sitostenone and stigmasta-4,22-dien-3-one were isolated from the stem wood of Hibiscus tiliaceus. The structures of these new compounds were determined through spectral analyses. Among the isolates, three compounds exhibited cytotoxicity (IC (50) values < 4 microg/mL) against P-388 and/or HT-29 cell lines in vitro.

New indolopyridoquinazoline, benzo[c]phenanthridines and cytotoxic constituents from Zanthoxylum integrifoliolum.

Three new alkaloids, 7,8-dehydro-1-methoxyrutaecarpine, isodecarine, and 8-demethyloxychelerythrine, together with sixteen known compounds, norchelerythrine, oxychelerythrine, decarine, dihydrocherythrinylacetaldehyde, 6-acetonyldihydrochelerythrine, rutaecarpine, 1-hydroxyrutaecarpine, gamma-fagarine, skimmianine, (-)-matairesinol, (-)-isoarctigenin, (+)-epipinoresinol, d-sesamin, lupeol, canthin-6-one, and arnottianamide have been isolated from the root bark of Zanthoxylum integrifoliolum. The structures of these new compounds were determined through spectral analyses. Among the isolates, 7,8-dehydro-1-methoxyrutaecarpine, norchelerythrine, oxychelerythrine, dihydrocherythrinylacetaldehyde, 6-acetonyldihydrochelerythrine, 1-hydroxyrutaecarpine, gamma-fagarine, skimmianine, (-)-matairesinol, and canthin-6-one exhibited cytotoxicities (ED50 values < 4 microg/mL) against P-388 or HT-29 cell lines in vitro.