Inhibitory effects of ultrasonic and rosmarinic acid on lipid oxidation and lipoxygenase in large yellow croaker during cold storage.

Lipid oxidation will lead to the deterioration of flavor, color and texture of aquatic products with high fatty acid content. The mechanism of ultrasound (US) combined with rosmarinic acid (RA) on lipid oxidation and endogenous enzyme activities of large yellow croaker during cold-storage (4 ℃) was investigated. The result showed that the US and RA have synergistic effects in delaying lipid oxidation and inhibiting endogenous lipase and lipoxygenase (LOX) activities related to oxidation. The inhibition of LOX activity by RA was dose-dependent, and US showed a negative effect on the inhibition of enzyme activity in the presence of low concentration RA. Moreover, RA changes the enzyme structure through static fluorescence quenching and interaction with enzyme molecules. Hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction are the main interaction forces between RA and LOX. This study could provide basic mechanism of US treatment cooperating with polyphenols to inhibit lipid oxidation during food preservation.

Construction and evaluation of a nomogram for predicting the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis treated with cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objectives: To construct a nomogram incorporating important prognostic factors for predicting the overall survival of patients with colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastases treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), the aim being to accurately predict such patients' survival rates. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. Relevant clinical and follow-up data of patients with colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastases treated by CRS + HIPEC in the Department of Peritoneal Cancer Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from 2007 January to 2020 December were collected and subjected to Cox proportional regression analysis. All included patients had been diagnosed with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer and had no detectable distant metastases to other sites. Patients who had undergone emergency surgery because of obstruction or bleeding, or had other malignant diseases, or could not tolerate treatment because of severe comorbidities of the heart, lungs, liver or kidneys, or had been lost to follow-up, were excluded. Factors studied included: (1) basic clinicopathological characteristics; (2) details of CRS+HIPEC procedures; (3) overall survival rates; and (4) independent factors that influenced overall survival; the aim being to identify independent prognostic factors and use them to construct and validate a nomogram. The evaluation criteria used in this study were as follows. (1) Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores were used to quantitatively assess the quality of life of the study patients. The lower the score, the worse the patient's condition. (2) A peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was calculated by dividing the abdominal cavity into 13 regions, the highest score for each region being three points. The lower the score, the greater is the value of treatment. (3) Completeness of cytoreduction score (CC), where CC-0 and CC-1 denote complete eradication of tumor cells and CC-2 and CC-3 incomplete reduction of tumor cells. (4) To validate and evaluate the nomogram model, the internal validation cohort was bootstrapped 1000 times from the original data. The accuracy of prediction of the nomogram was evaluated with the consistency coefficient (C-index), and a C-index of 0.70-0.90 suggest that prediction by the model was accurate. Calibration curves were constructed to assess the conformity of predictions: the closer the predicted risk to the standard curve, the better the conformity. Results: The study cohort comprised 240 patients with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer who had undergone CRS+HIPEC. There were 104 women and 136 men of median age 52 years (10-79 years) and with a median preoperative KPS score of 90 points. There were 116 patients (48.3%) with PCI≤20 and 124 (51.7%) with PCI>20. Preoperative tumor markers were abnormal in 175 patients (72.9%) and normal in 38 (15.8%). HIPEC lasted 30 minutes in seven patients (2.9%), 60 minutes in 190 (79.2%), 90 minutes in 37 (15.4%), and 120 minutes in six (2.5%). There were 142 patients (59.2%) with CC scores 0-1 and 98 (40.8%) with CC scores 2-3. The incidence of Grade III to V adverse events was 21.7% (52/240). The median follow-up time is 15.3 (0.4-128.7) months. The median overall survival was 18.7 months, and the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 65.8%, 37.2% and 25.7%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that KPS score, preoperative tumor markers, CC score, and duration of HIPEC were independent prognostic factors. In the nomogram constructed with the above four variables, the predicted and actual values in the calibration curves for 1, 2 and 3-year survival rates were in good agreement, the C-index being 0.70 (95% CI: 0.65-0.75). Conclusions: Our nomogram, which was constructed with KPS score, preoperative tumor markers, CC score, and duration of HIPEC, accurately predicts the survival probability of patients with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer treated with cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Research model integrating "both medicinal and adjuvant properties" for essential oils from Chinese medicinal: based on characterization of medicinal properties / 中国中药杂志

Essential oils(EOs) from Chinese medicinals, which can be used as adjuvants and exert certain therapeutic effect, are directly used in Chinese medicine formulas. Conventional research strategy for EOs from Chinese medicinals is to compare the efficacy of the prescriptions before and after the addition of EOs, and the penetration-enhancing mechanisms of EOs remain unclear. In modern research on EOs from Chinese medicinals, the method for studying chemical penetration enhancers is often used, which fails to reflect the overall efficacy of EOs. This study clarified the property regularity of EOs from Chinese medicinals as transdermal penetration enhancers, and thereby proposed a research model which integrated the medicinal and adjuvant properties of EOs from Chinese medicinals via "component-delivery-effect" characterization route. The core concept is that constituents of EOs from Chinese medicinals and their delivery process play a key role in their external application. This research model is expected to serve as a reference for further research on EOs from Chinese medicinals for transdermal application.

Quality value transmitting of substance benchmarks in Danggui Buxue Decoction / 中国中药杂志

To clarify the key quality attributes of substance benchmarks in Danggui Buxue Decoction(DBD), this study prepared 21 batches of DBD substance benchmarks, and established two methods for detecting their fingerprints, followed by the identification of peak attribution and similarity range as well as the determination of extract and transfer rate ranges and contents of index components ferulic acid, calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside, and astragaloside Ⅳ. The mass fractions and transfer rates of DBD substance benchmarks from different batches were calculated as follows: ferulic acid(index component in Angelicae Sinensis Radix): 0.037%-0.084% and 31.41%-98.88%; astragaloside Ⅳ(index component in Astragali Radix): 0.021%-0.059% and 32.18%-118.57%; calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside: 0.002%-0.023% and 11.51%-45.65%, with the extract rate being 18.4%-36.1%. The similarity of fingerprints among 21 batches of DBD substance benchmarks was all higher than 0.9. The quality control method for DBD substance benchmarks was preliminarily established based on the HPLC fingerprint analysis and index component determination, which has provided a basis for the subsequent development of DBD and the quality control of novel related preparations.

Guarantee of Quality and Clinical Efficacy of Chinese Materia Medica Preparation： Control of Quality Transfer Process of Chinese Materia Medica / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） is the treasure of the Chinese nation. As an important raw material for clinical treatment of diseases， Chinese materia medica plays an extremely important role. However， in the process of transformation from traditional wild collection of animals and plants to modern artificial cultivation and industrial production of preparations， whether the quality of Chinese materia medica is fully transferred will directly affect the quality and clinical efficacy of Chinese materia medica preparation. From the field to the sickbed， process control of quality transfer of Chinese materia medica is the key to guarantee quality and curative effect. In this paper， the whole process that affects the quality of Chinese materia medica preparations such as seed and seedling， planting and breeding， harvesting and processing， processing of decoction pieces and preparation production was analyzed. Paying attention to the whole process of quality control of Chinese materia medica is of great significance to improve the quality of Chinese materia medica preparations and promote the rapid development of TCM. Based on this， the author intended to analyze the key control links in the quality transfer process of Chinese materia medica （breeding， planting areas and field management， timely harvesting and intensive primary processing， appropriate processing， optimization of preparation technology， standardization of packaging and informationization of storage and transportation）， in order to provide reference for the design and development of Chinese materia medica preparations guided by clinical value.

Study on quality of standard decoction of Coptidis Rhizoma based on traditional decoction process / 中国中药杂志

In order to determine the quality evaluation method for standard decoction of Coptidis Rhizoma,15 batches of standard decoction of Coptidis Rhizoma were prepared by using standardized process. Parameters such as traits,p H value,indicative component content,fingerprint similarity,composition transfer rate and dry extract rate were selected as the indexes for quality evaluation. Similarity evaluation and cluster analysis were performed for HPLC fingerprint of standard decoction,and mathematical model was used to study the correlation between dry extract rate,berberine content,berberine transfer rate in standard decoction and berberine content in decoction pieces. The results showed that the similarity of fingerprints was greater than 0. 99 for these 15 batches of standard decoctions of Coptidis Rhizoma. In cluster analysis,the standard decoctions of Coptidis Rhizoma from 4 producing areas were classified into 3 categories,consistent with the content determination results,indicating that there were quality differences among different producing areas.R2 in three linear regression mathematical models established was all greater than 0. 9,with significant difference. The validation of three batches of data showed that the models had good accuracy. Therefore,this model can be used to predict the quality of standard decoction prepared from different Coptidis Rhizoma pieces. In the standard decoction process established in this study,the integrity of the traditional process was greatly preserved,and the established quality evaluation method could be used to comprehensively examine the quality of the standard decoction,which can provide a demonstration for the related research of water extraction preparation containing Coptidis Rhizoma pieces.

Opportunities and challenges in development of compound preparations of traditional Chinese medicine: problems and countermeasures in research of ancient classical prescriptions / 中国中药杂志

As an outstanding representative of traditional Chinese medicine( TCM),ancient classical prescriptions carry the profound accumulation of the splendid civilization of Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It is the best part of the great treasure-house of Chinese medicine after thousands of years' training of TCM theory. It condenses the wisdom of all generations of doctors,and as the summary of clinical experience,it is the most brilliant pearl in the treasure house of TCM. The in-depth research and development of ancient classic prescriptions is a golden key to excavate the treasure house of TCM,which not only conforms to the development trend of TCM industry,but also brings unprecedented opportunities and challenges for the inheritance and innovation of contemporary Chinese herbal compound preparations. However,as a " new member" in the national drug research and development system,classic prescriptions have no specific implementation rules although the guidance is given by macro policies,and there is no successful case of research and development according to the registration requirements. Therefore,unified consensus and standards have not yet been formed for some key issues in the process of the development of the classic prescriptions,and much work is still in the exploration stage,so it is necessary to conduct in-depth research and discussion on these issues. In this paper,the problems in the research process of classical prescriptions were summarized,such as the resources of medicinal materials,the processing of decoction pieces,the prescription dosage,the molding technology and the quality evaluation,and the research strategy was put forward after analysis,hoping to provide a reference for the research and development of classical prescriptions.

Research progress in application of real-time cell-based assay (RTCA) / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To provide reference for further application of RTCA in the field of TCM(traditional Chinese medicine) development, and summarize the RTCA technology application progress in recent years. METHODS: The RTCA technology principles, characteristics and applications are summarized based on referring to the related literature in recent years. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: RTCA is a kind of unmarked, non-invasive real-time cell electronic analysis method. It is recently used in drug screening, toxicology evaluation, cell growth, division and death mechanism research. The dynamic real-time analysis of cell is more and more concerned. The RTCA technology application prospects in the field of traditional Chinese medicine and compound are demonstrated. It is hoped to provide reference for further application of RTCA in the field of pharmaceutical development.

Development of adaptive pneumatic tourniquet systems based on minimal inflation pressure for upper limb surgeries.

BACKGROUND: Pneumatic tourniquets are medical devices that occlude blood flow to distal part of extremities and are commonly used in upper limb surgeries to provide a dry, clean and bloodless field. To decrease pressure-related injuries and potential risk of complications subjected to the high inflation pressure of pneumatic tourniquet, minimal inflation pressures are recommended. METHODS: A new occlusion pressure mathematical model for the upper limb was established based on the correlation analysis between several possible influencing parameters and the minimal pneumatic tourniquet pressure at which the peripheral pulse disappeared was recorded using a digital plethysmograph. A prototype of an adaptive pneumatic tourniquet which automatically varies the pressure in the tourniquet cuff according to the above prediction model was developed for the upper limb which used the lowest possible inflation pressure to achieve occlusion. The prototype comprises a blood pressure monitoring module, an inflatable tourniquet cuff, and a pressure relief mechanism to maintain an optimal cuff inflation pressure. Simulation experiments were conducted to verify the function and stability of the designed adaptive pneumatic tourniquet and clinical experiments using volunteers were undertaken to evaluate the performance of the prototype design in achieving adequate haemostasis in the upper limb. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that the mean arterial occlusion pressure was 152.3 ± 16.7 mmHg, obviously below the 250 to 300 mmHg previously recommended (J Bone Joint Surg Br 68:625-628, 1986 and Arthroscopy 11:307-311, 1995). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this adaptive method and apparatus which can provide minimal inflation pressure may be a clinically practical alternative for upper limb surgery performed with pneumatic tourniquets.

Evaluation of emergency tourniquets for prehospital use in China.

OBJECTIVE: Massive hemorrhage is life-threatening during armed conflicts. Tourniquets are important medical devices used to reduce severe bleeding in trauma. The aim of this study was to empirically evaluate the current tourniquets used in China and provide information to emergency nurses in selecting the appropriate tourniquet. METHODS: Five tourniquets were self-applied by 20 healthy participants. The blood flow distal to the tourniquet site was assessed using vascular Doppler ultrasound. Application time, pain, numbness, and other parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: The bladder tourniquet and windlass tourniquet effectively occluded arterial blood flow with success rates higher than 75% in both the upper and lower extremities. The Cargo-strap was the fastest to apply, taking (7.22+/-2.30) s for the upper extremity and (6.48+/-2.40) s for the lower extremity. The rubber tube was the most painful, and the improvised tourniquet was the least efficient. The success rates were higher in the lower extremity than in the upper extremity (P less than 0.05, X(2) equal to 5.714). CONCLUSIONS: The bladder tourniquet and the windlass tourniquet are efficient tourniquets, although the windlass is superior with respect to portability and pain. The Cargo-strap and rubber tourniquets have several disadvantages that reduce their suitability for field use. The improvised tourniquet is not recommended because of low efficiency and severe pain during implementation.

Morphological evolution and ordered quantum structure formation in heteroepitaxial core--shell nanowires.

We have performed three-dimensional dynamic simulations to study strain-driven morphological evolution and the formation of quantum structures on heteroepitaxial core--shell nanowire surfaces. Our simulations show that depending on geometric and material parameters, such as the radius of the wire, the thickness of the shell, and the mismatch strain, various surface morphologies including smooth core--shell nanowire surfaces, nanoring arrays, nanowire arrays, and ordered quantum dot arrays can be obtained by controlling initial surface configurations through prepatterning. It is also shown that these quantum structures may be trapped in a metastable state and may undergo a series of metastable state transitions during subsequent dynamic evolution. Our results identify possible pathways for fabrication of ordered quantum structures on the epitaxial core--shell nanowire surfaces and provide guidelines for achieving smooth core--shell structures.