Core Decompression with Local Administration of Zoledronate and Enriched Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells for Treatment of Non-Traumatic Osteonecrosis of Femoral Head.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of core decompression (CD) with local administration of zoledronate and enriched bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCS) for the treatment of non-traumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH). METHODS: A total of 17 patients (30 hips) diagnosed with stage II and III ONFH according to the 2019 revised Association for Research on Osseous Circulation (ARCO) staging criteria from 2012 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients received the following therapy: the BMMCs and zoledronate were injected into the necrotic zone, respectively, along with CD. The mean age of the patients was 36.8 years; 14 were men and three were women. All patients included had non-traumatic ONFH and a minimum follow-up of 5 years, which ended when total hip arthroplasty (THA) was performed. Imaging modalities, including plain radiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were taken pre- and postoperatively. Harris hip score (HHS) was used to evaluate the functional outcomes of femoral head necrosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis was adopted to determine the probability of survivorship with THA as the end point in this series of patients. The correlation between radiological progression or THA and related risk factors were further analyzed. All complications were recorded. RESULTS: With THA as the follow-up endpoint, All patients were followed up for an average of 69.1 ± 20.5 months (range, 18-95 months). Preoperative imaging found six hips (20%) at ARCO stage II, 14 hips (46.7%) at stage IIIA, 10 hips (33.3%) at stage IIIB. Fourteen hips (46.7%) shown progression radiologically, while six hips (20%) underwent TKA among these patients with hip preservation. The cumulative survival was 80% (95% CI, 0.608-905) at 5 years with THA as the end point. HHS improved from 63.3 ± 8.7 preoperatively to 74.6 ± 20.6 postoperatively (P = 0.000). Radiological progression was found to be associated with ARCO stage, Japanese Investigation Committee (JIC) type, and corticosteroid exposure (P = 0.047; P = 0.012; P = 0.031). However, no correlation was found between conversion to THA and the known risk factors. No major complication was reported, with only four patients complaining about general weakness and muscle soreness, and all disappeared within 2-3 days. CONCLUSIONS: The novel treatment modality could relieve pain, delay the progression of collapse, which might be an effective and safe method for hip preservation of early and mid-term ONFH. However, the effect of this method may be related to ARCO stage, JIC type, and corticosteroid exposure.

Limonoids from the fruits of Swietenia macrophylla with inhibitory activity against H2O2-induced apoptosis in HUVECs.

The fruits of Swietenia macrophylla (skyfruits) are commercially used as healthcare products to improve blood circulation. An investigation of active ingredients of skyfruits led to the isolation of four new limonoids, swietemacrolides A-D (1-4), together with ten known limonoids (5-14) and one proto-limonoid (15). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of MS and NMR data analysis. Swietemacrolide C (3) at the concentration of 10 µM showed significant protective effect on H2O2-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs), while swieteliacate D (5) displayed moderate anti-apoptotic activity.

Mexicanolide-type limonoids from the seeds of Swietenia macrophylla.

Three new mexicanolide-type limonoids, 3-O-propionylproceranolide (1), 6-O-acetylswietenin B (2), and 6-deoxyswietemahonin A (3), together with 15 known limonoids, were isolated from the seeds of Swietenia macrophylla (Meliaceae). The structures of those new compounds were established by extensive analysis of MS, 1D, and 2D NMR spectral data.

Enzymatic purification and structure characterization of glucuronoxylan from water extract of Cassia obtusifolia seeds.

Enzymatic hydrolysis was proposed for the first time to purify the sub-fraction of water-extracted cassia polysaccharide (CP-40), and a homogeneous polysaccharide CP-40-M was obtained with relatively high yield. The structural features of CP-40-M were characterized using size-exclusion chromatography equipped with multiple detectors (SEC-MALLS), high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC), methylation and gas chromatography-mass (GC-MS), as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. The weight-average molecular weight for CP-40-M was determined to be 0.29×105Da, and the molar ratio of xylose to glucuronic acid was 4.62. The structure of CP-40-M was elucidated to be glucuronoxylan, with glucopyranosyluronic acid group terminally attached to O-2 of the →4)-ß-Xylp-(1→ backbone. It was the first time to obtain this type of xylan from the water extract of Cassia obtusifolia seeds. The structure elucidation of CP-40-M was meaningful for better understanding the natural characteristics of cassia polysaccharide and important for their potential use in food industry and folk medicine.

Ultrasensitive turn-on fluorescent detection of trace thiocyanate based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Thiocyanate (SCN(-)) is a small anion byproduct of cyanide metabolism. Several methods have been reported to measure SCN(-) above the micromolar level. However, SCN(-) is derived from many sources such as cigarettes, waste water, food and even car exhaust and its effect is cumulative, which makes it necessary to develop methods for the detection of trace SCN(-). In this paper, a simple and ultrasensitive turn-on fluorescence assay of trace SCN(-) is established based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and fluorescein. The detection limit is 0.09 nM, to the best of our knowledge, which has been the lowest detection LOD ever without the aid of costly instrumentation. The fluorescence of fluorescein is significantly quenched when it is attached to the surface of AuNPs. Upon the addition of SCN(-), the fluorescence is turned on due to the competition action between SCN(-) and fluorescein towards the surface of AuNPs. Under an optimum pH, AuNPs size and concentration, incubation time, the fluorescence enhancement efficiency [(IF-I0)/I0] displays a linear relationship with the concentration of SCN(-) in the range of 1.0 nM to 40.0 nM. The fluorescein-AuNP sensor shows absolutely high selectivity toward SCN(-) than other 16 anions. The common metal ions, amino acids and sugars have no obvious interference effects. The accuracy and precision were evaluated based on the recovery experiments. The cost effective sensing system is successfully applied for the determination of SCN(-) in milk products and saliva samples.

Thiol reactive probe based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer between fluorescein and Au nanoparticles.

Sensitive and selective fluorescent probe of thiols with lower limit of detection based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between fluorescein and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) is presented. The fluorescein-AuNPs complex emits weak fluorescence. Upon chemically binding to organosulfur compound that contains a carbon-bonded sulfhydryl (-C-SH or R-SH) thiols, a stable enhancement of fluorescence is observed due to the competitive binding on AuNPs between thiols and fluorescein. The magnitude of fluorescence enhancement is linearly proportional to the logarithm of the thiols concentration. We use cysteine as an example to show how this useful analytical assay works selectively, which is closely nonresponsive to 20 other amino acids even though they are in solution at a concentration 10 times greater than the thiols. The detection limit for cysteine is 7.27 × 10-9 mol L-1. The possible mechanism of this assay is discussed in details. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of Cys in urine.

Simultaneous determination of xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin in human urine by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy.

A simple, rapid, sensitive and selective method for simultaneously determining xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin content in human urine has been developed using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy based on their intrinsic fluorescence. The synchronous fluorescence spectra were obtained with Δλ = 65 nm in a pH 8.5 KH(2)PO(4)-NaOH buffer solution. The detected wavelengths of quantitative analysis were set at 410 nm for xanthopterin and 325 nm for isoxanthopterin, respectively. Pretreatment of urine samples only was filtrated through a 0.45 µm membrane filter, which was free from the tedious separation procedures. Under optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LOD) were 0.94 ng/mL for xanthopterin and 0.48 ng/mL for isoxanthopterin. The recoveries ranged from 88.0% to 103.8 % for healthy and cancer urine samples, with coefficient of variation between 2.09% and 7.06%. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the simultaneous analysis for xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin in human urine. The results showed that the average level of isoxanthopterin was significantly elevated in urine excreted by stomach cancer patients (P < 0.01), while no significant change of xanthopterin level was found between stomach cancer patients and healthy individuals. This potentially indicates that an increase in amounts of isoxanthopterin can be associated with the presence of stomach cancer.

Simultaneous determination of organophosphorus pesticides in Chinese herbal medicines by microwave-assisted extraction coupled with dispersive-solid phase extraction and gas chromatography.

A reliable, rapid and nontoxic analytical method was proposed for the simultaneous determination of 16 organophosphorus pesticides in Chinese herbal medicines. The pesticides were extracted by ethanol and the experimental variables, such as temperature, extraction time and volume of ethanol, were optimized through orthogonal array experimental design. Cleanup of extracts was performed with dispersive-solid phase extraction using primary secondary amine as the sorbent. The determination of pesticides in the final extracts was carried out by gas chromatography-flame photometric detection. Under optimized conditions the obtained recoveries, except for isocarbophos, were in the range 73.8-123%, with relative standard deviations equal to or lower than 15.2% and limits of detection ranging from 0.001 to 0.009 mg/kg.

[Determination of 23 trace elements in wines by ICP-AES].

In the present paper, the contents of trace elements As, Ba, Co, Ni, Cu, Be, Sr, Cr, Mn, Li, P, Se, Pb, Bi, Cd, B, Zn, Mg, Fe, K, Na, Ca and Al in nineteen wines produced in Jiangxi province were determined by using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The differentiation in the trace elements between wines was studied in terms of different producing regions, as well as different alcoholic degrees and qualities from the same manufacturer. The experimental results indicated that with the samples cleared up completely by a small quantity of nitric acid the method could satisfy the request of ICP-AES analysis. The relative standard deviations of the method were between 0 and 5.81%, and the recovery rates were between 90.5% and 107.6%. The measuring method provided better accuracy and precision, and the trace elements showed definite differences between wines produced from different regions and with different alcoholic degrees and qualities from the same manufacturer. For instance, there is small amount of element Bi only in the wines of A factory, the content of elements Co, P and Se is higher in the wines of B factory, the content of elements Cu, Fe, K is higher in the wines of C factory, and the content of element Al in the wines of D factory is obviously higher than others. So the research results in this paper provided the theoretical basis for further study of the relationship between wine qualities and trace elements.

[Determination of trace elements in different parts of grapefruit by ICP-AES].

In the present paper, a method of simultaneous determination of trace elements in grapefruit was developed by using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry together with HNO3-HClO4 digestion. The contents of fifteen elements, including B, Ba, Ca, Cu, Zn, Mg, Sr, Mn, Fe, Na, Be, Pb, Bi, Cd and As, were determined in four parts, namely flesh, scarfskin, endodermis and seed collected from Guangdong, Guangxi and Ganzhou, respectively. The relative standard deviations for all these elements in this method were between 0.22% and 5.54%, and the recovery rates were between 87.0% and 115.0%. The measuring method was proved to be simple, rapid, reliable, and highly sensitive. In addition, the determination of these fifteen elements can be carried out at the same time, which can meet the requests of actual sample analysis. The experimental results showed that some beneficial elements to human such as Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu and Na in grapefruit were abundant, while some comparatively harmful elements (Be, Pb, Bi, Cd and As) were not detected. Regional differences and partial differences obviously existed in the concentrations of one or more trace elements in grapefruit. As a whole, the concentrations of most elements in flesh were much lower than in other parts of grapefruit. The concentrations of B, Ba, Ca, Sr and Mn were comparatively higher in the seed capsule than in other parts. Cu, Zn and Mg had the highest concentrations in seed compared to other parts. There was little difference between scarfskin and endodermis. And as for the regional differences, the contents of Mn, Zn and Na in Gannan pomelo in all its parts were higher than those in other regions, and the contents of Ba in Guangdong pomelo in all its parts were higher than those in others, while Guangxi pomelo had the highest Fe content. These differences might resulted from the natural environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, soil types with different pH, the mineral composition or concentration, and so on. Application of fertilizer and prunning might be an important man-made factors which could also result in the differences. The determination of these elements by using ICP-AES has important point for exploiting grapefruit fully in future.

[Determination of the trace elements in Shengmai San decoction by ICP-AES].

The method for the determination of the trace elements in Shengmai San by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was presented. The contents and solubility of the trace elements in Shengmai San with different ginseng were compared. The recovery rates of the procedure were between 95.2% and 112.4%, and the RSDs were between 0.70% and 5.9%. When the ginseng was western genseng in the Shengmai San, the solubility of trace elements was the highest. The couple of Shengmai San was proved reasonable. The method was simple, rapid, precise, convenient and suitable for traditional Chinese medicine.

[Determination of trace elements in danggui blood-supplementing decoction by ICP-AES].

The method for the determination of trace elements in danggui blood-supplementing decoction by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry(ICP-AES) was presented. The contents and solubility of the trace elements in Angelica sinensis and Radix Astragali of different proportion were compared. The recovery rates of the procedure were between 97. 2% and 115. 6%. The RSDs were between 0. 82% and 5. 56%. When Angelica sinensis: Radix Astragali was 1 : 5, the solubility of trace elements was the highest. The couplng of danggui blood-supplementing decoction was proved reasonable. The method was simple, rapid, precise, convenient and suitable for traditional Chinese medicine.

Simultaneous determination of five synthetic antioxidants in edible vegetable oil by GC-MS.

A simple, quick and nontoxic analytical method for the simultaneous determination of five synthetic antioxidants [t-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA), 2,6-di-t-butyl-hydroxytoluene (BHT), t-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), ethoxyquin (EQ) and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxymethyl-phenol (Ionox 100)] in edible vegetable oil has been developed. The analytes were extracted by ethanol, then separated and detected by GC-MS. Extraction conditions such as volume of ethanol required, mixing time and number of extractions were investigated and optimized by an orthogonal array experimental design. The five compounds behaved linearly in the 0.100 approximately 20.0 mg/L concentration range, and the limits of detection (LOD) for BHA, BHT, TBHQ, EQ and Ionox-100 were 1.00, 0.92, 11.5, 0.83 and 1.39 microg/L, respectively. The recoveries at the tested concentrations of 1.00, 20.0 and 100 mg/kg were 75.6 approximately 123%, with coefficients of variation<10.0%. The proposed procedure was successfully applied to the simultaneous analysis of the five antioxidants in soybean oil, tea oil, edible blended oil, rap oil, peanut oil, peanut blended oil and sesame oil samples purchased from local supermarkets.