[Systematic comparison of two kinds of Bufonis Venenum derived from different Bufo gargarizans subspecies based on metabolomics and antitumor activity].

This paper compared the differences between two kinds of Bufonis Venenum produced by Bufo gargarizans gargarizans and B. gararizans andrewsi, and verified the rationality of the market value orientation of Bufonis Venenum based on the zebrafish mo-del. Twenty batches of Bufonis Venenum from Jiangsu province, Hebei province, Liaoning province, Jilin province, and Liangshan, Sichuan province, including B. gargarizans gargarizans and B. gararizans andrewsi, were collected. The UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS combined with principal component analysis was used to compare the differences between two kinds of Bufonis Venenum. According to the limiting conditions of VIP>1, FC<0.5 or FC>2.0, and peak total area ratio>1%, 9 differential markers were determined, which were cinobufagin, cinobufotalin, arenobufagin, resibufogenin, scillaredin A, resibufagin, 3-(N-suberoylargininyl)-arenobufagin, 3-(N-suberoylargininyl)-marinobufagin, and 3-(N-suberoylargininyl)-resibufogenin. The content of 20 batches of Bufonis Venenum was determined according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition) by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the 2 batches of Bufonis Venenum, CS7(8.99% of total content) and CS9(5.03% of total content), with the largest difference in the total content of the three quality control indexes of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(bufalin, cinobufagin, and resibufogenin) were selected to evaluate their anti-liver tumor activity based on the zebrafish model. The tumor inhibition rates of the 2 batches were 38.06% and 45.29%, respectively, proving that only using the quality control indexes of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as the value orientation of Bufonis Venenum market circulation was unreasonable. This research provides data support for the effective utilization of Bufonis Venenum resources and the establishment of a rational quality evaluation system of Bufonis Venenum.

Quercetin suppresses apoptosis of chondrocytes induced by IL-1ß via inactivation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of quercetin and evaluate its protective effect on articular cartilage in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), by intervening the p38 pathway. The target factors of quercetin protecting articular cartilage in patients with OA were predicted scientifically and analyzed to predict the possible pathways by using network pharmacology. A pathway predicted to be closely associated with osteoarthritis was chosen for experimental verification in in vitro cells. The optimal intervention drug concentrations were selected by the of Cell Cycle Kit-8 assay, osteoarthritis and inflammatory factors relevant to osteoarthritis, interleukin-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α, were tested by of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of relevant proteins and mRNA of the p38 signaling pathway was tested by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting, following quercetin intervention. It was found that quercetin, at the concentration of 100 umol/l, can decrease inflammatory factors relevant to OA, inhibit the expression of p38, matrix metalloprotease 13 and ADAMTS in the pathway, and promote the expression of collagen Ⅱ. Therefore, it is postulated that quercetin can lower the expression of inflammatory factors in cartilage for the prevention and treatment of OA, and the expression level of relevant factors can be changed positively by blocking the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Thus, quercetin can promote the repair of degenerative chondrocytes and protect articular chondrocytes.

A novel surgical method for treating medial-end clavicle fractures.

The present study examined the effectiveness of the method of inversing the distal clavicle anatomic locking plate to treat medial-end clavicle fractures. This involved retrospectively analyzing six cases of medial-end clavicle fractures treated using the method of inversing the distal clavicle anatomic locking plate between September 2013 and December 2015. These cases included five men and one woman with an average age of 46.3±10.6 years old and a range of 24-66 years old. Among these cases, one was type A, two were type C, and three were type D, based on the Throckmorton type classification. All patients had fresh closed fractures, which were caused by direct injury. A regular postoperative follow-up was performed and the therapeutic efficacy was evaluated systematically with reference to the Rockwood and Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score standards. All six cases had a follow-up visit, which was between 10 and 14 months with an average of 12.0±2.2 months. All patients exhibited osseous healing and functional recovery without incision infection, nerve vascular injury, chest injury, fracture nonunion, or other complications. According to the Rockwood and DASH score standards, evaluation of the curative effect showed that five cases were excellent and one case was good, and the associated rate for achieving good or excellent outcomes was 100%. All of the DASH scores were <10. These results indicated that the effect of the treatment of medial-end clavicle fractures by the method of inversing the distal clavicle anatomic locking plate was reliable, and the functional recovery of patients was good, making this method worthy of clinical promotion.

Nitrate dynamics during impoundment and flood periods in a subtropical karst reservoir: Hongfeng Lake, Southwestern China.

Nitrogenous species, particularly nitrate, are some of the most significant contaminants in freshwater rivers and lakes in China, posing a significant threat to human and ecosystem health. To identify the major nitrate sources and transformation processes in a subtropical karst lake (Hongfeng, HF) in Southwest China, two sampling campaigns involving three lake profiles were conducted during the impoundment period (April) and flood period (August). Hydro-chemistry parameters, concentration of nitrogenous species, and dual isotopes of nitrate were analyzed. Nitrate was the major nitrogenous species in HF lake with higher proportion in April than August. The concentrations of NH4+, NO2- and dissolved organic nitrogen were below the detection limit in April, while NH4+ increased with depth in August, which may be a result of mineralization. Nitrification was detected during the impoundment period and from the surface to a depth of 10 m during the flood period. Denitrification was detected in the lake bottom waters during the flood period with isotopic fractionation of -10.7‰ for δ15N-NO3- and -4.7‰ for δ18O-NO3-. The Rayleigh distillation demonstrated denitrification showed spatial variation (53% and 89% of nitrate in the southern and northern region of the lake, respectively). The Bayesian modelling results suggest that organic nitrogen degradation and sediment make the largest contributions to nitrate (51% and 38% in April and 33% and 24% in August, respectively) to the lake. Tributaries contributed more nitrate in August (37%) than in April (10%). The results highlight that modified endogenous nitrogen contributed a high proportion of nitrate sources within the lake system during the two periods.

[Temporal and spatial variations of greenhouse gases concentrations in soils in Karst Stone Desertification Areas in central part of Guizhou Province].

Concentrations of CO2, N2O and CH4 of soil profile in Karst Stone Desertification Areas were measured monthly from June of 2006 to May of 2007. The results indicated that the concentrations of CO2, N2O and CH4 varied from 530.2 to 31512.6, 0.27 to 0.67 and 0.1 to 3.5 microL x L(-1). On the whole, with the increase of soil depth, the concentrations of CO2 and N2O increased, while CH4 decreased. However, in the cold and wet October, November and January, the concentrations of CO2 and N2O decreased with the depth below 15 cm. In contrast, CHR4 had the inverse trend. Soil temperature and moisture were the main factors which had impacts on the temporal and spatial variations of C2O, N2O and CH4 concentrations in soil profile, but the influence impacts were different. The correlation analysis showed that there was positive correlation between CO2 and N2O (r 0.780-0.894, p < 0.05-0.01), while correlation degree was controlled by environmental factors in different months. CH4 concentrations in soil had significantly negative correlation with CO2 concentrations (r = 330, p < 0.01), but correlated with N2O concentrations just in moisture months (r - 0.829- - 0.956, p < 0.05-0.01).

[Soil N2O flux and its affecting factors under different vegetations in central Guizhou Province].

By using close chamber-GC method, the N2O fluxes in de-farming grassland, bush land, Pinus massoniana forestland, and broadleaved forestland in central Guizhou were measured in situ in 2006 and 2007 to investigate the seasonal change patterns of soil N2 O flux under different vegetations in karst region of southwest China. The results indicated that in a whole year round, the soils in all test sites played the source of atmospheric N2O, only acting as a N2O sink in exceptional months. The soil type and the vegetation had obvious effets on the N2O flux from soil. Yellow soil had a smaller N2O flux than calcareous soil, except for broadleaved forestland. The N2O fluxes from de-farming grassland and bush land were higher in spring and lower in autumn and winter, and varied within the range of -20.7 - 103.09 microg N x m(-2) x h(-1) and -33.0-67.3 microg N x m(-2) x h(-1), respectively; while those from P. massoniana forestland and broadleaved forestland were the highest in spring but had no definite change patterns in other seasons, and varied within the range of -5.3 - 35.0 microg N x m(-2) x h(-1) and -14.4 - 152.8 microg N x m(-2) x h(-1), respectively. The correlation analysis showed that there existed a negative correlation between soil moisture content and N2O flux, suggesting that soil moisture was the main factor driving the seasonal change of N2O flux. Temperature indirectly affected the soil N2O flux through affecting soil moisture.

[Seasonal variability of p(CO2) in the two Karst reservoirs, Hongfeng and Baihua Lakes in Guizhou Province, China].

The partial pressure of carbon dioxide p(CO2) in the surface water of the two karst eutrophic reservoirs, Hongfeng and Baihua Lakes near Guiyang city, Ghuizhou Province, China has been studied for one year. The factors regulating the seasonal variability of p(CO2) in the two reservoirs have been analyzed. Unlike the reservoirs in boreal temperate regions, the p (CO2) in the two reservoirs has significant seasonal changes: CO2 was unsaturated during summer, but supersaturated at other seasons. According to the correlation analysis, there is a negative relationship between p (CO2) and Chla in the two reservoirs, due to the production of the phytoplankton and the respiration of the organic matter by the bacteria, which are also the main factors regulating the p(CO2). The negative relationship between temperature and p(CO2) is considered to be due to the effect of temperature on the growth of the phytoplankton. Precipitation leads to the input of the nutriments into the reservoirs, and hence precipitation is negatively related to p(CO2). The relationships between NO3-, NO2- and p(CO2) are ascribed to the absorption of phytoplankton, and the degradation of the organic matter nitrification. The relationship between SiO3(2-) and p(CO2) is due to the absorption of phytoplankton and the precipitation. The differences of the relationship between p(CO2) and DOC in the studied two lakes possibly lie in the variations of their sources.