[Effects of alkaloids from coptidis rhizoma on blood lipid metabolism and low-denstity lipoprotein receptor mRNA in golden hamsters].

To study the effects of alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma on low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) mRNA expression and antihyperlipedemic levels. The LDLR mRNA expression were detected by real time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL-c) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) in serum were measured at the first and last examination. The results show that, after the drug treatment, compared with the model group, each drug group showed a lipid-lowering effect. Especially, coptisine, palmatine, jatrorrhinze were significantly reduced TC, TG, LDL-c (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and increased HDL-c (P < 0.01). In addition, they also increased mRNA expression of the LDLR in liver and HepG2 cells. The results showed that alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma can regulate lipid metabolism disorder, and coptisine have the best lipid-lowering effect.

[Effect of different parts, harvesting time and processing technologies on alkaloids content of Coptis chinensis adventitious root].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of different parts, harvesting time and processing technologies on alkaloids content of Coptis chinensis adventitious root. METHODS: The content of alkaloids were analyzed by HPLC. RESULTS: The content of total alkaloids in adventitious root harvested in different time was ranged from 2.5% to 2.9%, in which that of berberine and coptisine were the highest, reaching to 1%, and that of palmatine was only 0.1%. It suggested there was no significant difference of total alkaloids at different harvesting time. Nevertheless, the difference of the alkaloids content from different parts was much significant. The content of total alkaloid of adventitious root near to rhizome was about 4%, 2 times higher than that away from rhizome (only 2%). In addition, different processing technologies would affect alkaloids content obviously. There was hardly loss of alkaloids when the fresh adventitious root was washed with water, but it would decrease alkaloids content when the dried adventitious root was washed. CONCLUSION: Medicine value of Coptis chinensis adventitious root near to rhizome is higher than that away from rhizome. And fresh Coptis chinensis adventitious root can be washed with water.

[Efficacy and Safety of Reduced Dose Azacitidine in the Treatment of Elderly Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy and safety of low-dose azacitidine in the treatment of senile myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). METHODS: A total of 92 elderly MDS patients who were initially diagnosed in the Huaibei Miners General Hospital and the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from January 2018 to June 2022 were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group with 46 patients in each group. The observation group received a low dose of azacitidine 100 mg/d, d1-7, 28 days as a course of treatment, 6 courses in total, and the control group received a standard dose of azacitidine 75 mg(m2·d), d1-7, 28 days as a course of treatment, a total of 6 courses of treatment. The clinical efficacy, overall survival (OS) and adverse reactions of the two groups of patients were observed. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the clinical data between the two groups (P >0.05). After treatment, the hemoglobin and platelet levels of the two groups of patients were significantly higher than before treatment in each group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in leukocyte, hemoglobin and platelet levels between patients in the observation group and control group (P >0.05). The number of cases with complete remission, partial remission, hematological remission, disease stabilization and disease progression in the observation group were 4, 10, 22, 6 and 4, respectively, with a total effective rate of 78.26%. The numbers of cases with complete remission, partial remission, hematological remission, disease stabilization and disease progression in control group were 8, 12, 18, 4 and 4, respectively, with a total effective rate of 82.61%. The total effective rate of patients in the observation group was slightly lower than that of the control group(χ2=0.457, P =0.254). There was no significant difference between the two treatment schemes in the treatment of patients with blood transfusion dependence and patients with low risk, medium risk and high risk (P >0.05). It takes 4 and 6 courses of treatment to achieve the best treatment response in the control group and observation group respectively. There was no significant difference in OS between the two groups (P >0.05). In the observation group, there were 4, 6 and 2 cases of infection, III-IV degree myelosuppression and gastrointestinal reaction, respectively, with the incidence rate of adverse events being 26.09%. In the control group, there were 6, 16 and 6 cases of infection, III-IV degree myelosuppression and gastrointestinal reaction, respectively, with the adverse event rate was 60.87%. The incidence of adverse events in the control group was significantly higher than that in the observation group (χ2=7.095, P =0.036). CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with MDS have poor tolerance to chemotherapy. Reducing azacitidine in the treatment of elderly MDS patients shows good efficacy and safety.

[Study on optimal processing technology of three kinds of processed coptidis rhizoma].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the processing technology of Coptidis Rhizoma and study the effects of different adjuvants on alkaloids during processing. METHODS: The moistening time of adjuvants (A), processing temperature (B) and processing time (C) were investigated by using the single factor test method and L9 (3(4)) orthogonal experiment design with the contents of four alkaloids as indexes. RESULTS: The sequence of importance of the factors that affect the wine processed Coptidis Rhizoma (WC) was C > B > A, turmeric processed Coptidis Rhizoma (TC) and dogwood processed Coptidis Rhizoma (DC) was B > A > C. CONCLUSION: The optimal processing technology of WC, TC and DC are drying for 4 h at 130 degrees C after moistening for 90 min, drying for 3 h at 100 degrees C after moistening for 60 min and drying for 2 h at 160 degrees C after moistening for 90 min, respectively.

[Spectroscopic investigation of the argon plasma discharge in quartz capillary at atmospheric pressure].

An arc plasma discharge with a long length of 20 cm was generated in a quartz capillary between two hollow needle electrodes in argon at atmospheric pressure with use of the sinusoidal power supply operating at 45 kHz, which was characterized by a very high electron density. The spectroscopic method of optical emission was employed to diagnose the characteristic parameters of the arc plasma discharge in the quartz capillary. The gas temperature was determined by simulating the OH A-X(0, 0) vibrational band around 300 nm and comparison with measured spectrum by means of optical emission spectroscopy. Furthermore, the electron density was measured by means of Stark broadening of the profile of Hbeta at 486.1 nm. The electron temperature was determined using a Boltzmann plot method. The experiment results show that in the argon arc plasma discharge generated in the quartz capillary at atmospheric pressure, the gas temperature of plasma is about (1 100 +/- 50)K, the electron density at the gas temperature of 1 100 K is approximately 10(14) cm(-3), and the corresponding electron temperature is (14 515 +/- 500)K. This work has accumulated some significant experimental parameters for the treatment of inner surface of large length-to-radius-ratio insulated dielectric tube using plasma, and the results are of great importance to the applications of this type of atmospheric-pressure plasma discharge.

[Diagnosis of the DC glow discharge plasma generated inside a metallic tube by optical emission spectroscopy].

Optical emission spectroscopy method was used to diagnose the normal dc glow discharge plasma generated inside a metallic tube. The active species in the plasma were identified. The electron excitation temperature in the plasma was determined by the Boltzmann plot method. The vibrational temperature of N2 molecules in the plasma was determined by analyzing the emission spectrum lines of the N2 second positive system (C3 IIu-->B 3IIg). The dependence of the electron excitation temperature and molecular vibrational temperature on the pressure was investigated. The experiment results show that in the Ar 60% + N2 40% glow discharge plasma at 20 Pa, the active species are the Ar atoms, Ar ions, second positive series of N transitions and theE first negative series of B (2)II2u-->X 2sigma g+; transitons; the electron excitation temperature is (15 270 +/- 250) K, and the vibrational temperature of N2 molecules is (3 290 +/- 100) K. The electron excitation temperature and molecular vibrational temperature decrease with increasing pressure. These results would give some valuable guide to the study on inner surface modification of metallic tubes.

Transabdominal transanal resection of distal rectal cancer after high dose preoperative radiotherapy: a Chinese experience in preserving sphincter function.

BACKGROUND: The combination of high dose preoperative radiotherapy and transanal abdominal transanal radical proctosigmoidectomy and colo-anal anastomosis as a sphincter-preserving method has never been performed in mainland China. OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility and efficacy of high dose preoperative radiotherapy and TATA as a sphincter-preserving method in Jiangsu, an economically well-developed region of China with a population of 70 million people. METHODS: From September 1994 to September 2000, 25 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed distal rectal adenocarcinoma were treated preoperatively with a total dose of 45-46 Gy at 1.8-2.0 Gy per fraction during 5 weeks. Sphincter-preserving surgery by TATA was performed 4-6 weeks after radiotherapy. RESULTS: Acute toxicity of preoperative radiotherapy was tolerable. Eight percent of the patients presented pathologic complete tumor response after preoperative radiotherapy. All patients underwent TATA as scheduled. During a median follow-up of 70 months, the 5 year survival rate was 88%. The 5 year survival rate for those tumors down-staged to pathological TO or to pT1 was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: High dose preoperative radiotherapy and TATA as a sphincter-preserving method was feasible and efficient in Chinese patients with distal rectal cancer. In this study, the subset of patients with a good response to radiotherapy had a better clinical outcome.

[Comparison of Curative Effects of HAG and CAG Regimens for Patients with AML and Medium/High-Risk MDS].

OBJECTIVE: To study the curative effect of HAG and CAG regimens for patients with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and high/medium-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). METHODS: Fifty two patients from January 2010 to January 2014 were enrolled in this study, 32 were diagnosed with AML and 20 with MDS. All the patients were divided into 2 groups: 26 in HAG group (26 cases) and another 26 in CAG group (26 cases). The bone marrow examination, remission rate, PFS, OS and side reaction rates were compared between 2 groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the bone marrow hyperplasia and juvenile cells were decreased significantly. In HAG group, the remission rate was 57.69% and that was 76.92% in CAG group, the difference between these 2 groups was statistically significant (P<0.05), but the survival time was not statistically significant different between 2 groups (P>0.05). The incidence of side reaction in HAG group was 11.54%, that in CAG group was 7.69%, there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Both CAG and HAG regimens have shown significant curative effects for acute myelocytic leukemia and high/medium-risk myelodysplastic syndrome.

Pharmacological and safety evaluation of fibrous root of Rhizoma Coptidis.

The aim of this study was to investigated the pharmacological activities and safety of fibrous root of Rhizoma Coptidis (FRC). FRC not only protected Kunming mice from the minimal lethal dose of Escherichia coli, but also protected rabbits from hyperpyrexia induced by lipopolysaccharid (LPS). The acute toxicity study showed that oral medial lethal dose (LD50) of FRC was greater than 7000mg/kg body weight in Kunming mice. The sub-chronic toxicity study showed that the no-observed-adverse effect level (NOAEL) of FRC was 1.88g/kg body weight in Sprague-Dawley rats, whereas FRC at higher dose (3.76g/kg body weight) resulted in damage to liver and lung. Negative results were present in Ames test, mouse micronucleus test and mouse sperm abnormality test. These finding support the use of FRC in veterinary medicine.