[Toxicological research and safety consideration of coumarins].

Coumarin is an important class of natural organic compounds, which widely exists in a variety of plants and microorganisms. Coumarins have many biological activities and wide clinical applications, such as anti-tumor, anti-HIV, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-coagulation, but they have obvious toxic effects in rodents. It was found that the toxicity of coumarins in different animals and organs was significantly different, and high dose oral administration was more likely to produce toxic reactions. Based on the research and analysis of domestic and foreign literatures in recent 60 years, this paper mainly summarized the hepatotoxicity and pulmonary toxicity induced by coumarins, and probed into their possible mechanisms. It was found that the toxicity of coumarins had metabolic differences and species differences. The liver of rats and lungs of mice were more susceptible to coumarins. Toxic reactions occurred mainly in the second metabolic pathway of coumarin metabolism in vivo. In order to put forward safety considerations and evaluate the impact of coumarin on human body, it was found that coumarin is unlikely to produce hepatotoxicity at normal exposure level. It was also suggested that species differences due to different metabolic patterns in model animals should be carefully considered when assessing coumarin toxicity, in order to provide reference for clinical research and rational use of coumarins and improve the rational use of coumarins.

[Pharmacovigilance in materia medica works of Qing Dynasty].

Taking the Zeyao Materia Medica,Benjing Fengyuan,De Pei Materia Medica,Shiyi Materia Medica,Harmful Benefits of Materia Medica as representative works in Qing Dynasty,this paper extracts text information from four aspects: drug identification,drug use,drug prevention and detoxification,constructs a drug pharmacovigilance information table of Qing Dynasty herbal works,and summarizes the drug pharmacovigilance of Qing Dynasty. Thought,in the Qing Dynasty,there were many recordings of drug pharmacovigilance. In the aspect of drug awareness,the main representative was Shi Yi Materia Medica which added many new drugs and introduced more new uses of drugs. In addition,in the aspect of drug use and prevention,the main representatives were Zeyao Materia Medica,Benjing Fengyuan,De Pei Materia Medica,and Harmful Benefits of Materia Medica. In the aspect of taboo of disease and syndrome,attention should be paid to the integration of medicine so as to make drugs closely related to clinical use. Although there is no special introduction on detoxification,it has been introduced in various medicines in the De Pei Materia Medica,Shiyi Materia Medica,which has a relatively systematic and complete drug warning ideology system of " drug identification-use-drug prevention-detoxification".This study found that the traditional pharmacovigilance thought of Qing Dynasty had the characteristics of attaching importance to the clinical application of toxic traditional Chinese medicine and the combination of medicine,which had certain guiding significance for modern clinical medication. This paper aims to explore the traditional drug pharmacovigilance knowledge in representative works of the Qing Dynasty,analyze the characteristics of the drug pharmacovigilance thought in the Qing Dynasty,and lay a foundation for clarifying the traditional drug pharmacovigilance system.

Arachnoid granulations of middle cranial fossa: a population study between cadaveric dissection and in vivo computed tomography examination.

PURPOSE: Although arachnoid granulations (AGs) were initially described by Pacchioni more than 300 years ago, they are still poorly described, especially those in middle cranial fossa. The aim of this study was to identify anatomical features of AGs in middle cranial fossa of cadaver and compare such features with that of 64-slice computed tomography. METHODS: The study involved anatomical dissection of 33 adult cadaveric heads and computed tomographic (CT) examinations of 40 patients with various intracranial diseases. The number, size, distribution, and morphology of the AGs in middle cranial fossa of the cadavers and patients were examined and compared. RESULTS: The number of AGs observed on the middle cranial fossa of the cadaveric specimens was greater than that of the patients (P < 0.05). While anatomic dissection revealed a total of 228 AGs in 24 of 33 cadaveric heads, CT scans demonstrated only 80 AGs in 23 of 40 patients. In cadavers, the AGs occurred in the following sites in order of frequency: the middle meningeal sinus (144 AGs, 63.2%), sphenoparietal sinus (47 AGs, 20.6%), lateral foramen rotundum (19 AGs, 8.3%), and cavernous sinus (18 AGs, 7.9%). In CT images, the AGs occurred in the following sites in order of frequency: the middle meningeal sinus (50 AGs, 62.5%), sphenoparietal sinus (23 AGs, 28.8%), and lateral foramen rotundum (7 AGs, 8.8%). The AGs of cavernous sinus and venous lacunae adjacent to the middle meningeal sinus were hardly identified on CT images. Most of the AGs were spherical or finger-like in shape. Histologically, the AGs can be divided into two types: single type and lobulated type. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides a detailed description of AGs in or near the middle meningeal sinus, sphenoparietal sinus, lateral foramen rotundum, and cavernous sinus. It also reveals a difference in the ability of detecting cranial AGs between microanatomy and CT scans.