Hydrothermal deposition synthesis of dual-mode luminescent material GdVO4 :Eu3+ /carbon dots with optimal luminescence and its application in anti-counterfeiting.

To obtain optimal luminescence, 0.12 g of GdVO4 :3%Eu3+ nanocrystals (NCs) and different volumes of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) crude solution were used as precursors, and the composite synthesized using the hydrothermal deposition method showed optimal luminescence when 11 ml (2.45 mmol) crude solution was used. In addition, similar composites with the same molar ratio as GVE/cCDs(11) were also prepared with the hydrothermal and physical mixing processes. Based on the test results of XRD, XPS, and PL spectra, for the composite GVE/cCDs(11), the highest (lowest) peak intensity of the C-C/C=C (C=O/C=N) bond, which was 1.18 (0.75) times that of GVE/cCDs-m, indicated most N-CDs deposition and led to their highest emission intensity under 365 nm excitation, although nitrogen atoms in the composite were shed slightly during the deposition process. Finally, as can be seen from the patterns designed for security applications that the optimally luminescent composite is one of the most promising candidates in the anti-counterfeiting field.

Schixator, a new FXa inhibitor from Schistosoma japonicum with antithrombotic effect and low bleeding risk.

Schistosoma japonicum is a parasitic worm that lives in the mesenteric vein of its host and feeds on blood, suggesting that it might be a natural resource of novel anticoagulants. Here, by comprehensive analyses of the genomic sequences of Schistosoma japonicum, a new Kunitz-type gene precursor was identified. The Kunitz-type gene precursor codes for an 18-residue signal peptide and a 60-residue mature peptide. The Kunitz peptide was functionally expressed, and it had apparent inhibitory activity towards the intrinsic coagulation pathway but no effect on the extrinsic coagulation pathway even at the high concentration of 3 µM. Enzyme and inhibitor experiments further showed that the Kunitz domain peptide was a potent and selective FXa inhibitor, so it was named Schixator (Schistosoma FXa inhibitor). Schixator inhibits coagulation factor FXa with a Ki of 2.66 nM, but had weak inhibitory activity towards chymotrypsin, FXIa, plasma kallikrein, and plasmin, and no inhibitory activity towards trypsin, elastase, FIIa or FXIIa. In vivo, the intravenous administration of Schixator into mice dramatically decreased the number of thrombi in the carotid artery in an FeCl3-induced thrombus formation model without producing bleeding complications. To the best of our knowledge, Schixator is the first potent and selective FXa inhibitor from parasitic worms with antithrombotic effects and a low bleeding risk that provides a new clue for lead drug discovery against thrombosis-associated human diseases.

Selection and identification of a specific peptide binding to ovarian cancer cells from a phage-displayed peptide library.

OBJECTIVES: Ovarian cancer is one of the most fatal gynecological malignancies. It is emergently needed to select a novel molecular fragment as a targeting element for the future development of molecular imaging diagnosis and targeting chemotherapy to ovarian cancer. RESULTS: After five rounds of biopanning, a total of 44 positive phage clones were selected from final phage displayed peptide library. Nine consensus sequences were found based on the assay of sequencing results, then one clone of each consensus group was characterized and identified further by immunofluorescence assay. The result showed the phage clone R20 presents best targeting capacity. Then we synthesized peptide (OSP2) clone R20 displayed, it was characterized with high specificity and sensitivity binding to human ovarian cancer by a tissue chip assay. The target of OSP2 was predicted and docked as human carbonic anhydrase XII (CA12), an important protein usually deregulated in cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, OSP2 and its target indicate a novel investigation way in future to develop novel agent or drug delivery formulation for molecular imaging diagnosis and targeting chemotherapy of ovarian cancer.

[Analysis of Characteristic Eye Movement Behaviors of Young Adults with Different Degrees of Myopia].

Objective: To measure the parameters of eye movement of young adult patients of myopia, to compare the differences in the parameters of patient groups with varied degrees of myopia, and to analyze the correlation between eye movement parameters and axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refraction (SER). Methods: A total of 91 young adult patients of myopia were recruited. The subjects were divided into three groups of low, moderate, and high myopia according to their SER. Information on the subjects' age and sex was collected and general clinical examination was completed. The subjects' binocular fixation, reflexive saccade, and antisaccade were measured with eye tracker. One-way ANOVA or Kruskal-wallis test was used to compare the general data and eye movement parameters of the three groups of myopic patients. Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze AL and SER's correlation with 95% bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA) and saccadic parameters. Results: The 95% BCEA for mild, moderate, and high myopia groups were 2.08 (0.54, 14.69) deg 2, 4.99 (0.94, 49.22) deg 2, and 5.79 (2.18, 64.91) deg 2, respectively. There was significant difference between the 95% BCEA of the three groups ( P=0.029). The 95% BCEA of the mild myopia group was significantly smaller than that of the high myopia group ( P=0.01). There were no significant differences in saccadic parameters among the three groups ( P>0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between 95% BCEA and AL ( r=0.342, P=0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between 95% BCEA and SER ( r=-0.322, P=0.002). There was no significant correlation between the parameters of saccadic movement and the AL or SER ( P>0.05). Conclusion: For young adult myopic patients, the longer the AL is, the higher the degree of the myopia and the worse the fixation stability becomes. The fixation stability of patients with high myopia was significantly worse than that of patients with mild myopia. There was no significant difference in saccadic parameters in patients with different degrees of myopia.

[Anti-osteoarthritis components and mechanism of Fufang Duzhong Jiangu Granules].

Osteoarthritis is a common disease characterized by degenerative lesions of articular cartilage in the elderly.Fufang Duzhong Jiangu Granulues(FDJG), a classical prescription for the treatment of osteoarthritis, has the effects of nourishing liver and kidney, nourishing blood and sinew, and dredging collaterals and relieving pain.In this study, molecular simulation technology was combined with molecular biology methods to explore and verify the potential pharmacodynamic substances and molecular mechanism of FDJG in the treatment of osteoarthritis.Arachidonic acid(AA) metabolic pathway is a typical anti-inflammatory pathway, and secretory phospholipase A2 group ⅡA(sPLA2-ⅡA), 5-lipoxygenase(5-LOX), cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2), and leukotriene A4 hydrolase(LTA4 H) are the key targets of the pathway.Therefore, in this study, based on the pharmacophores and molecular docking models of the four key targets in AA pathway, a total of 1 522 chemical components in 12 medicinals of FDJG were virtually screened, followed by weighted analysis of the screening results in combination with the proportions of the medicinals in the prescription.The results showed that mainly 73 components in the preparation could act on the above four targets, suggesting they might be the potential anti-osteoarthritis components of FDJG.Considering the predicted effectiveness, availability, and compatibility of the medicinals, coniferyl ferulate, olivil, and baicalin were selected for further verification.Specifically, lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced RAW264.7 inflammatory cell model was used to verify the anti-inflammatory activity of the three components.The results showed that the three can effectively inhibit the release of NO, supporting the above selection.In addition, targets 5-LOX, COX-2, and LTA4 H had high activity, which suggested that they may be the key anti-osteoarthritis targets of FDJG.The comprehensive activity values of Eucommiae Cortex, Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Lycii Fructus, and Astragali Radix were much higher than that of other medicinals in the prescription, indicating that they may be the main effective medicinals in FDJG acting on the AA pathway.In this study, the potential anti-osteoarthritis components of FDJG were obtained.Moreover, it was clarified that the anti-osteoarthritis mechanism of FDJG was to act on LOX and COX pathway in AA metabolic pathway, which provided a reference for the study of pharmacodynamic substances and molecular mechanism of FDJG.

LEF1 Enhances the Progression of Colonic Adenocarcinoma via Remodeling the Cell Motility Associated Structures.

Lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1) is a key transcription factor mediating the Wnt signaling pathway. LEF1 is a regulator that is closely associated with tumor malignancy and is usually upregulated in cancers, including colonic adenocarcinoma. The underlying molecular mechanisms of LEF1 regulation for colonic adenocarcinoma progression remain unknown. To explore it, the LEF1 expression in caco2 cells was inhibited using an shRNA approach. The results showed that downregulation of LEF1 inhibited the malignancy and motility associated microstructures, such as polymerization of F-actin, ß-tubulin, and Lamin B1 in caco2 cells. LEF1 inhibition suppressed the expression of epithelial/endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) relevant genes. Overall, the current results demonstrated that LEF1 plays a pivotal role in maintaining the malignancy of colonic adenocarcinoma by remodeling motility correlated microstructures and suppressing the expression of EMT-relevant genes. Our study provided evidence of the roles LEF1 played in colonic adenocarcinoma progression, and suggest LEF1 as a potential target for colonic adenocarcinoma therapy.

[Potential therapeutic effect of Saussureae Involucratae Herba on breast cancer and its mechanism based on network pharmacology].

As one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world, female breast cancer is induced by the high level of estrogen. Saussureae Involucratae Herba(SIH), a gynecological medicinal, regulates estrogen-induced diseases. However, the therapeutic effect of SIH on breast cancer has not been reported. Therefore, this study aims to explore the potential efficacy of SIH on breast cancer based on in vitro experiment and network pharmacology. The inhibitory effect of SIH water extract on proliferation and migration of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells was examined. The result demonstrated SIH water extract significantly suppressed the proliferation of breast cancer cells(IC_(50)=6.47 mg·mL~(-1)) and also restricted the migration. A total of 39 components of SIH were retrieved from traditional Chinese medicine database(TCMD) and 160 targets of SIH were screened by target fishing with the PharmaDB database. The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM) was used to establish a 1 001-targets data set of breast cancer. Based on the overlaps(45) of targets between SIH and breast cancer, a protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was built to analyze the interactions among these targets with STRING platform and Cytoscape. Finally, through topology and GO and KEGG analysis, 8 targets, 101 pathways and 85 biological processes were found to involve the treatment of breast cancer by SIH. SIH may exert the anti-breast cancer effect by regulating cell cycle, inhibiting proliferation, migration and adhesion of cancer cells, and modulating estrogen receptor. This study clarified the mechanism of SIH in treating breast cancer, which lays a foundation for the further development of SIH.

[Discovery and application of traditional Chinese medicine efficacy markers based on systematic traditional Chinese medicine].

The quality marker(Q-marker) of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is a new concept of TCM quality control proposed in recent years. It is a hot issue in the research of modern Chinese medicine. The TCM efficacy is a high-level summary of the TCM therapeutic effect under the guidance of TCM theory. On this basis, it is of considerable significance to explore the TCM efficacy marker for the TCM modernization. However, the traditional research strategy based on the single herb and decoction piece in macro TCM level, or the drug research strategy based on the biological effect of the targets, is quite different from the characteristics of multiple components of TCM, as well as the weak and low-selective effect of Chinese medicine ingredients on targets. Therefore, how to select representative ingredients to characterize the TCM overall efficacy is a problematic point in establishing TCM efficacy markers. In this paper, the concept and method of Q-marker were introduced into the study of Chinese medicine efficacy. The research method for systematic TCM was used to systematically discuss the connotation of TCM efficacy markers, the principles of discovery and determination, common research ideas and techniques by taking the representative research results as an example. This study provides new ideas for the research and discovery of TCM efficacy markers.

Exploration of Blood Coagulation of N-Alkyl Chitosan Nanofiber Membrane in Vitro.

N-Alkylated chitosan (NACS) may improve the blood clotting efficiency of chitosan (CS). To study its blood coagulation capability, a series of NACSs with various carbon chain lengths and degrees of substitution (DS) of alkyl groups were synthesized and characterized by FTIR, NMR, elemental analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The corresponding NACS nanofiber membranes (NACS-NM) were subsequently fabricated by electronic spinning technique. SEM, XRD, DSC, surface area, porosity, contact angle, blood absorption, and mechanical properties were used to characterize the CS-NM/NACS-NM. Moreover, cytotoxicity, coagulation, activated partial thromboplastin time, plasma prothrombin time, thrombin time, and platelet aggregation tests were performed to evaluate the biocompatibility and blood coagulation properties of NACS-NM. The results showed that NACS-NM was not cytotoxic. NACS-NM with DS of 19.25% for N-hexane CS (CS6b), 17.87% for N-dodecane CS (CS12b), and 8.97% for N-octadecane CS (CS18a) exhibited good blood clotting performance. Moreover, NACS-NMs favored the activation of coagulation factors and platelets. In addition, intracellular Ca2+ was not related to platelet activation. The above results suggested that NACS-NM would be an effective hemostatic agent.

First complete genome sequence of parainfluenza virus 5 isolated from lesser panda.

Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) is widespread in mammals and humans. Up to now, there is little information about PIV5 infection in lesser pandas. In this study, a PIV5 variant (named ZJQ-221) was isolated from a lesser panda with respiratory disease in Guangzhou zoo in Guangdong province, southern China. The full-length genome of ZJQ-221 was found to be 15,246 nucleotides and consisted of seven non-overlapping genes encoding eight proteins (i.e., NP, V, P, M, F, SH, HN and L). Sequence alignment and genetic analysis revealed that ZJQ-221 shared a close relationship with a PIV5 strain of canine-origin (1168-1) from South Korea. The findings of this study confirm the presence of PIV5 in lesser panda and indicate this mammal as a possible natural reservoir. Furthermore they highlight the urgent need to strengthen viral surveillance and control of PIV5 in zoo animals.

Hydrosilylation in Aryliminopyrrolide-Substituted Silanes.

A range of silanes was synthesized by the reaction of HSiCl3 with iminopyrrole derivatives in the presence of NEt3 . In certain cases, intramolecular hydrosilylation converts the imine ligand into an amino substituent. This reaction is inhibited by factors such as electron-donating substitution on Si and steric bulk. The monosubstituted ((Dipp) IMP)SiHMeCl ((Dipp) IMP=2-[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)iminomethyl]pyrrolide), is stable towards hydrosilylation, but slow hydrosilylation is observed for ((Dipp) IMP)SiHCl2 . Reaction of two equivalents of (Dipp) IMPH with HSiCl3 results in the hydrosilylation product ((Dipp) AMP)((Dipp) IMP)SiCl ((Dipp) AMP=2-[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)aminomethylene]pyrrolide), but the trisubsitituted ((Dipp) IMP)3 SiH is stable. Monitoring the hydrosilylation reaction of ((Dipp) IMP)SiHCl2 reveals a reactive pathway involving ligand redistribution reactions to form the disubstituted ((Dipp) AMP)((Dipp) IMP)SiCl as an intermediate. The reaction is strongly accelerated in the presence of chloride anions.

Kinetic diversity of dopamine transmission in the dorsal striatum.

Dopamine (DA), a highly significant neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, operates on multiple time scales to affect a diverse array of physiological functions. The significance of DA in human health is heightened by its role in a variety of pathologies. Voltammetric measurements of electrically evoked DA release have brought to light the existence of a patchwork of DA kinetic domains in the dorsal striatum (DS) of the rat. Thus, it becomes necessary to consider how these domains might be related to specific aspects of DA's functions. Responses evoked in the fast and slow domains are distinct in both amplitude and temporal profile. Herein, we report that responses evoked in fast domains can be further classified into four distinct types, types 1-4. The DS, therefore, exhibits a total of at least five distinct evoked responses (four fast types and one slow type). All five response types conform to kinetic models based entirely on first-order rate expressions, which indicates that the heterogeneity among the response types arises from kinetic diversity within the DS terminal field. We report also that functionally distinct subregions of the DS express DA kinetic diversity in a selective manner. Thus, this study documents five response types, provides a thorough kinetic explanation for each of them, and confirms their differential association with functionally distinct subregions of this key DA terminal field. The dorsal striatum is composed of five significantly different dopamine domains (types 1-4 and slow, average ± SEM responses to medial forebrain bundle (MFB) stimulation are shown in the figure). Responses from each of these five domains exhibit significantly different ascending and descending kinetic profiles and return to a long lasting elevated dopamine state, termed the dopamine hang-up. All features of these responses are modeled with high correlation using first-order modeling as well as our recently published restricted diffusion model of evoked dopamine overflow. We also report that functionally distinct subregions of the dorsal striatum express selective dopamine kinetic diversity.

Region- and domain-dependent action of nomifensine.

The dopamine (DA) terminal fields in the rat dorsal striatum (DS) and nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) are organized as patchworks of domains that exhibit distinct kinetics of DA release and clearance. The present study used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry recordings of electrically evoked DA overflow to test the hypothesis that nomifensine might exhibit domain-dependent actions within the NAcc, as we previously found to be the case within the DS. Within the NAcc, nomifensine preferentially enhanced evoked DA overflow in the slow domains compared with the fast domains. To seek a kinetic explanation for nomifensine's selective actions, we quantified the apparent KM of DA clearance by numerically evaluating the derivative of the descending phase of the DA signal after the end of the stimulus. For comparison, we likewise quantified the apparent KM in the domains of the DS. As expected, because it is a competitive inhibitor, nomifensine significantly increased the apparent KM in both the fast and slow domains of both the NAcc and DS. However, our analysis also led to the novel finding that nomifensine preferentially increases the apparent KM in the NAcc compared with the DS; the apparent KM increased by ~500% in the NAcc and by ~200% in the DS.

Electromagnetically induced transparency-like effect in a two-bus waveguides coupled microdisk resonator.

We observe theoretically and experimentally electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like effect in a single microdisk resonator (MDR) evanescently coupled with two bus waveguides. This structure is modeled using transfer matrix method, and it is revealed that the EIT-like spectrum originates from the coherent interference between two nearby low-order whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) with comparable quality factors. The EIT-like properties have been investigated analytically with respect to coupling efficiency, round-trip power attenuation, as well as phase spacing between two resonances. The resonance spacing and mode coupling are adjustable by varying the effective indices of WGMs and waveguide mode. Consequently, fully integrated MDRs were fabricated in silicon. Resonant modes and coupling efficiency are studied in one-bus waveguide coupled MDRs. Finally, EIT-like resonance is observed in a two-bus waveguides coupled MDR of 3 µm in radius with a quality factor of 4,200 and central transmission larger than 0.65. The experimental results agree with our modeling well and show good internal consistency, confirming that two WGMs coupled in a point-to-point manner are required for EIT-like effect.

Resilient Output Formation-Tracking of Heterogeneous Multiagent Systems Against General Byzantine Attacks: A Twin-Layer Approach.

This work solves the countermeasure design problems of distributed resilient output time-varying formation-tracking (TVFT) of heterogeneous multiagent systems (MASs) against general Byzantine attacks (GBAs). Inspired by the concept of Digital Twin, a hierarchical protocol equipped with a twin layer (TL) is proposed, which decouples the above problem into the defense against Byzantine edge attacks (BEAs) on the TL and the defense against Byzantine node attacks (BNAs) on the cyber-physical layer (CPL). First, a secure TL with respect to (w.r.t.) the high-order leader dynamics is designed, which achieves resilient estimation against BEAs. A trusted-node strategy against BEAs is proposed, which promotes network resilience by protecting almost the smallest fraction of crucial nodes on the TL. It is proven that strongly (2f+1) -robustness w.r.t. the above trusted nodes is sufficient for the resilient estimation performance of the TL. Second, a decentralized adaptive and chattering-free controller against potentially unbounded BNAs is designed on the CPL. This controller has the merit of uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) convergence and an assignable exponential decay rate when converging into the above UUB bound. To the best of our knowledge, this article is the first to achieve resilient output TVFT against GBAs, rather than under GBAs. Finally, the practicability and validity of this new hierarchical protocol are illustrated via a simulation example.

The dopamine patchwork of the rat nucleus accumbens core.

The dopamine (DA) terminal field in the rat dorsal striatum is organized as a patchwork of domains that show distinct DA kinetics. The rate and short-term plasticity of evoked DA release, the rate of DA clearance and the actions of several dopaminergic drugs are all domain-dependent. The patchwork arises in part from local variations in the basal extracellular concentration of DA, which establishes an autoinhibitory tone in slow but not fast domains. The present study addressed the hypothesis that a domain patchwork might also exist in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcc), a DA terminal field that is deeply involved in reward processing and the mechanisms underlying substance abuse. DA recordings in the NAcc by fast-scan voltammetry during electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle confirmed that the NAcc contains a patchwork of fast and slow domains showing significantly different rates of evoked DA release and DA clearance. Moreover, the NAcc domains are substantially different from those in the dorsal striatum. There were no signs in the NAcc of short-term plasticity of DA release during multiple consecutive stimuli, and no signs of a domain-dependent autoinhibitory tone. Thus, the NAcc domains are distinct from each other and from the domains of the dorsal striatum.

Lupane-type triterpenoidal saponins from Pulsatilla chinensis and their anticomplement activities through the classical pathway.

Four (1-4) previously unknown lupane-type triterpenoidal saponins were isolated from the roots of Pulsatilla chinensis, along with six triterpene saponins (5-10). The structures of saponins 1-4 were determined as 23-hydroxy-3ß-[(O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl)]lup-20(29)-en-28-oic-acid 28-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1), 23-hydroxy-3ß-[(O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 4)]-α-L-arabinopyranosyl)]lup-20(29)-en-28-oic-acid 28-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2), 3ß-[(O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl)]lup-20(29)-en-28-oic-acid 28-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl ester (3), and 3ß-[(O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl)]lup-20(29)-en-28-oic-acid 28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl ester (4), on the basis of hydrolysis and spectral evidence, including 1D- and 2D-NMR and HR-ESI-MS analyses. These pure isolates (1-10) were tested for their anticomplement activity, using an in vitro assay of the complement system of the classical pathway.

High-throughput analytical techniques for determination of residues of 653 multiclass pesticides and chemical pollutants in tea, Part II: comparative study of extraction efficiencies of three sample preparation techniques.

This paper reports a study of the extraction efficiency for the multiresidue pesticides and chemical pollutants in tea with three methods over three stages. Method 1 adopts the Pang et al. approach: the targets were extracted with 1% acetic acid in acetonitrile and cleaned up with a Cleanert TPT SPE cartridge; Method 2 adopts the QuEChERS approach: the targets were cleaned up dispersively with graphitized carbon and primary-secondary amine (PSA) sorbent; Method 3 adopts the relatively commonly used approach of hydration for solid samples, with tea hydrated before being extracted through salting out with acetonitrile and the cleanup procedures identical to those of Method 1. The three stages comprised two phases of comparative tests on spike recoveries of 201 pesticides and chemical pollutants from different teas and a third phase on determination of the content of the 201 pesticides and chemical pollutants from aged tea samples. In stages I and II, test results of the spike recoveries of 201 pesticides and chemical pollutants demonstrated that 91.4% of the pesticide and chemical pollutant recoveries fell within the range of 70-110%, and 93.2% of the pesticides and chemical pollutants had RSD < 15%, with no marked difference obtained by Method 1 and Method 2 regardless of whether it was green tea or woolong tea, or GC/MS or GC/MS/MS was used for analysis. For pigment removal, Method 1 was superior to Method 2; in terms of easy operation, Method 2 outweighed Method 1. However, Method 3 obtained relatively low recoveries, with 94% of pesticide and chemical pollutant recoveries less than 70%, which proved that Method 3 was not applicable to the determination of multiresidue pesticides and chemical pollutants in tea. Stage III made a comparison of Method 1 and Method 2 for the extraction efficiency of pesticides and chemical pollutants in 165-day-aged samples of green and woolong tea. Test results showed that 94% of the pesticide and chemical pollutant content in the aged tea samples was recovered with Method 1, more than 10% higher than with Method 2 (30-50% higher on average). For green tea, 193 (GC/MS/MS) and 197 (GC/MS) pesticides and chemical pollutants accounted for 96.5% (GC/MS/MS) and 98.0% (GC/MS) with Method 1 higher than with Method 2. For woolong tea, 191 (GC/MS/MS) and 194 (GC/MS) pesticides and chemical pollutants accounted for 95% (GC/MS/MS) and 96% (GC/MS/MS) with Method 1, higher than with Method 2, respectively. In other words, there were definite differences in the test results for aged tea samples between Method 1 and Method 2, which suggests that Method 1 was capable of extracting more residual pesticides and chemical pollutants from the precipitated 165-day-aged tea samples. The reason can be traced to the possibility that Method 1 (high-speed homogenizing) has better extraction efficiency than Method 2 (vortex and oscillation). Therefore, Method 1 was chosen as the sample preparation technique for multiresidue pesticide and chemical pollutant analysis in tea.

Cytotoxic activity of Pulsatilla chinensis saponins and their structure-activity relationship.

The cytotoxic activity of 36 saponins isolated from roots of Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel against the human cancer cell lines (A549, SGC-7901) and the human hepatic cell line (HL-7702) was tested by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Saponins 1-14 showed considerable cytotoxic activity, whereas saponins 15-36 showed no significant activity, which suggested that a free carboxylic group located at C-28 of aglycon is essential for their cytotoxic activity. Moreover, the analysis of structure-activity relationships also suggested that the oleanane-type saponins showed better cytotoxic activity than lupane-type saponins, and the length and linkage of glycolic chain attached to C-3 of aglycon displayed an important effect to the potent cytotoxicity. In conclusion, oleanolic acid 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 â†’ 2)-[ß-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 â†’ 4)]-α-l-arabinopyranoside (5) exhibited the most significant cytotoxic activity.

[Analysis of association of economic burden of hypertension with tobacco exposure in Luoping county of Yunnan province].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between hypertension and tobacco exposure Luoping county of Yunnan province and estimate the direct cost attributable to hypertension . METHODS: Using Probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling method, 5000 rural residents aged over 18 years were selected from 12 townships in Luoping county, Yunnan province in April 2011, from which 4611 subjects completed the survey. Self-designed questionnaires were used to collect general information, smoking status, costs for outpatient consultation, inpatient, treatment, medication, travel, accommodation and extra-nutrition caused by hypertension as well as the information of health-related behavior. Their height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference and blood pressure were measured. The direct economic burden of hypertension was calculated. Chi-square (χ(2)) test was used to compare gender differences of hypertension prevalence, smoking and passive smoking. And t test was used to compare the differences of direct economic burden of hypertension among different gender, smoking and passive smoking status. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to analyze the influence factors of hypertension. RESULTS: Among the 4611 subjects, the age was (46.90 ± 16.74) years old. Male accounted for 49.8% (2294/4611) and female 50.2% (2317/4611) . The smoking rate was higher in males (75.7% (1736/2294)) than in females(1.6% (38/2317)) (χ(2) = 2669.21, P < 0.01). The passive smoking rate was lower in males (10.0% (230/2294)) than in females (46.2% (1070/2317)) (χ(2) = 744.27, P < 0.05). Non-tobacco exposure rate in males (14.3% (328/1537)) was lower than in females (52.2% (1209/1537)) (χ(2) = 744.37, P < 0.05) . The risk of hypertension in smokers and passive smokers were higher than those without tobacco exposure, OR (95%CI) was 1.41 (1.15-1.71) (P < 0.05) and 1.31 (1.07-1.63) (P < 0.05) respectively. The per capita direct cost of hypertension was (3444.09 ± 3067.83) Yuan. Of this, tobacco exposure (4552.46 ± 3189.05) Yuan was higher than non-tobacco exposure (1907.71 ± 1383.94) Yuan (t = -3.81, P < 0.05) . Moreover, smokers were (6951.71 ± 3422.87) Yuan higher than passive smokers (3128.09 ± 2083.17) Yuan (t = 3.19, P < 0.05) and males (5827.39 ± 3240.50) Yuan were higher than females (2633.03 ± 2569.01) Yuan (t = 3.22, P < 0.05) . The total direct costs of hypertension attributable to smoking and SHS was 41 million and 38 million, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both smoking and SHS had significant impact on prevalence and economic burden of hypertension in Luoping county. Implementing effective strategies to control tobacco exposure is useful to reduce the economic burden of hypertension in the study region.