Familial aggregation of human hookworm infections in Sichuan Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the family aggregation of human hookworm infections in Sichuan Province and to identify its influencing factors, so as to provide insights into management of hookworm infections. Methods Three to four counties (districts) were sampled from basins, hilly regions and mountainous regions around the basins in Sichuan Province from 2017 to 2022 as fixed survey sites, and 17 to 30 counties (districts) were selected as mobile survey sites. At least 1 000 permanent residents at ages of 3 years and older were sampled from each survey site, and hookworm eggs were detected in human stool samples using the Kato-Katz technique. Subjects with 2 and more family members and at least 2 individuals diagnosed with hookworm infections in the county (district) where they lived were selected, and the familial aggregation of hookworm infections was analyzed using the test of goodness of fit for binomial distribution. In addition, the knowledge and practice of hookworm disease control were investigated among residents in Hejiang County and Wutongqiao District, Leshan City, Sichuan Province in 2021 and 2022, and the difference in the knowledge and practice of hookworm disease control was compared between members with and without familial aggregation of hookworm infections. Results A total of 66 812 residents from 25 196 households were sampled from main endemic areas of hookworm diseases in Sichuan Province from 2017 to 2022 for detection of hookworm infections, and 4 403 infections were identified (6.59% prevalence). The distribution of human hookworm infections in Sichuan Province did not fit the binomial distribution, and showed family aggregations (χ2 = 2 116.759, P < 0.001). Family aggregation of human hookworm infections was found in endemic areas with 1% and higher prevalence of human hookworm infections (χ2 = 136.006 to 428.738, all P values < 0.001), and family aggregation of human hookworm infections was identified in different years (χ2 = 87.615 to 471.838, all P values < 0.001) and in different terrains of endemic areas (χ2 = 8.423 to 1 144.176, all P values < 0.001). The members with hookworm infections had median eggs per gram of 180 (interquartile range, 780) in aggregated families and 72 (102) in non-aggregated families (Z = −2.686, P < 0.05). The proportion of members in families with aggregation of hookworm infections who knew the preventive measures of hookworm disease was significantly lower than in non-aggregated families (24.49% vs. 51.72%; χ2 = 10.262, P < 0.05), and the proportion of members in families with aggregation of hookworm infections who often worked barefoot on the ground was significantly higher than in non-aggregated families (30.61% vs. 13.25%; χ2 = 6.289, P < 0.05). Conclusions There is a familial aggregation of human hookworm infections in Sichuan Province, and awareness of preventive measures for hookworm disease and frequent working barefoot on the ground are associated with familial aggregation of hookworm infections.

Study on water extraction process of Herba epimedii with microwave technology / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study, the high polar media-water extraction process of Herba epimedii with the microwave technology.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The single parameters of extraction process was investigated with dry extract yield and extraction efficiency of icariin as content index.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Through studying the single parameter, the optimal conditions are as follows: 70% ethanol as wetting solvent, volume of solvent to weight of material equal to 6:1 in wetting, 30 min wetting time, 2.5 min microwave irradiation time, volume of solvent to weight of material equal to 50:1 in extraction process, 10 min microwave-assisted extraction time.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with conventional methods, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) after Microwave Pretreament (MP) of raw material was higher extraction efficiency and time-saving.</p>

Changes in ultrastructure of fresh leaves of Ginkgo biloba after microwave-assisted extraction / 中草药

Object To study the ultrastructure destruction of plants in the process of microwave assisted solvent extracion and its mechanism.Methods Cell structures of fresh leaves of Ginkgo biloba L. were observed by transmission electron microscpoe.Results The cell structure changed when the leaves were under microwave radiation or soaked by solvents or heated, such as plasmoysis, destruction of cell organellaes, disappearance of starch grain and so on, while the cell wall was not broken both in microwave assisted solvent extraction and in traditional heating extraction.Conclusion Microwave radiation could lead to the relaxation of the cell structures, but not be enough to make the cell wall broken.

Comparison of three extraction methods to extract Zanthoxylum oil / 中成药

AIM: To extract Zanthoxylum oil from the seeds of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxin, and find out a better extraction method and its optimized operating conditions. METHODS: Zanthoxylum oil was extracted by distillation method, solvent extraction and supercritical fluid extraction, respectively. The products gained in each experiment was analyzed by GC after it had been methyl esterified. RESULTS: The yield of Zanthoxylum oil extracted by distillation, solvent extraction and supercritical fluid extraction was 0.88 %, 13.73 % and 13.52 %, respectively, and its content of unsaturated fatty acid 4.50 %, 65.97 %, 74.97 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: Supercritical fluid extraction was the better of the three mehtods, whose optimized operating conditions consisted of 30 MPa pressure, 50 ?C operating temperature and 5 h extraction time.