Comparative evaluation of polysaccharides isolated from Astragalus, oyster mushroom, and yacon as inhibitors of α-glucosidase / 中国天然药物

The incidence of diabetes has increased considerably, and become the third serious chronic disease following cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Though acarbose, metformin, and 1-deoxynojirimycin have good efficacy for clinical application as hypoglycemic drugs, their expensive costs and some degree of side effects have limited their clinical application. Recently, increasing attention has concentrated on the polysaccharides from natural plant and animal sources for diabetes. In order to illustrate the pharmaceutical activity of polysaccharides as natural hypoglycemic agents, polysaccharides isolated from Astragalus, oyster mushroom, and Yacon were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase. Polysaccharides were extracted and purified from Astragalus, Oyster mushroom, and Yacon with hot water at 90 °C for 3 h, respectively. The total sugar content of the polysaccharide was determined by the phenol-sulfuric acid method. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was measured by the glucose oxidase method. The results exhibited that the inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase were in decreasing order, Astragalus > oyster mushroom > Yacon. The α-glucosidase inhibition percentage of Astragalus polysaccharide and oyster mushroom polysaccharide were over 40% at the polysaccharide concentration of 0.4 mg·mL(-1). The IC50 of Astragalus polysaccharide and oyster mushroom polysaccharide were 0.28 and 0.424 mg·mL(-1), respectively. The information obtained from this work is beneficial for the use polysaccharides as a dietary supplement for health foods and therapeutics for diabetes.

Detection of the JAK2 gene mutation in familial myeloproliferative neoplasm and its clinical significance / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To comprehend the abnormalities of JAK2, c-mp, EPOR, MPW515L/K and TET2 genes in patients with familial myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) and their relatives, and to explore mechanism of MPN pathogenesis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The complete blood counts of 2 brothers diagnosed with MPN in out hospital and their family members (15 persons in together) were performed, and bone marrow (BM) examinations in patients with abnormal blood count were performed PCR, DNA sequencing were used to evaluate the expression of related genes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The elder brother was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia (ET), the younger one was polycythemia vera (PV), and others had no clinical manifestation. The third MPN patient was diagnosed based on the blood count and BM examination. The PCR and sequencing results showed that there was JAK2V617F mutation in 3 patients, the elder brother was homozygous, the younger and their father were heterozygous. There were no BCR/ABL fusion gene and c-mp, EPOR, MPW515L/K, TET2 gene mutation in any member. By sequencing the full-length cDNA of familia JAK2 gene, we found that G380A heterozygous mutation was detected in 2 patients, which changed glycine at 127 into aspartic acid, C489T mutation was detected in 13 patients, G2490A mutation in 14, but both of them were synonymous mutations.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>JAK2V617F is one of the important indicators to diagnose MPN. The JAK2V617F mutation of this family involves two generations. For newly diagnosed MPN patients, their family members should consider screening, so some familial patients can be diagnosed as early as possible. Gene mutation besides JAK2V627F can be detected by sequencing the full-length of JAK2 gene.</p>

Relationship between calcification and ossification in craniopharyngioma / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective To investigate the fine structure of ossification in craniopharyngioma and its relationship with calcification. Methods The data of 54 patients (31 male and 23 female) with craniopharyngioma aged from 3 to 66 years, admitted to our hospital and received surgery from May 2004 to March 2006, were analyzed. The samples resected from the patients were routinely fixed with 10% formalin and embedded in paraffin. Segments were studied with HE staining. Pathological examination confirmed that 41 patients had craniopharyngioma that was ameloblastoma type and 13 were with craniopharyngioma that was squamous cell type. Microstructure and tissue type of the tumor specimens, and the characteristics of ossification were analyzed; electron microscope was employed to observe the ultrastructure of craniopharyngioma ossification; the surgical and imaging data were also compared; based on the above results, the relationship between calcification and ossification in craniopharyngioma was analyzed. Results Calcification was found negative in 7 patients, mild result in 11, egg-shell calcification in 11 and severe calcification in 12 in patients with craniopharyngioma that was ameloblastoma type. Calcification was found negative in patients with craniopharyngioma that was squamous cell type. The ossifications were found in the tumor with egg-shell or severe calcification, but absent in the tumor with mild or negative calcification. The distribution of ossification was closely related to the degree of calcification. Conclusion Calcification is the basement for the formation of ossification, and the ossification makes the tumor cell colonized in the calcification.

Effects of graft compositions on hematopoietic reconstitution and graft-versus-host disease in related donor peripheral blood stem cell transplantation / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of graft composition on hematopoietic reconstitution and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in HLA-identical related donor peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for hematological malignancies.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The relationship between the number of graft composition and their hematopoietic reconstitution and GVHD in 107 patients with hematological malignancies undergoing HLA-identical related donor PBSCT was retrospectively analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>None of the graft composition numbers had correlation with the time of neutrophil reconstitution. There was a negative correlation between the number of mononuclear cells (MNCs) or CD34+ cells and the time of platelet reconstitution (P < 0.05) with the absolute correlation coefficients below 0.4, and so did between the number of CD34+ or CD34+ CD38- cells and the development of acute GVHD (P < 0.05) and their absolute correlation coefficients. Each lymphocyte subset number had no correlation with acute GVHD. There was a positive correlation between the number of CD25+ CD4+, CD3+ or CD4+ CD3+ cells or CD4+ /CD8+ ratio and the development of chronic GVHD (P < 0.05). And the correlation coefficients all exceeded 0.4, more over, CD25+ CD4+ cells number reached up to 0.78. CD34+, CD34+ CD38- cells number had no correlation with chronic GVHD.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In HLA-identical related donor PBSCT, further increasing infused MNC, CD34+, CD34+ CD38- cells can no more accelerated hematopoietic reconstitution after these cells attained their threshold values, otherwise the incidence of cGVHD might increase due to the increase of the accompanied lymphocytes.</p>

A convenient and stereoselective synthesis of (Z)-allyl selenides via Sm/TMSCl system-promoted coupling of Baylis-Hillman adducts with diselenides / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

A simple and convenient procedure for stereoselective synthesis of (Z)-allyl selenides has been developed by a one-pot reaction of diselenides with Baylis-Hillman adducts in the presence of samarium metal-trimethylsilyl chloride under mild conditions. Presumably, the diselenides are cleaved by Sm/TMSCl system to form selenide anions, which then undergo S(N)2' substitution of Baylis-Hillman adducts to produce the (Z)-allyl selenides.

Study on the reactions of azo compounds with acyl halides mediated by Sm/TiCl4 / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Amides can be obtained in good to excellent yield by Sm/TiCl(4) mediated reductive cleavage of N=N bond in azo compounds and successive acylation in one pot. It offers an alternative method for the synthesis of amides from very simple starting materials directly.

Remarkable rate acceleration of SmI3-mediated iodination of acetates of Baylis-Hillman adducts in ionic liquid: facile synthesis of (Z)-allyl iodides / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Stereoselective transformation of Baylis-Hillman acetates 1 into corresponding (Z)-allyl iodides 2 has been achieved by treatment of 1 with samarium triiodide in THF. Remarkable rate acceleration of samarium triiodide-mediated iodination of 1 was found when ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluroborate ([bmim]BF(4)) was used as reaction media in stead of THF. This novel approach proceeds readily at 50 degrees C within a few minutes to afford (Z)-allyl iodides 2 in excellent yields. A mechanism involving stereoselective iodination of the acetates of Baylis-Hillman adducts by samarium triiodide is described, in which a six-membered ring transition state played a key role in the stereoselective formation of 2.