Treatment of particle/gas partitioning using level III fugacity models in a six-compartment system.

In this paper, two level III fugacity models are developed and applied using an environmental system containing six compartments, including air, aerosols, soil, water, suspended particulate matters (SPMs), and sediments, as a "unit world". The first model, assumes equilibrium between air and aerosols and between water and SPMs. These assumptions lead to a four-fugacity model. The second model removes these two assumptions leading to a six-fugacity model. The two models, compared using four PBDE congeners, BDE-28, -99, -153, and -209, with a steady flux of gaseous congeners entering the air, lead to the following conclusions. 1. When the octanol-air partition coefficient (KOA) is less than 1011.4, the two models produce similar results; when KOA > 1011.4, and especially when KOA > 1012.5, the model results diverge significantly. 2. Chemicals are in an imposed equilibrium in the four-fugacity model, but in a steady state and not necessary an equilibrium in the six-fugacity model, between air and aerosols. 3. The results from the six-fugacity model indicate an internally consistent system with chemicals in steady state in all six compartments, whereas the four-fugacity model presents an internally inconsistent system where chemicals are in equilibrium but not a steady state between air and aerosols. 4. Chemicals are mass balanced in air and aerosols predicted by the six-fugacity model but not by the four-fugacity model. If the mass balance in air and aerosols is achieved in the four-fugacity model, the condition of equilibrium between air and aerosols will be no longer valid.

[Bloodletting acupuncture at jing-well points along three-yang meridians of foot combined with acupuncture on migraine:a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic effect of bloodletting acupuncture at jing-well points along three-yang meridians of foot combined with routine acupuncture and simple routine acupuncture on migraine. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with migraine were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one, of which, 4 cases were dropped out in the observation group, 1 case was dropped out in the control group. In the observation group, bloodletting acupuncture at jing-well points combined with routine acupuncture were applied. The bloodletting acupuncture was applied at corresponding jing-well points of three-yang meridians of foot [Lidui (ST 45), Zhiyin (BL 67), Zuqiaoyin (GB 44)] according to pain location. And routine acupuncture was adopted at Sizhukong (TE 23), Shuaigu (GB 8), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Fengchi (GB 20), Hegu (LI 4), Taichong (LR 3), Zulinqi (GB 41), Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Waiguan (TE 5). In the control group, routine acupuncture was applied, acupoint selection and operation were the same as the observation group. The treatment was given once a day, 30 min a time, 5 days as one course with 2 days interval, and 2 courses were required. Before treatment, immediately after needle withdrawal, 4 h after needle withdrawal and after 2 courses of treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score was compared in the two groups. Before and after treatment, the migraine comprehensive score was observed in the two groups, and the therapeutic effect was evaluated. RESULTS: Immediately after needle withdrawal, 4 h after needle withdrawal and after 2 courses of treatment, the VAS scores in the two groups were decreased (P<0.05), the VAS scores immediately after needle withdrawal, 4 h after needle withdrawal and after 2 courses of treatment in the observation group were lower than those in the same time of the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the migraine comprehensive scores in the two groups were decreased (P<0.05), the reducing degree in the observation group was greater than the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate in the observation group was 92.3% (24/26), which was higher than 89.7% (26/29) in the control group, there was no significant difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Bloodletting acupuncture at jing-well points along three-yang meridians of foot combined with routine acupuncture and simple routine acupuncture have analgesic effect, and the combined therapy is superior to simple routine acupuncture.

The occurrence and fate of siloxanes in wastewater treatment plant in Harbin, China.

The occurrence and fate of four cyclic (D3 to D6) and 10 linear (L5 to L14) siloxanes were investigated in influent and effluent wastewater, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and surrounding air and soil within the WWTP in Harbin, Northeast China. The mean concentrations of total siloxanes in influent and effluent were 4780 and 997 ng/L and in excess sludge and aerobic sludge were 25.1 and 32.3 µg/g dw, respectively. The concentrations in air and soil within the WWTP were 243 ng/m(3) and 4960 ng/g dw, respectively. A similar composition profile of siloxanes in influent and sludge suggests their same source. Seasonal variation with concentration was comprehensively studied. It was found that temperature and rainfall are the two important factors for the seasonal variation of siloxanes. Adsorption with sewage sludge was the major way for the removal of siloxanes during the municipal wastewater treatment process. Overall, on a daily basis, the mass loading of the Σsiloxanes into the WWTP, out of the WWTP with the effluent and sludge, were estimated to be 3.0, 0.6 and 1.3 kg, respectively. In general, 21 % of siloxanes were discharged into the receiving body (Songhua River), 43 % of siloxanes were absorbed on sludge, and 36 % of siloxanes were lost during the whole process of WWTP.

The pharmacokinetic study on the mechanism of toxicity attenuation of rhubarb total free anthraquinone oral colon-specific drug delivery system.

Rhubarb is commonly used as laxatives in Asian countries, of which anthraquinones are the major active ingredients, but there are an increased number of concerns regarding the nephrotoxicity of anthraquinones. In this study, we compared the pharmacokinetic characteristics of rhubarb anthraquinones in rats after orally administered with rhubarb and rhubarb total free anthraquinone oral colon-specific drug delivery granules (RTFA-OCDD-GN), and then explained why these granules could reduce the nephrotoxicity of anthraquinones when they produced purgative efficacy. A sensitive and reliable high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been fully validated for simultaneous determination of the five active components of rhubarb, and successfully applied to investigate and compare the remarkable differences in pharmacokinetic study of rhubarb anthraquinones after orally administered with rhubarb and RTFA-OCDD-GN. The results showed that, compared with rhubarb group, the AUC, Cmax, t1/2z and Vz/F of aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin and chrysophanol in rats receiving the RTFA-OCDD-GN were significantly decreased, and the Tmax of the four analytes was prolonged. Moreover, the Tmax of rhein, the Cmax of chrysophanol and emodin all have significant differences (P<0.05). Simultaneously, anthraquinone prototype excretion rates in urine and feces of aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion were all increased. These findings suggested that oral colon-specific drug delivery technology made anthraquinone aglycone to colon-specific release after oral administration. This allowed anthraquinones to not only play the corresponding purgative effect but also avoid intestinal absorption and promote excretion. And thereby greatly reduced the nephrotoxicity of rhubarb. The result is a new breakthrough in rhubarb toxicity attenuated research.

[Simultaneous separation and detection of principal component isomer and related substances of raw material drug of ammonium glycyrrhizinate by RP-HPLC and structure confirmation].

A simple, fast and sensitive analytical method for the simultaneous separation and detection of 18alpha-glycyrrhizinic acid, 18beta-glycyrrhizinic acid, related substance A and related substance B by RP-HPLC and drug quality standard was established. The structures of principal component isomer and related substances of raw material drug of ammonium glycyrrhizinate have been confirmed. Reference European Pharmacopoeia EP7.0 version, British Pharmacopoeia 2012 version, National Drug Standards of China (WS 1-XG-2002), domestic and international interrelated literature were referred to select the composition of mobile phase. The experimental parameters including salt concentration, pH, addition quantities of organic solvent, column temperature and flow rate were optimized. Finally, the assay was conducted on a Durashell-C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with 0.01 mol x mL(-1) ammonium perchlorate (add ammonia to adjust the pH value to 8.2) -methanol (48 : 52) as mobile phase at the flow rate of 0.8 mL x min(-1), and the detection wavelength was set at 254 nm. The column temperature was 50 degrees C and the injection volume was 10 microL. The MS, NMR, UV and RP-HPLC were used to confirm the structures of principal component isomer and related substances of raw material drug of ammonium glycyrrhizinate. Under the optimized separation conditions, the calibration curves of 18 alpha-glycyrrhizinic acid, 18beta-glycyrrhizinic acid, related substance A and related substance B showed good linearity within the concentration of 0.50-100 microg x mL(-1) (r = 0.999 9). The detection limits for 18alpha-glycyrrhizinic acid, 18beta-glycyrrhizinic acid, related substance A and related substance B were 0.15, 0.10, 0.10, 0.15 microg x mL(-1) respectively. The method is sensitive, reproducible and the results are accurate and reliable. It can be used for chiral resolution of 18alpha-glycyrrhizinic acid, 18Pbeta-glycyrrhizinic acid, and detection content of principal component and related substances of raw material drug of ammonium glycyrrhizinate. It is concluded that the separation of principal component isomer of raw material drug of ammonium glycyrrhizinate and the validity of the substance's structure assignments of retention time being 1.2 in the European pharmacopoeia EP7.0 version, British pharmacopoeia 2012 version remains open to question. It may be of practical value for the quality control of raw material drug, preparation, and Chinese herbal medicine of ammonium glycyrrhizinate.