Aspercitrininone A, novel antibacterial polyketide featuring unusual spiral skeleton from Aspergillus cristatus.

Aspercitrininone A (1), a novel polyketide featuring an unprecedented tetracyclic 6/6/6/5 spiral skeleton, was obtained from the rice fermentation cultures of the fungus Aspergillus cristatus together with five known compounds (2-6). Their structures were determined by HRESIMS data, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Aspercitrininone A was revealed as a new type of C/D cycle spiral structure and an unusual addition product of o-quinoid form citrinin with 2-methylterrefuranone. Compounds 1, 4, and 5 exhibited potent antibacterial activities with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values from 13.2 to 67.3 µg/mL against four strains of human pathogenic bacteria in vitro.

Tumor microenvironment-initiated lipid redox cycling for efficient triple-negative breast cancer therapy.

The use of overwhelming reactive oxygen species (ROS) attack has shown great potential for treating aggressive malignancies; however, targeting this process for further applications is greatly hindered by inefficiency and low selectivity. Here, a novel strategy for ROS explosion induced by tumor microenvironment-initiated lipid redox cycling was proposed, which was developed by using soybean phosphatidylcholine (SPC) to encapsulate lactate oxidase (LOX) and sorafenib (SRF) self-assembled nanoparticles (NPs), named LOX/SRF@Lip. SPC is not only the delivery carrier but an unsaturated lipid supplement for ROS explosion. And LOX catalyzes excessive intratumoral lactate to promote the accumulation of large amounts of H2O2. Then, H2O2 reacts with excessive endogenous iron ions to generate amounts of hydroxyl radical for the initiation of SPC peroxidation. Once started, the reaction will proceed via propagation to form new lipid peroxides (LPO), resulting to devastating LPO explosion and widespread oxidative damage in tumor cells. Furthermore, SRF makes contribution to mass LPO accumulation by inhibiting LPO elimination. Compared to normal tissue, tumor tissue has higher levels of lactate and iron ions. Therefore, LOX/SRF@Lip shows low toxicity in normal tissues, but generates efficient inhibition on tumor proliferation and metastasis, enabling excellent and safe tumor-specific therapy. This work offers new ideas on how to magnify anticancer effect of ROS through rational nanosystem design and tumor-specific microenvironment utilization.

Four-dimensional mapping of dynamic longitudinal brain subcortical development and early learning functions in infants.

Brain subcortical structures are paramount in many cognitive functions and their aberrations during infancy are predisposed to various neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, making it highly essential to characterize the early subcortical normative growth patterns. This study investigates the volumetric development and surface area expansion of six subcortical structures and their associations with Mullen scales of early learning by leveraging 513 high-resolution longitudinal MRI scans within the first two postnatal years. Results show that (1) each subcortical structure (except for the amygdala with an approximately linear increase) undergoes rapid nonlinear volumetric growth after birth, which slows down at a structure-specific age with bilaterally similar developmental patterns; (2) Subcortical local area expansion reveals structure-specific and spatiotemporally heterogeneous patterns; (3) Positive associations between thalamus and both receptive and expressive languages and between caudate and putamen and fine motor are revealed. This study advances our understanding of the dynamic early subcortical developmental patterns.

Analysis of Suitable Processing Time of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata Processed with Amomi Fructus and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the relative content changes of differential metabolites and reducing sugars during the processing process of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata （RRP） processed with Amomi Fructus （AF） and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium （CRP）， and to lay the foundation for revealing the processing principle of this characteristic variety. MethodThe samples of the 0-54 h processing process of RRP processed with AF and CRP were taken as the research object， and their secondary metabolites were detected by ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）. The 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution （A）-acetonitrile （B） was used as the mobile phase for gradient elution （0-1 min， 1%-3%B； 1-10 min， 3%-9%B； 10-15 min， 9%-12%B； 15-22 min， 12%-18%B； 22-31 min， 18%-24%B； 31-35 min， 24%-100%B； 35-36 min， 100%-5%B； 36-40 min， 5%-1%B； 40-45 min， 1%B）， column temperature was 40 ℃， injection volume was 3 μL， flow rate was 0.3 mL·min-1. Electrospray ionization （ESI） was used to scan and collect MS data in the negative ion mode， the scanning range was m/z 50-1 250. Data analysis was carried out using PeakView 1.2 software， and the chemical composition of RRP processed with AF and CRP was identified by combining the literature information and chemical composition databases. The MS data were normalized by MarkerView 1.2， and then the multivariate statistical analysis was applied to screen the differential metabolites， and the changes of the relative contents of the differential metabolites with different processing times was analyzed， finally， correlation analysis was performed between the differential metabolites， the change of the reducing sugar content was combined to determine the most suitable processing time of RRP processed with AF and CRP. ResultA total of 121 compounds were identified from RRP processed with AF and CRP at different processing times， and 12 differential metabolites were screened out by multivariate statistical analysis， including catalpol， hesperidin， isoacteoside， acteoside， narirutin， echinacoside， isomartynoside， decaffeoylacteoside， 6-O-E-feruloylajugol， dihydroxy-7-O-neohesperidin， jionoside D， and rehmapicroside. With the prolongation of processing time， the relative contents of these 12 differential metabolites and reducing sugars changed slightly at 52-54 h. ConclusionUPLC-Q-TOF-MS can comprehensively and accurately identify the chemical constituents of RRP processed with AF and CRP at different processing times， and the suitable processing time of 52-54 h is determined according to the content changes of different metabolites and reducing sugars， which provides a basis for revealing the scientific connotation of the processing principle of this variety.

[Effect of Land Use/Land Cover Change on the Concentration of Se and Heavy Metals in Soils from a "Return Cropland to Forest" Area, Southwest China].

Human activities (land use) and environmental change (land cover change) affect the concentration of Se and heavy metals in soils. The implementation of the "Return Cropland to Forest (RCF)" ecological project has changed the land use and cover, which has provided an ideal experimental area for studying the effects of land use and cover change on selenium (Se) and heavy metals in the soil. In this study, 91 top soil samples from different land use and land cover types, including dry land, paddy land, natural forest land, and secondary forest land, were collected, and the contents of Se, heavy metals, and soil organic matter (SOM) and pH were analyzed. The results showed that:① the average values of ω(Se) (0.42×10-6), ω(As) (13.0×10-6), and ω(Sb) (1.03×10-6) were higher than the soil background values of western Chongqing. ② The concentrations of Se, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn in soils from secondary forest land were significantly higher than those from dry land soils, suggesting that the Se and heavy metals might have significantly increased in the surface soil after the implementation of the RCF ecological project. ③ The SOM was the key controlling factor for the enrichment and distribution of Se and heavy metals in the top soils. Our results indicated that the land use and land cover change would deeply impact the concentrations of Se and heavy metals in the top soils via influencing the soil properties, especially the SOM.

[Exploration of nanofiltration conditions for separation of alcohol precipitation liquid during preparation of Reduning Injection by Box-Behnken design combined with flux attenuation].

This study employed Box-Behnken design combined with flux attenuation to explore the nanofiltration conditions for separation of alcohol precipitation liquid during the preparation of Reduning Injection and discussed the applicability of nanofiltration in the separation of the liquid with high-concentration ethanol. The effects of nanofiltration molecular weight cut-off(MWCO) and pH on the rejection of chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were consistent with the principles of pore size sieving and charge effect, respectively. The rejection of the three phenolic acids was reduced by concentration polarization effect caused by trans-membrane pressure(TMP). The swelling of membrane surface decreased the pore size and membrane flux for effective separation. Chlorogenic acid and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were more sensitive to pH and ethanol concentration than 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid. A certain correlation existed between the compound structure and the separation factors of nanofiltration, and the separation rules were associated with the comprehensive effect of charge effect, pore size sieving, concentration polarization, steric hindrance and so on.

Exploration of nanofiltration conditions for separation of alcohol precipitation liquid during preparation of Reduning Injection by Box-Behnken design combined with flux attenuation / 中国中药杂志

This study employed Box-Behnken design combined with flux attenuation to explore the nanofiltration conditions for separation of alcohol precipitation liquid during the preparation of Reduning Injection and discussed the applicability of nanofiltration in the separation of the liquid with high-concentration ethanol. The effects of nanofiltration molecular weight cut-off(MWCO) and pH on the rejection of chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were consistent with the principles of pore size sieving and charge effect, respectively. The rejection of the three phenolic acids was reduced by concentration polarization effect caused by trans-membrane pressure(TMP). The swelling of membrane surface decreased the pore size and membrane flux for effective separation. Chlorogenic acid and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were more sensitive to pH and ethanol concentration than 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid. A certain correlation existed between the compound structure and the separation factors of nanofiltration, and the separation rules were associated with the comprehensive effect of charge effect, pore size sieving, concentration polarization, steric hindrance and so on.

A Harmless-Harmful Switchable and Uninterrupted Laccase-Instructed Killer for Activatable Chemodynamic Therapy.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) employs Fenton catalysts to kill cancer cells by converting intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) into hydroxyl radicals (OH•). Although many studies on H2 O2 supplementation have been conducted to improve the therapeutic effect of CDT, few studies have focused on the application of superoxide radical (O2 -• ) in CDT, which may result in better efficacy. A major concern about O2 -• -mediated CDT is its tendency to induce serious oxidative damage to normal tissues, which may be addressed by using a degradable O2 -• scavenger. Here, a harmless-harmful switchable and uninterrupted laccase (LAC)-instructed killer (HULK) is constructed, which is the first CDT agent accelerated by LAC-instructed O2 -• generation and possesses a harmless-harmful switchable effect because of the photodegradation of the O2 -• scavenger iron-chlorin e6 (FeCe6). LAC-instructed substrate oxidation effectively catalyzes O2 -• production with the help of intracellular reduction, thereby promoting the conversion of Fe3+ to Fe2+ , accelerating the generation of OH•, and inducing tumor cell apoptosis and necrosis. The introduced O2 -• scavenger FeCe6 is quickly photodegraded during irradiation, while LAC-instructed O2 -• generation proceeds as before, resulting in activatable CDT. This work not only provides the first strategy for LAC-instructed O2 -• generation but also presents new insight into activatable CDT.

Selenium uptake and simultaneous catalysis of sulfite oxidation in ammonia-based desulfurization.

Accelerating the (NH4)2SO3 oxidation gives rise to the reclaiming of byproduct, while there are secondary environmental risks from reduction of the coexisted selenium species by sulfite. In this study, a bi-functional Co-SBA-15-SH, were synthesized through Co impregnation and sulfhydryl (-SH) decoration, which can simultaneously uptake Se and accelerate sulfite oxidation efficiently. Meanwhile, the adsorption kinetics and migration mechanism of Se species were revealed through characterization and density functional calculations, with maximum adsorption capacity of 223 mg/g. The inhibition of Se0 re-emission and poisonous effect of Se on sulfite oxidation was also investigated. Using the findings of this study, the ammonia desulfurization can be improved by enabling purification of the byproduct and lowering the toxicity of effluent by removing toxic pollutants.

Technical Note: Evaluation of audiovisual biofeedback smartphone application for respiratory monitoring in radiation oncology.

PURPOSE: Radiation dose delivered to targets located near the upper abdomen or thorax are significantly affected by respiratory motion, necessitating large margins, limiting dose escalation. Surrogate motion management devices, such as the Real-time Position Management (RPM™) system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA), are commonly used to improve normal tissue sparing. Alternative to current solutions, we have developed and evaluated the feasibility of a real-time position management system that leverages the motion data from the onboard hardware of Apple iOS devices to provide patients with visual coaching with the potential to improve the reproducibility of breathing as well as improve patient compliance and reduce treatment delivery time. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The iOS application, coined the Instant Respiratory Feedback (IRF) system, was developed in Swift (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA) using the Core-Motion library and implemented on an Apple iPhone® devices. Operation requires an iPhone®, a three-dimensional printed arm, and a radiolucent projector screen system for feedback. Direct comparison between IRF, which leverages sensor fusion data from the iPhone®, and RPM™, an optical-based system, was performed on multiple respiratory motion phantoms and volunteers. The IRF system and RPM™ camera tracking marker were placed on the same location allowing for simultaneous data acquisition. The IRF surrogate measurement of displacement was compared to the signal trace acquired using RPM™ with univariate linear regressions and Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: Periodic motion shows excellent agreement between both systems, and subject motion shows good agreement during regular and irregular breathing motion. Comparison of IRF and RPM™ show very similar signal traces that were significantly related across all phantoms, including those motion with different amplitude and frequency, and subjects' waveforms (all r > 0.9, P < 0.0001). We demonstrate the feasibility of performing four-dimensional cone beam computed tomography using IRF which provided similar image quality as RPM™ when reconstructing dynamic motion phantom images. CONCLUSIONS: Feasibility of an iOS application to provide real-time respiratory motion is demonstrated. This system generated comparable signal traces to a commercially available system and offers an alternative method to monitor respiratory motion.

[An ecological stoichiometry model based on the size of Nitraria tangutorum]. / 基于白刺个体大小的生态化学计量模型.

Ecological stoichiometry provides a new method for understanding the characteristics, driving forces and mechanisms of C, N and P coupled cycles. However, there are few reports on the variation in ecological stoichiometry of plants during their growth. In this study, we fitted the total elemental mass of different module based on the size of Nitraria tangutorum, and derived the ecological stoichiometry models of different module and whole ramet by measuring the biomass and nutrient concentrations of the current-year stems in 2017, 2-year-old stems, more than 2-year-old stems, leaves, roots and layerings of N. tangutorum ramet. Our results showed that the derivation model could well reflect the changes in ecological stoichiometry during plant growth. The old stems and the layering had higher N:P and C:P, while leaves,current-year stems, and roots had lower N:P and C:P. The whole plant nutrient elements cumulative rate was P:N:C during the growth process. These results were consistent with the growth rate hypothesis and allometric theory, and provide evidence for nutrient reabsorption. This model could be used as an effective way to analyze the dynamic characteristics of elements in plant growth.

Inhibition of breast cancer proliferation and metastasis by strengthening host immunity with a prolonged oxygen-generating phototherapy hydrogel.

Hypoxia is a potent tumor microenvironmental (TME) factor promoting immunosuppression and metastatic progression. For current anticancer therapeutic strategies, the combination of hypoxia alleviation and photodynamic therapy (PDT) might be a useful approach to further improve anticancer efficacy. In this study, we alleviated tumor hypoxia using a prolonged oxygen-generating phototherapy hydrogel (POP-Gel), which effectively elevated the oxygen level and shrank the hypoxic regions of tumors for up to 5 days evaluated by photoacoustic (PA) imaging and immunofluorescence staining, meeting the requirement of the "once injection, sustained treatment" strategy and significantly increasing PDT efficacy. The long-period improvement of the tumor hostile environment downregulated the expression of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), further preventing tumor growth and metastasis. More importantly, the enhanced PDT triggered a more intense immune response, improving the inhibition of triple negative breast cancer growth even tumor elimination. The POP-Gel may contribute useful insights into the combination of hypoxia alleviation and PDT.

Toxicology studies of furosine in vitro/in vivo and exploration of the related mechanism.

AIM: Furosine is one of the Maillard reaction products (MRPs) and is found in a variety of heat-processed food. Yet its toxicity is still unclear. The present study was designed to assess furosine toxicity in cell models and in CD-1 mice, respectively. METHODS: In vitro, the effects of furosine on the cell viability, cell cycle and apoptosis (Hek293, HepG2, SK-N-SH and Caco2) were detected and evaluated, sensitive cell lines and proper dosage of furosine for further animal experiment were determined, and the mechanisms of toxicity were explored. In vivo, the acute toxicity studieswere performed, organ index, hematology parameters, functions of liver/kidney and pathological changes were detected and the target organs were uncovered. RESULTS: Hek293 cells and HepG2 cells were themost sensitive to furosine with respect to cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Furosine inhibited mice weight gain, and affected the functions of liver and kidney. CONCLUSIONS: Furosine posed toxic effects on mice liver and kidney, suggested thatthey were the target organs for furosine toxicity. This study for the first time provides evidence that high dosages of furosine pose adverse biological effects on the health of animals through induction of cell apoptosis and activation of inflammatory necrosis response.

Chinese herbal medicine Euphorbia esula extract induces apoptosis and inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of multidrug resistant gastric carcinoma cells / 生物医学工程学杂志

This paper aims to study the effects of traditional Chinese medicine on multidrug resistant human gastric cancer cells in the cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis, and to study the apoptosis-inducing pathway. Different dilutions of extract were used to process human multidrug resistant gastric cancer SGC7901/ADR cells. Cell proliferation inhibition phenomenon was determined by MTT experiment. Nuclear morphological changes of apoptotic cells and apoptotic indexes were observed and determined by Hochest33528 staining followed with fluorescence microscope observing. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis rate. Cell migration and invasion ability were observed and determined by Transwell method. Spectrophotometry was used to detect caspase-3 and caspase-9 enzyme activity. Western blotting was used to detect subcellular distribution of cytochrome c. The results showed that extract had obvious inhibition effect on proliferation of gastric cancer multidrug resistant SGC7901/ADR cells, which was time- and concentration-dependent. After processing multidrug resistant gastric cancer SGC7901/ADR cells with extract, the apoptotic index and apoptosis rate were significantly increased than those in the control group, which showed a time- and dose-dependent mode; but if a caspase inhibitor was added, apoptosis index was not obviously increased. Transwell method showed that migration and invasion ability of the extract-processed SGC7901/ADR cells dropped significantly. Spectrophotometry showed that in extract-processed SGC7901/ADR cells, caspase-3 and caspase-9 expression were increased, which had significant differences with the control group. Western blotting test showed that the distribution of cytochrome c decreased in mitochondria, while increased in the cytoplasm (i.e., cytochrome c escaped from mitochondria to the cytoplasm). In conclusion, extract could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion, and induce apoptosis in human gastric cancer multidrug resistant SGC7901/ADR cells; and cytochrome c, caspase-9 and caspase-3 might be involved in cell apoptosis induced by extract, suggesting endogenous or mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Pixel response-based EPID dosimetry for patient specific QA.

Increasing use of high dose rate, flattening filter free (FFF), and/or small-sized field beams presents a significant challenge to the medical physics community. In this work, we develop a strategy of using a high spatial resolution and high frame rate amorphous silicon flat panel electronic portal imaging device (EPID) for dosimetric measurements of these challenging cases, as well as for conventional external beam therapy. To convert a series of raw EPID-measured radiation field images into water-based dose distribution, a pixel-to-pixel dose-response function of the EPID specific to the linac is essential. The response function was obtained by using a Monte Carlo simulation of the photon transport in the EPID with a comprehensive calibration. After the raw image was converted into the primary incident photon fluence, the fluence was further convolved into a water-based dose distribution of the dynamic field by using a pregenerated pencil-beam kernel. The EPID-based dosimetric measurement technique was validated using beams with and without flattening filter of all energies available in Varian TrueBeam STx™. Both regularly and irregularly shaped fields measured using a PTW 729 ion chamber array in plastic water phantom. The technique was also applied to measure the distribution for a total of 23 treatment plans of different energies to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed approach. The EPID measurements of square fields of 4 × 4 cm2 to 20 × 20 cm2, circular fields of 2-15 cm diameters, rectangular fields of various sizes, and irregular MLC fields were in accordance with measurements using a Farmer chamber and/or ion chamber array. The 2D absolute dose maps generated from EPID raw images agreed with ion chamber measurements to within 1.5% for all fields. For the 23 patient cases examined in this work, the average γ-index passing rate were found to be 99.2 ± 0.6%, 97.4 ± 2.4%, and 72.6 ± 8.4%, respectively, for criterions of 3 mm/3%, 2 mm/2%, and 1 mm/1%. The high spatial resolution and high frame rate EPID provides an accurate and efficient dosimetric tool for QA of modern radiation therapy. Accurate absolute 2D dose maps can be generated from the system for an independent dosimetric verification of treatment delivery.

Curcumin-coordinated nanoparticles with improved stability for reactive oxygen species-responsive drug delivery in lung cancer therapy.

BACKGROUND: The natural compound curcumin (Cur) can regulate growth inhibition and apoptosis in various cancer cell lines, although its clinical applications are restricted by extreme water insolubility and instability. To overcome these hurdles, we fabricated a Cur-coordinated reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive nanoparticle using the interaction between boronic acid and Cur. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We synthesized a highly biocompatible 4-(hydroxymethyl) phenylboronic acid (HPBA)-modified poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-grafted poly(acrylic acid) polymer (PPH) and fabricated a Cur-coordinated ROS-responsive nanoparticle (denoted by PPHC) based on the interaction between boronic acid and Cur. The mean diameter of the Cur-coordinated PPHC nanoparticle was 163.8 nm and its zeta potential was -0.31 mV. The Cur-coordinated PPHC nanoparticle improved Cur stability in physiological environment and could timely release Cur in response to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). PPHC nanoparticles demonstrated potent antiproliferative effect in vitro in A549 cancer cells. Furthermore, the viability of cells treated with PPHC nanoparticles was significantly increased in the presence of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), which blocks Cur release through ROS inhibition. Simultaneously, the ROS level measured in A549 cells after incubation with PPHC nanoparticles exhibited an obvious downregulation, which further proved that ROS depression indeed influenced the therapeutic effect of Cur in PPHC nanoparticles. Moreover, pretreatment with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) significantly impaired the cytotoxic effect of Cur in A549 cells in vitro while causing less damage to the activity of Cur in PPHC nanoparticle. CONCLUSION: The Cur-coordinated nanoparticles developed in this study improved Cur stability, which could further release Cur in a ROS-dependent manner in cancer cells.

Scintillating balloon-enabled fiber-optic system for radionuclide imaging of atherosclerotic plaques.

UNLABELLED: Atherosclerosis underlies coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. Detection of coronary plaque inflammation remains challenging. In this study, we developed a scintillating balloon-enabled fiber-optic radionuclide imaging (SBRI) system to improve the sensitivity and resolution of plaque imaging using (18)F-FDG, a marker of vascular inflammation, and tested it in a murine model. METHODS: The fiber-optic system uses a Complementary Metal-Oxide Silicon (CMOS) camera with a distal ferrule terminated with a wide-angle lens. The novelty of this system is a scintillating balloon in the front of the wide-angle lens to image light from the decay of (18)F-FDG emission signal. To identify the optimal scintillating materials with respect to resolution, we calculated the modulation transfer function of yttrium-aluminum-garnet doped with cerium, anthracene, and calcium fluoride doped with europium (CaF2:Eu) phosphors using an edge pattern and a thin-line optical phantom. The scintillating balloon was then fabricated from 10 mL of silicone RTV catalyst mixed with 1 mL of base and 50 mg of CaF2:Eu per mL. The addition of a lutetium oxyorthosilicate scintillating crystal (500 µm thick) to the balloon was also investigated. The SBRI system was tested in a murine atherosclerosis model: carotid-ligated mice (n = 5) were injected with (18)F-FDG, followed by ex vivo imaging of the macrophage-rich carotid plaques and nonligated controls. Confirmatory imaging of carotid plaques and controls was also performed by an external optical imaging system and autoradiography. RESULTS: Analyses of the different phosphors showed that CaF2:Eu enabled the best resolution of 1.2 µm. The SBRI system detected almost a 4-fold-higher radioluminescence signal from the ligated left carotid artery than the nonligated right carotid: 1.63 × 10(2) ± 4.01 × 10(1) vs. 4.21 × 10(1) ± 2.09 × 10(0) (photon counts), P = 0.006. We found no significant benefit to adding a scintillating crystal to the balloon: 1.65 × 10(2) ± 4.07 × 10(1) vs. 4.44 × 10(1) ± 2.17 × 10(0) (photon counts), P = 0.005. Both external optical imaging and autoradiography confirmed the high signal from the (18)F-FDG in carotid plaques versus controls. CONCLUSION: This SBRI system provides high-resolution and sensitive detection of (18)F-FDG uptake by murine atherosclerotic plaques.

[Ti-AI intermetallic compound membrane refining Chinese medicinal materials extract].

OBJECTIVE: To preliminarily evaluate the refining effect on Chinese medicinal materials extract using the microfiltration membrane of Ti-A1 intermetallic compound. METHODS: Conduct a series of microfiltration experiments on the extract of several commonly used Chinese medicinal materials (Nelumubinis Plumula and Eucommiae Folium)and compound preparation of Baihuasandi. Then, analyze the changes of traits, total solid and index components before and after filtring. RESULTS: After two stages (10 microm and 30 microm) of membrane micro-filtring, the total solid removal rates of Nelumubinis Plumula were 1.2% and 22.66%, and the remaining rates of neferine were 97.56% and 95.12%; The total solid removal rates of Eucommiae Folium were 1.2% and 22.66%, and the remaining rates of caffeotannic acid were 95.50% and 87.28%; The totalsolid removal rates of Baihuasandi were 11.09% and 14.29%, and the remaining rates of quercetin were 98.58% and 95.43%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Microfiltration membrane technique utilizing the Ti-Al intermetallic compound has a good effect in refining Chinese medicinal materials extract.

Resources and application of She's nationality wild medicinal plants / 中国中药杂志

To make a thorough investigation of the common She's nationality wild medicinal plants resources in our country, including the species, the distribution, the folk application and the endemic medicinal plant species, Field surveyed was conducted with 25 She people mainly lived area (county, district or city) throughout the country, the folk prescription and treatment cases provided by She's medical personnel, the drug usage and dosage, the commonly used traditional She's medicine and drug samples were collected. And the distribution, growing environment of these plants were investigated, their characteristics, photographs, GPS data and track were record , and the fresh wax leaf or plants specimens were collected. In total 1 600 varieties of folk medicine of She's nationality, 450 disease names and 1 016 prescriptions were collected. 520 kinds of these medicinal plants were commonly used, growing mainly distributed in the southeastern China, about 200 meters above sea level to 1 500 meters. There are 5 First-Grade State protection wild plants (medicinal), 15 second-Grade State protection wild plants (medicinal), and 11 She characteristic medicinal plants in our study, they belong to 144 families, 312 genera 494 species, 2 subspecies, 17 varieties, 3 forms and 1 cultivated varieties of She's nationality. Folk medicine usage is different from the traditional Chinese medicine and ethnic medicine. This survey finds out the common She's nationality wild medicinal plants resources in China, including the species, the distribution, the folk application and commonly used drugs, and found the rare and endangered medicinal plants and the She's nationality endemic medicinal plants, which provides a basis for further development and use the traditional She's medicine resources.

Screening and taxonomic identification of endophytic fungi with antitumor and antioxidant activities from Artemisia lactiflora / 中国中药杂志

Artemisia lactiflora is an important medicinal plant in China. The antitumor and antioxidant activities of the extracts of 54 endophytic fungi from the plant were screened via MTT assay and DPPH scavenging radical assay, respectively. The bioactive strains were identified based on similarity of 5.8S gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. The results showed that extracts from ten (18.5%) isolates exhibited antitumor activity, and which from two (3.7%) isolates exhibited antioxidant activity. The Alternaria sp. GYBH47 strain was simultaneously having antagonistic activity against HL-60 leukemia, MCF-7 breast and COLO205 colon cell lines, and Phomopsis sp. GYBH42 strain having cytotoxic and antioxidant activities. The results indicated that endophytic fungi from Artemisia lactiflora are potential resources to find valuable bioactive components.