Shotgun metagenomics reveals the gut microbial diversity and functions in Vespa mandarinia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) at multiple life stages.

Wasps play important roles as predators and pollinators in the ecosystem. The Jingpo minority residing in Yunnan Province, China, has a traditional practice of using wine infused with mature wasps as a customary remedy for managing rheumatoid arthritis. The larva of the wasp is also a tasteful folk dish that has created a tremendous market. There is a paucity of survival knowledge, which has greatly restricted their potential applications in food and healthcare. Recent research has highlighted the importance of gut microbiota in insect growth. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the composition, changes, and functions of the gut microbiota in Vespa mandarinia during development. In this research, the gut microbiota were investigated across three growth stages of Vespa mandarinia using a metagenomic technology. The result revealed that there are significant variations in the proportion of main gut microbes during the metamorphosis of Vespa mandarinia. Tenericutes were found to dominate during the larval stage, while Proteobacteria emerged as the dominant group post-pupation. Through a comprehensive analysis of the gut microbiota metagenome, this study revealed functional differences in the wasp gut microbiota at various growth stages. During the larval stage, the gut microbiota plays a central role in promoting metabolism. Following pupation, the gut microbiota exhibited diversified functions, likely due to the complex environments and diverse food sources encountered after metamorphosis. These functions included amino acid metabolism, compound degradation, and defense mechanisms. This research provides an extensive dataset on the gut microbiota during the metamorphosis of Vespa mandarinia, contributing to a deeper understanding of the influence of gut microbiota on wasp growth. Furthermore, this study uncovers a unique microbial treasure within insect guts, which is important for advancing the application of wasps in the fields of food and medicine.

Efficacy and safety of yoga for the management of chronic low back pain: an overview of systematic reviews.

Background: Yoga is a non-pharmacological conservative therapeutic modality that can be employed for the management of chronic low back pain (CLBP). In this overview, we have summarized and evaluated data from current systematic reviews (SRs) on the use of yoga for CLBP. Methods: We comprehensively searched SRs on the use of yoga for CLBP in nine electronic databases from inception to September 2023. The methodological quality was evaluated using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Review Scale-2 (AMSTAR-2). The reporting quality of the included SRs was evaluated using the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis-2020 (PRISMA-2020), and the quality of data was graded using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Two independent researchers performed the screening, data extraction, and quality assessment process of SRs. Results: A total of 13 SRs were included. The results of the AMSTAR-2 indicated that the methodological quality of the included studies was relatively low. The PRISMA-2020 checklist evaluation results indicated that methodological limitations in reporting, especially regarding data processing and presentation, were the main weaknesses. The GRADE assessment indicated that 30 outcomes were rated moderate, 42 were rated low level, and 20 were rated very low level. Downgrading factors were mainly due to the limitations of the included studies. Conclusion: Yoga appears to be an effective and safe non-pharmacological therapeutic modality for the Management of CLBP. Currently, it may exhibit better efficacy in improving pain and functional disability associated with CLBP. However, the methodological quality and quality of evidence for SRs/MAs in the included studies were generally low, and these results should be interpreted cautiously.

[Expert consensus for Jingtong Granules in treatment of cervical radiculopathy in clinical application].

With the effects of activating blood and resolving stasis, and moving Qi to relieve pain, Jingtong Granules is widely used in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy in China. Long-term clinical application and related evidence have shown that the prescription has ideal effect in alleviating the pain in neck, shoulder, and upper limbs, stiffness or scurrying numbness, and scurrying pain caused by this disease. However, there is a lack of consensus on the clinical application of Jingtong Granules. Therefore, clinical first-line experts and methodology experts from all over the country were invited to compile this expert consensus. This expert consensus is expected to guide clinicians to use Jingtong Granules in a standardized and reasonable way, improve clinical efficacy, reduce medication risks, and benefit patients. First, according to the clinical experience of experts and the standard development procedures, the indications, syndrome characteristics, clinical advantages, and possible adverse reactions of Jingtong Granules were summarized. Then, through face-to-face interview of clinical doctors in traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine and survey of the clinical application, the clinical problems were summed up, and the consensus was reached with the nominal group method to form the final clinical problems. Third, evidence retrieval was carried out for the clinical problems, and relevant evidence was evaluated. The GRADE system was employed to rate the quality of evidence. Fourth, 5 recommendation items and 3 consensuses items were summarized with the nominal group method. Opinions and peer reviews on the consensus content were solicited through expert meetings and letter reviews. The final consensus includes the summary of evidence on the clinical indications, effectiveness, and safety of Jingtong Granules, which can serve as a reference for clinicians in hospitals and primary health institutions.

Proliferation Inhibitory Activity of Quinones from Blaps rynchopetera Defense Secretion on Colorectal Tumor Cells.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the proliferation inhibitory effect of quinones from Blaps rynchopetera defense secretion on colorectal tumor cell lines. METHODS: Human colorectal cancer cell HT-29, human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell Caco-2 and normal human colon epithelial cell CCD841 were chosen for the evaluation of inhibitory activity of the main quinones of B. rynchopetera defense secretion, including methyl p-benzoquinone (MBQ), ethyl p-benzoquinone (EBQ), and methyl hydroquinone (MHQ), through methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. The tumor-related factors, cell cycles, related gene expressions and protein levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assy, flow cytometry, RT-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: MBQ, EBQ, and MHQ could significantly inhibit the proliferation of Caco-2, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 7.04 ± 0.88, 10.92 ± 0.32, 9.35 ± 0.83, HT-29, with IC50 values of 14.90 ± 2.71, 20.50 ± 6.37, 13.90 ± 1.30, and CCD841, with IC50 values of 11.40 ± 0.68, 7.02 ± 0.44 and 7.83 ± 0.05 µg/mL, respectively. Tested quinones can reduce the expression of tumor-related factors tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin (IL)-10, and IL-6 in HT-29 cells, selectively promote apoptosis, and regulate the cell cycle which can reduce the proportion of cells in the G1 phase and increase the proportion of the S phase. Meanwhile, tested quinones could up-regulate mRNA and protein expression of GSK-3ß and APC, while down-regulate that of ß-catenin, Frizzled1, c-Myc, and CyclinD1 in the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway of HT-29 cells. CONCLUSION: Quinones from B. rynchopetera defense secretion could inhibit the proliferation of colorectal tumor cells and reduce the expression of related factors, which would be functioned by regulating cell cycle, selectively promoting apoptosis, and affecting Wnt/ß-catenin pathway-related mRNA and protein expressions.

Efficacy and safety of Yaobitong capsule for acute lumbar disc herniation: A protocol for a multi-center randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: There are few effective conservative therapies for acute lumbar disc herniation (LDH), and the choice of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is not recommended for all patients. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of Yaobitong capsule with celecoxib capsule, and to further confirm the safety and efficacy of Yaobitong capsule. METHODS: This study is a large sample multicenter randomized controlled trial. Eight hospitals served as sub centers to recruit patients. A total of 258 patients are divided into Yaobitong group and celecoxib group according to the ratio of 1:1. Celecoxib or Yaobitong capsule was taken orally for 14 days. Patients will complete the trial after 3 months of follow-up, and independent statisticians who are blinded to random assignment will analyze the data using SAS 9.3 software. The primary outcome was the visual analogue scale (VAS) score after 14 days of treatment, and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and SF-12 will be regarded as secondary outcomes. Safety indexes will be recorded before and after treatment, and adverse events (AEs) will be recorded throughout this trial. DISCUSSION: This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yaobitong capsule in treating LDH. The experimental results will provide evidence support to treat LDH with Yaobitong capsule.

[Research progress in mechanism of Chinese herbal compounds and monomers in delaying lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration].

Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in the treatment of degenerative bone and joint diseases, and its widely used in clinical practice. In recent years, many scholars have conducted a large number of basic studies on the delay of intervertebral disc degeneration by herbal compound and monomeric components from different perspectives. In order to further elucidate its mechanism of action, this paper summarizes the in vivo and in vitro experimental studies conducted at the level of both herbal compound and single components, respectively, in order to provide references for the basic research on the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration by Chinese medicine. A summary shows that commonly used herbal compound prescriptions include both classical prescriptions such as Duhuo Jisheng Decoction, as well as clinical experience prescriptions such as Yiqi Huoxue Recipe. Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix, and Eucommiae Cortex were used most frequently. Tonic for deficiency and blood stasis activators were used most frequently. The most utilized monomeric components include icariin, ginsenoside Re, salvianolic acid B and aucubin. The main molecular mechanisms by which herbal compound and monomeric components delay of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration include improving the intervertebral disc microenvironment, promoting the synthesis of aggregated proteoglycans and type Ⅱ collagen in the intervertebral disc, reducing the degradation of the extracellular matrix, and inhibiting apoptosis in the nucleus pulposus cells, etc. The main signaling pathways involved include Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, MAPK-related signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway, Fas/FasL signaling pathway, PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, JAK/STAT signaling pathway, and hedgehog signaling pathway, etc.

Acupotomy combined with massage for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) is a clinical syndrome of radial neck and shoulder pain. Both Massage and Acupotomy have been widely used in the treatment of CSR, in China and achieved satisfied efficacy. Therefore, the aim of this study is to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupotomy combined with massage in the treatment of CSR. METHODS: The following electronic databases will be searched: PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Cochrane Library, Embase, SinoMed, Clinical Trials. gov, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, and VIP database. Two review authors independently search databases from their respective inception dates to September 2019 to identify potentially eligible studies. Cochrane Handbook 5.1 risk of bias assessment tool will be used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. The Review Manager 5.3 will be used for all statistical analysis of the final included study. RESULTS: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis will provide a synthesis of existing evidences for the treatment of acupotomy combined with massage on CSR, especially in improving visual analog scale and symptom score. CONCLUSION: This study will summarize the current evidence of acupotomy combined with massage for the treatment of CSR. This study can further guide the promotion and clinical decisions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval and patient consent are not required because this study is a literature-based study. This systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020171825.

[Meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of Qingjin Huatan Decoction for treating community-acquired pneumonia in elderly].

To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of modified Qingjin Huatan Decoction in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly, and provide evidence-based reference for the clinical application of this prescription. Randomized controlled trials of Qingjin Huatan Decoction in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly were collected by searching PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, China Biomedical Literature database, VIP database and WanFang database. Outcome indicators included clinical effective rate, inflammation index, symptom improvement time, chest radiograph improvement time, hospitalization time and adverse reactions. RevMan 5.3 and Stata/IC 15.1 software were used for Meta-analysis; TSA 0.9.5.10 Beta software was used for trial sequential analysis, and GRADE profiler 3.6 was used for grade evidence quality evaluation. Thirteen studies were included finally, including 1 058 patients, 536 patients in the experimental group and 522 patients in the control group.Meta-analysis showed that, the clinical effective rate of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group(RR=1.16, 95%CI[1.10, 1.21], P<0.000 01); fever time(MD=-1.32, 95%CI[-1.93,-0.71], P<0.000 1), cough time(MD=-1.95, 95%CI[-2.69,-1.21), P<0.000 01), time to rale disappearance(MD=-1.55, 95%CI[-2.37,-0.73], P=0.000 2), time to chest radiograph improvement(MD=-1.72, 95%CI[-2.98,-0.46], P=0.007), and hospitalization time(MD=-3.16, 95%CI[-4.58,-1.74], P<0.000 01) in the experimental group were significantly shorter than those in the control group. The improvement in CRP(WMD=-3.44,95%CI[-4.50,-2.38],P<0.001), WBC(WMD=-2.04,95%CI[-3.31,-0.78],P<0.01), IL-6(WMD=-4.27,95%CI[-4.62,-3.92],P<0.001), and TNF-α(WMD=-0.47,95%CI[-0.55,-0.39], P<0.001) of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group. There was no significant difference in PCT improvement between the two groups(WMD=-0.63, 95%CI[-1.65, 0.40], P=0.23). No serious adverse reactions occurred in both groups. Sequential analysis of the trial showed that in the studies with cumulative inclusion of clinical effective rate, the data passed the traditional threshold and TSA threshold, further confirming its clinical efficacy. GRADE evaluation showed that the evidence level was low to extremely low. Western medicine treatment combined with Qingjin Huatan Decoction may improve clinical efficiency in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly, improve clinical symptoms faster, reduce CRP, WBC and other inflammatory indicators, and shorten hospital stay. The level of evidence obtained in this study is low, which needs to be further verified by high-quality multi-center, randomized controlled trials.

[Efficacy and safety of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction for lumbar disc herniation: systematic review and Meta-analysis].

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation, in order to provide evidence for its clinical application. PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, CBM and Clinical Trials.gov databases were sysmatically retrieved. Two researchers independently searched, screened and extracted data. Randomized controlled trials in line with the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The article quality was assessed with the bias risk tool in the Cochrane Handbook. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. A total of 604 articles were obtained from the retrieval, and 824 patients in 9 studies were finally selected through screening. The course of treatment was about 1 month, and all of the studies were completed in China. Meta-analysis showed that the efficacy of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation was better than that of the control group(RR=1.19, 95%CI[1.12, 1.26], P<0.000 01), including the comparison with Yaotongning Capsules(RR=1.10, 95%CI[1.02, 1.19], P=0.01) and diclofenac sodium tablets(RR=1.26, 95%CI[1.11, 1.44], P=0.000 4). In VAS pain score, Shentong Zhuyu Decoction had also obvious advantages(MD=-3.70, 95%CI[-6.31,-1.09], P=0.005). In addition, the number of adverse events in the Shentong Zhuyu Decoction group was lower than that in the control group. Shentong Zhuyu Decoction can effectively alleviate discomfort symptoms of patients with LDH. It has an obvious clinical efficacy and less adverse reactions. However, restricted by the quality of the included literatures, prospective, multi-center, large-sample-size randomized controlled trials are still needed to further improve the clinical evidence of the effect of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of LDH.

[Study on mechanism of "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" in treatment of lumbar disc herniation based on network pharmacology].

The aim of this paper was to investigate the key targets and mechanism of "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation by means of network pharmacology. The currently recognized databases and analysis software at home and abroad were used to construct the network from drugs and diseases. The chemical components of Epimedii Folium and Paeo-niae Radix Alba were collected by using databases such as TCMSP, while their active components were determined and the action targets were predicted according to threshold screening and literature reports. The genes for lumbar disc herniation were collected by using GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET databases. The drug targets were mapped to disease targets, and protein interaction network analysis for key targets, GO function enrichment analysis and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed. Finally, 23 active components of Epimedium Folium and 13 active components of Paeoniae Radix Alba were determined, and a total of 624 drug targets were obtained. After standardization, 214 drug targets were obtained. In addition, 306, 2 and 5 related targets of lumbar disc herniation were collected from GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET database, respectively, and a total of 293 disease targets were obtained after deduplication. After the mapping of drug target and disease target, 44 common targets were obtained. PPI protein interaction network analysis showed that IL-6, TNF, AKT1, MAPK1, and VEGFA may be the core targets for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. GO enrichment analysis identified 56 items(P<0.05), among which biological processes mainly included immune response, apoptosis, etc.; cell components mainly included extracellular space, extracellular region, etc.; molecular functions mainly included cytokine activity, metallopeptidase activity and so on. Through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, 91 signaling pathways related to inflammation, metabolism, and senescence were identified, mainly including IL-17 signaling pathway and TNF signaling pathway and so on. "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" showed the characteristics of multi-channel and multi-target for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. This study preliminarily explored the key targets for its role and the biological processes and signaling pathways involved. It was found that it may play a therapeutic role by affecting inflammation and immune regulation, which laid the foundation for further experimental verification.

A systematic review and meta-analysis for Chinese herbal medicine Duhuo Jisheng decoction in treatment of lumbar disc herniation: A protocol for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is 1 of the most common diseases in orthopedics, which seriously affects people's daily life and brings a heavy burden on society and families. Chinese herbal medicine has been used in clinical practice for a long time and Duhuo Jisheng Decoction (DHJSD) is believed to help alleviate the symptoms of LDH. This systematic review aims to collect evidences from randomized clinical trials and evaluate the efficacy of DHJSD on LDH in order to provide a reference for clinicians and researchers. METHODS: We will comprehensively search the 8 electronic databases until December 2019 to identify related randomized controlled trials, including 4 foreign databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library) and 4 Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, VIP Database, Wanfang Database and China Biology Medicine disc). The data of the World Health Organization International Clinical Trial Registry Platform and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry also will be searched. The primary outcomes are Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores and visual analog scale scores. The risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. RevMan (V.5.3) software will be used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will report the results of DHJSD for the treatment of LDH from the literature screening, the basic information of the included studies, the risk of bias of the included studies, treatment effects, safety, and so on. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of DHJSD for the treatment of LDH and provide the latest evidence for its clinical application. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This is a literature-based study, therefore it does not require ethical approval. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019147302.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Populus simonii, a medicinal plant for anti-lung cancer activity.

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. It is clinically divided into two types: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Populus simonii distributed in East Asia region including China used as traditional medicine, which is an important medicinal plant for anti-lung cancer activity. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of P. simonii was characterized from Illumina pair-end sequencing. The chloroplast genome of P. simonii was 156,559 bp in length, containing a large single-copy region (LSC) of 84,825 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 47,561 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 16,494 bp. The overall GC content is 36.70%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 34.5%, 30.0%, and 42.0%, respectively. The genome contains 131 complete genes, including 86 protein-coding genes (68 protein-coding gene species), 37 tRNA genes (29 tRNA species), and 8 rRNA genes (4 rRNA species). The neighbour-joining phylogenetic analysis showed that P. simonii and P. qamdoensis clustered together as sisters to other Populus species.

Meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of Qingjin Huatan Decoction for treating community-acquired pneumonia in elderly / 中国中药杂志

To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of modified Qingjin Huatan Decoction in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly, and provide evidence-based reference for the clinical application of this prescription. Randomized controlled trials of Qingjin Huatan Decoction in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly were collected by searching PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, China Biomedical Literature database, VIP database and WanFang database. Outcome indicators included clinical effective rate, inflammation index, symptom improvement time, chest radiograph improvement time, hospitalization time and adverse reactions. RevMan 5.3 and Stata/IC 15.1 software were used for Meta-analysis; TSA 0.9.5.10 Beta software was used for trial sequential analysis, and GRADE profiler 3.6 was used for grade evidence quality evaluation. Thirteen studies were included finally, including 1 058 patients, 536 patients in the experimental group and 522 patients in the control group.Meta-analysis showed that, the clinical effective rate of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group(RR=1.16, 95%CI[1.10, 1.21], P<0.000 01); fever time(MD=-1.32, 95%CI[-1.93,-0.71], P<0.000 1), cough time(MD=-1.95, 95%CI[-2.69,-1.21), P<0.000 01), time to rale disappearance(MD=-1.55, 95%CI[-2.37,-0.73], P=0.000 2), time to chest radiograph improvement(MD=-1.72, 95%CI[-2.98,-0.46], P=0.007), and hospitalization time(MD=-3.16, 95%CI[-4.58,-1.74], P<0.000 01) in the experimental group were significantly shorter than those in the control group. The improvement in CRP(WMD=-3.44,95%CI[-4.50,-2.38],P<0.001), WBC(WMD=-2.04,95%CI[-3.31,-0.78],P<0.01), IL-6(WMD=-4.27,95%CI[-4.62,-3.92],P<0.001), and TNF-α(WMD=-0.47,95%CI[-0.55,-0.39], P<0.001) of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group. There was no significant difference in PCT improvement between the two groups(WMD=-0.63, 95%CI[-1.65, 0.40], P=0.23). No serious adverse reactions occurred in both groups. Sequential analysis of the trial showed that in the studies with cumulative inclusion of clinical effective rate, the data passed the traditional threshold and TSA threshold, further confirming its clinical efficacy. GRADE evaluation showed that the evidence level was low to extremely low. Western medicine treatment combined with Qingjin Huatan Decoction may improve clinical efficiency in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly, improve clinical symptoms faster, reduce CRP, WBC and other inflammatory indicators, and shorten hospital stay. The level of evidence obtained in this study is low, which needs to be further verified by high-quality multi-center, randomized controlled trials.

Study on variation trend of repetitive nerve stimulation waveform in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease involving both upper and lower motor neurons with no effective cure. Electrophysiological studies have found decremental responses during low-frequency repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS) except for diffused neurogenic activities. However, the difference between ALS and generalized myasthenia gravis (GMG) in terms of waveform features is unclear. In the current study, we explored the variation trend of the amplitudes curve between ALS and GMG with low-frequency, positive RNS, and the possible mechanism is discussed preliminarily. METHODS: A total of 85 ALS patients and 41 GMG patients were recruited. All patients were from Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) between July 1, 2012 and February 28, 2015. RNS study included ulnar nerve, accessory nerve and facial nerve at 3 Hz and 5 Hz stimulation. The percentage reduction in the amplitude of the fourth or fifth wave from the first wave was calculated and compared with the normal values of our hospital. A 15% decrease in amplitude is defined as a decrease in amplitude. RESULTS: The decremental response at low-frequency RNS showed the abnormal rate of RNS decline was 54.1% (46/85) in the ALS group, and the results of different nerves were 54.1% (46/85) of the accessory nerve, 8.2% (7/85) of the ulnar nerve and 0% (0/85) of the facial nerve stimulation, respectively. In the GMG group, the abnormal rate of RNS decline was 100% (41/41) at low-frequency RNS of accessory nerves. However, there was a significant difference between the 2 groups in the amplitude after the sixth wave. CONCLUSIONS: Both groups of patients are able to show a decreasing amplitude of low-frequency stimulation RNS, but the recovery trend after the sixth wave has significant variation. It implies the different pathogenesis of NMJ dysfunction of these 2 diseases.

New secondary metabolites from an engineering mutant of endophytic Streptomyces sp. CS.

In previous work, a series of bioactive natural products had been isolated from the plant endophytic Streptomyces sp. CS, which was isolated from Maytenus hookeri. To mine new active metabolites, we describe introducing an alien carbamoyltransferase (asm21) gene into the strain CS by conjugal transfer. As a result, three recombinatorial mutants named CS/asm21-1, CS/asm21-2 and CS/asm21-4 were successfully constructed. Three mutants and wild type CS were cultured on solid medium, and the extracts were detected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The LC-MS profiles showed several unknown peaks that were present in the spectra of extracts of the CS/asm21-4 cultured on oatmeal solid medium. Then, three new naphthomycins O-Q (1-3), a new macrolide hookerolide (4) as well as nine known compounds were obtained from the solid cultured medium. Their structures were identified by spectra data. These new compounds showed moderate antimicrobial activities.

Four new steroids from the endophytic fungus Chaetomium sp. M453 derived of Chinese herbal medicine Huperzia serrata.

An endophytic fungus, Chaetomium sp. M453, was isolated from Huperzia serrata (Thunb. ex Murray) Trev. and subjected to phytochemical investigation. Three unusual C25 steroids, neocyclocitrinols E-G (1-3), and 3ß-hydroxy-5,9-epoxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (4) together with three known steroids were isolated from solid fermentation products of the fungus, which were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D-, 2D-NMR, and HR-ESI-MS experiments. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis and CD analyses. The acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities of compounds 1-4 were tested in vitro. Compound 4 showed weak acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.

Upgrading Construction of Huazhong Medicinal Botanical Garden from Perspective of Selenium / 中国中医药信息杂志

Medicinal botanical gardens play important roles in promoting the development of TCM industry. With the advancing of the construction of the national medicinal plant garden system, the upgrading construction work for Huazhong Medicinal Botanical Garden, one of its members, is grasping to be carried on. While it is believed that there is a tremendous potential development in the combination of selenium and Chinese herbal medicine. In this article, the significance of selenium for Huazhong Medicinal Botanical Garden was investigated and then the routes to highlight selenium characteristics in its upgrading construction were put forward as follows for some responsibility department as reference: (1) Concentrating on the background investigation and conserving selenium resources;(2) Selecting and breeding special germplasm materials associated with selenium for selected key species; (3) Aiming at the specific efficiency and screening selenium-enriched medical plants; (4) Selecting large varieties of TCM and carrying out the research of selenium-rich technical ways of artificial cultivation; (5) Propelling the research and development of selenium-containing health products, based on resources industrialization; (6) Constructing new specialized garden for selenium-enriched medical plants.

Upgrading Construction of Huazhong Medicinal Botanical Garden from Perspective of Selenium / 中国中医药信息杂志

Medicinal botanical gardens play important roles in promoting the development of TCM industry. With the advancing of the construction of the national medicinal plant garden system, the upgrading construction work for Huazhong Medicinal Botanical Garden, one of its members, is grasping to be carried on. While it is believed that there is a tremendous potential development in the combination of selenium and Chinese herbal medicine. In this article, the significance of selenium for Huazhong Medicinal Botanical Garden was investigated and then the routes to highlight selenium characteristics in its upgrading construction were put forward as follows for some responsibility department as reference: (1) Concentrating on the background investigation and conserving selenium resources;(2) Selecting and breeding special germplasm materials associated with selenium for selected key species; (3) Aiming at the specific efficiency and screening selenium-enriched medical plants; (4) Selecting large varieties of TCM and carrying out the research of selenium-rich technical ways of artificial cultivation; (5) Propelling the research and development of selenium-containing health products, based on resources industrialization; (6) Constructing new specialized garden for selenium-enriched medical plants.

[Analysis of clinical medication rules in 48 398 patients with limb fractures based on hospital information system].

To explore the clinical medication rules in the patients with limb fractures, and provide guidance for clinical practice. Data of 48 398 patients with limb fractures from 2001 to 2011 was extracted from the hospital information system(HIS) established by the institute of basic research in clinical medicine, China academy of Chinese medical sciences. The gender and age distribution of patients and clinical medication characteristics were described. Apriori algorithm was adopted to analyze the common drug combinations of Chinese medicine(CM) and western medicine(WM). The study results showed that the ratio of included males and females was 1.83∶1. There was a high peak of incidence for the patients from 18 to 44 years. Apriori algorithm showed that the usage of WM was more frequent than that of CM. The most commonly used CM was Lugua polypeptide and sodium aescinate injection. Blood-activating and stasis-resolving medicines, as well as tendons and bones-strengthening medicines were the commonly used CM types. In addition, WM antibiotics plus blood-activating and stasis-resolving CM, or antibiotics plus tendons and bones-strengthening CM was the most commonly used drug combination. Based on the analysis of available data, the prevalence of limb fracture was higher in men than in women; more in young and middle-aged patients; the common drug combination was antibiotics plus blood-activating and stasis-resolving CM, or antibiotics plus tendons and bones-strengthening CM. More prospective and high-quality clinical trials are necessary to evaluate the effect of CM or integrative medicine treatment for limb fracture in the future research.