Comparison of pharmacokinetic profiles of Terminalia phenolics after intragastric administration of the aqueous extracts of the fruit of Terminalia chebula and a Mongolian compound medicine-Gurigumu-7.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The dried fruit of Terminalia chebula (fructus chebulae) is an important Traditional Medicine used for intestinal and hepatic detoxification. Gurigumu-7 which is made of fructus chebulae and 6 other traditional medicines is one of the most frequently used compound Mongolian and Tibet medicines for liver diseases. Terminalia phenolics are considered as the bioactive constituents of fructus chebulae and consequently of Gurigumu-7. AIM OF THE STUDY: To compare the pharmacokinetic profiles of Terminalia phenolics after intragastric administration of the aqueous extracts of fructus chebulae and Gurigumu-7 and to evaluate the possible influence of intestinal bacterial metabolism on these pharmacokinetic profiles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An ultra performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method was established and validated for simultaneously determining the pharmacokinetic profiles of seven Terminalia phenolics after intragastric administration of pure compounds, fructus chebulae extract, and Gurigumu-7 extract. In vitro rat fecal lysates experiments were carried out to explore the metabolic discrepancy between fructus chebulae and Gurigumu-7. RESULTS: Seven Terminalia phenolics were detected in rat plasma after intragastric administration of the aqueous extracts of fructus chebulae and Gurigumu-7. Administration of Gurigumu-7 could promote the absorption and increase the Cmax and AUC values of these phenolic constituents compared to fructus chebulae administration. The fecal lysates studies showed that the Terminalia phenolics in Gurigumu-7 were less rapidly bio-transformed than those in fructus chebulae. This may be a contributing factor to the pharmacokinetic discrepancy between the phenolics in fructus chebulae and Gurigumu-7. CONCLUSION: Administration of Gurigumu-7 could increase the absorption of Terminalia phenolics through slowing down the intestinal bacteria metabolism. These results provide, in part, an in vivo rationale for the formulation of the traditional Mongolia / Tibet medicine, Gurigumu-7.

[Textual research on the Wu zhi fang (Prescriptions of Five Hemorrhoids) of Ding Zhai, a lay Buddhist].

The book Wu zhi fang (Prescriptions of Five Hemorrhoids), included in the Bibliography of the Song Annals was claimed by later scholars as a book written by Dingzhai, the lay Buddhist. Parts of its contents are cited in Wei Xian's Wei shi jia cang fang (Collections of Prescriptions of the Wei Family). By the preface of the latter book, the prescriptions of the Wu zhi fang were derived from Li Yong-he, whose son passed these prescriptions to Ma Xing-si, who, in turn, gave them to Wei Xian's father Wei Xiong-meng. Wei Xiong-meng was familiar with a calligrapher of the Southern Song Dynasty Shan Wei, nicknamed Dingzhai, the lay Buddhist, who wrote the autobiography for Wei Xiong-meng. In addition to those collected in the Wei shi jia cang fang, there are also "Li Fangyu's Prescriptions for Five Hemorrhoids Secretly Handed Down" collected in the Mi chuan wai ke fang (Prescriptions for External Diseases Secretly Handed Down) of the Ming Dynasty which are also Li Yong-he's prescriptions for hemorrhoids, outnumbering those collected by the Wei shi jia cang fang.

[Approaches to acquire medical prescriptions by the Song intellectuals].

In order to treat disease of oneself or other people, the Song intellectuals were eager to collect medical recipes or compiled medical formularies. Their main approaches in this regard included conversation with medical practitioners, mutual communication among themselves, and reading medical texts. Since the effectiveness of the recipes was emphasized through the first two approaches, the approach of reading medical texts appeared to be insignificant. Even if this last approach was selected, they tended to read those texts with evidences showing its effectiveness of the recipes carried in the texts.

[The tension between history and medicine in TCM historiography].

Before subject classification was introduced from the western world Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) had the background of Chinese traditional culture, and therefore the features of both medicine and historiography. After the introduction of subject classification, TCM was classified into medicine which is a science category and TCM history was classified into the historiography category. From then on, in the context of subject classification, the nature of TCM became more and more medical while less and less historic. As the subject classification of TCM has not been completed, its history needs retrospective study retrospective study needs to be done to its history. Focusing on TCM subject classification and on reality, TCM historiography usually highlights the medical part. In the process of TCM subject classification, the historic mode of academic development did not disappear. In the context of subject classification, TCM is usually classified to TCM historiography for its historic nature, while TCM historiography is somewhat medical because of TCM's medical nature. Considering the particularity of TCM, the tension between history and medicine should be maintained in the TCM historiography research.

Effect of hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning on spleen lymphocytes and cell adhesion molecules after skin transplantation in mice.

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) preconditioning on the rejection of skin allograft in mice and its molecular mechanism. BALB/c donor mice and C57BL/6 recipients received hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning once a day for 7 days. After skin transplantation, the recipients were treated with cyclosporine A (CsA) intraperitoneally. Immunofluorescent staining technique and flow cytometry were used to observe the influence HBO on percentage of spleen lymphocytes CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and cell adhesion molecule LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18). The results showed that as compared with control, the numbers of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+CD11a+, CD4+ CD18+, CD8+CD11a+, CD8+CD18+ lymphocytes of spleen decreased in HBO preconditioning groups and CsA group, and decreased markedly in HBO preconditioning combined with CsA group (p<0.05); the general state of recipient mice in HBO preconditioning combined with CsA group was better than that of recipient mice received HBO preconditioning or CsA only. It is concluded that the method of HBO preconditioning combined with traditional immunosuppressive agent CsA has remarkable advantage in inhibiting the rejection of skin graft. Its molecular protective mechanism is correlated with the expression of adhesive molecules on T cell subsets.

[On relativity of the cognition of health].

The people's cognition of health has changed, from less to more. WHO (World Health Organization) put forward the definition of health, and revise it constantly. Although the people's cognition of health is developed continually, the cognition still has its own relativity, because of the difference of cognition methods, the changes of the frame of reference and uncertainty of the standard of judgment.

[The reasons of over-interpretation during the research of TCM academic history.].

Over-interpretation refers to the excessive understanding, translation and explanation of the implications which the research object represents. TCM academic history is a branch of medicine historiography to study the TCM academic development and evolution. Uncertainty of historical materials, incomplete expression of the author's original meaning and deviation of the scholars' interpretation often lead to over-interpretation during the research of TCM academic history.

Effect of hyperbaric oxygen on acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

The objective of this study was to investigate the function and mechanism of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in antagonizing acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and improving the rate of survival. The lethally irradiated C57BL/6 recipients were injected with bone marrow and lymphocyte of spleen from BALB/c donors and were treated with HBO, cyclosporine A (CsA) and methotrexate (MTX). T lymphocytes and subsets, adhesion molecules and cytokines were detected by flow cytometry, ELISA and RT-PCR respectively. The results showed that the survival rate in HBO group was much higher than that in allogenetic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) group and CsA + MTX group; the numbers of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+)CD11a(+), CD4(+)CD18(+), CD8(+)CD11a(+), CD8(+)CD18(+) lymphocytes in spleen were decreased markedly by HBO and CsA + MTX (p < 0.05); the levels of IL-2 and TNFalpha mRNA and their serum concentrations in HBO group were much lower than those in allo-BMT group but were higher than those in CsA + MTX group; the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA in HBO group were much higher than those in allo-BMT group and CsA + MTX group. It is concluded that HBO has more remarkable advantage in improving the rate of survival than CsA + MTX, its mechanism of anti-aGVHD is tightly correlated with the transform of T cell and its subsets and the expression of adhesion molecules and cytokines.

[Effect of glucosidorum tripterygii tororum on acute graft-versus-host disease in mice].

To prevent acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), glucosidorum tripterygii tororum (GTT) was used in the murine model. The lethally irradiated C57BL/6 recipients were injected with bone marrow and lymphocyte grafts from BALB/c donors and were treated intraperitoneally with GTT, cyclosporine A (CsA), or methotrexate (MTX). T lymphocytes, adhesion molecules and cytokines were detected by immunohistochemical method, flow cytometry, ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. The results showed that all the control recipient mice (21/21) died of aGVHD within 30 days, but many recipient mice treated with GTT (19/21), CsA + MTX (13/21) and GTT + CsA (17/21) survived beyond 30 days without obvious signs of aGVHD. The numbers of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD11a(+), CD18(+) lymphocytes in skin and lung decreased markedly by GTT, GTT + CsA and CsA + MTX treatments. The numbers of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+)CD11a(+), CD4(+)CD18(+), CD8(+)CD11a(+), CD8(+)CD18(+) lymphocytes in spleen decreased markedly by GTT, GTT + CsA and CsA + MTX treatments. and the changes of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+) cells in small intestine were not remarkable (P > 0.05) by above mentioned GTT, GTT + CsA and CsA + MTX treatments. The serum concentrations and mRNA expressions of IL-2 and TNFalpha in spleens decreased significantly (P < 0.05); the concentration of IL-10 increased significantly (P < 0.05), the change of IL-4 was not remarkable (P > 0.05) by GTT treatment. It is concluded that the GTT may retain the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect of transplant without aGVHD. The role of GTT in prevention of murine aGVHD is mediated by reduction of T lymphocytes and their subgroups, expression of adhesion molecule, and regulation of cytokine secretion.

[Clinical efficacy of non-microsurgical treatment for mostly-isolated finger with its bilateral arteria injury].

OBJECTIVE: To explore a method to treat the mostly-isolated finger with its bilateral arteria injury without microsurgery. METHODS: To avoid exacerbating iatrogenically the wound, the methods of therapy mainly included the following procedures: debriding carefully, suturing the cutis and subcutaneous layer to fix internally the fracture without Kirschner wire, and not suturing the broken finger nerve or the broken tendon which had rebound. It was used in the emergency operation. After operation, heat therapy and Anisodamine were used to dilate capillary and micrangium of the unbroken soft tissue of the wounded finger, which was anatomically the only base of blood supply of pars of the wounded finger. RESULTS: In the 34 cases, main blood supply of the wounded finger was restored. The wound healed well in 28 cases. In 6 cases of necrosis in the edge of the wound, the necrosis were excised and the cicatricial healing was achieved. In 31 patients followed up, after the fracture had healed, the nerve and tendon were repaired. CONCLUSION: The methods above should be available for the mostly-isolated finger, especially in a hospital without microsurgery.