Optimization of ultrasonic-assisted supramolecular solvent microextraction of coumarins from Cortex fraxini using response surface methodology combined with artificial neural network-genetic algorithm.

A simple, fast, and efficient ultrasonic-assisted supramolecular solvent microextraction combined with high performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of coumarins in Cortex fraxini, including esculin, esculetin and fraxetin. In this study, a novel supramolecular solvent was prepared with 1-octanol, tetrahydrofuran and water for the first time, and its composition, viscosity, density, structure, and micromorphology were characterized. The prepared supramolecular solvent exhibited vesicular structures and had the characteristics of low viscosity. Through single-factor experiments, response surface methodology and artificial neural network-genetic algorithm, the optimal extraction conditions were obtained as follows: NaCl concentration of 1 mol mL-1, pH value of 10, solid-liquid ratio of 10:1, vortex time of 30 s, ultrasonic power of 100 W, ultrasonic temperature of 60 °C, ultrasonic time of 15 min, centrifugation speed of 5000 rpm, and centrifugation time of 1 min. The results demonstrated that the artificial neural network model exhibited maximum R-values of 0.98703, 0.97440, 0.99836, and 0.95447 for training, testing, validation, and all dataset, respectively. The minimum mean square errors were 0.75, 10.15, 1.99, and 2.63, respectively. This indicated that the predicted values were almost consistent with the actual values. Under the optimal conditions, the total extraction yields of target analytes reached 2.80 %. The calibration curves for each analyte exhibited excellent linearity within the linear range (r > 0.9993). The limits of detection and quantification ranged from 4.87 to 6.55 ng mL-1 and 16.24 to 21.84 ng mL-1, respectively. The recoveries ranged from 98.71 % to 111.01 % with relative standard deviations of less than 3.6 %. The present method had the advantages of short extraction time (15 min) and less solvent consumption (0.5 mL). The prepared supramolecular solvent was proved to have great potential in extracting coumarins from medicinal plants.

Idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerotic colitis associated with Chinese herbal medicine.

Idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerotic colitis(IMP) is a rare disease. At present, the etiology and pathogenesis are not clear, but the main patients are Asian people, and most of them have a history of taking Chinese herbal medicines. The disease has characteristic endoscopic and imaging manifestations. This paper shares a case of IMP, The patient came to our hospital for one year because of intermittent abdominal pain and diarrhea. It conforms to the typical manifestations of IMP. For patients who take Chinese herbal medicine for a long time, if they have clinical manifestations of gastrointestinal tract, it is necessary to consider the possibility of the disease to avoid serious consequences due to missed diagnosis.

Common Bile Duct Obstructed by Lipiodol After Transcater Arterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an effective treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, the complications of TACE have gradually become a concern of clinicians. Injury to the bile duct has been the focus of many scholars. CASE PRESENTATION: HCC was diagnosed in a 51-year-old female patient, and the first TACE was performed on April 10, 2020. The second TACE was performed on October 18, 2021. After the second TACE, The patient suffered from nausea, jaundice, and body itching. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed that the lower common bile duct was obviously blocked by the solidified lipiodol accompanied by dilatation of intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts on October 27, 2021. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancretography (ERCP) and endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) were performed on October 29, 2021. The deposition of lipiodol in the common bile duct was significantly reduced. CONCLUSION: After the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma, we should be on alert for damage to the bile duct, and pay attention to the deposition of lipiodol in the common bile duct.

2,6-Disubstituted Piperidine Alkaloids with Neuroprotective Activity from Hippobroma longiflora.

Three new alkaloids, hipporidine A (1: ), hipporidine B (2: ), and (-)-lobeline N-oxide (3: ), were discovered from the whole plant of Hippobroma longiflora together with five known compounds (4: -8: ). Their 2,6-disubstituted piperidine structures were established based on the HRESIMS, NMR (COSY, HMBC, HSQC, NOESY), and UV spectroscopic data. Hipporidines A (1: ) and B (2: ) possess a rare 1,3-oxazinane moiety. Compound 3: is the N-oxide derivative of (-)-lobeline (6: ). Moreover, the absolute configuration of norlobeline (5: ) was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Three major secondary metabolites (6: -8: ) were evaluated for their neuroprotective effect against paclitaxel-induced neurotoxicity. Consequently, pretreatment with compound 8: at a concentration of 1.0 µM displayed significant attenuation on paclitaxel-damaged neurite outgrowth of dorsal root ganglion neurons without interfering with the cytotoxicity of paclitaxel on cervical cancer SiHa cells.