Mechanisms of Bushenyiqi decoction in the treatment of asthma: an investigation based on network pharmacology with experimental validation.

Background and purpose: The Bushenyiqi decoction (BYD), a contemporary prescription of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been observed to significantly ameliorate asthma symptoms in patients based on clinical observations. Although multi-component and multi-target characteristics are important attributes of BYD treatment, its pharmacological effect on asthma and the underlying mechanism of action remain unclear. Method: Network pharmacology: the asthma-related genes were retrieved from the GeneCards and OMIM database. The active constituents of BYD and their corresponding target genes were collected from the TCMSP database. The underlying pathways associated with overlapping targets between BYD and asthma were identified through GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analysis. Experimental validation: pulmonary function tests, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Hematoxylin and eosin (HE), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and Masson's trichrome stainings were conducted to validate the efficacy of BYD in ameliorating airway inflammation in allergic asthma mice. Western blot (WB) and molecular docking were performed to confirm the involvement of the underlying pathway in BYD treatment of asthma. Results: The results of animal experiments demonstrated that BYD may improve airway responsiveness and suppress airway inflammation in allergic asthma mice. The network pharmacological analysis revealed the involvement of 11 potentially key active components, 9 potential key targets, and the phosphatidylinositol3 kinase-RAC-α serine/threonine-protein kinase (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway in the mechanism of action of BYD for asthma treatment. Our findings have confirmed that BYD effectively alleviated airway inflammation by targeting interleukin 6 (IL-6), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1A), with quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin performing as the pivotal active constituents. BYD may potentially reduce inflammatory cell infiltration in lung tissues by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Conclusion: In conclusion, the integration of network pharmacology and biological experiments has demonstrated that key constituents of BYD, such as quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin, exhibit targeted effects on IL-6, EGFR, and HIF1A in combating asthma-related inflammation through inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. The findings of this investigation provide evidence supporting the effectiveness of TCM's "bushenyiqi" therapy in asthma management, as corroborated by contemporary medical technology.

Sustained silencing peanut allergy by xanthopurpurin is associated with suppression of peripheral and bone marrow IgE-producing B cell.

Introduction: Peanut allergy is an immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated food allergy. Rubia cordifolia L. (R. cordifolia), a Chinese herbal medicine, protects against peanut-induced anaphylaxis by suppressing IgE production in vivo. This study aims to identify IgE-inhibitory compounds from the water extract of R. cordifolia and investigate the underlying mechanisms using in vitro and in vivo models. Methods: Compounds were isolated from R. cordifolia water extract and their bioactivity on IgE production was assessed using a human myeloma U266 cell line. The purified active compound, xanthopurpurin (XPP), was identified by LC-MS and NMR. Peanut-allergic C3H/HeJ mice were orally administered with or without XPP at 200µg or 400µg per mouse per day for 4 weeks. Serum peanut-specific IgE levels, symptom scores, body temperatures, and plasma histamine levels were measured at challenge. Cytokines in splenocyte cultures were determined by ELISA, and IgE + B cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Acute and sub-chronic toxicity were evaluated. IL-4 promoter DNA methylation, RNA-Seq, and qPCR analysis were performed to determine the regulatory mechanisms of XPP. Results: XPP significantly and dose-dependently suppressed the IgE production in U266 cells. XPP significantly reduced peanut-specific IgE (>80%, p <0.01), and plasma histamine levels and protected the mice against peanut-allergic reactions in both early and late treatment experiments (p < 0.05, n=9). XPP showed a strong protective effect even 5 weeks after discontinuing the treatment. XPP significantly reduced the IL-4 level without affecting IgG or IgA and IFN-γ production. Flow cytometry data showed that XPP reduced peripheral and bone marrow IgE + B cells compared to the untreated group. XPP increased IL-4 promoter methylation. RNA-Seq and RT-PCR experiments revealed that XPP regulated the gene expression of CCND1, DUSP4, SDC1, ETS1, PTPRC, and IL6R, which are related to plasma cell IgE production. All safety testing results were in the normal range. Conclusions: XPP successfully protected peanut-allergic mice against peanut anaphylaxis by suppressing IgE production. XPP suppresses murine IgE-producing B cell numbers and inhibits IgE production and associated genes in human plasma cells. XPP may be a potential therapy for IgE-mediated food allergy.

Repair effect of Centella asiatica (L.) extract on damaged HaCaT cells studied by atomic force microscopy.

People's choice of cosmetics is no longer just 'Follow the trend', but pays more attention to the ingredients of cosmetics, whether the ingredients of cosmetics are beneficial to people's skin health; therefore, more and more skin-healthy ingredients have been discovered and used in cosmetics. In this work, atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to provide physical information about biomolecules and living cells; it brings us a new method of high-precision physical measurement. Centella asiatica (L.) extract has the ability to promote skin wound healing, but its healing effect on damaged HaCaT cells needs to be investigated, which plays a key role in judging the effectiveness of skincare ingredients. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of Centella asiatica (L.) extract on ethanol-damaged human immortalised epidermal HaCaT cells based on AFM. We established a model of cellular damage and evaluated cell viability using the MTT assay. The physical changes of cell height, roughness, adhesion and Young's modulus were measured by AFM. The findings indicated that the Centella asiatica (L.) extract had a good repair effect on injured HaCaT cells, and the optimal concentration was 75 µg/mL.

The role of Sirtuin 1 and its activators in age-related lung disease.

Aging is a major driving factor in lung diseases. Age-related lung disease is associated with downregulated expression of SIRT1, an NAD+-dependent deacetylase that regulates inflammation and stress resistance. SIRT1 acts by inducing the deacetylation of various substrates and regulates several mechanisms that relate to lung aging, such as genomic instability, lung stem cell exhaustion, mitochondrial dysfunction, telomere shortening, and immune senescence. Chinese herbal medicines have many biological activities, exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, and immune regulatory effects. Recent studies have confirmed that many Chinese herbs have the effect of activating SIRT1. Therefore, we reviewed the mechanism of SIRT1 in age-related lung disease and explored the potential roles of Chinese herbs as SIRT1 activators in the treatment of age-related lung disease.

Investigation of the Underlying Mechanism of Huangqi-Dangshen for Myasthenia Gravis Treatment via Molecular Docking and Network Pharmacology.

The herbal pairing of Huangqi and Dangshen (HD) is traditional Chinese herbal medicine and has been widely used in China, especially to treat myasthenia gravis (MG). However, the mechanism of HD on MG is unclear. Aim of the Study. This study aims to investigate HD's possible role in MG treatment. Materials and Methods. The TCMSP database was used to identify the active chemicals and their targets. The GeneCards, DisGeNET, and OMIM databases were used to search for MG-related targets. The STRING database was employed in order to identify the common PPI network targets. We next utilised Cytoscape 3.8.2 for target identification and the DAVID database for gene ontology (GO) function analysis as well as Encyclopaedia of Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis on the selected targets. The AutoDock Vina software was used to test the affinity of essential components with the hub gene before concluding that the primary targets were corrected through molecular docking. Results. 41 active compounds were screened from HD, and the number of putative-identified target genes screened from HD was 112. There were 21 target genes that overlapped with the targets of MG, which were postulated to be potential treatment targets. Through further analysis, the results showed that the active compounds from HD (such as 7-methoxy-2-methylisoflavone, quercetin, luteolin, Kaempferol, and isorhamnetin) may achieve the purpose of treating MG by acting on some core targets and related pathways (such as EGFR, FOS, ESR2, MYC, ESR1, CASP3, and IL-6). Molecular docking findings demonstrated that these active molecules have a near-perfect ability to attach to the primary targets. Conclusion. Through network pharmacology, the findings in this study provide light on the coordinated action of several HD formula components, targets, and pathways. It provided a theoretical basis for further study of HD pharmacological action.

Analyzing the Treatment of Patients with Acute Exacerbation of COPD with the Aid of Intelligent Diagnosis Method.

To observe the clinical efficacy of heat clearing phlegm mixture combined with vibration sputum excretion instrument in the treatment of patients with acute exacerbation of COPD with phlegm-heat obstructing lung, 90 patients with acute exacerbation of COPD are selected and divided into three groups, namely, control group, traditional medicine group, and combined group: the control group (conventional western medicine treatment), traditional medicine group (heat clearing and phlegm mixture), and combined group (heat clearing and phlegm mixture + vibratory sputum excretion instrument) with 30 cases each. All the patients in the three groups were given conventional western medicine treatment. On this basis, the traditional medicine group was given the oral administration of the heat-clearing and phlegm-clearing mixture, and the combined group was given the oral administration of the heat-clearing and phlegm-clearing mixture and the vibratory sputum discharge apparatus. Machine learning is used to classify the patients into three groups based on the characteristics of their biomarkers, physical attributes, and medical history. The TCM syndrome score, blood gas analysis, lung function, and inflammatory indexes of the three groups were compared. TCM syndrome scores of the three groups were all lower than before; both the combined group and the TCM group were better than the control group (P < 0.05). Although the improvement degree of the combined group was better than that of the TCM group, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). TCM syndrome effect is seen to be 96.55% in the combined group, 89.29% in the TCM group, and 63.33% in the control group. Blood gas analysis is also performed; PO2 and PCO2 of the three groups were significantly improved after treatment. The combination group was superior to the traditional medicine group and the control group (P < 0.05), and the traditional medicine group was superior to the control group (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the combination of heat clearing phlegm mixture and vibration sputum excretion instrument can improve TCM syndrome score, CAT score, blood gas analysis, lung function, and inflammatory indicators in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD with phlegm-heat obstructing lung.

Effects of Tricholoma matsutake (Agaricomycetes) Extracts on Promoting Proliferation of HaCaT Cells and Accelerating Mice Wound Healing.

Tricholoma matsutake is popular in Asian countries because of its edibility and medicinal use. T. matsutake is a precious natural medicinal fungus, and it is widely used in food and biological products. This study aimed to explore the mechanism of T. matsutake on promoting proliferation of human immortalized keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells and accelerating wound healing in mice. The MTT assay was used to test the effects of three different T. matsutake extracts (0, 62.5, 125, 250, 500, and 1000 µg/mL) on HaCaT cell viability. HaCaT cells were treated with the three T. matsutake extracts (100, 500 µg/mL) and morphological and biophysical properties were detected by atomic force microscopy with JPK data processing. Western blot analysis detected Notch signaling pathways of HaCaT cells treated with 50% ethanol extract of T. matsutake (50%T) for 24 h (100, 500 and 1000 µg/mL). Mouse wounds were treated with 50%T for 15 days. Wound healing effects were observed on the back skin of mice at different times. The quality of wound healing was estimated by histological staining (hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome). All data were counted by GraphPad Prism 5 software. The increased concentration of T. matsutake remarkably promoted HaCaT cell proliferation. The Young's modulus of HaCaT cells showed the biggest increase from 1.73 ± 0.13 kPa (0 µg/mL) to 4.57 ± 0.16 kPa (500 µg/mL) in the 50%T group. The Notch1/Jagged1 pathways were upregulated with an increase in concentration (0, 100, 500, and 1000 µg/mL). Moreover, compared with the negative and positive control groups, T. matsutake promoted wound healing in mice by epidermal regeneration, subepidermal tissue formation, and collagen deposition. The results showed that T. matsutake promotes not only proliferation of HaCaT cells but also wound healing in mice.

Influence of acupuncture on the expression of VIP, SP, NKA and NKB, cAMP/cGMP and HE content and treatment of bronchial asthma in rats.

This research was set up to explore the neural mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of bronchial asthma in rats by detecting the content of substance P(SP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), neurokinin A(NKA), neurokinin B (NKB), cyclic adenosine monophosphate/cyclic guanosine monophosphate ratio (cAMP/cGMP) and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining for the pathological changes of lung tissue, in order to Institute Certain Experimental and Theoretical Foundation for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prevention and Treatment of Bronchial Asthma. For this purpose, fifty healthy adult Wistar male rats, weighing 200-250 g, were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control group A, asthma control group B, asthma acupuncture group C, adrenalectomy (ADX)-asthma  group D, adrenalectomy (ADX)-asthma acupuncture group E. Group A was raised with other groups at the same period; Group B was induced asthma by ovalbumin; Group C was induced asthma as Group B and then acupunctured five acupoints (bilateral Feishu, bilateral Fengmen, and Dazhui); Group D was induced asthma after adrenalectomy; group E was treated with acupuncture on the basis of group D. HE staining was performed in the lung tissue of rats from each group, and histopathologic changes were observed. SP, VIP, NKA, NKB in each rat lung tissue were measured by immunohistochemistry. cAMP/cGMP was measured with ELISA to speculate the neural mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of bronchial asthma. The results were as: decrease of cAMP/cGMP and VIP and increase of SP, NKA, NKB in the lung tissue are the neural mechanisms of an asthma attack. The increase of cAMP/cGMP and decrease of NKA, NKB, SP and VIP in the lung tissue of group C indicated the improvement of bronchial asthma symptoms. It is possible that the decrease of NKA and NKB, increase of cAMP/cGMP and a slight change of SP and VIP in group E were related to the reduction of glucocorticoid after ADX which influenced the effect of acupuncture. The neural regulation mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of bronchial asthma were related to bronchiectasis caused by stimulation of adrenergic nerve and inhibition of the vagus nerve function by acupuncture, and related to the release of inflammatory mediators.

Anti-degranulation response of herbal formula in RBL-2H3 cells.

Allergic diseases not only bring serious economic burden to the patients, but also consume a lot of substantial resources of social medical systems. Thus, the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases are imperative. In this study, the anti-degranulation activity of herbal formula was evaluated using the rat basophil leukemia cells (RBL-2H3) as in vitro model. The morphological and biophysical properties of RBL-2H3 cells before and after treatment with herbal formula were also determined. Notably, the herbal formula exhibits clearly inhibited degranulation by RBL-2H3 cells in a concentration-dependent manner without cytotoxic effect. Therefore, this herbal formula can be used as an alternative and promising therapeutic agent to ameliorate allergic diseases.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized from Cardiospermum halicacabum and its anticancer activity in human melanoma cells (A375) through the modulation of apoptosis pathway.

Metallic nanoparticles were extensively examined to explore their impending exploitations over pharmaceutical purposes. Current work attempting to explores the cytotoxic capacity of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles besides to human melanoma cell line (A375). Viability of cells was resoluted, and the promising cytotoxicity potential was exhibited by zinc oxide nanoparticles. Cellular adhesion and morphology was determined by propidium iodide assay. Characterization studies like UV-Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigation, transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) Spec, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) examination confirms the accessibility of measurement, form and volume. The mRNA expression of apoptotic genes like caspase 3, 8 and 9 was elevated followed by the exposure to ZnO nanoparticles and it was narrowly proved that ZnO nanoparticles stimulates the apoptotic cell necrosis at the transcriptional stage. Cardiospermum halicacabum down regulated the apoptotic gene expressions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation was augmented at concentration reliant mode, that changed normalize numerous indicator pathways and manipulate the kinetic cellular actions. ZnO nanoparticle synthesized Cardiospermum halicacabum might persuades programmed cell necrosis via elevated ROS levels in cells. CH-ZnONPs was further stimulates the markers of apoptosis and aggravates necrosis of cancerous cells, toxicity to cells, and accretion of ROS. With sourced on above whole data, this might accomplished that CH-ZnONPs amalgamated Cardiospermum halicacabum appreciably possessed a toxicity to human melanoma cells (A375) via provoking the apoptotic cell necrosis, entailed feasible efficacy of CH-ZnONPs besides malignancy management.

Effect of extract from ginseng rust rot on the inhibition of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of major leading causes of cancer death worldwide. As a traditional medicine, the anti-cancer function of ginseng is being growingly recognized and investigated. However, the effect of ginseng rust rot on human HCC is unknown yet. In this study, the HCC cells were treated with different parts of mountain cultivated ginseng rust rot and compared with human normal liver cells. The morphology, survival rate and ß-actin expression of the cells were changed by introducing the ginseng epidermis during the incubation process. Notably, the results reveal that the ginseng epidermis can induce apoptosis by altering the morphologies of cells, indicating the practical implication for the HCC treatment and drug development.

Pluronic F127-functionalized molybdenum oxide nanosheets with pH-dependent degradability for chemo-photothermal cancer therapy.

Traditional cancer therapies carry a risk of serious side effects and toxicity. Developing an alternative treatment modality that is highly effective, has low toxicity and is noninvasive is urgently required. Here, we exploited molybdenum oxide (MoOx) nanosheets as a drug carrier and degradable photothermal agent to provide a chemo-photothermal combination cancer therapy. The MoOx nanosheets were synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal method and then modified with pluronic F127 to improve physiological stability and biocompatibility. The F127-modified nanosheets (MoOX@F127) showed ultrahigh drug loading efficiency (DLE) of doxorubicin (DOX) (DLE%; 65%, W(load DOX)/[W(load DOX) + WMoOx@F127]), strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption and desirable pH-dependent degradability. After intravenous injection, MoOx@F127 nanosheets were degraded at physiological pH and were rapidly excreted from normal organs, while they were effectively accumulated and retained long-term in the more acidic tumor tissue. This simultaneously ensured effective tumor ablation after NIR irradiation and avoided long-term retention and toxicity in vivo. Compared to chemotherapy or photothermal therapy alone, in vitro and in vivo tumor ablation studies have shown a notably improved synergistic effect of the combination therapy. Our study presents a multifunctional nanosystem with a desirable degradability for chemo-photothermal combination cancer therapy that has great potential in biomedical applications.

Effect of salinity on removal performance and activated sludge characteristics in sequencing batch reactors.

The removal performance, activated sludge characteristics and microbial community in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were studied at salinity ranging from 0 to 20 g/L. Results showed that salinity deteriorated the removal performance. Removal rate of ammonium (NH4+-N), total phosphorus (TP) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were gradually dropped from 95.34%, 93.58% and 94.88% (0 g/L) to 62.98%, 55.64% and 55.78% (20 g/L), respectively. The removals of NH4+-N and TP were mainly influenced during aerobic phase. Besides, salinity increased the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content of activated sludge, decreased the content of protein (PN) and loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS) which led to better settleability of activated sludge. Moreover, salinity inhibited the dehydrogenase activity (DHA) of activated sludge. Sequence analysis illustrated Zoogloea and Thioclava were predominant at 0 and 20 g/L salinity, respectively. The difference of microbial community under high salinity was likely caused by the variation of richness.

Berberine as a chemical and pharmacokinetic marker of the butanol-extracted Food Allergy Herbal Formula-2.

RATIONALE: Food Allergy Herbal Formula-2 (FAHF-2) provided protection against peanut anaphylaxis in a murine model and induced beneficial immune-modulation in humans. Butanol-refined FAHF-2, B-FAHF-2, retained safety and efficacy in the peanut allergic murine model at only 1/5 of FAHF-2 dosage. One compound, berberine, was isolated and identified in vitro as a bioactive component present in FAHF-2 and B-FAHF-2. The aim of this study was to investigate berberine as a chemical and pharmacokinetic marker of B-FAHF-2. METHODS: The consistency of constituents between B-FAHF-2 and FAHF-2 was tested. Peanut allergic C3H/HeJ mice were orally administered with 1mg of berberine or B-FAHF-2 containing an equivalent amount of berberine, and the ability to protect against peanut anaphylaxis and pharmacokinetic parameters were determined. Human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2) were cultured with berberine with or without the nine individual herbal constituents in B-FAHF-2, and the absorbed berberine levels were determined. RESULTS: Berberine is one of the major components in B-FAHF-2 and FAHF-2 formula. In a peanut allergic mouse model, B-FAHF-2, but not berberine, protected mice from anaphylaxis reactions. Pharmacokinetic profiles showed that the Cmax of B-FAHF-2 fed mice was 289.30±185.40ng/mL; whereas berberine alone showed very low bioavailability with Cmax value of 35.13±47.90ng/mL. Caco-2 cells influx assay showed that 7 of 9 herbal constituents in B-FAHF-2 increased berberine absorption at rates ranging from 18 to 205%. CONCLUSIONS: B-FAHF-2 remarkably increased the bioavailability of berberine. Berberine can be used as chemical and pharmacokinetic marker of B-FAHF-2. Other herbal components in B-FAHF-2 may facilitate the absorption of berberine.

Immunosuppressive effect of extracts from leaves of Fraxinus Mandshurica Rupr.

Plants provide a rich resource of medicinal material for research and development of new medicine. To discover new compounds as Immunosuppressant from plants, we evaluated the immunosuppressive effect of different fractions and particularly one compound (Calceolarioside A) that were extracted from the leaves of Fraxinus Mandshurica Rupr. The fractions and the compound were tested on the ability to reduce Immunoglobulin E (IgE) secretion by human U266 multiple myeloma cells (U266 cells) and to reduce interleukin-2 (IL-2) secretion by mouse spleen cells. Our results showed that both the butanol extract fraction and the compound of Calceolarioside A inhibited the IgE and IL-2 production in U266 cells and mouse spleen cells respectively, and no cytotoxicity was observed within the effective dose range. These results suggest that Calceolarioside A could potentially serve as an immunosuppressant.

The understanding, attitude and use of nutrition label among consumers (China).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the understanding, attitude and use of nutrition label among consumers in china. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey with a self-structured questionnaire was conducted among 1153 consumers, who were recruited from different supermarkets during March to May 2014 in Wuhu city of china. RESULTS: The result shows that the subjective understanding of nutrition labels was moderate (62.8% of respondents) but the objective understanding was varied. The attitudes toward nutrition label was positive in participates who had a higher confidence and satisfaction of nutrition label. 59.2% of the respondents indicated 'sometimes' and 28.7% 'always' reading nutrition label. The most frequently reading of nutrition label food was milk (57.5%), followed by infant food (33.3%), and nutrient was protein 51.5%, vitamin (49.8%) and fat (29.4%). None of demographic characteristics was associated with the understanding, attitude and use of nutrition label except education. CONCLUSIONS: Participates of our study had a moderate understanding, positive attitude and higher frequent using nutrition label. Although the code of nutrition label became mandatory, more additional strategies for nutrition label are still needed, so as to improve consumers' the cognition of nutrition label.

Objetivo: el objetivo de este estudio fue investigar el conocimiento, la actitud y el uso de la etiqueta nutricional entre los consumidores en China. Métodos: estudio transversal con un cuestionario estructurado que fue realizada entre 1.153 consumidores, que fueron reclutados a partir de diferentes supermercados durante marzo a mayo de 2014 en la ciudad de Wuhu de China. Resultados: el resultado muestra que la comprensión subjetiva de las etiquetas nutricionales fue moderada (el 62,8% de los encuestados), pero el objetivo entendimiento fue variado. Las actitudes hacia la etiqueta nutricional fueron positivas en aquellos participantes con mayor confianza y satisfacción en las mismas. Respecto a la lectura de las etiquetas, el 59,2 % de los encuestados contestó que "a veces" y el 28,7 % que "siempre". La lectura de la etiqueta nutricional de alimentos que con mayor frecuencia se realizó fue la de la leche (57,5%), seguida por la alimentación infantil (33,3%), proteínas y nutrientes (51,5%), vitaminas (49,8%) y grasas (29,4%). Ninguna de las características demográficas se asoció con el conocimiento, la actitud y el uso de la etiqueta nutricional, excepto la educación. Conclusiones: Las personas que participaron en nuestro estudio tenían una comprensión moderada, mostrando una actitud más positiva aquellos que la utilizan con más frecuencia. Aunque la etiqueta nutricional se convirtió en obligatoria, aún son necesarias estrategias adicionales, así como fomentar su conocimiento por parte de los consumidores.

The understanding, attitude and use of nutrition label among consumers (China) / El conocimiento, la actitud y el uso de la etiqueta nutricional entre los consumidores (China)

Objective: the aim of this study was to investigate the understanding, attitude and use of nutrition label among consumers in china. Methods: a cross-sectional survey with a self-structured questionnaire was conducted among 1153 consumers, who were recruited from different supermarkets during March to May 2014 in Wuhu city of china. Results: the result shows that the subjective understanding of nutrition labels was moderate (62.8% of respondents) but the objective understanding was varied. The attitudes toward nutrition label was positive in participates who had a higher confidence and satisfaction of nutrition label. 59.2% of the respondents indicated ‘sometimes’ and 28.7% ‘always’ reading nutrition label. The most frequently reading of nutrition label food was milk (57.5%), followed by infant food (33.3%), and nutrient was protein 51.5%, vitamin (49.8%) and fat (29.4%). None of demographic characteristics was associated with the understanding, attitude and use of nutrition label except education. Conclusions: participates of our study had a moderate understanding, positive attitude and higher frequent using nutrition label. Although the code of nutrition label became mandatory, more additional strategies for nutrition label are still needed, so as to improve consumers’ the cognition of nutrition label (AU)

Objetivo: el objetivo de este estudio fue investigar el conocimiento, la actitud y el uso de la etiqueta nutricional entre los consumidores en China. Métodos: estudio transversal con un cuestionario estructurado que fue realizada entre 1.153 consumidores, que fueron reclutados a partir de diferentes supermercados durante marzo a mayo de 2014 en la ciudad de Wuhu de China. Resultados: el resultado muestra que la comprensión subjetiva de las etiquetas nutricionales fue moderada (el 62,8% de los encuestados), pero el objetivo entendimiento fue variado. Las actitudes hacia la etiqueta nutricional fueron positivas en aquellos participantes con mayor confianza y satisfacción en las mismas. Respecto a la lectura de las etiquetas, el 59,2 % de los encuestados contestó que “a veces” y el 28,7 % que “siempre”. La lectura de la etiqueta nutricional de alimentos que con mayor frecuencia se realizó fue la de la leche (57,5%), seguida por la alimentación infantil (33,3%), proteínas y nutrientes (51,5%), vitaminas (49,8%) y grasas (29,4%). Ninguna de las características demográficas se asoció con el conocimiento, la actitud y el uso de la etiqueta nutricional, excepto la educación. Conclusiones: Las personas que participaron en nuestro estudio tenían una comprensión moderada, mostrando una actitud más positiva aquellos que la utilizan con más frecuencia. Aunque la etiqueta nutricional se convirtió en obligatoria, aún son necesarias estrategias adicionales, así como fomentar su conocimiento por parte de los consumidores (AU)

Upregulation of the AT-hook DNA binding gene BoMF2 in OguCMS anthers of Brassica oleracea suggests that it encodes a transcriptional regulatory factor for anther development.

Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (OguCMS) is the most important CMS system used for F1 hybrid cabbage production worldwide. The anther abortion and defective pollen development exhibited in OguCMS are coordinately regulated by the mitochondrial male sterile gene orf138 and many nuclear transcriptional regulatory factors. AT-hook DNA binding proteins regulate cell-specific gene expression. In this study, we cloned the gene encoding the AT-hook DNA binding protein BoMF2 using the cDNA-AFLP TDF sequence, which was upregulated in OguCMS cabbage flower buds, as a querying probe. BoMF2 contains a 783-nt continuous complete open reading frame encoding a 260 amino-acid polypeptide. In vivo transient expression assays using GFP fusions showed that BoMF2 protein was located in the nucleus. BoMF2 was preferentially expressed in cabbage stamens, with a short expression window at anther development stage 7-8. However, in OguCMS flowers, BoMF2 expression continued into the mature pollen stage and was concomitant with the continued proliferation of tapetum cells exhibited in this mutant. Arabidopsis plants overexpressing BoMF2 showed significantly shorter siliques than the wild type, as well as decrease of pollen viability. These results suggest that BoMF2, a transcriptional regulatory factor, might regulate tapetum proliferation during anther development.

[Breast reconstruction after skin-sparing mastectomy or nipple-sparing mastectomy for breast cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, oncological safety, and aesthetic result of skin-spring mastectomy (SSM) or nipple-spring mastectomy (NSM) in breast reconstruction of implant (permanent gel or expander) for breast cancer patients who were not fit for the breast conserving surgery (BCS). METHODS: Between October 2005 and July 2011, 89 women with breast caner underwent SSM or NSM, with an average age of 42.4 years (range, 19-55 years) and an average disease duration of 5.7 months (range, 1-24 months). The pathological examination revealed invasive ductal carcinoma in 55 cases, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in 15 cases, invasive ductal carcinoma + DCIS in 8 cases, DCIS with infiltration in 10 cases, and occult breast cancer in 1 case. According to tumor staging criterion of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), 15 cases were rated as stage 0, 51 cases as stage I, 22 cases as stage II, and 1 case as unclear. Finally, 33 patients underwent SSM and 56 patients underwent NSM according to the location and diameter of tumor and the infiltration of tumor to nipple. Secondary breast reconstruction was performed with permanent gel replacement after axillary lymph node dissection in 9 patients with positive sentinel lymph node and 1 patient with occult breast cancer; immediate breast reconstruction was performed with permanent gel in the other patients. All the patients received the chemotherapy or/and radiotherapy according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline. RESULTS: Complications occurred in 5 patients undergoing breast reconstruction of permanent gel after NSM, including 1 case of haemorrhage, 2 cases of infection, and 2 cases of local skin necrosis. Primary healing of incision was obtained in the others. No nipple necrosis was observed in patients undergoing NSM. All the patients were followed up 14-88 months (median, 40 months). At 10 months after operation, the aesthetic results were excellent in 40 cases, good in 33 cases, fair in 14 cases, and poor in 2 cases, with an excellent and good rate of 82%. No recurrence or metastasis was found during follow-up. CONCLUSION: The SSM or NSM is feasible and oncological safe for patients who are not fit for BCS, with satisfactory aesthetic result.

Separation and identification of Aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites in human urine.

To study the safety of Aconitum medicinal herbs in clinic and identify Aconitum alkaloids poisoning in forensic medicine, Aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites were separated and identified in human urine by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-multi-stage mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS(n)) and chemical pathway of metabolism was investigated. The alkaloids and their metabolites in the urine sample were extracted with solid-phase cartridges and separated by HPLC with acetonitrile-water-formic acid (40:60:0.5) mobile phase. Structures of five metabolites and three parent Aconitum alkaloids were identified with multi-stage mass spectrometry data through comparison with authentic substances as aconitine (M(1)), mesaconitine (M(2)), hypaconitine (M(3)), benzoylaconine (M(4)), benzoylmesaconine (M(5)), benzoylhypaconine (M(6)), 16-O-demethylaconitine (M(7)) and 16-O-demethylhypaconitine (M(8)), respectively. Among them, M(8) was identified and reported for the first time. Metabolic pathways of Aconitum alkaloids in human body were proposed.