Authentication of Platycladus Orientalis Leaves and Its Five Adulterants by Combination of Morphology and Microscopic Characteristics, TLC, and HPLC Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Platycladus orientalis leaves (POL), as the source of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Platycladi Cacumen, has frequently been found to be misused with five adulterants including Chamaecyparis obtusa leaves (COL), Cupressus funebris leaves (CFL), Juniperus virginiana leaves (JVL), Sabina chinensis leaves (SCL), and Juniperus formosana leaves (JFL). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to distinguish POL (fresh leaves) from its five adulterants (fresh leaves). METHODS: The micromorphological features in terms of transection and microscopic characteristics of POL and adulterants were captured and compared using the an microscope. Both HPLC and TLC methods for the simultaneous determination of six bioactive flavonoids (myricitrin, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, amentoflavone, afzelin, and hinokiflavone) have been developed. RESULTS: There were significant differences in microscopic features of transverse section and powders. The TLC results suggested that the spots of myricitrin in POL were more obvious than those in the five adulterants. The contents of myricitrin and quercitrin, or the total content of flavonoids in POL, determined by HPLC, were significantly higher than those in the adulterants. CONCLUSION: POL was successfully distinguished from its five adulterants by the comparison of morphology, microscopic characteristics, and chemical profiles. HIGHLIGHTS: This research provides a comprehensive morphology, microscopic identification, TLC, and HPLC analysis for authenticating POL and its five adulterants.

Relationship between workplace bullying, spirituality, and job burnout in paediatric nurses: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: To investigate the relationships and pathways between workplace bullying, workplace spirituality, and job burnout in Chinese paediatric nurses. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted with paediatric nurses from six tertiary hospitals in Hubei Province, China. METHODS: The study consisted of 402 paediatric nurses. The data were collected using a sociodemographic data questionnaire, Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised, Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and Workplace Spirituality Scale. The model was tested using path analysis techniques within structural equation modelling. RESULTS: Workplace bullying had positive and direct effects on the job burnout of paediatric nurses. Workplace spirituality partially mediated the relationship between workplace bullying and burnout. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Workplace spirituality may reduce the incidence of work bullying and job burnout in paediatric nurses. Nursing managers need to consider and cultivate the workplace spirituality of paediatric nurses, with the aim of creating a healthy working environment and ensuring the stability of the nursing team.

Sperm mitochondrial DNA copy number mediates the association between seminal plasma selenium concentrations and semen quality among healthy men.

Selenium (Se) is essential for successful male reproduction. However, the association of Se status with human semen quality remains controversial and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We measured seminal plasma Se concentrations, sperm mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn), and sperm quality parameters among healthy Chinese men screened as potential sperm donors. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate the associations of within-subject pooled seminal plasma Se concentrations (n = 1159) with repeated sperm quality parameters (n = 5617); mediation analyses were applied to evaluate the mediating role of sperm mtDNAcn (n = 989). Seminal plasma Se concentrations were positively associated with sperm concentration and total count (both P for trend < 0.001). In adjusted models, men in the top vs. bottom quartiles of seminal plasma Se concentrations had 70.1 % (95 % CI: 53.3 %, 88.9 %) and 59.1 % (95 % CI: 40.5 %, 80.2 %) higher sperm concentration and total count, respectively. Meanwhile, we observed inverse associations between seminal plasma Se concentrations and sperm mtDNAcn, and between sperm mtDNAcn and sperm motility, concentration, and total count (all P for trend < 0.05). Mediation analyses suggested that sperm mtDNAcn mediated 19.7 % (95 % CI: 15.9 %, 25.3 %) and 23.1 % (95 % CI: 17.4 %, 33.4 %) of the associations between seminal plasma Se concentrations and sperm concentration and total count, respectively. Our findings suggest that Se is essential for male spermatogenesis, potentially by affecting sperm mtDNAcn.

Screening of hypoglycemic components in Platycladi Cacumen by phytochemical investigation, spectrum-effect relationship, and chemometric methods.

In this work, the hypoglycemic components in Platycladi Cacumen, an essential traditional Chinese medicine, were evaluated by combining phytochemical investigation, spectrum-effect relationship analysis, and chemometric methods. The phytochemical studies on Platycladi Cacumen extract lead to the isolation of 21 potential bioactive compounds. The chromatographic fingerprints of Platycladi Cacumen samples were established by high-performance liquid chromatography. The hypoglycemic effects of Platycladi Cacumen samples were further evaluated by inhibition of α-glucosidase and detected by the high-performance liquid chromatography method. The spectrum-effect relationship study by bivariate correlations analysis and orthogonal partial least squares regression revealed that myricitrin (P9), quercitrin (P13), afzelin (P18), and amentoflavone (P24) were more relevant to the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The results of α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 21 isolated compounds and molecular docking studies also indicated these flavonoids had potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Collectively, the present study established the spectrum-effect relationship mode of Platycladi Cacumen and discovered the major hypoglycemic components, which provides a feasible method for screening bioactive components.

Association between tea consumption and semen quality among 1385 healthy Chinese men.

Information on the association between tea drinking and semen quality is limited. Little is reported on whether tea drinking is benefit to sperm quality. This cross-sectional and longitudinal study was conducted between April 2017 and July 2018. Participants were healthy men who were screened as potential sperm donors recruited at the Hubei Province Human Sperm Bank of China. A structured questionnaires containing sociodemographic information, daily habits, sperm collection-related information was completed for each participant at interview. Repeated semen samples were taken to examine the sperm parameters, including sperm volume, sperm concentration, sperm count, progressive motility, and total motility. A total of 1385 men with 6466 sperm samples were included in this study. Two groups were compared: tea drinking men (389, 28.1%) and non-tea drinking men (996, 71.9%). Compared with subjects who never drink tea, the analyses showed that sperm concentration and total sperm count were higher in tea-consuming subjects. A 10-year period or more duration of tea drinking significantly increased semen concentrations by 16.27% (P < 0.05). Sperm concentration was increased in subjects with a frequency of tea drinking of 3 days or more per week (P < 0.05) or, among men who were occasional alcohol drinkers, when tea concentration was weak (P < 0.05). No evidence of trend effects (P for trend > 0.05) or interaction effects (P for interaction > 0.05) between tea consumption and sperm quality, respectively. Our findings provide evidence that tea drinking may improve male reproductive health. Long-term, frequent, weak tea drinking tends to increase sperm quality among men with low BMI or health-related behaviors like smoking or alcohol intake.

Curcumin sensitizes carboplatin treatment in triple negative breast cancer through reactive oxygen species induced DNA repair pathway.

BACKGROUND: As patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have a very weak response to hormone inhibition or anti-HER2 therapy, traditional chemotherapy is commonly used in these patients. Recently, carboplatin has been approved for the clinical treatment of TNBC. However, several patients exhibit resistance to carboplatin treatment. Therefore, strategies to enhance the antitumor effect of carboplatin need to be explored. In our study, we investigated the function of curcumin in increasing the response to carboplatin. METHODS AND RESULTS: MTT and colony formation assays were used to evaluate cell viability after carboplatin and curcumin treatment. In addition, we conducted flow cytometric and Western blot analyses to examine cellular apoptosis. Subsequently, molecular and biochemical experiments were used to explore the mechanism by which curcumin sensitized TNBC to carboplatin treatment. We demonstrated that different TNBC cells responded differently to carboplatin. Low-dose carboplatin killed CAL-51 cells but barely influenced CAL-51-R and MDA-MB-231 cells. To improve the sensitivity of resistant TNBC cells to carboplatin, combined treatment with curcumin was applied and was found to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis. Mechanistically, curcumin exerted its anticancer effect by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which downregulated the DNA repair protein RAD51, leading to upregulation of γH2AX. As expected, ROS scavenger NAC reversed the inhibitory effect on growth and DNA repair pathway activity mediated by curcumin. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our data demonstrate that curcumin sensitizes TNBC to the anticancer effect of carboplatin by increasing ROS-induced DNA damage, thus providing an effective combination treatment strategy for TNBC.

[Antagonistic effect of vitamin E on di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate-induced reproductive toxicity in male rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the antagonistic effect of vitamin E (VE) on male reproductive toxicity induced by di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in pubertal SD rats and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Thirty 5-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups of equal number, corn oil control, low-dose (10 mg/kg/d), medium-dose (100 mg/kg/d) and high-dose DEHP exposure (500 mg/kg/d), and VE intervention (high-dose DEHP + VE ï¼»100 mg/kg/dï¼½), and treated respectively for 30 successive days. At 3 days after treatment, the testes of the animals were harvested for determination of the oxidative stress index, serum reproductive hormone levels, cauda epididymal sperm parameters, and expressions of cell apoptosis-related genes and proteins. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the rats of the medium- and high-dose DEHP groups showed significant decreases in the levels of such serum reproductive hormones as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T), sperm parameters as average path velocity (VAP), straight line velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL), straightness (STR), linearity (LIN) and wobble (WOB), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxide (GSH-Px), but significant increases were observed in the latter two groups in the content of malondialdehyde (MDA)(ï¼»3.32±0.87ï¼½ nmol/mg pro vs ï¼»2.13±0.49ï¼½ nmol/ mg pro), mRNA expressions of Bad, Bax, Cytochrome C, Caspase-3 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and protein expressions of Cytochrome C and Caspase-3. In comparison with the high-dose DEHP group, the VE intervention group exhibited remarkably increased serum LH and T levels, sperm VAP, VSL, VCL, STR and WOB, and activities of SOD and GSH-Px, but markedly decreased mRNA expressions of Bad, Bax, Cytochrome C, Caspase-3 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as well as the protein expressions of Cytochrome C and Caspase-3 in the testis tissue (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to DEHP induces androgen secretion disorders, causes oxidative damage to the testicular tissue, activates the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in the testis, and ultimately reduces the quality of epididymal sperm, while VE can protect the rat testis from DEHP-induced reproductive toxicity.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of commercial rice wine extracts of Taiwanese Allium fistulosum.

The antioxidant and antibacterial activities of commercial rice wine extracts obtained from different plant parts of Allium fistulosum were assayed. The results showed that commercial rice wine extracts of A. fistulosum contained 28.3-95.9 µL/mL allicin and exhibited significant antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The DPPH radical scavenging capacity ranged from 90.2% to 52.1%, and the IC50 value ranged from 14.6 to 26.0 µg/mL. The total phenolic content of wine extracts was 56.4-198.9 mg GAE/g extracts. The TEAC assay of extracts ranged from 6.2 to 15.5 mmol/g extracts. Antibacterial activities were tested against 4 bacteria b y using agar disc diffusion and tube dilution tests. All extracts exhibited antibacterial activities against gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, and gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thus, A. fistulosum wine extracts could be used as natural and functional additives in cooking foods.

Metastasis initiating cells in primary prostate cancer tissues from transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) predicts castration-resistant progression and survival of prostate cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that the activation of RANK and c-Met signaling components in both experimental mouse models and human prostate cancer (PC) specimens predicts bone metastatic potential and PC patient survival. This study addresses whether a population of metastasis-initiating cells (MICs) known to express a stronger RANKL, phosphorylated c-Met (p-c-Met), and neuropilin-1 (NRP1) signaling network than bystander or dormant cells (BDCs) can be detected in PC tissues from patients subjected to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for urinary obstruction prior to the diagnosis of PC with or without prior hormonal manipulation, and whether the relative abundance of MICs over BDCs could predict castration-resistant progression and PC patient survival. METHODS: We employed a multiplexed quantum-dot labeling (mQDL) protocol to detect and quantify MICs and BDCs at the single cell level in TURP tissues obtained from 44 PC patients with documented overall survival and castration resistance status. RESULTS: PC tissues with a higher number of MICs and an activated RANK signaling network, including increased expression of RANKL, p-c-Met, and NRP1 compared to BDCs, were found to correlate with the development of castration resistance and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of PC cells with MIC and BDC phenotypes in primary PC tissues from hormone-naïve patients can predict the progression to castration resistance and the overall survival of PC patients.

The PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways elevate thyroid hormone receptor ß1 and TRH receptor to decrease thyroid hormones after exposure to PCB153 and p,p'-DDE.

PCBs and DDT cause the disturbance of thyroid hormone (TH) homeostasis in humans and animals. To test the hypothesis that the PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways would play significant roles in TH imbalance caused by PCBs and DDT, Sprague-Dawley rats were dosed with PCB153 and p,p'-DDE intraperitoneally for 5 consecutive days, and human thyroid follicular epithelial (Nthy-ori 3-1 cell line) were treated with PCB153 and p,p'-DDE for different time. Results showed that serum total thyroxine (TT4), free thyroxine (FT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were decreased, whereas serum free triiodothyronine (FT3) and thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) were not changed. The PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways were activated in vivo and in vitro after the treatment with PCB153 and p,p'-DDE. Moreover, TH receptor ß1 (TRß1) was elevated after the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway and was depressed after the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway; TRH receptor (TRHr) was increased after the activation of the ERK pathway and was decreased after the inhibition of the ERK pathway. Though TH receptor α1 (TRα1) level was increased in the hypothalamus, TRα1 and TSHr were not influenced by the status of signaling pathways in in vitro study. Taken together, after exposure to PCB153 and p,p'-DDE, activated PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis via TRß1 and TRHr and then decrease TH levels, and that would be a potential mechanism by which PCBs and DDT disturb TH homeostasis.

Clnical observation, of the effects of lattice ultra pulse carbon dioxide laser combined with traditional Chinese medicine on the treatment of hyperplastic scar / 中华烧伤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical effects of lattice ultra pulse carbon dioxide laser combined with traditional Chinese medicine ( Fuchunsan ) on the treatment of postburn hyperplastic scar.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-three patients with hyperplastic scar after burn injury hospitalized from February 2012 to June 2014 in our department were treated with lattice ultra pulse carbon dioxide laser combined with traditional Chinese medicine (Fuchunsan). Patients were divided into early stage group (E, n = 35), middle stage group (M, n = 25), and late stage group ( L, n = 3) according to the formation time of scar, which was respectively 3 weeks to 3 months, longer than 3 months and less than or equal to 6 months, and 3 to 15 years in groups E, M, and L. The number of times of laser treatment of patients in each group was recorded. The degree of scar pain in patients of the three groups was assessed by the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) before treatment and after treatment for 1, 2, and 3 times. The scar condition of patients in groups E and M was assessed by the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) before treatment and after treatment for 1, 3, and 5 times. Patients in group L did not receive VSS assessment but were evaluated by clinical observation only. Photos of scar in treating area were taken before treatment and after treatment for 3 and 5 times to evaluate the clinical effect. Data were processed with t test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Patients in groups E and M were treated with laser for (4.8 ± 1.1) and (7.7 ± 2.1) times respectively. In group L, the treatment was stopped in 2 patients after laser treatment for 5 times, and 1 patient received laser treatment for 12 times. The degree of pain in patients of groups E and M was alleviated significantly after treatment for one time, and the number of patients scoring 1-4 point(s) in NRS increased from 5 cases to 38 cases. After treatment for 2 and 3 times, the increase in the number of patients scoring 1-4 point (s) in NRS was on a small scale. Before treatment and after treatment for 1 time, VSS scores of patients in groups E and M were similar (with values respectively 0.641 and 0. 082, P values above 0. 05). After treatment for 3 and 5 times, VSS scores of patients in group E were respectively (9.2 ± 0.8) and (7.0 ± 1.1) points, which were significantly lower than those in group M [ (9.7 ± 1.0) and (8.2 ± 1.0) points, with values respectively -1.993 and -4.433 , P < 0.05 or P < 0.01]. After treatment for 3 times, the rate of improvement in appearance was respectively 88.6% (31/35) and 72.0% (18/25) in groups E and M, and it was respectively 100.0% (35/35) and 96.0% (24/25) after treatment for 5 times. No significant effect in appearance was found in the 3 patients in group L.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Early application of lattice ultra pulse carbon dioxide laser combined with traditional Chinese medicine (Fuchunsan) for the treatment of postburn hyperplastic scar is effective.</p>

[Tissue culture and rapid propagation of Trichosanthes kirilowii].

OBJECTIVE: To study tissue culture of Trichosanthes kirilowii, and establish the technique of rapid propagation. METHODS: Cluster buds were induced from stem tip and stem with axillary bud, calluses were induced from stems and leaves. RESULTS: Cluster buds could be induced on both the bud and axillary bud from 2-years-old tuber of Trichosanthes kirilowii with MS medium containing 2 mg/L BA and 0.5 -0.05 mg/L NAA. The roots could be induced with MS + 0.1 mg/L NAA + 0.2 mg/L IBA. The seedling with roots could be transplanted after domestication, and achieved the rapid seedling propagation. Calluses could be induced from the stems and leaves with MS + 4 mg/L BA + 0.5 mg/L NAA, and the calluses then could be differentiated into seedlings without root. CONCLUSION: The male and female seedlings of Trichosanthes kirilowii can be propagated largely using stem tip or axillary bud in short period. The technique of rapid propagation on Trichosanthes kirilowii have a high benefit and low costs.