Effect of Noni on Memory Impairment Induced by Hydrocortisone in Mice.

Background: Oxidative stress and memory impairment have been implicated as common functional brain diseases. Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is highly induced in oxidative stress, indicating that Nrf2 is an emerging target of memory therapy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of noni on brain memory impairment induced by hydrocortisone and its protective mechanism in mice. Methods: Male Kunming mice (n = 8/group) were given hydrocortisone by gastric gavage for 14 consecutive days to establish the memory impairment model, except for those in the control group. On the same day, the corresponding drugs were given by gastric gavage. The changes in ethology were examined. The brains were extracted and subjected to western blot analysis and biochemical analyses to assess the activities of antioxidative stress. Results: The middle- and high-dose noni groups exhibited ameliorated ethology, and the high-dose noni group exhibited increased cerebral protein expression of Nrf2, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), and haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) compared to the model group. The arrangement of CA3 vertebral cells in the hippocampus of mice was slightly compact, and hyperchromasia and pyknosis were alleviated. Furthermore, biochemical analyses showed that the activities of enzymes related to oxidative stress in the high-dose noni group were increased. Conclusions: Noni might be a powerful antioxidant that can protect nerve cells and may possess potential benefits for the treatment of memory impairment.

[Analysis on formulation regularity and characteristics of memory-boosting Chinese medicinal health products and Chinese patent medicines].

The present study analyzed the current Chinese medicinal health products and Chinese patent medicines effective in boosting memory,aiming at providing references for the formulation and development of memory-boosting health products. The information on memory-boosting health products published by the Department of Special Food Safety Supervision and Management,the State Administration for Market Regulation( SAMR) was collected and the Chinese patent medicines on DRUGDATAEXPY were searched. Microsoft Excel and the TCMISS were used to statistically analyze the characteristics of formulations. A total of 212 memory-boosting health products were obtained from SAMR,including 83 ones containing Chinese medicinal materials. Twelve Chinese herbal medicines showed a usage frequency ≥ 8,with 151 times in use. In DRUGDATAEXPY,258 similar Chinese patent medicines were collected.Twelve Chinese herbal medicines showed a usage frequency ≥ 58,with 907 times in use. Through unsupervised hierarchical entropybased clustering of the above-mentioned Chinese medicinal health products and Chinese patent medicines separately,5 and 12 new formulas were obtained. The selection of Chinese herbal medicines for the new formulas was consistent with the principles of traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) theories,i. e.,tonifying kidney and marrow,benefiting Qi,nourishing Yin,resolving phlegm,and eliminating stasis. According to TCM theories,syndrome differentiation of the users was conducted,and the formulas were designed following the correspondence of syndromes with formulas and Chinese herbal medicines. This study is expected to provide new ideas and methods for the development of Chinese medicinal health products and accurately guide practical applications to exert the advantages of TCM in health care based on syndrome differentiation and improve the effect of Chinese medicinal health products.

[Analysis on formulation regularity and characteristics of acne-relieving Chinese medicinal health products and Chinese patent medicines].

This study summarized and analyzed the current acne-relieving Chinese medicinal health products and Chinese patent medicines,aiming at providing references for the formulation and development of acne-relieving health products. The information on acne-relieving health products published by the Department of Special Food Safety Supervision and Management,the State Administration for Market Regulation( SAMR) was retrieved,and the Chinese patent medicines on DRUGDATAEXPY were searched. Microsoft Excel and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System V2. 5( TCMISS) were employed to statistically analyze the characteristics of formulations. Forty-three acne-relieving health products were obtained,including 40 ones containing Chinese herbal medicines. Six Chinese herbal medicines showed a usage frequency ≥8,with 61 times in use totally,including Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma( 13),Lonicerae Japonicae Flos( 12),Taraxaci Herba( 11),ALOE( 9),Carthami Flos( 8),and Rhei Radix et Rhizoma( 8). A total of 29 Chinese patent medicines with similar efficacy were collected in DRUGDATAEXPY. Nine Chinese herbal medicines showed a usage frequency ≥6,with 63 times in use,including Rhei Radix et Rhizoma( 10),Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma( 8),Scutellariae Radix( 8),Lonicerae Japonicae Flos( 7),Angelicae Sinensis Radix( 6),Paeoniae Radix Rubra( 6),Astragali Radix( 6),Paeoniae Radix Alba( 6),and Gardeniae Fructus( 6). Through unsupervised hierarchical entropy-based clustering of the above-mentioned Chinese medicinal health products and Chinese patent medicines,five and three new formulas were obtained,respectively. The selection of Chinese herbal medicines was consistent with the principles of traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) theories in relieving acne,i. e.,dispelling exterior wind,ventilating lungs,clearing heat,dissipating mass,promoting diuresis,relaxing bowels,removing toxin,activating blood,resolving stasis,eliminating phlegm,and regulating Qi. According to the " lung governing skin and body hair" and " interior-exterior relationship between lung and large intestine" in TCM theories,the idea that acne could be treated by relieving constipation was proposed,which provided new methods and references for the research and development of Chinese medicinal health products.

Study on the correlation between Fe/Ti forms and reaction activity in high-alumina coal fly ash.

High-alumina coal fly ash (HAFA) is an important aluminum and silicon resource. In the process of preparing aluminum-silicon materials from HAFA, the influence of impurity elements on its performance must be considered. In this work, the occurrence state of impurities in HAFA, micro morphology, and the bond energy of different impurity coordination were studied. Sulfuric acid leaching method and density functional theory were used to study the leaching behavior of impurities to verify the difficulty of removing different impurity elements. The results show that iron existed in the form of magnetic particles (34.78%), amorphous phase (49.24%), and crystalline phase (15.96%) in HAFA. Titanium mainly existed in amorphous phase (29.34%) and crystalline phase (69.4%). In sulfuric acid leaching, titanium was more difficult to leach, and the content of TiO2 decreased from 2.30% to 2.25%, whereas that of Fe2O3 decreased from 1.50% to 0.86%. The actual leaching behavior of impurity elements was consistent with the simulation results, with more energy required to remove Ti than Fe. These studies of impurity elements in HAFA will provide theoretical support for the preparation of aluminum-silicon materials.

[Literature research of Passiflora incarnata and discussion of its traditional Chinese medicine properties].

Based on the research literatures of Passiflora incarnata and the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the paper discussed the traditional Chinese medicinal properties of P. incarnate, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the compatibility and application of P. incarnata. The literature databases of CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus were selected, and the literatures relating to P. incarnata were reviewed to screen out the scientific research literatures with a high credibility, rational design and reliable conclusions. Foreign pharmacopoeia was consulted, and the listed products were summarized. The traditional Chinese medicine properties of P. incarnata were studied based on 32 clinical trials, 66 pharmacological researches, 64 chemical constituents researches as well as the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. It was preliminarily concluded that the medicinal properties of P. incarnata are sweet, cool, and enter heart, liver channels. The function is mainly to calm the heart and tranquilizing the mind, and calm the liver wind. It is used for hyperactivity of liver-Yang, stagnation of liver-Qi, restlessness of mind, depression, nervousness, insomnia. This paper summarized the source, characteristics of natures, tastes and channel tropism, usage and dosage, function indications of P. incarnata, and defined its clear traditional Chinese medicine property, which lays a theoretical foundation for the compatibility and clinical application of P. incarnata and Chinese medicine.

[Literature research and traditional Chinese medicine properties of Aspalathus linearis].

Aspalathus linearis is a needle-shaped shrub that grows in the Cedarberg mountains in southern South Africa, with an extremely high medicinal value. In 2014, China has approved A. linearis as a new food material. Through retrieval in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases, the literatures were excluded, classified and summarized.On the basis of Chinese medicine theory, the traditional Chinese medicine properties were deducted. Finally, 264 relevant li-teratures were included and classified into 6 categories: review, planting, chemical composition, clinical study, pharmacological effects and safety. The traditional Chinese medicinal properties were deducted as sweet flavor and neutral property. It enters kidney, spleen, heart and liver channels. The major functions are to tonify the kidney and benefit the essence, nourish Qi and spleen, nourish Yin and prompt the production of body fluid, tranquilize mind, and relieve pain. It can be used for soreness of the waist and fatigue, sexual disinterest, limbs heaviness, thirst due to insufficiency of fluid and internal heat, irritability and insomnia, forget fulness, stomachache, joint pain, dysmenorrhea, headache. Preparation for external use can treat eczema itching. Water decoction(2-15 g) can also be used as tea directly. This paper defined the traditional Chinese medicine properties of A. linearis, so as to provide the theoretical basis for further clinical application.

Mechanisms of mechanochemical activation during comprehensive utilization of high-alumina coal fly ash.

High-alumina coal fly ash (HAFA) is an important aluminum and silicon resource. In terms of its comprehensive utilization, how to efficiently separate aluminum and silicon must be resolved. In this work, a mechanochemical activation method in the desilication process is adopted and investigated. Desilication ratio, efficient desilicated ratio, microscopic appearance, and coordination structure change in aluminum-silicon atoms are investigated during mechanochemical activation process. Results indicate that the Al-O-Si coordination structure in HAFA can be transformed from Q4 (3Al) and Q4 (2Al) to reactive Q2 (1Al) structure, and the radio of Q2 (1Al) with high activity increased from 6.93% to 14.47%, which can improve HAFA reaction activity obviously. During the desilication process, the aluminum-silicon mass ratio (A/S) can be elevated from 1.23 to 2.56 after the process optimization, which provides a high-quality raw material for further high-valued utilization of HAFA.

[Study on literature of artichoke and properties of traditional Chinese medicine].

In this article, the foreign and domestic literature on alien plant medicine Cynara scolymus was reviewed to explore its properties and functions in traditional Chinese medicine theory, and provide theoretical basis for clinical application and reasonable compatibility. Based on the literature databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and Sinomed, the articles with high reliability related to C. scolymus were screened out and the obtained articles were systematically classified according to clinical application, chemical compositions, pharmacological action, toxic and side effects, etc. In the analysis with traditional Chinese medicine theory, it is concluded that: C. scolymus tastes bitter and slightly cold, attributing to spleen, stomach, liver and gall meridians. It has the functions of eliminating accumulation and guiding stagnation, regulating Qi-flowing for harmonizing stomach, clearing away dampness and heat, resolving turbidity and lowering blood lipids. It can be used for the treatment of dyspepsia, diet reduction, vomiting, nausea, abdominal distention, hypochondriac pain, jaundice, hyperlipidemia, etc. Through the analysis and research of the relevant literature on C. scolymus, the properties and functions of the drug were clarified, which could provide a theoretical basis for further animal experiments and clinical research. The research model of "traditional Chinese medicine theory" for alien plant medicines can provide reference for the introduction and research of botanical drugs around the world, which can greatly enrich Chinese medicine resources and is of great significance for promoting the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine.