Virome Analysis of Aconitum carmichaelii Reveals Infection by Eleven Viruses, including Two Potentially New Species.

Aconitum carmichaelii is a herbaceous herb indigenous to China that has been cultivated for traditional medicine for centuries. Virus-like symptoms of A. carmichaelii plants were observed on leaves in some A. carmichaelii plantations in Zhanyi and Wuding Counties, Yunnan Province, southwest China. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) was performed on 28 symptomatic plants, and the results revealed infection with 11 viruses, including 2 novel viruses and 9 previously described viruses: Aconitum amalgavirus 1 (AcoAV-1), aconite virus A (AcVA), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), currant latent virus (CuLV), apple stem grooving virus (ASGV), chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV), tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV), tobacco vein distorting virus (TVDV), and potato leafroll virus (PLRV). Two novel viruses tentatively named Aconitum potyvirus 1 and Aconitum betapartitivirus 1, were supported by sequence and phylogenetic analysis results of their genomes. We proposed the names Potyvirus aconiti and Betapartitivirus aconiti. RT-PCR assays of 142 plants revealed the predominance and widespread distribution of CMV, AcVA, and AcoPV-1 in plantations. The detection of isolates of CuLV, ASGV, ChiVMV, TSWV, TVDV, and PLRV infections for the first time in A. carmichaelii expands their known host ranges.

High-throughput sequencing reveals the presence of novel and known viruses in diseased Paris yunnanensis.

Paris spp. are important medicinal plant and main raw material for many Chinese patent medicines, but viral diseases have became serious problems in cultivation of this group of important medicinal plants in China. In this study, eight viruses were identified in the diseased plants of Paris yunnanensis by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and RT-PCR. These viruses include three novel viruses (two potyviruses and one nepovirus), Hippeastrum chlorotic ringspot virus (HCRV), Lychnis mottle virus (LycMoV), Paris mosaic necrosis virus (PMNV), Paris virus 1 and pepper mild mottle virus. The three new viruses were tentatively named Paris potyvirus 3 (ParPV-3), Paris potyvirus 4 (ParPV-4), Paris nepovirus 1 (ParNV-1) and their complete genome sequences were determined. Sequence analyses showed ParPV-3 and ParPV-4 shared the highest amino acid (aa) sequence identities of 54.3% to each other and 53.0-57.8% to other known potyviruses. ParNV-1 had aa sequence identities of 28.8-63.7% at protease-polymerase (Pro-Pol) with other nepoviruses. Phylogenetic analyses further support that the three viruses are new members of their corresponding genera. Analyses of the partial sequences of HCRV and LycMoV infecting P. yunnanensis revealed they diverged from existing isolates by aa sequence identities of 97.1% at glycoprotein precursor of HCRV and 93.3% at polyprotein of LycMoV. These two viruses are reported for the first time in Paris spp. A total of 123 field samples collected from P. yunnanensis in four counties of Yunnan, Southwest China were tested by RT-PCR for detecting each of the eight viruses. Results showed that nearly half of the samples were positive for at least one of the eight viruses. Two potyviruses, ParPV-3 (26.8%) and PMNV (24.4%), were predominant and widely distributed in the fields, while other viruses occurred in low rates and/or had limited distribution. This study insights into the virome infecting P. yunnanensis and provides valuable information for diagnosis and control of viral diseases in P. yunnanensis.

Application of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation in identification of body constitution of hypertensive and diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation in identification of body constitution of hypertensive and diabetic patients. METHODS: A total of 110 hypertensive patients with diabetes treated in our hospital were enrolled in this study, and were divided into a study group (SG, n=60) and a control group (CG, n=50) according to different intervention methods. Patients in the CG received conventional western medical intervention for hypertension and diabetes, while patients in the SG received body constitution-identified TCM syndrome differentiation intervention additionally. The changes of blood pressure and plasma glucose during the intervention were compared between the two groups, the clinical effect and quality of life of the two groups were evaluated, and multivariate stepwise Logistic regression analysis on influencing factor of TCM body constitution was conducted. RESULTS: Compared with that before intervention, the proportion of gentleness constitution in the SG showed a significant increase (P<0.05) after intervention. Dynamic analysis during the intervention showed that patients in the SG had lower systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), lower level of fasting plasma glucose (GLU) and 2-h postprandial plasma glucose (2hPG) than the CG from 1 to 12 months after intervention (P<0.05). Patients in the SG scored higher than the CG on all SF-36 dimensions after intervention (P<0.05). Multivariate stepwise Logistic regression analysis showed that dampness-heat constitution, blood-stasis constitution, Yin-deficiency constitution and phlegm-dampness constitution were the main risk factors for hypertension with diabetes (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Body constitution-identified TCM syndrome differentiation treatment for hypertensive patients with diabetes is effective, which can significantly improve the plasma glucose and blood pressure indices of patients. Dampness-heat constitution, blood-stasis constitution, Yin-deficiency constitution and phlegm-dampness constitution are the risk factors for hypertension with diabetes.

Alleviation of trigeminal neuropathic pain by electroacupuncture: the role of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel protein expression in the Gasserian ganglion.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on trigeminal neuropathic pain in rats and explore the potential mechanism underlying the putative therapeutic effect of EA. METHODS: Trigeminal neuropathic pain behavior was induced in rats by unilateral chronic constriction injury of the distal infraorbital nerve (dIoN-CCI). EA was administered at ST2 (Sibai) and Jiachengjiang. A total of 60 Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the following four groups (n = 15 per group) to examine the behavioral outcomes after surgery and/or EA treatment: sham (no ligation); dIoN-CCI (received isoflurane only, without EA treatment); dIoN-CCI+EA-7d (received EA treatment for 7 days); and dIoN-CCI+EA-14d (received EA treatment for 14 days). Both evoked and spontaneous nociceptive behaviors were measured. Of these, 12 rats (n = 4 from sham, dIoN-CCI, and dIoN-CCI+EA-14d groups, respectively) were used to analyze protein expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel in the Gasserian ganglion (GG) by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: dIoN-CCI rats exhibited mechanical allodynia and increased face-grooming activity that lasted at least 35 days. EA treatment reduced mechanical allodynia and face-grooming in dIoN-CCI rats. Overall, 14 days of EA treatment produced a prolonged anti-nociceptive effect as compared to 7-day EA treatment. The counts of HCN1 and HCN2 immunopositive puncta were increased in the ipsilateral GG in dIoN-CCI rats and were reduced by 14 days of EA treatment. DISCUSSION: EA treatment relieved trigeminal neuropathic pain in dIoN-CCI rats, and this effect was dependent on the duration of EA treatment. The downregulation of HCN expression may contribute to the anti-nociceptive effect of EA in this rat model of trigeminal neuropathic pain.