Comparative Analysis of the Complete Chloroplast Genome of Four Endangered Herbals of Notopterygium.

Notopterygium H. de Boissieu (Apiaceae) is an endangered perennial herb endemic to China. A good knowledge of phylogenetic evolution and population genomics is conducive to the establishment of effective management and conservation strategies of the genus Notopterygium. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of four Notopterygium species (N. incisum C. C. Ting ex H. T. Chang, N. oviforme R. H. Shan, N. franchetii H. de Boissieu and N. forrestii H. Wolff) were assembled and characterized using next-generation sequencing. We investigated the gene organization, order, size and repeat sequences of the cp genome and constructed the phylogenetic relationships of Notopterygium species based on the chloroplast DNA and nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Comparative analysis of plastid genome showed that the cp DNA are the standard double-stranded molecule, ranging from 157,462 bp (N. oviforme) to 159,607 bp (N. forrestii) in length. The circular DNA each contained a large single-copy (LSC) region, a small single-copy (SSC) region, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs). The cp DNA of four species contained 85 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, respectively. We determined the marked conservation of gene content and sequence evolutionary rate in the cp genome of four Notopterygium species. Three genes (psaI, psbI and rpoA) were possibly under positive selection among the four sampled species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that four Notopterygium species formed a monophyletic clade with high bootstrap support. However, the inconsistent interspecific relationships with the genus Notopterygium were identified between the cp DNA and ITS markers. The incomplete lineage sorting, convergence evolution or hybridization, gene infiltration and different sampling strategies among species may have caused the incongruence between the nuclear and cp DNA relationships. The present results suggested that Notopterygium species may have experienced a complex evolutionary history and speciation process.

CSH guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of drug-induced liver injury.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an important clinical problem, which has received more attention in recent decades. It can be induced by small chemical molecules, biological agents, traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), natural medicines (NM), health products (HP), and dietary supplements (DS). Idiosyncratic DILI is far more common than intrinsic DILI clinically and can be classified into hepatocellular injury, cholestatic injury, hepatocellular-cholestatic mixed injury, and vascular injury based on the types of injured target cells. The CSH guidelines summarized the epidemiology, pathogenesis, pathology, and clinical manifestation and gives 16 evidence-based recommendations on diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of DILI.

Chinese medicine bu xu hua yu recipe for the regulation of treg/th17 ratio imbalance in autoimmune hepatitis.

Objectives. The aim of this study is researching the role of the Regulatory T cell (Treg)/T helper cell-17 (Th17) cell ratio imbalance in the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and the use of the "Bu Xu Hua Yu" recipe in the treatment of AIH. Materials and Methods. Sixty adult male C57/BL6 mice were divided into six different groups. α-Galcer was injected abdominally for production of the animal models. Liver function tests, histological examinations, liver tissue Regulatory T cell, and T helper cell-17 levels tests were carried out. TGF-ß1, IL-10, IL-17, and expression of mRNA and protein levels of Foxp3 and ROR-γt were also assessed. Results. Bu Xu Hua Yu method increased the levels of Regulatory T cell, IL-10, and the expression of Foxp3 (P < 0.05) in mice liver tissues. Furthermore, there were decreases in the levels of T helper cell-17, IL-17, and expression of RORγt mRNA and protein (P < 0.05). The ratio of Treg/Th17 was increased (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Mice with AIH have a Treg/Th17 ratio imbalance. Bu Xu Hua Yu method was able to restore the cellular balance of Treg/Th17 through the regulation of the expression of RORγt and Foxp3 and can play an important role in the treatment of AIH.

[A meibomian gland massage mechanism for upper and lower eyelids based on anti-phase rolling and enveloping movement].

During the course of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) treatment, meibomian gland massage is an effective auxiliary method. Based on an extrusion method using anti-phase massage rollers and a theory on envelope plane, a massage mechanism was proposed in this paper for the defect of the traditional mechanical assist massage structure to discharge obstruction of Meibomian gland more smoothly and to enlarge massage coverage. Meanwhile, for the case that the power of motor was significantly limited by size, an evaluation, about the input, output and loss, was carried out to initially verify the feasibility of the designed mechanism.

[Traditional Tibetan medicine plant resource of Polygonaceae family in eastern of Qinghai-Tibet plateau].

The eco-environment in eastern part of Qinghai-Tibet plateau is a rather complicated complex. The plants species there are quite diverse. The plant resource from Polygonaceae family used in traditional Tibetan medicine is very rich according to preliminary investigation. There were 6 genera and 15 species. The flora and the medicine value of them were analyzed. And some suggestions about traditional Tibetan medicine plant resource exploitation and utilization were presented.