Research status and challenges of plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles.

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of related studies on exosomes. Most studies have focused on exosomes derived from mammals, confirming the important role that exosomes play in cell communication. Plants, as a natural ingredient, plant-derived exosomes have been confirmed to have similar structures and functions to mammalian-derived exosomes. Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs) are lipid bilayer membrane nanovesicles containing bioactive constituents such as miRNA, mRNA, protein, and lipids obtained from plant cells, that can participate in intercellular communication and mediate transboundary communication, have high bioavailability and low immunogenicity, are relatively safe, and have been shown to play an important role in maintaining cell homeostasis and preventing, and treating a variety of diseases. In this review, we describe the biogenesis, isolation and purification methods, structural composition, stability, safety, function of PELNs and challenges. The functions of PELNs in anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor and drug delivery are mainly described, and the status of research on exosome nanoparticles of Chinese herbal medicines is outlined. Overall, we summarized the importance of PELNs and the latest research results in this field and provided a theoretical basis for the future research and clinical application of PELNs.

Integrative polygenic risk score improves the prediction accuracy of complex traits and diseases.

Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) are an emerging tool to predict the clinical phenotypes and outcomes of individuals. We propose PRSmix, a framework that leverages the PRS corpus of a target trait to improve prediction accuracy, and PRSmix+, which incorporates genetically correlated traits to better capture the human genetic architecture for 47 and 32 diseases/traits in European and South Asian ancestries, respectively. PRSmix demonstrated a mean prediction accuracy improvement of 1.20-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], [1.10; 1.3]; p = 9.17 × 10-5) and 1.19-fold (95% CI, [1.11; 1.27]; p = 1.92 × 10-6), and PRSmix+ improved the prediction accuracy by 1.72-fold (95% CI, [1.40; 2.04]; p = 7.58 × 10-6) and 1.42-fold (95% CI, [1.25; 1.59]; p = 8.01 × 10-7) in European and South Asian ancestries, respectively. Compared to the previously cross-trait-combination methods with scores from pre-defined correlated traits, we demonstrated that our method improved prediction accuracy for coronary artery disease up to 3.27-fold (95% CI, [2.1; 4.44]; p value after false discovery rate (FDR) correction = 2.6 × 10-4). Our method provides a comprehensive framework to benchmark and leverage the combined power of PRS for maximal performance in a desired target population.

[Aqueous extract of Epimedium sagittatum mitigates pulmonary fibrosis in mice].

This study aims to investigate the intervention effect of the aqueous extract of Epimedium sagittatum Maxim on the mouse model of bleomycin(BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis, so as to provide data support for the clinical treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. Ninety male C57BL/6N mice were randomized into normal(n=10), model(BLM, n=20), pirfenidone(PFD, 270 mg·kg~(-1), n=15), and low-, medium-, and high-dose E. sagittatum extract(1.67 g·kg~(-1), n=15; 3.33 g·kg~(-1), n=15; 6.67 g·kg~(-1), n=15) groups. The model of pulmonary fibrosis was established by intratracheal instillation of BLM(5 mg·kg~(-1)) in the other five groups except the normal group, which was treated with an equal amount of normal saline. On the day following the modeling, each group was treated with the corresponding drug by gavage for 21 days. During this period, the survival rate of the mice was counted. After gavage, the lung index was calculated, and the morphology and collagen deposition of the lung tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) and Masson staining, respectively. The levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS) in lung cell suspensions were measured by flow cytometry. The levels of glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px), total superoxide dismutase(T-SOD), and malondialdehyde(MDA) the in lung tissue were measured. Terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling(TUNEL) was employed to examine the apoptosis of lung tissue cells. The content of interleukin-6(IL-6), chemokine C-C motif ligand 2(CCL-2), matrix metalloproteinase-8(MMP-8), transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-ß1), alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), E-cadherin, collagen Ⅰ, and fibronectin in the lung tissue was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). The expression levels of F4/80, Ly-6G, TGF-ß1, and collagen Ⅰ in the lung tissue were determined by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA levels of CCL-2, IL-6, and MMP-7 in the lung tissue were determined by qRT-PCR. The content of hydroxyproline(HYP) in the lung tissue was determined by alkaline hydrolysation. The expression of α-SMA and E-cadherin was detected by immunofluorescence, and the protein levels of α-SMA, vimentin, E-cadherin in the lung tissue were determined by Western blot. The results showed the aqueous extract of E. sagittatum increased the survival rate, decreased the lung index, alleviated the pathological injury, collagen deposition, and oxidative stress in the lung tissue, and reduced the apoptotic cells. Furthermore, the aqueous extract of E. sagittatum down-regulated the protein levels of F4/80 and Ly-6G and the mRNA levels of CCL-2, IL-6, and MMP-7 in the lung tissue, reduced the content of IL-6, CCL-2, and MMP-8 in the alveolar lavage fluid. In addition, it lowered the levels of HYP, TGF-ß1, α-SMA, collagen Ⅰ, fibronectin, and vimentin, and elevated the levels of E-cadherin in the lung tissue. The aqueous extract of E. sagittatum can inhibit collagen deposition, alleviate oxidative stress, and reduce inflammatory response by regulating the expression of the molecules associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition, thus alleviating the symptoms of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice.

Berberine Protects Against Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Human Ovarian Granulosa Cell Injury and Ferroptosis by Regulating the Circ_0097636/MiR-186-5p/SIRT3 Pathway.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine syndrome in women of reproductive age. Berberine (BBR) is a Chinese herbal monomer that exhibits many pharmacological properties related to PCOS treatment. This study aims to analyze the effect of BBR on a cell model of PCOS and the underlying mechanism. Human ovarian granulosa (KGN) cells were treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to mimic a PCOS cell model. The RNA expression of circ_0097636, miR-186-5p, and sirtuin3 (SIRT3) was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Protein expression was detected by western blotting. Cell viability was analyzed by CCK-8 assay. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were investigated by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay and flow cytometry assay, respectively. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Fe2+ concentration was assessed by an iron assay kit. Oxidative stress was assessed by detecting reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and malondialdehyde (MDA) level using commercial kits. The association of miR-186-5p with circ_0097636 and SIRT3 was identified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. Circ_0097636 expression was downregulated in the follicular fluid of PCOS patients and DHT-treated KGN cells when compared with control groups. BBR treatment partially relieved the DHT-induced inhibitory effect on cell proliferation and promoted effects on cell apoptosis, inflammation, ferroptosis, and oxidative stress in KGN cells. Additionally, circ_0097636 bound to miR-186-5p, and SIRT3 was identified as a target gene of miR-186-5p in KGN cells. BBR treatment ameliorated DHT-induced KGN cell injury by upregulating circ_0097636 and SIRT3 expression and downregulating miR-186-5p expression. Moreover, circ_0097636 overexpression protected KGN cells from DHT-induced injury by increasing SIRT3 expression. BBR ameliorated DHT-induced KGN cell injury and ferroptosis by regulating the circ_0097636/miR-186-5p/SIRT3 pathway.

Quality Control Test of Transcranial MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Treatment System before Surgery / 中国医疗器械杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the pre-treatment preventive maintenance and quality control procedure of MRI system and transcranial MRI-guided focused ultrasound (TcMRgFUS) treatment system by monitoring quality control of these two systems.@*METHODS@#The general performance index and image quality control index of MRI system, as well as the quality assurance program of TcMRgFUS EXABLATE 4000 system were tested and recorded.@*RESULTS@#The general performance index and image quality control index of MRI system met requirements.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Through system detection, the system performance could be monitored, ensuring the accuracy and safety of surgery.

The ethyl acetate extraction of Pileostegia tomentella (ZLTE) exerts anti-cancer effects on H1299 cells via ROS-induced canonical apoptosis / 中国天然药物

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and the most common malignant tumor, the long-term survival of which has stagnated in the past several decades. Pileostegia tomentella Hand. Mazz is a traditional Chinese medicine called "Zhongliuteng" (ZLT) in the pharmacopeia, which has been proved to possess a potent anti-tumor effect on various cancers. In this study, the effects of ZLT N-butanol extraction (ZLTN) and ZLT ethyl acetate extraction (ZLTE) on the viability of non-small cell lung cancer cell (NSCLC) lines H1299 and A549 were evaluated. Here, we firstly reported that ZLTE significantly inhibited H1299 cells growth without affecting the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). In addition, ZLTE induced caspase-dependent apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner and increased the expression cleaved-PARP and decreased pro-caspase-3, pro-caspase-7, pro-caspase-8, and pro-caspase-9. Moreover, ZLTE increased the level of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in H1299 cells to lead to apoptosis, which was reversed by N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). Taken together, our results revealed that ZLTE induced caspase-dependent apoptosis via ROS generation, suggesting that ZLTE is a promising herbal medicine for the treatment of NSCLC.

Research progress on anti-atherosclerosis effect and mechanism of flavonoids compounds mediated by macrophages / 中国中药杂志

Flavonoids are important active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine, mainly with cardiovascular, anti-liver injury, antioxidant, antispasmodic, and estrogen-like effects. These compounds have obvious effects on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Macrophage-derived foam cells are the key medium in the process of atherosclerosis(AS). In plaque, allserum lipids, serum lipoproteins, and various pro-or anti-inflammatory stimulating factors, chemokines, and small bioactive molecules can significantly affect the macrophage phenotype and induce stronger pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that some flavonoids can be used for macrophages through different pathways and mechanisms, playing an anti-atherosclerosis effect to different degrees, including promotion of cholesterol efflux from macrophages, anti-foaming of macrophages, inhibition of secretion of inflammatory factors, and antioxidant modified low density lipoprotein(ox-LDL)-induced apoptosis of macrophages. Related gene regulation inclu-ded ATP-binding cassette transporter A1(ABCA1), ATP-binding cassette transporter G1(ABCG1), Toll-like receptor(TLR), and scavenger receptor(SR). In this article, we would review the recent research progress of flavonoids on anti-atherosclerosis effect me-diated by macrophage. It is expected to provide new treatment strategies for AS-related cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and provide research ideas and development directions for the use of related natural medicines and design of new products.

Cloning and functional characterization of farnesyl diphosphate synthase in Senecio scandens / 中国中药杂志

As a secondary metabolite, sesquiterpenes are not only have important functions in plant defense and signaling, but also play potential roles in basic materials for pharmaceuticals, cosmetic and flavor. As a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Senecio scandens exhibits effects of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive, as well as invigorating the blood and removing extravasated blood. Over 600 sesquiterpenes with diverse structures were isolated from S. scandens and related species in the same genus. To characterize sesquiterpenes synthesis, two FPS genes(SsFPS1 and SsFPS2) were identified in S. scandens through transcriptomic analysis. Bioinformatic analysis showed that both SsFPSs have conserved motifs for FPS function. Both SsFPSs exhibited constitutive gene expression in S. scandens tissues and SsFPS2 accumulated higher transcript in leaves and roots than SsFPS1. Meanwhile consistent with constitutive sesquiterpene accumulation in S.scandens tissues, most of these sesquiterpenes were detected in leaves and roots more than stems and flowers. Recombinant expression through Escherichia coli metabolic engineering, SsFPS1 or SsFPS2 was co-transformed with ZmTPS11(maize β-macrocarpene synthase) into BL21 competent cells. The results showed that the content of β-macrocarpene was increased by co-transformation with SsFPSs. It is demonstrated that SsFPS1 and SsFPS2 catalyzed E,E-FPP formation and provided FPP precursor for downstream sesquiterpene synthases. Characterization of SsFPSs provided the foundation for the exploration of biosynthesis of sesquiterpenoid with diverse structures and potential pharmaceutical values in S.scandens, and provide an important theoretical basis for the development of S. scandens abundant resources.

Identification of stable reference gene by qRT-PCR in Senecio scandens / 中国中药杂志

As a traditional Chinese medicine, Senecio scandens is rich in important compounds such as flavonoid and sesquiterpenoid. Based on the transcriptome data of S. scandens, 15 candidate reference genes were selected including ABCT, ACT1, ACT2, ACT3, ACBP, ARF, ATPS, EF-H, EF-1α, ETIF, GAPDH, GTPB, MPS, UCE and 60S. Firstly, 9 candidate genes with relatively stable expressions such as ACT1, ACBP, ARF, ATPS, EF-1α, GAPDH, MPS, UCE and 60S were screened from different tissues of S. scandens by RT-PCR. Then, qRT-PCR was used to quantitatively analyze gene expression of these nine candidates in S. scandens with or without stress treatments. Further analysis of these gene expression data by geNorm and NormFinder showed that ACT1 exhibited the stablest expression in all samples and could serve as a reference gene for future study of S. scandens, and provide an endogenous control for gene expression analysis.

Regulatory Effect and Mechanism of Araliaceae Traditional Chinese Medicine on Cholesterol / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Araliaceae plant Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Panacix Quinquefolii Radix are famous Chinese herbal medicines, with anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effect, as well as obvious effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems. Studies have found that the metabolism and transport of cholesterol may affect the function of the cardiovascular system. Cholesterol can be divided into high-density cholesterol and low-density cholesterol. Cholesterol has many physiological regulating effect. High-density cholesterol has a protective effect on cardiovascular disease. When the cholesterol metabolism in the body is disordered, low-density cholesterol is increased, and will cause the increase in the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. By consulting relevant Chinese and foreign documents and materials, we found that traditional Chinese medicine Araliaceae has a significant regulatory effect on cholesterol. It can directly regulate the cholesterol level of experimental hyperlipidemia rats, reduce total cholesterol(TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) in rats, and partially increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C) level in rats. It can inhibit cholesterol synthesis by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis-regulating genes liver X receptor-α(LXR-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ(PPARγ), cytochrome P450 7A1(CYP7A1); and up-regulate cholesterol metabolism genes peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α(PPARα), PPARγ, CYP8B1, CYP7A1, LXR) and body ATP-binding cassette transporter, ABC transporter(ABCA1, ABCG5/8)to promote cholesterol metabolism in the body. Araliaceae plants may play a neuroprotective role by regulating cholesterol metabolism and transport in the brain, and improve neurodegenerative diseases. Studies on the effect of Araliaceae plants on the metabolism and transport of cholesterol in brain will become a hot research topic in the future. The above review is expected to provide a reference for further research on the lipid-lowering effect and mechanism of Araliaceae plants.

Plant morphology, physiological characteristics, accumulation of secondary metabolites and antioxidant activities of Prunella vulgaris L. under UV solar exclusion

BACKGROUND: Prunella vulgaris L. has been an important medicinal plant for the treatment of thyroid gland malfunction and mastitis in China for over 2000 years. There is an urgent need to select effective wavelengths for greenhouse cultivation of P. vulgaris as light is a very important factor in P. vulgaris growth. Here, we described the effects of natural light (control) and UV solar exclusion on the morphological and physiological traits, secondary metabolites contents and antioxidant activities of P. vulgaris. RESULTS: The results showed that UV solar exclusion resulted in remarkable alterations to morphological and biomass traits; significantly reduced the chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll contents; significantly enhanced the ratio of chlorophyll a to b; and significantly increased the carotenoid and anthocyanin contents in P. vulgaris. UV solar exclusion significantly increased the catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities, increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities and slightly decreased the glutathione (GSH) content. UV solar exclusion significantly increased the soluble sugar and H2O2 contents and increased the soluble protein content but significantly decreased the proline content and slightly decreased the MDA content. The secondary metabolite contents (total phenolics, rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, hyperoside, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid) and in vitro antioxidative properties (DPPH· and ABTS·+scavenging activities) were significantly increased in P. vulgaris spicas under UV solar exclusion. Additionally, the total polysaccharide and total flavonoids contents were slightly increased by UV solar exclusion. The salviaflaside content was significantly reduced by UV solar exclusion. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that P. vulgaris activates several antioxidant defence systems against oxidative damage caused by UV solar exclusion.

Data fusion and multi-components quantitative analysis for identification and quality evaluation of Gentiana rigescens from different geographical origins / 中国中药杂志

The accumulation of secondary metabolites of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is closely related to its origins. The identification of origins and multi-components quantitative evaluation are of great significance to ensure the quality of medicinal materials. In this study, the identification of Gentiana rigescens from different geographical origins was conducted by data fusion of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination of partial least squares discriminant analysis; meanwhile quantitative analysis of index components was conducted to provide an accurate and comprehensive identification and quality evaluation strategy for selecting the best production areas of G. rigescens. In this study, the FTIR and HPLC information of 169 G. rigescens samples from Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi and Guizhou Provinces were collected. The raw infrared spectra were pre-treated by multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate (SNV) and Savitzky-Golay (SG) derivative. Then the performances of FTIR, HPLC, and low-level data fusion and mid-level data fusion for identification were compared, and the contents of gentiopicroside, swertiamarin, loganic acid and sweroside were determined by HPLC. The results showed that the FTIR spectra of G. rigescens from different geographical origins were different, and the best pre-treatment method was SNV+SG-derivative (second derivative, 15 as the window parameter, and 2 as the polynomial order). The results showed that the accuracy rate of low- and mid-level data fusion (96.43%) in prediction set was higher than that of FTIR and HPLC (94.64%) in prediction set. In addition, the accuracy of low-level data fusion (100%) in the training set was higher than that of mid-level data fusion (99.12%) in training set. The contents of the iridoid glycosides in Yunnan were the highest among different provinces. The average content of gentiopicroside, as a bioactive marker in Chinese pharmacopoeia, was 47.40 mg·g⁻¹, and the maximum was 79.83 mg·g⁻¹. The contents of loganic acid, sweroside and gentiopicroside in Yunnan were significantly different from other provinces (<0.05). In comparison of total content of iridoid glycosides in G. rigescens with different geographical origins in Yunnan, it was found that the amount of iridoid glycosides was higher in Eryuan Dali (68.59 mg·g⁻¹) and Yulong Lijiang (66.68 mg·g⁻¹), significantly higher than that in Wuding Chuxiong (52.99 mg·g⁻¹), Chengjiang Yuxi (52.29 mg·g⁻¹) and Xundian Kunming (46.71 mg·g⁻¹) (<0.05), so these two places can be used as a reference region for screening cultivation and excellent germplasm resources of G. rigescens. A comprehensive and accurate method was established by data fusion of HPLC-FTIR and quantitative analysis of HPLC for identification and quality evaluation of G. rigescens, which could provide a support for the development and utilization of G. rigescens.

and his / 中国针灸

, born in the SouthernDynasty, was proficient in TCM theory and enjoyed summarizing proved prescriptions. During his spare time, he wrotewith scientific writing structure, wide quote of references and attached medical reports, which modified and enriched the content of acupoint therapy. This book played an important role as a link between past and future; it included a considerable number of moxibustion methods and was considered as the greatest medical achievement beforeDynasty. In addition, this book contained the greatest number of proved prescriptions among the ancient acupuncture books, so its academic value was self-evident. However, when examining and correcting the acupoints,ignored the fact that acupuncture physicians had different clinical experience and their understanding on the body structure was discrepant, so the contradictions of location and indications of acupoints appeared in the book.

Effects of syndrome-differentiation acupuncture on life quality in patients with functional dyspepsia / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe effects of syndrome-differentiation acupuncture on life quality in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) in order to evaluate its clinical efficacy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and five cases of FD were randomly divided into a syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group, a regular acupuncture group and a non-acupoint group, 35 cases in each one. Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), Zusanli (ST 36) were selected as main acupoints in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group. After syndrome differentiation, Danzhong (CV 17) and Zhangmen (LR 13) were added for those with stagnation of liver qi; Pishu (BL 20) and Weishu (BL 21) were added for those with deficiency of spleen-stomach qi; Qimen (LR 14) and Taichong (LR 3) were added for liver-qi invading stomach and Yinlingquan (SP 9) and Neiting (ST 44) were added for dampness-heat blocking stomach. The selection of acupoints in the regular acupuncture group was the same as main acupoints in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group. The points 10 mm lateral to the main acupoints were selected in the non-acupoint group. The treatment was given once a day, six days as a treatment course and totally two courses were required. The symptom total score, health-related quality of life survey (SF-36) and Nepean dyspepsia index (NDI) were evaluated before and after the treatment as well as one month after the treatment (follow-up visit), respectively. The efficacy was also assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After the treatment, the total effective rate was 87.5% (28/32) in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group, which was superior to 74.2% (23/31) in the regular acupuncture group and 20.7% (6/29) in the non-acupoint group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared before the treatment, the SF-36, NDI and symptom total score after the treatment and in the follow-up visit were all obviously improved in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group and regular acupuncture group (all P < 0.05), which was the most obvious in the syndrome-differentiation acupuncture group [after the treatment, SF-36: 84.54 +/- 5.93 vs 81.44 +/- 6.22, 63.46 +/- 6.59; NDSI: 18.94 +/- 9.30 vs 21.23 +/- 8.39, 43.93 +/- 11.26; NDLQI: 71.42 +/- 7.23 vs 63.11 +/- 7.06, 54.87 +/- 6.00; symptom total score: 22.06 +/- 15.80 vs 32.52 +/- 16.88, 47.97 +/- 10.92]; the improvement in the regular acupuncture group was more obvious than that in the non-acupoint group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Compared before the treatment, only NDSI score was improved in the non-acupoint group after the treatment (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The syndrome-differentiation acupuncture could obviously improve patient's life quality in the treatment of FD, which is an effective therapy for FD.</p>

Efficacy comparison of different stimulation therapies for periarthritis of shoulder / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare clinical efficacy differences among electroacupuncture (EA), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy and acupoint massage (AM) on periarthritis of shoulder.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and twenty cases were randomly divided into an EA group, a TENS group and an AM group, 40 cases in each one. The selection of acupoints in the three groups were all the same, which were Jianqian (Extra), Xiabai (LU 4), Jianyu (LI 15), Binao (LI 14), Jianliao (TE 14), Naohui (TE 13), Xiaohai (SI 8) and Houxi (SI 3). EA was applied in the EA group with dense-disperse wave for 30 min, TENS therapy with dense-disperse wave for 30 min in the TENS group and AM combined with mobilization manipulation of Tuina on the shoulder in the AM group. All of the treatment was given once a day, six times a week and totally 4 weeks were required. The score of visual analogue scale (VAS) and improvement of shoulder joint activities in the three groups before and after the treatment were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After the treatment, the VAS score and activities of shoulder joint were all improved in the three groups (all P < 0.001) and AM group had more obvious improvement than TENS group and EA group (all P < 0.05). The effective and curative rate was 61.50 (24/39) in the AM group, which was superior to 42.9% (15/35) in the EA group and 44.4% (16/36) in the TENS group (both P < 0.05). The effective and curative rate of shoulder joint activities in the AM group was 61.5% (24/39), which was superior to 48.6% (17/35) in the EA group and 44.4% (16/36) in the TENS group (both P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The acupoint massage has obvious clinical efficacy on periarthritis of shoulder, which could effectively relieve the pain and improve activities of shoulder joint, and it is superior to EA and TENS therapy.</p>

Change of the content of chemical constituents and anti-oxidative action of the decoction of radix ginseng combined with Flos Lonicerae, radix Polygoni Multiflori and Radix Astragali / 药学学报

Ginsenosides in the decoction of Radix Ginseng, Radix Ginseng with Flos Lonicerae, Radix Polygoni Multiflori or Radix Astragali have been investigated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric method (ESI-MS). Change of the content of ginsenosides was nonlinear in diverse combinative proportion of Radix Ginseng with Flos Lonicerae, while the stripping of ginsenosides was promoted by a small amount of Radix Polygoni Multiflori. In the combinative decoction of Radix Ginseng with Radix Astragali, ginsenosides contents were increased compared to single decoction of Radix Ginseng. Besides, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method was developed for determination of the total antioxidative activity of n-butanol and water-soluble extracts from the decoction. The experimental results showed that antioxidative activity was better in the combinative decoction than that in single decoction, and the FRAP values of n-butanol extract were also greater compared with that of water extract.