Effects of a Chinese medical herbs complex on cellular immunity and toxicity-related conditions of breast cancer patients.

Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens, Geraniaceae) has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, and promotes wound healing. Similarly, Ganoderma tsugae (Ganodermataceae), Codonopsis pilosula (Campanulaceae) and Angelica sinensis (Apiaceae) are traditional Chinese herbs associated with immunomodulatory functions. In the present study, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to examine whether the Chinese medicinal herb complex, RG-CMH, which represents a mixture of rose geranium and extracts of G. tsugae, C. pilosula and A. sinensis, can improve the immune cell count of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy to prevent leucopenia and immune impairment that usually occurs during cancer therapy. A total of fifty-eight breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy or radiotherapy were enrolled. Immune cell levels in patient serum were determined before, and following, 6 weeks of cancer treatment for patients receiving either an RG-CMH or a placebo. Administration of RG-CMH was associated with a significant reduction in levels of leucocytes from 31·5 % for the placebo group to 13·4 % for the RG-CMH group. Similarly, levels of neutrophils significantly decreased from 35·6 % for the placebo group to 11·0 % for the RG-CMH group. RG-CMH intervention was also associated with a decrease in levels of T cells, helper T cells, cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells compared with the placebo group. However, these differences between the two groups were not statistically significant. In conclusion, administration of RG-CMH to patients receiving chemotherapy/radiotherapy may have the capacity to delay, or ease, the reduction in levels of leucocytes and neutrophils that are experienced by patients during cancer treatment.

Effects of silymarin on the resolution of liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride in rats.

Silymarin, a standardized extract of the milk thistle (Silybum marianum), has a long tradition as a herbal remedy, and was introduced as a hepatoprotective agent a few years ago. However, the therapeutic effects of silymarin remain undefined. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a xenobiotic used extensively to induce oxidative stress and is one of the most widely used hepatic toxins for experimental induction of liver fibrosis in the laboratory. In this study, we investigated the restoration of the CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis by high dose of silymarin in rats. After treatment with oil (as normal group; n = 6) or CCl4 [as model (n = 7) and therapeutic (n = 7) groups] by intragastric delivery for 8 weeks for the induction of liver fibrosis, the rats in the normal and model group were administered orally normal saline four times a week for 3 weeks whilst the therapeutic group received silymarin (200 mg/kg). The histopathological changes were observed with Masson staining. The results showed that the restoration of the CCl4-induced damage of liver fibrosis in the therapeutic group was significantly increased as compared to that in the model group. Moreover, silymarin significantly decreased the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase in serum, and also reversed the altered expressions of alpha-smooth muscle actin in liver tissue. Therefore, these findings indicated that silymarin may have the potential to increase the resolution of the CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rats.

Toxic effects of six plant oils alone and in combination with controlled atmosphere on Liposcelis bostrychophila (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae).

Six plant essential oils alone as repellent and fumigant, and in combination with the controlled atmosphere against Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel were assessed in the laboratory. These essential oils were extracted from the leaves of six source plants: Citrus tangerina Tanaka, Citrus aurantium L., Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau, Pinus sylvestris L., Cupressus funebris End]., and Eucalyptus citriodora Hook. The repellency test indicated that L. bostrychophila adults were repelled by filter paper strips treated with six essential oils. Of these essential oils, the C. funebris oil was most effective followed by that of F. sylvestris, C. tangerina, C. bergamia, and E. citriodora. The average repellency of the C. aurantium oil against L. bostrychophila adults was significantly lower than other five test oils by day 14. These essential oils had a high level of toxicity in the fumigation assay against L. bostrychophila adults at both 10 and 20 ppm. When combined with two controlled atmosphere treatments (12% CO2 + 9% O2, and 10% CO2 + 5% O2, balanced N2), the toxicity of plant oils was enhanced significantly.

Pyrolysis kinetics and residue characteristics of petrochemical industrial sludge.

This study investigated the pyrolysis characteristics of sludge from wastewater treatment plants in the petrochemical industry and focused on the pyrolysis kinetics, elemental composition of residue, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of exhaust gas. As pyrolysis temperature increased to 773 K, the increasing rate of crude oil production tended to a stable condition. The result indicated that the optimal temperature of crude oil and water mixed production was 773 K. When pyrolysis temperature increased from 673 to 973 K, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen concentrations of residue decreased and the sulfur concentration of residue increased. The concentrations of benzene, toluene,ethylbenzene, and styrene increased by the increasing pyrolysis temperature. We found that the reaction order of sludge pyrolysis was 2.5 and the activation energy of the reaction was 11.06 kJ/mol. We believe that our pyrolysis system is transitional between devolatilization and combustion.

Effects of manidipine hydrochloride on blood pressure in hypertensive patients--a comparison with nifedipine retard.

Manidipine hydrochloride (MH) is a new calcium channel antagonist which is not yet available in Taiwan. Thus, a clinical trial was performed. The clinical effects and adverse effects of MH were compared with those of nifedipine hydrochloride retard monotherapies. Sixty-three out-patients with mild to moderate hypertension and no advanced systemic diseases were randomly divided into 2 groups. Twenty patients remained in each group after some patients withdrew from the study. Blood pressure decreased significantly after treatment in both groups (p < 0.01). In the manidipine group, systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased from 164 +/- 14 to 140 +/- 18 mmHg and diastolic BP (DBP) decreased from 99 +/- 6 to 87 +/- 7 mmHg by the 8th week. In the nifedipine group, SBP decreased from 163 +/- 11 to 134 +/- 17 mmHg and DBP decreased from 101 +/- 10 to 88 +/- 9 mmHg by the 8th week. Pulse rates did not change significantly. Antihypertensive efficacy was 18/20 (90%) and 19/22 (86.4%) in the manidipine and nifedipine groups, respectively. There were a few adverse effects in both groups, the reaction was severe as to lead to the discontinuation of medication in two patients in the nifedipine group. No significant changes in laboratory tests were identified in either group, except for minimal decreases of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase in the nifedipine group. We conclude that MH was equally safe and effective as nifedipine and it may have less severe side effects compared to nifedipine.

Identification and sequence analysis of the maize stripe virus major noncapsid protein gene.

The maize stripe virus (MStV) major noncapsid protein (NCP) gene was characterized, and the location of the NCP gene was identified among the 5-RNA, 18-kb genome. A 12-amino-acid sequence of the NCP was compared with nucleotide sequence data for MStV RNAs 3 and 4 and was found to align perfectly within a 528-nucleotide open reading frame (ORF) of RNA 4. The amino acid composition of purified NCP was almost identical to that deduced from the putative coding region. The deduced NCP molecular weight was 19,815, very similar to that determined by SDS-PAGE analysis of the purified NCP. In vitro transcription and translation analysis of the cDNA representing this region showed unequivocally that this region encoded the NCP. Primer extension analysis using a synthetic oligonucleotide complementary to a sequence near the 5' end of the coding region revealed that the NCP ORF is located 61 nucleotides from the 5' end of RNA 4.