Phosphorus removal of rural wastewater by the paddy-rice-wetland system in Tai Lake Basin.

A field experiment was conducted to remove the potential eutrophication effect of P from rural wastewater (RW) during the whole rice growing season of 2007. The experiments consisted of five treatments, namely black water (BW), domestic wastewater (DW), grey water (GW), surface lake water (SW) and surface lake water without P application as a check (CK), with three replicates in a randomized block design. Commercial fertilizer and RW were applied to furnish 40 kg Pha(-1) except CK. Results showed total P (TP) concentration had significantly declined after P application, from October 15 there were no significant increases in TP concentration in the floodwater. TP removal rates from RW was significantly higher (P

In vitro estrogenic activities of Chinese medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of menopausal symptoms.

The estrogenic activity of 70% EtOH extracts of 32 traditional Chinese medicinal plants, selected according to their reported efficacy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, was assessed using a recombinant yeast system with both a human estrogen receptor expression plasmid and a reporter plasmid. Among them, 11 (34%) species proved to be active. Polygonum cuspidatum had the highest estrogenic relative potency (RP) (3.28 x 10(-3)), followed by Rheumpalmatum (3.85 x 10(-4)), Cassia obtusifolia (3.49 x 10(-4)), Polygonum multiflorum (2.87 x 10(-4)), Epimedium brevicornum (2.30 x 10(-4)), Psoralea corylifolia (1.90 x 10(-4)), Cynomorium songaricum (1.78 x 10(-4)), Belamcanda chinensis (1.26 x 10(-4)), Scutellaria baicalensis (8.77 x 10(-5)), Astragalus membranaceus (8.47 x 10(-5)) and Pueraria lobata (6.17 x 10(-5)). The EC(50) value of 17beta-estradiol used as the positive control was 0.205+/-0.025 ng/ml (RP=100). This study gave support to the reported efficacy of Chinese medicines used for hormone replacement therapy.

A new phytoecdysone from the roots of Rhaponticum uniflorum.

A new ecdysteroid named rhapontisterone R1 (1) together with two known phytoecdysones, rhapontisterone (2) and ecdysterone (3) were isolated from the roots of Rhaponticum uniflorum (L.) DC. The new compound was shown to be 2beta,3beta,11alpha,14alpha,20xi,22xi-hexahydroxy-stigma-7,24(28)-dien-6-oxo-28,25-carbolactone. The structure has been determined primarily on the basis of physico-chemical properties and spectral analysis.

A natural vaccine candidate strain against cholera.

E1 Tor Vibrio cholerae (EVC) strains may be classified into two kinds-epidemigenic (EEVC) strains and non-epidemigenic (NEEVC) strains-based on a phage-biotyping system. A large number of EEVC strains have been screened for toxigenic and putative colonization attributes. One such naturally occurring strains (designated IEM101) has been found which is devoid of genes encoding cholera toxin (CT), accessory cholera enterotoxin (ACE), zonula occludens toxin (ZOT), but possesses RS1 sequences and toxin-coregulated pilus A gene (icpA) although icpA is poorly expressed. It expresses type B pili but does not possess type C pili. It is an E1 Tor Ogawa strain and does not cause fluid accumulation in rabbit ilcal loop tests. Active immunization of rabbits with strain IEM101 elicited good protection against challenge with virulent strains of V. cholerae O1. Oral administration caused no side effects in 15 human volunteers, colonized the gut for four to ten days and elicited good immune responses.

[The isolation and identification of qianhucoumarin B and qianhucoumarin C from Peucedanum praeruptorum].

Five compounds were isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Qianhu, roots of Peucedanum praeruptorum. Their structures were identified as 3'-angeloyloxykhellactone (IX), qianhucoumarin B (X), qianhucoumarin C (XI), Pd-III (XIII) and peucedanocoumarin III (XV). Among them, X and XI are new compounds, their absolute configurations were elucidated by chemical correlation with khellactones, as 3'(S)-acetoxy-4'(S)-hydroxy-3',4'-dihydroseselin(X) and 3'(S)-hydroxy-4'(S)-acetoxy-3',4'-dihydroseselin (XI). Compound IX was isolated from plants for the first time.

The effect of felodipine on bile flow in pentobarbital anaesthetized rats and conscious rats receiving bile salt supplementation.

Felodipine, a vasoselective dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, has been given i.v. (0.2 mumol/kg) to anaesthetized and conscious male rats. There was no effect of pentobarbital anaesthesia on bile flow over a 6 h observation period. Felodipine increased the 6 h recovery of bile by approximately 25% in the conscious rat but in the anaesthetized rat there was a 20% decrease in bile flow following i.v. felodipine. A positive effect of Na-taurocholate infusion (1 mumol/min/100 g body weight) on bile flow in conscious rats was reinforced by concomitant felodipine dosing. Accumulated 6 h recoveries were 2.32 +/- 0.80 g/100 g body weight (control), 3.09 +/- 0.91 g/100 g body weight (taurocholate) and 5.00 +/- 0.80 g/100 g body weight. (taurocholate plus felodipine). The excretion of felodipine in the bile was significantly reduced during anaesthesia and during infusion of 2% bovine serum albumin (0.01 ml/min/100 g body weight) to conscious rats.

[Studies on anthraquinones from the roots of rubia cordifolia l].

Seven anthraquinones were isolated from the ethyl alcohol extracts of the roots of Rubia Cordifolia L. By means of spectrometric data combined with physico-chemical properties, six of them were identified as 2-methyl-1,3,6-trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone (I), 1-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone(II), 1,2,4-trihydroxy-9,10-anthrequinone(III), 2-methyl-1,3,6-trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone-3-O-beta-D-glucoside(IV), 1,2-dijhydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone-2-O-beta-D-xylosyl(1-->6)-beta-D -glucoside(V) and 1,3-dihydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl1-9,10-anthraquinone-3-O-beta-D- xylosyl(1-->6)-beta-D-glucoside(VI). VII is a new compound. Its structure was elucidated to be 2-methyl-1,3,6-trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone-3-O-beta-D-xylosyl(1-->2)-b eta-D- (6'-O-acetyl)glucoside.

[Studies on naphthoic acid esters from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L].

Four naphthoic acid esters including a new compound were isolated from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L. The new one was named as rubilactone and its structure was elucidated as 3'-carbomethoxy-4'-hydroxy-naphtho[1',2'-2,3] pyran-6-one (I) based on the physicochemical properties and spectrometric analyses (UV, IR, MS, 1HNMR and 13CNMR). The other three were 3'-carbomethoxy-4'-hydroxy-naphtho [1',2'-2,3] furan (II), dihydromollugin (III) and 3-carbomethoxy-2-(3'-hydroxy)isopentyl-1,4-naphthohydroquinone-1-O -beta-D-glucoside (IV).

[Changes in T-lymphocyte subsets in patients with orthopedic trauma and effects of yipanzhu decoction on the impaired immune function].

The effects of yipanzhu decoction (YD) on immune function in 40 patients [2 groups, YD and normal saline (NS) group] with orthopedic trauma by taking T lymphocyte subsets as indexes were observed. The peripheral venous blood samples randomly taken from 30 healthy subjects served as control. The blood were collected within 24 hours after trauma. Then the YD and NS were respectively given to the patients in the 2 groups for 3 days, and the blood were taken 4th, 7th, 14th day after trauma for the observation of T subsets. The results revealed that before administration of YD the percentage of pan-T cells was reduced with an increased percentage of Ts cells and a decreased ratio between Th and Ts cells; 3 days after giving the drugs in YD group the percentage of pan-T cells was slightly increased, and the changed percentage of Ts cells and the ratio of Th/Ts cells mentioned above was recovered to normal, while in NS group all these indexes remained at abnormal range during the period we observed. The results suggested that YD could promote the recovery of abnormal T lymphocyte subsets in traumatized patients, and it possessed to some extent the function of immune regulation that was helpful to reduce the ratio of infection after trauma.

[Studies on antibacterial constituents from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L].

Twelve compounds were isolated from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L.. Nine of them were established by chemical and spectroscopic methods to be alizarin (I),1-hydroxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone(II),1,3,6-trihydroxy-2-methyl- 9,10-anthra-quinone-3-O-(6'-O-acetyl)-alpha-L-rhamnosyl(1--- -2)-beta-D- glucoside(III),1,3,6-trihydroxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraqueinone-3-O-a lpha- L-rhamnosyl(1----2)-beta-D-glucoside(IV),1,3,6-trihydrozy-2- methyl-9,10- anthraquinone-3-O-(6'-O-acetyl)-beta-D-glucoside(V),2-carbomethyoxy++ +-3-prenyl- 1,4-naphthohydroquinone di-beta-D-glucoside(VI),rubimallin(VII),beta- sitosterol(VIII) and daucosterol(IX), among them, V is a nwe compound and IX was obtained from this genus for the first time, III, VI and VII showed certain antibacterial activities.