[Examining fermented mustard brine in terms of traditional Chinese medicine].

Fermented mustard brine was a unique liquid fermented with mustard long used in traditional Chinese medicine. It was previously known as Ji Shui, which refered to the yellow salty water after vegetables were fermented. Fermented mustard brine was not established in TCM until the Ming Dynasty. It was found that the original plant of ancient mustard was Brassica juncea (L.) Czern et Coss. var. juncea, and the origin of the mustard used in mustard brine mainly refereed to the cultivated species of Brassica (Brassica juncea var. multiceps Tsen et Lee) in the Brassica branch of the Cruciferae family, which belonged to the mustard leaf class in tillering mustard. Fermented mustard brine tasted spicy and salty and was considered as a feature of cold, and went to the lung meridian. Its effects were of clearing heat and reducing phlegm, calming coughing and expelling pus. It was mainly used for the treatment of lung carbuncle, and also for diseases such as lung impotence, laryngeal tinea, wheezing, coughing, vomiting pus and blood, and facial swelling. The ways to use it involved taking it directly (or taking it warm), taking it with hot soybean milk, having it with food, mixing it with decoction, and mixing it with houttuynia cordata juice. It was mainly produced in the Jiaxing area of Zhejiang province, especially famous for the collection by the Tianning Temple in Tianning in Jiashan, not the Tianning Temple in Changzhou.

[Medical viewpoints of Foshuo Wenshi Xiyu Zhongseng Jing].

Foshuo Wenshi Xiyu Zhongseng Jing (, Sutra on Bathing the Sangha in the Bathhouse) as an early Scripture of Han Buddhism, introduced the concept, methods and medical & health care function of bathhouse bathing in detail.The most prominent feature of it, was its distinct medical viewpoints. The medical thoughts were closely related to famous ancient Indian physician Jivaka and Buddhism's thoughts "Mahabhuta(■, great element)" and "Nidana (■, cause, motivation or occasion)" .It focused on the good concept of personal life, physical and mental health, objectively benefited human health.Even from the viewpoints of modern medicine, it is also very reasonable.In particular, its noble medical ethics and benevolence, is instructive for the return of humanistic spirit in the medical profession today.

Using a constructed wetland for non-point source pollution control and river water quality purification: a case study in Taiwan.

The Kaoping River Rail Bridge Constructed Wetland, which was commissioned in 2004, is one of the largest constructed wetlands in Taiwan. This multi-function wetland has been designed for the purposes of non-point source (NPS) pollutant removal, wastewater treatment, wildlife habitat, recreation, and education. The major influents of this wetland came from the local drainage trench containing domestic, agricultural, and industrial wastewaters, and effluents from the wastewater treatment plant of a paper mill. Based on the quarterly investigation results from 2007 to 2009, more than 96% of total coliforms (TC), 48% of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and 40% of nutrients (e.g. total nitrogen, total phosphorus) were removed via the constructed wetland system. Thus, the wetland system has a significant effect on water quality improvement and is capable of removing most of the pollutants from the local drainage system before they are discharged into the downgradient water body. Other accomplishments of this constructed wetland system include the following: providing more green areas along the riversides, offering more water assessable eco-ponds and eco-gardens for the public, and rehabilitating the natural ecosystem. The Kaoping River Rail Bridge Constructed Wetland has become one of the most successful multi-function constructed wetlands in Taiwan. The experience obtained from this study will be helpful in designing similar natural treatment systems for river water quality improvement and wastewater treatment.

Weekly gemcitabine plus 24-h infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin for locally advanced or metastatic carcinoma of the biliary tract.

Both gemcitabine and weekly 24-h infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (HDFL) have shown promising antitumour activity for patients with locally advanced or metastatic carcinoma of the biliary tract (CBT). From April 1999 through December 2002, 30 patients with inoperable CBT were treated with gemcitabine 800 mg m(-2), intravenous infusion for 30 min, followed by 5-FU, 2000 mg m(-2) and leucovorin, 300 mg m(-2), intravenous infusion for 24 h, on day 1, 8 and 15, every 4 weeks. A total of 166 cycles were given (median of four cycles per patient, range 1-24 cycles). Response was evaluable in 28 patients and toxicity in 29 patients. Partial response was obtained in six patients, stable disease in 13, while progressive disease occurred in nine. The objective response rate was 21.4% (95% CI: 5.2-37.6%). The most common grade 3 or 4 toxicity was infection (nine patients). Other types of grade 3 or 4 toxicity included leucopenia (four patients), thrombocytopenia (three patients), anaemia (three patients), nausea/vomiting (two patients) and elevation of liver transaminases (three patients). As of 30 September 2003, the median progression-free survival was 3.7 months (95% CI: 2.8-4.6 months) and the median overall survival was 4.7 months (95% CI: 0.8-8.6 months). Our data suggest that weekly gemcitabine plus HDFL is modestly active with acceptable treatment-related toxicity for patients with advanced CBT.

Soyasaponin I, a potent and specific sialyltransferase inhibitor.

A growing number of reports demonstrate that hypersialylation, which is observed in certain pathological processes, such as oncogenic transformation, tumor metastasis, and invasion, is associated with enhanced sialyltransferase (ST) activity. There is therefore a need for the development of ST inhibitors to modulate ST activity and thus alleviate the disease processes caused by STs. In the present study, soyasaponin I had been discovered to be a potent and specific ST inhibitor by screening strategy from 7500 samples including micribial extracts and natural products. Kinetic analysis shows that it is a CMP-Neu5Ac competitive inhibitor with for ST3Gal I with an inhibition constant (K(i)) of 2.1 microM. In addition, it is only active against ST, but not against the other tested glycosyltransferases and glycosidases. Our study is the first report to discover ST inhibitor by screening method and also to provide the new chemical structure information that should be useful in the development of other novel ST inhibitors.

Effect of electrical stimulation on acupuncture points in diabetic patients with gastric dysrhythmia: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Abnormal gastric slow-wave frequencies have been observed in diabetic gastroparesis and are associated with impaired antral motor activity. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the effect of acupuncture on gastric slow waves in diabetic patients with symptoms suggesting gastric motor dysfunction. METHODS: Fifteen patients with type II diabetes who had had dyspeptic symptoms for more than 3 months were enrolled. Two acupuncture needles were inserted into the subjects' legs at the Zusanli points, and electrical stimulation (2-Hz pulses) was delivered for 30 min. Cutaneous electrogastrography was performed for 30 min at baseline, for 30 min during acupuncture, and for an additional 30 min after acupuncture. Serum gastrin, motilin, and human pancreatic polypeptide levels were also measured. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the percentages of normal frequency during and after acupuncture (baseline vs. acupuncture and after acupuncture 21.99 +/- 19.38% vs. 45.93 +/- 19.72 and 48.92 +/- 19.56%; p < 0.01). In addition, the percentage of tachygastric frequency was decreased significantly during and after acupuncture. The dominant frequency was also changed significantly. There was an increase of serum human pancreatic polypeptide during acupuncture (baseline vs. acupuncture 56.96 +/- 27.64 vs. 73.11 +/- 22.37 pmol/l; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study revealed that electrical stimulation at the Zusanli points could increase the percentage of normal electrogastrography frequency and decrease the percentage of tachygastric frequency in diabetic patients. The data indicate that acupuncture may enhance the regularity of gastric myoelectrical activity in diabetic patients.

[Determination of residues of 20 kinds of organochlorinated pesticides in oils, fruits and vegetables by wide-bore capillary gas chromatographic column].

A rapid and high performance gas chromatographic method for the determination of 20 organchlorinated pesticides in oils, fruits and vegetables has been developed. The samples of fruits and vegetables were extracted with petroleum ether-acetone, while those of oils were extracted with acetonitrile-hexane. The extract was purified by Florisil column with ethyl ether-hexane(15:85, V/V) or ethyl ether-petroleum ether(15:85, V/V) as eluent. Chromatographic analysis was performed on wide-bore capillary column with ECD detector. Satisfactory separation and detection of these organchlorinated pesticides are presented with the proposed method. The detection limits of this method were 1.0 ng/g-20.0 ng/g(S/N = 5), the recoveries 83.2%-106.8% and the relative standard deviations 2.0%-9.5%.

A pharmacokinetic study with the high-dose anticancer agent menadione in rabbits.

The aim of this investigation was to assess the pharmacokinetic properties of high-dose menadione (VK3), as an anticancer agent, in plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) in rabbits. An extremely high dose of 75 mg menadiol sodium diphosphate (Synkayvite) was intravenously injected. HPLC analysis was applied to measure the major metabolite, menadione, VK3. The kinetic properties of VK3 in both plasma and red blood cells showed a short elimination half-life, high clearance, and large volume of distribution in plasma and RBCs. The mean elimination t1/2 values of menadione in plasma and in RBCs were 27.17 +/- 10.49 min and 35.22 +/- 11.82 min, respectively. The plasma clearance (CL/F) of VK3 was 0.822 +/- 0.254 L min-1. The systemic clearance in RBCs was 0.407 +/- 0.152 L min-1. The apparent volume of distribution (Vd/F) in plasma was 30.833 +/- 12.835 L and that in RBCs 20.488 +/- 9.401 L. The plasma AUC was 32.453 +/- 9.785 micrograms min mL-1 and that of RBCs 67.219 +/- 24.449 micrograms min mL-1. Menadiol was rapidly biotransformed to menadione in blood. The formation rate constant (kf) of menadione in plasma was 0.589 +/- 0.246 min-1, and that of RBCs 1.520 +/- 1.345 min-1. Through this study the estimated menadione dosage needed to maintain a plasma level of 1 microgram mL-1 for anticancer purposes was 19.7 mg kg-1 every hour.

Determination of anticancer drug vitamin K3 in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Synthetic vitamin K3 (VK3, 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, or menadione) has been found to exhibit antitumor activity against various human cancer cells at relative high dose. Parallel to our study on the mechanism of VK3 action and for future clinical trials in Taiwan, we developed a simple, sensitive and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of VK3 in biological fluids. VK3 was extracted from the plasma samples with n-hexane. The chromatographic separation employed an ODS analytical column (5 microns, 250 x 4.6 mm I.D.) with a mobile phase of methanol-water (70:30, v/v) and UV detection at 265 nm. On completely drying of the extraction solution, n-hexane, by a stream of nitrogen, menadione was lost to a great extent. Methanol (70%, 200 microliters) was added to the extraction solvent after extraction and centrifugation to prevent the loss of menadione. The absolute recovery was 82.4 +/- 7.69% (n = 7). The within-day and between-day calibration curves of VK3 in plasma in the ranges of interest (0.01-10.00 micrograms/ml; 0.01-5.00 micrograms/ml) showed good linearity (r > 0.999) and acceptable precision. The limit of quantitation of VK3 was 10 ng/ml in plasma. This method has been successfully applied to a pilot pharmacokinetic study of VK3 in rabbits receiving an intravenous high-dose bolus injection of 75 mg menadiol sodium diphosphate (Synkayvite). The pharmacokinetic properties of menadione could be described adequately by an open two-compartment model. The mean half-life of menadiol (transformation to menadione) was 2.60 +/- 0.12 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The relationship between occupational form and occupational performance: a kinematic perspective.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined, through kinematic analysis, the effect of occupational form on reaching performance. The hypothesis was that reaching performance would show an enhanced quality of movement in materials-based occupation (i.e., pick up a pencil and prepare to write one's own name) than in imagery-based occupation (i.e., pretend to pick up a pencil and prepare to sign one's own name) and in exercise (i.e., move the arm forward). It was further hypothesized that imagery-based occupation would elicit better performance than exercise. METHOD: The reaching performance was measured, using WATSMART (Waterloo Spatial Motion Analysis & Recording Technique), by the variables including reaction time, movement time, number of movement units, total displacement, the amplitude of peak velocity, and percentage of reach in which peak velocity occurred. A repeated-measures counterbalanced research design was used with 37 female college students. Contrast analysis was used to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: Materials-based occupation elicited enhanced quality of movement performance, as compared with imagery-based occupation and exercise. However, exercise seemed to elicit better performance than imagery-based occupation. CONCLUSION: The practical implication is that materials-based occupation might be used to elicit enhanced quality of reaching movement in occupational therapy intervention.

The combined method of transplantation of foetal substantia nigra and stereotactic thalamotomy for Parkinson's disease.

Five cases with late Parkinson's disease improved following treatment with a combination of foetal substantia nigra grafts and stereotactic thalamotomy. The average Webster's score decreased from 21 to 11 points. This modified method is simple, safe and effective.

[Studies of the spasm-relieving effect of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.--Aster tataricus L.F. pulvis mixture on the trachea in guinea pigs].

The experiment shows that high concentration of Aster tataricus plus Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. can inhibit the tracheal systoliea caused by histamine, but for tracheal systoliea caused by acetylcholine the inhibition is indistinct. The experiment also shows that Aster tataricus, glycyrrhiza uralensis and Tussilago far fara L. combined have coordinated inhibiting effect on the tracheal systoliea caused by histamine and acetylcholine.

Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of dirithromycin (AS-E 136; LY237216), a new macrolide antibiotic derived from erythromycin.

Dirithromycin is a 9-N-11-O-oxazine derivative which is formed by condensation of 9(S)-erythromycylamine with 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)acetaldehyde. Dirithromycin is hydrolyzed, either under acidic conditions or in vivo, to its major active metabolite, 9(S)-erythromycylamine. The antimicrobial spectrum of dirithromycin is similar to that of erythromycin; both antibiotics are active against gram-positive bacteria, Legionella spp., Helicobacter pylori, and Chlamydia trachomatis. Comparable results were obtained for each antibiotic in MIC and MBC determinations and in the potential development of resistance in vitro. The effects of human serum, bacterial growth media, test methodology, and inoculum size on MICs were similar for each antibiotic. In standard mouse protection studies, dirithromycin was more efficacious than erythromycin against experimental infections after subcutaneous administration of antibiotic. These results were consistent with pharmacokinetic studies in rodents, which showed that dirithromycin gave more persistent concentrations of antibiotic in serum and tissues than were achieved with erythromycin. These studies indicate that dirithromycin possesses antimicrobial activity comparable to that of erythromycin in vitro but is more active than erythromycin in vivo, which may be attributable to the persistence of antimicrobial activity in the tissue(s) of the test animals.

[Study on separation and determination of four tropane alkaloids in crude drugs by micellar HPLC].

A new method for separation and determination of four important tropane alkaloids (hyoscyamine, scopolamine, anisodamine and anisodine) in crude drugs by micellar HPLC was developed. The mobile phase was optimized with the modified simplex method (MSM). The chromatographic response function (CRF) was used as the criterion of optimization and three dimension simplex was used in this course. After eight tests, the given accuracy was achieved. In the optimized system the four tropane alkaloids are separated not only from each other but also from the interfering components in the crude drugs. The CMC of SDS in mobile phase was determined to be 5 mmol/L by circle method. The experimental evidences show that the optimized system is micellar chromatography. This method is simple, sensitive and accurate. The extraction solution can be injected directly without the need of a general purification procedure. Several plant materials containing tropane alkaloids were determined. The results and chromatograms are reported in this paper.