[Overview of quality standards of Eucommiae Cortex in China and overseas].

Eucommiae Cortex is an authentic medicinal material with broad growing areas( such as Hunan and Sichuan provinces in China. It is well-known for its efficacy in tonifying liver and kidney,strengthening muscles and bones,and stabilizing fetus. It has also been proven in pharmacology to possess the functions such as lowering blood pressure and lipids. Hence,Eucommiae Cortex has attracted increasing attention. The current quality standards of Eucommiae Cortex vary in different countries or regions. The quality of Eucommiae Cortex products on the market is affected by mix-ups of non-medicinal parts and insufficient growth years. In view of these problems,this paper summarizes the current quality standards and research progress of Eucommiae Cortex in China and overseas,aiming to provide a reference for the establishment of the quality standards of Eucommiae Cortex.

[Changes of microcirculation in superficial tissues of acupoint regions of lower leg during menstrual cycle in healthy young girls].

OBJECTIVE: To observe changes of microcirculation in the superficial regions of acupoints of the three Yin meridians of foot during the menstrual cycle in young college students, so as to provide experimental evidence for explaining the saying of traditional Chinese medicine that acupoints reflect the state of physiological and pathological activities of the internal organs. METHODS: Ninety healthy female volunteer college students were recruited in the present study. The subjects were asked to take a supine position on an examination couch to expose the Yuan-primary acupoints Taixi (KI3), Taibai (SP3) and Taichong (LR3), and Xi-cleft acupoints Shuiquan (KI5), Diji (SP8) and Zhongdu (LR6) which are related to the uterus of the three Yin meridians of foot， the crossing acupoints of the three Yin meridians of foot Sanyinjiao (SP6), non-specific acupoint of the Spleen meridian Xuehai (SP10), non-related meridian acupoint Xuanzhong (GB39) and non-meridian-non-acupoint (being at the same level of GB39, between the Stomach and Gallbladder meridians on the lateral aspect of the lower leg). The laser speckle blood flow imaging technique was used to detect the state of microcirculation (average blood perfusion volume) during menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal phases. RESULTS: The average blood perfusion volume (ABPV) of the right SP8 region was significantly lower in the menstrual phase than in the ovulation and luteal phases (P<0.05), and in the follicular phase than in the ovulation phase (P<0.05). In the left LR6 region, the ABPV was obviously lower in the menstrual period than in the follicular, ovulation and luteal phases (P<0.05). In the SP8, SP6, KI3 and KI5 regions, the ABPV was significantly higher in each of the 4 phases on the left side than on the right side (P<0.05). In the right GB39, the ABPV in each of the 4 phases was apparently higher on the right side than on the left side (P<0.05). In the SP10 region, the ABPV was considerably higher on the left side than on the right side in the ovulation period (P<0.05). The ABPV of SP3 in the menstrual phase and that of the non-acupoint in the luteal phase were significantly higher on the right side than on the left side (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The blood perfusion of microcirculation in the superficial tissues of Xi-cleft acupoints SP8 and LR6 is obviously lower in the menstrual phase than in both of the ovulation and luteal phases in healthy young college students, which may specifically reflect the periodical activities of the uterus in the physiological state, and provide a basis of acupoint selection for menstrual healthy care.

[Progress of researches on electrical characteristics of meridians and acupoints in recent 10 years].

The electrical characteristics of meridians and acupoints have been being one of the hot topics discussed by scholars, because of many influencing factors and inconsistent research results. In the present article, we collected papers published in Chinese or English in recent 10 years from PubMed, CNKI, and VIP databases by using key words of"acupuncture""meridian""resistance""capacitance""electrodermal"and"impedance". Then, we make an analysis about its development from three aspects, 1) manifestations of electrical properties of acupoints (low dermal resistance under pathological state, imbalance between left and right sides of the synonym acupoints), 2) clinical application of acupoint electrical characteristics for diagnosis of clinical disorders and evaluation of therapeutic effect, and 3) current situations of development of meridian detection instruments based on electrical characteristics (improving stability of instruments，expansion of the detected regions and measuring time, realization of visualization, and operational automation). In the process of coming studies, we highly recommend that more attention should be paid to the acupoints' "dynamic changes"， and forming a standardized research plan, strengthening domestic and international academic exchanges and cooperation are definitely necessary in order to validate the objectivity and specificity of electrical characteristics of meridians and acupoints, further expanding its clinical application.

[Regularity of body surface resistance at the acupoints of three yin meridians of the foot in reflecting physiological changes of the uterus].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the specific regularity of body surface resistance at different acupoints of the meridians associated with the uterus in reflecting menstrual cycle by observing the change in body surface resistance at source points, cleft points, confluent points, and non-specific points of three yin meridians of the foot in different menstrual cycles in normal female college students, to lay a foundation for the in-depth research on the mechanism of acupoints reflecting the function of zang-fu, and to provide a reference for the clinical and scientific research on the biophysical characteristics of menstrual cycle-related acupoints in normal female. METHODS: A total of 90 normal female college students were recruited. The source points, cleftpoints, confluent points, and non-specific points of three yin meridians of the foot which were located in the adjacent spinal segments of the uterus were selected, and body surface resistance was monitored for 30 consecutive minutes at the same time-points of menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulation phase, and luteal phase to observe the change in the resistance of each acupoint during the menstrual cycle. RESULTS: There was no significant change in the resistance value of unilateral acupoints during the menstrual cycle (P>0.05). In the same period, there was no significant difference in resistance value between unilateral three source points, three cleftpoints, different acupoints of the spleen meridian, and different acupoints of lumbar 4 dermatomere (P>0.05). As for the comparison of resistance of the same acupoint at the left and right sides, Taichong (LR3) at the left side had a higher resistance value than that at the right side in the menstrual phase (P<0.05); Taibai (SP3) at the left side had a higher resistance value than that at the right side in the ovulation phase (P<0.05); Zhongdu (LR6) at the left side had a higher resistance value than that at the right side in the follicular phase, the ovulation phase, and the luteal phase (P<0.05); Taixi (KI3), Diji (SP8), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) at the left side had a higher resistance value than those at the right side in the menstrual phase, the follicular phase, the ovulation phase, and the luteal phase (P<0.05); Shuiquan (KI5) at the left side had a lower resistance value than that at the right side in these four phases (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The change trend of the resistance of the acupoints at the left and right sides associated with the three yin meridians of the foot can specifically reflect the change in qi and blood in the uterus during the menstrual cycle. The change trend of the source and cleft points of the liver meridian in the menstrual phase is different from that in the other phases, and the change trend of SP3, a source point of the spleen meridian, in the ovulation phase is different from that in the other phases, which suggests the specificity of meridian points in reflecting function. The mechanism by which meridian points reflect the function of zang-fu is associated with the meridian points and the spinal cord segments of zang-fu, and meanwhile, it has a specific relationship with the meridians to which meridian points belong and the attributes of acupoints.

The neural basis of complex audiovisual objects maintenances in working memory.

Working memory research has primarily concentrated on studying our senses separately; the neural basis of maintaining information from multiple sensory modalities in working memory has been not well elucidated. It is debated whether multisensory information is maintained in the form of modality-specific representations or amodal representations. The present study investigated what brain regions were engaged in both types of complex audiovisual objects maintenances (semantically congruent and incongruent) using functional magnetic resonance imaging and conjunction analysis, and examined in which form to maintain multisensory objects information in working memory. The conjunction analysis showed that there was common brain regions activation involving left parietal cortex (e.g., left angular gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and precuneus) while maintaining semantically congruent audiovisual object, whereas the common brain regions activation including the bilateral angular, left superior parietal lobule, and left middle temporal gyrus was found during maintaining semantically incongruent audiovisual objects. Importantly, the shared conjoint brain regions activation consists of bilateral angular gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus was observed while maintaining both types of semantically congruent and incongruent complex audiovisual objects. These brain regions may play different role while maintaining these complex multisensory objects, such as supramodel storage per se and intentional attention. The findings of the present studymight support the amodal view that working memory has a central storage system to maintain multisensory information from different sensory inputs.

Screening and characterization of a novel high-efficiency tumor-homing cell-penetrating peptide from the buffalo cathelicidin family.

Targeted delivery of antitumor drugs is especially important for tumor therapy. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been shown to be very effective drug carriers for tumor therapy. However, most CPPs lack tumor cell specificity. Here, we identified a highly efficient CPP, CAT, from the newly identified buffalo-derived cathelicidin family, which exhibits a preferential binding capacity for multiple tumor cell lines and delivers carried drug molecules into cells. CAT showed an approximately threefold to sixfold higher translocation efficiency than some reported cell-penetrating antimicrobial peptides, including the well-known classical CPP TAT. Moreover, the delivery efficiency of CAT was greater in a variety of tested tumor cells than in normal cells, especially for the human hepatoma cell line SMMC-7721, for which delivery was 7 times more efficient than the normal human embryonic lung cell line MRC-5, according to fluorescent labeling experiment results. CAT was conjugated to the Momordica charantia-derived type-I ribosome-inactivating protein MAP 30, and the cytotoxicity of the MAP 30-CAT fusion protein in the tumor cell line SMMC-7721 was significantly enhanced compared with that of the unconjugated MAP 30. The IC50 value of MAP 30-CAT was approximately 83 times lower than the IC50 value of the original MAP 30. Interestingly, the IC50 value of MAP 30 alone for MRC-5 was approximately twofold higher than the value for SMMC-7721, showing a small difference. However, when MAP 30 was conjugated to CAT, the difference in IC50 values between the two cell lines was significantly increased by 38-fold. The results of the flow cytometric detection of apoptosis revealed that the increase in cytotoxicity after CAT conjugation was mainly caused by the increased induction of apoptosis by the fusion protein. These results suggest that CAT, as a novel tumor-homing CPP, has great potential in drug delivery applications in vivo and will be beneficial to the development of tumor therapeutics.

[Features of clinical application of eye acupuncture therapy revealed by data mining].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the features, dominant indications and application regularities of eye acupuncture therapy in clinical practice. METHODS: We first collected original articles, academic dissertations, conference articles, and case reports from databases of CNKI, Wanfang, and Chinese biomedical literature (CBM) from Jan. 1 of 1980 to Dec. 31 of 2017, and medical records from medical books of Zhonghua Yan Zhen (Chinese Eye Acupuncture Therapy), Yanzhen Shijian Lu (Records of Application of Eye Acupuncture Therapy), and Peng Jing-shan's Yanzhen Liaofa Yanjiu (Peng Jing-shan's Eye Acupuncture Therapy) by using keyword of "eye acupuncture". Then, we established an "Eye-acupuncture Database" after sorting, screening, typing-in, checking, and extraction of the collected data by SQL server 2005 and 2005 Analysis Services (SASS), followed by analysis of the dominant indications, needling methods, needle manipulations, principles for acupoint selection, and clinical effect. RESULTS: Among the 850 articles retrieved, 178 were eligible to be subjected to analysis, including 42 disorders/diseases in 7 categories. The eye acupuncture therapy has the highest application frequency for 19 types of disorders/diseases of the internal medicine, such as sequela of apoplexy, hiccup, insomnia, vertigo, hypertension, etc., followed by head and body pain (7 types: headache, lumbago, sciatica, shoulder pain, etc.), disorders of the ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology (deafness, squinting eyes, dry eye syndrome, amblyopia, etc.), traumatic injury, gynecopathy, acute pain (biliary colic, renal colic). The effect rate was 95.87% for disorders of the gynecopathy, 95.54% for head and body pain, 94.53% for traumatic skin injury, 92.16% for emergency, 91.98% for disorders of the five sense organs, 91.43% for problems of the internal medicine, etc. Regarding the principle of acupoint selection, acupoints were chosen mainly according to the meridian running (146 articles), local region of the eye (14 articles) and diseased location (153 articles). A total of 157 articles have a marked description about the needling methods, including horizontal needling (81 articles), intra-orbital straight needling (22 articles), extra-orbital oblique needling (13 articles), etc. The duration of needle retaining was mostly from 15 to 30 minutes, and the handle-scraping was frequently adopted (34 articles), and the overall treatment frequency ranged from 11 to 20 times. In regard to the medical records, a total of 53 types of disorders were involved, including 37 types of the internal medicine such as stroke sequelae (34 articles), facial paralysis (11 articles), etc. The acupoints were selected according to the local region of eye (129 articles), the needle insertion involved horizontal needling (102 articles), and cured rate reported was higher than 90%. CONCLUSION: Eye acupuncture therapy is widely used for a variety of disorders and has a positive effect, particularly for stroke sequelae and various acute and chronic pain problems.

Shikonin induces apoptosis and suppresses growth in keratinocytes via CEBP-δ upregulation.

Shikonin is an active compound of the oriental medicinal plant, Leptospermum erythrorhizon, which has been previously shown to inhibit psoriasis-like inflammation. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In the present study, the mechanisms of keratinocyte proliferation and apoptosis in psoriasis in response to shikonin were explored both in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that shikonin significantly inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in both HaCaT and LV-STAT3 HaCaT cells by targeting CEBPD, while a decrease in cell survival, proliferation and viability were found through flow-cytometry and MTS assay. Furthermore, gavage with shikonin markedly alleviated psoriasis-like manifestations in IMQ-induced BALB/c mice clinically (PASI Score) and histopathologically. Immunohistochemistry revealed that shikonin potently suppresses the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway in local skin lesions and increases CEBPD expression. These results imply that shikonin inhibits keratinocyte proliferation and induces apoptosis, which results in psoriasis treatment through the JAK/STAT3 dependent pathway. In addition, the activation of JAK/STAT3 downregulates CEBPD in HaCaT cells and IMQ-induced BALB/c mice. However, shikonin can reverse these effects, suggesting that CEBPD may be a potential therapeutic target for psoriasis.

Macleaya cordata helps improve the growth-promoting effect of chlortetracycline on broiler chickens.

Chlortetracycline (CTC), one kind of common antibiotic for prevention and treatment of various diseases, also exhibits good performance in accelerating the growth of livestock. Macleaya cordata, a traditional Chinese medicine, is usually used as a natural additive in livestock because of its anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and pesticidal activity. In this work, we studied whether M. cordata helps regulate the growth-promoting effect of CTC on broiler chickens. It is demonstrated that M. cordata improves the growth-promoting effect of CTC on growth performance indices of broiler chickens, such as survival rate, daily weight, and feed to weight rate. M. cordata also delays the maximum of CTC residues in plasma. It may depend on the higher values of operational taxonomic unit (OTU) and the indices of α diversity driven by simultaneous use of CTC and M. cordata.

Antidepressant-like effects of albiflorin extracted from Radix paeoniae Alba.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY RELEVANCE: Albiflorin, a monoterpene glycoside, is a main component of Radix paeoniae Alba, which could be a Chinese herbal medicine used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. However, the exact role of albiflorin in depression is poorly understood. AIM OF THE STUDY: The current study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant effect of albiflorin in mice and rats, and the possible mechanism was also determined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antidepressant-like effects of albiflorin was determined by using animal models of depression including forced swim and tail suspension tests in mice and chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) in rats. The acting mechanism was explored by determining the effect of albiflorin on the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus by western blot and the levels of monoamine in the hippocampus by HPLC. RESULTS: Our results showed that 7 days treatment with albiflorin significantly decreased immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST) and the tail suspension test (TST) at doses of 3.5, 7.0 and 14.0mg/kg without alter the locomotor activity in mice. Moreover, western blot analysis showed that albiflorin could increase the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus. We further exposed rats to a chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) protocol for a period of 35d to induce depressive-like behaviors. We found that chronic treatment with albiflorin, at doses of 7.0 and 14.0mg (i.g., once daily for 35d), restored the sucrose preference in CUS rats. In the open-field test, albiflorin significantly increased the number of crossings and rearings in the CUS rats at three doses. Moreover, chronic treatment with albiflorin up-regulated the hippocampal BDNF expression levels and the hippocampal 5-HT, 5-HIAA, and NA levels. CONCLUSION: Albiflorin produced significant antidepressant-like effects, which were closely related to the hippocampal 5-HT/NE increase and BDNF expression. Our data indicated that albiflorin could be a potential anti-depressant drug.

Solena amplexicaulis induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and inhibits angiogenesis in hepatocarcinoma cells and HUVECs.

Solena amplexicaulis (Lam.) Gandhi (SA) has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of dysentery, multiple abscess, gastralgia, urethritis, and eczema in the minority area of China. This study was aimed to examine the cell proliferation inhibitory activity of the SA extract (SACE) and its mechanism of action in human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) and evaluate its anti-angiogenesis activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cell line (HUVEC). SACE could inhibit the growth of HepG2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. FCM analysis showed that SACE could induce G2/M phase arrest, cell apoptosis, the mitochondrial membrane potential loss (ΔΨm) and increase the production of intracellular ROS of HepG2 cells. After treatment with SACE, topical morphological changes of apoptotic body formation, obvious increase of apoptosis-related protein expressions, such as Bax, cytochrome c, caspase-3, PARP-1, and decrease of Bcl-2, procaspase-9 protein expressions were observed at the same time. Moreover, SACE caused the significant inhibition of endothelial cell migration and tube formation in HUVEC cells. The results suggested that SACE could act as an angiogenesis inhibitor and induce cell apoptosis via a caspase-dependent mitochondrial pathway. Therefore, SACE could be a potent candidate for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer.

Periconceptional folic acid supplementation among women attending antenatal clinic in Anhui, China: data from a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: to examine the rate of periconceptional and optimal folic acid supplementation, and to characterise their patterns and determinants among antenatal women in central China. DESIGN: data from 4290 women in the Anhui Birth Defects and Child Development Cohort Study recruited between October 2008 and September 2009 were analysed. SETTING: seven Maternal and Child Health Centres of two cities (Hefei and Maanshan) in Anhui province of central China. PARTICIPANTS: women initiating prenatal care were included and asked to complete a structured questionnaire regarding folic acid supplementation. FINDINGS: sixty-eight per cent (2905/4290) of pregnant women reported taking folic acid supplementation periconceptionally (i.e. at some point before or during early pregnancy), and 32.8% (1405/4290) and 65.2% (2797/4290) had taken it before or during early pregnancy, respectively. However, only 16.1% (690/4290) used it optimally (i.e. regularly from four weeks before pregnancy throughout four weeks after pregnancy). Use of periconceptional folic acid was significantly associated with educational level, household income, registered residence, age, gestational age at recruitment, and planning of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: optimal folic acid supplementation was relatively low. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: further efforts are needed to inform the population and promote the use of folic acid supplementation.

A split-face study of intense pulsed light on photoaging skin in Chinese population.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Intense pulsed light (IPL) is regarded as the gold standard of nonablative photo-rejuvenation. Yet there is still a need to observe its efficacy and safety on dark skin using a split-face module. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four Chinese women with photoaging were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomized to receive four IPL treatments at 3- to 4-week intervals on one side of face, with the other side spared as control. Changes of photoaging were evaluated using a global evaluation, an overall self-assessment, a Mexameter and a Corneometer. Skin biopsies were taken after four sessions of treatment on one side of face. The melanocyte density and the contents of melanin, collagen fibers, and elastic fibers were stained and used to evaluate the improvement on dyschromia and other signs of photoaging. RESULTS: The global scores of photoaging on treated side decreased significantly from 3.02 to 1.22, while it remained unchanged on the untreated side. Twenty-one of 24 patients (87.5%) rated their improvement as excellent or good. The difference on the values of melanin index and erythema index on treated side were significantly larger than those on untreated side after the 1st session, the 4th session and at 3-month follow-up (P<0.05). The melanin contents were significantly decreased and the collagen fibers were obviously increased only on treated side (P<0.05). Adverse effects of treated side were limited to mild pain and transient erythema. CONCLUSION: Using this split-face module, IPL treatment is proved both clinically and histologically to be effective in treating photoaging skin in Chinese population. Adverse effects were minimal and acceptable.

[Assessment of methodology and report quality of systematic evaluation and meta-analysis of acupuncture-moxibustion in China].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the methodology and report quality of systematic evaluation and Meta-analysis of acupuncture and moxibustion in China. METHODS: Retrieve CBM, CNKI, WF and VIP database, collect data from the information system established by Epidata 2.1, assess the methodology and report quality by using the QQAQ and QUOROM, calculate the percentage of adequate rate. RESULTS: Thirty-eight reviews, including twenty six systematic evaluation and twelve Meta-analyses, met the enrolled criteria. Twenty-two kinds of diseases and six diseases systems were included. The methodology quality scores were generally low (3.34 +/- 1.44). The causes of the problems were insufficient literature resource, bias in data collections and inaccurate merging methods. The report quality was relatively low in abstracts, methods, trial flow, introduction and data merging. CONCLUSION: The amount of literatures on systematic evaluation and Meta-analysis of acupuncture is gradually increasing from 2002. However, the quality control is not ideal. It is important to improve the methodology and report quality.

Protective effects of green tea extracts on photoaging and photommunosuppression.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate whether the sunscreen-containing 2-5% green tea extracts (GTEs) protect ultraviolet irradiation (UVR)-induced photoaging and photoimmunosuppression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty volunteers were exposed to repetitive solar-simulated UVR (ssUVR) on the upper back at a dosage of 1.5 minimal erythema doses (MED) per day for four consecutive days. Thirty minutes before each UVR and 6, 24, and 48 h after the last UV exposure, the products containing vehicle, and 2-5% GTEs were applied onto five sites on the dorsal skin, respectively. The skin biopsies were obtained 72 h after the last UVR. The thickness of the stratum corneum and epidermis was measured under the microscope and the expression of cytokeratins (CK)-5/6, CK16, metalloproteinases (MMP)-2, MMP-9, and the CD1a(+) Langerhans cells (LCs) were determined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Our results showed that UVR substantially induced cutaneous erythema, thickening of the epidermis, overexpression of CK5/6, CK16, MMP-2, MMP-9, and depletion of CD1a(+) LCs. The sunscreens containing different concentrations of GTEs conferred significant protection against the photoaging and photoimmunology-related biological events. Interestingly, the protective effects were not parallel to the concentrations of GTEs, with 2% and 3% GTEs showing the most efficacious photoprotection. CONCLUSIONS: GTEs-containing sunscreens have potential photoprotective effects on UVR-induced photoaging and photoimmunosuppression.

[Process fundamentals and field demonstration of wheat straw enhanced salt leaching of petroleum contaminated farmland].

A new remediation method for petroleum-salt contaminated soil was proposed, in which wheat straw was applied to enhance salt leaching and meanwhile block salt upmovement along the soil capillary. It was shown that the existence of petroleum increased the surface hydrophobicity of soil and thus hindered the leaching process once the oil content was above 1.5% (mass fraction). The application of 5% (mass fraction) wheat straw into the soil increased the efficiency of salt leaching from 3% to 25%. The effectiveness of wheat straw layer in inhibiting the salt upmovement along the soil capillary was also proven. Field test of this method was carried out in an area of 6400 m2, in which wheat straw layer of 5 cm was distributed in the depth of 25 cm. After 50 days, 80% of the testing area showed a normal soil electronic conductivity (soil EC <5 mS x cm(-1)) in contrast to 17% before leaching process. The concentrations of Na+ and Cl- were decreased from 1642.5 mg x kg(-1) and 1 301.2 mg x kg(-1) to 499.3 mg x kg(-1) and 433.8 mg x kg(-1), respectively. The remediated land upon the implementation of wheat straw gave a 72% of the regular wheat production obtained from the normal farmland, while the control land without wheat straw gave 12%. These results demonstrated the effectiveness and the high potential of using wheat straw for the salt leaching in remediation of petroleum-salt contaminated soil.

[Process fundamentals and field demonstration of wheat straw enhanced biodegradation of petroleum].

A new bioaugmentation method utilizing wheat straw to enhance salt leaching and the subsequent petroleum biodegradation by consortia of bacteria and fungi was proposed. The present study aimed at the effects of wheat straw on the growth and the degradation behavior of E. cloacae and Cun. echinulata, the two species of the consortia. In the laboratory experiments, it was shown that the addition of 5% (mass fraction) straw led to an increase of biomass by 25- and 3-fold to the bacteria and fungi, respectively. The biodegradation ratio of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was elevated from 29.2% to 48.0% after 468 h treatment. The biodegradation ratio of alkane and aromatic hydrocarbons in petroleum were increased from 31.5% and 39.1%, to 55.7% and 55.9%, respectively. The field demonstration was carried in an area of 6400 m2, in which the bacteria and fungi were inoculated after salt leaching in the presence of wheat straw. The addition of wheat straw in the contaminated soil led to an increase by 158- and 9-fold to the bacteria and fungi, as compared to their counterpart in the controlland without wheat straw, at 25 days after the inoculation. The content of TPH was down to below 0.3% while the maximum biodegradation ratio of TPH reached 75% after 45 days treatment. These results demonstrated the effectiveness and high potential of the wheat straw enhanced bioaugmentation of petroleum-salt contaminated soil.

Enhanced bioaugmentation of petroleum- and salt-contaminated soil using wheat straw.

A new bioaugmentation method for petroleum- and salt-contaminated soil was presented, in which wheat straw was used to enhance salt leaching and subsequent petroleum degradation by a bacteria-fungi consortium of Enterobacter cloacae and Cunninghamella echinulata. The effectiveness of a coarse wheat straw layer in inhibiting capillary-induced upward salt movement and in enhancing growth of E. cloacae and C. echinulata was shown in the laboratory and a 7000-m(2) field study in Henan Province, China. In the field study, the Na(+) concentration in remediated soil at 1-25 cm depth decreased from 1597 ± 394 to 543 ± 217 mg kg(-1), while Cl(-) decreased from 1520 ± 922 to 421 ± 253 mg kg(-1). The wheat straw increased bacterial biomass by 170-fold and fungi 11-fold compared to control soil without wheat straw. The concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons decreased from 6320 ± 1180 to 2260 ± 420 mg kg(-1) after 45 d of treatment. Wheat was cultivated on remediated soil and grain yield reached 72% of that obtained in normal farmland adjacent to the study site. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of wheat straw in enhancing bioaugmentation of the petroleum- and salt-contaminated soil and indicated a high application potential.

Efficacy and safety of intense pulsed light in treatment of melasma in Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND: Melasma is commonly seen in the Asian population. Traditional therapies are less effective and may cause adverse effects. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study the efficacy and safety of a new intense pulsed light (IPL) device in the treatment of melasma in Chinese patients. METHODS: Eighty-nine women with melasma were enrolled in this open-labeled study. Subjects received a total of four IPL treatments at 3-week intervals. Changes in facial hyperpigmentation and telangiectasis were evaluated using an objective, skin colorimeter (Mexameter, Courage & Khazaka), the melasma area and severity index (MASI), and a global evaluation by the patients and blind investigators. RESULTS: Sixty-nine of 89 patients (77.5%) obtained 51% to 100% improvement, according to the overall evaluation by dermatologists. Self-assessment by the patients indicated that 63 of 89 patients (70.8) considered more than 50% or more improvement. Mean MASI scores decreased substantially from 15.2 to 4.5. Mexameter results demonstrated a significant decrease in the degree of pigmentation and erythema beneath the melasma lesions. Patients with the epidermal-type melasma responded better to treatment than the mixed type. Adverse actions were minimal. CONCLUSION: IPL treatment is a good option for patients with melasma. Adverse actions of IPL were minimal and acceptable.

A combined regimen of gossypol plus methyltestosterone and ethinylestradiol as a contraceptive induces germ cell apoptosis and expression of its related genes in rats.

Attempts to develop gossypol and steroidal hormones alone as a male contraceptive have been tested for many years; however, both caused undesirable side effects that have prevented their acceptance. In this study, we formulated a regimen of combined gossypol at a low dose of 12 mg/kg or a high dose of 50 mg/kg plus methyltestosterone 20 mg/kg and ethinylestradiol 100 g/kg daily (12 mg G+H and 50 mg G+H) administered for 6 weeks in adult rats. The possible roles of germ cell apoptosis and related genes expression were studied by techniques of TdT-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL), agarose gel electrophoresis of low-molecular-weight DNA, in situ hybridization and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction detection. Results showed that germ cell apoptosis and related genes expression were significantly induced after combined drug administration. The apoptosis index increased 3.86- and 9.65-fold in the 12-mg and 50-mg G+H-treated groups, respectively, as compared to the control group. DNA ladder formation on the agarose gel further validated the findings of TUNEL-stained apoptotic cells. The apoptosis-related genes fas mRNA expression levels increased 0.44- and 1.39-fold, bax mRNA 0.74- and 2.56-fold, caspase-3 mRNA 0.60- and 1.29-fold, and caspase-9 mRNA 2.50- and 4.08-fold, respectively, in the 12-mg and 50-mg G+H-treated groups vs. the control group. These results indicated that our drug regimen applied as a contraceptive could induce rat germ cell apoptosis. The apoptotic process involved fas system, bax and caspase family genes and the apoptotic extent and cell types were gossypol dose-dependent.