Highly Reactive Graphene Dispersant and Its Effective Reinforcement for Phase Change Coatings.

High efficient dispersant that meanwhile possesses additional functions is highly desirable for the fabrication of graphene-based composite. In this paper, a new reactive dispersant, multi-silanols grafted naphthalenediamine (MSiND), is synthesized, which shows superiority compared with conventional dispersants. It can not only stabilize graphene in water at a high concentration of up to 16 mg mL-1 , but also simultaneously be applicable for ethanol medium, in which the graphene concentration can be as high as 12 mg mL-1 at the weight ratio of 1:1 (MSiND:graphene). The dispersion is compatible with multi-matrixes and affinity to various substrates. In addition, MSiND exhibits excellent reactivity due to the existence of high-density silanol groups. Tough graphene coatings are constructed on glass slides and non-woven fabric simply by direct painting and dip-coating. Moreover, with the assistance of MSiND, graphene-doped phase-change coatings on hydrophobic non-woven fabric (e.g., functional mask) are prepared via the spray method. The composite coatings show enhanced mechanical strength and excellent energy storage performance, exhibiting great potential in heat preservation and thermotherapy.

Influence of Ultra-High-Pressure Pretreatment Method on Chemical Constituents, Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Activities of Free, Esterified, and Bound Phenolics from Anneslea Fragrans Wall. Leaves.

Anneslea fragrans Wall., an edible and medicinal plant, is traditionally used to treat liver and gastrointestinal diseases. This paper aimed to investigate the influence of ultra-high pressure (UHP) pretreatment on the phenolics profiling, antioxidant, and cytoprotective activities of free (FP), esterified (EP), and bound (BP) phenolics from A. fragrans leaves. A total of 32 compounds were characterized and quantified. The davidigenin (44.46 and 113.37 mg/g extract) was the highest in A. fragrans leaves. The vitexin (9), afzelin (10), coreopsin (15), and davidigenin (28) were analyzed with MS2 fragment pathways. Results showed that UHP treated A. fragrans leaves had higher total phenolic (TPC) and total flavonoid (TFC) contents of FP, EP, and BP fractions than those in the raw leaves. Moreover, UHP pretreated A. fragrans leaves had higher scavenging activities on DPPH+• and ABTS+•, and inhibitory effects on the intracellular ROS generation in H2O2-induced HepG2 cells. UFP showed the highest inhibition of ROS production among the samples. Therefore, UHP pretreatment method might be used as an effective strategy for elevating the availabilities of A. fragrans leaves to develop functional foods.

[Effects of canopy density on understory plant diversity in Robinia pseudoacacia plantations on the Loess Plateau of China]. / é»„åœŸé«˜åŽŸåˆºæ§äººå·¥æž—éƒé—­åº¦å¯¹æž—ä¸‹æ¤ç‰©å¤šæ ·æ€§ç‰¹å¾çš„å½±å“.

To solve the problems of understory plant shortage and biodiversity reduction caused by high tree density of Robinia pseudoacacia plantations on the Loess Plateau in northwest China, we analyzed the data collected by field survey and from literatures. We used the upper boundary line method to examine the impacts of canopy density on understory plant diversity. Based on field survey at the Guanshan Forest Farm of Jingchuan County of Gansu Pro-vince, the species number of understory plants in R. pseudoacacia plantations was higher than that in natural grassland (91 vs. 78). The dominant species varied with canopy density, which was completely different from that of natural grassland. A comprehensive analysis of both literature data and field survey data showed that, when mean annual precipitation (MAP) <550 mm or >550 mm, the increases in canopy density first led to a stable understory plant coverage and then a sharp or slight decrease, and understory plant biomass showed a sharp and continuous decrease or a slight increase and then decrease. Understory plant species richness and other diversity indices (Shannon, Simpson, and Pielou indices) first increase and then decrease, with bigger variation range under lower MAP. In all, the characteristics (coverage, biomass and species diversity, etc.) of understory plant community in R. pseudoacacia plantations were strongly affected by canopy density, with higher sensitivity under lower MAP. There was a general threshold range of canopy density of 0.45-0.6. When canopy density was above or below this thre-shold range, it would lead to a rapid decrease of the most characteristics of understory plant community. Therefore, keeping canopy density within the rational range of 0.45-0.6 in the management of R. pseudoacacia plantations is the key to make all the above-mentioned understory plant characteristics at relatively high level.

Effect of ultra-high pressure pretreatment on the phenolic profiles, antioxidative activity and cytoprotective capacity of different phenolic fractions from Que Zui tea.

This study aims to explore whether ultra-high pressure (UHP) pre-treatment strengthened the bioaccessibility and bioactivities of the free (QF), esterified (QE) and insoluble-bound phenolics (QIB) from Que Zui tea (QT). The results revealed that the extraction yields, the total phenolic (TPC) and total flavonoid contents (TFC) of three phenolic fractions from QT were markedly increased after ultra-high pressure (UHP) processing (p < 0.05). A total of 19 and 20 compounds were characterized and quantified in non- and UHP-treated QT, respectively, including the content of 6'-O-caffeoylarbutin (11775.68 and 13248.87 µg/g of dry extract) was highest in QF, the content of caffeic acid was highest in QE (2131.58 and 7362.99 µg/g of dry extract) and QIB (9151.89 and 10930.82 µg/g of dry extract). QF, QE and QIB from QT after UHP processing had better antioxidant, ROS scavenging, and anti-apoptosis effects. The possible mechanism of cytoprotective effect was related to Keap1-Nrf2 pathway.

Research and application of model fruit fly in prevention and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders by traditional Chinese medicine and natural compounds: a review / 中国中药杂志

As an important model animal, fruit fly is characterized by outstanding genetic characteristics, relatively perfect nervous system, rapid reproduction, and low cost. Thus, it has been applied in the research on neuropsychiatric disorders in recent years, showing great potential in life science. The incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders has been on the rise, and the disorders have high disability rate and low case fatality rate. The global drug demand for such diseases is second only to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. At the moment, the demand of the drugs for the diseases have been rising, and it is an urgent task to develop related drugs. However, the research and development of the drugs are time-intensive and have a high failure rate. A suitable animal model can help shorten the time for drug screening and development, thereby reducing the cost and failure rate. This study reviews the application of fruit flies in several common neuropsychiatric disorders, which is expected to provide new ideas for the research and application of the model animals in traditional Chinese medicine.

Analysis of Chinese Medical Syndrome Features of Ischemic Stroke Based on Similarity of Symptoms Subgroup / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To derive the Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome classification and subgroup syndrome characteristics of ischemic stroke patients.@*METHODS@#By extracting the CM clinical electronic medical records (EMRs) of 7,170 hospitalized patients with ischemic stroke from 2016 to 2018 at Weifang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Province, China, a patient similarity network (PSN) was constructed based on the symptomatic phenotype of the patients. Thereafter the efficient community detection method BGLL was used to identify subgroups of patients. Finally, subgroups with a large number of cases were selected to analyze the specific manifestations of clinical symptoms and CM syndromes in each subgroup.@*RESULTS@#Seven main subgroups of patients with specific symptom characteristics were identified, including M3, M2, M1, M5, M0, M29 and M4. M3 and M0 subgroups had prominent posterior circulatory symptoms, while M3 was associated with autonomic disorders, and M4 manifested as anxiety; M2 and M4 had motor and motor coordination disorders; M1 had sensory disorders; M5 had more obvious lung infections; M29 had a disorder of consciousness. The specificity of CM syndromes of each subgroup was as follows. M3, M2, M1, M0, M29 and M4 all had the same syndrome as wind phlegm pattern; M3 and M0 both showed hyperactivity of Gan (Liver) yang pattern; M2 and M29 had similar syndromes, which corresponded to intertwined phlegm and blood stasis pattern and phlegm-stasis obstructing meridians pattern, respectively. The manifestations of CM syndromes often appeared in a combination of 2 or more syndrome elements. The most common combination of these 7 subgroups was wind-phlegm. The 7 subgroups of CM syndrome elements were specifically manifested as pathogenic wind, pathogenic phlegm, and deficiency pathogens.@*CONCLUSIONS@#There were 7 main symptom similarity-based subgroups in ischemic stroke patients, and their specific characteristics were obvious. The main syndromes were wind phlegm pattern and hyperactivity of Gan yang pattern.

Compensatory growth and understory soil stoichiometric features of Hippophae rhamnoides at different stubble heights.

Background: This study was aimed to explore the compensatory growth ability and influence mechanism of Hippophae rhamnoides at the decaying phase in feldspathic sandstone areas of Ordos, and clarify the stubble height when the compensatory growth ability of H. rhamnoides was the strongest. Methods: The H. rhamnoides forests in the decaying phase from an exposed feldspathic sandstone zone of Ordos were chosen. The compensatory growth ability of H. rhamnoides at stubble height of 0 cm (S1), 10 cm (S2), 15 cm (S3), 20 cm (S4) and control (CK) was investigated with H. rhamnoides forests at the decaying stage in the exposed feldspathic sandstone areas of Ordos. Relationships of compensatory growth ability of H. rhamnoides and understory soil properties with understory soil stoichiometric features as well as the response mechanism to stubble height were explored. Results: (1) Overcompensatory growth of H. rhamnoides in feldspathic sandstone areas occurred at all stubble heights. Especially, the plant height compensation index (1.45) and biomass compensation index (1.25) at the stubble height of 15 cm were both larger compared with other stubbling treatments. These results indicate the stubble height of 15 cm can well promote the growth of the ground part of H. rhamnoides. (2) All stubble heights significantly affected the contents and eco-stoichiometric ratios of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) in understory soils, but the influence rules differed. SOC, TN, and TP contents at all stubble heights were larger than those of the control, and maximized at the stubble height of 15 cm. The carbon(C): phosphorus(P) ratio, and nitrogen (N):(P) ratio after stubbling treatments were all lower compared with the control, and minimized to 19.52 and 1.84 respectively at the stubble height of 15 cm. (3) The understory C:N:P stoichiometric ratio of H. rhamnoides in feldspathic sandstone areas is jointly affected by compensatory growth, stubble height, and soil physicochemical properties. The total explanation rate determined from RDA is 93.1%. The understory soil eco-stoichiometric ratio of H. rhamnoides is mainly affected by soil moisture content (contribution of 87.6%) and total porosity (7.9%), indicating soil moisture content is the most influential factor. The findings will offer some new clues for eco-construction and theoretically underlie soil-water loss administration.

The structures of two glucomannans from Bletilla formosana and their protective effect on inflammation via inhibiting NF-κB pathway.

Bletilla formosana is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and is widely consumed as foods and medicines in China. However, the chemical structure and bioactivity of its polysaccharides remain unknown. Herein, two new polysaccharides, BFP60 and BFP80, with molecular weights of 3.99 kDa and 10.07 kDa, respectively, were isolated and purified from dried tuber of B. formosana. Structural analysis suggested that BFP60 and BFP80 may have backbone consisted of →4)-ß-d-Man-(1→,→4)-ß-d-Glc-(1→,→4)-2-O-acetyl-ß-d-Man-(1→, and →4)-3-O-acetyl-ß-d-Man-(1→. Inflammation assay in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells showed that the productions of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were significantly reduced, and the expression of iNOS, COX-2, and target proteins in the NF-κB pathway were suppressed after BFP60 and BFP80 pretreatment. These findings indicated that this novel polysaccharide had significant inflammatory protective effects in vitro.

Clinical efficacy observation of spine subtle adjusting manipulation for postpartum low back pain / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of spine subtle adjusting manipulation for postpartum low back pain (PLBP). Methods: A total of 76 patients with PLBP were randomized into a control group and a treatment group, with 38 cases in each group. The control group was treated with core muscle strengthening exercises, and the treatment group was treated with spine subtle adjusting manipulation. After 3 weeks of treatment, the clinical efficacy was observed, and the visual analog scale (VAS) score and Oswestry disability index (ODI), and the changes of lumbar Cobb angle and pelvic rotation were compared between the two groups. Results: The total effective rate of the treatment group was 92.1％, and that of the control group was 78.9％. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS score and ODI in both groups decreased, and the intra-group differences were all statistically significant (P<0.05). There were no intra-group statistical differences in the lumbar Cobb angle or pelvic rotation in the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, there were no statistical differences in the lumbar Cobb angle or pelvic rotation between the two groups (P>0.05); the VAS score and ODI in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Spine subtle adjusting manipulation can effectively relieve the pain for patients with PLBP, and improve their daily activity function.

Research advances in the prevention and treatment of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury with traditional Chinese medicine components / 临床肝胆病杂志

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) is a very common complication of liver transplantation, liver resection, and shock. At present, many studies have been conducted on HIRI, but there is still a lack of drugs for radical treatment in clinical practice. Many factors, such as related cells, molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways, reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress response, nitric oxide, and mitochondria, mediate the development and progression of HIRI, which leads to the decline of patients' quality of life and even endangers their life safety. Based on the pathogenesis of HIRI and related articles, this article summarizes the research advances in the prevention and treatment of HIRI with traditional Chinese medicine components, so as to provide theoretical support for basic research and clinical research on HIRI.

Measurement and analysis of dose exposure in childhood intussusception reduction / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To investigate the dose of radiation in children under going X-ray-guided air enema reduction, and to provide a basis for reducing the risk of radiation injury in pediatric patients. Methods Data were collected from children with intussusception who were treated with air enema. The experimental conditions of high, medium, and low doses of three age groups were analyzed. Phantoms were used to simulate the operation, and the radiation dose was measured using a thermoluminescence system. Results In children with intussusception, the success rate of air enema under the guidance of X-ray was 88% (including secondary intussusception), with anearly re-intussusception rate of 8%. The effective dose of treatment ranged from 0.57 to 12.33 mSv, and the tissues and organs with high absorbed dose were mainly in the chest and abdomen. Conclusion Children in different groups are exposed to significantly differentand relatively high doses. The operators are recommended to use ultrasonic guidance. With X-ray guidance, the exposure time should be minimized and protective equipment for children should be used.

Curcumin modulates gut microbiota and improves renal function in rats with uric acid nephropathy.

It is well known that the progression of hyperuricemia disease often contributes to renal dysfunction. However, there have been few studies on uric acid nephropathy (UAN), especially its relationship with gut microbiota. UAN is usually accompanied by disordered intestinal flora, and damaged gut barrier, which are closely related to tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and systemic inflammation. In previous studies, it has been confirmed that curcumin could alleviate tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and improve renal function through its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory efficacies. However, the effects curcumin exerts on intestinal flora in uric acid nephropathy are still unknown. Therefore, we used next-generation sequencing technology to investigate the effects of curcumin on gut microbiota in a rat model of UAN induced by adenine and potassium oxonate, and rats were randomly divided into control, model or curcumin treatment groups. The results demonstrated that, compared to the model group, the treatment group showed decreased serum uric acid (156.80 ± 11.90 µmol/L vs. 325.60 ± 18.65 µmol/L, p < 0.001), serum creatinine (66.20 ± 11.88 µmol/L vs. 182.20 ± 8.87 µmol/L, p < 0.001) and BUN level (13.33 ± 3.16 mmol/L vs. 36.04 ± 6.60 mmol/L, p < 0.001). The treatment group also displayed attenuated renal pathological lesions and metabolic endotoxemia (25.60 ± 5.90 ng/mL vs. 38.40 ± 4.98 ng/mL, p < 0.01), and improved tightly linked proteins expression. Besides, curcumin altered the gut microbiota structure in UAN rats. More specifically, curcumin treatment protected against the overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens in UAN, including Escherichia-Shigella and Bacteroides, and increased the relative abundance of bacteria producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as Lactobacillus and Ruminococcaceae. These results suggest that curcumin could modulate gut microbiota, fortify the intestinal barrier, attenuate metabolic endotoxemia, and consequently protect the renal function in UAN rats.

[Domestic and international research progress of edible and medicinal Arecae Semen].

Arecae Semen, as the first place among "Four South Medicines" in China, has great dual-use value of medicine and food. The research of Arecae Semen was mainly focused on the active ingredients and efficacy value, and its potential safety hazards were also concerned. Until now, there is still a lack of clear boundaries between medicine and food, resulting in its safety cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, it is of great significance to establish clear boundaries of medicine and food use and health risk assessment. In this paper, the differences of pretreatment and application methods of Arecae Semen were analyzed, and the research progress of Arecae Semen in chemical composition identification and toxicology research and safety evaluation were reviewed emphatically. Finally, the differences of quality control and safety evaluation of Arecae Semen in pharmacopoeias or standards were analyzed at home and abroad. It was expected to provide reference value for quality control, safety evaluation and international standardization research of Arecae Semen.

In silico-determined compound from the root of Pueraria lobate alleviates synaptic plasticity injury induced by Alzheimer's disease via the p38MAPK-CREB signaling pathway.

Pueraria lobata is utilized as a food source in China. The aim of this study is to combine virtual screening and molecular dynamics predictive model to screen out the potential synaptic plasticity-maintaining components from the root of P. lobate and to verify it by employing the amyloid ß-injected rats' model. Eighteen compounds were identified by HPLC-MS/MS; puerarin manifested the most potential to form a stable complex with calcium/calmodulin kinase IIα (CaMK IIα), which is the key protein in synaptic plasticity by the in silico study. The further in vivo assay showed that puerarin could elevate the synaptic thickness, density, and length, relieve calcium overload, regulate the expression of CaMK IIα, and other p38MAPK-CREB signaling pathway-related biochemical criteria. The behavioral test also verified the results. Results have confirmed that the root of P. lobate can work anti-AD by maintaining the synaptic plasticity and proved the reliability of using the in silico predictive model to determine active ingredients from the natural product.

Domestic and international research progress of edible and medicinal Arecae Semen / 中国中药杂志

Arecae Semen, as the first place among "Four South Medicines" in China, has great dual-use value of medicine and food. The research of Arecae Semen was mainly focused on the active ingredients and efficacy value, and its potential safety hazards were also concerned. Until now, there is still a lack of clear boundaries between medicine and food, resulting in its safety cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, it is of great significance to establish clear boundaries of medicine and food use and health risk assessment. In this paper, the differences of pretreatment and application methods of Arecae Semen were analyzed, and the research progress of Arecae Semen in chemical composition identification and toxicology research and safety evaluation were reviewed emphatically. Finally, the differences of quality control and safety evaluation of Arecae Semen in pharmacopoeias or standards were analyzed at home and abroad. It was expected to provide reference value for quality control, safety evaluation and international standardization research of Arecae Semen.

Research Status of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Gastric Cancer and Precancerous Lesion of Gastric Cancer by Regulating Autophagy / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the digestive system， and precancerous lesion of gastric cancer （PLGC） represents a long-term stage in the process of malignant development of normal gastric mucosa into gastric cancer. Gastric cancer and precancerous lesions are difficult to cure clinically， leaving poor prognosis and a serious negative impact on the quality of daily life of patients. In recent years， studies on cell autophagy have been at the forefront of the natural life science. Regulating autophagy to treat precancerous lesions and prevent gastric cancer has become nowadays a hot topic. Autophagy is a process in which cells enclose some redundant or damaged cytoplasm， proteins and organelles to form autophagosomes， and bind to lysosomes to degrade the contents. Autophagy has bidirectional effect on different cells and different stages of the same cell. Autophagy at a lower level can kill cancer cells， while autophagy can promote the growth and proliferation of cancer cells under stress conditions such as hypoxia， hunger and infection， or when autophagy clears damaged proteins in cells and organelle function is abnormal. Traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）， which has low toxicity and easy acceptance by patients， has a positive effect on the treatment of gastric cancer and PLGC. At present， studies on the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer and PLGC by TCM have been carried out in depth with cell autophagy as the breakthrough point. More and more research results have confirmed that TCM can regulate the autophagy process of gastric cancer cells and play an anti-tumor role by interfering with various autophagy related genes， signal pathways and organelles. This paper summarizes the studies on the regulation of cell autophagy by TCM in the treatment of gastric cancer and precancerous lesions， so as to provide references for future studies on the regulation of autophagy by TCM.

Preliminary study on cerebrospinal fluid proteomics of Erxian Decoction against neurogenesis impairment in late-onset depression / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to elucidate the underlying mechanism of Erxian Decoction(EXD) against neurogenesis impairment in late-onset depression(LOD) rats based on cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) proteomics. A total of 66 20-21-month-old male Wistar rats were randomized into naturally aged(AGED) group, LOD group, and EXD group. All rats received chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) for 6 weeks for LOD modeling except for the AGED group. During the modeling, EXD group was given EXD(ig, twice a day at 4 g·kg~(-1)) and other groups received equivalent amount of normal saline(ig). After modeling, a series of behavioral tests, such as sucrose preference test(SPT), open-field test(OFT), forced swimming test(FST), and Morris water maze test(MWMT) were performed. Immunofluorescence method was used to detect the number of Ki-67/Nesti-positive cells and BrdU/DCX-positive cells in the hippocampal DG area of each group. High-concentration corticosterone(CORT) was combined with D-galactose(D-gal) to simulate the changes of LOD-related stress and aging and the proliferation and differentiation of primary neural stem cells of hippocampus in each group were observed. Data independent acquisition(DIA)-mass spectrometry(MS) was used to analyze the differential proteins in CSF among groups and bioinformatics analysis was performed to explore the biological functions of the proteins. Behavioral tests showed that sucrose consumption in SPT, total traveling distance in OFT, and times of crossing the platform in MWMT were all reduced(P<0.01) and the immobility time in FST was prolonged(P<0.01) in the LOD group compared with those in the AGED group, suggesting that LOD rats had developed depression symptoms such as anhedonia, decreased locomotor activity ability, and cognitive dysfunction. Behavioral abnormalities were alleviated(P<0.01, P<0.05) in the EXD group as compared with those in the LOD group. Immunofluorescence results demonstrated that Ki-67/Nesti-positive cells and BrdU/DCX-positive cells in the hippocampal DG area were fewer(P<0.05) in LOD group than in the AGED group, and the positive cells in the EXD group were more(P<0.05) than those in the LOD group. In vitro experiment showed that the proliferation and differentiation of primary hippocampal neural stem cells under the CORT+D-gal treatment were reduced(P<0.01). The proliferation rate of neural stem cells decreased(P<0.05) in CORT+D-gal+LOD-CSF group but increased(P<0.01) in CORT+D-gal+EXD-CSF group compared with that in the CORT+D-gal group. A total of 2 620 proteins were identified from rat CSF, with 135 differential proteins between the LOD group and AGED group and 176 between EXD group and LOD group. GDF11, NrCAM, NTRK2, and GhR were related to neurogenesis and 39 differential proteins were regulated by both LOD and EXD. EXD demonstrated obvious anti-LOD effect, as it improved the locomotor activity ability and cognitive function of LOD rats and protected the proliferation and differentiation of hippocampal neural stem cells. EXD exerts anti-LOD effect by regulating the proteins related to neurogenesis in CSF, such as GDF11, NrCAM, NTRK2, and GhR and maintaining hippocampal neurogenesis.

Aloe-emodin exerts cholesterol-lowering effects by inhibiting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 in hyperlipidemic rats.

Hyperlipidemia (HPL) characterized by metabolic disorder of lipids and cholesterol is one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a potent circulating regulator of LDL through its ability to induce degradation of the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol receptor (LDLR) in the lysosome of hepatocytes. Aloe-emodin (AE) is one of potentially bioactive components of Chinese traditional medicine Daming capsule. In this study we evaluated the HPL-lowering efficacy of AE in both in vivo and in vitro HPL models. High-fat diet-induced rats were treated with AE (100 mg/kg per day, ig) for 6 weeks. We found that AE administration significantly decreased the levels of total cholesterol (TC) and LDL in the serum and liver tissues. Moreover, AE administration ameliorated HPL-induced hepatic lipid aggregation. But AE administration did not significantly inhibit HMG-CoA reductase activity in the liver of HPL rats. A cellular model of HPL was established in human hepatoma (HepG2) cells treated with cholesterol (20 µg/mL) and 25-hydroxycholesterol (2 µg/mL), which exhibited markedly elevated cholesterol levels. The increased cholesterol levels could be reversed by subsequent treatment with AE (30 µM). In both the in vivo and in vitro HPL models, we revealed that AE selectively suppressed the sterol-regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) and hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)1α-mediated PCSK9 signaling, which in turn upregulated LDL receptor (LDLR) and promoted LDL uptake. This study demonstrates that AE reduces cholesterol content in HPL rats by inhibiting the hepatic PCSK9/LDLR pathway.

Clinical Efficacy of Jiwei Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang Combined with Xingnao Kaiqiao Acupuncture on Shouder-hand Syndrome / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of Jiwei Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang combined with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture on shouder-hand syndrome (SHS), and its effect on neurogenic inflammatory factors and hemorheology. Method:One hundred and forty-eight patients were randomly divided into control group and observation group (74 cases). Both groups' patients got rehabilitation measures, such as diclofenac sodium sustained release tablets for two to four weeks, 75 min/time, 1 time/day, and patients with apparent swelling got prednisone acetate tablets for one to two weeks, 10 min/time, 1 time/day. And patients in control group got Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture, 1 time/day, 6 times/week. Control grouporal Naoxintong capsule 4 tablets/time,3 times/day, patients in observation group were added with Jiwei Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang, 1 dose/day. The courses of treatment were 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, shoulder hand syndrome scale (SHSS), the upperextremities of the Fugl-meyer movement assessment (U-FMA), ability of daily life activities (ADL), Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome and clinical efficacy were scored, disappearing time of pain and swelling were recorded, and levels of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), bradykinin (BK) and hemorheology were detected. Result:The clinical efficacy in observation group was better than that in control group (Z=2.106, P<0.05). And scores of sensory, autonomic, motion according to SHSS scale and the total scale of SHSS were all lower than those in control group (P<0.01). Disappearing time of pain and swelling were shorten than those in control group (P<0.01). After treatment, scores of U-FMA and ADL were higher than those in control group (P<0.01), while score of syndrome of Qi deficiency and blood stasis was lower than that in control group (P<0.01). And level CGRP was higher than that in control group (P<0.01), and levels of SP and BK were lower than those in control group (P<0.01). After treatment, whole blood viscosity (high cut, low cut), plasma viscosity, fibrinogen and platelet aggregation rate were all lower than those in control group (P<0.05). Conclusion:In addition to the conventional western medicine therapy, Jiwei Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang combined with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture can reduce the severity of SHS and clinical syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine, shorten the course of disease, improve the motor function of upper limbs, inhibit the neurogenic inflammatory reaction, and improve the blood flow, the ability of daily life and the clinical efficacy of patients..

Research on Textual Research and Methods of Chinese Herbs in Famous Classical Formulas / 中国实验方剂学杂志

As the essential part of tratidional Chinese medicine(TCM), the research and development of classic formula have become a hot spot in TCM industry. However, with the change of the age, the species, medical part and origin of TCM have more or less changed. It is of great significance for the safety and effectiveness of the classical prescription to clarify the varieties and medicinal parts of TCM. In this paper, based on the discussion of the methods of textual research on the Chinese herbs, the species and medical parts, origin of Chinese herbs in a list of 100 famous classical formulas which promulgated by the state administration of TCM were analyzed. The textual research of Chinese herbs shows that most of the herbs involved in the classical formula have the problems of species, medical part, and origin. Therefore, it is of great significance for the selection of the species and medical parts, origin of the Chinese herbs in the research and development process of the classical formula.