[Discrimination of Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen by HPLC fingerprints].

OBJECTIVE: To discriminate Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen. METHOD: A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to establish the fingerprint of Descurainiae Semen, and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to study HPLC fingerprinting and chemical recognition. RESULT: There exists large difference of chromatographic peaks and its relative peak area of HPLC fingerprints between Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen, and after conducting statistical analysis, the result demonstrated that all samples were classified into three categories: Descurainiae Semen, Pantagirus Semen and their mixtures. CONCLUSION: The developed HPLC fingerprint combined with chemometrics can be utilized to discriminate between Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen, which was quick, simple, accurate and reliable an can provide the basis for the characterization and quality assess of Descurainiae Semen and Pantagirus Semen.

[Advances on Lepidii Semen and Descurainiae Semen].

"Tinglizi", the ripe seed of Descurainia sophia and Lepidium apetalum, is a member of Brassicaceae (Cruciferae). Traditionally, the former is called "Nantinglizi" (Descurainiae Semen) while the latter is called "Beitinglizi" (Lepidii Semen). In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, it has the power to purge lung-fire, relieve dyspnea, promote diuresis and reduce edema, and it is mainly indicated in a case with phlegm-fluid accumulation, cough with excessive sputum, dyspnea with being unable to lie, and general swelling. In view of its wide-spread application in clinic, a comprehensive review of Lepidii Semen and Descurainiae Semen was conducted from the following aspects: herbalogical study, variety identification, historical evolution of processing, chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, quantitative determination and toxicity which could provide reference for further research and development of "Tinglizi".

A selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for bilirubin in human serum based on europium(III) post-functionalized Zr(IV)-Based MOFs.

In the present study, a kind of Eu(III) post-functionalized Zr(IV)-based metal-organic framework (UiO-66(COOH)2, Zr-MOF: Eu3+) was synthesized and utilized as an independently luminescent probe for sensing bilirubin (BR) in human serum, a biomarker of jaundice hepatitis. It can be served as a turn-off fluorescent switch for BR because its red emission from Eu3+ can be easily quenched by BR through a fluorescent resonant energy transfer (FRET) process between BR and its ligands, and as a result, BR is recognized successfully. Particularly, Zr-MOF: Eu3+ has shown many appealing properties, such as high sensitivity, quick response (less than 1 min), broad response window (0-15 µM), and excellent selectivity. Most importantly, a kind of portable test paper based on Zr-MOF: Eu3+ probe has been developed for directly assessing the level of BR in real human serum and further diagnosing bilirubin-related diseases via visually observing the luminescent color variation.

[The experimental study of specific inhibitor-CA-074Me of Cathepsin B suppressing retinal neovascularization].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect CA-074Me on the retinal neovascularization of C57BL/6J with retinal neovascularization, and to explore the new way of treatment for retinal neovascularization. METHODS: It was a experimental study. Sixty-seven-days-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups randomly including normal control group, blank control group, negative control group, experiment group. Blank control group, negative control group, experiment group were exposed to 75% oxygen to established a model of retinal neovascularization. Experiment group were injected with CA-074Me (5 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) by periocular injection one time every eye for 5 days after mice left oxygen box. Negative control group were received the same dose of DMSO at the same time. Normal control group and blank control group did not received any medicine. The Cathepsin B activity of the tissue of mice'eye were measured. The mean optical density of Cathepsin B of retina were measured by immunohistochemistry; the number of new vascular cell nuclei extending into the internal limiting membrane in cross-sections was measured. Retinal neovascularization were tested by the vascular pattern in adenosine diphosphate-ase (ADPase) stained retina flat-mounts. RESULTS: CA-074Me reduced the Cathepsin B Activity, the number of new vascular cell nuclei extending into the internal limiting membrane, the non-vascular area of retina, and the ratio of the nonvascular area of retina and the whole retina area. CONCLUSION: The specific inhibitor-CA-074Me of Cathepsin B can reduce the retinal neovascularization of C57BL/6J to some extent, may be a new treatment for retinal neovascularization in the future.

Five new anthraquinones from the seed of Cassia obtusifolia.

A phytochemical investigation on the seeds of Cassia obtusifolia led to the isolation of five new anthraquinones, including one aglycon and four glycosides. The structures were elucidated by analysis of extensive spectroscopic data and the results of acid hydrolysis. All these isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase, and 1 showed potent activity with IC50 value of 185 ± 15 µM.

Preliminary study on digitized nasal and temporal bone anatomy.

The purpose of this study was to explore a feasible method for the reconstruction of the nasal and temporal bone structures of the Chinese virtual human project and provide a more accurate and facilitated way view them three-dimensionally (3D). The 3-D Slicer software was used to reconstruct the anatomic structures of the human nose and temporal bone. Segmentation and extraction of the contours of the ROI (region of interest) in each single slice were conducted and the processed volume data was transferred into the 3-D Slicer. After resegmentation, a set of labeled maps of the ROI were produced. Based on these maps, the 3D surface models of the tissues of interest were constructed. Four groups of paranasal sinuses, nasal septa, middle and inferior turbinates, temporal bones, tympanic cavities, mastoid air cells, sigmoid sinuses, and internal carotid arteries were reconstructed successfully. These models show spatial relationships and orientation between them. The results show that the 3-D Slicer may be used for the 3D visualization of parts of anatomic structures in the nose and temporal bone based on the first Chinese virtual human data, and thus, can facilitate the observation and understanding of the anatomic structures in this area.