Comparative Analysis on Alignment-Based and Pretrained Feature Representations for the Identification of DNA-Binding Proteins.

The interaction between DNA and protein is vital for the development of a living body. Previous numerous studies on in silico identification of DNA-binding proteins (DBPs) usually include features extracted from the alignment-based (pseudo) position-specific scoring matrix (PSSM), leading to limited application due to its time-consuming generation. Few researchers have paid attention to the application of pretrained language models at the scale of evolution to the identification of DBPs. To this end, we present comprehensive insights into a comparison study on alignment-based PSSM and pretrained evolutionary scale modeling (ESM) representations in the field of DBP classification. The comparison is conducted by extracting information from PSSM and ESM representations using four unified averaging operations and by performing various feature selection (FS) methods. Experimental results demonstrate that the pretrained ESM representation outperforms the PSSM-derived features in a fair comparison perspective. The pretrained feature presentation deserves wide application to the area of in silico DBP identification as well as other function annotation issues. Finally, it is also confirmed that an ensemble scheme by aggregating various trained FS models can significantly improve the classification performance of DBPs.

The impact of school life and family involvement on Western China junior high school students' wellbeing at multidimensional levels.

BACKGROUND: The focus of students' health concerns has gradually progressed from the single factor of physical health to comprehensive health factors, and the physical and mental health of students are now generally considered together. This study focuses on exploring the status of junior high school students' physical health and their subjective health assessment with the major societal factors that affect students' lives: School Life and Family involvement. In addition, we explore the main factors influencing students' subjective health. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 190 Tibetan junior high school students in the Maozhuang Township. The intentional sampling was used to choose the research object. The structured questionnaire comprised four parts, namely social and demographic information, family condition, school life, and subjective health quality which was assessed by PROMIS (Chinese version of the Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System). RESULT: The average height and weight of boys and girls are statistically different (p-values of 0.026 and 0.044, respectively), but there is no statistically significant difference in BMI (Body Mass Index) between boys and girls (p-value of 0.194). The average values of the five dimensions of depression, anger, anxiety, fatigue, and peer relationships in the PROMIS of the research subjects were 58.9 ± 5.3, 53.3 ± 8.0, 58.1 ± 7.3, 52.8 ± 8.0, 39.3 ± 6.6. In the demographic dimension, the grade was the main factor influencing anger (p < 0.01) and fatigue (p < 0.01), while gender was related to peer relationships (p = 0.02). In the family dimension, the father's educational level was related to peer relationships (p = 0.05), while the family financial situation was related to depression (p = 0.01). In the school life dimension, relationship with classmates was found to affect anger (p = 0.05), while homework was related to anxiety (p = 0.02) and fatigue (p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: the physical health index BMI and subjective health evaluation of students are worse than students of more developed areas in China. Their family environment and school life all have varying degrees of impact on the five subjective health outcomes. There are differences in gender and grade level. The government and society need to pay more attention to the physical and mental health of students in remote and underdeveloped areas and improve their health through a student nutrition plan and the establishment of mental health offices.

A novel aquaphotomics based approach for understanding salvianolic acid A conversion reaction with near infrared spectroscopy.

As a fast and non-destructive detection method, near infrared spectroscopy, mainly containing overtones and combinations, can be used to quantify the components with a concentration of ≥ 1% in the analytical sample. Aquaphotomics uses the characteristic that the water structure changes with the addition of solute, which is reflected in the region of the water spectrum. Thus, it provides the possibility to unlock the information hidden in the spectrum. In our work, near infrared spectroscopy combined with aquaphotomics was used to quantify aqueous solution containing salvianolic acid B. It has shown that the aquaphotomics approach accurately quantifies the aqueous solution's salvianolic acid from 0.51 mg/mL to 25.86 mg/mL. The obtained RMSEP, R2, RPD, and MRE of prediction were 0.52 mg/mL, 0.995, 14.88 and 4.74%, respectively. For the salvianolic acid A reaction solution, the predicted R2 was 0.93, RMSEC was 0.85 mg/mL, and RMSEP was 0.82. The results of this study supported the concept of aquaphotomics, and the aquaphotomics approach was successfully applied in the reaction system of salvianolic acid A at 120 °C. This method was conducive to understanding the reaction and improving the accuracy of the quantitative model. It is a rapid and accurate alternative for analysis and measurement of transformation reactions at high temperature and high pressure, even for the substance with a concentration of less than 5 mg/mL.

[Study on extraction kinetics of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma: model establishment and investigation of critical process parameters].

In this study, Fick's first law and partition equilibrium were used to represent the internal and external mass transfer processes of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma at the macroscopic level, and a mass transfer model was established. The specific surface area was integrated into the mass transfer resistance, which effectively avoided the irregular shape of medicinal materials and expanded the application scope of the model. Meanwhile, the mass transfer model was further combined with the kinetic model of salvia-nolic acid degradation to establish the extraction kinetic models of salvianolic acid B, lithospermic acid and Danshensu. The model was applied to study the extraction process of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. According to the sensitivity analysis results, the relative error of the model prediction was within 5% near the maximum extraction rate(320 min), and the prediction performance of the model was good. According to the investigation results of different process parameters, stirring could significantly accelerate the mass transfer rate of salvianolic acid B, while the mass transfer resistance and degradation rate constant were not affected by solvent-to-solid ratio. The linear relationship between the reciprocal of temperature and the logarithm of mass transfer resistance was good(R~2=0.996), indicating that the temperature and mass transfer resistance conformed to Arrhenius formula. In addition, we also found that the concentration changes of lithospermic acid and Danshensu were weakly affected by mass transferwhen the extraction temperature was higher than 358 K. This study has provided the basis for the process optimization and quality control of traditional Chinese medicine extraction.

T-Channel Field Effect Transistor with Three InputTerminals (Ti-TcFET).

In this paper, a novel T-channel field effect transistor with three input terminals(Ti-TcFET) is proposed. The channel of a Ti-TcFET consists of horizontal and vertical sections. Thetop gate is above the horizontal channel, while the front gate and back gate are on either side of the vertical channel. The T-shaped channel structure increases the coupling area between the top gate and the front and back gates, which improves the ability of the gate electrodes to control the channel. What's more, it makes the top gate have almost the same control ability for the channel as the front gate and the back gate. This unique structure design brings a unique function in that the device is turned on only when two or three inputs are activated. Silvaco technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations are used to verify the current characteristics of the proposed Ti-TcFET. The current characteristics of the device are theoretically analyzed, and the results show that the theoretical analysis agrees with the TCAD simulation results. The proposed Ti-TcFET devices with three input terminals can be used to simplify the complex circuits in a compact style with reduced counts of transistors compared with the traditional complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor/ fin field-effect transistors (CMOS/FinFETs) with a single inputterminal and thus provides a new idea for future circuit designs.

Evaluation of a multiple and global analytical indicator of batch consistency: traditional Chinese medicine injection as a case study.

This paper evaluates a multiple and global analytical indicator of batch consistency in traditional Chinese medicine injections (TCMIs) via a chemometrics tool, which is more comprehensive to appraise quality consistency of different batches of injections than the traditional method of fingerprint similarity. A commonly used TCMI, Salviae miltiorrhizae and ligustrazine hydrochloride injection (SLI), was employed as a model. With the aid of a chemometrics tool (principal component analysis, PCA), evaluation of multiple and global analytical indicators of batch consistency, which included saccharides, phenolic acids and inorganic salts (18 indicators in total), was carried out to appraise the quality consistency of 13 batches of injection provided by the Guizhou Baite Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Guizhou, China). Compared with the traditional HPLC-UV fingerprint similarity evaluation, the method proposed in the paper can more comprehensively and correctly reflect the quality consistency of different batches of injections. In this paper, the multi-index evaluation result showed poor batch consistency, which was more consistent with the determination results, while the fingerprint similarity evaluation results still showed good batch consistency. The HPLC-UV fingerprint reflects only substances with UV absorption, but it is not able to reflect substances without UV absorption or weak UV absorption, which leads to inappropriate conclusions. Therefore, quality consistency of injections can be effectively appraised by evaluation of multiple and global analytical indicators, instead of HPLC-UV fingerprint only. For visualizing the batch consistency of the multiple and global analytical indicators, a heat map was used to represent the fluctuation. Furthermore, critical indicator identification was also applied to select several indicators that should be paid more attention during the process of quality control of injection. And the analysis result showed that Na+, fructose (Fru), glucose (Glc), manninotriose (Man), danshensu (DSS) and salvianolic acid B (SAB) are the indicators that should be given more attention when controlling the quality of injections, also called critical quality control indicators. The proposed method provides a reference for the quality control of TCMIs and has broad application potential.

A novel critical control point and chemical marker identification method for the multi-step process control of herbal medicines via NMR spectroscopy and chemometrics.

Herbal medicines have played a vital role in maintaining the health of the world population in the past thousands of years, and have proved to be an effective therapy. It is important to improve our understanding of the effects of the multi-step processing in herbal medicines on the chemical changes to ensure product quality. A proton nuclear paramagnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based evaluation strategy was developed for an efficient process variation exploration and diversified metabolite identification. In this study, 48 process intermediates from 6 commercial batches of the multi-step manufacturing chain of Danshen processing were obtained. Hierarchical classification analysis (HCA) tree based on 1H NMR spectra clustered the samples according to the processing steps, which indicates that 1H NMR has the potential capability for critical control point identification based on its adequate information of the organic compounds. Then, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were applied to distinguish the major metabolite differences between the intermediates before and after the critical control point. In this case, the alkali-isolation and acid-dissolution method was recognized as the most critical process in the multi-step chain of Danshen extract manufacturing. Potential metabolites with the larger amplitude of variation and contributing the most to the discrimination were found to be potential quality markers by S-plot, including several previously undetected amino acids. The results in this study are consistent with previous research studies and reference experiments conducted with other analytical tools. Taken together, they prove that 1H NMR with chemometrics is a very effective process quality control tool to provide comprehensive information on the chemical changes during the processing of herbal medicines, and help with the identification of critical control points and potential critical quality markers.

A Method of Secure Compressed Sensing for Physiological Signals in Healthcare Internet-of-Things Applications.

With the increasing demand forinformation interaction and data transmission in medical and healthcare Internet of Things applications, effective and secure transmissions of data become particularly important. To address this problem, this paper focuses on a novel method of secure compressed sensing, which can be readily applied to physiological signals and other kinds of health signals. The method is able to efficiently reduce the sampling data and at the same time secure them without an extra significant computational cost, where a key is bound to the compressed sensing process with a symmetric cryptography design. Different from traditional methods, the novelty of this method is to combine the compression and encryption processes in an efficient way. Results of experimental analyses show that the proposed method can provide good security at the same compression rate.

An all-solid-state yarn supercapacitor using cotton yarn electrodes coated with polypyrrole nanotubes.

A novel all-solid-state yarn supercapacitor (YSC) has been fabricated by using the cotton yarns coated with polypyrrole (PPy) nanotubes. The interconnected network structure of PPy can increase the surface area as well as the electrode/electrolyte interface area, thus resulting in improved electrochemical performance. For the proposed YSC, a high areal-specific capacitance of 74.0mFcm-2 and a desirable energy density of 7.5µWhcm-2 are achieved. The flexibility of the YSC demonstrates that it is suitable for the integration as flexible power sources in wearable electronic textiles.

Is the Chinese medicinal formula Guipi Decoction () effective as an adjunctive treatment for depression? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Guipi Decoction (, GPD) as an adjunctive in the treatment of depression. METHODS: A review of all relevant studies retrieved from a search of the following databases were conducted without any language restriction: Excerpt Medica Database (EMBASE), PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Information, Wanfang Data, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. Papers published until February 2013 were taken into consideration. The analysis was performed using the Cochrane software Revman 5.1. RESULTS: Nine randomized controlled trials involving 620 patients with depression were included in this review. The meta-analysis revealed that compared with antidepressant therapy alone, treatment with a combination of GPD and an antidepressant drug signifificantly improved the symptoms of depression [weighted mean difference (WMD):-3.09; 95% confifidence interval (CI):-4.11 to-2.07] and increased the rates of effectiveness (OR: 4.75; 95% CI: 2.66-8.51) as well as recovery (OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.17-2.56). The adverse effects of GPD were not found to be signifificant in these studies. CONCLUSIONS: The fifindings of this meta-analysis were in keeping with the notion that GPD formulations were effective in the treatment of depression without causing any serious adverse effects. However, currently available evidence was of low quality and therefore inadequate to justify a strong recommendation of using GPD formulations in the management of depression.

Impact of 2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-D-glucoside on cognitive deficits in animal models of Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of 2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-D-glucoside (TSG) treatment on cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has not been investigated. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the effect of TSG on cognitive deficits in a rodent model of AD. METHODS: We identified eligible studies published from January 1980 to April 2015 by searching seven electronic databases. We assessed the study quality, evaluated the efficacy of TSG treatment, and performed a stratified meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis to assess the influence of study design on TSG efficacy. RESULTS: Among a total of 381 publications, 18 fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The overall methodological quality of these studies was poor. The meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant benefit of TSG on acquisition memory (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -1.46 (95 % CI: -1.81 to -1.10, P < 0.0001) and retention memory (SMD =1.93 (95 % CI: 1.40 to 2.46, P < 0.0001) in experimental models of AD. The stratified analysis revealed a significantly higher effect size for both acquisition and retention memory in studies that used mixed sex models and a significantly higher effect size for acquisition memory in studies that used transgenic models. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis highlights a significantly better treatment effect in rodent AD models that received TSG that in those that did not. These findings indicate a potential therapeutic role of TSG in AD therapy. However, additional well-designed and detailed experimental studies are needed to evaluate the safety of TSG.

Rhubarb attenuates blood-brain barrier disruption via increased zonula occludens-1 expression in a rat model of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption is a key pathophysiological factor of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The level of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) has been closely associated with the degree of BBB damage, and is an indicator of BBB destruction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of rhubarb on BBB function in a rat model of ICH. ICH was induced in rats by treatment with type VII collagenase. Sham-operated rats were administered with an equal volume of saline. Following the administration of rhubarb decoction (20 g/kg), neurobehavioral function evaluation and Evans blue extravasation assays were performed at days 1, 3 and 5 after ICH. ZO-1 expression in the brain of ICH-induced rats were analyzed via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical analyses. The results suggested that rhubarb significantly ameliorated neurological symptoms and attenuated BBB permeability. The results of immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR studies indicated that the expression of ZO-1 expression was robust in the sham-operated group and was weak in the vehicle-treated group at day 3. The present data indicated that rhubarb effectively attenuated ICH-induced BBB damage in rats, raising the possibility that rhubarb or its active components may be considered useful as neuroprotective drugs for ICH. The protective mechanisms appeared to involve the preservation of BBB integrity and elevation of ZO-1 protein expression levels.

The impact of ginsenosides on cognitive deficits in experimental animal studies of Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of ginsenoside treatment on cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has yet to be investigated. In this protocal, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effect of ginsenosides on cognitive deficits in experimental rodent AD models. METHODS: We identified eligible studies by searching seven electronic databases spanning from January 1980 to October 2014. We assessed the study quality, evaluated the efficacy of ginsenoside treatment, and performed a stratified meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis to assess the influence of the study design on ginsenoside efficacy. RESULTS: Twelve studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria from a total of 283 publications. The overall methodological quality of these studies was poor. The meta-analysis revealed that ginsenosides have a statistically significant positive effect on cognitive performance in experimental AD models. The stratified analysis revealed that ginsenoside Rg1 had the greatest effect on acquisition and retention memory in AD models. The effect size was significantly higher for both acquisition and retention memory in studies that used female animals compared with male animals. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that ginsenosides might reduce cognitive deficits in AD models. However, additional well-designed and well-reported animal studies are needed to inform further clinical investigations.

[metabonomics research on coronary heart disease patients of phlegm turbidity syndrome and qi deficiency syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between Chinese medical types of coronary heart disease (CHD) [i.e., phlegm turbidity syndrome (PTS) and qi deficiency syndrome (QDS)] and their metabolites. METHODS: Recruited were 65 CHD patients including 37 cases of PTS and 28 cases of QDS. Serum endogenous metabolites in the two syndrome types were determined by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer-computer (GC/MS), and their differences between their metabolic profiles analyzed. RESULTS: More than 100 chromatographic peaks were totally scanned. Chromatograms obtained was matched with mass spectrum bank, and finally we got the category contribution value of 46 kinds of substances. Results of MCTree analysis showed patients of PTS and patients of QDS could be effectively distinguished. Compounds contributing to identify the two syndromes were sequenced as serine, valine, 2 hydroxy propionic acid. Comparison of metabolites showed contents of serine and 2 hydroxy propionic acid were higher in patients of PTS than in patients of QDS (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The differences in the metabonomics of CHD TCM syndrome types could provide material bases for TCM syndrome differentiation of CHD, indicating that metabonomics technologies might become a new research method for TCM syndrome typing.

Comparison of ferulic acid content in Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Danggui-Buxue-Tang and Danggui-Sini-Tang.

The aim of the present study was to determine the ferulic acid (FA) content of Radix Angelicae Sinensis (AS), Danggui-Buxue-Tang (DBT) and Danggui-Sini-Tang (DST) using the same ultra performance liquid chromatography system and method. FA was eluted using an Acquity BEH C18 column (100×2.1 mm inner diameter; 1.7 µm). A mobile phase of methanol and 0.5% acetic acid was used and a flow rate of 0.3 ml/min was selected. The calibration curve exhibited a good linear regression (R2=0.9997). The inter- and intra-day precision measurements of FA ranged between 0.27 and 3.03% and the recovery ranged between 98.44 and 101.64% with relative standard deviation (RSD) values ≤4.73%. The method was reliable and simple. The results of the chromatographic analyses indicate that the FA contents of the DBT and DST decoctions were increased compared with that of AS due to the presence of other herbs.

Effects of Fengbaisan on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in lung tissue of rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: To observe effects of Fengbaisan (, FBS) on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in lung tissue of rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to investigate the preventive and therapeutic mechanisms of FBS. METHODS: The COPD rat model was established by cigarette smoke exposure and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) intra-tracheal dripping. The histopathological changes of lung tissue was observed via hematoxylin/eosin staining. The expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in lung tissue was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The typical histopathological changes of COPD were displayed in the model group, Ambroxol Hydrochloride group and FBS group, and the pathological lesions in the FBS group were less than those in the model group. The expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in the model group increased significantly compared with those in the normal group (P<0.05). After treatment for successive 28 days, the expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in the FBS group decreased remarkably as compared with the model group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: FBS can regulate MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalance to prevent airway and lung parenchyma remodeling process via reducing the expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in the lung tissue of COPD rats, and this may be a possible therapeutic mechanism of FBS on COPD.

Protective effect of Jiaweibugan decoction against diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Oxygen free radical damage is regarded as a direct or indirect common pathway associated with diabetic neuropathy and is the main cause of complications in peripheral neuropathies. We speculate that Jiaweibugan decoction has a significant effect in treating diabetic peripheral neuropathy through an anti-oxidative stress pathway. In this study, a diabetic rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Rats were treated with Jiaweibugan decoction via intragastric administration. The levels of malondialdehyde and glutathione, which are indirect indexes of oxidative stress, in serum were determined using a colorimetric method. The expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B p65 mRNA and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, which are oxidative stress associated factors, in the dorsal root ganglion of spinal S4-6 segments were evaluated by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Results showed that, Jiaweibugan decoction significantly ameliorated motor nerve conduction velocity in diabetic rats, effectively decreased malondialdehyde levels in serum and the expression of nuclear factor kappa B p65 mRNA and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase mRNA in the dorsal root ganglion, and increased glutathione levels in serum. Therefore, our experimental findings indicate that Jiaweibugan decoction plays an anti-oxidative stress role in the diabetic peripheral neuropathy process, which has a protective effect on peripheral nerve injury.

Pharmacokinetic study of the prokinetic compounds meranzin hydrate and ferulic acid following oral administration of Chaihu-Shugan-San to patients with functional dyspepsia.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The prokinetic activity of ferulic acid derived from Ligusticum chuanxiong hort in the Chaihu-Shugan-San formula has been shown to be similar to Chaihu-Shugan-San, a popular traditional Chinese medicine for treating functional dyspepsia. The effects of meranzin hydrate, a compound isolated from Fructus aurantii in the Chaihu-Shugan-San formula, are unclear, as the pharmacokinetics have never been studied in patients with functional dyspepsia. This study aimed to describe the pharmacokinetics of ferulic acid and merazin hydrate by evaluating the prokinetics induced by Chaihu-Shugan-San and meranzin hydrate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gastric emptying and intestinal transit were measured after oral administration of a single dose of Chaihu-Shugan-San or meranzin hydrate in rats. The tone of rat ileum was selected as direct evidence of the prokinetic activity of meranzin hydrate. Patients with functional dyspepsia were recruited, and meranzin hydrate and ferulic acid were identified by ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry in the plasma of patients following a single oral administration of Chaihu-Shugan-San. The resulting pharmacokinetic properties were determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to photo diode array. RESULTS: In rats, single doses of Chaihu-Shugan-San (20 g/kg) and meranzin hydrate (28 mg/kg) significantly accelerated gastric emptying and intestinal transit (Chaihu-Shugan-San: 68.9 ± 5.6% and 72.3 ± 4.7%, meranzin hydrate: 72.9 ± 3.8% and 75.2 ± 3.1%) compared with the control (55.45 ± 3.7% and 63.51 ± 5.1%, P<0.05), showing similar results as cisapride (69.6 ± 4.8% and 71.6 ± 6.3%). Meranzin hydrate (30, 100 µmol/L) directly increased the amplitude of rat ileum compared with the control (P<0.01). The pharmacokinetics profiles of meranzin hydrate and ferulic acid in patient plasma was fitted with a two-compartment model detected by a simple, rapid and accurate UPLC method. Time to reach peak concentration of meranzin hydrate (0.371 mg/L) and ferulic acid (0.199 mg/L) was 23.57 min and 27.50 min, respectively. The elimination half-life and area under the concentration-time curve from t=0 to the last time of meranzin hydrate and ferulic acid were 139.53 min and 31.445 µg min/mL and 131.27 min and 14.835 µg min/mL, respectively. The absorption constant and volume of distribution of meranzin hydrate and ferulic acid were 0.185 ± 0.065 min(-1) and 3782.89 ± 2686.72 L/kg and 0.524 ± 0.157 min(-1) and 11713 ± 7618.68 L/kg, respectively. The experimental results of the pharmacokinetic parameters of meranzin hydrate and ferulic acid indicate that they were absorbed and distributed rapidly. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of prokinetic Chaihu-Shugan-San and its compounds are useful for monitoring Chaihu-Shugan-San formulas in clinical practice and for understanding therapeutic mechanisms.

A systematic review of RCTs and quasi-RCTs on traditional Chinese patent medicines for treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

Traditional Chinese patent medicines (TCPMs) are widely used for treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in China. To estimate the overall effectiveness of TCPMs for CHB, we performed a systematic review of clinical reports designed as randomized controlled trials (RCTs). One hundred and thirty-eight available RCTs and quasi-RCTs on 62 TCPMs, involving 16,393 patients, were included. The methodological quality of these trials was generally "poor". Few trials (6.52%) reported the methods of randomization correctly. Another common problem was the lack of allocation concealment, proper blinding, and the reporting of lost cases and dropouts. Forty-two trials (30.43%) on 27 TCPMs reported some anti-viral effect of TCPMs. Others reported beneficial aspects, including improvements of liver function (79.71% of the studies), liver fibrosis (29.99%), and CHB symptoms (92.75%). Forty-one articles (29.71%) reported mild adverse events with TCPMs but these occurred infrequently. In summary, the outcome of the report on currently registered TCPMs may be biased due to poor methodology. The data from these trials, therefore, is too weak to use in forming a recommendation for treatment of CHB. Nevertheless, five drugs (Dan Shen agents, Da Huang Zhe Chong pill/capsule, Shuang Hu Qing Gan granule, Fu Zheng Hua Yu granule and Cao Xian Yi Gan capsule) appear to be more effective than the other TCPMs.

[Clinical observation on continuous electroacupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6) for arousing consciousness of comatose patients with severe craniocerebral trauma].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of continuous electroacupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6) on the basis of routine treatment of western medicine for arousing consciousness of comatose patinents with severe craniocerebral trauma. METHODS: Fifty-six cases of severe cranio cerebral trauma patients whose scores of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) lower than 8 were randomly divided into an observation group (29 cases) and a control group (27 cases). Both groups were treated with routine western medicine. The observation group were additionally treated with continuous electroacupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6) as the main point. Arousal rate and time after one month and three months of two groups were observed, arousal rate and the total therapeutic effect of recovery of the patients with different types after three months were compared between two groups. RESULTS: The arousal time of the observation group was (18.57 +/- 7.14) days and the arousal rate was 72.4% (21/29) after one month, while (24.60 +/- 5.00) days and 37.0% (10/27) in control group, respectively. They were suprior in observation group to those in control group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); the arousal time was (25.04 +/- 16.68) days in the observation group after three months of treatment, also shorter than (37.90 +/- 16.94) days in control group (P < 0.05). The arousal rate of patients with diffuse axonal injury was significantly higher than that of patients with non-diffuse axonal injury in the observation group and patients with the same type in control group after one month (P < 0.05). The cured-markedly effective rate of 72.4% (21/29) in observation group was significantly higher than that of 37.0% (10/27) in control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The therapy of continunous electroacupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6) on the basis of routine western medicine has a better therapeutic effect for comatose patients with severe cranio cerebral trauma, especially for those with diffuse axonal injury.