[Progress of researches in acupotomy visualization under ultrasound].

Traditional acupotomy treatment can easily cause re-injury of soft tissues, and its safety is gradually being valued. With the development of imaging technology, visualized acupotomy operations are increasingly used in clinical practice. Starting from the development and evolution of acupotomy, the authors summarize the advantages and clinical application of ultrasound-guided acupotomy in cervical spondylosis, scapulohumeral periarthritis, lumbar disc herniation and knee osteoarthritis.

Influence of cement-augmented pedicle screw instrumentation in an osteoporotic lumbosacral spine over the adjacent segments: a 3D finite element study.

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of conventional pedicle screw (CPS) and cement-augmented pedicle screw instrumentation (CAPSI) on adjacent segment degeneration (ASD). METHODS: A normal male volunteer without a history of spinal disease was selected, lumbar CT data was collected, an intact L3-S1 three-dimensional finite element model was created by software including Mimics, Geomagic, and SolidWorks, and the fixation methods were performed accordingly. A common pedicle screw model and a cement-augmented pedicle screw model of L4-L5 with fusion and internal fixation were constructed. With ANSYS Workbench 17.0, a 500 N load was applied to the upper surface of L3 to simulate the weight of a human body, and a 7.5 N m moment was applied at the neutral point to simulate flexion, extension, left/right bending, left/right rotation of the spine. The peak von Mises stress of intervertebral disc and the range of motion (ROM) on the adjacent segments (L3-4 and L5-S1) were compared. RESULTS: The validity of the intact model shows that the ROM of the model is similar to that of a cadaveric study. Compared with the intact model, CPS model and CAPSI model in all motion patterns increased the ROM of adjacent segments. The intervertebral disc stress and the ROM of adjacent segments were found to be higher in the CAPSI model than in the CPS model, especially in L3-4. CONCLUSION: In general, the biomechanical analysis of an osteoporotic lumbar spine showed that both CPS and CAPSI can increase the ROM and disc stresses of osteoporotic lumbar models, and compared with CPS, CAPSI is more likely to increase the potential risk of adjacent segment degeneration.

Identification and Characterization of a δ-Cadinol Synthase Potentially Involved in the Formation of Boreovibrins in Boreostereum vibrans of Basidiomycota.

Sesquiterpenoids are very common among natural products. A large number of sesquiterpene synthase genes have been cloned and functionally characterized. However, until now there is no report about the δ-cadinol synthase predominantly forming δ-cadinol (syn. torreyol) from farnesyl diphosphate. Sesquiterpenoids boreovibrins structurally similar to δ-cadinol were previously isolated from culture broths of the basidiomycete fungus Boreostereum vibrans. This led us to expect a corresponding gene coding for a δ-cadinol synthase that may be involved in the biosynthesis of boreovibrins in B. vibrans. Here we report the cloning and heterologous expression of a new sesquiterpene synthase gene from B. vibrans. The crude and purified recombinant enzymes, when incubating with farnesyl diphosphate as substrate, gave δ-cadinol as its principal product and thereby identified as a δ-cadinol synthase. A new sesquiterpene synthase gene was cloned from the basidiomycete fungus Boreostereum vibrans and heterologously expressed in E. coli. The purified recombinant enzyme gave δ-cadinol as its principal product from farnesyl diphosphate and thereby identified as a δ-cadinol synthase (BvCS).

Two new sesquiterpenoids from cultures of the basidiomycete Tremella foliacea.

Two new sesquiterpenoids, trefoliol B (1) and trefoliol C (2), together with known echinocidin A (3), were isolated from cultures of the basidiomycetes Tremella foliacea. The new structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods. At the same time, trefoliol B (1) and echinocidin A (3) were tested for their cytotoxicities against five human cancer cell lines and for their inhibitory activities against isozymes of 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11ß-HSD). No compound showed significant activity (IC50 > 40 µM). Compound 1 showed moderate inhibitory activities against 11ß-HSD1 (human IC50 = 13.1 µM; mouse IC50 = 91.8 µM).

TIGAR regulates DNA damage and repair through pentosephosphate pathway and Cdk5-ATM pathway.

Previous study revealed that the protective effect of TIGAR in cell survival is mediated through the increase in PPP (pentose phosphate pathway) flux. However, it remains unexplored if TIGAR plays an important role in DNA damage and repair. This study investigated the role of TIGAR in DNA damage response (DDR) induced by genotoxic drugs and hypoxia in tumor cells. Results showed that TIGAR was increased and relocated to the nucleus after epirubicin or hypoxia treatment in cancer cells. Knockdown of TIGAR exacerbated DNA damage and the effects were partly reversed by the supplementation of PPP products NADPH, ribose, or the ROS scavenger NAC. Further studies with pharmacological and genetic approaches revealed that TIGAR regulated the phosphorylation of ATM, a key protein in DDR, through Cdk5. The Cdk5-AMT signal pathway involved in regulation of DDR by TIGAR defines a new role of TIGAR in cancer cell survival and it suggests that TIGAR may be a therapeutic target for cancers.

Erratum to "Ameliorating Adriamycin-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease in Rats by Orally Administrated Cardiotoxin from Naja naja atra Venom".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2014/621756.].

Differential Effects of Naja naja atra Venom on Immune Activity.

Previous studies reported that Naja naja atra venom (NNAV) inhibited inflammation and adjuvant arthritis. Here we investigated the role of NNAV in regulation of immune responses in mice. Oral administration of NNAV to normal mice showed significant increase in natural killer cell activity, B lymphocyte proliferation stimulated by lipopolysaccharides, and antibody production in response to sheep red blood cells. Meanwhile, NNAV markedly decreased T lymphocyte proliferation stimulated by concanavalin A, arrested the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase, and suppressed CD4 and CD8 T cell divisions. Furthermore, NNAV inhibited the dinitrofluorobenzene-induced delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. This modulation of immune responses may be partly attributed to the selective increase in Th1 and Th2 cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4) secretion and inhibition of Th17 cytokine (IL-17) production. In dexamethasone-induced immunosuppressed mice, NNAV restored the concentration of serum IgG and IgM, while decreasing the percentage of CD4 and CD8 T-cell subsets. These results indicate that NNAV enhances the innate and humoral immune responses while inhibiting CD4 Th17 and CD8 T cell actions, suggesting that NNAV could be a potential therapeutic agent for autoimmune diseases.

Ameliorating Adriamycin-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease in Rats by Orally Administrated Cardiotoxin from Naja naja atra Venom.

Previous studies reported the oral administration of Naja naja atra venom (NNAV) reduced adriamycin-induced chronic kidney damage. This study investigated the effects of intragastric administrated cardiotoxin from Naja naja atra venom on chronic kidney disease in rats. Wistar rats were injected with adriamycin (ADR; 6 mg/kg body weight) via the tail vein to induce chronic kidney disease. The cardiotoxin was administrated daily by intragastric injection at doses of 45, 90, and 180 µ g/kg body weight until the end of the protocol. The rats were placed in metabolic cages for 24 hours to collect urine, for determination of proteinuria, once a week. After 6 weeks, the rats were sacrificed to determine serum profiles relevant to chronic kidney disease, including albumin, total cholesterol, phosphorus, blood urea nitrogen, and serum creatinine. Kidney histology was examined with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, and Masson's trichrome staining. The levels of kidney podocin were analyzed by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. We found that cardiotoxin reduced proteinuria and can improve biological parameters in the adriamycin-induced kidney disease model. Cardiotoxin also reduced adriamycin-induced kidney pathology, suggesting that cardiotoxin is an active component of NNAV for ameliorating adriamycin-induced kidney damage and may have a potential therapeutic value on chronic kidney disease.

Meroterpenoid pigments from the basidiomycete Albatrellus ovinus.

Eight grifolin derivatives, involving three new monomers, albatrelins A-C (1-3), three novel dimers (meroterpenoid pigments), albatrelins D-F (4-6), and two known ones, 6a,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydro-3,6,9-trimethyl-6-(4-methyl-3-penten-1-yl)-1,9-epoxy-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran (7) and confluentin (8), were isolated from Albatrellus ovinus. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configurations of compounds 2-4 were determined as 9R by comparing their optical rotations with data reported in the literature. Albatrelin F (6) was isolated as a pair of C-2' tautomers with a ratio of 1.3:1. Confluentin (8) showed weak cytotoxicity against four human tumor cell lines, HL-60, SMMC-7712, A-549, and MCF-7, in vitro.

Chemical constituents and their bioactivities of "Tongling White Ginger" (Zingiber officinale).

Gingerols and their corresponding dehydration products shogaols were considered as the active principles of ginger, the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities. Ginger (Z. officinale) has been cultivated for thousands of years as a spice and for medicinal purposes in China. Tongling (Anhui province, China) has traditionally been regarded as an ideal cultivation place. "Tongling White Ginger" enjoys a reputation for being one of the top gingers in China for its thin white peel, tender flesh, rich juice, and flavor. In this study, we have isolated and identified two novel gingerdione dimers, bisgingerdiones A (1) and B (2); two new gingerol derivatives, (5R)-5-acetoxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)heptan-3-one (3) and methyl (Z)-neral acetal-[6]-gingerdiol (4); and 38 known compounds (5-42) from rhizomes of Zingiber officinale collected from Tongling, China. Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1-4 showed weak cytotoxic and anti-HIV-1 activities. Compounds 6, 8, and 26 showed inhibitory activities against human and mouse 11ß-HSD1 (11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases) with IC(50) values between 1.09 and 1.30 µM.

New phenyl-ethanediols from the culture broth of Boletus edulis.

A new phenyl-ethanediol, (1S)-(4-acetylphenyl)-1, 2-ethanediol (1), and a new natural product, (1S)-(3-ethenylphenyl)-1, 2-ethanediol (2), were isolated from the culture broth of the basidiomycete Boletus edulis together with three related known compounds, 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-1, 2-ethanediol (3), 1-(3-ethylphenyl)-1, 2-ethanediol (4) and 1-(3-formylphenyl)-ethanone (5). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including extensive 2D-NMR techniques.

Xanthohumol, a novel anti-HIV-1 agent purified from Hops Humulus lupulus.

Xanthohumol, prenylchacone flavonoid, is a natural product with multi-biofunctions purified from Hops Humulus lupulus. Its anti-HIV-1 activity was tested in the present study. Results showed that xanthohumol inhibited HIV-1 induced cytopathic effects, the production of viral p24 antigen and reverse transcriptase in C8166 lymphocytes at non-cytotoxic concentration. The EC50 values were 0.82, 1.28 and 0.50 microg/ml, respectively. The therapeutic index (TI) was about 10.8. Xanthohumol also inhibited HIV-1 replication in PBMC with EC50 value of 20.74 microg/ml. The activity of recombinant HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and the HIV-1 entry were not inhibited by xanthohumol. The results from this study suggested that xanthohumol is effective against HIV-1 and might serve as an interesting lead compound. It may represent a novel chemotherapeutic agent for HIV-1 infection. However, the mechanism of its anti-HIV-1 effect needs to be further clarified.

The first occurrence in nature of two compounds from hops.

Two compounds, (p-methoxyphenyl) diphenylmethanol (1) and tribenzylamine (2), were isolated from Humulus lupulus. Their structures were established on the basis of spectral evidence (MS, IR, NMR, HMBC, HMQC, 1H-1H COSY experiments). Compounds 1 and 2 were found as natural products at the first time.

Albaconol from the mushroom Albatrellus confluens induces contraction and desensitization in guinea pig trachea.

The contraction and desensitization induced by albaconol and the influence of capsazepine, capsaicin and extracellular Ca2+ were investigated to see whether the actions were mediated via a specific VR receptor in guinea pig trachea spiral strips in vitro. Both albaconol and capsaicin were contractors of tracheal smooth muscle, but albaconol was not so potent as capsaicin, with -log (M) EC50 values of 4.23 +/- 0.18 (n = 10) and 7.33 +/- 0.21 (n = 10) respectively. 2.5 microM capsazepine competitively antagonized the contractile response to albaconol and capsaicin. Albaconol increased the contraction induced by a low dose of capsaicin (10(-10) to 10(-9) M), but non-competitively antagonized the contraction induced by a high dose of capsaicin (10(-8) to 10(-3) M). Either albaconol (1 or 100 mM) or capsaicin (3 or 10 microM) was able to desensitize the isolated guinea pig bronchi to subsequent addition of albaconol. Capsazepine (5.0 microM) significantly prevented the desensitization induced by either albaconol (1 or 100mM) or capsaicin (3 or 10 microM). Extracellular Ca2+ was essential for albaconol to induce excitation, but it did not affect albaconol- or capsaicin-induced desensitization. In summary, the results from the present study suggest that albaconol induces contraction and desensitization of guinea pig trachea in vitro as a partial agonist for VR.

A new highly oxygenated flavone from Veronia saligna.

A new highly oxygenated flavone, namely 8,3'-dihydroxy-5,6,7,4'-tetramethoxyflavone (1), together with other five known flavonoids were isolated from the tropical plant Vernonia saligna. Their structures were established on the basis of spectral (MS, IR, UV, 1D & 2D NMR) measurement and chemical evidence.