[Planning of ecologically suitable areas for Ligusticum chuanxiong under background of soil cadmium pollution].

Chuanxiong Rhizoma is a traditional Chinese medicinal material mainly produced in Sichuan and Chongqing of China. In recent years, the cadmium content in Chuanxiong Rhizoma produced in most of the genuine producing areas has exceeded the standard, which makes Chuanxiong Rhizoma difficult to be exported. To solve the problem of excessive cadmium content in soil, this study employed the MaxEnt model to simulate the potential geographic distribution of Ligusticum chuanxiong and evaluate important environmental factors, and re-plan its ecologically suitable areas based on the mineral distribution characteristics and soil cadmium pollution status. The results showed that the places suitable for L. chuanxiong growing covered an area of 335 523.69 km~2, mainly in central and eastern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi and most parts of Chongqing. Among them, the highly suitable areas of L. chuanxiong were mainly concentrated in Chengdu, Ya'an, Deyang, and Mianyang. Solar radiation, annual precipitation, and annual range of temperature were evaluated as important variables affecting the distribution of L. chuanxiong, with the contribution rates of 62.3%, 13.3%, and 6.8%, respectively. In addition, Qionglai county, Chongqing county, Mianyang city(Youxian district and Fucheng district), Qingchuan county, and Xinjin county were classified into the first-class ecologically suitable zone, covering a total area of 2 768.87 km~2. The se-cond-class ecologically suitable zone was even wider, involving such counties as Tongjiang county, Renshou county, Jianyang county, and Nanjiang county, and the total area reached 43 616.92 km~2. The re-planning of the ecologically suitable areas for L. chuanxiong has provided strong data support for the cultivation and resource development of L. chuanxiong and also new ideas for solving the problem of excessive cadmium content in L. chuanxiong.

Identification of Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix and its adulterants based on their chemical constituents by UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS combined with data mining.

Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix (LR), known as Gaoben (GB) in Chinese, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2000 years. However, the varieties of LR are not well characterized at present, and traditional recognition methods have encountered increasing difficulties. This research attempts to distinguish different varieties of LR and its adulterants based on their chemical composition. A total of 61 representative samples were collected, and their varieties were confirmed by combining expert opinion with DNA molecular technology. All of the samples were characterized by an UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS method. The marker components that may contribute to variety discrimination were discerned by a data mining method, and they were then hypothesized, analyzed, and identified. A cluster analysis was performed by partial least squares (PLS) based on their MS signals. Furthermore, a feature extraction to find out the characteristic components, and a correspondence analysis to illustrate the corresponding relationship between the varieties and their components, were developed. As a result, 71 components were identified, of which 27 components were unambiguously identified by comparison with standards. The cluster analysis shows that varieties of LR and its adulterant samples exhibited a certain classification trend, with butylphthalide, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide A, ferulic acid, (Z)-ligustilide, bergapten, levistilide A, vanillic acid, isochlorogenic acid C and isochlorogenic acid A as characteristic chemical components. The varieties and their components showed a modest correlation. In conclusion, our study verified the possibility of discriminating the varieties of LR according to their chemical compositions. This research provides a new reference for the recognition of LR and its adulterants.

RNA interference targeting CYP76AH1 in hairy roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza reveals its key role in the biosynthetic pathway of tanshinones.

Plant cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are well known as the largest family of enzymes that contribute to both primary metabolism and the chemical diversity of plant secondary metabolites. It is important to elucidate the in vivo role of CYPs in secondary metabolism, in order to apply them in the production of valuable metabolites in medicinal plants via metabolic engineering. CYP76AH1 has been suggested to catalyze the conversion of the carbon skeleton miltiradiene into the intermediate ferruginol, which is involved in the biosynthesis of tanshinones, the chief bioactive ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhiza. However, its role in planta remains to be elucidated. In this work, we constructed a CYP76AH1 RNAi system for hairy roots. Metabolic analysis of RNAi-AH1 hairy root lines showed a significantly increased accumulation of miltiradiene compared to the control lines. At the same time, the concentration of ferruginol decreased revealing the in vivo catalytic activity of CYP76AH1. The content of tanshinones decreased significantly after silencing of CYP76AH1, which verified its key role in the biosynthesis of tanshinones, and indicated that it could be used as a target for metabolic engineering.

Studies of the microbial metabolism of flavonoids extracted from the leaves of Diospyros kaki by intestinal bacteria.

Flavonoid glycosides are metabolized by intestinal bacteria, giving rise to a wide range of phenolic acids that may exert systemic effects in the body. The microbial metabolism of flavonoids extracted from the leaves of Diospyros kaki (FLDK) by intestinal bacteria was investigated in vitro. High-performance liquid chromatography/linear trap quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometry was performed to analyze the metabolites of flavonoids in vivo using Xcalibur2.1 software. The results showed that the levels of flavonoid glycosides and flavonoid aglycones decreased rapidly in the process of microbial metabolism by intestinal bacteria in vitro, and the metabolic rate may be related to the concentration of intestinal bacteria in the culture solution. In vivo metabolites of FLDK were detected in rat plasma and urine after oral administration of FLDK. Eight flavonoids were identified in the urine, and three were identified in the plasma; however, flavonoid aglycones were not found in the plasma.

Mucoadhesive microparticles for gastroretentive delivery: preparation, biodistribution and targeting evaluation.

The aim of this research was to prepare and characterize alginate-chitosan mucoadhesive microparticles containing puerarin. The microparticles were prepared by an emulsification-internal gelatin method using a combination of chitosan and Ca2+ as cationic components and alginate as anions. Surface morphology, particle size, drug loading, encapsulation efficiency and swelling ratio, in vitro drug released, in vitro evaluation of mucoadhesiveness and Fluorescence imaging of the gastrointestinal tract were determined. After optimization of the formulation, the encapsulation efficiency was dramatically increased from 70.3% to 99.2%, and a highly swelling ratio was achieved with a change in particle size from 50.3 ± 11.2 µm to 124.7 ± 25.6 µm. In ethanol induced gastric ulcers, administration of puerarin mucoadhesive microparticles at doses of 150 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg, 450 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg body weight prior to ethanol ingestion significantly protected the stomach ulceration. Consequently, significant changes were observed in inflammatory cytokines, such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin1ß (IL-1ß), in stomach tissues compared with the ethanol control group. In conclusion, core-shell type pH-sensitive mucoadhesive microparticles loaded with puerarin could enhance puerarin bioavailability and have the potential to alleviate ethanol-mediated gastric ulcers.

Using a thermoluminescent dosimeter to evaluate the location reliability of the highest-skin dose area detected by treatment planning in radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Acute skin reaction during adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer is an inevitable process, and its severity is related to the skin dose. A high-skin dose area can be speculated based on the isodose distribution shown on a treatment planning. To determine whether treatment planning can reflect high-skin dose location, 80 patients were collected and their skin doses in different areas were measured using a thermoluminescent dosimeter to locate the highest-skin dose area in each patient. We determined whether the skin dose is consistent with the highest-dose area estimated by the treatment planning of the same patient. The χ(2) and Fisher exact tests revealed that these 2 methods yielded more consistent results when the highest-dose spots were located in the axillary and breast areas but not in the inframammary area. We suggest that skin doses shown on the treatment planning might be a reliable and simple alternative method for estimating the highest skin doses in some areas.

Field-in-field plan does not improve the dosimetric outcome compared with the wedged beams plan for breast cancer radiotherapy.

To evaluate and compare the dosimetry of field-in-field (FIF) and wedged beams (WB) techniques for patients with breast cancer receiving adjuvant radiotherapy after conservative surgery. A total of 89 patients with breast cancer participated in this study. Each patient received a computed tomography-based treatment plan with opposed tangential fields. Two planning techniques (FIF and WB) were generated for each patient by using the Pinnacle treatment-planning system. Three indices, the homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI), and uniformity index (UI), as well as maximum dose (Dmax), median dose (D50), number of portals, monitor unit (MU), and lung volume at 20Gy (lung20) were used for comparison. The mean values tested using a t-test indicated that the WB technique had a significantly lower HI (p < 0.0001), a significantly higher CI (p < 0.0001), and a significantly higher D50 (p = 0.0002) than did the FIF technique. The FIF technique had a significantly higher Dmax compared with the WB technique, but lung20 did not exhibit a significant difference. By contrast, the FIF technique had a significantly higher UI and a significantly lower MU compared with the WB technique, but a significantly higher number of portals were found in the FIF technique. The FIF technique did not demonstrate superior dosimetric results. The WB technique had a significantly lower HI, higher CI, lower Dmax, and lower number of portals; but the FIF technique had a significantly higher UI and lower MU.

[Analysis on formula raw materials application of health food containing Gardeniae fructus].

In this article we built formula database of health food containing Gardeniae Fructus with Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System (V2.0). And on this basis, use data mining method such as association rules of the software, to analyze commonly used formula raw materials or materials combination of formula containing Gardeniae Fructus and raw material application having assisted function formula to protect chemical liver injury. The result shows that of the 71 health food formulas containing Gardeniae Fructus, most used materials are Gardeniae Fructus, Lycii Fructus, Angelica Sinensis Radix, Poria and so on. Commonly used materials combination mostly are Gardeniae Fructus and Lycii Fructus, Gardeniae Fructus and Angelica Sinensis Radix, Gardeniae Fructus and Poria, Gardeniae Fructus and Paeonia. There are nearly 18 healthcare functions of the health food containing Gardeniae Fructus, and most of these are assisted functions to protect chemical liver injury, and then immune modulating function. Of 23 formulas containing Gardeniae Fructus having assisted function formula to protect chemical liver injury, Gardeniae Fructus usually combined with traditional Chinese medicine which nourishs blood and liver such as Pueraria, Lycii Fructus, Hawthorn, Paeonia and Turnjujube. Analyzing formula raw materials application of health food containing Gardeniae Fructus contributes a lot to the further development and utilization.

[Hyperspectral characteristics of Carthamus tinctorius in Xinjiang region].

Investigation of traditional Chinese medicine resources is the most important issue of the protection and use of traditional Chinese medicine resources. Real-time monitoring of medicinal plant species and coverage of an area are of great significance to the sustainable development of the medicinal plant species diversity and ecological environment. Flower has unique spectral characteristics. Comparing the vegetative stage through the flowering stage it is easier to identify species. The flowering stage is a critical period for identifying species with remote sensing. Carthamus tinctorius as a traditional Chinese medicine resources in XinJiang region, attracted widespread attention in recent years. In this paper, the hyperspectral data of canopy and other vegetation canopy was measured in 2011. The spectral curve was analyzed, the result indicated that C. tinctorius canopy and the canopy after picking showed absorption peak near 770 nm, the first derivative of red edge spectra and invert-Gaussian model were analyzed, the result indicated that there was significant difference between C. tinctorius canopy and other vegetation canopy. The proposed method is designed to provide initial theoretical foundation for growth condition and physiological parameters of C. tinctorius, and make theoretical groundwork for the distribution and elaborate monitoring of C. tinctorius in future.

Primary infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the axillary breast with metastasis to the contralateral chest wall.

Primary infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the axillary breast is rare and has a high frequency of lymph node (LN) involvement. We report a woman with primary infiltrating ductal carcinoma arising from the right axillary breast with metastasis to the contralateral chest wall. Excisional biopsy of the left chest wall nodule and the right axillary mass was carried out and both showed invasive ductal carcinomas histologically. The lesion of the right axillary mass arose from the breast tissue, rather than the LN. Further surgery proved the right axillary LN metastasis. After further review, a primary infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the right axillary breast with metastasis to axillary LNs and contralateral chest wall was diagnosed. The patient also received chemotherapy and radiation and there was no evidence of tumor recurrence after treatment. The present report demonstrated a rare case with uncommon manifestation. Lesions of uncertain origin around the periphery of the breast should be suspected for breast carcinoma.

Evaluation the consistency of location of moist desquamation and skin high dose area for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy after breast conservative surgery.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate whether the location of moist desquamation matches high dose area for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) after breast conservative surgery. METHODS: One hundred and nine breast cancer patients were enrolled to this study. Their highest skin dose area (the hot spot) was estimated from the treatment planning. We divided the irradiated field into breast; sternal/parasternal; axillary; and inframammary fold areas. The location for moist desquamation was recorded to see if it matches the hot spot. We also analyzed other possible risk factors which may be related to the moist desquamation. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients with 65 locations developed moist desquamation during the RT course. Patients with larger breast sizes and easy to sweat are two independent risk factors for moist desquamation. The distribution of moist desquamation occurred most in the axillary area. All nine patients with the hot spots located at the axillary area developed moist desquamation at the axillary area, and six out of seven patients with the hot spots located at the inframammary fold developed moist desquamation there. The majority of patients with moist desquamation over the breast or sternal/parasternal areas had the hot spots located at these areas. CONCLUSIONS: For a patient with moist desquamation, if a hot spot is located at the axillary or inframammary fold areas, it is very likely to have moist desquamation occur there. On the other hand, if moist desquamation occurs over the breast or sternal/parasternal areas, we can highly expect these two areas are also the hot spot locations.

[Estimating medicinal yield of Seutellaria baicalensis in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on 3S technology].

Resources survey of traditional Chinese medicine and reserves estimation are found to be the most important issues for the protection and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine resources, this paper used multi-spatial resolution remote sensing images (RS) , geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS) , to establish Scutellaria resources survey of 3S data platform. Combined with the traditional field survey methods, small-scale habitat types were established based on different skullcap reserve estimation model, which can estimate reserves of the wild Scutellaria in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and improve the estimation accuracy. It can provide an important parameter for the fourth national survey of traditional Chinese medicine resources and traditional Chinese medicine reserves estimates based on 3S technology by multiple spatial scales model.

Synergism and rules from combination of Baicalin, Jasminoidin and Desoxycholic acid in refined Qing Kai Ling for treat ischemic stroke mice model.

Refined Qing-Kai-Ling (QKL), a modified Chinese medicine, consists of three main ingredients (Baicalin, Jasminoidin and Desoxycholic acid), plays a synergistic effect on the treatment of the acute stage of ischemic stroke. However, the rules of the combination and synergism are still unknown. Based on the ischemic stroke mice model, all different kinds of combination of Baicalin, Jasminoidin, and Desoxycholic acid were investigated by the methods of neurological examination, microarray, and genomics analysis. As a result, it confirmed that the combination of three drugs offered a better therapeutical effect on ischemic stroke than monotherapy of each drug. Additionally, we used Ingenuity pathway Analysis (IPA) and principal component analysis (PCA) to extract the dominant information of expression changes in 373 ischemia-related genes. The results suggested that 5 principal components (PC1-5) could account for more than 95% energy in the gene data. Moreover, 3 clusters (PC1, PC2+PC5, and PC3+PC4) were addressed with cluster analysis. Furthermore, we matched PCs on the drug-target networks, the findings demonstrated that Baicalin related with PC1 that played the leading role in the combination; Jasminoidin related with PC2+PC5 that played a compensatory role; while Desoxycholic acid had the least performance alone which could relate with PC3+PC4 that played a compatible role. These manifestations were accorded with the principle of herbal formulae of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), emperor-minister-adjuvant-courier. In conclusion, we firstly provided scientific evidence to the classic theory of TCM formulae, an initiating holistic viewpoint of combination therapy of TCM. This study also illustrated that PCA might be an applicable method to analyze the complicated data of drug combination.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy techniques with special care treatment in acute cholecystitis patients regardless of operation timing.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The optimal timing for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in acute cholecystitis (AC) remains controversial. In this study, we aggressively performed three types of LC techniques in AC patients at different time with our care procedure. METHODOLOGY: Forty-three patients with AC were retrospectively divided into two groups: Group one (n=16, within 72 hrs at the onset of symptoms) and Group two (n=27, beyond 72 hrs after the onset of symptoms). Standard, subtotal or prograde cholecystectomy were performed for all cases, depending on the fragility of gallbladder wall, difficulty of gallbladder dissection, assurance of Calot's triangle and quality of retraction over Hartman pouch. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences between both groups with regards to age, operation time, length of hospital stay and complications. Gangrenous cholecystitis was found in 6.3% of cases in Group one and 26.9% in Group two, although not statistically different. Four cases (two in each of groups) underwent prograde cholecystectomy and four cases in the group 2 received subtotal cholecystectomy; all with longer operation time and length of stay, as compared to standard cholecystectomy. None of the 43 patients was converted to open procedure. Complications in this study were minor. CONCLUSIONS: LC can be safely performed in patients with AC with special care, regardless of the duration between the onset of symptoms and operation. In addition to standard procedures, subtotal and prograde cholecystectomy could help to manage inflammatory gallbladder and obscured Calot's triangle.

[Effects of Herba Ephedra Sinicae and Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis on pathology of rats with bleomycin A(5)-induced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the different effects between Mahuang (Herba Ephedra Sinicae) and Wuweizi (Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis) on the pathological changes of rats with bleomycin A(5)-induced pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: Ninety Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group, hydrocortisone group, Herba Ephedra Sinicae group, Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis group and Herba Ephedra Sinicae plus Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis group. There were 16 rats in each group except the sham operation group (10 rats). Pulmonary fibrosis was induced by a single intratracheal injection of bleomycin A5. Hematoxylin and eosin straining and immunohistochemical method were used after 7- and 28-day treatment to observe the pathology of lung injury, measure the inner diameter of pulmonary arterioles and the density of nuclear membrane. RESULTS: Compared with the sham operation group at 7 and 28 d, alveolar inflammation level was significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01). Alveolar inflammation level was decreased obviously in the hydrocortisone group (P<0.05) after 7- and 28-day treatment as compared with the model group, and that in Herba Ephedra Sinicae plus Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis group was also decreased obviously (P<0.05) at 28 d. Compared with the sham operation group, nuclear density of the model group was increased, while its inner diameter was decreased (P<0.05). In the Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis group, Herba Ephedra Sinicae plus Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis group and hydrocortisone group, the nuclear density was decreased (P<0.05) as compared with the model group. Inner diameter in the Herba Ephedra Sinicae group, Herba Ephedra Sinicae plus Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis group and hydrocortisone group was higher than that in the model group (P<0.05). Microvessel density of the model group was obviously higher than that of the sham operation group (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, Herba Ephedra Sinicae plus Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis group and hydrocortisone group had lower microvessel density (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Herba Ephedra Sinicae combined with Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis can restrain pulmonary artery injury. The nuclear density and microvessel density can be reduced by Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis, while Herba Ephedra Sinicae can increase the inner diameter.

Primary breast lymphoma clinically mimicking acute mastitis: a case report.

Extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the breast is a rare disease. We present a case of primary breast lymphoma with atypical clinical manifestations that looked like acute mastitis. A 46-year-old woman had noted a painful swelling in the right breast for 2 months. The mass had an inflammatory appearance and acute mastitis was the clinical impression. She underwent a core biopsy of the mass, and pathology showed inflammatory changes. The inflammatory mass regressed and recurred during hospitalization, and further incision with debridement was done. The histological findings were consistent with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Systemic examination found stage IIE disease. She received chemotherapy and local radiation is planned.

[Study on preparation of refined Xiong-gui sustained release pills].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the molding formula of refined Xiong-gui sustained release pills, types and assorted dosages of water-soluble and non water-soluble drug carrier were studied. METHOD: An orthogonal design was performed to sift the pill formulation. The processing conditions were determining in terms of roundness, hardness, viscosity, fluidity, easily drop. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: According to the final optimal formula, the amount of drug release can be detected instantly, while remaining over 80% at 10 h.