Establishing a rapid classification and identification method for the major triterpenoids of Alisma orientale.

INTRODUCTION: Alismatis Rhizoma (AR) has been widely used to treat various diseases. Its complex chemical composition has caused certain difficulties in the analysis of this traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a method for the rapid classification and identification of the chemical constituents of AR. OBJECTIVE: This article describes a method for the rapid classification and identification of major triterpenoids in AR. METHODOLOGY: The samples were analysed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The assay was performed on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm) with 0.1% formic acid in water (A), and acetonitrile (B) as mobile phase by gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. In the positive ion mode, the fragment information was obtained and compared with the characteristic fragments and neutral losses described in the literature. Then, the rapid classification and identification of the chemical components from AR were achieved. RESULTS: Finally, 25 triterpene compounds of AR were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The method established in this study achieved the rapid classification and identification of chemical components in AR, which promotes the development of research methods to study the constituents of traditional Chinese medicine.

Outbreak and genotyping of canine distemper virus in captive Siberian tigers and red pandas.

In this study, four canine distemper virus (CDV) strains were isolated from captive Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) and red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) during two separate CDV outbreaks in a zoo in Guangdong province, China. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses based on the full-length hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) genes showed that they were closely identical to genotype Asia-1. Prior to confirmation of CDV in Siberian tigers, to control spread of the disease, a live attenuated combination CDV vaccine was used among almost all carnivore animals except for red pandas in which another recombinant combination CDV vaccine was used. However, about two months later, CDV re-emerged and caused the death among red pandas. Based on the vaccination records, the live combination vaccine could be considered an ideal weapon against CDV in zoo carnivore animals. Although the recombinant combination CDV vaccine was safe for red pandas, its protection effectiveness remains to be further investigated. Moreover, according to the outbreak interval time and sequence characterization, we suspected that stray cats circulating in the zoo were the intermediate host, which contributed to CDV spread from stray dogs to zoo animals. This study revealed the importance of vaccination and biosecurity for zoo animals.

First complete genome sequence of parainfluenza virus 5 isolated from lesser panda.

Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) is widespread in mammals and humans. Up to now, there is little information about PIV5 infection in lesser pandas. In this study, a PIV5 variant (named ZJQ-221) was isolated from a lesser panda with respiratory disease in Guangzhou zoo in Guangdong province, southern China. The full-length genome of ZJQ-221 was found to be 15,246 nucleotides and consisted of seven non-overlapping genes encoding eight proteins (i.e., NP, V, P, M, F, SH, HN and L). Sequence alignment and genetic analysis revealed that ZJQ-221 shared a close relationship with a PIV5 strain of canine-origin (1168-1) from South Korea. The findings of this study confirm the presence of PIV5 in lesser panda and indicate this mammal as a possible natural reservoir. Furthermore they highlight the urgent need to strengthen viral surveillance and control of PIV5 in zoo animals.

Standardization of Type 2 Diabetes Outpatient Expenditure with Bundled Payment Method in China.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Chinese population has been increasing by years, directly leading to an average annual growth rate of 19.90% of medical expenditure. Therefore, it is urgent to work on strategies to control the growth of medical expenditure on type 2 diabetes on the basis of the reality of China. Therefore, in this study, we explored the feasibility of implementing bundled payment in China through analyzing bundled payment standards of type 2 diabetes outpatient services. METHODS: This study analyzed the outpatient expenditure on type 2 diabetes with Beijing Urban Employee's Basic Medical Insurance from 2010 to 2012. Based on the analysis of outpatient expenditure and its influential factors, we adopted decision tree approach to conduct a case-mix analysis. In the end, we built a case-mix model to calculate the standard expenditure and the upper limit of each combination. RESULTS: We found that age, job status, and whether with complication were significant factors that influence outpatient expenditure for type 2 diabetes. Through the analysis of the decision tree, we used six variables (complication, age, diabetic foot, diabetic nephropathy, cardiac-cerebrovascular disease, and neuropathy) to group the cases, and obtained 11 case-mix groups. CONCLUSIONS: We argued that it is feasible to implement bundled payment on type 2 diabetes outpatient services. Bundled payment is effective to control the increase of outpatient expenditure. Further improvements are needed for the implementation of bundled payment reimbursement standards, together with relevant policies and measures.

W-band OFDM Radio-over-Fiber system with power detector for vector signal down-conversion.

This Letter proposes a W-band OFDM RoF system at 103.5 GHz employing power detector to support vector signal down-conversion. Additional RF tone is generated and transmitted from central office to replace the local oscillator at a wireless receiver. With a proper frequency gap and power ratio between the RF tone and the OFDM-modulated signal, the impact from signal-to-signal beating interference can be minimized. The data rate can achieve a 40 Gbps 16 QAM OFDM signal over 25 km fiber and 2 m wireless transmission.