[Quality value transmitting of substance benchmarks in Danggui Buxue Decoction].

To clarify the key quality attributes of substance benchmarks in Danggui Buxue Decoction(DBD), this study prepared 21 batches of DBD substance benchmarks, and established two methods for detecting their fingerprints, followed by the identification of peak attribution and similarity range as well as the determination of extract and transfer rate ranges and contents of index components ferulic acid, calycosin-7-O-ß-D-glucoside, and astragaloside Ⅳ. The mass fractions and transfer rates of DBD substance benchmarks from different batches were calculated as follows: ferulic acid(index component in Angelicae Sinensis Radix): 0.037%-0.084% and 31.41%-98.88%; astragaloside Ⅳ(index component in Astragali Radix): 0.021%-0.059% and 32.18%-118.57%; calycosin-7-O-ß-D-glucoside: 0.002%-0.023% and 11.51%-45.65%, with the extract rate being 18.4%-36.1%. The similarity of fingerprints among 21 batches of DBD substance benchmarks was all higher than 0.9. The quality control method for DBD substance benchmarks was preliminarily established based on the HPLC fingerprint analysis and index component determination, which has provided a basis for the subsequent development of DBD and the quality control of novel related preparations.

Conditionally replicating adenovirus combined with gene-targeted radiotherapy induces apoptosis via TRAIL death receptors in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Malignant tumors are usually treated using monotherapies, which are not always effective. Therefore, combination therapies have gained increasing attention. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of conditionally replicating adenovirus (CRAd) in combination with X-ray irradiation on the proliferation and apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells, as well as to determine the molecular mechanisms involved. MDA-MB-231 cells were treated simultaneously with CRAd and X-ray irradiation. Then, cell viability was measured using Cell Counting Kit-8. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry with Annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) double-staining. The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), death receptor 5 (DR5), caspase-3 and caspase-8 mRNA was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression of TRAIL, DR5, caspase-3 and caspase-8 protein was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting, respectively. The results showed that CRAd, in combination with irradiation, inhibited cell proliferation, promoted cell apoptosis and significantly increased the expression of TRAIL, DR5, caspase-3 and caspase-8 mRNA and proteins in MDA-MB-231 cells. Therefore, three aspects, including the targeted killing effect of CRAd, the apoptosis-promoting role of TRAIL and the direct killing effect of ionizing radiation to MDA-MB-231 cells, contribute to the mechanisms of CRAd in combination with irradiation to inhibit the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells. The pro-apoptotic effect may involve the interaction between TRAIL, DR5, caspase-3 and caspase-8.

Feasibility study of enforcing immunization certificate check before primary school or kindergarten enrollment in Guizhou Province, China.

OBJECTIVE: To study the feasibility of enforcing immunization certificate check before children enroll in primary schools or kindergartens in Guizhou Province. METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative studies were conducted. The multi-stage and cluster sampling approach was adopted for the quantitative part of the study. A questionnaire was designed and 996 children and their keepers were interviewed. Principals, doctors or teachers of the primary schools, directors and child care nurses of kindergarten, and staff of immunization agencies were invited to take part in 12 focus group discussions; meanwhile, face-to-face individual in-depth interviews with 16 officials of the Health, Education and Governmental Departments at various levels were conducted. RESULTS: The total number of subjects was 996. 16.7% of the children in the study completed all the procedures of the National Immunization Programme. 34.3% of them had immunization certificates while the remainder 44.7% registered in immunization agencies. Factors, including the migrant children, doubt about vaccine efficiency, mother's occupation and educational background, knowledge of the National Immunization Programme on targeted vaccines, played an important role in obtaining or not immunization certificates. 95% of the keepers interviewed thought the immunization certificates were useful; 94.8% of them considered the check was critical while only 3.6% of them thought it unnecessary. The first reason from those who found it unnecessary was that they feared that repeated immunization might affect their children's health. The second reason was the cost of immunization, which some of them could not afford to pay. However, the Health Department expressed a favorable attitude to the checking scheme. Though the Education Department agreed that the scheme was essential, they worried that it would affect the enrollment rate. CONCLUSION: In spite of the difficulty in administering immunization certificate check, the effort would be rewarding for raising the immunization coverage rate among the children in Guizhou Province.