Research on the Effect of MT+FES Training on Sensorimotor Cortex.

Purpose: Aiming at the motor recovery of patients with unilateral upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke, we propose a mirror therapy (MT) training method, which uses surface electromyography (sEMG) to identify movements on one side and control the other side to perform functional electrical stimulation (FES) while mirror therapy is used. And we verify the effect of this training method by analyzing the activity changes of the sensorimotor cortex. Method: Ten subjects (6 men and 4 women) were randomly divided into two groups according to 3 men and 2 women in each group: the experimental group (n = 5) received FES+MT training, and the control group (n = 5) received MT training. Both groups were trained at a fixed time at 9 : 00 am every day, each time lasting 20 minutes, once a day, 5 days a week, continuous training for 4 weeks, and the training action was elbow flexion training. During the training of the elbow flexion exercise, the experimental group applied FES with a frequency of 30 Hz, a pulse width of 100 µs, and a current of 10 mA to the muscles corresponding to the elbow flexion exercise, and rested for 10 s after 10-s stimulation. We collect the EEG of the elbow flexion motor imagery of all subjects before and after training, and calculate the eigenvalue E, and analyze the effect of FES+MT training on the activity of the cerebral sensorimotor cortex. Results: After repeated measure (RM) two-way ANOVA of the two groups, comparing the subjects' µ rhythm elbow flexion motor imagery eigenvalue E, the experimental group (after training) > the control group (after training) > before training. Conclusion: The FES+MT training method has obvious activation effect on the cerebral sensorimotor cortex.

[Site index model of Juglans mandshurica natural secondary mixed forest in Changbai Mountain area, Jilin Province, China]. / 吉林省长白山区胡桃楸天然次生混交林立地指数模型.

According to slope direction and position of the distribution of Juglans mandshurica natural secondary mixed forest in 12 sites of Changbai Mountain in Jilin Province, and combined with the age structure of J. mandshurica, we set up 109 plots. Based on the age-tree height data, we complied the site index of the forests. We used the three times tree height standard deviation method to eliminate abnormal data, 379 pairs age and tree height data were obtained from the 80 plots. Then, we used seven mathematical models for comparison and got simplex site index-oriented curve equation as H=28.0181(1-e-0.0341A)1.0503. The coefficient of determination R2 and the sum of squared residuals were 0.85 and 0.89, respectively, the base age was 50 years, the exponential interval was 2 m, and 7 site index curves of 16-28 m were obtained. According to different site types, polymorphic sites index model was established, and the power function fitting effect was best. Its equation was H=B0tB1, in which B0=10-9e0.9213SI, B1=-0.2139SI+5.6183. Finally, the polymorphic site index model equation was H=10-9e0.9213SIt-0.2139SI+5.6183. The exponential difference method and drop point test were conducted to check the accuracy of the two site index models. The results showed that the polymorphic site index had higher precision and it could accurately reflect the difference in tree height growth under different site types of J. mandshurica. Therefore, it could evaluate the site quality of natural secondary mixed forests of J. mandshurica in Changbai Mountain area of Jilin Province.

[Variation of the growth, fruiting and resistance to disease and insect of the half-sib families of Pinus koraiensis superior trees.] / çº¢æ¾ä¼˜æ ‘åŠåŒèƒžå­ä»£å®¶ç³»ç”Ÿé•¿ã€ç»“å®žåŠæŠ—ç— è™«èƒ½åŠ›çš„å˜å¼‚ç‰¹å¾.

We investigated the growth traits (tree height, diameter at the breast, crown diameter), fruiting traits (total number of cones in 7 consecutive fruiting years) and resistance to disease and insect of 551 half-sib families of Pinus koraiensis superior trees in 29-year-old in Hongwei seed orchard of Lushuihe, Jilin Province, with the method of multi-trait comprehensive evaluation and combining with six traits. The results showed that all the traits were significantly different among different families or blocks. Phenotypic variation coefficient of different traits ranged from 13.9% to 61.0%. The extremely significant difference and high variation coefficients were beneficial for elite families evaluation and selection. The family heritability of volume, seed yield and resistance to disease and insect (the values were 0.47, 0.52, 0.48, respectively) were higher than single plant heritability (the values were 0.37, 0.07, 0.10, respectively). There was a extremely significant positive correlation between growth traits, fruiting traits and resistance to disease and insect. 28 elite families were selected with a selection rate of 5%, with the genetic gains of volume, seed yield and resistance to disease and insect being 16.8%, 71.4% and 0.5%, respectively. Seven elite individuals were selected from the elite families with a selection rate of 2%, with the genetic gains of volume, seed yield and resistance to disease and insect being 66.8%, 80.9% and 0.7%, respectively. These elite families and individual plants showed obvious advantages, which could guide the thinning of clonal seed orchards and provide breeding materials for the construction of high-generation seed orchards.

Sulfated modification, characterization and property of a water-insoluble polysaccharide from Ganoderma atrum.

Sulfated modification was carried out to modify a water-insoluble polysaccharide from Ganoderma atrum (AGAP). The effects of sulfation on structure, physicochemical and functional properties of AGAP were investigated. Three sulfated derivatives were prepared, designated as S-1, S-2 and S-3 with degree of substitution (DS) of 0.35, 0.74 and 1.14, respectively. AGAP was elucidated as an α-(1→3)-glucan with few branches terminated by single mannose or xylose residues. The molecular weight (Mw) and radius of gyration (Rg) were estimated to be 1665 kDa and 65.49 nm, respectively. After sulfated modification, non-selective sulfation occurred preferably at O-6, partially at O-2 and O-4 positions of the glucosyl residues. The water-solubility of the derivatives was significantly improved in a DS-dependent manner. Mw of the derivatives showed a sharp decrease, and the chain conformation was estimated to be expanded stiff in phosphate buffer. In vitro tests showed that sulfated modification improved its antioxidant activities and anti-proliferative ability against S-180 tumor cells. This study suggested that sulfated modification was an effective approach to improve the water-solubility and functional properties of insoluble polysaccharides.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja polysaccharides.

Recently, renewed interest has grown in the use of ultrasonic-assisted extraction as an alternative approach to the traditional extraction methods. In this study, this novel extraction method was used to isolate polysaccharides from Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja, and response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the extraction conditions. The optimal conditions for the extraction of polysaccharides were determined to be the ratio of liquid to solid of 8, extraction time of 59 min and extraction temperature of 58 °C. Under these optimal conditions, the yield of polysaccharides obtained was 4.91 ± 0.11%, which was well matched with the value predicted by the model. In vitro antioxidant assays showed that the polysaccharides exhibited strong DPPH radicals (92.09% at 0.25 mg/ml) and self-oxidation of 1,2,3-phentriol (37.22% at 1 mg/ml) scavenging activities, moderate hydroxyl radicals (43.18% at 1 mg/ml) scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect (31.66% at 1 mg/ml). In addition, the polysaccharides showed moderate antimicrobial activity.

Safety evaluation of zinc threoninate chelate.

The acute toxicity of zinc threoninate chelate was assessed. The oral lethal dose 50% (LD(50)) was 2710 mg/kg in female rats and 3160 mg/kg in male rats. Genotoxicity was assessed by Ames test in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA97, TA98, TA100, and TA102, by bone marrow mouse micronucleus test and a sperm abnormality test with mice. Thirty-day repeat dose toxicity study was conducted at oral daily doses of 0, 42, 169, and 675 mg/kg in rats. Teratogenicity was assessed at the same daily dose in pregnant rats by gavage. No significant changes in body weight, food consumption, organ weight, relative organ weight, hematology, blood biochemistry, histopathology, behavior, mortality, sperm abnormality, mutagenicity, and micronucleus formation were observed and no clinical signs or adverse effects were detected. Zinc threoninate chelate had no significant teratogenic effect at a daily dose of 42 mg/kg.

Optimisation of microwave-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja using response surface methodology.

BACKGROUND: Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja is a well-known edible and medicinal plant in China and is commonly called the 'sweet tea tree'. It has been reported to have a broad range of therapeutic and nutritional values in lowering blood sugar, blood lipids and blood pressure. However, much of the annual C. paliurus production is wasted. Recent reports have suggested that polysaccharides are the main active ingredients responsible for the observed bioactivities of C. paliurus. In this study, response surface methodology was used to determine the optimal conditions for microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of polysaccharides from C. paliurus. RESULTS: The optimal conditions for MAE of polysaccharides were a duration of microwave radiation of 20.8 min, a temperature of 100.9 degrees C and a water/material ratio of 22.1:1. Under these conditions the yield of polysaccharides was up to 5.04 +/- 0.09%. Compared with conventional heat reflux extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction, MAE of polysaccharides from C. paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja saved a lot of time and gave the highest yield. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that MAE is a good alternative method for the extraction of polysaccharides from C. paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja.

Analysis of the monosaccharide composition of purified polysaccharides in Ganoderma atrum by capillary gas chromatography.

INTRODUCTION: Ganoderma, one of the best-known traditional Chinese medicines, has attracted considerable attention owing to the fact that dozens of polysaccharides isolated from it have shown diverse and potentially significant pharmacological activities. However, no work has been reported on the analysis of monosaccharide composition of polysaccharide isolated from the aqueous extract of Ganoderma atrum yet. OBJECTIVE: To develop a simple and sensitive GC-based method for the analysis of monosaccharide composition of purified polysaccharides in Ganoderma atrum. METHODOLOGY: The polysaccharide was first hydrolysed to give the constituent monosaccharides, which were subsequently derived into acetylated aldononitriles and analysed by gas chromatography using a capillary column packed with a (5%phenyl) methylpolysiloxane stationary phase with the addition of acetyl inositol as the inner standard. High-performance liquid chromatography was also used for comparison. RESULTS: The stable derivatives of the most common monosaccharides could be separated and reproducibly determined with high sensitivity. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.013 and 0.043 mg/mL, respectively. The intermediary precision values (expressed as the RSD) were less than 10%. The mean recovery of the method was 100 + or - 3%, with RSD values of less than 5%. The results obtained from GC and HPLC methods were found to be close to each other within acceptable error ranges. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the developed method could be applied as an accurate method for the compositional analysis of monosaccharides in the field of biological and biochemical study.

Quality control and original discrimination of Ganoderma lucidum based on high-performance liquid chromatographic fingerprints and combined chemometrics methods.

In this paper, the feasibility and advantages of employing high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) fingerprints combined with chemometrics methods for quality control of the cultured fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum were investigated and demonstrated for the first time. In order to compare the HPLC fingerprints chromatograms between G. lucidum from different origins, the similarities of all the 60 samples and relative peak areas of 19 characteristic compounds were firstly calculated respectively. Then different pattern recognition procedures, including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares-discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) were applied to classify the G. lucidum samples according to their cultivated origins. Consistent results were obtained to show that G. lucidum samples could be successfully grouped in accordance with the province of origin. Furthermore, four marker constituents were screened out to be the most discriminant variables, which could be applied to accurate discrimination and quality control of G. lucidum by quantitative analysis. Finally, the chemical properties of those samples were also investigated to find out the differences of quality between them. Ranked in decreasing order, the quality of the G. lucidum can be arranged as Jinzhai/Huangshan, Shandong followed by Zhejiang samples. Our results revealed that the developed method has potential perspective for the original discrimination and quality control of G. lucidum.

Discrimination of Ganoderma lucidum according to geographical origin with near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and pattern recognition techniques.

A rapid and nondestructive near infrared (NIR) method combined with chemometrics was used to discriminate Ganoderma lucidum according to cultivation area. Raw, first, and second derivative NIR spectra were compared to develop a robust classification rule. The chemical properties of G. lucidum samples were also investigated to find out the difference between samples from six varied origins. It could be found that the amount of polysaccharides and triterpenoid saponins in G. lucidum samples was considerably different based on cultivation area. These differences make NIR spectroscopic method viable. Principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant partial least-squares (DPLS) and discriminant analysis (DA) were applied to classify the geographical origins of those samples. The results showed that excellent classification could be obtained after optimizing spectral pre-treatment. For the discriminating of samples from three different provinces, DPLS provided 100% correct classifications. Moreover, for samples from six different locations, the correct classifications of the calibration as well as the validation data set were 96.6% using the DA method after the SNV first derivative spectral pre-treatment. Overall, NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy using pattern recognition was shown to have significant potential as a rapid and accurate method for the identification of herbal medicines.

Development of a chromatographic fingerprint for the chloroform extracts of Ganoderma lucidum by HPLC and LC-MS.

A new high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) fingerprinting method was developed for the quality control of Ganoderma lucidum. Twenty-nine batches obtained from three different origins in China were used to establish the fingerprint. The constituents of these samples were separated with a Kromasil C(18) column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) by linear gradient elution using water-acetic acid (100:0.1, v/v) and acetonitrile as mobile phase components at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min and detector wavelength at 254 nm. Mean chromatograms and correlation coefficients of samples were calculated by the software "Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of TCM". There were 19 common peaks in this fingerprint. Eleven of these common peaks were tentatively identified with reference to literature data based on their liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) and UV data. This profile was then successfully used to identify and assess the differences among samples from various origins with the aid of similarity analysis. The diverse similarities among different samples indicated that the quality of G. lucidum was not stable and the products from different areas were inconsistent. All results showed that the developed fingerprint assay was specific and could further serve for quality identification and comprehensive evaluation of G. lucidum.

2,3:6,7-Bis(methyl-enedi-oxy)-phenanthrene.

In the title mol-ecule, C(16)H(10)O(4), all the non-H atoms are coplanar. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak inter-molecular C-H⋯O contacts and π-π stacking inter-actions (the inter-planar distance is 3.43 Å).