Split-face comparison of the efficacy of picosecond 532 nm Nd:YAG laser and Q-switched 755 nm Alexandrite laser for treatment of freckles.

To date, there has been little study of comparison between picosecond 532 nm laser and 755 nm Q-switched Alexandrite lasers in the treatment of freckles. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of picosecond 532 nm laser (PS 532) and 755 nm Q-switched Alexandrite laser (QSAL) for treatment of freckles in a split-face manner. Eighteen patients with freckles were enrolled in the study. The right and left sides of their faces were randomly assigned to either a QSAL-treated group or PS 532-treated group. The degree of pain, satisfaction with the results, and adverse events associated with the laser treatment were evaluated using a questionnaire. All of the patients were followed up at 4 and 12 weeks after one treatment session. Among the 18 patients, PS 532 was found to be associated with less pain (3.56 ± 2.431) than QSAL (3.94 ± 1.893), but the difference was not statistically significant. The curative effect and satisfaction associated with 755 nm Q-switched Alexandrite laser was greater than that of picosecond 532 nm laser (P < .001). Both picosecond 532 nm laser and QSAL are effective in the treatment of freckles, and QSAL has a greater rate of satisfaction and curative effect.

Herbal Textual Research on Ethno Medicine Salviae Yunnanensis Radix / 中国实验方剂学杂志

By consulting literatures of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), comparing data about the morphological description of several species from genus of Salvia, and combining the biological studies in resources,this paper made a textual research for the origin,name,medicinal history,functional dominance and folk application Salviae Yunnanensis Radix. This study aimed to provide a reference for further studies and utilization of Salviae Yunnanensis Radix. The findings revealed that the origin of Zidanshen recorded in ancient Chinese herbal literatures was S. yunnanensis,which were widely used for amenorrhea,dysmenorrhea,irregular menstruation,tumescent pain,limb numbness and many kinds of blood stasis. Relevant clinical application and modern pharmacological evidences of Salviae Yunnanensis Radix are mutually supportive,which indicates that TCM based on clinical experience has a high development value. The herbal literatures revealed that Salviae Yunnanensia Radix has a high research and development value in gynecology,blood stasis and other fields. We shall fully excavate folk experience in clinical application of Salviae Yunnanensis Radix. On this basis, we shall further strengthen relevant researches on material basis,pharmacodynamics and mechanism,in order to promote the utilization of resources and product development of Salviae Yunnanensis Radix.

Analysis of lipophilic components of Salvia miltiorrhiza roots and S. yunnanensis roots by UPLC and LC-MS/MS / 中国中药杂志

Fingerprints of lipophilic components in the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza and S.yunnanensis were analyzed by UPLC-DADand UPLC coupled with mass spectroscopy to evaluate the differences and similarities of the lipophilic components in the two kinds of herbs.The UPLC analysis of 18 batches of S.miltiorrhiza and 16 batches of S.yunnanensis was performed on a 25℃Thermo Accucore C_(18)column(2.1 mm×100 mm,2.6μm)by Shimadzu LC-20AD;mobile phase was 0.026%phosphoric acid(A)-acetonitrile(B)with gradient elution;flow rate was 0.4 m L·min~(-1);detection wavelength was set at 270 nm;injection volume was 2μL.The molecular structures of the lipophilic components were analyzed on a 25℃Thermo Accucore C_(18)column(2.1 mm×100 mm,2.6μm)by Thermo U3000 UPLC Q Exactive Orbitrap LC-MS/MS with a mobile phaseconsisting of 0.1%formic acid water(A)and 0.1%formic acidacetonitrile(B).The mass spectrometry was acquired in positive modes using ESI.There are 10 common peaks in the lipophilic components of S.miltiorrhiza.The similarity between the 16 batches of S.miltiorrhiza and their own reference spectra was greater than 0.942,and the average similarity was 0.973.There are 12 common peaks in the lipophilic components of S.yunnanensis.The similarity between the 18 batches of S.yunnanensis and their own reference spectra was greater than 0.937,and the average similarity was 0.976.The similarity between the reference chromatograms of S.miltiorrhiza and S.yunnanensis was only 0.900.There are three lipophilic components in S.yunnanensis,which are not found in S.miltiorrhiza,and one of which isα-lapachone.There is a lipophilic component in S.miltiorrhiza not found in S.yunnanensis,which may be miltirone.The two herbs contain 8 common lipophilic components including dihydrotanshinoneⅠ,cryptotanshinone,tanshinoneⅠ,tanshinoneⅡ_A,nortanshinone in which the content of tanshinoneⅡ_A,dihydrotanshinoneⅠand cryptotanshinone of S.yunnanensisis significantly lower than that of S.miltiorrhiza(P<0.01),and the contents of tanshinoneⅠand nortanshinone are significantly lower than that of S.miltiorrhiza too(P<0.05).There are significant differences in the types and contents of lipophilic components between the roots of S.miltiorrhiza and S.yunnanensis,and the similarity between the fingerprints of interspecies is much lower than that between the same species.Therefore,the roots of S.miltiorrhiza and S.yunnanensis are two kinds of herbs which are quite different in chemical compounds and compositions.

Effect of Yiqi Tongyang Decoction () on blood T cell subsets in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the proportions of blood T cell subsets, Th1, Th2, Th17, Th22, and Treg cells, and other parameters in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (CITP) before and after treatment with Yiqi Tongyang Decoction (, YTD) to explore T cell status of patients with CITP, and to defifine the mechanism of action of YTD. METHODS: The changes in peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets, and those of Th1, Th2, Th17, Th22, and Treg cells in 30 patients with CITP (22 females and 8 males) were analyzed using multiparametric flflow cytometry before and after treatment with YTD for 6 months, and 26 healthy volunteers (14 males and 12 females) acted as a control. T-box expressed in T-cells (T-bet) and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA-3) mRNA levels in patients and controls were analyzed using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The proportions of Th1, Th17, Th22, Th1/Th2, and Th17/Treg cells increased in the peripheral blood of patients with CITP compared to those in controls before YTD therapy (P<0.05). Th1 cell numbers and the Th1/Th2 ratio fell in the treated patients with CITP to approximate the values of the control group (P>0.05). Th17 cell numbers and the Th17/Treg ratio also decreased in the treatment group (P<0.05), but not to the levels of the controls. The number of Treg cells in the peripheral blood of patients with CITP before treatment was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), but increased after YTD treatment P<0.05), but not to the level of controls. T-bet and GATA-3 mRNA levels in peripheral blood were initially higher in patients before treatment than controls (P<0.05), but decreased after YTD therapy (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Imbalances in T lymphocyte levels, particularly those of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg cells, play important roles in the pathogenesis of CITP. YTD effificiently regulated the dynamics of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg equilibria.

Genetic variation of occult hepatitis B virus infection.

Occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI), characterized as the persistence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) seronegativity and low viral load in blood or liver, is a special form of HBV infection. OBI may be related mainly to mutations in the HBV genome, although the underlying mechanism of it remains to be clarified. Mutations especially within the immunodominant "α" determinant of S protein are "hot spots" that could contribute to the occurrence of OBI via affecting antigenicity and immunogenicity of HBsAg or replication and secretion of virion. Clinical reports account for a large proportion of previous studies on OBI, while functional analyses, especially those based on full-length HBV genome, are rare.

Models for predicting hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion in response to interferon-α in chronic hepatitis B patients.

AIM: To develop models to predict hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion in response to interferon (IFN)-α treatment in chronic hepatitis B patients. METHODS: We enrolled 147 treatment-naïve HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients in China and analyzed variables after initiating IFN-α1b treatment. Patients were tested for serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), hepatitis B virus-DNA, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen, HBeAg, antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe), and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) at baseline and 12 wk, 24 wk, and 52 wk after initiating treatment. We performed univariate analysis to identify response predictors among the variables. Multivariate models to predict treatment response were constructed at baseline, 12 wk, and 24 wk. RESULTS: At baseline, the 3 factors correlating most with HBeAg seroconversion were serum ALT level > 4 × the upper limit of normal (ULN), HBeAg ≤ 500 S/CO, and anti-HBc > 11.4 S/CO. At 12 wk, the 3 factors most associated with HBeAg seroconversion were HBeAg level ≤ 250 S/CO, decline in HBeAg > 1 log10 S/CO, and anti-HBc > 11.8 S/CO. At 24 wk, the 3 factors most associated with HBeAg seroconversion were HBeAg level ≤ 5 S/CO, anti-HBc > 11.4 S/CO, and decline in HBeAg > 2 log10 S/CO. Each variable was assigned a score of 1, a score of 0 was given if patients did not have any of the 3 variables. The 3 factors most strongly correlating with HBeAg seroconversion at each time point were used to build models to predict the outcome after IFN-α treatment. When the score was 3, the response rates at the 3 time points were 57.7%, 83.3%, and 84.0%, respectively. When the score was 0, the response rates were 2.9%, 0.0%, and 2.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Models with good negative and positive predictive values were developed to calculate the probability of response to IFN-α therapy.

[Effects of andrographolide on the concentration of cytokines in BALF and the expressions of type I and III collagen mRNA in lung tissue in bleomycin-induced rat pulmonary fibrosis].

AIM: To investigate the effects of andrographolide on the concentration of TNF-α and TGF-ß1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the expressions of type I and III collagen mRNA in Lung tissue in bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. METHODS: 90 healthy SD male rats were randomly divided into 6 groups with 15 rats each group: normal saline (NS) group, BLM group, prednisone (Pred) group and different doses of andrographolide groups (andrographolide group A 62.5 mg/kg, andrographolide group B 125 mg/kg and andrographolide group C 250 mg/kg). BLM was given to BLM group, Pred group and andrographolide group A, B, C by intratracheal instillation, and same volume of NS was given to NS group in the same way. And then NS was given to NS group and BLM group, Pred was given to Pred group and different does of andrographolide were given to andrograoholide group A, B, C by gavage every day. Five rats of each group were killed respectively at day 7, 14, 28 after intratracheal instillation. Alveolitis and fibrosis were observed by HE and Masson staining. Real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (FQ RT-PCR) was performed to detect the expressions of type I and III collagen mRNA in lung tissue, and the concentration of TNF-α and TGF-ß1 in BALF was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbnent assay. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were also examined. RESULTS: (1) The AST, ALT, BUN and Cr in every group had no significant diference(P>0.05). (2) Alveolar septal edema, inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis were not found in NS group. In the BLM group, lots of inflammatory cells infiltration were observed in the alveolar at day 7; the alveolitis was still existed, but inflammatory cells were significantly reduced, and the number of the fibroblasts and matrix in alveolar septum were obviously increased at day 14, at the same time, alveolar structure was damaged and alveolar septum widened; the inflammation cells infiltration of the alveolar was relieved, pulmonary fibrosis was increased, and parts of alveolar space was disappeared , severe fibrosis was found at day 28. It was similar between andrographolide group A and BLM group in pathomorphology. A lot of inflammatory cells infiltration and local accumulation were observed at day 7 in andrographolide group B, C and Pred group. However, compared with andrographolide group A and BLM group, the fibrosis at day 14, 28 was significantly reduced.(3) The concentration of TGF-ß1, TNF-α in BALF of NS group was significantly lower than that of Pred group, BLM group, andrographolide group A, B, C at each time point(P<0.05). The concentration of TGF-ß1 and TNF-α in BALF of BLM group at day 7, 14, 28 was higher than that of Pred group, andrographolide group B and andrographolide group C (P<0.05). Compared with BLM group, the concentration of TGF-ß1 and TNF-α in BALF of andrographolide group A had no significant difference. (4) The expression of type I and III collagen mRNA in lung tissue of NS group was significantly lower than that of group Pred, BLM, andrographolide group A, B, C at each time point (P<0.05). The expression of type I and III collagen mRNA in lung tissue of BLM group at day 7, 14, 28 was higher than that of Pred group, andrographolide group B and andrographolide group C (P<0.05). Compared with BLM group, the expression of type I and III collagen mRNA in lung tissue of andrographolide group A had no significant difference. CONCLUSION: In BLM-induced rat pulmonary fibrosis, andrographolide could attenuate alveolitis and fibrosis, decrease mRNA expression of collagen I and III in lung tissue and decrease the concentration of TNF-α and TGF-ß1 in BALF. It had no side effects on liver and kidney function.

Composition and phylogenetic analysis of wheat cryptochrome gene family.

Cryptochrome (CRY) gene family encodes photoreceptors mediating developmental responses to blue light throughout the life of plants. We report here the characterization of CRY gene family in hexaploid wheat. Degenerate PCR amplification of the regions encoding the conserved flavin-binding domain of CRY proteins yielded seven bands, resulting from amplification of CRY1a, CRY1b and CRY2 homologous genes. Assignment of individual amplicons to subgenomes was accomplished by comparing their sequence compositions with those from the ancestor species of wheat. ESTs coding for CRY-DASH like proteins were identified in wheat EST database in GenBank. Southern blot showed that TaCRY1a, TaCRY1b and TaCRY2 are single copy genes. We mapped TaCRY1a and TaCRY2 to chromosomes of homoeologous group 6, TaCRY1b to group 2, and TaCRY-DASH to group 7. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CRY subfamily diversification occurred before the divergence of monocots and dicots. The regulatory and functional changes of CRY members within subfamily are discussed.

Poly[[aqua-(µ(2)-oxalato)(µ(2)-2-oxido-pyridinium-3-carboxylato)holmium(III)] monohydrate].

In the title complex, {[Ho(C(2)O(4))(C(6)H(4)NO(3))(H(2)O)]·(H(2)O)}(n), the Ho(III) ion is coordinated by three O atoms from two 2-oxidopyridinium-3-carboxylate ligands, four O atoms from two oxalate ligands and one water mol-ecule in a distorted bicapped trigonal-prismatic geometry. The 2-oxidopyridin-ium-3-carboxylate and oxalate ligands link the Ho(III) ions into a layer in (100). These layers are further connected by inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the coordinated water mol-ecules to assemble a three-dimensional supra-molecular network. The uncoordin-ated water mol-ecule is involved in N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds within the layer.

[Predicting cancerization of condyloma acuminatum by testing expression of p16].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: About 3%-10% of condyloma acuminatum (CA) may develop into cancer. Some studies indicated that homologous deletion of p16 gene is a major factor that causes cancerization of CA. This study was to detect expression of P16 protein in CA tissues and its cancerization tissues, and to investigate relationship of abnormal expression of P16 and cancerization of CA. METHODS: A total of 75 skin biopsy specimens were collected, including 30 normal skin samples (control group), 35 CA samples, and 10 cancerized CA samples. Expression of P16 was tested by LSAB immunohistochemistry, and relationship of P16 and cancerization of CA was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: CA and normal skin tissues showed weakly positive expression of P16, no significant difference exist (P< 0.05). Cancerized CA tissues showed positive or strongly positive expression of P16, significantly stronger than CA and normal skin tissues (P< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Positive and strongly positive expression of P16 in CA tissue implied risk of cancerization of CA. P16 may be a useful predictor for cancerization of CA.