[Chemical constituents from Usnea longgisima, a traditional mongolian medicine].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of the whole lichen of Usnea longissima. METHOD: The compounds were separated by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The structures of the compounds isolated were identified by physico-chemical properties and spectral analysis. RESULT: Ten compounds were isolated and their structures were identified as (4aR,9bS)-2,6-diactyl-3,4a,7,9-tetrahydroxy-8,9b-dimethyl-1-oxo-1,4,4a, 9b-tetrahydrodibenzo [b,d]furan (1), (+)-usnic acid (2), orcinol (3), 18R-hydroxydihydroalloprotolichensterinic acid (4), 5, 8-epidioxy-5alpha, 8alpha-ergosta-6, 22E-dien-3beta-ol (5), ethyl everninate (6), arabitol(7), apigenin 7-O-beta-D-glucuronide (8), 3-hydroxy-5-methoxy-2-methylbenzoic acid(9), friedelin(10). CONCLUSION: Compound 1 was a new compound. Compound 8 was isolated from genu Usnea for the first time and compounds 3, 4 and 7 were isolated from U. longissima for the first time.

[Diffusion tensor imaging analyses of white matter in healthy siblings of schizophrenics].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) features of white matter in healthy siblings of schizophrenics. METHODS: Twenty healthy siblings of schizophrenics and 45 healthy controls without a family history of mental disorder. They responded to advertised recruitment during December 2009 and March 2012. All participants underwent diffusion weighted magnetic resonance images with a single-shot echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence aligned to straight axial plane. The fractional anisotropy (FA) images of two groups underwent two-sample t-test with SPM5 software. RESULTS: The healthy siblings of schizophrenics demonstrated a significant decrease of regional white matter FA values in right anterior cingulated (MNI: x = 9, y = 43, z = 4; cluster = 106). CONCLUSION: Reduced white matter integrity in right anterior cingulated may be a risk actor of schizophrenia.

[Determination of trace arsenic and mercury in antimony concentrates by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry].

A method for the determination of trace arsenic and mercury in antimony concentrates by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry was investigated. The method of dissolving sample and the effect of concomitant ion were studied. It was found that aqua regia can be used to dissolve the sample completely, with maximum quantities of dissolved arsenic and mercury. The interference of chemical elements in antimony concentrates was avoided by adding thiourea-Vc. The matrix of antimony was vaporized with tartaric acid during sample pre-treatment. Trace arsenic and mercury were determined in real samples. The detection limits of 0.220 ng x mL(-1) and 0.002 ng x mL(-1) were obtained, the relative standard deviations(RSD% = 11) are 1.47% and 0.52%, and the recoveries are 94.0%-103.0% and 98.7%-102.8% for As and Hg respectively. This method has proved rapid, accurate and highly sensitive.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Yunnan black goat (Capra hircus).

Yunnan black goat (Capra hircus) is one of the famous native goat breed in China. In this study, the complete nucleotide sequence of Yunnan black goat mitochondrial genome was determined for the first time. Sequence analysis showed that the genome structure was in typical with other vertebra animals. It contained 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and 1 control region (D-loop region). The base composition was A (33.6%), G (13.1%), C (26.0%) and T (27.3%), so the percentage of A and T (60.9%) was higher than that of G and C.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Sus cebifrons (Sus, Suidae).

In this work, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Sus cebifrons (Visayan warty pig). The total length of the mitogenome was 16,475 bp, and its overall base composition was estimated to be 35.0% for A, 25.8% for T, 26.2% for C and 13.0% for G, indicating an A-T (60.8%)-rich feature in Sus cebifrons mitogenome. It contained the typical structure of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and a noncoding control region (D-loop region). The arrangement of these genes was the same as that found in other pigs. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Sus cebifrons would provide new genetic resources for pig domestication study.