Synergistic interaction between the Ligusticum chuanxiong constituent butylidenephthalide and the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside in relaxing rat isolated aorta.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (Umbelliferae), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, is often prescribed together with nitric oxide donors for treating coronary heart diseases such as angina in China; however, studies concerning their pharmacological interaction are scarce.

Aim Of The Study: The objective of the present study was to examine the interaction between the Ligusticum chuanxiong major active constituent butylidenephthalide (BDPH) and the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in vasorelaxation.

[Influence of patient age and the number of good-quality-embryos transferred on multiple gestation in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer].

Objective: To observe the influence of patient's age, and the number of transferred-good-quality-embryos on multiple gestation rates in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles.

Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 4,395 patients who transferred fresh embryo between Jan 2004 and Nov 2006 was analyzed. According to the age, the patients were divided into 2 groups: aged < 35 (3,442 cycles) or aged >or= 35 (953 cycles).

Alkaloids from roots of Stemona sessilifolia and their antitussive activities.

Protostemonamide ( 1), a new protostemonine-type alkaloid, and 12 known compounds were isolated from the roots of Stemona sessilifolia. Their structures were elucidated by 1 D and 2 D NMR spectral and other spectroscopic studies. The main alkaloidal constituents, protostemonine ( 2), stemospironine ( 4), and maistemonine ( 7), showed significant antitussive activity in a citric acid-induced guinea pig cough model following peripheral administration; stemonamine ( 11) had antitussive activity following i.

Developing a spatial-temporal method for the geographic investigation of shoeprint evidence.

This article examines the potential of a spatial-temporal method for analysis of forensic shoeprint data. The large volume of shoeprint evidence recovered at crime scenes results in varied success in matching a print to a known shoe type and subsequently linking sets of matched prints to suspected offenders. Unlike DNA and fingerprint data, a major challenge is to reduce the uncertainty in linking sets of matched shoeprints to a suspected serial offender.

Intestinal first-pass glucuronidation activities of selected dihydroxyflavones.

Flavonoids have low bioavailabilities due to extensive intestinal first-pass metabolisms, especially glucuronidation. The present study aimed to evaluate the intestinal glucuronidation of dihydroxyflavones and provide more information on their structure-activity relationships. Seven dihydroxyflavones, namely 3,7-, 5,7-, 6,7-, 7,8-, 2',7-, 3',7-, and 4',7-dihydroxyflavone and a monohydroxyflavone, 7-hydroxyflavone, were investigated by incubating each hydroxyflavone at various concentrations with either human jejunum microsome or rat intestinal microsome.

Human feeder cells support establishment and definitive endoderm differentiation of human embryonic stem cells.

Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) have been extensively used as feeder cells to support the in vitro propagation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). However, owing to the risk of cross-contamination with animal or other unknown pathogens, the use of MEFs does not meet requirements for the clinical application of hESCs. Moreover, the actual role played by the feeders in the differentiation of hESCs is still unclear.

Study of the anti-proliferative effects and synergy of phthalides from Angelica sinensis on colon cancer cells.

Unlabelled: Angelica sinensis is a Chinese medicinal herb for treating gynecological and gastrointestinal disorders, and also in conjunction with cancer chemotherapy.

Aim Of The Study: In the present study, the cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects of three main Angelica sinensis phthalides, namely n-butylidenephthalide (BLP), senkyunolide A (SKA) and z-ligustilide (LGT), and their synergy on colon cancer HT-29 cells were investigated. Moreover, the results obtained in both human colon cancer HT-29 and normal colon CCD-18Co cells were compared for the investigation of selectivity.

Cluster detection based on spatial associations and iterated residuals in generalized linear mixed models.

Spatial clustering is commonly modeled by a Bayesian method under the framework of generalized linear mixed effect models (GLMMs). Spatial clusters are commonly detected by a frequentist method through hypothesis testing. In this article, we provide a frequentist method for assessing spatial properties of GLMMs.

Tumor progression of culture-adapted human embryonic stem cells during long-term culture.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) during long-term culture acquire chromosomal changes similar to those occurring in tumorigenesis. This was raised concerns about the progression from hESCs to malignant cells. This study aimed to investigate the changes in chromosomes, cell phenotype, and genes in culture-adapted hESCs to ascertain whether tumorigenic transformation occurred.

Antitussive stemoninine alkaloids from the roots of Stemona tuberosa.

Investigation of the roots of Stemona tuberosa afforded five minor constituents, stemoenonine (1), 9a- O-methylstemoenonine (2), oxystemoenonine (3), 1,9a- seco-stemoenonine (4), and oxystemoninine (5), along with the known compound stemoninoamide (6). Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectra and other spectroscopic studies. Alkaloids 1, 2, and 6, as well as the representative stemoninine-type alkaloid, stemoninine (7), were screened for antitussive activity in the citric acid-induced guinea pig cough model.

UVA photoirradiation of oxygenated benz[a]anthracene and 3-methylcholanthene--generation of singlet oxygen and induction of lipid peroxidation.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread genotoxic environmental pollutants and potentially pose a health risk to humans. Although the biological and toxicological activities, including metabolism, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity, of PAHs have been thoroughly studied, their phototoxicity and photo-induced biological activity have not been well examined. We have long been interested in phototoxicity of PAHs and their derivatives induced by irradiation with UV light.

A catenary model to study transport and conjugation of baicalein, a bioactive flavonoid, in the Caco-2 cell monolayer: demonstration of substrate inhibition.

The transport and metabolism of baicalein (Ba) was studied in vitro and in Caco-2 cells. Protein binding of Ba with Caco-2 lysate showed that Ba was bound to two classes of sites: a higher affinity, lower capacity site (K(A1) = 27.6 +/- 4.

Borealin is differentially expressed in ES cells and is essential for the early development of embryonic cells.

Maintaining undifferentiated state and self-renewal ability of embryonic stem cells is a process that many genes and factors participate in. Using bioinformatics analyses and suppression subtractive hybridization we cloned a novel human gene related to the proliferation of human embryonic stem (hES) cells and its mouse homologue and identified them as being borealin. Our data demonstrated that borealin was highly expressed in undifferentiated ES cells, mouse pre-implantation embryos and the brain of 8.

Identification of five hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herb, Herba Senecionis scandentis (Qianliguang).

Senecio scandens Buch.-Ham is a plant source for a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal (TCM) herb Qianliguang. A TCM herbal proprietary product containing Qianliguang as the major herb for the treatment of sinusitis has been used in China for several decades, and has also been exported to other regions and countries worldwide.

[Effect of different hemopoietic microenvironment on the differentiation of hemopoietic cells from human embryonic stem cells].

Objective: To observe the inductive efficiency of deriving hematopoietic cells from human embryonic stem (hES) cells co-cultured with human yolk sac stromal cells, fetal liver stromal cells or fetal bone marrow stromal cells,in order to discuss the effect of the different hemopoietic microenvironment on hemopoietic cytogenesis.

Methods: We used two-step method to induce the hES cells into the hematopoietic cells. In the first step the hES cells were co-cultured with cytokines by formation of the day 5 embryoid bodies (5d EBs).

Phyllanthus urinaria ameliorates the severity of nutritional steatohepatitis both in vitro and in vivo.

Hepatic oxidative stress plays a critical role in metabolic forms of steatohepatitis. Phyllanthus urinaria, an herbal medicine, has been reported to have potential antioxidant properties. We tested the effects of P.

Selective and sensitive determination of bis(7)-tacrine, a high erythrocyte binding acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The current study aims to develop a specific and sensitive LC-MS/MS method for determination of bis(7)-tacrine (B7T) in rat plasma. A 100 microL plasma sample was extracted with ethyl acetate. B7T and the internal standard (IS), pimozide, in the samples were then analyzed with LC-MS/MS in positive electrospray ionization condition.

A highly homozygous and parthenogenetic human embryonic stem cell line derived from a one-pronuclear oocyte following in vitro fertilization procedure.

Homozygous human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are thought to be better cell sources for hESC banking because their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype would strongly increase the degree of matching for certain populations with relatively smaller cohorts of cell lines. Homozygous hESCs can be generated from parthenogenetic embryos, but only heterozygous hESCs have been established using the current strategy to artificially activate the oocyte without second polar body extrusion. Here we report the first successful derivation of a human homozygous ESC line (chHES-32) from a one-pronuclear oocyte following routine in vitro fertilization treatment.

Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of ligustilide, a major bioactive component in Rhizoma Chuanxiong, in the rat.

Ligustilide is the most abundant bioactive ingredient in Rhizoma Chuanxiong, a Chinese medicinal herb commonly used for the treatment of cardiovascular ailments. The present study reported, for the first time, the pharmacokinetics of ligustilide, administered in its pure form and in an herbal extract, in rats. After i.

Intestinal and hepatic glucuronidation of flavonoids.

Flavonoids are polyphenolic phytochemicals present extensively in our daily diets, beverages, medicinal plants, and herbal remedies. The diverse biological effects of flavonoids have aroused great interest in scientists. In the past decade, various studies demonstrated extensive conjugate metabolisms, especially glucuronidation, of flavonoids in intestine and liver implying an important role of the glucuronidation in causing low oral bioavailability of flavonoids.

Climate amenity and BMI.

Objectives: Our goal was to examine the relationship between BMI and climate amenable for physical activity at the county level in the U.S.

Research Methods And Procedures: Using Geographic Information Systems tools and 6-year National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration station hourly weather records, an index of amenable climate was derived for all U.

[A case report on canceration of proliferative verrucous leukoplakia].

Proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) is a particular form of oral leukoplakia clinically characterized by chronic proliferation, multiple occurrence, and intractability. It is seen mostly among elderly women and often involves bucca, palate, gingiva and tongue. Its canceration rate is very high.

Development of a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass method for determination of bis(7)-tacrine, a promising anti-Alzheimer's dimer, in rat blood.

An analytical method using on-line high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization was developed and applied for the quantification of bis(7)-tacrine (B7T) in rat blood. B7T and pimozide (internal standard, IS) were extracted in a single step from 100 microl of alkalized blood with ethyl acetate. Analytes were separated using an Extend C-18 column at 25 degrees C.

Mechanistic study on the intestinal absorption and disposition of baicalein.

The present study aims to investigate the mechanisms of intestinal absorption and disposition of flavonoid baicalein (B) in Caco-2 cell monolayer model, transporter overexpressing membrane, and cellular models. The bidirectional transport studies of B and its metabolite baicalein-7-glucuronide (BG) were conducted at various concentrations and in the absence or presence of the selected transporter inhibitors. To identify specific interactions of BG with ABC transporters, ABC transporter-ATPase assays were carried out on membrane vesicles prepared from Sf9 cells overexpressing human MDR1, MRP1, MRP2, MRP3 and MXR.

Action of GLP-1 (7-36) amide and exendin-4 on Suncus murinus (house musk shrew) isolated ileum.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have been reported to modulate gastrointestinal motility but the mechanism is essentially unknown. In the present studies, we investigated the potency and mechanism of action of GLP-1 receptor ligands on the isolated ileum of Suncus murinus, an insectivore used in anti-emetic research. Ileal segments were mounted in organ baths containing Kreb's solution.