[Antioxidative effect of constituents of herba Epimedii (ESPS)]

Herba Epimedii is a traditional Yang invigorating Chinese herb widely used in clinic. The experimental results have shown that ESPS obviously increases superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity of red cells and liver in aged mice and rats, and increases glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) activity of red cells in aged mice. On the other hand, ESPS obviously helps to reduce the content of serum and liver lipoperoxide(LPO) in aged mice and rats, as well as the content of lipofuscin(LF) in cardiac muscle of aged mice. The results suggest that being helpful in increasing SOD and GSH-Px activities and inhibiting the formation of LPO and LF, ESPS may be a good antiageing agent.

[Analysis of cinnamic acid in storax and its original plant by HPLC]

The contents of free and hydrolytic cinnamic acid in storax and its original plant (Liquidambar orientalis) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography, and the chromatographic behaviors were studied. In styrax gummi, the contents of free and hydrolytic cinnamic acid were 7.03% and 25.26% respectively; and in its original plant, they were 0.3% evenly.

[Effect of active constituents of Herba Epimedii on hypothalamic monoamine neurotransmitters and other brain functions in aging rats]

The active constituents of Herba Epimedii can raise the hypothalamic monoamine neurotransmitters levels in aging male rats and improve the learning and memory in aging rats and mice. It can also inhibit the activities of AchE both in brain tissues and whole blood in mice.

The effect of indirect injury to peripheral nerves on wound healing after firearm wounds

This paper reports the pathologic and functional changes of the sciatic nerve indirectly injured by firearms and its effect on wound healing. Twelve dogs were used. Their hind legs were shot with 1.03-gram steel spheres, avoiding direct injury to the sciatic nerve. The experimental animals were divided into two groups according to the impact velocity, that is, a 1,500 m/sec high velocity projectile (HVP) group and a 400 m/sec, low velocity projectile (LVP) group as a control. After wounding, the same procedure was followed in all dogs. At intervals, the tissues of the wound track were excised to determine the level of cyclic nucleotides (cAMP, cGMP), secondary messengers of neurotransmitters, the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and the content of hydroxyproline, which indicates the degree of wound healing. The sciatic nerve next to the wound track was excised for light and electron microscopic study. The neurofilament in the sciatic nerve was examined by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal neurofilament-200 antibody. The results showed that the indirect injuries to the sciatic nerves of the HVP group were more severe than in those in the LVP group and included naked axons, stripped myelin sheaths, widened nodes of Ranvier, and decrease in the numbers of neurofilaments. At 6 hours, cAMP content in the HVP group was significantly lower than that in the LVP group. It began to rise and approached to the level of LVP group at 10 days. The cGMP content, activity of AChE, and hydroxyproline content of the HVP group were significantly lower than those of the LVP group. The results suggested that the indirect injury to sciatic nerves, especially to the cytoskeleton, after HVP wounds may induce the disturbance of an axoplasmic flow and influence the metabolism of trophic factors such as cAMP, cGMP, and AChE. All changes could contribute to the delay in wound healing.

Injury to vascular endothelial cells and the change of plasma endothelin level in dogs with gunshot wounds

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between injury to endothelial cells and the plasma endothelin level after gunshot wounds. Forty dogs were divided into four groups. The dogs in group 1 served as a control. The dogs in groups 2,3, and 4, respectively, were shot in both hind legs, in the hypogastric part of the abdomen, or in the right chest by military bullets (5.56 mm or 7.62 mm). After wounding, blood samples were taken at different intervals and the number of circulating endothelial cells (CEC), an indicator of injury to vascular endothelial cells (VEC), and the level of plasma endothelin were measured. Results showed that the CEC number increased in all groups immediately after wounding and showed a peak value at 10 minutes and at 6 hours. The change in plasma endothelin level paralleled that of the change of CEC number, and a linear relationship was found between them. These results suggest that, in gunshot wounds, extensive injury to VEC may be the result of the temporary cavity and shock waves produced by high velocity missiles striking the body and causing secretions of endothelin. The mechanism of injury to VEC after a gunshot wound in discussed in this paper.

Observation on the curative effect of acupuncture on type I allergic diseases

In a comparative study on treatment of type I allergic diseases, acupuncture and desensitization therapies were performed in 143 cases. The results showed that acupuncture therapy had an extensive and remarkable action against type I allergic reaction. The curative effect was higher in the acupuncture group than in the desensitization group in allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria.

Cloning and sequencing of a cellobiose phosphotransferase system operon from Bacillus stearothermophilus XL-65-6 and functional expression in Escherichia coli

Cellulolytic strains of Bacillus stearothermophilus were isolated from nature and screened for the presence of activities associated with the degradation of plant cell walls. One isolate (strain XL-65-6) which exhibited strong activities with 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (MUG) and 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-cellobiopyranoside (MUC) was used to construct a gene library in Escherichia coli. Clones degrading these model substrates were found to encode the cellobiose-specific genes of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS). Both MUG and MUC activities were present together, and both activities were lost concurrently during subcloning experiments. A functional E. coli ptsI gene was required for MUC and MUG activities (presumably a ptsH gene also). The DNA fragment from B. stearothermophilus contained four open reading frames which appear to form a cel operon. Intergenic stop codons for celA, celB, and celC overlapped the ribosomal binding sites of the respective downstream genes. Frameshift mutations or deletions in celA, celB, and celD were individually shown to result in a loss of MUC and MUG activities. On the basis of amino acid sequence homology and hydropathy plots of translated sequences, celA and celB were identified as encoding PTS enzyme II and celD was identified as encoding PTS enzyme III. These translated sequences were remarkably similar to their respective E. coli homologs for cellobiose transport. No reported sequences exhibited a high level of homology with the celC gene product. The predicted carboxy-terminal region for celC was similar to the corresponding region of E. coli celF, a phospho-beta-glucosidase. An incomplete regulatory gene (celR) and proposed promoter sequence were located 5' to the proposed cel operon. A stem-loop resembling a rho-independent terminator was present immediately downstream from celD. These results indicate that B. stearothermophilus XL-65-6 contains a cellobiose-specific PTS for cellobiose uptake. Similar systems may be present in other gram-positive bacteria.