A new labeling reagent, 1-(2-naphthyl)-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (NMP), coupling with liquid chromatography (LC) with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) for the detection of carbohydrates from a famous Tibetan medicine is reported. Carbohydrates were derivatized to their bis-NMP-labeled derivatives. The method, in conjunction with a gradient elution, offered a baseline resolution of carbohydrate derivatives on a reversed phase Hypersil ODS-2 column. The carbohydrates such as mannose, galacturonic acid, glucuronic acid, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, xylose, arabinose, and fucose could be successfully detected by UV and ESI-MS. Derivatives showed intense protonated molecular ion at m/z [M + H]+ in positive ion mode. The mass to charge ratios of characteristic fragment ions at m/z 473.0 could be used for the accurately qualitative identification of carbohydrates; this characteristic fragment ion was from the cleavage of C2-C3 bond in the carbohydrate chain giving the specific fragment ions at m/z [MH-CmH2m+1Om-H2O]+ for pentose, hexose, and glyceraldehydes, and at m/z [MH-CmH2m-1Om+1-H2O]+ for alduronic acids, such as galacturonic acid and glucuronic acid (m = n - 2, n is carbon atom number of carbohydrate). Compared with the traditional 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) reagent, currently synthesized NMP show the advantage of higher sensitivity to carbohydrate compounds with UV and ESI-MS detection.
A method that involved the combination of pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography and semipreparative reversed-phase liquid chromatography has been established for the preparative separation of alkaloids from Hypecoum leptocarpum. From 1.2 g of crude sample, 31 mg N-feruloyltyramine, 27 mg oxohydrastinine, 47 mg hydroprotopine, 25 mg leptopidine, and 18 mg hypecocarpine have been obtained. The structure of the new compound, hypecocarpine, is confirmed based on the analysis of spectroscopic data, including NMR, UV, and IR spectroscopy and positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The known chemical structures were characterized on the basis of (1) H and (13) C NMR spectroscopy. The purities of the five alkaloids are all over 92.7% as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The alkaloids' cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells is assessed by using a Cell Counting Kit assay and their inhibitory effect on fatty acid synthase expression is assessed by a Western blot assay. These results suggest that leptopidine could suppress growth and induce cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells and that the cytotoxicity of leptopidine may be related to its inhibitory effect on fatty acid synthase expression.
Background: Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese sport that is classified as a moderate exercise. Recent studies have evaluated the effectiveness of Tai Chi in substance abuse rehabilitation. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life and physical effects of a Tai Chi intervention on individuals with amphetamine-type stimulant (stimulant) dependence. Methods: Sixty male subjects with stimulant dependence from a Shanghai Mandatory Detoxification and Rehabilitation Center participated in a 12-week trial. Tai Chi was used as an intervention in the experimental group (n = 30). The control group (n = 29) underwent standard care, which included recreation activity, gesture language exercise, and self-education. Outcome measures included the quality of life for drug addiction (QOL-DA) questionnaire [four scales consisting of physiology (e.g., energy level), psychology (e.g., depression), symptoms (e.g., physical symptoms), society (e.g., interpersonal) and fitness evaluations (assessed by body mass index, body fat, hand-grip, flexibility, balance)]. Repeated measures were used to analyze the changes over time. Results: Test scores of the QOL-DA in the Tai Chi group significantly increased after 12 weeks in the following areas: physiology, 8.71 (p = 0.005), symptoms, 4.34 (p = 0.042), society, 15.79 (p < 0.001), and total score, 10.60 (p = 0.002). A post hoc test further revealed that quality of life improved in the Tai Chi group but not in the standard care group. Physical results showed a significant interaction with balance (F(1,56) = 6.92, p = 0.011); participants in the Tai Chi group improved by 10 s while there was no change in the standard care group. Although there were no significant interactions in the fitness outcomes (i.e., hand-grip and sit-and-reach tests), the within-group factor displayed significant changes in body fat (F(1,56) = 27.79, p < 0.001) in both groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Tai Chi is a promising exercise that improves quality of life for individuals with stimulant dependence.
Background: Veronica ciliata Fisch., widely distributed in western China, has been traditionally used in Tibetan Medicine as a treatment for hepatitis, cholecystitis, rheumatism, and urticaria. However, V. ciliata Fisch. has not been subjected to detailed chemical constitution analysis and the bioactive studies were restricted to its crude extracts. It is necessary to investigate the active chemical components of these extracts and identify their biological effects. Results: Four iridoid glycosides, (veronicoside, cataposide, amphicoside, and verminoside) were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction. Among these compounds, veronicoside and verminoside were isolated for the first time from this plant. These compounds exhibited strong antioxidant activity and inhibitory activity on HepG2 cell proliferation. The antioxidant activity of verminoside was equal to Vc. Cataposide, amphicoside and verminoside had stronger anti-hepatocarcinoma activity than 5-fluorouracil. Conclusions: Four iridoid glycosides,(veronicoside, cataposide, amphicoside and verminoside) were isolated from the extract of V. ciliata Fisch. using bioassay-guided screening.Among these compounds, veronicoside and verminoside were isolated for the first time from this plant. The above results indicated that these compounds were the active chemical components responsible for the antioxidant and anti-hepatocarcinoma properties of V. ciliata Fisch. The underlying mechanism of their bioactivity is worthy of further investigation. [Figure not available: see fulltext. Caption: Bioactivity-guided isolation of antioxidant and anti-hepatocarcinoma constituents from Veronica ciliata]
Six compounds were isolated from alcoholic extracts of Meconopsis quintuplinervia Regel.. On the basis of spectroscopic methods, their structures were identified as 8,9 -dihydroxy-1,5,6,10b-tetrahydro-2H-pyrrolo [ 2,1-a ] isoquinolin-3-one (1), o-methylflavinantine (2), amurine (3), tricin (4), luteolin (5) and β-sitosterol (6). Among them, compounds 1 and 4 were isolated from the plant for the first time.
The chemical constituents of the traditional Tibetan medicine of Saussurea medusa Maxim. (Compositae) were investigated and a new flavonoid glucoside, together with 14 known compounds, was isolated. The structure of the new compound was established as 6''-O-crotonoylhomoplantaginin by using one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analyses.
In an effort to discover potent VEGFR-2 inhibitors, a series of 2,4 or 4,6-disubstituted <b>O</b>-linked indoles derivatives were designed and synthesized. The structural activity relationships led to identification of a potential VEGFR-2 inhibitor compound <b>18</b>.<br>Inhibition of VEGFR-2 signaling pathway has already become one of the most promising approaches for the treatment of cancer. In this study, we describe the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a series of <b>O</b>-linked indoles as potent inhibitors of VEGFR-2. Among these compounds, <b>18</b> showed significant anti-angiogenesis activities <b>via</b> VEGFR-2 in enzymatic proliferation assays, with IC50 value of 3.8 nmol/L. Kinase selectivity profiling revealed that <b>18</b> was a multitargeted inhibitor, and it also exhibited good potency against VEGFR-1, PDGFR-<b>α</b> and <b>β</b>.
An improved HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS(n) method has been developed to simultaneously quantify eight major compounds in Saussurea tridactyla Sch.-Bip. ex Hook. f. which has long been used as a traditional Tibetan medicine. This method was validated to be sensitive, precise and accurate with the LODs of 0.11-5.01 microg/ml, the overall intra-day and inter-day variations less than 2.70%, and the overall recovery over 98.0%, respectively. The correlation coefficients (r(2)) of the calibration curves were higher than 0.991. This newly established method was successfully applied to reveal the difference in the chemical profiles and contents of these analyses in S. tridactyla from different localities. In addition, by comparison UV and MS spectra with those of authentic compounds and literatures, a total of fourteen peaks were identified. It can be concluded that this method was effective to ensure the safety and efficacy consistency of S. tridactyla, and can be applied to other traditional Tibetan medicinal plants from different resources in Tibet.
This study explored whether dispositional mindfulness moderated the relationship between depression and posttraumatic growth. A total of 435 Chinese adolescents who experienced a tornado in Yancheng city reported their level of depressive symptoms (The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children; CES-DC), posttraumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; PTGI) and dispositional mindfulness (Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale; MAAS). The current study found that for individuals with higher dispositional mindfulness, their depression was associated with more posttraumatic growth, while the individuals with lower dispositional mindfulness showed no such association. These findings suggest that individuals high in dispositional mindfulness possess the potential to benefit from the process of adaptive coping in response to depression following a traumatic experience. The implications of the results for research and mindfulness-based interventions targeting depression were discussed.
AIM: Targeting the VEGF/VEGF receptor (VEGFR) pathway has proved to be an effective antiangiogenic approach for cancer treatment. Here, we identified 6-((2-((3-acetamidophenyl)amino)pyrimidin-4-yl)oxy)-N-phenyl-1-naphthamide (designated herein as DW10075) as a novel and highly selective inhibitor of VEGFRs. METHODS: In vitro tyrosine kinase activity was measured using ELISA, and intracellular signaling pathway proteins were detected by Western blot analysis. Endothelial cell proliferation was examined with CCK-8 assays, and tumor cell proliferation was determined with SRB assays. Cell migration, tube formation and rat aortic ring assays were used to detect antiangiogenic activity. Antitumor efficacy was further evaluated in U87-MG human glioblastoma xenograft tumors in nude mice receiving DW10075 (500 mg · kg(-1) · d(-1), po) for two weeks. RESULTS: Among a panel of 21 kinases tested, DW10075 selectively inhibited VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 (the IC50 values were 6.4, 0.69 and 5.5 nmol/L, respectively), but did not affect 18 other kinases including FGFR and PDGFR at 10 μmol/L. DW10075 significantly blocked VEGF-induced activation of VEGFR and its downstream signaling transduction in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), thus inhibited VEGF-induced HUVEC proliferation. DW10075 (1-100 nmol/L) dose-dependently inhibited VEGF-induced HUVEC migration and tube formation and suppressed angiogenesis in both the rat aortic ring model and the chicken chorioallantoic membrane model. Furthermore, DW10075 exhibited anti-proliferative activity against 22 different human cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 2.2 μmol/L (for U87-MG human glioblastoma cells) to 22.2 μmol/L (for A375 melanoma cells). In U87-MG xenograft tumors in nude mice, oral administration of DW10075 significantly suppressed tumor growth, and reduced the expression of CD31 and Ki67 in the tumor tissues. CONCLUSION: DW10075 is a potent and highly selective inhibitor of VEGFR that deserves further development.
BACKGROUND: Stress is considered a crucial trigger for physical and mental illness. Stress reduction is a known long-term benefit of regular Hatha yoga practice. The efficacy of a single-session Hatha yoga class on stress reduction is not currently known.PURPOSE: This study investigated the comparative effectiveness of a single 90-minute Hatha yoga class and an 8-week, 90-minute-class-per-week course.
METHODS: We used a quasiexperimental design and recruited 63 female community residents in New Taipei City aged 40-60 years. Participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 33). The experimental group received the 8-week Hatha yoga course. The control group received no intervention. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and heart rate variability (HRV) assessed stress reduction effectiveness. Chi-square, independent t test, paired t test, and generalized estimating equations were used for data analysis.
RESULTS: After a single 90-minute class of Hatha yoga, experimental group PSS scores were significantly less than those of the control group (p = .001). Although experimental group HRV (low-frequency norm and high-frequency norm) had improved, these changes were not statistically significant (p = .059). PSS scores for the single 90-minute class and 8-week course did not significantly differ (p = .157) and HRV of statistics is significant (p = .005). Generalized estimating equations analyzed changes in the effectiveness over time of stress reduction (HRV and PSS) after the Hatha yoga intervention. Results showed the postintervention HRV and PSS of the experimental group decreased significantly (p < .001) more than the control group.
CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our findings support the position that regular, long-term practice of Hatha yoga provides clear and significant health benefits. Participation in a single 90-minute Hatha yoga class can significantly reduce perceived stress. Doing Hatha yoga regularly can reduce perceived stress even more significantly.
BACKGROUND: Stress is considered a crucial trigger for physical and mental illness. Stress reduction is a known long-term benefit of regular Hatha yoga practice. The efficacy of a single-session Hatha yoga class on stress reduction is not currently known.PURPOSE: This study investigated the comparative effectiveness of a single 90-minute Hatha yoga class and an 8-week, 90-minute-class-per-week course.
METHODS: We used a quasiexperimental design and recruited 63 female community residents in New Taipei City aged 40-60 years. Participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 33). The experimental group received the 8-week Hatha yoga course. The control group received no intervention. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and heart rate variability (HRV) assessed stress reduction effectiveness. Chi-square, independent t test, paired t test, and generalized estimating equations were used for data analysis.
RESULTS: After a single 90-minute class of Hatha yoga, experimental group PSS scores were significantly less than those of the control group (p = .001). Although experimental group HRV (low-frequency norm and high-frequency norm) had improved, these changes were not statistically significant (p = .059). PSS scores for the single 90-minute class and 8-week course did not significantly differ (p = .157) and HRV of statistics is significant (p = .005). Generalized estimating equations analyzed changes in the effectiveness over time of stress reduction (HRV and PSS) after the Hatha yoga intervention. Results showed the postintervention HRV and PSS of the experimental group decreased significantly (p < .001) more than the control group.
CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our findings support the position that regular, long-term practice of Hatha yoga provides clear and significant health benefits. Participation in a single 90-minute Hatha yoga class can significantly reduce perceived stress. Doing Hatha yoga regularly can reduce perceived stress even more significantly.
High efficiency and less solvent consumption are the essential requirements of high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC), especially for the large-scale preparation. In this study, an efficient HSCCC strategy with consecutive sample injection was successfully developed to rapidly separate and purify rhaponticin and rhapontigenin from the seeds of the Chinese medicinal herb fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). The effective separation was achieved using n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:4:2:6, v/v/v/v) as the two-phase solvent system, in which the mobile phase was eluted at an optimized flow rate of 2.2 mL/min and a revolution speed of 850 rpm. After consecutively loading four identical fenugreek samples, each containing 120 mg, HSCCC separation yielded 146.4 mg of rhaponticin and 174.8 mg of rhapontigenin with purities of 98.6 and 99.1%, respectively, as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography at 320 nm. Their chemical structures were identified using UV spectroscopy, (1)H-NMR and (13)C-NMR. The HSCCC method with consecutive sample injection allowed faster separation and produced less solvent waste, suggesting that it is an efficient way to rapidly separate and purify natural products on a large scale.
<p>A simple and sensitive method for the determination of free fatty acids (FFAs) using acridoné9́ethyĺṕtoluenesulfonate (AETS) as a fluorescence derivatization reagent by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed. Free fatty acid derivatives were separated on an Eclipse XDB́C<sub>8</sub> column with a good baseline resolution and detected with the fluorescence of which excitation and emission wavelengths of derivatives were set at <sub>ex</sub>=404 and <sub>em</sub>=440 nm, respectively. Identification of 19 fatty acid derivatives was carried out by online post́column mass spectrometry with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source under positivéion detection mode. Nineteen FFAs from the extract of <i>Lomatogonium rotatum</i> are sensitively determined. The results indicate that the plant <i>Lomatogonium rotatum</i> is enriched with an abundance of FFAs and FFAs of higher contents, which mainly focus on even carbon atoms, C<sub>14</sub>, C<sub>16</sub>, and C<sub>18</sub>. The validation of the method including linearity, repeatability, and detection limits was examined. Most linear correlation coefficients for fatty acid derivatives are >0.9989, and detection limits (at signaĺtónoise of 3:1) are 12.3-43.7 fmol. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the peak areas and retention times for 19 FFAs standards are <2.24% and 0.45%, respectively. The established method is rapid and reproducible for the separation determination of FFAs from the extract of <i>Lomatogonium rotatum</i> with satisfactory results.</p>
Background: One form of meditation intervention, the integrative body-mind training (IBMT) has been shown to improve attention, reduce stress and change self-reports of mood. In this paper we examine whether short-term IBMT can improve performance related to creativity and determine the role that mood may play in such improvement.Methods: Forty Chinese undergraduates were randomly assigned to short-term IBMT group or a relaxation training (RT) control group. Mood and creativity performance were assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) questionnaire respectively.
Results: As predicted, the results indicated that short-term (30 min per day for 7 days) IBMT improved creativity performance on the divergent thinking task, and yielded better emotional regulation than RT. In addition, cross-lagged analysis indicated that both positive and negative affect may influence creativity in IBMT group (not RT group).
Conclusions: Our results suggested that emotion-related creativity-promoting mechanism may be attributed to short-term meditation.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is frequently used for psychiatric disorders. Despite MBCT's considerable potential for improving psychological health for patients, there is little empirical evidence to support its practical application in Chinese. This review will define meditation and mindfulness, provide an overview of the development of MBCT, identify the evidence for the effectiveness of MBCT, and offer recommendations to medical personnels on how to provide support for patients receiving mindfulness intervention.
Previous studies have shown that mindfulness is associated with less negative traumatic outcomes in people who experienced traumatic events. The present study investigated how mindfulness is related to posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) symptoms, depression and social functioning impairment in Chinese traumatized adolescents by considering the role of posttraumatic cognitive change (PCC). A total of 247 Chinese adolescents, who had experienced a severe tornado six months prior to this study, were recruited to complete a series of questionnaires. Results showed that the proposed model fitted the data very well (χ2 = 16.200, df = 8, χ2/df = 2.025, GFI = 0.983, CFI = 0.991, TLI = 0.976, RMSEA = 0.063). Further analyses revealed that PCC mediated the relation between dispositional mindfulness and all negative posttraumatic outcomes (including PTSD symptoms, depression and social functioning impairment). Limitations, clinical implications, and directions for future research were discussed.
Previous studies have shown that mindfulness is associated with less negative traumatic outcomes in people who experienced traumatic events. The present study investigated how mindfulness is related to posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) symptoms, depression and social functioning impairment in Chinese traumatized adolescents by considering the role of posttraumatic cognitive change (PCC). A total of 247 Chinese adolescents, who had experienced a severe tornado six months prior to this study, were recruited to complete a series of questionnaires. Results showed that the proposed model fitted the data very well (χ2 = 16.200, df = 8, χ2/df = 2.025, GFI = 0.983, CFI = 0.991, TLI = 0.976, RMSEA = 0.063). Further analyses revealed that PCC mediated the relation between dispositional mindfulness and all negative posttraumatic outcomes (including PTSD symptoms, depression and social functioning impairment). Limitations, clinical implications, and directions for future research were discussed.
Tibetan medicine Asteris Flos is the flowers of Aster souliei, A. flaccidus, and A. asteroides, with the function of clearing away heat and toxic matter, relieving cough, and removing phlegm. In order to control the quality of Asteris Flos, the morphological and chemical methods were established for identification of three origins. The morphological features of three species were described and photographed, and the microscopic characteristics of three drug powders were also described in detail and pictured. The results showed that three origins of Asteris Flos could be easily distinguished by their macro- and micro-morphologic features, and a key for distinguishing the three origins was given. Moreover, a TLC method, with apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucurono pyranoside and chlorogenic acid as chemical references, was also established for the identification of three origins. The results showed that the TLC chromatograms of the flowers of A. souliei and A. flaccidus were very similar, but different from that of A. asteroides. The established macroscopic, powder microscopic and TLC methods for identification of three origins of AF were simple, accurate, and reproducible, and also effective and easy to operate.
A new isoquinoline alkaloid (6), along with nine known ones (1-5, 7-10), was isolated from the plateau plant Corydalis hendersonii, which is used as a traditional Tibetan medicine. The structure of the new compound was elucidated as 9-methyldecumbenine C by spectroscopic evidence.
Three new alkaloids, N-hexacosanoylanthranilic acid (1), N-octacosanoylanthranilic acid (2) and N-eicosanoyltyramine (3), along with 19 known compounds, were isolated from the seeds of Notopterygium incisum, whose rhizomes are used as a traditional Tibetan medicine. Their structures were elucidated by 1D, 2D NMR spectra and ESI-MS spectrometer evidence.
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