Endoscopic ultrasonography-related diagnostic accuracy and clinical significance on small rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms

This research aimed to examine the diagnostic accuracy and clinical significance of endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS)in the context of small rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms(NENs).A total of 108 patients with rectal subepithelial lesions(SELs)with a diameter of<20 mm were included in the analysis.The diagnosis and depth assessment of EUS was compared to the histology findings.The prevalence of NENs in rectal SELs was 78.7%(85/108).The sensitivity of EUS in detecting rectal NENs was 98.9%(84/85),while the specificity was 52.2%(12/23).Overall,the diagnostic accuracy of EUS in identifying rectal NENs was 88.9%(96/108).The overall accuracy rate for EUS in assessing the depth of invasion in rectal NENs was 92.9%(78/84).Therefore,EUS demonstrates reasonable diagnostic accuracy in detecting small rectal NENs,with good sensitivity but inferior specificity.EUS may also assist physicians in assessing the depth of invasion in small rectal NENs before endoscopic excision.

In-situ deposited anti-aging TiN capping layer for Nb superconducting quantum circuits

The performance of Nb superconducting quantum devices is predominantly limited by dielectric loss at the metal–air interface,where Nb2O5 is considered the main loss source.Here,we suppress the formation of native oxides by in-situ deposition of a TiN capping layer on the Nb film.With TiN capping layers,no Nb2O5 forms on the surface of the Nb film.The quality factor Qi of the Nb resonator increases from 5.6×10^(5) to 7.9×10^(5) at low input power and from 6.8×10^(6) to 1.1×10^(7)at high input power.Furthermore,the TiN capping layer also shows good aging resistance in Nb resonator devices,with no significant performance fluctuations after one month of aging.These findings highlight the effectiveness of TiN capping layers in enhancing the performance and longevity of Nb superconducting quantum devices.

Evaluation of preoperative staging for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) is known for its rapid progression and poor outcomes. China has the highest incidence and mortality in the world. Diagnoses made at early stages and accurate staging are associated with better outcomes, all of which can play a significant role in the selection of treatment protocols. ESCC is staged according to the widely accepted TNM system. Common imaging modalities used in staging ESCC before treatment include endoscopy, computed tomography(CT), positron emission tomography(PET) and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). Endoscopic ultrasound is useful for staging tumor depth and nodal status. Narrow band imaging is valuable for early stage disease assessment. CT and PET provide additional valuable information regarding node and metastasis staging. The ability of MRI to delineate ESCC is continuously being improved and adds information regarding locoregional status to routine examinations.

Complications of high intensity focused ultrasound in patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors

AIM： To analyze the local and systemic complications of high intensity focused ultrasound （HIFU） for patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors. METHODS： From Aug 2001 to Aug 2004, 17 patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors were enrolled in this study. Real-time sonography was taken, and vital signs, liver and kidney function, skin burns, local reactions, and systemic effects were observed and recored before, during, and after HIFU. CT and MR/were also taken before and after HIFU. RESULTS： All 17 patients had skin burns and pain in the treatment region; the next common complication was neurapraxia of the stomach and intestines to variable degrees. The other local and systemic complications were relatively rare. Severe complications were present in two patients; one developed a superior mesenteric artery infarction resulting in necrosis of the entire small intestines, and the other one suffered from a perforation in terminal ileum due to HIFU treatment. CONCLUSION： Although HIFU is a one of noninvasive treatments for the recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors, there are still some common and severe complications which need serious consideration.

Primary intestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma:A clinicopathologic analysis of 81 patients

AIM:To analyze the clinicopathologic features and the prognosis of primary intestinal lymphoma.METHODS:Patients were included in the study based on standard diagnostic criteria for primary gastrointesti-nal lymphoma,and were treated at Sun Yat-sen Univer-sity Cancer Centre between 1993 and 2008.RESULTS:The study comprised 81 adults.The most common site was the ileocaecal region.Twenty-two point two percent patients had low-grade B-cell lym-phoma.Fifty-one point nine percent patients had high-grade B-cell lymphoma and 25.9% patients had T-cell lymphoma.Most patients had localized disease.There were more patients and more early stage diseases in the latter period,and the origin sites changed.The ma-jority of patients received the combined treatment,andabout 20% patients only received nonsurgical therapy.The wverall survival and event-free survival rates after 5 years were 71.6% and 60.9% respectively.The mul-tivariate analysis revealed that small intestine and ileo-caecal region localization,B-cell phenotype,and normal lactate dehydrogenase were independent prognostic factors for better patient survival.Surgery based treat-ment did not improve the survival rate.CONCLUSION:Refined stratification of the patients according to the prognostic variables may allow indi-vidualized treatment.Conservative treatment may be an optimal therapeutic modality for selected patients.

Endoscopic ultrasonography for staging of T1a and T1b esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the accuracy of Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in staging and sub-staging T1a and T1b esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Dielectric properties of spark plasma sintered AlN/SiC composite ceramics

In this study, we have investigated how the dielectric loss tangent and permittivity of AlN ceramics are affected by factors such as powder mixing methods, milling time, sintering temperature, and the addition of a second conductive phase. All ceramic samples were pre-pared by spark plasma sintering （SPS） under a pressure of 30 MPa. AlN composite ceramics sintered with 30wt%-40wt%SiC at 1600℃ for 5 min exhibited the best dielectric loss tangent, which is greater than 0.3. In addition to AlN and β-SiC, the samples also contained 2H-SiC and Fe5Si3, as detected by X-ray difraction （XRD）. The relative densities of the sintered ceramics were higher than 93%. Experimental results indicate that nano-SiC has a strong capability of absorbing electromagnetic waves. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of AlN-SiC ce-ramics with the same content of SiC decreased as the frequency of electromagnetic waves increased from 1 kHz to 1 MHz.

Prognostic values of apoptosis-stimulating P53-binding protein 1 and 2 and their relationships with clinical characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients:a retrospective study

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) is a leading cause of cancer?related death, and new prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed. Apoptosis?stimulating P53?binding protein 1(ASPP1) and 2(ASPP2) have been reported to play important roles in the development, progression, metastasis, and prognosis of cancers, but their roles in ESCC have not been elucidated. In this study, we examined the expression of ASPP1 and ASPP2 in ESCC to evaluate their prognostic values.Methods: The protein expression of ASPP1, ASPP2, and P53 in 175 specimens of ESCC was detected using immuno?histochemical staining; their expression in cancerous and noncancerous tissues was scored according to the stain?ing intensity and the percentage of stained cells. The associations of ASPP1, ASPP2, and P53 with clinicopathologic parameters, overall survival(OS), and disease?free survival(DFS) were analyzed.Results: The protein expression levels of ASPP2 and P53 were significantly higher in cancerous tissues than in paired noncancerous tissues(P < 0.001), whereas the expression levels of ASPP1 in the two groups were similar. In ESCCs, ASPP1 expression was significantly associated with histological differentiation(P = 0.002) and invasive depth(P = 0.014); ASPP2 expression was associated with age(P = 0.029) and histological differentiation(P < 0.001); and P53 expression was associated with age(P and P53 expression. Survival an= 0.021) and tumor size(P alysis revealed that high AS= 0.040). No correlations were found between ASPP1, ASPP2,PP2 expression was significantly associated with increased 5?year OS(P = 0.001) and DFS rates(P ate of ESCC patients(= 0.010) and that high P53 expression was significantly associated with a reduced 5?year DFS rP atio(HR): 0.541, 9= 0.015). Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that ASPP2 was an inde?pendent predictor of OS [hazard r5% confidence interval(CI) 0.363–0.804] and DFS(HR: 0.599, 95% CI 0.404–0.888) of ESCC patients and that P53 was an independent predictor of DFS(HR: 2.161, 95% CI 1.100–4.245).Conclusions: ASPP1 might be involved in the progression of ESCC, and ASPP2 was a potential prognostic biomarker of ESCC and should be evaluated in future studies.

Effects of omeprazole in improving concurrent chemoradiotherapy efficacy in rectal cancer

AIM To explore the effects of omeprazole on chemoradiotherapy efficacy and tumor recurrence in rectal cancer. METHODS The medical data of 125 rectal cancer patients who received the same neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy(CRT) followed by surgery were retrospectively collected. Patients who received omeprazole(OME) orally at a dose of 20 mg at least once daily for six days and/or intravenously at 40 mg a day were recognized as eligible OME users(EOU). Otherwise, patients were regarded as non-eligible OME users(non-EOU).Moreover, a preferred OME dose cut-off of 200 mg on tumor recurrence was obtained by receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves. Patients were divided into two groups: the effective OME group(EOG, OME ≥ 200 mg) and the non-effective OME group(non-EOG, OME < 200 mg). RESULTS The good response rate of CRT efficacy(50.8%) in EOU was significantly increased compared with nonEOU(30.6%)(P = 0.02). The recurrence rate in the EOG was 10.3%, which was significantly lower compared with 31.3% in non-EOG(P = 0.025). The good response rate of CRT efficacy in EOG was 55.2%, which was obviously higher compared with 36.5% in non-EOG, with a significant difference(P = 0.072). Multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that OME(nonEOG and EOG) was an independent and significant impact factor for DFS(P = 0.048, HR = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.09-0.99).CONCLUSION When applied as an adjuvant drug in cancer treatment for relieving common side effects of chemotherapy, omeprazole has a synergetic effect in improving CRT efficacy and decreasing rectal cancer recurrence.

Methyl-methanesulfonate sensitivity 19 expression is associated with metastasis and chemoradiotherapy response in esophageal cancer

AIM: To investigate the clinical significance of methylmethanesulfonate sensitivity 19(MMS19) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).METHODS: Between June 2008 and May 2013, specimens from 103 patients who underwent endoscopic biopsy for the diagnosis of ESCC at the endoscopy center of Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center were collected; 52 matched-normal esophageal squamous epithelium samples were biopsied as controls.MMS19 protein expression was measured by immunohistochemistry.Of the 103 cases of ESCC, 49 received radical surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy consisting of concurrent radiation in a total dose of 40 Gy and two cycles of chemotherapy with vinorelbine and cisplatin.Relationships between MMS19 expression, clinicopathologic characteristics and chemoradiotherapy response were analyzed.RESULTS: The MMS19 protein could be detected in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of most specimens.High cytoplasmic expression of MMS19 was detected in 63.1% of ESCC samples, whereas high nuclearexpression of MMS19 was found in 35.0%.High cytoplasmic MMS19 expression was associated with regional lymph node metastases(OR = 11.3, 95%CI: 2.3-54.7; P < 0.001) and distant metastases(OR = 13.1, 95%CI: 1.7-103.0; P = 0.002).Furthermore, high cytoplasmic MMS19 expression was associated with a response of ESCC to chemoradiotherapy(OR = 11.5, 95%CI: 3.0-44.5; P < 0.001), with a high cytoplasmic MMS19 expression rates in 79.3% and 25.0% of patients from the good chemoradiotherapy response group and poor response group, respectively.Nuclear MMS19 expression did not show any significant association with clinicopathologic characteristics or chemoradiotherapy response in ESCC.CONCLUSION: The results of our preliminary study suggest that MMS19 may be a potential new predictor of metastasis and chemoradiotherapy response in ESCC.

Effect of Shenfu injection on microcirculation effect index in early-and middle-stage of cardiogenic shock rats

OBJECTIVE Shenfu injection(SFI)is an effective treatment of cardiogenic shock,the pathology of the central link was microcirculation disturbance.However,whether the microcirculation status of the early-and mid-stage of cardiogenic shock has any difference is unclear.This study aimed to observe the effect of SFI on the microcirculatory disturbance in mesentery for early-and mid-stage of cardiogenic shock rat.METHODS The early-and mid-stage model of cardiogenic shock was established by ligating the ending or root of left anterior descending coronary arteries(LADCA).The rats were randomly divided into 9 groups,ie control group,early-stage model group,mid-stage model group,3 early medicated groups and 3 mid medicated groups(the dosage was 1,3.33,10 mL·kg^(-1) SFI for cardiogenic shock rats of early-and mid-stage,respectively).Parameters in mesenteric microcirculation,such as velocity of RBCs in venules,diameters of venules,the count of leukocyte adhesion and vascular permeability which calculated by FITC-dextran leakage were observed through an GeneandiM2 inverted intravital microscope and high-speed video camera system.RESULTS The cardiogenic shock induced by ligating the LADCA resulted in a number of responses in microcirculation,including a significant increase in the counts of adhesive leukocytes,narrowing of the vascular diameter,decrease in the velocity of RBCs and dextran efflux.All of the above parameters for early-stage cardiogenic shock rats were attenuated by the treatment with SFI,especially the dosage of 10 mL·kg^(-1).While SFI had no apparent time-effect on the vascular diameter and vascular permeability in mesentery for mid-stage cardiogenic shock rats.CONCLUSION The microcirculation status of the early-and mid-stage of cardiogenic shock rats were quite different.The efficacy of early treatment with SFI was more obvious than the mid administration,which could provide experimental and theoretical basis for the patients with cardiogenic shock in an earlier time.

鼻咽癌放疗后内镜超声引导下咽后淋巴结细针抽吸术:一种新型准确诊断技术

背景与目的鼻咽癌(nasopharyngeal carcinoma,NPC)患者接受放射治疗后普遍出现咽后淋巴结(retropharyngeal lymph nodes,RLNs)增大。病理学检查结果决定了对增大RLNs最佳治疗方案的选择。然而,在临床上RLN取样难度大。我们最近开发了一种内镜超声引导下细针抽吸(endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration,EUS-FNA)的新型微创技术,可取到足够的RLN组织用以病理学或细胞学诊断。方法纳入30例经核磁共振成像(magnetic resonance imaging,MRI)检测疑似放疗后出现RLN转移的NPC患者。EUS探头经鼻孔置入鼻咽,然后使用EUS扫描咽后间隙并在颈动脉鞘前定位RLN,随后进行EUS-FNA。对EUS-FNA法从RLN组织取样的安全性和有效性进行评估。结果采用EUS-FNA法成功地对所有患者进行了组织取样。在30例患者中,23例经1次EUS-FNA取样后通过病理学或细胞学检查确认了活检组织中存在癌细胞。有7例患者经1次EUS-FNA活检后未确认存在癌细胞,随后再次采用EUS-FNA活检重新分析,又有2例被确认存在癌细胞;另外5例未确认存在癌细胞的患者密切随访3个月,每月进行1次MRI。随访3个月后,3例患者由于RLNs直径保持稳定或减小而被认为未患肿瘤;剩余2例表现出疾病进展的患者进行了第3次EUS-FNA活检,进一步确认为癌细胞阳性。本文所报道的整个队列中,EUS-FNA过程无任何严重并发症发生。结论采用EUS-FNA法对疑似NPC复发患者的RLNs取样是一种安全有效的诊断方法。

Extraesophageal saline enhances endoscopic ultrasonography to differentiate esophagus and adjacent organs

AIM: To distinguish between the esophagus and adjacent organs using extraesophageal saline injection (ESI) in a canine model.

Superficial esophageal lesions detected by endoscopic ultrasound enhanced with submucosal edema

AIM:To determine if there is consistency between endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)findings and pathological results for detecting lesions of different depth in the esophageal mucosa.METHODS:A canine(Beagle)model was established in which lesions of different depths were created in the esophageal mucosa by thermal burning.Seventy-two hours later,these lesions and adjacent tissue in the esophagus were examined by EUS.EUS findings including infiltrating depth,strength of echogenicity and homogeneity were recorded.Dogs were sacrificed and tissue specimens were obtained.We then compared the EUS findings with the pathology reports.RESULTS:Thermal burns created at different power settings caused lesions of different depth in the esophageal mucosa.When the echo strength was shifted from high,medium,to low echogenicity,an increase in the infiltrating depth of the lesion was noted,which coincided with results of the pathology examination.Obvious submucosal edema visualized by EUS was also detected by pathology.Furthermore,because of the enhancement caused by the submucosal edema,the lesions invading into the submucosa were easily visualized by EUS.CONCLUSION:There is consistency between EUS findings and pathological results of esophageal lesions with different depths.Submucosal edema can serve as an ultrasonic contrast agent.

High adsorption and separation performance of CO_(2) over N2 in azo-based(N=N)pillar[6]arene supramolecular organic frameworks

Azo-based pillar[6]arene supramolecular organic frameworks are reported for CO_(2) and N_(2) adsorption and separation by density functional theory and grand canonical Monte–Carlo simulation.Azo-based pillar[6]arene provides suitable environment for CO_(2) adsorption and selectivity.The adsorption and selectivity results show that introducing azo groups can effectively improve CO_(2) adsorption and selectivity over N_(2),and both CO_(2) adsorption and CO_(2) selectivity over N_(2) follow the sequence pillar[6]arene N_(4)>pillar[6]arene N2>pillar[6]arene.Pillar[6]arene N_(4) exhibits CO_(2) adsorption capacity of1.36 mmol/g,and superior selectivity of CO_(2) over N_(2) of116.75 with equal molar fraction at 1 bar(1 bar=105 Pa)and 298 K.Interaction analysis confirms that both the Coulomb and van derWaals interactions between CO_(2) with pillar[6]arene frameworks are greater than that of N_(2).The stronger affinity of CO_(2) with pillar[6]arene N_(4) than other structures and the larger isosteric heat differences between CO_(2) and N2 rendered pillar[6]arene N4 to present the high CO_(2) adsorption capacity and high CO_(2) selectivity over N_(2).Our results highlight the potential of azo-functionalization as an excellent means to improve pillar[6]arene for CO_(2) capture and separation.

Association between red blood cell increase and gut microbiota induced by high-fat diet

OBJECTIVE To investigate the underlyingmechanism on the association of red blood cell and gut microbiota in rats induced by High-Fat Diet(HFD).METHODS A total of 36 male SpragueDawley rats(180±20 g) were randomly divided into two groups.The control group(n=10) was given a normal chow diet(10% calories of fat),and the High-fat diet group(n=26) was given a HFD(60% calo.ries of fat).We recorded body weight,length and detected serum glucose,serum lipids and insulin ev.ery two weeks.The fresh arterial blood was collected during the experiments and blood gases were measured immediately(Radiometer Medical ApS,Denmark).Thehematocrit(Hct) and partial pressure of oxygen(pO_2) were detected by the sensor cassette,following themanufacturer′s instructions.The de.tection method was conductivity measurements and current method,respectively.The feces from ce.cum were analyzed by 16 S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing(Illumina Miseq,USA).RESULTS According to the insulin resistance(IR),body weight and body length,the model group was divided into two small groups.(1) IR group,in which IR,body weight and body length were higher than the control group(P<0.05).(2) un-IR group,body weight and body length were higher than the control group(P<0.05),but the IR was not significantly different.In addition,the levels of hematocrit(Hct),checktotalhe.moglobin(ctHb) and check total blood oxygen content(ctO_2) showed significantly increased in the IR group when compared with the control group(P<0.05),however,the pO_2 was not statistically signifi.cant.Furthermore,we identified that the genus Lactobacillus was moderate positive correlation with Hct,ctHb and ctO_2(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the relative abundance of the Lactoba.cillus was significantly lower in IR group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The high-fat diet induced rats′ local tissue hypoxia under the red blood cell increasing,oxygen partial pressure constant and the reduction of Lactobacillus′ abundance might be caused by aerobic oxidation and glycolysis inhibition in the meantime.

Effect and mechanism of Huanglianjiedu decoction on high fat-induced atherosclerosisrats and metabolomics study by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

OBJECTIVE To explore the biomarkers and molecular mechanism of Huanglianjiedu decoction(HJD) on high fat diet-induced experimental atherosclerosis in rats.METHODS SD male rats were randomly dividedinto five groups(n=8):normal control group,model group,and three dosage groups(1.5,3 and 6 g crude drug per kilogram of body weight).Atherosclerosis was induced by the combination of regular intraperitoneal injection of vitamin D3 and high fat diet for 8 weeks.HJD was administered by oral gavage from the third week once per day and until the end of the study.After the final administration,the blood samples were collected for biochemical analyses [total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),highdensity lipoprotein(HDL-C),low-density cholesterol(LDL-C)] and blood gas analyses(PaO_2,PaCO_2,pH,ctHb,etc);the abdominal aorta sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathology;the liver homogenate were determined for MDA,SOD,OX-LDL,MCP-1 and VCAM-1.The plasma samples were detected using ultraper formance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS).The data of endogenous compounds were preliminarily preprocessed by software Progenesis QI and then analyzed by multivari.ate statistical analysis software EZinfo 2.0 to screen the distinguished biomarkers and the metabolic pathways were analyzed through website http://www.metaboanalyst.ca/.RESULTS Compared with the normal control group,the content of TC,TG,LDL-C,PaCO_2,MDA,Ox-LDL,MCP-1 and VCAM-1 were significantly increased and HDL-C,PaO_2,ctHb and SOD decreased in the atherosclerosis rats.HJD could significantly attenuated the high fat-induced atherosclerosis pathological injury and the abovementioned indexes(P<0.05).The five groups could be clearly distinguished using the metabolomics method.The administration groups profile exhibited an apparent returning trend from that of the model group and that of the normal control group.Twenty-one endogenous metabolites has been significantly changed in atherosclerosis rats.HJD could remarkably up-regulate 5-L-glutamyl-taurine,L-beta-aspartylL-glutamic acid,histidinyl-hydroxyproline,tryptophyl-alanine,4′-O-methyl-(-)-epicatechin,and downregulate protoporphyrin IX,azelaic acid,lacto-N-triaose,cinnamoylglycine and 9′-carboxy-alpha-tocotri.enol.CONCLUSION The beneficial effect of HJD in high fat-induced atherosclerosis rats may be due to anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory.And it is suggested that HJD may affect the model rats through tryptophan metabolism,taurine and hypotaurine metabolism,histidine metabolism,lysine degradation and porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism pathway.

Correlation between insulin resistance index and hypoxia in obese rat model base on blood gas analyzing

OBJECTIVE To explorethe correlation betweenhypoxiaand insulin resistance bythe blood gas index in high-fat diets-induced obese rat model.METHODS 36% of high-fat diets were fed to SD male rats for 12 weeks.The model group was divided into IR group and non-IR group with the HOMA-IR index of the 12th week,and the abdominal aorta blood was taken for blood gas analysis.RESULTS The HOMA-IR index,Hct,ctHb and ctO_2 in IR group were significantly higher than those in normal group andnon-IR group(P>0.05),simultaneously no significant difference in pO_2,pCO_2 and sO_2 between tree groups.CONCLUSION Circulating blood of obese rat with insulin resistance is normoxia,accompanied by higher Hct,tHb and ctO_2,which may be due to the higher blood viscositand the selfregulation of chronic hypoxia in the body.

DCK confers sensitivity of DCTD-positive cancer cells to oxidized methylcytidines

Dear Editor,Cytidine analogs,such as decitabine(DAC)and cytarabine(ara-C),have been widely used in the clinical treatment for several cancer types,including myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia(AML;Appelbaum et al.1999;Saba 2007).However,drug resistance causing treatment failure and disease relapse is an unresolved problem to date.Certain cancer cells rely on the salvage enzymes cytidine deaminase(CDA)and dCMP deaminase(DCTD)to inactivate these cytidine derivative drugs by deamination(Jamieson et al.1987;Ebrahem et al.2012).It is imperative to develop new categories of chemotherapeutic nucleosides to overcome the drug resistance caused by such increased cellular deamination activity.

Discrimination of toxic ingredient between raw and processed Pinellia ternata by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS with principal component analysis and T-test

Objective: To investigate the toxicity difference between raw and processed Pinelliae Rhizoma(Banxia in Chinese, BX), the rhizoma of Pinellia ternata, from the view of chemical composition.Methods: Sixteen samples of raw and processed BX were prepared and analyzed by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS.The discrimination(chemical marker) between the two group was investigated by principal component analysis(PCA) and T-test analysis. According to the accurate charge-to-mass ratio, MS/MS fragments, and comparison of corresponding data with the reference or database, the chemical markers were identified preliminarily.Results: Liquiritin, liquiritigenin, and lysophosphatidylcholine(LPC) were identified as the characteristic markers. The reducing of LPC in processed BX was one of the main reasons for detoxification because LPC could induce the inflammatory response;Liquiritin and liquiritigenin showed the anti-inflammatory effect and reduced liver injury, therefore the appearance of them in processed BX was an another reason for detoxification.Conclusion: An approach to explain the mechanisms of reducing the toxicity in medicinal plants by processing was proposed. Moreover, the chemical markers of toxicity could be used to differentiate the raw material from processed herbs for the quality control and safety application in clinical practice.