<i>In Vitro</i>Evaluation of the Staining Effects of Two Intracanal Medicaments over a 3-Month Period

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the tooth color alterations associated with two intracanal medicaments, calcium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide combined with aquatic solution of chlorexidine, for up to three months post-treatment. Materials & Methods: Thirty-one intact human anterior mature teeth were used. Black adhesive tape with a 4-mm diameter window was used to standardize the enamel surface intended for color analysis. After access cavity preparation, cleaning and shaping were completed with rotary nickel-titanium files. The teeth were randomly divided into two groups (n = 15), each according to the intracanal medicament used: (A) calcium hydroxide paste (UltraCalTM XSTM Ultradent Products, Inc., USA);(B) 2% chlorhexidine aquatic solution combined with pure calcium hydroxide powder. In one tooth, no medicament was placed (pilot). The enamel surfaces were colormetrically evaluated at the following time intervals: before placing the medicaments, immediately after placement, after 1 week as well as after 1, 2 and 3 months post-treatment. The CIE color parameters (L*, a*, b*) were recorded for each material and the corresponding color differences (ΔΕ) were calculated and statistically analyzed. Results: The most significant factor in tooth discoloration was the time intervals. The most important changes of the ΔΕ values were recorded after the 1st week and after the 3rd month. L* presented an overall increase in both groups, resulting in a higher lightness of the crown color. Only L* did show significant alterations during specific time intervals. Conclusions: There is no statistically significant relationship between the type of intracanal medicament and tooth color alteration. Time is statistically the most important factor affecting the discoloration ability of Ca(OH)2, either combined with chlorexidine or not. Consequently, the clinician should always take this into account before using such medicaments for a long-term treatment.

Study on the interaction between volatile oil components and skin lipids based on molecular docking techniques

Objective To analyze the interactions between different structural types of volatile oil compo-nents(VOCs)and skin lipid molecules;and investigate the mechanism of volatile oil in Chi-nese materia medica(VOCMM)as penetration enhancers.Methods In this study;210 different structural types of VOCs were selected from the VOCMM penetration enhancer database;and the molecular docking experiments were conducted with three main lipid molecules of skin:ceramide 2(CER2);cholesterol(CHL);and free fatty acid(FFA).Each VOC was docked individually with each lipid molecule.Cluster analysis was used to explore the relationship between the binding energy of VOCs and their molecular struc-tures.Nine specific pathogen-free(SPF)Sprague Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided in-to Control;Nootkatone;and 3-Butylidenephthalide groups for in vitro percutaneous experi-ments;with three rats in each group.The donor pool solutions were 3%gastrodin;3%gas-trodin+3%nootkatone;and 3%gastrodin+3%3-butylidenephthalide;respectively.The pen-etration enhancing effects of VOCs with higher binding energy were evaluated by comparing the 12-hour cumulative percutaneous absorption of gastrodin(Q12;µg/cm²).Results(i)Most of the VOCs were non-hydrogen bonded to the hydrophobic parts of CHL and FFA;and hydrogen bonded to the head group of CER2.Among them;sesquiterpene ox-ides showed the most pronounced binding affinity to CER2.The VOCs with 2-4 rings(in-cluding carbon rings;benzene rings;and heterocycles)demonstrated stronger binding affini-ty for three skin lipid molecules compared with the VOCs without intramolecular rings(P<0.01).(ii)According to the cluster analysis;most of the VOCs that bond well to CER2 had 2-3 intramolecular rings.The non-oxygenated VOCs were bonded to CER2 in a hydrophobic manner.The oxygenated VOCs were mostly bonded to CER2 by hydrogen bonding.(iii)The results of Franz diffusion cell experiment showed that the Q12 of Control group was 260.60±25.09µg/cm2;and the transdermal absorption of gastrodin was significantly increased in Nootkatone group(Q12=5503.00±1080.00µg/cm²;P<0.01).The transdermal absorption of gastrodin was also increased in 3-Butylidenephthalide group(Q12=495.40±56.98µg/cm²;P>0.05).(iv)The type of oxygen-containing functional groups in VOCs was also an influencing factor of binding affinity to CER2.Conclusion The interactions between different types of VOCs with different structures in the VOCMM and three skin lipid molecules in the stratum corneum were investigated at the molecular level in this paper.This research provided theoretical guidance and data support for the screening of volatile oil-based penetration enhancers;and a simple and rapid method for studying the penetration-enhancing mechanism of volatile oils.

Discovery of the relationship between bitter taste and bitter flavor (efficacy) based on hTAS2Rs

Objective:To explore the relationship between bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy),their character-istics were analyzed at the target and pharmacodynamic points.Methods:Compounds with bitter receptor activity were obtained by high-throughput screening models of the human bitter taste receptors(hTAS2Rs),which were used to analyze bitter taste.The efficacy of anti-asthma medications was used as an example to research bitter flavor(efficacy).The pharmacological effects of bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)were classified according to the functional modules.The coverage for the same targets or pharmacological effects in the overall protein interaction network(PIN)of bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)was analyzed to reveal their relationship.The effect of the compound polydatin with anti-asthma activation on hTAS2R14 was studied to verify the reliability of the aforementioned idea.Results:A total of 121 Chinese materia medica(CMM)compounds that activate hTAS2R10,hTAS2R14,and hTAS2R49 were obtained.The analysis results indicated that 108 same targets for bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)were obtained,accounting for 13.9%in the PIN of bitter taste and 72.5%in the PIN of bitter flavor(efficacy).The pharmacological effects shared by bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)accounted for 79%of the PIN of bitter taste and 81%of the PIN of bitter flavor(efficacy).The activating effect of the anti-asthma compound polydatin on hTAS2R14 was dose-dependent with EC 50 of 4.3 m M.Conclusion:In this study,the relationship between bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)has been demonstrated from the target and pharmacodynamic points,which are based on hTAS2Rs and anti-asthma effect.Bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)exhibited a high correlation.This study provides a theoretical and scientific basis for the hypothesis that“the property theory of CMM is the clinical pharmacodynamics of CMM.”

Understanding Poison:Study of a Word Du from the Perspective of Comparative History

This article investigates the word Du(毒)in premodern Chinese medicine and culture.It highlights the paradoxical meaning of the word that served as a foundation for the therapeutic use of poisons in traditional Chinese medicine.The article then situates the study in a comparative framework.By comparing the Chinese notion of Du with the Greek concept of pharmakon,it demonstrates significant similarities on the medical use of poisons in the two cultures.It further identifies a striking difference:While the European pharmacy started to separate poisons from medicines in the medieval era,poisons remained an integral part of healing repertoire throughout imperial China.The article ends with offering some cultural explanations for this divergence,and more broadly,a distinct worldview as revealed by the intimate relationship between poisons and medicines in traditional Chinese pharmacy.

From Hai Yao, Yang Yao to Xi Yao: Sinification of Material Medical from the West

In ancient China, Daoist philosophers developed the concepts of qi(energy), Wu Xing(five elements), and yin(feminine, dark, negative) and yang(masculine, bright, positive) opposite forces between 200 and 600 BCE. Based on these philosophies, Zhen Jiu(acupuncture), Ben Cao(materia medica), and the practice of Qi Gong(energy optimization movements) evolved as the three interrelated therapeutic regimens of Chinese medicine(Note 1). Since the time of Zhang Qian, who discovered China's western regions in the 1st century BCE, Hai Yao(the exotic elements of materia medica from the maritime Silk Road countries), had been transmitted from the ancient land and maritime routes of the Silk Road to China in the past two millennia(Note 2). Since the late 17th century, the English East India Company, later called the British East India Company, introduced Yang Yao(opium) to the Manchu Qing Empire to balance a growing trade deficit for tea export from China to the British Empire. After the First Opium War ended in 1842, enterprising expatriate chemists and druggists in the treaty ports imported Xi Yao(modern medicines from the Western world) for sale to the merchant navy and the local market. From the second half of the 19th century onwards, both Hai Yao and Xi Yao have become a fully integrated part of modern China's armamentarium for the Chinese medicine and Western hospitals and retail pharmacy sectors. This paper articulates the journey of adoption of exotic elements of materia medica from the ancient land and sea routes of the Silk Road, including the western regions and the rest of the world in the past two millennia. Opium traders, ship surgeons, medical and pharmaceutical missionaries, enterprising traders, and policymakers together transformed Ben Cao into Xi Yao during the late Manchu Qing dynasty and the early Nationalist Era.

Philosophy and Philology:Two Approaches of Commentating the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing(Shen Nong's Classic of the Materia Medica)in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

This paper tests the hypothesis that the commentary trend of the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing(Shen Nong’s Classic of the Materia Medica)arises alongside the fashionable philology of the time,or the aversion against the Jin-Yuan medical philosophy.After surveying 12 major commentaries,it is concluded that the situation is more complicated than a simple assertion.The seemingly opposite philosophy and philology approaches have been used eclectically to innovate the understanding of ancient traditional Chinese medicine texts.

Research progress in mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis(KOA)is a chronic degenerative Osteoarthritis disease.The majority of patients with knee osteoarthritis were elderly patients.The disease not only greatly affects the work and life of patients but also brings serious burden to families and society.The traditional Chinese medicine has a long history in China,which has shown a multi-pathway and multitarget mechanism for the prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis.According to the properties of Chinese medicine,it was divided into four categories:drugs to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis,drugs to clear heat,drugs to dispel wind dampness and drugs to tonify deficiency.In addition,the relevant literatures at home and abroad in recent five years were reviewed to summarize and generalize the mechanism of traditionalChinese medicine in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis,in order to provide reference for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with traditional Chinese medicine.

Textual Research on Dioscorides and De Materia Medica

The Greek pharmacologist Dioscorides’s De Materia Medica is one of the greatest works in the history of Greek-Arabic Traditional Medicine, and also is an essential medical textbook and pharmacological standard in Europe. This paper studied the historical background, academic characteristics, editions, and significant contributions to traditional medicine of De Materia Medica and Dioscorides. It was concluded that the book has substantial scientific importance and remarkable cultural attributes. De Materia Medica of Dioscorides has both nourished world traditional medicine and promoted the communication and development of medicinal knowledge worldwide. It is significant for us to explore further the related understanding of traditional medicine, history, society, and culture.

中国神方丙治疗β-地中海贫血症的临床与机理研究

β-地中海贫血(以下简称β-地贫)是世界性顽症之一,它是一种遗传性贫血,其分子基础是由于β-基因缺失或功能缺乏,使β-珠蛋白链不能合成导致早期造血障碍。其治疗以输血为主,有的用5氮胞苷(Azac),阿糖胞苷(Arac)羟基脲(HU)等化疗药物治疗。刘氏曾报告马利兰虽能明显提高贫血恒河猴的r-基因表达,使HbF(抗碱血红蛋白)合成,临床上也有一定的效果,但上述这些药物均有很强的副反应。我们根据中医肾藏精生髓”的理论,采用滋补肾阴生血法。

Construction of universal quantitative models for the determination of cefoperazone sodium/sulbactam sodium for injection from different manufacturers using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy

To develop near-infrared （NIR） reflectance spectroscopic methods for the quantitative analysis of cefoperazone sodium/ sulbactam sodium from different manufacturers for injection powder medicaments. Various powders of cefoperazone sodium/ sulbactam sodium were directly analyzed by non-destructive NIR reflectance spectroscopy using the spectrometer EQUINOX55. Two quantitative methods via integrating sphere （IS） and fiberoptic probe （FOP） models were explored from 6 batches of commercial samples and 42 batches of laboratory samples at a content ranging from 30% to 70% for cefoperazone and 60% to 20% for sulbactam. The root mean square errors of cross validation （RMSECV） and the root mean square errors of prediction （RMSEP） of IS were 1.79% and 2.85%, respectively, for cefoperazone sodium, and were 1.86% and 3.08%, respectively, for sulbactam sodium; and those of FOP were 2.93% and 2.92%, respectively, for cefoperazone sodium, and were 2.23% and 3.01%, respectively, for sulbactam sodium. Based on the ICH guidelines and Ref. 12, the quantitative models were then evaluated in terms of specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness and model transferability. The non-destructive quantitative NIR methods used in this study are applicable for rapid analysis of injectable powdered drugs from different manufacturers.

Neuroprotective Effects of Bushen Decoction Against Glutamate-Induced Neurotoxicity in PC12 Cells

Aim The enhanced effect of Bushen (Kidney-tonifying) decoction (BS) oncultured PC12 cell proliferation and its antagonistic action on neurotoxicity induced by glutamatewere investigated by serum pharmacological method of the Chinese material medica (CMM) in vitro.Methods The effect of BS on cultured PC12 cell activity and its antagonistic action on neurotoxicityinduced by glutamate was observed by MTT method. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopetechniques were employed to observe the antagonistic effect of BS on early period apoptosis of PC12cells induced by glutamate. Results The serum with BS was able to enhance activity of PC12 cells andexert antagonistic effect on glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Meanwhile, these beneficial effectsproduced by BS were found to be the strongest in 20% concentration of in serum BS. Moreover, it caninhibit apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by glutamate , which occurs in the early period. ConclusionBS may exert a potential neuroprotective effect.

响应面法优化佛手总黄酮提取工艺

以乙醇溶液为提取溶剂从佛手(Citrus medica var.sarcodactylis)中提取总黄酮,在单因素试验的基础上以佛手总黄酮提取率为指标,选择提取温度、提取时间和液料比3个因素进行Box-Behnken中心组合试验,优化佛手总黄酮的提取工艺条件。结果表明,优化的提取工艺条件为体积分数60%的乙醇溶液作提取溶剂、提取温度69℃、提取时间1.9 h、液料比V乙醇:m佛手粉=32:1(mL/g)、提取2次,该条件下佛手总黄酮提取率为0.565 9%。

植物激素对灵菊七愈伤组织中黄酮含量的影响

以灵菊七(Gynura medica)无菌试管苗叶片为外植体,接种于愈伤组织诱导培养基上,诱导形成愈伤组织,并进行愈伤组织继代培养。将继代培养的愈伤组织接种于含有不同激素(浓度)组合的愈伤增殖培养基上,以硝酸铝显色法测定其中黄酮的含量。结果表明,在4种愈伤组织增殖培养基上,愈伤组织中总黄酮含量最大值分别达到0.794%、2.112%、1.652%、2.792%。培养基MS+0.5 mg/L 6-BA+0.5 mg/LNAA+1.0 mg/L GA最适用于灵菊七愈伤组织中黄酮总量的积累。

“视徒如己,反己以教,则得教之情也”——浅谈《临床中药学》的教、学方法

广义的中药学是与中医学并列的一级学科,一切与中药有关的理论、知识和技术,都属于中药学的范畴,其中包括了专门研究中药基源、鉴定、化学、炮制、制剂、药理及临床应用等系列二级学科.狭义的中药学,既是中医学的一门二级学科,也是中药学的一门二级学科,是以临床安全、有效和合理使用中药为目的,主要研究和介绍中药理论及中药性能、临床应用知识的学科.为了与广义的中药学相区别,目前将狭义的中药学称为临床中药学.

MEDICA Easylyte电解质分析仪薄膜装置的重新利用

目的降低MEDICA Easylyte电解质分析仪薄膜装置的消耗成本，评价薄膜装置重新利用后的各项技术指标。方法将穿孔后的薄膜装置有效处理后装入仪器，对其进行精密度、回收率、线性范围及与装有配套新薄膜装置的相同仪器进行对比实验。结果装有重新利用的薄膜装置的仪器对钾、钠、氯的测定之精密度、回收率、线性范围均达到临床应用的要求，并与装有配套新薄膜装置的相同仪器的相关性良好，相关系数r均〉0．9916。结论MEDICA Easylyte电解质分析仪再利用的薄膜装置完全达到实验要求，可重新利用，值得推广。