Phthalides, senkyunolide A and ligustilide, show immunomodulatory effect in improving atherosclerosis, through inhibiting AP-1 and NF-κB expression.

Atherosclerosis is initiated by the local inflammation response to lipid deposition, and the most commonly administered antiatherogenic drugs are statins. Based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) evidence, we aimed to find effective therapeutic agents other than statins. A TCM, Suxiao Jiuxin Pill (SX), has been widely used in curing cardiovascular diseases for thirty years.

Effects of different frequencies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in stroke patients with non-fluent aphasia: a randomized, sham-controlled study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied at different frequencies to the contra-lesional hemisphere to optimize the treatment of post-stroke non-fluent aphasia.

Method: Patients with post-stroke non-fluent aphasia were divided randomly into four groups: a high-frequency rTMS (HF-rTMS) group (10 Hz), a low-frequency rTMS (LF-rTMS) group (1 Hz), a sham stimulation group, and a control group. All groups received the standard treatment (consisting of drug therapy, conventional physical exercises, and speech training); in the HF-rTMS and LF-rTMS, this was supplemented with magnetic stimulation that targeted the mirror area within the right hemispheric Broca's area.

Evaluation of three pumpkin species: correlation with physicochemical, antioxidant properties and classification using SPME-GC-MS and E-nose methods.

To ascertain the most discriminant variables for three pumpkin species principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. Twenty-four parameters (pH, conductivity, sucrose, glucose, total soluble solids, , , , individual weight, edible rate, firmness, citric acid, fumaric acid, l-ascorbic acid, malic acid, PPO activity, POD activity, total flavonoids, vitamin E, total phenolics, DPPH, FRAP, β-carotene, and aroma) were considered. The studied pumpkin species were , , and .

Cimicifugamide from Cimicifuga rhizomes functions as a nonselective β-AR agonist for cardiac and sudorific effects.

Cimicifuga rhizomes (CR) are used in the treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in traditional Chinese medicine, but their key effective components and mechanism of action have not yet been reported. In this study, the cardiac, antipyretic and sudorific effects of CR were evaluated using the toad heart failure in vitro model and mice fever and sweating in vivo models. Moreover, the UPLC/Q-TOF-MS-integrated β2-AR luciferase reporter gene assay system was used to screen the bioactive ingredients from CR extract, and the activity of this ingredient were verified using the above-mentioned in vitro and vivo models.

High-Throughput Analytical Techniques for Determination of Residues of 653 Multiclass Pesticides and Chemical Pollutants in Tea--Part V: A Comparative Study of the Influence of Tea Hydration on the Efficiency of Pesticide Multiresidue Determination Using Three Sample Preparation Methods and GC/MS/MS.

This paper describes a comparative study of the influence of three sample preparation techniques (M1: hydration+oscillating extraction+partial extraction solution hexane partitioning cleanup; M2: hydration+oscillating extraction+overall extraction solution SPE cleanup; and M3: pure acetonitrile homogeneous extraction+overall extraction SPE cleanup) on the determination efficiency of 456 pesticide multiresidues in tea. First, it was discovered from the mathematical correlation equation of 329 pesticide recoveries established and log Kow values that the extraction efficiency of hydration method M1 has obvious correlation with pesticide log Kow, making the extraction efficiency of M1 take the shape of an arc trend line with a certain arc hanging down from both ends of polar pesticides and nonpolar pesticides. Second, regarding the M1 method, the interfering matter after co-extraction increased in large quantities, which markedly lowered the S/N of the target pesticides and method sensitivity, leading to an obvious decrease of the method efficiency.

Dynamic metabolic changes after permanent cerebral ischemia in rats with/without post-stroke exercise: a positron emission tomography (PET) study.

Objectives: Recent studies have suggested that rehabilitation therapy can accelerate functional recovery after a stroke. Although often overlooked, the cortical hemisphere contralateral to an infarction plays an important role. This study investigates alterations in metabolism of both the damaged ('ipsilateral') as well as the undamaged ('contralateral') hemisphere using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-micro-positron emission tomography (PET) in a rat permanent stroke model (with or without post-injury exercise) in order to elucidate the relative importance of either hemisphere to the recovery process following stroke.

High-throughput GC/MS and HPLC/MS/MS techniques for the multiclass, multiresidue determination of 653 pesticides and chemical pollutants in tea.

An efficient and sensitive method has been established for simultaneous determination of 653 pesticides in teas by GC/MS and HPLC/MS/MS. The method involved extraction with acetonitrile followed by cleanup using Cleanert-TPT SPE and subsequent identification and quantitation of 490 pesticides by GC/MS and 448 pesticides by HPLC/MS/ MS. The LODs for pesticides determined by GC/MS were between 1.

Two new triterpenes from the rhizomes of Alisma orientalis.

Two new triterpenoids, 25-anhydro-alisol F (1) and 11-anhydro-alisol F (2), were isolated from the rhizomes of Alisma orientalis. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods.