Improving the accuracy of depth of anaesthesia using modified detrended fluctuation analysis method

This paper presents a modified detrended fluctuation analysis (MDFA) to improve the monitoring accuracy of the depth of anaesthesia (DoA). We first use MDFA to classify anaesthesia state levels into awake, light, moderate, deep and very deep states. Then we build up five zones using linear regression method from very deep anaesthesia state to awake state, corresponding with different box sizes. Finally, the Lagrange method is applied to compute the DoA. Comparing with the most popular Bispectral Index (BIS) method, our modified DFA method extends the ranges of the moderate anaesthesia, deep anaesthesia and very deep anaesthesia to provide more information about the DoA. This extension is very significant in the clinical perspective as these states are within the ranges for operations and need more attention. Simulation results demonstrate that the new technique monitors the DoA in all anaesthesia states accurately.     

Structural analysis and antitussive evaluation of five novel esters of verticinone and bile acids

Shedan-Chuanbei powder, a complex of traditional Chinese medicine preparation, which consists of Snake Bile (Chinese name “Shedan”) and Fritillariae Cirrhosae (Chinese name “Chuanbei”), is the most popular antitussive and expectorant formulation in Chinese communities. However, the clinical application of Shedan-Chuanbei powder is now stringently limited because of the shortage of the two crude medicinal materials, especially for the sake of animal protection. In addition, the inherent defects of the most of the complex of traditional Chinese medicine such as the indistinct basal pharmacodynamic materials and the difficulties in quality control had blocked them heading into the international medicinal market. So we attempted to seek new substitute for Shedan-Chuanbei powder for antitussive drugs. In order to gain some new compounds with better bioactivity and attenuated toxicity, we tried to combine two kinds of drugs through ester bond. Enlightened with “combination principle” in drug discovery, we synthesized five novel esters of verticinone and bile acids, both of which are the major bioactive components in Shedan-Chuanbei powder. We then evaluated the antitussive activity and the acute toxicity of the five ester-linked compounds. The five ester-linked compounds had much more potent antitussive activity and expectorant activity than single bile acids at the same doses, and had equivalent antitussive activity and expectorant activity in comparison with about double moles dose of the monomer verticinone. Especially, cholic acid–verticinone ester had much more potent antitussive effects than the monomer verticinone or cholic acid at the same dose. A further acute toxicity study showed that the LD₅₀ values of the five ester-linked compounds exceeded 3.5 g/kg by intraperitoneal injection in mice. Based on the studies of pharmacology and acute toxicity, the five ester-linked compounds have synergic pharmacodynamic action and attenuated toxicity compared with single verticinone and single bile acids.     

Tissue distribution of puerarin and its conjugated metabolites in rats assessed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Puerarin (an isoflavone C-glucoside from kudzu root) has been the focus of several studies investigating its potential effects on health benefits. In this study, we determined single dose tissue distribution of puerarin and its metabolites in order to examine whether they undergo selective uptake by specific organs. Puerarin was administered orally (50 mg/kg) to rats and the concentration of puerarin in tissue compartments was determined using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Puerarin was widely distributed in rat tissues with highest concentrations in lungs (799±411.6 ng/g wet tissues). In addition, we examined the excretion of puerarin into the bile. LC–MS/MS analysis of bile samples collected after infusing puerarin directly into the portal vein indicated that puerarin was excreted into the bile predominantly in the form of unconjugated puerarin. This report identifying puerarin in several organs including kidney and pancreas may explain its beneficial effects in diabetes.     

Drastic Layer‐Number‐Dependent Activity Enhancement in Photocatalytic H2 Evolution over nMoS2/CdS (n ≥ 1) Under Visible Light

Exploiting noble‐metal‐free cocatalysts is of huge interest for photocatalytic water splitting using solar energy. As an efficient cocatalyst in photocatalysis, MoS₂ is shown promise as a low‐cost alternative to Pt for hydrogen evolution. Here we report a systematical study on controlled synthesis of MoS₂ with layer number ranging from ≈1 to 112 and their activities for photocatalytic H₂ evolution over commercial CdS. A drastic increase in photocatalytic H₂ evolution is observed with decreasing MoS₂ layer number. Particularly for the single‐layer (SL) MoS₂, the SL‐MoS₂/CdS sample reaches a high H₂ generation rate of ≈2.01 × 10^?3m h^?1 in Na₂S–Na₂SO₃ solutions and ≈2.59 × 10^?3m h^?1 in lactic acid solutions, corresponding to an apparent quantum efficiency of 30.2% and 38.4% at 420 nm, respectively. In addition to the more exposed edges and unsaturated active S atoms, valence band–XPS and Mott–Schottky plots analysis indicate that the SL MoS₂ has the more negative conduction band energy level than the H⁺/H₂ potential, facilitating the hydrogen reduction.     

ITMSQ: A software tool for N‐ and C‐terminal fragment ion pairs based isobaric tandem mass spectrometry quantification

Tandem MS (MS2) quantification using the series of N‐ and C‐terminal fragment ion pairs generated from isobaric‐labelled peptides was recently considered an accurate strategy in quantitative proteomics. However, the presence of multiplexed terminal fragment ion in MS2 spectra may reduce the efficiency of peptide identification, resulting in lower identification scores or even incorrect assignments. To address this issue, we developed a quantitative software tool, denoted isobaric tandem MS quantification (ITMSQ), to improve N‐ and C‐terminal fragment ion pairs based isobaric MS2 quantification. A spectrum splitting module was designed to separate the MS2 spectra from different samples, increasing the accuracy of both identification and quantification. ITMSQ offers a convenient interface through which parameters can be changed along with the labelling method, and the result files and all of the intermediate files can be exported. We performed an analysis of in vivo terminal amino acid labelling labelled HeLa samples and found that the numbers of quantified proteins and peptides increased by 13.64 and 27.52% after spectrum splitting, respectively. In conclusion, ITMSQ provides an accurate and reliable quantitative solutionfor N‐ and C‐terminal fragment ion pairs based isobaric MS2 quantitative methods.     

Photosan脂质立方液晶纳米光敏剂的制备及光动力杀伤效应研究

目的:制备Photosan脂质立方液晶纳米光敏剂,通过体外实验探讨其介导的光动力疗法(photodynamic therapy,PDT)特异性杀伤肿瘤细胞效果。方法:以单油酸甘油酯(glyceryl monooleate,GMO)和泊洛沙姆407(poloxamer 407,P407)为液晶材料,以光敏剂Photosan为模型药物,制备Photosan立方液晶纳米粒,通过Malvern粒径仪和扫描电子显微镜等考察其理化性质;通过MTS法考察Photosan立方液晶纳米粒对正常肝细胞株和肝癌细胞株的暗毒性及光动力杀伤效果。结果:成功制备Photosan脂质立方液晶纳米粒,该纳米粒对人肝L-02细胞和人肝癌Hep G2细胞均没有暗毒性,其介导的PDT对人肝L-02细胞增殖有一定抑制作用[细胞抑制率为(32.9±1.19)%],而对肝癌Hep G2细胞增殖具有更显著的抑制作用[细胞抑制率为(77.9±2.06)%];Photosan立方液晶介导的光动力作用对人正常肝细胞的增殖抑制作用低于Photosan,但对肝癌细胞的增殖抑制作用高于Photosan。结论:Photosan脂质立方液晶纳米粒对人正常肝细胞安全性较好,对肝癌细胞的光动力杀伤效应明显优于Photosan,为光动力治疗癌症提供了创新性方法。