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Alkaloids of Linderae Radix suppressed the lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of cytokines in cultured macrophage RAW 264.7 cells

  • Chou, David Jiyao;Lam, Kelly Yinching;Chen, Jianping;Yao, Ping;Dong, Tina Tingxia;Xiong, Aizhen;Chou, Guixin;Wang, Zhengtao;Tsim, Karl Wah-Keung
    • CELLMED
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    • v.4 no.4
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    • pp.28.1-28.27
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    • 2014
  • Linderae Radix, the dry roots of Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm, has long been used as traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of inflammatory diseases. The total alkaloids are believed to be the active components responsible for anti-inflammation of Linderae Radix. Here, the total alkaloids of Linderae Radix were extracted and isolated, including 12 isoquinoline alkaloids and 1 furan sesquiterpene. Within the alkaloids, norisoboldine, boldine, linderaline, isoboldine, reticuline, N-methyllaurotetanine, norjuziphine were found to be the major ingredients. In lipopolysaccharide-treated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, application of Linderae Radix extract, or total alkaloids, suppressed the transcription of proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin-$1{\beta}$ and interleukin-6. Out of the 12 alkaloids, norisoboldine, boldine, and isoboldine were tested in lipopolysaccharide-treated macrophages, and norisoboldine was the strongest alkaloid in suppressing the cytokine expressions. The current studies suggested that the identification of alkaloids from Linderae Radix could provide a plausible explanation for herbal therapeutic functions.

An optical fibre monitoring system for evaluating the performance of a soil nailed slope

  • Zhu, Hong-Hu;Ho, Albert N.L.;Yin, Jian-Hua;Sun, H.W.;Pei, Hua-Fu;Hong, Cheng-Yu
    • Smart Structures and Systems
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    • v.9 no.5
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    • pp.393-410
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    • 2012
  • Conventional geotechnical instrumentation techniques available for monitoring of slopes, especially soil-nailed slopes have limitations such as electromagnetic interference, low accuracy, poor longterm reliability and difficulty in mounting a series of strain sensors on a soil nail bar with a small-diameter. This paper presents a slope monitoring system based on fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensing technology. This monitoring system is designed to perform long-term monitoring of slope movements, strains along soil nails, and other slope reinforcement elements. All these FBG sensors are fabricated and calibrated in laboratory and a trial of this monitoring system has been successfully conducted on a roadside slope in Hong Kong. As part of the slope stability improvement works, soil nails and a toe support soldier-pile wall were constructed. During the slope works, more than 100 FBG sensors were installed on a soil nail, a soldier pile, and an in- place inclinometer. The paper presents the layout and arrangement of the instruments as well as the installation procedures adopted. Monitoring data have been collected since March 2008. This trial has demonstrated the great potential of the optical fibre monitoring system for long-term monitoring of slope performance. The advantages of the slope monitoring system and experience gained in the field implementation are also discussed in the paper.

Determination of ginsenosides in Asian and American ginsengs by liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight MS: assessing variations based on morphological characteristics

  • Chen, Yujie;Zhao, Zhongzhen;Chen, Hubiao;Brand, Eric;Yi, Tao;Qin, Minjian;Liang, Zhitao
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.41 no.1
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    • pp.10-22
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    • 2017
  • Background: Asian ginseng and American ginseng are functional foods that share a close genetic relationship and are well-known worldwide. This article aims to investigate the correlation between morphological characteristics and the inherent quality of Asian and American ginsengs. Methods: In this study, an ultra-HPLC-quadrupole/time-of-flight MS (UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS) method was established for the quantitative analysis of 45 ginseng samples. The method developed for determination was precise and accurate. Results: The results showed that Asian ginseng samples with the same growing time (with the same or similar number of stem scars) that had a thinner main root, a longer rhizome and more branch roots contained greater amounts of ginsenosides. For American ginseng, two tendencies were observed in the relationship between the diameter of the main root and contents of ginsenosides. One tendency was that samples with thinner main roots tended to contain higher levels of ginsenosides, which was observed in the samples sold under the commercial name pao-shen. Another tendency was that samples with thicker main roots contained higher contents of ginsenosides, which was observed in the samples sold under the commercial name pao-mian, as well as in samples of American ginseng cultivated in Jilin, China. Conclusion: An approach using ultra-HPLC-quadrupole/time-of-flight MS was successfully established to link morphology and active components for evaluating the quality of Asian and American ginsengs. Clear correlation between visible morphological features and quality of Asian and American ginsengs was found. People can see the difference; this means consumers and vendors can evaluate ginseng by themselves.

A vision-based system for dynamic displacement measurement of long-span bridges: algorithm and verification

  • Ye, X.W.;Ni, Y.Q.;Wai, T.T.;Wong, K.Y.;Zhang, X.M.;Xu, F.
    • Smart Structures and Systems
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    • v.12 no.3_4
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    • pp.363-379
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    • 2013
  • Dynamic displacement of structures is an important index for in-service structural condition and behavior assessment, but accurate measurement of structural displacement for large-scale civil structures such as long-span bridges still remains as a challenging task. In this paper, a vision-based dynamic displacement measurement system with the use of digital image processing technology is developed, which is featured by its distinctive characteristics in non-contact, long-distance, and high-precision structural displacement measurement. The hardware of this system is mainly composed of a high-resolution industrial CCD (charge-coupled-device) digital camera and an extended-range zoom lens. Through continuously tracing and identifying a target on the structure, the structural displacement is derived through cross-correlation analysis between the predefined pattern and the captured digital images with the aid of a pattern matching algorithm. To validate the developed system, MTS tests of sinusoidal motions under different vibration frequencies and amplitudes and shaking table tests with different excitations (the El-Centro earthquake wave and a sinusoidal motion) are carried out. Additionally, in-situ verification experiments are performed to measure the mid-span vertical displacement of the suspension Tsing Ma Bridge in the operational condition and the cable-stayed Stonecutters Bridge during loading tests. The obtained results show that the developed system exhibits an excellent capability in real-time measurement of structural displacement and can serve as a good complement to the traditional sensors.