A high performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of eight lignans contents in Schisandra chinensis and Schisandra sphenanthera was developed. The chromatographic column was Agilent ZORBAX 300SB-C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm?5 ?m). The mobile phase was methanol-water, a gradient elution was conducted and the detection wavelength was at 230 nm. The results showed that the recovery rate of eight lignans was 92.2-102.9% and RSD was 1.5-4.2%. The established content determination method was simple, sensitive, accurate and stable, and can be used to control the quality of S. chinensis and S. sphenanthera.

Traditional use of Testudinis Carapax et Plustrum (TCP) as a medicine and health food has been widely reported. We compared two DNA fingerprint profiles of mitochondrial (mtDNA) from TCP based on species-specific PCR and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to identify their authority. A series of sequences from cytochrome b (Cyt b) of Chinemys reevesii and their counterfeits were downloaded from the Genbank, and Premier 5.0 software was used to design a set of primers. A species-specific PCR and RAPD were undertaken to obtain the different DNA fingerprints respectively. The mtDNA was successfully extracted from all samples using the modified salting-out method. A relative molecular mass of 16.6 Â 10 3 bp was observed, and mtDNA was measured between 1.83 ± 0.02. Fragments of 78 bp were amplified from all the TCP samples tested (except adulterant animals) using species-specific PCR method. The RAPD showed different electrocardiogram between genuine and counterfeit tortoise shell goods along with stripe number and location. The salting-out method (as modified) was used to extract high-quality mtDNA from TCP. The species-specific PCR and RAPD assay proposed in this study could be used for quality control of TCP with more specificity, sensitivity, and applicability.

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Purpose: To investigate the lumbar biomechanical effects of unilateral partial facetectomy (UPF) of different facet joint (FJ) portions under percutaneous endoscopy. Methods: A 3D finite element (FE) model of the lumbar spine and 40 fresh calf spine models were used to simulate UPF under a physiological load performed through 3 commonly used needle insertion points (IPs) : (1) The apex of the superior FJ (as the first IP), (2) The midpoint of the ventral side of the superior FJ (as the second IP), (3) The lowest point of the ventral side of the superior FJ (as the third IP). The range of motion (ROM) and the L4/5 intradiscal maximum pressure (IMP) were measured and analyzed under a physiological load in all models during flexion, extension, left-right lateral flexion, and left-right axial rotation. Results: When UPF was performed through the first and the third IPs, the ROM of the lumbar spine and the L4/5 IMP in the FE model were significantly increased compared with those in the intact FE model. When UPF was performed through the second IP, the ROM of the lumbar spine and the L4/5 IMP were not significantly different compared with those in the intact FE model. When UPF was performed through the second IP, the ROM of the lumbar spine and the L4/5 IMP in the calf spine models were not statistically different from the intact calf spine model. Conclusion: UPF through the second IP resulted in a minimal impact on the biomechanics of the lumbar spine. Thus, it might be considered as the most appropriate IP for UPF.

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