Herbs have been the basis for medical treatments through much of human history, and even now such herbalism is still widely practiced around the world. Most frequently and traditionally, water is used as the extraction solvent for preparing medicinal herbs to generate decoction or infusion for medicinal purpose. In other words, in most cases, multiple chemical components in water extracts should be responsible for therapeutic (toxic and side, if any) effects of medicinal herbs. Phytochemical analysis of water extracts for quality control of medicinal herbs is therefore important to ensure their safeties and efficacies. Unfortunately, however, it is not given enough attention in the modern research whereas the relative current studies are intensively focused on organic solvent-extracts of medicinal herbs. In this project, analysis of medicinal herbs’ water extracts is thus focused. Various analytical approaches have been exhaustively developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemicals in water extracts of medicinal herbs. However, many research challenges in methodology still exist. Polysaccharides and small molecules are two most important kinds of chemcials in water extracts of medicinal herbs, so they also widely regarded as markers for quality evaluation. For analysis of small molecules, the levels of quantitative determination are always far unsatisfactory, normally less than 10%. For analysis of polysaccharides, the existed problems are even more serious in both sample preparation and chemical analysis. Ethanol precipitation is always the first step for crude polysaccharide preparation. But it is just directly used without optimization and its capacity has never been evaluated. Following that, chemical analysis of natural polysaccharide also suffers severe methodological bottlenecks and many drawbacks occurre in qualitative and quantitative characterization. Besides, polysaccharides and small molecules in medicinal herbs are always individually investigated but hardly studied together before. Concerning these issues, here several approaches and stratigies were accordingly proposed to improve the current situations using decoctions of some traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) as the research objects and examples. In detail, first, a quantitative method was developed for quality evaluation of Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang. In this study, quantitative levels of small molecules were greatly improved, compared with the current analogous studies for quality evaluation of medicinal herbs. Then, shifting to polysaccharides, availability of ethanol precipitation for natural polysaccharide precipitation was critically evaluated. Parameters which could affect the ethanol precipitation results, such as structural features, molecular size of polysaccharide, and ethanol concentration were systematically investigated. Successively, a novel and rapid HPGPC-based strategy for quality control of saccharide-dominant medicinal herbs was proposed using Dendrobium officinale as the example. Polysaccharides in the decoction of Dendrobium officinale were qualitatively and quantitatively determined. The methodological superiority of the developed method compared with conventional approaches was highlighted. To facilitate this study, research on chemistry, bioactivity and quality control of Dendrobium was systematically reviewed in advance. After that, small molecules and polysaccharides in in Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Chuanxiong Rhizoma were compared together. Lastly, effects of ginseng polysaccharides on the in vivo pharmacokinetics of ginsenoside Rg1 on induced immunosuppressive model rats was investigated to provide a chemically holistic view for Du-Shen-Tang. By these studies, the above mentioned predicament in chemical analysis on both small molecuels and polysaccharides in water extracts of medicinal herbs were methodologically improved to varying degrees. Concerning small molecules and polysaccharides from multiple perspectives, the successive studies are helpful for enhancing quality evaluation and scientific understanding of medicinal herbs’ decoctions.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-05T18:30:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-06-19. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-02-05T18:34:21Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000857956.pdf: 866745 bytes, checksum: fb055a97d4a8338f7a5931747ee578f0 (MD5) / OBJETIVO: Este estudo avaliou o efeito do veículo na eficácia da irrigação com agulha associada ou não com irrigação ultrassônica passiva (IUP) na remoção da pasta tri antibiótica do canal radicular. MÉTODOS: O canal radicular de 60 dentes uniradiculares foi preparado com instrumento rotatório ProTaper até a lima F4. Vinte canais radiculares foram obturados com pasta triantibiótica (PTA), preparados com macrogol mais propilenoglicol, água destilada ou propilenoglicol. Após 4 semanas de armazenamento em estufa, foi realizada irrigação com agulha utilizando hipoclorito de sódio a 2,5%, associada ou não com a IUP para a remoção da PTA. Seis grupos de 10 espécimes foram tratados de acordo com o protocolo de veículos e de irrigação. As raízes foram divididas longitudinalmente e a quantidade de pasta antibiótica restantes foi avaliada através de estereomicroscópico com aumento de 20 vezes e por MEV utilizando um sistema de pontuação 4-grades. Os dados foram avaliados estatisticamente através dos testes Kruskal Wallis e Dunn's com um nível de confiança de 95% (p = 0,05). RESULTADOS: O uso da IUP não melhorou a remoção da PTA (p> 0,05). Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os terços coronal, médio e apical(p> 0,05). Nos terços médio e apical, a PTA com propilenoglicol como veículo apresentou mais resíduos do que a PTA preparada com água destilada (p <0,05). Água destilada ou macrogol mais propilenoglicol foram semelhantes independentemente do terço do canal radicular considerado. CONCLUSÕES: Não foi possível remover completamente a PTA dos canais radiculares mesmo com a utilização da IUP. Água destilada ou macrogol mais propilenoglicol são melhores como veículo para favorecer a remoção de qualquer resíduo da PTA / AIM: This study evaluated the interference of the triple antibiotic paste vehicle on its removal from the root canal using needle irrigation with or without passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI). METHODS: Sixty root canals were prepared up to F4 ProTaper and were filled with triple antibiotic pastes (TAP) prepared with macrogol plus propylene glycol, distilled water, or propylene glycol. After 4 weeks of stove storage, needle irrigation with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite with or without PUI was used for TAP removal. The roots were longitudinally split and the amount of remaining antibiotic pastes and cleaning of the dentinal tubule were evaluated under a stereomicroscope and SEM. The data were statistically evaluated using the Kruskal Wallis and Dunn's tests (p = .05). RESULTS: In the middle and apical thirds, TAP with propylene glycol remained more than that prepared with distilled water (p < .05). Distilled water or macrogol plus propylene glycol were similar independently of the root canal third. The use of PUI did not improve the removal of the TAP (p > .05). There were no statistically significant differences between the coronal, medium or apical thirds (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: None vehicle allowed the complete paste removal and cleaning of the dentinal tubule from the root canal and despite the use of PUI. Distilled water or macrogol plus propylene glycol as vehicle favored smaller remnant of TAP in the apical and middle thirds

Drawing upon the findings of a 31 month ethnographic study this thesis provides a snap-shot of the intricate workings that take place in a residential Therapeutic Community (TC) in the North West of England for individuals with a history of substance use. The thesis identifies and addresses the omission of process based research in the existing literature on TC’s for substance use and pays particular attention to how such unique settings provide an alternative way to work alongside those mainstream society deems to be deviant, problematic, worrying, threatening, troublesome, or undesirable in some way or another. The longitudinal dimension of the research allows the study to capture the voices of residents and practitioners to inform a more complete appreciation of the interpretation and implementation of the principles of the TC in practice. The study offers an unprecedented insight into the innovative design, delivery and intricate workings that takes place in a residential TC. Conducted at a time of great change and uncertainty in the theory and practice of drug policy and service provision – as the implications of Payment by Results (PbR) in the sector take hold - the study captures the tensions at work in realising in practice the theoretical ambitions of the TC and the very real challenges of reconciling increasingly commercial/business orientated decisions within public health models of thinking. In this way the study has the capacity to contribute to ongoing debates about processes associated with an individual’s journeys in and out of criminal careers in the desistance literature; and to broader criminal justice policy debates about the increasing marketization of the management and supervision of lawbreakers whose offending behaviour is heavily influenced by substance use.

This exploratory study investigated the expansion of an established systematized group dreamwork method (Shuttleworth-Jordan, 1995) to incorporate artwork. The rationale for the addition of artwork was situated firstly, in a poetic Jungian understanding of the image as a holistic "place" of gnosis or transformative healing and, secondly, in an argument that in order to carry the gnostic potential of the image into the lived world, a dreamwork method should involve all four styles of consciousness (thinking, intuition, sensation and feeling). It was considered that the verbal interpretive Shuttleworth-Jordan method would be enhanced by the incorporation of a visual artwork process in order more fully to open the potential of the method for incorporating the nonverbal intuitive, sensation and feeling styles of consciousness. In order to compare the established method (dreamwork Without Art) and the proposed method (dreamwork With Art), two dreamwork workshops were conducted in which all participants experienced all four conditions of the study: Dream Presenter Without Art, Dream Presenter With Art, Group Member Without Art, Group Member With Art. Two levels of assessment were utilized: a quantitative analysis (involving rating scales completed after each dreamwork session), supported by a qualitative analysis (involving written questionnaires completed at the end of the workshops and follow-up interviews conducted a week after completion of the workshops). The results suggested that the incorporation of artwork in the Shuttleworth-Jordan (1995) group dreamwork method enhanced the established method in that a consistent trend of increased involvement in the dreamwork process and increased dreamwork effectiveness was reflected, while no deleterious effects were noted which might detract from the effectiveness of the existing model which had been established in previous research studies. Finally, a refined step-by-step group dreamwork method incorporating artwork was proposed, which included qualitative feedback from the present study.

The study examined rape counselling, with particular emphasis on countertransference reactions experienced by the counsellors of rape survivors. Four subjects participated in semi-focused, open-ended interviews, which were taped and transcribed verbatim. The phenomenon of countertransference was discussed, and countertransference reactions identified and examined. The management of empathic strain, in order to sustain empathic inquiry and therapeutic efficacy, was discussed. The main results of the study included the identification of common victim themes, and the feelings evoked in the counsellor in the therapeutic relationship. These included feelings of anger, hopelessness, helplessness and sadness, particularly in the counselling of children, who may be HIV positive as a result of the attack, and victims of chronic abuse. Challenges of rape counselling included shortcomings in the system, and rape myths which trivialize the crime and blame the victim. The need for education and enlightenment of both the public and magistrates on the deleterious effects of rape was emphasized by all subjects.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:51:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T13:59:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Tese (Doutoramento) / IPEN/T / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN/CNEN-SP

Orientador: João Eduardo Gomes Filho / Banca: Marco Antônio Hungaro Duarte / Banca: Eloi Dezan Júnior / Banca: Arnaldo Sant'Anna Júnior / Banca: Luciano Tavares Angelo Cintra / Resumo: OBJETIVO: Este estudo avaliou o efeito do veículo na eficácia da irrigação com agulha associada ou não com irrigação ultrassônica passiva (IUP) na remoção da pasta tri antibiótica do canal radicular. MÉTODOS: O canal radicular de 60 dentes uniradiculares foi preparado com instrumento rotatório ProTaper até a lima F4. Vinte canais radiculares foram obturados com pasta triantibiótica (PTA), preparados com macrogol mais propilenoglicol, água destilada ou propilenoglicol. Após 4 semanas de armazenamento em estufa, foi realizada irrigação com agulha utilizando hipoclorito de sódio a 2,5%, associada ou não com a IUP para a remoção da PTA. Seis grupos de 10 espécimes foram tratados de acordo com o protocolo de veículos e de irrigação. As raízes foram divididas longitudinalmente e a quantidade de pasta antibiótica restantes foi avaliada através de estereomicroscópico com aumento de 20 vezes e por MEV utilizando um sistema de pontuação 4-grades. Os dados foram avaliados estatisticamente através dos testes Kruskal Wallis e Dunn's com um nível de confiança de 95% (p = 0,05). RESULTADOS: O uso da IUP não melhorou a remoção da PTA (p> 0,05). Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os terços coronal, médio e apical(p> 0,05). Nos terços médio e apical, a PTA com propilenoglicol como veículo apresentou mais resíduos do que a PTA preparada com água destilada (p <0,05). Água destilada ou macrogol mais propilenoglicol foram semelhantes independentemente do terço do canal radicular considerado. CONCLUSÕES: Não foi possível remover completamente a PTA dos canais radiculares mesmo com a utilização da IUP. Água destilada ou macrogol mais propilenoglicol são melhores como veículo para favorecer a remoção de qualquer resíduo da PTA / Abstract: AIM: This study evaluated the interference of the triple antibiotic paste vehicle on its removal from the root canal using needle irrigation with or without passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI). METHODS: Sixty root canals were prepared up to F4 ProTaper and were filled with triple antibiotic pastes (TAP) prepared with macrogol plus propylene glycol, distilled water, or propylene glycol. After 4 weeks of stove storage, needle irrigation with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite with or without PUI was used for TAP removal. The roots were longitudinally split and the amount of remaining antibiotic pastes and cleaning of the dentinal tubule were evaluated under a stereomicroscope and SEM. The data were statistically evaluated using the Kruskal Wallis and Dunn's tests (p = .05). RESULTS: In the middle and apical thirds, TAP with propylene glycol remained more than that prepared with distilled water (p < .05). Distilled water or macrogol plus propylene glycol were similar independently of the root canal third. The use of PUI did not improve the removal of the TAP (p > .05). There were no statistically significant differences between the coronal, medium or apical thirds (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: None vehicle allowed the complete paste removal and cleaning of the dentinal tubule from the root canal and despite the use of PUI. Distilled water or macrogol plus propylene glycol as vehicle favored smaller remnant of TAP in the apical and middle thirds / Doutor

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been utilized for biological applications. Unlike conventional linear excitation molecules, UCNPs are excited by 980nm and emit photon in visible and near infrared region. The unique photophysical property offers superior penetration depth and lower photo-cytotoxicity. With the aid of various vectors such as target-specific peptides and photosensitizers, the UCNPs can precisely interact selectively with designated proteins (Cyclin D1 and Polo-like Kinase 1) and cancer cells so as to achieve theranostic effect. This thesis illustrated the upconversion mechanism and anti-cancer effect by UCNPs conjugated with peptides. Two research studies focus on Cyclin D1 or Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) specific peptides coated UCNPs function as key cell cycle inhibitors, in vitro imaging agent and in vivo tumor suppressor. Apart from inorganic nanomaterials, graphitic phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanoparticles coupled with porphyrin moieties act as cancer directional photodynamic therapy agents was also described in the aspects of detailed photophysical measurements and in vitro theranostic studies.

Dysregulated microRNAs in osteoclasts could cause many skeletal diseases. The therapeutic manipulation of these pathogenic microRNAs necessitates novel, efficient delivery systems to facilitate microRNAs modulators targeting osteoclasts with minimal off-target effects. Bone resorption surfaces characterized by highly crystallized hydroxyapatite are dominantly occupied by osteoclasts. Considering that the eight repeating sequences of aspartate (D-Asp8) could preferably bind to highly crystallized hydroxyapatite, we developed a targeting system by conjugating D-Asp8 peptide with liposome for delivering microRNA modulators specifically to bone resorption surfaces and subsequently encapsulated antagomir-148a (a microRNA modulator suppressing the osteoclastogenic miR-148a), i.e. (D-Asp8)-liposome-antagomir-148a. Our results demonstrated that D-Asp8 could facilitate the enrichment of antagomir-148a and the subsequent down-regulation of miR-148a in osteoclasts in vivo, resulting in reduced bone resorption and attenuated deterioration of trabecular architecture in osteoporotic mice. Mechanistically, the osteoclast-targeting delivery depended on the interaction between bone resorption surfaces and D-Asp8. No detectable liver and kidney toxicity was found in mice after single/multiple dose(s) treatment of (D-Asp8)-liposome-antagomir-148a. These results indicated that (D-Asp8)-liposome as a promising osteoclast-targeting delivery system could facilitate clinical translation of microRNA modulators in treating those osteoclast-dysfunction-induced skeletal diseases.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:44:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T13:58:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 07299.pdf: 6641141 bytes, checksum: ed4788775d50f13dcffccb3d71744d36 (MD5) / Dissertacao (Mestrado Profissionalizante em Lasers em Odontologia) / IPEN/D-MPLO / Intituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares, IPEN/CNEN-SP; Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade de Sao Paulo