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Objective: To research composition and activity of the organic matters from oyster shell., Methods: Oyster shell powder was extracted by water. The organic matters were analyzed by biuret method. Then by anion exchange chromatography and reverse C8 column chromatography, oligopeptide extract was obtained from oyster shell and its antioxidant properties was researched., Results: Oyster shell organic matters were mainly composed of oligopeptide constituents and total peptide content was about 38.02%. The product had strong DPPH x free radical and superoxide anion free radical scavenging ability., Conclusion: Oligopeptide from oyster shell has good development prospect for antioxidant drug and health protecting food.

Annonaceous acetogenins (ACGs) are one of the most interesting classes of natural products appearing in the past two decades. Here, we studied the antitumor activity and toxicity relationship of ACGs including annosquamin B (1), bullatacin (2) and annosquatin B (3) in vivo. A single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 100 μg/kg of annosquamin B, bullatacin and annosquatin B did not cause side effects in normal mice. Bullatacin treatment with five doses of 25 and 50 μg/kg in H22 hepatoma cells bearing mice resulted in about 61% reduction in tumor growth with hematologic parameters increased significantly in normal mice. Annosquamin B and annosquatin B treatments with 10 doses of 25, 50 and 100 μg/kg in the H22 hepatoma cells transplantation tumor model mice resulted in maximum 53.7% and 58.7% reduction in tumor growth, respectively, and did not cause severe side effects in normal mice. This study provided the evidence that adjacent bis-THF ACGs showed higher antitumor activity and toxicity than mono-THF and nonadjacent bis-THF ACGs in vivo. Furthermore, it was found that bullatacin led to liver and kidney toxicity via increasing calcium concentration, ROS production, and Bax expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in rats with repeated treatment with bullatacin for 3 weeks., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In order to more easily separate TiO(2) photocatalyst from the treated wastewater, TiO(2) film was immobilized on the surface of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) by employing two kinds of coating procedures, dip-coating, and hydrothermal treatment. The effects of coating procedures on microstructure of TiO(2)-coated ACFs (TiO(2)/ACFs), such as morphology, porous property, crystal structure, and light absorption characteristics were investigated in detail. The adhesion property between TiO(2) film and ACFs was evaluated by ultrasonic vibration, and the photocatalytic activity of TiO(2)/ACFs was tested by the photocatalytic decoloration of methylene blue solution. The results show that hydrothermal treatment presented many advantages to obtain high-performance TiO(2)/ACFs photocatalyst in comparison with dip-coating. Hydrothermal treatment could improve the binding property between TiO(2) films and ACFs, which endowed the as-obtained TiO(2)/ACFs photocatalyst with improved reusable performance, and TiO(2)/ACFs synthesized by hydrothermal treatment presented higher photocatalytic activity., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) is an edible tropical fruit, and its seeds had been used in south China as a folk medicine to treat "malignant sore" (cancer) and as an insecticide. Phytochemical investigation of the ethanol fraction of custard apple seeds led to the isolation of six new annonaceous acetogenins: annosquacins A-D (1-4), annosquatin A (5) and annosquatin B (6). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 1-4 are adjacent bistetrahydrofuran annonaceous acetogenins. Compounds 5 and 6 are non-adjacent bistetrahydrofuran annonaceous acetogenins and the first examples in which the tetrahydrofuran ring system is located between C-9 and C-20. The absolute configurations of 1-6 were defined by the application of the Mosher method. Compounds 1-6 exhibited potent cytotoxic activity in vitro against five human tumour cell lines. Compounds 5 and 6 showed a high selectivity toward the MCF-7 and A-549 cell line respectively., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To identify the differences in characteristics of raw oyster and oysters calcined under different temperatures., Methods: Identified raw oyster, oysters calcined under different temperatures and calcium carbonate, calcium oxide by differential thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis., Results: Composition of calcined oysters was closer to calcium carbonate than raw oyster., Conclusion: The fingerprints are established and identify raw oyster and calcined oysters.

Objective: Investigated the impact of HBV infection on sperm DNA integrity and its applied significance., Methods: 12 cases infertility male with HBV infection in patient group and 11 cases of normal male without HBV infection in the control group were by SCD and CASA., Results: The DFI in the patient group was (23.4 +/- 10.2)%, while it was in the control group was (11.6 +/- 5.9)%. The difference of the DFI in these two groups was significantly, P < 0.01. The sperm concentration and forward motility (a + b) in the patient group were lower than that in the control group, P < 0.01. There were also significantly of the normal sperm and sperm activity between the two groups., Conclusion: HBV infection not only affected the conventional semen parameters, but also caused serious damage on sperm DNA.

Objective: To compare the change of the content of cantharidin in Mylabris before and after biotransformation., Methods: The content of cantharidin was determined by gas chromatography (GC). The conditions of GC were as follows: HP-5 column, vanillin as internal standard, the column temperature maintained at 175 degrees for 5 min, rised to 240 degrees C at the speed of 4 degrees C/min and the remained for 5 min., Results: The GC method was good reproducibility. The content of cantharidin in Myabris before and after botransformation was 0.7% and 1.29% respectively. After biotranformation, the content of cantharidin was increased., Conclusion: Mylabris fermentated with Trametes cinnabarina has great significance for increasing the content of cantharidn and provides experimentd basis for efficient use of Mylabris.

A method for speciation analysis of calcium in Baihu decoction was presented. The six different forms of Ca in the filtrate including free ions, non-free ions, exchangeable, non-exchangeable, organic and inorganic were separated by using ion-exchange resin (IER), chelating resin and organic solvent extraction. Various forms of Ca were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The recovery for the method is 90.0%-110.0%. The result showed that baihu decoction extract was a kind of complex solution, in which 83.25% of Ca existed in free ions form and 23.79% of Ca existed in organic form in the soluble filtrate.

Performance and process biokinetics of the upflow pilot-scale anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) reactor were investigated at ambient temperature. The results of substrate testing showed that the pilot-scale ANAMMOX reactor operated stably when the influent nitrite concentration reached (380.4 +/- 18.3) mg x L(-1); while the nitrite inhibition occurred when its concentration arrived at (480.5 +/- 21.9) mg x L(-1). The results of shortening of hydraulic retention time (HRT) showed that the HRT could be shortened to 3.43 h, and the nitrogen removal rate was as high as 3.45 kg x (m3 x d)(-1). Temperature was found to affect the performance of the ANAMMOX reactor significantly during long-term operation. The modified Stover-Kincannon model was applied to model the non-inhibition performance of the pilot-scale reactor under different temperature ranges. Good fitting results were obtained. The process biokinetic parameters and effluent substrate concentration prediction equations as well as the substrate removal efficiency prediction equations obtained in different temperature ranges are helpful to the stable operation of the pilot-scale ANAMMOX bioreactor.

A high performance liquid chromatography method coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was developed for simultaneous determination of five major active flavonoids, two aristolactams and four main lignans in Saururus chinensis, namely rutin (1), isoquercitrin (2), quercetin-3-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl (1-->4)-alpha-l-rhamnoside (3), quercitrin (4), quercetin (5), aristolactam A II (6), sauristolactam (7), dihydroguaiaretic acid (8), sauchinone (9), licarin A (10) and licarin B (11). The analysis was performed on an Agilent Eclipse XDB C(18) column (4.6mmx150mm, 5microm) with gradient elution of 0.4% aqueous phosphoric acid and acetonitrile. The detection wavelengths were 280 and 360nm. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r(2)>0.9991) within test ranges. The method was reproducible with intra- and inter-day variation less than 3.2%. The recovery of the assay was in the range of 95.1-103.9%. The validated method was successfully applied for the analysis of the eleven bioactive compounds in seven samples from different harvesting seasons and significant variations were revealed. The results indicated that the developed method can be used as a suitable quality control method for S. chinensis and it should be harvested in August (fruiting period) for Jiangsu cultivation regions, taking the yield into consideration, with the highest amounts of lignans, relative higher amounts of flavonoids and lower amounts of aristolactams., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of recombinant adenovirus-mediated triple mutant of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (Ad-HIF-1alpha-564/402/803) in modulating angiogenesis in vitro., Methods: The recombinant adenoviruses Ad-lacZ, Ad-Null, Ad-HIF-1alpha-nature, and Ad-HIF-1alpha-564/402/803 were amplified in HEK293A cells and purified by ultracentrifugation in CsCl step gradient solutions, and the adenoviral titer was determined by end-point dilution assay. The recombinant adenovirus was confirmed by PCR and DNA sequence analysis, and the infection efficiency was observed by X-gal staining. Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs) were infected with Ad- HIF-1alpha-564/402/803, Ad- HIF-1alpha-nature, or Ad-Null to compare the number of capillary-like tube structures in vitro. The effect of Ad- HIF-1alpha-564/402/803, Ad-HIF-1alpha-nature, and Ad-Null on angiogenesis was evaluated using a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model., Results: PCR and gene sequencing suggested the correct construction of the recombinant adenovirus HIF-1alpha, and the adenoviral titer reached 1011-1012 PFU/ml. Infection of the hMVECs with Ad-HIF-1alpha-564/402/803 at the optimal multiplicity of infection of 100 pfu/cell resulted in a significantly greater number of capillary-like tube structures than infection by Ad-HIF-1alpha-nature and Ad-Null (P=0.000). Ad-HIF-1alpha-564/402/803 group showed significantly higher microvessel density than Ad-HIF-1alpha-nature, Ad-Null, and PBS groups, with also higher angiogenesis area to CAM area ratio (P=0.01, 0.000, and 0.000, respectively)., Conclusion: The triple mutant Ad-HIF-1alpha-564/402/803 can obviously promote the formation of capillary-like tube structures in vitro and modulate angiogenesis in the CAM model, suggesting the capacity of Ad-HIF-1alpha-564/402/803 in promoting angiogenesis under normoxic condition.

Objective: To investigate the effect of recombinant adenovirus-mediated hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (Ad-HIF-1alpha) at different doses on angiogenesis in a rabbit model of hind limb ischemia., Methods: Left hind limb ischemia was induced in 45 Zealand white rabbits by ligation of the left femoral artery. The rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=9) to receive intramuscular injections of 0.5 ml saline, 2x10(10) PFU empty vector (Ad-null), or different doses of Ad-HIF-1alpha (2x10(9), 2x10(10) or 2x10(11) PFU) immediately after the operation. On the 7th day after the operation, real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of HIF-1alpha mRNA in the skeletal muscles. Immediately and on the 14th and 28th days after the operation, contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEU) was used to observe the blood perfusion of the hind limb. On the 28th day postoperatively, immunohistochemistry for CD31 was performed to evaluate the microvascular density (MVD)., Results: Real-time PCR showed that Ad-HIF-1alpha significantly increased the expression of HIF-1alpha mRNA (P<0.01) in a dose-dependent manner as compared with that in the saline and Ad-null groups (P<0.01). CEU revealed greater blood perfusion in the hind limb of rabbits in association with increased dose of Ad-HIF-1alpha (P<0.05 or P<0.01); similar changes in the MVD was observed following Ad-HIF-1alpha injections as shown by immunohistochemistry (P<0.05 or P<0.01). No significant differences were found either in the blood perfusion or MVD between saline and Ad-null groups (P>0.05)., Conclusion: Ad-HIF-1alpha can dose-dependently promote the angiogenesis in the ischemic limb of rabbits.

To evaluate the relationship of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity, urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALAU) level and blood zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) concentration to low blood lead (PbB) levels, these biomarkers were determined for all subjects enrolled from a rural area of southeast China where people had low levels of exposure to lead. The mean values of PbB, ALAD, ALAU and ZPP were 67.11 microg/L (SD: 1.654, range: 10.90-514.04), 339.66 nmol ml(-1)h(-1) (1.419, 78.33-793.13), 20.64 microg/L (1.603, 2.00-326.00), and 0.14 micromol/L (3.437, 0.01-2.26), respectively. ALAD was inversely associated with low levels of PbB. ZPP was inversely related to low levels of PbB but positively related to relatively higher levels of PbB. Alcohol drinking contributed to low ALAD in men. Women had higher ZPP than men. ALAU had no significant association with PbB. In conclusion, ALAD possibly has a non-linear relation with low to moderate levels of PbB. At moderate levels of PbB, ZPP increases with increasing levels of PbB. ALAU is not suitable as an indicator for low levels of lead exposure., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The longer start-up period of the Anammox process is due to the very low cellular yield and growth rates of Anammox bacteria. Nitrite inhibition is considered to be the key factor in the instability of the Anammox process during the operation. However, little attention was paid to the inhibitory effect of pH and free ammonia. This paper presents start-up and inhibition analysis of an Anammox biofilm reactor seeded with anaerobic granular sludge. Results showed that the start-up period could be divided into the sludge lysis phase, lag phase, propagation phase, stationary phase and inhibition phase. Optimization control could be implemented correspondingly to accelerate the start-up of Anammox bioreactors. Effluent pH increased to 8.7-9.1 when the nitrogen removal rate was higher than 1,200 mg l(-1) day(-1). The free ammonia concentration was accompanied with a higher level of 64-73 mg l(-1). Inhibitory effects of high pH and free ammonia on Anammox bacteria contributed to the destabilization of the Anammox bioreactor during the first 125 days with influent KHCO(3) of 0.5 g l(-1). Increasing the suffering capacity in the inlet by dosing 1.25 g KHCO(3) l(-1) effectively reduced the pH variation, and the nitrogen removal performance of the reactor was further developed.

Objective: For the protection of Changium smyrnioides Wolff germ-plasm resources., Methods: Rapid propagation was conducted by tissue culture., Results: The best explants were leaves. The optimum culture medium for the induction of callus was MS + 2,4-D 1.0 mg/L + Kt 1.0 mg/L; that of bud was MS + 6-BA 3.0 mg/L + NAA 0.2 mg/L; and that of root was MS + IBA 0.4 mg/L or MS + NAA 0.4 mg/L., Conclusion: Rapid propagation of Changium smyrnioides is established with tissue culture, which provides an effective way for the sustainable utilization.

The characteristics of gas-liquid mass transfer of three-phase system comprising air, tap water/wastewater, and hollow glass beads were studied in a laboratory-scale inverse turbulent bed reactor. The influence of operational factors and liquid property on volumetric liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient kLa was investigated under the conditions of superficial gas velocity (0.53mm xs(-1) - 10mx s(-1) solid hold-up (0 - 0.3), and superficial liquid velocity (0 - 0.2mm x s(-1)). The results showed that the coefficient value was 0.0456 - 1. 414min -, which increased with superficial gas velocity and liquid velocity. The coefficient attained the maximum value at solid hold-up of 0.05 - 0.08. Compared with the coefficient value in tap water, that in synthetic wastewater and industrial wastewater is decreased by 39.0% and 50.9%, respectively. These data have provided a basis for the process analysis and mathematical simulation of inverse turbulent bed reactor.

Aim: To study the chemical constituents from water extract of Radix isatidis. (Isatis indigotica Fort. )., Methods: The water extract was underwent absorption by D101 macroporous resin, the portion eluted by ethanol of different concentrations was isolated and purified on silica gel column repeatedly. The obtained compounds were identified and structurally elucidated by their physico-chemical properties and spectral analysis., Results: Five compounds were isolated from water extract of Radix isatidis, and were partly identified separately: 3-[2'-(5'-hydroxymethyl) furyl] -1 (2H) -isoquinolinone-7-O-beta-D-glucoside (I), lariciresinol-4,4'-di-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (II), lariciresinol-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (III), 2-hydroxy-1, 4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (IV), mannitol (V)., Conclusion: Compound I is a new compound and compounds IV and V were isolated from the plant for the first time.

Objective: To investigate the effects of ultra-fine powder technique on dissolution rates of the components in Andrographis paniculata., Methods: High performance liquid chromatography was employed to determine the concentration of andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide in common powdered or ultra-fine powdered Andrographis paniculata., Results: The dissolution rates of andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide in ultra-fine powdered Andrographis paniculata were higher than those of the general powder., Conclusion: Ultra-fine powder technique promotes the dissolution rates of andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide.

Objective: To study the material basis of the tonifying effect of Radix Changii by observing its contents of nutrient elements., Methods: The contents of vitamins in Radix Changii and inorganic elements in the water extracts of it were tested by high performance liquid chromatography, fluorescence spectrophotography and scanning electron microanalysis., Results: Radix Changii contains fat-soluble vitamins E and K 259.2 and 64.1 microg/kg respectively, and water-soluble vitamins C, B1 and B2 78.5, 0.6 and 0.7 mg/kg respectively. Its decoction contains abundant potassium and calcium ions., Conclusion: Radix Changii is rich in elements necessary for human body. It has the material basis for tonification.

Objective: To test the practicability of the solid-state fermentation for medicinal fungi by fermenting Ganoderma lucidum with Radix Astragali containing medium., Methods: Ganoderma lucidum was fermented in ordinary medium, drug-containing medium (containing Radix Astragali) and selenium-rich drug-containing medium respectively. The polysaccharide contents of fermentation products from the three kinds of culture media were tested at different time, and the changes were compared., Results: The polysaccharide contents of fermentation products from the three kinds of culture media were 4.65%, 3.76% and 4.50% respectively and their relative standard deviation were 1.61%, 1.99% and 1.86% respectively. By observing the changes of the contents of polysaccharide, protein and total saponin in fermentation products from the drug-containing medium at different time, it was found that the 28th fermentation day was the time when secondary metabolism was most active, and it should be the fermented terminal point., Conclusion: The fermentative combination of Ganoderma lucidum and Radix Astragali is practicable.

Objective: To make an useful identification method for the molecule of DNA on 3 herbs of Artemisia genus and compare the differences of the genes of Korean and Chinese species of Artemisia., Methods: Sequence of 3 herbs (Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb., Artemisia iwayomogi Kitam. and Artemisia capillaris Thunb.) was determined by PCR sequence system. DNA was extracted from rDNA/ITS (internal transcribed spacers) and 5.8 s. The analysis was based on the amplification through DNA sequence system., Results: There were profound differences between the Korean Artemisia and Artemisia sacrorum L. These 2 herbs had a difference in the PCR amplifications of the agarose gel electrophoresis. There was a slight difference in the analysis of the DNA sequence system, and the substitution percentage for ITS gene fragments sequence was 3.96%., Conclusion: Analytic identification method on sequence system of ITS in rDNA is effective for these 3 herbs.

Objective: To establish the method for rapid identification of the quality of Cortex moutan radicis and similar aromatic Chinese herbs by headspace gas chromatography (HSGC)., Methods: The constituents of headspace gas from Chinese herbs, such as Cortex moutan radicis,Radix cynanchi paniculati and root-bark of Paeonia lactiflora. were analyzed by HSGC., Results: The characteristic finger-print headspace chromatograms of these three drugs were different from one another. Cortex moutan radicis stored for 4 years under common conditions contained only traces of paeonol., Conclusion: HSGC was simple, quick and accurate in identifying and controlling the quality of aromatic Chinese herbs.

In this article, HRD2 double-beam grating monochromator was used to record the laser Raman spectra of the ursolic acid and get the Raman spectral characteristics of the ursolic acid; Philips 100 double-beam grating monochronmator was used to record the IR spectra of the ursolic acid and get the IR spectral characteristics of the ursolic acid; the relationship of the wave peaks and the structural characteristics between the Raman spectra and IR spectra was analyzed, the attribution of the functional groups in the structural characteristics of ursolic acid was basically defined, providing two basic spectra areas (area A: 1,386, 1,370, 1,363 cm-1, and area B: 1,304, 1,269, 1,237 cm-1), which identify the matter of ursolic acid; the comparison was made between the Raman spectra and the IR spectra, and showed that Raman spectra are much more informative in structural characteristics than the IR spectra, and the main characteristic peaks of the IR spectra can be found, which correspond to peaks in the Raman spectra; the peaks in the Raman spectra are clear and distinguishable and are used to assign the functional groups easily. In addition to IR spectra, Raman spectra are used as an effective method to analyze natural herbs.

Objective: To identify the variety of the sea cucumber sold in market., Method: Figure and bone pieces observed for the microstructures., Result: 8 varieties were identified as Lessonothurea Deichmann, Thymiosycia Pearson, Microthele Brandt and Metriatyla Rowe of Holothuria, Bohadschia, Stichopus and Thelenota., Conclusion: The bone pieces in ora, anus, back, abdomen and tentacle of sea cucumber are different. They are the important bases to identify sea cucumber.

Aim: To study gastrin expression in colorectal carcinoma tissues and adjacent mucosa and discuss the function of gastrin in colorectal carcinoma., Methods: Gastrin expression in colorectal carcinoma tissues and adjacent mucosa was examined in 58 cases using immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopy., Results: A total of 35.1% of colorectal carcinoma transitional mucosa (TM), 48.3% of nontypical dysplasia mucosa and 60.3% of carcinoma tissue were positive for gastrin expression (P < 0.05). Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that protein A gold (PAG) granules localized to different electron-dense secretory granules in carcinoma cells, the intercellular spaces, and the microvillar membrane surface., Conclusion: Gastrin expression in colorectal carcinoma tissue and adjacent mucosa, and the release of gastrin by carcinoma may be an initiating factor in carcinoma occurrence and development. Positive gastrin expression in colorectal carcinoma tissues can serve as a differentiation marker.