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The Sc(OTf) 3 -catalyzed dearomative [5+1] annulations between readily available 3-aminophenols and O -alkyl ortho -oxybenzaldehydes were developed for synthesis of spiro[chromane-3,1'-cyclohexane]-2',4'-dien-6'-ones. The "two-birds-with-one-stone" strategy was disclosed by the dearomatization of phenols and direct α-C(sp 3 )-H bond functionalization of oxygen through cascade condensation/[1,5]-hydride transfer/dearomative-cyclization process. In addition, the antifungal activity assay and derivatizations of products were conducted to further enrich the utility of the structure.

Background: Controlled-release pesticide formulations have emerged as a promising approach towards sustainable pest control. Herein, an environment-friendly formulation of insecticide chlorantraniliprole (CAP) was fabricated through a simple approach of coprecipitation-based synchronous encapsulation by chitosan (CTS), with carrier-pesticide interaction mechanism and release behavior investigated., Results: The resulting CAP/CTS controlled-release formulation (CCF) showed a good loading content of 28.1% and a high encapsulation efficiency of 75.6%. Instrument determination in combination with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations displayed that the primary interactions between CAP and CTS were physical adsorption and complicated hydrogen (H)-bonds, which formed dominantly between NH in amides [or nitrogen (N) in ring structures] of CAP and hydroxyl (or amino) groups of CTS, as well as oxygen (O) in CAP with hydrogen in CTS or H 2 O molecules. The in vitro release tests exhibited obvious pH/temperature sensitivity, with release dynamics following the first-order or Ritger-Peppas model. As the temperature increased, the CAP release process of the Ritger-Peppas model changed from Case-II to anomalous transport, and ultimately to a Fickian diffusion mechanism. The control effect against Plutella xylostella larvae also was evaluated by toxicity tests, where comparable efficacy of CCF to the commercial suspension concentrate was obtained., Conclusion: The innovative, easy-to-prepare CCF can be used as a formulation with obvious pH/temperature sensitivity and good efficacy on target pests. This work contributes to the development of efficient and safe pesticide delivery systems, especially using the natural polymer materials as carriers. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Background: Tripterygium glycoside tablets (TGT) is the most common preparation from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, which is widely used in clinical for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune diseases. However, its serious reproductive toxicity limits its application., Purpose: This study aimed to elucidate the toxic effects of TGT on the reproductive system of male RA rats and its potential toxic components and mechanism., Methods: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model was established, and TGT suspension was given at low, medium, and high doses. Gonadal index, pathological changes, and the number of spermatogenic cells were used to evaluate the toxic effects of TGT on the reproductive system. Non-targeted metabolomics of testicular tissue was conducted by UHPLC-QTOF/MS. Combined with network toxicology, the key targets of TGT-induced reproductive toxicity were screened and RT-qPCR was used to validation. In vitro toxicity of 19 components of TGT was evaluated using TM3 and TM4 cell lines. Molecular docking was used to predict the interaction between toxic components and key targets., Results: TGT reduced testicular and epididymis weight. Pathology analysis showed a lot of deformed and atrophic spermatogenic tubules. The number of spermatogenic cells decreased significantly (P<0.0001). A total of 58 different metabolites including platelet-activating factor (PAF), lysophosphatidylcholine (Lyso PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), glutathione (GSH), and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) were identified by testicular metabolomics. Glycerophospholipid metabolism, ether lipid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism were key pathways responsible for the reproductive toxicity of TGT. Ten key reproductive toxicity targets were screened by network toxicology. The cytotoxicity test showed that triptolide, triptonide, celastrol, and demethylzeylasteral could significantly reduce the viability of TM3 and TM4 cells. Alkaloids had no apparent toxic effects. Molecular docking showed that the four toxic components had a good affinity with 10 key targets. All binding energies were less than -7 kcal/mol. The RT-qPCR results showed the Cyp19a1 level was significantly up-regulated. Pik3ca and Pik3cg levels were significantly down-regulated., Conclusion: Through testicular metabolomics, we found that TGT may cause reproductive toxicity through CYP19A1, PIK3CA, and PIK3CG three target, which was preliminarily revealed. This study laid the foundation for elucidating the toxicity mechanism of TGT and evaluating its safety and quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Some studies have shown that the heavy metal emissions (HMEs) emitted from diesel engines can seriously threaten human health. HMEs are mainly related to the content of heavy metal ions in diesel fuel. Therefore, in order to reduce HMEs from diesel engines, a nano-fiber membrane filtration technology for diesel fuel was investigated. Herein, coal fly ash (CFA) from coal-fired power plants combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was successfully fabricated into nano-fibrous membranes using green electrospinning technology. In order to evaluate the adsorption properties, various hybrid membranes with different mixing ratios (PVA/CFA = 10/0, 10/1, 10/3, 10/5, and 10/7 by weight) were fabricated. The results show that eight metal ions with different concentrations are found in the diesel fuel, including Pb, Cu, Zn, Al, Fe, Cr, Ba, and Ni. All PVA/FA membranes have different adsorption capacities for metal ions, following the order: Cu > Fe > Pb > Al > Zn > Cr > Ba > Ni. In addition, the adsorption capacity of CFA3 (PVA/CFA = 10/3) is the largest. The super lipophilicity of the PVA/FA membranes also provide more adsorption sites for the contact of HMs with the membranes. The above research results provide guidance for development of ultra-fine filters in the future.

The research was carried out to analyze the combined and mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP)/fly ash (FA)/waste stone powder (WSP) composite materials. PP, FA and WSP were mixed and prepared into PP100 (pure PP), PP90 (90 wt% PP + 5 wt% FA + 5 wt% WSP), PP80 (80 wt% PP + 10 wt% FA + 10 wt% WSP), PP70 (70 wt% PP + 15 wt% FA + 15 wt% WSP), PP60 (60 wt% PP + 20 wt% FA + 20 wt% WSP) and PP50 (50 wt% PP + 25 wt% FA + 25 wt% WSP) composite materials using an injection molding machine. The research results indicate that all PP/FA/WSP composite materials can be prepared through the injection molding process and there are no cracks or fractures found on the surface of the composite materials. The research results of thermogravimetric analysis are consistent with expectations, indicating that the preparation method of the composite materials in this study is reliable. Although the addition of FA and WSP powder cannot increase the tensile strength, it is very helpful to improve the bending strength and notched impact energy. Especially for notched impact energy, the addition of FA and WSP results in an increase in the notched impact energy of all PP/FA/WSP composite materials by 14.58-22.22%. This study provides a new direction for the reuse of various waste resources. Moreover, based on the excellent bending strength and notched impact energy, the PP/FA/WSP composite materials have great application potential in the composite plastic industry, artificial stone, floor tiles and other industries in the future.

Objective: To study the correlation between joint contact force and postoperative lower extremity alignment in Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (OUKA) and provide reference data for predicting the lower extremity alignment after OUKA. Methods: It was a retrospective case series study. A total of 78 patients (92 knees) who underwent OUKA surgery from January 2020 to January 2022 in the Department of Orthopedics and Joint Surgery of China-Japan Friendship Hospital were included in this study, including 29 males and 49 females, aged (68.8±6.9) years. A custom-designed force sensor was used to measure gap contact force in the medial gap of OUKA. The patients were divided into groups according to the varus degree of lower limb alignment after operation. Relationship between the gap contact force and the alignment of the lower limbs after operation was analyzed with Pearson correlation analysis, and the gap contact force was compared between patients with different lower limbs alignment correcting results. Results: The mean contact force measured during the operation at 0° of knee extension was 81.7 N±57.8 N, and it was 96.1 N±54.5 N at 20° of knee flexion. The average postoperative knee varus angle was 2.9°±2.7°. The gap contact force at the 0° and 20° positions of the knee joint was negatively correlated with the varus degree of the postoperative lower limb alignment ( r =-0.493, -0.331, both P <0.001). The distribution of gap contact force at 0° was different in each group, the contact force [ M ( Q 1 , Q 3 )] of the neutral position group( n =24) was 117.4 N (31.7 N, 233.0 N), and it was 63.7 N (11.3 N, 209.0 N), 31.5 N (8.3 N, 87.7 N) in the mild varus group ( n =51) and the significant varus group ( n =17), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.001); while at 20°, only the difference between the significant varus group and the neutral position group was statistically significant ( P =0.040). The gap contact force of the alignment satisfactory group at 0° and 20° was greater than those in the significant varus group (both P <0.05). The gap contact force measured at 0° and 20° was significantly greater in patients with preoperative significant flexion deformity than in patients without flexion deformity (or mild flexion deformity) (both P <0.05). Conclusions: OUKA gap contact force is related to the degree of lower limb alignment correction after the operation. In patients with well-corrected lower limb alignment after surgery, the median intraoperative knee joint gap contact force at 0° and 20° is 117.4 N and 92.5 N, respectively.

Promoting M1 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is an effective pathway for malignant tumor therapy. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate whether homogeneous Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) could promote M1 polarization of TAMs to inhibit tumor growth, and how it promoted. Results exhibited that DOP could inhibit the tumor growth and promote the M1 polarization of TAMs in tumor-bearing mice. Macrophage depletion and replenishment experiment clearly proved that the inhibitory effect of DOP on tumor growth is dependent on promoting M1 polarization of TAMs. Moreover, we found that DOP could reach tumor microenvironment (TME) and directly bind to TAMs to promote its M1 polarization via targeting toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) after oral administration. These results clarified that DOP could remarkably inhibit the tumor growth of tumor-bearing mice via directly targeting the TLR2 of TAMs to promote its M1 polarization., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate ferroptosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and its regulation by M2 macrophage-derived exosomes. Methods: LSCC and adjacent noncancerous tissue samples were collected from 32 patients treated in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin between September 2018 and April 2021, including 26 males and 6 females, aged 43-79 years. The expressions of ferroptosis marker glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) in LSCC and adjacent noncancerous tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). The correlations between GPX4 expression and clinicopathological factors in LSCC were analyzed. Biological changes of TU212 cells after treated with ferroptosis-induced agent erastin were detected by transmission electron microscope, cell counting kit-8(CCK-8), clone test, reactive oxygen species(ROS), malondialdehyde(MDA), glutathione(GSH), JC-1, RT-PCR and western blot. Exosomes were isolated from the supernatant of M0/M2 macrophages (M0-exos/M2-exos) and co-incubated with erastin-treated TU212 cells to detect the change of ferroptosis in cells of each group. The data were analyzed by SPSS software of version19.0. Results: GPX4 expression in LSCC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent noncancerous tissues (2.04±0.65 vs. 0.99±0.09 , F =30.36, P <0.001), and was closely related to T stage and clinical stage (Ⅰ-Ⅱ vs. Ⅲ-Ⅳ: 1.75±0.39 vs. 2.18±0.71, F =2.25 , P <0.05; T1-2 vs. T3-4: 1.71±0.42 vs. 2.20±0.69, F =2.06, P <0.05). In TU212 cells treated with erastin, mitochondrial crest became smaller, membrane density increased, proliferation rate decreased, intracellular ROS level increased, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarized, GSH content decreased, intracellular MDA level increased and expressions of GPX4 mRNA and protein decreased. Change of M0 into M2 macrophages was induced by IL-4 stimulation. When erastin-treated TU212 cells were incubated with M2-exos, cell proliferation was partially restored and GPX4 expression was enhanced, and also with the recoveries of levels of ROS, MDA and GSH (all P <0.05). Conclusions: Ferroptosis is one of the cell death ways of LSCC. M2-exos may inhibit ferroptosis of LSCC cells.

Polygonatum species, including P. cyrtonema , P. kingianum , and P. sibiricum , are edible plants with medicinal purposes, which have long been consumed as food due to their high nutritional value. In this study, polysaccharides from P. cyrtonema (PCP), P. kingianum (PKP) and P. sibiricum (PSP) were obtained, and their physicochemical properties and in vitro biological activities were investigated. Our results demonstrated that PCP, PKP, and PSP consist of major fructose and minor glucose, galacturonic acid, and galactose in different molar ratios with the molecular weights of 8.5 × 10 3 Da, 8.7 × 10 3 Da, and 1.0 × 10 4 Da, respectively. The three polysaccharides had triple-helical structures with β-d-Fruf, α-d-Glcp, α-d-Galp sugar residues, and an O -acetyl group, and displayed peak-shaped structures in different sizes. They also exhibited thermal, shear-thinning behavior and viscoelastic properties, and PCP presented the highest viscoelasticity. Moreover, they exerted strong free radical-scavenging abilities, and significant reducing capacity. PCP was the strongest, followed by PSP and then PKP. They significantly promoted the polarization of the M1 macrophage, with the effect of PCP ranking first. All three had similar effects on GLP-1 secretion. It is, therefore, necessary to identify the various roles of these three Polygonatum polysaccharides as functional agents based on their bioactivities and physicochemical properties., Competing Interests: The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest to this work., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK) is a member of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that participates in the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we identified a novel JNK (EsJNK) and determined the cDNA sequence of its isoform (EsJNK-a) from the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. The open reading frame (ORF) of EsJNK was predicted to encode 421 peptides with a serine/threonine protein kinase, a catalytic (S&#95;TKc) domain, and a low complexity region. The ORF of EsJNK-a was 1380 bp encoding a protein with 459 amino acids, which was 38 amino acids more than that of EsJNK. The predicted tertiary structure of EsJNK was conserved and contained 15 α-helices and 10 β-sheets. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that EsJNK was clustered with the JNK homologs of other crustaceans. Quantitative real-time PCR assays showed that EsJNK was expressed in all the tissues examined, but it was relatively higher in hemocytes, muscles, and intestines. The expression of EsJNK mRNA in the hemocytes was upregulated by lipopolysaccharides and peptidoglycans, as well as by Staphylococcus aureus or Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge. Functionally, after silencing EsJNK by siRNA in crabs, the expression levels of two antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), namely, anti-lipopolysaccharide factor and crustin, were significantly inhibited. The purified recombinant EsJNK protein with His-tag accelerated the elimination of the aforementioned bacteria in vivo. However, knockdown of EsJNK had an opposite effect. These findings suggested that EsJNK might be involved in the antibacterial immune defense of crabs by regulating the transcription of AMPs., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As an environmentally friendly water-soluble polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has attracted extensive attention because of its non-toxic, degradable, low cost, and good biocompatibility. Electrospinning is a kind of nanotechnology, and the nanofiber membrane prepared by it has the advantages of large surface area-to-volume ratios, nano- to micron-sized fibers, etc. Herein, a simple and facile one-step green electrospinning method was developed to fabricate various environmentally friendly PVA nanofiber membranes. The lipophilic properties of PVA membranes were investigated and optimized according different PVA concentrations. The PVA electrospun fiber prepared from the solution at a concentration of 10 wt% had the highest adsorption capacity for the adsorption of new and waste engine oils, and the waste engine oil adsorption capacity (12.70 g/g) was higher than that of new engine oil (11.67 g/g). It also has a relatively large BET surface area (12.05 m 2 /g), a pore volume (0.04 cm 3 /g), and an appropriate pore diameter (13.69 nm) and fiber diameter (174.21 nm). All electrospun PVA membranes showed excellent lipophilic properties due to their oil contact angles of much less than 30°. Therefore, PVA electrospun fibrous membranes have great application potential in the field of purifying engine oil due to the excellent lipophilic properties and oil absorption capacity.

To find the polysaccharide with hepatoprotective activity from Poria cocos and clarify its structure, a galactoglucan (PCP-1C) with a molecular weight of 17 kDa was purified from the Poria cocos sclerotium by column chromatography and activity evaluation in the present work. It was composed of galactose, glucose, mannose, and fucose in a molar percentage of 43.5: 24.4: 17.4: 14.6. Structural characterization showed that PCP-1C has a backbone consisted of 1,6-α-D-Galp, which branches composed of 1,3-β-D-Glcp, 1,4-β-D-Glcp, 1,6-β-D-Glcp, T-β-D-Glcp, T-α-D-Manp, T-α-L-Fucp and 1,3-α-L-Fucp. In vivo experiments found that PCP-1C can apparently improve the damage of liver tissue in CCl 4 -treated mice and relieve oxidative stress and inflammation. PCP-1C also reduced the expression of CAR and CYP2E1 in the liver. These findings indicated strong hepatoprotective effect of PCP-1C, which was attributed to the reduction of CCl 4 metabolism via inhibiting the CAR/CYP2E1 signal pathway., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Surgical resection remains the only potentially curative treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, a number of patients get disease recurred in a short time post-operation. Few studies have focused on the predictors of different recurrence patterns of PDAC., Objective: To try to establish and verify a nomogram to predict recurrence free survival (RFS) in PDAC patients, and to distinguish the risk factors of local recurrence first and distant metastasis first via competing risk model., Methods: Patients who underwent radical pancreatectomy for PDAC in our center from 2010 to 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the clinicopathological predictors of recurrence post-operation. And then, a nomogram was constructed and validated. Competing risk regression model was used to compare the predictors between local recurrence group and distant metastasis group., Results: A total of 200 patients were included into the final analysis, and 153 patients got disease relapsed post-operation. CA19-9 level, vascular resection, tumor differentiation, lymph node ratio (LNR) and adjuvant chemotherapy were identified as independent risk factors for recurrence free survival (RFS) and incorporated into the nomogram. The C-index of the nomogram was 0.650. Competing risk model indicated that the status of lymph-node metastasis was significantly associated the patterns of first relapse., Conclusions: Nomogram and competing risk model were constructed to quantify the risk of recurrence following surgery for PDAC. Our findings may be useful for predicting RFS and recurrence pattern in clinical work., (Copyright © 2021 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of curved suspension laryngoscope assistant transoral surgery (CLATOS) in the examination of hypopharynx, and diagnosis and surgery of early hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Thirty-four patients who underwent detailed examination for lower part of hypopharynx and surgery for early hypopharyngeal carcinoma with CLATOS technique in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2019 to January 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. The age ranged from 42 to 74 years old including 28 males and 6 females. Among them, 25 patients complaining of foreign body sensation in the pharynx for more than half a year with a poor exposure of the lower pharynx in the examination with flexible laryngoscope in the outpatient department were admitted to the hospital for the further examination with rigid curved laryngoscopy and 9 patients with stage T1-2 hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were operated with CLATOS technique. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative data were analized. Results: One case of squamous cell carcinoma in esophageal entrance (T1N0M0) and one case of carcinoma in pyriform sinus (T1N0M0) with cervical esophageal carcinoma (T1N0M0) were found in the 25 patients with foreign body sensation in the pharynx. En bloc resection of cancer was obtained in 9 patients with stage T1-2 hypopharyngeal carcinomas and 2 of them underwent tracheotomy. One patient with T1 retrocricoid carcinoma was found to have a carcinoma in situ at the lower part of posterior hypopharyngeal wall in the examination during follow-up, which was resected simultaneously. Postoperatively this patient developed a stenosis in the esophageal entrance, which was dilated twice until swallowing normally. Two patients of T2N0M0 and one of T2N1M0 underwent bilateral neck lymph node dissection just after the removal of primary tumors. During follow-up, none of the 9 patients showed tumor recurrence and complications such as dysphonia and dyspnea. Conclusion: CLATOS technique can provide a promising way in the examination of hypopharynx and the detection of early lesions of hypopharynx and esophageal entrance, and this technique has also the advantages such as full visual angle and easy operation for the resection of early hypopharyngeal carcinoma. The quality of life of patients can be improved while the tumor is removed en bloc with this technique.

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of integrin alpha 7 (ITGA7) with clinical outcomes and its effect on cell activities as well as stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC tumor tissues and paired adjacent tissues from 90 HCC patients were obtained and ITGA7 expression was detected using immunohistochemistry assay. Cellular experiments were conducted to examine the effect of ITGA7 on cell activities, astemness via ITGA7 ShRNA transfection, and compensation experiments were further performed to test whether ITGA7 functioned via regulating PTK2-PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. ITGA7 was overexpressed in tumor tissues compared with paired adjacent tissues and its high expression was correlated with larger tumor size, vein invasion and advanced Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, and it also independently predicted worse overall survival in HCC patients. In cellular experiments, ITGA7 was upregulated in SMMC-7721, Hep G2, HuH-7 and BEL-7404 cell lines compared with normal human liver cells HL-7702. ITGA7 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation but promoted apoptosis, and it also downregulated CSCs markers (CD44, CD133 and OCT-4) as well as PTK2, PI3K and AKT expressions in SMMC-7721 and Hep G2 cell lines. ITGA7 overexpression promoted cell proliferation but inhibited apoptosis, and it also upregulated CSCs markers in HL-7702 cells. Further compensation experiments verified that ITGA7 regulated cell proliferation, apoptosis and CSCs markers via PTK2-PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. ITGA7 negatively associates with clinical outcomes in HCC patients, and it regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis and CSCs markers via PTK2-PI3K-Akt signaling pathway., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

We present herein a compact terahertz (THz) spectrometer in which transmission intensity distribution associated with dispersive interference effects in disordered random surfaces are used for reconstructing the frequency contents of an incoming THz beam. The device sweeps the frequency-dependent parameter of a roughened transmission plate through lateral displacement or electro-optic modulation. 2D transmission intensities are sequentially captured by a single detector for a range of modulation depths. With a calibration data set as the reference, one can reconstruct the spectra of the probe THz beam by solving a system of simultaneous linear equations. A smoothing Tikhonov regularization approach has been implemented to improve the accuracy of the spectral reconstruction. The reported compact, broadband, high-resolution THz spectrometer is well suited for portable THz spectroscopy applications.

The present work investigated the inhibitory activity of the polysaccharide from cultivated Dendrobium huoshanense (cDHP) on lung inflammation in cigarette smoke (CS)-induced mouse model. cDHP was mainly composed of mannose and glucose in a molar ratio of 1.89: 1.00, and had a backbone with linkages of 1,4-Manp, 1,4-Glcp, 1,4,6-Manp and 1-Glcp. Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that cDHP can increase alveolar number, thicken alveolar wall, inhibit pulmonary bulla formation and decrease inflammatory cell infiltration as compared to the model group. ELISA determination revealed that cDHP can inhibit CS-induced enhancement in TNF-α and IL-1β secretion in serum and lung. These results suggested that cDHP can resist CS-induced lung inflammation. Further, the phosphorylation analysis of p65, IκB, p38 and JNK as well as the DNA binding activity analysis of NF-κB and AP-1 implied that the anti-inflammation function of cDHP is mediated via regulating NF-κB and MAPK signaling., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

With fluorescent end-labeling method, a homogenous Dendrobium huoshanense polysaccharide (GXG) that was orally administrated to mice was found to be degraded into a stable fragment (dGXG) in the stomach, where dGXG was propelled into the small intestine and absorbed into the systemic circulation. The residual GXG in the stomach could pass through the gastrointestinal tract and was excreted into faeces with a very slow fermentation in the large intestine. The simulated digestion of GXG indicated that the acidic pH condition in the gastric fluid was responsible for GXG degradation, which was supported by the oral digestion of dGXG. Chemical analysis not only showed a change in the molar ratio of monosaccharide compositions and glycosidic linkage types, but also found the loss of the sugar residue (1→4)-linked Galp after the acid treatment of GXG, suggesting that the cleavage of glycosidic linkage, especially (1→4)-linked Galp linkage, resulted in GXG degradation in the gastrointestinal tract., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a source of air pollution and are harmful to both human health and the environment. In this study, we fabricated polyurethane/rare earth (PU/RE) composite nanofibrous membranes via electrospinning with the aim of removing VOCs from air. The morphological structure of PU/RE nanofibrous mats was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) experimental analyses. A certain amount of RE (up to 50 wt. % compared to PU pellets) nanoparticles (NPs) could be loaded on/into PU fibers. The tensile strength of PU/RE nanofibrous membranes decreased slightly with the increasing RE powder content. The PU nanofiber containing 50 wt. % RE powder had the smallest fiber diameter of 356 nm; it also showed the highest VOC absorption capacity compared with other composite membranes, having an absorption capacity about three times greater than pure PU nanofibers. In addition, all of the PU/RE nanofibrous membranes readily absorbed styrene the most, followed by xylene, toluene, benzene and chloroform. Therefore, the PU/RE nanofibrous membrane can play an important role in removing VOCs from the air, and its development prospects are impressive because they are emerging materials.

Background, Aim, and Scope: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their metabolites are toxic to animals, and concentrations of the PBDEs metabolites can exceed those of the parent materials. But no information was available on concentrations of PBDEs metabolites in the lower Yangtze River in the region around Jiangsu Province of China, which is heavily urbanized and industrialized area. The aims of this study were to determine whether PBDEs and their methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs) were accumulated in Coilia sp. in this area and to investigate the potential sources for these two kinds of brominated organic pollutants., Materials and Methods: Samples of four species of anchovy were collected from eight sites in the lower Yangtze River, Taihu Lake, and Hongzehu Lake. Concentrations of 13 PBDEs congeners and eight methoxylated PBDEs were determined by use of organic solvent extraction, followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry., Results and Discussion: The frequencies of detection for PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs were 92% and 53%, respectively. Concentrations of summation operatorPBDEs ranged from not detected (ND) to 77 ng/g lipids (ND-3.8 ng/g wet weight). Concentrations of summation operatorMeO-PBDEs in anchovy ranged from ND to 48 ng/g lipids (ND-8.2 ng/g wet weight). The PBDE concentrations in anchovy from the Yangtze River Delta were similar to or less than those reported for other species from other locations around the world, while the concentrations of MeO-PBDEs were comparable to or slightly less than those reported in other studies. This is the first report of MeO-PBDEs in biota of China., Conclusions: The results of this study as well as those of other studies suggest that PBDEs in anchovy are primarily of synthetic origin and released by human activities, while MeO-PBDEs in anchovy are primarily from nature as natural products from the sea instead of metabolism of PBDEs in anchovy.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Streptococcus suis and major pathogenic serotypes in middle part of Jiangsu province., Methods: Tonsillar specimens from 303 slaughtered pigs aged 6 to 8 months were investigated for the presence of Streptococcus suis and major pathogenic serotypes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Bacteriological examination compared with molecular genetics identification for three Streptococcus suis isolates were also done., Results: The overall carrier rate of Streptococcus suis was up to 88.0%, with the percentages of serotype 1(14), 2(1/2), 7 and 9 were 9.6%, 8.5%, 11.3% and 29.5% respectively in 2005. While in 2006, the prevalence of Streptococcus suis was 82.5%, with capsular types 1 (14), 2 (1/2), 7 and 9 were accounted for 17.6%, 2.4%, 25.8% and 20.0% of all the specimens. All the three isolates belonged to Streptococcus suis serotype 2,named 2a, 2f and 14e, which exhibiting the virulent phenotype cps2+/gdh+/mrp-/lepf-/sly-/fbps+/orf2+/89k-, cps2+/lgdh+/mrp-/epf-/sly-/fbps-/orf2-/89k- and cps2+/gdh+/mrp-/epf-/sly-/fbps/orf2-/ respectively. These isolates were all susceptible to amoxicillin, ampicillin, penicillin and resistant to amikacin and tetraycline. Clinical signs were not noted in BALB/c mice and rabbit., Conclusion: Prevalence of the Streptococcus suis among the healthy herds in the areas was very high, with various capsule types of Streptococcus suis involved in the same herds, and the virulent phenotype of these 3 isolates were very different from those prevalent Streptococcus suis serotype 2 virulent isolates frequently discovered from the epidemic areas.

1,5-bis(p-Hydroxybenzaldene)thiocarbohydrazone (BHBTZ) had been synthesized and used as a new kind of substrate for horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The experiment results showed that ascorbic acid (AsA) had strongly inhibiting effect on the BHBTZ-H(2)O(2)-HRP reaction system, so AsA had been spectrophotomericly determined as the inhibitor by enzymatic inhibition method. Under experimental conditions, the linear relationship between DeltaA(386) and AsA concentration was in the range of 0.82-18.0 microg ml(-1) with a detection limit of 0.245 microg ml(-1). The effect of interferences on AsA determination was investigated. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of AsA in tea drink.