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A thermodynamic analysis was performed on possible reactions of Fe3O4 in sediment material, intermediate product FeO, Fe, and other matters. In combination with the predominant area phase diagram of the Fe-Si system under different carbon mon-oxide partial pressures and excess carbon and silicon dioxide as well as the thermodynamic parameter state diagram of the Fe-O-N system, it is found that Fe finally exists in the form of Fe3Si, which provides a thermodynamic theoretical basis for using sediment to synthesize O'-Sialon-SiC-Fe3Si (Fe-Sialon) composites. These Fe-Sialon matrix composites made from sediment were prepared by carbothermal reduction-nitridation on the basis of thermodynamic analysis. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy resuhs in-dicate that plentiful O'-Sialon phase and a small quantity of SiC and Fe3Si phases appear in samples, and the crystalline grains are fi-ber-, cotton-, or short column-shaped, which is consistent with thermodynamic analysis results.

BACKGROUND The genus Monascus includes several species of fungi valued across Asia for their culinary uses and diverse medicinal properties. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of random amplified polymorphic DNA ( RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeats ( ISSR) markers in characterizing the genetic diversity in 41 Monascus strains collected from various regions of Fujian Province, the leading producer of Monascus in China. RESULTS Seven screened ISSR primers generated 56 polymorphic bands, of which 93.33% were polymorphic. The genetic similarity coefficients ( GSC) of the strains ranged from 0.50 to 1.00. Comparative sequence analysis using seven screened RAPD primers amplified a total of 49 polymorphic bands, of which 81.67% were polymorphic; GSC values ranged from 0.62 to 1.00. CONCLUSION Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation in genetic distances assessed using above two markers, which indicated they were suitable for Monascus species characterization. ISSR markers were more suitable for the classification and determination of Monascus species, while RAPD markers appear to be preferable for analyzing the differences among strains within the same species. Our study revealed that Monascus possesses rich genetic diversity, and that the genetic relationships among the selected strains were, to a very limited extent, correlated to their geographical variation. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the effect of nano-selenium loaded with different concentrations of lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP-SeNPs) on the proliferation of human lens epithelial cells (HLECs) from UV irradiation., Methods: LBP-SeNPs were prepared and their particle size was detected. HLECs (SRA01/04) were irradiated with UVB for different time (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60min) to construct a damaged model, the survival rate of cells was determined by methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The 4',6-Diamidine-2'-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI) staining was used to observe the status of cell nucleus and drug entering cytoplasm through cell membrane in SRA01/04 cells after adding LBP-SENPS loaded with coumarin fluorescence agent 24h under fluorescence microscope. SRA01/04 normal and UVB-damaged cells were treated with different amounts of LBP-SeNPs at different concentrations, cells proliferation were observed., Results: The particle size of LBP-SeNPs was stable in the range of 150-200 nm. The survival rate changes with time after UVB irradiation were statistically significant. The 10min of UVB exposure as the time was chosen to construct the cell damage model. With DAPI staining, LBP-SeNPs were observed to enter the cytoplasm through the cell membrane under fluorescence inverted microscope. Cytotoxicity of SRA01/04 at different concentrations of LBP-SeNPs were measured. Cell survival rate was statistically different compared with the control group. The higher the loading concentration of LBP in nano-Se drugs was, the higher the cell proliferation rate was ( P <0.05). The lower the concentration of LBP-SeNPs, the higher the cell proliferation rate, showing a negative growth trend ( P <0.05). The group with the highest average cell proliferation rate was 0.5 µmol/L 2.0 mg/mL LBP-SeNPs (128.80%). When the 2.0 mg/mL LBP-SeNPs group was selected for cell photography, the cell density was higher at 0.5 µmol/L. With the increase of concentration, SRA01/04 cells appeared more cytoplasm dehydration, cell shrinkage and apoptotic bodies, and cell density decreased., Conclusion: LBP-SeNPs has moderate particle size and good stability. LBP-SeNPs can protect HLECs (SRA01/04) from UVB-induced damage, and the cell proliferation rate is further increased with increasing the amount of loaded LBP and decreasing nano-selenium concentration., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)