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Abstract (R)-2-Hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid ethyl ester ((R)-HPBE) is an essential chiral intermediate in the synthesis of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Its production involves the highly selective asymmetric reduction of ethyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate (OPBE), catalyzed by carbonyl reductase (CpCR), with efficient cofactor regeneration playing a crucial role. In this study, an in-situ coenzyme regeneration system was developed by coupling carbonyl reductase (CpCR) with glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), resulting in the construction of five recombinant strains capable of NADPH regeneration. Among these, the recombinant strain E. coli BL21-pETDuet-1-GDH-L-CpCR, where CpCR is fused to the C-terminus of GDH, demonstrated the highest catalytic activity. This strain exhibited an enzyme activity of 69.78 U/mg and achieved a conversion rate of 98.3%, with an enantiomeric excess (ee) of 99.9% during the conversion of 30 mM OPBE to (R)-HPBE. High-density fermentation further enhanced enzyme yield, achieving an enzyme activity of 1960 U/mL in the fermentation broth, which is 16.2 times higher than the volumetric activity obtained from shake flask fermentation. Additionally, the implementation of a substrate feeding strategy enabled continuous processing, allowing the strain to efficiently convert a final OPBE concentration of 920 mM, producing 912 mM of (R)-HPBE. These findings highlight the system’s improved catalytic efficiency, stability, and scalability, making it highly suitable for industrial-scale biocatalytic production.

Abstract Late spring frosts, occurring after spring phenological events, pose a dire threat to tree growth and forest productivity. With climate warming, earlier spring phenological events have become increasingly common and led to plants experiencing more frequent and severe frost damage. However, the effect of late spring frosts after leaf-out on subsequent flowering phenology in woody species remains unknown. Utilizing 572,734 phenological records of 640 species at 5024 sites from four long-term and large-scale in situ phenological networks across the Northern Hemisphere, we show that late spring frosts following leaf-out significantly delay the onset of the subsequent flowering by approximately 6.0 days. Late-leafing species exhibit greater sensitivity to the frosts than early-leafing species, resulting in a longer delay of 2.5 days in flowering. Trees in warm regions and periods exhibit a more pronounced frost-induced flowering delay compared to those in cold regions and periods. A significant increase in the frequency of late spring frost occurrence is observed in recent decades. Our findings elucidate the intricate relationships among leaf-out, frost, and flowering but also emphasize that the sequential progression of phenological events, rather than individual phenological stages, should be considered when assessing the phenological responses to climate change.

ABSTRACT: Cinnamomi Cortex was a material as medicinal and edible resources and it has been demonstrated that Cinnamomi Cortex aqueous extract (CCAE) possess hypoglycemic effect, but there were no active compounds identified as quality standard of CCAE to be used in the investigate of hypoglycemic activity. Hence, in this study, the quality standard and the hypoglycemic effect of CCAE were investigated. Cinnamaldehyde and coumarin as the quality control in CCAE were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The results showed that the average yield of extraction was 10.06%. The concentration of coumarin was linear with peak area ranging from 0.02–1.00 μg/mL (r = 0.999 6, n = 6) and that of cinnamaldehyde also demonstrated a good linear relationship with peak area in the range of 1.05–52.50 μg/mL (r = 0.999 7, n = 6). The average recovery rate of coumarin and cinnamaldehyde was 99.42% and 100.11%, respectively. The investigation of hypoglycemic effect revealed that CCAE could improve weight loss, lower liver and pancreas indices, improve organ damage caused by diabetes, and lower fasting blood glucose, glycosylated serum protein (GSP) and total cholesterol (TC) levels. The results showed that CCAE can reduce fasting blood glucose and blood lipid levels in diabetic mice.

Abstract Tree phenology, the timing of periodic biological events in trees, is highly sensitive to climate change. Previous studies have indicated that forest greening can impact the local climate by modifying the seasonal surface energy budget. However, the understanding of tree phenological responses to forest greening at large spatial scales remains limited. Utilizing satellite‐derived phenological and leaf area index data spanning from 2001 to 2021, herein we show that forest greening led to earlier spring and autumn phenology in both temperate and boreal forests. Our findings demonstrated that forest greening during winter and spring contributed to a reduction in surface albedo, resulting in biophysical warming and consequently advancing spring leaf phenology. Conversely, forest greening in summer and autumn induced biophysical cooling through increased evapotranspiration, leading to an earlier onset of autumn leaf phenology. Our findings highlight the significant impact of forest greening‐induced local seasonal climate changes on shaping tree phenology in temperate and boreal forests. It is crucial to consider these greening‐induced alterations in microclimate conditions when modeling changes in tree phenology under future climate warming scenarios.

Peptide aggregation inevitably occurs during hydrolysis, and insoluble peptide aggregates (ISPA) are used as feed for animals due to their poor water solubility and unpleasant bitter flavor. Ultrasound was used to fabricate soy peptide nanoparticles by reassembling ISPA, followed by spray-drying encapsulation to develop low-bitterness peptide microcapsules with soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) and stevioside (STE) as wall materials. Powder properties, bitter taste, and the morphology of the microcapsules were evaluated. The formation of soluble peptide nanoparticles (w/w) exhibited an excellent bitter-masking effect. With high STE concentrations (>0.5%, w/w), microcapsules exhibited a higher bitter taste than unencapsulated peptides due to the increased surface distribution of STE on the microcapsules. These results provide an effective technique to improve the physicochemical properties of ISPA.

Abstract Background COVID-19 has spread worldwide. Older adults are at the greatest risk of contracting and dying from the virus. Nursing homes are densely populated places for older adults who are generally vulnerable and at high-risk. Although Chinese nursing homes have been trying to protect their residents, the needs and expectations of the residents and their families have been ignored. This study aimed to promote the safety of NH residents, including their physical and psychological safety, and to meet their expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Methods Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with nursing home residents and focus group online interviews with family members between June 2021 and February 2022. Data analysis was performed using inductive content analysis. Results 16 residents and 24 family members were interviewed. Four themes with 10 sub-themes were identified from the participants’ descriptions. Their expectations were mainly focused on prevention and control measures for COVID-19, medical capacity of nursing homes, health literacy and expectations for some aged care policies. Conclusions In the face of concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes, we sought to bring firsthand perspectives to the forefront by interviewing residents and their family members about their expectations for safety to address this issue. Our findings provide important areas on which should be focused and may improve the sense of gain, happiness, and security of nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the dual-carbon goals, enhancing the green development level of logistics industry and realizing its low-carbon transformation are important issues that need to be solved urgently. Amidst the continuous escalation in the total energy consumption of the national logistics industry, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region has exhibited a favorable descending trajectory in this respect. It is necessary to investigate the underlying reasons. Based on the panel data from 2012 to 2021, the DEA and Malmquist index are employed to analyze the low-carbon logistics efficiency of the BTH region from both static and dynamic perspectives. Furthermore, the inefficiency analysis is conducted to identify the deficiencies of low-carbon logistics industry in this region. Results show that (1) from the static perspective, the development of low-carbon logistics industry in the BTH region is relatively unbalanced. Compared to Tianjin and Hebei, Beijing's low-carbon logistics efficiency is significantly lower, becoming the focal area for attention; (2) from the dynamic perspective, technological progress is the main reason for the fluctuation of total factor productivity in the BTH region and a constraining factor for further improvements; (3) from the results of inefficiency analysis, the forthcoming emphasis on low-carbon logistics in Beijing should be on optimizing the number of logistics practitioners, transportation efficiency, and energy efficiency. Economic output and energy efficiency are relatively vulnerable aspects in Tianjin and Hebei, respectively, warranting due consideration. The research results of this paper have important practical implications for better developing low-carbon logistics in the BTH region and leveraging its leading role nationwide.

IntroductionEmerging proof suggests that Apocynum venetum flowers polysaccharide (AVFP) has immunomodulatory effects in vitro. However, the action mechanism of AVFA is still unclear in vivo. The purpose of this study is to probe into the potential mechanism of AVFA in immunosuppressed mice by investigating organ index, cytokine levels, anti-oxidative stress capacity, transcriptomics, and gut microbiota.MethodsImmunocompromised mice induced by cyclophosphamide (CTX) were divided into six groups. The enzyme-labeled method, hematoxylin and eosin, transcriptomics, and high-throughput sequencing were used to detect the regulatory effects of AVFP on immunocompromised mice and the function of AVFP on the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the intestinal microbiota and biochemical indexes.ResultsThe experimental results illustrated that AVFP has protective effects against CTX-induced immunosuppression in mice by prominently increasing the organ index and levels of anti-inflammatory factors in serum in addition to enhancing the antioxidant capacity of the liver. Meanwhile, it could also signally decrease the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum, the activity of transaminase in serum, and the content of free radicals in the liver, and alleviate the spleen tissue damage induced by CTX. Transcriptomics results discovered that AVFP could play a role in immune regulation by participating in the NF-κB signaling pathway and regulating the immune-related genes Bcl3, Hp, Lbp, Cebpd, Gstp2, and Lcn2. Gut microbiota results illustrated that AVFP could increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria, reduce the abundance of harmful bacteria, and regulate the metabolic function of intestinal microorganisms while dramatically improving the content of SCFAs, modulating immune responses, and improving the host metabolism. The Spearman analysis further evaluated the association between intestinal microbiota and immune-related indicators.ConclusionThese findings demonstrated that AVFP could enhance the immune effects of the immunosuppressed mice and improve the body’s ability to resist oxidative stress.

This is the first report on a polysaccharide (RCJ2-Ib) isolated from Rosa Chinensis Flos. RCJ2-Ib was obtained through the extraction with water, precipitation with ethanol, separation with DEAE-52 column and purification with DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow column and Sephadex G100 column. GC, FT-IR and NMR analyses revealed that RCJ2-Ib (3.3 kDa) was a 1,4-linked polymannuronic acid containing substantial β-D-anomers units. The anticoagulant effect of RCJ2-Ib evaluated by using rabbit ear venous blood and an acute blood stasis rat model showed that RCJ2-Ib had obvious anticoagulant activity in regulating endogenous and exogenous coagulation pathways and reducing serum thromboxane B2 and endothelin-1. In addition, RCJ2-Ib could also increase the number of Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli. As a result, RCJ2-Ib has the potential to inhibit thrombosis and maintain the intestinal environment.

To investigate the effects of cold plasma treatment on the oxidation and structure changes of myofibrillar proteins tilapia, the fish was treated by cold plasma with different time (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 min) and different voltage (40, 50, 60, 70, 80 kV), respectively, the carbonyl content, sulfhydryl content, hydrophobicity, Zeta potential, SDS-PAGE, UV spectra, fluorescence spectra and Raman spectrometer of myofibrillar protein were measured after treatment. The results showed that the carbonyl content and surface hydrophobicity of myofibrillar protein were increased gradually, as the treatment time extending or voltage increased, while the total sulfhydryl and the active sulfhydryl content were decreased. When the treatment time was extending to 5 min, the total sulfhydryl and the active sulfhydryl content were decreased to 66.91 and 52.76 μmol/g, respectively. The carbonyl content increased from 1.23 to 2.16 nmol/mg, if the treatment voltage was increased to 80 kV. Cold plasma treatment decreased the absolute value of Zeta potential of myofibrillar protein. The myosin heavy chain band of myofibrillar protein was increased based on SDS-PAGE results. As treatment time extending and voltage increasing, the UV spectrum of myofibrillar protein was blue-shifted with an increased UV absorption intensity, and the fluorescence absorption intensity of protein was weakened. Based on the Raman spectrometer determination, the content of α-helix was increased, the contents of β-sheet and β-turn were reduced, and the random coils had no obvious changes in myofibrillar protein of tilapia after cold plasma treatment. In conclusion, extending the treatment time or increasing treatment voltage of cold plasma can accelerate the oxidation of myofibrillar protein to result in the changes of their second-order structure and conformation.

Abstract Background Severe early childhood caries (SECC) is an inflammatory disease with complex pathology. Although changes in the oral microbiota and metabolic profile of patients with SECC have been identified, the salivary metabolites and the relationship between oral bacteria and biochemical metabolism remains unclear. We aimed to analyse alterations in the salivary microbiome and metabolome of children with SECC as well as their correlations. Accordingly, we aimed to explore potential salivary biomarkers in order to gain further insight into the pathophysiology of dental caries. Methods We collected 120 saliva samples from 30 children with SECC and 30 children without caries. The microbial community was identified through 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene high-throughput sequencing. Additionally, we conducted non-targeted metabolomic analysis through ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to determine the relative metabolite levels and their correlation with the clinical caries status. Results There was a significant between-group difference in 8 phyla and 32 genera in the microbiome. Further, metabolomic and enrichment analyses revealed significantly altered 32 salivary metabolites in children with dental caries, which involved pathways such as amino acid metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, purine metabolism, ATP-binding cassette transporters, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate signalling pathway. Moreover, four in vivo differential metabolites (2-benzylmalate, epinephrine, 2-formaminobenzoylacetate, and 3-Indoleacrylic acid) might be jointly applied as biomarkers (area under the curve = 0.734). Furthermore, the caries status was correlated with microorganisms and metabolites. Additionally, Spearman's correlation analysis of differential microorganisms and metabolites revealed that Veillonella, Staphylococcus, Neisseria, and Porphyromonas were closely associated with differential metabolites. Conclusion This study identified different microbial communities and metabolic profiles in saliva, which may be closely related to caries status. Our findings could inform future strategies for personalized caries prevention, detection, and treatment.

The vitamin C content and total phenolic content of five juices were compared. The phenolic profiles of juices were determined by high performance liquid chromotography, and the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities towards tumor cells were evaluated by chemical and cellular assays. The results showed that Rosa roxburghii juice exhibited the highest vitamin C content (14.13 g/L). The total polyphenol content of R. roxburghii and sea buckthorn juices was 13.06 and 12.53 g GAE/L, respectively, which was at the highest level and no significant difference was observed between them (P>0.05). Four phenolic compounds, gallic acid, rutin, catechin and ferullic acid were identified from five juices. The antioxidant activity of juices showed significantly correlations with the content of both gallic acid and total phenolic. Sea buckthorn, R. roxburghii and blueberry juices exhibited high PSC and ORAC activities, while lemon and mandarin juices showed low activities and no significant difference was observed between them (P>0.05). R. roxburghii juice (163.96 μmol QE/100 mL) and sea buckthorn juice (82.68 μmol QE/100 mL) exhibited the highest CAA activity with and without PBS wash, respectively, and sea buckthorn juice had the highest cell absorptivity (65.27%). R. roxburghii juice showed the highest antiproliferative activity towards tumor cells (EC50=5.50 mg/mL) and the lowest cytotoxicity (CC50>200 mg/mL). Five juices were divided into two categories in terms of the phenolic profiles and the antioxidant activity. One was R. roxburghii and sea buckthorn juices, and the other was lemon, blueberry and mandarine juices. This study could provide the theoretical guidance for the development of fruit deep processing industry and functional drink.

The difference and similarities in the physicochemical and volatile flavor properties were determined in neon flying squid (OB), jumbo squid (DG), and Argentine squid (IA) mantles during 8 days of chilled storage. Physicochemical analysis indicated the chilled conditions induced rapid increases in pH value, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), and carbonyl and malondialdehyde (MDA) content of the three squid species. In addition, myofibrillar protein (MP) content decreased and springiness in the OB, DG, and IA mantle samples declined with the extension of storage time. Importantly, OB mantles presented less chemical stability than the other two squid samples during 8 days of chilled storage. In addition, histological observations suggest DG mantle tissues presented more compact structures than those of the other two samples. Volatile flavor analysis showed propionaldehyde, 3-pentanone, trimethylamine, 3-furanmethanol, 2-methyl butyric acid, and 2-butanone were highly abundant in the squid mantles after storage, likely resulting from decomposition, oxidation, and degradation of proteins and lipids in the squid mantle, which varied with different squid species. The findings provide insight into the performance of three squid species during chilled storage.

Pleurotus spp. was one of the most precious and common edible fungi, polysaccharides were the main active component. The structural, biological activities and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of polysaccharides from Pleurotus spp. were systematically reviewed. On the basis of structure and biological activity, structure-activity relationships were also analyzed and discussed to look forward to its future research direction and application prospect. In the past 5 years, about 30 kinds of polysaccharides were isolated from Pleurotus spp., and their preliminary structures were studied, but the fine structures were seldomly reported. The polysaccharides showed the activities of immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-ageing, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor, hypolipidemic and regulating intestinal flora, but the mechanism was needed further study. There were few studies on the SAR of polysaccharides from Pleurotus, and the polysaccharides of P. eryngii were studied. It was found that the biological activities of polysaccharides were affected by molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, sugar chain structure and configuration. In addition, sulfonation and selenization could significantly increase the bioactivities of polysaccharides. These findings might help to better understand the research status of polysaccharides from Pleurotus spp. and provided a scientific basis for their application as functional foods.

Due to the small inter-class differences of the object itself and the larger intra-class differences caused by the shooting environment and background, the image recognition of cashmere and wool has always been a problem in the textile field. In order to solve the problem, an improved bilinear convolutional neural network model for cashmere and wool fiber recognition was proposed. The two-way network of the B-CNN model was improved to extract feature vectors of different levels of fiber original sample images and skeleton images, and the features of the two images were fused using vector stitching in this method, so as to complement information and enhance the ability of feature expression. Finally, transfer training was used to solve the problem of small samples of fiber images and improve classification accuracy and efficiency. The experimental results show that the test set accuracy of this model can be up to 98.06% as opposed to that of the classic B-CNN model. It shows that the model can effectively solve the problem of cashmere and wool fiber recognition.

There are invalid and redundant features in the texture feature extraction method of cashmere and wool fibers, which leads to the low recognition accuracy. In this paper, a novel texture feature selection method based on local binary pattern, the gray level co-occurrence matrix algorithm and chi-square test was proposed to sufficiently extract the effective features of these two fibers. Firstly, the collected images of cashmere and wool fibers are processed to obtain the clear texture images with background removed by pre-processing algorithm and local binary pattern. Then, the texture features are calculated by the gray level co-occurrence matrix, and the optimal 5-dimensional features are extracted by chi-square test to represent the texture information of cashmere and wool. Finally, the two fibers are automatically classified and recognized based on the support vector machine. The experimental results show that the proposed method obtained a high recognition accuracy with the percent of 94.39. It verifies that the method based on texture feature selection is effective to identify cashmere and wool fibers.

The polysaccharides from edible fungus showed many kinds of biological activities, including anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes, improving functional constipation activities. In particular, the immunomodulatory effects have been paid more and more attention by scholars, but there was no systematic introduction of their immunomodulatory mechanism. So, this review introduced the immunomodulatory effects and mechanism of edible fungus polysaccharides in recent years, and then the relationships between structure and immunomodulatory effect were also discussed.

The structure and moisture retention of Tremella polysaccharide fermented from GCMCC5.39 (FTP) were evaluated. After UV, infrared spectrum analysis, HPAEC-PAD, HPSEC and 1 D NMR analysis, the composition of the purified FTP was determined. Purified components of fermented Tremella polysaccharide (FTPS) was made of galactose, mannose, glucose, galactosmine, glucosamine, and contain a large amount of hydroxyl, carbonyl and amino groups. FTPS was α -neutral pyranose without uronic acid. FTPS-1 and FTPS-2 were obtained after purification by DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow Column. The molecular weights of FTPS-1 and FTPS-2 were 25 722 and 177 263 Da. FTPS-2 had a better ability to prevent moisture loss, and the optimal moisture retention period was 0–4 h. FTPS-2 could significantly increase the moisture content of the skin epidermis and showed a dose-concentration relationship. The effect of FTPS-2 on the expression of different moisturizing genes was evaluated in a human skin keratinocyte model. The results showed that FTPS-2 has no cytotoxicity, and could significantly promote AQP3, TGM1, CASP14, HYAL2, FLG gene expression level in HaCaT cells. It has the most significant influence at HYAL2 protein expression on 50 μg/mL.

Ligustri lucidi Fructus is a traditional Chinese medicine and possesses various bioactivities, including hypoglycemic effect. Ligustrum lucidum Ait flowers are poorly investigated. Thus, we hypothesized that L. lucidum flowers also could have hypoglycemic effect. Chemical composition and glucose uptake effect of L. lucidum flowers on 3T3-L1 adipocytes were investigated. In this study, the components of L. lucidum flowers were investigated by various chromatographic and spectroscopic methods and the effects of L. lucidum flowers on the induction of glucose uptake were investigated by 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Seven compounds were isolated and identified from L. lucidum flowers, including ursolic acid (1), kaempferol-7-O-α-l-rhamnoside (2, KR), β-sitosterol (3), β-daucosterol (4), kaempferitrin (5, KF), 10-hydroxy oleuropein (6, HO), and kaempferol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside-7-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (7, KGR). The results of glucose uptake showed that total extract (TE), KR, KF and HO from L. lucidum flowers significantly enhanced glucose uptake. This study demonstrated that compounds 2, 5-7 were isolated for the first time from this plant and compounds 2 and 7 were isolated for the first time in genus Ligustrum, L. lucidum flowers, KR, KF and HO may possess potential hypoglycemic effect.

In this study, we demonstrate a unique method for the detection of heavy metals such as chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) at trace levels in aqueous solutions via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) enriched using chelating resin. Reduction in sample time preparation was shortened by tailoring the sample processing time with the aid of an enrichment method. The calibration curves and LODs of CH-90 chelating resin for enriching Cr, Cu, Pb, and Ni cations were established under the optimal conditions. The linear correlation coefficients were all above 0.98, and the detection limits were 0.148 mg/L, 0.150 mg/L, 0.149 mg/L, and 0.240 mg/L, corresponding to Cr, Cu, Pb, and Ni, respectively. The quantitative evaluation of the obtained results signifies that the proposed method is highly sensitive for detecting trace elements and offers a good correspondence of the acquired linear correlation with its calibration model. Results comparison with past studies suggests that the proposed method is able to achieve lower LODs for elements under investigation.

Abstract In anurans, the complexity of courtship calls may affect female mate choice. The current study suggests that nonlinear phenomena (NLP) components can contribute to increasing complexity in courtship calls and attracting female attention. The results of a recent study showed that calls of large odorous frog (Odorrana graminea) contained NLP components. However, whether the nonlinear components of courtship calls in O. graminea improve male attractiveness remains unknown. We hypothesized that female O. graminea would prefer males producing calls with a higher proportion of NLP components (P‐NLP‐C). To test this hypothesis, we recorded the advertisement calls of 28 males and confirmed that the P‐NLP‐C was significantly positively related to body size. We also measured the body size of natural amplectant males and non‐amplectant males in the field and found that amplectant males had larger body sizes than non‐amplectant males, and the results of two‐choice amplexus experiments similarly revealed a female preference for males with larger body sizes. Additionally, phonotaxis experiments also revealed that females preferred male calls with a high P‐NLP‐C. The results suggest that a higher P‐NLP‐C in calls can enhance male attractiveness, and the P‐NLP‐C may provide key information about male body conditions for female O. graminea. Our study provides a new insight for better understanding the role of NLP in anuran mate selection.

Proteomics and intestinal flora were used to determine the mechanism of immune modulatory effects of Flammulina velutipes polysaccharide on immunosuppressed mice. The results showed that compared with the model group, F. velutipes polysaccharide could increase thymus and spleen indices and improve thymus tissue structure in mice; IL-2 and IL-4 contents were significantly increased and IL-6 and TNF-α contents were significantly decreased; serum acid phosphatase (ACP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activities were increased (P < 0.05); in the liver, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were increased (P < 0.001), while malondialdehyde (MDA) content was decreased (P < 0.001). Proteomics discovered that F. velutipes polysaccharides may exert immune modulatory effects by participating in signaling pathways such as immune diseases, transport and catabolism, phagosomes and influenza A, regulating the immune-related proteins Transferrin receptor protein 1 (TFRC) and Radical S-adenosyl methionine domain-containing protein 2 (RSAD2), etc. Gut microbial studies showed that F. velutipes polysaccharides could increase the abundance of intestinal flora and improve the flora structure. Compared to the model group, the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the relative abundance of SCFA-producers Bacteroides and Alloprevotella were increased in the F. velutipes polysaccharide administration group, while Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and f_Lachnospiraceae_Unclassified decreased in relative abundance. Thus, F. velutipes polysaccharide may play an immunomodulatory role by regulating the intestinal environment and improving the balance of flora.

Universities are important parts of innovation ecosystems, and university technology transfer (UTT), which aims for the sustainable commercialization of sci-tech achievements, is closely related to other actors in the ecosystem. Based on the panel data of 31 provinces in mainland China, this paper empirically analyzes the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of UTT levels from 2011 to 2019 and estimates the influencing factors using the spatial Durbin model (SDM) with an economic spatial weighting matrix from the perspective of innovation ecosystems. The results are presented as follows: (1) Although the overall level of UTT in China is low, it shows an upward trend in most provinces. In addition, the interprovincial gap is obvious, forming a ladder distribution of UTT levels increasing from west to east. (2) There is a significant spatial autocorrelation between UTT levels in the provinces. (3) Industry, economy, and informatization play significant roles in promoting UTT, while financial institutes and openness have significant inhibitory effects. The economy has a significant spatial spillover effect on UTT, while government, industry and informatization have a significant inhibitory effect on UTT in neighboring regions. (4) The direct and indirect effects of influencing factors in the Eastern Region and other regions show significant spatial heterogeneity.

In this paper, the content of total saccharide in Auricularia auricula from different regions was determined. Then, near-infrared (NIR) technology was used to collect the spectral information of the samples. The sample data were divided into calibration set and validation set. The best quantitative model of the total saccharide content of A. auricula was established by selecting the parameters such as spectral range, pretreatment method, and partial least square method (PLS) main factor number of the calibration set data. The validation set data were used to verify the reliability of this model. In this model, the original spectrum was used to preprocess by standard normal variate (SNV) + second derivative (SD) to eliminate the scattering effect caused by uneven particle distribution and the influence of noise on spectral data. The spectrum range was 4000–10000 cm−1, and the final choice of PLS main factor number was 11. Under this condition, the calibration set Rc2 of the model was 0.9092, the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) was 1.405, the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) was 1.507, and the residual predictive deviation (RPD) was 3.32. The validation samples were used to test the model, and the result showed that Rv2 = 0.9048 of the validation set. The result proved that the predicted value of the validation samples had a good linear relationship with the measured value. According to the T-test of the two sets of data in the validation set, the difference between the predicted value and the chemical value was not significant (P ≥ 0.05). The results were in line with the expected objectives. The established NIR quantitative model can be used to predict the total saccharide content of the black fungus sample to be tested.

Cascade reactions catalyzed by multi-enzyme systems are important in science and industry and can be used to synthesize drugs and nutrients. In this study, two types of macromolecules of bi-enzyme self-assembly clusters (BESCs) consisting of carbonyl reductase (CpCR) and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) were examined. Stereoselective CpCR and GDH were successfully fused with SpyCatcher and SpyTag, respectively, to obtain four enzyme modules, namely: SpyCatcher-CpCR, SpyCatcher-GDH, SpyTag-CpCR, and SpyTag-GDH, which were covalently coupled in vitro to form two types of hydrogel-like BESCs: CpCR-SpyCatcher-SpyTag-GDH and GDH-SpyCatcher-SpyTag-CpCR. CpCR-SpyCatcher-SpyTag-GDH showed a better activity and efficiently converted ethyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate (OPBE) to ethyl(R)2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutanoate ((R)-HPBE), while regenerating NADPH. At 30 °C and pH 7, the conversion rate of OPBE with CpCR-SpyCatcher-SpyTag-GDH as a catalyst reached 99.9%, with the ee% of (R)-HPBE reaching above 99.9%. This conversion rate was 2.4 times higher than that obtained with the free bi-enzyme. The pH tolerance and temperature stability of the BESCs were also improved compared with those of the free enzymes. In conclusion, bi-enzyme assemblies were docked using SpyCatcher/SpyTag to produce BESCs with a special structure and excellent catalytic activity, improving the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme.

Currently there is tremendous interest in the discovery of natural polysaccharide immunomodulators for treating immune-related diseases. Herein, the immunomodulatory activities of a polysaccharide fraction isolated from blackberry seeds (BSP-2) were examined in RAW264.7 cells. The results revealed that BSP-2 at 37.5–300 µg/mL could significantly enhance the phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells and their ability to release NO, TNF-α and IL-6 cytokines. BSP-2 could significantly up-regulate the mRNA expression of iNOS, TNF-α and IL-6, as well as the phosphorylation of p65, p38, ERK and JNK proteins. The mechanisms underlying the immunomodulatory actions of BSP-2 likely involve the activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways and up-regulation of the phosphorylation of key proteins involved in these pathways. These findings suggest that BSP-2 could be applied as a polysaccharide immunotherapeutic adjuvant with the effective dose as low as 70 µg/mL (BSP-2 may be cytotoxic at levels > 600 μg/mL). Highlights Immunostimulatory potential of a blackberry seed polysaccharide (BSP-2) was examined. BSP-2 at 37.5–300 µg/mL could enhance the phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells. BSP-2 could significantly up-regulate the mRNA expression of iNOS, TNF-α and IL-6. BSP-2 up-regulated the phosphorylation of p65, p38, ERK and JNK proteins. Immunostimulatory BSP-2 acted via activating the NF-κB and MAPK signalling pathways.

(R)-1-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanamine, a key chiral intermediate of selective tetrodotoxin-sensitive blockers, was efficiently synthesized by a bienzyme cascade system formed by with R-ω-transaminase (ATA117) and an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) co-expression system. Herein, we report that the use of ATA117 as the biocatalyst for the amination of 3,5-bistrifluoromethylacetophenone led to the highest efficiency in product performance (enantiomeric excess > 99.9%). Moreover, to further improve the product yield, ADH was introduced into the reaction system to promote an equilibrium shift. Additionally, bienzyme cascade system was constructed by five different expression systems, including two tandem expression recombinant plasmids (pETDuet-ATA117-ADH and pACYCDuet-ATA117-ADH) and three co-expressed dual-plasmids (pETDuet-ATA117/pET28a-ADH, pACYCDuet-ATA117/pET28a-ADH, and pACYCDuet-ATA117/pETDuet-ADH), utilizing recombinant engineered bacteria. Subsequent studies revealed that as compared with ATA117 single enzyme, the substrate handling capacity of BL21(DE3)/pETDuet-ATA117-ADH (0.25 g wet weight) developed for bienzyme cascade system was increased by 1.50 folds under the condition of 40 °C, 180 rpm, 0.1 M pH9 Tris-HCl for 24 h. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first report demonstrating the production of (R)-1-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanamine using a bienzyme cascade system, thus providing valuable insights into the biosynthesis of chiral amines.

Hericium erinaceus is a precious edible and medicinal fungus with high nutritional value. It has many functions, such as enhancing immunity, antitumor antioxidation, antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, and protecting gastric mucosa. However, there are few researches about the H. erinaceus compounds. In this paper, ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-exactive-MS/MS) was used to isolate and identify the compounds in H. erinaceus. 102 compounds were identified in H. erinaceus by comparing with standard databases such as MZVault, MZCloud, and BGI Library (self-built standard Library by BGI Co., Ltd), including flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids, steroids, organic acids, and amino acids.

Poria is a common Traditional Chinese Medicine in clinic. In recent years, the chemical and pharmacological studies of Poria have made great progress, triterpenes and polysaccharides have been isolated, and various types of compounds containing lipids, octanoic acids, fatty acids, and trace elements have been found. In this paper, we reviewed the literature, summarized the main compound types, and reviewed in detail their pharmacological effects in antitumor, immunomodulatory, effects on kidney, hepatoprotective activity, effects on blood sugar, antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory effects, effects on the gut, antidepressant, and so on, and also categorized the compounds with the same or similar pharmacological effects to provide a reference for the in-depth study of the material basis of the pharmacological effect, quality standards, and pharmacological activity of Poria.

Flammulina velutipes is the fourth largest edible fungus in China with high nutritional value. In this paper, ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap MS) was used to identify the secondary metabolites of F. velutipes. The metabolites were identified by comparing the retention time, accurate molecular weight, and MS2 data with standard databases of mzVault and mzCloud (compound: 17,000+) and BGI high-resolution accurate mass plant metabolome database (plant metabolite: 2500+). Finally, 26 secondary metabolites were preliminarily identified, including flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, organic acids, and steroids.

Along with urban development globally, the NIMBY (Not-In-My-Backyard) crisis has been a complex social problem, which requires urgent remedial action. The inevitable management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has been one of the toughest risk management tasks in the worldwide modernization process. At present, certain fuzzy and unstructured results and methods have been formed for MSW-NIMBY crisis response, mainly focusing on the sociology and politics which scatter in complex and sensitive reports and news. Aiming at enhancing the effectiveness of data mining from specific sparse text of MSW-NIMBY crisis, an improved knowledge extraction method is developed. Through rule-based text mining and complex network analysis, the Entity Relationship (ER) network of MSW-NIMBY crisis is reconstructed. Meanwhile, a novel transitivity for relationship between entities in semantic analysis is proposed to improve the feasibility and accuracy of information extraction. Characteristics and regularity of MSW-NIMBY crisis evolution and experience of crisis governance could be identified effectively. Results show that knowledge integration and ER transitivity can enhance knowledge recognition and major other factors, which could help formulate the governance strategies of NIMBY crisis from academic texts.

Only through successful transformation and application in industries, technology achievements in universities can promote economic and social development. Meanwhile, technological progress in high-tech industries depends in part on universities’ technology achievements. Coupling coordination between technology transfer in universities (TTU) and high-tech industries development (HTID) is of great significance to the sustainable development of the regional sci-tech innovation system. In this paper, the coupling mechanism of TTU and HTID is analyzed and comprehensive evaluation index systems are established by using the evaluation indicator to screen and assign weights based on information contribution rate. The coupling coordination index (CCI) and productivity index (PI) are introduced to derive the spatiotemporal characteristics of the coupling and coordination of TTU and HTID from 2010 to 2019 in China and analyze its influence factors by System-Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM). The results show the following: (1) the overall national TTU-HTID CCI shows a gradual upward trend and large regional differences; (2) CCI of most provinces is increasing, but the differences are widening; (3) the national TTU PI is in a state of volatility and decline, but the ability of TTU is still much higher than the level of HTID; (4) technological innovation in high-tech industries, high-tech industry technology absorption capacity, high-tech industry development level, industry-university cooperation, and technological finance development have significant roles in promoting the coupling coordination of TTU-HTID. Meanwhile, the sci-tech innovation level in universities, technology transferability in universities, government support, development of sci-tech intermediary, and development of other research institutions have no significant impact.

Abstract Background The flowers of Malus pumila Mill (Rosaceae) is rich in resources, but lack of medicinal value research. Chemical constituents of the same family M. pumila have coagulatory activity. Considering the coagulatory activity could be beneficial for various cardiovascular diseases, the aim of this study is to evaluate coagulatory active constituents of M. pumila flowers. Methods Chemical constituents of M. pumila flowers were isolated by various column chromatographies, and their coagulatory activity were evaluated by activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT) and fibrinogen (FIB) in vitro. Results Nine compounds were isolated from M. pumila flowers, and identified as kaempferol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), kaempferol-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), kaempferol-3-O-α-l-arabinofuranoside (3), phloridzin (4), kaempferol (5), phloretin (6), β-sitosterol (7), lupeol (8) and pyracanthoside (9). Compounds 1–9 were isolated from the flowers for the first time, compounds 1, 2 and 9 were isolated from the genus for the first time. Compound 2 could significantly shorten APTT, TT and PT, but significantly decrease the content of FIB. Compound 3 could shorten PT. Compound 4 could significantly shorten TT and PT, but significantly decrease the content of FIB. Compound 5 shortened APTT. Compound 6 and 7 could significantly shorten APTT and PT. Compound 9 was able to prolong TT and decrease the content of FIB, but shorten PT. Conclusions Compounds 2–7 possessed significant procoagulant activity in vitro, compound 9 had anticoagulant activity in vitro, which showed coagulation potential of compounds from M. pumila flowers, as a new source of bioactive molecules for therapeutic purposes.

Background/Aims: Fetal macrosomia and its associated complications are the most frequent and serious morbidities for infants associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the lncRNAs involvement in GDM, especially for the prediction of risk for fetal overgrowth. Methods: The peripheral blood obtained from four group including healthy control (NC), healthy volunteers with pregnancy (NC-P), GDM patients with and without macrosomia were screened by lncRNA microarray and validated by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) arranged in the training and a two-stage validation sets. The positive and negative prediction ability for candidate lncRNAs were analyzed by risk score analysis. Results: A multiple venny analysis was performed revealed five candidate lncRNA including XLOC_014172, RP11-230G5.2, PCBP1-AS1, LOC149086 and RP11-160H22.5 which was consistence with the following parameter: i, increased in GDM patients with macrosomia (GDM-M) comparing with patients without macrosomia; ii, increased in GDM-M comparing with NC-P group; iii, increased in GDM-M comparing with NC. Further validation found XLOC_014172 and RP11-230G5.2 was final consistence with these parameter in 150 samples each group. Further receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, with the combined two stably expressed lncRNAs indicated a high diagnostic ability an area under ROC curve value (AUC) of 0.955 and 0.962 in training set and validation set respectively. Conclusions: Circulating XLOC_014172 and RP11-230G5.2 may act as novel biomarkers in GDM patients as fingerprint for the risk of macrosomia outcome.

Hair can be regenerated after skin wounding. Here the authors show that inflammatory macrophages produce TNF that activates Wnt signalling in hair follicle stem cells to drive this hair regeneration after wound repair in mice.

The volatile constituents and fatty acids in Pleurotus geesteranus were assayed by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with GC-MS. There were 5 volatile compounds in P. geesteranus that accounted for 43.43% of the total ion current peak area, and its main compounds were 2-undecanone (13.99%), 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethyl pyrazine (12.67%), and l-β-bisabolene (6.79%). Fourteen compounds were identified in the ethanol extract of P. geesteranus and 6 fatty acids were identified from the petroleum ether extract, which accounted for 93.72% and 98.48% of the total ion current peak area, the main compounds in the ethanol extract were ethyl linoleate (67.36%) and ethyl palmitate (21.83%), and the main fatty acids in the petroleum ether extract were linoleic acid (78.22%), palmitic acid (10.74%), and oleic acid (8.13%).

The frequent occurrence of urban waterlogging constantly affects resident living and urban construction. Improved adaptive prevention and control strategies are highly requested due to huge economic losses and casualties caused by flood and waterlogging in China. The urban waterlogging may evolve into a serious emergency, generally characterized by high complexity, uncertainty, and time pressure. Coupled with the asymmetric information, waterlogging often exacerbates the impact of urban rainstorm disasters. Through the multi-agent system simulation with given geographic information, government and residents interact under dynamic risk distribution in rainstorm disaster. The results show that the proactive attitude of residents and the government towards disaster relief could have a promoting effect for both, thereby increasing the disaster relief efficiency. Obviously, rapid accurate information collection and analysis facilitate disaster relief to a large extent. Meanwhile, appropriate supply rather than excessive supply may mobilize residents’ self-help and balance replenishment of relief supplies.

Currently, engineered skin substitutes (ESS) are unable to regenerate cutaneous appendages. Recent studies have shown that skin-derived precursors (SKPs), which are extensively available, have the potential to induce hair follicle neogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that ESS consisting of culture-expanded SKPs and epidermal stem cells (Epi-SCs) reconstitute the skin with hair follicle regeneration after grafting into nude mice. SKPs seeded in a C-GAG matrix proliferated and expressed higher levels of hair induction signature genes—such as Akp2, Sox2, CD133 and Bmp6—compared to dermal fibroblasts. Moreover, when ESS prepared by seeding a mixture of culture-expanded murine SKPs and human adult Epi-SCs into a C-GAG matrix was grafted into full-thickness skin wounds in nude mice, black hairs were generated within 3 weeks. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the SKPs were localized to the dermal papillae of the newly-formed hair follicle. Our results indicate that SKPs can serve as the hair-inductive cells in ESS to furnish it with hair genesis potential

Persistent injury and the following improper repair in bronchial epithelial cells are involved in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation and airway remodeling of asthma. E-cadherin (ECAD) has been shown to be involved in airway epithelium injury repair, but its underlying mechanisms to this process is poorly understood. Here, we describe a previously undetected function of ECAD in regulating the balance of EMT and MET during injury repair. Injury in mice and human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) was induced by successive ozone stress for 4 days at 30 min per day. ECAD overexpression in HBECs was induced by stable transfection. EMT features, transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) secretion, transcriptional repressor Snail expression, and β-catenin expression were assayed. Ozone exposure and then removal successfully induced airway epithelium injury repair during which EMT and MET occurred. The levels of TGF-β1 secretion and Snail expression increased in EMT process and decreased in MET process. While ECAD overexpression repressed EMT features; enhanced MET features; and decreased TGF-β1 secretion, Snail mRNA level, and β-catenin protein expression. Moreover, activating β-catenin blocked the effects of ECAD on EMT, MET and TGF-β1 signaling. Our results demonstrate that ECAD regulates the balance between EMT and MET, by preventing β-catenin to inhibit TGFβ1 and its target genes, and finally facilitates airway epithelia repair.

Insomnia, a sleep-disordered disease, is characterized by difficulty in falling asleep, decrease of sleep quality and sleep time, decline of memory and attention. Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS) is one of the important “medicine-food” herbs for insomnia and anxiety. In this research, the sedative and hypnotic effects of ZSS extract (ZSSE) was evaluated by animal experiment, and the potential active components and related mechanism were further analyzed by using metabonomics and network pharmacology techniques. The results showed that ZSSE could cooperate with the subthreshold dose of barbital sodium in the hypnotic effect of mice, and the high-dose group (1 g/kg) significantly prolonged the sleep time of mice induced by barbital sodium (P < 0.01). A total of 200 compounds were obtained from ZSSE by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), including triterpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, organic acids, fatty acyls, and among them 113 active components were screened. Network pharmacological analysis indicated that kaempferol, boldine, apigenin and ursolic acid may be the potential active ingredients of ZSSE in the treatment of insomnia. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks analysis showed that AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), catalase (CAT), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1) were the main key targets. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that these targets were mainly involved in steroid metabolic process, hormone level regulation and metabolism, synaptic membrane, neuronal cell body, heme binding, postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptor activity and neurotransmitter receptor activity. The enrichment analysis of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway showed that the sedative and hypnotic effects of ZSSE might be closely related to signaling pathways such as steroid hormone biosynthesis, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, HIF-1 signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, dopaminergic synapse, cAMP signaling pathway and cholinergic synapse. This study revealed the potential active components and mechanism of ZSSE in the treatment of insomnia, and provided a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of ZSS.

Two polysaccharides were isolated successfully from Flammulina velutipes and identified as CHFVP-1 (24.44 kDa) and CHFVP-2 (1497 kDa). Based on the results of Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy regarding the structure of CHFVP-1 and CHFVP-2, CHFVP-1 was constructed with the backbone of→6)-α-D-Galp-(1→ and the branch of Galp by an →3,6)-α-D-Manp-(1→attached with T-β-D-Glcp or t-α-L-Fucp side chains. Meanwhile, the CHFVP-2 was a glucan with the construction of →6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→ and T-β-D-Glcp. Moreover, the coagulant activity in vitro of CHFVP-1 and CHFVP-2 was evaluated, and the results showed that CHFVP-1 exerts procoagulant activity by shortening the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and thrombin time (TT), while CHFVP-2 did not reveal a definite coagulant activity. The finding would benefit the further application of F. velutipes in the field of medicine.

One new diterpenoid, diaporpenoid A (1), two new sesquiterpenoids, diaporpenoids B–C (2,3) and three new α-pyrone derivatives, diaporpyrones A–C (4–6) were isolated from an MeOH extract obtained from cultures of the mangrove endophytic fungus Diaporthe sp. QYM12. Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations were determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations and a comparison of the specific rotation. Compound 1 had an unusual 5/10/5-fused tricyclic ring system. Compounds 1 and 4 showed potent anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting the production of nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells with IC50 values of 21.5 and 12.5 μM, respectively.

Ganoderma lucidum is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Ganoderic acid A and D are the main bioactive components with anticancer effects in G. lucidum. To obtain the maximum content of two compounds from G. lucidum, a novel extraction method, an ionic liquid-based ultrasonic-assisted method (ILUAE) was established. Ionic liquids (ILs) of different types and parameters, including the concentration of ILs, ultrasonic power, ultrasonic time, rotational speed, solid−liquid ratio, were optimized by the orthogonal experiment and variance analysis. Under these optimal conditions, the total extraction yield of the two compounds in G. lucidum was 3.31 mg/g, which is 36.21% higher than that of the traditional solvent extraction method. Subsequently, an artificial neural network (ANN) was developed to model the performance of the total extraction yield. The Levenberg−Marquardt back propagation algorithm with the sigmoid transfer function (logsig) at the hidden layer and a linear transfer function (purelin) at the output layer were used. Results showed that single hidden layer with 9 neurons presented the best values for the mean squared error (MSE) and the correlation coefficient (R), with respectively corresponding values of 0.09622 and 0.93332.

Astragalin, isolated from flowers of Rosa chinensis Jacq., is a kind of flavonoid, with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, analgesic, antibacterial, antiallergic, and antihepatotoxic effects. However, no studieson the procoagulant effect of astragalin have been reported. This study aimed to investigate the procoagulant activity of astragalin and its mechanism. Its procoagulant effect was investigated by activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT), and fibrinogen (FIB) in vitro, and a rat model established by heparin sodium was used to evaluate the mechanism for the procoagulant effect in vivo. The results showed that astragalin had good procoagulant effects compared with the control group in vitro. Compared with the model group in vivo, astragalin could shorten the coagulation time and significantly increase the number of platelets. Meanwhile, astragalin could significantly reduce the effectual time of PT and APTT and increase the content of FIB. The contents of 6-keto-PGF1α and eNOS significantly decreased. Astragalin could increase whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma viscosity (PV), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and packedcell volume (PCV). All of the above revealed that astragalin had good procoagulant effects by promoting the intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation system.

Two novel water soluble heteroglycan (PCp-I and PCp-II) with anti-A549 lung cancer cells activity were isolated from Psoralea corylifolia L. Their average molecular weights were 2.721 × 104 and 2.850 × 104. PCp-I and PCp-II had the same monosaccharide composition, but their molar ratios were different. Based on methylation and NMR spectroscopy, the part structure of PCp-I was identified. The results of scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that PCp-I had an irregular porous structure and PCp-II was flaky and irregularly curved. The results of thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) showed that PCp-I and PCp-II had good thermal stability. Furthermore, PCp-I and PCp-II exhibited significant anti-A549 lung cancer cells activity (IC50 = 64.84 and 126.30 μM) in vitro.

This study described the effects of elements (including Fe, Zn, Mn and their complexes) on the following factors in artificial morel cultivation: the characteristics of mycelia and sclerotia, soil bacterial community structures, yields and contents of microelements. The results indicated that the groups containing Mn significantly promoted mycelia growth rates, and all the experimental groups resulted in higher yields than the control (P

Different extracts of Angelica dahuricae were available for whitening or treating vitiligo clinically. They showed inhibitory or activating effects on tyrosinase, a rate-limiting enzyme of melanogenesis. This study aimed to identify active compounds on tyrosinase in water extract of Angelica dahurica Radix. We applied spectrum-effect relationship and component knock-out methods to make it clear. HPLC was used to obtain the specific chromatograms. The effects on tyrosinase activity were examined by measuring the oxidation rate of levodopa in vitro. Partial least squares method was used to examine the spectrum-effect relationships. The knocked-out samples were prepared by HPLC method, and the identification of knocked-out compounds was conducted by the high performance liquid chromatography-four stage rod-electrostatic field orbit trap high resolution mass spectrometry. Results showed that S6, S14, S18, S21, S35, S36, S37, S40, and S41 were positively correlated to inhibitory activity of Angelica dahuricae on tyrosinase whereas S9, S11, S8, S12, S22, and S30 were negatively correlated. When the concentration of each sample was 1 g·mL−1, equal to the amount of raw medicinal herbs, oxypeucedanin hydrate, imperatorin, cnidilin, and isoimperatorin had inhibitory effects on tyrosinase activity whereas byakangelicin and bergapten had activating effects.

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) of feline origin (cNPCs) have demonstrated utility in transplantation experiments, yet are difficult to grow in culture beyond the 1 month time frame. Here we use an enriched, serum-free base medium (Ultraculture) and report the successful long-term propagation of these cells. Primary cultures were derived from fetal brain tissue and passaged in DMEM/F12-based or Ultraculture-based proliferation media, both in the presence of EGF + bFGF. Cells in standard DMEM/F12-based medium ceased to proliferate by 1-month, whereas the cells in the Ultraculture-based medium continued to grow for at least 5 months (end of study) with no evidence of senescence. The Ultraculture-based cultures expressed lower levels of progenitor and lineage-associated markers under proliferation conditions but retained multipotency as evidenced by the ability to differentiate into neurons and glia following growth factor removal in the presence of FBS. Importantly, later passage cNPCs did not develop chromosomal aberrations.

Work has shown that stem cell transplantation can rescue or replace neurons in models of retinal degenerative disease. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) modified to overexpress neurotrophic factors are one means of providing sustained delivery of therapeutic gene products in vivo. To develop a nonrodent animal model of this therapeutic strategy, we previously derived NPCs from the fetal cat brain (cNPCs). Here we use bicistronic feline lentiviral vectors to transduce cNPCs with glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) together with a GFP reporter gene. Transduction efficacy is assessed, together with transgene expression level and stability during induction of cellular differentiation, together with the influence of GDNF transduction on growth and gene expression profile. We show that GDNF overexpressing cNPCs expand in vitro, coexpress GFP, and secrete high levels of GDNF protein—before and after differentiation—all qualities advantageous for use as a cell-based approach in feline models of neural degenerative disease.