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The medicinal plant, Plantago asiatica have high selenium (Se) accumulation ability but is considered lower compared to other Se-hyperaccumulators. In this experiment, we evaluated the effects of different amino acid concentrations (600, 900, 1200, and 1500-fold dilutions) on the growth and Se uptake in P. asiatica for possible improvement of Se accumulation ability and medicinal value of P. asiatica. The 600, 900, and 1200-fold amino acid dilutions increased the root and shoot biomass of P. asiatica. Additionally, the photosynthetic pigments contents (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll) and antioxidant enzymes activities (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) of P. asiatica were increased by the different amino acid concentrations. However, these amino acid concentrations reduced the soluble protein content of P. asiatica to some extent. The Se content and extraction from P. asiatica were also enhanced and had a quadratic polynomial regression relationship with the Se extraction tissues and their Se contents. In addition, there were significant correlations between the biomass of Se extraction tissues and their Se contents. Our findings indicate that various amino acid concentrations promote growth and Se uptake in P. asiatica, but 900-fold amino acid dilution is the best concentration for enhancing Se accumulation ability in P. asiatica shoots.

Fasting therapy of Chinese Medicine was put forward by Professor Qin Jian based on the theory of fat and grease from The Yellow Emperors Internal Classi and modified on the basis of Buchinger fasting therapy. Here we try to report a female patient with the chief complaint of arthralgia who was diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and suspected type 2 diabetes mellitus, also diagnosed by Chinese medicine with Bi disease of spleen deficiency and phlegm dampness syndrome. After admission, the patient was treated with fasting therapy of Chinese Medicine for a week. Considering that she was in the menstrual period, she was given a very-low-calorie diet during that time. Moreover, she was given L-carnitine injection, health education and traditional Chinese medicine treatment, including foot massage, acupuncture and acupoint application everyday. After discharge, she was asked to take low-calorie diet and modified Linggui Zhugan Decoction for another week. After that, she followed the doctor's instructions for long-term caloric control. A year later, the reexamination showed that her condition was improving.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of bone. Tumorigenic investigation of osteosarcoma cell lines may facilitate preclinical studies of targeted therapy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the tumorigenicity-associated genes in osteosarcoma cells. We found that 138 genes were highly expressed and 86 genes were lowly expressed in highly tumorigenic osteosarcoma cell lines (143B, MNNG/HOS, and SJSA-1) compared with poorly tumorigenic osteosarcoma cell lines (MG-63, Saos-2, and U-2 OS). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that highly expressed genes were associated with amino acids and energy metabolism, while lowly expressed genes were associated with cell cycle and DNA replication. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that highly expressed genes were associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress response and aggrephagy, whereas lowly expressed genes were correlated with extracellular matrix assembly and DNA damage response. Further analysis identified six highly expressed genes and six lowly expressed genes. Three of highly expressed genes (DDX10, FOXA2, and HEY1) were correlated with poor prognosis, while three of lowly expressed genes (CYP26B1, GP1BB, and IFI44) showed the opposite trend in patients with osteosarcoma. Knockdown of HEY1 significantly inhibited the tumorigenicity of 143B cells in BALB/c nude mice.

Sulfonamide metabolites are a major source of food pollution worldwide. However, the formation of internal sulfanilamide metabolites has only been investigated for selected compounds. In this paper, the fragmentation mechanism and characteristic ions of sulfonamide metabolites are reviewed using density functional theory and Q-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. The result of the protonation site, rearrangement and bond breaking induced fragmentations at C

In this study, potato peel waste was used as feedstock to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs) by anaerobic digestion. The effects of different pH levels (pH 5.0, pH 7.0, pH 11.0, and uncontrolled pH) on VFA concentration and composition, intermediate products, and metabolic state were evaluated. The results showed that the highest total VFA production was achieved with pH 7.0 (41.9 g COD/L and 632.2 mg COD/g VSfed), followed by that with uncontrolled pH. Butyric acid was the dominant product under acidic pH, whereas acetic acid dominated under alkaline pH. The type of acidogenic fermentation at pH 7.0 was the mixed-acid type. The change in NADH level in the mixed-acid type of fermentation consisted of small fluctuations, enhancing the stability and efficiency of fermentation. The enzymatic activities of acetate kinase and butyrate kinase were slightly inhibited at pH 5.0 and 11.0, resulting in relatively low VFAs production.

The effects of pH on the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and the evolution of microbial community structure were studied via anaerobic fermentation of Chinese cabbage waste. The results showed that the concentration of total VFAs was highest at 20,241.4 mg COD/L at pH 6.0, followed by pH 7.0. Ethanol, acetate and butyrate were dominant under the acidic condition. The main products at pH 7.0 were acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Ethanol, acetate and butyrate were rapidly produced during the initial stage. The hexanoate concentration increased quickly from day 6 due to the chain extension between ethanol and butyrate, and was 4,885.1 mg COD/L on day 8, accounting for 30.4% of the total VFAs. As fermentation was extended, Bacteroidia and Clostridia were dominant at pH 6.0 and the uncontrolled pH, respectively. Clostridium IV, Ruminococcus, and Candida, were suspected to be related to hexanoate production.

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are intermediates of anaerobic fermentation with high value and wide range of usage. VFA production from vegetable wastes (VW) is an effective way to dispose of wastes and recover resources. The organic matter composition of the substrate influences VFA yield and distribution, which is related to the separation and purification of the downstream steps and the application of the product. Hence, potato peels, carrots, celery, and Chinese cabbage were selected to investigate the effect of VW types on the performance of the VFA production in a batch anaerobic fermentation reactor with continuous stirring at 37 °C, total solid (TS) of 4.5%. A VFA yield of 452 mg COD/g VSfeed (chemical oxygen demand (COD); volatile solids (VS)) was achieved from potato peels, which was 40.1%, 21.5%, and 124.9% higher than that of carrots, celery, and Chinese cabbage, respectively. The rapid acidification of carrots caused a sharp decline in pH and led to inhibition of VFA production. The acidification of celery started slowly, and the yield of hexanoic acid increased rapidly in the later stage of fermentation. The VFA yield of Chinese cabbage was inhibited due to the low initial pH, but the ethanol concentration reached 7577.04 mg COD/L. According to the VFA profile, the fermentation of potato peels, carrots, celery, and Chinese cabbage can be classified as propionate-type, butyrate-type, mixed-acid type, and ethanol-acetate type metabolic pathway, respectively. The results of this study suggest that a suitable combination of vegetable waste types is important for selective VFA production.

The development of solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) has prompted studies to resolve practical challenges such as mixing of feedstock and inoculum. This study compared the performance of SS-AD using three premixing methods. Results showed that at feedstock to inoculum (F/I) ratios of 4 and 6, the two-layer partial premixing method obtained the highest methane yield, followed by one-layer partial premixing and complete premixing methods. Partial premixing methods also showed wider daily methane yield peaks than the complete premixing method. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration was affected by the premixing method, and was highly correlated to methane yield; while the concentration of remaining holocellulose was correlated to pH and alkalinity. SS-AD digesters failed at an F/I ratio of 8, regardless of the premixing method. Adding extra inoculum to the top of failed digesters resulted in recovery of methane production.

Co-digestion of soybean processing waste (SPW) and hay in solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) for biogas production was investigated. Effects of the SPW to hay ratio, feedstock to effluent (inoculum) ratio, premixing of effluent with feedstock, and leachate recirculation on biogas production via SS-AD were studied. The highest methane yield of 258 L/kg VS was obtained with a SPW/hay ratio of 75:25 and feedstock/effluent (F/E) ratio of 3, which was 148% and 50% higher than that of 100% SPW and 100% hay, respectively. Increasing the F/E ratio from 1 to 5 decreased methane yield, however the highest volumetric methane yield (16.2L/L reactor) was obtained at an F/E of 3. There was no significant difference in methane yields between premixing 50% and 100% of the effluent. Leachate recirculation significantly accelerated the SS-AD start-up process when effluent was not completely premixed.

Purpose: Little is known about the relationship between perihematomal perfusion parameters in acute spontaneous hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage patients and recent outcome. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the perfusion parameters of the perihematomal brain tissue and the recent prognosis of patients with acute spontaneous hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (shICH) using CT perfusion (CTP) imaging. Methods: Twenty-six patients with clinical and CT diagnosed supratentorial shICH received CTP scanning within 8 - 19 h after symptom onset. At the maximum levels of the hematoma, cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV) and mean transit time (MTT) of perihematomal area (isodense within 1cm rim of perilesion area on plain CT) and contralateral mirrored hemisphere were measured, and rCBF, rCBV, rMTT were calculated (ipsilateral/contralateral). The one-month follow-up in accordance with daily living table (Barthel index, BI) by telephone was recorded. Results: The CBV, CBF, and MTT values of perihematoma area were (1.61 ± 1.53) ml·100 g-1, (16.48 ± 12.58) ml·100 g-1·min-1, and (9.12 ± 2.57) s, respectively. (For more information,please refer to the PDF)

Magnetic baker's yeast biomass (MB) was prepared using glutaraldehyde cross-linking method and chemically modified with ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD). The EDTAD-modified magnetic baker's yeast biomass (EMB) thus obtained was investigated by means of magnetic response, FTIR, potentiometric titration, zeta potential and elemental analysis. The results revealed that Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were steadily cross-linked/incorporated with baker's yeast biomass and the EDTA was modified on the surface of the magnetic baker's yeast. The adsorption properties of EMB for Pb 2+ /Cd 2+ ions were then evaluated. Various factors affecting the uptake behavior such as pH, contact time, temperature, coexisting cations, and initial concentration of the metal ions were investigated. The results showed that EMB not only possesses a good adsorption capacity for Pb 2+ /Cd 2+ in all pH ranges studied but also can selectively adsorb lead(II)/cadmium(II) from the binary mixtures of Pb 2+ /Cd 2+ and alkali/alkaline-earth cations. The isotherm adsorption equilibrium of EMB was well described by Langmuir isotherms and the maximum adsorption capacity (99.26 mg/g for Pb 2+ at pH5.5 and 48.70 mg/g for Cd 2+ at pH6.0) was observed at 30 °C. Moreover, the regeneration experiments revealed that the EMB could be successfully reused for three cycles and the metal recovery efficiencies were above 80% when 0.1 mol/L HCl eluent was used.

Solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) generally occurs at solid concentrations higher than 15%. In contrast, liquid anaerobic digestion (AD) handles feedstocks with solid concentrations between 0.5% and 15%. Animal manure, sewage sludge, and food waste are generally treated by liquid AD, while organic fractions of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and lignocellulosic biomass such as crop residues and energy crops can be processed through SS-AD. Some advantages of SS-AD include smaller reactor capacity requirements, less energy used for heating, and no processing energy needed for stirring. Due to its lower water content, the digestate of SS-AD is much easier to handle than the effluent of liquid AD. However, SS-AD systems also have disadvantages such as larger amounts of required inocula and much longer retention time. The principles and applications of the SS-AD process are reviewed in this paper. The variation in biogas production yields of different feedstocks is discussed as well as the need for pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass to enhance biogas production. The effects of major operational parameters, including C/N ratio, solids content, temperature, and inoculation on the performance of SS-AD are summarized. While an increase in operating temperature can improve both the biogas yield and the production efficiency, other practices such as using AD digestate or leachate as an inoculant or decreasing the solid content, may increase the biogas yield but have negative impact on production efficiency. Different reactor configurations used in current commercial scale SS-AD systems and the impact of economics on system selection are also discussed.

Alkaline pretreatment was applied to enhance biogas production from corn stover through solid-state anaerobic digestion. Different NaOH loadings (1%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% (w/w)) were tested for solid-state pretreatment of corn stover. Lignin degradation during pretreatment increased from 9.1% to 46.2% when NaOH concentration increased from 1.0% to 7.5%. The NaOH-pretreated corn stover was digested using effluent of liquid anaerobic digestion as inoculum and nitrogen source. NaOH loading of 1% did not cause significant improvement on biogas yield. The highest biogas yield of 372.4 L/kg VS was obtained with 5% NaOH-pretreated corn stover, which was 37.0% higher than that of the untreated corn stover. However, a higher NaOH loading of 7.5% caused faster production of volatile fatty acids during the hydrolysis and acidogenesis stages, which inhibited the methanogenesis. Simultaneous NaOH treatment and anaerobic digestion did not significantly improve the biogas production (P>0.05).

Background and Aim: Big animal models of portal hypertension are important for the research into this disease. The aim of this study was to establish a canine portal hypertension model by intra-portal administration of microspheres. Methods: Sixteen mongrel dogs were assigned to control group and experimental group randomly. The catheterization of portal vein was performed by laparotomy and the outer end of the catheter was fixed subcutaneously in the abdominal wall. The dogs of the experimental group were given intra-portal injections of microspheres at a five-day interval, six times in total. Portal hemodynamics, blood cell counting, liver and renal function test, portography, gastroscopy, liver, spleen and lung histological examination were taken to evaluate the model. Results: 1, 2, 3 and 4 months after initial injection of microspheres, portal venous pressure rose from baseline 8.7 ± 0.7 mmHg to 24.3 ± 1.6, 20.6 ± 2.1, 19.0 ± 1.8 and 17.7 ± 2.0 mmHg, respectively (P

The main browning substrates in Agaricus bisporus (F56, the main breed widely planted in China) were studied by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV-absorption spectrums in this paper. The results showed that there were many kinds of polyphenols in Agaricus bisporus, in which the content of tyrosine was the highest, reached to 0.503mg.g-1FW and the content of tyrosine decreased quickly with the increasing of browning degree during storage. The UV-absorption spectrums of standard tyrosine sample, the products of tyrosine reacting to PPO from Agaricus bisporus and the native browning products in Agaricus bisporus were compared. The result showed that the absorption peak of the products of tyrosine reacting to PPO from Agaricus bisporus and the native browning products in Agaricus bisporus appeared at 240nm, but the absorption peak of standard tyrosine sample appeared at 320nm. So, tyrosine was proved the main browning substance in Agaricus bisporus.

Performance of batch solid-state anaerobic co-digestion of spent mushroom substrates (SMS) and corn stover (CS) was investigated. Digestion with SMS alone (SMS/CS = 100:0) resulted in excessive volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulation and low methane yields during the start-up phase. Co-digestion of SMS and CS significantly enhanced digesting performance. Compared to the digesters with 100% SMS, the start-up phase of the digesters with SMS/CS = 75:25 was shortened from 11 days to 4 days, and the methane yield increased by 40%. It was also observed that the peak of daily biogas yields showed up earlier in the co-digestion reactors than in the digesters with SMS alone. A similar phenomenon happened to the methane content curves. The VFAs and pH were shown to be important driving factors for determining the population of methanogenic communities (methanosaeta and methanobacteriaceae), which were obtained by using the Fluorescent in situ Hybridization method. The changes of the methanogenic communities, in return, affected the methane production in digesters. This study showed that co-digesting SMS with CS is a feasible method to handle mushroom wastes and produce bioenergy.

Effects of storage temperature and temperature fluctuation on postharvest physiology and quality of Agaricus bisporus were studied. The results have shown that lower temperature with higher relative humidity can reduce the cap opening percentage of postharvest Agaricus bisporus, weakening its respiration intensity and inhibiting PPO activity and degree of browning; temperature fluctuation during storage may increase the physiology activities of Agaricus bisporus, which speeds up the after-ripening and senescence.