[Research progress of Curcuma kwangsiensis root tubers and analysis of liver protection and anti-tumor mechanisms based on Q-markers].

Curcuma kwangsiensis root tuber is a widely used genuine medicinal material in Guangxi, with the main active components of terpenoids and curcumins. It has the effects of promoting blood circulation to relieve pain, moving Qi to relieve depression, clearing heart and cooling blood, promoting gallbladder function and anti-icterus. Modern research has proved its functions in liver protection, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, blood lipid reduction and immunosuppression. Considering the research progress of C. kwangsiensis root tubers and the core concept of quality marker(Q-marker), we predicted the Q-markers of C. kwangsiensis root tubers from plant phylogeny, chemical component specificity, traditional pharmacodynamic properties, new pharmacodynamic uses, chemical component measurability, processing methods, compatibility, and components migrating to blood. Curcumin, curcumol, curcumadiol, curcumenol, curdione, germacrone, and ß-elemene may be the possible Q-markers. Based on the predicted Q-markers, the mechanisms of the liver-protecting and anti-tumor activities of C. kwangsiensis root tubers were analyzed. AKT1, IL6, EGFR, and STAT3 were identified as the key targets, and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction signaling pathway, nitrogen metabolism pathway, cancer pathway, and hepatitis B pathway were the major involved pathways. This review provides a basis for the quality evaluation and product development of C. kwangsiensis root tubers and gives insights into the research on Chinese medicinal materials.

Analysis on oral medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for prevention of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19. METHODS: The preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 published by national and provincial health and wellness committees, administrations of TCM, medical institutions at all levels, medical masters and Chinese medicine experts were collected to establish a database, manual screening was carried out according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and frequency statistics, association rule analysis. The mutual information method, entropy hierarchical clustering and other methods were improved through Excel and the TCM inheritance auxiliary platform V2.5 to mine the rules and characteristics of medication. RESULTS: The selected 157 prescriptions contained a total of 130 TCMs. The top five TCMs with the highest use frequency were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (86), Astragali Radix (80), Lonicerea Japonicae Flos (70), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (62), Saposhnikoviae Radix (60). In accordance with TCM efficacy classification, most of them were medicines for qi-tonifying (279), followed by medicines for clearing heat and drying dampness (163), dispelling pathogenic wind-cold (126), resolving dampness (111), as well as dispelling pathogenic wind-heat (99). The characteristics of four-natures of the selected medicines are as follows: most of them were cold (59), followed by warm (38) and mild (21). In terms of five-taste, most of them were sweet (26) and acrid-and-bitter (24), followed by sweet-and-bitter (20), bitter (20) and acrid (15). For the meridian attribution, the five-zang organs and six-fu organs were all involved, most of them attributed to lung meridian (80), followed by stomach meridian (57) and spleen meridian (40). Based on association rule analysis, 12 commonly used medicine combinations with two or three TCMs were found. The commonly used medicinal pairs included Astragali Radix and Saposhnikoviae Radix (51), Astragali Radix and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (46), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Saposhnikoviae Radix (43), Astragali Radix and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Saposhnikoviae Radix (38), Forsythiae Fructus and Astragali Radix (37), and so on. In addition, 14 core combinations of medicines were obtained by complex system entropy cluster analysis, on this basis, six new prescriptions were screened out based on unsupervised entropy hierarchical clustering analysis. According to The Catalogue of Edible Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials, Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials for Health Food, and New Resources of Food published by National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, there are 35 species belonging to the group of edible traditional Chinese medicinal materials, 20 species belonging to the group of new resources of food, 31 species belonging to the group of traditional Chinese medicinal materials for health food, 19.11% of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 were composed of the medicines belonging to the above three groups. Besides, there are 11 toxic species, and 24.84% of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 contained toxic TCMs. CONCLUSION: We found that invigorating qi and resolving dampness were the main treatment used to prevent for COVID-19, combined with the methods for strengthening vital energy and eliminating pathogenic factors. Most of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 were treated in lung, spleen and stomach meridians. In the process of selecting prescriptions and using TCMs to prevent for COVID-19, the safety of preventive medicines was also emphasized. And the theory of "Preventive Treatment of Disease" was embodied in these preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19. For the prescriptions containing toxic TCMs, special attention should be paid to their safety in clinical application.

[Analysis of Industrial VOCs Emission Inventory and Countermeasures in Xiamen].

Based on data from industrial activities and environmental surveys in the six districts of Xiamen, the emission inventory of industrially sourced volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from eight industries in the six districts of Xiamen was calculated for 2019 by applying the emission factor analysis method. The spatial distribution pattern of VOC emission intensity in the six districts of Xiamen was analyzed. VOCs treatment technologies applied in the industries in the VOCs emission inventory were analyzed and countermeasures for improving VOC control were proposed based on the survey of the industries. The results showed that the total VOCs production and VOCs emission from industrial sources in Xiamen was 16027.88 t and 5514.58 t in 2019, respectively. Among them, the VOCs emission from Haicang, Tong'an, Xiang'an, and Jimei districts outside Xiamen Island were 1648.35, 2111.13, 667.52, and 750.48 t, respectively. Fewer VOC emissions from Xiamen Island were observed, which included 292.42 and 44.68 t from Huli and Siming districts, respectively. Except for the Huli District, the spatial distribution of emissions showed a spatial characteristic that the VOCs emission intensities outside Xiamen Island are higher than that of Xiamen Island. Among the eight industries in Xiamen, VOCs emissions were mainly from coating, printing, chemical, and rubber industries, which accounted for 51.21%, 20.18%, 13.63%, and 10.67%, respectively, of the total emissions. The analytic results of the VOCs waste gas disposal technique in Xiamen indicate that, from the perspective of source control, enterprises can effectively control the generation and emission of the VOCs at the source by using low (zero) raw materials. For the terminal disposal procedure, the actual disposal efficiency of UV photolysis/photocatalysis, low-temperature plasma, and biological methods are all lower than 80%, and that of the combined technique of adsorption and catalytic combustion, and the combustion method are both higher than 90%.

Carbon Nanomaterials: A New Sustainable Solution to Reduce the Emerging Environmental Pollution of Turbomachinery Noise and Vibration.

The vibration and noise that resulted from turbomachinery, such as fans, compressors, and centrifugal pumps, are known to bring considerable disturbance and pollution to the machine itself, the environment, and the operators. Hence, how to cope with the vibration and noise has become a recent research focus. With the advancement of materials science, more and more new nanomaterials have been applied in the field of noise and vibration reduction. To be specific, carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, and graphenes, have achieved outstanding results. Carbon nanocomposites, such as carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and graphenes, are characterized by their low densities, high strengths, and high elastic moduli, all of which made carbon nanocomposites the most promising vibration and noise-reduction composites, thanks to their damping properties, compatibilities, noise and vibration absorption qualities, and wide wave-absorbing frequency bands. In light of this, this paper summarizes the progresses and application prospects of such carbon nanocomposites as carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and graphenes in the field of turbomachinery vibration and noise reduction.

Ten-Year Experience in the Prevention of Post-Kasai Cholangitis.

BACKGROUND: Cholangitis is the most common complication after the Kasai procedure. It can be life-threatening and may affect long- and short-term outcomes of children with biliary atresia. We summarize our experiences in the prevention of early-onset cholangitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 2002 to March 2013, children with biliary atresia (BA) who underwent the Kasai procedure in the General Surgical Department were included in a retrospective cohort study. These patients were divided into group A (therapy 1) and group B (therapy 2) depending on the infection prevention protocol and occurrences of cholangitis within the six months after surgery were recorded. Two hundred eighteen children were included in this cohort study. Seventy-six children (35 females and 41 males) were included in group A. One hundred forty-two children (65 females and 77 males) were included in group B. Therapy 1 was our primary protocol and included a third-generation cephalosporin, metronidazole, and human immunoglobulin. Therapy 2 was a modification of therapy 1 that involved imipenem-cilastatin and human immunoglobulin. Statistical analyses were performed. A p value below 0.05 was regarded as significant. RESULTS: In group A, 45 children developed cholangitis within the six months after the Kasai procedure. In group B, 14 of these children experienced post-operative cholangitis. A χ2 analysis was used to examine the difference in the incidence of cholangitis between groups A and B. There was a substantial difference in the morbidity of post-operative cholangitis between groups A and B (59.2% vs. 9.9%, p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Cholangitis in the early period after a Kasai procedure can be prevented effectively with an advanced prophylactic protocol.

STROBE-anastomotic leakage after pull-through procedure for Hirschsprung disease.

This study was undertaken to explore the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of anastomotic leakage after pull-through (PT) procedure for Hirschsprung disease (HD).A retrospective analysis of patients with anastomotic leakage after a PT procedure in the General Surgery Department of Beijing Children's Hospital from July 2013 to June 2016 was undertaken. The surgical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment were retrospectively analyzed.Among the 213 patients who underwent PT procedures, 5 patients had a documented anastomotic leakage. The median age of these 5 patients at the time of the PT procedure was 6.8 years old, and this was higher than those without anastomotic leakage (1.7 years old). In all patients, rectal examination in the lithotomy position revealed an anastomotic dehiscence at the 6 o'clock position. The abdominal ultrasonography demonstrated retrorectal pneumatosis with or without an abscess in 4 patients. All patients were treated with ileostomies and anastomotic resuturing. The median delay to management was 4 days (range: 1-29 days). Four patients (4/5, 80%) were cured, and 1 (delay, 29 days) of these 4 patients developed postoperative ileus. The remaining patient (delay, 9 days) was required to undergo a repeat PT procedure. For the 4 cured patients, the median follow-up time was 20 months (range: 15-37 months), and these patients defecated 3 times daily at most without soiling.Older children with HD might be prone to anastomotic leakage. The findings of the rectal examination and ultrasonography were distinctive and useful for the diagnosis. Early ileostomy and resuturing of the anastomosis could be used to treat anastomotic leakage.

Anterior perineal fistulectomy in repairing H-type rectovestibular fistula with a normal anus in female children.

The purpose of this study was to review a 7-year operative experience of anterior perineal fistulectomy in repairing H-type rectovestibular fistula with a normal anus in female children. From January 2007 to December 2013, 105 female children with H-type rectovestibular fistula and a normal anus underwent anterior perineal fistulectomy in the Department of General Surgery, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University. Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Patients' age ranged from 6 months to 13 years 10 months, with an average age 5 years 2 months. The clinical feature of this disease was a definite history of vestibular infection at about 30 days after birth and leakage of gas or loose stool through vestibular fistular orifice after the infection was controlled. All patients had a normal anus. Follow-up through telephone or outpatient visits from 6 months to 7 years (median, 5.2 years), showed that all the patients were continent and had regular bowel movements. Among the 105 patients, 97 (92.4%) gained primary healing with a satisfactory appearance; 8 (7.6%) patients relapsed, among which 5 healed after hip bathing treatment within 3 weeks, 2 required another anterior perineal fistulectomy 7 months later and were cured, and the last one had another anterior perineal fistulectomy 1 year 10 months later but relapsed again, which healed after hip bathing treatment within 3weeks after the second surgery. Anterior perineal fistulectomy is a simple, safe and reliable surgical method to treat H-type rectovestibular fistula with a normal anus.

New insight into biodegradation of polylactide (PLA)/clay nanocomposites using molecular ecological techniques.

Novel molecular ecological techniques were used to study changes in microbial community structure and population during degradation of polylactide (PLA)/organically modified layered silicates (OMLS) nanocomposites. Cloned gene sequences belonging to members of the phyla Actinobacteria and Ascomycota comprized the most dominant groups of microorganisms during biodegradation of PLA/OMLS nanocomposites. Due to their numerical abundance, members of these microbial groups are likely to play an important role during biodegradation process. This paper presents new insights into the biodegradability of PLA/OMLS nanocomposites and highlights the importance of using novel molecular ecological techniques for in situ identification of new microorganisms involved in biodegradation of polymeric materials.

New insights into polylactide biodegradation from molecular ecological techniques.

Molecular ecological techniques for direct identification of microbes involved in PLA degradation under aerobic composting conditions are described. Gene sequences from genera Paecilomyces, Thermomonospora, and Thermopolyspora were most abundant in the compost samples. Members of these phylogenetic lineages are therefore likely to play an important role in PLA degradation. The use of molecular ecological techniques to design cultivation strategies may also provide a new tool for identification and investigation of biodegradation mechanisms and for future development of efficient biological treatment or recycling processes for PLA and other biodegradable polymers.

Micro- and nano-sized calcium carbonate toughened polystyrene.

Polystyrene (PS)/CaCO3 micro- and nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw extruder using four particles with average diameters of 55 nm, 70 nm, 240 nm, and 10 /microm in various loadings. It was found that PS can be effectively toughened with 1 wt% cubic shaped CaCO3 particles (55 nm, 70 nm, 10 microm) achieving significant increases of impact strength by 52%, 95%, and 190% respectively relative to neat PS. However, the needle shaped nanoparticles (240 nm) were not effective for improving the toughness of the matrix. SEM analysis of the fractured surfaces indicated good fillers dispersion at the optimum filler loading of 1 wt%, and the cavitations-induced shear yielding in the polymer matrix are shown to be the main toughening mechanism.