Bioactivities and Synergistic Effect of Elsholtzia ciliata Essential Oil and Its Main Components against Lasioderma serricorne.

Investigations have shown that storage bugs seriously harm grains during storage. In the interim, essential oils (EOs) have been proven to be a good botanical pesticide. The anti-Lasioderma serricorne properties of Elsholtzia ciliata essential oil, which was obtained by steam distillation, were evaluated using DL-limonene, carvone, and their two optical isomer components using contact, repelling, and fumigation techniques. Simultaneously, the fumigation, contact, and repellent activities of carvone and its two optical isomers mixed with DL-limonene against L. serruricorne were evaluated. The results showed that E. ciliata, its main components (R-carvone, DL-limonene), and S-carvone exhibited both fumigations (LC50 = 14.47, 4.42, 20.9 and 3.78 mg/L) and contact (LD50 = 7.31, 4.03, 28.62 and 5.63 µg/adult) activity against L.serricorne. A binary mixture (1:1) of R-carvone and DL-limonene displayed an obvious synergistic effect. A binary mixture (1:1) of carvone and its two optical isomers exhibited an obvious synergistic effect, too. Furthermore, the repellent activity of the EO, carvone, and its two optical isomers, DL-limonene, and a combination of them varied. To stop insect damage during storage, E. ciliata and its components can be utilized as bio-insecticides.

Crop bromide concentrations following methyl bromide fumigation for pale cyst nematode in southeastern Idaho.

Methyl bromide (MeBr) is a sterilizing fumigant used to control quarantine pests that is restricted due to its detrimental atmospheric effects. The degradation of injected MeBr produces crop-available Br- . Up to five applications of MeBr were used in southeastern Idaho fields to combat the pale cyst nematode (Globodera pallida). Data regarding the uptake and partitioning of Br- in crops following MeBr application in the region were unavailable. Research determined background concentrations of Br- in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), corn (Zea mays L.), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) compared to MeBr-treated fields. Background Br- concentrations ranged from nondetectable (ND) to 33.0 mg Br- kg-1 ; vegetative tissue concentrations were greater than reproductive, except corn where there was no difference. Nearly all crops grown in MeBr-treated fields had greater Br- concentrations than background. Background-baled-alfalfa tissue Br- concentration was 33.0 mg kg-1 compared to 117.8 mg Br- kg-1 from a MeBr-treated field. Br- concentration in green alfalfa decreased from 79.8 to 36.5 mg Br- kg-1 at the final cutting in a MeBr-treated field, where time after application decreased crop Br- concentrations. Small grains had low Br- concentrations in reproductive tissue (1.7 mg Br- kg-1 ) compared to vegetative tissue (106.5 mg Br- kg-1 ). Corn stover concentration (12.7 mg Br- kg-1 ) was low relative to small-grain straw, but corn ear (5.8 mg Br- kg-1 ) was greater than small-grain reproductive tissue in the MeBr-treated field. Crop selection following MeBr applications should consider the likelihood of elevated Br- concentration for the plant fractions intended end use.

Efficacy Analysis of Wandai Decoction Combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine Fumigation and Washing in Patients with Chronic Vaginitis After Sintilimab Treatment for Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Wandai decoction combined with traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing in patients with chronic vaginitis after sintilimab treatment for small cell lung cancer. Methods: We recruited 80 patients who developed chronic vaginitis after sintilimab treatment for small cell lung cancer from Hainan General Hospital from January 2020 to June 2022; using a random number table, 40 were assigned to a control group and 40 were assigned to an observation group. The control group was treated with Wandai decoction, and the observation group was treated with Wandai decoction combined with traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing. The 2 groups were compared for improvement of the symptoms of vulvar pruritus subsidence time, leukorrhea recovery time, and traditional Chinese medicine symptom score; levels of the vaginal microecological environment factors immunoglobulin G, secretory immunoglobulin A, and pH; levels of the serum inflammatory factors C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin-6; and clinical efficacy. Results: After treatment, the observation group had significantly higher vulvar pruritus subsidence time, leukorrhea recovery time, traditional Chinese medicine symptom score, and pH value; significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin-6; and significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin G, secretory immunoglobulin A, and total effective rate compared with the control group (all P < .0.001). Conclusions: Wandai decoction combined with traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing was effective in treating chronic vaginitis after sintilimab treatment for small cell lung cancer. The treatment ameliorated symptoms of leukorrhea abnormalities, vulvar pruritus, and local inflammation, and promoted the recovery of the vaginal microbial environment. Despite the limitations of our study (small sample size and lack of comparison between different types of chronic vaginitis, which hinders the confirmation of extensive efficacy), we consider Wandai decoction combined with traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing worthy of promotion and application in clinical practice.

[Modern research progress in external application of traditional Chinese medicine to acupoints].

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has a long history and abundant experience in external therapy, which marks human wisdom. In the early history of human, people found that fumigation, coating, and sticking of some tree branches and herb stems can help alleviate scabies and remove parasites in productive labor, which indicates the emergence of external therapy. Pathogen usually enters the body through the surface, so external therapy can be used to treat the disease. External therapy is among the major characteristic of surgery of TCM. As one of the external therapies in TCM, external application to acupoints smooths the zang-fu organs through meridians and collaterals, thereby harmonizing yin and yang. This therapy emerged in the early society, formed the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, improved in the Song and Ming dynasties, and matured in the Qing dynasty. With the efforts of experts in history, it has had a mature theory. According to modern research, it can avoid the first-pass effect of liver and the gastrointestinal irritation and improve the bioavailability of Chinese medicine. Based on the effect of Chinese medicine and the theory of meridian and collateral, it can stimulate the acupoints, exert regulatory effect on acupoints, and give full play to the efficacy of TCM and the interaction of the two. Thereby, it can regulate qi and blood and balance yin and yang, thus being widely used in the treatment of diseases. In this paper, the use of external application to acupoints, the effect on skin immunity, the regulation of neuro-inflammatory mechanism, the relationship between acupoint application and human circulation network, and the development of its dosage form were summarized through literature review. On this basis, this study is expected to lay a foundation for further research.

[Effect of sulfur fumigation on quality and safety of Lilii Bulbus].

Lilii Bulbus is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine with both medicinal and edible values, while the market products usually has the problem of sulfur fumigation. Therefore, the quality and safety of Lilii Bulbus products deserve attention. In this study, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was combined with principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) to analyze the differential components of Lilii Bulbus before and after sulfur fumigation. We identified ten markers generated after sulfur fumigation, summarized their mass fragmentation and transformation patterns, and verified the structures of phenylacrylic acid markers of sulfur fumigation. At the same time, the cytotoxicity of the aqueous extracts of Lilii Bulbus before and after sulfur fumigation was evaluated. The results showed that in the concentration range of 0-800 mg·L~(-1), the aqueous extract of Lilii Bulbus after sulfur fumigation had no significant effect on the viability of human liver LO2 cells, human renal proximal tubular HK-2 cells, and rat adrenal pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells. Moreover, the viability of the cells exposed to the aqueous extract of Lilii Bulbus before and after sulfur fumigation showed no significant difference. This study identified phenylacrylic acid and furostanol saponins as markers of sulfur-fumigated Lilii Bulbus for the first time, and made clear that proper sulfur fumigation of Lilii Bulbus would not produce cytotoxicity, providing a theoretical basis for the rapid identification and quality and safety control of sulfur-fumigated Lilii Bulbus.

Evaluation of the impact of formaldehyde fumigation during the hatching phase on contamination in the hatch cabinet and early performance in broiler chickens.

Commercial hatch cabinet environments promote replication of microorganisms. These pathogenic or apathogenic microorganisms may serve as pioneer colonizers of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of poultry. Some of these pioneer colonizers, such as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp., are opportunistic pathogens that lead to reduced performance in commercial poultry. Effective hatchery sanitation is imperative to limit contamination of naïve neonatal chicks and poults. Formaldehyde fumigation has been traditionally used to reduce the pathogen load in commercial hatch cabinets. To investigate potential alternatives to formaldehyde fumigation, models to mimic the microbial bloom in a laboratory setting must be utilized. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a multispecies environmental challenge model (PM challenge) with and without formaldehyde fumigation during the hatching phase on early performance in broiler chicks. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate microbial contamination in the hatch cabinet environment (air samples, fluff samples), enteric colonization at day-of-hatch (DOH), and 7-day performance. In all experiments, significantly (P < 0.05) more gram-negative bacteria were recovered from the GIT at DOH in the PM challenge control group as compared to the nonchallenged control (NC) group and the formaldehyde-treated group (PM + F). There were no statistical differences in 7-day body weight gain or feed conversion ratio between the PM challenge control group, the NC group or the PM + F group. These data suggest this model could be utilized to evaluate alternatives to formaldehyde fumigation for controlling the microbial load during the hatching phase in a laboratory setting.

Effects of Three Essential Oil Fumigation Treatments on the Postharvest Control of Botrytis cinerea and Their Efficacy as Preservatives of Cherry Tomatoes.

Cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are becoming increasingly popular due to their nutrition and delicious flavor. However, cherry tomatoes are highly perishable and susceptible to various pathogenic microorganisms after harvest, such as Botrytis cinerea. In the pretest experiment, we screened out three kinds of plant essential oils (EOs) (Torreya grandis oil, Eriobotrya japonica oil, and Citrus medica oil) that have strong fungicidal activity on B. cinerea from cherry tomatoes. To further evaluate the postharvest preservation application prospect of these three oils for cherry tomatoes, the oils were extracted from different parts of three plants by hydrodistillation, and their chemical constituents were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main representative components of T. grandis oil, E. japonica oil, and C. medica oil were δ-cadinene (11.76%), transnerolidol (9.70%), and 5,7-dimethoxycoumarin (23.22%), respectively. These three EOs effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of B. cinerea in vitro, with EC50 values of 81.672, 144.046, and 221.500 µl/liter, respectively. Compared with the blank control and other oil treatments, the T. grandis oil (at a concentration of 200 µl/liter) fumigation treatment was more effective at inhibiting the growth rate of the pathogen. In addition, the phenolic content and phenylalanine ammonia lyase, ß-1,3-glucanase, chitinase, and peroxidase activities of tomatoes significantly increased on the seventh day due to the T. grandis oil treatment. The present study shows that these three oils with high extraction rates have preservation potential for cherry tomatoes. Among these three EOs, T. grandis oil can be used to further develop preservative products as a fumigant.

Impact of Sulfur Fumigation on Ginger: Chemical and Biological Evidence.

We previously found that sulfur fumigation, a commonly used controversial method for the post-harvest handling of ginger, induces the generation of a compound in ginger, which was speculated to be a sulfur-containing derivative of 6-shogaol based on its mass data. However, the chemical and biological properties of the compound remain unknown. As a follow-up study, here we report the chemical structure, systemic exposure, and anticancer activity of the compound. Chromatographic separation, nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, and chemical synthesis structurally elucidated the compound as 6-gingesulfonic acid. Pharmacokinetics in rats found that 6-gingesulfonic acid was more slowly absorbed and eliminated, with more prototypes existing in the blood than 6-shogaol. Metabolism profiling indicated that the two compounds produced qualitatively and quantitatively different metabolites. It was further found that 6-gingesulfonic acid exerted significantly weaker antiproliferative activity on tumor cells than 6-shogaol. The data provide chemical and biological evidence that sulfur fumigation may impair the healthcare functions of ginger.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Combination of Chinese Herbal Fumigation Sitz-Bath and Red Ointment in Managing Postoperative Wound Healing and Pain Control in Anal Fistula Patients.

Objective: To explore the efficacy of Chinese herbal fumigation and sitz-bath combined with red ointment in the treatment of postoperative wound healing and pain control in anal fistula patients. Methods: A total of 118 anal fistula patients were selected as the study population, randomly divided into two groups, i.e., the research group (n = 60) and the control group (n = 60). The control group was treated with red ointment therapy for postoperative wound healing and pain while the research group was treated with a combination of ointment and traditional Chinese medicine fumigation sitz-bath, Postoperative wound healing, pain control, and safety evaluation were compared between the two groups. Results. The total effective rate in the research group was 96.67%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (93.10%), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The VAS scores and postoperative wound healing times in the research group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). A day after postoperative treatment, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in TNF-α and IL-6 levels between the two study groups; however, from day 3 to day 14 the levels were statistically different. TNF-α and IL-6 levels in research group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the research group at 6.67% was statistically significant (P < 0.05), significantly lower than 13.79% in the control group. Conclusion. Postoperative intervention with Chinese herbal fumigation and sitz-bath combined with red ointment can effectively reduce the wound healing duration and lower the degree of pain experienced by anal fistula patients, thereby improving their quality of life.

Understanding the volatile organic compounds of 1-methylcyclopropylene fumigation and packaging on yellow-fleshed peach via headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry and chemometric analyses.

Headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) and chemometric methods were utilized to analyze changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of yellow-fleshed peach by 1-methylcyclopropylene (1-MCP) treatment and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Meanwhile, the storage quality of yellow-fleshed peach at room temperature (25°C) was also studied. Yellow-fleshed peach was treated by four methods, namely, nanomaterial packaging (NA), 1-MCP fumigation and nanomaterial packaging (1-MCP-NA), polyethylene (PE) packaging, and 1-MCP fumigation with polyethylene packaging (1-MCP-PE). Changes in the decay rate, firmness, browning index, soluble solid content, and titratable acid of the fruit were then measured at room temperature at 1, 4 and 10 days of storage. Thirty-two VOCs, including terpenoids, alcohols, esters, aldehydes, and ketones, were identified. Seventeen VOCs were found to be significant with predictive variable important in the projection (VIP) > 1 and p < 0.05 by analysis of variance and orthogonal projection to latent structure discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). After 10 days of storage, the browning index of 1-MCP-NA group was 51.7%, which was lower than the control fruit (PE, 76.7%). Compared with other three treatments, 1-MCP-NA showed the better ability to delay and inhibit decreases in ester and aldehyde contents, and the ethanol content was lowest in the samples treated by 1-MCP-NA during storage. Differences among treatment groups were distinguished by principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering heat map. The results showed that 1-MCP-NA could well maintain the quality and flavor stability of yellow-fleshed peach, and it had a good application prospect in the postharvest preservation of yellow-fleshed peach. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, 1-methylcyclopropylene (1-MCP) combined with nanomaterial (NA) packaging (1-MCP-NA) proved to have a better fresh preservation effect. 1-MCP-NA showed better ability to delay and inhibit decreases in ester and aldehyde contents by HS-GC-IMS technique. It provided a new strategy for postharvest storage of yellow-fleshed peaches.

[Rapid identification of raw and sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Radix Alba based on Heracles NEO ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose].

Since the current identification method for Paeoniae Radix Alba is complex in operation and long time-consuming with high requirements for technicians, the present study employed Heracles NEO ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose(E-nose) technology to identify raw and sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Radix Alba decoction pieces in order to establish a rapid identification method for sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Radix Alba. The odors of raw Paeoniae Radix Alba and its sulfur-fumigated products were analyzed by Heracles NEO ultra-fast gas phase E-nose to obtain the odor chromatographic information. The chemometric model was established, and the data were processed by principal component analysis(PCA), discriminant function analysis(DFA), soft independent modeling of class analogy(SIMCA), and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA). The differential compounds of raw and sulfur-fumigated samples were qualitatively analyzed based on the Kovats retention index and Arochembase. As revealed by the comparison of gas chromatograms of raw and sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Radix Alba, the heights of several peaks in the chromatograms before and after sulfur fumigation changed significantly. The peak(No.8) produced by ethylbenzene disappeared completely due to sulfonation reaction in the process of sulfur fumigation, indicating that ethylbenzene may be the key component in the identification of Paeoniae Radix Alba and its sulfur-fumigated products. In PCA, DFA, SIMCA, and PLS-DA models, the two types of samples were separated into two different regions, indicating that the established models can clearly distinguish between raw and sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Radix Alba. The results showed that Heracles NEO ultra-fast gas phase E-nose technology could realize the rapid identification of raw and sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Radix Alba, which provides a new method and idea for the rapid identification of sulfur-fumigated Chinese medicine.

Effects of sulfur-fumigated ginseng on the global quality of Si-Jun-Zi decoction, a traditional ginseng-containing multi-herb prescription, evaluated by metabolomics and glycomics strategies.

Si-Jun-Zi decoction (SJZD) with ginseng as the principal medicinal herb is a traditional Chinese Medicine multi-herb prescription that commonly employed to treat colorectal cancer etc. Previous studies showed that nearly half of the commercial ginseng was sulfur-fumigated, one of the postharvest processing methods that commonly causes sulfur-dioxide (SO2) residue and chemical composition transformation in medical herbs. In this study, the effect of sulfur-fumigated ginseng on global quality of SJZD was evaluated by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS based metabolomics and multiple chromatographic techniques based glycomics strategies. For non-saccharides components, sulfur-fumigated ginseng led to the emergence of sulfur-containing derivatives and alteration of saponins and flavonoids in SJZD. For saccharide components, sulfur-fumigated ginseng decreased the total contents and molecular weights of polysaccharides, changed the monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides, and increased the contents of oligosaccharides and free monosaccharides of SJZD. The alterations of SJZD were aggravated with the sulfur-fumigated content of ginseng. Those phenomena might be attributed to 1) sulfur-fumigation caused the generation of sulfur-containing derivatives in ginseng, which further transferred to SJZD, and 2) sulfur-fumigation caused the residue of SO2 in ginseng, which reduced the pH value and further changed the dissolution of saponins and flavonoids and accelerated the degradation of the polysaccharides to oligosaccharides and/or monosaccharides in SJZD. Furthermore, although storage reduced the SO2 residue in sulfur-fumigated ginseng, it couldn't recover the alterations of chemical profiles in SJZD. In conclusion, sulfur-fumigated ginseng altered the global quality of SJZD, which promoted that extra attention must be paid during the application of herbal formulas that containing sulfur-fumigated herbs.

Neuropsychological symptoms in workers handling cargo from shipping containers and export logs.

PURPOSE: Acute poisonings of workers handling shipping containers by fumigants and other harmful chemicals off-gassed from cargo have been reported but (sub)-chronic neuropsychological effects have not been well studied. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed, using standardised questionnaires, current (past 3-months) neuropsychological symptoms in 274 container handlers, 38 retail workers, 35 fumigators, and 18 log workers, all potentially exposed to fumigants and off-gassed chemicals, and a reference group of 206 construction workers. Prevalence odds ratios (OR), adjusted for age, ethnicity, smoking, alcohol consumption, education, personality traits and BMI, were calculated to assess associations with the total number of symptoms (≥ 3, ≥ 5 or ≥ 10) and specific symptom domains (neurological, psychosomatic, mood, memory/concentration, fatigue, and sleep). RESULTS: Compared to the reference group, exposed workers were more likely to report ≥ 10 symptoms, statistically significant only for retail workers (OR 6.8, 95% CI 1.9-24.3) who also reported more fatigue (OR 10.7, 95% CI 2.7-42.7). Container handlers with the highest exposure-duration were more likely to report ≥ 10 symptoms, both when compared with reference workers (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.4-11.7) and with container handlers with shorter exposure duration (OR 7.5, 95% CI 1.7-32.8). The duration of container handling was particularly associated with symptoms in the memory/concentration domain, again both when compared to reference workers (OR 8.8, 95% CI 2.5-31.4) and workers with the lowest exposure-duration (OR 6.8, 95% CI 1.5-30.3). CONCLUSION: Container handlers may have an increased risk of neuropsychological symptoms, especially in the memory/concentration domain. Retail workers may also be at risk, but this requires confirmation in a larger study.

Smoke of Capsicum baccatum L. var. baccatum (Solanaceae) repels nymphs of triatoma infestans (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) / Humo de capsicum baccatum L. var. baccatum (Solanaceae) repele las ninfas de Triatoma infestans (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Control of the Chagas disease vector, Triatoma infestans (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) with synthetic pesticides in Bolivia has become increasingly inefficient due to the development of resistance in the insects. In the Chaco region of Bolivia, guaraní populations have approached the problem by fumigating their houses with the smoke of native plants. Through interviews and field work with local guides, the main plant used by the guaraníes was collected and later identified as Capsicum baccatumL. var. baccatum (Solanaceae). In choice bioassays, filter papers exposed to the smoke of the plant repelled nymphs of T. infestans. Activity remained significant after storing the exposed filter papers for 9 days. Chemical analysis of smoke and literature data suggested that capsaicinoids present in the smoke were responsible for the repellent effect. The data presented provide a rationale for the use of C. baccatumvar. baccatumto control the Chagas vector bythe guaraní populations.

El control del vector de la enfermedad de Chagas, Triatoma infestans (Klug) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) con plaguicidas sintéticos en Bolivia se ha vuelto cada vez más ineficiente debido al desarrollo de resistencias en los insectos. En la región del Chaco de Bolivia, las poblaciones guaraníes han abordado el problema fumigando sus casas con el humo de las plantas nativas. A través de entrevistas y trabajo de campo con guías locales, se recogió la principal planta utilizada por los guaraníes y posteriormente se identificó como Capsicum baccatumL. var. baccatum (Solanaceae). En bioensayos selectos, los papeles de filtro expuestos al humo de la planta repelieron a las ninfas de T. infestans. La actividad siguió siendo significativa después de almacenar los papeles de filtro expuestos durante 9 días. El análisis químico del humo y los datos de la literatura sugieren que los capsaicinoides presentes en el humo eran responsables del efecto repelente. Los datos presentados proporcionan una justificación para el uso de C. baccatum var. baccatum para el control del vector Chagas por las poblaciones guaraníes.

The Current State of Knowledge about Essential Oil Fumigation for Quality of Crops during Postharvest.

Prolonging crops' shelf-life while retaining their high quality is a major issue related to postharvest management. During storage, fruits and vegetables are exposed to microbial attacks, which may cause spoilage. Crop deterioration causes the loss of physical properties and drops in quality and nutritional value. Hence, new techniques to improve the resistance of food products are being explored. One promising technique is fumigation. Essential oils and their constituents, due to their antimicrobial properties, are likely to be used as fumigants, as they are highly volatile, effective in low concentrations, biodegradable, and safe. Papers indicate that some of them can improve their quality by increasing the content of antioxidants. This comprehensive review aims to present the current state of knowledge about the influence of essential oil fumigation on crop quality. It covers antioxidant capacity, the content of some bioactive compounds, physicochemical properties, decay properties, and sensory attributes of fruits and vegetables treated with essential oil vapors. The review indicates that this technique might be an interesting field for further exploration due to the promising results presented in the studies. Moreover, the review presents major objectives for current studies and indicates a lack of recent papers in this field.

The regulation of 1-methylcyclopropene treatment on the subfamily genes expression of ethylene response factors in peaches during storage.

BACKGROUND: Ethylene response factors (ERFs) perform diverse functions in fruit development, ripening and senescence. However, the effects of postharvest treatments on ERF genes have not been widely investigated due to the lack of peach ERF genomic information. The aim of this study was to investigate the ERF genes' expression of freshly harvested peach during storage after 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment. METHODS: 10 µL L-1 1-MCP was used to fumigate peaches. Treated peaches and control peaches were stored at 20°C for 9 days. Fruit firmness, ethylene production and the transcript abundance of ERFs were evaluated during storage. RESULTS: 127 AP2/ERF genes were identified genome using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). Expression profiles of 39 ERF genes were considered at day 0, 3, 5 and 7. Results showed that 1-MCP inhibited some ERF genes' expression (e.g., Prupe.5G117800), some genes were generally up-regulated responding to 1-MCP (e.g., Prupe.6G039700), while the other ERF genes displayed no significant difference between the two groups (e.g., Prupe.1G130300). CONCLUSIONS: These data revealed that peach ERF genes perform diverse functions during fruit growth, ripening and senescence. The different responses of ERF genes to postharvest 1-MCP treatment may be useful to understand the roles of ethylene and ERF genes in controlling technological aspects of postharvest peach conservation.

Mite bites, comet signs and possible mammary prosthesis rejection after returning to a vacation home: a diagnostic challenge.

Pyemotes ventricosus is a free-living mite feeding on larvae or nymphs of insects, including moths, beetles, wasps and bees, that are usually found in grain, straw and firewood. When present in great number or when its food is lacking, it could accidentally bite mammals, including humans, causing a highly pruritic self-limiting dermatitis, sometimes followed by a lymphangitis known as "comet sign".We present a singular case of mite lymphangitis that surrounds and delimitates breast prosthesis in a 30-year-old Caucasian woman. Other bite in the lower abdomen did not present comet sign. The patient got the infestation in her vacation home in the South of Italy, uninhabited for 10 months since COVID-19 confinement. We hypothesize that the previous surgery made the lymphatic vessels more prone to inflammation and we compare other insect bites that can occur vacationing in a long period uninhabited room.A delayed diagnosis of comet sign implies a retarded fumigation allowing new mite bites and, in this case, extends the patient's preoccupation about the prosthesis rejection.

An integrated strategy for evaluation of sulfur-fumigated edible herb Astragali Radix based on UPLC-MS/MS platforms and pharmacological analysis.

Astragali Radix is an edible herb that has been employed in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has recently been recognized by various countries; however, it is also one of the most extensively sulfur-fumigated TCM components. This study designed a UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-guided isolation approach to generate sulfur-containing derivatives, and a novel sulfur-containing marker, namely, astragaloside sulfate, was characterized based on 1D and 2D NMR, which were derived from the main component of Astragali Radix, namely, astragaloside. Pharmacological experiments also showed that the activity of astragaloside decreased after it was converted into sulfate. Moreover, a rapid assay for the determination of astragaloside sulfate content by UPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS was established to evaluate samples that were non-fumigated and sulfur-fumigated at different levels. The method was applied to determine the content of JGS in the different batches of commercial samples. This research reveals that the practical procedure-based typical sulfur-containing indicator can be utilized for quality assurance of sulfur-fumigated and non-fumigated Astragali Radix.

The effect of traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing as a complementary and alternative therapy on the recovery of joint function after development dysplasia of the hip in children: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Development dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a common childhood orthopedic disease in clinic. The cause of DDH is not yet clear. If DDH is not treated promptly or correctly, it will seriously affect the life quality of the child. At present, surgery is the main means of treating older DDH, but it is easy to appear development dysplasia of the hip after surgery, and the joint movement is limited after surgery. For modern medicine, it has not many treatments to solve this problem. As one of the commonly used treatment methods, but the effect of routine functional exercise is not ideal. Traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing belongs to the category of Chinese medicine external treatment, which can directly act on the focus. It has the functions of relaxing muscles and tendons and removing obstruction from meridians, activating blood to eliminate stagnation. It has achieved good effects in relieving joint disorders, but it is lack of the high-quality evidence support, so there is controversy about the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing. This study will conduct a systematic review to compare the application effect and safety of traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing as a complementary and alternative therapy and traditional rehabilitation training in the treatment of postoperative joint function recovery after development dysplasia of the hip in children. The research results will provide evidence-based medical evidence to support the choice of treatment for the disease. METHODS: Using computer to retrieve PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, EMBase, Cochrane Library, WANFANG Database, CNKI, and VIP Database, CBM, and using the method of combining mesh words with item words to retrieve the Chinese and English databases, to retrieve the randomized controlled study on the application of traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing on the recovery of joint function after development dysplasia of the hip in children. The retrieval time is from January 1990 to January 2021. Two researchers screen and evaluate the quality of the retrieved literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the event of a disagreement, a third researcher will join the discussion to resolve the disagreement. Using Revman 5.3 software to conduct meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study will compare the application effect and safety of traditional Chinese medicine fumigation and washing as a complementary and alternative therapy and traditional rehabilitation training in the treatment of postoperative joint function recovery after development dysplasia of the hip in children. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will be published in an internationally influential academic journal to provide evidence-based medical evidence for the selection of supplement and alternative therapies on the recovery of joint function after development dysplasia of the hip in children. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study does not involve specific patients, and all research data comes from publicly available professional literature, so an ethics committee is not required to conduct an ethical review and approval of this study. OSF REGISTRATION: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/RUHK5.

Control y prevención de los accidentes causados por Tityus trivittatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) / Control and prevention of accidents caused by Tityus trivittatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

Resumen Las picaduras por alacranes pueden producir cuadros de intoxicación aguda y conducir a la muerte por falla cardíaca y distrés respiratorio, siendo la población pediátrica la de mayor riesgo, tanto en Argentina como en el resto del mundo. Muchasde las especies de escorpiones en el mundo son sinantrópicas, y en Argentina, las que se han relacionado con muertes, comoTityus trivittatus y Tityus confluens, poseen esas características. La sinantropía, aumenta la posibilidad de contacto humano -escorpión y por lo tanto la ocurrencia de accidentes, por lo que las medidas de prevención en este caso, deben tomarse no soloconductualmente sino ambientalmente para evitar ese contacto. Las características biológicas de los escorpiones del géneroTityus dificultan las labores de prevención. Muchas son las herramientas para disminuir el contacto con los escorpiones y de esamanera prevenir los accidentes como los controles químicos, biológicos y ambientales, así como la búsqueda y eliminación deescorpiones. Sin embargo, no todas son efectivas si no son aplicadas racionalmente y si no son combinadas. En ocasiones lamala planificación o uso de las diferentes medidas para el combate de escorpiones pueden ser contraproducentes y no solo serinefectivas sino aumentar la probabilidad de ocurrencia de accidentes. En esta revisión se exponen los diferentes métodos deprevención del escorpionismo, con especial referencia a las especies de Tityus de Argentina.

Abstract Scorpion stings may produce acute envenoming and lead to death from heart failure and respiratory distress, being the pediatric population that with the highest risk of severe envenomation and death, in Argentina as in the rest of the world. Manyof the scorpion species in the world are synanthropic, including Tityus trivittatus and Tityus confluens, which are responsible forhuman deaths in Argentina. Synanthropy increases the possibility of human-scorpion contact and therefore the occurrence ofaccidents, so preventive measures to avoid the contact must be taken not only behaviorally but environmentally. The biologi-cal characteristics of scorpions of the genus Tityus make prevention of the contact with humans rather difficult. There are manychemical, biological and environmental tools to reduce the possibility of contact between humans and scorpions. However, notall these measures are effective if they are not rationally applied and if these are not combined. Sometimes the poor planningor use of different measures to control scorpions' population can be counterproductive and not only ineffective, increasing theprobability of accidents. In this review, we discuss the different methods of prevention and combat of scorpionism, with specialreference to the prevention of accidents with Tityus species from Argentina.