Unraveling the correlations between microbial communities and metabolic profiles of strong-flavor Jinhui Daqu with different storage periods.

Daqu is a saccharification agent required for fermenting Baijiu, a popular Chinese liquor. Our objective was to investigate the relationships between physicochemical indices, microbial community diversity, and metabolite profiles of strong-flavor Jinhui Daqu during different storage periods. During different storage periods of Jinhui Daqu, we combined Illumina MiSeq sequencing and non-target sequencing techniques to analyze dynamic changes of the microbial community and metabolite composition, established a symbiotic network and explored the correlation between dominant microorganisms and differential metabolites in Daqu. Fungal community diversity in 8d_Daqu was higher than that in 45d_Daqu and 90d_Daqu, whereas bacterial community diversity was higher in 90d_Daqu. Twelve bacterial and four fungal genera were dominant during storage of Daqu. Bacillus, Leuconostoc, Kroppenstedtia, Lactococcus, Thermomyces and Wickerhamomyces decreased as the storage period increased. Differences of microbiota structure led to various metabolic pathways, and 993 differential metabolites were found in all Daqu samples. Differential microorganisms were significantly related to key metabolites. Major metabolic pathways involved in the formation of amino acids and lipids, such as l-arogenate and hydroxyproline, were identified. Interactions between moisture, acidity, and microbes may drive the succession of the microbial community, which further affects the formation of metabolites.

Bioaugmented ensiling of sweet sorghum with Pichia anomala and cellulase and improved enzymatic hydrolysis of silage via ball milling.

Sweet sorghum, as a seasonal energy crop, is rich in cellulose and hemicellulose that can be converted into biofuels. This work aims at investigating the effects of synergistic regulation of Pichia anomala and cellulase on ensiling quality and microbial community of sweet sorghum silages as a storage and pretreatment method. Furthermore, the combined pretreatment effects of ensiling and ball milling on sweet sorghum were evaluated by microstructure change and enzymatic hydrolysis. Based on membership function analysis, the combination of P. anomala and cellulase (PA + CE) significantly improved the silage quality by preserving organic components and promoting fermentation characteristics. The bioaugmented ensiling with PA + CE restructured the bacterial community by facilitating Lactobacillus and inhibiting undesired microorganisms by killer activity of P. anomala. The combined bioaugmented ensiling pretreatment with ball milling significantly increased the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency (EHE) to 71%, accompanied by the increased specific surface area and decreased pore size/crystallinity of sweet sorghum. Moreover, the EHE after combined pretreatment was increased by 1.37 times compared with raw material. Hence, the combined pretreatment was demonstrated as a novel strategy to effectively enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of sweet sorghum.

Metabolome and transcriptome analysis predicts metabolism of violet-red color change in Lilium bulbs.

BACKGROUND: During the storage and processing of Lilium bulbs, the phenomenon of violet-red colour change in Lilium bulbs which is different from enzymatic browning often exists, but the specific mechanism is not clear. RESULTS: In this study, we chose six-year-old Lilium davidii var. unicolor to study. Bulb scales which were sealed in polyethylene film plastic bags were exposed to room temperature (20 ± 2 °C) treatment for 5 days (12 h of sunshine and 12 h of sun shading). Metabolomics and transcript omics were conducted to elucidate the mechanism of violet-red color change in Lilium bulbs. The results showed that the color of Lilium bulb scales was obvious violet-red in 5 days; chromaticity value measuring showed the a values had the most significant upward trend. Metabolomics analysis showed many metabolites produced from the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway showed an upward trend. Transcriptome revealed that flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was significantly enriched, of which 20 synthesis genes were highly regulated expression. Metabolome and transcriptome co-analysis that up-regulated expression of flavonoids synthesis genes including ten chalcone synthase, two anthocyanidin reductase, and chalcone isomerase, 3'-hydroxylase, 3-hydroxylase, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase, anthocyanin synthase, anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase and flavonol synthase were highly positive correlated with epicatechin, rutin and cyanidin 3-rutinoside. CONCLUSION: Phenotypic, metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis indicated that the up-related expression levels of genes and accumulated flavonoids related to flavonoid metabolism contributed greatly to the violet-red colour change in Lilium bulbs. The results of this study will deepen our understanding of the color formation of violet-red Lilium bulbs and provide the basis for future storage and preservation of Lilium bulbs. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Orthogonal array design for optimization of phenyllactic acid-sodium alginate blend coating and its effect on the browning and quality of minimally processed lily bulbs.

BACKGROUND: In order to develop active packaging of lily products, we for the first time investigated the effects of phenyllactic acid (PLA) incorporated into a sodium alginate (SA)-based coating on the quality of minimally processed lily bulbs stored at 4 °C for 15 days. RESULTS: L9 (34 ) orthogonal array design showed that the optimal concentrations of PLA, SA and glycerinum were 0.03, 0.03 and 0.05 mol L-1 , respectively, to prepare a blend coating. It was noticed that a PLA-SA blend coating treatment could inhibit browning and maintain the firmness and ascorbic acid of minimally processed lily bulbs. Compared with the control, polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activities of PLA-SA blend coating treated minimally processed lily bulbs reduced by about 31%, 21% and 29% on the 15th day, respectively. Total phenolic and quinone contents decreased, respectively, by 16% and 55% at the same time. Moreover, PLA-SA blend coating treatment eliminated the accumulation of malonaldehyde (MDA) while inhibiting microbial growth of minimally processed lily bulbs. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed PLA-SA blend coating could effectively maintain quality of minimally processed lily bulbs stored at 4 °C, and it might be a prospective technology. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of Formic or Acetic Acid on the Storage Quality of Mixed Air-Dried Corn Stover and Cabbage Waste,and Microbial Community Analysis.

A mixture of air-dried corn stover and cabbage waste was ensiled to preserve lignocellulosic biomass for use as biofuel. Furthermore, the effects of different fresh mass fractions (0.3 and 0.6%) of formic or acetic acid on the mixed silage quality were evaluated to guarantee its quality. The application of formic or acetic acid prior to mixing the silage led to higher water-soluble carbohydrate fractions than the negative control, indicating that both acids contributed to preservation of water-soluble carbohydrates during storage for 170 days. The dry matter content was also increased after storage from 90 to 170 days. It was found that the content of neutral and acid detergent fibre, cellulose and holocellulose (the sum of cellulose and hemicellulose) in mixed silage treated with formic or acetic acid was significantly lower than that obtained in the negative control. The pH and the ratio of ammoniacal nitrogen to total nitrogen in mixed silage treated with acetic acid also significantly decreased. Furthermore, the addition of formic or acetic acid significantly weakened the fermentation intensity of lactic acid, depending on the ratio of lactic to acetic acid, as well as the ratio of lactic acid to total organic acids. The number of bacterial species and their relative abundance shifted during silage mixing, wherein microbial communities at phylum level mainly consisted of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. The dominant bacteria were also observed to shift from Lactobacillus and Enterobacter in presilage biomass to Lactobacillus and Paralactobacillus. Specifically, Enterobacter disappeared after 130 days of storage. In conclusion, the addition of a low dose of acetic acid to fresh mass (0.3%) could effectively improve the fermentation quality and is conducive to the preservation of the organic components.

Low dietary protein and high carbohydrate infant formula affects the microbial ecology of the large intestine in neonatal rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a low dietary protein and high carbohydrate infant formula on the large intestine of neonatal rats. A total of 24 neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats (14-days-old) were randomly assigned to the low protein, high carbohydrate infant formula-fed group (I group) and a human breast milk-fed group (H group). After 7 days, we selected 6 rats at random from each group to study. No significantly different microbial colonization patterns were observed in the 2 groups at the phylum level. At the family level, Enterobacteriaceae and Bacteroidaceae were the dominant bacteria in I and H rats. While Bacteroides was the most abundant bacteria at the genus level, no significant difference was observed between the 2 groups. Methanoic acid, acetate, and butyrate increased in concentration in the I group compared with the H group. Protease activities, ammonia, and indole in the large intestine were lower in I rats than H rats. A significant increase in the expression of GADPH and decrease in the expression of aquaporin 8, aminopeptidase A, cathepsin F precursor, and ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase FAF-Y were observed in I rats compared with H rats. These results suggest that a low protein diet could modulate the microbial ecology in the large intestine of neonatal rats.

[Optimization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Conditions of Xiaoyao-pill Herb Residues by Cellulase].

Objective: To explore the enzymatic hydrolysis conditions of Xiaoyao-pill herb residues by cellulose. Methods: Based on the single factor test,an Box-Benhnken design was used to optimize the parameters, three factors, including cellulase dosage, enzymolysis time, and solid-liquid ratio were regarded as investigation factors,the yield of enzymatic hydrolysis as index, Xiaoyao-pill herb residues enzymatic hydrolysis catalyzed by cellulase, and a mathematical regression model was established. Results: The optimal parameters were obtained as follows,cellulase dosage was 6%,enzymolysis time was 5. 6 h and solid-liquid ratio was 1 ∶ 12( g / m L). Under this condition,the yield of enzymatic hydrolysis was 43. 89%. Conclusion: The results may provide new reference for further exploring Chinese herbal medicine efficiently.

The Impact of Exercise Cognition on Exercise Behaviors: The Mediating Role of the Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise for Adolescents.

In recent years, the exercise behavior of Chinese adolescents has been on the decline, which is extremely detrimental to their physical and mental health development. However, few studies have explored the mechanisms by which exercise cognition influences Chinese adolescents' exercise behavior. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between exercise cognition and exercise behavior among Chinese adolescents and the mediating role of satisfying basic psychological needs for exercise. The study consisted of 996 adolescents (44.6% males, 55.4% females) between the ages of 12 and 15 (M = 13.34, SD = 1.059). Participants' exercise behaviors and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs for exercise data were collected via surveys. Structure equation modeling (SEM) was performed to examine the direct and indirect effects. The results were as follows: (1) adolescents' perceptions of exercise were significantly associated with exercise behavior and (2) the mediation model suggests that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs for exercise is an important mechanism by which exercise cognition influences the occurrence of exercise behavior. Therefore, it is crucial to help adolescents form good exercise cognition. Schools, families, and society should take responsibility for adolescents' formation of good exercise cognition and satisfy adolescents' basic psychological needs for exercise so as to enhance adolescents' exercise behaviors and thereby develop good exercise habits.

Fast treatment and recycling method of large-scale vegetable wastes.

With rapid development of vegetable industry in China, in process of refrigerated transportation and storage, large-scale abandoned vegetable wastes (VW) need to be urgently treated alone since they rot very fast and would pollute the environment seriously. Existing treatment projects generally regard VW as garbage with high content of water and adopt the process of squeeze and sewage treatment, which leads to not only high treatment costs but also great resource waste. Therefore, according to the composition and degradation characteristics of VW, a novel fast treatment and recycling method of VW was proposed in this paper. VW are first degraded with thermostatic anaerobic digestion (AD) and then the residues decompose rapidly with thermostatic aerobic digestion to meet the farmland application standard. To verify the feasibility of the method, the pressed VW water (PVW) and VW from the VW treatment plant were mixed and degraded in two 0.56 m3 digesters, and degraded substances were continuously measured in 30 days' mesophilic AD at 37 ± 1 °C. Subsequently, the biogas slurry (BS) produced by AD is decomposed by thermostatic aerobic aeration decomposition at 30 °C for 48 h to rapidly decompose. BS was confirmed to use safely for plants by germination index (GI) test. The results show that 96 % chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 15,711 mg/L to 1000 mg/L within 31 days and the GI of treated BS was 81.75 %. Besides, nutrient elements of N, P, and K keep good abundance, no heavy metals, pesticide residue, and hazardous substances were found. Other parameters were all lower than the BS placed for a half-year. VW are fast-treated and recycled with the new method, which provides a novel method for fast treatment and recycling of large-scale VW.

Preparation of microcrystalline cellulose from agricultural residues and their application as polylactic acid/microcrystalline cellulose composite films for the preservation of Lanzhou lily.

Microcrystalline celluloses were isolated from four agricultural residues, including sweet sorghum stalk, Jerusalem artichoke stalk, grains stillage, and Chinese herb residue, and characterized in terms of physicochemical and structural properties. The obtained microcrystalline celluloses were composited with polylactic acid as a packing film for the preservation of Lanzhou lily. All the agricultural residues-derived microcrystalline celluloses were in cellulose Iß structure with high purity and good thermal stability. Microcrystalline celluloses from sweet sorghum stalk had a higher degree of polymerization (327) and crystallinity (70.52 %) than others. The preservation effect of lily bulbs packaged by films were significantly improved indicated by the lessened weight loss rate and the meliorative hardness and whiteness, which ascribe to the repressed oxidation reactions. Polylactic acid/microcrystalline cellulose composite films prepared from sweet sorghum straw have been proved the most effective. This work could offer a value-added outlet for agricultural residues to produce microcrystalline celluloses-based biocompatible films for preservation of Lanzhou lily.

Fermentation of Persimmon Leaves Extract by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Persimmon leaves usually as agricultural and forestry waste were fermented by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Growth and metabolic performances of L. plantarum and S. cerevisiae, as well as the effect of fermentation on the antioxidant abilities of the extract was investigated, including the content of flavonoids, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical clearance rates. Growth of L. plantarum was limited, even though the acid production was sustainable, while S. cerevisiae was more suitable to inhabit in the persimmon leaves extract. A symbiotic relationship was observed between the two microbes, reflected in aspects of growth of S. cerevisiae, pH reduction, and ethanol production. The DPPH radical clearance rates of all groups decreased at the early period, and increased later. The co-culture group reached the second highest value of DPPH radical clearance rate only next to the single group of L. plantarum at 9 h. All groups showed an overall downward trend of the hydroxyl radical clearance rates during the 9 h-fermentation. These findings highlight the promising industrial application of fermentation of the plant-based materials with Lactiplantibacillus and Saccharomyces species to improve the biological properties.

Preparation and characterization of starch-based composite films reinforced by quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) straw cellulose nanocrystals.

The development of green and biodegradable nanomaterials is significant for the sustainable utilization of renewable lignocellulosic biomass. This work aimed to obtain the cellulose nanocrystals from quinoa straws (QCNCs) by acid hydrolysis. The optimal extraction conditions were investigated by response surface methodology, and the physicochemical properties of QCNCs were evaluated. The maximum yield of QCNCs (36.58 ± 1.42 %) was obtained under the optimal extraction conditions of 60 % (w/w) sulfuric acid concentration, 50 °C reaction temperature, and 130 min reaction time. The characterization results of QCNCs showed that it is a rod-like material with an average length of 190.29 ± 125.25 nm, an average width of 20.34 ± 4.69 nm, excellent crystallinity (83.47 %), good water dispersibility (Zeta potential = -31.34 mV) and thermal stability (over 200 °C). The addition of 4-6 wt% QCNCs could significantly improve the elongation at break and water resistance of high-amylose corn starch films. This study will pave the route for improving the economic value of quinoa straw, and provide relevant proof of QCNCs for the preliminary application in starch-based composite films with the best performance.

Energy metabolism as the target of 3-phenyllactic acid against Rhizopus oryzae.

3-phenyllactic acid (PLA) has broad anti-fungal activity, however, target sites of PLA on fungal cells and its anti-fungal mechanism of action have been poorly studied. In this study, we explored the inhibition mechanism of Rhizopus oryzae (R. oryzae) on rotten lily bulbs by PLA. The minimum inhibitory concentration value of PLA against R. oryzae was 8 mg/mL. We observed the ultrastructure of R. oryzae by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy which indicated that PLA did not damage the cell membrane, but destroyed the mitochondria and other organelles. Tandem mass tag proteomes showed that PLA significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK), a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (a-KGDH), adenylate kinase (ADK1), Cytochrome C oxidase and NADH dehydrogenase, and up-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier proteins (AAC) and subunit IV (CCIO IV) in glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle or oxidative phosphorylation metabolism. Following these findings, down-regulated HK and a-KGDH activity of aforementioned pathways was shown by enzyme activity assay, and regulated gene expression of ADK1, AAC, CCIO IV and NADH dehydrogenase was further confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. Central carbon metabolomics showed that citric acid, cis-Aconitic acid, isocitric acid, alpha-Ketoglutaric acid, succinate, fumarate and malic acid of the tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites were significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05), and ATP production by oxidative phosphorylation was also significantly reduced (P = 0.02), resulting in insufficient energy production. Thus, ROS levels increased by 141% of the control values and cytochrome C was released, resulting in gradual cell apoptosis. All data indicated that energy metabolism was the target of PLA against R. oryzae. This was the first study to show that energy metabolism could be the target of PLA against R. oryzae, which could provide a theoretical basis to study the mechanism of fungal inhibition.

Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum additive and temperature on the ensiling quality and microbial community dynamics of cauliflower leaf silages.

In order to enable rapid disposal and proper preservation of discarded vegetable for waste valorization, ensiling was employed to preserve cauliflower leaves for 30 days at different temperatures (20 ~ 45 °C) with and without the addition of Lactobacillus plantarum L8. The L. plantarum inoculant reduced dry matter (DM) loss and enhanced the preservation of protein and soluble carbohydrate while decreasing pH and ammonia nitrogen content. The silages at 35 °C exhibited the best fermentation profile characterized by the highest lactic acid content (185 g·kg-1 DM) and the lowest pH (4.08) and ammonia nitrogen content (37.6 g·kg-1 total nitrogen) with L. plantarum inoculation. The presence of exogenous L. plantarum improved the silage fermentation, enriched Lactobacillus and Weissella, and reduced the microbial richness/diversity, resulting in efficient lactic acid fermentation, especially at 30 and 35 °C. Moreover, the microbial community dynamics was correlated with the chemical compositions and fermentation metabolites in silages.

Enhancing the Enzymatic Saccharification of Grain Stillage by Combining Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Irradiation and Fungal Pretreatment.

Grain stillage from the liquor industry was pretreated by using microwave-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment, fungal pretreatments, and their combination to enable efficient enzymatic hydrolysis for sugar production. The microwave-assisted hydrothermal (MH) pretreatment was optimized by using a response surface methodology, and the respective maximum reducing sugar yield and saccharification efficiency of 17.59 g/100 g and 33.85%, respectively, were achieved under the pretreatment conditions of microwave power = 120 W, solid-to-liquid ratio = 1:15 (g·mL-1), and time = 3.5 min. The fungal pretreatment with Phanerochaete chrysosporium digestion (PC) achieved the maximum ligninolytic enzyme activities in 6 days with 10% inoculum size at which the reducing sugar yield and saccharification efficiency reached 19.74 g/100 g and 36.29%, respectively. To further improve the pretreatment efficiency, MH and PC pretreatments were combined, but the sequence of MH and PC mattered on the saccharification efficiency. The MH + PC pretreatment (the MH prior to the PC) was better than PC + MH (the PC prior to the MH) in terms of saccharification efficiency. Overall, the MH + PC pretreatment achieved superior reducing sugar yield and saccharification efficiency (25.51 g/100 g and 66.28%, respectively) over all other studied pretreatment methods. The variations of chemical compositions and structure features of the raw and pretreated grain stillage were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results reveal that both MH and PC pretreatments mainly functioned on delignification and decreasing cellulose crystallinity, thus enhancing the enzymatic saccharification of the pretreated grain stillage. The combined MH and PC pretreatment could be a promising method to enable cost-efficient grain stillage utilization for downstream applications such as biofuels.

Effects of different simulated seasonal temperatures on the fermentation characteristics and microbial community diversities of the maize straw and cabbage waste co-ensiling system.

Ensiling is considered as a suitable method to preserve seasonal agricultural residues to enable long-term supply for wastes valorization. In this study, the effects of simulated seasonal temperatures (-3, 18 and 34 °C) on the organic compositions, ensiling fermentation characteristics, and microbial community evolution during 120 days co-ensiling of maize straw and cabbage wastes were investigated. Successful storage performance was obtained at all these three temperatures. Comparatively, silages at 18 and 34 °C showed lower ammonia nitrogen, lower pH and more intensive lactic acid bacteria fermentation than that at -3 °C. Both silages at -3 and18 °C were well-preserved for 120 days with higher biodegradation potential (BDP), accompanied by lower content of acid detergent lignin (ADL). However, the silages at 34 °C could only preserved for 90 days due to low carbohydrate, low BDP and higher ADL content than that at -3 or18 °C. The storage temperature is a critical parameter that significantly affected the silage quality by influencing the microbial community diversity in silages. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were dominant bacteria at phylum level for all silages while the dominant lactic acid bacteria at genus level were Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc, which restrained the undesirable microbes such as Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, and Pantoea during co-ensiling. Co-ensiling of maize straw with vegetable wastes may provide a promising strategy for long-term preservation of air-dried crop straw while using vegetable wastes as regulatable supplement to achieve silages of desired quality. This study could provide valuable information for conservation and management of agricultural wastes.

Autotrophic, Heterotrophic, and Mixotrophic Nitrogen Assimilation for Single-Cell Protein Production by Two Hydrogen-Oxidizing Bacterial Strains.

To recover a nitrogen resource from high-ammonia-nitrogen wastewater, two amphitrophic hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria (HOB), Paracoccus denitrificans Y5 and P. versutus D6, capable of nitrogen assimilation for single-cell protein (SCP) production were isolated. These two HOB strains could grow autotrophically with H2 as an electron donor, O2 as an electron acceptor, CO2 as a carbon source, and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) as a nitrogen source. The cell molecular formulas of strains Y5 and D6 determined by autotrophic cultivation were C3.33H6.83O2.58N0.77 and C2.87H5.34O3.17N0.57, respectively. The isolated strains could synchronously remove NH4+-N and organic carbon and produce SCP via heterotrophic cultivation. The rates of removal of NH4+-N and soluble chemical oxygen demand reached 35.47 and 49.04%, respectively, for Y5 under mixotrophic cultivation conditions with biogas slurry as a substrate. SCP content of strains Y5 and D6 was 67.34-73.73% based on cell dry weight. Compared with soybean meal, the SCP of Y5 contained a variety of amino acids.

Relationship of melatonin level, oxidative stress and inflammatory status with osteoporosis in maintenance hemodialysis of chronic renal failure.

The relationship of melatonin (MT) level, oxidative stress and inflammatory status with osteoporosis in the maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) of chronic renal failure was investigated. Ninety-four patients with chronic renal failure treated in Dezhou People's Hospital (Dezhoo, China) and receiving MHD for more than 3 months from May to April 2017 were selected and divided into the osteoporosis group (observation group, n=49) and the non-osteoporosis group (control group, n=45) based on whether osteoporosis was involved. The serum advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), MT level and inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1] in patients were detected via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in serum was detected via thibabituric acid (TBA) assay and the spinal bone mineral density (BMD) was detected using the total BMD testing instrument, followed by correlation analysis. The MT level in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group, but the levels of AOPP and MDA were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). The levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1) in observation group were obviously higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Besides, the spinal BMD and T-value in observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Pearson's correlation analysis showed that AOPP, MDA, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1 levels were negatively correlated with BMD, but MT was positively correlated with BMD (P<0.05). Osteoporosis occurs easily in MHD patients; oxidative stress and inflammatory degree are negatively correlated with osteoporosis, but MT is positively correlated with osteoporosis.

Effects of astrogaloside on the inflammation and immunity of renal failure patients receiving maintenance dialysis.

Chronic renal failure is a type of clinical syndrome originating from chronic renal diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of astrogaloside on the inflammation and immunity of renal failure patients receiving maintenance dialysis. We randomly selected 92 renal failure patients receiving maintenance dialysis who were admitted to hospital for treatment between May, 2015 and April, 2016. Patients were randomly divided into the control (n=46) and observation (n=46) groups. Patients in the control group received the regular dialysis plus the basic treatment in Western medicine, while in the observation group, patients additionally received astrogaloside via intravenous injection as treatment. We compared the clinical efficacy of patients between the two groups, residual renal function (RRF), changes in urine volume, variations in inflammatory indicators [C-reaction protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-17, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)] before and after treatment, and the levels of the thymus-dependent lymphocyte (T cells) subgroup (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+) in the immune system of patients after treatment. In the observation group, the total effective rate was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). After 6 months, RRF and the urine volume of patients in the two groups were decreased when compared with the levels before treatment, and the decreasing rates of RRF and urine volume in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the levels of human serum C reaction protein (hs-CRP), IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α in the two groups were lower than those before treatment, and the decrease in the observation group was more significant than that in the control group (P<0.05). Following treatment, the levels of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, and the level of CD8+ was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). In conclusion, astrogaloside can delay the decrease in RRF of renal failure patients receiving the maintenance dialysis, ameliorate the inflammatory responses, and enhance the immune function, thereby increasing the disease resistance of patients and improving the clinical symptoms.

Extraction, purification, characterization and antioxidant activities of polysaccharides from Zizyphus jujuba cv. Linzexiaozao.

The extraction process, purification and characterization analyses of polysaccharides (LZJP) in Ziziphus jujuba planted in Linze County, Gansu Province were investigated, respectively. The results showed a maximum polysaccharide yield of 5.72% was achieved at a solid/liquid ratio of 1:20 g/mL for 90 min at 80 °C. Two homogenous acidic polysaccharides (LZJP3 and LZJP4) were purified successively by DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. LZJP3 is composed of one polymer with galactose while LZJP4 is made up of two different kinds of polymers with xylose and glucose by size-exclusion chromatograph combined with multi-angle laser photometer (HPSEC-LLS) and gas chromatography (GC) analysis. LZJP3 and LZJP4 were ß-pyran polysaccharides with a large number of molecular globular aggregates by FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared) and AFM (Atomic force microscopy) analysis, and the surface morphology exhibited smooth and filamentous staggered extension in the form of rod-like aggregation with SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) determination. Meanwhile, LZJP3 and LZJP4 exhibited antioxidant activities against DPPH, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, superoxide radical and stronger reducing power in vitro with the concentration increasing. The results indicated that LZJPs were worthy of being developed further as a natural antioxidant in food and medicine industries.