Formulation of Chrysomycin A Cream for the Treatment of Skin Infections.

Chrysomycin A, a compound derived from marine microorganisms, proved to have a specific great in vitro inhibitory effect on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It exhibits high safety for the skin, as well as a better therapeutic effect than the current clinical drug, vancomycin. Nevertheless, its poor water solubility highly limits the application and reduces the bioavailability. In view of this, we developed a cream of chrysomycin A (CA) to enhance the solubility for the treatment of skin infection, while avoiding the possible toxicity caused by systemic administration. A comprehensive orthogonal evaluation system composed of appearance, spreading ability, and stability was established to find the optimal formula under experimental conditions. The final product was odorless and easy to be spread, with a lustrous, smooth surface. The particle size of the product met Chinese Pharmacopoeia specifications and the entire cream showed long-term stability in destructive tests. The in vitro and in vivo studies indicated that CA cream had a similar anti-MRSA activity to commercially available mupirocin, showing its potential as an efficacious topical delivery system for skin infections treatment.

Seasonal variations of nutrient concentrations and their ratios in the central Bohai Sea.

The Bohai Sea is a typical semi-enclosed sea in the northwest Pacific, which is subject to serious eutrophication due to human activities. Similar to hydrographic variables such as water temperature and salinity, the nutrient concentrations and ratios in the Bohai Sea also exhibit seasonal variations. However, the effects of external inputs, biological processes, and benthic processes on these seasonal variations have not been quantified to date. To address this issue, a physical-biological coupled model was developed to capture the seasonal nutrient cycling in the central Bohai Sea. The simulation results revealed apparent seasonal variations in the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), and dissolved silicate (DSi). The N/P ratio (as the molar ratio of DIN/DIP) also exhibited an apparent seasonal variation, with the maximum and minimum values in surface water occurring in summer (>100) and winter (<30), respectively. The Si/N ratio (as the molar ratio of DSi/DIN) was slightly higher in summer than in other seasons. The budget for three types of nutrient indicated that the biological processes determined the seasonal variations in nutrient concentrations and the N/P ratio. The external inputs of nutrients via river input, atmospheric deposition, and sediment release were probably important in summer when they could alleviate the reduced nutrient concentrations due to biological processes. To maintain a reasonable nitrogen budget, it was necessary to include benthic nitrogen loss, which removed a large amount of inorganic nitrogen in summer and autumn. In addition, the variation of N/P ratio of phytoplankton uptake can reduce the ratio of DIN to DIP in surface water by ~20 in summer as compared to the calculation with a fixed N/P ratio (16:1) in phytoplankton uptake.

[Effect of electroacupuncture combined with caudal epidural injection on functional rehabilitation of patients with lumbar hernia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) combined with caudal epidural injection on subjective pain, walking capability, lumbar flexibility and muscle strength in patients with lumbar disc hernia (LDH). METHODS: Sixty LDH patients were randomly allocated to the control group and the research group. The patients of the control group received ultrasound guided caudal epidural injection, and those of the research group received EA combined with ultrasound guided caudal epidural injection. Bilateral Jiaji (EX-B2) and adjunct points Guanyuanshu (BL26), Shenshu (BL23), Chengfu (BL36), Huantiao (GB30), Zhibian (BL54), etc. on the affected side were stimulated with EA (2 Hz/16 Hz, 5-8 mA) for 30 min each time, once every other day for 4 weeks, with 2 days' rest between every two weeks. The patients' pain was evaluated by using visual analogue scale (VAS), walking capability assessed by timed-up and go (TUG) test (time of walking back and forth in 3 m distance), lumbar flexibility (range of motion, ROM) detected by using an inclinometer and the strength of the lumbar flexor and extensor determined by using a push-pull dynamometer. RESULTS: After the treatment, self-comparison showed that the VAS score and TUG-measured time in both groups were significantly decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the post-bucking ROM and extension ROM in the research group, and the lumbar flexor and extensor muscle strength in both groups were obviously increased compared with their own pre-treatment (P<0.05). Comparison between two groups showed that the VAS score and TUG-measured time of the research group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.01), while the lumbar flexor's ROM as well as the extensor's strength were significantly higher in the research group than in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: For patients with LDH, EA combined with caudal epidural injection can alleviate pain, improve the walking capability, lumbar flexibility and strength of the lumbar extensor, and the therapeutic effect of the combined treatment is significantly better than that of simple caudal epidural injection.

Reviews on mechanisms of in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer activities of water-soluble plant polysaccharides.

Degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and antimicrobial resistance are becoming prominent health problems needing utmost public health attention. Curative interventions such as the use of pharmaceutical drugs and alternative plant medicines are increasingly being explored. Plant polysaccharides have gained attention for their promising bioactivities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Bioactive plant polysaccharides are also being preferred for their relatively few side effects compared to conventional pharmaceuticals. The elucidation of the bioactive potential of plant polysaccharides in disease treatment entails an understanding of the factors that determine their biofunctional properties using functional and mechanistic assays. This review summarizes the literature on the composition, structural, functional, and mechanistic determinations of the antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities of plant polysaccharides. The outcome of this review highlights the leading trends in the elucidation of the antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities of plant polysaccharides and underscores the promising health benefits of plant polysaccharides.

Role of drying techniques on physical, rehydration, flavor, bioactive compounds and antioxidant characteristics of garlic.

Various drying techniques play an important role in foodstuff preservation. However, the role of different drying techniques on garlic quality is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vacuum freeze-drying (VFD), hot air drying (HAD), infrared hot air drying (IRHAD), relative humidity drying (RHD) and pulsed vacuum drying (PVD) on the physical, rehydration, flavor, bioactive compounds and antioxidant characteristics of garlic slices. Results showed that garlic slices treated with VFD had an attractive color, low shrinkage, low hardness, and the lowest rehydration capacity. The volume shrinkage ratio, thermal stability and storage stability of garlic slices after HAD were the highest. Different dried garlic samples had different specific flavor fingerprints. IRHAD and RHD dried samples showed the highest rehydration capacity, content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity. The findings could provide a scientific basis to help in future large-scale production of good quality dried garlic products.

Effects of tri-frequency ultrasound-ethanol pretreatment combined with infrared convection drying on the quality properties and drying characteristics of scallion stalk.

BACKGROUND: Having short drying time and attractive product quality are important in fruit and vegetable dehydration processing. In this work, tri-frequency (20, 40 and 60 kHz) ultrasound-ethanol pretreatment, ultrasound-water pretreatment and ethanol pretreatment were employed before infrared convection drying (ICD) of scallion stalks, which was aimed at improving the drying process and quality of the end products. The mass transfer, drying characteristics (moisture ratio and drying rate and quality properties of scallion (rehydration, color, flavor, optical microscope image, moisture distribution and microbiological quality) were analyzed. RESULTS: All pretreatments have decreased the drying time by 33.34-83.34% compared to the control, while ultrasound-ethanol pretreatment provided the highest time reduction (83.34%). The reason is that the volatility of ethanol have replaced air in the tissue, which produced a better osmotic dehydration effect and the cavitation effect of ultrasound changed the cell function of the material, so that the food tissue was rapidly compressed and expanded, resulting in damage to the cell structure. Ultrasonic-ethanol pretreatment has greatly reduced the water loss and dry matter of fresh scallion, improved the rehydration effect of dried scallion, better retained the color and flavor of scallion and effectively reduced the microbiological quality of the scallion. CONCLUSION: The tri-frequency ultrasound-ethanol pretreatment has effectively improved the drying process and quality characteristics of the dried scallion. Therefore, this research has a great contribution to the drying technology, as evident in the remarkable reduction in drying time and the improvement in the quality of the end product. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of freeze-thaw cycles pretreatment on the vacuum freeze-drying process and physicochemical properties of the dried garlic slices.

Freeze-thaw cycles (FTC) pretreatment was employed before the vacuum freeze-drying of garlic slices, aimed at improving the drying process and the quality of the end product. Cell viability, water status, internal structure, flavor, chemical composition and thermogravimetric of garlic samples were evaluated. The results indicated that FTC pretreatment reduced the drying time (22.22%-33.33%) and the energy consumption (14.25%-15.50%), owing to the water loss, the increase in free water, and the formation of porous structures. The FTC pretreatment improved thermal stability, flavor and chemical composition content of dried products. The antioxidant activity of polysaccharides extracted from FTC pretreated dried products was higher than that of the unpretreated dried product due to the reduction in polysaccharide molecular weight. This research could pave a route for future production of dried garlic slices having good quality by using the FTC pretreatment, with lower energy consumption and shorter drying time.

Vacuum pretreatment coupled to ultrasound assisted osmotic dehydration as a novel method for garlic slices dehydration.

This study investigated the effects of multi-frequency mode ultrasound and vacuum technology on the water loss (WL) of garlic slices during osmotic dehydration (OD), and their effects on the microstructure of garlic. A new method of OD for garlic slices was proposed - Vacuum pretreatment coupled to ultrasound assisted osmotic dehydration (VUOD). The results indicated that the WL of the garlic slices treated with VUOD (21.12%) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than slices treated with normally OD (NOD) (10.67%), vacuum pretreatment OD (VOD) (14.18%), and multi-frequency mode ultrasound assisted OD (UOD) (11.20-13.56%). A mass transfer mechanism of VUOD was proposed. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance results quantified the moisture migration in the vacuole, cytoplasm and intercellular space, and the cell wall of garlic cells. The quality properties (allicin content, surface color change and firmness) of VUOD treated garlic slices are predominately better than NOD, VOD and UOD treated samples.

Effect of catalytic infrared dry-blanching on the processing and quality characteristics of garlic slices.

This study investigates the effects of catalytic infrared (CIR) dry-blanching (CIRDB) on the processing and quality of garlic slices. CIRDB processing parameters of CIR processing temperature, slice thickness and processing time were studied versus the processing characteristics of internal temperature, peroxidase (POD) activity and moisture reduction. Blanched garlic quality characteristics of surface color change (ΔE), allicin retention rate, vitamin C retention rate and microbial content were determined. Hot water blanching (WB) was used as a comparison. The results indicated that increasing CIR processing temperature and/or reducing the slice thickness accelerated internal temperature rise and POD inactivation and moisture reduction. To achieve 90% inactivation of POD, the CIRDB treatment resulted in moisture reductions of 15.87-40.37%, microbial reductions of 1.76-3.91-log, ΔE between 2.03 and 10.01, retention rate of allicin between 10.63 and 33.31%, and retention rate of vitamin C between 55.00 and 81.13%. CIRDB achieved the high-quality garlic products compared with WB.

Improving the extraction of l-phenylalanine by the use of ionic liquids as adjuvants in aqueous biphasic systems.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is widely used in the polymer-salt systems. However, the low polarity of the PEG-rich phase limits the application of aqueous biphasic systems (ABS). To overcome this disadvantage, a small quantity of ionic liquid (IL) was used as an adjuvant in ABS to enlarge the polarity range. Therefore, an innovative study involving addition of 4wt% imidazolium-based ILs to the PEG 600/NaH2PO4 ABS, aiming at controlling the phase behavior and extraction ability, was carried out. The phase diagrams, the tie-lines and the partitioning behavior of l-phenylalanine and ILs were studied in these systems. The results reveal that l-phenylalanine preferentially partitions for the PEG-rich phase. The addition of 4wt% IL to ABS controls the partitioning behavior of l-phenylalanine, which depends on the type of IL employed. Moreover, it is verified that increasing temperature lead to a decrease in the partition coefficient of l-phenylalanine.

Quality-by-Design: Multivariate Model for Multicomponent Quantification in Refining Process of Honey.

OBJECTIVE: A method for rapid analysis of the refining process of honey was developed based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. METHODS: Partial least square calibration models were built for the four components after the selection of the optimal spectral pretreatment method and latent factors. RESULTS: The models covered the samples of different temperatures and time points, therefore the models were robust and universal. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlighted that the NIR technology could extract the information of critical process and provide essential process knowledge of the honey refining process. SUMMARY: A method for rapid analysis of the refining process of honey was developed based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Abbreviation used: NIR: Near-infrared; 5-HMF: 5-hydroxymethylfurfural; RMSEP: Root mean square error of prediction; R: correlation coefficients; PRESS: prediction residual error-sum squares; TCM: Traditional Chinese medicine; HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography; HPLC-DAD: HPLC-diode array detector; PLS: Partial least square; MSC: multiplicative scatter correction; RMSECV: Root mean square error of cross validation; RPD: Residual predictive deviation; 1D: 1st order derivative; SG: Savitzky-Golay smooth; 2D: 2nd order derivative.

5,10b-Ethanophenanthridine amaryllidaceae alkaloids inspire the discovery of novel bicyclic ring systems with activity against drug resistant cancer cells.

Plants of the Amaryllidaceae family produce a large variety of alkaloids and non-basic secondary metabolites, many of which are investigated for their promising anticancer activities. Of these, crinine-type alkaloids based on the 5,10b-ethanophenanthridine ring system were recently shown to be effective at inhibiting proliferation of cancer cells resistant to various pro-apoptotic stimuli and representing tumors with dismal prognoses refractory to current chemotherapy, such as glioma, melanoma, non-small-cell lung, esophageal, head and neck cancers, among others. Using this discovery as a starting point and taking advantage of a concise biomimetic route to the crinine skeleton, a collection of crinine analogues were synthetically prepared and evaluated against cancer cells. The compounds exhibited single-digit micromolar activities and retained this activity in a variety of drug-resistant cancer cell cultures. This investigation resulted in the discovery of new bicyclic ring systems with significant potential in the development of effective clinical cancer drugs capable of overcoming cancer chemotherapy resistance.

Jonquailine, a new pretazettine-type alkaloid isolated from Narcissus jonquilla quail, with activity against drug-resistant cancer.

A new alkaloid, belonging to the pretazettine group of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, was isolated from dried bulbs of Narcissus jonquilla quail and named jonquailine. Its structure, including the absolute configuration, was elucidated using various NMR, ECD and ESI MS techniques. Initial biological evaluation revealed significant antiproliferative effects against glioblastoma, melanoma, uterine sarcoma and non-small-cell lung cancer cells displaying various forms of drug resistance, including resistance to apoptosis and multi-drug resistance. Jonquailine was also found to synergize with paclitaxel in its antiproliferative action against drug-resistant lung cancer cells. The results obtained compared with literature data also showed that the hydroxylation at C-8 is an important feature for the anticancer activity but this seems unaffected by the stereochemistry or the acetalization of the lactol.

Changes in pressure pain thresholds and Basal electromyographic activity after instrument-assisted spinal manipulative therapy in asymptomatic participants: a randomized, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of instrument-assisted spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) targeted to the low-back region on changes in pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) and basal electromyographic activity (BEA) in asymptomatic participants. METHODS: A repeated-measures, single-blind, randomized trial was conducted on 30 participants, 19 men and 11 women (mean age, 24.5±3.9 years), without a current history of low-back pain. Each participant attended all 2 treatment group sessions and received instrument-assisted SMT or a sham manipulation procedure. Instrument-assisted SMT was administered using the Activator Method protocol. Bilateral PPT levels over L5-S1 zygapophyseal joints, L5 dermatome, and first dorsal interossei in the hand and bilateral BEA of low back and neck region were assessed pre- and posttreatment by an assessor blinded to the treatment allocation of the participant. A 3-way analysis of variance with time (pre-post) and side (ipslateral, contralateral to the intervention) as within-group variable and intervention (manipulation or sham) as between-group variable was used to evaluate changes in PPT. A paired sample t test was used to analyze the differences between pre- and posttreatment in BEA. RESULTS: The group vs time interaction was statistically significant for PPT irrespective of the site tested or the side treated. Participants receiving the instrument-assisted SMT experienced greater improvement in PPT when compared with the control group. Paired sample t tests for BEA only show an immediate decrease in BEA of the paraspinal muscle on the pelvic deficiency side of the low-back region. CONCLUSIONS: The application of instrument-assisted SMT resulted in an immediate and widespread hypoalgesic effect with local muscle relaxation in asymptomatic participants. It is hypothesized that therapeutic mechanisms, either segmental or central, may be involved in the therapeutic effects of instrument-assisted SMT.