Changes in the range of the medicinal herb Eriocaulon buergerianum Körnicke. (Eriocaulaceae) under climate change.

Eriocaulon buergerianum Körnicke. (Eriocaulaceae) is one of the most common and least expensive herbal medicines for eye disease. This species is facing potential threats from climate change. Insufficient biogeographic knowledge of this plant species can hinder its effective management for long-term population survival. We integrated ecological niche modelling (Biomod2) with 70 records of E. buergerianum and eight environmental variables to estimate changes in distribution over time. A core area Zonation algorithm was introduced to identify conservation priority areas. Our results indicate that the range of E. buergerianum will likely decrease in the future: the overall range change on average is -44.36 ± 21.56% (-3.70% to -77.73%); values of range loss and range gain are 45.79 ± 20.30% (9.29-78.19%) and 1.43 ± 1.53% (0.18-5.59%), respectively. According to conservation priority analysis, the mandatory reserve (top 5%), negotiable reserve (0.95-0.9) and partial reserve (0.9-0.8) areas are 19,799, 19,799 and 39,597 km2 , respectively. The areas identified as conservation priority are located in the southeast, especially in northern Taiwan and the Wuyi Mountains. Based on these results, we suggest a re-evaluation of the threatened status of this species, with a potential upgrade to the vulnerable (VU) category. To overcome the adverse conditions faced by populations of E. buergerianum in China, we propose a multi-faceted conservation strategy involving more complete resource assessment, a monitoring system, medical research focused on revealing medicinal components or substitutes, and a regional development plan that considers both wildlife and socio-economic issues.

Antioxidant activities of purple rice bran extract and its effect on the quality of low-NaCl, phosphate-free patties made from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) belly flap meat.

Purple rice bran contains high amounts of natural antioxidants that consist of water- and lipid-soluble compounds. Hexane-insoluble and hexane-soluble fractions were separated from 100% methanolic extract from purple rice bran (RBE-HI and RBE-HS, respectively). Total anthocyanin, tannin, flavonoid, and phenolics contents were determined in those fractions, and their antioxidant capacities were evaluated by measuring 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capability, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and iron chelating capability (ICC). RBE-HI and RBE-HS were also added to restructured patties made from minced channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) belly flap meat. Lipid oxidation, color, and/or textural properties were determined for raw and cooked patties during a 12-d storage at 4 degrees C. All antioxidant indices, except for ICC, of RBE-HI were significantly higher than those of RBE-HS due probably to its higher anthocyanin content (P < 0.05). RBE-HS showed higher ICC (P < 0.05). However, both fractions showed similar antioxidant activity in raw and cooked patties during storage, resulting from the complexity of antioxidant action in food systems. Textural properties (hardness, cohesiveness, chewiness, and springiness) in cooked patties with RBE-HS and RBE-HI were well maintained during storage, but changed significantly in the control (P < 0.05). Only RBE-HS limited microbial growth in raw patties during storage (P < 0.05), but its inhibitory effect was marginal because of low-dose and physical interactions with the matrix. L* (lightness) and a* (redness) of raw and cooked patties decreased significantly by both fractions, whereas b* (yellowness) was significantly decreased by RBE-HI and increased by RBE-HS (P < 0.05). In conclusion, we suggest that purple rice bran extract is applicable to meat products as a natural preservative, but color change in the products may limit its application.

Bayesian predictive inference for time series count data.

Correlated count data arise often in practice, especially in repeated measures situations or instances in which observations are collected over time. In this paper, we consider a parametric model for a time series of counts by constructing a likelihood-based version of a model similar to that of Zeger (1988, Biometrika 75, 621-629). The model has the advantage of incorporating both overdispersion and autocorrelation. We consider a Bayesian approach and propose a class of informative prior distributions for the model parameters that are useful for prediction. The prior specification is motivated from the notion of the existence of data from similar previous studies, called historical data, which is then quantified into a prior distribution for the current study. We derive the Bayesian predictive distribution and use a Bayesian criterion, called the predictive L measure, for assessing the predictions for a given time series model. The distribution of the predictive L measure is also derived, which will enable us to compare the predictive ability for each model under consideration. Our methodology is motivated by a real data set involving yearly pollen counts, which is examined in some detail.

[Chemical constituents of Cistanche deserticola Y.C.Ma].

Seven compounds have been isolated from Cistanche deserticola. On the basis of spectral data (NMR, IR, MS, UV) they were identified as beta-sitosterol, daucosterol, succinic acid, triacontanol, acteoside, betaine and polysaccharose.

Promoting effect of croton oil on the induction of cervical and vaginal cancers with herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in mice.

Hybrid Swiss virgin mice (Kuan-min strain) were challenged intravaginally with uv-inactivated herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2) twice a week for 16 times and subsequently with croton oil or control medium twice a week for 27 times. After a period of 180 days the exposure to HSV-2 plus control medium induced premalignant and malignant lesions of the cervix and vagina in 50.0% of the mice. The exposure to HSV-2 plus croton oil induced similar lesions in 78.2% of the mice. The exposure to HSV-1 combined with either control medium or croton oil induced lesions in 37.2 and 58.3% of the mice, respectively. No malignant lesions were found in the control mice. These results reveal that (1) HSV-1 and HSV-2 have a similar oncogenic potential, and (2) croton oil can promote the induction of cervical and vaginal cancers with HSV-1 and HSV-2. Additionally, these results suggest that the virus-induced carcinogenesis of cervix and vagina might be similar to the classical two-stage carcinogenesis model. This animal model seems to be more suitable for studying the prevention and treatment of cervical and vaginal cancers because the period of this experiment is significantly shorter than that of experiments reported by other investigators and the frequency of the malignant lesion is significantly higher than or similar to that of the same lesion reported in other experiments.

[Promoting effect of the Chinese medicinal herb, wikstroemia chamaedaphne and tung oil extracts on carcinoma of the uterine cervix induced by HSV-2 or methylcholanthrene (MCA) in mice].

The promoting effect of the Chinese medicinal herb, Wikstroemia chamaedaphne and Tung oil extracts (WC and HHPA) on carcinoma of uterine cervix induced by HSV-2 or MCA in mice was studied. The results showed that WC and HHPA extracts were not carcinogenic themselves. After carcinogen HSV-2 and MCA treatment, WC and HHPA were added separately. The inducing rates by HSV-2 increased from 7.4% to 21.1% and 26.3%, those by MCA increased from 56.5% to 82.8% and 84.4%. There was a significant difference between the combined groups and groups with HSV-2 or MCA only. The experimental results suggest that these two kinds of extracts play a promoting effect on carcinogenesis. The relation between the carcinogenesis of uterine cervix or nasopharynx and WC or HHPA extracts is discussed.

Efficacy of vaccination with Skinner vaccine towards the prevention of herpes simplex virus induced cervical carcinoma in an experimental mouse model.

The incidence of cervical carcinoma, which had been induced by vaginal application of inactivated herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) with 20% croton oil, was significantly reduced in mice prevaccinated with the Skinner herpes vaccine. There was evidence of an immunological response in both vaccinated and unvaccinated mice.

Plasma and brain cholecystokinin levels in cancer anorexia.

The syndrome of cancer anorexia includes early satiety in man and a reduction in the duration of feeding in experimental animals. These aberrations suggest dysfunction of peripheral and/or central nervous system satiety mechanisms in tumor-bearing individuals. Since the gut peptide, cholecystokinin (CCK), has been implicated as a potent satiety cue in man and animals, plasma and brain concentrations of CCK were measured by radioimmunoassay in anorectic tumor-bearing rats. Plasma concentrations of immunoreactive CCK were not significantly altered in either an acute Walker 256 carcinosarcoma or more chronic methylcholanthrene-induced sarcoma animal model of cancer anorexia. However, levels of immunoreactive CCK were significantly reduced in the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex of animals bearing the methylcholanthrene sarcoma during both mild and severe anorexia. These data demonstrate that elevations in immunoreactive CCK are not a major factor in the etiology of cancer anorexia. If brain CCK is involved in satiety, tumor-bearing rats may be attempting to compensate for their anorexia by down-regulating CCK production.