Study on low-temperature plasma γ-Al2O3 catalytic viscosity reduction of polyacrylamide solution.

The wide use of polyacrylamide (PAM) in enhanced oil recovery generates a large amount of polymer-bearing wastewater featuring high viscosity and difficult viscosity reduction, making the treatment of wastewater increasingly difficult. In this paper, the experimental study on reducing the viscosity of wastewater containing polyacrylamide by using the plasma generated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and the synergistic effect of catalyst γ-Al2O3 is carried out. The law of plasma reducing the viscosity of wastewater containing polyacrylamide is studied under the different conditions of amounts of γ-Al2O3 catalyst, discharge voltages, and initial concentrations of polyacrylamide-containing wastewater. The mechanism of viscosity reduction of polyacrylamide is studied through environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the catalytic viscosity reduction is the best when the discharge voltage is 18 kV and the discharge time is 15 min. With the increase in the input of the γ-Al2O3 catalyst, the viscosity of the PAM solution decreases gradually. When the amount of γ-Al2O3 is 375 mg, the shear rate changes from 0.5 1/sec to 28 1/sec, and the viscosity of the solution containing polyacrylamide changes from 434.5 mPa·s to 40.2 mPa·s. The viscosity reduction rate of the PAM solution is 90.7%. After the catalytic viscosity reduction, the functional groups of polyacrylamide do not change much. The elemental composition of the catalyst has not changed, which is still Al, C, and O.

The changes of morphological and physiological characteristics in hemiparasitic Monochasma savatieri before and after attachment to the host plant.

BACKGROUND: Monochasma savatieri is an endangered hemiparasitic medicinal plant with a variety of antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Despite the urgent need to understand the parasitic biology of M. savatieri, parasite-host associations have long been neglected in studies of M. savatieri. METHODS: We conducted a pot cultivation experiment to analyze changes in the growth traits, physiological performance and anatomical structures of M. savatieri grown with the potential host Gardenia jasminoides E., before and after the establishment of the parasite-host association. RESULTS: Prior to the establishment of the parasite-host association, the presence of the host had no significant effect on the maximum root length, leaf indexes or total dry weight of M. savatieri seedlings, but had significant positive effect on seedling height, number of roots or number of haustoria. When it was continuously grown without a host, M. savatieri growth was rather slow. The establishment of the parasite-host association enhanced the growth of M. savatieri, and higher levels of photosynthetic pigments, increased antioxidant enzyme activity and lower malondialdehyde accumulation were observed in M. savatieri with an established parasite-host association. Furthermore, an analysis of the anatomical structures of M. savatieri showed that the establishment of the parasite-host association enabled better development of the seedling vegetative organs than that in seedlings without parasite-host associations. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the physiological and anatomical changes that occurred in M. savatieri after connection with a host and suggests that the enhanced growth and development of M. savatieri were highly dependent on the parasite-host association.

Therapeutic Effect and Mechanisms of the Novel Monosulfactam 0073.

This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the novel monosulfactam 0073 against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in vitro and in vivo and to characterize the mechanisms underlying 0073 activity. The in vitro activities of 0073, aztreonam, and the combination with avibactam were assessed by MIC and time-kill assays. The safety of 0073 was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthizol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and acute toxicity assays. Murine thigh infection and pneumonia models were employed to define in vivo efficacy. A penicillin-binding protein (PBP) competition assay and confocal microscopy were conducted. The inhibitory action of 0073 against ß-lactamases was evaluated by the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), and resistance development was evaluated via serial passage. The monosulfactam 0073 showed promising antimicrobial activity against Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii isolates producing metallo-ß-lactamases (MBLs) and serine ß-lactamases. In preliminary experiments, compound 0073 exhibited safety both in vitro and in vivo In the murine thigh infection model and the pneumonia models in which infection was induced by P. aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, 0073 significantly reduced the bacterial burden. Compound 0073 targeted several PBPs and exerted inhibitory effects against some serine ß-lactamases. Finally, 0073 showed a reduced propensity for resistance selection compared with that of aztreonam. The novel monosulfactam 0073 exhibited increased activity against ß-lactamase-producing Gram-negative organisms compared with the activity of aztreonam and showed good safety profiles both in vitro and in vivo The underlying mechanisms may be attributed to the affinity of 0073 for several PBPs and its inhibitory activity against some serine ß-lactamases. These data indicate that 0073 represents a potential treatment for infections caused by ß-lactamase-producing multidrug-resistant bacteria.

[Screening of reference genes based on real-time quantitative PCR analysis in Monochasma savatieri].

Monochasma savatieri belongs to Scrophulariaceae family. It is a facultative parasitic plant distributed in southern China that has been found in Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces. Previous studies on this plant have focused on its chemical constituents and pharmacological effects. The research foundation of molecular biology and functional genomics is still very in-depth, and there is no report on the reference genes. In this study, 6 reference gene(UBQ, GAPDH, AP-2, ACT, TUB and CYP) from transcriptome database, were selected and analyzed in M. savatieri.The experiment mainly involve two variables, soil moisture content and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis(Rhizophagus irregularis). And the different combination of the factors result in a total of 6 treatments.Statistical tools, including GeNorm, NormFinder and Bestkeeper were utilized to assess the suitability of reference genes based on their stability rankings for different treatment. The result showed that the stability of 6 reference genes were significantly different. TUB and GAPDH were the most stable gene, while ACT was the most instable one. The results would provide reliable and optional available reference genes in gene expression analysis of M. savatieri, which has important application value.

Effect of high pressure homogenization treatment on the rheological properties of citrus peel fiber/corn oil emulsion.

BACKGROUND: Citrus fiber is a main component in the peel of citrus and contains natural dietary fiber. It is often used as a functional additive to improve the texture or nutritional property of food. It is also widely used to reduce the content of absorbable fat in sausages and other meat products, and to improve food stability as an emulsifier. In this research, the dynamic rheological properties (linear and non-linear) of citrus peel fiber/corn oil (CF/CO) emulsion system under high pressure homogenization (HPH) treatment was investigated. RESULT: Rheological results illustrated HPH treatment significantly increased the apparent viscosity of the emulsion, reduced the activation energy of the emulsion and distinctly improved the viscoelasticity of the emulsion. Meanwhile, HPH treatment increased the linear viscoelastic region of the sample, and the behavior of the emulsion converted from strain thinning (without HPH treatment) to weak strain overshoot (with HPH treatment). Lissajous curves indicated the viscosity of the sample increased first and then decreased with strain increasing and the third harmonic contributed much more to the first harmonic compared with the fifth harmonic. Chebyshev stress decomposition revealed that, as strain increased, the samples with HPH treatment showed internal-cycle strain hardening behavior first, then turned to internal-cycle softening behavior. CONCLUSION: HPH treatment can significantly improve the processing performance of CF/CO emulsion as well as the stability against large periodic oscillations in food processing. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of one haustorium-inducing quinone DMBQ on growth and development of root hemiparasitic plant Monochasma savatieri / Efeitos de quinona indutor de haustório (DMBQ) no crescimento e desenvolvimento de plantas hemiparasitárias de raiz Monochasma savatieri

ABSTRACT: Monochasma savatieri Franch. ex Maxim is a perennial, parasitic herb used in traditional Chinese medicine and its wild resources have decreased sharply in recent years due to destructively harvesting and habitat destruction. Haustorium formation is a key event of parasites, but the concentrations of haustorium-inducing factors vary with species and cultivation conditions. In this study, we investigated the effects of the 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone (DMBQ) concentration and cultivation density on the growth traits, haustorium formation and biomass of M. savatieri in the absence of a host plant. The results showed that both the DMBQ concentration and cultivation density regulated growth traits, haustorium formation and biomass in M. savatieri. The number of haustoria was significantly positively correlated with seedling height, maximum root length, the number of root tips and total dry weight. Membership function analysis revealed an overall greater increase in growth traits, haustorium formation and biomass when M. savatieri was treated with 10 μmol·L-1DMBQ and grew solitarily. These results offer an understanding of growth in M. savatieri influenced by the DMBQ concentration and cultivation density, which may aid in the establishment of a comprehensive cultivation system for M. savatieri or similar plants.

RESUMO: Monochasma savatieri Franch. O ex Maxim é uma erva parasitária aperene usada na medicina tradicional chinesa suas fontes diminuíram acentuadamente nos últimos anos devido à colheita destrutiva e à destruição de habitats e condições de sobrevivência no campo. Neste estudo, investigamos os efeitos da concentração de 2,6-dimetoxi-p-benzoquinona (DMBQ) e densidade de cultivo sobre as características de crescimento, formação de haustório e biomassa de M. savatieri na ausência de uma planta hospedeira. Os resultados mostraram que a concentração de DMBQ e a densidade de cultivo regularam as características de crescimento, a formação de haustório e a biomassa em M. savatieri. O número de haustórios foi significativamente correlacionado positivamente com a altura das plântulas, comprimento máximo das raízes, número de pontas das raízes e peso seco total. Revelou também um aumento geral nas características de crescimento, formação de haustório e biomassa quando M. savatieri foi tratado com 10 μmol • L-1DMBQ e cresceu solitariamente. Esses resultados oferecem uma compreensão do crescimento de M. savatieri influenciado pela concentração de DMBQ e densidade de cultivo, o que pode ajudar no estabelecimento de um sistema abrangente de cultivo para plantas similares de M. savatierior.

Discovery and evaluation of novel nitrodihydroimidazooxazoles as promising anti-tuberculosis agents.

New analogues of antitubercular drug Delamanid were prepared, seeking drug candidates with enhanced aqueous solubility and high efficacy. The strategy involved replacement of phenoxy linker proximal to the 2-nitroimidazooxazole of Delamanid by piperidine fused 5 or 6-membered ring heterocycles (ring A). The new compounds were all more hydrophilic than Delamanid, and several class of analogues showed remarkable activities against M. bovis. And among these series, the tetrahydro-naphthyridine-linked nitroimidazoles displayed excellent antimycobacterial activity against both replicating (MABA) and nonreplicating (LORA) M. tb H37Rv and low cytotoxicity. Compared to Delamanid, these new compounds (6, 7, 45) demonstrated dramatically improved physicochemical properties and are suitable for further in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

Study on the diagnosis of gout with xanthine and hypoxanthine.

BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia is the only biochemical index in the classification of acute gouty arthritis in American Rheumatism Association 1977 and the main basis of clinical diagnosis for most doctors. However, nearly half of the time gout occurs without hyperuricemia, especially in an acute attack，which leads to an urgent need to find a new substitute diadynamic criteria of gout. Xanthine and hypoxanthine, as precursors of uric acid, have been reported to be high in gout patients with hyperuricemia and presumed to be gout biomarkers. OBJECTIVES: To further explore the possibility of xanthine and hypoxanthine to be gout biomarkers as substitutes for uric acid. METHODS: A reversed-phase HPLC-UV method was employed for simultaneous quantitative detection of uric acid (UA), xanthine (X), and hypoxanthine (HX) in gout patients' (with and without hyperuricemia) and healthy persons' serum. RESULTS: The xanthine and hypoxanthine concentrations in gout patients with hyperuricemia and without hyperuricemia are higher than in healthy persons with a P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: This study supplements previous researches by confirming that xanthine and hypoxanthine are significantly elevated in gout patients' serum especially in patients' with normouricemia, which supported xanthine and hypoxanthine may have clinical application for the diagnosis of gout.

Danhong Promotes Angiogenesis in Diabetic Mice after Critical Limb Ischemia by Activation of CSE-H 2 S-VEGF Axis.

The aim of this paper is to investigate effect and mechanism of Danhong injection (DH) on angiogenesis in the diabetic hind limb ischemia mouse model. Thirty diabetic hind limb ischemic model mice and ten normal mice, established by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) or PBS and ligation/excision of femoral artery, and then twenty diabetic hind limb ischemic model mice of all were evenly randomized to saline (control, n = 10) and DH i.p. injection (2 mL/kg weight for 7 days, n = 10) groups. Limb perfusion recovery and femoral blood hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and vessel regeneration and lower limb vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) expression were evaluated during intervention and after euthanasia, respectively. DH i.p. increased ischemic limb perfusion and promoted collateral circulation generation without decreasing blood glucose level. Increased local CSE-H2S-VEGF expression contributed to beneficial effects of DH injection. In conclusion, activation of local CSE-H2S-VEGF axis might participate in proangiogenesis effects of DH injection in diabetic hind limb ischemia model mice, suggesting a potential therapy for diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia.

[Soil Microorganism Characteristics and Soil Nutrients of Different Wetlands in Sanjinag Plain, Northeast China].

Four typical wetland types (i.e. wetlands with the following dominant plant species: Calamagrostis angustifolia + Salix brachypoda, Calamagrostis angustifolia, Carex lasiocarpa and Phragmites australis) of the Honghe reserve in Sanjiang Plain were studied to investigate the distribution of soil microorganism quantity and enzyme activity and their relationships with soil nutrients. The results showed that in 0-30 cm soil layer of these four wetlands: (1) Contents of soil total organic carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus decreased with the increase of soil depth, while available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium did not exhibit regularly changes. Moreover, there were significantly different for soil nutrient contents among different wetland types (P < 0.05). (2) The number of soil microorganism was bacteria > actinomycetes > fungi, furthermore, the number of three microbial colonies all decreased with the increase of soil depth. Total soil microbial number of C. angustifolia wetland was the highest and that of C. lasiocarpa wetland was the lowest. (3) Soil invertase and cellulase activities decreased with soil depth, while soil catalase activity showed no consistent changes. Three kinds of enzyme activities in C. angustifolia + S. brachypoda and C. angustifolia wetlands were significantly higher than those of C. lasiocarpa and P. australis wetlands (P < 0.05). (4) The correlation analysis showed that soil bacteria, fungi and cellulose activity had a significant correlation with indicators of soil nutrients. But there was no correlation between actinomyces, invertase and available potassium, as well as between catalase and available potassium, available phosphorus. Overall, soil microorganism and enzyme activities are important indicators for reflecting the status of soil nutrients.

Vitamin E ameliorates ox-LDL-induced foam cells formation through modulating the activities of oxidative stress-induced NF-κB pathway.

The role of antioxidant supplementation with vitamin E in the prevention of atherosclerosis has been a topic of considerable recent interest. The relevance of vitamin E for macrophage-derived foam cell formation, a hallmark of atherosclerosis, however, has not been unequivocally resolved. Here, we investigated the effect of oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) and vitamin E on lipid accumulation and total cholesterol content in U937 macrophages, reactive oxygen species generation and expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. The results showed that the mRNA expression and protein levels of P-selectin were evident in U937 macrophages treated with ox-LDL and vitamin E, which indicating that expression of P-selectin is important in macrophage-derived foam cell formation. Moreover, P-selectin changes in ox-LDL-induced foam cell formation can be mediated by vitamin E through activities of nuclear NF-κB activated by serine phosphorylation of NF-κB inhibitor α, suggesting that activation of NF-κB pathway by macrophages may occur. Taken together, these data suggested that vitamin E can prevent ox-LDL-induced foam cell macrophages formation through modulating the activities of oxidative stress-induced NF-κB pathway.

[Transoral carbon dioxide laser surgery for treatment of hypopharyngeal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and curative effects of transoral CO2 laser in treatment of hypopharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: The retrospective analysis included 24 cases of hypopharyngeal carcinoma from 1994 to 2005 in the Department of Head and Neck. All cases were treated with endoscopic laser surgery and adjuvant selective neck dissection or radiotherapy. The follow-up period was more than 3 years. Twenty-four patients (21 male, 3 female) were classified as follows: 14 cases were T1N0M0, 4 were T1N1M0, 1 was T1N2bM0, 3 were T2N0M0 and 2 were T2N2bM0. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed the overall 5-year survival rate was 74.9%, and the 5-year survival rate of T1 lesions and T2 lesions was 78.8% and 60.1%, respectively. The overall 5-year local control rate was 82.1% and 5-year larynx preservation rate was 87.0%. Six of 7 patients with local-regional recurrences underwent salvage surgery and radiotherapy. Finally 4 of them died of recurrence again and 2 were survival. The other one of 7 patients had distant metastasis, and died after radiochemotherapy. One patient died of non-neoplastic diseases. Two patients experienced minor complications with conventional ambulatory treatment without sequelae. All survival patients had laryngeal preservation except the one who received salvage surgery of the hypopharynx and larynx. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic CO2 laser surgery with adjuvant selective or modified radical neck dissection and radiotherapy is an alternative for the treatment of selected hypopharyngeal carcinoma, associated with satisfying curative effects and a high larynx preservation rate.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of warming needle therapy on chronic colitis].

OBJECTIVE: To search for a better method for increasing clinical therapeutic effect on chronic colitis. METHODS: One hundred and seventeen cases were randomly divided into a warming needle group (n = 46), an acupuncture group (n = 39) and a medication group (n = 32). The warming needle group and the acupuncture group were treated with warming needle moxibustion and acupuncture on Tianshu (ST 25), Zhongwan (CV 12) and Guanyuan (CV 4), etc. for 30 min, respectively; the medication group with oral administration of Salicylazosulfapyridine tablets and Azathiopurine. After they were treated for 3 courses, the therapeutic effects were observed. RESULTS: The total effective rate was 93.5% in the warming needle group, 76.9% in the acupuncture group and 75.0% in the medication group, the warming needle group being better than the acupuncture group and the medication group (both P < 0.05) and the acupuncture group being similar to the medication group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Warming needle moxibustion is a better therapy for chronic colitis with no side effects.

Effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from seal oils on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease associated with hyperlipidemia.

AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from seal oils for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) associated with hyperlipidemia. METHODS: One hundred and forty-four patients with NAFLD associated with hyperlipidemia were included in the 24-wk, randomized, controlled trial. The patients were randomized into two groups. Group A (n=72) received recommended diet and 2 g n-3 PUFA from seal oils, three times a day. Group B (n=72) received recommended diet and 2 g placebo, three times a day. Primary endpoints were fatty liver assessed by symptom scores, liver alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and serum lipid levels after 8, 12, 16, and 24 wk. Hepatic fat infiltration was detected by ultrasonography at weeks 12 and 24 after treatment. RESULTS: A total of 134 patients (66 in group A, 68 in group B) were included in the study except for 10 patients who were excluded from the study. After 24 wk of treatment, no change was observed in body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG), renal function and blood cells of these patients. Total symptom scores, ALT and triglyceride (TG) levels decreased more significantly in group A than in group B (P<0.05). As expected, there was a tendency toward improvement in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), and total cholesterol (TCHO) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (P<0.05) after administration in the two groups. However, no significant differences were found between the two groups. The values of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were significantly improved in group A (P<0.05), but no significant change was found in group B at different time points and after a 24-wk treatment. After treatment, complete fatty liver regression was observed in 19.70% (13/66) of the patients, and an overall reduction was found in 53.03% (35/66) of the patients in group A. In contrast, in group B, only five patients (7.35%, 5/68) achieved complete fatty liver regression (P=0.04), whereas 24 patients (35.29%, 24/68) had a certain improvement in fatty liver (P=0.04). No serious adverse events occurred in all the patients who completed the treatment. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that n-3 PUFA from seal oils is safe and efficacious for patients with NAFLD associated with hyperlipidemia and can improve their total symptom scores, ALT, serum lipid levels and normalization of ultrasonographic evidence. Further study is needed to confirm these results.