Separation and Purification of Two Saponins from Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis by a Macroporous Resin.

An effective method for separating and purifying critical saponins (polyphyllin II and polyphyllin VII) from a Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis extract was developed in this study which was environmentally friendly and economical. Static adsorption kinetics, thermodynamics, and the dynamic adsorption-desorption of macroporous resins were investigated, and then the conditions of purification and separation were optimized by fitting with an adsorption thermodynamics equation and a kinetic equation. Effective NKA-9 resin from seven macroporous resins was screened out to separate and purify the two saponins. The static adsorption and dynamic adsorption were chemical and physical adsorption dual-processes on the NKA-9 resin. Under the optimum parameters, the contents of polyphyllin II and polyphyllin VII in the product were 17.3-fold and 28.6-fold those in plant extracts, respectively. The total yields of the two saponins were 93.16%. This research thus provides a theoretical foundation for the large-scale industrial production of the natural drugs polyphyllin II and polyphyllin VII.

Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae exhibiting clinically undetected amikacin and meropenem heteroresistance leads to treatment failure in a murine model of infection.

Heteroresistance is a poorly understood mechanism of resistance which refers to a phenomenon where there are different subpopulations of seemingly isogenic bacteria which exhibit a range of susceptibilities to a particular antibiotic. In the current study, we identified a multidrug-resistant, carbapenemase-positive K. pneumoniae strain SWMUF35 which was classified as susceptible to amikacin and resistant to meropenem by clinical diagnostics yet harbored different subpopulations of phenotypically resistant cells, and has the ability to form biofilm. Population analysis profile (PAP) indicated that SWMUF35 showed heteroresistance towards amikacin and meropenem which was considered as co-heteroresistant K. pneumoniae strain. In vitro experiments such as dual PAP, dual Times-killing assays and checkerboard assay showed that antibiotic combination therapy (amikacin combined with meropenem) can effectively combat SWMUF35. Importantly, using an in vivo mouse model of peritonitis, we found that amikacin or meropenem monotherapy was unable to rescue mice infected with SWMUF35. Antibiotic combination therapy could be a rational strategy to use clinically approved antibiotics when monotherapy would fail. Furthermore, our data warn that antibiotic susceptibility testing results may be unreliable due to undetected heteroresistance which can lead to treatment failure and the detection of this phenotype is a prerequisite for a proper choice of antibiotic to support a successful treatment outcome.

The work behaviors of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) during the autumn pollen season.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to analyze the work behaviors of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) during the autumn pollen season, using a 2-week diary survey. METHODS: In this study, we recruited patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) who were allergic to autumn pollen using an experience sampling method. All participants completed a 2-week survey using the WeChat app during the autumn pollen season (September 16, 2018 through to September 30, 2018). Collected data included participants' general characteristics, nasal symptoms, symptoms of insomnia, mood, and unethical work behaviors. RESULTS: The results showed that pollen concentration had a significant positive effect on the symptoms of rhinitis (P<0.001). Nasal symptoms had direct, positive effects on night-time insomnia (P<0.01) and a negative mood the next day (P<0.05). Insomnia positively affected a negative mood the next day (P<0.01), while negative mood exhibited a direct, positive effect on unethical work behaviors (P<0.05). Furthermore, pollen concentration, nasal symptoms, and insomnia were indirectly but positively associated with unethical work behaviors in patients with SAR. CONCLUSIONS: Nasal symptoms in patients with SAR were aggravated by pollen dispersion that induced a higher incidence of insomnia, which subsequently provoked a negative mood the next day. Therefore, the spillover effects of seasonal pollen included an increased incidence of unethical work behaviors.

Characterization of a group of peptides for potential applications in hydrogen phosphate and heavy metals accumulation.

Phosphorus and heavy metals are discarded to the domestic sewage in our daily life, it is necessary to find easy methods for phosphorus and heavy metals accumulation. Here, a group of short peptides (ChBpHs) were found to react with hydrogen phosphate forming insoluble substances. ChBpHs are composed by a choline binding peptides (ChBp) and a C-terminal histidine rich tail. The reaction region to hydrogen phosphate was determined at 1-18th amino acid in ChBp. The affinities of ChBpHs are different, with minimum react concentrations of Na2HPO4 ranging from 2 to 12 mM. In addition, the C-terminal histidine tail enables ChBpHs with affinities to metal ions in vitro. Prokaryotic expression of ChBpH1 in Escherichia coli resulted in the reduction of soluble hydrogen phosphate in the culture medium. The accumulation of phosphate is time and concentration dependent, maximum reduction was detected at 24 h post induction (23% in phosphate rich medium and 14% in normal medium). The reduction of nickel ions (about 20%) was only detected after cells were broken. In conclusion, this preliminary investigation of ChBpHs indicates the potential applications for bioconcentration of soluble phosphate in the future.

Effect of Resveratrol Dry Suspension on Immune Function of Piglets.

Resveratrol, a polyphenolic plant antitoxin, has a wide range of pharmacological activities. In this study, we systematically evaluated the effects of resveratrol dry suspension (RDS) on immune function in piglets that were treated with different doses of RDS for 2 weeks. The results showed that the RDS has significant effects on the development, maturation, proliferation, and transformation of T lymphocytes. RDS could regulate humoral immune responses by upregulating the release of IFN-γ and downregulating the release of TNF-α. After piglets were vaccinated against classical swine fever virus and foot-and-mouth disease virus, the antibody titers were significantly increased. RDS treatment showed an excellent resistance to enhance T-SOD activity. Values of blood routine and blood biochemistry showed no toxicity. These results suggested that RDS could be considered as an adjuvant to enhance immune responses to vaccines, as well as dietary additives for animals to enhance humoral and cellular immunity.

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Resveratrol through Classic Models in Mice and Rats.

Background. Inflammation and pain are closely related to humans' and animals' health. Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural compound with various biological activities. The current study is aimed to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of RSV in vivo. Materials and Methods. The analgesic effects were assessed by the acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate tests. The anti-inflammatory effects were determined using the xylene-induced mouse ear oedema, the acetic acid-induced rat pleurisy, and carrageenan-induced rat synovitis tests, respectively. Results. The analgesic results showed that RSV could significantly inhibit the number of writhes and improve the time and pain threshold of mice standing on hot plate. The anti-inflammatory results showed that RSV could inhibit the ear oedema of mice. In acetic acid-induced pleurisy test, RSV could significantly inhibit the WBC and pleurisy exudates, could decrease the production of NO, and elevate the activity of SOD in serum. In carrageenan-induced synovitis test, RSV could reduce the content of MDA and elevate the T-SOD activity in serum; RSV could inhibit the expressions of TP, PGE2, NO, and MDA. Conclusion. Shortly, these results indicated that RSV had potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities and could be a potential new drug candidate for the treatment of inflammation and pain.

Therapeutic effect of Chinese patent medicine "Wuhuanghu" on porcine infectious pleuropneumonia and its acute and subchronic toxicity as well as evaluation of safety pharmacology.

Chinese patent medicines play an important role in veterinary clinical use. The aim of this study is to research the anti-infection effect of Chinese patent medicine "Wuhuanghu" for the treatment of porcine infectious pleuropneumonia and to evaluate the safety of "Wuhuanghu" in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of its toxicity. The anti-infection results showed that the treatment with "Wuhuanghu" could significantly inhibit pneumonia and decrement of the pneumonia in high, medium and low doses of "Wuhuanghu" groups were 70.97%, 61.29% and 58.06% respectively. The acute toxicity test showed that rats in the highest group (5000mg/kg) had no death and no abnormal response, suggesting the LD50 of "Wuhuanghu" was more than 5000mg/kg. The subchronic toxicity study showed that hematology indexes in all groups had no obvious differences; blood biochemical index, only albumin and total cholesterol in middle and low doses of "Wuhuanghu" groups were significantly decreased when compared with control group. The clinical pathology showed that the target organ of "Wuhuanghu" was liver. The safety pharmacology study indicated that "Wuhuanghu" had no side effects on rats. In conclusion, "Wuhuanghu" has therapeutic and protective effects to porcine infectious pleuropneumonia in a dose-dependent manner and "Wuhuanghu" is a safe veterinary medicine.

[Determination of 22 Elements in Herb Tea by X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry].

N, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr, Ba and Pb in herb tea were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry with pressed powder pellets. The measuring conditions of target elements were investigated, including how to select its analytical line. In addition to Ba and Pb using L line, Kalpha line was selected for the rest. When the Compton scattered radiation of Rh Kalpha was measured, The X-ray tube voltage should be appropriately reduced, and the appropriate tube current should be selected. The matrix effect was corrected by empirical coefficient method and using scattered radiation (the Rayleigh scattered radiation of Rh Lalpha, the scattered background of 0.1876 nm wavelength position and the Compton scattered radiation of Rh Kalpha) as internal standard, and the spectral overlapping interference of some elements (N, Na, Ca, Ti, Mn, Sr and Ba) was corrected. For the target elements, the detection limit of this method was low, and its accuracy and precision were high. The results showed that there were abandon of elements in herb tea, of which different kinds had different components, even the same kind of herb tea with different source had some difference in element and content more or less, however, there was a lot of similarity between the features of its components. In a word, this method could achieve multi-element determination of herb tea, and it was simple in operation, low cost, rapid, and accurate.