Advances in sustainable food packaging applications of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol blend films.

Researchers are addressing environmental concerns related to petroleum-based plastic packaging by exploring biopolymers from natural sources, chemical synthesis, and microbial fermentation. Despite the potential of individual biopolymers, they often exhibit limitations like low water resistance and poor mechanical properties. Blending polymers emerges as a promising strategy to overcome these challenges, creating films with enhanced performance. This review focuses on recent advancements in chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blend food packaging films. It covers molecular structure, properties, strategies for performance improvement, and applications in food preservation. The blend's excellent compatibility and intermolecular interactions make it a promising candidate for biodegradable films. Future research should explore large-scale thermoplastic technologies and investigate the incorporation of additives like natural extracts and nanoparticles to enhance film properties. Chitosan/PVA blend films offer a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastic packaging, with potential applications in practical food preservation.

Improved sustained-release properties of ginger essential oil in a Pickering emulsion system incorporated in sodium alginate film and delayed postharvest senescence of mango fruits.

The insufficient water vapor barrier and mechanical capacity of sodium alginate (SA) film limited its application in fruit preservation. Herein, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were used to stabilize Pickering emulsion. Then, we prepared SA composite films. Ginger essential oil (GEO) was loaded as antimicrobials and antioxidants. Finally, the application on mangos were investigated. Compared to coarse emulsion, Pickering emulsion and its film-formation-solution showed more stable system and larger droplet size. The emulsion significantly changed the properties of SA film. Specifically, CNCs improved the thermal, tensile, and barrier properties of the film and GEO enhanced the ultraviolet-visible light barrier capacity. Additionally, the SA/CNC film possessed a homogeneous micromorphology which had a sustained-release effect on GEO, thus maintaining high postharvest quality and long-term bioavailability for mangos. In conclusion, the film prepared via Pickering emulsion showed satisfactory properties which had great potential in fruit preservation.

Efficacy and safety of Tuina and intermediate frequency electrotherapy for frozen shoulder: MRI-based observation evidence.

BACKGROUND: Tuina and Intermediate Frequency (IF) electrotherapy are commonly used treatments for frozen shoulder (FS). This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of Tuina and IF electrotherapy in the treatment of stage II frozen shoulder and to provide evidence-based treatment for FS. METHODS: The FS patients were randomized into two groups, the observation group, which received Tuina, and the control group, which received IF electrotherapy. The total treatment duration was 20 minutes per treatment, 3 times per week; the treatment period was 6 weeks. Assessments were performed at baseline, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 16 weeks after follow-up. Primary assessments included visual analog scale (VAS), Constant-Murley scale (CMS), and secondary assessments included shoulder MRI, rotator cuff muscle diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). RESULTS: A total of 57 patients participated in this study, in the observation group (n = 29) and the control group (n = 28). At the end of the 3rd and 6th weeks of treatment, Tuina was significantly more effective than IF electrotherapy in reducing the VAS score and improving the Constant-Murley total score (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in scores between the two groups at the 16-week follow-up (P>0.05). MRI results in both groups: compared to the control group, the observation group had better results in reducing the degree of periapical edema and reducing the thickness of the axillary humeral capsule (P<0.05); and the observation group had significantly more efficacy than the control group in improving the diffusion state of water molecules in the rotator cuff muscles (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Tuina is more effective than IF electrotherapy in improving the symptoms of FS patients as it can rapidly relieve the pain and restore the function of the affected shoulder, reduce the edema of the shoulder capsule, restore the function of the rotator cuff muscles, and shorten the natural course of FS. Name of the registry: This study was registered in the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital; Grant No. (2021) Lun Audit No. (033) - KY; Date of registration: 2021.4.27.

The combination treatment of chlorogenic acid and sodium alginate coating could accelerate the wound healing of pear fruit by promoting the metabolic pathway of phenylpropane.

Water loss and microbial infection induced by mechanical injury are the main sources of harvested loss of fruits and vegetables. Plenty studies have shown that regulating phenylpropane-related metabolic pathways can effectively accelerate wound healing. The combination treatment of chlorogenic acid and sodium alginate coating on postharvest wound healing of pear fruit were investigated in this work. The result shows combination treatment reduced weight loss and disease index of the pears, enhanced texture of healing tissues, maintained the integrity of cell membrane system. Moreover, chlorogenic acid increased the content of total phenols and flavonoids, and ultimately leads to the accumulation of suberin poly phenolic (SPP) and lignin around wound cell wall. Activities of phenylalanine metabolism-related enzymes (PAL, C4H, 4CL, CAD, POD and PPO) in wound-healing tissue were enhanced. The contents of major substrates such as trans-cinnamic, p-coumaric, caffeic, and ferulic acids also increased. The presented results suggested that the combination treatment of chlorogenic acid and sodium alginate coating stimulated wound healing in pears by elevating the phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway, so that maintain high postharvest fruit quality.

Grapefruit Seed Extract-Added Functional Films and Coating for Active Packaging Applications: A Review.

Recently, consumers have been increasingly inclined towards natural antimicrobials and antioxidants in food processing and packaging. Several bioactive compounds have originated from natural sources, and among them, grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is widely accepted and generally safe to use in food. GSE is a very commonly used antimicrobial in food; lately, it has also been found very effective as a coating material or in edible packaging films. A lot of recent work reports the use of GSE in food packaging applications to ensure food quality and safety; therefore, this work intended to provide an up-to-date review of GSE-based packaging. This review discusses GSE, its extraction methods, and their use in manufacturing food packaging film/coatings. Various physical and functional properties of GSE-added film were also discussed. This review also provides the food preservation application of GSE-incorporated film and coating. Lastly, the opportunities, challenges, and perspectives in the GSE-added packaging film/coating are also debated.

Development and characterization of a novel active and intelligent film based on pectin and betacyanins from peel waste of pitaya (Hylocereus undatus).

In the present study, peel waste of pitaya (Hylocereus spp.) was used to develop a novel active and functional film. The film was developed with a combination of the white-fleshed pitaya peel pectin (WPPP) as a biopolymer and white-fleshed pitaya peel betacyanins (WPPB) as an active constituent, respectively. Furthermore, montmorillonite (MMT), a cheap and environmental-friendly silicate material, was introduced into film matrix as a filler to reduce the moisture sensitivity of the film. The effect of the incorporation of WPPB on the properties of WPPP/MMT films was investigated. The colorimetric response of WPPP/MMT/WPPB to pH and ammonia was examined, respectively. Moreover, WPPP/MMT/WPPB-2 was employed to monitor the freshness of shrimp. The color of the film changed from redness to reddish-brown, and further to brownness, echoing the shrimp turned from fresh to spoiled. Therefore, WPPP/MMT/WPPB-2 composite films showed promise for the applications in monitoring the freshness of shrimp.

Atractylenolide I ameliorates cancer cachexia through inhibiting biogenesis of IL-6 and tumour-derived extracellular vesicles.

BACKGROUND: Atractylenolide I (AI) is a natural sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, known as Baizhu in traditional Chinese medicine. AI has been found to ameliorate cancer cachexia in clinic cancer patients and in tumour-bearing mice. Here, we checked the influence of AI on biogenesis of IL-6 and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cancer cachexia mice and then focused on studying mechanisms of AI in inhibiting the production of tumour-derived EVs, which contribute to the ameliorating effects of AI on cancer cachexia. METHODS: C26 tumour-bearing BALB/c mice were applied as animal model to examine the effects of AI (25 mg/kg) in attenuating cachexia symptoms, serum IL-6 and EVs levels. IL-6 and EVs secretion of C26 tumour cells treated with AI (0.31-5 µM) was further observed in vitro. The in vitro cultured C2C12 myotubes and 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes were used to check the potency of conditioned medium of C26 cells treated with AI (0.625-5 µM) in inducing muscle atrophy and lipolysis. The glycolysis potency of C26 cells under AI (0.31-5 µM) treatment was evaluated by measuring the extracellular acidification rate using Seahorse XFe96 Analyser. Levels of related signal proteins in both in vitro and in vivo experiments were examined using western blotting to study the possible mechanisms. STAT3 overexpression or knockout C26 cells were also used to confirm the effects of AI (5 µM). RESULTS: AI ameliorated cancer cachexia symptoms (P < 0.05), improved grip strength (P < 0.05) and decreased serum EVs (P < 0.05) and IL-6 (P < 0.05) levels of C26 tumour-bearing mice. AI directly inhibited EVs biogenesis (P < 0.001) and IL-6 secretion (P < 0.01) of cultured C26 cells. The potency of C26 medium in inducing C2C12 myotube atrophy (+59.54%, P < 0.001) and 3T3-L1 adipocyte lipolysis (+20.73%, P < 0.05) was significantly attenuated when C26 cells were treated with AI. AI treatment inhibited aerobic glycolysis and the pathway of STAT3/PKM2/SNAP23 in C26 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of STAT3 partly antagonized the effects of AI in suppressing STAT3/PKM2/SNAP23 pathway, EVs secretion, glycolysis and the potency of C26 medium in inducing muscle atrophy and lipolysis, whereas knockout of STAT3 enhanced the inhibitory effect of AI on these values. The inhibition of AI on STAT3/PKM2/SNAP23 pathway was also observed in C26 tumour tissues. CONCLUSIONS: AI ameliorates cancer cachexia by decreasing the production of IL-6 and EVs of tumour cells. The decreasing effects of AI on EVs biogenesis are based on its inhibition on STAT3/PKM2/SNAP23 pathway.

Identification of Prognostic Markers for Head and NeckSquamous Cell Carcinoma Based on Glycolysis-Related Genes.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) comprise a heterogeneous group of tumors. Many patients respond differently to treatment and prognosis due to molecular heterogeneity. There is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers to predict the prognosis of patients with HNSCC. Glycolysis has an important influence on the progress of HNSCC. Therefore, we investigated the prognostic significance of glycolysis-related genes in HNSCC. Our results showed that ELF3, AURKA, and ADH7 of 20 glycolysis-related DEGs were significantly related to survival and were used to construct the risk signature. The risk score showed high accuracy in distinguishing the overall survival (OS) of HNSCC. The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that the risk score was associated with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with female sex, male sex, grade 3, T1/2 stage, N+ stage, N2 stage, M0 stage, and clinical stage III/IV. Independent prognostic analysis showed that clinical stage and risk score were strongly associated with OS. Moreover, the risk score had higher accuracy in predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival. AURKA and ADH7 were only significantly related to M1 macrophages and neutrophils, respectively, while ELF3 was significantly correlated with M2 macrophages and monocytes (all p < 0.05).The ceRNA network demonstrated that miR-335-5p and miR-9-5p may play core roles in the regulation of these three genes in HNSCC. The risk score constructed based on three glycolysis-related genes showed high accuracy in predicting the prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics of HNSCC.

Yunnan Baiyao Ameliorates Rheumatoid Arthritis in Rats by Shifting the Th17/Treg Cell Balance and Preventing Osteoclast Differentiation.

Yunnan Baiyao (YNB) is a traditional Chinese medicine that possesses anti-inflammatory effects. Previously, we have demonstrated the effects of YNB in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) animal models; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of YNB on the T-helper (Th)17/T-regulatory (Treg) cell balance in a collagen-induced arthritis rat model orally administrated YNB or methotrexate, a widely used therapeutic agent for treating RA. Our results showed that YNB treatment significantly decreased the voix pedis thickness and joint functionality scores and alleviated joint histopathology in these rats. These YNB-induced effects were achieved by decreasing the number of Th17 cells and increasing that of Treg cells in the spleen. Moreover, the interleukin- (IL-) 17 level considerably decreased in the serum of YNB-treated rats, whereas the IL-10 level significantly increased. Furthermore, YNB could inhibit RANKL-induced osteoclast formation by regulating the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6/NF-κB/nuclear factor of the activated T-cell pathway. In summary, our study shows that YNB exhibits antiarthritic activity by decreasing the ratio of Th17/Treg cells, regulating the cytokine balance, and inhibiting osteoclast activation, providing an experimental basis that supports the use of this traditional Chinese medicine for the clinical treatment of RA.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Electroacupuncture Stimulating Uterine Acupoints.

OBJECTIVE: Based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), to observe the changes of brain function of bilateral uterine points stimulated by electroacupuncture, so as to provide imaging basis for acupuncture in the treatment of gynecological and reproductive diseases. METHODS: 20 healthy female subjects were selected to stimulate bilateral uterine points (EX-CA1) by electroacupuncture. FMRI data before and after acupuncture were collected. The ReHo values before and after acupuncture were compared by using the analysis method of regional homogeneity (ReHo) of the whole brain, so as to explore the regulatory effect of acupuncture intervention on brain functional activities of healthy subjects. RESULTS: Compared with before acupuncture, the ReHo values of the left precuneus lobe, left central posterior gyrus, calcarine, left lingual gyrus, and cerebellum decreased significantly after acupuncture. CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture at bilateral uterine points can induce functional activities in brain areas such as the precuneus, cerebellum, posterior central gyrus, talform sulcus, and lingual gyrus. The neural activities in these brain areas may be related to reproductive hormone level, emotional changes, somatic sensation, and visual information. It can clarify the neural mechanism of acupuncture at uterine points in the treatment of reproductive and gynecological diseases to a certain extent.

Alantolactone ameliorates cancer cachexia-associated muscle atrophy mainly by inhibiting the STAT3 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Cancer cachexia is a serious metabolic disorder syndrome that is responsible for the deaths of approximately 30% of patients with cancer, but effective drugs for cancer cachexia are still lacking. Inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α or IL-6 are involved in the induction of skeletal muscle atrophy and fat depletion in patients with cancer cachexia. PURPOSE: In this study, we assessed the therapeutic effects of the natural compound alantolactone (AL) on cancer cachexia and tried to clarify the mechanisms by which it ameliorates muscle atrophy. METHODS: The C26 tumor-bearing cancer cachexia mouse model was used to evaluate the efficacy of AL in alleviating cancer cachexia in vivo. The levels of IL-6 or TNF-α in mouse serum were detected using ELISA kits. Cultured C2C12 myotubes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with conditioned medium of C26 tumor cells, IL-6 or TNF-α were employed as in vitro cancer cachexia models to examine the effects of AL in vitro. RESULTS: AL (5 or 10 mg/kg, qd, i.p.) protected mice with C26 tumors and cachexia from a loss of body weight and muscle wasting but only slightly ameliorated fat loss. The circulating level of IL-6 but not TNF-α was significantly decreased by AL. AL treatment significantly inhibited STAT3 activation in the gastrocnemius (GAS) muscle of cancer cachexia mice. AL (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 µM) dose-dependently ameliorated myotube atrophy and STAT3 activation in cultured C2C12 myotubes induced by conditioned medium from C26 tumor cells. AL also ameliorated C2C12 myotube atrophy induced by IL-6 and inhibited IL-6-mediated STAT3 activation. AL exhibited weak effects on ameliorating TNF-α-mediated myotube atrophy and NF-κB activation. Only AL at high doses of more than 5 µM ameliorated lipolysis and STAT3 activation induced in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes by conditioned medium from C26 tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS: AL significantly ameliorated muscle atrophy in a cancer cachexia model mainly through the inhibition of the STAT3 pathway. AL might be a promising lead compound in the development of drug candidates for cancer cachexia therapy.

Clinical Acupoint Selection for the Treatment of Functional Constipation by Massage and Acupuncture Based on Smart Medical Big Data Analysis.

With the development of society and economy, people's lifestyle and eating habits have undergone great changes, such as spending a long time behind desks, sitting for a long time, drinking and staying up late, and emotional depression; functional constipation, a disease of the digestive system, has changed. It is extremely common, and the age of onset is gradually decreasing. The development of the medical and health industry is also accompanied by the rapid development of technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence, which penetrates into all aspects of the medical and health field and has entered the stage of smart medical care. This article proposes a study on the clinical acupoint selection rules of massage and acupuncture treatment of functional constipation based on smart medical big data analysis. This article adopts a variety of methods such as literature data method and experimental research method to carry out related theoretical research and promotion of massage and acupuncture treatment under the background of smart medical big data and design a clinical experiment of massage and acupuncture treatment based on big data analysis for functional constipation. The advantages of big data algorithms, the law of selecting acupoints in massage and acupuncture treatment, and the comparison of CCS symptom score and PAC-QOL score are analyzed. From the frequency of acupuncture treatment of functional constipation, the top 5 acupoints are Tianshu, Shangjuxu, Dachangshu, Zusanli, and Zhigou. In this paper, the total effective rate of treatment in the experimental group reached 96.56%, while the total effective rate of treatment in the control group was only 75.02%. Tuina and acupuncture treatment of functional constipation has a good therapeutic effect and is worthy of extensive clinical application.

Role of trace elements in anaerobic digestion of food waste: Process stability, recovery from volatile fatty acid inhibition and microbial community dynamics.

Role of trace elements (TEs) in long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste (FW) under fixed and stepwise increasing loads and under early and medium volatile fatty acid (VFA) inhibition was investigated. Digesters under high load suffered VFA inhibition. Mismatch between scarce TEs in FW and essential TEs for sustainable methanogenesis suppressed Methanosaeta causing blocked aceticlastic methanogenesis and shift to CO2 reduction pathway, as indicated by decreased Methanosaeta from above 70.0% to below 42.0% and enriched hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanospirillum, Methanoculleus, Methanobacterium) from below 15.0% to above 53.6%. Dual stresses of VFA inhibition and TEs deficiency resulted in recession of syntrophic Bacteria Syntrophomonadaceae. Conversely, digesters with TEs supplementation maintained high activity of Syntrophomonadaceae and ensured predominant aceticlastic methanogenesis and powerful methanogenic community functions. Early and medium VFA inhibition were reversed by TEs supplementation or coupling with pH adjustment by stimulating VFAs degradation via syntrophic metabolism and unclogging acetate conversion via aceticlastic methanogenesis.

Multiple 1-MCP treatment more effectively alleviated postharvest nectarine chilling injury than conventional one-time 1-MCP treatment by regulating ROS and energy metabolism.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of different 1-MCP treatment patterns on alleviating chilling injury (CI) of postharvest nectarine stored at 0 ± 1 °C. Nectarine fruits were subjected to the following treatments: Single-High dose 1-MCP treatment (S-H): 1 µL L-1 application before storage; Multi-low dose 1-MCP treatment: (M-L) Five 0.25 µL L-1 applications after 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 d of storage; Multi-high dose 1-MCP treatment (M-H): Five 1 µL L-1 applications after 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 d of storage. The results showed that although all 1-MCP treatments alleviated CI, M-H 1-MCP treatment is the most effective pattern in alleviating CI of nectarine fruit in S-H, M-L, and M-H 1-MCP treatments. Moreover, this study indicated that the reduction of CI in nectarine by 1-MCP application was related to its regulations of ROS and energy metabolism.

Establishment of a mouse model of cancer cachexia with spleen deficiency syndrome and the effects of atractylenolide I.

Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial metabolic syndrome that affects ∼50%-80% of cancer patients, and no effective therapy for cancer cachexia is presently available. In traditional Chinese medicine, a large portion of patients with cancer cachexia was diagnosed as spleen deficiency syndrome and treated with tonifying TCMs that produce clinic benefits. In this study we established a new animal model of spleen deficiency and cancer cachexia in mice and evaluated the therapeutic effects of atractylenolide I, an active component of tonifying TCM BaiZhu, in the mouse model. Cancer cachexia was induced in male BALB/c mice by inoculation of mouse C26 colon adenocarcinoma cells, whereas spleen deficiency syndrome was induced by treating the mice with spleen deficiency-inducing factors, including limited feeding, fatigue, and purging. The mouse model was characterized by both cachexia and spleen deficiency characteristics, including significant body weight loss, cancer growth, muscle atrophy, fat lipolysis, spleen, and thymus atrophy as compared with healthy control mice, cancer cachexia mice, and spleen deficiency mice. Oral administration of atractylenolide I (20 mg· kg-1per day, for 30 days) significantly ameliorated the reduction in body weight and atrophy of muscle, fat, spleen, and thymus in mice with spleen deficiency and cachexia. The established model of spleen deficiency and cancer cachexia might be useful in the future for screening possible anticachexia TCMs and clarifying their mechanisms.

Antioxidant and antibacterial chitosan film with tea polyphenols-mediated green synthesis silver nanoparticle via a novel one-pot method.

In the present study, the antioxidant and antibacterial chitosan/tea polyphenols-silver nanoparticles composite film (CS/TP-AgNPs) was developed via a novel one-pot method. The TP was added to the CS film not only as the reducing agent of AgNPs but also as the cross-linking agent and antioxidant. The AgNPs and nanocomposite films developed were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Besides, the physical, mechanical, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the nanocomposite films were also analyzed. As the content of TP-AgNPs incorporation increased, the color of CS/TP-AgNPs nanocomposite film gradually shifted to brown, accompanied by an increase in opacity and thickness. The decrease in moisture contents and water vapor permeability of CS/TP-AgNPs nanocomposite film indicated that the TP-AgNPs varied the original bond between the CS-CS and CS-water. The denser cross-section of CS/TP-AgNPs nanocomposite film confirmed the enhanced mechanical properties. It is worth noting that CS/TP-AgNPs nanocomposite film exhibited more excellent antioxidant and antibacterial activity than CS film. This study developed the multi-functionality chitosan film by the simultaneous incorporation of AgNPs and TP and revealed the multiple effects of TP acting as reducing agent for AgNPs, cross-linking agent and antioxidant on chitosan film.

Development of antioxidant chitosan film with banana peels extract and its application as coating in maintaining the storage quality of apple.

In the present study, the antioxidant chitosan (CS)-banana peels extract (BPE) composite film was developed. The different content of BPE (4%, 8% and 12%) was added to the CS film not only as the antioxidant but also as the cross-linking. The CS, CS-4% BPE, CS-8% BPE and CS-12% BPE films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The physical and mechanical properties possessed by the CS and CS-BPE films were compared as well, and the CS-4 %BPE composite film exhibited the most excellent properties. The decline in moisture contents, water solubility and water vapor permeability of CS-BPE composite film indicated the reduced hydrophilicity. Moreover, the CS-BPE composite film exhibited excellent antioxidant activity in different food simulants. Finally, the optimal concentration of CS-BPE coating treatment was identified and applied to apple fruit, and the results showed that CS-BPE coating was more capable of improving the postharvest quality of apple fruit than CS coating. This study evidences the promising nature of CS-BPE composite film and coating as a desirable alternative for active packaging and it is believed as conducive to valorization of banana peel by-products for allied applications.

Mechanism of process imbalance of long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste and role of trace elements in maintaining anaerobic process stability.

This study investigated mechanism of process imbalance of long-term anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste (FW) and role of trace elements (TEs) in maintaining process stability. AD of FW was strongly inhibited by volatile fatty acids (VFA, mainly propionate). The deficiency of essential TEs in FW was the fundamental reason. TEs contents in digester gradually decreased with regular substrate feeding and digestate discharge, which greatly limited growth and metabolism of hydrogenotrophic methanogens and Methanosarcina. Finally, Methanosaeta replaced Methanosarcina and became dominant methanogen and hydrogenotrophic methanogens almost disappeared accompanied by declining methanogenic community diversity, which greatly suppressed ecological functions of methanogens and led to propionate inhibition. TEs supplementation eliminated all factors causing process imbalance and significantly enhanced process stability by maintaining strong ecological functions of methanogens via stimulating dominant growth of Methanosarcina (relative abundance between 67.2% and 87.5%), sustaining stable relative abundances of hydrogenotrophic methanogens (about 10%) and enhancing methanogenic community diversity.

Real-time recovery strategies for volatile fatty acid-inhibited anaerobic digestion of food waste for methane production.

This study investigated effects of real-time recovery strategies on VFA (volatile fatty acid)-inhibited anaerobic system of FW (food waste) and identified key driver of process recovery. The long-term anaerobic system of FW encountered serious VFA (mainly propionate) inhibition. The pH adjustment (PA) strategy could not reverse process imbalance but only delayed the process failure. The short-term effect of reinoculation (RI) strategy was greatly effective, but its long-term effect was non-sustainable. Trace elements were key drivers of process recovery owing to their indispensable roles in activating methanogenesis and therefore stimulating propionate conversion. From the viewpoint of economic feasibility, the single strategy of trace elements supplementation (TE) and the combinational strategy of PA + TE were respectively recommended in the initial and medium VFA-inhibition stages. The three-in-one strategy of PA + TE + RI was always effective but was costly. This study provided practical guidance on real-time recovery of VFA-inhibited anaerobic system of FW.

The anti-inflammatory effects of Yunnan Baiyao are involved in regulation of the phospholipase A2/arachidonic acid metabolites pathways in acute inflammation rat model.

The traditional Chinese medicine Yunnan Baiyao (YNB) has been reported to possess anti­inflammatory properties, however its mechanism of action remains unclear. It was previously reported that YNB ameliorated depression of arachidonic acid (AA) levels in a rat model of collagen-induced arthritis. In the current study, the capacity of YNB to ameliorate inflammation was compared in carrageenan­induced and AA­induced acute inflammation of the rat paw with celecoxib and mizolastine, respectively (n=24 per group). The capacity of YNB to affect the phospholipase A2 (PLA2)/AA pathway (using reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction) and release of inflammatory lipid mediators (by ELISA) were investigated. Celecoxib ameliorated carrageenan­induced paw edema, and mizolastine ameliorated AA­induced rat paw edema. YNB alleviated paw edema and inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration in the two models. YNB inhibited production of 5­LOX AA metabolite leukotriene B4 (LTB4), and suppressed expression of 5­LOX, cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2), 5­LOX­activating protein, and LTB4 receptor mRNA in the AA­induced inflammation model (P<0.05). YNB Inhibited the production of the COX­2 AA metabolite prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and suppressed expression of COX­2, cPLA2, PGE2 mRNA in the carrageenan­induced inflammation mode (P<0.05). Taken together, the data suggest that modulation of COX and LOX pathways in AA metabolism represent a novel anti-inflammatory mechanism of YNB.