Antimicrobial efficacy of aloe-emodin mediated photodynamic therapy against antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro.

Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common pathogen that causes topical infections following burn injuries. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has emerged as a promising approach for treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. The objective of this study was to evaluate the aPDT efficacy of aloe-emodin (AE), which is a photosensitizer extracted from traditional Chinese herbs, on antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa in vitro. In this study, we confirmed the effectiveness of AE-mediated aPDT against both standard and MDR P. aeruginosa, explored the effects of irradiation time and AE concentration on bacterial survival in AE-mediated aPDT, and observed the structural damage of P. aeruginosa by using transmission electron microscope. Our results showed that neither AE nor light irradiation alone caused cytotoxic effects on P. aeruginosa. However, AE-mediated aPDT effectively inactivated both antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa. The transmission electron microscope investigation showed that aPDT mediated by AE primarily caused damage to the cytoplasm and cell membrane. Our findings suggest that AE is a photosensitizer in the aPDT of MDR P. aeruginosa-caused topical infections following burn injuries. Future investigations will concentrate on the safety and efficacy of AE-mediated aPDT in animal models and clinical trials.

Construction and application of a QSRR approach for identifying flavonoids.

A quantitative structure retention relationship (QSRR) method was developed to identify flavonoid isomers auxiliary using an ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method based on the linear relationships between the Ln(k') values of flavonoids and their hydrogen bonding energy (XAH) and dissolution energy (ES). Chromatographic separation was achieved with a Hypersil GOLD C18 (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.9 µm) column and Agilent SB-C18 (2.1 ×50 mm, 1.8 µm) column on a Dionex Ultimate 3000 RSLC chromatograph. Compounds were eluted isocratically using a mobile phase containing 0.1% formic acid/water solution and methanol at a ratio of 55:45 (v/v). Mass spectrometry was performed in the negative and positive ionization modes on a Thermo Fisher Q Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization interface. The established QSRR model was Ln(k') = 5.6163 + 0.0469ES - 0.0984XAH, with a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.9981, adjusted determination coefficient (adjR2) of 0.9976, and corrected root mean square error of 0.0682. The determination coefficient of the leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation (Q2LOO) was 0.9976, and the cross-verification root mean square error was 0.0754. Simulated samples containing 7 flavonoids were used to validate the feasibility of the method. The classical method (UHPLC-MS/MS combined the CD software and the mzCloud, mzVault and Chemspider databases) was used to identify the seven flavonoids in the simulated samples. This classic identification strategy cannot provide accurate identification results, which provided multiple identification results for each compound in the simulated samples. On the basis of the results, the 7 flavonoids were accurately identified by the established QSRR model, and the reference standards were used to validate it. The relative error of retention time(RE(tR)) between the model calculation and experimental results was less than 10%. This method effectively complements and improves the classical methods, that UHPLC-MS/MS combined the CD software and the mass spectra databases were used to identify flavonoids identification.

Phosphate Recovery from Aqueous Solutions via Vivianite Crystallization: Interference of FeII Oxidation at Different DO Concentrations and pHs.

Vivianite (Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O) crystallization has attracted increasing attention as a promising approach for removing and recovering P from wastewaters. However, FeII is susceptible to oxygen with its oxidation inevitably influencing the crystallization of vivianite. In this study, the profile of vivianite crystallization in the presence of dissolved oxygen (DO) was investigated at pHs 5-7 in a continuous stirred-tank reactor. It is found that the influence of DO on vivianite crystallization was highly pH-related. At pH 5, the low rate of FeII oxidation at all of the investigated DO of 0-5 mg/L and the low degree of vivianite supersaturation resulted in slow crystallization with the product being highly crystalline vivianite, but the P removal efficiency was only 30-40%. The removal of P from the solution was substantially more effective (to >90%) in the DO-removed reactors at pH 6 and 7, whereas the efficiencies of P removal and especially recovery decreased by 10-20% when FeII oxidation became more severe at DO concentrations >2.5 mg/L (except at pH 6 with 2.5 mg/L DO). The elevated degree of vivianite supersaturation and enhanced rate and extent of FeII oxidation at the higher pHs led to decreases in the size and homogeneity of the products. At the same pH, amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide (AFO)─the product of FeII oxidation and FeIII hydrolysis─interferes with vivianite crystallization with the induction of aggregation of crystal fines by AFO, leading to increases in the size of the obtained solids.

Multimode participation of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of COVID-19 has swiftly spread across China and all over the world, resulting in severe contagious pneumonia. However, no specific anti-COVID-19 drugs or methods are available for the treatment of this acute and fatal disease. In recent years, as the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been universally acknowledged, it has been brought to a crucial status domestically and overseas for the treatment of COVID-19. METHODS: We searched relevant literature, electronic databases, and official statements, diagnoses and protocols to retrieve studies and applications related to traditional Chinese medicine for COVID-19 in terms of regulations and policies, clinical evidence, preclinical rationale and big data analysis and then summarized the discovery and development of potential drugs and their targets. RESULTS: Clinicians, researchers, governments, the public, colleges, institutes and companies collected and classified associated policies, regulations and actual contributions, searched clinical trials and preclinical experimental outcomes from databases, studied potential TCM drugs with possible mechanisms, retrieved numerous big data analysis method and gathered pooled results of compounds along with their effective targets to make traditional Chinese medicine vital to cover all stages of patients in the treatment and control of COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Traditional Chinese medicine provides new evidence to support the clinical value of TCM for COVID-19.

A Prospective and Retrospective Clinical Controlled Observation of Chinese Herbal Decoction (SMLJ01) for Type 1 Gastric Neuroendocrine Tumors.

INTRODUCTION: Type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors (g-NETs) have a good prognosis but a high recurrence rate. AIM: To observe the clinical efficacy of the treatment of type 1 g-NETs with the Chinese herbal decoction SMLJ01. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective and retrospective, clinical, controlled observation was conducted in 4 Chinese centers from 2012 to 2019. Patients with type 1 g-NETs were nonrandomly divided into treatment and control groups after endoscopic treatment based on herbal treatment administered according to their wishes. The treatment group received oral SMLJ01, with follow-up every 6 to 12 months, while the control group received follow-up alone. Patient follow-up (via telephone) from 2012 to 2017 was mainly retrospective. All patients after 2017 were followed prospectively. The recurrence times and rates were compared after treatment for at least 6 months. Symptom improvements were evaluated in the treatment group. The follow-up ended on October 31, 2019. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 22 months (range: 2-86 months), the survival rate was 100%, and no metastases occurred. Twenty-one of the 82 treated patients (25.6%) had recurrence after a median of 22 months, and 22 of the 54 control patients (40.7%) had recurrence after a median of 8 months (P = .063). The Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that the patients in the treatment group had a significantly longer median recurrence-free survival (RFS) time than those in the control group (P = .001). The risk of recurrence in the treatment group was 0.38 relative to that in the control group (95% CI: 0.20-0.70). The symptom score of the patients after taking Chinese medicine was 19.5 (10.3, 28.0), which was significantly lower than before treatment (31.5 (19.3, 38.0)). The difference was statistically significant (P < .01). CONCLUSION: SMLJ01, with the effects of soothing the liver, strengthening the spleen, increasing acid and harmonizing the stomach, may help reduce the recurrence rate, relieve symptoms and prolong the recurrence time in patients with type 1 g-NETs and is worthy of evaluation with further randomized research with large sample sizes and longer follow-up periods.

Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on vitamin D supplement and cancer incidence and mortality.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to meta-analyze the results of published randomized controlled trials to test the hypothesis that low vitamin D supplement is associated with an increased risk of cancer incidence and mortality. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials that explored the association between vitamin D supplement and cancer incidence or mortality as primary outcomes were identified through searching the PubMed and EMBASE. Literature search and data extraction were performed independently and in duplicate. RESULTS: Ten randomized controlled trials pooled in 81362 participants. The incidence rate of cancer was 9.16% (3716 cases) and 9.29% (3799 cases) in vitamin D intervention group and placebo group, respectively, resulting in a nonsignificant relative risk (RR) (95% confidence interval (95% CI)) of 0.99 (0.94-1.03) (P=0.532). The mortality rate of cancer was 2.11% (821 cases) and 2.43% (942 cases) in vitamin D intervention group and placebo group, respectively, resulting in a significant reduction in risk (RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.79-0.95, P=0.003). There was no observable heterogeneity or publication bias. Subgroup analyses revealed that history of cancer, extra use of vitamin D and calcium supplement were potential sources of heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support a beneficial effect of vitamin D supplement on lowering cancer mortality, especially in subpopulations with no history of cancer, extra use of vitamin D, or calcium supplement.

Confinement of Iodine Molecules into Triple-Helical Chains within Robust Metal-Organic Frameworks.

During nuclear waste disposal process, radioactive iodine as a fission product can be released. The widespread implementation of sustainable nuclear energy thus requires the development of efficient iodine stores that have simultaneously high capacity, stability and more importantly, storage density (and hence minimized system volume). Here, we report high I2 adsorption in a series of robust porous metal-organic materials, MFM-300(M) (M = Al, Sc, Fe, In). MFM-300(Sc) exhibits fully reversible I2 uptake of 1.54 g g-1, and its structure remains completely unperturbed upon inclusion/removal of I2. Direct observation and quantification of the adsorption, binding domains and dynamics of guest I2 molecules within these hosts have been achieved using XPS, TGA-MS, high resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction, pair distribution function analysis, Raman, terahertz and neutron spectroscopy, coupled with density functional theory modeling. These complementary techniques reveal a comprehensive understanding of the host-I2 and I2-I2 binding interactions at a molecular level. The initial binding site of I2 in MFM-300(Sc), I2I, is located near the bridging hydroxyl group of the [ScO4(OH)2] moiety [I2I···H-O = 2.263(9) Å] with an occupancy of 0.268. I2II is located interstitially between two phenyl rings of neighboring ligand molecules [I2II···phenyl ring = 3.378(9) and 4.228(5) Å]. I2II is 4.565(2) Å from the hydroxyl group with an occupancy of 0.208. Significantly, at high I2 loading an unprecedented self-aggregation of I2 molecules into triple-helical chains within the confined nanovoids has been observed at crystallographic resolution, leading to a highly efficient packing of I2 molecules with an exceptional I2 storage density of 3.08 g cm-3 in MFM-300(Sc).

Monitoring of the bacterial and fungal biodiversity and dynamics during Massa Medicata Fermentata fermentation.

The microbial community dynamics play an important role during Massa Medicata Fermentata (MMF) fermentation. In this study, bacterial and fungal communities were investigated based on the culture-dependent method and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. Meanwhile the dynamic changes of digestive enzyme activities were also examined. Plating results showed that MMF fermentation comprised two stages: pre-fermentation stage (0-4 days) was dominated by bacterial community and post-fermentation stage (5-9 days) was dominated by fungal community. The amount of bacteria reached the highest copy number 1.2 × 10(10) CFU/g at day 2, but the fungi counts reached 6.3 × 10(5) CFU/g at day 9. A total of 170 isolates were closely related to genera Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Mucor, Saccharomyces, Rhodotorula, and Amylomyces. DGGE analysis showed a clear reduction of bacterial and fungal diversity during fermentation, and the dominant microbes belonged to genera Enterobacter, Pediococcus, Pseudomonas, Mucor, and Saccharomyces. Digestive enzyme assay showed filter paper activity; the activities of amylase, carboxymethyl cellulase, and lipase reached a peak at day 4; and the protease activity constantly increased until the end of the fermentation. In this study, we carried out a detailed and comprehensive analysis of microbial communities as well as four digestive enzymes' activities during MMF fermentation process. The monitoring of bacterial and fungal biodiversity and dynamics during MMF fermentation has significant potential for controlling the fermentation process.