Multi-copy expression of a protease-resistant xylanase with high xylan degradation ability and its application in broilers fed wheat-based diets.

The acidic thermostable xylanase (AT-xynA) has great potential in the feed industry, but its low activity is not conductive to large-scale production, and its application in poultry diets still needs to be further evaluated. In Experiment1, AT-xynA activity increased 3.10 times by constructing multi-copy strains, and the highest activity reached 10,018.29 ± 91.18 U/mL. AT-xynA showed protease resistance, high specificity for xylan substrates, xylobiose and xylotriose were the main hydrolysates. In Experiment2, 192 broilers were assigned into 3 treatments including a wheat-based diet, and the diets supplemented with AT-xynA during the entire period (XY-42) or exclusively during the early stage (XY-21). AT-xynA improved growth performance, while the performance of XY-21 and XY-42 was identical. To further clarify the mechanism underlying the particular effectiveness of AT-xynA during the early stage, 128 broilers were allotted into 2 treatments including a wheat-based diet and the diet supplemented with AT-xynA for 42 d in Experiment3. AT-xynA improved intestinal digestive function and microbiota composition, the benefits were stronger in younger broilers than older ones. Overall, the activity of AT-xynA exhibiting protease resistance and high xylan degradation ability increased by constructing multi-copy strains, and AT-xynA was particularly effective in improving broiler performance during the early stage.

Eggshell based biochar for highly efficient adsorption and recovery of phosphorus from aqueous solution: Kinetics, mechanism and potential as phosphorus fertilizer.

Development of an efficient and green adsorbent is of great significance for phosphorus removal and recovery from eutrophic water. This work prepared an eggshell modified biochar (ESBC) by co-pyrolysis of eggshells and corn stalk. ESBC exhibited an excellent performance for phosphorus adsorption over a wide pH range (5-13), and achieved a maximum adsorption of 557.0 mg P/g. The adsorption process was well fitted by pseudo-second-order model (R2 > 0.962) and Sips model (R2 > 0.965), and it was endothermic (ΔH0 > 0) and spontaneous (ΔG0 < 0) according to thermodynamic analysis. The column experiment confirmed the feasibility of ESBC as a filter media for phosphorus removal in flow condition, and obtained a P removal of 460.0 mg/g. Soil burial tests indicated P-laden ESBC has a good P slow-release performance (maintained for up to 25 days). Overall, ESBC has a promising application potential as an efficient adsorbent for phosphorus recovery and subsequently as a slow-release fertilizer.

Comparative study of chemical compositions and antioxidant activities of Zhizi fruit extracts from different regions.

The fruits of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis are folk medicines in China and their major components are geniposide and water soluble pigment crocins. This study compared the chemical profiles and free radical scavenging activities of two Zhizi species from five provinces of China, including Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Sichuan and Henan. The results showed that Jiangxi Zhizi contained higher levels of volatiles (71.84%), crocins (20.38 mg/g), geniposide (31.36 mg/g) and flavonoids (84.42 µg quercetin/mg) than four other Zhizi fruits; whereas Hunan Zhizi provided higher total phenolics (33.81 µg catechin/mg) and ABTS/DPPH radical scavenging activities. These findings implied that Jiangxi Zhizi would be suitable for extraction of gardenia yellow and geniposide, as well as preparation of essential oil. This information may provide valuable guidance for application of Zhizi fruits to biomedicine industry in China.

Changes of Intestinal Microecology in Patients with Primary Sjogren's Syndrome after Therapy of Yangyin Yiqi Huoxue Recipe ().

OBJECTIVE: To explore the change of intestinal microecology in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) and correlation with disease activity, and also discuss the therapy effect of Yangyin Yiqi Huoxue Recipe (, YYHD). METHODS: Sixteen pSS patients were enrolled in the present study, who received 3-month treatment of YYHR, 200 mL orally twice daily. Their pre-and post-test ESSDAI scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels were measured respectively. The 16SrDNA metagenomic sequencing was used to detect and analyze the abundance and diversity of intestinal bacteria flora and the proportion of bacteria at the levels of phylum, family, and genus, in comparision with those of 6 healthy subjects in the control group. RESULTS: The abundance and diversity of intestinal bacteria flora in pSS patients were lower than those of healthy subjects (P<0.05). After the treatment with YYHD, patients' ESSDAI score and levels of IgG and ESR have decreased significantly (P<0.05). At the phylum level, the proportions of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria and Proteobacteria have reduced sharply, while the proportions of Bacteroidetes, Teneriquetes and Candidate-division-TM7 have increased significantly by treatment (all P<0.05). At the classification level, such treatment has caused a significant decrease in the proportions of Bacteroidaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Veillonellaceae, and Enterobacteriacea (all P<0.05), but a significant increase in the proportion of Lachnospiraceae (P<0.05). At the genus level, the treatment has significantly decreased the proportions of Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Escherichia-Shigella, Faecalibacterium and Prevotella (all P<0.05), but significantly increased the proportion of Clostridia (P<0.05), close to the levels of healthy subjects (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There exists an imbalance of intestinal microecology in pSS patients, which can be improved through the treatment with YYHD. Besides, such treatment can also improve the disease activity and adjust the diversity of intestinal bacteria flora, the composition and the abundance of intestinal flora.