Anti-tumour effect of Huangqin Decoction on colorectal cancer mice through microbial butyrate mediated PI3K/Akt pathway suppression.

Introduction. Huangqin Decoction (HQD), a Chinese herbal formula, is widely used for various diseases, including colorectal cancer (CRC).Hypothesis/Gap Statement. We proposed that microbial butyrate mediated PI3K/Akt pathway suppression might involve the anti-cancer effect of HQD.Aim. This study aimed to evaluate the potential mechanism of HQD against CRC.Methodology. An azoxymethane plus dextran sulphate sodium induced CRC mouse model was used, and the intestinal flora and faecal short-chain fatty acid changes were detected, respectively, after HQD administration with 16S rRNA sequencing and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Disease activity index, colon length and levels of inflammatory cytokines were measured to evaluate the effect of HQD on intestinal inflammation. Tumour size, number and histopathology were assessed to reflect the impact of HQD on tumour burden. Apoptosis and PI3K/Akt pathway activity were measured by TUNEL staining and Western-blotting. In vitro, the effects of sodium butyrate (NaB) on the viability of CRC cell lines were detected by the Cell-counting Kit-8. The apoptotic cells were determined by TUNEL staining. Cell migration and invasion were assessed by wound healing assay and Transwell assay, respectively. Western-blotting and immunofluorescent staining were used to test the activity of PI3K/Akt pathway.Results. Animal study showed that HQD could improve the gut dysbiosis, increase the abundance of Clostridium and the level of faecal butyric acid. Then, we found that HQD could attenuate colitis, reduce tumour burden, promote cell apoptosis and suppress PI3K/Akt pathway activity in CRC mice. In vitro experiment revealed that NaB treatment could inhibit cell growth, migration and invasion in CRC cell lines. Additionally, NaB enhanced cellular apoptosis, and reduced phosphorylated PI3K and Akt expressions. Interestingly, addition of 740Y-P, an agonist of PI3K, reversed the NaB effects on CRC cells.Conclusion. Overall, in this study, we revealed that HQD could induce apoptosis through microbial butyrate mediated PI3K/Akt inhibition and perform anti-CRC activity.

Dimeric 2-(2-phenethyl)chromones from agarwood of Aquilaria filaria.

Four new 2-(2-phenethyl)chromone dimers (1-4) were isolated from EtOAc extract of agarwood originating from Aquilaria filaria from Philippines. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis (1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS) and comparison of the experimental and computed ECD curves. Compounds 1-4 exhibited inhibition of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells with IC50 values in the range from 33.94 to 57.53 µM.

Total flavonoids of Dracocephalum moldavica L. inhibit oxidative stress against H9c2 cell ischemia-reperfusion injury via VEGF-B/AMPK pathway / 药学学报

Total flavonoids of Dracocephalum moldavica L. (TFDM) is an effective component extracted and isolated from the traditional Uighur medicinal herb Cymbidium fragrans. Cymbidium fragrans has the effects of tonifying the heart and brain, promoting blood circulation and resolving blood stasis, and has been widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases for a long time. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of total flavonoids from Cymbidium fragrans on hypoxia/re-oxygenation (H/R) injury in H9c2 (rat cardiomyocytes) cells and its mechanism. A model (H/R) of hypoxia/re-oxygenation injury in H9c2 cells was established using hypoxia and glucose deprivation for 9 h combined with re-oxygenation and rehydration for 2 h to simulate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. The effects of total flavonoids from Cymbidium fragrans on cell viability, markers of myocardial cell damage, oxidative stress levels, and reactive oxygen radical (ROS) content were investigated, Western blot was used to detect the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway related proteins. The results showed that the total flavonoids of Cymbidium fragrans significantly increased the viability of myocardial cells after H/R injury, and decreased the content of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase isozyme (CK-MB) in the cell supernatant. It significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and decreased intracellular ROS and nitric oxide (NO) content. Western blot analysis showed that the total flavonoids of Cymbidium fragrans decreased Bax levels in H9c2 cells damaged by H/R and increased Bcl-2 expression. Total flavones of Cymbidium fragrans upregulate VEGF-B/AMPK pathway related proteins VEGF-B, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR-1), neuropilin 1 (NRP-1), peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate activated protein (p-AMPK) and phospho mechanistic target of rapamycin (p-MTOR) levels. The above research results indicate that the total flavonoids of Cymbidium can significantly reduce the H/R injury of myocardial cells, which may be related to the upregulation of VEGF-B/AMPK pathway and inhibition of oxidative stress response.

Structural elucidation and anti-nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharide.

The chemical structure and pharmacological activity of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharides have garnered significant attention in recent years. In this study, a homogeneous polysaccharide, PCP1, was extracted from P. cyrtonema Hua rhizomes and purified. Monosaccharide composition analysis showed that PCP1 is primarily composed of fructose, glucose, and mannose. Chemical structure analysis showed that the main chain of PCP1 is composed mainly of →1)-ß-D-Fruf-(2→ and →1,6)-ß-D-Fruf-(2→, with small amounts of →6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →4)-ß-D-Manp-(1→, and ß-D-Glcp-(1→. The side chain is ß-D-Fruf-(2→ linked at C-6 of →1,6)-ß-D-Fruf-(2→. In vivo experiments showed that PCP1 mitigates liver pathological damage, improves abnormal lipid metabolism and oxidative stress, promotes the production of short-chain fatty acids, and balances the composition of the intestinal microbiota in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice. Thus, PCP1 can be used as a natural ingredient in functional foods for the treatment of NAFLD.

Assessment of the Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Activity of Flavonoid-Rich Extract from Angelica keiskei.

Angelica keiskei contains a variety of bioactive compounds including chalcone, coumarin, and phytochemicals, endowing it with pharmacological effects such as lipid-lowering activity, antitumor activity, liver protection, and nerve protection. This study aims to study the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of the flavonoid-rich extract from Angelica keiskei (FEAK) in an effort to exploit new applications of FEAK and increase its commercial value. In this paper, flavonoid compounds in Angelica keiskei were extracted using 50% ethanol, and the contents of the flavonoid compounds were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. Then, the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of the FEAK were investigated through in vitro enzyme activity and cell experiments as well as establishing in vivo zebrafish and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) models. The UPLC-MS/MS results show that the major flavonoid compounds in the FEAK were aureusidin, xanthoangelol, kaempferol, luteolin, and quercetin. The inhibitory rates of the FEAK on the activity of α-amylase and cholesterol esterase were 57.13% and 72.11%, respectively. In cell lipid-lowering experiments, the FEAK significantly reduced the total cholesterol (TC) and total triglyceride (TG) levels in a dose-dependent manner, with 150 µg/mL of FEAK decreasing the intracellular levels of TC and TG by 33.86% and 27.89%, respectively. The fluorescence intensity of the FEAK group was 68.12% higher than that of the control group, indicating that the FEAK exhibited hypoglycemic effects. When the concentration of the FEAK reached 500 µg/mL, the hypoglycemic effect on zebrafish reached up to 57.7%, and the average fluorescence intensity of C. elegans in the FEAK group was 17% lower than that of the control group. The results indicate that the FEAK had hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities. The findings of this study provide theoretical references for the high-value utilization of Angelica keiskei and the development of natural functional food with hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities.

Effect of filamentous algae in a microalgal-bacterial granular sludge system treating saline wastewater: Assessing stability, lipid production and nutrients removal.

In this study modified microalgal-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS) was constructed and employed to compare the performance for treating 1%-5% saline wastewater with aerobic granular sludge (AGS). Filamentous algae were found to flourish at 1% salinity when nutrients were temporarily restricted to low level (COD 0, N 10 mg/L, P 0.5 mg/L). A significant improvement of granule stability was detected as the integrity coefficients of MBGS was only 0.12-0.24 rather than 0.19-0.48 of AGS under 1%-5% salinities, which reduced the risk of particle disintegration. Filamentous algae including Leptolyngbya and Geitlerinema occupied 91.2% of identified algae, and were beneficial for enhancing the biomass content and lipid production to about 1.27-1.37, 3.1-5.0 times than AGS. The MBGS had best nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies of 93.4% and 64.6% at 1% salinity, and showed higher resistance to 3%-5% salinities. This study could provide meaningful information for using this modified MBGS technology in practice.

Proteome-Wide Deconvolution of Drug Targets and Binding Sites by Lysine Reactivity Profiling.

Recently, numerous efforts have been devoted to identifying drug targets and binding sites in complex proteomes, which is of great importance in modern drug discovery. In this study, we developed a robust lysine reactivity profiling method to systematically study drug-binding targets and binding sites at the proteome level. This method is based on the principle that binding of a drug to a specific region of target proteins will change the reactivity of lysine residues that are located at this region, and these changes can be detected with an enrichable and lysine reactive probe. Coupled with data-independent acquisition (DIA), the known target proteins and corresponding binding sites were successfully revealed from K562 cell lysates for three model drugs: geldanamycin, staurosporine, and dasatinib. In addition, the drug-induced conformational changes of certain targets were also revealed by our method during the screening of staurosporine. The screening sensitivity of our method revealed from the screening of stuarosporine and dasatinib was comparable with that of thermal proteome profiling (TPP) or machine learning-based limited proteolysis (LiP-Quant). Overall, 21 and 4 kinase targets, including adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)-binding targets, were identified for staurosporine and dasatinib in K562 cell lysates, respectively. We found that target proteins identified by TPP, LiP-Quant, and our method were complementary, emphasizing that the development of new methods that probe different properties of proteins is of great importance in drug target deconvolution. We also envision further applications of our method in proteome-wide probing multiple events that involve lysine reactivity changes.

Cisplatin resistance of NSCLC cells involves upregulation of visfatin through activation of its transcription and stabilization of mRNA.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the prevalent and deadly cancers worldwide. Cisplatin (CDDP) has been used as a standard adjuvant therapy for advanced NSCLC patients, while chemoresistance is one of the most challenging problems to limit its clinical application. Our data showed that the expression of visfatin was significantly increased in CDDP resistant NSCLC cells as compared with that in their parental cells, while knockdown of visfatin or its neutralization antibody can restore the CDDP sensitivity of resistant NSCLC cells. The upregulation of visfatin in CDDP resistant NSCLC cells was due to the increased mRNA stability and promoter activity. Further, we found that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which was increased in chemoresistant cells, can increase the transcription of visfatin. While tristetraprolin (TTP), which can decease mRNA stability of visfatin, was decreased in chemoresistant cells. Inhibition of STAT3 or over expression of TTP can restore CDDP sensitivity of resistant NSCLC cells. Collectively, our data showed that STAT3 and TTP-regulated expression of visfatin was involved in CDDP resistance of NSCLC cells. It indicated that targeted inhibition of visfatin should be a potential approach to overcome CDDP resistance of NSCLC treatment.

[Effect of moxibustion combined with Guifu Yuhe decoction on the conversion score of idiopathic constitution, serum total lgE and blood EOS in the patients with allergic acne].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of moxibustion combined with Guifu Yuhe decoction on allergic acne and the influence on immunologic function in the patients. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with allergic acne were rando-mized into an observation group (30 cases) and a control group (30 cases).Thirty healthy employees were in the healthy group. In the control group, Guifu Yuhe decoction was prescribed for oral administration, while in the observation group, on the base of the treatment as the control group, moxibustion was exerted at Dazhui (GV14) and Shenque (GV8). The treatment duration was 8 weeks. Before and after treatment, serum IgE, blood EOS, CD4+T cell, CD8+ T cell and CD4+T/CD8+T, as well as the conversion score of idiopathic constitution and the symptom score were compared in the patients of two groups. The clinical therapeutic effect was observed in the two groups. RESULTS: Before treatment, compared with the healthy group, IgE and EOS, CD4+T cell and CD8+T cell all increased (P<0.05), and CD4+T/CD8+T decreased in the two groups (P<0.05). After treatment, IgE, EOS and CD4+T cell and CD8+T cell decreased (P<0.05), and CD4+T/CD8+T increased (P<0.05) in the intra-group comparison in the patients. The changes of IgE, EOS, CD4+T cell and CD8+T cell in the observation group were more larger than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the conversion score of body constitution and symptom score all decreased in either group (P<0.05) and the scores in the observation group were lower than those of the control group (P< 0.05). The total effective rate of the observation group (29/30, 96.7%) was higher than that of the control group (22/30, 73.3%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Moxibustion combined with Guifu Yuhe decoction can significantly improve immune function and body constitution of the patients with allergic acne, which may be related to rectifying idiopathic constitution, improving in lymphocyte subsets dysfunction and inhibiting allergic reaction.

Toxicity of Water- and Organic-Soluble Wood Tar Fractions from Biomass Burning in Lung Epithelial Cells.

Widespread smoke from wildfires and biomass burning contributes to air pollution and the deterioration of air quality and human health. A common and major emission of biomass burning, often found in collected smoke particles, is spherical wood tar particles, also known as "tar balls". However, the toxicity of wood tar particles and the mechanisms that govern their health impacts and the impact of their complicated chemical matrix are not fully elucidated. To address these questions, we generated wood tar material from wood pyrolysis and isolated two main subfractions: water-soluble and organic-soluble fractions. The chemical characteristics as well as the cytotoxicity, oxidative damage, and DNA damage mechanisms were investigated after exposure of A549 and BEAS-2B lung epithelial cells to wood tar. Our results suggest that both wood tar subfractions reduce cell viability in exposed lung cells; however, these fractions have different modes of action that are related to their physicochemical properties. Exposure to the water-soluble wood tar fraction increased total reactive oxygen species production in the cells, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and induced oxidative damage and cell death, probably through apoptosis. Exposure to the organic-soluble fraction increased superoxide anion production, with a sharp decrease in MMP. DNA damage is a significant process that may explain the course of toxicity of the organic-soluble fraction. For both subfractions, exposure caused cell cycle alterations in the G2/M phase that were induced by upregulation of p21 and p16. Collectively, both subfractions of wood tar are toxic. The water-soluble fraction contains chemicals (such as phenolic compounds) that induce a strong oxidative stress response and penetrate living cells more easily. The organic-soluble fraction contained more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and oxygenated PAHs and induced genotoxic processes, such as DNA damage.

Behavior of fast and slow phosphorus release from sewage sludge-derived biochar amended with CaO.

The pyrolyzation of sewage sludge (SS) could efficiently transform inherent phosphorus (P) into bioavailable phosphate forms, which endows SS-derived biochar (SSB) the potential as a soil fertilizer. However, the details about the release behavior of P in SSB have not been systematically investigated. This study evaluated the fast and slow P releasing behaviors from SSB and CaO-amended SSB prepared under different pyrolysis temperature. The higher pyrolysis temperature and CaO addition could enhance the conversion of non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) into more bioavailable apatite inorganic phosphorous (AP). Acidic and alkaline conditions were favorable for the fast release of P from SSB. Higher ionic strength condition gave greater releasing amounts of TP and the SO42- facilitating a rapid release of TP than those for Cl- and NO3-. SSBs with CaO addition showed a much slower TP release than those without CaO both in fast release (24 h, with CaO: 0.05~0.4 mg TP g-1 SSB, e.g., without CaO 0.5~5 mg TP g-1 SSB) and slow release tests (21 days, with CaO: 1.2~4.1 mg TP g-1 SSB, e.g., without CaO 1.8~5.7 mg TP g-1 SSB). Ortho-P release was more remarkable for the SSB amended with CaO (~54% of TP), which was likely due to the formation of orthophosphate. The results of this study suggested that SSB prepared by high pyrolysis temperature and CaO addition had high potential as a slow P-releasing fertilizer for the soil.

Effect of extract of Quzhou Aurantii Fructus on hepatic inflammation and NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway in CCl_4-induced liver fibrosis mice / 中国中药杂志

To study the effect and mechanism of extract of Quzhou Aurantii Fructus(QAF) on liver inflammation in CCl_4-induced liver fibrosis mice. Totally 60 C57 BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into control group(distilled water, oral), model group(distilled water, oral), colchicines group(Col, colchicines 2 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1), oral), low-dose QAF group(QAF-L, QAF 100 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1), oral) and high-dose QAF group(QAF-H, QAF 300 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1), oral) by random number table method. The model group and each administration group were injected with carbon tetrachloride(CCl_4) 1 mL·kg~(-1)(CCl_4-olive oil 1∶4), twice a week, totally 6 weeks. After the last administration, the mice were sacrificed, and serum and liver tissue were collected. Serum ALT and AST levels were measured in each group to observe the liver function of mice. The pathological changes and inflammatory cell infiltration in liver were observed by HE staining and F4/80 immunohistochemical staining. The mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-18 and IL-1β were detected by RT-PCR. The protein expressions of IκBα, p-IKKα/β, p-p65, NLRP3, caspase-1 and cleaved caspase-1 were analyzed by Western blot. The results showed that QAF significantly reduced serum ALT and AST levels, and alleviated the degree of liver damage.The results of immunohistochemistry showed that QAF significantly reduced liver inflammatory cell infiltration in liver fibrosis mice. The results of RT-PCR and Western blot showed that QAF significantly inhibited mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-18 and IL-1β in liver of fibrosis mice. QAF also suppressed the degradation of IκBα protein and reduced p-IKKα/β, p-p65, NLRP3 and cleaved caspase-1 protein expressions. In conclusion, QAF improves CCl_4-induced liver fibrosis in mice. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation signaling pathway.

Emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds from liquefied petroleum gas-fueled taxis under idle and cruising modes.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as an alternative fuel is increasingly used in mainland China, few reports are however available about emissions from LPG-fueled vehicles. In this study, 26 LPG-fueled taxis in Guangzhou, south China were tested using a chassis dynamometer to obtain their emission factors of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under idle and cruising (10-60 km h-1) modes. The emission factors of NOx on average increased with speed from 4.13 g kg-fuel-1 at idling to 71.1 g kg-fuel-1 at 60 km h-1 at a slope of 10.6 g kg-fuel-1 per 10 km h-1 increase in speed. Alkanes were the most abundant (71.9%) among the VOCs in the exhaust, followed by alkenes (25.2%), ethyne (2.7%), and aromatic species (0.2%). Emission factors of VOCs at idling averaged 8.24 g kg-fuel-1, higher than that of 6.23-7.36 g kg-fuel-1 when cruising at 10-60 km h-1, but their ozone formation potentials (OFPs) were lower at idling (15.8 g kg-fuel-1) than under cruising (19.1-23.8 g kg-fuel-1) largely due to higher emission of more reactive alkenes under cruising mode. Emissions of both NOx and VOCs increased significantly with mileages. Measured emission factors of NOx and reactive VOCs in this study suggested that replacing the gasoline-powered taxis with the LPG-fueled taxis with LPG-gasoline bi-fuel engines and no efficient after-treatment devices would not benefit in reducing the emissions of ozone precursors, and strengthening the emission control for LPG vehicles with dedicated LPG engines and after-treatment converters, as did in Hong Kong, could further benefit in reducing the emission of photochemically active species when using LPG as alternative fuels.

[Effects of Huangpu Tongqiao Capsules on EGFR-PLCγ signal pathway of hippocampus in rats with Alzheimer's disease].

Huangpu Tongqiao Capsules(HPTQC), with the functions of invigorating Qi and kidney, eliminating phlegm and removing blood stasis, have the effect of treating Alzheimer's disease(AD), but its mechanism needs further exploration. To explore the relationship between the therapeutic mechanism of HPTQC on Alzheimer's disease and EGFR-PLCγ signal pathway, 40 healthy male SD rats were selected and divided into 4 groups randomly: sham operation group(sham), model group(model), HPTQC group(HPTQC), and nimodipine group(NMP). AD rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose combined with an intracerebral injection of amyloid-ß peptide(25-35). After 28 days of administration, Morris water maze test and HE staining showed that the learning and memory ability of AD rats were significantly decreased(P<0.01), and hippocampal neurons were obviously da-maged. However, HPTQC could improve the learning and memory ability of AD rats(P<0.05) and reduce the damage of hippocampal neurons. Immunofluorescence test results showed that the expression levels of EGFR and p-Tau in hippocampal CA1 region of AD rats were significantly increased(P<0.01), and HPTQC could reduce the expression of EGFR and p-Tau in hippocampus of AD rats(P<0.01). Western blot results showed that the protein expression levels of EGFR, PLCγ, IP3 R and p-Tau in hippocampus of AD rats were significantly increased(P<0.01), and HPTQC could reduce the protein expression of EGFR, PLCγ, IP3 R and p-Tau in AD rats(P<0.05). RT-PCR results showed that the mRNA levels of EGFR, PLCγ, IP3 R and Tau in hippocampus of AD rats were significantly increased(P<0.01), and HPTQC could reduce the mRNA levels of EGFR, PLCγ, IP3 R and Tau in AD rats(P<0.05). The results indicate that HPTQC can improve the learning and memory ability of AD rats, and its mechanism of action may be related to regulating EGFR-PLCγ signal pathway.

In-vitro photothermal therapy using plant extract polyphenols functionalized graphene sheets for treatment of lung cancer.

Although the photothermal therapy (PTT) has achieved tremendous progress in the recent times, still it has to improve an extensive way to achieve the efficient targeted photothermal removal of the tumor cells. Owing to this requirement, we demonstrated a novel class of reduced graphene oxide based photothermal therapeutic agent for the ablation of lung cancer cells (A549). A single step bio facile fabrication of graphene nanosheets using Memecylon edule leaf extract intermediated reduction of Graphene Oxide (GO). This process does not include the utilization of any toxic or harmful reducing agents. The relative results of different characterizations of graphene oxide and Memecylon edule leaf extract RGO delivers a potential representation by excluding the groups containing oxygen from GO and consecutive stabilization of the developed RGO. The reduced GO functionalization with the oxidized polyphenols results in their stability by avoiding the aggregation. The poly phenol anchored Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) exhibited exceptional near-infrared (NIR) irradiation of the lung cancer cells directed in vitro to deliver cytotoxicity. In an area of restricted success in the treatment of cancer, the results of our translation can provide a path for designing targeted PTT agents and also responds to stimulus environment for the safe ablation of the devastating disease.

Phosphorus speciation and bioavailability of sewage sludge derived biochar amended with CaO.

In this study, biochar samples were prepared from the co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge (SS) and CaO to explore the transformation of P speciation in sample. The potential of these biochar as a fertilizer to promote the growth of the plant was also evaluated. The result indicated that CaO addition can greatly facilitate the conversion of non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) to apatite inorganic phosphorus (AP, mainly Ca3(PO4)2 and Ca3Mg3(PO4)4). The addition of 10% CaO in feedstock is sufficient to convert SS inherent P into more bioavailable AP. Under such a dosage, AP content in biochar increased by 21.2-33.6% in contrast to CaO free sample at pyrolysis temperature of 500-800 °C, and water-soluble phosphorus (WSP) content decreased to less than 1% of TP. The addition of CaO can also apparently reduce Zn, Mn leaching from biochar. Additionally, hydroponics assay showed that CaO amended SS biochar can promote the growth of rice seedling. The results of this study indicate that preparing CaO amended SS biochar is a technically feasible strategy to utilize P resource in SS.

[Improved effect of comprehensive nutritional intervention of whole covering for Kazak's pregnant women, lactating women and infants in Altay farming and stockbreeding region].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of nutritional intervention for Kazak's pregnant women, lactating women and infants in farming and stockbreeding region of Jeminay County, Altay City. METHODS: 24 h record method was conducted to implement dietary survey, and results were used to analyze dietary structure and nutrient intake level of pregnant women, lactating women and infants. Pregnant women, lactating women and infants over 6 months were intervened with iron fortified soy sauce nutrients supplement and Yingyangbao(YYB) for 2. 4 years. Hemoglobin was detected for pregnant women, lactating women and infants by using HemoCue analyzer. RESULTS: The nutrient intakes of the pregnant women, lactating women and infants were averagely lower than that of the recommended levels. In these infants who received breast feeding, the least acceptability diet quality rate was 42. 1%, and in other infants who didn't receive breast feeding, the rate was 25%. After intervention, anemia prevalence of pregnant women, lactating women and infants were significantly reduced compared with the base line levels at 2 survey time points(2014:pregnant women χ~2=26. 27, lactating women χ~2=18. 06, infants χ~2=44. 46, 2015:pregnant women χ~2=35. 62, lactating women χ~2=25. 05, infants χ~2=39. 61;all P<0. 001). CONCLUSION: The nutrition intervention of whole covering could improve nutrition status of Kazak's pregnant women, lactating women and infants.

Development of High-Performance Biodegradable Rigid Polyurethane Foams Using Full Modified Soy-Based Polyols.

Fossil fuel resources depletion and growing concern about environmental issues have raised the demand for newly sustainable biomaterials. To address this challenge, a new type of biodegradable and environmental rigid polyurethane foam called rigid polyurethane foams (RPUF)-M from full modified soy-based polyols have been synthesized without the addition of petroleum-based polyols. On the basis of the analysis of structure-activity relationship, a new kind of biobased polyurethane polyols called Bio-polyol-M was designed and synthesized directly from epoxidized soybean oil and a novel polyhydroxy compound in a three-step continuous microflow system. In the continuous microflow system, the epoxidation of soybean oil, the synthesis of GLPO (glycerine with styrene oxide), and the ring-opening reaction of epoxidized soybean oil were coupled. Another soy-polyol called Bio-polyol-B was synthesized in batch mode. In comparison to those of Bio-polyol-B, Bio-polyol-M had a higher hydroxyl number and a much lower viscosity. The RPUF-M also possessed a series of advantages over the rigid polyurethane foam called RPUF-B from Bio-polyol-B.

Effect on clinical symptoms and mechanism of chloasma in premenopausal women with liver stagnation treated with acupoint catgut embedding / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of acupoint catgut embedding for chloasma in premenopausal women with liver stagnation.@*METHODS@#A total of 92 patients of chloasma in premenopausal women with liver stagnation were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 46 cases in each one.In the observation group, acupoint catgut embedding was applied at Ganshu (BL 18), Pishu (BL 20), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), also the surrounding acupuncture was performed at facial part, once a week. In the control group, vitamin C (200 mg per time, 3 times a day) and vitamin E (100 mg per time, once a day) were prescribed for oral administration. Both of the two groups were given treatment for 12 weeks. The score of chloasma area and severity index (MASI), the serum levels of follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), leuteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E) before and after treatment were observed in the two groups, and the clinical effect of the two groups were compared after 3 months of treatment.@*RESULTS@#Finally, 44 cases in the observation group and 43 cases in the control group completed the study. The effective rate in the observation group was 88.6% (39/44), which was higher than 55.8% (24/43) in the control group (0.05). There was no significant difference between before treatment and in follow-up in the levels of FSH, LH and E in the control group (>0.05). In follow-up, the levels of FSH and LH in the observation group were lower than the control group (0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Acupoint catgut embedding can improve the clinical symptoms of chloasma in premenopausal women with liver stagnation, the mechanism may be related to regulate the serum level of sex hormone to reduce high sensitivity of melanocytes to estrogen.

[Effects of Huangpu Tongqiao capsule on apoptosis of Alzheimer's disease cell model].

The loss of hippocampal neurons is one of the main pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is related to the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons. Huangpu Tongqiao capsule is used for the treatment of AD, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. This study is to investigate the mechanism of neuroprotective effect of Huangpu Tongqiao capsule in the treatment of AD, through observing the effect of Huangpu Tongqiao capsule containing serum on cell injury of primary cultured hippocampal neurons induced by Aß25₋35 via inhibiting the cell apoptosis. Primary cultured hippocampal neurons were cultured and identified by MAP-2 immunofluorescence staining, and cell growth state was observed by inverted microscope. The Huangpu Tongqiao capsule containing serum was prepared using the method of serum pharmacology. MTT assays were used to measure the optimum concentration range of Huangpu Tongqiao capsule containing serum, and optimum Aß concentration for establishing the AD model. After primary cultured hippocampal neurons AD cell model was induced by Aß25₋35, cell survival rate was detected by MTT, cell apoptosis rate was assayed by flow cytometry, and protein expressions of Bax, Cyt C and caspase-3 were determined by Western blot analysis. The results showed that the primary cultured hippocampal neurons were cultured successfully, and cells grew mature at seventh days; Compared with normal group, the survival rate of hippocampal neurons in AD cell model group was decreased, the apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons was increased, and the protein expressions of Bax, Cyt C and caspase-3 were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01); Compared with AD cell model group, the survival rate of hippocampal neurons in Huangpu Tongqiao capsule containing serum group was increased, the apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons was decreased, and the protein expressions of Bax, Cyt C and caspase-3 were decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). These findings suggest that Huangpu Tongqiao capsule containing serum has a neuroprotective effect on cell injury of the primary cultured hippocampal neurons induced by Aß25₋35, and its effect on the treatment of AD is associated with the inhibition the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons.