Identification of Cuticular Protein Genes in the Colorado Potato Beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Structural cuticular proteins (CPs) are the primary components of insect cuticle, linings of salivary gland, foregut, hindgut and tracheae, and midgut peritrophic membrane. Variation of CPs in insect cuticle can cause penetration resistance to insecticides. Moreover, depletion of specific CP by RNA interference may be a suitable way for the development of potential pest control traits. Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) CPs are poorly characterized at present, and therefore, we mined the genome and transcriptome data to better annotate and classify L. decemlineata CPs in this study, by comparison with the annotated CPs of Tribolium castaneum Browse (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). We identified 175 CP genes. Except one miscellaneous CP with an 18-amino acid motif, these CPs were classified into 7 families based on motifs and phylogenetic analyses (CPs with a Rebers and Riddiford motif, CPR; CPs analogous to peritrophins, CPAP3 and CPAP1; CPs with a tweedle motif, TWDL; CPs with a 44-amino acid motif, CPF; CPs that are CPF-like, CPFL; and CPs with two to three copies of C-X5-C motif, CPCFC). Leptinotarsa decemlineata CPRs could be categorized into three subfamilies: RR-1 (50), RR-2 (85), and RR-3 (2). The RR-1 proteins had an additional motif with a conserved YTADENGF sequence. The RR-2 members possessed a conserved RDGDVVKG region and three copes of G-x(3)-VV. Few genes were found in TWDL (9), CPAP1 (9), CPAP3 (8), CPF (5), CPFL (4), and CPCFC (2) families. The findings provide valuable information to explore molecular modes of penetration resistance to insecticides and to develop dsRNA-based control method in L. decemlineata.

Laboratory Screening of 26 Essential Oils Against Cacopsylla chinensis (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) and Field Confirmation of the Top Performer, Perilla frutescens (Lamiales: Lamiaceae).

Similar to other pear psylla species in Europe and America, Cacopsylla chinensis (Yang and Li) is one of the most important pests that causes yield loss in commercial pear orchards in China. To investigate effective essential oils as alternatives to conventional pesticides against C. chinensis, 26 essential oils derived from commonly used Chinese spices and medicinal herbs were screened for insecticidal activity. Among these, the essential oil from Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton leaves was the top performer; it exhibited strong and acute toxicity against pear psylla, with an LD50 value of 0.63 µg per adult. Then, we tested the constituents of the essential oil and its toxicity in the field. Field trials showed a 72% corrected reduction in the first-second-instar population 7 d after spraying P. frutescens leaf oil solution at a concentration of 1 mg/ml and a 47% corrected reduction at days 3 and 14. This report is the first to document the application of essential oil from P. frutescens leaves to control C. chinensis under field conditions. Our results suggest that P. frutescens oil can be considered a novel potential pesticide for C. chinensis control in pear orchards.

Replacing process water and nitrogen sources with biogas slurry during cellulosic ethanol production.

BACKGROUND: Environmental issues, such as the fossil energy crisis, have resulted in increased public attention to use bioethanol as an alternative renewable energy. For ethanol production, water and nutrient consumption has become increasingly important factors being considered by the bioethanol industry as reducing the consumption of these resources would decrease the overall cost of ethanol production. Biogas slurry contains not only large amounts of wastewater, but also the nutrients required for microbial growth, e.g., nitrogen, ammonia, phosphate, and potassium. Therefore, biogas slurry is an attractive potential resource for bioethanol production that could serve as an alternative to process water and nitrogen sources. RESULTS: In this study, we propose a method that replaces the process water and nitrogen sources needed for cellulosic ethanol production by Zymomonas mobilis with biogas slurry. To test the efficacy of these methods, corn straw degradation following pretreatment with diluted NaOH and enzymatic hydrolysis in the absence of fresh water was evaluated. Then, ethanol fermentation using the ethanologenic bacterial strain Z. mobilis ZMT2 was conducted without supplementing with additional nitrogen sources. After pretreatment with 1.34% NaOH (w/v) diluted in 100% biogas slurry and continuous enzymatic hydrolysis for 144 h, 29.19 g/L glucose and 12.76 g/L xylose were generated from 30 g dry corn straw. The maximum ethanol concentration acquired was 13.75 g/L, which was a yield of 72.63% ethanol from the hydrolysate medium. Nearly 94.87% of the ammonia nitrogen was depleted and no nitrate nitrogen remained after ethanol fermentation. The use of biogas slurry as an alternative to process water and nitrogen sources may decrease the cost of cellulosic ethanol production by 10.0-20.0%. By combining pretreatment with NaOH diluted in biogas slurry, enzymatic hydrolysis, and ethanol fermentation, 56.3 kg of ethanol was produced by Z. mobilis ZMT-2 through fermentation of 1000 kg of dried corn straw. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, biogas slurry replaced process water and nitrogen sources during cellulosic ethanol production. The results suggest that biogas slurry is a potential alternative to water when pretreating corn straw and, thus, has important potential applications in cellulosic ethanol production from corn straw. This study not only provides a novel method for utilizing biogas slurry, but also demonstrates a means of reducing the overall cost of cellulosic ethanol.

Optimization of Surfactant-Mediated, Ultrasonic-assisted Extraction of Antioxidant Polyphenols from Rattan Tea (Ampelopsis grossedentata) Using Response Surface Methodology.

BACKGROUND: Rattan tea is a medicinal plant that has been used for many years for the treatment of inflammation, fatty liver, tumor, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. OBJECTIVE: A green and novel approach based on surfactant-mediated, ultrasonic-assisted extraction (SM-UAE) was developed for the extraction of antioxidant polyphenols from Rattan tea. A nonionic surfactant Tween-80 was selected as extraction solvent. The antioxidant activity was measured by total phenolic content (TPC) and ferric-reducing/antioxidant capacity (FRAC) assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Optimization of extraction parameters including concentration of solvent, ultrasonic time, and temperature were investigated by response surface methodology. The antioxidant activity was measured by TPC and FRAC assay. RESULTS: The optimal extraction conditions were determined as 6.8% (v/v) of aqueous Tween-80, ultrasonic temperature of 54°C, and ultrasonic time of 28.8 min. Under these conditions, the highest TPC value of 360.4 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram of dry weight material (GAE/g DW) was recorded. Moreover, 6.8% (v/v) of aqueous Tween-80, ultrasonic temperature of 54.5°C, and ultrasonic time of 28.4 min were determined for the highest FRAC value of 478.2 µmol of Fe2+/g of weight material (µmol Fe2+/g DW). Compared with other methods, the TPC and FRAC values of 313.5 mg GAE/g DW and 389.6 µmol Fe2+/g DW were obtained by heat reflux extraction using ethanol as solvent, respectively, and 343.2 mg GAE/g DW and 450.1 µmol Fe2+/g DW were obtained by UAE using ethanol as solvent, respectively. CONCLUSION: The application of SM-UAE markedly decreased extraction time or extraction cost and improved the extraction efficiency, compared with the other methods. SUMMARY: Surfactant-mediated ultrasonic-assisted extraction of antioxidant polyphenols from Rattan TeaResponse surface methodology used to optimize parameters and study combined effectsOptimized surfactant-mediated ultrasonic-assisted extraction process enhances the antioxidant phenolics extraction in less time. Abbreviations used: SM-UAE: Surfactant-mediated ultrasonic-assisted extraction; TPC: total phenolic content; FRAC: Ferric reducing antioxidant capacity; RSM: Response surface methodology; BBD: Box-Behnken design.

Compound danshen dripping pill pretreatment to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background. Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) limits the outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Objective. To investigate whether pretreatment with Compound Danshen Dripping Pills (CDDP) will decrease the incidence of CIN after PCI. Methods. A total of 229 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing PCI were divided into the control group (n = 114) and the CDDP (containing salvia miltiorrhiza and sanqi) group (n = 115; given 20 CDDP pills, three times daily before PCI). Serum creatinine, creatinine clearance (CrCl), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), P-selectin, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were measured at admission and 24 and 48 h after PCI. Results. CrCl decreased after PCI but recovered after 48 h. In the CDDP group, CrCl recovered more rapidly (P < 0.05). The procedure increased the hsCRP, P-selectin, and ICAM-1 levels, but these levels were less in the CDDP group (P < 0.05). Conclusions. Pretreatment with CDDP can decrease the occurrence of CIN in patients undergoing PCI, suggesting that the early use of CDDP is an appropriate adjuvant pharmacological therapy before PCI.

[Study on effect of coptidis rhizoma on red blood cells of normal mice and its antioxidant property].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) on hemolysis and antioxidant system of normal mice and its impact on the functions, while evaluating the oxidation reduction property of CR and berberine. METHOD: In the whole animal experiment, normal mice were orally administered with CR at the dose of 1.2 g x kg(-1) for three days. Their blood were collected to detect the hemoglobin in plasma, the content of serum bilirubin, the number of peripheral blood reticulocytes, the T-AOC in whole blood, measure the contents of glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) of RBC membrane, determine the activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase, fluidity, and observe its impact on the liquidity and deformability of RBCs. According to the electrical and biochemical experiment, the voltammetric behaviors of CR and berberine on glassy carbon electrode were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. In the RBC in vitro experiment, the impact of Coptidis Rhizoma on autoxidation hemolysis rate of RBCs of normal mice was observed. RESULT: There was no significant effect on hemoglobin, serum bilirubin, and reticulocyte count in normal mice administrated with CR at the dose of 1.2 g x kg(-1), and so is on RBC membrane SOD, G6PD, MDA, GSH and whole blood T-AOC activity. In addition, CR had also no significant effect on Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase activity, and no notable impact on the fluidity and deformability of RBCs. There were two oxidation peaks at -0.27 V and 0.60 V induced by CR and one oxidation peak induced by berberine at 0.56 V, with no reduction peak at fly-back. CR could significantly inhibit oxidative hemolysis in RBCs at the dose of 0.125-2 g x L(-1) in vitro. CONCLUSION: The normal dose of Coptidis Rhizoma can not cause hemolysis of RBC, and also can not change antioxidant system and functions of RBC, CR and berberine show antioxidant (reducing) properties.

Simultaneous quantification of five major active components in capsules of the traditional Chinese medicine 'Shu-Jin-Zhi-Tong' by high performance liquid chromatography.

A simple and reliable high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous quantification of five major bioactive components in 'Shu-Jin-Zhi-Tong' capsules (SJZTC), for the purposes of quality control of this commonly prescribed traditional Chinese medicine. Under the optimum conditions, excellent separation was achieved, and the assay was fully validated in terms of linearity, precision, repeatability, stability and accuracy. The validated method was applied successfully to the determination of the five compounds in SJZTC samples from different production batches. The HPLC method can be used as a valid analytical method to evaluate the intrinsic quality of SJZTC.