Copper-modified palygorskite is effective in preventing and treating diarrhea caused by Salmonella typhimurium.

The aim of this research was to develop effective alternative therapies to reduce antibiotic use in animal agriculture. In this study, the efficacy of copper-modified palygorskite (CM-Pal) in preventing diarrhea caused by Salmonella was specifically examined both in vitro and in vivo. The CM-Pal was prepared with palygorskite (Pal) and copper nitrate. The antibacterial activity of the CM-Pal was detected by comparing the differences in cell numbers on plate count agar before and after adding the CM-Pal to Salmonella typhimurium cultures. Seventy ICR mice were then allocated into seven groups. Five groups (the treatment groups) were infected with S. typhimurium by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection and were given Pal, CM-Pal, montmorillonite powder, gentamicin, and physiological saline, respectively. One group (the prevention group) was given CM-Pal before infection with S. typhimurium. Another group (the uninfected group) was not infected with S. typhimurium. The effects of Pal, CM-Pal, montmorillonite powder, and gentamicin on the treatment or prevention of diarrhea in the mice were examined by stool studies, fecal scoring, and assessment of growth performance and villus height. The CM-Pal had satisfactory anti-bacterial properties in vitro: the antibacterial rate was 100% after 2 h incubation with S. typhimurium NJS1 cultures (1×106 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml). In the in vivo experiment, the CM-Pal exerted superior effects in the treatment and prevention of diarrhea in mice compared with Pal, montmorillonite powder, and gentamicin. In the CM-Pal group, no mice showed signs of diarrhea at 24 h post infection (p.i.), and all mice fully recovered from infection. However, the Pal group, montmorillonite group, and gentamicin group only recovered after 48, 48, and 96 h, respectively. The villus height level in the CM-Pal treatment group recovered at 3 d p.i. However, the recovery time of the other groups was longer (at least 5 d). The CM-Pal prevention group had a better effect on weight gain than the other groups. This study suggested that CM-Pal may be an effective alternative to conventional antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of animal diarrhea caused by Salmonella.

[From meridians and acupoints to self-supervision and control system: a hypothesis of the 10th functional system based on anatomical studies of digitized virtual human].

Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion has been widely accepted as a useful therapeutics all over the world, but its mechanism has not been fully defined. For this purpose, a reticular framework of whole-body fascia and connective tissues has been established by means of digitized virtual human technique. The virtual acupoints represented three-dimensionally were compared with the sites for stimulation in practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) acupuncture therapy. The results showed that the fascial network constituted by the connective tissues may be the anatomical basis for acupuncture therapy. We found that the acupoints were mainly located where thick connective tissues were present. In this fascial network, sensitive nerve endings, active cells and lymphatic vessels abounded in the sites with thick connective tissue, and needling at these sites induced definite biological effects. In light of biological phylogeny and embryo development, we believe that the connective tissue network may constitute a new functional system in the human body, the Self-supervision and control system (Fasciology), which provides a theoretical base for acupuncture therapy.