Separation of carbohydrates using dynamically adsorbed borate stationary phase for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography.

In this work, a chromatographic method for the separation of carbohydrates was proposed. Tris-(hydroxymethyl)-amine (TRIS) functionalized silica-based hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) stationary was synthesized. The dynamically absorbed borate layer is generated by using borate buffer as a polar modifier due to the complexation of borate with TRIS ligand in the stationary phase. The chromatographic systems were analyzed by the linear solvation energy relationship model. The calculated system constants revealed the enhancement of anionic exchange by the addition of borate in the mobile phase system. In addition, ligand exchange is critical for the retention and elution order of sugars and sugar alcohols. Carbohydrates displayed prolonged retention with different selectivity profiles relating to their complexation coefficients with borate. Experiment results showed that the effect of borate in this chromatographic system was stable within the range of pH 3-7 and borate concentration of 5-15 mM. This work provides a complementary solution for the separation of carbohydrates. It can also be extended to the separation of glycosides.

Beneficial Effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D1 Soy Milk Supplementation on Serum Biochemical Indexes and Intestinal Health of Bearded Chickens.

This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D1 (B. amyloliquefaciens D1) on growth performance, serum anti-inflammatory cytokines, and intestinal microbiota composition and diversity in bearded chickens. To investigate the effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciensa and fermented soy milk, 7-day-old broilers were orally fed different doses of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D1 fermented soy milk for 35 days, with the unfermented soy milk group as the Placebo group. This study found that B. amyloliquefaciens D1 fermented soy milk improved the intestinal microbiota of broilers, significantly increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria and decreasing the abundance of harmful bacteria in the gut. B. amyloliquefaciens D1 fermented soy milk also significantly reduced the serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content. The body weight and daily weight gain of broilers were increased. In conclusion, the results of this study are promising and indicate that supplementing the diets of bearded chickens with B. amyloliquefaciens D1 fermented soy milk has many beneficial effects in terms of maintaining intestinal microbiota balance and reducing inflammation in chickens.

Exogenous 5-aminolevulinic acid improves strawberry tolerance to osmotic stress and its possible mechanisms.

Cultivated strawberry, one of the major fruit crops worldwide, is an evergreen plant with shallow root system, and thus sensitive to environmental changes, including drought stress. To investigate the effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a new environment-friendly plant growth regulator, on strawberry drought tolerance and its possible mechanisms, we treated strawberry (Fragaria × annanasa Duch. cv. 'Benihoppe') with 15% polyethylene glycol 6000 to simulate osmotic stress with or without 10 mg l-1 ALA. We found that ALA significantly alleviated PEG-inhibited plant growth and improved water absorption and xylem sap flux, indicating ALA mitigates the adverse effect of osmotic stress on strawberry plants. Gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence analysis showed that ALA mitigated PEG-induced decreases of Pn , Gs , Tr , Pn /Ci , photosystem I and II reaction center activities, electron transport activity, and photosynthetic performance indexes. Equally important, ALA promoted PEG-increased antioxidant enzyme activities and repressed PEG-increased malondialdehyde and superoxide anion in both leaves and roots. Specially, ALA repressed H2 O2 increase in leaves, but stimulated it in roots. Furthermore, ALA repressed abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and signaling gene expressions in leaves, but promoted those in roots. In addition, ALA blocked PEG-downregulated expressions of plasmalemma and tonoplast aquaporin genes PIP and TIP in both leaves and roots. Taken together, ALA effectively enhances strawberry drought tolerance and the mechanism is related to the improvement of water absorption and conductivity. The tissue-specific responses of ABA biosynthesis, ABA signaling, and H2 O2 accumulation to ALA in leaves and roots play key roles in ALA-improved strawberry tolerance to osmotic stress.

[4i, a novel PPARγ ligand, inhibits the production of inflammatory cytokines in murine macrophages by blocking NF-κB and MAPK pathway].

Objective To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity and mechanism of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) ligand 4i. Methods Mouse macrophages RAW264.7 at the logarithmic phase were induced by 100 ng/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The effect of 4i (10 µmol/L) on the production of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was investigated by ELISA. The effect of 4i on the protein levels of nuclear factor κB (NF-κBp65), IκBα, JNK, ERK1/2, p38MAPK were detected by Western blot analysis. Furthermore, the role of PPARγ in the regulation of inflammatory-related NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways was analyzed using GW9662 (5 µmol/L) which was a highly irreversible PPARγ antagonist. And the docking analysis was carried out using SYBYL 8.1 software to investigate the binding interaction of 4i with PPARγ ligand. Results The 4i significantly decreased the production of TNF-α and IL-6 in a time-dependent manner. It also inhibited the phosphorylation of NF-κBp65, IκBα, JNK, ERK1/2 and p38MAPK in varying degrees, and the suppressive effect of 4i could be reversed by GW9662. The 4i exhibited a strong binding ability with PPARγ. Conclusion The anti-inflammation effect of 4i was due to the interaction with PPARγ, thereby suppressing the activation of NF-κB and MAPK cascades and resulting in the decreased levels of TNF-α and IL-6.

Clinical observations of all-ceramic restorations of children’s first permanent molars with severe defects / 口腔疾病防治

Objective @#To explore the therapeutic efficacy of chairside CEREC all-ceramic restorations in children with first permanent molars with severe defects and to summarize the clinical methods and procedures.@*Methods@# Forty teeth of 7-15 years old thirty-four children with first permanent molars with severe defects were selected. After careful tooth preparation, a total of 40 all-ceramic restorations (8 inlays, 32 onlays) were designed and manufactured using the CEREC 3D system, and all prostheses were bonded with composite resin cement. Immediately after treatment and after 24 months, the subjective satisfaction of the patients was assessed. The clinical efficacy was analyzed using modified USPHS criteria at 12 months and 24 months. Evaluations included secondary caries, marginal adaptation, surface texture, color matching, fracture, anatomical form, adjacency relationship and gingival health.@*Results @# For the 40 all-ceramic restorations of the first permanent molars, after 24 months, 100% of the teeth were grade A for secondary caries, surface texture and fracture of the prosthesis, and 85% of the teeth were up to grade A for the other indexes at 12 and 24 months. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between 12 months and 24 months. Immediately after treatment and after 24 months, the subjective satisfaction of the patients was greater than 94%. @*Conclusion @#Application of the CEREC 3D system had a clear curative effect and resulted in high satisfaction in the repair of permanent molars with severe defects in children.