TCM formula for trauma treatment screening and its role of promoting infectious wound coalescence investigating.

In pet clinics, the number of cases using trauma drugs accounts for >10% of the total number of cases, and most wounds are healing by second intention. The prolongation of wound healing time causes inconvenience and burden to pets and pet owners. Therefore, how to reduce wound healing time and achieve maximum recovery of tissue function and aesthetics is one of the focuses of veterinary clinical practice. Wound suppuration caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the main cause of delaying wound healing. Clinically, available antimicrobial treatments are almost exhausted due to the production of large numbers of resistant bacteria. At present, there are no bacteria resistant to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which makes TCM have the potential to become an effective drug for the treatment of bacterial infections, so the use of TCM in the treatment of traumatic infections has broad prospects. Based on the characteristics of infection syndrome, three different prescriptions were formulated in our laboratory, and the most effective prescription and dosage form was screened and named Lianrong Healing Cream (LRHC). The results showed that LRHC regulated the expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), epidermal growth factor-1 (EGF-1), transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) and vascular endothelial growth factor-1 (VEGF-1) genes in wound tissues and fibroblasts, thereby accelerating wound healing and repairing wound appearance and function. The results of this study may be help to develop TCM formulation for traumatic infections.

Prognostic value of Hematoxylin and eosin staining tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (H&E-TILs) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) by routine hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E-TILs) are a robust prognostic biomarker in various cancers. However, the role of H&E-TILs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic value of H&E-TILs in ESCC treated with CCRT. METHODS: The clinical data of 160 patients with ESCC treated with CCRT in our center between Jan. 2014 and Dec. 2021 were collected and retrospectively reviewed, and propensity score matching (PSM) analyses were performed. The H&E-TILs sections before CCRT were reassessed by two experienced pathologists independently. The H&E-TILs sections were classified into a positive group (+, > 10%) and a negative group (-, ≤ 10%) using 10% as the cutoff. The effects of H&E-TILs on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) were explored using the Kaplan‒Meier method, and the log-rank test was used to test the differences. Multivariable analysis was performed using the Cox proportion hazards model. RESULTS: The short-term response to CCRT and the OS (P < 0.001), DMFS (P = 0.001), and LRFS (P < 0.001) rates were significantly different between the H&E-TILs (+) and H&E-TILs (-) groups. Subgroup analysis showed that H&E-TILs(+) with CR + PR group had a longer survival than H&E-TILs(-) with CR + PR, H&E-TILs(+) with SD + PD and H&E-TILs(-) with SD + PD group, respectively(P < 0.001). Furthermore, based on TCGA data, patients in the high TILs group had a better prognosis than those in the low TILs group. Multivariate analyses indicated that H&E-TILs and the short-term response to CCRT were the only two independent factors affecting OS, PFS, DMFS, and LRFS simultaneously, and H&E-TILs expression was associated with an even better prognosis for those patients with CR + PR. CONCLUSIONS: H&E-TILs may be an effective and beneficial prognostic biomarker for ESCC patients treated with CCRT. Patients with H&E-TILs (+) with PR + CR would achieve excellent survival. Further prospective studies are required to validate the conclusions.

Modified rougan decoction attenuates hepatocyte apoptosis through ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction by upregulated SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway.

The modified rougan decoction (MRGD) compound formula has been proven a certain ability to relieve lipopolysaccharide-enrofloxacin (LPS-ENR)-induced liver oxidant injury in chickens. Recent advances have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction affects the development of many diseases, leading to increased interest in exploring its effects. Using LPS-ENR-injured in vivo and in vitro to further evaluate the effects of MRGD on mitochondrial structure and function, and emphasized further investigation of its molecular mechanism. After LPS-ENR treatment, the levels of inflammation and apoptosis markers were increased, along with higher mitochondrial injury. Results showed that MRGD reduced inflammatory factors expression and inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB P65, reducing the inflammatory response in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, MRGD pretreatment inhibited mitochondrial dysfunction, mitochondrial oxidative stress, and mitochondrial pathway apoptosis by maintaining mitochondrial structure and function. Moreover, treatment with the inhibitor EX527 showed that MRGD promoted mitochondrial biogenesis ability through the SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway and interfered with mitochondrial dynamics, and activate Nrf2. In summary, MRGD played a key role in promoting mitochondrial function and thus alleviating hepatocyte apoptosis in vivo and in vitro at least in part.

Phosphorylated bush sophora root polysaccharides protect the liver in duck viral hepatitis by preserving mitochondrial function.

In order to ascertain the mechanism underlying the therapeutic efficacy of Bush sophora root polysaccharides (BSRPS) and phosphorylated Bush sophora root polysaccharides (pBSRPS) in the treatment of in duck viral hepatitis (DVH), an investigation was conducted to assess the protective impact of BSRPS and pBSRPS against duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1) induced mitochondrial dysfunction both in vivo and vitro. The BSRPS underwent modification through the utilization of the sodium trimetaphosphate - sodium tripolyphosphate method, and was subsequently characterized though Fourier infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Following this, the degree of mitochondrial oxidative damage and dysfunction was described through the use of fluorescence probes and various antioxidative enzyme assay kits. Furthermore, the utilization of transmission electron microscopy facilitated the observation of alterations in the mitochondrial ultrastructure within the liver tissue. Our findings demonstrated that both BSRPS and pBSRPS effectively mitigated mitochondrial oxidative stress and conserved mitochondrial functionality, as evidenced by heightened antioxidant enzyme activity, augmented ATP production, and stabilized mitochondrial membrane potential. Meanwhile, the histological and biochemical examinations revealed that the administration of BSRPS and pBSRPS resulted in a reduction of focal necrosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells, thereby mitigating liver injury. Additionally, both BSRPS and pBSRPS exhibited the ability to maintain liver mitochondrial membrane integrity and enhance the survival rate of ducklings infected with DHAV-1. Notably, pBSRPS demonstrated superior performance in all aspects of mitochondrial function compared to BSRPS. The findings indicated that maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis is a crucial factor in DHAV-1 infections, and the administration of BSRPS and pBSRPS may mitigate mitochondrial dysfunction and safeguard liver function.

Bacteriostatic Effects of Yujin Powder and Its Components on Clinical Isolation of Multidrug-Resistant Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli is one of the most common pathogenic bacteria in diarrheal chickens, leading to serious economic losses in the poultry industry. The limited effect of antibiotics on antibiotic-resistant E. coli makes this bacterium a potential threat to human health. Yujin powder (YJP) has been reported as an agent that releases the symptoms caused by E. coli for a long time. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of Yujin powder (YJP) and its components, Scutellariae Radix (SR) and Baicalin (Bac), anti-against multi-drug-resistant E. coli in vitro and in vivo. A multi-drug-resistant bacteria was isolated and identified from a clinical diarrheal chick. Then, the anti-bacterial effects of drugs were assessed in vitro and in vivo by analyzing the bacteria loads of organs, the levels of endotoxin, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 of the serum. Results found that the pathogenic E. coli was resistant to 19 tested antibiotics. YJP, SR, and Bac could directly inhibit the growth of this strain at high concentrations in vitro, and presents obvious anti-bacterial effects by reducing the bacterial loads, the release of endotoxin, and inflammation in vivo, which was much more effective than the resistant antibiotic ciprofloxacin. This study demonstrates that those natural medicines have the potential to be used as novel treatments to treat the disease caused by this isolated MDREC strain.

A Novel LED Light Radiation Approach Enhances Growth in Green and Albino Tea Varieties.

Light, as an energy source, has been proven to strongly affect photosynthesis and, thus, can regulate the yield and quality of tea leaves (Camellia sinensis L.). However, few comprehensive studies have investigated the synergistic effects of light wavelengths on tea growth and development in green and albino varieties. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate different ratios of red, blue and yellow light and their effects on tea plants' growth and quality. In this study, Zhongcha108 (green variety) and Zhongbai4 (albino variety) were exposed to lights of different wavelengths for a photoperiod of 5 months under the following seven treatments: white light simulated from the solar spectrum, which served as the control, and L1 (red 75%, blue 15% and yellow 10%), L2 (red 60%, blue 30% and yellow 10%), L3 (red 45%, far-red light 15%, blue 30% and yellow 10%), L4 (red 55%, blue 25% and yellow 20%), L5 (red 45%, blue 45% and yellow 10%) and L6 (red 30%, blue 60% and yellow 10%), respectively. We examined how different ratios of red light, blue light and yellow light affected tea growth by investigating the photosynthesis response curve, chlorophyll content, leaf structure, growth parameters and quality. Our results showed that far-red light interacted with red, blue and yellow light (L3 treatments) and significantly promoted leaf photosynthesis by 48.51% in the green variety, Zhongcha108, compared with the control treatments, and the length of the new shoots, number of new leaves, internode length, new leaf area, new shoots biomass and leaf thickness increased by 70.43%, 32.64%, 25.97%, 15.61%, 76.39% and 13.30%, respectively. Additionally, the polyphenol in the green variety, Zhongcha108, was significantly increased by 15.6% compared to that of the plants subjected to the control treatment. In addition, for the albino variety Zhongbai4, the highest ratio of red light (L1 treatment) remarkably enhanced leaf photosynthesis by 50.48% compared with the plants under the control treatment, resulting in the greatest new shoot length, number of new leaves, internode length, new leaf area, new shoot biomass, leaf thickness and polyphenol in the albino variety, Zhongbai4, compared to those of the control treatments, which increased by 50.48%, 26.11%, 69.29%, 31.61%, 42.86% and 10.09%, respectively. Our study provided these new light modes to serve as a new agricultural method for the production of green and albino varieties.

Urbanization does not endanger food security: Evidence from China's Loess Plateau.

The expansion of construction land due to urbanization is the most rapid land use change in contemporary human history and has always occupied high-quality cropland, posing a severe threat to cropland and food security, it's essential to clarify the impact of urbanization on cropland and food security. This study proposed a research framework based on the regulating role of human activities, used quantifiable complex network analysis to uncover the vital role of urbanization in the evolution of land systems, and combined trajectory analysis of crop yield change to explore the impact of different urbanization modes (urban, town, and township mode) on food security through a continuous observation on 4259 township-level administrative regions of the Loess Plateau from 1990 to 2020. The findings proved that urbanization occupied the greatest land use area of cropland, and the town mode occupied 58.62 % of all urbanization modes encroaching on cropland, which has become a new pattern for advancing the urbanization development in the Loess Plateau. Construction land is more likely to be transferred in than out in the land use transfer network, while other land use types converted to construction land will be difficult to reverse. The Chinese government has implemented pragmatic policies, improved agricultural production techniques, and promoted agricultural intensification, resulting in a considerable increase in crop productivity and crop yield and the achievement of basic crop yield self-sufficiency of the Loess Plateau, so urbanization would not endanger food security. This study not only provides a more systematic research framework for related studies but also provides a theoretical basis for securing food security in other rapidly urbanizing regions of the world.

Baicalin acts as an adjuvant to potentiate the activity of azithromycin against Staphylococcus saprophyticus biofilm: an in vitro, in vivo, and molecular study.

Staphylococcus saprophyticus is frequently involved in various difficult-to-treat infections due to the formation of biofilms. To identify useful antibiofilm strategies, this study explored the efficacy and mechanism of baicalin in enhancing the ability of azithromycin against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus saprophyticus-Liu-2016-Liyang, China-francolin (MDRSS) biofilms in vitro and in vivo. When azithromycin was used in combination with baicalin, the minimum inhibitory concentration in biofilm (MICB) for azithromycin decreased 4- to 512-fold. Compared with the azithromycin and baicalin groups, the combination of azithromycin and baicalin could not reduce the biofilm biomass, but the dispersion rates of biofilm were decreased and the bactericidal ability was increased. Furthermore, the relative transcript levels of WalK/R system-related genes were upregulated by the addition of baicalin or azithromycin plus baicalin compared with that of the azithromycin and blank control groups. The strong correlation relationship between the WalK/R system and the bactericidal index demonstrated that baicalin enhanced the bactericidal effect of azithromycin on MDRSS biofilms by modulating the WalK/R system. In the mouse cutaneous infection model, the combination of azithromycin and baicalin succeeded in eradicating MDRSS and decreasing pathological injuries. This study indicated that baicalin has the potential to be an adjuvant to enhance the antimicrobial activity of azithromycin against MDRSS in the biofilm form by modulating the WalK/R system.

CsCBF5 depletion impairs cold tolerance in tea plants.

CBFs play important roles in tea plant cold tolerance. In our study, 16 tea varieties were used to investigate the relationship between the expression level of CsCBFs and cold tolerance in field experiments. A strong and positive correlation was found between cold stress-regulated CsCBF1, CsCBF3 and CsCBF5 expression levels (R2 > 0.8) in tea mesophyll cells and cold tolerance in 16 tea varieties. A previous study reported that CsCBF1 and CsCBF3 were important components associated with cold tolerance in tea plants; thus, the function of CsCBF5 in the CsCBF family was targeted. Our previous study reported that CsCBF5 was localized in the nucleus and exhibited transcriptional activity. In the current study, MDA content in leaves was significantly increased in CsCBF5-silenced leaves, which exhibited poor cold tolerance, compared with WT plants under cold stress. In contrast, increased germination rates and antioxidant enzyme activities under cold conditions compared with WT plants. Furthermore, CsCBF5 overexpression in Arabidopsis promoted the expression levels of the cold-regulated genes AtCOR15a, AtCOR78, AtERD4 and AtRD29B; however, the expression levels of downstream genes, including CsCOR47, CsCOR413, CsERD4 and CsRD29B, were significantly reduced in CsCBF5-silenced tea leaves. Taken together, our results indicated that CsCBF5 could function as a positive regulator in the cold stress response.

Natrinema halophilum sp. nov., Natrinema salinisoli sp. nov., Natrinema amylolyticum sp. nov. and Haloterrigena alkaliphila sp. nov., four extremely halophilic archaea isolated from salt mine, saline soil and salt lake.

Four halophilic archaeal strains, YPL8T, SLN56T, LT61T and KZCA68T, were isolated from a salt mine, saline soil and a salt lake located in different regions of China. Sequence similarities of 16S rRNA and rpoB' genes among strains YPL8T, SLN56T, LT61T and the current members of Natrinema were 94.1-98.2 % and 89.3-95.1 %, respectively, while these values among strain KZCA68T and the current members of Haloterrigena were 97.2-97.4 % and 91.7-91.9 %, respectively. The average nucleotide identity, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values among these four strains and their closely related species were all lower than the threshold values for species boundary. All four strains were unable to hydrolyse casein, gelatin, or Tween 80. Strain YPL8T contained phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester (PGP-Me), sulfated mannosyl glucosyl diether (S-DGD-1), disulfated mannosyl glucosyl diether (S2-DGD) and sulfated mannosyl glucosyl diether-phosphatidic acid (S-DGD-PA). Strain SLN56T contained PA, PG, phosphatidylglycerol sulphate (PGS), PGP-Me, S-DGD-1, S2-DGD and S-DGD-PA. Strain LT61T contained PA, PG, PGS, PGP-Me, S-DGD-1 and S2-DGD. The phospholipids of strain KZCA68T were PA, PG and PGP-Me. These results showed that strains YPL8T (=CGMCC 1.13883T=JCM 31181T), SLN56T (=CGMCC 1.14945T=JCM 30832T) and LT61T (=CGMCC 1.14942T=JCM 30668T) represent novel species of the genus Natrinema, for which the names, Natrinema halophilum sp. nov., Natrinema salinisoli sp. nov. and Natrinema amylolyticum sp. nov. are proposed. Strain KZCA68T (=CGMCC 1.17211T=JCM 34158T) represents a novel species of Haloterrigena, for which the name Haloterrigena alkaliphila sp. nov. is proposed.

A novel halolysin without C-terminal extension from an extremely halophilic archaeon.

Halolysins are extracellular proteases secreted by halophilic archaea for nutritional purposes. They bear great application potentials in various industries. Yet the diversity of halolysins remains underexplored. In this study, a halolysin from the extremely halophilic archaeon Haladaptatus sp. DYF46 (HlyHap) was identified to be a novel type of halolysin without C-terminal extension (CTE). Addition of the CTE of a halolysin from Halococcus salifodinae to HlyHap did not significantly affect its extracellular proteolytic activity. Mature HlyHap was generated from recombinant HlyHap precursor by high-affinity column refolding. HlyHap displayed optimal activity at 0.25-0.50 M NaCl, 45 °C and pH 8.5-9.0. Interestingly, HlyHap preferred a low salinity and was stable in a broad range of salinity, albeit from an extremely halophilic archaeon. Ca2+ and Mg2+ significantly promoted HlyHap activity. HlyHap activity was stable with organic solvents and detergents. The Km and Vmax values of HlyHap against azocasein were 0.018 mM and 7,179 U/mg, and those against succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA were 0.32 mM and 3×106 µmol/min/µg, respectively. The unusual traits of HlyHap, a novel type of halolysin without CTE, may endow it with strong potential for various industrial uses, such as biocatalysis in fluctuating salinities and aqueous-organic solvent. KEY POINTS: • This is the first report of a novel type of halolysin without C-terminal extension • HlyHap was obtained by heterologous expression and high-affinity column refolding • HlyHap exhibited good salinity tolerance.

Genome-based taxonomy of genera Halomicrobium and Halosiccatus, and description of Halomicrobium salinisoli sp. nov.

The genera Halosiccatus and Halomicrobium are the most closely related genera within the family Haloarculaceae (class Halobacteria). All species of these two genera are closely related to each other in phylogenetic analyses based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences, and also using the sequences of four housekeeping genes. The genus Halosiccatus was proposed based on inferred phylogeny using only one of the three distinct 16S rRNA genes detected in strain DC8T, while Halomicrobium zhouii, one of three species of Halomicrobium, was omitted from the reference species used in these analyses. The related 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of type strains of Halomicrobium katesii and Halomicrobium mukohataei were as high as 99.5%-99.7%, much higher than the threshold values proposed as species boundaries. These issues could have resulted in taxonomic inaccuracies in the genera Halosiccatus and Halomicrobium, and a thorough study was undertaken to clarify the status of all species in both genera. Based on phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, the current four species of the two genera form a single clade with high bootstrap confidence, indicating that the genus Halosiccatus should be merged with Halomicrobium. Halomicrobium katesii Kharroub et al. 2008 is proposed as a later heterotypic synonym of Halomicrobium mukohataei (Ihara et al. 1997) Oren et al. 2002. An additional species is also described (strains LT50T and TH30), and was isolated from different Gobi saline soil samples of Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China. Phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, genomic and phylogenetic properties indicated that strains LT50T (=CGMCC 1.15187T = JCM 30837T) and TH30 (=CGMCC 1.15189 = JCM 30839) represent a novel species of the genus Halomicrobium, for which the name Halomicrobium salinisoli sp. nov. is proposed.

Haloprofundus salilacus sp. nov., Haloprofundus halobius sp. nov. and Haloprofundus salinisoli sp. nov.: three extremely halophilic archaea isolated from salt lake and saline soil.

Three halophilic archaeal strains, Gai1-5T, SEDH52T and SQT7-1T were isolated from Gaize salt lake and Xiadi salt lake in Tibet, and saline soil from Xinjiang, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and rpoB' gene sequences showed that these three strains formed different branches separating them from Haloprofundus halophilus NK23T (97.7-98.3% similarities for 16S rRNA gene and 94.7-94.8% similarities for rpoB' gene, respectively) and Haloprofundus marisrubri SB9T (94.7-96.4% similarities for 16S rRNA gene and 92.3-93.2% similarities for rpoB' gene, respectively). Several phenotypic characteristics distinguish the strains Gai1-5 T, SEDH52T and SQT7-1T from Haloprofundus halophilus NK23T and Haloprofundus marisrubri SB9T. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH) values among the three strains and current Haloprofundus members were in the range of 83.3-88.3% and 27.2-35.7%, respectively, far below the species boundary threshold values. The major polar lipids of three strains were phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylglycerol sulphate (PGS), phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester (PGP-Me), sulfated mannosyl glucosyl diether (S-DGD-1), mannosyl glucosyl diether-phosphatidic acid (DGD-PA) and sulfated mannosyl glucosyl diether-phosphatidic acid (S-DGD-PA). These results showed that strains Gai1-5T (= CGMCC 1.16079T = JCM 33561T), SQT7-1T (= CGMCC 1.16063T = JCM 33553 T) and SEDH52T (= CGMCC 1.17434T) represented three novel species in the genus Haloprofundus, for which the names Haloprofundus salilacus sp. nov., Haloprofundus salinisoli sp. nov., and Haloprofundus halobius sp. nov. are proposed.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Inventory in Chinese College Students.

BACKGROUND: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is considered to be associated with emotional disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety. Therefore, a comprehensive instrument to measure IU is needed. The purposes of the present study were as follows: 1) developing a Chinese version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Inventory (CIUI) and 2) measuring the reliability and validity of CIUI. METHODS: We translated the Intolerance of Uncertainty Inventory (IUI) into Chinese. A sample consisting of Chinese college students from three universities was used to evaluate the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of the CIUI. Participants answered the CIUI, IUS-12, GAD-7, BDI-II, and PSWQ. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were run to explore the factor structure of CIUI. RESULTS: The results demonstrated an acceptable internal consistency for CIUI (Part A of CIUI [CIUIA]: α = 0.920; Part B of CIUI [CIUIB]: α = 0.947) and test-retest reliability (CIUIA: ICC = 0.788; CIUIB: ICC = 0.859). The results of EFA and CFA all supported a two-factor structure for CIUIA (Intolerance of the unexpected and difficulty waiting in an uncertain situation and Intolerance of uncertainty and of uncertain situations) and a four-factor structure for CIUIB (Overestimation, Control, Uncertainty makes one feel stressful, and Reassurance), and acceptable validity was obtained. CONCLUSION: The CIUI is an appropriate instrument for measuring IU in Chinese populations. Future studies should confirm the psychometric properties using a comprehensive sample.

Extraction of Polysaccharide from Dendrobium nobile Lindl. by Subcritical Water Extraction.

Subcritical water extraction (SWE) uses hot compressed water as an effective solvent for both polar and nonpolar compounds and has been developed as an environmentally benign extraction technology for natural materials. Polysaccharides as one of the main ingredients in Dendrobium plants showed obvious biological activity. Thus, SWE of polysaccharides obtained from Dendrobium nobile Lindl. was investigated in this work. The response surface methodology (RSM) was combined with a Box-Behnken design to evaluate the influence that the three independent variables had on the response. The optimal extraction conditions (determined via RSM) were 129.83 °C extraction temperature, 16.71 min extraction time, and 1.12 MPa extraction pressure. The maximum predicted polysaccharide yield was 20.67%, which corresponded well with the experiential extraction (21.88%). The polysaccharides obtained from either the stirring extraction, refluxing extraction, ultrasound extraction, or SWE methods were compared, and the extraction processes were modeled. The molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and antioxidative activities of the polysaccharides were analyzed.

Mixed-valence Compounds: AuO2 and AuS.

Mixed-valence compounds are of great interest due to their interesting properties and wide applications. Recently, gold (Au) chemistry has experienced an unprecedented development. However, Au with mixed-valence states in Au-O compounds has not been reported thus far. Here, two hitherto unknown AuO2 and AuS compounds with mixed-valence character were identified with the aid of first-principles swarm structure searching calculations. AuO2 consists of quasi-square AuO4 moiety and AuO6 octahedron in which Au shows the mixed-valence states of III and V, the first example in Au-O binary compounds. AuS contains the linear AuS2 and quasi-square AuS4 units exhibiting AuI/III mixed-valence states. The analysis of electronic property demonstrates that AuO2 and AuS are narrow band gap semiconductors with strong hybridization between Au 5d and O 2p or S 3p. With the increase of pressure, Au-O and Au-S compounds show completely different thermodynamic stabilities, resulting from distinct shifting of pressure-induced atomic orbital energy levels of O and S atoms. Our work provides an opportunity for understanding mixed-valence character in Au-O and Au-S compounds.