[Research progress on processing history evolution, chemical constituents, and pharmacological action of Scorpio].

Scorpio is a valuable Chinese animal medicine commonly used in clinical practice in China. It is the main drug in the treatment of liver wind internal movement caused by various reasons throughout the history of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), with the effects of relieving wind and spasm, dredging collaterals, relieving pain, and eliminating toxin and mass. Scorpio is poisonous and often used as medicine after processing. There are records of its processing as early as the Song Dynasty. Afterward, there were more than 15 processing methods, including frying with vinegar, neat processing, and stir-frying. After processing, the fishy smell could be removed to correct the taste, and the toxicity could be reduced, which was beneficial to clinical application. At present, the main reported components in Scorpio are protein polypeptides, alkaloids, and lipids, with many pharmacological effects, such as anti-cancer, anti-coagulation, anti-thrombosis, anti-atherosclerosis, and anti-bacteria. In this study, the historical evolution of processing, chemical constituents, and pharmacological action of Scorpio were discussed in order to provide references for the related research on Scorpio.

[Research progress on processing history evolution, chemical constituents, and pharmacological effects of Hirudo].

As a traditional animal drug, Hirudo is slightly toxic and has the effects of breaking blood stasis, dredging meridians, expelling stasis, and resolving mass. It has a long history of processing, and the early boiling records can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. More than ten processing methods such as frying, roasting, and lime processing appeared later. After processing, Hirudo is deodorized and modified in taste and becomes crispy, which is conducive to crushing and clinical application. At present, the reported components in Hirudo mainly include protein polypeptides, pteridines, and lipids, which have anti-coagulant, anti-thrombotic, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-tumor, and other pharmacological effects. This study reviewed the processing history evolution, chemical consti-tuents, and pharmacological effects of Hirudo to provide a reference for the related research on Hirudo.

Influences of graphene oxide on biofilm formation of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.

In this study, we evaluated the influences of graphene oxide (GO) on biofilm formation. Escherichia coli MG1655 and Bacillus subtilis 168 were used as models for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The growth profiles and viability assays indicated that GO exhibited a high antibacterial activity, of which the negative effects on bacteria growth raised with the increasing GO concentration. The antibacterial activity of GO was mainly attributed to the membrane stress and ROS-independent oxidative stress. Moreover, it was worthy to note that the biofilm formation was enhanced in the presence of GO at low dosage whereas inhibited in the high-concentration GO environment. These results could be explained by the roles of the dead cells, which were inactivated by GO. When the concentration of GO was limited, only a part of the cells would be inactivated, which may then serve as a protection barrier as well as the necessary nutrient to the remaining living cells for the formation of biofilm. In contrast, with a sufficient presence of GO, almost all cells can be inactivated completely and thus the formation of biofilm could no longer be triggered. Overall, the present work provides significant new insights on the influence of carbon nanomaterials towards biofilm formation, which has far-reaching implications in the field of biofouling and membrane bioreactor. Graphical abstract ᅟ.