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Due to the spontaneous transport of small-sized cations and redox reactions under open circuit conditions, the currently reported coloring electrochromic devices (ECDs) may self-bleach easily. The resulting ECDs exhibit poor open-circuit memory, which limits their applications in static display advertisement. By constructing energy barriers to effectively control small-sized cation transport, the redox reaction could be suppressed, thereby inhibiting the self-bleaching of ECDs. In this study, phosphate glass is used as an electrolyte to construct high-energy barriers. Sodium ions in phosphate glass absorb external heat to cross energy barriers and become conductive charge carriers. In this case, the electrochromism of ECDs is allowed. On the contrary, after the absorbed heat energy is released, sodium ions are immediately trapped by oxygen ions in the PO4 unit, becoming frozen ions. At this point, the electrochromization of ECDs is prohibited. Based on the ionic conductive feature of phosphate glass, ECDs absorb heat and are colored by applying an electric field first. Then, ECDs release the thermal energy and the sodium ions transport in the electrolyte is blocked to cut off the self-bleaching pathway. The prepared inorganic all-solid-state ECDs maintained the colored state for several months using the method mentioned above, which solved the problem of the poor open-circuit memory of ECDs.

Hydrogen (H2) fuel cells have been developed as an environmentally benign, low-carbon, and efficient energy option in the current period of promoting low-carbon activities, which offer a compelling means to reduce carbon emissions. However, the presence of carbon monoxide (CO) impurities in H2may potentially damage the fuel cell’s anode. As a result, monitoring of the CO levels in fuel cells has become a significant area of research. In this paper, a novel photoacoustic sensor is developed based on photoacoustic heterodyne technology. The sensor combines a 4.61 μm mid-infrared quantum cascade laser with a low-noise differential photoacoustic cell. This combination enables fast, real-time online detection of CO impurity concentrations in H2. Notably, the sensor requires no wavelength locking to monitor CO online in real-time and produces a single effective signal with a period of only 15 ms. Furthermore, the sensor’s performance was thoroughly evaluated in terms of detection sensitivity, linearity, and long-term stability. The minimum detection limit of 11 ppb was obtained at an optimal time constant of 1 s.

This is the first report on a polysaccharide (RCJ2-Ib) isolated from Rosa Chinensis Flos. RCJ2-Ib was obtained through the extraction with water, precipitation with ethanol, separation with DEAE-52 column and purification with DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow column and Sephadex G100 column. GC, FT-IR and NMR analyses revealed that RCJ2-Ib (3.3 kDa) was a 1,4-linked polymannuronic acid containing substantial β-D-anomers units. The anticoagulant effect of RCJ2-Ib evaluated by using rabbit ear venous blood and an acute blood stasis rat model showed that RCJ2-Ib had obvious anticoagulant activity in regulating endogenous and exogenous coagulation pathways and reducing serum thromboxane B2 and endothelin-1. In addition, RCJ2-Ib could also increase the number of Lactobacillusand Escherichia coli. As a result, RCJ2-Ib has the potential to inhibit thrombosis and maintain the intestinal environment.

Soybean 7S storage protein (β-conglycinin) is the most important allergen, exhibits resistance in gastrointestinal (GI) digestion, and causes allergies in humans and animals. A previous study has demonstrated that 7S proteins contained innate amyloid aggregates, but the fate of these specific protein aggregates in intestinal digestion and correlation to allergenicity are unclear. In this study, viaa modified INFOGEST static in vitrodigestion and IgE binding test, we illustrate that the survived amyloid aggregates of soybean 7S protein in GI digestion might be dominant IgE epitopes of soybean protein in humans. The impact of conjugated primary bile acid salt (BS) profile on digestion resistance and immunogenicity of soybean protein is assessed, regarding the binding affinity of BS to protein aggregates with consideration of the BS composition and the physiologically relevant colloidal structure. The results show that chenodeoxycholate-containing colloidal structures exhibit high affinity and unfolding capacity to protein amyloid aggregates, promoting proteolysis by pancreatic enzymes and thus mitigating the antigenicity of soybean protein. This study presents a novel understanding of bile acid profile and colloidal structure influence on the digestibility and antigenicity of dietary proteins. It should be helpful to design in vitrodigestion protocol and accurately replicate physiologically relevant digestion conditions.

Cashmere and wool are common raw materials in the textile industry. The clothes made of cashmere are popular because of the excellent comfort. A system that can quickly and automatically classify the two will improve the efficiency of fiber recognition in the textile industry. We propose a classification method of cashmere and wool fibers based on feature fusion using the maximum inter-class variance. First, the fiber target area is obtained by the preprocessing algorithm. Second, the features of sub-images are extracted through the algorithm of the Discrete Wavelet Transform. It is linearly fused by introducing the weight in the approximate and detailed features. The maximum separability of the feature data can be achieved by the maximum inter-class variance. Finally, different classifiers are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The support vector machine classifier can achieve the highest recognition rate, with an accuracy of 95.20%. The experimental results show that the recognition rate of the fused feature vectors is improved by 6.73% compared to the original feature vectors describing the image. It verifies that the proposed method provides an effective solution for the automatic recognition of cashmere and wool.

High consumption of polyphenol-rich green tea, coffee, fruits, and vegetables is associated with a low risk of human chronic diseases. Recent studies highlight the relevance of polyphenol-mediated gut microbiota modulation and its impact on mucus barrier. Herein, we study the direct interaction of epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and tannic acid (TA) with intestinal mucin by isothermal titration calorimetry and multiple particle tracking and the impact on mucus barrier using ex vivo mucus and Caco-2/HT29-MTX cocultures. Results show that pyrogallol-containing polyphenols EGCG and TA exhibit strong binding to intestinal mucin and reinforce mucus barrier, whereas EC does not. ECGG and TA also mitigate gliadin-mediated cytotoxicity and inflammation. The chemical binding of EGCG and TA to the nucleophilic thiol groups of mucins shows their roles as cross-linkers of mucin networks. These results bring a novel understanding of the health benefits of polyphenols and provide support for the consumption of pyrogallol-containing beverages like green tea as a potential dietary therapy for gluten-related disorders.

Previous studies have found that soybean protein, especially soybean 7S protein (β-conglycinin), exhibits digestion resistance, but the mechanism of digestion resistance and its implications for human health are still unclear. Here, we show that the extracted soybean 7S protein contains both oligomer globulins and amyloid aggregates, while the gastric digested soybean 7S protein only contains amyloid aggregates and thus exhibits digestion resistance. An animal experiment shows that un-digestible soybean 7S protein effectively prevents aspirin-induced acute gastric mucosa damage. The impacts of un-digestible soybean 7S protein on gastric mucus barrier properties are investigated using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), Langmuir monolayer, and multiple particle tracking (MPT). Results show that these un-digestible protein aggregates can penetrate into gastric mucus, increase the viscosity and compactness of the mucin layer, and reinforce the gastric mucus barrier properties. The findings are helpful to understand that high consumption of non-fermented soybean foods is associated with a decreased risk of gastric cancer.

Two immunomodulatory polysaccharides (Vp2a-II and Vp3) were isolated and identified from Apocynum venetumL. flowers, and their innate immune-stimulating functions and working mechanisms were evaluated in RAW264.7 cells. Both the level of released nitric oxide (NO) and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA were significantly enhanced in the RAW264.7 macrophages cells treated by Vp2a-II and Vp3. Vp2a-II (100–800 µg/mL) and Vp3 (400 µg/mL) could significantly increase the phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells and the secretion and mRNA expression of TNF-αand IL-6in a concentration-dependent manner through affecting mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) nuclear translocation. Vp2a-II might activate the MAPK signaling pathways and induce the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65, whilst Vp3 likely activated the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways without influencing the p38 MAPK route.

Wheat protein is the most consumed plant protein in our diet, and there is an increased prevalence of wheat/gluten intolerance and adherence to a gluten-free diet in many countries. Despite the known immunodominant effect of undigested gliadin peptides responsible for gluten-related intolerance, it remains unclear if and how gliadin peptides self-assemble into ordered nanostructures during gastrointestinal digestion, as well as their biological impact on the mucus barrier function. In this study, we purified undigestible gliadin peptide nanoparticles (UGPNs) by ultracentrifugation and characterized their structural and physiochemical properties. The results demonstrate that the UGPNs are self-assembled nanostructures generated by cationic amino acids (Lys and Arg)-capped surfactant-like peptides (SLPs), mainly derived from γ-gliadin and α-gliadin. SLPs trigger the concentration-dependent self-assembly driven by β-sheet conformational transitions above their critical aggregation concentration (cac, ∼0.1 mg/mL). UGPNs can easily penetrate the mucus layer in Caco-2/HT29-MTX cocultures with a high Pappvalue (∼5.7 × 10–6cm/s) and reduce the production and thickness of the mucus layer driven by intestinal epithelial cell damage. Isothermal titration calorimetry and Langmuir monolayer studies indicate that the self-assembled state of UGPNs significantly affects their binding to DPPC/DOPE lipid membrane models. These results highlight the relevance of the self-assembly of gliadin peptides as a trigger of mucosal inflammation-related wheat/gluten intolerance.

The structure and moisture retention of Tremellapolysaccharide fermented from GCMCC5.39 (FTP) were evaluated. After UV, infrared spectrum analysis, HPAEC-PAD, HPSEC and 1 D NMR analysis, the composition of the purified FTP was determined. Purified components of fermented Tremellapolysaccharide (FTPS) was made of galactose, mannose, glucose, galactosmine, glucosamine, and contain a large amount of hydroxyl, carbonyl and amino groups. FTPS was α-neutral pyranose without uronic acid. FTPS-1 and FTPS-2 were obtained after purification by DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow Column. The molecular weights of FTPS-1 and FTPS-2 were 25 722 and 177 263Da. FTPS-2 had a better ability to prevent moisture loss, and the optimal moisture retention period was 0–4h. FTPS-2 could significantly increase the moisture content of the skin epidermis and showed a dose-concentration relationship. The effect of FTPS-2 on the expression of different moisturizing genes was evaluated in a human skin keratinocyte model. The results showed that FTPS-2 has no cytotoxicity, and could significantly promote AQP3, TGM1, CASP14, HYAL2, FLGgene expression level in HaCaT cells. It has the most significant influence at HYAL2 protein expression on 50μg/mL.

The polysaccharides from edible fungus showed many kinds of biological activities, including anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes, improving functional constipation activities. In particular, the immunomodulatory effects have been paid more and more attention by scholars, but there was no systematic introduction of their immunomodulatory mechanism. So, this review introduced the immunomodulatory effects and mechanism of edible fungus polysaccharides in recent years, and then the relationships between structure and immunomodulatory effect were also discussed.

ABSTRACTEsophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is common cancer in China. At the same time, microRNA-196b (miR-196b) has different promotion/inhibition effects in different cancers. The study aims to reveal the role of miR-196b in ESCC and explore its prognostic value. The expression of miR-196b in ESCC samples and cell lines was detected to explore the expression pattern of miR-196b in ESCC. Kaplan-Meier method was conducted for survival rate and Multivariate Cox analysis was used to explore the clinical significance of miR-196b in ESCC. The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, transwell migration and invasion tests were used to determine the biological function of miR-196b in ESCC. The relationship of miR-196b and SOCS2 in ESCC was detected by luciferase activity assay and RIP assay. Both in ESCC tissues and cell lines, miR-196b expression was up-regulated. miR-196b expression is related to TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Combining with the results of Multivariate Cox regression analysis, miR-196b may be a potential independent prognostic marker for ESCC patients. The results of the functional analysis showed that miR-196b inhibitor can reduce cell proliferation, migration and invasion in ESCC cells. Besides, the suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) is the target of miR-196b in ESCC. miR-196b may exist as a tumor-promoting factor in ESCC and enhance the proliferation abilities, migration capacities, and invasion potential of ESCC cells by targeting SOCS2. miR-196b and SOCS2 have a close negative correlation in ESCC, which may be used as a clinically poor prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for ESCC.

Ligustri lucidi Fructusis a traditional Chinese medicine and possesses various bioactivities, including hypoglycemic effect. Ligustrum lucidumAit flowers are poorly investigated. Thus, we hypothesized that L. lucidumflowers also could have hypoglycemic effect. Chemical composition and glucose uptake effect of L. lucidumflowers on 3T3-L1 adipocytes were investigated. In this study, the components of L. lucidumflowers were investigated by various chromatographic and spectroscopic methods and the effects of L. lucidumflowers on the induction of glucose uptake were investigated by 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Seven compounds were isolated and identified from L. lucidumflowers, including ursolic acid (1), kaempferol-7-O-α-l-rhamnoside (2, KR), β-sitosterol (3), β-daucosterol (4), kaempferitrin (5, KF), 10-hydroxy oleuropein (6, HO), and kaempferol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside-7-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (7, KGR). The results of glucose uptake showed that total extract (TE), KR, KF and HO from L. lucidumflowers significantly enhanced glucose uptake. This study demonstrated that compounds 2, 5-7 were isolated for the first time from this plant and compounds 2 and 7 were isolated for the first time in genus Ligustrum, L. lucidumflowers, KR, KF and HO may possess potential hypoglycemic effect.

A functional constipation rat model was established by loperamide hydrochloride (LOP), and then safflower dietary fiber (SDF) was supplemented to constipated rats. The results revealed that SDF increased the serum levels of excitatory gastrointestinal active peptides such as motilin (MTL), gastrin (GAS), and substance P (SP), while concurrently decreasing the levels of inhibitory peptides like somatostatin (SS) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). SDF restored the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteriodetes (F/B), upregulated the relative abundance of Lactobacillusand Clostridium, and downregulated the relative abundance of Oscillopira, Ruminococcus, Coprococcus, and Akkermansia; analysis of metabolites revealed that the levels of bile acid, deoxycholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, and taurocholic acid were notably elevated after SDF treatment, while the levels of indole-3-lactic acid, putrescine, and L-arginine were significantly decreased. Pathway enrichment analysis found that SDF regulates Taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, Primary bile acid biosynthesis, and Bile secretion. Correlation analysis between gut microbiota and metabolites revealed that Fusibacterand Actinomycesmay contribute to alleviating constipation by regulating the level of bile acid in the intestine. SDF intervention increased the mRNA expressions of FABP1and SLC1A5in constipated rats. Furthermore, SDF exhibited notable abilities in retaining water and undergoing swelling. The above results showed that SDF helped the intestine lock water and promoted intestinal peristalsis by increasing friction. On the other hand, SDF supplementation increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillusand Clostridium, decreased the relative abundance of Oscillopira, increased the levels of various bile acids such as deoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, further regulated intestinal lipid metabolism, up-regulated FABP1mRNA expression, promoted intestinal cell proliferation, restored intestinal homeostasis, and thus alleviated constipation.

Superhydrophobic coatings have broad applications in a variety of industries. By using a low-surface-energy material and creating nanoscale roughness, a superhydrophobic surface can be produced. To overcome the health and environmental concerns of fluorine-based materials and the limitations of large-scale rough microstructure fabrication, a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based hierarchical superhydrophobic fabric coating prepared by simple thermal treatment and electrostatic flocking technology was introduced in this study. High-temperature thermal treatment is employed to create PDMS nanoparticle-decorated carbon fibers, which are further vertically implanted onto the surface of cotton fabric via electrostatic flocking technology. The environmentally friendly PDMS nanoparticles were adopted as low-surface-energy materials, and the electrostatic flocking technology was utilized to generate a vertically aligned carbon fiber array coating, mimicking a lotus leaf-like superhydrophobic surface microstructure. Therefore, an ultrahigh water contact angle of 173.9 ± 2.8° and a low sliding angle of 1 ± 0.5° can be obtained by the fabric coating with a PDMS-to-carbon fiber ratio of 20:1. The prepared superhydrophobic fabric also exhibits an excellent self-cleaning property and great durability after 60 cycles of washing. Through commercially available thermal treatment and electrostatic flocking processes, this strategy for fabricating fluorine-free superhydrophobic fabric can be easily scaled up for commercial manufacturing and promotes the design of superhydrophobic coatings for other substrates.

To improve the thermoelectric performance and wearability of fabric based thermoelectric materials, a superhydrophobic encapsulated Bi2Te3/CNT thermoelectric fabric was introduced. Through layer-by-layer assembly process, Bi2Te3and CNT were coated onto the fabric substrate, respectively. A double layer superhydrophobic encapsulation composed of silicone, PDMS and PMMA was coated onto the surface of Bi2Te3/CNT fabric to isolate it from the ambient environment. The encapsulated fabric with a water contact angle of 158.6° exhibits great self-cleaning property and flexibility. A thermoelectric generator consists of five Bi2Te3/CNT fabric legs could generate an output voltage of 1.8 mV under a temperature difference of 30 °C and could be easily attached to the end of sleeves or socks.

A combination of cultured epidermal stem cells (Epi‐SCs) derived from the epidermis and skin‐derived precursors (SKPs) was capable of reconstituting functional hair follicles and sebaceous glands (SG). The results indicate that cultured Epi‐SCs and SKPs are sufficient to generate de novo hair follicles and SGs, implying great potential to develop novel bioengineered skin substitutes with appendage genesis capacity. Stem cell‐based organ regeneration is purported to enable the replacement of impaired organs in the foreseeable future. Here, we demonstrated that a combination of cultured epidermal stem cells (Epi‐SCs) derived from the epidermis and skin‐derived precursors (SKPs) was capable of reconstituting functional hair follicles and sebaceous glands (SG). When Epi‐SCs and SKPs were mixed in a hydrogel and implanted into an excisional wound in nude mice, the Epi‐SCs formed de novo epidermis along with hair follicles, and SKPs contributed to dermal papilla in the neogenic hair follicles. Notably, a combination of culture‐expanded Epi‐SCs and SKPs derived from the adult human scalp were sufficient to generate hair follicles and hair. Bone morphogenetic protein 4, but not Wnts, sustained the expression of alkaline phosphatase in SKPs in vitro and the hair follicle‐inductive property in vivo when SKPs were engrafted with neonatal epidermal cells into excisional wounds. In addition, Epi‐SCs were capable of differentiating into sebocytes and formed de novo SGs, which excreted lipids as do normal SGs. Thus our results indicate that cultured Epi‐SCs and SKPs are sufficient to generate de novo hair follicles and SGs, implying great potential to develop novel bioengineered skin substitutes with appendage genesis capacity. In postpartum humans, skin appendages lost in injury are not regenerated, despite the considerable achievement made in skin bioengineering. In this study, transplantation of a combination of culture‐expanded epidermal stem cells and skin‐derived progenitors from mice and adult humans led to de novo regeneration of functional hair follicles and sebaceous glands. The data provide transferable knowledge for the development of novel bioengineered skin substitutes with epidermal appendage regeneration capacity.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell encapsulation in hydrogel provides superb methods to investigate the biochemical cues in directing cellular fate and behaviors outside the organism, the primary step of which is to establish suitable “blank platform” to mimic and simplify native ECM microenvironment. In this study, zwitterionic starch-based “clickable” hydrogels were fabricated via a “copper- and light- free” Michael-type “thiol–ene” addition reaction between acylated-modified sulfobetaine-derived starch (SB-ST-A) and dithiol-functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-SH). By incorporating antifouling SB-ST and PEG, the hydrogel system would be excellently protected from nontarget protein adsorption to act as a “blank platform”. The hydrogels could rapidly gel under physiological conditions in less than 7 min. Dynamic rheology experiments suggested the stiffness of the hydrogel was close to the native tissues, and the mechanical properties as well as the gelation times and swelling behaviors could be easily tuned by varying the precursor proportions. The protein and cell adhesion assays demonstrated that the hydrogel surface could effectively resist nonspecific protein and cell adhesion. The degradation study in vitro confirmed that the hydrogel was biodegradable. A549 cells encapsulated in the hydrogel maintained high viability (up to 93%) and started to proliferate in number and extend in morphology after 2 days’ culture. These results indicated the hydrogel presented here could be a potential candidate as “blank platform” for 3D cell encapsulation and biochemical cues induced cellular behavior investigation in vitro.

Six types of tea leaves, including Longjing green Tea, Mengding Huangya, white tea, Tie Guanyin, Wuyi black tea and Pu'er tea, were analyzed and identified using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) combined with the discriminant analysis (DA) method. The spectral line intensities of Mg, Mn, Ca, Al, Fe, K, CN (0-0) and C2(0-0) referenced to C I 247.86 nm were selected as the analysis indexes according to the differences in the LIBS spectra. The results show that 294 samples were identified correctly from a 300 training set and the average correct identification rate was 98%. In addition, 286 samples from a 300 testing set were correctly identified and the average correct identification rate was 95.33%. The misclassification mainly occurred among Mengding Huangya tea, white tea and black tea due to the little differences in the line intensities of Mg, Mn, Ca, Al and C2(0-0) among these tea leaves. The research results provide a reference method for the identification of tea leaves.

Extreme weather events are on the rise against the backdrop of climate change. Impact of tropical cyclone (TC) system, one of the extreme weather events, on air pollution remain poorly understood. A total of 103 recorded TCs (tropical storms and stronger) together with the surface air quality data collected from over 2000 observational sites in mainland China in 2014–2020 were utilized to examine the co‐occurrence of TC with continental ozone (O3) and fine particulate matters (PM2.5) pollution. TCs exhibit cleaning effects on PM2.5within its coverage (typically ∼650 km), but enhance the co‐occurrence of O3and PM2.5in an extended region. The co‐occurrence frequencies are greater than 30% for any two co‐occurring events, and ∼8% for TC + PM2.5+ O3. We observed superregional trans‐boundary transportation of air pollutants driven by TC, led to ubiquitous spatial offsets and temporal lags of O3, PM2.5pollution and TC, which are often inconsistent with traditional mechanisms such as accelerated chemical reactions for O3formation. O3pollution tends to occur 1∼2 days after PM2.5pollution moved west. In contrast, PM2.5pollution usually occur 4–12 hr following O3pollution within a day over most regions except the southeast of China. Such spatial and temporal offsets vary with the paths of TCs. Composite analysis shows that temperature, wind field and large pressure systems are the key factors for air pollution formation and transportation over TC periphery. Our results have implications for understanding the interactions between TCs and air pollution, particularly for coastal areas where there are recurring TCs. Tropical cyclones driving superregional trans‐boundary transportation of air pollutantsTropical cyclone (e.g., super typhoon In‐Fa) structure could induce unique distribution of O3in both horizontal and vertical directionsComposite analysis shows that tropical cyclone associated temperature, wind field and large pressure systems are the key factors forming air pollution Tropical cyclones driving superregional trans‐boundary transportation of air pollutants Tropical cyclone (e.g., super typhoon In‐Fa) structure could induce unique distribution of O3in both horizontal and vertical directions Composite analysis shows that tropical cyclone associated temperature, wind field and large pressure systems are the key factors forming air pollution

The orthogonal test design is used to optimize the parameters of aluminum alloy laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The signal to background ratio (SBR) of the line of Al I 396.15 nm dependence on the experimental parameters is analyzed. It is shown that the delay time of the ICCD, the gate width of the ICCD and the laser pulse energy have a great influence on the SBR, the parameters which affect the SBR of Al I 396.15 nm are, in order of the laser pulse energy, delay time of the ICCD, gate width. By optimizing the parameters of the experiment, the optimum conditions are determined and high spectral intensity and SBR are obtained under low laser energy. Besides, the sequential test is used to verify the result of the orthogonal test design, and it shows that they are in good agreement with each other. Therefore the orthogonal test design can be used as an optional scheme for the optimization of the LIBS. There are many advantages of the orthogonal test design, such as greatly reducing the workload, simple and rapid analysis, and with accurate results. It is useful to analyze the components of the aluminum alloy or other solid materials qualitatively and quantitatively under the optimum conditions.

The anti-virus and anti-bacteria active components were extracted from some Chinese medicine, such as the honeysuckle, forsythia and the licorice. Using a w/o/w emulsion method, the active components were fabricated to uniform particulate microcapsule with sustained-release properties. The polypropylene punched felt was finished with the finishing agent of microcapsule, nano ZnO and TiO2and polymer adhesive, and the composite air filter with anti-virus and anti-bacteria properties were formed, staphylococcus aureus, colibacillus and candida albicans were applied to antibacterial experiments. The results indicate that the anti-bacteria rate are all 100%, and the virus inactivation rate also reaches 100% to pandemic influenza A virus.

Total production of harringtonine, homoharringtonine and isoharringtonine in solid cultures of Cephalotaxus fortunei was 1.22 mg/l by periodic oscillation in temperature between 10 and 25°C every 12 h for 45 days. Production was enhanced 1.8 and 1.3-fold compared to the controls at constant temperatures of 10 or 25°C. For suspension cultures subjected to such an oscillation every 24 h for 30 days, total alkaloid production of 0.18 mg/l was achieved, a 2.0 and 1.1-fold improvement compared to the suspension culture controls, correspondingly.

PCp-I is a polysaccharide isolated and identified from the Psoralea corylifoliaL. by our research group. In this study, the immunomodulatory effects of PCp-I on RAW264.7 cells was evaluated. PCp-I could enhance the level of NO along with up-regulation of iNOS mRNA in RAW264.7 cells. The PCp-I could significantly up-regulate the mRNA expression of TNF-αand IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells, and then the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, ROS and the phagocytic activity were increased. Additionally, PCp-I could significantly up-regulate the phosphorylation level of p65, p38, ERK and JNK proteins, which proved that PCp-I could activate the macrophages by MAPKs and NF-κB signalling pathway and the TLR4 may be one of the receptors of PCp-I regulate the RAW264.7 cells.

We previously identified peptides derived from round scad as potential Nrf2 activators. However, the neuroprotection of these peptides is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of WCPFSRSF against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity, and the memory-improving effects of WCPFSRSF in mice were also explored. Results showed that WCPFSRSF ameliorated oxidative stress by improving the activities of antioxidant enzymes and promoting the Nrf2-mediated endogenous defense system. Moreover, there is an interaction between the up-regulation of Nrf2 and the down-regulation of NFκB induced by the peptide, which was related to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and could be abolished by the Akt inhibitor LY294002. Further analysis demonstrated that WCPFSRSF may act as a radical scavenger and Nrf2 activator. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects might be related to the Cys and Trp in WCPFSRSF. Moreover, WCPFSRSF could improve spatial memory impairment in sleep-deprived mice. Thus, this work provided evidence for WCPFSRSF as a potential candidate against neurotoxicity and memory deficits.

Poria is a common Traditional Chinese Medicine in clinic. In recent years, the chemical and pharmacological studies of Poria have made great progress, triterpenes and polysaccharides have been isolated, and various types of compounds containing lipids, octanoic acids, fatty acids, and trace elements have been found. In this paper, we reviewed the literature, summarized the main compound types, and reviewed in detail their pharmacological effects in antitumor, immunomodulatory, effects on kidney, hepatoprotective activity, effects on blood sugar, antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory effects, effects on the gut, antidepressant, and so on, and also categorized the compounds with the same or similar pharmacological effects to provide a reference for the in-depth study of the material basis of the pharmacological effect, quality standards, and pharmacological activity of Poria.

Caesalpinia sappanL. has been used as an herbal medicine to treat skin damage as a facial cleanser. In this study, 8 known compounds (1-8), (3R,4S)-3-(3′,4′-hydroxybenzyl)-3,4-dihydro-2″,3″-dimethyl-3H-[1,3]dioxolo [4,5-c]chromen-7-ol (1), brazilin (2), protosappanin A (3), protosappanin C (4), protosappanin B (5), caesalpin J (6), sappanone B (7), and sappanchalcone (8), were isolated from the 70% ethanol extract of C. sappan. The effects of 8 compounds and extracts of C. sappanon tyrosinase were assayed in vitro and in vivo. The results indicated that compounds 1, 2, 4, and 7had activating effects on the tyrosinase. The experiments of enzyme kinetics showed that compounds 3and 6were competitive inhibitors on tyrosinase, while compound 6was anticompetitive inhibitor. The 70% ethanol extract of C. sappancould reduce the contents of tyrosinase in rat serum, ie, the 70% ethanol extracts of C. sappancould inhibit the formation of melanin in vivo. Compounds 2, 3, 5, and 6promoted the formation of tyrosinase in rat serum, while compound 7inhibited the synthesis of tyrosinase in rat serum.

A multi-scale method is presented for solving ill-conditioned linear systems of equations. Numerical examples are provided to show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method compared with traditional iterative methods.

ABSTRACTThe blackberry seed was typically removed as a byproduct and waste from blackberry fruits for juices. Developing value-added utilization of berry seeds will significantly expand the market for berry products as well as improve benefit to berry producers. However, the research on blackberry seed is limited. The objective of this paper was to research antithrombotic mechanism of polysaccharides in blackberry seeds. Polysaccharides in blackberry seeds were extracted, purified and identified by high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPSEC), gas chromatography (GC), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (NMR). Anticoagulant activities were evaluated in vivoby measuring activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT), fibrinogen (FIB) and plasma recalcification time (RRT). Four polysaccharides named BSP-1a, BSP-1b, BSP-2 and BSP-3 were isolated from Blackberry (Rubusspp.) seeds. The results indicated that BSP-1b, BSP-2 and BSP-3 exhibited the anticoagulant activity. Therefore, the anti-thrombosis effects of BSP-1b, BSP-2 and BSP-3 were investigated in vivoby 6-Keto-PGF1α, thromboxane B2(TXB2), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), endothelin-1 (ET-1), whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma viscosity (PV), hematocrit (Hct), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), APTT, TT, PT and FIB. The results suggested that BSP-1b, BSP-2 and BSP-3 had the inhibition effect on thrombus formation, and the antithrombotic effects were associated with the regulation of vascular endothelium active substance, activating blood flow and anticoagulation effect.