Search

A self-powered flexible transparent ultraviolet photodetector based on a CuO/ZnO nanowire array heterojunction is successfully fabricated, which exhibits fast-response speed, high transparency and superior mechanical stability.

The core rhizosphere microbiome is critical for plant fitness. However, its contribution to the belowground biomass and saponin contents of Panax notoginseng remains unclear. High-throughput sequencing of amplicon and metagenome was performed to obtain the microbiome profiles and functional traits in P. notoginseng rhizosphere across a large spatial scale. We obtained 639 bacterial and 310 fungal core OTUs, which were mainly affected by soil pH and organic matter (OM). The core taxa were grouped into four ecological clusters (i.e. high pH, low pH, high OM and low OM) for sharing similar habitat preferences. Furthermore, structural equation modelling (SEM) and correlation analyses revealed that the diversity and composition of core microbiomes, as well as the metagenome-derived microbial functions, were related to belowground biomass and saponin contents. Key microbial genera related to the two plant indicators were also identified. In short, this study explored the main driving environmental factors of core microbiomes in the P. notoginseng rhizosphere and revealed that the core microbiomes and microbial functions potentially contributed to the belowground biomass and saponin contents of the plant. This work may enhance our understanding of interactions between microbes and perennial plants and improve our ability to manage root microbiota for the sustainable production of herbal medicine.

BackgroundRenal involvement is rarely reported in juvenile dermatomyositis and may be caused by the toxic effects of myoglobinuria or an autoimmune reaction. We report a case of dermatomyositis and nephrotic syndrome in a child to explore the association between juvenile dermatomyositis and renal involvement.Case presentationAn 8-year-old girl with skin rash, edema, proximal muscle weakness predominantly involving the lower extremities, low-grade fever, and foamy urine was admitted to our hospital. Her laboratory tests met the criteria of nephrotic syndrome. She had elevated creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase and was diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis after electromyography and muscle MRI. Anti-NXP2 antibodies were positive. Her proteinuria was relieved soon after treatment with prednisone and methotrexate, but her muscle strength progressively decreased. The disease was relieved after pulse methylprednisolone treatment and mycophenolate mofetil, but recurred after drug reduction with mild proteinuria. Adalimumab was used for treatment and helped reduce the doses of glucocorticoid and mycophenolate mofetil.ConclusionJuvenile dermatomyositis may be one of the rare causes of nephrotic syndrome. The mechanism involved in JDM combined with renal injury may be multifactorial. Autoantibodies may play important roles in both muscle and renal damage.

Background Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) play an important role in plant growth and development, stress response, and regulation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is famous for its high industrial, nutritional, and medicinal value. It contains non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBG), which play important roles as anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety. At present, the involvement of HATs in the regulation of cannabinoid CBD and CBG synthesis has not been clarified. Methods The members of HAT genes family in hemp were systematically analyzed by bioinformatics analysis. In addition, the expression level of HATs and the level of histone acetylation modification were analyzed based on transcriptome data and protein modification data. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to verify the changes in gene expression levels after inhibitor treatment. The changes of CBD and CBG contents after inhibitor treatment were verified by HPLC-MS analysis. Results Here, 11 HAT genes were identified in the hemp genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that hemp HAT family genes can be divided into six groups. Cannabinoid synthesis genes exhibited spatiotemporal specificity, and histones were acetylated in different inflorescence developmental stages. The expression of cannabinoid synthesis genes was inhibited and the content of CBD and CBG declined by 10% to 55% in the samples treated by HAT inhibitor (PU139). Results indicated that CsHAT genes may regulate cannabinoid synthesis through altering histone acetylation. Conclusions Our study provides genetic information of HATs responsible for cannabinoid synthesis, and offers a new approach for increasing the content of cannabinoid in hemp.

Secretory proteins are cotranslationally or posttranslationally translocated across lipid membranes via a protein-conducting channel named SecY in prokaryotes and Sec61 in eukaryotes. The vast majority of secretory proteins in bacteria are driven through the channel posttranslationally by SecA, a highly conserved ATPase. How a polypeptide chain is moved by SecA through the SecY channel is poorly understood. Here, we report electron cryomicroscopy structures of the active SecA–SecY translocon with a polypeptide substrate. The substrate is captured in different translocation states when clamped by SecA with different nucleotides. Upon binding of an ATP analog, SecA undergoes global conformational changes to push the polypeptide substrate toward the channel in a way similar to how the RecA-like helicases translocate their nucleic acid substrates. The movements of the polypeptide substrates in the SecA–SecY translocon share a similar structural basis to those in the ribosome–SecY complex during cotranslational translocation.

Drought stress is one of the main limiting factors in geographical distribution and production of Codonopsis pilosula. Understanding the biochemical and genetic information of the response of C. pilosula to drought stress is urgently needed for breeding tolerant varieties. Here, carbohydrates, namely trehalose, raffinose, maltotetraose, sucrose, and melezitose, significantly accumulated in C. pilosula roots under drought stress and thus served as biomarkers for drought stress response. Compared with those in the control group, the expression levels of key genes such as adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch branching enzyme, granule-bound starch synthase, soluble starch synthase, galacturonate transferase, cellulose synthase A catalytic subunit, cellulase Korrigan in the carbohydrate biosynthesis pathway were markedly up-regulated in C. pilosula roots in the drought treatment group, some of them even exceeded 70%. Notably, and that of key genes including trehalose-6-phosphatase, trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase, galactinol synthase, and raffinose synthase in the trehalose and raffinose biosynthesis pathways was improved by 12.6%-462.2% in C. pilosula roots treated by drought stress. The accumulation of carbohydrates in C. pilosula root or rhizosphere soil was correlated with microbiome variations. Analysis of exogenous trehalose and raffinose confirmed that increased carbohydrate content improved the drought tolerance of C. pilosula in a dose-dependent manner. This study provided solid foundation for breeding drought-tolerant C. pilosula varieties and developing drought-resistant microbial fertilizers.

BackgroundWith the development trend of healthy aging and intelligent integration, escort products have become a new means of healthy aging. Healthy old-age care pays attention to the convenience and informatization of life. To meet the needs, designers often design multiple accompanying product solutions, and it is very important to use reasonable evaluation methods to decide on the optimal solution.PurposesA new comprehensive evaluation method is proposed to reduce the subjectivity and one-sidedness of the selection process of intelligent escort product design solutions, and to make the decision more objective and reasonable. Such decisions can enhance the experience and naturalness of the elderly using intelligent products.MethodsFirst, a large number of user interviews were analyzed using the grounded theory, gradually refine through theoretical coding, and abstracted with the design scheme evaluation index. Second, the idea of game-theoretic weighting is used to optimize a linear combination of subjective and objective weights to determine the final weights of each evaluation indicator. Finally, the evaluation and selection are completed based on the solution ranking determined by the approximate ideal solution ranking method (TOPSIS). It is applied for the selection of the elderly escort robot design, and the usability test is conducted using the PSSUQ to verify the selection results.ResultsA new comprehensive evaluation method can better complete the preferential selection of product design solutions for healthy aging escorts, and reduce the subjectivity and one-sidedness of the evaluation.ConclusionThis method compensates for the reliance on personal experience in the selection of options, and improve the subjectivity of the evaluation index determination process and the deviation of index weighting. Improving the objectivity and scientificity of decision-making reduces the blindness of design and production. It also provides a theoretical reference for the research scholars of healthy aging companion products.

Shaogan Fuzi Decoction (SGFD), one of the classical prescriptions of Chinese Medicine, has a long history in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but definitive studies on its efficacy and mechanism of action are lacking. This study aims to elucidate the pharmacodynamic role of SGFD against RA and the potential mechanisms based on a combination of network pharmacology and experimental verification. The RA model in rats was induced by intradermal injection of bovine type Ⅱ collagen and incomplete Freund’s adjuvant at the tail root. SGFD was administered once a day by oral gavage for 4 weeks. After SGFD administration, rat’s arthritis index (AI) score and paw swelling decreased to some extent, and synovial inflammation, vascular hyperplasia, and cartilage destruction of the ankle joint were improved. Simultaneously, thymus and spleen index and serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were lowered. Network pharmacology revealed that quercetin, kaempferol, naringenin, formononetin isorhamnetin and licochalcone A were the potentialiy active components, and IL6, TP53, TNF, PTGS2, MAPK3 and IL-1β were potential key targets for SGFD in the treatment of RA. Ingredients-targets molecular docking showed that the components had the high binding activity to these target proteins. The mechanism of SGFD for RA involves various biological functions and is closely correlated with TNF signaling pathway, Osteoclast differentiation, T cell receptor signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and so on. Western blot and ELISA showed that the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) p65, phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), p-p38, phosphorylated extracellular regulated kinase (p-ERK) and TNF-α was significantly upregulated in the synovium of RA rats, and the levels of serum inflammatory factors were significantly increased. SGFD inhibits the activation of the TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK pathway and the expression/production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In summary, SGFD could improve the symptoms and inflammatory response in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model. The mechanism might be related to the regulation of TLR4/MAPKs/NF-κB signaling pathway and the reduction of inflammatory factor release, which partially confirms the results predicted by network pharmacology.

Hemp seeds are rich in metabolites such as protein, lipids and flavonoids, which are beneficial to health and can be used as a nutritional supplement. Few studies have focused on the metabolites of different hemp seed varieties. In the current study, using widely targeted metabolomics based on UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS, we compared the metabolomes of seeds from seven hemp varieties with different uses. A total of 1,001 metabolites, including 201 flavonoids, 86 alkaloids, and 149 phenolic acids, were identified. Flavonoids, organic acids, alkaloids, lipids, and fatty acids with high nutritional value are important to investigate the differences between hemp accessions. By using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), six modules of closely related metabolites were identified. And, we identified the metabolite characteristics and hub metabolites of each variety. Then, we experimentally determined antioxidant activity of seven varieties and demonstrated that alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, and free fatty acids are responsible for the antioxidant activity of hemp seeds. Our research provides useful information for further investigation of the chemical composition of hemp seeds.

C4d may be used as a marker to evaluate the condition and prognosis of adults with IgA nephropathy, but there have been few studies of children with IgA nephropathy.C4d immunohistochemical staining was performed on samples from children with IgA nephropathy with C1q-negative immunofluorescence. The clinical and pathological treatment and prognostic characteristics of children in the C4d-positive and -negative groups were compared.A total of sixty-five children with IgA nephropathy were included in the study and were followed up for an average of 37 months. C4d was mainly deposited along the capillary loops. The urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) in the C4d-positive group was significantly higher than that in the C4d-negative group (3.97 vs. 0.81, P 0.001), and the average integrated optical density value of each child was positively correlated with the UPCR (r = 0.441, P 0.001). There was a significant difference in the proportions of children with mesangial hypercellularity (M1) (68.97% vs. 44.44%, P = 0.048) and segmental glomerulosclerosis (S1) (65.52% vs. 33.33%, P = 0.010) between the C4d-positive group and the C4d-negative group. The proportion of children who received immunosuppressants in the C4d-positive group was higher than that in the C4d-negative group (86.21% vs. 36.11%, P 0.001). There was no significant difference in the proportion of children developing kidney failure between the two groups.C4d was found to be associated with proteinuria, segmental lesions, and immunosuppressant treatment. Activation of the lectin pathway may reflect the severity of clinical and pathological manifestations of IgA nephropathy in children. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Rhizosphere microbiome promotes plant growth; however, the succession of rhizosphere microbial community during the growth stages of perennial medicinal plant Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng) is still unclear. Here, amplicon sequencing was performed to assess the succession characteristics of rhizosphere microbiomes during developmental stages. Results showed that bacterial and fungal communities were mainly shaped by the development stages. The microbial α-diversities first increased and then decreased with plant growth and the variation in microbial composition was active at the 3-year root growth (3YR) stage. The variation trend of cross-domain co-occurrence network complexity was similar to that of α-diversities. Cross-domain nodes decreased at the 3YR stage and fungal nodes increased at the 3YR stage. This study provided a detailed and systematic survey of rhizosphere microbiomes during the growth stages of P. notoginseng. The findings revealed that the development stages of P. notoginseng drove the temporal dynamics of rhizosphere communities. This study helps in harnessing the power of microbiomes to evaluate herbal medicine growth and provides valuable information to guide the microbial breeding of medical plants.

Background Propofol is a common sedative-hypnotic drug traditionally used for inducing and maintaining general anesthesia. Recent studies have drawn attention to the nonanesthetic effects of propofol, but the potential mechanism by which propofol suppresses non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression has not been fully elucidated. Methods For the in vitro experiments, we used propofol (0, 2, 5, and 10 µg/mL) to treat A549 cells for 1, 4, and 12 hours and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) to detect proliferation. Apoptosis was measured with flow cytometry. We also transfected A549 cells with an microribonucleic acid-21 (miR-21) mimic or negative control ribonucleic acid (RNA) duplex and phosphatase and tensin homolog, deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) or negative control. PTEN, phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAKT), and protein kinase B (AKT) expression were detected using Western blotting, whereas miR-21 expression was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In vivo, nude mice were given injections of A549 cells to grow xenograft tumors; 8 days later, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with propofol (35 mg/kg) or soybean oil. Tumors were then collected from mice and analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Results Propofol inhibited growth (1 hour, P = .001; 4 hours, P ≤ .0001; 12 hours, P = .0004) and miR-21 expression (P ≤ .0001) and induced apoptosis (1 hour, P = .0022; 4 hours, P = .0005; 12 hours, P ≤ .0001) in A549 cells in a time and concentration-dependent manner. MiR-21 mimic and PTEN siRNA transfection antagonized the suppressive effects of propofol on A549 cells by decreasing PTEN protein expression (mean differences [MD] [95% confidence interval {CI}], -0.51 [-0.86 to 0.16], P = .0058; MD [95% CI], 0.81 [0.07-1.55], P = .0349, respectively), resulting in an increase in pAKT levels (MD [95% CI] = -0.82 [-1.46 to -0.18], P = .0133) following propofol exposure. In vivo, propofol treatment reduced NSCLC tumor growth (MD [95% CI] = -109.47 [-167.03 to -51.91], P ≤ .0001) and promoted apoptosis (MD [95% CI] = 38.53 [11.69-65.36], P = .0093). Conclusions Our study indicated that propofol inhibited A549 cell growth, accelerated apoptosis via the miR-21/PTEN/AKT pathway in vitro, suppressed NSCLC tumor cell growth, and promoted apoptosis in vivo. Our findings provide new implications for propofol in cancer therapy and indicate that propofol is extremely advantageous in surgical treatment.

A new species, Haematomma pluriseptatum, is described from southwestern China. This corticolous species is characterized by large ascospores with (19–)20–26(–27) septa and by the presence of atranorin, russulone, and pseudoplacodiolic acid. A detailed description of its morphology, high resolution photographs, chemistry, comments, and distribution are provided. Related lichen taxa are discussed, and a key to the species of Haematomma from China is also provided.

Objective Why are different medicinal parts including heads, bodies and tails of Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR) distinct in pharmaceutical activities? Here we explored their discrepancy in chemical constituents and transcriptome. Methods ASR were separated into three medicinal parts: heads (rootstocks with petiole traces of ASR), bodies (taproots of ASR) and tails (lateral roots of ASR), and chemical and transcriptomic analyses were conducted simultaneously. Results High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint results showed that five widely used active ingredients (ferulic acid, senkyunolide H, senkyunolide A, n-butylphathlide, and ligustilide) were distributed unevenly in the three ASR medicinal parts. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) demonstrated that the heads can be differentiated from the two other root parts due to different amounts of the main components. However, the content of ferulic acid (a main quality marker) was significantly higher in tails than in the heads and bodies. The transcriptome analysis found that 25,062, 10,148 and 29,504 unigenes were specifically expressed in the heads, bodies and tails, respectively. WGCNA analysis identified 17 co-expression modules, which were constructed from the 19,198 genes in the nine samples of ASR. Additionally, we identified 28 unigenes involved in two phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (PB) pathways about ferulic acid metabolism pathways, of which 17 unigenes (60.7%) in the PB pathway were highly expressed in the tails. The expression levels of PAL, C3H, and CQT transcripts were significantly higher in the tails than in other root parts. RT-qPCR analysis confirmed that PAL, C3H, and CQT genes were predominantly expressed in the tail parts, especially PAL, whose expression was more than doubled as compared with that in other root parts. Conclusion Chemical and transcriptomic analyses revealed the distribution contents and pivotal transcripts of the ferulic acid biosynthesis-related pathways. The spatial gene expression pattern partially explained the discrepancy of integral medicinal activities of three medicinal root parts.

Rhizosphere microbiome promotes plant growth; however, the succession of rhizosphere microbial community during the growth stages of perennial medicinal plant

Panax notoginseng (Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen), a plant of high medicinal value, is severely affected by root rot during cultivation. Here, we generated a reference genome of P. notoginseng, with a contig N50 size of 241.268 kb, and identified 66 disease-resistance genes (R-genes) as candidate genes for breeding disease-resistant varieties. We then investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the responses of resistant and susceptible P. notoginseng genotypes to Fusarium oxysporum infection at six time points by RNA-seq. Functional analysis of the genes differentially expressed between the two genotypes indicated that genes involved in the defense response biological process like hormone transduction and plant-pathogen interaction are continuously and highly expressed in resistant genotype during infection. Moreover, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid levels gradually increased during infection in the resistant genotype. Coexpression analysis showed that PnWRKY22 acts as a hub gene in the defense response of the resistant genotype. Finally, transiently overexpressing PnWRKY22 increased salicylic acid levels in P. notoginseng leaves. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for studying root rot resistance in P. notoginseng.

We use computational design coupled with experimental characterization to systematically investigate the design principles for macrocycle membrane permeability and oral bioavailability. We designed 184 6-12 residue macrocycles with a wide range of predicted structures containing noncanonical backbone modifications and experimentally determined structures of 35; 29 are very close to the computational models. With such control, we show that membrane permeability can be systematically achieved by ensuring all amide (NH) groups are engaged in internal hydrogen bonding interactions. 84 designs over the 6-12 residue size range cross membranes with an apparent permeability greater than 1 × 10

Interactions between plants and microbes may promote the growth of plants and regulate the production of secondary metabolites. Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is an annual herb and an important commercial crop. However, the assembly and network of hemp-associated microbiomes inhabiting in soil and plant compartments have not been comprehensively understood. This work investigated the assembly and network of bacterial and fungal communities living in soils (bulk and rhizosphere) and plant compartments (root, stem, leaf, and flower) of four hemp ecotypes cultivated in the same habitat. Microbiome assembly was predominantly shaped by compartment niche. Microbial alpha diversity was the highest in soil, continually decreased from root to flower. Core bacterial genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Rhizobium, Planococcus, and Sphingomonas were mostly enriched in aerial endosphere niches; Clitopilus, Plectosphaerella, and Mortierella were enriched in belowground endosphere. Microbial network complexity and connectivity decreased from root to flower. According to source tracking analysis, hemp microbiota primarily originated from soil and were subsequently filtered in different plant compartments. This work provides details on hemp-associated microbiome along the soil–plant continuum and a comprehensive understanding of the origin and transmission mode of endophytes in hemp.

Summary Endophytes may participate in the conversion of metabolites within medicinal plants, influencing the efficacy of host. However, the distribution of endophytes within medicinal plants P. notoginseng and how it contributes to the conversion of saponins are not well understood. Here, we determined the distribution of saponins and endophytes within P. notoginseng compartments and further confirm the saponin conversion by endophytes. We found metabolites showed compartment specificity within P. notoginseng. Potential saponin biomarkers, such as Rb1, Rg1, Re, Rc and Rd, were obtained. Endophytic diversity, composition and co‐occurrence networks also showed compartment specificity, and bacterial alpha diversity values were highest in root compartment, consistently decreased in the stem and leaf compartments, whereas those of fungi showed the opposite trend. Potential bacterial biomarkers, such as Rhizobium, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Pantoea and fungal biomarkers Phoma, Epicoccum, Xylariales, were also obtained. Endophytes related to saponin contents were found by Spearman correlation analysis, and further verification experiments showed that Enterobacter chengduensis could convert ginsenoside Rg1 to F1 at a rate of 13.24%; Trichoderma koningii could convert ginsenoside Rb1 to Rd at a rate of 40.00% and to Rg3 at a rate of 32.31%; Penicillium chermesinum could convert ginsenoside Rb1 to Rd at a rate of 74.24%., Saponin and endophytes showed compartment‐specificity within P. notoginseng, and some potential biomarkers were obtained. Endophytes related to saponin contents were found by spearman correlation analysis Enterobacter chengduensis could convert ginsenoside Rg1 to F1 at a rate of 13.24%; Trichoderma koningii could convert ginsenoside Rb1 to Rd at a rate of 40.00% and to Rg3 at a rate of 32.31%; Penicillium chermesinum could convert ginsenoside Rb1 to Rd at a rate of 74.24%.

Highly sinterable Yb:Lu2O3 nano-powders without hard agglomeration were synthesized via a highly efficient spray co-precipitation method. The effects of the spray speeds on morphology and composition of the powders were investigated. The results showed that the composition and dispersion of precursor powders changed with the spray speed. When the spray speed reached 40 mL/min, the particles were spherical and showed higher uniformity. The pure phase Yb:Lu2O3 powder was obtained after calcining at 1000 °C for 2 h. The calcined powders were ball milled and dry-formed to prepare green body. Then the Yb:Lu2O3 transparent ceramic was fabricated by vacuum sintering at 1500 °C for 8 h and further hot isostatic pressing in an argon atmosphere.. The in-line optical transmittance of Yb:Lu2O3 transparent ceramic reached 82.05%@1000 nm and 81.08%@400 nm, respectively, and it had submicron level average grain size, which is an effective way to improve the optical properties of the transparent ceramic.

Geochemical properties of rare earth elements (REEs) have the potential to represent the provenance and depositional history of surface sediment in aquatic environments. In this study, both surface and core sediment samples were collected from Dongting Lake to investigate the distribution characteristics and source of REEs by combining the methodologies of geostatistics, positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, discriminant function (DF), and provenance index (PI) based on REEs geochemical parameters. The results indicated that the total REEs content in sediment samples ranged from 129.12 to 284.02 μg g−1, with the average REEs content calculated to be 197.95 μg g−1. Light REEs (LREEs) comprised >90% of the total REEs, indicating that there was an enrichment of LREEs in the sediment samples. The REEs of the surface sediment showed strong spatial variation, with relatively high values located in Eastern Dongting Lake and relatively lower levels in Western Dongting Lake. Moreover, the vertical distributions of ∑REEs, ∑LREEs and ∑HREEs at most sampling sites behaved similarly with rapid increase until about 6–8 cm, followed by a downward trend with some irregularities. The strong association between most REEs confirmed that they often have a positive correlation and co-existence in sediment. The PMF model revealed that most of the REEs in the surface sediment were derived from natural sources with some anthropogenic inputs also serving as contributing sources. The DF and PI results indicated that the REEs distribution pattern in the surface sediment of Dongting Lake was similar to that of the Yangtze River, suggesting that Yangtze River had been more of an influence on sediment loads than the upstream tributaries. This study highlights the broader applicability of the REEs tracing method in sediment transport processes and can provide new knowledge regarding source apportionment analysis of sediment-related contaminants in aquatic environments.

Highly potent DNA damaging agents have become a key class of toxins for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) based targeted therapy. However, until recently, no quantitative bioanalytical method was available to measure the toxin in the form of DNA adducts. In this work, a novel microwave assisted organic solvent extraction and LC-MS/MS based bioanalytical method was developed to extract and quantify DNA-bound toxin IGN-P1 in tissue samples. Using ADC-1 as the model ADC, the method was orthogonally checked with a radioactive method for the recovery of free toxins from DNA adducts in biological matrices. It was found that the bioanalytical method can achieve a high recovery of the IGN-P1 toxin from DNA adducts. In further assessment, tumor and organ tissue samples collected at multiple time points from in vivo studies after dosing with two other ADCs, ADC-2 and ADC-3, were measured by the method. Given the generic nature of the established bioanalytical method without the need of radiolabels, the methodology could be broadly utilized to quantitatively assess the relationship between DNA adduct levels and pharmacological/toxicological effects.

Although interplays between plant and coevolved microorganisms are believed to drive landscape formation and ecosystem services, the relationships between the mycobiome and phytochemical evolution and the evolutionary characteristics of plant-mycobiome interaction patterns are still unclear. The present study explored fungal communities from 405 multiniche samples of three Holarctic disjunct Panax species. The overall mycobiomes showed compartment-dominated variations and dynamic universality. Neutral models were fitted for each compartment at the Panax genus (I) and species (II) levels to infer the community assembly mechanism and identify fungal subgroups potentially representing different plant-fungi interaction results, i.e., the potentially selected, opposed, and neutral taxa. Selection contributed more to the endosphere than to external compartments. The nonneutral taxa showed significant phylogenetic clustering. In Model I, the opposed subgroups could best reflect Panax saponin diversities (r = 0.69), and genera with highly positive correlations to specific saponins were identified using machine learning. Although mycobiomes in the three species differed significantly, subgroups in Model II were phylogenetically clustered based on potential interaction type rather than plant species, indicating potentially conservative plant-fungi interactions. In summary, the finding of strong links between invaders and saponin diversity can help explore the underlying mechanisms of saponin biosynthesis evolution from microbial insights, which is important to understanding the formation of the current landscape. The potential conservatism of plant-fungi interaction patterns suggests that the related genetic modules and selection pressures were convergent across Panax species, advancing our understanding of plant interplay with biotic environments.

Acrolein is a common environmental pollutant that has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis (AS). Increasing evidence demonstrates that acrolein impairs the cardiovascular system by targeting vascular endothelial cells, but the underlying mechanisms haven't been completely elucidated. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), we observed that acrolein treatment induced cell reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, autophagy, pyroptosis and reduced cell migration. In addition, exposure to acrolein resulted in NLRP3 inflammasome activation as evidenced by cleavage of caspase-1 and downstream mature interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 secretion. Knockdown of NLRP3 by small interfering RNA remarkably suppressed acrolein-induced pyroptosis and increased cell migration. Moreover, the scavenging ROS relieved the autophagy, NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis. Furthermore, the role of autophagy in the acrolein-medicated pyroptosis and cell migration was investigated. In our study, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), an autophagy inhibitor, aggravated NLRP3 inflammasome activation, pyroptosis and decreased cell migration, rapamycin (Rapa), an autophagy inducer, alleviated aforementioned phenomenon under acrolein stress. Besides, we found damaged mitochondrion accentuated NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis in acrolein-treated cells. In conclusion, it is possible that acrolein induced cell pyroptosis and suppressed cell migration via ROS-dependent autophagy. What's more, NLRP3 inflammasome activation plays a key role in this process.

Studies on the influence of paper mill wastewater, which affects photosynthesis, on reed chlorophyll and biomass can provide a theoretical basis for the ecological restoration of wetland plants. The influence of different concentrations of wastewater (chemical oxygen demands (COD) of 300, 175 and 50 mg•L−1) and different irrigation times (germination, blade-expansion, rapid-growth, heading and maturity stages) on the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a/b in reeds were tested in experimental pools that simulated the wetland ecosystem of the Liaoning Shuangtai estuary. The contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a/b all increased significantly with increasing concentrations of wastewater, and their contents all differed significantly from each other. The contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were maximal when irrigated at the beginning of all growth stages with COD of 300 mg•L−1(C1O) at 2.253, 0.458 and 2.711 mg•g−1 fresh weight (FW), respectively, with irrigation at the rapid-growth stage and were minimal in the control plants at 0.142, 0.068 and 0.210 mg•g−1 FW, respectively, with irrigation at maturity. Chlorophyll a/b was maximal at C1O at 5.753 with irrigation at germination stage and was minimal in the control plants at 2.113 with irrigation at maturity. Reed biomass was maximal at C1O at 3.26 kg, which was 2.76 times higher than the control. Reed biomass was positively correlated with the content of chlorophyll and with COD in the wastewater. Paper mill wastewater generally increased the content of chlorophyll and the net photosynthesis rate and enhanced the growth of reeds.

In the immuno-oncology field, surrogate mouse monoclonal antibodies are often preferred in establishing proper PK/PD/efficacy correlations as well as supporting anticipated mouse to human translation. Thus, a highly sensitive and specific bioanalytical method is needed in quantifying those surrogate mouse antibodies after dosing in mice. Unfortunately, when specific reagents, such as recombinant target antigen and anti-idiotypic antibody, are not available, measuring mouse surrogate antibody drugs in mice is very challenging for ligand binding assay (LBA) due to the severe cross reactivity potential. Different from LBA, if at least one unique surrogate peptide can be identified from the surrogate antibody sequence, the immunoaffinity enrichment based LC/MS/MS assay may be able to differentiate the analyte response from the high endogenous immunoglobulin background and provide adequate sensitivity. Herein, a new automated multicycle immunoaffinity enrichment method was recently developed to extract a surrogate mouse IgG1 (mIgG1) antibody drug from mouse plasma using a commercially available antimouse IgG1 secondary antibody. In the assay, reuse of the capture antibody up to six times mostly resolved the binding capacity issue caused by the abundant endogenous mIgG1 and made the immunoaffinity enrichment step more cost-effective. Combined with a unique surrogate peptide identified from the antibody, the LC/MS/MS assay achieved a limit of quantitation of 5 ng/mL with satisfactory assay precision, accuracy, and dynamic range. The successful implementation of this novel approach in discovery pharmacokinetic (PK) studies eliminates the dependence on specially generated immunoaffinity capturing reagents.

Background Bones metastasis is a serious clinical complication and increases morbidity and mortality. Surgery remains a main therapy of most solid tumors, but itself may accelerate tumor metastasis. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been reported to be contribute to tumor growth. Little is known about the presence and function of surgery-induced MDSCs during bones metastasis. Methods In the present study, implantation of 4T-1 breast cancer into the mouse was used as a bone metastasis model. We treated 4T1 bearing mice with surgical procedures and mice were divided into Control group, Surgery group and Surgery-hemorrhage group randomly. The femur and tibia fragments from three groups were isolated and bone resorption was identified by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining seven days after surgery. The tumor volumes, metastasis and invasion among three groups were also assessed. We detected the expression of ALP and TRAP to quantify the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts respectively. The percentage of MDSCs in the bones and spleens among three groups were detected though flow cytometry analysis. We analyzed the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on the MDSCs isolated from mice by western blot. We also detected inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), indoleamine2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) and arginase-1 (Arg-1) expression in MDSCs by Real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In vitro, we isolated MDSCs in bone myeloid cells (BMCs) of surgical mice and co-cultured with 4T-1 cells. The effects of MDSCs on tumor cell proliferation migration and invasion were further assessed. We also compared the migration, invasion and proliferation of 4T-1 cells co-cultured with MDSCs pretreatment with anti-mouse PD-1 or isotype antibodies. Results In the present study, we found more severe bone resorption and destruction in Surgery-hemorrhage group (p p p p p p p p p > 0.05). In addition, the data showed that the proliferation rate were significantly higher when breast cancer cells co-cultued with MDSCs compared with these co-cultued with MDSC-depleted BMCs (p p p p p p p p

Heavy metal contamination in herbal medicines is a global threat to human beings especially at levels above known threshold concentrations. The concentrations of five heavy metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and copper (Cu) were investigated using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) with 1773 samples around the world. According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia, 30.51% (541) samples were detected with at least one over-limit metal. The over-limit ratio for Pb was 5.75% (102), Cd at 4.96% (88), As at 4.17% (74), Hg at 3.78% (67), and of Cu, 1.75% (31). For exposure assessment, Pb, Cd, As, and Hg have resulted in higher than acceptable risks in 25 kinds of herbs. The maximal Estimated Daily Intake of Pb in seven herbs, of Cd in five, of Hg in four, and As in three exceeded their corresponding Provisional Tolerable Daily Intakes. In total 25 kinds of herbs present an unacceptable risk as assessed with the Hazard Quotient or Hazard Index. Additionally, the carcinogenic risks were all under acceptable limits. Notably, As posed the highest risk in all indicators including Estimated Daily Intake, Hazard Index, and carcinogenic risks. Therefore further study on enrichment effect of different states of As and special attention to monitoring shall be placed on As related contamination.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) provides a non-invasive approach to modulate brain functions. Some studies have shown that tDCS combined with working memory training can alter the effect of training. This study aims to investigate the effect of HD-tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex combined with N-back task on the amplitude of event related potentials (ERP). In the experiment, subjects performed N-back training for 30min every day with active or sham tDCS for 10 days. EEG data were recorded when subjects performing N-back tests prior to the training, 1 day and 20 days post the training, respectively. With the analyses of ERP components, it was found that there were no significant differences between active and sham groups. However, the results of post-test were significantly different from the pre-test. Subsequently, both in active group and in sham group, the amplitude of ERP increased in the frontoparietal and occipital regions 1 day post training. Those alterations were enhanced 20 days post training in the active group but not in the sham group. The results indicated the aftereffect of HD-tDCS to promote the effects of cognitive training, showing accumulative positive aftereffects on ERP 20 days after the stimulation.

Background: Heavy metal contamination in herbal medicines is a global threat to human beings especially at levels above known threshold concentrations.Methods: The concentrations of five heavy metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and copper (Cu) were investigated using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) with 1773 samples. Exposure assessment, Non-carcinogenic risk assessment, and carcinogenic risk assessment were applied to measure their risks in human body.Results: According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia, 30.51% (541) samples were detected with at least one over-limit metal. The over-limit ratio for Pb was 5.75% (102), Cd at 4.96% (88), As at 4.17% (74), Hg at 3.78% (67), and of Cu, 1.75% (31). For exposure assessment, Pb, Cd, As, and Hg have resulted in higher than acceptable risks in 25 kinds of herbs. The maximal Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of Pb in seven herbs, of Cd in five, of Hg in four, and As in three exceeded their corresponding Provisional Tolerable Daily Intakes (PTDI). In total 25 kinds of herbs present an unacceptable risk as assessed with the HQ (Hazard Quotient) or HI (Hazard Index). Particularly, Plantaginis herba (HI = 11.47) is more than 11 times over the limit.Conclusions: Heavy metal contamination in herbal medicines was borderline or higher than the safety level with the majority of the herbal plants were within acceptable risks. Notably, As posed the highest risk in all indicators including EDI, HI, and CR, inducing the most serious risks in all five metals. Herbal medicines Euodiae fructus, Plantaginis herba, and Desmodii styracifolii were considered the most risk-inducing herbal medicines. Therefore, it is of great advantage to establish universal standards and quality requirements for hazardous elements in herbal medicines so that this natural resource can continue and expand further, to benefit health globally.

Background: Rhizosphere microbiome play important roles in promoting plant growth. However, it is not well understood how rhizosphere microbiome were driven by medical plants during growth stages and whether they contribute the accumulation of medical values. Panax notoginseng is a perennial medicinal plant, which belowground biomass and saponin contents are the important indicators of its value. Here, we use high-throughput sequencing method to study the temporal dynamics of perennial P. notoginseng rhizosphere microbiomes and the relationship between the indicators and core rhizosphere microbiomes.Results: The results show that the diversity, composition and network structures of the bacterial and fungal communities are mainly driven by the developmental stages. And succession characteristics of bacterial and fungal diversity show similar parabolic patterns during the developmental stages. Enrichment and depletion of the bacterial and fungal communities are active at the 3-year root growth (3YR) stage. From samples collected at a large-spatial P. notoginseng production area at the 3YR stage, we obtained 639 bacterial and 310 fungal core operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Analysis of the data indicate that the microbiome diversity is related to the belowground biomass and total saponin contents. Some genera, such as Pseudomonas, Massilia, Sphingobium, and Phoma are positively correlated to the belowground biomass, and genera likely Staphylotrichum, Chaetosphaeria, and Podospora are positively correlated with total saponin contents. Additionally, we identified 36 microbial functions involving in plant-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions, nutrition acquisition, and disease resistance. They are related to belowground biomass and saponin contents. Conclusions: In short, this study provides a detailed and systematic survey of rhizosphere microbiome in P. notoginseng and reveals that P. notoginseng rhizosphere microbiomes are largely driven by the developmental stages, while the core microbiomes are related to the belowground biomass and saponins contents of the plant. The finding may enhance our understanding of the interaction between microbes and perennial plants and improve our ability to manage root microbiota for sustainable production of the herb medicine.

Background: Bulb rot causes loss of the perennial medicinal plant Fritillaria przewalskii Maxim., is exacerbated with growth years and seriously constrains plant productivity, but the pathogens responsible for the disease were still unknown, very few reports were presented before.Methods: To determine potential pathogenic sources, fungus strains were isolated from diseased plant samples with bulb rot symptom of the 3- to 5-year-old F. przewalskii plants by tissue separation, and assayed for pathogenicity according to Koch’s Law.Results: Seven pathogenic strains (F1-F7) were detected in5-year-old rot bulbs, six (F1-F6) in 4-year-old rot bulbs, and four (F1, F2, F5, F6) in 3-year-old rot bulbs. All of the strains were able to infect bulbs by stabbing and some exhibited varying levels of aggressiveness. Relative to the non-stabbing controls, the bulbs stab-inoculated with F5, F2, F7, F4, F1, F6, and F3 showed 76.65%, 75.15%, 71.44%, 40.37%, 39.09%, 36.87%, and 34.93% rot after 8 days, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that theses trains (deposited in GenBank under accessions MH917682 to MH917688) were clustered into Bionectria ochroleuca (F1, F3, F4), Fusarium oxysporum (F2, F7), Fusarium tricinctum (F5), and Clonostachys rosea (F6). The two species of Fusarium had the strongest pathogenicity, followed by Bionectria ochroleuca and Clonostachys rosea. Although leading to low bulb rot incidence by stab-inoculation, F1 showed the highest isolation rate (48.9%) among all strains. Conclusions: Thus, the edible and medicinal bulbs of F. przewalskii are susceptible to synergetic contamination by these seven pathogenic strains at some point after their third year of growth, which has contributed to the species endangered status, with the two strains of Fusarium being the predominant pathogens. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the seven strains of four fungal species causing in F. przewalskii bulb rot in China.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Summary of the metagenomic reads in five sample sites. Table S2. Statistical analysis of rhizosphere soils in P. notoginseng from five different sites.

The replanting ginseng ( Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) in soil where ginseng has previously been grown usually fails due to issues associated with continuous cropping. Successful replanting requires a rotation cycle of more than 30 years. Crop failure at replant sites has been attributed to the accumulation of toxic substances in soil and changes in the rhizosphere microbiome. Soil acidification, toxic compound accumulation, and decreased bacterial diversity were detected in soils during ginseng cropping. The accumulation of toxic diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP) is negatively related to the abundance of Arthrobacter , Burkholderia , Rhodanobacter , and Sphingobacterium . A total of 153 strains were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of ginseng seedlings and identified as DiBP-degrading bacteria. Among these strains, Sphingobacterium sp. PG-1 degraded more than 90% of DiBP within 72 h. The abundance of PG-1 decreased by 79.9% in soils that were cropped with ginseng for three years. DiBP content decreased by 39.2%, and the ginseng death rate was decreased by 40.1% after replanting ginseng in soils inoculated with PG-1. Results revealed that the reduced abundance of DiBP-degrading microbes resulted in the accumulation of toxic compounds that disrupted the microbial ecology. This study provides insights into the integrated mechanism underlying replanting problems in terms of the chemical, biological, and genetic make-up of ginseng. Manipulating soil microbial communities is an effective strategy to alleviate ginseng replanting problems and increase crop productivity.

The integration of ligand-binding assay and LC–MS/MS (immunocapture-LC–MS) has unleashed the combined advantages of both powerful techniques for addressing the ever increasing bioanalytical challenges for biotherapeutics and biomarker assays. The highly specific, selective and sensitive characteristics of the immunocapture-LC–MS-based assays have enabled the determination of biotherapeutics and biomarkers in biomatrices with ease of method development, less requirements on key reagents as well as structural specificity for endogenous and engineered biomolecules. In addition, the versatile immunocapture-LC–MS technology has expanded into many challenging areas to enhance mechanistic studies of drug interactions with their targets. This paper intends to summarize our perspectives on enhancing the use of immunocapture-LC–MS in drug discovery and development for emerging new modalities.

Acrolein, a highly reactive α,β-unsaturated aldehyde, is a toxic component of cigarette smoke. As a lipid peroxidation biomarker, acrolein plays an important role in a wide variety of disease states, such as neurodegenerative, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and atherosclerosis. Endothelial cell injury is one of the initiating factors of atherosclerosis, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Our study primarily focused on acrolein-induced autophagy–dependent apoptosis and the possible molecular mechanism. The results showed that treatment with acrolein increased the number of intracellular GFP-LC3 II punctuates and the expression of autophagosome biomarker LC3-II, with the low dose (25 μM) or at the early stage of treatment (3 h). Following treatment of EAhy926 cells with acrolein for 6 h, lysosomal permeabilization changed, and cathepsin B (CB) was released. Additionally, acrolein induced the collapse of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and cytochrome c was released. Furthermore, caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation showed that acrolein induced EAhy926 cell apoptosis. Autophagy inhibitor 3MA and CB inhibitor CA-074 Me (CA) attenuated acrolein-induced apoptosis. Collectively, our results suggested that acrolein-induced apoptosis is autophagy-dependent, occurring via injury to lysosomes and mitochondria. This study provides new mechanistic insight toward understanding the pathogenesis of acrolein-related disorders.

BACKGROUND The T-helper 17 (Th17)/regulatory T (Treg) cell balance is essential for immune homeostasis. However, the effects of gastric surgery on this balance remain unclear. The aim of present study is to identify the influence of gastric surgery on Th17/Treg cell balance and the role of programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway in this process. METHODS Mice were divided into control, sham, and surgery group randomly. Animals in surgery group accepted partial gastrectomy. Mice in sham group only received laparotomy without partial gastrectomy. Then, we detected the percentages of Treg and Th17 cells, the expression of fork-head/winged helix transcription factor (Foxp3) and retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) in splenocytes, as well as plasma levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and interleukin (IL)-17 on Days 1, 3, 5, 7 after surgery. We also analyzed the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1. The roles of PD-1/PD-L1 on the Th17/Treg balance were evaluated by the induction of Th17 or Treg cells in the presence or absence of PD-1 antibody and recombinant PD-L1 immunoglobulin (Ig) in vitro. RESULTS The percentage of Treg cells increased, accompanied with elevated expression of Foxp3 and TGF-β1 (p < 0.05), whereas the percentage of Th17 cells and the expression of RORγt and IL-17 decreased in mice that underwent partial gastrectomy (p < 0.05). The levels of PD-1 and PD-L1 were higher in surgery group than those in control and sham groups (p < 0.05). In vitro, the polarization of Th17 cells was enhanced, and the polarization of Treg cells was inhibited in anti-PD-1 treatment group compared with that in isotype group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Partial gastrectomy resulted in Th17/Treg imbalance, and increased the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1. blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway alleviated gastric surgery-induced imbalance of Th17/Treg cells.

The plant parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognita is a global pest that affects many crops, particularly in greenhouse. Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is an intercrop that has been suggested as a way of controlling M. incognita via an unknown mechanism. We hypothesized that root exudates of castor repel nematodes and reduce M. incognita damage to hosts in a tomato/castor intercropping system. This study aimed to identify the unique compounds in castor that reduce M. incognita damage by regulating nematode chemotaxis. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) intercropped with castor decreased nematode soil populations and reduced M. incognita infection of tomato roots by downregulating Mi-flp-18 and Mi-mpk-1 expressions. Two active components, palmitic acid and linoleic acid, released from castor were detected and quantified by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. Palmitic acid and linoleic acid repelled M. incognita and downregulated Mi-flp-18 and Mi-mpk-1 expressions at increasing concentrations (0.5 mM to 4.0 mM) in vitro. The root exudates from castor contain palmitic acid and linoleic acid, which repelled M. incognita chemotaxis and inhibited Mi-flp-18 and Mi-mpk-1 expressions in a concentration-dependent manner.

Plasma stability assessment under physiological temperature is an essential step for developing and optimizing antibody drug conjugate (ADC) molecules, especially those with cleavable linkers. The assessment of plasma stability often requires monitoring multiple analytes using a combination of bioanalytical assays for free payloads, conjugated payloads (or conjugated antibodies), total antibodies, and payloads that have migrated from antibodies to plasma constituent proteins. Bioanalytical assays are needed in early drug discovery to quickly screen diverse ADC candidates of different antibody constructs, linker variants, and antibody anchor sites. To improve the sensitivity and selectivity of LC/MS/MS-based assays for the assessment, immunocapture has been widely used for extracting ADCs and unconjugated antibodies from plasma samples. In this study, a novel two-step immunocapture LC/MS/MS assay was described to allow the quantification of conjugated payloads, total antibodies, and migrated payloads forming adducts with albumin in the plasma samples for stability assessment. A target antigen immobilized on magnetic beads was used to exhaustively extract the ADC and antibody-associated species. The remaining supernatant was then extracted further with anti-albumin beads for recovering the albumin-associated adducts for quantification. The method was optimized for higher efficiency and cost-effectiveness using microwave enhanced papain-based enzymatic cleavage for measuring conjugated payloads of ADCs and lysyl endopeptidase cleavage in the total antibody assay. A maleimide linker-based ADC with a proprietary payload, TAK-001, was used to demonstrate the streamlined workflow of the ADC stability assessment. The method could provide valuable evaluation of the stability of the ADC as well as the quantitative assessment of the albumin adducts formed from the linker-payload migration in mouse and human plasma. Furthermore, the method should be readily adaptable for other ADCs using thiol-maleimide conjugation chemistry.

Objective Root or rhizome of Panax notoginseng (Sanqi) is known for its eutherapeutic effects. Panax vietnamensis var. fuscidicus, called Yesanqi or Yuenan sanqi by local residents, is also commercially available. They are similar in morphology, leading to serious safety problems in clinical medication. It is necessary to find the rapid and efficient methods to identify them. Methods P. notoginseng and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidicus were identified by DNA barcoding based on the ITS2 sequence. Notoginsenoside R1 and ginsenosides (Rb1, Rg1, Re, Rd, Rc, and Rb2) were analyzed in the roots, fibrils, stems, leaves, and flowers of P. notoginseng and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidicus using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results P. notoginseng and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidicus were separated into branches of divergent clusters, and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidicus and Panax vietnamensis were clustered into a clade with 98% similarity according to DNA barcoding analysis. The chemical compositions of P. notoginseng and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidicus were similar in roots; while their compositions and contents of notoginsenoside R1 and ginsenosides in flowers, leaves, stems, and fibrils were different. Conclusion ITS2 is a rapid and efficient method to identify P. notoginseng and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidicus. HPLC analysis indicated that pharmacological action might be different between P. notoginseng and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidicus.

The catalytic behavior of a series of MFI catalysts with different Si/Al ratio (25–300) in the direct aqueous-phase hydrolysis of α-cellulose was studied. The effects ultrasonic pretreatment time, ZnCl2 content, zeolite pore structure and acid-basic properties on catalyst activity and products distribution were systematically investigated. The results indicated that HZSM-5 with lower Si/Al ratio was beneficial for production of glucose and LA from α-cellulose. Ultrasonic pretreatment could decrease the degree of crystallinity and polymerization of α-cellulose, enhance the accessibility of acid sites and ZnCl2 to the loosened amorphous regions of α-cellulose in water, and improve the hydrolysis efficiency of α-cellulose. The desilicated ZSM-5 (HZSM-5-DS(0.2)) showed much higher catalytic activities as compared to commercial ZSM-5 and α-cellulose conversion reached 76.5% over HZSM-5-DS(0.2) at 200 °C. Catalytic conversion of α-cellulose consisted of at least three important parallel reactions under the present hydrothermal conditions and a plausible pathway was proposed. Effective control of these reactions would be helpful to further maximize the target product yield during the catalytic conversion of α-cellulose.