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Quality makers (Q-markers) are pivotal for the standardization of quality control for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) drugs. However, it’s a great challenge to identify the Q-markers of TCM drugs especially for TCM formulas. This study was designed to provide a method to discover Q-markers of TCM formulas and applied to identify the Q-markers responsible for the anti-cholestatic effect of Danning tablet (DNT), a TCM formulae consisting with seven herbal ingredients. In this study, the anti-cholestatic effect of DNT was evaluated in mice with cholestasis induced by α-naphthyl isothiocyanate (ANIT). An untargeted metabolomic profiling were performed using serum and liver samples of mice. Xenobiotics derived from DNT and endogenous compounds responsible for the anti-cholestatic effect of DNT were screened by statistical analysis and the Q-markers of DNT were illustrated, followed by predicting the potential targets and mechanisms via network pharmacology study. DNT exhibited a protective effect against liver injury in mice with ANIT-induced cholestasis. Three endogenous compounds, namely taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA), taurocholic acid (TCA), and glycocholic acid (GCA), were identified as the endogenous markers responsible for the anti-cholestatic effect of DNT. By setting a cutoff value of the correlation co-efficient at 0.8, 6 promising Q-markers, including luteolin, kaempferol, apigenin, emodin, luteolin-7-glucoside, and 5,4′-dihydroxy-3,6,7,8,3′-pentamethoxyflavone, were screened out. These Q-markers were stably existed in DNT and predicted to be highly active in treating cholestasis. This study established a pipeline to screen out the potential Q-markers of TCM formulas and 6 key Q-markers responsible for the anti-cholestatic effect of DNT were identified.

Medium chain triglycerides has the effect of reducing body weight, regulating lipid metabolism, relieving fatigue and so on, and it is liquid at room temperature. In order to facilitate its application in the field of food, the medium chain triglycerides microcapsules were prepared by spray drying with whey protein and inulin as composite wall materials. The effects of composite wall material proportion, wall material addition amount, core-wall ratio, emulsifier addition amount and composite emulsifier proportion on the embedding rate of medium chain triglycerides microcapsules were investigated by single factor experiment. Box-Behnken design response surface test was used to optimize the preparation formula of medium chain triglycerides microcapsules, and the basic physical and chemical properties of the prepared medium chain triglyceride microcapsules were determined. The response surface method results showed that the optimal preparation conditions of medium chain triglycerides microcapsules were as follows: whey protein: inulin ratio of 3∶1 (w/w), emulsifier supplemental amount of 0.4 g/100 mL, core wall ratio of 1∶1 (w/w), compound wall material (whey protein and inulin) supplemental amount of 14 g/100 mL, compound emulsifier (monoglycerol∶sodium carboxymethyl cellulose) ratio of 1∶1 (w/w), under this condition, the embedding rate of carbon chain fatty acid triglyceride microcapsules can reach 95%. The medium chain triglycerides microcapsules had good fluidity, dispersibility and solubility. The microcapsules had uniform particle size, the average particle size were 4.43 μm.

It is well-known that the performance of BiFeO3BaTiO3 (BF-BT) ceramics is sensitive to composition, calcining and sintering temperature (Tcal and Tsint) due to the formation of Bi25FeO39 and/or Bi2Fe4O9 impurities and/or the volatilization of Bi2O3. We report remarkably stable electrical properties over the range of −0.03 ≤ x ≤ 0.05 and 930 °C ≤ Tsint ≤ 970 °C in 0.7Bi(1+x)FeO3-0.3BaTiO3 ceramics prepared by one-step process. This method avoids the thermodynamically unstable region of BiFeO3 and prevents the formation of Bi25FeO39 and/or Bi2Fe4O9 impurities even when the addition of α-Bi2O3 raw material is intentionally deficient or rich to make off-stoichiometric BF-BT, thus greatly improving the robustness of compositional and processing. Rhombohedral-pseudocubic phase coexists in all ceramics, and their CR/CPC fraction are 48.0/52.0–50.6/49.4 and 55.9/44.1–56.6/43.4 when x increases from −0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0 to 0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.05. The stable electrical properties of d33 = 180–205 pC/N, Pr = 17.9–23.8 μC/cm2, and TC = 485–518 °C are achieved. The maximum d33T/d33RT of BF-BT is twice that of soft PZT, superior to most the-state-of-art lead-free ceramics. Our results provide a synthesis strategy for designing high performance piezoelectric materials with good stability and easy industrialization.

The three macronutrients of lipid, protein and carbohydrate are closely related to human health, and their supply is basically sufficient. However, with the increasing number of patients suffered from hyperlipidemia, obesity, etc., as well as the deepening of the aging process, traditional nutrients can not fulfill the nutritional needs of these people anymore. Therefore, nutritional, processing and organoleptic properties of these three major nutrients need to be enhanced by the deep-processing. Nowadays, the recombinant protein and carbohydrate industries have made great progress in China, but the recombinant lipid industry is just in its infancy. Hence, this paper briefly introduced the status, development opportunities and challenges of domestic structure lipid industry，and expounded the underlying efficacy mechanisms of several main structure lipids. The latest research progress on the health effects and preparation technology of structure lipid were also presented. In addition, in view of the existing problems, future development advices are proposed from the perspectives of theoretical breakthrough, technological innovation, and industrial upgrading, aiming to provide valuable references for the development of domestic structure industry.

NaNbO3-based ceramics usually show ferroelectric-like P-E loops at room temperature due to the irreversible transformation of the antiferroelectric orthorhombic phase to ferroelectric orthorhombic phase, which is not conducive to energy storage applications. Our previous work found that incorporating CaHfO3 into NaNbO3 can stabilize its antiferroelectric phase by reducing the tolerance factor (t), as indicated by the appearance of characteristic double P-E loops. Furthermore, a small amount of MnO2 addition effectively regulate the phase structure and tolerance factor of 0.94NaNbO3-0.06CaHfO3 (0.94NN-0.06CH), which can further improve the stability of antiferroelectricity. The XRD and XPS results reveal that the Mn ions preferentially replace A-sites and then B-sites as increasing MnO2. The antiferroelectric orthorhombic phase first increases and then decreases, while the t shows the reversed trend, thus an enhanced antiferroelectricity and the energy storage density Wrec of 1.69 J/cm3 at 240 kV/cm are obtained for 0.94NN-0.06CH-0.5%MnO2(in mass fraction). With the increase of Mn content to 1.0 % from 0.5 %, the efficiency increases to 81 % from 45 %, although the energy storage density decreases to 1.31 J/cm3 due to both increased tolerance factor and non-polar phase.

Our previous study has demonstrated that the nuclear-origin supplementation of the PSII core subunit D1 protein stimulates growth and increases grain yields in transgenic rice plants by enhancing photosynthetic efficiency. In this study, the underlying mechanisms have been explored regarding how the enhanced photosynthetic capacity affects metabolic activities in the transgenic plants of rice harboring the integrated transgene RbcSPTP-OspsbA cDNA, cloned from rice, under control of the AtHsfA2 promoter and N-terminal fused with the plastid-transit peptide sequence (PTP) cloned from the AtRbcS. Here, a comparative metabolomic analysis was performed using LC-MS in flag leaves of the transgenic rice plants during the grain-filling stage. Critically, the dramatic reduction in the quantities of nucleotides and certain free amino acids was detected, suggesting that the increased photosynthetic assimilation and grain yield in the transgenic plants correlates with the reduced contents of free nucleotides and the amino acids such as glutamine and glutamic acid, which are cellular nitrogen sources. These results suggest that enhanced photosynthesis needs consuming more free nucleotides and nitrogen sources to support the increase in biomass and yields, as exhibited in transgenic rice plants. Unexpectedly, dramatic changes were measured in the contents of flavonoids in the flag leaves, suggesting that a tight and coordinated relationship exists between increasing photosynthetic assimilation and flavonoid biosynthesis. Consistent with the enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, the substantial increase was measured in the content of starch, which is the primary product of the Calvin–Benson cycle, in the transgenic rice plants under field growth conditions.

Abstract Background The disease gene of fragile X syndrome, FMR1 gene, encodes fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). The alternative splicing (AS) of FMR1 can affect the structure and function of FMRP. However, the biological functions of alternatively spliced isoforms remain elusive. In a previous study, we identified a new 140bp exon from the intron 9 of human FMR1 gene. In this study, we further examined the biological functions of this new exon and its underlying signaling pathways. Results qRT-PCR results showed that this novel exon is commonly expressed in the peripheral blood of normal individuals. Comparative genomics showed that sequences paralogous to the 140 bp sequence only exist in the genomes of primates. To explore the biological functions of the new transcript, we constructed recombinant eukaryotic expression vectors and lentiviral overexpression vectors. Results showed that the spliced transcript encoded a truncated protein which was expressed mainly in the cell nucleus. Additionally, several genes, including the BEX1 gene involved in mGluR-LTP or mGluR-LTD signaling pathways were significantly influenced when the truncated FMRP was overexpressed. Conclusions our work identified a new exon from amid intron 9 of human FMR1 gene with wide expression in normal healthy individuals, which emphasizes the notion that the AS of FMR1 gene is complex and may in a large part account for the multiple functions of FMRP.

Characterization of the alterations in leaf lipidome in Begonia (Begonia grandis Dry subsp. sinensis) under heat stress will aid in understanding the mechanisms of stress adaptation to high-temperature stress often occurring during hot seasons at southern areas in China. The comparative lipidomic analysis was performed using leaves taken from Begonia plants exposed to ambient temperature or heat stress. The amounts of total lipids and major lipid classes, including monoacylglycerol (MG), diacylglycerol (DG), triacylglycerols (TG), and ethanolamine-, choline-, serine-, inositol glycerophospholipids (PE, PC, PS, PI) and the variations in the content of lipid molecular species, were analyzed and identified by tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry. Upon exposure to heat stress, a substantial increase in three different types of TG, including 18:0/16:0/16:0, 16:0/16:0/18:1, and 18:3/18:3/18:3, was detected, which marked the first stage of adaptation processes. Notably, the reduced accumulation of some phospholipids, including PI, PC, and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was accompanied by an increased accumulation of PS, PE, and phosphatidic acid (PA) under heat stress. In contrast to the significant increase in the abundance of TG, all of the detected lysophospholipids and sphingolipids were dramatically reduced in the Begonia leaves exposed to heat stress, suggesting that a very dynamic and specified lipid remodeling process is highly coordinated and synchronized in adaptation to heat stress in Begonia plants.

Background: Treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) in children is generally symptomatic and unsatisfactory. Traditional Chinese medicines, such as Shenqu Xiaoshi Oral Liquid (SXOL), have been recommended to alleviate dyspeptic symptoms. However, evidence of their safety and efficacy remains limited to date. AIM: To assess whether 2 weeks of therapy with SXOL was non-inferior to domperidone syrup in children with FD.Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, double-simulated, non-inferiority, multi-center clinical trial, we recruited children (3–14 years) with FD according to the Rome IV criteria from 17 tertiary medical centers across China. Patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive SXOL or domperidone syrup for 2 weeks. We compared the participants’ clinical scores from both groups based on the severity and frequency of dyspepsia symptoms according to Rome IV criteria (0, 1, 2, and 4 weeks after randomization). The primary endpoint was the total response rate, which was defined as the proportion of patients with a decrease of 30% or more in the FD symptoms clinical score from baseline, at the end of the 2-weeks treatment. A non-inferiority margin of -10% was set. Secondary endpoints and adverse events were assessed. This trial is registered with www.Chictr.org.cn, number ChiCTR1900022654.Results: Between February 2019 and March 2021, a total of 373 patients were assessed for eligibility, and 356 patients were enrolled and randomized. The clinical response rate at week two was similar for SXOL [118 (83.10%) of 142] and domperidone [128 (81.01%) of 158]; difference 2.09; 95% CI −6.74 to 10.71, thereby establishing non-inferiority. The total FD symptom scores were significantly improved in the two groups at 1-, 2-, and 4-weeks follow-up periods (p < 0.005). The decrease in symptom score compared with the baseline were similar between these two groups. Over the total study period, 10 patients experienced at least one treatment-related adverse event [six (3.37%)] in the SXOL group, four [(2.25%) in the domperidone group], although no serious adverse event was noted.Conclusion: Treatment with SXOL effectively improves dyspeptic symptoms and is well tolerated. In addition, it is not inferior to domperidone syrup and leads to sustained improvement in Chinese children with FD.

An extracellular laccase (GLL) was purified from fermentation broth of the litter-decomposing fungus Gymnopus luxurians by four chromatography steps, which resulted in a high specific activity of 118.82 U/mg, purification fold of 41.22, and recovery rate of 42.05%. It is a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 64 kDa and N-terminal amino acid sequence of AIGPV TDLHI, suggesting that GLL is a typical fungal laccase. GLL demonstrated an optimum temperature range of 55°C–65°C and an optimum pH 2.2 toward 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). It displayed considerably high thermostability and pH stability with about 63% activity retained after 24 h at 50°C, and 86% activity retained after 24 h at pH 2.2, respectively. GLL was significantly enhanced in the presence of K+, Na+, and Mg2+ ions. It demonstrated Km of 539 μM and kcat/Km of 140 mM–1⋅s–1 toward ABTS at pH 2.2 and 37°C. Acetosyringone (AS) and syringaldehyde (SA) were the optimal mediators of GLL (0.4 U/ml) for dye decolorization with decolorization rates of about 60%–90% toward 11 of the 14 synthetic dyes. The optimum reaction conditions were determined to be mediator concentration of 0.1 mM, temperature range of 25°C –60°C, and pH 4.0. The purified laccase was the first laccase isolated from genus Gymnopus with high thermostability, pH stability, and effective decolorization toward dyes, suggesting that it has potentials for textile and environmental applications.

Few studies have examined the association between body mass index (BMI: kg/m(2)) and pancreatic cancer risk in Asian populations. We examined this relationship in 51,251 Chinese men and women aged 45-74 who enrolled between 1993 and 1998 in the population based, prospective Singapore Chinese Health Study. Data were collected through in-person interviews. By December 31, 2011, 194 cohort participants had developed pancreatic cancer. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). We hypothesized the association between BMI and pancreatic cancer risk may vary by smoking status (ever v. never) and there was evidence for this as the interaction between BMI and smoking status was significant (p = 0.018). Among ever smokers, being classified as underweight (BMI

Abstract By using the weight functions, the idea of introduced parameters and the Euler–Maclaurin summation formula, a reverse half-discrete Hilbert’s inequality with the homogeneous kernel and the reverse equivalent forms are given (for p

Abstract Yinchenhao decoction (YCHD), comprising Yinchenhao (Artemisiae Scopariae Herba), Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus) and Dahuang (Radix Rhei et Rhizoma), is widely used for treating various diseases. We aimed to investigate the bile acid metabolic mechanism of YCHD in dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced liver fibrosis model. Rats received DMN (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) for four successive weeks for liver fibrosis induction and were treated with YCHD for the last 2 weeks. Histopathological analysis showed that YCHD prevented DMN-induced histopathological changes in liver tissues. Serum liver function in YCHD group improved. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that YCHD significantly restored both free and conjugated bile acid levels increased by DMN, to normal levels. RT-qPCR results showed that YCHD treatment upregulated the expression of genes related to bile acid synthesis, reabsorption, and excretion. Western blotting analysis showed that YCHD downregulated α-SMA, TGF-β1, p-Smad3, and p-ERK1/2 expression in chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA)-activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The viability of CDCA-activated HSCs significantly increased after treatment with YCHD and PD98059 (an ERK inhibitor) compared to YCHD treatment alone. Our findings suggest that YCHD alleviated DMN-induced liver fibrosis by regulating enzymes responsible for bile acid metabolism. Additionally, it inhibits CDCA-induced HSC proliferation and activation via TGF-β1/Smad/ERK signalling pathway.

C23H17NO4, orthorhombic, P212121 (no. 29), a = 26.3525(8) Å, b = 3.88640(10) Å, c = 34.8871(10) Å, V = 3573.01(18) Å3, Z = 8, Rgt(F) = 0.0419, wRref(F2) = 0.1086, T = 180 K.

Abstract: Traditionally, Chinese indigenous cattle is geographically widespread. The present study analyzed based on genome-wide variants to evaluate the genetic background among 157 individuals from four representative indigenous cattle breeds of Hubei Province of China: Yiling yellow cattle (YL), Bashan cattle (BS), Wuling cattle (WL), Zaobei cattle (ZB), and 21 individuals of Qinchuan cattle (QC) from the nearby Shanxi Province of China. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed the LD of YL was the lowest (r2=0.32) when the distance between markers was approximately 2 kb. Principle component analysis (PCA), and neighbor-joining (NJ)-tree revealed a separation of Yiling yellow cattle from other geographic nearby local cattle breeds. In PCA plot, the YL and QC groups were segregated as expected; moreover, YL individuals clustered together more obviously. In the NJ-tree, the YL group formed an independent branch and BS, WL, ZB groups were mixed. We then used the FST statistic approach to reveal long-term selection sweep of YL and other 4 cattle breeds. According to the selective sweep, we identified the unique pathways of YL, associated with production traits. Based on the results, it can be proposed that YL has its unique genetic characteristics of excellence resource, and it is an indispensable cattle breed in China.

Abstract Background The benefit of early dialysis initiation remains controversial with a paucity of data in Asians. Therefore, we undertook this study to investigate the association between timing of initiation of dialysis and mortality in Singapore. Methods The study used data from the Singapore Renal Registry database on 3286 patients with incident end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who commenced maintenance dialysis between January 2008 and December 2011. The data was further linked with the National Death Registry to acquire survival information until December 2013. We classified serum creatinine-based, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation at the start of dialysis into 3 categories: Early (≥10 ml/min/1.73m2), intermediate (5 to

Background: The accuracy of nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) specimens in detecting lower respiratory pathogens remains controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of aspirates (NPAs) specimen in lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in children. Methods: The prospective study was designed to collect the data of paired NPAs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from children with acute LRTIs from January 2013 to December 2015. All specimens were subjected to pathogen detection: bacterial detection by culture, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) detection by polymerase chain reaction assay and virus (influenza A and B viruses, parainfluenza virus [PIV] Types 1 and 3, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenovirus) detection by immunofluorescence assay. The diagnostic accuracy analysis of NPAs was stratified by age ≤3 years (n = 194) and >3 years (n = 294). Results: We collected paired specimens from 488 children. The positive rate of pathogen was 61.6%. For Streptococcus pneumoniae, NPA culture had the specificity of 89.9% and negative predictive value of 100% in age ≤3 years, the specificity of 97.2% and negative predictive value of 98.9% in age >3 years. For Mp, the positive predictive values of NPA was 77.4% in children ≤3 years, and 89.1% in children >3 years. For PIV III, NPA specimen had the specificity of 99.8% and negative predictive value of 96.5% in children ≤3 years. For adenovirus, NPA had the specificity of 97.8% and negative predictive value of 98.4% in age ≤3 years, the specificity of 98.9% and negative predictive value of 99.3% in age >3 years. Conclusions: NPAs are less invasive diagnostic respiratory specimens, a negative NPA result is helpful in “rule out” lower airway infection; however, a positive result does not reliably “rule in” the presence of pathogens.