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Houttuynia cordata Thunb., called Yuxingcao in Chinese, is an important medicinal plant and vegetable consumed in the southern regions of China. This review aims to summarize studies on the phyto-physiological chemistry, cytology, molecular biology, and genomics of H. cordata. Studies on the physiology and biochemistry of H. cordata have grown over the past few decades. Phenotypic and agronomic traits, tissue culture, elemental analysis, photosynthetic studies, bioactive compound identification, and antioxidant research have been reported. Molecular biological studies, such as those of molecular markers, microRNAs, DNA variations, protein variations, and transcriptomes have also advanced. Recent studies have focused on the rDNA and chloroplast genome of this plant. This review could serve as a basis to perform the genetic breeding, genomic advance, and cultivation of this valuable diversified plant resource for medicinal applications and vegetable production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which examines Brucella melitensis rough vaccine strain M111 ghosts' preparation and characterization.

The article discusses a study related to cloning and prokaryotic expression of the invasion plasmid antigen IpaC gene isolated from chicken Shigella bacteria. It discusses the significance of the IpaC gene to examine the pathopoiesis process, use of the polymerase chain reaction for the amplification of the gene, and determination of the nucleotide sequence homology and amino acid sequence homology of IpaC genes between chicken and humans.

The article presents a study which examines the result of the development of agglutinating antigen and standard serum of Shigella (S) from chicken. It notes that investigation of the S. boydii and S. dysenteriae through bacterial culture, inactivation and concentration adjustment for the accurate and rapid diagnosis of Shigella. It outlines the result of the study which reveals the optimal condition for shigellae culture, glucose nutrient agar as well as the temperature and time of the antigen.

Koro, a culture-related psychiatric disorder characterized by panic due to fear of genital retraction, occurred as the rare phenomenon of koro epidemics in a remote region of Guangdong, China, in 1984–1985 and 1987. The sociocultural and historical backgrounds of the area are described. The life pattern and attitudes toward supernatural beings and the commonly shared folk belief of evil-induced genital retraction were considered grounds for the panic, while the community's anxious reaction and hysterical atmosphere facilitated the intensification and recurrence of the episodes. Geographic seclusion associated with localism in folk beliefs and practices may have kept the epidemics confined to the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilms attached to submerged macrophytes play an important role in improving the water quality of the water environment supplemented with reclaimed water. In order to explore the effects of reclaimed water quality and submerged macrophyte species on the characteristics of an epiphytic bacterial community, different types of submerged macrophytes were selected as research objects in this study. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology was used on the epiphytic bacteria and the surrounding environmental samples to analyze the bacterial community structure and functional genes. The results showed that approximately 20%-35% of the nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients were absorbed and utilized in the water environment supplemented with reclaimed water. However, the COD, turbidity, and chroma of the downstream water were significantly increased. The bacterial community of the biofilms attached to submerged macrophytes was significantly different from that in the surrounding environment (soil, sediment, and water body) and in the activated sludge that was treated by reclaimed water. In terms of bacterial community diversity, the richness and diversity were significantly lower than those of soil and sediment but higher than those of plankton bacteria in water. In terms of bacterial community composition, dominant genera and corresponding abundances were also different from those of other samples. The main dominant bacterial genera were Sphingomonas , Aeromonas , Pseudomonas, and Acinetobacter , accounting for 7%-40%, respectively. Both macrophyte species and the quality of reclaimed water (BOD 5 , TN, NH 4 + -N, and TP) could affect the bacterial community. However, the effect of water quality of the bacterial community was greater than that of macrophytes species. Additionally, the quality of reclaimed water also affected the abundance of functional genes in the bacterial community, and the relative abundance of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling functional genes was higher in areas with higher nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations.