Pleurotus eryngii (also known as king trumpet mushroom or king oyster mushroom) is an edible mushroom cultivated widely in many regions of the world. Polysaccharides from P. eryngii have a variety of ...biological activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-tumor, immunoregulatory and bacteriostatic. This paper reviews the extraction/purification, structural analysis and pharmacological activities of polysaccharides from this mushroom and provides updated research progress in areas important for the processing and product development of P. eryngii derived agents.
An increasing number of evidences indicate microbes are implicated in human physiological mechanisms, including complicated disease pathology. Some microbes have been demonstrated to be associated ...with diverse important human diseases or disorders. Through investigating these disease-related microbes, we can obtain a better understanding of human disease mechanisms for advancing medical scientific progress in terms of disease diagnosis, treatment, prevention, prognosis and drug discovery. Based on the known microbe-disease association network, we developed a semi-supervised computational model of Laplacian Regularized Least Squares for Human Microbe-Disease Association (LRLSHMDA) by introducing Gaussian interaction profile kernel similarity calculation and Laplacian regularized least squares classifier. LRLSHMDA reached the reliable AUCs of 0.8909 and 0.7657 based on the global and local leave-one-out cross validations, respectively. In the framework of 5-fold cross validation, average AUC value of 0.8794 +/-0.0029 further demonstrated its promising prediction ability. In case studies, 9, 9 and 8 of top-10 predicted microbes have been manually certified to be associated with asthma, colorectal carcinoma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by published literature evidence. Our proposed model achieves better prediction performance relative to the previous model. We expect that LRLSHMDA could offer insights into identifying more promising human microbe-disease associations in the future.
The influence of study design on the ability to detect the effects of landscape pattern on gene flow is one of the most pressing methodological gaps in landscape genetic research. To investigate the ...effect of study design on landscape genetics inference, we used a spatially‐explicit, individual‐based program to simulate gene flow in a spatially continuous population inhabiting a landscape with gradual spatial changes in resistance to movement. We simulated a wide range of combinations of number of loci, number of alleles per locus and number of individuals sampled from the population. We assessed how these three aspects of study design influenced the statistical power to successfully identify the generating process among competing hypotheses of isolation‐by‐distance, isolation‐by‐barrier, and isolation‐by‐landscape resistance using a causal modelling approach with partial Mantel tests. We modelled the statistical power to identify the generating process as a response surface for equilibrium and non‐equilibrium conditions after introduction of isolation‐by‐landscape resistance. All three variables (loci, alleles and sampled individuals) affect the power of causal modelling, but to different degrees. Stronger partial Mantel r correlations between landscape distances and genetic distances were found when more loci were used and when loci were more variable, which makes comparisons of effect size between studies difficult. Number of individuals did not affect the accuracy through mean equilibrium partial Mantel r, but larger samples decreased the uncertainty (increasing the precision) of equilibrium partial Mantel r estimates. We conclude that amplifying more (and more variable) loci is likely to increase the power of landscape genetic inferences more than increasing number of individuals.
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•Magnetic COFs were prepared, characterized and used for adsorption of antibiotics.•The as-prepared magnetic COFs showed good magnetic separation capability.•The magnetic COFs was ...effective adsorbent for adsorptive removal of SMT and DCF.•DFT was used to study the interaction of COFs and antibiotics and adsorption mechanism.•SMT and DCT were adsorbed by magnetic COFs via C–H···π interaction.
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are emerging and promising adsorbents for the adsorptive removal of many types of pollutants. However, most COFs fabricated by various methods are in the form of microcrystalline powders, making them difficult in separation. In this study, magnetic COFs were prepared by a simple impregnation method. The as-prepared samples with Ms = 5.2 emu g−1 showed a good magnetic separation capability. Additionally, the adsorption performance of magnetic COFs towards antibiotics (e.g., diclofenac and sulfamethazine) was also studied. Various adsorption kinetic models (e.g., the pseudo first-order, the pseudo second-order, and mixed-order models) and adsorption isotherm models (e.g., the Freundlich, the Langmuir, and the Sips models) were used to study their adsorption kinetics and isotherms. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) was utilized to predict the interaction between adsorbents and adsorbates and to explain the partial adsorption mechanisms.
The present investigation has been undertaken to reveal the protective mechanism of polyphenolics extract of whole wheat grains (WWGPE), ferulic acid and apigenin against doxorubicin (Dox)-induced ...cardio-toxicity. WWGPE, apigenin, and ferulic acid exhibited concentration dependent cyto-protective effect against Dox (1 μM) in rat cardiomyocytes. Dox treatment significantly (p < 0.01) induced oxidative stress in the myocardial cells via excessive ROS production, increase in iNOS expression, NADPH oxidase activation, Nrf-2/HO-1 impairment, and inactivation of cellular redox defense system. In addition, Dox significantly (p < 0.01) activated MAP kinases, NF-κB, and apoptosis in cardiac cells; while, significant (p < 0.01) impairment in PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling was observed in Dox-treated myocardial cells. On the other hand, WWGPE, apigenin, and ferulic acid significantly (p < 0.05–0.01) attenuated Dox-induced redox stress and oxidative stress-mediated signal transduction in myocardial cells. WWGPE, apigenin, and ferulic acid treatment also could significantly (p < 0.05–0.01) reinstate Dox-mediated changes in blood parameters in rats. Histological assessments were in agreement with the biochemical findings. Results showed that, WWGPE exhibited better cardio-protective effect over ferulic acid and apigenin, which may be due to the synergy between the comprising compounds and better oral bioavailability of dietary antioxidant molecules from whole phenolic extract.
•Polyphenolics extract of whole wheat grains attenuated doxorubicin induced cardio-toxicity.•Ferulic acid and apigenin were found to be the most abundant phenolic and flavonoid in the extract, respectively.•The extract attenuated doxorubicin induced oxidative stress and apoptosis via multiple mechanisms.•The extract reciprocated doxorubicin-induced alteration in MAP kinases/NF-κB/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling.•The extract exhibited better cardio-protective effect over ferulic acid and apigenin.
We determined whether the bacteria in the lower respiratory tract (LRT) in extremely premature infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are different from those with nonsevere BPD.
We ...conducted a retrospective study of extremely premature infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Fukushima Medical University Hospital, Japan between April 2005 and March 2014. We screened for the bacterial colonization of the LRT using tracheobronchial aspirate fluid.
A total of 169 extremely premature infants were included. Overall, 102 did not experience severe BPD, whereas the remaining 67 experienced severe BPD.
species (Cs) were more frequently detected in the severe BPD than nonsevere BPD infants (
= 0.03). There were significant differences between infants with and without severe BPD in the duration of endotracheal ventilation (
= 0.00, odds ratio OR, 1.03; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.01-1.06), the duration of supplemental oxygen (
= 0.00, OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03) before 36 weeks of postmenstrual age, and the frequency of sepsis after 7 postnatal days (
= 0.01, OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.18-2.54).
Cs are more likely to be present in the severe BPD infants with longer duration of endotracheal ventilation.
•Glycosaminoglycans are extracted from marine and terrestrial by-products.•Various methods are developed to isolate hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate.•The extraction and purification techniques ...are compared to assess the efficiency.•The yield and purity depend on the technique and by-products used.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) are valuable bioactive polysaccharides that have been highly used in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Extensive research was done to ensure their efficient extraction from marine and terrestrial by-products at a high yield and purity, using specific techniques to isolate and purify them. In general, the cartilage is the most common source for CS, while the vitreous humor is main used source of HA. The developed methods were based in general on tissue hydrolysis, removal of proteins and purification of the target biopolymers. They differ in the extraction conditions, enzymes and/or solvents used and the purification technique. This leads to specific purity, molecular weight and sulfation pattern of the isolated HA and CS. This review focuses on the analysis and comparison of different extraction and purification methods developed to isolate these valuable biopolymers from marine and terrestrial animal by-products.
A granular sludge sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated for 340 days for treating a synthetic wastewater containing fluoroquinolones (FQs), namely ofloxacin, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin. The ...SBR was intermittently fed with FQs, at concentrations of 9 and 32 μM. No evidence of FQ biodegradation was observed but the pharmaceutical compounds adsorbed to the aerobic granular sludge, being gradually released into the medium in successive cycles after stopping the FQ feeding.
Overall COD removal was not affected during the shock loadings. Activity of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and nitrite oxidizing bacteria did not seem to be inhibited by the presence of FQs (maximum of 0.03 and 0.01 mM for ammonium and nitrite in the effluent, respectively). However, during the FQs feeding, nitrate accumulation up to 1.7 mM was observed at the effluent suggesting that denitrification was inhibited. The activity of phosphate accumulating organisms was affected, as indicated by the decrease of P removal capacity during the aerobic phase. Exposure to the FQs also promoted disintegration of the granules leading to an increase of the effluent solid content, nevertheless the solid content at the bioreactor effluent returned to normal levels within ca. 1 month after removing the FQs in the feed allowing recovery of the bedvolume. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed a dynamic bacterial community with gradual changes due to FQs exposure. Bacterial isolates retrieved from the granules predominantly belonged to α- and γ-branch of the Proteobacteria phylum.
The capacity of the system to return to its initial conditions after withdrawal of the FQ compounds in the inlet stream, reinforced its robustness to deal with wastewaters containing organic pollutants.
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•Effect of ofloxacin, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin on aerobic granules was studied.•Fluoroquinolones adsorbed reversibly onto granular sludge, no biodegradation occurred.•Prolonged fluoroquinolones feeding led to nitrate accumulation in the SBR effluent.•Exposure to fluoroquinolones destabilized the granules.•Granules quickly recovered after withdrawing fluoroquinolones from influent.
Biochar is a carbon-rich product generated from biomass through pyrolysis. This study evaluated the ability of an unmodified biochar to sorb two triazine pesticides – atrazine and simazine, and ...thereby explored potential environmental values of biochar on mitigating pesticide pollution in agricultural production and removing contaminants from wastewater. A greenwaste biochar was produced by heating waste biomass under the oxygen-limited condition at 450
°C. The effects of several experimental parameters, including biochar particle size, contact time, solid/solution ratio, and solution pH on the sorption of atrazine and simazine were comprehensively investigated. The biochar with small particle size needed less time to reach sorption equilibrium. The sorption affinity of the biochar for the two pesticides increased with decreasing solid/solution ratio. The sorbed amounts (
C
s) of atrazine and simazine increased from 451 to 1158
mg/kg and 243 to 1066
mg/kg, respectively, when the solid/solution ratio decreased from 1:50 to 1:1000 (g/mL). The sorption of the biochar for both pesticides was favored by low pH. The sorption isotherms of atrazine and simazine on the biochar are nonlinear and follow a Freundlich model. When atrazine and simazine co-existed, a competitive sorption occurred between these two pesticides on the biochar, reflecting a decrease in sorption capacity (
K
f) from 435 to 286 for atrazine and from 514 to 212 for simazine. Combined adsorption and partition mechanisms well depicted sorption of atrazine and simazine on carbonized and noncarbonized fractions of the biochar in the single-solute and co-solute systems.
Microbes belonging to the genus
Verrucosispora
possess significant chemical diversity and biological properties. They have attracted the interests of many researchers and are becoming promising ...resources in the marine natural product research field. A bioassay-guided isolation from the crude extract of
Verrucosispora
sp. strain MS100047, isolated from sediments collected from the South China Sea, has led to the identification of a new salicylic derivative, glycerol 1-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl benzoate (
1
), along with three known compounds, brevianamide F (
2
), abyssomicin B (
3
), and proximicin B (
4
). Compound
1
showed selective activity against methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 12.5 μg/mL. Brevianamide F (
2
), which was isolated from actinomycete for the first time, showed a good anti-BCG activity with a MIC value of 12.5 μg/mL that has not been reported previously in literatures. Proximicin B (
4
) showed significant anti-MRSA (MIC = 3.125 μg/mL), anti-BCG (MIC = 6.25 μg/mL), and anti-tuberculosis (TB) (MIC = 25 μg/mL) activities. This is the first report on the anti-tubercular activities of proximicins. In addition,
Verrucosispora
sp. strain MS100047 was found to harbor 18 putative secondary metabolite gene clusters based on genomic sequence analysis. These include the biosynthetic loci encoding polyketide synthase (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) consistent with abyssomicins and proximicins, respectively. The biosynthetic pathways of these isolated compounds have been proposed. These results indicate that MS100047 possesses a great potential as a source of active secondary metabolites.
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