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A complex heteropolysaccharide SCP-2 named schisanan B (Mw = 1.005 × 105 g/mol) was obtained from water extracts of Schisandra chinensis fruits, and its planar structure was finally deduced as a galacturonoglucan by a combination of monosaccharide compositions, methylation analysis, partial acid hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis and 1D/2D-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The conformation of SCP-2 exhibited a globular shape with branching in ammonium formate aqueous solutions. The rheological properties of SCP-2 were investigated on concentrations, temperature, pH and salts. The in vitro immunomodulatory activity assay demonstrated that SCP-2 significantly enhanced the production of nitric oxide (NO) and stimulated the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in macrophages. Through a combination of high-resolution live-cell imaging, surface plasmon resonance, and molecular docking techniques, SCP-2 exhibited a strong binding affinity with the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Moreover, western blot analysis revealed that SCP-2 effectively induced downstream signaling proteins associated with TLR4 activation, thereby promoting macrophage activation. The evidence strongly indicates that TLR4 functions as a membrane protein target in the activation of macrophages and immune regulation induced by SCP-2.

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Derivative spectroscopy is used to separate the small absorption peaks superimposed on the main absorption band, which is widely adopted in modern spectral analysis to increase both the valid spectral information and the identification accuracy. In this study, a method based on attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) with first-order derivative (FD) processing combined with chemometrics is proposed for rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of Panax ginseng polysaccharides (PGP), Panax notoginseng polysaccharides (PNP), and Panax quinquefolius polysaccharides (PQP). First, ATR-FTIR with FD processing was used to establish the discriminant model combined with principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). After that, two-dimensional ATR-FTIR based on single-characteristic temperature as external interference (2D-sATR-FTIR) was established using ATR-FTIR with FD processing. Then, ATR-FTIR with FD processing was combined with PLS to establish and optimize the quantitative regression model. Finally, the established discriminant model and 2D-sATR-FTIR successfully distinguished PGP, PNP and PQP, and the optimal PLS regression model had a good prediction ability for the Panax polysaccharide extracts content. This strategy provides an efficient, economical and nondestructive method for the distinction and quantification of PGP, PNP and PQP in a short detection time.

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The quality evaluation of nature polysaccharides is a tough nut to crack because of its high Mw distributions and larger polarity property. It is well-known that infrared spectroscopy and multiple regression modeling have been used for quantitative examinations in multiple fields, but it has not been applied to the compositional analysis of polysaccharides. In this study, attenuated total reflectance-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is used to simultaneously quantify aldoses, ketose and uronic acids in Atractylodes polysaccharides by a combination of multivariate regressions. After experience of different data processing pretreatments, the resulting spectrum contains maximum amount of information of monosaccharide contents in Atractylodes polysaccharides. In this case, different smoothing points, derivatives, SNV and MSC are used in the pre-modeling spectrum processing and VIP screening is used to reduce the number of variables to simplify the calculation of the model. All the most optimal prediction models have both good prediction ability (R2 ≥ 0.9 and RPD > 3) and no over fitting (RMSEP/RMSEC < 3). This strategy has opened a new possibility for the nondestructive determination of complex monosaccharide compositions of natural polysaccharides in a short detection time, low equipment requirement and high experimental safety.

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Background: Radix Fici Hirtae (RFH), known as Cantonese ginseng, is an alternative folk medicine that is widely used to treat various diseases in southern China. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and metabolic mechanisms of pretreatment with RFH on the serum metabolic profiles of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced acute liver injury in mice. Methods: Mice fed with the water extract of RFH at a dose of 1.5 g/kg and 0.75 g/kg for consecutive 7 days, and then serum samples were taken for the metabolomic analysis. Furthermore, the bioinformatics and pathways analysis were measured. Results: The UHPLC-Orbitrap/MS based-metabolomic analysis identified 20 differential metabolic markers in serum of CCl4-induced liver injury mice compared to that of the normal controls, which were mainly related to the metabolism of amino acids and fatty acids. Furthermore, most of these biomarkers contributing to CCl4 induction were ameliorated by RFH, and the bioinformatics and pathways analysis revealed that therapeutic actions of RFH were mainly involved in the regulation of the oxidative stress responses and energy homeostasis. Conclusion: These findings provide potential metabolic mechanism for future study and allow for hypothesis generation about the hepatoprotective effects of Radix Fici Hirtae.

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In this study, a novel two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (2DCOS-IR) is presented to rapidly characterize and discriminate polysaccharides in Panax ginseng (PGP), P. notoginseng (PNP), and P. quinquefolius (PQP) using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-based on single-characteristic temperature as the external disturbance (2D-sATR-FTIR). Compared with two existing 2DCOS-IR methods based on gradient heating pathways using KBr pellet (100 min; 2D-KBr-FTIR) and attenuated total reflection (30 min; 2D-gATR-FTIR), the new procedure took an average of just 2 min to finish a sample measurement, which resolved previously tedious and time-consuming dilemmas. It offered advantages in the quality evaluation of natural polysaccharides and featured nondestructive, high-throughput, and high-efficiency characteristics. An intuitive analysis of the 2D-sATR-FTIR demonstrated that PNP was first identified because it had fewer auto-peaks. Posteriorly, PGP and PQP were distinguished according to the ratio of the auto-peaks 6 and 9, with the former greater than 1 and the latter less than 1. Furthermore, characteristic auto-peaks 1, 5, and 6 were unambiguously determined as Quality-markers using PCA and PLS-DA for visualized identifications. LDA was successfully used to establish a predictive model of the PGP, PNP, and PQP based on the positions and intensity of these three characteristic auto-peaks.

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Goose parvovirus (GPV) continues to be a threat to goose farms and has significant economic effects on the production of geese. Current commercially available vaccines only rarely prevent GPV infection. In our study, Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum NC8 was selected as a vector to express the VP2 gene of GPV, and recombinant L. plantarum pSIP409-VP2/NC8 was successfully constructed. The molecular weight of the expressed recombinant protein was approximately 70 kDa. Mice were immunized with a 2 × 109 colony-forming unit/200 µL dose of the recombinant L. plantarum strain, and the ratios and numbers of CD11c+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, and interferon gamma- and tumor necrosis factor alpha-expressing spleen lymphocytes in the pSIP409-VP2/NC8 group were higher than those in the control groups. In addition, we assessed the capacity of L. plantarum SIP409-VP2/NC8 to induce secretory IgA production. We conclude that administered pSIP409-VP2/NC8 leads to relatively extensive cellular responses. This study provides information on GPV infection and offers a clear framework of options available for GPV control strategies.

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BACKGROUND: Visceral pleural invasion (VPI) had been demonstrated as an aggressive sign in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). However, its incidence and clinical relevance in early lung cancer showing ground glass nodules (GGNs) has not been clarified. METHODS: All consecutive surgically treated patients with solitary GGNs between 2009 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. Inclusion criteria were defined as lesions ≤3 cm with pleura abutting on computed tomography (CT) scan and pathologically confirmed NSCLC. RESULTS: Out of 156 enrolled patients, 38 had pathologically confirmed VPI. The incidence of VPI was 41.5% (27/65) if the tumor diameter was larger than 2.0 cm and 14.3% (13/91) if diameter was smaller than 2.0 cm (P<0.001). Further, the incidence was 17.4% (12/69) in pure GGNs and 32.2% (28/87) in part-solid GGNs (P=0.040). The tumor size and the nodule nodule-pleural relationship were significant predictors of positive VPI. In cases with pleural indentation, attachment, and closeness, the incidence was 38.1%, 25.5%, and 5.3%, respectively (P=0.001). All cases were PL0 and PL1, with no PL2 cases observed. CONCLUSIONS: Although VPI was visible in both pure/mix GGNs, it was more common in larger (>2 cm) GGNs. The radiographic findings of nodule abutment or a pleural tag did not reliably predict or exclude VPI. In patients with GGNs, a low rate of PL2 invasion may be observed.

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Long-segment tracheal resection and repair pose a great challenge. We present a successful case of long-segment tracheal defect repair with extended bronchial flap of the right upper and main bronchus, together with a tracheoplastic method. This is a novel technique for repairing a large tracheal defect with an extended pedicled bronchial flap in specific situations.

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BACKGROUND: Bronchoplastic and broncho-arterioplastic lobectomy is technically demanding. Present study performed a prognostic analysis of lobectomy patient based on 10-year data in a high-volume center. METHODS: Overall, 161 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases underwent bronchoplastic and broncho-arterioplastic lobectomy between January 2004 and November 2013. Follow-up information was obtained for 88.8% patients. Prognostic analysis was performed with the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: There were 133 bronchoplastic and 28 broncho-arterioplastic procedures. In detail, 97 sleeve and 64 wedge broncho-resection and reconstructions were conducted; pulmonary artery sleeve reconstructions were performed in 26 cases and tangential resection in 135 cases. 90-day post-operative mortality was 3.1% (5/161), and 24.8% (40/161) patients had post-operative complications. 5-year overall survival was 53.4% and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 48.2% for the entire case series; these survival rates were 67.7% and 55.7% for stage I (n=31), 64.4% and 58.9% for stage II (n=62), and 36.9% and 31.9% for stage III disease, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that age >65 and higher grade of pN were associated with worse overall survival while right side tumor, non-squamous histology type, and higher grade of pT and pN were associated with worse DFS. Multivariate analysis revealed that pN is the only independent factor of worse outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchoplastic and broncho-arterioplastic lobectomy are safe procedures for indicated NSCLC patients associated with a low rate of post-operative complications but favorable long-term survival. Recognition of prognostic factors helps improve outcomes for these patients.