berry extract improves female fertility against aging-related oxidative stress in the ovary.

Reproductive aging in female mammals is characterized by ovarian senescence, leading to a significant fertility decline. berry, or goji berry, is a food and medicine that appears in various formulas for treating infertility in traditional Chinese medicine. We investigated the function of an aqueous extract of berry (LB extract) to improve health status, fertility, and offspring development during female aging.

Boswellianols A-I, Structurally Diverse Diterpenoids from the Oleo-Gum Resin of and Their TGF- Inhibition Activity.

Olibanum, a golden oleo-gum resin from species in the genus ( family), is a famous traditional herbal medicine widely used around the world. Previous phytochemical studies mainly focused on the non-polar fractions of olibanum. In this study, nine novel diterpenoids, boswellianols A-I (-), and three known compounds were isolated from the polar methanolic fraction of the oleo-gum resin of .

Atrachinenins D-S, novel meroterpenoids with geranyl hydroquinone moiety from Atractylodes chinensis by the LC/MS-based molecular decoy and targeted isolation.

To mine fascinating molecules from the rhizomes of Atractylodes chinensis, the known molecular formula of atrachinenin A was used as a bait to search LC-HRMS data in different subfractions. Sixteen new meroterpenoids, atrachinenins D-S (1-16) including three unprecedented carbon skeletons (1-5) and eleven new oxygen-bridged hybrids (6-16) were obtained by the targeted isolation. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by the spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations.

Insight into neofunctionalization of 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclases in B,C-ring-opened triterpene biosynthesis in quinoa.

Bioactive triterpenes feature complex fused-ring structures, primarily shaped by the first-committed enzyme, 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclases (OSCs) in plant triterpene biosynthesis. Triterpenes with B,C-ring-opened skeletons are extremely rare with unknown formation mechanisms, harbouring unchartered chemistry and biology. Here, through mining the genome of Chenopodium quinoa followed by functional characterization, we identified a stress-responsive and neofunctionalized OSC capable of generating B,C-ring-opened triterpenes, including camelliol A and B and the novel (-)-quinoxide A as wax components of the specialized epidermal bladder cells, namely the quinoxide synthase (CqQS).

Sesquiterpenoids from the roots of Aucklandia costus and their anti-inflammatory activities.

Five undescribed sesquiterpenoid dimers, aucklandiolides A-E (1-5), one new sesquiterpenoid glycoside, β-cyclocostunolide-15-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), and seventeen known analogues (7-23) were isolated from the roots of Aucklandia costus. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive HRESIMS and NMR spectroscopic data analysis, and their configurations were confirmed by the computational calculations of ECD and NMR chemical shifts. Aucklandiolides A and B are the first examples of dimeric sesquiterpenoids with a unique 6/6/6/5/6/6 ring system originated from a proposed Diels-Alder cycloaddition between two eudesmane sesquiterpenoids.

Chemical Constituents from the Fruits of and Their Role in Activating Alcohol Dehydrogenase.

Alcoholism is a worldwide health problem, and diseases caused by alcoholism are killing people every year. is a traditional Chinese medicine used to relieve hangovers. However, whether its bioactive components improve alcohol metabolism is not clear.

High-Dose Vitamin E Supplementation Can Alleviate the Negative Effect of Subacute Ruminal Acidosis in Dairy Cows.

The aim of this trial was to assess whether the supplementation of vitamin E (VE) in high-concentrate diets could improve the fermentation and blood metabolism in the rumen of dairy cows, thereby modulating the degree of the subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) response and improving the performance. Seven Holstein cows (four fitted with ruminal cannulas) were fed three diets (total mixed rations) during three successive periods (each lasted for 18 d): (1) the control diet (CON); (2) a high-grain (HG) diet, which was the control diet supplied with a 15% finely ground wheat diet (FGW); and (3) a high-VE diet (HGE), which was the control diet provided with a 15% FGW and 12,000 IU of VE/head per day. The results indicated that VE was able to alleviate the reduction in the dry matter intake (DMI) and milk fat yield in cows caused by HG diets.

Two Novel Bacteriophages with a Broad Host Range: Potential as Biocontrol Agents in Plague Natural Foci.

Bacteriophages (phages) have been successfully used as disinfectors to kill bacteria in food and the environment and have been used medically for curing human diseases. The objective of this research was to elucidate the morphological and genomic characteristics of two novel phages, vB_YpeM_ MHS112 (MHS112) and vB_YpeM_GMS130 (GMS130), belonging to the genus , subfamily , family . Genome sequencing showed that the sizes of MHS112 and GMS130 were 170507 and 168552 bp, respectively.

Effects of Different Concentrations of and on Silage Quality, In Vitro Fermentation and Microbial Community of Hybrid .

The purpose of the experiment was to study the effects of different concentrations of Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) and Bacillus licheniformis (BL) on the quality of hybrid Pennisetum (HP) silage. The experiment consisted of five treatment groups. The control group did not use additives, and the experimental groups were added with LP or BL of 1 × 105 cfu/g fresh weight (FW) and 1 × 107 cfu/g FW, respectively.

Novel ginsenoside derivative 20(S)-Rh2E2 suppresses tumor growth and metastasis in vivo and in vitro via intervention of cancer cell energy metabolism.

Increased energy metabolism is responsible for supporting the abnormally upregulated proliferation and biosynthesis of cancer cells. The key cellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the glycolytic enzyme alpha-enolase (α-enolase) have been identified as the targets for active components of ginseng. Accordingly, ginseng or ginsenosides have been demonstrated with their potential values for the treatment and/or prevention of cancer via the regulation of energy balance.

Serological Epidemiological Investigation of Tibetan Sheep (Ovis aries) Plague in Qinghai, China.

The plague, which is caused by the Gram-negative coccobacillus bacterium Yersinia pestis, has been classified as a reemerging infectious disease by the World Health Organization. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau natural plague focus is the largest plague focus in China, and Marmota himalayana is the primary host of the plague. Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) were first identified as naturally infected hosts of Y.

Human plague associated with Tibetan sheep originates in marmots.

The Qinghai-Tibet plateau is a natural plague focus and is the largest such focus in China. In this area, while Marmota himalayana is the primary host, a total of 18 human plague outbreaks associated with Tibetan sheep (78 cases with 47 deaths) have been reported on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau since 1956. All of the index infectious cases had an exposure history of slaughtering or skinning diseased or dead Tibetan sheep.

[The epidemiology and etiology research of Tibetan sheep plague in Qinghai plateau].

Objective: To identify the epidemiology and etiology characteristics of Tibetan sheep plague in Qinghai plateau.

Methods: The background materials of Qinghai Tibetan sheep plague found during 1975 to 2009 were summarized, the regional, time and interpersonal distribution, infection routes, ecological factors for the spread were used to analyze; followed by choosing 14 Yersinia pestis strains isolated from such sheep for biochemical test, toxicity test, virulence factors identification, plasmid analysis, and DFR genotype.

Results: From 1975 to 2009, 14 Yersinia pestis strains were isolated from Tibetan sheep in Qinghai province.

[Study of the plasmid profiles and geographical distribution of Yersinia pestis in China].

Objective: To analyze the plasmid features and geographical distribution characteristics of Yersinia pestis of different plague foci in China.

Methods: A total of 2 213 Yersinia pestis strains were colected from 11 Chinese plague foci separated during 1943 to 2012, and plasmid DNA according to alkali cracking method, and measured the relative molecular mass (Mr) of plasmid DNA based on the standard plasmid contrast method, then analyzed the plasmid profiles by agar gel electrophoresis.

Results: A total of 2 213 strains had 16 kinds of plasmids with different Mr, including 4×10(6), 6×10(6), 7×10(6), 13×10(6), 16×10(6), 20×10(6), 22×10(6), 23×10(6), 27×10(6), 30×10(6), 36×10(6), 45×10(6), 52×10(6), 65×10(6), 72×10(6) and 90×10(6).

[Regional genotyping and the geographical distribution regarding Yersinia pestis isolates in China].

Objective: To type Yersinia (Y.) pestis isolates under different regions (DFR) and to observe their geographical distributions in China.

Methods: 23 DFRs primers and PMT1 (plasmid) primer were used to verify the DFR genomovars of Y.

[Sources of infection on human plague in Qinghai province].

Objective: To study the biological and genetic characteristics of 119 strains of Yersinia (Y.) pestis isolated from plague patients in Qinghai province, from 1958-2012.

Methods: Both regular methods and different region(DFR)molecular typing techniques were used to study the epidemiological characteristics on 119 strains of Y.

[The pathogenic ecology research on plague in Qinghai plateau].

Objective: To study the pathogenic ecology characteristics of plague in Qinghai plateau.

Methods: Applied molecular biology techniques, conventional technologies and geographic information system (GIS) to study phenotypic traits, plasmid spectrum, genotype, infected host and media spectrum etc.of 952 Yersinia pestis strains in Qinghai plateau plague foci, which were separated from different host and media in different regions during 1954 to 2012.