Excretion characteristics of main compounds of Yigong San in urine, feces, and bile of rats.

Yigong San (YGS) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula used for pediatric anorexia, chronic atrophic gastritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. In this study, the excretion of eight main compounds, including liquiritin; isoliquiritin; hesperidin; ginsenosides Rb, Re, and Rg; and atractylenolides I and II, in rat urine, feces, and bile, was investigated by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that the cumulative excretion rates of the compounds in rat urine, feces, and bile were 0.

Screening quality markers (Q-markers) of Xiaoer Chaige Tuire Oral Liquid by in vitro sequential metabolism and in vivo biopharmaceutical analysis.

Background: Xiaoer Chaige Tuire Oral Liquid (XCT) is a preparation composed of 7 traditional Chinese medicines including Bupleuri Radix, Puerariae Lobatae Radix, Scutellariae Radix, Gypsum Fibrosum, Artemisiae Annuae Herba, Paeoniae Radix Alba and Glycyrrhizae Radix Et Rhizoma Praeparata Cum Melle in proportion. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, it has the function of dispelling wind evil and relieving exterior syndrome, clearing summer heat and dampness, and reducing internal heat. So, it is indicated for pediatric upper respiratory tract infection caused by exogenous wind-heat.

Interaction between Changan Granule and its main components in the plasma and CYP450 enzymes.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Changan Granule (CAG) is a Chinese patent drug developed based on an empirical prescription in accordance with the formulation theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The prescription is composed of eight herbal drugs which have been traditionally used by Chinese people for a long history. It has effects of invigorating spleen and supplementing qi, as well as regulating liver and ceasing diarrhea, and is indicated for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Structural mechanism of a dual-functional enzyme DgpA/B/C as both a -glycoside cleaving enzyme and an - to -glycoside isomerase.

The -glycosidic bond that connects the sugar moiety with aglycone is difficult to be broken or made due to its inert nature. The knowledge of -glycoside breakdown and synthesis is very limited. Recently, the enzyme DgpA/B/C cascade from a human intestinal bacterium PUE was identified to specifically cleave the -glycosidic bond of puerarin (daidzein-8--glucoside).

Identification of an unrecognized circRNA associated with development of renal fibrosis.

Renal fibrosis is the common characteristic of chronic kidney disease. Circular RNA plays an essential role in the occurrence and development of Renal fibrosis, but its regulative mechanism remains elusive. The animal and cell model of Renal fibrosis was established, and RNA-sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) experiments were implemented.

Synergistic Antibacterial Effect and Mechanism of Allicin and an Enterobacter cloacae Bacteriophage.

Enterobacter cloacae is a troublesome pathogen causing refractory infections of the lower respiratory tract, urethra and abdominal cavity, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and neonatal septicemia. It is prone to developing resistance to ordinary antibiotics and has brought a serious problem to clinical treatment. An artful synergistic combination of an antibacterial natural product allicin and a newly isolated bacteriophage, named BD523, was constructed herein.

Engineering by Cuts: How Kirigami Principle Enables Unique Mechanical Properties and Functionalities.

Kirigami, the ancient art of paper cutting, has evolved into a design and fabrication framework to engineer multi-functional materials and structures at vastly different scales. By slit cutting with carefully designed geometries, desirable mechanical behaviors-such as accurate shape morphing, tunable auxetics, super-stretchability, buckling, and multistability-can be imparted to otherwise inflexible sheet materials. In addition, the kirigami sheet provides a versatile platform for embedding different electronic and responsive components, opening up avenues for building the next generations of metamaterials, sensors, and soft robotics.

A newly isolated human intestinal strain deglycosylating flavonoid C-glycosides.

Glycosidic bond of C-glycosides is difficult to be broken due to its chemical stability. Screening specific microbe from microbiota is a practical way to deglycosylate these compounds. In this study, a new strain W974-1 which is capable of cleaving C-glycosidic bonds was isolated from human gut microbiota by spread plate method.

Mechanism of berberine hydrochloride interfering with biofilm formation of Hafnia alvei.

The mechanism of berberine hydrochloride (BBH) inhibiting the biofilm formation of Hafnia alvei was investigated in this study. The antibiofilm potential of BBH was evaluated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as crystal violet staining. The quorum-sensing (QS) inhibition was revealed by determination of QS-related genes expression and related signal molecules production using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Intestinal bacteria are involved in Radix Glycyrrhizae and Radix Euphorbiae Pekinensis incompatibility.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Eighteen Incompatible Medicaments (EIM) belongs to the category of incompatibility of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This theory forbids concomitant using any one of the eighteen herbal pairs such as Radix Glycyrrhizae (RG)-Radix Euphorbiae Pekinensis (REP), Radix Aconiti-Bulbus Fritiliariae Cirrhosae, and Radix et Rhizoma Veratri Nigri-Radix Ginseng. Concomitant using RG and REP could result in more serious adverse effects on major organs such as kidney, heart, and liver.

Development and calibration of an air-floating six-axis force measurement platform using self-calibration.

This paper describes the design, working principle, as well as calibration of an air-floating six-axis force measurement platform, where the floating plate and nozzles were connected without contact, preventing inter-dimensional coupling and increasing precision significantly. The measurement repeatability error of the force size in the platform is less than 0.2% full scale (FS), which is significantly better than the precision of 1% FS in the six-axis force sensors on the current market.