Structural identification and anti-stomatitis activity of one arabinose-rich polysaccharide from Rehmannia glutinosa.

The anti-stomatitis effects of polysaccharides from natural sources have been relatively few reported. In this study, a polysaccharide RGP-5 A was isolated and purified from Rehmannia glutinosa, and its structural characteristics and anti-stomatitis activity were evaluated. The molecular weight of RGP-5 A was 1.

Broadband and low-reflection mid-infrared grating coupler for a perfectly vertical fiber-chip interface.

Short-wavelength mid-infrared (SWMIR) silicon photonics has gained significant attention due to its applications in sensing, spectroscopy, and communications. A perfectly vertical grating coupler is a valuable packaging technique that is convenient for chip-to-chip optical interconnects and has low risks of mechanical failure during testing. However, SWMIR grating couplers have fewer periods to tailor the diffracted light, hindering the improvement of bandwidths and backreflections.

Prunus persica (L.) Batsch blossom soluble dietary fiber synergia polyphenol improving loperamide-induced constipation in mice via regulating stem cell factor/C-kit, NF-κB signaling pathway and gut microbiota.

This study aimed to investigate the ameliorating effects of peach blossom soluble dietary fiber (PBSDF) and polyphenol (PBP) combinations on loperamide (Lop)-induced constipation in mice, together with the possible mechanism of action. The results demonstrated that the combined use of PBSDF and PBP could synergistically accelerate the gastrointestinal transit rate and gastric emptying rate, shorten first red fecal defecation time, accelerate the frequency of defecation, regulate the abnormal secretion of gastrointestinal neurotransmitters and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and down-regulate the expressions of AQP3 and AQP8. Western blotting and RT-qPCR analysis confirmed that PBSDF + PBP up-regulated the protein and mRNA expressions of SCF and C-kit in SCF/C-kit signaling pathway, and down-regulated pro-inflammatory mediator expressions in NF-κB signaling pathway.

Mid-infrared polarization-insensitive grating coupler.

Mid-infrared (Mid-IR) (2-20 µm) silicon photonics has attracted much attention in the past few years due to its application potential in free-space optical communications, light detection and ranging, and molecular analysis. The grating coupler technology is one of the most widely employed approaches for light coupling between optical fibers and waveguides. In the mid-IR spectral region, due to the lack of reliable chalcogenide-fiber or ZBLAN-fiber polarization controllers, grating couplers usually suffer from huge insertion losses induced by the arbitrary polarization states of light coupled out of mid-IR fibers.

Antibiofilm mechanism of a novel milk-derived antimicrobial peptide against Staphylococcus aureus by downregulating agr quorum sensing system.

Aims: Staphylococcus aureus has emerged as a serious threat to food safety owing to biofilm formation. The study aimed to examine the antibiofilm mechanism of a novel milk-derived antimicrobial peptide BCp12 against it.

Methods And Results: Antibiofilm activity of BCp12 was studied by crystal violet staining, MTT assay, motility, SEM and CLSM.

Ultra-thin mid-infrared silicon grating coupler.

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) silicon photonics has been attracting great attention due to its tremendous potential applications in nonlinear optics, ranging, sensing, and spectroscopy. To date, mid-IR silicon devices have usually been developed based on silicon wafers with top-layer silicon thicknesses of hundreds of nanometers. Compared with the thick silicon devices, tens-of-nanometers thin silicon devices can provide giant evanescent-field energy proportions and optical mode areas, being significant for many biochemical sensing and nonlinear optics applications.

Glutathione-functionalized long-period fiber gratings sensor based on surface plasmon resonance for detection of As ions.

Development of simple and accurate methods for the detection of Asis highly desirable and technically important. In this work, a highly sensitive and selective long-period fiber gratings sensor based on surface plasmon resonance was developed for Asdetection by designing glutathione-functionalized Au nanoparticles as a signal amplification tag. Based on the chemical interaction between Asand glutathione, the self-assembling glutathione on the surface of the gold film combines selectively with As, and then anchors the glutathione-functionalized Au nanoparticles, which changes the refractive index of the surrounding environment, resulting in a shift of the transmission spectrum.