Rapid Screening and Quantitative Determination of Illegal Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors (PDE-5i) in Herbal Dietary Supplements.

Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5i) are the first-line medication for oral erectile dysfunction, which are used according to the prescription of doctors. However, these substances have been found illegally in supplementary foods. The quality and safety of dietary supplements for enhancing male sexual performance have been questioned, raising the need for continual development of analytical methods.

Spatial and seasonal variation of diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxins in bivalve mollusks from some coastal regions of Vietnam and assessment of potential health risks.

The occurrence of okadaic acid (OA) group toxins in bivalve mollusk collected from Vietnamese coastal areas was investigated from April 2016 to April 2017. OA group toxins were detected in mollusk by UPLC-MS/MS with the highest level of 11.3 ng/g and detection frequency of 11.

Screening determination of four amphetamine-type drugs in street-grade illegal tablets and urine samples by portable capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection.

A simple and inexpensive method for the identification of four substituted amphetamines, namely, 3,4-methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA), methamphetamine (MA), 3,4-methylenedioxy amphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDEA) was developed using an in-house constructed semi-automated portable capillary electrophoresis instrument (CE) with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C(4)D). Arginine 10mM adjusted to pH4.5 with acetic acid was found to be the optimal background electrolyte for the CE-C(4)D determination of these compounds.

Bifidobacterium species lower serum glucose, increase expressions of insulin signaling proteins, and improve adipokine profile in diabetic mice.

This study, using C57BL/6J mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes, aimed to determine whether Bifidobacterium species (spp.) both induces the expressions of proteins in the insulin signaling pathway and enhances the expressions of certain adipocytokines. The protein expressions of IκB kinase alpha (IKKα), IκB kinase beta (IKKβ), nuclear factor-kappaB inhibitor alpha (IκBα), and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway were also investigated.

Oral administration of Bifidobacterium spp. improves insulin resistance, induces adiponectin, and prevents inflammatory adipokine expressions.

The intestinal microbiome might be an important contributor to the development of type 2 diabetes. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that oral administration of Bifidobacterium species (spp.) (including B.