DNA metabarcoding uncovers fungal communities in .

Objective: (ZR, Ganjiang in Chinese), also known as dried ginger, is a popular spice and medicinal herb that has been used for several thousand years. However, ZR is easily contaminated by fungi and mycotoxin under suitable conditions, and might be hazardous to the health and safety of consumers, thus concerns about the herb's safety have been raised. The aim of this study was to investigate the fungal community and the effects of collection areas and processing methods on the fungal community in ZR.

A novel "Turn-Off-On" fluorescent probe for specific sequential detection of Cu and glyphosate and its application in biological imaging.

As common pollutants, Cu and glyphosate pose a serious threat to human health and the ecosystem. Herein, a fluorescent probe (E)-7-(diethylamino)-N'(4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxybenzyl)-2-oxo-2H chromophore-3-carbazide (DDHC) was designed and synthesised for the sequential recognition of Cu and glyphosate. DDHC has the advantages of a short synthesis path, easy-to-obtain raw materials, good anti-interference ability, and strong stability.

Choline Dehydrogenase Contributes to Salt Tolerance in Dunaliella through Betaine Synthesis.

In Dunaliella tertiolecta, a microalga renowned for its extraordinary tolerance to high salinity levels up to 4.5 M NaCl, the mechanisms underlying its stress response have largely remained a mystery. In a groundbreaking discovery, this study identifies a choline dehydrogenase enzyme, termed DtCHDH, capable of converting choline to betaine aldehyde.

Functional Characterization of a CruP-Like Isomerase in .

is a marine unicellular green algal that produces large amounts of β-carotene and is a model organism for studying the carotenoid synthesis pathway. However, there are still many mysteries about the enzymes of the lycopene synthesis pathway that have not been revealed. Here, we have identified a CruP-like lycopene isomerase, named DbLyISO, and successfully cloned its gene from .

Giant Deformation Induced Staggered-Layer Structure Promoting the Thermoelectric and Mechanical Performance in n-Type Bi(Te, Se).

Bismuth telluride has long been recognized as the most promising near-room temperature thermoelectric material for commercial application; however, the thermoelectric performance for n-type Bi(Te, Se)-based alloys is far lagging behind that of its p-type counterpart. In this work, a giant hot deformation (GD) process is implemented in an optimized BiTeSeI+3 wt%KBiSe precursor and generates a unique staggered-layer structure. The staggered-layered structure, which is only observed in severely deformed crystals, exhibits a preferential scattering on heat-carrying phonons rather than charge-carrying electrons, thus resulting in an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity while retaining high-weight carrier mobility.

Variations of the fungal microbiome in Corydalis Rhizoma with different collection areas, processing methods, and storage conditions.

Corydalis Rhizoma (CR, Yanhusuo in Chinese) has been widely used as an analgesic in herbal medicine and functional food. Cases of fungal and mycotoxin contamination in CR have been reported. In this study, the composition and diversity of fungal microbiome in CR samples from four herbal markets and two processing methods were investigated by DNA metabarcoding.

DNA metabarcoding analysis of fungal community on surface of four root herbs.

Objective: (ASR, Danggui in Chinese), (CH, Roucongrong in Chinese), et (PG, Renshen in Chinese), and (PQ, Xiyangshen in Chinese), widely used as medicine and dietary supplement around the world, are susceptible to fungal and mycotoxin contamination. In this study, we aim to analyze their fungal community by DNA metabarcoding.

Methods: A total of 12 root samples were collected from three main production areas in China.

Enantioselective effects of chiral prothioconazole and its metabolites: Oxidative stress in HepG2 cells and lysozyme activity.

Chiral pesticides may exhibit enantioselectivity in terms of bioconcentration, environmental fate, and reproductive toxicity. Here, chiral prothioconazole and its metabolites were selected to thoroughly investigate their enantioselective toxicity and mechanisms at the molecular and cellular levels. Multispectral techniques revealed that the interaction between chiral PTC/PTCD and lysozyme resulted in the formation of a complex, leading to a change in the conformation of lysozyme.

DNA Metabarcoding Reveals the Fungal Community on the Surface of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, an Edible and Medicinal Herb.

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF) has been globally applied as an herbal medicine and tea. A number of reports recently revealed fungal and mycotoxin contamination in medicinal herbs. It is essential to analyze the fungal community in LJF to provide an early warning for supervision.

Enantioselective effect of chiral prothioconazole on the conformation of bovine serum albumin.

As a typical chiral triazole fungicide, the enantioselective toxicity of prothioconazole to environmental organisms is of increasing concern. Herein, the binding mechanism of chiral PTCs to BSA was investigated by multi-spectral technique and molecular docking. Fluorescence titration and fluorescence lifetime experiments fully established that quenching BSA fluorescence by chiral PTCs is static quenching and could spontaneously bind to BSA.

A reversible CHEF-based NIR fluorescent probe for sensing Hg and its multiple application in environmental media and biological systems.

Hg poses a great threat to human health and the environment due to its bioaccumulation and permanent damage. Herein, a reversible CHEF-based near-infrared fluorescent probe 2-(3-((E)-4-((E)-4-(diethylamino)-2- hydroxybenzylidene)amino)styryl)-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ylidene)propanedinitrile (DHEY) capable of specifically recognizing Hg was constructed. DHEY exhibits advantages of large Stokes shift (157 nm), excellent selectivity, high sensitivity (LOD = 3.

Characterization of the Fungal Community in Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus through DNA Metabarcoding.

Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus (FCB) is a well-known and precious traditional Chinese medicine with a medicinal history spanning thousands of years. In recent years, it has been reported that fungal and mycotoxin contamination influenced the safety and quality of FCB. It is essential to systematically study the fungal community for the early warning of fungal and mycotoxin contamination in this herb.

Potential toxic effects of sulfonamides antibiotics: Molecular modeling, multiple-spectroscopy techniques and density functional theory calculations.

Sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) are widely used in medicine, animal husbandry and aquaculture, and excessive intake of SAs may pose potential toxicity to organisms. The toxicological mechanisms of two classical SAs, sulfamerazine (SMR) and sulfamethoxazole (SMT), were investigated by molecular docking, DFT and multi-spectroscopic techniques using HSA and BSA as model proteins. The quenching of HSA/BSA endogenous fluorescence by SMR was higher than that by SMT due to the stronger binding effect of the pyrimidine ring on HSA/BSA compared to the oxazole ring, and that result was consistent with that predicted by DFT calculations.

Analysis of Fungal Microbiomes in Edible Medicinal Morindae Officinalis Radix and Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Fructus Using DNA Metabarcoding.

Morindae Officinalis Radix (MOR) and Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Fructus (AOF) have been widely used as dietary supplements and traditional herbal medicines for centuries. Fungal and mycotoxin contamination in MOR and AOF has been reported recently. In this study, fungi in MOR and AOF are first investigated using DNA metabarcoding, and the differences in fungal microbiome between moldy and non-moldy samples are analyzed.

Investigation of fungal contamination in medicinal and edible Lycii Fructus through DNA metabarcoding.

Aims: Lycii Fructus (LF) is considered as a 'superfood' due to its health benefits and delicious tastes, which has gained popularity worldwide. However, LF is also a proper host for fungal growth due to its abundant nutrients. Fungal contamination seriously affects the quality and safety of LF and poses threats to consumer health.

Illumina-Based Analysis Yields New Insights Into the Fungal Contamination Associated With the Processed Products of Crataegi Fructus.

Crataegi Fructus, a medicinal and edible herb in China, has been considered a popular dietary supplement globally. It is used for the treatment of dyspepsia and chronic heart failure according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020). However, fungal contamination in Crataegi Fructus affects its quality and safety, thus preventing its global promotion.

Identification and poisoning diagnosis of Aconitum materials using a genus-specific nucleotide signature.

Aconitum genus generally contains hypertoxic alkaloids. Poisoning incidents due to the improper ingestion of Aconitum materials frequently occur around the world. DNA barcoding is considered as a powerful tool for species identification, but complete sequences of conventional DNA barcodes are sometimes unattainable from food and highly processed products due to severe DNA degradation.

Detection of Adulteration and Pesticide Residues in Chinese Patent Medicine Qipi Pill Using KASP Technology and GC-MS/MS.

Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) are of great value for the prevention and treatment of diseases. However, adulterants and pesticide residues in CPMs have become the "bottleneck" impeding the globalization of traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, 12 batches of commercially available Qipi pill (a famous CPM recorded in Chinese Pharmacopeia) from different manufacturers were investigated to evaluate their authenticity and quality safety.

Plastid genome data provide new insights into the phylogeny and evolution of the genus .

Introduction: L., the largest herbaceous genus of Berberidaceae, is one of the most taxonomically difficult representatives. The classification and phylogenetic relationships within are controversial and unresolved.

Cross-frequency and iso-frequency estimation of functional corticomuscular coupling after stroke.

Functional corticomuscular coupling (FCMC) between the brain and muscles has been used for motor function assessment after stroke. Two types, iso-frequency coupling (IFC) and cross-frequency coupling (CFC), are existed in sensory-motor system for healthy people. However, in stroke, only a few studies focused on IFC between electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) signals, and no CFC studies have been found.

Multiscale multivariate transfer entropy and application to functional corticocortical coupling.

. Complex biological systems consist of multi-level mechanism in terms of within- and cross-subsystems correlations, and they are primarily manifested in terms of connectivity, multiscale properties, and nonlinearity. Existing studies have each only explored one aspect of the functional corticocortical coupling (FCCC), which has some limitations in portraying the complexity of multivariable systems.

Assessment of the Microbiome and Potential Aflatoxin Associated With the Medicinal Herb .

Platycladi Semen, which is derived from the dried ripe seed of , has been used for the treatment of insomnia and constipation in China for 2000 years. However, it is susceptible to fungal and aflatoxin contamination under proper humidity and temperature during storage. Although aflatoxin contamination in Platycladi Semen has been reported preliminarily, few studies have been conducted on fungal infection and aflatoxin contamination simultaneously.

Investigating the authenticity of Ophiopogonis Radix and its Chinese patent medicines by using a nucleotide signature.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ophiopogonis Radix (Maidong), derived from the dried root tuber of Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker Gawl., has been widely used in the treatment of chronic inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases.

Characterizing fungal communities in medicinal and edible Cassiae Semen using high-throughput sequencing.

Cassiae Semen (CS) has been widely used as roasted tea and traditional Chinese medicine for decades. However, CS is easily contaminated by fungi and mycotoxins during pre-harvest and post-harvest process, thus posing a potential threat to consumer health. In this study, we used the Illumina MiSeq PE300 platform and targeted the internal transcribed spacer 2 sequences to survey the occurrence of fungi in raw and roasted CS samples.

Development of Plastid Genomic Resources for Discrimination and Classification of (Berberidaceae).

(Berberidaceae) is recorded as the source plant of Epimedii Wushanensis Folium in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. However, controversies exist on the classification of and its closely related species, namely, . , , , , and .