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The search for active metabolites present in plants is of great value and has been an important source of bioactive substances for centuries. Sakuranetin, first identified in the bark of cherry trees (Prunus spp.), is a flavonoid of the flavanone subclass, acting as a phytoalexin essential for the plant defense system. The present work aims to describe the state art of sakuranetin, including physical properties, biological effects, and biotechnological trends. An investigation was carried out in the Elsevier Scopus database to understand the main aspects regarding the contributions of sakuranetin to publications reporting its biological effects. Currently, several biological activities are related to it, the most relevant being the antiviral, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, and antibiotic. The anti-inflammatory activity is the leading and most cited biological activity related to sakuranetin, and another exciting capacity is cancer cell proliferation inhibition shown over several cell cultures. Sakuranetin is already known for microbial defense of plants and antiparasitic against Leishmania species was reported, as was virostatic and virucidal characteristics for human viruses, including SARS-COV-2. Due to limitations of the flavonoid molecular characteristics, sakuranetin needs to be implemented in new technologies, and nanoencapsulation techniques are presented as an alternative for enhancing sakuranetin features. More studies are necessary to harness all of the biological potential of sakuranetin in our society.
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Initiating from recent pandemic conditions, this study deals with the influence of light on the psychology of people during a typical working day at small scale residential spaces, aiming at delivering strategic design of anthropocentric lighting for visual, mental and biological health. © 2022 IEEE.
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Messenger RNA (mRNA, mRNA) vaccines and antibodies are a new type of vaccine and antibody technology emerging in recent years. Compared with traditional vaccines, mRNA vaccines have the advantages of high safety, good balanced immunity, short development cycle, and low production costs. mRNA antibodies exert biological effects in vivo earlier and longer than other forms of delivered antibodies. With the rapid development of mRNA modification and delivery technology, mRNA technology is rapidly maturing, showing broad application prospects in tumor treatment, prevention and treatment of viral infectious diseases, etc. In particular, the new coronavirus mRNA vaccine has been completed at a record speed The development and successful application paves the way for the promotion of mRNA technology in the future. This paper reviews the important breakthroughs in the field of mRNA technology, focusing on the major progress of mRNA vaccines and antibodies in response to viral infectious diseases, and looks forward to the future research trends of this technology in the field of anti-viral infection.
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Antibacterial filtration materials have been used effectively to control biological pollutants and purify indoor air. This study aimed to assess the antibacterial capability of three fiber filter materials treated with triclosan: glass fiber (GF), non-woven fabric (NF) and chemical fiber (CF). Triclosan was loaded onto the filtration materials by the impregnation method. The triclosan-treated filter materials exhibited antibacterial zones obviously: the average antibacterial bands against E. coli were 11.8 mm (GF), 13.3 mm (NF) and 10.5 mm (CF);against S. albus, they were 25.5 mm (GF), 21.0 mm (NF) and 23.5 mm (CF). The percent reductions of bacteria for the antibacterial air fiber materials treated with triclosan against E. coli were 71.4% (CF) and 62.6% (GF), while the percent reductions against S. albus were 61.3% (NF) and 84.6% (CF). These findings could help to reduce the transmission and threat of epidemic and purify the environment through the use of environmentally friendly antibacterial filter fibers.
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Background: Glycyrrhiza uralensis, also known as liquorice, is a herbal remedy that is traditionally used worldwide for treating respiratory ailments and ameliorating breathing. Objective: The objective of this systematic study was to investigate active ingredients of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and determine its mode of action in silico against severe and acute respiratory complications of respiratory ailments through network pharmacology and molecular docking studies. Methods: TCMSP database search helped retrieve the compounds of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and their protein targets, especially related to respiratory ailments. Subsequently, the protein-protein association was attained as a network by using the STITCH database. Cytoscape and its ClueGO plugin were used to study gene ontology (GO) enrichment. In addition, seven natural compounds were docked in the active site of four different molecular targets;JUN-FOS, COX2, MAPK14 and IL-6, to identify the binding mechanism of ligands under study. Results: TCMSP database search resulted in the retrieval of 280 compounds of Glycyrrhiza uralensis (including formononetin, naringenin, sitosterol, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, quercetin and Glycyrrhizin) and 135 protein targets. A careful study of targets showed that 26 prospective targets (including JUN, FOS, IL6, MAPK14 and PTGS2) related to respiratory ailments were identified. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis resulted in the retrieval of 176 GO terms, which were associated with respiratory ailments. This study proposed that Glycyrrhiza uralensis acts against respiratory ailments through various proteins, such as JUN, FOS, IL6, MAPK14 and PTGS2. Docking results revealed that among all studied ligands, the flavonoid-based compounds isorhamnetin and kaempferol form stronger complexes with JUN-FOS-DNA, MAPK-14, and IL-6 proteins (Cscore=6.81, 4.27, and 4.77, respectively) and the saponin based compound glycyrrhizin (Cscore=13.07) demonstrated stronger binding affinity towards COX2 enzyme. Conclusion: Conclusively, isorhamnetin, kaempferol and glycyrrhizin in Glycyrrhiza uralensis may regulate several signaling pathways through JUN-FOS-DNA, MAPK-14, and IL-6, which might play a therapeutic role against respiratory ailments.
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High nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs accelerate soil acidification and degradation in tea plantations, thus posing a threat to soil microbial diversity, species composition, and ecosystem service functions. The effects of organic fertilizer and biochar applications on improving soil fertility have been extensively studied on cropland;however, little is known about their effectiveness in promoting soil multifunctionality on rapidly expanding acidic soils in tea plantations. In this study, we conducted a two‐year field experiment in a subtropical tea plantation to investigate the effects of organic fertilizer substitution and biochar amendment on soil microbial communities and multifunctionality. The results showed that soil multifunctionality was enhanced in plots amended with organic fertilizer and biochar. Soil multifunctionality was significantly and positively correlated with alpha‐diversity of bacteria but not fungi. We also found that organic fertilizer substitution and biochar amendment improved soil multifunctionality by altering the abundance of keystone species. The abundance of keystone species classified as module hubs in the bacterial co‐occurrence network contributed significantly and positively to soil multifunctionality. In contrast, the keystone species categorized as module hubs in the fungal co‐occurrence network negatively affected soil multifunctionality. Soil pH was a key driver of soil microbial community composition, indicating that the increase in soil pH under organic fertilizer and biochar amendment had a crucial role in biological processes. These results suggest that organic substitution and biochar amendment are beneficial in preventing soil degradation and maintaining soil multifunctionality in subtropical tea plantations.
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In addition to the variation in extraction methodologies, the biological activities of propolis can vary depending on the collection period, seasonality, temperature and local greenery, elements that can limit the concentration of bioactive compounds in the product (Bankova et al., 1998;Souza, Inoue, Gomes, Funari, & Orsi, 2010). In this context, the present work aimed to optimize the methodology of ethanol extract of propolis production and to evaluate the effect of seasonality on the chemical composition and biological activities of this product. 2. After the analysis of the results from the first part of the project, to standardize the extraction and drying temperature, the ethanolic solution that best stood out in the chemical and microbiological analysis found previously was adopted, and a completely randomized experimental design was used in a factorial scheme containing 2 (baths) x 3 (drying) temperatures (Figure 1). The results were expressed as antioxidant activity (AA), calculated through the DPPH solution's absorbance decline rate after 45 minutes of reaction (stable phase) compared to the reference solution (DPPH in ethanol), by the formula: % Antioxidant activity = 100 - [(Sample - White) · 100 / Control] where:
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Several studies point to the antimicrobial effects of ELF electromagnetic fields. Such fields have accompanied life from the very beginning, and it is possible that they played a significant role in its emergence and evolution. However, the literature on the biological effects of ELF electromagnetic fields is controversial, and we still lack an understanding of the complex mechanisms that make such effects, observed in many experiments, possible. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how fragile we are in the face of powerful processes operating in the biosphere. We believe that understanding the role of ELF electromagnetic fields in regulating the biosphere is important in our fight against Covid-19, and research in this direction should be intensified.