Cross-cohort replicable resting-state functional connectivity in predicting symptoms and cognition of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a debilitating mental illness characterized by adolescence or early adulthood onset of psychosis, positive and negative symptoms, as well as cognitive impairments. Despite a plethora of studies leveraging functional connectivity (FC) from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to predict symptoms and cognitive impairments of SZ, the findings have exhibited great heterogeneity. We aimed to identify congruous and replicable connectivity patterns capable of predicting positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive impairments in SZ. Predictable functional connections (FCs) were identified by employing an individualized prediction model, whose replicability was further evaluated across three independent cohorts (BSNIP, SZ = 174; COBRE, SZ = 100; FBIRN, SZ = 161). Across cohorts, we observed that altered FCs in frontal-temporal-cingulate-thalamic network were replicable in prediction of positive symptoms, while sensorimotor network was predictive of negative symptoms. Temporal-parahippocampal network was consistently identified to be associated with reduced cognitive function. These replicable 23 FCs effectively distinguished SZ from healthy controls (HC) across three cohorts (82.7%, 90.2%, and 86.1%). Furthermore, models built using these replicable FCs showed comparable accuracies to those built using the whole-brain features in predicting symptoms/cognition of SZ across the three cohorts (r = .17-.33, p < .05). Overall, our findings provide new insights into the neural underpinnings of SZ symptoms/cognition and offer potential targets for further research and possible clinical interventions.

Phytohormone gibberellins treatment enhances multiple antibiotics removal efficiency of different bacteria-microalgae-fungi symbionts.

To develop and characterize novel antibiotics removal biomaterial technology, we constructed three different bacteria-microalgae-fungi consortiums containing Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris), endophytic bacterium, Clonostachys rosea (C. rosea), Ganoderma lucidum, and Pleurotus pulmonarius. The results showed that under treatment with 50 mg/L of gibberellins (GAs), the three bacteria-microalgae-fungi symbionts had maximal growth rates (0.317 ± 0.030 d-1) and the highest removal efficiency for seven different antibiotics. Among them, C. vulgaris-endophytic bacterium-C. rosea symbiont had the best performance, with antibiotics removal efficiencies of 96.0 ± 1.4 %, 91.1 ± 7.9 %, 48.7 ± 5.1 %, 34.6 ± 2.9 %, 61.0 ± 5.5 %, 63.7 ± 5.6 %, and 54.3 ± 4.9 % for tetracycline hydrochloride, oxytetracycline hydrochloride, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, and sulfamethoxazole, respectively. Overall, the present study demonstrates that 50 mg/L GAs enhances biomass production and antibiotics removal efficiency of bacteria-microalgae-fungi symbionts, providing a framework for future antibiotics-containing wastewater treatment using three-phase symbionts.

The Correlation Between Thyroid Parameters and the Ratios of Neutrophil/Lymphocyte and Platelet/Lymphocyte in Euthyroid Type 2 Diabetic Patients.

Purpose: To investigate the thyroid parameters (thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4)) and their relationship with inflammatory indicators (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR)) in euthyroid individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients and Methods: Our study included 672 participants diagnosed with T2DM, and 336 healthy individuals matched in terms of age and gender. The laboratory inspection data of both type 2 diabetic patients and healthy individuals as controls were analyzed separately. Results: Compared with a control group, the individuals with T2DM presented elevated levels of inflammatory indicators, including white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils (NEUT), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR). The levels of TSH are elevated in the T2DM group, whereas the levels of FT3 or FT4 are reduced. TSH levels were significantly positively correlated with NLR or PLR, while the levels of FT3 and FT4 were significantly negatively correlated with NLR or PLR. Furthermore, thyroid parameters were correlated with gender, age, and blood lipid metabolism. Multiple stepwise regression analysis identified gender, NLR, PLR, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) as significant contributing factors for TSH. Additionally, gender, age, NLR, PLR, glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and LDL were identified as contributing factors for FT3, while PLR and total cholesterol (TC) were identified as contributing factors for FT4. Conclusion: Abnormal metabolism of thyroid parameters is associated with increased inflammatory activity and impaired glycolipid metabolism in euthyroid type 2 diabetic patients.

Attenuation of antibiotics from simulated swine wastewater using different microalgae-based systems.

Antibiotic misuse are potentially harmful to the environment and human health. Four algal symbionts were constructed using Chlorella vulgaris, endophytic bacterium and Clonostachys rosea (C. rosea) as the biomaterials. The growth, photosynthetic activity, and antibiotic removal efficiency of symbiont under different initial antibiotic concentrations was analyzed. The results showed that the microalgae-bacteria-fungi symbiont had a maximum growth rate of 0.307 ± 0.030 d-1 and achieved 99.35 ± 0.47%, 81.06 ± 7.83%, and 79.15 ± 7.26% removal of oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfadimethazine (SM2), and ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CPFX), respectively, at an initial antibiotic concentration of 0.25 mg/L. C. rosea has always existed as a biocontrol fungus. In this study, it was innovatively used to construct algal symbionts and used for antibiotic wastewater treatment with a high efficiency. The results contribute to the development of appropriate bioaugmentation strategies and the design of an algal symbiont process for the treatment of antibiotic-containing wastewater.

Effect of GR24 concentrations on tetracycline and nutrient removal from biogas slurry by different microalgae-based technologies.

A biogas slurry composed of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and antibiotics was generated. Investigations into the nutrient and tetracycline removal performance of four microalgae-based contaminant removal technologies, including Chlorella vulgaris, C. vulgaris co-cultured with endophytic bacteria, C. vulgaris co-cultured with Ganoderma lucidum, and C. vulgaris co-cultured with G. lucidum and endophytic bacteria, were conducted. The algal-bacterial-fungal consortium with 10-9 M strigolactone (GR24) yielded the maximum growth rate and average daily yield for algae at 0.325 ± 0.03 d-1 and 0.192 ± 0.02 g L-1 d-1, respectively. The highest nutrient/ tetracycline removal efficiencies were 83.28 ± 7.95 % for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 82.62 ± 7.97 % for total nitrogen (TN), 85.15 ± 8.26 % for total phosphorus (TP) and 83.92 ± 7.65 % for tetracycline. Adding an algal-bacterial-fungal consortium with an optimal synthetic analog GR24 concentration is seemingly an encouraging strategy for enhancing pollutant removal by algae, possibly overcoming the challenges of eutrophication and antibiotic pollution.

Effect of different CO2 concentrations on biogas upgrading and nutrient removal by microalgae-fungi co-culture.

Owing to the high carbon dioxide (CO2)-fixation efficiency, microalgae-based technology has been widely used for biogas purification. The present study explored the effect of CO2 concentration on biogas purification by an algal-fungal-bacterial symbiotic system. Two algal-fungal-bacterial symbiotic systems were cultivated to purify four simulated biogas samples with different CO2 concentrations. The results showed that GR24, a synthetic analog of strigolactone, stimulated the growth of the algal-fungal-bacterial symbiotic system. The optimal CO2 concentration for the purification of the simulated biogas was 45% (V/V), and the optimal symbiotic system was Chlorella vulgaris-Ganoderma lucidum-endophytic bacteria-GR24. The maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD; 82.61 ± 7.73%), total nitrogen (TN; 81.36 ± 7.97%), total phosphorus (TP; 85.69 ± 8.19), and CO2 (69.23 ± 6.56%) removal efficiencies were detected with the addition of 10-9 M GR24 to the C. vulgaris-G. lucidum-endophytic bacterial symbiotic system. These findings confirmed the effect of CO2 concentration on the purification of biogas by the algal-bacterial symbiotic system. The study provides a theoretical basis for further research on the treatment of wastewater and biogas.

Simultaneous biogas upgrading and biogas slurry treatment by different microalgae-based technologies under various strigolactone analog (GR24) concentrations.

In this research, the effects of exogenous strigolactone analog (GR24) on the growth rate, daily productivity and photosynthesis of symbiotes of Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris)-Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum)-endophytic bacteria, C. vulgaris-G. lucidum-activated sludge and C. vulgaris-G. lucidum-multi-walled carbon nanotube, and the simultaneous treatment of biogas slurry and biogas were examined. The C. vulgaris-G. lucidum-endophytic bacteria symbiote achieved the best treatment effectiveness for biogas slurry and biogas, with removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and CO2 of 81.4 ± 7.6%, 79.6 ± 7.6%, 82.5 ± 8.2%, and 67.3 ± 6.3% under the optimal GR24 concentration of 10-9 M. Moreover, the treatment effects were positively correlated with growth performance and photosynthesis efficiency of the symbiote. These findings advance the development and application of symbiotic systems in the field of wastewater treatment and biogas upgrading.

Nutrient and tetracycline removal from simulated biogas slurry and biogas upgrading by microalgae cultivation under different carbon nanotubes concentrations.

The present study sought to determine the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) concentrations (0-10 mg L-1) on tetracycline (TC) and biogas slurry nutrient removal by microalga Chlorella vulgaris cultivation. Treatments with 1 mg L-1 MWCNTs yielded the maximum chlorophyll a content, dry weight, and algal density of 143.73 ± 3.11 µg L-1, 0.81 ± 0.008 g L-1, and 5.83×107 cells L-1, respectively, suggesting that 1 mg L-1 MWCNTs could enhance microalgal growth performance and photosynthesis effectively. The highest removal rates of chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, TC, and CO2 under 1 mg L-1 MWCNTs were 90.43 ± 5.15%, 78.12 ± 4.33%, 77.07 ± 4.12%, 89.64 ± 3.08%, and 64.26 ± 0.71%, respectively. These results elucidated that moderate MWCNTs concentrations might promote TC and nutrient removal by enhancing Chlorella vulgaris photosynthesis activity.

Performance of different microalgae-fungi-bacteria co-culture technologies in photosynthetic and removal performance in response to various GR24 concentrations.

The purification effect of two different microalgae-fungi-bacteria symbiosis technologies on biogas and biogas slurry was studied to determine the best symbiosis treatment technology and the suitable concentration of GR24. The results showed that the purification effect of biogas slurry in Chlorella vulgaris-Ganoderma lucidum-endophytic bacteria (S395-2) symbiont co-culture system was better than that of the biogas slurry in Scenedesmus obliquus-Pleurotus ostreatus-S395-2 symbionts. Following 10-9 M GR24 treatment, Chlorella vulgaris-Ganoderma lucidum-S395-2 symbionts had elevated mean daily production rate and growth rate by 1.92 and 1.46 folds in comparison with blank group. After adjusting the GR24 level within the range of 10-9 M-10-7 M, Ganoderma lucidum-assisted Chlorella vulgaris-S395-2 attained higher maximal removal rates for TN, COD, CO2, and TP by 10.78%, 14.62%, 3.86%, and 9.07%, respectively, compared to the rates when GR24 was not added.

Contribution of vitamin B12 to biogas upgrading and nutrient removal by different microalgae-based technology.

The algae-based technology has a positive effect on the treatment of biogas slurry and the purification of biogas, while vitamin B12 (VB12) is one of the important regulatory substances in the algae-based cultivation system. In this study, different concentrations of VB12 were used in three microalgal treatment technologies to assess their effect on simultaneous removal of nutrients from biogas slurry and removal of CO2 from raw biogas. Results showed that Chlorella vulgaris exhibited higher growth rate, mean daily productivity, chlorophyll a content, carbonic anhydrase activity and better photosynthetic properties when co-cultivated with Ganoderma lucidum, rather than when co-cultivated with activated sludge or under mono-cultivation. Maximum mean chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and CO2 removal efficiencies were found to be 84.29 ± 8.28%, 83.27 ± 8.14%, 85.27 ± 8.46% and 65.71 ± 6.35%, respectively when microalgae were co-cultivated with Ganoderma lucidum under 100 ng L-1 of VB12. This study shows the potential of microalgae and fungi co-cultivation supplemented with VB12 for the simultaneous upgradation of biogas production as well as for the purification of biogas slurry.

Correlation of CD3+/CD4+, and serum CK-18 fragment levels with glucose and lipid metabolism in elderly type 2 diabetes patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

OBJECTIVE: To test the correlation of helper T lymphocytes (CD3+/CD4+), and cytokeratin 18 fragment (CK-18) with glucose and lipid metabolism in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: A total of 108 patients with T2DM hospitalized in Geriatrics, Taizhou People's Hospital from August 2019 to December 2020 were obtained and grouped into' Non-NAFLD group (58 patients) and NAFLD group (50 patients) according to the patients' conditions. Another 50 healthy people were obtained as the control group (CG). The BMI was tested, and the elbow venous blood was collected. The indexes of blood glucose, liver and kidney function (ALT, AST, creatinine, urea nitrogen), blood lipid (triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol) and blood uric acid were detected. CD3+/CD4+ in elbow venous blood was tested using flow cytometry, and CK-18 was tested using ELISA. Pearson correlation coefficient was applied to test the correlation of CD3+/CD4+, CK-18 with glucose and lipid metabolism in NAFLD group. RESULTS: Compared with the CG, CK-18 in the other two groups were elevated, and CK-18 in the NAFLD group were elevated compared to the Non-NAFLD group. Compared with the CG, CD3+ and CD4+ in the other two groups were decreased, and CD3+ and CD4+ in the NAFLD group decreased compared to the Non-NAFLD group. Correlation analysis revealed that both CD3+ and CD4+ had a negative correlation with FPG, HbA1C, FINS, HOMA-IR, TG, TC, HDL and LDL, while CK-18 had a positive correlation with these indexes. ROC curve revealed that the AUC values of CK-18, CD3+ and CD4+ for NAFLD in elderly T2DM patients were 0.875, 0.867, and 0.871, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that FINS, HOMA-IR, CK-18, CD3+ and CD4+ were all related factors leading to NAFLD in elderly T2DM patients. CONCLUSION: CD3+/CD4+, and CK-18 were correlated with glucose and lipid metabolism in elderly T2DM patients with NAFLD. They may be related to the development of T2DM and NAFLD, and these indexes can be used as biological diagnostic indicators for elderly T2DM patients with NAFLD.

Effect of high-quality nursing on negative psychological moods and quality of life of elderly patients with hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the effect of high-quality nursing on negative psychological moods and quality of life of elderly patients with hypertension. METHODS: In this prospective research, 89 hypertensive elderly patients were divided via random number table method, into a control group (n=44) with routine basic nursing and a research group (n=45) with high-quality nursing. The two groups were compared with respect to psychological status, quality of life, self-management ability and blood pressure control, as well as medication compliance and complications, before and after intervention. RESULTS: Scores of Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) decreased in both groups after intervention, and the reduction was more significant in the research group (both P<0.05). After intervention, scores of various dimensions of generic quality of life inventory-74 (GQOLI-74), self-management ability and Morisky medication compliance scale (MMAS) increased in both groups, and the increase was more evident in the research group (all P<0.05). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased in both groups after intervention, with lower parameters in the research group (both P<0.05). The total incidence of complications in the research group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: High-quality nursing for elderly hypertensive patients can significantly relieve their negative emotions and improve their quality of life, with a low incidence of complications.

Effects of exogenous GR24 on biogas upgrading and nutrient removal by co-culturing microalgae with fungi under mixed LED light wavelengths.

To realize the synchronous purification of raw biogas and biogas slurry, the algal-fungal symbiont pellets were cultivated by supplementing strigolactone (GR24) under different mixed LED light wavelengths. The optimal light intensity was proved to be red and blue in the ratio of 5:5. The symbionts treated with 10-9 M GR24 had the highest growth rate and mean daily productivity. The extracellular carbonic anhydrase activity and the content of chlorophyll were also affected by GR24 concentrations and mixed light wavelengths. With the induction of 10-9 M GR24, the maximum removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus reached 76.35 ± 6.87%, 78.77 ± 7.13% and 79.49 ± 7.43%, respectively. Besides, the CO2 removal efficiency reached 59.32 ± 5.19% when the concentration of GR24 was 10-7 M. This work will be beneficial for large-scale biogas slurry purification and biogas upgrading using co-cultivation of microalgae and fungi.

Induction of vitamin B12 to purify biogas slurry and upgrade biogas using co-culture of microalgae and fungi.

Different gradient concentrations of vitamin B12 (0, 10, 100, 1,000 ng L-1 ) were used in the symbiosis system (Chlorella vulgaris-Ganoderma lucidum or Chlorella vulgaris-Pleurotus ostreatus) to assess their effect on simultaneous purification of biogas and removal of nutrients in biogas slurry using co-culture of microalgae and fungi. When B12 was added to the symbiosis system, biomass growth, intracellular carbonic anhydrase activity (CA), chlorophyll a content (CHL-a), photosynthetic characteristics of the two cultivation system, and removal efficiency of nutrients in biogas slurry and CO2 in biogas were significantly higher than those in the control group. The optimal concentration of B12 was determined to be 100 ng L-1 considering the removal efficiency of nutrients and CO2 . Maximum mean chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and CO2 removal efficiencies were 75.98 ± 6.26%, 78.46 ± 6.21%, 80.21 ± 6.83% and 61.08 ± 5.21% in Chlorella vulgaris-Ganoderma lucidum, respectively. This study showed the potential of microalgae and fungi symbiosis system with B12 addition for nutrient removal and biogas upgrading. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Vitamin B12 had positive effects on algal-fungal pellets growth. The optimal vitamin B12 concentration was 100 ng L-1 . The highest CO2 remove rate was 61.08% by G. lucidum/C. vulgaris pellets. Vitamin B12 significantly improved photosynthetic performance of pellets.

Co-culturing microalgae with endophytic bacteria increases nutrient removal efficiency for biogas purification.

Endophytic bacteria were isolated from Chlorella vulgaris and co-cultured with its host microalgae to determine whether this symbiotic system is suitable for purifying biogas and biogas slurry. Results showed that endophytic bacteria S395-1 and S395-2 belonged to different genera. Both strains promoted microalgae growth while improving photosynthetic performance, carbonic anhydrase activity, nutrient removal efficiency, and CO2 fixation. The optimal bacteria (S395-2)-to-microalgae ratio and co-culture duration were 10:1 and 7 days. Under this condition, the growth rate and carbonic anhydrase activity were 0.196 ± 0.06 d-1 and 31.24 ± 0.28 EU/cell, respectively. The symbiotic system had removal efficiencies of 88.29 ± 5.03%, 88.31 ± 4.29%, 88.21 ± 4.51%, and 68.13 ± 1.69% for chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, phosphorus, and CO2, respectively. These results will provide a framework for constructing a microalgal-bacterial consortium that can improve wastewater treatment and enhance biogas quality.

Removal of pollutants from biogas slurry and CO2 capture in biogas by microalgae-based technology: a systematic review.

Recent research interest has focused on microalgae cultivation for biogas slurry purification and biogas upgrading due to the requirement of high efficiency for nutrient uptake and CO2 capture, with economic feasibility and environmental benefits. Numerous studies have suggested that biogas slurry purification and biogas upgrading can occur simultaneously via microalgae-based technology. However, there is no comprehensive review on this technology with respect to the nutrient removal from biogas slurry and biogas upgrading. This article summarizes microalgal cultivation with biogas slurry and biogas from anaerobic digestion. The parameters, techniques, and modes of microalgae cultivation have been discussed in detail to achieve high efficiency in biogas slurry purification and biogas upgrading. In addition, the evaluation of energy efficiency and safety has also been explored. Compared with mono-cultivation of microalgae and co-cultivation of microalgae and bacteria, microalgae-fungi symbiosis has demonstrated greater development prospect and higher energy efficiency and the energy consumption for pollutants and CO2 removal were 14.2-39.0% · USD-1 and 19.9-23.3% · USD-1, respectively. Further, a sustainable recycling scheme is proposed for the purification of biogas slurry from anaerobic digestion process and biogas upgrading via microalgae-based technology.

Effect of GR24 concentrations on biogas upgrade and nutrient removal by microalgae-based technology.

Freshwater microalgae Chlorella vulgaris was cultured and induced with strigolactone (GR24) to simultaneously eliminate nutrients in biogas slurry and purify biogas. Treatment with 10-7 M GR24 yielded maximum growth rate and mean daily productivity for algae at 0.187 ± 0.06 d-1 and 0.097 ± 0.008 g L-1 d-1, respectively. Results from chlorophyll fluorescence transients method demonstrated that moderate concentration of GR24 could enhance the photosynthetic performance of microalgae. In addition, GR24 affected intracellular carbonic anhydrase activity and chlorophyll-a content. Maximum chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and CO2 removal efficiencies were 78.62 ± 2.36%, 76.47 ± 1.53% and 64.05 ± 1.15% with 10-7 M GR24 induction, respectively. Further, highest total phosphorus removal efficiency (80.27 ± 1.93%) was observed at 10-9 M. The optimal GR24 concentration range was determined to be between 10-9 and 10-7 M in consideration with nutrient and CO2 removal efficiencies.

miR-195 and miR-497 in acute stroke and their correlations with post-stroke cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the expression of miR-195 and miR-497 in acute stroke and to evaluate their correlations with post-stroke cognitive impairment. METHODS: A total of 108 patients with acute stroke admitted to our hospital from January, 2019 to June, 2020 were enrolled as a patient group, and 76 healthy volunteers were recruited as a normal group. Levels of serum miR-195 and miR-497 in the two groups were quantified. Neurological and cognitive functions were tested by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), respectively. Diagnostic value of serum miR-195 and miR-497 in acute stroke was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and independent risk factors were determined by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Levels of serum miR-195 and miR-497 increased in acute stroke. The area under the curve (AUC) of serum miR-195 in the diagnosis of acute stroke was 0.901, while that of serum miR-497 was 0.922. Levels of miR-195 and miR-497 were positively correlated with NIHSS score and negatively correlated with MoCA score. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that family history of stroke, diabetes, hypertension, NIHSS score, MoCA score, miR-195, and miR-497 were independent risk factors for acute stroke. CONCLUSION: Serum miR-195 and miR-497 are elevated in acute stroke and associated with the loss of neurologic and cognitive functions. They may be biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of acute stroke.

Structural characters and protecting ß-cells of a polysaccharide from flowers of Inula japonica.

Our previous studies found that the crude polysaccharides (IJP) from flowers of Inula japonica exhibited significantly anti-diabetic activity in alloxan or MLD-STZ induced diabetic mice. In this study, we will trace an active polysaccharide from IJP and investigate its physico-chemical property and its protective mechanism on islet cell damage. The result showed that an active polysaccharide (IJP-B-1) was isolated from IJP, its molecular mass was 3.7×104Da. IJP-B-1 was composed of rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, galactose and galactocuronic acid. Its major backbone structure was (1→3, 6)-linked-galactose and other branched residues. IJP-B-1 could protect pancreatic cells against STZ impairment at 50µg/mL and scavenge OH and O2 radicals to decrease reactive oxygen generation in islet-cells in vitro. These results suggested that IJP-B-1 might be useful for protecting ß-cells and against oxidative stress as an anti-diabetic candidate drug in future.

Effect of a polysaccharide from Poria cocos on humoral response in mice immunized by H1N1 influenza and HBsAg vaccines.

Poria cocos has a long history of medicinal use in China. Polysaccharides and their derivatives in the medicine exhibit many beneficial biological activities including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiviral activities. In this study, a new polysaccharide (PCP-II) was isolated from sclerotium of Poria cocos. Its physico-chemical characters were identified and its adjuvant activity was investigated in mice co-immunized with H1N1 influenza vaccine and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The results revealed that PCP-II has a molecular weight of 29.0kDa. It was composed of fucose, mannose, glucose and galactose in molar ration of 1.00:1.63:0.16:6.29 respectively. Pharmacological data demonstrated that PCP-II increased antigen-specific antibody levels in mice immunized with influenza vaccine. PCP-II also elicited anti-HBsAg antibodies at significantly higher titers and generated robust and durable immunity compared to mice immunized with HBsAg-alum following two administrations. PCP-II improved proliferation of splenocytes, stimulated IL-12p70 and TNF-α productions in dendritic cells and macrophages respectively. These results suggested that PCP-II-adjuvanted vaccines enhanced humoral and cellular immunity. PCP-II could be developed as an efficacious adjuvant in human and animal vaccines.