Four New Endophytic Apiospora Species Isolated from Three Dicranopteris Species in Guizhou, China.

Endophytic fungi isolated from medicinal ferns serve as significant natural resources for drug precursors or bioactive metabolites. During our survey on the diversity of endophytic fungi from Dicranopteris species (a genus of medicinal ferns) in Guizhou, Apoiospora was observed as a dominant fungal group. In this study, seven Apiospora strains, representing four new species, were obtained from the healthy plant tissues of three Dicranopteris species-D. ampla, D. linearis, and D. pedata. The four new species, namely Apiospora aseptata, A. dematiacea, A. dicranopteridis, and A. globosa, were described in detail with color photographs and subjected to phylogenetic analyses using combined LSU, ITS, TEF1-α, and TUB2 sequence data. This study also documented three new hosts for Apiospora species.

Relationship between severity of obstructive sleep apnea and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

PURPOSE: The cause of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is controversial, local hypoxia and inflammation being the main two possibilities proposed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and BPH. METHODS: The study cohort comprised men from January 2016 to December 2020 in our Sleep Center. These patients were classified into four groups (no, mild, moderate, severe OSA) by apnea-hypopnea indexes (AHI). Logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for BPH, after which participants were stratified into younger (age ≤ 40 years) and older groups (age > 40 years) for further analysis. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised 467 patients including 135 younger subjects and 332 older subjects. The prevalence of BPH in the above listed AHI categories was 37.5%, 55.0%, 62.9%, and 52.3%, respectively (p = 0.075). Logistic regression analysis of all patients identified age as a risk factor for BPH (p < 0.001). Stratified analysis according to AHI category found a prevalence of BPH of 0.0%, 13.0%, 33.3%, and 43.9%, respectively, in younger group (p = 0.006), and 52.2%, 71.9%, 71.1%, and 56.3%, respectively, in older group (p = 0.038). Logistic regression analysis found age and AHI were independent risk factors for BPH in younger group (both p < 0.05), whereas only age was identified as a risk factor for BPH in older group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Age is an independent risk factor for BPH in men with OSA. AHI is also an independent risk factor for BPH in younger men, suggesting that OSA may affect development of BPH in younger men.

Assessment of bone mineral density and bone metabolism in young men with obstructive sleep apnea: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients during sleep may have an effect on bone metabolism. Few data regarding evaluation of bone metabolism in young individuals diagnosed with OSA. In this study, we aim to identify the association between bone mineral density and OSA in young men (≤ 40 years old of age). METHODS: Consecutive male subjects who underwent polysomnography were enrolled. Serum calcium, 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3, ß-isomerized form C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, osteocalcin and procollagen type 1 N-propeptide were measured in all participants, and bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine (L1-L4), femoral neck and hip total were determined by dual energy X-ray absorption (DXA). RESULTS: The population consisted of 85 subjects (mean age 35.53 years). The BMD at lumbar spine (L1-L4) in moderate OSA patients was higher than control and severe OSA group significantly (p = 0.036). After adjustment for confounding factors, stepwise multiple linear regression analyses showed LaSO2 (ß = 0.340, p = 0.008) as an independent explanatory variable for Lumbar L1-L4 BMD, LaSO2 (ß = 0.304, p = 0.037), BMI (ß = 0.393, p = 0.008) for femur neck BMD and BMI (ß = 0.720, p = 0.002) for hip total BMD. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding indicated that there was a relationship between OSA and bone metabolism in younger men, and moderate OSA-related hypoxia positively related with BMD. This study also showed that different degrees of recurrent hypoxia had different effects on bone metabolism, a finding that required further investigation.

Study on fluorescence spectra of chlorothalonil residues and the interaction between chlorothalonil and Chinese herbal medicines.

The fluorescence spectrum was studied for the chlorothalonil (0.2928 mg x mL(-1)) using spectrofluorophotometer. The experiment results showed that the characteristic peaks (352 and 366 nm) are found in the spectrum of chlorothalonil standard solution when the excitation wavelength is 320 nm. And it was found that the shoulder peak gradually disappeared at 366 nm, while the fluorescence peak is stable at 352 nm with the decline of the solution concentration The exponential functional relationship between the concentration of chlorothalonil and fluorescence intensity at 352 nm was obtained, and its correlation coefficient is 0.999. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical formula about fluorescence intensity and concentration The prediction model functions were also obtained through the liner fitting to the chlorothalonil solution of low concentration, and the correlation coefficient is 0. 995. The limit of detection (LOD) is 0.0188 microg x mL(-1), the limit of quantification (LOQ) is 0.0627 microg x mL(-1), and the linear range is 0.0627-28.45 microg x mL(-1). And fluorescence spectra were studied for the mixed system of astragalus, medlar and chlorothalonil. It was found that the fluorescence intensity of chlorothalonil solution is all declined with the addition of two kinds of Chinese Herbal Medicines, which indicates that there is an interaction between them. The decay rate of fluorescence intensity was obtained which is 88.5% and 99.7%, respectively. Then the model functions were established between fluorescence intensity and the volume of addition, and the correlation coefficient is 0.994 and 0.997, respectively. This study provides the experimental foundation for the detection of chlorothalonil residues using fluorescence spectrum. It is shown that it is possible to detect pesticide residues of chlorothalonil using fluorescence spectra directly, and the relevant parameter value satisfied the requirement of testing standard. Therefore there is an important value for further detecting the pesticide residues in fruit juice using fluorescence spectrum. It was also found that the fluorescence intensity of chlorothalonil is decreased with the addition of astragalus or medlar, which provides the new research approach to studying the pesticide degradation using medicinal and edible Chinese Herbal Medicines.

[Study on experiment of absorption spectroscopy detection of pesticide residues of carbendazim in orange juice].

Absorption spectra were studied for the carbendazim, in the mixed solution of orange juice and carbendazim using spectrophotometer. The most intensive characteristic peak (285 nm) was found in the spectrum of carbendazim standard solution. Compared with the carbendazim drug solution, the peak position of absorption spectrum has the blue shift (285-280 nm) when carbendazim (0.28 mg x mL(-1))was added in the orange juice. So that we can conclude that interaction happened between the orange juice and carbendazim. Through the method of least squares fitting, the prediction models between the absorbance of orange juice and carbendazim content was obtained with a good linear relationship. The linear function model was: I = 2.41 + 9.26x, the correlation coefficient was 0.996, and the recovery was: 81%-102%. According to the regression model, we can obtain the amount of carbendazim pesticide residues in orange juice. It was verified that the method of using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra was feasible to detect the carbendazim residues in orange juice. The result proved that it is possible to detect pesticide residues of carbendazim in orange juice, and it can meet the needs of rapid analysis. This study provides a new way for the detection of pesticide residues.