Acid hydrolysis of crude tannins from infructescence of <i>Platycarya strobilacea</i> Sieb. et Zucc to produce ellagic acid

<div><p>The infructescence of <i>Platycarya strobilacea</i> Sieb. et Zucc is a well-known traditional medicine in China, Japan and Korea. The infructescence of <i>P. strobilacea</i> Sieb. et Zucc is a rich source of ellagitannins that are composed of ellagic acid (EA) and gallic acid, linked to a sugar moiety. The aim of this study was to prepare EA by acid hydrolysis of crude tannins from the infructescence of <i>P. strobilacea</i> Sieb. et Zucc, and establish a new technological processing method for EA. The natural antioxidant EA was prepared by using the water extraction of infructescence of <i>P. strobilacea</i> Sieb. et Zucc, evaporation, condensation, acid hydrolysis and prepared by the process of crystallisation. The yield percentage of EA from crude EA was more than 20% and the purity of the product was more than 98%, as identified by using HPLC. The structure was identified on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and comparison with authentic compound.</p></div

Synthesis of Ni–Ir Nanocages with Improved Electrocatalytic Performance for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Design and fabrication of inexpensive and efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts are of great importance for polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs). Although the best electrocatalyst is IrO₂ for OER in the PEMWEs, the practical application of Ir has been impeded because of its high cost and limited activity. Herein, a galvanic replacement reaction mechanism was developed for the preparation of polycrystalline Ni–Ir nanocages (NCs) by using Ni nanoparticles as templates. The formation of Ni–Ir NCs achieves the enhancement of OER catalytic performance, accompanied by the reduction of Ir loading but significantly increasing the efficiency of Ir atoms. The as-prepared Ni_2.53Ir NCs exhibit improved catalytic activity toward OER in acid solution, which requires only an overpotential of 302 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA/cm². At an overpotential of 300 mV, the Ir-based mass activity of Ni_2.53Ir catalysts reaches 114.7 mA/mg_Ir, which is 2.1 times higher than that of commercial Ir black. The obtained Ni_2.53Ir NCs could be potentially applied for industrial scale PEMWE systems

Synthesis of Ni–Ir Nanocages with Improved Electrocatalytic Performance for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Design and fabrication of inexpensive and efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts are of great importance for polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs). Although the best electrocatalyst is IrO₂ for OER in the PEMWEs, the practical application of Ir has been impeded because of its high cost and limited activity. Herein, a galvanic replacement reaction mechanism was developed for the preparation of polycrystalline Ni–Ir nanocages (NCs) by using Ni nanoparticles as templates. The formation of Ni–Ir NCs achieves the enhancement of OER catalytic performance, accompanied by the reduction of Ir loading but significantly increasing the efficiency of Ir atoms. The as-prepared Ni_2.53Ir NCs exhibit improved catalytic activity toward OER in acid solution, which requires only an overpotential of 302 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA/cm². At an overpotential of 300 mV, the Ir-based mass activity of Ni_2.53Ir catalysts reaches 114.7 mA/mg_Ir, which is 2.1 times higher than that of commercial Ir black. The obtained Ni_2.53Ir NCs could be potentially applied for industrial scale PEMWE systems

Forest plot comparing crying time between the <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i> group and the placebo group.

<p>The statistical method used was Cohen’s d (it is an effect size used to indicate the standardised difference between two means, also widely used in meta-analysis), the effect measure was WMD, and the analysis method was the random effect model.</p

Forest plot comparing treatment effectiveness between <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i> group and placebo group under intention-to-treatment analysis.

<p>The statistical method used was the Mantel–Haenszel method (M-H), the effect measure was RR, and the analysis method was the random effects model.</p

Sensitivity analyses of treatment effectiveness between the <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i> group and the placebo group under intention-to-treatment analysis.

<p>One week (a), two weeks (b), three weeks (c) and four weeks (d).</p

Summary of Included Studies.

<p>CFU, colony-forming units; <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i>, <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> DSM 17 938.</p><p>Summary of Included Studies.</p

Sensitivity analyses comparing crying time between the <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i> group and the placebo group.

<p>One week (a), two weeks (b), three weeks (c) and four weeks (d).</p

The Efficacy and Safety of the Probiotic Bacterium <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> DSM 17938 for Infantile Colic: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

<div><p>Objective</p><p>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> DSM 17938 for treating infantile colic.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A systematic literature retrieval was carried out to obtain randomized controlled trials of <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i> DSM 17938 for infantile colic. Trials were performed before May 2015 and retrieved from the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and CBM databases. Data extraction and quality evaluation of the trials were performed independently by two investigators. A meta-analysis was performed using STATA version 12.0.</p><p>Results</p><p>Six randomized controlled trials of 423 infants with colic were included. Of these subjects, 213 were in the <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i> group, and 210 were in the placebo group. <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> increased colic treatment effectiveness at two weeks (RR = 2.84; 95% CI: 1.24–6.50; <i>p</i> = 0.014) and three weeks (relative risk [RR] = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.38–3.93; <i>P</i> = 0.002) but not at four weeks (RR = 1.41; 95% CI: 0.52–3.82; <i>P</i> = 0.498). <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> decreased crying time (min/d) at two weeks (weighted mean difference [WMD] = –42.89; 95% CI: –60.50 to –25.29; <i>P</i> = 0.000) and three weeks (WMD = –45.83; 95% CI: –59.45 to –32.21; <i>P</i> = 0.000). In addition, <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i> did not influence infants’ weight, length or head circumference and was not associated with serious adverse events.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p><i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> possibly increased the effectiveness of treatment for infantile colic and decreased crying time at two to three weeks without causing adverse events. However, these protective roles are usurped by gradual physiological improvements. The study is limited by the heterogeneity of the trials and should be considered with caution. Higher quality, multicenter randomized controlled trials with larger samples are needed.</p></div

Forest plot comparing growth parameters between the <i>L</i>. <i>reuteri</i> group and the placebo group on weight, length and head circumference.

<p>The statistical method was Cohen’s d, the effect measure was WMD, and the analysis method was the fixed-effects model.</p