Online near-infrared analysis coupled with MWPLS and SiPLS models for the multi-ingredient and multi-phase extraction of licorice (Gancao)

Additional file 1. Table S1. The sampling intervals in different extraction phases. Table S2. The HPLC results of different indicators. Table S3. The evaluation parameters of PLS and SiPLS models

An Efficient Optimization Algorithm for Super High Dimensional Numerical Function Inspired by Cellular Differentiation

Inspired by the cellular differentiation behaviors, a new biomimetic optimization algorithm, cellular differentiation optimization algorithm (CDOA), is proposed. First, a certain number of cells are randomly distributed in the search space in which each cell represents a solution. Then, several cellular differentiation behaviors such as division, growth, migration, adhesion and apoptosis are exhibited for finding the optimal solution according to the activity value of a cell. The proposed algorithm is applied to several benchmark complex functions optimization with 20-1000 dimensions. Experimental results show that the proposed cellular differentiation optimization algorithm can converge to the optimum of complex numerical functions with super high dimensions rapidly in spite of its simple procedure and effortless implementation

Identification of Natural Compound Carnosol as a Novel TRPA1 Receptor Agonist

The transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) cation channel is one of the well-known targets for pain therapy. Herbal medicine is a rich source for new drugs and potentially useful therapeutic agents. To discover novel natural TRPA1 agonists, compounds isolated from Chinese herbs were screened using a cell-based calcium mobilization assay. Out of the 158 natural compounds derived from traditional Chinese herbal medicines, carnosol was identified as a novel agonist of TRPA1 with an EC50 value of 12.46 µM. And the agonistic effect of carnosol on TRPA1 could be blocked by A-967079, a selective TRPA1 antagonist. Furthermore, the specificity of carnosol was verified as it showed no significant effects on two other typical targets of TRP family member: TRPM8 and TRPV3. Carnosol exhibited anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive properties; the activation of TRPA1 might be responsible for the modulation of inflammatory nociceptive transmission. Collectively, our findings indicate that carnosol is a new anti-nociceptive agent targeting TRPA1 that can be used to explore further biological role in pain therapy

Partial femoral head replacement: a new innovative hip-preserving approach for treating osteonecrosis of the femoral head and its finite element analysis

Purpose: Controversy remains regarding the optimal treatment for stage III Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). This study presents, for the first time, the precise treatment of stage III ONFH using the “substitute the beam for a pillar” technique and performs a comparative finite element analysis with other hip-preserving procedures.Methods: A formalin-preserved femur of male cadavers was selected to obtain the CT scan data of femur. The proximal femur model was reconstructed and assembled using Mimics 20.0, Geomagic, and UG-NX 12.0 software with four different implant types: simple core decompression, fibula implantation, porous tantalum rod implantation, and partial replacement prosthesis. The finite element simulations were conducted to simulate the normal walking gait, and the stress distribution and displacement data of the femur and the implant model were obtained.Results: The peak von Mises stress of the femoral head and proximal femur in the partial replacement of the femoral head (PRFH) group were 22.8 MPa and 37.4 MPa, respectively, which were 3.1%–38.6% and 12.8%–37.4% lower than those of the other three surgical methods.Conclusion: The PRFH group exhibits better mechanical performance, reducing stress and displacement in the ONFH area, thus maintaining femoral head stability. Among the four hip-preserving approaches, from a biomechanical perspective, PRFH offers a new option for treating ONFH

High-conductive protonated layered oxides from H2O vapor-annealed brownmillerites

Protonated 3d transition-metal oxides often display low electronic conduction, which hampers their application in electric, magnetic, thermoelectric, and catalytic fields. Electronic conduction can be enhanced by co-inserting oxygen acceptors simultaneously. However, the currently used redox approaches hinder protons and oxygen ions co-insertion due to the selective switching issues. Here, a thermal hydration strategy for systematically exploring the synthesis of conductive protonated oxides from 3d transition-metal oxides is introduced. This strategy is illustrated by synthesizing a novel layered-oxide SrCoO3H from the brownmillerite SrCoO2.5. Compared to the insulating SrCoO2.5, SrCoO3H exhibits an unprecedented high electronic conductivity above room temperature, water uptake at 250 °C, and a thermoelectric power factor of up to 1.2 mW K-2 m-1 at 300 K. These findings open up opportunities for creating high-conductive protonated layered oxides by protons and oxygen ions co-doping.CC acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities under the “Ramón y Cajal” fellowship RYC2018-024947-I.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

UPLC Q-TOF/MS-Based Metabolic Profiling of Urine Reveals the Novel Antipyretic Mechanisms of Qingkailing Injection in a Rat Model of Yeast-Induced Pyrexia

Fever is one of the most common clinical symptoms of many diseases. Qingkailing (QKL) injection is widely used in China as a clinical emergency medicine due to its good antipyretic effects. It is a herbal formula which is composed by eight kinds of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). As a kind of typical multiple constituents and multiple actions of TCM, it is very difficult to elaborate the antipyretic mechanism by conventional pharmacological method. Metabonomics technique provides beneficial tool for this challenge. In this study, an ultra performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC Q-TOF/MS) metabonomics method was developed to explore the changing process of biochemical substances in rats of yeast-induced pyrexia. Partial least squares discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) was used to distinguish the normal control group, the pyrexia model group, and the pyrexia model group treated by QKL injection. The potential biomarkers related to pyrexia were confirmed and identified. MetPA was used to find the possible metabolic pathways. The results indicated that the antipyretic effect of QKL injection on yeast-induced pyrexia rats was performed by repairing the perturbed metabolism of amino acids