Essential Oils in Respiratory Mycosis: A Review

Respiratory mycosis is a major health concern, due to the expanding population of immunosuppressed and immunocompromised patients and the increasing resistance to conventional antifungals and their undesired side-effects, thus justifying the development of new therapeutic strategies. Plant metabolites, namely essential oils, represent promising preventive/therapeutic strategies due to their widely reported antifungal potential. However, regarding fungal infections of the respiratory tract, information is disperse and no updated compilation on current knowledge is available. Therefore, the present review aims to gather and systematize relevant information on the antifungal effects of several essential oils and volatile compounds against the main type of respiratory mycosis that impact health care systems. Particular attention is paid to Aspergillus fumigatus, the main pathogen involved in aspergillosis, Candida auris, currently emerging as a major pathogen in certain parts of the world, and Cryptococcus neoformans, one of the main pathogens involved in pulmonary cryptococcosis. Furthermore, the main mechanisms of action underlying essential oils’ antifungal effects and current limitations in clinical translation are presented. Overall, essential oils rich in phenolic compounds seem to be very effective but clinical translation requires more comprehensive in vivo studies and human trials to assess the efficacy and tolerability of these compounds in respiratory mycosis.     

Uptake of Pharmaceutical Pollutants and Their Metabolites from Soil Fertilized with Manure to Parsley Tissues

Manure is a major source of soil and plant contamination with veterinary drugs residues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the uptake of 14 veterinary pharmaceuticals by parsley from soil fertilized with manure. Pharmaceutical content was determined in roots and leaves. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used for targeted analysis. Screening analysis was performed to identify transformation products in the parsley tissues. A solid-liquid extraction procedure was developed combined with solid-phase extraction, providing recoveries of 61.9–97.1% for leaves and 51.7–95.6% for roots. Four analytes were detected in parsley: enrofloxacin, tylosin, sulfamethoxazole, and doxycycline. Enrofloxacin was detected at the highest concentrations (13.4–26.3 ng g⁻¹). Doxycycline accumulated mainly in the roots, tylosin in the leaves, and sulfamethoxazole was found in both tissues. 14 transformation products were identified and their distribution were determined. This study provides important data on the uptake and transformation of pharmaceuticals in plant tissues.     

Purification and Characterization of Gum-Derived Polysaccharides of Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica and Their Applications as Plant Stimulants and Bio-Pesticidal Agents

Plant gums are bio-organic substances that are derived from the barks of trees. They are biodegradable and non-adverse complex polysaccharides that have been gaining usage in recent years due to a number of advantages they contribute to various applications. In this study, gum was collected from Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica trees, then dried and powdered. Characterizations of gum polysaccharides were performed using TLC, GC-MS, NMR, etc., and sugar molecules such as glucose and xylose were found to be present. Effects of the gums on Abelmoschus esculentus growth were observed through root growth, shoot growth, and biomass content. The exposure of the seeds to the plant gums led to bio stimulation in the growth of the plants. Poor quality soil was exposed to the gum polysaccharide, where the polysaccharide was found to improve soil quality, which was observed through soil analysis and SEM analysis of soil porosity and structure. Furthermore, the plant gums were also found to have bio-pesticidal activity against mealybugs, which showed certain interstitial damage evident through histopathological analysis.     

Racemic Norlignans as Diastereoisomers from Ferula sinkiangensis Resins with Antitumor and Wound-Healing Promotion Activities

Ferulasinkins A–D (1–4), four new norlignans, were isolated from the resins of Ferula sinkiangensis, a medicinal plant of the Apiaceae family. All of them were obtained as racemic mixtures, chiral HPLC was used to produce their (+)- and (−)-antipodes. The structures of these new compounds, including their absolute configurations, were elucidated by spectroscopic and computational methods. This isolation provides new insight into the chemical profiling of F. sinkiangensis resins beyond the well-investigated structure types such as sesquiterpene coumarins and disulfides. Compounds 2a and 3a were found to significantly inhibit the invasion and migration of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines via CCK-8 assay. On the other hand, the wound-healing assay also demonstrated that compounds 4a and 4b could promote the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Notably, the promoting effects of 4a and 4b were observed as more significant versus a positive control using basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF).     

江西九连山常绿阔叶林的物种多样性分析

基于线路调查和样方调查的基础上,研究了江西九连山国家级自然保护区内常绿阔叶林的主要植被群落的α多样性和β多样性,α多样性测度指标主要采用Patrick丰富度指数、Shannon-wiener多样性指数、Simpson优势度指数、Pielou均匀度指数和Margalef丰富度指数等5个指标,β多样性采     

Analysis of Plant–Plant Interactions Reveals the Presence of Potent Antileukemic Compounds

A method to identify anticancer compounds in plants was proposed based on the hypothesis that these compounds are primarily present in plants to provide them with an ecological advantage over neighboring plants and other competitors. According to this view, identifying plants that contain compounds that inhibit or interfere with the development of other plant species may facilitate the discovery of novel anticancer agents. The method was developed and tested using Magnolia grandiflora, Gynoxys verrucosa, Picradeniopsis oppositifolia, and Hedyosmum racemosum, which are plant species known to possess compounds with cytotoxic activities. Plant extracts were screened for growth inhibitory activity, and then a thin-layer chromatography bioautography assay was conducted. This located the major antileukemic compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 in the extracts. Once the active compounds were located, they were extracted and purified, and their structures were determined. The growth inhibitory activity of the purified compounds showed a significant correlation with their antileukemic activity. The proposed approach is rapid, inexpensive, and can easily be implemented in areas of the world with high biodiversity but with less access to advanced facilities and biological assays.     

高压静电场促进植物生长技术的研究

高压静电场促进植物生长技术源于自然又高于自然 ,它包括静电种子处理和静电场生长环境等技术 .文章论述了该技术的实施方法 ,并报道了已经取得的初步成果 .     

玉帘的组织和原生质体培养

玉帘不同外植体培养，诱导出胚性、中间型和非胚性３种类型的愈伤组织，并再生植株．由胚性愈伤组织与叶肉细胞分离出原生质体，进行培养，启动了细胞分裂并形成了多细胞团．同时，还研究了影响玉帘组织培养以及原生质体分离和培养的诸因素．     

考虑多阶段决策信息集结的新算法及其应用

针对多阶段区间信息集结与决策问题,提出一种考虑最小化集结矩阵与阶段区间矩阵之间距离的新方法,寻求更趋近帕累托最优的集结结果,使最终评价值更符合多阶段评价的目标。 首先,根据多阶段专家评价值将区间信息转化为二维坐标点,并将其映射到二维坐标系中。然后,构建区间信息离差最小化集结模型,并基于植物模拟生长算法(PGSA）进行群体判断信息的集结,再通过合成各方案的属性评价值,给出各决策方案的综合评价值并进行排序,进而给出最优决策方案。最后,以物流服务商的多阶段绩效评价为例,验证了该方法的合理性和有效性。