Topical formulations of water-soluble chitin as a wound healing assistant

Water-soluble chitin (WSC) was prepared by carefully deacetylating chitins to about 50% of N-acetyl content. Topical formulations based on WSC were prepared and their effects on wound healing were evaluated on a rabbit ear model. Full-thickness, open skin wounds were made on the ears of rabbits and WSC ointments were embedded in the open wounds. The application of WSC ointments significantly accelerated wound healing and wound contraction. The areas of epithelialization and granulation tissues in WSC ointment group are remarkably larger than those in control group (no treatment) and in placebo group (treated with ointment-base materials). A large number of grown granulation tissues including dense fibroblast deposition were observed under the thickened epithelium of the wound treated with WSC ointments. The number of inflammatory cells in WSC ointment group was significantly decreased compared with those in control and placebo groups, indicating that WSC would give low stimuli to wounds and prevent excessive scar formation. Neovascularization was the most prominent in WSC ointment group. Wound contraction in WSC ointment group was much larger than those in control and placebo groups. Overall results demonstrate that the topical formulation based on WSC is considered to become an excellent dressing as a wound healing assistant.     

Relation between chemical structure of yellow disperse dyes and their lightfastness

Five yellow disperse dyes were synthesized and their dyeing, fastness and photodegradation behaviors were investigated. It was found that dyes derived from phenylindole and N-alkylaminobenzene showed dye uptake directly proportional to the dye concentration, but the build-up of dyes derived from carbazole and pyridone were not good. The wavelength at maximum absorption, molar extinction coefficient, and the tendency to the photodegradation were strongly dependent on the electron donating ability of the coupling component. The dye, whose coupling component was phenylindole, possessed the excellent dyeing properties and the high degree of lightfastness. UVA had an effect on the inhibition of the photodegradation especially for the easily photodegradable dyes.     

PORK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN CHINA: A REVIEW OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT,CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS IN GREEN PRODUCTION

•Large-scale industrial pork production enterprises are preferred in China in the future.•Challenges to green pork production include emissions, feed shortage and residues.•Potential solutions to green production include precise feeding and manure recycling.This paper reviews the changes in pork production in China, the largest pork producing and consuming nation in the world. The pork sector in China has changed dramatically since the 1990s, with large-scale intensive pork production systems replacing the former, exclusively family-based pork production systems. Modern breeding, feeding, vaccinating, and management technologies are widely used now. However, smallholders still account for a large proportion of the total production. The intensification and specialization of the pork sector is expected to continue in the future, but there is increasing awareness and pressure to develop more environmentally-sustainable production systems. The relative shortage of domestically produced feed, the low utilization efficiency of feed ingredients, the large emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the environment, the high use of antibiotics, and the presence of residual metals in manures are very large challenges for the pork sector nowadays. To solve these problems, techniques including new feed resource utilization, precise feeding, low-protein diets, alternatives to antibiotics and increased manure recycling are all important topics and research directions today. With new techniques and management approaches, it is possible to build more sustainable pork production systems in China.     

Fluorescence and NIR spectroscopic study on the water interaction in polycarbonate film

Water interactions in polycarbonate films have been studied using fluorescence and NIR Fourier transform spectroscopy. During water sorption process, the fluorescence emission spectra showed sensitive changes with the peak at 332 nm red shifted by 18 nm with water sorption. This red-shifted peak could be due to phenyl-2-phenoxybezoate, which is one of two major thermal degradation products in polycarbonate. In the spectra of phenyl-2-phenoxybenzoate in dimethyl formamide solution, a progressive red shift was also observed with the water addition. By using the NIR spectra, hydrogen-bonding interactions of the sorbed water with polycarbonate were investigated. It was found that water can be analyzed as free water S₀ or single hydrogen bonded water, S₁ while double hydrogen bonded water was negligible. During water immersion, most water species which are present as S₀ species decrease slightly, with a small increase in S₁ species. During desorption, S₀ species decrease sharply, while S1 species is reduced gradually. Two examples of S₁ structure in water-sorbed polycarbonate are proposed.     

Studies on the macromolecular components of nonwood available in Bangladesh

The structural feature of macromolecular component of dhaincha, cotton stalks, jute fiber, rice straw and wheat straw, which are commonly used in paper pulp production in forest deficient countries, was thoroughly studied. Lignin was isolated by classical Bjorkman method and characterized by elemental and methoxyl analysis, alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation, FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The C₉ formulas for cotton stalks, jute fiber, dhaincha, rice straw and wheat straw were C₉H_8.95O_3.53(OCH₃)_1.00, C₉H_8.12O_4.03(OCH₃)_1.65, C₉H_8.10O_4.65(OCH₃)_1.32, C₉H_8.58O_3.74(OCH₃)_1.23 and C₉H_8.31O_3.54(OCH₃)_1.23, respectively. The alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation products showed that syringyl to vanilin ratio of these nonwood varied from 1.1 to 2.9. Jute fiber showed the highest syringyl to vanilin ratio that are consistent with C₉ formula. The β-O-4 units in these nonwood lignins had predominately erythro stereochemistry type. The crystalline structure of these nonwood cellulose was also studied using X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy. The proportions of crystallinity, crystal size were varied from plant to plant. Jute fiber showed the highest proportion of crystallinity (73.4%) and crystal size (4.2 nm). The degree of polymerization of these nonwoods cellulose has also been studied. Degree of polymerization of jute cellulose was also the highest (3875). FTIR spectroscopy showed that these nonwoods cellulose was monoclinic unit cell structure (I_β). Carbohydrate analysis showed that the main sugar component in the hydrolyzates of these nonwoods were xylose apart from glucose.     

Antioxidant properties of monomeric,oligomeric, and polymeric fractions in hot water extract from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus radiata</Emphasis> bark

Hot water extract (HWE) from Pinus radiata bark was fractionated into monomeric polyphenol (MPP), oligomeric proanthocyanidin (OPA), and polymeric proanthocyanidin (PPA) fractions by monitoring the UV-visible spectrum of the eluted fractions. Nine polyphenols were identified in MPP: three phenolic acids and six flavonoids. The major compounds of MPP were taxifolin (456 μg/mg), catechins (240 μg/mg), and protocatechuic acid (46.2 μg/mg). The OPA components ranged from dimers to hexamers. PPA comprised procyanidin (PC, 94%), a small amount of prodelphinidin (PD, 6%), and also the higher trans configuration, rather than the cis configuration, of C2-C3. The average molecular weight (Mw, Mn), polydispersity (Mw/Mn), and DP of PPA were 3,800 (Mw), 1,200 (Mn), 3.2 and 13, respectively. The potential antioxidant activities of HWE and the three fractions were estimated using proton- or electron-donating assays containing 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) radical cation, superoxide anion (O₂^•−), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), reducing power and lipid peroxidation. All the bark fractions exhibited potent quenching abilities against both commercially available radicals (DPPH•, ABTS^•+) and chemically induced radicals (H₂O₂, O₂^•−), as well as strong reducing power and inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation. Particularly, OPA showed a hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the other fractions. From 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and ferric thiocyanate assays, PPA was suspected to act by essentially delaying the formation of hydroperoxide by quenching free oxygen radicals that operates in oil-in-water emulsion.     

Syntheses and thermal properties of 5,10-disubstituted-2,3,7,8-tetracyano-5,10-dihydrodipyrazino[2,3-b:2′,3′-e]pyrazines and polymeric porphyrazines derived from 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanopyrazine

Intermolecular cyclization of 2-alkylamino-3-chloro-5,6-dicyanopyrazine2 in the presence of tributylamine in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) gave 5,10-disubstituted-2,3,7,8-tetracyano-5,10-dihydrodipyrazino[2,3-b:2′,3′-e]pyrazines3, which showed strong mesomorphic property and were anticipated as new chromophoric system for functional dye materials. Absorption spectra, fluorescent properties and other physical properties were correlated with their chemical structures. Vanadyl oligomeric porphyrazine with long alkyl groups synthesized from3 had satisfactory solubility in tetrahydrofuran (THF), diethyl ether and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The syntheses and characterization of vanadyl polymeric porphyrazines derived from3 with long alkyl groups are reported.     

Novel Caryophyllane-Related Sesquiterpenoids with Anti-Inflammatory Activity from Rumphella antipathes (Linnaeus, 1758)

Two previously undescribed caryophyllane-related sesquiterpenoids, antipacids A (1) and B (2), with a novel bicyclo[5.2.0] core skeleton, and known compound clovane-2β,9α-diol (3), along with rumphellolide L (4), an esterified product of 1 and 3, were isolated from the organic extract of octocoral Rumphella antipathes. Their structures, including the absolute configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical experiments. In vivo anti-inflammatory activity analysis indicated that antipacid B (2) inhibited the generation of superoxide anions and the release of elastase by human neutrophils, with IC₅₀ values of 11.22 and 23.53 μM, respectively, while rumphellolide L (4) suppressed the release of elastase with an IC₅₀ value of 7.63 μM.     

Effect of thermal stress on Hsp70 gene expression and female reproductive performance of giant freshwater prawn,Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Using Hsp70 as a biomarker, thermal stress impinges on reproductive organs, ovary and hepatopancreas were being analyzed by determining the expression of Hsp70 mRNA inside the organs after the adult inter‐molt females were subjected to thermal treatment at 35, 30 and 28°C (Control). Results showed the expression of Hsp70 mRNA under thermal treatment of 35°C after 2 hr recovery in ovary were upregulated at 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 hr and 30 days compared to control whereas in hepatopancreas under similar treatment, the expression of Hsp70 mRNA were significantly higher than control at 6, 24 hr and 30 days. Frequency of reproductive molt at 35°C showed the ovary of females were failed to develop and only entered common molt along three consecutive molt cycles. For 30°C thermal treatment, the expression of Hsp70 mRNA was significantly higher than control after 2 hr recovery but returned to normal afterwards until 30 days’ thermal treatment. Maternal heat shock for 2 hr at 35°C were found to give significantly lower frequency of reproductive molt and longer duration of ovarian development and incubation period whereas maternal heat shock for 2 hr at 30°C gave lower frequency of reproductive molt, slower development of embryo and lower hatching success compared to untreated control. This study suggests that short and long‐term thermal stress at 30 and 35°C were found to affect the induction of Hsp70 mRNA in reproductive organs of Macrobrachium rosenbergii and also influence their reproductive performance.