A novel quality evaluation method for magnolia bark using electronic nose and colorimeter data with multiple statistical algorithms

Background:Magnolia bark(Magnolia Officinalis REHD.&WILS.and Magnolia officinalis REHD.&WILS.VAR.biloba REHD.&WILS,Hou Po in Chinese),is widely applied in clinical prescriptions and Chinese patent medicines.Origin place is a crucial factor affecting the quality of Hou Po,and chemical composition is an important index for evaluating its quality,which is closely related to its clinical efficacy.This study aims to develop a novel method for rapidly,accurately and comprehensively identifying the origin places of Hou Po and predicting the contents of its important chemical components.Methods:High performance liquid chromatography was used to analyze the contents of magnolol and honokiol and ultra-performance liquid chromatography the contents of magnocurarine and magnoflorine.The cold soak method was used to determine the contents of water-soluble extracts.The E-nose and colorimeter were used to determine the odor and color characteristics,respectively,of the collected Hou Po samples.Results:Using several statistical algorithms,different discriminant models based on the E-nose and colorimeter data were established to distinguish the origin place of Hou-Po and predict the chemical components of honokiol,magnolol,magnocurarine,magnoflorine and water-soluble extracts.The results showed that the Random Forest classifier combined with the ten-fold cross-validation method provided the highest classification accuracy for origin place,accounting for 99.53%among these models.The correlation coefficients between predicted and experimental values of the five chemical components were all higher than 0.96.Conclusion:This study has indicated that the electronic nose and colorimeter are promising methods for evaluating the quality of Chinese herbal medicines both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Engaging Freshman Undergraduate Students in Faculty Environmental Science Research: Testing the Local Surface Waters for Nitrate, Phosphate, and Ammonium Ions Using Two Affordable Methods as an Example

Clean water is a crucial factor that contributes to the health of eco-systems and their inhabitants. Testing local surface water is an exciting way to engage freshman undergraduates in research which shows them the importance of protecting their communities and environment. Two affordable methods: a Colorimeter and Ion-Selective Probe were used to analyze nitrate, phosphate and ammonia levels in local surface water samples. The samples were collected from the Muskingum River which runs through Southeastern Ohio (Muskingum County) and were collected at 2 mile increments. We believe that this set of experiments would be beneficial if implemented into a college freshman level chemistry lab, thereby, promoting self-awareness of water safety, eco-system safety and community involvement. In addition, the students will learn how our environment is effected by our actions when we neglect to properly monitor the type of pollutants we allow into our water ways.

A systematic review of objective burn scar measurements

Background:Problematic scarring remains a challenging aspect to address in the treatment of burns and can significantly affect the quality of life of the burn survivor.At present,there are few treatments available in the clinic to control adverse scarring,but experimental pharmacological anti-scarring strategies are now beginning to emerge.Their comparative success must be based on objective measurements of scarring,yet currently the clinical assessment of scars is not carried out systematically and is mostly based on subjective review of patients.However,several techniques and devices are being introduced that allow objective analysis of the burn scar.The aim of this article is to evaluate various objective measurement tools currently available and recommend a useful panel that is suitable for use in clinical trials of anti-scarring therapies.Methods:A systematic literature search was done using the Web of Science,PubMed and Cochrane databases.The identified devices were then classified and grouped according to the parameters they measured.The tools were then compared and assessed in terms of inter-and intra-rater reproducibility,ease of use and cost.Results:After duplicates were removed,5062 articles were obtained in the search.After further screening,157 articles which utilised objective burn scar measurement systems or tools were obtained.The scar measurement devices can be broadly classified into those measuring colour,metric variables,texture,biomechanical properties and pathophysiological disturbances.Conclusions:Objective scar measurement tools allow the accurate and reproducible evaluation of scars,which is important for both clinical and scientific use.However,studies to evaluate their relative performance and merits of these tools are scarce,and there remain factors,such as itch and pain,which cannot be measured objectively.On reviewing the available evidence,a panel of devices for objective scar measurement is recommended consisting of the 3D cameras(Eykona/Lifeviz/Vectra H1)for surface area and volume,DSM I colorimeter for colour,Dermascan high-frequency ultrasound for scar thickness and Cutometer for skin elasticity and pliability.