Determination of Elements by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry in Medicinal Plants Employed to Alleviate Common Cold Symptoms

Eleven important medicinal plants generally used by the people of Turkey for the treatment of common cold have been studied for their mineral contents.Eleven minor and major elements(essential,non-essential and toxic)were identified in the Asplenium adiantum-nigrum L.,Althaea officinalis L.,Verbascum phlomoides L.,Euphorbia chamaesyce L.,Zizyphus jujube Miller,Peganum harmala L.,Arum dioscoridis Sm.,Sambucus nigra L.,Piper longum L.,Tussilago farfara L.and Elettaria cardamomum Maton by employing flame atomic absorption and emission spectrometry and electro-thermal atomic absorption spectrometry.Microwave digestion procedure for total concentration was applied under optimized conditions for dissolution of medicinal plants.Plant based biological certified reference materials(CRMs)served as standards for quantification.These elements are found to be present in varying concentrations in the studied plants.The baseline data presented in this work can be used in understanding the role of essential,non-essential and toxic elements in nutritive,preventive and therapeutic properties of medicinal plants.

Ecological migration effects on the Tianchi Scenic Area in Xinjiang:from the perspective of migrant farmer families

As an important approach for relieving conflicts between ecosystems and human activities in the Tianchi Scenic Area, Xinjiang of China, an ecological migration policy was implemented, aiming to improve the regional ecological environment. The case of resettlement was closely related to the smooth implementation of the migration project. Based on the questionnaires and farmer family interviews, both changes in the ecological environment and the living conditions of migrant farmer families in the Tianchi Scenic Area were investigated in this study. The objectives were to assess the benefits of the ecological migration policy and to analyze the effects of ecological migration on migrant farmer families. The results showed that （1） awareness of the need for ecological environmental protection and the types of migrant families had a great influence on the willingness to migration; （2） since the implementation of the ecological migration project, the ecological environment in the Tianchi Scenic Area had improved significantly, particutarly in terms of returning farmland to forestry, while pressures on grassland had also been relieved to some extent; （3） the major income sources and occupations of the migrant farmer families changed, the range of their income sources declined, and their per capita incomes decreased at different degrees; and （4） nearly half of the farmer families were not satisfied with the living environment of new settlements and the decline in the quality of life had significant influences on the attitudes of migrants. In order to ensure the successful implementation of an ecological migration project, it is essential to enhance farmer awareness of needs for ecological environmental protection, and to solve resettlement problems properly.

Effects of Adjunctive Daily Blue Light Toothbrushing on Dental Plaque and Gingival Inflammation—A Randomized Controlled Study

Phototherapy with blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) is gaining interest because of the efficient antimicrobial benefits reported in several studies in the last decade. The aim in this study was to investigate if a toothbrush with incorporated blue light used in daily oral care can reduce dental plaque and gingival inflammation. An 8-week single-blinded randomized controlled clinical study including 48 subjects compared effects of toothbrushes with/without 450 nm blue LED light emission, on clinical parameters (plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing), and on inflammatory markers in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid. Significant reductions in dental plaque and gingival inflammation (p < 0.001), and in some inflammatory markers (p ≤ 0.05), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8, tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase inhibitor (TIMP)-1, interleukin (IL)-1β and interleukin (IL)-8, were detected within both groups from baseline to follow-up. For all subjects dental plaque was reduced with 57%, and a reduction in gingival inflammation was demonstrated by a decrease in gingival index (GI) with 46% and in bleeding on probing (BOP) with a decrease of 15%. No significant differences were found between the groups at a level of p = 0.05. However, the amount of plaque was reduced by 62% in the blue light group and 51% in the control group, a difference established at a level of p = 0.058. A toothbrush with a 450 nm LED did not show any statistical significant adjunctive effect of toothbrushing regarding reduction in measurements of dental plaque and gingival inflammation.

Ferroxidase-like activity of Au nanorod/Pt nanodot structures and implications for cellular oxidative stress

铂 nanoparticles (NP ) 被报导模仿各种各样的抗氧化剂酶并且可以因此由减少反应的氧生产积极生物效果种类(ROS ) 层次。在这张手稿，我们报导磅 NP 由在金 nanorods (Au@Pt NDR ) 上扔铂 nanodots ferroxidase 作为酶模仿。Au@Pt NDR 显示出 pH 依赖的象 ferroxidase 一样活动并且在中立 pH 价值举办更高的活动。有人的房间线(肺腺癌 A549 和正常支气管的上皮的房间线 HBE ) 的 Cytotoxicity 结果证明 Au@Pt NDR 经由 endocytosis 和 translocate 被收起进房间进 endosome/lysosome。Au@Pt NDR 在比 0.15 n 低的 NDR 粒子集中有好 biocompatibility。然而，面对 H 2 O 2, lysosomelocated NDR 展出象 peroxidase 一样活动因此增加 cytotoxicity。面对 Fe 2+, ， NDR 的象 ferroxidase 一样活动由消费 H 2 O 2 。当在生物系统采用 Au@Pt NDR 时，彻底的考虑应该被给这行为。

Probing hydroxyl radical generation from H2O2 upon plasmon excitation of gold nanorods using electron spin resonance： Molecular oxygen-mediated activation

Gold nanostructures are among the noble metal nanomaterials being intensely studied due to their good biocompatibility, tunable localized surface plasmon resonance （SPR）, and ease of modification. These properties give gold nano- structures many potential chemical and biomedical applications. Herein, we demonstrate the critical role of oxygen activation during the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide （H202） in the presence of photoexcited gold nanorods （AuNRs） by using electron spin resonance （ESR） techniques. Upon SPR excitation, 02 is activated first, and the resulting reactive intermediates further activate H202 to produce ,OH. The reactive intermediates exhibit singlet oxygen-like （102-1ike） reactivity, indicated by 102-specific oxidation reaction, quenching behaviors, and the lack of the typical 102 ESR signal. In addition, by using the antioxidant sodium ascorbate （NaA） as an example, we show that hydroxyl radicals from H202 activation can induce much stronger NaA oxidation than that in the absence of H202. These results may have significant biomedical implications. For example, as oxidative stress levels are known to influence tumorigenesis and cancer progression, the ability to control redox status inside tumor microenvironments using noble metal nanostructures may provide new strategies for regulating the metabolism of reactive oxygen species and new approaches for cancer treatment.

Boric Acid-Based Dual Modulation Photoluminescent Glucose Sensor Using Thioglycolic Acid-Capped CdTe Quantum Dots

Most luminescent glucose sensors based on the interaction of glucose with organic boric acids or borates.Herein,a new luminescent glucose sensor is designed using thioglycolic acid-capped CdTe quantum dots in the presence of cheap inorganic boric acid.Both peak position and intensities change upon the addition of glucose because of the interaction of boric acid with glucose and thioglycolic acid-capped CdTe quantum dots,which enables glucose detection by either color change or intensity change.The luminescent intensities change linearly with glucose concentrations in the ranges from 0.03 to 1 mM and 1–25 mM with a detection limit of 10μM(S/N=3).Moreover,glucose concentrations can be conveniently detected by color change in the range from 1 mM–25 mM.It displays a highly selective response to glucose over other interfering but biologically important saccharides,amino acids,and common ions.Graphical Abstract A thioglycolic acid-capped CdTe QD-based sensor can detect glucose with wide linear range by change in intensity or color in the presence of cheap inorganic boric acid.