New species of Peliosanthes,Rohdea and Tupistra (Asparagaceae) from Laos and Vietnam

We describe and illustrate four new species, Peliosanthes choriandra, P. tatianae and Tupistra orlovii from central to northern Laos, and Rohdea filosa from northern Vietnam. These are all very local in distribution and endemic to the respective countries. We also report new localities and their ecological conditions for five other species of Peliosanthes (P. argenteostriata, P. hirsuta, P. irinae, P. micrantha and P. nivea) recently described from Laos and/or Vietnam. Furthermore, Peliosanthes nivea is recorded as new to the flora of Laos.     

盐城自然保护区新洋港河口不同生境冬季鸟类群落组成及其梯度变化

沿海湿地是鸟类重要的栖息地,人类活动导致的湿地生境变化对鸟类群落造成了一定的影响。在盐城自然保护区新洋港河口内,人类活动大体上导致了由陆向海方向,形成芦苇沼泽、农田、鱼塘和滩涂4种不同干扰程度的生境。分别在不同生境中设置3条长3 km的样线,对越冬鸟类的种类、数量进行了调查,运用多响应置换过程测试、指示种分析、双向聚类分析和除趋势对应分析等统计方法,研究了不同生境中冬季鸟类的指示物种、群落结构及梯度变化,结果表明:1)4种生境共记录鸟类67种,其中鱼塘生境的鸟类种类最多,为37种;滩涂生境的D'多样性指数在各生境不同时段中为最高,芦苇沼泽生境的H'多样性指数在各生境不同时段中为最高。与其余生境比较,芦苇沼泽、滩涂的均匀度也更高。生境间的差异性与鸟类群落的组成有关。2)MRPP分析表明,芦苇沼泽、农田生境的鸟类组成差异不显著(P0.05);其余组合各生境间的鸟类组成具有显著差异。灰鹤等9种鸟类可分别作为4种不同生境的指示种。3)双向聚类分析法把12种观测条件分为4大类,与生境划分非常吻合。在剩余信息40%水平上,鸟类可聚为7类。利用12种观测条件作为变量进行DCA排序的结果表明,鸟类类群在轴1上可以分为3个集群,分别为适应开阔水域环境的鸟类、依赖水生植被环境的鸟类和依赖陆地植被环境的鸟类。根据结果分析,生境异质性、干扰程度及潮水涨落等与鸟类多样性组成有密切关系;不同生境具有明显的指示种;鸟类群落结构为适应生境变化而出现一定的梯度变化。应加强芦苇沼泽的保护,在开垦农田、鱼塘和在光滩引入互花米草时应考虑到人类活动对鸟类多样性的影响。     

In vitro and in vivo release of albumin using a biodegradable MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer as an in situ gel-forming carrier

An MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer was synthesized as an in situ gel carrier, and its phase transition behavior in aqueous solutions was examined. For comparison, aqueous solutions of Pluronic F-127, a widely used injectable gel-forming solution, were also studied. Both MPEG-PCL copolymer and Pluronic aqueous solutions were sols at room temperature. As the temperature was increased above room temperature, the diblock copolymer and Pluronic solutions underwent a sol-to-gel phase transition, which manifested as an increase in viscosity indicative of the formation of a gel. All of the copolymer solutions became gels at body temperature, although the gel viscosity increased with the increasing concentration of the MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer in the solution. In in vitro experiments, in which the gels were exposed to PBS, the MPEG-PCL gels maintained their structural integrity for more than 28 days, whereas the Pluronic gel disappeared within 2 days. The same results were observed when the polymer solutions were subcutaneously injected into rats. The MPEG-PCL gels maintained their structural integrity longer than 30 days, while the Pluronic gel could not be observed after 2 days. The ability of the gels as drug carriers was studied by measuring the release of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin (BSA-FITC) from MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer gels in vitro as well as in vivo. In vitro, BSA release was sustained above 20 days, with a greater release at lower diblock copolymer concentration; by contrast, Pluronic gels exhibited almost complete release of BSA-FITC within 1 day. When the BSA-FITC-loaded diblock copolymer and Pluronic solutions were subcutaneously injected into rats, they immediately transformed into a gel. In vivo, sustained release of BSA-FITC over 30 days was observed from the MPEG-PCL gel, whereas BSA-FITC release from the Pluronic gel ceased within 3 days. Collectively, the present findings show that MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer solutions are thermo-responsive and maintain their structural integrity under physiological conditions, indicating that they are suitable for use as injectable drug carriers.     

Preparation of porcine small intestinal submucosa sponge and their application as a wound dressing in full-thickness skin defect of rat

Small intestinal submucosa (SIS) sponge was prepared by crosslinking with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). The prepared SIS sponges exhibited elastic and soft property on touch and were ease to handle. The SIS sponges have the pore diameter of 100-200 microm and an interconnective porous structure. The SIS sponges exhibited high water absorption ability over 8000%. The water uptake of SIS sponges decreased as SIS concentration used to manufacture SIS sponge increased. In wound healing test, SIS sponge attained uniform adherence to the wound surface. The SIS sponges absorbed higher extent of exudation for wound than that covered with Tegaderm as control. Wound area contracted above 80% at the 21st postoperative day. The SIS sponge treated wound was almost completely covered with a thin layer of epidermis at 4 weeks. In addition, the dermal collagen in the wound regenerated at only SIS sponges treated wounds. The progress of granulous tissue formation was faster in SIS sponges as wound dressing than in Tegaderm. In conclusion, we found that the SIS sponges might be a potential material as a wound dressing.     

Identification of kinetin and kinetin riboside in coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) water using a combined approach of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Kinetin (free base and riboside), which was assumed by many scientists to be a synthetic cytokinin plant growth hormone, has been detected for the first time in the endosperm liquid of fresh young coconut fruits ("coconut water"). To facilitate the study, we developed a sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the identification and quantification of kinetin and kinetin riboside in purified coconut water extract sample. Following a solid-phase extraction of cytokinins in coconut water using C18 columns, the samples were further purified by Oasis MCX columns and analyzed by LC-MS/MS for kinetin and kinetin riboside. Detection by mass spectrometry was carried out using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode, by identifying the putative kinetin and kinetin riboside based on their characteristic fragments. Based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, the limits of detection in SRM mode were 0.02 microM and 0.005 microM for kinetin and kinetin riboside, respectively. Furthermore, optimal conditions for a baseline chromatographic separation of 18 cytokinin standards by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were developed. The HPLC method had been employed for the confirmation and further fractionation of kinetin in coconut water extracts. The confirmation and fractionation of kinetin riboside was carried out using a further modified HPLC program due to the presence of other interfering material(s) in the sample matrix. Finally, fractions of putative kinetin and kinetin riboside collected from HPLC eluate of coconut water sample were further authenticated by independent capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) experiment.     

那坡凤仙花,越南凤仙花科新记录

报道了越南凤仙花科(Balsaminaceae)1新记录种:那坡凤仙花(Impatiens napoensis Y.L.Chen)。该种产自越南北部河江省(Ha Giang)的Quan Ba地区,凭证标本保存在越南科学技术院生态和生物资源研究所标本馆(HN)和中国科学院华南植物园标本馆(IBSC)。提供了该种的描述、彩色照片、生态学、花果期等信息。