Originating from sporoderm-broken Ganoderma lucidum spores, Ganoderma lucidum spore oil(GLSO) is prepared by supercritical fluid extraction. Chemical composition studies show that GLSO mainly contains nonpolar substances, such as fatty acids, triglycerides, and steroids. GLSO is also famous for its edible and medical functions. It possesses various pharmacological effects, including anti-tumor, immune boosting, anti-fatigue, antioxidant property, and organ protection. This paper systematically summarizes the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of GLSO, aiming to provide a reference for its future research and application.
Reishi/chemistry* ; Spores, Fungal/chemistry* ; Humans ; Animals ; Oils/isolation & purification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification*

It is unclear how VvLaeA functions in regulating the growth and development of Volvariella volvacea (Bull. ex. Fr.) Sing.. Firstly, bioinformatics analysis of VvLaeA was carried out in this study. Subsequently, the Vvgpd promoter and the open reading frame (ORF) fragment of VvlaeA were amplified and fused by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The fusion fragment was cloned into the pK2 (bar) plasmid. The recombinant construct pK2(bar)-OEVvlaeA was transfected into Beauveria bassiana by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Finally, the growth and development of the transformants were examined. The results showed that VvLaeA shared a low homology with similar proteins in other fungi. Compared with the wild type, the colony diameter of the transformant was significantly increased. However, the pigment deposition, conidial yields and germination rates were significantly decreased. The overexpression strains were more sensitive to stresses than that of the wild type. Further studies showed the conidial cell wall properties of the transformants were altered, and the expressions of genes related to the conidial development were significantly down-regulated. Collectively, VvLaeA increased the growth rate of B. bassiana strains and negatively regulated the pigmentation and conidial development, which shed a light for the functional identification of straw mushroom genes.
Beauveria/metabolism* ; Spores, Fungal ; Growth and Development

In the digital transformation of Chinese pharmaceutical industry, how to efficiently govern and analyze industrial data and excavate the valuable information contained therein to guide the production of drug products has always been a research hotspot and application difficulty. Generally, the Chinese pharmaceutical technique is relatively extensive, and the consistency of drug quality needs to be improved. To address this problem, we proposed an optimization method combining advanced calculation tools(e.g., Bayesian network, convolutional neural network, and Pareto multi-objective optimization algorithm) with lean six sigma tools(e.g., Shewhart control chart and process performance index) to dig deeply into historical industrial data and guide the continuous improvement of pharmaceutical processes. Further, we employed this strategy to optimize the manufacturing process of sporoderm-removal Ganoderma lucidum spore powder. After optimization, we preliminarily obtained the possible interval combination of critical parameters to ensure the P_(pk) values of the critical quality properties including moisture, fineness, crude polysaccharide, and total triterpenes of the sporoderm-removal G. lucidum spore powder to be no less than 1.33. The results indicate that the proposed strategy has an industrial application value.
Bayes Theorem ; Data Mining ; Drug Industry ; Powders ; Reishi ; Spores, Fungal

Brown rot is a common disease in the cultivation and production of Gastrodia elata, but its pathogens have not been fully revealed. In this study, the pathogenic fungi were isolated and purified from tubers of 77 G. elata samples with brown rot. Pathogens were identified by the pathogenicity test and morphological and molecular identification. The pathogenicity of each pathogen and its inhibitory effects on Armillaria gallica were compared. The results showed that 119 strains of fungi were isolated from tubers of G. elata infected with brown rot. Among them, the frequency of separation of Ilyonectria fungi was as high as 42.01%. The pathogenicity test showed that the pathogenicity characteristics of six strains of fungi were consistent with the natural symptoms of brown rot in G. elata. The morphological and molecular identification results showed that the six strains belonged to I. cyclaminicola and I. robusta in the Nectriaceae family of Sordariomycetes class, respectively. Both types of fungi could produce pigments, conidia, and chlamycospore, and the growth rate of I. cyclaminicola was significantly higher than that of I. robusta. The comparison of pathogenicity showed that the spots formed by I. cyclaminicola inoculation were significantly larger than those of I. robusta inoculation, suggesting I. cyclaminicola was superior to I. robusta in pathogenicity. The results of confrontation culture showed that I. cyclaminicola and I. robusta could signi-ficantly inhibit the germination and cordage growth of A. gallica. A. gallica also inhibited the growth of pathogens, and I. cyclaminicola was less inhibited as compared with I. robusta. The results of this study revealed for the first time that I. cyclaminicola and I. robusta were the pathogens responsible for G. elata brown rot.
Fungi ; Gastrodia ; Plant Tubers ; Spores, Fungal ; Virulence

The leaf spot of Belamcanda chinensis often appears in May to June and spreads rapidly during the flowering stage(July to September) in the cultivation fields, seriously affecting the yield and quality of B. chinensis. To identify and characterize the pathogens of the leaf spot, we isolated two species of Alternaria, identified them according to Koch's postulates, and tested their pathogenicity and biological characteristics. Furthermore, we determined the inhibitory effects of 6 chemical fungicides, 1 plant fungicide, and 3 microbial fungicides on the pathogens by using mycelial growth rate and plate confrontation method to select the appropriate control agents. The results showed that the two pathogens causing B. chinensis leaf spot were Alternaria tenuissima and A. alternata. The conidia of A. tenuissima often formed long chains with no or a few branches, while those of A. alternata often formed short branched chains. The optimum growth temperature of both A. tenuissima and A. alternata was 25 ℃. The two pathogens grew well in alkaline environment. The indoor fungicide screening experiments showed that 40% flusilazole had good inhibitory effects on the two pathogens, with the EC_(50) values of 12.42 mg·L~(-1) and 12.78 mg·L~(-1) for A. tenuissima and A. alternata, respectively. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent theoretical research and field control of B. chinensis leaf spot.
Fungicides, Industrial/pharmacology* ; Research ; Iris Plant ; Spores, Fungal ; Mycelium

Concrete is the most widely used modern building material. It is easy to crack under the action of stress, which makes the concrete structure permeable, affecting the durability and integrity of the structure, and thus shortening its service life. Microbial in-situ remediation technology is a low cost, effective and green way for concrete crack repairing. Due to its excellent biocompatibility, service life elongation, economic losses and environmental pollution reduction, microbial in-situ remediation technology has been intensively investigated. Bacillus has attracted much attention because of its excellent biomineralization ability, extremely strong environmental tolerance and long-term survival ability of its spores. In order to promote the research, development and large-scale application of microbial in-situ healing of concrete, the paper reviews the mechanism of spore-based in-situ healing of concrete, the survival of spores exposed in concrete, the influence of spores and external additives on the mechanical properties of concrete, progress in research and development of healing agent as well as healing effects. Moreover, future research focuses such as improving the survival ability of spores in the harsh environment of concrete, reducing the influence of external additives on the mechanical properties of concrete, and strengthening the healing effect of actual field applications are also summarized.
Bacillus ; Calcium Carbonate ; Construction Materials ; Spores, Bacterial ; Technology

Forensic palynology is to apply palynology to the field of forensic science, using pollen and spores to solve issues in juridical practice, such as civil and criminal issues. Sporopollens have a small size, wide distribution, diverse morphology, can be easily transferred, have durability, and is not easily noticed. It can provide strong investigation and related evidence for case detection as good trace evidence. The application of palynology in forensic science has achieved certain success, but it is underutilized in most countries. This paper analyzes the evidence value provided by sporopollen, collection of the sporopollen samples, the progress in detection technology and challenges ahead, based on the biological characteristics of sporopollen, combined with recent successful cases in forensic science, to comprehensively discuss the research progress in forensic palynology and its application prospects in forensic science.
Botany ; Forensic Sciences ; Pollen ; Spores

Sporulated oocysts from the feces of infected cats with Toxoplasma gondii can cause detrimental disease in both humans and animals. To investigate the prevalence of feral cats that excrete T. gondii oocysts in the feces, we examined fecal samples of 563 feral cats over a 3-year period from 2009 to 2011. Oocysts of T. gondii excreted into the feces were found from 4 of 128 cats in 2009 (3.1%) and one of 228 (0.4%) in 2010 while none of the 207 cats in 2010 were found positive with oocysts in their feces, resulting in an overall prevalence rate of 0.89% (5/563) between 2009 and 2011. Among the 5 cats that tested positive with T. gondii oocysts, 4 of the cats were male and 1 was a female with an average body weight of 0.87 kg. Numerous tissue cysts of 60 μm in diameter with thin (<0.5 μm) cyst walls were found in the brain of one of the 5 cats on necropsy 2 months after the identification of oocysts in the feces. A PCR amplification of the T. gondii-like oocysts in the feces of the positive cats using the primer pairs Tox-5/Tox-8 and Hham34F/Hham3R confirmed the presence of T. gondii oocysts in the feces. This study provides a good indication of the risk assessment of feral cats in the transmission of T. gondii to humans in Korea.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Brain ; Cats ; Feces ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Oocysts ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Risk Assessment ; Toxoplasma

Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is a non-contagious infectious disease that affects a wide range of animal species (primarily ruminants) including humans. Due to the often-fatal outcome in humans, quick administration of definitely effective antimicrobials is crucial either as prophylaxis or as a clinical case therapy. In this study, 110 B. anthracis strains, temporally, geographically, and genetically different, isolated during anthrax outbreaks in Italy from 1984 to 2017, were screened using a broth microdilution method to determine their susceptibility to 16 clinically relevant antimicrobial agents. The strains were isolated from various matrices (human, animal, and environmental samples) and were representative of thirty distinct genotypes previously identified by 15-loci multiple-locus variable-number of tandem repeats analysis. The antimicrobials tested were gentamicin, ceftriaxone, streptomycin, penicillin G, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, linezolid, cefotaxime, tetracycline, erythromycin, rifampin, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and trimethoprim. All isolates were susceptible to most of the tested antimicrobials, with the exception of trimethoprim for which all of them showed high minimal inhibitory concentration values. An intermediate level of susceptibility was recorded for ceftriaxone and cefotaxime. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the use of doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, penicillin G, and amoxicillin for treatment of human cases and for post-exposure prophylaxis to anthrax spores, this study shows a high degree of in vitro susceptibility of B. anthracis to many other antimicrobials, suggesting the possibility of an alternative choice for prophylaxis and therapy.
Amoxicillin ; Animals ; Anthrax ; Anti-Infective Agents ; Bacillus anthracis ; Bacillus ; Cefotaxime ; Ceftriaxone ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Chloramphenicol ; Ciprofloxacin ; Clindamycin ; Communicable Diseases ; Disease Outbreaks ; Doxycycline ; Erythromycin ; Genotype ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Italy ; Linezolid ; Methods ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Penicillin G ; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Rifampin ; Spores ; Streptomycin ; Tandem Repeat Sequences ; Tetracycline ; Trimethoprim ; Vancomycin

Calf diarrhea caused by infectious agents is associated with economic losses in the cattle industry. The purpose of this study was to identify the causative agents and epidemiological characteristics of diarrhea in Korean native calves (KNC). In total, 207 diarrheal KNC aged less than 7 months were investigated. Fecal samples collected from the rectum were examined for causative agents using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or real-time PCR and the number of oocysts were counted. Fourteen causative agents were detected from 164 of the 207 diarrheal KNC. Rotavirus was the most common agent (34.8%), followed by Eimeria spp. (31.7%), Escherichia coli (22.0%), Giardia spp. (14.0%), Clostridium difficile (9.8%), bovine viral diarrhea virus (8.5%), coronavirus (7.9%), Cryptosporidium spp. (7.3%), torovirus (6.7%), parvovirus (5.5%), norovirus (4.9%), kobuvirus (1.8%), adenovirus (1.2%), and Salmonella spp. (0.6%). About 95 (57.9%) of 164 calves were infected with a single causative agent and 42.1% were infected by multiple agents. No significant difference was observed in mortality between calves infected with a single agent and multiple agents. The occurrence of diarrhea caused by rotavirus, Eimeria spp., kobuvirus, and Giardia spp. was significantly different based on onset age, and the prevalence of diarrhea caused by rotavirus or C. difficile was significantly different between seasons. This study help the understanding of KNC diarrhea for the development of an effective strategy for disease prevention and control, especially in Eastern provinces of South Korea.
Adenoviridae ; Age of Onset ; Animals ; Cattle ; Clostridium difficile ; Coronavirus ; Cryptosporidium ; Diarrhea ; Eimeria ; Epidemiology ; Escherichia coli ; Giardia ; Kobuvirus ; Korea ; Mortality ; Norovirus ; Oocysts ; Parvovirus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rectum ; Rotavirus ; Salmonella ; Seasons ; Torovirus