Objective To report a method for preparation of saturated oligosaccharides from al- ginate. Methods The alginate was degraded by acid hydrolysis, followed by fractionation at pH 2.85 resulting in the homopolyguluronic acids (PG) and homopolymannuronic acids (PM). The alginate-derived homopolymers were further degraded by acid hydrolysis at pH 3.8, 120 ℃ for 3 h, and at pH 4, 120 ℃ for 4 h, respectively. The resulted acidic hydrolysates were separated by gel permeation chromatography to get oligosaccharide fractions, and the oligosaccharides were obtaind by repeated purification on gel chromatography. The structures of the oligosaccharides were characterized by analyses of infra-red spectroscopy (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR), and mass spectrometry (MS). Results It was showed that the derived oligosaccharides were in saturated structures with the same structure characteristics as the original alginate macromolecule. Conclusion The method des cribed in this paper is a effective and convenient approach for the preparation of low-molecular-weight oligosaccharides from alginate.

Since the phantom limb sensation was first described by the French military surgeon Ambroise Pare in the 16th century, the number of studies surrounding phantom limb pain has increased every year. Especially in recent decades, scientists have achieved a better understanding of the mechanism and treatment of phantom limb pain. Although many hypotheses have been agreed and many treatments have been proven effective, scientists still do not have a very systematic understanding of the phantom limbs. The purpose of this review article is to summarize recent researches focusing on phantom limb in order to discuss its definition, mechanisms, and treatments.
Amputation ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Phantom Limb ; etiology ; therapy

Background::Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is a common allergen causing allergic diseases in China. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of D. pteronyssinus extracts produced by Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) for the skin prick test (SPT) in the diagnosis of D. pteronyssinus allergy. Methods::A total of 910 subjects with allergic diseases were prescribed D. pteronyssinus SPT and specific sIgE (sIgE) test among the Outpatients of Department of Allergy, PUMCH from August 10, 2015 to August 30, 2017. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed according to the results of D. pteronyssinus-sIgE detection. The accuracy of D. pteronyssinus extracts used for SPT in the diagnosis of D. pteronyssinus allergy was evaluated under different cutoff values. Adverse events after SPT were recorded to evaluate safety. Results::There were 796 and 618 subjects in the full analysis set (FAS) and the per protocol set (PPS), respectively. The areas under the curve of FAS and PPS were 0.871 and 0.873, respectively. According to the ROC of PPS, the optimal and 95% specificity diagnostic cutoff values of D. pteronyssinus SPT mean wheal diameter were 3.25 and 3.75 mm, respectively. No adverse events occurred. Conclusion::The extracts of D. pteronyssinus for SPT were simple, highly accurate, and safe and should be considered for recommendation in the clinical diagnosis of D. pteronyssinus allergy.

Terpine-4-ol is abundant in nature. As a cyclic monoterpenoid compound， terpine-4-ol is distributed in a variety of natural plants. It is the main component and the key active substance in many traditional Chinese essential oils， such as Melaleuca alba essential oil and coral ginger essential oil. Terpine-4-ol has anti-microbial， anti-tumor， insecticidal， anti-inflammatory， and other effects. It can treat cancer， as well as oral and cardiovascular diseases with great safety. In terms of antibacterial activity， terpine-4-ol can destroy bacterial cell walls， improve membrane permeability， and regulate bacterial migration， reproduction， and other related genes to inhibit bacterial activity. In terms of antifungal activity， terpine-4-ol can bind with ergosterol in fungal cell walls to cause fungal death. In terms of insecticidal activity， terpine-4-ol can inhibit Na⁺ and K⁺-ATPase activity and cause the death of the insect. In terms of anticancer activity， terpine-4-ol can regulate the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in cancer cells， so as to control the apoptosis of cancer cells. In this paper， the pharmacological activity and action mechanism of terpine-4-ol were reviewed to provide a reference for further research and utilization of terpine-4-ol.