Background The global prevalence of traditional Chinese medicine stimulates the prosperous development of herb medicines, but the annual generation of massive herb residues becomes big issues about environmental pollution and waste of resources. Microbes play important roles in the circulation of substances in nature, and endophytes represent an underexplored microbial resource possessing the unique symbiotic relationship with plants, not only for discovery of secondary metabolites, but also for potential green recycling of herb residues. Results The recycling capacities of several endophytic strains were respectively evaluated via solid state fermentation with herb residues of commercial Huazhenghuisheng oral-liquid (HOL). Among them, Aspergillus cristatus CB10002, a probiotic fungus isolated from Chinese Fu-brick tea, was competent to recycle HOL residues for the production of medicinal valuable anthraquinones, in which four of them, especially citreorosein with significant anti-obesity activity, were first discovered in A. cristatus . Subsequent quantitative analysis showed that about 2.0 mg/g citreorosein and 7.5 mg/g total anthraquinones could be obtained after 35-day fermentation, which was very competitive and economically beneficial. Further nutritional comparisons also revealed that the recycling process indeed ameliorated the nutrients of HOL residues, and thus proposed a possibility to directly dispose the final leftovers as a compost organic fertilizer. Conclusions The endophytic and probiotic fungus A. cristatus CB10002 isolated from Chinese Fu-brick tea was screened out to effectively reutilize HOL residues for the production of nine medicinal valuable anthraquinones, whose biosynthesis may be regulated by the induction of HOL residues. The competitive yields of these anthraquinones, as well as the certain composting properties of final leftovers, have made the microbial recycling of HOL residues economically beneficial. Our work demonstrated a promising applied potential of A. cristatus in reutilization of herb residues, and provided a practical strategy for sustainable and value-added microbial recycling of herb residues. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-019-1150-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH) is a common type of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) that exhibits high rates of morbidity and fatalities. Multiorgan failure caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced hypercytokinemia is one of the main reasons for early deaths. Blood purification techniques have been successfully applied in previously treated hypercytokinemia. However, there were insufficient studies to support the combination of plasma exchange (PE) and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in treating patients with severe EBV-HLH. In this article, we have summarized the effects of early incorporation of PE and CRRT, together with HLH-2004 chemoimmunotherapy, in 8 pediatric patients with severe EBV-HLH. Early use of PE and CRRT appeared to be well tolerated, and no serious side effects and early deaths were observed. After PE and CRRT procedures, cytokine levels were reduced to normal values, except for soluble interleukin 2 receptor, and significant reductions in EBV DNA, serum ferritin, aspartate transaminase, total bilirubin, total bile acid, lactate dehydrogenase, and body temperature values and increases in the neutrophil count in addition to hemoglobin, albumin, and cholinesterase values were observed. Furthermore, through continuous HLH-2004 treatment regimens, lower limits of detection were exhibited for EBV DNA levels, and all other observational indicator levels were restored to normal. Finally, 7 patients achieved and maintained complete remission for 15 to 24 months, culminating in August 2019. Therefore, it is our suggestion that early incorporation of PE and CRRT with chemoimmunotherapy might be a safe and effective treatment for patients with severe EBV-HLH.Hemophagocytic syndrome, or hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), is a life-threatening disease. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is one of the most common triggers for HLH, particularly in Asian countries. 1,2 The recently reported long-term overall survival rate of Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH) in children ranges from 43.3% to 91.2%, [3][4][5][6] and the control of early death is still a challenging issue. [7][8][9] More than half of all deaths occurred within 30 days after diagnosis. 9,10 Hypercytokinemia-induced multiorgan failure is one of the main reasons for early death in EBV-HLH. 11 Extracorporeal blood purification techniques have been successfully applied to normalize serum cytokine levels in sepsis and septic shock, 12 which, in some respects, are similar to

Thalassemia is a common monogenic disease in southwestern China, especially in Guizhou province. In this study, 18 309 neonates were examined for thalassemia. The thalassemia carrier rate was 12.90%, which is associated with geographical regions, with carrier frequencies significantly differing between regions (p < 0.0001). The carrier rates for α‐thalassemia and β‐thalassemia were 8.91% and 3.36%, respectively. There are 22 genotypes identified among 1632 α‐thalassemia cases, and 18 genotypes detected among 615 β‐thalassemia cases. The birthrates of individuals with intermediate thalassemia and β‐thalassemia major were 0.153% and 0.055%, respectively. Methodologically, NGS‐Gap‐PCR is superior to traditional detection methods, with 65 more cases detected by NGS‐Gap‐PCR. Since thalassemia‐rich genotypes were highly prevalent in this region, early detection of thalassemia carriers would be meaningful for genetic counseling and prevention/treatment of thalassemia. NGS‐Gap‐PCR provides a powerful tool for neonate genetic testing and clinical diagnosis of thalassemia, especially in high‐prevalence regions.

β-rubromycin (β-RUB) ( 1) is an efficient inhibitor of human telomerase possessing a unique spiroketal moiety as a potential pharmacophore and regarded as a promising anticancer drug lead. But the development of (β-RUB) (1) has long been hampered