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Recent studies have determined that many types of mushroom (eg Hericium spp), may have important physiological functions in humans, including antioxidant activities, the regulation of blood lipid levels and reduction of blood glucose levels. In this study, a methanol extract of the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus was adsorbed on silica gel columns and eluted using polarity gradients of chloroform/ethyl acetate/acetone/methanol. The major components of the extract were D-threitol, Darabinitol and palmitic acid identified by their chromatographic profiles and spectroscopic characteristics. The methanol extract of H erinaceus was concentrated to remove solvent yielding a residue (referred to as HEM) which was added to the diet. The hypoglycemic effects of feeding HEM to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were studied. Polydipsia was stronger in induced diabetic rats not fed HEM than in those receiving HEM. Rats fed with HEM had significantly lower elevation rates of blood glucose level than those not fed with HEM. The effects on blood glucose, serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were more significant in the rats fed daily with HEM at doses of 100 mg kg −1 body weight (bw) rather than 20 mg kg −1 bw (p < 0.05).

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Abstract:A model experiment monitoring the fate of total residue oxidant (TRO) in water at a constant temperature and salinity indicated that it decayed exponentially with time, and with TRO decaying faster in seawater than in distilled water. The reduction of TRO by temperature (°K) was found to fit a curvilinear relationship in distilled water (r 2 = 0.997) and a linear relationship in seawater (r 2 = 0.996). Based on the decay rate, flow rate, and the length of cooling water flowing through at a given temperature, the TRO level in the cooling water of a power plant could be estimated using the equation developed in this study. This predictive model would provide a benchmark for power plant operators to adjust the addition of chlorine to levels necessary to control bio-fouling of cooling water intake pipelines, but without irritating ambient marine organisms.