Two new flavan glycosides, (2S)-5,7,4′-trihydroxyflavan-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (1) and (2S)-5,7,4′-trihydroxyflavan-5-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), and a new neolignan, (7S,8S)-3-methoxyl-3′-O-β-d-glucopyrannosyl-4′:8,5′:7-diepoxyneolignan-4,9′-diol (3), were isolated from the leaves of Liquidambar formosana Hance. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical evidence.

A novel, simple and accurate high performance capillary electrophoresis method after multiwalled carbon nanotube-dispersive solid-phase extraction was developed for simultaneous determination of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), chlortalidone (CTD), indapamide (IDP), reserpine (RSP), nifedipine (NDP) and valsartan (VST) in antihypertensive functional foods. After the analytes were ultrasonically extracted with acetonitrile, they were adsorbed on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Then the MWCNTs were separated through centrifugation and the analytes on the MWCNTs were desorbed with methanol. The eluent was removed through rotary evaporation and the residue was dissolved in acetonitrile–water (50 : 50, v/v) for CE analysis. The electrophoresis separation was carried out on an uncoated fused-silica capillary (57.0 cm total length and 50.0 cm effective length, 75.0 μm i.d.) by applying a voltage of 30 kV and the running buffer consisting of 10 mM borax buffer, 20 mM SDS and 30% acetonitrile (pH 9.7) with PDA detection at 220 nm. The capillary column temperature was set at 30 °C. The method showed good linearity in the ranges of 1–50 μg mL⁻¹ with LODs of 0.058–0.157 μg mL⁻¹. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of antihypertensive functional foods with different matrices. Reserpine was detected in a sample with the content of 55.1 ± 0.9 μg mL⁻¹ while other chemicals were not detected in all samples. The results of the proposed method were compared with those obtained by HPLC and there were no significant differences in the performance of the methods regarding accuracy and precision.

To explore the risk of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) non-typhoidal Salmonella during asymptomatic infection passage between pet dogs and human caregivers in Khon Kaen, Thailand, one hundred forty paired fecal samples (n = 280) were obtained from companion dogs and their human caregivers, interviewed from 140 households during 2019–2020. The purified Salmonella isolates were serotype-identified and tested for antimicrobial resistance against ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole–trimethoprim, and tetracycline. The homologous Salmonella isolate pairs (suggesting Salmonella infections may have been due to passage between each one of the pair, or derived from the same source) were subsequently characterized by serotype screening, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and Synchrotron Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (SR-FTIR). The Salmonella prevalence observed in dogs, 12.86% (18/140), was not significantly different from that observed in humans, 17.86% (25/140) using McNemar’s test. The AMR patterns (the patterns among the isolates of pet dogs and caregivers) and the serotypes (thirteen serotypes with 18 isolates from pet dogs plus thirteen serotypes with 25 isolates from humans) between pet dogs and humans were not significantly different using Pearson’s chi-squared test. The homologous Salmonella isolates from the Salmonella-present households was 5.13% (2/39). This study demonstrated that the hypothesis that there is a high risk of Salmonella infection passage between dogs and humans with close contact in Khon Kaen is doubtful. Only 5.13% of homologous Salmonella isolates from Salmonella-present households were found in Khon Kaen, Thailand, although the prevalence of Salmonella-positive samples, serotypes, and antimicrobial resistance patterns were quite similar among the two populations.

To evaluate the containment of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) Salmonella contaminations of a HACCP slaughterhouse (HACCP SH) and a non-HACCP slaughterhouse (non-HACCPSH), 360 paired pig rectal (representing the farm pig status) and carcass samples (representing the contamination) were collected equally from the two slaughterhouses that serviced 6 and 12 farms, respectively, in Northeast Thailand (n = 720). The purified Salmonella isolates were serotype identified, antimicrobial susceptibility tested, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) assessed. Four evaluations of two slaughterhouses were examined: (1) the means of slaughtering contamination rates (SCR) (to evaluate the contamination level by averaged farm SCRs): the HACCP SH decreased contamination (SCR: −48.89% ± 8.80%, n = 6), whereas the non-HACCP SH increased (SCR: 14.31% ± 9.35%, n = 12). (2) The serotype diversity: the HACCP SH decreased the diversity from the rectal group (110 isolates, 9 serotypes) to carcass group (23 isolates, 3 serotypes), whereas there was no decrease in the non-HACCP SH (rectal group (66 isolates, 14 serotypes) and carcass group (31 isolates, 10 serotypes)). (3) The AMR patterns: the HACCP SH decreased from rectal group (96 isolates, 7 patterns) to carcass group (22 isolates, 1 pattern), whereas there was no decrease from the non-HACCP SH rectal group (22 isolates, 7 patterns) to carcass group (48 isolates, 8 patterns). (4) The estimated indirect contamination rate (by serotype screening and PFGE confirmation): the HACCP SH was 60.87% (14/23), whereas the non-HACCP SH was 98.48% (65/66). This study indicates that both the slaughterhouses keep a high level of indirect contamination; the HACCP SH decreases Salmonella contaminations and reduces the AMR patterns, the non-HACCP SH increases contaminations.

Background: Proteus mirabilis is a conditionally pathogenic bacterium that is inherently resistant to polymyxin and tigecycline, largely due to antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). These ARGs can be horizontally transferred to other bacteria, raising concerns about the Inc plasmid-mediated ARG transmission from Proteus mirabilis, which poses a serious public health threat. This study aims to investigate the presence of Inc plasmid types in pig-derived Proteus mirabilis in Kunming, Yunnan, China.Methods: Fecal samples were collected from pig farms across six districts of Kunming (Luquan, Jinning, Yiliang, Anning, Songming, and Xundian) from 2022 to 2023. Proteus mirabilis isolates were identified using IDS and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Then, positive strains underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing and incompatibility plasmid typing. Multi-drug-resistant isolates with positive incompatibility plasmid genes were selected for whole-genome sequencing. Resistance and Inc group data were then isolated and compared with 126 complete genome sequences from public databases. Whole-genome multi-locus sequence typing, resistance group analysis, genomic island prediction, and plasmid structural gene analysis were performed.Results: A total of 30 isolates were obtained from 230 samples, yielding a prevalence of 13.04%. All isolates exhibited multi-drug resistance, with 100% resistance to cotrimoxazole, erythromycin, penicillin G, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and streptomycin. Among these, 15 isolates tested positive for the IncQ1α plasmid repC gene. The two most multi-drug-resistant and repC-positive strains, NO. 15 and 21, were sequenced to compare genomic features on Inc groups and ARGs with public data. Genome analysis revealed that the repC gene was primarily associated with IncQ1α, with structural genes from other F-type plasmids (TraV, TraU, TraN, TraL, TraK, TraI, TraH, TraG, TraF, TraE/GumN, and TraA) also present. Strain NO. 15 carried 33 ARGs, and strain NO. 21 carried 38 ARGs, conferring resistance to tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, sulfonamides, peptides, chloramphenicol, cephalosporins, lincomycins, macrolides, and 2-aminopyrimidines.Conclusion: The repC gene is primarily associated with IncQ1α, with structural genes from other F-type plasmids. A comparison with 126 public genome datasets confirmed this association.