Dioscorea nipponica Makino is a perennial twining herbs belonging to the family Dioscoreaceae, which is mainly distributed in the northeastern, northern, eastern and central regions of China. Traditionally, the rhizome of this herb has been commonly used by Miao and Meng ethnic groups of China to treat rheumatoid arthritis, pain in the legs and lumbar area, Kashin Beck disease, bruises, sprains, chronic bronchitis, cough and asthma. Modern pharmacological studies have discovered that this herb possesses anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diuretic, analgesic, anti-tussive, panting-calming and phlegm-dispelling activities, along with enhancing immune function and improving cardiovascular health. In recent years, both fat-soluble and water-soluble steroidal saponins were isolated from the rhizomes of D. nipponica using silica gel column chromatography, thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography methods. Saponin and sapogenins are mainly responsible for most of the pharmacological effects of this plant. Further, the chemical components of the aboveground parts contain more than 10 kinds of phenanthrene derivatives. The present review summarizes the knowledge concerning the geographical distribution, chemical composition, pharmacological effects, toxicology studies and clinical applications of D. nipponica.

In recent decades, incorporating polypropylene (PP) within flame retardants has proved to be an effective method of improving the thermal stabilities of PP, but too much adversely affects the mechanical properties of this polymer materials. Herein we report a novel multifunctional flame retardant, (styrene acrylonitrile)–(titanate-modified ammonium polyphosphate) (SAN–TAPP), to simultaneously improve the mechanical properties and thermal stability of PP composites. SAN–TAPP was synthesized by encapsulating SAN resins with functional titanate-modified APP (TAPP) and subsequently was incorporated into PP by a melt-blending process. The phase characteristics and morphology of SAN–TAPP were investigated, and the mechanical properties and thermal stability of different content of PP/SAN–TAPP composites were studied. The results showed that the TAPP was almost entirely wrapped in the SAN resins and PP/SAN–TAPP composites exhibited the sea-island morphology. For the mechanical properties, the impact strength of PP/SAN–TAPP composite was significantly improved, especially 15 wt% SAN–TAPP filled PP/SAN–TAPP composite exhibiting 2.17 times higher than that of pure PP. And the tensile strength and modulus also increased by addition of SAN–TAPP. For the thermal stabilities, melting temperatures (Tm) and residual char yield were improved. Furthermore, the LOI value of PP/SAN–TAPP composites increased from 19.8 to 27.5%; The 15 and 20 wt% SAN–TAPP filled in PP/SAN–TAPP composites passed the V-2 test of UL-94, and exerted the similar effect on the flame retardancy to TAPP with the same loading. These results revealed that a novel PP/SAN–TAPP composites with synthetically enhancement on the mechanical properties, thermal stabilities and flame retardancy, suggesting a strong correlation between the phase structure, mechanical and thermal properties.

Research on Fe³⁺ reduction coupled to anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Feammox) and its associated processes in the moderately low-dissolved oxygen (DO) urban natural environment is lacking. To clarify seasonal and spatial variations in Feammox, iron-reducing, and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in urban green spaces, we examined the physicochemical indices and functional genes acd, acm, Geo, and hszA in topsoils and wetland soils across four seasons. Further, we performed 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The Feammox-related gene acm was detected in all topsoil samples. Season and habitat affected soil physicochemical indices influencing gene distributions. Moisture content (45.3%) and Fe³⁺ (13.3%) mediated genetic changes. Competition between Feammox and iron-reducing bacteria (IRB) lowered the distributions of acd and acm in summer and increased these in winter. The acd and acm distributions were higher in wetland soil than in forestland soil. The dominant phyla, Nitrospirota, Actinobacteriota, and Desulfobacterota, correlated positively. Network analysis revealed that the relative abundances of acd, Geo, and hszA correlated positively with Flavobacterium and Thermomonas, Subgroup_2, and Candidatus_Solibacter, respectively. Feammox, iron-reducing, and anammox microorganisms correlated positively but competition existed between certain taxa. Candidatus, Sphingomonas, and Geobacter are linked to Feammox, iron reduction, and anammox. Here, we demonstrated the theoretical feasibility of developing Feammox-based nitrogen removal technology under moderately low-DO conditions, providing a reference for elucidating the ecological contribution of Feammox in an urban green heart.