Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), remain challenging to treat. Existing therapies provide only symptomatic relief and do not halt disease progression. This limitation has driven the search for multi-target neuroprotective agents, with growing attention to natural products. The medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum is notable for its diverse bioactivities. This review integrates and analyzes evidence for the neuroprotective effects of G. lucidum and related Ganoderma species, emphasizing mechanisms of action within a multi-targeted framework rather than merely cataloging reported effects. Preclinical studies indicate that bioactive compounds from Ganoderma, particularly polysaccharides and triterpenoids, act synergistically to counteract neurodegeneration by reducing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, attenuating protein misfolding (Aβ, Tau, α-synuclein) and mitochondrial dysfunction, and modulating the gut-brain axis. The neuroprotective efficacy of Ganoderma extracts is highly dependent on extraction and processing methods, a factor often underemphasized in the literature. These findings require validation in standardized clinical trials, as robust preclinical evidence has not yet led to approved clinical therapies. This review also critically examines factors influencing the bioavailability, standardization, and cultivation practices of Ganoderma. This fungus is positioned not only as a traditional remedy but also as a promising candidate for future neurotherapeutic development, with its full therapeutic potential contingent upon well-controlled, rigorous clinical trials.
The global food system's overemphasis on efficiency and profitability has triggered environmental degradation, food insecurity, and nutritional imbalance. This study constructs an integrated Environment-Equity-Economy (EEE) Model consisting of three interlocking sub-models. It adopts a Logistic Model to simulate the gradual transition to plant-based diets driven by an animal product tax, establishes a government-led food surplus redistribution mechanism funded by a Food Equity Tax, and quantifies the economic trade-offs of these policies. The application of the model to China and Finland illustrates its potential effectiveness. Under the proposed policy framework, simulation results for China indicate a potential 25.79% reduction in food system greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and elimination of food insecurity by 2029, with an estimated 5.14% net profit decline. For Finland, the projections suggest a 33.22% emission reduction by 2040 and hunger elimination by mid-2027, with a 9.77% net profit loss. Subject to robustness verification through sensitivity analysis, the model appears applicable across countries at different development levels, offering a quantifiable framework for advancing sustainable and equitable food system transformation aligned with UN SDG 2 and SDG 13.
This study investigated the physicochemical properties of torrefied sawdust obtained from the industry using a rotary drum reactor. Sawdust samples were torrefied at 220, 250, and 280 degrees C for 15, 30, and 45 min under a nitrogen atmosphere. Proximate analysis was conducted to determine the moisture, volatile, fixed carbon, and ash contents. The volatile content of the torrefied sawdust ranged from 69.05 to 88.06 wt.%. The results suggested that the chemical energies of solid fuels are stored in volatile matter and fixed carbon, both of which have a higher reactivity during carbonization. Characterization of functional groups was conducted using an FTIR spectrophotometer, and the higher heating value (HHV) of the torrefied sawdust was also investigated. The HHV increased from 15.36 MJ/kg to 21.13 MJ/kg, with the highest HHV achieved at 280 degrees C for 45 min. Moreover, the torrefaction at 250 degrees C for 30 min gave a biofuel with more than 80% energy density, which allowed us to classify this biofuel as lignite. Therefore, torrefaction is a promising pretreatment technique that can improve the energy quality and combustion properties.
Quinazoline derivatives are a biologically significant class of nitrogen heterocycles with wide-ranging pharmacological relevance, motivating continued interest in efficient, mild, and modular synthetic routes. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to clarify the mechanism of the CuI/L-proline-catalyzed three-component reaction of 2-bromobenzaldehyde, benzylamine, and sodium azide reported to afford quinazoline derivatives under aerobic conditions. Free-energy profiles computed with an M06-based protocol in implicit DMSO were used to evaluate two competing sequences: (A) initial azide nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) on the obromobenzaldehyde followed by amine addition/imine formation, and (B) initial hemiaminal/imine formation followed by azide substitution and cyclization. Pathway A is favored both kinetically and thermodynamically, with the turnover-limiting SNAr step requiring Delta Gsp = 23.8 kcal/mol. Subsequent benzylamine addition is facilitated by an amine-assisted proton shuttle (Delta Gsp = 15.0 kcal/mol), while copper/oxygen participation lowers the barriers for dehydration and benzylic hydride abstraction (each Delta Gsp = 19.7 kcal/mol) and enables rapid intramolecular ring closure (Delta Gsp = 5.2 kcal/mol), followed by product release (Delta Gsp = 18.3 kcal/mol). In contrast, Pathway B is disfavored due to a high dehydration barrier (Delta Gsp = 34.3 kcal/mol) and energetically inaccessible alternatives, including the previously proposed Cu-C bonded intermediate (Delta Gsp = 44.8 kcal/mol). Overall, the calculations support an azide-first mechanism and rationalize the essential roles of CuI/L-proline and O2 in stabilizing charged intermediates and enabling efficient quinazoline assembly. These findings provide mechanistic clarity on copper's catalytic role and offer guidance for the rational design of improved synthetic routes toward quinazoline derivatives.
To characterize floral volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in endemic Chinese Impatiens, we analyzed five karstregion species (I. blepharosepala, I. ganpiuana, I. bijieensis, I. liboensis, I. auriculata) using dynamic headspace adsorption and GC-MS, with PLS-DA and cluster analysis for interspecific comparison. A total of 293 VOCs belonging to nine compound classes were detected. Hydrocarbons (108 compounds) and esters (58 compounds) were predominant. VOC composition exhibited significant interspecific specificity, with I. ganpiuana (95) and I. auriculata (91) possessing the most diverse profiles, while I. liboensis (55) had the fewest. No VOCs were common to all five species. PLS-DA and cluster analysis grouped the five species into three distinct clusters. I. bijieensis exhibited the most unique VOC characteristics, whereas I. liboensis and I. auriculata showed high compositional similarity. Esters dominated in I. blepharosepala, I. ganpiuana, and I. bijieensis (39-45%), acids in I. liboensis (42%), and hydrocarbons in I. auriculata (19%). Nineteen key VOCs with VIP values > 1, including alpha-farnesene and 2,6-diphenylphenol, were identified as potential species-specific chemical markers. This study provides the first systematic characterization of floral VOCs in endemic Impatiens species from the karst region of Guizhou, China.
