Tag Archives: China

Beijing plans to cut over 1,800 tonnes of nitric oxide emissions during this year’s winter heating season, said Beijing Thermal Group Sunday. Boilers were upgraded using low nitrogen combustion technology to cut nitric oxide emissions to 15 milligram … read more

China is becoming attractive to global talent on an unprecedented level because of the nation’s economic size and vibrancy, according to a report released on Saturday by U.S. business magazine Forbes. The 2018 Global Talent Mobility and Wealth Managem… read more

Strains of Cordyceps militaris grow on a silkworm pupa. The fungus has been found to contain chemicals that carry anti-cancer benefits. [Photo/China Daily]

Chinese scientists have found evidence that a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine widely sought by the public for its healing powers, also carries anti-cancer benefits.

The scientists found there was an interaction between two anti-cancer compounds in the fungus Cordyceps militaris.

The first, cordycepin, was noted in Cordyceps militaris in 1950, but how it interacted remained unknown. The second, pentostatin, was first identified from a bacterium and was developed as a commercial drug to treat leukemia and other cancers in the 1990s.

“For the first time, we decoded the biosynthesis mechanism of cordycepin in the fungus, and during the research we unexpectedly discovered pentostatin,” said Wang Chengshu, head of the research team at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, a branch of the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“These two compounds coexist in fungal cells in the form of a protector and protege – that is to say, cordycepin is synthesized with the coupled production of pentostatin to protect the stability of the former,” he said.

Their research also showed that the fungus initiates a detoxification process when the cordycepin in the body reaches an excessively high level, which can be toxic.

“It reminds us that excessive intake of the fungus may not be healthful,” Wang said.

A paper about the team’s findings after nearly eight years of research was published on the website of the international journal Cell Chemical Biology on Thursday.

Cordyceps militaris, bright orange-yellow mushrooms sold as a fresh supplement for soups and stews, is a much more affordable alternative to caterpillar fungus.

“However, in the research, we’ve proved that neither of the compounds is produced in caterpillar fungus,” Wang said.

Cordyceps fungi are popular in China for their widely believed immunity-enhancing and energy-strengthening properties. Their uses in medical treatment date to the Compendium of Materia Medica, a book widely deemed the encyclopedia of traditional Chinese medicine written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

“There have been long-running arguments as to whether such fungi are antibacterial or anti-cancer, and people use them based on experience in most cases. It’s a major advance that our team scientifically proved that Cordyceps militaris really carries such properties,” said Guo Jinhua, Party chief of the institute.

China has around ten marine research vessels under design or construction by the end of August 2017, according to the Oceanic Scientific Research Vessel Technology Summit 2017 held in Shanghai on Friday.

It is learned at the summit that the country’s first domestically built polar research vessel and icebreaker is expected to be put into use in 2019. The vessel will be able to break polar ice with both its bow and stern.

China has 50 marine research vessels at present, which fall into series including Dongfanghong, Xiangyanghong, Yuanwang, Haiyang, Kexue and Shiyan, said Xing Wenhua, president of Shanghai Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers.

Qu Tanzhou, head of science and technology department under the State Oceanic Administration, said the number and performance of these research vessels are far from adequate in terms of global marine research and international cooperation.

The 2nd World Congress on Marxism is scheduled to be held in Peking University in Beijing next May, the organizer said Sunday. The congress, to be held from May 5 to May 6, is expected to attract more than 300 Marxism researchers to discuss Marxism in… read more