Search

Investigates inheritance of maize kernel resistance to ear rot caused by Fusarium graminearum Scwabe in generations derived from a cross between resistant and susceptible maize inbred patients. Evaluation of parents and backcross generations in two locations in eastern Canada in 1993 and 1994; Disease severity; Genetic variations.

Systematic screening for TB in children, especially among those at high risk of TB, can promote early diagnosis and treatment of TB. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended C-Reactive Protein as a TB screening tool in adults and adolescents living with HIV (PLHIV). Thus, we aimed to assess the performance of point-of-care (POC) CRP as a screening tool for TB in children. A cross-sectional study was conducted at 2 primary health care facilities in Lusaka, Zambia between September 2020 -August 2021. Consecutive children (aged 5-14 years) presenting for TB services were enrolled irrespective of TB symptoms. All participants were screened for the presence of TB symptoms and signs, asked about TB contact history, and undertook a POC CRP test, chest X-ray, and sputum Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra test. The accuracy of CRP (≥10 mg/L cutoff) was determined using a microbiological reference standard (MRS) and a composite reference standard (CRS). Of 280 children enrolled and with complete results available, the median age was 10 years (IQR 7-12), 56 (20.0%) were HIV positive, 228 (81.4%) had a positive WHO symptom screen for TB, 62 (22.1%) had a close TB contact, and 79 (28.2%) had a positive CRP POC test. Five (1.8%) participants had confirmed TB, 71 (25.4%) had unconfirmed TB, and 204 (72.3%) had unlikely TB. When the MRS was used, the sensitivity of CRP was 80.0% (95%CI: 28.4-99.5%) and the specificity was 72.7% (95%CI: 67.1-77.9%). When the CRS was used, the sensitivity of CRP was 32.0% (95%CI: 23.3% - 42.5%), while the specificity was 74.0% (95%CI: 67.0% - 80.3%). Using the CRS, there were no statistically significant differences in sensitivity and specificity of CRP in the HIV positive and HIV negative individuals. Among children in Zambia, POC CRP had limited utility as a screening tool for TB. There remains a continued urgent need for better tools and strategies to improve TB detection in children., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Kagujje et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

A sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor was proposed for the ultra-sensitive detection of CD44, a potential biomarker for breast cancer. In this design, a customized template-based ionic liquid (1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) carbon paste electrode (CILE) served as the sensing platform, and thionine/Au nanoparticles/covalent-organic frameworks (THI/Au/COF) were used as the signal label. Moreover, an enzyme-free signal amplification strategy was introduced by involving H 2 O 2 and phosphotungstate (PW 12 ) with peroxidase-like activity. Under optimized conditions, the linear range is as wide as six orders of magnitude, and the detection limit is as low as 0.71 pg mL -1 (estimated based on S/N = 3). Average recoveries range from 98.16 %-100.1 %, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.42-8.27 % in mouse serum, and from 98.44 %-99.06 %, with an RSD of 1.14-4.84 % (n = 3) in artificial saliva. Furthermore, the immunosensor exhibits excellent specificity toward CD44, good stability, and low cost, indicating great potential for application in clinical trials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [Shun Feng reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper]., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Skeletal editing of the core structure of heterocycles offers new opportunities for chemical construction and is a promising yet challenging research topic that has recently gained increasing interest. However, several limitations of the reported systems remain to be addressed. For example, the reagents employed are generally in high-energy, such as chlorocarbene precursors, nitrene species, and metal carbenes, which are also associated with low atomic efficiencies. Thus, the development of simple systems for the skeletal editing of heterocycles is still desired. Herein, a straightforward and facile BH 3 -mediated skeletal editing of readily available indoles, benzimidazoles, and several other aromatic heterocycles is reported. Structurally diverse products were readily obtained, including tetrahydrobenzo azaborinines, diazaboroles, O-anilinophenylethyl alcohols, benzene-1,2-diamines, and more. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis revealed a BH 3 -induced C-N bond cleavage reaction pathway. An exciting and counterintuitive indole hydroboration phenomenon of -BH 2 shift from C3-position to C2-position was disclosed. Moreover, the photophysical properties of the synthesized diazaboroles were studied, and an interestingly and pronounced aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior was disclosed., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Furosemide (FUR), banned in sports events by the World Anti-Doping Agency, is a key target in drug tests, necessitating a pretreatment material capable of selectively, rapidly, and sufficiently separating/enriching analytes from complex matrices. Herein, a metal-mediated magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (mMIP) was rationally designed and synthesized for the specific capture of FUR. The preparations involved the utilization of chromium (III) as the binding pivot, (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane as functional monomer, and Fe 3 O 4 as core, all assembled via free radical polymerization. Both the morphologies and adsorptive properties of the mMIP were characterized using multiple methods. The resulting Cr(III)-mediated mMIP (ChM-mMIP) presented excellent selectivity and specificity toward FUR. Under optimized conditions, the adsorption capacity reached 128.50 mg/g within 10 min, and the imprinting factor was 10.41. Moreover, it was also successfully applied as a dispersive solid-phase extraction material, enabling the detection of FUR concentration as low as 20 ng/mL in human urine samples when coupled with a high-performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array. Overall, this study offers a valuable strategy for the development of novel recognition material., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Electrocatalytic carbonylation of CO and CH 3 OH to dimethyl carbonate (DMC) on metallic palladium (Pd) electrode offers a promising strategy for C1 valorization at the anode. However, its broader application is limited by the high working potential and the low DMC selectivity accompanied with severe methanol self-oxidation. Herein, our theoretical analysis of the intermediate adsorption interactions on both Pd 0 and Pd 4+ surfaces revealed that inevitable reconstruction of Pd surface under strongly oxidative potential diminishes its CO adsorption capacity, thus damaging the DMC formation. Further theoretical modeling indicates that doping Pd with Cu not only stabilizes low-valence Pd in oxidative environments but also lowers the overall energy barrier for DMC formation. Guided by this insight, we developed a facile two-step thermal shock method to prepare PdCu alloy electrocatalysts for DMC. Remarkably, the predicted Pd 3 Cu demonstrated the highest DMC selectivity among existing Pd-based electrocatalysts, reaching a peaked DMC selectivity of 93 % at 1.0 V versus Ag/AgCl electrode. (Quasi) in situ spectra investigations further confirmed the predicted dual role of Cu dopant in promoting Pd-catalyzed DMC formation., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Two new meroterpenoids, aspergienynes O and P ( 1 and 2 ), one new natural compound, aspergienyne Q ( 3 ), and a new α-pyrone derivative named 3-(4-methoxy-2-oxo-2H-pyran-6-yl)butanoic acid ( 4 ) were isolated from the mangrove endophytic fungal strain Aspergillus sp. GXNU-Y85, along with five known compounds ( 5 - 9 ). The absolute configurations of those new isolates were confirmed through extensive analysis using spectroscopic data (HRESIMS, NMR, and ECD). The pharmacological study of the anti-proliferation activity indicated that isolates 5 and 9 displayed moderate inhibitory effects against HeLa and A549 cells, with the IC 50 values ranging from 16.6 to 45.4 μM.

Rapid separation and enrichment of targets in biological matrixes are of significant interest in multiple life sciences disciplines. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have vital applications in extraction and sample cleanup owing to their excellent specificity and selectivity. However, the low mass transfer rate, caused by the heterogeneity of imprinted cavities in polymer networks and strong driving forces, significantly limits its application in high-throughput analysis. Herein, one novel metal affinity-oriented surface imprinting method was proposed to fabricate an MIP with an ultrathin imprinting layer. MIPs were prepared by immobilized template molecules on magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) with metal ions as bridges via coordination, and then polymerization was done. Under the optimized conditions, the thickness of the imprinting layer was merely 1 nm, and the adsorption toward VAL well matched the Langmuir model. Moreover, it took just 5 min to achieve adsorption equilibrium significantly faster than other reported MIPs toward VAL. Adsorption capacity still can reach 25.3 mg/g ascribed to the high imprinting efficiency of the method (the imprinting factor was as high as 5). All evidence proved that recognition sites were all external cavities and were evenly distributed on the surface of the NPs. The obtained MIP NPs exhibited excellent selectivity and specificity toward VAL, with good dispersibility and stability. Coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography, it was successfully used as a dispersed solid phase extraction material to determine VAL in serum. Average recoveries are over 90.0% with relative standard deviations less than 2.14% at three spiked levels ( n = 3). All evidence testified that the MIPs fabricated with the proposed method showed a fast trans mass rate and a large rebinding capacity. The method can potentially use high-throughput separation and enrichment of target molecules in batch samples to meet practical applications.

We report, for the first time, a new synthetic strategy for the preparation of crystalline two-dimensional olefin-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) based on aldol condensation between benzodifurandione and aromatic aldehydes. Olefin-linked COFs can be facilely crystallized through either a pyridine-promoted solvothermal process or a benzoic anhydride-mediated organic flux synthesis. The resultant COF leaf with high in-plane π-conjugation exhibits efficient visible-light-driven photoreduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) with water (H 2 O) in the absence of any photosensitizer, sacrificial agents, or cocatalysts. The production rate of carbon monoxide (CO) reaches as high as 158.1 μmol g -1 h -1 with near 100% CO selectivity, which is accompanied by the oxidation of H 2 O to oxygen. Both theoretical and experimental results confirm that the key lies in achieving exceptional photoinduced charge separation and low exciton binding. We anticipate that our findings will facilitate new possibilities for the development of semiconducting COFs with structural diversity and functional variability.

Interfacial Lewis acid-base pairs are commonly found in ZrO 2 -supported metal catalysts due to the facile generation of oxygen vacancies of ZrO 2 . These pairs have been reported to play a crucial role in olefin hydroesterification, especially in the absence of acid promoters and ligands. In this study, a series of ZrO 2 -supported Ru catalysts with ruthenium(iii) chloride and ruthenium(iii) acetylacetonate as precursors were prepared for the styrene hydroesterification. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized by TPR, TEM, EPR, XPS, and FTIR. The Ru precursors significantly influenced the size and electronic properties of Ru clusters, albeit having minimal impact on oxygen vacancies. Mechanistic studies of styrene hydroesterification over ZrO 2 -supported Ru catalysts revealed that the carbon monoxide insertion followed the hydrogen transfer step to activated styrene. Higher activity is exhibited over ZrO 2 -supported Ru catalysts prepared with ruthenium(iii) chloride as a precursor, attributed to the lower adsorption strength of CO over Ru clusters, as evidenced by FTIR and DFT calculations., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

(1) Background: Particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) has a strong dependence on the natural electron transfer path and is prone to denaturation, which results in its redox activity centers being unable to transfer electrons with bare electrodes directly and making it challenging to observe an electrochemical response; (2) Methods: Using methanobactin (Mb) as the electron transporter between gold electrodes and pMMO, a bionic interface with high biocompatibility and stability was created. The Mb-AuNPs-modified functionalized gold net electrode as a working electrode, the kinetic behaviors of pMMO bioelectrocatalysis, and the effect of Mb on pMMO were analyzed. The CV tests were performed at different scanning rates to obtain electrochemical kinetics parameters. (3) Results: The values of the electron transfer coefficient (α) and electron transfer rate constant ( k s ) are relatively large in test environments containing only CH 4 or O 2 . In contrast, in the test environment containing both CH 4 and O 2 , the bioelectrocatalysis of pMMO is a two-electron transfer process with a relatively small α and k s ; (4) Conclusions: It was inferred that Mb formed the complex with pMMO. More importantly, Mb not only played a role in electron transfer but also in stabilizing the enzyme structure of pMMO and maintaining a specific redox state. Furthermore, the continuous catalytic oxidation of natural substrate methane was realized.

Background: Zambia is among the 30 high-burden countries for tuberculosis (TB), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-associated TB, and multi-drug resistant/rifampicin resistant TB with over 5000 children developing TB every year. However, at least 32% of the estimated children remain undiagnosed. We assessed healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards childhood TB and the factors associated with good KAP towards childhood TB., Methods: Data was collected at two primary healthcare facilities in Lusaka, Zambia from July to August 2020. Structured questionnaires were administered to HCWs that were selected through stratified random sampling. Descriptive analysis was done to determine KAP. A maximum knowledge, attitude, and practice scores for a participant were 44, 10, and 8 points respectively. The categorization as either "poor" or "good" KAP was determined based on the mean/ median. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the associations between participant characteristics and KAP at statistically significant level of 0.05%., Results: Among the 237 respondents, majority were under 30 years old (63.7%) and were female (72.6%). Half of the participants (50.6%) were from the outpatient department (OPD) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic, 109 (46.0) had been working at the facility for less than 1 year, 134 (56.5%) reported no previous training in TB. The median/mean KAP scores were 28 (IQR 24.0-31.0), 7 (IQR = 6.0-8.0) and 5 points (SD = 1.9) respectively. Of the participants, 43.5% (103/237) had good knowledge, 48.1% (114/237) had a good attitude, and 54.4% (129/237) had good practice scores on childhood TB. In the multivariate analysis, clinical officers and individuals with 1-5 years' work experience at the facility had higher odds, 2.61 (95% CI = 1.18-5.80, p = 0.018) and 3.09 (95% CI = 1.69-5.65, p = 0.001) of having good attitude respectively, and medical doctors had 0.17 lower odds (95% CI = 0.18-5.80, p = 0.018) of good childhood TB practice. Other participant characteristics didn't show a significant association with the scores., Conclusion: The study found suboptimal levels of knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding childhood TB among HCWs. Targeted programmatic support needs to be provided to address the above gaps., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Kaumba et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Aging increases the risks of various diseases and the vulnerability to death. Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging that contributes greatly to aging and aging-related diseases. This study demonstrates that extracellular vesicles from human urine-derived stem cells (USC-EVs) efficiently inhibit cellular senescence in vitro and in vivo . The intravenous injection of USC-EVs improves cognitive function, increases physical fitness and bone quality, and alleviates aging-related structural changes in different organs of senescence-accelerated mice and natural aging mice. The anti-aging effects of USC-EVs are not obviously affected by the USC donors' ages, genders, or health status. Proteomic analysis reveals that USC-EVs are enriched with plasminogen activator urokinase (PLAU) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1). These two proteins contribute importantly to the anti-senescent effects of USC-EVs associated with the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (P16 INK4a ), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (P21 cip1 ). These findings suggest a great potential of autologous USC-EVs as a promising anti-aging agent by transferring PLAU and TIMP1 proteins., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Neuropathic pain is chronic and affects the patient's life. Studies have shown that IRF5 and CXCL13/CXCR5 are involved in neuropathic pain; however, their interactions are unknown., Objective: In this study, a rat neuropathic pain model was constructed by inducing chronic compression injury (CCI). IRF5 recombinant lentiviral vector and CXCL13 neutralizing antibody were administered to investigate their action mechanisms in neuropathic pain. Consequently, the new strategies for disease treatment could be evolved., Methods: The CCI rats were intrathecally injected with recombinant lentivirus plasmid LV-IRF5 (overexpression), LV-SH-IRF5 (silencing), and CXCL13 neutralizing antibody. Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 levels were recorded via the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The spinal cord was stained using hematoxylin-eosin (HE). The binding of IRF5 to CXCL13 was analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual luciferase reporter assay. The IRF5, neuronal nuclei (NeuN), CXCL13, and CXCR5 expressions were detected through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot., Results: The MWT and TWL values in the CCI group were lower than in the Sham group. The expressions of CXCL13, CXCR5, and IRF5 in CCI rats were gradually increased with the modeling time. IRF5 silencing suppressed the expression of NeuN and lumbar enlargement in CCI rats and promoted MWT and TWL. Moreover, IRF5 silencing inhibited the expressions of CXCR5 and CXCL13 genes and down-regulated the expression levels of inflammatory factors. IRF5 was directly and specifically bound with the endogenous CXCL13 promoter and thus regulated it. IRF5 overexpression exacerbated the disease phenotype of CCI-induced neuropathic pain in rats. Administration of CXCL13 neutralizing antibodies reversed the IRF5 overexpression effects., Conclusion: The IRF5 silencing alleviated neuropathic pain in CCI rats by downregulating the pain threshold, inflammatory cytokine levels, and CXCL13/CXCR5 signaling. IRF5 overexpression exacerbated the disease parameters of CCI-induced neuropathic pain in rats; however, they were reversed by neutralizing antibodies against CXCL13., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

We herein report the iridium-catalyzed enantioselective C-H borylation of aryl chlorides. A variety of prochiral biaryl compounds could be well-tolerated, affording a vast array of axially chiral biaryls with high enantioselectivities. The current method exhibits a high turnover number (TON) of 7000, which represents the highest in functional-group-directed asymmetric C-H activation. The high TON was attributed to a weak catalyst-substrate interaction that was caused by mismatched chirality between catalyst and substrate. We also demonstrated the synthetic application of the current method by C-B, ortho- C-H, and C-Cl bond functionalization, including programmed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling for the synthesis of axially chiral polyarenes.

The overuse of fipronil (FPN, a broad-spectrum insecticide) in agriculture has brought great concerns for environmental pollution and food safety. The development of a rapid, reliable, and portable analytical method for the on-site monitoring of FPN is therefore of great significance but is full of challenge. Herein, a novel supramolecular probe using human serum albumin (HSA) as the host and an aggregation-induced emission-active fluorescence probe LIQ-TPA-TZ as the guest was developed for the colorimetric and ratiometric detection of FPN, displaying fast response (30 s), high sensitivity (LOD ∼ 0.05 μM), and good selectivity and anti-interference performance. Moreover, portable paper-based test strips could be facilely obtained and utilized for the determination of FPN, showing colorimetric changes from yellow to orange. This supramolecular probe also demonstrated great potential in real applications for choosing the best cleaning method to reduce the residue rate of FPN on apples. This study provides a versatile tool for the fast and real-time analysis of FPN, which greatly benefits the on-site determination of pesticides with the use of simple testing apparatus.

In this study, starch ferulate was synthesized employing a mechanoenzymatic method, specifically based on the twin screw extrusion technique and lipase catalysis. The research then primarily centered on optimizing process parameters and conducting structural analysis. Optimal conditions were determined to be 8.2% ferulic acid addition, 66 °C extrusion temperature, and 3.2% lipase (N435) addition. The enzyme-catalyzed time was 30 s. The degree of substitution for starch ferulate was quantified at 0.005581 under these specific conditions. The presence of C=O bonds in the synthesized starch ferulate proved that the synthesis process was efficient. Additionally, the crystal structure underwent reconstruction. Observations through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) demonstrated that the mechanoenzymatic method led to an augmentation in the specific surface area of starch molecules, thereby facilitating the exposure of active sites. This breakthrough underscores the vast potential of mechanoenzymatic techniques to revolutionize the rapid and sustainable synthesis of starch ferulate, marking a pioneering stride in ester synthesis. The insights garnered from this study transcend theory, offering a visionary roadmap for the development and real-world deployment of advanced modified starch esters.

Background: Lopinavir/ritonavir plasma concentrations are profoundly reduced when co-administered with rifampicin. Super-boosting of lopinavir/ritonavir is limited by nonavailability of single-entity ritonavir, while double-dosing of co-formulated lopinavir/ritonavir given twice-daily produces suboptimal lopinavir concentrations in young children. We evaluated whether increased daily dosing with modified 8-hourly lopinavir/ritonavir 4:1 would maintain therapeutic plasma concentrations of lopinavir in children living with HIV receiving rifampicin-based antituberculosis treatment., Methods: Children with HIV/tuberculosis coinfection weighing 3.0 to 19.9 kg, on rifampicin-based antituberculosis treatment were commenced or switched to 8-hourly liquid lopinavir/ritonavir 4:1 with increased daily dosing using weight-band dosing approach. A standard twice-daily dosing of lopinavir/ritonavir was resumed 2 weeks after completing antituberculosis treatment. Plasma sampling was conducted during and 4 weeks after completing antituberculosis treatment., Results: Of 20 children enrolled; 15, 1-7 years old, had pharmacokinetics sampling available for analysis. Lopinavir concentrations (median [range]) on 8-hourly lopinavir/ritonavir co-administered with rifampicin (n = 15; area under the curve 0-24 55.32 mg/h/L [0.30-398.7 mg/h/L]; C max 3.04 mg/L [0.03-18.6 mg/L]; C 8hr 0.90 mg/L [0.01-13.7 mg/L]) were lower than on standard dosing without rifampicin (n = 12; area under the curve 24 121.63 mg/h/L [2.56-487.3 mg/h/L]; C max 9.45 mg/L [0.39-26.4 mg/L]; C 12hr 3.03 mg/L [0.01-17.7 mg/L]). During and after rifampicin cotreatment, only 7 of 15 (44.7%) and 8 of 12 (66.7%) children, respectively, achieved targeted pre-dose lopinavir concentrations ≥1mg/L., Conclusions: Modified 8-hourly dosing of lopinavir/ritonavir failed to achieve adequate lopinavir concentrations with concurrent antituberculosis treatment. The subtherapeutic lopinavir exposures on standard dosing after antituberculosis treatment are of concern and requires further evaluation., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Screening bioactive compounds from natural products is one of the most effective ways for new drug research and development. However, obtaining a single extract component on a large scale and with high purity from a complex matrix is still an arduous and challenging task. Herein, one metal mediated magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (mMIP) was rationally designed and prepared for specifically capturing Aristolochic acid I (AAI). The preparation was done with copper(II) as binding pivot, (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane as functional monomer, and Fe 3 O 4 as core, by a one-step sol-gel method. Under the optimized conditions, the apparent maximum binding amount of copper mediated mMIP (Cu-mMIP) reaches as high as 349.72 mg g -1 , the highest among the reported AAI-MIPs. Moreover, the nanoparticles exhibit excellent specificity and selectivity, good reproducibility and stability, high superparamagnetism (60.32 emu g -1 ), and high imprinting efficiency (an imprinting factor of 7). By simulating an industrial-scale separation, 16.56 mg AAI (purity of 95.11%) is obtained after six cycles with 100 mg nanoparticles from 20 g Caulis aristolochiae manshuriensis (Guan-mu-tong). Notably, this takes only 3 hours and consumes 50 mL of methanol. The study provides a potent tool for the green, fast, and specific extraction of high-purity ingredients from natural plants in the manufacturing industry and conventional analysis in the lab.

Background: Fungal opportunistic infections in burn wound patients are among the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Attention remains focused on preventing bacterial infection at the expense of increasing fungal infection in burn wound patients., Objective: To determine the occurrence of common fungi in admitted burn wound patients and their environment: and their antifungal susceptibility patterns at the University Teaching Hospitals, Lusaka, Zambia., Methods: This laboratory-based cross-sectional study enrolled a total 101 participants whose pus swab specimens were collected from their burn wounds as well as 50 environmental swabs collected from strategic points. Wet mount, gram stain, culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar, Corn meal agar and Germ tube were used to identify possible fungal isolates. Agar based disc susceptibility test was carried out using fluconazole. Data was analysed using Excel and STAT version 14., Results: Median age was 3 years and median burn % of TBSA was 18 in participants' who had burn wound fungal infection and consisted of 3 males and 6 females. Organisms isolated included Candida albicans from 8(7.9%) participants and 2(4%) from 50 environmental swabs. 1(1%) Candida spp was isolated from pus swabs. Out of the total 11 Candida isolates, 4 (36.4%) were susceptible to fluconazole and 7 (63.6%) were resistant., Conclusion: The isolation of Candida albicans and Candida spp from burn wound patients and the hospital ward environment suggests presence of fungi in burn wound patients and hospital ward environments. Candida isolated showed varying susceptibility patterns to fluconazole., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests, (© 2023 Sikwewa K et al.)

Introduction: In high TB burden settings, it is estimated that 10-20% of total notifications should be children, however, currently only 6-8% of the total TB notifications in Zambia are children. We assessed whether the implementation of a multicomponent strategy, at primary healthcare facilities, that systematically targets barriers at each step of the childhood TB diagnostic cascade can increase childhood TB case detection., Methods: We conducted a controlled, interrupted time series analysis to compare childhood TB case notifications before (January 2018-December 2019), and during implementation (January 2020-September 2021) in two intervention and two control Level 1 hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. At each of the intervention facilities, we implemented a multicomponent strategy constituting: (1) capacity development on childhood TB and interpretation of chest x-ray, (2) TB awareness-raising and demand creation activities, (3) setting up fast track TB services, (4) strengthening of household contact tracing, and (5) improving access to digital chest X-ray for TB screening and Xpert MTB/Rif Ultra for TB diagnosis, through strengthening sample collection in children., Findings: Among 5,150 children < 15 years screened at the two intervention facilities during the study period, 503 (9.8% yield) were diagnosed with TB. Of these, 433 (86.1%) were identified through facility-based activities (10.5% yield) and 70 (13.9%) were identified through household contact tracing (6.9% yield). Overall, 446 children (88.7%) children with TB were clinically diagnosed. Following implementation of the multicomponent strategy, the proportion children contributed to total TB notifications immediately changed by +1.5% (95%CI: -3.5, 6.6) and -4.4% (95%CI: -7.5, 1.4) at the intervention and control sites, respectively (difference 6.0% [95%CI: -0.7, 12.7]), p = 0.08); the proportion of childhood notifications increased 0.9% (95%CI: -0.7, 2.5%) each quarter at the intervention sites relative to pre-implementation trends, while declining 1.2% (-95%CI: -1.8, -0.6) at the control sites (difference 2.1% [95%CI: 0.1, 4.2] per quarter between, p = 0.046); this translated into 352 additional and 85 fewer childhood TB notifications at the intervention and control sites, respectively, compared to the pre-implementation period., Conclusion: A standardized package of strategies to improve childhood TB detection at primary healthcare facilities was feasible to implement and was associated with a sustained improvement in childhood TB notifications., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist, (Copyright: © 2023 Kagujje et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Two unprecedented oleane-type triterpenes (5-6) were isolated from the roots of Astilbe grandis Stapf ex Wils, along with four known triterpenes (1-4), all of which were separated from this plant for the first time. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses especially analysis of 2D NMR data, and the absolute configurations of 5 and 6 were determined by comparison of experimental and calculated ECD data. The structure of 5 was further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 1-6 were evaluated for their in vitro anti-tumor activities on A549, Caco-2, H460 and Skov-3 cells lines. All of the compounds exhibited obvious anti-Caco-2 activity with IC 50 values ranging from 1.86 to 4.94 μM, among of them compound 6 also had the apparent effect on A549 cells. In addition, compounds 1, 4 and 5 were evaluated relatively strong inhibitory activity against H460 cells' growth with IC 50 values of 5.13 μM, 5.65 μM and 8.85 μM respectively., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Inadequate osteogenesis and excessive adipogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are key factors in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have a higher incidence of osteoporosis than healthy adults, but the underlying mechanism is not clear. Here, we show that brain-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) from adult AD or wild-type mice can cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the distal bone tissue, while only AD brain-derived EVs (AD-B-EVs) significantly promote the shift of the BMSC differentiation fate from osteogenesis to adipogenesis and induce a bone-fat imbalance. MiR-483-5p is highly enriched in AD-B-EVs, brain tissues from AD mice, and plasma-derived EVs from AD patients. This miRNA mediates the anti-osteogenic, pro-adipogenic, and pro-osteoporotic effects of AD-B-EVs by inhibiting Igf 2. This study identifies the role of B-EVs as a promoter of osteoporosis in AD by transferring miR-483-5p., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Ferulic acid (FA) is a natural antibacterial agent rich in plants, FA has excellent antioxidant and antibacterial properties. However, because of its short alkane chain and large polarity, FA is difficult to penetrate the soluble lipid bilayer in the biofilm to enter the cell to play an inhibitory role, limiting its biological activity. To improve the antibacterial activity of FA, with the catalytic condition of Novozym 435, four alkyl ferulic acid esters (FCs) with different alkyl chain lengths were obtained by fatty alcohols (including 1-propanol (C3), 1-hexanol (C6), nonanol (C9), and lauryl alcohol (C12)) modification. The effect of FCs on P. aeruginosa was determined by Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC), Growth curves, alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity, crystal violet method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), membrane potential, PI, cell contents leakage. Results showed that the antibacterial activity of FCs increased after esterification, and the antibacterial activity significantly increased and then decreased with the extension of the alkyl chain of the FCs. Hexyl ferulate (FC6) showed the best antibacterial activities against E. coli and P. aeruginosa (MIC for E. coli was 0.5 mg/ml, MIC for P. aeruginosa was 0.4 mg/ml). And Propyl ferulate (FC3) and FC6 showed the best antibacterial activities S. aureus and B. subtilis (MIC for S. aureus was 0.4 mg/ml, The MIC of B. subtilis was 1.1 mg/ml). In addition, the growth, AKP activity, bacterial biofilm, bacterial cell morphology, membrane potential and cell contents leakage of P. aeruginosa after different FCs were investigated, which found that FCs could damage the cell wall of P. aeruginosa and showed different effects on the P. aeruginosa cell biofilm. FC6 showed the best inhibition on the biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa cells, which caused the surface of P. aeruginosa cells to be rough and wrinkled. Some P. aeruginosa cells showed aggregation and adhesion, even rupture. The membrane hyperpolarization was obvious, which appeared as holes, leading to cell contents leakage (protein and nucleic acid). All these results concluded that the antibacterial activities FCs against foodborne pathogens depended on different fatty alcohol esterification of FA. FC6 showed the best inhibition on P. aeruginosa due to its effect on P. aeruginosa cell walls and biofilms and the leak of the cell contents. This study provides more practical methods and a theoretical basis for giving full play to the bacteriostatic effect of plant FA., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Song, Xin, Yu, Xia and Pan.)

Anthocyanins have been reported to have potential as dietary or pharmaceutical supplements in the application of cancer prevention and adjunctive treatment. However, there are few studies on the effect of anthocyanins on melanoma, which have only been performed in cell lines. The objective of this work was to investigate the anticancer effects and mechanisms of bilberry anthocyanin extract (BAE) on melanoma In Vitro and In Vivo. Moreover, a primary study was done to investigate how BAE influenced C57BL/6 mice bearing subcutaneous B16-F10 tumors treated with dacarbazine (DTIC). BAE-induced apoptosis in B16-F10 cells was associated with activation of the mitochondrial pathway induced by increased reactive oxygen species. More, In Vivo anticancer activity studies indicated that BAE attenuated melanoma growth, as identified by hematoxylin-eosin staining, Ki-67, and TUNEL assays. Further western blot results revealed higher phospho-Akt expression with the combination of BAE and DTIC, indicating no suppression of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In summary, this study demonstrated the anti-melanoma activity of BAE and investigated its mechanism. Notably, it should be careful to use products enriching BAE for those melanoma patients treated with DTIC.

The number of children newly infected with HIV dropped by 50%, from 320 000 in 2010 to 160 000 in 2021. Despite progress, ongoing gaps persist in diagnosis, continuity of care, and treatment optimization. In response, the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief created the Faith-based Action for Scaling-Up Testing and Treatment for Epidemic Response (FASTER). Faith-based Action for Scaling-Up Testing and Treatment for Epidemic Response addressed gaps in countries with the highest unmet need by working with government to operationalize innovative interventions and ensure alignment with national priorities and with communities living with HIV to ensure the change was community-led. Between 2019 and 2021, FASTER's interventions were incorporated into national policies, absorbed by Ministries of Health, and taken up in subsequent awards and country operating plans. Continued effort is needed to sustain gains made during the FASTER initiative and to continue scaling evidence-based interventions to ensure that children and adolescents are not left behind in the global HIV response.

Due to the polygenic and heterogeneous nature of the tumorigenesis process, traditional chemotherapy is far from desirable. Fabricating multifunctional nanoplatforms integrating photodynamic effect can synergistically enhance chemotherapy because they can make the cancer cells much sensitive to chemotherapeutics. However, how to assemble different units in nanoplatforms and minimize side effects caused by chemodrugs and photosensitizers (PSs) still needs to be explored. Herein, a nanoplatform CPP/PS-MIP@DOX is developed using a simultaneously covalently conjugated new aggregation-induced emission (AIE) PS and a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) on the surface of silica-based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticles, prepared with doxorubicin (DOX) as the template in the water system via a sol-gel technique. CPP/PS-MIP@DOX has good biocompatibility, high DOX-loading ability, promoted cellular uptake, and sustained and pH-sensitive drug release capability. Furthermore, it can efficiently penetrate into tumor tissue, accurately home to, and accumulate at the tumor site. As a result, a better efficacy with lower cytotoxicity is achieved with a smaller dosage of DOX by utilizing either the photodynamic effect or unique characteristics of the MIP. It is the first nanoplatform fabricated by chemically conjugating AIE PSs directly on the surface of the scaffold via the surface-decorated strategy and successfully applied in cancer therapy. This work provides an effective strategy by constructing AIE PS-based cancer nanomedicines with MIPs as scaffolds.

In this study, the mechanism of ultrasound combined with corn starch granules (CSG) treatment improved the foam properties of whey protein isolates (WPI) and was systematically investigated. The results showed that ultrasound combined with corn starch granules treatment increased foam capacity and stability by 15.38% and 41.40%, respectively. Compared with the control group, corn starch granules enhanced the surface charge (52.38%) and system turbidity (51.43%), which certainly provided the necessary conditions for the improvement of foam stabilization stability. In addition, corn starch granules as microgel particles increased the mechanical properties of the interfacial protein film, thus delaying the instability of foam. This research would provide new insights into the design of new protein-based foam foods in the future food industry.

Recently, metal mediated molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) raise extensive attention due to their special adsorption/desorption mechanism. And the metal ion plays a key role both for MMIPs preparation and molecular recognition. But it is still a big question to select one suitable metal ion. To overcome above problem, one computational approach was proposed by calculating interaction energy (ΔE) of ternary complexes (monomer-M 2+ -template) with GAMESS software at the PBE0 level. Finally Cu(II) was screened from four doubly charged metal ions with different radii. Then Cu mediated MIP was prepared via surface imprinting technique with Fe 3 O 4 as the core in a water system. Subsequently, the adsorption behavior of the MMIP immobilized Cu(II) was investigated in detail. The results indicated the microspheres own excellent specificity and selectivity towards tetracycline (TC), as well as long-term stability and good reproducibility. The apparent maximum binding capacity and the imprinting factor were as high as 163.5 mg g - 1 and 19, respectively. Coupled with HPLC-PDA, the microspheres was successfully used as a dispersed solid phase extraction material to extract trace TC in chicken liver. At three spiking levels, mean recoveries ranged from 89.3% to 97.1% with relative standard deviations less than 4.0% (n = 3). Limits of detection and quantitation were 0.0073 mg kg - 1 and 0.024 mg kg - 1 , respectively, which can meet the strict requirement of the regulations stipulated by EU. Moreover, preliminary studies showed the radius of the metal ion and ΔE of the complexes all affect the adsorption capacity, specificity and mass transfer rate of the MMIP., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Shun Feng reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Shun Feng reports financial support was provided by Basic Research Programs of Sichuan Province. Shun Feng reports financial support was provided by Central University Basic Research Fund of China., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The REGAIN (Regional versus General Anesthesia for Promoting Independence after Hip Fracture) trial found similar ambulation and survival at 60 days with spinal versus general anesthesia for hip fracture surgery. Trial outcomes evaluating pain, prescription analgesic use, and patient satisfaction have not yet been reported., Objective: To compare pain, analgesic use, and satisfaction after hip fracture surgery with spinal versus general anesthesia., Design: Preplanned secondary analysis of a pragmatic randomized trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02507505)., Setting: 46 U.S. and Canadian hospitals., Participants: Patients aged 50 years or older undergoing hip fracture surgery., Intervention: Spinal or general anesthesia., Measurements: Pain on postoperative days 1 through 3; 60-, 180-, and 365-day pain and prescription analgesic use; and satisfaction with care., Results: A total of 1600 patients were enrolled. The average age was 78 years, and 77% were women. A total of 73.5% (1050 of 1428) of patients reported severe pain during the first 24 hours after surgery. Worst pain over the first 24 hours after surgery was greater with spinal anesthesia (rated from 0 [no pain] to 10 [worst pain imaginable]; mean difference, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.68]). Pain did not differ across groups at other time points. Prescription analgesic use at 60 days occurred in 25% (141 of 563) and 18.8% (108 of 574) of patients assigned to spinal and general anesthesia, respectively (relative risk, 1.33 [CI, 1.06 to 1.65]). Satisfaction was similar across groups., Limitation: Missing outcome data and multiple outcomes assessed., Conclusion: Severe pain is common after hip fracture. Spinal anesthesia was associated with more pain in the first 24 hours after surgery and more prescription analgesic use at 60 days compared with general anesthesia., Primary Funding Source: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute .

As one kind of artificial antibody, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) has been widely used to separate/enrich target molecules from samples with the complex matrix prior to instrumental analysis. In this work, one novel copper mediated magnetic MIPs was developed towards anti-bacteria macrolide antibiotic tylosin (TYL). The obtained microspheres had a lot of convexities distributed evenly on the surface. And it exhibited high hydrophilicity and superparamagnetic ability, as well as excellent selectivity and specificity. Notably, it only took 5 min to reach the absorption equilibrium for TYL, which made it highly feasible for high-throughput analysis. Furthermore, the microspheres was applied as the magnetic dispersed solid phase extraction material to enrich trace TYL residue in (spiked) human urine. At three spiking levels, mean recoveries are in the range of 76.42-93.72% with relative standard deviations of 2.75-8.24% (n = 3) with HPLC/UV-Vis. The work provided one promising reference to prepare novel solid phase extraction materials for enriching/separating trace component in complex matrix., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a form of abuse in which an adult, usually the mother, deceives health workers by exaggerating, falsifying or directly inducing psychological or physical symptoms in the child victim for psychological gratification. In 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics coined the term 'caregiver-fabricated illness in a child' to describe this form of child abuse. A 7-year-old girl had many encounters with health workers over a period of 4 years and presented with evolving clinical features including refractory seizures and red urine for which she was followed up as a case of acute intermittent porphyria. She was later discovered to be the victim of chronic monocrotophos organophosphate poisoning by her mother. If all medical staff who manage children are to avoid becoming inadvertent participants in medical child abuse, this case report is an important reminder that a high index of suspicion is warranted in cases which present a diagnostic dilemma and who respond unexpectedly to treatment. Abbreviations AIP: Acute intermittent porphyria; APSAC: American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children; ASM: anti-seizure medication; CFIC: caregiver-fabricated illness in a child; CT: computed tomography: DVT: deep vein thrombosis; EEG: electroencephalogram: ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HDW: high-dependency ward; ICU: intensive care unit; LFT: liver function test; MBP: Munchausen syndrome by proxy; NICU: neonatal intensive care unit; RFT: renal function test; TB: Tuberculosis; UTH-CH: University Teaching Hospitals Children's Hospital.

Manganese-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization of aryl amidines for the synthesis of 1-aminoisoquinolines in the presence of vinylene carbonate has been developed. The reaction features a broad substrate scope and proceeds under mild reaction conditions with only the carbonate anion as the byproduct.

An asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of quinolines in water or biphasic systems was developed. This ATH reaction proceeds smoothly without the need for inert atmosphere protection in the presence of a water-soluble iridium catalyst, which bears an easily available aminobenzimidazole ligand. This ATH system can work at a catalyst loading of 0.001 mol % (S/C = 100 000, turnover number (TON) of up to 33 000) under mild reaction conditions. The turnover frequency (TOF) value can reach as high as 90 000 h -1 . A variety of quinoline and N -heteroaryl compounds are transformed into the desired products in high yield and up to 99% enantiomeric excess (ee).

The carbonylation reaction is an effective way to introduce CO or other carbonyl groups into organic compounds, and widely used in the preparation of aldehydes, ketones, amides, and esters. The replacement of conventional reaction approaches by greener electrochemical methods is appealing with great synthetic potential as well as inherent safety, owing to the avoidance of external oxidants or reductants and a more facile control in product selectivity. In this minireview, we give a summary of the recent development of carbonylation reactions via the electrochemical approach., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

An unprecedented and general titanium-catalyzed boration of alkyl (pseudo)halides (alkyl-X, X=I, Br, Cl, OMs) with borane (HBpin, HBcat) is reported. The use of titanium catalyst can successfully suppress the undesired hydrodehalogenation products that prevail using other transition-metal catalysts. A series of synthetically useful alkyl boronate esters are readily obtained from various (primary, secondary, and tertiary) alkyl electrophiles, including unactivated alkyl chlorides, with tolerance of other reducing functional groups such as ester, alkene, and carbamate. Preliminary studies on the mechanism revealed a possible radical reaction pathway. Further extension of our strategy to aryl bromides is also demonstrated., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Polyoxymethylene diethyl ethers (PODEEn) are oxygenated fuel additives with high performance due to their advantageous fuel properties. PODEEn can alleviate carbon debt as the production can utilize bioethanol and biomass syngas. Heterogeneous solid acid catalysts are desirable for an efficient PODEEn synthesis. In this study, well-defined sulfonated phthalocyanine-containing polymers were prepared, and the physicochemical properties were analyzed, exhibiting a 2D π-π stacking structure with crystalline-amorphous mixed phases. Owing to the tuning defects of the COF framework by mixing polymerization, the accessibility of the network and the capacity of strong acid were improved for the polymeric catalyst, showing an excellent activity with trioxane (TOX) conversion of 89% and PODEE2-8 selectivity of 87% at 80 °C under atmospheric pressure.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are a kind of synthetic receptor-like materials. They have drawn more and more attention in the past decades. In this work, a facile method was developed to prepare porous magnetic MIPs utilizing metal coordination. The preparation is simply done using conventional oil-in-water emulsifier-free emulsion technology by mixing poly(styrene- co -itaconic acid), oxytetracyclin (OTC), Cu(II), and Fe 3 O 4 magnetic fluid in one pot with a reaction time of 3 h. The product shows high specificity and selectivity toward OTC, as well as an excellent saturation adsorption capacity (62.567 mg/g). Emphasizing that the imprinting factor is 29, which is the highest one among the reported MIPs to the best of our knowledge. Combined with high-performance liquid chromatography, it was used successfully to determine OTC in pork liver, one of the most complex bio-samples. Recoveries are higher than 91.0% with relative standard deviations less than 4.5% at three spiked levels ( n = 3). All evidence testifies that the MIPs based on metal coordination show excellent recognition selectivity and specificity, as well as large rebinding capacity. The strategy holds promise as a reliable, extensible, and versatile way for preparing a metal ion-mediated molecular-imprinting polymer.

A novel intramolecular Smiles rearrangement of α-fluoro-β-keto-pyrimidylsulfones (usually used as a carbon nucleophile) was developed, providing a versatile avenue for synthesis of tri/tetra-substituted monofluorinated pyrimidyl enol ethers. Among these, diverse ( Z )-monofluorovinylsulfones and sulfinates were efficiently assembled by adding extra electrophile and fine-tuning reaction conditions. The process is triggered by a keto-enol tautomerism from enol oxyanion to pyrimidine 2-carbon, completely different from the classical carbon nucleophilic addition reaction approach.

Central-to-axial chirality transfer via C-N single bond oxidation was first achieved as a versatile and conceptually distinct strategy to prepare a new family of axially chiral heteroaromatic biaryl backbones and P,N-ligands (named as Quinoxalinaps) in gram scale. Two atropisomers of Quinoxalinaps (ee >99%) were readily accessed from the same precursor enantiomer by a simple dehydrogenative oxidation with MnO 2 and t -BuOOH under mild conditions. Phosphine could be introduced into the ligands before or after the chirality control process. Moreover, these Quinoxalinap P,N-ligands performed well for both asymmetric reactions of the CuBr-catalyzed alkyne conjugate addition with up to -94% ee and AgOAc-catalyzed glycinate imine [3 + 2] annulation with 90% ee, respectively.

Three new aconitine-type C 19 -diterpenoid alkaloid namely novolunines A (1), B (2), and C (3), along with fifteen known diterpenoid alkaloids were isolated from the roots of Aconitum novoluridum, whose phytochemical investigations have never been reported before. The structures of three new alkaloids were established on the basis of spectra data (high-resolution electrospray ionization (HR-ESI)-MS, IR, one dimensional (1D)- and 2D-NMR). Noteworthily, novolunines A (1) and B (2) are two diterpenoid alkaloids bearing conformational isomerism. In addition, the diterpenoid alkaloids 1-3 did not show any anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) or anti-inflammatory activities.

Four new purified polysaccharides (PAP) were isolated and purified from the Enteromorpha prolifera by alkali extraction, and further characterization was investigated. Their average molecular weights of PAP-1, PAP-2, PAP-3, and PAP-4 were estimated as 3.44 × 10 4 , 6.42 × 10 4 , 1.20 × 10 5 , and 4.82 × 10 4 Da, respectively. The results from monosaccharide analysis indicated that PAP-1, PAP-2, PAP-3 were acidic polysaccharides and PAP-4 was a neutral polysaccharide. PAP-1 and PAP-2 mainly consist of galacturonic acid, while PAP-3 and PAP-4 mainly contained rhamnose. Congo red test showed that no triple helical structure was detected in the four polysaccharides. The antioxidant activities were investigated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Superoxide, and 2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical assay. In vitro antitumor activities were evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. PAP-1 exhibited relatively stronger antioxidant activities among the four polysaccharides in a dose-dependent manner. At a concentration of 1.00 mg/mL, the antioxidant activities of PAP-1 on the DPPH radical scavenging rate, superoxide anion radical scavenging rate, and ABTS radical rate at 1.00 mg/mL were 56.40%, 54.27%, and 42.07%, respectively. They also showed no significant inhibitory activity against MGC-803, HepG2, T24, and Bel-7402 cells. These investigations of polysaccharides provide a scientific basis for the use of E. prolifera as an ingredient in functional foods and medicines.

Herein, by applying visible-light photoredox catalysis, we have now achieved the first example of catalytic dehydrogenative coupling of phosphines and thiophenols that proceeds at room temperature. Key to our success is the use of benzaldehyde as a soft oxidant, which avoids the issue of phosphine oxidation. Furthermore, we observed the unexpected dealkylative coupling of secondary and tertiary alkylphosphine with thiophenols.

Within Zambia, a landlocked country in southern-central Africa, the highest prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is in Lusaka Province (population 3.2 million), where approximately 340,000 persons are estimated to be infected (1). The 2016 Zambia Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA) estimated the adult HIV prevalence in Lusaka Province to be 15.7%, with a 62.7% viral load suppression rate (HIV-1 RNA <1,000 copies/mL) (2). ZAMPHIA results highlighted remaining treatment gaps in Zambia overall and by subpopulation. In January 2018, Zambia launched the Lusaka Province HIV Treatment Surge (Surge project) to increase enrollment of persons with HIV infection onto antiretroviral therapy (ART). The Zambia Ministry of Health (MoH), CDC, and partners analyzed the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting data set to assess the effectiveness of the first 18 months of the Surge project (January 2018-June 2019). During this period, approximately 100,000 persons with positive test results for HIV began ART. These new ART clients were more likely to be persons aged 15-24 years. In addition, the number of persons with documented viral load suppression doubled from 66,109 to 134,046. Lessons learned from the Surge project, including collaborative leadership, efforts to improve facility-level performance, and innovative strategies to disseminate successful practices, could increase HIV treatment rates in other high-prevalence settings., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

A general and atom-economical synthesis of 1,1-diborylalkanes from alkenes and a borane without the need for an additional H 2 acceptor is reported for the first time. The key to our success is the use of an earth-abundant zirconium-based catalyst, which allows a balance of self-contradictory reactivities (dehydrogenative boration and hydroboration) to be achieved. Our method avoids using an excess amount of another alkene as an H 2 acceptor, which was required in other reported systems. Furthermore, substrates such as simple long-chain aliphatic alkenes that did not react before also underwent 1,1-diboration in our system. Significantly, the unprecedented 1,1-diboration of internal alkenes enabled the preparation of 1,1-diborylalkanes., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.)

Ortho-selective aromatic C-H functionalization is frequently used in organic synthesis and chemical/pharmaceutical industries. However, this reaction relies heavily on the use of directing groups suffering from limited substrate scope and extra steps to put on and remove the directing/protecting groups. Herein we present the previously neglected concept that enables good to nearly complete selective ortho position. Proton transfer was utilized to tune the electron density on the aryl ring and determine the positional selectivity of electrophilic substitution. Consistently with deuteration experiments and DFT studies, this work demonstrates that acid-promoted proton transfer directs accelerated ortho-selective halogenation of NH/OH contained aromatic amines/phenols with excellent selectivity (>40 examples; up to 98:2 ortho/para selectivity). The application potential of this Fe-catalyzed method is demonstrated by the convenient synthesis of three alkaloids and tizanidine. This report raises the possibility that proton transfer could serve as the basis of developing new selective C-H functionalization reactions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)