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Active participation in project-based learning (PBL) could develop students` knowledge and crucial learning skills across various disciplines. However, the implementation of PBL in the K-12 classroom is usually impeded by the stepby-step PBL cycle. Micro project-based learning (MPBL), which advocates and adheres to the learning principles and mechanisms of PBL with constraining the learning cycle in shorter periods, has been considered as a lightweight alternative to PBL process. As an exploration, this study explored the impact of MPBL on the conceptual understanding of sodium bicarbonate and the crucial learning skills in chemistry class at upper-secondary schools. The quasi-experimental research was implemented for 125 students, with an experimental group receiving MPBL teaching and a control group receiving conventional teaching. In the study, data including knowledge tests, crucial learning skills survey, and student interview were collected and analysed. The results indicated that MPBL was effective in the development of students' conceptual understanding and crucial learning skills (i.e., communication and collaboration, information integration, independent learning, and problem-solving). The study will inform the pedagogical innovation in chemistry education and teaching practices in chemistry class.

Purpose: To study the effect of individualized treatment strategy based on imaging evaluation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Eighty patients with RA of the wrist treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, China from January 2018 to December 2022 were assigned to control and study groups. Conventional methods were used for treating control subjects, based on RA laboratory index results, while the study group received individualized treatment based on RA laboratory index results and results of imaging evaluation. Before and after treatment, serum levels of rheumatoid factor (RF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assayed using immunoturbidimetry. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was determined by Wei method. Imaging examination - ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - was carried out in study group before and after treatment. Disease activity score 28 (DAS28) and score on the visual analogue scale (VAS) were evaluated before and after treatment, and the curative effect in the two groups was compared based on curative effect evaluation. Results: In both groups, post-treatment values of RF, CRP and ESR were lower than the corresponding pre-treatment levels, but were significantly smaller in study group (p < 0.05). The DAS28 and VAS scores of the two groups after treatment were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than the pret-reatment levels, but the DAS28 and VAS scores were significantly lower in study group (p < 0.05). Treatment efficacy in study group (95.0 %) was significantly higher than in control patients (77.5 %, p = 0.0476). The results of imaging indicators showed significantly reduced post-treatment synovial thickness and joint effusion in study group patients when compared with control patients (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Individualized treatment strategy for RA patients based on imaging results enhances curative effectiveness, reduces disease activity, relieves pain, and improves the quality of life of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MAPK/ERK kinases transmit signals from many growth factors/kinase receptors during normal cell growth/differentiation, and their dysregulation is a hallmark of diverse types of cancers. A plethora of drugs were developed to block this kinase pathway for clinical application. With the exception of a recently identified agent, EQW, most of these inhibitors target upstream factors but not ERK1/2; no activator of ERK1/2 is currently available.Method: A library of compounds isolated from medicinal plants of China was screened for anti-cancer activities. Three limonoid compounds, termed A1541-43, originally isolated from the plant Melia azedarach, exhibiting strong anti-leukemic activity. The anti-neoplastic activity and the biological target of these compounds were explored using various methods, including western blotting, flow cytometry, molecular docking and animal model for leukemia.Results: Compounds A1541-43, exhibiting potent anti-leukemic activity, was shown to induce ERK1/2 phosphorylation. In contrast, the natural product Cedrelone, which shares structural similarities with A1541-43, functions as a potent inhibitor of ERK1/2. We provided evidence that A1541-43 and Cedrelone specifically target ERK1/2, but not the upstream MAPK/ERK pathway. Computational docking analysis predicts that compounds A1541-43 bind a region in ERK1/2 that is distinct from that to which Cedrelone and EQW bind. Interestingly, both A1541-43, which act as ERK1/2 agonists, and Cedrelone, which inhibit these kinases, exerted strong anti-proliferative activity against multiple leukemic cell lines, and induced robust apoptosis as well as erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation in erythroleukemic cell lines. These compounds also suppressed tumor progression in a mouse model of erythroleukemia.Conclusions: This study identifies for the first time activators of ERK1/2 with therapeutic potential for the treatment of cancers driven by dysregulation of the MAPK/ERK pathway and possibly for other disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zea mays L. is an annual grass of the Gramineae family and is known as one of the cereal crops. Its by-products exhibited significant medicinal properties. In some regions of China, water extracts of Z. mays roots ( RM ) are utilized to treat kidney stones, but no research has been reported. In our present study, a bioassay-guided isolation method was used to yield five new lignans ( 1 - 5 ) as well as 15 known components, among which 8 - 15 and 17 - 20 were first identified from the genus. The fractions and all components were evaluated for their abilities to inhibit sodium oxalate-induced injury to human proximal tubular HK-2 cells. Fraction 50W and compounds 3 , 4 , and 11 exhibited the most potent activities. Further investigation indicated that these potential agents inhibited the LDH release, decreased the MDA and H 2 O 2 concentrations, and increased the level of SOD2 in HK-2 cells. These results indicated that RM is a promising and valuable crop waste for further development and utilization in nephrolithiasis pharmaceutical research.

The acquired resistance to gefitinib limits its clinical application. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been found to enhance the efficacy of gefitinib against resistant. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms have not been completely illuminated in NSCLC. In this study, a new epigallocatechin gallate derivative (2R,3R-6-methoxycarbonylgallocatechin-3-O-gallate, the following referred to as EGCGD) (1) and three known epigallocatechin gallate compounds including epicatechin-3-O-gallate (2), gallocatechin-3-O-gallate (3) and epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (4, EGCG) were isolated and identified from Anhua dark tea. The pharmacological studies showed EGCGD was more effective against gefitinib-resistant HCC827-Gef cells compared to that of other three epigallocatechin gallate compounds including EGCG, suggesting that introduction of 6-methoxycarbonyl to EGCG might enhance its antitumor activities. Further study on molecular mechanism showed EGCGD increased the potency of gefitinib against HCC827-Gef cells via suppression of epithelial-Mesenchymal transition (EMT) and dual inhibition of PI3K/mTOR., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Four new ent-kaurane diterpenoid maizediterpenes A-D (1-4), along with fourteen known compounds were isolated from the roots of Zea mays (maize). Compounds 7, 15, 16 were isolated from this genus for the first time. The planar structures of the new compounds were determined by extensive analysis of their NMR and HR-ESI-MS spectra, and the absolute configurations were established on the basis of specific rotation in association with calculated ECD spectra. Compounds 2, 6 and 18 showed significant antiproliferative effects against five human cancer cell lines (A549, MDA-MB-231, SK-Hep-1, SNU638, HCT116) with IC 50 values ranging from 1.99 ± 0.41 μM to 15.18 ± 1.17 μM., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a new flavonolignan vernicilignan A was isolated from Toxicodendron vernicifluum. The neuroprotective effects of this compound against H 2 O 2 induced cell injury in SH-SY5Y cells were evaluated by MTT assay and LDH release assay. Vernicilignan A dose-dependently attenuated the cell injury and LDH release induced by H 2 O 2 in SH-SY5Y cells. Further study indicated that vernicilignan A reduced cell apoptosis caused by H 2 O 2 treatment via regulation of some apoptotic related proteins including Bax, Bcl-2, caspase 3 and caspase 9. Also, vernicilignan A increase the cell viability of H 2 O 2 treated cells via the activation of Akt and GSK3β. Base on the findings, vernicilignan A exhibited neuroprotective effects through the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling and inhibition of mitochondria apoptosis pathway. Vernicilignan A might be a promising therapeutic agent for oxidative stress induced neurodegenerative diseases., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)