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Cascading effects from global disruptions such as natural disasters and pandemics have attracted significant research attention. Current approaches face challenges in adequately integrating geographic and systemic factors, limiting their ability to simulate the intricate dynamics of interdependent systems. Here, we proposed a novel Interdependency Network-based Geographic Cascade (INGC) model, coupling geographic factors to capture cascading shocks across global interdependent networks. By integrating macro-level interdependencies and typical dynamic network modelling approaches, the INGC enables more accurate simulations of hazard damage and shock propagation, highlighting critical nodes and pathways essential for informed policy-making. Through the global lockdown case analysis, the INGC model demonstrated its advantages in identifying critical sectors and regions by revealing heterogenous cascading patterns and their details robustly. This approach offers a scalable framework for future research and policy, ensuring greater resilience in the face of complex global extreme events. • We proposed a geographic cascade model based on interdependency networks. • INGC model can quantify losses, detect propagation, assess risks of cascades. • The model showed different cascading patterns in the global lockdown case. • INGC outputs provide key warnings to mitigate losses and allocate resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gegen Qinlian Decoction (GQD) might alleviate ulcerative colitis (UC). • UPLC-Q Exactive HRMS determined the metabolite profile and material basis of GQD. • A protein–protein interaction network was built, integrating metabolizing enzymes. • An SPR assay verified the binding of coptisine and glychionide A to PTGS2. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a common disease of the digestive system that is challenging to treat. Gegen Qinlian Decoction (GQD), which is an ancient classic formula in Chinese medicine, is effective at alleviating the symptoms of UC, but comprehensive research on its mechanism of action has not been performed. Here, we explored the material basis and potential molecular mechanism underlying GQD-mediated protection against UC by integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology. First, differentially expressed metabolites were screened and identified via a metabolomics approach, and the metabolic pathway was analyzed via MetaboAnalyst. Second, a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify hub genes that encode metabolic enzymes. Third, the differentially expressed metabolites were used to construct a compound-reaction-enzyme-gene network. Finally, the metabolites were compared with relevant active components for molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and verification experiment. GQD intervention alleviated UC in mice and significantly inhibited metabolic dysfunction in mice with UC; specifically, GQD reversed the abnormal changes in metabolites in the colon and serum, and regulated the arachidonic acid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and purine metabolism pathways. Further literature review and molecular docking analysis with targeted MD simulation and Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) analysis were performed, revealing that GQD may inhibit the disruption of arachidonic acid metabolism and tryptophan metabolism by suppressing PTGS2 and CYP450 protein expression; these results were verified by qRT-PCR, WB, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assays. Our experiments indicated that GQD alleviated UC in mice by systematically regulating arachidonic acid metabolism and tryptophan metabolism, supporting further research and the development of GQD as a novel drug for ameliorating UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. (TA) is a traditional folk medicine of ethnic minorities in the southwest of China. It is widely used in the treatment of dispersing blood stasis and activating blood. However, the effective substance and pharmacological mechanism have not been fully elucidated. The zebrafish larvae were treated with Phenylhydrazine (PHZ) to establish a thrombus model, and the staining intensity of zebrafish red blood cells was analyzed. The antithrombotic activity of TA was verified for the first time, and it was found that the inhibition rate of TA on thrombosis was up to 60.85 %. The chemical ingredients of TA were collected by combining UPLC-HRMS analysis and the literature research. Network pharmacology revealed that six key targets were obtained, which including TNF, AKT1, EGFR, PTGS2, PPARG, and IFNG. It showed that the PI3K-Akt pathway was a core signaling pathway. Coagulation factor III(TF), playing an important role in the process of hemostasis and thrombosis, which ranks high in the PPI network. Moreover, the results of molecular docking showed that the active components had a strong binding force with TF, which indicated that TF might be the key target of TA in treating thrombosis. In vitro experiments showed that TA could inhibit TNF-α-induced high expression of TF in EA.hy926 cells. In addition, TA could inhibit TNF-α-activated expression of Akt, IκBα and P65 protein phosphorylation in PI3K-Akt pathway. The results showed that TA had antithrombotic activity and exerted an antithrombotic effect by inhibiting the expression of TF through the PI3K-Akt-NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shengjiang Xiexin decoction (SXD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), was used to alleviate delayed-onset diarrhea induced by the chemotherapeutic agent irinotecan (CPT-11). Our previous study showed that SXD regulated multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp-2) to alter the pharmacokinetics of CPT-11 and its metabolites. However, the pharmacodynamic constituents and the related quality markers of SXD are unclear. In this study, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) was utilized to identify the prototypes and metabolites in rat plasma after oral administration of SXD. The pharmacokinetic markers (PK markers) were screened through quantification and semiquantification of SXD-related xenobiotics in plasma using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) combined with statistical analysis. Computational molecular docking was performed to assess the potential binding ability of the PK markers with the target Mrp-2. The results were verified by evaluating the impact on Mrp-2 function using Caco-2 cells. The quality markers were chosen from these PK markers based on the binding affinities with Mrp-2, the specificity and the traceability. As a result, a total of 142 SXD-related exogenous components, including 77 prototypes and 65 metabolites, were detected in rat plasma. Among these, 83 xenobiotics were selected as PK markers due to their satisfactory pharmacokinetic behaviors. Based on the characteristics of quality markers, the prototype-based PK markers were considered the indices of quality control for SXD, including baicalin, baicalein, wogonoside, wogonin, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, norwogonin, oroxylin A, dihydrobaicalin, chrysin, glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid, oroxylin A 7- O -glucuronide, liquiritin and isoliquiritin. This study provided an interesting strategy for screening the quality markers involved in the pharmacokinetics of SXD and its action target, which offered important information for the modernization of SXD and other TCM formulae. [Display omitted] • The absorbed constituents of SXD in vivo were systematically identified. • The dynamic alteration of the whole formula SXD in vivo was profiled. • The chosen PK markers having binding affinities with Mrp-2 were recognized. • The integrated technology provided new insight for the development of SXD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • India's carbon emissions from 2000 to 2014 as producer and consumer. • India's exported and imported emissions embodied in final and intermediate products. • India's net-exported emissions increased rapidly after 2011. • Optimizing the energy and trade structure in India can be effective. Abstract In India, rapid industrialization and reorganization of the global supply chain are driving economic growth, accompanied by increasing exports and carbon emissions. India is poised to succeed China as the next world manufactory, which will lead to huge emissions in the country. To formulate appropriate emission mitigation measures, it is necessary to further understand the temporal change in India's emissions at the sectoral level from both the production and consumption perspectives. However, existing studies that have estimated emissions in India have paid less attention to the link among original emitters, final producers and final consumers and to its temporal change. Based on an emission inventory compiled in this study, we trace emission flows from original emitters to final producers and then to final consumers through the international supply chain by using an environmentally extended multi-regional input-output model. This study finds that both production-based and consumption-based emissions in India increased constantly from 2000 to 2014, and production-based emissions had higher growth rates due to the increased coal share. The major receivers of India's exported emissions were developed countries (e.g., the European Union and the United States), while the main sources of India's imported emissions were developing countries (e.g., China and Russia). From 2011 to 2014, India's net exported emissions increased by 29.2% because of the decrease of imported emissions. Moreover, intermediate products (63% and 73.7%) were the major contributors to exported and imported emissions, most of which were embodied in manufacturing products (48.8% and 65.7%, respectively). Therefore, international cooperation to optimize the energy and trade structure and to improve energy efficiency can be effective in mitigating carbon emissions in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A series of novel structurally optimized 6-(2-amino-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazole-6-yl) -quinazolin-4(3 H)-one derivatives were designed and synthesized. • Compound 9a exhibited the most potent antiproliferation activity with IC 50 values of 0.83, 0.26 and 1.02 μM against A549, HCC827 and H1975 cells, respectively. • 9a markedly inhibited the Aurora A and PI3Kα kinase activities with an IC 50 values of 10.19 nM and 13.12 nM. • 9a remarkably down-regulated the p-PI3K, p-Aurora A and BRD4 in a dose-dependent manner in HCC827 cells, which suggested 9a might be a potential multi-targeted inhibitor. • 9a significantly attenuated HCC827 cell growth through promoting intrinsic apoptosis and G2/M phase arrests. Aurora A (Aurora kinase A), a critical regulator of cell mitosis, is frequently overexpressed in many malignant cancers, and has been considered as a promising drug target for cancer therapy. Likewise, Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase alpha (PI3Kα) is also regarded as one of the most important targets in cancer therapy by mediating the cell growth and angiogenesis of various human cancers. In addition, Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) modulates oncogene expressions of Myc, Aurora kinase and various RTKs. Recently, accumulating evidences indicated that hyperactivated or abnormally expressed Aurora A, PI3Kα or BRD4 are closely associated with drug resistance and poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hence, simultaneous inhibition of Aurora A, PI3Kα, and BRD4 is expected to be a new strategy for NSCLC therapy. In this study, we performed further structure optimization of 6-(2-amino-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazole-6-yl)-quinazolin-4(3 H) -one based on previous study to obtain a series of derivatives for discovering potential Aurora A, PI3Kα and BRD4 multi-targeted inhibitors. MTT assay showed that most of the newly synthesized compounds exhibited an evident anticancer activity against the NSCLC cells. Among them, the IC 50 values of the most potent compound 9a were 0.83, 0.26 and 1.02 μM against A549, HCC827 and H1975 cells, respectively. In addition, 9a markedly inhibited the Aurora A and PI3Kα kinase activities with IC 50 values of 10.19 nM and 13.12 nM. Compound 9a induced G2/M phase arrests and apoptosis of HCC827 cells by simultaneous inhibition of Aurora A/PI3K/ BRD4 signaling pathways. Collectively, our studies suggested that 9a might be a potential multi-targeted inhibitor for NSCLC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ent-kaurane diterpenoid enriched fraction (EDEF) of maize root was isolated and purified, and 10 compounds, including 4 ent-kaurane diterpenoids, were isolated and identified. We evaluated their neuroprotective properties in vitro for the first time using an H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative damage model in SH-SY5Y cells. The results showed that pretreatment with maizediterpene D, a new ent-kaurane diterpenoid isolated from the EDEF, significantly attenuated H 2 O 2 -induced apoptosis by improving cell survival, reducing ROS production and increasing mitochondrial membrane potential. Mechanistically, the neuroprotective effect of maizediterpene D was confirmed to be related to the dual activation of IGF-1R and BDNF/TrkB crosstalk pathways. Our findings suggest that the EDEF and its active constituent maizediterpene D had good neuroprotective properties and could serve as potential candidates for the development of therapeutic drugs for oxidative stress-related diseases. [Display omitted] • EDEF and Maizediterpene D were isolated from maize roots. • EDEF showed good antioxidant activity against H 2 O 2 induced oxidative stress. • D showed better cytoprotective activity against H 2 O 2 triggered oxidative stress. • M-D attenuated H 2 O 2 induced oxidative stress by BDNF/TrkB and BDNF/TrkB crosstalk pathways [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CO 2 emissions in East Africa are growing exponentially at 6.5% per year. • The process of energy clean-up is slow with little emission reduction. • Economic and population growth are the most significant emission drivers. • Emission patterns and drivers vary significantly from country to country. • Locally tailored emission reductions are needed. East Africa is typical of the less developed economies that have emerged since the 21st century, whose brilliant economic miracle has also triggered the rapid growth of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. However, previous carbon accounting studies have never focused on the region. Based on multi-source data, this paper rebuilt the 45-sectors carbon emission inventories of eight East African countries from 2000 to 2017, and used index decomposition analysis to quantify the drivers of growth. Here we found that overall the CO 2 emissions show a 'two-stage exponential growth' pattern, with significant heterogeneity between countries. In terms of the energy mix, technical progress in hydro and geothermal energy was almost offset by a growing appetite for oil and coal, making it the weak and valuable factor driving emissions reduction (−1.4Mt). But it was far from enough to overcome the pressure of economic and population growth, which brought about a 13Mt and 11Mt emission growth respectively from 2000 to 2017. Increasing energy intensity due to industrialization and transport development also contributed to an increment of 6.4Mt. Low-carbon policies should be tailored to local conditions and targeted at the improvement of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy so as to achieve a win-win situation between sustainable economic growth and emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • P. chrysogenum used in pure-culture and enhanced fermentation of Pu-erh tea. • 69 compounds in enhanced fermentation were significantly lower. • 40 compounds in enhanced fermentation were significantly higher. • Inoculation with P. chrysogenum changed the composition of the fungal community. • Inoculation with P. chrysogenum improved the sensory quality of Pu-erh tea. Developing an effective method to improve the quality of Pu-erh tea is of great scientific and commercial interest. In this work, Penicillium chrysogenum P1 isolated from Pu-erh tea was inoculated in sterilized or unsterilized sun-dreid green tea leaves to develop pure-culture fermentation (PF) and enhanced fermentation (EF) of Pu-erh tea. Spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography determined that contents of free amino acids (FAA), total tea polyphenols and eight polyphenolic compounds in PF were significantly lower than these in non-inoculation control test (CK) (P < 0.05), whereas the contents of soluble sugars and theabrownins (TB) in PF were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in CK. A total of 416 volatile compounds were detected by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Comparison to CK, 124 compounds in PF were degraded or decreased significantly [Variable importance in projection [(VIP) > 1.0, P < 0.05, fold change (FC) < 0.5], whereas 110 compounds in PF were formed or increased significantly (VIP > 1.0, P < 0.05, FC > 2). Compared with normal fermentation (NF), the levels of gallic acid, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin and 64 volatile compounds in EF were significantly lower (VIP > 1.0, P < 0.05, FC < 0.5), whereas the levels of FAA and 39 volatile compounds were significantly higher (VIP > 1.0, P < 0.05, FC > 2). Amplicon sequencing of fungal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) revealed that P. chrysogenum P1 didn't become the dominant fungus in EF; while the fungal communities in EF were different from those in NF, in that the relative abundances of Blastobotrys bambusae and P. chrysogenum in EF were higher, and the relative abundances of Aspergillus niger and Kluyveromyces marxianus in EF were lower. Overall, inoculation of P. chrysogenum in unsterilized sun-dreid green tea leaves changed the the fungal communities in fermentation of Pu-erh tea, and chemical compounds in fermented tea leaves, i.e., the levels of TB and the compounds responsible for the stale flavor, e.g., 2-amino-4-methoxybenzothiazole were increased, resulting in improvement of the sensory quality, including mellower taste and stronger stale flavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving energy efficiency and building a low-carbon economy are the important ways to resolve the current contradiction between economic growth and the environment in China. In this paper, we use the super-efficiency Slack-Based Measure model (super-efficiency SBM model) to measure the energy efficiency of 30 provinces in China, and then conduct Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) to analyze its spatial-temporal evolution. Moreover, we use the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) to analyze the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of its driving factors. The results show that: (i) during the sample period, China's energy efficiency shows a rapidly upward trend, accompanied by the gradually strengthening spatial pattern of the "eastern>central>western"; (ii) the spatial pattern of the "southern>northern" exhibited by the annual growth rate of energy efficiency experienced a process of weakening first and then gradually strengthening; (iii) the influencing effects of market openness, relative energy price and industry structure on energy efficiency have no significant heterogeneity as a whole; (iv) the effects of environmental regulation intensity, the marketization level, the technical level, energy consumption structure and economic development level have significant spatial heterogeneity, and the effects of energy conservation and emission reduction policies has significant temporal heterogeneity. Unlabelled Image • Spatial-temporal evolutions of energy efficiency and its growth are depicted using EOF. • The driving factors of energy efficiency are investigated using GTWR. • The spatial pattern of the "eastern > central > western" is dynamically strengthening. • The energy efficiency growth rate shows "southern > northern" dynamic evolution. • The same factors have different effects in the spatial and temporal dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• EPHB6 inhibited metastasis and activated Akt and ERK in NSCLC. • DFX24 suppressed metastasis by increasing EPHB6 expression. • DFX24 inhibited cell growth via PI3K/Akt and ERK pathway inhibition. • DFX24 promoted apoptosis by activating mitochondria-dependent pathway. EPHB6 is a metastasis inhibitory gene that is frequently decreased or deficiency in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which contributed to the subsequent development of distant metastasis. These suggested the possibility that reactivation of EPHB6 might prevent the metastasis of NSCLC. Nevertheless, EPHB6 expression might also promote cancer cell growth and inhibit cell apoptosis by activating Akt and ERK pathway, apart from inhibition of migration and invasion. In the present study, we developed a novel quinazolin-4(3 H)-one analog (DFX24) as a potential PI3Kα inhibitor, which inhibited both cell proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC cell lines. Investigation to the molecular mechanisms revealed DFX24 inhibited the cell growth and metastasis via inhibition of PI3Kα and ERK activity, as well as the increase in EPHB6 expression. In addition, DFX24 also induced cell cycle arrest and tumor cell apoptosis by inhibiting PI3K/Akt pathway and activating mitochondria-dependent pathway, respectively. These findings suggested that DFX24 might be considered as a novel drug candidate and may provide a potential therapy for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Japanese prefectural private car emissions from 1990 to 2016 is evaluated. • Depopulation and household dilution cause the increment of regional HPC significantly. • Pattern of HPC carbon emissions is revealed by DTW metric using HAC. • Spatial autocorrelation pattern of HPC emissions is defined by each year. Given the large accumulation of Greenhouse Gas emissions released by household, individual behaviors play a vital role in decarbonization measurement. Among different residents' behaviors, using private car is an essential source of household carbon emission. Therefore, deepening the understanding about its variation and determinants is of great importance for decarbonizing individual behaviors. Taking Japan as example, this study firstly evaluates the emissions generated by household private car from 1990 to 2016. Then, by using econometric model, cluster and spatial autocorrelation analysis, both spatiotemporal trend and emissions determinants are given out. Results indicate that although the private car emissions across the whole extent of Japan is declining, depopulation still contributes to increasing emissions in some prefectures. Last, given the future depopulation trend, target-specific decarbonization policy is suggested to take demographic features as the first consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aurora A kinase, a member of the Aurora kinase family, is frequently overexpressed in various human cancers. In addition, Overexpression of Aurora A kinase is associated with drug resistance and poor prognosis in many cancers including breast cancer. Therefore, Aurora A kinase has been considered as an attractive anticancer target for the treatment of human cancers. Herein, A series of 6-(2-amino-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazole-6-yl)quinazolin-4(3 H)-one derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as Aurora A kinase inhibitors. The cell-based cytotoxicity assays showed that compound 16h was the most potent cytotoxic agent against all tested cancer cells and had a lower IC 50 value than ENMD-2076 against MDA-MB-231 cells. Meanwhile, Aurora A kinase assay and Western blot analysis showed that 16h inhibited Aurora A kinase with an IC 50 value of 21.94 nM and suppressed the phosphorylation of Histone H3 on Ser10 and Aurora A kinase on Thr288, which were consistent with the activation of Aurora A kinase. Accordingly, 16h caused aberrant mitotic phenotypes and obvious G2/M phase arrest in MDA-MB-231 cells and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. These results demonstrated that 16h is a potential candidate for the development of anticancer agents targeting Aurora A kinase. Image 1 • A novel series of 6-(2-amino-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazole-6-yl)quinazolin-4(3 H)-one derivatives were designed and synthesized. • 16h showed the most potent Aurora A kinase inhibitory activity with IC 50 values of 21.94 nM. • 16h caused aberrant mitotic phenotypes and obvious G2/M phase arrest in MDA-MB-231 cells. • 16h induced cell apoptosis via a caspase-dependent pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To put the brakes on global climate change, China, the world's top emitter, has established ambitious CO 2 emissions reduction targets. Industry-level emissions analysis can help policymakers determine better ways to achieve mitigation targets. This study is the first to target the total-factor carbon emission performance (TCPI) of secondary and service industries. We first compile industry-level CO 2 emission inventories of 25 Yangtze River Delta cities during 2007–2016. The TCPI of secondary and service industries is then estimated by the non-radial directional distance function. We then compare the TCPI of the two industries across levels, dynamics, and inequalities using a global metafrontier approach. The results show the TCPI of the service industry (0.563 in 2016) was significantly higher than that of secondary industry (0.256 in 2016), suggesting that the service industry was more carbon-friendly. The TCPI gap between the secondary and service industries narrowed over the study period. The TCPI of secondary industry showed a promising increase during 2007–2016 with an annual growth rate of 2.30%, reflecting the positive effects of the government's reforms and environmental regulations. By contrast, the service industry saw a downward trend in TCPI, decreasing by 1.68% annually, primarily because it is a newcomer to low-carbon development. TCPI inequality in secondary industry was much larger than in the service industry, suggesting that significant heterogeneity exists in secondary industry. Therefore, policymakers should implement targeted mitigation policies for secondary industry, and place decarbonising the service industry on the agenda to reverse its decreasing TCPI. Image 1 • Carbon emission performance of secondary and service industries is investigated. • Service industry is more carbon-friendly than secondary industry. • The gap in carbon emission performance between secondary and service industries narrows. • Secondary industry has greater heterogeneity of carbon emission performance than service industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main Conclusion: AtbZIP69 overexpression in wheat significantly enhanced drought and low nitrogen tolerance by modulating ABA synthesis, antioxidant activity, nitrogen allocation, and transporter gene expression, boosting yield. In this study, we generated wheat plants with improved low nitrogen (LN) and drought tolerance by introducing AtbZIP69, a gene encoding a basic leucine zipper domain transcription factor, into the wheat cultivar Shi 4056. AtbZIP69 localized to the nucleus and activated transcription. A greenhouse study further revealed that, compared to wild type (WT) wheat, AtbZIP69 transgenic wheat exhibited significantly increased drought and LN stress tolerance. Under drought stress, the H 2 O 2 concentration in transgenic lines decreased, whereas SOD activity and proline content increased, resulting in remarkably enhanced drought resistance. Furthermore, drought stress boosted the expression of critical abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis enzymes as well as the ABA content of transgenic plants, implying that this gene may improve wheat's drought resistance by promoting ABA production. Additionally, during a two-year field test, the yield and the number of spikes of transgenic wheat were significantly higher than those of WT wheat under LN conditions. Mechanistically, the overexpression of AtbZIP69 altered nitrogen distribution by allocating more nitrogen to grains under LN conditions. In addition, the expression of genes encoding nitrogen transporter proteins was higher in AtbZIP69 transgenic wheat than in WT wheat under LN conditions. These findings suggest that the insertion of AtbZIP69 opens up new opportunities for wheat stress resistance breeding., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Premna puberula Pamp. is a plant with similarities to both food and medicine, which has attracted the attention of researchers because of the rich pectin in its leaves. However, the mechanism of efficient pectin accumulation remains unclear. Through transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, this study investigated the differentially expressed genes and proteins associated with pectin during various developmental stages of P. puberula. The combined omics approach revealed that the majority of differential genes are mainly involved in the anabolic metabolism of primary and secondary metabolites. Notable differential pathways include starch and sucrose metabolism, amino acid sugar metabolism, and nucleotide sugar metabolism. The SWEET gene family was identified and analyzed, leading to the cloning of PpSWEET15 and subcellular localization. Overexpression of PpSWEET15 resulted in a significant decrease in sucrose content in leaves from 134.44 μg·g -1 to <10 μg·g -1 . Glucose content decreased from 407.75 μg·g -1 to 318.38 μg·g -1 , while fructose levels showed no significant difference between the two groups of leaves. This comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic analysis provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the efficient accumulation of pectin in P. puberula., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The eco-stoichiometry of Ca/Cd in soil significantly affects Cd uptake and accumulation by plants in carbonate regions. In this study, the physiological responses and detoxification mechanisms of Capsicum annuum L. (capsicum) were investigated based on the eco-stoichiometric relationship of Ca/Cd in production substrates under varying pH levels (5, 6, and 7). The results revealed that increased Ca/Cd ratio enhanced the Cd accumulation in roots at pH values of 5 and 6. The enrichment of Cd in stems and leaves gradually decreased with varying Ca/Cd ratios at different pH levels. In addition, root vigor, relative chlorophyll content, biomass, and catalase and peroxidase activities increased across various pH levels, while the concentration of protein carbonyl and malondialdehyde decreased. The ability of pectin and cellulose in the cell wall and that of soluble components within the cell to adsorb and partition Cd improved as the Ca/Cd ratio increased at different pH values. Notably, the effects of varying Ca/Cd ratios were most significant at pH 6. Overall, Ca enhanced the tolerance of capsicum to Cd stress, thereby promoting the fixation of Cd in root cells, reducing its transfer to aboveground tissues, and improving both the growth and antioxidant stress response. The effect was attributed to different Ca/Cd stoichiometric ratios, pH levels, and their interactions. These findings enhance the understanding of the mechanism of the interaction between Ca and Cd on crops in the karst agroecosystem., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors 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 © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to investigate heavy metal enrichment in different tea plant varieties and their distribution within different plant parts and to clarify the behavioral characteristics of heavy metals in the tea tree-soil system and their influencing factors. In this study, soil samples were collected from the root zones of 13 tea tree varieties in Guizhou, which had been planted for 10 years. The aim was to compare the physicochemical properties of tea plantation soils under soil-forming matrixes and consistent management. Additionally, the study investigated the enrichment and transportation patterns of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni in the tea tree-soil systems of different tea tree varieties. The results showed that the planting of tea trees decreased the soil pH by 0.5; soil nutrients decreased; soil Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn contents in the root zone increased; and Cd content decreased. Heavy metals were mainly enriched in the roots, and Zn, Cu, Ni, and other elements related to the protein and enzyme synthesis of tea trees could be mostly transported to the stems and leaves. There were significant differences in the enrichment and transportation of heavy metals among the different tea tree varieties. Under consistent soil-forming parent material, soil pH, organic matter, nutrients, and other indices only had a significant effect on heavy metal enrichment in the tea tree roots. Therefore, in areas with high background soil heavy metal contents, the construction of tea plantations should be based on regional soil environmental conditions to choose tea tree varieties with low heavy metal enrichment capacities to avoid the risk of high background soil heavy metals on the safe production of tea for consumers., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interest The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

The effect of calcium (Ca)-cadmium (Cd) interactions on the plant Cd bioaccumulation process may be closely related to the ecological Ca/Cd stoichiometry in the substrate. However, owing to the complexity of plant absorption, accumulation mechanisms and influencing factors, the mechanism of Ca-mediated Cd bioaccumulation and Cd tolerance in Capsicum is still unclear. In this study, the bioaccumulation, subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd in Capsicum were analysed via pot experiments to reveal the Ca-mediated Cd bioaccumulation process and its detoxification mechanism under different Ca/Cd stoichiometric ratios. The results revealed that an increase in the substrate Ca/Cd ratio promoted the accumulation of Cd in the roots; restricted the transport of Cd to the stems, leaves and peppers; and promoted the accumulation of Cd in the aboveground leaves but decreased its accumulation in edible parts. Cd was enriched mainly in the cell wall and cell-soluble fraction in each tissue and was enriched in only 1 %-13 % of the organelles. The accumulation of Cd in the cell wall and cell-soluble fractions of roots treated with different Ca concentrations increased by 56.57 %-236.98 % and 64.41 %-442.14 %, respectively. The carboxyl, hydroxyl and amino groups on the root cell wall play important roles in binding and fixing Cd 2+ . Moreover, the increase in the Ca content also increased the proportion of pectin and protein-bound Cd (F- NaCl ), insoluble phosphate-bound Cd (F- C ) and insoluble oxalate-bound Cd (F- HCl ) in the roots, stems and leaves and reduced the proportion of highly active chemical forms such as inorganic acid salt-bound Cd (F- E ) and water-soluble phosphate-bound Cd (F- W ). Our study revealed that the bioaccumulation of Cd in Capsicum was influenced by the Ca/Cd ratio and that Ca could alleviate Cd stress by regulating the subcellular distribution and chemical form ratio of Cd in different tissues where the cell wall plays an important role in Cd tolerance and detoxification., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino (GP), a plant with homology of medicine and food, as a traditional Chinese medicine, possesses promising biological activities in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the material basis and the mechanism of action of GP in the treatment of T2DM have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to clarify the active components, potential targets and signaling pathways of GP in treating T2DM. The chemical ingredients of GP were collected by combining UPLC-HRMS analysis and literature research. Network pharmacology revealed that GP had 32 components and 326 potential targets in treating T2DM. The results showed that GP affected T2DM by mediating the insulin resistance signaling pathway, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and FoxO1 signaling pathway, which had a close relationship with T2DM. Molecular docking results showed that STAT3, PIK3CA, AKT1, EGFR, VEGFA and INSR had high affinity with the active compounds of GP. In vitro, GP extracts obviously increased the glucose uptake and glucose consumption in IR-HepG2 cells. GP extracts increased the levels of PI3K, p-AKT, p-GSK3β and p-FoxO1 and decreased the expression of p-IRS1, p-GS, PEPCK and G6Pase, which indicated that GP could promote glycogen synthesis and inhibit gluconeogenesis by regulating the IRS1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. The results demonstrated that GP could improve insulin resistance by promoting glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis and inhibiting gluconeogenesis through regulating the IRS1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which might be a potential alternative therapy for T2DM.

Evidence shows a continuing increase in the frequency and severity of global heatwaves 1,2 , raising concerns about the future impacts of climate change and the associated socioeconomic costs 3,4 . Here we develop a disaster footprint analytical framework by integrating climate, epidemiological and hybrid input-output and computable general equilibrium global trade models to estimate the midcentury socioeconomic impacts of heat stress. We consider health costs related to heat exposure, the value of heat-induced labour productivity loss and indirect losses due to economic disruptions cascading through supply chains. Here we show that the global annual incremental gross domestic product loss increases exponentially from 0.03 ± 0.01 (SSP 245)-0.05 ± 0.03 (SSP 585) percentage points during 2030-2040 to 0.05 ± 0.01-0.15 ± 0.04 percentage points during 2050-2060. By 2060, the expected global economic losses reach a total of 0.6-4.6% with losses attributed to health loss (37-45%), labour productivity loss (18-37%) and indirect loss (12-43%) under different shared socioeconomic pathways. Small- and medium-sized developing countries suffer disproportionately from higher health loss in South-Central Africa (2.1 to 4.0 times above global average) and labour productivity loss in West Africa and Southeast Asia (2.0-3.3 times above global average). The supply-chain disruption effects are much more widespread with strong hit to those manufacturing-heavy countries such as China and the USA, leading to soaring economic losses of 2.7 ± 0.7% and 1.8 ± 0.5%, respectively., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This article investigates the economic impacts of a multi-disaster mix comprising extreme weather, such as flooding, pandemic control, and export restrictions, dubbed a "perfect storm." We develop a compound-hazard impact model that improves on the ARIO model by considering the economic interplay between different types of hazardous events. The model considers simultaneously cross-regional substitution and production specialization, which can influence the resilience of the economy to multiple shocks. We build scenarios to investigate economic impacts when a flood and a pandemic lockdown collide and how these are affected by the timing, duration, and intensity/strictness of each shock. In addition, we examine how export restrictions during a pandemic impact the economic losses and recovery, especially when there is the specialization of production of key sectors. The results suggest that an immediate, stricter but shorter pandemic control policy would help to reduce the economic costs inflicted by a perfect storm, and regional or global cooperation is needed to address the spillover effects of such compound events, especially in the context of the risks from deglobalization., (© 2023 The Authors. Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.)

The highly energy-intensive iron and steel industry contributed about 25% (ref.  1 ) of global industrial CO 2 emissions in 2019 and is therefore critical for climate-change mitigation. Despite discussions of decarbonization potentials at national and global levels 2-6 , plant-specific mitigation potentials and technologically driven pathways remain unclear, which cumulatively determines the progress of net-zero transition of the global iron and steel sector. Here we develop a CO 2 emissions inventory of 4,883 individual iron and steel plants along with their technical characteristics, including processing routes and operating details (status, age, operation-years etc.). We identify and match appropriate emission-removal or zero-emission technologies to specific possessing routes, or what we define thereafter as a techno-specific decarbonization road map for every plant. We find that 57% of global plants have 8-24 operational years, which is the retrofitting window for low-carbon technologies. Low-carbon retrofitting following the operational characteristics of plants is key for limiting warming to 2 °C, whereas advanced retrofitting may help limit warming to 1.5 °C. If each plant were retrofitted 5 years earlier than the planned retrofitting schedule, this could lead to cumulative global emissions reductions of 69.6 (±52%) gigatonnes (Gt) CO 2 from 2020 to 2050, almost double that of global CO 2 emissions in 2021. Our results provide a detailed picture of CO 2 emission patterns associated with production processing of iron and steel plants, illustrating the decarbonization pathway to the net-zero-emissions target with the efforts from each plant., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

This study investigates the influence of consumer cooperation, eco-design, and green marketing on the adoption of green supply chain management in developing countries. The mediating role of innovation in this relationship is also examined. A survey method was employed, using a questionnaire adapted from previous studies. The sample comprised 250 respondents who were employees of small and medium size and multinational manufacturing industries in Bangladesh. Smart partial least squares (PLS) are currently being used for data analysis, while PLS-structural equation modeling is being employed to assess measurement and structural models. The findings reveal that consumer cooperation, eco-design, and green marketing significantly affect innovation. Furthermore, innovation acts as a mediator between these variables and the adoption of green supply chain management. This study identifies green supply chain management practices that have the potential to enhance organizational performance and motivate companies to implement strategic and operational changes, leading to significant economic, social, and environmental impacts. The research holds significant importance for emerging economies and green supply chain adoption considering the constraints at both organizational and government levels. It provides a framework for a synergistic combination of asset-based elements, innovation, and green supply chain management, benefiting small and medium size organization, multinational corporations, and the supply chain sector in achieving sustainable development goals. The implications of this study extend to supervisors and managers in the corporate world, assisting them in making informed decisions. By expanding the existing literature on the consumer cooperation, eco-design, and green marketing model to include green supply chain management, this study contributes to the field. However, it should be noted that the findings and recommendations may be influenced by contextual factors, and therefore, future research should explore other countries to identify regional and specific sectors, enabling a broader perspective and comparisons as well as green related aspects and performances., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Astragali Radix (AR, Huangqi in Chinese) has a neuroprotective effect on cerebral infarction (CI). In order to explore the biological basis and therapeutic mechanism of AR in CI, a double-blind randomized controlled trial was established in this study, and proteomics analysis was carried out on serum samples of patients. Methods: The patients were divided into the AR group ( n = 35) and the control group ( n = 30). The curative effect was evaluated by the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score and clinical indicators, and the serum of the two groups was analyzed by proteomics. Based on bioinformatics analysis methods, the changes in differential proteins between two groups of samples were explored, and the key proteins were validated through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The results of this study showed that the scores of deficiency of vital energy (DVE), blood stasis (BS), and NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) decreased significantly ( p < 0.05), while the scores of the Barthel Index (BI) increased, indicating that AR could significantly improve the symptoms of CI patients. In addition, we found that compared with the control group, AR upregulated 43 proteins and downregulated 20 proteins, especially focusing on anti-atherosclerosis and neuroprotective effects. Moreover, ELISA indicated the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, VCAM-1, MCP-1, and ICAM-1 were significantly decreased in the serum of the AR group ( p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Conclusion: This study found that AR can significantly recover the clinical symptoms of CI. Serum proteomics research results show that AR may act on IL-6, TNF-α, VCAM-1, MCP-1, and ICAM-1, and play anti-atherosclerosis and neuroprotective roles. Clinical Trial Registration: [clinicaltrials.gov], identifier [NCT02846207]., 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 Li, Wang, Guo, Ma, Miao, Sun, He, Lin, Pan, Ren and Liu.)

Ensuring a more equitable distribution of vaccines worldwide is an effective strategy to control global pandemics and support economic recovery. We analyze the socioeconomic effects - defined as health gains, lockdown-easing effect, and supply-chain rebuilding benefit - of a set of idealized COVID-19 vaccine distribution scenarios. We find that an equitable vaccine distribution across the world would increase global economic benefits by 11.7% ($950 billion per year), compared to a scenario focusing on vaccinating the entire population within vaccine-producing countries first and then distributing vaccines to non-vaccine-producing countries. With limited doses among low-income countries, prioritizing the elderly who are at high risk of dying, together with the key front-line workforce who are at high risk of exposure is projected to be economically beneficial (e.g., 0.9%~3.4% annual GDP in India). Our results reveal how equitable distributions would cascade more protection of vaccines to people and ways to improve vaccine equity and accessibility globally through international collaboration., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Metabolomics, which mainly studies the metabolite components of organisms, tissues, cells and their dynamic changes, is an emerging omics technology following genomics and proteomics. Metabolites are the final products of cellular regulation, and the concentration of metabolites is considered to be the ultimate response of a biological system to genetic or environmental changes. Secondary metabolites with chemical diversity are widely present in living organisms, thus accurate quantification of secondary metabolites through appropriate analytical platforms is an important task of metabolomics. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is the most commonly used method for the detection of metabolites, providing a basis for the wide application of plant secondary metabolites. This review summarizes the advances of using LC-MS/MS techniques for the detection of phytohormone, folic acid, flavonoids and other secondary metabolites.

A pricing-decision analysis is a critical aspect of supply chain management since it directly affects manufacturers' and retailers' profits. The members of a supply chain all want to be treated properly during the pricing process, which means that they pay attention to the fairness of the profit distribution. Additionally, consumers are increasingly gravitating to green products as their awareness of green consumption grows. Thus, incorporating consumers' green preferences into a supply chain, this paper investigates pricing decisions with two competitive manufacturers under horizontal and vertical fairness concerns and seeks the optimal degrees of product greenness, prices, profits, and utilities. The game-theoretical models with and without bidirectional fairness concerns are constructed and analyzed to identify the implications on pricing, profits, and utilities of competing manufacturers' bidirectional fairness concerns and consumers' green preferences. Then, we determine the decisional differences between the two designs using comparative analysis and numerical simulation. Finally, propositions, corollaries, and policy implications are derived. The results indicate that consumers' green preferences and competition between manufacturers contribute to increasing the optimal pricing and retailer's profit while harming manufacturers' utilities and the supply chain's profits under some conditions. The findings also demonstrate that horizontal and vertical fairness concerns generate different impacts on the product's greenness degree and pricing. Still, they are detrimental to manufacturers' utilities and supply chain profit while possessing negligible effects on retailer's profit., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Misfolding of TATA-box binding protein-associated factor 15 (TAF15) may cause neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Some mutations of prion-like domain (PrLD) have been detected in patients with sporadic ALS, suggesting the importance of TAF15-PrLD in ALS pathogenesis. Herein, combining experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we investigated the influences of several TAF15-PrLD mutations on the amyloid fibril formation of TAF15-PrLD-extracted peptide segments, and identified an essential β-amyloid-forming segment from TAF15-PrLD. A pathogenic mutation T2 E71G resulted in significantly enhanced aggregation of the TAF15-PrLD segment T2 (Y 56 GQSQSGYSQSYGGYENQ 73 ). In addition, the peptide T2 with a strong β-amyloid-forming tendency was able to induce the liquid to solid phase transition of TAF15-PrLD protein. Further study identified the SGYS motif as a critical segment that promoted the formation of amyloid fibrils, which maintained a stable β-sheet structure through intermolecular hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interaction. This work provides a clue to elucidate the molecular pathogenic mechanism of TAF15-associated neurodegenerative diseases, and will direct drug development targeting TAF15., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As the economy enters the new normal in China, more and more intellectuals are concerned about the energy consumption in the economic green transformation and development process; this article computes the energy consumption embodied in various final demand types by the utilization of the environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) model during 2000-2014. Then, the structural decomposition analysis is adopted for exploring energy consumption changes' driving factors considering various final demand categories. Furthermore, the decoupling between economic growth and energy consumption embodied in various final demand categories is revealed by the application of the Tapio model in China. The results indicate as below: (1) the energy consumption embodied in various final demand categories increased significantly during the study period; (2) the gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) was most conducive to the growth of energy consumption, while the construction department emerged as the greatest energy user in GFCF; (3) coal and oil were two main energy sources consumed regardless of any final demand categories; (4) in the three drivers, the scale effect had a primary contribution to increasing energy consumption. The intensity effect made a crucial contribution to mitigating energy consumption. The structural effect had a mild contribution to the energy consumption changes; (5) the five final demand categories were roughly characterized by the weak decoupling over the period 2000-2014. GFCF determined the decoupling index between economy growth and energy consumption largely. Finally, this article put forward implied policies concerning the reduction of energy utilization in China.

Background: Heterosis refers to superior traits exhibiting in a hybrid when compared with both parents. Generally, the hybridization between parents can change the expression pattern of some proteins such as non-additive proteins (NAPs) which might lead to heterosis. 'Zhongdan808' (ZD808) and 'Zhongdan909' (ZD909) are excellent maize hybrids in China, however, the heterosis mechanism of them are not clear. Proteomics has been wildly used in many filed, and comparative proteomic analysis of hybrid and its parents is helpful for understanding the mechanism of heterosis in the two maize hybrids., Results: Over 2000 protein groups were quantitatively identified from second seedling leaves of two hybrids and their parents by label-free quantification. Statistical analysis of total identified proteins, differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) and NAPs of the two hybrids revealed that both of them were more similar to their female parents. In addition, most of DAPs were up-regulated and most of NAPs were high parent abundance or above-high parent abundance in ZD808, while in ZD909, most of DAPs were down-regulated and most of NAPs were low parent abundance or below-low parent abundance. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that more of stress response-related NAPs in ZD808 were high parent abundance or above-high parent abundance, and most of PS related NAPs in ZD909 were high parent abundance or above-high parent abundance. Finally, four stress response-related proteins and eight proteins related to PS were verified by PRM, ten of them had significant differences between hybrid and midparent value., Conclusions: Even though every one of the two hybrids were more similar to its female parent at proteome level, the biological basis of heterosis is different in the two maize hybrids. In comparison with their parents, the excellent agronomic traits of hybrid ZD808 is mainly correlated with the high expression levels of some proteins related to stress responses and metabolic functions, while traits of ZD909 is mainly correlated with high expressed proteins related to photosynthesis. Our proteomics results support previous physiological and morphological research and have provided useful information in understanding the reason of valuable agronomic traits.

Countries have sought to stop the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by severely restricting travel and in-person commercial activities. Here, we analyse the supply-chain effects of a set of idealized lockdown scenarios, using the latest global trade modelling framework. We find that supply-chain losses that are related to initial COVID-19 lockdowns are largely dependent on the number of countries imposing restrictions and that losses are more sensitive to the duration of a lockdown than its strictness. However, a longer containment that can eradicate the disease imposes a smaller loss than shorter ones. Earlier, stricter and shorter lockdowns can minimize overall losses. A 'go-slow' approach to lifting restrictions may reduce overall damages if it avoids the need for further lockdowns. Regardless of the strategy, the complexity of global supply chains will magnify losses beyond the direct effects of COVID-19. Thus, pandemic control is a public good that requires collective efforts and support to lower-capacity countries.

Leaf color mutants are ideal materials for chloroplast development and photosynthetic mechanism research. Here, we characterized an EMS (ethyl methane sulfonate)-mutagenized sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) mutant, sbe6-a1, in which the severe disruption in chloroplast structure and a chlorophyll deficiency promote an albino leaf phenotype and lead to premature death. The proteomic analyses of mutant and its progenitor wild-type (WT) were performed using a Q Exactive plus Orbitrap mass spectrometer and 4,233 proteins were accurately quantitated. The function analysis showed that most of up-regulated proteins in mutant sbe6-a1 had not been well characterized. GO-enrichment analysis of the differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) showed that up-regulated DAPs were significantly enriched in catabolic process and located in mitochondria, while down regulated DAPs were located in chloroplasts and participated in photosynthesis and some other processes. KEGG pathway-enrichment analyses indicated that the degradation and metabolic pathways of fatty acids, as well as some amino acids and secondary metabolites, were significantly enhanced in the mutant sbe6-a1, while photosynthesis-related pathways, some secondary metabolites' biosynthesis and ribosomal pathways were significantly inhibited. Analysis also shows that some DAPs, such as FBAs, MDHs, PEPC, ATP synthase, CABs, CHLM, PRPs, pathogenesis-related protein, sHSP, ACP2 and AOX may be closely associated with the albino phenotype. Our analysis will promote the understanding of the molecular phenomena that result in plant albino phenotypes., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of Periploca forrestii., Method: The constituents were separate using such various column chromatographic techniques as silica gel, RP-18 silica gel, MCI and Sephadex LH-20. Their structures were identified by such methods as spectral analysis., Result: Ten compounds were isolated and identified as periforgenin A-3-O-beta-digitoxopyranoside (1), beta-sitosterol (2), periforoside I (3), ursolic acid (4), periplogenin (5), periplocin (6), glycoside E (7), periplocoside M (8) , daucosterol (9), 2alpha, 3alpha, 23-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (10)., Conclusion: Compound 1 was a new cardiac glycoside and compound 8 was reported for the first time from this plant.

Objective: To extract and identify the chemical constituents of essential oil from Lonicera fulvotomentosa in different collected periods (bud, Silver-flower and Golden-flower periods)., Method: Extracts in three different collected periods were subjected to GC-MS analysis for determination of their chemical constituents., Result: The 29, 34 and 28 kinds of chemical constituents corresponding to the above three periods were found, and 44 kinds of compounds were identified. The relative content of every chemical constituents in each essential oil was obtained by area normalization method., Conclusion: The O-tolyl isocyanide was detected from essential oil of Lonicera for the first time. The result indicated that the highest relative content in essential oil in the three periods is alcohol substance and the second is ester and aldehyde. Many common constituents in the essential oil from L. fulvotomentosa, including linalool, hyacinthin, O-tolyl isocyanide, geraniol, methyl anthranilate, and so on, all could be detected in the three periods. However, the differences of their relative content are obvious.

Objective: To characterize the structure of polysaccharide LTC-II obtained from Pyrola corbieri., Method: The polysaccharide was extracted from P. corbieri by hot water and ethanol precipitation. Crude polysaccharide was purified by DEAE-Cellulose chromatography and Sephacryl S-300 HR column chromatography. The purity and molecular weight of polysaccharide was determined by gel permeation chromatography. UV, IR, optical rotation, complete acid hydrolysis, periodate oxydation, Smith degradation, partial acid hydrolysis and methylation analysis were applied to determine the structural features., Result: A homogeneous fraction LTC-II was obtained and its relative molecular mass was 22 000 Da. It consisted of arabinose, mannose, glucose, galactose in the molar ratio of 35. 2: 1.0: 13. 4: 4. 2. LTC-II had a backbone consisting glucose, mannose, galactose and mainly contained (1 --> 6)-linkaged glucose. The side chain possessed arabinose, glucose, galactose and mainly contained (1 --> 5)-linkaged arabinose. The terminal sugar were mainly glucose and galactose., Conclusion: Studies on the preliminary characterization of polysaccharide LTC-II from P. corbieri for the first time.

The fingerprint chromatograms were established for the quality evaluation of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. by high performance liquid chromatography. The analysis was performed on a Zorbax SB-C18 column (5 microm, 4.6 mm i.d. x 250 mm) with acetonitrile-water (containing 0.4% (v/v) acetic acid ) (the volume fraction of acetonitrile from 0 to 40% within 70 min) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and at a column temperature of 25 degrees C. The detection wavelength was 254 nm. The relative standard deviations of relative retention values and relative peak areas were less than 3%. The mutual fingerprint of the extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. collected from Danshen Base in Tongren City of Guizhou Province was established by using the similarity calculation software of Chinese herbal fingerprint. The method is reliable and can be helpful in effectively controlling the quality of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge.