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Triptolide, a compound isolated from a Chinese medicinal herb, has potent antitumor, immunosuppressive, and anti-inflammatory properties. Due to its interesting structural features and diverse pharmacological activities, it has attracted great interest by the Society of Organic Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry. However, its clinical potential is greatly hampered by limited aqueous solubility and oral bioavailability, and multi-organ toxicity. In recent years, various derivatives of Triptolide have made varying degrees of progress in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. The most researched and potentially clinically valuable of them were (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide (LLDT-8), PG490-88Na (F6008), and Minnelide. In this review, we provide an overview of the advancements made in triptolide and several of its derivatives' biological activity, mechanisms of action, and clinical development. We also summarized some prospects for the future development of triptolide and its derivatives. It is hoped to contribute to a better understanding of the progress in this field, make constructive suggestions for further studies of Triptolide, and provide a theoretical reference for the rational development of new drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of Permian-Triassic brachiopod diversity and body size changes from different water depths spanning the continental shelf to basinal facies in South China provides insights into the process of environmental deterioration. Comparison of the temporal changes of brachiopod diversity between deepwater and shallow-water facies demonstrates that deepwater brachiopods disappeared earlier than shallow-water brachiopods. This indicates that high environmental stress commenced first in deepwater settings and later extended to shallow waters. This environmental stress is attributed to major volcanic eruptions, which first led to formation of a stratified ocean and a chemocline in the outer shelf and deeper water environments, causing the disappearance of deep marine benthos including brachiopods. The chemocline then rapidly migrated upward and extended to shallow waters, causing widespread mass extinction of shallow marine benthos. We predict that the spatial and temporal patterns of earlier onset of disappearance/extinction and ecological crisis in deeper water ecosystems will be recorded during other episodes of rapid global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation system for Eucalyptus urophylla using hypocotyl explants. Antibiotic concentrations, pre-culture times, pH of the inoculation medium and co-culture times were optimised. Pre-cultured hypocotyl explants were co-cultured with A. tumefaciens strain EHA105 harbouring the binary vector pPBR-2 containing the Rs-AFP2 gene, which encodes an antifungal protein, under the control of the prpl-l promoter, for six days and were then transferred to selective callogenesis-inducing medium containing kanamycin and cefotaxime. Calluses developed shoots and were cultured in an elongation medium and inally multiplied. The integration of T-DNA into the genome of transgenic E. urophylla was conirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The reverse transcription (RT)-PCR results showed that Rs-AFP2 gene expression could be detected only after the transformed plants were inoculated with Phytophthora capsici 60 hours after inoculation. These results indicated that the prpl-l promoter was inducible and Rs-AFP2 could enhance the resistance of E. urophylla to P. capsici. This protocol enabled effective transformation and regeneration of E. urophylla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si films with an embedded Ta marker layer are irradiated by 0.9 MeV Al atoms and 2.7 MeV Al3 clusters at 200 °C and at dose of 1×1016 Al atoms/cm2, respectively. Rutherford backscattering is used to measure the diffusion profiles of Ta marker with and without irradiation. Comparing the profile spreading of Ta marker induced by ion beam mixing of Al atoms and Al3 cluster, the ratio of the nuclear energy loss of Al3 cluster to Al atoms as a function of penetration depth of Si surface layer is calculated. The enhancement of nuclear energy loss of Al3 cluster is clearly indicated in the near surface layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

PANI/COF/BiOBr catalysts were synthesized by hydrothermal method basing on Schiff base reaction. The composites were characterized by XRD, SEM, etc., and at the same time, the photocatalytic property and degradation mechanism of PANI/COF/BiOBr catalysts were studied by degrading organic simulated dyes. The experimental results showed that the main structure of PANI/COF/BiOBr composite was flower ball structure with BiOBr main crystal type of tetragonal phase, and the degradation rates of PANI/COF/BiOBr were 1.44, 1.55 and 1.47 times of pure BiOBr for Rhodamine B, methylene blue and tetracycline hydrochloride, respectively. The free radical quenching experiment showed that h+ and e- were the most active species in the photocatalytic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary ion emissions from carbon nanotubes under bombardments of MeV Si and Si2 clusters are measured by using a time of flight (TOF spectrometer). The measurements show that the emission yields of the secondary ions increase with increasing energy of Si and the secondary ion emissions are attributed to the electronic stopping processes. The emission yields of the secondary ions decrease with increasing energy of Si2 clusters and the vicinage effect of cluster constituents plays more significant role in the enhanced secondary ion emissions at the low energies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: To explore the role of computed tomography (CT) severity index (CTSI) and modified CT severity index (MCTSI) in assessing the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP) under the revised Atlanta classification (RAC) and predicting the clinical prognosis. Methods: Based on the prospectively entered AP database, the clinical data of consecutive adult AP inpatients admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2012 to December 2020 were retrospectively screened. The imaging data were independently evaluated by two radiologists and entered to the database to calculate the CTSI and MCTSI scores. Their relationship with the difference of RAC severity grade and clinical prognosis was analyzed. Compared with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Assessment Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score, the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of CTSI and MCTSI scores for persistent organ failure and infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN). Results: A total of 2 612 patients with AP, aged (50±15) years, were included in the study, including 1 547 males (59.2%) and 1 065 females (40.8%). According to RAC standard, AP was divided into 699 cases (26.8%) of mild pancreatitis (MAP), 1 098 cases (42.0%) of moderately severe pancreatitis (MSAP), and 815 cases (31.2%) of severe pancreatitis (SAP). MCTSI judged AP severity similarly to RAC, with 668 cases of MAP (25.6%), 1 207 cases of MSAP (46.2%) and 737 cases of SAP (28.2%), while CTSI judged SAP patients less(400 cases, 15.3%). The severity of AP determined by CTSI and MCTSI scores was significantly correlated with clinical prognosis ( r =0.06-0.43, all P <0.05). Compared with APACHE Ⅱ score, CTSI had the highest area under the curve (AUC) for predicting IPN (AUC=0.85, 95% CI : 0.83-0.87), followed by MCTSI (AUC=0.82, 95% CI : 0.80-0.85). APACHE Ⅱ was more accurate in predicting persistent organ failure than CTSI and MCTSI scores,with AUC of 0.73 (95% CI : 0.71-0.75) , 0.72 (95% CI : 0.70-0.74) and 0.72 (95% CI : 0.70-0.74), respectively. Conclusions: AP severity judged by MCTSI is consistent with RAC, and SAP patients judged by CTSI are less than RAC. CTSI and MCTSI are significantly correlated with clinical prognosis. CTSI and MCTSI have higher accuracy in predicting IPN, but lower accuracy in predicting persistent organ failure than APACHE Ⅱ.

Objective: To investigate the difference in severity and clinical outcomes between hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP) and acute pancreatitis (AP) of other causes, and to analyze the correlation between the serum triglyceride (TG) level <24 h after onset and the disease severity., Methods: Patients were selected from the AP database of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, who were admitted between January 2005 and December 2013, aged ≥18 and ≤85 years, excluding pregnant or lactating women. Severity and etiology of AP were classified according to the latest relevant guidelines. The severity and clinical outcomes of HTGP patients (HTGP group) were compared with those of patients with AP of other causes (non-HTGP group). Among the HTGP patients, those admitted within 24 hours of onset were selected for comparison of serum TG levels on the first day of hospitalization day among patients with mild, moderate, and severe HTGP, and the correlation between the serum TG level and the severity was analyzed., Results: Altogether 3 558 AP patients were selected, of which 623 (17.5%) were HTGP, and 2 935 (82.5%)were non-HTGP patients. Compared with the non-HTGP group, the HTGP group had higher incidence of pancreatic necrosis (28.3% vs 18.1%), infected pancreatic necrosis (6.1% vs 3.7%), organ failure(35.8% vs 29.1%), and persistent organ failure(24.4% vs 16.5%), with all the differences being statistically significant (all P<0.01). The mortality and average stay in intensive care unit were also higher in the HTGP group than in the non-HTGP group (all P<0.05). There were 291 patients with HTGP who were admitted to hospital within 24 hours of onset. The serum TG levels <24 h after onset were (9.38±9.00) mmol/L, (11.90±9.02) mmol/L, and (16.47±11.75) mmol/L in patients with mild, moderate, and severe HTGP, respectively (P<0.01). Spearman's correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between TG level <24 h after onset and disease severity (r=0.26, P<0.01)., Conclusions: Compared with AP of other causes, HTGP patients have more severe clinical course and worse clinical outcomes. The serum TG level within 24 hours of onset may be positively correlated with the severity of HTGP.

We investigated the effects of protein and mRNA expression levels on p53 induced by fluoride in human embryo hepatocyte L-02 cells. The protein and mRNA levels of p53 in L-02 cells were measured after in vitro cultured L-02 was exposed to sodium fluoride at different doses (40, 80, and 160 microg/ml) for 24 h. The results showed that the cell survival rate of L-02 cells in the high dose fluoride group was significantly lower than that of the control group. The protein expression levels of p53 in the middle and high dose fluoride group were significantly higher than in the control group and elevated with increasing fluoride concentration. The mRNA expression levels of p53 in the fluoride groups were markedly higher than in the control group. The mRNA expression level of p53 in the high dose fluoride group was however lower compared to the middle dose fluoride group, but similar to the low dose fluoride group. These finding suggest that fluoride can decrease the L-02 cells survival rate and induce protein and mRNA expressions of p53; however, there is no consistency between the protein expression level of p53 and the mRNA expression level.