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Asarum heterotropoides extracts showed strong antibacterial activity against selected phytopathogenic bacteria. Bioguided isolation was conducted to obtain 11 phenanthrene derivatives (1-11), 4 phenylpropanoids (12-15), a flavonoid (16), and a steroid (17), including a new phenanthrene derivative (1). In vitro bioassay results showed that phenanthrene derivatives are the main active components of A. heterotropoides extracts. The new compound aristoloxazine C (1) was found to exhibit outstanding antibacterial activity against Ralstonia solanacearum, Xanthomonas oryzae, Erwinia carolovora, Pseudomonas syringae, and Xanthomonas axonopodis, with MIC values of 0.05, 2.5, 2.5, 5, and 6.25 μg/mL, respectively. These values were significantly higher than that of the positive control, streptomycin sulfate. Aristoloxazine C (1) also demonstrated an excellent control effect on tobacco bacterial wilt. Physiological and biochemical experiments combined with electron microscopy showed that the antibacterial activity of aristoloxazine C (1) was primarily related to the destruction of the bacterial cell wall structure. Thus, aristoloxazine C (1) may have the potential to be used as a template for the development of new bactericides or as a probe for the discovery of new antimicrobial targets.

Background Plant viral diseases are difficult to control and have caused serious damage to the agricultural industry. Recently, botanical biopesticides characterized by environment friendly, safe to non-target organism and not as susceptible to produce drug resistance, have exhibited great potential to be developed as antiviral agents. To screen the natural products with antiviral effect, three alkaloids possessed anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) activity were isolated from Chelidonium majus and the modes of action were investigated. Result The anti-TMV effect of crude extracts at 10 mg mL-1 was 51.73%. Bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation of the compounds with anti-TMV activity were performed on the methanol extract of C. majus yielding three bioactive alkaloids namely: chelerythrine (1), chelidonine (2), and sanguinarine (3). The results of bioassay showed that chelerythrine exhibited great inactivation, proliferation inhibition and protection effects against TMV at 0.5 mg mL-1 with the efficiency of 72.67%, 77.52% and 59.34%, respectively. Chelidonine at 0.1 mg mL-1 can provide 54.90% and 64.45% inhibitions on TMV through inducing resistance in two kinds of tobacco. Sanguinarine showed a weaker protection for resisting TMV in comparison to chelerythrine and chelidonine. Conclusion Chelerythrine and chelidonine displayed significant inhibitions on TMV with different modes of action. These results provided important evidence that the extracts in C. majus might be a potential source of new drugs in controlling virus disease agriculturally.

Multiple dopants contained carbon dots (CDs) with enhanced selectivity have aroused extensive attentions. In this work, three heteroatoms (nitrogen, sulfur, boron) and flavonoid moiety derived from the extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaves co-incorporated CDs were synthesized based on the hydrothermal strategy for novel carbon materials investigation and sensing applications. Nitrogen and flavonoid moiety co-doped CD (N-CD-Fla), nitrogen, sulfur, and flavonoid moiety co-doped CD (NS-CD-Fla), nitrogen, sulfur, boron and flavonoid moiety co-doped CD (NSB-CD-Fla) were prepared, respectively. Three CDs had diversities in nanoparticle sizes, chemical structures, and luminescence properties. NS-CD-Fla exhibited blue luminescence and had higher quantum yield (QY) than N-CD-Fla (yellow-green) and NSB-CD-Fla (blue-green), which can be attributed to its higher N content and N, S synergistic enhancement effect. The luminescence of the three CDs was speculated to be related with the electron transition of C N bonds derived from grafting amines groups onto the flavonoid-related moieties. N-CD-Fla, NS-CD-Fla, and NSB-CD-Fla were further proved to be sensitive to fenitrothion (Fen), dithianon (Dit), dinoseb (Din) and their structural analogues, they were employed as superior chemosensors for the three pesticides sensitive and selective detection. The application potentials of the novel chemosensors based analytical methods were further evaluated by real sample analysis.

Myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) associated vasculitis is an autoimmune disease usually with severe multiple dysfunction syndrome, especially prominent acute renal failure. A 65-year-old woman was admitted with progressive dyspnoea for six months and fever, sputum with blood, pain of the lower extremities and intermittent claudication for two days, indicating multiple organ involvement (respiratory system, blood vessels). The renal involvement was relatively mild, presenting with microscopic haematuria. The chest computed tomography demonstrated multiple pulmonary embolisms. Ultrasound and computed tomography angiography for the lower extremity vessels showed venous and arterial thrombosis. Exclusion of other diseases that can cause multiple organ damage and thrombosis, the positive perinuclear ANCA and MPO-ANCA strongly support the diagnosis of MPO-ANAC-associated vasculitis. The patient's physical condition has been greatly improved by treatment with corticosteroids and anticoagulation.

Nanotechnology has recently attracted growing interest in the encapsulation of botanical insecticides for sustainable pest control. Biocompatible, biodegradable, and stimuli-responsive devices, however, were scarcely reported in the field of intelligent formulations of botanical insecticides. In the present study, a temperature-responsive mixed micelle (MMs–Pys–7) was developed for controlled release of pyrethrins by cooperative assembly of poly[2-(2-Methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate-co-Octadecyl methacrylate] (P(MEO2MA94–co–ODA6)), monomethoxy (polyethylene glycol)13-poly( D , L -Lactide-co-glycolide) (mPEG13–b–PLGA5–3) and monomethoxy (polyethylene glycol)45-poly( D , L -Lactide) (mPEG45–b–PLA28) in water. This nanodevice could protect the encapsulated pyrethrins from ultraviolet degradation at 26 °C effectively. It also underwent a phase transition process in water from solution state to turbid state with temperature rising from 13 to 26 °C. By inducing this structural change, MMs–Pys–7 could regulate the pyrethrin release amounts to adapt to the larval mosquito population variations along with the ambient temperature changes. Therefore, MMs–Pys–7 exhibited a higher larvicidal activity against Culex pipiens pallens at 26 °C than that at 14 °C or 18 °C. Compared with a commercial pyrethrin formulation (EW–Pys), MMs–Pys–7 was more toxic to C. p. pallens larvae at 26 °C after 24-h exposure but less toxic at 14 °C. Moreover, MMs–Pys–7 also exhibited a longer-lasting larvicidal activity under natural conditions as compared to EW–Pys. These results suggest that MMs–Pys–7 has great potential to be developed as an intelligent nano-insecticide for mosquito control and that the controlled release mode established in this study can be applied to develop more smart formulations of botanical insecticides of application potential.

A novel solid-phase micro extraction (SPME) system was constructed by immobilizing a three-dimensional hydroxyl-functionalized covalent organic framework (COF) into the wall pores of hollow fiber (HF). The extractant was sensitive to hydrogen bond acceptors contained analytes. Combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a SPME-HPLC method was established for acetamiprid (Ace), dimethipin (Dim), and amitrole (Ami) simultaneous determination from rice and apple samples. Critical extraction parameters were optimized. The analytical method was proved to have good linearity with the linear coefficients above 0.99, satisfactory precision with the RSD less than 4.9%, desirable recovery ranged from 79.3% to 106.8%, and low limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.86 to 1.38 ng/g for Ace, Dim, and Ami. The explored analytical method has potentials for hydrogen bond acceptors contained pesticides sensitive and selective determination from food samples.

Background Spastic limb paralysis due to injury to a cerebral hemisphere can cause long-term disability. We investigated the effect of grafting the contralateral C7 nerve from the nonparalyzed side to the paralyzed side in patients with spastic arm paralysis due to chronic cerebral injury. Methods We randomly assigned 36 patients who had had unilateral arm paralysis for more than 5 years to undergo C7 nerve transfer plus rehabilitation (18 patients) or to undergo rehabilitation alone (18 patients). The primary outcome was the change from baseline to month 12 in the total score on the Fugl–Meyer upper-extremity scale (scores range from 0 to 66, with higher scores indicating better function). Results The mean increase in Fugl–Meyer score in the paralyzed arm was 17.7 in the surgery group and 2.6 in the control group (difference, 15.1; 95% confidence interval, 12.2 to 17.9; P

BACKGROUND Cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) is one of the most invasive pests to cotton. Many botanical phytochemicals have a long history as a source of insecticides, and templates for new insecticides. This study was undertaken to isolate aphicidal compounds from the seeds of Erythrina crista-galli L. following the bioassay-guided isolation method. RESULTS Three novel and eleven known Erythrina alkaloids were isolated. Compounds erysodine (9), erysovine (10), erysotrine (8) and erythraline (11) showed moderate to excellent aphicidal activity with LD50 of 7.48, 6.68, 5.13 and 4.67 ng/aphid, respectively. The Potter spray tower bioassay showed their LC50 with 186.81, 165.35, 163.74 and 112.78 μg/mL, respectively. The unique substructure, which presents an sp3 methylene at C-8, a non-oxygenated site at N-9 and a conjugate dienes group (Δ1,2 and Δ6,7), plays a crucial role in the aphicidal activity. Erythraline (11) led to different degree of increase in SOD, CAT and GST activities. CONCLUSION The present study demonstrated that Erythrina alkaloids erysodine (9), erysovine (10), erysotrine (8) and erythraline (11) possess the potential to be used as botanical aphicides for commercial application or as new templates for the development of new insecticides.

Background Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) induced by elicitors is a highly satisfying form of resistance that protects plants against invading pathogens. Exploration and development of new elicitors is a promising alternative to conventional biocides in resistant pest management. In our previous broad screening, the fruit peel extract of Citrus reticulata Blanco exhibited the ability to induce SAR in tobacco. Result A new potent elicitor reticine A was isolated from the fruit peel extract of industrial crop C. reticulate and its structure was well elucidated. In vivo assays showed that reticine A had considerable control efficacies at 100 μg/mL and 500 μg/mL, being superior to commercial elicitor benzothiadiazole (BTH) (100 μg/mL). Reticine A had no significant impacts on the virulence of TMV particles under in vitro condition. Application of reticine A induced the local hypersensitive reaction (HR), the systemic accumulation of H2 O2 and salicylic acid (SA), the systemic increase of defensive enzyme activities and the systemic up-regulated expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins, suggesting its induction of SAR in tobacco. The expression of NPR1 and SA biosynthesis genes ICS and PAL was systemically up-regulated. Conclusion The SAR induced by reticine A against TMV in tobacco was demonstrated and the mechanism might be attributed to activating the expression of several defensive genes mediated by SA signal. This study highlights the potential of reticine A that is recommended to be applied directly or as an active ingredient in the crude extract formulation ahead of time in the field, as well as being a potential lead compound for further optimization. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

To compare the application of multi-mode and single-mode intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in the treatment of severe ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament of cervical spine with anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion.From April 2015 to June 2018, 32 patients with severe ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament were treated in the Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. There were 21 males and 11 females, aged 45 to 73 years old, with a mean age of 59 years old. The duration of the disease ranged from 6 to 72 months, with a mean of 39 months. The main manifestations were numbness, numbness and weakness of limbs, cotton feeling of foot stepping on lower limbs, instability of standing and walking. With the gradual aggravation of symptoms, quadriplegia, dysfunction of urine and defecation may occur. Patients with ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament of cervical spine were monitored by somatosensory evoked potentials, motor evoked potentials and electromyogram patterns.During the operation, 8 patients had abnormal amplitude of somatosensory evoked potential(SEP); 5 of them had bleeding during anterior cervical decompression procedure and were placed with too much hemostatic cotton, which caused compression of spinal cord and resulted in abnormal SEP waveform. After removal of the hemostatic cotton, SEP waveform returned ot normal; 3 patients had abnormal SEP waveform due to decreased systolic pressure, which was corrected by increased systolic pressure. Twelve patients had abnormal amplitude of motor evoked potential during monitoring, 9 of which were caused by intraoperative mis-contact with nerve root, and turned to normal after timely adjustment of position, 3 of which were caused by intraoperative inhalation of muscle relaxant during surgery. Among 11 patients with abnormal EMG waveform, 9 patients recovered to normal waveform after adjusting operation, 2 patients recovered to normal waveform after short observation, and all patients recovered to normal waveform of motor evoked potential after operation(In anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion operation for the treatment of severe cervical ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament, various modes of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring can real-time understand spinal cord and nerve function status, significantly reduce the incidence of spinal cord and nerve injury during operation, and effectively improve the safety of operation.

We proposed contralateral cervical seventh nerve transfer for spastic arm paralysis after central neurological injury in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 2018. In this surgery, we applied a new surgical route for nerve transfer, the Huashan prespinal route. The objective of this study was to elaborate our new surgical technique, clarify its relationship to the vertebral artery, and provide anatomical data on this novel method. The effectiveness and safety of the Huashan prespinal route in contralateral C7 nerve transfer were evaluated anatomically. Nine cadavers (4 males, 5 females) were available for this study. Among these, anatomical parameters of the vertebral artery were obtained from 6 cadavers, and the anastomosis of the bilateral cervical seventh nerve was observed on 3 cadavers undergoing contralateral C7 nerve transfer via the Huashan prespinal route. Tension-free anastomosis of the bilateral cervical seventh nerve was achieved through the Huashan prespinal route. The tilt angle of the vertebral artery to the sagittal plane (with thyroid cartilage as the origin) was 25.5 ± 4.5°, at 22.5 ± 1.6° and 28.7 ± 4.3° on the left and right side, respectively. The safe drilling angle to penetrate through the longus colli muscles for the creation of a longus colli muscle tunnel to avoid injury to the vertebral artery in our surgical technique was above 33.2°. The cadaveric study confirms that the presented technique allowed simple, effective, and safe contralateral C7 nerve transfer. This technique can be used in the treatment of hemiplegia and brachial plexus injury. There is a safe scope of drilling angle for creating the longus colli muscle tunnel required for this surgical route. The anatomical parameters obtained in this study will be helpful for the performance of this operation.

Two new chalconoid analogues, emblirol A (1) and B (2), along with three known ones (3–5), were isolated from the root of the Phyllanthus emblica L. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data. Compound 1 and 2 showed moderate anti-TMV activity with inhibition rates 79.6 and 62.1% at a concentration of 1 mg/mL, respectively.

Background Obesity worsens asthma control partly through enhanced airway neutrophilia, altered lung mechanics and comorbidities, including obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease and depression. Although controversial, obesity may also cause poorer outcomes in acute asthma. IL-17 is associated with neutrophilic inflammation, steroid resistance and severe asthma, but its importance in the association between asthma and obesity is unknown. Objective To investigate the role of IL-17 in obese asthma in both acute and stable settings. Methods Both stable (n = 177) and acute (n = 78) asthmatics were recruited and categorized into lean (n = 77 and 39 respectively), overweight (n = 41 and 17 respectively) and obese (n = 59 and 22 respectively) groups and compared for clinical characteristics, including sputum and plasma IL-17 protein concentrations, sputum cellularity, spirometry and comorbidities. Correlations of IL-17 expression with other measures were explored. Results In stable subjects, airway neutrophilia and IL-17 concentrations were most prominent in the obese, and correlated positively with each other. Significant increase in plasma IL-17 levels was also noted and associated with elevated depressive symptoms in obesity. In acute asthma, IL-17 expression, like most other clinical measures, was similar among lean, overweight and obese groups, but was higher in acute versus stable asthma subjects, with sputum IL-17 correlating positively with sputum neutrophils and negatively with FEV 1 and plasma IL-17 showing a positive connection to airway eosinophilia during exacerbation. Conclusions IL-17 contributes to worse disease control in obese asthma through enhancing airway neutrophilia and depression, and may implicate in asthma exacerbations. Effects of adiposity on acute asthma remain uncertain.

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. is the traditional medicinal plants in China. Triptolide, wilforgine, and wilforine are the bioactive compounds in T. wilfordii. In this study, the contents of three metabolites and transcription levels of 21 genes involved in three metabolites biosynthesis in T. wilfordii were examined using high-performance liquid chromatography and reverse transcription PCR after application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on hairy roots in time course experiment (3-24 h). The results indicated that application of MeJA inhibited triptolide accumulation and promoted wilforgine and wilforine metabolites biosynthesis. In hairy roots, wilforgine content reached 693.36 μg/g at 6 h after adding MeJA, which was 2.23-fold higher than control. The accumulation of triptolide and wilforine in hairy roots increased the maximum at 9 h, which was 1.3- and 1.6-folds more than the control. Most of the triptolide secretes into the medium, but wilforgine and wilforine cannot secrete into the medium. The expression levels of unigenes which involved terpenoid backbone biosynthesis exist the correlation with marker metabolites (triptolide, wilforgine and wilforine) after induction by MeJA, and can be then used to infer flux bottlenecks in T. wilfordii secondary metabolites accumulation. These results showed that these genes may have potential applications in the metabolic engineering of T. wilfordii metabolites production.

Validation of suitable reference genes is critical in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. Suitable and reliable reference genes for the normalization of gene expression data are characterized by high gene expression stability across tissues and different experimental conditions. This study evaluated the gene expression stability of ten reference genes commonly used in Arabidopsis thaliana for their suitability in qRT-PCR analysis in Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f. The orthologous sequences of these ten candidate genes were identified from T. wilfordii transcriptomic data (Project No. SRX472292). Five algorithms including GeNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, ΔCt, and RefFinder were used to assess the gene expression stability of these putative reference genes in different plant tissues and different stress conditions. The results identified ACTINT7 and TBP as the most suitable reference genes across all samples. The gene expressions of TwHMGR (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, KU246037.1) and of TwDXR (1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase, KJ174341.1) were investigated to validate the suitability of the reference genes. The validation analysis confirmed the suitability of ACTINT7 and TBP as the best reference genes for elucidating secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathway in T. wilfordii. In summary, this study identified the most suitable and reliable reference genes for future qRT-PCR- based studies in T. wilfordii.

Chemical functionalization is essential for tuning the physical-chemical characters and broadening the potential applications of covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Based on the multistep postsynthetic modification strategy, Eu (III)-functionalized 3D COF (Eu-3D-COF) was prepared by grafting of Eu (III) onto the carboxyl-funtionalized 3D-COF (COOH-3D-COF). With micropores dominated microspheres structure, Eu-3D-COF exhibited superior adsorption affinity to multi-rings contained quinones based on the π-π interaction, coordination and hydrogen-bonding interactions, especially to 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (PQ) whose adjacent carbonyl oxygens resulting preferable synergistic chelation interaction with Eu(III) was responsible for the maximum adsorption capacity, which was confirmed by instrumental characterizations. The adsorptivity of Eu-3D-COF was apparently improved in comparison with COOH-3D-COF. More importantly, grafting of Eu(III) turned on the fluorescence of the COF, making Eu-3D-COF also a superior chemosensor for sensing application. Its fluorescent can be selectively quenched by quinones, especially by PQ based on the PQ-Eu and PQ-COF interactions co-dominated energy transfer. Therefore, both as an adsorbent and a chemosensor, the multi-functional COF was explored for quinones adsorption and sensing detection investigation in detail. Eu-3D-COF has promising application potentials for hazardous quinones adsorption and sensing detection, which also opens new perspectives for inorganic-organic 3D-COF construction and multi-functional applications.

A dual-ligands of terephthalic acid (TPA) and methylimidazole (MIM) co-coordinated Eu(III) complex was designed and constructed based on a simple, low-cost, feasible and effective one-pot hydrothermal strategy. The luminescent inorganic-organic complex integrated the advantages of functional ligands and photoelectric unit of Eu(III), exhibited superior physical-chemical properties. Noteworthily, its fluorescence emission can be selectively and sensitively tuned by acetaldehyde. The reason might be associated with the inner filter effect (IFE) and the influence on complex coordination structure. The complex was further explored as a superior chemosensor for acetaldehyde quantitative detection, and the established sensing detection method exhibited desirable linearity, precision, accuracy, sensitivity, selectivity, and comparable detection limit, which was further employed for acetaldehyde detection from 9 batches of alcoholic beverages and obtained satisfactory results. The novel Eu-complex based analytical method has great application potentials for acetaldehyde sensitive detection from real samples.

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical constituents of marine bryozoan Cryptosula pallasiana inhabiting Huang Island of China. Three aromatic compounds, p-methylsulfonylmethyl-phenol (1), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4) and methylparaben (5), nine alkaloids, 7-bromoquinolin-4(1H)-one (2), 7-bromo-2,4(1H,3H)-quinazolinedione (3), benzamide (6), phenylacetamide (7), 4(3H)-quinazolinone (8), thymine (9), uracil (10), hypoxanthine (11) and tryptophan (12), together with two glycerol derivatives, glycerol (13) and monoheneicosanoin (14), were isolated for the first time from this marine bryozoan. Among the isolates, compounds 1 and 2 were new natural products, and their spectral traits were reported for the first time. The structures of the two compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including HR-ESI-MS, EI-MS, 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques. The isolated compounds 1–3 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against HL-60 human myeloid leukemia cell line. The results showed that bromated alkaloid (3) appeared strong cytotoxicity against HL-60 cells with IC 50 value of 11.87 µg/mL, while compounds 1 and 2 were inactivity.

OBJECTIVESpinal accessory nerve (SAN) injury results in a series of shoulder dysfunctions and continuous pain. However, current treatments are limited by the lack of donor nerves as well as by undesirable nerve regeneration. Here, the authors report a modified nerve transfer technique in which they employ a nerve fascicle from the posterior division (PD) of the ipsilateral C-7 nerve to repair SAN injury. The technique, first performed in cadavers, was then undertaken in 2 patients.METHODSSix fresh cadavers (12 sides of the SAN and ipsilateral C-7) were studied to observe the anatomical relationship between the SAN and C-7 nerve. The length from artificial bifurcation of the middle trunk to the point of the posterior cord formation in the PD (namely, donor nerve fascicle) and the linear distance from the cut end of the donor fascicle to both sites of the jugular foramen and medial border of the trapezius muscle (d-SCM and d-Traps, respectively) were measured. Meanwhile, an optimal route for nerve fascicle transfer (NFT) was designed. The authors then performed successful NFT operations in 2 patients, one with an injury at the proximal SAN and another with an injury at the distal SAN.RESULTSThe mean lengths of the cadaver donor nerve fascicle, d-SCM, and d-Traps were 4.2, 5.2, and 2.5 cm, respectively. In one patient who underwent proximal SAN excision necessitated by a partial thyroidectomy, early signs of reinnervation were seen on electrophysiological testing at 6 months after surgery, and an impaired left trapezius muscle, which was completely atrophic preoperatively, had visible signs of improvement (from grade M0 to grade M3 strength). In the other patient in whom a distal SAN injury was the result of a neck cyst resection, reinnervation and complex repetitive discharges were seen 1 year after surgery. Additionally, the patient’s denervated trapezius muscle was completely resolved (from grade M2 to grade M4 strength), and her shoulder pain had disappeared by the time of final assessment.CONCLUSIONSNFT using a partial C-7 nerve is a feasible and efficacious method to repair an injured SAN, which provides an alternative option for treatment of SAN injury.

In consideration of turpentine and its analogues possessing some agricultural biological activity, persistent efforts to take advantage of renewable, abundant natural resources have been made. Three series of derivatives from β-pinene were synthesized and their fungicidal activities against Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium graminearum, and Botrytis cinerea were investigated. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited moderate to significant fungicidal activity. Among them, the acylthiourea derivatives from β-pinene showed more promising results than the other compounds. It was worth noting that compounds 7b and 7d displayed excellent fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani, with IC50 values of 2.439 and 1.857 μg mL−1, which was close to or even better than the control triadimenol (1.945 μg mL−1, a commercial fungicide). The structure–activity relationship (SAR) analysis indicated that the compounds with more net positive charge possessed better fungicidal activity. The quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model (R2 = 0.9879, F = 348.41, S2 = 0.0047) was obtained through the best multi-linear regression. The built model revealed a strong correlation of fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani with the molecular features of the title compounds. Additionally, the SAR and QSAR studies showed that the introduction of an electron-withdrawing group, which can increase the positive charge, was favorable towards the fungicidal activity. These encouraging results may provide an alternative, promising use of β-pinene through the design and exploration of eco-friendly fungicides with low toxicity and high efficiency.

Background: Oxidative stress has been considered as an important pathophysiologic factor involved in development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate total serum oxidant/antioxidant levels in patients with active RA and analyze its significance in disease activity. Methods: A total of 112 patients with active RA and 52 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were measured, and baseline characteristics were recorded. The DAS-28 scores were calculated as indictor of disease. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to evaluate significance of TOS, TAS and OSI for indictor of disease of RA. Results: Both mean TOS (7.54±3.21 VS 5.73±2.81, P5.1) had significantly higher mean TOS (8.32±3.81 VS 5.88±3.12, P

Phytochemical investigation on the whole plant of Clematis lasiandra Maxim led to the isolation of two new phenolic glycosides ( 1 and 2 ), one new lignanoid glycoside ( 3 ), together with three known lignanoid glycosides ( 4 – 6 ). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated as 4- O -β- d -galactopyranosyl-ethyl- E -caffeate ( 1 ), 4- O -β- d -galactopyranosyl-3-hydroxyl-phenylethene ( 2 ) and (8 R )-3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′,9,9′-tetrahydroxy-5′,8-lignan 3′- O -β- d -glucopyranoside ( 3 ), on the basis of extensive spectral analysis and chemical evidence. The characteristic of the polymerized C-5′–C-8 type lignanoid aglycone in glycoside 3 was found from genus Clematis for the first time. Compounds 1 – 6 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against human tumor cell lines HL-60, Hep-G2 and SGC-7901, the new glycosides 1 and 2 showed significant cytotoxicity against those three tumor cell lines with IC 50 in the range from 9.73 to 22.31 μM, while lignanoid glycosides 3 – 6 showed weak cytotoxicity to those test cell lines with IC 50 value more than 52.71 μM.

Two new sterols, (22 E )-cholest-4,22-diene-3 β ,6 β -diol ( 1 ) and (23 S ,24 R )-dimethylcholest-7-ene-3 β , 5 α ,6 β -triol (3), a sterol reported for the first time from natural sources, (22 E ,24 S )-24-methylcholest-4,22-diene-3 β ,6 β -diol ( 2 ), together with a known steroid glycoside ( 4 ) and six known sterols ( 5–10 ), were isolated from the marine bryozoan Bugula neritina inhabiting South China Sea. The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of extensive spectral analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR, EI-MS, HR-EI/ESI-MS data. Compounds 1–10 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against human tumor cell lines HepG2, NCI-H460 and SGC7901. Sterols 1 , 2 and 5 exhibited selective inhibitions against HepG2 cancer cell line with the IC 50 values of 36.6 μM, 52.1 μM and 47.8 μM, respectively, while showed inactivity to NCI-H460 and SGC7901 cell lines. The characteristic 3 β ,6 β -dihydroxy Δ 4 nucleus in sterols 1, 2 and 5 was found from marine bryozoans for the first time.

We studied the knockdown activity and lethal toxicity of 6 essential oil compounds—methyl salicylate, linalool, 2-phenethyl alcohol, eugenol, β-citronellol, and trans-cinnamaldehyde—as fumigants against adult female Culex pipiens pallens in the laboratory. Of the 6 products tested, trans-cinnamaldehyde was the most toxic (LC50 = 0.26 µl/l air, 24 h) with a slow knockdown time (KT95 = 176.5 min at 0.5 µl/l air). Methyl salicylate displayed a lower toxicity (LC50 = 1.17 µl/l air, 24 h) but the fastest knockdown activity (KT95 = 16.8 min) at the sublethal concentration 0.5 µl/l air. Furthermore, the binary mixture of methyl salicylate and trans-cinnamaldehyde exhibited a combined effect of fast knockdown activity and high toxicity against Cx. p. pallens adults, showing potential for development as natural fumigants for mosquito control.

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f. (Celastraceae) produces a vast array of natural products, mainly terpenes and sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids, which have strong biological activities. The limited gene information on the biosynthesis pathways restricts the metabolic engineering of this valuable natural resource. In this study, a suppression subtractive hybridization library of methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-elicited T. wilfordii Hook.f. adventitious root was successfully constructed. To clone the genes involved in the downstream of biosynthetic pathways, a long elicitation time of 12 days was applied. After evaluating the subtraction efficiency through polymerase chain reaction and reverse northern hybridization, 818 clones were randomly sequenced. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis showed that 568 of the 735 successfully expressed sequence tags were annotated. Overrepresentation of gene ontology analysis indicated that the suppression subtractive hybridization library enriched genes that are related to biotic and abiotic stimuli. After BLAST and phylogenetic analyses, 11 genes were found to be putatively involved in the biosynthesis of terpene and sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloid, and nine transcription factors were putatively involved in modulation. The expression modulations of these promising genes were further examined after short MeJA treatment. This study provides valuable information for further research on the production improvement of terpene and sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids through biotechnology methods.

To seek natural products for the development of environment friendly mosquito control agents, fumigant activity of eleven essential oil compounds and the joint action of the active compounds were evaluated against Culex pipiens pallens adults. Fumigant bioassay demonstrated that carvacrol exhibited the highest fumigant activity followed by thymol and l-perillaldehyde, with LC50 values of 0.26, 0.28, and 0.34 mg/L air, respectively. Among the binary mixtures of four compounds with preferable performance, only the binary mixture of carvacrol and thymol (1:1, w/w) displayed a synergistic effect with the co-toxicity coefficient (CTC) value of 174.1 and LC50 value of 0.16 mg/L air. Furthermore, the actual efficacy of the binary mixture at 300 mg/mat (KT50 = 7.9, 15.8, and 22.0 min after 0, 2, and 4 h of preliminary heating, respectively) was comparable with that of d-allethrin at 30 mg/mat (KT50 = 8.7, 17.9, and 21.2 min after 0, 2, and 4 h of preliminary heating, respectively) tested in vaporizing mats by the glass chamber method (70 × 70 × 70 cm). These results revealed that carvacrol, thymol, and their binary mixture have potential for the development of natural fumigants for adult mosquito control.

Exercise is one of the most common triggers of bronchoconstriction in patients with asthma. The low levels of circulating epinephrine produced by the adrenal medullary chromaffin cells (AMCCs) are associated with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in asthmatics. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that low-intensity aerobic exercise may ameliorate EIB using a rat model of asthma. Male Sprague-Dawley rats at 7 weeks of age, sensitized with ovalbumin or treated with saline, were subjected to low or moderate exercise training (50 or 75% of maximum velocity) for one hour in a treadmill 30 min after ovalbumin or saline inhalation. The exercise capacity, airway responsiveness, lung morphology, the morphological changes and endocrine function of AMCCs were measured in both groups of rats after exercise training for 6 weeks. Either low-intensity or moderate-intensity exercise mitigated EIB and increased exercise capacity in ovalbumin-sensitized (asthmatic) rats. Low-intensity aerobic exercise reduced the vacuolar degeneration degrees, lipid contents, neuronal peripherin and neurofilament-68 expression, demolished neurites, but increased the chromaffin granule density, endocrine chromogranin A and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase expression in the adrenal medullary tissues, accompanied by increased levels of circulating epinephrine and corticosterone, but decreased nerve growth factor in asthmatic rats. Finally, low-intensity aerobic exercise significantly reduced the relative levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphorylated cAMP responsive element-binding protein and the relative mRNA expression levels of downstream molecules, including c-FOS and c-JUN in the adrenal medullary of asthmatic rats. We suggest that low-intensity aerobic exercise improves the endocrine dysfunction of AMCCs and mitigates EIB.

In order to develop efficient lures for soybean pod borer Leguminivora glycinivorella (Matsumura) in China, (E,E)-8,10-dodecadienyl acetate (EE-8,10-12:Ac), the main component of the pheromone of L. glycinivorella, and 12 structurally-related compounds were synthesised in good overall yields, regiospecificities, and stereo-selectivities via coupling reactions catalysed by Li2CuCl4. The effect of different synthetic compounds, alone or in combination with EE-8,10-12:Ac, on numbers of captured L. glycinivorella males was evaluated. EE-8,10-12:Ac, (E)-10-dodecenyl acetate (E-10-12:Ac), (E)-8-dodecenol (E-8-12:OH), tetradecyl acetate (14:Ac), and (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z-9-14:Ac) alone displayed different attractiveness to L. glycinivorella males. 14:Ac, E-8-12:OH, E-10-12:Ac, (E,E)-8,10-dodecadienal (EE-8,10-12:Ald), (E)-8-dodecenal (E-8-12:Ald), (E)-10-dodecenal (E-10-12:Ald) and Z-9-14:Ac all showed a synergistic effect to EE-8,10-12:Ac at certain dosages. The binary mixtures of EE-8,10-12:Ac and E-10-12:Ald, Z-9-14:Ac,14:Ac, E-8-12:Ald, EE-8,10-12:Ald, E-8-12:OH, or E-10-12:Ac in suitable ratios give 17.00-, 10.98-, 10.67-, 6.73-, 5.54-, 4.30- and 4.50-fold increases in trap catch, respectively, over the standard pheromone lure, and as novel pheromone blends, demonstrated potential use in pheromone traps to monitor or control L. glycinivorella populations in China.

Phytochemical investigation on the whole plant of Anemone rivularis var. flore-minore led to the isolation of a new labdane-type diterpene glycoside ( 1 ) and a new trihydroxyfuranoid lignanoid glycoside ( 2 ), together with three known triterpene and triterpenoid glycosides ( 3 – 5 ). The structures of the two new compounds were elucidated as β- d -glucopyranosyl (13 S )-13-hydroxy-7-oxo-labda-8,14-diene-18-oate ( 1 ) and (7 S ,7′ R ,8 R ,8′ S )-7′-butoxy-7,9′-epoxy-4,4′,9-trihydroxy-3,3′-dimethoxylignane 9- O -β- d -glucopyranoside ( 2 ), on the basis of extensive spectral analysis and chemical evidence. Compound 1 is characterized by a glucose (Glc) esterified C-18 carboxyl group, which is a rarely encountered labdane-type diterpene glycoside in nature. The two new compounds ( 1 and 2 ) reported here are the first examples of diterpene glycoside and lignanoid glycoside found in the genus Anemone , and the known triterpene and triterpenoid glycosides ( 3 – 5 ) are identified for the first time from the title plant.

Oil shale circulating fluidized bed combustion technology is a new technology and it is the most economical and efficient combustion way for using Oil shale resources. Nnumerical simulation of CFB is very important in the prediction of its flow behavior. In this paper, a gas-particle computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow model was developed based on the EULERIAN two-fluid model. In the modeling, a similar constitutive equation was applied to both phases. The turbulence was simulated with k − ɛ turbulence model in the gas phase and the Gidaspow drag coefficient model was applied to coupling force between the gas-solid two phases. The computational model was used to simulate the flow behavior in an oil shale circulating fluidized bed under different operating conditions. In addition, several numerical experiments were carried out to understand the influence of particle size, gas superficial velocity and solids volume fraction on the flow characteristics.

Upregulation of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling is interrelated with the development of airway remodeling. In this study, we examined the role of two E3 ubiquitin ligases, Arkadia and Smurf2, which are critically required for TGF-beta signaling in airway remodeling. Rats were immunized with ovalbumin (OVA) and then challenged with an OVA aerosol. In in vitro experiments, normal human bronchial epithelial cells were stimulated with TGF-beta(1) with or without the preincubation of Arkadia/Smurf2 small interfering RNA (siRNA) or lactacystin (an inhibitor of proteasomal degradation). In the lungs of OVA-treated rats, a large number of inflammatory cells were present near the airways. An increased subepithelial collagen deposition was associated with high expression levels of Smad7, SnoN and Ski mRNAs, Arkadia, Smurf2, and TGF-beta type I receptor (TbetaRI), but low expression levels of Smad7, SnoN and Ski proteins. Smad7, SnoN and Ski interacted with both Arkadia and Smurf2 while TbetaRI only interacted with Smurf2 but not with Arkadia. In in vitro experiments, the inhibitory effect of TGF-beta(1) on the expression of Smad7, SnoN and Ski was reversed by Arkadia siRNA and lactacystin, whereas the stimulatory effect of TGF-beta(1) on the expression of TbetaRI protein and Smad7/SnoN/Ski mRNAs was not affected. In contrast, Smurf2 siRNA did not influence the effects of TGF-beta(1) on the expression of the above proteins. Our results suggest that Arkadia may contribute to the pathogenesis of airway remodeling through enhancing TGF-beta signaling by inducing the reduction of Smad7, SnoN and Ski proteins in OVA-sensitized and -challenged rats.