Search

Sinuscalide A (

Three new alkylated benzoquinones, 2-hydroxy-5-ethoxy-3-nonyl-1,4-benzoquinone (

This paper describes an optical sensor for the real-time measurement of axial thermal elongation of a machine tool high-speed spindle. A cat's eye optical reflector embedded in the spindle reflects the image of a laser diode beam onto a quadrant photodiode detector. Changes in the position of the reflected laser spot on the photodiode in a detection module allows determination of changes in length of the spindle. The resolution is 50 nm for the low frequency range. The accuracy of this optical sensor is better than 1 μm within the measuring range of ±100 μm and the triple standard deviation is 0.03 μm. The experimental results showed that thermal elongation can be measured and controlled to within 2 μm of elongation and shortening variation within the stated range using an oil cooling system.

This study aims to examine the impact of others companion on complaint intentions when encountering service failure to fill in the gap of insufficient research on the effect of the presence of others companion on consumer complaint behavior (CCB) in the literature of service failure through four scenario experiments. The results of study 1, 2 and 4 support our basic hypothesis that customers who encounter service failures will have higher complaint intentions when they are with others than when alone. The findings study 2, 3 and 4 suggest that the level of intimacy between two individuals acts as a partial mediator of their complaint intentions. People with closer relationships, such as in-group members or of the same sex, have higher complaint intentions than those who are less close. Furthermore, study 4 showed that consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence represents the normative influence that companions provide, which leads to higher complaint intentions when eating with friends than with family.

Sol–gel zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films generally have non-uniform stripes. After annealing at high temperatures, these thin films are rough and granular. When ZnO rods are grown on such rough and non-uniform surface with the hydrothermal method, collimation, crystalline structure, and defect density are very poor. Here we explore a method to solve this problem. The ZnO thin film is first coated with an Au layer to prohibit the vertical extension of crystallization during the annealing period. As a result, the surface morphology of ZnO thin film is very flat and uniform after annealing. Afterwards, the ZnO rods are grown on the flat and uniform thin film, which gives rise to ZnO rods with very good collimation and crystalline structure. The extremely flat ZnO thin film even enables the fabrication of patterned ZnO rod arrays with regular shapes through lithography.

Solution-processed vanadium oxide (V2O5) as an anode interlayer is introduced between the organic layer and the Ag electrode for improving the performance of the low-cost inverted polymer solar cells hybridized with ZnO nanorods. Our investigations indicate that the solution-processed V2O5 interlayer as an electron-blocking layer can effectively prevent the leakage current at the organic/Ag interface. The power conversion efficiency is improved from 2.5% to 3.56% by the introduction of the V2O5 interlayer. The V2O5 interlayer also serves as an optical spacer to enhance light absorption, and thereby increases the photocurrent. Compared to the vacuum-deposited techniques, the fabrication of the solution-processed V2O5 interlayer is simple and effective. The solution-based approach makes it attractive for applications to mass production and potentially printed organic electronics.

Type 1a glycogen storage disease (GSD) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency in glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nucleotide sequence analysis were used to identify the location and nature of mutations at the G6Pase locus in two siblings affected with type 1a GSD. Both patients are compound heterozygotes with two different single nucleotide substitutions in the two G6Pase alleles. A guanine to adenine transition was identified at base position 327 in the exon 2, converting an arginine to a histidine at codon 83. The second substitution was a thymine to adenine transversion at base position 1101 in the exon 5, converting an isoleucine to an asparagine at codon 341. Family study reveals that both parents are heterozygous carriers : the father with a mutant G6Pase allele at exon 2, the mother with another mutant G6Pase allele at exon 5. This is the first family study in Taiwan on type 1a GSD identified by molecular analysis. The mutations identified herein are novel substitutions in the G6Pase gene. In addition, an adenine to guanine substitution was observed at base position 653 in the exon 5 of G6Pase gene in both sibling patients and their parents, as well as in 15 normal Chinese subjects and three normal Caucasian subjects.

Specimens of Suberites domuncula that had been cultured in aquaria for 4 weeks were analyzed for their associated fungi. A total of 81 fungal strains belonging to 20 different genera was isolated and identified by morphological and molecular methods. The most frequently isolated taxa were Cladosporium spp., Penicillium spp., Petriella sp., Phialophora spp. and Engyodontium album. Based on chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis of fungal extracts, as well as on bioassay results, Aspergillus ustus, Penicillium sp., Petriella sp. and Scopulariopsis sp. were selected for in-depth analysis of their natural products. A total of 19 different fungal metabolites, including three new natural products, was isolated and structurally identified. A. ustus yielded two sesquiterpenes, a drimane derivative and deoxyuvidin, as well as a sesterterpene ophiobolin H. The drimane derivative had an ED50 value against L5178Y cells of 1.9 μg ml-1 in vitro. The crude extract of Petriella sp. was also strongly cytotoxic against the L5178Y cell line. The cyclic tetrapeptide WF-3161 was primarily responsible for the activity; the ED50 value was -1. It was identical to the known compound WF-3161 and had been previously isolated from Petriella guttulata. In addition to WF-3161, three further natural products were obtained and unequivocally identified as new derivatives of infectopyrone by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and by mass spectroscopy. Of the new compounds, only dihydroinfectopyrone was active against L5178Y cells; the ED50 value was 0.2 μg ml-1. Penicillium sp. yielded the largest number of metabolites. Viridicatin, viridicatol, cyclopenin and cyclopenol suppressed larval growth of the polyphagous pest insect Spodoptera littoralis when incorporated into an artificial diet at an arbitrarily chosen concentration of 237 ppm. Viridicatol was the most active compound and had an ED50 value of ca. 50 ppm. Scopulariopsis sp. yielded three metabolites, including the known acetylcholinesterase inhibitors quinolactacin A1 and A2.

Stellaria nemorum L. and S. holostea L. (Caryophyllaceae) were investigated for their flavonoids. The new flavonoid 6-C-[(α-arabinopyranosyl)-( 1--2)-O-β- xylopyranosyl]apigenin (1) and the four known C-glycosides, 6-C-[(α-arabinopyranosyl)-(1--2)-O-β-glucopyranosyl]apigenin (2), apigenin 6-C-β- galactopyranoside-8-C-β-glucopyranoside (3), apigenin 6-C-β-glucopyranoside-8-C-α-arabinopyranoside (4), and apigenin 6-C-β-glucopyranoside-8-C-β- xylopyranoside (5) were isolated from the aerial parts of S. nemorum for the first time. Furthemore, five known flavonoids, 3,5,7-trihydroxy-3',5'- dimethoxyflavone (9), diosmetin 6-C-β-glucopyranoside (8), schaftoside (4), isoorientin (6) and orientin (7) were obtained from the aerial parts of S. holostea. Compounds 4, 8 and 9 are reported for the first time from this species. The structures of all isolated compounds were unambiguously elucidated by one- and two- dimensional NMR and mass spectral analysis, by acid hydrolysis, as well as by comparison with literature data. The crude extracts of the investigated species exhibited antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, while none of the isolated compounds was found to be active.

Objective To explore the mechanism of anti-rheumatic effect of the active fraction of Siegesbeckia pubescens (AFSP).

We investigated the possible correlation between the leptin concentration and the Zn/Cu ratio in the plasma of women with thyroid disorder. Forty women with hypothyroidism (n = 20) or hypothyroidism (n = 20) and 20 euthyroid controls were recruited. The results showed that the women with thyroid disorder (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism) had higher plasma leptin concentrations than the normal controls (p < 0.05). Moreover, the plasma leptin concentration had no correlation with plasma thyroid hormone levels in the separate groups, nor among all the participants considered together. A strong correlation (p < 0.005) between leptin and adiposity was only observed in euthyroid women. Plasma values of Zn and Cu and the Zn/Cu ratio were not markedly different among women with altered thyroid status. However, a weak correlation (r = 0.28, p = 0.032) between leptin and the Zn/Cu ratio was found from the pooled data of all participants and retained after adjustment for adiposity. We suggest that there may exist an interaction between the plasma leptin level and thyroid hormone-induced abnormality for selected minerals.

In this study, we investigate the in vitro effect of zinc addition on guanosine diphosphate (GDP) binding to mitochondria in brown adipocytes of genetically obese (ob/ob) mice. Interscapular brown adipocytes of male mice (obese; lean) at 4 and 12 wk of age were incubated with 0, 50, 100, or 200 microM zinc sulfate. Mitochondria were then isolated and their GDP binding capacities were measured. The GDP-binding capacities of ob/ob mice were lower than lean mice, with or without zinc addition, in both age groups (p0.05). Zinc addition did not have any significant effect on GDP binding in lean mice. GDP binding decreased with increasing zinc addition in ob/ob mice, and this attenuation was more predominant in 12-wk old ob/ob mice. Moreover, we found that high magnesium addition (5 mM) increased GDP binding in lean mice, but this effect was not significant in ob/ob mice. This study reveals that brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in ob/ob mice could be greatly attenuated by zinc addition, suggesting that zinc may play a regulatory role in obesity.

A sensitive and specific HPLC-APCI-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the quantification of furanodiene, a natural antitumor compound in rat plasma and tissues. W/O/W multiple emulsions of furanodiene, identified through microscope-observation and eosin staining method, were prepared with a two-step-procedure. Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution were studied in rats after oral, intraperitoneal and intravenous injection with the dose of 5, 10 and 50 mg/kg, respectively. The assay achieved a good sensitivity and specificity for the determination of furanodiene in biological samples. The results showed that the concentration-time curves of furanodiene in rats after intravenous injection were fitted to a two-compartment model and the linear pharmacokinetic characteristic. The highest concentration in rat tissue was observed in the spleen, followed by heart, liver, lung, kidney, small intestine and brain. Comparing with the low concentration in plasma, furanodiene could be detected in various tissue samples after oral or intraperitoneal injection which indicated furanodiene had good and rapid tissue uptake. The results suggested that the wide tissue distribution of furanodiene could conduce to the therapeutic effects, but the short biological half-life limited its further application as an antitumor agent. The results are helpful for the structure modification of furanodiene as an antitumor candidate.

Type Ia glycogen storage disease (GSD), an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder, is caused by a deficiency in glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase). We had previously identified the nature of the causative mutations in a Chinese family whose first two children were affected with type Ia GSD. Two different point mutations in the G6Pase gene, a guanine to adenine substitution at base position 327 in exon 2 and a thymine to adenine substitution at base position 1101 in exon 5, change the restriction sites for the enzymes Fok I and Hinc II. Family study revealed that both parents were heterozygous carriers: the father with a mutant G6Pase allele at exon 2 and the mother with another mutant G6Pase allele at exon 5. This paper deals with a prenatal diagnosis on the fetus of this family who is at risk of type Ia GSD. Genomic DNA was extracted from a chorionic villus biopsy sampled at the tenth week of gestation. Exons 2 and 5 of the G6Pase gene were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction enzyme digestion and direct sequence analysis. DNA analysis indicated that the fetus was a heterozygous carrier of type Ia GSD with a mutant G6Pase allele at exon 2 and a normal G6Pase allele at exon 5. The diagnosis was further confirmed by the same method with cultured amniocytes and with a blood sample after the baby was born. This is the first report of prenatal carrier detection of type Ia GSD at the gene level.

The interactive relationship between Cu deficiency and depressed synthesis of certain neurotransmitters has been recognized. To investigate the effects of dietary Cu supplementation on the catecholamine levels in genetically obese mice, male obese (ob/ob) mice and their lean (+/?) counterparts were administered either a control diet (4.0 mg/kg) or a Cu-supplemented diet (50 mg/kg) for 4 wk. The ob/ob mice that were fed a control diet showed lower liver and higher plasma levels of Cu. Depressed levels of plasma and brain catecholamines were also found in ob/ob mice that were fed the control diet. The ob/ob mice that received a Cu-supplemented diet showed significant increases in the levels of catecholamine in the plasma and brain. This study showed that catecholamine levels in ob/ob mice can be increased by dietary Cu supplementation. However, the interaction between Cu and sympathetic nervous activity in obesity was not elucidated in this study.

This work reports on the controlled growth of well-aligned ZnO micro/nanorod arrays at low temperature on GaN substrates. The influence of GaN surface morphology and doping on the growth of ZnO rods via hydrothermal method is studied. The structural properties of ZnO rods are investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The grown ZnO rods show preferred orientation along the c-axis and are well aligned with high aspect ratios. For precisely controlling the formation of well-aligned ZnO micro/nanorod arrays, a two-dimensional periodic polymer aperture arrays on top of GaN is also utilized for selective growth of ZnO rods. The size of ZnO rods is controlled over a considerably wide size range from 130 nm up to 3.5 μm in diameter by tuning the aperture size of the pattern and solution concentrations. It is observed that the ZnO rods are not grown directly through the aperture template. In addition, the size of ZnO rods is found to be dependent on the geometry of polymer aperture arrays. The detailed growth behavior is characterized and analyzed. This work provides a route to achieve the low-temperature heteroepitaxy of ZnO mirco/nanorod arrays on GaN, which can be very useful for many optoelectronics applications, especially for light emitting diodes.

Four new alkaloids, tuberostemonone {1}, tubetostemonol {2}, stemoamide {3}, and tuberostemospironine {4}, together with two known alkaloids, tuberostemonine and didehydrotuberostemonine, were isolated from the roots of Stemona tuberosa (Stemonaceae). Their structures were elucidated by ir, ms, and 1D- and 2D-nmr techniques including difference nOe spectra and homonuclear and heteronuclear spectral analyses

Objective To study the effects of Qinggan Huoxue Recipe (QGHXR), the compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and its separated recipes on the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA and serum TNF-alpha content in rats with alcoholic liver injury (ALI). Methods One hundred male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n=10), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) group (n=10) and ALI group (n=80). Rats in the ALI group were intragastrically administered mixed liquor twice a day and intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 twice a week for 6 weeks, rats in the normal control group were intragastrically administered normal saline, and rats in the CCl4 group were intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 and olive oil twice a week continuously. Two rats in the ALI group were sacrificed for histological observation per week. After 4-week modeling, the rats in the ALI group were randomly divided into QGHXR group, Qinggan Recipe (QGR) group, Huoxue Recipe (HXR) group (15 rats in each group), and the others belonged to the untreated group. After 2-week suitable drugs treatment, the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were analyzed. Pathological changes in liver tissues were observed by HE staining. The content of plasma TNF-alpha was assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and expression of TNF-alpha mRNA in the liver tissue was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results QGHXR and its separated recipes improved liver steatosis and inflammation, and in this regard, the QGHXR was superior to the QGR. QGHXR decreased the activity of serum ALT in rats with ALI, but QGR and HXR did not show significant effect in that. The three recipes decreased the activity of AST as compared with the untreated group, but there were no significant differences among the three treated groups. HXR and QGHXR down-regulated the expression of TNF-alpha mRNA in the liver tissue, but QGR did not show significant effect. HXR and QGHXR also decreased the content of plasma TNF-alpha, but QGR did not show significant effect in that. Conclusion QGHXR and HXR may provide protection against ALI in rats through decreasing the production of TNF-alpha.

Sol-gel preparation of amorphous titanium oxide (TiO x ) thin films with distinct morphological properties on the hydrophobic substrate was obtained by solution spin coating method. The TiO x thin films were deposited by three precursors using 2-methoxyethanol (2MOE), isopropanol (IPA) and mixture of 2MOE and hexane as solvents. We demonstrate evidence that the morphology of TiO x thin film is strongly related to the employment of dissimilar solvent. Among these three solvents, TiO x film obtained from 2MOE/hexane mixed solvent is a superior choice for the preparation of TiO x thin film on the hydrophobic substrate b ecause of its smooth surface morphology. Keywords: Titanium oxide, thin film, TiO x , hydrophobic, solvent 1. INTRODUCTION During the past years, there have been numerous interests in the fabrication of titanium dioxide due to its nontoxic and environmental friendly characters [1]. Titanium dioxide has lots of relevant nature such as brilliant transmittance in the visible spectrum, high refractive index (2.7), good chemical and electrical stability. Consequently, its thin films are particularly suitable for optoelectronic devices. For instance, they are already applied to photocatalysis [2-5], antireflection coatings [6], sensors [7, 8], and photovoltaics [9-15]. Extensive research has focused on the synthesis techniques of titanium dioxide thin film, like MOCVD [16, 17], radio frequency magnetron sputtering [18], and sol-gel deposition [19-22]. In the view point of low cost and simplic ity, many researchers have employed low temperature sol-gel method to deposit titanium dioxide film. This solution-base d method has also been utilized successfully to grow thin films on the polymer substrate which can not sustain high temperature processing. The recent study mostly reports the solvent used in the preparation of titanium dioxide films by sol-gel solution technique based on alcohols. Verma et al. [23] dissolved titanium (IV) isopropoxide (Ti[OCH(CH

Phenolic compounds, named integracin D (1), (7'R, 8'S, 8S)-8-hydroxyisoguaiacin (3), (2R, 3R) pinobanksin-3-caffeoylate (5) and threo-8S-7-methoxysyringylglycerol (6), respectively, were isolated from the Chinese mangrove plant Laguncularia racemosa (L) Gaertn. f. (Combretaceae), together with 23 known phenolic metabolites. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses including that of IR, UV, MS, CD, 1D and 2D NMR spectra as well as by comparison with literature data. Compound 5 showed significant anti-oxidative activity in the DPPH and TEAC free-radical-scavenging assays, while several of the phenolic compounds were tested for protein kinase inhibitory activity in an assay involving 24 different human tumor related protein kinases. Compounds 5, 7, and 23 showed potential inhibition with IC(50) values between 2.2 and 3.6microg/mL toward individual kinases. The ellagic acid derivatives were tested for insecticidal activity.

A solution-processed vanadium oxide interlayer is introduced between the organic layer and the electrode for improving the performance of the polymer/ZnO nanorod hybrid solar cells. The results indicate that the vanadium oxide interlayer can serve as an electron-blocking layer to suppress the leakage current and an optical spacer to increase light absorption. As a result, the power conversion efficiency is improved from 2.52% to 3.56%, with a fill factor of 60% under 100 mW/cm2 irradiation.

During the past years, there have been numerous interests in the fabrication of polymer solar cells due to its flexibility and easy fabrication process. The most common system so far for polymer solar cells is the one consisting of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and (6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) that is sandwiched between poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and Al metal. However, conventional bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) architecture has limitations in device stability. Without encapsulation, exposure of conventional solar cells to air leads to oxidation of the Al electrode and degradation of the indium tin oxide (ITO)/ PEDOT:PSS interface because of the acidic nature of PEDOT:PSS[1]. One approach to improve device stability is using polymer/ZnO nanorod hybrid solar cell. In our solar cell, the interface of ITO/PEDOT:PSS can be avoided by employing ZnO nanorod using a hydrothermal method and the low-work-function metal Al can be replaced by Ag. ZnO nanorod is used as an excellent electron selective layer and Ag has the nature of less air sensitivity.

Correlation between the power conversion efficiency and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) modified poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) of polymer solar cells is studied. The PEDOT:PSS is modified by adding process additive (DMSO) during processing. However, highly conductive DMSO-PEDOT:PSS leads to tremendous errors in the measurement of the polymer solar cells. Our investigations show that the light illumination area of the polymer solar cells based on the DMSO-PEDOT:PSS has to be further adjusted before measurement.

The inverted bulk hetero-junction solar cell on the polyester (PET) substrate with a non-annealing active layer is investigated. Our investigations show that the easily processed inverted device with a non-annealing active layer on the indium-tin-oxide coated PET substrate exhibits a high power conversion efficiency of ∼3.65%.

To investigate the chemical constituents from Avicennia marina.The isolation and purification of the CH2Cl2 and n-BuOH fractions of this plant were performed, and the chemical structures were elucidated by spectral analysis as well as comparison of their spectral data with literature values.Three novel compounds were obtained and identified as erythro-guaiacylglycerol-beta-ferulic acid ether (1), marinnone A (16) and marinnone B (17), along with eighteen known compounds as threo-guaiacylglycerol-beta-ferulic acid ether (2), eleutheroside E2 (3), (+)-lirioresinol A (4), dihydroxymethyl-bis (3, 5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl) tetrahydrofuran-9-O-beta-glucopyranoside (5), (+)-lyoniresinol 3a-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (6), (-)-lyoniresinol 3a-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (7), epi-pinoresinol (8), leucoseceptoside A (9), jionoside C (10), salsaside A (11), ilicifolioside A (12), acteoside (13), isoacteoside (14), ethyl ferulate (15), avicennone D (18), avicenone E (19), avicennol C (20), and stenocarpoquinone B (21).Three new compounds (1, 16 and 17) were obtained and thirteen known compounds, 2-12, 14 and 15 were isolated from Avicennia genus for the first time.

A newstemona alkaloid, tuberostemonone (C22H31NO6), has been isolated from the roots ofstemona tuberosa Lour, and its molecular structure determined by MS, IR, NMR spectra and X-ray crystallography (R=0.046 for 1746 observed Mo-Kα data). Besides retaining the characteristicstemona skeleton, which is composed of anα-methyl-γ-lactone and anN-methylene azepine ring linked at the γ-position of this lactone, the tuberostemonone molecule possesses a nine-membered azacycle which is hitherto not found in other knownstemona alkaloids.

To study the chemical constituents of the stem and leaves from Curcuma wenyujin.The compounds were isolated by silica gel column chromatography in associating with Sephadex LH -20 chromatography. While their structures were identified on the basis of spectroscopic date.Nine sesquiterpenes were isolated and identified. Their structures were identified as curdione (1), neocurdione (2), trans, trans-germacrone (3), cis, trans-germacrone (4), curcumenone (5), curcumadione (6), isoprocurcumenol (7), glechomanolide (8) and (1R, 10R)-( -)-1, 10-dihydrocurdione (9).All of these compounds were isolated from the stems and leaves of this plant for the first time.

To investigate the chemical constituents of seeds of Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm. , components were separated by means of solvent extraction and chromatography on C18, the structure of compound was determined by spectral analysis and chemical evidences. One saponin was obtained and identified as 28-O-isopentyryl-3beta, 16alpha, 22beta, 28-tetrahydroxyl-oleanane-3-O-[ alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl- ( 1--3) -betaD-galactopyranosyl-( 1---4' )]-3betaD-galacturonopyranoside, named paniculata saponin C. This saponin is a new compound.

To study the chemical constituents of the marine sponge Rhabdastrella aff. distincta.Compounds were obtained by normal phase silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, reverse phase chromatogrophy and methylation method. These structures were determined on the basis of IR, MS, NMR spectral analysis.Eight compounds were isolated from bioactive CH3Cl fraction and identified as geoditin A (1), geoditin B (2), stellettin A (5), stellettin B (4), stellettin C (3), stellettinE (7), rhabdastrellic acid A (8) and the methyl ester of stellettin E (6).All these compounds were obtained from this species for the first time.

To investigate the chemical constituents in Bruguiera sexangula var. rhynchopetala.Silica gel flash chromatography together with Sephadex LH - 20 were performed for the isolation and purification of the petrol ether fraction of this plant, and the structures were elucidated by spectral analysis as well as the comparison of the spectral data with those reported in the literatures.Nine compounds were obtained and identified as lupeol (1), lupeone (2), trans-hydroxy-cinnamoyl ester of lupeol (3), taraxerone (4), beta-amyril-palmitate (5), squalene (6),beta-sitosterol (7), daucosterol (8) and 7alpha-hydroxy-sitosterol (9).All the compounds were first isolated from B. sexangula var. rhynchopetala.

To investigate the secondary metabolites of the mangrove plant Ceriops tagal.Column chromatography techniques including HPLC were used for the separation and purification, and extensive spectral analysis including various 2D NMR spectra were employed for structure elucidation.Nine compounds, namely, tagalsins A (1), ent-5alpha-dolabr-4 (18) -ene-15S,16-diol (2), squalene (3), betulinic acid (4), lup-20 (29) -en-3-on-28-oic acid (5), betulin (6), lup-20 (29) -en-3-on-28-ol (7), beta-sitosterol (8), n-hexacosanylferulate (9) were obtained. Of which 1 and 2 belong to dolabrane diterpene.Compound 1 is a new compound, and 2 to 9 are isolated from this species for the first time.

Isolation and structural elucidation of the constituents of China mangrove Sonneratia apetala.chromatography methods were used for isolation of compounds, spectroscopic methods were used for structural identifyication.seven known compounds named (+/-) symgaresinol, betulinic acid, lupeol, lupeone, stigmast-5-ene-3beta, 7alpha-diol, beta-alpha myrin hexadecaneate, physcoion were isolated.these known compouns were unreported previously from this plant.

To study the chemical constituents of Acanthus ilicifolius.Chromatographic methods were used to isolate compounds from A. ilicifolius, and chemical and spectral methods were used to elucidate the structures of the isolated compounds.Five compounds, luteolin 7-O-beta-D-glucuronide (1), apigenin-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide (2), methylapigenin-7-O-beta-D-glucuronate (3), uridine (4) and uracil (5) were obtained.1, 4 and 5 were obtained from the genus for the first time.

To study the chemical constituents of sini tang.The constituents were separated by means of column chromatography and their structures were identified by spectral data and compared with literature data.Six compounds were isolated and identified as vanillic acid, formononetin, isoliquiritigenin, liquiritigenin, kumatakenin B and uracil.All of the compounds were isolated from sini tang for the first time and the study on their activities in Chinese prescription is being carried out.

To investigate the secondary metabolites from Chinese marine Sponge Cinachyrella australiensis.Column chromatography techniques including HPLC were used for the separation and purification of the compounds, and extensive spectral analyses including various 2D NMR spectra were employed for structure elucidation.Nineteen compounds were obtained,including 2-methyoxy-6,12,15-trien-8-yne-octadecanoic acid (1), 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid dibutyl ester(2), 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid bis(2-ethylhexyl)ester(3), (-) (3S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid(4), L-Tryptophan (5), p-hydroxylbenzaldehyde (6), p-hydroxyl-benzylethanol(7), p-hydroxyl-benzyl-propanol(8), cholesta-4-en-3-ol(9), 2-methyl-6-amino-9-(2-deoxy-beta-D- ribofuranosyl-purine(10), 2'-Deoxyadenosine (11), 6-amino-9-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-9H-purine (12),uracil(13), thymine(14), thymidine(15), 1-(2-deoxy-beta-D-Ribofuranosyl) uracil(16), 1-ethyl-alpha-(2-deoxy)-beta-D-ribofuranos(17),isolumichrome(18),and zarzissine(19).Compounds 1 and 18 are new natural products,and compounds 2 to 17 as well as 19 are isolated from this species for the first time.

To study the chemical constituents from the seed of Trigonella foenum-graecum.The compounds were isolated with silica gel chromatography and their structures were identified by physical, chemical properties and spectral analysis.Seven compounds were isolated and identified as N,N'-dicarbazyl, glycerol monopalmitate, stearic acid, beta-sitosteryl glucopyranoside, ethyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, D-3-O-methyl-chiroinsitol and sucrose.All the compounds were obtained from this plant for the first time and N,N'-dicarbazyl is a new natural product.

To investigate the bioactive constituents from the mycelium of Penicillium thomii. Which isolated from Anemone collected in Qingdao beach.The constituents were separated by using various chromatography and the structures were identified on the basis of extensive spectral analysis.Five compounds, namely penicillixanthone A (I), p-methylbenzolic acid (II), 1-O-hexadecanoyl-2-O-(9-octadecenoyl)-3-O-(9, 12-octadecadienoyl) glycerol (III), 5 alpha, 8 alpha-epidioxy-24 zeta-methylcholesta-6, 22-dien-3 beta-ol (IV) and 1, 6, 8-trihydroxyl-3-methyl-9, 10-anthracenedione (V), were isolated from the mycelium of Penicillium thomii.Penicillixanthone A is a new compound, while the others are isolated from Penicillium thomii for the first time.

From the roots of Stemona tuberosa, two new minor alkaloids, tuberostemoninol (C22H31NO2) and stemoninoamide (C19H23NO4) were isolated. Their structures have been established mainly by spectroscopic methods.

The influence of GaN seed morphology on the growth of ZnO rods by solution-based process is investigated. The orientation, defect density, and crystallinity of ZnO rods are systematically studied i...

A perturbation of zinc metabolism has been noted in subjects with obesity. Zinc may also participate in the intracellular signal cascade by affecting cellular calcium influx and a change in the calcium-calmodulin (CaM)-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) pathway. The possible effects of zinc on cellular concentrations of CaM, a major cytosolic calcium-binding protein, in the adipocytes derived from obese (ob/ob) mice and their lean counterparts were studied. Adipocytes derived from both phenotypes of mice were treated either with 0.2 mM of zinc sulfate or without any additive for 1 h of incubation; the cellular levels of CaM and cAMP were then determined. The results showed that the obese mice had lower CaM and cAMP levels in their adipocytes compared to the lean mice. Zinc treatment reduced CaM and increased cAMP levels in all mice, although this effect was more pronounced in the lean mice. This study indicated that there was an inverse interaction between CaM and cAMP in their cellular levels in the mouse adipocytes and that might be affected by exogenous zinc addition.

The effects of zinc supplementation (20 mM ZnCl2 from the drinking water for eight weeks) on plasma glucose and insulin levels, as well as its in vitro effect on lipogenesis and lipolysis in adipocytes were studied in genetically obese (ob/ob) mice and their lean controls (+/?). Zinc supplementation reduced the fasting plasma glucose levels in both obese and lean mice by 21 and 25%, respectively (p < 0.05). Fasting plasma insulin levels were significantly decreased by 42% in obese mice after zinc treatment. In obese mice, zinc supplementation also attenuated the glycemic response by 34% after the glucose load. The insulin-like effect of zinc on lipogenesis in adipocytes was significantly increased by 80% in lean mice. However, the increment of 74% on lipogenesis in obese mice was observed only when the zinc plus insulin treatment was given. This study reveals that zinc supplementation alleviated the hyperglycemia of ob/ob mice, which may be related to its effect on the enhancement of insulin activity.

Saponins are oligoglycosides with spirostane, steroid or triterpenoid aglycones as their genins, which constitute an important kind of natural product. Some of them exhibit prominent bioactivities, such as the saponins from Panax ginseng and Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Because of their high polarity and relatively complicated structures, it was time- and sample-consuming work to purify and identify them before the 1980’s. In the past decade, the continuing development of various advanced chromatographic materials and spectroscopic methods have made it possible to isolate and determine the structures of certain minor saponins ocurring only in small quantities in a short time.