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We report herein an efficient approach for the enantioselective synthesis of inherently chiral calix[4]arenes via palladium-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular C-H arylations. Using a chiral bifunctional phosphine-carboxylate ligand, the inherent chirality on macrocyclic scaffolds was induced successfully, from which a wide range of calix[4]arenes with fluorenone motifs were obtained with good yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to99% ee). The synthetic utility of this method was demonstrated by diverse transformations of the products, thus substantially expanding the chemical space of chiral calix[4]arenes. Further investigations of photophysical and chiroptical properties revealed that calix[4]arenes bearing two fluorenone moieties displayed remarkable

The Astragalus polysaccharide is an important bioactive component derived from the dry root of Astragalus membranaceus. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the research progress on the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide and provide valuable reference information. We review the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide on central and peripheral immune organs, including bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, and mucosal tissues. Furthermore, the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide on a variety of immune cells is summarized. Studies have shown that Astragalus polysaccharide can promote the activities of macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and microglia and induce the expression of a variety of cytokines and chemokines. The immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide makes it promising for the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, infection, type 1 diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease. Among them, the anticancer effect is the most prominent. In short, Astragalus polysaccharide is a valuable immunomodulatory medicine, but further high-quality studies are warranted to corroborate its clinical efficacy.

The enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral biaryls by a copper-catalyzed Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder reaction of 2-pyrones with alkynes is reported herein. Using electron-deficient 2-pyrones and electron-rich 1-naphthyl acetylenes as the reaction partners, a broad range of axially chiral biaryl esters are obtained in excellent yields (up to 97% yield) and enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee). DFT calculations reveal the reaction mechanism and provide insights into the origins of the stereoselectivities. The practicality and robustness of this reaction are showcased by gram-scale synthesis. The synthetic utilizations are demonstrated by the amenable transformations of the products.

Fufang Zhenzhu Tiaozhi capsule (FTZ) is a patented preparation of Chinese herbal medicine that has been used to treat hyperlipidemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis, and other glucolipid metabolic diseases (GLMDs) in the clinic for almost 10 years. However, how FTZ reduces albuminuria and attenuates diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progression is unknown.To clarify the effects of FTZ on DKD mice model and to explore the underlying mechanisms.We used streptozotocin (STZ) (40 mg/kg/d, i.p. for 5 days, consecutively) combined with a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce a DKD mouse model, followed by FTZ (1, 2 g/kg/d, i.g.) treatment for 12 weeks. Losartan (30 mg/kg/d, i.g.) was used as a positive control. Measurements of 24 h proteinuria, serum creatinine (SCr), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and expression levels of fibronectin (FN), collagen IV, inflammatory cytokines, inflammatory cells, interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and the nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway in the kidney were examined.FTZ effectively decreased 24 h proteinuria, Scr, FBG, TC, TG, and LDL-C levels, inhibited mesangial cell expansion, reduced FN and collagen IV accumulation, and F4/80FTZ might attenuate DKD progression, and inhibited kidney inflammation and fibrosis by inhibiting the expression of RORγT and IL-17A in vivo, offering novel insights for the clinical application of FTZ.

Environmentally benign electrochemically enabled chemoselective sulfonylation and hydrazination of C2,C3-unsubstituted indoles with arylsulfonyl hydrazide in the presence of ammonium bromide as a redox catalyst and electrolyte have been demonstrated in this work. Under mild electro-oxidation conditions, a series of indole hydrazination products with pharmacological activity were obtained. In vitro, the hydrazination products exhibited a better anti-cancer activity compared with the diazotization products. Further mechanistic studies showed that compound 3ae inhibits cell migration and tubulin aggregation in T-24 cells, thereby leading to cell apoptosis.

In this work, surface molecularly imprinted polymers (SMIPs) were prepared as a specific sorbent to remove the limonin from the lemon juice for the first time, and then the MIPs containing limonin were directly made into a water-soluble gel to treat inflammation of mice. The resulting polymers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer spectra. And the polymerization conditions and adsorption performances of the resultant nanomaterials were further investigated in detail. Results showed that the MIPs have higher adsorption capacity (27.72 mg/g) compared with surface molecularly non-imprinted polymers (NIPs) (8.12 mg/g). The selectivity experiment indicated that the polymers had excellent selective recognition for limonin and the selectivity factors were calculated as 2.75 and 1.83 for nomilin and obakunone, respectively. The MIPs were successfully used as adsorbent for selectively removing limonin from lemon juice and the MIPs extracted almost all the limonin from lemon juice according to the HPLC results. Furthermore, the MIPs with limonin were processed into water-soluble gel, which can be used to reduce the inflammation and enhance wound healing of model mice.

An environmentally benign electrochemically enabled site-selective functionalization of indole or aniline derivatives with hexafluoroisopropanol in the presence of tetrabutyl ammonium hexafluorophosphate as the redox catalyst and electrolyte was demonstrated in this work. Under mild electro-oxidation conditions, a series of hexafluoroisopropoxy indole and aniline derivatives with pharmacological activity were obtained. This conversion does not need transition metals and oxidants, and has good functional group tolerance. The in vitro cytotoxicity of all compounds was evaluated by the MTT assay against four human cancer cell lines. The results revealed that hexafluoroisopropoxy indoles have good antitumor activity and compound 2i increased the intracellular levels of ROS and inhibited apoptosis in HeLa cells.

Thermo-responsive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers were prepared by simple surface molecular imprinting polymerization for the selective adsorption and enrichment of formononetin from Trifolium pretense by temperature regulation. Using formononetin as a template, N-isopropylacrylamide as the thermo-responsive functional monomer, and methacrylic acid as an assisting functional monomer, the polymers were synthesized on the surface of the magnetic substrate. The results show that imprinted polymers attained controlled adsorption of formononetin in response to the temperature change, with large adsorption capacity (16.43 mg/g), fast kinetics (60 min) and good selectivity at 35°C compared with that at 25 and 45°C. The selectivity experiment indicated that the materials had excellent recognition ability for formononetin and the selectivity factors were between 1.32 and 2.98 towards genistein and daidzein. The excellent linearity was attained in the range of 5-100 μg/mL, with low detection limits and low quantitation limits of 0.017 and 0.063 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the thermo-responsive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers were successfully utilized for enriching and purifying formononetin from Trifolium pretense. The analytical results indicate that the imprinted polymers are promising materials for selective identification and enrichment of formononetin in complicated herbal medicines by simple temperature-responsive regulation.

An efficient method combined with fingerprint and chemometric analyses was developed to evaluate the quality of the traditional Chinese medicine plant Penthorum chinense Pursh. Nine samples were collected from different regions during different harvest periods, and 17 components in the form of extracts were simultaneously examined to assess quality by using high-performance liquid chromatography. The hepatoprotective effects of components were investigated by assessing the inhibition of SMMC-7721 cell growth. The results indicated that the quality control method was accurate, stable, and reliable, and the hierarchical heat-map cluster and the principle component analyses confirmed that the classification of all nine samples was consistent. Quercetin and ellagitannins including pinocembrin-7-O-[3''-O-galloyl-4'',6''-hexahydroxydiphenoyl]-β-glucose (PGHG), thonningianin A, thonningianin B, and other flavonoids were abundant in the extracts, and significantly contributed to the hepatoprotective effects.

An efficient electrochemical transformation of structurally diverse sulfonyl hydrazides and thiols into thiosulfonates in the presence of ammonium iodide as redox catalyst and electrolyte in acetonitrile at ambient temperature is reported. Transition metal- and oxidant-free conditions are the striking features of this protocol. The in vitro cytotoxicity of all compounds is evaluated by MTT assay against four human cancer cell lines. The results reveal that 3ac and 3ag exhibit potential inhibitory activity against tumor cells. Furthermore, 3ag inhibits cell migration ability and tubulin polymerization in T-24 cells, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Specific recognition of caffeic acid (CA) from Taraxacum mon-golicum Hand.-Mazz. was successfully performed using a new pH responsive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (pH-MMIPs) by simple surface molecular imprinting polymerization. The pH-MMIPs were prepared on the surface of the Fe3O4@SiO2@MPS particles using CA as a template, 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMA) as the pH responsive functional monomer, 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) as an assisting functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethyl acrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linker, 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator and methanol-H2O (1:1, v/v) as the porogen. The resultant polymers were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The adsorption experiments revealed that the pH-MMIPs performed high adsorption ability (11.5 mg g−1) by changing solution pH. Successful selective adsorption of CA was achieved with distribution coefficient of 0.12 and 0.21 towards ferulic acid and chlorogenic acid. Furthermore, pH-MMIPs were employed as adsorbents for extraction and enrichment of CA from Taraxacum mon-golicum Hand.-Mazz. extract. The recoveries of CA in the Taraxacum mon-golicum Hand.-Mazz. ranged from 90.47% to 98.97%. The results proved that the polymers have the potential to provide a selective recognition of CA in complex samples by simple pH regulation.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) is a common and lethal disease that threatens people’s life worldwide. The underlying mechanisms are under intensive study and yet remain unclear. Here, we explored the function of miR-322/503 in myocardial I/R injury. We used isolated rat perfused heart as an in vivo model and H9c2 cells subjected with the oxygen and glucose deprivation followed by reperfusion as in vitro model to study myocardial I/R injury. 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to measure the infarct size, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP-mediated nick-end label (TUNEL) staining was used to examine apoptosis. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot were used to determine expression levels of miR-322/503, Smad ubiquitin regulatory factor 2 (Smurf2), enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), p-Akt, and p-GSK3β. Overexpression of miR-322/503 decreased infarct size, inhibited cell apoptosis, and promoted cell proliferation through upregualtion of p-Akt and p-GSK3β. Thus the expression of miR-322/503 was reduced during I/R process. On the molecular level, miR-322/503 directly bound Smurf2 mRNA and suppressed its translation. Smurf2 ubiquitinated EZH2 and degraded EZH2, which could activate Akt/GSK3β signaling. Our study demonstrates that miR-322/503 plays a beneficial role in myocardial I/R injury. By inhibition of Smurf2 translation, miR-322/503 induces EZH2 expression and activates Akt/GSK3β pathway, thereby protecting cells from ischemia reperfusion injury.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is the most common cause of acute liver failure. Disruption of the Th17/Treg balance can lead to hepatic inflammation, which causes the main symptoms of DILI. Here we investigate the protective mechanisms of (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on triptolide (TP)-induced DILI that shows the Th17/Treg imbalance. Pretreatment with EGCG (5[Formula: see text]mg/kg) for 10 days before TP (0.5[Formula: see text]mg/kg) administration in mice significantly reduced the increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level ([Formula: see text]) induced by TP treatment. The hepatic histology analysis further proved that EGCG protected mice from TP-induced liver injury. The imbalance of Th17/Treg was induced by TP treatment, as shown by the upregulation of TLR4 and downregulation of Tim3 expression. EGCG pretreatment can maintain the expression of TLR4 and Tim3 at normal levels to restore the Th17/Treg imbalance. In addition, EGCG can block the TP-induced expression of the downstream targets of TLR4, including MyD88, NF[Formula: see text]B, and retinoid related orphan receptor (ROR-[Formula: see text]t), while EGCG can restore the TP inhibition of forkhead/winged-helix family transcriptional repressor p3 (FoxP3) that is the downstream target of Tim3. Consequently, EGCG pretreatment can effectively inhibit the Th17-related pro-inflammatory cytokine (e.g. IL-17 and IL-6) upregulation induced by TP treatment. However, TP inhibition of Treg-related anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 production was restored by EGCG pretreatment. Taken together, these results suggest that EGCG possesses significant protective properties against TP-induced hepatic inflammatory injury, and that these properties are carried out via the restoration of the Th17/Treg imbalance by the inhibition of the TLR4 signaling pathway and the enhanced activation of the Tim3 signaling pathway.

To explore the changes of vegetation landscape pattern and its driving mechanism in Saihanba Nature Reserve, we analyzed vegetation type changes from 1989 to 2013 and the driving factors using random forest and Logistic regression models in conjunction with land dynamic degree indicator, based on three Landsat TM imageries obtained in 1989, 2000 and 2013. The results showed that the proportion of shrubland was always small in this area from 1989 to 2013. During 1989-2013, the proportion of shrubland rapidly decreased and plantation area significantly increased, while the area of grassland and natural secondary forest slightly changed. Key driving factors for the vegetation dynamics were dependent on vegetation type and time. The change of each vegetation type from 1989 to 2000 was significantly influenced by social factors, i.e. distance to road and total investment of afforestation. Since the implementation of the Natural Forest Protection Project and establishment of Saihanba Nature Reserve, the role of natural factors including elevation and aspect gradually became more important during the 2000-2013. The vegetation landscape dynamics were primarily determined by social activities, while the distribution patterns of vegetation types were probably controlled by natural factors in the study area.为探讨塞罕坝自然保护区植被景观动态变化规律及其驱动机制,本文基于3期Landsat TM影像数据(1989、2000和2013年),应用随机森林分类算法和Logistic回归模型,借助土地动态度指标,分析了1989—2013年研究区各植被类型的变化及引起其变化的驱动因素.结果表明: 1989—2013年间,灌木林所占比例较小;研究区植被景观变化的主要特征是灌木林的迅速减少和人工林的持续增加,草地和天然次生林变化不明显;不同时期影响各植被类型变化的驱动因素不同,1989—2000年,社会因素如距道路距离、造林总投资是影响各植被类型变化的主要因素,2000—2013年,随着“天保工程”的实施以及自然保护区的成立,自然因素如高程、坡向的影响逐渐加强;社会活动主导了研究区的植被景观动态,而自然因素在一定程度上决定了植被类型的分布格局.

In this work, a modified pretreatment method using magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) was successfully applied to study the metabolites of an important botanical with ultraperformance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The MMIPs for glucoside-specific adsorption was used to identify metabolites of Pulsatilla chinensis in rat feces. Polymers were prepared by using Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the supporting matrix, d-glucose as fragment template, and dopamine as the functional monomer and cross-linker. Results showed that MMIPs exhibited excellent extraction performance, large adsorption capacity (5.65 mg/g), fast kinetics (60 min), and magnetic separation. Furthermore, the MMIPs coupled with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS were successfully utilized for the identification of 17 compounds including 15 metabolites from the Pulsatilla saponin metabolic pool. This study provides a reliable protocol for the separation and identification of saponin metabolites in a complex biological sample, including those from herbal medicines.

A sonoelectrochemical synthetic method is reported for rapidly preparing and dispersing reduced graphene nanosheets (RGNSECM) stabilized in an aqueous electrolyte. The X-ray photoelectron and Raman results demonstrate that the defects on RGNSECM are predominantly physical and not similar to the chemical defects on reduced graphene nanosheets (RGNCM) synthesized via chemical reduction of graphene oxide nanosheets based on the Hummer's method. The in-plane crystallite size (La) of RGNSECM is 26.8 nm, larger than the 18.2 nm of RGNCM. The RGNs prepared using the sonoelectrochemical method (RGNSECM) were successfully applied as nonenzymatic H2O2 sensors and alkaline oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Using electrochemical analysis, a fair comparison of the performances of RGNSECM and RGNCM as H2O2 sensors and ORR catalysts has been performed.

To understand the dynamics of brain edema in different areas after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rabbit, we used dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to monitor blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and cytotoxic brain edema after weight drop-induced TBI in rabbit. The dynamics of BBB permeability and brain edema were quantified using K(trans) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the focal and perifocal lesion areas, as well as the area contralateral to the lesion. In the focal lesion area, K(trans) began to increase at 3 h post-TBI, peaked at 3 days, and decreased gradually while remaining higher than sham injury animals at 7 and 30 days. ADC was more variable, increased slightly at 3 h, decreased to its lowest value at 7 days, then increased to a peak at 30 days. In the perifocal lesion area, K(trans) began to increase at 1 day, peaked at 3-7 days, and returned to control level by 30 days. ADC showed a trend to increase at 1 day, followed by a continuous increase thereafter. In the contralateral area, no changes in K(trans) and ADC were observed at any time-point. These data demonstrate that different types of brain edema predominate in the focal and perifocal lesion areas. Specifically cytotoxic edema was predominant in the focal lesion area while vasogenic edema predominated in the perifocal area in acute phase. Furthermore, secondary opening of the BBB after TBI may appear if secondary injury is not controlled. BBB damage may be a driving force for cytotoxic brain edema and could be a new target for TBI intervention.

The influences of particle sizes of asphalt emulsion on the storage stability of emulsion and properties of cement and asphalt mortar were studied. Results indicated that, the storage stability was improved with the decrease of particle size, while the emulsion stability was not improved significantly when the particle size was less than 3μm; the fluidity was improved while the separation rate was increased with the decrease of particle size; the early strength of CA mortar was increased when prepared with the emulsion with larger particle size; while the emulsion with smaller particle size was benefit to the late strength development of CA mortar.

To determine the incremental value of magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging for the diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory diseases (PID). We added DW sequences to conventional MR imaging in 187 patients with clinically suspected PID. The imaging findings included shape, signal intensity on T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and DW imaging, shade in the peripheral lesions, free pelvic fluid, and lymphadenopathy. Laparoscopic and pathological findings confirmed the diagnosis in all patients. Conventional MR findings were consistent with a diagnosis of PID in 90.7% (117/129) and of non-PID in 93.3% (28/30) of the 159 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of conventional MR imaging findings vs. the addition of DW imaging to conventional MR protocols for predicting PID were 90.7%, 93.3%, 98.3%, 70.0%, and 91.2% and 98.4%, 93.3%, 98.4%, 93.3%, and 97.5%, respectively. The addition of DW sequences to conventional MR imaging can improve the accuracy of diagnosis in PID.

To enhance diagnosis of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine carcinomas using CT and contrast-enhanced CT images.A total of 44 patients with gastrointestinal neuroendocrine carcinomas, as confirmed by clinical pathology and immunohistochemistry in the Sixth Affiliated People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai China, were included in the study. CT and enhanced CT scanning were performed, and the resulting images were reviewed and analyzed.Twenty-seven males and 17 females were enrolled. Gastrointestinal involvement included the following: 5 cases located in the middle or inferior segment of the esophagus; 5 in the gastric cardia, 15 in the body of stomach, 6 located in the gastric antrum; 5 located in the Vater papilla of the duodenum; and 8 located in the colon. Among the 44 cases 80%-90% of the lesions had homogeneous density. Totally 81.8% (36/44) cases demonstrated homogeneous enhancement in arterial phases, most of the cases (n = 33) moderately or obviously enhanced. Only 17.2% (8/44) cases appeared as heterogeneous enhancement. And 86.4% cases (n = 38) were further enhanced in the venous phase. The CT images also revealed some of the metastases. Some liver metastasis cases have obvious homogeneous enhancement.CT and enhanced CT provide useful information regarding gastrointestinal neuroendocrine carcinomas' location, density, enhancement pattern, and some metastasis. These features are helpful to increase the diagnostic accuracy.

For better understanding on adhesive ability and action mechanism of asphalt mortar, a series of mortar based on Zhong-hai asphalt were prepared and evaluated by the method used in high molecule composite materials. Some influencing factors including temperature, filler-binder ratio and asphalt type were discussed on interface adhesive ability. And some conclusions were conducted. The interface adhesive ability between asphalt and mineral filler will decline as temperature fall, until the glass transition or interface phase break appears in mortar system. To the same mineral filler and asphalt, interface adhesive ability of mortar will declines as filler-binder-ratio increases under a certain temperature, and beyond this temperature, high filler-binder-ratio will upgrade the interface adhesive ability and the whole binding performance of mortar.

To develop economical and phosphorus-free catalysts for hydrogenation of ketones, three new complexes, [Ni(1R,2R-dpen)2(H2O)Cl]2Cl2· 2Et2O (1), [Ni(1R,2R-dpen)(phen)(CH3OH)2]Cl2·2CH3OH (2) and [Ni(1,8-dan)2(DMF)Cl]2Cl2· 3H2O (3), and three reported compounds, [Ni(opda)(phen)Cl2]·CH3OH (4), [Ni(opda)2Cl2] (5) and [Ni(1,2-dach)2]Cl2 (6), were prepared and the structures of new compounds were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, in which 1R,2R-dpen, phen, 1,8-dan, opda and 1,2-dach denote 1R,2R-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 1,8-diaminonaphthalene, o-phenylenediamine and 1,2-diaminocyclohexane, respectively. The catalytic effects for hydrogenation of acetophenone of these compounds were tested. This revealed very poor or no catalytic effects of these complexes in transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone using isopropanol or HCOOHNEt3 as hydrogen source. However, they presented much better catalytic effects in ionic hydrogenation of acetophenone using H2 gas as hydrogen source with a dependence of the catalytic effects on the base used in the hydrogenation reactions. The complexes represent a kind of green hydrogenation catalyst, although the conversion in the hydrogenation reactions is not as high as expected. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Carbons deposited on the filter after the reactor of hydrocracking (US-Sludge) and in the heat exchanger (DS-Sludge) in a commercial H-Oil process were analyzed through the elemental analysis, XRD, SEM, optical microscope, 13 C-NMR and Raman spectroscopy to elucidate their formation mechanism. Heat treatment of sludge and oil products recovered from the commercial process was performed at 698 K of a reaction temperature. XRD showed the presence of Fe 1− x S, NaCl, and CaSO 4 as well as carbon (2 Θ = 26.6°) in US-Sludge. The carbon showed medium and fine mosaic textures surrounding the isotropic grains. DS-Sludge showed mixed texture of domain and flow surrounding the fine mosaic grains. The sludge consisted of stacked carbon flakes with a number of pores on the surface. EDX showed dominant presence of NaCl and CaO particles in the mosaic region. Heat treatment of asphaltene in the product mixed with US-Sludge gave the same appearance to that of DS-Sludge. US- and DS-Sludge are concluded to be formed through the respective carbon formation in the reactor and to be separated on the filter and on the heat exchanger surface, respectively. The carbon particles produced in the reactor collect contaminant Fe 1− x S and CaSO 4 particles to form the agglomerate where the growth and coalescence of the anisotropic spheres are very restricted to form the fine mosaic texture as observed in the US-Sludge. In contrast, the carbonization of the major precipitated heavy aromatic component leads to the domain or flow anisotropic texture through rather free growth and coalescence of anisotropic spheres on the surface of the heat exchanger wall. Although some parts of precipitated component together with US-Sludge give mosaic texture through the restricted growth and coalescence of anisotropic sphere by the presence of reactive fine solids.

Thin carbon nanofibers with less than 100 nm diameter were variously prepared over MgO-supported nickel and bimetallic nickel catalysts with iron, copper, and molybdenum. The second metal effects on the carbon yield and structure were investigated by using electron microscopic and gas chromatographic methods. Further, the active catalysts were examined by powdered X-ray diffraction to elucidate correlation between the catalyst and nanofiber growth. The surface composition of catalysts appeared to govern the catalyst activity and the resulting CNF structure. The second metal effects on the catalyst activity and resulting nanofiber structure is discussed in terms of the formation mechanism of carbon nanofibers, on the basis of the results.

Despite the identification of horseshoe bats as the reservoir of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs), the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8, which contains the 29-nucleotide signature deletion among human strains, remains obscure. Although two SARS-related Rhinolophus sinicus bat CoVs (SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs) previously detected in Chinese horseshoe bats ( Rhinolophus sinicus ) in Yunnan, RsSHC014 and Rs3367, possessed 95% genome identities to human and civet SARSr-CoVs, their ORF8 protein exhibited only 32.2 to 33% amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs. To elucidate the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8, we sampled 348 bats of various species in Yunnan, among which diverse alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses, including potentially novel CoVs, were identified, with some showing potential interspecies transmission. The genomes of two betacoronaviruses, SARSr-Rf-BatCoV YNLF_31C and YNLF_34C, from greater horseshoe bats ( Rhinolophus ferrumequinum ), possessed 93% nucleotide identities to human/civet SARSr-CoV genomes. Although these two betacoronaviruses displayed lower similarities than SARSr-Rs-BatCoV RsSHC014 and Rs3367 in S protein to civet SARSr-CoVs, their ORF8 proteins demonstrated exceptionally high (80.4 to 81.3%) amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs, compared to SARSr-BatCoVs from other horseshoe bats (23.2 to 37.3%). Potential recombination events were identified around ORF8 between SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs and SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs, leading to the generation of civet SARSr-CoVs. The expression of ORF8 subgenomic mRNA suggested that the ORF8 protein may be functional in SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs. The high K a / K s ratio among human SARS-CoVs compared to that among SARSr-BatCoVs supported that ORF8 is under strong positive selection during animal-to-human transmission. Molecular clock analysis using ORF1ab showed that SARSr-Rf-BatCoV YNLF_31C and YNLF_34C diverged from civet/human SARSr-CoVs in approximately 1990. SARS-CoV ORF8 originated from SARSr-CoVs of greater horseshoe bats through recombination, which may be important for animal-to-human transmission. IMPORTANCE Although horseshoe bats are the primary reservoir of SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs), it is still unclear how these bat viruses have evolved to cross the species barrier to infect civets and humans. Most human SARS-CoV epidemic strains contain a signature 29-nucleotide deletion in ORF8, compared to civet SARSr-CoVs, suggesting that ORF8 may be important for interspecies transmission. However, the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8 remains obscure. In particular, SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs from Chinese horseshoe bats ( Rhinolophus sinicus ) exhibited

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: BALB/c nude mice were randomized into four groups 24 h before subcutaneous injection of hepatocarcinoma BEL7402 cells suspended in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) into the right flank. The control group (n = 10) was fed a standard diet while treatment groups (n = 10 each) were fed a standard daily diet supplemented with different concentrations of UDCA (30, 50 and 70 mg/kg per day) for 21 d. Tumor growth was measured once each week, and tumor volume (V) was calculated with the following equation: V = (L × W2) × 0.52, where L is the length and W is the width of the xenograft. After 21 d, mice were killed under ether anesthesia, and tumors were excised and weighed. Apoptosis was evaluated through detection of DNA fragmentation with gel electrophoresis and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the expression of apoptosis-related proteins BAX, BCL2, APAF1, cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved caspase-3. RESULTS: UDCA suppressed tumor growth relative to controls. The mean tumor volumes were the following: control, 1090 ± 89 mm3; 30 mg/kg per day, 612 ± 46 mm3; 50 mg/kg per day, 563 ± 38 mm3; and 70 mg/kg per day, 221 ± 26 mm3. Decreased tumor volumes reached statistical significance relative to control xenografts (30 mg/kg per day, P < 0.05; 50 mg/kg per day, P < 0.05; 70 mg/kg per day, P < 0.01). Increasing concentrations of UDCA led to increased DNA fragmentation observed on gel electrophoresis and in the TUNEL assay (control, 1.6% ± 0.3%; 30 mg/kg per day, 2.9% ± 0.5%; 50 mg/kg per day, 3.15% ± 0.7%, and 70 mg/kg per day, 4.86% ± 0.9%). Western blot analysis revealed increased expression of BAX, APAF1, cleaved-caspase-9 and cleaved-caspase-3 proteins, which induce apoptosis, but decreased expression of BCL2 protein, which is an inhibitor of apoptosis, following administration of UDCA. CONCLUSION: UDCA suppresses growth of BEL7402 hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vivo, in part through apoptosis induction, and is thus a candidate for therapeutic treatment of HCC.

Objective: This study aims to explore the protection effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on PC12 cells apoptosis mediated by transient axonal glycoprotein 1 (TAG1). Methods: PC12 cells were divided into control group, Aβ25-35 group and BMSCs + Aβ25-35 group. The effects of BMSCs on PC12 cells treated by Aβ25-35 were detected using MTT, Hoechst 33258 and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining methods. The expression levels of TAG1, β-amyloid precursor protein (APP), AICD and p53 were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting methods. The expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 were determined by Western blotting method. The activity of Caspase 3 was detected by spectrophotometric method. Results: MTT results showed that cell activity decreased after the treatment of 20 μM Aβ25-35 for 48 h (P

Background and aims: Endoscopic Interventional Treatment is of little trauma and less complications in the treatment of esophageal tumor and leads to faster recovery and fewer days of hospitalization. This study was aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic interventional therapy for huge esophageal tumor arising in the muscularis propria. Methods: The patient was treated by submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER). Results: The huge esophageal tumor was resected completely by STER technique, with little trauma and less complications. The size of the resected tumor was 5.5×3.5×3.0 cm. Conclusion: Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection is a safe and efficient technique for treating Huge Esophageal Tumor originating from muscularis propria layer.

Background There have been four strains on Manzanilla virus (MANV) identified to date. Here, we identify a novel MANV strain (DHL10M107) isolated from Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles mosquitoes from Ruili city, Dehong prefecture, Yunnan Province, in the People’s Republic of China. Results The DHL10M107 L, M and S genes were sequenced at the nucleotide and deduced amino acid levels. The L, M and S gene sequences of DHL10M107 clustered with the MANV strains VN04-2108, TRVL3587, SA An 4165, and AV 782. DHL10M107 was most closely related to VN04-2108. Nucleotide homology ranged between 96 and 99% between DHL10M107 and VN04-2108. In terms of amino acid homology, all of the amino acid differences were in the L (96.3% homologous) and M (97.7% homologous) fragments. Conclusions DHL10M107 is likely a MANV isolated from mosquitos in the Yunnan Province. This is the first reported isolation of MANV in mainland China. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1198-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR), and group compositional analysis were used to characterize the synthesis reaction of fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) slurry before and after solvent extraction treatment. This investigation provided a great deal of critical information for use in future process development. Before solvent extraction, the FCC slurry is extremely complex. Saturates content is relatively high, and there are a variety of aromatic ring substituents. In addition, molecular uniformity is poor and chemical steric hindrance is strong. On the contrary, the composition of a fraction enriched in aromatics is relatively simple with excellent uniformity and homogeneous molecular alkyl-substituents. The aromatic enriched fraction (FCCRF) from the FCC slurry has weak chemical steric hindrance and, consequently, is more reactive than the original FCC slurry.

We report a primary hemangiopericytoma in the right tentorium with multiple metastases within 5 years after tumor subtotal resection. The patient was treated with conventional radiotherapy and interventional radiology techniques. The patient is still alive until now. It is obvious that the subtotal