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The Paeonia suffruticosa, called as 'Feng Dan', has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine. In our chemical investigation on the root bark of the plant, five new phenolic dimers, namely paeobenzofuranone A‒E (1‒5), have been characterized. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, UV, and IR, as well as ECD calculations. Compounds 2, 4, and 5 showed cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 6.7 to 25.1 μM. Compounds 1 and 2 showed certain inhibitory activity on NO production. To the best of our knowledge, the benzofuranone dimers and their cytotoxicity of P. suffruticosa are reported for the first time.

Mutations in the extracellular matrix gene Fibrillin-2 (FBN2) are related to genetic macular degenerative disorders including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and early-onset macular degeneration (EOMD). It was reported that the retinal protein expression of FBN2 was reduced in patients with AMD and EOMD. The effect of exogenously supplied fbn2 recombinant protein on fbn2-deficiency-related retinopathy was not known. Here we investigated the efficacy and molecular mechanism of intravitreally applied fibrin-2 recombinant protein in mice with fbn2-deficient retinopathy. The experimental study included groups (all n = 9) of adult C57BL/6J male mice which underwent no intervention, intravitreal injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV) empty vector or intravitreal injection of AAV-sh-fbn2 (adeno-associated virus for expressing short hairpin RNA for fibrillin-2) followed by three intravitreal injections of fbn2 recombinant protein, given in intervals of 8 days in doses of 0.30 μg, 0.75 μg, 1.50 μg, and 3.00 μg, respectively. Eyes with intravitreally applied AAV-sh-fbn2 as compared to eyes with injection of AAV-empty vector or developed an exudative retinopathy with involvement of the deep retinal layers, reduction in axial length and reduction in ERG amplitudes. After additional and repeated application of fbn2 recombinant protein, the retinopathy improved with an increase in retinal thickness and ERG amplitude, the mRNA and protein expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1) and TGF-β binding protein (LTBP-1) increased, and axial length elongated, with the difference most marked for the dose of 0.75 μg of fbn2 recombinant protein. The observations suggest that intravitreally applied fbn2 recombinant protein reversed the retinopathy caused by an fbn2 knockdown.

We report a new design of microwave source for X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer. The microwave source is equipped with a digital automatic frequency control circuit. The parameters of the digital automatic frequency control circuit can be flexibly configured under different experimental conditions, such as the input powers or the quality factors of the resonator. The configurability makes the microwave source universally compatible and greatly extends its application. To demonstrate the ability of adapting to various experimental conditions, the microwave source is tested by varying input powers and the quality factors of the resonator. A satisfactory phase noise as low as -135 dBc/Hz at 100-kHz offset from the center frequency is achieved, due to the use of a phase-locked dielectric resonator oscillator and a direct digital synthesizer. Continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance experiments are conducted to examine the performance of the microwave source. The outstanding performance shows a prospect of wide applications of the microwave source in numerous fields of science.

Background: Aging and oxidative stress are considered to be the proximal culprits of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Eldecalcitol (ED-71), a new active vitamin D derivative, has shown a good therapeutic effect on different types of osteoporosis, but the mechanism is unclear. This study focused on exploring whether ED-71 could prevent bone loss in postmenopausal osteoporosis by regulating the cell senescence of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), and explaining its specific mechanism of action.Materials and methods: An ovariectomized (OVX) rat model was established and 30 ng/kg ED-71 was administered orally once a day. The weight of rats was recorded regularly. Micro-computed tomography (CT) and histochemical staining were used to evaluate bone mass, histological parameters, and aging-related factors. Rat bone mesenchymal stem cells were extracted and cultivated in vitro. Aging cells were marked with senescence-associated β-gal (SA-β-gal) dyeing. The mRNA and protein levels of aging-related factors and SIRT1-Nrf2 signal were detected by RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence staining. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were detected by DCFH-DA staining.Results: Compared with the Sham group, the bone volume of the ovariectomized group rats decreased while their weight increased significantly. ED-71 prevented bone loss and inhibited weight gain in ovariectomized rats. More importantly, although the expression of aging-related factors in the bone tissue increased in the ovariectomized group, the addition of ED-71 reversed changes in these factors. After extracting and in vitro culturing bone mesenchymal stem cells, the proportion of aging bone mesenchymal stem cells was higher in the ovariectomized group than in the Sham group, accompanied by a significant decrease in the osteogenic capacity. ED-71 significantly improved the bone mesenchymal stem cells senescence caused by ovariectomized. In addition, ED-71 increased the expression of SIRT1 and Nrf2 in ovariectomized rat bone mesenchymal stem cells. Inhibition of SIRT1 or Nrf2 decreased the inhibitory effect of ED-71 on bone mesenchymal stem cells senescence. ED-71 also showed a suppression effect on the reactive oxygen species level in bone mesenchymal stem cells.Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that ED-71 could inhibit the cell senescence of bone mesenchymal stem cells in ovariectomized rats by regulating the SIRT1-Nrf2 signal, thereby preventing bone loss caused by osteoporosis.

(±)-spiroganoapplanin A (1) with a polycyclic meroterpenoid from Ganoderma applanatum showed potential anti-AD’s effect by reducing Aβ42 production and inhibiting Tau phosphorylation through BACE1, CDK5, and GSK3β-mediated pathways.

Objective: To investigate the effect of erianin on uveal melanoma cells and its underlying mechanism. Erianin is a broad-spectrum antitumor compound, and whether it is effective in uveal melanoma cells is unclear. Methods: B16F10 cells (murine melanoma cells) were divided into 4 experimental groups and 1 control group. The control group was not treated with drugs, and the experimental groups were treated with 3.125 μmol·L-1, 6.25 μmol·L-1, 12.5 μmol·L-1, and 25 μmol·L-1 erianin. A real-time cell electronic analysis system (RT-CES) and CCK-8 assay were used to investigate the effects of different doses of erianin on the growth of uveal melanoma cells. The VEGF-A mRNA expression in uveal melanoma cells was detected by RT‒PCR. ELISAs were used to study the effect of erianin on VEGF-A secretion in uveal melanoma cells. Flow cytometry was used to investigate the effect of erianin on the cell cycle and apoptosis of uveal melanoma cells and its possible mechanism. Results: Uveal melanoma cells in the experimental group (3.125 μmol·L-1, 6.25 μmol·L-1, 12.5 μmol·L-1, and 25 μmol·L-1) were treated with erianin for 24 h, and the cell survival rate decreased to 93.93 ± 0.26%, 89.46 ± 2.50%, 64.30 ± 2.45% and 35.06 ± 1.40%, respectively. Erianin downregulated VEGF-A mRNA expression in cells and inhibited the level of VEGF-A in uveal melanoma cells, and the experimental group (25 μmol·L-1) had the most obvious inhibitory effect. In addition, compared with those of the control group, the apoptosis rates of the experimental groups (3.125 μmol·L-1, 6.25 μmol·L-1, 12.5 μmol·L-1, and 25 μmol·L-1) increased from 0% to 7.29%, 8.25%, 10.04%, and 35.67%, respectively, after 24 h of erianin intervention. The proportion of cells in G1 phase increased from 38.31% to 39.40%, 41.45%, 49.03%, and 59.24%, and the differences were statistically significant (PConclusions: Erianin has a significant inhibitory effect on uveal melanoma cells, and its mechanism is to inhibit the level of VEGF and induce apoptosis and S-phase arrest of cells in a concentration-dependent manner.

The velocity of seismic data can initially be established by identifying energy clusters on velocity spectra at different moments, which is crucial to the migration imaging and the stacking of common midpoint (CMP) gathers in the seismic data processing. However, the identification of energy clusters currently relies on manual work, with low efficiency and different standards. With the increasing application of wide-frequency, wide-azimuth, and high-density seismic exploration technology, the amount of seismic data has increased significantly, greatly increasing the cost of manual labor and time. In this paper, an intelligent velocity picking method based on the Chan–Vese (CV) model and mean-shift clustering algorithm was proposed. It can be divided into three steps. First, a velocity trend band is set up on the velocity spectrum by experts to avoid multiples and other noises. Then, the velocity trend band is applied to the Chan–Vese model as the initial time condition to segment the velocity spectrum and obtain the velocity candidate region. Finally, mean-shift clustering is adopted to cluster the useful energy clusters retained in the candidate region derived from the Chan–Vese model. When implementing the mean-shift clustering algorithm, the Gaussian kernel function and the energy of the velocity spectrum are utilized to control the efficiency and accuracy of the cluster. The tests of the model and real data prove that the proposed method can dramatically improve the accuracy and efficiency of velocity picking compared with the K-means and manual picking method.

Shear wave velocity plays an important role in both reservoir prediction and pre-stack inversion. However, the current deep learning-based shear wave velocity prediction methods have certain limitations, including lack of training dataset, poor model generalization, and poor physical interpretability. In this study, the theoretical rock physics models are introduced into the construction of the labeled dataset for deep learning algorithms, and a forward simulation of the theoretical rock physics models is utilized to supplement the dataset that incorporates geological and geophysical knowledge. This markedly increases the physical interpretability of the deep learning algorithm. Theoretical rock physics models for two different types of reservoirs, i.e., conventional sandstone and tight sandstone reservoirs, are first established. Then, a full-sample labeled dataset is constructed using these two types of theoretical rock physics models to traverse the elasticity parameter space of the two types of reservoirs through random variation and combination of parameters in the theoretical models. Finally, based on the constructed full-sample labeled dataset, four parameters (P-wave velocity, clay content, porosity, and density) that are highly correlated with the shear wave velocity are selected and combined with a deep neural network to build a deep shear wave velocity prediction network with good generalization and robustness, which can be directly applied to field data. The errors between the predicted shear wave velocity using the deep neural network and the measured shear wave velocity data in the laboratory and the logging data in three real field work areas are less than 5%, which are much smaller than the errors predicted by both Han’s and Castagna’s empirical formula. Furthermore, the prediction accuracy and generalization performance are better than those of these two common empirical formulas. The forward simulation based on theoretical models supplements the training dataset and provides high-quality labels for machine learning. This can considerably improve the interpretability and generalization of models in real applications of a machine learning algorithm.

This review comprehensively summaries the structure diversity and possible biosynthesis of representative Ganoderma meroterpenoids (GMs), as well as the chemical synthesis and pharmacological activities of some significant GMs.

Apelin (APLN) was believed to be an adipokine secreted from adipose tissue. However, studies demonstrate that it is a pleiotropic peptide and has several effects on the female reproductive system. In this study, the effect of different doses of IGF1 and FSH in the presence of APLN-13 on the production of estradiol and progesterone was evaluated in the follicular granulosa cells of buffalo ovaries, in addition, the effects of different doses of APLN isoforms (APLN-13 and APLN-17) on proliferation, the expression of Bax protein and total antioxidant capacity activity of the same cells were investigated. Granulosa cells of buffalo ovaries were cultured in the presence of different doses of IGF1 and FSH with or without APLN-13 (10− 9M) to evaluate its effect on the secretion of estradiol and progesterone that tested by ELISA assay. WST-1 method was used to survey the effect of APLN on granulosa cell proliferation and cytotoxicity. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of the cells in the presence of APLN was assessed using FRAP method. mRNA and Bax protein levels were measured in granulosa cells treated with APLN using real-time PCR and western blot techniques. APLN-13 stimulated the effect of IGF1 on the production of estradiol and progesterone, and the progesterone production levels were affected by APLN-13 dose-dependently. However, it did not significantly stimulate the effect of FSH on the secretion of estradiol or progesterone. APLN-13 (all doses) and − 17 (10− 8 and 10− 9 M) improved the proliferation of granulosa cells. Moreover, preincubation of the cells for an hour by APLN receptor antagonist (ML221, 10 µM) did not significantly affect the proliferation of cells. Neither APLN-13 nor APLN-17 were not cytotoxic for the cells compared to the control treatment. APLN-13 at the doses of 10− 6 and 10− 8 M substantially up and down-regulated Bax protein expression; however, such effects were not observed when the cells were preincubated with ML221. In addition, APLN-17 did not influence the expression amount of Bax. Furthermore, both APLN-13 and − 17 improved the total antioxidant capacity of the ovarian granulosa cells, but such effects were not seen when the cells were preincubated with ML221. These findings indicate that APLN enhanced the IGF1 induced steroidogenesis and improved the cell proliferation and antioxidant capacity of follicular granulosa cells of buffalo ovaries; however, its effect on Bax expression was divergent.

Three new meroterpenoids, cochlearins J-L (1-3) and three known meroterpenoids (4-6) were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma cochlear. NMR (

To investigate the dietary nutrient intake and the nutritional status of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and to explore the correlation between them, so as to provide theoretical basis for the formulation of proper nutritional treatment for children with DMD.A total of 223 children aged 2 to 14 years who came to West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University from July 2017 to April 2021, and who were diagnosed with DMD by genetic testing were enrolled as the subjects of the study. Dietary assessment was conducted with a 3-day 24-hour dietary recall, and serum vitamin D level was measured by chemiluminescence method.Only 33.2% of the children with DMD were found to be of normal nutritional status. The incidences of stunted growth, underweight, overweight and obesity were 13.5%, 14.4%, 14.3% and 8.1%, respectively. Among the children with DMD, those with serum vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency accounted for 9.0% and 89.7%, respectively. According to the dietary recall of the children with MDM, the daily energy ratio of carbohydrate, protein and fat were (47.40±6.64)%, (14.46±2.22)%, and (38.17±5.30)%, respectively. The daily intake of dietary calcium and vitamin D were (433.32±164.39) mg per day and (155.73±89.30) IU per day, respectively. The ratio of daily protein intake to the estimated average requirement for protein (The dietary structure of children with DMD is obviously not suited to their condition and nutritional deficiency coexists with overnutrition among them. Further research needs to be done for developing appropriate nutritional guidance programs and standardized nutritional management measures for children with DMD.

Laboratory search of exotic interactions is crucial for exploring physics beyond the standard model. We report new experimental constraints on two exotic spin-dependent interactions at the micrometer scale based on ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. A thin layer of NV electronic spin ensembles is synthesized as the solid-state spin quantum sensor, and a lead sphere is taken as the interacting nucleon source. Our result establishes new bounds for two types of exotic spin interactions at the micrometer scale. For an exotic parity-odd spin- and velocity-dependent interaction, improved bounds are set within the force range from 5 to 500 μm. The upper limit of the corresponding coupling constant $g_A^eg_V^N$ at 330 μm is more than 1000-fold more stringent than the previous constraint. For the P, T-violating scalar-pseudoscalar nucleon-electron interaction, improved constraints are established within the force range from 6 to 45 μm. The limit of the corresponding coupling constant $g_S^Ng_P^e$ is improved by more than one order of magnitude at 30 μm. This work demonstrates that a solid-state NV ensemble can be a powerful platform for probing exotic spin-dependent interactions.

Background Kawasaki disease (KD) is a kind of vasculitis with unidentified etiology. Given that the current diagnosis and therapeutic strategy of KD are mainly dependent on clinical experiences, further research to explore its pathological mechanisms is warranted. Methods Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the serum levels of SIGIRR, TLR4 and caspase-8. Western blotting was applied to determine protein levels, and flow cytometry was utilized to analyze cell apoptosis. Hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining and TUNEL staining were respectively used to observe coronary artery inflammation and DNA fragmentation. Results In this study, we found the level of SIGIRR was downregulated in KD serum and KD serum-treated endothelial cells. However, the level of caspase-8 was increased in serum from KD patients compared with healthy control (HC). Therefore, we hypothesized that SIGIRR-caspase-8 signaling may play an essential role in KD pathophysiology. In vitro experiments demonstrated that endothelial cell apoptosis in the setting of KD was associated with caspase-8 activation, and SIGIRR overexpression alleviated endothelial cell apoptosis via inhibiting caspase-8 activation. These findings were also recapitulated in the Candida albicans cell wall extracts (CAWS)-induced KD mouse model. Conclusion Our data suggest that endothelial cell apoptosis mediated by SIGIRR-caspase-8 signaling plays a crucial role in coronary endothelial damage, providing potential targets to treat KD.

Osteoporosis is a skeletal system disease characterized by low bone mass and altered bone microarchitecture, with an increased risk of fractures. Classical theories hold that osteoporosis is essentially a bone remodeling disorder caused by estrogen deficiency/aging (primary osteoporosis) or secondary to diseases/drugs (secondary osteoporosis). However, with the in-depth understanding of the intricate nexus between both bone and the immune system in recent decades, the novel field of “Immunoporosis” was proposed by Srivastava et al. (2018, 2022), which delineated and characterized the growing importance of immune cells in osteoporosis. This review aimed to summarize the response of the immune system (immune cells and inflammatory factors) in different types of osteoporosis. In postmenopausal osteoporosis, estrogen deficiency-mediated alteration of immune cells stimulates the activation of osteoclasts in varying degrees. In senile osteoporosis, aging contributes to continuous activation of the immune system at a low level which breaks immune balance, ultimately resulting in bone loss. Further in diabetic osteoporosis, insulin deficiency or resistance-induced hyperglycemia could lead to abnormal regulation of the immune cells, with excessive production of proinflammatory factors, resulting in osteoporosis. Thus, we reviewed the pathophysiology of osteoporosis from a novel insight-immunoporosis, which is expected to provide a specific therapeutic target for different types of osteoporosis.

Blockchain has received global concern as a research focus in recent years. It is a decentralized and unreliably distributed database technology. Numerous countries and researchers have successively applied blockchain in various fields. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were adopted as bibliometric analysis tools in this paper to obtain a comprehensive overview of blockchain technology and grasp the current research emphasis. The Web of Science core collection database was used as the primary source for data collection. The data were collected from 3826 articles published from 2013 to 2020. Specifically, the publication trends and categories might throw light on the development trends and current domains in terms of blockchain research. The most influential and productive authors, institutions, countries, and journals were involved in this bibliometric analysis. Theoretical knowledge and hot research topics on blockchain mainly ranged over “smart contract”, “bitcoin”, “security”, “ethereum”, and “cryptography”. A cluster analysis from the keyword perspective was carried out to obtain emerging trends and frontiers of blockchain. The results showed that future research should concentrate on management, blockchain technology, energy, machine learning, and smart home. Therefore, this paper assisted scholars and practitioners in getting a comprehensive understanding of the status quo and trends of blockchain research.

We report an experimental investigation of quantum correlations in a two-qutrit spin system in a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond at room temperatures. Quantum entanglement between two qutrits was observed at room temperature, and the existence of nonclassical correlations beyond entanglement in the qutrit case has been revealed. Our work demonstrates the potential of the NV centers as the multiqutrit system to execute quantum information tasks and provides a powerful experimental platform for studying the fundamental physics of high-dimensional quantum systems in the future.

VEGFR-2 is an attractive therapeutic target for antitumor drug research by blocking tumor angiogenesis and PROTAC provides a new technology for targeted protein knockout. Herein, a library of novel VEGFR-2-PROTAC degraders were rationally designed and synthesized based on the Lys residue region on the surface of VEGFR-2 protein using protein structure-based drug design strategy. Among them, P7 exhibited preferable antitumor activity against HGC-27 cells and less toxic to human normal HUVEC, HEK293T and GES-1 cells in vitro, as well as the potent degradation activity of VEGFR-2 protein in HGC-27 cells (DC

Xing Rong,1,2 Yuying Kou,1,2 Yuan Zhang,1,2 Panpan Yang,1,2 Rong Tang,1,2 Hongrui Liu,1,2 Minqi Li1,2 1Department of Bone Metabolism, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University & Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration & Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration, Jinan, People’s Republic of China; 2Center of Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Research, Shandong University, Jinan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Minqi Li; Hongrui Liu, Center of Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Research, Shandong University, Department of Bone Metabolism, School of Stomatology, Shandong University, Wenhua West Road 44-1, Jinan, 250012, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-531-88382095 ; +86-531-88382493, Fax +86-531-8838 2923, Email liminqi@sdu.edu.cn; yf1blhr@126.comPurpose: Long-term glucocorticoid- usage can lead to glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). The study focused on the preventative effects of a novel active vitamin D3 analog, eldecalcitol (ED-71), against GIOP and explored the underlying molecular mechanisms.Methods: Intraperitoneal injection of methylprednisolone (MPED) or dexamethasone (DEX) induced the GIOP model within C57BL/6 mice in vivo. Simultaneously, ED-71 was orally supplemented. Bone histological alterations, microstructure parameters, novel bone formation rates, and osteogenic factor changes were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, micro-computed tomography, calcein/tetracycline labeling, and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The osteogenic differentiation level and mineralization in pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells were evaluated in vitro using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, alizarin red (AR) staining, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining.Results: ED-71 partially prevented bone mass reduction and microstructure parameter alterations among GIOP-induced mice. Moreover, ED-71 also promoted new bone formation and osteoblast activity while inhibiting osteoclasts. In vitro, ED-71 promoted osteogenic differentiation and mineralization in DEX-treated MC3T3-E1 cells and boosted the levels of osteogenic-related factors. Additionally, GSK3-β and β-catenin expression levels were elevated after ED-71 was added to cells and were accompanied by reduced Notch expression. The Wnt signaling inhibitor XAV939 and Notch overexpression reversed the ED-71 promotional effects toward osteogenic differentiation and mineralization.Conclusion: ED-71 prevented GIOP by enhancing osteogenic differentiation through Notch and Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling. The results provide a novel translational direction for the clinical application of ED-71 against GIOP.Keywords: glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, eldecalcitol, osteoblasts, Notch signaling, Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling

The seed oil of Prinsepia utilis is extensively used as an edible oil by the nationalities of Naxi, Tibetan, and Mosuo in China, which is particularly good for beauty care and has a health protection function. A large amount of industrial waste is thrown away during the production process of seed oil. Therefore, to recover bioactive compounds from the oil residue of P. utilis is environmentally friendly and economically important. For this purpose, the chemical constituents of the P. utilis oil residue were investigated in our research, and five new compounds, prinsepicyanosides F-I (1-4) and prinamoside A (5), together with 16 known compounds (6-21) were isolated. The structures of the new compounds (1-5) were unambiguously confirmed by extensive spectroscopic techniques. Preliminary in vitro pharmacological studies showed that the hydroxynitrile glucosides (3, 9, and 10) exhibited weak α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. To a certain extent, our research provides some evidence for the pharmacological function of γ-hydroxynitrile glucosides and proposes new ideas for recycling of the oil residue of P. utilis.

Two unprecedented Ganoderma meroterpenoid dimers, applanmerotic acids A and B (1 and 2), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma applanatum. Their structures including stereostructures were established by spectroscopic analysis and the quantum chemical calculation (calculated 13C NMR and electronic circular dichroism) method. Compound 1 was a pair of enantiomers and compound 2 represents the first example of a dimeric meroterpenoid with a 2-oxo-spiro[furo[3,2-b]benzofuran-3,2′-naphthalene] core. Their plausible biogenetic pathway was proposed, from which their key polycyclic cores were formed through an intermolecular Diels–Alder reaction. Compounds 1 and 2 showed anti-inflammatory activities with IC50 values of 14.5 and 20.9 μM, respectively, by inhibiting the activation of FPR2 and the further competitive binding assay and molecular docking study indicated their action mechanism.

Detecting magnetic field is of great importance for many applications, such as magnetoencephalography and underground prospecting. There have been many magnetometers being widely used since the age of Hall magnetometer. One of the magnetometers, the superconducting quantum interference device, is capable of measuring femtotesla magnetic fields at cryogenic temperature. However, a solid-state magnetometer with femtotesla sensitivity under ambient conditions remains elusive. Here we present a hybrid magnetometer based on the ensemble nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond with the sensitivity of ( 195 ± 60 ) fT / Hz 1 / 2 under ambient conditions, which can be further advanced to 11 fT / Hz 1 / 2 at 100 Hz with cutting-edge fabrication technologies. Our method will find potential applications in biomagnetism and geomagnetism.

Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is a syndrome in middle-aged and elderly men caused by age-related testosterone deficiency. Age-related change of total testosterone (TT) of Asian males is different from Caucasian population, suggesting difference for LOH identification in Asians. A nationwide cross-sectional study involving six centers in China was conducted. Totally 6296 men aged 40-79 were recruited. After exclusions 5980 men were left for analyses. The serum TT level, was neither decreased with aging nor correlated with most hypogonadal symptoms. Instead, ten hypogonadal symptoms were found to be significantly correlated with free testosterone and testosterone secretion index, thus were chosen to form a concise scale. Further analysis identified a level of free testosterone

The nectar of Camellia reticulata Lindl. contains sugar, amino acids and other nutritional components, suggesting that it could be developed for food and food additives. To understand the effects of the nectar on human health, we investigated its chemical constituents. Two new flavonoid glycosides, cameretiins A and B (1 and 2), and two known flavonoid glycosides, kaempferol 3-O-(2''-O-E-p-coumaroyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (3) and tiliroside (4) were obtained from the nectar of Camellia reticulata Lindl. Their structures were determined based on analysis of their spectroscopic data and by comparison with 1D NMR spectroscopic data of known compounds reported in the literature. Compounds (1-4) were first isolated from the nectar of Camellia reticulata Lindl.

Seismic wave velocity is one of the most important processing parameters of seismic data, which also determines the accuracy of imaging. The conventional method of velocity analysis involves scanning through a series of equal intervals of velocity, producing the velocity spectrum by superposing energy or similarity coefficients. In this method, however, the sensitivity of the semblance spectrum to change of velocity is weak, so the resolution is poor. In this paper, to solve the above deficiencies of conventional velocity analysis, a method for obtaining a high-resolution velocity spectrum based on weighted similarity is proposed. By introducing two weighting functions, the resolution of the similarity spectrum in time and velocity is improved. Numerical examples and real seismic data indicate that the proposed method provides a velocity spectrum with higher resolution than conventional methods and can separate cross reflectors which are aliased in conventional semblance spectrums; at the same time, the method shows good noise-resistibility.

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of transcatheter radiofrequency ablation (RFCA) in treating ventricular premature contractions (PVCs) in children, summarized the countermeasures during intraoperative ventricular fibrillation (VF), and improved the safety of ventricular premature treatment. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 75 children with PVCs who received RFCA in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2010 to April 2019. Data including age, sex, body weight, ejection fraction, left ventricular end diastolic diameter, burden and number of PVCs/24 h, origin of PVCs, and its complications were collected. Paired t test was used to compare changes in cardiac function before and after surgery. Among the 75 cases treated with RFCA, 68 were successfully ablated, giving a success rate of 90.67%. After ablation, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of the children was 69.13 ± 3.81%, which was significantly higher than that before surgery (69.13 ± 3.81% vs. 66.21 ± 3.22%, P = 0.012). One of the patients experienced VF during the operation, with no other complications. The initial locus of origin was the anterior septum of the right ventricular outflow tract, but VF occurred during the ablation process. Mean follow-up time was 39 ± 33 months, with two recurrent cases (2.94%). Performing RFCA in children is safe and effective, with a low recurrence rate and few complications. VF is not an indication to cease surgery; the key to eliminating complications is repositioning the catheter and finding a more accurate origin point.

Meroapplanins A-E (1-5) with a 2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine fragment were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma applanatum. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses. Their absolute configurations were established based on the X-ray diffraction, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and calculated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with DP4+ analysis. A plausible biosynthetic pathway for 1-5 was proposed. Furthermore, compounds 1-5, together with optically pure compounds 1a-4a and 1b-4b, were evaluated for their protective effects in PC12 cells damaged by H2O2. The results showed that 3b had protective activity with a cell viability of 82.58 ± 1.31%, compared with the model group (cell viability: 65.27 ± 1.48%).

Seven new lactam ent-kaurane diterpenoids, cafemides A-G (1-7), were isolated from roasted beans of Coffea arabica. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis including 1D, 2D NMR (heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), 1H-1H correlation spectroscopy (COSY), and rotating frame Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY)), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), and IR spectra. They were divided into subtype I-III according to the structure. Further, with the aid of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based molecular network, seven (8-14) subtype II diterpenoids were successfully identified. In addition, a variety of other subtypes of N-containing diterpenoids have been proven in roasted coffee. Compounds 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 showed a moderate inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase with an IC50 value of 8.28 ± 0.62 μM, 38.23 ± 8.87 μM, 28.94 ± 1.42 μM, 12.44 ± 1.37 μM, and 22.2 ± 5.34 μM, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that N-containing diterpenoids have been reported in coffee.

The invasive marine macroalga Chaetomorpha valida blooms frequently in Apostichopus japonicus culture ponds in North China, resulting in negative environmental consequences. The factors driving this algal overgrowth are unclear. Previous studies observed that eutrophication strongly influences abnormal growth of nuisance macrophytes, but relatively few studies have addressed the types and abundance of nitrogen in A. japonicus culture ponds during the seasonal progression of a C. valida bloom and the effects of nitrogen source and N/P on C. valida growth and photosynthesis. In this study, we describe the structural features of nitrogen abundance and the seasonal progression of a C. valida bloom and uncover a relationship between nitrogen enrichment and C. valida growth. Common garden experiments demonstrated that C. valida can utilize different forms of nitrogen in the environment for rapid growth. Growth rate and photosynthesis capacity were related to the nitrogen source and N/P ratio. This study will provide a reference for maintenance of ecological balance and healthy aquaculture in A. japonicus culture ponds.

This paper reports the development of a highly efficient, flexible hardware platform, which is suitable for the control of spin-based quantum systems including quantum computation and quantum metrology. A two-channel arbitrary waveform generator (AWG), an eight-channel pulse/sequence generator, a two-channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a two-channel high-speed time-to-digital converter (TDC) are fully integrated on a printed circuit board (PCB). The AWG has a 1-GSa/s sampling rate and a 16-bit amplitude resolution. The pulse/sequence generator can continuously output pulse/sequence signals with a 50-ps time resolution and a dynamic range from 5 ns to 2 s. The ADC provides a 1-GSa/s sampling rate and a 12-bit amplitude resolution for analog signal acquisition. The TDC provides a 6-ps time resolution and a maximum sampling frequency of 125 MHz. All these modules are realized utilizing a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Customized data calculation modules are also implemented with the FPGA logic. The hardware was tested and implemented in a pulsed electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer and an optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectrometer.

La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 was prepared to investigate the infrared emissivity of the sample under 0.76-2.5 μm and 2.5-500 μm infrared fields. The sample exhibited characteristic peaks of rhombohedral perovskite structure at 298-318 K, and split of the main peak weakened with increasing temperature. Intensity of the ferromagnetic resonance peak enhanced with increasing temperature, and the peak was shifted toward high magnetic field. A weak paramagnetic resonance peak appeared at 318 K, indicating that ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition was occurring. The temperature of the sample under 2.5-500 μm field was higher than that under 0.76-2.5 μm. The emissivity of the sample increased with radiation time under 2.5-500 μm, but it had no obvious changes at about 0.665 under 0.76-2.5 μm. The emissivities at the same temperature fields were higher than those under 0.76-2.5 μm and 2.5-500 μm fields, respectively. It suggested that 0.76-2.5 μm and 2.5-500 μm radiations had inhibition effect on emissivity of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3.

Two new pyrrolizidine alkaloids, sclerwalins A and B (1 and 2), and one known 9-O-E-hydroxysenecioylretronecine (3) were first isolated from the seeds of Scleropyrum wallichianum. Their chemical st...

Objective. To investigate the association between the aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AST/ALT ratio, AAR) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance, coronary artery lesions (CAL), and coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD). Design. We retrospectively studied 2678 children with KD and divided them into two groups: a low-AAR group and a high-AAR group with a median AAR of 1.13 as the cut-off point. The differences in laboratory data, clinical manifestations, and coronary artery damage rates were compared between the two groups. Results. The incidence of CAL was higher in the low-AAR group than in the high-AAR group at 2 and 3-4 weeks after illness onset (p<0.001, respectively). The IVIG resistance rate was significantly higher in the low-AAR group than in the high-AAR group (29.94% vs 21.71%, p<0.001). The levels of C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, white blood cell count, bilirubin, fibrinogen, thrombin time, D-dimer, and brain natriuretic peptide were also significantly higher in the low-AAR group compared with the high-AAR group. The levels of albumin and IgG were significantly lower in the low-AAR group compared with those of the high-AAR group. The proportion of typical KD cases in the low-AAR group was significantly higher than that in the high-AAR group. Low-AAR correlated with the risk of coronary artery damage and IVIG resistance. Conclusion. Children with KD who had low-AAR value were more likely to develop coronary artery damage and IVIG resistance. Low AAR is a risk factor for CAL, CAA, and IVIG resistance in KD.

Purpose The use of growth hormone in children with idiopathic short stature is still controversial. We aimed to assess the benefits and downsides of growth hormone in these children at a psychological level. Methods The children and adolescents with short stature were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. They were divided into two groups: the growth hormone deficit group(GHD-G), and the idiopathic short stature group(ISS-G). The Symptom Checklist-90 scale (SCL-90) was used to evaluate the psychological situation. Results The results showed that the average score of GHD-G was lower than that of ISS-G, but there was no significant difference (P > 0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that the higher the growth hormone stimulation peak(GHSP), the higher the score of the SCL-90(β = 0.027, 95%CI = 0.007 to 0.047, P value = 0.00962). The results didn’t change after adjusting the factors like age, sex, and laboratory testing( β = 0.023, 95%CI = 0.003 to 0.043, P value = 0.02652). Further, when LH was more than 0.2U/L, the score of the SCL increased as the GHSP increased (β = 0.0566,95%CI = 0.0295 to 0.0837, P value = 0.0001); But when LH was less than 0.2U/L, there was not a clear relationship has been found(β=-0.0022,95%CI=-0.0268 to 0.0225, P value = 0.8631). Conclusions There is no evident detrimental effect of growth hormone deficit on mental health in children with short stature. Instead, increasing GHSP may hurt mental health, particularly in children before puberty. Children with idiopathic short stature who have limited height improvement following growth hormone treatment should carefully consider whether to continue using the hormone.

Investigation the boundary between quantum mechanical description and classical realistic view is of fundamental importance. The Leggett-Garg inequality provides a criterion to distinguish between quantum systems and classical systems, and can be used to prove the macroscopic superposition state. A larger upper bound of the LG function can be obtained in a multi-level system. Here, we present an experimental violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality in a three-level system using nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond by ideal negative result measurement. The experimental maximum value of Leggett-Garg function is $K_{3}^{exp}=1.625\pm0.022$ which exceeds the L\"uders bound with a $5\sigma$ level of confidence.