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Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common and serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Current treatment of LN is based largely upon hormones and immunosuppressants associated with such adverse effects as easy relapse and easy infection. In recent years, researchers have identified a variety of biologic agents capable of enhancing the efficacy of traditional treatment regimens while minimizing drug side effects. This review summarized the latest researches of novel biologic therapeutic agents for LN.

Introduction Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are two chronic autoimmune diseases. To date, there have been few reports on the overlap between SS and RA in China, especially regarding correlated acute renal failure cases. Material and methods To provide a reference for our clinical peers, this article presents the case report of an elderly female patient who was diagnosed with acute renal failure caused by SS and RA overlap syndrome. Results We also provide a relevant analysis of SS and RA overlap syndrome treatment. Conclusions We also provide a relevant analysis of SS and RA overlap syndrome treatment.

AIM: To investigate the changes in retinal and choroidal blood flow after pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)for proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR).METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 35 patients(35 eyes)who were diagnosed as monocular PDR and received 23GPPV in ophthalmology department of the Second People's Hospital of Hefei between September 2020 and July 2022. All eyes underwent swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography(SS-OCTA)examination. Retinal and choroidal vascular parameters within 3mm×3mm of macular zone were measured by built-in analyzer, and its correlation with postoperative best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)was analyzed.RESULTS: The follow-up was 1～22(average 9.72±6.67)mo. At the last follow-up, flow area(FA)of intermediate capillary plexus(ICP)layer in paranasal foveal region was significantly reduced in PPV eyes(0.31±0.06mm2)compared with contralateral eyes(0.38±0.05mm2), and FA of deep capillary plexus(DCP)in temporal foveal region was significantly lower in PPV eyes(0.19±0.08mm2)than contralateral eyes(0.27±0.07mm2; all P

AIM:To compare the choroidal parameters in children and adolescents with different refractive status, and to investigate the associations between ocular biometrics and choroidal parameters.METHODS:A cross sectional study. A total of 121 healthy children and adolescents(121 right eyes)aged 3-18 years treated in the Second People's Hospital of Hefei were collected. The data were divided into three groups according to spherical equivalent refraction(SER): emmetropia(-0.500.05). TCA, LA, SA, CT and CVI were found to be statistically different among the three groups after age correction(all P

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (GUF), Leguminosae) has been extensively applied in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat diseases, exactly, in almost half of Chinese herbal prescription. However, the relationship between chemical contents and efficacy has not been established, which could evaluate GUF quality. To create a simple and effective quality-evaluation method, 33 batches of GUF from different habitats in China were collected. The correlation between eight constituents (liquiritin, isoliquiritin, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, glycyrrhizic acid, licochalcone A, glabridin and glycyrrhetinic acid) and pharmacological activities (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunoregulatory) was analyzed per the partial least squares regression method. Results showed that eight constituents correlated significantly with the pharmacological activity. The correlation equation modes between pharmacological activity and contents of eight constituents were constructed and verified to be reliable. In GUF extract, the main constituents liquiritin, isoliquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid exhibited positive influence on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect with different potent, while the metabolites liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin exhibited positive effect on the immunoregulatory activity and glycyrrhetinic acid exhibited positive effect on all the tested activities. Thus, our chemical-efficacy correlation method is reliable and feasible to predict the pharmacological activity based on its eight constituents. It could be powerful in quality control of GUF and provides a useful way for quality evaluation of other medicinal herbs.

Grain zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentrations and their responses to foliar application of micronutrients in 28 Chinese wheat landraces and 63 cultivars were investigated in a two-year field experiment. The average grain Zn and Fe concentrations were 41.8 mg kg−1 (29.0−63.3 mg kg−1) and 39.7 mg kg−1 (27.9−67.0 mg kg−1), respectively. Compared with cultivars, landraces had greater grain Zn (11.0%) and Fe (4.8%) concentrations but lower harvest index (HI), grain weight per spike (GWS), grain number per spike (GNS) and thousand grain weight (TGW). Both Zn and Fe concentrations were negatively and significantly correlated with HI, GWS, and GNS, while showed a poor association with TGW, suggesting that lower HI, GWS, and GNS, but not TGW, accounted for higher Zn and Fe concentrations for landraces than for cultivars. Grain Zn concentrations of both cultivars and landraces significantly increased after foliar Zn spray and the increase was two-fold greater for landraces (12.6 mg kg−1) than for cultivars (6.4 mg kg−1). Foliar Fe spray increased grain Fe concentrations of landraces (3.4 mg kg−1) and cultivars (1.2 mg kg−1), but these increases were not statistically significant. This study showed that Chinese wheat landraces had higher grain Zn and Fe concentrations than cultivars, and greater increases occurred in grain Zn concentration than in grain Fe concentration in response to fertilization, suggesting that Chinese wheat landraces could serve as a potential genetic source for enhancing grain mineral levels in modern wheat cultivars.

The Main Steam Valve Set (MSVS) is the key protection device for nuclear power plants, whose dynamic characteristics are directly related to the security of the secondary circuit system especially under overpressure conditions. Dynamic mesh technology is used in this work to capture the dynamic characteristics of the interconnected pilot valves on the MSVS with different inlet diameters. The research results show that increasing inlet diameter can significantly reduce the opening time of the pilot valves, but it will also increase the fluid force of valve stem during the opening process as well as the movement speed at the maximum opening. The pressure of the pilot valves during the opening process is then analyzed. It can be seen that changing the inlet diameter will affect the inlet annular throttling area, thereby changing the pressure rise speed in the external chamber of the valve stem and the inner cavity of the valve body, thereby affecting the total response time. This work provides a reference for the selection of the pilot valve diameter in MSVS and helps to improve the overpressure protection capability of MSVS.

Available irrigation resources are becoming increasingly scarce in the North China Plain (NCP), and nitrogen-use efficiency of crop production is also relatively low. Thus, it is imperative to improve the water-use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen fertilizer productivity on the NCP. Here, we conducted a two-year field experiment to explore the effects of different irrigation amounts (S60, 60 mm; S90, 90 mm; S120, 120 mm; S150, 150 mm) and nitrogen application rates (150, 195 and 240 kg ha–1; denoted as N1, N2 and N3, respectively) under micro-sprinkling with water and nitrogen combined on the grain yield (GY), yield components, leaf area index (LAI), flag leaf chlorophyll content, dry matter accumulation (DM), WUE, and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP). The results indicated that the GY and NPFP increased significantly with increasing irrigation amount, but there was no significant difference between S120 and S150; WUE significantly increased first but then decreased with increasing irrigation and S120 achieved the highest WUE. The increase in nitrogen was beneficial to improving the GY and WUE in S60 and S90, while the excessive nitrogen application (N3) significantly reduced the GY and WUE in S120 and S150 compared with those in the N2 treatment. The NPFP significantly decreased with increasing nitrogen rate under the same irrigation treatments. The synchronous increase in spike number (SN) and 1 000-grain weight (TWG) was the main reason for the large increase in GY by micro-sprinkling with increasing irrigation, and the differences in SN and TGW between S120 and S150 were small. Under S60 and S90, the TGW increased with increasing nitrogen application, which enhanced the GY, while N2 achieved the highest TWG in S120 and S150. At the filling stage, the LAI increased with increasing irrigation, and greater amounts of irrigation significantly increased the chlorophyll content in the flag leaf, which was instrumental in increasing DM after anthesis and increasing the TGW. Micro-sprinkling with increased amounts of irrigation or excessive nitrogen application decreased the WUE mainly due to the increase in total water consumption (ET) and the small increase or decrease in GY. Moreover, the increase in irrigation increased the total nitrogen accumulation or contents (TNC) of plants at maturity and reduced the residual nitrate-nitrogen in the soil (SNC), which was conducive to the increase in NPFP, but there was no significant difference in TNC between S120 and S150. Under the same irrigation treatments, an increase in nitrogen application significantly increased the residual SNC and decreased the NPFP. Overall, micro-sprinkling with 120 mm of irrigation and a total nitrogen application of 195 kg ha–1 can lead to increases in GY, WUE and NPFP on the NCP.

In past 30 years, the wheat yield per unit area of China has increased by 79%. The super-high-yield (SH) cultivation played an important role in improving the wheat photosynthesis and yield. In order to find the ecophysiological mechanism underneath the high photosynthesis of SH cultivation, in situ diurnal changes in the photosynthetic gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence of field-grown wheat plants during the grain-filling stage and environmental factors were investigated. During the late grain-filling stage at 24 days after anthesis (DAA), the diurnal changes in net CO2 assimilation rate were higher under SH treatment than under high-yield (H) treatment. From 8 to 24 DAA, the actual quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) electron transport in the light-adapted state (ΦPSII) in the flag leaves at noon under SH treatment were significantly higher than those under H treatment. The leaf temperature, soil temperature and soil moisture were better suited for higher rates of leaf photosynthesis under SH treatment than those under H treatment at noon. Such diurnal changes in environmental factors in wheat fields could be one of the mechanisms for the higher biomass and yield under SH cultivation than those under H cultivation. ΦPSII and CO2 exchange rate in wheat flag leaves under SH and H treatments had a linear correlation which could provide new insight to evaluate the wheat photosynthesis performance under different conditions.

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant hereditary neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive dystonia, chorea and cognitive or psychiatric disturbances. The leading cause is the Huntington gene mutation on the patient's chromosome 4 that produces a mutated protein. Recently, attention has focused on the relationship between microRNAs and Huntington's disease's pathogenesis. In Huntington's disease, microRNAs can interact with various transcription factors; dysregulated microRNAs may be associated with the Cytosine deoxynucleotide-Adenine ribonucleotides-Guanine ribonucleotide length and Huntington's disease's progression and severity. This study explores the role of microRNAs in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease through bioinformatics analysis. By analyzing data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we identified a total of 9 differentially expressed microRNA. Subsequently, target genes and long non-coding RNAs were predicted, and a comprehensive regulatory network centered on microRNA was constructed. The microRNA integrated regulatory network, Homo sapiens (hsa)-miR-144-3p, interacted with the largest number of long non-coding RNAs, including X-inactive specific transcript and taurine upregulated gene 1. The miRNAs, hsa-miR-10b-5p and hsa-miR-196a-5p, regulated most of the target genes, including class I homeobox and brain-derived neurotrophic factor genes. Additionally, 59 Gene Ontology terms and eight enrichment pathways were identified by analyzing the target genes of hsa-miR-196a-5p and hsa-microRNA-10b-5p. In conclusion, hsa-miR-10b-5p and hsa-miR-196a-5p were significantly and differentially expressed in Huntington's disease, the long non-coding RNAs X-inactive specific transcript, taurine upregulated gene 1, and target genes such as homeobox or brain-derived neurotrophic factor may play critical roles in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common complication associated with liver surgery, and macrophages play an important role in hepatic IRI. Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, regulates intracellular calcium homeostasis and protects the cardiomyocytes from injury; however, its role in hepatic IRI is not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate whether liraglutide can protect the liver from IRI and determine the possible underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that liraglutide pretreatment significantly alleviated the liver damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), as evidenced by H&E staining, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and TUNEL staining. Furthermore, the levels of inflammatory cytokines elicited by I/R were distinctly suppressed by liraglutide pretreatment, accompanied by significant reduction in TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels. Furthermore, pretreatment with liraglutide markedly inhibited macrophage type I (M1) polarization during hepatic IRI, as revealed by the significant reduction in CD68+ levels in Kupffer cells (KCs) detected via flow cytometry. However, the protective effects of liraglutide on hepatic IRI were partly diminished in GLP-1 receptor-knockout (GLP-1R-/-) mice. Furthermore, in an in vitro study, we assessed the role of liraglutide in macrophage polarization by examining the expression profiles of M1 in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from GLP-1R-/- and C57BL/6J mice. Consistent with the results of the in vivo study, liraglutide treatment attenuated the LPS-induced M1 polarization and reduced the expression of M1 markers. However, the inhibitory effect of liraglutide on LPS-induced M1 polarization was largely abolished in BMDMs from GLP-1R-/- mice. Collectively, our study indicates that liraglutide can ameliorate hepatic IRI by inhibiting macrophage polarization towards an inflammatory phenotype via GLP-1R. Its protective effect against liver IRI suggests that liraglutide may serve as a potential drug for the clinical treatment of liver IRI.

Fumigation is a widely applied approach to mitigate the soil-borne diseases. However, the potential effects of currently applied fumigants on ammonification remain unclear. An 84-day incubation experiment was conducted based on non-fumigated soil (CK) and fumigated soil using three common fumigants, i.e., chloropicrin (CP), 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), and metam sodium (MS). The results showed that, the three fumigants all decreased the microbial C, and the largest reduction (84.7%) occurred with the application of CP. After fumigation, the microbial diversity in the CP treatment rapidly recovered, but that in the 1,3-D treatment decreased and did not recover by the end of the experiment. The application of MS showed no impact on the microbial diversity during the assay, indicating that significantly different microbial diversity can be achieved by choosing different fumigants. Furthermore, the three fumigants showed divergent effects on the enzymes involved in ammonification. The analysis showed that the enzyme variation with CP application was mainly associated with the changed microbial C and N (P

AIM: To explore the correlation between urinary microalbumin creatinine ratio and diabetic retinopathy(DR)in type 2 diabetic patients in Hefei area. METHODS: A retrospective case analysis. 281 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)hospitalized in Hefei Second People's Hospital from November 2018 to September 2019 were conducted in this study. According to the digital fundus photography, the patients were divided into diabetic retinopathy group(DR group)and non-diabetic retinopathy group(NDR group). The patients' gender, age, course of diabetes, history of hypertension, body mass index(BMI), blood urea nitrogen(BNU), urinary microalbumin creatinine ratio(UACR),fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, total bilirubin(TB), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG)were collected and risk factors of DR were analyzed.RESULTS: A total of 281 cases, 169(60.1%)were in the NDR group and 112(39.9%)in the DR group. Logistic regression analysis and ROC curve analysis showed that the risk factors related to DR were UACR(β=0.036, OR=1.037, 95% CI: 1.019-1.056, PPOR=1.063, 95% CI: 1.008-1.120, P=0.023), the best critical value was 10.5a(AUC=0.666, PCONCLUSION: UACR and the course of diabetes are independent risk factors for DR in some of the patients with type 2 diabetes in Hefei.

Cinnamomi ramulus (CR) and Cinnamomi cortex (CC), both sourced from Cinnamomum cassia Presl, are commonly used Chinese medicines in the Chinese Pharmacopeia. However, while CR functions to dissipate cold and to resolve external problems of the body, CC functions to warm the internal organs. To clarify the material basis of these different functions and clinical effects, a simple and reliable UPLC-Orbitrap-Exploris-120-MS/MS method combined with multivariate statistical analyses was established in this study with the aim of exploring the difference in chemical compositions of aqueous extracts of CR and CC. As the results indicated, a total of 58 compounds was identified, including nine flavonoids, 23 phenylpropanoids and phenolic acids, two coumarins, four lignans, four terpenoids, 11 organic acids and five other components. Of these compounds, 26 significant differential compounds were identified statistically including six unique components in CR and four unique components in CC. Additionally, a robust HPLC method combined with hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) was developed to simultaneously determine the concentrations and differentiating capacities of five major active ingredients in CR and CC: coumarin, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamic acid, 2-methoxycinnamic acid and cinnamaldehyde. The HCA results showed that these five components could be used as markers for successfully distinguishing CR and CC. Finally, molecular docking analyses were conducted to obtain the affinities between each of the abovementioned 26 differential components, focusing on targets involved in diabetes peripheral neuropathy (DPN). The results indicated that the special and high-concentration components in CR showed high docking scores of affinities with targets such as HbA1c and proteins in the AMPK–PGC1–SIRT3 signaling pathway, suggesting that CR has greater potential than CC for treating DPN.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), also known as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic disorders, has become one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide. The associations between some oral resident microbes and MAFLD have been described. However, changes to the oral microbial community in patients with MAFLD remain unknown. In this study, variations to the supragingival microbiota of MAFLD patients were identified. The microbial genetic profile of supragingival plaque samples from 24 MAFLD patients and 22 healthy participants were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Clinical variables, including indicators of insulin resistance, obesity, blood lipids, and hepatocellular damage, were evaluated with laboratory tests and physical examinations. The results showed that the diversity of the supragingival microbiota in MAFLD patients was significantly higher than that in healthy individuals. Weighted UniFrac principal coordinates analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis showed that the samples from the MAFLD and control groups formed separate clusters (Adonis, P = 0.0120). There were 27 taxa with differential distributions (linear discriminant analysis, LDA>2.0) between two groups, among which Actinomyces spp. and Prevotella 2 spp. were over-represented in the MAFLD group with highest LDA score, while Neisseria spp. and Bergeyella spp. were more abundant in the control group. Co-occurrence networks of the top 50 abundant genera in the two groups suggested that the inter-genera relationships were also altered in the supragingival plaque of MAFLD patients. In addition, in genus level, as risk factors for the development of MAFLD, insulin resistance was positively correlated with the abundances of Granulicatella, Veillonella, Streptococcus, and Scardovia, while obesity was positively correlated to the abundances of Streptococcus, Oslenella, Scardovia, and Selenomonas. Metagenomic predictions based on Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States revealed that pathways related to sugar (mainly free sugar) metabolism were enriched in the supragingival plaque of the MAFLD group. In conclusion, as compared to healthy individuals, component and interactional dysbioses were observed in the supragingival microbiota of the MAFLD group.

To improve efficiency in the use of water resources in water-limited environments such as the North China Plain (NCP), where winter wheat is a major and groundwater-consuming crop, the application of water-saving irrigation strategies must be considered as a method for the sustainable development of water resources. The initial objective of this study was to evaluate and validate the ability of the CERES-Wheat model simulation to predict the winter wheat grain yield, biomass yield and water use efficiency (WUE) responses to different irrigation management methods in the NCP. The results from evaluation and validation analyses were compared to observed data from 8 field experiments, and the results indicated that the model can accurately predict these parameters. The modified CERES-Wheat model was then used to simulate the development and growth of winter wheat under different irrigation treatments ranging from rainfed to four irrigation applications (full irrigation) using historical weather data from crop seasons over 33 years (1981–2014). The data were classified into three types according to seasonal precipitation: 140 mm. Our results showed that the grain and biomass yield, harvest index (HI) and WUE responses to irrigation management were influenced by precipitation among years, whereby yield increased with higher precipitation. Scenario simulation analysis also showed that two irrigation applications of 75 mm each at the jointing stage and anthesis stage (T3) resulted in the highest grain yield and WUE among the irrigation treatments. Meanwhile, productivity in this treatment remained stable through different precipitation levels among years. One irrigation at the jointing stage (T1) improved grain yield compared to the rainfed treatment and resulted in yield values near those of T3, especially when precipitation was higher. These results indicate that T3 is the most suitable irrigation strategy under variable precipitation regimes for stable yield of winter wheat with maximum water savings in the NCP. The application of one irrigation at the jointing stage may also serve as an alternative irrigation strategy for further reducing irrigation for sustainable water resources management in this area.

AIM: To study the single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)of Macrophage Scavenger Receptor 1(MSR1)gene in xanthelasma palpebrarum patients.METHODS: We drew peripheral venous blood from 20 xanthelasma palpebrarum patients and 20 healthy participants. We detected the SNPs of MSR1 gene with Sanger sequencing, examined serum lipids and α-lipoprotein of the patients, and scanned carotid arteries of the patients with color ultrasound. After that, we kept on observation of the participants.RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the SNPs of MSR1 genotype between xanthelasma palpebrarum patients and healthy participants. However, in some patients with carotid atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia, there were homozygous mutations at S2-SNP1, S5-SNP2 and S5-SNP4 in the exon region of MSR1 gene, which were related to atherosclerosis.CONCLUSION: Xanthelasma palpebrarum is related to SNPs of MSR1 in atherosclerosis.

AIM:To explore the association of the mutation in PPP2R3A exons and retinoblastoma. METHODS: Hospital-based case control study was taken. Retinoblastoma patients(15 cases, as case group)and matched controls(30 controls, as control group)were recruited in this study. Genomic DNA obtained from formalin fixed paraffin embedded(FFPE)and peripheral blood were used as template. PPP2R3A gene exon sequences were detected by PCR-sequencing. Homology analysis was performed using blastn in GenBank. RESULTS: Analyzing PPP2R3A DNA sequences(1001bp)from 15 cases, two reported SNPs had been detected, including rs34629706 and rs144802055. Rs34629706 also occurred in the control group. Rs144802055 appeared only in the case group.CONCLUSION: PPP2R3A gene SNPs of rs34629706 is unrelated to the incidence of retinoblastoma. Relations between rs144802055 and RB needs to be further explored.

Abstract Data on procedural complications and long term survival after alcohol septal ablation (ASA) in Chinese patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM) are lacking. We aimed to investigate long-term survival of HOCM patients after ASA and compared to the non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(NOHCM). A total of 233 patients with HOCM and a peak pressure gradient of ≥50 mm Hg at rest or with provocation were consecutively enrolled from Fuwai Hospital in China between 2000 and 2012. Another 297 patients without left ventricular outflow tract obstruction were regarded as control group. Periprocedural mortality of ASA were low (0.89%). Periprocedural lethal ventricular arrhythmia occurred in 9 patients (4.0%). Alcohol volume (RR 1.44, 95% CI: 1.03–2.03, P = 0.034) and age ≤40 years old (RR 4.63, 95% CI: 1.07–20.0, P = 0.040) were independent predictors for periprocedural lethal ventricular arrhythmia. The 10- year overall survival was 94.6% in the ASA group, similar with 92.9% in the NOHCM group (P = 0.930). In conclusion, periprocedural mortality and complications were rare in ASA. Long term survival after ASA were satisfactory and comparable to NOHCM. Patients under 40 years old should be more cautious undergoing ASA, for these patients were more likely to endure lethal ventricular arrhythmia during periprocedural period of ASA.

An adaptive model predictive controller with a new scheduling scheme for turbofan engines is proposed, which can transfer engine from one working state to the others within the flight envelope. First, the flight envelope is divided into several sections according to the engine inlet parameters, and the nominal points in each section are determined, respectively. Then, considering the requirements of the turbofan engines, a constrained linear model predictive control algorithm is improved, and a series of constrained predictive controllers are designed based on the linear models at different nominal points. Furthermore, a novel scheduling scheme with two layers is constructed, where the first layer is the flight envelope scheduling layer that introduces fuzzy membership degree logic to distribute the weights of all nominal predictive controllers, and the second layer is the power scheduling layer by adopting a linear interpolation method. Simulation results show that the proposed scheduling scheme can coordinate these two layers to realize the steady-state and transition-state control of the turbofan engines at off-nominal points within the envelope, which provides an effective approach for the design of the adaptive controllers.

A new peroxide of xanthone (1), together with five analogues (2–6), was obtained from horseradish peroxidase (HRP) catalysed biotransformation of α-mangostin. In order to increase the yield of compound 1, the environmental pH was succinctly adjusted, and as a result, compound 1 was formed with considerable selectivity. The anticancer potential of compound 1, a pentacyclic xanthone with a 1,2-dioxolane ring, was investigated due to its potent cytotoxic activity. The results showed that apoptosis induced by compound 1 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell was associated with activation of caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK). In summary, compound 1 with a peroxide group was biosynthesized in considerable yield through pH-switched biotransformation catalysed by HRP, which could be further developed as a promising candidate in the treatment of liver cancer.

Four new gallate derivatives—ornusgallate A, ent-cornusgallate A, cornusgallate B and C (1a, 1b, 2, 3)—were isolated from the wine-processed fruit of Cornus officinalis. Among them, 1a and 1b are new natural compounds with novel skeletons. Their chemical structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopy methods including NMR, IR, HRESIMS, UV, ECD spectra and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of all compounds were assayed in RAW 264.7 cells by assessing LPS-induced NO production. As the result, all compounds exhibited anti-inflammatory activities at attested concentrations. Among the tested compounds, compound 2 exhibited the strongest anti- inflammatory activity.

To understand the contribution of ear photosynthesis to grain yield and its response to water supply in the improvement of winter wheat, 15 cultivars released from 1980 to 2012 in North China Plain (NCP) were planted under rainfed and irrigated conditions from 2011 to 2013, and the ear photosynthesis was tested by ear shading. During the past 30 years, grain yield significantly increased, the flag leaf area slightly increased under irrigated condition but decreased significantly under rainfed condition, the ratio of grain weight:leaf area significantly increased, and the contribution of ear photosynthesis to grain yield changed from 33.6 to 64.5% and from 32.2 to 57.2% under rainfed and irrigated conditions, respectively. Grain yield, yield components, and ratio of grain weight:leaf area were positively related with contribution of ear photosynthesis. The increase in grain yield in winter wheat was related with improvement in ear photosynthesis contribution in NCP, especially under rainfed condition.

Three types of ent-kaurane diterpenoids were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon excisoides, including three new diterpenoids, 1α,7α,14β-trihydroxy-20-acetoxy-ent-kaur-15-one (1); 1α,7α,14β,18-tetrahydroxy-20-acetoxy-ent-kaur-15-one (2); and 1α-acetoxy-14β-hydroxy-7α,20-epoxy-ent-kaur-16-en-15-one (3); together with six known diterpenes henryin (4); kamebanin (5); reniformin C (6); kamebacetal A (7); kamebacetal B (8); and oridonin (9). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry in conjunction with published data for their analogs, as well as their fragmentation patterns. Compounds 5 and 9 were isolated from Isodon excisoides for the first time. To explore the structure-activity relationships of the isolated compounds, they were tested for their cytotoxic effects against five human cancer cell lines: HCT-116, HepG2, A2780, NCI-H1650, and BGC-823. Most of the isolated compounds showed certain cytotoxic activity against the five cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 1.09–8.53 µM. Among the tested compounds, compound 4 exhibited the strongest cytotoxic activity in the tested cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 1.31–2.07 µM. Compounds 1, 6, and 7 exhibited selective cytotoxic activity.

A considerable amount of surplus nitrogen (N), which primarily takes the form of nitrate, accumulates in the soil profile after harvesting crops from an intensive production system in the North China Plain. The residual soil nitrate (RSN) is a key factor that is included in the N recommendation algorithm. Quantifying the utilization and losses of RSN is a fundamental necessity for optimizing crop N management, improving N use efficiency, and reducing the impact derived from farmland N losses on the environment. In this study, a 15N-labeling method was introduced to study the fate of the RSN quantitatively during the winter wheat growing season by 15N tracer technique combined with a soil column study. A soil column with a 2 m height was vertically divided into 10 20-cm layers, and the RSN in each layer was individually labeled with a 15N tracer before the wheat was sown. The results indicated that approximately 17.68% of the crop N derived from RSN was located in the 0-2 m soil profile prior to wheat sowing. The wheat recovery proportions of RSN at various layers ranged from 0.21% to 33.46%. The percentages that still remained in the soil profile after the wheat harvest ranged from 47.08% to 75.44%, and 19.46-32.64% of the RSN was unaccounted for. Upward and downward movements in the RSN were observed, and the maximum upward and downward distances were 40 cm and 100 cm, respectively. In general, the 15N-labeling method contributes to a deeper understanding of the fates of the RSN. Considering the low crop recovery of the RSN from deep soil layers, water and N saving practices should be adopted during crop production.

To explore the transformation mechanisms of free gastrodin and combined gastrodin before and after steaming of Gastrodia elata (G. elata), a fresh G. elata sample was processed by the traditional steaming method prescribed by Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 version), and HPLC-ESI-TOF/MS method was used to identify the chemical composition in steamed and fresh G. elata. Finally, 25 components were identified in G. elata based on the characteristic fragments of the compounds and the changes of the 25 components of fresh and steamed G. elata were compared by the relative content. Hydrolysis experiments and enzymatic hydrolysis experiments of 10 monomer compounds simulating the G. elata steaming process were carried out for the first time. As a result, hydrolysis experiments proved that free gastrodin or p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol could be obtained by breaking ester bond or ether bond during the steaming process of G. elata. Enzymatic experiments showed that steaming played an important role in the protection of gastrodin, confirming the hypothesis that steaming can promote the conversion of chemical constituents of G. elata—inhibiting enzymatic degradation. This experiment clarified the scientific mechanism of the traditional steaming method of G. elata and provided reference for how to apply G. elata decoction to some extent.

To obtain diterpene glycosides from an aqueous extract of the aerial parts of Isodon henryi and further investigate their cytotoxicities, in this study, a total of seven compounds were isolated, including six ent-kaurane diterpene glycosides (1−6) and one diterpene aglycon (7). Among the seven ent-kaurane diterpenes obtained, four were novel compounds, including ent-7,20-epoxy- kaur-16-en-1α,6β,7β,15β-tetrahydroxyl-11-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), ent-7,20-epoxy-kaur-16-en- 6β,7β,14β,15β-tetrahydroxyl-1-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), ent-7,20-epoxy-kaur-16-en-6β,7β,15β- trihydroxyl-1-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), and ent-7,20-epoxy-kaur-16-en-7β,11β,14α,15β-tetrahydr- oxyl-6-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (4), and three were isolated from this plant for the first time (5−7). Their structures were elucidated by utilizing spectroscopic methods and electronic circular dichroism analyses. Furthermore, the cytotoxicities of all seven compounds were investigated in four human cancer cell lines, including A2780, BGC-823, HCT-116, and HepG2. The IC50 values of these diterpenes ranged from 0.18 to 2.44 mM in the tested cell lines. In addition, the structure−cytotoxicity relationship of diterpene glycosides was also evaluated to study the effect of glycosylation on the cytotoxicity of diterpene compounds.