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Background: Based upon experimental literatures to simulate many newly developed systems and analyzed and compared the physical properties and NIR absorption of the materials for supplying future research reference into military camouflage clothing. Aims: This project aimed to explore composite fiber/cotton/colorant materials that possess the characteristic of anti‐near‐infrared radiation (NIR) reflectance and their further application in military combat uniforms to achieve the aim of personnel camouflage and concealment. Materials and Methods: Materials Studio (MS06 version), Gaussian 09 software, and the GULP program were adopted for simulation and computation in this study. Results and Discussion: The physical absorption of the dyes and nylon 66/ cotton exhibited the same trend from large to small in the order NCIBu > NCD > NCIG > NCT > NCA. All systems had good colorfastness except for the NCA, NCD, and NCT systems. The colorfastness of the dual‐dye systems was better than that of the single‐dye systems; in particular, the colorfastness of the NCIG‐138T and NCIBu‐12D systems. The six layered NCT, NCIBu, NCIBu‐12D, NCIG‐138T systems exhibited excellent reflectivity in the NIR region. Conclusions: The NCIBu‐12D and NCIBu‐138D systems, with a weight percentage of 2/49/49%, exhibited the best performance in our simulation. These achievements could be helpful in terms of informing actual experiments in order to perfect the design of military clothing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to provide a new effective carrier for rescuing the sensitivity of drug‐resistant in breast cancer cells. Nano‐gold micelles loaded with Dox and Elacridar (FP‐ssD@A‐E) were chemically synthesised. With the increase in the amount of Dox and Elacridar, the encapsulation rate of FP‐ssD@A‐E gradually increased, and the drug loading rate gradually decreased. FP‐ss@A‐E had a sustained‐release effect. Dox, Elacridar, FP‐ss@AuNPs, and FP‐ssD@A‐E significantly improved cell apoptosis, in which, FP‐ssD@A‐E was the most significant. FP‐ssD@A‐E significantly decreased the cell viability and improved the Dox uptake. The levels of VEGFR‐1, P‐gp, IL‐6, and i‐NOS were significantly decreased after Dox, Dox + Elacridar, FP‐ss@AuNPs, and FP‐ssD@A‐E treatment. It was worth noting that FP‐ssD@A‐E had the most significant effects. The prepared FP‐ssD@A‐E micelles, which were spherical in shape, uniform in particle size distribution, and had good drug loading performance and encapsulation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acceptance sampling plans are preferably used when sample testing becomes destructive or costly to make reliable lot determination from a reasonable size of samples. Previous decades have seen various sampling strategies developed for specific purposes and the evolution of samplingmethods continue to ensure that lot sentencing becomes more efficient and economic. In this study, we proposed a modified variables repetitive group sampling (VRGS) plan integrated with a critical-value-adjusted switching mechanism. Such a design provides an adaptive assessment of the varied submitted quality level. The operating characteristic function is derived from the sampling distribution of process yield index Spk, which possesses a one-to-one transformation to process yield. By solving the developed nonlinear minimization model, the plan parameters of the proposed method are satisfied with tolerable sampling risks and desirable quality levels simultaneously. Furthermore, by comparing the average sample number (ASN) reduction and discriminatory power with other approaches, the proposed method outperforms conventional methods. Numerical illustrations are provided to show its practicability in real applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N,O‐bidentate BF2 complexes with five‐ and six‐membered core rings have been thoroughly investigated. However, the development of seven‐membered N,O‐boron complexes is still an area to be explored. We have developed BF3 ⋅ OEt2‐induced self‐condensation and coordination reactions based on a single starting material, which had been elucidated by experiment and calculation. This parent asymmetric core‐expanded borondifluoride‐(Z)‐1,3‐di(1H‐pyrrol‐2‐yl)but‐2‐en‐1‐one (BOPYO) showed reactivity with a wide range of aldehydes, thus providing a series of conjugation BOPYOs. Moreover, a BOPYO derivative with a dimethylamino group was developed as a new NIR dye that responds to acid with favorable photophysical properties based on intramolecular charge transfer effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel pyrrolizinone‐fused BOPYINs (DAB−M and DAB−U) were prepared in one‐step through the oxidative and/or oxidative nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen (ONSH) reaction. Selective methoxyl substitution of α‐unsubstituted BOPYIN was developed, in which C−O and C=O bonds were formed and demonstrated by the single crystal structure of DAB−M. The absorption and emission spectra of both compounds showed red shift and large Stokes Shift compared with starting material DAB. Based on the TD‐DFT calculation, the electron transfer direction is totally different from DAB due to the carbonyl group on pyrrolizinone unit. Besides, a reasonable mechanism has been proposed and evidenced by quantum calculation in which the relative free energy has been exhibited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fîr Lithiumionenakkumulatoren mit hohen Energiedichten gibt es eine überaus große Nachfrage im Bereich tragbarer elektronischer Geräte und Elektrofahrzeuge. Weil die Energiedichten der Lithiumionenakkumulatoren vor allem vom verwendeten Kathodenmaterial abhängen, wird nach alternativen Kathodenmaterialien mit besserer Lithiumnutzung und höherer spezifischer Energiedichte intensiv geforscht. Insbesondere Ni-reiche Lithium-Übergangsmetalloxid-Schichtverbindungen können höhere Kapazitäten als das klassische LiCoO2 bei geringeren Kosten bereitstellen. Sie gelten als besonders vielversprechend, aber sie bergen noch große Herausforderungen bezäglich Lebensdauer, Wärmestabilität und Sicherheit. Hier wird umfassend beschrieben, wie gezielte Veränderungen an der Struktur oder an den Grenzflächen in einer Leistungssteigerung von Ni-reichen Kathodenmaterialien resultieren. Die zugrundeliegenden Mechanismen und die noch zu bewältigenden Herausforderungen werden ebenfalls diskutiert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed planar monopole antenna with triple band operation for worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) and wireless local area network (WLAN) applications is presented. The antenna, which occupies a small size of 25 (L) × 25 (W) × 0.8 (H) mm3, is simply composed of a pentagonal radiating patch with two bent slots. By carefully selecting the positions and lengths of these slots, good dual stopband rejection characteristic of the antenna can be obtained, so that three operating bands covering 2.14–2.85, 3.29–4.08, and 5.02–6.09 GHz can be achieved. The measured results also demonstrate that the proposed antenna has good omnidirectional radiation patterns with appreciable gain across the operating bands, and is thus suitable to be integrated within the portable devices for WiMAX/WLAN applications. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52:2405–2408, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.25497 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel planar monopole slot antenna that possesses a controllable band-notched property for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications is presented. The antenna, which consists of a square slot patch with a vertical coupled strip, only occupies a small size of 15 (L) × 15 (W) × 1.6 (H) mm3. By properly inserting a thin gap between the coupled strip and the slot patch, the antenna can achieve a wide bandwidth covering 3.05–11.15 GHz with a sharp rejection band of 5.12–6.08 GHz, where the frequency rejection performance can be controlled flexibly by employing various strip widths and thin gaps. Good measured omnidirectional radiation patterns and transmission responses also indicate that the proposed antenna is well suitable for UWB operation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52:2624–2627, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.25550 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Visfatin is a new cytokine that act as an insulin analogue on the insulin receptor and may link obesity and insulin resistance. It was recently shown that visfatin plays a role in plaque destabilization. However, the role of visfatin in atherosclerosis remains to be elucidated. We sought to assess whether plasma visfatin level is independently associated with inflammation, atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Design and patients Two hundred and fifty-three patients undergoing coronary angiography were divided into three subgroups: chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) ( n = 102), ACS ( n = 100) and control patients ( n = 51). The plasma samples were thawed and analysed for circulating visfatin, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). The association of visfatin with risk factors, inflammation, atherosclerosis, and ACS was determined. Results Plasma visfatin levels were significantly higher in chronic CAD and ACS compared with control patients. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that plasma visfatin levels correlated with inflammatory factors and were associated with chronic CAD (odds ratio [OR][95% confidence interval], for second, third and fourth quartiles were 1·74 [0·96–2·69], 1·54 [0·85–2·28] and 1·84 [0·98–2·87], respectively) and ACS (ORs for second, third and fourth quartiles were 2·56 [1·57–3·34], 4·61 [1·94–10·96] and 6·52 [2·34–18·12], respectively) following adjustment for established risk factors and other inflammatory factors. Conclusions Plasma visfatin levels are significantly associated with CAD, particularly ACS, independent of well-known CAD risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidermal fatty acid-binding protein (E-FABP), a member of the family of FABPs, exhibits a robust expression in neurons during axonal growth in development and in nerve regeneration following nerve injury. This study examines the impact of E-FABP expression in normal neurite extension in differentiating pheochromocytoma cell (PC12) cultures supplemented with selected long chain free fatty acids (LCFFA). We found that E-FABP binds to a broad range of saturated and unsaturated LCFFAs, including those with potential interest for neuronal differentiation and axonal growth such as C22:6n-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), C20:5n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and C20:4n-6 arachidonic acid (ARA). PC12 cells exposed to nerve growth factor (NGFDPC12) exhibit high E-FABP expression that is blocked by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor U0126. Nerve growth factor-differentiated pheochromocytoma cells (NGFDPC12) antisense clones (NGFDPC12-AS) which exhibit low E-FABP expression have fewer/shorter neurites than cells transfected with vector only or NGFDPC12 sense cells (NGFDPC12-S). Replenishing NGFDPC12-AS cells with biotinylated recombinant E-FABP (biotin-E-FABP) protein restores normal neurite outgrowth. Cellular localization of biotin-E-FABP in NGFDPC12 was detected mostly in the cytoplasm and in the nuclear region. Treatment of NGFDPC12 with DHA, EPA, or ARA further enhances neurite length but it does not trigger further induction of TrkA or MEK phosphorylation or E-FABP mRNA observed in differentiating PC12 cells without LCFFA supplementation. Significantly, DHA and EPA neurite stimulating effects are higher in NGFDPC12-S than in NGFDPC12-AS cells. These findings are consistent with the scenario that neurite extension of differentiating PC12 cells, including further stimulation by DHA and EPA, requires sufficient cellular levels of E-FABP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the tilted incidence characteristics of thin film narrowband filter, a stack of 100-GHz DWDM four cavities angle-tuned narrowband thin-film filter with low polarization dependent loss has been designed and optimized. Using the angle-tuned filter, we developed a novel three-port tunable optical filter. The crosstalk of the tunable filter is analyzed and calculated in detail, and the theoretical analysis result coincides with experimental result. The experiments show that the three-port tunable filter with low polarization dependent loss has an effective tunable range of 26 nm, and it has a bright application opportunity for its flexibility and effective performance. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2163–2167, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23599 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly asymmetrical spurline structure is presented in this article. Its dual-bandgap characteristics are reported and can be adjusted by changing the length difference between spurlines. Then, a simple circuit model is set up for the spurline structure by using two LCR-resonators and the circuit parameters can be extracted from EM simulations. Moreover, a Wilkinson power divider using the proposed spurlines was designed, fabricated, and measured. Experimental results verify that 27-dB suppression for the second harmonic and 30-dB suppression for the third harmonic are obtained, respectively. In addition, the reflection coefficients are -3.5 dB ± 0.3 dB (-3 dB for ideal case) below 3.8 GHz and -3.7 dB at the operating frequency 3.12 GHz. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 601–604, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23172 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we propose a process to prepare Mn–Zn ferrite powder, using oxides of manganese and zinc extracted from used dry batteries, and ferrous chloride solution from waste steel pickling liquor. The hydrothermal process was used to convert the starting raw materials into Mn–Zn ferrite powder. This powder revealed the formation of cubic ferrite with a saturation magnetization ( Ms) of 58.8 emu/g and an intrinsic coercive force ( Hc) of 3.8 Oe. The average lattice thermal expansion coefficient αa (200°–500°C) of this Mn–Zn ferrite powder was 14.14 × 10−6 K−1. The toroidal specimen sintered at 1300°C in a controlled oxygen atmosphere presented a flat profile of initial permeability (μi) of 2150–2200, in the frequency range 0.1–20 kHz, which allows its use in magnetic applications. This useful technology, combined with environment and materials engineering, can promote the recycling of dry batteries and contribute to the preservation of the earth. Moreover, this technology can also decrease the cost of disposal of the used dried batteries and waste steel pickling liquor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without any perturbations on the surface of the patch resonator or orthogonal feed lines, new microstrip dual-mode triangular-patch bandpass filters are presented in this article. The degenerate modes are excited by the use of the spur-lines for input/output microstrip lines. Also, the influence of design parameters on the frequency characteristics of the proposed dual-mode filters is discussed. In addition, a modified dual-mode filter using double-spur-lines is introduced and simulated. Measurement verifies the validity of the introduced design method. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 2100–2103, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21880 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostanoid synthesis in mammalian tissues is regulated at the level of prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS) cyclooxygenase catalysis by the availability and structure of substrate fatty acid and availability of peroxide activator. Two major PGHS isoforms, with distinct pathophysiological functions and catalytic regulation, have been characterized mammals; a functionally homologous PGHS isoform pair has been cloned from an evolutionarily distant vertebrate, brook trout. The cyclooxygenase activities of recombinant brook trout PGHS-1 and -2 were characterized to test the generality of mammalian regulatory paradigms for substrate specificity, peroxide activation, and product shifting by aspirin. Both cyclooxygenases had much more restrictive substrate specificities than their mammalian counterparts, pronounced discrimination toward arachidonate 4n-6) and against eicosapentaenoate (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoate (22:6n-3), the latter two prominent trout tissue lipids. Aspirin treatment did not increase lipoxygenase-type catalysis by either trout enzyme. trout enzymes had higher requirements for peroxide activator than their mammalian counterparts, though the preferential peroxide activation of PGHS-2 PGHS-1 seen in mammals was conserved in the enzymes. The divergence in cyclooxygenase characteristics between the trout and mammalian PGHS proteins may reflect accomodations to differences among vertebrates in tissue lipid composition and general redox state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the textual, contextual and performative meanings of nushu in China. Part of human phenological experience; Predominant reason for nushu's lack of recognition that involves the interplay between Confucian gender ideology and moral concerns; Factors that function as energy flow that prompted inspiration and engagement.

The prognosis for postinjury peripheral nerve regeneration remains suboptimal. Although transplantation of exogenous Schwann cells (SCs) has been considered a promising treatment to promote nerve repair, this strategy has been hampered in practice by the limited availability of SC sources and an insufficient postengraftment cell retention rate. In this study, to address these challenges, SCs were aggregated into spheroids before being delivered to an injured rat sciatic nerve. We found that the three-dimensional aggregation of SCs induced their acquisition of a repair phenotype, as indicated by enhanced levels of c-Jun expression/activation and decreased expression of myelin sheath protein. Furthermore, our in vitro results demonstrated the superior potential of the SC spheroid-derived secretome in promoting neurite outgrowth of dorsal root ganglion neurons, enhancing the proliferation and migration of endogenous SCs, and recruiting macrophages. Moreover, transplantation of SC spheroids into rats after sciatic nerve transection effectively increased the postinjury nerve structure restoration and motor functional recovery rates, demonstrating the therapeutic potential of SC spheroids. In summary, transplantation of preassembled SC spheroids may hold great potential for enhancing the cell delivery efficiency and the resultant therapeutic outcome, thereby improving SC-based transplantation approaches for promoting peripheral nerve regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theorem on gambling systems for Bernoulli sequences is extended to arbitrary sequences of random variables by using the notion of the likelihood ratio, and the martingale technique together with the tool of moment generating functions for the study of a.e. convergence is presented. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification 60F99. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of dl -fenfluramine, dl -5-hydroxytryptophan(5-HTP) and fluoxetine on ethanol-induced striatal ascorbic acid (AA) release in rat were studied by microdialysis coupled to high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Ethanol (3.0 g/kg, i.p.) stimulated striatal AA release to more than 200% above the baseline. dl -Fenfluramine (20 mg/kg, i.p. or 40 mug/rat, i.c.v.), 10 min before ethanol administration, markedly inhibited ethanol-induced AA release. A similar result was also observed following dl -5-HTP (100 mg/kg, i.p.) administration. However, fluoxetine (10, 30 mg/kg, i.p.) showed no antagonistic effect on ethanol-induced AA release. The suppressing effect of dl -fenfluramine and dl -5-HTP on ethanolinduced AA release could be reversed by the 5-HT receptor antagonist cyproheptadine (10 mg/kg, s.c.). All these drugs had no effect on basal AA release. The results give a first evidence for the involvement of central serotonergic system, and suggest that differential activities may exist between dl -fenfluramine, dl -5-HTP and fluoxetine in regulating ethanol-induced AA release in rat striatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of positive copy number variations (CNVs) results by non‐invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) without fetal ultrasonography‐identified structural anomalies, especially with several known CNVs results. Methods: A total of 135,981 results of NIPT performed between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2020, enrolled in the free NIPT service program implemented by the local government were retrospectively analyzed. Of these, 87 cases with positive NIPT screens for CNVs and no fetal ultrasonography‐identified anomalies were recalled and provided genetic counseling. After obtaining full informed consent, these cases were provided invasive prenatal diagnosis by karyotyping and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA)/copy number variation sequencing (CNV‐seq) with follow‐up. One case was lost, while 86 cases were successfully followed up. Results: A total of 44 (50.6%) cases underwent invasive prenatal diagnosis, of which six cases were detected with abnormal karyotype. CMA/CNV‐Seq revealed 11 fetuses with positive results for CNVs, among whom eight were consistent with NIPT results, two were partially consistent, one was inconsistent, and positive predictive value (PPV) was 22.7% (10/44). For known CNVs, PPVs were 20% (15q11.2‐q13 microdeletion) and 33.3% (5p end deletions). Among 11 pregnant women with positive prenatal diagnosis, seven were confirmed to have pathogenic CNVs in their fetuses; four had CNVs of unknown clinical significance. Conclusions: Even in pregnancies without ultrasonography‐identified anomalies, a positive NIPT screen for CNVs must be interpreted with caution and validated by additional diagnostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transmission electron microscopy indicated that FOLR3 SNP+ K562 cells exhibited rich amounts of lipid droplets, which were not observed in SNP+ CD34+ cells (Figure 3D). Thecolonyforming capacity of FOLR3 SNP+ CD34 + cells remarkably decreased compared to that of siFOLR3 and FOLR3 SNP- cells (Figure 2I). [Extracted from the article]

Actin‐interacting protein 1 (AIP1), also known as WD repeat‐containing protein 1 (WDR1), is ubiquitous in eukaryotic organisms, and it plays critical roles in the dynamic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. However, the biological function and mechanism of AIP1 in mammalian oocyte maturation is still largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that AIP1 boosts ADF/Cofilin activity in mouse oocytes. AIP1 is primarily distributed around the spindle region during oocyte maturation, and its depletion impairs meiotic spindle migration and asymmetric division. The knockdown of AIP1 resulted in the gathering of a large number of actin‐positive patches around the spindle region. This effect was reduced by human AIP1 (hAIP1) or Cofilin (S3A) expression. AIP1 knockdown also reduced the phosphorylation of Cofilin near the spindle, indicating that AIP1 interacts with ADF/Cofilin‐decorated actin filaments and enhances filament disassembly. Moreover, the deletion of AIP1 disrupts Cofilin localization in metaphase I (MI) and induces cytokinesis defects in metaphase II (MII). Taken together, our results provide evidence that AIP1 promotes actin dynamics and cytokinesis via Cofilin in the gametes of female mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title complex, [Cd3(C7H5O2)6(C4H4N)2] n, the benzoate groups adopt μ3 and μ2 coordination modes to connect neighbouring cadmium(II) ions into one-dimensional chains. One of the Cd atoms lies on a crystallographic twofold axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel multilayer fractal photonic bandgap (PBG) is presented as the substrate for a microstrip line and resulting configuration builds a low-pass filter (LPF) of wide stop-band. Experimental results in comparison with the corresponding two filters with monoplayer PBG show that the proposed filter drastically enhances the width of the stop-band. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 40: 431–432, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.11401 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparison of biological characteristics between diapausing and non-diapausing strains of insects provides some insights into the mechanisms regulating diapause. In this study, biological characteristics, especially diapause characteristics and life-history traits, of a non-photoperiodic-diapause (NPD) strain of the cabbage beetle Colaphellus bowringi were compared with those of a normal, high-diapause (HD) strain that enters diapause in response to either long day length or low temperature. The NPD strain did not enter diapause at any photoperiod at 22°C or higher, but still had a capacity to enter diapause at low temperatures. Although diapause could be induced in both strains by exposure to 20°C, the proportion of individuals having shorter diapause duration was greater in the NPD strain compared to the HD strain. The NPD strain had significantly lower hatching and larval survival rates, longer developmental duration of immature stages, smaller body size and lower longevity and female fecundity compared to the HD strain. The NPD strain of this species is a promising model for investigating diapause regulation in insects in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane fusions that occur during vesicle transport, virus infection, and tissue development, involve receptors that mediate membrane contact and initiate fusion and effectors that execute membrane reorganization and fusion pore formation. Some of these fusogenic receptors/effectors are preferentially recruited to lipid raft membrane microdomains. Therefore, major constituents of lipid rafts, such as stomatin, may be involved in the regulation of cell-cell fusion. Stomatin produced in cells can be released to the extracellular environment, either through protein refolding to pass across lipid bilayer or through exosome trafficking. We report that cells expressing more stomatin or exposed to exogenous stomatin are more prone to undergoing cell fusion. During osteoclastogenesis, depletion of stomatin inhibited cell fusion but had little effect on tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase production. Moreover, in stomatin transgenic mice, increased cell fusion leading to enhanced bone resorption and subsequent osteoporosis were observed. With its unique molecular topology, stomatin forms molecular assembly within lipid rafts or on the appositional plasma membranes, and promotes membrane fusion by modulating fusogenic protein engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal structure of the title compound, C21H17N5O2·H2O, is stabilized by intermolecular hydrogen bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic changes have played an important role in societal reorganizations. Particularly, the late 16th and early 17th century coincided with severely cold condition, extremely weak summer monsoon and widespread population decline in China. Here we present new speleothem oxygen isotope records across North and South China, which in concert with historical documents, allow us to characterize the "Late Ming Weak Monsoon Periods" (LMWMP) at an unprecedented annual temporal resolution. Our analysis suggests that as a weak summer monsoon event not seen for nearly 500 years in China, the LMWMP spatiotemporally coincided with the late Ming Dynasty peasant uprising (1627-1658 CE), and thus the transition from Ming to Qing Dynasty. This suggests a plausible role of climate change in shaping the important chapters of the Chinese history. In addition, both speleothem and historical documents reveal that the LMWMP appears to be a north to south time-transgressive event on decadal-timescale. Plain Language Summary This study presents two new speleothem paleoclimate records across northern and southern China, which in concert with the historical documents, allow us to characterize the Late Ming Weak Monsoon Periods (LMWMP) (1580-1660 CE). The records offer that the unprecedented, long-lasting aridity/weakening monsoon period was spatiotemporally synchronized with the late Ming peasantry uprising (1627-1658 CE) and the fall of the Ming Dynasty. The comparisons with many regional paleoclimate records show that the severest drought during the LMWMP was timetransgressive on decadal-timescale: from northern China to the Jiang-Huai region. Mechanistically, solar activity may provide a centennial scale background of precipitation decreases for LMWMP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: A cross-section study was conducted to explore the association between polymorphism of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) and lead poisoning in Uygur and Han children in China. Methods: The ALAD genotyping was determined by PCR-RFLP in 443 Uygur and 469 Han children aged 6–10 years from Urumqi in Xinjiang province. Results: The blood lead levels of 912 environmentally exposed children ranged from 0.5 to 48.2 μg/dL, with a mean of 5.45 μg/dL and a standard deviation of 0.22 μg/dL, and 23. Thirty-one percent individuals were with blood lead level ≥10 μg/dL. The mean and standard deviation of blood lead levels were 5.57 ± 0.223 μg/dL and 5.30 ± 0.224 μg/dL in Uygur and Han children, respectively. The frequencies of the allele ALAD1 and ALAD2 in Uygur subjects were 90.52% and 9.48%, and in Han subjects were 95.73% and 4.27%, respectively (chi-square = 19.55, p < 0.05). No statistic correlation between the distribution of ALAD alleles and the blood lead level was found in both populations. Conclusion: A significant difference was seen in the frequency distribution of ALAD genotype between the different races. The genetic susceptibility of ALAD polymorphism to lead toxicity may exhibit in a lead dose-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microwave–hydrothermal (MH) process was performed at 240°C to prepare tetragonal BaTiO3 from TiCl4 and Ba(OH)2. No alkali hydroxide was used to avoid contaminations. MH BaTiO3 powder with a c/ a ratio of 1.010 and a mean size of 180 nm was synthesized within only 9 h. The MH BaTiO3 contains a very low concentration of lattice hydroxyl group, associated with a very small lattice strain. The measured density of the MH BaTiO3 is favorably consistent with the theoretical value, and the Ba/Ti stoichiometry determined is 0.996. The formation of a tetragonal structure in BaTiO3 and the particle growth were strongly promoted by the MH process. The effects of lattice defects on the stoichiometry and the determination of transition enthalpy were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) as a novel type of nanomaterials have attracted significant attention in various scientific communities because of their excellent fluorescence. Herein, green fluorescent CDs (G-CDs) were obtained using one-pot hydrothermal treatment of Lonicera maackii fruit and exhibited excellent fluorescence characteristic and good bio-compatibility. The assynthesized G-CDs displayed strong green fluorescence, which was specifically quenched by Fe3+. And we develop a method for excellent sensitive and selective detection of Fe3+ with a linear range of 0.1-10 μM and a limit of detection of 0.08 μM. The method was further extended to measure the concentration of Fe3+ in actual water samples which the result is satisfactory. The synthesized G-CDs were applied for drawing fluorescent patterns, which may be used for anti-counterfeit. Finally, the prepared G-CDs were used in cell imaging and detection of Fe3+ in live cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two‐step, one‐flask synthesis of central seven‐membered borondifluoride‐3,3‐dimethyl‐2‐[2‐(2‐pyrrolyl)ethenyl] indole (BOPYIN) ligands has been developed by using the unexplored 3,3‐dimethyl‐2‐[2‐(2‐pyrrolyl)ethenyl] indole. The simple synthetic approach has enabled modification of the electronic structure by changing the substituents on the indole unit. X‐ray analysis indicated that conformations of the seven‐membered BF2 complex including BOPYIN and diazaborepin differ from that of the five‐ and six‐membered organoboron complexes. Interestingly, the bond angle of the N⋅⋅⋅B−N bond increases with the number of atoms in the core ring, based on Baeyer strain theory. These unsymmetric BOPYIN derivatives have excellent photophysical properties, including high fluorescence quantum yields, except for BOPYIN‐4 in the solution state, large Stokes shifts, and good molar absorptivity. The dipole moment of BOPYIN‐3 in the first excited singlet state and ground state was demonstrated by a linear Lippert–Mataga plot. The absorption and emission spectra were not mirror images for BOPYIN‐1–3 and 5, in contradiction to Kasha's rule, as determined by TDDFT. The synthesized BOPYINs have been shown to be biocompatible fluorophores in cell bioimaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel class of backbone-hydrolyzable LCST-type polyesters of poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) bis(glycidyl ether)-alt-ketoglutaric acid)s (PEmKs) with numerous reactive sites is presented in this study. The target polyesters are prepared with commercially available hexa(ethylene glycol) bis(glycidyl ether) (E6BG), ethylene glycol bis(glycidyl ether) (E1BG), and 2-ketoglutaric acid (KGA). By varying the initial feed ratio of E6BG and E1BG and the polymer concentration, a tunable thermal responsiveness with excellent repeatability is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multiplicative noise removal problem has received considerable attention recently. To solve this problem, various variational models have been proposed, which minimise an energy functional composed of the data term and the regularisation term. Regarding the regularisation term, a first-order model is frequently used to remove multiplicative noise, which may cause staircase effect and loss of contrast in the output image. In this study, the authors use a second-order model, the total curvature (TC), to solve the above problem. The TC model has the benefit of removing the staircase effect and maintaining image edges, contrasts and corners. The augmented Lagrange method is utilised to solve the proposed TC model by introducing auxiliary variables, Lagrange multipliers and using alternating optimisation strategy. In each loop of optimisation, the fast Fourier transform, generalised soft threshold formulas, projection method and gradient descent method are integrated effectively. The experimental results show that the TC model can effectively remove staircase effect and preserve smoothness, via comparison with the first-order model (total variation regularisation and Perona-Malik regularisation). Furthermore, the TC model is better than another second-order model based on bounded Hessian regularisation in preserving contrast and corner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insecticide resistance is inevitable if an insecticide is widely used to control insect pests. Fortunately, the resistance-associated fitness costs often give chances to manage resistances. In most cases, the fitness cost in resistant insects is often evaluated under laboratory conditions for insect development, which limits its practical application in pest control in the field. In a laboratory population R9 with 253-fold resistance to chlorpyrifos after nine-generation selection with chlorpyrifos, the relative fitness was only 0.206 under laboratory conditions (25°C, humidity 70%-80% and 16 h light/8 h dark photoperiod), when compared to S9, a susceptible counterpart (resistance ratio = 2.25- fold) from the same origin as R9 but without any selection with insecticides. Temperatures varied the resistance-associated fitness costs, with enhanced costs at high temperatures and reduced costs at low temperatures, such as 0.174 at 32°C and 0.527 at 18°C. The copulation rate and fecundity were two key factors for the reduced costs at low temperatures. Another finding was that R9 individuals needed much more time to recover from heat shock than that of S9, but R9 and S9 individuals were similarly sensitive to cold shock. The low fitness cost at low temperatures would increase the overwintering population, which might further increase risks of rapid development and widespread distribution of chlorpyrifos resistance in Nilaparvata lugens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel dual-mode DC-block bandpass filter (BPF) using a pair of V-shape slots on triangular-patch resonators is developed in this letter. The V-shape slots perturb the field distributions of triangular-patch resonators and excite degenerate modes. Compared to our previous research, the length of input/output (I/O) lines of the proposed filter is reduced so that the circuit becomes compact. Finally, the good agreement between the simulated and measured results of the proposed BPF is presented. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 1648–1649, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22520 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chang W-H, Yang Y-H, Liou S-H, Liu C-W, Chen C-Y, Fuh L-J, Huang S-L, Yang C-Y, Wu T-N. Effects of mixology courses and blood lead levels on dental caries among students. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010; 38: 222–227. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Objective: Dental caries can be affected by alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption also increases blood lead levels (BLLs) in humans and BLLs have been correlated with caries. Culinary students participate in mixology courses on either an elective or a mandatory basis. Therefore, we conducted this study to elucidate the effects of mixology courses and elevated BLLs on dental caries among students. Methods: This study had a cross-sectional design. We recruited first-year at one hospitality college and one university in southern Taiwan in September 2004. We applied a questionnaire, collected a blood specimen and performed a dental caries examination for each student. The subjects comprised 133 students who had ever participated in a mixology course (≥2 credits) during high school (exposure group) and 160 who had not participated in such a course (control group). Results: Compared with the control group, the exposure group had a higher prevalence of a DMFT index ≥0 (92.5% versus 81.2%, P = 0.005), a higher DMFT index [5.59 ± 3.53 (mean ± SD) versus 4.21 ± 3.64 teeth, P ≤ 0.001], and a higher BLL (3.12 ± 1.02 versus 2.67 ± 0.83 μg/dl, P ≤ 0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders, dental caries was significantly associated with participation in a mixology course. Conclusions: Alcohol exposure associated with participation in a mixology course may have an effect on caries in students. These findings suggest that occupational safety and health education should be applied to students participating in mixology courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We hypothesized that contraction of the LA wall could be documented by speckle tracking and could be applied for assessment of LA function. This study tried to identify the association between LA longitudinal strain (LAS) and strain rate (LASR) measured by speckle tracking with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Methods: Fifty-two patients (61 ± 17 years old, 23 men) with sinus rhythm at baseline referred for the evaluation of episodic palpitation were included. Standard four-chamber and two-chamber views were acquired and analyzed off-line. Peak LAS and LASR were carefully identified as the peak negative inflection of speckle tracking waves after P-wave gated by electrocardiography. Results: Ten patients (19%) had PAF. LAS, LASR, age, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, left ventricular mass, LA volume, and mitral early filling-to-annulus early velocity ratio were different between patients with and without PAF. After multivariate analysis, LASR was significantly independently associated with PAF (OR 8.56, 95% CI 1.14–64.02, P = 0.036). Conclusion: Speckle tracking echocardiography could be used in measurements of LAS and LASR. Decreased negative LASR was independently associated with PAF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small-scale effects of plant morphology in improving soil quality and reducing runoff and soil loss have remained unclear, especially in some arid environments with sparse vegetation. We selected three representative species with contrasting morphologies ( Artemisia gmelinii; Ajania potaninii; Pulicaria chrysantha) to examine the effects of plant morphology on soil quality, runoff, and soil loss in the dry-warm river valley of the upper reach of Minjiang River, SW China. Runoff events were monitored from July through October 2006 using runoff plots on a micro scale (<40 × 40 cm2) on a south-facing slope. The observation duration for rainfall and runoff events can be divided into two stages. Higher runoff depth, but lower soil loss per event occurred at the second stage as compared with the first stage due to the differences in rainfall, plant, and soil surface characteristics. The two herbs, A. gmelinii and P. chrysantha, had greater improvements on soil quality yielding high soil nutrient content and low soil compactness, while the effectiveness of the small shrub, A. potaninii, was minimal. Relative to bare surface (control treatment), the effectiveness of reducing runoff depth per event was 64.9, 66.6 and 38.0%, and reducing soil loss 65.5, 59.3 and 69.9% for A. gmelinii, A. potaninii, and P. chrysantha, respectively. All three plant species can improve soil quality and reduce runoff and soil loss, but their effects vary, which implies that plant morphology has to be considered while selecting species for ecosystem restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of progressive addition lenses (PALs), with a near addition of +1.50 D, on the progression of myopia in Chinese children. Methods: We enrolled 178 Chinese juvenile-onset acquired myopes (aged 7–13 years, −0.50 to −3.00 D spherical refractive error), who did not have moderately or highly myopic parents, for a 2-year prospective study. They were randomly assigned to the PAL group or single vision (SV) group. Primary measurements, which included myopia progression and ocular biometry, were performed every 6 months. Treatment effect was adjusted for important covariates, by using a multiple linear regression model. Results: One hundred and forty-nine subjects (75 in SV and 74 in PAL) completed the 2-year study. The myopia progression (mean ± S.D.) in the SV and PAL groups was −1.50 ± 0.67 and −1.24 ± 0.56 D, respectively. This difference of 0.26 D over 2 years was statistically significant ( p = 0.01). The lens type ( p = 0.02) and baseline spherical equivalent refraction ( p = 0.05) were significant contributing factors to myopia progression. Mean increase in the depth of vitreous chamber was 0.70 ± 0.40 and 0.59 ± 0.24 mm, respectively. This difference of 0.11 mm was statistically significant ( p = 0.04). Age ( p < 0.01) was the only contributing factor to the elongation of vitreous chamber. Different near phoria ( p < 0.01) and gender ( p = 0.02) caused different treatment effects when wearing SV lenses. However, there were no factors found to influence the treatment effect of wearing PALs. Conclusions: Compared with SV lenses, myopia progression was found to be retarded by PALs to some extent in Chinese children without moderately or highly myopic parents, especially for subjects with near esophoria or females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Downregulation of KAI1 gene expression has been found in many types of cancer cells and is closely related to cancer invasion and metastasis. This study was aimed at investigating the effects and possible underlying mechanisms of KAI1 gene on invasion and metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The invasive ability, visco-elastic properties and cell adhesion forces were analysed in different HCC cells originating from the MHCC97-H cell line transfected with either the sense or the antisense KAI1 expression plasmid. Tumuorigenicity, metastatic abilities, extracellular matrix (ECM) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression were also evaluated in the nude mouse models of the xenografted and orthotopic liver cancer cells. Results: Compared with their parental cells, in the HCC cells transfected with the sense KAI1 gene, the invasive ability in vitro was significantly decreased ( P<0.01); the cellular elastic coefficients K1, K2 and μ were significantly higher ( P<0.05); the cells adhesion forces to fibronectin were significantly lower ( P<0.01). The sense KAI1 gene transfection into the cancer cells also inhibited their invasion and lung metastasis in the orthotopic liver cancer nude mice. However, the opposite changes were observed in the HCC cells transfected with the antisense KAI1 gene. KAI1 gene transfection also affected ECM and ICAM-1 expression in the transplanted liver cancer. Conclusion: The KAI1 gene plays an important role in the invasion and metastasis of human HCC and its upregulation in HCC cells suppresses their invasive and metastatic abilities. KAI1 gene functioned as a metastasis inhibitor by regulating the HCC cell biophysical behaviours including aggregation, adhesion, motility and visco-elastic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavonoids exist extensively in plants, and several biological effects of them have been demonstrated. Wogonin is an important flavonoid compound. In this study, wogonin showed obvious growth inhibition on Bel-7402 cells. The major mechanisms of inhibition included cell apoptosis and cytotoxic effects. Wogonin-induced cell death showed characteristics of apoptosis including DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, appearance of apoptotic bodies, and an increase in hypodiploid cells. However, the percentage of necrosis cells also increased with the increase of wogonin concentration. Furthermore, treatment with wogonin caused changes of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potentials (ΔΨm, MMP), the decrease of the ratio of reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG), cytochrome c release and activation of caspase-9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CDP-6-deoxy-l- threo-d- glycero-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase (E1), along with its reductase (E3), catalyzes the unusual C-3 deoxygenation of CDP-6-deoxy-l-­ threo-d- glycero-4-hexulose to form CDP-3,6-dideoxy-l- threo-d- glycero-4-­hexulose in CDP-ascarylose biosynthesis [Chen et al. (1996), Biochemistry, 35, 16412–16420]. This dimeric [2Fe–2S] protein, cloned from the bacteria Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, is currently the only known example of an enzyme that uses a vitamin B6-derived pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate (PMP) cofactor to carry out one-electron chemistry [Agnihotri & Liu (2001), Bioorg. Chem. 29, 234–257]. It also exhibits a [2Fe–2S] cluster-binding motif (C- X57-C- X1-C- X7-C) which has not been observed previously [Agnihotri et al. (2004), Biochemistry, 43, 14265–14274] The recombinant 97.7 kDa dimer was crystallized in the trigonal space group P32, with unit-cell parameters a =  b = 97.37, c = 142.2 Å, α = β = 90, γ = 120°. A data set has been collected to 1.9 Å resolution. A full MAD data set was also collected at the iron absorption edge that diffracted to 2.0 Å. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied whether nerve growth factor (NGF) can affect the membrane potential and conductance of PC12 cells. We demonstrate that NGF depolarizes the membrane of PC12 cells within a minute and by using transfected NIH 3T3-Trk and -p75 cells we show that both the high affinity NGF receptor p140trk and the low affinity NGF receptor or p75NGF may be involved in the depolarization. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor, K252a, partially inhibited the depolarization, but two agents affecting intracellular calcium movements, Xestospongin C (XeC) and thapsigargin, did not. The early depolarization was eliminated in Na+ free solutions and under this condition, a prolonged (>2 min) hyperpolarization was observed in PC12 cells in response to NGF. This hyperpolarization was also induced in PC12 cells by epidermal growth factor (EGF). Voltage clamp experiments showed that NGF produced a late (>2 min) increase in membrane conductance. The Ca2+-dependent BK-type channel blocker, iberiotoxin, and the general Ca2+-dependent K+ channel blocker, TEA, attenuated or eliminated the hyperpolarization produced by NGF in sodium free media. Under pretreatment with the non-selective cation channel blockers La3+ and Gd3+, NGF hyperpolarized the membrane of PC12 cells. These results suggest that three different currents are implicated in rapid NGF-induced membrane voltage changes, namely an acutely activated Na+ current, Ca2+-dependent potassium currents and non-selective cation currents. Published 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the establishment of rDNA intergenic spacer structure of Cannabis sativa. Amplification of DNA fragments rDNA intergenic spacer; Comparison of the DNA sequence with all the plant sequences registered in GenBank by the Fasta program of GCG software; Importance of DNA polymorphism analysis.

The expression of autoimmunity in mice deficient in programmed death 1 (PD-1) suggests that PD-1 is a candidate gene involved in the development of human autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We therefore tested the potential association between PD-1 and the development of SLE and RA by conducting case–control genetic-association studies. Ninety-eight SLE patients, 84 RA patients, and sex-matched control subjects for each disease group were recruited and genotyped for a single-nucleotide polymorphism, C+872T, in the human PD-1 gene. The significance of the association of the PD-1 gene with SLE or with RA was analyzed by statistical tests for the difference in genotype distribution between disease and control groups. The human PD-1 gene was found to be significantly associated with disease development in RA patients, but not SLE patients. The risk of RA development appeared to be significantly increased by carriage of the T allele (odds ratio 3.32, P < 0.0001) or the C/T genotype (odds ratio 3.52, P < 0.00005). The PD-1 gene is significantly associated with RA susceptibility, suggesting the possibility that PD-1 may contribute to the pathogenesis of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on over 50,000 parental descriptors of children gathered in eight different countries, we used a combination of focus group sorting of descriptors in each country and factor analyses of instruments developed in four of the countries (United States, China, Greece, and the Netherlands) to describe children ages 3 to 12 years to select items for an instrument that would work well across countries to access personality. Through many factor analyses of indigenous items in each country, a core set of 141 items was used in three of the countries, with over 3000 parents responding to our instruments in China, Greece, and the United States. Much cross-comparative research analysis has resulted in 15 robust midlevel scales that describe the structures of parental descriptors that are common to the three countries. The data on the English (U.S.) sample are presented in detail. Links to temperament and behavior problems are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The study was designed to explore the effects of antisense human telomerase RNA (ahTR) on the malignant phenotype of gastric carcinoma cell line SGC-7901, and its potential role in gene therapy for tumors. Methods: An ahTR eukaryotic expression vector, including the sequence of template region of telomere repeats, was constructed by recombinant technology of molecules and then transfected into gastric carcinoma cell line SGC-7901 by liposome DOTAP. Subsequently, the expression of hTR RNA and ahTR RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, telomerase activity by telomeric repeat amplification protocol-ELISA (TRAP-ELISA), telomere length by Southern blotting, cell morphology under light microscope, cellular proliferation capacity by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2 thiazoyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay, cell-cycle distribution by flow cytometry, efficiency of clone formation in soft agar, and tumorigenecity in nude mice were examined and evaluated in ahTR-transfected cells, control plasmid pCI-neo transfected cells and their parental cells. Results: An ahTR eukaryotic expression vector was constructed and successfully transfected into SGC7901 cells. The telomerase activity in ahTR-transfected SGC-7901 cells decreased from 100% to approximately 25%, and telomere length in the cells shortened to 3.35 from 4.08 Kb at 60 population doublings. Compared with the parental cells and pCI-neo transfected cells, ahTR-transfected cells displayed some morphological changes, such as decreased atypia, and recovery of contact inhibition and density inhibition under light microscope. Furthermore, ahTR-transfected cells displayed decreased invasive capacity in Borden's chamber invasive model, increased G[sub 0]/G[sub 1] phase rate and apoptotic rate. Surprisingly, ahTR-transfected SGC-7901 cells lost their capacity for clone formation in soft agar and tumorigencity in nude mice. Conclusion: Antisense-hTR transfection can inhibit the growth of SGC-7901 cells and... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Very recently, petaslignolide A, corresponding to 9-hydroxypinoresinol(9-HP) glycoside from butterbur, traditional vegetable, was observed to show a remarkable neuroprotective effect through antioxidant action in brain tissue, in contrast to a negligible neuroprotection by pinoresinol glycoside. The aim of present study is to assess the neuroprotective action of 9-HP against oxidative damage in the brain of mice treated with kainic acid(KA), and to examine the mode by which 9-HP demonstrates neuroprotective action. Methods: Male ICR mice were administered i.p. with 9-HP before KA injection.. Biomarkers of oxidative stress for the biochemical, neurobehavioral, morphological evaluations were analyzed. Results: A remarkable neuroprotection was observed with a single administration (30 mg/kg) of 9-HP 24 h, but not 2 h, before KA challenge. Furthermore, 9-HP (20 mg/kg), administered for 3 days before KA challenge, reduced the lethality (60 %) induced by KA to none, and remarkably alleviated behavioral signs of KA neurotoxicity. Additionally, 9-HP pretreatment prevented the decrease in total glutathione (GSH) and TBARS. Furthermore, GSH-peroxidase activity in brain tissue was restored to control level. Conclusion: From these results, it is proposed that 9-HP exerts a potent neuroprotection mainly by preventing oxidative stress in brain tissue of mice challenged with KA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]