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The article presents a study which examines the impact of curcumin in the changes of aortic atherosclerosis and plasma lipid in quails in which the result shows the effectiveness of curcumin against the intimal thickening and plaque formation and shields the normal structure of quail arteries.

Based on continuous observation of soil temperature and in situ incubation, this paper studied the effects of snow packs on soil temperature, soil nitrogen (N) mineralization, and primary productivity of Rhododendron aureum community alpine tundra in Changbai Mountain. During the snow-covered period of non-growth season (from last October to early May), test soil had an increasing N content, and accumulated sufficient mineralized N for plant growth in the coming year. The soil under snow packs in snow-covered period had a mean temperature -3.0 °C, and its N mineralization was more vigorous, with available N increased by 3.88 g∙m-2; while the soil with no snowpack had a mean temperature -7.5 °C, and the available N only increased by 1.21 g∙m-2. During growth lseason (from mid May to late August), soil N content decreased. In autumn when plants stopped growing, soil available N content tended to increase. In winter, the soil temperature under snowpacks kept at around 0 °C or a little lower, which promoted soil N mineralization, while that with no snowpack was in a frozen status. The difference in soil N mineralization was the key factor resulting in the higher primary productivity of snowpack Rh. aureum community and the driving force for the spatial variation of vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that compares the disposition of danofloxacin mesylate liposomes with the solution in tissues of healthy egg chickens following intravenous and oral administration. The study notes that the distribution of the drug in the liver and lung was elevated but the kidney was properly the reverse. Thus, the concluded that liposomes groups elevate the lung targeting and the release of drug was prolonged in the lung.

The article presents a study which aims to identify the effects of danofloxacin mesylate to chicken eggs. Separate oral and intravenous administration of 5 milligrams per kilogram of danofloxacin mesylate solution and danofloxacin mesylate liposomes were given to healthy egg chickens. Significant differences in pharmacokinetics between the two dosage forms, plasma half-life was prolonged with the danofloxacin mesylate solution while peak concentration was elevated.

The article presents a chemical equation related to the article " A Facile Asymmetric Synthesis of Δ³-2-Hydroxybakuchiol (I), Bakuchiol (II) and ent-Bakuchiol (III)" by X. Lei and others, published in the periodical "Tetrahedron" in 2013.

Eutrophication and harmful algae blooms are one of the common ecological and environmental problems faced by freshwater lakes all over the world. As a typical inland freshwater lake, Chaohu Lake exhibits a high level of eutrophication and algae blooms year-round and shows a spatiotemporal difference in different regions of the lake. In order to understand the basic regularity of the development and outbreak of algal blooms in Chaohu Lake, the data from the comprehensive water observation platform and remote sensing were integrated to obtain the spatiotemporal distribution of algal blooms from 2015 to 2020. Then, an evaluation model based on Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) was constructed to quantitatively assess the importance and interactions of various environmental factors on algal blooms at different stages. The results indicated that:① The occurrence of algal blooms in Chaohu Lake exhibited significant seasonal variations, with the cyanobacteria beginning to recover in spring and bring about a light degree of algal blooms in the western and coastal areas of Chaohu Lake. The density of cyanobacteria reached its maximum in summer and autumn, accompanied by moderate and severe degrees of algal bloom outbreaks. ② During the non-outbreak period, the variation in the cyanobacteria density was greatly affected by physical and chemical factors, which explained 80.3% of the variance in the change in cyanobacteria density. The high concentrations of dissolved oxygen content in the water column and the weak alkalinity (7.2-7.6) and appropriate water temperature (about 3℃) provided a favorable environmental condition for the breeding and growth of cyanobacteria. In addition, the onset of algal blooms was closely related to the air temperature steadily passing through the threshold. According to the statistics, the date of first outbreak of algal blooms in Chaohu Lake was 11 days or so after the air temperature steadily remained above 7℃. ③ During the outbreak period, the occurrence of algal blooms was influenced by the combination of cyanobacterial biomass and meteorological conditions such as temperature, wind speed, and sunshine duration. The cumulative contribution ratio of the four factors was as high as 95%, and each factor had an optimal interval conductive to the outbreak of algal blooms. Furthermore, the results of multi-factor interaction analysis indicated a larger probability of the outbreak of algal blooms in Chaohu Lake under the combined effect of high cyanobacteria density, suitable temperature, and the breeze. This study analyzed and revealed the spatiotemporal characteristics and the dominant influencing factors of algal blooms in Chaohu Lake at different stages, which could provide the scientific basis for the prediction, early warning, and disposal of algal blooms under the context of climate change.

Since synovial hypoxic microenvironment significantly promotes the pathological progress of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) has been emerged as a promising target for the development of novel therapeutic agents for RA treatment. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of diaryl substituted isoquinolin-1(2H)-one derivatives as HIF-1 signaling inhibitors using scaffold-hopping strategy. By modifying the substituents on N-atom and 6-position of isoquinolin-1-one, we discovered compound 17q with the most potent activities against HIF-1 (IC 50  = 0.55 μM) in a hypoxia-reactive element (HRE) luciferase reporter assay. Further pharmacological studies revealed that 17q concentration-dependently blocked hypoxia-induced HIF-1α protein accumulation, reduced inflammation response, inhibited cellular invasiveness and promoted VHL-dependent HIF-1α degradation in human RA synovial cell line. Moreover, 17q improved the pathological injury of ankle joints, decreased angiogenesis and attenuated inflammation response in the adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rat model, indicating the promising therapeutic potential of compound 17q as an effective HIF-1 inhibitor for RA therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To compare the repair effects of different doses of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) on white matter injury (WMI) in neonatal rats., Methods: Two-day-old Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats were randomly divided into five groups: sham operation group, WMI group, and hUC-MSCs groups (low dose, medium dose, and high dose), with 24 rats in each group. Twenty-four hours after successful establishment of the neonatal rat white matter injury model, the WMI group was injected with sterile PBS via the lateral ventricle, while the hUC-MSCs groups received injections of hUC-MSCs at different doses. At 14 and 21 days post-modeling, hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe pathological changes in the tissues around the lateral ventricles. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the quantitative expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mRNA in the brain tissue. Immunohistochemistry was employed to observe the expression levels of GFAP and neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) in the tissues around the lateral ventricles. TUNEL staining was used to observe cell apoptosis in the tissues around the lateral ventricles. At 21 days post-modeling, the Morris water maze test was used to observe the spatial learning and memory capabilities of the neonatal rats., Results: At 14 and 21 days post-modeling, numerous cells with nuclear shrinkage and rupture, as well as disordered arrangement of nerve fibers, were observed in the tissues around the lateral ventricles of the WMI group and the low dose group. Compared with the WMI group, the medium and high dose groups showed alleviated pathological changes; the arrangement of nerve fibers in the medium dose group was relatively more orderly compared with the high dose group. Compared with the WMI group, there was no significant difference in the expression levels of MBP and GFAP mRNA in the low dose group ( P >0.05), while the expression levels of MBP mRNA increased and GFAP mRNA decreased in the medium and high dose groups. The expression level of MBP mRNA in the medium dose group was higher than that in the high dose group, and the expression level of GFAP mRNA in the medium dose group was lower than that in the high dose group ( P <0.05). Compared with the WMI group, there was no significant difference in the protein expression of GFAP and NeuN in the low dose group ( P >0.05), while the expression of NeuN protein increased and GFAP protein decreased in the medium and high dose groups. The expression of NeuN protein in the medium dose group was higher than that in the high dose group, and the expression of GFAP protein in the medium dose group was lower than that in the high dose group ( P <0.05). Compared with the WMI group, there was no significant difference in the number of apoptotic cells in the low dose group ( P >0.05), while the number of apoptotic cells in the medium and high dose groups was less than that in the WMI group, and the number of apoptotic cells in the medium dose group was less than that in the high dose group ( P <0.05). Compared with the WMI group, there was no significant difference in the escape latency time in the low dose group ( P >0.05); starting from the third day of the latency period, the escape latency time in the medium dose group was less than that in the WMI group ( P <0.05). The medium and high dose groups crossed the platform more times than the WMI group ( P <0.05)., Conclusions: Low dose hUC-MSCs may yield unsatisfactory repair effects on WMI in neonatal rats, while medium and high doses of hUC-MSCs have significant repair effects, with the medium dose demonstrating superior efficacy.

Fluoride exerts detrimental effects on germ cells and increases the infertility rate in women. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms behind the developmental abnormalities caused by fluoride in oocytes remain poorly comprehended. The current study, we established mitochondrial damage model in oocytes via 50 μg/mL sodium fluoride (NaF) supplementation. We then examined the effects of honokiol in preventing mitochondrial deficits caused by NaF and investigated the mechanisms through which honokiol protects oocytes. The findings investigated that NaF increased levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and hindered mitochondrial function, as evidenced by the dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential, abnormal expression of mitochondrial DNA copy numbers, and mtDNA harm in oocytes. mtROS scavenging using Mito-TEMPO alleviated oxidative damage in mitochondria and restored the oocyte developmental competence. Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) acetylation was significantly increased, whereas sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) expression was decreased in NaF-treated oocytes. The addition of honokiol helped in the deacetylation of SOD2 at K122 through SIRT3, resulting in the removal of excessive mtROS and the recovery of mitochondrial function. Therefore, SIRT3/SOD2 pathway aids honokiol in mitigating fluoride-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Overall, honokiol improved the mitochondrial harm caused by NaF by controlling mtROS and mitochondrial function, with the SIRT3/SOD2 pathway having an important function. These findings suggest honokiol as a potential therapeutic strategy for NaF-induced oocyte development and mitochondrial deficits., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A highly enantioselective catalytic system for exo-Diels-Alder reactions was developed based on the newly discovered bispyrrolidine diboronates (BPDB). Activated by various Lewis or Brønsted acids, BPDB can catalyze highly stereoselective asymmetric exo-Diels-Alder reactions of monocarbonyl-based dienophiles. When 1,2-dicarbonyl-based dienophiles are used, the catalyst can sterically distinguish between the two binding sites, which leads to highly regioselective asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions. BPDB can be prepared as crystalline solids on a large scale and are stable under ambient condition. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of the structure for acid-activated BPDB indicated that its activation involves cleavage of a labile B←N bond., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Esophageal carcinoma has poor prognosis and novel therapies for esophageal carcinoma are urgently needed. Quercetin is a natural flavonoid compound that can be found in many foods. In this study, we investigated the effects of quercetin on invasion and angiogenesis of esophageal cancer cells., Methods: Human esophageal cancer cell line Eca109 was treated with 5 μg/mL or 10 μg/mL of quercetin. Colony formation assay was performed. Cell migration and invasion were evaluated by wound healing and transwell assays, respectively. Human umbilical vein/vascular endothelium cells (CLR-1730) were treated with Eca109 conditioned medium, and the effects of quercetin on CLR-1730 were evaluated by wound healing and tube formation assays. Protein levels of VEGF-A, MMP9, and MMP2 were determined by Western blotting., Results: The ability of colony forming in Eca109 was reduced with the administration of 10 μg/mL quercetin, but there was no difference between the 5 μg/mL quercetin group and control. The migration distance and the number of invasive cells were significantly reduced in the 10 μg/mL quercetin group. At the lower level of quercetin at 5 μg/mL, only the invasion of cells was significantly inhibited. In endothelial cells treated with Eca109 conditioned medium, cell migration and tube forming ability were suppressed. The decreased protein levels of VEGF-A, MMP9, and MMP2 were observed at the 10 μg/mL quercetin group., Conclusion: Quercetin suppressed the invasion and angiogenesis of esophageal cancer cells, and the effects were associated with the decreased expression of VEGF-A, MMP2, and MMP9., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The final phase of the total synthesis of (-)-spirochensilide A is described. A tungsten-mediated cyclopropene-based Pauson-Khand reaction was developed to form the spiral CD ring system with desired stereochemistry at the C13 quaternary center. Other important steps enabling completion of this synthesis included an intermolecular aldol condensation to link the ABCD core with the EF fragment and a Cu-mediated 1,4-addition to stereoselectively install the C21 stereogenic center. The chemistry developed for this total synthesis of (-)-spirochensilide A ( 1 ) will aid the synthesis of polycyclic natural products bearing this unique spiral ring system.

A concise and diastereoselective construction of the ABCD ring system of spirochensilide A is described. The key steps of this synthesis are a semipinacol rearrangement reaction to stereoselectively construct the AB ring system bearing two vicinal quaternary chiral centers and a Co-mediated Pauson-Khand reaction to form the spiro-based bicyclic CD ring system. This chemistry leads to the stereoselective synthesis of 13( R )-demethyl spirochensilide A, paving the way for the first asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-spirochensilide A.

Withanolides are a group of highly oxygenated steroids derived from a C28 ergostane skeleton, and have attracted significant scientific interest due to their complex structural features and multiple bioactivities. More than 170 new natural withanolides were isolated and identified in the last 5 years. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the structural, biological and pharmacological activities of these new compounds., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Objective: To explore whether manual acupuncture stimulation of "Shenshu " (BL23), "Guanyuan" (CV4), "Zhongwan" (CV12) can improve the ovarian function by resisting oxidant stress and reducing apoptosis of granulosa cells in rats with ovarian hypofunction., Methods: Forty female SD rats with normal estrous cycles were randomly divided into blank control, model, hormone therapy and acupuncture groups ( n =10 rats in each group). The ovarian hypofunction model was established by gavage of Tripterygium Glycosides suspension (50 mg·kg -1 ·d -1 ) for 14 successive days. Rats of the hormone therapy group were treated by gavage of estrogen and progesterone, and those of the acupuncture group treated by manual acupuncture stimulation of bilateral BL23 or CV4 and CV12 alternatively by using uniform reinforcing-reducing method for 10 s every 5 min (3 times in 10 min). The treatment was performed once daily for 14 days. The blank group was given equal volume of normal saline daily. On the 9 th day, the estrous cycle of each rat was observed by means of vaginal smear test. The ovarian index, serum estradiol (E 2 ), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) contents were detected by ELISA. Histopathological changes of the ovary tissue were observed by H.E. staining. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 and their mRNAs of the ovaries were determined by immunohistochemical staining and quantitative real time-PCR separately., Results: The menstrual disorder rate was 100% in the model group, and was significantly higher than those in the hormone therapy (30%) and acupuncture (40%) groups ( P <0.01). Following modeling, the ovarian wet weight and index, E 2 and SOD contents, Bcl-2 protein and mRNA expressions were significantly decreased ( P <0.01, P <0.05), and serum FSH, LH and MDA levels, Bax protein and mRNA expressions were significantly increased ( P <0.05, P <0.01) in the model group in comparison with the blank control group. H.E. staining showed a large amount of connective tissue in the ovary, with fewer mature follicles, increase of atresia follicles, significant reduction of luteal tissue, and appearance of scarring tissue in the model group. Compared with the model group, there were more mature follicles, fewer atresia follicles, lower abnormal granulosa cell morphology and lower estrous cycle disorder ratio in both hormone therapy and acupuncture groups. After the interventions, the decreased ovarian wet weight and index, serum E 2 and SOD contents, expressions of Bcl-2 protein and mRNA were significantly increased ( P <0.05, P <0.01), and the increased levels of FSH and LH, MDA, expressions of Bax protein and mRNA were significantly decreased in both hormone therapy and acupuncture groups ( P <0.05, P <0.01). The effect of acupuncture was significantly superior to that of hormone in up-regulating SOD, Bax and Bcl-2 protein expressions ( P <0.01)., Conclusion: Acupuncture can improve the menstrual disorder in rats with ovarian hypofunction, which is closely related to its effects in improving antioxidant stress ability and regulating the expressions of apoptosis-related protein and mRNA of ovarian gra-nulosa cells.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal and intractable human malignancies with poor prognosis. Chronic pancreatitis is the independent risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Smoking, obesity and family history are the risk factors for chronic inflammation-associated pancreatic carcinogenesis. Recent studies of signal pathways have made a significant progress in our understanding of chronic pancreatitis in pancreatic cancer. This review summarizes recent development in the important signal pathways involved in pancreatic carcinogenesis from chronic pancreatitis.

Antibiotics have been used in poultry industry for decades to promote growth and protect animals from diseases, followed by various side effects. In efforts of searching for a better alternative, probiotic is of extensive attention. We investigated the effects of Bacillus subtitles, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, Candida utilis and Lactobacillus acidophilus as 0.1% (W/W) feed additives on broiler growth performance and intestinal microflora. The results showed the probiotics treatments significantly improved growth of broilers. Broilers supplemented with B. subtilis and L. acidophilus weighed 18.4% and 10.1% more than birds in control group at 42 days of age. Furthermore the feed conversion ratios of the birds in the two groups were also improved, decreasing 9.1% and 12.9%, respectively. Further study indicated a significant increase of cecal Lactobacilli concentration in briolers supplemented with probiotics, expecially in L. acidophilus treatment group. Meanwhile, the count of cecal Actinomyces in birds treated with probiotics was significantly lower compared with the control group. In conclusion, probiotics such as B. subtitles and L. acidophilus are good alternatives to antibiotics in promoting growth resulting from a beneficial modulation of the intestinal micro flora, which leads to increased efficiency of intestinal digestion in the host animal.

With increasing discharge of wastewater containing nitrogen and phosphorus into rivers and lakes, harmful cyanobacterial blooms have become more frequent worldwide. The main harm of cyanobacterial blooms is producing and releasing a great amount of algal toxins mainly containing microcystins (MCs). Since MCs are extremely harmful to plants and animals and difficult to be removed efficiently by the traditional processing methods, how to control harmful cyanobacterial blooms and remove MCs have become an unsolved problem in the field of environmental science all over the world. This paper summarized the structure and toxicity of MCs, the MCs-biodegrading bacterial strains, the enzymes, the genes, and the biodegradation pathway and molecular mechanism of MCs. The further research subjects were also proposed. It was hoped that this review could provide a reference for restoring MCs-polluted lakes and reservoirs and ensuring drinking water safety.

Background: Our aim was to review the characteristics of transferred fireworks-related ocular damage and to evaluate the prognostic value of the ocular trauma score (OTS) for these injuries., Methods: This study included 22 transferred patients (19 male, 3 female; mean age 22.6±14.9 years) (25 eyes). The data were retrospectively reviewed, including the characteristics of the geography, types of fireworks, status of injuries, therapeutic procedures, and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). All the injured eyes were classified using the OTS at the time of the initial examination., Results: Twenty eyes (80%) were in OTS category 1, three eyes (12%) were in OTS category 2, and two eyes (8%) were in OTS category 3. All cases received surgical therapy. Six eyes (24%) were enucleated, four (16%) of which achieved an improvement in their final BCVA. There was a statistically significant improvement in final BCVA between OTS category 1 and the other two OTS categories (p=0.016)., Conclusion: The aforementioned transferred fireworks-related ocular injury cases occurred mainly in young adults, men and active participants, all of which incurred serious vision loss and blindness. The OTS is quite effective for classifying the status and estimating the prognosis of transferred fireworks-related ocular injuries.

Based on continuous observation of soil temperature and in situ incubation, this paper studied the effects of snow packs on soil temperature, soil nitrogen (N) mineralization, and primary productivity of Rhododendron aureum community alpine tundra in Changbai Mountain. During the snow-covered period of non-growth season (from last October to early May), test soil had an increasing N content, and accumulated sufficient mineralized N for plant growth in the coming year. The soil under snow packs in snow-covered period had a mean temperature -3.0 degrees C, and its N mineralization was more vigorous, with available N increased by 3.88 g x m(-2); while the soil with no snowpack had a mean temperature -7.5 degrees C, and the available N only increased by 1.21 g x m(-2). During growth season (from mid May to late August), soil N content decreased. In autumn when plants stopped growing, soil available N content tended to increase. In winter, the soil temperature under snowpacks kept at around 0 degrees C or a little lower, which promoted soil N mineralization, while that with no snowpack was in a frozen status. The difference in soil N mineralization was the key factor resulting in the higher primary productivity of snowpack Rh. aureum community and the driving force for the spatial variation of vegetation.