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All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-based cell differentiation therapy has been successful in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia, a unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, other subtypes of AML display resistance to ATRA-based treatment. In this study, we screened natural, plant-derived vibsane-type diterpenoids for their ability to induce differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells, discovering that vibsanin A potently induced differentiation of AML cell lines and primary blasts. The differentiation-inducing activity of vibsanin A was mediated through direct interaction with and activation of protein kinase C (PKC). Consistent with these findings, pharmacological blockade of PKC activity suppressed vibsanin A–induced differentiation. Mechanistically, vibsanin A–mediated activation of PKC led to induction of the ERK pathway and decreased c-Myc expression. In mouse xenograft models of AML, vibsanin A administration prolonged host survival and inhibited PKC-mediated inflammatory responses correlated with promotion of skin tumors in mice. Collectively, our results offer a preclinical proof of concept for vibsanin A as a myeloid differentiation-inducing compound, with potential application as an antileukemic agent. Cancer Res; 76(9); 2698–709. ©2016 AACR.

Ideal partner preferences (i.e., ratings of the desirability of attributes like attractiveness or intelligence) are the source of numerous foundational findings in the interdisciplinary literature on human mating. Recently, research on the predictive validity of ideal partner preference-matching (i.e., do people positively evaluate partners who match versus mismatch their ideals?) has become mired in several problems. For one, articles exhibit discrepant analytic and reporting practices. Furthermore, different findings emerge across laboratories worldwide, perhaps because they sample different relationship contexts and/or populations. The current project—partnered with the Psychological Science Accelerator—can bring clarity to this literature. This registered report uses a highly powered design across multiple world regions to calculate preference-matching effect sizes and variability estimates for all relevant analytic tests. It also examines effects in different relationship contexts and subsamples (e.g., attraction, established relationships, recently formed relationships).

An azobenzene-containing block copolymer self-assembled into island-like nanostructures. The island-like nanostructures fused into chain-like nanostructures under UV irradiation based on photoinduced solid-to-liquid transitions at the nanoscale.

Photoswitches with different numbers of azo chromophores are designed for molecular solar thermal storage. The relationship between the molecular structures and the energy storage performance is investigated.

The rotating packed bed (RPB) has been widely used in gas-liquid flow systems as a process intensification device, exhibiting excellent mass transfer enhancement characteristics. However, the complex internal structure and the high-speed rotation of the rotor in RPB bring significant challenges to study the intensification mechanism by experiment methods. In the past two decades, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been gradually applied to simulate the hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in RPB and instruct the reactor design. This article covers the development of the CFD simulation of gas-liquid flow in RPB. Firstly, the improvement of the simulation method in the aspect of mathematical models, geometric models, and solving methods is introduced. Secondly, new progress of CFD simulation about hydrodynamic and mass transfer characteristics in RPB is reviewed, including pressure drop, velocity distribution, flow pattern, and concentration distribution, etc. Some new phenomena such as the end effect area with the maximum turbulent have been revealed by this works. In addition, the exploration of developing new reactor structures by CFD simulation is introduced and it is proved that such new structures are competitive to different applications. The defects of current research and future development directions are also discussed at last.

In the Galaxy, close binaries with compact objects are important low-frequency gravitational wave (GW) sources. As potential low-frequency GW sources, neutron star/white dwarf (WD) ultra-compact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) have been investigated extensively. Using the MESA code, we systematically explored the evolution of black hole (BH)-main sequence star (MS) binaries to diagnose whether their descendants can be detected by space-borne GW detectors. Our simulations show that BH-MS binaries with an initial orbital period less than the bifurcation period can evolve into BH UCXBs that can be detected by LISA. Such an evolutionary channel would form compact mass-transferring BH-WD systems rather than detached BH-WD systems. The calculated X-ray luminosities of BH UCXBs detected by LISA at a distance $d=1$ kpc are $\sim10^{33}-10^{35}~\rm erg\,s^{-1}$ ($\sim10^{34}-10^{35}~\rm erg\,s^{-1}$ for $d=10$ kpc), hence it is possible to detect their electromagnetic counterparts. It is worth emphasizing only some BH-MS systems with an initial orbital period very close to the bifurcation period can evolve toward low-frequency GW sources whose chirp masses can be measured. The maximum GW frequency of BH UCXBs forming by BH-MS pathway is about 3 mHz, which is smaller than the minimum GW frequency (6.4 mHz) of mass-transferring BH-WD originating from a dynamic process. Furthermore, we obtain an initial parameter space (donor-star masses and orbital periods) of progenitors of BH UCXB-GW sources, which can be applied to future population synthesis simulations. By a rough estimation, we predict that LISA could detect only a few BH UCXB-GW sources forming by the BH-MS channel., 15 pages, 8 figures, 1 table. ApJ in press

We reconsider $D\geq4$ dimensional asymptotically flat eternal Schwarzschild black hole, and focus on the situation where the inner boundary of the radiation region is chosen to be near the horizon (i.e. $\beta \ll1$). The tension between the near-horizon condition and the short-distance approximation emerges in large dimensions in $[JHEP 06 (2020) 085]$. We remove this tension by introducing a more proper near horizon condition, thus the resulting island solution is well-behaved in any $D\geq4$ dimensional spacetime. Interestingly, a novel constraint is obtained in this situation as required by the existence of the island solution, which directly leads to the constraints on the size of the Schwarzschild black hole, the position of the inner boundary for the radiation region, or the value of $c\cdot\tilde{G}_{N}$ in any $D\geq4$ dimension. When considering the large $D$ limit, the constraint on the size of the Schwarzschild black hole obtained in this situation is in agreement with the result given in $[Phys.Rev.D 102 (2020) 2, 026016]$. We interpret these as the unitary constraints implied by the presence of island in semiclassical gravity., Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures; improvements to the expression; Footnote 2 added to show a new analytical island solution for $n\rightarrow\infty$ while $\alpha\sim \beta/n$; accepted for publication in PRD

Sesame oil is one of the most commonly used oils in life. It contains a special antioxidant substance called sesame lignans, which has high nutritional value and pharmacological activity. Chromatographic methods are accurate and reliable but not suitable for quality control due to time-consuming. Near-infrared (NIR) quantitative models for quickly determining sesamin, sesamolin and sesame lignans in sesame oil were built using a portable NIR spectrometer combined partial least squares(PLS) algorithm, and the optimal PLS models were developed by comparing the performance of the models with different spectral pretreatment methods and bands selection, the correlation coefficients (R2) were RC2 = 0.98, 0.99, 0.99, RP2 = 0.99, 0.97, 0.94, and the root mean square error (RMSEP) was 2.69 μg/mL, 3.73 μg/mL, and 7.96 μg/mL, respectively. The acceptable results demonstrated that portable NIR spectrometer could be used for monitoring the contents of sesamin, sesamolin, and sesame lignans in sesame oil during the production process to carry out quality control.

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Mangrove microorganisms are a major part of the coastal ecosystem and are directly associated with nutrient cycling. Despite their ecological significance, the collection of culturable mangrove microbes is limited due to difficulties in isolation and cultivation. Here, we report the isolation and genome sequence of strain FT118

The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale III (FACES-III) has been widely used to measure an individual’s family functioning in terms of cohesion and adaptability. In Malaysia, the FACES-III has been translated into the Malay language for the community, but its psychometric properties in this context remain unknown. Thus, the purpose of this research is to examine the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the FACES-III in 852 adolescents attending secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Data were randomly split into two halves: the exploration sample and the validation sample. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the exploration sample and a two-factor model was discovered after removing nine items that showed low factor loading. Then, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the validation sample to compare the one-factor models, two-factor models, and three-factor models. Results showed that the 11-item two-factor model (FACES-III-M-SF) was superior to the other competing models. Both the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses replicated the two-factor structure of the original version of FACES-III. The reliability of the overall scale was consistently good, but the subscale results were mixed. This suggests that researchers should use the overall score, but not the subscale scores, in analyses.

β-Adrenergic receptor (β-AR) overactivation is a major pathological factor associated with cardiac diseases and mediates cardiac inflammatory injury. Glibenclamide has shown anti-inflammatory effects in previous research. However, it is unclear whether and how glibenclamide can alleviate cardiac inflammatory injury induced by β-AR overactivation. In the present study, male C57BL/6J mice were treated with or without the β-AR agonist isoprenaline (ISO) with or without glibenclamide pretreatment. The results indicated that glibenclamide alleviated ISO-induced macrophage infiltration in the heart, as determined by Mac-3 staining. Consistent with this finding, glibenclamide also inhibited ISO-induced chemokines and proinflammatory cytokines expression in the heart. Moreover, glibenclamide inhibited ISO-induced cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction in mice. To reveal the protective mechanism of glibenclamide, the NLRP3 inflammasome was further analysed. ISO activated the NLRP3 inflammasome in both cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts, but this effect was alleviated by glibenclamide pretreatment. Furthermore, in cardiomyocytes, ISO increased the efflux of potassium and the generation of ROS, which are recognized as activators of the NLRP3 inflammasome. The ISO-induced increases in these processes were inhibited by glibenclamide pretreatment. Moreover, glibenclamide inhibited the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway, which is downstream of β-AR, by increasing phosphodiesterase activity in mouse hearts and cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, glibenclamide alleviates β-AR overactivation-induced cardiac inflammation by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. The underlying mechanism involves glibenclamide-mediated suppression of potassium efflux and ROS generation by inhibiting the cAMP/PKA pathway.

Executive functioning and its related components have been found to promote well-being. However, there is a limited understanding of the underlying mechanism. Drawing from the job demands–resources and PERMA models, the present study examined the hypothetical mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between executive functioning deficit and well-being among 314 working adults in Malaysia. Participants answered a survey consisting of the Executive Skills Questionnaire-Revised (ESQ-R; a new measure of executive functioning deficits for working adults), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Employee Well-Being Scale, and Self-Rated Creativity Scale. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the ESQ-R score was negatively associated with all other target variables, while the latter was positively related to each other. Moreover, supporting the hypotheses, the results of mediation analysis using PROCESS macro found that work engagement mediated the negative relationship between executive functioning deficits and well-being after statistically controlling for the creativity score. The findings not only replicate the beneficial role of executive functioning in employees’ well-being but also shed light on the underlying process of the relationship. Implications and directions for future studies are discussed.

Background It is widely accepted that high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a key inflammatory mediator in the pathogenesis of sepsis. HMGB1 promotes inflammation during sterile and infectious damage and plays a crucial role in disease development. Mobilization from the nucleus to the cytoplasm is the first important step in the release of HMGB1 from activated immune cells. Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is a member of the sirtuin family, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide+-dependent deacylases, which participates in modulation of cell cycle control and neurodegeneration Methods A sepsis mouse modle was established using C57BL/6 and SIRT2-/- mice by LPS induction. Assessment of microglia polarization and pro-inflammatory markers, such as tumor necrosis factor IL-1β, IL-6, and HMGB1. Immunofluorescent staining and western blot analysis were used to detect HMGB1 nuclear translocation. The impact of SIRT2 deacetylase activity on HMGB1 acetylation and the interaction between HMGB1 and SIRT2. Results The results of our study showed that HMGB1 was reduced after SIRT2 knockdown. SIRT2 overexpression increased HMGB1. SIRT2 affected the translocation of HMGB1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. In addition, SIRT2 interacts with HMGB1 and deacetylates the K43 lysine sites. In vivo, a decrease in HMGB1 due to the absence of SIRT2. SIRT2 depletion increased HMGB1 ubiquitination and had an impact on the nucleoplasmic shuttle. Conclusion These discoveries are the first to shed light on the SIRT2 nucleoplasmic shuttle, which influences HMGB1 and its degradation, hence revealing novel therapeutic targets and avenues for sepsis treatment.

As a medicinal fungus, Inonotus obliquus (IO) has been widely used in the treatment of cancer and digestive system diseases. Despite the progress that has been made in the studies of IO and its active compounds, their applications in the treatment of other important clinical diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, which are major global issues with limited treatment strategies, are seldom reported. This review summarizes the separation and purification methods of chemical components of IO, the advances in their applications, and research progress on the pharmacological effects and related mechanisms of IO in disease prevention. This review will help researchers and clinicians to further understand the pharmacological functions and mechanisms of IO and its active components, which may extend their medical applications in the prevention and treatment of other diseases in addition to tumors and digestive system diseases in the near future.

Improving the storage capacities of electrode materials is one of the most critical points for ion batteries. Two-dimensional (2D) topological semimetals with high carrier mobility are naturally suitable as electrode materials. Herein, using the first-principle calculations, 2D BP monolayer with Dirac-type band structure is predicted to be a superior anode material with ultrahigh capacity for both Li/Na-ion batteries. The BP monolayer remains metallic after the adsorption of Li/Na ions, ensuring a good conductivity. Furthermore, BP owns low diffusion barriers (0.35 eV for Li ions and 0.16 eV for Na ions) and a moderate lattice change (3%) during the process of charging and discharging. Remarkably, the storage capacity of monolayer BP is enhanced to 1924 mAh/g by multilayer adsorption of both Li/Na ions, much higher than those of most previous 2D anode materials. All these characteristics strongly suggest that BP has great potential as a superior anode material in Li/Na-ion batteries.