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Environmental education is an important approach to improve students’ environmental literacy. The method of environmental education in colleges and universities is advancing with the development of multimedia technologies, among which virtual reality (VR) technology is gradually being widely applied to education due to its strong sense of immersion and interactivity. This article focuses on the application of VR technology to environmental education in colleges and universities, using EduVenture APP and VR glasses to innovate environmental education, with the aim of improving students’ performance and making a strong connection between sense and activity of environmental protection. This research found that the learning efficiency and the sense of environmental protection of students were enhanced with VR assistance in comparison to traditional instruction, and students’ learning interest in environmental protection activity was also improved.

Multiple modifications to the structure of curcumin have been investigated with an aim to improve its potency and biochemical properties. Previously, we have synthesized a series of curcumin analogs. In the present study, the anticancer effect of 2-pyridyl cyclohexanone, one of the curcumin analogs, on esophageal carcinoma Eca109 and EC9706 cell lines and its molecular mechanisms were investigated. 2-Pyridyl cyclohexanone inhibited the proliferation of Eca109 and EC9706 cells by inducing apoptosis as indicated by morphological changes, membrane phospholipid phosphatidylserine ectropion, caspase 3 activation, and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Mechanistic studies indicated that 2-pyridyl cyclohexanone disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential, disturbed the balance of the Bcl-2 family proteins, and triggered apoptosis via the mitochondria-mediated intrinsic pathway. In 2-pyridine cyclohexanone-treated cells, the phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT3 were dose-dependently decreased and p38 and p-ERK signals were notably activated in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, we found that the addition of S3I-201, a STAT3 inhibitor, led to a decreased expression level of Bcl-2 in Eca109 cells. The chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that STAT3 bound to the promoter of Bcl-2 in the Eca109 cells. Furthermore, the mutation of four STAT3 binding sites (−1733/−1723, −1627/−1617, −807/−797, and −134/−124) on the promote of Bcl-2 gene alone attenuated the transcriptional activation of STAT3. In addition, down-regulation of STAT3 resulted in less of transcriptional activity of STAT3 on Bcl-2 expression. These data provide a potential molecular mechanism of the apoptotic induction function of 2-pyridyl cyclohexanone, and emphasize its important roles as a therapeutic agent for esophageal squamous carcinoma.