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Three previously undescribed azepino-indole alkaloids, named purpurascenines A-C ( 1 - 3 ), together with the new-to-nature 7-hydroxytryptophan ( 4 ) as well as two known compounds, adenosine ( 5 ) and riboflavin ( 6 ), were isolated from fruiting bodies of Cortinarius purpurascens Fr. (Cortinariaceae). The structures of 1 - 3 were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses and ECD calculations. Furthermore, the biosynthesis of purpurascenine A ( 1 ) was investigated by in vivo experiments using 13 C-labeled sodium pyruvate, alanine, and sodium acetate incubated with fruiting bodies of C. purpurascens . The incorporation of 13 C into 1 was analyzed using 1D NMR and HRESIMS methods. With [3- 13 C]-pyruvate, a dramatic enrichment of 13 C was observed, and hence a biosynthetic route via a direct Pictet-Spengler reaction between α-keto acids and 7-hydroxytryptophan ( 4 ) is suggested for the biosynthesis of purpurascenines A-C ( 1 - 3 ). Compound 1 exhibits no antiproliferative or cytotoxic effects against human prostate (PC-3), colorectal (HCT-116), and breast (MCF-7) cancer cells. An in silico docking study confirmed the hypothesis that purpurascenine A ( 1 ) could bind to the 5-HT 2A serotonin receptor's active site. A new functional 5-HT 2A receptor activation assay showed no functional agonistic but some antagonistic effects of 1 against the 5-HT-dependent 5-HT 2A activation and likely antagonistic effects on putative constitutive activity of the 5-HT 2A receptor.

Purpose: To evaluate outcomes of adopting the Swenson-like technique in transanal pull-through for Hirschsprung disease (HD) at a children's institution in Southeast Asia., Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed over 42 months at a safety-net pediatric hospital in Vietnam., Results: From January 2019 to June 2022, the Swenson-like technique was implemented and performed on 139 patients (115 male, 24 female, mean age 6.4 ± 11.96 months). There were 123 transanal-only resections, 5 transanal plus laparoscopic, and 11 transanal plus laparotomy. The mean operative time was 70.9 ± 43.6 min. The average length of the resected specimen was 18.8 ± 10.9 cm. No urethral or vaginal injuries occurred. Postoperative complications included 1 anastomotic leak (0.7%), 4 anastomotic stenoses (2.8%), and 2 perianal abscesses in the setting of recurrent enterocolitis (1.4%). With a mean follow-up of 26 ± 11.9 months (range 3-48 months), there were 25 enterocolitis cases (17.9%), 45 patients with constipation (32.3%), 1 episode of fecal incontinence lasting longer than 6 months (0.7%), and 1 rectal-vestibular fistula noted one year postoperatively (0.7%). There were no deaths., Conclusion: The Swenson-like technique in transanal pull-through for Hirschsprung's disease was safely adopted at our institution. The results show that applying this technique uniformly in a single institution led to excellent outcomes., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Antartica , Cladosporium austrolitorale from coastal sea sand. Australia , Austroboletus yourkae on soil, Crepidotus innuopurpureus on dead wood, Curvularia stenotaphri from roots and leaves of Stenotaphrum secundatum and Thecaphora stajsicii from capsules of Oxalis radicosa. Belgium , Paraxerochrysium coryli (incl. Paraxerochrysium gen. nov.) from Corylus avellana. Brazil , Calvatia nordestina on soil, Didymella tabebuiicola from leaf spots on Tabebuia aurea, Fusarium subflagellisporum from hypertrophied floral and vegetative branches of Mangifera indica and Microdochium maculosum from living leaves of Digitaria insularis. Canada , Cuphophyllus bondii from a grassland. Croatia , Mollisia inferiseptata from a rotten Laurus nobilis trunk. Cyprus , Amanita exilis on calcareous soil. Czech Republic , Cytospora hippophaicola from wood of symptomatic Vaccinium corymbosum. Denmark , Lasiosphaeria deviata on pieces of wood and herbaceous debris. Dominican Republic , Calocybella goethei among grass on a lawn. France (Corsica) , Inocybe corsica on wet ground. France (French Guiana) , Trechispora patawaensis on decayed branch of unknown angiosperm tree and Trechispora subregularis on decayed log of unknown angiosperm tree. Germany , Paramicrothecium sambuci (incl. Paramicrothecium gen. nov.) on dead stems of Sambucus nigra. India , Aureobasidium microtermitis from the gut of a Microtermes sp. termite, Laccaria diospyricola on soil and Phylloporia tamilnadensis on branches of Catunaregam spinosa . Iran , Pythium serotinoosporum from soil under Prunus dulcis. Italy , Pluteus brunneovenosus on twigs of broadleaved trees on the ground. Japan , Heterophoma rehmanniae on leaves of Rehmannia glutinosa f. hueichingensis. Kazakhstan , Murispora kazachstanica from healthy roots of Triticum aestivum. Namibia , Caespitomonium euphorbiae (incl. Caespitomonium gen. nov.) from stems of an Euphorbia sp. Netherlands , Alfaria junci, Myrmecridium junci, Myrmecridium juncicola, Myrmecridium juncigenum, Ophioceras junci, Paradinemasporium junci (incl. Paradinemasporium gen. nov.), Phialoseptomonium junci, Sporidesmiella juncicola, Xenopyricularia junci and Zaanenomyces quadripartis (incl. Zaanenomyces gen. nov.), from dead culms of Juncus effusus, Cylindromonium everniae and Rhodoveronaea everniae from Evernia prunastri, Cyphellophora sambuci and Myrmecridium sambuci from Sambucus nigra, Kiflimonium junci, Sarocladium junci, Zaanenomyces moderatricis-academiae and Zaanenomyces versatilis from dead culms of Juncus inflexus, Microcera physciae from Physcia tenella, Myrmecridium dactylidis from dead culms of Dactylis glomerata, Neochalara spiraeae and Sporidesmium spiraeae from leaves of Spiraea japonica, Neofabraea salicina from Salix sp., Paradissoconium narthecii (incl. Paradissoconium gen. nov.) from dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum, Polyscytalum vaccinii from Vaccinium myrtillus, Pseudosoloacrosporiella cryptomeriae (incl. Pseudosoloacrosporiella gen. nov.) from leaves of Cryptomeria japonica, Ramularia pararhabdospora from Plantago lanceolata, Sporidesmiella pini from needles of Pinus sylvestris and Xenoacrodontium juglandis (incl. Xenoacrodontium gen. nov. and Xenoacrodontiaceae fam. nov.) from Juglans regia . New Zealand , Cryptometrion metrosideri from twigs of Metrosideros sp., Coccomyces pycnophyllocladi from dead leaves of Phyllocladus alpinus, Hypoderma aliforme from fallen leaves Fuscopora solandri and Hypoderma subiculatum from dead leaves Phormium tenax. Norway , Neodevriesia kalakoutskii from permafrost and Variabilispora viridis from driftwood of Picea abies. Portugal , Entomortierella hereditatis from a biofilm covering a deteriorated limestone wall. Russia , Colpoma junipericola from needles of Juniperus sabina, Entoloma cinnamomeum on soil in grasslands, Entoloma verae on soil in grasslands, Hyphodermella pallidostraminea on a dry dead branch of Actinidia sp., Lepiota sayanensis on litter in a mixed forest, Papiliotrema horticola from Malus communis , Paramacroventuria ribis (incl. Paramacroventuria gen. nov.) from leaves of Ribes aureum and Paramyrothecium lathyri from leaves of Lathyrus tuberosus. South Africa , Harzia combreti from leaf litter of Combretum collinum ssp. sulvense, Penicillium xyleborini from Xyleborinus saxesenii , Phaeoisaria dalbergiae from bark of Dalbergia armata, Protocreopsis euphorbiae from leaf litter of Euphorbia ingens and Roigiella syzygii from twigs of Syzygium chordatum . Spain , Genea zamorana on sandy soil, Gymnopus nigrescens on Scleropodium touretii, Hesperomyces parexochomi on Parexochomus quadriplagiatus, Paraphoma variabilis from dung, Phaeococcomyces kinklidomatophilus from a blackened metal railing of an industrial warehouse and Tuber suaveolens in soil under Quercus faginea. Svalbard and Jan Mayen , Inocybe nivea associated with Salix polaris. Thailand , Biscogniauxia whalleyi on corticated wood. UK , Parasitella quercicola from Quercus robur. USA , Aspergillus arizonicus from indoor air in a hospital, Caeliomyces tampanus (incl. Caeliomyces gen. nov.) from office dust, Cippumomyces mortalis (incl. Cippumomyces gen. nov.) from a tombstone, Cylindrium desperesense from air in a store, Tetracoccosporium pseudoaerium from air sample in house, Toxicocladosporium glendoranum from air in a brick room, Toxicocladosporium losalamitosense from air in a classroom, Valsonectria portsmouthensis from air in men's locker room and Varicosporellopsis americana from sludge in a water reservoir. Vietnam , Entoloma kovalenkoi on rotten wood, Fusarium chuoi inside seed of Musa itinerans , Micropsalliota albofelina on soil in tropical evergreen mixed forests and Phytophthora docyniae from soil and roots of Docynia indica. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes. Citation : Crous PW, Osieck ER, Jurjević Ž, et al. 2021. Fungal Planet description sheets: 1284-1382. Persoonia 47: 178-374. https://doi.org/10.3767/persoonia.2021.47.06., (© 2021 Naturalis Biodiversity Center & Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute.)

Based on grid sample method (20 m×20 m), spatial heterogeneity and distribution of soil water physical properties from 0 to 5 cm of the coal gangue pile in arid desert area were explored by using classical statistics and geostatistics methods. The results showed that the variation of soil bulk density, capillary porosity, capillary maximum moisture capacity, total porosity and saturated moisture contents were weak, while water content showed a moderate variation. The best fitting model of soil bulk density was Gaussian model, and exponential model was the best fitting model for other indices. The C 0 /( C 0 + C ) values of soil bulk density and water content were low and had strong spatial autocorrelation. The capillary porosity, capillary maximum moisture capacity, total porosity and soil saturated moisture showed moderate spatial autocorrelation. Soil bulk density was negatively correlated with capillary porosity, capillary maximum moisture capacity, total porosity and water content, whereas there was no significant correlation between soil moisture content and other indices. Soil capillary porosity, capillary maximum moisture capacity, total porosity, and saturated water content showed a significant synergistic effect between each other. On Kriging contour maps, capillary porosity, capillary maximum moisture capacity, total porosity and saturated moisture had a similar spatial pattern, with high values on the middle and the left side of the lower slope, whereas soil bulk density showed an opposite pattern. Soil water content was mainly affected by the slope position and increased from the upper slope to the lower slope. Our results suggested that land preparation measures should be taken to loosen the soil in root area over the coal gangue pile in arid desert area during vegetation restoration. Moreover, irrigation amount should be properly increased on the upper slope during the initial stage of vegetation restoration, which could improve soil moisture status in the overlying soil area of coal gangue and create uniform and suitable soil water physical conditions for vegetation restoration.

Acacia mangium plantations account for more than 50 % of the exotic plantations in Vietnam. A new black butt symptom was discovered in 2012, followed by the wilting sign in Acacia seedlings in Tuyen Quang Province. Isolations recovered two Phytophthora species, the well-known Acacia pathogen P. cinnamomi , and an unknown species. The new species is described here as Phytophthora acaciivora sp. nov . Phylogenetically this species resides in clade 2d and is most closely related to P. frigida. Phytophthora acaciivora is a heterothallic species, oospores are aplerotic and antheridia are amphigynous. It produces predominantly elongated ovoid, semi papillate, persistent sporangia, no hyphal swellings and no chlamydospores. Optimum temperature for the growth is 25-30 °C and the maximum temperature is over 37.5 °C. Studies are underway to determine the impact of this new species on Acacia plantations in Vietnam., (© 2020 Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute.)

Vietnam and Indonesia have rapidly growing and extensive plantation forestry programs, especially of Acacia spp. and Eucalyptus spp. As these plantations expand, the threat from pests and diseases also increases. Calonectria species are among those pathogens causing diseases of trees in plantations and nurseries in these countries. Extensive surveys were conducted across plantations and nurseries of Vietnam and parts of Indonesia, where a large number of Calonectria isolates were retrieved from diseased leaves and soils associated with symptomatic trees. The aim of this study was to identify and resolve the phylogenetic relationships among these isolates using DNA sequence comparisons of four gene regions as well as morphological characters. From a collection of 165 isolates, the study revealed five known and 10 undescribed species. The relatively high diversity of Calonectria species found in this study supports the view that many more species in this genus remain to be discovered in other areas of Southeast Asia.

The title mol-ecule, rac -6'-bromo-3'-di-ethyl-amino-3 H -spiro-[2-benzo-furan-1,9'-xanthen]-3-one, C 24 H 20 BrNO 3 , was synthesized and the two enanti-omers which formed were separated. The structures of all three compounds were determined and compared with those of a variety of related derivatives. A notable feature is the fold of the xanthene portion which ranges from 15.15 (13)° in the racemate to 2.42 (2)° in one mol-ecule of the R enanti-omer with that for the S enanti-omer having an inter-mediate value. The differences are attributed to the number and severity of inter-molecular inter-actions which include C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, C-H⋯π(ring) and, in the S enanti-omer, a π-stacking inter-action between the carbonyl group and an aromatic ring.

Semiconductors with higher carrier mobility and carrier density are required to fabricate a p-n junction diode for high-speed device operation and high-frequency signal processing. Here, we use a chemically doped semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) random network for a field effect transistor (FET) and demonstrate a rectifier operated at a wide range of frequencies by fabricating a p-n junction diode. The p-n diode was fabricated by using a pristine p-type SWCNT-FET where half was covered by SiO(2) and the other half was chemically doped by using benzyl viologen molecules, which was converted into an n-type channel. The half-wave rectifier of the random network SWCNT p-n junction diode clearly highlights the device operation under high input signal frequencies up to 10 MHz with very low output distortion, which a commercial silicon p-n junction diode cannot access. These results indicate that the random network SWCNT p-n junction diodes can be used as building blocks of complex circuits in a range of applications in microelectronics, optoelectronics, sensors, and other systems.

Background: Overloading the left ventricle in systole (pressure overload) is associated with a distinct morphological response compared with overload in diastole (volume overload)., Methods and Results: We designed a novel computer-controlled experimental system that interfaces biaxially uniform strain with electrical pacing, so that cellular deformation can be imposed during a specified phase of the cardiac cycle. Cardiomyocytes were exposed to strain (4%) during either the first third (systolic phase) or last third (diastolic phase) of the cardiac cycle. Strain imposed during the systolic phase selectively activated p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase kinase (MEK1/2, an activator of p44/42 MAPK) compared with strain imposed during the diastolic phase. In contrast, there was no difference in activation of p38 and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinases induced by strain imposed during the systolic phase (5.8- and 3.3-fold versus control, n=4) compared with the diastolic phase (5.5- and 3.1-fold). Induction of both brain natriuretic peptide (5.8-fold versus control, P:<0.05, n=3) and tenascin-C (7.0-fold, P:<0.02) mRNA expression by strain imposed during the systolic phase was greater than during the diastolic phase (3.9- and 3.6-fold, respectively). [(3)H]leucine incorporation induced by strain imposed during the systolic phase (4.0-fold versus control) was greater than during the diastolic phase (2.7-fold, P:<0.02, n=4); a selective inhibitor of MEK1/2 inhibited this difference., Conclusions: Mechanical activation of p44/42 MAPK and MEK1/2, gene expression, and protein synthesis is regulated by the cardiac cycle, suggesting that mechanotransduction at the cellular level may underlie differences between pressure and volume overload of the heart.

Mechanical overload may change cardiac structure through angiotensin II-dependent and angiotensin II-independent mechanisms. We investigated the effects of mechanical strain on the gene expression of tenascin-C, a prominent extracellular molecule in actively remodeling tissues, in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. Mechanical strain induced tenascin-C mRNA (3.9 +/- 0.5-fold, p < 0.01, n = 13) and tenascin-C protein in an amplitude-dependent manner but did not induce secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine nor fibronectin. RNase protection assay demonstrated that mechanical strain induced all three alternatively spliced isoforms of tenascin-C. An angiotensin II receptor type 1 antagonist inhibited mechanical induction of brain natriuretic peptide but not tenascin-C. Antioxidants such as N-acetyl-L-cysteine, catalase, and 1, 2-dihydroxy-benzene-3,5-disulfonate significantly inhibited induction of tenascin-C. Truncated tenascin-C promoter-reporter assays using dominant negative mutants of IkappaBalpha and IkappaB kinase beta and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that mechanical strain increases tenascin-C gene transcription by activating nuclear factor-kappaB through reactive oxygen species. Our findings demonstrate that mechanical strain induces tenascin-C in cardiac myocytes through a nuclear factor-kappaB-dependent and angiotensin II-independent mechanism. These data also suggest that reactive oxygen species may participate in mechanically induced left ventricular remodeling.

We investigated the effects of precisely controlled mechanical strain on nitric-oxide synthase activity in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. Incubation of cardiac myocytes for 24 h with 4 ng/ml interleukin-1beta and 100 units/ml interferon-gamma stimulated an increase in nitric oxide production, inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA, and iNOS protein. Mechanical strain suppressed nitric oxide production, iNOS mRNA, and iNOS protein stimulated by cytokines in an amplitude-dependent manner. Losartan (1 microM), an angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist, weakly inhibited the effect of strain, suggesting that paracrine angiotensin II is not the mediator of the strain effect. In addition, cycloheximide (10 microM), a protein synthesis inhibitor, inhibited the effect of strain by 46%. Transforming growth factor-beta (1 ng/ml) suppressed iNOS mRNA expression, but anti-transforming growth factor-beta antibody (30 microg/ml) did not block the effect of strain. In contrast, staurosporine (100 nM; a nonselective protein kinase inhibitor), calphostin C (1 microM; a selective protein kinase C inhibitor), and pretreatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate abolished the effect of strain. Genistein (100 microM), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, partially inhibited the effect of strain. Thus, cyclic mechanical deformation suppresses cytokine-induced iNOS expression in cardiac myocytes, and this effect is mediated at least partially via activation of protein kinase C.