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Three new aaptamines (1–3) together with two known derivatives (4–5) were isolated from the South China Sea sponge Aaptos suberitoides. The structures of all compounds were unambiguously elucidated by spectroscopic analyses as well as the comparison with literature data. All the compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against five human cancer cell lines including H1299, H520, SCG7901, CNE-2 and SW680 cells. As a result, compounds 3–5 showed moderate cytotoxicities against H1299 and H520 cells with IC50 values ranging from 12.9 to 20.6 μg/mL. Besides, compounds 3–5 also showed potent inhibitory activities toward cyclin-dependent kinase-2 (CDK2) with IC50 values of 14.3, 3.0 and 6.0 μg/mL, respectively. In addition, compounds 3–5 significantly induced G1 arrests of H1299 cells at low concentrations. Drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) experiments were carried out and further demonstrated that compound 3 could effectively bind with CDK2 protein and protect it from the degradation by pronase.

Background GALAD score, comprising five clinical parameters, is a predictive model developed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection. Since its emergence, its diagnostic ability has been validated in different populations with a wide variation. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate its overall diagnostic performance in differentiating HCC in chronic liver diseases. Methods Eligible studies were searched in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases by 29 May 2022. Pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Results Fifteen original studies (comprising 19,021 patients) were included. For detecting any-stage HCC, GALAD score yielded an excellent ability, with pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 0.82 (95%CI: 0.78–0.85), 0.89 (95%CI: 0.85–0.91), and 0.92 (95%CI: 0.89–0.94), respectively. Notably, further analyses demonstrated a good diagnostic accuracy of GALAD score for identifying Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging (BCLC) 0/A HCC, with a moderate sensitivity (0.73 (95%CI: 0.66–0.79)) and a high specificity (0.87 (95%CI: 0.81–0.91)); by contrast, only 38% of early-stage patients can be identified by alpha-fetoprotein, with an AUC value of 0.70 (95%CI: 0.66–0.74). Following subgroup analyses based on different HCC etiologies, higher sensitivities and AUC values were observed in subgroups with hepatitis C or non-viral liver diseases. For detecting BCLC 0/A HCC in the cirrhotic population, GALAD score had a pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 0.78 (95%CI: 0.66–0.87), 0.80 (95%CI: 0.72–0.87), and 0.86 (95%CI: 0.83–0.89). Conclusions We highlighted the superior diagnostic accuracy of GALAD score for detecting any-stage HCC with a high sensitivity and specificity, especially for early-stage HCC, with a relatively stable diagnostic performance. The addition of GALAD score into ultrasound surveillance may identify more HCC patients. Our findings imply the robust power of the GALAD score as a HCC screening or diagnostic tool, and it should be further validated by more studies with high quality.

The electrode material is the key factor for developing asymmetric supercapacitors. A simple water-boiling treatment was adopted to fabricate a Mn3O4/Ni(OH)2 nanocomposite on a large scale, which exhibited a splendid electrochemical performance with a boiling time of 3 h, achieving a capacitance of 742 F g–1 at 1 A g–1. When assembling the asymmetric capacitor with the Mn3O4/Ni(OH)2 composite and activated carbon separately as positive and negative electrodes, a capacitance of 43 F g–1 was attained at 0.2 A g–1 with an energy density of 15.3 Wh kg–1 at a power density of 168.8 W kg–1. This simple, reproducible, ecofriendly, and large-scale fabrication method is practical for preparing other transition metal oxides for the purpose of use in asymmetric supercapacitors with superior properties.

Cigarette smoking aggravates the symptoms of asthma, leading to the rapid decline of lung function. Dendritic cells (DCs) and lymphocytes are considered initiating and promoting factors for the airway inflammation reactions of asthma. In addition, activation of CC chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) by chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL) 19 and 21 promotes DCs and T cells migration to lymphoid tissues during inflammation. We aimed to examine how cigarette smoke affects the expression of CCR7 in the lungs of asthmatic rats and explore the signaling mechanism linking CCR7 expression to exacerbation of symptoms.Forty Wistar rats were randomized to four groups: control, asthma, smoke exposure, and asthma with smoke exposure groups. A rat asthma model was established by intraperitoneal ovalbumin injection. CCR7 expression was examined with immunohistochemistry and western blotting. The number of airway DCs was determined by OX62 immunohistochemistry. Interferon (INF)-γ, interleukin (IL)-4, CCL19, and CCL21 expression levels in blood and bronchioalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs).Tissue CCR7 expression, peripheral blood and BALF CCL19 and CCL21 concentrations, and the number of airway DCs were significantly higher in the asthma with smoke exposure group than the asthma group (P0.01). In addition, INF-γ expression was decreased and IL-4 increased in the asthma and asthma with smoke exposure groups compared with the control group (P0.01), and in the asthma with smoke exposure group compared with the asthma group (P0.01). Expression of CCR7 correlated negatively with INF-γ expression in peripheral blood and BALF (P0.01), and positively with the airway DCs and IL-4 expression in the peripheral blood and BALF (P0.01).Cigarette smoking may aggravate asthma symptoms by attenuating immunity, possibly through CCR7-mediated DCs aggregation in lung tissue.

Climate change seriously affects the geographical distribution of plants. Regional diffe-rences in plant response to climate change will provide important guidance for species introduction and conservation. Based on ArcGIS and MaxEnt model, we used 176 geographic information of Carpinus cordata and 13 climatic variables to reconstruct its current and future niche. The results showed that the model had a high credibility in simulating contemporary potential distribution areas. The AUC values of the test set and the training set of the model were 0.973 and 0.957, respectively. The main core suitable areas were concentrated in Qinling, Changbai Mountain and their adjacent areas, with other sporadic "island" distribution. C. cordata is not distributed in Guizhou, Jiangxi, Yunnan and Fujian, but the model predicted some suitable distribution areas in those provinces. With climate warming in the future, ecologically suitable areas of C. cordata would increase significantly, mainly as "shrinking to high altitude areas", "expanding northward", and "expanding eastward". However, core suitable areas would be slightly reduced, which would be manifested as "shrinking southward", "moderate stability", and "expanding northward". The response of C. cordata distribution to climate warming was obviously regional. Eastern Jiangsu, Anhui, and other places would become ecologically suitable areas for C. cordata because of their unique geographical location and climatic environment. The lower latitudes of the south, the original low-altitude areas might no longer be suitable for survival. The central Qinling region was a transition region from north to south, with strong buffer capacity, and climate warming had little effect on its distribution area. The Changbai Mountain and its adjacent areas at higher latitudes were more suitable for C. cordata.气候变化严重影响植物的地理分布格局,植物分布对气候变化响应的区域差异性也将为引种和保存提供重要的指导.本研究基于ArcGIS与MaxEnt模型,利用176个千金榆地理信息和13个气候变量,对当前和未来的生态位进行重建.结果表明:模型模拟当代潜在分布区可信度极高,测试集与训练集AUC值分别为0.973和0.957.主要核心适宜区集中在秦岭、长白山及其各自的邻近区域,其他为零星的“岛屿”式分布.贵州、江西、云南、福建等地未发现千金榆的分布,但存在一定的适宜分布区.随着未来气候变暖,千金榆生态适宜区明显增加,主要表现为“向高海拔地区收缩”、“北扩”和“东扩”.但核心适宜区略有减少,具体表现为“南缩”、“中稳”和“北扩”.千金榆的分布对气候变暖的响应存在明显的区域性,在东部江苏、安徽等地,因其独特的地理位置与气候环境,该地区开始成为千金榆生态适宜区;在较低纬度的南方,原有的低海拔地区可能不再适宜千金榆生存;中部秦岭地区气候为南北的渐变区,有较强的缓冲能力,气候变暖对其分布区影响不大;较高纬度的长白山地区及其邻近区域愈发适宜千金榆生存.

Objective The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) and to assess the association between smoking patterns and OA prevalence in adults aged 50 years or older belonging to the Shanxi province of China. Methods A cross-sectional study in the rural regions of the Shanxi province was conducted among 2638 Chinese adults (aged ≥50 years). Demographic characteristics and behavioral information were collected through epidemiological surveys. All participants with joint pain underwent plain radiographic examination and were diagnosed by a professional orthopedist. Associations between smoking patterns and the prevalence of OA were assessed using binary logistic regression modeling. Results Among 2638 individuals (men, 50.3% and women, 49.7%; mean age, 61.5 years) included in the analysis, 49.8% had radiographic OA and 27.5% had knee OA. The prevalence of radiographic OA was higher in women than in men (P Conclusions This study showed that smoking may not be an independent risk factor for OA; however, there was a positive correlation between active and passive smoking and OA.

Objective: To explore the expression of p16 in human colorectal cancer and its clinical significance. Methods: Neoplastic tissues and autologous non-neoplastic tissues were taken from 30 patients with colorectal cancer immediately after the operation. The expression of p16 in these tissues was detected using immunohistochemistry, and then was confirmed with HT-29 cell line by Western-blot assay. Results: The positive rate of p16 expression in neoplastic tissues was 23.3%, significantly lower than that in non-neoplastic tissues (P

Pure and Ni-doped manganese dioxides were prepared by liquid-phase reaction method. The morphology of the samples was characterized by SEM and the electrochemical capacitance behaviors of pure MnO2 and Ni-doped MnO2 electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests. The results show that nickel doping can enhance the specific capacitance of MnO2. The 1 % Ni-doped MnO2 electrode shows a relative high specific capacitance of 451 F g-1at a scan rate of 5 mV s-1 and 267.3 F g-1 at a current density of 0.3 A g-1 in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte.

Ten compounds were isolated and purified from the peels of gold-red apple (Malus domestica) for the 1st time. The identified compounds are 3β, 20β-dihydroxyursan-28-oic acid (1), 2α-hydroxyoleanolic acid (2), euscaphic acid (3), 3-O-p-coumaroyl tormentic acid (4), ursolic acid (5), 2α-hydroxyursolic acid (6), oleanolic acid (7), betulinic acid (8), linolic acid (9), and α-linolenic acid (10). Their structures were determined by interpreting their nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry (MS) spectra, and by comparison with literature data. Compound 1 is new, and compound 2 is herein reported for the 1st time for the genus Malus. α-Glucosidase inhibition assay revealed 6 of the triterpenoid isolates as remarkable α-glucosidase inhibitors, with betulinic acid showing the strongest inhibition (IC50 = 15.19 μM). Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization MS analysis of the fruit peels, pomace, flesh, and juice revealed that the peels and pomace contained high levels of triterpenes, suggesting that wastes from the fruit juice industry could serve as rich sources of bioactive triterpenes.

Ten compounds were isolated and purified from the peels of gold-red apple (Malus domestica) for the 1st time. The identified compounds are 3β, 20β-dihydroxyursan-28-oic acid (1), 2α-hydroxyoleanolic acid (2), euscaphic acid (3), 3-O-p-coumaroyl tormentic acid (4), ursolic acid (5), 2α-hydroxyursolic acid (6), oleanolic acid (7), betulinic acid (8), linolic acid (9), and α-linolenic acid (10). Their structures were determined by interpreting their nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry (MS) spectra, and by comparison with literature data. Compound 1 is new, and compound 2 is herein reported for the 1st time for the genus Malus. α-Glucosidase inhibition assay revealed 6 of the triterpenoid isolates as remarkable α-glucosidase inhibitors, with betulinic acid showing the strongest inhibition (IC50 = 15.19 μM). Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization MS analysis of the fruit peels, pomace, flesh, and juice revealed that the peels and pomace contained high levels of triterpenes, suggesting that wastes from the fruit juice industry could serve as rich sources of bioactive triterpenes.

With the development of remote sensing technology, it is important to study on the thermal infrared polarization characteristics of the land surface objects. In order to explore the thermal infrared polarization characteristics of the grassland withered plants, the samples of the grassland withered plants were measured indoor according to the thermal infrared polarized detection mechanism, using thermal infrared radiometer. The results showed that the thermal infrared polarized radiance and brightness temperature have increased with the viewing angle and have increased first and then decreased with the azimuth and polarized state. Chloris virgata's brightness temperature decreased first and then increased at 180 degrees azimuth, which is an exceptional case. These reflect that the thermal infrared polarization characteristics are related to the materials' roughness, the detecting direction, the internal structure and its emission ability, and this research laid the foundation for other quantitative studies.