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Reliable electrophysiological indicators are urgently needed in the precise evaluation of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is still elusive whether oculomotor performance is impaired or has clinical value in early PD. This study aims to explore oculomotor performance in newly diagnosed, drug-naïve PD and its correlation with clinical phenotype.Seventy-five patients withBothOcular movements are impaired in

Study on the effects and mechanisms of different oils on spatial learning and memory in developing rats. Fifty-six Sprague Dawley (SD) rats with primary weaning were randomly divided into the 7 groups, DHA, walnut oil, perilla oil, safflower seed oil, α-linoleic acid, and Essential fatty acid (EFA)-deficient and negative control. Morris water maze behavioral test was performed after 8 weeks of continuous feeding. Real-time fluorescence quantification and immunoblotting were performed to evaluate changes in the expression of NR1, CREB and c-Fos in rat hippocampus, qPCR detected the expression in hippocampal cells. The results showed that the rats fed various oils significant improvement in the Morris water maze test. The mRNA expression of NR1, CREB and c-Fos in the hippocampus of rats fed with various oils were significantly up-regulated (P

Background The interfacial performance of protein and polysaccharide plays a vital role in the improvement of food quality. As an innovative technology in food processing, cold plasma has attracted much attention from researchers and has become an attractive tool for nonthermal food processing due to the abundant reactive species generated at low temperatures. In particular, cold plasma shows great potential in food component modification. However, some of the specific physical-chemical reactions between reactive species in plasma, and protein and polysaccharide still remain obscure, limiting the development of accurate modification. Scope and approach This review provides an overview of the effects that plasma makes on the interfacial performance of protein and polysaccharide in the emulsion. Aspects discussed include types of active species in cold plasma, detailed interaction between reactive species, and protein and polysaccharide, and changes of interfacial properties. In addition, the current review presents a summary of the modification of protein and polysaccharide resulting from cold plasma application. Key findings and conclusions The reactive species produced by cold plasma improve the interfacial performance of protein and polysaccharide by changing their residue composition and stereostructure. In the process of modification, hydrophobic groups hidden in protein are exposed and hydrophilic groups are grafted onto the polysaccharide skeleton. Meanwhile, the structural looseness is changed due to the breakage and the formation of bonds. Although successful applications of cold plasma for protein and polysaccharide modification have been demonstrated, it is not enough to characterize the changes at the macro level, and more in-depth studies should be conducted in the future. To improve the interfacial performance of protein and polysaccharide, the mechanism of plasma regulatable modification should be explored, and the accuracy of modification should be enhanced.

Cartilage defects are one of the hardest injures to cure, given the limited regenerative ability of cartilage tissues. Moreover, cartilage defects affect an increasing number of people worldwide. Therefore, scientists have attempted to develop effective strategies to repair cartilage defects in recent years. Recent advances in tissue engineering have led to the strategies for inducing cartilage regeneration. Among the emerging strategies, scaffolds are commonly used in cartilage tissue engineering (CTE) as they provide favorable environment for the growth and proliferation of chondrocytes. An ideal scaffolding material should be highly biocompatible. Type I collagen is one such material, which is widely used in CTE. However, type I collagen has poor mechanical properties and stability, which limit its use. Cross-linking is a simple method known to improve degradability, biological and mechanical properties of biomaterials by enhancing chemical and physical interactions between polymers. Cross-linking can be induced through chemical, physical or biological processes. In this review, we present cross-linking methods that can enhance the mechanical strength of type I collagen for CTE and highlight future directions in this field.

Naja atra is a major venomous snake found in Taiwan. The bite of this snake causes extensive wound necrosis or necrotizing soft tissue infection. Conventional microbial culture-based techniques may fail to identify potential human pathogens and render antibiotics ineffective in the management of wound infection. Therefore, we evaluated 16S Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify bacterial species in the oropharynx of N. atra. Using conventional microbial culture methods and the VITEK 2 system, we isolated nine species from snakebite wounds. On the basis of the 16S Sanger sequencing of bacterial clones from agar plates, we identified 18 bacterial species in the oropharynx of N. atra, including Morganella morganii, Proteus vulgaris, and Proteus mirabilis, which were also present in the infected bite wound. Using NGS of 16S metagenomics, we uncovered more than 286 bacterial species in the oropharynx of N. atra. In addition, the bacterial species identified using 16S Sanger sequencing accounted for only 2% of those identified through NGS of 16S metagenomics. The bacterial microbiota of the oropharynx of N. atra were modeled better using NGS of 16S metagenomics compared to microbial culture-based techniques. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Proteus penneri were also identified in the NGS of 16S metagenomics. Understanding the bacterial microbiota that are native to the oropharynx of N. atra, in addition to the bite wound, may have additional therapeutic implications regarding empiric antibiotic selection for managing N. atra bites., Author summary Naja atra bites induce extensive wound necrotizing soft tissue infections in a substantial proportion of patients. Empiric antibiotic administration in snakebite patients is a common practice, but clinical reports indicate that this treatment was ineffective in preventing secondary infection given that the microbiota of the infected wound and oropharynx of the culprit snake were not properly established. In this study, only 9 species were detected in cobra bites using a conventional microbial culture method and the VITEK 2 system, whereas 18 species were detected in the cobra oropharynx using microbial culture-based 16S Sanger sequencing. Among these, Morganella morganii, Proteus vulgaris, and Proteus mirabilis were identified as common bacteria. Compared to microbial culture-based 16S Sanger sequencing, NGS-based 16S metagenomic sequencing detected more than 286 bacterial species. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Proteus penneri only appeared with 16S metagenomic sequencing. These results suggest that NGS-based 16S metagenomic sequencing is a better tool for uncovering the bacterial microbiota of the N. atra oropharynx, which may help in developing a proper therapeutic strategy for patients with N. atra bites.

Sixteen lanthanide–diphosphate complexes [LnL2(H2O)4Cl]Cl2 (Ln = La3+ for 1, Ln = Ce3+ for 2), [LnL2(H2O)4]Cl3·6H2O (Ln = Nd3+ for 3, Ln = Sm3+ for 4, Ln = Eu3+ for 5, Ln = Gd3+ for 6, Ln = Tb3+ for 7, Ln = Dy3+ for 8, Ln = Er3+ for 9), {[LaL2(H2O)4Cl]Cl2}2 (10), [PrL2(OH)2(H2O)Cl] [PrL2(H2O)4Cl]Cl2 (11), [LaL2(H2O)5Cl]Cl2·2H2O (12), [YbL2(H2O)3Cl]Cl2·H2O (13), [NdL2(H2O)3Cl]Cl2·3H2O (14), [HoL2(H2O)Cl2]Cl·H2O (15), [Sc2L2(H2O)4(OH)2]Cl4·4H2O·2CH3OH (16) (L = tetrakis(O-isopropyl)methylenediphosphonate) have been synthesized by the reaction of lanthanide chlorides and L ligand in the solvent of acetonitrile (with ethanol or DMF) at room temperature. The title complexes were characterized by IR, elemental analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, thermal analysis, 1HNMR and 31PNMR spectroscopy. Complexes 1–15 are mononuclear complexes and complex 16 is a binuclear cluster complex. Complex 12 is the intermediate of complex 1. Complexes 11–13 display a one-dimensional chain formed by hydrogen bonds and the structures of complexes 14, 16 can be simplified as two-dimensional mesh 63 topology formed by hydrogen bonds. In those lanthanide complexes, the lanthanide ion with an atomic number smaller than Pr element tends to form a nine-coordinated structure and that with the atomic number larger than Pr element tends to form an eight or lower number-coordinated structure. Pr element has two kinds of coordination situations, with coordination numbers of nine or eight. The terahertz (THz) time-domain spectra of these complexes were also studied.

Background Typhonium blumei Nicolson & Sivadasan (Araceae) is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb possessing detumescent, detoxifying, and anti-inflammatory activities. It is used in Taiwan as a folk medicine to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases. Typhonium blumei is usually not distinguished from Typhonium roxburghii Schott and they are commonly used interchangeably. Purpose To evaluate and compare the anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties of T. blumei and T. roxburghii, their composition profiles and molecular basis of the anti-allergic effect. Methods The methanolic plant extracts were partitioned with different solvents to obtain the nonpolar fractions. The anti-allergic activity of the nonpolar fractions was assessed by A23187- and antigen-induced degranulation assays using RBL-2H3 mast cells. Several molecular targets were investigated: FceRI receptor expression by flow cytometry, calcium influx by live cells imaging fluorescent microscopy, cytokines mRNA expression by RT-PCR, and protein expression by Western blotting. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using superoxide anion and elastase release assays in human neutrophils. TLC, NMR and GC–MS analyses were conducted to evaluate the chemical composition of the fractions. Results The nonpolar fractions of both Typhonium species showed potent inhibitory activity in A23187-induced degranulation assay in RBL-2H3 cells. They also inhibited superoxide production and elastase release in human neutrophils. T. blumei nonpolar fractions inhibited antigen-induced β-hexosaminidase and histamine release. The nonpolar fractions of T. blumei significantly inhibited calcium influx upon activation with either A23187 or an antigen. The fractions did not affect FceRI receptor expression, mRNA level of IL-4 and MCP-1 cytokine production or MAPK proteins expression, but did suppress the calcium signaling pathway via PI3K/PLCγ2. The active fractions were rich in fatty acids with palmitic, linoleic and α-linolenic acids identified as the major fatty acids in both plants. The content of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids was higher in T. roxburghii nonpolar fractions compared to T. blumei. Conclusion Both species possess potent anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory activities. The inhibition of degranulation in mast cells was attributed to calcium influx modulation. The obtained results support the traditional use of T. blumei in the treatment of inflammatory diseases as well as its substitution with T. roxburghii.

Nine lanthanide complexes with a high L:Ln ratio (4:1), [LnL4](OTf)3 (1–8) (L = tetrakis(O-isopropyl)methylenediphosphonate, OTf = SO3CF3, Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Yb) and [DyL4](OTf)3·DMF (9) have been synthesized through easy and effective methods in air. Each complex was synthesized by the reaction of lanthanide triflate with the L ligand in a solvent mixture (acetonitrile and DMF for 1–8, dichloromethane and DMF for 9). The above complexes, except for complex 9, were synthesized in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline. The title complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, luminescence, NMR spectra and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). Structure analysis shows that complexes 1–9 consist of one cation [LnL4]3+ and three triflate anions OTf-. Complexes 1–8 crystallized in the orthorhombic system, space group Pbcn, whereas complex 9 belongs to the space group I222. The cationic [LnL4]3+ fragments in complexes 1–8 are self-assembled to construct 2D layers with a (8·2·8·4) net topology by hydrogen bonding interactions. The OTf− cations in 9 are attached directly to the [DyL4]3+ cations to form a 2-fold hydrogen-bonded three-dimensional (3D) cage structure framework. Solid luminescence of complex 5 displays the characteristic bands of Eu3+, due to a long emission lifetime (4.04 ms of 5D0) and high absolute emission quantum yield (53.30%). Terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy of the complexes was also studied.

Arsenic trioxide has been successfully used for the treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) worldwide. Recently, it has also been further developed to treat solid tumors in clinical trials. However, the therapeutic effects on malignant tumors appeared to be unsatisfactory, as these cells exhibited resistance towards arsenic. In this study, we explored new therapeutic strategies for treatment of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells based on arsenic metabolites. The MCF-7 cells were exposed to three arsenic species, namely, inorganic arsenite (iAs(III)) and its intermediate metabolites monomethylarsonous acid (MMA(III)) and dimethylarsinous acid (DMA(III)) either alone or in combination with cryptotanshinone (CPT) to establish their anticancer effects against MCF-7 cells. Surprisingly, MCF-7 cells were shown to be resistant to both iAs(III) and CPT when used alone; however, they were shown to be relatively sensitive to treatment when exposed to MMA(III) and DMA(III) alone. Conversely, the combination of MMA(III) with CPT showed significantly enhanced anticancer effects on MCF-7 cells at low doses, but no appreciable effect was observed upon exposure to the other two arsenic species with CPT. In addition, remarkable redistribution of pro-apoptosis related proteins Bax and Bak was observed in the mitochondria, together with activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase-9 after exposure to the combination of MMA(III) with CPT. Furthermore, we clearly found that induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells was predominantly triggered by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress after exposure to the combination of MMA(III) with CPT.

The double-circuit transmission lines have already been the significant component of power system. Because of the symmetric insulation of the two circuits, the case that both circuits trip out often happens when the tower suffer lightning strike. And it harms the stability of power system and causes serious impacts to power equipments. In this paper, an electric-magnetic transient simulation model was established. Using this model, combining the analysis of physical mechanism of back striking trip-out, the influences of earth resistance, height of tower and length of insulator on the lightning withstand level of back striking (LWLBS) were clarified. The LWLBS of high tower is much low, therefore the relative high tower should be paid more attention to defense the back striking. Reducing the earth resistance and increasing the length of insulator can both upgrade the LWLBS observably. Especially, reducing the earth resistance can enhance the effect of upgrading the LWLBS by increasing the length of insulator.

Six heterothiometalic clusters, namely, [WS4Cu4(dppm)4](ClO4)2·2DMF·MeCN (1), [MoS4Cu4(dppm)4](NO3)2·MeCN (2) [MoS4Cu3(dppm)3](ClO4)·4H2O (3), [WS4Cu3(dppm)3](NO3)·4H2O (4), [WS4Cu3(dppm)3]SCN·CH2Cl2 (5), and [WS4Cu3(dppm)3]I·CH2Cl2 (6) [dppm = bis (diphenylphosphanyl)methane] were synthesized. Compounds 1–4 were obtained by the reactions of (NH4)2MS4 (M = Mo, W) with [Cu2(μ2-dppm)2(MeCN)2(ClO4)2] {or [Cu(dppm)(NO3)]2} in the presence of 1,10-phen in mixed solvent (CH3CN/CH2Cl2/DMF for 1 and 2, CH2Cl2/CH3OH/DMF for 3 and 4. Compounds 5 and 6 were obtained by one-pot reactions of (NH4)2WS4 with dppm and CuSCN (or CuI) in CH2Cl2/CH3OH. These clusters were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction as well as IR, 1H NMR, and 31P NMR spectroscopy. Structure analysis showed that compounds 1 and 2 are “saddle-shaped” pentanuclear cationic clusters, whereas compounds 3–6 are “flywheel-shaped” tetranuclear cationic clusters. In 1 and 2, the MS42– unit (M = W, Mo) is coordinated by four copper atoms, which are further bridged by four dppm molecules. In compounds 3–6, the MS42– unit is coordinated by three copper atoms and each copper atom is bridged by three dppm ligands.

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) has recently become one of the most effective drugs for treatment of patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), and its molecular mechanism has also been largely investigated. However, it has been reported that As2O3 resistant patients are frequently found in relapsed APL after consolidation therapy, which is due to the point mutations in B-box type 2 motifs of promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene. In the present study, we for the first time establish whether organic arsenic species phenylarsine oxide (PAO) could induce the mutant PML-IV (A216V) protein solubility changes and degradation. Here, three different PML protein variants (i.e., PML-IV, PML-V and mutant PML-A216V) were overexpressed in HEK293T cells and then exposed to PAO in time- and dose-dependent manners. Interestingly, PAO is found to have potential effect on induction of mutant PML-IV (A216V) protein solubility changes and degradation, but no appreciable effects were found following exposure to high concentrations of iAsIII, dimethylarsinous acid (DMAIII) and adriamycin (doxorubicin), even though they cause cell death. Our current data strongly indicate that PAO has good effects on the mutant PML protein solubility changes, and it may be helpful for improving the therapeutic strategies for arsenic-resistant APL treatments in the near future.

// Islam Khairul 1 , Qian Qian Wang 1,2 , Yu Han Jiang 1,3 , Chao Wang 1 and Hua Naranmandura 1,2,3 1 Department of Toxicology, School of Medicine and Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China 2 College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China 3 Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Correspondence to: Hua Naranmandura, email: // Keywords : arsenite, acute promyelocytic leukemia Received : November 23, 2016 Accepted : January 11, 2017 Published : January 18, 2017 Abstract A variety of studies indicated that inorganic arsenic and its methylated metabolites have paradoxical effects, namely, carcinogenic and anticancer effects. Epidemiological studies have shown that long term exposure to arsenic can increase the risk of cancers of lung, skin or bladder in man, which is probably associated with the arsenic metabolism. In fact, the enzymatic conversion of inorganic arsenic by Arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) to mono- and dimethylated arsenic species has long been considered as a major route for detoxification. However, several studies have also indicated that biomethylation of inorganic arsenic, particularly the production of trivalent methylated metabolites, is a process that activates arsenic as a toxin and a carcinogen. On the other hand, arsenic trioxide (As 2 O 3 ) has recently been recognized as one of the most effective drugs for the treatment of APL. However, elaboration of the cytotoxic mechanisms of arsenic and its methylated metabolites in eradicating cancer is sorely lacking. To provide a deeper understanding of the toxicity and carcinogenicity along with them use of arsenic in chemotherapy, caution is required considering the poor understanding of its various mechanisms of exerting toxicity. Thereby, in this review, we have focused on arsenic metabolic pathway, the roles of the methylated arsenic metabolites in toxicity and in the therapeutic efficacy for the treatments of solid tumors, APL and/or non-APL malignancies.

The reactions of palladium(II) chloride, PPh3 and heterocyclic-N/NS ligand in a mixture of CH3CN (5 ml) and CH3OH (5 ml) produced [PdCl2(PPh3)(L1)]·(CH3CN) (1) (L1 = ADMT = 3-amino-5,6-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazine), [PdCl2(PPh3)(L2)] (2) (L2 = 3-CNpy = 3-cyanopyridine), [PdCl(PPh3)(L3)]2·(CH3CN) (3), [PdCl(PPh3)2(HL3)]Cl (4) (HL3 = Hmbt = 2-mercaptobenzothiazole). The coordination geometry around the Pd atoms in these complexes is a distorted square plane. In 3, L3 acts as a bidentate ligand, bridging two metal centers, while in 4, HL3 appears as monodentate ligand with one nitrogen donor atom uncoordinated. Complexes 1–4 are characterized by IR, luminescence, NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All complexes exhibit luminescence in solid state at room temperature.

Arsenic is a known carcinogen; however, there is no information on the toxic effects of inorganic arsenic and its intermediate metabolites, monomethylarsonous acid (MMA(III)) and dimethylarsinous acid (DMA(III)), during the differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells into cardiomyocytes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of arsenic compounds on ES cell differentiation into cardiomyocytes in vitro and to predict the associated toxic effects. Although iAs(III) is known to be toxic, here we found that iAs(III) and DMA(III) did not influence ES cellular differentiation, whereas MMA(III) inhibited ES cell differentiation into cardiomyocytes, suggesting that MMA(III) has adverse effects on embryonic stem cells.

C37H34AgBF4OP2, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 13.748(1) Å, b = 12.757(1) Å, c = 19.716(2) Å, β = 92.657(1)°, V = 3454.1 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0361, wRref(F2) = 0.1018, T = 298 K.

C43H35CuINP2S2, triclinic, P1¯ (no. 2), a = 10.6136(8) Å, b = 12.406(1) Å, c = 16.729(1) Å, α = 96.807(1)°, β = 98.279(1)°, γ = 113.245(2)°, V = 1965.3 Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0314, wRref(F2) = 0.0828, T = 298 K.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are a new fluorescent material with stable fluorescence, low toxicity and many other superior properties that make their applications in biology possible. CQDs in wood charcoal were created by a 5 N HNO 3 solution using three different methods, reflux, microwave and ultrasound methods. Factors that determine the fluorescence quantum yield were examined and preparation conditions were optimized. Results indicated that the fluorescence quantum yield of CQDs prepared by the reflux method was highest among the three methods. The CQDs prepared by this method were modified by poly (ethylene glycol) 2000 to increase the fluorescent lifetime and the quantum yield. The reaction of the modified CQDs with bovine serum albumin was investigated by ultraviolet absorption spectrometry and fluorescence spectrometry, which revealed a static quenching behavior. [New Carbon Materials 2013, 28(4): 307–312]

In the title salt, C10H10N2(2+)·2C7H4NS2(-), the complete 4,4'-bipyridine-1,1'-diium dication is generated by a center of symmetry. In the crystal, N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds are observed between the cations and anions.

In the title compound, [CuI(C(8)H(8)N(2)S)(C(18)H(15)P)(2)]·CH(3)OH, the coordination environment around the Cu(I) atom is distorted tetra-hedral, defined by two P atoms of two triphenyl-phosphane ligands, one S atom of a 5-methyl-1H-benzimidazole-2(3H)-thione ligand and one I atom. The complex mol-ecules and the methanol solvent mol-ecules are connected via N-H⋯O and O-H⋯I hydrogen bonds, forming a chain along [010]. An intra-molecular N-H⋯I hydrogen bond is also observed.

In the title coordination polymer, [Ag(2)(NCS)(2)(C(27)H(26)P(2))(2)](n), two centrosymmetrically related Ag(+) cations are linked by two thio-cyanate anions into binuclear eight-membered macrocycles. The Ag⋯Ag separation within the macrocycle is 5.4400 (6) Å. The distorted tetra-hedral coordination about each metal atom is completed by the P atoms of two bridging 1,3-bis-(diphenyl-phosphan-yl)propane ligands, forming polymeric ribbons parallel to the a axis.