Pubertal exposure to Microcystin-LR arrests spermatogonia proliferation by inducing DSB and inhibiting SIRT6 dependent DNA repair in vivo and in vitro

The reproduction toxicity of pubertal exposure to Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and the underlying mechanism needs to be further investigated. In the current study, pubertal male ICR mice were intraperitoneally injected with 2 μg/kg MC-LR for four weeks. Pubertal exposure to MC-LR decreased epididymal sperm concentration and blocked spermatogonia proliferation. In-vitro studies found MC-LR inhibited cell proliferation of GC-1 cells and arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase. Mechanistically, MC-LR exposure evoked excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induced DNA double-strand break in GC-1 cells. Besides, MC-LR inhibited DNA repair by reducing PolyADP-ribosylation (PARylation) activity of PARP1. Further study found MC-LR caused proteasomal degradation of SIRT6, a monoADP-ribosylation enzyme which is essential for PARP1 PARylation activity, due to destruction of SIRT6-USP10 interaction. Additionally, MG132 pretreatment alleviated MC-LR-induced SIRT6 degradation and promoted DNA repair, leading to the restoration of cell proliferation inhibition. Correspondingly, N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) pre-treatment mitigated the disturbed SIRT6-USP10 interaction and SIRT6 degradation, causing recovered DNA repair and subsequently restoration of cell proliferation inhibition in MC-LR treated GC-1 cells. Together, pubertal exposure to MC-LR induced spermatogonia cell cycle arrest and sperm count reduction by oxidative DNA damage and simultaneous SIRT6-mediated DNA repair failing. This study reports the effect of pubertal exposure to MC-LR on spermatogenesis and complex mechanism how MC-LR induces spermatogonia cell proliferation inhibition.

Discovery of 4-(N-dithiobenzyl piperazine)-1,8-naphthalimide as a potent multi-target antitumor agent with good efficacy, limited toxicity, and low resistance

A series of 4-(N-dithiobenzyl piperazine)-1,8-naphthalimide derivatives 4-6 were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as novel multi-target antitumor agents. 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) results showed that compounds 5j, 5k, and 6j exhibited superior in vitro antiproliferative activity in MGC-803, HepG-2, SKOV-3, and T24 cancer cell lines and the cisplatin-resistant cell line A549/DDP. HepG-2, SKOV-3, and T24 xenograft assay results revealed that compounds 5j, 5k, and 6j exhibited good antitumor effects compared with amonafide. The pathology results indicated that compound 5j exhibited the least comprehensive toxicity among the three compounds, identifying compound 5j as a good candidate antitumor agent with good efficacy, limited toxicity, and low resistance. Compound 5j was thus chose for further antitumor mechanism investigation. Results from the omics research, confocal immunofluorescence, Western blot, transmission electron microscopy, and flow cytometry indicated that compound 5j exerted antitumor effects through multiple mechanisms, including ferroptosis, autophagy, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest. These results suggest that screening novel 1,8-naphthalimide-based antitumor agents for good efficacy, limited toxicity, and low resistance based on a multi-target drug strategy is feasible.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel 2-Amino-1,4-Naphthoquinone Amide-Oxime Derivatives as Potent IDO1/STAT3 Dual Inhibitors with Prospective Antitumor Effects

Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) have emerged as significant targets in the tumor microenvironment for cancer therapy. In this study, we synthesized three novel 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinone amide-oxime derivatives and identified them as dual inhibitors of IDO1 and STAT3. The representative compound NK3 demonstrated effective binding to IDO1 and exhibited good inhibitory activity (hIDO1 IC50 = 0.06 μM), leading to its selection for further investigation. The direct interactions between compound NK3 and IDO1 and STAT3 proteins were confirmed through surface plasmon resonance analysis. A molecular docking study of compound NK3 revealed key interactions between NK3 and IDO1, with the naphthoquinone-oxime moiety coordinating with the heme iron. In the in vitro anticancer assay, compound NK3 displayed potent antitumor activity against selected cancer cell lines and effectively suppressed nuclear translocation of STAT3. Moreover, in vivo assays conducted on CT26 tumor-bearing Balb/c mice and an athymic HepG2 xenograft model revealed that compound NK3 exhibited potent antitumor activity with low toxicity relative to 1-methyl-L-tryptophan (1-MT) and doxorubicin (DOX). Overall, these findings provided evidence that the dual inhibitors of IDO1 and STAT3 may offer a promising avenue for the development of highly effective drug candidates for cancer therapy.

Discovery of novel sulfonamide chromone-oxime derivatives as potent indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 inhibitors

A series of chromone-oxime derivatives containing piperazine sulfonamide moieties were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activities against IDO1. These compounds displayed moderate to good inhibitory activity against IDO1 with IC₅₀ values in low micromolar range. Among them, compound 10m bound effectively to IDO1 with good inhibitory activities (hIDO1 IC₅₀ = 0.64 μM, HeLa IDO1 IC₅₀ = 1.04 μM) and were selected for further investigation. Surface plasmon resonance analysis confirmed the direct interaction between compound 10m and IDO1 protein. Molecular docking study of the most active compound 10m revealed key interactions between 10m and IDO1 in which the chromone-oxime moiety coordinated to the heme iron and formed several hydrogen bonds with the porphyrin ring of heme and ALA264, consistent with the observation by UV-visible spectra that 10m induced a Soret peak shift from 403 to 421 nm. Moreover, compound 10m exhibited no cytotoxicity at its effective concentration in MTT assay. Consistently, in vivo assays results demonstrated that 10m displayed potent antitumor activity with low toxicity in CT26 tumor-bearing Balb/c mice, in comparison with 1-methyl-l-tryptophan (1-MT) and 4-amino-N-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-N'-hydroxy-1,2,5-oxadiazole-3-carboximidamide (IDO5L). In brief, the results suggested that chromone-oxime derivatives containing sulfonamide moieties might serve as IDO1 inhibitors for the development of new antitumor agents.

Design, synthesis, and antitumor evaluation of morpholine substituted bisnaphthalimides as DNA targeting agents

A series of mono- and bisnaphthalimides derivatives containing 3-nitro and 4-morpholine moieties were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activities against four cancer cell lines. Some compounds exhibited relatively good antiproliferative activity on the cell lines tested, in comparison with mitonafide and amonafide. It is noteworthy that bisnaphthalimide A6 was identified as the most potent compound in anti-proliferation against MGC-803 cells, with an IC₅₀ lowered to 0.09 μM, a far greater potency than that of mono-naphthalimide A7, mitonafide, and amonafide. A gel electrophoresis assay revealed that DNA and Topo I were the potential targets of compounds A6 and A7. The treatment of CNE-2 cells with compounds A6 and A7 resulted in an S phase cell cycle arrest, accompanied by the upregulation of the expression levels of the antioncogene p27 and the down-regulation of the expression levels of CDK2 and cyclin E. In addition, compounds A6 and A7-induced apoptosis was further confirmed by flow cytometry, ROS generation assay, and Hoechst 33,258 staining. In particular, in vivo antitumor assay results revealed that bisnaphthalimide A6 exhibited potent anticancer efficiency in an MGC-803 xenograft tumor model, in comparison with mitonafide, and had lower toxicity than mono-naphthalimide A7. In brief, the results suggested that bisnaphthalimide derivatives containing 3-nitro and 4-morpholine moieties might serve as DNA binding agents for the development of new antitumor agents.

Ursolic acid-piperazine-dithiocarbamate ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes induced necroptosis in MGC-803 cells

Three ursolic acid-piperazine-dithiocarbamate ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes Ru1-Ru3 were designed and synthesized for evaluating antitumor activity. All the complexes exhibited high in vitro cytotoxicity against MGC-803, T24, HepG2, CNE2, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, A549, and A549/DDP cell lines. Ru1, Ru2, and Ru3 were 11, 8 and 10 times, respectively, more active than cisplatin against A549/DDP. An in vivo study on MGC-803 xenograft mouse models demonstrated that representative Ru2 exhibited an effective inhibitory effect on tumor growth, showing stronger antitumor activity than cisplatin. Biological investigations suggested that Ru2 entered MGC-803 cells by a clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway, initially localizing in the lysosomes and subsequently escaping and localizing in the mitochondria. Mitochondrial swelling resulted in vacuolization, which induced vacuolation-associated cell death and necroptosis with the formation of necrosomes (RIP1-RIP3) and the uptake of propidium iodide. These results demonstrate that the potential of Ru2 as a chemotherapeutic agent to kill cancer cells via a dual mechanism represents an alternative way to eradicate apoptosis-resistant forms of cancer.

Efficient and genotype independent maize transformation using pollen transfected by DNA-coated magnetic nanoparticles

Current gene delivery methods for maize are limited to specific genotypes and depend on time-consuming and labor-intensive tissue culture techniques. Here, we report a new method to transfect maize that is culture-free and genotype independent. To enhance efficiency of DNA entry and maintain high pollen viability of 32%-55%, transfection was performed at cool temperature using pollen pretreated to open the germination aperture (40%-55%). Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coated with DNA encoding either red fluorescent protein (RFP), β-glucuronidase gene (GUS), enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) or bialaphos resistance (bar) was delivered into pollen grains, and female florets of maize inbred lines were pollinated. Red fluorescence was detected in 22% transfected pollen grains, and GUS stained 55% embryos at 18 d after pollination. Green fluorescence was detected in both silk filaments and immature kernels. The T1 generation of six inbred lines showed considerable EGFP or GUS transcripts (29%-74%) quantitated by polymerase chain reaction, and 5%-16% of the T1 seedlings showed immunologically active EGFP or GUS protein. Moreover, 1.41% of the bar transfected T1 plants were glufosinate resistant, and heritable bar gene was integrated into the maize genome effectively as verified by DNA hybridization. These results demonstrate that exogenous DNA could be delivered efficiently into elite maize inbred lines recalcitrant to tissue culture-mediated transformation and expressed normally through our genotype-independent pollen transfection system.

Study the mixed valence problem in asymmetric Anderson model: Fano-Kondo resonance around Fermi level

We numerically calculate the local density of states (LDOS) in asymmetric Anderson model in mixed valence regime using hierarchical equations of motion approach. Based on the idea that the asymmetric line shape of LDOS around Fermi level stems from the interference between the single particle resonance and the Kondo resonance, we perform a fitting. From the fitting results, we obtain the Kondo temperatures and the Fano factors with changing the single particle energy. The tendency of Kondo temperature agrees with the previous analytic expressions and the Fano factors are in an expected variation of Fano resonance. Our study shows that the Fano-Kondo resonance can reasonably explain the asymmetric line shape of the LDOS around the Fermi level.

Role of Pigment-Protein Coupling in the Energy Transport Dynamics in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson Complex

The role of pigment-protein coupling in the dynamics of photosynthetic energy transport in chromophoric complexes has not been fully understood. The excitation energy transfer in the photosynthetic system is tremendously efficient. In particular, we investigate the excitation energy transport in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex. The exciton dynamics and excitation energy transfer (EET) depend on the interaction between the excited chromophores and their environment. Most theoretical models believe that all bacteriochlorophyll-a (BChla) sites are surrounded by the same local protein environment, which is contradicted by the structural analysis of the FMO complex. Based on different values of pigment-protein coupling for different sites, measured in the adiabatic limit, we have theoretically investigated the effect of the heterogeneous local protein environment on the EET process. By the realistic and site-dependent model of the system-bath couplings, the results show that this interaction may have a critical value for the coherent energy-transfer process. Furthermore, we verify that the two transport pathways are coherent and stable to the important parameter reorganization energy of environmental interactions. The quantum dynamical simulations show that the correlation fluctuation keeps the oscillation of the coherent excitation on a long timescale. In addition, due to the inhomogeneous pigment-protein coupling, different BChl sites have asymmetric excitation oscillation timescales.

Integrated transcriptomics and metabolites at different growth stages reveals the regulation mechanism of bolting and flowering of Angelica sinensis

The root of Angelica sinensis is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese medicines. In commercial planting, early bolting and flowering (EBF) of ca. 40% of 2-year-old plants reduces root yield and quality. Although changes in physiology in bolted plants have been investigated, the mechanism activating EBF has not been identified. Here, transcriptomics profiles at four different growth stages (S1 to S4) were performed, gene expression was validated by qRT-PCR and the accumulation of endogenous hormones quantified by HPLC. A total of 60,282 unigenes were generated, with 2,282, 1,359 and 2,246 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) observed at S2 versus S1, S3 versus S2 and S4 versus S3, respectively; 558 genes that co-exist in at least three stages from S1 to S4 were obtained. Functional annotation classified 38 DEGs linked to flowering pathways: photoperiodism, hormone signalling, carbohydrate metabolism and floral development. The levels of gene expression, hormones (GA₁ , GA₄ and IAA) and soluble sugars were consistent with the EBF. It can be concluded that the EBF of A. sinensis is controlled by multiple genes. This integrated analysis of transcriptomics, together with targeted hormones and soluble sugars, provides new insights into the regulation of EBF of A. sinensis.

Design, synthesis and antitumor evaluation of new 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives targeting nuclear DNA

Four series of new 3-nitro naphthalimides derivatives, 4(4a‒4f), 5(5a‒5i), 6(6a‒6e) and 7 (7a‒7j), were designed and synthesized as antitumor agents. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) screening assay results revealed that some compounds displayed effective in vitro antiproliferative activity on SMMC-7721, T24, SKOV-3, A549 and MGC-803 cancer cell lines in comparison with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), mitonafide and amonafide. Nude mouse xenotransplantation model assay results indicated that compounds 6b and 7b exhibited good in vivo antiproliferative activity in MGC-803 xenografts in comparison with amonafide and cisplatin, suggesting that compounds 6b and 7b could be good candidates for antitumor agents. Gel electrophoresis assay indicated that DNA and Topo I were the potential targets of compounds 6b and 7b, and comet assay confirmed that compounds 6b and 7b could induce DNA damage, while the further study showed that the 6b- and 7b-induced DNA damage was accompanied by the upregulation of p-ATM, P-Chk2, Cdc25A and p-H2AX. Cell cycle arrest studies demonstrated that compounds 6b and 7b arrested the cell cycle at the S phase, accompanied by the upregulation of the expression levels of the antioncogene p21 and the down-regulation of the expression levels of cyclin E. Apoptosis assays indicated that compounds 6b and 7b caused the apoptosis of tumor cells along with the upregulation of the expression of Bax, caspase-3, caspase-9 and PARP and the downregulation of Bcl-2. These mechanistic studies suggested that compounds 6b and 7b exerted their antitumor activity by targeting to DNA, thereby inducing DNA damage and Topo I inhibition, and consequently causing S stage arrest and the induction of apoptosis.

Current-induced effective Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and its Kondo enhancement in double quantum dot

We studied the nonequilibrium transport of serially coupled double quantum dots connected to ferromagnetic electrodes. We demonstrated that the nonadiabatic part of the spin gauge field resulted in a current-induced Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction effect in a double quantum dot and numerically confirmed this observation through the hierarchical equations of motion approach. We report that the spin current and the effective DM interaction are enhanced in the Kondo regime. We demonstrate that this enhancement occurs because the Kondo resonance, which is supposed to be suppressed by the local ferromagnetic exchange, is enhanced by the inter-dot coupling. This additional Kondo resonance channel increases the spin current. In addition, the impact of the spin-spin interaction and the Kondo effect on tunnel magnetoresistance is discussed. Our results offer a new approach for controlling the non-collinear spin interaction in double quantum dot devices.

Theoretical Study on the Effect of Environment on Excitation Energy Transfer in Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Systems

In recent years, two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectroscopy experiments prove that the excitation energy transfer (EET) in photosynthetic light-harvesting systems presents long-lived electronic quantum beating signals. After being discovered in the light-harvesting system, the quantum coherence effect has aroused widespread discussion. To illustrate the EET process in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) and phycocyanin 645 (PC645) complex, the local protein environment is often thought to be the same; however, this is ambivalent to the practical structural analysis of the light-harvesting complex. By adopting the dissipaton equation of motion theory, we present the effect of a heterogeneous protein environment on the energy transfer process with accurate numerical results. We demonstrate that the energy transfer process relies on the local heterogeneous environment for the FMO complex. A similar good agreement is found for the PC645 complex. Furthermore, we discuss the optimal value of different chromophores in the excitation energy transfer process by controlling the environmental characteristics.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-nitro-1,8-naphthalimides as potential antitumor agents

A series of 3-nitro-naphthalimides 1(1a-1h) were designed and synthesized as antitumor agents. MTT assay results showed that all these compounds exhibited obvious antiproliferative activity against SKOV3, HepG2, A549, T-24 and SMMC-7721 cancer cell lines, while compound 1a displayed the best antiproliferative activity against HepG2 and T-24 cell lines in comparison with mitonafide, with IC₅₀ of 9.2 ± 1.8 and 4.133 ± 0.9 μM, respectively. In vivo antiproliferative activity assay results showed that compound 1a exhibited good antiproliferative activity in the HepG2 and T-24 models, compared with mitonafide. Action mechanism results showed that compound 1a could induced the damage of DNA and the inhibition topo I, accompanying by inducing the G2-stage arresting and the apoptosis of T-24 cancer cells through up-regulating expression levels of cyclin B1, cdc 2-pTy, Wee1, γH2AX, p21, Bax and cytochrome c and down-regulating expression of Bcl-2.

Using the Delphi method to establish nursing-sensitive quality indicators for ICU nursing in China

In this study, the Delphi method was used to develop evidence-based indicators of intensive care unit (ICU) nursing quality of care in China. Nursing quality indicators reflect elements of patient care that are directly affected by nursing practice. A comprehensive literature search identified 2,857 potentially relevant articles. From the 50 articles that were included in this study, researchers identified 38 commonly used nursing quality indicators. A panel of experts reduced these to 20, which were then subjected to two rounds of Delphi discussion by a different panel, and a final consensus was achieved. The 20 indicators were grouped into three dimensions: structure, process, and outcome (including adverse consequences). The agreement among the experts for the 20 indicators was high. These evidence-based nursing quality indicators provide for ease in data collection and a basis for clinical application and improvement in the quality of ICU nursing throughout China.

Observation of a_{0}^{0}(980)-f_{0}(980) Mixing

We report the first observation of a_{0}^{0}(980)-f_{0}(980) mixing in the decays of J/ψ→ϕf_{0}(980)→ϕa_{0}^{0}(980)→ϕηπ^{0} and χ_{c1}→a_{0}^{0}(980)π^{0}→f_{0}(980)π^{0}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0}, using data samples of 1.31×10^{9}  J/ψ events and 4.48×10^{8}  ψ(3686) events accumulated with the BESIII detector. The signals of f_{0}(980)→a_{0}^{0}(980) and a_{0}^{0}(980)→f_{0}(980) mixing are observed at levels of statistical significance of 7.4σ and 5.5σ, respectively. The corresponding branching fractions and mixing intensities are measured and the constraint regions on the coupling constants, g_{a_{0}K^{+}K^{-}} and g_{f_{0}K^{+}K^{-}}, are estimated. The results improve the understanding of the nature of a_{0}^{0}(980) and f_{0}(980).

Precision Measurement of the e^{+}e^{-}→Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} Cross Section Near Threshold

The cross section of the e^{+}e^{-}→Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} process is measured with unprecedented precision using data collected with the BESIII detector at sqrt[s]=4574.5, 4580.0, 4590.0 and 4599.5 MeV. The nonzero cross section near the Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} production threshold is cleared. At center-of-mass energies sqrt[s]=4574.5 and 4599.5 MeV, the higher statistics data enable us to measure the Λ_{c} polar angle distributions. From these, the Λ_{c} electric over magnetic form-factor ratios (|G_{E}/G_{M}|) are measured for the first time. They are found to be 1.14±0.14±0.07 and 1.23±0.05±0.03, respectively, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic.

Ferromagnetic Phase in Nonequilibrium Quantum Dots

By nonperturbatively solving the nonequilibrium Anderson two-impurity model with the hierarchical equations of motion approach, we report a robust ferromagnetic (FM) phase in series-coupled double quantum dots, which can suppress the antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase and dominate the phase diagram at finite bias and detuning energy in the strongly correlated limit. The FM exchange interaction origins from the passive parallel spin arrangement caused by the Pauli exclusion principle during the electrons transport. At very low temperature, the Kondo screening of the magnetic moment in the FM phase induces some nonequilibrium Kondo effects in magnetic susceptibility, spectral functions and current. In the weakly correlated limit, the AFM phase is found still stable, therefore, a magnetic-field-free internal control of spin states can be expected through the continuous FM–AFM phase transition.

Manipulation of Pauli spin blockade in double quantum dot systems

Pauli spin blockade (PSB) is a significant physical effect in double quantum dot (DQD) systems. In this paper, we start from the fundamental quantum model of the DQD with the electron-electron interaction being considered and then systematically study the PSB effect in DQD by using a recently developed nonperturbative method, the hierarchical equations of motion approach. By checking the current-voltage and nonequilibrium spectral function features, the physical picture of the PSB is explicitly elucidated. Then, various kinds of manipulation of PSBs are discussed, including gate voltage, exchange interaction, and electron spin resonance. Three main characteristics beyond low-order perturbation theory are demonstrated in detail as follows: (1) the finite leakage current in the strongly correlated limit; (2) the enhancement and lifting of PSB by exchange interaction; and (3) the ON-and-OFF switch of PSB by real-time modulation.

Corrected Kondo temperature beyond the conventional Kondo scaling limit

In the Kondo systems such as the magnetic impurity screened by the conduction electrons in a metal host, as well as the quantum dots connected by the leads, the low energy behaviors have universal dependence on the [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the conventional Kondo temperature. However, it was shown that this scaling behavior is only valid at low-energy; this is called the Kondo scaling limit. Here we explore the extention of the scaling parameter range by introducing the corrected Kondo temperature T _K, which may depend on the temperature and bias, as well as the other external parameters. We define the corrected Kondo temperature by scaling the local density of states near the Fermi level, obtained by accurate hierarchy of equations of motion approach at finite temperature and finite bias, and thus obtain a phenomenological expression of the corrected Kondo temperature. By using the corrected Kondo temperature as a characteristic energy scale, the conductance of the quantum dot can be well scaled in a wide parameter range, even two orders beyond the conventional scaling parameter range. Our work indicates that the Kondo scaling, although dominated by the conventional Kondo temperature in the low-energy of the Kondo system, could be extended to a higher energy regime, which is useful for analyzing the physics of the Kondo transport in non-equilibrium or high temperature cases.

Kondo effect in double quantum dots with ferromagnetic RKKY interaction

We study Kondo effect in parallel-coupled double quantum dots with ferromagnetic Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida (RKKY) interaction, by using the exact and nonperturbative hierarchical equations of motion approach. We construct the phase diagram in the parameter plane of the inter-dot coupling t and the ferromagnetic exchange interaction J (J  -  4t ²/U plane). Three different ground states, the Kondo singlet, spin singlet and S  =  1 Kondo, are determined in the diagram. We find the ferromagnetic coupling will raise the Kondo peak in the area of finite hopping t which is called 'J-enhanced Kondo effect'. Another enhancement of the Kondo effect by t ('t-enhanced Kondo effect') at J  =  0 is also presented. By checking the electron-electron interaction self-energy and magnetic susceptibility, we verify the ground state at large J is an under-screening Kondo state composed of a Fermi liquid with a residual spin 1/2, which is consistent with the 'singular Fermi liquid state' in the literature.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in response to alkalinity stress

To identify genes of potential importance to alkalinity tolerance, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to survey gill transcriptome profiles from freshwater (FW) and alkaline water (AW) exposed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A total of 22,724,036 (AW)/16,461,040 (FW) single-end reads were generated in which 20,304,348 (AW)/14,681,290 (FW) reads (90.0/89.72%) were aligned to the reference genome. Differential expression analysis revealed 302 up-regulated and 193 down-regulated genes between AW- and FW-exposed fish. These differentially expressed genes were enriched in several Gene Ontology (GO) terms related to "stress response", "heme binding", and "carbonate dehydratase activity". Meanwhile, significant KEGG pathways were enriched in energy metabolism, including nitrogen and sulfur metabolism. These results demonstrate the response of Nile tilapia exposed to alkaline-water and might provide valuable information to further understand the molecular mechanisms of adaptation of fish to alkaline environments.

Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the M and N genes of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) strains in Anhui Province, China

To assess the homology and phylogenetic relationship between porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) Anhui strains and other PEDV strains, molecular homology and phylogenetic analyses of Anhui PEDV field strains were compared with those of reference strains. The results revealed that the M and N genes of PEDV were 681 and 1326 bp long, respectively. The nucleotide sequences of the N genes of Anhui PEDV strains were 95.9-99.9% homologous with each other, and the deduced amino acid sequences were 92.5-99.8% homologous. Compared with the PEDV reference strains, the Anhui PEDV field strains had 94.1-99.5% nucleotide sequence homology in the N gene and 91.2-97.5% amino acid mutation homology in the N protein. The nucleotide sequences of the M genes of Anhui PEDV were 98.3-100% homologous, and the deduced amino acid sequences were 96.5-99.6% homologous. Compared with the PEDV reference strains, the Anhui PEDV field strains had 96.9-100% nucleotide sequence homology in the M gene and 96.5-99.6% amino acid homology in the M protein. The Anhui strains were genetically similar to USA strains (USA/Iowa/16465/2013 and USA/Indiana/17846/2013) but different from European (CV777;Br1/7), Korean (Chinju99), and Japanese (83p-5) strains.

Delivery of AIB1 siRNA by Ca2+/PEI/heparin composite nanoparticles effectively inhibits the growth of human breast cancer

Here, a novel carrier fabricated by the interaction of negatively charged heparin and positively charged PEI and Ca²⁺ was investigated to deliver AIB1 siRNA into breast cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Ca²⁺/PEI/heparin nanoparticles were prepared by simply mixing heparin, PEI and CaCl₂ aqueous solution. Heparin in the Ca²⁺/PEI/heparin nanoparticles (40.9% heparin, w/w) decreased the cytotoxicity of PEI. According to the MTT assay, Ca²⁺/PEI/heparin NPs are superior to commercial Lipofectamine 2000 considering the safety. The Ca²⁺/PEI/heparin NPs are able to deliver siAIB1 into breast cancer cells as effectively as Lipofectamine 2000 both in vitro and in vivo. The in vivo experiment also indicated that the NF-κB/BCL-2 signal pathway might be the downstream signal pathway of AIB1 in regulating breast cancer proliferation and progression.

Water-soluble oxoglaucine-Y(iii), Dy(iii) complexes: in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities by triggering DNA damage, leading to S phase arrest and apoptosis

The complexes exhibited considerable in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity, and higher safety than ciplatin.

The antitumor activity of zinc(II) and copper(II) complexes with 5,7-dihalo-substituted-8-quinolinoline

[Zn₂(ClQ)₄(CH₃OH)₂] (1), [Zn(BrQ)₂(H₂O)₂] (2), [Zn₂(ClIQ)₄] (3) and [Cu(BrQ)₂] (4) (H-ClQ = 5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxylquinoline, H-BrQ = 5,7-dibromo-8-hydroxylquinoline, and H-ClIQ = 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-hydroxylquinoline) were synthesized. Compounds 1-4 showed high anti-proliferative cytotoxicities against BEL-7404, SK-OV-3, NCI-H460 tumor cells, and HL-7702 normal cells in vitro, with IC₅₀ values in the 1.4 nM to 32.13 μM range. Compounds 2-4 exhibited significantly enhanced cytotoxicity against BEL-7404 cell line, comparing with free 5,7-dihalo-8-quinolinol. Western blotting analysis showed that 2, 3 depleted mutant p53 protein in MDA-MB-231, and compound 2 decreased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax in NCI-H460 significantly. The binding abilities of 1-4 to DNA were stronger than that of free quinolinol ligand. Intercalation is the probable binding mode for the complexes and free quinolinol ligands with DNA.

[Chemical constituents in whole herb of Bidens pilosa var. radiata]

OBJECTIVE

To study the chemical constituents of Bidens pilosa var. radiata.

METHODS

The constituents were separated and purified with silica gel column, and identified by physicochemical properties and spectral methods.

RESULTS

Ten compounds were separated and identified as friedelin (1), n-tridecane (2), friedelinol (3), beta-sitosterol (4), 21 a-hydroxyfriedelan-3-one (5), stigmasterol (6), lupeol (7), stigmasterol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8), eleosanole acid (9), friedelin-3beta-ol-27-oic acid (10).

CONCLUSION

Ten compounds are isolated from this plant for the first time.

[Study on chemical constituents of Cardiospermum halicacabum]

OBJECTIVE

To study the chemical constituents of Cardiospermum halicacabum.

METHODS

The constituents were isolated and purified by silica gel and polyamide, their chemical structures were identified by physicochemcial properties and spectral methods.

RESULTS

Eight compounds were separated and identified as: pentadecanoie acid (1), apigenin (2), protocatechuic acid (3), protocatechualdehyde (4), hentriacontanol (5), calycosin (6), rutin (7), quercetin (8).

CONCLUSION

All compounds are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Hierarchical Liouville-space approach for accurate and universal characterization of quantum impurity systems

A hierarchical equations of motion based numerical approach is developed for accurate and efficient evaluation of dynamical observables of strongly correlated quantum impurity systems. This approach is capable of describing quantitatively Kondo resonance and Fermi-liquid characteristics, achieving the accuracy of the latest high-level numerical renormalization group approach, as demonstrated on single-impurity Anderson model systems. Its application to a two-impurity Anderson model results in differential conductance versus external bias, which correctly reproduces the continuous transition from Kondo states of individual impurity to singlet spin states formed between two impurities. The outstanding performance on characterizing both equilibrium and nonequilibrium properties of quantum impurity systems makes the hierarchical equations of motion approach potentially useful for addressing strongly correlated lattice systems in the framework of dynamical mean-field theory.

First Report of Corynespora Leaf Spot on Patchouli Caused by Corynespora cassiicola in China

Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.) is mainly cultivated in Southeast Asia as a medicinal shrub and a source of patchouli oil used in perfumery. In 2008, a leaf spot disease was observed on patchouli plants grown on most farms (some farms had 99% incidence) in Wanning, the predominant cultivation location in the Hainan Province of China. The disease usually began at the tip of leaves, the main veins, or small veinlets. Severely irregular-shaped dark brown leaf spots expanded over 5 to 10 days, eventually causing infected leaves to abscise. The time from initial leaf lesions to abscission usually took 1 month. The disease was usually most severe in April and May, causing significant economic losses along with quality losses to patchouli oil extracted from leaves. To isolate the causal pathogen, diseased leaves were collected in August 2008 from a farm of the Hainan Branch Institute of Medicinal Plant Development in Wanning, surface sterilized in 75% ethanol for 1 min, transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 28°C for 14 days. Single-spore cultures of three isolates were obtained and identified as Corynespora cassiicola (Berk. & Curt.) Wei. on the basis of morphological and physiological features (1). Genomic DNA was extracted from all the cultures. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA was amplified using primers ITS1 (5'-TCCGATGGTGAACCTGCGG-3') and ITS4 (5'-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3'). Amplicons were 546 bp (GenBank Accession No. HM145960) and had 99% nucleotide identity with the corresponding sequence (GenBank Accession No. GU138988) of C. cassiicola isolated from cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz). To satisfy Koch's postulates, 50-day-old potted plants in a tent were sprayed until runoff with a spore suspension (1 × 10⁶ spores/ml) prepared from 10-day-old cultures. Using this spray method, one isolate was inoculated separately onto nine leaves of three potted plants. The potted plants were covered with plastic bags to maintain high humidity for 48 h and then placed outside under natural environmental conditions (temperature 20 to 28°C). Another nine leaves of three potted plants, sprayed only with sterile water, served as noninoculated control plants. Leaf spot symptoms similar to those on diseased field plants appeared after 7 days on all inoculated plants. C. cassiicola was reisolated from all inoculated test plants. No symptoms were observed on the control plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. cassiicola causing a leaf spot disease on patchouli in China. Other previous reports of this disease were from Cuba (2). This pathogen has also been reported previously to be economically important on a number of other hosts. On patchouli plants, more attention should be given to prevention and control measures to help manage this disease. References: (1) M. B. Ellis. Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Commonwealth Mycological Institute: Kew, Surrey, England, 1971. (2) I. Sandoval et al. Cienc. Tec. Agric., Prot. Plant. 10:21, 1987.

First Report of Alternaria Leaf Blight on Bupleurum chinense Caused by Alternaria alternata in China

Bupleurum chinense DC. (family Umbelliferae) is an important medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine and is cultivated as an economically important plant in China (2). From 2006 to 2009, severe foliar disease was observed on B. chinense in Haidian, Changping, and Shunyi districts, Beijing, China. Approximately 75 to 85% of fields were affected with disease incidence ranging from 65 to 90%. Distribution of the disease in affected B. chinense fields was generally associated with high soil moisture, often corresponding to poor drainage. Initial symptoms first appeared on older leaves as irregularly shaped, minute, dark brown-to-black spots, with yellow borders on the edge of the affected leaflet blade. As the disease progressed, the lesions expanded, causing the leaflets to turn brown, shrivel, and die. Isolations performed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) initially resulted in white colonies. After 7 days of incubation at 25°C, the colonies turned gray or brown. Conidia varied in size from 10 × 6 to 40 × 12 μm, appeared brown to dark brown or olive-brown, were short beaked and borne in long chains, oval and bean-shaped with one to six transverse septa and zero to three longitudinal septa. Sequences of the rDNA from the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 and the 5.8S gene were amplified using primers ITS1 and ITS4, were obtained from three isolates, and comparisons with GenBank showed 100% similarity with A. alternata (Genbank Accession No. AB470912.1). For pathogenicity tests, three isolates were grown on PDA for 14 days. Inoculations were performed on detached, surface-sterilized, and healthy B. chinense leaflets following the method of Belisario (1). A 5-μl drop of conidial suspension containing 1 × 10⁵ CFU/ml was placed on each leaflet and 12 leaves per isolate were used. Leaves were incubated in a growth chamber (80 to 90% relative humidity; 50 to 60 klx/m² light intensity with a 12-h photoperiod). After 5 days, leaf spots similar to the original symptoms developed on all inoculated leaves and A. alternata was consistently reisolated from symptomatic leaf tissues on PDA. Control leaflets inoculated with sterile water remained asymptomatic. The experiment was performed three times. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. alternata on B. chinense from China. References: (1) A. Belisario et al. Plant Dis. 83:696, 1999. (2) C. Sui et al. Plant Dis. 93:844, 2009.

First Report of Broad bean wilt virus 2 Infecting Bupleurum chinense in China

Samples of the medicinal plant, Bupleurum chinense DC., were collected in October 2007 from the garden of the Institute of Medicinal Plant Development in Beijing. Partial fragments of the genomic RNA1 and RNA2 of Broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV-2) were obtained from the root cDNA library of these plants. Sequence analyses showed the 1,896-nt RNA1 fragment (GenBank No. FJ485684) encoding a portion of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and the 2,017-nt RNA2 fragment (No. FJ485685) encoding 612 amino acids of the complete large (LCP) and small coat protein (SCP), respectively. The amino acid identities of LCP and SCP were 90.8 to 96.7% compared with sequences of other BBWV-2 isolates deposited in the GenBank with the highest homology to Japanese IP (No. AB018698) and the lowest to Japanese 1-2 (No. AB018701). This strongly suggests that the B. chinense plants utilized for cDNA library construction were infected by what appears to be an isolate of BBWV-2. Seeds from the same batch were sown again in the same garden in May 2008. In August 2008, approximately 30% of these plants showed mosaic, distortion, and stunting. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR amplicons were obtained from eight symptomatic plants using a pair of conserved primers for specific detection of viruses within the Fabavirus genus (2). A symptomless plant tested negative by RT-PCR. The same single 391-bp amplicon of RNA1 (No. FJ485686) obtained from five of those eight symptomatic plants were cloned and sequenced. Sequence comparison with the corresponding sequences of other BBWV-2 isolates showed that the sequenced isolate was most closely related to B935-a Chinese faba bean isolate (No. AF149425). Crude sap of one diseased B. chinense plant was used for mechanical inoculation to Chenopodium amaranticolor Coste & Reyn. Chlorotic local lesions were observed on inoculated leaves 5 days after inoculation, and subsequently, systemic mottle and malformed symptoms appeared on the upper leaves. Twelve plants were inoculated and all plants showed symptoms of virus infection. RT-PCR tests of inoculated indicator plants showing local lesions confirmed the presence of BBWV-2. To date, Clover yellow vein virus and Lettuce mosaic virus have been isolated from the genus Bupleurum (B. griffithii hort. and B. falcatum L. sensu lato) in Japan and Israel, respectively (1,3). Furthermore, to our knowledge, no genomic sequence of BBWV-2 naturally infecting plants in the family Umbelliferae/Apiaceae has been reported. Therefore, this is the first report of BBWV-2 on B. chinense (Umbelliferae/Apiaceae), which was designated as a BC isolate of BBWV-2. In China, BBWV-2 was reported to be infecting and causing heavy losses to many plant species mostly belonging to the family Leguminosae (4). B. chinense is a commonly used bulk medicinal plant mainly cultivated in Hebei, Sichuan, Gansu, and Shanxi provinces in China for decoction pieces and extracts of its dried roots, which are also exported to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. These results demonstrate the need for further assessment of BBWV-2 incidence and the losses it may cause. References: (1) J. Cohen et al. Phytoparasitica 30:88, 2002. (2) R. M. Ferrer et al. J. Virol. Methods 144:156, 2007. (3) H. Yamamoto. Jpn. J. Phytopathol. 69:420, 2003. (4) X. P. Zhou et al. Acta Phytopathol. Sin. 26:347, 1996.

[Study on the chemical constituents of Uvaria microcarpa]

OBJECTIVE

To study the chemical constituents of Uvaria microcarpa.

METHODS

The constituents were repeatedly separated and purified with silica gel column and Sephadex LH-20 column, and identified by physico-chemical properties and spectral methods.

RESULTS

Nine compounds were separated and identified as beta-sitosterol palmitate (I), euphorginol (II), beta-sitosterol (III), benzoic acid(IV), stigmasterol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (V), taraxerol (VI), emodin (VII), aristololactam A II (VI), beta-daucosterol (IX) .

CONCLUSION

Compounds I, II, V, V are isolated from this plant for the first time.

[Comparative effects of essential oil-containing mouthrinse on reduction of plaque and gingivitis]

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of reducing plaque and gingivitis when used as an adjunct to normal oral hygiene routine and regular professional care.

METHODS

Eighty-two adult subjects were enrolled into a 6-month, double-blind, controlled parallel-designed clinical study. After being scaled and polished, they were randomized into two groups: essential oil-containing mouthrinse group and placebo mouthrinse group. Everyone rinsed twice a day for 6 months with 20 mL mouthrinse. The subjects were provided with a soft nylon toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste and were asked not to use any other mouthrinse during the study. At baseline and at 3- and 6-month, subjects were evaluated for supragingival plaque and gingivitis. SPSS 13.0 software package was used for statistical analysis(student's t test).

RESULTS

At 3- month, the essential oil-containing mouthrinse significantly produced a 9.02% inhibition of supragingival plaque development and a 11.88% inhibition of gingivitis development compared with the control group. At 6-month, the essential oil-containing mouthrinse significantly produced a 16.98% inhibition of supragingival plaque development and a 21.47% inhibition of gingivitis development compared with the control group.

CONCLUSION

The essential oil-containing mouthrinse demonstrates a significant reduction in dental plaque, gingivitis and enhances overall gingival health compared with using placebo rinse.

[Experimental [corrected] study of hypoglycemic activity of conduritol A of stems of Gymnema sylvestre]

OBJECTIVE

To investigates the mechanism of hypooglycemic effect of conduritol A of stems of Gymnema sylvestre.

METHOD

Fourteen days later after administration, observation is taken on the change of these mice and rats weight, the FBG, TG, CHO, SOD, MDA, INS, TNF in serum were also detected with enzymology method and Radioimmuoassay method. Take the liver to determine the disposal of glucose. Take the pancreas to do the HE and immunohistochemistrial staining, and show pancreas islet beta-cell. Calulate thymus, pancreas, splenica index.

RESULT

Compared with diabetic model mice, high and middosage of conduritol A could remarkably reduce fasted blood sugar in diabetic rats induced by alloxan (P < 0.01). Significantly increase the level of serum insulin (P < 0.05). Activity of SOD was obviously increased, and amount of MDA was obviously decreased (P < 0.05). The amount of conduritol A disposal of glucose was obviously increased (P < 0.05). Significantly increase thymus, pancreas, splencia index (P < 0.01 or 0.05); inhibited the atrophy of thymus, pancreas, splencias of the diabetic rats induced by alloxan. Compared with diabetic model group, cell structure and form of conduritol A had been some way improved. The immunohistochemistry results showed that beta-cells numbers of pancreas in each conduritol A group were more than those in the model group.

CONCLUSION

Conduritol A could have an effect on regulating the metabolism of blood lipid, free-radical scavenging, enhancing the antioxidant ability, potentiating immune function. Promoting synthesis of hepatic to decrease fasted blood suger.

Energy and Enthalpy Distribution Functions for a Few Physical Systems

The present work is devoted to extracting the energy or enthalpy distribution function of a physical system from the moments of the distribution using the maximum entropy method. This distribution theory has the salient traits that it utilizes only the experimental thermodynamic data. The calculated distribution functions provide invaluable insight into the state or phase behavior of the physical systems under study. As concrete evidence, we demonstrate the elegance of the distribution theory by studying first a test case of a two-dimensional six-state Potts model for which simulation results are available for comparison, then the biphasic behavior of the binary alloy Na-K whose excess heat capacity, experimentally observed to fall in a narrow temperature range, has yet to be clarified theoretically, and finally, the thermally induced state behavior of a collection of 16 proteins.

[Advances in research on lignin biosynthesis and its genetic engineering]

Lignin, one of the main components in vascular plants, is important for the adaptation of terrestrial plants to environment during evolution. However, its presence in plants has negative effects on wood processing during pulping and stock breeding. Therefore much attention has been focused on the regulation of lignin biosynthesis. The pathways leading to the synthesis of lignin polymers have been studied for decades. Much understanding of lignin biosynthesis has been advanced. This paper reviewed the recent progress made in the various steps associated with monolignol biosynthesis. It includes the catalysis by three enzymes, i.e. p-coumarate-3-hydroxylase (C3H), ferulate-5-hydroxylase (F5H) and caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT); the multiform biosynthetic pathway of syringyl (S) lignin in angiosperms; the biosynthesis route of guaiacyl (G) and syringyl (S) lignin specifically regulated by cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase (SAD) and the formation of the lignin macromolecule. Based on the elucidation of lignin biosynthesis pathway, it has also been given the achievements in lignin gene engineering. Many studies were concentrated on the modification of lignin content and composition. In some cases, the potential value of transgenic plants with modified lignin beneficial for pulping has been demonstrated. To better understand the mechanism of lignin biosynthesis and improve the properties of plants, new biotechnological strategies can be developed, which include combinatorial modification of multiple lignin traits in plants through multigene cotransformation, transcriptional control of lignin biosynthesis and the application of RNA interference. The identification of novel genes by molecular and genetic approaches will be useful in opening up new avenues of lignin modification in the future.

Structure determination of surface magic clusters

The structure of a type of surface magic cluster is determined by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, density-functional calculations, and dynamical low energy electron diffraction. The diffraction method is applicable because these clusters created through hierarchical self-organization of Ga deposited onto a Si(111)-7x7 surface have identical size and structure and form an ordered array with exact translational symmetry. The unprecedented detailed structure information provided by the diffraction measurement is consistent with direct microscopic imaging and theoretical calculations.

The hemispheric difference of semantic processing of Chinese characters in two dimensions as revealed by ERPs

An experiment was conducted to examine the hemispheric dominance in semantic processing of Chinese characters. Results showed that N1 is the earliest component that reflects the semantic processing of Chinese characters. Although N1 of the left hemisphere is larger in amplitude, that of the right hemisphere is shorter in latency. Based on these findings, the authors propose that the left hemisphere does not start processing until the necessary information has been transferred from the right hemisphere. Once the left hemisphere starts processing, its intensity is stronger. Thus, it is more appropriate to differentiate hemispheric processing dominance into two dimensions: speed and intensity. Moreover, the semantic cognition onset of Chinese characters occurs from 100 ms to 160 ms in the posterior perceptual processing area of brain.

[Systemic breeding of the new variety of Biantiao ginseng (Panax ginseng)]

OBJECTIVE

To breed new varieties of Biantiao ginseng for high yield and fine quality.

METHODS

Systemic breeding methods were applied. About 3,000 outstanding Biantiao ginseng roots were selected and planted in breeding field, and self-crossed for four generations. During the course, inferior lines or plants were rejected. Then strain comparison, identification of resistance to black-speck disease, and analysis of active compositions were carried out.

RESULTS

"Biantiao 1" (BT1), the first new variety of Biantiao ginseng, with green stems and thick, long, elegant roots and median resistance to black-speck disease, has been harvested since 20 years. The percentage of Biantiao ginseng roots and yield were 15% and 30% higher than the control's respectively. The content of total ginsenosides and the main monomers was 1.8%-2.5% higher than the control's. The characteristics of overground part and root of BT1 were uniform and stable.

CONCLUSIONS

BT1, a new excellent ginseng variety, has a good potential value to be generalized in ginseng production.