An endophytic fungus strain DYSJ3 was isolated from a stem of Aphanamixis grandifolia Blume, which was identified as Aspergillus versicolor based on the morphological characteristics, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and calmodulin gene sequences analyses. A. versicolor DYSJ3 exhibited strong antagonistic activity against Colletotrichum musae, C. gloeosporioides and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense with the inhibition rates of 61.9, 51.2 and 55.3% respectively. The antifungal metabolites mainly existed in the mycelium of A. versicolor DYSJ3, and...

Alkyl glycidyl ether and 3-chloropropionic acid were grafted onto alkaline lignin (KL) to obtain lignin-based alcohol ether carboxylate surfactant (KLS) and its structure, surface tension, emulsifying ability and detergency of cotton fiber were investigated. Then, the alkaline lignin was pretreated by using ultrasound to activate the KL molecular. The pretreated KL showed lower Mn and narrow molecular weight distribution. The absorbance ratio of A1125/A1600 and A1047/A1600 of pretreated KL increased as the time of the...

Abstract Background Thin endometrium negatively impacts the reproductive function. Current treatments for thin endometrium do not always improve endometrial receptivity. Preliminary evidence suggests that electroacupuncture could have potential therapy for thin endometrium in infertile women. Thus, this randomized controlled trial was designed to test whether electroacupuncture can improve endometrial receptivity in infertile women with thin endometrium. Methods This study is a randomized, single-blinded, controlled, clinical trial. A total of 142 eligible patients will be recruited...

Additional file 1.

A new C19-diterpenoid alkaloid named gyalanutine A (1) and fourteen known compounds 2-15 were isolated from the plant of Delphinium gyalanum C. Marquand & Airy Shaw. Compound 1 displayed an unusual lycoctonine-type C19-diterpenoid alkaloid skeleton with the cleavage of N-C19 and C7-C17 bonds, and the construction of the N-C7 bond. Structures were identified by multiple spectroscopic analyses including 1 D, 2 D NMR, IR and HR-ESI-MS. Compounds were tested for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory and anti-inflammatory activity.

This study applies the dynamic spatial Durbin model (SDM) to explore the direct and spillover effects of tourism development on economic growth from the perspective of domestic and inbound tourism. The results are compared with those from the static SDM. The results support the tourism-led-economic-growth hypothesis in China. Specifically, domestic tourism and inbound tourism play a significant role in stimulating local economic growth. However, the spatial spillover effect is limited to domestic tourism, and the...

This study applies the dynamic spatial Durbin model (SDM) to explore the direct and spillover effects of tourism development on economic growth from the perspective of domestic and inbound tourism. The results are compared with those from the static SDM. The results support the tourism-led-economic-growth hypothesis in China. Specifically, domestic tourism and inbound tourism play a significant role in stimulating local economic growth. However, the spatial spillover effect is limited to domestic tourism, and the...

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs), and 100% fruit juices are frequently consumed and have been documented that they could lead to serious disease burden. However, inconsistent evidence on the association between SSBs, ASBs, and 100% fruit juices consumption and mortality have been presented. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PsycINFO were systematically searched. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis and dose-response meta-analysis to assess the association and calculated...

The fungal pathogen Candida auris has emerged as a new threat to human health. We previously reported the first isolate of C. auris (BJCA001) in China, which belongs to the South Asian clade (I) and was susceptible to all antifungals tested. In this study, we report the isolation of a drug-resistant C. auris strain (BJCA002) from the same city (Beijing). Strain BJCA002 belongs to the South African clade (III) and is resistant to fluconazole and...

Although members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) exhibit high similarity, they are characterized by differences with respect to virulence, immune response, and transmissibility. To understand the virulence of these bacteria and identify potential novel therapeutic targets, we systemically investigated the total cell protein contents of virulent H37Rv, attenuated H37Ra, and avirulent M. bovis BCG vaccine strains at the log and stationary phases, based on tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics. Data analysis revealed that...

The emerging COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection poses severe challenges to global public health. Serum antibody testing is becoming one of the critical methods for the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients. We investigated IgM and IgG responses against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) protein after symptom onset in the intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients. 130 blood samples from 38 COVID-19 patients were collected. The levels of IgM and IgG specific to N and...

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) include the transition and transversion of a single base. In this study, we found two cSNPs (rs110757796 and rs110652478) in the FABP4 (fatty acid-binding protein 4) gene and tested their population genetic parameters in five Chinese cattle breeds. FABP4 is a key marker molecule for lipid production. It plays a crucial role in the growth and development of animals. Thus, we also analyze the association between the two cSNPs of FABP4...

Sludge-recycling enhanced flocculation (SEF) is an effective method for enhancing flocculation. In the conventional SEF process, the settled sludge is recirculated into the flocculation process without any further treatment. However, studies have shown that the efficacy of the SEF process could be improved by pre-treating the sludge. In this work, the acid activation of sludge was performed using a range of pH values (1.0 – 6.0) and charge states, with and without long-chain bridging. The...

We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Cell Cycle, have retracted the following article: Qicai Han, Jie Yang, Hao Yang, Chao Li, Juan Li & Yuan Cao (2020) KIAA1429 promotes osteosarcoma progression by promoting stem cell properties and is regulated by miR-143-3p, Cell Cycle, 19:10, 1172-1185, DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2020.1749465 Since publication, concerns have been raised about similarity of the data in another published article: Yang J, Han Q, Li C, Yang H, Chen X, Wang...

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a promising target for the treatment of different types of malignant tumors. Therefore, a combined molecular modeling study was performed on a series of quinazoline derivatives as EGFR inhibitors. The optimum ligand-based CoMFA and CoMSIA models showed reliable and satisfactory predictability (with R2cv=0.681, R2ncv=0.844, R2pred=0.8702 and R2cv=0.643, R2ncv=0.874, R2pred=0.6423). The derived contour maps provide structural features to improve inhibitory activity. Furthermore, the contour maps, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics...

Streptococcus suis (S. suis), more specifically serotype 2, is a bacterial pathogen that threatens the lives of pigs and humans. Like many other pathogens, S. suis exhibits quorum sensing (QS) system-controlled virulence factors, such as biofilm formation that complicates treatment. Therefore, impairing the QS involving LuxS/AI-2 cycle in S. suis, may be a promising alternative strategy for overcoming S. suis infections. In this study, we investigated paeoniflorin (PF), a monoterpenoid glycoside compound extracted from peony,...

Adhesives with properties of low-temperature and water-resistance are important in manufacturing. In this work, dopamine hydrochloride (DA), containing catechol groups, was introduced into the polymer by covalent grafting to obtain water-resistant films. Films with low-temperature and water-resistance properties were obtained through layer-by-layer assembly of branched polyethyleneimine (bPEI) and chemically cross-linked hyaluronate (HA)-DA (denoted HA-D). The film surfaces were wetted with moisture generated from low-temperature pretreatment, and the resulting films, named as bPEI/HA-D multilayer films, could...

Although members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) exhibit high similarity, they are characterized by differences with respect to virulence, immune response, and transmissibility. To understand the virulence of these bacteria and identify potential novel therapeutic targets, we systemically investigated the total cell protein contents of virulent H37Rv, attenuated H37Ra, and avirulent M. bovis BCG vaccine strains at the log and stationary phases, based on tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics. Data analysis revealed that...

Users rely heavily on mobile phones as multi-purpose devices to support all kinds of tasks. This study conceptualises mobile phone deep structure use and aims at unveiling such behaviour. Towards this end, this study goes beyond the traditional technology usage theories based on rationality and instrumentality. It is replaced by a relationship-based theory, the attachment theory, to investigate how users’ attachment to mobile phones is formed and how such attachment influences mobile phone deep structure...

In the present study, a total of 7793 samples from 5 different types of hosts were collected and tested, with a seroprevalence of 2.4% (184/7793). Although the seroprevalence of human and animal brucellosis is relatively low, numbers of human brucellosis cases reported have increased continuously from 2004 to 2018. A total of 118 Brucella strains containing 4 biotypes were obtained, including Brucella melitensis bv.1 (n = 8) and bv.3 (n = 106), Brucella abortus bv.3...

We used eye-tracking to evaluate multiple facial context processing and event-related potential (ERP) to evaluate multiple facial recognition in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. In total, 173 subjects (83 CHRs and 90 healthy controls [HCs]) were included and their emotion perception performances were accessed. A total of 40 CHRs and 40 well-matched HCs completed an eye-tracking task where they viewed pictures depicting a person in the foreground, presented as context-free, context-compatible, and...

The high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) at Glu-D1 have a larger contribution to the processing property of wheat flours than those at the Glu-A1 and Glu-B1 loci and are always expressed in nature. Wheat lines missing one subunit at Glu-D1, either x or y, attract great interest for their potential quality value. Major quality parameters including SDS-sedimentation value, gluten-related indices, and other dough strength parameters such as development time, stability time, degree of softening, and farinograph...

Four new secoiridoids, syrretoside A (1), syrretoside B (2), 5β, 8β-syrretaglucone C(3), 5β, 8α-syrretaglucone C (4), together with eight known secoiridoids (5–12), were isolated from the stem barks of Syringa reticulata (Bl.) Hara. The structures of isolated compounds were established based on the physical and chemical means, NMR spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), and circular dichroism spectrum (CD), as well as in comparison with the literature. The cytotoxicity of isolated compounds was investigated using CCK8...

The leaf of Nelumbo nucifera (Family Nelumbonaceae) has been widely included in the diet of Chinese people from the time of the Min Dynasty. In this study, a randomized double-blind trial (n = 60) was performed to determine the effects of extract from sun dried Nelumbo nucifera leaves (NnEx), which included quercetin-3-glucuronide (Q3GA) as the main components, in overweight patients (24 kg/m22) during 12 weeks. For both men and women, compared with those in the...

The leaf of Nelumbo nucifera (Family Nelumbonaceae) has been widely included in the diet of Chinese people from the time of the Min Dynasty. In this study, a randomized double-blind trial (n = 60) was performed to determine the effects of extract from sun dried Nelumbo nucifera leaves (NnEx), which included quercetin-3-glucuronide (Q3GA) as the main components, in overweight patients (24 kg/m22) during 12 weeks. For both men and women, compared with those in the...