Structural basis of HCoV-19 fusion core and an effective inhibition peptide against virus entry

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.

Nickel (ii) (Ni2+) is considered as one of the necessary trace elements in the process of Anammox culture, but it may have toxic effects at high concentration. This study explored the long-term influence of Ni2+ on the denitrification efficiency of Anammox bioreactors. The results showed that when the concentration of Ni2+ was 0.5 mg/L, the bioreactor had the highest denitrification efficiency, while the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen gradually decreased at concentrations...

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen. Upon colonizing a host, A. baumannii are subjected to selective pressure by immune defenses as they adapt to the host environment. However, the mechanism of this pathoadaptation is unknown. Here, we established an in vitro system to evolve A. baumannii driven by the continuous selective pressure exerted by epithelial cells, and we used a combination of experimental evolution, phenotypic characterization and multi-omics analysis to address the underlying mechanism....

The burden of stomach cancer remains high in Hong Kong. We sought to evaluate the associations of age, period, and birth cohort with the changing trend in the incidence of stomach cancer and to provide projections through 2030. We performed an age-period-cohort analysis and projections up to 2030 using data from the Hong Kong Cancer Registry. Additionally, we used a population decomposition algorithm to assess the drivers in the number of incident cases of stomach...

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.

Emerging studies indicate that infusion of HIV-resistant cells could be an effective strategy to achieve a sterilizing or functional cure. We recently reported that glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored nanobody or a fusion inhibitory peptide can render modified cells resistant to HIV-1 infection. In this study, we comprehensively characterized a panel of newly isolated HIV-1-neutralizing antibodies as GPI-anchored inhibitors. Fusion genes encoding the single-chain variable fragment (scFv) of 3BNC117, N6, PGT126, PGT128, 10E8, or 35O22 were constructed with...

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a group of contaminants of emerging environmental concern. In this study, systematic exploration was carried out to investigate the degradation of tetrabromobisphenol S (TBBPS), a typical emerging BFRs, by thermally activated persulfate (PDS) oxidation. The removal of 5.0 μM TBBPS was 100% after 60 min oxidation treatment under 60 °C. Increasing the temperature or initial PDS concentration facilitated the degradation efficiency of TBBPS. The quenching test indicated that TBBPS degradation...

The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is unclear. House dust mite (HDM) is associated with immune inflammation in the body. This study is designed to identify the association between HDM and UC clinical symptoms. UC patients (n = 86) and non-UC control (NC) subjects (n = 64) were recruited. Colon lavage fluids (CLF) were collected from HDM skin prick test positive patients during colonoscopy, and analyzed by immunological approaches. HDM was detected in fecal samples,...

The highly infectious Delta variant strain of SARS-CoV-2 remains globally dominant and undermines COVID-19 vaccines. Rapid detection of the Delta variant is crucial for the identification and quarantine of infected individuals. In this study, our aim was to design and validate a genotyping RT-LAMP method to detect Delta variants specifically. R203M in the N gene of SARS-CoV-2 was chosen as the Delta variant-specific mutation for genotyping. To target the R203M-harboring region and the conserved sequence...

Obesity, one of the major public health problems worldwide, has attracted increasing attention. Ginsenoside Rb1 is the most abundant active component of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey (Araliaceae) and is reported to have beneficial effects on obesity and diabetes. However, the mechanisms by which Rb1 regulates obesity remain to be explored. This paper intends to further explore the mechanism of Rb1 in regulating obesity. The C57BL/6 obese mice were divided into two groups: the control (CTR) and...

Our previous works have shown that tanshinone IIA inhibited maladaptive extracellular matrix remodeling in cardiac fibroblasts implicating its potential role in treating of pathologic cardiac remodeling. However, the intrinsically poor solubility and bioavailability of tanshinone IIA hindered its clinical application. Here we develop monomethoxy-poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (lactic acid)-D-α-Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (mPEG-PLA-TPGS) nanoparticle incorporating tanshinone IIA (tanshinone IIA-NPs) and study its efficacy in post-infarction left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Male C57BL/6 mice underwent left coronary...

A wave of Omicron infections rapidly emerged in China in 2022, but large-scale data concerning the safety profile of vaccines and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection features in liver transplant (LT) recipients have not been collected. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the protectiveness and safety profile of the inactivated vaccines in LT patients against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant infections. A multi-center retrospective study was conducted in...

Prolonged infection and possible evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in patients living with uncontrolled HIV-1 infection highlight the importance of an effective vaccination regimen, yet the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines and predictive immune biomarkers have not been well investigated. Herein, we report that the magnitude and persistence of antibody and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) elicited by an Ad5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine are impaired in SIV-infected macaques with high viral loads (> 105 genome copies per ml plasma, SIVhi) but...

Background: Critically ill patients with COVID-19 are of grave concern. Those patients usually underwent a stage of excessive inflammation before developing acute respiratory distress syndrome. In this study, we test the hypothesis that short-term, low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids would benefit patients when used in the early phase of excessive inflammation namely, the therapeutic window. Methods: Among a Shanghai cohort and a validation cohort, we enrolled COVID-19 patients showing marked radiographic progression. Short-term, low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids were considered for...

The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is unclear. House dust mite (HDM) is associated with immune inflammation in the body. This study is designed to identify the association between HDM and UC clinical symptoms. UC patients (n = 86) and non-UC control (NC) subjects (n = 64) were recruited. Colon lavage fluids (CLF) were collected from HDM skin prick test positive patients during colonoscopy, and analyzed by immunological approaches. HDM was detected in fecal samples,...

In order to overcome the pandemic of COVID-19, messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine has been extensively researched as a rapid and versatile strategy. Herein, we described the immunogenicity of mRNA-based vaccines for Beta and the most recent Omicron variants. The homologous mRNA-Beta and mRNA-Omicron and heterologous Ad5-nCoV plus mRNA vaccine exhibited high level cross-reactive neutralization for Beta, original, Delta and Omicron variants. It indicated that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have great potential in the clinical use...

Two new sesquiterpenes (1–2) and six known analogues (3–8) were isolated from the branches and leaves of Xylopia vielana Pierre. The structures of the new compounds were identified by analyzing 1 D and 2 D NMR data and HRESIMS data, combined with induced and calculated circular dichroism experiments. In addition, compounds 1–4, 7 and 8 showed notable nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory effects (IC50 < 10 μM) on the model of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7...

Two new sesquiterpenes (1–2) and six known analogues (3–8) were isolated from the branches and leaves of Xylopia vielana Pierre. The structures of the new compounds were identified by analyzing 1 D and 2 D NMR data and HRESIMS data, combined with induced and calculated circular dichroism experiments. In addition, compounds 1–4, 7 and 8 showed notable nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory effects (IC50 < 10 μM) on the model of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7...