A new dihydroflavone, 2(S)-isookanin-4′-methoxy-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), and a new polyacetylene glucoside, (10S)-tridecane-2E-ene-4,6,8-triyne-1-ol-10-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), along with seven known compounds (3–9), were isolated from the herb of Bidens parviflora Willd. The structures of all the extracted compounds were elucidated by HR-ESI-MS, 1 D and 2 D NMR spectra, as well as circular dichroism (CD).

Previous studies have explored associations between Tumour Necrosis factor-Alpha (TNF-a) polymorphisms and Schizophrenia. Their results were controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to clarify the association between TNF-a − 308 G/A(rs1800629), −1031T/C(rs1799964), −863C/A(rs1800630) and −857 C/T (rs1799724) polymorphisms and Schizophrenia. All the studies that investigated the association between TNF-a polymorphisms and Schizophrenia published before 15 October 2020 were included in. The literature were comprehensively searched and identified in 2 English databases and 2 Chinese databases. The...

Background and Objectives: Prevalent Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) negatively affected individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using network analyses, this study explored the construct of PTSD symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in China to identify similarities and differences in PTSD symptom network connectivity between the general Chinese population and individuals reporting PTSD. Methods: We conducted an online survey recruiting 2858 Chinese adults. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PCL-5 and PTSD was determined according to the...

Biological treatment is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly technique for treating toluene. However, this process is limited by the type and quantity of toluene degraders that can be applied to different environments and methods. It is a feasible solution to constructing new genetic engineering organisms for toluene degradation through biotechnology. To facilitate genetic manipulation and improve gene expression, the toluene/o-xylene monooxygenase locus from Pseudomonas stutzeri was reconstructed and artificially synthesized. All six genes were optimized...

Our previous studies indicated that Yiguanjian decoction (YGJ) has an anti-hepatic-fibrosis effect and could regulate macrophage status. To elucidate the mechanism of YGJ in regulating macrophages. Liver cirrhosis was induced by CCl4 for 12 weeks combined with 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) for the last 4 weeks in male Wistar rats. YGJ (3.56 mg/kg) orally administered in the last 4 weeks, and SORA (1 mg/kg) as control. In vitro, RAW264.7 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) to induce...

Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships were studied on 35 natural aurone derivatives by the Topomer CoMFA method to establish the 3 D-QSAR models, and exerting potent affections as Qo site inhibitors in cytochrome b activity for anti-malaria. The cross-validated q2 value of the Topmer CoMFA model = 0.539, the non-cross-validated r2 = 0.793, rpred2 = 0.960, which revealed the model has good stability and predictability. The steric and electrostatic field visualization provided by the Topomer CoMFA...

Selenium (Se) is an essential element for the human body. Humans meet their basic Se requirements primarily through food consumption. The largest Se-rich contiguous area in China is located in the southeast of Guangxi. In this study, the Se accumulation and translocation in the Guangxi rice–soil system was assessed. Organically bound Se (O-Se) was found to be the main type of soil Se (72.5%), and had a good linear relationship with soil total Se (TSe)...

Four new cembrane diterpenes, 1,13-di-epi-13-acetoxy launine P (1), 13-oxo-thunbergol (2), isocrassumol B (3) and 7α, 8α-sarcophine (4), together with two known launine P (5) and sarcophytonin B (6), were isolated from the extract of the South China Sea soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, ECD analysis and comparison with literature data. All compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity and antiviral activity. Compounds 1, 2 and 5 were found to...

Ultisols are acidic soils found in humid climates and are known for poor fertility. Crude oil impacted ultisols, therefore, require special treatment measures to account for nutrient loss during treatment. In this paper, we report the utilization of a food waste, aqueous extracts of waterleaf (Talinum triangulare), as a plant-derived surfactant to wash simulated crude oil-contaminated soils. The soils before and after washing were monitored for microbial loads, nutrient parameters, physicochemical characteristics, total petroleum hydrocarbons...

To determine whether abnormal cardiac shape and ventricular global, transverse, and longitudinal contractility are present in fetuses of women with well-controlled GDM. A prospective observational study was performed on 80 fetuses of women with well-controlled GDM and 90 control fetuses. Using Fetal HQ, a new speckle-tracking technique, cardiac shape, global contractility, transverse contractility, and longitudinal contractility were calculated. The number and percentage of fetuses with z score values below 5th or above 95th were computed....

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often diagnosed in patients with advanced disease who are ineligible for curative surgical therapies. Sorafenib is a first-line agent approved for the treatment of advanced HCC. However, the frequent resistance of HCC cells to sorafenib greatly reduces its efficacy. Herein, we describe a novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) conferring sorafenib resistance. Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1273 (LINC01273) was significantly overexpressed in human HCC and sorafenib-resistant tissues, linking it to poor...

Drug-resistant pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) has severely threatened human health and arouses widespread concern. Sortase A (SrtA) is an essential virulence factor of S. aureus, which is responsible for the covalent anchoring of a variety of virulence-related proteins to the cell wall. SrtA has always been regarded as an ideal pharmacological target against S. aureus infections. In this research, we have determined that orientin, a natural compound isolated from various medicinal plants, can effectively...

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contribute to plaque stability. VSMCs are also a major source of CTH (cystathionine gamma-lyase)-hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a protective gasotransmitter in atherosclerosis. However, the role of VSMC endogenous CTH-H2S in pathogenesis of plaque stability and the mechanism are unknown. In human carotid plaques, CTH expression in ACTA2+ cells was dramatically downregulated in lesion areas in comparison to non-lesion areas. Intraplaque CTH expression was positively correlated with collagen content, whereas there was...

This study’s aim was to detect NR5A2 expression and explore association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the NR5A2 gene with reproductive traits in Jiaxing Black (JXB) sows. The expression analysis showed that the expression level of pig NR5A2 mRNA in the ovary and liver was significantly higher (p < 0.01) compared to other tissues. 10 SNPs were detected in the exons of NR5A2, and five SNPs (g.136706A > T, g.84609G > A, g.136759G >...

This study’s aim was to detect NR5A2 expression and explore association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the NR5A2 gene with reproductive traits in Jiaxing Black (JXB) sows. The expression analysis showed that the expression level of pig NR5A2 mRNA in the ovary and liver was significantly higher (p < 0.01) compared to other tissues. 10 SNPs were detected in the exons of NR5A2, and five SNPs (g.136706A > T, g.84609G > A, g.136759G >...

We conducted a meta-analysis to systematically review the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab for advanced NSCLC. Databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) treated with pembrolizumab till July 2021. Seven RCTs and 3988 patients were included. Our analysis suggests that pembrolizumab was more effective at improving PFS (HR, 0.59; 95% CI: 0.43–0.79; p = 0.0005), OS (HR, 0.65; 95% CI: 0.55–0.76; p ＜ 0.00001) and ORR (RR, 1.85; 95% CI: 1.64–2.09; p ＜ 0.00001)...

Surra, one of the most important animal diseases with economic consequences in Asia and South America, is caused by Trypanosoma evansi. However, the mechanism of immune evasion by T. evansi has not been extensively studied. In the present study, T. evansi extracellular vesicles (TeEVs) were characterized and the role of TeEVs in T. evansi infection were examined. The results showed that T. evansi and TeEVs could activate TLR2-AKT pathway to inhibit the secretions of IL-12p40,...

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in female patients with high morbidity and mortality. Multi-drug chemotherapy has significant advantages in the treatment of malignant tumors, especially in reducing drug toxicity, increasing drug sensitivity and reducing drug resistance. The objective of this research is to fabricate lipid nanoemulsions (LNs) for the co-delivery of PTX and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with folic acid (FA) decorating (PTX/DHA-FA-LNs), and investigate the anti-tumor activity of the...

Patients with depression have a high prevalence of developing dyslipidemia. In this study, we aim to investigate the difference of serum lipids, including total cholesterol (TCH), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), between the depressed patients and healthy controls. Sex differences in lipids and their psychological correlations were also included. The study included 56 healthy controls (males/females = 26/30) and 110 first-diagnosed drug-naïve outpatients (males/females = 35/75). A total of...

Multidrug resistance (MDR) severely hinders the efficient chemotherapeutic treatments of cancer. d-α-Tocopherol polyethylene 1000 succinate (TPGS) based drug delivery system holds the potential of re-sensitizing resistant cancer cells. In this study, a TPGS prodrug containing both TPGS and mitoxantrone (MTO) via a disulphide bond was synthesised and assembled into micelle (TSMm) with a monodispersed diameter of 46.50 ± 1.12 nm. The disulphide bonds within the micelles could be cleaved in response to a high concentration...

Bone tissue engineering is an area of regenerative medicine that attempts to repair bone defects. Seed cells such as dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are two of the most well-characterized cells for bone regeneration because their use involves few ethical constraints and they have the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types, secreting growth factors and depositing mineral. However, bone regeneration ability of these cells remains unclear. This study...

Background: In China, parents whose only-child dies and who have no living or adopted child are called Shidu parents. Negative thinking is assumed to contribute to the development of emotional problems in bereavement. Because grief cognitions are likely influenced by the concepts of Chinese traditional culture (e.g., family continuation), Shidu parents may hold specific culture-related grief beliefs about themselves or the world, which, in turn, could impede their recovery. Objective: This study developed a questionnaire...

This study aimed to estimate the attack rates, and identify the risk factors of COVID-19 infection. Based on a retrospective cohort study, we investigated 11,580 contacts of COVID-19 cases in Guangdong Province from 10 January to 15 March 2020. All contacts were tested by RT-PCR to detect their infection of SARS-COV-2. Attack rates by characteristics were calculated. Logistic regression was used to estimate the risk factors of infection for COVID-19. A total of 515 of...

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

Smart phase transformation systems@hard capsule (SPTS@hard capsule) based on lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) were developed for oral sustained release in this study. Doxycycline hydrochloride (DOXY) and meloxicam (MLX) were used as hydrophilic and hydrophobic model drug, respectively. Two systems were added with different additives, that is, gelucire 39/01, PEG 1000 and Tween 80 to adjust their melting point and release profiles. The phase transformation of these systems could be triggered by water as well as...