Carneusones A-F, Benzophenone Derivatives from Sponge-Derived Fungus Aspergillus carneus GXIMD00543.

Six benzophenone derivatives, carneusones A-F (1-6), along with seven known compounds (7-13) were isolated from a strain of sponge-derived marine fungus Aspergillus carneus GXIMD00543. Their chemical structures were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic data and quantum chemical calculations. Compounds 5, 6, and 8 exhibited moderate anti-inflammatory activity on NO secretion using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells with EC50 values of 34.6 ± 0.9, 20.2 ± 1.8, and 26.8 ± 1.7 µM, while 11 showed potent effect with an EC50 value of 2.9 ± 0.1 µM.

Occlusal veneer restoration treatment outcomes of cracked tooth syndrome: A 22.4-month follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this clinical study were to investigate success rate, vital pulp survival rate, tooth survival rate and patient-reported masticatory ability by evaluating the pain symptoms and signs of the cracked teeth as well as Index of Eating Difficulty (IED) and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire after cracked teeth were restored with occlusal veneers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 27 cracked teeth of 24 patients with cold and/or biting pains without spontaneous/nocturnal pains were recruited in this study. The cracked teeth were restored with occlusal veneers fabricated by lithium disilicate ceramic. Cold test and biting test were used to evaluate pain signs. IED and OHIP-14 questionnaire were used to evaluate masticatory ability. FDI criteria was used to evaluate restorations. The paired Wilcoxon test was used to analyze significant differences of detection rate of pain signs, OHIP scores and IED grade before and after restorations. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to describe the success rate, vital pulp survival rate, and tooth survival rate. RESULTS: 27 cracked teeth were restored with occlusal veneers with average of 22.4-month follow-up. Two cracked teeth had pulpitis and pain signs of the other cracked teeth completely disappeared. OHIP total scores were significantly reduced after treatment. Scores of 'pain', 'occlusal discomfort', 'uncomfortable to eat', 'diet unsatisfactory' and 'interrupted meals' reduced significantly after treatment. After treatment, IED grades of 25 vital teeth were significantly lower than those before treatment. FDI scores of 25 restorations except for 2 teeth with pulpitis were no greater than 2. The 12 months accumulated pulp survival rate of the cracked teeth was 92.6%. The 12 months accumulated tooth survival rate was 100%. The success rate at the latest recall was 92.6%. CONCLUSION: Occlusal veneer restorations with success rate of 92.6% and the same pulp survival rate might be an effective restoration for treating the cracked teeth. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The occlusal veneer restorations might be an option for treating the cracked teeth when cracks only involve enamel and dentin, not dental pulp.

Secofumitremorgins C and D, a pair of atropisomers from saltern-derived fungus Aspergillus fumigatus GXIMD00544.

A pair of atropisomers secofumitremorgins C (1a) and D (1b), together with fifteen known alkaloids (2-16), were isolated from a saltern-derived fungus Aspergillus fumigatus GXIMD00544. The structures of atropisomers 1a and 1b were elucidated by the detailed spectroscopic data, chemical reaction and quantum chemical calculations. Compounds 1 and 8 displayed antifungal spore germination effects against plant pathogenic fungus associated with sugarcane Fusarium sp. with inhibitory rates of 53% and 77% at the concentration of 100 µM, repectively. Atropisomers 1 also exhibited antifouling potential against Balanus amphitrite larval settlement with an inhibitory rate of 96% at the concentration of 100 µM.

Physiological analysis of the improved ε-polylysine production induced by reactive oxygen species.

INTRODUCTION: Epsilon-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) is produced by Streptomyces species in acidic and aerobic conditions, which inevitably induces rapid generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The devastating effects of ROS on biomolecules and cell vitality have been well-studied, while the positive effects of ROS are rarely reported. RESULTS: In this study, we found that a proper dose of intracellular ROS (about 3.3 µmol H2O2 /g DCW) could induce a physiological modification to promote the ε-PL production (from 1.2 to 1.5 g/L). It resulted in larger sizes of colony and mycelial pellets as well as vibrant, aggregated, and more robust mycelia, which were of high capability of ROS detoxication. Physiological studies showed that appropriate doses of ROS activated the metabolism of the pentose phosphate pathway at both transcriptional and enzymatic levels, which was beneficial for biomass accumulation. The biosynthesis of lysine was also promoted in terms of transcriptional regulatory overexpression, increased transcription and enzymatic activity of key genes, larger pools of metabolites in the TCA cycle, replenishment pathway, and diaminoheptanedioic acid pathway. In addition, energy provision was ensured by activated metabolism of the TCA cycle, a larger pool of NADH, and higher activity of the electron transport system. Increased transcription of HrdD and pls further accelerated the ε-PL biosynthesis. SIGNIFICANCE: These results indicated that ROS at proper intracellular dose could act as an inducing signal to activate the ε-PL biosynthesis, which laid a foundation for further process regulation to maintain optimal ROS dose in industrial ε-PL production and was of theoretical and practical significance. KEY POINTS: • A proper dose of intracellular ROS positively influences the ε-PL production. • Proper dose of ROS enhanced the mycelial activity and antioxidative capability. • ROS increased lysine synthesis metabolism, energy provision and pls expression.

Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis Revealing the Improved ε-Poly-l-Lysine Production Induced by a Microbial Call from Botrytis cinerea.

ε-Poly-l-lysine (ε-PL) is a wide-spectrum antimicrobial agent, while its biosynthesis-inducing signals are rarely reported. This study found that Botrytis cinerea extracts could act as a microbial call to induce a physiological modification of Streptomyces albulus for ε-PL efficient biosynthesis and thereby resulted in ε-PL production (34.2 g/liter) 1.34-fold higher than control. The elicitors could be primary isolated by ethanol and butanol extraction, which resulted in more vibrant, aggregate and stronger mycelia. The elicitor-derived physiological changes focused on three aspects: ε-PL synthase, energy metabolism, and lysine biosynthesis. After elicitor addition, upregulated sigma factor hrdD and improved transcription and expression of pls directly contributed to the high ε-PL productivity; upregulated genes in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and energy metabolism promoted activities of citrate synthase and the electron transport system; in addition, pool enlargements of ATP, ADP, and NADH guaranteed the ATP provision for ε-PL assembly. Lysine biosynthesis was also increased based on enhancements of gene transcription, key enzyme activities, and intracellular metabolite pools related to carbon source utilization, the Embden-Meyerhof pathway (EMP), the diaminopimelic acid pathway (DAP), and the replenishment pathway. Interestingly, the elicitors stimulated the gene transcription for the quorum-sensing system and resulted in upregulation of genes for other antibiotic production. These results indicated that the Botrytis cinerea could produce inducing signals to change the Streptomyces mycelial physiology and accelerate the ε-PL biosynthesis. IMPORTANCE This work identified the role of microbial elicitors on ε-PL production and disclosed the underlying mechanism through analysis of gene transcription, key enzyme activities, and intracellular metabolite pools, including transcriptome and metabolome analysis. It was the first report for the inducing effects of the "microbial call" to Streptomyces albulus and ε-PL biosynthesis, and these elicitors could be potentially obtained from decayed fruits infected by Botrytis cinerea; hence, this may be a way of turning a biohazard into bioproduct wealth. This study provided a reference for application of microbial signals in secondary metabolite production, which is of theoretical and practical significance in industrial antibiotic production.

Role of political risk to achieve carbon neutrality: Evidence from Brazil.

The current research assesses the impact of political risk on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Brazil while controlling the role of financial development, GDP growth, trade openness, and technological innovation. In doing so, the quarterly dataset from 1990 to 2018 is utilized with Bayer and Hanck cointegration, dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) and canonical correlation regression (CCR), and frequency-domain causality tests. The cointegration test revealed a long-run association amongst the variables of interest. Furthermore, the outcomes from the DOLS and CCR revealed that increasing financial development, technological innovation, trade openness, and real growth increase CO2 emissions while a better political environment reduces environmental pollution.

YAP confers resistance to vandetanib in medullary thyroid cancer.

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is the third most common thyroid cancer. RET (Rearranged in Transformation) gene mutations are considered as one of the major drivers of MTC. Vandetanib suppresses RET activity, and has shown promise in clinical trials. Unfortunately, acquired resistance to vandetanib has been observed in MTC, although the mechanism was largely unknown. We investigated the critical role of YAP (Yes-Associated Protein) on vandetanib resistance in MTC. For this, TT cells (medullary thyroid cancer cells) were treated with vandetanib for 3 months to generate a vandetanib-resistant cell line (TT-R). We investigated the role of YAP on vandetanib-resistance in TT-R cells by performing cell proliferation and colony formation assays, and examined the antitumor effects of YAP inhibitor and vandetanib in a mouse model of xenografted MTC. The TT-R cells displayed 6-fold higher IC50 to vandetanib than the TT cells. Overexpression of YAP resulted in resistance to vandetanib, whereas knockdown of YAP re-sensitized the TT-R cells to vandetanib. The YAP inhibitor synergized with vandetanib on tumor inhibition. Our results suggest that YAP plays an important role in acquired resistance to vandetanib in MTC, providing basis for combating MTC with YAP inhibitor and vandetanib.

Enhanced thermal conductivity and lower density composites with brick-wall microstructure based on highly oriented graphite nanoplatelet: towards manufacturable cooling substrates for high power density electronic devices.

Sustainable and smart thermal management in modern wearable electronics is becoming increasingly important for developing the reliability and preventing premature failure of electronics. In this work, we report on the development of a new type of nanocomposite based on highly oriented graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) that is functional as a thermal substrate with enhanced thermal conductivity and efficient cooling effect via a manufacturable process. Firstly, GNP/CMC (sodium carboxymethyl cellulose) nanocomposite films (GMFs) were fabricated in mass industry available level by gap coating method, in which GNPs were well preferred due to the driving interface wettability and interaction of CMC, resulting in high in-plane thermal conductivity. Then, GNP/CMC thermal plates (GTPs) with enhanced thermal conductivity (∼29.5 W (m K)-1) and a low density (1.14 g cm-3) were produced using as-prepared GMFs and epoxy as fillers and adhesive by lamination and hot pressing method, thus exhibiting an outstanding heat dissipation on electronic cooling. Under a chip power of 1-3 W, the temperature of chip attached on our GTP substrates can be 18.9 âˆ¼ 47.7 °C lower than that on classic polycarbonates (PC) substrate. The obtained boosted thermal conductance of GTPs is primarily attributed to their biomimetic 'brick-wall' microstructure with GMFs and epoxy as brick and cement, which is the same as the structure of shell with mineral and protein as brick and cement, respectively. With enhanced thermal conductivity and manufacturability, our work provides a new promising technical approach in the next generation of thermal management of high power density electronics and wearable electronics.

Nocardioides sonneratiae sp. nov., an endophytic actinomycete isolated from a branch of Sonneratia apetala.

A Gram-staining-positive, aerobic non-spore-forming and short-rod-shaped endophytic actinomycete was isolated from a branch of Sonneratia apetala, designated strain BGMRC0092T and investigated in detail data to determine its taxonomic position. On the basis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the results of the phylogenetic analyses indicated that BGMRC0092T was most closely related to Nocardioides alpinus Cr7-14T (96.9 %), Nocardioides oleivorans DSM16090T (96.4 %) and Nocardiodes exalbidus RC825T (96.3 %). The predominant cellular fatty acids of BGMRC0092T were iso-C16 : 0 and C18 : 1ω8c. The major menaquinone was MK-8(H4). The diagnostic diamino acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan was ll-2,6-diaminopimelic acid. The predominant cell-wall sugars were composed of galactose, mannose, rhamnose and xylose. The polar lipid pattern contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, one unknown phospholipid and three unknown polar lipids. The DNA G+C content was 69.3 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics and the results of phylogenetic analysis, BGMRC0092T represents a novel species of the genus Nocardioides, for which the name Nocardioides sonneratiae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Nocardioides sonneratiae BGMRC0092T (=KCTC 39565T=NBRC 110251 T=DSM 100390T).

Norcantharidin inhibits lymphangiogenesis by downregulating the expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-D in human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells in vitro.

AIMS: To investigate the effects of norcantharidin on the growth and migration of human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLECs) and further characterize its effect on lymphangiogenesis. METHODS: A 3-dimensional fibrin gel lymphangiogenesis model was built. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the rate of apoptosis and necrosis. RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting assays were used to examine the effect of norcantharidin on vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C), VEGF-D and VEGF receptor 3 during in vitro lymphangiogenesis. RESULTS: Norcantharidin caused a marked dose and time-dependent inhibition of the growth of HDLECs with an IC50 of 40 nmol/l. The apoptotic rate of HDLECs was 13.21 ± 1.60% 24 h after treatment with 7.5 nmol/l norcantharidin and 42.34 ± 3.80% with 90 nmol/l norcantharidin (p < 0.01 vs. controls in both). Fibrin gel assays showed that norcantharidin (15 nmol/l) reduced the number of tubular structures from 68.4 ± 5.2 in untreated controls to 10.9 ± 2.3 (p = 0.000). RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting assays showed norcantharidin markedly reduced the expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-D. CONCLUSION: Norcantharidin inhibits lymphangiogenesis by downregulating the expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-D, suggesting that norcantharidin could be an effective agent for targeting neolymphangiogenesis.

[Study on Chemical Constituents from Hypocotyls of Mangrove Bruguiera gymnorrhiza].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents from the hypocotyls of mangrove Bruguiera gymnorrhiza. METHODS: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by recrystallization, silica gel column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literatures. RESULTS: Seven compounds were isolated and their structures were identified as 3-ß-(Z)-coumaroyllupeol (1), dioslupecin (2), cholesterol (3), menisdaurillide (4), aquilegiolide (5) vomifoliol (6) and roseoside II (7). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1,2 and 4 - 7 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

New antioxidative secondary metabolites from the fruits of a Beibu Gulf mangrove, Avicennia marina.

Further chemical investigation of the fruits of the mangrove, Avicennia marina, afforded three new phenylethyl glycosides, marinoids J-L (1-3), and a new cinnamoyl glycoside, marinoid M (4). The structures of isolates were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis and by comparison of the data with those of related secondary metabolites. The antioxidant activity of the isolates was evaluated using the cellular antioxidant assay (CAA), and compounds 1-4 showed antioxidant activities, with EC50 values ranging from 23.0 ± 0.71 µM to 247.8 ± 2.47 µM.

Association between (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP and in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia: A secondary analysis.

BACKGROUND: The arterial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/inspiratory fraction of oxygen (FiO2) is associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. ΔPaO2/FiO2 [the difference between PaO2/FiO2 after 24 h of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and PaO2/FiO2 before IMV] is associated with in-hospital mortality. However, the value of PaO2 can be influenced by the end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). To the best of our knowledge, the relationship between the ratio of (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP and in-hospital mortality remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate their association. METHODS: The study was conducted in southern Peru from April 2020 to April 2021. A total of 200 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia requiring IMV were included in the present study. We analyzed the association between (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP and in-hospital mortality by Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: The median (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP was 11.78 mmHg/cmH2O [interquartile range (IQR) 8.79-16.08 mmHg/cmH2O], with a range of 1 to 44.36 mmHg/cmH2O. Patients were divided equally into two groups [low group (< 11.80 mmHg/cmH2O), and high group (≥ 11.80 mmHg/cmH2O)] according to the (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP ratio. In-hospital mortality was lower in the high (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP group than in the low (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP group [18 (13%) vs. 38 (38%)]; hazard ratio (HR), 0.33 [95% confidence intervals (CI), 0.17-0.61, P < 0.001], adjusted HR, 0.32 (95% CI, 0.11-0.94, P = 0.038). The finding that the high (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP group exhibited a lower risk of in-hospital mortality compared to the low (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP group was consistent with the results from the sensitivity analysis. After adjusting for confounding variables, we found that each unit increase in (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP was associated with a 12% reduction in the risk of in-hospital mortality (HR, 0.88, 95%CI, 0.80-0.97, P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP ratio was associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. (ΔPaO2/FiO2)/PEEP might be a marker of disease severity in COVID-19 patients.

Clusterin attenuates blood-brain barrier damage and cognitive impairment by inhibiting astrocyte aging in mice with sepsis-associated encephalopathy.

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a severe complication of sepsis, however, its exact mechanism remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate whether clusterin is essential to the development of SAE during the aging process of astrocytes. In the study, septic mice were established with cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and lipopolysaccharides were applied to astrocytes in vitro. Evan's blue dye was used in vivo to show blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. A morris water maze test was conducted to assess cognitive functions of the mice. Clusterin-knockout mice were used to examine the effect of clusterin on sepsis. The astrocytes were transfected with lentivirus expressing clusterin cDNA for clusterin overexpression or pYr-LV-clusterin small hairpin RNA for clusterin knockdown in vitro. The expression of clusterin, p-p53, p21, GDNF, and iNOS was detected. he CLP mice exhibited a higher clusterin expression in hippocampus tissue, aging astrocytes, lower GDNF expression and higher iNOS expression, accompanied with BBB damage and cognitive deficiency. Following clusterin knockout, this pathological process was further enhanced. In vitro, following lipopolysaccharides treatment, astrocytes exhibited increased clusterin, p-p53, p21, iNOS and decreased GDNF. Following clusterin knockdown, the cells exhibited a further increase in p-p53, p21, and iNOS and decrease in GDNF. Clusterin overexpression, however, helped inhibit astrocytes aging and neuroinflammation evidenced by decreased p-p53, p21, iNOS and increased GDNF. The present study has revealed that clusterin may exert its neuroprotective effect by preventing aging in astrocytes, suppressing the secretion of iNOS and promoting GNDF release.

Application of digital technology in the repair of functional and aesthetic defects in patients with acid erosion and severe attrition: a case report.

Noncarious lesions, a multifactorial condition encompassing tooth attrition, abrasion, and erosion, have a surge in prevalence and required increased attention in clinical practice. These nonbacterial-associated tooth defects can compromise aesthetics, phonetics, and masticatory functions. When providing full-arch fixed occlusal rehabilitation for such cases, the treatment strategy should extend beyond by restoring dentition morphology and aesthetics. This report details a complex case of erosive dental wear addressed through a fully digital, full-arch fixed occlusal rehabilitation. A 4D virtual patient was created using multiple digital data sources, including intraoral scanning, 3D facial scanning, digital facebow registration, and mandibular movement tracing. With a comprehensive understanding of the masticatory system, various types of microinvasive prostheses were customized for each tooth, including labial veneers, buccal-occlusal veneers, occlusal veneers, overlays, inlays, and full crowns, were customized for each tooth. The reported digital workflow offered a predictable diagnostic and treatment strategy, which was facilitated by virtual visualization and comprehensive quality control throughout the process.

Comprehensive molecular and morphological analysis of Brachystemmacalycinum and Stellariaovatifolia in the tribe Alsineae (Caryophyllaceae).

Over the course of the recent decade, the composition of Alsineae has been drastically changed by means of molecular phylogeny. However, the genus Brachystemma has not been sampled in any of the previous studies, and its phylogenetic position is still pending. In addition, the related species Stellariaovatifolia, which has at times been placed in Brachystemma, Schizotechium, or Stellaria, has also not been sampled. Here, nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and four plastid regions (trnL-F, matK, rbcL, rps16) were used to conduct phylogenetic analyses within Caryophyllaceae and the tribe Alsineae. Ancestral characters (petal margin and number of seeds) were reconstructed in the tribe Alsineae based on the phylogenetic results. Our results indicate that Brachystemma is nested in the tribe Alsineae and forms a monophylum with S.ovatifolia, and apically lobed petals and numerous seeds may be the ancestral characters in the tribe Alsineae. Based on our study, Stellariaovatifolia should be considered within Brachystemma, and Brachystemma is clearly a separate genus and now includes two species.

The Effect of Surface Treatments on Zirconia Bond Strength and Durability.

To evaluate the effects of airborne particle abrasion (APA) combined with MDP-containing resin cement, a glass-ceramic spray deposition (GCSD) method on the shear bond strengths (SBSs) and durability of 3 mol% yttrium oxide-stabilized zirconia ceramic (3Y-TZP) compared with lithium disilicate glass ceramics (LDGC). 3Y-TZP disks were randomly treated as follows: for Group APA+MDP, 3Y-TZP was abrased using 50 µm Al2O3 particles under 0.1 Mpa and bonded with MDP-containing resin cement; for Group GCSD, 3Y-TZP was treated with the GCSD method, etched by 5% HF for 90 s, silanized and bonded with resin cement without MDP. Group LDGC was bonded as the Group GCSD. X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDX) were used to analyze the surface chemical and micro-morphological changes of the ceramics before bonding. The bonded ceramic specimens were randomly divided into subgroups, and the SBSs were determined before and after 10,000 thermocycling. The SBSs were analyzed with a one-way ANOVA analysis. Failure modes were determined with optical microscopy and SEM. The XRD, ATR-FTIR and XPS results identified the formation of lithium disilicate and zirconium silicate on 3Y-TZP after GCSD. The SEM micrographs revealed that 3Y-TZP surfaces were roughened by APA, while 3Y-TZP with GCSD and LDGC surfaces could be etched by HF to be porous. The APA treatment combined with MDP-containing resin cement produced the high immediate zirconia shear bond strengths (SBSs: 37.41 ± 13.51 Mpa) that was similar to the SBSs of the LDGC (34.87 ± 11.02 Mpa, p > 0.05), but, after thermocycling, the former dramatically decreased (24.00 ± 6.86 Mpa, maximum reduction by 35.85%) and the latter exhibited the highest SBSs (30.72 ± 7.97 Mpa, minimum reduction by 11.9%). The 3Y-TZP with GCSD treatment displayed the lower zirconia SBSs before thermocycling (27.03 ± 9.76 Mpa, p < 0.05), but it was similar to the 3Y-TZP treated with APA and MDP containing resin cement after thermocycling (21.84 ± 7.03 vs. 24.00 ± 6.86 Mpa, p > 0.05). The APA combined with MDP-containing resin cement could achieve the high immediate zirconia SBSs of those of the LDGC, but it decreased significantly after thermocycling. The GCSD technique could yield the immediate zirconia SBSs similar to those of LDGC before thermocycling, and long-term zirconia SBSs were similar to those of 3Y-TZP treated with APA followed by MDP-containing resin cement after thermocycling. Hence, the GCSD technique could enrich zirconia surface treatments and is an alternative to zirconia surface pretreatment for 3Y-TZP bond durability.

Integerrima A-E, phenylethanoid glycosides from the stem of Callicarpa integerrima.

Five new phenylethanoid glycosides integerrima A-E (1-5) were isolated from the stem of Callicarpa integerrima for the first time. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses. In addition, cytotoxicity, anti-adipogenic and antioxidant activities were evaluated. All the phenylethanoid glycosides would be nontoxic to the normal human hepatocytes LO-2 and pre-adipocytes 3T3-L1 cell lines, significantly promote the proliferation of normal hepatocytes, thus displaying the potential for hepatoprotective. Integerrima A (1), C (3) and D (4) exhibited selectively moderate cytotoxic activity against the hepatoma cell lines Bel-7402, with the IC50 value at 72.66, 80.43 and 84.88 µmol/L, respectively. Moreover, integerrima D (4) had significant activities on reducing lipid droplet formation, with the inhibition rate of 48.02% on the concentration of 200 µg/mL. Finally, the result of FRAP assays exhibited remarkable antioxidant activity in integerrima E (5), which was close to the positive control ascorbic acid with the concentration of 100 µg/mL.

Callicarpa stoloniformis (Lamiaceae), a new species from Southeast China based on morphological characters and phylogenetic evidence.

Callicarpa stoloniformis sp. nov. (Lamiaceae) is described as a new species from Fujian Province of China on the basis of both morphological and molecular data. The new species is morphologically most close to C. hainanensis. However, it can be distinguished from the latter by its unique procumbent life form, adventitious roots at nodes, papery leaves, cup-shaped or campanulate calyx, truncate or shallow fissure calyx lobes, and smaller fruits. In addition, the new species is also similar with C. basitruncata, a species only known from the original description and the photograph of holotype, but it can differ from the latter by its procumbent shrub, purple terete branchlets with apparent linear lenticels, adventitious roots at nodes, and papery larger leaves with prominently cordate leaf base. Original photographs, illustration, distribution map, and a comparative morphological table, as well as an identification key of the related taxa are provided.

Why is the beautyberry so colourful? Evolution, biogeography, and diversification of fruit colours in Callicarpa (Lamiaceae).

Fruit colour is essential to seed dispersal, speciation, and biological diversity in global ecosystems. The relationship between fruit-colour variation and species diversification has long been of interest in evolutionary biology, but remains poorly understood at the genus level. Here, we used Callicarpa, a typical representative of pantropical angiosperm, to analyse whether fruit colours are correlated with biogeographic distribution, dispersal events, and diversification rate. We estimated a time-calibrated phylogeny for Callicarpa and reconstructed ancestral fruit colour. Utilizing phylogenetic methods, we estimated the major dispersal events across the phylogenetic tree and the most likely fruit colours related to each dispersal event, and tested whether the dispersal frequencies and distances of the four fruit colours between major biogeographical areas were equal. We then tested whether fruit colours are correlated with latitude, elevation, and diversification rate. Biogeographical reconstructions showed that Callicarpa originated in the East Asia and Southeast Asia during the Eocene (∼35.53 Ma) and diverse species diverged mainly in the Miocene and lasted into the Pleistocene. Large-scale dispersal events were significantly associated with violet-fruited lineages. Furthermore, different fruit colours were markedly correlated with different latitudes and elevations (e.g., violet fruits were correlated with higher latitudes and elevations; red fruits and black fruits with lower latitudes; white fruits with higher elevations). Notably, violet fruits were statistically associated with highest diversification rates, driving fruit colour variation among different regions globally. Our results contribute to further understanding why fruit colour is so variable at the genus level of angiosperms in different areas around the world.