Graph Neural Network-Guided Contrastive Learning for Sequential Recommendation.

Sequential recommendation uses contrastive learning to randomly augment user sequences and alleviate the data sparsity problem. However, there is no guarantee that the augmented positive or negative views remain semantically similar. To address this issue, we propose graph neural network-guided contrastive learning for sequential recommendation (GC4SRec). The guided process employs graph neural networks to obtain user embeddings, an encoder to determine the importance score of each item, and various data augmentation methods to construct a contrast view based on the importance score. Experimental validation is conducted on three publicly available datasets, and the experimental results demonstrate that GC4SRec improves the hit rate and normalized discounted cumulative gain metrics by 1.4% and 1.7%, respectively. The model can enhance recommendation performance and mitigate the data sparsity problem.

Vibration Prediction of the Robotic Arm Based on Elastic Joint Dynamics Modeling.

The flexibility of the joint drive system of an industrial robot can cause vibration at the end part, which can lead to motion errors. A method to predict the vibration during the motion of the robot arm is proposed considering the robot joint flexibility. The method combines the internal transfer function of the drive system and the identification of parameters under external excitation. Firstly, the dynamics of the robot joint system are modeled by a double inertia elastic system. The joint system transfer function from the electromagnetic torque to the arm vibration is obtained according to the dynamics model. To solve the unknown parameters in the transfer function, a vibration dynamics model of the joint arm under the external forces on the arm is developed. According to this model, the equivalent stiffness, damping and load inertia of the joint can be obtained by the direct parametric method. Then, the vibration spectrum of the robot arm is derived from the motor electromagnetic torque and joint dynamics models were used to predict the vibration spectrum of the robot arm. The experiments were conducted on a single-joint robot testbed, and on an articulated industrial robot. In both experiments, the key parameters in the system were determined by impact experiments. Then, the vibration signal of the arm during the robot motion was obtained by electromagnetic torque prediction. The predicted vibration signals are analyzed in comparison with the actual vibration signals. The experimental results both show the validity of the vibration prediction.

Reconstruction of Periodic Band Limited Signals from Non-Uniform Samples with Sub-Nyquist Sampling Rate.

Important state parameters, such as torque and angle obtained from the servo control and drive system, can reflect the operating condition of the equipment. However, there are two problems with the information obtained through the network from the control and drive system: the low sampling rate, which does not meet the sampling theorem and the nonuniformity of the sampling points. By combing equivalent sampling and nonuniform signal reconstruction theory, this paper proposes a reconstruction method for signal obtained from servo system in periodic reciprocating motion. Equivalent sampling combines the low rate and nonuniform samples from multiple periods into one single period, so that the equivalent sampling rate is far increased. Then, the nonuniform samples with high density are further resampled to meet the reconstruction conditions. This step can avoid the amplitude error in the reconstructed signal and increase the possibility of successful reconstruction. Finally, the reconstruction formula derived from basis theory is applied to recover the signal. This method has been successfully verified by the simulation signal of the robot swing process and the actual current signal collected on the robot arm testbed.

Response of heterogeneous cancer cells on targeted nanoparticles.

Heterogenous cancer cells possess cancer multidrug resistance (MDR) due to their relative quiescence and ABC-transporter expression. Heterogenous cancer cells can be detected by an Rh123 exclusion assay for identifying Rh123low population. In the present study, we fabricated targeted nanoparticles entrapped with Rh123 (Rh123 NPs) to investigate the effect of these targeted nanoparticles on an Rh123low population. The Rh123low population stained by Rh123 NPs exhibited similar heterogeneity to that stained by Rh123. In addition, the ABC-transporters did not contribute to the uptake of Rh123 or Rh123 NPs. Interestingly, ABC-transporters in the Rh123low population stained by Rh123 were possibly responsible for Rh123 efflux, while Rh123 NPs were not susceptible to ABC-transporters in the Rh123low population. It is plausible that the synergistic effect of NPs caused a targeted and endocytic effect which promoted the cellular uptake of Rh123 NPs, and the targeted effect played a more important role.

Ocean acoustic tomography from different receiver geometries using the adjoint method.

In this paper, an ocean acoustic tomography inversion using the adjoint method in a shallow water environment is presented. The propagation model used is an implicit Crank-Nicolson finite difference parabolic equation solver with a non-local boundary condition. Unlike previous matched-field processing works using the complex pressure fields as the observations, here, the observed signals are the transmission losses. Based on the code tests of the tangent linear model, the adjoint model, and the gradient, the optimization problem is solved by a gradient-based minimization algorithm. The inversions are performed in numerical simulations for two geometries: one in which hydrophones are sparsely distributed in the horizontal direction, and another in which the hydrophones are distributed vertically. The spacing in both cases is well beyond the half-wavelength threshold at which beamforming could be used. To deal with the ill-posedness of the inverse problem, a linear differential regularization operator of the sound-speed profile is used to smooth the inversion results. The L-curve criterion is adopted to select the regularization parameter, and the optimal value can be easily determined at the elbow of the logarithms of the residual norm of the measured-predicted fields and the norm of the penalty function.

[Identification of the metabolites of Dingzhi Xiaowan extract in depressive rat plasma, urine, feces and bile after intragastric administration].

Dingzhi Xiaowan is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine in treating depression, which is a similar formula of Kaixinsan. In this research, a rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS(E)) method was established to analyze the metabolites of Dingzhi Xiaowan in depressive model rat plasma, bile, urine and feces. After we established Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model rats and orally administrated Dingzhi Xiaowan, rat plasma, bile, urine and feces samples were collected and prepared. Using Waters Cortects UPLC C18 column (2.1 mm x 50 mm, 1.6 µm), acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid mobile phase gradient, these samples were analyzed and 33 metabolites of nine bioactive compounds were detected and tentatively identified by Metabolynx. Among the 33 metabolites, three metabolites were identified from plasma sample, three came from bile sample, and 27 metabolites were identified from urine and feces samples. This approach provided a rapid method for characterizing the metabolites of Dingzhi Xiaowan and gave the truly active structures and the action mechanism of their antidepressant effects.

A complementary strategy for enhancement of nanoparticle intracellular uptake.

PURPOSE: The complementary strategy by combining targeting ligand-mediated selectivity and CPP-mediated transmembrane function could be exploit synergies for enhancing cellular uptake of nanoparticles with negative charge. A heparin-based nanoparticles with negative charge was fabricated by complementary strategy, which was expected to attain efficient uptake and simultaneously exert great anticancer activity. METHODS: We synthesized heparin-based nanoparticles with targeting ligand folate and CPP ligand Tat to deliver paclitaxel (H-F-Tat-P NPs). The NPs were characterized by (1)H NMR, DLS and TEM, respectively. The effect of dual ligands on system behavior in aqueous solution was investigated. Moreover, its cellular internalization and anticancer activity were detected by flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and MTT. RESULTS: Folate played a key role in the formation of heparin-based NPs dependent on the balance of amphiphilic Tat and hydrophobic folate. Although H-F-Tat-P NPs primarily entered FR specific and non-specific cells by similar routes, there were no comparability due to cell-type specific variation. Unlike non-specific cells, the complementary ligands could help negative-charged NPs to enhance cellular uptake facilitating its endosome escape in specific cells thereby exhibiting great anticancer activity. CONCLUSIONS: The complementary strategy for negative-charged NPs was presented a promising delivery system for diverse anticancer agents enable simultaneously targeting and drug delivery.

Two new isoflavone glycosides from the vine stem of Millettia dielsiana.

Two new isoflavone glycosides, millesianins F (1) and G (2), along with 11 known ones (3-13) have been isolated from the n-butanol extract of the vine stems of Millettia dielsiana Harms. The structures of 1 and 2 were established as cladrastin 7-O-ß-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 â†’ 6)-ß-d-glucopyranoside (1) and fujikinetin 7-O-ß-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 â†’ 6)-ß-d-glucopyranoside (2) by means of spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. Some isolates (compounds 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 11) were tested for their effects on the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cell, and the preliminary results showed that all of investigated compounds had moderate activities but not in dose-dependent manners.

[Effect of oligosaccharide esters and polygalaxanthone Ill from Polygala tenuifolia willd towards cytochrome P450].

Five compounds (tenuifoliside C, tenuifoliside D, telephiose A, telephiose C and polygalaxanthone III) from polygala tenuifolia wild were incubated together with CYP probe substrate in human liver microsomes to investigate the inhibitory effect towards CYP450 enzyme. Phenacetin (CYP1A2), coumarin (CYP2A6), paclitaxel (CYP2C8), diclofenac (CYP2C9), S-mepheriytoin (CYP2C19), dextromethorphan (CYP2D6), chlorzoxazone (CYP2E1), midazolam (CYP3A) were selected as the isoforfn specific substrate. And the formation of paracetamol, 7-hydroxycoumarin, 6alpha-hydroxy paclitaxel, 4'-hydroxydiclofenac, dextrorphan, 6-hydroxychlorzoxazone, 1'-hydroxymidazolam, 4'-hydroxymephenytoin were detected respectively to measure the effect towards CYP450 by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The result shows that five compounds from polygala tenuifolia willd significantly inhibit chlorzoxazone 6-hydroxylation catalyzed by CYP2E1, while showed no effect towards CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP3A. And IC50 value was 38.73, 54.14, 61.77, 62.22, 50.56 micromol x L(-1), respectively.

Sudden diffuse spasm of multiple coronary arteries: A case report.

RATIONALE: Diffuse multivessel coronary artery spasm (DMV-CAS) was defined as a severe and reversible diffuse spasm occurring in more than 2 major coronary arteries, which is rare in clinical practice. Due to a wide lesion scope, DMV-CAS often occurs in the form of complications. It is not easy to be clinically diagnosed because it is too brief to be caught. Here, we report a rare case of spontaneous subtotal occlusion of 3 major coronary arteries induced by Vasalva action, which was confirmed in real-time by CAG. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 68-year-old man had sudden chest pain after forced defecation during hospitalization. The electrocardiogram showed transient ST segment elevation of the inferior wall lead, inversion of the anterior wall, and lateral wall leads T waves. Emergency CAG revealed elongated vessel beds in 3 coronary arteries and multiple diffuse stenosis, but none of the coronary arteries were completely occlusive. DIAGNOSES: Diagnoses of DMV-CAS were made based on CAG findings and postmedication response. INTERVENTIONS: Nitroglycerin was administered in the coronary arteries. The anti-vasospasm, antiplatelet aggregation and lipid-regulating drugs were administered orally. OUTCOMES: The patient was discharged on the 7th day with complete resolution of symptoms and normalization of the electrocardiography findings. No ischemic events occurred during a follow-up for 5 months. LESSONS: This case highlights the identification of multivessel diffuse coronary spasm and acute myocardial infarction, and the prevention of CAS triggers, which requires the attention of clinicians.

Comparison of chlorine and chlorine dioxide disinfection in drinking water: Evaluation of disinfection byproduct formation under equal disinfection efficiency.

Disinfection efficiency and disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation are two important aspects deserving careful consideration when evaluating different disinfection protocols. However, most of the previous studies on the selection of disinfection methods by comparing DBP formation were carried out under the same initial/residual dose and contact time of different disinfectants, and such a practice may cause overdose or underdose of a certain disinfectant, leading to the inaccurate evaluation of disinfection. In this study, a comprehensive and quantitative comparison of chlorine (Cl2) and chlorine dioxide (ClO2) disinfection was conducted with regard to their DBP formation under equal disinfection efficiency. The microbial inactivation models as well as the Cl2 and ClO2 demand models were developed. On such basis, the integral CT (ICT) values were determined and used as a bridge to connect disinfection efficiency and DBP formation. For 3-log10 and 4-log10 reductions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ClO2 had 1.5 and 5.8 times higher inactivation ability than Cl2, respectively. In the premise of equal disinfection efficiency (i.e., the ICT ratios of Cl2 to ClO2 = 1.5 and 5.8), the levels of total organic chlorine, total organic bromine, and total organic halogen formed in the Cl2 disinfection were significantly higher than those formed in the ClO2 disinfection. Among the 35 target aliphatic DBPs, trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) were the dominant species formed in both Cl2 and ClO2 disinfection. The total THM levels formed in Cl2 disinfection were 14.6 and 30.3 times higher than those in ClO2 disinfection, respectively. The total HAA levels formed in Cl2 disinfection were 3.5 and 5.4 times higher than those in ClO2 disinfection, respectively. Formation of the target 48 aromatic DBPs was much favored in Cl2 disinfection than that in ClO2 disinfection, and the formation levels was dominated by contact time. This study demonstrated that ClO2 had significant advantages over Cl2, especially at higher microorganism inactivation and lower DBP formation requirements.

In Situ Generation of H2O2 over MoOx Decorated on Cu2O@CuO Core-Shell Particle Nanoarchitectonics for Boosting Photocatalytic Oxidative Desulfurization.

Photocatalytic oxidation desulfurization (PODS) has emerged as a promising, ecofriendly alternative to traditional, energy-intensive fuel desulfurization methods. Nevertheless, its progress is still hindered due to the slow sulfide oxidation kinetics in the current catalytic systems. Herein, we present a MoOx decorated on a Cu2O@CuO core-shell catalyst, which enables a new, efficient PODS pathway by in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with saturated moist air as the oxidant source. The photocatalyst delivers remarkable specific activity in oxidizing dibenzothiophene (DBT), achieving a superior rate of 7.8 mmol g-1 h-1, while maintaining a consistent performance across consecutive reuses. Experimental investigations reveal that H2O2 is produced through the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and both H2O2 and the hydroxyl radicals (•OH) generated from it act as the primary reactive species responsible for sulfide oxidation. Importantly, our catalyst accomplishes complete PODS of real diesel fuel, underscoring an appealing industrial prospect for our photocatalyst.

Perfusion heterogeneity in breast tumors for assessment of angiogenesis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perfusion heterogeneity of malignant and benign breast tumors and assay their vascular architecture changes and molecular expression, thereby evaluating the relevance between imaging and histologic characteristics of angiogenesis. METHODS: Real-time grayscale contrast-enhanced sonography was performed in 310 women with 317 breast tumors. The enhancement patterns and perfusion parameters for malignant and benign tumors were analyzed by contrast-enhanced sonography with microvascular imaging and quantitative time-intensity curve analysis. Structural characteristics were observed by light and electron microscopy. The microvessel density, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, and human kinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR) expression for all tumors were assessed by immunohistochemical staining of CD31, KDR, and VEGF. RESULTS: Surgical pathologic analysis showed 163 malignant and 154 benign tumors. Significant morphologic differences, including perfusion defects, vessel distortion, vessel dilatation, and heterogeneous enhancement, were observed between the malignant and benign groups (P < .05). The mean perfusion parameters (peak intensity, ascending slope, area under the curve, and wash-out time) were greater in the malignant tumors (P < .05). There were significant differences in the peak intensity, ascending slope, area under the curve, and wash-out time between peripheral and central regions of the malignant tumors (P < .05) but none in the benign tumors. Vessels had various morphologic and distributional characteristics in the peripheral and central regions of the malignant tumors. The microvessel density and VEGF and KDR expression were significantly higher in the malignant group (P < .05), especially in the peripheral regions. CONCLUSIONS: Perfusion heterogeneity was closely associated with the tumor microvascular architecture and molecular expression. Perfusion features, especially regional morphologic and hemodynamic features, can provide valuable information for differentiating malignant from benign breast tumors.

Chemical constituents from the leaves of Aglaia odorata.

A new dammarane triterpene, 3-acetoxy aglinin C (1), and a new aglain, 10-oxo-aglaxiflorin D (2), along with five known compounds, 3-7, were isolated from the leaves of Aglaia odorata using chromatographic methods. The structures of 1 and 2 were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses. Bioactivities of 1-7 against AGZY 83-a (human lung cancer cell line) and SMMC-7721 (human liver cancer cell line) cells were determined.

Effects of heat shock protein 90 on complement activation in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury after pioglitazone preconditioning.

BACKGROUND: Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) appears to have a pivotal function in ischemic preconditioning. Pioglitazone preconditioning (PioC) attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injuries. OBJECTIVES: The current study aims to investigate the role of HSP90, complement C3 and C5a, and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) in PioC-induced cardioprotection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 80 rats were randomly categorized into 4 groups, as follows: sham, I/R, PioC, and PioC+HSP90 inhibitor geldanamycin (PioC+GA). The sham group rats had a thoracotomy, in which the ligature was passed by the heart with no ligation (150 min). The other 3 groups were exposed to ischemia (30 min) followed by reperfusion (2 h). In the PioC group, pioglitazone (3 mg/kg) was administered intravenously 24 h before ischemia. In the PioC+GA group, after being pretreated with pioglitazone, GA was administered (intraperitoneally, 1 mg/kg) 30 min before ischemia. Myocardial infarct sizes (ISs), apoptosis rates, creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) serum levels were determined. The HSP90, C3, NF-κB, C5a, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and Bax expression levels, as well as interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) mRNA levels were measured. RESULTS: The myocardial ISs, serum CK-MB, cTnI and LDH levels, apoptosis rates, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, ICAM-1 release, as well as Bax, C5a, C3, and NF-κB protein expression were considerably lower in the PioC group than in the I/R group (p < 0.05). The Bcl-2 and HSP90 expression was higher in the PioC group than in the I/R group (p < 0.05). Geldanamycin inhibited the effects of PioC. These data strongly demonstrate that the PioC-induced is dependent upon HSP90 activity. CONCLUSIONS: The HSP90 is indispensable for PioC-mediated cardioprotection. The HSP90 attenuates I/R-induced ISs, apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and myocardial inflammation through C3, C5a and NF-κB activation inhibition.

A Support-Free Infill Structure Based on Layer Construction for 3D Printing.

The design of the light-weight infill structure is a hot research topic in additive manufacturing. In recent years, various infill structures have been proposed to reduce the amount of printing material. However, 3D models filled with them may have very different structural performances under different loading conditions. In addition, most of them are not self-supporting. To mitigate these issues, a novel light-weight infill structure based on the layer construction is proposed in this article. The layers of the proposed infill structure continuously and periodically transform between triangles and hexagons. The geometries of two adjacent layers are controlled to be self-supporting for different 3D printing technologies. The machine code (Gcode) of the filled 3D model is generated in the construction of the infill structure for 3D printers. That means 3D models filled with the proposed infill structure do not need an extra slicing process before printing, which is time consuming in some cases. Structural simulations and physical experiments demonstrate that our infill structure has comparable structural performance under different loading conditions. Furthermore, the relationship between the structural stiffness and the parameters of the infill structure is investigated, which will be helpful for non-professional users.

Surface warming-induced global acceleration of upper ocean currents.

How the ocean circulation changes in a warming climate is an important but poorly understood problem. Using a global ocean model, we decompose the problem into distinct responses to changes in sea surface temperature, salinity, and wind. Our results show that the surface warming effect, a robust feature of anthropogenic climate change, dominates and accelerates the upper ocean currents in 77% of the global ocean. Specifically, the increased vertical stratification intensifies the upper subtropical gyres and equatorial currents by shoaling these systems, while the differential warming between the Southern Ocean upwelling zone and the region to the north accelerates surface zonal currents in the Southern Ocean. In comparison, the wind stress and surface salinity changes affect regional current systems. Our study points a way forward for investigating ocean circulation change and evaluating the uncertainty.

HSP90-Mediates Liraglutide Preconditioning-Induced Cardioprotection by Inhibiting C5a and NF-κB.

OBJECTIVE: We previously showed that HSP90 is involved in postconditioning cardioprotection by inhibiting complement C5a. Here, we investigated whether HSP90-mediated C5a/NF-κB inhibition is responsible for the cardioprotection conferred by liraglutide. METHODS: Rat hearts underwent a 30 min occlusion of the anterior descending coronary artery, after which reperfusion was performed for 2 h. A total of 100 rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), sham, liraglutide preconditioning (LP, liraglutide, 0.18 mg/kg, intravenously, 12 h before ischemia), HSP90 inhibitor geldanamycin (GA, 1 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, 30 min before ischemia) plus LP, and C5a receptor antagonist PMX53 (1 mg/kg, intravenously, 30 min before ischemia) plus LP. Cardiac injury, C5a/NF-κB activation, and inflammation were investigated. RESULTS: LP significantly attenuated I/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, infarct size, and secretion of creatine kinase-MB, lactate dehydrogenase and cardiac troponin I. These effects were complemented by decreased C5a levels, nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling, inflammatory cytokine expression, and increased HSP90 levels. GA, an HSP90 inhibitor, promotes C5a activation, NF-κB signaling, and inflammation and suppresses cardioprotection by LP. By contrast, PMX53, a C5a inhibitor, suppressed C5a activation, NF-κB signaling, and inflammation, and enhanced cardioprotection by LP. CONCLUSION: HSP90 markedly contributes to LP cardioprotection by inhibiting inflammatory responsesand C5a/NF-κB signaling , ultimately attenuating I/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by suppressing the proapoptotic factor Bax, and inducing the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl2.

New targets of morphine postconditioning protection of the myocardium in ischemia/reperfusion injury: Involvement of HSP90/Akt and C5a/NF-κB.

BACKGROUND: Activation of the complement component 5a (C5a) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling is an important feature of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and recent studies show that morphine postconditioning (MP) attenuates the myocardial injury. However, the mediating cardioprotective mechanisms remain unclear. The present study explores the role and interaction of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), Akt, C5a, and NF-κB in MP-induced cardioprotection. METHODS: Male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 160) were randomized into eight groups (n = 20 per group). Rats in the sham group underwent thoracotomy, passing the ligature through the heart but without tying it (150 min), and the other seven groups were subjected to 30 min of anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by 2 h of reperfusion and the following treatments: I/R (30 min of ischemia and followed by 2 h of reperfusion); ischemic postconditioning (IPostC, 30 s of ischemia altered with 30 s of reperfusion, repeated for three cycles, and followed by reperfusion for 2 h); MP (0.3 mg/kg morphine administration 10 min before reperfusion); MP combined with the HSP90 inhibitor geldanamycin (GA, 1 mg/kg); MP combined with the Akt inhibitor GSK-690693 (GSK, 20 mg/kg); and MP combined with the C5a inhibitor PMX205 (PMX, 1 mg/kg/day, administration via drinking water for 28 days) and MP combined with the NF-κB inhibitor EVP4593 (QNZ, 1 mg/kg). All inhibitors were administered 10 min before morphine and followed by 2 h reperfusion. RESULTS: MP significantly reduced the I/R-induced infarct size, the apoptosis, and the release of cardiac troponin I, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine kinase-MB. These beneficial effects were accompanied by increased expression of HSP90 and p-Akt, and decreased expression of C5a, NF-κB, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-1ß, and intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1. However, HSP90 inhibitor GA or Akt inhibitor GSK increased the expression of C5a and NF-κB and prevented MP-induced cardioprotection. Furthermore, GA inhibited the MP-induced upregulation of p-Akt, while GSK did not affect HSP90, indicating that p-Akt acts downstream of HSP90 in MP-induced cardioprotection. In addition, C5a inhibitor PMX enhanced the MP-induced downregulation of NF-κB, while NF-κB inhibitor QNZ had no effect on C5a, indicating that the C5a/NF-κB signaling pathway is involved in MP-induced cardioprotection. CONCLUSION: HSP90 is critical for MP-mediated cardioprotection possibly by promoting the phosphorylation of Akt and inhibiting the activation of C5a and NF-κB signaling and the subsequent myocardial inflammation, ultimately attenuating the infarct size and cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

A novel 3-arylcoumarin and three new 2-arylbenzofurans from Mucuna birdwoodiana.

A novel coumarin (1, mucodianin A), three new 2-arylbenzofurans (2-4, mucodianins B-D) along with four known ones were isolated from the vine stems of Mucuna birdwoodiana. Their structures were elucidated on basis of spectral analysis. This is the first report of 7-quinonylcoumarin (1) as stable form in natural products.