Targeted isolation, identification, and antioxidant evaluation of aromatic polyketides from a plant-derived fungus Ophiobolus cirsii LZU-1509.

There are >350 species of the Ophiobolus genus, which is not yet very well-known and lacks research reports on secondary metabolites. Three new 3,4-benzofuran polyketides 1-3, a new 3,4-benzofuran polyketide racemate 4, two new pairs of polyketide enantiomers (±)-5 and (±)-7, two new acetophenone derivatives 6 and 8, and three novel 1,4-dioxane aromatic polyketides 9-11, were isolated from a fungus Ophiobolus cirsii LZU-1509 derived from an important medicinal and economic crop Anaphalis lactea. The isolation was guided by LC-MS/MS-based GNPS molecular networking analysis. The planar structures and relative configurations were mainly elucidated by NMR and HR-ESI-MS data. Their absolute configurations were determined by using X-ray diffraction analysis and via comparing computational and experimental ECD, NMR, and specific optical rotation data. 9 possesses an unreported 5/6/6/6/5 five-ring framework with a 1,4-dioxane, and 10 and 11 feature unprecedented 6/6/6/5 and 6/6/5/6 four-ring frames containing a 1,4-dioxane. The biosynthetic pathways of 9-11 were proposed. 1-11 were nontoxic in HT-1080 and HepG2 tumor cells at a concentration of 20 µM, whereas 3 and 5 exerted higher antioxidant properties in the hydrogen peroxide-stimulated model in the neuron-like PC12 cells. They could be potential antioxidant agents for neuroprotection.

Rotationplasty type BIIIb as an effective alternative to limb salvage procedure in adults: Two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Rotationplasty is often performed for malignant tumors, but type BIIIb rotationplasty is rarely reported, and there needs to be more evidence of the procedure and treatment. The purpose of this case study was to report a new direction in the use of type BIIIb rotationplasty in treating patients with limb salvage and long-term non-healing infections. CASE SUMMARY: Case 1: A 47-year-old man underwent radiotherapy for hemangioendothelioma in his left thigh, resulting in a femoral fracture. Despite the use of plates, intramedullary nailing, and external fixators, the femoral bone failed to unite due to infectious nonunion. Multiple operations were unable to control the infection, leaving the patient immobile. We performed a modified tibia-pelvic-constrained hip rotationplasty, utilizing a constrained prosthetic hip between the tibia and pelvis following a femur resection. Two years post-surgery, the patient was able to walk with the prosthetic device without any signs of recurring infection. The corresponding functional scores were 72 points for the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS), 53 for the Functional Mobility Assessment (FMA), 93 for the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS), and 56 for the MOS 36-item short form health survey (SF-36). Case 2: A 59-year-old woman presented with liposarcoma in her left thigh. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed tumors in the medial, anterior, and posterior femur muscles, encircling the femoral vessels and nerves. Fortunately, there were no symptoms of sciatic dysfunction, and the tumor had not invaded the sciatic nucleus. After one year of follow-up, the patient expressed satisfaction with limb preservation post-type BIIIb rotationplasty. The corresponding functional scores were 63 points for the MSTS, 47 for the FMA, 88 for the TESS, and 52 for the SF-36. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that type BIIIb rotationplasty may be an alternative to amputation in patients with incurable infections. For malignant tumors of the lower extremities without invasion of the sciatic nerve, type BIIIb rotationplasty remains an excellent alternative to amputation. This surgical method may prevent amputation, improve functional outcomes, and facilitate biological reconstruction.

Isolation and Identification of Novel Antioxidant Polyketides from an Endophytic Fungus Ophiobolus cirsii LZU-1509.

Sixteen new polyketides, ophicirsins A-P (1-16), including four novel carbon skeletons (5-9, 14, 15, and 16), were isolated from the extract of an endophytic fungus Ophiobolus cirsii LZU-1509. The unique frameworks of ophicirsin N (14) and O (15) feature a different cyclic ether connected with an aromatic ring system. Ophicirsin P (16) is characterized by the unprecedented heterozygote of a polyketide and an alkaloid. The absolute stereochemistries of those polyketides were characterized via single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and the experimental and computational electric circular dichroism spectra comparison. Theoretical reaction pathways in the fermentation to generate different novel skeletons starting from acetyl CoA and malonyl CoA helped to assign their structures. Compounds 1-16 appear almost nontoxic in HepG2 and HT-1080 tumor cells. Their antioxidant effects were further evaluated, and 15 exhibits an excellent protection activity in hydrogen peroxide-stimulated oxidative damage in neuron-like PC12 cells via screening all compounds. Moreover, 15 displays a greater ability to scavenge the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radicals than resveratrol. Taken together, these findings suggest that the novel polyketides could serve as potential antioxidant agents for neuroprotection.

[Correlation between gut microbiota and erectile dysfunction: An update].

Gut microbiota is closely related to health and diseases as well as a frontier subject in medical research. Lots of studies have shown a close relationship of gut microbiota with the risk factors for ED, such as stress, anxiety, hormonal disorders, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and thyroid hormones. This review focuses on the correlation between gut microbiota and ED in the aspects of mental psychology, neurotransmitters, vascular endothelium, androgen and thyroid function, hoping to provide a new research direction for the pathogenesis and treatment of ED.

Design and Experiment of Assistive Mechanism for Adjustment of Transrectal Ultrasound Probe.

Transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy is the most commonly used method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. During the operation, the doctor needs to manually adjust the ultrasound probe for repeated adjustments, which is difficult to ensure the efficiency, accuracy, and safety of the operation. This paper presents a passive posture adjusting mechanism of transrectal ultrasound probe. The overall mechanism has 7 degrees of freedom, consisting of a position adjustment module, a posture adjustment module, and an ultrasonic probe rotation and feed module. In order to achieve the centering function, the posture adjustment module is designed based on the double parallelogram. Centering performance is verified based on SimMechanics, and remote center point error of physical prototypes is evaluated. The maximum error of the azimuth remote center point motion and the maximum error of the remote center point motion of the ultrasonic probe are 4 mm and 3.4 mm, respectively, which are less than the anus that can withstand 6 mm. Meanwhile, the analysis of measurement error shows that the random error correlation is weak in different directions, the systematic error confidence intervals of azimuth and elevation angle are less than 2.5 mm, and the maximum relative fixed point error and the maximum relative standard error are 14.73% and 14.98%, respectively. The simulation and testing results have shown the effectiveness and reliability of the propose mechanism.

[Changes of soil enzyme activities and nutrients across different succession stages of grazing alpine Kobresia grassland.] / æ”¾ç‰§é«˜å¯’åµ©è‰è‰åœ°ä¸åŒæ¼”æ›¿é˜¶æ®µåœŸå£¤é ¶æ´»æ€§åŠå »åˆ†æ¼”å˜ç‰¹å¾.

The variation of soil enzyme activity and relevance with soil nutrients was examined in multistable grazing alpine Kobresia grassland, including Gramineae-Kobresia humilis community, K. humilis community, K. pygmaea community at thickened stage, K. pygmaea community at cracked stage and forb-black soil type secondary bare land. The results showed that the vegetation coverage and aboveground biomass successively decreased with degenerative succession. The belowground biomass was the highest in the K. pygmaea community at thickened and cracked stages. The activities of soil sucrase, urease, cellulase, alkaline phosphatase and aryl sulfatase were higher at the surface soil layer (0-10 cm) than those at the subsurface soil layer (10-20 cm), while the pattern of chitinase activity was contrary. The activities of cellulase, alkaline phosphatase and aryl sulfatase were the highest in the Gramineae-K. humilis community and the lowest at the forb-black soil type secondary bare land, and they slightly increased during the thickened stage of K. pygmaea community. Chitinase activity was relatively high at the middle three stages, while urease and sucrase activity had an obvious increase in the forb-black soil type secondary bare land. Soil moisture, ammonium, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, total nitrogen, total carbon and organic carbon successively decreased with degenerative succession, whereas the concentrations of nitrate and available phosphorus increased at the latter two succession stages. The activities of the other enzymes, except for chitinase, were significantly positively correlated with the soil available phosphorus, ammonium, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, total carbon, and organic carbon, and negatively correlated with soil pH. The activities of cellulose, alkaline phosphatase and aryl sulfatase were significantly positively correlated with soil moisture and total nitrogen. The main factors affecting soil enzyme activity were available phosphorus and ammonium. Soil enzymes showed different evolutionary trends influenced by grazing degradation succession in the alpine grassland, with a synergistic effect with soil nut-rients. Moreover, severely degraded extreme environments may stimulate soil enzyme activities related to nitrogen and carbon transformation.

Toward an Expert Level of Lung Cancer Detection and Classification Using a Deep Convolutional Neural Network.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) is essential for pulmonary nodule detection in diagnosing lung cancer. As deep learning algorithms have recently been regarded as a promising technique in medical fields, we attempt to integrate a well-trained deep learning algorithm to detect and classify pulmonary nodules derived from clinical CT images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Open-source data sets and multicenter data sets have been used in this study. A three-dimensional convolutional neural network (CNN) was designed to detect pulmonary nodules and classify them into malignant or benign diseases based on pathologically and laboratory proven results. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of this well-trained model were found to be 84.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 80.5%-88.3%) and 83.0% (95% CI, 79.5%-86.5%), respectively. Subgroup analysis of smaller nodules (<10 mm) have demonstrated remarkable sensitivity and specificity, similar to that of larger nodules (10-30 mm). Additional model validation was implemented by comparing manual assessments done by different ranks of doctors with those performed by three-dimensional CNN. The results show that the performance of the CNN model was superior to manual assessment. CONCLUSION: Under the companion diagnostics, the three-dimensional CNN with a deep learning algorithm may assist radiologists in the future by providing accurate and timely information for diagnosing pulmonary nodules in regular clinical practices. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The three-dimensional convolutional neural network described in this article demonstrated both high sensitivity and high specificity in classifying pulmonary nodules regardless of diameters as well as superiority compared with manual assessment. Although it still warrants further improvement and validation in larger screening cohorts, its clinical application could definitely facilitate and assist doctors in clinical practice.

Streptacidiphilus monticola sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from soil.

A novel actinobacterium, designated strain NEAU-SW11T, was isolated from soil collected from Binxian, Heilongjiang province, north China. The isolate was found to have chemical and morphological properties of the genus Streptacidiphilus, with the highest sequence similarities to Streptacidiphilus anmyonensis JCM 16223T (98.1 %), Streptacidiphilus jiangxiensis JCM 12277T (97.8 %), Streptacidiphilus melanogenes JCM 16224T (97.6 %) and Streptacidiphilus rugosus JCM 16225T (97.4 %) and it phylogenetically clustered with these four strains. The cell wall contained ll-diaminopimelic acid as the major diamino acid and the whole-cell hydrolysates were rhamnose, ribose, glucose and galactose. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside and two unidentified phospholipids. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H8) and MK-9(H6). The major fatty acids were C16 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0, C14 : 0 and C15 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 71.0 mol%. However, DNA-DNA hybridization, physiological and biochemical data showed that strain NEAU-SW11T could be distinguished from its closest relatives. Therefore, strain NEAU-SW11T represents a novel species of the genus Streptacidiphilus, for which the name Streptacidiphilus monticola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NEAU-SW11T (=CGMCC 4.7427T=DSM 105744T).

Exploring the Molecular Distributions in Dilute Polymer Solutions Using a Multi-Scale Numerical Solver.

Simulating the rheological behaviors of polymer solutions is intrinsically a multi-scale problem. To study the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics in the fluid flow of dilute polymer solutions, we designed a multi-scale solver, which couples the Brownian Configuration Fields with the macroscopic hydrodynamic governing equations. Numerical simulation results using the multi-scale solver exhibited good accordance with the macroscopic only approach. Through a scalar field D we also quantitatively studied the flow behaviours in 2D planar channels, and analyzed the correlation between the molecular distribution and the macroscopic fluid flow in polymer solutions. Our results verified the correctness of the solver, which could provide valuable guidance for multi-scale simulations of complex fluids based on OpenFOAM.

Non-plasmonic metal nanoparticles as visible light photocatalysts for the selective oxidation of aliphatic alcohols with molecular oxygen at near ambient conditions.

Nanoparticles (NPs) of Pd and Pt were used for the selective oxidation of aliphatic alcohols with molecular oxygen as an oxidant at near ambient temperatures under visible light irradiation. Distinct final products were obtained under identical reaction conditions, aliphatic esters formed over the Pd NPs while aldehydes formed over the Pt NPs. The reason for this different product selectivity is proven to be due to the much stronger interaction of Pd NPs with alcohol and aldehyde compared to Pt NPs. The photocatalytic activity is tuneable by light intensity or a moderate change in the reaction temperature.

HSP27 phosphorylation protects against endothelial barrier dysfunction under burn serum challenge.

F-actin rearrangement is an early event in burn-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction. HSP27, a target of p38 MAPK/MK2 pathway, plays an important role in actin dynamics through phosphorylation. The question of whether HSP27 participates in burn-related endothelial barrier dysfunction has not been identified yet. Here, we showed that burn serum induced a temporal appearance of central F-actin stress fibers followed by a formation of irregular dense peripheral F-actin in pulmonary endothelial monolayer, concomitant with a transient increase of HSP27 phosphorylation that conflicted with the persistent activation of p38 MAPK/MK2 unexpectedly. The appearance of F-actin stress fibers and transient increase of HSP27 phosphorylation occurred prior to the burn serum-induced endothelial hyperpermeability. Overexpressing phospho-mimicking HSP27 (HSP27(Asp)) reversed the burn serum-induced peripheral F-actin rearrangement with the augmentation of central F-actin stress fibers, and more importantly, attenuated the burn serum-induced endothelial hyperpermeability; such effects were not observed by HSP27(Ala), a non-phosphorylated mutant of HSP27. HSP27(Asp) overexpression also rendered the monolayer more resistant to barrier disruption caused by Cytochalasin D, a chemical reagent that depolymerizes F-actin specifically. Further study showed that phosphatases and sumoylation-inhibited MK2 activity contributed to the blunting of HSP27 phosphorylation during the burn serum-induced endothelial hyperpermeability. Our study identifies HSP27 phosphorylation as a protective response against burn serum-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction, and suggests that targeting HSP27 wound be a promising therapeutic strategy in ameliorating burn-induced lung edema and shock development.

[Study on the present status of the areas with high iodine concentration in drinking water and edible salt at household levels in Ohio of Yellow River].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the present condition of iodine excess areas and edible salt at household levels in Ohio of Yellow River,which will provide the evidence to control it. METHODS: A cross section in one time was adopted for the epidemiological survey based on the east, west, south, north and central in all of townships from 8 counties. 2 samples of drinking water from each village were tested their water iodine content as well as the data regarding to their recourses and the depth of wells. 5 samples of edible salt were collected from each village for quantitative analysis. RESULTS: We investigated 451 villages in 92 townships of 8 counties. 800 samples of drinking water were tested which values of iodine content were (110.93 +/- 152.26) microg/L in main, 55.83 microg/L (0.84 - 997.82 microg/L) in medium. 102.39 thousand population are at risk for iodine excess and living in 24 townships of 7 counties where iodine concentration is over 150 microg/L in drinking water, with (327.72 +/- 192.19) microg/L in mean value or 253.87 microg/L (150.78 - 997.82 microg/L) in medium. The rate of iodized salt is 97.2%. All the iodine excess areas are located in alluvial plain of Yellow River. The etiology of high iodine in shallow well water may be supposed to be iodine aggregation formed by Yellow River in terms of thousands of flood in thousands of years. But iodine excess in deep well water may be related to rotten, deposit marine living beings rich in iodine millions upon millions years ago. CONCLUSION: There were distinctive features of iodine excess in drinking water from both shallow well and deep well, 24 iodine excess areas in Ohio of Yellow River. It has suggested that iodized salt intervention should be stopped in the areas and starting the health education project, survey of iodized salt in the region.