[Fingerprint analysis and Q-marker prediction of processed liquorice products].

Licorice has long been regarded as one of the most popular herbs, with a very wide clinical application range. Whether being used alone or as an ingredient in prescription, it has an important role which cannot be ignored. However, the efficacy and chemical constituents of licorice will change after honey-processing. Therefore, it is necessary to find quality markers before and after honey-processing to lay the foundation for a comprehensive evaluation of the differences between raw and processed licorice pieces. HPLC-DAD was employed to establish fingerprints of raw and processed licorice. Multivariate statistical analysis methods including principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis(OPLS-DA) were applied to screen out the differential components before and after processing of licorice. Based on network pharmacology, the targets and pathways corresponding to the differential components were analyzed with databases such as Swiss Target Prediction and Metascape, and the "component-target-pathway" diagram was constructed with Cytoscape 3.6.0 software to predict the potential quality markers. A total of 17 common peaks were successfully identified in the established fingerprint, and seven differential components were selected as potential quality markers(licoricesaponin G2, glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritigenin, liquiritin, isoliquiritin, liquiritin apioside and isoliquiritigenin). The HPLC fingerprint method proposed in this study was efficient and feasible. The above seven differential chemical components screened out as potential quality markers of licorice can help to improve and promote the overall quality. These researches offer more sufficient theoretical basis for scientific application of licorice and its corresponding products.

Prognostic significance of Nemo-like kinase expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine protein kinase and belongs to the extracellular signal-regulated kinases/microtubule-associated protein kinase families (Erks/MAPKs). Previous studies have indicated that abnormal expressions of NLK played critical roles in various types of human cancers. Recent studies suggested that NLK expression was significantly upregulated in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens. However, the clinical significance of NLK expression in HCC remains largely unknown. In this study, we focused on the clinical significance of NLK in HCC and found that high expression of NLK was significantly associated with Edmondson-Steiner grade (P = 0.002), tumor size (P = 0.022), and no. of tumor nodules (P < 0.001), and NLK was positively correlated with proliferation marker Ki-67 (P < 0.01). Univariate analysis suggested that NLK expression was associated with poor prognosis (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that NLK expression was an independent prognostic indicator for HCC (P = 0.0370). In conclusion, NLK overexpression is associated with poor overall survival in patients with HCC, it might be an independent poor prognostic marker for HCC.

Expression of FOXJ1 in hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation with patients' prognosis and tumor cell proliferation.

FOXJ1 is a member of the forkhead box (FOX) family of transcription factors. Recent studies suggested that FOXJ1 may function as a tumor suppressor gene in breast cancer. To investigate the potential roles of FOXJ1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), expression of FOXJ1 was first examined in eight paired frozen HCC and adjacent noncancerous liver tissues by Western blot, and we found that FOXJ1 was upregulated in HCC specimens. In addition, immunohistochemistry was performed to confirm our results in 108 HCC samples. Moreover, we also evaluated its relation with clinicopathological variables and the prognostic significance. The data showed that high expression of FOXJ1 was associated with histological grade (P < 0.001), and FOXJ1 was positively correlated with proliferation marker Ki-67 (P < 0.01). Univariate analysis suggested that FOXJ1 expression was associated with poor prognosis (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that tumor grade (P < 0.0001), metastasis (P = 0.0451), tumor size (P = 0.0459), FOXJ1 (P = 0.0011), and Ki-67 (P = 0.0006) were independent prognostic markers for HCC. Furthermore, we noted that there existed the change of the level of FOXJ1 subcellular localization during cell-cycle transition in HepG2 cells by immunofluorescence and cell fractionation. Besides, we employed FOXJ1 overexpression/knockdown approaches to investigate the effects of FOXJ1 on HCC cell proliferation and cell-cycle distribution and found that overexpression of FOXJ1 can promote tumor cell proliferation and cell-cycle transition. Our results suggested that FOXJ1 was overexpressed in HCCs and associated with histological grade and poor prognosis. Overexpression of FOXJ1 was also involved in tumor cell proliferation and cell-cycle progression in HCC cell lines.

An examination of seed germination and seedling growth of Zostera marina for planting-time selection in Rongcheng Bay, Shandong Peninsula, China.

This study firstly quantified the responses of seeds of Zostera marina to different planting times (22 September, 5 October, 23 October, 7 November and 20 November in 2015) through a field seed-planting experiment over a two year period. The suitable seed planting time required by the seeds of Z. marina was evaluated. The seedling establishment rate of Z. marina subjected to different planting times ranged from 7% to 55%, with the higher values attained on the treatments of 22 September and 5 October. New plant patches from seed were fully developed and well maintained on the planting time of 22 September, 5 October and 23 October after 2 years following planting. The shoot density under the three treatments ranged from 62 shoots per replicate to 72 shoots per replicate with an average of 67 shoots per replicate in September 2017. According to the propagation assessment and growth analysis, we found that the planting time from mid-September to mid-October may be the optimal time to plant seeds of Z. marina in our experimental site. Our results demonstrate that seed planting time has an important effect on the effectiveness of eelgrass restoration and provide data that could prove helpful in the development of successful eelgrass restoration.

[The effect of SenQi FuZheng injection on lung cell apoptosis following cardiopulmonary bypass in dogs].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect and possible mechanism of SenQi FuZheng injection on lung cell apoptosis in dogs with ischemia reperfusion (I/R) following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). METHODS: CPB dog models were established. The 12 mongrel dogs were randomly divided into two groups: CPB I/R group (control) and SenQi FuZheng injection group (therapy). The lung tissue samples of 1.0 cm3 from the same lobes of lung were obtained at 10 min before CPB (T1) and 60 (T2), 120 min (T3) after reperfusion. These samples were fixed and then embedded in paraffin imbedding, and cut into thin slices (5 microm). Streptavidin/peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemical method was employed to detect Caspase -3, Bcl-2, and Bax protein expressions. RESULTS: The expressions of Caspase-3 and Bax protein in the tissues with SenQi FuZheng therapy were significantly lower at 60 and 120 min after reperfusion than the controls (P < 0.05). The expression of Bcl-2 protein and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in the tissues with SenQi FuZheng therapy were significantly higher at 60 and 120 min after reperfusion than the controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Administration of SenQi FuZheng injection in CPB dogs can inhibit apoptosis of alveolar cells by reducing the expressions of Caspase-3 and Bax protein and increasing the expression of Bcl-2 protein.

Effects of nitrogen source and N/P on growth and photosynthesis in the invasive marine macroalga Chaetomorpha valida.

The invasive marine macroalga Chaetomorpha valida blooms frequently in Apostichopus japonicus culture ponds in North China, resulting in negative environmental consequences. The factors driving this algal overgrowth are unclear. Previous studies observed that eutrophication strongly influences abnormal growth of nuisance macrophytes, but relatively few studies have addressed the types and abundance of nitrogen in A. japonicus culture ponds during the seasonal progression of a C. valida bloom and the effects of nitrogen source and N/P on C. valida growth and photosynthesis. In this study, we describe the structural features of nitrogen abundance and the seasonal progression of a C. valida bloom and uncover a relationship between nitrogen enrichment and C. valida growth. Common garden experiments demonstrated that C. valida can utilize different forms of nitrogen in the environment for rapid growth. Growth rate and photosynthesis capacity were related to the nitrogen source and N/P ratio. This study will provide a reference for maintenance of ecological balance and healthy aquaculture in A. japonicus culture ponds.

Transition-Metal-Free Highly Chemoselective and Stereoselective Reduction with Se/DMF/H2O System.

A novel metal-free reduction system, in which H2Se (or HSe-) produced in situ from Se/DMF/H2O acts as the active reducing species, has been developed. By using water as an inexpensive, safe, and environmentally friendly surrogate as the hydrogen donor, this new reduction system incorporating Se/DMF/H2O displayed high selectivity and good activity in the reduction of α,ß-unsaturated ketones and alkynes. Therefore, this reduction system has great potential to be a general and practical reduction methodology in organic transformation.

[Effects of inter-row economic crop planting on soil moisture in a rain-fed jujube orchard in loess hilly region, China].

Soil moisture variation in dryland sloping jujube. orchard was investigated after introducing two economic crops, i.e., feed Brassica napus (JR) and Hemerocallis fulva (JH) planted between jujube rows. Jujube tree without inter-row crop was set as control (CK). The results showed that mean soil moisture for JR and JH in the 0-180 cm soil layer increased by 6.2% and 10.1% compared with CK, respectively. Soil moisture changed mainly in the 0-60 cm soil layer in growth stage of Jujube trees. Soil moisture in JR and JH treatments significantly increased in the 0-60 cm soil layer, which could meet the demand in water resource of jujube plantation. The water consumption of jujube trees also mainly concentrated in the 0-60 cm soil layer. There was a significant decay exponential relationship between the soil moisture in the 0-20 cm layer and the drought duration after rainfall. During the 18-day dry period after rain, the soil moisture contents of JR and JH were apparently higher than that of CK. In conclusion, the jujube-crop intercropping system improved the soil moisture condition. It was an effective measure to overcome the seasonal drought in jujube orchards on the loess hilly region.

[Effects of scale-like pit and mulching measures on soil moisture of dryland jujube orchard in North Shaanxi Province, China].

Soil moisture is a key factor affecting jujube growth in the semiarid Northern Shaanxi Province. The impacts of different engineering and mulching measures on soil moisture were investigated via in situ measurements in a typical dryland jujube orchard. The results showed that the mean soil moistures (0-180 cm) of scale-like pit + branch mulching, scale-like scale + straw mulching, and soil moisture of scale-like pit with no mulching were increased by 14.2%, 9.4%, and 4.8% than control, respectively. Different measures, especially for the scale-like pit + branch mulching, significantly increased the soil moisture in the soil surface (0-20 cm) and the main root zone layer (20-100 cm) during the jujube growth stage. Individual precipitation events had great impacts on soil moisture in the 0-100 cm, while its effect on soil moisture in deep layers was not apparent. There was no significant difference among the soil moistures in different soil depths of scale-like pit with no mulching when compared with the control under high, medium, and low soil humidity conditions. This study indicated that using the clipped jujube branches as mulching could both save materials cost and achieve the goal of reserving more water in dryland jujube orchard in north Shaanxi Province.