Modulations of ocean-atmosphere interactions on squid abundance over Southwest Atlantic.

Anthropogenic shifts in seas are reshaping fishing trends, with significant implications for aquatic food sources throughout this century. Examining a 21-year abundance dataset of Argentine shortfin squids Illex argentinus paired with a regional oceanic analysis, we noted strong correlations between squid annual abundance and sea surface temperature (SST) in January and February and eddy kinetic energy (EKE) from March to May in the Southwest Atlantic. A deeper analysis revealed combined ocean-atmosphere interactions, pinpointed as the primary mode in a rotated empirical orthogonal function analysis of SST. This pattern produced colder SST and amplified EKE in the surrounding seas, factors crucial for the unique life stages of squids. Future projections from the CMIP6 archive indicated that this ocean-atmosphere pattern, referred to as the Atlantic symmetric pattern, would persist in its cold SST phase, promoting increased squid abundance. However, rising SSTs due to global warming might counteract the abundance gains. Our findings uncover a previously unrecognized link between squids and specific environmental conditions governed by broader ocean-atmosphere interactions in the Southwest Atlantic. Integrating these insights with seasonal and decadal projections can offer invaluable information to stakeholders in squid fisheries and marine conservation under a changing climate.

Grifolin Induces Cell Death of Human Lung Cancer A549 Cell Line via Inhibiting KRAS-Mediated Multiple Signaling Pathways.

In the current work, grifolin was obtained from the twigs and leaves of Daphne genkwa for the first time and displayed significant growth inhibition against human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Subsequent in vitro antitumor evaluation revealed that grifolin could induce remarkable cell apoptosis and G0/G1 phase arrest, as well as block cell migration and invasion. In addition, grifolin also disrupted cellular energy metabolism by inducing reactive oxygen species, reducing adenosine triphosphate and mitochondrial membrane potential, and damaging DNA synthesis. Further RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that treatment of grifolin on A549 cells led to gene enrichment in MAPK, PI3K/Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways, all of which were inhibited by grifolin according to immunoblotting experiments. Further mechanistical studies disclosed that the expression of a key upstream protein KRAS was also blocked, and the cell death triggered by grifolin could be rescued by a RAS activator ML-099. Moreover, pretreatment of ML-099 on A549 cells could reverse the grifolin-induced downregulation of key proteins in the three aforementioned pathways. These findings indicate that grifolin could induce cell death in A549 cell line by inhibiting KRAS-mediated multiple signaling pathways.

Meroterpenoids from Daphne genkwa shows promising in vitro antitumor activity via inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in A549 cells.

Phytochemical investigation into the leaves and branches of Daphne genkwa afforded 25 meroterpenoids (1-16) including nine pairs of enantiomers (1a/1b-8a/8b and 12a/12b), among which 20 compounds have been reported in the present work for the first time. The structures with absolute configurations of the new molecules (excluding 10-13) were established via comprehensive spectroscopic analyses especially electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and Mosher's methods. A preliminary in vitro cell viability assay revealed remarkable cytotoxicities of selective compounds against A549 (lung), Hela (cervical), MDA-MB231 (breast) and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cells, and compound 8a showed the best inhibitory activity with IC50 values in the range of 3.12-4.67 µM toward the four cell lines. Subsequent in vitro antitumor evaluation of 8a disclosed that it could inhibit the proliferation and metastasis, as well as induce significant apoptosis and cycle arrest, of A549 cells. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that 8a could exert its antitumor activity via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Structurally Diverse Sesquiterpenoids with NO Production and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities from the Fruits of Schisandra chinensis.

Chemical fractionation of the AcOEt partition, generated from the EtOH extract of the fruits of Schisandra chinensis, afforded a series of sesquiterpenyl constituents including two new cadinanes, a new eudesmane, two new widdranes (a handling artefact and a new natural product), a new bisabolane and two new natural cuparane enantiomers, along with 15 known structurally related analogs. Structures of the new compounds were unambiguously characterized by interpretation of detailed spectroscopic data including ESI-MS and 1D/2D NMR, with their absolute configurations being established by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation and induced ECD experiment. The inhibitory effects of all the isolates against α-glucosidase and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced nitric oxide (NO) production in murine RAW264.7 macrophages, as well as their antibacterial and cytotoxic potential, were evaluated, with selective compounds showing moderate α-glucosidase and NO inhibitory activity. Notably, canangaterpene III exhibited the most significant NO inhibitory effect with an IC50 value of 31.50±1.49 µM.

Macrophage- and Microglia-Related Chemokines Are Associated with Small Vessel (White Matter) Vascular Dementia: A Case-Control Study.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the role of inflammation in the process of small vessel vascular dementia (VaD). Recently, the notion that small vessel VaD is caused solely by vascular pathology has been challenged by new evidence of concomitant breakdown of the blood-brain barrier and dysregulation of neuroinflammation in the white matter. METHODS: We examined selected inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the plasma from patients with small vessel VaD (n = 41) and from age-matched controls (n = 131) using multiplex bead-based assays. Participants were recruited from a memory disorder clinic and from a hospital or community. RESULTS: When compared to controls, patients with small vessel VaD had a highly significant increase in the plasma interferon-γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) level (p < 0.0001) and a highly significant decrease in plasma macrophage inflammatory protein 1-beta (MIP-1ß) level (p < 0.0001). We also observed a significant increase in patients' levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) (p = 0.022) as well as decreases in interleukin-8 (IL-8) (p = 0.004) and interleukin-7 (IL-7) (p = 0.011) when compared to age-matched controls. CONCLUSION: Both IP-10 and MIP-1ß are macrophage-related chemokines. The significant differences between cases and controls suggest a potential role for macrophages in small vessel VaD neuroinflammation. Although it remains unclear whether there is a causal effect of their alteration for small vessel VaD, a better understanding of these molecules in the pathogenesis of small vessel VaD may lead to improved diagnosis and future treatment outcomes against this disease.

Interoception, somatic symptoms, and somatization tendency in Chinese individuals with subsyndromal depression: A follow-up study.

Interoception refers to the sensation and perception of internal bodily sensations, and may be related to depressive symptoms. Schemata concerning the body vary across different cultures and may influence interoception and symptom presentations of depression. This study explored the relationship between interoception, depressive symptoms, and schema of somatic focus in Chinese people with subsyndromal depression. Thirty-nine individuals with subsyndromal depression (SD) and 40 healthy controls (HCs) were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Participants completed the self-report questionnaires for assessing interoceptive sensibility, somatic and psychological symptoms of depression, and somatization tendency. They also completed the heartbeat perception behavioral task for estimating interoceptive accuracy. The results showed that both the SD and the HC groups showed similar interoceptive accuracy, although the SD group showed heightened interoceptive sensibility. The discrepancy between interoceptive sensibility and interoceptive accuracy is termed the interoceptive trait prediction error (ITPE). The ITPE was positive in SD participants but was negative in HCs. In the entire sample, interoceptive sensibility and the ITPE were correlated with somatic symptoms rather than with psychological symptoms of depression. Interoceptive sensibility partially mediated the relationship between somatization tendency and somatic symptoms, after controlling for psychological symptoms of depression. These results remained stable after 3 months. The shortcomings of the present study were a lack of clinical interview to ascertain diagnosis and a short follow-up duration. In conclusion, our study suggests that altered interoception occurs in subsyndromal depression. Interoception is related to somatic symptoms of depression. The schema of body was related to depressive symptoms, partially through interoception, in Chinese people with subsyndromal depression.

Hiptage yangshuoensis (Malpighiaceae), a new species on karst hills close to Lijiang River, Guangxi, China, based on molecular and morphological data.

Hiptage yangshuoensis K.Tan & K.S.Nguyen, a new species of Hiptage collected from a karst cliff close to the Lijiang River, Northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, is described and illustrated based on molecular and morphological data. Hiptage yangshuoensis shares some morphological similarities with the H. multiflora F.N.Wei, but easily distinguished by its long pedicels with articulate at top, one large calyx gland, oblanceolate middle wing and lanceolate lateral wings of samara, and young branch covered rusty sericeous. The new species status is also supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear ribosome internal transcribed spacer (nrITS), which showed distinct systematic distinctiveness from the most morphologically similar species, H. multiflora.

Lathyrane diterpenoids with multidrug resistance reversal activity from the tubers of Euphorbia antiquorum.

Nine previously unreported lathyrane diterpenoids named euphorantesters A-I, along with 16 known analogues, have been separated from the tubers of Euphorbia antiquorum. Their structures were established by means of spectroscopic analyses, time-dependent density functional theory based electronic circular dichroism calculation and single crystal X-ray crystallography. Their reversal ability against P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) in MCF-7/ADR cell line was then evaluated, and 15 ones exhibited moderate MDR reversal activity with reversal fold falling in the range of 1.12-13.15. The most active euphorantester B could effectively increase the sensitivity of MCF-7/ADR cell to adriamycin comparably to the reference drug verapamil.

Bioactive monoterpenoids and acetophenones from the aerial parts of Eupatorium fortunei.

Thirty-nine thymol and acetophenone derivatives, including eight pairs of enantiomers, were isolated from the aerial parts of Eupatorium fortunei. Their structures were assigned by detailed analyses of spectroscopic data and NMR calculations based on density functional theory, with 18 ones (1a/1b-14) being previously undescribed compounds. While the absolute configurations of 1a/1b, 2a/2b, 4, 6a/6b, 7, 11a/11b and 15a/15b-18a/18b were established by calculations of electronic circular dichroism data, that of 14 was determined by modified Mosher's method. Compounds 1a/1b and 2a/2b represent a previously unreported type of monoterpenoid dimers via an amide linkage, and compound 3 is a monoterpene-phenylpropanoid hybrid connected through an ester bond. Among the known molecules, the formerly mis-assigned structures of 15a/15b and 22 were revised, and pure natural enantiomers of 16a/16b-18a/18b were reported for the first time. Selective compounds showed antiradical and NO production inhibitory activities in the preliminary biological screening. Compound 31 was further demonstrated to alleviate oxidative stress by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Factor structure of the CES-D and measurement invariance across gender in Mainland Chinese adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The primary aim was to examine the depressive symptom structure of Mainland China adolescents using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). DESIGN: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were simultaneously conducted to determine the structure of the CES-D in a large scale, representative adolescent samples recruited from Mainland China. Multigroup CFA (N = 5059, 48% boys, mean = 16.55±1.06) was utilized to test the factorial invariance of the depressive symptom structure, which was generated by EFA and confirmed by CFA across gender. RESULTS: The CES-D can be interpreted in terms of 3 symptom dimensions. Additionally, factorial invariance of the new proposed model across gender was supported at all assuming different degrees of invariance. CONCLUSION: Mainland Chinese adolescents have specific depressive symptom structure, which is consistent across gender.

An integrative approach to species delimitation sinks three Chinese limestone karst Elatostema (Urticaceae) species.

Elatostema is recognized as a taxonomically difficult group due to the reduced nature of the tiny flowers and inflorescences, also the large number of species (ca 650 to 700). Different opinions on morphological species delimitation have resulted in instability, which is problematic in such a speciose group. In this paper, the taxonomic status of three putative species, E.robustipes, E.scaposum, E.conduplicatum and their hypothetical closest relatives, was revised using morphological and molecular observations. Morphological comparison suggested high similarity between E.robustipes & E.retrohirtum, E.scaposum & E.oblongifolium, E.conduplicatum & E.coriaceifolium, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of four universal DNA barcodes (ITS, trnH-psbA, matK and rbcL) suggested that each species pair represents a single evolutionary lineage. Taking these two findings together, we propose E.robustipes to be a synonym of E.retrohirtum, E.scaposum a synonym of E.oblongifolium, and E.conduplicatum a synonym of E.coriaceifolium. Our results recover the number, shape and size of the bracts and bracteoles to be relatively stable characters, and the disposition of the male inflorescences on modified stems to be an unstable character, unsuitable for species delimitation in Elatostema.

Staurantherafloribunda, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Yunnan, China.

Staurantherafloribunda F.Su, C.Y.Hao & K.Tan, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated here. It is morphologically similar to S.grandifolia Benth. in the shape of corolla, stigma, leaves and the number of stamens. However, it can be readily distinguished from the compared species by its dense cymes, leaf indumentum, lack of a corolla spur, calyx colour and stamen shape. The description of the new species, photographs, detailed descriptions, notes on etymology, distribution and habitat, as well as comparisons with morphologically similar species, are provided.

Identification of Small-Molecule Bioactive Constituents from the Leaves of Vaccinium bracteatum Confirms It as a Potential Functional Food with Health Benefits.

The health benefits of Vaccinium bracteatum are well recorded in ancient Chinese medical books and were also demonstrated by modern researches. However, the relationship between its beneficial functions and specific chemical constituents has not been fully characterized. This study investigated the bioactive small-molecule constituents in the leaves of V. bracteatum, which afforded 32 compounds including ten new ones (1-9) and ten pairs of enantiomers (9-18). Their structures with absolute configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, especially nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analyses, with 1-4 bearing a novel revolving-door shaped scaffold. While half-compounds exhibited decent antioxidant activity by scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, all except 19 and 20 exerted significant capturing activity against diammonium 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) radicals. In addition, the new iridoids 1, 5, 6, and 7 exerted apparent neuroprotective activity toward PC12 cells, with 1 being comparable to the positive control, and selective compounds also displayed anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting α-glucosidase and NO production, respectively. The current work revealed that the bioactive small-molecule constituents could be closely related to the functional food property of the title species.

Modeling of the Chinese Dating App Use Motivation Scale According to Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory.

Dating apps are popular worldwide among young adults, and the Tinder use motivation scale is widely used to measure the primary motives for dating app use. In light of the increasing prevalence of dating apps among young Chinese adults, this study applied both item response theory and traditional classical test theory to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the dating app use motivation scale that is applicable across different dating apps. In total, 1046 current or former dating app users (age range: 18-30, M = 26.20, SD = 4.26, 52.30% girls) completed the online survey. From the original item pool, this study selected 25 items according to item response theory analysis, retracted six factors based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and conducted confirmatory factor analysis for further validation. The motivations were seeking a relationship, self-worth validation, the thrill of excitement, ease of communication, emotion-focused coping, and fun. The first four motivations were consistent with the original scale, and two new motivations were found in the present sample. All six motivations were validated among the Chinese sample. Not consistent with the Tinder use motivation scale, casual sex was not identified as a primary motivation among young Chinese adults. One related measure was used to obtain convergent validity. The discussion focused on the cultural and methodological factors that may explain the differences between the original scale and the Chinese version of the scale.

Clerodane furanoditerpenoids from the stems of Tinospora sinensis.

One new clerodane-type furanoditerpenoid tinosinoid A (1) and nine new nor-clerodane analogs tinosinoids B-J (2-10) have been isolated from the stems of Tinospora sinensis. The structures of the new compounds with absolute configurations have been elucidated by spectroscopic means, including MS, NMR and ECD techniques, as well as chemical correlation. Compound 1 is a rare sulfur-containing clerodane diterpenoid incorporating a 2-mercaptoethanol unit via a thioether bond, while compounds 4/5 and 9 represent two pairs of unusual equilibrium regioisomers through an interesting intramolecular transesterification. Our bioassays established that 1 and 8 displayed moderate antiproliferative effects against two human tumor cell lines, and 9 and 10 showed significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. A kinetics study revealed that compound 10 was a noncompetitive α-glucosidase inhibitor, and its possible binding mode to the enzyme was further probed by molecular docking experiments.

Plasma biomarkers inclusive of α-synuclein/amyloid-beta40 ratio strongly correlate with Mini-Mental State Examination score in Parkinson's disease and predict cognitive impairment.

Plasma biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD) diagnosis that carry predictive value for cognitive impairment are valuable. We explored the relationship of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score with plasma biomarkers in PD patients and compared results to vascular dementia (VaD) and normal controls. The predictive accuracy of an individual biomarker on cognitive impairment was evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), and multivariate logistic regression was applied to evaluate predictive accuracy of biomarkers on cognitive impairment; 178 subjects (41 PD, 31 VaD and 106 normal controls) were included. In multiple linear regression analysis of PD patients, α-synuclein, anti-α-synuclein, α-synuclein/Aß40 and anti-α-synuclein/Aß40 were highly predictive of MMSE score in both full model and parsimonious model (R2 = 0.838 and 0.835, respectively) compared to non-significant results in VaD group (R2 = 0.149) and in normal controls (R2 = 0.056). Α-synuclein and anti-α-synuclein/Aß40 were positively associated with MMSE score, and anti-α-synuclein, α-synuclein/Aß40 were negatively associated with the MMSE score among PD patients (all Ps < 0.005). In the AUROC analysis, anti-α-synuclein (AUROC = 0.788) and anti-α-synuclein/Aß40 (AUROC = 0.749) were significant individual predictors of cognitive impairment. In multivariate logistic regression, full model of combined biomarkers showed high accuracy in predicting cognitive impairment (AUROC = 0.890; 95%CI 0.796-0.984) for PD versus controls, as was parsimonious model (AUROC = 0.866; 95%CI 0.764-0.968). In conclusion, simple combination of biomarkers inclusive of α-synuclein/Aß40 strongly correlates with MMSE score in PD patients versus controls and is highly predictive of cognitive impairment.

Strong Predictive Algorithm of Pathogenesis-Based Biomarkers Improves Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis.

Easily accessible and accurate biomarkers can aid Parkinson's disease diagnosis. We investigated whether combining plasma levels of α-synuclein, anti-α-synuclein, and/or their ratios to amyloid beta-40 correlated with clinical diagnosis. The inclusion of amyloid beta-40 (Aß40) is novel. Plasma levels of biomarkers were quantified with ELISA. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, levels of α-synuclein, anti-α-synuclein, and their ratios with Aß40 were analyzed in an initial training set of cases and controls. Promising biomarkers were then used to build a diagnostic algorithm. Verification of the results of biomarkers and the algorithm was performed in an independent set. The training set consisted of 50 cases (age 65.2±9.3, range 44-83, female:male=21:29) with 50 age- and gender-matched controls (67.1±10.0, range 45-96 years; female:male=21:29). ROC curve analysis yielded the following area under the curve results: anti-α-synuclein=0.835, α-synuclein=0.738, anti-α-synuclein/Aß40=0.737, and α-synuclein/Aß40=0.663. A 2-step diagnostic algorithm was built: either α-synuclein or anti-α-synuclein was ≥2 times the means of controls (step-1), resulting in 74% sensitivity; and adding α-synuclein/Aß40 or anti-α-synuclein/Aß40 (step-2) yielded better sensitivity (82%) while using step-2 alone yielded good specificity in controls (98%). The results were verified in an independent sample of 46 cases and 126 controls, with sensitivity reaching 91.3% and specificity 90.5%. The algorithm was equally sensitive in Parkinson's disease of ≤5-year duration with 92.6% correctly identified in the training set and 90% in the verification set. With two independent samples totaling 272 subjects, our study showed that combination of biomarkers of α-synuclein, anti-α-synuclein, and their ratios to Aß40 showed promising sensitivity and specificity.

Controlled synthesis of monodisperse sub-100 nm hollow SnO2 nanospheres: a template- and surfactant-free solution-phase route, the growth mechanism, optical properties, and application as a photocatalyst.

Controlled synthesis of low-dimensional materials, such as nanoparticles, nanorods, and hollow nanospheres, is vitally important for achieving desired properties and fabricating functional devices. We report a systematic investigation of the growth of low-dimensional sub-100 nm SnO(2) hollow nanostructures by a mild template- and surfactant-free hydrothermal route, aiming to achieve precise control of morphology and size. The starting materials are potassium stannate and urea in an ethylene glycol (EG)/H(2)O system. We found the size of the SnO(2) hollow nanospheres can be controlled by simply adjusting the urea concentration. Investigation of the mechanism of formation of the SnO(2) hollow nanospheres revealed that reaction time, urea concentration, and reaction temperature make significant contributions to the growth of hollow nanospheres. On switching the solvent from EG/H(2)O to H(2)O or ethanol, the SnO(2) nanostructures changed from nanospheres to ultrafine nanorods and nanoparticles. On the basis of reaction parameter dependent experiments, oriented self-assembly and subsequent evacuation through Ostwald ripening are proposed to explain the formation of hollow nanostructures. Their size-dependent optical properties, including UV/Vis absorption spectra and room-temperature fluorescence spectra, were also studied. Moreover, the studies on the photocatalytic property demonstrate that the fabricated hollow structures have slightly enhanced photocatalytic degradation activity for rhodamine B when exposed to mercury light irradiation compared to solid SnO(2) nanospheres under the same conditions. The synthesized tin oxide nanoparticles display high photocatalytic efficiency and have potential applications for cleaning polluted water in the textile industry.

Short Forms of the Cross-Cultural (Chinese) Personality Assessment Inventory: Reliability, Validity, and Measurement Invariance Across Gender.

Filling out long questionnaires can be frustrating, unpleasant, and discouraging for respondents to continue. This is why shorter forms of long instruments are preferred, especially when they have comparable reliability and validity. In present study, two short forms of the Cross-cultural (Chinese) Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI-2) were developed and validated. The items of the short forms were all selected from the 28 personality scales of the CPAI-2 based on the norm sample. Based on some priori criteria, we obtained the appropriate items and constructed the 56-item Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI) and the 28-item CPAI. Then, we examined the factor structure of both short forms with Exploratory SEM (ESEM) and replicated the four-factor structure of the original CPAI-2, reflecting the four personality domains of Chinese people, namely, Social Potency, Dependability, Accommodation, and Interpersonal Relatedness. Further analyses with ESEM models demonstrate full measurement invariance across gender for both short forms. The results show that females score lower than males on Social Potency. In addition, these four factors of both short forms have adequate internal consistency, and the correlation patterns of the four factors, the big five personality traits, and several health-related variables are extremely similar across the two short forms, reflecting adequate and comparable criterion validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Overall, the short versions of CPAI-2 are psychometrically acceptable and have practically implications for measuring Chinese personality and cross-cultural research.

Schipropins A-J, structurally diverse triterpenoids from Schisandra propinqua.

Schipropins A-J, a series of undescribed lanostane and cycloartane-type triterpenoids, were isolated from the stems and leaves of Schisandra propinqua. Their structures, most of which were characterized by C-3/C-4 cleavage, were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses. Noteworthily, the absolute configurations of schipropins A, D-G, and I were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, schipropins E and G were found to possess moderate NO production inhibitory activity.