Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation with task-oriented training improves upper extremity function in patients with subacute stroke: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has emerged as a promising brain stimulation modality in poststroke upper extremity rehabilitation. Although several studies have examined the safety and reliability of taVNS, the mechanisms underlying motor recovery in stroke patients remain unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of taVNS paired with task-oriented training (TOT) on upper extremity function in patients with subacute stroke and explore the potential underlying mechanisms. Methods: In this double-blinded, randomized, controlled pilot trial, 40 patients with subacute stroke were randomly assigned to two groups: the VNS group (VG), receiving taVNS during TOT, and the Sham group (SG), receiving sham taVNS during TOT. The intervention was delivered 5 days per week for 4 weeks. Upper extremity function was measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). Activities of daily living were measured by the modified Barthel Index (MBI). Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were measured to evaluate cortical excitability. Assessments were administered at baseline and post-intervention. Additionally, the immediate effect of taVNS was detected using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) before intervention. Results: The VG showed significant improvements in upper extremity function (FMA-UE, ARAT) and activities of daily living (MBI) compared to the SG at post-intervention. Furthermore, the VG demonstrated a higher rate of elicited ipsilesional MEPs and a shorter latency of MEPs in the contralesional M1. In the VG, improvements in FMA-UE were significantly associated with reduced latency of contralesional MEPs. Additionally, fNIRS revealed increased activation in the contralesional prefrontal cortex and ipsilesional sensorimotor cortex in the VG in contrast to the SG. However, no significant between-group differences were found in HRV. Conclusion: The combination of taVNS with TOT effectively improves upper extremity function in patients with subacute stroke, potentially through modulating the bilateral cortex excitability to facilitate task-specific functional recovery.

[Comparative study on anti-depressant effect of Zhizichi Decoction and its solid fermentation product on CUMS rats].

Chronic unpredicted mild stress(CUMS) combined with isolated feeding was used to induce depressed rat model. The anti-depressant effects of Zhizichi Decoction(ZZCD) and its solid fermented product(ZZC) were analyzed by behavioral test and comparison of pathological tissues of hippocampus and liver, metabolic characteristics of intestinal flora, and relative abundance of species. The results showed that ZZC could increase sucrose preference, shorten the immobility time in the forced swim test and tail suspension test(P<0.05), and repair damaged hippocampus and liver tissues, and the effect was superior to that of ZZCD. The results of Biolog ECO plates showed that the average well color development(AWCD) of intestinal flora in the model group significantly decreased and the metabolic levels of sugar and amino acids were reduced, while the AWCD of the treatment groups increased. The metabolic levels of the two carbon sources were improved in the ZZC group, while only sugar metabolic level was elevated in the ZZCD group. Metagenomic analysis of intestinal flora showed that the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes was 3.87 in the control group, 21.77 in the model group, 5.91 in the ZZC group, and 18.48 in the ZZCD group. Lactobacillus increased by 3.28 times, and Prevotella and Bacteroidetes decreased by 75.59% and 76.39%, respectively in the model group as compared with that in the control group. Lactobacillus decreased by 31.13%, and Prevotella and Bacteroidetes increased by more than three times in the ZZC group as compared with that in the model group, while the corresponding changes in the ZZCD group were not significant. ZZC could improve depression-like beha-viors by regulating the structure of intestinal flora and metabolic functions and repairing damaged hippocampus and liver tissues in depressed rats, showing an anti-depressant effect superior to that of ZZCD. This study is expected to provide a basis for the development of new anti-depressant food products.

Multifunctional Pd/MOFs@MOFs Confined Core-Shell Catalysts with Wrinkled Surface for Selective Catalysis.

Process intensification, targeting the maximization of spatial-temporal productivity utilizing minimum energy and resources has always been the constant trends especially in chemical industry. In this regard, tandem reactions that are able to perform a multi-step reaction in a single pot by eliminating costly separation steps have been viewed as a typical paradigm. However, a spatial isolation of varied active sites with a controlled manner in a single catalyst to avoid deactivation and work synergistically is a challenging problem yet sometimes being overlooked. In this work, a spatial base-metal core-shell structured catalyst with wrinkled surface was successfully fabricated by a direct homoepitaxial growth method in an acid/water system, which exhibited increased hydrophobicity, exposure of active sites and significantly improved product selectivity towards one-pot Knoevenagel condensation-hydrogenation tandem reaction compared with the uncoated catalyst. Meanwhile, the catalytic performance was largely retained and the structural stability was maintained even after successive 8 cycles, which shows great promise for industrial applications.

MicroRNA-383-5p predicts favorable prognosis and inhibits the progression of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

The roles of microRNA (miRNA/miR)-383-5p have been reported in several malignancies, including breast cancer, gastric cancer, ovarian cancer and lung adenocarcinoma. However, its function in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the role of miR-383-5p in DLCBL. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis was performed to detect miR-383-5p expression in 80 paired tissue samples from patients with DLBCL and control subjects, as well as related cancer cell lines. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed, and the prognostic value of miR-383-5p was determined via Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, the association between miR-383-5p expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with DLBCL was investigated. The Cell Counting Kit-8, crystal violet staining and Transwell assays were performed to assess the effects of miR-383-5p on cell proliferation and invasion, respectively. The results demonstrated that miR-383-5p expression was upregulated in human DLBCL tissues and cell lines. In addition, miR-383-5p expression was closely associated with clinical stage and extranodal invasion in patients with DLBCL. Notably, high miR-383-5p expression was able to predict a favorable clinical prognosis in patients with DLBCL. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-383-5p significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of DLBCL cells, the effects of which were reversed following miR-383-5p knockdown. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that miR-383-5p may predict favorable prognosis, and thus may be used as a prognostic biomarker for patients with DLBCL. In addition, miR-383-5p appears to play critical roles in inhibiting the proliferation and invasion of DLBCL cells, and thus may be used as a potential therapeutic target in patients with DLBCL.

[Analysis of chemical constituents of Ginseng-Douchi compound fermentation products based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS].

In this experiment, ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used to analyze and identify chemical constituents of Ginseng-Douchi(GD) compound fermentation, and explore the conversion rules of ginsenosides and soybean isoflavones after compound fermentation. Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 µm) was adopted, with 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution(A)-0.1% formic acid acetonitrile solution(B) as mobile phase for gradient elution; electrospray ion source(ESI) was used to collect data in positive and negative ion modes; according to the exact mass number, the secondary spectrum comparison of the database and the existing literature reports, Peakview 2.0/masterview 1.0 software was used to determine the common ion structure formula. Finally, a total of 133 chemical constituents were analyzed and identified from the GD. Ginseng saponins and isoflavone glycosides were significantly converted after fermentation. Among them, peak areas of prototype ginsenosides Rk_3, Rh_1, Rh_2, Rh_3, daidzin, glycitin and genistin decreased significantly; whereas peak areas of se-condary ginsenoside Rb_1, Rb_2, Rk_1, glycitein, genistein and daidzein increased significantly. In this experiment, liquid-mass spectrometry technique was used to investigate the conversion of active ingredients of GD compound fermented products after co-fermentation, so as to provide a scientific basis for elucidating pharmacodynamics material basis and quality control.

Influencing factors for abnormality of the angle of trunk rotation in primary and secondary school students / 预防医学

Objective@#To explore the influencing factors for the primary and secondary school students with abnormal angle of trunk rotation for the prevention.@*Methods@#The students of Grade Four to Nine in Jiashan County of Zhejiang Province were selected by cluster sampling method. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect social demographic data, diet behaviors, physical activities, reading and writing habits. The angle of trunk rotation was measured by scoliometer. Logistic regression model was used to investigate the influencing factors for abnormal angle of trunk rotation. @*Results@#This study included 2 942 schoolchildren, with 1 582 ( 53.78% ) boys and 1 360 ( 46.23% ) girls. The incidence rate of abnormal angle of trunk rotation was 7.82%. The incidence rate of abnormal angle of trunk rotation in girls was 10.74%, which was higher than 5.31% in boys ( P<0.05 ). Grade ( OR=1.485, 95%CI: 1.058-2.085 ), gender ( OR=2.084, 95%CI: 1.536-2.828 ), frequency of eating fresh vegetables in the past week ( OR=0.749, 95%CI: 0.633-0.887 ) and watching electronic screen in the dark ( OR=1.188, 95%CI: 1.002-1.408 ) were the influencing factors for abnormal angle of trunk rotation in primary and secondary school students. Grade ( OR=2.664, 95%CI: 1.481-4.791 ) and watching electronic screen in the dark ( OR=1.325, 95%CI: 1.030-1.704 ) were influencing factors for abnormal angle of trunk rotation in boys. Frequency of eating fresh vegetables in the past week ( OR=0.714, 95%CI: 0.574-0.887 ) and uncorrected eyesight less than 5.0 ( OR=1.795, 95%CI: 1.164-2.767 ) were influencing factors for abnormal angle of trunk rotation in girls. @*Conclusion@#The abnormal angle of trunk rotation in primary and secondary school students is related to gender, grade, reading and writing behaviors as well as diets; and the influencing factors are different in male and female students.

Long Noncoding RNA SNHG12 Indicates the Prognosis and Accelerates Tumorigenesis of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Through Sponging microR-195.

BACKGROUND: Small nucleolar RNA host gene 12 (SNHG12) expression is associated with multiple cancers, including renal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, colorectal cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, SNHG12 biological function is unclear in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: SNHG12 expression and associated clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated in DLBCL tissues. CCK-8 and transwell assay were used to analyze the in vitro role of SNHG12 in DLBCL progression. The xenograft model was used to explore the in vivo role of SNHG12 in DLBCL growth. The physical interaction between SNHG12 and miR-195 was confirmed using bioinformatics analysis and a dual luciferase assay. RESULTS: SNHG12 expression was upregulated in DLBCL tissues and correlated with patients' prognosis. SNHG12 downregulation inhibited cell growth, migration, and invasion of DLBCL cells in vitro, while its overexpression promoted these cellular processes. Moreover, SNHG12 knockdown repressed tumorigenesis of DLBCL cells in vivo. Further experiments demonstrated that miR-195 is a target of SNHG12 in DLBCL and that their expression negatively correlates in DLBCL. SNHG12 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-195 in DLBCL cells and miR-195 upregulation abolished the effects of SNHG12 on of DLBCL progression. CONCLUSION: SNHG12 predicts poor clinical outcome and serves as a novel oncogene in DLBCL via miR-195 sponging. We also suggest that SNHG12 can be used as a potential therapeutic candidate for DLBCL patients.

Effect of Throat Washings on Detection of 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

The 2019 novel coronavirus was detected in self-collected throat washings. The positive testing rate of throat washing was much higher than that of nasopharyngeal swabs. Throat washing is a promising candidate for 2019-nCoV screening and monitoring due to its noninvasiveness and reliability.

Coexistence of Pure Red Cell Aplasia and Autoimmune Haemolytic Anaemia Associated with Thymoma.

Thymoma is an uncommon neoplasia derived from the epithelial cells of the thymus, which leads to immune dysregulation and is associated with a series of autoimmune diseases. However, the concurrence of these disease entities is rare, and the exact mechanisms of these diseases are still unclear. We have admitted several cases who were diagnosed with thymoma, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, and pure red cell aplasia. These cases were the first to report the concurrence of these three disorders. After thymectomy, anaemia improved, haemolytic cells decreased, and haemoglobin was normalized.

Cordycepin suppresses cell proliferation and migration by targeting CLEC2 in human gastric cancer cells via Akt signaling pathway.

PURPOSE: Gastric cancer is a common malignancy worldwide, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Cordycepin is a 3'-deoxyadenosine drug with significant anti-cancer effects. The aim of this study was to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying cordycepin action on gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration. METHODS: The human gastric cancer cell lines MGC-803 and HGC-27 were treated with different concentrations of cordycepin (25 µM, 50 µM, 100 µM and 5 µM, 25 µM and 50 µM) for 48 h. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT and colony formation assays, and in vitro migration by the wound healing and transwell assays. In addition, Flow Cytometry was used to detect the cell cycle and apoptosis. RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to evaluate the expression levels of key factors. RESULTS: Cordycepin significantly inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration in a dose-dependent manner, in addition to inducing apoptosis and arresting the cell cycle at the G2 phase. Mechanistically, cordycepin targeted the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by significantly altering the expression levels/activation of several key mediators, and upregulated the anti-metastatic factor CLEC2. CONCLUSION: Cordycepin inhibited the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells by upregulating CLEC2 via the Akt signaling pathway.

[Analysis and evaluation of chemically induced artificial agarwood].

In this study,the content of ethanol extraction of agarwood were performed following the method of Chinese Pharmacopoeia(ChP 2015 edition). The chromatographic fingerprints were established by GC-MS. Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）(version 2012) was employed to calculate the similarity of each chromatogram of agarwood. The ratios of sum peak area in the range of 170-270 min and 0-100 min of individual chromatogram were calculated using square peaks to normalization. AMDIS and RI were employed to identify the common and different peaks. Correlation coefficient P(corr) combined with Variable important in projection(VIP) value was employed to screen the different representative components based on OPLS-DA analysis. Grey related degree and TOPSIS were used to evaluate the quality of artificial agarwoods. The results showed that more than 10.0% of the ethanol extract content was found in 15 batches of artificial agarwoods among the total 18. The similarity of 18 batches artificial agarwoods was 0.439-0.779. The peak area ratios of two intervals were in the range of 0.307-13.254. The 9 common components and 8 different components were identified. Meanwhile, 2% salicylic acid is the best inducer based on grey related degree and TOPSIS. Grey related degree and TOPSIS can be used to evaluate the quality of artificial agarwoods rapidly. These results provide a reference data to evaluate the qualityof artificial agarwood.

Mortalin overexpression predicts poor prognosis in early stage of non-small cell lung cancer.

Mortalin is a member of the heat shock protein 70 family, which is involved in multiple cellular processes and may play key roles in promoting carcinogenesis. This study attempted to identify the clinical consequences of Mortalin overexpression and its roles in the prognostic evaluation of non-small cell lung cancer. A total of 120 non-small cell lung cancer samples paired with the adjacent non-tumor tissue samples and 10 normal lung tissues were selected for immunohistochemical staining for Mortalin. The localization of Mortalin was detected in A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells using immunofluorescence staining. The correlations between Mortalin overexpression and the clinical features of non-small cell lung cancers were evaluated using the chi-square test. The survival analysis was calculated via the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazard models. Our studies suggested that Mortalin exhibited a primarily cytoplasmic staining pattern in the non-small cell lung cancers. The rate of strongly positive Mortalin expression was higher in the non-small cell lung cancer samples than in the adjacent non-tumor samples or in normal lung tissues. Mortalin overexpression was significantly correlated with high histological grades, advanced stages, lymph node metastases, and lower disease-free survival and overall survival rates of the patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The survival analysis demonstrated that Mortalin overexpression was a significant independent prognostic factor in non-small cell lung cancer, especially for patients with early stage of non-small cell lung cancer. In conclusion, Mortalin is up-regulated in non-small cell lung cancer, and it may be a potential biomarker of prognostic evaluation and a molecular therapeutic target for patients with early stage of non-small cell lung cancer.

Suppression of HSP27 increases the anti­tumor effects of quercetin in human leukemia U937 cells.

Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, inhibits the growth of leukemia cells and induces apoptosis. Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) has been reported to promote the development of leukemia by protecting tumor cells from apoptosis through various mechanisms. The present study investigated the effects of small hairpin (sh)RNA-mediated HSP27 knockdown on the anti­cancer effects of quercetin in U937 human leukemia cells. Cells were transfected with recombinant lentiviral vector pCMV­G­NR­U6­shHSP27 (shHSP27), which expressed shRNA specifically targeting the HSP27 gene, alone or in combination with quercetin. The results showed that shHSP27 and quercetin synergistically inhibited U937 cell proliferation and induced apoptosis by decreasing the Bcl2-to-Bax ratio. Furthermore, this combined treatment significantly suppressed the infiltration of tumor cells and the expression of angiogenesis­associated proteins HIF1α and VEGF. Compared with shHSP27 or quercetin alone, shHSP27 plus quercetin markedly decreased the protein expression of cyclinD1 and thus blocked the cell cycle at G1 phase. The Notch/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is important in tumor aggressiveness; quercetin plus shHSP27 significantly decreased Notch 1 expression and the phosphorylation levels of the downstream signaling proteins AKT and mTOR. The inhibitory effects of quercetin plus shHSP27 on this pathway may thus have been responsible for the cell cycle arrest, inhibition of proliferations and infiltration as well as enhancement of apoptosis. Therefore, these findings collectively suggested that suppression of HSP27 expression amplified the anti­cancer effects of quercetin in U937 human leukemia cells, and that quercetin in combination with shHSP27 represents a promising therapeutic strategy for human leukemia.

Promotion of mitochondrial energy metabolism during hepatocyte apoptosis in a rat model of acute liver failure.

Hepatocyte apoptosis and energy metabolism in mitochondria have an important role in the mechanism of acute liver failure (ALF). However, data on the association between apoptosis and the energy metabolism of hepatocytes are lacking. The current study assessed the activity of several key enzymes in mitochondria during ALF, including citrate synthase (CS), carnitine palmitoyltransferase­1 (CPT­1) and cytochrome c oxidase (COX), which are involved in hepatocyte energy metabolism. A total of 40 male Sprague­Dawley rats were divided into five groups and administered D­galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide to induce ALF. Hepatic pathology and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase­mediated dUTP nick end labeling examinations indicated that hepatocyte apoptosis was observed at 4 h and increased 8 h after ALF. Hepatocyte necrosis appeared at 12 h and was significantly higher at 24 h with inflammatory cell invasion. The results measured by electron microscopy indicated that ultrastructural changes in mitochondria began at 4 h and the mitochondrial outer membrane was completely disrupted at 24 h resulting in mitochondrial collapse. The expression of CS, CPT­1 and COX was measured and analyzed using assay kits. The activity and protein expression of CS, CPT­1 and COX began to increase at 4 h, reached a peak at 8 h and decreased at 12 h during ALF. The activities of CS, CPT­1 and COX were enhanced during hepatocyte apoptosis suggesting that these enzymes are involved in the initiation and development of ALF. Therefore, these results demonstrated that energy metabolism is important in hepatocyte apoptosis during ALF and hepatocyte apoptosis is an active and energy­consuming procedure. The current study on how hepatocyte energy metabolism affects the transmission of death signals may provide a basis for the early diagnosis and development of an improved therapeutic strategy for ALF.

Enantioselective direct functionalization of indoles by Pd/sulfoxide-phosphine-catalyzed N-allylic alkylation.

A general and efficient Pd/sulfoxide-phosphine complex-catalyzed direct asymmetric N-allylic alkylation of indoles has been developed to allow for the preparation of various N-allylated indoles in generally good yields with excellent enantioselectivities. This catalytic system could also be extended to other N-containing heterocycles with good results.

Clinical, virological and immunological features from patients infected with re-emergent avian-origin human H7N9 influenza disease of varying severity in Guangdong province.

BACKGROUND: The second wave of avian influenza H7N9 virus outbreak in humans spread to the Guangdong province of China by August of 2013 and this virus is now endemic in poultry in this region. METHODS: Five patients with H7N9 virus infection admitted to our hospital during August 2013 to February 2014 were intensively investigated. Viral load in the respiratory tract was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) and cytokine levels were measured by bead-based flow cytometery. RESULTS: Four patients survived and one died. Viral load in different clinical specimens was correlated with cytokine levels in plasma and broncho-alveolar fluid (BALF), therapeutic modalities used and clinical outcome. Intravenous zanamivir appeared to be better than peramivir as salvage therapy in patients who failed to respond to oseltamivir. Higher and more prolonged viral load was found in the sputum or endotracheal aspirates compared to throat swabs. Upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines IP-10, MCP-1, MIG, MIP-1α/ß, IL-1ß and IL-8 was found in the plasma and BALF samples. The levels of cytokines in the plasma and viral load were correlated with disease severity. Reactivation of herpes simplex virus type 1(HSV-1) was found in three out of five patients (60%). CONCLUSION: Expectorated sputum or endotracheal aspirate specimens are preferable to throat swabs for detecting and monitoring H7N9 virus. Severity of the disease was correlated to the viral load in the respiratory tract as well as the extents of cytokinemia. Reactivation of HSV-1 may contribute to clinical outcome.

Quantum cutting in Pr3+-Yb3+ codoped chalcohalide glasses for high-efficiency c-Si solar cells.

Downconversion materials, which can convert one high-energy photon to two low-energy photons, have provided a promising avenue for the enhancement of solar cell efficiency. In this work, the Pr3+-Yb3+ codoped 25GeS2-35Ga2S3-40CsCl chalcohalide glasses were synthesized in a vacuumed silica ampoule by the melting-quenching technique. Under 474 nm excitation, the visible and near-IR emission spectra reveal the energy transfer from Pr3+ to Yb3+ ions, resulting in the intense 1008 nm near-IR emission for the c-Si solar cells. By tuning the excitation laser power, it is determined that one visible photon has been cut into two near-IR photons during the energy transfer process. With the help of an integrated sphere, the real quantum yields of near-IR emissions were calculated. For the 0.2Pr2S3-0.2Yb2S3 (in mol.%) codoped chalcohalide glass, the quantum yield equals 10.8%. Although this efficiency is still low, this result will open a new route to realize the efficient spectral modification of the solar spectrum.

Intermedin in the paraventricular nucleus attenuates cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex in chronic heart failure rats.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Intermedin (IMD) is a member of calcitonin/calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) family together with adrenomedullin (AM) and amylin. It has a wide distribution in the central nervous system (CNS) especially in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) is enhanced in chronic heart failure (CHF) rats. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of IMD in the PVN on CSAR and its related mechanisms in CHF rats. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Rats were subjected to left descending coronary artery ligation to induce CHF or sham-operation (Sham). Renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded. CSAR was evaluated by the RSNA and MAP responses to epicardial application of capsaicin. Acute experiments were carried out 8 weeks after coronary ligation or sham surgery under anesthesia. IMD and angiotensin II (Ang II) levels in the PVN were up-regulated in CHF rats. Bilateral PVN microinjection of IMD caused greater decreases in CSAR and the baseline RSNA and MAP in CHF rats than those in Sham rats. The decrease of CSAR caused by IMD was prevented by pretreatment with AM receptor antagonist AM22-52, but not CGRP receptor antagonist CGRP8-37. Ang II in the PVN significantly enhanced CSAR and superoxide anions level, which was inhibited by PVN pretreatment with IMD or tempol (a superoxide anions scavenger) in Sham and CHF rats. CONCLUSION: IMD in the PVN inhibits CSAR via AM receptor, and attenuates the effects of Ang II on CSAR and superoxide anions level in CHF rats. PVN superoxide anions involve in the effect of IMD on attenuating Ang II-induced CSAR response.

Rational design of sulfoxide-phosphine ligands for Pd-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation reactions.

A new type of chiral sulfoxide-phosphine ligands have been developed by a rational combination of two privileged scaffolds for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions. Under optimized conditions, generally high yields (up to 97%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee) were obtained.