Green synthesis and structure characterization of resveratrol conjugated linoleate.

To improve the stability and broaden the application of resveratrol (Res), the Res conjugated linoleate (RCL) were synthesized successfully using Res and 9c,11t-conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) with N, N'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) as catalyst for the first time. The Res conversion and the yield of RCL were achieved at 96.85% and 65.30%, respectively. In comparison with Res, RCL has lower acid value (1.80 mg/g) and peroxide value (3.25 meq/kg) and higher thermal stability (improved by 115.3 ℃). RCL was identified as a novel triester compound with a physical appearance as a light-yellow viscous oil. The 9c,11t-CLA was activated by CDI first, reacted with Res to form 4'-Res-ester preferentially, followed by 5,4'-Res-ester and 3,5,4'-Res-ester. The transition-state quaternary ring structures of monoesters were the key structures determining the formation of RCL. This study provided an efficient and eco-friendly approach for the synthesis of RCL, promoting the development of the synthesis of Res long-chain fatty acid ester.

Identification of Competing Endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) Network Associated with Drought Tolerance in Medicago truncatula with Rhizobium Symbiosis.

Drought, bringing the risks of agricultural production losses, is becoming a globally environmental stress. Previous results suggested that legumes with nodules exhibited superior drought tolerance compared with the non-nodule group. To investigate the molecular mechanism of rhizobium symbiosis impacting drought tolerance, transcriptome and sRNAome sequencing were performed to identify the potential mRNA-miRNA-ncRNA dynamic network. Our results revealed that seedlings with active nodules exhibited enhanced drought tolerance by reserving energy, synthesizing N-glycans, and medicating systemic acquired resistance due to the early effects of symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) triggered in contrast to the drought susceptible with inactive nodules. The improved drought tolerance might be involved in the decreased expression levels of miRNA such as mtr_miR169l-5p, mtr_miR398b, and mtr_miR398c and its target genes in seedlings with active nodules. Based on the negative expression pattern between miRNA and its target genes, we constructed an mRNA-miR169l-ncRNA ceRNA network. During severe drought stress, the lncRNA alternative splicings TCONS_00049507 and TCONS_00049510 competitively interacted with mtr_miR169l-5p, which upregulated the expression of NUCLEAR FACTOR-Y (NF-Y) transcription factor subfamily NF-YA genes MtNF-YA2 and MtNF-YA3 to regulate their downstream drought-response genes. Our results emphasized the importance of SNF plants affecting drought tolerance. In conclusion, our work provides insight into ceRNA involvement in rhizobium symbiosis contributing to drought tolerance and provides molecular evidence for future study.

Discovery and pharmacodynamic evaluation of the novel butene lactone derivative M355 against influenza A virus in vitro and in vivo.

A new series of butene lactone derivatives were designed according to an influenza neuraminidase target and their antiviral activities against H1N1 infection of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells were evaluated. Among them, a compound that was given the name M355 was identified as the most potent against H1N1 (EC50 = 14.7 µM) with low toxicity (CC50 = 538.13 µM). It also visibly reduced the virus-induced cytopathic effect. Time-of-addition analysis indicated that H1N1 was mostly suppressed by M355 at the late stage of its infectious cycle. M355 inhibited neuraminidase in a dose-dependent fashion to a similar extent as oseltamivir, which was also indicated by a computer modeling experiment. In a mouse model, lung lesions and virus load were reduced and the expression of nucleoprotein was moderated by M355. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that the levels of interferon-γ, interferon regulatory factor-3, Toll-like receptor-3, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and IL-8 were downregulated in the M355-treated groups, whereas the levels of IL-10 and IL-13 were upregulated. Similarly, IgG was found to be increased in infected mice plasma. These results demonstrate that M355 inhibit the expression of H1N1 in both cellular and animal models. Thus, M355 has the potential to be effective in the treatment of influenza A virus infection.

Comparative study on electrocardiograms and serological examinations of acute pulmonary embolism and acute non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the value of electrocardiograms (ECGs) and serological examinations in the differential diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (APE) and acute non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in order to reduce the rate of clinical misdiagnosis. METHODS: The clinical data of 37 patients with APE and 103 patients with NSTEMI admitted to our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The differences in the clinical manifestations, ECGs, myocardial zymograms, D-dimers, and troponin (cTn) of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: In the patients with APE, the main symptom-found in 25 cases (67.56%)-was dyspnea, while in the patients with NSTEMI, the main symptom-found in 52 cases (50.49%)-was chest tightness. The incidences of sinus tachycardia and SI QIII TIII in the group of patients with APE were higher than in the group of patients with NSTEMI, and the difference was statistically significant (p < .05). There was no statistical significance in the difference of aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the two groups (p > .05), although there was a statistically significant difference of creatine kinase (CK) and the creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB) in the two groups (p < .05). The levels of D-dimers and cTn were increased in both groups, but the level of D-dimers in the group of patients with APE was higher than that in the group of patients with NSTEMI. CONCLUSION: With the occurrence of clinical manifestations like dyspnea, chest tightness, chest pain, and palpitation of unknown causes, the possibility of APE and NSTEMI should be considered.

A Coherence Improvement Method Based on Sub-Aperture InSAR for Human Activity Detection.

Human activity detection plays an important role in social security monitoring. Since human activity is very weak, it is necessary to employ the repeat-pass Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique to detect the potential activity between two data acquisitions; a high level of coherence is required for detection. With the object of detecting human activity of interest, this paper presents a coherence improvement approach based on sub-aperture InSAR for human activity detection. Different sub-apertures contain different scattering information of the target, as they represent the backscatter of the target from a different range of angles. Integrating corresponding sub-aperture interferometric results can improve the coherence between two complex images compared to the entire synthetic aperture, as well as removing a little disturbance in some circumstances. To validate the method presented in this paper, the actual airborne Ka-band frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) InSAR data acquired by the Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS) are utilized. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively improve the coherence between two complex SAR images and can validly detect human activity of interest.

Coherent Markov Random Field-Based Unreliable DSM Areas Segmentation and Hierarchical Adaptive Surface Fitting for InSAR DEM Reconstruction.

A digital elevation model (DEM) can be obtained by removing ground objects, such as buildings, in a digital surface model (DSM) generated by the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) system. However, the imaging mechanism will cause unreliable DSM areas such as layover and shadow in the building areas, which seriously affect the elevation accuracy of the DEM generated from the DSM. Driven by above problem, this paper proposed a novel DEM reconstruction method. Coherent Markov random field (CMRF) was first used to segment unreliable DSM areas. With the help of coherence coefficients and residue information provided by the InSAR system, CMRF has shown better segmentation results than traditional traditional Markov random field (MRF) which only use fixed parameters to determine the neighborhood energy. Based on segmentation results, the hierarchical adaptive surface fitting (with gradually changing the grid size and adaptive threshold) was set up to locate the non-ground points. The adaptive surface fitting was superior to the surface fitting-based method with fixed grid size and threshold of height differences. Finally, interpolation based on an inverse distance weighted (IDW) algorithm combining coherence coefficient was performed to reconstruct a DEM. The airborne InSAR data from the Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences has been researched, and the experimental results show that our method can filter out buildings and identify natural terrain effectively while retaining most of the terrain features.

Screening and pharmacodynamic evaluation of the anti-respiratory syncytial virus activity of butene lactones in vitro and in vivo.

A series of butene lactones were synthesized and these compounds were tested for anti-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity in vitro. Three compounds exhibited an antiviral effect, the highest of which was compound 6b3 with an effective concentration 50% of 6.35 µM. The effects of 6b3 were then evaluated in vivo and a significant reduction in the lung index caused by RSV was detected. Reduced inflammatory infiltration and necrosis of the lungs were revealed by histopathology and gross pathology. Activation of an early immune response by 6b3 was also observed by cytokine analysis via a real-time polymerase chain reaction. These results indicated that 6b3 has an anti-RSV effect both in vitro and in vivo, and is a possible candidate compound for the development of an anti-RSV drug in the future.

Discovery and SAR Research for Antivirus Activity of Novel Butenolide on Influenza A Virus H1N1 In Vitro and In Vivo.

Influenza viruses (IV) cause substantial morbidity and mortality through routine seasonal spread and epidemics. A novel series of butenolides were discovered to be able to inhibit influenza H1N1 activity in vitro, and the SAR for anti-influenza activity was investigated. By optimization of the hit compound, compound 37 was obtained with an EC50 of 6.7 µM against influenza A virus H1N1 as an inhibitor of NA and with low cytotoxicity on MDCK cells. Also, it can inhibit the expression of the influenza A virus gene in the lung of SPF KM mice to show antivirus activity in vivo. These results suggested that compound 37 could inhibit the influenza A virus H1N1 via targeting NA.

Design, synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of 5,8-dihydropteridine-6,7-diones that induce apoptosis and suppress cell migration.

Pteridines are an important class of fused heterocycles found in natural products and drug molecules, and have shown diverse biological activities. A focused library of 5,8-dihydropteridine-6,7-dione derivatives were designed and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against MGC-803, SGC-7901, A549 and PC-3 cancer cell lines. The SARs studies highlighted the importance of the piperazine substituted 5,8-dihydropteridine-6,7-dione frameworks for the activity and revealed essential structural elements. Among these compounds, compound 5n displayed the most potent and broad-spectrum antiproliferative inhibition against the tested cell lines and was sensitive to MGC-803 cell line, slightly more potent than 5-FU. Preliminary mechanistic studies showed that compound 5n could inhibit the colony formation and migration of MGC-803 cells. Besides, flow cytometry analysis showed that compound 5n concentration-dependently induced apoptosis of MGC-803 cells. Our studies suggest that the piperazine substituted 5,8-dihydropteridine-6,7-dione frameworks may be regarded as new chemotypes for designing effective antitumor agents targeting gastric cancer cells.

Non-centrosymmetric Selenides AZn4 In5 Se12 (A=Rb, Cs): Synthesis, Characterization and Nonlinear Optical Properties.

Two new non-centrosymmetric polar quaternary selenides, namely, RbZn4 In5 Se12 and CsZn4 In5 Se12 , have been synthesized and structurally characterized. They exhibit a 3D diamond-like framework (DLF) consisting of corner-shared MSe4 (M=Zn/In) tetrahedra, in which the A+ ions are located. Both compounds are thermally stable up to 1300 K and exhibit large transmittance in the infrared region (0.65-25 µm) with measured optical band gaps of 2.06 eV for RbZn4 In5 Se12 and 2.11 eV for CsZn4 In5 Se12 . Inspiringly, they exhibit a good balance between strong second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency (3.9 and 3.5×AgGaS2 ) and high laser-induced damage thresholds (13.0×AgGaS2 ). Theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) methods confirm that such strong SHG responses originate from the 3D DLF structure.

Effect of semisynthetic extracellular matrix-like hydrogel containing hepatocyte growth factor on repair of femoral neck defect in rabbits.

Using tissue engineering technology research to develop organized artificial bone, then repair bone defect. This work aims to investigate the role of semisynthetic extracellular matrix-like hydrogel (sECMH) containing hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on repair of femoral neck defect in rabbits. 18 New Zealand rabbits were used in this study. According to autologous paired comparison method, the left and right sides of rabbit were used as control and experimental side, respectively. The models of bilateral femoral neck bone defect were established. In experimental side, sECMH containing HGF was implanted in the defect area. In control side, no material was implanted in the defect area. At the 2nd, 4th and 8th week after surgery, the gross observation, histological examination and molybdenum target (Mo-target) X-ray examination were performed on the specimens to study the repair of femoral neck defect. In gross observation, there was no macroscopic difference of femoral neck specimen between the 2nd and 4th postoperative week. At the 8th week, the defect orifice was closed with immature cortical bone, with unblocked marrow cavity. HE staining results showed that, at the 4th week, there were more new vessels in defect area of experimental side, compared with control side. At the 8th week, in experimental side there was immature cortical bone connecting the fracture end in defect area, with visible bone marrow cells. Mo-target X-ray examination found that, at the 8th week, the bone tissue repair in experimental side was better than control side. As a new drug delivery system, sECMH containing HGF has good application prospect in bone tissue repair.

Analysis of factors affecting the prognosis of neonatal cholestasis.

This study aims to analyse the risk factors affecting prognosis of cholestasis in newborns. A four-year prospective cohort study was carried out. Neonates with cholestasis were enrolled. The diagnosis of neonatal cholestasis was based on jaundice in the newborn period, direct bilirubin > 2 mg/dl, discoloured stool and elevated liver enzymes. Liver function tests were consecutively monitored weekly during the first month and then monthly until the disease was under control. All cases received oral ursodeoxycholic acid and internal medicine comprehensive treatment. No invalid case was recorded. According to the efficacy of the treatment, all cases were divided into two groups: cure group (group A; n = 69) and improved group (group B; n = 5). The clinical data of the two groups were compared. Selected patient factors were analysed to determine the risk factors affecting the prognosis of cholestasis in newborns. The serum total bilirubin and direct bilirubin levels in group B were significantly higher than those in group A (P < 0.05). A strong linear correlation was detected between the level of direct bilirubin (or total bile acid) and the duration of the disease (r > 0.5, P < 0.05). The curative effects on neonatal cholestasis and bacterial infection, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, venous nutrition (> 7 d) and preterm birth were closely related. The above factors were also independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of neonatal cholestasis. The direct bilirubin or total bile acid level was closely related to the duration of neonatal cholestasis. Bacterial infection, CMV infection, venous nutrition (> 7 d) and preterm birth were significant risk factors affecting the prognosis of neonatal cholestasis.

Recent patents on biosafety strategies of selectable marker genes in genetically modified crops.

Genetically modified crops (GMCs) have been planted world wide since 1990s, but the potential insecurity of selectable marker genes raises the questions about GMC safety. Therefore, several researches have been conducted on marker gene safety issues and recently several patents have been issued on this subject. There are two main approaches to achieve this goal: seeking the biosafety selectable marker and eliminating these insecure marker genes after transformation. Results show that these two systems are quite effective. Recent patents on the two ways are discussed in this review.

[Expression and activity determination of recombinant capsid protein VP2 gene of enterovirus type 71].

OBJECTIVE: To clone and express the recombinant capsid protein VP2 of enterovirus type 71 (EV71) and to identify the immune activity of expressed protein in order to build a basis for the investigation work of vaccine and diagnostic antigen. METHODS: VP2 gene of EV71 was amplified by PCR, and then was cut by restriction enzyme and inserted into expression vector pMAL-c2X. The positive recombinants were transferred into E.coli TB1, the genetically engineered bacteria including pMAL-c2X-VP2 plasmids were induced by isopropyl thiogalactoside ( IPTG) , and the expression products were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and western blotting method. EV71 IgM antibody detection method by ELISA was set up, and the sensitivity and specificity of this method was assessed; 60 neutralizing antibody positive serum samples from hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) patients were determined, of which 52 samples were positive and 8 samples were negative; a total of 88 acute phase serum samples of HFMD patients diagnosed in clinical were also detected. RESULTS: VP2 gene of 762 bp was obtained by PCR, the gene segment inserted into the recombinant vector was identified using restriction enzyme digestion. The recombinant vector could express a specific about 71 500 fusion protein in E.coli by SDS-PAGE. The purified recombinant protein of EV71-VP2 can react with the serum of HFMD patients to produce a specific band by western blotting. The sensitivity and specificity of ELISA was 87% and 83%, respectively. Of the 88 acute phase serum samples from children with HFMD, 48 samples (55%) were positive by the ELISA assay. CONCLUSIONS: VP2 gene of EV71 has been cloned and a prokaryotic high expression system for VP2 gene was successfully constructed in the present study. The recombination EV71-VP2 has well antigenicity, which could be useful for developing diagnose reagent or vaccine of EV71.

Epidemiological and etiological characteristics of fever, thrombocytopenia and leukopenia syndrome in Henan Province, China, 2011-2012.

The Fever, Thrombocytopenia and Leukopenia Syndrome (FTLS) is caused by a bunyavirus known as the FTLS virus (FTLSV), which was recently discovered in China. We examined the epidemiological and etiological features of 637 laboratory-confirmed cases of FTLS with onset from January 2011 to December 2012 in Henan Province, China. The highest incidence of FTLS occurred between May and August: 76.5% of all laboratory-confirmed cases occurred during those four months. Of the laboratory-confirmed cases, 60.9% were in the 46-69 years old age groups; 96.1% (612/637) occurred in farmers; 98.1% (625/637) were reported from Xinyang Prefecture. During the same time period, 2047 cases were reported in China. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of FTLSV strains identified during 2011-2012 in Henan Province were ≥ 96% identical. This findings provides insight for developing public-health interventions for the control and prevention of FTLS in epidemic area.

Detection of new bunyavirus RNA by reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a newly emerging and epidemic infectious disease in central and northeast China. It is caused by New Bunyavirus and carries an average 12% case fatality rate. Early and rapid detection is critical for prevention and control of New Bunyavirus infection, since no vaccine or antiviral drugs are currently available, and prevention requires careful attention to control of the suspected tick vector. In this study, a simple and sensitive reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for rapid detection of New Bunyavirus. The detection limit of the RT-LAMP assay was approximately 10(3) 50% tissue culture infective doses/ml of New Bunyavirus in culture supernatants, and no cross-reactive amplification of other viruses known to cause similar clinical manifestations was observed. The assay was further evaluated using 138 specimens from clinically suspected SFTS and 40 laboratory-proven hantavirus infection with fever and renal syndrome patients, and the assay exhibited 97% agreement compared to real-time RT-PCR and conventional RT-PCR. Using real-time RT-PCR as the diagnostic gold standard, RT-LAMP was 99% sensitive and 100% specific. The RT-LAMP assay could become a useful alternative in clinical diagnosis of SFTS caused by New Bunyavirus, especially in resource-limited hospitals or rural clinics of China.

Raman Spectra of Porous beta-TCP Bioceramics Implanted into Rabbit Femur.

The Raman spectra of porous beta-TCP(beta-tricalcium phosphate)bioceramics implanted into rabbits femur the boundary and rabbit femur were studied using Raman spectroscopy(excited with 514.5nm and 623.8nm laser)and near-infrared FT-Raman spectroscopy. The Raman characteristic frequencies were assigned. The advantages and disadvantages of visible and near IR excitation are described. The Raman characteristic frequencies of calcium phosphate collagen protein and lipid(or phospholipid)were shown in the Raman spectra. These results demonstrated that besides calcium phosphate collagen protein and lipids also existed in the implants and the boundary forming components of organic bone tissues. Results indicated that the beta-TCP bioceramic when implanted into rabbit femur was partly dissolved and degraded the new bone tissues were formed on the surface and in pores of implanted bioceramics.