Penicilloneines A and B, Quinolone-Citrinin Hybrids from a Starfish-Derived Penicillium sp.

Penicilloneines A (1) and B (2) are the first reported quinolone-citrinin hybrids. They were isolated from the starfish-derived fungus Penicillium sp. GGF16-1-2, and their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic, chemical, computational, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Penicilloneines A (1) and B (2) share a common 4-hydroxy-1-methyl-2(1H)-quinolone unit; however, they differ in terms of citrinin moieties, and these two units are linked via a methylene bridge. Penicilloneines A (1) and B (2) exhibited antifungal activities against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, with lethal concentration 50 values of 0.02 and 1.51 µg/mL, respectively. A mechanistic study revealed that 1 could inhibit cell growth and promote cell vacuolization and consequent disruption of the fungal cell walls via upregulating nutrient-related hydrolase genes, including putative hydrolase, acetylcholinesterase, glycosyl hydrolase, leucine aminopeptidase, lipase, and beta-galactosidase, and downregulating their synthase genes 3-carboxymuconate cyclase, pyruvate decarboxylase, phosphoketolase, and oxalate decarboxylase.

Adjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy in patients with cholangiocarcinoma after radical resection.

BACKGROUND: The malignancy of cholangiocarcinoma is highly pronounced, and it exhibits a propensity for recurrence and metastasis even in the presence of standard chemotherapy. The efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy in patients with resected cholangiocarcinoma needs to be substantiated. METHODS: Data from 101 patients with cholangiocarcinoma treated at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between 2015 and 2020 were studied. RESULTS: After propensity score matching, there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between patients in the combined adjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy group (AC + IM group) and the adjuvant chemotherapy alone group (AC group) (all p > 0.05). The AC + IM group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in relapse-free survival (RFS) compared to the AC group (p = 0.032). Likewise, the AC + IM group exhibited a significantly superior overall survival (OS) outcome when compared to the AC group (p = 0.044). Multivariate Cox analysis unveiled perineural invasion (p = 0.041), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.006), and postoperative immunotherapy (p = 0.008) as independent prognostic factors exerting a significant impact on the OS of patients. In the cohort of patients with perineural invasion, the AC + IM group exhibited significantly improved OS compared to the AC group (p = 0.0077). Similarly, within the subset of patients with lymph node metastasis, the AC + IM group exhibited a significantly superior OS outcome when compared to the AC group (p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Combining postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with immunotherapy extends the RFS and OS of patients with cholangiocarcinoma following radical resection.

Development of a prediction model for progression of coronary artery lesions in Kawasaki disease.

BACKGROUNDS: This study aimed to identify risk factors for the progression of coronary artery lesions (CALs) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and to develop a nomogram prediction model. METHODS: This is a retrospective case-control study in which the participants were categorized into three groups based on the changes of the maximum Z score (Zmax) of coronary arteries at the 1-month follow-up compared with the baseline Zmax: CALs-progressed, CALs-improved, and CALs-unchanged. RESULTS: Of total 387 patients, 65 (27%), 319 (73%), and 3 (0.7%) patients were categorized into CALs-progressed group, CALs-improved group, and CALs-unchanged group, respectively. Six independent factors associated with CALs progression were identified, including initial IVIG resistance, baseline Zmax, the number of coronary arteries involved, C-reactive protein, albumin, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (odds ratio: 7.19, 1.51, 2.32, 1.52, 0.86, and 1.46, respectively; all P-values < 0.01). The nomogram prediction model including these six independent risk factors yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80 (95% confidence interval, 0.74 to 0.86). The accuracy of this model reached 81.7% after the Monte-Carlo Bootstrapping 1000 repetitions. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram prediction model can identify children at high risk for the progression of CALs at early stages. IMPACT: Six independent factors associated with CALs progression were identified, including initial IVIG resistance, baseline Zmax, the number of coronary arteries involved, CRP, ALB, and sIL-2R. The prediction model we constructed can identify children at high risk for the progression of CALs at early stages and help clinicians make individualized treatment plans. Prospective, multi-centered studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to validate the power of this prediction model in children with KD.

IL20RB signaling enhances stemness and chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy with high mortality, and cancer cell stemness and related drug resistance are considered important contributors to its poor prognosis. The objective of this study was to identify regulatory targets associated with the maintenance of pancreatic cancer stemness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pancreatic tumor samples were collected from patients at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, followed by immunofluorescence analysis. Pancreatic cancer cell lines with Interleukin-20 receptor subunit beta (IL20RB) overexpression and knockdown were established, and clonal formation, spheroid formation and side population cell analysis were conducted. The effects of IL20RB knockdown on the tumor-forming ability of pancreatic cancer cells and chemotherapy resistance in vivo were explored. RESULTS: IL20RB expression was significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues, and was correlated with unfavorable prognosis. The IL20RB receptor promotes stemness and chemoresistance in both in vitro and in vivo models of pancreatic cancer. Mechanistically, IL20RB enhances the stemness and chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer by promoting STAT3 phosphorylation, an effect that can be counteracted by a STAT3 phosphorylation inhibitors. Additionally, Interleukin-19 derived from the microenvironment is identified as the primary ligand for IL20RB in mediating these effects. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that IL20RB plays a crucial role in promoting stemness in pancreatic cancer. This discovery provides a potential therapeutic target for this lethal disease.

Adjuvant chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer at different AJCC stages: a propensity score matching analysis.

OBJECTIVE: In the treatment of resectable pancreatic cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy is viewed as essential. However, it is yet unclear how well adjuvant chemotherapy works at different illness stages. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in various pancreatic cancer stages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent surgical intervention at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2018 and January 2021 were included in this retrospective analysis. RESULTS: 168 patients were divided into two groups: the group receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) and the group receiving independent surgery (no-AC). Survival analysis reveals that among stage I patients, the AC group demonstrates significant superiority over the no-AC group in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.0028; P = 0.022). While there was no discernible difference in RFS between the AC and no-AC groups for patients with stage II illness (P = 0.69), the AC group significantly outperformed the no-AC group in terms of OS (P = 0.047). There was no discernible difference in RFS or OS between the AC and no-AC groups for patients with stage III pancreatic cancer (P = 0.40 and P = 0.20, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The administration of adjuvant chemotherapy has been shown to improve the prognosis of patients diagnosed with stage I and II pancreatic cancer. However, its efficacy is limited in individuals with stage III pancreatic cancer. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate and develop more effective therapeutic options for patients in the advanced stage.

[Mechanism of bilobalide promoting neuroprotection of macrophages].

This study aims to explore the neuroprotective effect of bilobalide(BB) and the mechanisms such as inhibiting inflammatory response in macrophage/microglia, promoting neurotrophic factor secretion, and interfering with the activation and differentiation of peripheral CD4~+ T cells. BB of different concentration(12.5, 25, 50, 100 µg·mL~(-1)) was used to treat the RAW264.7 and BV2 cells for 24 h. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay and cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) were employed to detect the cytotoxicity of BB and appropriate concentration was selected for further experiment. Lipopolysaccharide(LPS) was applied to elicit inflammation in RAW264.7 and BV2 cells, mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMDMs), and primary microglia, respectively. The effect of BB on cell proliferation and secretion of inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophic factors was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Spleen monocytes of C57BL/6 female mice(7-8 weeks old) were isolated, and CD4~+ T cells were separated by magnetic beads under sterile conditions. Th17 cells were induced by CD3/CD28 and the conditioned medium for eliciting the inflammation in BMDMs. The content of IL-17 cytokines in the supernatant was detected by ELISA to determine the effect on the activation and differentiation of CD4~+ T cells. In addition, PC12 cells were incubated with the conditioned medium for eliciting inflammation in BMDMs and primary microglia and the count and morphology of cells were observed. The cytoto-xicity was determined by lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) assay. The result showed that BB with the concentration of 12.5-100 µg·mL~(-1) had no toxicity to RAW264.7 and BV2 cells, and had no significant effect on the activity of cell model with low inflammation. The 50 µg·mL~(-1) BB was selected for further experiment, and the results indicated that BB inhibited LPS-induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines. The experiment on CD4~+ T cells showed that the conditioned medium for LPS-induced inflammation in BMDMs promoted the activation and differentiation of CD4~+ T cells, while the conditioned medium of the experimental group with BB intervention reduced the activation and differentiation of CD4~+ T cells. In addition, BB also enhanced the release of neurotrophic factors from BMDMs and primary microglia. The conditioned medium after BB intervention can significantly reduce the death of PC12 neurons, inhibit neuronal damage, and protect neurons. To sum up, BB plays a neuroprotective role by inhibiting macrophage and microglia-mediated inflammatory response and promoting neurotrophic factors.

Functional disruptions of the brain network in low back pain: a graph-theoretical study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate alterations in the topological organization of whole-brain functional networks in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and characterize the relationship of these alterations with pain characteristics. METHODS: Thirty-three CLBP patients and 34 matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent fMRI scans. A graph-theoretical approach was applied to identify brain network changes in patients suffering from chronic low back pain given its nonspecific etiology and complexity. Graph theory-based analysis was used to construct functional connectivity matrices and extract the features of small-world networks of the brain in both groups. Then, the whole-brain functional connectivity differences were characterized by network-based statistics (NBS) analysis, and the relationship between the altered brain features and clinical measures was explored. RESULTS: At the global level, patients with CLBP showed significantly decreased gamma, sigma, global efficiency, and local efficiency and increased lambda and shortest path length compared with HCs. At the regional level, there were deficits in nodal efficiency within the default mode network and salience network. NBS analysis demonstrated that decreased functional connectivity was present in the CLBP patients, mainly in the frontolimbic circuit and temporal regions. Furthermore, aspects of topological dysfunctions in CLBP were correlated with pain severity. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the aberrant topological organization of functional brain networks in CLBP, which may shed light on the pathophysiology of CLBP and support the development of pain management approaches.

Multiple TMA-aided CRISPR/Cas13a platform for highly sensitive detection of IL-15 to predict immunotherapeutic response in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)-based treatments have been recommended as the first line for refractory recurrent and/or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients, yet responses vary, and predictive biomarkers are urgently needed. We selected serum interleukin-15 (sIL-15) out of four interleukins as a candidate biomarker, while most patients' sIL-15 levels were too low to be detected by conventional methods, so it was necessary to construct a highly sensitive method to detect sIL-15 in order to select NPC patients who would benefit most or least from ICIs. METHODS: Combining a primer exchange reaction (PER), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), and a immuno-PER-TMA-CRISPR/Cas13a system, we developed a novel multiple signal amplification platform with a detection limit of 32 fg/mL, making it 153-fold more sensitive than ELISA. RESULTS: This platform demonstrated high specificity, repeatability, and versatility. When applied to two independent cohorts of 130 NPC sera, the predictive value of sIL-15 was accurate in both cohorts (area under the curve: training, 0.882; validation, 0.898). Additionally, lower sIL-15 levels were correlated with poorer progression-free survival (training, HR: 0.080, p<0.0001; validation, HR: 0.053, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This work proposes a simple and sensitive approach for sIL-15 detection to provide insights for personalized immunotherapy of NPC patients.

mTORC2 acts as a gatekeeper for mTORC1 deficiency-mediated impairments in ILC3 development.

Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) are mediators of intestinal immunity and barrier function. Recent studies have investigated the role of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex (mTOR) in ILC3s, whereas the mTORC1-related mechanisms and crosstalk between mTORC1 and mTORC2 involved in regulating ILC3 homeostasis remain unknown. In this study, we found that mTORC1 but not mTORC2 was critical in ILC3 development, IL-22 production, and ILC3-mediated intestinal homeostasis. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that mTORC1 deficiency led to disruption of ILC3 heterogeneity, showing an increase in differentiation into ILC1-like phenotypes. Mechanistically, mTORC1 deficiency decreased the expression of NFIL3, which is a critical transcription factor responsible for ILC3 development. The activities of both mTORC1 and mTORC2 were increased in wild-type ILC3s after activation by IL-23, whereas inhibition of mTORC1 by Raptor deletion or rapamycin treatment resulted in increased mTORC2 activity. Previous studies have demonstrated that S6K, the main downstream target of mTORC1, can directly phosphorylate Rictor to dampen mTORC2 activity. Our data found that inhibition of mTORC1 activity by rapamycin reduced Rictor phosphorylation in ILC3s. Reversing the increased mTORC2 activity via heterozygous or homozygous knockout of Rictor in Raptor-deleted ILC3s resulted in severe ILC3 loss and complete susceptibility to intestinal infection in mice with mTORC1 deficiency (100% mortality). Thus, mTORC1 acts as a rheostat of ILC3 heterogeneity, and mTORC2 protects ILC3s from severe loss of cells and immune activity against intestinal infection when mTORC1 activity is diminished.

Three-in-One Strategy Constructing the First High-Performance Nonlinear Optical Sulfide Crystallizing with the P43 Space Group.

The balance between large nonlinear optical (NLO) effect and wide bandgap is the key scientific issue for the exploration of infrared NLO materials. Targeting this issue, two new pentanary chalcogenides KGaGe1.37 Sn0.63 S6 (1) and KGaGe1.37 Sn0.63 Se6 (2) are obtained by the three-in-one strategy, viz. three types of fourfold-coordinated metal elements co-occupying the same site. They crystallize in the tetragonal P43 (1) and monoclinic Cc (2) space group. Their structures can be evolved from benchmark AgGaS2 (AGS) by suitable substitution. Remarkably, 1 is the first NLO sulfide crystallizing with the P43 space group, representing a new structure-type NLO material. The structural relationship between 1 and 2 and the evolution from 1, 2 to AGS are also analyzed. Both 1 and 2 show balanced NLO properties. Specifically, 1 exhibits phase-matchable SHG response of 0.6 × AGS, a wide bandgap of 3.50 eV, and a high laser damage threshold of 6.24 × AGS. Theoretical calculation results suggest that the Ga/Ge/Sn element ratios of the co-occupied sites of 1 and 2 are the most appropriate for stabilizing the structures. The strategy adopted here will provide some inspiration for exploring new high-performance NLO materials.

Epsin1-mediated exosomal sorting of Dll4 modulates the tubular-macrophage crosstalk in diabetic nephropathy.

Tubular epithelial cells (TECs) play critical roles in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN), and can activate macrophages through the secretion of exosomes. However, the mechanism(s) of TEC-exosomes in macrophage activation under DN remains unknown. By mass spectrometry, 1,644 differentially expressed proteins, especially Dll4, were detected in the urine exosomes of DN patients compared with controls, which was confirmed by western blot assay. Elevated Epsin1 and Dll4/N1ICD expression was observed in kidney tissues in both DN patients and db/db mice and was positively associated with tubulointerstitial damage. Exosomes from high glucose (HG)-treated tubular cells (HK-2) with Epsin1 knockdown (KD) ameliorated macrophage activation, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression, and tubulointerstitial damage in C57BL/6 mice in vivo. In an in vitro study, enriched Dll4 was confirmed in HK-2 cells stimulated with HG, which was captured by THP-1 cells and promoted M1 macrophage activation. In addition, Epsin1 modulated the content of Dll4 in TEC-exosomes stimulated with HG. TEC-exosomes with Epsin1-KD significantly inhibited N1ICD activation and iNOS expression in THP-1 cells compared with incubation with HG alone. These findings suggested that Epsin1 could modulate tubular-macrophage crosstalk in DN by mediating exosomal sorting of Dll4 and Notch1 activation.

Steroidal sapogenins from the aerial parts of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis and activity evaluation.

Phytochemical investigation of an extract of the aerial parts of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis resulted in the identification of three new steroidal sapogenins, namely as paripolins A-C (1-3). With the aid of comprehensive spectroscopic techniques (NMR, IR, UV, MS), the structures of all isolated compounds were elucidated and subsequently screened for anti-inflammatory activity.

Evaluation of diagnostic efficacy of NRP-1/CD304 in hematological diseases.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies had explored the diagnostic or prognostic value of NRP-1/CD304 in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), whereas the expression and application value of NRP-1/CD304 in other common hematological diseases have not been reported. METHODS: Bone marrow samples from 297 newly diagnosed patients with various hematological diseases were collected to detect the expression of NRP-1/CD304 by flow cytometry (FCM). The diagnostic efficacy of NRP-1/ CD304-positive diseases was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was compared. RESULTS: In the research cohort, the total positive rate of NRP-1/CD304 was 14.81% (44/297), mainly distributed in BPDCN (100%, 6/6), B-ALL (48.61%, 35/72), and AML (4.48%, 3/67), with statistically significant differences (p < 0.01). Other diseases, such as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), T/NK-cell lymphoma and plasma cell neoplasms, did not express NRP-1/CD304. The AUC of NRP-1/CD304 was 0.936 (95% CI 0.898-0.973), 0.723 (95% CI 0.646-0.801), and 0.435 (95% CI 0.435) in BPDCN, B-ALL and AML, respectively. Besides, CD304 was commonly expressed in B-ALL with BCR-ABL1 gene rearrangement (p = 0.000), and CD304 expression was positively correlated with CD34 co-expression (p = 0.009) and CD10 co-expression (p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: NRP-1/CD304 is only expressed in BPDCN, B-ALL and AML, but not in other common hematological diseases. This indicates that NRP-1/CD304 has no obvious diagnostic and follow-up study value in hematological diseases other than BPDCN, B-ALL, and AML.

Death-associated protein kinase 1 is associated with cognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder.

We previously showed that death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) expression is increased in hippocampal tissue in a mouse model of major depressive disorde and is related to cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. In addition, depression is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease, as well as an early clinical manifestation of Alzheimer's disease. Meanwhile, cognitive dysfunction is a distinctive feature of major depressive disorder. Therefore, DAPK1 may be related to cognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder. In this study, we established a mouse model of major depressive disorder by housing mice individually and exposing them to chronic, mild, unpredictable stressors. We found that DAPK1 and tau protein levels were increased in the hippocampal CA3 area, and tau was hyperphosphorylated at Thr231, Ser262, and Ser396 in these mice. Furthermore, DAPK1 shifted from axonal expression to overexpression on the cell membrane. Exercise and treatment with the antidepressant drug citalopram decreased DAPK1 expression and tau protein phosphorylation in hippocampal tissue and improved both depressive symptoms and cognitive dysfunction. These results indicate that DAPK1 may be a potential reason and therapeutic target of cognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder.

PM2.5 induces autophagy-dependent ferroptosis by endoplasmic reticulum stress in SH-SY5Y cells.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) has been a global environmental problem threatening public health in recent years. PM2.5 exposure was associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases related to neuronal apoptosis. Ferroptosis is a nonapoptotic form of programmed the cell death, characterized by excess iron-dependent lipid peroxidation products. Whether PM2.5 could induce ferroptosis in cells and thus be involved in its neurotoxicity is unknown. In this study, we found that PM2.5 induced endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis in neuroblastoma human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y). Interestingly, ferroptosis was the predominant form of mortality in the presence of high doses of PM2.5 exposure. In addition, the endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) inhibited PM2.5 -induced cellular autophagy, apoptosis, and ferroptosis. Autophagy inhibitors chloroquine (CQ) alleviated PM2.5 -induced ferroptosis but did not reverse apoptosis. We also found that inhibition of both endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy reversed the PM2.5 -induced increase in the expression level of cytophagy nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4). Our results suggested that PM2.5 -induced ferroptosis in SH-SY5Y cells was autophagy-dependent ferroptosis due to endoplasmic reticulum stress, which might be associated with the elevation of iron content caused by NCOA4-mediated ferritin autophagy.

Mutation of the attractin gene impairs working memory in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Attractin (ATRN) is a widely expressed member of the cell adhesion and guidance protein family in humans that is closely related to cellular immunity and neurodevelopment. However, while previous studies in our laboratory have confirmed the effect of ATRN mutations on long-term memory, its specific role and the molecular mechanism by which it influences spatial cognition are poorly understood. METHODS: This study aimed to examine the effect of ATRN mutations on working memory in water maze with a novel ATRN-mutant rat generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 system; the mutation involved the substitution of the 505th amino acid, glycine (G), with cysteine (C), namely, a mutation from GGC to TGC. The changes in myelin basic protein (MBP) expression in rats were also analyzed with the western blot. RESULTS: The ATRN-G505C(KI/KI) rats exhibited significant increases in the required latency and distance traveled to locate the escape platform in a Morris water maze test of working memory. In addition, the expression of MBP was reduced in ATRN-mutant rats, as shown in the western blot analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that ATRN gene mutations may directly lead to the impairment of working memory in the water maze; this impairment may be due to the inhibition of MBP expression, which in turn affects the spatial cognition.

Drug-induced microglial phagocytosis in multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and the underlying mechanisms.

Microglia are resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS). It plays a significant role in immune surveillance under physiological conditions. On stimulation by pathogens, microglia change their phenotypes, phagocytize toxic molecules, secrete pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory factors, promotes tissue repair, and maintain the homeostasis in CNS. Accumulation of myelin debris in multiple sclerosis (MS)/experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) inhibits remyelination by decreasing the phagocytosis by microglia and prevent the recovery of MS/EAE. Drug induced microglia phagocytosis could be a novel therapeutic intervention for the treatment of MS/EAE. But the abnormal phagocytosis of neurons and synapses by activated microglia will lead to neuronal damage and degeneration. It indicates that the phagocytosis of microglia has many beneficial and harmful effects in central neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, simply promoting or inhibiting the phagocytic activity of microglia may not achieve ideal therapeutic results. However, limited reports are available to elucidate the microglia mediated phagocytosis and its underlying molecular mechanisms. On this basis, the present review describes microglia-mediated phagocytosis, drug-induced microglia phagocytosis, molecular mechanism, and novel approach for MS/EAE treatment.

KREP2 Se6 (RE = Sm, Gd, Tb): The First Rare-Earth Selenophosphates with Remarkable Nonlinear Optical Activities Realized by Synergistic Effect of RE- and P-Based Motifs.

Rare-earth (RE) chalcogenides have been extensively studied as infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) materials because of their nice integrated performances; however, very few RE chalcophosphates are involved for this topic. Here, three quaternary RE selenophosphates, KSmP2 Se6 (1), KGdP2 Se6 (2), and KTbP2 Se6 (3), are profoundly studied for their NLO potentials. Their noncentrosymmetric P21 structures feature RESe8-bicapped trigonal prisms and ethane-like [P2 Se6 ]4 - dimers built {[REP2 Se6 ]-}∞ layers. As the first studied NLO-active RE selenophosphates, 1-3 exhibit second harmonic generation (SHG)responses ≈0.34-1.08 × AgGaS2 at 2.10 µm and laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDTs) ≈1.43-4.33 × AgGaS2 , and they all show phase-matchable behaviors, indicating their wonderful balanced NLO properties. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the synergistic effect between RESe8 and P2 Se6 units makes the major contribution to the SHG responses.

An appropriate ammonium: nitrate ratio promotes the growth of centipedegrass: insight from physiological and micromorphological analyses.

Reasonable nitrogen fertilizer application is an important strategy to maintain optimal growth of grasslands, thereby enabling them to better fulfil their ecological functions while reducing environmental pollution caused by high nitrogen fertilizer production and application. Optimizing the ammonium (NH4 +):nitrate (NO3 -) ratio is a common approach for growth promotion in crops and vegetables, but research on this topic in grass plants has not received sufficient attention. Centipedegrass, which is widely used in landscaping and ecological protection, was used as the experimental material. Different NH4 +:NO3 - ratios (0: 100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, 100:0) were used as the experimental treatments under hydroponic conditions. By monitoring the physiological and morphological changes under each treatment, the appropriate NH4 +:NO3 - ratio for growth and its underlying mechanism were determined. As the proportion of ammonium increased, the growth showed a "bell-shaped" response, with the maximum biomass and total carbon and nitrogen accumulation achieved with the NH4 +:NO3 - ratio of 50:50 treatment. Compared with the situation where nitrate was supplied alone, increasing the ammonium proportion increased the whole plant biomass by 93.2%, 139.7%, 59.0%, and 30.5%, the whole plant nitrogen accumulation by 44.9%, 94.6%, 32.8%, and 54.8%, and the whole plant carbon accumulation by 90.4%, 139.9%, 58.7%, and 26.6% in order. As a gateway for nitrogen input, the roots treated with an NH4 +:NO3 - ratio of 50:50 exhibited the highest ammonium and nitrate uptake rate, which may be related to the maximum total root length, root surface area, average root diameter, root volume, and largest root xylem vessel. As a gateway for carbon input, leaves treated with an NH4 +:NO3 - ratio of 50:50 exhibited the highest stomatal aperture, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and photosynthetic products. The NH4 +:NO3 - ratio of 50:50 treatment had the largest stem xylem vessel area. This structure and force caused by transpiration may synergistically facilitate root-to-shoot nutrient translocation. Notably, the change in stomatal opening occurred in the early stage (4 hours) of the NH4 +:NO3 - ratio treatments, indicating that stomates are structures that are involved in the response to changes in the root NH4 +:NO3 - ratio. In summary, we recommend 50:50 as the appropriate NH4 +:NO3 - ratio for the growth of centipedegrass, which not only improves the nitrogen use efficiency but also enhances the carbon sequestration capacity.

Scalemic myrionsumamide A, tetracyclic skeleton alkaloids from Myrioneuron effusum.

Investigation of the alkaloids from Myrioneuron effusum leads to the isolation of myrionsumamide A (1), a pair of enantiomeric alkaloids with an unprecedented tetracyclic system skeleton. These two alkaloids were separated by chiral HPLC with a ratio of 3 : 5 from the scalemic mixture. Their structures including absolute configurations were determined by NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction data and ECD calculations. Both (+)-1 and (-)-1 showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC at 7.81 µg ml-1.