In situ fabrication of atomically adjacent dual-vacancy sites for nearly 100% selective CH4 production.

The photocatalytic CO2-to-CH4 conversion involves multiple consecutive proton-electron coupling transfer processes. Achieving high CH4 selectivity with satisfactory conversion efficiency remains challenging since the inefficient proton and electron delivery path results in sluggish proton-electron transfer kinetics. Herein, we propose the fabrication of atomically adjacent anion-cation vacancy as paired redox active sites that could maximally promote the proton- and electron-donating efficiency to simultaneously enhance the oxidation and reduction half-reactions, achieving higher photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity and CH4 selectivity. Taking TiO2 as a photocatalyst prototype, the operando electron paramagnetic resonance spectra, quasi in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, and high-angle annular dark-field-scanning transmission electron microscopy image analysis prove that the VTi on TiO2 as initial sites can induce electron redistribution and facilitate the escape of the adjacent oxygen atom, thereby triggering the dynamic creation of atomically adjacent dual-vacancy sites during photocatalytic reactions. The dual-vacancy sites not only promote the proton- and electron-donating efficiency for CO2 activation and protonation but also modulate the coordination modes of surface-bound intermediate species, thus converting the endoergic protonation step to an exoergic reaction process and steering the CO2 reduction pathway toward CH4 production. As a result, these in situ created dual active sites enable nearly 100% CH4 selectivity and evolution rate of 19.4 µmol g-1 h-1, about 80 times higher than that of pristine TiO2. Thus, these insights into vacancy dynamics and structure-function relationship are valuable to atomic understanding and catalyst design for achieving highly selective catalysis.

A genome assembly of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) provides insights into genome evolution and 6-gingerol biosynthesis.

Ginger is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions and is one of the most crucial spices worldwide owing to its special taste and scent. Here, we present a high-quality genome assembly for 'Small Laiwu Ginger', a famous cultivated ginger in northern China. The ginger genome was phased into two haplotypes, haplotype A (1.55Gb), and haplotype B (1.44Gb). Analysis of Ty1/Copia and Ty3/Gypsy LTR retrotransposon families revealed that both have undergone multiple retrotransposon bursts about 0-1 million years ago. In addition to a recent whole-genome duplication event, there has been a lineage-specific expansion of genes involved in stilbenoid, diarylheptanoid, and gingerol biosynthesis, thereby enhancing 6-gingerol biosynthesis. Furthermore, we focused on the biosynthesis of 6-gingerol, the most important gingerol, and screened key transcription factors ZoMYB106 and ZobHLH148 that regulate 6-gingerol synthesis by transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis in the ginger rhizome at four growth stages. The results of yeast one-hybrid, electrophoretic mobility shift, and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays showed that both ZoMYB106 and ZobHLH148 bind to the promoters of the key rate-limiting enzyme genes ZoCCOMT1 and ZoCCOMT2 in the 6-gingerol synthesis pathway and promote their transcriptional activities. The reference genome, transcriptome, and metabolome data pave the way for further research on the molecular mechanism underlying the biosynthesis of 6-gingerol. Furthermore, it provides precious new resources for the study on the biology and molecular breeding of ginger.

High somatic mutations in circulating tumor DNA predict response of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to first-line nab-paclitaxel plus S-1: prospective study.

AIMS: We previously showed that the nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 (NPS) regimen had promising effects against metastatic pancreatic ducal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC), whose efficacy however could not be precisely predicted by routine biomarkers. This prospective study aimed to investigate the values of mutations in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and their dynamic changes in predicting response of mPDAC to NPS chemotherapy. METHODS: Paired tumor tissue and blood samples were prospectively collected from patients with mPDAC receiving first-line NPS chemotherapy, and underwent next-generation sequencing with genomic profiling of 425 genes for ctDNA. High mutation allelic frequency (MAF) was defined as ≥ 30% and ≥ 5% in tumor tissue and blood, respectively. Kappa statistics were used to assess agreement between mutant genes in tumor and ctDNA. Associations of mutations in ctDNA and their dynamic changes with tumor response, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression, and longitudinal data analysis. RESULTS: 147 blood samples and 43 paired tumor specimens from 43 patients with mPDAC were sequenced. The most common driver genes with high MAF were KRAS (tumor, 35%; ctDNA, 37%) and TP53 (tumor, 37%; ctDNA, 33%). Mutation rates of KRAS and TP53 in ctDNA were significantly higher in patients with liver metastasis, with baseline CA19-9 ≥ 2000 U/mL, and/or without an early CA19-9 response. κ values for the 5 most commonly mutated genes between tumor and ctDNA ranged from 0.48 to 0.76. MAFs of the genes mostly decreased sequentially during subsequent measurements, which significantly correlated with objective response, with an increase indicating cancer progression. High mutations of KRAS and ARID1A in both tumor and ctDNA, and of TP53, CDKN2A, and SMAD4 in ctDNA but not in tumor were significantly associated with shorter survival. When predicting 6-month OS, AUCs for the 5 most commonly mutated genes in ctDNA ranged from 0.59 to 0.84, larger than for genes in tumor (0.56 to 0.71) and for clinicopathologic characteristics (0.51 to 0.68). Repeated measurements of mutations in ctDNA significantly differentiated survival and tumor response. Among the 31 patients with ≥ 2 ctDNA tests, longitudinal analysis of changes in gene MAF showed that ctDNA progression was 60 and 58 days ahead of radiologic and CA19-9 progression for 48% and 42% of the patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: High mutations of multiple driving genes in ctDNA and their dynamic changes could effectively predict response of mPDAC to NPS chemotherapy, with promising reliable predictive performance superior to routine clinicopathologic parameters. Inspiringly, longitudinal ctDNA tracking could predict disease progression about 2 months ahead of radiologic or CA19-9 evaluations, with the potential to precisely devise individualized therapeutic strategies for mPDAC.

Blood Eosinophil Count and Its Determinants in a Chinese Population-Based Cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Blood eosinophil count has been shown markedly variable across different populations. However, its distribution in Chinese general population remains unclear. We aimed to investigate blood eosinophil count and its determinants in a Chinese general population. METHODS: In this population-based study, general citizens of Sichuan province in China were extracted from the China Pulmonary Health study. Data on demographics, personal and family history, living condition, lifestyle, spirometry, and complete blood count test were obtained and analyzed. A stepwise multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify determinants of high blood eosinophils (>75th percentile). RESULTS: A total of 3,310 participants were included, with a mean age (standard deviation) of 47.0 (15.6) years. In total population, the median blood eosinophil count was 110.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 67.2-192.9) cells/µL, lower than that in smokers (133.4 cells/µL, IQR: 79.3-228.4) and patients with asthma (140.7 cells/µL, IQR: 79.6-218.2) or post-bronchodilator airflow limitation (141.5 cells/µL, IQR: 82.6-230.1), with a right-skewed distribution. Multivariate analyses revealed that oldness (aged ≥60 years) (odds ratio [OR]: 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-2.48), smoking ≥20 pack-years (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.20-3.00), raising a dog/cat (OR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.17-2.52), and occupational exposure to dust, allergen, and harmful gas (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.15-2.15) were significantly associated with high blood eosinophils. CONCLUSION: This study identifies a median blood eosinophil count of 110.0 cells/µL and determinants of high blood eosinophils in a Chinese general population, including oldness (aged ≥60 years), smoking ≥20 pack-years, raising a dog/cat, and occupational exposure to dust, allergen, and harmful gas.

Operando Stable Palladium Hydride Nanoclusters Anchored on Tungsten Carbides Mediate Reverse Hydrogen Spillover for Hydrogen Evolution.

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis holds great promise for green hydrogen production, but suffering from high loading of platinum-group metals (PGM) for large-scale deployment. Anchoring PGM-based materials on supports can not only improve the atomic utilization of active sites but also enhance the intrinsic activity. However, in practical PEM electrolysis, it is still challenging to mediate hydrogen adsorption/desorption pathways with high coverage of hydrogen intermediates over catalyst surface. Here, operando generated stable palladium (Pd) hydride nanoclusters anchored on tungsten carbide (WCx) supports were constructed for hydrogen evolution in PEM electrolysis. Under PEM operando conditions, hydrogen intercalation induces formation of Pd hydrides (PdHx) featuring weakened hydrogen binding energy (HBE), thus triggering reverse hydrogen spillover from WCx (strong HBE) supports to PdHx sites, which have been evidenced by operando characterizations, electrochemical results and theoretical studies. This PdHx-WCx material can be directly utilized as cathode electrocatalysts in PEM electrolysis with ultralow Pd loading of 0.022 mg cm-2, delivering the current density of 1 A cm-2 at the cell voltage of ~1.66 V and continuously running for 200 hours without obvious degradation. This innovative strategy via tuning the operando characteristics to mediate reverse hydrogen spillover provide new insights for designing high-performance supported PGM-based electrocatalysts.

Treatment patterns and clinical outcomes of mantle cell lymphoma: A retrospective cohort study by CHOICE.

Regimens based on Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) have been increasingly used to treat mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). A real-world multicenter study was conducted to characterize treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed MCL by Chinese Hematologist and Oncologist Innovation Cooperation of the Excellent (CHOICE). The final analysis included 1261 patients. Immunochemotherapy was the most common first-line treatment, including R-CHOP in 34%, cytarabine-containing regimens in 21% and BR in 3% of the patients. Eleven percent (n = 145) of the patients received BTKi-based frontline therapy. Seventeen percent of the patients received maintenance rituximab. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHCT) was conducted in 12% of the younger (<65 years) patients. In younger patients, propensity score matching analysis did not show significant difference in 2-year progression-free survival and 5-year overall survival rate in patients receiving standard high-dose immunochemotherapy followed by AHCT than induction therapy with BTKi-based regimens without subsequent AHCT (72% vs 70%, P = .476 and 91% vs 84%, P = .255). In older patients, BTKi combined with bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) was associated with the lowest POD24 rate (17%) compared with BR and other BTKi-containing regimens. In patients with resolved hepatitis B at the baseline, HBV reactivation rate was 2.3% vs 5.3% in those receiving anti-HBV prophylaxis vs not; BTKi treatment was not associated with higher risk of HBV reactivation. In conclusion, non-HD-AraC chemotherapy combined with BTKi may be a viable therapeutic strategy for younger patients. Anti-HBV prophylaxis should be implemented in patients with resolved hepatitis B.

Discovery of novel potent PI3K/mTOR dual-target inhibitors based on scaffold hopping: Design, synthesis, and antiproliferative activity.

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is one of the most common dysregulated signaling cascade responses in human cancers, playing a crucial role in cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Therefore, the development of anticancer drugs targeting the PI3K and mTOR pathways has become a research hotspot in cancer treatment. In this study, the PI3K selective inhibitor GDC-0941 was selected as a lead compound, and 28 thiophenyl-triazine derivatives with aromatic urea structures were synthesized based on scaffold hopping, serving as a novel class of PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitors. The most promising compound Y-2 was obtained through antiproliferative activity evaluation, kinase inhibition, and toxicity assays. The results showed that Y-2 demonstrated potential inhibitory effects on both PI3K kinase and mTOR kinase, with IC50 values of 171.4 and 10.2 nM, respectively. The inhibitory effect of Y-2 on mTOR kinase was 52 times greater than that of the positive drug GDC-0941. Subsequently, the antitumor activity of Y-2 was verified through pharmacological experiments such as AO staining, cell apoptosis, scratch assays, and cell colony formation. The antitumor mechanism of Y-2 was further investigated through JC-1 experiments, real-time quantitative PCR, and Western blot analysis. Based on the above experiments, Y-2 can be identified as a potent PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor for cancer treatment.

Pembrolizumab and Trastuzumab in High Tumor Mutational Burden and POLE-Mutated HER2-Positive Refractory Breast Cancer.

Metastatic breast cancer (mBC) is an incurable disease, and it is not sensitive to immunotherapy due to its low immunogenicity. Recently, inactivated DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) mutations have been found to be associated with high tumor mutational burden (TMB), which is an effective immuno-oncology biomarker. Patients with POLE mutations with different types of cancer have properly responded to immunotherapy. We aimed to report the first case of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-negative mBC presenting with high TMB and POLE mutations, in which a complete response to 5 cycles of chemotherapy and 1 year of pembrolizumab and trastuzumab was noted after failing several lines of HER2-targeted therapies. Our findings also suggest that biomarker-driven patient selection is highly significant for further clinical development of combination therapies via anti-HER2 plus immune-checkpoint inhibitors for HER2+ BC patients.

Landscape of cancer diagnostic biomarkers from specifically expressed genes.

Although there has been great progress in cancer treatment, cancer remains a serious health threat to humans because of the lack of biomarkers for diagnosis, especially for early-stage diagnosis. In this study, we comprehensively surveyed the specifically expressed genes (SEGs) using the SEGtool based on the big data of gene expression from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) projects. In 15 solid tumors, we identified 233 cancer-specific SEGs (cSEGs), which were specifically expressed in only one cancer and showed great potential to be diagnostic biomarkers. Among them, three cSEGs (OGDH, MUDENG and ACO2) had a sample frequency >80% in kidney cancer, suggesting their high sensitivity. Furthermore, we identified 254 cSEGs as early-stage diagnostic biomarkers across 17 cancers. A two-gene combination strategy was applied to improve the sensitivity of diagnostic biomarkers, and hundreds of two-gene combinations were identified with high frequency. We also observed that 13 SEGs were targets of various drugs and nearly half of these drugs may be repurposed to treat cancers with SEGs as their targets. Several SEGs were regulated by specific transcription factors in the corresponding cancer, and 39 cSEGs were prognosis-related genes in 7 cancers. This work provides a survey of cancer biomarkers for diagnosis and early diagnosis and new insights to drug repurposing. These biomarkers may have great potential in cancer research and application.

Different responses of two Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) cultivars in photosynthetic characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure to salt and alkali stress.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Salt and alkali stress affected the photosynthetic characteristics of Chinese cabbages. A salt-tolerant cultivar maintained its tolerance by ensuring the high ability of photosynthesis. The synthesis of organic acids and carbohydrates in leaves played important roles in improving the photosynthetic capacity of alkali-tolerant plants. Soil salinization has become an increasingly serious ecological problem, which limits the quality and yield of crops. As an important economic vegetable in winter, however, little is known about the response of Chinese cabbage to salt, alkali and salt-alkali stress in photosynthetic characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure. Thus, two Chinese cabbage cultivars, 'Qinghua' (salt-tolerant-alkali-sensitive) and 'Biyu' (salt-sensitive-alkali-tolerant) were investigated under stresses to clarify the similarities and differences between salt tolerance and alkali tolerance pathways in Chinese cabbage. We found that the root of Qinghua, the leaf ultrastructure and net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), water use efficiency (WUE), maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) and nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) were not affected by salt stress. However, Biyu was seriously affected under salt stress. Its growth indexes decreased by between 60 and 30% compared with the control and the photosynthetic indexes were also seriously affected under salt stress. This indicated that the salt-tolerant cultivar Qinghua improved the photosynthetic fluorescence ability to promote the synthesis of organic matter resulting in salt tolerance. In contrast, under alkali treatment, the root of Biyu was affected by alkali stress, but could still maintain good growth, and root and leaf structure were not seriously affected and could maintain the normal operations. Biyu improved its tolerance by improving the water use efficiency, regulating the synthesis of organic acids and carbohydrates, ensuring the synthesis of organic matter and ensured the normal growth of the plant.

SEGreg: a database for human specifically expressed genes and their regulations in cancer and normal tissue.

Human specifically expressed genes (SEGs) usually serve as potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and treatment. However, the regulation underlying their specific expression remains to be revealed. In this study, we constructed SEG regulation database (SEGreg; available at http://bioinfo.life.hust.edu.cn/SEGreg) for showing SEGs and their transcription factors (TFs) and microRNA (miRNA) regulations under different physiological conditions, which include normal tissue, cancer tissue and cell line. In total, SEGreg collected 6387, 1451, 4506 and 5320 SEGs from expression profiles of 34 cancer types and 55 tissues of The Cancer Genome Atlas, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, Human Body Map and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases/projects, respectively. The cancer or tissue corresponding expressed miRNAs and TFs were identified from miRNA and gene expression profiles, and their targets were collected from several public resources. Then the regulatory networks of all SEGs were constructed and integrated into SEGreg. Through a user-friendly interface, users can browse and search SEGreg by gene name, data source, tissue, cancer type and regulators. In summary, SEGreg is a specialized resource to explore SEGs and their regulations, which provides clues to reveal the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and biological processes.

Nab-paclitaxel-based regimens with docetaxel-based regimens as neoadjuvant treatment for early breast cancer.

Background Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) and docetaxel (DOC) both demonstrated favorable efficacy as neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancer. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of nab-PTX-based chemotherapy (nPBC) and DOC-based chemotherapy (DBC) as neoadjuvant therapy in patients with breast cancer. Methods Breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant nPBC or DBC and underwent surgery from January 2018 to June 2020 were consecutively analyzed. Pathologic complete response (pCR) was defined as no residual invasive cells in the breast and axillary nodes (ypT0/is ypN0) after surgery. The pCR, clinical complete response (cCR), and safety profiles were assessed in the two groups. Results A total of 104 breast cancer patients were included in this study. Fourty one patients received nPBC, and 63 patients received DBC The pCR was 34.1% in the nPBC group and 12.7% in the DBC group. Additionally, the cCR was 36.6% in the nPBC group and 15.9% in the DBC group. Peripheral sensory neuropathy was more common in the nPBC group, while hematologic toxicity was observed more frequently in the DBC group. Conclusions This study presented antitumor activity of nPBC and DBC in patients with early breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant treatment in a real-world setting. Further prospective research is warranted to confirm the results and to develop biomarkers for better patient selection.

Synergism of rMV-Hu191 with cisplatin to treat gastric cancer by acid sphingomyelinase-mediated apoptosis requiring integrity of lipid raft microdomains.

BACKGROUND: DDP-based chemotherapy is one of the first-line treatment in GC. However, the therapeutic efficacy of DDP is limited due to side effects. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop novel adjuvants to synergize with DDP. We had demonstrated previously that rMV-Hu191 had antitumor activity in GC. Here we examined the synergism of rMV-Hu191 with DDP in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Cellular proliferation, the synergistic effect and cell apoptosis were evaluated by CCK-8 assay, ZIP analysis and flow cytometry, respectively. The protein levels and location of ASMase were monitored by western blot and immunofluorescence assay. shRNA and imipramine were used to regulate the expression and activity of ASMase. MßCD was administrated to disrupt lipid rafts. Mice bearing GC xenografts were used to confirm the synergism in vivo. RESULTS: From our data, combinational therapy demonstrated synergistic cytotoxicity both in resistant GC cell lines from a Chinese patient and drug-nonresistant GC cell lines, and increased cell apoptosis, instead of viral replication. Integrity of lipid rafts and ASMase were required for rMV-Hu191- and combination-induced apoptosis. The ASMase was delivered to the lipid raft microdomains at the initial stage of rMV-Hu191 treatment. In vivo GC mice xenografts confirmed the synergism of combinational treatment, together with increased apoptosis and trivial side-effects. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to demonstrate that rMV-Hu191 combined with DDP could be used as a potential therapeutic strategy in GC treatment and the ASMase and the integrity of lipid rafts are required for the synergistic effects.

Sinus tarsi approach versus the extended lateral approach for displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to review eligible randomized controlled trials to determine the efficacy of the sinus tarsi approach (STA) versus the extended lateral approach (ELA) for the treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures (DIACF). METHODS: Using appropriate keywords, we identified relevant studies using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, VANFUN, and VIP. Key pertinent sources in the literature were also reviewed, and all articles published through June 2020 were considered for inclusion. For each study, we assessed odds ratios (ORs), mean difference (MD), and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) to assess and synthesize the outcomes. RESULTS: We included 15 RCTs, with a total of 847 patients in the STA group and 959 in the ELA group. The results found that after STA and ELA, no significant difference in changes of Böhler's angle (WMD: 0.746, 95% CI: - 0.316-1.809), Gissane angle (WMD: - 0.710, 95% CI: - 2.157-0.737), calcaneal heights (WMD: 0.378, 95% CI: - 1.973-2.728), calcaneal widths (SMD: - 0.431, 95% CI: - 1.604- 0.742), calcaneal lengths (WMD: 0.691, 95% CI: - 0.749-2.131). Besides, there was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the STA group and the ELA group (RR: 0.592, 95% CI: 0.336-1.045). CONCLUSION: There was no difference in clinical efficacy between STA and ELA in treating DIACF. Besides, there is still a need of large-sample, high-quality, long-term randomized controlled trials to confirm the conclusion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I-High-Quality Prospective Randomized Study.

Response of Cyperus involucratus to sulfamethoxazole and ofloxacin-contaminated environments: Growth physiology, transportation, and microbial community.

Plant-microbe is a complementary coupling system for antibiotics removing in constructed wetlands (CWs), but how plant and rhizosphere microbiomes respond to antibiotics exposure and the occurrence of ARGs in this microenvironment have seldom been researched. Thus, the response of the plant-microbe coupling system to different levels of antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and ofloxacin (OFL)) was investigated. The results showed that two antibiotic stressors have hormetic effects on plant growth, physiology, and microbial community evolution, and the antibiotic toxic effects presented as SMZ + OFL > SMZ > OFL. Antibiotic accumulation in the plants was in the order of roots > stems > leaves. Notably, the root attachments affected antibiotic transportation. The accumulation of antibiotics in the under-ground parts affected the rhizosphere microbial community structure, and the microorganisms were more sensitive to SMZ + OFL than the plants, with inflection points of 0.5 mg L-1 and 1 mg L-1, respectively. Pseudomonas was highly resistant to antibiotics, while Acidovorax and Devosia may play a role in antibiotic degradation. Correlation analysis and network analysis showed that antibiotic enrichment and the bacterial community contributed significantly to the abundance of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs), further revealing the co-occurrence of int1, ARGs, and the potential bacterial hosts.

Effect of soil mercury pollution on ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe): Growth, product quality, health risks and silicon mitigation.

The mercury residue in soil not only poisons plants, but also bioaccumulates and biomagnifies through the food chain, causing a significant risk to human health. As an essential condiment on the table, the food safety of ginger should be focused on. Using soil culture experiments, this study aimed to identify the response of ginger growth to mercury pollution, assess the transmission and residue of mercury in different product organs and explore the mitigation mechanism of silicon on mercury toxicity. Effects of soil mercury pollution on ginger growth showed hormesis and time effect. Long-term mercury pollution led to growth inhibition and quality degradation of ginger, eventually reducing its yield by 25.96% (mercury = 9 mg kg-1). Contents of mercury and silicon in different organs both were the highest in root, followed by rhizome, less in stem and leaf, especially the mercury residue in rhizome manifested as Mother-ginger > Son-ginger > Grandson-ginger. At 6 mg kg-1 soil mercury level, the mercury residue of Mother-ginger exceeds the edible pollutant limit standard (China) by 10.7 times, which makes no obvious risk after being consumed by adults, but poses a potential health threat to children. Notably, it is safer to consume the newly sprouted and inflated tender ginger. Application of silicon fertilizer could alleviate mercury toxicity, mainly by promoting ginger root growth and leaf pigment synthesis, stimulating water-gas exchange system, fluorescence system and antioxidant system to make an anti-stress response. 2 mg kg-1 silicon fertilizer had the most significant mitigation effect on mercury stress, which increased the yield of ginger by 24.85% and reduced the mercury residue of ginger block by 44.44%-60.17%.

Host defense peptide LEAP-2 contributes to monocyte/macrophage polarization in barbel steed (Hemibarbus labeo).

The liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2) plays a vital role in host immunity against pathogenic organisms. In the present study, cDNA of the LEAP-2 gene was cloned and sequenced from the barbel steed (Hemibarbus labeo). The predicted amino acid sequence of the barbel steed LEAP-2 comprises a signal peptide and a prodomain, which is followed by the mature peptide. Sequence analysis revealed that barbel steed LEAP-2 belongs to the fish LEAP-2A cluster and that it is closely related to zebrafish LEAP-2A. We found that barbel steed LEAP-2 transcripts were expressed in a wide range of tissues, with the highest mRNA levels detected in the liver. In response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment, LEAP-2 was significantly upregulated in the liver, head kidney, spleen, gill, and mid intestine. A chemically synthesized LEAP-2 mature peptide exhibited selective antimicrobial activity against several bacteria in vitro. Moreover, LEAP-2, alone or in combination with LPS or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, strongly induced a pro-inflammatory reaction in barbel steed monocytes/macrophages (MO/MФ), involving the induction of iNOS activity, respiratory burst, and the pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1ß. Collectively, the results of this study indicate the importance of fish LEAP-2 in the M1-type polarization of MO/MΦ.

Design and Synthesis of Flavonoidal Ethers and Their Anti-Cancer Activity In Vitro.

Flavonoids are well-characterized polyphenolic compounds with pharmacological and therapeutic activities. However, most flavonoids have not been developed into clinical drugs, due to poor bioavailability. Herein, we report a strategy to increase the drugability of flavonoids by constructing C(sp2)-O bonds and stereo- as well as regioselective alkenylation of hydroxyl groups of flavonoids with ethyl-2,3-butadienoate allenes. Twenty-three modified flavonoid derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their anti-cancer activities. The results showed that compounds 4b, 4c, 4e, 5e, and 6b exhibited better in vitro inhibitory activity against several cancer cell lines than their precursors. Preliminary structure-activity relationship studies indicated that, in most of the cancer cell lines evaluated, the substitution on position 7 was essential for increasing cytotoxicity. The results of this study might facilitate the preparation or late-stage modification of complex flavonoids as anti-cancer drug candidates.

Molecular characterization of a hepcidin homologue in starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) and its synergistic interaction with antibiotics.

Hepcidins are small cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in host immunity against pathogenic organisms. Most fish hepcidins exert bactericidal activities against a wide range of pathogens. In this study, we identified a cDNA sequence encoding a hepcidin homologue (PsHepcidin) in the starry flounder Platichthys stellatus. The predicted amino acid sequence of PsHepcidin comprises a signal peptide and a prodomain, which are followed by the mature peptide. Sequence analysis revealed that PsHepcidin belongs to the fish HAMP2 cluster and that it is closely related to mudskipper hepcidin-2. Expression of PsHepcidin mRNA was detected in all examined immune-related tissues, with the highest transcript levels being found in the liver. In response to lipopolysaccharide treatment, PsHepcidin was significantly up-regulated in the liver, kidney, and spleen in a time-dependent manner. Chemically synthesized mature peptides of PsHepcidin were found to exhibit broad antimicrobial activity in vitro. We also investigated the combined effect of PsHepcidin and conventional antibiotics and found that these combinations showed synergistic effects against most of the examined bacterial strains. Collectively, the results of this study indicate that PsHepcidin exhibits potent antibacterial activity both independently and when used in combination with conventional antibiotics.