Pyrazine-Functionalized Donor-Acceptor Covalent Organic Frameworks for Enhanced Photocatalytic H2 Evolution with High Proton Transport.

The well-defined 2D or 3D structure of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) makes it have great potential in photoelectric conversion and ions conduction fields. Herein, a new donor-accepter (D-A) COF material, named PyPz-COF, constructed from electron donor 4,4',4″,4'″-(pyrene-1,3,6,8-tetrayl)tetraaniline and electron accepter 4,4'-(pyrazine-2,5-diyl)dibenzaldehyde with an ordered and stable π-conjugated structure is reported. Interestingly, the introduction of pyrazine ring endows the PyPz-COF a distinct optical, electrochemical, charge-transfer properties, and also brings plentiful CN groups that enrich the proton by hydrogen bonds to enhance the photocatalysis performance. Thus, PyPz-COF exhibits a significantly improved photocatalytic hydrogen generation performance up to 7542 µmol g-1 h-1 with Pt as cocatalyst, also in clear contrast to that of PyTp-COF without pyrazine introduction (1714 µmol g-1 h-1 ). Moreover, the abundant nitrogen sites of the pyrazine ring and the well-defined 1D nanochannels enable the as-prepared COFs to immobilize H3 PO4 proton carriers in COFs through hydrogen bond confinement. The resulting material has an impressive proton conduction up to 8.10 × 10-2 S cm-1 at 353 K, 98% RH. This work will inspire the design and synthesis of COF-based materials with both efficient photocatalysis and proton conduction performance in the future.

Flavokawain B alleviates LPS-induced acute lung injury via targeting myeloid differentiation factor 2.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a sudden onset systemic inflammatory response. ALI causes severe morbidity and death and currently no effective pharmacological therapies exist. Natural products represent an excellent resource for discovering new drugs. Screening anti-inflammatory compounds from the natural product bank may offer viable candidates for molecular-based therapies for ALI. In this study, 165 natural compounds were screened for anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged macrophages. Among the screened compounds, flavokawain B (FKB) significantly reduced LPS-induced pro-inflammatory IL-6 secretion in macrophages. FKB also reduced the formation of LPS/TLR4/MD2 complex by competitively binding to MD2, suppressing downstream MAPK and NF-κB signaling activation. Finally, FKB treatment of mice reduced LPS-induced lung injury, systemic and local inflammatory cytokine production, and macrophage infiltration in lungs. These protective activities manifested as increased survival in the ALI model, and reduced mortality upon bacterial infection. In summary, we demonstrate that the natural product FKB protects against LPS-induced lung injury and sepsis by interacting with MD2 and inhibiting inflammatory responses. FKB may potentially serve as a therapeutic option for the treatment of ALI.

Pharmacological inhibition of MyD88 suppresses inflammation in tubular epithelial cells and prevents diabetic nephropathy in experimental mice.

Emerging evidence shows that chronic inflammation mediated by toll-like receptors (TLRs) contributes to diabetic nephropathy. Myeloid differentiation primary-response protein-88 (MyD88) is an essential adapter protein of all TLRs except TLR3 in innate immunity. It is unclear whether MyD88 could be a therapeutic target for diabetic nephropathy. Here, we used a new small-molecule MyD88 inhibitor, LM8, to examine the pharmacological inhibition of MyD88 in protecting kidneys from inflammatory injury in diabetes. We showed that MyD88 was significantly activated in the kidney of STZ-induced type 1 diabetic mice in tubular epithelial cells as well as in high glucose-treated rat tubular epithelial cells NRK-52E. In cultured tubular epithelial cells, we show that LM8 (2.5-10 µM) or MyD88 siRNA attenuated high-concentration glucose-induced inflammatory and fibrogenic responses through inhibition of MyD88-TLR4 interaction and downstream NF-κB activation. Treatment with LM8 (5, 10 mg/kg, i.g.) significantly reduced renal inflammation and fibrosis and preserved renal function in both type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice. These renoprotective effects were associated with reduced MyD88-TLR4 complex formation, suppressed NF-κB signaling, and prevention of inflammatory factor expression. Collectively, our results show that hyperglycemia activates MyD88 signaling cascade to induce renal inflammation, fibrosis, and dysfunction. Pharmacological inhibition of MyD88 may be a therapeutic approach to mitigate diabetic nephropathy and the inhibitor LM8 could be a potential candidate for such therapy.

The effects of academic adaptability on academic burnout, immersion in learning, and academic performance among Chinese medical students: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Medical students struggle with a heavy workload during their comparatively long course of study in China. The future of medical science depends largely on whether or not medical students become qualified. This study aims to explore whether medical students' academic adaptability affects learning outcomes. This paper will not only provide scientific evidence for educators and administrators of medical schools but will also benefit students by improving their aptitude and adaptability through a thorough discussion on their educational environment. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey from September to December 2016. A total of 1977 respondents completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 79.08%. A cross-sectional survey was used in this study. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, General Linear Model (GLM) analysis, standard multiple regression, and hierarchical multiple regression were performed for data analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS Version 19.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: Out of the 1977 students, 1586 (80.2%) had mean academic adaptability levels over 3. Findings suggested that academic adaptability (Mean = 3.32), immersion in learning (Mean = 3.20), and academic performance (Mean = 3.39), were at the middle level while academic burnout (Mean = 2.17) was at a low level. Academic adaptability of medical students showed a significant negative relation to academic burnout (Beta = - 0.705, P<0.01), there was a significant positive relation between academic adaptability and immersion in learning (Beta = 0.655, P<0.01) and academic performance (Beta = 0.407, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of academic adaptability are associated with lower levels of burnout and higher levels of immersion in learning and academic performance. It might be helpful for medical schools to consider academic adaptability and ways of enhancing such skills in order to enhance student performance and engagement while in school.

An Optimized and Feasible Preparation Technique for the Industrial Production of Hydrogel Patches.

For hydrogel patches, the laboratory tests could not fully reveal the existing problems of full scale of industrial production, and there are few studies about the preparation technique for the industrial manufacturing process of hydrogel patches. So, the purpose of this work was to elucidate the effects of mainly technological operation and its parameters on the performance of hydrogel patches at the industrial-scale production. The results revealed the following: (1) the aqueous phase was obtained by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) along with tartaric acid dissolved in purified water, then feeding this into a vacuum mixer as a whole in one batch, thus extended the crosslinking reaction time of hydrogel paste (matrix) and allowed the operation of coating/cutting-off to be carried out easily, and there was no permeation of backing layer; (2) the gel strength of the hydrogel patches increased with the increase of working temperature, however, once the temperature exceeded 35 ± 2 °C, the hydrogel paste would lose water severely and the resultant physical crosslinking structure which has lower gel/cohesive strength would easily bring gelatinization/residues during application; (3) the relative humidity (RH) of the standing-workshop was dynamically controlled (namely at 35 ± 2 °C, keeping the RH at 55 ± 5% for 4 days, then 65 ± 5% for 2 days), which would make patches with satisfactory characteristics such as better flexibility, higher adhesive force, smooth flat matrix surface, and without gelatinization/residues and warped edge during the using process; (4) the aging of the packaged hydrogel patches was very sensitive to storage temperature, higher temperature, higher gel strength and lower adhesiveness. The storage temperature of 10 ± 2 °C could effectively prevent matrix aging and adhesion losing, which would also facilitate the expiration date of patches extended obviously. In conclusion, this work provides an optimized and feasible preparation technique for the industrial production of the hydrogel patches and establishes the hydrogel patches as a novel carrier for transdermal drug delivery.

Clinical curative effect observation of therapy of Chinese drug iontophoresis in treatment of degenerative osteoarthropathy.

Degenerative osteoarthropathy is a kind of arthrosis induced by various factors, with main pathological feature of articular cartilage and syndesmophyte formation. In recent years, its morbidity increases year by year and tend to appear more among young people. Its curative effect has yet to be improved. This paper mainly discussed the clinical curative effect of therapy of Chinese drug iontophoresis in degenerative osteoarthropathy. A total of 296 cases of degenerative osteoarthropathy was randomly divided into two groups (with no consideration on gender): Chinese drug iontophoresis group: joint was treated by therapy of Chinese drug iontophoresis and MTZ-F experiment; frequency electrotherapy group: joint was only treated by medium frequency electrotherapy. Two groups were both treated for 30 min for one time, 1 time for a day, total for 4 weeks. Result of the study found that, total effective rate of medium frequency electrotherapy group was 74.3%, Chinese medicine iontophoresis group was 93.2%; curative effect of Chinese medicine iontophoresis group was superior to electrotherapy group. It indicates that, Chinese medicine iontophoresis has good clinical effect in the treatment of osteoarthropathy and deserves to be popularized and applied.

Emodin inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase in a rat model of craniocerebral explosive injury.

To investigate the effects of emodin on blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) in a rat model. Eighty rats were randomly divided into 2 groups (the control group and the emodin-treated group; N = 40 per group) and were used to establish the model of blast-induced traumatic brain injury. Ten minutes after the explosion, an isotonic saline solution (10 mg/kg) or emodin (10 mg/kg) were administered via an intraperitoneal injection to the control group and the emodin-treated group, respectively. At each time point (pre-explosion, 2, 6, 12, 24 h after explosion), 2 rats were used for the pathological assessment and 6 rats were used for the biochemical assessment. The concentration of nitric oxide (NO) and the expression and activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were measured at each time point by spectrophotometry and western blot analysis. Light and electron microscopy showed that the brain damage in the emodin-treated group was less serious than that observed in the control group. The concentration of NO in the emodin-treated group was lower compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Western blot analysis showed that protein expression in the emodin-treated group was lower than the control group (p < 0.05). Emodin can alleviate brain damage after bTBI by inhibiting iNOS. These findings suggest that emodin has a protective effect against bTBI. One possible mechanism may occur by inhibiting the expression and activity of iNOS and consequently decreasing the concentration of NO.

Analyzing time-series microarray data reveals key genes in spinal cord injury.

Although many scholars have utilized high-throughput microarrays to delineate gene expression patterns after spinal cord injury (SCI), no study has evaluated gene changes in raphe magnus (RM) and somatomotor cortex (SMTC), two areas in brain primarily affected by SCI. In present study, we aimed to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of RM and SMTC between SCI model and sham injured control at 4, 24 h, 7, 14, 28 days, and 3 months using microarray dataset GSE2270 downloaded from gene expression omnibus and unpaired significance analysis of microarray method. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed for DEGs at crucial time points and significant biological functions were enriched using DAVID. The results indicated that more DEGs were identified at 14 days in RM and at 4 h/3 months in SMTC after SCI. In the PPI network for DEGs at 14 days in RM, interleukin 6, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog (FOS), tumor necrosis factor, and nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group C, member 1 (glucocorticoid receptor) were the top 5 hub genes; In the PPI network for DEGs at 3 months in SMTC, the top 5 hub genes were ubiquitin B, Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (rho family, small GTP binding protein Rac1), FOS, Janus kinase 2 and vascular endothelial growth factor A. Hedgehog and Wnt signaling pathways were the top 2 significant pathways in RM. These hub DEGs and pathways may be underlying therapeutic targets for SCI.

The association of XPG and MMS19L polymorphisms response to chemotherapy in osteosarcoma.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of XPG, XPC, CCNH and MMS19L polymorphisms response to chemotherapy in osteosarcoma, and the clinical outcome of osteosarcoma. METHODS: One hundred and sixty eight osteosarcoma patients who were histologically confirmed were enrolled in our study between January 2007 and March 2009. Genotyping of XPG, XPC, CCNH and MMS19L was performed in a 384-well plate format on the MassARRAY® platform. RESULTS: Individuals with rs2296147 TT genotype showed a better response as compared with CC genotype, with the OR (95% CI) of 3.89(1.49-10.95). Those carrying rs29001322 TT genotype presented better response to chemotherapy, and the OR (95% CI) was as high as 12.25(2.63-121.84). Patients carrying TT genotype of XPG rs2296147 and MMS19L rs29001322 showed a significantly longer overall survival than CC genotype, they had 0.37 and 0.31-fold risk of death when compared with wide-type of this gene. CONCLUSIONS: XPG rs2296147 and MMS19L rs29001322 are correlated with response to chemotherapy and prognosis of osteosarcoma. Our findings would provide important evidence for prognostic and therapeutic implications in osteosarcoma.

19-oxygenated ent-kaurane diterpenoids from Isodon pharicus.

Eight new 19-oxygenated ENT-kaurane diterpenoids were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon pharicus. Their structures were determined by means of extensive spectroscopic techniques including interpretation of 1D and 2D NMR spectra. Selected compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against NB4, A549, PC-3, MCF-7, and SH-SY5Y cell lines.

Lanostane triterpenoids from the stems of Schisandra glaucescens.

Ten new triterpenoids, schiglausins A-J (1-10), as well as four known compounds, were isolated from the stems of Schisandra glaucescens. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods, including extensive NMR spectra and CD experiment. Compound 8 was determined to be a norlanostane triterpenoid. The crystal structure of compound 1 has been determined using single-crystal X-ray analysis while its absolute configuration was assigned on the basis of the CD spectrum. All isolates were tested for their FXR agonistic and antagonistic effects.

The impact of psychological capital on job embeddedness and job performance among nurses: a structural equation approach.

AIMS: The objective of this study was to provide empirical evidence on the relationships between psychological capital, job embeddedness and performance. This paper also seeks to present the theoretical development of psychological capital and job embeddedness in nursing research and their application to nursing practices. BACKGROUND: Psychological capital was recently identified as a core construct in the literature of positive psychology. However, there is considerably less evidence on its positive effects on job embeddedness and performance among nursing personnel. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to approximately 1000 nurses employed in five university hospitals in Heilongjiang province in China. Data were collected in november 2009. the response rate was 73·3%. structural equation modelling was employed to test the proposed relationships. FINDINGS: The results support the hypothesized model. This research outlined a strong relationship between the self-reported psychological capital, job embeddedness and performance of the nurses. The study findings suggest that improving the individual-accumulated psychological state of nurses will have a positive impact on their retention intention and job performance. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that higher psychological capital increases the self-reported job embeddedness and performance of these nurses.

Lignans from Kadsura angustifolia and Kadsura coccinea.

Further phytochemical investigation of Kadsura angustifolia and Kadsura coccinea led to the isolation of six lignans and one flavonoid, including two new lignans named kadangustin L(1) and kadcoccilignan (2). The structures and stereochemistry of 1 and 2 were elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic data.

[Effects of water levels in heterogeneous habitats on sexual reproductive allocation of Deyeuxia angustifolia.] / å¼‚è´¨ç”Ÿå¢ƒæ°´ä½å·®å¼‚å¯¹å°å¶ç« æœ‰æ€§ç¹æ®–åˆ†é çš„å½±å“.

Taking Deyeuxia angustifolia as the research object, a representative plant of wetland in Sanjiang Plain, we analyzed the variations of individual size and biomass among the habitats of swamp wetlands, swampy meadows, typical meadows and miscellaneous grass meadows, and the relationship between reproductive components and plant biomass. We explored the effects of water level on individual biomass and reproductive allocation of D. angustifolia in different types of wetlands. The results showed that plant biomass, height and the characteristics of sexual reproduction significantly decreased with the increases of water level. The reproductive thresholds of D. angustifolia in miscellaneous grass meadow, typical meadow, swampy meadow, and swamp wetland were 0.245, 0.149, 0.148 and 0.157 g, respectively. There was a significantly negative correlation between plant size and reproductive allocation in three habitats except swampy meadow. Compared with individual size, soil water content had a stronger effect on reproductive allocation of D. angustifolia. The different investment between individual size and reproductive allocation in different habitats was the basic condition that contributes to the good ecological adaptability of D. angustifolia.

Anaerobic digestates grown oleaginous microalgae for pollutants removal and lipids production.

Anaerobic digestates were potential mediums for cultivating oleaginous microalgae, but their various components brought uncertainties for aglal growth and lipids production. In this study, three microalgae strains were tested to grow on four typical anaerobic digestates. The results showed that anaerobic food wastewater was an optimal medium for C. pyrenoidosa and S. obliquus culture (N. oleoabundanst cannot survive), achieving the highest biomass (2.15-2.32 g L-1) and lipids production (20.6-32.5 mg L-1·d-1). In contrast, three microalgae strains could grow suboptimally in anaerobic municipal (0.79-0.95 g L-1) and toilet (0.92-1.40 g L-1) wastewater, but showed poor performances in anaerobic swine wastewater. The growth of microalgae removed 40.9-63.4% of TOC, 83.7-96.3% of NH4+-N and 70.3-89.4% of TP in the three ADs. In addition, it was unfortunately found that the lipids content and saturation degree in fatty acids significantly decreased in ADs with sufficient nutrients. It suggests that some measures should be taken to balance biomass, lipids production and quality for cultivating microalgae in anaerobic digestates.

[Effects of Simulated Nitrogen Deposition on Soil Microbial Carbon Metabolism in Calamagrostis angustifolia Wetland in Sanjiang Plain].

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition has a crucial impact on the structure and function of soil microorganisms of wetland ecosystems. Therefore, carrying out a study on the effects of soil carbon metabolism capacity has a great significance for the protection and utilization of wetland ecosystems. In this study, the effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on the carbon metabolic capacity of soil microorganisms in Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland for five consecutive years was investigated using Biolog-Eco technology. The results showed:① soil water content (SMC), pH, nitrate nitrogen (NO3-), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and total nitrogen (TN) contents were significantly different (P<0.05) under different nitrogen deposition conditions. ② The average well color development (AWCD) values of soil microorganisms within different N depositions were in the order of CK (control)>HN (high nitrogen treatment)>LN (low nitrogen treatment). LN significantly reduced the Shannon diversity index of soil microorganisms, and HN significantly reduced the Pielou index of soil microorganisms (P<0.05). ③ LN significantly inhibited the intensity of the utilization of carbohydrates, alcohols, amines, and acids by soil microorganisms (P<0.05); HN significantly promoted the utilization of esters by microorganisms, but HN caused soil microorganisms to inhibit the carbon sources of carbohydrates, amines, and acids (P<0.05). ④ Redundancy analysis showed that NH4+, DOC, and pH were the main environmental factors affecting the functional diversity of soil microbial communities in Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland in the Sanjiang Plain. Long-term nitrogen deposition will lead to the reduction in soil microbial functional diversity; the microbial activity related to the utilization of carbon source substrates is also significantly reduced, and the ability of microorganisms to utilize a single carbon source substrate also changes.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Individual Learning Passion in Medical Education: Understanding Self-Development in Positive Psychology.

Background: Boosting the individual learning passion of medical students is a novel approach to improve their academic performance. It facilitates the medical education reform, motivating both policymakers and educators to focus on the function of positive psychology in the career development of medical students. Therefore, this study aimed (1) to assess the status of two types of learning passion; (2) to clarify the relationship between self-esteem and two types of learning passion among Chinese medical students; (3) to examine the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in the relationship between self-esteem and two types of learning passion, respectively; and (4) to identify the moderating role of professional identity in the relationship between PsyCap and two types of learning passion, respectively. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from April to June 2016 in China. A total of 1,218 valid questionnaires (effective completion rate: 67.93%) were collected from four medical schools. Results: Self-esteem significantly and positively influenced medical students' PsyCap (ß = 0.637, P < 0.01) and two types of learning passion, including harmonious learning passion (ß = 0.589, P < 0.01) and obsessive learning passion (ß = 0.436, P < 0.01). PsyCap fully mediated the relationship (ß = 0.578, P < 0.01) between self-esteem and harmonious learning passion positively, whereas it suppressed the relationship (ß = 0.490, P < 0.01) between self-esteem and obsessive learning passion. Further, professional identity significantly moderated the correlation between PsyCap and harmonious learning passion (ß = -0.554, P < 0.05), rather than obsessive learning passion (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Two types of learning passion of medical students are positively influenced by self-esteem and PsyCap. Medical students with high-level self-esteem should possess strong PsyCap, which augments their harmonious as well as obsessive learning passion. Moreover, the positive effect of medical students' PsyCap on harmonious learning passion is more notable among those with a lower professional identity. Finally, this study argues that strengths-based interventions of self-esteem and PsyCap are a beneficial approach for future enhancing learning passion in the domain of medical education.

Antiproliferative diterpenoids from the leaves of Isodon rubescens.

A phytochemical study of Isodon rubescens leaves led to the isolation of five new diterpenoids, isorubesins A-E ( 1- 5), and fifteen known diterpenoids. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic evidence. Most of the diterpenoids were tested for cytotoxicity against NB4, A549, SHSY5Y, PC3, and MCF7 human tumor cells. Some of them showed potent inhibitory activity. Compound 5 is the first reported atisane-type diterpenoid from this plant.

Anti-hepatitis B virus and cytotoxic diterpenoids from Isodon lophanthoides var. gerardianus.

Four new diterpenoides, isolophanthins A-D (1-4) together with seven known abietane diterpenoides (5-11), have been isolated from Isodon lophanthoides var. gerardianus. The new diterpenoides were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Some of them showed significant activities against HBsAg and HBeAg of hepatitis B virus in Hep G 2.2.15 cells, as well as the human tumor cell lines, HL-60, A-549, MOLT-4, and BEL-7402.

Nutrients recycling and biomass production from Chlorella pyrenoidosa culture using anaerobic food processing wastewater in a pilot-scale tubular photobioreactor.

Microalgae cultivation in anaerobic food wastewater was a feasible way for high biomass production and nutrients recycling. In this study, Chlorella pyrenoidosa culture on anaerobic food wastewater was processed outdoors using a pilot-scale tubular photobioreactor. The microalgae showed rapid growth in different seasons, achieving high biomass production of 1.83-2.10 g L-1 and specific growth rate of 0.73-1.59 d-1. The biological contamination and dissolved oxygen were controlled at suitable levels for algal growth in the tubular photobioreactor. Lipids content in harvested biomass was 8.1-15.3% of dried weight, and the analysis in fatty acids revealed high quality with long carbon chain length and high saturation. Additionally, algal growth achieved effective pollutants purification from wastewater, removing 42.3-53.8% of CODCr, 82.6-88.7% of TN and 59.7-67.6% of TP. This study gave a successful application for scaled-up microalgae culture in anaerobic food processing wastewater for biodiesel production and wastewater purification.