Two-Dimensional Barrage Jamming against SAR Using a Frequency Diverse Array Jammer.

Due to the modulation of tiny frequency offset on the array elements, a frequency diverse array (FDA) jammer can generate multiple range-dimension point false targets, and many deception jamming methods against SAR using an FDA jammer have been studied. However, the potential of the FDA jammer to generate barrage jamming has rarely been reported. In this paper, a barrage jamming method against SAR using an FDA jammer is proposed. To achieve two-dimensional (2-D) barrage effect, the stepped frequency offset of FDA is introduced to generate range-dimensional barrage patches, and the micro-motion modulation is employed to increase the extent of barrage patches along the azimuth direction. Mathematical derivations and simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed method in generating flexible and controllable barrage jamming.

Two new flavonoid thioglucosides from the seeds of Lepidium apetalum.

Two previously undescribed flavonoid thioglucosides lepidiumflavonosides A and B (1-2) and two known megastigmane compounds (7E,9S)-9-hydroxy-5,7-megastigmadien-4-one 9-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (3) and (9S)-4-oxo-ß-inol ß-D-glucopyranoside (4) were isolated from the water extract of the seeds of Lepidium apetalum Willd. The structural elucidation of isolated compounds was unambiguously determined based on extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses. All compounds were evaluated for their estrogen-like effects on MCF-7 cells in vitro. The results showed that compounds 1-4 significantly promoted the proliferation of MCF-7 cells, and the proliferation was antagonized by the specific ER antagonist ICI182,780, suggesting that compounds 1-4 might have the estrogen-like effect in vitro potentially.

Alkaloids from the stem of Ephedra equisetina.

Two new cyclotrypyamine alkaloids equisetinines A and B, as well as three known alkaloids (3-5) were isolated from the stems of Ephedra equisetina Bunge. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations of the new compounds were determined by interpretation of their electronic circular dichroism. Anti-asthmatic activities of compounds were evaluated by releasing ß-Hex in C48/80-induced RBL-2H3 cells, and compound 5 exhibited significant anti-asthmatic activities.

Four New Benzoylamide Derivatives Isolated from the Seeds of Lepidium apetalum Willd. and Ameliorated LPS-Induced NRK52e Cells via Nrf2/Keap1 Pathway.

Four new benzoylamide derivatives, lepidiumamide B-E (1-4), were isolated from the seeds of Lepidium apetalum Willd. The structures were determined by a combination of MS and NMR analyses. All compounds were evaluated for their protective effects against NRK-52e cell injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro. These compounds showed significantly protective activity and ameliorated LPS-induced NRK52e cells via the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. The discovery of these active compounds is important for the prevention and treatment of renalinjury.

Anti-Pulmonary Fibrosis Activities of Triterpenoids from Oenothera biennis.

Five new triterpenoids, oenotheralanosterols C-G (1-5), with seven known triterpenoidcompounds, namely 2α,3α,19α-trihydroxy-24-norurs4,12-dien-28-oic acid (6), 3ß,23-dihydroxy-1-oxo-olean-12-en-28-oic acid (7), remangilone C (8), knoxivalic acid A (9), termichebulolide (10), rosasecotriterpene A (11), androsanortriterpene C (12), were extracted and separated from the dichloromethane part of Oenothera biennis L. The anti-pulmonary fibrosis activities of all the compounds against TGF-ß1-induced damage tonormal human lung epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells were investigated in vitro. The results showed that compounds 1-2, 6, 8, and 11 exhibited significant anti-pulmonary fibrosis activities, with EC50 values ranging from 4.7 µM to 9.9 µM.

Three New 2,2'-Difurylketone Derivatives and Two New Chromones from the Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata.

Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata is the processed products of the root of Rehmannia glutinosa. It has been used as a Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years, and it has been found to possess widely pharmacological activities. In this study, three new 2,2'-difurylketone derivatives (rehmanniaeketone A-C) and two new chromones [3,8-dihydroxy-2-(2-hydroxyethyl)chromone and 3,8-dihydroxy-2-[(2-O-α-D-galactopyranosyloxy)ethyl]chromone] were isolated from the Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata. Furthermore all of the compounds were subjected to cytotoxic testing against the human lung carcinoma A549 cells. The cytotoxic results showed that rehmanniaeketone B and rehmanniaeketone C exhibited more stronger inhibition effects on the cell activity of A549 cells with the IC50 5.23 µM and 2.05 µM than other compounds. And 3,8-dihydroxy-2-(2-hydroxyethyl)chromone exhibited moderately inhibitory activity with the IC50 61 µM. Rehmanniaeketone A and 3,8-dihydroxy-2-[(2-O-α-D-galactopyranosyloxy]chromone showed no inhibitory effects.

A new bisepoxylignan dendranlignan A isolated from Chrysanthemum Flower inhibits the production of inflammatory mediators via the TLR4 pathway in LPS-induced H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

A new bisepoxylignan dendranlignan A (A1) and the known compound lantibeside D (D2) was isolated from Chrysanthemum Flower, the dried capitulum of Dendranthema morifolium (Ramat.) kitam. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR and MS data. Additionally, A1 and D2 were evaluated for their effects on the production of inflammatory mediators in H9c2 cardiomyocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results demonstrated that A1 and D2 decreased LPS-induced production of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-2 and IFN-γ in H9c2 cells. Both compounds also decreased the nuclear localization of c-JUN, p-P65 and p-IRF3, but did not affect the level of TLR4. Molecular docking indicated that A1 and D2 occupied the ligand binding sites of TLR4-MD2. In the present study, we for the first time discovered a new bisepoxylignan compound A1, and found that this compound has a potential to inhibit inflammation by inhibiting TLR4 signaling.

Synthesis, toxicity and antitumor activity of cobalt carbonyl complexes targeting hepatocellular carcinoma.

Based on our previous research, a series of targeting hepatocellular carcinoma complexes, [R-Glycyrrhetinic acid-CH2C2H-[Co2(CO)6] (R = H, 1; R = NSAIDs-COOH, 2-4; R = Aromatic acid, 5-7; R = Amino acid, 8-10), were synthesized. The test showed they are slow CO releasers. Using HeLa, A549, HT-29, SMMC7721 and HepG2 cells as models, their activities against tumor cell proliferation were firstly evaluated. The resulting data show all the complexes displayed a good anti-proliferation activity against the HepG2 and SMMC-7721 liver cancer cells, and their IC50 values were in the range of 10.07-66.06 µM; compared with cis-platin (DDP), their activities were comparable or even better under the same condition. Among them, complexes 3, 4, 6 and 9 exhibited higher anti-proliferation activities against HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cell lines than the other cell lines. To confirm further these complexes have selectivity to the liver cells, the uptakes of complexes 3, 4, 6 and 9 by HepG2, HT-29, A549 and SMMC7721 cell lines were studied. The results show the cell uptake rates of the complexes by HepG2 cells and SMMC7721 cells were much greater than by other cells under the same condition. In following tests, the tested complexes displayed higher activities in inhibiting NF-kB, COX-2 and iNOS; and they induced HepG2 cells apoptosis by mitochondrial pathway, which assessed by staining with different fluorescent reagent DAPI, PI, Mito-Tracker Green and DCFH-DA. Meanwhile, the tested complexes up-regulated the expression levels of caspase-3 and Bax, down-regulated the Bcl-2 expression. In addition, they had no effect on zebrafish embryo survival, embryo hatching, embryonic movement, zebrafish malformation and zebrafish movement at below 0.5 µM. This suggests the complexes are potential candidates to be used in clinic for liver cancers.

Anti-atherosclerosis effect of H2S donors based on nicotinic acid and chlorfibrate structures.

Based on the structures of nicotinic acid and chlorfibrate, a series of new H2S donors were synthesized and their anti-atherosclerosis activities using Ox-LDL RAW 264.6 cells as model were evaluated. The release test showed that all the compounds could release H2S effectively and showed low cytotoxicity. In the bioactivity experiments, compounds 1, 3, 9 and 14 increased the survival rate of HUVEC cells treated by ox-LDL; among four compounds, compounds 1 and 3 displayed higher activity than the others. In the foam cell model, compounds 1 and 3 were found to inhibit the formation of foam cells and significantly reduced the content of TC and FC in foam cells. They had more obvious effects on lipid reduction than those of nicotinic acid and chlorfibrate. In anti-oxidation, compounds 1 and 3 significantly reduced ROS and MDA and increased the expression level of SOD, whereas the precursor compounds, niacin and chlorfibrate had little antioxidant effect. In addition, both compounds also inhibited the inflammatory response in foam cells, with reducing pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. WB assay showed that the tested compounds inhibited the expression levels PI3K, Akt and NF-κb proteins. In conclusion, the compounds as H2S donors could protect HUVEC cells from damage and inhibit the formation of foam cells by inhibiting PI3K/Akt/NF-κb signal pathway. All these suggest the compounds have potential to be candidate for anti-atherosclerosis medicines.

[Lignans from flower buds of Magnolia biondii].

The present study aims to investigate the lignans from the flower buds of Magnolia biondii. The isolation and purification of the compounds were performed by column chromatographies on Diaion HP-20, silica gel, and Sephadex LH-20, combined with semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data and physiochemical properties. Eighteen compounds were isolated and identified as magnolin (1), epimagnolin (2), eudesmin (3), kobusin (4), aschantin (5), lirioresinol B dimethyl ether (6), pinoresinol monomethy ether (7), (+)-de-O-methylmagnolin (8), isoeucommin A (9), syringaresinol 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (10), phillygenin (11), lariciresinol-4'-O-ß-1-D-glucoside (12), conicaoside (13), (7'S, 8'R)-dihydrodehydrodiconiferylalcohol (14), 7R*, 8S*-dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (15), 7S, 8R-erythro-7, 9, 9'-trihydroxy-3, 3'-dimethoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (16), 7S, 8R-erythro-4, 9, 9'-trihydroxy-3, 3'-dimethoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan-7-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (17), and (+)-isolariciresinol (18). Compounds 7-18 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

[A new phenylacetamide from the seeds of Lepidium apetalum Willd].

The chemical constituents of the seeds of Lepidium apetalum Willd. were investigated using chromatographic methods, including Diaion HP-20, Toyopearl HW-40, MCI Gel CHP-20, ODS, silica gel chromatography and semi-preparative-HPLC. Three compounds were isolated and their structures were elucidated by spectral data and physicochemical properties, which were identified as lepidiumamide A (1), cis-desulfoglucotropaeolin(2), trans-desulfoglucotropaeolin (3). Among those, compound 1 is a new phenylacetamide, compound 2 and 3 were isolated from this plant for the first time, and their configurations were also identified for the first time.

MCT4-mediated expression of EAAT1 is involved in the resistance to hypoxia injury in astrocyte-neuron co-cultures.

Hypoxic stressors contribute to neuronal death in many brain diseases. Astrocyte processes surround most neurons and are therefore anatomically well-positioned to shield them from hypoxic injury. Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs), represent the sole mechanism of active reuptake of glutamate into the astrocytes and neurons and are essential to dampen neuronal excitation following glutamate release at synapses. Glutamate clearance impairment from any factors is bound to result in an increase in hypoxic neuronal injury. The brain energy metabolism under hypoxic conditions depends on monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) that are expressed by neurons and glia. Previous co-immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that MCT4 directly modulate EAAT1 in astrocytes. The reduction in both surface proteins may act synergistically to induce neuronal hyperexcitability and excitotoxicity. Therefore we hypothesized that astrocytes would respond to hypoxic conditions by enhancing their expression of MCT4 and EAAT1, which, in turn, would enable them to better support neurons to survive lethal hypoxia injury. An oxygen deprivation (OD) protocol was used in primary cultures of neurons, astrocytes, and astrocytes-neurons derived from rat hippocampus, with or without MCT4-targeted short hairpin RNA (shRNA) transfection. Cell survival, expression of MCT4, EAAT1, glial fibrillary acidic protein and neuronal nuclear antigen were evaluated. OD resulted in significant cell death in neuronal cultures and up-regulation of MCT4, EAAT1 expression respectively in primary cell cultures, but no injury in neuron-astrocyte co-cultures and astrocyte cultures. However, neuronal cell death in co-cultures was increased exposure to shRNA-MCT4 prior to OD. These findings demonstrate that the MCT4-mediated expression of EAAT1 is involved in the resistance to hypoxia injury in astrocyte-neuron co-cultures.

Flavonoids and phenols from the stems of Ephedra equisetina.

Twelve undescribed compounds, including five flavonoids and seven phenols, were isolated from the stems of Ephedra equisetina Bunge. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including NMR spectroscopy and HRESIMS analysis. Their absolute configurations were elucidated by comparing their experimental and calculated ECD spectra. In the in vitro bioactive assay, all compounds were tested for their anti-asthmatic activities by releasing ß-Hex in C48/80-induced RBL-2H3 cells. The ß-Hex release rates of compounds 3, 8, 10, and 11 were 0.8502 ± 0.0231, 0.8802 ± 0.0805, 0.7850 ± 0.0593, and 0.8361 ± 0.0728, respectively, suggesting that compounds 3, 8, 10, and 11 have potential anti-asthmatic activities.

Five new compounds from the stems of Ephedra equisetina.

Five new compounds were identified from the stems of Ephedra equisetina Bunge. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, involving UV, IR, NMR spectrum and HRESIMS analyses. The absolute configuration of compound 2 was proved by comparing their experimental and calculated ECD spectrum. The vitro bioactive assay of all compounds suggested that compound 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 may have potential anti-asthmatic activities.

miRNA-142-3p aggravates hydrogen peroxide-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell premature senescence by targeting SIRT1.

Vascular endothelial cell premature senescence plays an important part in stroke. Many microRNAs (miRNAs) are known to be involved in the pathological process of vascular endothelial cell premature senescence. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced premature senescence in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and effect of miR-142-3p on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced premature senescence. HUVECs were exposed to H2O2 to establish a model premature senescence in endothelial cells. CCK-8 assay was performed to detect cell viability. Senescence-associated ß-galactosidase staining assay and senescence-related proteins p16 and p21 were used to detect changes in the degree of cell senescence. RT-qPCR and Western blot were conducted to measure mRNA and protein levels, respectively. The scratch wound-healing assay, transwell assay, and EdU assay were performed to evaluate the ability of migration and proliferation, respectively. miRNA-142-3p and silencing information regulator 2 related enzyme 1 (SIRT1) binding was verified using Targetscan software and a dual-luciferase assay. We found that miRNA-142-3p is abnormally up-regulated in HUVECs treated with H2O2. Functionally, miRNA-142-3p inhibition may mitigate the degree of HUVEC senescence and improve HUVEC migration and proliferation. Mechanistically, SIRT1 was validated to be targeted by miRNA-142-3p in HUVECs. Moreover, SIRT1 inhibition reversed the effects of miRNA-142-3p inhibition on senescent HUVECs exposed to H2O2. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that miRNA-142-3p ameliorates H2O2-induced HUVECs premature senescence by targeting SIRT1 and may shed light on the role of the miR-142-3p/SIRT1 axis in stroke treatment.

Controlling the graphite-like microcrystalline structure of lignin-based ultrafine carbon fibers via the design of condensed structures.

Obtaining lignin-based graphite-like microcrystallites at a relatively low carbonization temperature is still very challenging. In this work, we report a new method based on condensed structures, for regulating graphite-like microcrystalline structures via the incorporation of 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) into the main structure of lignin. The effects of MDI on the thermal properties of lignin and the graphite-like microcrystalline structure of lignin-based ultrafine carbon fibers were extensively studied and investigated. The incorporation of MDI decreased the thermal stability of lignin, increased the carbon yield and enhanced the formation of graphite-like microcrystallites, which are beneficial for reducing energy consumption during the preparation of lignin-based carbon fibers. The modified lignin-based ultrafine carbon fibers (M-LCFs) demonstrated satisfactory electrochemical performance, including high specific capacitance, low charge transfer resistance, and good cycle performance. The M-LCFs-3/2 electrode had a specific capacitance of 241.3 F g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1, and a residual ratio of 90.2 % after 2000 charge and discharge cycles. This study provides a new approach to control the graphite-like microcrystalline structure and electrochemical performance while also optimizing the temperature.

Potential pharmacological mechanisms of tanshinone IIA in the treatment of human neuroblastoma based on network pharmacological and molecular docking Technology.

Tanshinone IIA (Tan-IIA) is the main bioactive component of Chinese herbal medicine salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen). Sodium sulfonate of Tan-IIA is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Tan-IIA also has inhibitory effects on tumor cells such as gastric cancer, but its therapeutic effect and mechanism on human neuroblastoma have not been evaluated, so its pharmacological mechanism is systematically evaluated by the combined method of network pharmacology and molecular docking. PharmMapper and SwissTargetPrediction predicted 331 potential Tan-IIA-related targets, and 1,152 potential neuroblastoma-related targets were obtained from GeneCards, DisGeNET, DrugBank, OMIM and Therapeutic Target databases (TTD), 107 common targets for Tan-IIA and neuroblastoma. Through gene ontology (GO) functional annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomesa (KEGG) pathway enrichment, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and cytoHubba plug-in, 10 related signal pathways (Pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Prostate cancer, etc.) and 10 hub genes were identified. The results of molecular docking showed that Tan-IIA could interact with 10 targets: GRB2, SRC, EGFR, PTPN1, ESR1, IGF1, MAPK1, PIK3R1, AKT1 and IGF1R. This study analyzed the related pathways and targets of Tan-IIA in the treatment of human neuroblastoma, as well as the potential anticancer and anti-tumor targets and related signaling pathways of Tan-IIA, which provides a reference for us to find and explore effective drugs for the treatment of human neuroblastoma.

Multiple-Beam Steering Using Graphene-Based Coding Metasurfaces.

Recently, the coding metasurface has gained significant attention due to its exceptional potential in controlling electromagnetic (EM) waves with the rapid development of wireless communication systems. Meanwhile, graphene shows tremendous promise for the implementation of reconfigurable antennas due to its high tunable conductivity and its unique property that makes it a very suitable material for realizing steerable coded states. In this paper, we first propose a simple structured beam reconfigurable millimeter wave (MMW) antenna using a novel graphene-based coding metasurface (GBCM). Different from the previous method, its coding state can be manipulated by altering the sheet impedance of graphene instead of bias voltage. Then, we design and simulate several most popular coding sequences, including dual-, quad-and single-beam-generated implement, 30° beam deflection, as well as a random coding sequence for radar cross-section (RCS) reduction. The theoretical and simulation results show that graphene has great potential for MMW manipulation applications, which lay a foundation for the subsequent development and fabrication of GBCM.

Six sesquiterpenoids from the stems and leaves of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat and their anti-asthma activities.

Six previously undescribed sesquiterpenoids, chrysanthterpenoids H-M (1-6), were isolated from the stem and leaves of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. Structure elucidation of isolated compounds was unambiguously determined based on extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses. Furthermore, computational prediction of ECD was used to propose the absolute configurations of the compounds. All compounds were evaluated for their anti-asthma effects on RBL-2H3 cells in vitro. The results showed that Compounds 2 and 3 significantly inhibited the release of ß-aminohexosidase and improved RBL-2H3 degranulation by chromogenic substrate and high-content imaging. These results suggest that Compounds 2 and 3 may exhibit anti-asthma activities.

Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction mediates PDE5i/NO integration for cavernosum remodeling and penile rehabilitation.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) caused by cavernous nerve injury (CNI) is refractory to heal mainly ascribed to the adverse remodeling of the penis induced by ineffectual microvascular perfusion, fibrosis, and neurotrophins scarcity in cavernosum. Phosphodiesterase type V inhibitors (PDE5i) have been regarded as an alternative candidate drug for avoiding penile neuropathy. However, the therapeutic efficacy is severely limited due to poor accumulation under systemic medication and endogenous nitric oxide (NO) deficiency in cavernosum. Herein, an innovative liposomal microbubble (MB) loaded with both Sildenafil (one of PDE5i) and NO was designed. Ultrasound-targeted MB destruction (UTMD)-mediated efficient release and integration erectogenic agents into corpus cavernosum with high biosafety. On a bilateral CNI rat model, the multifunctional MB-cooperated UTMD improved microvascular perfusion in penis, simultaneously, alleviated hypoxia and oxidative stress, indicating successful activation of NO-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway. Also, evaluation of the endothelial/muscular composition, intracavernosal pressure, and neural integrity in the penis proved that coordinated intervention reversed the abnormal structural remodeling and promoted the recovery of functional erection. Our work demonstrates that MB loading Sildenafil and NO combined with UTMD hold great promise to "awaken" the efficacy of PDE5i in neurogenic ED, which provided a superior option for ensuring penile rehabilitation.