Abstract Objectives We aimed to explore the heterogeneity and differentiation trajectories of epithelial cells and NK/T-cells in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LSCC). Methods We downloaded the GSE150321 data set containing LSCC01 and LSCC02 samples single cell RNA data from Gene Expression Omnibus. The UMAP analysis was performed to identify the cell subpopulations and cell locations of subpopulations. Seurat package was used to analyze the differential expression of genes. The function of differential expression genes was analyzed using DAVID database. The monocle2 package was used to analyze differentiation trajectories. We used the CellChat package to observe the signaling pathways and ligand-receptor pairs for epithelial cells and NK/T-cells. Results All the LSCC cells were divided into 16 subpopulation that included 7 epithelial cell subsets, 3 T-cell subsets. The function analysis indicated that epithelial cells and NK/T-cells mainly participated in different process, such as cell cycle, immune response, and cell migration. Then, the results of differentiation trajectory indicated that the ability of migration, and the activation of the immune system increases, while the ability of apoptosis, and glucose metabolic process decreases as pseudotime. Migration-related epithelial cells act on all T-cells via the CNTN2-CNTN2 ligand-receptor pair, which suggested that CNTN2 might be an important biomarker for regulating migration of epithelial cells. Conclusions Our study characterized the heterogeneity of LSCC, which provided novel insights into LSCC and identified a new mechanism and target for clinical LSCC threapies. Evidence IV.

Abstract Wheat is the most widely cultivated food crop on the planet, and it feeds the majority of the world's population. The field experiment was performed from 2019 to 2021 in the eastern part of Loess Plateau, China Nitrogen (N) fertilizer application improves winter wheat yield. It was necessary to analyze the nitrogen utilization of different varieties and screen varieties with high yield and high nitrogen utilization. Six dryland wheat varieties YH-20410, YH-618, YH-805, JM-92, C-6359, and LH-6 were selected to compare the differences in nitrogen uptake and utilization yield, and quality. The aim was to provide theoretical basis for high yield, and high-efficiency wheat production in dryland of southeast loess Plateau. The results showed that the rainfall during the fallow period from 2019 to 2021 was 245.5 mm and 288.9 mm, respectively, and the nitrogen application rate was 180 kg ha-1.The highest transshipment amount, and transshipment rate of nitrogen before anther were found in YH-618, which reached 79.4 kg ha-1 and 58.6%, respectively. The yield of wheat cultivar YH-20410 was the highest, reaching 4890 kg ha-1, which was significantly higher than that of YH-805, JM-92, C-6359 and LH-6, but there was no significant difference of YH-618. The grain protein content of YH-618 was the highest (15.2%), which was not significantly different from that of JM-92, YH-805 and LH-6, but significantly higher than that of YH-20410, and C-6359, respectively. Therefore, in high-yield years, fallow cultivation can help adjust the relationship among the components, promote a reasonable distribution, and improve yield.

Abstract: Most multinational/transnational manufacturers that own internal supply chains and operate in turbulent world markets apply strategies related to product quality, low-cost, and timely delivery. This study aims to assist such firms with making accurate decisions to enable their competitive strategies and cope with the realities of limited capacity and unreliable equipment. We examine a vendor-buyer coordinated system featuring batch fabrication, outsourcing, quality reassurance, discontinuous deliveries, and an unreliable machine. The system outsources a portion of a lot to reduce manufacturing uptime, and the in-house fabrication system experiences undesirable defective items and Poisson distributed breakdowns. In each cycle, corrective action and rework/disposal of defective stocks are undertaken as these incidents occur, and upon receipt of outsourced products and when the entire batch is quality ensured, it makes multiple deliveries of the end products. Using modeling, formulation, derivation, and an optimization methodology, we obtain the problem’s cost function and justify its convexity. We then apply differential calculus and propose a recursive algorithm to derive the problem’s optimal replenishment runtime. A numerical illustration is offered to show the applicability of the result that reveals various important system characteristics/ capabilities, such as the distinct and combined influences of breakdowns, outsourcing, rework, scrap, and delivery-frequency factors on various system parameters, performance, and optimal runtime. The methods proposed here can facilitate managerial operations planning and strategic decision making in an intra-supply chain setting in practice.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the concise effects of a traditional herb pair, Curcumae rhizoma-Sparganii rhizoma (CRSR), on uterine leiomyoma (UL) by analyzing transcriptional profiling. The UL rat model was made by intramuscular injection of progesterone and gavage administration of diethylstilbestrol. From 11 weeks of the establishment of the model, rats of the UL+CRSR group were gavaged daily with CRSR (6.67 g/kg). The serum concentrations of progesterone (P) and estradiol (E2) were determined by radioimmunoassay, the uterine index was measured by caliper measurement, and the pathological status was observed by hematoxylin and eosin stain. Gene expression profiling was checked by NimbleGen Rat Gene Expression Microarrays. The results indicated that the uterine mass of UL+CRSR rats was significantly shrunk and serum P and E2 levels significantly reduced compared to UL animals and nearly to the level of normal rats. Results of microarrays displayed the extensive inhibition of CRSR upon the expression of proliferation and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM)-related genes, and significantly regulated a wide range of metabolism disorders. Furthermore, CRSR extensively regulated key pathways of the UL process, such as MAPK, PPAR, Notch, and TGF-β/Smad. Regulation of the crucial pathways for the UL process and ECM metabolism may be the underlying mechanisms of CRSR treatment. Further studies will provide clear clues for effectively treating UL with CRSR.

Uterine leiomyomas (ULs) are benign monoclonal tumors that arise from the underlying myometrial tissue in the uterus. Effective therapies are still lacking because of poor understanding of the pathophysiology and epidemiology. Hence, it is urgent to establish efficient animal models to screen novel anti-UL therapies. In this study, for the first time, traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine were combined to establish an animal model of ULs in rats. In order to evaluate the function and value of the novel model, it was compared with other models. The long-term and short-term rat models for ULs were established using progesterone and diethylstilbestrol. Rats in Qi stagnation and blood stasis group were injected with epinephrine hydrochloride and received chronic unpredictable stress for two weeks. Rats in combining disease with syndrome group (CDWSG) received not only epinephrine hydrochloride injection and chronic unpredictable stress but also progesterone and diethylstilbestrol treatment. We analyzed differences in organ coefficient, uterus size, uterine pathology, concentrations of progesterone, estradiol, progesterone receptor, estrogen receptor, expression of desmin, α-smooth muscle actin, and vimentin among the five groups. The animal model of ULs was successfully constructed by loading the rats with estrogen and progesterone. The rat model of CDWSG was more stable than other groups and the method was the most efficient.

Background Berberine acts primarily as an important active ingredient in Coptis chinensis and has been traditionally applied in clinical treatment. Nevertheless, little information has been released about C. chinensis, as far as functional genes and biosynthetic pathway of berberine are concerned. Here, we isolated a novel (S)-canadine synthase gene (designated as CAS-1) from C. chinensis by using RT-PCR and RACE techniques. Results Bioinformatics analysis showed that the cDNA is 1942 bp in length with a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 1476 bp, and the ORF encodes a polypeptide of 491 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 55.29 kDa and a pI value of 8.92. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that CcCAS-1 was constitutively expressed in leaf, petiole and rhizome tissues, especially in the leaves of C. chinensis. However, the results of berberine content in different tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method showed that the leaves and the petiole tissues have similar content of berberine. Conclusions We found that the berberine content in the rhizome was seven times (more or less) than that in the leaves and the petioles. In addition, the full length coding sequence of CcCAS-1 was inserted into pET-32a and was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli, laying a solid foundation for protein purification, activity assay and multi-clonal antibody preparation. Together, our data suggest that CcCAS-1 is a novel heme-thiolate enzyme essential for berberine biosynthesis in C. chinensis.

The cyclic resistance of ProTaper Universal (size 25/08) and ProTaper Next (size 25/06) instruments was compared in artificial canals with different curvatures in this study. A total of 30 ProTaper Universal and 30 ProTaper Next instruments were divided into 6 groups (n = 10) and were operated into artificial canals with 3 different angles of curvature (45°, 60°, 90°). The canal length was kept consistent in this study. The number of cycles to fracture (NCF) was counted until file fracture occurred, at which point, the length of the fragment was measured. The data were analyzed statistically using ANOVA complemented by the Tukey test (p < 0.05). Cross sections of the fractured files were scanned by an electron microscope. In the fatigue test, the ProTaper Next displayed more resistance in 45° and 60° canals (p < 0.05), whereas ProTaper Universal exhibited a better operability in 90° canals (p < 0.05). The average length of the fragments from ProTaper Next was significantly shorter than that from ProTaper Universal in 90° canals (p < 0.05). The cross sections of the fractured surfaces became flatter when the curvature angles decreased from 90° to 45°. ProTaper Next was more reliable when shaping in curved canals, whereas ProTaper Universal was more sui for the preparation of root canals with severe curvatures.

Uma nova neolignana benzofurânica, isovalerato de 9-di-hidrodesidrodiconiferila, além de 10 compostos fenólicos conhecidos, olivil, pinoresinol, 8-hidroxipinoresinol, pinorespiol, 8-hidroxi-7epipinoresinol, ácido trans-p-hidroxifenil-propenoico, ácido cis-p-hidroxifenil-propenoico, ácido isoferúlico e isovanilina foram isolados a partir das raízes da Valeriana officinalis var. latifolia. Suas estruturas e configurações foram elucidadas com base em métodos espectroscópicos. A atividade inibitória da acetilcolinesterase (AChE) e a atividade intensificada do fator de crescimento neural (NGF) mediada pelo crescimento de neurites em células PC12 pelos compostos isovalerato de 9-di-hidrodesidrodiconiferila e olivil foram avaliadas.

A new benzofuran neolignan, dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 9-isovalerate, along with ten known phenolic compounds, olivil, pinoresinol, 8-hydroxypinoresinol, pinorespiol, 8-hydroxy7-epipinoresinol, trans-p-hydroxyphenyl- propenoic acid, cis-p-hydroxyphenyl-propenoic acid, ferulic acid, isoferulic acid and isovanillin were isolated from the roots of Valeriana officinalis var. latifolia. Their structures and configurations were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. The inhibitory activity for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and enhancing activity on nerve growth factor (NGF)-mediated neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells of dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 9-isovaterate and olivil were evaluated.

Um catalisador magnético foi sintetizado via proceso de ativação da carboimida em β-ciclodextrina funcionalizada com nanopartículas core-shell (Fe3O4/SiO2/CM-β-CD). O catalisador apresenta elevada atividade na oxidação seletiva de vários álcoois usando NaOCl como oxidante e água como solvente. Foi obtido um processo seletivo na ausência de metal de transição e de fácil separação do catalisador.

A magnetically separable catalyst was synthesized via a carbodiimide activation process with β-cyclodextrin functionalized by core-shell nanoparticles (Fe3O4/SiO2/CM-β-CD). The catalyst presented high activity for selective oxidation of various alcohols with NaOCl as oxidant and water only as the solvent. A substrate-selective and transition metal-free process was achieved with easy separation of the catalyst.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo o isolamento de inibidores da enzima ácido graxo sintase (FAS) a partir de acetato de etila proveniente de extratos de cascas de frutas da Punica granatum L. A investigação química guiada por bioensaios das cascas das frutas resultou no isolamento de dezessete compostos incluindo principalmente triternóides e compostos fenólicos, dos quais um novo triterpeno do tipo oleanano (punicaone) juntamente com quatorze compostos conhecidos foram isolados pela primeira vez a partir desta planta. Sete dos componentes isolados foram avaliados para atividades inibitórias de FAS e dois deles apresentaram-se ativos. Em particular, o ácido flavogalônico que exibiu forte atividade inibitória de FAS com valor de IC50 de 10,3 µmol L-1.

The aim of this work is the isolation of fatty acid synthase (FAS) inhibitors from the ethyl acetate extracts of fruit peels of Punica granatum L. Bioassay-guided chemical investigation of the fruit peels resulted in the isolation of seventeen compounds mainly including triterpenoids and phenolic compounds, from which one new oleanane-type triterpene (punicaone) along with fourteen known compounds were isolated for the first time from this plant. Seven isolates were evaluated for inhibitory activities of FAS and two compounds showed to be active. Particularly, flavogallonic acid exhibited strong FAS inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 10.3 µmol L-1.

Dois novos diterpenos com esqueleto caurano, 3a,16b-17-tri-hidróxi-ent-caurano 3-O-β-D-glucopiranosídeo e ácido 2β,3α-di-hidróxi-ent-caur-15-eno-17-óico 3-O-β-D-glucopiranosídeo, foram isolados das cascas de Albizia mollis (Wall.) Boiv. As estruturas destes dois cauranos foram elucidadas por métodos espectroscópicos uni e bidimensionais e por espectrometria de massas.

Two new kaurane diterpenoids, 3α, 16β, 17-trihydroxy-ent-kaurane 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and 2β,3α-dihydroxy-ent-kaur-15-en-17-oic acid 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, were isolated from the bark of Albizia mollis (Wall.) Boiv. The structures of two new compounds were elucidated by extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic methods in combination with MS experiments.