Capn4 promotes colorectal cancer cell proliferation by increasing MAPK7 through activation of the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway.

Increasing evidence has suggested that Capn4 is upregulated and functions as a potential tumor promoter in several human cancer types. However, the potential biological roles and regulatory mechanisms of Capn4 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. Here, we found that Capn4 expression was elevated in CRC tissues than adjacent noncancerous tissues.

Curc-mPEG454, a PEGylated Curcumin Derivative, Improves Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities: a Comparative Study.

We previously demonstrated that a PEGylated curcumin (Curc-mPEG454) significantly inhibited cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression and improved the progression of liver fibrosis. The current study systematically evaluates its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in vitro in a comparative study with curcumin, aspirin, NS-398, and vitamin C. RAW264.

Ectopic Expression of Pumpkin NAC Transcription Factor CmNAC1 Improves Multiple Abiotic Stress Tolerance in .

Drought, cold and salinity are the major environmental stresses that limit agricultural productivity. NAC transcription factors regulate the stress response in plants. Pumpkin () is an important cucurbit vegetable crop and it has strong resistance to abiotic stress; however, the biological functions of stress-related NAC genes in this crop are largely unknown.

Correction: Synthesis by free radical polymerization and properties of BN-polystyrene and BN-poly(vinylbiphenyl).

Correction for 'Synthesis by free radical polymerization and properties of BN-polystyrene and BN-poly(vinylbiphenyl)' by Wen-Ming Wan et al., Chem. Commun.

Fungal community structure of fallen pine and oak wood at different stages of decomposition in the Qinling Mountains, China.

Historically, intense forest hazards have resulted in an increase in the quantity of fallen wood in the Qinling Mountains. Fallen wood has a decisive influence on the nutrient cycling, carbon budget and ecosystem biodiversity of forests, and fungi are essential for the decomposition of fallen wood. Moreover, decaying dead wood alters fungal communities.

Dual Wavelength (Ultraviolet and Green) Photodetectors Using Solution Processed Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles.

Narrow-band photoconductivity with a spectral width of 0.16 eV is obtained from solution-processed colloidal ZnO nanocrystals beneath the band-edge at 2.25 eV.

Silicon diimide gel as an efficient stationary phase in thin layer chromatography for acid-sensitive organic compounds.

We report the use of mesoporous silicon diimide gel as a basic stationary phase in thin layer chromatography for the characterisation and purification of acid-sensitive compounds. The gel is prepared by a simple sol-gel process and exhibits a large specific surface area, almost monodisperse pores and basic properties due to free-hanging amine groups.

Developing a DNA barcode library for perciform fishes in the South China Sea: Species identification, accuracy and cryptic diversity.

DNA barcodes were studied for 1,353 specimens representing 272 morphological species belonging to 149 genera and 55 families of Perciformes from the South China Sea (SCS). The average Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) distances within species, genera and families were 0.31%, 8.

Magnetic Control of MOF Crystal Orientation and Alignment.

Most metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) possess anisotropic properties, the full exploitation of which necessitates a general strategy for the controllable orientation of such MOF crystals. Current methods largely rely upon layer-by-layer MOF epitaxy or tuning of MOF crystal growth on appropriate substrates, yielding MOFs with fixed crystal orientations. Here, the dynamic magnetic alignment of different MOF crystals (NH -MIL-53(Al) and NU-1000) is shown.

Tailoring Semiconductor Lateral Multijunctions for Giant Photoconductivity Enhancement.

Semiconductor heterostructures have played a critical role as the enabler for new science and technology. The emergence of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as atomically thin semiconductors has opened new frontiers in semiconductor heterostructures either by stacking different TMDs to form vertical heterojunctions or by stitching them laterally to form lateral heterojunctions via direct growth. In conventional semiconductor heterostructures, the design of multijunctions is critical to achieve carrier confinement.

Strategic Construction of Directly Linked Porphyrin-BODIPY Hybrids.

A powerful and concise synthesis of directly linked porphyrin-BODIPY hybrids has been demonstrated, which consists of condensation of directly linked meso-pyrroyl Ni -porphyrin with arylaldehyde, oxidation with p-chloranil, and complexation with BF ⋅Et O. Synthesized hybrids include porphyrin dimer 6Ni, trimers 8Ni, 9Ni, tetramer 12Ni, pentamer 16Ni, hexamer 13Ni, and nonamers 17Ni and 18Ni. The structures of 6Ni, 9Ni and 12Ni were unambiguously confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.

PEGylated Curcumin Derivative Attenuates Hepatic Steatosis via CREB/PPAR-/CD36 Pathway.

Curcumin has the potential to cure dyslipidemia and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, its therapeutic effects are curbed by poor bioavailability. Our previous work has shown that modification of curcumin with polyethylene glycol (PEG) improves blood concentration and tissue distribution.

Contribution of pyrethroids in large urban rivers to sediment toxicity assessed with benthic invertebrates Chironomus dilutus: A case study in South China.

The importance of pyrethroids as potential stressors to benthic organisms has gradually become evident in urban creeks; however, the occurrence and toxicity of sediment-associated pyrethroids are rarely studied in large rivers. In this context, 10 sediments from a large urban river (Guangzhou reach of the Pearl River in China) were assessed for pyrethroid occurrence and sediment toxicity to the benthic invertebrate Chironomus dilutus. One half of the sediments exhibited lethality to C.

Giant Enhancement of Defect-Bound Exciton Luminescence and Suppression of Band-Edge Luminescence in Monolayer WSe-Ag Plasmonic Hybrid Structures.

We have investigated how the photoluminescence (PL) of WSe is modified when coupled to Ag plasmonic structures at low temperature. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown monolayer WSe flakes were transferred onto a Ag film and a Ag nanotriangle array that had a 1.5 nm AlO capping layer.

Interactions of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene Polymorphisms, Folate, and Homocysteine on Blood Pressure in a Chinese Hypertensive Population.

Background: High blood pressure is related to cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to explore the interactions of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHTR) gene C677T and A1298C mutations and folate/homocysteine (Hcy) status on blood pressure in a Chinese hypertensive population.

Methods: The clinical data in the present study derived from a previous trial (NCT00520247).

Decay and nutrient dynamics of coarse woody debris in the Qinling Mountains, China.

As an ecological unit, coarse woody debris (CWD) plays an essential role in productivity, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, community regeneration and biodiversity. However, thus far, the information on quantification the decomposition and nutrient content of CWD in forest ecosystems remains considerably limited. In this study, we conducted a long-term (1996-2013) study on decay and nutrient dynamics of CWD for evaluating accurately the ecological value of CWD on the Huoditang Experimental Forest Farm in the Qinling Mountains, China.

Different impairment of immune and inflammation functions in short and long-term after ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke therapy and prognosis outcomes largely depend on the time periods after symptom onset. This study aims to explore the difference of global gene expression profiles and impairment of biological functions between short-term and long-term after stroke onset. We compared three short-term (3 h, 5 h and 24 h) and a long-term (6-month) gene expression levels by a multi-platform microarray data integration method.

Folate Deficiency and Gene Polymorphisms of MTHFR, MTR and MTRR Elevate the Hyperhomocysteinemia Risk.

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We aimed to investigate the joint effect of homocysteine metabolism gene polymorphisms, as well as the folate deficiency on the risk of HHcy in a Chinese hypertensive population.

Methods: This study enrolled 480 hypertensive patients aged 28 - 75 from six hospitals in different Chinese regions from 9/2005 - 12/2005.

Angiotensin-(1-7) protects cardiomyocytes against high glucose-induced injuries through inhibiting reactive oxygen species-activated leptin-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 pathways, but not the leptin-c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway in vitro.

Aims/introduction: Angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-[1-7]), recognized as a new bioactive peptide in the renin-angiotensin system, shows biological and pharmacological properties in diabetic cardiovascular diseases. The leptin-induced p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway has been reported to contribute to high glucose (HG)-induced injury. In the present study, we showed the mechanism of how Ang-(1-7) can protect against HG-stimulated injuries in H9c2 cells.

Second-Order Consensus in Multiagent Systems via Distributed Sliding Mode Control.

In this paper, the new decoupled distributed sliding-mode control (DSMC) is first proposed for second-order consensus in multiagent systems, which finally solves the fundamental unknown problem for sliding-mode control (SMC) design of coupled networked systems. A distributed full-order sliding-mode surface is designed based on the homogeneity with dilation for reaching second-order consensus in multiagent systems, under which the sliding-mode states are decoupled. Then, the SMC is applied to the decoupled sliding-mode states to reach their origin in finite time, which is the sliding-mode surface.

Seladoeflavones A-F, six novel flavonoids from Selaginella doederleinii.

Six new flavonoids, seladoeflavones A-F (1-6), were isolated from the whole herbs of Selaginella doederleinii, together with one known flavonoid (7). Their structures including absolute configuration were characterized on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods including NMR, HRMS, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD). All compounds consist of an aryl substituent at the C-3' position of naringenin or apigenin skeletons, and compounds 1 and 6 were identified as R configurations, which are uncommonly encountered in nature.

Selagintriflavonoids with BACE1 inhibitory activity from the fern Selaginella doederleinii.

Eight triflavonoids, selagintriflavonoids A-H, were isolated from whole herbs of Selaginella doederleinii. The structures of compounds selagintriflavonoids A-C consisted of three naringenin units, whereas those of selagintriflavonoids D-H consisted of apigenin and two naringenin moieties. The structures and absolute configurations of the compounds were determined based on NMR, HRESIMS, and experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data.

Selective p38α MAP kinase/MAPK14 inhibition in enzymatically modified LDL-stimulated human monocytes: implications for atherosclerosis.

The first ATP-competitive p38α MAPK/MAPK14 inhibitor with excellent in vivo efficacy and selectivity, skepinone-L, is now available. We investigated the impact of selective p38α MAPK/MAPK14 inhibition on enzymatically modified LDL (eLDL) stimulated human monocytes with its implications for atherosclerosis. Among the different p38 MAPK isoforms, p38α/MAPK14 was the predominantly expressed and activated isoform in isolated human peripheral blood monocytes.

Effect of chicken leptin recptor short hairpin RNA on expression of JAK2, STAT3, SOCS3 and CPT1 genes in chicken preadipocytes.

In this study, we detect depressive effect on leptin receptor (LEPR) by LEPR-specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression plasmids in chicken preadipocytes, and effect on messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of genes related to signal transduction, including JAK2, STAT3, SOCS3 as well as CPT1, which is associated with fatty acid metabolism. shRNA expression vectors targeting LEPR were constructed and transfected into chicken preadipocytes. The transfection efficiency was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy.