Cu(I)-Catalyzed Atropselective Heterobiaryl Coupling Employing Umpoled Indoles.

An enantioselective Cu(I)-catalyzed coupling of N-carboxyindoles with various 2-naphthols and phenols for the synthesis of axially chiral arylindoles has been developed. Our mechanistic studies, bolstered by experimental evidence and DFT calculations, reveal a novel closed-shell mechanism involving outer-sphere attack of N-carboxyindoles on the Cu-bound naphthols. This mechanism allows for unprecedented diversity of 2-naphthols and phenols in C-H arylation.

Upregulation of NK cell activity, cytokine expression, and NF-κB pathway by ginsenoside concentrates from Panax ginseng berries in healthy mice and macrophage cell lines.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) C.A.

Advancements in plant based meat analogs enhancing sensory and nutritional attributes.

The burgeoning demand for plant-based meat analogs (PBMAs) stems from environmental, health, and ethical concerns, yet replicating the sensory attributes of animal meat remains challenging. This comprehensive review explores recent innovations in PBMA ingredients and methodologies, emphasizing advancements in texture, flavor, and nutritional profiles. It chronicles the transition from soy-based first-generation products to more diversified second- and third-generation PBMAs, showcasing the utilization of various plant proteins and advanced processing techniques to enrich sensory experiences.

PITPβ promotes COPI vesicle fission through lipid transfer and membrane contact formation.

Intracellular transport among organellar compartments occurs in two general ways, by membrane-bound carriers or membrane contacts. Specific circumstances that involve the coordination of these two modes of transport remain to be defined. Studying Coat Protein I (COPI) transport, we find that phosphatidylcholine with short acyl chains (sPC) is delivered through membrane contact from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to sites of COPI vesicle formation at the Golgi to support the fission stage.

ETV4 is a mechanical transducer linking cell crowding dynamics to lineage specification.

Dynamic changes in mechanical microenvironments, such as cell crowding, regulate lineage fates as well as cell proliferation. Although regulatory mechanisms for contact inhibition of proliferation have been extensively studied, it remains unclear how cell crowding induces lineage specification. Here we found that a well-known oncogene, ETS variant transcription factor 4 (ETV4), serves as a molecular transducer that links mechanical microenvironments and gene expression.

Family, Community, and the Rural Social Mobility Advantage.

Children born into poverty in rural America achieve higher average income levels as adults than their urban peers. As economic opportunity tends to be more abundant in cities, this "rural advantage" in income mobility seems paradoxical. This article resolves this puzzle by applying multilevel analysis to new spatial measures of rurality and place-level data on intergenerational income mobility.

Molecular Mechanisms of Neuroprotection by Ketone Bodies and Ketogenic Diet in Cerebral Ischemia and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Ketone bodies (KBs), such as acetoacetate and β-hydroxybutyrate, serve as crucial alternative energy sources during glucose deficiency. KBs, generated through ketogenesis in the liver, are metabolized into acetyl-CoA in extrahepatic tissues, entering the tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transport chain for ATP production. Reduced glucose metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction correlate with increased neuronal death and brain damage during cerebral ischemia and neurodegeneration.

Predictors of surgical outcomes for limited palatal muscle resection in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Objective: Limited palatal muscle resection (LPMR) is a modified palatal surgical technique to correct retropalatal obstruction without complications. This study aims to determine the associated factors affecting the success and cure rate of LPMR in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), thus guiding patient selection and improving surgical outcome.

Methods: Thirty-five OSA patients underwent LPMR were enrolled.

Revised Mechanism of Gold-Catalyzed Thioallylation of Propiolates.

Gold-catalyzed enantioselective thioallylation of propiolates proved effective in delivering highly enantio-enriched α-allyl-β-thioacrylates. In this work, we report a revised mechanism for this process based on the new mechanistic experiments and kinetic data in the presence of a competitive inhibitor. The employment of thioethers as nucleophiles inevitably involves their competitive binding to the only catalytic site of the Au(I) catalyst, which may inhibit the activity.

Ameliorative effects of Kyung-Ok-Ko and its mixture with Ohwi on postmenopausal osteoporosis by promoting phytoestrogenic activity in rats.

Introduction: Kyung-Ok-Ko (KOK) is a popular traditional medicine used as a natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy for treating postmenopausal symptoms in Asia. Ohwi () is rich in isoflavones and has been traditionally used in combination with other herbs to produce synergistic and pharmaceutical effects a multi-target approach for disease treatment. We aimed to investigate the phytoestrogenic effects of KOK extract against postmenopausal symptoms in ovariectomized (OVX) rats and confirm its efficacy by mixing KOK and extracts.

Enantioselective Sulfonium-Claisen Rearrangement with Cinnamyl Thioethers.

Sulfonium-Claisen rearrangement leveraged by the gold-catalyzed formation of allyl sulfonium intermediates has enabled an exceptional level of regio- and enantiocontrol for the synthesis of skipped 1,4-dienes. However, the application of cinnamyl thioether derivatives to the sulfonium-Claisen rearrangement has been unsuccessful so far due to the extensive dissociation of the cinnamyl cation. By fine-tuning bisphosphine ligands, we were able to engage cinnamyl thioethers in the [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement, delivering the desired 1,4-dienes in a highly enantioselective manner and in good yields.

Anti-Oxidative and Anti-Aging Effects of Ethanol Extract of the Officinal Breynia () In Vitro.

The skin is the largest organ of the human body, and it is also the one most exposed to external environmental contaminants. The skin is the body's first defense against harmful environmental stimuli, including ultraviolet B (UVB) rays and hazardous chemicals. Therefore, proper care of the skin is required to prevent skin-related diseases and age-related symptoms.

The Preventive Effect of Specific Collagen Peptides against Dexamethasone-Induced Muscle Atrophy in Mice.

Muscle atrophy, also known as muscle wasting, is the thinning of muscle mass due to muscle disuse, aging, or diseases such as cancer or neurological problems. Muscle atrophy is closely related to the quality of life and has high morbidity and mortality. However, therapeutic options for muscle atrophy are limited, so studies to develop therapeutic agents for muscle loss are always required.

ZBTB12 is a molecular barrier to dedifferentiation in human pluripotent stem cells.

Development is generally viewed as one-way traffic of cell state transition from primitive to developmentally advanced states. However, molecular mechanisms that ensure the unidirectional transition of cell fates remain largely unknown. Through exact transcription start site mapping, we report an evolutionarily conserved BTB domain-containing zinc finger protein, ZBTB12, as a molecular barrier for dedifferentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs).

Compound C Inhibits Renca Renal Epithelial Carcinoma Growth in Syngeneic Mouse Models by Blocking Cell Cycle Progression, Adhesion and Invasion.

Compound C (CompC), an inhibitor of AMP-activated protein kinase, reduces the viability of various renal carcinoma cells. The molecular mechanism underlying anti-proliferative effect was investigated by flow cytometry and western blot analysis in Renca cells. Its effect on the growth of Renca xenografts was also examined in a syngeneic BALB/c mouse model.

Callerya atropurpurea suppresses inflammation in vitro and ameliorates gastric injury as well as septic shock in vivo via TLR4/MyD88-dependent cascade.

Background: Callerya atropurpurea is a traditional plant in a tropical zone discovered to have anti-inflammatory functions.

Purpose: we want to investigate the mechanism related to anti-inflammation of C. atropurpurea ethanol extract (Ca-EE) both in vitro and in vivo.

Anti-Inflammatory Activities of an Anti-Histamine Drug, Loratadine, by Suppressing TAK1 in AP-1 Pathway.

Loratadine is an anti-histamine routinely used for treating allergies. However, recent findings have shown that Loratadine may also have anti-inflammatory functions, while their exact mechanisms have not yet been fully uncovered. In this paper, we investigated whether Loratadine can be utilized as an anti-inflammatory drug through a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments using a murine macrophage cell line and an acute gastritis mouse model.

Single cell heterogeneity in human pluripotent stem cells.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) include human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from blastocysts and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) generated from somatic cell reprogramming. Due to their self-renewal ability and pluripotent differentiation potential, hPSCs serve as an excellent experimental platform for human development, disease modeling, drug screening, and cell therapy. Traditionally, hPSCs were considered to form a homogenous population.

Janus Graphene Oxide Sheets with FeO Nanoparticles and Polydopamine as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

In this study, a one-step process to fabricate "Janus"-structured nanocomposites with iron oxide (FeO) nanoparticles (FeO NPs) and polydopamine (PDA) on each side of a graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet using the Langmuir-Schaefer technique has been proposed. The FeO NPs-GO hybrid is used as a high-capacity active material, while PDA is added as a binder due to its unique wet-resistant adhesive property. The transmission electron microscopy image shows a superlattice-like out-of-plane section of the multilayered nanocomposite, which maximizes the density of the composite materials.

Preparation and Evaluation of Nanostructured Lipid Carrier for Topical Delivery of Velutin: Synthetic Tyrosinase Inhibitor.

The purpose of this study is to produce nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) that can solubilize poorly water-soluble velutin and verify an improved tyrosinase synthesis inhibition. A solubility test for velutin was conducted. Cetyl palmitate and caprylic/capric triglyceride were selected as solubilizer.

Surface Activity and Emulsifying Effect of Non-Toxic Starch Nanocrystal.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the surface activity of starch nanocrystals (SNC), material derived from starch, and confirm their usefulness as a surfactant. In order to evaluate the surface activity, the surface tension change of suspended SNC solution via the Wilhelmy plate method was measured and the values were compared with various synthetic surfactants. The effect of SNC as emulsifier was evaluated on emulsion formation and physical stability.

Anti-photoaging activities of ethanol extract in UVB-damaged cells.

(Regel) Maxim, a plant found in China, Korea, Japan, and east of Europe, is a common herb used for traditional medicinal purposes. However, its ability to prevent photoaging has not been studied. In this study, we investigated the anti-photoaging functions of an ethanol extract (Sk-EE) of using human keratinocytes exposed to UVB.

Gold-Catalyzed Asymmetric Thioallylation of Propiolates via Charge-Induced Thio-Claisen Rearrangement.

A gold(I)-catalyzed enantioselective thioallylation of propiolates with allyl sulfides is described. The key mechanistic element is a sulfonium-induced Claisen rearrangement which helps minimize the allyl dissociation and render higher enantioselectivity. This protocol features remarkable scope of the allyl moiety, allowing enantiocontrolled synthesis of all-carbon quaternary centers, and exhibits exceptional functional group compatibility with many Lewis bases and π-bonds.