Psychometric investigation of the Chinese version of the Habit, Reward and Fear Scale (HRFS).

Background: Tobacco use is one of the most important risk factors for health, and China is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco in the world. Monitoring and controlling the tobacco epidemic is an important issue. However, the motivation underlying smoking behavior is complex and specific to the individual.

[Toosendanin induces apoptosis of human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells and its mechanism].

To explore the apoptosis of human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells induced by toosendanin(TSN) and its mechanism. The human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells were divided into 5 groups, each group was set with 3 replicate. Fluorouracil (5-FU) and 0 nmol/L toosendanin (TSN) were used as positive control and negative control, respectively.

Cajaninstilbene acid analogues as novel quorum sensing and biofilm inhibitors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Biofilm formation and virulence factor secretion in opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are essential for establishment of chronic and recurrent infection, which are regulated by quorum sensing (QS) system. In this study, a set of cajaninstilbene acid analogues were designed and synthesized, and their abilities to inhibit QS and biofilm formation were investigated. Among all the compounds, compounds 3g, 3m and 3o showed potent anti-biofilm activity, especially 3o exhibited promising biofilm inhibitory activity with biofilm inhibition ratio of 49.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Cajaninstilbene Acid and Amorfrutins A and B as Inhibitors of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum Sensing System.

The quorum sensing (QS) system inhibitors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are thought to attenuate bacterial pathogenicity and drug resistance by inhibiting biofilm formation and the production of virulence factors. In this study, a synthetic approach to the natural products cajaninstilbene acid (1) and amorfrutins A (2) and B (3) has been developed and was characterized by the Heck reaction, which was used to obtain the stilbene core and a Pinick oxidation to give the O-hydroxybenzoic acid. The biological activities of these compounds against the P.

4-arylamidobenzyl substituted 5-bromomethylene-2(5H)-furanones for chronic bacterial infection.

Bacterial quorum-sensing (QS) can cause bacterial biofilm formation, thus induce antibiotic resistance and inflammation in chronic bacterial infections. A series of novel 4-arylamidobenzyl substituted 5-bromomethylene-2(5H)-furanones were designed by introducing of brominated furanones into rosiglitazone skeleton, and their potential application in the treatment of chronic bacterial infection was evaluated with regard to their disruption of quorum sensing and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro as well as in animal infection model. Compound 2e displayed both potent QS inhibitory activity and anti-inflammatory activity.

Novel 4-(4-substituted amidobenzyl)furan-2(5H)-one derivatives as topoisomerase I inhibitors.

In this study, two series of novel 4-(4-substituted amidobenzyl)furan-2(5H)-one derivatives containing an α,β-unsaturated lactone fragment were synthesized and screened for Topo I inhibition and antitumor activity. The topoisomerase I inhibitory activities and cytotoxicities against three human cancer cell lines (MCF-7,Hela,A549) were evaluated. The results revealed that series 2, compounds bearing an exocyclic double bond on the furanone ring, generally showed more potent activity than series 1, compounds lacking an exocyclic double bond.

Synthesis and antibacterial activities of acylide derivatives bearing an aryl-tetrazolyl chain.

Seventeen acylides bearing an aryl-tetrazolyl alkyl-substituted side chain were synthesized, starting from clarithromycin, via several reactions including hydrolysis, acetylating, esterification, carbamylation, and Michael addition. The structures of all new compounds were confirmed by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. All these synthesized acylides were evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activities against gram-positive pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis) and gram-negative pathogens (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli), using the broth microdilution method.

Seasonal variation of metabolic thermogenesis in Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) over a latitudinal gradient.

Phenotypic flexibility of various morphological and physiological characters is widespread in animals. Resident endothermic animals of temperate climates provide a natural experiment in phenotypic flexibility. In this study, we took an integrative approach to assess seasonal and geographic influences on metabolism in Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus).

3D-QSAR and molecular docking for the discovery of ketolide derivatives.

Introduction: There is an urgent need to discover novel antibiotics to overcome the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, which has become a serious concern in current medicine. Ketolides, the third generation of macrolide antibiotics, have shown promising effect against macrolide-resistant pathogens in respiratory diseases. Currently, a number of ketolide derivatives with excellent antibacterial activities have been reported, while their structure-activity relationships (SARs) were rarely explored systematically.

Geographic variation in basal thermogenesis in little buntings: relationship to cellular thermogenesis and thyroid hormone concentrations.

Acclimatization to different ambient conditions is an essential prerequisite for survival of small passerine birds. Long-distance migration and winter acclimatization induce similar physiological and biochemical adjustments in passerines. To understand metabolic adaptations, the resting metabolic rate (RMR), the thermogenic properties of mitochondria in liver and muscle, and the activity of thyroid hormones were examined in field-captured little buntings (Emberiza pusilla) between Southeastern (Wenzhou) and Northeastern (Qiqihar) China from March to May in 2008 during their migration.

Co-transfection and tandem transfection of HEK293A cells for overexpression and RNAi experiments.

pIRES2-EGFP was employed and a non-target shRNA expressing plasmid was constructed to simulate overexpression and RNAi (RNA interference) experiments. Transfection of pIRES2-EGFP into HEK293A cells by cationic lipids VigoFect demonstrated that transfection efficiency increased in a dose-dependent manner with amount of DNA plasmid used, and optimal transfection time and cell density should be identified to reach a compromise of higher transfection efficiency and lower toxicity. Co-transfection experiments indicated that the two co-transfected plasmids were equivalently delivered into the same cells, and the co-transfection efficiency was rarely affected by cell density and proportion of the two plasmids.

[Genetic polymorphism of blood protein of six Passeriformes species in Zhalong National Nature Reserve].

The polymorphism of hemoglobin (Hb), serum albumin (Alb), trandferring (Tf) and adenosin deaminase (Ada) in the blood of Emberiza elegans, Phylloscopus inornatus, E. aureola, Lanius tigrinus, Passer montanus, and E. spodocephala in Zhalong National Nature Reserve were studied by SDS-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis.