[Bioactive secondary metabolites from an endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. CCH-1E from Catharanthus roseus].

This study focused on the bioactive secondary metabolites of an endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. CCH-1E from Catharanthus roseus. The secondary metabolites from Aspergillus sp.

[Analysis of constituents in different parts of Forsythia suspensa by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and evaluation of their anti-inflammatory activity].

This study aims to characterize and identify the chemical constituents in 11 parts of Forsythia suspensa by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined with a self-established chemical constituent database, including leaves, flowers, fruits, green F. suspensa, old F. suspensa, and seeds.

Cigarette tar accelerates atherosclerosis progression via RIPK3-dependent necroptosis mediated by endoplasmic reticulum stress in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Background: Tar is the main toxic of cigarettes, and its effect on atherosclerosis progression and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a key role in atherogenesis and plaque vulnerability. The present study sought to investigate the mechanism of atherosclerosis progression through tar-induced VSMC necroptosis, a recently described form of necrosis.

MCL attenuates atherosclerosis by suppressing macrophage ferroptosis via targeting KEAP1/NRF2 interaction.

Background: Micheliolide (MCL), which is the active metabolite of parthenolide, has demonstrated promising clinical application potential. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of MCL on atherosclerosis are still unclear.

Method: ApoE mice were fed with high fat diet, with or without MCL oral administration, then the plaque area, lipid deposition and collagen content were determined.

Combining metabolomics and OCT to reveal plasma metabolic profiling and biomarkers of plaque erosion and plaque rupture in STEMI patients.

Objective: Plaque erosion (PE) and plaque rupture (PR) are the main subtypes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the differences of metabolic patterns between PE and PR remain largely unknown.

Methods: 132 STEMI patients were divided into training set (PR, n = 36; PE, n = 36) and test set (PR, n = 30; PE, n = 30), the plasma from patients were analyzed by liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Results: We identified 56 and 28 differences in training and test set, respectively.

Homocysteine promotes atherosclerosis through macrophage pyroptosis via endoplasmic reticulum stress and calcium disorder.

Background: Elevated plasma homocysteine levels, known as hyperhomocysteinemia, have been identified as an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases. Macrophage pyroptosis-mediated inflammation is crucial in the development of atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Methods: A hyperhomocysteinemia atherosclerotic model with ApoE mice fed with a high-methionine diet was constructed to investigate the role of plasma homocysteine in atherosclerosis.

Introducing mirror-image discrimination capability to the TSR-based method for capturing stereo geometry and understanding hierarchical structure relationships of protein receptor family.

We have developed a Triangular Spatial Relationship (TSR)-based computational method for protein structure comparison and motif discovery that is both sequence and structure alignment-free. A protein 3D structure is modeled by all possible triangles that are constructed with every three C atoms of amino acids as vertices. Every triangle is represented using an integer (a key).

Oxidative Stress-Mediated Programmed Cell Death: a Potential Therapy Target for Atherosclerosis.

Nowadays, as a type of orderly and active death determined by genes, programmed cell death (PCD), including apoptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis, has attracted much attention owing to its participation in numerous chronic cardiovascular diseases, especially atherosclerosis (AS), a canonical chronic inflammatory disease featured by lipid metabolism disturbance. Abundant researches have reported that PCD under distinct internal conditions fulfills different roles of atherosclerotic pathological processes, including lipid core expansion, leukocyte adhesion, and infiltration. Noteworthy, emerging evidence recently has also suggested that oxidative stress (OS), an imbalance of antioxidants and oxygen free radicals, has the potential to mediate PCD occurrence via multiple ways, including oxidization and deubiquitination.

A novel anti-atherosclerotic mechanism of quercetin: Competitive binding to KEAP1 via Arg483 to inhibit macrophage pyroptosis.

Natural antioxidants represented by quercetin have been documented to be effective against atherosclerosis. However, the related mechanisms remain largely unclear. In this study, we identified a novel anti-atherosclerotic mechanism of quercetin inhibiting macrophage pyroptosis by activating NRF2 through binding to the Arg483 site of KEAP1 competitively.

A study of a hierarchical structure of proteins and ligand binding sites of receptors using the triangular spatial relationship-based structure comparison method and development of a size-filtering feature designed for comparing different sizes of protein structures.

The presence of receptors and the specific binding of the ligands determine nearly all cellular responses. Binding of a ligand to its receptor causes conformational changes of the receptor that triggers the subsequent signaling cascade. Therefore, systematically studying structures of receptors will provide insight into their functions.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Nanostructures Formed by Hydrophobins and Oil in Seawater.

Classical molecular dynamics simulations using the Martini coarse-grained force field were performed to study oil nanodroplets surrounded by fungal hydrophobin (HP) proteins in seawater. The class I EAS and the class II HFBII HPs were studied along with two model oils, namely, benzene and -decane. Both HPs exhibit free energy minima at the oil-seawater interface, which is deeper in benzene compared to the -decane systems.

Membrane capacitive deionization for low-salinity desalination in the reclamation of domestic wastewater effluents.

This study aims to investigate the feasibility of desalinating secondary effluent from a domestic wastewater treatment plant (DWTP) using membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) for reclamation purposes. The desalination performance of a MCDI stack with 10 pairs of 20 cm × 20 cm activated carbon electrodes was evaluated in single-pass mode. As evidenced, the MCDI stack outperformed the capacitive deionization stack.

Microbubbles and Oil Droplets Stabilized by a Class II Hydrophobin in Marinelike Environments.

Hydrophobins are abundant amphipathic proteins produced by fungi. They have been interacting with oils in natural environments for millions of years; therefore, it is sensible to consider them as surfactants and dispersants for cleaning oil spills. To better understand the properties of these amphipathic proteins in seawater, a particular hydrophobin known as cerato-ulmin (CU; mass 7627 g/mol) was studied.

Formation and elasticity of membranes of the class II hydrophobin Cerato-ulmin at oil-water interfaces.

Protein surfactants show great potential to stabilize foams, bubbles, and emulsions. An important family of surface active proteins, the hydrophobins, is secreted by filamentous fungi. Two hydrophobin classes have been recognized, with Class II exhibiting slightly better solubility than Class I, although neither is very soluble in water.

[Quality assessment of sulfur-fumigated paeoniae alba radix].

The samples of sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Alba Radix acquired both by random spot check from domestic market and self-production by the research group in the laboratory were used to evaluate the effects of sulphur fumigation on the quality of Paeoniae Alba Radix by comparing sulfur-fumigated degree and character, the content of paeoniflorin and paeoniflorin sulfurous acid ester, and changes of the fingerprint. We used methods in Chinese Pharmacopeia to evaluate the character of sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Alba Radix and determinate the content of aulfur-fumigated paeoniflorin. LC-MS method was used to analyze paeoniflorin-converted products.

[A case of epiglottic pleomorphic adenoma].

The pleomorphic adenoma of epiglottis is rare. When the tumor grows larger, some patients may have symptoms of pharyngeal foreign body sensation, but other patients have no obvious symptom. The tumor is mainly found through indirect laryngoscopy or electronic laryngoscopy.

[Experimental study of saikosaponin-D (SSd) on lipid peroxidation of hepatic fibrosis on rat].

Objective: To study the effect of SSd on lipid peroxidation during experimental hepatic fibrosis progression.

Method: The experimental models of hepatic fibrosis were induced by intraperitoneal injection of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) on rats. SSd was administered by intraperitoneal injection for 4 weeks.

[Studies on antiviral constituents in stems and leaves of Pithecellibium clypearia].

Objective: To study the antiviral constituents in the stems and leaves of Pithecellibium clypearia.

Method: The constituents of P. clypearia were systematically separated with various chromatographic techniques in combination with antiviral activity monitoring.