A longitudinal investigation of the cross-dimensional mediating role of negative life events between neuroticism and depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Background: Neuroticism has been identified as a significant predictor for depression within the adolescent population However, few longitudinal studies have investigated this association and explored the mediation effect of the negative life events. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal association between neuroticism, negative life events, and depression in a large sample of Chinese adolescents.

Methods: Data on Five Factor Inventory-Neuroticism Subscale (FFI-N) was collected from 1150 participants aged 14-19 years old at baseline, and data on Adolescent Life Event Questionnaire (ALEQ) and Center of Epidemiological Study-Depression (CES-D) were collected both at baseline and 6-month follow-up.

Ectopic overexpression of mulberry enhances melatonin production and salt tolerance in tobacco.

Soil salinization severely inhibits plant growth and has become one of the major limiting factors for global agricultural production. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) plays an important role in regulating plant growth and development and in responding to abiotic stresses. Tryptamine-5-hydroxylase (T5H) is an enzyme essential for the biosynthesis of melatonin in plants.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Biosynthesis of Melatonin and Its Isomer in Mulberry.

Mulberry ( L.) leaves and fruit are traditional Chinese medicinal materials with anti-inflammatory, immune regulatory, antiviral and anti-diabetic properties. Melatonin performs important roles in the regulation of circadian rhythms and immune activities.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of genes involved in melatonin biosynthesis in Morus notabilis (wild mulberry).

Melatonin is recognized as an important regulator for human health and widely distributed in many plant species, including mulberry (Morus L.). Previous studies suggested mulberry contains high melatonin content, but the molecular mechanisms underlying melatonin biosynthesis in mulberry remain unclear.

Efflux pump-mediated resistance to antifungal compounds can be prevented by conjugation with triphenylphosphonium cation.

Antifungal resistance due to upregulation of efflux pumps is prevalent in clinical Candida isolates. Potential efflux pump substrates (PEPSs), which are active against strains deficient in efflux pumps but inactive against wild-type strains, are usually missed in routine antifungal screening. Here we present a method for identification of PEPSs, and show that conjugation with mitochondria-targeting triphenylphosphonium cation (TPP) can enhance or restore the compounds' antifungal activity.

Floricolin C elicits intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation and disrupts mitochondria to exert fungicidal action.

Candida albicans, one of the most prevalent fungal pathogens, causes severe mucosal and invasive infections in predisposed individuals. The rise of fungal infection and drug resistance demands the development of novel antifungal agents. In this study, we observed that floricolin C (FC), a p-terphenyl pigment from an endolichenic fungus, killed C.

Chiloscyphenol A derived from Chinese liverworts exerts fungicidal action by eliciting both mitochondrial dysfunction and plasma membrane destruction.

This study aimed to characterize the antifungal effects of chiloscyphenol A (CA), a natural small molecule isolated from Chinese liverworts, and investigate its mode of action. CA was effective against five tested Candida species with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8-32 μg/ml and exhibited fungicidal activity against Candida albicans in both the planktonic state and mature biofilms. The in vivo study using Caenorhabditis elegans showed that CA prolonged the survival of C.

Solasodine-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside is hydrolyzed by a membrane glucosidase into active molecule solasodine against Candida albicans.

Antifungal activity of some natural molecules can be abated or blocked by efflux pumps in Candida albicans, which restricts the discovery of potential antifungal agents. Here we found that the steroidal alkaloid solasodine is active against C. albicans efflux pump-deficient strains but inert towards the wild type.

Solasodine-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside kills Candida albicans by disrupting the intracellular vacuole.

The increasing incidence of fungal infections and emergence of drug resistance underlie the constant search for new antifungal agents and exploration of their modes of action. The present study aimed to investigate the antifungal mechanisms of solasodine-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (SG) isolated from the medicinal plant Solanum nigrum L. In vitro, SG displayed potent fungicidal activity against both azole-sensitive and azole-resistant Candida albicans strains in Spider medium with its MICs of 32 μg/ml.

Biatriosporin D displays anti-virulence activity through decreasing the intracellular cAMP levels.

Candidiasis has long been a serious human health problem, and novel antifungal approaches are greatly needed. During both superficial and systemic infection, C. albicans relies on a battery of virulence factors, such as adherence, filamentation, and biofilm formation.

Quinone derivatives isolated from the endolichenic fungus Phialocephala fortinii are Mdr1 modulators that combat azole resistance in Candida albicans.

One of the main azole-resistance mechanisms in Candida pathogens is the upregulation of drug efflux pumps, which compromises the efficacy of azoles and results in treatment failure. The combination of azole-antifungal agents with efflux pump inhibitors represents a promising strategy to combat fungal infection. High-throughput screening of 150 extracts obtained from endolichenic fungal cultures led to the discovery that the extract of Phialocephala fortinii exhibits potent activity for the reversal of azole resistance.

Als1 and Als3 regulate the intracellular uptake of copper ions when Candida albicans biofilms are exposed to metallic copper surfaces.

Copper surfaces possess efficient antimicrobial effect. Here, we reported that copper surfaces could inactivate Candida albicans biofilms within 40 min. The intracellular reactive oxygen species in C.

Trapping toxins within lipid droplets is a resistance mechanism in fungi.

Lipid droplets (LDs) act as intracellular storage organelles in most types of cells and are principally involved in energy homeostasis and lipid metabolism. However, the role of LDs in resistance to toxins in fungi remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the trapping of endogenous toxins by LDs is a self-resistance mechanism in the toxin producer, while absorbing external lipophilic toxins is a resistance mechanism in the toxin recipient that acts to quench the production of reactive oxygen species.

Salinity-induced anti-angiogenesis activities and structural changes of the polysaccharides from cultured Cordyceps Militaris.

Cordyceps is a rare and exotic mushroom that grows out of the head of a mummified caterpillar. Many companies are cultivating Cordyceps to meet the increased demand for its medicinal applications. However, the structures and functions of polysaccharides, one of the pharmaceutical active ingredients in Cordyceps, are difficult to reproduce in vitro.

Developmental profile of tissue plasminogen activator in postnatal Long Evans rat visual cortex.

Purpose: To investigate the distribution, expression, and activity of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in the visual cortex of the Long Evans rat during postnatal development, and to explore the relationship between tPA levels and the critical period of visual cortical plasticity.

Methods: Long Evans rats of either sex (n=131) were divided by postnatal age in weeks (PW) into five groups: PW1 (6-8 days, before eye opening, n=19), PW3 (20-22 days, beginning of critical period, n=28), PW5 (34-36 days, later stage of critical period, n=28), PW7 (48-50 days, end of critical period, n=28), and PW14 (95-100 days, adult, n=28). The distribution and expression of tPA was detected using immunofluorescence histochemistry and western blot analysis, respectively.