[Zoological origin survey of commercial hippocampus in Chinese herbal markets by morphological and DNA sequencing identification].

Hippocampus is a precious animal medicine in Chinese herbal medicines. Numerous seahorse species possessing similar morphology were used as commercial hippocampus in herbal markets. Clarifing the zoological of commercial hippocampus in herbal markets is a crucial issue, which contributed to establish authentication and quality control standard.

Differences in Counting Skills Between Chinese and German Children Are Accompanied by Differences in Processing of Approximate Numerical Magnitude Information.

Human beings are supposed to possess an approximate number system (ANS) dedicated to extracting and representing approximate numerical magnitude information as well as an object tracking system (OTS) for the rapid and accurate enumeration of small sets. It is assumed that the OTS and the ANS independently contribute to the acquisition of more elaborate numerical concepts. Chinese children have been shown to exhibit more elaborate numerical concepts than their non-Chinese peers, but it is still an open question whether similar cross-national differences exist with regard to the underlying systems, namely the ANS and the OTS.

Pterostilbene, an active component of the dragon's blood extract, acts as an antidepressant in adult rats.

Background: Hippocampal neurogenesis has been widely considered as one of the potential biological mechanisms for the treatment of depression caused by chronic stress. Many natural products have been reported to be beneficial for neurogenesis.

Objectives: The present study is designed to investigate the effect of dragon's blood extract (DBE) and its biologically active compound, pterostilbene (PTE), on hippocampal neurogenesis.

Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Tuber indicum from Different Geographical Regions of China.

Tuber indicum, an endemic truffle species in eastern Asian, is an edible mushroom that is both an important export and widely distributed across China. Many existing studies on truffles focus on analyzing their taxonomy, population genetics, volatile organic compounds and artificial cultivation of the truffles, while little information is available about their nutrient composition and pharmacological activity, especially the relationship between chemical composition in ascocarps and their geographic distributions. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the chemical composition of T.

Chemical Characterization and Hypoglycaemic Activities In Vitro of Two Polysaccharides from by Submerged Culture.

Polysaccharides from the fungus have been found to be biologically active. In this study, we carried out a preliminary characterisation and assessment of the hypoglycaemic activities of the polysaccharides (IOEP) from obtained by liquid fermentation. Two polysaccharides, IOEP1 and IOEP2, were isolated from IOEP.

Alternative splicing and expression analysis of HSF1 in diapause pupal brains in the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera.

Background: Diapause is the arrest of the development of insects and can be used for the development of effective agricultural pest management strategies. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is reported to be up-regulated during diapause to maintain survival in some insect species. However, its regulatory mechanism is unknown.

Bioactive Resorcylic Acid Lactones with Different Ring Systems from Desert Plant Chaetosphaeronema hispidulum. [corrected].

Five new resorcylic acid lactones (RALs) hispidulactones A-E (1, 4, 5, 8, and 9), a new natural product (2), and four known ones (3, 6, 7, and 10) with different ring systems were isolated from the desert plant Chaetosphaeronema hispidulum. [corrected]. The new compounds were characterized by NMR data, CD spectra, and X-ray experiment.

Structure Characterization and Hypoglycaemic Activities of Two Polysaccharides from .

In the present study, two polysaccharides (HIOP1-S and HIOP2-S) were isolated and purified from using DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The structural characterization and in vitro and in vivo hypoglycaemic activities of these molecules were investigated. HPLC analysis HIOP1-S was a heterpolysaccharide with glucose and galactose as the main compontent monosaccharides (50.

Two new tetracyclic triterpenoids from the endophytic fungus Hypoxylon sp. 6269.

Two new tetracyclic triterpenoids, integracide E (1) and isointegracide E (2), as well as three known secondary metabolites (i.e. integracide A (3), 2-deoxyintegracide A (4) and 2-deoxyintegracide B (5)), were isolated from mycelium of the endophytic fungus Hypoxylon sp.

Deep Learning: Individual Maize Segmentation From Terrestrial Lidar Data Using Faster R-CNN and Regional Growth Algorithms.

The rapid development of light detection and ranging (Lidar) provides a promising way to obtain three-dimensional (3D) phenotype traits with its high ability of recording accurate 3D laser points. Recently, Lidar has been widely used to obtain phenotype data in the greenhouse and field with along other sensors. Individual maize segmentation is the prerequisite for high throughput phenotype data extraction at individual crop or leaf level, which is still a huge challenge.

Evaluation of the Effects of Isolated Lignin on Cellulose Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Corn Stover Pretreatment by NaOH Combined with Ozone.

In this experiment, corn stover was treated with optimal combined pretreatment conditions: 2% NaOH at 80 °C treated 2 h combined with initial pH 9 at the ozone concentration of 78 mg/mL treated 25 min. The effect of lignin removal rate on the enzymatic hydrolysis degree of cellulose during the treatment process was studied. At the same time, the lignin in the optimal pretreated corn stover was separated and extracted by enzymatic acidolysis, and its structure and connection were characterized.

Enhanced Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Structural Features of Corn Stover by NaOH and Ozone Combined Pretreatment.

A two-step pretreatment using NaOH and ozone was performed to improve the enzymatic hydrolysis, compositions and structural characteristics of corn stover. Comparison between the unpretreated and pretreated corn stover was also made to illustrate the mechanism of the combined pretreatment. A pretreatment with 2% (/) NaOH at 80 °C for 2 h followed by ozone treatment for 25 min with an initial pH 9 was found to be the optimal procedure and the maximum efficiency (91.

[Expression, purification and characterization of diphtheria toxin mutant CRM197 in Eschrichia coli].

CRM197 (cross-reacting material 197), a non-toxic mutant of diphtheria toxin, has wide application potential in biopharmaceuticals. However, it is difficult to express CRM197 in bacteria other than Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Here we proposed a new alternative method to produce soluble CRM197 without label in Escherichia coli.

Spiciferone analogs from an endophytic fungus Phoma betae collected from desert plants in West China.

Endophytic fungi from desert, arid, and grassland areas are an ecologically important but unique group with poor chemical investigation. During our ongoing study to mine bioactive secondary metabolites from unique fungal environments, a new shunt product spiciferone F (1) including two new analogs spiciferones G (2) and H (3) together with four known ones spiciferone A (4), spiciferol A (5), 6, and 7 were isolated from endophytic fungus Phoma betae inhabiting in plant Kalidium foliatum (Pall.) Moq from Ningxia Province of West China.

[Exploration and thoughts about zoological origin and macroscopical identification of Chinese material medica "Haima" in China Pharmacopoeia].

"Haima" (Hippocampus) has a long history in China as an important traditional animal medicine, but many closely-related members of the Hippocampus genus are also used as Haima in particular regions. To investigate the real origin of "Haima", a herbalogical studies, particularly inpictures and photographs of the ancient literature are corroborated with seahorse specimens in museum, we confirm Chinese material medica "Haima" in China Pharmacopoeia is origin from H. kelloggi, 1901, H.

Isolation and Characterization of Aphidicolin Derivatives from Tolypocladium inflatum.

Inflatin G (), a new aphidicolin analogue, together with seven known compounds inflatin A (), inflatin B (), aphidicolin (), aphidicolin-17-monoacetate (), gulypyrone A (), pyridoxatin rotamers A () and B (), were isolated from the ascomycete fungus . Their structures were determined through NMR analyses and the circular dichroism data of the in situ formed [Rh₂(OCOCF₃)₄] complexes. Compounds , , , , and showed modest cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines A549, CNE1-MP1, A375, and MCF-7.

Trichoderpyrone, a Unique Polyketide Hybrid with a Cyclopentenone-Pyrone Skeleton from the Plant Endophytic Fungus Trichoderma gamsii.

Trichoderpyrone (1), a unique polyketide with a cyclopentenone-pyrone hybrid skeleton, was isolated from the plant endophytic fungus Trichoderma gamsii. The structure of 1 was determined by detailed analysis of NMR data together with comparison of chemical shift values of similar fragments. The relative and absolute configurations were established by NOESY correlations and CD experiment.

Discovery of efficient stimulators for adult hippocampal neurogenesis based on scaffolds in dragon's blood.

Reduction of hippocampal neurogenesis caused by aging and neurological disorders would impair neural circuits and result in memory loss. A new lead compound (N-trans-3',4'-methylenedioxystilben-4-yl acetamide 27) has been discovered to efficiently stimulate adult rats' neurogenesis. In-depth structure-activity relationship studies proved the necessity of a stilbene scaffold that is absent in highly cytotoxic analogs such as chalcones and heteroaryl rings and inactive analogs such as diphenyl acetylene and diphenyl ethane, and validated the importance of an NH in the carboxamide and a methylenedioxy substituent on the benzene ring.

Design, synthesis and structure-bactericidal activity relationships of novel 9-oxime ketolides and reductive epimers of acylides.

Erythromycin was long viewed as a bacteriostatic agent. The erythromycin derivatives, 9-oxime ketolides have a species-specific bactericidal profile. Among them, the 3'-allyl version of the 9-oxime ketolide 1 (Ar=3-quinolyl; 17a) is bactericidal against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes.

Salvia miltiorrhiza polysaccharide activates T Lymphocytes of cancer patients through activation of TLRs mediated -MAPK and -NF-κB signaling pathways.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Salvia miltiorrhiza polysaccharide (SMP) is one of the most important components in the water extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, which has been mainly applied for the prevention or treatment of ischemic encephalopathy and cardiac diseases including myocardial infarction and coronary heart diseases in clinical practice.

Aim Of The Study: Our object is to investigate the immune regulation effects of SMP, specifically on the proliferation and cytotoxicity of T lymphocytes through MAPK and NF-κB pathway in peripheral blood of cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: SMP was prepared through refluxing with ethanol, refluxing with water, Sevage treatment and ethanol precipitation.

N-Doped Sub-3 nm Co Nanoparticles as Highly Efficient and Durable Aerobic Oxidative Coupling Catalysts.

A nano-coating associated with sulfuric acid leaching protocol was developed to prepare N-doped sub-3 nm Co-based nanoparticle catalyst (Co-N/C) using melamine-formaldehyde resin as the N-containing precursor, active carbon as the support, and Co(NO3 )2 as the Co-containing precursor. By thermal treatment under nitrogen atmosphere at 800 °C and leached with sulfuric acid solution, a stable and highly dispersive Co-N coordination structure was uniformly dispersed on the formed Co-N/C catalyst with a Co loading of 0.47 wt % and Co nanoparticle size of 2.

Interaction between tryptophan-Sm(III) complex and DNA with the use of a acridine orange dye fluorophor probe.

The interaction of the Trp-Sm(III) complex with herring sperm DNA (hs-DNA) was investigated with the use of acridine orange (AO) dye as a spectral probe for UV-vis spectrophotometry and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the both the Trp-Sm(III) complex and the AO molecule could intercalate into the double helix of the DNA. The Sm(III)-(Trp)3 complex was stabilized by intercalation into the DNA with binding constants: K(Ө)25°C  = 7.

Does copper reduce cadmium uptake by different rice genotypes?

A hydroponics experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of copper (Cu) on cadmium (Cd), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) uptake by several rice genotypes. The experiment was carried out as a 2x2x4 factorial with four rice genotypes and two levels of Cu and Cd in nutrient solution. Plants were grown in a growth chamber with controlled environment.