Safety evaluation of seeds: a metabolomic profiling and network toxicology approach.

Sacha Inchi () seeds and oil have been integrated into daily diets. However, scientific reports have raised concerns regarding potential health risks associated with saponins and alkaloids in this seeds. This study employed a combination analysis using proton-NMR, GC-MS, LC-QTOF, and GNPS molecular networking to evaluate the chemical composition of these seeds.

Understanding the CO capture reaction through electronic structure analysis of four-membered-ring group-13/N- and B/group-15-based Lewis acid-base pairs.

Incomplete combustion yields a significant byproduct, known for its high toxicity to humans: gas phase carbon monoxide (CO). This study utilized several advanced theoretical methods to examine the factors contributing to the activation energy involved in CO capture by a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) and to forecast the potential success of the CO capture reaction. The current theoretical findings indicate that among the four-membered-ring Group-13/N-FLP and B/Group-15-FLP molecules, only the B/N-based FLP-type molecule effectively captures CO, considering both thermodynamics and kinetics.

Effects of external light in the magnetic field-modulated photocatalytic reactions in a microfluidic chip reactor.

Photocatalytic reactions and their magnetic-field enhancement present significant potential for practical applications in green chemistry. This work presents the mutual enhancement of plasmonic photocatalytic reaction by externally applied magnetic field and plasmonic enhancement in a micro optofluidic chip reactor. The tiny gold (Au) nanoparticles of only a few atoms fixed on the surface of titanium dioxide (TiO) nanoparticles lead to mutually boosted enhancement photocatalytic reactions under an external magnetic field and plasmonic effects.

Synergistic B and T lymphocyte interaction: prognostic implications in non-small cell lung cancer.

While T-cell-mediated immune responses in solid tumors have been well-established and have driven major therapeutic advances, our understanding of B-cell biology in cancer is comparatively less developed. A total of 60 lung cancer patients were included, of which 53% were diagnosed at an early stage while 47% were diagnosed at an advanced stage. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the proportion of T and B cells in all blood samples, and the levels of human serum cytokines were also assessed.

Modulation of mitochondrial apoptosis by β2-adrenergic receptor blockage in colorectal cancer after radiotherapy: an and study.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of malignancy-related deaths worldwide. Radiotherapy is often combined with surgery to treat patients with more advanced CRC. Despite impressive initial clinical responses, radiotherapy resistance is the main reason for most treatment failures in colorectal cancer.

 var. , a new variety of (Asparagaceae) from Taiwan, identified through morphological and genetic analyses.

Ker Gawl. is one of the the most diverse and fastest-growing genera of angiosperm. Most species have been discovered in a limited area or a single site through morphological comparison.

The cancer stemness inhibitor napabucasin suppresses small cell lung cancer growth through SOX2 expression.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a high-grade malignancy of neuroendocrine origin characterized by aggressive cell growth and a poor survival rate of patients. Currently, the treatment options for SCLC remain limited despite platinum-based chemotherapy. Systemic chemotherapy is effective for SCLC, but most patients eventually acquire drug resistance, which leads to treatment failure.

Population genetic diversity and structure of (Gobiidae) in Taiwan: Translocation and release.

is a freshwater goby distributed in north, northwest, west, and south Taiwan, but this species has been introduced to east Taiwan and became dominant. To investigate its native population genetic diversity and structure and evaluate the sources and diversity of translocated populations, the mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome gene (1981 bp) from 220 specimens were analyzed. These results indicated that (1) the east populations originated from two sources in west Taiwan; (2) translocated populations exist in east Taiwan and south Taiwan; (3) many populations have likely been moved secondarily by human intervention; (4) the effective size of the populations had declined greatly; (5) within the native populations, the ancestral populations colonized Taiwan during the land bridge phase in the Pleistocene through north Taiwan; (6) the landform changes in Taiwan shaped the population structure; and (7) the landforms of the coastline during glaciation also shaped the native range.

The role of a synanthropic bird in the nest niche expansion of a secondary cavity nester to man-made structures.

Species with similar ecological characters often compete with each other; however, a species may also facilitate the survival or reproduction of another ecologically similar species, although such interaction is rarely documented in birds. Here, we reported a facilitative species interaction between Asian house martins () and russet sparrows (), both passerines using closed nests, in a montane farming area of Taiwan. We found that Asian house martins constructed dome-shaped nests in human houses that provided additional nest sites for russet sparrows, secondary cavity nesters with greatly declining populations in Taiwan.

Mechanistic insights into the insertion and addition reactions of group 13 analogues of the six-membered N-heterocyclic carbenes: interplay of electrophilicity, basicity, and aromaticity governing the reactivity.

Three fundamental concepts (aromaticity/basicity/electrophilicity), being heavily used in modern chemistry, have been applied in this work to study the chemical reactivity of six-membered-ring group 13 N-heterocyclic carbenes (G13-6-Rea; G13 = group 13 elements) using density functional theory (BP86-D3(BJ)/def2-TZVP). G13-6-Rea is isolobal to benzene. Two model reactions have been used in the present study: the insertion reaction of G13-6-Rea with methane and the [1 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of G13-6-Rea with ethene.

Cytotoxicity and cell imaging of six types of carbon nanodots prepared through carbonization and hydrothermal processing of natural plant materials.

In this study we prepared six types of carbon nanodots (CNDs) from natural plant materials - through carbonization of two species of bamboo (Bamboo-I, Bamboo-II) and one type of wood (Wood), and through hydrothermal processing of the stem and root of the herb Hayata (MO) and of the agricultural waste of two species of pineapple root (PA, PB). The resulting CNDs were spherical with dimensions on the nanoscale (3-7 nm); furthermore, CND-Bamboo I, CND-Wood, CND-Bamboo II, CND-MO, CND-PA, and CND-PB displayed fluorescence quantum yields of 9.63, 12.

Three new species of (Xylariomycetidae): , and .

Three fungal specimens (two sexual and one asexual) were collected during fieldwork conducted in China, Taiwan and Thailand. Both sexual morphs share superficial, black ascomata surrounded by flexuous setae; 8-spored, unitunicate, cylindrical asci, with J+, apical ring, and ellipsoidal to allantoid, aseptate, guttulate ascospores. The asexual morph has ceratosporium-like conidia arising from aerial hyphae with a single arm and are usually attached or with 2-3 arms, brown, often with a subglobose to conical cell at the point of attachment.

Tests of hypotheses for group formation in the subtropical leaf-dwelling bat, .

Investigating factors that promote group living in animals can help us to understand the evolution of sociality. The dark woolly bat, , forms small groups and uses furled leaves of banana () as day roosts in subtropical Taiwan. In this study, we reported on the roosting ecology and social organization of .

Alpha-lipoic acid alleviates NAFLD and triglyceride accumulation in liver via modulating hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome activation pathway in type 2 diabetic rats.

The occurrence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The activation of nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in the liver may lead to hepatic fat accumulation. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) has been reported to improve IR in a T2DM rodent model.

Deep-sea clawed lobster Wood-Mason, 1872 species complex in the Indo-West Pacific (Crustacea, Decapoda, Nephropidae), with description of a new species.

Wood-Mason, 1872 is the most common species of the deep-sea clawed lobster genus Wood-Mason, 1872 in the Indo-West Pacific. Morphological comparisons and genetic analyses of extensive material referred to this lobster revealed the presence of three species. The three species differ mainly in body size, development of the intermediate carina on the carapace, position of the lateral pair of rostral teeth, whether the pleonal tergum is granulate, and the spination on the large chelipeds.

A new millipede-parasitizing horsehair worm, sp. nov., at medium altitudes in Taiwan (Nematomorpha, Gordiida).

, a newly described horsehair worm that parasitizes the millipede, is one of the three described horsehair worm species in Taiwan. It is morphologically similar to Schmidt-Rhaesa, 2010 because of the progressively broadening distribution of bristles concentrated on the male tail lobes, but it is distinguishable from because of the stout bristles on the mid-body. In addition, a vertical white stripe on the anterior ventral side and areoles on the inside wall of the cloacal opening are rarely mentioned in other species.

Additions to Chaetothyriaceae (Chaetothyriales): gen. nov. and , a new host record from decaying leaves of .

A novel ascomycete genus, , occurring on leaf litter of in Dahu Forest Area in Chiayi, Taiwan is described and illustrated. is characterized by dark mycelium covering the upper leaf surface, elongate mycelial pellicle with ring of setae, pale brown to brown peridium, broadly obovoid, short pedicellate asci and hyaline, fusiform, elongated (tapering ends) and multi-septate ascospores with a thin mucilaginous sheath. Phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, LSU and SSU sequence data revealed as a distinct genus within the Chaetothyriaceae with high bootstrap support.

Effect of L. on aorta endothelial damage-associated factors in high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats.

Hyperglycemia plays crucial roles in vascular disease development, including macrovascular and microvascular diseases from diabetes mellitus (DM). Our previous study demonstrated that L. (RTL) aqueous and ethanol extracts alleviate hyperglycemia and inhibit insulin resistance in diabetic rats.

Nanoemulsified adlay bran oil reduces tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis in B16F10 cells and zebrafish.

The efficacy of oily components is often difficult to evaluate due to their incompatibility with most models. Here, we emulsified adlay bran oil (ABO), processed it to a nanoscale, and investigated its anti-hyperpigmentation efficacy, assessed for its inhibitory effects against tyrosinase activity and melanin production, in an in vitro system (mouse melanoma B16F10 cells) and an in vivo system (zebrafish embryos). ABO induced dose-dependent reductions in tyrosinase activity and melanin production in both the melanoma cells and zebrafish, without affecting viability.

A computational study to determine whether substituents make E[triple bond, length as m-dash]nitrogen (E = B, Al, Ga, In, and Tl) triple bonds synthetically accessible.

This study theoretically determines the effect of substituents on the stability of the triple-bonded L-E[triple bond, length as m-dash]N-L (E = B, Al, Ga, In, and Tl) compound using the M06-2X/Def2-TZVP, B3PW91/Def2-TZVP, and B3LYP/LANL2DZ+dp levels of theory. Five small substituents (F, OH, H, CH and SiH) and four large substituents (SiMe(SiBu), SiPrDis, Tbt ([double bond, length as m-dash] CH-2,4,6-{CH(SiMe)}) and Ar* ([double bond, length as m-dash]CH-2,6-(CH-2,4,6-i-Pr))) are used. Unlike other triply bonded L-E[triple bond, length as m-dash]P-L, L-E[triple bond, length as m-dash]As-L, L-E[triple bond, length as m-dash]Sb-L and L-E[triple bond, length as m-dash]Bi-L molecules that have been studied, the theoretical findings for this study show that both small (but electropositive) ligands and bulky substituents can effectively stabilize the central E[triple bond, length as m-dash]N triple bond.

The mechanistic investigations of photochemical decarbonylations and oxidative addition reactions for M(CO) (M = Fe, Ru, Os) complexes.

The mechanisms for the photochemical CO-dissociation and the oxidative addition reactions are studied theoretically using three model systems: M(CO) (M = Fe, Ru, and Os) and the CASSCF/Def2-SVP (fourteen-electron/ten-orbital active space) and MP2-CAS/Def2-SVP//CASSCF/Def2-SVP methods. The structures of the intersystem crossings and the conical intersections, which play a decisive role in these CO photo-extrusion reactions, are determined. The intermediates and the transition structures in either the singlet or triplet states are also computed, in order to explain the reaction routes.

Ameliorative effect of L. on hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus and glucose uptake in mouse C2C12 myoblasts.

L. (RTL) exhibits a wide range of phytochemical activities, for example, on treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM), in Orient. There is, however, few study regarding the effect of RTL on glycemic-related homeostasis in type 2 DM (T2DM).

WITHDRAWN: Correlation of gene polymorphisms in canine pancreatitis.

Ahead of Print article withdrawn by publisher.

A model study on the photodecarbonyl reaction of (η-CH)M(CO) (M = Co, Rh, Ir).

The group 9 organometallic complexes η-CpM(CO) (M = Co, Rh, and Ir) and Si(CH)(H) have been considered as a model system to study their photochemical decarbonyl reactions as well as the Si-H bond activation reactions using the CASSCF and MP2-CAS computational methods. For the cobalt complex, three kinds of reaction pathways, which result in the same oxidative addition product, are investigated. Our theoretical finding demonstrated that after the photoirradiation, η-CpCo(CO) loses one CO ligand without any difficulty to form either the triplet ([η-CpCo(CO)]) or singlet ([η-CpCo(CO)]) species.