Synthesis of 7,8α-dihydro-14α-deoxyecdysteroids

A Pd-C-catalyzed hydrogenation in methanol and in the presence of sodium methylate is a simple, convenient and high yielding reduction method to convert the 7,14-dien-6-one ecdysteroids to their corresponding 7,8α-dihydro-14α-deoxyecdysteroids.     

N9-substituted derivatives of kinetin: effective anti-senescence agents

The first isolated cytokinin, 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin or Kin), was identified almost 55 years ago. Its biological effects on plant cells and tissues include influences on such processes as gene expression, cell cycle, chloroplast development, chlorophyll biosynthesis, stimulation of vascular development, delay of senescence, and mobilization of nutrients. In the present study we prepared a series of eight N9-substituted Kin derivatives, and characterized them with available physicochemical methods such as CI+ mass spectrometry and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. All compounds were tested in three classical cytokinin bioassays: a tobacco callus assay, an Amaranthus assay, and a senescence assay with excised wheat leaves. The ability of the compounds to interact with Arabidopsis cytokinin receptors CRE1/AHK4 and AHK3 was tested in a bacterial receptor assay. Prepared derivatives with certain substitutions of the N9-atom of the purine moiety enhanced the cytokinin activity of the parent compound in the bioassays to a remarkable degree but negatively affected its perception by CRE1/AHK4 and AHK3. The ability of compounds to delay the senescence of excised wheat leaves in both dark and light conditions, was highly correlated with their ability to influence membrane lipid peroxidation, which is a typical symptom of senescence. Our results were corroborated by gene expression profiling of those genes involved in cytokinin metabolism and perception, plant senescence, and the stress response, and suggest that prepared kinetin derivatives might be used as potent anti-senescence agents.     

人参养荣汤联合穴位贴敷对冠心病PCI术后患者血脂、心功能和Th1/Th2型细胞因子的影响

摘要 目的：观察人参养荣汤联合穴位贴敷对冠心病经皮冠状动脉介入术（PCI）后患者血脂、心功能和辅助性T细胞1（Th1）/Th2型细胞因子的影响。方法：选取2020年2月~2022年12月期间在我院接收的冠心病PCI术后患者142例。采用双色球法将患者分为对照组（71例,常规西医治疗+穴位贴敷）和实验组（71例,对照组的基础上接受人参养荣汤）,均治疗4周。观察并比较两组中医证候积分、心功能指标[左心室射血分数（LVEF）和每分心输出量（CO）]、血脂四项指标[三酰甘油（TG）、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL-C）、总胆固醇（TC）]、Th1/Th2型细胞因子[子γ干扰素（IFN-γ）、白细胞介素（IL）-2、IL-4、IL-10]。同时记录两组治疗结束半年内心血管不良事件发生率。结果：两组治疗后主症评分、次症评分、总评分下降,实验组低于照组,数据比较有差异（P<0.05）。治疗后两组LVEF和CO均升高,实验组高于对照组,数据比较有差异（P<0.05）。与对照组相比,实验组治疗后HDL-C高于对照组,TG、TC、LDL-C低于对照组,数据比较有差异（P<0.05）。与对照组相比,治疗后实验组的IL-4、IL-10更高,而IFN-γ、IL-2更低,数据比较有差异（P<0.05）。两组心血管不良事件发生率对比未见统计学差异（P>0.05）。结论：人参养荣汤联合穴位贴敷用于冠心病PCI术后患者,可改善患者的血脂和心功能,调节Th1/Th2型细胞因子,促进临床转归。     

CD64指数、sCD14、sCD163与胸腔镜肺癌根治术后并发重症肺部感染的关系研究

摘要 目的：探讨CD64指数、可溶性白细胞分化抗原14（sCD14）、可溶性白细胞分化抗原163（sCD163）与胸腔镜肺癌根治术后并发重症肺部感染的关系。方法：选择2020年1月至2023年1月南通市肿瘤医院收治的行胸腔镜肺癌根治术治疗的非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）患者共415例。根据术后是否并发重症肺部感染将患者分为感染组（21例）和未感染组（394例）。检测外周血CD64指数和血清sCD14、sCD163水平。多因素Logistic回归分析影响胸腔镜肺癌根治术后并发重症肺部感染的因素。受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析CD64指数、sCD14、sCD163预测胸腔镜肺癌根治术后并发重症肺部感染的价值。结果：感染组外周血CD64指数、血清sCD14、sCD163水平高于未感染组（P＜0.05）。多因素Logistic回归分析显示高CD64指数、sCD14、sCD163、降钙素原（PCT）是胸腔镜肺癌根治术后并发重症肺部感染的危险因素（P＜0.05）,高呼气峰值流量（PEF）是保护因素（P＜0.05）。CD64指数、sCD14、sCD163、PCT预测胸腔镜肺癌根治术后并发重症肺部感染的曲线下面积为0.834、0.815、0.842、0.784,联合预测曲线下面积为0.928,高于单独预测。结论：血清CD64指数、sCD14、sCD163、PCT水平升高是胸腔镜肺癌根治术后并发重症肺部感染的危险因素。联合CD64指数、sCD14、sCD163、PCT可较好地预测术后重症肺部感染的风险。     

龙鹿丸联合来曲唑对多囊卵巢综合征不孕症患者性激素、Th1/Th2免疫失衡和临床结局的影响

摘要 目的：探讨龙鹿丸联合来曲唑对多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）不孕症患者性激素、辅助性T细胞1/辅助性T细胞2（Th1/Th2）免疫失衡和临床结局的影响。方法：选择2020年4月~2023年4月期间在湖南省妇幼保健院接受治疗的135例PCOS不孕症患者。采用双色球法将患者分为对照组和联合组,分别为67例和68例。对照组接受来曲唑治疗,联合组接受龙鹿丸联合来曲唑治疗。对比两组疗效、性激素指标[雌二醇（E₂）、促卵泡激素（FSH）、孕酮（P）和黄体生成素（LH）]、Th1/Th2免疫失衡相关指标[干扰素γ（IFN-γ）、白细胞介素4（IL-4）和Th1/Th2]、临床结局和安全性。结果：与对照组相比,联合组临床总有效率更高（P<0.05）。治疗后,联合组E₂、FSH、P高于对照组,LH低于对照组（P<0.05）。治疗后,联合组IFN-γ、IL-4、Th1/Th2低于对照组（P<0.05）。联合组的排卵率、妊娠率高于对照组（P<0.05）。两组不良反应发生率组间对比未见差异（P>0.05）。结论：PCOS不孕症患者采用龙鹿丸联合来曲唑治疗,可通过更好地改善性激素水平和提高抗病能力来改善其临床结局。     

生长分化因子5与代谢性疾病

生长分化因子5 (growth/differentiation factor-5,GDF-5)属于转化生长因子β (transforming growth factor-β,TGF-β)家族,在骨、软骨、心脏、大脑、肾脏、骨骼肌和肌腱、肝脏以及脂肪等多个器官组织中表达。GDF-5与其受体BMPR-I/BMPR-II结合,激活Smad1/5/8、PI3K/Akt、p38-MAPK等信号,发挥促进细胞增殖分化、减少氧化应激损伤、细胞凋亡和组织纤维化等生物学功能。目前针对GDF-5的研究多聚焦在骨、软骨与肌腱的生长和修复等方面,而在其他器官中的生物学作用鲜有报道。因此,本文通过梳理和总结近年来GDF-5与代谢性疾病的研究进展,为GDF-5在改善代谢性疾病防治提供新的见解和理论依据。     

Cigarette smoking enhances T cell activation and a Th2 immune response; an aspect of the pathophysiology in periodontal disease

Smoking is a strong risk factor for periodontitis. Treated patients who smoke show increased risk for further periodontal breakdown, despite receiving maintenance care. Previous work indicated that such patients have a monocytic cytokine response favoring Th2 activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the T lymphocytic cytokine production representing Th1 and Th2 subpopulations in smokers and non-smokers. Venous blood was collected from 30 treated periodontitis patients (12 smokers) and 24 healthy subjects (12 smokers). Whole blood cell cultures were stimulated and interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-13 were measured in the culture supernatants, representing types 1 and 2 Th subpopulations, respectively. Unadjusted data showed that smokers had more lymphocytes, and higher levels of IFN-γ and IL-13, irrespective of being periodontal patient. However in a multivariate analysis, increased IFN-γ production was not significantly explained by smoking, while higher IL-13 was strongly explained by smoking (21%, p < 0.001). We suggest that the increased Th activity and specifically an elevated Th2 profile in smokers may constitute a risk for smoking patients which may induce conversion of periodontal stability into progressive disease. This phenomenon may be equally important in other conditions, where connective tissue and bone loss are hallmarks of disease pathophysiology.     

Starch turnover in shoot-forming tobacco callus

Tobacco callus grown under shoot-forming conditions or in the presence of gibberellic acid, which inhibits shoot formation, was incubated in [¹⁴C]-sucrose at three different periods in culture and then replanted. Evolution of ¹⁴CO₂ occurred during the 10 day post-incubation period. Most of the radioactivity was incorporated into the ethanol-soluble fraction, which lost most of its label after 24 h. Starch was the major ethanol-insoluble component and post-incubation synthesis occurred in this fraction for 24 h or longer. Greater net synthesis of starch occurred in shoot-forming tissue and the loss of label from starch began later than in tissue cultured in the presence of gibbe-rellic acid. Newly synthesized starch was not immediately utilised in the organogenic process, but its utilization could be correlated with the shoot-forming process.     

Correlations between type‐indicator fish species and lake productivity in German lowland lakes

Morphotypes for 67 lakes in the German lowlands were derived, based on maximum depth and mixis type. A threshold of 11 m maximum depth was identified to be the best level to discriminate shallow from deep lake morphotypes. The fish communities in these two morphotypes were significantly different. Indicator species analyses based on fish biomasses found vendace Coregonus albula in deep lakes and ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus , bream Abramis brama , white bream Abramis bjoerkna , roach Rutilus rutilus , pikeperch Sander lucioperca and small perch Perca fluviatilis in shallow lakes to be the most representative species of their communities. Lake productivity was closely related to biomass and in part abundance of the type‐indicator species, with vendace declining with increasing chlorophyll a concentration in the deep lakes, whereas biomass of pikeperch, bream, white bream and ruffe increased and biomass of small perch decreased with increasing chlorophyll a . These results indicate that assessment of ecological integrity of lakes by their fish fauna is generally possible, if lakes are initially separated according to a depth‐related morphotype before the assessment, and if eutrophication is considered to be the main anthropogenic degradation.