[Relationships between decreased LAMC3 and poor prognosis in ovarian cancer]

Objective: To investigate the correlations of laminin subunit gamma 3 (LAMC3) expression with prognosis of ovarian cancer (OC). Methods: LAMC3 protein expression was measured using immunohistochemical streptavidin-peroxidase-biotin connection method (IHC). Gene expression and related clinical data in the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) cohort and clinical proteomic tumor analysis consortium (CPTAC) were applied to analyse the correlation between gene and protein expressions and clinical outcomes. Correlations between LAMC3 and clinicopathological factors were evaluated using the Pearson χ² test (2-sided). The probability of survival and significance was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier plot. The functional clustering of biological pathways enriched from co-expressed genes of LAMC3 was used to explore the possible mechanisms that LAMC3 might contribute to poor prognosis. Results: Based on the IHC results of 216 OC tissues or ovaries (including 208 tumors and 8 normal tissues) and 51 OC tissues (including 24 chemotherapy-resistant and 27 sensitive tissues), and the protein expression data from CPTAC (including 100 primary tumors and 25 normal tissues), the results showed that the protein expression of LAMC3 was significantly decreased in OC tissues compared with normal, decreased in advanced-stage tissues compared with early-stage tissues, and decreased in drug-resistant tissues compared with sensitive tissues (all P<0.05). Furthermore, low expression of LAMC3 protein was significantly associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in 51 OC tissues (P<0.01), consistent with the results that the low levels of LAMC3 mRNA predicted short DFS and OS in 489 OC tissues of the TCGA cohort (P<0.05). The results suggested that low expression of LAMC3 might be the adverse factors for OC development, such as drug resistance and advanced tumors, and might be a risk indicator for prognosis. Moreover, functional clustering of biological pathways enriched from the co-expressed genes of LAMC3 in TCGA ovarian cohort indicated that LAMC3 potentially involved in regulation of OC via oncogene-pathways such as Ras associated protein 1 (Rap1), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), Ras and cell adhesion-related pathways such as extra cellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction and focal adhesion. It indicated that LAMC3 might contribute to short survival and tumor progression by regulation of the above pathways. Conclusion: Low expression of LAMC3 is related to poor prognosis and malignant progression in OC, and thus it is expected to be a new prognostic marker and therapeutic target for clinical treatment.

[Textual research on origin and genuine of Lilii Bulbus]

Lilii Bulbus, which comes from many medicinal plants，is a frequently-used traditional Chinese medicine，the records in previous herbal literatures of it's origin and quality were inconstant. To trace back it's sources, we conducted a systematical study on it's origin and quality by textual research and investigation in this paper,The result showed that the origins of Lilii Bulbus are mainly source from white-flowers, red-yellow-flowers and red-flowers of Lilium， L. brownii var. viridulum, which were believed authentic or good quality in all previous herbal literatures,and L. pumilum and L. concolor which belong to white-flowers,and L. lancifolium which belong to red-yellow-flowers were believed low-quality and unfit for medicinal uses, or they were listed below and often have different effect with L. brownii var. viridulum. Among them, only L. concolor does not belong to Lilii Bulbus according to Chinese Pharmacopeia (2015 edition), The mainstream varieties of Lilii Bulbus became L. lancifolium now according to our practical investigation, which were very different from previous herbal literatures. Although chemical and pharmacological studies provided a reference for L. lancifolium，we should respect the actual records of the previous herbal literatures，the research of material foundation of efficacy should be more sufficient，and provide science evidence for clinical application of different species of Lilii Bulbus.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Biological Evaluation of Novel 2-Phenylthiazole Derivatives as Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors

To find novel butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors, three novel 2-phenylthiazole derivatives were synthesised. The synthesised compounds were characterised by NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots of the compounds were used as a theoretical approach to assess the driving force for crystal structure formation via the intermolecular interactions in the crystal lattices of the synthesised compounds. Among the three compounds, N-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro- 1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)thiazole-4-carboxamide showed the best butyrylcholinesterase-inhibition activity with an IC50 value of 75.12 μM. A docking study demonstrated that this compound interacts with the peripheral anionic site of butyrylcholinesterase.

Synthesis, Characterisation and Acetylcholinesterase-Inhibition Activities of 5-benzyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine Derivatives

Four 5-benzyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine derivatives were synthesised from phenylacetic acid derivatives. The structures of the 5-benzyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives were characterised by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The acetylcholinesterase-inhibition activities were also tested. Among the four compounds, 5- (4-bromobenzyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine showed the best acetylcholinesterase-inhibition activity with an IC50 of 49.86 μM. The docking study performed with AUTODOCK demonstrated that this compound could interact with the catalytic active site of acetylcholinesterase.

[History of heavy metal pollution from tidal flat in Haizhou Bay]

Coastal zone could be considered as an important sink of regional source to sink and preserve historical records of environmental evolution. Four sediment cores, collected from tidal flat at Haizhou Bay near Lianyungang City, were examined for concentrations of heavy metals including Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn in core sediments to investigate the historical input of trace metals. In addition, sediment rates of cores LH3 and LH4 were determined based on radionuclide 210Pb. The results showed that grain size control effect was not the main factor that influenced the distribution of heavy metals. Heavy metals concentrations in the surface sediments were higher than these regional background values. Furthermore, Al element as a proxy of grain size was selected for normalization and calculation of metal enrichment factor (EF) and anthropogenic heavy metal fluxes. The results revealed that heavy metals in tidal flats were continuously enriched in the past decades, meanwhile, tidal flats have been significantly subjected to contaminations due to anthropogenic activities. Moreover, the depth profiles of heavy metals fluxes correspond to scenario of social-economy development of Lianyungang, which is an important urban area near Haizhou Bay. From 1950s to 2005, anthropogenic fluxes of metals increased with fluctuations, whereas, since 2005 anthropogenic fluxes declined, which may be correlated to the adjustment of industrial structure as well as the strengthened environmental regulation.

Diaqua-bis-(1-methyl-1H-imidazole-κN(3))bis-[2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetato-κO]cobalt(II)

In the title compound, [Co(C₁₂H₉O₂)₂(C₄H₆N₂)₂(H₂O)₂], the Co^II ion is located on an inversion centre and displays a distorted octa­hedral coordination geometry. Two O atoms from two water mol­ecules and two carboxyl­ate O atoms from two 2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetate ligands are in the equatorial plane and two N atoms from two 1-methyl-1H-imidazole ligands are in the axial positions. The structure is stabilized by intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the complex mol­ecules into chains along [100].

Bis(1H-benzimidazole-κN(3))bis-[2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetato-κ(2)O,O']nickel(II) monohydrate

In the title compound, [Ni(C(12)H(9)O(2))(2)(C(7)H(6)N(2))(2)]·H(2)O, The Ni(II) cation is located on a twofold rotation axis and is six-coordinated in a distorted NiN(2)O(4) octa-hedral geometry. The asymmetric unit consists of a nickel(II) ion, one 2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetate anion, a neutral benzotriazole ligand and one half of a lattice water mol-ecule. The crystal packing is stabilized by O-H⋯O and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The title compound is isotypic with its Cd(II) analogue.

Pyrrolidin-1-ium 2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetate–2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetic acid (1/1)

In the title compound, C₄H₁₀N⁺·C₁₂H₉O₂⁻·C₁₂H₁₀O₂, the pyrrolidine ring adopts an envelope conformation and the dihedral angle between the planes of the two naphthalene ring systems is 8.34 (10)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Tetra-kis(μ-naphthalene-1-acetato-κO:O')bis-[(N,N-dimethyl-formamide-κO)copper(II)]

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Cu(2)(C(12)H(9)O(2))(4)(C(3)H(7)NO)(2)], contains two independent centrosymmetric dinuclear copper(II) complexes. The central paddle-wheel units are formed by four bridging bidentate naphthalene-1-acetate ligands with two dimethyl-formamide ligands in the axial positions. The unique Cu(II) ions have slightly distorted square-pyramidal coordination geometries. One of the naphthalene rings is disordered over two sets of sites, with refined occpancies of 0.535 (4) and 0.465 (4).

Bis(1H-benzimidazole-κN)bis-[2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetato-κO,O']manganese(II) monohydrate

In the title compound, [Mn(C₁₂H₉O₂)₂(C₇H₆N₂)₂]·H₂O, the Mn^II ion is located on a twofold rotation axis and six-coordinated, displaying a distorted MnN₂O₄ octa­hedral geometry. The crystal packing is stabilized by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which give rise to a one-dimensional structure along [001], and π–π inter­actions between the imidazole rings and between the benzene rings of the 2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetate ligands [centroid–centroid distances = 3.761 (3) and 3.728 (4) Å]. The contribution of the electron density associated with the disordered water molecules was not considerd in the final structure model.

Bis(1-methyl-1H-imidazole-κN)bis-[2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetato-κO]copper(II) monohydrate

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Cu(C(12)H(9)O(2))(2)(C(4)H(6)N(2))(2)]·H(2)O, the Cu(II) atom is coordinated by two 2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetate anions and two 1-methyl-imidazole ligands, giving monomeric complexes with a square-planar coordination environment. Two complex mol-ecules and two water mol-ecules form a centrosymmetric ring system via O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Bis-(2-methyl-1H-imidazole-κN)bis[2-(naphthalen-2-yl)acetato-κO]copper(II)

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Cu(C₁₂H₉O₂)₂(C₄H₆N₂)₂], the Cu(II) cations are square-planar coordinated by two 1-naphthyl­acetate anions and two 2-methyl-imidazole ligands into discrete complexes that are located on centres of inversion. These complexes are linked into chains parallel to [010] by inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonding between the N—H H atom of the 2-methyl-imidazole ligands and the carboxyl­ate O atoms that are not involved in metal coordination.

[Study on the net photosynthesis rate of Coptis chinensis from different types and production places]

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate the photosynthesis characteristics of Coptis chinensis and provide theoretical basis for the optimization of Coptis chinensis germplasm resources and variety.

METHODS

The daily variation of the net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and intercellular CO2 density in leaf blade were determined by Photosynthesis analyzer, and the net photosynthesis rate of Coptis chinensis from different plant ages, types and production places was compared.

RESULTS

The light saturation point in Coptis chinensis was about 500 micromol/m2 x s, light compensation point was about 12.04 micromol/(m2 x s), apparent quantum yield was 0.011. When the temperature was above 33 degrees C, the transpiration rate increased but the net photosynthesis rate decreased. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) among the net photosynthesis rate of Coptis chinensis from different plant ages. The net photosynthesis rate of the type DA-YE and ZHI-HUA was significantly higher than that of other types (P < 0.05); The net photosynthesis rates of specimens from Fubao mountain in Lichuan county of Hubei and Fengmu village in Shizhu county of Chongqing were significantly higher than that of others.

CONCLUSIONS

The net photosynthesis rate of Coptis chinensis decreased under hight temperation and hight light. Different germplasm resources of Coptis chinensis, the net photosynthetic rate had certain differences.

[Study on the autointoxication of aquatic extracts from different parts of Coptis chinensis]

OBJECTIVE

To study the autointoxication of aquatic extracts from different parts of Coptis chinensis.

METHODS

By measuring the effects on seed germination, seedling growth and adult-plants' growth, the autointoxications of root exudates, rhizome extracts, plant residue decomposition products and aqueous extracts from rhizosphere soil were studied.

RESULTS

The aquatic extracts from different parts of C. chinensis could inhibit the nutritional growth stage of C. chinensis.

CONCLUSIONS

Autointoxication is one of the factors leading to continuous cropping obstacle, and this study is instructive to the management and application of C. chinensis in agricultural productivity.

[Researches on morphology and anatomy of root system of Dendrobium nobile Lindl]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the morphological and anatomical characteristics of Dendrobium nobile so as to provide scientific basis for its domestication and cultivation.

METHOD

The root's morphological development and interior structure were investigated.

RESULT AND CONCLUSION

Dendrobium has peculiar structure which determines that this plant requires a growing environment with high water and air ventilation properties.