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The carbon–carbon triple bond (–C≡C–) is an elementary constituent for the construction of conjugated molecular wires and carbon allotropes such as carbyne and graphyne. Here we describe a general approach to in situ synthesize –C≡C– bond on Cu(111) surface via homo-coupling of the trichloromethyl groups, enabling the fabrication of individual and arrays of poly( p -phenylene ethynylene) molecular wires. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals a delocalized electronic state extending along these molecular wires, whose structure is unraveled by atomically resolved images of scanning tunneling microscopy and noncontact atomic force microscopy. Combined with density functional theory calculations, we identify the intermediates formed in the sequential dechlorination process, including surface-bound benzyl, carbene, and carbyne radicals. Our method overcomes the limitation of previous on-surface syntheses of –C≡C– incorporated systems, which require the precursors containing alkyne group; it therefore allows for a more flexible design and fabrication of molecular architectures with tailored properties. Incorporating carbon-carbon triple bonds into conjugated chains typically requires acetylenic precursors. Here, the authors synthesize poly( p -phenylene ethynylene) molecular wires on Cu(111) by directly coupling trichloromethyl-containing precursors, forming C-C triple bonds in situ

In the present study, the flower of Chinese peony (CPF), major waste by-product of Chinese Herb , was comprehensively investigated for the first time. A validated UHPLC Orbitrap Mass spectrometry combined a three-levels characterization strategy were used to analyze CPF samples from four representative cultivars. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities were analyzed using RAW264.7 cells, and DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and ORAC antioxidant assays. A total of 150 chemical components were identified in CPF, among them, more than 50 components were reported from this species for the first time, with potential new chemicals reported. 67 quantified or semi-quantified targeted metabolomics analysis indicated a clear distinction between flower parts and four cultivars. CPF demonstrated significant antioxidant activities and displayed anti-inflammatory effects by reducing nitric oxide, IL-6, and TNF-a release in LPS-induced macrophages. Correlation analysis highlighted a strong positive correlation between total phenolic content and DPPH ABTS, and FRAP antioxidant activities. The present study is the first to comprehensively investigate the chemical profile and bioactivities of CPF, which provide insights into further understanding of its health-promoting potential.

Bupi Yishen Formula (BYF), a Chinese medicine preparation, has been clinically applied for the recovery of chronic kidney disease and for delaying its progress. Nevertheless, the chemical components in BYF have yet to be fully clarified. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS ) and triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-TQ-MS/MS) methods were developed for qualitative chemical profiling and multi-components quantitative analysis in BYF. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Phenomenex Kinetex C column (2.1 × 100 mm i.d., 1.7 μm) using gradient elution of water (A) and acetonitrile (B) both containing 0.1% formic acid. Eighty-six compounds, including flavones, saponins, phenolic acids, and other compounds were authenticated or temporarily deduced according to their retention behaviors, mass mensuration, and characteristic fragment ions with those elucidated reference substances or literatures. Among the herbal medicinal materials of the formula, Astragali Radix, Codonopsis Radix, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix Rhizoma, and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata contributed to the bulk of the dissolved metabolites of the formula extraction. In addition, seven analytes were simultaneously determined by UHPLC-TQ-MS/MS, which was validated and has managed to determine major components in BYF. The study indicated that the established qualitative and quantitative methods would be potent and dependable analytical tools for characterizing multi-constituent in complex prescriptions decoction and provided a basis for the evaluation of bioactive components in BYF.

In order to quickly and simultaneously obtain the chemical profiles and control the quality of the root of Polygonum multiflorum Thumb. and its processed form, a rapid qualitative and quantitative method, using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-linear ion trap-Orbitrap hybrid mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MSn) has been developed. The analysis was performed within 10 min on an AcQuity UPLC™ BEH C18 column with a gradient elution of 0.1% formic acid-acetonitrile at flow rate of 400 μL/min. According to the fragmentation mechanism and high resolution MSn data, a diagnostic ion searching strategy was used for rapid and tentative identification of main phenolic components and 23 compounds were simultaneously identified or tentatively characterized. The difference in chemical profiles between P. multiflorum and its processed preparation were observed by comparing the ions abundances of main constituents in the MS spectra and significant changes of eight metabolite biomarkers were detected in the P. multiflorum samples and their preparations. In addition, four of the representative phenols, namely gallic acid, trans-2,3,5,4′-tetra-hydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucopyranoside, emodin and emodin-8-O-β-d-glucopyranoside were quantified by the validated UHPLC-MS/MS method. These phenols are considered to be major bioactive constituents in P. multiflorum, and are generally regarded as the index for quality assessment of this herb. The method was successfully used to quantify 10 batches of P. multiflorum and 10 batches of processed P. multiflorum. The results demonstrated that the method is simple, rapid, and suitable for the discrimination and quality control of this traditional Chinese herb.

Objective: Uric acid (UA) is a risk marker of CKD and SUA level in CKD 3-4 patients closely correlates with hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN) morbidity. This study was designed to evaluate the risk factors for HN in CKD 3-4 patients. Methods: The 461 CKD 3-4 patients were recruited and all patients were divided into three groups (24 h UUA normal, underexeret, and overproduct type groups) according to the 24 h UUA level after receiving low purine food for five days. Clinical and biochemical characteristics of CKD patients were collected for the logistic regression analysis. Correlation analysis of the mRNA relative expression level of hUAT and hURAT1 with serum UA (SUA) level also was evaluated. Results: There were significant increases in characteristics including average age, waist-to-height ratio (WHR), SUA levels, HN ratio, TG/HDL ratio, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), uNgal/Cr. ratio, and uKim-1/Cr. ratio in overproduct type group in comparison with the other two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed SUA, CHO, uKim-1/Cr. ratio and uNgal/Cr. ratio were independent and multiple risk factors for HN. Moreover, hUAT and hURAT1 mRNA relative expression levels were significantly correlated with SUA level in the underexeret type CKD 3-4 patients. Conclusions: These results showed SUA and other characteristics contributed to HN morbidity in CKD 3-4 patients.

Evidence suggests that the immunomodulatory property of polyphenols may also contribute to the reduction of cardiovascular risk. In the present study, we investigated the polyphenol extraction (PE) from Syzygium brachythyrsum, a functional food resource in south China, regarding the protective effect on inhibiting foam cell formation and the underlying molecular mechanism based on an ox-LDL-induced RAW264.7 macrophage model. The results of Oil Red O staining, Dil-ox-LDL fluorescent staining, and cholesterol efflux experiments showed that PE, and its two phenolics brachythol B (BB) and ethyl gallate (EG), significantly inhibited the foam cell formation, which may be associated with reducing the expression of SR-A1 and CD36 while increasing expression of SR-B1, ABCG1, and PPARγ. In addition, BB and EG also reduce the inflammatory response by down-regulating the expression of NF-κB and MAPK signal pathway proteins, thereby inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors. Altogether, PE and its two components BB and EG attenuated foam cell formation and macrophage inflammation response.

Objective Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently the most serious infectious disease in the world. An accurate diagnosis of this disease in the clinic is very important. This study aims to improve the differential ability of computed tomography (CT) to diagnose COVID-19 and other community-acquired pneumonias (CAPs) and evaluate the short-term prognosis of these patients. Methods The clinical and imaging data of 165 COVID-19 and 118 CAP patients diagnosed in seven hospitals in Anhui Province, China from January 21 to February 28, 2020 were retrospectively analysed. The CT manifestations of the two groups were recorded and compared. A correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between COVID-19 and age, size of lung lesions, number of involved lobes, and CT findings of patients. The factors that were helpful in diagnosing the two groups of patients were identified based on specificity and sensitivity. Results The typical CT findings of COVID-19 are simple ground-glass opacities (GGO), GGO with consolidation or grid-like changes. The sensitivity and specificity of the combination of age, white blood cell count, and ground-glass opacity in the diagnosis of COVID-19 were 92.7 and 66.1%, respectively. Pulmonary consolidation, fibrous cords, and bronchial wall thickening were used as indicators to exclude COVID-19. The sensitivity and specificity of the combination of these findings were 78.0 and 63.6%, respectively. The follow-up results showed that 67.8% (112/165) of COVID-19 patients had abnormal changes in their lung parameters, and the severity of the pulmonary sequelae of patients over 60 years of age worsened with age. Conclusions Age, white blood cell count and ground-glass opacity have high accuracy in the early diagnosis of COVID-19 and the differential diagnosis from CAP. Patients aged over 60 years with COVID-19 have a poor prognosis. This result provides certain significant guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of new coronavirus pneumonia.

The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of depression in Chinese university students, and to identify the socio-demographic factors associated with depression in this population. A multi-stage stratified sampling procedure was used to select university students (N = 5245) in Harbin (Heilongjiang Province, Northeastern China), who were aged 16-35 years. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to determine depressive symptoms of the participants. BDI scores of 14 or higher were categorized as depressive for logistic regression analysis. Depression was diagnosed by the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). 11.7% of the participants had a BDI score 14 or higher. Major Depressive Disorder was seen in 4.0% of Chinese university students. There were no statistical differences in the incidence of depression when gender, ethnicity, and university classification were analyzed. Multivariate analysis showed that age, study year, satisfaction with major, family income situation, parental relationship and mother's education were significantly associated with depression. Moderate depression is prevalent in Chinese university students. The students who were older, dissatisfied with their major, had a lower family income, poor parental relationships, and a lower level of mother's education were susceptible to depression.

Previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggest that depression can be effectively treated by omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the clinical applicability of the combination of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are the two major bioactive types of PUFAs, in depressed women. RCTs that compared the combination of DHA and EPA to placebo for short-course treatment of depression in women were systematically reviewed up to March 2015. Outcome measurement was the standardized difference in means in clinical measure of depression severity. Random effect model was performed. Meta-regression analysis was performed to assess the effects of baseline depression scores. Data were obtained from eight RCTs. In these RCTs, 182 patients received placebo and 185 patients received DHA and EPA. The pooled standardized difference in mean was 0.65 with 95% CI = [0.18, 1.12]. There was no relation between the efficacy and the baseline depression scores. The sensitivity analysis found that the combination of EPA and DHA as monotherapy yielded a standardized difference in means of 0.65 (95% CI =0.41, 0.90) without heterogeneity. These results indicate a beneficial effect of the combination of EPA and DHA on depressed mood in women compared with placebo. The clinical applicability of EPA and DHA showed greater promise and should be further explored.

Southern Chinese Medicine (SCM) is an important sect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with its own special cultural style. Species identification is essential for TCM quality control because authentic herbs are possibly substituted with adulterants that would threaten the health of the public or even cause death. Here, we provided the first local reference DNA barcode library based on the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) for the molecular identification of SCM. A total of 1512 specimens of southern herbs representing 359 species were collected under the instructions and identification of taxonomic experts. Genomic DNA was extracted, and the PCR reaction proceeded according to standard procedures. After Sanger sequencing, sequence assembling and annotation, a reliable ITS2 barcode library with 1276 sequences from 309 species of Southern herbs was constructed. The PCR efficiency of the whole samples was 84.39%. Characteristics of the ITS2 barcode were analyzed, including sequence lengths and GC contents in different taxa. Neighbor-joining trees based on Kimura 2-Parameter (K2P) genetic distances showed a 67.56% successful rate of species identification with ITS2 barcode. In addition, 96.57% of species could be successfully identified at the genus level by the BLAST method. Eleven plant species were discovered to be cryptic. In addition, we found that there is an incorrect sequence existing in the public database, making a reliable local DNA barcode reference more meaningful. ITS2 barcodes exhibit advantages in TCM identification. This DNA barcode reference library could be used in Southern Chinese Medicine quality control, thus contributing to protecting public health.