Poly[μ-5-ammonio­isophthalato-aqua-μ-oxalato-dysprosium(III)]

The title complex, [Dy(C8H6NO4)(C2O4)(H2O)]n, is a dysprosium coordination polymer with mixed anions and was obtained under hydrothermal conditions. In the structure, the oxalate and 5-amino­isophthalate ligands link the dysprosium ions, building up a two-dimensional metal–organic framework parallel to the (10) plane. These sheets are further connected through O—H⋯O, N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional supra­molecular structure

Tetrakis[μ-3-(3-pyridyl)acrylato-κ2 O:O′]bis{(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)[3-(3-pyridyl)acrylato-κ2 O,O′]europium(III)} pentahydrate

The europiumIII ion in the title compound, [Eu2(C8H6NO2)6(C12H8N2)2]·5H2O, is coordinated by seven carboxyl­ate O atoms and two N atoms from one phenanthroline mol­ecule. The carboxyl­ate groups of 3-(3-pyrid­yl)acrylate link pairs of europium(III) ions, forming centrosymmetric dinuclear units, which further assemble into a sheet parallel to the (001) plane through hydrogen-bonding inter­actions involving the uncoordinated water mol­ecules. One water molecule is disordered

3,5-Dibromo-2-hydroxy­benzoic acid

The title compound, C7H4Br2O3, has an intra­molecular O—H⋯O=C hydrogen bond and aggregates to form hydrogen-bonded dimers via O—H⋯O inter­actions. The formation of zigzag one-dimensional mol­ecular tapes via C—H⋯Br inter­actions and π–π stacking inter­actions (inter­planar separation = 3.42 Å) completes the crystal structure

Excessive Accumulation of Chinese Fir Litter Inhibits Its Own Seedling Emergence and Early Growth—A Greenhouse Perspective

Litter accumulation can strongly influence plants’ natural regeneration via both physical and chemical mechanisms, but the relative influence of each mechanism on seedling establishment remains to be elucidated. Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) is one of the most important commercial plantations in southern China, but its natural regeneration is poor, possibly due to its thick leaf litter accumulation. We used natural and plastic litter to study the effects of Chinese fir litter on its own seedling emergence and early growth, as well as to assess whether the effect is physical or chemical in nature. Results showed that high litter amount (800 g·m−2) significantly reduced seedling emergence and the survival rate for both natural and plastic litter. Low litter amount (200 g·m−2) exerted a slightly positive effect on root mass, leaf mass, and total mass, while high litter amount significantly inhibited root mass, leaf mass, and total mass for both natural and plastic litter. Root-mass ratio was significantly lower, and leaf-mass ratio was significantly greater under high litter cover than under control for both natural and plastic litter. Although the root/shoot ratio decreased with increasing litter amount, such effect was only significant for high litter treatment for both natural and plastic litter. Seedling robustness (aboveground biomass divided by seedling height) decreased with increasing litter amount, with high litter treatment generating the least robust seedlings. Because plastic and natural litter did not differ in their effects on seedling emergence and growth, the litter layer’s short-term influence is primarily physical. These data indicated that as litter cover increased, the initial slightly positive effects on seedling emergence and early growth could shift to inhibitory effects. Furthermore, to penetrate the thick litter layer, Chinese fir seedlings allocated more resources towards stems and aboveground growth at the expense of their roots. This study provided experimental evidence of litter amount as a key ecological factor affecting seedling development and subsequent natural regeneration of Chinese fir

2,3:6,7-Bis(methyl­enedi­oxy)­phenanthrene

In the title mol­ecule, C16H10O4, all the non-H atoms are coplanar. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O contacts and π–π stacking inter­actions (the inter­planar distance is 3.43 Å)

Targeting NLRP3 Inflammasome in the Treatment of CNS Diseases

Central nervous system (CNS) is one of the largest killers of people’s health all over the world. The overactivation of the immune and inflammatory responses is considered as an important factor, contributing to the pathogenesis and progression of CNS disorders. Among all kinds of immune and inflammatory reaction, the inflammasome, a complex of proteins, has been drawn increasingly attention to by researchers. The initiation and activation of the inflammasome is involved in the onset of various kinds of diseases. The NLRP3 inflammasome, the most studied member of the inflammasome, is closely associated with many kinds of CNS disorders. Here in this review, the roles of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the pathogenesis and progression of several well-known CNS diseases would be discussed, including cerebrovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, multiple sclerosis, depression as well as other CNS disorders. In addition, several therapeutic strategies targeting on the NLRP3 inflammasome for the treatment of CNS disorders would be described in this review

2-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-4,5-dimethyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium acetate monohydrate

In the title compound, C11H13N2O+·C2H3O2 −·H2O, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the imidazole ring is 7.83 (6)°. In the crystal structure, N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form a two-dimensional network. All the methyl H atoms are disorderd over two sites with equal occupancies

Therapeutic Effects of Water Extract of Arisaema Erubescens Tubers on Type II Collagen-induced Arthritis in Rats

Purpose: To investigate the anti-arthritic activity of the water extract of Rhizoma Arisaematis (WERA) using collagen II (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model.Methods: CIA was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rat by intra dermal injection of bovine collagen type II (C II) in Freund’s complete adjuvant (cFA). The rats were treated daily for 21 consecutive days with WERA at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg. Methotrexate (MTX) was used as positive control, and administered at a dose of 3 mg/kg intraperitoneally in two-weekly cycles for 3 weeks. Severity of arthritis was evaluated by arthritic scores, including paw swelling, arthritic score, body weight, thymus index and spleen index. The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α in serum were also measured.Results: The results revealed that WERA significantly inhibited paw edema (p-value < 0.01), decreased arthritis scores (p-value < 0.01) and spleen index (p-value < 0.05), and alleviated the weight loss of CIA rats. Furthermore, the pro-inflammatory cytokines of TNF-α (19.3%, 60.5% and 73.9%, respectively), IL- 1β (7.9%, 41.1% and 52.7%, respectively) and IL-6 (26.6%, 48.0% and 72.2%, respectively) were remarkably attenuated in serum of all WERA treated rats, however, IL-10 (72.4% and 39.1%, respectively) was markedly increased at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg of WERA.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that WERA exerts therapeutic effects in collagen--induced arthritis of rats by decreasing the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 in serum, and therefore may be an effective candidate drug for the treatment of human rheumatoid arthritis.Keywords: Rhizoma Arisaematis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Inflammatory, Cytokines, Freund’s complete adjuvan