Tetra­kis[μ3-4-nitro-N-(5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzamidato]tetra­kis­[methano­lsodium(I)]

In the title compound, [Na4(C15H9N4O4)4(CH3OH)4], the N3O3 environment around the Na+ ion is distorted octa­hedral. In the unit cell, four Na+ ions are bridged by four Schiff base anions, leading to a tetra­nuclear complex with -4 symmetry. O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds between the methanol mol­ecule and the Schiff base anion stabilize the structural set-up

Divergence in Eco-Physiological Responses to Drought Mirrors the Distinct Distribution of Chamerion angustifolium Cytotypes in the Himalaya–Hengduan Mountains Region

Polyploid species generally occupy harsher habitats (characterized by cold, drought and/or high altitude) than diploids, but the converse was observed for Chamerion angustifolium, in which diploid plants generally inhabit higher altitudes than their polyploid derivatives. Plants at high altitudes may experience cold-induced water stress, and we therefore examined the physiological responses of diploid and hexaploid C. angustifolium to water stress to better understand the ecological differentiation of plants with different ploidy levels. We conducted a common garden experiment by subjecting seedlings of different ploidy levels to low, moderate and severe water stress. Fourteen indicators of physiological fitness were measured, and the anatomical characteristics of the leaves of each cytotype were determined. Both cytotypes were influenced by drought, and diploids exhibited higher fitness in terms of constant root:shoot ratio (R:S ratio) and maximum quantum yield of PSⅡ (Fv/Fm), less reduced maximal photosynthetic rate (Amax), transpiration rate (E), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and stomatal conductance (gs), and higher long-term water use efficiency (WUEL) under severe water stress than did hexaploids. Analysis of leaf anatomy revealed morphological adjustments for tolerating water deficiency in diploids, in the form of closely packed mesophyll cells and small conduits in the midvein. Our results indicate that diploid C. angustifolium is more tolerant of drought than hexaploid plants, ensuring the successful survival of the diploid at high altitudes. This eco-physiological divergence may facilitate the species with different cytotypes to colonize new and large geographic ranges with heterogeneous environmental conditions

Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in human hepatocellular carcinoma and its role in portal vein tumor thrombus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study was conducted to investigate the expression of CXCR4 in portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) tissue and its possible role in the invasiveness of tumor thrombus cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We detected differential expression of CXCR4 between PVTT and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by an immunohistochemical assay. Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference and a migration assay were performed on human primary cells derived from PVTT to study the impact of CXCR4 on the invasiveness of HCC.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The expression of CXCR4 in tumor thrombus tissue was higher than that in HCC tissue. The invasion ratio of PVTT cells was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) after being infected with a CXCR4-targeting siRNA lentivirus, indicating that downregulation of CXCR4 by lentivirus-mediated RNA interference significantly impaired the invasive potential of PVTT.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results indicate that CXCR4 is an effective curative target for hepatocellular carcinomas with PVTT.</p

Oligodendroglioma of the ciliary body: a unique case report and the review of literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To date, there is no report in the international literature of an oligodendroglioma of the ciliary body, nor is there an analysis of the possible origins of this lesion.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Here we report on a 52-year-old man admitted to our hospital with a ciliary body tumor revealed by clinical examination and ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies. Following enucleation, pathological and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. Postoperative histopathological staining results included OLIGO-2(+) and GFAP(-), leading to a pathological diagnosis of oligodendroglioma of the ciliary body in the right eye (WHO grade II).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Since malignant gliomas derive from transformed neural stem cells, the presence of oligodendroglioma in the ciliary body supports the hypothesis that gliomas can occur wherever neural stem cells exist. Tumors of the ciliary body derived from oligodendrocytes are difficult to diagnose; pathological analyses are essential.</p

Risk factors for high-altitude headache upon acute high-altitude exposure at 3700 m in young Chinese men: a cohort study.

BackgroundThis prospective and observational study aimed to identify demographic, physiological and psychological risk factors associated with high-altitude headache (HAH) upon acute high-altitude exposure.MethodsEight hundred fifty subjects ascended by plane to 3700 m above Chengdu (500 m) over a period of two hours. Structured Case Report Form (CRF) questionnaires were used to record demographic information, physiological examinations, psychological scale, and symptoms including headache and insomnia a week before ascending and within 24 hours after arrival at 3700 m. Binary logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors for HAH.ResultsThe incidence of HAH was 73.3%. Age (p =0.011), physical labor intensity (PLI) (p =0.044), primary headache history (p &lt;0.001), insomnia (p &lt;0.001), arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) (p =0.001), heart rate (HR) (p =0.002), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) (p &lt;0.001), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) (p &lt;0.001) were significantly different between HAH and non-HAH groups. Logistic regression models identified primary headache history, insomnia, low SaO2, high HR and SAS as independent risk factors for HAH.ConclusionsInsomnia, primary headache history, low SaO2, high HR, and high SAS score are the risk factors for HAH. Our findings will provide novel avenues for the study, prevention and treatment of HAH

Vertices with the Second Neighborhood Property in Eulerian Digraphs

The Second Neighborhood Conjecture states that every simple digraph has a vertex whose second out-neighborhood is at least as large as its first out-neighborhood, i.e. a vertex with the Second Neighborhood Property. A cycle intersection graph of an even graph is a new graph whose vertices are the cycles in a cycle decomposition of the original graph and whose edges represent vertex intersections of the cycles. By using a digraph variant of this concept, we prove that Eulerian digraphs which admit a simple dicycle intersection graph have not only adhere to the Second Neighborhood Conjecture, but have a vertex of minimum outdegree that has the Second Neighborhood Property.Comment: fixed an error in an earlier version and made structural change