Two new species of Erythroneurini from China (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae)

The leafhopper genus Empoascanara was established by Distant (1918). So far, 81 species of the genus Empoascanara have been reported, most of which are distributed in Afrotropical or Oriental or Australian regions. The leafhopper genus Kapsa was established by Dworakowska (1972) and mainly distributed in the Orient or Australia.Two new species of the leafhopper tribe Erythroneurini from Guizhou province, China, Empoascanara dichotomus sp. nov. and Kapsa sinuose sp. nov. are described and illustrated. Two keys to distinguish the Chinese species of the genus are given

Three new species of the leafhopper genus Mitjaevia Dworakowska from Karst areas in Southwest China (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae)

Three new species of the leafhopper genus Mitjaevia Dworakowska 1970, M. bijiensis sp. nov., M. solitaria sp. nov., and M. salaxia sp. nov., are described from the Karst region of Southwest China. Specimens studied were taken by sweep net. Morphological descriptions, depictions of habitus and illustrations of male terminalia are provided. A key and checklist to known species occurring in China are given

Two new species of the leafhopper genus Mitjaevia Dworakowska from China (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae)

The leafhopper genus Mitjaevia Dworakowska,1970 includes 19 species worldwide, nine species are known in China and is widely distributed in Palaearctic and Oriental RegionsTwo new species from Guizhou Province, China are described within the genus Mitjaevia Dworakowska, 1970 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). A key to the species of the genus is provided and the female valvulae are described and figured

Rapid Screening and Identification of Antitumor Ingredients from the Mangrove Endophytic Fungus Using an Enzyme-Immobilized Magnetic Nanoparticulate System

As a consequence of recent progression in biomedicine and nanotechnology, nanoparticle-based systems have evolved as a new method with extensive applications in responsive therapy, multimodal imaging, drug delivery and natural product separation. Meanwhile, the magnetic nanoparticulate system has aroused great interest for separation and purification because of its excellent magnetic properties. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is a highly expressed regulator to promote the growth of various cancers and is an ideal target to treat cancers. In this study, a novel strategy based on ligand–receptor interactions to discover novel PLA2 inhibitors was established, in which PLA2-functionalized Fe3O4@PLGA-PEG-NH2 magnetic nanoparticles were used as a supporting material combined with high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, aiming to accelerate the discovery of novel PLA2 inhibitors from natural sources such as mangrove endophytic fungi. Under the optimized ligand fishing conditions, six target compounds were ultimately fished and identified to be cyclic peptides (1–3) and sterols (4–6), which compounds 1, 2 and 4–6 have well-documented cytotoxicities. Compound 3 exerted better inhibitory effect on A549 cells by experiment. In conclusion, PLA2-functionalized Fe3O4@PLGA-PEG-NH2 magnetic nanoparticles-based ligand fishing provided a feasible, selective and effective platform for the efficient screening and identification of antitumor components from natural products

Efficacy of Leuprorelin 3-Month Depot (11.25 mg) Compared to 1-Month Depot (3.75 mg) for Central Precocious Puberty in Chinese Girls: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objective. A 3-month depot of leuprorelin acetate (LA) was introduced in China in July 2020. However, the clinical experience is limited. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of a LA 11.25 mg 3-month depot with that of a 3.75 mg 1-month depot in suppressing pubertal development for the treatment of central precocious puberty (CPP). Subjects and Methods. A prospective study, including 78 girls with CPP treated with LA, was conducted. 31 patients were treated with a LA 3-month depot, and 47 were treated with a LA 1-month depot. Participants were interviewed at baseline and 6 months. Anthropometric, metabolic, and reproductive data were assessed at each interview. Bone age, serum endocrine hormones, maximum diameter of uterus and volume of ovary of each patient were evaluated. A pharmacoeconomic evaluation was also conducted. Results. Treatment with a 3-month depot was similar to treatment with a 1-month depot in terms of baseline characteristics. After 6 months of treatment, a suppressed level of luteinizing hormone (LH) (LH < 2.5 IU/L) was found in 100% and 95% of the 11.25 mg and 3.75 mg groups, respectively. LH decreased from 2.11 ± 1.83 and 2.82 ± 2.31 at baseline (P=0.172) to 0.37 ± 0.39 and 0.44 ± 0.76 (P=0.758) in the 3-month and 1-month groups, respectively. Follicle stimulating hormone and estradiol levels, bone age/chronological age (BA/CA), height velocity, maximum diameter of uterus and volume of ovary did not show any distinction between the two groups after 6 months of treatment, but both were significantly ameliorated compared with the baseline. The loss of working time of parents and study time of patients and the numbers of visits, injections and laboratory examinations obviously decreased in the 3-month depots. Conclusion. An LA 3-month depot was equally effective and safe as a 1-month depot for hormonal suppression and bone maturation inhibition, providing clinical experience in China. The 11.25 mg depot of LA is a safe, efficient, and economical treatment method for the advanced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis

Pterostilbene and its nicotinate derivative ameliorated vascular endothelial senescence and elicited endothelium-dependent relaxations via activation of Sirtuin 1

Aim: Vascular endothelial cell senescence is a leading cause of age-associated diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Interventions and therapies targeting endothelial cell senescence and dysfunction would have important clinical implications. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of 10 resveratrol analogues, including pterostilbene (Pts) and its derivatives, against endothelial senescence and dysfunction. Methods and Results: All the tested compounds at the concentrations from 10-9 M to 10-6 M did not show cytotoxicity in endothelial cells. Among the 10 resveratrol analogues, Pts and Pts nicotinate attenuated the expression of senescence-associated β-galactosidase, downregulated p21 and p53, and increased the production of NO in both angiotensin II and H2O2-induced endothelial senescence models. In addition, Pts and Pts nicotinate elicited endothelium-dependent relaxations. Pts and Pts nicotinate did not alter Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression but enhanced its activity. Both Pts and Pts nicotinate have high binding activities with SIRT1. Inhibition of SIRT1 by sirtinol reversed the anti-senescent effects of Pts and Pts nicotinate. Conclusions: This study suggests that the Pts and Pts nicotinate ameliorated vascular endothelial senescence and elicited endothelium-dependent relaxations via activation of SIRT1. These two compounds maybe potential drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases related to endothelial senescence and dysfunction.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Effect of COVID-19 Response Policy on Air Quality: A Study in South China Context

Mass suspension of anthropogenic activities is extremely rare, the quarantine due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a natural experiment to investigate the impact of anthropogenic activities on air quality. The mitigation of air pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown has been reported from a global perspective; however, the air pollution levels vary in different regions. This study initiated a novel synthesis of multiple-year satellite observations, national ground measurements towards SO2, NO2 and O3 and meteorological conditions to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in Beihai, a specific city in a less developed area in southwest China, to reveal the potential implications of control strategies for air pollution. The levels of the major air pollutants during the COVID-19 lockdown (LP) and during the same period of previous years (SP) were compared and a series of statistical tools were applied to analyze the sources of air pollution in Beihai. The results show that air pollutant levels decreased with substantial diversity during the LP. Satellite-retrieved NO2 and SO2 levels during the LP decreased by 5.26% and 22.06%, while NO2, SO2, PM2.5 and PM10 from ground measurements during the LP were 25.6%, 2.7%, 22.2% and 22.2% lower than during SP, respectively. Ground measured SO2 concentrations during the LP were only 2.7% lower than during the SP, which may be attributed to uninterrupted essential industrial activities, such as power plants. Polar plots analysis shows that NO2 concentrations were strongly associated with local emission sources, such as automobiles and local industry. Additionally, the much lower levels of NO2 concentrations during the LP and the absence of an evening peak may highlight the significant impact of the traffic sector on NO2. The decrease in daily mean O3 concentrations during the LP may be associated with the reduction in NO2 concentrations. Indications in this study could be beneficial for the formulation of atmospheric protection policies

Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Estrogen Signaling Coordinately Augments One-Carbon, Polyamine, and Purine Synthesis in Breast Cancer

Summary: Estrogen drives breast cancer (BCa) progression by directly activating estrogen receptor α (ERα). However, because of the stochastic nature of gene transcription, it is important to study the estrogen signaling pathway at the single-cell level to fully understand how ERα regulates transcription. Here, we performed single-cell transcriptome analysis on ERα-positive BCa cells following 17β-estradiol stimulation and reconstructed the dynamic estrogen-responsive transcriptional network from discrete time points into a pseudotemporal continuum. Notably, differentially expressed genes show an estrogen-stimulated metabolic switch that favors biosynthesis but reduces estrogen degradation. Moreover, folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism is reprogrammed through the mitochondrial folate pathway and polyamine and purine synthesis are upregulated coordinately. Finally, we show AZIN1 and PPAT are direct ERα targets that are essential for BCa cell survival and growth. In summary, our study highlights the dynamic transcriptional heterogeneity in ERα-positive BCa cells upon estrogen stimulation and uncovers a mechanism of estrogen-mediated metabolic switch. : Zhu et al. perform single-cell RNA-seq to reveal a dynamic transcriptional network in ERα+ breast cancer cells following estrogen stimulation and show that estrogen signaling promotes breast cancer cell survival and growth by mediating a metabolic switch in which folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism is reprogrammed via the mitochondrial folate pathway. Keywords: breast cancer, single-cell RNA sequencing, estrogen receptor α, metabolic switc