New bakuchiol dimers from Psoraleae Fructus and their inhibitory activities on nitric oxide production

Background Dried fruits of Psoralea corylifolia L. (Psoraleae Fructus) is one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicine with treatment for nephritis, spermatorrhea, pollakiuria, asthma, and various inflammatory diseases. Bakuchiol is main meroterpenoid with bioactive diversity from Psoraleae Fructus. This study was designed to seek structural diverse bakuchiol derivants with anti-inflammatory activities from this plant. Methods Various column chromatography methods were used for isolation experiment. Structures and configurations of these compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Their inhibition on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages were evaluated by the Griess reaction. Results Twelve unpresented bakuchiol dimmers, bisbakuchiols M–U (1–9) and bisbakuchiol ethers A–C (10–12), along with five known compounds (13–17), were isolated from the fruits of Psoralea corylifolia L. Compounds 1–3, 10–12, 16 and 17 exhibited inhibitory activities against LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages, and the inhibition of compound 1 (half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value = 11.47 ± 1.57 μM) was equal to that of L-N(6)-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (IC50 = 10.29 ± 1.10 μM) as a positive control. Conclusions Some compounds exhibited inhibitory activities against NO production, and the study of structure–activity relationship suggested that uncyclized compounds with oxygen substitution at C-12/12′ showed strong inhibitory activities, and carbonyl units contributed to enhanced activities.

The fascinating world of mayenite (Ca12Al14O33) and its derivatives

Mayenite (12CaO·7Al2O3) is a mesoporous calcium aluminum oxide, with a characteristic crystalline structure. The framework of mayenite is composed of interconnected cages with a positive electric charge per unit cell that includes two molecules [Ca24Al28O64]4+, and the remaining two oxide ions O2−, often labelled “free oxygen”, are trapped in the cages defined by the framework. Starting from mayenite structure several derivatives have been prepared through advanced synthetic protocols by free oxygen substitution with various anions. Mayenite and its derivates have been intensively investigated in many applications which include catalysis (oxidation and reduction, ammonia synthesis, pinacol coupling), environmental sensors and CO2 sorbent materials. In this review, we summarize our recent results on the main applications of mayenite and its derivatives.

Structural, optical and electronic characteristics of non-stoichiometric nano cadmium sulfide

Samples of non-stoichiometric nano CdS1 − x were synthesized by a simple thermolysis method by lowering the ratio of thiourea relative to cadmium acetate as starting precursors; Cd(Ac):(1-x) thiourea (x = 0.0, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.1). X’pert HighScore Plus program manifested biphasic CdS (cubic and hexagonal) and the Rietveld analysis was utilized to match the structural and microstructure parameters of the formed samples. The possibility of formed CdS1 − xOx alloy due to the sulfur deficiency is also examined using the Rietveld method. A High-resolution transmission electron microscope imaging exhibited nano size particles with homogeneous morphology. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer was utilized to confirm the existence of O2 in CdS1 − x matrix. The bandgap energies for CdS1 − x are reduced below the values of energy gaps of CdS and CdO upon increasing the parameter (x) forming a band gap “bowing”. The photoluminescence (PL) emitted visible colors depending on the amount of sulfur deficiency and excitation wavelength used. The maximum PL intensity observed in CdS0.9 sample, confirmed the presents of oxygen inside the matrix. The influence of oxygen substitution or vacancies of sulfur on the electronic structure and optical features of CdS was also investigated applying density function calculations.

The vaping product use associated lung injury: is this a new pulmonary disease entity?

In the summer of 2019, an epidemic of e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury (EVALI) broke out in the United States of America. EVALI is a lung disease that can be severe and life-threatening. It should be emphasized that EVALI is not a clinical diagnosis, but surveillance case definition. Due to the profile of users of such devices, the pathology mainly affects young adults, although cases of EVALI have been reported in almost all age groups, from teenage children to seniors. The worst prognosis is in patients over 35 years of age, with accompanying diseases. A significant number of patients declared the use of products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The most likely factor responsible for the occurrence of EVALI is vitamin E acetate, which is sometimes added to liquids necessary for the use of electronic cigarette type devices, especially those liquids that contain THC. Nevertheless, it is possible that other substances used in liquids may also be a causative factor. Typical for EVALI are respiratory, gastrointestinal and systemic symptoms, while in imaging tests, a characteristic feature of EVALI is the presence of opacities on the chest radiogram and ground-glass clouds on computed tomography scans. In the course of this disease, respiratory failure often occurs (58%). In the vast majority of cases oxygen substitution is necessary. Currently, the best treatment of EVALI is considered to be the administration of systemic glucocorticosteroids. Over 90% of patients with EVALI required hospitalization, while the mortality rate was about 2.42%. Median age of the fatalities was 51 years. The aim of this review is to summarise the available information on EVALI and to consider possible causative factors and pathomechanism.