Role of Natural Compounds and Target Enzymes in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurological condition. The rising prevalence of AD necessitates the rapid development of efficient therapy options. Despite substantial study, only a few medications are capable of delaying the disease. Several substances with pharmacological activity, derived from plants, have been shown to have positive benefits for the treatment of AD by targeting various enzymes, such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), β-secretase, γ-secretase, and monoamine oxidases (MAOs), which are discussed as potential targets. Medicinal plants have already contributed a number of lead molecules to medicine development, with many of them currently undergoing clinical trials. A variety of medicinal plants have been shown to diminish the degenerative symptoms associated with AD, either in their raw form or as isolated compounds. The aim of this review was to provide a brief summary of AD and its current therapies, followed by a discussion of the natural compounds examined as therapeutic agents and the processes underlying the positive effects, particularly the management of AD.     

Insights on the Modulation of SIRT5 Activity: A Challenging Balance

SIRT5 is a member of the Sirtuin family, a class of deacetylating enzymes consisting of seven isoforms, involved in the regulation of several processes, including gene expression, metabolism, stress response, and aging. Considering that the anomalous activity of SIRT5 is linked to many pathological conditions, we present herein an overview of the most interesting modulators, with the aim of contributing to further development in this field.     

Effect of Ylang-Ylang (Cananga odorata Hook. F. & Thomson) Essential Oil on Acute Inflammatory Response In Vitro and In Vivo

The aim of this study is to evaluate the phytochemical profile, oral acute toxicity, and the effect of ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata Hook. F. & Thomson) essential oil (YEO) on acute inflammation. YEO was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. For in vitro tests, YEO was assessed using cytotoxicity, neutrophil chemotaxis induced by N-formyl methionyl leucyl phenylalanine (fMLP), and phagocytic activity tests. YEO was orally administered in zymosan-induced peritonitis, carrageenan-induced leukocyte rolling, and adhesion events in the in situ microcirculation model and in carrageenan-induced paw edema models. YEO (2000 mg/kg) was also tested using an acute toxicity test in Swiss mice. YEO showed a predominance of benzyl acetate, linalool, benzyl benzoate, and methyl benzoate. YEO did not present in vitro cytotoxicity. YEO reduced the in vitro neutrophil chemotaxis induced by fMLP and reduced the phagocytic activity. The oral treatment with YEO reduced the leukocyte recruitment and nitric oxide production in the zymosan-induced peritonitis model, reduced rolling and adherent leukocyte number induced by carrageenan in the in situ microcirculation model, and reduced carrageenan-induced edema and mechanical hyperalgesia. YEO did not present signs of toxicity in the acute toxicity test. In conclusion, YEO affected the leukocyte activation, and presented antiedematogenic, anti-hyperalgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties.     

自然科学基金资助计划和支出预算的平衡

在政府推进部门预算制度和财政拨款管理制度改革的大环境下,国家自然科学基金逐渐采用预算管理制度,因此需要平衡资助计划和支出预算．本文在建立科学基金计划和预算的协调模型中,提出计划批准对年度支出敏感度的概念,设计了对经费使用的计划和支出纵横两维拨付的动态监控方法．并且通过模型的计算,可以快速给出综合考虑资助计划发展和使用经费有效两个方面因素的多种方案,供决策者参考．     

Comparative Effect of UV,UV/H2O2 and UV/H2O2/Fe on Terbuthylazine Degradation in Natural and Ultrapure Water

Different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (ultraviolet radiation, hydrogen peroxide photolysis and photo-Fenton) were applied to test the degradation of terbuthylazine in three types of water: (a) ultrapure water, (b) surface water from the Gaditana area (Los Hurones reservoir, Cádiz, Spain) and (c) groundwater from the Tempul spring in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz, Spain). The experiments were carried out on a laboratory scale, using two different types of reactors, batch and semi-continuous. In batch reactors, the most efficient process for the experiments carried out with both ultrapure water and underground groundwater was ultraviolet radiation, whereas for surface water from the Gaditana area, the process that obtained the best results was the photolysis of hydrogen peroxide with 2.5 mg L⁻¹ of H₂O₂. In semi-continuous reactors, the most efficient process was the photolysis of hydrogen peroxide with 2.5 mg L⁻¹ of H₂O₂ for all the matrices studied. In both types of reactors, terbuthylazine degradation percentages higher than 90% were achieved; the main difference was in the reaction time, which varied from minutes in the batch reactor to seconds in the semi-continuous reactor. In all the applied AOPs, N-terbutyl-6-hydroxy-N′ethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (TBA-212) was generated as a reaction intermediate.     

天然紫杉烷类化合物的核磁共振氢谱特征

在系统分析天然紫杉烷类化合物核磁共振氢谱的基础上，对具有不同骨架类型的天然紫杉烷类二萜化合物的核磁共振氢谱的特征进行了总结, 提供了部分不同类型的紫杉烷类化合物的核磁共振氢谱图. 这些¹H NMR特征对于紫杉烷类化合物的结构确定非常有益.     

GasChromatography of Amino Acids as their N-Trifluoroacetyl Methyl Esters and Comparison with the Ion-exchange Method in Maize and Oats

A method for the preparation of N-trifluoroacetyl methyl esters of amino acids has been developed, permitting the separation and determination of 20 amino acids by temperature-programmed gas chromatography on two columns. The method was applied to the analysis of the amino acids in hydrolyzed maize and in hydrolyzed oats, where a direct comparison was made with the ion-exchange method.     

Conventional processes and membrane technology for carbon dioxide removal from natural gas:A review

Membrane technology is becoming more important for CO 2 separation from natural gas in the new era due to its process simplicity,relative ease of operation and control,compact,and easy to scale up as compared with conventional processes.Conventional processes such as absorption and adsorption for CO 2 separation from natural gas are generally more energy demanding and costly for both operation and maintenance.Polymeric membranes are the current commercial membranes used for CO 2 separation from natural gas.However,polymeric membranes possess drawbacks such as low permeability and selectivity,plasticization at high temperatures,as well as insufficient thermal and chemical stability.The shortcomings of commercial polymeric membranes have motivated researchers to opt for other alternatives,especially inorganic membranes due to their higher thermal stability,good chemical resistance to solvents,high mechanical strength and long lifetime.Surface modifications can be utilized in inorganic membranes to further enhance the selectivity,permeability or catalytic activities of the membrane.This paper is to provide a comprehensive review on gas separation,comparing membrane technology with other conventional methods of recovering CO 2 from natural gas,challenges of current commercial polymeric membranes and inorganic membranes for CO 2 removal and membrane surface modification for improved selectivity.     

烃类化合物碳氢键解离焓的密度泛函理论研究

通过比较10种密度泛函方法对烃类化合物碳氢键解离焓的计算精度, 发现新型密度泛函BMK方法具有最高的计算精度. 利用该方法计算了包含饱和链烃,、不饱和链烃、脂环烃和芳香烃在内的172个烃类化合物的碳氢键解离焓,计算均方根误差仅为7.95 kJ•mol^－1, 线性拟合常数为0.985. 通过自然键轨道法分析发现, 烃类物质的碳氢键解离焓与母体的碳氢键杂化轨道成分p%, 自由基奇电子轨道杂化成分p%及自由基的自旋密度三个参数之间存在较好的定量关系. 此外, 饱和链烷烃及不饱和链烃的碳氢键解离焓与碳氢键键长之间也存在较好的线性关系.     

我国空间物理学先驱桂质廷──纪念桂质廷教授100周年华诞

桂质廷（１８９５～１９６１），我国著名的地球物理学家．他是建国初期中国科学院地球物理组专门委员，第一个巡测了我国境内地磁常量的中国人．他最先和学生一道在国内进行了高空电离层的常规观测．他所创建的武汉大学游离层实验室，５０年来未曾间断电离层的观测研究．本文着重介绍他的生平简历、教学态度、学术成就和爱国主义思想．