KGaA, Weinheim.Compared to silica and alumina, graphene has received little attention as catalyst support, although it may represent a good candidate in view of its inertness, its good mechanical and thermal properties and its extended π conjugated system. While lanthanide catalysts grafted on silica have been synthetized and theoretically investigated, the grafting mode of La complexes onto graphene surfaces remains unknown. To shed light on this reaction, we report here a computational density functional theory study on the grafting of the [La(N(SiMe3)2)3] compound on graphene -OH and COOH functionalised surfaces. Similarly to experimental approaches, the Lewis acidity of these two supported complexes has been probed by coordination of triphenylphosphine oxide and compared with that of silica grafted analogues. In order to investigate the role of the graphene support in the catalytic activity of the corresponding grafted systems, we have then computed the homo- and co-polymerization reaction of ethylene and 1,3-butadiene. These compounds efficiently catalyse the ethylene and 1,3-butadiene homopolymerization, displaying activation barriers which are significantly lower than those reported for silica grafted compounds. The copolymerization reaction has been finally investigated. The results computed show that the high stability of the allylic products prevents the formation of alternating ethylene/butadiene copolymers, allowing the formation of block copolymers. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.Cisplatin, as one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents, its clinical use is limited by serious side effect of nephrotoxicity. Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity is closely related to apoptosis induction and activation of caspase. The present study aimed to explore the potential protective effect of ginsenoside Rk1 (Rk1), a rare ginsenoside generated during steaming ginseng, on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and the underlying mechanisms in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells. Our results showed that the reduced cell viability induced by cisplatin could significantly recover by Rk1. Furthermore, glutathione (GSH) as an oxidative index, was elevated and the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly decreased after Rk1 treatment compared to the cisplatin group. Additionally, Rk1 can also decrease the ROS fluorescence expression and increase the protein levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) compared to the cisplatin group, which suggested a suppression of oxidative response. More importantly, the cisplatin-induced elevated protein levels of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, and decreased protein level of Bcl-2 were reversed after treatment with Rk1. Our results elucidated the possible protective mechanism of Rk1 for the first time, which may involve in its anti-oxidation and anti-apoptosis effects. © 2020 The Authors. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia on behalf of Kaohsiung Medical University.Carpodesmia tamariscifolia is a brown alga rich in (poly)phenols with important cytotoxic and antioxidant effects. However, the relationship between its chemical composition and its effects is unknown. The aim of this study is to identify the potential compounds and mechanisms responsible for its main effects. The alga was extracted consecutively with hexane, dichloromethane and methanol and further fractionated using Sephadex LH-20 and silica gel columns when appropriate. The fractions were subjected to thin-layer chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and evaluated for their total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu assay), radical scavenging activity (DPPH assay), cytotoxic activity (MTT assay on the SH-SY5Y cell line), and ability to generate H 2 O 2 (Amplex Red assay). Chromatographic and phenolic analysis of the fractions indicate that abundant redox-active phenols are present in all the fractions and that a high amount of prenylated hydroquinone derivatives are present in the apolar ones. In the hexane and dichloromethane fractions, the cytotoxic and antioxidant activities are closely related to their phenolic content whereas in the methanol fractions, the cytotoxicity is negatively related to the phenolic content and the antioxidant activity is positively related to it.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/enarodustat.html  In the same tests, hydroquinone behaves as both strong cytotoxic and antioxidant agent. H 2 O 2 assay shows that C. tamariscifolia fractions and hydroquinone can autoxidize and generate H 2 O 2 . Our results suggest that redox-active phenols produce the pharmacological effects described for C. tamariscifolia and that the hydroquinone moiety of prenylated hydroquinone derivatives is the responsible for both cytotoxic (through a pro-oxidant mechanism secondary to its autoxidation) and antioxidant effects of the apolar fractions. © 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.The relative expression levels and number of microRNA (miRNA) response elements (MREs) are important parameters to determine the magnitude of the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) effect.(1) We agree that circular RNAs (circRNAs) express much less than certain microRNAs (miRNAs) and cannot be predicted to function as a sponge nearly as effectively as cerebellar degeneration related protein 1 antisense RNA (CDR1as). Consistent with this understanding, of the 177 circRNAs that were abnormally expressed in the very early stage of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), bioinformatics analysis revealed that only 52 circRNAs may act as miRNA sponges, and circular chromodomain Y like (circ-CDYL) was the one we confirmed experimentally in this study.(2). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.A report by Mosor et al. (1) exemplifies an interesting academic exercise toward a laudable goal, but the issue of initiating treatment in asymptomatic individuals really seems a moot issue. Until there are sufficient appointments (given limited access to rheumatologists) for treatment of individuals who actually have documented disease, how can one justify delaying their appointments - behind that of healthy individuals who it is speculated might develop a problem at some time in the future? This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.