The issue of weed resistance to acetohydroxyacid synthase (EC 2.2.1.6, AHAS) inhibitors has become one of the largest obstacles for the application of this class of herbicides. In a continuing effort to discover novel AHAS inhibitors to overcome weed resistance, a series of pyrimidine-biphenyl hybrids (4aa-bb and 5aa-ah) were designed and synthesized via a scaffold hopping strategy. Among these derivatives, compounds 4aa ( K = 0.09 μM) and 4bb ( K = 0.02 μM) displayed higher inhibitory activities against Arabidopsis thaliana AHAS than those of the controls bispyribac ( K = 0.54 μM) and flumetsulam ( K = 0.38 μM). Remarkably, compounds 4aa, 4bb, 5ah, and 5ag exhibited excellent postemergence herbicidal activity and a broad spectrum of weed control at application rates of 37.5-150 g of active ingredient (ai)/ha. Furthermore, 4aa and 4bb showed higher herbicidal activity against AHAS inhibitor-resistant Descurainia sophia, Ammannia arenaria, and the corresponding sensitive weeds than that of bispyribac at 0.94-0.235 g ai/ha. Therefore, the pyrimidine-biphenyl motif and lead compounds 4aa and 4bb have great potential for the discovery of novel AHAS inhibitors to combat AHAS-inhibiting herbicide-resistant weeds.

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been shown to be correlated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. However, further investigation is needed to understand how T2DM characteristics affect the prognosis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. AIM To assess the effect of T2DM on CHB patients with cirrhosis and to determine the risk factors for HCC development. METHODS Among the 412 CHB patients with cirrhosis enrolled in this study, there were 196 with T2DM. The patients in the T2DM group were compared to the remaining 216 patients without T2DM (non-T2DM group). Clinical characteristics and outcomes of the two groups were reviewed and compared. RESULTS T2DM was significantly related to hepatocarcinogenesis in this study ( P = 0.002). The presence of T2DM, being male, alcohol abuse status, alpha-fetoprotein > 20 ng/mL, and hepatitis B surface antigen > 2.0 log IU/mL were identified to be risk factors for HCC development in the multivariate analysis. T2DM duration of more than 5 years and treatment with diet control or insulin ± sulfonylurea significantly increased the risk of hepatocarcinogenesis. CONCLUSION T2DM and its characteristics increase the risk of HCC in CHB patients with cirrhosis. The importance of diabetic control should be emphasized for these patients.

The hydrogen embrittlement (HE) fracture of advanced high-strength steels used in lightweight automobiles has received increasing public attention. The source, transmission, and movement of hydrogen, characterization parameters, and test methods of HE, as well as the characteristics and path of HE fractures, are introduced. The mechanisms and modes of crack propagation of HE and hydrogen-induced delayed fracture are reviewed. The recent progress surrounding micro and macro typical fracture characteristics and the influencing factors of HE are discussed. Finally, methods for improving HE resistance can be summarized as follows: (1) reducing crystalline grain and inclusion sizes (oxides, sulfides, and titanium nitride), (2) controlling nano-precipitates (niobium carbide, titanium carbide, and composite precipitation), and (3) increasing residual austenite content under the reasonable tension strength of steel.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C12H14ClN3OS·H2O, the butyl(chlorobenzo[d]thiazolyl)urea molecule, excluding butyl H atoms, displays a roughly planar structure. The water molecules link with the urea derivative molecules via O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonding.