Cimyunnins A–C (1–3), characterized with an unusual fused cyclopentenone ring G, together with cimyunnin D (4), possessing a highly rearranged γ-lactone ring F, were characterized from the fruit of Cimicifuga yunnanensis. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, X-ray diffraction, and density functional theory calculations. In addition, cimyunnin A exhibited comparable anti-angiogenic activities to those of sunitinib, a clinically-used first-line angiogenesis inhibitor, in the in vitro and ex vivo studies.

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Schizophrenia is one of the most serious mental diseases found in humans. Previous studies indicated that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1344706 in the gene ZNF804A encoding zinc finger protein 804A was associated with schizophrenia in Caucasian population but not in Chinese Han population. However, current results are conflicting in Asian population. In the present study, a meta-analysis was performed to revisit the association between rs1344706 and the risk of schizophrenia in Asian, Caucasian and other populations. Electronic search of PubMed database identified 25 case–control studies with available genotype frequencies of rs1344706 for the meta-analysis, involving a total of 15,788 cases and 22,654 controls. A pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to assess the association. The current meta-analysis showed an association between rs1344706 and schizophrenia in Caucasian populations (P = 0.028, OR = 1.138, 95% CI: 1.014–1.278; P = 0.004 for heterogeneity) and Asian populations (P = 0.008, OR = 1.092, 95% CI: 1.023–1.165; P = 0.001 for heterogeneity), but not in other populations (P = 0.286, OR = 1.209, 95% CI: 0.853–1.714, P = 0.120 for heterogeneity). Egger’s test (P > 0.05) and Begg’s test (P > 0.05) are both suggestive of the lack of publication bias for the included studies. Thus, the absence of association in other populations suggests a genetic heterogeneity in the susceptibility of schizophrenia and demonstrates the difficulties in replicating genome-wide association study findings regarding schizophrenia across different ethnic populations. To validate the association between rs1344706 and schizophrenia, further studies with larger participant populations worldwide are needed.

A novel series of indole-2-carbohydrazide derivatives were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against two cancer cell lines, HCT116 and SW480, and a normal human fetal lung fibroblast cell line, MRC-5. Among this series, compound 24 f displayed potent cytotoxic activities in vitro against HCT116 and SW480 cell lines with GI values of 8.1 and 7.9 μm, respectively, and was inactive against MRC-5 cells. The newly synthesized compounds were also evaluated for anti-angiogenesis capabilities by chick chorioallantoic membrane, human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration, and endothelial microtubule formation assays. Moreover, the effects of 24 f on the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 and the signaling pathway in HUVECs indicated that this compound inhibits VEGFR-2 and its downstream related proteins. These results indicate that compound 24 f, as well as the other derivatives, are promising inhibitors of angiogenesis.

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