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We investigated the hydrothermal conversion of the carbohydrates including glucose, cellulose, and starch to lactic acid using NaOH and Ca(OH) 2 as alkaline catalysts. Both catalysts significantly promoted the lactic acid formation. The highest yield of lactic acid from glucose was 27% with 2.5 M NaOH and 20% with 0.32 M Ca(OH) 2 at 300 C for 60 s. The lactic acid yields from cellulose and starch were comparable with the yield from glucose with 0.32 M Ca(OH) 2 at 300 C, but the reaction time in the case of cellulose was 90 s. The mechanism of lactic acid formation from glucose was discussed by identifying the intermediate products. Lactic acid may be formed via the formation of aldoses of two to four carbons including aldose of three carbons, which are all formed by reverse aldol condensation and double bond rule of hexose. This implies that carbon-carbon cleavage occurs at not only C 3 AC 4 but also at C 2 AC 3 .

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Connexin channels play a critical role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis and transparency of the lens. Mutations in connexin genes are linked to congenital cataracts in humans. The G143R missense mutation on connexin (Cx) 46 was recently reported to be associated with congenital Coppock cataracts. Here, we showed that the G143R mutation decreased Cx46 gap junctional coupling in a dominant negative manner; however, it significantly increased gap junctional plaques. The G143R mutant also increased hemichannel activity, inversely correlated with the level of Cx46 protein on the cell surface. The interaction between cytoplasmic loop domain and C-terminus has been shown to be involved in gating of connexin channels. Interestingly, the G143R mutation enhanced the interaction between intracellular loop and Cx46. Furthermore, this mutation decreased cell viability and the resistance of the cells to oxidative stress, primarily due to the increased hemichannel function. Together, these results suggest that mutation of this highly conserved residue on the cytoplasmic loop domain of Cx46 enhances its interaction with the C-terminus, resulting in a reduction of gap junction channel function, but increased hemichannel function. This combination leads to the development of human congenital cataracts.

After being studied for approximately a century, berberine (BBR) has been found to act on various targets and pathways. A great challenge in the pharmacological analysis of BBR at present is to identify which target(s) plays a decisive role. In the study described herein, a rescue experiment was designed to show the important role of mitochondria in BBR activity. A toxic dose of BBR was applied to inhibit cell proliferation and mitochondrial activity, then α-ketobutyrate (AKB), an analogue of pyruvate that serves only as an electron receptor of NADH, was proven to partially restore cell proliferation. However, mitochondrial morphology damage and TCA cycle suppression were not recovered by AKB. As the AKB just help to regenerate NAD+, which is make up for part function of mitochondrial, the recovered cell proliferation stands for the contribution of mitochondria to the activity of BBR. Our results also indicate that BBR suppresses tumour growth and reduces energy charge and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in a HepG2 xenograft model. In summary, our study suggests that mitochondria play an important role in BBR activity regarding tumour cell proliferation and metabolism.

Background Early marriage and fertility are major social determinants of health and wellbeing. Rapid shifts in the past three decades, including a rise in sexual activity in unmarried adolescents, a large population of young migrant workers, and a high proportion of males relative to females, have the potential to alter patterns of reproductive health in Chinese adolescents and young women. We aimed to establish long-term trends of marriage and fertility for girls and women aged 15-24 years in China. MethodsWe did a longitudinal study in which we extracted aggregated data for marriage and childbearing status for Chinese girls and women aged 15-24 years from the Chinese National Population Census (in 1990, 2000, and 2010) and the Chinese 1% National Population Sample Survey (in 1995, 2005, and 2015). The census included all individuals with Chinese nationality who resided in China when the survey was done. For the 1% sample survey, communities or villages were randomly selected and all residents with Chinese nationality in the selected communities or villages were included. In all censuses and sample surveys, forms that included information on basic demographic characteristics, education, marriage, and fertility were completed and verified by the census enumerators at the household residence, based on responses provided by the householder or another adult in the household. We calculated the ever-married rate and age-specific fertility rate (ASFR) for all included individuals. We built multivariate random-effects generalised least squares regression models on panel data to test whether marriage or fertility rate was associated with education level, sex ratio, and the proportion of the population who are an ethnic minority in a province. FindingsThe ever-married rate for those aged 15-19 years decreased from 4•7% in 1990 to 1•2% (95% CI 1•2-1•3) in 2000, but rebounded to 2•4% (2•4-2•5) in 2015. The ASFR for this age group decreased from 22•0 births per 1000 individuals in 1990 to 6•0 (5•9-6•0) births per 1000 in 2000, and rebounded to 9•2 (8•9-9•4) births per 1000 in 2015. The rebound was found in most provinces. In women aged 20-24 years, the ever-married rate generally declined from 58•6% in 1990 to 25•5% (95% CI 25•4-25•6) in 2015, and the ASFR decreased from 198•8 births per 1000 in 1990 to 55•0 (54•5-55•5) births per 1000 in 2015. In 2015, the ever-married rate and ASFR for girls and women in rural areas aged 15-19 years were three-times higher than those of their urban counterparts (3•8% [95% CI 3•7-3•9] vs 1•1% [1•1-1•1] for the ever-married rate and 15•4 [14•9-15•9] vs 4•1 [3•9-4•3] births per 1000 for the ASFR). There were large disparities in ever-married rate across individuals of different education levels, with increases in the ever-married rate of 15-19-year-olds not attending senior high school between 2000 and 2010. Those aged 15-19 years were more likely to be married or give birth in the western provinces. Education held a protective association against adolescent childbearing, whereas a high ratio...