The taxonomic status of Kalophrynus menglienicus Yang & Su, 1980 was evaluated based on newly collected topotype specimens. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this species should be assigned to the genus Micryletta Dubois, 1987. In addition, morphological diagnosis and descriptions based on the newly collected topotype specimens were provided.

Accumulating evidences suggest that the enhanced immune responses and increased protection against bacteria-induced mortality can be initiated after the primary exposure to various microbial communities and their components in various organisms including commercially valuable crustaceans. In the present study, the survival rate and immune responses of Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis were determined after an immune priming (IP) with formalin-killed Aeromonas hydrophila and an immune challenge (ICH) with the same but live pathogen (Ah group). A group in which the animals received a salt injection prior to challenge was maintained as control (Ns group). In the present study, it was shown that an IP with killed A. hydrophila can significantly protect the crabs against the ICH with a lethal dose of the live pathogen. The increased survival was associated with elevated rate and duration of phagocytosis. The antibacterial activity of the serum was significantly increased in Ah group compared to that in Ns group. Significant changes of phenoloxidase (PO) activities were also found between Ah and Ns group but not in Ah group between IP and ICH. No significant changes of lysozyme were found in Ah and NS group during the whole experiment except 3 h after IP. In addition, the levels of transcripts and protein of Dscam were increased in hemocytes of the crabs from Ah group. All the results suggested that a primary immune priming with a particular killed pathogen could induce an enhanced immunity in crabs when they were encountered secondly with the same live pathogen. The evidences of elevated immune protections in crabs would contribute to better understand the mechanism of immune priming in invertebrates.

The first natural enolic glycoside, asterolloside (1), was isolated from the starfish Asterias rollestoni Bell together with two known tetrasaccharides. The structure of asterolloside was primarily elucidated by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration was unambiguously determined by single-crystal Cu-K alpha X-ray diffraction analysis. Asterolloside showed moderate alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity with an inhibitory rate of 37.9% at a concentration of 0.12 mg/mL. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The fruit of Thladiantha dubia has been used in Chinese manchu nationality folk medicine for treatment of various pains, such as rheumatic pain, lumbocrural pain, and dysmenorrhea. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-rheumatic effect of Thladiantha dubia fruit crude polysaccharide (TF-P) fraction in rats.Materials and methods: IF-P was evaluated in mice for analgesic activity using acetic acid-induced abdominal contractions test and for anti-inflammatory activity using xylene-induced ear oedema model. Moreover, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was induced by injection of CFA into the subplantar surface of the hind paw of the male Wistar rats. Joint swelling was measured. In order to evaluate the effect of IF-P on disease progression, proinflammatory mediators (TNF-alpha and IL-2), and antioxidant indicators (SOD, MDA, and NO) were determined in rats induced by CFA. Pathologic changes of RA in rats were also observed under light microscope.Results and conclusions: In the present study, TF-P at the dose of 200 mg/kg (according to the clinical traditional dosage) significantly reduced writhings and stretchings induced by the acetic acid in mice. TF-P significantly inhibited xylene-induced ear oedema in mice, compared with control group. TF-P significantly inhibited inoculated and non-inoculated joint swellings in rats induced by CFA. TF-P had no effect of body weight in rats. The histopathological analysis suggested that IF-P obviously alleviated the degree of RA rats. TF-P treated rats preserved a nearly normal histological architecture of the joint.Results of the present study confirm the use of Thladiantha dubia traditionally for the treatment of painful and inflammatory conditions. Those results suggest TF-P has protective and therapeutic effects on RA rats induced by CFA. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Polymer-achored monometallic palladium catalyst PVP-PdCl2 (PVP = poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)) exhibits very high activity for the hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene (CNB) to aniline (AN) in the presence of base at 65°C and atmospheric pressure. In this case, the substrate is rapidly hydrodechlorinated to nitrobenzene (NB) which is then reduced to AN. Using the polymer-anchored bimetallic palladium-ruthenium catalyst, PVP-PdCl2-RuCl3, and in the presence of 1.0 mol% of sodium acetate, a strong synergic effect gives rise to a remarkable increase of the selectivity for p-chloroaniline (CAN) and the maximum selectivity of CAN is up to 94%. For the hydrogenation of the non-halo-substituted nitroaromatics to the corresponding aromatic amines, the monometallic PVP-PdCl2 catalyst only shows mild or poor activity, but the colloidal polymer-anchored bimetallic palladium-platinum catalyst, PVP-Pd-14Pt, exhibits very high activity and selectivity.

Dually supported bimetallic catalysts, [0.80Pd-0. 20Pt/PVP]/support, were prepared and used in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. Catalysts [0.80Pd-0. 20Pt/PVP]/Al2O3 was the best one among them. The effects of the loading level of Pd, the amount of sodium acetate and the solvent used on the reaction were investigated. The catalyst[0.80Pd-0. 20Pt/PVP]/Al2O3 exhibited high activity, selectivity and stability in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene under the favorable reaction conditions.

Highly active polymer-anchored bimetallic palladium-based catalysts (PVP-PdCl2-MY, PVP = poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, MY = the second transition metal component) exhibit very high catalytic activity and selectivity for the carbonylation of allyl halides (CH2=CH−CH2X, X = Cl or Br) in toluene/dilute alcoholic-aqueous solution at 40°C and atmospheric pressure in the presence of NaOH. These catalysts were prepared by the addition of a second transition metal compound to the alcoholic or aqueous solution of the polymer-anchored monometallic palladium catalyst PVP-PdCl2, i.e. FeCl3-6H2O, Co(OAc)24H2O, NiCl2·6H2O, RuCl3·3H2O, or RhCl3·H2O was added to PVP-PdCl2/EtOH, and [RUCl2(TPPTS)2]2, RhH(CO)(TPPTS)3, H2IrCl6, IrH(CO)(TPPTS)3 or IrCl(CO)(TPPTS)2 was added to PVP-PdCl2/H2O (TPPTS = (m-NaSO3C6H4)3P). For allyl chloride, a remarkable synergic effect of the polymer-anchored bimetallic catalysts led to an obvious increase in the carbonylation rate and/or selectivity for the desired product, β, γ-butenoic acid. For allyl bromide, only a weak synergic effect was observed by the addition of RhCl3·3H2O or IrCl(CO)(TPPTS)2 to the monometallic catalyst.

Hydrogenation of nitroaromatics has been carried out under mild conditions using poly-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone supported Pd-Pt bimetallic catalysts (PdCl2 and H2PtCl6 as catalyst precursors). The catalytic activities of the bimetallic catalysts are significantly higher than those of the monometallic Pd or Pt catalyst especially in the case of the hydrogenation of substituted nitroaromatics due to a remarkable synergic effect. The ratio of Pd to Pt in the catalyst influences the activity of the catalyst.

A synergic effect of the polymer-anchored bimetallic palladium-ruthenium catalysts can lead to a remarkable increase in the selectivity for p-chloroaniline in the selective hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene under atmospheric pressure and in the presence of a small amount of base.