New bimetallic bis(benzotriazole iminophenolate) cobalt and nickel catalysts were developed for versatile catalysis of CO2/epoxide coupling and PA/CHO copolymerization.

Flowers of Carthamus tinctorius L. are traditionally used in China to treat cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), the main constituent of Carthamus tinctorius L. flowers, is known for its multiple biological activities. In the present study, HSYA was isolated from Carthamus tinctorius L. flowers by a macroporous resin adsorption chromatography method coupled with a Waters high-throughput auto-purification system and it’s vasodilatation effects on pulmonary artery (PA) were explored by an assay of tension study on rat pulmonary artery (PA) rings. Results suggest that HSYA possesses vascular relaxation effects on rat PA by activating the KV channel in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells (PVSMCs).

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We report the synthesis, crystal structure, and catalytic studies for ringopening polymerization (ROP) of group 4 metal alkoxides based on amine-BiBTP derivatives (amine-BiBTP = amine-bis(benzotriazole phenolate)). Dinuclear group 4 metal alkoxides [{(amine-BiBTP)M t (O i Pr)} 2 (μ-O)] (4−7, M t = Ti, Zr, Hf) resulted from treatment of amine-BiBTP-H 2 as the ligand precursor with 1.0 molar equiv of metal precursor (Ti(O i Pr) 4 , Zr(O i Pr) 4 ( i PrOH), or Hf(O i Pr) 4 ( i PrOH)), followed by the addition of H 2 O (0.5 equiv) in good yields. The solid-state structure of 4−7 reveals a bimetallic BiBTP-ligated metal(IV) alkoxide with an oxo ligand chelating two metal atoms, and the bonding mode of the metal-O(μ-oxo)-metal moiety assumes a linear type. Catalysis of lactide polymerization and carbon dioxide/cyclohexene oxide copolymerization of oxo-bridged bimetallic metal complexes was systematically examined. Zirconium alkoxide 6 shows an effective catalyst in the ROP of lactide with "living" and "immortal" fashions, yielding poly(lactide)s with the predicted molecular weights and narrow polydispersity indices (PDIs <1.25) as well as an isotactic-enriched predominance (P m up to 0.71). Bimetallic BiBTP-featuring Zr complex 6 was also able to couple carbon dioxide and cyclohexene oxide to give poly(cyclohexene carbonate-co-cyclohexene oxide), having a high copolymer selectivity and good carbonate-linkage contents under the optimal conditions. This is a successful example of catalysis for both processes using one well-defined zirconium(IV) alkoxide complex as a bifunctional catalyst.

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) combined with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy alone for gastric cancer treatment. Literature searches (up to September 25, 2019) were performed using the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, Chinese Science and Technology Journals (CQVIP), Wanfang, and China Academic Journals (CNKI) databases. Data from 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with 1,109 participants, were included. The results indicated that, compared with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy alone, the combination of TCMs and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy significantly improved the tumor response rate (TRR; RR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.24-1.57; p < 0.001, I 2 = 12%), increased the quality of life based on the Karnofsky Performance Scale score (RR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.19-1.96; p < 0.001, I 2 = 0%), and reduced the side effects, such as neutropenia (RR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.55-0.84; p < 0.001, I 2 = 44%), leukopenia (RR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.54-0.90; p < 0.01, I 2 = 40%), thrombocytopenia (RR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.46-0.96; p < 0.05, I 2 = 32%), and nausea and vomiting (RR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.32-0.80; p < 0.01, I 2 = 85%). Hepatic dysfunction (RR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.33-1.20; p = 0.16, I 2 = 0%), neurotoxicity (RR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.26-1.55; p = 0.32, I 2 = 0%), and anemia (RR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.40-1.04; p = 0.07, I 2 = 0%) were similar between the two groups. Evidence from the meta-analysis suggested that compared with paclitaxelbased chemotherapy alone, the combination of TCMs and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy may increase the TRR, improve quality of life, and reduce multiple chemotherapy-related side effects in gastric cancer patients. Additional rigorously designed large RCTs are required to confirm the efficacy and safety of this treatment.