The purpose of this study was to investigate the antiatherosclerosis effects of ursolic acid (UA) in high-fat diet-fed quails (Coturnix coturnix) and potential mechanism. Quails were treated with high-fat diet (14 % pork oil, 1 % cholesterol w/w) with or without UA (50, 150, or 300 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks. Serum lipid profile was assessed at 0, 4.5, and 10 weeks. After 10 weeks, serum antioxidant status and morphology of aorta were assessed. Additionally, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to 100 μg/ml oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) for 24 h, with or without pretreatment with UA (5, 10 or 20 μM) for 16 h, autophagy inhibitor 3-MA 5 mM for 2 h, or SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527 10 μM for 2 h. Cell viability and oxidative stress status were assessed and autophagy status was determined. Acetylation of lysine residue on Atg5 was assessed with immunoprecipitation. In results, high-fat diet negatively affected serum lipid profile and antioxidant status in quails and induced significant histological changes. Cotreatment with UA remarkably alleviated such changes. In HUVECs, ox-LDL treatment induced significant cytotoxicity along with oxidative stress, while UA cotreatment alleviated such changes significantly. UA treatment induced autophagy, enhanced SIRT1 expression, and decreased acetylation of lysine residue on Atg5. Cotreatment with 3-MA or EX-527 effectively abolished UA's protective effects. In summary, UA exerted antiatherosclerosis effects in quails and protected HUVECs from ox-LDL induced cytotoxicity, and the mechanism is associated with increased SIRT1 expression, decreased Atg5 acetylation on lysine residue, and increased autophagy.

<p>Based on the detailed description of the fault system and the regional dynamic background of the study area, the Cenozoic structural development and evolution characteristics of the southwest Bohai sea and the migration law of the sedimentary-subsidence center were studied by using 3D seismic data and drilling data.The results show that the NW, NNE, NE and EW trending faults were mainly developed in the study area. The NW-trending faults were Cenozoic revived faults, which control the development of the NW-trending structural belt. The NNE-trending faults control the formation of the uplift, including Kendong fault, Gudong fault and Changdi fault, which all belong to co-direction shear faults of the Tan-lu fault zone, and have obvious strike-slip characteristics. The NE-trending faults and EW-trending faults were extensional faults, which further complicate the tectonic pattern. Under the control of the NNE-trending faults and near EW-trending faults, the sedimentary thickness of the Paleogene strata in the study area changed from thick in the south and thin in the north in the early stage to thin in the south and thick in the north in the late stage. In the sedimentary period of Es<sub>3</sub>, the uplift was highly segmented. The mountains were high and the surrounded lakes was deep, and the water bodies were connected between the depressions. During the sedimentary period from Es<sub>2</sub> to Es<sub>1</sub>, the regional structure subsided and the lake area expanded. In the sedimentary period of Ed, it was high in the south and low in the north, and basically distributed regionally. After the Neogene, it finally became a unified whole to accept deposition. Generally, the overall evolution can be divided into four stages: ① Confined fault-depression stage of Ek to Es<sub>4</sub>；② Strong fault-depression stage of  Es<sub>3</sub> to Es<sub>2</sub>；③Weak fault depression stage of Es<sub>1</sub> to Ed；④ Weak extended depression stage of the Ng-Nm.</p>

The sedimentary characteristics of the Neogene in the eastern Liaodong area are poorly studied, which restricts the oil and gas exploration in this area. Based on the current seismic, logging, drilling, and core data, we have studied the sequence stratigraphy and sedimentary characteristics of the Neogene in the eastern Liaodong area. Ultimately, we identified the controlling factors of sedimentation and established the depositional model. In this study, six sequence boundaries of the Neogene were identified and can be divided into five third-order sequences. The sedimentary evolution can be divided into four stages: braided river delta, meandering river delta with a low sand-stratum ratio, meandering river delta with a high sand-stratum ratio, and meandering river delta. Both the palaeotectonic movements and paleoclimate changes of the Neogene influence the periodical fluctuation of the lake level and then control the vertical evolution of the sedimentary types. The paleogeomorphology controls the macroscopic distribution of the sedimentary facies zone, the paleo-valleys that are associated with the strike-slip faults control the channel strike, and the fault slopes at the edge of the lacustrine basins control the sand redistribution of the delta front.