Search

In this study, the rotating welding process of Chinese fir (Keteleeriafortunei) in Guizhou, China, was systematically analyzed. The effects of rotating welding conditions, including the dowel-to-guide hole diameter ratio, welding time, depth, base surface, angle, and dowel type, on the performance of welded Chinese fir were explored. Moreover, the physical and chemical changes oftheChinese fir interface during welding were revealed by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results indicated the following: (1) The rotating welding technology can quickly achieve a strong connection between wood through friction heat without chemical adhesives and compared with traditional wood connection technology such as gluing or mechanical fixing;it has the advantages of simple operation, high production efficiency; and environmental friendliness. (2) Aftertherotating welding, the wood underwent significant pyrolysis, especially the degradation of hemicellulose. The heat generated in the welding process caused good melting and mechanical interlocking between the dowel and the wall of the guide hole, but it was also accompanied by afriction loss of the dowel and the substrate. (3) The welding parameters affected the wood's connection strength and stability by altering heat production, distribution, transfer, and frictional losses. The impact of the dowel-to-guide hole diameter ratio had a great influence on the connection strength. When the diameter ratio was 1:0.7, the tensile strength was the highest, reaching 2.27 MPa. (4) The analyses of XPS, FTIR, XRD, and SEM proved thatthechemical composition changes at the interface, leading to a more structured crystalline bond and enhanced connection strength due to fiber entanglement and interlocking. This research providesatheoretical and experimental basis forthefurther innovation and development of wood processing technology and provides a new technical path forthegreen manufacturing of wood structure buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the competition reaction rules of a system containing resorcinol (as a tannin model compound) and dimethylol urea (as a urea–formaldehyde resin model compound) under various alkaline and acidic environments. The aim is to investigate the crosslinked modification mechanism of urea–formaldehyde resin with tannin adhesive. The study delves into the competitive relationship between self-condensation polymerization reactions and co-condensation polymerization reactions. It specifically highlights the conditions for the copolycondensation reaction of dimethylolurea and resorcinol and validates its rationality through an examination of the resorcinol–urea–formaldehyde system's reaction rules. The results show that (1) under strongly acidic conditions, the activity of carbocation intermediates produced by hydroxymethyl resorcinol for the resorcinol phenol ring is higher than the electrophilic reactivity of nitrogen atoms on hydroxymethyl urea, which is more beneficial for the resorcinol–formaldehyde self-polycondensation reaction, and the co-polycondensation structures do not play a dominant role. (2) Under weakly acidic conditions, the co-polycondensation structures are evidently advantageous over self-polycondensation structures, and the degree of the co-polycondensation reaction is positively correlated with pH below the neutral point of resorcinol. (3) Under alkaline conditions, the self-polycondensation between resorcinol and formaldehyde is dominant in the system. (4) The concentration of hydroxymethyl urea carbocation is the key factor to determine the degree of the co-polycondensation reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wettability, bonding strength and flexibility of modified melamine–urea–formaldehyde resin adhesive with hydroxymethyl lignin (LMUF) were investigated. Moreover, the curing performance, thermal properties and chemical structure of LMUF were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM), X–ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier–transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C–NMR). The synthesis mechanism of LMUF was also discussed. The results demonstrated that: (1) LMUF resin is characterized by low free formaldehyde and a short pot life. (2) With the increase in hydroxymethyl lignin, the bonding strength and flexibility of the LMUF increased first and then decreased. They reached their maximum when the hydroxymethyl lignin content was 6%–8%, which represented increases of 36% and 102%, respectively. (3) The DSC and TG analyses showed that the LMUF resin had a high hot-pressing temperature, but its thermostability was increased. (4) The XRD and SEM analyses proved that the LMUF resin was characterized by flexibility failure, especially at 6% of hydroxymethyl lignin. (5) Hydroxymethyl lignin is a type of flexible long-chain molecule, which was introduced into spaces between the rigid triazine rings through adhesion and penetration, thus improving the regular single structural form of MUF resin and increasing the compactness of the system. As a result, the resin had stronger deformability and cohesion in the molecules. The bonding strength and flexibility were improved to different degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rosin has a great influence on the bonding of Pinus massoniana wood, and surface modification is an important way to solve this problem. In this study, Pinus massoniana wood was treated by plasma, and the effects of plasma treatment on the bonding performance and surface characteristics were investigated. The results showed the following: (1) After plasma treatment, the contact angle of Pinus massoniana wood was significantly reduced and the surface energy was significantly increased from 28.42 × 10−7 to 74.75 × 10−7 J·cm−2, and the surface wettability was also greatly improved. (2) Plasma high-energy particles experience simultaneous physical and chemical effects on the surface of Pinus massoniana wood. The former formed a micro-etched roughness on the wood surface and led to the increase in surface dispersion force, while the latter increased the aggregation and activity of polar groups on the wood surface and the degradation of some wood components and rosin, resulting in the increase in surface polar force and the enhancement of wettability. (3) After plasma treatment, the reactivity of wood was enhanced, and the cross-linking degree with adhesive and the heat release were increased. The bonding strength of Pinus massoniana wood could be improved: dry bonding from 5.08 to 5.38 MPa, boiling-water bonding strength from 4.12 to 4.53 MPa, cold-water bonding strength from 3.84 to 4.51 MPa, and the bonding stability and reliability of glued specimens were also improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole-biomass adhesives are the research hotspot of wood adhesives andcan improve the competitiveness of adhesives. The tannin–sucrose adhesive studied by our research group shows good bonding performance, but poor bonding stability induced by low viscosity. In this study, the tannin–sucrose adhesive was modified by isolated soybean protein (SPI), the effect of the SPI substitution ratio for tannin on the properties of the tannin–sucrose–SPI composite adhesive was investigated, and the bonding mechanism was explored using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS). The results showed that: (1) when the SPI substitution ratio was above 40%, the viscosity of the composite adhesive increased significantly, which effectively avoided adhesive leakage. (2) The tannin–sucrose–SPI composite adhesive displayed high bonding performance and water resistance. (3) The FTIR and GC–MS results revealed that the curing mechanism of the tannin–sucrose–SPI adhesive was very complicated, but it was certain that the conversion of sucrose into furan compounds, especially 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), was the core of the cross-linking reaction of the adhesive when elevating temperature. (4) The macromolecules and high reactivity of SPI compensated for the shortage of high temperature required for the conversion of sucrose into furanic cross-linkers so that the tannin–sucrose–SPI adhesive experienced an efficient curing reaction at a low temperature, and the reaction degree and thermal stability of the curing product increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new protein wood adhesive was studied with Camellia oleifera protein. Formaldehyde and N-(2)-L-Ala-L-Gln (LAG) were used as the model compounds of amino resins and Camellia oleifera protein, aiming to provide scientific foundations for the improvement and applications of Camellia oleifera protein adhesive by the reaction of model compounds. The experimental results demonstrate that, under alkaline conditions, formaldehyde is easier to react with Camellia oleifera protein by quicker reaction and lower curing temperature. Under acid conditions, amino hydroxymethylated structure of aliphatic series from LAG is difficult to form stable reactive intermediates and further polycondensation. Hydroxymethylation of end acylamino and peptide bond amino from LAG is relatively weak. Under alkaline conditions, the free aliphatic amino and acylamino of LAG both can make hydroxymethylation reaction with formaldehyde. In the polycondensation, hydroxymethyl amide is the initial structure and the reactive intermediate is produced by E1cb reaction of hydroxymethyl amide. Methylene bridge bonds and methylene ether bonds are structures of the polycondensation products, which are competing reactions. The former is mainly formed by the reaction between alkaline reactive intermediate and amino of aliphatic series, and the latter is produced by the reaction of reactive intermediate and amino of hydroxymethyl aliphatic series with hydroxymethyl amide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Biliary atresia (BA) is a type of severe cholestatic childhood disease that may have a genetic component. miR-100 plays a key role in regulating cell apoptosis, proliferation, and inflammatory reactions. A single-nucleotide polymorphism in miR-100 has been proven to modulate susceptibility to various diseases. Methods. We conducted a case-control retrospective study to explore the correlation between miR-100 gene polymorphism (rs1834306 A>G) and biliary atresia susceptibility in 484 Chinese patients and 1445 matched control subjects. Results. Our results showed that rs1834306 A>G was correlated with a significantly increased risk for BA (GG vs. AA: adjusted odds ratio OR = 1.44 , 95 % confidence interval CI = 1.02 – 2.03 , p = 0.041 ; and GG vs. AA/AG: adjusted OR = 1.39 , 95 % CI = 1.02 – 1.89 , p = 0.036). Conclusions. Our results showed that the rs1834306 A>G polymorphism is associated with an increased risk for BA and contributes to BA susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fully bio-based adhesives are beneficial to reduce the dependence of the wood adhesive industry on synthetic resins based on petrochemical resources and enhance the market competitiveness of adhesives. A fully bio-based wood adhesive composed of tannin and sucrose was developed and successfully used in the preparation of plywood. Effects of the preparation technology on the bonding strength and water resistance of plywood were investigated, and the properties of the adhesive were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry (TG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) in this study. The results showed that: (1) Compared with other biomass adhesives, tannin–sucrose adhesive had the characteristics of high-solid content and low viscosity, which had the potential to prepare particleboard and fiberboard. (2) A proper mass ratio of tannin to sucrose was key to obtaining a tannin–sucrose adhesive with better properties. (3) The optimum preparation process of tannin–sucrose adhesive for plywood was as follows: hot-pressing temperature of 210 °C, hot-pressing time of 1.2 min/mm, m(tannin):m(sucrose) of 60:40 and adhesive loading of 160 g/m2. Under these conditions, the water-resistant bonding strength of the plywood was 0.89 MPa, which met the strength requirements of the Type II standard of plywood in GB/T 17657-2013. (4) The hot-pressing temperature played a decisive role in the tannin–sucrose adhesive, and the good performance of the plywood was maintained when the temperature was 210 °C or above. Thus, the prepared tannin–sucrose adhesive had high-bonding strength, good water resistance and thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objectives: This study assessed the diagnostic protocol and the outcomes of laparoscopic aberrant hepatic duct (AHD) reconstruction in choledochal cyst (CC) surgery. Methods: From January 2010 to January 2018, 275 laparoscopic CC excisions were conducted in our hospital. Seven patients of CC with associated AHD were recorded. AHDs that drained into the cystic duct were anastomosed to the Roux-en-Y loop. Clinical data of these 7 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: AHD is classified into four types according to the literature. The type where AHD drains into the cystic duct is the most commonly encountered one. The incidence of this type was 2.5% (7/275) in our series. Preoperative examination included magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) (5 patients) and computed tomography (CT) scan (2 patients). Suspected AHD was diagnosed preoperatively in 4 out of the 5 patients who underwent MRCP. For the 2 patients who underwent CT scan only, AHD was not detected preoperatively. AHD was verified intraoperatively for all the 4 patients who had suspected diagnosis. Among them, AHD was well preserved in 3 patients, but damaged at exploration in the remaining 1. For the remaining 3 patients without preoperative AHD diagnosis, bile leakage was detected intraoperatively. Ductoplasty of the AHD with common hepatic duct was performed in 3 patients, and AHD was incorporated into the Roux-en-Y jejunal loop separately in 4 patients. Laparoscopic surgical procedures were completed in 6 of the 7 patients in this study, while 1 patient was converted into an open procedure. Postoperative recovery was uneventful in all patients. The duration of follow-up ranged from 6 months to 4 years (median 2 years) with no complication encountered. Conclusions: Routine preoperative MRCP examination of CC is recommended to detect variations of biliary tree. The laparoscopic approach is a feasible option in the experienced hands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Biliary atresia (BA) has complex genetic etiology, characterized by different levels of hepatic fibrosis after the Kasai procedure and immune responses to the bile duct. As an activator of the two most important inflammatory cells in Biliary atresia (T cells and NK cells), IL - 18 is significantly increased in BA patients. This study aims to investigate the association of Interleukin 18(IL - 18) with the susceptibility to BA. We examined the association of three polymorphisms (rs549908, rs187238 and rs1946518 in IL - 18) and BA susceptibility in a Southern Chinese population composed of 506 cases and 1473 controls. SNP rs187238 and rs1946518 were identified as associated with BA. Interestingly, we also observed that the intragenic synergistic epistasis between SNPs rs187238 and rs1946518 boosting the risk to BA by logistic regression and Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis. This study provides for the first time a direct evidence to support IL-18 as a susceptibility gene for the disease in southern Chinese children. Highlights • IL - 18 is a susceptibility gene for the Biliary atresia (BA). • The synergistic epistatic interaction between SNPs in IL-18 was associated with BA in Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urea-formaldehyde (UF) reaction under strong alkaline condition was investigated by using quantitative analysis of 13C NMR. The main reaction products were methylolureas and oligomers linked by ether bonds at the beginning stage. With the reaction undergoing, the methylene linkages began to be formed and become predominant at the end point. The conversion of linear methylene ether bond to methylene linkage was also observed. These features were also observed previously for the reaction under acidic condition. It was found that the cyclic ether structure (uron) is much more stable than the linear ether bond, and its stability is second only to the methylene linkages among all the condensed structures. The formaldehyde was consumed in fast Cannizarro reaction under strong alkaline condition, producing considerable amount of methanol, which is the main negative aspect of this condition. With the exception of the differences caused by Cannizarro reaction, the UF production reactions under alkaline and acidic conditions are similar. The pH did not change the thermodynamic nature of the involved reactions, but only changed the competitive relationships of different reactions in kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The acid-catalyzed urea-formaldehyde reactions were reexamined in detail by using quantum chemistry method and 13C-NMR determinations. Some issues in the synthesis theory that were not well understood previously have been addressed and clarified. The identified reaction mechanisms and calculated energy barriers suggest that the competitive formations of methylene and methylene ether linkages are kinetically affected by both reaction energy barriers and steric hindrance effect. The thermodynamic properties determine that the methylene linkages are dominant at the late condensation stage. The theoretical results well rationalized the observed different changing processes of resin structures with different F/U molar ratios. The previously proposed mechanism for transformation of methylene ether linkage to methylene linkage cannot explain the structural changes during condensation, and thus, other mechanisms were proposed. The calculated results for uron explained the fact that the formation of such structure is much slower than other structures under weak acidic condition. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44339. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of UF resin prepared with concentrated formaldehyde were studied in this paper. With the molar ratio F/U = 1.1, the UF resin prepared with concentrated formaldehyde showed better mechanical properties than that with formalin. The13C-NMR and FTIR results indicated that there were more methylene groups, ether groups and urons in a UF resin system prepared with concentrated formaldehyde than those in a normal UF resin. The differential scanning calorimetry and DMA results showed that the curing temperature of UF resin with concentrated formaldehyde was lower than that of a normal UF resin. UF resin with concentrated formaldehyde showed worse thermal stability and higher thermal decomposition temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a soy-based adhesive with good water resistance, non-toxic melamine–glyoxal resin (MG) prepared in the laboratory was used as a cross-linker of soy-based adhesive. The FT-IR and ESI-MS results showed that there was a reaction between melamine and glyoxal. The resulted –CH–OH– groups could be the possible reactive groups for the cross-linking of soy-based adhesive. The wet shear strength of soy-based plywood indicated that the water resistance of soy adhesive cross-linked by MG improved with respect to that with no cross-linker, although it was not good enough to satisfy the relative standard. With the optimized preparation procedures for plywood, specifically, press temperature 180 °C, press time 3 min and resin loading 280 g m−2, type I soy-based plywood could be prepared with a hybrid cross-linker, namely 12%MG + 2% epoxy resin (EPR). The DSC results showed that the reaction between soy-based adhesive and the hybrid cross-linker MG + EPR was very complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction mechanism of neutral phenol with formaldehyde in aqueous solution was studied theoretically by using the GGA-PW91/DNP+COSMO method. In previous studies, it was found that the water molecules can mediate proton transfer from nitrogen to oxygen, but the results of this study show that water molecules can also catalyse proton transfer from carbon to oxygen. With the mediation of water, the energy barriers were greatly lowered. The calculated energy barriers indicate that the para-position of phenol has higher reactivity than the ortho-position. The reaction occurs in a concerted mechanism. However, the process exhibits asynchronous characteristics, particularly the C-C bond formation precedes the proton transfer and the proton transfer from water molecules to the carbonyl oxygen is ahead of proton abstraction from the benzene ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction between urea and HO- in alkaline solution was investigated at B3LYP and MP2 levels. The PCM solvent model was used to include the implicit solvent effects. To estimate the specific solvation effects, explicit water molecules were added stepwise to form molecular clusters. The results show that the OH- anion can abstract a proton from urea, forming the urea anion. The calculated energies indicate the hydrogen bonds formed between the reactants and solvent water molecules affect both the potential and thermodynamic energy barriers. The changing trend of the barriers appears to be 1W > 2W > 3W > 0W. A fast equilibrium can be established between the reactants and the products but the reverse reaction is both kinetically and thermodynamically more favourable, suggesting that the concentration of urea anion in alkaline solution would be low, in agreement with known weak acidity. The results of this study suggest that for reaction systems involving strongly polar reactants and solvent, the employment of only implicit solvent model is not enough, and explicit solvent molecules must be included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survival and colonization of tumor cells at new locations involve a variety of complex genetic, epigenetic, and microenvironmental factors. TRIM24 was originally named transcription intermediary factor 1-alpha (TIF1α), which was associated with cellular proliferation and was an oncogene in tumor development. Here we provide the first evidence of the expression profile and clinicopathological significance of TRIM24 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Immunohistochemistry was employed to determine the expression level of TRIM24 in HCC tissues and noncancerous liver tissues. Elevated TRIM24 level was found in 61.4% HCC samples (51/83) correlating with AFP (P = 0.036), poor differentiation (P = 0.004), intrahepatic metastasis (P = 0.004), recurrence (P = 0.000006), and shorter tumor-free survival time (P = 0.002). Small interfering RNA induced down-regulation of TRIM24 promoted apoptosis in HCC cell line HepG2. Moreover, western blotting analysis revealed that knockdown of TRIM24 increased the protein levels of p53, Bax, and Caspase-8, and decreased Bcl-2, Survivin, Cyclin D1, and CDK4. Depletion of TRIM24 decreased Snail, Slug, β-catenin, and Vimentin, and increased E-cadherin expression, which suggested the involvement of TRIM24 in EMT. These results indicated that TRIM24 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of human HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the initial viscosity and stability of Camellia oleifera cake-protein adhesive, Camellia oleifera cake-protein was blended with defatted soybean protein (DSP), soybean protein isolate (SPI), and casein, followed by adhesive preparation through degradation and crosslinking methods. The performance of Camellia oleifera cake-protein adhesive was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopic (SEM), and thermogravimetric (TG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that DSP, SPI, and casein likely promoted the effective degradation of Camellia oleifera cake-protein, and, thus, more active groups were formed in the system, accompanied by more reactivity sites. The prepared adhesive had a lower curing temperature, and higher initial viscosity and stability, but the storage time was shortened. Moreover, DSP, SPI, and casein, themselves, were degraded into peptide chains with lower molecular weights; thus, improving the overall flexibility of the adhesive, facilitating a better elastic contact and regular array between crosslinking products, and further strengthening the crosslinked structure and density of the products. After curing, a compact and coherent reticular structure was formed in the adhesive layer, with both bonding strength and water resistance being significantly improved. According to the results obtained, the next step will be to study the DSP-modified Camellia oleifera cake-protein adhesive in depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To find the effects of cross-linker phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin on the performance of soy-based adhesives, the reaction between model compounds hydroxymethyl phenol (HPF) and glutamic acid were studied in this paper. HPF prepared in laboratory conditions showed higher content of hydroxymethyl groups than normal PF resin, which was proved by the results of Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (13C-NMR). The results of ESI-MS, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and 13C-NMR based on resultant products obtained from model compounds showed better water resistance of the soy protein-based adhesive modified by PF-based resin, which indicated the reaction between PF resin and soy protein. However, it seemed that the soy-based adhesive cross-linked by HPF with the maximum content of hydroxymethyl groups did not show the best water resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prepare a natural tannin-based adhesive with good water resistance, an environment friendly furfuryl alcohol-glyoxal resin (FG) synthesized in the laboratory was developed as a cross-linker for tannin-based adhesives. 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectroscopy results indicated that furfuryl alcohol and glyoxal reacted under acidic conditions and that the -CH-(OH)- groups could be shown to be the ones involved in the cross-linking of the tannin-furfuryl-glyoxal adhesive (TFG). The results for the wet shear strength of TFG-bonded plywood showed that the cured TFG was improved and better than that bonded with a tannin-furfuryl alcohol (TF) adhesive. Moreover, the TFG adhesive cross-linked with 12% epoxy resin (EPR) presented a good water resistance. It had a modulus of elasticity (MOE) higher than that of tannin-furfuryl alcohol-formaldehyde (TFF), TF and phenol-formaldehyde (PF) adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive use and rapid consumption of energy especially with the shortage of oil-derived resources pushed researchers to focus on developing more biomass-based plastics. The current article presents the possibility to undergo polycondensation of gelatinized starch and corn-derived furfural in presence of formaldehyde under acidic conditions to produce a thermoplastic material, starch–furanic resin. The structure of resulting product was studied intensively using solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Raman spectroscopy. The glass transitions, molecular weight, and thermal stability of the developed material were investigated with techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatograph (GPC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, the morphological features of the material's surface were studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the related properties of the plastic were characterized by the measurements of Brinell hardness and compression resistance. The plastic shows a smooth appearance without crack and bubbles, and exhibited a glass transition temperature as high as 129 °C and a 12% weight loss temperature of 200 ℃ in nitrogen. All these results support that the condensation reactions between the gelatinized starch and aldehydes were more appropriate under acidic conditions to yield more complicated network structure with better homogeneous microstructure, which revealed superior and comparable results to that of phenol-formaldehyde plastics. [Display omitted] • The easily prepared thermoplastic is synthesized by using starch and furfural. • The rigid plastics have similar hardness and compressive strength to phenol-formaldehyde plastics. • The rigid plastic with biomass content up to 93% can make full use of corn waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biliary atresia (BA) is a severe cholangiopathy that leads to liver failure in infants, but its pathogenesis remains to be fully characterized. By single-cell RNA profiling, we observed macrophage hypo-inflammation, Kupffer cell scavenger function defects, cytotoxic T cell expansion, and deficiency of CX3CR1+effector T and natural killer (NK) cells in infants with BA. More importantly, we discovered that hepatic B cell lymphopoiesis did not cease after birth and that tolerance defects contributed to immunoglobulin G (IgG)-autoantibody accumulation in BA. In a rhesus-rotavirus induced BA model, depleting B cells or blocking antigen presentation ameliorated liver damage. In a pilot clinical study, we demonstrated that rituximab was effective in depleting hepatic B cells and restoring the functions of macrophages, Kupffer cells, and T cells to levels comparable to those of control subjects. In summary, our comprehensive immune profiling in infants with BA had educed that B-cell-modifying therapies may alleviate liver pathology. • trans -Differentiation of cytotoxic Th17 to Th1 cells promotes liver pathology • CX3CR1+CD8Teff cells inhibit fibrosis by granzyme-mediated killing of fibroblasts • Defective induction of hepatic B cell tolerance promotes autoimmunity in infants • B-cell-modifying therapies promote immune recovery in infants with biliary atresia Liver immune profiling in infants with biliary atresia suggests B-cell-modifying therapies may alleviate liver pathology [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To review our single-center surgical outcomes of redo operations after failed Rex shunt procedures., Methods: From September 2017 to October 2021, a total of 20 patients (11 males, 9 females; median age: 8.6 years) with Rex shunt occlusions were admitted to our hospital. Two of these patients were previously operated on in our hospital, and the remaining 18 were from other centers. All patients underwent repeat operations after detailed preoperative evaluations., Results: Preoperative wedged hepatic vein portography (WHVP) was conducted for 18 patients. Thirteen patients exhibited well-developed Rex recessus and intrahepatic portal vein during WHPV examination, consistent with the intraoperative exploration results. Fifteen patients (75%, 15/20) underwent redo-Rex shunt, four underwent Warren shunt and one underwent devascularization surgery. During the redo-Rex shunt operations, the left internal jugular veins (IJV) were used as bypass grafts in 11 patients; the intra-abdominal veins were used in 4 patients. The patients were followed up for 12-59 months (mean, 24.8 months). After redo Rex shunts, the grafts were patent in 14 patients (93.3%, 14/15), but 1 graft had thrombosis (6.7%, 1/15). Three patients suffered from postoperative anastomotic stenosis, and all of the stenosis was relieved with balloon dilatations. After re-Rex shunts, esophageal varices and spleen size were substantially reduced, and the platelet count significantly increased. Postoperative graft thrombosis was found in 1 patient after Warren shunt (1/4, 25%), and there was no graft stenosis. Compared with Warren surgery, patients who underwent re-Rex shunt had a significantly higher rate of platelet increase., Conclusions: Redo-rex shunts can be finished in most patients with failed Rex shunts. Re-Rex shunt is a preferred surgical choice after a failed Rex shunt when a good bypass graft is available, and the surgical success rate can reach more than 90%. A suitable bypass graft is essential for a successful redo Rex shunt. Preoperative WHVP is recommended for the design of a redo surgical plan preoperatively., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Wen, Wang, Yang, Liu, Liang, Liang, Ning, You, Bai and Hong.)

To guide the preparation of protein-based adhesive, especially the soy-based adhesive, the reaction between a simple dipeptide N -(2)-l-alanyl-l-glutamine (AG), being used as a model compound of protein, and its cross-linker furfuryl alcohol were studied in this paper. The products that were prepared with furfuryl alcohol and AG under different pHs were analyzed by ESI-MS, 13 C NMR, and FT-IR. It was found that the medium environment had great effects on the competition of the co-condensation reaction between furfuryl alcohol and AG and self-condensation reaction of furfuryl alcohol molecules in the mixing system with furfuryl alcohol and AG. Under alkaline conditions, both co- and self-condensation were not obviously detected. Only when the value of pH was higher than 11, were a few co-condensation reaction products gotten. The reaction occurred mainly between furfuryl alcohol and the primary amido groups of AG. Under acid conditions, both co- and self-condensation were observed. The more acid the preparation conditions were, the easier to be observed the self-condensation of furfuryl alcohol molecules would be than the co-condensation between furfuryl alcohol and AG. When the value of pH was higher than 5, both co- and self-condensation were not outstanding. In this study, under pH 3, the co- and self-condensation found equilibrium. There was a great possibility for the primary amido and aliphatic amino groups of AG molecules to react with furfuryl alcohol molecules. No reaction was detected between the secondary amido groups of AG and furfuryl alcohol., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.