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To improve the interfacial adhesion and mechanical performance of PBO fiber composites, CNTs were uniformly grafted onto them at a high-density. The grafting of CNTs with massive reactive groups can improve the surface wettability and interfacial interaction of PBO fibers with epoxy resin. The IFSS and ILSS values of the modified composites (PBO-CNT-3) increased by 103.09 and 62.73%, respectively. As CNTs can strengthen interfacial regions of the composites, the mechanical properties (hardness and modulus) of the interphase were enhanced significantly. This led to the effective transfer of interfacial load, elimination of stress concentration, and improvement in the structural stability of the composites. As a result, the impact strength of the modified composites (PBO-CNT-3) was up to 103.76 kJ/m2 (an increase of 56.24%) compared to the original composites. The surface morphology and deformation behavior of the fractured composites indicate that the interfacial failure mode of the composites grafted with CNTs changes from adhesive failure to both cohesive and substrate failure. This strategy of grafting CNTs at a high-density opens a new avenue for the interfacial regulation of structural composites, ultra-capacitor, sensor, and catalytic materials.

The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic liver resection versus open liver resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (RHCC). Published studies which investigated laparoscopic versus open liver resection for RHCC were identified, and meta-analysis was used for statistical analysis. Six studies were analyzed by meta-analysis method, and cumulative 335 cases were included in this study. Laparoscopic liver resection was performed in 145 cases, and open liver resection was performed in 190 cases. Meta-analysis showed that there was no difference in operative time and 90-day mortality between the laparoscopic group and the open group (p = 0.06 and p = 0.06 respectively); Nevertheless, compared with the open group, the laparoscopic group resulted in significantly lower rate of in-hospital complication (p

Background: To observe the effect of centipede scolopendra extract on gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) and further investigate its underlying mechanism.Methods: The GBC cell line GBC-SD was purchased and cultured. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was constructed. The mRNA expression levels of PUMA were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and protein expression levels of p53, PUMA, Bax and Bcl-2 were measured by western blotting respectively. Viability and proliferation were detected using MTT and colony formation assays respectively. The apoptosis rate was determined by Annexin-V-FITC/PI double staining. Results: The GBC-SD cell line was successfully obtained and cultured. MTT and colony formation assays demonstrated that the viability and proliferation of GBC-SD cells could be markedly inhibited by centipede scolopendra extract in a concentration-dependent manner in the limited concentration range. Following pretreatment with centipede scolopendra extract, RT-qPCR demonstrated that the expression levels of PUMA were markedly increased in the GBC-SD cells, and western blotting showed that the high expression of PUMA was accompanied by upregulation of Bax and downregulation of p53 and Bcl-2 in the GBC-SD cells. However, this effect has proved hard to reproduce after PUMA-siRNA. Flow cytometry revealed that the apoptosis rate was 9.8±2.2%, 25.3±3.6%, 10.6±2.0%, and 13.5±2.4% in control group, centipede scolopendra extract group, PUMA-siRNA group, and centipede scolopendra extract combined with PUMA-siRNA group respectively. Conclusions: Centipede scolopendra extract could induce the apoptosis of GBC-SD cells by promoting the PUMA-Bax signaling pathway. It could serve as a potential novel therapy for GBC in clinical practice.

The p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) has been reported to be involved in various types of cancer. However, its potential biological role in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) has not been fully elucidated. The present study aimed to determine the expression levels of PUMA and its biological effects on GBC. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PUMA in GBC tissues and cell lines were measured using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting, respectively. The effects of PUMA overexpression on cell viability, proliferation and invasive ability were determined in vitro using the MTT, colony formation and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. The apoptotic rates were detected using the Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit. Furthermore, follow-up of patients with GBC was performed to identify the association between PUMA expression levels and GBC prognosis. The results of the present study demonstrated that the expression levels of PUMA were significantly lower in the GBC tissues and cell lines compared with those in adjacent normal gallbladder tissues and normal gallbladder cells, respectively. Further experiments indicated that overexpression of PUMA inhibited the viability, proliferation and invasive ability of GBC cells compared with those in the control-transfected GBC cells. In addition, overexpression of PUMA significantly promoted apoptosis in GBC cells. Furthermore, overexpression of PUMA inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and promoted Bax upregulation and Bcl-2 downregulation compared with those in the control group. Low PUMA expression levels were associated with a short overall survival time in patients with GBC. In conclusions, PUMA may act as a tumor suppressor in GBC and may serve as a potential novel treatment target for human GBC.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has rapidly become the most common cause of chronic liver diseases. We aimed to explore the incidence and distribution characteristics of NASH by sex, region and sociodemographic index (SDI). We collected data, including sex and region, on NASH-related liver cirrhosis from the 2017 GBD study. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were used to estimate the incidence trend and distribution characteristics. Globally, the incidence of liver cirrhosis caused by NASH increased from 178,430 cases in 1990 to 367,780 cases in 2017, an increase of approximately 105.56%. The ASR of NASH increased by an average of 1.35% per year (95% CI 1.28–1.42). Meanwhile, large differences in the ASR and the EAPC were observed across regions. The middle-high SDI region had the highest increase among all five SDI regions, followed by middle SDI region. In addition, Eastern Europe, Andean Latin America and Central Asia showed a more significant growth trend of ASR. In contrast, the high SDI region demonstrated the slowest increasing trend of ASR, and the high-income Asia Pacific demonstrated a decreasing trend among the 21 regions. Liver cirrhosis has caused a huge and rising health burden in many countries and regions. In addition, with the growth of obesity, population and aging, NASH might replace viral hepatitis as the most important cause of liver cirrhosis in the near future. Therefore, appropriate interventions are needed in coming decades to realize early diagnosis and prevention of NASH-related liver cirrhosis.

Constructing interface with customized structures of fiber composites is an effective method of achieving high performance. Herein, the comb-like polymer interface with a rigid-flexibility transition structure was constructed on the PBO fiber surface through the layer-by-layer (LBL) method. Compared with original PBO fiber composites, the interfacial adhesion and stability of interface structures were improved significantly due to the LBL construction of comb-like polymers interface. In modified fiber (PBO–P3) composites, the IFSS and ILSS value were increased by 76.30 and 39.31%, respectively. Meanwhile, dynamic mechanical properties and hydrothermal aging resistance were also enhanced obviously. The main contributors for improved interfacial adhesion could be the enlarged interface region with rigid-flexible transition structure, complicated interface contact, enhanced chemical bonding and mechanical interlocking near interface area.

In this study, the interfacial properties of PBO fiber were enhanced significantly through constructing the rigid dendritic polymers on its surface. The rigid branched structure and massive functional groups of dendritic polymers endowed the interphase with more powerful physical entanglement and mechanical interlocking, abundant chemical bonding, improved interfacial compatibility and moderate mechanical properties. Compared with untreated PBO fiber composites, the interfacial shear strength and interlaminar shear strength of modified PBO fiber (PBO-M2) composites increased by 81.49 and 42.17%, respectively. Meanwhile, the impact strength raised from 68.15 to 103.28 kJ/m2 due to the construction of rigid dendritic polymers. Dynamic mechanical evaluation also indicated that the storage modulus (at 30 °C) of PBO-M2 composites increased from 34 ± 2 to 47 ± 3 GPa. Moreover, the hydrothermal aging resistance of PBO-M2 composites was also markedly improved.