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Liver injury is closely associated with macrophage activation following HBV infection. Our previous study showed that only HBeAg, but not HBsAg and HBcAg, stably enhances inflammatory cytokine production in macrophages. And we also indicated that HBeAg could induce macrophage activation via TLR2 and thus aggravate the progression of liver fibrosis. However, the specific molecular mechanism of HBeAg in macrophage activation is not clear. We screened significantly overexpressed RGS16 from RNASeq results of HBeAg-stimulated macrophages and validated them with cellular assays, GSE83148 microarray dataset, and in clinical samples. Meanwhile, small interference, plasmid, and lentivirus transfection assays were used to establish cell models for knockdown and overexpression of RGS16, and q-PCR, ELISA, Transwell, and CCK-8 assays were used to analyze the role of RGS16 in HBeAg-induced macrophage activation. In addition, the upstream and downstream mechanisms of RGS16 in HBeAg-treated macrophage activation were explored using inhibitors, phostag gels, and RGS16 phosphorylation mutant plasmids. Finally, the effect of RGS16 on hepatic inflammation in murine tissues was evaluated by H&E staining, liver enzyme assay and immunofluorescence. RGS16 was significantly upregulated in HBeAg-induced macrophage activation, and its expression was enhanced with increasing HBeAg content and treatment time. Functional experiments showed that overexpression of RGS16 promoted the production of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 and boosted macrophage proliferation and migration, while knockdown of RGS16 exhibited the opposite effect. Mechanistically, we discovered that RGS16 is regulated by the TLR2/P38/STAT5 signaling pathway. Meanwhile, RGS16 enhanced ERK phosphorylation via its own Tyr168 phosphorylation to contribute to macrophage activation, thereby accelerating liver injury. Finally, in mice, overexpression of RGS16 markedly strengthened liver inflammation. HBeAg upregulates RGS16 expression through the TLR2-P38-STAT5 axis, and the upregulated expression of RGS16 enhances macrophage activation and accelerates liver injury by promoting ERK phosphorylation. In this process, phosphorylation of Tyr168 is necessary for RGS16 to function. Key messages: RGS16 boosted HBeAg-induced macrophage inflammation, proliferation, and migration. Tyr168 phosphorylation of RGS16 affected by ERK promoted macrophage activation. HBeAg upregulated the expression of RGS16 through TLR2/P38/STAT5 signal pathway. RGS16 promoted liver injury by regulating macrophage functions in mouse model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate determination of coalbed methane (CBM) content is of great significance for its development and utilization as well as for the prevention and control of coal mine gas disaster. In the process of determining CBM content, the coal–gas adsorption system existing in the natural environment is affected by variable temperature–pressure interactions. In this study, methane (CH4) adsorption tests were carried out on coals at different initial equilibrium pressures (IEPs) and in different cooling processes (CPs). The test results indicate that dominant and retrograde adsorption processes existed in the cooling and adsorption processes of the coal sample reaction chamber. During the adsorption process, the temperature variation broke the original adsorption equilibrium, which in turn induced the pressure change in the coal sample reaction chamber, thus resulting in the retrograde adsorption. The intensity of the dominant adsorption increased and then decreased, causing an increase and then a decrease in the retrograde adsorption rate. The commonly used adsorption kinetic models were modified, including the modified pseudo-first-order kinetic model, modified pseudo-second-order kinetic model, modified Bangham kinetic model (MBKM), modified intra-particle diffusion model and modified double exponential model (MDEM). These modified models were used to describe the kinetic characteristics of the dominant process of CH4 adsorption on coals in a variable temperature and pressure environment. The results show that among the modified kinetic models, the MDEM can describe better the kinetic process of the dominant adsorption, followed by the MBKM. The IEP showed positive correlation with the dominant adsorption rate at the initial stage of cooling. For the two CPs (i.e., 293.15–283.15 K and 273.15–263.15 K), the initial adsorption rates at the IEP of 3.83 MPa were, respectively, about 4 and 3 times higher than those at the IEP of 0.72 MPa. The retrograde adsorption process can be described better by a linear model. A peak retrograde adsorption rate existed throughout the adsorption process and increased with increasing IEP. The study of the kinetic process of CH4 adsorption on the coal matrix under the effect of low temperatures and variable pressures will improve understanding of the CH4 adsorption mechanism in a low temperature and variable pressure environment, and provide theoretical support for the development and application of new techniques for CBM content determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a theoretical investigation on the dynamic characteristics of a nanomechanical resonator attached with an adsorbate at an arbitrary position. Cantilevered and bridged configurations are both considered for the resonators. Closed-form expressions relating the exact mode shape and the resonant frequency of the loaded resonator are obtained analytically using the Rayleigh–Ritz theorem, from which the relationship between the adsorbate mass and changes in the dynamic characteristics can be obtained. The results indicate that the mode shape change due to adsorption of a relatively large particle can influence the performance of the nanomechanical resonator considerably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a theoretical analysis of the vibration of a suspended circular diaphragm resonator with a particle at an arbitrary location when considering the effects of plate stiffness and membrane tension in the diaphragm. The analytical expression relating position and mass of a particle attached on a stretched diaphragm with varying residual stress to the resulting shifts in diaphragm resonant frequency is derived. It has been shown that the particle position and mass for the diaphragm configuration can be unambiguously resolved by combining resonant frequencies of the first three consecutive symmetric vibration modes. This finding is verified numerically in finite element modeling using a freestanding circular diaphragm with and without an added particle, and it proves that the method resolves the particle position and mass with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2008, enterovirus 71 (EV71) has been responsible for high-mortality seasonal epidemics of hand, foot and mouth disease in China. Currently many groups in the world are in the process of developing EV71 vaccines to combat this deadly disease. We have developed three EV71-specific monoclonal antibodies, and in this study we report the establishment of a fast and cost-effective sandwich ELISA kit for measurement of virus concentration in EV71 vaccines using a pair of mouse anti-EV71 monoclonal antibodies. The system is specific for EV71 virus, with no cross-reactivity to coxsackievirus A16, H1N1, rabies, and hepatitis A. Using a reference EV71 vaccine standard, the sensitivity of the assay kit was determined to be 0.82 U/ml, with a linear range between 3.75 and 120 U/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]