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This study investigated the fracture behavior of SiCf/SiC cladding with axial cracks in the CMC layer/monolithic SiC layer on the inner and outer wall via an expanding plug test. The specimen with a prefabricated crack on the outer wall fractured in no specific direction. After the first load drop, fracture sources can be detected not only near the notch but also in other directions within the CMC layer. The simulation shows a homogeneous stress distribution resulting in a similar hoop strength to the specimen without prefabricated cracks. In contrast, the specimen with a prefabricated crack on the inner wall fractured along the notch. After the first load drop, fracture sources can be detected only near the notch. The simulation demonstrates stress concentration, resulting in a lower hoop strength. Therefore, considering the nuclear application of SiCf/SiC cladding, we are supposed to pay more attention to the defects in CMC layer in the fabrication process of SiCf/SiC cladding.

Objective To investigate the effect of ulinastatin (UTI) on the level of oxidative stress as well as intestinal flora in rats with sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI), providing theoretical support for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis-induced ALI. Methods Eighteen male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: sham operation group (Sham group), cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) induced sepsis group (CLP group), and sepsis+UTI intervention group (CLP+UTI group, intraperitoneal injection of 100 kU/kg UTI instantly after CLP), with 6 rats in each group. Lung tissues were obtained from rats executed 24 hours after modeling, and pathological changes were observed under the light microscope. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was measured by western blotting. The mRNA expression of Nrf2, HO-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The changes of intestinal flora in rats were detected by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results Compared with the Sham group, histopathologic analysis observed that the lungs of the CLP group exhibited alveolar effusion, inflammatory cell infiltration, and structural disorganization; the mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly elevated in lung tissue, SOD activity decreased, the content of MDA increased; the mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 in lung tissue were decreased. Compared with the CLP group, the lung tissue damage in the CLP+UTI group was significantly relieved, the mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly decreased in lung tissue (P＜0.05), SOD activity increased ［SOD (U/mg prot): 11.83±0.99 vs 6.74±0.43, P＜0.05］, the content of MDA decreased ［MDA (nmol/mg prot): 0.16±0.04 vs 0.38±0.03, P＜0.05］; the mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 in lung tissue were increased (P＜0.05). Conclusion UTI has a significant protective effect against sepsis-induced ALI, possibly by modulating the intestinal flora which in turn ameliorates inflammatory injury and reduces oxidative stress injury.

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to investigate risk factors for new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), aiming to develop a predictive nomogram for NOAF risk. Methods A retrospective cohort study involving 397 AMI patients who underwent PCI at a tertiary hospital in Anhui, China, from January 2021 to July 2022 was performed. Patients were divided into NOAF (n = 63) and non-NOAF (n = 334) groups based on post-PCI outcomes. Clinical data were extracted from the hospital information system (HIS) and analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify independent risk factors. A nomogram was generated utilizing R software (version 3.6.1), with its performance evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, decision curve analysis (DCA), and Bootstrap resampling. Results Independent risk factors for NOAF included age, left atrial diameter (LAD), Gensini score, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), alanine transaminase (ALT), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD), and ventricular rate (P

Abstract Objective To measure the plasma levels of human cartilage intermediate layer protein 1 (CILP1) in patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), and to investigate its association with the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in DCM. Methods A total of 336 diabetic patients were enrolled and assigned into two groups based on the presence or absence of DCM (DCM group and N-DCM group). The baseline clinical data including glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT), glutamic oxaloacetic acid transferase (AST), albumin, serum creatinine, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), C-reactive protein (CRP), and N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were recorded. Subsequently, plasma levels of CILP1 at admission were detected by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Echocardiographic parameters were also acquired for all patients. The association of CILP1 with LVEF, LVDD and CRP was determined. In addition, the occurrence of MACE was examined during the 12-month follow-up in the DCM group. Results The concentration of CILP1 in the DCM group was higher than in the N-DCM group [1329.97 (1157.14, 1494.36) ng/L vs. 789.00 (665.75, 937.06) ng/L, P

Abstract Previous reports showed that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) participates in the development and progression of tumors. Nevertheless, the effect of LINC02139 and its mechanism on gastric cancer (GC) is still unknown. We revealed that LINC02139 is upregulated in GC cell lines and tissues and high LINC02139 expression was correlated with the advancement of GC in patients. Functionally, overexpression of LINC02139 promoted, while knockdown of LINC02139 impaired GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and impeded tumorigenesis in a tumor xenograft model in vivo. Mechanistically, LINC02139 directly bound to XIAP and increased the protein level by maintaining its protein stability through inhibition of the ubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation pathway. Importantly, the regulatory function of XIAP in LINC02139-mediated oncogenic effects was demonstrated. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that LINC02139 and XIAP collaboratively modulate GC cell growth and apoptosis. Analysis of clinical GC tissues further confirmed the upregulation of XIAP and the positive association between LINC02139 and XIAP expression. These findings established LINC02139 as a driver of tumorigenesis and highlighted the crucial involvement of the LINC02139-XIAP axis in GC progression, suggesting its potential as a promising therapeutic target for combating GC advancement.

Teacher racial diversity has been widely considered important in education. However, it remains unclear to what extent and how teacher racial diversity has been addressed at the federal, state, and district levels. In this study, we employed text mining to collect and analyze over three million documents at the federal, state, and district levels. We found that while students of color had disproportionately less access to racially diverse teachers, the documents under our analysis insufficiently discussed the recruitment and retention of racially diverse teachers. Our findings also reveal that education agencies at the federal, state, and district levels paid scant attention to recruiting and retaining Hispanic teachers. For the states and districts that discussed the recruitment of racially diverse teachers, they primarily recruited teachers from institutions and organizations that primarily serve people of color, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Columbia Latino/a Law Student Association, the National Association of Asian American Professionals, and the National Black MBA Association. Given the findings and the projected growth of Black and Hispanic student enrollment in the United States, we provide five policy recommendations for policymakers and leaders to racially diversify the teacher workforce amid shifting student demographics, particularly Hispanic students.