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Background This study aimed to investigate the image quality and adverse events (AEs) of ethiodized poppyseed oil (EPO) compared with ioversol as contrast agents in hysterosalpingography (HSG). Methods Two hundred twenty-eight patients underwent HSG were consecutively recruited in this prospective cohort study, and were accordingly divided into EPO group (N = 165) and ioversol group (N = 63). The quality of image was assessed according to the European Guidelines on quality criteria for diagnostic radiographic images. AEs during, within 2 h and at 1-month post-HSG were recorded. Results EPO displayed elevated image quality compared with ioversol including the total image quality score (P 0.05). However, at 1-month post-HSG, the number of patients had unchanged and faded menstrual blood color decreased but the proportion of patients with deepened menstrual color increased in EPO group compared with ioversol group (P = 0.007). In addition, the number of patients had iodine residue in uterine cavity was elevated in EPO group compared with ioversol group (P

Neuregulin‐1 (NRG‐1) is reported to be cardioprotective through the extracellular‐regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1/2 pathway in myocardial ischaemia‐reperfusion injury (MIRI). NOX4‐induced ROS activated NLRP3 inflammasome and exacerbates MIRI. This study aims to investigate whether NRG‐1 can suppress NOX4 by ERK1/2 and consequently inhibit the NLRP3/caspase‐1 signal in MIRI. The myocardial infarct size (IS) was measured by TTC‐Evans blue staining. Immunohistochemical staining, real‐time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) and Western blotting were used for detection of the factors, such as NOX4, ERK1/2, NLRP3, caspase‐1 and IL‐1β .The IS in the NRG‐1 (3 μg/kg, intravenous) group was lower than that in the IR group. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed NRG‐1 decreased 4HNE and NOX4. The RT‐qPCR and Western blot analyses revealed that NRG‐1 mitigated the IR‐induced up‐regulation of NOX4 and ROS production. Compared with the IR group, the NRG‐1 group exhibited a higher level of P‐ERK1/2 and a lower level of NLRP3. In the Langendorff model, PD98059 inhibited ERK1/2 and up‐regulated the expression of NOX4, NLRP3, caspase‐1 and IL‐1β, which exacerbated oxidative stress and inflammation. In conclusion, NRG‐1 can reduce ROS production by inhibiting NOX4 through ERK1/2 and inhibit the NLRP3/caspase‐1 pathway to attenuate myocardial oxidative damage and inflammation in MIRI.

The application of information and communication technology in court enhances case management efficiency. This brief note discusses the experience with e-courts in China. The experience has been predominantly positive. The important step going forward is to integrate state-of-the-art technology with best practices so that the use of technology becomes a driving force for judicial reform in China.

Due to the complexity of the portal section of high slope tunnel, unsafe accidents are prone to occur. Because of its convenience and accuracy, numerical simulation method is often used in tunnel stability analysis. In this paper, the excavation process of the slope and tunnel at the entrance of the tunnel is simulated by using the finite element software MIDAS-GTS, taking the No.6 tunnel project of the Kovi-Agvida E60 Highway Line in Georgia as an example. According to the results of numerical calculation, although the excavation volume of the slope is large, the displacement is small and the stability is good; the deformation of the surrounding rock of the tunnel is stable, and the displacement of the supporting structure is small, and the maximum displacement is about 20 mm, which is located at the vault. Therefore, the monitoring work should be done well and the support can be strengthened properly during the construction.

Ship structures may be subjected to repeated random patch loads at different locations. Under these circumstances, ship plates will have large accumulated permanent deformations, which will result in some serious negative effects on their work and safety performance. Therefore, the elasto-plastic response of ship structure under repeated patch loads at different locations are studied by using finite element method. The permanent deformations of plate in the whole loading and unloading process are investigated. In addition, the residual stress and plastic strain states of the panel and stiffeners are studied based on a typical wheel-on-deck interaction scenario. Moreover, according to Hughes's hypothesis, the equivalent method between repeated patch loads at different locations and full uniform pressure load is studied. Considered the influence of plate slenderness, the improved formula for equivalent load coefficient is proposed, showing a good correlation with experimental data and numerical results. The proposed equivalent method can be used for estimating the permanent deformations of ship structures under repeated patch loads at different locations in ship life.

the entrance portal of No.8 tunnel of F3 bid section of E60 highway in Georgia is shallow buried and under unsymmetrical pressure, which leads to high risk and difficulty in tunnel construction. Tunnel 8 is designed based on ADECO-RS (analysis of controlled deformation in rock and soil). In order to understand the stability characteristics of tunnel portal in the whole section construction process and determine reasonable and feasible engineering countermeasures, the numerical simulation analysis of tunnel construction process is carried out. We not only studied the relationship between the stability of the slope at the entrance and the stability of the whole tunnel body under the actual stratum conditions, but also studied the mechanical and deformation characteristics of the surrounding rock and supporting structure of the tunnel.The numerical analysis results show that the stability characteristics of the portal slope directly affect the overall stability of the tunnel portal section; due to the disturbance of tunnel excavation, a large range of plastic zone appears at the interface of rock and soil at the portal section, resulting in large settlement deformation of vault. The collapse and deformation of the upper soil layer with poor engineering properties will cause excessive additional load on the supporting structure of the tunnel.Therefore, advance support measures should be taken to control the excessive deformation of vault. At the same time, due to the influence of asymmetric pressure, the supporting structure of the shallow buried side and the deep buried side of the tunnel appears obvious asymmetric pressure state. It is suggested to strengthen the stiffness of the shallow buried side support structure and adopt the asymmetric support structure to ensure the safety of the support structure.

Combined with the construction of the No. 6 tunnel of the Khevi-Ubisa-Shorapani- Argveta section of Georgia’s E60 highway, the Midas GTSNX software was used to simulate the stability of the tunnel portal section during full-face construction. This paper analyzes the characteristics of displacement and stress variation of the tunnel portal slope during the whole section construction, the deformation law of surrounding rock during the whole section excavation, the deformation law of the initial support and final lining structure of the tunnel. The results based on the numerical simulation analysis show that when the entrance section of Georgia Tunnel No. 6 adopts full-face construction, the displacement of the supporting structure and the rock mass at the 5 m in front of the tunnel entrance changes greatly. Therefore, it is recommended to complete the invert construction of the tunnel before construction to ensure the safety of the tunnel entrance section; As for the entrance section as a whole, during the full-section construction process, the side slope of the entrance, the surrounding rock of the tunnel, and the supporting structure are all in a relatively stable state. Therefore, the full-section excavation of the No. 6 tunnel entrance section is safe and feasible.

Background The protective effect of Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) on heart failure is well established. In this study, we assessed whether NRG-1 could protect the heart by mimicking the cardioprotective effects of ischaemic postconditioning (IP). Methods We used a myocardial reperfusion injury rat model in vivo to compare the cardioprotective effects of NRG-1(3 μg/kg, iv. at the onset of reperfusion) and IP. In Langendorff isolated heart perfusion experiments, we used the erythroblastic leukaemia viral oncogene homolog 4 (ErbB4) inhibitor AG1478, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 and a mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal regulated kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD98059 to clarify whether the protective effects of NRG-1and IP depend on the NRG-1/ErbB4 signals and the reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway. Infarct size was detected by Evans blue and TTC. Apoptosis was detected by TUNEL assays. The expression of NRG-1/ErbB4 and downstream ERK1/2, AKT, AMPK and p70s6K were detected by western blotting. Hematoxylin/eosin (H&E) staining was used for histological analysis. Results We found that NRG-1 and IP had similar effects on reducing myocardial infarct size and apoptosis in vivo. NRG-1 heart protein levels were upregulated in the IP group. Phosphorylation of AKT, ERK1/2 and ErbB4 were also increased in both the IP and NRG-1 groups. Furthermore, in Langendorff analyses, the ErbB4 inhibitor AG1478 suppressed the phosphorylation of ErbB4 and the RISK pathway and aggravated myocardial edema and fiber fracture, thereby inhibited the cardioprotective effects in both the IP and NRG-1 groups. For assessment of downstream signals, the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and the MEK inhibitor PD98059 suppressed the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK1/2 respectively and abolished the cardioprotective effects induced by IP and NRG-1. Conclusion In conclusion, both IP and NRG-1 could reduce infarct size and apoptosis through ErbB4-dependent activation of the RISK pathway in the same model; these results indicated the therapeutic potential of NRG-1 as a pharmacological postconditioning agent against myocardial reperfusion injury.

Knowledge transfer is a frequently-used method for novice engineers to rapidly adapt themselves to a related new technological paradigm. However, due to different types in knowledge transfer, it remains divergent about the mechanism and motivation, leading to the chaos in tackling the low-quality and low-efficiency transfer process. This study concentrated on the individual-level transfer of empirical engineering knowledge (EEK) in product designers’ mind triggered by technological paradigm shift, trying to accelerate the process and improve the result. Based on concept-knowledge model and eye-tracking data, this paper proposed a two-phase protocol and implements it in a practical case of conceptual design. Three factors of designers, prior cognitive level, utilization of the stimulus materials, and self-directed learning willingness, were evaluated and investigated. Results of 82 engineering students and young scholars showed that all three factors significantly impacted the validity and integrity of transferred EEK, and the efficiency of EEK transfer process. Specifically, key concepts in the stimulus materials, and creativity and initiative in learning willingness improved the validity and integrity. Non-essential words and too complex drawings lowered the efficiency. High cognitive level had side-effects on the transfer. These results inferred that the transfer of EEK could be fostered by wisely reusing past experience, selectively utilizing stimulus materials, and actively promoting learning willingness, which helps the designers to perform better in product design innovation.

It remains uncertain whether remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) could prevent acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Thus, this meta-analysis aiming to explore the renoprotective role of RIC in patients undergoing PCI was carried out.PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to 31 December 2014 to identify eligible randomized controlled trials. Pooled risk ratio, mean, standard deviation and 95% CI were used to assess the effect by fixed- or random-effect models. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Cochran Q and I( 2) statistics.Nine trials were included in this study. RIC decreased the AKI incidence in patients undergoing PCI compared with control individuals (P 0.001; RR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.39-0.71; P for heterogeneity = 0.15; heterogeneity χ(2 )= 13.38; I(2 )= 33%). Besides, limb conditioning attenuated AKI (P = 0.001; RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.41-0.81; P for heterogeneity = 0.13; heterogeneity χ(2 )= 12.48; I(2 )= 36%). Remote postconditioning may reduce the AKI incidence (P = 0.03; RR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.44-0.97; P for heterogeneity = 0.15; heterogeneity χ(2 )= 5.36; I(2 )= 44%); remote preconditioning could also play a renoprotective role (P 0.001; RR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.27-0.65; P for heterogeneity = 0.31; heterogeneity χ(2 )= 5.98; I(2 )= 16%).RIC may not only confer cardioprotection, but also reduce the incidence of AKI in patients undergoing PCI, ultimately leading to better clinical outcomes. RIC may potentially be a powerful approach conferring protection in patients undergoing PCI in future clinical practice. More large-scale trials are required to obtain a more reliable conclusion.

Japan, as one of the most developed country in logistics field in the world, has developed its logistics parks earlier. This paper takes Japan’s logistics park as the subject in research. By analyzing Japan’s experiences of developing logistics parks, this paper tempts to find out problems in China’s logistics parks and put forward suggestions for further development and construction.

As a new economical development measure, the establishment of regional brand is a work with characters of specialty, technics and system. Regional brand is a sort of resource with independent principal part, but not appendant or decoration. The formation of regional brand is based on industry cluster, takes the regional history and culture as the background, adopts international brand registration method, accordingly enhances the international competition of regional industry cluster and establishes the international brand. The regional brand formation has close relations with industry cluster, and in the formation of regional brand based on industry cluster, various principal parts should exert influences together.