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Melanoma is one of the most aggressive and life‐threatening skin cancers, and in this research, we aimed to explore the functional role of circular RNA VANGL1 (circVANGL1) in melanoma progression. The expression levels of circVANGL1 were observed to be significantly increased in clinical melanoma tissues and cell lines. Moreover, circVANGL1 knockdown suppressed, while circVANGL1 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of melanoma cells. Further investigations confirmed the direct binding relation between circVANGL1 and miR‐150‐5p in melanoma, and restoration of miR‐150‐5p blocked the effects of circVANGL1 overexpression in melanoma cells. We further found that circVANGL1 was up‐regulated by TGF‐β treatment, and the enhanced EMT of TGF‐β‐treated melanoma cells was blocked by circVANGL1 knockdown. In conclusion, these results indicated that circVANGL1 might serve as a promising therapeutic target for melanoma.

This study systematically explored the underlying mechanism of Rhizoma Coptidis against type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by using network pharmacology and molecular docking and experimental validation. We retrieved and screened active compounds of Rhizoma Coptidis and corresponding T2DM-related targets across multiple databases. PPI networks of the genes were constructed using STRING, and the core targets were screened via topological analysis. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed by using DAVID. Finally, molecular docking and experimental studies were performed after bioinformatic analysis for verification. There were 14 active compounds and 19 core targets of Rhizoma Coptidis-T2DM, of which quercetin was identified as the main compound and IL6, VEGFA and TNF were the most significant core targets. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that Rhizoma Coptidis ameliorated T2DM by regulating multiple biological processes and pathways. Docking studies indicated that IL6, VEGFA and TNF could stably bind with all active compounds of Rhizoma Coptidis. The results of our experiments revealed that Rhizoma Coptidis could inhibit the expression of IL6 and TNFα and enhance islet cell viability. This study suggests anti-inflammatory therapeutic effects of Rhizoma Coptidis on T2DM, thereby providing a scientific basis and new insight for further research on the antidiabetic effect of Rhizoma Coptidis.

Background Acerola cherry is a famous functional fruit containing plentiful antioxidants and other nutrients. However, studies on the variations among nutrients during the ripening process of acerola fruit are scare. Results Comparative metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were performed and identified 31 331 unigenes and 1896 annotated metabolite features in acerola cherry fruit. K Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that several antioxidant and nutrient-related metabolic pathways, such as the flavonoids, vitamins, carotenoids, amino acids, and fatty acids metabolic pathways, were significantly changed during the ripening process. The metabolites related to the vitamin, carotenoid, and fatty acid metabolic pathways were downregulated during the ripening process. Several flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes (including dihydroflavonol 4-reductase, chalcone synthase, flavanone 3-hydroxylase, and anthocyanidin synthase), were significantly upregulated, suggesting their essential functions in the accumulation of flavonoids in mature fruit. Conclusion Most of the vitamin and carotenoid metabolism-related metabolites significantly accumulated in immature fruit, suggesting that immature acerola fruit is a good material for the extraction of vitamins and carotenoids. For macronutrients, most of the amino acids accumulated in mature fruit and most of the fatty acids greatly accumulated in immature fruit. Our data revealed the differential accumulation of antioxidants and nutrients during the ripening process of acerola cherry fruit. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) are known to play key roles in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, much about their targets and mechanisms remains unknown. We therefore investigated the actions and mechanisms of hsa_circ_0048179 in an in vitro model of NAFLD. HepG2 cells were exposed to oleate/palmitate (2:1 ratio) for 24 h to induce intracellular lipid accumulation. Using CCK-8 assays, flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, western blotting, RT-qPCR, and Oil red O staining, we found that oleate/palmitate treatment reduced cell viability while increasing apoptosis and lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. Levels of the antioxidant enzyme GPX4 were decreased in oleate/palmitate-treated HepG2 cells, and there were corresponding increases in reactive oxygen species and damage to mitochondrial cristae. Levels of hsa_circ_0048179 expression were also suppressed by oleate/palmitate treatment, and GPX4 levels were markedly increased in HepG2 cells following transfection with hsa_circ_0048179. Analysis of its mechanism revealed that hsa_circ_0048179 upregulated GPX4 levels by acting as a competitive “sponge” of miR-188-3p and that hsa_circ_0048179 attenuated oleate/palmitate-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells by sponging miR-188-3p. Collectively, our findings suggest that hsa_circ_0048179 may play a key role in the pathogenesis of steatosis and may thus be a useful target for drug development.

Two vanillin-based photocurable, thermally reprocessable, and chemically recyclable imine thermosets were successfully designed. The vanillin vitrimer resins were synthesized through a protocol wit...

Sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus, Glyptocidaris crenularis, and Strongylocentrotus intermedius gonad protein isolates (mnGPIs, gcGPIs, and siGPIs) were extracted by isoelectric solubilization/precipitation (ISP) from the defatted gonads, and their functional properties were compared. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results showed the similar protein pattern between each protein isolate and defatted gonad, indicating the high efficiency of ISP processing for protein recovery. Amino acid profileconfirmed that the mnGPIs and siGPIs could be potential sources of essential amino acid in nature. As regard to functional properties, mnGPIs showed higher water- and oil- holding capacities followed bysiGPIs and gcGPIs and all protein isolates presented great foaming property. As for emulsifying activity index (EAI), mnGPIs, gcGPIs, and siGPIs showed the minimum solubility and EAI at pH 5, 3, and 4, respectively, and behaved a pH-dependent manner. The gcGPIs revealed the highest EAI from pH 6 to 8 among the samples. In addition, circular dichroism showed increased content of β-sheet at the expense of α-helix and β-turn, suggesting the structure denaturation of the protein isolates. Indeed, no statistical difference was observed between secondary structure of mnGPIs and siGPIs. Moreover, ISP processing increased free sulfhydryl content of sea urchin protein isolates, but no difference was observed among the samples. Furthermore, siGPIs revealed the highest amount of total sulfhydryl and disulfide bonds, whereas both defatted gonads and protein isolates from G. crenularis presented the maximum surface hydrophobicity. These results suggest that gonad protein isolates from three species of sea urchin possess various functionalities and therefore can be potentially applied in food system. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Sea urchin M. nudus, G. crenularis, and S. intermedius gonads are edible, whereas the functional properties of protein isolates from sea urchin gonad remain unknown. In this case, the extraction and comparison of three species of sea urchin gonad protein isolates will not only confirm functional properties but also screen food ingredients with suitable functions. In this study, functionalities of protein isolates derived from M. nudus, G. crenularis, and S. intermedius gonads would provide potential application in bakery food and meat products or as emulsifier candidates in food system.

Commercial Kraft lignin was successfully valorized into recyclable and flexible polyester thermosets. Kraft lignin was first processed into more well-defined lignin fractions via liquid-solid extra ...

Chronic inflammation is known to promote carcinogenesis; Dicer heterozygous mice are more likely to develop colitis-associated tumors. This study investigates whether Dicer is downregulated in inflamed colon tissues before malignancy occurs and whether increasing Dicer expression in inflamed colon tissues can alleviate colitis and prevent colitis-associated tumorigenesis. Methods: Gene expression in colon tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, immunoblots, and real-time RT-PCR. Hydrogen peroxide or N-acetyl-L-cysteine was used to induce or alleviate oxidative stress, respectively. Mice were given azoxymethane followed by dextran sulfate sodium to induce colitis and colon tumors. Berberine, anastrozole, or pranoprofen was used to rescue Dicer expression in inflammatory colon tissues. Results: Oxidative stress repressed Dicer expression in inflamed colon tissues by inducing miR-215 expression. Decreased Dicer expression increased DNA damage and cytosolic DNA and promoted interleukin-6 expression upon hydrogen peroxide treatment. Dicer overexpression in inflamed colon tissues alleviated inflammation and repressed colitis-associated carcinogenesis. Furthermore, we found that anastrozole, berberine, and pranoprofen could promote Dicer expression and protect cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage, thereby reducing cytosolic DNA and partially repressing interleukin-6 expression upon hydrogen peroxide treatment. Rescuing Dicer expression using anastrozole, berberine, or pranoprofen in inflamed colon tissues alleviated colitis and prevented colitis-associated tumorigenesis. Conclusions: Dicer was downregulated in inflamed colon tissues before malignancy occurred. Decreased Dicer expression further exaggerated inflammation, which may promote carcinogenesis. Anastrozole, berberine, and pranoprofen alleviated colitis and colitis-associated tumorigenesis by promoting Dicer expression. Our study provides insight into potential colitis treatment and colitis-associated colon cancer prevention strategies.

Internal N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is one of the most common and abundant modifications of RNA. However, the biological roles of viral RNA m6A remain elusive. Here, using human metapneumovirus (HMPV) as a model, we demonstrate that m6A serves as a molecular marker for innate immune discrimination of self from non-self RNAs. We show that HMPV RNAs are m6A methylated and that viral m6A methylation promotes HMPV replication and gene expression. Inactivating m6A addition sites with synonymous mutations or demethylase resulted in m6A-deficient recombinant HMPVs and virion RNAs that induced increased expression of type I interferon, which was dependent on the cytoplasmic RNA sensor RIG-I, and not on melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5). Mechanistically, m6A-deficient virion RNA induces higher expression of RIG-I, binds more efficiently to RIG-I and facilitates the conformational change of RIG-I, leading to enhanced interferon expression. Furthermore, m6A-deficient recombinant HMPVs triggered increased interferon in vivo and were attenuated in cotton rats but retained high immunogenicity. Collectively, our results highlight that (1) viruses acquire m6A in their RNA as a means of mimicking cellular RNA to avoid detection by innate immunity and (2) viral RNA m6A can serve as a target to attenuate HMPV for vaccine purposes. This study reports a novel function for the N6-methyladenosine RNA modification in allowing RIG-I to discriminate self from non-self RNA and shows that human metapneumovirus induces this modification of its RNA to evade recognition in vivo.

A series of kraft lignin based thermosets were successfully synthesized by a one-pot heat curing method composed of lignin, PEG400, and citric acid through esterification reactions with water as th...

Background Cervical cancer is the second most common malignant cancer in women worldwide. Evidence indicated that miR-664 was significantly downregulated in cervical cancer. However, the mechanisms by which miR-664 regulates the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of miR-664 in cervical cancer. Methods Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the level of miR-664 in tumor tissues and cell line. The dual luciferase reporter system assay and Western blotting were used to explore the interaction of miR-664 and c-Kit in cervical cancer. Results The expression of miR-664 in patients with cervical cancer was dramatically decreased compared with that in adjacent tissues. MiR-664 mimics significantly inhibited proliferation in SiHa cells via inducing apoptosis. In addition, miR-664 mimics induced apoptosis in SiHa cells via increasing the expressions of Bax and active caspase 3 and decreasing the level of Bcl-2. Moreover, dual-luciferase assay showed that c-Kit was the directly binding target of miR-664 in SiHa cells; overexpression of miR-664 downregulated the expression of c-Kit. Meanwhile, upregulation of miR-664 significantly decreased the levels of c-Myc and Cyclin D in cells. Furthermore, miR-664 markedly inhibited tumor growth of cervical cancer in xenograft. Conclusion Our data indicated that miR-664 exerted antitumor effects on SiHa cells by directly targeting c-Kit in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, miR-664 might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with cervical cancer.

Myelin-laden macrophages (mye-MΦ), resulting primarily from internalization of myelin debris by infiltrating bone marrow-derived macrophages in spinal cord injury (SCI), trigger inflammatory responses that largely contribute to secondary injury. Adiponectin, which is secreted from adipose tissue, is an important hormone that modulates macrophage inflammation. In the present study, we examined the role of adiponectin on macrophage-mediated neuroinflammation after SCI. We found that in vitro activation of adiponectin receptors (AdipoRs) by their agonist AdipoRon suppressed myelin lipid accumulation in mye-MΦ through APPL1/PPARγ/LXRα/ABCA1-mediated lipid efflux, subsequently inhibiting inflammation and restoring normal function to mye-MΦ. In vivo data further confirmed that intravenous administration of AdipoRon after SCI dampened recruitment of macrophages and reduced myelin lipid accumulation. Accordingly, AdipoRon treatment ameliorated post-SCI tissue damage and astrogliosis, resulting in improved motor function. Although there was no significant pathological exacerbation in adiponectin-null mice subjected to SCI, our work reveals a functional link between adiponectin and hematogenous macrophages in the context of SCI, suggesting that activation of adiponectin signaling is a promising therapeutic approach to mitigate mye-MΦ-mediated neuroinflammation in neurological disorders involving demyelination.

Rational structure design benefits the development of new classes of contrast agents (CAs) with excellent magnetic resonance imaging performance. In this work, hydrogenated silica with a net nanostructure (HSiO2) was fabricated and used to modify gadolinium-doped iron oxide nanoclusters (GdIONCs) to form a core-shell nanoplatform (HSiO2@GdIONC) with enhanced T1 and T2 contrast ability. In this nanoplatform, the HSiO2 shell showed a strong binding capacity for water molecules because of the presence of hydrogen bonds, oxygen vacancies, and high specific surface areas, and the strong binding capacity significantly improved the spin-spin (T2) and spin-lattice (T1) imaging of the GdIONC core. In addition, the T1 relaxation rate of the GdIONC core dramatically increased from 30.8 mM−1 s−1 to 38.2 mM−1 s−1 after being coated with the HSiO2 shell, and the r2 to r1 ratio decreased from 10.9 to 8.3, which is an appropriate ratio (r2/r1: 5–10) for dual-mode contrast. Cell and animal experiments suggested that HSiO2@GdIONC exhibited a better T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging effect than the bare GdIONC core, confirming that this strategy for modifying GdIONCs is a beneficial and promising approach for obtaining highly efficient dual-mode CAs.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to explore the potential therapeutic targets and pathways of liraglutide against type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats based on lncRNA sequencing. MATERIAL AND METHODS Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the control group (n=10), the T2DM model group (high-sugar and high-fat diet, and streptozotocin-induced, n=11), and the liraglutide group (model plus liraglutide, n=10). After 8 weeks of drug treatment, lncRNA sequencing was used to identify the lncRNA therapeutic targets and their related protein-coding genes of liraglutide against T2DM, which were further studied by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis to determine the major biological processes and pathways involved in the action of liraglutide treatment. Lastly, several lncRNA targets were randomly detected based on quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) to verify the accuracy of sequencing results. RESULTS A total of 104 lncRNA targets of liraglutide against T2DM were screened, with 27 upregulated and 77 downregulated, including NONRATT030354.2, MSTRG.1456.6, and NONRATT011758.2. The major biological processes involved were glucose and lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Liraglutide had a therapeutic effect in T2DM, mainly through the Wnt, PPAR, amino acid metabolism signaling, mTOR, and lipid metabolism-related pathways. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we screened 104 lncRNA therapeutic targets and several signaling pathways (Wnt, PPAR, amino acid metabolism signaling pathway, mTOR, and lipid metabolism-related pathways) of liraglutide against T2DM based on lncRNA sequencing.

The large yellow croakers (Larimichthys crocea) are mainly present in the Chinese coast and near seas with high economic importance, but vulnerable to many diseases, especially in the breeding and aquaculture. The purpose of this research was to boost the innate immune system of the large yellow croaker by administering bitter peptides into their peritoneal cavity. Total 120 Juvenile of large yellow croakers in very even weight of 60 g were divided into 4 different groups in 200/300 L of water tank, respectively. Fish growth were observed for 3 months before and after different treatments. The bitter peptides from pepsin hydrolysis were applied because they possess the highest bitter sensory scores. The blood of fish from the different groups was collected and tested for different immune parameters to evaluate the effectiveness of bitter peptides as immune stimulants after administration for 8 weeks. The average ratio of leukocytes/total blood cells (%) for control was found at 14.6%, for the low dose of bitter peptides 0.6 mg/fish was at 29.3%, for middle dose of 1.2 mg/fish was at 35%, and high dose of 2.4 mg/fish was at 30%. The lysozyme assay showed that the OD (optical density) units of relative progress lysis activity at 60 min were 0.17, 0.101, 0.307 and 0.198, respectively. Similarly in the same order as in phagocyte assay, most importantly the middle dose (1.2mg/fish) gave the highest survival rate throughout the assay. The results showed that bitter peptides can be used as immune boosters for the yellow croakers and the optimum dose was 1.2 mg/fish due to both leukocytes and lysozyme activity in the treated samples increased significantly compared with the control group. According to the results obtained, we suggest that the incorporation of middle dose of bitter peptides into fish feeds may reduce the fish diseases in aquaculture, at least for large yellow croakers.

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor (TF) that regulates a variety of biological processes, including a key role in mediating mitochondrial metabolism. It has been shown that STAT3 performs this function by translocating in minute amounts into mitochondria and interacting with mitochondrial proteins and genome. However, whether STAT3 localizes in mitochondria is still up for debate.To decipher the role of mitochondrial STAT3 requires a detailed understanding of its cellular localization. Using Percoll density gradient centrifugation, we surprisingly found that STAT3 is not located in the mitochondrial fraction, but instead, in the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM) fraction. This was confirmed by sub-diffraction image analysis of labeled mitochondria in embryonic astrocytes. Also, we find that other TFs that have been previously found to localize in mitochondria are also found instead in the MAM fraction. Our results suggest that STAT3 and other transcriptional factors are, contrary to prior studies, consolidated specifically at MAMs, and further efforts to understand mitochondrial STAT3 function must take into consideration this localization, as the associated functional consequences offer a different interpretation to the questions of STAT3 trafficking and signaling in the mitochondria.

Acerola polysaccharides (ACPs) were purified from acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.), a tropical fruit with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the biological activities of ACPs have barely been investigated. The present study was designed to investigate the efficacy of ACPs in the treatment of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in C57BL/6 mice. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high-fat diet and treated with different doses of ACPs for 9 continuous weeks. NAFLD was examined in terms of body weight, lipid profiles, liver function markers, and histology. Gene expression was determined by using both qRT-PCR and western blot. Our results showed that administration of ACPs significantly reduced HFD-induced hyperlipidemia and hepatic lipid deposition by inhibiting the SREBP1c pathway in mice. ACP treatment normalized oxidative stress by activating nuclear factor (erythroid-derived-2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and reduced the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines in HFD fed mice. Furthermore, ACPs reduced uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) expression, restored mitochondrial ATP content, increased mitochondrial complex I, IV, and V activity, and increased mitochondrial beta-oxidation by stimulating peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in the liver of HFD-fed mice. Our study indicated that ACPs may be an effective dietary supplement for preventing HFD-induced NAFLD by regulating lipogenesis, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and promoting the mitochondrial function.

Dendritic cell (DC)-derived exosomes (Dexo) has been confirmed to be able to induce the specific anti-tumor immune response ex vivo and in vivo. Here, the aim of this study was to evaluate the application of the antigen-pulsed Dexo as a new vaccination platform in immunotherapy for cervical cancer. The immunogenic profile of the different Dexo was assessed by the cell proliferation, cytokines secretion and effector functions of CD8+ T cells and the splenocytes from Dexo-vaccinated mice. Furthermore, the anti-tumor immunity elicited by Dexo was further compared in cervical cancer-bearing mice. Dexo from DCs loaded with E749-57 peptide could efficiently induce the cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells on TC-1 tumor cells ex vivo, the proliferation and IFN-γ excretion of CD8+ T cells. Moreover, Dexo vaccine promoted the immune responses of vaccinated mice splenocytes induced by antigen E7 in vitro restimulation. Of note, poly(I:C) was significantly more potent inducer of the antigen-loaded Dexo mediated protective immunity responses for cervical cancer and further evidenced by that Dexo(E7+pIC) markedly inhibited the tumor growth and improved the survival rate of the tumor-bearing mice. We provided evidence that poly(I:C) dramatically increased the potent antitumoral immunity induced by antigen-pulsed Dexo for ameliorating cervical cancer.

Biobased unsaturated polyester thermosets as potential replacements for petroleum-based thermosets were designed. The target of incorporating rigid units, to yield thermosets with high thermal and mechanical performance, both in the biobased unsaturated polyester (UP) and reactive diluent (RD) while retaining miscibility was successfully achieved. The biobased unsaturated polyester thermosets were prepared by varying the content of isosorbide, 1,4-butanediol, maleic anhydride, and succinic anhydride in combination with the reactive diluent isosorbide-methacrylate (IM). Isosorbide was chosen as the main component in both the UP and the RD to enhance the rigidity of the formed thermosets, to overcome solubility issues commonly associated with biobased UPs and RDs and volatility and toxicity associated with styrene as RD. All UPs had good solubility in the RD and the viscosity of the mixtures was primarily tuned by the feed ratio of isosorbide but also by the amount of maleic anhydride. The flexural modulus and storage modulus were tailorable by altering the monomer composition The fabricated thermosets had superior thermal and mechanical properties compared to most biobased UP thermosets with thermal stability up to about 250 °C and a storage modulus at 25 °C varying between 0.5 and 3.0 GPa. These values are close to commercial petroleum-based UP thermosets. The designed tailorable biobased thermosets are, thus, promising candidates to replace their petroleum analogs.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect and the mechanism by which curcumin reverses irinotecan-induced chemotherapy resistance in colon cancer. Construction of irinotecan-resistant colon cancer model LoVo/CPT-11R cells was performed by increasing drug concentration. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to detect inhibition of proliferation; cell morphology was observed by an optical microscope. Quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting were performed to detect molecular marker expressions during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); drug-resistant cells were treated with curcumin at different concentrations and Cell Counting Kit-8 was reperformed to detect cell proliferation after treatments. Drug-resistant cells were then divided into four groups: control group, irinotecan group, curcumin group, and irinotecan+curcumin group; quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting were performed to detect molecular marker expressions during epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis after grouping, and apoptosis-related protein was detected by western blotting. LoVo/CPT-11R cells could survive in culture medium containing irinotecan at 60 μg/ml and the drug-resistance index was 5.69; the drug-resistant cells had a larger volume than normal cells and were poorly connected to each other. E-cadherin expression was downregulated, whereas vimentin and N-cadherin expressions were upregulated. After curcumin treatment, drug-resistant cell proliferation was significantly inhibited; in the curcumin+irinotecan treatment group, E-cadherin expression was upregulated, whereas vimentin and N-cadherin expressions were downregulated. Curcumin could significantly increase cell apoptosis. EMT is involved in the development of irinotecan resistance and curcumin can reverse this drug resistance through reversion of the EMT process.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment is a non-thermal processing technology, which is widely used in the food processing field at present. In this study, the effects of HHP treatment (100~500 MPa for 5 min) on the physicochemical properties, texture parameters, and volatile flavor compounds of oysters were investigated. The results showed that HHP treatment increased the water content while reducing the crude protein and ash content of the oyster. Texture parameters showed that HHP treatment improved the hardness, springiness, chewiness, and cohesiveness of oysters, compared with the control group. In addition, the saturated fatty acid (SFA) content was slightly increased after HHP treatment, while the difference in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content was not significant. Furthermore, HHP increased hexenoic aldehyde, 2,4-heptadienal, 1-octene-3-ol, and 2-octen-1-ol and decreased the contents of 3. 6-nadien-1-ol, 3-octanone, and 2-undecanone, suggesting that HHP might inhibit the fishiness of oyster and showed a positive effect on its flavor. Based on the above results, HHP improved the edible qualities such as texture properties and volatile flavor of oysters. This meets the requirements of consumers on the edible quality of seafood and provides new ideas for the development of seafood.

To expand the utilization of oyster protein (OP), the effects of high pressure (100 to 500 MPa) on chemical forces, structure, microstructure, and digestibility properties were investigated. High pressure (HP) treatment enhanced the electrostatic repulsion (from &minus, 13.3Control to &minus, 27.8HP200 mV) between protein molecules and avoided or retarded the formation of protein aggregates. In addition, the HP treated samples showed uniform distribution and small particle size. The changes in electrostatic interaction and particle size contributed to the improvement of solubility (from 10.53%Control to 19.92%HP500 at pH 7). The stretching and unfolding of protein were modified by HP treatment, and some internal hydrophobic groups and -SH groups were exposed. HP treatment modified the secondary structure of OP. The treated samples contained less &alpha, helix and &beta, sheet structures, whereas the proportions of &beta, sheet and random coil structures were increased. The treated samples have high digestibility in the stomach (from 26.3%Control to 39.5%HP500) and in the total digestive process (from 62.1%Control to 83.7%HP500). In addition, the total digestive production showed higher percentages of small peptides (&lt, 1 kDa) after HP treatment. The protein solubility and digestibility were increased after HP treatment, and high solubility and high digestibility might increase the chance that OP become a kind of protein supplement.

It has been reported that loss and degradation of epidermal melanocytes is closely associated with the pathogenesis of vitiligo. In addition, CD8+ T and regulatory T (Treg) cells serve an important role during these two processes. MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of vitiligo; however, the mechanism by which miR-155 regulates the development of vitiligo remains unclear. In the present study, naïve T and CD8+ T cells were isolated from a patient with non-segmental vitiligo by flow cytometry. The cells were differentiated into Treg cells by treatment with interleukin-2, transforming growth factor-β and retinoic acid. In addition, miR-155 agonists and antagonists were used to investigate the effect of miR-155 on the proliferation of CD8+ T cells, Treg cells and melanocytes. The results demonstrated that the miR-155 agonist significantly decreased the rate of CD8+ T cell growth, as well as promoted the proliferation of melanocytes by inducing an increase in the percentage of Treg cells. By contrast, the miR-155 antagonist inhibited the proliferation of melanocytes by decreasing the percentage of Treg cells. miR-155 protected melanocyte survival by increasing the number of Treg cells and by decreasing the number of CD8+ T cells. Therefore, these data may provide a new prospect for the treatment of vitiligo.

Acerola cherry (Malpighia emarginata D.C.) is a tropical fruit of great economic and nutritional value due to its high content of vitamin C. However, there is little information available about which ripening stage of Acerola cherry can provide the best nutrients. In the current study, the chemical variation at two developmental stages (immature and mature) were investigated by metabolic profiling, and the biological properties of Acerola cherry and its antioxidant assays at four developmental stages were measured, respectively. Through comprehensive metabolites analysis via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry system (UPLC-QTOF), 1896 annotated metabolite features were obtained, and 133 metabolites were finally identified according to the MS/MS fragments compared with these standards in in-house database. Statistically differences in the levels of amino acids, flavonoids, lipids, terpenoids and ascorbic acids were found between mature and immature fruits. Interestingly, most of differential accumulated amino acids, flavonoids, lipids, and terpenoids predominantly accumulated in the mature fruits and ascorbic acid predominantly accumulated in the immature fruits. On the other hand, their antioxidant activities were compared. The alcoholic extract of immature acerola fruit possessed better scavenging ability of DPPH and ABTS than the mature one. The well correlations were found between the antioxidant potential with its content of ascorbic acid (r = 0.9803 and 0.9897, respectively). In conclusion, Acerola cherry showed very different metabolite profile and antioxidant activities during the fruit ripening development. The maturity of Acerola cherry has to be considered when it is being used for health food products.

At present, chemotherapy is still the main treatment for cervical cancer. However, the drug resistance of chemotherapy drugs seriously restricts its use, so it is urgent to develop new drugs for cervical cancer. Some studies have shown that gambogic acid has a strong anti-tumor effect, while the anti-tumor effect and molecular mechanism of gambogic acid on cervical cancer need to be studied. Our study confirms that the cytotoxic effect of gambogic acid on cervical cancer cells depends on the expression of TR3 protein. Moreover, gambogic acid-induced apoptosis requires TR3 expression. In the mechanism, gambogic acid promoted nuclear export of TR3, resulting in up-regulation of p53, which leads to the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential, eventually inducing apoptosis. These results suggest that the nuclear export of TR3 mediated gambogic acid-induced apoptosis through a p53-dependent apoptosis pathway.

The poor adhesion between natural fibers and polymer matrix restricts the mechanical performance of natural fiber reinforced composites. Here, lignosulfonate was methacrylated and evaluated as a potential compatibilizer for flax fiber reinforced soybean-derived polyester thermosets. Significant improvement in both tensile and flexural properties of the fiber composites were achieved when the flax fiber mat was treated with methacrylated lignosulfonate solution. In particular, the flexural modulus and flexural strength more than doubled from 2.6 to 6.7 GPa and from 36 MPa to 76.8 MPa, respectively when the fibers were soaked in 5 wt % MLS solution. The SEM analysis revealed improved fiber-matrix interface and lower extent of fiber pull-out in the methacrylated lignosulfonate treated fiber composites, which correlates with the improved mechanical properties.

Poly(lactide), PLA, suffers from brittleness and poor heat-resistance. Herein, a novel strategy to in situ fabricate high-performance PLA composites is reported for the first time, i.e., by solid-state uniaxial stretching in the presence of N1,N1′-(ethane-1,2-diyl)bis(N2-phenyloxalamide) (OXA) as needle-like nucleation templates. As a consequence, a tensile strength of >120 MPa, an elongation at break of >25% and a heat-resistant temperature of >150 °C of the PLA composites are simultaneously achieved. The superior performances are ascribed to unique interlocked network-like shish-kebab crystal structures that formed upon solid-state hot-stretching in the presence of OXA. This research may create a new type of sustainable engineered plastic.

Poly(lactide), PLA, suffers from low crystallization rate. To speed up the crystallization rate, oxalamide compounds with the formula of C6H5NHCOCONH(CH2)nNHCOCONHC6H5 (n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 12) are synthesized as nucleating agents (NA(n)). Their thermal properties and nucleation efficiency can be tailored by tuning the aliphatic spacer length, i.e., –(CH2)n–. The melting temperatures and crystallization temperatures of the NA(n) decrease monotonically with increasing n value while the thermal decomposition temperature remains constant. The aliphatic spacer length (n) of NA(n) influences obviously the crystallization kinetics of PLA, resulting in nucleation efficiency in the sequence of NA(2) > NA(4) > NA(12) ≈ NA(8) > NA(6). Polarized optical microscopy results show that NA(n) could self-assemble into needle-like superstructures which subsequently promote the crystallization of PLA macromolecules. The differences in superstructural geometry and the nucleation activity of NA(n) are responsible for the variation in the nucleation efficiency.

The present study investigated the underlying regulatory network involved in the differential expression of metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) long non‑coding (lnc)RNA, microRNA‑17‑5p (miR‑17‑5p) and frizzled class receptor 2 (FZD2) mRNA under the influence of Casiopeina II‑gly (Cas‑II‑gly) via the Wnt signaling pathway in cervical carcinoma (CC). The gene expression data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/), and the differentially expressed genes were determined using R software. The R ClusterProfiler and enrichplot packages were applied for gene‑set enrichment analysis based on the Gene Ontology biological process and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases. TargetScan and the starBase database were used to predict the targeting associations between the miRNAs and lncRNAs/mRNAs. The MALAT1/miR‑17‑5p/mRNA FZD2 expression levels were measured via reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression was monitored by western blot analysis. The target association among the lncRNA MALAT1, miR‑17‑5p and FZD2 was validated via a dual luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined via MTT assays, EdU staining and flow cytometry. The results indicated that the expression levels of lncRNA MALAT1 and FZD2 mRNA were downregulated, while miR‑17‑5p expression was upregulated in HeLa and CaSki cells treated with increasing Cas‑II‑gly concentrations. The cell viability was decreased, and the apoptosis rate was increased in HeLa and CaSki cells following Cas‑II‑gly treatment. Furthermore, western blot analysis results demonstrated that Cas‑II‑gly and the MALAT1/miR‑17‑5p/FZD2 axis could affect the expression of proteins associated with the Wnt signaling pathway, including disheveled segment polarity protein, glycogen synthase kinase‑3β and β‑catenin, and via the MALAT1/miR‑17‑5p/FZD2/Wnt signaling pathway axis.

Hydrogels are one of the most promising wound dressings. However, their effectiveness on wound healing is still largely limited due to either the non-degradability or the release of non-therapeutic degradable products. Herein, a biodegradable copolypeptide hydrogel based on the glutamic acid and lysine was synthesized and applied as both wound dressing and therapeutic prodrug. The hydrogel can degrade in the existence of elevated degradative enzymes in a wound environment, which will release therapeutic amino acids to enhance the wound healing. In vivo results found that the hydrogel could effectively promote wound regeneration in both macroscopic and microscopic scales. Further investigation revealed that the wound healing effect of the hydrogel was highly attributed to its enhanced impact on angiogenesis, cell proliferation and re-epithelialization of the wound. All in all, the present study proves that the degradable copolypeptide hydrogel can efficiently improve wound healing and indicates its potent clinical application for wound regeneration.

The bio-based and biocompostable semi-crystalline poly(L-lactide), PLLA, suffers from slow crystallization rate. Oxalamide compounds are tailor-made as novel self-assembly-type nucleators in this work, which altered significantly the crystallization kinetics of the PLLA. The terminal structures (cyclohexyl, benzyl and phenyl) show strong influence on their self-organization and nucleation efficiency. Their self-organizing temperature sequence (measured via rheology) in the PLLA melt is cyclohexyl > benzyl > phenyl ≈ 190 °C, while the nucleation activity follows a reverse order. Consequently, the compounds capped with phenyl group exhibit the highest nucleation efficiency. The oxalamide compounds in the PLLA melt showed varied depression in crystallization and dissolution temperatures, demonstrating a designable miscibility. Interestingly, the dissolved oxalamide compounds could organize into “shish-like” superstructures that subsequently triggered “shish-kebab” morphology of PLLA crystals free of any flow or shear. With the aid of phenyl-capped oxalamide compound (e.g. 0.75 wt.%), the crystallization of PLLA occurred at 108 °C with a crystallinity of 35% even upon fast cooling (20 °C/min), while the half-life crystallization time ( t 0.5 ) was dramatically reduced by 95% in a wide temperate range. In addition, the oxalamide compounds could significantly reduce the PLLA crystal size without modification on crystal form.

The crystallization rate and crystallinity of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was significantly increased by the incorporation of 0.25–1.0 wt % of tailor-made oxalamide derivatives (NAs). The nucleation effect and nucleation mechanisms of the NAs were studied via diferential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) techniques. The experimental results convincingly revealed that the NA molecules are soluble in a PLA melt and are capable of self-organizing into fibrils upon cooling. The fibrils as efficient nucleation sites induced rapid growth of α-form PLA crystal along the fibrils, forming shish-kebab-like structures. In isothermal crystallization, very fine PLA sperrulites with high density were obtained in the presence of NAs. The high nucleation efficiency and the simple synthetic routes of the NAs make them promising to be a new generation of nucleating agents for (bio)polymers, e.g., PLA.

Gold nanorods (GNRs) have shown great potential applications in cancer theranostics due to the unique phenomenon of surface plasmon resonance, which leads to strong electric fields on the surface and consequently enhances the absorption and scattering in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Indocyanine green (ICG), an amphipathic dye, is not only an excellent NIR imaging agent but also an ideal light absorber for laser-mediated photodynamic and photothermal therapy. In this study, in order to integrate the merits of GNRs and ICG in biomedical applications, we developed ICG conjugated silica-coated GNRs (GNR@SiO2-ICG) for cancer imaging and phototherapy. The covalent coupling strategy reduces the probability of leakage/desorption during the delivery. The as-prepared GNR@SiO2-ICG could serve as efficient probes to simultaneously enhance fluorescence (FL) imaging and two-photon luminescence (TPL) imaging.In vitroexperiments indicated that A375 cells could be killed through synergistic phototherapies effect of GNRs and ICG using single wavelength continuous-wave laser irradiation. Our results indicated that the synthesized GNR@SiO2-ICG are effective for simultaneously enhancing FL/TPL imaging and synergistic phototherapies.

Polyethylene-glycol-based thermal interface paste containing trifluoroacetic acid lithium salt (1.5 wt. percent optimum) and boron nitride particles (;18.0 vol. percent optimum), as well as water and N, N-dimethylformamide for helping the dissociation of the salt to release Li ions, gives thermal contact conductance that is almost as high as that given by Sn-Pb solder, similar to that given by boron nitride particle filled sodium silicate, and much higher than that given by boron nitride particle filled silicone. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1477191#

The tensile strength of cement paste was increased by 56% and the modulus and ductility were increased by 39% by using silane-treated carbon fibers and silane-treated silica fume, relative to the values for cement paste with as-received carbon fibers and as-received silica fume. Silane treatment of fibers and silica fume contributed about equally to the strengthening. Silane treatment of fibers and silica fume also decreased the air void content and the drying shrinkage. The strengthening, air void content reduction and drying shrinkage reduction were less when the fiber treatment involved either potassium dichromate or ozone. Silane’s effectiveness is due to its hydrophilic nature.

Multimodal imaging guided synergistic therapy promises more accurate diagnosis than any single imaging modality, and higher therapeutic efficiency than any single one or their simple "mechanical" combination. Herein, we report a dual-stimuli responsive nanotheranostic based on a hierarchical nanoplatform, composed of mesoporous silica-coated gold nanorods (GNR@SiO2), Indocyanine Green (ICG), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), for in vivo multimodal imaging guided synergistic therapy. The 5-FU loaded ICG-conjugated silica-coated gold nanorods (GNR@SiO2-5-FU-ICG) was able to response specifically to the two stimuli of pH change and near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. Both the NIR light irradiation and acidic environment accelerated the 5-FU release. Meanwhile, the heat generation and singlet oxygen production can be induced by GNR@SiO2-5-FU-ICG upon light irradiation. Most intriguingly, the nanoplatform also promises multimodal imaging such as two-photon luminescence, fluorescence, photoacoustic, photothermal imaging, as well as trimodal synergistic therapy such as photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), and chemotherapy. The cancer theranostic capability of GNR@SiO2-5-FU-ICG was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. The trimodal synergistic therapy with the guidance of multimodal imaging exhibited remarkably enhanced treatment efficacy. This concept of a hierarchical nanoplatform integrates multiple diagnostic/therapeutic modalities into one platform, which can potentially be applied as personalized nanomedicine with drug delivery, diagnosis, and treatment.

Silica fume cement was improved by using silane, which was introduced by either coating silica fume particles with silane or using silane as an admixture. Both methods of silane introduction similarly enhanced the workability, tensile strength and compressive strength, but the latter method resulted in lower compressive ductility, lower damping capacity, more drying shrinkage, lower air void content, higher density, higher specific heat and greater thermal conductivity, mainly due to the network of covalent coupling among the silica fume particles.

Cement paste of high specific heat and high thermal conductivity has been attained by using silane and silica fume as admixtures. These admixtures together cause the specific heat to increase by up to 50% and the thermal conductivity to increase by up to 38%. Silane acts to increase the specific heat and increase the thermal conductivity. Silica fume acts to increase the specific heat and decrease the thermal conductivity. Silane provides a network of covalent coupling among the silica fume particles. The network increases the compressive strength and modulus, decreases the compressive ductility, enhances heat conduction through phonons, and increases the specific heat through vibrations.

Surface treatment of carbon fibers and/or silica fume by silane prior to using these admixtures in cement paste increases the effectiveness of these admixtures for reducing the drying shrinkage. Silane treatment of fibers is more effective than dichromate treatment or ozone treatment.

The thermal conductivity of boron nitride and aluminum nitride particle epoxy-matrix composites was increased by up to 97% by surface treatment of the particles prior to composite fabrication. The increase in thermal conductivity is due to decrease in the filler-matrix thermal contact resistance through the improvement of the interface between matrix and particles. Effective treatments for BN involved acetone, acids (nitric and sulfuric) and silane. The most effective treatment involved silane such that the coating resulted from the treatment amounted to 2.4% of the weight of the treated BN. The effectiveness of a treatment was higher for a larger BN volume fraction. At 57 vol.% BN, the thermal conductivity reached 10.3 W/ m·K. The treatments had little effect on the specific surface area of the BN particles. Silane treatments were also effective for AlN. At 60 vol.% AlN, the thermal conductivity reached 11.0 W/m·K.

Sodium silicate based thermal interface pastes give higher thermal contact conductance across conductor surfaces than polymer based pastes and oils, due to their higher fluidity and the consequent greater conformability. Addition of hexagonal boron nitride particles up to 16.0 vol. percent further increases the conductance of sodium silicate, due to the higher thermal conductivity of BN. However, addition beyond 16.0 vol. percent BN causes the conductance to decrease, due to the decrease in fluidity. At 16.0 vol. percent BN, the conductance is up to 63 percent higher than those given by silicone based pastes and is almost as high as that given by solder. Water is almost as effective as sodium silicate without filler, but the thermal contact conductance decreases with time due to the evaporation of water. Mineral oil and silicone without filler are much less effective than water or sodium silicate without filler. [S1043-7398(00)00402-3]

Z-axis electrical conductor films in adhesive and standalone forms were made from nickel particles (one per conduction path) and a polymer matrix (polyvinylidene fluoride for the standalone film and epoxy for the adhesive film). The standalone film was found to exhibit resilience, conducting path pitch 125 µm and z-axis resistance 2 Ω. 4 Ω, 17, 48 Ω, and 160 Ω per connection at z-axis pressures of 1.39 MPa, 0.037 MPa, 0.0046 MPa, and 0 MPa respectively; each connection consisted of one nickel particle, which protruded from both sides of the film; the film exhibited no stress relaxation due to the absence of polymer deformation under z-axis pressure. The adhesive film exhibited pitch 64 µm and z-axis resistance 52 Ω per connection at zero pressure.

The tensile strength of cement paste was increased by 56% and the modulus and ductility were increased by 39% by using silane-treated carbon fibers and silane-treated silica fume, relative to the values for cement paste with as-received carbon fibers and as-received silica fume. Silane treatment of fibers and silica fume contributed about equally to the strengthening. Silane treatment of fibers and silica fume also decreased the air void content. The strengthening and air void content reduction were less when the fiber treatment involved potassium dichromate instead of silane and even less when the treatment involved ozone. Silane’s effectiveness is due to its hydrophilic nature.

Background : It is well known that both heat shock protein (HSP) and Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 agonist polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) are capable of promoting the antigen-specific immune responses. In the current study, we assessed whether the anti-tumor effects of the HPV16E7 49–57 -based vaccine can be elevated by combined applications of poly(I:C) and oxygen-regulated protein 150 (ORP150) in a mouse cervical cancer model. Methods : Recombinant mouse ORP150 and HPV E7 49–57 peptide were combined to passively form the ORP150–E7 49–57 complex under heat shock conditions. The effects of ORP150–E7 49–57 complex plus poly(I:C) adjuvant on lymphocyte proliferation and functional cytotoxic T cells were investigated by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT), ELISPOT, and non-radioactive cytotoxicity assays. Finally, the complex's therapeutic anti-tumor effects with and without adjuvant therapy were observed in a tumor challenge experiment. Results : This combination vaccine approach significantly enhanced the proliferation of splenocytes and induced strong E7 49–57 -specific CTL responses. More importantly, the ORP150–E7 49–57 complex plus poly(I:C) vaccine format demonstrated more potent anti-tumor effects than ORP150–E7 49–57 complex alone or E7 49–57 plus poly(I:C) in TC-1 tumor-bearing mice. Conclusion : Both poly(I:C) and ORP150 chaperone can synergistically enhance the anti-tumor effects of the HPV16E7 49–57 -based vaccine in vitro and in vivo. This strategy provides a platform for the design of a tumor therapeutic vaccine capable of inducing an effective anti-tumor immune response.

Thermal interface pastes based on silicone, lithium doped polyethylene glycol (PEG), and sodium silicate were evaluated in their performance before and after heating up to 120°C. The thermal contact conductance of any of the pastes between copper disks decreased after heating, such that the fractional decrease was less for the silicone-based paste than the PEG-based and sodium-silicate-based pastes. Nevertheless, the conductance was lower for the silicone-based paste than the other pastes both before and after heating up to 100 cycles.

The addition of short carbon fibers (0.5% by weight of cement) to cement paste containing silica fume (15% by weight of cement) and methylcellulose (0.4% by weight of cement) causes the loss tangent under flexure at a loading frequency of ⩽1 Hz to decrease by up to 25% and the storage modulus (⩽2 Hz) to increase by up to 67%, such that both effects increase in the order: as-received fibers, ozone-treated fibers, dichromate-treated fibers, and silane-treated fibers. The addition of methylcellulose to cement paste containing silica fume causes the loss tangent to increase by up to 50% and the storage modulus to decrease by up to 14%. Silane treatment of silica fume has little effect on the loss tangent, but increases the storage modulus by up to 38%.

A preform technology for making particulate metal-matrix composites with a low particulate volume fraction (as low as 18%) by liquid metal infiltration is provided. This technology used a non-combustible reinforcement (SiC) as the primary particulate and combustible particles (carbon) as the secondary particulate in the preform. The secondary particulate was removed from the preform by oxidation prior to liquid metal infiltration.

Cement-based materials containing solid admixtures such as silica fume and short carbon fibers were improved by surface treatment prior to using the admixtures. Mortar with high consistency, even without a water-reducing agent, was obtained by using silica fume that had been surface treated with silane. The tensile strength was increased by 31% and the compressive strength was increased by 27%. Moreover, flexural storage modulus (stiffness), loss tangent (damping capacity), and density were increased. The tensile strength of cement paste was increased by 56%, and the modulus and ductility were increased by 39% by using silane treated carbon fibers and silane treated silica fume, relative to the values for cement paste with as-received carbon fibers and as-received silica fume. Silane treatment of fibers and silica fume contributed approximately equally to the strengthening effect. Silane treatment of fibers and silica fume also decreased the air void content. The effects on strengthening and air void content reduction were less when the fiber treatment involved potassium dichromate instead of silane, and even less when the treatment involved ozone. The addition of short carbon fibers to cement paste containing silica fume and methylcellulose caused the loss tangent under flexure to decrease by up to 26% and the storage modulus to increase by up to 67%, such that both effects increased in the following order. The addition of methylcellulose to cement paste containing silica fume caused the loss tangent to increase by up to 50% and the storage modulus to decrease by up to 14%. Silane treatment of silica fume had little effect on the loss tangent, but increased the storage modulus by up to 38%. The specific heat of cement paste was increased by 12% and the thermal conductivity was decreased by 40% by using silane-treated silica fume and silane-treated carbon fibers. The specific heat was increased by the carbon fiber addition because of fiber-matrix interface slippage. The specific heat was increased by the silica fume addition because of slippage at the interface between silica fume and cement. The increase was enhanced by silane treatment of the silica fume. Silane treatment of carbon fibers decreased the thermal conductivity. Silica fume and silane treatment of carbon fibers increased the effectiveness of these admixtures for reducing the drying shrinkage of cement paste.

Based upon the analysis of enzyme-catalyzed reactions occurring in living tissue, a model of thermal injury process is presented in which the fraction of denatured enzyme protein was taken as the indicator of thermal damage degrees. The results from this model describe the dependence of thermal damage on exposure time and temperature elevation.