Search

[Display omitted] • A thorough overview on recent advances in C 1 -deuterated aldehyde synthesis is provided. • Transition-metal catalysis, photocatalysis and NHC-catalysis are employed to address this synthetic challenge. • Specific focus is placed on reaction design and mechanistic pathway. • The scope, limitation and future aspect are emphasized and critically discussed. • Late-stage modification and derivatization are presented to showcase the synthetic value. The recent surge in deuterated pharmaceutical compounds has created an urgent demand for new synthetic tools that allow facile access to D-containing building blocks. As one of the most predominant chemical entities in organic synthesis, aldehyde serves as a powerful linchpin in assembling structurally diverse molecular architectures. Recently, numerous efforts have been devoted to developing synthetic methods toward C 1 -deuterated aldehydes, which apparently broaden and streamline approaches toward versatile deuterated compounds. Herein, our aim is to offer a timely and comprehensive survey of this emerging topic. The overview is divided into four sections according to the synthesis tool utilized, with specific emphasis placed on the reaction design, mechanistic pathway, and resulting new synthetic paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: New middle infrared nonlinear optical crystals of BaGa2GeX 6(X=S, Se) have been synthesized. The structures of both BaGa2GeS6 and BaGa2GeSe6 were found to be isomorphous exhibiting a three-dimensional framework constructed by the parallel alignment of Ga or Ge tetrahedron groups along the c-aix. The ultraviolet transmittance spectrum indicates the short-wavelength absorption edges of BaGa2GeS6 and BaGa2GeSe6 are 380nm and 440nm, respectively. The IR transmittance spectrum shows that the absorption edge of the BaGa2GeS6 crystal is 13.7μm. Second-harmonic generation of the powder samples was measured with a 2.05μm laser using the Kurtz and Perry technique, which showed that BaGa2GeS6 and BaGa2GeSe6 are phase-matched materials, and their measured SHG coefficient is ∼2.1 and ∼3.5 times as large as the coefficient of AgGaS2, or 26.3pm/V and 43.7pm/V. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The transformation of primary MC and M 2 C carbides, during high-temperature treatment, was investigated by quasi in-situ observation of Cr4Mo4V steel. It was found that the V-rich rod-like MC carbides have great thermal stability, and disintegrating and coarsening are their dominant transformation mechanisms. The M 2 C carbides mainly possess rod-like ( M 2 C-R) and lamellar ( M 2 C-L) morphologies. The M 2 C-R carbides are Mo-enriched, and their transformation follows the paths: the separate precipitation of MC and M 2 C-R + γ → MC + M 6 C. The V- and Fe-rich MC carbides nucleates randomly in the interior of M 2 C-R before the nucleation of Mo- and Fe-rich M 6 C carbides, which is controlled by the diffusion of V. Soaking for longer durations can cause spheroidization and coarsening of the MC carbides, along with the dissolution of M 6 C carbides. The evolution of Fe- and Mo-rich M 2 C-L carbides consists of two stages: the partial dissolution of M 2 C-L into the matrix and the transformation of M 2 C-L → MC + γ. These novel findings contribute towards the understanding of how primary carbides evolve during heat treatment and provide a potential method for carbides refinement in Cr4Mo4V steel. [Display omitted] • The transformation behavior of primary carbides in Cr4Mo4V steel was investigated. • Disintegrating and coarsening are the dominant transformation mechanisms of V-rich rod-like MC carbides. • The M 2 C carbides mainly possess rod-like ( M 2 C - R) and lamellar ( M 2 C - L) morphologies. • The transformation process of M 2 C - R carbides follows the paths: the separate precipitation of MC and M 2 C - R + γ → MC + M 6 C. • The evolution of M 2 C - L carbides consists of the partial dissolution of M 2 C - L and the transformation of M 2 C - L → MC+ γ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The thickness of LMF is reduced when the 65 m T TSMF is applied. • The number and size of the inclusions in LMF are decreased due to the TSMF. • The mechanism is that the TSMF enhances the kinetic process of inclusion removal in LMF. Magnetic-controlled Electroslag Remelting (MC-ESR) process has been proposed to improve the inclusion removal efficiency in recent years. In this study, the effects of transverse static magnetic field (TSMF) on liquid melting film (LMF) and inclusion removal during this period in ESR process of GCr15 steel were studied by a series of MC-ESR experiments. The thickness of the characteristic position of LMF was reduced by 27.2%∼80.5% due to the accelerated dynamic process (LMF aggregating to form droplet and droplet falling) after applying a 65mT TSMF. In addition, the kinetic conditions for inclusion removal in LMF were also enhanced by the TSMF, leading to decrease in the number and size of inclusions in LMF. A numerical simulation of the inclusion migration in LMF was then carried out to verify the experimental results to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transverse static magnetic field (TSMF) is implemented in a laboratory electroslag remelting (ESR) experiment to control eutectic carbides morphology of Cr8 die steel herein. Under action of a TSMF, the temperature distribution of the molten pool becomes homogeneous, the local solidification time is shortened, and the interdendritic region space shrinks, which result in an evenly spaced distribution of solute atoms and a reduction in interdendritic segregation. Therefore, the formation and subsequent growth of eutectic carbides are further inhibited, thereby causing the generation of smaller and more uniform distributed eutectic carbides due to the application of the TSMF. Moreover, the increase of the number of Al2O3–(Ti,V)N inclusions serves to be the heterogeneous nucleus of carbides (inclusions also become finer) caused by TSMF, which also contributes to the refinements of eutectic carbides in Cr8 ingots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method called forging solidifying metal (FSM), which is applied for eliminating coarse dendrites and shrinkage porosity defects of ferrous alloys was proposed based on semi-solid forming technology (SSF). To verify its feasibility, the effects of liquid fraction (FL) on the microstructure of the deformed H13 steel were investigated experimentally. The coarse dendrites structure still existed and cracks appeared when the 0.1/s 50% FSM method was carried out at ~20% FL. What is significantly different from that is, the elimination of the coarse dendrites structure and shrinkage porosity defects became more significant, when this method was conducted at the end of solidification (FL < 10%). The microstructure of H13 steel was significantly refined and also became dense in such condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the field of organosulfur chemistry and its applications in various industries. The authors specifically discuss their research on aryne chemistry and its interaction with organosulfur compounds. They detail their efforts in developing synthetic methodologies using sulfonium zwitterions and the unique reactivities of the resulting S(IV) intermediates. The article highlights their recent achievements in sigmatropic rearrangement, ring-opening reactions of cyclic sulfides, and selective arylation of thio-oxindoles. The authors aim to advance zwitterion chemistry and expand its applications through selectivity control and diversity-oriented synthesis. [Extracted from the article]

The title compounds are prepared by solid state reaction of BaS, Ga, Ge, and S or Se (700 °C for 70 h and 1000 °C for 3 d). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processing of immiscible alloys with a homogeneous distribution of fine minor segregated phases is a great challenge. Al-10 wt.%Bi immiscible alloys were solidified under the homogeneous and gradient high magnetic fields (HHMF and GHMF). X-ray computed tomography technique was applied to study the spatial features of the minor Bi-rich particles (MBPs). The results show that the MBPs displayed as centripetal and centrifugal distributions along the radial directions of the ingots solidified under the GHMF. The segregation of the minor Bi-rich droplets (MBDs) was dominated by both radial Marangoni migration and the vertical Stokes sedimentation under the HHMF. In the case of the GHMF, both the radial Marangoni migration and vertical Stokes sedimentation of the MBDs can be effectively stopped by the gradient forces. This work provides a novel path to design the novel alloys with homogeneous microstructures by utilizing the magneto-Archimedes levitation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics and transformation of M 2 C and MC, the most common primary carbides in Cr4Mo4V bearing steel, have been investigated via scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry and X-ray diffraction at high austenitization temperatures. It was first found that the transformation of rod-like M 2 C and spherical MC primary carbides during heating occurs at approximately 1180 and 1200 °C, respectively. In the transformation process of M 2 C, the periphery first transforms into an MC-type carbide, and then the internal untransformed M 2 C and newly-formed MC-type melt, and re-solidify in a M 2 C" eutectic carbide structure with a composition change and a finer lamellar spacing. In contrast, MC carbides melt directly with the re-solidified product also being constituted of finer M 2 C" eutectic carbides. The transformation process is controlled by the diffusion of alloying elements Mo and V, while the matrix provides Fe for the formation of M 2 C". In addition to elucidate the transformation mechanisms, this study also highlights the essential effect of the melting matrix on the modification of primary M 2 C and MC carbides in Cr4Mo4V steel. • Transformation of primary M 2 C and MC carbides in Cr4Mo4V were investigated at high austenitization temperatures. • Primary M 2 C carbide is rod-like Mo − M 2 C, while M 2 C is spherical V − MC, and they both remain unchanged below 1180 ℃. • The transformation of Mo − M 2 C consists of a solid-solid phase transformation, melting, and re-solidification. • The transformation of V − MC consists of melting and re-solidification, and the product is finer M 2 C". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The leaching efficiency of Ga and Ge increases continuously with temperature. • Si(OH) 4 is easy to selectively adsorb Ge, which reduces the leaching rate. • The strong magnetic field can change the reaction mechanism of Si(OH) 4. • The strong magnetic field can reduce the insoluble GeO 2 content. • There is an intrinsic correlation in temperature, magnetic field, and ultrasound. Gallium (Ga) and Germanium (Ge) are crucial strategic resources with extensive applications in high-tech industries. However, Ga and Ge primarily occur as associated minerals. The process involves the leaching of lead–zinc ores and subsequent leaching to recover the valuable elements. The conventional acid leaching procedure exhibits low leaching effectiveness for Ga and Ge, making their recovery challenging. This study initially investigated the occurrence states of Ga and Ge. The thermodynamic simulations were used to investigate the feasibility of Zinc powder replacement residue (ZPRR) in a two-stage acid leaching process. The leaching mechanism in the strong magnetic field and ultrasonic field was studied using several characterizations such as XRD, SEM, XPS, FT-IR, etc. The investigation revealed that raising the temperature in the acidic solution led to an enhanced leaching efficiency of Ga and Ge. However, at 120 °C, the leaching efficiency of Ge decreased due to the hydrolytic precipitation occurring between Ge and SiO 2. Nevertheless, the utilisation of a strong magnetic field proved advantageous in impeding this process. Furthermore, the application of the combined ultrasonic field contributed to enhancing the level of residue refining, hence promoting the effectiveness and degree of the reaction. Thus, the leaching efficiency of Ga and Ge was influenced by temperature, strong magnetic field, and ultrasonic field in combination. The high leaching efficiency of 95.53 % and 97.11 % for Ga and Ge, respectively, could be attained in the optimal experimental parameters. This study offers theoretical guidance for the effective and environmentally friendly leaching of Ga and Ge. Furthermore, it has been observed that this method is also promising for leaching the other valuable metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breaking the strength-ductility trade-off in metal materials has always been a prominent topic in materials science. Here, we proposed a novel strategy of combining rotary swaging (RS) with appropriate annealing to construct an ultrafine lamellar structure with low dislocation density in Cu-8wt.% Sn alloy. This unique anisotropic structure achieves triple ductility without compromising strength compared with the traditional cold rolling process. Results show that the lamellar structure composed of alternating ultrafine-grained α-Cu and brittle Sn-rich phases can be significantly refined by RS, which can weaken stress concentration and thus reduce microcrack nucleation during tensile deformation. The lamellar ultrafine-grained α-Cu with low dislocation density has excellent strain hardening ability, which can effectively mediate deformation, and resist crack propagation and coalescence, thereby enhancing the ductility of materials. As a deformation method with industrial application capability, RS can construct a novel lamellar structure to overcome the strength-ductility dilemma, which deserves attention in materials science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a novel strategy for fabricating the three-dimensional graphene-like nanosheets network (3D-GLNN) in a nickel (Ni) matrix composite through spark plasma sintering induced welding between graphene-like nanosheets grown on the surface of Ni foams. The in-situ constructed 3D interconnected GLNN architecture can significantly improve the load transfer capacity, thereby increasing the yield strength of the bulk composite. The crack bridging in the fracture process induced by the 3D-GLNN blocks the crack propagation during tensile deformation and results in significant strengthening and toughening. This study provides an innovative design idea (using the 3D-connected Ni foam as a template) to synergistically enhance the strength and strain-hardening capacity, thereby breaking the strength-ductility trade-off of graphene-reinforced metal matrix composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The cyclic-life "saturation effect" appears more easily with increasing strain ranges. • The larger strain range results in the higher ratio of straight single superdislocations cutting into γ′ phase. • The creep-fatigue microscopic deformation-mechanism and macroscopic mechanical-response could be well unified by the criterion-model of cyclic-life "saturation effect". The creep-fatigue interaction has been recognized as the main failure mode of most structural components operating in the high-temperature regime. The cyclic life (N f) usually decreases continuously with the dwell time in their interactions. However, N f shows an abnormal change, i.e. keeps constant or slightly increases/decreases, in the present studied Nickel-based superalloy, DZ445. This means that generalized "N f saturation" is achieved by a dynamic equilibrium between the straight single superdislocations and dislocation networks corresponding to local and homogeneous damage, respectively. The saturation appears more easily with the increasing high strain ranges. The variation in the mechanical response parameters, the damage characterizations, and the phase involutions with the increasing dwell time exhibits the low amplitude under the high strain range. The combined characteristics show that the easy occurrence of N f saturation in the range of large deformations is obtained by increasing the local-damage. The low change rate of straight single superdislocations with the dwell time in the range of large deformation is well confirmed by the above mechanism. The parameters in the different criterion models of the cyclic-life "saturation phenomenon" unify the mechanical response and the damage mechanism soundly. The work provides a new theoretical basis and guidance for the creep-fatigue safety design of high-temperature metallic materials and the establishment of dislocation-based models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation reports the results of the strain-controlled creep-fatigue behavior of precipitation-strengthened directionally-solidified Nickel-based superalloy DZ445. The results refer to the processes performed at 850 °C in the total strain range of 1.0% with 0, 3, 10, and 30 min tensile-dwell time. It was found that, compared to cyclic life that decreases rapidly after the initial application of dwell time, the reduced cyclic life slows down gradually when the dwell time exceed 30 min (i.e., the "generalized saturation effect"). As the publicly reported creep-fatigue results of the solid-solution-strengthened superalloy Haynes 230 and Alloy 617 under the same loading conditions, the cyclic life continues to decrease even 30 min dwell time is reached, which is hard to reach the case of N f saturation. The reasons to reach the cyclic life (N f) saturation are systematically elaborated from two aspects, namely, mechanical response (maximum stress, plastic strain, hysteresis loop, stress relaxation, etc.), and damage mechanism (cracks, voids, dislocation structures, etc.). This research provides theoretical guidelines for achieving the safety design of the superalloy components in the creep-fatigue deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The optimal critical value with (0.1, 0.1) of the envelope is determined in linear-damage-summation method. • Prediction accuracy of parameters at characteristic cycle with physical meaning is the highest. • Evolution of creep damage based on time fraction, simple ductility exhaustion, and strain-energy-density exhaustion. • Prediction of energy-life model based on damage mechanisms and frequency-correction. The purposes of the present work are to evaluate the prediction accuracy of characteristic cycle on creep-fatigue life prediction and to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of various models in tensile strain-dwell tests. The parameters of the first cycle, the 10% life, the half-life, and the characteristic cycle that we proposed (a turning point between the initial rapid softening and subsequent slight softening/hardening) are employed to linear-damage-summation (LDS) and energy-life prediction models based on the creep-fatigue data of directionally-solidified Nickel-based superalloy, DZ445, at 900 °C. It is found that the characteristic cycle parameters with clear physical significance have the highest life prediction accuracy. Moreover, the optimal critical value of fatigue and creep damage (the coordinate of the creep-fatigue envelope intersection) in the LDS is also determined. The prediction accuracy of creep damage based on the time-fraction, the simple ductility-exhaustion, and the strain-energy- density-exhaustion models is sequentially improved in the LDS rule. In the energy-life model, the life prediction accuracy based on damage mechanism and frequency correction is higher than the value without any correction. This investigation provides a new method of the parameter-selection for the creep-fatigue life prediction, which is accurate and convenient. It provides the theoretical-guidance for creep-fatigue life prediction in both laboratory experiment and actual components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize the efficient biomass tar cracking into syngas-rich gases, several Aspen wood char (ASC) supported metal catalysts, including the Ni/ASC, Cu/ASC and bimetallic Ni-Cu/ASC catalysts, were synthesized with the method of one-step pyrolysis. The structure of the Ni Cu/ASC catalyst with Ni Cu nanoalloy encapsulated in carbon nanofibers (CNFs) was observed on the basis of the XRD, SEM and TEM analysis. The catalytic performances of the prepared catalysts on tar cracking were assessed in a two-stage fixed-bed pyrolysis-cracking/reforming device at the catalytic cracking temperatures of 600-800 °C. In a comparison to the single metal catalysts, the bimetallic Ni-Cu/ASC catalyst exerted a better performance on tar removal and possessed a higher selectivity to H 2 and CO. The tar conversion efficiency and syngas (H 2 + CO) yield, over the Ni Cu/ASC catalyst at 800 °C, reached up to 93.2% and 581.07 ml/g with the total volumetric content of 72.2% together with H 2 /CO of 1.1, respectively. The Ni-Cu/ASC catalyst resulted in the lowest contents of two-ring and three-ring aromatics accompanied with highest contents of one-ring aromatics in tar. The Ni-Cu/ASC catalyst was reasonably stable because of its good resistance to sintering and carbon deposition. [Display omitted] • Ni Cu nano alloy embedded in CNFs/porous carbon composites were obtained. • Tar conversion efficiency reached up to 93.2% at 800 °C over Ni Cu/ASC catalyst. • Syngas yield reached up to 581.07 ml/g with the total volumetric content of 72.2%. • Ni Cu/ASC catalyst had good resistance to sintering and carbon deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fatigue life with dwell time is explained by mechanical response and damage mechanism. • Inelastic strain range, stress relaxation, mean stress, and hysteresis loop with dwell time. • Schematic illustration of fracture and deformation mechanism with dwell time. • Energy-life prediction model for the creep-fatigue data with high strain range. High total strain-controlled creep-fatigue tests of 1.8% were performed for a directionally-solidified Ni-based superalloy, DZ445, at 900 °C in air. Dwell times of 0, 2, and 5 min. were introduced at the tensile peak strain for each cycle. Experimental results show a decrease in fatigue life with increasing dwell time. The significant cyclic softening is observed after the application of the dwell time. The mean compressive stress and large plastic-strain accumulation are produced due to the stress relaxation in the tensile-dwell period, resulting in the increase of the hysteresis loop area. The typical single-source crack-initiation and transgranular crack-propagation are transformed into multi-source crack-initiation and mixed transgranular and intergranular crack-propagation mode by these characteristics. Dislocation features are transformed from cutting of γ' precipitates by multiple stacking faults to the mixed mode of dislocation climbing and slipping. The reduction in the fatigue life with increasing the dwell time is well explained on the basis of the mechanical response and damage mechanism. The fatigue life is also predicted by the energy-based life-prediction model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The motion control system of a lower-limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot (LLERR) is designed to assist patients in lower-limb rehabilitation exercises. This research designed a motion controller for an LLERR-based on the Twin Delayed Deep Deterministic policy gradient (TD3) algorithm to control the lower-limb exoskeleton for gait training in a staircase environment. Commencing with the establishment of a mathematical model of the LLERR, the dynamics during its movement are systematically described. The TD3 algorithm is employed to plan the motion trajectory of the LLERR's right-foot sole, and the target motion curve of the hip (knee) joint is deduced inversely to ensure adherence to human physiological principles during motion execution. The control strategy of the TD3 algorithm ensures that the movement of each joint of the LLERR is consistent with the target motion trajectory. The experimental results indicate that the trajectory tracking errors of the hip (knee) joints are all within 5°, confirming that the LLERR successfully assists patient in completing lower-limb rehabilitation training in a staircase environment. The primary contribution of this study is to propose a non-linear control strategy tailored for the staircase environment, enabling the planning and control of the lower-limb joint motions facilitated by the LLERR.

Electric machines emulators (EMEs) based on hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), which effectively act as emulators to mimic the actual motor behavior of Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) machines. EME is frequently used to evaluate motor controller and motor control methodologies prior to development. The inverse magnetization motor model, which is used as the basis for real-time simulation in this paper's proposal for an electric machine emulator system based on HIL, uses FEA to create the motor model data. The nonlinear features of the motor may be successfully replicated with this motor model, and the accuracy of the electric machine emulator can be enhanced by using a straightforward and trustworthy motor controller. The real-time simulation tool typhoon HIL is used in the study to develop a hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform for an IPM electric machines emulator., Competing Interests: Enter: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Guo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Sulfilimines, the aza analogues of sulfoxides, are of increasing interest in medicinal and agrochemical research programs. However, the development of efficient routes for their synthesis has remained relatively unexplored. In this study, we report a transition metal-free, selective S- arylation reaction between sulfenamides and arynes, enabling the facile preparation of structurally diverse sulfilimines under mild and redox-neutral conditions in good yields. The application value of our method was further demonstrated by scale-up synthesis, downstream derivatization, and robustness screen.

The long acquisition time has limited the accessibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) because it leads to patient discomfort and motion artifacts. Although several MRI techniques have been proposed to reduce the acquisition time, compressed sensing in magnetic resonance imaging (CS-MRI) enables fast acquisition without compromising SNR and resolution. However, existing CS-MRI methods suffer from the challenge of aliasing artifacts. This challenge results in the noise-like textures and missing the fine details, thus leading to unsatisfactory reconstruction performance. To tackle this challenge, we propose a hierarchical perception adversarial learning framework (HP-ALF). HP-ALF can perceive the image information in the hierarchical mechanism: image-level perception and patch-level perception. The former can reduce the visual perception difference in the entire image, and thus achieve aliasing artifact removal. The latter can reduce this difference in the regions of the image, and thus recover fine details. Specifically, HP-ALF achieves the hierarchical mechanism by utilizing multilevel perspective discrimination. This discrimination can provide the information from two perspectives (overall and regional) for adversarial learning. It also utilizes a global and local coherent discriminator to provide structure information to the generator during training. In addition, HP-ALF contains a context-aware learning block to effectively exploit the slice information between individual images for better reconstruction performance. The experiments validated on three datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of HP-ALF and its superiority to the comparative methods.

Context: The informatization of the medical system is increasingly closely linked with people's daily life. As people pay more and more attention to the quality of life, it's very necessary to closely integrate the management information and clinical information systems to promote the steady improvement of a hospital's service level. In the process of modernization Chinese hospitals, comprehensive promotion of hospital informatization is very important., Objective: The study intended to examine the role in China of informatization for hospital management, analyze its shortcomings in that role, and explore its role based on an analysis of hospital data, and propose effective measures to continuously improve the level of informatization, promote the steady improvement of hospital management and services, and fully demonstrate the application advantages of information construction., Design: The research team discussed: (1) China's informatization, including hospitals' roles, current informatization, the information community, and medical and information-technology (IT) staff; (2) methods of analysis, including system composition, theoretical basis, definition of the problem as well as data evaluation, collection, processing, mining and model evaluation and knowledge presentation; (3) the procedures the team followed to perform a case study, including types of hospital data and the process framework, and (4) the study's results from informatization based on data analysis, including satisfaction surveys for outpatients, inpatients, and medical staff., Setting: The study took place at Nantong First People's Hospital in Jiangsu Province in Nantong, China., Conclusions: In the process of hospital management, it's imperative to strengthen hospital informatization, which can continuously strengthen a hospital's service capacity, ensure good-quality medical service, further improve the discipline of the database construction, enhance the satisfaction of employees and patients, and achieve a high-quality and benign development for the hospital.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disorder characterized by recurrent eczematous lesions and intense itch. Although it most often starts in infancy and affects children, it is also highly prevalent in adults. In this article, the main aspects of AD have been updated, with a focus on the pathogenetic and therapeutic aspects. The pathogenesis of AD is complex, and it is evident that a strong genetic predisposition, epidermal dysfunction, skin microbiome abnormalities, immune dysregulation, and the neuroimmune system are critical in AD development. Mutations in the genes associated with disrupted epidermal barrier, exaggerated pathological inflammation and inadequate antimicrobial peptides can promote enhanced Th2 inflammation and mediate pruritus. Current understanding of etiology highlights gut microbial diversity, NK cell deficiency, and different immunological phenotype with age and race. For topical anti-inflammatory treatment for mild-to-severe AD, phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors (PDE-4), JAK inhibitors, and microbiome transplantation with Roseomonas mucosa provided more management selections. The treatment of moderate-to-severe AD has been limited to merely symptomatic and relatively nonspecific immunosuppressive approaches. In-depth understanding of the pathogenesis of AD has led to the development of innovative and targeted therapies, such as biologic agents targeting interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13 and JAK/STAT inhibitors. Other potential therapeutic agents for AD include agents targeting the T helper (Th) 22 and Th17/IL23 pathway. Antipruritic therapy and complementary probiotics therapy have also been reviewed., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Atopic dermatitis (AD) can remit as age increases. However, long-term follow-up studies evaluating disease evolution and related factors of persistence of early-onset AD are sparse. This study aimed to identify factors associated with the persistence of early-onset AD. In this prospective cohort study, 260 patients with onset of AD before age two years old were enrolled. Clinical examination was performed and a questionnaire survey completed at enrolment. In addition, the filaggrin gene (FLG) of all participants was sequenced to identify mutations within this gene. Patients were followed at age six and 12. The remission rate was 50.8% at age six and 70.3% at age 12. Persistent AD was associated with a higher SCORAD index at baseline (p < 0.001), a family history of asthma (p = 0.003) and food allergen sensitization (p = 0.033). However, the presence or absence of FLG mutation did not show any significant association with persistent AD. Prognostic factors for persistence of AD were analysed by logistic regression analysis. Disease severity according to SCORAD index at baseline (OR: 1.039; 95% CI: 1.018-1.059; p < 0.001) and family history of asthma (OR: 3.008; 95% CI: 1.297-7.007; p = 0.011) were risk factors that may predict persistent AD based on multivariate regression analysis. It is important to stratify early-onset AD according to severity and investigate family allergic history in order to establish appropriate individual management. Moreover, genetic factors other than FLG mutation may play more important roles in persistent early-onset AD.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects and the molecular mechanism of cyclosporin A (CsA) against oxidative stress injury in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes., Methods: Bax/Bcl-2, cl-casp-9/casp-9, cl-casp-3/casp-3, and iNOS/β-actin ratios and p-IκB and IκB levels were analyzed by western blot. IL-1β and TNF-α levels were analyzed by ELISA., Results: CsA effectively improved the cell viability and reduced the extracellular lactate dehydrogenase release in cardiomyocytes after H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative damage. CsA significantly increased the superoxide dismutase activity, glutathione production, and catalase activity but decreased the malonaldehyde level. CsA treatment considerably reduced the H 2 O 2 -induced intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial dysfunction, and release of cytochrome c. CsA could act against H 2 O 2 -induced ATP reduction, TCA cycle enzymes, mitochondrial complex I enzyme, and complex V enzyme in cardiomyocytes. CsA significantly decreased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, cl-casp-9/casp-9, and cl-casp-3/casp-3 in a concentration-dependent manner. CsA also remarkably reduced the cleaved PARP level and DNA fragmentation. NF-κB was closely related to oxidative stress injury. CsA inhibited NF-κB activation, thereby preventing the upregulation of IL-1β, TNF-α, iNOS, and intracellular NO release., Conclusions: CsA protected cardiomyocytes against H 2 O 2 -induced cell injury. Hence, CsA may be developed as a candidate drug to prevent or treat myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury.

Drosophila dEAAT2, a member of the excitatory amino-acid transporter (EAAT) family, has been described as mediating the high-affinity transport of taurine, which is a free amino-acid abundant in both insects and mammals. However, the role of taurine and its transporter in hearing is not clear. Here, we report that dEAAT2 is required for the larval startle response to sound stimuli. dEAAT2 was found to be enriched in the distal region of chordotonal neurons where sound transduction occurs. The Ca 2+ imaging and electrophysiological results showed that disrupted dEAAT2 expression significantly reduced the response of chordotonal neurons to sound. More importantly, expressing dEAAT2 in the chordotonal neurons rescued these mutant phenotypes. Taken together, these findings indicate a critical role for Drosophila dEAAT2 in sound transduction by chordotonal neurons.