Search

This work reviews solutions for the maximum configuration factor between a cylindrical body representing a fire flame and a differential area element. A solution expressed in terms of the configuration factors between the cylinder and three orthogonal differential areas is compared quantitatively with other expressions obtained in the literature.

With reduced feature sizes and tighter pitches in deep submicro, yield loss caused by spot defect becomes much more significant in determing manufacturing yield. Successful designs of defect-tolerant chips must rely on the accurate and fast yield prediction. This paper proposes an improved alternative approach based on the equidistance line in L∞ metric to compute the critical areas. It is very efficient especially for small layouts.

This paper discusses fire induced smoke movement and associated species transport in a multi-enclosure compartment building. A set of steady state and transient state fires experiments have been conducted in a full-scale building. The distributions of various physical parameters such as temperature, velocity and species concentration, were measured. Particular attention is given to the flow fields at the doorway which connects the room of fire origin and a corridor. The experimental results indicated the effects of mixing between the hot upper layer smoke and the relatively cool lower layer air in the corridor. Some data processing techniques are also explained.

Two methods are proposed in this paper for determining the smoke layer interface height from parameter profiles measured in enclosure fires. The schemes are based on mathematical considerations of uniformity and optimisation, and involve no subjectivity or empiricism. The application of these two methods to a set of experimental data revealed that the two methods gave close results of the interface height but different to that determined with the N-percentage rule. The dependence of the zone average of the measured quantities on the interface height is discussed. The predictions of a two-zone model is also included for comparison.

Heat release rates obtained with conventional room calorimeters are not always readily applicable to the study of realistic fires, since the local environment in a conventional room calorimeter can be vastly different to that in a normal building enclosure. The doorway room calorimeter studied in this work was developed to overcome this difficulty and measure the heal release rate without disturbing the conditions in the burn room. Heat release rate is obtained from the use of the oxygen consumption method and the analysis of the measured velocity, temperature and oxygen concentration profiles across the burn room door. The technique was used in a series of building fire experiments involving various types of fuel loads under naturally ventilated combustion conditions. The measured heat release rates were compared with that based on fuel mass loss measurement. The results supported the feasibility of the technique and demonstrated its potential application in the studies of naturally ventilated f...

Fire modeling is an essential part of risk-cost assessment. Fire models, particularly those of zone type, have flourished in recent years. The selection of a fire model as a sub- model for a fire safety system model needs further verification and review in a number of aspects. In the present study, the performances of two fire models, namely NRCC and CFAST, are evaluated with respect to accuracy, efficiency and simplicity. This study indicates that discrepancies exist between the experimental results and the predictions of both models for one type of fire scenario or another. The merits and weaknesses of the two models are identified in regard to the demands of a risk assessment system model. Language: en

This paper presents a comparison of the results from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model and a two-zone model against a comprehensive set of data obtained from one flashover fire experiment. The experimental results were obtained from a full-scale prototype apartment building under flashover conditions. Three polyurethane mattresses were used as fuel. The CFAST two-zone model (version 2.0) was also used to predict results for this flashover fire test. The mass release rate, gas temperature, radiation heat flux and gas compositions (O2, CO2 and CO) were measured. A CFD program, CESARE-CFD Fire Model, has been developed and was used also to predict results for polyurethane-slab fire. A simple flame spread model was incorporated into the CFD program to predict the mass release rate and heat release rate during the fire instead of providing it as an input as is required for most zone and CFD models. It was found that the CFD model provided reasonable predictions of the magnitude and the trends for the temperatures in the burn room and the species concentrations, but over-predicted the temperatures in the adjacent enclosures. From a life safety perspective, the CFD model conservatively predicted the concentrations of CO and CO2. The predicted temperatures from the CFAST fire model agreed well with the experimental results in most areas. However, the CFAST model under predicted the temperature in the lower layer of the room of fire origin and the concentration of CO in most areas.

The CESARE-SMOKE model is a network model which can be used to estimate smoke spread in a multi-storey building when subjected to fire. The model calculates time-dependent temperature and species concentrations at locations remote from the room of fire origin. Spatial variation of physical parameters in a single enclosure with large aspect ratio can also be estimated. This paper describes a series of full-scale fire experiments that were designed to investigate the validity of the model. The experiments, involving steady state burning rates and a number of ventilation conditions, were conducted in a four-storey building. Temperature, pressure, flow velocity, smoke density and species concentrations were measured in various parts of the building. The chimney effect and its influence on temperature distribution in a stair shaft were observed. Comparisons are made between the experimental results and the model predictions. The experimental results are also compared with the predictions of the CFAST two-zone model. Suggestions are made for further improvements to the network model.

Theoretical considerations are given to experimental data reduc tion for zone model validations. Three schemes to obtain averaged parameters of a thermodynamic system in nonequilibrium state are discussed in the light of model validation. Examples are given to demonstrate the difference between the zone average temperatures obtained from two averaging schemes.

Evaluating the progress of tobacco control across the world heavily relies on smoking prevalence estimates. Those estimates are often based on surveys of self-reported cigarette smoking status. The accuracy varies among populations with different social and cultural backgrounds. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of smoking and assess the accuracy of self-report smoking status in Chinese adolescents. This population-based cross-sectional survey included 10,934 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years from 17 schools in Shanghai, China. Data on adolescents’ smoking status were collected from adolescents’ self-reporting and from parents’ questionnaires, separately. Based on the data of two sources, the total number of smokers among the study participants was estimated using a capture–recapture method. Among 5,452 girls and 5,482 boys, the prevalence estimates of self-reported smoking were 13.6 % (748) and 5.2 % (284) for boys and girls, respectively. Parents only identified smaller proportions of smoking adolescents: 2.9 % (160) boys and 0.6 % (30) girls. Using the capture–recapture method, we estimated the prevalence of smoking as 18.3 % (95 % CI 16.4, 20.3) for boys and 14.2 % (95 % CI 7.6, 20.8) for girls. Reliance on self-reporting to identify smokers among Chinese adolescents significantly underestimates the number of smokers, particularly among Chinese girls. Self-reported smokers only represent less than half of actual smokers in girls. Our findings are important for monitoring smoking trends and evaluating tobacco control interventions among Chinese adolescents.

This paper presents a simple method for calculation of the pressure distribution and the neutral plane position in a high rise building. Non-uniform temperature distributions in the stairshaft of the building and discrete door openings are taken into account. The method has been incor porated into a network model for calculating smoke spread in multi-storey buildings. Computational results are compared with experimental data ob tained by other researchers.

Head trauma is considered to be a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, because a high prevalence of beta AP deposits has repeatedly been reported in patients who died within a few days following head injury. To evaluate this statement, we undertook two studies using immunohistochemistry for beta AP and found a surprisingly low prevalence of beta AP diffuse deposits. We first selected 23 patients aged 17-63 years, who died 0-76 days after head trauma. Using beta AP antibody at the usual dilution (1:100), we did not find any deposits. With a high concentration of antibody (dilution 1:2) we found beta AP diffuse deposits in one 46-year-old case. In a second study, 17 patients aged 60-79 years old, who died 1-35 days after head injury, were compared to a control group. We did not find any significant difference in the density of beta AP diffuse deposits between cases and controls using usual dilutions of beta AP antibody. The density of beta AP diffuse deposits was linked only to aging and the presence of senile plaques.

A facile, one-pot ultrasonic electrochemical method to synthesize hierarchical cobalt (Co)-nanoflowers on petalage-like graphene (GE) was developed. The hybrid microstructures were successfully evaluated as a new material for highly sensitive determination of hydrazine (N(2)H(4)). Scanning electron microscopic measurements displayed that the synthesized Co-GE exhibited a related hierarchical structure of a petalage-like GE homogeneous distribution as a matrix for the growth of smooth nanosheets-assembled Co nanoflowers. Co-GE was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectrograms. Electrochemical methods were adopted to characterize the sensing properties of Co-GE towards the electrocatalytic oxidation of N(2)H(4) at 0.15 V in 0.1 M pH 7.0 sodium phosphate buffered saline. The sensor displayed a broad linearity of 0.25-370 μM and 370 μM to 2.2 mM with a relatively low detection limit of 0.1 μM (S/N = 3) and a response time of less than 3 s. Furthermore, the sensor showed outstanding sensitivity and reproducibility.

Problem To decipher structural and functional aspects of human zona pellucida glycoprotein-4 (ZP4), the epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have been mapped. Method of study Recombinant human ZP4-mediated induction of acrosome reaction in human sperm was studied in the absence and presence of ZP4-specific MAbs. The epitopes of MAbs were mapped using recombinant peptides expressed in Escherichia coli. Results Monoclonal antibodies (MA-1662, MA-1671) against human ZP4 showed specific binding to ZP matrix of human eggs in an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Both the antibodies showed significant (P

Gold dendrites (AuD) were synthesized with egg white as the soft template and a novel nitrite (NO(2)(-)) biosensor was fabricated by assembly of a myoglobin (Mb)-L-cysteamine (Cys)-AuD biological hybrid. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectra and UV-visible spectra indicated that Mb retained its original structure in the resulting Mb-Cys-AuD. Electrochemical investigation of the biosensor showed a pair of well-defined, quasi-reversible redox peaks with E(pa) = -0.314 V and E(pc) = -0.344 V (vs. SCE) in 0.1 M, pH 7.0 sodium phosphate buffered saline at the scan rate of 200 mV/s. The transfer rate constant (k(s)) was 1.49 s(-1). The Mb-Cys-AuD showed a good electrochemical catalytic response for the reduction of NO(2)(-), with the linear range from 0.5 to 400 µM and the detection limit of 0.3 µM (S/N = 3). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(M)(app)) was estimated to be 0.2 mM. Therefore, the assembled bio-hybrid as a novel matrix opened up a further possibility for study on the design of enzymatic biosensors with potential applications.

The human zona pellucida glycoprotein-3 (hZP3) by virtue of its critical role during fertilization has been proposed as a promising candidate antigen to develop a contraceptive vaccine. In this direction, it is imperative to map minimal motifs of the B cell epitopes (BCEs) so as to avoid ZP-specific oophoritogenic T cell epitopes (TCEs) in the ZP3-based immunogens. In this study, based on known results of mapping marmoset and bonnet monkey ZP3 (mstZP3 and bmZP3), two predictableepitopes23–30 and 301–320on hZP3 were first confirmed and five minimal motifs within four epitopes on hZP3 were defined using serum to recombinanthZP3a22–176orhZP3b177–348as well as a biosynthetic peptide strategy. These defined minimal motifs wereQPLWLL23–28forhZP323–30,MQVTDD103–108forhZP393–110,EENW178–181forhZP3172–190, as well asSNSWF306–310andEGP313–315forhZP3301–320, respectively. Furthermore, the antigenicity of two peptides forhZP3172–187andhZP3301–315and specificity of the antibody response to these peptides were also evaluated, which produced high-titer antibodies in immunized animals that were capable of reacting to ZP on human oocytes,r-hZP3b177–348protein, as well asr-hZP3172–190,r-hZP3303–310, andr-hZP3313–320epitope peptides fused with truncated GST188 protein.

We report on the direct electrochemistry of myoglobin (Mb) immobilized on a composite matrix based on chitosan (CHIT) and titanium carbide nanoparticles (TiC NPs) underlying on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to characterize the modified electrode. In deaerated buffer solutions, the cyclic voltammetry of the composite films of Mb-TiC NPs-CHIT showed a pair of well-behaved redox peaks that are assigned to the redox reaction of Mb, confirming the effective immobilization of Mb on the composite film. The electron transfer rate constant was estimated to be 3.8 (±0.2)·s(-1), suggested that the interaction between the protein and certain electrode surfaces may mimic some physiological situations and may elucidate the relationship between the protein structures and biological functions. The linear dynamic range for the detection of hydrogen peroxide was 0.5-50 μM with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 and the detection limit was estimated at about 0.2 μM (S/N=3). The calculated apparent Michaelis-Menten constant was 0.07 (±0.01) mM, which suggested a high affinity of the redox protein-substrate. The immobilized Mb in the TiC NPs-CHIT composite film retained its bioactivity. Furthermore, the method presented here can be easily extended to immobilize and obtain the direct electrochemistry of other redox enzymes or proteins.

To develop a superior chimeric peptide (CP) vaccine of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), two CP antigens (named CP12 and CP22) encoding one or two copies of three linear B cell epitopes from the β-hCG subunit and six foreign T cell epitopes, including two promiscuous TCEs from hepatitis B surface antigen and tetanus toxoid, were constructed and biosynthesized. The hCG CP12 and CP22 of 21 or 23 kDa, respectively, were expressed in Escherichia coli at the level of ~1% of total cell proteins when inserted into thermo-inducible pBV221 expression vector. The purified CP12 and CP22 proteins with >95% relative homogeneity are immunogenic, and elicited antibodies against the β5, β9 and β8 BCEs of β-hCG in both rabbits and three different inbred strains of mice. A mouse uterine weight study in Balb/c mice demonstrated that the CP12 and CP22 antigens with an additional β5 neutralizing epitope enhanced the in vivo bio-neutralization capacity of the induced antibodies compared to the C-terminal immunogen of β-hCG. We propose that the biosynthesized CP22, possessing with two copies of three BCEs, represents a novel candidate antigen for an hCG contraceptive or tumor therapeutic vaccine.

Introduction The promotion of return to work (RTW) following occupational injury benefits injured workers, their families, enterprises and the society. The identification of the potential determinants would be helpful in improving RTW rate and minimizing the duration of absenteeism following injury. Objectives The aim of the study was to identify the potential determinants of RTW following work-related injury. Methods A historical cohort of workers with occupational injury in a state-owned locomotive vehicles company in central China was followed up on the outcomes of RTW. Demographic, employment and medical information was retrieved from the company archival documents; and post-injury information was interviewed by structured questionnaires. Univariate analysis and Cox Regression Model were used to examine the associations between potential determinants and outcomes of RTW. Results Three hundred of the 323 cases (92.9%) eventually returned to work after the median absence of 43 days. Factors from socio-demographic, clinical, economic, and psychological domains affected RTW in the univariate analyses. The multivariate analysis indicated that age, injury severity, injury locus, injury nature, pain in the injury locus, self-report health status and pre-injury monthly salary were significant determinants of RTW. Conclusions There were multidimensional factors affecting RTW after occupational injury. Proper clinical treatment and rehabilitation, as well as economic and social support to facilitate workers’ RTW would be the priorities upon intervention. Future studies should be conducted in larger representative samples to confirm the findings and to develop a multidisciplinary intervention strategy towards promoting RTW.

This paper presents a study on the development of safety performance function for freeways. Applying well-established statistical methods, we evaluated all variables that may affect freeway safety and selected the most signifi cant ones in the model. A variable analysis unit was utilized in this study to overcome the diffi culties in obtaining accurate crash and highway attribute data, as well as to improve the modelling quality. The results of this study provide much needed tools for freeway safety analysis.

An important step in the development of a human zona pellucida (huZP) peptide vaccine is to define the minimal amino acid motif for a mapped B cell epitope peptide within huZP4. Identification of this minimal motif is necessary to remove an overlapping T cell epitope that induces a pathogenic T cell response. Here we describe motif (PLTLEL 314–319 ) mapping of an 18mer B cell epitope peptide 308–325 on huZP4 protein (previously known as huZP1/ZPB protein), achieved using a set of 22 biosynthetic 8mer peptides fused with truncated glutathione S-transferase (GST) or truncated streptavidin protein, and detected using rabbit anti-porcine zona pellucida (pZP) IgG. The immunogenicity of the B cell epitope peptide was evaluated in rabbits using expressed B cell epitope peptide fused with truncated streptavidin as the antigen. This construct elicited high titer antibody to the 18mer B cell epitope peptide, with reactivity to native human ZP, the biosynthetic 18mer peptide and the 18mer peptide GST fusion protein.

This study was aimed to disclose whether the VLA-5 integrin on human sperm membrane takes part in the activation of human spermatozoa.Fluo-3/AM was coincubated with human spermatozoa. The change of intracellular calcium([Ca2+]i) was determined by flow cytometry when human sperms were exposed to Fibronectin(Fn) as the specific ligand of integrin VLA-5. Human sperm acrosome reaction(AR) rate was evaluated by triple-stain technique.Fn significantly raised the AR rate (P0.05) and the level of [Ca2+]i (P0.01) in the spermatozoa of fertile men. But there was no significant rise in the level of [Ca2+]i in the spermatozoa of infertile men.The VLA-5 integrin on human sperm membrane plays a role in the activation of sperm.

Background Adolescent smoking is a worldwide problem that is particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries. Many endogenous and environmental factors affect the intention to smoke, so a comprehensive model is needed to understand the significance and relationship of predictors. The study aimed to test the associations among information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model constructs as predictors of intention to smoke in junior high school students in Shanghai, China. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 16,500 junior high school students in Shanghai, China. Data on tobacco-related information, motivation, behavioral skills, and behaviors were collected from students. Structural equation model (SEM) was used to assess the IMB model. Results The mean age of participants was 13.8 years old (standard deviation = 1.02; range 11–17). The experimental smoking rate among junior high school students was 6.6% and 8.7% of the participants expected that they would be smokers in 5 years. The IMB model provided acceptable fit to the data (comparative fit index = 0.984, root mean square error of approximation = 0.04). Intention to smoke was predicted by behavioral skills (β= 0.670, P < 0.001) and motivation (β= 0.095, P

Successful pregnancy depends on the precise regulation of extravilloustrophoblast (EVT) invasion into the uterine decidua. SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) is a matricellular glycoprotein that plays critical roles in the pathologies associated with obesity and diabetes, as well as tumorigenesis. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of SPARC in the process of trophoblast invasion which shares many similarities with tumor cell invasion. By Western blot, higher expression of SPARC was observed in mouse brain, ovary and uterus compared to other mouse tissues. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed a spatio-temporal expression of SPARC in mouse uterus in the periimplantation period. At the implantation site of d8 pregnancy, SPARC mainly accumulated in the secondary decidua zone (SDZ), trophoblast cells and blastocyst. The expression of SPARC was also detected in human placental villi and trophoblast cell lines. In a Matrigel invasion assay, we found SPARC-specific RNA interference significantly reduced the invasion of human extravilloustrophoblast HTR8/SVneo cells. Microarray analysis revealed that SPARC depletion upregulated the expression of interleukin 11 (IL11), KISS1, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (IGFBP4), collagen type I alpha 1 (COLIA1), matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9), and downregulated the expression of the alpha polypeptide of chorionic gonadotropin (CGA), MMP1, gap junction protein alpha 1 (GJA1), et al. The gene array result was further validated by qRT-PCR and Western blot. The present data indicate that SPARC may play an important role in the regulation of normal placentation by promoting the invasion of trophoblast cells into the uterine decidua.

Shidong Wang and Jian Wang*, State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, People’s Republic of China Shidong Wang, Information Network Center, Anhui University of Architecture, Hefei 230022, People’s Republic of China Yaping He, School of Engineering, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia Jujia Zou, School of Computing Engineering and Mathematics, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia Baobin Duan, Department of Mathematics and Physics, Hefei University, Hefei 230001, People’s Republic of China

Unique monkshoodvine root-bark like morphology carbon materials (MLC) have been successfully synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. Utilizing the merits of high surface area and good electron conductivity of the MLC, a layered biosensor designed by assembling the MLC, hemoglobin (Hb) and gold nanoparticles was further developed. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope showed that the morphology of carbon materials can be successfully controlled simply by moderating the initiator amount of precursor and reaction temperature. The results indicated that the MLC was formed at the reaction condition of 5 mg Ferrocene + 6 mL CCl(4) at 280 °C. Electrochemical methods, such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, were used to characterize the layered biosensor and its application for sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). Under optimized experimental condition, the linear range for the determination of H(2)O(2) was 0.06 μM to 1.6 mM with a detection limit of 0.03 μM (S/N = 3). Furthermore, the biosensor also showed a fast response (within 2 s) and high stability.

Taking advantages of the striking properties of both self-assembly and biocatalysis, a highly sensitive glucose electrochemical biosensor was proposed by using DNA–GE as biocatalysis target-guide to deposit Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). AuNPs interacted with thiol and amino groups of DNA strands, which make the reaction much easier and faster. Furthermore, the proposed AuNPs/glucose oxidase (GOx)/DNA–GE/glassy carbon (GC) modified electrode achieved the direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of GOx. The growth of AuNPs was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical methods. The characterizations of the electrode modified after each assembly step and the content of AuNPs on the electrode surfaces during the growth process were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The amount of AuNPs was relative to the amount of glucose oxidized accompanying with the biocatalytic process of GOx. The biosensor showed a linearity with glucose concentration in the range of 0.8–50 μM with a detection limit of 0.3 μM (S/N = 3). The sensitivity was 2.4 × 104 μA mM−1. The combination of self-assembly and biocatalysis offers the new design of enzymatic biosensors with potential applications in direct electrochemistry and biocatalysis.

The stability analysis of articulated frame steer vehicle models is presented. To reveal the relationship between the 'oversteer' and 'jack-knife' motion modes based on a 2 degree of freedom (DOF) and 3 DOF vehicle models, respectively, the results derived from these models are investigated and compared. To identify the effects of design variables on the lateral stability of the vehicle, a more realistic model with a hydraulic rotary valve and dynamic tyre models is generated on the basis of the 3 DOF model and the results derived from these models are examined and compared. Similar to traditional articulated vehicles, the jack-knife and 'snaking' modes were identified from practical operations of the articulated frame steer vehicles. Results demonstrate that, with the decrease of the angular spring (representing the hydraulic cylinder between the front and rear sections of the vehicle) stiffness coefficient, the oversteer mode evolves into the jack-knife mode. Compared with the static tyre model, the effects of dynamic transient lateral tyre force degrades the stability of the vehicle over the lower speed range. Results also illustrate that, with the fluid leakage either in the rotary valve or in the hydraulic cylinder, the stability of the oversteer mode dominated motion degrades. On the contrary, in the case of snaking mode dominated motion, the introduction of the fluid leakage will improve the stability of the vehicles.

With the increasing threat of climate change there is a need to use renewable and green materials such as timber for house constructions. Current Australian standards for the construction of homes in bushfire prone areas do not consider the use of timber as a suitable material. However, our understanding of fire performance of solid timber wall constructions is still very limited. A new test standard has been drafted recently to set a special test protocol emulating Australian bushfire conditions. The objective of this research was to conduct a pilot study of experimental testing of a solid timber wall system utilising the basic principles of the Draft Standard AS 1530.8.1 to assess the wall performance under extreme bushfire attack. The experimental work showed that solid log wall assemblies are resistant to extreme bushfire threat and timber can be a suitable material for building in bushfire prone areas if sufficiently thick and well sealed.

Summary Background Previous studies have shown protective effects of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) against the postmyocardial infarction (MI) remodelling process. The transcription factor NF-κB is known to play an important role after MI. Aims To investigate if NF-κB is involved in the protective effects of BNP against adverse post-MI remodelling. Methods Rats were randomly assigned to five groups: sham-operation; MI by coronary ligation; MI treated with chronic BNP infusion; MI treated with enalapril; MI treated with BNP + enalapril. Rats were closely monitored for survival rate analysis. Rats from each group were sacrificed on days 3, 7 and 28 postoperation. Results The results showed that chronic continuous BNP infusion achieved similar effects to enalapril therapy, as evidenced by improved survival rate within the 28-day observation period compared with MI group rats; this effect was closely associated with preserved cardiac geometry and performance. The treatment combination did not offer extra benefits in terms of survival rate. Both BNP and enalapril therapy produced higher heart tissue concentrations of cyclic guanosine monophosphate and lower expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 and interleukin-6. These benefits were associated with lower phosphorylation levels of NF-κB subunits IκBα, p50 and p65. While enalapril significantly inhibited extracellular matrix remodelling via regulation of the protein expression ratio of matrix metalloproteinase/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase and the activity of matrix metalloproteinase, these variables were not affected by BNP, indicating that the two therapies involve different mechanisms. Conclusion Chronic BNP infusion can provide beneficial effects against adverse post-MI remodelling.