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Background Congenital tufting enteropathy (CTE) is a rare cause of diarrhea in children. However, it can result in early-onset of chronic diarrhea and failure to thrive. Children with this disease have to depend on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and eventually small intestine transplantation. The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EPCAM) gene was identified to be associated with CTE. Here, we present a case of an infant with CTE due to a mutation not reported in the literature before. Case summary A 1-year and 7-mo infant boy exhibited intractable watery diarrhea and mushy stool within 1 wk after birth, for which he had required medical treatment and hospitalization several times. His sister presented similar symptoms and died at the age of two. On admission, his body weight was 5700 g (-4.8SDS) and measured 66 cm (-5.4SDS) in height. Meanwhile, he cannot speak or climb. He exhibited mild anemia, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, and an infection in the upper respiratory tract. Microvilli sparse and vacuolar degeneration of epithelial cells were reported by small intestine biopsy. Whole-exome sequencing showed a novel homozygous splice mutation (c.657+1[IVS6] G>A) in the EPCAM gene. He was treated with TPN and recombinant human growth hormone. After 2 mo, his body weight was up to 8500 g and he has been waiting for small bowel transplantation. Conclusion CTE is rare but fatal. Patients with CTE require rapid diagnosis and therapy to improve their survival.

Background Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women, yet effective targets and related candidate compounds for breast cancer treatment are still lacking. The lipogenic enzyme, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1), has been considered a potential target for breast cancer treatment. Icaritin (ICT), a prenylflavonoid derivative from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Epimedii Herba, has been reported to exert anticancer effects in various types of cancer. The purpose of the present study was to explore the effect of the new ICT derivative, IC2, targeting SCD1 on breast cancer cells and to explore the specific mechanism. Methods Immunohistochemistry and semiquantitative evaluation were performed to detect the expression level of SCD1 in normal and tumor samples. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) technology was used to target SCD1 by molecular docking simulation, and several new ICT derivatives were prepared by conventional chemical synthesis. Cell viability was evaluated by an MTT assay and dead cell staining. SCD1 expression in cancer cells was determined by Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses. The enzymatic activity of SCD1 was evaluated by detecting the conversion rate of [d31] palmitic acid (PA) using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). DAPI staining, flow cytometry and Western blot were used to detect cell apoptosis. Mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) assays were used to determine cell mitochondrial function. Lentiviral transduction was utilized to generate SCD1-overexpressing cell lines. Results We found that SCD1 was overexpressed and correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. Among a series of ICT derivatives, in vitro data showed that IC2 potentially inhibited the viability of breast cancer cells, and the mechanistic study revealed that IC2 treatment resulted in ROS activation and cellular apoptosis. We demonstrated that IC2 inhibited SCD1 activity and expression in breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, SCD1 overexpression alleviated IC2-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Conclusions The new ICT derivative, IC2, was developed to induce breast cancer cell apoptosis by inhibiting SCD1, which provides a basis for the development of IC2 as a potential clinical compound for breast cancer treatment.

In the paper, the authors review several refinements of Young's integral inequality via several mean value theorems, such as Lagrange's and Taylor's mean value theorems of Lagrange's and Cauchy's type remainders, and via several fundamental inequalities, such as Cebysev's integral inequality, Hermite--Hadamard's type integral inequalities, Holder's integral inequality, and Jensen's discrete and integral inequalities, in terms of higher order derivatives and their norms, survey several applications of several refinements of Young's integral inequality, and further refine Young's integral inequality via Polya's type integral inequalities.

Coal chemical industry plays a critical role in China’s economic growth and energy security. However, its carbon-intensity characteristics cause a large number of CO2 emissions during coal chemicals production. Facing intense pressure to reduce CO2 emissions, it is urgent to seek synergistic development between CO2 emissions reduction and coal chemical engineering. A nonlinear programming (NLP) approach is proposed to optimize the deployment of China’s coal chemical industry under carbon constraints. The NLP model is pursuing the minimum CO2 emission per unit value of gross output of coal to chemicals sector (CPUVGC) with simultaneously satisfying economic growth. Twelve main categories coal chemical products and six measures or technologies of CO2 emission reduction are taken into consideration in the NLP model, based on which a short-term (2020), mid-term (2030) and long-term (2050) deployment of coal chemical industry under restriction of CO2 emissions are investigated, and sensitivity or uncertainty analysis of effects of crude oil price (COP), which have a significant impact on coal chemicals price, on CO2 emission reduction target also is performed. Three scenarios involved 100% (positive), 50% (moderate) and 25% (conservative) of the predicted target of CO2 emissions reduction from different technologies or measures of CO2 emissions reduction are analyzed in different periods. At the end, the development roadmap (2020-2030-2050) of coal chemical industry under carbon constraints is plotted and some specific suggestions and safeguard measures are also provided to guarantee implement of the planning.

In the short note, by virtue of several formulas and identities for special values of the Bell polynomials of the second kind, the authors provide an alternative proof of a closed formula for central factorial numbers of the second kind. Moreover, the authors pose two open problems on closed form of a special Bell polynomials of the second kind and on closed form of a finite sum involving falling factorials.

Background and aims A co-transplanted liver allograft has been thought to protect other organs from rejection-mediated injury; however, detailed analyses of co-transplanted liver on intestinal allograft outcomes have not been conducted to date. The aim of the study was to compare immune-mediated injury, causes of graft failure and clinical outcomes between recipients who underwent either a liver-inclusive intestinal transplant (LITx) or liver-exclusive intestinal transplant (LETx). Methods Between May 2000 and May 2010, 212 adult patients undergoing LITx (n =76) and LETx (n =136) were included. LITx underwent either liver combined intestinal or full multivisceral transplantation. LETx underwent either isolated intestinal or modified multivisceral transplantation. Results During 44.9 ± 31.4 months of follow-up, death-censored intestinal graft survival was significantly higher for LITx than LETx (96.9%, 93.2% and 89.9% vs 91.4%, 69.3% and 60.0% at 1, 3 and 5 years; p =0.0001). Incidence of graft loss due to rejection was higher in LETx than in LITx (30.9% vs 6.6%; p

A nonlinear programming (NLP) model has been established to describe the process of low rank coal pyrolysis, and the model was validated through comparison with pilot or semi-industry technologies. Results showed good agreement with actual production values, suggesting that the model can be regarded as a general one for simulating low rank coal pyrolysis. On the basis of this model, the products’ distributions and energy penalties can be obtained from the coal pyrolysis process. In this study, the NLP model was used to simulate typical five pyrolysis processes such as the Toscoal process, Lurgi–Ruhrgas process, Char Oil Energy Development technology, Dalian University of Technology process, and Multistage Rotary Furnace technology from China Coal Research Institute, and Hulunbuir lignite was taken as a coal sample. Combined with the simulation results from the NLP model, effects of the key parameters on the performance of the pyrolysis technologies are investigated and a comprehensive evaluation in terms ...

Based on the industrial technology from coke oven gas to synthetic natural gas, a process of CO2 recycle assistance with coke oven gas to synthetic natural gas is proposed, simulated, and optimized. The effects of key parameters on the performance of new system are investigated and the optimum parameters are determined. The coke oven gas reacts with the recycled CO2 separated from the CO2-rich exhaust gas to produce syngas for synthetic natural gas production. This CO2 recycle can significantly improve the hydrogen utilization efficiency in coke oven gas, which does not only increases the synthetic natural gas production and thus enhancing energy efficiency, but also reduces the CO2 emission simultaneously. The results show that the energy and exergy efficiency (79.0% and 81.1%) of the new process is increased by 6.3 and 6.6 percent points, synthetic natural gas production cost and direct CO2 emission reduced by 0.05 US$/m3 and 99.9%, whereas the synthetic natural gas output increased by 20%, in comparison with the conventional coke oven gas to synthetic natural gas process. The proposed system provides a promising way for future improvements of coke oven gas to synthetic natural gas process, and can also be a guide for CO2 utilization or CO2 emission reduction in coking industry.

A process of CO 2 recycle to supply carbon for assisting with coke oven gas to methanol process is proposed to realize clean and efficient coke oven gas utilization. Two CO 2 recycle schemes with respect to coke oven gas, namely with and without H 2 separation before reforming, are developed. It is revealed that the process with H 2 separation is more beneficial to element and energy efficiency improvement, and it also presents a better techno-economic performance in comparison with the conventional coke oven gas to methanol process. The exergy efficiency, direct CO 2 emission, and internal rate of return of the process with H 2 separation are 73.9%, 0.69 t/t-methanol, and 35.1%, respectively. This excellent performance implies that reforming technology selection, H 2 utilization efficiency, and CO 2 recycle ways have important influences on the performance of the coke oven gas to methanol process. The findings of this study represent significant progress for future improvements of the coke oven gas to methanol process, especially CO 2 conversion integrated with coke oven gas utilization in the coking industry.

Acute lung injury (ALI) and respiratory distress syndrome are common, potentially lethal injuries that predominantly occur following chest trauma. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable conserved non-coding RNAs that are widely expressed in different organs. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have shown whether circRNAs are involved in traumatic lung injury (TLI). The aim of the present study was to identify highly expressed circRNAs in plasma samples from patients with TLI and explore their potential functions in the pathogenesis of TLI. A high-throughput circRNA microarray was used to investigate the expression profile of circRNAs in plasma samples from five patients with TLI and paired control samples. Subsequently, a total of five abnormally expressed circRNAs were investigated using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). A bioinformatics analysis was performed to predict a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. In addition, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were used to identify the main biological processes and pathways. Finally, additional samples were tested to identify the expression profiles of the selected circRNAs. Among the 310 circRNAs that were highly expressed in the microarray analysis, 60 were upregulated and 250 were downregulated in patients with TLI. RT-qPCR results indicated that two downregulated circRNAs (circ_102927 and circ_100562) and one upregulated circRNA (circ_101523) matched the microarray results. The bioinformatics analysis constructed a targeting network based on the three validated circRNAs. GO and KEGG analyses identified the top ten enriched annotations. The expression of homo sapiens circular RNA 102927 (hsa_circRNA_102927) in the plasma of patients with TLI was 0.34-fold compared with the control group in expanded size validation. The results of the present study identified the differentially expressed circRNAs in the plasma of patients with TLI and provided evidence that highly expressed circRNAs involved in the ceRNA network may serve a role in the pathophysiology of TLI.

Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) has increasingly emerged as an important cause of allograft loss after intestinal transplantation (ITx). Compelling evidence indicates that donor-specific antibodies can mediate and promote acute and chronic rejection after ITx. However, diagnostic criteria for ABMR after ITx have not been established yet and the mechanisms of antibody-mediated graft injury are not well-known. Effective approaches to prevent and treat ABMR are required to improve long-term outcomes of intestine recipients. Clearly, ABMR after ITx has become an important area for research and clinical investigation.

Negative pressure wound treatment (NPWT) refers to apply a highly porous material between the wound and a semipermeable membrane, and it is then connected to a suction apparatus, leading to a minimal deformation of wound, resulting in promoting cell proliferation and wound repair. These devices may significantly expedite wound healing, facilitate the formation of granulation tissue, and reduce the complexity of subsequent reconstructive operations. In recent years, along with wide clinical use, the therapeutic effect of NPWT has been recognized, but the mechanism of its clinical effect still needs further research. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2014.08.15

A study of rare earth effects on inclusion modality of 8Cr4MoV cold work roll steels was carried out in the laboratory, the steels smelting by a 50kg vacuum induction furnace, atmospheric casting, processing sample after annealing, then inspecting the steels’microstructure, inclusion modality and composition; The results showed that the steels’ microstructure fine, micro-hardness increased with increasing rare earth content, while the average size of inclusions decreased significantly, also the morphology and composition of inclusions significantly changed from the angular black manganese sulfide to the ball white sulfur oxides of rare earth, and thus played roles of deoxidation, desulfurization, purification and deterioration of liquid steel , it will help improving the fatigue performance of the work roll.

Objective In this study we aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of fast-track surgery (FTS) combined with laparoscopy for treating patients with rectal cancer and compare the results with those of the conventional perioperative intervention group. Methods A total of 120 patients with rectal cancer were prospectively randomly assigned to the FTS combined with laparoscopy group and the conventional perioperative intervention plus laparoscopy group from November 2011 to November 2012. All patients received radical anterior resection with total mesorectal excision. Their baseline characteristics and the perioperative outcomes were recorded for analyses. Results Compared with the conventional perioperative intervention group, the fast-track protocol combined with laparoscopy could shorten the time to the first flatus (53.44 ± 23.64 h vs 67.85 ± 20.12 h, P = 0.001) and first defecation (65.23 ± 22.24 h vs 86.98 ± 24.85 h, P = 0.000) after operation, accelerate the decrease of white blood cell count (P

Accumulating evidence suggested that the irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have potential to override the acquired resistance to target-based therapies. Herein, we reported IC-4 as a novel irreversible TKI for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). IC-4 potentially suppressed proliferation, induced apoptosis and a G2/M cell cycle arrest in breast cancer cells, correlating with inhibition of EGF-induced EGFR activation, but independent of DNA damage. In addition, IC-4 exhibited anti-angiogenetic activities both in vitro and in vivo. It suppressed cell viability and proliferation induced by various growth factors in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). IC-4 also inhibited HUVECs migration and tube formation. In transgenic zebrafish embryo model, IC-4 was shown to suppress formation of intersegmental vessel and development of subintestinal vessels. Taken together, these results demonstrated that IC-4 is a new irreversible EGFR-TKI, exhibiting potent anti-breast cancer and anti-angiogenetic effects.

Triterpenoids isolated from Ganoderma lucidum are a class of naturally occurring compounds and structurally highly oxidized lanostanes. Accumulated data show that triterpenoids exhibit a broad spectrum of anti-cancer properties, including anti-proliferative, anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic activities. A systematic summary and knowledge of future prospects are necessary to facilitate further studies on this species.This review aims to summarize and analyze the current knowledge on the anti-cancer properties and mechanisms of G. lucidum triterpenoids (GLTs) and discuss the future prospects of the application of GLTs in cancer treatment.Extensive research over the last 10 years has provided evidence of the anti-cancer activities of GLTs in different stages of carcinogenesis. These activities include cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis and autophagy, and suppression of metastasis and angiogenesis. However, the exact molecular mechanisms involved in these processes remain unclear. Androgen receptor, nuclear factor-kappa B, activator protein-1, p53 and 14-3-3 are reportedly involved in the anti-cancer properties of GLTs. Animal models further shed light on the development of GLTs as anti-cancer agents. However, more research and clinical trials are necessary to exploit these compounds.

Aim To investigate the incidence, risk factors and clinical outcomes of acute antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) after intestinal transplantation (ITx). Methods A retrospective single-center analysis was performed to identify cases of acute ABMR after ITx, based on the presence of donor-specific antibody (DSA), acute tissue damage, C4d deposition, and allograft dysfunction. Results Acute ABMR was identified in 18 (10.3%) out of 175 intestinal allografts with an average occurrence of 10 d (range, 4-162) after ITx. All acute ABMR cases were presensitized to donor human leukocyte antigens class I and/or II antigens with a detectable DSA. A positive cross-match was seen in 14 (77.8%) cases and twelve of 18 patients (66.7%) produced newly-formed DSA following ITx. Histological characteristics of acute ABMR include endothelial C4d deposits, interstitial hemorrhage, and severe congestion with focal fibrin thrombin in the lamina propria capillaries. Multivariate analysis identified a liver-free graft and high level of panel reactive antibody as a significant independent risk factor. Despite initial improvement after therapy, eleven recipients (61.1%) lost transplant secondary to rejection. Of those, 9 (50%) underwent graft removal and 4 (22.2%) received second transplantation following acute ABMR. At an average follow-up of 32.3 mo (range, 13.3-76.4), 8 (44.4%) recipients died. Conclusion Our results indicate that acute ABMR is an important cause of intestine graft dysfunction, particularly in a liver-exclusive graft and survivors are at an increased risk of developing refractory acute rejection and chronic rejection. More effective strategies to prevent and manage acute ABMR are needed to improve outcomes.

Solasodine, a steroidal alkaloid isolated from solanaceous species, exhibits anticancer activities on several cell lines. This study aimed to explore the antitumor potential of solasodine on ovarian cancer cells. The MTT assay, lactate dehydrogenase release assay, Hoechst 33342 staining, 5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethyl-imidacarbocyanine staining assay, and Annexin V/PI assay were conducted to investigate the antiproliferation and apoptosis-inducing effects of solasodine. Monodansylcadaverine staining was performed to label the acidic puncta on ovarian cancer HEY cells. A wound healing assay and Transwell assay were carried out to determine whether solasodine elicits an antimetastatic effect on HEY cells. A gelatin zymography assay was applied to detect the enzymatic activities of matrix metalloproteinases. Western blot was employed to examine relevant protein expression. Results revealed that solasodine inhibited cell viabilities in a time- and dose-dependent manner, triggered apoptotic body formation, reduced cell mitochondrial membrane potential, and interfered with autolysosome degradation in ovarian cancer cells. Solasodine also suppressed the migration and invasion of HEY cells by downregulating matrix metalloproteinase expression and activities. This study could be used as a basis for further studies on the molecular mechanisms of the antiproliferation, apoptosis-inducing, autophagy-modifying, and antimetastatic activities of solasodine.

Cast performance study of 8Cr4MoV cold work roll steels with four kinds of different rare earth content was carried out in the laboratory, the steels smelting by 50kg vacuum induction furnace, atmospheric casting, processing sample after annealing, then inspecting the microstructure, mechanical properties and micro-fracture characteristics of the steels; The results showed that the steels’ microstructure fine, micro-hardness and tensile strength increased with increasing rare earth content, while the shrinkage to eliminate, the micro-fracture characteristics of the tensile specimen showed a tendency of the cleavage unit narrowing and reduction of secondary cracks, and also the ductility improved.

A roll barrel breakdown accident took place on CSP mill. After investigating of the accident scene and the roll service condition, analysing the barrel fracture and sampling tests, proved that main cause for the roll breakdown was unusual and there appeared a strip-like crack on the boundary layer resulting from the initial flaws extending along the roll circle direction; furthermore, the flaws caused fatigue breakage along the roll inner cross section, which resulted in the barrel breakdown.

Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.) Karst is a traditional Chinese herb that has been widely used for centuries to treat various diseases including cancer. Herein, an ethanol-soluble and acidic component (ESAC), which mainly contains triterpenes, was prepared from G. lucidum and its anti-tumor effects in vitro were tested on human breast cancer cells. Our results showed that ESAC reduced the cell viability of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 of about 100 μg/mL and 60 μg/mL, respectively. DNA damage was detected by Comet assay and the increased expression of γ-H2AX after ESAC treatment was determined in MCF-7 cells. Moreover, ESAC effectively mediated G1 cell cycle arrest in both concentration- and time-dependent manners and induced apoptosis as determined by Hoechst staining, DNA fragment assay and Western blot analysis in MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, ESAC exerts anti-proliferation effects by inducing DNA damage, G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.

Thermal stability and thermal fatigue performance tests of four kinds of cold work roll steels were done. There are indications that after isothermal 2～6 hours under conditions of 400°C～720°C, the best is 8Cr5SiMoV steel, its thermal stability grows up as isothermal time increase; the second is 8Cr4MoV steel; the worse are 8Cr5MoV steel and 9Cr3MoV steel; and all the thermal stability of four kinds of cold work roll steels are lower than 400°C. Thermal fatigue performance of four kinds of cold work roll steels are basically same as their thermal stability, i.e. the best is 8Cr5SiMoV steel, and the second is 8Cr4MoV steel.

Rolling friction and abrasion test of high NiCr indefinite chilled iron roll material was developed on Arms Abrasion Tester made in Japan. The results showed that among two groups of samples with laser surface remelted-strengthening, C2 group samples of higher laser power and quicker linear speed had higher wear-resistance, and №6 sample of C2 group has the best with 1.5 mm beam diameter, 240-250W power and 30 mm/s linear speed, its total wear extent of three work conditions was only 16.3mg, and its wear-resistance increased 34.8% compared with №3 sample which had the best wear-resistance in C1 group without laser surface remelted-strengthening,; and for contrast of average wear-resistance of three work conditions, C2 group increased 49.3% compared with C1 group, it was showed that the effect of laser surface remelted-strengthening on high NiCr indefinite chilled iron roll material were very evident.

Exoskeleton suit is a kind of human-machine robot, which combines the human’s intelligence with the power of mechanism. NES-3 is a pure motor actuated power assist exoskeleton suit. A special mechanical design using backstay cable for transmission system is proposed in the paper. The design can depart the motor from its control object which make the leg of NES-3 is very light and reduces the power cosumption of the operator. An extend gas spring is used in the hip joint to conquer the rotation torque of the load. A compress gas spring is used in the knee joint which can make the knee joint bend naturally. The two gas springs also can save the operator’s power cosumption. Detailed mechanical design is showed in the paper and achieves its design objecttive.

The photostimulated reaction of halonaphthalene with a series of carbanions derived from propionic acid derivatives in liquid ammonia led to the naphthylation at α-carbon of the carbanions in an isolated yield ranging from 25% to 86%. In all cases, the dehalonaphthalenes were found to be by-products and the reaction was inhibited by p-dinitrobenzene. An electron transfer from the carbanion to the halonaphthalene followed by ejection of halogen led to naphthyl radical, as predicted by comparing the LUMOs of the carbanions and the halonaphthalenes, was involved in the process. Absence of the alkylnaphthalene and 1,2-dinaphthylalkane in the products indicates the smooth electron transfer between (Naph-Nu)− and Naph-X. C-vs. O-naphthylation is fully addressed in terms of MNDO calculations and acid-base principle.