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Biodegradable aliphatic polyesters have been widely used in biomedical fields owing to their good biocompatibility. One big challenge is to precisely modulate their degradation rate and degradation products under physiological conditions. In this work, we designed and synthesized two types of poly(4-hydroxybutyric acid) derivatives that can quickly depolymerize via intramolecular cyclization into corresponding γ-butyrolactone derivatives under physiological conditions. The polymers were synthesized by the Passerini multicomponent polymerization of OEG-NC and ethyl ( E )-4-oxo-but-2-enoate, followed by hydrogenation. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were used to follow the degradation of these polyesters under physiological conditions (pD 7.4 buffer solution, 37 °C). It was demonstrated that the molar mass of the polyester gradually decreased with time together with the increase of the amount of corresponding γ-butyrolactone derivatives as the only degradation product. After 1 d, 85% of the polyester was degraded. When the pH of the buffer was decreased to 6.8 or a mixture of buffer and acetone was used as the degradation media, the degradation was slowed down, but γ-butyrolactone derivatives are still the only degradation products, implying that increase of the medium polarity and pH can accelerate the degradation. Three small model molecules that mimic the polymer repeating unit, end group, and degradation product were synthesized and their hydrolysis were investigated under identical conditions. Based on these results, we confirm that under physiological conditions, no random degradation via hydrolysis of the polyester backbone occurred. The degradation mechanism was thus elucidated. The first step is the fast head-to-tail depolymerization of the polyester via intramolecular cyclization, forming γ-butyrolactone derivatives as the only products. Then, slow hydrolysis of γ-butyrolactone derivatives into 4-hydroxy butyrate occurred. This type of polyester is the first reported depolymerizable polyester with simple structure under physiological conditions. Our current efforts are end-capping these polymers with various stimuli-responsive functional groups to develop new self-immolative polymers that can be used in biomedical fields as drug carriers.

This study explored the mechanism of Shenling Baizhu Powder(SLBZP) in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes from the perspective of flora disorder and chronic inflammation. Fifty rats were randomly divided into normal control group, model control group, low-dose SLBZP group, medium-dose SLBZP group, and high-dose SLBZP group, with 10 rats in each group. The rats of 5 weeks old were administrated by gavage with ultrapure water and different doses of SLBZP decoction. The basic indicators such as body weight and blood glucose were monitored every week, and stool and intestinal contents were collected from the rats of 9 weeks old for 16 S rRNA sequencing and metabolomic analysis. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure the serum biochemical indicators, ELISA to measure serum insulin, and chipsets to measure leptin and inflammatory cytokines. The results showed that SLBZP reduced the body weight as well as blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and lipid levels. In the rats of 9 weeks, the relative abundance of Anaerostipes, Turicibacter, Bilophila, Ochrobactrum, Acinetobacter, and Prevotella decreased significantly in the model control group, which can be increased in the high-dose SLBZP group; the relative abundance of Psychrobacter, Lactobacillus, Roseburia and Staphylococcus significantly increased in the model control group, which can be down-regulated in the high-dose SLBZP group. The differential metabolites of intestinal flora included 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid, phenylpyruvic acid, octanoic acid, 3-indolepropionic acid, oxoglutaric acid, malonic acid, 3-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, and methylmalonic acid. Moreover, SLBZP significantly lowered the levels of free insulin, insulin resistance and leptin resistance in rats. The variations in the serum levels of interleukin 1β(IL-1β) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1) showed that SLBZP could alleviate chronic inflammation in rats. In conclusion, SLBZP can regulate intestinal flora and metabolites and relieve chronic inflammation to control obesity and prevent type 2 diabetes.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Clinical characteristics of patients with CC. Abbreviations: CC, Cervical carcinoma.

Additional file 4: Table S3. Analysis of factors affecting the prognosis of patients with esophageal carcinoma.

Objective. A case-control study was conducted to explore the efficacy of cohort study and value of CT perfusion imaging in patients with metastatic osteosarcoma after chemotherapy. Methods. Eighty patients with metastatic osteosarcoma treated in our hospital from March 2020 to December 2021 were divided into two groups. According to their different treatment methods, the chemotherapy+antiangiogenesis group had 36 cases and the chemotherapy group had 44 cases. All patients were scanned by 64-slice spiral CT before and after treatment. The differences of tumor volume and perfusion parameters before and after treatment were compared, and the correlation between perfusion parameters and tumor microvessel density (MVD) was analyzed. The receiver working curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate the efficacy of the two groups after chemotherapy. Results. Blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), Pallak blood volume (PBV), and time to start (TTS) in the antitumor angiogenesis+chemotherapy group were significantly lower than those before treatment ( P < 0.05 ). Microvessel density was positively correlated with PS, BF, BV, and PBV ( P < 0.05 ). The reduction rate of BV and BF in the remission group after treatment was significantly higher than that in the nonremission group. When the BV and BF decline rates were 47.37% and 21.53% and the areas under the curve were 0.968 and 0.916, respectively, the diagnostic effect was the best. When the decrease rate of BV was 47.48% and the decrease rate of BF was 21.55%, the sensitivity was 94.72% and 89.56% and the specificity was 91.31% and 91.31%. Conclusion. The reduction rate of BV and BF in CT perfusion imaging is of high value in evaluating the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC and can provide more objective basis for observing the changes and judging the prognosis of osteosarcoma after treatment.

Purpose Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), a common complication of diabetes mellitus and is characterized by myocardial hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), a natural nutrient, exerts strong protection against various myocardial diseases. Pyroptosis, a type of inflammation-related programmed cell death, is vital to the development of DCM. However, the protective effects of PQQ against DCM and the associated mechanisms are not clear. This study aimed to investigate whether PQQ protected against DCM and to determine the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods Diabetes was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin, after which the mice were administered PQQ orally (10, 20, or 40 mg/kg body weight/day) for 12 weeks. AC16 human myocardial cells were divided into the following groups and treated accordingly: control (5.5 mmol/L glucose), high glucose (35 mmol/L glucose), and HG + PQQ groups (1 and 10 nmol/L PQQ). Cells were treated for 24 h. Results PQQ reduced myocardial hypertrophy and the area of myocardial fibrosis, which was accompanied by an increase in antioxidant function and a decrease in inflammatory cytokine levels. Moreover, myocardial hypertrophy—(ANP and BNP), myocardial fibrosis—(collagen I and TGF-β1), and pyroptosis-related protein levels decreased in the PQQ treatment groups. Furthermore, PQQ abolished mitochondrial dysfunction and the activation of NF-κB/IκB, and decreased NLRP3 inflammation-mediated pyroptosis in AC16 cells under high-glucose conditions. Conclusion PQQ improved DCM in diabetic mice by inhibiting NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated cell pyroptosis. Long-term dietary supplementation with PQQ may be greatly beneficial for the treatment of DCM. Graphical abstract Diagram of the underlying mechanism of the effects of PQQ on DCM. PQQ inhibits ROS generation and NF-κB activation, which stimulates activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and regulates the expression of caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18. The up-regulated inflammatory cytokines trigger myocardial hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis and promote the pathological process of DCM.

This research was to evaluate the economics of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional therapy for patients with coronary heart disease(CHD) in Chinese medical environment. From the perspective of medical insurance, a Markov model was established in this study based on the results of Meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dripping Pills combined with conventional treatment and conventional treatment alone. The experimental group was treated with She-xiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional Western medicine treatment, while the control group was treated with conventional Western medicine treatment alone. The cost-utility analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed for the two regimens using Treeage pro. After 30 cycles of model simulation, according to the results of Markov model, the total cost and health output were CNY 237 795.73 and 16.36 QALYs(the quality adjusted life years, QALYs), respectively for Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional Western medicine treatment, CNY 247 396.55 and 16.36 QALYs respectively for the conventional Western medicine treatment alone. Compared with the conventional treatment alone, the Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional treatment had lower long-term cost and higher health output, with advantages of cost-utility and pharmacoeconomic advantages. The sensitivity analysis results showed that the conclusion was relatively stable. Based on the above results, it is considered that compared with the conventional Western medicine alone, Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill combined with conventional Western medicine is a treatment regimen with pharmacoeconomic advantages for the treatment of CHD.

With the rapid development of intelligent image processing and computer vision, interpreting and extracting emotion information from images have become a hot research topic, especially the studies on film and television scene images with rich expressions and certain feelings from the aspect of audience. To investigate the distribution of emotions and its affect on the result of machine learning, this paper established the emotion classification models with different salient and non-salient regions based on self-built dataset from film and television works. Three salient extraction algorithms were used to the regional segmentation, and the color and texture features of each region were extracted. Emotion classification models were established based on SVM and RF algorithms respectively. Since features of the salient region could not cover all the information of the original image, the prediction accuracy of the unprocessed image was the highest. Nevertheless, when models made an error in the emotion prediction of the original image, the experimental results of salient region could get the correct answer under the certain circumstances. Through the analysis, the areas of interest can be used for emotion prediction to reduce the redundancy; however, to make it more accurate, the appropriate salient region extraction algorithm should be selected for different types of images and features. Our study provides data and theoretical guidance for image understanding and retrieval, and it has practical significance for more detailed classification based on the affective sensation.

In heart transplantation, time restriction is an unavoidable thorny problem during cardiac transport. Cold storage is an important organ preservation method in donor heart transport. Cold-inducible RNA binding protein (CIRBP) has been proven to play a protective role under cold stress. In this study, we investigated the role of CIRBP in hypothermic cardioprotection during heart preservation in UW solution and explored a new approach to extend the heart preservation time. Cirbp-knockout (Cirbp-/- ), Cirbp-transgenic (Cirbp-Tg), and wild-type rats were, respectively, randomized into two groups based on various heart preservation times (6 or 12-hour group) (n = 8 per group). After preservation in UW solution, all hearts were mounted on a Langendorff apparatus and underwent measurement of cardiac parameters, histological analysis, and molecular study. Within the 6-hour preservation group, no significant difference was found in cardiac functions and histological changes between different rat species. However, after 12 hours of preservation, Cirbp-/- rat hearts showed more apoptosis and worse cardiac function, but less apoptosis and better cardiac function were observed in Cirbp-Tg rat hearts. Furthermore, we found CIRBP-mediated cardiac ubiquinone (CoQ10 ) biosynthesis plays an important role in extending heart preservation, and ubiquinone biosynthesis protein COQ9 was an essential down-stream regulator during this process. Finally, we found that zr17-2, a CIRBP agonist, could enhance the expression of CIRBP, which further enhances the synthesis of CoQ10 and promotes scavenging of reactive oxygen species and ATP production to extend heart preservation. This study demonstrated that CIRBP-enhanced CoQ10 biosynthesis during hypothermic heart preservation and zr17-2-supplemented UW solution could be a promising approach to ameliorate heart damage and extend heart preservation during cardiac transport.

Objective Many physiological and pathological conditions, including cyanotic congenital heart diseases (CCHD), are accompanied by chronic hypoxia, which might interfere with the transcription process. However, the transcriptome profile in peripheral blood under hypoxia is still unidentified. The present work aimed to explore the transcriptional profile alteration of peripheral blood in chronic hypoxia. Methods The present study used a chronic hypoxia rat model to simulate the hypoxic state of CCHD patients. Two groups of Sprague-Dawley rats (

In order to improve the accuracy of the risk analysis of the hydrogen fluoride industrial production process, the HAZOP and LOAP methods were combined to conduct a semi-quantitative risk analysis of the rotary reactor in the hydrogen fluoride production unit to study the danger during the reaction. Firstly, HAZOP is used to analyze the possible consequences of the six deviations and propose corresponding safety measures. One hazardous scenarios is selected from the HAZOP analysis and LOPA analysis is performed. The LOPA calculation is used to compare the quantitative values with the risk tolerance values. By taking security measures to reduce the risk of dangerous scenarios that exceed the risk tolerance to an acceptable level. The results show that HAZOP-LOPA analysis can accurately identify potential safety hazards and improve the safety management level of enterprises.

Five rare earth-indole carboxylic acid complexes: [Eu(IAA)2(phen)2]·NO3 (1) (IAA = indole acetic acid, phen = o-phenanthroline); [Nd(IAA)2(phen)2]·NO3 (2); [Er(IBA)3(phen)](phen)·HNO3·H2O (3) (IBA = indole butyric acid); [Ce(IBA)3(phen)](phen)·HNO3·H2O (4); [Dy(IBA)3(phen)](phen)·HNO3·H2O (5) were synthesized and characterized. Then, we reported their properties as dye adsorption and fluorescence sensing for the first time. The fluorescence explorations demonstrated that complex 1 exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for nitro aromatic compounds with high sensitivity (1.49 × 107 M−1) and low detection limit (11.40 µM). Meanwhile, these complexes also exhibit stronger selective adsorption of dye molecules (MB and MG) in aqueous solution. This study provides new physical insights into the rational design of lanthanide complexes based on multifunctional materials. We firstly reported five lanthanide complexes and displayed fluorescence sensing and selective adsorption dye properties.

Fire risk assessment is the basic way to reduce and control the fire of high-rise buildings. In this essay the factors that affect the fire of high-rise buildings are analyzed to set up assessment index system of the fire rise for high-rise buildings whose main factors are fire safety hardware facilities, fire safety evacuation ability, building fire prevention capability and building fire safety management status. The gray risk degree method, AHP and the fuzzy evaluation method are used to establish the mathematical model. This model is applied to analyze and compare the fire risk of 5 high-rise buildings, such as Shaanxi Information Building, Zhongguancun Science and Technology Building and so on. The results show that the fire safety level of the high-rise buildings with function of office represented by the Shaanxi Information Building is “good”, but the fire extinguishing system and the fire elevator equipment still need to be checked and maintained regularly, while the fire safety level of the high-rise buildings with the functions of shopping malls and residential buildings is “medium”, which needs re-reasonable division of fire and smoke partition and improvement of the emergency response capability.

In order to understand the effect of moisture on the pyrolysis process of micro-emulsified diesel fuel, the pyrolysis characteristics of micro-emulsified diesel fuel were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis. Thermogravimetric experiments on micro-emulsified diesel fuel with various water contents (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%) and heating rates (10℃/min, 30℃/min, 50℃/min) were conducted. The results showed that the samples were evaporated slowly in the initial stage of the pyrolysis process. Then the water was evaporated and the pyrolysis was accelerated. In the later stage, the samples were pyrolyzed deeply and the loss of weight was greatest. The pyrolysis gradually stopped in the last stage. In addition, the loss of thermogravimetric weight for micro-emulsified diesel fuel tended to lower temperature area with the increasing of water content. Moisture can slow down the pyrolysis process of micro-emulsified diesel fuel. With the increasing of heating rate, the evaporation hysteresis occurred and the effect of pyrolysis was getting better.

In order to realistic study of fire accidents in tunnel, according to the uncertainty and fuzziness of accident, the model of fault tree is established for Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel after Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge closed, and with the triangular fuzzy theory, the estimate of base event is obtained by scoring of the relevant professional, and the probable range of top event is calculated. In addition, the fuzzy importance is obtained by the median method of triangular fuzzy theory, to find the fuzzy importance of basic event. Then the fire prevention measures are proposed for Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel. The results show that the possibility of uncontrolled fire is small in Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel. Among them, fire rescue no arriving in time, no knowledge of fire extinguishing, vehicle collision on fire and auto-alarm failure are main factors leading to catastrophic fire. Thus, it is of great significance to strengthen the fire-fighting knowledge of personnel and the capacity of automatic fire-fighting for the tunnel itself, to reduce the occurrence of fire in tunnel.

Four novel complexes, [CoL(H2O)] (1), [ZnL(H2O)] (2), [Ni(HL)2(H2O)2]·2H2O (3), and [CdL(H2O)]·H2O (4) (L = 5-aminoisophthalic acid), were successfully synthesized by the reaction of transition metal salts and 5-aminoisophthalic acid at hydrothermal conditions. The four complexes were characterized by element analysis, infrared spectra, UV–vis spectra, powder X-ray diffraction analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis showed that the four complexes were 3D network structures and contained pores with sizes of 7.05 to 14.67 A. In addition, we investigated the photodegradation ability of the four complexes for phenol solution under UV irradiation. The results showed that the four complexes had a different degree of degradation ability to phenol solution. At the same time, we found that the degradation process was in accordance with the pseudo-second-order dynamics model, that is, the rate of degradation is controlled by the extra-particle process such as surface adso...

Four new complexes, [Cd(L1)(NO3)2(H2O)] (1), [Co(L1)Cl2]·(CH3)2CO (2), {[Cu(L1)(μ-Cl)2CuCl2]·H2O·CH3CN}n (3) and [Ni(L1∗)2(H2O)2]·4H2O (4), were synthesized at room temperature or hydrothermal conditions based on triazine-pyrazole ligand L1 and L1* and transition metal Co (II), Ni (II), Cu (II) and Cd (II) salts. (L1: 2,4,6-tri(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazine; L1*: 6-(3,5-Dimethyl-2,5-dihydro-pyrazol-1-yl)-2,4-dione-1,3,5-triazine) The structures of all complexes were determined by elemental analysis, IR spectra, UV spectra and TG analysis. Through the X-ray single crystal diffraction showed that complexes 1 and 2 are 1D chain structures, complex 3 is a 3D network structure and complex 4 is a 2D network structure. In addition, the surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) and electric-field-induced surface photovoltage spectroscopy (EFISPS) results indicate that all complexes can be used as p-type semiconductor. Furthermore, we investigated also the performance of the some complexes in the degradation of organic dyes RhB under UV irradiation. According to observe the experimental phenomenon, it is found that the tested complexes have different certain degree of photodegradation performances. Its photocatalytic effect is better than that of only hydrogen peroxide being involved in the reaction system under the same conditions.

Objective: To study the relationship of peripheral blood TLRs and Tespa1 expression levels with cytokines and oxidative stress in patients with chronic urticaria. Methods: A total of 68 patients who were diagnosed with chronic urticaria and treated in Songzi People’s Hospital clinic between June 2014 and April 2017 were selected as the CU group of the research, and 80 healthy volunteers who received physical examination were selected as the control group. TLR2, TLR7 and Tespa1 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells as well as the levels of Th1/Th2 cytokines and oxidative stress indexes in serum were detected. Results: TLR2 and TLR7 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of CU group were significantly higher than those of control group while Tespa1 mRNA expression was significantly lower than that of control group. Serum IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α, T-AOC, SOD and GSH-Px levels of CU group were significantly lower than those of control group, negatively correlated with peripheral blood TLR2 and TLR7 mRNA expression, and positively correlated with Tespa1 mRNA expression; serum IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-31 and MDA levels were significantly higher than those of control group, positively correlated with peripheral blood TLR2 and TLR7 mRNA expression, and negatively correlated with Tespa1 mRNA expression. Conclusions: The changes in peripheral blood TLR2, TLR7 and Tespa1 expression in patients with chronic urticaria can cause the changes in Th1/Th2 immune response and the activation of oxidative stress.

Nb–Ti–Si-based alloy powders were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) of elemental particles. The evolutions of morphology, size, phase constituents, crystallite size, lattice strain, composition and internal microstructure, etc., of the alloy powders were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), laser particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses. The alloy particles are gradually refined and their shapes become globular with the increase in milling time. The diffraction peaks of Nb solid solution (Nbss) phase shift toward lower 2θ angles during ball milling from 2 to 5 h, and after that Nbss diffraction peaks shift toward higher 2θ angles with the increase in milling time from 5 to 70 h, which is mainly attributed to the alteration of the lattice parameter of Nbss powders due to the solution of the alloying element atoms into Nb lattice to form Nbss. During ball milling process, the decrease in crystallite size and increase in lattice strain of Nbss powders lead to continuous broadening of their diffraction peaks. A typical lamellar microstructure is formed inside the powder particles after ball milling for 5 h and becomes more refined and homogenized with the increase in milling time. After 40-h-ball milling, the typical lamellar microstructure disappears and a very homogeneous microstructure is formed instead. This homogeneous microstructure is proved to be composed of only supersaturated Nbss phase.

Herein, three novel cone thiacalix[4]pseudocrown receptors 1–3, bearing anthraquinone and triazole functions as well as different side arms, were successfully synthesized via a double click reaction as the key step. Their recognition properties have been fully evaluated using optical, electrochemical, and theoretical methods. Receptor 1 features high selectivity for Pb2+, whereas receptor 2 can optically recognize Zn2+ in the presence of Cd2+. This difference of binding specificity to metal ions may be ascribed to the remote tuning effect from the side arms connected to the lower rim of thiacalix[4]arene that realizes the accommodation of binding specificity. Moreover, the plausible coordination modes have been presented.

Under hydrothermal conditions, four new complexes [InCl2(Hphth)(4,4′-bipy)0.5(H2O)]·2H2O (H2phth = phthalic acid, 4,4′-bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine) (1), [InCl4(4,4′-bipyH)(H2O)] (2), [InCl(Hphth)(nia)(H2O)2] (Hnia = nicotinic acid) (3), [InCl(Hnia)2(Hox)2]·3H2O (H2ox = oxalic acid) (4) were synthesized by the reaction of Indium chloride (InCl3) as the metal source with H2phth, Hnia, 4,4′-bipy and H2ox as the ligands. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the complexes 1, 3 and 4 have 3D supramolecular structures with hydrogen bonding interactions and, complex 2 has an extended one-dimensional chain structure, which further forms a 2D supramolecular sheet structure. We discussed and proved the fluorescence sensing functions of these complexes for the different thiamine (TPP, TCl) biomolecules based on a “turn-on” manner. In addition, it is fascinating that these complexes have different potential adsorption characteristics and the adsorption performance of complex 1 was observed to be better than the others. The photoluminescence and dye selective adsorption properties of these complexes have been studied for the first time.

Self-immolative polymers are a special kind of degradable polymers that depolymerize into small molecules through a cascade of reactions upon stimuli-triggered cleavage of the polymer chain ends. This work reports the design and synthesis of a fluoride-triggered self-immolative polyester. A 2,4-disubstitued 4-hydroxy butyrate is first confirmed to quickly cyclize in solution to form a γ-butyrolactone derivative. Then, the Passerini three component reaction (P-3CR) of an AB dimer (A: aldehyde, B: carboxylic acid) with tert-butyl isocyanide or oligo(ethylene glycol) isocyanide affords two poly(2,4-disubstitued 4-hydroxybutyrate) derivatives (P2 and P3). Two silyl ether end-capped polymers (P4 and P5) are abtained from P2 and P3, and their degradation in solution is examined by NMR spectrum and size exclusion chromatography. Polymers P4 and P5 are stable in the absence of tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF), while in the presence of TBAF, the molar masses of P4 and P5 gradually decrease with time together with the increase of the amount of formed 2,4-disubstitued γ-butyrolactone. The depolymerization mechanism is proposed. The first step is the fast removal of the silyl ether by fluoride. Then, the released hydroxyl group initiates the quick head-to-tail depolymerization of the polyester via intramolecular cyclization.

Objective: To assess the levels of serum cytokines, T lymphocyte subsets and STAT3 in patients with herpes zoster as well as the intervention effect of mouse nerve growth factor. Methods: A total of 102 patients with herpes zoster were selected as observation group and received mouse nerve growth factor intervention, and 100 cases of normal people who received physical examination in our hospital during the same period as the healthy control group. The levels of serum Th1/Th2 cytokines, IgG subclass and complements and T lymphocyte subsets as well as STAT3 function of observation group before and after treatment and healthy control group were detected. Results: Serum IL-2 and γ-IFN levels of observation group after treatment were higher than those before treatment while IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and TNF-α毩 levels were lower than those before treatment (P

Microbial fermentation can endow food with unique flavors, increase its nutritional value and enhance functional characteristics. Our previous research has shown that liquid fermentation of soymilk by Bacillus subtilis BSNK-5 imparted new functional properties of to the fermented product via production of nattokinase. In this study, in order to further investigate the changes in the flavor, nutritional quality and functional characteristics of soymilk during fermentation using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) metabolomics to monitor the metabolite profile of BSNK-5-fermented soymilk. A total of 44 differential metabolites were identified between BSNK-5-fermented soymilk and uninoculated/unfermented soymilk, among which the levels of flavor-related substances (acetate, isovalerate and 2-methylbutyrate), nutrient-related substances (12 free amino acids), and functional substances (taurine, GABA and genistein) significantly increased after fermentation. These metabolites were closely associated with eight potential metabolic pathways. This work highlighted the significance of BSNK-5 strain in improving the nutritional quality and functional characteristics of fermented soymilk; however, the use of the strain also caused flavor deterioration. This study lays a theoretical foundation for the improvement and development of fermented soy products via liquid fermentation with B. subtilis.

Three accidents occurred in east China’s Jiangsu Province in March and April, 2019. These accidents sounded the safety alarm for the management of industrial hazardous waste in the “heavy industry” era. This paper explored the internal causes of these accidents through the current situation of the generation, disposal and comprehensive utilization of industrial hazardous waste in China. The results of the analysis showed that the enterprises management systems of hazardous waste had serious problems at the current stage, leading to many potential risks. The chief problem resided in the fact that these systems failed to take full account of safety and environmental protection. Finally, suggestions for improvement were proposed concerning the above problems.

Objective Many physiological and pathological conditions, including cyanotic congenital heart diseases (CCHD), are accompanied by chronic hypoxia, which might interfere with the transcription process. However, the transcriptome profile in peripheral blood under hypoxia is still unidentified. The present work aimed to explore the transcriptional profile alteration of peripheral blood in chronic hypoxia. Methods The present study used a chronic hypoxia rat model to simulate the hypoxic state of CCHD patients. Two groups of Sprague-Dawley rats (n=6 per group) were either exposed to hypoxia (10% O2) or normoxia (21% O2) for 3 weeks. Body weight was measured weekly. Peripheral blood was collected and total RNA was extracted for RNA-Seq at the end of the hypoxia treatment. After quality assessment, the library was sequenced by the Illumina Hiseq platform. The differentially expressed genes were screened (false discovery rate 2). The functional annotation analysis and cluster analysis of differentially expressed genes were performed based on the adjusted P-value (padj

During the process of filling the oxygen cylinder, if the flammable gases such as H2 and C2H2 are also filled into the cylinder, there may be an explosion, which may threaten the production safety. In order to prevent this, a real-time detection of cylinder temperature plays a vital important role in the filling process of oxygen cylinder. This paper designs a temperature early warning system and error correction method. The system is mainly composed of a STM32 microprocessor, a MLX90614 infrared temperature measurement module and a LCD display. By measuring the temperature which reaches the limit of alarming, the cylinder temperature obtained by the real-time detecting of infrared temperature measurement module will be transferred to the single-chip microcomputer for further processing. In the end, data will be transmitted to the LCD display and the buzzer from the single-chip microcomputer.

According to the uncertain and fuzzy characteristics of the tunnel traffic accident, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method based on the fuzzy mathematics is applied to evaluate the traffic safety of the tunnel. Finally, the impact of the surge of traffic vehicles on the safety of tunnel operation can be concluded by comparing the traffic safety evaluation results under the condition of smooth flow and congestion. The results show that the safety level of the tunnel is reduced to a moderate level from a good level. As a result, the risk of traffic accidents increases after the surge of the traffic vehicles in the Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel. Effective measures should be taken to prevent the occurrence of traffic accidents. The measures of traffic diversion and vehicle classification management can be taken by Tunnel management department to prevent the occurrence of traffic accidents.

The collapse mechanism of plant oil storage tank was discussed in the paper. Observation made on the site indicated that No. 804 tank collapsed with disintegration. The incomplete penetration area was found by weld macro analysis. Stress intensity factor of crack in the tank which is calculated using the classical theory showed that the main reason for the accident was not the incomplete penetration weld. The hexane vapor explosion is presumably the dominant factor leading to the accident by calculation and analysis. The count measures are also proposed to prevent the similar accidents.

The elemental powder mixtures with the nominal composition of Nb-20Ti-15Si-5Cr-3Hf-3Al (at. %) were ball milled via QM-1SP4-CL planetary ball-milling machine at different rotating speed (300, 400 and 500 rpm). The corresponding mechanical alloying behaviors of the powder blends, including the evolutions of their phase constituent, microstructure, size and morphology, have been analyzed by XRD, SEM and EDS. The results showed that with increasing rotating speed, the particle was remarkably refined and spheroidized, and meanwhile, the grain size decreased, accompanied with an improved microstrain. Herein, a lamellar microstructure of particles formed at the rotating speed of 300 rpm, and became finer with increasing the rotating speed up to 400 rpm. When further increasing the rotating speed up to 500 rpm, the homogenous microstructure composed of a supersaturated Nb solid solution (Nbss) finally formed.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effects of the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) inhibitor, bisperoxovanadium-pic [bpV(pic)].Methods: We determined the effects of bpV(pic) on amyloid-β-peptide-(25-35)-induced neurotoxicity, particularly intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling, in a human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell model.Results: We found that exposure of SH-SY5Y cells to amyloid β peptides (Aβ25-35) resulted in a significant reduction in cell viability accompanied by increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, elevated levels of intracellular ROS, and decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, all of which were reversed by co-treatment with bpV(pic). Moreover, bpV(pic) induced significant protection against Aβ25-35-induced apoptosis, and effectively suppressed mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling triggered by Aβ25-35.Discussion: Aβ peptides are thought t...

According to statistic analysis of consumer fireworks-related injuries (CFRI) of domestic and overseas, the risk factors causing injuries are determined. Two methods are used to solve problem. Firstly, all the risk factors leading to injures are expressed by the Causality Diagram. Then this Causality Diagram is transferred into hierarchical structure model of AHP for quantitative analysis. By working out the model, the weight of each factor could be obtained. Thereby the significance of each factor is determined. Finally, the hinge factors leading to CFRI can be figured out as the terms of the risk-based supervision model that based on the important aspects to be focused on within self-protection and supervision for consumers in the residential community both of rural and urban, as well as industrial workers of the enterprises.

Fire risk of gas pipeline leakage is high.The factors contributing to gas pipeline leakage most are third party damage, corrosion, design and incorrect operation. The accident consequences of gas pipeline leakage and quantitative risk assessment method of gas pipeline leakage consequence are analyzed. In order to achieve quantitative fire risk assessment of gas pipeline leakage, flash fire model, vapor cloud explosion model and thermal radiation damage criterion are analyzed. Firstly, the gas leakage quantity is estimated. Then, the heat radiation estimate flux, the thermal dose and damage range are got by using flash fire model, vapor cloud explosion model and the thermal radiation damage criterion respectively.Combined with an example of gas pipeline, damage ranges of different disaster patterns are estimated according to different gas pipeline leakage pattern. Through comparing the accident consequences of gas pipeline leakage, this paper provides some reliable scientific references for gas pipeline management departments.

With the arrival of China's oil and gas pipeline network era, the security of oil and gas pipelines confront great challenges. Scientific pipeline safety management methods and concepts are needed. In this paper the SHEM model which is composed of hardware, software, environment and management is put forward to explain the cause of oil and gas pipeline accident. According to the control system of management failure, the oil and gas pipeline accident model based on failure of generalized management is established to provide effective methods for accident prevention and construction of safety management system for oil and gas pipeline.

Purpose – Water-lubricated rubber bearing is one of the most appropriate bearings for underwater use. The most popular design used widely today is the straight fluted rubber bearing. The special configuration leads to partial hydrodynamic lubrication and low load capacity. A new bearing bush structure with two cavities which is favorable for constructing continuous hydrodynamic lubrication was designed and studied. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A new bearing bush structure with two cavities which is favorable for constructing continuous hydrodynamic lubrication was designed. The apparatus for studying the tribological behaviors of the two types of water-lubricated rubber bearings has been devised and established in the paper. The experimental studies on the tribological properties of the rubber bearings have been conducted under different loads and velocities. The eccentricity ratio of the new structure rubber bearing with two cavities was measured in experiment and the load capacity was calculated by numerical simulation. Findings – The experimental results show that the friction coefficient decreases with increasing velocity; the friction coefficient increases sharply with the rising temperature, the friction coefficient increases at first and then decreases with increasing load for fluted rubber bearings. The numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental results. The numerical results show that complete hydrodynamic lubrication can be formed in the new designed rubber bearing with two cavities. The experimental and numerical results all indicate that there is an appropriate bearing clearance which the friction coefficient is minimum and the load capacity is maximum. Originality/value – A new bearing bush structure with two cavities which is beneficial to constructing continuous hydrodynamic lubrication film was designed. A new apparatus for studying the tribological behaviors of the two types of water-lubricated rubber bearings has been devised and established. Experimental and numerical study on the new structure rubber bearing were conducted in the paper.

Background: A common single-nucleotide polymorphism identified in the 5′-untranslated region of the leptin gene (LEP -2548 G/A polymorphism) may be associated with obesity, but the existing research findings are inconsistent, so we conducted this meta-analysis. Methods: Medline, Embase and ISI Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Meta-analysis of the total and subgroup populations was conducted using allelic, additive, dominant and recessive models, and odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated in a fixed-effect model if no heterogeneity (evaluated as I2 statistic) existed. Otherwise, a random-effects model was adopted. Subgroup analysis was performed by ethnicity. Meta-regression and the HETRED analysis were used to explore the potential sources of between-study heterogeneity. Egger's test and influence analysis were conducted to evaluate the publication bias and study power, respectively. Results: The final selection enrolled 9 studies, including 2,988 subjects (1,372 obese subjects and 1,616 controls). No significant association was identified between the LEP -2548 G/A polymorphism and obesity for all genetic models in the overall population and Caucasians. We found a significant association with allelic, additive and dominant models for subjects of mixed race from South America. Notwithstanding, this significance should be treated cautiously for it is based on a rather small sample (788 involved subjects). Conclusions: In total, the combined analysis of data from current and published studies suggested that the LEP -2548 G/A polymorphism does not contribute to the development of obesity, despite the fact that a significant association exists in a small subgroup from South America. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship.