Search

Accelerators are indispensable additives in rubber vulcanization reactions. Hypo-sulfonamide accelerators are widely used due to their fast vulcanization speed. However, the short vulcanization induction period compromises the processing safety of rubber. In this paper, we incorporated experiments with molecular simulations to investigate the underlying reasons for the different effects of various hypo-sulfonamide accelerators The vulcanization induction period of each accelerator was investigated according to the vulcanization curves. Furthermore, the corresponding reaction mechanism was explored from the molecular scale through quantum mechanical and molecular dynamics simulations. Subsequently, the research focus was discussed in depth. The compatibility relationship between the accelerators and the rubber materials w7as verified through the crosslinking density test, and a coincidence between the experimental and simulation results was found. This study guides the selection and improvement of hypo-sulfonamide accelerators and corroborates the factors influencing the vulcanization induction period of natural rubber by accelerators. Highlights * Reactivity of accelerators calculated by quantum mechanical simulations. * Difference in solubility parameter characterizes accelerator/NR compatibility. * Mobility and diffusion coefficient reflect the diffusion ability of the promoter. * Molecular simulation results are consistent with experimental results. KEYWORDS hypo-sulfonamide accelerator, molecular dynamics simulation, natural rubber, quantum mechanics simulation, vulcanization induction period, 1 | INTRODUCTION Vulcanization involves heating the rubber with additives (i.e., sulfur) to transform the linear rubber molecular chain into a three-dimensional mesh structure, achieving the transition of the plastic [...]

Background Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are one of the individualized targeted therapeutic options for patients with advanced EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which can significantly improve the prognosis. However, the response to TKIs changed variously depends on different type of EGFR mutations. Objective To explore the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs versus chemotherapy in EGFR non-hotspot mutated non-small cell lung cancer patients. Methods Ninety patients with postoperative recurrent or advanced NSCLC during April 2012 to June 2019 were collected from the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, of whom were confirmed with EGFR non-hotspot mutations. Patients were divided into first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment group and first-line chemotherapy group depended on first-line treatments. All patients were followed up by telephone or by reviewing in-patient and out-patient cases to obtain their prognosis information. The deadline for follow-up was March 31, 2024. The curative effect, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were observed. Results Among 90 patients, there were 52 cases in EGFR-TKIs treatment group and 38 cases in first-line chemotherapy group. There were 16 patients with postoperative recurrence and metastasis, and 74 patients with initial stage ⅢB-Ⅳ diagnosis. Among the patients with EGFR non-hotspot mutations, there were 51 cases of single gene mutation and 39 cases of compound mutations. After progression of first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment, there were 8 patients treated with EGFR-TKIs and 9 patients treated with chemotherapy. After progression of first-line chemotherapy, 8 patients were treated with EGFR-TKIs, 16 patients with chemotherapy and 1 patient with immunotherapy. The PFS of patients with different subtypes of EGFR non-hotspot mutations who received first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment was statistically significant (χ2=24.26, P0.05). Among the patients after progression of first-line chemotherapy, the median PFS of second-line EGFR-TKIs treatment (8 cases) and chemotherapy (16 cases) was 11.3 months and 5.6 months, respectively. There was a significant difference of PFS between second-line EGFR-TKIs treatment group and chemotherapy group (χ2=7.487, P=0.006) . Conclusion In postoperative recurrent or advanced NSCLC with non-hotspot EGFR mutations, there was a difference in survival between patients with EGFR ex20ins and E20 S768I mutations and patients with other mutation types treated with first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment. However, in all mutation, treatment with first-line EGFR-TKIs significantly prolonged patient survival compared with first-line chemotherapy.

Introduction: Observational studies have discovered a contradictory phenomenon between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study aimed to confirm the causal association between H. pylori and IBD, including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Methods: We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study with two sample Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) to determine whether there is a causal relationship between H. pylori infection and IBD, as well as the possible pathogenic factors that may be involved. The reliability of the main MR assumptions was examined through a series of sensitivity analyses. Results: Two genetic variants (SNPs) previously identified were employed as instrumental variables (IVs) for H. pylori infection. GWAS data for IBD, UC, and CD were obtained from the recent DF10 release10 of the FinnGen study. Our findings indicated a significant association between H. pylori seropositivity and an increased risk of IBD and UC (IBD: OR: 1.16, 95% CI, 1.03–1.31, P < 0.05; UC: OR: 1.22, 95% CI, 1.08–1.37, P < 0.001) while no causal relationship with CD (P > 0.05). Analysis of the main virulence pathogenic factors revealed a causal relationship between cytotoxin-associated protein A (CagA) and IBD and UC (IBD: OR: 1. 06, 95% CI, 1.001–1.11, P < 0.05; UC: OR: 1.07, 95% CI, 1.004–1.14, P < 0.05), while no correlation was found for vacuolar cytotoxin A (VacA) (P > 0.05). After applying the False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction, the causal relationship between CagA and the risk of IBD or UC was no longer statistically significant. Conclusion: This study suggests a potential causal relationship between H. pylori infection and IBD, particularly UC. The effect may be more pronounced in individuals with previous H. pylori infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared polarization detection has attracted wide applications in military and civilian fields by demonstrating more accurate target detection and identification capabilities due to more dimensional target information. A multifocal metalens for simultaneous detection of the polarization state of incident light at dual wavelengths is proposed based on the independent control of orthogonally polarized light. When light is incident at different wavelengths, the metalens array splits and focuses the light on three different polarization bases to form six focal points with various positions. When the incident light with varying states of polarization of dual wavelengths to be detected passes through the substrate and reaches the metalens array, the incident light detected in each wavelength forms six focal points at different positions of the focal plane of the metalens. The Stokes parameters are calculated based on the intensities of the six polarization components in the same focal plane to determine the polarization data of the azimuthal and elliptic angles of the incident light detected in each wavelength. In addition, the theoretical Stokes parameters of incident light with different polarization states at two wavelengths are compared with the reconstructed Stokes parameters, proving our method's validity. The device can directly examine the polarization state of the incident light in mid-wave infrared and long-wave infrared, significantly simplifying the polarization detection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the potential correlation between myosteatosis and the prognosis of patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis by a meta-analysis. Methods: Cohort studies of relevance were acquired through comprehensive searches of the Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases. To account for heterogeneity, a random-effects model was employed to combine the findings. Results: The meta-analysis included 10 retrospective and four prospective cohort studies, encompassing a total of 4287 patients diagnosed with cirrhosis. The pooled findings indicated a notable decline in transplant-free survival (TFS) among individuals with liver cirrhosis and myosteatosis compared to those without this condition (risk ratio: 1.94; 95% confidence interval: 1.61 to 2.34, p < 0.001; I2 = 49%). The predefined subgroup analyses demonstrated consistent findings across various categories, including Asian and non-Asian studies, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, patients with cirrhosis overall and those who underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, studies with different follow-up durations (< or ≥ 24 months), studies employing univariate and multivariate analyses, and studies with and without an adjustment for sarcopenia (p > 0.05 for all subgroup differences). Additionally, Egger's regression test indicated the presence of significant publication bias (p = 0.044). However, trim-and-fill analysis by including three hypothesized studies showed consistent results. Conclusions: The presence of myosteatosis in individuals diagnosed with liver cirrhosis may potentially be linked to a poor TFS prognosis. Further investigations are required to ascertain whether enhancing myosteatosis could potentially yield a survival advantage for this particular patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]