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Oleanolic acid (OA) is a pentacyclic triterpene with reported protective effects against various diseases, including diabetes, hepatitis, and different cancers. However, the effects of OA on obesity‐induced muscle atrophy remain largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of OA on skeletal muscle production and proliferation of C2C12 cells. We report that OA significantly increased skeletal muscle mass and improved glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. OA inhibited dexamethasone (Dex)‐induced muscle atrophy in C2C12 myoblasts by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. In addition, it also inhibited expression of MuRF1 and Atrogin1 genes in skeletal muscle of obese mice suffering from muscle atrophy, and increased the activation of PI3K and Akt, thereby promoting protein synthesis, and eventually alleviating muscle atrophy. Taken together, these findings suggest OA may have potential for the prevention and treatment of muscle atrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), which artificially creates a portocaval shunt to reduce portal venous pressure, has gradually become the primary treatment for portal hypertension (PH). However, there is no prefect shunting scheme in TIPS to balance the occurrence of postoperative complications and effective haemostasis. OBJECTIVE: To construct cirrhotic PH models and compare different shunting schemes in TIPS. METHODS: Three cases of cirrhotic PH with different liver volumes were selected for enhanced computed tomography scanning. The models for different shunting schemes were created using Mimics software, and following FLUENT calculation, all the models were imported into the software computational fluid dynamic-post for processing. In each shunting scheme, the differences in portal vein pressure, hepatic blood perfusion and blood flow from the superior mesenteric vein in the shunt tract were compared. The coefficient G was adapted to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages. RESULTS: (1) Concerning the precise location of the shunt tract, the wider the diameter of the shunt tract, the lower the pressure of the portal vein and the lesser the hepatic blood perfusion. Meanwhile, the pressure drop objective was not achieved with the 6 mm-diameter shunting scheme. (2) The 8 mm-diameter shunting scheme through the left portal vein (LPV) had the highest coefficient G. CONCLUSION: The 8 mm-diameter shunting scheme through the LPV may demonstrate a superior effect and prognosis in TIPS procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular calcification is age dependent and a risk factor for cardiovascular all-cause mortality. Recently, growing evidences have shown that novel forms of programmed cell death including ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy play an important role in the development of vascular calcification. This review introduces the molecular mechanism of programmed cell death and its relationship with vascular calcification, elucidates the evidence of anti-vascular calcification by regulating the cell death pathway key molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stretchable composite thin-walled lenticular boom can be used in the unfolding process of a large spacecraft structure, and its buckling characteristic is one of the focuses of structural design. In this paper, firstly, the critical buckling load formula is derived based on Euler’s formula and laminated theory for the axial compression buckling problem of the lenticular boom, and verified by the finite element method. Secondly, the influence law of the lenticular boom section and layer parameters on the critical buckling load is quantitatively analyzed. The results show that the lenticular boom generally undergoes first-order buckling in the outer direction of the symmetrical bonding surface. The critical buckling load is most significantly affected by the radius of the convex arc, followed by the center ordinate of the convex arc, the thickness of the layer, and the angle of the layer. And these parameters are positively related to the critical buckling load. The radius of the concave arc and the length of the straight section have little effect on the critical buckling load. The research methods and conclusions of this paper can provide reference for the engineering design of the lenticular boom structure.