Search

Abstract Tumor‒host interaction plays a critical role in malignant tumor-induced organ wasting across multiple species. Despite known regulation of regional wasting of individual peripheral organs by tumors, whether and how tumors utilize critical host catabolic hormone(s) to simultaneously induce systemic host wasting, is largely unknown. Using the conserved yki3SA-tumor model in Drosophila, we discovered that tumors increase the production of adipokinetic hormone (Akh), a glucagon-like catabolic hormone, to cause systemic host wasting, including muscle dysfunction, lipid loss, hyperglycemia, and ovary atrophy. We next integrated RNAi screening and Gal4-LexA dual expression system to show that yki3SA-gut tumors secrete Pvf1 to remotely activate its receptor Pvr in Akh-producing cells (APCs), ultimately promoting Akh production. The underlying molecular mechanisms involved the Pvf1-Pvr axis that triggers Mmp2-dependent ECM remodeling of APCs and enhances innervation from the excitatory cholinergic neurons. Interestingly, we also confirmed the similar mechanisms governing tumor-induced glucagon release and organ wasting in mammals. Blockade of either glucagon or PDGFR (homolog of Pvr) action efficiently ameliorated organ wasting in the presence of malignant tumors. Therefore, our results demonstrate that tumors remotely promote neural-associated Akh/glucagon production via Pvf1-Pvr axis to cause systemic host wasting.

Abstract Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs), predominantly comprising α-solanine (C45H73NO15) and α-chaconine (C45H73NO14), function as natural phytotoxins within potatoes. In addition to their other roles, these SGAs are crucial for enabling potato plants to withstand biotic stresses. However, they also exhibit toxicity towards humans and animals. Consequently, the content and distribution of SGAs are crucial traits for the genetic improvement of potatoes. This review focuses on advancing research related to the biochemical properties, biosynthesis, regulatory mechanisms, and genetic improvement of potato SGAs. Furthermore, we provide perspectives on future research directions to further enhance our understanding of SGA biosynthesis and regulation, ultimately facilitating the targeted development of superior potato varieties.

Abstract Aberrant repair underlies the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis while effective strategies to convert fibrosis to normal regeneration are scarce. Here, we found that thyroid hormone is decreased in multiple models of lung injury but is essential for lung regeneration. Moreover, thyroid hormone receptor α (TRα) promotes cell proliferation, while TRβ fuels cell maturation in lung regeneration. Using a specific TRβ agonist, sobetirome, we demonstrate that the anti-fibrotic effects of thyroid hormone mainly rely on TRβ in mice. Cellularly, TRβ activation enhances alveolar type-2 (AT2) cell differentiation into AT1 cell and constrains AT2 cell hyperplasia. Molecularly, TRβ activation directly regulates the expression of KLF2 and CEBPA, both of which further synergistically drive the differentiation program of AT1 cells and benefit regeneration and anti-fibrosis. Our findings elucidate the modulation function of the TRβ-KLF2/CEBPA axis on AT2 cell fate and provide a potential treatment strategy to facilitate lung regeneration and anti-fibrosis.

Abstract Background Abnormal lipid metabolism has recently been reported as a crucial signature of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, the origin and biological function of the lipid and possible mechanisms of increased lipid content in the pathogenesis of IPF remains undetermined. Methods Oil-red staining and immunofluorescence analysis were used to detect lipid accumulation in mouse lung fibrosis frozen sections, Bleomycin-treated human type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECIIs) and lung fibroblast. Untargeted Lipid omics analysis was applied to investigate differential lipid species and identified LysoPC was utilized to treat human lung fibroblasts and mice. Microarray and single-cell RNA expression data sets identified lipid metabolism-related differentially expressed genes. Gain of function experiment was used to study the function of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-Coa Synthase 2 (HMGCS2) in regulating AECIIs lipid metabolism. Mice with AECII-HMGCS2 high were established by intratracheally delivering HBAAV2/6-SFTPC- HMGCS2 adeno-associated virus. Western blot, Co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, site-directed mutation and flow cytometry were utilized to investigate the mechanisms of HMGCS2-mediated lipid metabolism in AECIIs. Results Injured AECIIs were the primary source of accumulated lipids in response to Bleomycin stimulation. LysoPCs released by injured AECIIs could activate lung fibroblasts, thus promoting the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. Mechanistically, HMGCS2 was decreased explicitly in AECIIs and ectopic expression of HMGCS2 in AECIIs using the AAV system significantly alleviated experimental mouse lung fibrosis progression via modulating lipid degradation in AECIIs through promoting CPT1A and CPT2 expression by interacting with PPARα. Conclusions These data unveiled a novel etiological mechanism of HMGCS2-mediated AECII lipid metabolism in the genesis and development of pulmonary fibrosis and provided a novel target for clinical intervention.

De novo nucleotide biosynthetic pathway is a highly conserved and essential biochemical pathway in almost all organisms. Both purine nucleotides and pyrimidine nucleotides are necessary for cell metabolism and proliferation. Thus, the dysregulation of the de novo nucleotide biosynthetic pathway contributes to the development of many human diseases, such as cancer. It has been shown that many enzymes in this pathway are overactivated in different cancers. In this review, we summarize and update the current knowledge on the de novo nucleotide biosynthetic pathway, regulatory mechanisms, its role in tumorigenesis, and potential targeting opportunities.

Abstract Background Intestinal health plays a pivotal role in broiler chicken growth. Oregano aqueous extract (OAE) effectively exerts anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. However, the protective effects of OAE on intestinal health in broilers and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of OAE on growth performance, the gut microbiota and intestinal health. A total of 840 1-d-old male and female broilers (Arbor Acres) were randomly allocated into 6 groups as follows: basal diet (Con), Con + antibiotics (Anti, colistin sulfate 7 g/kg, roxarsone 35 g/kg), Con + 400, 500, 600 and 700 mg/kg OAE (OAE400, OAE500, OAE600 and OAE700). Subsequently, fermentation in vitro together with oral administration trials were carried out to further assess the function of OAE on intestinal health of broilers. Results Dietary 700 mg/kg OAE supplementation resulted in an increase (P

As high-speed big-data communications impose new requirements on storage latency, low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes have become a widely used technology in flash-memory channels. However, the iterative LDPC decoding algorithm faces a high decoding latency problem due to its mechanism based on iterative message transmission. Motivated by the unbalanced bit reliability of codeword, this paper proposes two technologies, i.e., serial entropy feature-based layered normalized min-sum (S-EFB-LNMS) decoding and parallel entropy feature-based layered normalized min-sum (P-EFB-LNMS) decoding. First, we construct an entropy feature vector that reflects the real-time bit reliability of the codeword. Then, the reliability of the output information of the layered processing unit (LPU) is evaluated by analyzing the similarity between the check matrix and the entropy feature vector. Based on this evaluation, we can dynamically allocate and schedule LPUs during the decoding iteration process, thereby optimizing the entire decoding process. Experimental results show that these techniques can significantly reduce decoding latency.

Abstract Severe sleep deprivation (SD) has been highly associated with systemic energy wasting, such as lipid loss and glycogen depletion. Despite immune dysregulation and neurotoxicity observed in SD animals, whether and how the gut-secreted hormones participate in SD-induced disruption of energy homeostasis remains largely unknown. Using Drosophila as a conserved model organism, we characterize that production of intestinal Allatostatin A (AstA), a major gut-peptide hormone, is robustly increased in adult flies bearing severe SD. Interestingly, the removal of AstA production in the gut using specific drivers significantly improves lipid loss and glycogen depletion in SD flies without affecting sleep homeostasis. We reveal the molecular mechanisms whereby gut AstA promotes the release of an adipokinetic hormone (Akh), an insulin counter-regulatory hormone functionally equivalent to mammalian glucagon, to mobilize systemic energy reserves by remotely targeting its receptor AstA-R2 in Akh-producing cells. Similar regulation of glucagon secretion and energy wasting by AstA/galanin is also observed in SD mice. Further, integrating single-cell RNA sequencing and genetic validation, we uncover that severe SD results in ROS accumulation in the gut to augment AstA production via TrpA1. Altogether, our results demonstrate the essential roles of the gut-peptide hormone AstA in mediating SD-associated energy wasting.

Intensive selective breeding for high growth rate and body weight cause excess abdominal fat in broilers. Gut microbiota and folic acid were reported to regulate lipid metabolism. A total of 210 one-day-old broilers were divided into the control (folic acid at 1.3 mg/kg) and folic acid groups (folic acid at 13 mg/kg) to illustrate the effects of folic acid on growth performance, abdominal fat deposition, and gut microbiota, and the experiment lasted 28 d. Results revealed that dietary folic acid addition decreased abdominal fat percentage (P

Miscible CO2 flooding has shown bright prospects for improving oil recovery from unconventional reservoirs as well as for storing greenhouse gas in underground formations. Although the favorable water presence effect has been reported in the near miscible CO2 flooding practices, there is still a lack of target research works on the impact of water on the miscibility characteristics of the oil/gas systems. Therefore in this paper, the effect of water presence on the Minimum Miscibility Pressure (MMP) of the CO2/n-Hexadecane (n-C16H34) system is experimentally investigated based on the Oil Droplet Volume Measurement (ODVM) method. By pre-saturating CO2 with water in the high-pressure high-temperature cell, the water component is introduced at the CO2/oil interface. Measurement results show the water presence could result in lower MMPs of the CO2/oil system. Under five temperature levels of 40 °C, 51 °C, 61 °C, 72 °C, and 82 °C, the water presence decreases the MMPs of the CO2/n-C16H34 system from 8.2 to 7.8 MPa, from 9.6 to 8.8 MPa, from 11.6 to 10.2 MPa, from 13.0 MPa to 12.2 MPa and from 14.6 MPa to 13.2 MPa respectively. Thermodynamic calculations provide consistent results as the experimental observations, indicating the main mechanism behind the lower MMPs of the water presence CO2/oil system could be the decreased CO2 molar fraction in the water presence system. This research is expected to provide an innovative viewpoint to understand the water presence effect in the CO2 flooding processes.

Abstract The endogenous cyclic tetradecapeptide SST14 was reported to stimulate all five somatostatin receptors (SSTR1–5) for hormone release, neurotransmission, cell growth arrest and cancer suppression. Two SST14-derived short cyclic SST analogues (lanreotide or octreotide) with improved stability and longer lifetime were developed as drugs to preferentially activate SSTR2 and treat acromegalia and neuroendocrine tumors. Here, cryo-EM structures of the human SSTR2–Gi complex bound with SST14, octreotide or lanreotide were determined at resolutions of 2.85 Å, 2.97 Å, and 2.87 Å, respectively. Structural and functional analysis revealed that interactions between β-turn residues in SST analogues and transmembrane SSTR2 residues in the ligand-binding pocket are crucial for receptor binding and functional stimulation of the two SST14-derived cyclic octapeptides. Additionally, Q1022.63, N2766.55, and F2947.35 could be responsible for the selectivity of lanreotide or octreotide for SSTR2 over SSTR1 or SSTR4. These results provide valuable insights into further rational development of SST analogue drugs targeting SSTR2.

BackgroundCancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the important component of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Previous studies have found that some pro-malignant CAFs participate in the resistance to radiotherapy as well as the initiation and progression of tumor recurrence. However, the exact mechanism of how radiation affects CAFs remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the effect and possible mechanism of radiation-activated CAFs, and its influence on lung cancer.MethodsCAFs were isolated from surgical specimens in situ and irradiated with 8Gy x-rays. The changes in cell morphology and subcellular structure were observed. CAFs marker proteins such as FAP and α-SMA were detected by Western Blotting. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay, flow cytometry, wound healing assay, and transwell chamber assay was used to detect the activation of cell viability and migration ability. A nude mouse xenograft model was established to observe the tumorigenicity of irradiated CAFs in vivo. The genomic changes of CAFs after radiation activation were analyzed by transcriptome sequencing technology, and the possible mechanisms were analyzed.ResultsThe CAFs showed a disorderly growth pattern after X-ray irradiation. Subcellular observations suggested that metabolism-related organelles exhibited more activity. The expression level of CAFs-related signature molecules was also increased. The CAFs irradiated by 8Gy had good proliferative activity. In the (indirect) co-culture system, CAFs showed radiation protection and migration induction to lung cancer cell lines, and this influence was more obvious in radiation-activated CAFs. The radiation protection was decreased after exosome inhibitors were applied. Vivo study also showed that radiation-activated CAFs have stronger tumorigenesis. Transcriptome analysis showed that genes were enriched in several pro-cancer signaling pathways in radiation-activated CAFs.ConclusionsOur study confirmed that CAFs could be activated by ionizing radiation. Irradiation-activated CAFs could promote cancer cell proliferation, migration, radiotherapy tolerance, and tumorigenesis. These results suggested that irradiation-activated CAFs might participate in the recurrence of lung cancer after radiotherapy, and the inhibition of CAFs activation may be an important way to improve clinical radiotherapy efficacy.

BackgroundAbout170 chemical modifications to RNAs have been identified, which significantly affect gene expression. Dysregulation of RNA modifications induced by abnormal expression or mutations in RNA modifiers might result in cancer. The most frequent RNA modifications are N6-methyladenosine (m6A), 5-methylcytosine (m5C), and N7-methylguanosine (m7G). Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. The present study aimed to investigate whether the expression of the m7G-related genes is linked to lung cancer cases with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), which accounts for about 40% of lung cancer cases.MethodsA total of 12 m7G-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in LUAD patients by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression method was used to build a four-gene risk model. Then, LUAD patients in the TCGA cohort were divided into low- and high-risk groups based on their risk scores for subsequent molecular and clinical research.ResultsCompared to the low-risk group, the high-risk group had a decreased overall survival (OS) (P=0.047). The risk score and stage were independent factors for predicting the OS of LUAD (P=0.0004 and P

In this paper, two sandstone cores with permeabilities of 1.7mD and 2.6mD were employed and the ScCO2 huff-n-puff processes were carried out to check the oil recovery efficiency as well as the oil mobilization laws under the conditions of 50 °C and 25 MPa. Both cores were cut half after the completion of the process and the residue oil distribution in the entire core as well as the front half and back half of the core were scrutinized with help of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurements. It is found longer soaking time of 5 days leads to higher oil recovery rate of 17.2% in comparison with 15.2% after 1 day’s operation time. NMR measurement results show that more oil in the large pore spaces of the core is produced, while the oil in the small pore spaces is rarely mobilized after the ScCO2 huff-n-puff process. NMR results further show that the oil saturation in the large pores of the front part is obviously lower than that of the back part of the core, which indicates that a round of huff and puff operation mainly produced the oil in the large pore spaces from the front part of the core, while leave a considerable part of the oil undeveloped in the rear part of the core.

Purpose: Radiation pneumonitis (RP) frequently occurs during a treatment course of chest radiotherapy, which significantly reduces the clinical outcome and efficacy of radiotherapy. The ability to easily predict RP before radiotherapy would allow this disease to be avoided.Methods and Materials: This study recruited 48 lung cancer patients requiring chest radiotherapy. For each participant, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed on a peripheral blood sample before radiotherapy. The RNA-Seq data was then integrated into a genome-scale flux analysis to develop an RP scoring system for predicting the probability of occurrence of RP. Meanwhile, the clinical information and radiation dosimetric parameters of this cohort were collected for analysis of any statistical associations between these parameters and RP. A non-parametric rank sum test showed no significant difference between the predicted results from the RP score system and the clinically observed occurrence of RP in this cohort.Results: The results of the univariant analysis suggested that the tumor stage, exposure dose, and bilateral lung dose of V5 and V20 were significantly associated with the occurrence of RP. The results of the multivariant analysis suggested that the exposure doses of V5 and V20 were independent risk factors associated with RP and a level of RP ≥ 2, respectively. Thus, our results indicate that our RP scoring system could be applied to accurately predict the risk of RP before radiotherapy because the scores were highly consistent with the clinically observed occurrence of RP.Conclusion: Compared with the standard statistical methods, this genome-scale flux-based scoring system is more accurate, straightforward, and economical, and could therefore be of great significance when making clinical decisions for chest radiotherapy.

Although CO2 huff-n-puff process has been widely employed as an efficient oil recovery and carbon storage technique in unconventional reservoirs, it suffers from the disadvantages of lack of availability near a large field and formation leakage due to the high CO2 mobility. Carbonated water injection (CWI) has been extensively studied as the alternative of CO2 injection process, but the laboratory studies concerning on CW huff-n-puff process is scarcely reported. In this paper, the oil recovery characteristics of CW huff-n-puff process has been scrutinized under reservoir conditions of 28 MPa and 65 °C together with NMR tests to reveal the oil mobilization rules in the tight cores. Comparative studies on CO2 huff-n-puff and water huff-n-puff process were also performed. It is found 4 rounds of CW huff-n-puff processes could recover considerable amount of 36.2% of the oil from the tight core. Although the recovery rate is lower than 55.4% for CO2 process but it is much higher than 14.4% of the water process. NMR T2 results reveal the oil in the large size pores of the tight cores are mobilized and recovered in early huff-n-puff cycles, whereas the oil from small size pores are collected in the later stage of the CW and CO2 huff-n-puff processes. The research results indicate the CW huff-n-puff process is promising for tight reservoir development.

Background The study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using malignant pleural effusion (MPE) as a substitute specimen for genetic testing and to determine the significance of genetic profiling of MPE tumor cells to monitor non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression and therapeutic response. Methods We selected 168 NSCLC patients with MPE. We extracted MPE and enriched tumor cells using a custom‐designed device. EGFR mutations and ALK/ROS1 fusions were then detected by quantitative real‐time PCR, and the results were used to guide targeted therapy. We investigated drug responses through imaging. Results MPE tumor cells were detected in all patients. EGFR mutations and ALK/ROS1 rearrangements were detected in biopsy samples, treated MPE, and untreated MPE. We found that treated MPE had higher sensitivity and specificity than biopsy or untreated MPE. Among the 26 EGFR inhibitor patients, 13 showed a partial response, 7 had progressive disease, and 6 showed stable disease. Among the 16 patients that received ALK/ROS1 inhibitors, 8 had a partial response, 4 had progressive disease, and 4 showed stable disease. Conclusion Our study provides a new, less invasive, and highly repeatable method of analyzing MPE tumor cells in NSCLC that facilitates precision medicine and genetic testing.

Simulative experiments were carried out for CO2 foam flooding process in homogeneous porous media prepared with the sand packing method, and the CO2 foam seepage characteristics in porous media were studied with CT technology. CO2 foam flooding experiments were carried out under different packing sand sizes, different surfactant concentrations and different gas-liquid ratios. CT technology was employed to visualize the displacement process and to obtain the water saturation data along the sample, and the pressure distribution in the sample during the foam seepage process was measured at the same time. Experimental results show that, CO2 foam flooding has higher pressure drop and lower water saturation entrance effect in the porous media with lower average grain sizes; when surfactant concentrations are higher than CMC (Critical Micelle Concentration), the generated foam is stable, without showing obvious difference for the foam displacement efficiency in the sample, and water saturation entrance effect gradually decreases with increase of surfactant concentrations; improving gas-liquid ratio can lead to higher foam seepage pressure drop, but has little effect on residue water saturation after foam displacement. Key words: CO2 flooding, CO2 foam, flooding experiment, seepage characteristics, CT technology, EOR

Abstract Background Hypotension is a common side effect of propofol induction, and when severe, it is associated with adverse outcomes. Ultrasonography of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a reliable indicator of the intravascular volume. This study investigated whether preoperative IVC ultrasound measurements could predict hypotension after propofol induction in patients undergoing colonoscopies. Methods Sixty-two adult patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA) I-II scheduled for colonoscopy after propofol induction were recruited. The Ultrasound Maximum IVC diameter (dIVCmax), minimum IVC diameter (dIVCmin), and collapsibility index (IVC-CI) were assessed in all patients before propofol induction. Mean blood pressure (MBP) was recorded before induction. Propofol was injected intravenously after ultrasound measurements. MBP was recorded 1, 3, 5, and 10 min after propofol induction. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of IVC-CI was compared with that of patients who developed hypotension after propofol induction. Results Sixty-two patients completed the study, and their data were considered for statistical analysis. After induction,30 patients developed hypotension. The area under the curve (95% confidence interval) was 0.72 (0.595 to 0.849) for IVC-CI. The optimal IVC-CI cutoff value was 38.25%, with a sensitivity of 56.7% and specificity of 71.9%. IVC-CI before induction strongly correlated with the maximum percentage of MBP drop after propofol induction. (regression coefficient = 0.33, P = 0.008), respectively. Conclusion Pre-induction IVC-CI > 38.25% is a non-invasive predictor of propofol-induced hypotension in patients undergoing colonoscopy and is strongly correlated with MBP drop. Trial registration This clinical trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of The Affiliated Lianyungang Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University (YJ-20190529001). All the study procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration of 2013.

Introduction For patients with breast cancer receiving preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy with anthracyclines, there is an increased risk of postoperative myocardial injury due to the cardiotoxicity of the chemotherapeutic agents. The optimal intraoperative blood pressure regulation regimen for these patients is unclear. This study is being conducted to determine whether targeting mean arterial pressure (MAP) to 100%–120% of the patient’s baseline blood pressure reduces the incidence of myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) compared with targeting MAP to 80%–100%. MINS is defined as elevated cardiac troponin levels within 30 days after non-cardiac surgery with or without clinical and electrocardiographic signs of cardiac ischaemia.Methods and analysis The study is a single-centre, single-blind, prospective randomised controlled trial. It is expected to enrol 166 subjects receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy with anthracyclines, between the ages of 40 and 75 years, scheduled for radical mastectomy. Participants will be randomised 1:1 to a lower-level group:intraoperative MAP control at 80%–100% of baseline values or a higher-level group:intraoperative MAP control at 100%–120% of baseline values. The primary outcome is defined by the incidence of MINS at 6–8 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours postoperatively. The secondary outcomes are heart-type free fatty acid-binding protein values at 1–2 hours, 6–8 hours and 24 hours postoperatively; the incidence of acute kidney injury within 48 hours postoperatively; the Quality of Recovery-15 score at 24 hours, 48 hours postoperatively; post-anaesthesia care unit length of stay; other postoperative cardiovascular complications; the number of times rescue analgesia and antiemetics are required; the time to first ambulation and length of postoperative hospitalisation.Ethics and dissemination This study involves the participation of human subjects and has received approval from the Clinical Trial Ethics Committee at The Affiliated Lianyungang Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University (approval number: KY-20230915001). Study results will be presented at scientific meetings and in scientific publications.Trial registration number ChiCTR2300077675.

Adverse reactions caused by drug compatibility are more common in clinical practice, including discoloration, precipitation, crystallization, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. We report a 63-year-old man who developed precipitation during maintenance of general anesthesia with remimazolam tosylate for prostate resection. There were many precipitates in the infusion pipeline and the three-way stopcock, and at that time the infusion liquid was Ringer's acetate solution. Then we investigated the possibility of precipitation with different infusion fluids and remimazolam tosylate. In conclusion, precipitates may not form at a lower remimazolam tosylate concentration and a faster liquid infusion rate and require appropriate attention.

Carbon dioxide foam technology has great application prospects for enhancing oil recovery and CO2 underground storage. In this study, the pressure distribution was measured in heterogeneous porous media packed with two- and threelayer quartz sand of different particle sizes by setting pressure transducers on different layers. Computed tomography (CT) was also carried out to visualize the dynamic propagation behavior of CO2 foam flow in heterogeneous porous media. A pressure difference between parallel layers, which is much smaller than the pressure drop along the flow direction, was observed from the measurements. Corresponding CT images revealed the injected foam would primarily flow through the layer with the largest particle size, break through that layer, and then penetrate to the neighboring layer packed with smaller particles due to the pressure difference across the layer. The foam propagation process continued until it swept all the layers in the heterogeneous porous media. The experimental results properly validated the modeling and numerical studies, indicating good performance of CO2 foam on smoothing heterogeneities for its use in essential field applications such as in enhanced oil recovery and CO2 geological storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A digital internal structure model of a homogeneous rock is established in this paper through the processes of noise reduction, threshold segmentation, algorithmic process and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction based on a series of micro-CT (computer tomography) images of the rock. And this model can accurately reflect the internal pore structure of the rock. • The effective thermal conductivity (ETC) values are numerically obtained in three representative element volume (REV) blocks with consistent porosity property using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, and the simulation results satisfactorily fit with the empirical self-consistent model for ETC prediction of porous media. • The research method reported in the paper can provide a feasible and reliable alternative for analyzing the rock thermal and other physical properties based on the accurate description of the internal microscale structures of the porous media. The thermal properties of a porous medium have been emphasized for its essential value in rock thermal engineering. Traditional theoretical and experimental methods on thermal conductivity studies of porous media usually contain homogeneous and isotropic assumptions with subjective idealization. Starting from the Digital Rock Physics (DRP), this paper establishes a digital internal structure model of a homogeneous rock through the processes of noise reduction, threshold segmentation, algorithmic process and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction based on a series of micro-CT (computer tomography) images of the rock. With high quality meshes compatible with the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, the Effective Thermal Conductivity (ETC) values are numerically obtained in three Representative Element Volume (REV) blocks with consistent porosity property. The results show that there is a 5% variation between the highest and lowest ETC data along different heat conduction directions. In addition, the simulation results satisfactorily fit with the empirical self-consistent model for ETC prediction of porous media. It is expected the innovative method reported in the present work can provide a feasible and reliable alternative for analyzing the rock thermal and other physical properties based on the accurate description of the internal microscale structures of the porous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]