Search

The chloride content is a critical factor influencing the corrosion of steel fibers in concrete. This study focused on the corrosion behaviors of steel fibers exposed to simulated concrete pore solutions with different chloride contents. The corrosion rates of the steel fibers were calculated based on the changes in the diameter and ultimate tensile load. The electrochemical parameters for the corrosion of the steel fibers were continuously monitored for 62 days. In addition, the surface micromorphologies of the corroded steel fibers were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that based on the change in the diameter, the corrosion rate of the steel fibers increased almost linearly when the NaCl content in the simulated solution increased from 2% to 5%. However, based on the variation of the ultimate tensile load, the corrosion ratio of the steel fibers increased linearly with the increase in the exposure time when the NaCl content was less than 3%, while it increased exponentially when the NaCl content exceeded 3%. According to the open circuit potential, Tafel polarization curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the corrosion tendency and corrosion rates of the steel fibers exposed to the simulated solutions increased significantly when the NaCl content increased from 2% to 5%. Additionally, the corrosion damage on the surfaces of the steel fibers increased notably, and after 180 days of exposure to the simulated solution with 5% NaCl, the steel fiber was almost broken. These findings will help to understand the durability of SFRC in a chloride environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wrist fracture is one of the common limb fractures. Its incidence rate increases with age and osteoporosis. Nowadays, Sleep health is increasingly valued, but the relationship between wrist fractures and sleep time is not yet clear. Methods: Data in this study were collected and screened from the NHANES from 2005 to 2010 and 2013 to 2014. The variables were extracted from interviews and compared between the wrist fractures and the sleep duration. The data was analyzed by weighted multivariate logistic regression. Results: After excluding individuals who were not eligible and had invalid data, we finally identified 1835 participants for inclusion in this study. We found a negative association between the sleep duration and the fractured of the wrist (OR = 1.027,95% CI (1.027, 1.028), P < 0.00001). Conclusion: This study demons that the association between the sleep duration and the fractures of the wrist is significant. Our findings provide a better understanding of the relationship between sleep duration and wrist fractures. This study may help us reducing the incidence of wrist fractures in the population based on healthy sleep management in the future, and improve the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly patients. Provide evidence for clinical patients to manage healthy sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the chiral inversion and the stereoselective pharmacokinetic profiles of desmethyl‐phencynonate hydrochloride after administration of the single isomer and its racemate to beagle dogs. A liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was established for determination of the stereoisomers on chiral columns in beagle dog plasma, which met all the requirements. The chiral inversion in dogs of the desmethyl‐phencynonate hydrochloride were studied after administration of the single isomer or the racemic modification. The stereoselective pharmacokinetic profiles of the desmethyl‐phencynonate hydrochloride were studied by assays for simultaneous isomers after administration of the racemic modification. The results showed that the absorption of the R-configuration dosed as the single isomer was higher than it dosed as the racemic modification. The AUC(0‐t), AUC(0‐∞), and Cmax of the S-configuration were much higher than those of R-configuration after oral administration of the racemic desmethyl‐phencynonate hydrochloride. The chiral inversion of desmethyl‐phencynonate isomers could not occur in dogs after administration of the R-configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an essential nutrient, lutein (LUT) has the ability to aid in the prevention of eye diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. However, the application of LUT is largely restricted by its poor solubility and susceptibility to oxidative degradation. Thus, in this study, LUT-loaded nanogel (OVM-COS-LUT) was prepared by a self-assembly of ovomucin (OVM) and chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) to enhance the effective protection and bioavailability of LUT. The nanogel had excellent dispersion (PDI = 0.25) and an 89.96% LUT encapsulation rate. XRD crystal structure analysis confirmed that the encapsulated LUT maintained an amorphous morphology. In addition, the nanogel showed satisfactory stability with pH levels ranging from 2 to 9 and high ionic strengths (>100 mM). Even under long-term storage, the nanogel maintained an optimistic stabilization and protection capacity; its effective retention rates could reach 96.54%. In vitro, digestion simulation showed that the bioaccessibility and sustained release of OVM-COS-LUT nanogel was superior to that of free LUT. The nanogel provided significant antioxidant activity, and no significant harmful effects were detected in cytotoxicity analyses at higher concentrations. In summary, OVM-COS-LUT can be utilized as a potential safe oral and functional carrier for encapsulating LUT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of alkalis on C3S hydration with and without incorporating aluminate phases. Pastes of 100% C3S and 90% C3S+10% metakaolin (MK) were prepared at 1%, 2%, and 3% Na2O content. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the solid phase assemblages, and then the hydration degree of C3S. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to analyze the aqueous composition of pore solution. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) was used to measure the porosity of the hydrated pastes. The results highlighted the promoting effect of Na and the inhibiting effect of Al in pore solution on C3S hydration after a period of curing (90 days). Without incorporating metakaolin, the hydration degree of C3S continuously increased with the increase of Na concentration. Incorporating metakaolin into C3S can generate aluminate hydrates (carboaluminates, in this study), and the increased Na concentration can increase the dissolution or instability of carboaluminates and elevate the equilibrium Al concentration. Under this condition, the hydration degree of C3S fluctuated depending on the combined effect of Na and Al concentrations in pore solution on C3S hydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 37 derivatives of phorbol esters were synthesized and their anti-HIV-1 activities evaluated, building upon our previous synthesis of 51 phorbol derivatives. 12-Para-electron-acceptor- trans -cinnamoyl-13-decanoyl phorbol derivatives stood out, demonstrating remarkable anti-HIV-1 activities and inhibitory effects on syncytia formation. These derivatives exhibited a higher safety index compared with the positive control drug. Among them, 12-(trans -4-fluorocinnamoyl)-13-decanoyl phorbol, designated as compound 3c , exhibited the most potent anti-HIV-1 activity (EC 50 2.9 nmol·L−1, CC 50 /EC 50 11 117.24) and significantly inhibited the formation of syncytium (EC 50 7.0 nmol·L−1, CC 50 /EC 50 4891.43). Moreover, compound 3c is hypothesized to act both as an HIV-1 entry inhibitor and as an HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Isothermal titration calorimetry and molecular docking studies indicated that compound 3c may also function as a natural activator of protein kinase C (PKC). Therefore, compound 3c emerges as a potential candidate for developing new anti-HIV drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulodexide, a heparinoid medicine, is wildly used in clinic for prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolic diseases and diabetic nephropathy. Despite its widespread use, the structure of Sulodexide remains poorly understood. It consists of various polysaccharides characterized by differing sugar compositions, linkages, and sulfonation patterns, yet they share common features such as strong hydrophilicity, high native charges, and considerable polydispersity, posing significant challenges for conventional chromatographic and online mass spectrometry (MS) characterization. In this work, a novel analytical method combining multiple-heart cut 2D-LC and in-source acid-induced dissociation (inAID) MS was developed. Three polysaccharides in Sulodexide were separated by high efficient strong-anion-exchange chromatography, followed by desalting with the second dimensional size-exclusion chromatography before MS. A novel MS strategy employing inAID technique was utilized for online analysis, leading to the initial identification of Sulodexide polysaccharide components. The results were validated through disaccharide composition analysis of those three polysaccharide components after offline preparation. This advanced strategy, merging various techniques, enable a comprehensive structural elucidation of such complex drugs and provides a viable tool for potential routine analysis of complex biomolecules., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are not any conflicts of interest for authors of this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Alkali-induced preserved egg gel formation is a dynamic process that involves complex protein changes. Ovomucin (OVM) is closely associated with the gel properties of egg white. In this study, the effect of OVM in alkali-induced egg white gel (AEWG) formation was investigated. The results suggested that OVM reduced the gel formation time by 15 %. The mechanical properties of the fully formed gel were also improved by OVM. Specifically, OVM increased the storage modulus (G') of the gel by 1.5-fold, while the hardness significantly increased from 78.90 ± 4.24 g to 99.80 ± 9.23 g. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) demonstrated that OVM significantly shortened T 23 relaxation time and reduced the water mobility, thus increasing the water holding capacity (WHC). Meanwhile, the presence of OVM resulted in a more homogeneous and denser microscopic morphology of the gel. Selective solubility experiments revealed that disulfide bonds are the primary force in gel formation. OVM promoted the formation of more disulfide bonds, which increased the strength and stability of the gel network. Overall, this research proved OVM plays a critical role in the performance improvement of AEWG, which provides a new insight into the quality control of preserved egg and protein gel foods., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Klotho protein level are reported to play important roles in the osteoporosis. To investigate the correlation between serum Klotho protein level and related gene (Klotho G395-A gene) polymorphism and osteoporotic fracture in elderly patients with osteoporosis., Methods: A total of 62 elderly patients with osteoporosis admitted to the Department of Orthopedics of our hospital from January 2021 to June 2022 were included in the study group. Another 62 elderly patients without osteoporosis who underwent a physical examination at the same time were selected as the control group. Patients in the study group were divided into group A (n = 23, osteoporotic fracture) and group B (n = 39, osteoporotic fracture) according to the occurrence of osteoporotic fracture. Serum Klotho protein level was detected in all patients, and its related gene (Klotho G395-A gene) polymorphism was analyzed. After fasting in the morning (fasting for more than 8 hours), 3-5 ml venous blood was collected and immediately placed in a centrifuge tube. Serum was separated and serum Klotho protein level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Polymorphism typing was performed by Taqman allele-specific hybridization analysis. At the same time, general information (gender, age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, glycated glucose protein, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, bone mineral density) was collected. The differences in general data, serum Klotho protein level and Klotho G395-A gene polymorphism between the study group and the control group were analyzed. Spearman analysis was used to analyze the correlation between general data, serum Klotho protein level and Klotho G395-A gene and osteoporotic fracture. Logistic analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors of osteoporotic fracture., Results: There was no significant difference of the sex, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), Klotho G395-A genotype GG and alleles A and G between the study group and the control group. There was significant difference of body mass index (BMI), glycated glucose protein, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), bone mineral density, serum Klotho protein level and Klotho G395-A genotype AA and AG were between the study group and the control group. Gender, age, glycated glucose protein and Klotho G395-A genotype AA were positively correlated with osteoporotic fracture (P < .05), while bone mineral density was negatively correlated with osteoporotic fracture (P < .05). There was no correlationship between the serum Klotho protein level and the incidence of osteoporotic fracture (P > .05). Logistic analysis showed that age, bone mineral density and Klotho G395-A genotype AA were independent risk factors for osteoporotic fracture., Conclusion: The level of serum Klotho protein and related gene polymorphisms are both related to osteoporotic fracture in elderly patients with osteoporosis. It is significant to reduce the incidence of osteoporotic fractures. In future, more experiments are needed to explore the underlying mechanism.