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The objective of this study is to understand the perceived needs for information on maternal and infant healthcare during the puerperium among the fathers of newborns in China, and to examine factors that are associated with the patterns of perceived needs. A cross-sectional study was conducted. A survey was conducted in the obstetrics department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University in Suzhou, China. A total of 206 fathers of newborns were interviewed with a response rate of 98.1%. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify a priori unknown patterns of perceived needs for information (knowledge/skills) on maternal and infant healthcare during the puerperium period. Chi-square tests were applied to examine factors associated with such patterns of needs. The majority of the participants perceived strong needs for information on maternal and infant healthcare during the puerperium. LCA identified three latent classes on perceived needs for information on maternal healthcare among Chinese fathers of newborns: Class 1 - Low: Some Infant Health Related Needs; Class 2 - Moderate: Lower Physical Recovery Needs; and Class 3 - High: Enthusiastic Needs. Similarly, three latent classes were identified for perceived needs for information on infant health care: Class 1 - Low: Some Medical Needs; Class 2 - Moderate: Lower Breastfeeding Needs; and Class 3 - High: Enthusiastic Needs. Fathers aged 30 to 35, urban residents, and those with higher education were more likely to be in the Enthusiastic Needs groups for information needs for both maternal and infant healthcare. Perceived needs for information on maternal and infant healthcare are widespread among fathers of newborns in China. Three distinct latent classes for perceived needs for information (knowledge/skills) on maternal and infant health were identified in this population. Socio-demographics, such as age, residence, and education, were significantly associated with such patterns of needs. The findings have implications for the development of interventions to improve maternal and infant healthcare in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Layer structured high-performance thermal management materials via integrating the advantages of boron nitride (BN, electrically insulating) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs, highly thermally conductive) as fillers were realized by a facile and scalable strategy. Outstanding thermal conductivity (TC) of 8.45 W m−1 K−1, the highest value among reported electrically insulating polymer-based materials, excellent electrical insulation (breakdown voltage∼5.33 kV/mm; volume resistance ∼ 10 12 Ω c m) and superior electromagnetic interface shielding performance are achieved at a filler loading of 17.88 vol%. Moreover, the mechanical properties and hardness are also in quite good range. Thus, a promising method is provided for large scale production of superior thermal management materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastasis is the major cause of death from lung cancer. Quercetin, a widely distributed bioflavonoid, is well known to induce growth inhibition in a variety of human cancer cells, but how it affects lung cancer cell invasion and metastasis is unclear. Herein, we found that quercetin inhibited the migration/invasion of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and bone metastasis in an orthotopic A549 xenograft model by suppressing the Snail-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, survival times of animals were also prolonged after quercetin treatment. Mechanistic investigations found that quercetin suppressed Snail-dependent Akt activation by upregulating maspin and Snail-independent a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) 9 expression pathways to modulate the invasive ability of NSCLC cells. In clinical samples, we observed that patients with Snail high /p-Akt high tumors had the shortest survival times. In addition, a lower survival rate was also found in ADAM9 high patients than in ADAM9 low patients. Overall, our results provide new insights into the role of quercetin-induced molecular regulation in suppressing NSCLC metastasis and suggest that quercetin has potential therapeutic applications for metastatic NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have highlighted the relation between high-fat (HF) diets, the gut microbiota, and inflammation. However, the role of sulfidogenic bacteria in mediating these effects has been explored only recently. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that an HF diet rich in saturated fat stimulates sulfidogenic bacteria and that these increases correlate with intestinal and systemic inflammatory responses. Forty C57BL/6Jmale mice were fed a low-fat (LF; 10%of energy) or an HF lard-based (60%of energy) diet for 6 or 20 wk. Mucosa samples were collected from the ileum, cecum, and colon and used for measuring 16S ribosomal RNA and functional genes of sulfidogenic bacteria. Matching intestinal samples and visceral and subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) depots were used to measure mRNA abundance for inflammatory genes. Mice fed the HF diet had greater ( < P 0.05) abundance of 3 types of sulfidogenic bacteria, primarily in colonic mucosa, compared with LF-fed mice at week 20. Although HF feeding did not increase intestinal inflammation at week 6, ileal markers of macrophage infiltration and inflammation were upregulated (< 0.05) 1- to 6-fold at week 20. HF feeding impaired the localization of the tight junction protein zonula P occludens 1 at the apical area of the ileal epithelium at weeks 6 and 20.Mice fed the HF diet had 1- to 100-fold greater (< 0.05) P mRNA levels of markers of macrophage infiltration in visceral and subcutaneous WAT at week 20, but not at week 6, compared with LF-fed mice. These results provide evidence that chronic, but not acute, consumption of an HF lard-based diet may be linked with pathways of microbial metabolism that potentially contribute to chronic intestinal and systemic inflammation. Such linkage provides further support for reducing consumption of saturated fats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have demonstrated that trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (18:2t10,c12)-mediated delipidation of human adipocytes was dependent on increased intracellular calcium and activation of inflammatory signaling in human primary adipocytes. These data are consistent with the actions of diacylglycerol and inositol triphosphate derived from phospholipase C (PLC)-dependent cell signaling. To test the hypothesis that PLC was an upstream activator of these cellular responses to 18:2t10,c12, primary cultures of human adipocytes were pretreated with 1-[6-((17β-3-methoxyestra-1,3,5 (10)-trien-17-yl)amino)hexyl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione (U73122), a universal PLC inhibitor, followed by 18:2t10,d 2 treatment. U73122 attenuated 18:2t10,c12-mediated insulin resistance within 48 h and suppression of the mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ, insulin-stimulated glucose transporter-4, acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1, and the protein levels of PPARγ within 18-24 h. U73122 inhibited 18:2t10,c12-mediated induction of the inflammatory-related genes calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-β, cyclooxygenase-2, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8, secretion of IL-6 and IL-8, and the activation of extracellular signal-related kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and c-Jun within 18-24 h. Moreover, 13:2t10,c12 increased the mRNA levels of heat shock proteins within 6-24 h and intracellular calcium concentrations within 3 min, which were inhibited by U73122. Lastly, 18:2t10,c12 increased the abundance of PLCγ1 in the plasma membrane within 3 min. Taken together, these data suggest that PLC plays an important role in 18:2t10,c12-mediated activation of intracellular calcium accumulation, inflammatory signaling, delipidation, and insulin resistance in human primary adipocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrous oxide (N2O), the third most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), is highly stable and plays a significant role in stratospheric ozone destruction. The primary anthropogenic source of N2O stems from use of nitrogen fertilizers in soil. The bacterial enzyme nitrous oxide reductase (N2OR), naturally found in some soils, is the only known enzyme capable of catalyzing the final step of the denitrification pathway, conversion of N2O to N2. In this opinion, we discuss potential biology-based strategies to reduce N2O by amplifying the amount of available enzyme catalyst in agri-system environments during crop growth and in post-harvest detritus. N2OR from Pseudomonas stutzeri has been tested in transgenic plants with promising results. Such seed-borne phytoremediation systems targeted towards GHGs merit field testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We in this paper dedicate to study the snap-buckling of functionally graded multilayer graphene platelet-reinforced composite curved beams with geometrical imperfections on the nanometer length. It is supposed that graphene platelets (GPLs) are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented in each layer, while its weight fraction varies from one layer to another based on various functionally graded patterns. The effective material properties of functionally graded multilayer GPLRC beams are evaluated via the model of the Halpin-Tsa. In the theoretical framework of the nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT) and the surface elasticity theory, a generalized nonlinear size-dependent curved beam model is established. The novel model includes not only a nonlocal parameter and a material length scale parameter of NSGT but also three surface constants of the surface elasticity theory, which can explore the coupling effect of nonlocal stress, strain gradient and surface energy on the snap-buckling of nanoarches. Furthermore, the present model can be transformed into the Euler-Bernoulli shallow arch model, the Timoshenko shallow arch model as well as the Reddy's higher-order shear deformation shallow arch model by choosing the appropriated shape function. Next, On the basis of the principle of Hamilton, the nonlinear governing equations of curved nanobeams are derived. Then to obtain the analytical solution of snap-buckling of curved beams, the nonlinear equations are solved by a two-step perturbation method. Finally, a detailed parametric study is carried out based on the analytical solution, aiming at analyzing the influences of respective physical parameters on the snap-buckling of such nanostructure. • A generalized nonlinear size-dependent curved beam model is established. • The governing equations are derived based on nonlocal strain gradient theory incorporating surface effects. • Obtaining the size-dependent post-buckling equilibrium paths of perfect and imperfect curved nanobeams. • The coupling effect of nonlocal stress, strain gradient and surface energy on the snap-buckling of curved nanobeams is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We in this article put forward a novel size-dependent beam model for static bending deformation of a functionally graded bi-semi-tube subjected to different boundary conditions based on the nonlocal strain gradient theory. The tube is formed by bonding together a ZrO 2 /Ti–6Al–4V functionally graded lower semi-tube and a Si 3 N 4 /SUS304 functionally graded upper one. The effective material properties P f of FG bi-semi-tubes are assumed to vary along the radius of tube. We propose a refined shear model without requiring a shear correction factor for bars with circular cross section. Next the model is used to derive the governing equations of the tube based on the Hamilton's principle. The obtained equations form present a detailed analysis include a nonlocal parameter as well as a material length scale parameter, so much that they can account for the size-dependent in static bending of FG bi-semi-tubes. Later, these equations are resolved analytically by using an improved perturbation method. The analytical solutions are used to discuss the influence of various physical parameters on static mechanical performance of nanotubes, such as double volume fraction indexes, inner radius, the variation of temperature, strain gradient parameter, nonlocal parameter, scale parameter ratio. At last, compared with the conventional approaches, the novel approach is suggested in such work to lead to more accurate bending deformation in the same dimensionless size of tubes. • Nonlinear bending of nano-tubes made of functionally graded bi-semi-tubes has n been studied in detail. • We put forward a novel displacement function without acquiring a shear correction factor. • Nonlocal strain gradient theory is used to characterize size-dependent of nanostructures. • The perturbation method is used for solving the problem to obtain an analytical solution. • In contrast to conventional approach, the present approach results in more accurate bending control in the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, the nonlinear bending and vibrational characteristics of porous tubes are analyzed for the first time. Within the framework of the nonlocal strain gradient theory, a size-dependent model for the tubes with radial inhomogeneity is formulated. It is assumed that the tube is made from functionally graded materials (FGM). Employed a new model for tubes which takes into account of the shear deformation effects, the motion equations are derived with the help of Hamilton variational principle and determined by the two-step perturbation technique. The validity and feasibility of the method are verified by actual examples. The effects of different parameters such as scaling parameters, porosity volume fraction, power law index and inner-to-outer radius ratio on the nonlinear bending and vibration behaviors of the porous tubes are particularly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]