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As an aggressive malignant bone tumor, osteosarcoma (OS) is usually found in children and adolescents. Computed tomography (CT) is an important tool for the clinical evaluation of osteosarcoma, but limits to low diagnostic specificity due to single parameters of traditional CT and modest signal-to-noise ratio of clinical iodinated contrast agents. As one kind of spectral CT, dual-energy CT (DECT), with the advantage of a provision of multi-parameter information, makes it possible to acquire the best signal-to-noise ratio image, accurate detection, as well as imaging-guided therapy of bone tumors. Hereby, we synthesized BiOI nanosheets (BiOI NSs) as a DECT contrast agent with superior imaging capability compared to iodine agents for clinical detection of OS. Meanwhile, the synthesized BiOI NSs with great biocompatibility is able to achieve effective radiotherapy (RT) by enhancing X-ray dose deposition at the tumor site, leading to DNA damage, which in turn inhibits tumor growth. This study offers a promising new avenue for DECT imaging-guided treatment of OS. Osteosarcoma (OS) is a common primary malignant bone tumor. Traditional surgical procedures and conventional CT scans are often used for the treatment and monitoring of OS, but the effects are generally unsatisfactory. In this work, BiOI nanosheets (NSs) was reported for dual-energy CT (DECT) imaging-guided OS radiotherapy. The powerful and constant X-ray absorption of BiOI NSs at any energy guarantees excellent enhanced DECT imaging performance, allowing detailed visualization of OS through images with a better signal-to-noise ratio and guiding radiotherapy process. The deposition of X-rays could be greatly enhanced by Bi atoms to induce serious DNA damage in radiotherapy. Taken together, the BiOI NSs for DECT-guided radiotherapy will greatly improve the current treatment status of OS. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel piezoelectric sensor is designed for dynamic deformation monitoring of cantilever beams. • A theoretical method is proposed for reconstructing dynamic deformation from sensor signals. • A simple calibration method is presented to eliminate the need for precise sensors installation. • Dynamic deformation of a cantilever beam is effectively monitored in wind tunnel experiments. This paper proposes an effective analytical method for dynamic deformation monitoring of cantilever beams by combining piezoelectric ceramic sensors and modal analysis theory. The dynamic equation of beam with piezoelectric sensors is established using the assumed mode method, and the dynamic responses of the system are obtained. By analyzing the computational process inversely, the conversion matrix between sensor response and structural deformation is derived. The reconstruction equation for dynamic strain distribution of structure is obtained. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method are confirmed by comparing with the finite element method. Experiments based on this reconstruction method are designed to monitor dynamic deformation of a cantilever beam in bluff body wake in real-time. The obtained experimental results demonstrate high monitoring precision of the proposed method. This technological approach has the advantages of minimal sensor usage, cost-effectiveness, online monitoring, and potential for application in dynamic deformation monitoring of engineering structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation therapy (RT) has been widely used in clinics. The expression of various radiation-resistant proteins limits the curative effect of RT. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays a critical role in the synthesis of these proteins. In this work, CaO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) were applied to interfere with the function of ER as radiosensitizers for RT. After endocytosis by tumor cells, the CaO 2 NPs in tumor microenvironment will release excessive Ca2+ and H 2 O 2 , which could induce ER stress, impair the expression of radiation-resistant proteins, and finally enhance the effect of RT. Both in vitro and in vivo results prove the favorable performance of CaO 2 NPs in inducing ER stress with a pathway of the downstream thioredoxin system, which improves the yield of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by RT to strengthen its curative effect. This study brings a new radio-sensitizing strategy for radiotherapy which may expand its application in medicine. [Display omitted] • Novel calcium-based nanoplatform to enhance radiotherapeutic efficiency for osteosarcoma. • Interfere with ER and thioredoxin systems and achieve radiosensitization. • DECT to monitor calcification of tumors and predict the therapeutic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to estimate the attributable risk for all-cause mortality in hypertensive adults living in Beijing, China. We conducted a prospective cohort study on the basis of the disease risk prediction model, which included 3006 hypertensive patients aged 50 and over who participated in the annual health examination from thirty-eight community health centers were randomly selected from all 53 community health centers in Dongcheng district of Beijing in China. This cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2013 to June 31, 2018 in these community health centers. Data included age, gender, education level, BMI, smoking and drinking status, renal function, diabetes mellitus (DM), coronary heart disease, levels of blood pressure, use of medications, and blood lipid levels. the follow-up time was 4.90 ± 0.51 years. There were significant survival differences by gender, renal function (eGFR > 90 vs. 60–90 vs. <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2), smoking (smoking vs. No smoking), hypertension severity (SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ r vs. SBP/DBP < 140/90 mmHg), education level (<6 vs. 6–12 vs. >12 years), coronary heart disease (CHD) (CHD vs. NO CHD). In the multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, the prognostic factors of all-cause mortality in hypertensive patients were male [HR 1.662, 95% CI 1.110–2.489, p = 0.014], educational level<6 years [HR 2.044, 95% CI 1.164–3.591, p 0.013], age ≥65 years [HR 3.092, 95% CI 1.717–5.571, p < 0.001], smoking [HR 1.885, 95% CI 1.170–3.309, p = 0.009], eGFR<60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 [HR 3.591, 95% CI 2.023–6.371, p < 0.001]. we conclude that decreasing eGFR, increasing age, smoking, low education and gender (male) are significant and independent risk factor for mortality in hypertension for this urban cohort. Recommendations may include protecting renal function, providing patient education, and cessation of smoking. It highlights that early preventive measures are needed to detect kidney impairment and protect renal function. It also suggests that earlier smoking cessation may be important for hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a new methodology capable of analyzing coupled bending and torsional vibrations in non-uniform thin-walled beams. The transfer matrix method (TMM) and the differential transform method (DTM) are combined to create the proposed transfer differential transform method (TDTM) for solving equations coupling bending and torsional vibrations in non-uniform beams. Compared with the finite element method (FEM), the TDTM utilizes a type of changeable mode shape functions so that the number of meshed elements can be reduced greatly when the beam's geometric size is uniform. The equations of motion of the non-uniform thin-walled beams are established using Hamilton's principle. The method considers both the warping and rotary effects of the beam section. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of the bending and torsional components are obtained using the TDTM. The accuracy of solutions can be controlled by the mesh density and the series expansion order of the mode shape whose ranges are also discussed. For illustrative purposes, the natural frequencies and the frequency response curves of a uniform beam and a non-uniform beam are studied respectively and are validated by experiments. The effects of warping and the distance between the centroid of a given section and the corresponding shear center on the vibration properties of the beam are also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MnO 2 nanorods were synthesized by mechanochemical processing with subsequent heat treatment and their photocatalytic activity was studied on the decolourization of aqueous solution of Rhodamine B at different pH levels. A solid state redox reaction 2KMnO 4 + MnCl 2 → 3MnO 2 + 2KCl + O 2 was activated during mechanical milling. Excess KCl salt was added in the starting powder mixture to prevent agglomeration of MnO 2 nanoparticles. The milling resulted in the production of amorphous MnO 2 nanoparticles with a high surface area of 204 m 2 g −1 . Crystalline MnO 2 nanorods of diameters about 15–20 nm were produced by heating the as-milled powder at 350 °C for 1 h in air. Amorphous MnO 2 nanoparticles showed higher degradation rate of Rhodamine B than crystalline MnO 2 nanorods under simulated sunlight. The degradation rate was higher under acidic conditions. This work demonstrates the potential for cost effective, green and scalable synthesis of MnO 2 nano-catalysts for environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the current challenges present in uranium extraction from seawater is the competitive sorption of vanadium. But compared with uranium, much less is known about the solvation and speciation of the vanadate ion in seawater. Herein, we utilize both first principles molecular dynamics and classical molecular dynamics simulations to provide a microscopic insight into the solvation of the HVO 4 2− ion in pure water and in seawater. In pure water, we found that the dianion state is the most probable structure. But in a simulated seawater with 0.55 M NaCl, the NaHVO 4 − ion is most probable, followed by the neutral Na 2 HVO 4 ; averaging over 100-ns trajectory, the coordination number of Na + ions around V was found to be 1.5 within a radius of 4.0 Å. We found that the NaHVO 4 − ion can exist in two interchangeable states: a bidentate state where the Na + ion interacts directly with two vanadate oxo groups; a monodentate where the Na + ion interacts with only one vanadate oxo group. From this monodentate state, the Na + ion can further dissociate away with a free-energy barrier of 2.5 kcal/mol. Our work therefore demonstrates that Na + ions are closely associated with the vanadate species in seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Adsorption of ethanol from actual fermentation broth in packed beds was conducted. [•] HD-01 resin shows large adsorption capacity and high selectivity for ethanol. [•] Effect of pH on the adsorption of quaternary mixtures was investigated in detail. [•] Multicomponent mass transport model was proposed and validated by experiment data. [•] Satisfactory fit of breakthrough curves in single/multi-component systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Staphylopine is a newly identified broad-spectrum metallophore for metal acquisition, and it plays important roles in the survival and virulence of Staphylococcus aureus and other pathogens in the metal-scarce environment in hosts. CntK catalyzes the first step of staphylopine synthesis by converting L-histidine to D-histidine to provide an essential building block of staphylopine. Herein, the crystal structures of S. aureus CntK (Sa CntK) and its C72S variant are determined at 1.82 and 1.58 Å resolution, respectively. Sa CntK forms a homodimer and each subunit contains a two-domain α/β structure. Its overall structure resembles diaminopimelate epimerase, although their sequence identities are lower than 22%. Sa CntK is specific for histidine, whereas other proteinogenic amino acids, with the exception of arginine, do not show any binding with Sa CntK. Structural modeling suggested that residues Asn16, Glu46, Gln47 and Glu208 are responsible for specific substrate binding, and their substitutions significantly reduced the binding of histidine to Sa CntK. Structural modeling suggested Sa CntK uses a two-base catalytic mechanism, which has been observed in many cofactor-independent racemases. Our study provides critical insights into the structure and functions of CntK in staphylopine synthesis, which makes it helpful for developing potential antibiotics targeting the staphylopine-mediated metal acquisition process in bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of experiments are conducted in which specially designed periodic air jets are applied to a heated surface for the purpose of enhancing heat transfer relative to the corresponding steady air jet. The periodic jets are produced by a mass flow rate controller. The experiments are performed for steady jets and for specially designed periodic jets, including a combination of sinusoidal, triangular and rectangular jets at frequencies from 1.25 to 20 Hz, the triangular signal having a different symmetry (representing the ratio of time to increasing velocity in one cycle to total cycle time) and the rectangular jets having a variable duty cycle (representing the ratio of the pulse cycle on-time to off-time) at frequencies of 10 Hz and 20 Hz. Various unsteady jets show distinguishing frequency dependences and the step change, i.e. the sudden increase or decrease of signal, shows some advantageous influence on heat transfer improvement, especially negative step change. Therefore, the enhancement of combined signals lies between the performances of the individual signals. The enhancement for triangular (or sinusoidal) plus rectangular signals shows some improved performance compared with that of rectangular plus triangular (or sinusoidal) signals. The heat transfers are enhanced as Strouhal number increases from 0.004 to 0.068 on the whole for impinging jet with such combined signals. The signals of triangular jet with symmetry parameter of 0 and 1 have improved heat transfer, and the latter has a slightly better result than the former. The instantaneous changing rate of velocity also has an influence on heat transfer improvements. Thus the duty cycle of 1:2 has the best performance in terms of heat transfer enhancement in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to investigate the effect and mechanism of action of rosuvastatin on atherosclerotic lesion in a Wistar rat model, 16 Wistar rats were fed a cholesterol-rich, vitamin D3 overload diet and underwent balloon injury of the aorta. One day prior to injury, half of the rats began rosuvastatin treatment (5mg/kg/d) via oral gavage. Eight control rats received a basal diet and sham operation. After 14 weeks of treatment, the animals were sacrificed. Blood was collected to measure lipid and angiotensin II (Ang II) levels and morphologic analysis was performed on the aorta. Scavenger receptor-class B type I (SR-BI), Ang II type-1 (AT1) receptor and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) protein and mRNA levels were measured via Western blot and real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Spearman's rank correlation was utilized to examine the relationships between SR-BI and Ang II or AT1 receptor expression. The atherosclerosis model group demonstrated an increase in plasma lipid levels and aortic plaque formation. After 14 weeks of treatment with rosuvastatin, there was a significant decrease in plasma lipid and Ang II levels accompanied by an improvement in aortic lesions. Rosuvastatin increased the expression of SR-BI but significantly inhibited the expression of AT1 receptor and p-ERK1/2. SR-BI protein expression was inversely correlated with both the level of Ang II and expression of the AT1 receptor. In conclusion, rosuvastatin attenuates atherosclerosis in the Wistar rat model, and its anti-atherosclerotic activity may be through upregulation of SR-BI expression and inhibition of p-ERK1/2 levels and AT1 receptor expression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] A hyper cross-linked resin was used to separate acetoin from aqueous solution. [•] Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics are proposed to describe the mass transfer in the adsorption step. [•] Acetoin recovery from aqueous solution is as high as 99.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel polar macroporous adsorption resin (AX-1) has been applied for separation of d-lactic acid (DLA) from aqueous solutions in a fixed-bed chromatographic column. The adsorption equilibrium and kinetics were investigated experimentally. A column model was subsequently established and validated by comparison of the simulation results to the experimental data obtained at different operating conditions in terms of feed flow rates and initial concentrations as well as bed heights. At the end of this work, the recycling studies were carried out. It was found that the saturated resin could be washed out DLA completely and repeated use by 353K hot water. The results show that the AX-1 resin has a high adsorption capacity to DLA while no retention to sulfate ion. Based on this kind of resin, a green-production refining process could be established since only water is added in the entire separation process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• One-hour brief and direct social contact induces stable socially-transferred mechanical hypersensitivity. • Visual information alone insufficient and unnecessary for the development of socially-transferred mechanical hypersensitivity. • Prolonged exposure to olfactory stimuli is essential for the gradual development of socially-transferred mechanical hypersensitivity. An increasing body of evidence suggests that the state of hyperalgesia could be socially transferred from one individual to another through a brief empathetic social contact. However, how the social transfer of pain develops during social contact is not well-known. Utilizing a well-established mouse model, the present study aims to study the functional role of visual and olfactory cues in the development of socially-transferred mechanical hypersensitivity. Behavioral tests demonstrated that one hour of brief social contact with a conspecific mouse injected with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) was both sufficient and necessary for developing socially-transferred mechanical hypersensitivity. One hour of social contact with visual deprivation could not prevent the development of socially-transferred mechanical hypersensitivity, and screen observation of a CFA cagemate was not sufficient to develop socially-transferred mechanical hypersensitivity in bystanders. Methimazole-induced olfactory deprivation, a compound with reversible toxicity on the nasal olfactory epithelium, was sufficient to prevent the development of socially-transferred mechanical hypersensitivity. Intriguingly, repeated but not acute olfactory exposure to the CFA mouse bedding induced a robust decrease in 50 % paw withdrawal thresholds (50 %PWTs) to mechanical stimuli, an effect returned to the baseline level after two days of washout with clean bedding. The findings strongly indicate that the normal olfactory function is crucial for the induction of mechanical hypersensitivity through brief empathetic contact, offering valuable insights for animal housing in future pain research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• l -lysine l -glutamate salt methanol solvate was a newly found crystal lattice. • Humidity-mediated method can remove residual methanol from crystal lattice effectively. • Composition analysis and PXRD elaborated the mechanism of humidity-mediated method. We previously reported a humidity-mediated method to effectively remove methanol from the crystal lattice of 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate sodium (cAMPNa) methanol trihydrate, converting it to the pentahydrate without changing its inherent orthorhombic packing mode, and preserving its stability. In this paper, we expand this approach to the removal of residual solvents from l -lysine l -glutamate salt and inosine-5′-monophosphate, and contrast the humidity-mediated method with a solvent-mediated method and a conventional drying method. The packing density of the products obtained from the humidity-mediated method were ∼60% higher than those of the products obtained from the solvent-mediated method, and their stability is ∼5–10% higher than those obtained from the solvent-mediated and traditional drying methods. Furthermore, the humidity-mediated method can remove residual methanol more completely. Therefore, the humidity-mediated method can be regarded as a simple and effective route to eliminate residual solvent from crystal lattice for some crystal products, especially residual methanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Despite recent advance of therapeutic development, coronary artery disease (CAD) remains one of the major issues to public health. The use of genomics and systems biology approaches to inform drug discovery and development have offered the possibilities for new target identification and in silico drug repurposing. In this study, we propose a network-based, systems pharmacology framework for target identification and drug repurposing in pharmacologic treatment and chemoprevention of CAD. Specifically, we build in silico models by integrating known drug-target interactions, CAD genes derived from the genetic and genomic studies, and the human protein-protein interactome. We demonstrate that the proposed in silico models can successfully uncover approved drugs and novel natural products in potentially treating and preventing CAD. In case studies, we highlight several approved drugs (e.g., fasudil, parecoxib, and dexamethasone) or natural products (e.g., resveratrol, luteolin, daidzein and caffeic acid) with new mechanism-of-action in chemical intervention of CAD by network analysis. In summary, this study offers a powerful systems pharmacology approach for target identification and in silico drug repurposing on CAD. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative benign process for recovery lactic acid from its fermentation broth is proposed using a novel hyper-cross-linked meso-micropore resin and water as eluent. This work focuses on modeling the competitive adsorption behaviors of glucose, lactic acid and acetic acid ternary mixture and explosion of the adsorption mechanism. The characterization results showed the resin had a large BET surface area and specific pore structure with hydrophobic properties. By analysis of the physicochemical properties of the solutes and the resin, the mechanism of the separation is proposed as hydrophobic effect and size-exclusion. Subsequently three chromatographic models were applied to predict the competitive breakthrough curves of the ternary mixture under different operating conditions. The pore diffusion was the major limiting factor for the adsorption process, which was consistent with the BET results. The novel HD-06 resin can be a good potential adsorbent for the future SMB continuous separation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of biocompatible micro- and nanoparticles is attractive because of their potential for application as enzyme immobilization tools. Mesoporous TiO 2 microparticles with high crystallinity, high hydroxyl density, and large pore size (20 nm) were prepared by solid-state calcination and a soft chemistry method. The large pores of the microparticles were efficient in adenosine deaminase (ADA) encapsulation. The hydroxyl-coated microparticles could optimize amino-silane modification and be efficiently utilized as ADA-immobilization carriers. However, the adsorbed enzymes were easily leached when cycled. Sequential application of the coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and cross-linker glutaraldehyde (GLU) enabled effective ADA coupling. After eight batch cycles, the immobilized ADA retained 80% of its initial activity, much higher than that by direct enzyme adsorption (30%). GLU prevented enzyme desorption and loss of activity. We thus improved ADA loading efficiency, recycling, and stability. TiO 2 microparticles could be suitable ADA immobilization candidates for detection and industrial inosinic acid production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous TiO 2 microparticles featuring distinct, well-defined pore sizes (3.7–40 nm) were used for investigating the effect of geometrical topography and surface chemistry on the immobilization of adenosine deaminase (ADA). We determined that the pore size of the microparticles can be tuned by varying the post-heat-treatment process. The ADA-adsorption properties of microparticles displaying distinct geometrical topographies were compared, and the relations between pore sizes and the levels of protein loading and enzyme activity were investigated. Although the specific surface area of large-pore microparticles was smaller than that of microparticles harboring small pores, carriers derived from large-pore microparticles exhibited comparatively superior enzyme loading; an overall enzyme loading of 13.5 mg/g was achieved in the case of TiO 2 carriers featuring 20 nm intra-particle pores. In order to strengthen operational stability, surface modification with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) and crosslinking with glutaraldehyde were performed; the operational stability of ADA immobilized on TiO 2 –APTES microparticles featuring various pore sizes was considerably higher than that of ADA immobilized on blank TiO 2 . Thus, both the geometrical topography and surface chemistry of mesoporous TiO 2 microparticles and ADA were crucial for achieving high biocatalysis activity and operational stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ang II, AT1, Apelin and APJ mRNA were promoted by vascular balloon injury. • Olmesartan decreased the proliferation of VSMC and the intimal thickening. • Olmesartan inhibits the intimal thickening through activating Apelin/APJ. Restenosis is the main complication after percutaneous coronary intervention. The proliferation of new intima contributes to the process. In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of olmesartan on intimal thickening after balloon injury and possible mechanism. Aortic endothelial denudation model was made by a 2F balloon catheter. Thirty-six rats were randomly allocated into three groups: Control (n = 12) Surgery (n = 12, received vascular balloon injury) and Olmesartan (n = 12, received 3 mg.kg-1.d-1olmesartan after injury). Fourteen and 28 days after injury, HE staining was used to assess the aortic endothelial injury. Radioimmunological method was used to examine the level of angiotensin II (Ang II). Western blotting and reverse transcription polymerse chain reaction (RT-PCR) were employed to detect the protein and mRNA level of Apelin/APJ. After vascular balloon injury, the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and the intimal thickening were increased. The mRNA and protein level of Ang II, AT1, Apelin and APJ mRNA were promoted by vascular balloon injury. Olmesartan decreased the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and the intimal thickening. Olmesartan decreased the expression of Ang II and AT1, but further increased the expression of Apelin and APJ. Balloon injury also induced the activation of Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling and olmesartan decreased the effect. Olmesartan inhibits the intimal thickening through activating Apelin/APJ and inhibiting AngII-AT1 and ERK pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]