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In hot climates, the large amount of cooling load in electric vehicle (EV) results in a lot of battery energy consumption, leading the decrease of driving range. With the widespread application of windows in EV, the electrochromic glass (EC) shows great prospect in lowering the cooling load. However, researches on the application of EC in EV lack the consideration of both passive cooling measures and passenger comfort, which limits the further application of EC. In this paper, we proposed an idea combining the novel techniques of both electrochromism and radiative cooling. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is modeled to simulate the application of electrochromic and radiative cooling coupled smart windows in hot parking conditions, exploring the improvement effect of the window on the thermal environment, comfort and energy saving of the EV. The results indicate that, under the intense sunlight with an outdoor temperature of 33 °C, activating the air conditioning to maintain an average interior temperature of 26 °C, the coupled windows reduced the cooling capacity of the air conditioning by 762 W compared to regular windows, which can further increase the range of EV. Meanwhile, compared to simple electrochromic fully colored glass, the integration of radiative cooling technology can lower the window surface temperature by up to 10.7 °C. Moreover, compared to regular windows, the coupled windows lowered the standard effective temperature (SET*) for passengers by approximately 7 °C, significantly improving comfort. These research findings are expected to provide guidance for optimizing window design and enhancing the performance of EV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University (Science) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a stem cell-based disease, but information on the biology of cancer stem cells (CSC) in ICC is very limited. Methods: ICC RNA-seq cohorts from three different public databases were integrated and the protein-coding genes were divided into different modules using "WGCNA" to screen the most relevant modules with CSC scores. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression were introduced to construct prognostic classification models. In addition, the extent of immune cell infiltration in patients in different risk groups was assessed based on the ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, MCP-Counter, and single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithms. Finally, the correlation between different risk scores and common drugs was analyzed by pRRophetic package and Spearman method. Results: In the present study, we found that a high CSC score was associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with ICC. The yellow module obtained by WGCNA was significantly positively correlated with the CSCs score, in which 8 genes were served to build a prognostic classification model, and the obtained risk score was negatively correlated with CSCs score and prognosis. The low-risk score was more suitable for immunotherapy, and the high-risk score was more suitable for treatment with 11 antitumor drugs. Conclusion: This study revealed the regulatory role of CSC-mediated EMT, angiogenesis, and immunomodulatory biological processes in ICC, and applied a prognostic classification model to highlight the great potential of CSC for personalized risk assessment, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy intervention in ICC individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Color-changing melon is an ornamental and edible fruit. Aiming at the problems of slow detection speed and high deployment cost for Color-changing melon in intelligent agriculture equipment, this study proposes a lightweight detection model YOLOv8-CML.Firstly, a lightweight Faster-Block is introduced to reduce the number of memory accesses while reducing redundant computation, and a lighter C2f structure is obtained. Then, the lightweight C2f module fusing EMA module is constructed in Backbone to collect multi-scale spatial information more efficiently and reduce the interference of complex background on the recognition effect. Next, the idea of shared parameters is utilized to redesign the detection head to simplify the model further. Finally, the α-IoU loss function is adopted better to measure the overlap between the predicted and real frames using the α hyperparameter, improving the recognition accuracy. The experimental results show that compared to the YOLOv8n model, the parametric and computational ratios of the improved YOLOv8-CML model decreased by 42.9% and 51.8%, respectively. In addition, the model size is only 3.7 MB, and the inference speed is improved by 6.9%, while mAP@0.5, accuracy, and FPS are also improved. Our proposed model provides a vital reference for deploying Color-changing melon picking robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contact loss (CL) between tunnel linings and surrounding ground can greatly affect tunnel safety and has remained a crucial tunnel engineering issue. Physical model tests were conducted to investigate the effects of CLs of different circumferential and longitudinal lengths on shield tunnels. It was found that the tunnel rings would deform towards the CL, and the bending moments of CL zone-covered segments were affected. Regarding CL of a given longitudinal length, a critical CL circumferential length existed. When CL exceeded its critical size, tunnel structures were damaged. In practical engineering, the most effective tunnel protection measure is to prevent the CL from increasing to its critical size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose-Drawing on affective events theory, this study investigates the multilevel effect of exploitative leadership on employee's workplace venting. We also test the mediating effect of negative emotions and the moderating effect of supervisor's organizational embodiment (SOE) on the relationship between the two constructs. Design/methodology/approach-The surveys were conducted in three waves. First, we administered questionnaires to 576 employees across 114 teams to assess the respondents' perception of exploitative leadership and SOE, and received 435 completed questionnaires. Two weeks later, we sent a follow-up questionnaire to the responding individuals to rate their negative emotions, and received 396 responses. After two additional weeks, we administered a questionnaire to the direct supervisors of these 396 employees to rate the employees' workplace venting. In total, 344 matched employee–supervisor questionnaires (from 73 teams) were obtained, with a response rate of 59.72%. Findings-The results reveal that exploitative leadership is positively related to employee workplace venting; not only directly, but also indirectly, by facilitating negative emotions. In addition, SOE moderates the effects of exploitative leadership on negative emotions and employee workplace venting. Practical implications-Our findings suggest that organizations should pay more attention to the negative effects of exploitative leadership in the workplace. Further, managers should remind subordinates of the dark side of negative emotions related to employee workplace venting. and make an effort to reduce negative affect via internal communication channels or open discussions. Finally, the organization should strive to clarify the authority of leaders, correct and punish their improper behavior in a timely manner, and enhance the positive effect of SOE. Originality/value-This research identifies negative emotions as a key mediator that links exploitative leadership to employee's workplace venting. It also highlights the moderating role of SOE in this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its low latency and energy consumption, edge computing technology is essential in processing multi-source data streams from intelligent devices. This article investigates a mobile edge computing network aided by wireless power transfer (WPT) for multi-source data streams, where the wireless channel parameters and the characteristic of the data stream are varied. Moreover, we consider a practical communication scenario, where the devices with limited battery capacity cannot support the executing and transmitting of computational data streams under a given latency. Thus, WPT technology is adopted for this considered network to enable the devices to harvest energy from the power beacon. In further, by considering the device's energy consumption and latency constraints, we propose an optimization problem under energy constraints. To solve this problem, we design a customized particle swarm optimization-based algorithm, which aims at minimizing the latency of the device processing computational data stream by jointly optimizing the charging and offloading strategies. Furthermore, simulation results illustrate that the proposed method outperforms other benchmark schemes in minimizing latency, which shows the proposed method's superiority in processing the multi-source data stream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) materials- based nanozyme are regarded as promising wide-spectrum antibacterial nanoagents due to large surface area and excellent photophysical properties. However, the antibacterial efficacies are still restricted by their low catalytic activity and weak attachment with bacteria. Herein, we report a 2D copper-cobalt oxide nanozyme with porous surfaces and rich defects. The defect-rich porous 2D nanozyme provides abundant highly active sites and vacancy defects, thus exhibiting high peroxidase-mimicking activity, which further enhanced by NIR irradiation, as well as leading to synergistic antibacterial performance with 99% of inhibition ratio of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and significantly promoting wound healing. This work provides useful insights on developing porous and defective 2D nanozymes as a priority towards enhanced antibacterial therapy. The 2D copper-cobalt oxide nanozyme with porous surfaces and rich defects is developed, exerting high peroxidase-mimicking activity, which further enhanced by NIR irradiation, leading to synergistic antibacterial performance with 99% of inhibition ratio of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and significantly promoting wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer is a complex polygenic disease, and the interaction between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may lead to differences in the incidence and susceptibility of cervical cancer. In this study, we explored whether three potentially functional SNPs—rs59661306, rs257847, and rs637442 with reference/alternative alleles A/G, C/T, and T/G, respectively—in chr5q14 were related to cervical cancer risk in a Chinese population. A total of 703 samples were collected, including 215 patients with cervical cancer and 488 normal controls. The SNP genotyping was determined by using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. There was an association between the AG rs59661306 genotype or the GG rs59661306 genotype and cervical cancer risk, and the percentage of cancer patients with the A/G rs59661306 genotype plus the percentage of cancer patients with the G/G rs59661306 genotype (AG + GG) was significantly higher than the percentage of AG + GG healthy women in the control group. There was no association between either the rs257847 or the rs637442 and cervical cancer risk. Genotype analysis showed that the genotype CT of rs257847 in combination with the AG, GG, and AG + GG genotypes of rs59661306 were associated with a higher cervical cancer risk, and that the genotypes TG and TG + GG of rs637442 in combination with the AG and AG + GG genotypes of rs59661306 were also associated with a higher cervical cancer risk. These findings indicate that rs59661306, rs257847, and rs637442 may be susceptible loci for cervical cancer. Our study advances the understanding of SNPs that are responsible for cervical cancer susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: We hypothesized that an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol for patients undergoing female pelvic reconstructive surgery would conserve hospital resources without compromising patient safety. Methods: In June 2020, an ERAS protocol designed to promote same-day discharge was initiated that included pre-operative hydration, a urinary anesthetic, non-narcotic analgesia, perineal ice, a bowel regimen, enrollment of the family to assist with care, and communication regarding planned same-day discharge. We compared demographic, operative, hospital stay, complications, and cost data in patients undergoing pelvic organ prolapse or incontinence surgery over 4 sequential months pre (PRE; N = 82) and post (POST; N = 91) ERAS implementation using univariate statistics. Results: There were no differences in demographics, operative details, or complications (p > 0.05). There were no significant differences in overall revenues or expenses (p > 0.05), but bed unit cost was significantly lower in the POST group ($210 vs $533, p < 0.0001). There was a trend toward an increased operating margin in POST patients ($4,554 vs $2,151, p = 0.1163). Significantly more POST surgeries were performed in an ambulatory setting (73.6% vs 48.8%, p = 0.0008) and resulted in same-day discharge (80.2% vs 50.0%, p = 0.0003). There were no differences in the rates of emergency room or unexpected clinic visits (p > 0.05). Prescribed post-operative opiate dose was significantly reduced in POST patients (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: In patients undergoing female pelvic reconstructive surgery, an ERAS protocol facilitated transfer of procedures to an ambulatory surgical site and permitted same-day discharge without increasing complications, clinic visits, or emergency room visits. It also reduced bed unit cost and may improve operating margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) are considered promising techniques to satisfy the demands for high spectrum efficiency and massive connectivity in future wireless communication. In this paper, a novel framework to realize transmission in cell-free massive MIMO-NOMA system with deep integration between MIMO and NOMA is proposed. A new method is developed to divide users into different groups according to their equivalent path loss, and then "group-level successive interference cancellation" (GSIC) is used to cancel the inter-group interference when demodulating the users. Based on the new framework, a rigorous closed-form expression of the achievable sum rate in uplink cell-free massive MIMO-NOMA system is derived. In addition, a parallel iterative method is used to obtain the best power control scheme. Simulations show that the proposed scheme can effectively reduce the total power consumption and outperforms the orthogonal multiple access (OMA) transmission and traditional SIC-NOMA schemes based on user clustering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Quruqtagh (Kuruktag) Block located in the northeast Tarim Craton consists of metamorphic supracrustal rocks. It is of great significance to understand the Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution and its correlation with adjacent blocks. Although the timing of metamorphism has been investigated, the metamorphic pressure and temperature conditions of these rocks are still ambiguous. In this study, we carried out a detailed petrography, mineral chemistry, and geochronological assessment on the meta-pelites from the Quruqtagh (Kuruktag) Block. Calculated pressure and temperature results reveal prograde metamorphic conditions at 4–5 kbar and > 500 °C, peak granulite facies metamorphism at 6.1–7.4 kbar and 754–800 °C, followed by post-peak metamorphism at 3.8–4.7 kbar and 732–784 °C, and retrograde metamorphism at 1.3–2.5 kbar and 550–610 °C. The meta-pelites, thus, record a clockwise P–T path with the temperature and pressure increasing up to the peak of granulite facies metamorphism followed by near isothermal decompression and isobaric cooling, suggesting a continent–continent collision event. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating yields mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of ca. 1.85 Ga, interpreted as the metamorphic recrystallization age. We propose that the northern Tarim Craton was involved in a continent–continent collision (probably with southern Siberian Craton) followed by its exhumation and cooling in the Late Paleoproterozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A smart fully mechanized coal mining working face is comprised of various heterogeneous equipment that work together in unknown coal seam environments. The goal is to form a smart operational system with comprehensive perception, decision-making, and control. This involves many work points and complex coupling relationships, indicating it needs to be performed in stages and coordinated to address key problems in all directions and along multiple points. However, there are no existing unified test or analysis tools. Therefore, this study proposed a virtual test and evaluation method for a fully mechanized mining production system with different smart levels. This is based on the concept of “real data processing–virtual scene construction–setting key information points–virtual operation and evaluation.” The actual operational data for a specific working face geology and equipment were reasonably transformed into a visual virtual scene through a movement relationship model. The virtual operations and mining conditions of the working face were accurately reproduced. Based on the sensor and execution error analyses for different smart levels, the input interface for sensing, decision-making, and control was established for each piece of equipment, and an operation evaluation system was constructed. The system comprehensively simulates and tests the key points of sensing decision-making and control with various smart levels. The experimental results showed that the virtual scene constructed based on actual operational data has a high simulation degree. Users can simulate, analyze, and evaluate the overall operations of the smart mining 2.0–4.0 working face by inputting key information. The future direction for the smart development of fully mechanized mining is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A clean air environment in the operating area is an important factor in reducing intraoperative infection, which is affected by medical staff and their dynamic behaviour. In this study, experimental and numerical simulation methods were used to investigate the cleaning performance of the operation area under actual working conditions, which can more intuitively simulate the movement of particles in the operating room. First, four air distribution cases are studied: empty state, static persons, arm waving, and medical staff walking. Second, the disturbance process, distribution, peak value, and uniformity of particulate matter concentration in these cases are discussed. The results show that the air distribution in the operation area is greatly affected by the dynamic disturbance, the cleanliness level deteriorates by 2–3 levels, and the cleanliness uniformity also deteriorates further. Therefore, it is important to reasonably evaluate the mobile operation shelter cleaning performance and infection risk under actual working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To retrospectively analyze CT appearances and progression pattern of COVID-19 during hospitalization, and analyze imaging findings of follow-up on thin-section CT. Methods: CT findings of 69 patients with COVID-19 were evaluated on initial CT, peak CT, and pre-discharge CT. CT pattern were divided into four types on CT progression. Lesion percentage of pulmonary lobe (lobe score) was graded. Correlation analysis was made between scores and intervals. 53 patients were followed up by CT. Results: Among 69 patients, 33.3% exhibited improvement pattern, 65.2% peak pattern, 1.5% deterioration pattern, and 0% fluctuation pattern. The lobe scores were positively correlated with most of intervals. It was more common to observe consolidation, pleural thickening and pleural effusion on the peak CT, and irregular line and reticulation on pre-discharge CT. The peak-initial interval were shortened when the initial CT with consolidation and pleural thickening. The intervals were extended when the irregular lines appeared on peak CT and reticulation on pre-discharge CT. Among 53 follow-up patients, 37.7% showed normal chest CT, and 62.3% showed viral pneumonia remained that mainly included GGO (100.0%) and irregular lines (33.3%). Conclusions: COVID-19 displayed different appearances on CT as progressing. The peak pattern was the most common progression pattern. The CT appearances showed closely related to the intervals. The COVID-19 pneumonia can be remained or completely absorbed on CT with follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biotin is an essential micro-nutrient across the three domains of life. The paradigm earlier step of biotin synthesis denotes "BioC-BioH" pathway in Escherichia coli. Here we report that BioZ bypasses the canonical route to begin biotin synthesis. In addition to its origin of Rhizobiales, protein phylogeny infers that BioZ is domesticated to gain an atypical role of β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III. Genetic and biochemical characterization demonstrates that BioZ catalyzes the condensation of glutaryl-CoA (or ACP) with malonyl-ACP to give 5'-keto-pimeloyl ACP. This intermediate proceeds via type II fatty acid synthesis (FAS II) pathway, to initiate the formation of pimeloyl-ACP, a precursor of biotin synthesis. To further explore molecular basis of BioZ activity, we determine the crystal structure of Agrobacterium tumefaciens BioZ at 1.99 Å, of which the catalytic triad and the substrate-loading tunnel are functionally defined. In particular, we localize that three residues (S84, R147, and S287) at the distant bottom of the tunnel might neutralize the charge of free C-carboxyl group of the primer glutaryl-CoA. Taken together, this study provides molecular insights into the BioZ biotin synthesis pathway. Biotin is an essential enzyme cofactor and two pathways for the generation of the biotin precursor pimeloyl-ACP are known. Here, the authors identify and characterize a third pathway for biotin precursor synthesis involving BioZ and they also present the Agrobacterium tumefaciens BioZ crystal structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a numerical study on the aerodynamics loss reduction characteristics after the leading-edge (LE) optimization in a low-pressure turbine linear cascade. The LE was optimized with a simple and practical method of "Class Function/Shape Function Transformation Technique" (CST). The simulation conditions, covering the whole working range, were independently determined by incidence, Reynolds number and Mach number. Quantitative loss analyses were carried out with a loss breakdown method based on volumetric integration of entropy production rates. To understand the reason of loss reduction, the local sources at different operating points were identified with entropy production rates. The results showed that LE optimization with the CST method played a positive role in decreasing the total losses, and the working range with lower loss was extended. The profile loss and the endwall loss were significantly reduced by the LE optimization, which were also verified to be the major causes of the total loss reduction by loss breakdown. The decrease of profile loss can be attributed to the boundary layer near the LE region and the boundary layer of downstream at off-design incidence. The reduction mostly came from the pressure side at negative incidence, while came from the suction side at the positive incidence. The endwall loss was decreased markedly about 2.5%–5% by the LE optimization at the incidence of‒12°, which was 1% at the incidence of 12°. The mechanism for the endwall loss reduction at different incidences was different from each other. At negative incidence, the LE optimization diminished the corner separation vortex on the pressure side. While at positive incidence, the benefits came from three aspects, i.e., reduced suction LE separation bubbles close to the endwall, reduced passage vortex strength, and weakened shear process between passage vortex and trailing shed vortex. The loss of the downstream zone was relatively lower than that of the profile losses and the endwall losses. The effect of LE optimization on the loss of the downstream zone at different conditions was complex and it depended both on the profile boundary layer behavior at the suction trailing edge and on the passage vortex strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the influence of bolting on shear mechanical behavior of cement mortar specimens were studied. First, a shear test apparatus which could provide CNS (constant normal stiffness) condition was designed. Then, more than 140 bolted and non-bolted cement mortar blocks (100 × 100 × 100 mm) were prepared. The strengthening effect of bolts with diameters of 0 – 10 mm on cement mortar specimens was studied under different initial normal loads ranging from 20 kN to 60 kN and constant normal stiffness of 420 kN/mm. Two simplified models of shear behavior of reinforced cement mortar blocks were proposed. The most important influence of bolt on the cement mortar blocks was to strengthen the post-peak shear strength rather than the peak shear strength, and the strengthening effect was reduced under high initial normal force. The cohesion of cement mortar blocks was reduced while internal friction angle was increased in residual sliding stage by bolts. The dilation of reinforced cement mortar specimens in post-peak shear stage was significantly reduced due to bolting, and the larger the bolt diameter, the greater the reduction in the block dilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the trenched configurations, including traditional trench (TT), fillet trench (FT) and varying-radius trench (VRT), are numerically investigated at different conditions in terms of downstream cooling effectiveness and flow fields. Different trench width and fillet radii are discussed at different blowing ratios and density ratios. Results show that the downstream lips mainly change the downstream pressure distributions and then change the lateral coolant distribution. The downstream fillet can reduce the penetration of coolant and improve laterally averaged effectiveness in the configurations with the narrow trench at modest blowing ratios. The enhancement of cooling effectiveness near the centerline plane is the positive effect of downstream fillet. This enhancement becomes more obvious with the increase of fillet radius, except for high blowing ratio. The fillet lip, compared with TT cases, also leads to a decline of coolant lateral spread for configurations with the wide trench and large radius, and more decline in the lateral direction deteriorates downstream overall cooling performance. Besides, the increase of density ratio contributes to a higher cooling effectiveness for fillet trench configurations. VRT cases guarantee the streamwise extension and lateral spread of coolant, therefore improving downstream cooling effectiveness further at blowing ratio M=1.0 and 1.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modelling cumulative impacts of basin-scale coal seam gas (CSG) extraction is challenging due to the long time frames and spatial extent over which impacts occur combined with the need to consider local-scale processes. The computational burden of such models limits the ability to undertake calibration and sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. A framework is presented that integrates recently developed methods and tools to address the computational burdens of an assessment of drawdown impacts associated with rapid CSG development in the Surat Basin, Australia. The null space Monte Carlo method combined with singular value decomposition (SVD)-assisted regularisation was used to analyse the uncertainty of simulated drawdown impacts. The study also describes how the computational burden of assessing local-scale impacts was mitigated by adopting a novel combination of a nested modelling framework which incorporated a model emulator of drawdown in dual-phase flow conditions, and a methodology for representing local faulting. This combination provides a mechanism to support more reliable estimates of regional CSG-related drawdown predictions. The study indicates that uncertainties associated with boundary conditions are reduced significantly when expressing differences between scenarios. The results are analysed and distilled to enable the easy identification of areas where the simulated maximum drawdown impacts could exceed trigger points associated with legislative ‘make good’ requirements; trigger points require that either an adjustment in the development scheme or other measures are implemented to remediate the impact. This report contributes to the currently small body of work that describes modelling and uncertainty analyses of CSG extraction impacts on groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1:STN:280:DC%2BC2Mrgt1GmsQ%3D%3D. 10.1002/bjs.9736 2 Agnes A, Biondi A, Persiani R, Laurino A, Reddavid R, De Giuli M. Development of the PERI-Gastric (PEritoneal Recurrence Index) and PERI-Gram (Peritoneal Recurrence Index NomoGRAM) for predicting the risk of metachronous peritoneal carcinomatosis after gastrectomy with curative intent for gastric cancer. Methodology issue Keywords: Follow-up; Prediction model; Nomogram; Missing data handling; Cox model EN Follow-up Prediction model Nomogram Missing data handling Cox model 1129 1130 2 10/26/22 20221101 NES 221101 With interest, we have read the article by Annamaria Agnes et al. on a metachronous peritoneal carcinomatosis after gastrectomy with curative intent for gastric cancer in the Gastric Cancer [[2]]. [Extracted from the article]

Understanding the response of groundwater levels in alluvial and sedimentary basin aquifers to climatic variability and human water-resource developments is a key step in many hydrogeological investigations. This study presents an analysis of groundwater response to climate variability from 2000 to 2012 in the Queensland part of the sedimentary Clarence-Moreton Basin, Australia. It contributes to the baseline hydrogeological understanding by identifying the primary groundwater flow pattern, water-level response to climate extremes, and the resulting dynamics of surface-water/groundwater interaction. Groundwater-level measurements from thousands of bores over several decades were analysed using Kriging and nonparametric trend analysis, together with a newly developed three-dimensional geological model. Groundwater-level contours suggest that groundwater flow in the shallow aquifers shows local variations in the close vicinity of streams, notwithstanding general conformance with topographic relief. The trend analysis reveals that climate variability can be quickly reflected in the shallow aquifers of the Clarence-Moreton Basin although the alluvial aquifers have a quicker rainfall response than the sedimentary bedrock formations. The Lockyer Valley alluvium represents the most sensitively responding alluvium in the area, with the highest declining (−0.7 m/year) and ascending (2.1 m/year) Sen’s slope rates during and after the drought period, respectively. Different surface-water/groundwater interaction characteristics were observed in different catchments by studying groundwater-level fluctuations along hydrogeologic cross-sections. The findings of this study lay a foundation for future water-resource management in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xianglushan-type iron deposits are one of the new types of iron deposits found in the Weining Area of Western Guizhou. The iron-bearing rock system is a paleo-weathered crustal sedimentary (or accumulating) stratum between the top of the Middle-Late Permian Emeishan basalt formation and the Late Permian Xuanwei formation. Iron ore is hosted in the Lower-Middle part of the rock system. In terms of the genesis of mineral deposit, this type of deposit should be a basalt paleo-weathering crustal redeposit type, very different from marine sedimentary iron deposits or continental weathering crust iron deposits. Based on field work and the analytical results of XRD Powder Diffraction, Electron Probe, Scanner Electron Microscope, etc., the geological setting of the ore-forming processes and the deposit features are illustrated in this paper. The ore-forming environment of the deposit and the Emeishan basalt weathering mineralization are also discussed in order to enhance the knowledge of the universality and diversity of mineralization of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP), which may be a considerable reference to further research for ELIP metallogenic theories, and geological research for iron deposits in the paleo-weathering crust areas of the Emeishan basalt, Southwestern, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium matrix composites reinforced with α-AlO and TiB particles were fabricated by in situ synthesis from a Ti-Al-BO system. The reaction processes and microstructure were analyzed by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the reactions in the Ti-Al-BO system can occur spontaneously and consist of three steps: 1) 15Al + 7BO → 7α-AlO + AlB + 2B; 2) 14B + 2Al → AlB + AlB and 3) 7Ti + AlB + AlB → 7TiB + 2Al. The final reinforcements were composed of α-AlO and TiB particles, which were uniformly distributed in the titanium matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative development extends the vitality of ethnomedicines. Developing ethnomedicines is not only beneficial to the public but also to the related industry and transforms economic growth, driving local social and economic development further. Its economic benefit can be used to optimize and promote the hardware and software of the platform, as well as support the sustainable development of ethnomedicines. Apart from research and discussion on the innovative development of ethnomedicines on the basis of theory and regulations, this series of articles also summarizes cases that are conducive to the overall understanding of the necessity and feasibility of the innovative development. In terms of industrial development, large enterprises and products, such as Yunnan Baiyao, Guizhou Miao ethnomedicines, Cheezheng Tibetan Medicine, products developed from Dengzhanhua ( Erigeron breviscapus), the Gold series of Yi ethnomedicines, and products developed from Sanqi ( Panax notoginseng), in China are introduced and summarized, focusing on resource superiority, sustainable innovation, standard research and development, and production, as well as intellectual property protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the fast generation of micro structured surface by means of micro polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools, which are manufactured by applying the wire cut electrical discharge machining (WEDM). Firstly, the fabrication of micro PCD tools is introduced in the WEDM process. Furthermore, by applying the micro cutting tools, the micro structures are directly fabricated on the alumina workpiece with just a simple micro turning process, which verifies the feasibility of the proposed microfabrication method. Following that, the tool wear in the micro turning process is also investigated. Although there is no considerable tool shape deterioration and tool edge damage, the adhesion of the workpiece material to the cutting edge is observed, which may cause the increase of cutting forces and the decrease of the machining accuracy. As following, a series of fundamental micro turning tests are conducted, and the influence of cutting conditions on the machined structure quality is investigated in detail. Finally, it is proposed that the micro/nano structures can also provide the self-cleaning properties due to the low surface energy. The proposed microfabrication process is expected to become a potential method for the fast generation of micro structured surface in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the primary purposes of the innovative development of ethnomedicines is to use their excellent safety and significant efficacy to serve a broader population. To achieve this purpose, modern scientific and technological means should be referenced, and relevant national laws and regulations as well as technical guides should be strictly followed to develop standards and to perform systemic research in producing ethnomedicines. Finally, ethnomedicines, which are applied to a limited extent in ethnic areas, can be transformed into safe, effective, and quality-controllable medical products to relieve the pain of more patients. The innovative development path of ethnomedicines includes the following three primary stages: resource study, standardized development research, and industrialization of the achievements and efforts for internationalization. The implementation of this path is always guaranteed by the research and development platform and the talent team. This article is based on the accumulation of long-term practice and is combined with the relevant disciplines, laws and regulations, and technical guidance from the research and development of ethnomedicines. The intention is to perform an in-depth analysis and explanation of the major research thinking, methods, contents, and technical paths involved in all stages of the innovative development path of ethnomedicines to provide useful references for the development of proper ethnomedicine use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increasing complexity of supercomputers, hard and soft errors are causing more and more problems in high-performance scientific and engineering computation. In order to improve reliability (increase the mean time to failure) of computing systems, a lot of efforts have been devoted to developing techniques to forecast, prevent, and recover from errors at different levels, including architecture, application, and algorithm. In this paper, we focus on algorithmic error resilient iterative solvers and introduce a redundant subspace correction method. Using a general framework of redundant subspace corrections, we construct iterative methods, which have the following properties: (1) maintain convergence when error occurs assuming it is detectable; (2) introduce low computational overhead when no error occurs; (3) require only small amount of point-to-point communication compared to traditional methods and maintain good load balance; (4) improve the mean time to failure. Preliminary numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the new subspace correction method. For simplicity, the main ideas of the proposed framework were demonstrated using the Schwarz methods without a coarse space, which do not scale well in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical issue for alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD) therapeutics is the lack of a highly efficient delivery system. In this study, a Puerarin-propylene glycol-liposome system was prepared for the purpose of targeting puerarin, an isoflavon, to the liver. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) results showed the liposomes to be spherical in shape with an average diameter of 182 nm with a polydispersity index of 0.239. The zeta potential of the particles was about −30 mV. The entrapment efficiency of puerarin was above 90%. MTT-based assay in HpeG2 cells showed no significant cytotoxicity in the presence of up to 25% concentration of the system containing 3% puerarin. In vivo performance of this system was studied in mice. Pharmacokinetics and distribution of puerarin-PG-liposome system was studied relative to puerarin solution at the same dose levels. The results show that puerarin-PG-liposome prolonged drug retention time and decreased elimination of puerarin in mice (AUC of liposome system and solution was 9.5 and 4.0 mg h L, respectively). Furthermore, propylene glycol (PG)-liposome system enhanced puerarin distribution into liver and spleen, while decreasing puerarin distribution in other tissues. Overall, the puerarin-PG-liposome system showed enhanced therapeutic effect in mice with ALD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the preclinical performance and mechanism of a novel strategy of aFGF-loaded heparin-modified microbubbles (aFGF-HMB) combined with ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) technique for diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) prevention. Type 1 diabetic rats were induced by streptozotocin. Twelve weeks after intervention, indexes from transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac catheterization showed that the left ventricular function in the aFGF-HMB/UTMD group was significantly improved compared with diabetes control (DM). From Picrosirius Red staining and TUNEL staining, the aFGF-HMB/UTMD group showed significant difference from the other groups. The cardiac collagen volume fraction (CVF) and myocardial cell apoptosis index (AI) in aFGF-HMB/UTMD group decreased to 7.2 % and 7.11 % respectively, compared with the DM group (CVF = 24.5 % and AI =20.3 % respectively). The results of myocardial microvascular density (MCD) also proved the strongest inhibition of aFGF-HMB/UTMD group on DCM progress. CD31 staining of aFGF-HMB/UTMD group reached 22 n/hrp, much higher than that of DM group (9 n/hrp). These results confirmed that the abnormalities including left ventricular dysfunction, myocardial fibrosis, cardiomyocytes apoptosis and microvascular rarefaction could be suppressed by twice weekly aFGF treatments for 12 consecutive weeks (free aFGF or aFGF-HMB+/−UTMD), with the strongest improvements observed in the aFGF-HMB/UTMD group ( P < 0.05 vs free aFGF or aFGF-HMB). Western blot analyses of heart tissue further revealed the highest aFGF, anti-apoptosis protein (Bcl-2), VEGF-C, pAkt, pFoxo-3a levels and strongest reduction in pro-apoptosis proteins (Bax) level in aFGF-HMB/UTMD group. Overall, aFGF-HMB combined with UTMD technique might be developed as an effective strategy to prevent DCM in future clinical therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the long history of disease prevention and treatment, ancestral populations worldwide have gained knowledge and experiences in traditional medicines. For instance, ethnomedicines of Chinese ethnic minorities constitute an important part of traditional medicines. In our study, we firstly clarified the concept of ethnomedicines and the connotations of ethnopharmacology. The particularity of ethnomedicine research were then summed up, and the development profiles of the ethnomedicines of Chinese ethnic minorities were discussed by investigating the current status and existing problems. On this basis, we abstracted the innovative development path of ethnomedicines for the first time, which was found to follows:resource study → standardized development research → industrialization of the achievements and efforts for internationalization. We found that platform establishment and team training are keys to achieving innovative development. Hence, this study provided a basis for ethnomedicine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intake system of diesel engine is a strong nonlinear system, and it is difficult to establish accurate model of intake system; and bias fault and precision degradation fault of MAP of diesel engine can't be diagnosed easily using model-based methods. Thus, a fault diagnosis method based on Elman neural network observer is proposed. By comparing simulation results of intake pressure based on BP network and Elman neural network, lower sampling error magnitude is gained using Elman neural network, and the error is less volatile. Forecast accuracy is between 0.015-0.017 5 and sample error is controlled within 0-0.07. Considering the output stability and complexity of solving comprehensively, Elman neural network with a single hidden layer and with 44 nodes is presented as intake system observer. By comparing the relations of confidence intervals of the residual value between the measured and predicted values, error variance and failures in various fault types. Then four typical MAP faults of diesel engine can be diagnosed: complete failure fault, bias fault, precision degradation fault and drift fault. The simulation results show: intake pressure is observable and selection of diagnostic strategy parameter reasonably can increase the accuracy of diagnosis; the proposed fault diagnosis method only depends on data and structural parameters of observer, not depends on the nonlinear model of air intake system. A fault diagnosis method is proposed not depending system model to observe intake pressure, and bias fault and precision degradation fault of MAP of diesel engine can be diagnosed based on residuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain tumor lacks effective delivery system for treatment. Focused ultrasound (FUS) can reversibly open BBB without impacts on normal tissues. As a potential drug carrier, cationic liposomes (CLs) have the ability to passively accumulate in tumor tissues for their positive charge. In this study, FUS introduced doxorubicin-loaded cationic liposomes (DOX-CLs) were applied to improve the efficiency of glioma-targeted delivery. Doxorubicin-loaded CLs (DOX-CLs) and quantum dot-loaded cationic liposomes (QD-CLs) were prepared using extrusion technology, and their characterizations were evaluated. With the advantage of QDs in tracing images, the glioma-targeted accumulation of FUS + CLs was evaluated by fluorescence imaging and flow cytometer. Cell survival rate, tumor volume, animal survival time, and brain histology in C6 glioma model were investigated to evaluate the glioma-targeted delivery of FUS + DOX-CLs. DOX-CLs and QD-CLs had suitable nanoscale sizes and high entrapment efficiency. The combined strategy of FUS introduced CLs significantly increased the glioma-targeted accumulation for load drugs. FUS + DOX-CLs showed the strongest inhibition on glioma based on glioma cell in vitro and glioma model in vivo experiments. From MRI and histological analysis, FUS + DOX-CLs group strongly suppressed the glioma progression and extended the animal survival time to 81.2 days. Among all the DOX treatment groups, FUS + DOX-CLs group showed the best cell viability and highest level of tumor apoptosis and necrosis. Combining the advantages of BBB reversible opening by FUS and glioma-targeted binding by CLs, ultrasound introduced cationic liposomes could achieve glioma-targeted delivery, which might be developed as a potential strategy for future brain tumor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains the leading cause of injury-related death and disability. Brain edema, one of the most major complications of TBI, contributes to elevated intracranial pressure, and poor prognosis following TBI. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Ulinastatin (UTI), a serine protease inhibitor, attenuates brain edema following TBI. Our results showed that treatment with UTI at a dose of 50,000 U/kg attenuated the brain edema, as assayed by water content 24 h after TBI induction. This attenuation was associated with a significant decrease of the expression level of aquaporin-4. In addition, we showed that UTI treatment also markedly inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β and TNF-α as well as activity of NF-κB. Collectively, our findings suggested that UTI may be a promising strategy to treat brain edema following TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth common cancer and the third common cause of cancer mortality worldwide. However, the exact molecular mechanism of HCC remains uncertain. Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is the main protein in the caveolin family and plays an important role in tumorigenesis signaling. However, the contribution of CAV1 genetic variants to HCC is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the tagSNPs of the CAV1 gene and HCC risk. In this case-control study, we enrolled 1,000 HCC patients and 1,000 cancer-free controls, which were frequency-matched by age, gender, and HBV infection status. We found that CAV1 rs729949 was statistically associated with increased risk of HCC (odds ratio (OR) = 1.28; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.11-1.48; P = 8.53 × 10), even after Bonferroni correction ( P = 5.97 × 10); the expression levels of CAV1 in cancer tissues were significantly lower than those in adjacent normal tissues ( P = 0.012). We also detected a significant association for CAV1 rs3807989 under the log-additive model (OR = 0.85; 95 % CI, 0.74-0.98; P = 0.026). Significant associations were also detected for CAV1 rs6466583 (GG vs AA: OR = 2.53; 95 % CI, 1.24-5.17; P = 0.011) and CAV1 rs3807986 (AG vs AA: OR = 3.16; 95 % CI, 1.68-5.91; P = 3.36 × 10) among genotype comparisons. These findings indicated that genetic variants n CAV1 might contribute to HCC susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opioid addiction is a major social, economic, and medical problem worldwide. Long-term adverse consequences of chronic opiate exposure not only involve the individuals themselves but also their offspring. Adolescent maternal morphine exposure results in behavior and morphologic changes in the brain of their adult offspring. However, few studies investigate the effect of adult opiate exposure on their offspring. Furthermore, the underlying molecular signals regulating the intergenerational effects of morphine exposure are still elusive. We report here that morphine exposure of adult male and female rats resulted in anxiety-like behavior and dendritic retraction in the dentate gyrus (DG) region of the hippocampus in their adult offspring. The behavior and morphologic changes were concomitant with the downregulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-2 signaling in the granular zone of DG. Overexpression of hippocampal IGF-2 by bilateral intra-DG injection of lentivirus encoding the IGF-2 gene prevented anxiety-like behaviors in the offspring. Furthermore, exposure to an enriched environment during adolescence corrected the reduction of hippocampal IGF-2 expression, normalized anxiety-like behavior and reversed dendritic retraction in the adult offspring. Thus, parental morphine exposure can lead to the downregulation of hippocampal IGF-2, which contributed to the anxiety and hippocampal dendritic retraction in their offspring. An adolescent-enriched environment experience prevented the behavior and morphologic changes in their offspring through hippocampal IGF-2 signaling. IGF-2 and an enriched environment may be a potential intervention to prevention of anxiety and brain atrophy in the offspring of parental opioid exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-existing models for thermal history modelling have shown deficiency in explicit algorithms to establish the quantitative relationship between maturity indices and thermal gradients in some sedimentary basins that experienced multi-episodic rifting evolution. In this study, a forward and inverse combination model (FICM) is proposed to estimate the vitrinite reflectance ( Ro) and thermal gradients. The forward module is used to calculate Ro values. It couples the EASY% Ro model with burial history reconstruction with consideration of thermal gradient variations during basin evolution. The inverse module reconstructs histoical thermal gradients by calibrating cmputed Ro against measured Ro data. The time-temperature series is a necessary input for both forward and inverse modules. Sample density is a profound factor influencing the accuracy of modelling results. In order to obtain satisfying outputs, a sufficient sample density is required. Thermal gradients are assumed to vary linearly between two given samples. Modelling results of case studies indicate that the sensitivity of heating time to Ro evlution is differnt with thermal gradients depending on geolgoical setting. Three difffernt districts, which include the time-sensitive area, the temperature-sensitive area and the non-sensitive area, can be recognized on the the relationship map among Ro variations, heating time and geothermal gradients. This model can be applied to reconstruct the thermal history and maturation evolution in a basin that has undergone complex multi-episodic rifting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Somatosensory-evoked reflex epilepsy is characterized by seizures in response to specific stimuli. It is highly uncommon for somatosensory-evoked focal seizures to be caused by movement or a change in posture. Reflex epilepsy induced by both somatosensory and proprioceptive stimulations has not been previously reported. In this study, we present a case of reflex epilepsy evoked by somatosensory and proprioceptive stimulation in a patient with hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis. After comparing our patient with other cases of previously reported somatosensory-evoked reflex epilepsy, we determined that our patient had an unusual cause of reflex epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of water inrush incidents in coalmines are originally derived from a seepage flow through rock mass fractures, particularly in fault zones. Water inrush is typically caused by hydromechanical coupling interactions induced by human activities. Taking the Zhaogezhuang coalmine in northern China as an example, the progress of a lagging water inrush, which occurred at a depth of about −1,100 m, was simulated and analyzed based on the hydromechanical coupling mechanism. A 3D model incorporating the main structures of the study area was constructed based on the geological data and field investigation. The equivalent continuum medium was employed to describe fault zones. Processes of determining the mechanical, rheological and hydraulic parameters are discussed in details. Three hydromechanical coupling models are applied: (1) the elastoplastic strain-fluid coupling mechanism in rock mass within the fault zone, (2) the inelastic creep-fluid coupling mechanism in rock materials within the fault gouge, and (3) the stress-permeability coupling mechanism in the fractured porous rocks. The evolution of water-recharge zones along the fault zone was presented in different mining phases. By comparing the simulated pore pressures with the in situ monitored ones, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) the actual hydraulic behaviors are a combination of the long-term trends and short-term effects; (2) the creep-fluid coupling model reflects the rock hydraulic behaviors of long-term trends, while the elastoplastic strain-fluid coupling model demonstrates the short-term effects; (3) a prediction method called 'time window' for the risk of the lagging water inrush is proposed. Its feasibility is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop an anisotropic perfectly matched layer (PML) method for solving the time harmonic electromagnetic scattering problems in which the PML coordinate stretching is performed only in one direction outside a cuboid domain. The PML parameters such as the thickness of the layer and the absorbing medium property are determined through sharp a posteriori error estimates. Combined with the adaptive finite element method, the proposed adaptive anisotropic PML method provides a complete numerical strategy to solve the scattering problem in the framework of FEM which produces automatically a coarse mesh size away from the fixed domain and thus makes the total computational costs insensitive to the choice of the thickness of the PML layer. Numerical experiments are included to illustrate the competitive behavior of the proposed adaptive method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the inhibitory effects and mechanisms of troglitazone (TGZ), a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist, and retinoid X receptor (RXR) agonist (9- cis-retinoic acid (RA)) on gastric carcinoma cells SGC7901, SGC7901 cells were treated with TGZ and 9- cis-RA, respectively, or in combination. Then, the cell growth, apoptosis, morphological changes, and the expression of PPARγ, RXRγ, Bcl-2, and Bax were detected by MTT assay, flow cytometry, HE staining, immunocytochemistry staining, and Western blot assay, respectively. Our results showed that the growth of SGC7901 cells was inhibited and the cells got sparser at the concentrations of 50 μmol/L TGZ, 20 μmol/L 9- cis-RA, or combination of TGZ (25 μmol/L) and 9- cis-RA (10 μmol/L). Immunocytochemistry and Western blot showed that after 72 h, the expression of PPARγ, RXRγ, and Bax were upregulated; Bcl-2 was downregulated compared with the negative control group. These data indicated that PPARγ agonist and RXR agonist could inhibit the proliferation of SGC7901 cells via inducing the apoptosis, which involved the increase in the level of Bax/Bcl-2. The combination of RXR agonist and PPARγ agonist could induce the maximal inhibitory effects on tumor growth and apoptosis via promoting the formation of RXR/PPARγ heterodimer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-di-GMP is a ubiquitous bacterial second messenger that regulates a wide range of bacterial physiological processes including biofilm formation, virulence, motility and cell differentiation. Here, we have summarized our current knowledge on the upstream signaling factors and downstream effectors of c-di-GMP in addition to the interaction between c-di-GMP and eukaryotic organisms. New discoveries in these areas have enriched our understanding of the diversity of c-di-GMP signaling pathways and provide important clues for us to explore the roles of c-di-GMP signaling in human pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric nanoparticles are widely used as targeted carriers for biomacromolecules. In this paper, modified gelatin nanoparticles were prepared and their feasibility as insulin pulmonary administration system was investigated. d, l-glyceraldehyde and poloxamer 188 were used for gelatin nanoparticle preparation. Novel water-in-water emulsion technique was used to prepare insulin-loaded nanoparticles. Morphological examination of insulin-loaded nanoparticles was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Intratracheal instillation of insulin-loaded nanoparticles was performed to evaluate animal hypoglycemic effect. With fluorescence labeling of insulin, alveolar deposition and absorption of insulin-loaded nanoparticles were investigated. Histological changes in the lung were also observed to evaluate the safety. From the micromorphology observation, insulin-loaded nanoparticles under gelatin-poloxamer 188 ratio at 1:1 showed smooth and uniform surface, with average particle size 250 nm and Zeta potential −21.1 mV. From animal experiment, insulin-loaded nanoparticles under gelatin-poloxamer 188 ratio at 1:1 promoted insulin pulmonary absorption effectively and showed good relative pharmacological bioavailability. Proved by alveolar deposition result, FITC-insulin-loaded nanoparticle group was characterized by an acute and rapid hypoglycemic effect. In addition, nanoparticles could guarantee the safety of lung by reducing insulin deposition in lung. A transient weak inflammatory response was observed at 1 day after administration. With good physical characterization, high bioavailability, fast and stable hypoglycemic effect, insulin-loaded nanoparticles might be developed as a novel insulin pulmonary system for diabetes therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have demonstrated that brain oedema formation following spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage is associated with substances derived from blood clots or blood components. However, these studies did not completely reveal the role of blood components in brain oedema formation following traumatic intracerebral haemorrhage (TICH). Here, we explore the role of erythrocytes in brain oedema development by studying the effect of erythrocytes on brain water content (BWC) and expression of haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in rats with TICH. Methods: A total of 120 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four experimental treatment groups: traumatic brain injury (TBI), TBI plus whole blood (WB), TBI plus lysed red blood cells (RBCs; LRBC) and TBI plus packed RBCs (PRBC). Following TBI, which was established by applying a free-falling device, WB, LRBC or PRBC were infused with stereotactic guidance into the injured cortex to produce a model of TICH. All rats were killed at 1, 3 or 5 days after TBI or TICH. BWC was measured, and immunohistochemistry for HO-1 was performed. Results: In the WB, PRBC and TBI groups, BWC at 3 days post-TBI or post-TICH was the greatest. However, BWC in the LRBC group at 1 day was markedly higher than that at 3 and 5 days. Comparisons among the four groups showed that BWC in the LRBC group was the highest at 1 day, and the highest at 3 days in the WB and PRBC groups; there was no significant difference at 5 days. Positive expression of HO-1 in the WB, PRBC and LRBC groups coincided with changes in BWC. Conclusions: Our results indicate that erythrocytes play an important role in delayed brain oedema formation (3 days post-injury) following TICH, but have no significant influence on brain oedema at early stages (1 day post-injury), and that the mechanisms of delayed brain oedema involve RBC breakdown products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]