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In International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), coconut-shell activated carbon (CSAC) with a large specific surface area (SSA) has been used in the torus cryopumps to absorb hydrogen isotopes with helium and impurity gases. However, CSAC has irregular morphology and contains high levels of impurities; search for more tritium-compatible adsorption materials is necessary. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have higher purity and more regular morphology, and less SSA than CSAC. In this study, opening SWCNTs via slow oxidation in air was performed to increase their SSA. The potentials of treated SWCNTs (t-SWCNTs) as adsorption materials in the tritium-compatible torus cryopump were evaluated. The results show that the SSA of SWCNTs has significantly increased by slow oxidation in air without changing their basic morphology and introducing impurities. T-SWCNTs with the target temperature of 500 °C have the largest SSA, which is larger than CSAC. The impurity contents of t-SWCNTs with target temperature of 500 °C are less than that of CSAC, especially the impurities (P, S, H) harmful to hydrogen isotope separation process in subsequent tritium plants are significantly less than that of CSAC. The results demonstrate that T-SWCNTs are potential candidates for a new cryosorbent in the tritium-compatible torus cryopump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: The thioredoxin-1 has atheroprotective effects via regulating oxidative stress and inflammation. In addition, the NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome also contributes to atherosclerosis development. However, whether the thioredoxin-1 suppresses atherosclerosis development by modulating the NLRP3 inflammasome remains unclear. Methods: The regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome by thioredoxin-1 was determined in vitro on macrophage cells after ox-LDL (oxidized low-density lipoprotein) stimulation. The IL-1β and caspase-1 p10 secretion were assessed by ELISA and western blot. Finally, the thioredoxin-1/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway was confirmed in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Results: Thioredoxin-1 suppressed the expression of NLRP3, the secretion of IL-1β and caspase-1 p10 in vitro. And ROS stimulation activated the NLRP3 inflammasome which was inhibited by thioredoxin-1. In the mouse model of atherosclerosis, thioredoxin-1 delivered by lentivirus vector inhibited atherosclerosis development. And the atheroprotective effects of thioredoxin-1 were attenuated by ROS stimulation. Furthermore, the regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome by thioredoxin-1 was also confirmed in vivo. Conclusions: We demonstrated here that the thioredoxin-1 had atheroprotective functions through thioredoxin-1/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DGT (diffusive gradients in thin films) technique and LA-ICP-MS (laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) for heterogeneous distribution of the soluble labile iron (Fe) at submillimeter resolution in lake sediment porewater are reported. The soluble labile Fe species include ion and labile organic complexes. The chemical images in two dimensions (2D) for DGT concentration of Fe (CDGT(Fe)) are investigated for Fe remobilization character. There are 902 CDGT(Fe) values between 1000 and 2000 μg L−1, 463 values between 2000 and 3000 μg L−1, and 112 values over 3000 μg L−1 in all chemical maps. Based on the linear correlation relationships between CDGT (Fe) and total Fe (TFe), total organic carbon (TOC), acid-volatile sulfide (AVS), Eh, concentrations of the soluble reactive phosphorus (P) (SRP), and soluble labile trace metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in a vertical 1D profile of sediment or porewater, Fe release mechanisms are mainly due to the reductive Fe release from iron oxyhydroxides and the decomposition of organic matter in algae biomass and deep sediment layer. It can be used to explain the formation mechanisms of Fe microniches in chemical maps with heterogeneous character to a great extent. CDGT(Fe) peak flux in the center of Fe microniche and the low CDGT (Fe) at the edge of a microniche are due to the formation of the insoluble iron sulfide and the abundant acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) in sediment. The verified co-remobilization of the soluble labile Fe and trace metals or SRP in sediment porewater can be used to predict their simultaneous release from Fe microniches with the large CDGT (Fe) peaks. The different kinds of Fe microniche zones and hot spots from sediment/water interface (SWI) to deep sediment correspond to the formation mechanisms of microniches mentioned above. Moreover, some narrow Fe microniche zones with the large CDGT (Fe) across chemical maps are due to the desorption of Fe(II) from the freshly formed oxide on Myriophyllum verticiilatur roots, which are located at sites of microniche zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The STOP-Bang questionnaire is the most widely used to detect surgical patients at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the body mass index (BMI) cutoff value in the original STOP-Bang questionnaire is 35 kg/m2; the BMI in the Chinese population is lower than that. We aimed to establish a more appropriate BMI cutoff value in the STOP-Bang questionnaire for Chinese patients.Methods: A total of 790 consecutive patients scheduled to undergo surgery at our hospital were included in this prospective study. All patients were asked to complete the STOP-Bang questionnaire and undergo a 7-h overnight polysomnography (PSG). The ability of STOP-Bang questionnaire to detect moderate to severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15 events/h) was assessed.Results: When the BMI cutoff value was set at 28 kg/m2, the questionnaire had the highest Youden index, although no significant differences were found in the sensitivity of the test compared with the original BMI cutoff in total and in male patients. In females, changing the BMI cutoff value from 35 to 28 kg/m2 resulted in the sensitivity of the test significantly increasing from 79.2% (74.9-83.5) to 89.3% (84.4-94.1), while the decrease in specificity was minor (from 43.6% [41.2-46.0] to 38.2% [36.1-40.3]), and the Youden index was highest (0.27) at this cutoff value. When the STOP-Bang questionnaire score was 4, the highest Youden index was obtained.Conclusions: We recommend using a BMI cutoff value (28 kg/m2), and a STOP-Bang score ≥ 4 allows the anesthetist to identify patients with high risk of OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish the influence of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) from different sources on the water quality of Erhai Lake in August 2014, enzymatic hydrolysis technology was used to characterize enzymatically hydrolyzable phosphorus (EHP). The results indicate that the DOP represents a significant source of the bioavailable P in the lake water and its different sources of Erhai Lake, and the bioavailability of the P pool may be underestimated by up to 55% if DOP is ignored and only the soluble-reactive phosphorus (SRP) is considered. The significant differences in DOP characteristics from the different sources may be related to the origin of the DOP, regional pollution, and environmental factors. The DOP from the sediment porewater can act as an important source of DOP in the lake water based on its high DOP content and high DOP loads from the sediment release. In addition, the highest EHP loads from the sediment release can threaten the water quality of Erhai Lake and sustain the algal blooms when they occur. Therefore, for the protection of Erhai Lake, the contributions of not only the SRP but also the DOP to the bioavailable P pool should be considered, emphasizing the eutrophication risk caused by DOP from sediments, especially in the middle section of Erhai Lake. The effects of DOP from the inflowing rivers on the water quality should also not be ignored, due to its high bioavailability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective was to explore the effects of miR-92a and miR-126 on myocardial apoptosis in mouse ischemia-reperfusion model and further investigate the underlying mechanisms. Eighteen Kunming mice were selected and randomly divided into sham operation group and ischemia-reperfusion group with nine mice in each group. Cardiac muscle tissue was stained with Evans blue to confirm myocardial infarction and ischemia. Annexin V/PI double staining was used to detect the apoptotic rate of myocardial cells, and terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) was used to detect the number of apoptotic cells; Western blot was used to detect expression of Caspase 3 to evaluate the apoptosis of mouse myocardial cells; qRT-PCR was used to detect expression of miR-92a and miR-126 in mouse myocardium, and Western blot was used to detect expression of HSP70 in two groups. Evans blue staining results showed that there was a large area of ischemia in myocardium of ischemia-reperfusion mice with marked infarction, suggesting successful establishment of the model. In sham operation group, myocardial cells were mostly normal cells. Annexin V/PI double staining of flow cytometry result showed that the apoptotic rate was 5.9 % in sham operation group and 37.0 % in ischemia-reperfusion group, respectively. Apoptosis detection results showed that apoptotic index (AI) of myocardial cells in ischemia-reperfusion mice was significantly higher than in sham operation group. In addition, qRT-PCR results showed that miR-92a expression in ischemia-reperfusion group was significantly higher than in sham operation group ( F = 32.302, P = 0.000), and miR-126 expression in ischemia-reperfusion group was significantly lower than in sham operation group ( F = 41.125, P = 0.000). Moreover, HSP70 detected by Western blot showed that HSP expression in ischemia-reperfusion group was significantly lower than in sham operation group. The change of miR-92a was in accordance with AI of myocardial cells. However, the change of miR-126 is in contrary with AI of myocardial cells, which may be related to the HSP70 expression in myocardial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]