Search

Following muscle injury, fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) are rapidly activated and undergo apoptosis at the resolution stage, which is required for proper muscle regeneration. When excessive FAPs remain, it contributes to fibrotic and fatty infiltration, impairing muscle recovery. Mechanisms controlling FAP apoptosis remain poorly defined. We hypothesized that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in FAPs mediates their apoptosis during the muscle regeneration.To test, AMPKα1We found that AMPKα1 deletion in FAPs enhanced p65 translocation to the nuclei by 110% (n = 3; P 0.01). AMPKα1 knockout group had a higher gene expression of MMP-9 (matrix metalloproteinase-9) by 470% (n = 3; P 0.05) and protein level by 39% (n = 3; P 0.05). Loss of AMPKα1 up-regulated the active TGF-β1 (transforming growth factor-β1) levels by 21% (n = 3; P 0.05). TGF-β promoted apoptotic resistance, because AMPKα1-deficient group had 36% lower cleaved Caspase 3 (cCAS3) content (n = 3; P 0.05). Fibrotic differentiation of FAPs was promoted, with increased collagen protein level by 54% (n = 3; P 0.05). Moreover, obesity decreased phosphorylation of AMPK by 54% (n = 3; P 0.05), which decreased cCAS3 in FAPs by 44% (n = 3; P 0.05) and elevated collagen accumulation (52%; n = 3; P 0.05) during muscle regeneration.These data suggest that AMPK is a key mediator of FAPs apoptosis, and its inhibition due to obesity results in fibrosis of regenerated muscle.

The human monkeypox has become a public health problem globally. Google Trends Index (GTI) is an indicator of public attention, being potential for infectious disease outbreak surveillance. In this study, we used lag-correlation analysis to evaluate the spearman correlation coefficients between public attention and monkeypox epidemic by -36 to +36 days-lag in top 20 countries with most cumulated cases until September 30, 2022, the meta-analyses were performed to pool the coefficients of countries among all lags. We also constructed vector autoregression model and Granger-causality test to probe the significance of GTI in monkeypox forecasting. The strongest spearman correlation was found at lag +13 day (r = 0.53, 95% confidence interval: 0.371-0.703, p 0.05). Meta-analysis showed significantly positive correlation when the lag was from -12 to +36 day, which was most notable on the third posterior day (lag +3 day). The pooled spearman correlation coefficients were all above 0.200 when the lag ranged from +1 to +20 day, and the causality of GTI for daily case was significant in worldwide and multiple countries. The findings suggested a robust association between 13-days-priority GTI and daily cases worldwide. This work introduced a potential monitor indicator on the early warning and surveillance of monkeypox outbreak.

A computation analysis is performed to study double-diffusive natural convection in a right-angle trapezoidal cavity packed with a porous medium. The horizontal top and bottom boundaries are insulated and impermeable. The vertical left sidewall is kept at a constant heat flux and high concentration, whereas the temperature and concentration of the mixture at the inclined sidewall are held at lower temperatures and lower concentration. The dimensionless nonlinear system is solved by employing finite difference method along Successive Under Relaxation technique. The findings are compared and validated with the existing literature for the Darcy flow driven through a single buoyancy effect (difference in density is only due to temperature variations) in a porous square enclosure. The numerical results are expressed in the form of dimensionless temperature, concentration, streamlines, isotherms and iso-concentrations, local and average Nusselt and Sherwood numbers. It is demonstrated that the Rayleigh number and buoyancy parameter enhance both surface heat and concentration rates.

open access article Using data of Chinese acquirers in strategic sectors, we assess the role of home government, and the effects of the interaction between ownership type and government-directed investment policies on acquiring firm value in cross-border acquisitions (CBA). We find that CBA activities in strategic sectors encouraged by the home country government through its investment policies experience significant increase in value. We also find that firms investing in government-designated strategic sectors generate wealth for acquirers, but, contrary to efficiency logic rooted in agency theory, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) appear to outperform private-owned enterprises (POEs). Further analysis indicates that three financial incentives associated with government-directed policies – namely, interest-rate reduction, tax incentives and direct subsidies – constitute sources of firm value. Our results raise several policy implications including the need for transparent and rule-based policies and governance systems to be developed and implemented by governments in the home and host countries to regulate state-supported firms investing in sensitive strategic sectors.

Symbiotic microbiomes play important roles in hosts’ adaptation and evolution. Here, the gut bacterial communities in Cephalcia chuxiongica, a key pest of pines in China, were studied for the first time by using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The composition of gut bacterial communities differed in different C. chuxiongica geographic populations but interestingly, the phylogeny and diversity of gut microbiota correlated with host geographic/genetic distance, that is the microbiota was more similar as the geographic/genetic distance decreased, and vice versa. The various microbes performed similar functions and showed functional complementation, in which most of identified KEGG pathways were shared by different populations with metabolism being the most dominant functional pathway and the function of major microbes associated with host dietary specialization (pine needles), such as cellulose degradation. In addition, some microbes also associated with host biological characteristics, such as Wolbachia with parthenogenesis and Serratia with the long‐term larval diapause in C. chuxiongica. Therefore, the synergy of environmental and host factors shapes the structure of gut microbiota and gut microbiota play essential roles in host physiology and adaptation, suggesting some kind of symbiosis and coevolution. These results demonstrate the important contribution of gut microbiota and provide a sound foundation for developing control strategies for this pest.

Producing recombinant proteins in transgenic plant cell suspension cultures in bioreactors provides controllability, reproducibility, scalability, and low-cost production, although low yields remain the major challenge. The studies on scaling-up to pilot-scale bioreactors, especially in conventional stainless-steel stirred tank bioreactors (STB), to produce recombinant proteins in plant cell suspension cultures are very limited. In this study, we scaled-up the production of rice recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (rrBChE), a complex hydrolase enzyme that can be used to prophylactically and therapeutically treat against organophosphorus nerve agents and pesticide exposure, from metabolically-regulated transgenic rice cell suspension cultures in a 40L pilot-scale STB. Employing cyclical operation together with a simplified-process operation (controlling gas sparging rate rather than dissolved oxygen and allowing natural sugar depletion) identified in lab-scale (5L) bioreactor studies, we found consistent maximum total active rrBChE production level of 46-58 µg/g fresh weight in four cycles over 82 days of continuous operation. Additionally, maintaining the overall volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient (kL a) in the pilot-scale STB to be equivalent to the lab-scale STB improves the maximum total active rrBChE production level and the maximum volumetric productivity to 85 µg/g fresh weight and 387 µg L-1 day-1 , respectively, which are comparable to the lab-scale culture. Here, we demonstrate pilot scale bioreactor performance using a metabolically-regulated transgenic rice cell culture for long-term, reproducible, and sustained production of rrBChE. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) have recently been comprehensively studied because of metal zinc (Zn) unique properties. However, the problems of metal zinc anode in ZIBs, namely, dendrite formation and side reactions, seriously shorten the cycling lifetimes and limit the coulombic efficiencies. Here, the tin (Sn) layer with a three‐dimensional nano‐channeled structure is decorated on zinc metal via a facile in situ substitution reaction, constructing the Sn modified Zn (Sn‐Zn) anode for high‐performance ZIBs. Multiscale investigation techniques, especially micro‐CT, are used to investigate the inhibition of zinc dendrites. In addition, the induction mechanism of Zn by Sn is also elaborately investigated. The designed Sn‐Zn anode can alleviate zinc dendrite growth and ensure long‐life stability. This work brings exciting new possibilities for the realization of industrial aqueous zinc‐ion batteries and provides new insights for the rational deposition of the Zn metal anodes.

Objectives Microbiota dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been widely reported. The gut microbiota connect diet to the metabolism by producing small molecules via diverse metabolic pathways. In this study we aimed to investigate the dietary preferences of IBD patients, and to explore the interactions among gut microbiota composition, dietary components, and metabolites in relation to IBD. Methods Dietary preferences of IBD patients (including those with ulcerative colitis [UC] and Crohn's disease [CD]) and health controls were investigated, and their gut microbiota were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metagenomic analyses of fecal and biopsy samples. The metabolite profiles of the samples were then analyzed using gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. Results The daily intake of folic acid, niacin, vitamins C and D, calcium, and selenium differed significantly between patients with IBD and healthy controls. A decrease in long-chain (such as arachidic, and oleic acid) and medium-chain fatty acids (sebacic acid and isocaproic acid) as well as bile acid was observed in patients with IBD. Compared with healthy controls, 22 microbial species (including Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, and Clostridium clostridioforme CAG132) in the UC group and 37 microbial species (such as Bacteroides fragilis and Fusobacterium nucleatum) in the CD group were found to be correlated to diet and metabolites. Bacteroides fragilis was enriched in patients with IBD and associated with multi-nutrients, and 21 metabolites including 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and taurolithocholic acid. Conclusions This study provides an interaction network to identify key micronutrients, microbiota components and metabolites that contribute to IBD.

Key points Maternal exercise improves the metabolic health of maternal mice challenged with a high-fat diet. Exercise intervention of obese mothers prevents fetal overgrowth. Exercise intervention reverses impaired placental vascularization in obese mice. Maternal exercise activates placental AMP-activated protein kinase, which was inhibited as a result of maternal obesity. Abstract More than one-third of pregnant women in the USA are obese and maternal obesity (MO) negatively affects fetal development, which predisposes offspring to metabolic diseases. The placenta mediates nutrient delivery to fetuses and its function is impaired as a result of MO. Exercise ameliorates metabolic dysfunction resulting from obesity, although its effect on placental function of obese mothers has not been explored. In the present study, C57BL/6J female mice were randomly assigned into two groups fed either a control or a high-fat diet (HFD) and then the mice on each diet were further divided into two subgroups with/without exercise. In HFD-induced obese mice, daily treadmill exercise during pregnancy reduced body weight gain, lowered serum glucose and lipid concentration, and improved insulin sensitivity of maternal mice. Importantly, maternal exercise prevented fetal overgrowth (macrosomia) induced by MO. To further examine the preventive effects of exercise on fetal overgrowth, placental vascularization and nutrient transporters were analysed. Vascular density and the expression of vasculogenic factors were reduced as a result of MO but were recovered by maternal exercise. On the other hand, the contents of nutrient transporters were not substantially altered by MO or exercise, suggesting that the protective effects of exercise in MO-induced fetal overgrowth were primarily a result of the alteration of placental vascularization and improved maternal metabolism. Furthermore, exercise enhanced downstream insulin signalling and activated AMP-activated protein kinase in HFD placenta. In sum, maternal exercise prevented fetal overgrowth induced by MO, which was associated with improved maternal metabolism and placental vascularization in obese mothers with exercise.

Cost-effective metal-based nanostructured hybrids have been widely dedicated to potential energy storage and conversion applications. Herein, we develop a facile methodology for the synthesis of precise carbon-confined hybrid nanostructures by stereoselective assembly accompanied by catalytic pyrolysis. Polyacrylonitrile fiber films favors not only metal-polymer coordination, but also oriented assembly to ensure the well-defined nanostructure of the carbon hybrids. During chemical vapor deposition (CVD), cobalt-nanoparticle-catalyzed growth of carbon-nanotube branches driven by organic molecules (e.g. melamine) delivers hierarchical carbon hybrids. The resulting carbon hybrids exhibit outstanding electrochemical performance for metal-ion batteries, for example, a high specific capacity of 680 mAh g-1 after 320 cycles (Li-storage) and 220 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles (Na-storage) without decay.

Objectives Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) represent a powerful approach to detecting candidate genes for economically important traits in livestock. Our aim was to identify promising candidate muscle development genes that affect net meat weight (NMW) and validate these candidate genes in cattle. Materials and methods Using a next‐generation sequencing (NGS) dataset, we applied ~ 12 million imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 1,252 Simmental cattle to detect genes influencing net meat yield by way of a linear mixed model method. Haplotype and linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks were employed to augment support for identified genes. To investigate the role of MTPN in bovine muscle development, we isolated myoblasts from the longissimus dorsi of a bovine foetus and treated the cells during proliferation, differentiation and hypertrophy. Results We identified one SNP (rs100670823) that exceeded our stringent significance threshold (P = 8.58 × 10−8) for a putative NMW‐related quantitative trait locus (QTL). We identified a promising candidate gene, myotrophin (MTPN), in the region around this SNP Myotrophin had a stimulatory effect on six muscle‐related markers that regulate differentiation and myoblast fusion. During hypertrophy, myotrophin promoted myotube hypertrophy and increased myotube diameters. Cell viability assay and flow cytometry showed that myotrophin inhibited myoblast proliferation. Conclusions The present experiments showed that myotrophin increases differentiation and hypertrophy of skeletal muscle cells, while inhibiting their proliferation. Our examination of GWAS results with in vitro biological studies provides new information regarding the potential application of myotrophin to increase meat yields in cattle and helpful information for further studies., Myotrophin (MTPN) found associated with bovine net meat weight (NMW) trait by genome‐wide association studies (GWAS), inhibited bovine myoblasts proliferation and enhanced myogenic differentiation and hypertrophy.

Background Sedation is often required for young children during transthoracic echocardiography. Dexmedetomidine and ketamine are two sedatives that are commonly used in children for procedural sedation, but they have some disadvantages when they are used alone. Aims The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the effects and safety of intranasal sedation with a combination of dexmedetomidine and ketamine during transthoracic echocardiography in young children and to analyze risk factors for sedation failure. Methods After IRB approval, we retrospectively evaluated data on patients who underwent echocardiography between May 2016 and August 2017 utilizing a combination of dexmedetomidine 2 μg/kg and ketamine 1 mg/kg. We collected information including heart rate, pulse oxygen saturation, sedation onset time, exam time, recovery time, and adverse reactions. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors for sedation failure. Results Sedation was successful in 2212 patients (96%) and took effect in 15.7 (IQR: 10-23) min, while sedation failed in 92 patients. Cyanotic heart disease, history of sedation failure, history of congenital heart disease surgery, and fever were independent risk factors for sedation failure. Most of the patients in this study had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade of II to III, but no severe adverse reactions were observed. Conclusion Intranasal sedation with a combination of dexmedetomidine and ketamine is effective and appears to have an acceptable safety profile for young children during transthoracic echocardiography.

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging and strain elastography in differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules. Methods This study included 128 patients (104 female and 24 male; mean age ± standard deviation, 48 ± 11 years; range, 23–76 years) with 152 pathologically proven thyroid nodules. Conventional sonography, strain ratio (SR) of strain elastography, virtual touch tissue imaging (VTI) grade, and virtual touch tissue quantification (shear wave velocity [SWV]) from ARFI imaging data were generated for each nodule. The diagnostic performance of the three elastography analysis methods was analyzed and compared by multiple receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The interobserver agreement for VTI grade was also assessed. Results The best cutoff values for VTI grade, mean SWV, and mean SR for predicting malignant thyroid nodules were greater than or equal to grade χ, 2.87 m/s and 2.37, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for VTI grade, mean SWV, and mean SR was 0.854, 0.869 and 0.849, respectively (P > .05), and the accuracy was 83.55, 81.58 and 80.26%, respectively (P > .05). The accuracy of the combined use of conventional sonography and ARFI imaging for VTI grade, mean SWV, and mean SR was 98.03, 95.39 and 96.71%, respectively, which was slightly higher than that of conventional sonography (P > .05). The interobserver agreement produced a κ-value of 0.98 (95% confidence interval, 0.959–1.000). Conclusions Both strain elastography and ARFI imaging have high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules. Combined with sonography, these techniques can improve the accuracy of thyroid nodule diagnosis.

Objective Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) may alter the offspring intestinal immune system, thereby enhancing susceptibility toward inflammatory bowel disease. The objective of the current study was to investigate the impact of maternal HFD on offspring intestinal health using a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Methods Dams were provided with either HFD (60%) or control diet. After weaning, female offspring from both groups were kept on 45% HFD. At 14 weeks of age, offspring were subjected to 2.5% DSS in drinking water for 5 days, followed by 5 days of recovery. Results Offspring from maternal HFD had higher body weight gain before DSS induction and had higher liver and fat weights with increased adipocyte size at necropsy. When subjected to DSS treatment, HFD offspring had accelerated body weight loss and exaggerated disease activity index. HFD offspring had an elevated histopathological score and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-17 expression with upregulated NF-κB signaling. Maternal HFD resulted in enhanced neutrophil infiltration associated with elevated expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Furthermore, maternal HFD suppressed AMP-activated protein kinase activity and decreased sirtuin 1 and p53 protein contents in offspring gut. Conclusions Maternal HFD consumption predisposes offspring to a higher susceptibility to develop inflammatory bowel disease.

Placenta is highly vascularized, which is critically for its function in nutrient transportation. Maternal obesity reduces placental vascularization, thus, negatively affecting fetal development an...

Key points Maternal high-fat diet impairs brown adipocyte function and correlates with obesity in offspring. Maternal resveratrol administration recovers metabolic activity of offspring brown adipose tissue. Maternal resveratrol promotes beige adipocyte development in offspring white adipose tissue. Maternal resveratrol intervention protects offspring against high-fat diet-induced obesity. Abstract Promoting beige/brite adipogenesis and thermogenic activity is considered as a promising therapeutic approach to reduce obesity and metabolic syndrome. Maternal obesity impairs offspring brown adipocyte function and correlates with obesity in offspring. We previously found that dietary resveratrol (RES) induces beige adipocyte formation in adult mice. Here, we evaluated further the effect of resveratrol supplementation of pregnant mice on offspring thermogenesis and energy expenditure. Female C57BL/6 J mice were fed a control diet (CON) or a high-fat diet (HFD) with or without 0.2% (w/w) RES during pregnancy and lactation. Male offspring were weaned onto a HFD and maintained on this diet for 11 weeks. The offspring thermogenesis and related regulatory factors in adipose tissue were evaluated. At weaning, HFD offspring had lower thermogenesis in brown and white adipose tissues compared with CON offspring, which was recovered by maternal RES supplementation, along with the appearance of multilocular brown/beige adipocytes and elevated thermogenic gene expression. Adult offspring of RES-treated mothers showed increased energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity when on an obesogenic diet compared with HFD offspring. The elevated metabolic activity was correlated with enhanced brown adipose function and white adipose tissue browning in HFD+RES compared with HFD offspring. In conclusion, RES supplementation of HFD-fed dams during pregnancy and lactation promoted white adipose browning and thermogenesis in offspring at weaning accompanied by persistent beneficial effects in protecting against HFD-induced obesity and metabolic disorders.

Key points Maternal obesity reduces adipogenic progenitor density in offspring adipose tissue. The ability of adipose tissue expansion in the offspring of obese mothers is limited and is associated with metabolic dysfunction of adipose tissue when challenged with a high-fat diet. Maternal obesity induces DNA demethylation in the promoter of zinc finger protein 423, which renders progenitor cells with a high adipogenic capacity. Maternal obesity demonstrates long-term effects on the adipogenic capacity of progenitor cells in offspring adipose tissue, demonstrating a developmental programming effect. Abstract Maternal obesity (MO) programs offspring obesity and metabolic disorders, although the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. Progenitor cells are the source of new adipocytes. The present study aimed to test whether MO epigenetically predisposes adipocyte progenitors in the fat of offspring to adipogenic differentiation and subsequent depletion, which leads to a failure of adipose tissue plasticity under positive energy balance, contributing to adipose tissue metabolic dysfunction. C57BL/6 female mice were fed either a control diet (10% energy from fat) or a high-fat diet (45% energy from fat) for 8 weeks before mating. Male offspring of control (Con) and obese (OB) dams were weaned onto a regular (Reg) or obesogenic (Obe) diet until 3 months of age. At weaning, male OB offspring had a higher expression of Zinc finger protein 423 (zfp423), a key transcription factor in adipogenesis, as well as lower DNA methylation of its promoter in progenitors of epididymal fat compared to Con offspring, which was correlated with enhanced adipogenic differentiation. At 3 months of age, progenitor density was 30.9 ± 9.7% lower in OB/Obe compared to Con/Obe mice, accompanied by a limited expansion of the adipocyte number when challenged with a high-energy diet. This difference was associated with lower DNA methylation in the zfp423 promoter in the epididymal fat of OB/Obe offspring, which was correlated with greater macrophage chemotactic protein-1 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α expression. In summary, MO epigenetically limits the expansion capacity of offspring adipose tissue, providing an explanation for the adipose metabolic dysfunction of male offspring in the setting of MO.

Objective To evaluate the outcomes of laparoscope-assisted peritoneal vaginoplasty for the treatment of congenital vaginal atresia. Methods A retrospective study enrolled patients diagnosed with congenital vaginal atresia who were treated with one of two different laparoscope-assisted peritoneal vaginoplasty techniques (named Luohu-one and Luohu-two) between October 31, 2001 and December 31, 2014. Operative time, intraoperative bleeding volume, surgical difficulty, complications, and post-procedure sexual satisfaction were reported. Results Data were collected for 620 patients. The Luohu-one procedure was used in the treatment of 145 patients, while 475 patients were treated with the Luohu-two procedure. In 5 (0.8%) patients, it was necessary to perform a sigmoid colon vaginoplasty. During surgery, 16 patients experienced a rectal injury, among whom, 9 patients experienced a rectal–vaginal fistula. Follow-up data extending to 7 years were available for 285 patients. Of these 285 patients, 231 agreed to report details of their sexual experiences. In total, 222 (96.1%) patients reported being very satisfied with their vaginal conditions and sex life. The Luohu-two procedure demonstrated shorter operative and recovery time, and reduced intraoperative bleeding. However, both procedures demonstrated satisfactory results. Conclusion Laparoscope-assisted peritoneal vaginoplasty demonstrated good safety and effectiveness in the treatment of patients with congenital vaginal atresia.

Imidazoline-based dissymmetric bis-quaternary ammonium salt (DBA), a type of environmentally friendly surfactant, was compounded with thiourea (TU). The inhibition properties of the compound inhibitor for Q235 steel in a simulated oil field that produced water saturated with CO2 at high temperature were studied by weight loss measurement, polarization curves, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and observation of surface morphology. Weight loss measurements show that DBA alone has poor inhibition efficiency at high temperature, and TU has a narrow inhibition concentration range. However, DBA and TU together show a synergistic effect, which not only overcomes the short comings when used individually, but also significantly reduces the corrosion rate at reduced dosage. DBA–TU acts as a mixed prohibition inhibitor, and can rapidly form a protective film. The inhibition efficiency decreased slowly with soaking time, which shows it has good substantivity. In conclusion, DBA–TU can be used as high temperature corrosion inhibitor against CO2 corrosion.

In order to enhance the solubility of chitosan in water and its corrosion inhibition performance on Q235 steel in 1 M HCl solution, N-vanillyl-O-2′-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride chitosan (VHTC) was synthesized. The structure of VHTC was characterized by FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The corrosion inhibition performance of VHTC on Q235 steel in 1 M HCl solution was studied by weight loss, polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and stereo microscope analysis. Experimental results indicate that VHTC shows better inhibition efficiency compared to chitosan. When the concentration of VHTC increases to 200 mg L−1, the inhibition efficiency reaches 90 %, which is almost equal to the conventional corrosion inhibitors (e.g., imidazoline). The polarization study demonstrates that VHTC is a mixed-type inhibitor caused by a geometrical blanketing effect. The charge transfer resistance is proportional to the inhibitor concentration as revealed by the EIS results, indicating that the protective film on the Q235 steel surface is formed by adsorption of the inhibitor molecules. The inhibition efficiency of VHTC achieves the maximum value within 24 h when the concentration of VHTC is 200 mg L−1. The morphology observation of the corroded steel surface indicates that the corrosion of Q235 steel in 1 M HCl solution is significantly inhibited after introducing VHTC into the acidic solution.