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In breast cancer, metastasis is the main reason for patient mortality. In the present study, we used breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and a mouse xenograft model to demonstrate the effect of emodin on the migration, invasion and metastasis of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and the related mechanisms. In vitro, wound healing and Transwell assays showed that emodin dose-dependently inhibited the migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that emodin decreased the secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Western blot analysis showed that emodin downregulated the expression levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, uPA and uPAR as well as p38 inhibitor SB203580 and ERK inhibitor PD980559, even though TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were not obviously changed in the MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, emodin inhibited the activity of p38 and ERK1/2 in the MDA-MB-231 cells. In vivo, emodin inhibited lung metastasis in mice bearing the breast cancer MDA-MB-231 xenografts with no obvious changes in body weight, liver and kidney functions. These results indicated that emodin inhibited the lung metastasis of human breast cancer in a mouse xenograft model, and inhibited the invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells associated with the downregulation of MMP-2, MMP-9, uPA and uPAR expression as well as decreased activity of p38 and ERK.

The new method of laser prestressed bending of Titanium alloy sheet is put forward in this paper. Titanium alloy sheet is produced pre-deformation by a clamp, the laser beam with some certain intensity scans its surface along the given path, and it is formed due to the thermal effect of the laser to reduce the yield strength of the scanning area and enhance its plastic deformation ability. A feasibility experiment for Ti-6Al-4V sheet is done and the bending effect is remarkable. Laser prestressed bending mechanism is described and the main influence factors are analyzed.

In order to explore the synergistic mechanisms of combinatorial treatment using curcumin and mitomycin C (MMC) for breast cancer, MCF-7 breast cancer xenografts were conducted to observe the synergistic effect of combinatorial treatment using curcumin and MMC at various dosages. The synergistic mechanisms of combinatorial treatment using curcumin and MMC on the inhibition of tumor growth were explored by differential gene expression profile, gene ontology (GO), ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) and Signal–Net network analysis. The expression levels of selected genes identified by cDNA microarray expression profiling were validated by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis. Effect of combinatorial treatment on the inhibition of cell growth was observed by MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometric analysis and Hoechst 33258 staining. The combinatorial treatment of 100 mg/kg curcumin and 1.5 mg/kg MMC revealed synergistic inhibition on tumor growth. Among 1501 differentially expressed genes, the expression of 25 genes exhibited an obvious change and a significant difference in 27 signal pathways was observed (p < 0.05). In addition, Mapk1 (ERK) and Mapk14 (MAPK p38) had more cross-interactions with other genes and revealed an increase in expression by 8.14- and 11.84-fold, respectively during the combinatorial treatment by curcumin and MMC when compared with the control. Moreover, curcumin can synergistically improve tumoricidal effect of MMC in another human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. Apoptosis was significantly induced by the combinatorial treatment (p < 0.05) and significantly inhibited by ERK inhibitor (PD98059) in MCF-7 cells (p < 0.05). The synergistic effect of combinatorial treatment by curcumin and MMC on the induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells may be via the ERK pathway.

The sound transmission loss (STL) of the acoustic parts in the vehicle was proposed to be computed using the Sound Pressure Level measured at the several locations inside the vehicle and the transmitted Sound Intensity Level on the vehicles exterior panel, which the acoustic treated vehicle passenger compartment is assumed as a small reverberation room. The necessary parts retrofits and acoustic treatments for Sound transmission loss tests of the acoustic parts in the vehicle were listed. The values of the appropriate number and positions of the loud speakers, microphones and sound intensity probes for Sound transmission loss of the acoustic parts in the vehicle were recommended. The in vehicle sound transmission loss tests of the acoustic parts such as the doors, carpets, wheel house etc. were achieved in the semi-anechoic room. Based on the door system, the correlation work has been done among the methods of the proposed in vehicle STL test, the reverberation - semi-anechoic chamber buck STL test and SEA analysis.

In this paper, an experimental study on the powertrain in vehicle sound power test was presented. The necessary parts retrofits and acoustic treatments for the powertrain sound power test in the vehicle were listed. The criteria and correction method of the appropriate background noise level for the powertrain sound power level test in the vehicle were discussed. The powertrain sound power tests in the vehicle were achieved in the low noise chassis Dynamometer in the semi-anechoic chamber. Based on the test results, the acoustic component contributions for the powertrain sound power levels were given .

Metastable crystal Bi2SiO5 has significant properties including dielectric, thermoelectricity and nonlinear optical properties. Metastable crystal Bi2SiO5 has been successfully prepared by melt cooling method in this study. Surface tension of high-temperature melt Bi2SiO5 was measured by Suspension method; metastable crystal Bi2SiO5 construction was assigned by IR(Infrared Radiation). The experimental result showed that Bi2SiO5 flux density decreased with the increasing temperature in 830-1095°C range; surface tension changed quadratic with the decreasing temperature. The [SiO4]4- anions of Bi2SiO5 originated from the isolated [SiO4] tetrahedron in the glass to a chain connected structure.

Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Owing to high efficiency and low toxic effects, further exploration of natural compounds from Chinese herbal medicine may be an efficient approach for breast cancer drug discovery. In this study, we investigated the effects of evodiamine on the growth and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, evodiamine inhibited cell migration and invasion abilities through downregulation of MMP-9, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and uPAR expression. Evodiamine-induced G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis were associated with a decrease in Bcl-2, cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) expression and an increase in Bax and p27Kip1 expression. Moreover, evodiamine regulated p-ERK and p-p38 MAPK expression. Evodiamine-induced apoptosis was enhanced by its combination with the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor PD98059 or the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) inhibitor SB203580. Evodiamine-inhibited metastasis was partly blocked by combination with PD98059 or SB203580. In vivo, the administration of evodiamine (10 mg/kg) significantly reduced tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis. These results demonstrate that evodiamine possesses antitumor activities via inhibition of cell migration and invasion, arrest of the cell cycle and induction of cell apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Polyaniline nanorods, nanoplates and urchin-like structures have been synthesized successfully by the template-free method of aniline and peroxo–polytungstic acid using ammonium persulphate as the oxidant in aqueous solution. The peroxo–polytungstic acid concentration and reaction temperature play important role in the formation process of polyaniline nanostructures. As the precursor concentration increased to 0.29mol/L, nanorods and urchin structures were obtained. With the decrease of temperature, the amount of PANI nanoplates with radially aligned dendritic surface structures will increase. The radially aligned dendritic surface is probably due to the molecular structures of the dopant, the linear nature of PANI chains and the second nucleation formation.

Poly (aminohexylaminomethyl/phenyl) silsesquioxane (PAHAMPSQ) microparticles with diameter of 350 nm were synthesized by the hydrolytic condensation of aminohexylaminomethyltriethoxysilane (AHAMTES) and phenyltriethoxysilane (PTES) in the presence of H2O by using tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH) catalysts. PAHAMPSQ containing both aminohexylaminomethyl and phenyl groups were confirmed from FT-IR, TGA. XRD patterns indicate that a certain ordered structure existed in PAHAMPSQ molecules. Contents of amino of PAHAMPSQ were determined by elemental analysis. SEM images show both granular and flake exist in PAHAMPSQ microparticles. Yield of PAHAMPSQ in different AHAMTES/PETS molar ratios was about 80%. PAHAMPSQ offers the potential utility as building blocks for divers and novel organic/inorganic materials.

α-Al2O3platelets were prepared in the interface of Na2O-CaO-SiO2glass induced by Al. The morphology of the platelets was observed by Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). The platelets are irregularly shaped at 720°C for 30mins and share mean thickness of 200nm. EDS shows that the platelets are rich in Si, reasonably due to the formation of Al-Si eutectic. At 1200°C, the prepared platelets have mean diameters between 400nm and 1000nm, most of which are aggregated and part through intergrowth. The crystals develop from the glass and can form good moistening with the glass matrix.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) was synthesized in presence of 20wt% m-ZrO2by solid state reaction between tricalcium phosphate(TCP) and Ca(OH)2at 1000 °C for 2h. Similarily, Fluorine hydroxyapatite(FA) was synthesized using tricalcium phosphate and calcium fluoride as raw materials at 1000 °Cfor 3h. The as-prepared HA was mixed with 10%,25%,45%,55%,70wt% FA and the mixture was sintered at 1000°C-1400°C for 2h. The main phase and bulk density was measured. The results show that when the relative amount of FA to HA increased, the decomposition of the composite is decreased gradually because of the formation of thermally stable FHA solid solutions. Low temperature would effect the exchange of ionic between FA and HA,while high temperature would impact synthesis of composites, because high temperature would lead to dissolution of HA ,which has to react with FA. Increase the content of HA would be advantage for synthesis FHA-ZrO2composite.

α-Al2O3 platelets were prepared in the interface of Na2O-CaO-SiO2 glass induced by Al. Phase identification was accomplished by X-ray diffraction analysis. The morphology of the platelets was observed using an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). The changes for the mixtures of the Al powders and the glass powders that occurred during heating were characterized by a combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermalgravimety(TG) on a multi-functional instrument. Confirmed by XRD and ESEM, at 1200°C, the prepared platelets have mean diameters between 400nm and 1000nm. Most of them are aggregated and part of them through intergrowth. The crystals develop from the interface between glass and Al, and can form good moistening with the glass matrix. DSC/TG shows that γ-Al2O3 formed by oxidation of Al, transforms into α-Al2O3 and grow into the platelet α-Al2O3 crystals owing to the molten Al and the molten glass. On the other hand, part of the molten Al erodes into the glass and makes the deviation of the Na2O-CaO-SiO2 ternary system into Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2 ternary system, resulting in the formation of NaAlSiO4.

Pure Bi12SiO20powder was successfully prepared by a molten salt method using Bi2O3and SiO2as raw materials and using KCl-K2CO3as flux at 635°C with the heating rate of 5°Cmin-1. The phase composition and microstructure of these products were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, and the effects of the processing parameters, such as the ratio of Bi2O3/SiO2, calciniation temperature, isothermal time and relative amount of salt, on the composition and particle size were investigated. The results indicated that regardless of changing the ratio of Bi2O3/SiO2, calciniation temperature, isothermal time or relative amount of salt the reaction only yielded Bi12SiO20without Bi2SiO5and Bi4Si3O12. Henceforth, KCl-K2CO3molten salts may be considered as an ideal reaction medium to synthesize pure phase of Bi12SiO20. The particle size of Bi12SiO20phase can be determined by changing the temperature, isothermal time and relative amount of salt.

GA approach suitable for solving object Recognition problem is described and evaluated using a series of simple model problems. Usually GA calculation produces enormous amount of data that contains rich information, of which only a tiny section is commonly utilized runs through the design optimization. An application of Genetic Algorithm optimization with Noise characteristics would give many insights into how to allocate various image reconstruction options in different echelons, GA employing a global search might identify a better solution in an different area of the search space.

Mitomycin C (MMC), a chemotherapeutic agent in breast cancer treatments, inhibits tumor growth through DNA cross-linking and breaking, but it has severe side effects. Here we examined whether and how curcumin reduced the side effects of MMC. We found that combination treatment with MMC and curcumin reduced tumor weight by 70% and 36% compared with saline and curcumin-treated groups, respectively. The combination treatment reduced weight loss and improved kidney function and bone marrow suppression compared with MMC treatment alone. Moreover, the combination treatment inhibited glucose regulatory protein (GRP58)-mediated DNA cross-linking. The combination treatment inhibited GRP58 through the ERK/p38 MAPK pathway. In conclusion, the current study provided evidence that MMC and curcumin combination treatment reduced MMC side effects by inhibiting GRP58-mediated DNA cross-linking through the ERK/p38 MAPK pathway.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of mitomycin C (MMC) in combination with curcumin in suppressing human breast cancer in vitro and in vivo . Methods: Human breast cancer MCF-7 cells were used. Cell viability was measured using MTT assay. The cell cycle phase was detected with flow cytometric analysis. Cell cycle-associated proteins were examined using Western blot analysis. MCF-7 breast cancer xenografts were established to monitor tumor growth and cell cycle-associated protein expression. Results: Curcumin inhibited MCF-7 breast cancer cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 value=40 μmol/L). Similarly, MMC inhibited the cell viability with an IC50 value of 5 μmol/L. Combined treatment of MMC and curcumin showed a synergistic antiproliferative effect. In the presence of curcumin (40 μmol/L), the IC50 value of MMC was reduced to 5 μmol/L. In MCF-7 xenografts, combined administration of curcumin (100 mg/kg) and MMC (1-2 mg/kg) for 4 weeks produced significantly greater inhibition on tumor growth than either treatment alone. The combined treatment resulted in significantly greater G1 arrest than MMC or curcumin alone. Moreover, the cell cycle arrest was associated with inhibition of cyclin D1, cyclin E, cyclin A, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) and CDK4, along with the induction of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 and p27 both in MCF-7 cells and in MCF-7 xenografts. These proteins were regulated through p38 MAPK pathway. Conclusion: The results suggest that the combination of MMC and curcumin inhibits MCF-7 cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in vitro and in vivo via the p38 MAPK pathway.

To examine whether the cell growth inhibitory effect of the combination of baicalin and baicalein is related to apoptosis. Moreover, to determine whether the expression of some apoptosis-related proteins is regulated by the ERK/p38 MAPK pathway.Cell viability was measured using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptosis was detected by acridine orange (AO) staining, DNA ladder assay and flow cytometric analysis. Apoptosis-related proteins were observed using Western blot analysis.Compared with baicalin or baicalein alone, the combination treatment of baicalin (50 micromol/L) and baicalein (25 micromol/L) had an anti-proliferative effect in a time-dependent manner. Isobologram analysis demonstrated that the combination treatment had a synergistic effect. Moreover, apoptosis in MCF-7 cells was increased by 12% and 20% with the combination treatment at 24 h and 48 h, respectively. With the combination treatment in MCF-7 cells, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9 were observed, and the level of bcl-2 expression was decreased approximately 20% and 40% at 24 h and 48 h, respectively. The expression of bax and p53 were increased about 25% and 15% at 48 h, respectively. Moreover, the activation of caspase-3, -9 and the regulation of bcl-2, bax and p53 were related to ERK /p38 MAPK activation.In this study, apoptosis was enhanced by the combination treatment of baicalin and baicalein, which activated caspases-3 and caspase-9, downregulated the level of bcl-2 and upregulated the level of bax or p53 via the ERK/p38 MAPK pathway.