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Gentiopicroside isolated from gentiana macrophylla Pall. belongs to iridoid glycosides. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of gentiopicroside against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in mice. Mice were proactively administrated with gentiopicroside by intragastric administration once a day for 3 consecutive days. On the 3rd day, gastric ulcer in mice was induced with 70% ethanol after the last intragastric administration. The stomach tissues were submitted for evaluation of the severity of gastric mucosal alterations. Gentiopicroside administrated orally ameliorated the severity of gastric mucosal alterations. Oral administration of gentiopicroside significantly increased heat shock protein-70 and glutathione levels and superoxide dismutase activity, normalized epidermal growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor levels, and decreased the levels of tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and malondialdehyde, and myeloperoxidase activity in gastric tissue. These findings demonstrated that gentiopicroside has protective effect against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in mice through the improvements of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as up-regulation of heat shock protein-70 level and normalization of epidermal growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor levels. The results presented in this study provide some evidence for the development of a novel antigastric ulcer agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Electric-field-mediated deformation and breakup of a droplet in a shear flow field are experimentally studied. • Electrohydrodynamics underlying the different droplet breakup patterns, including breakup criterion, breakup speed, and trajectory post-breakup characteristics are elucidated. • Regime diagram for identifying distinct droplet breakup patterns under combined electric field and shear flow field is summarized. • Criteria for droplet breakup in a shear flow field via the active electric field regulation is obtained. The electrohydrodynamic breakup of a droplet under a combined electric field (EF) and shear flow field (SFF) is experimentally investigated. The interface morphology characteristics of the droplet undergoing different breakup patterns are analyzed, and the interactions among electric forces, viscous forces, and interfacial tension during the droplet breakup process are also revealed. In addition, a diagram of droplet breakup patterns with different hydrodynamic and electric capillary numbers (Ca and Ca E , respectively) is summarized. In particular, a prediction model for the criteria of droplet breakup under combined EF and SFF is proposed. The results indicate that three typical patterns of droplet breakup occur in turn with increasing Ca E , i.e., satellite droplet detachment from a migrating droplet, a lobe detachment pattern, and a lobe disintegration pattern. As the Ca increases, the breakup pattern of satellite droplets detaching from the migrating droplet gradually disappears, and the critical Ca E for droplet breakup decreases because the enhanced viscous force facilitates the detachment of the lobes from the mother droplet. Additionally, the breakup pattern of charged lobe disintegration occurs under a large Ca E when the charge of the droplet reaches the Rayleigh limit. The critical Ca E of the lobe disintegration breakup pattern decreases first and then increases with increasing Ca because the changes in droplet shape, interfacial tension, electrical potential energy, and fluid potential energy lead to a variation in the Rayleigh limit. Moreover, the breakup speeds of the three patterns are also altered by the strengths of the SFF and EF. Particularly, a reliable prediction model for the criterion of droplet breakup is proposed and compared with experimental data. This model provides a feasible approach for determining the criterion of droplet breakup through a very small amount of data for droplet-based applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-strength, flexible, and multifunctional characteristics are highly desirable for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials to meet lightweight applications in the electric industry. Herein, we report a sustainable bioinspired double-network structural material connected by a hydrogen-bonded interface, that enables the creation of hybrid dual-networks benefiting from the mono-dispersion of aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). By directional filtration, the dual networks of the ANF/SWCNT composite films can be constructed into a laminated structure with preferential orientation during the stretching process, resulting in high fracture strength (113.45 MPa) and low breaking strain (<2%). Simultaneously, the as-prepared film delivers an adjustable electrical conductivity (131.9–798.57 S/cm), a remarkable EMI SE (43.01–75.28 dB), and high specific shielding effectiveness (SSE/t) of 1.281 × 104 dB cm2 g−1, which shows outstanding performance among the reported state-of-the-art SWCNT-based materials. More importantly, the films show excellent Joule heating performance with a fast thermal response (<15 s), a low driving voltage (0.5–5 V), and a wide temperature response range (89–445 °C). As such, the multifunctional composite films are considered as promising alternatives to a wide range of lightweight applications in electromagnetic shielding and thermal management. [Display omitted] • The dual network structure of mono-dispersed ultra-long SWCNTs and ANFs result in a breaking strength of up to 113.45 MPa of the film. • Computational simulations and experiments demonstrate composite films have an adjustable ultrahigh electrical conductivity (131.9–798.57 S/cm) and a remarkable EMI SE (43.01–75.28 dB). • The multifunctional composite films show excellent Joule heating performance with a fast thermal response (<15 s), a low driving voltage (0.5–5 V) and a wide temperature response range (89–445 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Aucubin, an iridoid glycoside, was isolated from seeds of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver. This study was aimed to evaluate the protective effect of aucubin against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in mice. Materials and methods Mice were orally administrated with aucubin (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg) for 3 consecutive days. On the 3rd day, the mice of gastric mucosal injury were induced with 70% ethanol after the last administration of aucubin. Gastric tissue of mice were submitted for evaluating the severity of gastric mucosal injury. The protective effect of aucubin was evaluated by the gastric ulcer index and histological examinations and determining the levels of inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress and some gastric mucosal protection factors. Key findings Prophylactic oral administration of aucubin decreased gastric ulcer indexes and histological scores. A significant decrease of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were observed in aucubin administrated groups. In addition, mice administrated with aucubin increased glutathione (GSH) and heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, as well as normalized the levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) in gastric tissue of mice. Significance The findings of this study demonstrated that aucubin shows protective effect against ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosal injury through its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Furthermore, aucubin enhanced gastric mucosal protection by up-regulation of HSP-70 level and normalization of EGF, VEGF and COX-1 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Size-dependent assembly of graphene sheets constructs vertical heat pathways across the graphene paper. • GHGP exhibits both high through-plane thermal conductivity and good compressibility. • The cooling efficiency of GHGP was 2.2 times that of the state-of-the-art commercial TIM. Graphene-based papers have recently triggered considerable interests in developing the application as thermal interface materials (TIMs) for addressing the interfacial heat transfer issue, but their low through-plane thermal conductivity (κ ⊥), resulting from the layer-by-layer stacked architecture, limits the direct use as TIMs. Although various hybrid graphene papers prepared by combining the graphene sheets and the thermally conductive insertions have been proposed to solve this problem, achieving a satisfactory κ ⊥ higher than that of commercial TIMs (>5 W m−1 K−1) remains challenging. Here, a strategy aimed at the construction of heat pathways along the through-plane direction inside the graphene paper for achieving a high κ ⊥ was demonstrated through the simultaneous filtration of graphene sheets with two different lateral sizes. The as-prepared graphene paper presented a hierarchical structure composed of loosely stacked horizontal layers formed by large graphene sheets, intercalated by a random arrangement of small graphene sheets. Due to the heat pathways formed by small graphene sheets along the through-plane direction, the hierarchically structured graphene paper exhibited an improved κ ⊥ as high as 12.6 W m−1 K−1 after a common graphitization post-treatment. In the practical test, our proposed paper as an all-graphene TIM achieved an enhancement in cooling efficiency of ≈ 2.2 times compared to that of the state-of-the-art TIM, demonstrating its superior performance to meet the ever-increasing heat dissipation requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SEM cross-section morphologies of hollow fibers in bitumen, (a) the interface morphology of several hollow fibers in bitumen, and (b) the enlarged interface morphology of hollow fibers in bitumen. • No debonding was found between the PVDF hollow fibers and the bitumen. • The content of hollow fibers affects the self-healing behaviors of bitumen. • The fiber orientation affects the self-healing efficiency. • The self-healing follows the time-temperature superposition principle. Smart microvascular self-healing bituminous composites are considered a promising approach to prolong pavement service life. The objective of this work was to investigate the microvascular self-healing capability of bituminous material by using hollow fibers with oily rejuvenator through a direct-tension mechanical experiment. The hollow fibers with oily rejuvenator were prepared using a wet-spinning approach by applying polyvinylidene fluoride material. The fixed-length hollow fibers with sealed ends were mixed in bitumen to form composite samples. Through a repetitive tensile method, the tension strength data were used to calculate the self-healing efficiency autonomously by considering crack closure and healing at various healing temperatures and times. The scanning-electron-microscope morphology showed that the polyvinylidene fluoride hollow fibers had a tight interfacial structure with bituminous material without debonding. X-ray computed tomography results indicated that the fibers were distributed homogeneously in bitumen. The fiber content and fiber orientation affected the self-healing capability of bituminous samples at 0 °C. To simplify the influence of the above two factors of the fibers, only one fiber was placed in bitumen samples parallel to the tension direction. With an increase in temperature from 0 to 30 °C, the self-healing capability of the bitumen samples increased dramatically. This phenomenon is attributed to the accelerated penetration speed of rejuvenator in the bitumen. An increase in time increased the self-healing capability of the bitumen samples. The rejuvenator may have sufficient time to leak from the hollow fibers and penetrate the bitumen. The results provide a guide to the microstructural design of the vascular fibers and the application of hollow fibers in self-healing asphalt pavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Camptothecin, as a hydrophobic drug, is encapsulated in a carrier, which usually has a very low drug load and is easy to leak. The drug loading of HCT exceeded 10%, however, HCT was obatined by electrostatic adsorption, which is not easy to dissociate during the long circulation in the body and avoids the possibility of drug leakage. • HCT preparation is divided into two steps. Importly, it is simple and easy to repeat for industrialization. • HCT has the dual targeting of tumor cells and cell subapparatus mitochondria, thus improving the therapeutic effect. Delivering traditional DNA-damaging anticancer drugs into mitochondria to damage mitochondria is a promising chemotherapy strategy. The impermeability of this mitochondrial inner membrane, however, impedes the delivery of drug molecules that could impact other important biological roles of mitochondria. Herein, the prodrug camptothecin (CPT)-triphenylphosphine (TPP) modified with hyaluronic acid (HA) via electrostatic adsorption (HA/CPT-TPP, HCT) was used to mediate the mitochondrial accumulation of CPT. These nanoparticles (NPs) showed enhanced drug accumulation in cancer cells through tumor targeting. HCT entered acidic lysosomes through endosomal transport, HA was degraded by hyaluronidase (HAase) in acidic lysosomes, and the positively charged CPT-TPP was exposed and accumulated fully in the mitochondria. Subsequently, CPT-TPP significantly disrupted the mitochondrial structure and damaged mitochondrial function, leading to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and energy depletion. Finally, HCT enhanced lung cancer cell apoptosis via the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Furthermore, greatly increased tumor growth inhibition was observed in nude mice bearing A549 xenograft tumors after the administration of HCT via tail injection. This study demonstrated that the mitochondria-targeted delivery of CPT may be a promising antitumor therapeutic strategy. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term cyclic loads with a stress level lower than the critical cyclic stress applied on soft soil can lead to soil deformation but not to failure. The Monismith model is known for its simplicity and capacity to describe the cumulative plastic strain of soil under cyclic loads. However, it is unsuccessfully applied in these cases because the plastic strain in this model would increase endlessly till to failure with increasing number of load cycles. To solve this problem, a novel empirical model with three parameters is proposed based on analogy analysis of the Hardin-Drnevich model and Monismith model. The proposed model is verified by experimental data from existing literature and is shown to have better capability and performance than the Monismith model in predicting the cumulative plastic strain of soft soil subjected to long-term low cyclic loads. The value of parameter b is recommended to be 0.5, and relationships of parameters a and c with the cyclic stress ratio are also proposed for soft clay. Applications of the proposed model are elaborated in detail, and in situ test results for settlement of soft subgrade are used to evaluate the performance of this model. The prediction results are consistent with the test results. The research results present a promising method for investigating the development of deformation and the settlement of soft foundation in the near-shore and off-shore areas caused by wave and/or traffic loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taurocholate is a natural conjugated bile acid. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of taurocholate in TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice. The colitis were induced by rectal administration of TNBS. After 24 h, the experimental animals were treated with sulfasalazine (SASP, 500 mg/kg/day) and taurocholate (20, 40 and 60 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days. The anti-inflammatory effects of taurocholate for colitis were assessed by body weight, colonic weight and length, macroscopic scores, and histopathological examinations. In addition, the colonic tissue levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, interleukin (IL)-1β, interferon (IFN-γ) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were also determined to assess the effect of taurocholate. Compared with the model group, treatment with taurocholate (20, 40 and 60 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the body weight loss, improved colonic weight and length, and decreased macroscopic and histopathological scores. Furthermore, the activity accumulation of MPO and the colonic tissue levels of IL-1β, IFN-γ and TNF-α were also decreased by administration of taurocholate. All the findings of this study suggested that taurocholate has the anti-inflammatory effect in ulcerative colitis in mice and indicated it as a good candidate to treat inflammatory bowel disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land subsidence caused by excessive groundwater withdrawal has become a global hazard, which demands further researches and the potential measures to control. Using the FlowTrac Ⅱ consolidation test system, six compression tests were designed to investigate the stress state and stress paths of sand within confined aquifers under conditions of withdrawal and recharging. The deformation characteristics of aquifer sand were studied under different withdrawal-recharging patterns. During pumping and recharge processes, sand deformation responses were observed to lag behind changes in applied stress. The characteristics of this hysteresis effect on deformation were summarized. The alternating phenomenon of rebound and compression of sand deformation under the recharging process is analyzed. When the recharging effect was relatively small than withdrawing effect under the stable withdrawal-recharging pattern, the compression deformation was observed in the recharging process. The research results provide a rational explanation for the continuous compression deformation of the aquifer during groundwater level recovery and offer experimental evidence for the rational design of artificial groundwater recharge in engineering construction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

G 0 -G 1 phase alternative end joining (A-EJ) is a recently defined mutagenic pathway characterized by resected deletion and translocation joints that are predominantly direct and are distinguished from A-EJ in cycling cells that rely much more on microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ). Using chemical and genetic approaches, we systematically evaluate potential A-EJ factors and DNA damage response (DDR) genes to support this mechanism by mapping the repair fates of RAG1/2-initiated double-strand breaks in the context of Igκ locus V-J recombination and chromosome translocation. Our findings highlight a polymerase theta-independent Parp1-XRCC1/LigIII axis as central A-EJ components, supported by 53BP1 in the context of an Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-activated DDR. Mechanistically, we demonstrate varied changes in short-range resection, MMEJ, and translocation, imposed by compromising specific DDR activities, which include polymerase alpha, Ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR), DNA2, and Mre11. This study advances our understanding of DNA damage repair within the 53BP1 regulatory domain and the RAG1/2 postcleavage complex.

Background: Tryptophan (Trp) metabolism is closely related to tumor immunity, and its disorder can cause an immunosuppressive microenvironment, promoting the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study is to explore and validate the independent prognostic genes in patients suffered from HCC. Methods: The transcriptome data of GSE87630 from GEO database were downloaded to analyze differentially expressed genes (DECs) which were intersected with the gene sets of Trp metabolism from MsigDB database. Univariate/multivariate COX regression was performed to identify the genes with independent prognostic significance. TCGA, GTEx, UALCAN, and GEPIA2 databases were applied to analyze DEGs for prognosis. RNA seq data of HCC from TCGA database were collected for Lasso regression analysis. The ssGSEA algorithm was used to perform the analysis of TCGA data. The effects of the candidate differential gene on HCC cells proliferation and migration were evaluated using EdU immunofluorescence and transwell assays. Results: Trp metabolism-related DECs for HCCs were obtained, including MAOB, CYP1A2, KYNU, CYP2E1, ALDH2, CYP2C18, TDO2, AOX1, CYP3A4 and INMT. Moreover, multivariate COX regression results showed that ALDH2 can serve as an independent prognostic molecule and its transcriptional and translational levels were significantly reduced in the tumor tissues. The low expression of ALDH2 was associated with poor prognosis. Overexpression of ALDH2 dramatically reduced the HCC cells proliferation and migration. Conclusion: ALDH2 is associated with Trp metabolism and its downregulation in HCC has a potential value on prognosis. Overexpression of ALDH2 can reduce the proliferation and migration of HCC cells., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Graphite is a versatile material used in various fields, particularly in the power source manufacturing industry. Nowadays, graphite holds a unique position in materials for anode electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. With a carbon content of over 99% being a requirement for graphite to serve as an electrode material, the graphite refinement process plays a pivotal role in the research and development of anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. This study used three different processes to purify spherical graphite through wet chemical methods. The spherical graphite after the purification processes was analysed for carbon content by using energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and was evaluated for structural and morphological characteristics through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. The analyses results indicate that the three-step process via H 2 SO 4 -NaOH-HCl cleaning can elevate the carbon content from 90% to above 99.9% while still maintaining the graphite structure and spherical morphology, thus enhancing the surface area of the material for anode application. Furthermore, the spherical graphite was studied for electrochemical properties when used as an anode for Li-ion batteries using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) measurements. The results demonstrated that the purification process significantly improves the material's capacity with a specific capacity of 350 mAh/g compared to the 280 mAh/g capacity of the anode made of spherical graphite without purification.

Monolayer materials typically display intriguing temperature-dependent dielectric and optical properties, which are crucial for improving the structure and functionality of associated devices. Due to its unique photoelectric capabilities, monolayer WSe 2 has recently received a lot of attention in the fields of atomically thin electronics and optoelectronics. In this work, we focus on the evolution of the temperature-dependent dielectric function (ε = ε 1  + i ε 2 ) of monolayer WSe 2 over energies from 0.74 to 6.40 eV and temperatures from 40 to 350 K. We analyze the second derivatives of ε with respect to energy to accurately locate the critical points (CP). The dependence of the observed CP energies on temperature is consistent with the alternative domination of the declining exciton binding energy as the temperature increases., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: There are several types of benign renal diseases, such as urological stones, ureteropelvic junction obstruction, renal vascular disease, and inflammation, which are responsible for nonfunctioning kidneys. Laparoscopic nephrectomy (LN) is the gold standard for treating nonfunctioning kidneys with complications. This study presents the results of our initial experiences with 3D laparoscopic nephrectomy (3D-LN) for benign, nonfunctioning kidneys., Methods: From July 2021 to July 2023, 40 consecutive patients who underwent 3D transperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy were retrospectively evaluated at the Department of Urology and Department of General Surgery, Hue Central Hospital, Hue, Vietnam. Patient demographics, intraoperative and early postoperative results, postoperative recovery, complications, and three-month follow-up results were recorded., Results: The mean age was 58.35 ± 14.9 years. There were 13 (32.5%) male and 27 (67.5%) female patients. Flank pain was the main reason for hospitalization in 33 cases (82.5%); the common cause of a nonfunctioning kidney was urological stones (62.5%). Twenty-three out of 40 patients underwent a left nephrectomy. The average operative time was 92.57 ± 28.69 minutes. A statistically significant difference in surgery time was found between the group with no adhesion and the group with mild adhesion, as well as between the first 19 patients and the last 18 patients (p <0.05). The mean blood loss was 51.62 ± 24.35 ml. Three cases were converted to open surgery due to severe adhesions. The postoperative complications rate was 8.1%. The average length of the postoperative hospital stay was 7.89 ± 3.59 days., Conclusions: Three-dimensional laparoscopic nephrectomy is a safe and effective method that increases depth perception and spatial orientation for surgeons and can compensate for the remaining shortcomings of traditional 2D systems., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Pham et al.)

We report the temperature dependences of the dielectric function ε = ε 1 + i ε 2 and critical point (CP) energies of the uniaxial crystal GaSe in the spectral energy region from 0.74 to 6.42 eV and at temperatures from 27 to 300 K using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The fundamental bandgap and strong exciton effect near 2.1 eV are detected only in the c-direction, which is perpendicular to the cleavage plane of the crystal. The temperature dependences of the CP energies were determined by fitting the data to the phenomenological expression that incorporates the Bose-Einstein statistical factor and the temperature coefficient to describe the electron-phonon interaction. To determine the origin of this anisotropy, we perform first-principles calculations using the mBJ method for bandgap correction. The results clearly demonstrate that the anisotropic dielectric characteristics can be directly attributed to the inherent anisotropy of p orbitals. More specifically, this prominent excitonic feature and fundamental bandgap are derived from the band-to-band transition between s and p z orbitals at the Γ-point.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are a key population at high risk for hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) infections. We aim to study HBV vaccination coverage, seroprevalence, knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards HBV and HCV infections among HCWs in public sector in Cambodia. A nationally representative cross-sectional study was implemented in 2019, among Cambodian HCWs. A standardized questionnaire was administered to randomly selected HCWs whose blood was then sampled. We used univariate and multivariate regression to determine predictors of outcomes. Among 755 participants, we found 4.9% positive HBsAg and 2.3% positive anti-HCV Ab. HBV vaccination coverage was 59.3%. Lack of knowledge was found on the route of transmission, HBV vaccination, diagnosis and treatment of HBV and HCV. 67% of HCWs thought that all patients should be screened for HBV and HCV and about 30% of them would refuse to take care of infected patients. 58% of HCWs always recapped the needle after use. In univariate analysis, older age-group (> 50 years) is more likely to have positive anti-HCV (OR: 9.48; 95% CI: 2.36-38.18). HCWs who were younger, female or having higher education or having ever been tested, were more likely to have gotten HBV vaccinated. Multivariate analysis reconfirmed these predictors of getting vaccinated. Study findings indicated an urgent need of a national policy for Cambodian HCWs given the high prevalence of hepatitis among this group. Policy should include an effective in-service training program to improve knowledge and practices, a testing and vaccination program for HCWs and it should emphasize stigma intervention towards people living with HBV/HCV., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (2024, National Center for Global Health and Medicine.)