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Background In patients with heart failure, interleukin-18 (IL-18) levels increase in the circulatory system and injured myocardial tissue. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) receptors subtype 2B (HTR2B) play an essential role in cardiac function and development, and their overexpression in rats leads to myocardial hypertrophy. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is cardioprotective in myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury in rats and can prevent pressure overload-mediated cardiac hypertrophy in vivo. Mice deficient in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) can have cardiac dysfunction, myocardial hypertrophy, and heart failure. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are possibly involved in cardiac remodeling. However, the relationship between IL-18 signaling, cardiac hypertrophy, and the molecular mechanisms involved remain to be fully elucidated. Objectives To elucidate the relationship between HTR2B and IL-18-induced myocardial hypertrophy and examine the antihypertrophic effects of EGCG and PPARδ. Methods We induced H9c2 cardiomyoblast hypertrophy with IL-18 in vitro and investigated the downstream signaling by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting. Hypertrophy was assessed by flow cytometry. We determined the effects of EGCG and PPARδ on IL-18-induced hypertrophic signaling via HTR2B-dependent mechanisms. Results IL-18-induced H9c2 hypertrophy upregulated brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) protein and mRNA expression by inducing the expression of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), and the hypertrophy was attenuated by pretreatment with EGCG (20 μM) and L-165,041 (2 μM), a PPARδ agonist. IL-18 upregulated the expression of HTR2B, which was inhibited by pretreatment with EGCG and L-165,041. SB215505 (0.1 μM), a HTR2B antagonist and siRNA for HTR2B, attenuated H9c2 hypertrophy significantly. Inhibition of HTR2B also downregulated the expression of MMP-3 and MMP-9. Conclusions IL-18 and HTR2B play critical roles in cardiomyoblast hypertrophy. EGCG and L-165,041 inhibit the expression of HTR2B and augment remodeling of H9c2 cardiomyoblasts, possibly mediated by MMP-3 and MMP-9.

A huge and growing number of scientific papers are authored by non-native English speakers, driving increased demand for effective computer-based writing tools to help writers composing scientific articles. The Automated Evaluation of Scientific Writing (AESW) shared task promotes the use of natural language processing tools to improve the quality of scientific writing in English by predicting whether a given sentence needs language editing or not. In this study, we propose an Ensemble Multi-Channel Neural Networks (called EMC-NN) model for scientific language editing evaluation, comprised of three main parts: a multi-channel word embedding representation, a combination of Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory and Convolutional Neural Networks, and a majority voting ensemble. Experimental results on 143,804 testing sentences show that our proposed EMC-NN achieved an F1-score of 0.6367, outperforming the winner of the AESW-2016 competition task and the recent BERT transformers. Based on a series of in- depth analyses comparing the number of channels, ensemble size and network architectures, the proposed EMC-NN model is a relatively simple, but effective approach that offers significant performance improvements for scientific writing evaluation tasks.

The number of diagnosed diabetic patients is increasing worldwide. Many people with diabetes develop wounds that are slow to, or never, heal, which can lead to serious health issues. Diabetes causes long-term excessive blood glucose buildup in human body, which leads to an over-reactive inflammatory response and excessive oxidative stress. As a result, varied wound healing effects were observed according to different circumstances and stage of healing. We used two diabetic wound animal models to analyze the wound healing effect of

A new concept for the diagnosis and management of non-functional dyspepsia in guidelines was lacking in the past decade. Medical advancement has proven pancreatic fibrosis (essential image evidence of early chronic pancreatitis) to be a cause of dyspepsia and related to pancreatic exocrine dysfunction. This study aimed to analyze the clinical picture, biomarker, and percentage of pancreatic fibrosis in the dyspeptic population. A total of 141 consecutive patients were retrospectively enrolled. They were diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease, 9.2% (n = 13), pancreatic fibrosis, 17% (n = 24), pure Helicobacter pylori infection, 19.9% (n = 28), functional dyspepsia, 53.2% (n = 75), and chronic pancreatitis, 0.7% (n = 1). Among those with pancreatic fibrosis, (n = 24), 11 were diagnosed on the basis of a pancreatic acoustic radiation force impulse exceeding 1.4 m/s, and the remaining 13 were diagnosed with early chronic pancreatitis with at least three of the Japanese endoscopic ultrasonography criteria. The anatomic distribution of parenchymal criteria of early chronic pancreatitis was head, 53%, body, 38%, and tail, 9%. There were 17 cases (71%, 17/24) without Helicobacter pylori and whose dyspepsia improved after pancreatic enzyme replacement with a ratio of 82.3% (14/17). Of the 141 cases, 19 received gastric emptying scintigraphy and Western blot analysis of chromogranin-A in duodenal mucosa. Delayed gastric emptying was more common in functional dyspepsia and chromogranin-A was expressed more in pancreatic fibrosis. In conclusion, pancreatic fibrosis (including early chronic pancreatitis) outnumbered peptic ulcer disease in the dyspeptic population and pancreatic enzyme therapy was effective for 82% of cases. In early chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic fibrosis is dominant in the head location, and duodenum mucosa chromogranin-A is a potential biomarker with increased expression in an age-matched manner.

High-purity intermetallic &beta, Ti (FeTi4) and FeTi alloys were prepared via molten salt electrolysis from a titanium-containing waste slag and Fe2O3 mixture using molten CaCl2 salt as the electrolyte. The mixed slag powders were pressed into a pellet that served as a cathode, while a graphite rod served as an anode. The electrochemical process was conducted at 900 &deg, C with a cell voltage of 3.1 V under an inert atmosphere. The formation process of the alloys and the influence of the Ti:Fe atomic ratio on the product were investigated. With an increased proportion of Ti, the phase of the product changed from FeTi/Fe2Ti to FeTi/FeTi4, and different structures were observed. At a Ti:Fe ratio of 1.2:1 in the raw slag, an alloy with a sponge-like morphology and a small amount of FeTi4 were obtained. During the initial stages of electrolysis, a large amount of intermediate product (CaTiO3) was formed, accompanied by an abrupt decrease in current and increase in particle size. The current then increased and Fe2Ti alloy was gradually formed. Finally, as the reaction process extended inside the pellet, the current remained stable and the product mainly contained FeTi and FeTi4 phases. The observed stages, i.e., CaTiO3(TiO2) &rarr, Fe2Ti(Ti) &rarr, FeTi(FeTi4), were consistent with the thermodynamic analysis.

The number of diagnosed diabetic patients is increasing worldwide. Many people with diabetes develop wounds that are slow to, or never, heal, which can lead to serious health issues. Diabetes causes long-term excessive blood glucose buildup in human body, which leads to an over-reactive inflammatory response and excessive oxidative stress. As a result, varied wound healing effects were observed according to different circumstances and stage of healing. We used two diabetic wound animal models to analyze the wound healing effect of Antrodia cinnamomea ointment in either topical application and/or oral administration, and explored its mechanism by Western blot analysis. The results showed that topical Antrodia cinnamomea treatment can significantly promote wound healing. The increased expressions of angiopoietin 1 and angiopoietin 2 protein and reduction of CD68 expression were found around wound area. Simultaneous treatment of oral and topical Antrodia cinnamomea ointment did not show an accelerated healing effect in our animal model. This study is the first report to demonstrate the effect of topical application of Antrodia cinnamomea ointment on diabetic wounds healing, and its relationship with angiogenesis. This may also open a new field for future development and application of Taiwan Antrodia cinnamomea.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess household preparedness for emergency events and its determinants in China.DesignA cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on 3541 households in China in 2015.ParticipantsHouseholds were selected using a stratified cluster sampling strategy, representing central, eastern, western and southern regions of China. The designed questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews.Outcome measuresHousehold emergency preparedness was measured with 14 indicators, tapping into the supply of nine emergency necessities (food and water, extra batteries, battery-powered radio, battery-operated torch, first-aid kit, gas mask, fire extinguisher, escape ropes, whistle), coverage of accident insurance, knowledge of local emergency response systems (emergency numbers, exit routes and shelters) and availability of a household evacuation plan. If an individual acted on 9 of the 14 indicators, they were deemed well prepared. Logistic regression models were established to identify predictors of well preparedness based on 3541 returned questionnaires containing no missing values.ResultsOnly 9.9% of households were well prepared for emergencies: 53.6% did not know what to do and 31.6% did not want to think about it. A higher level of preparedness was found in the respondents who have attained higher education (adjusted OR=0.826 compared with the higher level), participated in emergency training activities (adjusted OR=2.299), had better emergency knowledge (adjusted OR=2.043), reported less fate-submissiveness (adjusted OR=1.385) and more self-reliance (adjusted OR=1.349), prior exposure to emergency events (adjusted OR=1.280) and held more positive attitudes towards preparedness (adjusted OR=1.286).ConclusionHousehold preparedness for emergency events is poor in China. Lack of motivation, negative attitude to preparedness and knowledge shortfall are major but remediable barriers for household preparedness.

Ischemia followed by blood supply reperfusion in cardiomyocytes leads to an overproduction of free radicals and a rapid decrease of adenosine triphosphate concentration. The cardioprotective effect of a potential drug, adenine, was evaluated using H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts. After hypoxia–reoxygenation (HR) treatment consisting of hypoxia for 21 h followed by reoxygenation for 6 h, it was revealed that pretreatment with 200 µM adenine for 2 h effectively prevented HR-induced cell death. Adenine also significantly decreased the production of reactive oxygen species and reduced cell apoptosis after HR injury. The antioxidant effect of adenine was also revealed in this study. Adenine pretreatment significantly reduced the expression of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) proteins, and protein disulfide isomerase induced a protective effect on mitochondria after HR stimulation. Intracellular adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ), and perilipin levels were increased by adenine after HR stimulation. Adenine had a protective effect in HR-damaged H9c2 cells. It may be used in multiple preventive medicines in the future.

Autologous vascular grafts have the advantages of better biocompatibility and prognosis. However, previous studies that implanted bare polymer tubes in animals to grow autologous tubular tissues were limited by their poor yield rates and stability. To enhance the yield rate of the tubular tissue, we employed a design with the addition of overlaid autologous whole blood scaffold containing lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Furthermore, we applied in vivo dynamic mechanical stimuli through cyclically inflatable silicone tube to improve the mechanical properties of the harvested tissues. The effectiveness of the modification was examined by implanting the tubes in the peritoneal cavity of rats. A group without mechanical stimuli served as the controls. After 24 days of culture including 16 days of cyclic mechanical stimuli, we harvested the tubular tissue forming on the silicone tube for analysis or further autologous interposition vascular grafting. In comparison with those without cyclic dynamic stimuli, tubular tissues with this treatment during in vivo culture had stronger mechanical properties, better smooth muscle differentiation, and more collagen and elastin expression by the end of incubation period in the peritoneal cavity. The grafts remained patent after 4 months of implantation and showed the presence of endothelial and smooth muscle cells. This model shows a new prospect for vascular tissue engineering.

The Mg–Ni hydride was prepared by hydriding combustion synthesis under a high magnetic field. The dehydriding kinetics of the hydrides was measured under the isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. A model was applied to analyzing the kinetics behavior of Mg–Ni hydride. The calculation results show that the theoretical value and the experimental data can reach a good agreement, especially in the case of non-isothermal dehydriding. The rate-controlling step is the diffusion of hydrogen atoms in the solid solution. The sample prepared under magnetic field of 6 T under the isothermal condition can reach the best performance. The similar tendency was observed under the non-isothermal condition and the reason was discussed.

This paper investigated the effect of additional sulfide and thiosulfate on Q235 carbon steel corrosion in alkaline solutions. Weight loss method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with EDS, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical measurements were used in this study to show the corrosion behavior and electrochemistry of Q235 carbon steel. Results indicate that the synergistic corrosion rate of Q235 carbon steel in alkaline solution containing sulfide and thiosulfate is larger than that of sulfide and thiosulfate alone, which could be due to redox reaction of sulfide and thiosulfate. The surface cracks and pitting characteristics of the specimens after corrosion were carefully examined and the corrosion products film is flake grains and defective. The main corrosion products of specimen induced by S2−and S2O32-are FeS, FeS2, Fe3O4, and FeOOH. The present study shows that the corrosion mechanism of S2−and S2O32-is different for the corrosion of Q235 carbon steel.

This study investigates the effect of sulfur on Q235 steel and 16Mn steel corrosion in sodium aluminate solution. The corrosion rate of Q235 steel and 16Mn steel reaches the maximum respectively when S2− and S2O3 2− form synergistic corrosion and S2− is contained alone. But, the size of corroded particles is smaller in the solution containing only S2O3 2− for two kinds of steel. The corrosion rate of 16Mn steel is greater than Q235 steel. Surface corrosion of two kinds of steel is both composed of sulfides (FeS and FeS2) and oxides (Fe2O3, Fe3O4, Al2O3 and NaFeO2). The crystal particles of steel surface are mainly iron oxides according to EDS analysis. Nyquist plots of Q235 steel with different forms of sulfur have two capacitance-resistance arcs and no diffusion impedance. Nyquist plots of 16Mn steel with S2O3 2− alone is consistent with Q235 steel. But, Nyquist plots of 16Mn steel presents a typical Warburg diffusion phenomenon with containing S2− alone and forming synergistic corrosion.

Synthesizing barium aluminate using barium carbonate and aluminium hydroxide, the optimum conditions in reaction process of synthesizing barium aluminate were discussed. The phase of the products was characterized by XRD. The results indicate that the optimal synthesizing conditions are established with the yield of 88.43% when the roasting time is 80min, the roasting temperature is 1350°C and molecular proportion of Al2O3/BaO is 1.1. The bulk density of barium aluminate is 1.5g/cm3; average particle size is 89.808μm; surface mean size is 65.915μm; and the specific surface area is 0.0246016m2/g.

Background Hyperglycemia-induced advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and receptor for AGEs (RAGE) production play major roles in progression of diabetic nephropathy. Anti-RAGE effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta (PPARδ) agonists was shown in previous studies. PPARδ agonists also stimulate glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion from human intestinal cells. Methods In this study, the individual and synergic anti-inflammatory effects of GLP-1 receptor (exendin-4) and PPARδ (L-165,041) agonists in AGE-treated rat mesangial cells (RMC) were investigated. Results The results showed both exendin-4 and L-165,041 significantly attenuated AGE-induced IL-6 and TNF-α production, RAGE expression, and cell death in RMC. Similar anti-inflammatory potency was seen between 0.3 nM exendin-4 and 1 μM L-165,041. Synergic effect of exendin-4 and L-165,041 was shown in inhibiting cytokines production, but not in inhibiting RAGE expression or cell death. Conclusions These results suggest that both GLP-1 receptor and PPARδ agonists have anti-inflammatory effect on AGE-treated rat mesangial cells.

Wound healing is one of the major complications of diabetes, and problems with wound healing in diabetics often lead to amputation and even death. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a protein involved in intracellular metabolism. Activated AMPK can reduce visceral fat and cholesterol synthesis and even inhibit hepatic gluconeogenesis. Activation of AMPK has been widely used in the treatment of type II diabetes. We applied an AMPK activator (Adenine) to human fibroblasts and to the wounds of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. We applied Adenine ointment to the wounds on 7 consecutive days and observed the healing status as well as activation of AMPK and angiogenic factors. Based on the appearance of the wounds, the results showed that after 7 days of treatment the wound area was smaller in the Adenine-treated group relative to the control group. The results for tissue protein expression showed that, compared to the control group, angiogenic related protein, PPARδ were increased and receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) was decreased in the Adenine-treated group. Our studies indicate that Adenine has the potential to become a useful drug in the treatment of diabetic wound healing.

Diabetic ulcers and unhealed bedsores have resulted in serious complications all around the world. Anti-oxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has been proved beneficial in diabetic studies. However, the low bioavailability of EGCG is always a problem for human application. In this study, topical gas-injection of a EGCG and gold nanoparticle (AuNP) liquid mixture (AuE) using the GNT GoldMed™ Liquid Drug Delivery System significantly accelerated the wound healing on wild-type and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse skin. Immunoblotting of the diabetic wound tissue showed a significant increase of the vascular endothelial cell growth factor on day 7 and the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase expression from day 3 to day 7. Furthermore, the epidermal growth factor receptor and collagen I & III protein expression both increased significantly in the wound area. After gas-injection of the AuE liquid, hyaluronic acid (HA) expression also significantly increased on day 7 as measured by immunohistochemistry analysis. In conclusion, gas-injection of AuE significantly increases the rate of wound healing both in wild-type and diabetic mice. This study may provide a new approach for improving the EGCG bioavailability on diabetic wounds.

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the most developed countries of the world. Hyperglycemia-induced advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and receptor for AGEs (RAGE) production, pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, and oxidative stress activation play major roles in kidney cell injury and apoptosis. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) agonists are used clinically as insulin sensitizers. This study evaluated the renoprotective effect of PPARγ (troglitazone) and PPARδ (L-165,041) agonists on human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK) and mesangial cells. Troglitazone (10 μM) and L-165,041 (1 μM) significantly inhibited high glucose (25mM)-induced interleukin-6 and TNF-α production, RAGE expression and NF-κB translocation in HEK cells. Furthermore, Troglitazone (10 μM) and L-165,041(1 μM) significantly increased SOD expression and attenuated apoptosis in HEK and mesangial cells. The inhibitory effect between 1 μM L-165,041 and 10 μM troglitazone showed no difference. Furthermore L-165,041 and troglitazone together did not increase the effects. These results provide important information for future application of PPAR agonists in diabetic nephropathy treatment.

Extraction metallurgy level alumina from fly ash through high-pressure leaching, removing iron, crystallizing and roasting processes were considered. The optimum conditions of high-pressure leaching, removing iron and roasting processes were obtained by experiments. The leaching rate of Al2O3 can reach 93.1% and the purity of Al2O3 product can reach above 98% under these conditions. The iron content in Al2(SO4)3 solution can decrease from 1.21% to 0.10% when fly ash as alkaline agents.

Dissolution behavior of high titanium bauxite was investigated. The effect of several factors on dissolution of alumina and titanium dioxide were examined. The experimental results showed that the titanium dioxide dissolution rate was 9.82% and alumina relative dissolution rate was 88.83% under the best dissolution conditions for dissolution temperature of 240°C, lime add volume of 4%, and alkali concentration of 220g/L.

A novel process of solid-oxide-oxygen-ion conducting membrane (SOM) technique has been investigated to produce Cr metal directly from Cr2O3 in molten CaCl2. The sintered porous Cr2O3 pellet was employed as the cathode while liquid copper, saturated with graphite powder and encased in a one-end-closed yttria-stabilized-zirconia (YSZ) tube, acted as the anode. The particle sizes and porosity of the cathode pellets are important factors that have significant impact on the electrolysis process. The optimal experimental condition is pellet forming pressure 4MPa, sintering and electrolytic temperature 1150°C, cell voltage 3.5V, electrolysis time 2h.

A novel process of solid-oxide-oxygen-ion conducting membrane (SOM) technique has been investigated to produce Ta metal directly from Ta2O5 in molten CaCl2. The sintered porous Ta2O5 pellet was employed as the cathode while liquid copper, saturated with graphite powder and encased in a one-end-closed yttria-stabilized-zirconia (YSZ) tube, acted as the anode. The particle sizes and porosity of the cathode pellets are important factors that have significant impact on the electrolysis process. The optimal experimental conditions is pellet sintering and electrolytic temperature 1100°C, cell voltage 3.5V, electrolysis time 2h.

Tantalum metal was prepared by Solid Oxygen-ion Conducting Membrane (SOM) technology from Ta2O5 directly in molten CaCl2. Through reaction mechanism of the metal-oxide-electrolyte three-phase interline (3PIs), the influence of pellets microstructure on the electrolysis process and products morphology were discussed. The results demonstrate that forming pressure, particle size and porosity of cathode pellets are significant factors for three-phase interline during electrolysis process. It was found that the big porosity and small particle can enhance the deoxidization rate, Contrarily, the compact out-layer of tantalum metal was formed. While the Ta2O5 pellet was pressed by 4MPa and sintered at 1150°C for 2 h has rational porosity and particle, the electrochemical reduction can be achieved via two steps: Ta2O5Ta2O5-xTa.

A novel process of solid-oxide-oxygen-ion conducting membrane (SOM) technique has been investigated to produce Ta metal directly from solid Ta2O5 in mixture molten of 55.5MgF2-44.5CaF2 (in wt%). The sintered porous Ta2O5 pellet was employed as the cathode while liquid copper, saturated with graphite powder and encased in a one-end-closed yttria-stabilized-zirconia (YSZ) tube, acted as the anode. An electrolysis potential higher than that in Fray–Farthing–Chen (FFC) Cambridge process could be applied to this process because YSZ membrane blocked the electrolysis of the melts and there was no need for flux to dissolve Ta2O5. The results demonstrated that the electrolytic temperature have played important roles in this electrochemical process. Furthermore, this process can be used to efficiently produce Ta metal without the expensive pre-electrolysis and generation of harmful byproducts.