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Radiata pine wood (W) was modified with acetic anhydride and glutaraldehyde (GA) resulting in WAc and WGA to various weight percent gains (WPGs), whereas in WAc the effect is due to grafting and in WGA, crosslinking. The heat of vaporization of bound water (BW) of the modified woods was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the mass loss (due to water loss) of the samples by thermogravimetry (TG). The temperature program was in both cases from 25 to 40°C with 10°C min−1. The adsorbed or condensed water in wood were observed via low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LFNMR). At a comparable WPG level, the LFNMR analysis showed that the interaction of water with WGA was stronger than that with WAc. In both modified woods, a considerable reduction in the vaporization heat of BW was visible due to cell wall hydrophobization and bulking. The reduction of condensed water in micropores was lower for WGA than WAc, probably because BW needs more energy to evaporate from the crosslinked stiff WGA cell walls.

ObjectiveTo investigate the serum levels of M30 and CCL20 and their association with short-term (3-month) prognosis in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF), as well as their clinical significance. MethodsA total of 51 patients with HBV-ACLF who were diagnosed and treated in Hunan Provincial People′s Hospital from October 2014 to January 2017 were enrolled as HBV-ACLF group; 30 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who were hospitalized or followed up in the outpatient service were enrolled as CHB group; 30 healthy individuals who underwent physical examination were enrolled as control group. The patients with HBV-ACLF were followed up for 3 months, and according to the results of follow-up, these patients were divided into survival group and death group. ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of M30 and CCL20 in peripheral blood before treatment and after two weeks of treatment. The t-test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and an analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups. ResultsThere were significant differences in the serum levels of M30 and CCL20 before treatment between the HBV-ACLF group, the CHB group, and the control group (M30: 591.54±262.06 U/L vs 241.58±120.33 U/L vs 114.35±52.09 U/L, F=22.75，P＜0.05; CCL20: 386.51±55.12 pg/ml vs 177.11±27.51 pg/ml vs 33.95±11.62 pg/ml, F=51.47,P＜005). After two weeks of treatment, the HBV-ACLF death group had a significantly higher level of M30 than the HBV-ACLF survival group (648.17±285.55 U/L vs 426.43±217.64 U/L, t=2.37, P＜0.05) and a significantly lower level of CCL20 than the HBV-ACLF survival group (232.28±3928 pg/ml vs 352.29±52.43 pg/ml, t=-2.35, P＜0.05). After 2 weeks of treatment, there were significant differences in the change rates of the serum levels of M30 and CCL20 between the two groups (M30: 0.08±0.04 vs 0.27±0.12, t=2.49, P＜0.05; CCL20: 0.39±0.06 vs 0.11±0.02, t=2.54, P＜0.05). ConclusionPatients with HBV-ACLF have significant increases in the serum levels of M30 and CCL20, which can accurately reflect cell apoptosis and inflammation in the liver. Patients with a significant reduction in CCL20 during treatment tend to have high mortality, and patients with a significant reduction in M30 tend to have good prognosis. Dynamic changes in M30 and CCL20 levels have a certain value in predicting the short-term prognosis of patients with HBV-ACLF.

The vaporized heat of bound water in radiata pine wood sapwood, which was thermally treated at 200 °C, via N2 protection for 24 h, were studied using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LFNMR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The bound water was divided into two states using LFNMR, which were absorbed water bonded with cell wall polymers and condensed bound water in the micro-pores of cell wall, respectively. The mass of the two states of bound water vaporized during DSC test was calculated based on the total mass of bound water vaporized and the moisture content of different water states in the water-saturated sapwood obtained, respectively. The reduction of moisture during DSC test was monitored synchronously using thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed thermal treatment decreased the spin-spin time (T2) of absorbed bound water and increased T2 of condensed bound water. The moisture content of the two states of bound water was reduced by thermal treatment. The vaporized heat of the bonded bound water was increased and that of the condensed bound water was reduced, which agreed with the change of T2 in the LFNMR experiment. The results suggest that bound water in the thermal treated wood is easier to vaporize when the relative humidity condition is more than 60%.