Search

Objective To explore the effect of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) on the expression of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the intestine of mice induced by high-fat diet (HFD) through farnesoid X receptor (FXR), and investigate the related mechanism. Methods Forty C57BL/6 mice were divided into control group, HFD group, HFD+CDCA group, HFD+Z-Gug (FXR antagonist) group, and HFD+CDCA+Z-Gug group, with 8 animals in each group. During intervention for 8 weeks, body weight and 24-hour food intake were measured every week. At the 8th week, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) were conducted. After the mice were sacrificed, the serum levels of GLu, TG, CHO, LDL-C and HDL-C were detected; the expression levels of GLP-1 and FXR in intestinal tissues were detected by immunofluorescence assay; and the mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, Gcg and FXR were detected by RT-qPCR; the serum level of GLP-1 was detected by ELISA, and the proportion of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) subsets and the expression of CD26/DPP4 were detected by flow cytometry. Results Compared with the control group, the HFD group had increased body weight, abnormal serum glucose and lipid metabolism, impaired oral glucose tolerance, and weakened secretion of gastrointestinal hormones (P < 0.05), enhanced FXR expression at mRNA and protein levels, declined Gcg mRNA level and GLP-1 secretion level (P < 0.05), increased mRNA levels of intestinal inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β (P < 0.05), raised proportions of TCRαβ+ IELs, TCRαβ+CD8αα+ IELs, and TCRαβ+CD8αβ+ IELs but reduced proportion of TCRγδ+IELs, and increased total CD26/DPP4 expression in IELs (P < 0.05). Compared with the HFD group, HFD+CDCA treatment resulted in significantly increased body weight, impaired oral glucose tolerance, decreased secretion of gastrointestinal hormones, increased FXR mRNA and protein expression, and decreased Gcg mRNA expression and GLP-1 secretion (P < 0.05); decreased proportions of TCRαβ+ IELs, TCRαβ+CD8αα+ IELs and TCRααβ+CD8αβ+ IELs but increased proportion of TCRγδ+ cells in IELs, and increased expression of total CD26/DPP4 in IELs (P < 0.05), which were significantly improved after Z-Gug intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion CDCA may inhibit the expression and secretion of GLP-1 in intestinal tissue by activating FXR, and reduce the secretion of GLP-1. At the same time, CDCA may inhibit the expression of related inflammatory factors, regulate the proportions of IELs subsets, up-regulate the expression level of CD26/DPP4, promote the degradation of GLP-1 and aggravate insulin resistance. [Key words] chenodeoxycholic acid , glucagon-like peptide-1, farnesoid X receptor , intraepithelial lymphocytes , CD26 ,

In order to improve the combustion efficiency of boron-containing primary gas in the secondary combustion chamber of a solid rocket scramjet and improve engine performance, the effects of different types of blunt bodies, number of rear blunt bodies, and distance between front and rear blunt bodies on the combustion performance of the secondary combustion chamber were analyzed through numerical calculations. Among the five different blunt bodies, the basic structure has the highest combustion efficiency and total pressure recovery coefficient. When the number of bluff bodies in the secondary combustion chamber is increased from one to three, the boron particle combustion efficiency and total combustion efficiency increase with the growth of the number of bluff bodies, but the total pressure recovery coefficient lessens. When the number of bluff bodies is set as two and the spacing between the front and rear bluff bodies is set equal to 100, 200, and 300 mm, boron particle combustion efficiency and total combustion efficiency increase with the growth of spacing between bluff bodies, but the total pressure recovery coefficient decreased.

Radiation dermatitis is the most common complication of radiation therapy. This paper reviewed the clinical data of a patient with radiation dermatitis caused by radiotherapy. The Traditional Chinese Medicine wet compress and related nursing interventions were carried out to inhibit exudation, reduce swelling and pain, control infection and promote skin healing of the patient. (放射性皮炎是放射治疗最常见的并发症。本文回顾1例放疗所致放射性皮炎患者的治疗和护理经验, 通过综合运用中医适宜技术中药湿敷, 达到抑制渗出、消肿止痛、控制感染、促进皮肤愈合等作用, 减轻患者痛苦。)

Objective To observe the ameliorative efficacy of dihydromyricetin (DHM) on diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), and reveal its effect and underlying mechanism of improving myocardial glucose metabolism. Methods DCM model was established in C57BL/6J male mice by high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). The mice were subsequently divided into control group (CON, normal diet), DCM group (high-fat diet), and DCM+DHM group (high-fat diet and DHM), with 15 animals in each group. After 13 weeks of intervention, echocardiography and glucose tolerance test were performed before sacrifiction. After execution, the myocardial morphology was observed with HE, Masson, and Sirius Red staining, and serum biochemical indexes were detected. The expression levels of genes and proteins related to glucose absorption and glycolysis in myocardial tissue were determined by immunofluorescence assay and qRT-PCR. The differentially expressed genes and their enriched signal pathways were analyzed with RNA-Seq technique. Results Both the cardiac systolic and diastolic functions were significantly impaired in the DCM group, accompanied with obvious inflammatory cell infiltration and increased levels of serum myocardial injury markers, such as CK, CK-MB and LDH (P < 0.01) when compared with the conditions in the CON group. Obvious myocardial fibrosis was observed in the myocardial tissue of DCM group, and elevated mRNA levels of fibrosis related molecules, TGF-β1, α-SMA and Timp (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), as well as abnormal glycolipid metabolism indexes, including glucose tolerance, blood glucose, TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) were found. The levels of glucose absorption related genes GLUT1 and GLUT4, as well as glycolysis related genes HK1, HK2, PFK, LDH and PKM were all remarkably decreased in the myocardium (P < 0.05). However, DHM intervention greatly improved the impaired cardiac functions, ameliorated myocardial fibrosis and injury, and corrected abnormal glycolipid metabolism in the DCM mice. DHM also promoted the expression of the genes related to glucose absorption and glycolysis at mRNA and protein levels. The results of RNA-seq showed that the expression of several genes related to metabolic regulation was significantly changed after DHM intervention, among which NR4A1 might be a potential target of DHM. Conclusion DHM ameliorates the cardiac function of DCM mice, which may be closely associated with the improvement of glucose absorption and glycolysis of cardiomyocytes.

More attention is paid on the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustion technology because of its advantage in low cost emission control. Recently, great achievements have been realized in China. The development history of CFB combustion technology in China for decades is reviewed in this paper, from learning to independent technological innovation. High-performance CFB boilers, energy-saving CFB boilers and ultra-low emissions CFB boilers have be successively developed, while improving steam parameters and realizing large-scale. At present, China has become the largest equipment supplier and user of CFB boilers in the world. As an important part of China's coal-fired power generation system, important contributions have been made to reliable and cheap power supply and low-quality fuel consumption. For the carbon neutralization, coal will be indispensable in the security of power system as the guaranteed energy. As the main way of efficient and clean utilization of low calorific value coal and high sulfur anthracite, greater advantages of CFB boiler in deep peak regulation and rapid load changing flexibility should be exploited. To meet the peak regulating demand of high proportion of new energy consumption, pulverized coal CFB technology can be developed, distributed small-capacity high-parameter CFBs can be explored, and the potential of 0-100% load long-term combustion break and fast restart of CFB units can be explored, so as to further improve the operational flexibility of CFB units. On the basis of operation flexibility, the advantages of CFB boiler fuel flexibility are used to realize high-sulfur anthracite ultra-supercritical high-efficiency power generation and to achieve ultra-low emissions simultaneously. Furthermore, mixed fuel CFB power generation should be developed to realize the consumption of low-carbon combustible wastes such as municipal sludge, domestic waste, biomass and other inferior fuels from of coal mining and washing. In addition, ultra-low emission control technology under flexible operation and intelligent CFB power generation technology should be developed to assist the transformation and development of China's energy structure.

Objective To investigate the ameliorative effects of dihydromyricetin (DHM) on metabolism-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and to reveal the mechanism of its regulation of intestinal mucosal barrier function. Methods Thirty-two male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=8): CON (control diet, with 10% fat) group, HFD (high-fat diet, with 45% fat) group, HFD+DHM (high-fat diet+0.6% DHM) group, and DHM (control diet+0.6% DHM) group.All the subjects were intervened for 12 weeks, the body weight and food consumption of mice were measured weekly.Fasting blood glucose, glucose tolerance and intestinal permeability were tested before sacrifice.Serum levels of biochemical indexes and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were detected with corresponding kits.The liver tissues were stained with HE and oil red O staining, respectively, and the histopathological changes were observed.Moreover, RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to measure the expression levels of intestinal epithelial tight junction proteins, antimicrobial peptides and liver inflammatory factors.Flow cytometry was adopted to determine the proportion of group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) and the level of IL-22 in the colon. Results As compared with the CON group, the HFD group presented increased body weight, impaired glucose tolerance, as well as elevated serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase.HFD also led to liver lipid deposition and higher mRNA levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the liver.The intestinal permeability and serum LPS were increased, whereas the expression levels of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin and antimicrobial peptides RegⅢ β and RegⅢ γ in the intestinal mucosa were decreased, and the proportions of ILC3 and IL-22+ ILC3 in the colon were declined (P < 0.05).In the HFD+DHM group, the impaired glucose tolerance was significantly improved, the hepatic lipid deposition and the expression of inflammatory factors were reduced, so was the serum LPS level.DHM also upregulated the levels of intestinal tight junction proteins and antimicrobial peptides, and ameliorated the intestinal permeability.Furthermore, the colonic ILC3 and IL-22+ ILC3 ratios were increased by DHM treatment as well (P < 0.05). Conclusion DHM may ameliorate the progression of MAFLD by improving intestinal barrier function to reduce lipid accumulation and inflammatory responses in the liver.

With the pollutant emission standards becoming increasingly stringent and considering the pressure of carbon neutral by 2060, the low pollutant emission potential of circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustion technology needs to be further exploited, thus to promote the market competitiveness of CFB boilers; this is critical for the clean and efficient utilization of coal as well as for the energy transformation in China. In this article, we summarize the pollutant emission characteristics of CFB combustion, and review the development of major technologies for CFB boiler emission control. Based on the energy development strategies and corresponding policies in China, development suggestions are proposed for reducing pollutant emission of the CFB combustion technology. The most significant approach is to push the limits of original pollutant emission for CFB combustion by re-specifying the fluidization state and through in-furnace combustion adjustment, while the boiler thermal efficiency should be ensured. For the long-term development of coal energy, the new-generation CFB combustion technology with ultra-low emission should be researched and developed while combining with technologies such as supercritical/ultra-supercritical, intelligent operation, carbon capture/utilization/storage, and energy storage technologies. The existing CFB boilers with small or medium capacity should also be upgraded. Considering the fuel flexibility of CFB combustion, biomass power generation should be promoted to realize low-cost and high-efficiency consumption of low-heat value fuels, urban refuse, industrial wastes, etc. The peak load regulation capacity and low pollutant emission property of the CFB boilers should be promoted to improve operation flexibility and renewable energy consumption. Moreover, the desulphurization ash produced in CFB combustion should be comprehensively utilized, and the N2O emission problem is also significant. The pollutant emission standards and related policies need to be formulated from an overall perspective to guide the healthy development of the energy industry.

(1) Background: Salt stress is an abiotic factor that limits maize yield and quality. A highly salt-tolerance inbred AS5 and a salt-sensitive inbred NX420 collected from Ningxia Province, China, were used to identify new genes for modulating salt resistance in maize. (2) Methods: To understand the different molecular bases of salt tolerance in AS5 and NX420, we performed BSA-seq using an F2 population for two extreme bulks derived from the cross between AS5 and NX420. Transcriptomic analysis was also conducted for AS5 and NX420 at the seedling stage after treatment with 150 mM of NaCl for 14 days. (3) Results: AS5 had a higher biomass and lower Na+ content than NX420 in the seedling stage after treatment with 150 mM NaCl for 14 days. One hundred and six candidate regions for salt tolerance were mapped on all of the chromosomes through BSA-seq using F2 in an extreme population. Based on the polymorphisms identified between both parents, we detected 77 genes. A large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the seedling stage under salt stress between these two inbred lines were detected using transcriptome sequencing. GO analysis indicated that 925 and 686 genes were significantly enriched in the integral component of the membrane of AS5 and NX420, respectively. Among these results, two and four DEGs were identified as overlapping in these two inbred lines using BSA-seq and transcriptomic analysis, respectively. Two genes (Zm00001d053925 and Zm00001d037181) were detected in both AS5 and NX420; the transcription level of Zm00001d053925 was induced to be significantly higher in AS5 than in NX420 (41.99 times versus 6.06 times after 150 mM of NaCl treatment for 48 h), while the expression of Zm00001d037181 showed no significant difference upon salt treatment in both lines. The functional annotation of the new candidate genes showed that it was an unknown function protein. (4) Conclusions: Zm00001d053925 is a new functional gene responding to salt stress in the seedling stage, which provides an important genetic resource for salt-tolerant maize breeding.

Objective Soft tissue balancing in knee joint is a key technique for successful operation of total knee arthroplasty(TKA). There is not a widely accepted metric for balance, manual balance has been achieved primarily through tactile feedback and visual cue. That makes difficulties in learners'training. A new electronic sensor can measure the pressure of medial and lateral compartment of knee, and is applied in the skill training of total knee arthroplasty. Methods Five trainee surgeons attended 14 electronic sensor balancing TKA separately, there are 70 cases in total. Trainee surgeons did manual balance, then it was checked by electronic sensor in 0°,45°,90°knee position. All cases were divided into 7 groups according to chronological order. The unbalance cases were recorded in each group and compared statistically. Results For 0°,45°,90°knee position, the first group has 7,6,5 unbalance cases respectively. During the training, the unbalance case number is decreasing, the seventh group has 1,1,2 unbalance cases at last. There is significant difference between the first and the seventh group for 0°,45°. It is demanding for 45°balancing with most unbalance cases. Conclusions Electronic sensor is a new tool for TKA training. It helps the trainee surgeons to master soft tissue balancing technique quickly and effectively.

PhoB is a response regulator of the PhoR/PhoB two-component system (TCS) in Escherichia Coli, which is involved in environmental phosphate regulation. PhoB activation is known to be mediated by Mg2+ coordination and phosphorylation of the conserved D53 residue, but the exact mechanism remains to be elucidated. It has been proposed that minor active conformations of the response regulator may preexist in its apo state and be related to the activation. However, such minor states are instable and difficult to observe. In this work, 1H-15N HSQC and 19F NMR experiments were performed on a monomeric mutant PhoBNF20D. It was observed that the apo PhoBNF20D had a pre-active conformation, which could be partially stabilized by the phosphoryl group analog BeF3-without the presence of Mg2+. Addition of Mg2+ shifted the equilibrium towards the active form. Furthermore, the exchange between the inactive and active conformations were confirmed by the CPMG (Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill) relaxation dispersion experiments. It is concluded that the apo PhoBNF20D have both inactive and active conformations, and the pre-active conformation can be stabilized by BeF3-.

RAS protein activator like-1 (RASAL1) exists in numerous human tissues and has been commonly demonstrated to act as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. This study aimed to identify the functional characteristics of RASAL1 in ovarian adenocarcinoma and a potential mechanism of action. We analyzed RASAL1 gene expression in ovarian adenocarcinoma samples and normal samples gained from the GEO and Oncomine databases respectively. Then the relationship between RASAL1 expression and overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Furthermore, the biological effect of RASAL1 in ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines was assessed by Quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), western blot, wound healing and transwell assay. The statistical analysis showed patients with higher RASAL1 expression correlated with worse OS. The in vitro assays suggested knockdown of RASAL1 could inhibit cell proliferation, cell invasion and migration of ovarian adenocarcinoma. Moreover, the key proteins in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK/ERK) signaling pathway were also decreased in ovarian adenocarcinoma cells with RASAL1 silencing. These findings provide promising evidence that RASAL1 may be not only a powerful biomarker but also an effective therapeutic target of ovarian adenocarcinoma.

Postmortem changes in the biochemical constituents of the vitreous humor have been widely used to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) over the past several decades. However, few reviews have summarized the relationship between the postmortem vitreous biochemical constituents and time of death. Herein, the relationship between PMI and single biochemical components, including vitreous potassium, hypoxanthine, and amino acids, as well as comparisons of each statistical parameter in the formula, is summarized. We also discuss other compounds such as urea and uric acid, which have no direct relationship with PMI. Utility of multiple constituent simultaneous analysis for estimating PMI is being increasingly investigated. The promising idea of using simultaneous analysis of multiple constituents to determine PMI is proposed as a future research direction.

Response regulator proteins are important components of the two-component signal transduction systems, and essential in transferring the signal delivered from the sensor histidine kinase and eliciting an adaptive response. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the response regulator proteins determine the direction of the signal transduction process. The phosphorylation and dephosphorylation sites of the response regulator proteins play an important role in exerting their function. Here we studied some key residues of response regulator RR468 from Thermotoga maritima. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments were performed to the key sites M55 and K85, which are located in loop b3-a3 and loop b4-a4, respectively. The structure and dynamics feature of the two mutants were investigated with liquid nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The results of functional experiments demonstrated that the two residues could affect the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation processes.

Abstract Estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) is a central role in medico-legal identification. Analysis of vitreous potassium ions (K+) concentration is frequently used by forensic workers to estimate PMI. This paper describes interdisciplinary research to introduce fluorescence sensing techniques into forensic medicine. On the basis of silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) probe stabilized by DNA, a simple and highly sensitive fluorescence aptasensor has been proposed to selectively detect K+ ions. The linear range for K+ ions was found to be 0.1 nM-1 mM, with limit of detection of 0.06 nM. Moreover, 63 vitreous humour cases within 36 h after death were further studied to verify the utility of K+ ions in estimating the PMI. By the fluorescence aptasensor method, a new formula was built to determine the postmortem interval based on K+ ions concentration: PMI(h) = −0.55 + 1.66 × CK +(r = 0.791). And the real significance of this research was demonstrated by additional 6 cases with known PMIs. In comparison with the conventional method, the presented aptasensor strategy is cost-effective and easy in measuring vitreous K+, which may be potentially a better way for estimation of PMI in medico-legal practice.

This study proposes a day-ahead optimal energy dispatch model for integrated energy system based on AC/DC interconnected infrastructure. In the infrastructure, micro-turbines turn high-frequency AC power into industrial-frequency AC power and incorporate it into the energy system's power system. Within the process, waste heat is sent into the waste heat boiler and lithium bromide chillier to interconnect with the heating and cooling systems. DC battery and photovoltaic generations connected with the energy system's power grid through the inverter are used as the flexible energy storage and power generation unit to build an autonomous integrated energy system based on AC/DC interconnection. In the optimisation model, the goal is set as system's lowest daily operation cost and lowest energy consumption. The constraints include system operation constraints and equipment constraints. Simulation results show that by performing the schedule made by the dispatch model, the operating efficiency of various types of AC/DC equipment in the energy system has been improved, energy waste scene has been reduced significantly and energy consumption in the energy system is reduced by 16% compared with other energy supply structure without AC/DC interconnected infrastructure under traditional schedule strategies.

As one of the most important environmental problems, air quality has always been highly valued by the government and society. The analysis of air quality in key cities can provide a basis for how to evaluate air quality and how to classify air quality levels and from what aspects it is helpful to improve air quality. The air quality of 51 key cities of environmental protection in China is analyzed and evaluated by selecting 7 indicators of air quality as the original variables. Cluster analysis was used to classify the key environmental protection cities preliminarily, and it was found that the air quality of the cities with fast development level was relatively poor, and the air quality of coastal cities was similar. It is found that the air quality of northern cities is generally worse than that of southern cities, and that of inland cities is generally worse than that of coastal cities. At last, according to the research results, some reasonable conclusions and suggestions are given.

BackgroundDysregulated bile acid (BA) metabolism has been linked to steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).AimTo determine whether circulating BA levels accurately stage liver fibrosis in NAFLD.MethodsWe recruited 550 Chinese adults with biopsy-proven NAFLD and varying levels of fibrosis. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was performed to quantify 38 serum BAs.ResultsCompared to those without fibrosis, patients with mild fibrosis (stage F1) had significantly higher levels of secondary BAs, and increased diastolic blood pressure (DBP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), body mass index, and waist circumstance (WC). The combination of serum BAs with WC, DBP, ALT, or Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance performed well in identifying mild fibrosis, in men and women, and in those with/without obesity, with AUROCs 0.80, 0.88, 0.75 and 0.78 in the training set (n = 385), and 0.69, 0.80, 0.61 and 0.69 in the testing set (n = 165), respectively. In comparison, the combination of BAs and clinical/biochemical biomarkers performed less well in identifying significant fibrosis (F2-4). In women and in non-obese subjects, AUROCs were 0.75 and 0.71 in the training set, 0.65 and 0.66 in the validation set, respectively. However, these AUROCs were higher than those observed for the fibrosis-4 index, NAFLD fibrosis score, and Hepamet fibrosis score.ConclusionsSecondary BA levels were significantly increased in NAFLD, especially in those with mild fibrosis. The combination of serum BAs and clinical/biochemical biomarkers for identifying mild fibrosis merits further assessment.