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BACKGROUND AND AIMS Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been widely recognized as a precursor to metabolic complications. Elevated inflammation levels are predictive of NAFLD-associated metabolic disorder. Inactive rhomboid-like protein 2 (iRhom2) is regarded as a key regulator in inflammation. However, the precise mechanisms by which iRhom2-regulated inflammation promotes NAFLD progression remain to be elucidated. APPROACH AND RESULTS Here, we report that insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and specific macrophage inflammatory activation are significantly alleviated in iRhom2-deficient (knockout [KO]) mice, but aggravated in iRhom2 overexpressing mice. We further show that, mechanistically, in response to a high-fat diet (HFD), iRhom2 KO mice and mice with iRhom2 deficiency in myeloid cells only showed less severe hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance than controls. Inversely, transplantation of bone marrow cells from healthy mice to iRhom2 KO mice expedited the severity of insulin resistance and hepatic dyslipidemia. Of note, in response to HFD, hepatic iRhom2 binds to mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 7 (MAP3K7) to facilitate MAP3K7 phosphorylation and nuclear factor kappa B cascade activation, thereby promoting the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase/insulin receptor substrate 1 signaling, but disturbing AKT/glycogen synthase kinase 3β-associated insulin signaling. The iRhom2/MAP3K7 axis is essential for iRhom2-regulated liver steatosis. CONCLUSIONS iRhom2 may represent a therapeutic target for the treatment of HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance.

The electrochemical behavior of La2O3 was investigated in LiF-NaF-KF (FLiNaK, 46.5-11.5-42.0 mol %) eutectic at 700°C. In the electrochemical tests, two kinds of working electrodes, i.e., tungsten ...

Alloying additions are introduced into U-Zr fuel in order to bind lanthanides (e.g., cerium) and prevent their migration to the fuel-cladding interface. Antimony (Sb) is being investigated as a can...

The aluminum (Al) alloy corrosion and precipitation tests were carried out in a high-temperature flow loop under different hypothesized post-LOCA chemistry conditions. The effect of the temperature, pH, flow rate and presence of other potential ions on Al corrosion was studied. The Al hydroxide phase transition from less-stable forms to thermodynamically stable forms during isothermal stage preferentially occurred in NaTB-buffered solution. The presence of Zn in solution could effectively inhibit Al release. The solution pH has a strong influence on Al corrosion and the volume of formed precipitate. A kinetic equation was developed to describe Al loss as a function of mass transfer coefficient and solution pH, the effect of OH- concentration on Al corrosion was more pronounced than the rate of mass transfer.

Air pollution containing particulate matter (PM) less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) plays an essential role in regulating hepatic disease. However, its molecular mechanism is not yet clear, lacking effective therapeutic strategies. In this study, we attempted to investigate the effects and mechanisms of PM2.5 exposure on hepatic injury by the in vitro and in vivo experiments. At first, we found that PM2.5 incubation led to a significant reduction of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), along with markedly reduced expression of different anti-oxidants. Notably, suppressor of IKKε (SIKE), known as a negative regulator of the interferon pathway, was decreased in PM2.5-incubated cells, accompanied with increased activation of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). The in vitro studies showed that Nrf2 positively regulated SIKE expression under the conditions with or without PM2.5. After PM2.5 treatment, Nrf2 knockdown further accelerated SIEK decrease and TBK1/NF-κB activation, and opposite results were observed in cells with Nrf2 over-expression. Subsequently, the gene loss- and gain-function analysis demonstrated that SIKE deficiency further aggravated inflammation and TBK1/NF-κB activation caused by PM2.5, which could be abrogated by SIKE over-expression. Importantly, SIKE-alleviated inflammation was mainly dependent on TBK1 activation. The in vivo studies confirmed that SIKE- and Nrf2-knockout mice showed significantly accelerated hepatic injury after long-term PM2.5 exposure through reducing inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Juglanin (Jug), mainly isolated from Polygonum aviculare, exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. We found that Jug could increase Nrf2 activation, and then up-regulated SIKE in cells and liver tissues, mitigating PM2.5-induced liver injury. Together, all these data demonstrated that Nrf2 might positively meditate SIKE to inhibit inflammatory and oxidative damage, ameliorating PM2.5-induced liver injury. Jug could be considered as an effective therapeutic strategy against this disease by improving Nrf2/SIKE signaling pathway., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • PM2.5 incubation inhibits Nrf2 and SIKE activation in vitro. • Nrf2 positively regulates SIKE expression in PM2.5-incubated cells. • SIKE-regulated inflammatory response requires TBK1 blockage in PM2.5-treated cells. • Juglanin treatment suppresses inflammation in PM2.5-incubated cells through increasing SIKE expression.

The impurity-driven corrosion behavior of HAYNES® 230® alloy in the molten KCl-MgCl2-NaCl salt was studied at 800 °C for 100 h with different salt purity conditions. It was found that HAYNES® 230® alloy exhibited better corrosion resistance in the salt with lower impurities. Furthermore, the corrosion (non-immersion) due to molten salt vapors was more severe at higher temperature. The attack was localized and driven by outward diffusion of chromium through the grain boundaries. The presence of Mg in its metal form in the salt resulted in an even higher mass-loss in HAYNES® 230® alloy due to Mg-Ni interaction.

FeCrSi alloys have been proposed as alternatives to FeCrAl alloys for accident-tolerant fuel cladding in light water reactors. Experiments on the oxidation resistance of three Fe-Cr-2Si alloys in high-temperature steam, with 12, 16, and 20 wt. % Cr, show that ≥16 % Cr is sufficient to form a thin, passivating, binary oxide layer. At 1200 °C, only Cr2O3 and SiO2 form on Fe16Cr2Si and Fe20Cr2Si, while additional ternary Fe oxides form on Fe12Cr2Si. Decohesion and spalling of oxide were observed on Fe-Cr-Si alloys exposed to steam at 900 °C and above. Fe20Cr2Si exhibits the best oxidation resistance of the three in high-temperature steam.

The fundamental kinetic parameters of corrosion product ions (Fe, Ni and Cr ions) are of significant importance to understand the corrosion mechanisms of the structural materials in the molten salts. In the present study, the fundamental data of Fe2+, Ni2+, Cr2+ and Cr3+ (diffusion coefficient D, exchange current density i 0, charge transfer coefficient α, limiting current density i L and standard rate constant k 0) were measured at different concentrations (1.53 × 10−6−7.48 × 10−4 mol cm−3) and temperatures (600 °C–800 °C). The values of D are independent of concentrations and follow Arrhenius law with temperature, which descend in the order of D C r 2 + > D F e 2 + > D C r 3 + > D N i 2 + , with values ranging from 0.94 × 10−5 to 3.31 × 10−5 cm2 s−1. Both i 0 and k 0 depend on the temperatures, which also follow Arrhenius law. The values of the estimated k 0 descend in the order of k C r 2 + 0 > k F e 2 + 0 > k N i 2 + 0 > k C r 3 + 0 , which range from 1.88 × 10−5 to 9.06 × 10−4 cm s−1.

It is found that lanthanum species can exist in the form of LaF63− in FLiNaK (46.5 LiF-11.5 NaF-42 KF, mol%) molten salt in previous studies. The understanding of transport and reaction kinetics parameters of LaF63− ions in FLiNaK molten salt is essential for the electrochemical separation of lanthanum from FLiNaK melt to achieve the coolant clean-up in fluoride salt cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR). Through conducting chronopotentiometry tests, the diffusion coefficients of LaF63− ions in FLiNaK molten salt at the temperature range of 923 K–1023 K were determined. By conducting potentiodynamic polarization measurements at different concentrations and temperatures, the exchange current density, reaction rate constant, and charge transfer coefficient were obtained. The experiment data of potentiodynamic polarization were analyzed using a non-simplified electrode kinetics equation which incorporates both mass transfer and reaction kinetics.

Excess high-fat diet (HFD) intake predisposes the occurrence of obesity-associated heart injury, but the mechanism is elusive. Fisetin (FIS), as a natural flavonoid, has potential activities to alleviate obesity-induced metabolic syndrome. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of FIS against HFD-induced cardiac injury remain unclear. The present study was to explore the protective effects of FIS on cardiac dysfunction in HFD-fed mice. We found that FIS alleviated HFD-triggered metabolic disorder by reducing body weight, fasting blood glucose and insulin levels, and insulin resistance. Moreover, FIS supplements significantly alleviated dyslipidemia in both mouse hearts and cardiomyocytes stimulated by metabolic stress. FIS treatment abolished HFD-induced inflammatory response in heart tissues through suppressing TNF receptor-1/TNF receptor-associated factor-2 (Tnfr-1/Traf-2) signaling. Furthermore, FIS induced a strong reduction in the expression of fibrosis-related genes, contributing to the inhibition of fibrosis by inactivating transforming growth factor (Tgf)-β1/Smads/Erk1/2 signaling. Collectively, these results demonstrated that FIS could be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of obesity-associated cardiac injury.

A novel dynamic flow immunochromatographic test (DFICT) is proposed for rapid assay utilizing Toxoplasma gondii as a model. The test is based on a proprietary technology that combines the principles of immunochromatography and fluid dynamics. Gold nanoparticles conjugated to staphylococcal protein A (SPA) were prepared in liquid form and used as signal vehicles. T. gondii-specific recombinant antigens and SPA were sprayed onto a nitrocellulose membrane in strips at positions designated as T and C, respectively. The DFICT is performed by applying a 100 µL aliquot of liquid gold-SPA conjugate to the reagent hole and a 5 μL aliquot of serum sample to the sample hole. The results were observable within 5 min by the naked eye. The lowest detectable limit of the assay was determined as the highest dilution (1:320) of positive serum. No cross-reaction of the antibodies with other related canine or feline pathogens was observed. The DFICT can be stored for 12 months at 4 °C or 6 months with no loss of sensitivity or specificity. A high degree of consistency was observed between the DFICT and the standard ELISA kit, supporting the reliability of the novel test strip. The introduction of a liquid gold nanoparticle conjugate reagent provides this method with several attractive characteristics, such as ease of manufacture, low sample volume requirements, high selectivity and high efficiency. This method opens a novel pathway for rapid diagnostic screening and field analysis., Highlights • A novel dynamic flow immunochromatographic test (DFICT) is developed. • A liquid gold nanoparticle conjugate reagent is introduced in DFICT. • It is not necessary to prepare the conjugated pad and the sample pad in DFICT. • DFICT requires only 5 μL of serum sample with no need for sample pretreatment. • DFICT can be used for serological detection of T. gondii in both dogs and cats.

Magnetic nanomaterials have received tremendous attention in the past years due to their unique magnetic responsiveness and corresponding wide applications in many fields. Herein this paper presents several methods to prepare monodisperse magnetic microspheres through a facile hydrothermal technique. The added surfactants were sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), trisodium citrate (TSC), and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals the monodispersed magnetite (Fe3O4) microspheres with narrow size distribution can be obtained using SDBS as the surfactant. In addition, Fe3O4@SiO2 was prepared by modified Stober methods resulting in the microspheres with more smooth surface and better dispersion. Keywords-magnetic nanomaterials; preparation; capping

A novel kind of cell-like particles as temperature-responsive catalysts was presented in this paper. First, uniform α-Fe₂O₃shuttle-like nanoparticles were prepared by homogeneous hydrolysis. Then, these α-Fe₂O₃particles were coated by Au nanoparticles (AuNPs), SiO₂and poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), respectively. After the removal of SiO₂layer by etching with HF solution, the cell-like particles were prepared when the α-Fe₂O₃, AuNPs, and PNIPAM were as cell nucleus, catalysts, and cell membranes, respectively. These cell-like particles showed a novel temperature-responsively catalytic performance because the PNIPAM shell could change its hydrophilicity and swelling capacity under different temperature. When the temperature was 25°C, the yield of 4-aminophenol (4-AP) from 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by reduction of NaBH₄was about 100% in 15 min, while the yield of 4-AP was about 90.5% in 40 min. when the temperature was 40°C.

Several antigen epitopes were designed according to the sequences of Swine influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) genes and lined with the interval. The gene was amplified by PCR and sub cloned into pET30a (+) vector. The fusion protein was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) by induced with IPTG and purified by affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of the protein was about 20 kD in SDS-PAGE. Immunological activity of the fusion protein was analyzed by Western blot. The results showed that the fusion protein could interact with anti-His antibody and the rabbit antiserum against SIV. The immunized mouse can produced antibodies against the target peptide and HI antibody against SIV H1N1 or H3N2. This study provides a new vaccine candidate for SIV.