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Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has been found to inhibit the expression of von Willebrand factor (VWF), a marker of endothelial cell injury, but its mechanism in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains obscure. In this study, I/R model was constructed through middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats, followed by DHA administration. The effect of DHA on rat cerebral I/R injury was investigated by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, hematoxylin and eosin staining, TUNEL staining, and Western blot. Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) isolated from newborn rats were exposed to oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R), and then treated with DHA. The results showed that MCAO treatment induced infarction, nerve cell apoptosis, and brain tissue impairment in rats, which was mitigated by DHA. OGD/R inhibited viability and accelerated apoptosis of BMVECs, which was alleviated by DHA. I/R procedures or OGD/R up-regulated expressions of VWF, ATG7, Beclin1, and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, while down-regulating Occludin, Claudin-5, ZO-1, P62, SIRT1, and FOXO1 expressions in vivo and in vitro; however, these effects of I/R procedures or OGD/R were offset by DHA. VWF overexpression reversed the above effects of DHA on OGD/R-induced BMVECs. In summary, DHA ameliorates cerebral I/R injury in rats by reducing VWF level and activating autophagy-mediated SIRT1/FOXO1 signaling pathway.

To investigate the correlation between serum level of homocysteine (Hcy) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and evaluate its diagnostic performance by pooling the open published data.

High entropy alloy is defined as an alloy containing four or more main elements. The atomic fraction of the main elements is greater than 5% and not more than 35%, which has excellent properties such as high strength, high wear resistance and high corrosion resistance. Refractory high-entropy alloy is a new type of superalloy designed and developed based on high-entropy alloy of refractory elements, which has broad application prospects in aerospace, petrochemical and other fields, and is expected to replace traditional superalloys. This paper reviews the composition design of refractory high-entropy alloys from the aspects of element selection and addition of trace elements, and its phase composition has single-phase structure and duplex structure, and the preparation method and performance characteristics of refractory high-entropy alloys are studied, and finally gives the problems and challenges faced by refractory high entropy alloys. This review provides a valuable reference for researchers in the component design, microstructure regulation and performance development of refractory high entropy alloys.

Background: Bedside teaching remains a challenging endeavor for clinical doctors and medical students, as the students often encounter difficulties in applying their knowledge to clinical situations. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of combining case-based learning (CBL) with a flipped classroom (FC) approach in nephrology bedside teaching. Methods: A total of 92 medical students were enrolled in this study, including clerks and interns. The students were assigned into two groups. The CBL/FC group students received the combined teaching approach of CBL and FC (CBL/FC). Students who received the traditional lecture-based teaching (LBT) approach were treated as the control group. General knowledge tests, clinical case scenarios, and questionnaires were used to evaluate the teaching efficacy. Results: Ninety-two students were included in this study. Overall, 46 students were assigned to the CBL/FC group, while the other 46 students were assigned to the LBT group. The students in both groups showed comparable performance in the knowledge test. However, in clinical case scenarios, students in the CBL/FC group demonstrated superior performance compared to those in the LBT group. Additionally, the analysis of questionnaires revealed that the CBL/FC group students expressed more positive attitudes toward their proficiency in medical history taking, physical examination, medical record documentation, clinical reasoning, and consideration for patients' welfare. Moreover, the students from the CBL/FC group regarded the CBL/FC teaching approach as an effective and satisfying method without increasing the learning burden. Conclusion: This study reveals that the CBL/FC combined teaching approach shows promise in nephrology education and provides an effective and alternative format for medical teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-destructive measurements of low-intensity charged particle beams are particularly challenging for beam diagnostics. At the Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL), beams with weak currents below 1 µA are often provided for experiments. The detection of such low beam current is below the threshold of typical standard beam current transformers. Therefore, a low-intensity monitoring system is developed by using a sensitive capacitive pick-up (PU) and low-noise electronics. This device measures beam currents by digitally analyzing the amplitude of the PU signals using a homodyne detection scheme. During lab tests, the amplitude nonlinearity is <0.5% in the operational range of 1 nA–45 µA and the amplitude resolution is 0.94 nA. At present, four measurement systems for low beam currents are installed at HIRFL for the monitoring of standard operating conditions with low beam currents below 1 µA. After an absolute calibration with a Faraday cup, it can be used for accurate beam intensity measurement with a current resolution of about 1 nA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stochastic cooling of the high-precision spectrometer ring (SRing) at the High Intensity Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) project in China, which is used mainly for experiments with radioactive fragment beams, is applied to speed up the cooling process of a stored ion beam. In this article, a new coaxial-type notch filter with an amplitude equalizer in the long branch and an optical-type notch filter with phase-stabilized optical fiber are discussed and evaluated for the SRing stochastic cooling system. Both prototypes of coaxial and optical notch filters are fabricated and tested. The minimum notch depth of coaxial and optical notch filters reaches to 26 and 40 dB, respectively. The performance of both coaxial notch filter and optical fiber notch filter is presented in this work. These developments will be used not only for the longitudinal stochastic cooling system but also have potential for the beam feedback system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the anti-carbon deposition and anti-sintering ability under the premise of maintaining high catalytic activity is the core issue of Ni-based catalysts applied in CO methanation reactions. To address this issue, a La0.75A0.25NiO3/SiO2 (A = Ce, Sr, Sm, and Ca) catalyst is prepared via a citric acid complexation method. XRD results show that the substituted elements (Sr, Sm, and Ca) enter the LaNiO3 lattice and partially replace the A-site element La. The reduced Ni0 is beneficial to improve the medium temperature activity of the catalyst. The substitution of different elements produces different electronic effects that significantly affect the size of the Ni particles and the interaction between Ni and La2O3. The catalyst with doped Ca2+ as the A-site substituted element demonstrates better adsorption, storage, and migration capabilities for oxygen due to the lattice distortion that easily produces oxygen vacancies. Catalysts doped with Sr, Sm, and Ca as the A-site substituted element produce La2O2CO3 after the reactions, which plays a role in eliminating carbon deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]