GFRP profiles and bridge deck's mechanical property: State of the art

GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer) is of high stiffness to weight ratio, as a result, GFRP bridge deck has an excellent mechanical performance. Five aspects of GFRP bridge literatures were reviewed respectively: GFRP laminates’ mechanical properties, GFRP bridge deck configuration and its mechanical property, bridge deck’s conjunction, thermal effects of bridge deck, connection of GFRP profile. Through the review and categorization, the problems during the application and development of GFRP bridge deck were highlighted. Further research interests were pointed out for GFRP bridge’s development in China.</p

Image_1_Investigation and analysis of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterial infection rates across hospitals in Shandong Province in China.tif

BackgroundThe increasing incidence of carbapenem-resistant bacterial infections has become a serious public health threat. This study aimed to investigate and analyze the current regional differences in carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CRGN) in a major Province of China, and provide suggestions for preventing hospital infections.MethodsA questionnaire survey was used to obtain the current data on CRGN from 36 hospitals in Shandong Province, China, from 2019 to 2020. The association between the detection rates and discovery rates of CRGN and the use of antibacterial drugs was analyzed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. In addition, we compared the detection rates of CRGN and antibacterial drugs using hospitals categorized according to different levels and economic areas using the Kruskal-Wallis test.ResultsThe average detection rates of CRGN across the 36 hospitals varied from 1.91% to 66.04%. The discovery rate of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) remained below 5‰, and that of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) was below 10‰. Except for CRAB, the correlations between the detection rate and antimicrobial drug use intensity and carbapenem drug use percentage were 0.11–0.29 and 0.31–0.47, respectively. Carbapenem drug use was higher in the provincial hospital group than in the prefecture-level hospitals (P ConclusionsThe detection and discovery rates of CRE were low, and those of CRAB were high in Shandong Province. Larger hospitals have higher carbapenem drug use. These results can be used as a reference for preventing CRGN infections in developing countries and provide a basis for regional carbapenem resistance prevention and control strategies.</p

Table_1_Metabolome-wide Mendelian randomization reveals causal effects of betaine and N-acetylornithine on impairment of renal function.xlsx

BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common public health problem, which is characterized as impairment of renal function. The associations between blood metabolites and renal function remained unclear. This study aimed to assess the causal effect of various circulation metabolites on renal function based on metabolomics.MethodsWe performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to estimate the causality of genetically determined metabolites on renal function. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 486 metabolites was used as the exposure, while summary-level data for creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or CKD occurrence were set the outcomes. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) was used for primary causality analysis and other methods including weight median, MR-egger, and MR-PRESSO were applied as complementary analysis. Cochran Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO global test and leave-one-out analysis were used for sensitivity analysis. For the identified metabolites, reverse MR analysis, linkage disequilibrium score (LDSC) regression and multivariable MR (MVMR) analysis were performed for further evaluation. The causality of the identified metabolites on renal function was further validated using GWAS data for cystatin-C-based eGFR. All statistical analyses were performed in R software.ResultsIn this MR analysis, a total of 44 suggestive associations corresponding to 34 known metabolites were observed. After complementary analysis and sensitivity analysis, robust causative associations between two metabolites (betaine and N-acetylornithine) and renal function were identified. Reverse MR analysis showed no causal effects of renal function on betaine and N-acetylornithine. MVMR analysis revealed that genetically predicted betaine and N-acetylornithine could directly influence independently of each other. The causal effects of betaine and N-acetylornithine were also found on cystatin-C-based eGFR.ConclusionOur study provided evidence to support the causal effects of betaine and N-acetylornithine on renal function. These findings required further investigations to conduct mechanism exploration and drug target selection of these identified metabolites.</p

Polyelectrolyte–Surfactant Complexes as Thermoreversible Organogelators

Poly(N,N-dimethyl-n-octadecylammonium p-styrenesulfonate) (PSS-DMODA) polymers were prepared and investigated as organogelators for low-polarity aromatic solvents. Gels were prepared by heating polymer solutions (2.5–20% w/v polymer) at elevated temperature and then cooling in an ice bath. Gelation was confirmed by the formation of self-supporting samples that did not flow when inverted 180°. Measurement of the gel transition temperature by inversion testing showed a dependence on the concentration of the polymer, the molecular weight of the polymer, and the gelled solvent. Cavitation rheology measurements on a subset of the gels demonstrated that they were viscoelastic solids. Scanning electron microscopy measurements of freeze-dried xerogels and polarized optical microscopy measurements showed the formation of network structures and birefringent samples, respectively. Aging studies showed syneresis of the gels especially at low concentration and temperature. Gelation was interpreted using a model for reversibly associating polymers. The gelation was attributed to the clustering of the ionic groups to form a physically cross-linked network that restricts the motion of the chains. These polyelectrolyte–surfactant complexes should be a useful class of organogelators as a number of characteristics of the polymer (molecular weight, ionic groups, side-chain length) can be independently varied to tune the properties of the resultant organogels

Overcoming a Tight Coil To Give a Random “Co” Polymer Derived from a Mixed Sandwich Cobaltocene

Reversible addition–fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization of a η⁵-cyclopentadienylcobalt-η⁴-cyclobutadiene (CpCoCb) containing monomer under a wide variety of experimental conditions (e.g., different solvents, temperatures, RAFT agents, concentrations, and [RAFT agent]/[initiator]) was examined. In all cases the results revealed that although the monomer was being consumed over the course of the reaction, there was no significant increase in the molecular weight of the resulting polymer. It was determined that as the polymer chain grows (DP ≈ 10), a tight coil morphology was adopted, which hinders the approach of an additional, sterically demanding CpCoCb-containing monomer. This resulted in premature termination/chain transfer reactions rather than an increase in the polymer chain length. To address this problem, methyl acrylate (MA) with its lower steric demand was copolymerized with the bulky CpCoCb-containing monomer to act as a spacer. This provided the necessary steric relief and an opportunity for the metallopolymer to grow. This copolymerization resulted in dramatic improvements in the polydispersity and molecular weight of the end material. In subsequent experiments, the random copolymer was used as a macro-RAFT agent to prepare diblock copolymers, with good control over the molecular weight, allowing for an examination of the self-assembly behavior of the block copolymer in the solid state

Total Synthesis and Stereochemical Reassignment of Bisebromoamide

A revised configurational assignment for the thiazoline moiety of the marine peptide bisebromoamide is proposed and validated by total synthesis

Image_1_Changes in the urinary proteome of rats after short-term intake of magnesium L-threonate(MgT).JPEG

IntroductionMagnesium (Mg) is an important mineral in living organisms. Magnesium has multiple functions in the human body, wherein it plays an important therapeutic and preventive role in a variety of diseases.MethodsUrine samples of rats before and after gavage of magnesium L-threonate (MgT) were collected, and the urinary proteome was identified using the LC-MS/MS technique and analyzed using various databases.Results and discussionThe results illustrated that the urinary proteome of rats was significantly altered after short-term intake of magnesium supplements and that the differential proteins and the biological functions were related to magnesium. This study innovatively establishes a method to study nutrients from the perspective of urine proteomics. This work demonstrates that the urinary proteome is capable of reflecting the effects of nutrient intake on the organism in a more systematic and comprehensive manner and has the potential to provide clues for clinical nutrition research and practice.</p

Table_1_Changes in the urinary proteome of rats after short-term intake of magnesium L-threonate(MgT).XLSX

IntroductionMagnesium (Mg) is an important mineral in living organisms. Magnesium has multiple functions in the human body, wherein it plays an important therapeutic and preventive role in a variety of diseases.MethodsUrine samples of rats before and after gavage of magnesium L-threonate (MgT) were collected, and the urinary proteome was identified using the LC-MS/MS technique and analyzed using various databases.Results and discussionThe results illustrated that the urinary proteome of rats was significantly altered after short-term intake of magnesium supplements and that the differential proteins and the biological functions were related to magnesium. This study innovatively establishes a method to study nutrients from the perspective of urine proteomics. This work demonstrates that the urinary proteome is capable of reflecting the effects of nutrient intake on the organism in a more systematic and comprehensive manner and has the potential to provide clues for clinical nutrition research and practice.</p

Image_2_Changes in the urinary proteome of rats after short-term intake of magnesium L-threonate(MgT).JPEG

IntroductionMagnesium (Mg) is an important mineral in living organisms. Magnesium has multiple functions in the human body, wherein it plays an important therapeutic and preventive role in a variety of diseases.MethodsUrine samples of rats before and after gavage of magnesium L-threonate (MgT) were collected, and the urinary proteome was identified using the LC-MS/MS technique and analyzed using various databases.Results and discussionThe results illustrated that the urinary proteome of rats was significantly altered after short-term intake of magnesium supplements and that the differential proteins and the biological functions were related to magnesium. This study innovatively establishes a method to study nutrients from the perspective of urine proteomics. This work demonstrates that the urinary proteome is capable of reflecting the effects of nutrient intake on the organism in a more systematic and comprehensive manner and has the potential to provide clues for clinical nutrition research and practice.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Clinical and Biological Significances of a Methyltransferase-Related Signature in Diffuse Glioma.docx

Methylation of DNA, RNA or protein is a reversible modification. The proteins and genes that regulate this modification can be a candidate target for tumor therapy. However, the characteristics of methyltransferase related genes in glioma remain obscure. In this study, we systematically analyzed the relationship between methyltransferase-related genes expression profiles and outcomes in glioma patients based on The Cancer Genome Atlas and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas RNA sequencing datasets. Consensus clustering identified two robust groups with significantly different pathological features and prognosis. Then a methyltransferase-related risk signature was built by a Cox proportional hazards model with elastic net penalty. Moreover, the risk score is associated with patients' clinical and molecular features and can be used as an independent prognostic indicator for patients with glioma. Furthermore, genes associated with the high-risk group were involved in various aspects of the malignant progression of glioma via Gene Ontology analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. In summary, our study identified a methyltransferase-related risk signature for predicting the prognosis of gliomas.</p