Applications of Electromagnetic Forming Technology at the Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center

The research of the electromagnetic forming (EMF) technology at the Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center (WHMFC) has focused on designing electromagnetic system for generating a more flex-ible and strong Lorentz forces acting on workpieces, and then expanding the applications of EMF technology to solve current problems in forming large-scale and complex components. In this paper, we will sum up the latest progress of EMF technology at the WHMFC in detail according to recently reported works

Bitter taste receptors as targets for tocolytics in preterm labor therapy

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, with few prevention and treatment options. Uterine contraction is a central feature of PTB, so gaining new insights into the mechanisms of this contraction and consequently identifying novel targets for tocolytics are essential for more successful management of PTB. Here we report that myometrial cells from human and mouse express bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) and their canonical signaling components (i.e., G-protein gustducin and phospholipase C beta2). Bitter tastants can completely relax myometrium precontracted by different uterotonics. In isolated single mouse myometrial cells, a phenotypical bitter tastant (chloroquine, ChQ) reverses the rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and cell shortening induced by uterotonics, and this reversal effect is inhibited by pertussis toxin and by genetic deletion of alpha-gustducin. In human myometrial cells, knockdown of TAS2R14 but not TAS2R10 inhibits ChQ\u27s reversal effect on an oxytocin-induced rise in [Ca2+]i Finally, ChQ prevents mouse PTBs induced by bacterial endotoxin LPS or progesterone receptor antagonist mifepristone more often than current commonly used tocolytics, and this prevention is largely lost in alpha-gustducin knockout mice. Collectively, our results reveal that activation of the canonical TAS2R signaling system in myometrial cells produces profound relaxation of myometrium precontracted by a broad spectrum of contractile agonists, and that targeting TAS2Rs is an attractive approach to developing effective tocolytics for PTB management