Preparation of polyvinyl alcohol/graphene oxide composites and their adsorption properties

The polyvinyl alcohol/graphene oxide (PVA/GO) hydrogel was prepared. It was confirmed that the adsorption performance of polyvinyl alcohol/graphene oxide hydrogel composite material was improved, and it does not cause secondary pollution. According to adsorption experiments, it was found that PVA/ GO adsorbent with a content of 30 % graphene oxide has the best comprehensive performance. The suitable environment of adsorption was under 25°C, 12-18 h for adsorption time and acidic conditions. The suitable adsorbent dosage was 0.3g and the suitable concentration of the dye was 10 mg/LThe authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Shaoxing Public Welfare Project (Grant No. 2017B70042), and the International Science and Technology Cooperation Project of Shaoxing University (Grant No. 2019LGGH1004)Postprint (published version

Effects of mulberry twig alkaloids(Sangzhi alkaloids) and metformin on blood glucose fluctuations in combination with premixed insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes

IntroductionWe aimed to evaluated the effect of premixed insulin (Ins), premixed insulin combined with metformin (Ins+Met) or mulberry twig alkaloids(Ins+SZ-A) on blood glucose fluctuations in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) using continuous glucose monitors (CGM).MethodsThirty patients with T2DM and poor blood glucose control using drugs were evaluated for eligibility during the screening period. Subsequently, their original hypoglycemic drugs were discontinued during the lead-in period, and after receiving Ins intensive treatment for 2 weeks, they were randomly assigned to receive either Ins, Ins+Met, or Ins+SZ-A treatment for the following 12 weeks. The main efficacy endpoint comprised changes in their CGM indicators changes (mean blood glucose level [MBG], standard deviation of blood glucose [SDBG], mean amplitude of glycemic excursions [MAGE], postprandial glucose excursions [PPGE], the largest amplitude of glycemic excursions [LAGE], mean of daily difference [MODD], time in range between 3.9–10.0 mmol/L [TIR] and area under the curve for each meal [AUCpp]) during the screening, lead-in, and after 12-week treatment period. Changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), 1-h postprandial blood glucose (1h-PBG), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (2h-PBG), fasting blood lipids and postprandial blood lipids were also measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatmentResultsThe CGM indicators of the three groups during the lead-in period all showed significant improvements compared to the screening period (P<0.05). Compared with those in the lead-in period, all of the CGM indicators improved in the the Ins+Met and Ins+SZ-A groups after 12 weeks of treatment (P<0.05), except for MODD. After 12-week treatment, compared with the Ins group, Ins+Met and Ins+SZ-A groups showed improved MBG, SDBG, TIR, breakfast AUCpp,lunch AUCpp, HbA1c, FBG, 1h-PBG, fasting blood lipid and postprandial blood lipid indicators (P<0.05). Further, the LAGE, PPGE, MAGE, dinner AUCpp and 2h-PBG levels of the Ins+SZ-A group were significantly lower than those of the Ins+Met and Ins groups (P<0.05).ConclusionOur findings highlight the efficacy of combination therapy (Ins+SZ-A or Ins+Met) in improving blood glucose fluctuations, as well as blood glucose and lipid levels. Ins+SZ-A reduces postprandial blood glucose fluctuations more than Ins+Met and Ins groups.Trial registration numberISRCTN20835488

Weak harmonic signal detection method in chaotic interference based on extended Kalman filter

The traditional methods of weak harmonic signal detection under strong chaotic interference often suffer from high computational complexity and poor performance. In this paper, an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) based detection method is proposed for the detection of weak harmonic signal. The EKF method avoids matrix inversion by iterating measurement equation and state equation, which simultaneously improves the robustness and reduces the complexity. Compared with the existing detection methods, the proposed method has the following advantages: 1) it has better performance than the neural network method; 2) it has similar performance with the optimal filtering method, but with lower computational complexity; 3) it is more robust compared with the optimal filtering method. Keywords: Extended Kalman filter, Strong chaotic interference, Weak harmonic signa

Conductive polyaniline-coated poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide) yarn-reinforced multiaxial composites for electromagnetic shielding

Poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide) fiber is a high-performance synthetic fiber whose reinforced composites are widely used for their advantages of high strength and lightweight. However, the further potential usage of poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide) and its reinforced composites is limited in areas such as antistatic materials, conducting materials, and electromagnetic shielding materials due to their high electrical insulation. To improve the electrical conductivity, an online polymerization coating technology was used to manufacture conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarns continuously. The conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarns’ structure and properties such as surface morphology, electrical conductivity, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy spectra, thermogravimetric performance, and mechanical properties were studied in details. Then, three kinds of multiaxial composites were prepared by using the conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarn as the reinforcement and unsaturated polyester resin as a matrix, and the electromagnetic shielding performance of the composites was measured. The results indicated that the conductivity of conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarn can reach to ~160 S/m. The thermogravimetric performance of poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide) was reduced after conductive treatment. The mechanical properties of the composite yarns, such as the breaking strength and elongation, remained unchanged when the oxidant concentration was lower than 0.6¿mol/L and decreased with the increase in the oxidant concentration. The electromagnetic shielding composites show a certain anti-electromagnetic radiation capability, and the shielding effectiveness value increased with the axial number and density of the conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarns. For the tetra-axial composite with a conductive yarn density of 37 yarns per inch, the average shielding effectiveness value in the frequency range of 100¿MHz to 1500¿MHz can exceed 22¿dB.Postprint (published version

Overexpression of miR-27b-3p Targeting Wnt3a Regulates the Signaling Pathway of Wnt/β-Catenin and Attenuates Atrial Fibrosis in Rats with Atrial Fibrillation

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regarded as a potential method for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) although its molecular mechanism remains unknown. We found in our previous study that the level of peripheral blood miR-27b-3p and the expression of atrial tissue CX43 were both significantly downregulated in AF patients. In the present study, we propose and test this hypothesis that overexpression of miR-27b-3p attenuates atrial fibrosis, increases CX43 expression, and regulates the signaling pathway of Wnt/β-Catenin by targeting Wnt3a. miR-27b-3p overexpression was induced by rat tail vein injection of adeno-associated virus. Two weeks after transfection of adeno-associated virus, the rat AF model was established by tail vein injection of acetylcholine- (ACh-) CaCl2 for 7 days, and 1 ml/kg was injected daily. The incidence and duration of AF were recorded with an electrocardiogram. Cardiac function was monitored by cardiac ultrasound. Serum cardiac enzyme was detected by ELISA. The expression of atrial miR-27b-3 and Wnt3a was assayed by quantitative RT-PCR. Atrial fibrosis was determined by Masson’s trichrome staining. Expression of atrial Collagen-I and Collagen-III was tested by the immunohistochemical method. Expression of CX43 was measured by immunofluorescence. The expression of Collagen-I, a-SMA, Collagen-III, TGF-β1, CX43, Wnt3a, β-Catenin, and p-β-Catenin was assayed by western blot. Our results showed that miR-27b-3p overexpression could reduce the incidence and duration of AF, alleviate atrial fibrosis, increase atrial CX43 expression, and decrease the expression of Collagen-I, a-SMA, Collagen-III, TGF-β1, Wnt3a, and p-β-Catenin. In addition, the results of luciferase activity assay showed that Wnt3a is a validated miR-27b-3p target in HEK 293T cells. Our results provide a new evidence that miR-27b-3p regulates the signaling pathway of Wnt/β-Catenin by targeting Wnt3a, which may play an important role in the development of atrial fibrosis and AF

Conductive polyaniline-coated poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide) yarn-reinforced multiaxial composites for electromagnetic shielding

Poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide) fiber is a high-performance synthetic fiber whose reinforced composites are widely used for their advantages of high strength and lightweight. However, the further potential usage of poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide) and its reinforced composites is limited in areas such as antistatic materials, conducting materials, and electromagnetic shielding materials due to their high electrical insulation. To improve the electrical conductivity, an online polymerization coating technology was used to manufacture conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarns continuously. The conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarns’ structure and properties such as surface morphology, electrical conductivity, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy spectra, thermogravimetric performance, and mechanical properties were studied in details. Then, three kinds of multiaxial composites were prepared by using the conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarn as the reinforcement and unsaturated polyester resin as a matrix, and the electromagnetic shielding performance of the composites was measured. The results indicated that the conductivity of conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarn can reach to ~160 S/m. The thermogravimetric performance of poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide) was reduced after conductive treatment. The mechanical properties of the composite yarns, such as the breaking strength and elongation, remained unchanged when the oxidant concentration was lower than 0.6¿mol/L and decreased with the increase in the oxidant concentration. The electromagnetic shielding composites show a certain anti-electromagnetic radiation capability, and the shielding effectiveness value increased with the axial number and density of the conductive poly(p-phenylenetere phthamide)/polyaniline composite yarns. For the tetra-axial composite with a conductive yarn density of 37 yarns per inch, the average shielding effectiveness value in the frequency range of 100¿MHz to 1500¿MHz can exceed 22¿dB

1-MT treatment enhanced inflammatory cytokine production in corneas of mice infected with <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i>.

<p>C57BL/6 mice were inoculated with 2 μl of 1 × 10⁵/μl spores. (A) The corneas were monitored and taken photograps under a slit lamp, and (B) evaluated with the scoring system. Disease score is shown as mean ± standard deviation. After 1-MT treatment, the IL-1β mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased (C, D) at 3 days after infection in 1-MT treated mice compared with PBS-treated mice. In addition, both IL-6 mRNA (E) and IL-6 protein (F) were significantly increased at 3 days after infection. In addition, the IL-1β proteins were increased at 5 days after infection in 1-MT treated mice. (*<i>p</i> < 0.05, **<i>p</i> < 0.001 compared with PBS treated mice).</p

IDO expression in cultured telomerase-immortalized HCECs infected with <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i>.

<p>Relative expression of IDO mRNA was detected by qRT-PCR 4, 10, 16 and 24 h after incubation with <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i> spores at three different concentrations (5 × 10⁶ /ml, 5 × 10⁷ /ml and 5 × 10⁸ /ml). IDO expression increased by 4- to 5-fold with a peak level at 10 h after exposure to inactivated <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i> spores (5 × 10⁷ /ml).</p

Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Is Involved in the Inflammation Response of Corneal Epithelial Cells to <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> Infections

<div><p>Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), which is mainly expressed in activated dendritic cells, is known as a regulator of immune responses. However, the role of IDO in immune responses against fungal corneal infection has not been investigated. To evaluate the regulatory mechanisms of IDO in fungal inflammation, we resorted to human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs), known as the first barrier of cornea against pathogenic microorganisms. We found that IDO was significantly up-regulated in corneal epithelium infected with <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> (<i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i>) and HCECs incubated with spores of <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i>. Furthermore, IDO inhibitor (1-methyltryptophan, 1-MT) enhanced inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 expression which were up-regulated by <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i> spores infection. Dectin-1, as one of the important C-type lectin receptors, can identify β-glucan, and mediate fungal innate immune responses. In the present study, pre-treatment with curdlan, a Dectin-1 agonist, further enhanced IDO expression compared with <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i> stimulation. While laminarin, the Dectin-1 specific inhibitor, partially inhibited IDO expression stimulated by <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i>. Further studies demonstrated inhibition of IDO activity amplified the expressions of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 induced by activation of Dectin-1. These results suggested that IDO was involved in the immune responses of fungal keratitis. The activation of Dectin-1 may contribute to <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus</i> spores-induced up-regulation of IDO.</p></div