Expressions of Neuregulin 1β and ErbB4 in Prefrontal Cortex and Hippocampus of a Rat Schizophrenia Model Induced by Chronic MK-801 Administration

Recent human genetic studies and postmortem brain examinations of schizophrenia patients strongly indicate that dysregulation of NRG1 and ErbB4 may be important pathogenic factors of schizophrenia. However, this hypothesis has not been validated and fully investigated in animal models of schizophrenia. In this study we quantitatively examined NRG1 and ErbB4 protein expressions by immunohistochemistry and Western blot in the brain of a rat schizophrenia model induced by chronic administration of MK-801 (a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist). Our data showed that NRG1β and ErbB4 expressions were significantly increased in the rat prefrontal cortex and hippocampus but in different subregions. These findings suggest that altered expressions of NRG1 and ErbB4 might be attributed to the schizophrenia. Further study in the role and mechanism of NRG1 and ErbB4 may lead to better understanding of the pathophysiology for this disorder

Sesquiterpenes and Dimeric Sesquiterpenoids from Sarcandra glabra

Two new sesquiterpenes, sarcandralactones A (1) and B (2), and five new dimeric sesquiterpenoids, sarcandrolides A-E (3-7), along with 10 known compounds were isolated from the whole plants of Sarcandra glabra. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Some of the new isolates exhibit significant cytotoxicities when tested against a small panel of tumor cell lines

Experimental Investigation on the ICCP-SS Technique for Sea-Sand RC Beams

Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) is an efficient method to prevent further corrosion of the re-bars, while strengthening structures (SS) by using carbon fiber mesh can help improve the loading capacity of the degraded sea-sand reinforced concrete (RC) structures. This study proposes a new dual-functional method, ICCP-SS, to retrofit the sea-sand RC structures by using the carbon - fiber reinforced cementitious matrix (C-FRCM). The C-FRCM composite, comprised of carbon fiber mesh and inorganic cementitious material, is both the anodic material in the ICCP process as well as the structural strengthening material. This paper presents an experimental program consisting of 11 simply supported beams, 10 of them casted by simulated sea-sand and subjected to accelerated corrosion process for 130 days. The specimens casted by sea-sand were afterwards bonded with C-FRCM composite, treated by ICCP for 130 days, and finally tested. In this study, the flexure strength of the beams, the deflection and curvature of the specimens, as well as the strain and the open circuit potential of re-bars are obtained and used to assess the performance of the repaired specimens. The proposed technique has been shown to be effective in retarding the corrosion of re-bars and recovering the loading capacity of the corroded specimens, which should be beneficial for the durability of sea-sand RC structures