Effects of Small Amounts of Phosphoric Acid as Additive in the Preparation of Microporous Activated Carbons

The activated carbons with well-developed microporosity were prepared from fir wood (Cunninghamia lanceolata) impregnated with small amounts of phosphoric acid (impregnation ratios, 1.5 – 4.5 wt.%). For comparison purpose, a parallel study of fir wood without impregnation was carried out in the same conditions. The results showed that the addition of small amounts of H3PO4 could lower the thermal decomposition temperature of fir wood and significantly promote the adsorption capacity and the yield of activated carbon. The yield without phosphoric acid impregnation was 6.55 wt.%, which rose to 19.82 wt.% in the case of 3.0 wt.% H3PO4 impregnation. Using small amounts of phosphoric acid as additive was beneficial to improve specific surface area (SBET) and micropore volume (Vmic), and could produce activated carbons with well-developed microporous structure. With 3.0 wt.% H3PO4 impregnation, SBET and Vmic of the activated carbon reached as high as 1281.6 m2/g and 0.535 mL/g, the ratio of Vmic/Vtot (total pore volume) was higher than 80 %. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.4.18999</p

Crassifoside H ameliorates depressant behavior in chronic unpredictable mild stress rats by improving HPA axis dysfunction and inhibiting inflammation in hippocampus

Purpose: To investigate the antidepressant mechanism of action of Crassifoside H (CH) from the rhizomes of Curculigo glabrescens (Hypoxidaceae) in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced rats.Methods: CUMS-induced rat depressant model was established. Behavioral tests, viz, sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT) and forced swimming test (FST) were applied to assess the antidepressant effect of CH. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess thelevels of corticosterone (CORT), TNF-α and IL-1β in serum. Protein expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β and NLRP3 in rat hippocampus were determined by Western blot.Results: Crassifoside H significantly ameliorated CUMS-induced depressant-like behavior as the serum CORT level of CUMS rats. CH remarkably decreased TNF-α and IL-1β levels in serum and hippocampus of CUMS rats. Moreover, Crassifoside H significantly inhibited NLRP3 activation inhippocampus.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that Crassifoside H has antidepressant effect on CUMS rats. The mechanism of action of CH may be at least partly due to the improvement of hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction by decreasing serum CORT. These findings suggest that Crassifoside H has a therapeutic potential for the management of depression. Keywords: Crassifoside H, Antidepression, Curculigo glabrescens, Hypoxidaceae, Hypothalamicpituitary- adrenal axis, Inflammation, Corticosteron

Differentiation Therapy Targeting the β-Catenin/CBP Interaction in Pancreatic Cancer.

BACKGROUND:Although canonical Wnt signaling is known to promote tumorigenesis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a cancer driven principally by mutant K-Ras, the detailed molecular mechanisms by which the Wnt effector β-catenin regulates such tumorigenesis are largely unknown. We have previously demonstrated that β-catenin's differential usage of the Kat3 transcriptional coactivator cyclic AMP-response element binding protein-binding protein (CBP) over its highly homologous coactivator p300 increases self-renewal and suppresses differentiation in other types of cancer. AIM/METHODS:To investigate Wnt-mediated carcinogenesis in PDAC, we have used the specific small molecule CBP/β-catenin antagonist, ICG-001, which our lab identified and has extensively characterized, to examine its effects in human pancreatic cancer cells and in both an orthotopic mouse model and a human patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model of PDAC. RESULTS/CONCLUSION:We report for the first time that K-Ras activation increases the CBP/β-catenin interaction in pancreatic cancer; and that ICG-001 specific antagonism of the CBP/β-catenin interaction sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells and tumors to gemcitabine treatment. These effects were associated with increases in the expression of let-7a microRNA; suppression of K-Ras and survivin; and the elimination of drug-resistant cancer stem/tumor-initiating cells

The Effects of Apolipoprotein F Deficiency on High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Metabolism in Mice

Apolipoprotein F (apoF) is 29 kilodalton secreted sialoglycoprotein that resides on the HDL and LDL fractions of human plasma. Human ApoF is also known as Lipid Transfer Inhibitor protein (LTIP) based on its ability to inhibit cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP)-mediated transfer events between lipoproteins. In contrast to other apolipoproteins, ApoF is predicted to lack strong amphipathic alpha helices and its true physiological function remains unknown. We previously showed that overexpression of Apolipoprotein F in mice reduced HDL cholesterol levels by 20–25% by accelerating clearance from the circulation. In order to investigate the effect of physiological levels of ApoF expression on HDL cholesterol metabolism, we generated ApoF deficient mice. Unexpectedly, deletion of ApoF had no substantial impact on plasma lipid concentrations, HDL size, lipid or protein composition. Sex-specific differences were observed in hepatic cholesterol content as well as serum cholesterol efflux capacity. Female ApoF KO mice had increased liver cholesteryl ester content relative to wild type controls on a chow diet (KO: 3.4+/−0.9 mg/dl vs. WT: 1.2+/−0.3 mg/dl, p<0.05). No differences were observed in ABCG1-mediated cholesterol efflux capacity in either sex. Interestingly, ApoB-depleted serum from male KO mice was less effective at promoting ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux from J774 macrophages relative to WT controls

OPN Polymorphism is Associated with the Susceptibility to Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy and its Outcome After Anterior Cervical Corpectomy and Fusion

Background: Osteopontin (OPN) is reportedly involved in bone desorption, formation and ectopic calcification. We sought to investigate the role of OPN gene polymorphism in the susceptibility to Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and in predicting the outcome anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACF). Methods: A total of 187 patients diagnosed with CSM and 233 sex and age matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All CSM patients received ACF and were followed up for 24 months. The polymorphisms of OPN gene at 3 loci, namely, -156 G>GG, -443 C>T and -66T>G were determined. Results: The -66T>G genotype was significantly different between CSM patients and controls. Compared to the -66TT carriers, the -66GG genotype carriers had a higher risk for developing CSM (adjusted Odd Ratio=2.58, adjusted P=0.001). In contrast, the genotype distributions of the -156G/GG and -443C/T loci were not significantly different between the CSM and control groups. OPN gene polymorphism did not determine the pre-operative severity of CSM patients, but the -66T>G genotype was significantly associated with the clinical outcome of CSM after ACF treatment. The -66T>G did not affect the serum OPN level, but affect the local expressions of OPN and a serious of key inflammatory factors in the intervertebral disc samples. Conclusion: Our study shows the OPN -66T>G genetic polymorphism contributes to patients' susceptibility to CSM and could be indicative of the outcome of ACF surgery

Universal shielding effect of curvature on two interacting cracks

The interaction of approaching cracks plays a crucial role in the formation of complex crack patterns in the mechanics and physics of materials defects. While curvature has been shown to be important in the growth, interaction, and ordering of various defects, its influence on the interactions of multiple cracks remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate how two approaching cracks interact in curved sheets using an integrated mechanical framework combing experiments, fracture phase-field simulations, and theoretical analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the repulsive and attractive interactions between the two initially parallel cracks are significantly shielded by curvature. This shielding effect arises because curvature alters the stress fields at the crack tips and reduces the initial deflection angle of the crack tips. We observe this effect under different initial crack positions, material properties, and curved configurations, indicating a general role of curvature in controlling the paths and interactions of cracks. This study provides insights into understanding the interaction of approaching cracks, which has implications for fracture and fatigue control

Duct System of the Rabbit Lacrimal Gland: Structural Characteristics and Role in Lacrimal Secretion

This paper presents nomenclature for the lacrimal duct system in the rabbit, an area that has received relatively little attention in the past, and provides evidence to support the system's active role in lacrimal secretion