High mobility group box-1 in hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei attenuates sympathetic tone in rats at post-myocardial infarction

Background: Inflammation is associated with increased sympathetic drive in cardiovascular diseases. The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus is a key regulator of sympathetic nerve activity at post-myocardial infarction (MI). High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) exhibits inflammatory cytokine like activity in the extracellular space. Inflammation is associated with increased sympathetic drive in cardiovscular diseases. However, the role of HMGB1 in sympathetic nerve activity at post-MI remains unknown. The aim of the present study is to determine the role and mechanism of HMGB1 in the PVN, in terms of sympathetic activity and arrhythmia after MI. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent left anterior descending coronary artery ligation to induce MI. Anti-HMGB1 polyclonal antibody or control IgG was bilaterally microinjected into the PVN (5 μL every second day for seven consecutive days). Then, renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was recorded. The association between ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and MI was evaluated using programmedelectrophysiological stimulation. After performing electrophysiological experiments in vivo, immunohistochemistry was used to detect the distribution of HMGB1, while Western blot was used to detect the expression of HMGB1 and p-ERK in the PVN of MI rats. Results: HMGB1 and p-ERK were upregulated in the PVN in rats at post-MI. Moreover, bilateral PVN microinjection of anti-HMGB1 polyclonal antibody reversed the expression of HMGB1 and p-ERK, and consequently decreased the baseline RSNA and inducible VAs, when compared to those in sham rats. Conclusions: These results suggest that MI causes the translocation of HMGB1 in the PVN, which leads to sympathetic overactivation through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. The bilateral PVN microinjection of anti-HMGB1 antibody can be an effective therapy for MI-induced arrhythmia

Influence of pore structure characteristics on the strength of aeolian sand concrete

Kako bi se istražio utjecaj karakteristika strukture pora betona od eolskog pijeska na mehanička svojstva, provedena su makroskopska mehanička ispitivanja betona od eolskog pijeska pod različitim uvjetima, a analizirani su i utjecaj vodocementnog omjera, te udjela pijeska i stope zamjene eolskog pijeska na tlačnu čvrstoću. Unutarnja mikroskopska struktura pora ispitana je pomoću skenirajuće elektronske mikroskopije i nuklearne magnetske rezonancije. Utjecaj parametara strukture pora na tlačnu čvrstoću određen je sivom relacijskom analizom, te je utvrđen model čvrstoće i strukture pora.To investigate the influence of the pore structure characteristics of aeolian sand concrete on the mechanical properties, macroscopic mechanical tests of aeolian sand concrete were performed under different conditions, and the influences of the water-cement ratio, sand ratio, and aeolian sand replacement rate on the compressive strength were analysed. The internal microscopic pore structure was characterised using scanning electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. The impact of pore structure parameters on compressive strength was determined by the grey relational entropy, and a pore structure-strength model was established

Influence of pore structure characteristics on the strength of aeolian sand concrete

Kako bi se istražio utjecaj karakteristika strukture pora betona od eolskog pijeska na mehanička svojstva, provedena su makroskopska mehanička ispitivanja betona od eolskog pijeska pod različitim uvjetima, a analizirani su i utjecaj vodocementnog omjera, te udjela pijeska i stope zamjene eolskog pijeska na tlačnu čvrstoću. Unutarnja mikroskopska struktura pora ispitana je pomoću skenirajuće elektronske mikroskopije i nuklearne magnetske rezonancije. Utjecaj parametara strukture pora na tlačnu čvrstoću određen je sivom relacijskom analizom, te je utvrđen model čvrstoće i strukture pora.To investigate the influence of the pore structure characteristics of aeolian sand concrete on the mechanical properties, macroscopic mechanical tests of aeolian sand concrete were performed under different conditions, and the influences of the water-cement ratio, sand ratio, and aeolian sand replacement rate on the compressive strength were analysed. The internal microscopic pore structure was characterised using scanning electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. The impact of pore structure parameters on compressive strength was determined by the grey relational entropy, and a pore structure-strength model was established

lncRNA LOC100911717-targeting GAP43-mediated sympathetic remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats

ObjectiveSympathetic remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) is the primary cause of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), leading to sudden cardiac death (SCD). M1-type macrophages are closely associated with inflammation and sympathetic remodeling after MI. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critical for the regulation of cardiovascular disease development. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the lncRNAs involved in MI and reveal a possible regulatory mechanism.Methods and resultsM0- and M1-type macrophages were selected for sequencing and screened for differentially expressed lncRNAs. The data revealed that lncRNA LOC100911717 was upregulated in M1-type macrophages but not in M0-type macrophages. In addition, the lncRNA LOC100911717 was upregulated in heart tissues after MI. Furthermore, an RNA pull-down assay revealed that lncRNA LOC100911717 could interact with growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43). Essentially, immunofluorescence assays and programmed electrical stimulation demonstrated that GAP43 expression was suppressed and VA incidence was reduced after lncRNA LOC100911717 knockdown in rat hearts using an adeno-associated virus.ConclusionsWe observed a novel relationship between lncRNA LOC100911717 and GAP43. After MI, lncRNA LOC100911717 was upregulated and GAP43 expression was enhanced, thus increasing the extent of sympathetic remodeling and the frequency of VA events. Consequently, silencing lncRNA LOC100911717 could reduce sympathetic remodeling and VAs

Volatility of mixed atmospheric humic-like substances and ammonium sulfate particles

The volatility of organic aerosols remains poorly understood due to the complexity of speciation and multiphase processes. In this study, we extracted humic-like substances (HULIS) from four atmospheric aerosol samples collected at the SORPES station in Nanjing, eastern China, and investigated the volatility behavior of particles at different sizes using a Volatility Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (VTDMA). In spite of the large differences in particle mass concentrations, the extracted HULIS from the four samples all revealed very high-oxidation states (O : C > 0.95), indicating secondary formation as the major source of HULIS in Yangtze River Delta (YRD). An overall low volatility was identified for the extracted HULIS, with the volume fraction remaining (VFR) higher than 55% for all the regenerated HULIS particles at the temperature of 280 degrees C. A kinetic mass transfer model was applied to the thermodenuder (TD) data to interpret the observed evaporation pattern of HULIS, and to derive the mass fractions of semi-volatile (SVOC), low-volatility (LVOC) and extremely low-volatility components (ELVOC). The results showed that LVOC and ELVOC dominated (more than 80 %) the total volume of HULIS. Atomizing processes led to a size-dependent evaporation of regenerated HULIS particles, and resulted in more ELVOC in smaller particles. In order to understand the role of interaction between inorganic salts and atmospheric organic mixtures in the volatility of an organic aerosol, the evaporation of mixed samples of ammonium sulfate (AS) and HULIS was measured. The results showed a significant but nonlinear influence of ammonium sulfate on the volatility of HULIS. The estimated fraction of ELVOC in the organic part of the largest particles (145 nm) increased from 26 %, in pure HULIS samples, to 93% in 1 : 3 (mass ratio of HULIS : AS) mixed samples, to 45% in 2 : 2 mixed samples, and to 70% in 3 : 1 mixed samples, suggesting that the interaction with ammonium sulfate tends to decrease the volatility of atmospheric organic compounds. Our results demonstrate that HULIS are important low-volatility, or even extremely low-volatility, compounds in the organic-aerosol phase. As important formation pathways of atmospheric HULIS, multiphase processes, including oxidation, oligomerization, polymerization and interaction with inorganic salts, are indicated to be important sources of low-volatility and extremely low-volatility species of organic aerosols.Peer reviewe

Lepton number violating electron recoils in a U(1)B−L model with non-standard interactions

We propose an SU(3)C×SU(2)L×U(1)Y×U(1)B−L model, in which the neutrino masses and mixings can be generated via Type-I seesaw mechanism after U(1)B−L breaking. A light mediator emerges and enables non-standard interaction that violates the lepton number. We show that the non-standard neutrino interaction emerges in this model, and it can lead to low energy recoil events with the solar neutrino flux. Analyses are performed with the keV range electron recoil events at recent direct detection experiments, including XENON1T, PANDAX and XENONnT. Recent direct detection observations lead to upper bound on the combined coupling strength to electron and neutrino to yν′ye<0.5×10−6

Highly Efficient Process for the Conversion of Glycerol to Acrylic Acid via Gas Phase Catalytic Oxidation of an Allyl Alcohol Intermediate

The conversion of glycerol, the main byproduct of the biodiesel industry, to acrylic acid is one of the most attractive biomass to biochemical processes. It represents millions of tons of market demand. The previous tandem reaction protocol for the conversion of glycerol to acrylic acid via an acrolein intermediate always suffers from fast catalyst deactivation and thus cannot be commercialized. Herein, a novel two-step protocol for the conversion of glycerol to acrylic acid is presented: glycerol deoxydehydration (DODH) by formic acid to allyl alcohol, followed by oxidation to acrylic acid in the gas phase over Mo–V–W–O catalysts. In the second step, supported and unsupported Mo–V–W–O multiple-metal oxide catalysts were used for the transformation of allyl alcohol to acrylic acid and excellent activity as well as selectivity was achieved. Remarkably, the mesoporous silica-supported Mo–V–W–O catalysts showed superb stability on time stream under the optimal reaction conditions with an overall acrylic acid yield of 80%. This study provides a prominent catalytic process for the large scale production of acrylic acid from biorenewable glycerol