Effect of a poloxamer 407-based thermosensitive gel on minimization of thermal injury to diaphragm during microwave ablation of the liver.

AIM: To assess the insulating effect of a poloxamer 407 (P407)-based gel during microwave ablation of liver adjacent to the diaphragm. METHODS: We prepared serial dilutions of P407, and 22.5% (w/w) concentration was identified as suitable for ablation procedures. Subsequently, microwave ablations were performed on the livers of 24 rabbits (gel, saline, control groups, n = 8 in each). The P407 solution and 0.9% normal saline were injected into the potential space between the diaphragm and liver in experimental groups. No barriers were applied to the controls. After microwave ablations, the frequency, size and degree of thermal injury were compared histologically among the three groups. Subsequently, another 8 rabbits were injected with the P407 solution and microwave ablation was performed. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) in serum were tested at 1 d before microwave ablation and 3 and 7 d after operation. RESULTS: In vivo ablation thermal injury to the adjacent diaphragm was evaluated in the control, saline and 22.5% P407 gel groups (P = 0.001-0.040). However, there was no significant difference in the volume of ablation zone among the three groups (P \u3e 0.05). Moreover, there were no statistical differences among the preoperative and postoperative gel groups according to the levels of ALT, AST, BUN and Cr in serum (all P \u3e 0.05). CONCLUSION: Twenty-two point five percent P407 gel could be a more effective choice during microwave ablation of hepatic tumors adjacent to the diaphragm. Further studies for clinical translation are warranted

Experimental Study on the Flexural Behavior of Reinforced Polystyrene Blocks in Concrete Beams

A new type of lightweight beam system was recently proposed by embedding polystyrene in beams to improve structural efficiency. This removes the non-performing concrete in the neutral axis and tension region to provide a comparable strength as a solid beam. There are, however, limited studies conducted to investigate the structural behavior of such beams. Therefore, this research presents an experimental investigation to assess the effect of polystyrene shapes in the beams. This involved testing a solid beam and five lightweight beams under flexural load using a four-point load test. The inclusion of polystyrene was estimated to have reduced the self-weight of beams by 8.6% to 11.8% when compared with the solid beam. The results also showed the ellipse polystyrene with a width of 70 mm and height of 50 mm produced the highest effective strength to weight ratio (sw) of 1.12 and performed 12% better than the solid beam. Moreover, the lightweight beams have more weight reduced than the strength, and those with ellipse polystyrene were found to have performed better than circular ones based on first crack load, ultimate load, and effective strength to weight ratio (sw). The beams with ellipse polystyrene allowed better stress distribution and this gave them a higher strength than sphere shape. For industry application, the polystyrene content is recommended to be greater than 10% while the effective strength to weight ratio (sw) of the beam is greater than 1. The successful reduction of the weight without affecting the structural performance has the ability to help in reducing construction costs

Food Consumption in China: the revolution continues

Recent decades have seen China's domestic consumption in sectors such as food, housing, health care, education and travel greatly increase. This important book assesses China's current food consumption trends and the outlook for its future needs of such a crucial commodity. Key features of this book include: -A systematic examination of the key elements shaping food consumption, with particular attention to factors peculiar to China; -An evaluation of changes in food consumption between rural and urban residents, the rich and poor, and consumers of different regions and identification of the key drivers behind such changes; -A comprehensive coverage of all major food items including food grains, meats and other animal products, fruits and vegetables, alcoholic drinks, and aquacultural products; and -A projection for China's food import needs by 2020. This book will be of great relevance to anyone who is interested in the dynamics of Chinese food consumption, such as commodity traders, leaders of agri-food industries, food trade officials, and food market researchers. It will also prove a valuable reference for undergraduate and postgraduate students majoring in food marketing and trade, general food and agricultural economics, and scholars studying food consumption issues

Effect of Ultrasound Treatment on Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Emodin-Casein Complexes

Emodin was one of the hydrophobic active molecules, the solubility bioavailability of which was improved by loading in a certain matrix. In this study, the microcapsules of emodin-casein complexes were prepared with casein as matrix with ultrasound treatment. The structural properties of the complexes were analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy. The thermal properties, DPPH and ABTS+ free radical scavenging activities of the complexes were measured. In addition, the release profiles of emodin from the complexes were evaluated by simulated gastrointestinal digestion experiment. The results showed that the ultrasound treatment within 1~3 min duration had not significant effect on the fluorescence properties of the complexes with the addition of emodin at 8~10 μg/mg. Furthermore, there were no significant effect of ultrasound treatment on the FTIR spectra and morphology of emodin-casein complexes. In addition, the DPPH free radical scavenging activity of the complexes had the lowest value with 1 min-ultrasound treatment, but the highest value of ABTS+ free radical scavenging activity among other samples with the same emodin addition. The release rate of emodin from the emodin-casein complexes during simulated gastrointestinal digestion was improved by 1 min-ultrasound treatment, but retarded by 5 min-ultrasound treatment. The results would provide references for the application of ultrasound treatment in the properties' regulation of emodin-casein complexes

Tris(dibenzoyl­methanido-κ2 O,O′)[(6R,8R)-(−)-7,7-dimethyl-3-(2-pyrid­yl)-5,6,7,8-tetra­hydro-6,8-methano­isoquinoline-κ2 N,N′]terbium(III)

In the title compound, [Tb(C15H11O2)3(C17H18N2)], the 7,7-dimethyl-3-(2-pyrid­yl)-5,6,7,8-tetra­hydro-6,8-methano­iso­quin­oline (LRR) ligand coordinates to TbIII through the two N atoms of the heterocycle. The metal centre is also chelated by three deprotonated 1,3-diphenyl­propane-1,3-dione (dbm) ligands, forming enanti­omerically pure [Tb(dbm)3 LRR]. The TbIII atom is located in a distorted square anti­prism of eight coordinating atoms (six O and two N atoms)