Changes of Circulating Transforming Growth Factor-²1 Level During Radiation Therapy Are Correlated with the Prognosis of Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

IntroductionWe hypothesized that plasma transforming growth factor-²1 (TGF-²1) level and its dynamic change are correlated with the prognosis of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with radiation therapy (RT).MethodsPatients with stage IIIA or IIIB NSCLC treated with RT with or without chemotherapy were eligible for this study. Platelet poor plasma was collected from each patient within 1 week before RT (pre-RT) and at the 4th week during RT (during-RT). TGF-²1 level was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The primary end point was overall survival (OS) and the secondary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were used for risk factor evaluation.ResultsA total of 65 patients were eligible for the study. The median OS and PFS were 17.7 and 13.7 months, respectively. In univariate analysis, performance status, weight loss, radiation dose, and TGF-²1 ratio (during-RT/pre-RT TGF-²1 level) were all significantly correlated with OS. In the multivariate analysis, performance status, radiation dose, and TGF-²1 ratio were still significantly correlated with OS. The median OS was 30.7 months for patients with TGF-²1 ratio ≤1 versus 13.3 months for those with TGF-²1 ratio more than 1 (p = 0.0029); and the median PFS was 16.8 months versus 7.2 months, respectively (p = 0.010).ConclusionsIn locally advanced NSCLC, the decrease of TGF-²1 level during RT is correlated with favorable prognosis

GOLM1 Stimulation of Glutamine Metabolism Promotes Osteoporosis via Inhibiting Osteogenic Differentiation of BMSCs

Background/Aims: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) play an essential role in osteoporosis. However, the molecular mechanisms and the involvement of glutamine metabolism in osteogenic BMSCs differentiation and osteoporosis remain largely unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of Golgi membrane protein 1 (GOLM1) and glutamine metabolism in BMSCs differentiation and osteoporosis. Methods: Osteogenic differentiation-inducing media (Odi) was used to induce the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. The mRNA expression of GOLM1, ALP, Runx2, Osx, BSP and OCN was determined by qRT-PCR assay. Western blot assay was used to analyze GOLM1, p-mTOR, mTOR, p-S6 and S6 abundance in GOLM1 silencing and over-expressed BMSCs. Glutamine uptake, intracellular glutamine, glutamate and α-KG level was detected using indicated Kits. GOLM1 antibody, glutamine metabolism inhibitors EGCG and BPTES were used to treat ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis. Bone mineral density and bone volume relative to tissue volume (%) were analyzed by micro-CT. Serum was collected from osteoporosis patients and healthy participants and subjected to GOLM1 determination using ELISA Kit. Results: GOLM1 expression and glutamine metabolism were suppressed by Odi. GOLM1 blockage or inhibition of glutamine metabolism promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs induced by Odi. GOLM1 activated glutamine metabolism depending on the mTOR signaling pathway. In vivo, GOLM1 antibody or combination of glutamine inhibitor EGCG and BPTES rescued the osteoporosis in an OVX-operated mouse model. Serum GOLM1 level was increased in the patients of osteoporosis compared with healthy people. Conclusion: GOLM1 stimulates glutamine metabolism to suppress the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and to promote osteoporosis. Therefore, GOLM1 activation of glutamine metabolism is a potential target for osteoporosis

Prevalence and Determinants of Metabolic Syndrome among Women in Chinese Rural Areas

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is prevalent in recent years but few data is reported in the rural areas in China. The aim of this study was to examine MS prevalence and its risk factors among women in rural China. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Nantong Metabolic Syndrome Study (NMSS), a population based cross-sectional study, was conducted during 2007-2008 in Nantong, China. In person interviews, blood glucose and lipid measurements were completed for 13,505 female participants aged 18-74 years. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the US Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program, the Adult Treatment Panel (ATPIII) and modified ATPIII for Asian population has determined three criteria of MS. These criteria for MS were used and compared in this study. The prevalence of MS was 22.0%, 16.9% and 23.3% according to IDF, ATPIII and ATPIII-modified criteria, respectively. Levels of agreement of these criteria for MS were above 0.75. We found that vigorous-intensity of occupational physical activity was associated with a low prevalence of MS with OR of 0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63-0.91). Rice wine drinkers (alcohol >12.8 g/day) had about 34% low risks of developing MS with OR of 0.66 (95% CI: 0.48-0.91), compared with non-drinkers. Odds ratio of MS was 1.81 (95% CI: 1.15-2.84) in women who smoked more than 20 pack-years, compared to non-smokers. Odds ratio of MS was 1.56 (95% CI: 1.25-1.95) in women who had familial history of diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and stroke, compared to women without familial history of those diseases. CONCLUSION: MS is highly prevalent among women in rural China. Both physical activity and rice wine consumption play a protective role, while family history and smoking are risk factors in MS development. Educational programs should be established for promoting healthy lifestyles and appropriate interventions in rural China

An Evaluation of Correlations for Predicting Pressure Drop of Air-Water Flow in Narrow Rectangular Duct

 Aiming at developing a more common method for predicting two-phase flow pressure drop for small channels, experiments on frictional pressure drop of air-water flow in a vertical narrow rectangular duct with a cross-section of 40 mm by 1.6 mm were conducted at atmospheric pressure. The mass flow rates of air and water covered the ranges from 0.03 to 12.5 kg/h and from 19 to 903 kg/h, respectively. It was found that the two-phase flow can be divided into three regions according to the liquid only Reynolds number, by which a modified Chisholm two-phase multiplier was proposed for predicting frictional pressure drop. Some leading correlations for predicting two-phase flow pressure drop were compared with the new correlation against current experimental data, the latter had and a mean deviation of 7.2%, showing a better agreement with the experimental results

Construction of a durable superhydrophobic flame-retardant coating on the PET fabrics

In order to meet the increasing demand for fire prevention and pollution prevention of polyester fiber fabrics (PET) in different scenes, it is imperative to develop surface coatings with superhydrophobic and flame retardant properties. However, how to realize all these functions at the same time is still a big challenge. In this work, fluorinated PDMS was obtained through the cross-linking reaction between fluorosilane and PDMS, which was evenly mixed with the combustion product of silicone rubber (mainly composed of SiO2) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and the mixed coating was deposited on the surface of PET fabrics by spraying method to construct a superhydrophobic flame-retardant coating. The coated fabrics shows good superhydrophobicity (water contact angle is 155.61 ± 1.42°, sliding angle is 3.2 ± 0.4°) and self-cleaning performance. In particular, the prepared coated fabrics also has excellent mechanical durability, and it still does not lose its superhydrophobicity after 10 abrasive paper rubbing cycles, 60 min washing and even 300 bending and twisting cycles. In addition, compared with the original fabrics, the coating shows excellent flame retardant performance, which can realize self-extinguishing within 10 s in vertical combustion experiment

Investigation on the mechanical and tribological properties of polyethylene wax/silicone rubber composites

As an auxiliary agent for rubber processing, polyethylene wax can be used to enhance the diffusion of filler in rubber, improve the extrusion speed of rubber compound and facilitate rubber demoulding, which has good development potential in the field of rubber processing and manufacturing. At present, there is no research on the optimum amount of polyethylene wax in silicone rubber. Therefore, in this paper, we studied the influence of different amount of polyethylene wax on the mechanical and friction properties of silicone rubber. Firstly, silicone rubber composites with different polyethylene wax content were prepared by mechanical mixing and hot pressing. Then, the mechanical properties and friction and wear properties of silicone rubber composites were tested by tensile testing machine and multifunctional comprehensive tester for surface properties of materials. Finally, combined with a series of characterization methods, such as three-dimensional (3D) morphology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microscopic observation and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), the mechanism of polyethylene wax in silicone rubber was studied. The results show that the best addition amount of polyethylene wax in silicone rubber is 0.25 phr, and the friction coefficient of polyethylene wax/silicone rubber composite is the lowest and most stable, and the wear amount is the least. In the process of friction, polyethylene wax can be separated from silicone rubber matrix and distributed on the surface of wear marks, playing a better role in lubrication and wear reduction

Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes in Polystyrene and Properties of Their Composites: A Review

The inherent π–π interfacial interaction between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polystyrene (PS) makes the CNT/PS composite a representative thermoplastic nanocomposite. However, the strong van der Waals force among CNTs poses challenges to achieving effective dispersion. This review provides an overview of various CNT functionalization methods for CNT/PS composites, encompassing covalent grafting with PS-related polymers and non-covalent modification. A focus in this section involves the pre-introduction surface modification of CNTs with PS or PS-related polymers, substantially enhancing both CNT dispersibility and interfacial compatibility within the PS matrix. Furthermore, a comprehensive summary of the mechanical, electrical, thermal, and electromagnetic shielding properties of CNT/PS nanocomposites is provided, offering an overall understanding of this material. The surface modification methods of CNTs reviewed in this paper can be extended to carbon material/aromatic polymer composites, assisting researchers in customizing the optimal surface modification methods for CNTs, maximizing their dispersibility, and fully unleashing the various properties of CNTs/polymer composites. Additionally, high-performance CNTs/PS composites prepared using appropriate CNT modification methods have potential applications in areas such as electronic devices, sensors, and energy storage and conversion

A Review of Single-Cell Microrobots: Classification, Driving Methods and Applications

Single-cell microrobots are new microartificial devices that use a combination of single cells and artificial devices, with the advantages of small size, easy degradation and ease of manufacture. With externally driven strategies such as light fields, sound fields and magnetic fields, microrobots are able to carry out precise micromanipulations and movements in complex microenvironments. Therefore, single-cell microrobots have received more and more attention and have been greatly developed in recent years. In this paper, we review the main classifications, control methods and recent advances in the field of single-cell microrobot applications. First, different types of robots, such as cell-based microrobots, bacteria-based microrobots, algae-based microrobots, etc., and their design strategies and fabrication processes are discussed separately. Next, three types of external field-driven technologies, optical, acoustic and magnetic, are presented and operations realized in vivo and in vitro by applying these three technologies are described. Subsequently, the results achieved by these robots in the fields of precise delivery, minimally invasive therapy are analyzed. Finally, a short summary is given and current challenges and future work on microbial-based robotics are discussed

Correcting Underestimation and Overestimation in PolInSAR Forest Canopy Height Estimation Using Microwave Penetration Depth

PolInSAR is an active remote sensing technique that is widely used for forest canopy height estimation, with the random volume over ground (RVoG) model being the most classic and effective forest canopy height inversion approach. However, penetration of microwave energy into the forest often leads to a downward shift of the canopy phase center, which leads to model underestimation of the forest canopy height. In addition, in the case of sparse and low forests, the canopy height is overestimated, owing to the large ground-to-volume amplitude ratio in the RVoG model and severe temporal decorrelation effects. To solve this problem, in this study, we conducted an experiment on forest canopy height estimation with the RVoG model using L-band multi-baseline fully polarized PolInSAR data obtained from the Lope and Pongara test areas of the AfriSAR project. We also propose various RVoG model error correction methods based on penetration depth by analyzing the model’s causes of underestimation and overestimation. The results show that: (1) In tall forest areas, there is a general underestimation of canopy height, and the value of this underestimation correlates strongly with the penetration depth, whereas in low forest areas, there is an overestimation of canopy height owing to severe temporal decorrelation; in this instance, overestimation can also be corrected by the penetration depth. (2) Based on the reference height RH100, we used training sample iterations to determine the correction thresholds to correct low canopy overestimation and tall canopy underestimation; by applying these thresholds, the inversion error of the RVoG model can be improved to some extent. The corrected R2 increased from 0.775 to 0.856, and the RMSE decreased from 7.748 m to 6.240 m in the Lope test area. (3) The results obtained using the infinite-depth volume condition p-value as the correction threshold were significantly better than the correction results for the reference height, with the corrected R2 value increasing from 0.775 to 0.914 and the RMSE decreasing from 7.748 m to 4.796 m. (4) Because p-values require a true height input, we extended the application scale of the method by predicting p-values as correction thresholds via machine learning methods and polarized interference features; accordingly, the corrected R2 increased from 0.775 to 0.845, and the RMSE decreased from 7.748 m to 6.422 m. The same pattern was obtained for the Pongara test area. Overall, the findings of this study strongly suggest that it is effective and feasible to use penetration depth to correct for RVoG model errors

Degradation of Phenol in Wastewater with Ozone Produced by Self-design Ozone Generator

The optimized tube’s structure of the self-design ozone generator was made with the double dielectric inner electrode and small metal cones were embedded in the outside electrode. This ozone generator was used for the degradation of phenol in wastewater. The research was studied from ozone gas flow rate, reaction time, the initial pH and concentration of the phenol in wastewater. In addition, the article also discusses the reaction mechanism of ozone degraded the phenol in wastewater. The results illustrate that the ozone concentration of self-design ozone generator under the pure oxygen flux (1.0 L/min) were 7.06 mg/L, compared with the unoptimized ozone, the optimized ozone generator’s efficiency was improved 56.89%; the phenol removal rate was increased as the initial pH increased in wastewater, when pH was 12, the phenol removal rate was 80.17%; GC-MS analysis was adopted to analyze and determine the phenol intermediates. The results illustrate that the major oxidation degradation products of phenol may be p-benzoquinone benzenequinone, 4-cyclopentene-1, 3-dione and diacetone alcohol