Elevated serum Activin A in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with skeletal muscle wasting

OBJECTIVE: Muscle wasting contributes to the reduced quality of life and increased mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Muscle atrophy in mice with cachexia was caused by Activin A binding to ActRIIB. The role of circulating Activin A leading to muscle atrophy in COPD remains elusive. METHODS: In the present study, we evaluated the relationship between serum levels of Activin A and skeletal muscle wasting in COPD patients. The expression levels of serum Activin A were measured in 78 stable COPD patients and in 60 healthy controls via ELISA, which was also used to determine the expression of circulating TNF-a levels. Total skeletal muscle mass (SMM) was calculated according to a validated formula by age and anthropometric measurements. The fat-free mass index (FFMI) was determined as the fat-free mass (FFM) corrected for body surface area. RESULTS: Compared to the healthy controls, COPD patients had upregulated Activin A expression. The elevated levels of Activin A were correlated with TNF-a expression, while total SMM and FFMI were significantly decreased in COPD patients. Furthermore, serum Activin A expression in COPD patients was negatively associated with both FFMI and BMI. CONCLUSION: The above results showed an association between increased circulating Activin A in COPD patients and the presence of muscle atrophy. Given our previous knowledge, we speculate that Activin A contributes to skeletal muscle wasting in COPD

Electrolysis of Converter Matte in Molten CaCl2-NaCl

The electrolytic production of nickel-copper alloy by electrochemical reduction of converter matte in molten salt has been investigated. The sintered solid porous pellets of Ni3S2, Cu2S and converter matte were electrolyzed at a voltage of 3.0 V in molten CaCl2-NaCl under the protection of argon gas at 700?, respectively. The electro-reduction processes were investigated and the products were characterized. The results show that the molten salt electro-reduction process can be used to produce nickel, copper and nickel-copper alloy directly from Ni3S2, Cu2S and converter matte precursors in molten CaCl2-NaCl, respectively. CaS would be formed as the intermediate compound during the electro-reduction process, and then the formed CaS can be gradually decomposed and removed with the increase of the electrolysis time. The experimental results show that the molten salt electro-reduction process has the potential to be used for the reduction of sulfide minerals in molten CaCl2-NaClpublishersversionPeer reviewe

Electrochemical Reducation of TiO2/Al2O3/C to Ti3AlC2 and Its Derived Two-Dimensional (2D) Carbides

Ti3AlC2 has been directly synthesized from TiO2/Al2O3/C mixture precursors (3TiO2/0.5Al2O3/1.5C and 2TiO2/0.5Al2O3/C) by a molten salt electrolysis process at 900?C and 3.2 V in molten CaCl2. The influence of initial carbon content on the electrosynthesized products has been investigated. The result shows that the main phase of the electrosynthesized products changes from Ti3AlC to Ti2AlC and then to Ti3AlC2 with the increasing carbon content, and the electrosynthesized Ti3AlC2 is carbon deficient. The morphology observation shows that the electrosynthesized Ti3AlC2 particles possess smooth surfaces and dense flake-like microstructure. The reaction mechanism of the electroreduction of TiO2/Al2O3/C mixture precursor has been discussed based on the time- and position-dependent phase constitution analysis. In addition, two-dimensional (2D) Ti3AlC2-derived carbides, i.e., Ti3C2Tx and TiCx have been successfully prepared from the electrosynthesized Ti3AlC2 by a chemical etching process and an electrochemical etching process, respectively. Both derived carbides exhibit the similar layered structure, in which single layer carbides are composed of plentiful nanometer carbides. It is suggested that the molten salt electrolysis process has a great potential to be used for the facile synthesis of Mn+1AXn phases (such as Ti3AlC2) from their oxides precursors, and the synthesized Mn+1AXn phases can be further converted into 2D carbidesauthorsversionPeer reviewe

Case Report: Prurigo nodularis-like linear IgA/IgG bullous dermatosis: a case report and literature review

Linear IgA/IgG bullous dermatosis (LAGBD) is a rare autoimmune subepidermal bullous disorder characterized by linear deposition of concurrent IgA and IgG autoantibodies along the basement membrane zone (BMZ). The clinical features of LAGBD can be diverse, including tense blisters, erosions, erythema, crusting and mucosa involvement, while papules or nodules are generally absent. In this study, we present a unique case of LAGBD, which showed prurigo nodularis-like clinical appearance on physical examination, linear deposition of IgG and C3 along the basement membrane zone (BMZ) in direct immunofluorescence (DIF), IgA autoantibodies against the 97-kDa and 120-kDa of BP180 and IgG autoantibodies against the 97-kDa of BP180 by immunoblotting (IB), while BP180 NC16a domain, BP230, and laminin 332 were negative by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). After administration of minocycline, the skin lesions improved. We performed a literature review of LAGBD cases with heterogeneous autoantibodies and found clinical presentations of most cases resemble bullous pemphigoid (BP) and linear IgA bullous disease (LABD), which is consistent with previous reported findings. We aim to increase our understanding of this disorder and to enhance the importance of applying immunoblot analyses and other serological detection tools in clinic for precise diagnosis as well as accurate treatment strategy of various autoimmune bullous dermatoses

Controlled Synthesis of Organic/Inorganic van der Waals Solid for Tunable Light-matter Interactions

Van der Waals (vdW) solids, as a new type of artificial materials that consist of alternating layers bonded by weak interactions, have shed light on fascinating optoelectronic device concepts. As a result, a large variety of vdW devices have been engineered via layer-by-layer stacking of two-dimensional materials, although shadowed by the difficulties of fabrication. Alternatively, direct growth of vdW solids has proven as a scalable and swift way, highlighted by the successful synthesis of graphene/h-BN and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) vertical heterostructures from controlled vapor deposition. Here, we realize high-quality organic and inorganic vdW solids, using methylammonium lead halide (CH3NH3PbI3) as the organic part (organic perovskite) and 2D inorganic monolayers as counterparts. By stacking on various 2D monolayers, the vdW solids behave dramatically different in light emission. Our studies demonstrate that h-BN monolayer is a great complement to organic perovskite for preserving its original optical properties. As a result, organic/h-BN vdW solid arrays are patterned for red light emitting. This work paves the way for designing unprecedented vdW solids with great potential for a wide spectrum of applications in optoelectronics

Flexible surface acoustic wave resonators built on disposable plastic film for electronics and lab-on-a-chip applications

Flexible electronics are a very promising technology for various applications. Several types of flexible devices have been developed, but there has been limited research on flexible electromechanical systems (MEMS). Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are not only an essential electronic device, but also are the building blocks for sensors and MEMS. Here we report a method of making flexible SAW devices using ZnO nanocrystals deposited on a cheap and bendable plastic film. The flexible SAW devices exhibit two wave modes - the Rayleigh and Lamb waves with resonant frequencies of 198.1 MHz and 447.0 MHz respectively, and signal amplitudes of 18 dB. The flexible devices have a high temperature coefficient of frequency, and are thus useful as sensitive temperature sensors. Moreover, strong acoustic streaming with a velocity of 3.4 cm/s and particle concentration using the SAW have been achieved, demonstrating the great potential for applications in electronics and MEMS