Protective effect of maternal exposure to α-lipoic acid during pregnancy and lactation on susceptibility to OVAinduced neonatal asthma

Purpose: To investigate the beneficial effect of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) during pregnancy and lactation on susceptibility to ovalbumin (OVA)-induced neonatal asthma, and the mechanism of involved.Methods: Pregnant BALB/c mice were administered ALA (1 % mixed with mouse chow) or standard mouse chow from 6th day of gestation to 21st day of lactation (postnatal). The offspring (neonatal pups) from the OVA and ALA+OVA groups were sensitized on 1st, 7th and 14th postnatal days (PNDs) via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of OVA (0.5 μg). Control mice pups were not exposed to OVA. On PND 21, all pubs were again exposed to 1 % OVA aerosol using a nebulizer.Results: Neonatal mice exposed to ALA showed a significant decline (p < 0.05) in the number of inflammatory cells (eosinophils), levels of inflammatory markers (IL-4, IL-13, IL-5 and TNF-α) as well as OVA-specific IgE and total IgE, when compared to neonatal mice from pregnant mice that did not receive ALA (control). Moreover, the antioxidant profiles of ALA-treated mice offspring were significantly improved (p < 0.05). Marked downregulation (p < 0.05) of the protein expressions of NF-κB p-p65 subunit and TNF-α were observed in ALA-treated mice pups.Conclusion: ALA exposure during pregnancy (maternal exposure) markedly decreases OVA-induced asthmatic airway inflammatory response in pups. Thus, ALA might be beneficial for use along with standard anti-asthmatic drugs in the management of pediatric asthmatic patient

Synergistic Effect of Nanophotocatalysis and Nonthermal Plasma on the Removal of Indoor HCHO

Photocatalysis is an effective method of air purification at the condition of a higher pollutant concentration. However, its wide application in indoor air cleaning is limited due to the low level of indoor air contaminants. Immobilizing the nanosized TiO2 particles on the surface of activated carbon filter (TiO2/AC film) could increase the photocatalytic reaction rate as a local high pollutant concentration can be formed on the surface of TiO2 by the adsorption of AC. However, the pollutant removal still decreased quickly with the increase in flow velocity, which results in a decrease in air treatment capacity. In order to improve the air treatment capacity by the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) method, this paper used formaldehyde (HCHO) as a contaminant to study the effect of combination of PCO with nonthermal plasma technology (NTP) on the removal of HCHO. The experimental results show that HCHO removal is more effective with line-to-plate electrode discharge reactor; the HCHO removal and the reaction rate can be enhanced and the amount of air that needs to be cleaned can be improved. Meanwhile, the results show that there is the synergistic effect on the indoor air purification by the combination of PCO with NTP

Design and implementation of quantitative remote sensing monitoring and intelligent analysis system for mine ecological environment

Mine ecological environment monitoring and governance is a critical requirement for national ecological civilization construction and the dual carbon goal. The informatization and intelligent construction of the mine ecological environment have become an important part of Digital China driven by the new generation of information technology, and it is also an inevitable trend in the development of the current era. However, existing mine ecological environment monitoring systems are still in the primary stage with a single theme, incomplete elements, basic measurement, and local management, and they cannot meet the demand for multi-element, long-term, high-frequency monitoring and analysis of the mine ecological environment. To address this problem, the quantitative remote sensing monitoring and intelligent analysis system for the mine ecological environment under B/S architecture is proposed, called Mine Ecology Remote Eyes. The development requirements, technical framework, key technologies, and core functions of the system are further described in detail. The system utilizes satellite remote sensing technology and other monitoring methods to obtain and aggregate mine ecological big data from different sources, forming a map of mine distribution and data resource services. Using quantitative remote sensing to invert ecological parameters of mine environments, a set of long-term and multi-element monitoring products can be generated. These products cover various ecological elements such as human activities, natural geographical conditions, and “vegetation-soil-water-atmosphere” parameters. The system provides a range of tools for GIS spatial and temporal analysis, statistical analysis, and comprehensive quantitative evaluation. With these tools, users can monitor spatial changes in ecological parameters such as land use and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in mining areas along with mining activities, as well as query and visualize historical statistical values of ecological elements such as soil water content and suspended solids concentration in water under different spatiotemporal locations or regions. Additionally, the system enables comprehensive quantitative evaluation of the quality of the mine ecological environment taking into account multiple ecological elements. Finally, the system generates a monitoring report on ecological disturbance and governance of the mine. The application of Mine Ecology Remote Eyes will facilitate the change monitoring, data management, intelligent analysis, and decision-making applications of the mine ecological environment. This system has the potential to improve the efficiency and intelligence level of monitoring and governance of the mine ecological environment, and provides a reference for promoting the informatization of ecological civilization

Octreotide Alleviates Autophagy by Up-Regulation of MicroRNA-101 in Intestinal Epithelial Cell Line Caco-2

Background: Intestinal mucositis is a common side-effect after anti-cancer therapy, which may greatly restrict the therapeutic effects. We aimed to explore the functional role of octreotide (OCT) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced autophagy of human intestinal epithelial cells as well as the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Cell viability and expression of proteins related to autophagy, AMPK and the mTOR pathway in LPS-treated Caco-2 cells were determined by CCK-8 assay and Western blot analysis, respectively. Effects of OCT on LPS-induced alterations as well as miR-101 expression were measured. Then, miR-101 was aberrantly expressed, and whether OCT alleviated LPS-induced autophagy through miR-101 was tested. Next, whether TGF-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) was involved in the regulation of miR-101 in LPS-induced autophagy was studied. Effects of OCT on monolayer permeability and tight junction level were analyzed via measuring transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and expression of tight junction proteins. Results: LPS reduced cell viability and increased autophagy through activating AMPK and inhibiting the mTOR pathway in Caco-2 cells. OCT alleviated LPS-induced alterations and repressed degradation of autophagosome. Then, we found that OCT affected autophagy through up-regulating miR-101 in LPS-treated cells. Moreover, miR-101-induced inactivation of AMPK and activation of the mTOR pathway in LPS-treated cells were reversed by inhibition of TAK1 phosphorylation. Finally, we found miR-101 was up-regulated in differentiated cells, and OCT protected the monolayer permeability and tight junction level. Conclusion: OCT repressed autophagy through miR-101-mediated inactivation of TAK1, along with inactivation of AMPK and activation of the mTOR pathway in LPS-treated Caco-2 cells

ANALYSIS ON AIR-SIDE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONDENSER AT LOW AMBIENT PRESSURE CONDITIONS

ABSTRACT The vapor cycle refrigeration system is used in aircraft cooling. The changes of the ambient air properties will affect the condenser performance of the vapor cycle refrigeration system. The air-side characteristics between the flow and pressure drop at low pressure conditions must be taken into account, especially when it is used in the aircraft. Through the three tests of the condenser fan, the condenser, and the condenser module, the common property model of the air-side flow and pressure head/drop for each part is established and experimentally verified. The results show that the flow and pressure head or drop relationship of each unit under different pressures of 101.3kPa, 79.5kPa, 61.7kPa, and 47.2kPa is simply deduced by means of the ground test. From this study, the operation points of the condenser module under low ambient pressure conditions can be derived as well

Calcium–Permeable Channels and Endothelial Dysfunction in Acute Lung Injury

The increased permeability of the lung microvascular endothelium is one critical initiation of acute lung injury (ALI). The disruption of vascular-endothelium integrity results in leakiness of the endothelial barrier and accumulation of protein-rich fluid in the alveoli. During ALI, increased endothelial-cell (EC) permeability is always companied by high frequency and amplitude of cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations. Mechanistically, cytosolic calcium oscillations include calcium release from internal stores and calcium entry via channels located in the cell membrane. Recently, numerous publications have shown substantial evidence that calcium-permeable channels play an important role in maintaining the integrity of the endothelium barrier function of the vessel wall in ALI. These novel endothelial signaling pathways are future targets for the treatment of lung injury. This short review focuses on the up-to-date research and provide insight into the contribution of calcium influx via ion channels to the disruption of lung microvascular endothelial-barrier function during ALI