Urinary biomarkers associated with podocyte injury in lupus nephritis

The most prevalent and devastating form of organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is lupus nephritis (LN). LN is characterized by glomerular injury, inflammation, cell proliferation, and necrosis, leading to podocyte injury and tubular epithelial cell damage. Assays for urine biomarkers have demonstrated significant promise in the early detection of LN, evaluation of disease activity, and tracking of reaction to therapy. This is because they are non-invasive, allow for frequent monitoring and easy self-collection, transport and storage. Podocyte injury is believed to be a essential factor in LN. The extent and type of podocyte injury could be connected to the severity of proteinuria, making podocyte-derived cellular debris and injury-related urinary proteins potential markers for the diagnosis and monitoring of LN. This article focuses on studies examining urinary biomarkers associated with podocyte injury in LN, offering fresh perspectives on the application of biomarkers in the early detection and management of LN

Quasi-3D slope stability analysis of waste dump based on double wedge failure

The double wedges sliding along the weak layer of the foundation can be observed on the slope of the waste dump and the sliding body is divided into the active wedge and passive wedge by the weak foundation and the failure surfaces of the waste dump. Because the conventional limit equilibrium slice method cannot reflect the polygonal slip surface of the slope of the waste dump with weak foundation, this study proposed a double wedge calculation method for the slope of the waste dump with weak foundation. The limit equilibrium analysis is performed on double wedges by considering the direction and values of the interaction force between double wedges to obtain the safety factor of the slope of the waste dump. Meanwhile, the quasi-3D double wedges stability analysis method of the waste dump slope with weak foundation is proposed by considering the influence of the geometry and sliding direction of the slope surface on the slope stability. The safety factor of the inverted dump slope is 0.82, the volume of the sliding body is 6.43 million m3, and the main sliding direction is 20° south by east. The shear strain rate cloud diagram of the section is ‘y’ type distribution, and the sliding body is divided into two independent blocks. The safety factor of the sliding body section obtained by the double wedge method is between 0.76 and 0.92, and the closer to the boundary of the sliding body, the greater the safety factor of the section. The quasi-three-dimensional safety factor obtained by theoretical analysis is 0.817. The results show that the calculation results of quasi-3D double wedge are basically consistent with the calculation results of strength reduction method, while the proposed method is simpler. It can be used as a quick method to evaluate slope stability in engineering practice

Monitoring Volatile Organic Compounds in Different Pear Cultivars during Storage Using HS-SPME with GC-MS

Aroma, which plays an essential role in food perception and acceptability, depends on various mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Meanwhile, as a field of metabolomics, VOC analysis is highly important for aroma improvement and discrimination purposes. In this work, VOCs in pear fruits were determined via headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to study variations among different cultivars and storage stages. In 12 cultivars of pear fruits, a total of 121 VOCs were quantified, including 40 esters, 32 alcohols, 16 aldehydes, 13 alkenes, 11 ketones, 4 acids, and 5 other compounds. The types and amounts of VOCs in different cultivars varied dramatically, which were in the range of 13–71 and 3.63–55.65 mg/kg FW (fresh weight), respectively. The Dr. Guyot cultivar showed the highest level of VOCs, both in type and amount. After 21 days storage at 4 °C, total concentration of VOCs increased from initial levels of 50.76 to 101.33 mg/kg FW. Storage at 20 °C made a larger contribution to production for VOCs than that at 4 °C, resulting in the maximum content of VOCs (117.96 mg/kg FW) in fruit after 14 days storage at 4 °C plus 7 days at 20 °C. During storage, the content of esters showed a gradual increase, while the content of alcohols and aldehydes decreased. Based on the results presented, related alcohols were recognized as the intermediates of conversion from aldehydes to esters

Characteristics and Controlling Factors of Natural Fractures in Continental Tight-Oil Shale Reservoir

Natural fracture growth plays an important role in shale-oil enrichment. Systematically investigating fracture features and their controlling factors in shale-oil reservoirs is essential for accurately predicting fracture distribution. The controlling factors of fracture distribution in the continental shale of the Qingshankou Formation in the Songliao Basin, China, were systematically analyzed based on the quantitative fracture characterization of outcrops and cores. Strata-confined fractures, throughgoing fractures, bedding-parallel fractures, and stylolites can be observed in the Qingshankou shale reservoir in the study area. Fracture distribution is not only controlled by internal factors, e.g., mineral composition, mechanical stratigraphy, and lithofacies, but also by external factors, e.g., faults and abnormally high pressure readings. Mineral composition is the primary factor governing fracture development, and it not only controls fracture abundance, but it also affects fracture filling and effectiveness. Mechanical stratigraphy determines the spatial morphology and developmental pattern of a fracture. Fractures are well-developed in brittle strata, with fracture spacing being proportional to bed thickness. Lithofacies can determine fracture development by controlling the variation of mineral composition, rock structure, bed thickness, etc. Stress concentration is commonly high at fault tips, intersections, and overlaps, where fracture density is high and has good connectivity. The existence of abnormally high pressure reduces effective stress, promoting shear fracture development. Tensile overpressure fractures can also be generated under small levels of differential stress

Antidiabetic and Neuroprotective Effect of the N-Butanol Extract of Fragaria nilgerrensis Schlecht. in STZ-Induced Diabetic Mice

Diabetes has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders that are accompanied by memory loss and cognitive impairments, but there is no effective treatment for it at present. Fragaria nilgerrensis Schlecht. (FNS), a well-known Chinese materia medica, has been traditionally used for the folkloric treatment of diabetes and other diseases. However, its effects are poorly documented. Here, we investigated the antidiabetic and neuroprotective effect of FNS in diabetic mice. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) evaluations of N-butanol extract of Fragaria nilgerrensis Schlecht. (N-FNS) showed the presence of flavonoid and its structure is similar to scutellarin. For the first time, we show the potential neuroprotective and antidiabetic effects of FNS. After 4 weeks of FNS intervention, a significant decrease in blood glucose, increase in body weight, and amelioration in glucose tolerance were observed in FNS treated diabetic mice. In the acute study, FNS enhanced motor activity in the open field task and significantly prevented spatial-learning deficits in Morris water maze tests. Besides, synapse ultrastructure of the hippocampus showed that the mitochondrial morphology was basically restored and all the synaptic structural parameters were gradually normalized after treatment with FNS. Importantly, we found that the activities of SOD and CAT in liver and hippocampus of diabetic mice significantly increased after FNS administration. In vitro, FNS and scutellarin showed high DPPH radical scavenging activity. The study suggests that FNS exerted significant antidiabetic and neuroprotective effects which may be attributed to its antioxidant property

Hypolipidemic effect of Fragarianilgerrensis Schlecht. medicine compound on hyperlipidemic rats

Abstract Background Fragarianilgerrensis Schlecht. medicine compound (FN-MC) is a kind of Chinese herbs’ compound consisted of Fragarianilgerrensis Schlecht. and Centella asiatica (L.) Urban. The study was to investigate the hypolipidemia effect of FN-MC in a hypolipidemic rat model. Methods Male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal-fat diet (NFD) group, high-fat diet (HFD) group, FN-MC (2 g/Kg) group, FN-MC (4 g/Kg) group and simvastatin (PDC) group. After FN-MC treatment, body weight, food intake, serum and hepatic biochemistry parameters of rats were measured and the pathological changes of liver and its cells were observed by optical microscope and transmission electron microscopy. Results The results showed that FN-MC significantly decreased the levels of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), while increased serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and hepatic Superoxide Dismutase (SOD). FN-MC also improved the structure of liver and decreased the lipid drops in the cytoplasm significantly. In addition, FN-MC significantly decreased the weight gain and had no significant effects on food intake. Conclusions The study suggested that FN-MC exhibited strong ability to improve the dyslipidemia and prevent hepatic fatty deposition in rats fed with high-fat diet. Meanwhile, FN-MC exerted anti-obesity and antioxidant properties. Highlights Fragarianilgerrensis Schlecht. medicine compound possesses a hypolipidemic effect on hyperlipidemic rat modelFragarianilgerrensis Schlecht. medicine compound administration improves the antioxidant capacity of ratsFragarianilgerrensis Schlecht. medicine compound prevents hepatic fatty depositio

Dual–Plasticizing Strategy for an Enhanced Performance of Degradable Chitosan-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Chitosan (CS), as the polymer friction layer of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), has great potential for application in the development of degradable wearable sensors. However, its mechanical properties and output performance require further improvement. Although introducing plasticizers into polymers can simultaneously increase their mechanical properties and TENG output, this strategy remains unexplored for degradable polymer TENGs, which exhibit great potential as green materials in electromechanical conversion. Herein, we used glycerol and polyethylene glycol as plasticizers to enhance tensile properties and output properties of the CS TENG. Plasticizer incorporation resulted in an improved surface roughness and the introduction of numerous −OH groups, thereby improving the tribo-positive electrical generation of CS. The maximum open–circuit voltage can reach 173 V, which was three times higher than that of pure CS-based TENGs. Moreover, reduced Young’s modulus of this film made it more advantageous for flexible sensor applications, and throat sensing and handwriting recognition were realized. Finally, the CS sensor exhibited antibacterial activity and complete degradability in soil within 36 days. Overall, this plasticizing method is expected to be extensively studied in the field of degradable, wearable polymer TENG sensors

Dual–Plasticizing Strategy for an Enhanced Performance of Degradable Chitosan-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Chitosan (CS), as the polymer friction layer of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), has great potential for application in the development of degradable wearable sensors. However, its mechanical properties and output performance require further improvement. Although introducing plasticizers into polymers can simultaneously increase their mechanical properties and TENG output, this strategy remains unexplored for degradable polymer TENGs, which exhibit great potential as green materials in electromechanical conversion. Herein, we used glycerol and polyethylene glycol as plasticizers to enhance tensile properties and output properties of the CS TENG. Plasticizer incorporation resulted in an improved surface roughness and the introduction of numerous −OH groups, thereby improving the tribo-positive electrical generation of CS. The maximum open–circuit voltage can reach 173 V, which was three times higher than that of pure CS-based TENGs. Moreover, reduced Young’s modulus of this film made it more advantageous for flexible sensor applications, and throat sensing and handwriting recognition were realized. Finally, the CS sensor exhibited antibacterial activity and complete degradability in soil within 36 days. Overall, this plasticizing method is expected to be extensively studied in the field of degradable, wearable polymer TENG sensors