Acetylsalicylic Acid Reduces the Severity of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis and Increases the Formation of Anti-Inflammatory Lipid Mediators

The role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in inflammatory bowel disease is controversial, as they have been implicated in disease aggravation. Different from other cyclooxygenase inhibitors, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) enhances the formation of anti-inflammatory and proresolution lipoxins derived from arachidonic acid as well as resolvins from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In this study, we examined the effect of ASA on murine dextran sodium sulfate colitis. A mouse magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol and post mortem assessment were used to assess disease severity, and lipid metabolites were measured using liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry. Decreased colitis activity was demonstrated by phenotype and MRI assessment in mice treated with ASA, and confirmed in postmortem analysis. Analysis of lipid mediators showed sustained formation of lipoxin A4 and an increase of DHA-derived 17-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid (17-HDHA) after treatment with ASA. Furthermore, in vitro experiments in RAW264.7 murine macrophages demonstrated significantly increased phagocytosis activity after incubation with 17-HDHA, supporting its proresolution effect. These results show a protective effect of ASA in a murine colitis model and could give a rationale for a careful reassessment of ASA therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and particularly ulcerative colitis, possibly combined with DHA supplementation

Diethyl 6,9,17,20-tetra­bromo-2,13-di­oxo­hexa­cyclo­[10.10.2.03,24.05,10.014,23.016,21]tetra­cosa-5,7,9,16,18,20-hexa­ene-23,24-dicarboxyl­ate

In the title mol­ecule, C26H22Br4N4O6, the dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 30.0 (1)°. One ethyl fragment is disordered between two positions in a 1:1 ratio. The crystal packing exhibits weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and short Br⋯O contacts of 3.349 (6) Å

A novel hybrid energy system combined with solar-road and soil-regenerator: Dynamic model and operational performance

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version, made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License CC BY NC-ND 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Under embargo until 26 November 2018. The final, definitive version of this article is available online at doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.11.066.Solar roads are emergent and huge energy source in traffic domains. To improve the energy utilization efficiency of a solar road, a novel solar-road and soil-regenerator hybrid energy system in combination with conventional photovoltaic-thermal and soil heat storage technology was proposed. A mathematical model of the solar-road and soil-regenerator hybrid energy system was developed, validated, and applied to evaluate the thermal storage and power generation performance of the proposed system in cold regions. The results indicated that for critical thermal storage temperatures of 20, 30, and 40 °C, the proposed system decreased maximum photovoltaic cell temperatures by 24.09, 25.84, and 24.42 °C and increased electrical efficiencies by 6.85, 6.68, and 4.53%, respectively, compared with conventional solar roads. By storing heat in the soil and elevating soil temperatures, the proposed system also increased the average borehole wall temperatures by 2.93, 2.26, 1.87 °C. The proposed system produced overall energy efficiencies of 48.42, 55.47, and 66.58%, while conventional solar road efficiencies approximate 10.75%.Peer reviewe

MRI of Autistic Brain Structure and Function

Autism is a complex development disorder defined by particular behaviors, with symptoms generally seen in three areas: deficient sociability, rigid behavior, and impaired communication skills. Early neuroimaging research focused on identifying anatomical differences between the brains of autistic versus non-autistic individuals. More recent work has emphasized the identification of functional brain areas involved in specific cognitive and social behaviors. Over the past decade, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has played a key role in quantifying characteristics of brain structures that possibly play roles in autism. MRI has proven extremely successful in providing functional information about brain activation and the functional connectivity of different brain regions, information that may help shed light on the neurophysiological complexities of autism etiology. [N A J Med Sci. 2009;2(2):44-47.

Circ_0000284 facilitates the growth, metastasis and glycolysis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma through miR-152-3p-mediated PDK1 expression

Background. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are key molecules in the regulation of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) progression. The purpose of this study was to analyze the function and underlying molecular mechanism of circ_0000284 in ICC. Methods. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to analyze the circ_0000284, microRNA (miR)-152-3p and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) expression. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration were executed by cell counting kit 8 assay, EdU assay, flow cytometry, transwell assay and wound healing assay, respectively. All protein expression levels were examined using western blot analysis. Cell glycolysis was analyzed by detecting glucose consumption, lactate production and ATP/ADP ratios. Target relationship was estimated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The effect of circ_0000284 on ICC tumor growth in vivo was evaluated by constructing xenograft mice model. Results. We detected high expression of circ_0000284 in ICC tumor tissues and cells. Downregulated circ_0000284 inhibited ICC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, glycolysis, and accelerated apoptosis. MiR-152-3p was sponged by circ_0000284, and its inhibitor revoked the effect of circ_0000284 knockdown on ICC cell progression. PDK1 was a target of miR-152-3p, and its expression was suppressed by circ_0000284 knockdown. PDK1 overexpression reversed the inhibition effect of miR-152-3p on ICC cell growth, metastasis and glycolysis. In animal experiments, circ_0000284 downregulation also inhibited ICC tumor growth. Conclusion. Circ_0000284 promoted the growth, metastasis and glycolysis of ICC by miR-152-3p/PDK1 pathway, showing that circ_0000284 was a potential therapeutic target for ICC

Diethyl 2-tert-butyl-4,11-dioxo-2,3-di­hydro-cis-1H,5H,10H-2,3a,4a,10a,11a-penta­azabenzo[f]indeno[2,1,7-ija]azulene-11b,11c-dicarboxyl­ate

In the title mol­ecule, C24H31N5O6, the two ethyl fragments are each disordered over two conformations [occupancy ratios 0.58 (13)/0.42 (13) and 0.56 (12)/0.44 (12)]. The crystal packing exhibits inter­molecular non-classical C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π–π inter­actions between benzene rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.836 (5) Å]

Understanding Two-Stage Balance of Competitive Bidding in Crowdsourcing: A Response Surface Analysis

The rapid growth of crowdsourcing platforms grants unprecedented opportunities to clients to procure services digitally. Clients typically solicit solutions via competitive bidding, wherein they outline their requirements in task descriptions, and bidders respond with bidding proposals. Yet, prior research has not achieved consensus on how characteristics of task descriptions impact bidding outcomes with scholarly debates persisting with regard to whether conformity or serendipity of proposals is determinative in competitive bidding. To bridge these knowledge gaps, we advance a research model aimed at disentangling the two-stage balance of competitive bidding in crowdsourcing context. Analytical results attest to a positive effect of the incongruence of task description characteristics on conformity and serendipity of candidate solutions, with task appeal and client reputation serving as moderators. Implications for theory and practice based on the empirical findings were discussed