Measurement of Interphase Forces based on Dual-modality ERT/DP Sensor in Horizontal Two-phase Flow Gas-water

In order to better understand the mechanisms of two-phase flow and the prevailing flow regimes in horizontal pipelines, the evaluation of interphase forces is paramount. This study develops a method to quantitatively estimate the interphase force in two-phase gas-water flow in horizontal pipeline. The electrical resistance tomography technology is used to measure the void fraction, while the differential pressure perpendicular to the horizontal pipe is measured in different flow patterns via a Differential Pressure sensor. The inner pipe diameter is 50 mm, the water flow range from 3.26 m3/h to 7.36 m3/h, the gas flowrate range from 1 to 60 l/min, which covered a range of flow patterns, the absolute pressure range from0.07 MPa to 0.12 MPa. The relationship between the differential pressure drop and interphase force is established, and the effects of these forces on the flow are analyzed. Experimental results indicate that the dual-modality measurement system was successfully provided a quantitative evaluation of inter-phase forces in two-phase horizontal gas-water flow

Dual-Responsive Alginate Hydrogels for Controlled Release of Therapeutics

In this work, with the drug oxytetracycline (OTC) released, cell cytotoxicity and antimicrobial studies of dual-responsive sodium alginate and N-Isopropylacrylamide hydrogels (SA/pNIPAAm) with enclosed OTC were investigated. The molecular OTC release was explored with different acid-base conditions and temperature conditions. In order to characterize cell cytotoxicity and antimicrobial efficacy, time-dependent OTC release analysis of different acid-base conditions was performed in SA/pNIPAAm hydrogels. OTC@SA/pNIPAAm hydrogels showed excellent time-dependent antimicrobial efficacy, in which the IC50 values were 50.11 μg mL−1, 34.27 μg mL−1, and 22.39 μg mL−1 among three consecutive days, respectively. Meanwhile, the human cells showed excellent viability at the IC50 dosage of OTC@SA/pNIPAAm (50.11 μg mL−1). OTC@SA/pNIPAAm performed in this study indicated that SA/pNIPAAm may serve as drug carriers for sustainable release at a specific concentration and for being employed as substrates for decreasing drug toxicity. Besides, pH-responsive and thermos-responsive SA/pNIPAAm may lead to the better selectivity of drug release in the ideal location or site. Finally, the results demonstrate that the designed, dual-responsive, biocompatible OTC@SA/pNIPAAm hydrogels showed excellent antimicrobial efficacy and may potentially be found to have enormous applicability in the field of pharmaceutics

MTFR2 shapes a barrier of immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma

Summary: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Mitochondrial fission regulator 2 (MTFR2) is involved in the development of various cancers. However, the roles of MTFR2 in HCC remain unknown. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of MTFR2 in HCC, which was generated from integrative MTFR2 analyses of eight HCC cell lines, and three datasets (public dataset, real-world dataset, and immunotherapy dataset) derived from bulk HCC tissues, survival, and immunotherapy data. We demonstrated that the expression level of MTFR2 is upregulated in HCC, leading to poor prognosis. MTFR2 is positively correlated with the level of immune cell infiltration, multiple immune checkpoints and immunotherapy response prediction pathways, and acts as an important role in cancer-immunity cycle. In conclusion, our work indicates that MTFR2 can shape a barrier of immune microenvironment and result in poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma, but the immune barrier may be broken by immunotherapy