Strong magnetic field effects on solid-liquid and particle-particle interactions during the processing of a conducting liquid containing non-conducting particles

The behavior of micrometer-sized weak magnetic insulating particles migrating in a conductive liquid metal is of broad interest during strong magnetic field processing of materials. In the present paper, we develop a numerical method to investigate the solid-liquid and particle-particle interactions by using a computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) modeling. By applying a strong magnetic field, for example, 10 Tesla, the drag forces of a single spherical particle can be increased up to around 15% at a creeping flow limit. However, magnetic field effects are reduced when the Reynolds number becomes higher. For two identical particles migrating along their centerline in a conductive liquid, both the drag forces and the magnetic interaction will be influenced. Factors such as interparticle distance, Reynolds number and magnetic flux density are investigated. Shielding effects are found from the leading particle, which will subsequently induce a hydrodynamic interaction between two particles. Strong magnetic fields however do not appear to have a significant influence on the shielding effects. In addition, the magnetic interaction forces of magnetic dipole-dipole interaction and induced magneto-hydrodynamic interaction are considered. It can be found that the induced magneto-hydrodynamic interaction force highly depends on the flow field and magnetic flux density. Therefore, the interaction between insulating particles can be controlled by applying a strong magnetic field and modifying the flow field. The present research provides a better understanding of the magnetic field induced interaction during liquid metal processing, and a method of non-metallic particles manipulation for metal/ceramic based materials preparation may be proposed.

Prevalence and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy in Chongqing pre-diabetes patients

PURPOSE

To investigate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and relative risk factors among Chongqing pre-diabetes patients.

METHODS

A total of 750 participants were recruited in this cross-sectional study. All participants underwent a complete physical examination and an oral glucose-tolerance test. In all, 110 of the 125 newly diagnosed pre-diabetics and their healthy spouses as controls were examined with fluorescence fundus angiographies, and their blood with biochemical analyses. All the pre-diabetics with DR (23 subjects), 23 normal controls and 23 pre-diabetics without DR were compared for serum concentrations of regulated upon activation, normal T-expressed and secreted (RANTES). Student's t-test was used to compare continuous variables, and χ (2) test and analysis of variance to compare proportions among groups. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the risk factors for DR in pre-diabetics.

RESULTS

In all, 20.91% of the 110 pre-diabetics showed mild non-proliferative DR (NPDR). There was a statistically significant difference in serum concentrations of RANTES between pre-diabetics with and without DR (P<0.01), and also between pre-diabetics with DR and normal controls (P<0.01). However, age, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-C, low-density lipoprotein-C, blood urea nitrogen, blood creatinine, and urine albumin excretion rate seemed to have no reliable relationship with DR in pre-diabetics (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of DR in Chongqing pre-diabetes patients in the study was about 20.91% and only mild NPDR was found. It seems that RANTES is one possible risk factor associated with DR in pre-diabetics, not age, TG and TC, and others.

Expression and biological relationship of vascular endothelial growth factor-A and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in gastric carcinoma

Protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) was studied in gastric carcinoma patients in relation to clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. Fifty-four samples of gastric carcinoma tissue and 15 samples of adjacent normal gastric mucosal tissue were examined immunohistochemically. Expression rates of VEGF-A (66.7%) and MMP-9 (63.0%) in carcinoma tissue were significantly higher than in normal tissue (6.7% for both proteins). VEGF-A and MMP9 expression was associated with tumour size, invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, degree of histological differentiation and pathological stage, but not age or sex. VEGF-A expression was positively correlated with that of MMP-9. Expression of VEGF-A and MMP-9 were each inversely correlated with 5-year survival. VEGF-A and MMP-9 were overexpressed in tumours compared with normal tissue; they may act together to increase carcinogenesis and the progression, invasion and metastasis of gastric carcinoma, and could be used as biomarkers for the prognosis of gastric carcinoma.

Alteration of HLA-F and HLA I antigen expression in the tumor is associated with survival in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Alteration of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression, such as decreased HLA I (HLA-A, -B and -C) antigens and elevated nonclassical HLA I antigens (HLA-E, -F and -G), was reported to have an unfavorable prognosis in various cancers. In our study, HLA-F expression in 105 primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) lesions and 62 case-matched adjacent normal tissues, and HLA I antigens among 68 cases were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Data revealed that HLA-F expression was observed in 58.1% (61/105) of the ESCC lesions and in 54.8% (34/62) of the normal esophageal tissues. Among the 62 case-matched samples, HLA-F expression (lesion vs. normal tissue) was upregulated, unchanged and downregulated in 13 (21.0%), 6 (9.6%) and 43 (69.4%) cases, respectively. Patients with HLA-F positive had a worse survival than those with HLA-F negative (p = 0.040). Patients with upregulated HLA-F expression (lesion vs. normal tissue) had significantly worse survival than those with HLA-F unchanged and downregulated (p = 0.010). Furthermore, decreased HLA I expression was observed in 41.2% (28/68) patients and was with worse prognosis in comparison to those with preserved HLA I expression (p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazards model revealed that upregulated HLA-F expression (p = 0.026) and downregulated HLA I expression (p = 0.013) could be an independent unfavorable prognostic factor. In conclusion, our study provided the evidence that alteration of HLA I and HLA-F antigen expression was associated with survival in patients with ESCC.

Tacrolimus versus cyclophosphamide as treatment for diffuse proliferative or membranous lupus nephritis: a non-randomized prospective cohort study

Treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) with cyclophosphamide (CYC) is effective but retains a certain severe adverse effect. Tacrolimus (TAC) may be a suitable treatment for LN. Forty patients with diffuse proliferative or membranous LN were recruited for this non-randomized open-label study — 67.5% (27/40) had nephrotic proteinuria (>3.5 g/day) and 50.0% (20/40) had low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (<60 mL/min/1.73m2). We compared the efficacy and adverse effects of TAC (0.04–0.08 mg/kg/d)/prednisone for 12 months (TAC group, n = 20) with intravenous CYC (750 mg/m2 per month)/prednisone for six months followed by azathioprine (Aza) (100 mg/day)/prednisone for six months (CYC group, n = 20). The TAC target concentration was 6–8 ng/mL or 4–6 ng/mL, respectively, when induction or maintenance therapy was required and 4.0 ng/mL for patient with renal insufficiency. In the TAC group, mean urinary protein excretion decreased significantly from 5.00 ± 1.91 g/day at baseline to 2.54 ± 1.68 g/day after two weeks of therapy ( P < 0.001), compared with the CYC group (4.9 ± 19.4 g/day), P = 0.001, and 65.0% (13/20) achieved partial remission at one month, compared with the CYC group (0/20), P < 0.001. The incidence of complete remission (CR) was significantly higher in the TAC group than in the CYC group (55.0% vs.15.0% by five months, P = 0.008, and 75.0% vs.40.0% by 12 months, P = 0.025, respectively). The significant improvement in serum anti-dsDNA and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity index (DAI) was in the TAC group relative to the CYC group at 12 months ( P = 0.031, P = 0.003, respectively). The eGFR improved in the TAC group from 59.90 ± 23.64 mL/min/1.73m2 at baseline to 93.75 ± 28.52 mL/min/1.73m2 after 12 months, P = 0.001. In the CYC group, two patients developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD), three patients experienced serious pneumonia, and one patient died. Our preliminary study showed TAC is a safe and effective treatment for LN with severe renal disease, and with less-severe adverse events compared with CYC followed Aza therapy. Further larger sample studies are needed to confirm our conclusion.

Effects of taraxasterol on inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages

AIM OF THE STUDY

Taraxasterol, a pentacyclic-triterpene, was isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb Taraxacum officinale. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of taraxasterol in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 murine macrophages.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RAW 264.7 cells were pretreated with 2.5, 5, or 12.5μg/ml of taraxasterol 1h prior to treatment with 1μg/ml of LPS. Nitric oxide (NO) level in supernatants from cells was examined by Griess reaction, the concentrations of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by ELISA. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation was evaluated by immunocytochemical analysis.

RESULTS

We found that taraxasterol inhibited NO, PGE(2), TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. Further studies revealed that taraxasterol prevented the LPS-induced NF-κB translocation from cytoplasm into nuclear.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that taraxasterol has anti-inflammatory effect by blocking NF-κB pathway.

Fallout radionuclide-based techniques for assessing the impact of soil conservation measures on erosion control and soil quality: an overview of the main lessons learnt under an FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project

This paper summarizes key findings and identifies the main lessons learnt from a 5-year (2002-2008) coordinated research project (CRP) on "Assessing the effectiveness of soil conservation measures for sustainable watershed management and crop production using fallout radionuclides" (D1.50.08), organized and funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency through the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. The project brought together nineteen participants, from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam, involved in the use of nuclear techniques and, more particularly, fallout radionuclides (FRN) to assess the relative impacts of different soil conservation measures on soil erosion and land productivity. The overall objective of the CRP was to develop improved land use and management strategies for sustainable watershed management through effective soil erosion control practices, by the use of ¹³⁷Cs (half-life of 30.2 years), ²¹⁰Pb(ex) (half-life of 22.3 years) and ⁷Be (half-life of 53.4 days) for measuring soil erosion over several spatial and temporal scales. The environmental conditions under which the different research teams applied the tools based on the use of fallout radionuclides varied considerably--a variety of climates, soils, topographies and land uses. Nevertheless, the achievements of the CRP, as reflected in this overview paper, demonstrate that fallout radionuclide-based techniques are powerful tools to assess soil erosion/deposition at several spatial and temporal scales in a wide range of environments, and offer potential to monitor soil quality. The success of the CRP has stimulated an interest in many IAEA Member States in the use of these methodologies to identify factors and practices that can enhance sustainable agriculture and minimize land degradation.

Preliminary study on the diagnostic value of acoustic radiation force impulse technology for differentiating between benign and malignant thyroid nodules

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elasticity imaging for differentiating between benign and malignant thyroid lesions.

METHODS

Hospitalized patients needing thyroid surgery were evaluated. After routine thyroid sonography, the patients underwent ARFI elasticity imaging. Virtual Touch tissue imaging (VTI) and Virtual Touch tissue quantification (VTQ; Siemens Medical Solutions, Mountain View, CA) were used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the elasticity and hardness of nodules. For statistical analysis, the Student t test, analysis of variance, and the χ(2) test were used to compare the elastic parameters.

RESULTS

Of the 98 thyroid nodules observed in 72 hospitalized patients, 56 were nodular goiters, 16 thyroid adenomas, 4 thyroiditis, and 22 thyroid malignancies, with mean VTQ values ± SD of 2.034 ± 0.484, 1.835 ± 0.364, 2.293 ± 0.787, and 3.941 ± 1.393 m/s, respectively. The elastic parameters of malignant nodules were significantly higher than those of benign nodules (P < .001) and the surrounding thyroid parenchyma (P < .001). There was no significant difference between the VTQ value of benign nodules and that of the surrounding normal thyroid parenchyma (P > .05). For differentiating between benign and malignant nodules, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accordance rate were 86.36%, 93.42%, 79.17%, 95.95%, and 91.84% based on the standard VTQ value (2.555m/s). In total, 77.6% (59 of 76) of the benign nodules showed softer and equal images in the VTI mode, and 77.3% (17 of 22) of the malignant nodules showed stiffer images (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Acoustic radiation force impulse imaging has high sensitivity and specificity in evaluating benign and malignant thyroid nodules and therefore had good diagnostic value in clinical applications.

The clinical characteristics and outcome of intracardiac thrombus and aortic valvular involvement in Behçet's disease: an analysis of 20 cases

OBJECTIVES

To assess the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with cardiac Behçet's disease(BD).

METHODS

Medical charts of 20 cardiac BD patients admitted in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from June 1996 to June 2011 were systematically reviewed, including demographic data, clinical features, laboratory and histopathology findings and outcome.

RESULTS

Patients age ranged 19~57 yrs[mean (35±10) yrs], included 17 males and 3 females. Six (30%) of them did not fulfill the ISG criteria at cardiac onset, and fourteen (70%) of them experienced heart failure. Echocardiography findings included intracardiac thrombus (n=7), and aortic valve involvement with left ventricular enlargement and severe aortic regurgitation (n=13). Eight patients underwent surgery before efficient immunosuppressant treatment, and five (62.5%) underwent re-operation due to recurrence of thrombus or valvular dehiscence and severe paravalvular leakage. Histopathology findings revealed predominantly inflammatory cells infiltration, thrombus and fibrous tissue formation. After initiation of prednisone plus immunosuppressant, patients were followed up for 6~42 months (mean 14.8±9.9 months), the intracardiac thrombus disappeared or decreased in size in five cases, remained stable after surgery in the other two cases, and the heart failure disappeared in all patients with aortic involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiac BD affects males more than females, and is prone to delayed diagnosis because some patients do not have typical clinical manifestations at cardiac onset; Corticosteroids plus immunosuppressants reduce the thrombus and improve aortic regurgitation and heart failure in cardiac BD, whereas surgery alone does not lead to complete resolution.

NUR77 inhibits the expression of TIMP2 and increases the migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells induced by CYR61

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the function and mechanism of CYR61 on the migration and invasion of the trophoblast cell line, HTR-8/SVneo cells.

STUDY DESIGN

The mRNA and protein levels of NUR77 in the placentas of normal and preeclampsia (PE) women were evaluated using real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. Paraffin-embedded tissues were processed for localization of NUR77 protein in placental villus by immunohistochemistry. HTR-8/SVneo cells were cultured in the presence of CYR61, Ad-NUR77 or a small interfering RNA for NUR77 (Ad-sinur77). The expression of NUR77 in the HTR-8/SVneo cells was detected and the effects of CYR61 on the migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells were assessed in wound-healing and transwell experiments, respectively. Gelatin zymography was used to measure the MMP2 release in HTR-8/SVneo cells.

RESULTS

NUR77 is significantly decreased in the placenta of women with PE compared with the levels during a normal pregnancy. CYR61 can significantly increase the expression of NUR77 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. CYR61, as well as NUR77, can promote HTR-8/SVneo cells migration and invasion, which can be blocked by Ad-sinur77. Both CYR61 and Ad-nur77 reduced the mRNA expression of TIMP2 in HTR-8/SVneo cells.

CONCLUSIONS

CYR61 may promote HTR-8/SVneo cells migration and invasion through the upregulation of NUR77, leading to the increase of MMP2 release and the downregulation of TIMP2 expression.

Activity and selectivity of photocatalysts in photodegradation of phenols

Photodegradation of phenol and 4-chlorophenol over six different TiO(2) samples was tested in order to establish whether an interconnection between the activity and selectivity of photocatalysts exists. The obtained experimental data were analyzed using correlation analysis. Some correlations between the activity in phenol(s) photodegradation and selectivity toward formation of primary intermediate products were established. The type of correlations depends on the type of studied photoreactions. The discussion of the observed correlations between the activity and selectivity of photocatalysts is given in terms of the difference of surface concentrations of electrons and holes and corresponding surface active sites which might be dependent on the types of dominating surface faces. On the basis of the obtained results of correlation analysis it was assumed that a higher activity of photocatalysts could be achieved provided that both reduction and oxidation reaction pathways occur with equally high efficiency.

The first multicenter and randomized clinical trial of herbal Fufang for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

This multicenter and randomized clinical trial showed that daily oral herbal formula Xian Ling Gu Bao (XLGB) was safe in postmenopausal women over a 1-year treatment. Those patients (n ∼ 50) treated with XLGB at the conventional dose demonstrated a statistically significant increase in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine at 6 months and a numerically increased BMD at 12 months.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of a herbal formula XLGB in postmenopausal women (ChiCTR-TRC-00000347).

METHODS

One hundred eighty healthy postmenopausal women (≥60 years old) with BMD T-score ≤ -2.0 (lumbar spine or femoral neck) were recruited from four clinical centers to receive low-dose (conventional dose) XLGB (L-XLGB group, 3 g/day, n = 61) or high-dose XLGB (H-XLGB group, 6 g/day, n = 58) or placebo (CON group, n = 61). Women received daily calcium (500 mg) and vitamin D (200 IU) supplementation. Primary endpoints were lumbar spine BMD and safety; secondary endpoints were femoral neck BMD and bone turnover markers measured at baseline and at 6 and 12 months.

RESULTS

Of 180 women recruited, 148 completed the study. The compliance in each group was comparable. Prominent adverse events were not observed in either group. In the L-XLGB group at 6 months, lumbar spine BMD by DXA increased significantly from baseline (+2.11% versus CON +0.58%, p < 0.05), but femoral neck BMD did not; at 12 months, BMD in the L-XLGB group decreased from 6-month levels yet remained higher than baseline, but without difference from the CON group. There was no dose-dependent response. Bone turnover marker levels declined during the first 6 months after XLGB treatment. There was no significant difference in the overall incidence of side effects among treatment and control groups.

CONCLUSION

XLGB over 1-year treatment at the conventional dose demonstrated safe and only a statistically significant increase in BMD at lumbar spine at 6 months in postmenopausal women.