► The interaction of three corrosion inhibitors with Cu surface was studied. ► Density functional theory and periodic slabs approach were used. ► We studied inhibitor molecules in both neutral and ...deprotonated forms. ► The deformation charge density and projected density of states were analysed.
Density functional theory was used to investigate the adsorption of three corrosion inhibitors on the Cu(111) surface in both neutral and dehydrogenated forms, including imidazole, benzimidazole and 2-mercaptobenzimidazole. Results show that three neutral molecules can weakly chemisorb perpendicularly on the surface through NCu or SCu bond as well as the X H⋯Metal hydrogen bond (X=C or S). Neutral benzimidazole and 2-mercaptobenzimidazole can physisorb almost parallel to the surface. The dehydrogenated molecules can strongly chemisorb on the surface with both perpendicular and tilt adsorption configurations, and their chemisorption strength order is consistent with the experimental results of inhibiting efficiency.
ObjectivesHyperuricaemia is closely related to metabolic diseases and is receiving increasing attention from all over the world. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated ...with hyperuricaemia in non-obese Chinese population.DesignRetrospective cross-sectional study.SettingA large general hospital that can provide health check-ups in Hangzhou, China.ParticipantsA total of 5731 apparently healthy Chinese adults (2349 men and 3382 women) who took their health check-ups during the year of 2019. Exclusion criteria: (1) those with body mass index ≥24 kg/m2; (2) those with incomplete anthropometric and biochemical data; (3) those with a history of malignancy and (4) those under urate-lowering treatment.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe prevalence and factors associated with hyperuricaemia in non-obese Chinese adults.ResultsOf the 5731 non-obese subjects enrolled, 538 (9.4%) were identified as having hyperuricaemia, specifically 16.3% in men and 4.6% in women. The prevalence of hyperuricaemia markedly increased in women aged above 50 years. The prevalence of hyperuricaemia was significantly higher in metabolically unhealthy participants with normal weight than in metabolically healthy participants with normal weight. Participants with hyperuricaemia showed a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease than participants with normouraemia. Age, waist circumference, estimated glomerular filtration rate, blood urea nitrogen, excessive drinking and fatty liver were associated with hyperuricaemia in both genders.ConclusionThe prevalence of hyperuricaemia was 9.4% in non-obese Chinese adults. Non-obese participants with hyperuricaemia also showed multiple metabolic disorders. We suggest that clinicians pay attention to serum uric acid level in non-obese patients.
With the development of steel-structure construction technology in high-rise buildings, the design and construction of high-rise steel structures tend to be complicated. Based on the Zhuhai Tiejian ...Square project, the fluid-structure coupling calculation analysis and on-site monitoring are carried out in view of the wind load of the high-altitude steel-structure connecting bridge in the hoisting stage of the Zhuhai Tiejian Square project. The main structure of the project is four towers and five high-altitude, small-spacing steel structures connecting the four towers. The lifting process of the third zone is taken as the analysis object, and the hoisting idea of “low-altitude hoisting, overall lifting” is adopted. Because the span of the high-altitude steel-structure connecting bridge is small and the installation height is high, the influence of wind load on the hoisting process cannot be ignored. Therefore, the unidirectional fluid-structure coupling model of the high-altitude small-space steel-structure connecting bridge in the third zone was established by using CFD calculation software ANSYS Fluent 2022 R1, and the corresponding flow field and solid calculation results were obtained and analyzed. The analysis results show that the lifting structure still produces a certain deformation when the wind speed is 5 m/s or 10 m/s, and the calculation results show that the stress calculation results are still within the safe range of steel strength for the sensitivity of the lifting structure under wind load. With the increase of wind speed, the local maximum stress of the structure increases greatly, but the overall deformation remains stable, which indicates that the greatest challenge of hoisting steel structures under wind load may be the stability direction rather than the strength, so it is necessary to strictly monitor the displacement deformation of the structure during construction. Then, through the monitoring of the overall lifting process of the high-altitude, large-span, steel-connected structure of Zhuhai Tiejian Square from pre-lifting to formal lifting, real-time monitoring and data analysis show that the lifting process of the high-altitude steel bridge of Zhuhai Tiejian Square is safe and reliable, the force transformation of each component is reasonable, the lifting process is relatively stable, the external environment has little impact, and the expected monitoring effect has been achieved. The calculation simulation and on-site monitoring in this paper can provide theoretical and practical guidance for the construction safety under the influence of wind load in the construction process of high-altitude steel-structure hoisting, and provide an important reference value for similar projects.
Hormesis is a phenomenon of biphasic dose response characterized by exhibiting stimulatory or beneficial effects at low doses and inhibitory or toxic effects at high doses. Increasing numbers of ...chemicals of various types have been shown to induce apparent hormetic effect on cancer cells. However, the underlying significance and mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Berberine, one of the major active components of Rhizoma coptidis, has been manifested with notable anticancer activities. This study aims to investigate the hormetic effect of berberine and its influence on the anticancer activities of chemotherapeutic agents. Our results demonstrated that berberine at low dose range (1.25 ~ 5 μM) promoted cell proliferation to 112% ~170% of the untreated control in various cancer cells, while berberine at high dose rage (10 ~ 80 μM) inhibited cell proliferation. Further, we observed that co-treatment with low dose berberine could significantly attenuate the anticancer activity of chemotherapeutic agents, including fluorouracil (5-FU), camptothecin (CPT), and paclitaxel (TAX). The hormetic effect and thereby the attenuated anticancer activity of chemotherapeutic drugs by berberine may attributable to the activated protective stress response in cancer cells triggered by berberine, as evidenced by up-regulated MAPK/ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. These results provided important information to understand the potential side effects of hormesis, and suggested cautious application of natural compounds and relevant herbs in adjuvant treatment of cancer.
Density functional theory was used to investigate the adsorption of H2S and H/HS, H/H/S on Cu(100). The pathways and transition states of H2S dissociation were also studied. Results show that H2S ...prefers the top site, while H, S and HS prefer the hollow site during the adsorption process. H2S, HS and S can chemisorb on Cu(100) through the SCu bond due to the hybridization of the s, p orbit of S and the d orbit of Cu. The order of the adsorption energy for three forms is as follows: H/H/S, H/HS and H2S. In addition, the dissociation of H2S molecule on Cu(100) is thought to be an exothermic process. The activation energy of the first and second SH bonds in H2S are low and similar (approximately 10.15kcal/mol). In the dissociation of H2S, Cu atoms attract electrons from HS bond which leads the bond-breaking.
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•The co-adsorption of H/HS and H/H/S on Cu(100) was simulated.•The deformation charge density and projected density of states were analyzed.•The dissociation path of H2S on Cu(100) was mapped.•The effect of Cu during the dissociation of H2S was studied.
The influence of the filled polyethylene foam on the cushioning energy absorption and impact resistance of the corrugation tube is analyzed through the axial drop impact experiment. Moreover, the ...compression deformation mode of the corrugation tube wall is predicted and experimentally verified. Results show that the X-direction tube has initial geometrical imperfections, which may reduce the initial impact force. The interaction between the polyethylene foam and the corrugation tube wall can improve the overall stability of the filled tube, and the structural stability of the double corrugation tube is the best. For the single tube, double tube, and single-filled tube, the volume (or mass) of the foam relative to the corrugation tube increases sequentially. The cushioning energy absorption of the paper corrugation tube is not improved, but the impact resistance is reinforced.
Afamin is a member of the hepatokine that are strongly associated with various metabolic diseases. The relationship between afamin and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. This ...study aimed to explore the correlation between serum afamin levels and NAFLD. We analyzed 88 NAFLD patients and 88 age- and sex-matched healthy controls who took their health examinations at the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The association was further confirmed in 22 biopsy-confirmed NAFLD patients and 36 healthy controls. Serum afamin levels were evaluated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). NAFLD patients had significantly higher serum afamin levels than the healthy controls (14.79 ± 5.04 mg/L versus 10.83 ± 3.24 mg/L; P<0.001). Serum afamin levels were positively correlated with metabolic parameters including the body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, liver enzymes, and lipid profiles. A multiple regression analysis showed that serum afamin levels were independently related to the risk of NAFLD (OR: 1.289, 95% CI, 1.141–1.456; P<0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the area under curve (AUC) of serum afamin plus the BMI for detecting NAFLD was 0.878. In participants with liver biopsies, the serum afamin plus the BMI detected NAFLD with an AUC of 0.758. In conclusion, serum afamin levels were positively associated with prevalence and risk of NAFLD, and serum afamin plus the BMI had a high diagnostic performance for NAFLD. This study provides epidemiological evidence of afamin in NAFLD.
In this work, we used multi-scale computational simulation methods combined with density functional theory (DFT) and finite element analysis (FEA) in order to study the optical properties of ...substitutional doped aluminium nitride (AlN). There was strong surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in the near-infrared region of AlN substituted with different alkali metal doping configurations. The strongest electric field strength reached 10
V/m. There were local exciton and charge transfer exciton behaviours in some special doping configurations. These research results not only improve the application of multi-scale computational simulations in quantum surface plasmons, but also promote the application of AlN in the field of surface-enhanced linear and non-linear optical spectroscopy.
Currently, endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) monotherapy is the standard therapy for managing esophageal variceal hemorrhage. Patients generally need several sessions of endoscopy to achieve optimal ...variceal ablation, and the varices can recur afterward. Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) is an older technique, associated with certain complications. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of EVL alone versus combined EVL and EIS in the treatment of esophageal varices. This retrospective study included 84 patients, of which 40 patients were treated with EVL monotherapy and 44 patients were treated with combined EVL + EIS. The main outcomes were rebleeding rates, recurrence at six months, number of treatment sessions, length of hospital stay, cost of hospitalization, and procedural complications. At six months, the rebleeding rate and recurrence were significantly lower in the EVL + EIS group compared to the EVL group (2.3% versus 15.0%; and 9.1% versus 27.5%, respectively). The number of treatment sessions, length of hospital stay, and cost of hospitalization were significantly lower in the EVL + EIS group compared to those in the EVL group (2.3 ± 0.6 versus 3.2 ± 0.8 times; 14.5 ± 3.4 versus 23.5 ± 5.9 days; and 23918.6 ± 4220.4 versus 26165.2 ± 4765.1 renminbi, respectively). Chest pain was significantly lower in the EVL + EIS group compared to that in the EVL group (15.9% versus 45.0%). There were no statistically significant differences in the presence of fever or esophageal stricture in both groups. In conclusion, combined EVL + EIS showed less rebleeding rates and recurrence at six months and less chest pain and was more cost effective compared to EVL alone in the treatment of gastroesophageal varices.
Abstract
Background
E2F1 is a transcription factor that regulates cell cycle progression. It is highly expressed in most cancer cells and activates transcription of cell cycle-related kinases. ...Stathmin1 and transforming acidic coiled-coil-containing protein 3 (TACC3) are factors that enhance the stability of spindle fiber.
Methods
The E2F1-mediated transcription of transforming acidic coiled-coil-containing protein 3 (TACC3) and stathmin1 was examined using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), immunoblotting, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and luciferase reporter. Protein–protein interaction was studied using co-IP. The spindle structure was shown by immunofluorescence. Phenotype experiments were performed through MTS assay, flow cytometry, and tumor xenografts. Clinical colorectal cancer (CRC) specimens were analyzed based on immunohistochemistry.
Results
The present study showed that E2F1 expression correlates positively with the expression levels of stathmin1 and TACC3 in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues, and that E2F1 transactivates stathmin1 and TACC3 in CRC cells. Furthermore, protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation of stathmin1 at Ser16 is essential to the phosphorylation of TACC3 at Ser558, facilitating the assembly of TACC3/clathrin/α-tubulin complexes during spindle formation. Overexpression of Ser16-mutated stathmin1, as well as knockdown of stathmin1 or TACC3, lead to ectopic spindle poles including disorganized and multipolar spindles. Overexpression of wild-type but not Ser16-mutated stathmin1 promotes cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Consistently, a high level of E2F1, stathmin1, or TACC3 not only associates with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, and distant metastasis, but predicts poor survival in CRC patients.
Conclusions
E2F1 drives the cell cycle of CRC by promoting spindle assembly, in which E2F1-induced stathmin1 and TACC3 enhance the stability of spindle fiber.
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