Based on the relationship of dipole formation and charge compensation, we prepared BaTiO3-based (x%MnO2-0.05%Nb2O5–BaTiO3, x%Mn–Nb-BT) ceramics using a solid-phase reaction in air and a reducing ...atmosphere. The influences of MnO2 doping and sintering atmospheres on crystal structure, charge compensation and dielectric properties were comprehensively studied. The ion substitution mechanism, solid solubility, and crystallinity of x%Mn–Nb-BT ceramics in different atmospheres were resolved by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the percentages of oxygen vacancy and Ti3+ in this system were both affected by MnO2 doping and the atmosphere due to the reducibility of Mn4+ and the reducing atmosphere. Thus, the influence of doped MnO2 and the atmosphere on dipole formation and charge compensation was deeply discussed. These results provide further insight into the important role of MnO2 in improving the anti-reduction performance of BT-based ceramics.
LiZn1-xMxNbO4 (M = Co, Ni) (x = 0–0.06) systems were fabricated by a facile solid-state reaction method. Structure and property relationships of spinel structured LiZn1-xMxNbO4 were investigated ...systematically. Appropriate amount of Co2+ and Ni2+ greatly improved the dielectric loss of LiZnNbO4 ceramics. While, the dielectric loss deteriorated seriously when the doping content exceeded x = 0.02. The origin of dielectric loss in LiZn1-xMxNbO4 ceramics was investigated systematically. Moreover, the theoretical dielectric constant and linear expansion coefficient were calculated on the bases of the crystallographic parameters from XRD refinement. The temperature coefficient of resonant frequency calculated by the P-V theory agreed well with the test values. Due to the small doping content, the change in chemical bonds was negligible. Density became the major factor determining the variation of dielectric constant in LiZnNbO4 ceramics. At last, excellent microwave dielectric properties were obtained: Ts = 1010 °C, εr = 15.25, Qf = 107,000 GHz, τf = −63.3 ppm/°C for LiZn0.98Co0.02NbO4 and Ts = 995 °C, εr = 14.85, Qf = 104,000 GHz, τf = −61.7 ppm/°C for LiZn0.98Ni0.02NbO4.
•Structure and property of spinel structured LiZn1-xMxNbO4 are investigated.•The origin of dielectric loss in LiZn1-xMxNbO4 ceramics is clarified.•Dielectric constant and linear expansion coefficient are obtained by the P-V theory.•Excellent microwave performance make it a promising candidate for LTCC applications.
•Metformin and exercise ameliorated depression-like behaviors in CUMS mice.•GLP-1 was involved in antidepressant effects of metformin and exercise in CUMS mice.•GLP-1 role in antidepressant effects ...maybe relevant to protein levels of pERK and BAX.
Both depression itself and antidepressant medication have been reported to be significantly related to the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a treatment target for T2DM, has a neuroprotective effect. As an enhancer and sensitiser of GLP-1, metformin has been reported to be safe for the neurodevelopment. The present study aimed to determine whether and how GLP-1 mediates antidepressant effects of metformin and exercise in mice.
Male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 8 weeks. From the 4th week, CUMS mice were subjected to oral metformin treatment and/or treadmill running. A videocomputerized tracking system was used to record behaviors of mice for a 5-min session. ELISA, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to examine serum protein concentrations, protein levels in whole hippocampus, protein distribution and expression in dorsal and ventral hippocampus, respectively.
Our results supported the validity of metformin as a useful antidepressant; moreover, treadmill running favored metformin effects on exploratory behaviors and serum corticosterone levels. CUMS reduced GLP-1 protein levels and phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), but increased protein levels of B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X-protein (BAX) in mice hippocampus. All these changes were restored by both single and combined treatment with metformin and exercise.
We did not establish a causal relationship between GLP-1 expression and related signaling, using GLP-1 agonist and antagonist or knockout techniques.
Our findings have demonstrated that protein levels of pERK and BAX may be relevant to the role of GLP-1 in antidepressant effects of metformin and exercise, which may provide a novel topic for future clinical research.
To assess the prevalence, risk factors, clinical characteristics of Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) patients, and outcomes of AFLP patients treated with plasma exchange (PE).
We retrospectively ...reviewed the AFLP patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University and Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 2012 to May 2022. Final prediction model for death among AFLP by means of stepwise backward elimination with p value < 0.05. Patients treated with and without PE were compared by propensity-matched cohort study.
Two hundred ninety eight patients with the diagnosis of AFLP, and finally 290 patients were enrolled in the cohort study, 50 of whom (17.2%) were dead. Compared with AFLP patients alive, the dead of patients were more likely to be combined encephalopathy (p < 0.01), postpartum hemorrhage (p < 0.01), and found significantly higher frequency of fetal distress (p = 0.04), fetal death (p < 0.01). we developed a predicted probability value and with an area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve of 0.94 (95%CI 0.87 to 1.00), indicating AFLP patients' death. The patients treated with PE had a significantly lower 60-day mortality rate (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.29 to 2.64, p = 0.04), and significantly shorter duration of hospital-free days at day 28 (p = 0.01).
In conclusion, our study indicated that liver function were risk factors for maternal mortality, and PE was a protective factor for maternal 60-day mortality and hospital-free days at day 28 in AFLP patients.
A new low‐loss, low‐temperature sinterable microwave dielectric material ZnTiNbTaO8 was investigated for the first time. Single phase ZnTiNbTaO8 was obtained by the conventional solid‐state route and ...sintered at 1120°C–1200°C for 6 h. Theoretical density, packing fraction, bond valence, and oxygen octahedron distortion were calculated. The excellent microwave dielectric properties of ε = 36.3, Qf = 67 000 GHz, τf =−57.66 × 10−6/°C were obtained from the new ZnTiNbTaO8 materials sintered at 1140°C for 6 h.
SnO2/Ag/SnO2 tri-layer films were prepared on quartz glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering of SnO2 and DC magnetron sputtering of Ag. The influence of Ag layer thickness and SnO2 layer ...thickness on electrical and optical properties of the tri-layer films was investigated. Several analytical tools such as Hall measurements, four-point probe and ultraviolet–visible-near infrared spectrophotometer were used to explore the causes of the changes in electrical and optical properties. For the tri-layer film with top and bottom SnO2 thickness of 50nm and intermediate Ag thickness of 5nm, it exhibits the maximum figure of merit of 6.0×10−2Ω−1 with sheet resistance of 9.67Ω/sq., resistivity of 1.0×10−4Ω·cm and the average transmittance is 94.8% in the visible light region (400–800nm).
•SnO2/Ag/SnO2 (SAS) tri-layer film structures prepared by magnetron sputtering•SAS films prepared at different Ag and SnO2 layer thicknesses•SAS films have higher figure of merit than single transparent conductive oxide films.•SAS films have higher figure of merit than other multilayer films.
In order to improve the transparency and durability of the Cu films, SnO2/Cu/SnO2 layered composite structures have been investigated. The SnO2/Cu/SnO2 multilayer films have much lower sheet ...resistance compared with a single-layered SnO2 film. In our work, SnO2/Cu/SnO2 multilayer films were deposited on quartz glass substrates by RF and DC magnetron sputtering. We investigated the structural, electrical and optical properties of multilayer films at various Cu thicknesses and substrate temperatures. The highest conductivity of multilayer films was obtained with a carrier concentration of 2.3×1022cm−3 and a resistivity of 6.5×10−5Ω·cm at the optimum copper layer thickness and substrate temperature. The peak transmittance, photopic averaged transmittance, and figure of merit are 80%, 72%, and 8.3×10−3Ω−1, respectively.
•SnO2/Cu/SnO2 multilayer films were prepared at different Cu layer thicknesses.•SnO2/Cu/SnO2 multilayer films were prepared at different substrate temperatures.•The reasons for the change in electrical were discussed and explained possibly.•The reasons for the change in optical properties were discussed.
Background This study aimed to explore the clinical values of the percutaneous spinal endoscopy "isolation zone" technique for discogenic low back pain (DLBP). Methods This retrospective case series ...study enrolled patients with intervertebral DLBP treated with the percutaneous spinal endoscopy "isolation zone" technique in the department of Orthopedics, Cangzhou central Hospital affiliated to TianJin Medical University between September 2017 and September 2020. Results Forty-five patients with DLBP were enrolled. The mean operation time was 94.7 + or - 17.7 min. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score of lumbosacral pain was 6.95 + or - 1.02 before operation, 2.64 + or - 0.71, 1.80 + or - 0.54, 1.42 + or - 0.50, and 1.27 + or - 0.45 at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation, respectively. The Oswestry disability index (ODI) score of low back pain was 72.84 + or - 5.95 before operation, 35.1 + or - 5.30, 25.22 + or - 4.85, 16.78 + or - 4.63, and 10.91 + or - 2.36 at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation, respectively. At final follow-up, the treatment effect based on modified MacNab criteria was excellent in 24 cases, good in 13 cases, and fair in 8 cases. The excellent/good rate was 82.2%. Conclusion The percutaneous spinal endoscopic "isolation zone" technique seems to be a promising surgical alternative for DLBP. Keywords: Low back pain, Endoscopy, Nerve block, Treatment outcome, Case series
In this study, an efficient strategy for the synthesis of dumbbell-shaped amphiphilic copolymers with cyclic moieties as the two bells was developed and the enhanced performance of dumbbell-shaped ...copolymers for controlled drug release because of the simultaneous introduction of two macrocycles was disclosed.
Primary sheep fetal fibroblasts (SFFCs) have emerged as a valuable resource for investigating the molecular and pathogenic mechanisms of orf viruses (ORFV). However, their utilization is considerably ...restricted due to the exorbitant expenses associated with their isolation and culture, their abbreviated lifespan, and the laborious procedure.
In our investigation, the primary SFFCs were obtained and immortalized by introducing a lentiviral recombinant plasmid containing the large T antigen from simian virus 40 (SV40). The expression of fibronectin and vimentin proteins, activity of SV40 large T antigen, cell proliferation assays, and analysis of programmed cell death revealed that the immortalized large T antigen SFFCs (TSFFCs) maintained the same physiological characteristics and biological functions as the primary SFFCs. Moreover, TSFFCs demonstrated robust resistance to apoptosis, extended lifespan, and enhanced proliferative activity compared to primary SFFCs. Notably, the primary SFFCs did not undergo in vitro transformation or exhibit any indications of malignancy in nude mice. Furthermore, the immortalized TSFFCs displayed live ORFV vaccine susceptibility.
Immortalized TSFFCs present valuable in vitro models for exploring the characteristics of ORFV using various techniques. This indicates their potential for secure utilization in future studies involving virus isolation, vaccine development, and drug screening.
