Abstract Numerous studies have demonstrated that Radix Astragali can inhibit gastric ulcers in mice. Anhydrous ethanol (0.01 mL/g) administered to mice by intragastric infusion can induce gastric ulcer injury. This study was performed to compare the stomach tissue distribution profiles of four major bioactive constituents of Radix Astragali(calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, calycosin, ononin and formononetin) after oral administration of extract of Radix Astragali (ERA)in normal and gastric ulcer mice. The abundance of Radix Astragali constituents was determined using an ultra-pressure liquid chromatograph with a photodiode array detector (UPLC-PDA), after which histograms were drawn. In comparison with normal mice, the contents of calycosin- 7-O-β-d-glucoside, calycosin, ononin and formononetin in the stomach tissue samples of gastric ulcer mice showed significant differences at the selected time points (P < 0.05).The abundance of each of the four tested constituents in the normal groups was higher than that of the gastric ulcer groups. This study provides an empirical foundation for future studies focused on developing clinical applications of Radix Astragali.

Abstract Purpose To examine effects of resveratrol on renal ischemia/ reperfusion injury (I/R) in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model. Methods Twenty-four male Sprague Dawley rats were treated with STZ injection for the development of diabetes, and divided into the following groups: Sham group, I/R group and Resveratrol group (n=8). Resveratrol (RSV) was administered at a dose of 10 mg.kg-1.d-1 fourteen days prior to suffering from I/R. Renal function, histology, SOD, MDA, TUNEL assay and expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, NF-κB-P65, COX-2 and Caspase3, Bcl2 and Bax were analyzed. Results Administration of RSV significantly reduced the serum levels of renal dysfunction and injury markers, including creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and MDA; in the other hand, it significantly increased the serum levels of SOD. The protective effect of RSV was also reflected on histologic evaluation. RSV reduced the number of apoptotic cells as determined by TUNEL assay. RSV significantly reduced the protein expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, NF-κB-P65, COX-2 and Caspase3, and Bax. Meanwhile, RSV significantly increased the protein expression of Bcl2. Conclusion RSV attenuated I/R-induced renal injury in diabetic rats through the modulation of oxidative stress and TNF-α-stimulated inflammation.

Abstract Coke formation inside radiant coils is one of the main problems during thermal cracking of hydrocarbons. The on-line preparation of the coating for coking inhibition is a promising technology because it provides more flexibility to the operators on site. The SiO2/S coating was prepared on the inner surface of coils in an 8-year-served GK-VI industrial cracking furnace. The effects of the coating preparation process on the operation of TLE were studied. The coking rates of the tube with and without coating preparation were evaluated by the trend change of tube metal temperature. Simulations of the coating deposition process were further carried out using the computational fluid dynamics approach. The results showed that a significant temperature increase at the outlets of TLEs during coating preparation were due to the accumulation of SiO2 and S in a loose form under the TLE operating conditions when the concentration of coating precursors was 7500 ppm (wt. %). In the three tests, coating precursors were mainly completely consumed in tubes and TLEs. For the coated tube, the run time was extended by 4-7 days because the catalytic coking was decreased. No significant changes in the distribution of products and molar yields of main products were observed. In the simulations, it was found that increasing the inlet flow rate led to a more uniform thickness and improved the mass content of sulfur in the coating. In the tube bend section, circumferential nonuniformities for the deposition were due to circumferential differences in the temperatures and mass fractions. The mass fraction of S in the coating was within the range of 0.02%-0.1%. The control step for the SiO2/S coating deposition was kinetic. Based on the simulation results, the optimized coating preparation parameters were determined, i.e., the inlet flow rate of 15t/h, the outlet temperature of 1093K and the inlet mass concentration of 3000 ppm (wt. %).

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the effect of Picroside II on testicular ischemia and reperfusion (l/R) injury and the underlying mechanism. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: sham operated group (Sham), Sham with Picroside II treatment group (Sham+ Pic II), l/R group (l/R) and l/R with Picroside II treatment group (I/R+ Pic II). l/R model was established by rotating the left testis 720° in a clock-wise direction for 4 hours. The histopathologic and spermatogenetic evaluation was performed. The apoptosis changes and the levels of HO-1 (heme oxygenase-1), MPO (myeloperoxidase), NOX (NADPH oxidase), SOD (superoxide dismutase), XO (xanthine oxidase) and NOS (nitric oxide synthase) were measured. Results: The seminiferous tubules were damaged in l/R rats, but Picroside II alleviated the changes induced by l/R. The increased level of apoptosis was decreased by Picroside II (P=0.01, 9.05±0.35 vs. 4.85±0.25). The activities of HO-1, MPO, NOX, XO and MDA content were increased and the SOD activity was decreased in l/R (P<0.05) and could be reversed by Picroside II (P=0.03, 405.5±7.5 vs. 304±17U/mgprot; P=0.02, 0.99±0.05 vs. 0.52±0.04 mgprot; P=0.01, 260+7 vs. 189±2 mgprot; P=0.04, 10.95+0.55 vs. 8.75+0.35 U/mgprot; P=0.045, 6.8+0.7 vs. 3.75+0.35 mgprot; P=0.04, 44.5+3.5 vs. 57.5+3.5 mgprot). Western blot showed that the expression of iNOS, nNOS and eNOS were increased in l/R (P<0.05); however, they were decreased after Picroside II treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Picroside II attenuated testicular I/R injury in rats mainly through suppressing apoptosis and oxidative stress through reduction of nitric oxide synthesis.

ABSTRACT: Biological degumming is an eco-friendly, efficient, high-quality and low-cost method that has become the leading bast fiber degumming technology. However, bacterial strains with short degumming cycles, high gum removal rates and small fiber damage are few. To screen high quality microbial resources with bast-fiber biological degumming function, soil samples were collected from a continuously cultivated banana plantation and then used to be enriched by ramie and kenaf materials in turn. A selective pectin-degrading medium was used to screen for excellent bacteria. A dominant bacterial strain was identified by phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, and its biological degumming effects on ramie and kenaf were verified by a comprehensive evaluation system. Results showed that seven bacterial strains secreting pectinase were obtained and the largest hydrolysis circle with a diameter ratio H/C of 2.4 was produced by the bacterial strain hn1-1, which was preliminarily identified as the Bacillus cereus by colony morphological characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence (GenBank accession number: KX013542) cluster analysis. The fiber production of ramie and kenaf degummed by B. cereus hn1-1 for 10 h were 72 % and 76 %, the residual gum rates were 4 % and 5 %, respectively. These values satisfied the textile industry requirement of < 6 % residual gum rate. Therefore, an effective biological degumming bacterium, B. cereus, was identified using a pectin-hydrolysis selective medium through a simple, economical, and time-saving method. Furthermore, the biological degumming technology by B. cereus for ramie and kenaf had a short cycle, ideal removal gum rate, and high-quality and productive fiber output.

Abstract The goal of this research was to investigate the linkage disequilibrium between rs9263726 and HLA-B*58:01 in different Chinese ethnic groups (Han, Tibet, and Hui) and to study the feasibility of rs9263726 replacing HLA-B*58:01 as an efficient indicator of potential allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome. In this study, rs9263726 and HLA-B*58:01 were detected in all samples. For samples of individuals whose rs9263726 genotypes were not consistent with HLA-B*58:01, we did high-resolution typing of HLA-B gene to further confirm the correlation of rs9263726 genotype and special HLA-B alleles. We confirmed that the linkage disequilibrium between rs9263726 and HLA-B*58:01 was more significant in the Han ethnic group (r2=0.886, D’=1.0) than in the Tibet and Hui ethnic groups (for Tibetan, r2=0.606, D’=0.866; for Hui, r2=0.622, D’=0.924). For Han Chinese, samples with the GG genotype of rs9263726 did not carry HLA-B*58:01, while AA genotype samples were homozygous carriers of HLA-B*58:01. However, GA genotype samples of rs9263726 required a more sophisticated HLA-B genotyping assay before it was possible to identify whether they were HLA-B*58:01 carriers or not. For Tibetan and Hui, the linkage disequilibrium between rs9263726 and HLA-B*58:01 was not significant. Therefore, rs9263726 cannot replace HLA-B*58:01 in these two groups.

Abstract A novel two-step process of Cr-Mn pack cementation and thermal oxidation was applied to fabricate a MnCr2O4 spinel coating on HP 40 alloy. The Cr-Mn diffusion layer formed after the Cr-Mn pack cementation process is lacking in Fe and Ni. A dense and uniform coating formed on the alloy following thermal oxidation. The coating is mainly composed of MnCr2O4 spinel phase, while the outer surface of the coating is completely MnCr2O4 spinel. The coating exhibits a favorable thickness of about 7 µm according to SEM and EDS maps of its cross-section. The MnCr2O4 spinel coating significantly affects the coking mechanism and coke property according to coking experiments. Raman spectroscopy shows that the coated sample inhibits catalytic coke formation as more disordered carbon and amorphous carbon layers are present. Moreover, the coating is stable in coking and decoking environments.

NiO thin films were deposited on Si and Corning 1737 glass substrates using radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering system. The physical properties of NiO films under different sputtering power were thoroughly studied. The XRD results indicated that as-prepared NiO films with the sputtering power above 100 W developed only (200) preferred orientation. The AFM results showed that the NiO films were composed of different-size NiO nano-grains and the grain size increased with increasing the sputtering power. The samples marked A-E under the sputtering power of 80, 100, 120, 140 and 160 W have optical band gap values of 3.70, 3.65, 3.50, 3.45 and 3.44 eV, respectively. Comparatively, the controllable electrical properties of the films could be achieved by the variation of crystal quality arises from the sputtering power.

PURPOSE:To investigate if oxymatrine pretreatment could ameliorate renal I/R injury induced in rats and explore the possible role of oxymatrine in Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.METHODS: Unilaterally nephrectomized rats were insulted by I/R in their left kidney. Twenty four rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham group, I/R + saline-treated group, I/R + OMT-treated group. Oxymatrine or vehicle solution was administered intraperitoneally injected 60 min before renal ischemia, respectively. Renal function, histology, makers of oxidative stress, cell apoptosis and Nrf2/HO-1 expressions were assessed.RESULTS: Oxymatrine pretreatment exhibited an improved renal functional recovery, alleviated histological injury and oxidative stress, inhibiting tubular apoptosis, and accompanied by upregulated the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 proteins.CONCLUSION:Oxymatrine may attenuate renal ischemia/reperfusion injury, and this renoprotective effect may be through activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

PURPOSE:To investigate the protective effects of ozone oxidative preconditioning (OzoneOP) were associated with the modulation of TLR4-NF-κB pathway.METHODS: Thirty six rats were subjected to 45 min of renal ischemia, with or without treatment with OzoneOP (1 mg/kg). Blood samples were collected for the detection of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels. Histologic examinations were evaluated and immunohistochemistry was also performed for localization of TLR4 and NF-κB. The expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, ICAM-1 and MCP-1 were studied by Real-time PCR. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB.RESULTS:The results indicated that blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels increased significantly in I/R group. Rats treated with OzoneOP showed obviously less renal damage. Immunohistochemistry showed that TLR4 were ameliorated by OzoneOP. Realtime PCR showed that OzoneOP could significantly inhibit the increased mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, ICAM-1 and MCP-1 induced by I/R. Western blot indicated that the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB were upregulated in I/R group, but OzoneOP could inhibit this increase.CONCLUSION:These findings indicated that OzoneOP had potent anti-inflammatory properties by the modulation of the TLR4-NF-κB pathway in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury.