Viral pancreatitis: research advances and mechanisms.

Acute pancreatitis is caused by trypsinogen activation in acinar cells caused by various injury forms (gallstone, high triglycerides, alcohol, etc.). Viral pancreatitis is a clinically rare disease type, which is easily neglected by clinicians and causes serious adverse consequences.

Environmental health risks perception, attitude, and avoidance behaviour toward municipal solid waste incinerator.

This study aims to assess the relationship between risk perception, attitude, and avoidance among residents toward an urban incinerator in Taichung, Taiwan. A cross-sectional study was conducted and three schools were enrolled. The case group was composed of 514 residents who live near an incinerator.

Functionalization of Graphene Oxide and its Composite with Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) as Electrode Material for Supercapacitors.

In this study, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/thiophene-grafted graphene oxide (PEDOT/Th-GO) composites from covalently linking of Th-GO with PEDOT chains were prepared via in situ chemical polymerization with different weight percentage of Th-GO ranging between 40 and 70 % in reaction medium. The resulting composite materials were characterized using a various analytical techniques. The structural analysis showed that the composites displayed a higher degree of conjugation and thermal stability than pure PEDOT, and the weight percentage of Th-GO could affect the doping level, amount of undesired conjugated segments, and porous structure of composites.

Metabolite identification of seven active components of Huan-Nao-Yi-Cong-Fang in rat plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Huan-Nao-Yi-Cong-Fang (HNYCF) is a potential prescription in treating Alzheimer's disease. Seven constituents [ferulic acid (FA), 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside (THSG), berberine hydrochloride (BHCl), emodin, ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), ginsenoside Re (Re) and ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1)] have been used as quality chemical markers of HNYCF owing to their biological significance and high contents in crude plant materials. This study explored the metabolites of the seven bioactive components in rat plasma to give useful data for further study of the action mechanism of HNYCF.

Preparation of PEDOT/GO, PEDOT/MnO2, and PEDOT/GO/MnO2 nanocomposites and their application in catalytic degradation of methylene blue.

The nanocomposite materials of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/graphene oxide (PEDOT/GO), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/MnO2 (PEDOT/MnO2), and poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/graphene oxide/MnO2 (PEDOT/GO/MnO2) were successfully prepared by facile and template-free solution method. The structure and morphology of nanonanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra (UV-vis), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), respectively. The catalytic activities of nanocomposites were investigated through the degradation processes of methylene blue (MB) solution under dark, UV light, and nature sunlight irradiation, respectively.

The structure and properties of PEDOT synthesized by template-free solution method.

In this study, a simple one-step template-free solution method was developed for the preparation of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOTs) with different morphologies by adjusting various ratios of oxidant (FeCl3·6H2O) to monomer (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT)). The results from structural analysis showed that the structure of PEDOT was strongly affected by the oxidant/monomer ratio, and the polymerization degree, conjugation length, doping level, and crystallinity of PEDOT decreased with increasing of the oxidant/monomer ratio. The morphological analysis showed that PEDOT prepared from an oxidant/monomer ratio of 3:1 displayed a special coral-like morphology, and the branches of 'coral' would adjoin or grow together with increasing content of oxidant in the reaction medium; consequently, the morphology of PEDOT changed from coral to sheets (at an oxidant/monomer ratio of 9:1).

Parallel clustering algorithm for large-scale biological data sets.

Backgrounds: Recent explosion of biological data brings a great challenge for the traditional clustering algorithms. With increasing scale of data sets, much larger memory and longer runtime are required for the cluster identification problems. The affinity propagation algorithm outperforms many other classical clustering algorithms and is widely applied into the biological researches.

A network clustering algorithm for detection of protein families.

Detection of protein families in large scale database is a difficult but important biological problem. Computational clustering methods can effectively address the problem. Although there exist many clustering algorithms, most of them are just based on the threshold.

Effect of Cl-, SO4(2-), and fulvate anions on Cd2+ free ion concentrations in simulated rhizosphere soil solutions.

The binding between heavy metals and corresponding ligands affects their chemical behavior and toxicity in soil environments. The mechanisms of competitive complexation and/or chelation between Cd(2+) free cations and preferential concentrations of Cl(-), SO(4)(2-), and fulvate anions were investigated in simulated soil solutions at pH 4.00, 5.

Relationship between lead uptake by lettuce and water-soluble low-molecular-weight organic acids in rhizosphere as influenced by transpiration.

The relationship between Pb uptake by leaf lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.) and water-soluble low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) in rhizosphere, as influenced by transpiration (high and low), has been studied. Studies were carried out by culturing lettuce plants grown for 2 weeks in pots filled with quartz sand mixed with anion-exchange resin and then for 30 days in a greenhouse.

Remediation of soil contaminated with pyrene using ground nanoscale zero-valent iron.

The sites contaminated with recalcitrant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are serious environmental problems ubiquitously. Some PAHs have proven to be carcinogenic and hazardous. Therefore, the innovative PAH in situ remediation technologies have to be developed instantaneously.

Using nanoscale zero-valent iron for the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contaminated soil.

The sites contaminated with recalcitrant organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with multiple benzene rings, are colossal and ubiquitous environmental problems. They are relatively nonbiodegradable and mutagenic, and 16 of them are listed in the U.S.