Expression levels and diagnostic value of serum GDNF, CEA and CA199 in patients with colorectal carcinoma.

Background: To investigate the expression levels and diagnostic value of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen199 (CA199) in patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC).

Methods: 50 CRC patients at our hospital from Feb. 2020 to Feb.

The gut microbiota participates in the effect of linaclotide in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C): a multicenter, prospective, pre-post study.

Background: Interindividual variation characterizes the relief experienced by constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) patients following linaclotide treatment. Complex bidirectional interactions occur between the gut microbiota and various clinical drugs. To date, no established evidence has elucidated the interactions between the gut microbiota and linaclotide.

Eosinophil and mast cell-derived exosomes promote integrity of intestinal mucosa via the NEAT1/miR-211-5p/glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor axis in duodenum.

Background: Exosomes are applied as biomarkers in several diseases according to their disease-specific profiles. However, the exosomes effects in functional dyspepsia (FD) are still fragmentary. Here we examined the role of Eosinophil and mast cell derived-exosomes in FD progression.

Stability Control of Quadruped Robot Based on Active State Adjustment.

The quadruped robot has a strong motion performance and broad application prospects in practical applications. However, during the movement of the quadruped robot, it is easy to be affected by external disturbance and environmental changes, which makes it unable to achieve the ideal effect movement. Therefore, it is very important for the quadruped robot to adjust actively according to its own state detection.

Overexpression of microRNA-211 in Functional Dyspepsia via Downregulation of the Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) by Increasing Phosphorylation of p38 MAPK Pathway.

Background: Overexpression of miRNA-211 suppresses the differentiation of bone marrow stem cells into intestinal ganglion cells via downregulation of GDNF, a regulator of intestine barrier function. The study aimed to investigate the interaction between miR-211 and GDNF on intestinal epithelial cells.

Methods: The expression levels of miR-211 and GDNF in duodenal biopsy specimens from FD patients and healthy controls were compared.

Clinical Efficacy of Tandospirone on Functional Dyspepsia Patients with Anxiety: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is characterized with multiple symptoms of indigestion and often accompanied with anxiety. However, there is currently an absence of effective treatment. Tandospirone is commonly used to treat generalized anxiety disorders.

Design and Dynamic Locomotion Control of Quadruped Robot with Perception-Less Terrain Adaptation.

In this paper, a parallel quadrupedal robot was designed that is capable of versatile dynamic locomotion and perception-less terrain adaptation. Firstly, a quadrupedal robot with a symmetric legs and a powerful actuator was implemented for highly dynamic movement. Then, a fast and reliable method based on generalized least square was proposed for estimating the terrain parameters by fusing the body, leg, and contact information.

Pandemic and student mental health: mental health symptoms among university students and young adults after the first cycle of lockdown in the UK.

Background: Early COVID-19 research suggests a detrimental impact of the initial lockdown on young people's mental health.

Aims: We investigated mental health among university students and young adults after the first UK lockdown and changes in symptoms over 6 months.

Method: In total, 895 university students and 547 young adults not in higher education completed an online survey at T1 (July-September 2020).

Force Estimation during Cell Migration Using Mathematical Modelling.

Cell migration is essential for physiological, pathological and biomedical processes such as, in embryogenesis, wound healing, immune response, cancer metastasis, tumour invasion and inflammation. In light of this, quantifying mechanical properties during the process of cell migration is of great interest in experimental sciences, yet few theoretical approaches in this direction have been studied. In this work, we propose a theoretical and computational approach based on the optimal control of geometric partial differential equations to estimate cell membrane forces associated with cell polarisation during migration.

Porous Inorganic Materials for Bioanalysis and Diagnostic Applications.

Porous inorganic materials play an important role in adsorbing targeted analytes and supporting efficient reactions in analytical science. The detection performance relies on the structural properties of porous materials, considering the tunable pore size, shape, connectivity, etc. Herein, we first clarify the enhancement mechanisms of porous materials for bioanalysis, concerning the detection sensitivity and selectivity.

Efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy for treatment of functional dyspepsia: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The effect of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) eradication therapy in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients was inconsistent in previously published randomized controlled trials. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis in order to assess whether H pylori eradication therapy benefits patients with FD.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we will search Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang Data, Medline, Science Direct, Cochrane Library through April, 2021.

Catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignin in ethanol/isopropanol over an activated carbon supported nickel-copper catalyst.

Lignin is the renewable and abundant source of aromatics on earth, and the depolymerization of lignin provides significant potential for producing valuable monophenols. In this work, catalytic hydrogenolysis of organosolv poplar lignin (OPL) in ethanol/isopropanol solvent over monometallic and bimetallic nonprecious catalysts was investigated. Ni/C and a series of NiCu/C catalyst with different Cu loadings were prepared and applied for depolymerization of OPL.

Experimental Investigation of the Impact of CO, CH, and H on the Explosion Characteristics of CH.

Gas explosions are destructive disasters in coal mines. Coal mine gas is a multi-component gas mixture, with methane (CH) being the dominant constituent. Understanding the process and mechanism of mine gas explosions is of critical importance to the safety of mining operations.

Life cycle, techno-economic and dynamic simulation assessment of bioelectrochemical systems: A case of formic acid synthesis.

A novel framework, integrating dynamic simulation (DS), life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) of a bioelectrochemical system (BES), has been developed to study for the first time wastewater treatment by removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) by oxidation in anode and thereby harvesting electron and proton for carbon dioxide reduction reaction or reuse to produce products in cathode. Increases in initial COD and applied potential increase COD removal and production (in this case formic acid) rates. DS correlations are used in LCA and TEA for holistic performance analyses.

Catalytic Oxidation of Lignin in Solvent Systems for Production of Renewable Chemicals: A Review.

Lignin as the most abundant source of aromatic chemicals in nature has attracted a great deal of attention in both academia and industry. Solvolysis is one of the promising methods to convert lignin to a number of petroleum-based aromatic chemicals. The process involving the depolymerization of the lignin macromolecule and repolymerization of fragments is complicated influenced by heating methods, reaction conditions, presence of a catalyst and solvent systems.

Dumbbell-Shaped Bi-component Mesoporous Janus Solid Nanoparticles for Biphasic Interface Catalysis.

There is a strong desire to design and synthesize catalysts that assemble at the oil-water interface to improve the efficiency of biphasic reactions. Anisotropic dumbbell-shaped bi-component mesoporous carbon-organosilica Janus particles with asymmetric wettability are synthesized through a one-step compartmentalized growth of a mesoporous organosilica sphere attached to a mesoporous resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) sphere. A library was prepared of tunable Janus particles possessing diverse hollow structures with various functionalities.

Semipermeable Elastic Microcapsules for Gas Capture and Sensing.

Monodispersed microcapsules for gas capture and sensing were developed consisting of elastic semipermeable polymer shells of tunable size and thickness and pH-sensitive, gas selective liquid cores. The microcapsules were produced using glass capillary microfluidics and continuous on-the-fly photopolymerization. The inner fluid was 5-30 wt % K2CO3 solution with m-cresol purple, the middle fluid was a UV-curable liquid silicon rubber containing 0-2 wt % Dow Corning 749 fluid, and the outer fluid was aqueous solution containing 60-70 wt % glycerol and 0.

Computational fluid dynamics modelling of biomass fast pyrolysis in fluidised bed reactors, focusing different kinetic schemes.

The present work concerns with CFD modelling of biomass fast pyrolysis in a fluidised bed reactor. Initially, a study was conducted to understand the hydrodynamics of the fluidised bed reactor by investigating the particle density and size, and gas velocity effect. With the basic understanding of hydrodynamics, the study was further extended to investigate the different kinetic schemes for biomass fast pyrolysis process.

Removal of Pb(II) from water by the activated carbon modified by nitric acid under microwave heating.

The rice husk based activated carbon (RH-AC) was treated by nitric acid under microwave heating, in order to improve its capability for the removal of heavy metal ions from water. The optimal conditions for the modification of RH-AC (M-RH-AC) were determined by means of orthogonal array experimental design, giving those as the concentration of nitric acid of 8mol/L, modification time of 15min, modification temperature of 130°C and microwave power of 800W. The characteristics of the M-RH-AC and RH-AC were examined by BET, XRD, Raman spectrum, pH titration, zeta potential, Boehm titration and FTIR analysis.

Structured Biodegradable Polymeric Microparticles for Drug Delivery Produced Using Flow Focusing Glass Microfluidic Devices.

Biodegradable poly(DL-lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles with tunable size, shape, internal structure and surface morphology were produced by counter-current flow focusing in axisymmetric (3D) glass capillary devices. The dispersed phase was composed of 0.5-2 wt % polymer solution in a volatile organic solvent (ethyl acetate or dichloromethane) and the continuous phase was 5 wt % aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solution.

Dynamics of double emulsion break-up in three phase glass capillary microfluidic devices.

Pinch-off of a compound jet in 3D glass capillary microfluidic device, which combines co-flowing and countercurrent flow focusing geometries, was investigated using an incompressible three-phase axisymmetric Volume of Fluid-Continuum Surface Force (VOF-CSF) numerical model. The model showed good agreement with the experimental drop generation and was capable of predicting formation of core/shell droplets in dripping, narrowing jetting and widening jetting regimes. In dripping and widening jetting regimes, the presence of a vortex flow around the upstream end of the necking thread facilitates the jet break-up.

Online evolved gas analysis by Thermogravimetric-Mass Spectroscopy for thermal decomposition of biomass and its components under different atmospheres: part I. Lignin.

Thermogravimetric-Mass Spectroscopy (TG-MS) study on lignin decomposition under different (oxygen-containing) atmospheres was carried out to investigate thermal performance of lignin during pyrolysis, oxidative gasification, oxy/fuel combustion and CO(2) gasification. Only one significant mass loss stage was observed for lignin decomposition under helium (He), while another stage, representing char oxidation, appeared under oxygen and CO(2) conditions. No significant variation of the activation energy was presented for the first pyrolysis stage under different atmospheres (from 40.

[A study on the preventive effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on the development of alcoholic fatty liver in rats and its possible mechanisms].

Objective: To study the preventive effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on the development of alcoholic fatty liver (AFL) in rats and its possible mechanisms.

Methods: One hundred twenty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: a blank control group, with distilled water intragastric infusion (GI); an alcohol group, with alcohol GI; a 5% LBP plus alcohol GI group; and a 10% LBP plus alcohol GI group. Liver pathologic changes were studied together with the activity of serum ALT, AST, GGT, the activity of liver SOD, GSH-PX and the content of liver MDA, GSH, H2O2; CYP2E1 gene and protein expressions were also detected.