Mechanically robust bamboo node and its hierarchically fibrous structural design.

Although short bamboo nodes function in mechanical support and fluid exchange for bamboo survival, their structures are not fully understood compared to unidirectional fibrous internodes. Here, we identify the spatial heterostructure of the bamboo node via multiscale imaging strategies and investigate its mechanical properties by multimodal mechanical tests. We find three kinds of hierarchical fiber reinforcement schemes that originate from the bamboo node, including spatially tightened interlocking, triaxial interconnected scaffolding and isotropic intertwining.

Bioinspired Impact-Resistant and Self-Monitoring Nanofibrous Composites.

Lightweight and impact-resistant materials with self-monitoring capability are highly desired for protective applications, but are challenging to be artificially fabricated. Herein, a scalable-manufactured aramid nanofiber (ANF)-based composite combining these key properties is presented. Inspired by the strengthening and toughening mechanisms relying on recoverable interfaces commonly existing in biological composites, mechanically weak but dense hydrogen bonds are introduced into the ANF interfaces to achieve simultaneously enhanced tensile strength (300 MPa), toughness (55 MJ m ), and impact resistance of the nanofibrous composite.

Large-Scale Production of Rectorite Nanosheets and Their Co-Assembly with Aramid Nanofibers for High-Performance Electrical Insulating Nanopapers.

Compared with raw rectorite microplatelets (RMs), rectorite nanosheets (RNs) have considerably greater application prospects in the preparation of advanced composite materials because of their larger aspect ratio, higher surface reactivity, and intrinsically superior mechanical and physical properties. However, the difficulty in the efficient preparation of RNs significantly limits their large-scale applications. Here, a scalable poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-assisted stirring approach is developed to prepare ultrathin RNs from the abundant natural RMs.

Double-Layer Nacre-Inspired Polyimide-Mica Nanocomposite Films with Excellent Mechanical Stability for LEO Environmental Conditions.

Owing to their outstanding comprehensive performance, polyimide (PI) composite films are widely used on the external surfaces of spacecraft to protect them from the adverse conditions of low Earth orbit (LEO). However, current PI composite films have inadequate mechanical properties and atomic oxygen (AO) resistance. Herein, this work fabricates a new PI-based nanocomposite film with greatly enhanced mechanical properties and AO resistance by integrating mica nanosheets with PI into a unique double-layer nacre-inspired structure with a much higher density of mica nanosheets in the top layer.

Nacreous aramid-mica bulk materials with excellent mechanical properties and environmental stability.

Low density, high strength and toughness, together with good environmental stability are always desirable but hardly to achieve simultaneously for man-made structural materials. Replicating the design motifs of natural nacre clearly provides one promising route to obtain such kind of materials, but fundamental challenges remain. Herein, by choosing aramid nanofibers and mica microplatelets as building blocks, we produce a nacreous aramid-mica bulk material with a favorable combination of low density (∼1.

Luteolin Protects Pheochromocytoma (PC-12) Cells against A -Induced Cell Apoptosis through the ER/ERK/MAPK Signalling Pathway.

The regulatory effect of luteolin on the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear from the perspective of apoptosis. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of luteolin against A -induced cell apoptosis in pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells. A was used to induce an in vitro model of AD.

Nacre-mimic Reinforced Ag@reduced Graphene Oxide-Sodium Alginate Composite Film for Wound Healing.

With the emerging of drug-resistant bacterial and fungal pathogens, there raise the interest of utilizing versatile antimicrobial biomaterials to treat the acute wound. Herein, we report the spraying mediated assembly of a bio-inspired Ag@reduced graphene-sodium alginate (AGSA) composite film for effective wound healing. The obtained film displayed lamellar microstructures similar to the typical "brick-and-mortar" structure in nacre.

Lanthanide co-doped paramagnetic spindle-like mesocrystals for imaging and autophagy induction.

We synthesized two novel lanthanide doped spindle-like mesocrystals, YF3:Ce,Eu,Gd and YF3:Ce,Tb,Gd (abbreviated as YEG and YTG mesospindles, respectively). Both of them possess paramagnetic and fluorescent properties, and their excellent cyto-compatibility and low haemolysis are further confirmed. Therefore, they could act as dual mode contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorescence imaging.

[Effects of Acupuncture on Neurofunction and Neuropsychological Factors of Chronic Alcoholic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients].

Objective: To observe the effects of acupuncture on neurofunction and neuropsychological factors of chronic alcoholic peripheral neuropathy (CAPN) patients.

Methods: Totally 120 CAPN patients were assigned to the common treatment group, acupuncture group A, and acupuncture group B according to random digit table, 40 in each group. All patients recieved conventional drug therapy.

Potential risk factors for the development of seroma following mastectomy with axillary dissection.

Seroma is a common complication following breast cancer surgery and the controllable predictive factors remain unknown. Patients who underwent mastectomy with axillary dissection between 2008 and 2011 in our hospital were retrospectively investigated. The demographics, clinical characteristics and therapeutic factors of each patient were recorded.

Effects of repeated allopurinol administration on rat cytochrome P450 activity.

Allopurinol is a popular and widely-prescribed anti-hyperuricemic agent that has been implicated in drug interactions with substrates of several cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. The effect of repeated allopurinol administration (20 mg/kg, once daily for 14 days) on metabolic activity of CYP was assessed in rats. This was a randomized, double-blind, two-way crossover study with a 4-week washout period between phases.

Expression and clinical significance of osteopontin in calcified breast tissue.

Osteopontin (OPN) is an integrin-binding protein, believed to be involved in a variety of physiological cellular functions. The physiology of OPN is best documented in the bone where this secreted adhesive glycoprotein appears to be involved in osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. In our study, we used semi-quantitative RT-PCR of osteopontin in calcification tissue of breast to detect breast cancer metastasis.

[Efficacy observation of combination of Lumbrukinase Capsule and Probucol Tablet in treating cerebral infarction patients' unstable atheromatous plaque of the carotid artery].

Objective: To observe the effects of combination of Lumbrukinase Capsule (LC) and Probucol Tablet (PT) in treating cerebral infarction (CI) patients' unstable atheromatous plaque of the carotid artery.

Methods: 150 patients were randomly assigned to the PT group and the LC group, 75 cases in each. Patients in the PT group took 0.

[Research on iron in marshy rivers of the Sanjiang Plain].

River waters (including the main river and marshy river) were sampled to study the iron concentration, species and complexed competitive ability in the Sanjiang Plain in order to reveal the influence of wetland reclamation on the iron species and output flux. The cross-flow filtration technique was employed to separate iron species according to size fraction. The result showed that the typical marshy river which is rich in organic matters became an important iron source for atypical marshy river.