Musculoskeletal computational analysis on muscle mechanical characteristics of drivers' lumbar vertebras and legs in different sitting postures.

Using computer-aided engineering (CAE) in the concept design stage of automobiles has become a hotspot in human factor engineering research. Based on human musculoskeletal biomechanical computational software, a seated human-body musculoskeletal model was built to describe the natural sitting posture of a driver. The interaction between the driver and car in various combinations of seat-pan/back-rest inclination angles was analyzed using an inverse-dynamics approach.

Janus Soft Actuators with On-Off Switchable Behaviors for Controllable Manipulation Driven by Oil.

Soft actuators have tremendous applications in diverse fields. Facile preparation, rapid actuation, and versatile actions are always pursued when developing new types of soft actuators. In this paper, we present a facile method integrating laser etching and mechanical cutting to prepare Janus actuators driven by oil.

Hispidulin induces ER stress-mediated apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo by activating AMPK signaling pathway.

Hispidulin (4',5,7-trihydroxy-6-methoxyflavone) is a phenolic flavonoid isolated from the medicinal plant S. involucrata, which exhibits anti-neoplastic activity against several types of cancer. However, the mechanism underlying its anti-cancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been fully elucidated.

Hispidulin inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis through AMPK and ERK signaling mediated activation of PPARγ.

Hispidulin, a phenolic flavonoid, exerts potent cytotoxicity towards a variety of human cancers. However, the effects of hispidulin on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and underlying molecular mechanisms of its action remain elusive. The present study investigated the effect of hispidulin on HCC in experimental models, including tumor cell lines and mouse tumor xenograft.

Temperature-tunable wettability on a bioinspired structured graphene surface for fog collection and unidirectional transport.

We designed a type of smart bioinspired wettable surface with tip-shaped patterns by combining polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and graphene (PDMS/G). The laser etched porous graphene surface can produce an obvious wettability change between 200 °C and 0 °C due to a change in aperture size and chemical components. We demonstrate that the cooperation of the geometrical structure and the controllable wettability play an important role in water gathering, and surfaces with tip-shaped wettability patterns can quickly drive tiny water droplets toward more wettable regions, so making a great contribution to the improvement of water collection efficiency.

Bioinspired Fabrication of one dimensional graphene fiber with collection of droplets application.

We designed a kind of smart bioinspired fiber with multi-gradient and multi-scale spindle knots by combining polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and graphene oxide (GO). Multilayered graphene structures can produce obvious wettability change after laser etching due to increased roughness. We demonstrate that the cooperation between curvature and the controllable wettability play an important role in water gathering, which regulate effectively the motion of tiny water droplets.

Single dose administration of L-carnitine improves antioxidant activities in healthy subjects.

L-carnitine has been used as a supplement to treat cardiovascular or liver disease. However, there has been little information about the effect of L-carnitine on anti-oxidation capability in healthy human subjects. This study was designed to investigate the correlation between plasma L-carnitine concentration and antioxidant activity.

Comparison of pharmacokinetics of L-carnitine, acetyl-L-carnitine and propionyl-L-carnitine after single oral administration of L-carnitine in healthy volunteers.

Purpose: To investigate the pharmacokinetics of L-carnitine (LC) and its analogues, acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) and propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC) in healthy volunteers after single L-carnitine administration.

Methods: Liquid L-carnitine (2.0 g) was administered orally as a single dose in 12 healthy subjects.

Polypeptide from Chlamys farreri inhibits murine thymocytes apoptosis and modulates UVB induced signaling pathway activation.

Polypeptide from Chlamys farreri (PCF) has been identified as a potent antioxidant and photoprotective agent. In this study, we investigated whether PCF could inhibit apoptosis of murine thymocytes induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) and modulate UVB induced the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) cascade in vitro. Our results show that PCF inhibit UVB-induced apoptotic cell death in murine thymocytes.

Inhibitory effect of polypeptide from Chlamys farreri on UVA-induced apoptosis in human keratinocytes.

Polypeptide from Chlamys farreri (PCF, Mr = 879) is a novel marine active product isolated from gonochoric Chinese scallop Chlamys farreri which has been served as sea food for several thousand years. As an octapeptide, PCF consists of 8 amino acids, namely, Pro, Asn, Ser, Thr, Arg, Hyl, Cys, and Gly. PCF had been identified as a marine chemopreventive drug that protected hairless mice's epidermis against UV-induced damage in our previous study.

Polypeptide from Chlamys farreri protects HaCaT cells from UVB-induced apoptosis.

A natural polypeptide from marine Chlamys farreri (a kind of scallop) (PCF), has been recently been found to be an effective photoprotective agent against ultraviolet rays B (UVB)-induced mitochondria damage in normal human fibroblasts. To investigate whether PCF has the antiapoptotic effect on human keratinocytes, in the present study, we established an apoptotic model on HaCaT cell line by means of UVB radiance of 30 mJ/cm(2) and compared the effect of different PCF treatments on UVB-radiated cells. Flow cytometry analyses showed that PCF treatment before UVB-irradiation inhibited UVB-induced apoptosis, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsim) and the increase of free Ca(2+) level in HaCaT cells.

Inhibitory effect of polypeptide from Chlamys farreri on ultraviolet A-induced oxidative damage on human skin fibroblasts in vitro.

We have previously reported that polypeptide from Chlamys farreri (PCF) inhibits the oxidative damage of ultraviolet A (UVA) on HeLa cells in vitro [Acta Pharm. Sin. 23 (2002) 961].