Treatment with β-sitosterol ameliorates the effects of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by suppressing cholesterol overload, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis

β-Sitosterol is a type of phytosterol that occurs naturally in plants.Previous studies have shown that it has anti-oxidant,anti-hyperlipidemic,anti-inflammatory,immunomodulatory,and anti-tumor effects,but it is unknown whetherβ-sitosterol treatment reduces the effects of ischemic stroke.Here we found that,in a mouse model of ischemic stroke induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion,β-sitosterol reduced the volume of cerebral infarction and brain edema,reduced neuronal apoptosis in brain tissue,and alleviated neurological dysfunction;moreover,β-sitosterol increased the activity of oxygen-and glucose-deprived cerebral cortex neurons and reduced apoptosis.Further investigation showed that the neuroprotective effects ofβ-sitosterol may be related to inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress caused by intracellular cholesterol accumulation after ischemic stroke.In addition,β-sitosterol showed high affinity for NPC1L1,a key transporter of cholesterol,and antagonized its activity.In conclusion,β-sitosterol may help treat ischemic stroke by inhibiting neuronal intracellular cholesterol overload/endoplasmic reticulum stress/apoptosis signaling pathways.

Neural stem cells promote neuroplasticity: a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Recent studies have demonstrated that neuroplasticity,such as synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis,exists throughout the normal lifespan but declines with age and is significantly impaired in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.Hence,promoting neuroplasticity may represent an effective strategy with which Alzheimer’s disease can be alleviated.Due to their significant ability to self-renew,differentiate,and migrate,neural stem cells play an essential role in reversing synaptic and neuronal damage,reducing the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease,including amyloid-β,tau protein,and neuroinflammation,and secreting neurotrophic factors and growth factors that are related to plasticity.These events can promote synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis to repair the microenvironment of the mammalian brain.Consequently,neural stem cells are considered to represent a potential regenerative therapy with which to improve Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.In this review,we discuss how neural stem cells regulate neuroplasticity and optimize their effects to enhance their potential for treating Alzheimer’s disease in the clinic.

Review of stopping power and Coulomb explosion for molecular ion in plasmas

We summarize our theoretical studies for stopping power of energetic heavy ion,diatomic molecular ions and small clusters penetrating through plasmas.As a relevant research field for the heavy ion inertial confinement fusion(HICF),we lay the emphasis on the dynamic po-larization and correlation effects of the constituent ion within the molecular ion and cluster for stopping power in order to disclose the role of the vicinage effect on the Coulomb explosion and energy deposition of molecules and clusters in plasma.On the other hand,as a promising scheme for ICF,both a strong laser field and an intense ion beam are used to irradiate a plasma target.So the influence of a strong laser field on stopping power is significant.We discussed a large range of laser and plasma parameters on the coulomb explosion and stopping power for correlated-ion cluster and C 60 cluster.Furthermore,in order to indicate the effects of different cluster types and sizes on the stopping power,a comparison is made for hydrogen and carbon clusters.In addition,the deflection of molecular axis for diatomic molecules during the Coulomb explosion is also given for the cases both in the presence of a laser field and laser free.Finally,a future experimental scheme is put forward to measure molecular ion stopping power in plasmas in Xi’an Jiaotong University of China.

Comparative studies on fouling of homogeneous anion exchange membranes by different structured organics in electrodialysis

Five negatively charged organic compounds with different structures, sodium methane sulfonate(MS), sodium benzene sulfonate(BS), sodium 6-hydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonate(NSS), sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS), and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate(SDBS), were used to examine the fouling of an anion exchange membrane(AEM) in electrodialysis(ED),to explore the effect of molecular characteristics on the fouling behavior on the AEM and changes in the surface and electrochemical properties of the AEM. Results indicated that the fouling degree of the AEM by the different organics followed the order:SDBS > SDS > NSS > BS > MS. SDBS and SDS formed a dense fouling layer on the surface of the AEM, which was the main factor in the much more severe membrane fouling, and completely restricted the transmembrane ion migration. The other three organics caused fouling of the AEM by adsorption on the surface and/or accumulation in the interlayer of the AEM, and exhibited almost no influence on the transmembrane ion migration. It was also concluded that the organics with benzene rings caused more severe fouling of the AEM due to the stronger affinity interaction and steric effect between the organics and the AEM compared with organics with aliphatic chains.

Preparation of porous silica spheres with self-dispersing properties

A sol-gel procedure in a water/oil emulsion was introduced for the synthesis of porous silica spheres. Tetraethoxysilane was used as the silica source. The specific surface area and total pore volume of the product reached 772.3 m2/g and 0.663 cm3/g, respectively. The electrolyte washing process conferred a surface charge to the product, which displayed self-dispersal properties in water. The porous spheres have potential applications in the fields of drug delivery, controlled release capsules, indoor air pollutant scavengers, and hydrogen storage agents. The oil phase, which accounts for over 8O% of the chemical cost of the procedure, could largely be recycled by filtering, standing, and layering. The whole procedure is suitable for application as an industrial process.

阴离子交换膜改性及抗污染性能研究进展

电渗析技术应用于工业废水脱盐时,废水中有机物及其它杂质组分等会造成膜污染,进而影响脱盐性能。电渗析膜污染防治对促进电渗析在工业废水处理中的应用有重要意义。相比于阳离子交换膜,阴离子交换膜更易形成有机污染,且更严重。阴离子交换膜污染主要由腐殖酸、牛血清蛋白、阴离子表面活性剂等有机物造成,污染过程主要受静电作用、亲和作用和几何因素的影响。膜改性提高阴离子交换膜的抗污染性能是电渗析膜污染防治的有效方法,目前已有许多有关膜改性提高阴离子交换膜抗污染性能的报道。膜改性方法主要有化学改性法、等离子体改性法、表面涂覆改性法、电沉积改性法、自聚合改性法及改进基膜结构法等。本工作对阴离子交换膜改性及抗污染性能的研究进展进行了综述,对不同改性方法的优缺点进行了分析和评价。这些改性方法能提高阴膜表面的负电荷密度和亲水性、降低膜表面粗糙度和基膜含水率等,因此可以改善阴离子交换膜的抗污染性能。然而,目前研究获得的改性阴离子交换膜仍存在修饰层不稳定、抗污染性能不理想和性能测试不系统等缺点,需进一步优化改性方法、改性工艺、组分修饰及性能测试等,以获得抗污染性能稳定且效果良好的改性阴离子交换膜。

Mechanism and kinetics of aluminum dissolution during copper sorption by acidity paddy soil in South China

Soil aggregates were prepared from a bulk soil collected from paddy soil in the Taihu Lake region and aluminum（Al） dissolution, solution p H changes during copper（Cu2＋） sorption were investigated with static sorption and magnetic stirring. Kinetics of Cu2＋sorption and Al dissolution were also studied by magnetic stirring method. No Al dissolution was observed until Cu2＋sorption was greater than a certain value, which was 632, 450, 601 and674 mg/kg for sand, clay, silt, and coarse silt fractions, respectively. Aluminum dissolution increased with increasing Cu2＋sorption and decreasing solution p H. An amount of dissolved Al showed a significant positive correlation with non-specific sorption of Cu2＋（R2〉 0.97）, and it was still good under different p H values（R2〉 0.95）. Copper sorption significantly decreased solution p H. The magnitude of solution p H decline increased as Cu2＋sorption and Al dissolution increased. The sand and clay fraction had a less Al dissolution and p H drop due to the higher ferric oxide, Al oxide and organic matter contents. After sorption reaction for half an hour, the Cu2＋sorption progress reached more than 90% while the Al dissolution progress was only 40%, and lagged behind the Cu2＋sorption. It indicated that aluminum dissolution is associated with non-specific sorption.