(＋)-Borneol is neuroprotective against permanent cerebral ischemia in rats by suppressing production of proinflammatory cytokines

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and death globally.It occurs when a major artery is occluded in the brain and leads to death of cells within the injured tissue.（＋）-Borneol,a simple bicyclic monoterpene extracted from traditional Chinese medicine,is widely used in various types of diseases.However,no study has proved the effects of（＋）-borneol on functional recovery from permanent ischemic stroke and the mechanism is still unknown.Here,we report that in the rat model of permanent cerebral ischemia,we found that（＋）-borneol（1.0 mg/kg） significantly ameliorated infarct size and neurological scores via reducing the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase（iNOS）and tumor necrosis factor-alpha（TNF-α） in a dose dependent manner.Notably,（＋）-borneol showed long-term effects on the improvement of sensorimotor functions in the photothrombotic model of stroke,which decreased the number of foot faults in the grid-walking task and forelimb asymmetry scores in the cylinder task,at least in part through reducing loss of dendritic spines in the length,brunch number and density.These findings suggest that（＋）-borneol could serve as a therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.

Modeling of irradiation-induced damage and failure behaviors of fuel foil/cladding interface in UMo/Zr monolithic fuel plates

Models to describe the damage and fracture behaviors of the interface between the fuel foil and cladding in UMo/Zr monolithic fuel plates were established and numerically implemented.The effects of the interfacial cohesive strength and cohesive energy on the irradiationinduced thermal-mechanical behaviors of fuel plates were investigated.The results indicated that for heterogeneously irradiated fuel plates:(1)interfacial damage and failure were predicted to be initiated near the fuel foil corner with higher fission densities,accompanied by the formation of a large gap after interface failure,which was consistent with some experimental observations;high tensile stresses in the fuel foil occurred near the edges of the failed interface,attributed to through-thickness cracking of the fuel foil,as found in some post-irradiation examinations;(2)the cohesive strength and cohesive energy of the interface both influenced the in-pile evolution behaviors of fuel plates;a lower cohesive strength or cohesive energy resulted in faster interfacial damage;(3)after interface fracture,the thickness of the whole plate increased to a greater degree(by~20%)than that of the samples without interfacial damage,which was attributed to the locally enhanced Mises stresses and the nearby creep deformations around the cracked interface.This study provided a theoretical basis for assessing failure in fuel elements.

Association of changes in waist circumference with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality among the elderly Chinese population: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND To examine the association of baseline waist circumference(WC)and changes in WC with cardiovascular disease(CVD)and all-cause mortality among elderly people.METHODS A total of 30,041 eligible participants were included from a retrospective cohort in China.The same questionnaire,anthropometric and laboratory measurements were performed at baseline(2010)and the first follow-up(2013).The percent change in WC between baseline and the first follow-up was calculated to evaluate three years change of WC.We collected the occurrence of CVD and all-cause death from the first follow-up to December 31,2018.Restricted cubic splines and Cox proportionalhazards regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between baseline WC/changes in WC and mortality.RESULTS The dose-response relationships between baseline WC and CVD mortality were U-or J-shaped.In low WC group,compared with stable group,the fully adjusted hazard ratio(aHR)for CVD mortality was 1.60(95%CI:1.24−2.06)in WC gain group among men.In normal WC group,the CVD mortality risk increased with WC gain(men:aHR=1.86,95%CI:1.36−2.56;women:aHR=1.83,95%CI:1.29−2.58).In moderate-high WC group,the CVD mortality risk increased with WC gain(men:aHR=1.76,95%CI:1.08−2.88;women:aHR=1.46,95%CI:1.04−2.05)and risk decreased with WC loss(men:aHR=0.54,95%CI:0.30−0.98;women:aHR=0.59,95%CI:0.37−0.96).CONCLUSIONS For the elderly population,WC gain may increase CVD mortality risk regardless of baseline WC,whereas WC reduction could decrease the risk only in the moderate-high WC group.