Paraffin–CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O dosage effects on the strength and heat transfer characteristics of cemented tailings backfill

The challenge of high temperatures in deep mining remains harmful to the health of workers and their production efficiency The addition of phase change materials (PCMs) to filling slurry and the use of the cold storage function of these materials to reduce downhole temperatures is an effective approach to alleviate the aforementioned problem.Paraffin–CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O composite PCM was prepared in the laboratory.The composition,phase change latent heat,thermal conductivity,and cemented tailing backfill (CTB) compressive strength of the new material were studied.The heat transfer characteristics and endothermic effect of the PCM were simulated using Fluent software.The results showed the following:(1) The new paraffin–CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O composite PCM improved the thermal conductivity of native paraffin while avoiding the water solubility of CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O.(2) The calculation formula of the thermal conductivity of CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O combined with paraffin was deduced,and the reasons were explained in principle.(3) The“enthalpy–mass scale model”was applied to calculate the phase change latent heat of nonreactive composite PCMs.(4)The addition of the paraffin–CaCl_(2)·6H_(2)O composite PCM reduced the CTB strength but increased its heat absorption capacity.This research can give a theoretical foundation for the use of heat storage backfill in green mines.

sTREM-1 as promising prognostic biomarker for acute-on-chronic liver failure and mortality in patients with acute decompensation of cirrhosis

BACKGROUND Acute decompensation(AD)of cirrhosis is associated with high short-term mortality,mainly due to the development of acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF).Thus,there is a need for biomarkers for early and accurate identification of AD patients with high risk of development of ACLF and mortality.Soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1(sTREM-1)is released from activated innate immune cells and correlated with various inflammatory processes.AIM To explore the prognostic value of sTREM-1 in patients with AD of cirrhosis.METHODS A multicenter prospective cohort of 442 patients with cirrhosis hospitalized for AD was divided into a study cohort(n=309)and validation cohort(n=133).Demographic and clinical data were collected,and serum sTREM-1 was measured at admission.All enrolled patients were followed-up for at least 1 year.RESULTS In patients with AD and cirrhosis,serum sTREM-1 was an independent prognosis predictor for 1-year survival and correlated with liver,coagulation,cerebral and kidney failure.A new prognostic model of AD(P-AD)incorporating sTREM-1,blood urea nitrogen(BUN),total bilirubin(TBil),international normalized ratio(INR)and hepatic encephalopathy grades was established and performed better than the model for end-stage liver disease(MELD),MELD-sodium(MELD-Na),chronic liver failure-consortium(CLIF-C)ACLF and CLIF-C AD scores.Additionally,sTREM-1 was increased in ACLF and predicted the development of ACLF during first 28-d follow-up.The ACLF risk score incorporating serum sTREM-1,BUN,INR,TBil and aspartate aminotransferase levels was established and significantly superior to MELD,MELD-Na,CLIF-C ACLF,CLIF-C AD and P-AD in predicting risk of ACLF development.CONCLUSION Serum sTREM-1 is a promising prognostic biomarker for ACLF development and mortality in patients with AD of cirrhosis.

Characterization of acute-on-chronic liver diseases: A multicenter prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Acute-on-chronic liver disease(AoCLD)accounts for the majority of patients hospitalized in the Department of Hepatology or Infectious Diseases.AIM To explore the characterization of AoCLD to provide theoretical guidance for the accurate diagnosis and prognosis of AoCLD.METHODS Patients with AoCLD from the Chinese Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure(ACLF)study cohort were included in this study.The clinical characteristics and outcomes,and the 90-d survival rate associated with each clinical type of AoCLD were analyzed,using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test.RESULTS A total of 3375 patients with AoCLD were enrolled,including 1679(49.7%)patients with liver cirrhosis acute decompensation(LC-AD),850(25.2%)patients with ACLF,577(17.1%)patients with chronic hepatitis acute exacer-bation(CHAE),and 269(8.0%)patients with liver cirrhosis active phase(LC-A).The most common cause of chronic liver disease(CLD)was HBV infection(71.4%).The most common precipitants of AoCLD was bacterial infection(22.8%).The 90-d mortality rates of each clinical subtype of AoCLD were 43.4%(232/535)for type-C ACLF,36.0%(36/100)for type-B ACLF,27.0%(58/215)for type-A ACLF,9.0%(151/1679)for LC-AD,3.0%(8/269)for LC-A,and 1.2%(7/577)for CHAE.CONCLUSION HBV infection is the main cause of CLD,and bacterial infection is the main precipitant of AoCLD.The most common clinical type of AoCLD is LC-AD.Early diagnosis and timely intervention are needed to reduce the mortality of patients with LC-AD or ACLF.

Anisotropy of mechanical properties of 2297-T87 Al–Li alloy thick plates

The tensile properties of 2297-T87 Al–Li alloy thick plates at different thickness position and in different direction were analyzed via tensile testing,optical microscopy(OM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).Results indicated that the ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and yield strength(YS)of the alloy decreased firstly and then increased from the 1/8T position to the 1/2T position,whereas elongation to failure(Ef)decreased gradually such that its value along the rolling direction(RD)was higher than those along the transverse direction(TD)at the same thickness position.From the 1/8T position to the 3/8T position of the alloy,the UTS and YS along the TD were higher than those along the RD.At the 1/2T position of the alloy,the UTS,YS,and Ef along the RD were the highest,whereas those along the normal direction(ND)were the lowest.Microstructural observations further revealed that the anisotropy of tensile properties was related to grain morphology,crystal texture,second-phase particles,and Li atom segregation.

A purely green approach to low-cost mass production of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks

Although zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs)have bright prospects in wide fields like gas storage/separation,catalysis and medicine,etc.,their large-scale applications are bottlenecked by the absence of their low-cost commercial production technique.Here,we report an uncon ventional method suitable for environmentally friendly and low-cost mass-production of ZIFs.In this method,taking the synthesis of ZIF-8 as an example,ZnO was used instead of Zn(NO_(3))_(2) in traditional solvent synthesis methods and CO_(2) was introduced to dissolve ZnO in aqueous solution of 2-methylimidazole(HMeim)and form water soluble salt([ZnMeim]^(+)[MeimCOO]^(-))at room temperature.Then,by removing CO_(2) through heating or vacuuming,Meim-ions are produced and instantaneously assemble with[ZnMeim]^(+)s to generate ZIF-8 without any by product.Due to the absence of strong acid anions(such as NO^(-)_(3) and Cl^(-) et al.)in solution,the washing of filter cake required in the conventional approaches could be omitted and the filtrate containing only water and HMeim could be reused completely.This method is really green as no waste gas or liquid generates because CO_(2) and water could be recycled perfectly.It overcomes almost all bottlenecks occurred in commercial production of ZIF-8 when using traditional methods.A pilot plant was established for mass-production of ZIF-8 and hundreds kilograms of ZIF-8 was produced,which indicates that the new method is not only environmentally friendly but also low cost and commercial accessibility.It is expected that the new method would open an avenue for commercial applications of ZIFs.

自体脂肪移植联合二氧化碳点阵激光对烧伤患者增生性瘢痕的修复效果观察

目的评价自体脂肪移植联合二氧化碳点阵激光对烧伤患者增生性瘢痕的修复效果。方法以郑州仁济医院整形外科2020年10月-2023年2月收治的54例烧伤后增生性瘢痕患者的临床资料展开回顾性分析,按照入院治疗时间先后进行分组,以2020年10月-2022年1月治疗的27例烧伤后增生性瘢痕患者为对照组,以2022年2月-2023年2月治疗的27例烧伤后增生性瘢痕患者为观察组。对照组患者均进行二氧化碳点阵激光治疗,观察组患者均进行自体脂肪移植联合二氧化碳点阵激光治疗。比较两组患者的治疗效果、瘢痕恢复情况、瘢痕血流灌注量以及不良反应发生率。结果治疗后,观察组患者的治疗有效率高于对照组(P<0.05);观察组温哥华瘢痕量表(VSS)评分低于对照组(P<0.05);观察组瘢痕血流灌注量低于对照组(P<0.05);治疗期间,观察组有8例患者发生不良反应,对照组6例,两组患者的不良反应总发生率相比无明显差异(P>0.05)。结论应用自体脂肪移植联合二氧化碳点阵激光治疗烧伤后增生性瘢痕可以提升治疗效果,有助于改善患者瘢痕色泽、瘢痕厚度、血管分布、柔软性以及瘢痕充血情况,使瘢痕消退,且具有安全性。

烧伤瘢痕整形修复采用皮肤软组织扩张器结合硅凝胶瘢痕贴片的效果及对疼痛评分的影响

目的研讨烧伤瘢痕整形修复中采用皮肤软组织扩张器结合硅凝胶瘢痕贴片治疗的效果。方法在2021年4月至2022年4月医院接收的烧伤瘢痕整形修复患者中纳取68例配合研究,随机均分2组,34例/组。对照组采用皮肤软组织扩张器治疗,观察组加之硅凝胶瘢痕贴片治疗。比较两组修复效果评分、修复中各指标数值、疼痛评分及并发症发生率。结果两组治疗前修复效果评分比较无差异(P>0.05),治疗后观察组修复效果评分包括外观(8.75±0.65)分、质地(8.75±1.06)分、弹性(9.02±0.35)分高于对照组,组间差异显著(P<0.05),观察组创面愈合时间(10.02±2.32)d、创面皮肤血运恢复时间(14.21±2.42)d短于对照组(P<0.05),观察组皮肤扩张率(115.23±17.35)%高于对照组,组间差异显著(P<0.05),两组治疗前疼痛评分比较无差异(P>0.05),观察组治疗后疼痛评分(2.15±0.23)分低于对照组的(4.05±0.21)分,组间差异显著(P<0.05),观察组并发症发生率5.88%低于对照组的26.47%,组间差异显著(P<0.05)。结论皮肤软组织扩张器、硅凝胶瘢痕贴片常应用在烧伤瘢痕整形修复治疗中,患者修复效果较优,减轻疼痛感,防止其发生并发症,临床上可借鉴及推广。

改良Z矫正术在双侧单睑伴内眦赘皮患者重睑成形术中的应用效果研究

目的:分析改良Z矫正术在单睑伴内眦赘皮(双侧)患者中的应用效果。方法:回顾性收集2021年5月~2023年11月期间本院收治的58例行重睑成形术的单睑伴内眦赘皮(双侧)患者的病例资料。按手术方案不同,将患者分为对照组(接受常规内眦赘皮矫正术治疗,29例)和观察组(接受改良Z矫正术治疗,29例)。分析对比两组的内眦间距(Intercanthal distance,ICD)、睑裂长度(Horizontal lid fissure length,HLFL)、睑裂垂直高度、睫毛上翘度及暴露长度、瘢痕美观度[观测者瘢痕评价量表(Observer scar assessment scale,OSAS)、温哥华瘢痕量表(Vancouver scar assessment scale,VSS)及患者瘢痕自我评分量表(Patient scar assessment scale,PSAS)评分]、眼部肿胀程度以及并发症发生率。结果:术后3 m,观察组的ICD显著低于对照组,HLFL显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。术后3 m,观察组的睫毛上翘度、睑裂垂直高度、睫毛暴露长度均比对照组显著提高(P<0.05)。术后1 m、3 m,观察组OSAS、VSS、PSAS评分均比对照组显著降低(P<0.05)。术后1 m、3 m,观察组的眼部肿胀评分均比对照组显著降低(P<0.05)。观察组的并发症发生率显著低于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:单睑伴内眦赘皮(双侧)患者经改良Z矫正术治疗,能减少术后瘢痕,改善眼外形,增强美学效果,减轻肿胀程度,降低并发症风险,整体效果优于常规内眦赘皮矫正术。

Performance of transient elastography in assessing liver fibrosis in patients with autoimmune hepatitis-primary biliary cholangitis overlap syndrome

AIM To investigate the performance of transient elastography(TE) for diagnosis of fibrosis in patients with autoimmune hepatitis-primary biliary cholangitis(AIHPBC) overlap syndrome.METHODS A total of 70 patients with biopsy-proven AIH-PBC overlap syndrome were included. Spearman correlation test was used to analyze the correlation of liver stiffness measurement(LSM) and fibrosis stage. Independent samples Student's t-test or one-way analysis of variance was used to compare quantitative variables. Receiver operating characteristics(ROC) curve was used to calculate the optimal cut-off values of LSM for predicting individual fibrosis stages. A comparison on the diagnostic accuracy for severe fibrosis was made between LSM and other serological scores.RESULTS Patients with AIH-PBC overlap syndrome had higher median LSM than healthy controls(11.3 ± 6.4 k Pa vs 4.3 ± 1.4 k Pa, P < 0.01). LSM was significantly correlated with fibrosis stage(r = 0.756, P < 0.01). LSM values increased gradually with an increased fibrosis stage. The areas under the ROC curves of LSM for stages F ≥ 2, F ≥ 3, and F4 were 0.837(95%CI: 0.729-0.914), 0.910(0.817-0.965), and 0.966(0.893-0.995), respectively. The optimal cut-off values of LSM for fibrosis stages F ≥ 2, F ≥ 3, and F4 were 6.55, 10.50, and 14.45 k Pa, respectively. LSM was significantly superior to fibrosis-4, glutaglumyl-transferase/platelet ratio, and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index scores in detecting severe fibrosis(F ≥ 3)(0.910 vs 0.715, P < 0.01; 0.910 vs 0.649, P < 0.01; 0.910 vs 0.616, P < 0.01, respectively).CONCLUSION TE can accurately detect hepatic fibrosis as a noninvasive method in patients with AIH-PBC overlap syndrome.

Surgical approaches for stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis:feasibility of complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomy in comparison with trans-sternal resection

Complete resection could be achieved in virtually all myasthenic patients with Masaoka stage I and II thymoma us- ing the trans-sternal technique. Whether this is appropriate for minimally invasive approach is not yet clear. We evalu- ated the feasibility of complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） thymectomy for the treatment of Ma- saoka stage I and Ⅱ thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis, compared to conventional trans-sternal thymectomy. We summarized 33 patients with Masaoka stage I and II thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis between April 2006 and September 2011. Of these, 15 patients underwent right-sided complete VATS （the VATS group） by us- ing adjuvant pneuomomediastinum, comparing with 18 patients using the trans-sternal approach （the T3b group）. No intraoperative death was found and no VATS case required conversion to median sternotomy. Significant differences between the two groups regarding duration of surgery and volume of intraoperative blood loss （P = 0.001 and P 〈 0.001, respectively） were observed. Postoperative morbidities were 26.7% and 33.3% for the VATS and T3b groups, respectively. All 33 patients were followed up for 12 to 61 months in the study. The cumulative probabilities of reaching complete stable remission and effective rate were 26.7% （4/15） and 93.3% （14/15） in the VATS group, which had a significantly higher complete stable remission and effective rate than those in the T3b group （P = 0.026 and P = 0.000, respectively）. We conclude that VATS thymectomy utilizing adjuvant pneuomo- mediastinum for the treatment of stage I and II thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis is technically feasible but deserves further investigation in a large series with long-term follow-up.

Bacterial infection triggers and complicates acute-on-chronic liver failure in patients with hepatitis B virus-decompensated cirrhosis: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Reports on bacterial infection(BI)in decompensated cirrhosis(DC)is mainly from alcoholic cirrhosis.The role of BI as a trigger or complication of acute-onchronic liver failure(ACLF)in patients with hepatitis B virus decompensated cirrhosis(HBV-DC)remains to be investigated.AIM To investigate the impact of BI on the outcomes of the patients with HBV-DC admitted into the hospital with or without ACLF.METHODS This retrospective study included patients with HBV-DC admitted to two tertiary centers in China.In-hospital overall survival,90-d transplant-free survival,5-year post-discharge survival,and cumulative incidence of ACLF were evaluated.Risk factors for death were analyzed considering liver transplantation as a competing event.RESULTS A total of 1281 hospitalized HBV-DC patients were included;284 had ACLF at admission.The overall prevalence of BI was 28.1%.The patients with BI had a significantly lower in-hospital survival and transplant-free 90-d survival than those without,in both the patients admitted with and without ACLF.The presence of BI significantly increased the risk of developing ACLF[subdistribution hazard ratio(sHR)=2.52,95%CI:1.75-3.61,P<0.001]in the patients without ACLF.In the patients discharged alive,those who had an episode of BI had a significantly lower 5-year transplant-free survival.BI was an independent risk factor for death in the patients admitted without ACLF(sHR=3.28,95%CI:1.93-5.57),while in ACLF admissions,the presence of pneumonia,but not other type of BI,independently increased the risk of death(sHR=1.87,95%CI:1.24-2.82).CONCLUSION BI triggers ACLF in patients with HBV-DC and significantly impairs short-term survival.HBV-DC patients should be monitored carefully for the development of BI,especially pneumonia,to avoid an adverse outcome.

Topological and Shape Optimization of Flexure Hinges for Designing Compliant Mechanisms Using the Level Set Method

A flexure hinge is a major component in designing compliant mechanisms that o ers unique possibilities in a wide range of application fields in which high positioning accuracy is required. Although various flexure hinges with di erent configurations have been successively proposed, they are often designed based on designers' experiences and inspirations. This study presents a systematic method for topological optimization of flexure hinges by using the level set method. Optimization formulations are developed by considering the functional requirements and geometrical constraints of flexure hinges. The functional requirements are first constructed by maximizing the compliance in the desired direction while minimizing the compliances in the other directions. The weighting sum method is used to construct an objective function in which a self-adjust method is used to set the weighting factors. A constraint on the symmetry of the obtained configuration is developed. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. The obtained results reveal that the design of a flexure hinge starting from the topology level can yield more choices for compliant mechanism design and obtain better designs that achieve higher performance.

Role of nutritional status and nutritional support in outcome of hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure

BACKGROUNDHepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is animportant type of liver failure in Asia. There is a direct relationship between HBVACLFand gastrointestinal barrier function. However, the nutritional status ofHBV-ACLF patients has been poorly studied.AIMTo investigate the nutritional risk and nutritional status of HBV-ACLF patientsand evaluated the impact of nutritional support on the gastrointestinal barrier and28-d mortality.METHODSNutritional risk screening assessment and gastrointestinal barrier biomarkers ofpatients with HBV-ACLF (n = 234) and patients in the compensatory period ofliver cirrhosis (the control group) (n = 234) were compared during the periodbetween 2016 and 2018. Changes were analyzed after nutritional support in HBVACLFpatients. Valuable biomarkers have been explored to predict 28-d death.The 28-d survival between HBV-ACLF patients with nutritional support (n = 234)or no nutritional support (2014-2016) (n = 207) was compared.RESULTSThe nutritional risk of the HBV-ACLF patients was significantly higher than thatof the control group. The nutritional intake of the patients with HBV-ACLF waslower than that of the control group. The decrease in skeletal muscle and fatcontent and the deficiency of fat intake were more obvious (P < 0.001). Thecoccus-bacillus ratio, secretory immunoglobulin A, and serum D-lactate weresignificantly increased in HBV-ACLF patients. The survival group had a lowernutritional risk, lower D-lactate, and cytokine levels (endotoxin, tumor necrosisfactor alpha, interleukin-10, and interleukin-1). Interleukin-10 may be a potentialpredictor of death in HBV-ACLF patients. The 28-d survival of the nutritionalsupport group was better than that of the non-nutritional support group (P =0.016).CONCLUSIONPatients with HBV-ACLF have insufficient nutritional intake and high nutritionalrisk, and their intestinal barrier function is impaired. Individualized and dynamicnutritional support is associated with a better prognosis of 28-d mortality in HBVACLFpatients.

Long-pulse gastric electrical stimulation protects interstitial cells of Cajal in diabetic rats via IGF-1 signaling pathway

AIM: To investigate the effects of different parameters of gastric electrical stimulation (GES) on interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) and changes in the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signal pathway in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. METHODS: Male rats were randomized into control, diabetic (DM), diabetic with sham GES (DM + SGES), diabetic with GES1 (5.5 cpm, 100 ms, 4 mA) (DM + GES1), diabetic with GES2 (5.5 cpm, 300 ms, 4 mA) (DM + GES2) and diabetic with GES3 (5.5 cpm, 550 ms, 2 mA) (DM + GES3) groups. The expression levels of c-kit, M-SCF and IGF-1 receptors were evaluated in the gastric antrum using Western blot analysis. The distribution of ICCs was observed using immunolabeling for c-kit, while smooth muscle cells and IGF-1 receptors were identified using alpha-SMA and IGF-1R antibodies. Serum level of IGF-1 was tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Gastric emptying was delayed in the DM group but improved in all GES groups, especially in the GES2 group. The expression levels of c-kit, M-SCF and IGF-1R were decreased in the DM group but increased in all GES groups. More ICCs (c-kit(+)) and smooth muscle cells (alpha-SMA(+)/IGF-1R(+)) were observed in all GES groups than in the DM group. The average level of IGF-1 in the DM group was markedly decreased, but it was up-regulated in all GES groups, especially in the GES2 group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that long-pulse GES promotes the regeneration of ICCs. The IGF-1 signaling pathway might be involved in the mechanism underlying this process, which results in improved gastric emptying.

A continuous and high-efficiency process to separate coal bed methane with porous ZIF-8 slurry:Experimental study and mathematical modelling

Coal bed methane has been considered as an important energy resource.One major difficulty of purifying coal bed methane comes from the similar physical properties of CH_4 and N_2.The ZIF-8/water-glycol slurry was used as a medium to separate coal bed methane by fluidifying the solid adsorbent material.The sorption equilibrium experiment of binary mixture(CH_4/N_2)and slurry was conducted.The selectivity of CH_4 to N_2 is within the range of 2-6,which proved the feasibility of the slurry separation method.The modified Langmuir equation was used to describe the gas-slurry phase equilibrium behavior,and the calculated results were in good agreement with the experimental data.A continuous absorption-adsorption and desorption process on the separation of CH_4/N_2 in slurry is proposed and its mathematical model is also developed.Sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine the operation conditions and the energy performance of the proposed process was also evaluated.Feed gas contains 30 mol%of methane and the methane concentration in product gas is 95.46 mol%with the methane recovery ratio of 90.74%.The total energy consumption for per unit volume of product gas is determined as 1.846 kWh Nm^(-3).Experimental results and process simulation provide basic data for the design and operation of pilot and industrial plant.

Source of silica and its implications for organic matter enrichment in the Upper Ordovician-Lower Silurian black shale in western Hubei Province,China:Insights from geochemical and petrological analysis

To improve the understanding of the relationship between silica source and organic matter accumulation,the origin of silica and its implications for organic matter enrichment in the Upper OrdovicianLower Silurian(O_(3)w-S_(1)l)black shale in western Hubei Province in the middle Yangtze area,were investigated through geochemical and petrological analyses.The results show that the O_(3)w-S_(1)l black shale is mainly composed of five lithofacies with varying graptolite abundance,total organic carbon(TOC),and silica contents.Biogenic silica and terrigenous siliciclastic input constitute the main silica sources in O_(3)w-S_(1)l black shale and they exhibit an upward inverse variation trend interpreted to be related to sea-level changes.Moreover,with the increase in biogenic silica content or decrease in terrigenous siliciclastic input,TOC values in black shale initially rise and then fall,which is different from originally expected simple linear relationship.We infer that organic matter enrichment and the distribution of silica from different origins are controlled by sea-level changes and variations in terrigenous input in a continental shelf with little hydrothermal influence.An environment with appropriate sea level and terrigenous input should be most favorable for organic matter accumulation,rather than one with excessive high sea level and less terrigenous input.

Bibliometric analysis of top 100 cited articles in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease research

AIM To identify and assess the research situation of top 100 cited articles in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFl D).METHODS The global scientific research articles in the science Citation Index-Expanded relevant to NAFl D were retrieved and listed according to their citation times from the most to the least. The 100 most frequently cited original articles were selected to systematically evaluate their bibliometric parameters including times cited, publication year, journals, subject categories, and the highly related concepts of NAFl D, which reflected the history and current situation, publication distribution of leading countries and institutes as well as the research hotspots of NAFl D.RESULTS Top 100 cited articles in NAFl D were published from 1965 to 2015 with a citation ranging of 227 to 2151 times since publication, in which the United states was the most predominant country and Mayo Clin was the most productive institution. The majority of the top 100 cited articles were concentrated in s CI subject category of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Hepatology and Gastroenterology is the top journal that published over half 100 top-cited articles. The significant peak of top cited articles present in the first half of the 2000 s while the highest mean number of citation presents in first half of the 1980 s. In addition, concepts related to pathology characteristics, epidemiology and medicalization, metabolic syndrome and its combination of symptoms including insulin resistance, biomarkersof lipid metabolism and obesity are listed as the highly related concepts.CONCLUSION The 100 top-cited articles marked with the leading countries, institutions, journals, hotspots and development trend in NAFl D field that could provide the foundation for further investigations.

The oldest shale gas reservoirs in southern margin of Huangling uplift,Yichang, Hubei,China

1.Objective Large-scale commercial production of shale gas started in Fuling,Changning and Weiyuan areas of the Sichuan Basin (Zou et al.,2016)since 2010.The most notable shale gas success is the Longmaxi organic rich Shale in Jiaoshiba field, Sichuan Basin.The Yichang slope is located in the north of middle Yangtze region.This eastward dipping slope is a new prospective area for shale gas exploration in recent 5 years.

A large-scale experimental study on CO_(2) capture utilizing slurry-based ab-adsorption approach

The increasing concentration of CO_(2) in atmosphere is deemed the main reason of global warming.Therefore,efficiently capturing CO_(2) from various sources with energy conservation is of great significance.Herein,a series of experiments were carried out to successfully test the slurry-based ab-adsorption method for continuously capturing CO_(2) in the large-scale cycled separation unit with cost-effect taking into account the scale-up criteria.A bubble column(with height 4900 mm and inner diameter 376 mm)and a desorption tank(with volume 310 L)are the essential components of the separation unit.The novel slurry used in this study was formed with zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 and 2-methylimidazole-water solution.The influence of operation conditions was investigated systematically.The results show that increasing sorption pressure and slurry height level,decreasing gas volume flow and sorption temperature are beneficial for separation processes.The volume fraction of CO_(2) in the feed gas was also studied.Although the scale-up effect had been observed and it was found that it exerted a negative effect on CO_(2) capture,depending on experimental conditions,CO_(2) removal efficiency could still reach 85%-95%and the maximum CO_(2) loading in the recycled slurry could be up to0.007 mol·L-1·kPa-1.Furthermore,the slurry-based method could be operated well even under very moderate regeneration conditions(333 K and 0.05 MPa),which means that the novel approach shows greater energy conservation than traditional amine absorption methods.

Evaluation of controlled attenuation parameter in assessing hepatic steatosis in patients with autoimmune liver diseases

BACKGROUND Hepatic steatosis commonly occurs in some chronic liver diseases and may affect disease progression.AIM To investigate the performance of controlled attenuation parameter(CAP)for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis in patients with autoimmune liver diseases(AILDs).METHODS Patients who were suspected of having AILDs and underwent liver biopsy were consistently enrolled.Liver stiffness measurement(LSM)and CAP were performed by transient elastography.The area under the receiver operating characteristic(AUROC)curve was used to evaluate the performance of CAP for diagnosing hepatic steatosis compared with biopsy.RESULTS Among 190 patients with biopsy-proven hepatic steatosis,69 were diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis(AIH),18 with primary biliary cholangitis(PBC),and 27 with AIH-PBC overlap syndrome.The AUROCs of CAP for the diagnosis of steatosis in AILDS were 0.878(0.791-0.965)for S1,0.764(0.676-0.853)for S2,and 0.821(0.716-0.926)for S3.The CAP value was significantly related to hepatic steatosis grade(P<0.001).Among 69 patients with AIH,the median CAP score was 205.63±47.36 dB/m for S0,258.41±42.83 dB/m for S1,293.00±37.18 dB/m for S2,and 313.60±27.89 dB/m for S3.Compared with patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)presenting with autoimmune markers,patients with AIH concomitant with NAFLD were much older and had higher serum IgG levels and LSM values.CONCLUSION CAP can be used as a noninvasive diagnostic method to evaluate hepatic steatosis in patients with AILDs.Determination of LSM combined with CAP may help to identify patients with AIH concomitant with NAFLD from those with NAFLD with autoimmune phenomena.