Kai Xin San ameliorates scopolamine-induced cognitive dysfunction

Kai Xin San(KXS, containing ginseng, hoelen, polygala, and acorus), a traditional Chinese herbal compound, has been found to regulate cognitive dysfunction; however, its mechanism of action is still unclear. In this study, 72 specific-pathogen-free male Kunming mice aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into a vehicle control group, scopolamine group, low-dose KXS group, moderate-dose KXS group, high-dose KXS group, and positive control group. Except for the vehicle control group and scopolamine groups(which received physiological saline), the doses of KXS(0.7, 1.4 and 2.8 g/kg per day) and donepezil(3 mg/kg per day) were gastrointestinally administered once daily for 2 weeks. On day 8 after intragastric treatment, the behavioral tests were carried out. Scopolamine group and intervention groups received scopolamine 3 mg/kg per day through intraperitoneal injection. The effects of KXS on spatial learning and memory, pathological changes of brain tissue, expression of apoptosis factors, oxidative stress injury factors, synapse-associated protein, and cholinergic neurotransmitter were measured. The results confirmed the following.(1) KXS shortened the escape latency and increased residence time in the target quadrant and the number of platform crossings in the Morris water maze.(2) KXS increased the percentage of alternations between the labyrinth arms in the mice of KXS groups in the Y-maze.(3) Nissl and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling staining revealed that KXS promoted the production of Nissl bodies and inhibited the formation of apoptotic bodies.(4) Western blot assay showed that KXS up-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and inhibited the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax. KXS up-regulated the expression of postsynaptic density 95, synaptophysin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus.(5) KXS increased the level and activity of choline acetyltransferase, acetylcholine, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase, and reduced the level and activity of acetyl cholinesterase, reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde through acting on the cholinergic system and reducing oxidative stress damage. These results indicate that KXS plays a neuroprotective role and improves cognitive function through reducing apoptosis and oxidative stress, and regulating synapse-associated protein and cholinergic neurotransmitters.

A nonlinear creep damage model for gelled waxy crude

Yielding behaviors of waxy crude oil is one of the key issues of flow assurance challenges. The yielding of waxy crude under constant stress is actually a creep process of strain accumulation to structural failure,to describe the process completely and accurately is the basis of numerical simulation of restart process of the pipeline. The creep and yield behaviors of two gelled waxy crudes were investigated experimentally under different constant applied stresses. The results clearly show that the creep process of waxy crude is related to the applied stress and time. The greater the applied stress, and the longer the loaded time, the more obvious the nonlinear features. Based on the fractional calculus theory, a fractional viscous element was developed to describe the decelerated and steady creep process of gelled waxy crude. On the basis of the damage theory, an elastic damage element was proposed to describe the accelerated creep after the yielding. According to the idea of mechanical analogy, a nonlinear creep model was established by a fractional viscous element, an elastic damaged element, and an elastic element in series, which can accurately describe the whole creep and yielding process of gelled waxy crude.

A further investigation to mechanism of the electrorheological effect of waxy oils:Behaviors of charged particles under electric field

Exposing waxy oils to an electric field may significantly improve their cold flowability.Our previous study has shown that interfacial polarization,i.e.,charged particle accumulation on the wax particle surface,is the primary mechanism of the electrorheological behavior of waxy oils.However,the way that charged particles interact with wax particles under an electric field remains unknown.In this study,we found no viscosity and impedance change for two waxy crude oils after their exposure to a high-voltage electric field.However,the yield stresses were reduced obviously.We thus proposed that the collision of colloidal particles such as resins and asphaltenes with the wax particles could be an essential mechanism that the wax particle structure was weakened.To verify this hypothesis,a series of ad hoc experiments were carried out,i.e.,by performing electrorheological tests on model waxy oils containing additives removable under an electric field,including electrically-neutral colloidal particles(Fe3O4),charged colloidal particles(resins),and oil-soluble electrolyte(C22H14CoO4),respectively,and demonstrated that upon application of a high-voltage electric field,charged particles in a waxy oil may move and thus collide with wax particles,and consequently adhere to the wax particle surface.The particle collision results in damage to the wax particle network,and the electrostatic repulsion arising from the adhesion of the charged particle on the wax particle diminishes attraction between wax particles.This study clarifies the process of interfacial polarization.

铪元素对铸造铝合金晶粒细化的机制（英文）

通过金相显微镜观察、电子显微观察和X射线衍射分析研究了铪元素的加入对铸造铝合金晶粒细化的影响。研究结果表明,铪元素的加入可以有效地细化合金晶粒,在凝固过程中铪元素可与铝反应形成Al_3Hf粒子,初生的Al_3Hf粒子可以作为基体有效的形核质点,与基体共格、纳米级别的Al_3Hf粒子可以通过钉扎效应抑制晶粒的长大。由溶质原子理论和晶体学研究确定了实验合金的晶粒细化机制,具有两种不同的类型:低铪含量的细化效应主要是由Hf原子引发的成分过冷所致,中铪和高铪含量的细化效应为溶质原子与Al_3Hf粒子共同作用所致。

2195铝锂合金力学性能及组织与热挤压及冷轧变形过程的相关性

采用挤压及后续冷轧变形制备2195铝锂合金板材,研究固溶处理后挤压板材及冷轧薄板的织构以及T8时效后的析出相及纵向强度。结果表明,挤压板T8时效时T1(Al2Cu Li)相分布不均匀而且孕育期较短。挤压板固溶处理后未发生再结晶,变形织构Brass和S体积分数达55.28%。而冷轧薄板固溶处理后发生严重再结晶,且S变形织构消失。由于固溶态挤压板Brass和S织构分数高,其Schmid因子大,等效滑移系数量少,因而其屈服强度不高甚至低于固溶态冷轧板,但抗拉强度则明显较高。另外,在预变形后的时效过程中,这些变形织构促进T1相在优先滑移面析出,从而导致时效态挤压板屈服强度及抗拉强度均高于时效后的冷轧薄板。

冷轧变形量对铝锂合金薄板晶粒组织及力学性能的影响（英文）

采用电子背散射衍射(EBSD)研究冷轧变形量(50%~90%)对1445 铝锂合金薄板固溶态(固溶温度525~575 ℃)晶粒组织的影响。薄板固溶时再结晶模式为亚晶合并与生长,但固溶温度提高至575℃时薄板仍然未发生完全再结晶。未再结晶是由于添加微量Sc 元素形成纳米尺寸Al3(Sc, Zr)粒子,钉扎晶界、亚晶界及位错所致。525 ℃固溶时,随冷轧变形量增加,薄板再结晶分数及再结晶晶粒尺寸减小,但亚晶分数增加,相应变形组织分数减少;同时,大角度晶界分数增加;这两个原因导致薄板T8 时效后强度及各向异性随冷轧变形量增加而降低。固溶温度提高至575 ℃时,再结晶分数及再结晶晶粒尺寸增加。

Mechanisms of secondary degeneration after partial optic nerve transection

Secondary degeneration occurs commonly in the central nervous system after traumatic injuries and following acute and chronic diseases, including glaucoma. A constellation of mechanisms have been shown to be associated with secondary degeneration including apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, derangements in ionic homeostasis and calcium influx. Glial cells, such as microglia, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, have also been demon- strated to take part in the process of secondary injury. Partial optic nerve transection is a useful model which was established about 13 years ago. The merit of this model compared with other optic nerve injury models used for glaucoma study, including complete optic nerve transection model and optic nerve crush model, is the possibility to separate primary degeneration from secondary degeneration in location. Therefore, it provides a good tool for the study of secondary degeneration. This review will focus on the research progress of the mechanisms of secondary degeneration using partial optic nerve transection model.

Voluntary running delays primary degeneration in rat retinas after partial optic nerve transection

Running is believed to be beneficial for human health. Many studies have focused on the neuroprotective effects of voluntary running on animal models. There were both primary and secondary degeneration in neurodegenerative diseases, including glaucoma. However, whether running can delay primary or secondary degeneration or both of them was not clear. Partial optic nerve transection model is a valuable glaucoma model for studying both primary and secondary degeneration because it can separate primary(mainly in the superior retina) from secondary(mainly in the inferior retina) degeneration. Therefore, we compared the survival of retinal ganglion cells between Sprague-Dawley rat runners and non-runners both in the superior and inferior retinas. Excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and apoptosis are involved in the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma. So we also used western immunoblotting to compare the expression of some proteins involved in apoptosis(phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinases, p-JNKs), oxidative stress(manganese superoxide dismutase, MnSOD) and excitotoxicity(glutamine synthetase) between runners and non-runners after partial optic nerve transection. Results showed that voluntary running delayed the death of retinal ganglion cells vulnerable to primary degeneration but not those to secondary degeneration. In addition, voluntary running decreased the expression of glutamine synthetase, but not the expression of p-JNKs and MnSOD in the superior retina after partial optic nerve transection. These results illustrated that primary degeneration of retinal ganglion cells might be mainly related with excitotoxicity rather than oxidative stress; and the voluntary running could down-regulate excitotoxicity to delay the primary degeneration of retinal ganglion cells after partial optic nerve transection.

System Size Resonance Associated with Canard Phenomenon in a Biological Cell System

钙摆动上的内部噪音的影响被学习。内部噪音什么时候被考虑，被发现随机的钙摆动发生，当相应确定的动力学仅仅产出一个稳定的状态时。另外，如此的摆动的性能与系统尺寸的变化显示出二最大值，显示系统尺寸回声的出现。这行为被发现亲密地与虚报现象被连接。有趣地，最佳的系统之一与真实房间尺寸缩放匹配很好，这也被发现，并且如此的匹配对控制参数的变化柔韧。

Efficacy and Safety of Ixekizumab in Chinese Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis: 60-Week Results From a Phase 3 Study

Objective:Ixekizumab is a high-affinity monoclonal antibody that selectively targets interleukin-17A and is approved for treating moderate-to-severe psoriasis.This phase 3,multicenter,randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled trial(NCT03364309;registered December 6,2017)evaluated the safety and efficacy of ixekizumab in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.Methods:438 patients were randomized 2:2:1 to 80 mg ixekizumab every 2 weeks(IXE Q2W,n=176),80 mg ixekizumab every 4 weeks(IXE Q4W,n=174),or placebo(n=88).Efficacy was assessed by evaluating the static Physician’s Global Assessment score of 0 or 1(sPGA[0,1])and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index(PASI)75/90/100 responses,and nonresponder imputation was used for handling missing data.The safety profile was evaluated by assessing treatment emergent adverse events(AEs)and serious AEs.Results:At week 12,the sPGA(0,1)response rates were 3.4%,79.9%,and 86.4%in the placebo,IXE Q4W,and IXE Q2W groups,respectively.The PASI 75/90/100 response rates were 8.0%/2.3%/0.0%,87.4%/75.9%/29.3%,and 93.8%/82.4%/33.0%in the placebo,IXE Q4W,and IXE Q2W groups,respectively.Ixekizumab led to rapid PASI 50 responses,as early as week 1,whereas PASI 75 and sPGA(0,1)responses were observed from week 2.sPGA(0,1)and sPGA(0)responses were maintained through week 60 in a higher proportion of patients receiving IXE Q4W vs.placebo.The safety profile was consistent with previous studies of ixekizumab in psoriasis.Conclusion:Ixekizumab showed a rapid onset of action and high efficacy that was maintained through 60 weeks and was well tolerated with no unexpected AEs,in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.