γ干扰素释放试验联合IL-6检测对活动性肺结核的诊断价值

目的探讨γ-干扰素释放试验(IGRA)联合白细胞介素-6(IL-6)检测对活动性肺结核的诊断价值。方法选取2018年6月-2019年6月同济大学附属上海市肺科医院收治的700例结核病患者作为研究对象,其中包含活动性肺结核患者587例(A组)和非活动性肺结核患者113例(B组),另取同期该院体检的100例健康人群作为对照组。比较3组IGRA阳性率及血清IL-6水平。采用ROC曲线评价IGRA、IL-6对活动性肺结核的诊断效能。结果3组血清IL-6水平及IGRA阳性率比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),A组高于B组及对照组(P<0.05),且B组高于对照组(P<0.05)。通过ROC曲线分析,IGRA诊断活动性肺结核的敏感性、特异性分别为80.92%(95%CI:77.74,158.66)和70.80%(95%CI:62.41,133.21)。IL-6≥20.24 ng/L时,其敏感性、特异性分别为74.79%(95%CI:71.27,146.06)和83.19%(95%CI:76.29,159.48);两者联合诊断的敏感性、特异性分别为84.33%(95%CI:81.39,165.71)和85.84%(95%CI:79.41,165.25)。结论IGRA、IL-6对活动性肺结核具有较高的诊断价值,且两者联合的敏感性、特异性更高,可用于临床中活动性肺结核的辅助诊断。

Glycyrrhizic acid attenuates CCl_4-induced hepatocyte apoptosis in rats via a p53-mediated pathway

AIM: To investigate the effect of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatocyte apo-ptosis in rats via a p53-dependent mitochondrial path-way. METHODS: Forty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally divided into three groups, the control group, the CCl4 group, and the GA treatment group. To induce liver fibrosis in this model, rats were given a subcutaneous injection of a 40% solution of CCl4 in olive oil at a dose of 0.3 mL/100 g body weight biweekly for 8 wk, while controls received the same isovolumetric dose of olive oil by hypodermic injection, with an initial double-dose injection. In the GA group,rats were also treated with a 40% solution of CCl4 plus 0.2% GA solution in double distilled water by the intraperitoneal injection of 3 mL per rat three times a week from the first week following previously published methods, with modifications. Controls were given the same isovolumetric dose of double distilled water. Liver function parameters, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were de-termined. Pathologic changes in the liver were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Collagen fibers were evaluated by Sirius red staining. Hepatocyte apoptosis was investigated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and the cleaved caspase-3 immunohistochemistry assay. The expression levels of p53 and apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated by immunohistochemistry or Western blotting analysis. RESULTS: After 8 wk of treatment, GA significantly re-duced serum activity of ALT (from 526.7 ± 57.2 to 342 ± 44.8, P<0.05) and AST (from 640 ± 33.7 to 462.8 ± 30.6, P<0.05), attenuated the changes in liver his-topathology and reduced the staging score (from 3.53 ± 0.74 to 3.00 ± 0.76, P<0.05) in CCl4 -treated rats. GA markedly reduced the positive area of Sirius red and the ratio of the hepatic fibrotic region (from 7.87% ± 0.66% to 3.68% ± 0.32%, P<0.05) compared with the CCl4 group. GA also decreased the expression level of cleaved caspase-3 compared to the CCl4 group. TU-NEL assay indicated that GA significantly diminished the number of TUNEL-positive cells compared with the CCl4 group (P<0.05). GA treatment clearly decreased the level of p53 (P<0.05) detected by immunohis-tochemistry and Western blotting analysis. Compared with the CCl4 group, we also found that GA reduced the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio (P<0.05), the expression of cleaved caspase-3 (P<0.05), cleaved caspase-9 (P<0.05), and inhibited cytochrome C and second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac) release from mito-chondria to cytoplasm, i.e. , GA reduced the expressionlevel of Smac, which inhibited c-IAP1 activity (P<0.05), ultimately inhibiting the activity of caspase-3, according to Western blotting analysis. As a result, GA suppressed activation of the caspase cascades and prevented he-patocyte apoptosis.

Significantly Enhanced Energy Storage Performances of PEI-based Composites Utilizing Surface Functionalized ZrO_(2) Nanoparticles for High-Temperature Application

Polymer dielectrics with a high energy density and an available energy storage capacity have been playing an important role in advanced electronics and power systems. Nevertheless, the use of polymer dielectrics in harsh environments is limited by their low energy density at high temperatures. Herein, zirconium dioxide(ZrO_(2)) nanoparticles were decorated with amino group utilizing 4,4-methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate)(AMEO) and successfully incorporated into polyetherimide(PEI) matrix. The dielectric properties, breakdown strength, and energy storage performances of PEI/ZrO_(2)-AMEO nanocomposites were investigated from 25 ℃ to 150 ℃. It is found that the combination of moderate bandgap ZrO_(2) with modest dielectric constant and polar groups at interface with deep trap can offer an available strategy to simultaneously increase the dielectric constant and breakdown strength of polymer dielectrics. As a result, the composites containing ZrO_(2)-AMEO exhibit excellent energy storage performance at elevated temperatures. Specially, the PEI-based composites with 3 vol% ZrO_(2)-AMEO display a maximum discharged energy density(U_(d)) of 3.1 J/cm^(3) at 150 ℃, presenting 90% higher than that of neat PEI. This study may help to better develop the polymer-based dielectric composite applied at elevated temperatures.

Industry 4.0： a way from mass customization to mass personalization production

Although mass customization, which utilizes modularization to simultaneously increase product variety and maintain mass production （MP） efficiency, has become a trend in recent times, there are some limitations to mass customization. Firstly, customers do not participate wholeheartedly in the design phase. Secondly, potential combinations are predetermined by designers. Thirdly, the concept of mass customization is not necessary to satisfy individual requirements and is not capable of providing personalized services and goods. Industry 4.0 is a collec- tive term for technologies and concepts of value chain organization. Based on the technological concepts of radio frequency identification, cyber-physical system, the Inter- net of things, Internet of service, and data mining, Industry 4.0 will enable novel forms of personalization. Direct customer input to design will enable companies to increasingly produce customized products with shorter cycle-times and lower costs than those associated with standardization and MP. The producer and the customer will share in the new value created. To overcome the gaps between mass customization and mass personalization, this paper presents a framework for mass personalization production based on the concepts of Industry 4.0. Several industrial practices and a lab demonstration show how we can realize mass personalization.

Optimization and Scheduling of Byproduct Gas System in Steel Plant

A mathematical model was proposed to optimize byproduct gas system and reduce the total cost. The scope and boundaries of the system were also discussed at the same time. Boilers and gasholders were buffer users to solve the fluctuation of byproduct gases. The priority of gasholders should be ranked the last. The allocation of surplus ga- ses among gasholders and boilers was also discussed to make full use of gases and realize zero emission targets. Case study shows that the proposed model made good use of byproduct gases and at least 7.8 ~//00 operation cost was re- duced, compared with real data in iron and steel industry.

Greatly Enhanced Hydrolytic Degradation Ability of Poly(L-lactide) Achieved by Adding Poly(ethylene glycol)

Plasticized poly(L-lactide)(PLLA) materials have been applied in many fields and the microstructure performance of such materials attracts much attention of researchers. However, few reports declared the hydrolytic degradation ability of the plasticized PLLA materials. In this article, a small quantity of poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) was introduced into PLLA, which aimed to understand the hydrolytic degradation behavior of the plasticized PLLA materials. The microstructures of the plasticized samples were comparatively investigated using scanning electron microscopy(SEM), wide angle X-ray diffraction(WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and Flourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), etc. The results demonstrated that PEG improved the hydrophilicity of sample surface, and the relatively high content of PEG enhanced the crystallization ability of PLLA matrix. The hydrolytic degradation measurement was carried out at 60 ℃ in an alkaline solution of pH = 12. The results demonstrated that the plasticized PLLA samples exhibited accelerated hydrolytic degradation compared with the pure PLLA sample, and the hydrolytic degradation was also dependent on the PEG content. Further results demonstrated that PEG induced the change of hydrolytic degradation mechanism possibly due to the good dissolution ability of PEG in water, which provided more paths for the penetration of water. Furthermore, the microstructure evolution of the plasticized PLLA during the hydrolytic degradation process was also investigated, and the results demonstrated the occurrence of PLLA crystallization, which was possibly contributed to the decreased hydrolytic degradation rate observed at relatively long hydrolytic degradation time. This work is of great significance and may open a new way for promoting the reclamation of PLLA waste material.

Annealing Induced Microstructure and Mechanical Property Changes of Impact Resistant Polypropylene Copolymer

The effects of annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of an impact resistant polypropylene copolymer （IPC） were investigated. Different annealing temperatures ranging from 80 ℃ to 160 ℃ were selected. The phase reorganization of IPC during annealing process was studied through morphological characterization technologies, including scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The crystalline structure changes in the IPC sample, including the iPP matrix and PE component, were investigated using wide angle X-ray diffraction （WAXD） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. Dynamic mechanical analysis （DMA） was used to analyze the relaxation extent of 1PC before and after annealing. The results showed that annealing induced phase reorganization in IPC and the degree of phase reorganization depended on annealing temperature. The annealed IPC samples exhibited largely increased crystallinity compared with the unannealed one. Intensified damping peak with increased molecular chain mobility was achieved for the annealed IPC samples. At an appropriate annealing tem. perature （140 ℃）, largely enhanced impact strength was achieved for the annealed IPC sample. The toughening mechanisms were analyzed based on the phase reorganization and relaxation behavior.

ENHANCING CHAIN SEGMENTS MOBILITY TO IMPROVE THE FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF POLYPROPYLENE

As a part of a serial work about the annealing inducing improvement of fracture toughness of polypropylene （PP） articles, in this work, a highly efficient mobilizer was introduced into PP and the injection-molded samples were annealed at different temperatures. The mobility of chain segments of PP was investigated by measuring the glass transition temperature. Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and wide angle X-ray diffraction （WAXD） were used to characterize the variation of crystalline structure of PP during the annealing process. The fracture behaviors including notched Izod impact fracture and universal tensile fracture were investigated to detect the mechanical properties in response to the variations of both chain segments mobility and crystalline structures. It was found that the mobilizer greatly improved the chain segments mobility. Further results showed that the mobilizer also induced apparent changes of the glass transition temperature and the degree of crystallinity of PP during the annealing process. Consequently, the annealed PP samples containing a few amount of mobilizer exhibited largely increased fracture toughness.

A catalysis study of mesoporous MCM-41 supported Schiff base and CuSO_4·5H_2O in a highly regioselective synthesis of 4-thiazolidinone derivatives from cyclocondensation of mercaptoacetic acid

Mesoporous MCM-41 supported Schiff base and Cu SO4· 5H2 O shows high catalytic activity in the cyclocondensation of mercaptoacetic acid with imines（or aldehydes and amines） to afford pharmaceutically important thiazolidinone derivatives. The catalytic reactions involving twocomponents or three-components afforded the desired product in high yields（up to 98% and 99%）.Moreover, the catalyst works well with respect to recyclability, giving the product in 85% and 83% yields after recycling six times.

Simultaneously Improved Dielectric Constant and Breakdown Strength of PVDF-based Composites with Polypyrrole Nanowire Encapsuled Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets

High-performance dielectric polymer composites have received increasing attention due to their important applications in the field of energy storage.The rational structural design of hybrid fillers can lead to a balance between high dielectric constant and insulation in composites.In this work,novel hybrid fillers were fabricated by in situ synthesizing one-dimensional polypyrrole nanowires(PPynws)on the twodimensional molybdenum disulfide(MoS_(2)),which integrated the good ion polarization ability of PPynws and the high insulation and adjustable band gap of MoS_(2).Compared with the binary poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)/MoS_(2) composites,the PVDF/MoS_(2)-PPynws composites exhibited remarkably improved dielectric constant and breakdown strength,while the dielectric loss was still maintained at a low level.An optimal ternary composite with 1 wt%MoS_(2)-PPynws showed a high dielectric constant(15@1kHz),suppressed dielectric loss(0.027@1kHz),and high breakdown strength(422.1 MV/m).PPynws inducing strong interfacial polarization and the highly insulated MoS_(2) nanosheets extending the breakdown path mainly contributed to the synchronously enhanced dielectric constant and breakdown strength.This intriguing synthesis method of PVDF/MoS_(2)-PPynws nanocomposite will open up new opportunities for fabricating nanostructured polymer composites to produce high dielectric materials.

BN Fused Diazulenyl-Carbazole:Synthesis,Structure,and Properties

Main observation and conclusion By combination of two special structural units,a boron-nitrogen-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and azulene with strong intramolecular dipoles,a novel BN aromatics,BN-Az,has been designed and synthesized with unique characteristics.The structure,optical and electrochemical properties,as well as charge transport property of BN-Az have been investigated.Notably,BN-Az selectively responds to fluoride ions and protons with a significant color change,which could also be monitored by NMR spectra and single-crystal X-ray analysis,indicating its potential as an effective ion sensing material in stimuli-responsive electronic devices.