Elucidating the interplay of ferroptosis-related genes in keloid formation:Insights from bioinformatics analysis

Background:Keloids are benign skin tumors characterized by fibroblast proliferation,tumor-like biological behavior,and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix in wounded skin.Ferroptosis,a type of programmed cell death,is critical in tumor pathogenesis.We aimed to investigate the role of ferroptosis in keloid formation.Methods:We downloaded public high-throughput sequencing raw count data(GSE92566),containing three normal skin and four keloid samples,from the Gene Expression Omnibus database.Ferroptosis-related genes were obtained from the Ferroptosis database website.The ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes(FRDEGs)were obtained by merging differentially expressed genes with ferroptosis-related genes.The FRDEGs were then used for Gene Ontology,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes,Gene Set Enrichment Analysis,proteinprotein interaction(PPI)network,and microRNA(miRNA)-mRNA network analysis.Finally,real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)was performed to validate our findings.Results:We found 25 FRDEGs,including 8 up-regulated and 17 down-regulated genes.Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the Hippo and transforming growth factorβsignaling pathways were significantly upregulated in keloids.In contrast,regulation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway,glutathione metabolism,and unsaturated fatty acid metabolic process were down-regulated.PPI and FRDEGs hub networks were constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape software.Ten hub genes were identified,including PLA2G6,RARRES2,SNCA,CYP4F8,CDKN2A,ALOX12,FABP4,ALOX12B,NEDD4,and NEDD4L.We constructed a miRNA-mRNA network,which predicted hsa-mir-155-5p,hsa-let-7b-5p,hsa-mir-124-3p,hsa-mir-145-5p,hsa-mir-328-3p,hsa-mir-24-3p,and hsa-mir-10b-5p as the most connected miRNAs regulating ferroptosis in keloids.Finally,we verified the expression levels of the hub genes by RT-qPCR,which confirmed that ALOX12,ALOX12B,and CYP4F8 expression were reduced in keloids.Conclusions:This study provides novel information on ferroptosis-mediated keloid pathogenesis,underscoring the importance of further research in this area to unlock new therapeutic avenues for keloid treatment.

Leaching Mechanism of the Spodumene Sulphuric Acid Process

Leaching mechanism of acid roasted ore in the spodumene sulphuric acid process was investigated. Experimental results of leaching rates along with variations of leaching temperature in the acidized and neutral leaching processes were reported. Applying ion exchange mechanism in acidized roasting and absorption entrainment mechanism at high temperature, leaching mechanism was discussed. A better explanation of experimental results was given.

Multi-objective Optimization of Industrial Purified Terephthalic Acid Oxidation Process

Multi-objective optimization of a purified terephthalic acid (PTA) oxidation unit is carried out in this paper by using a process modei that has been proved to describe industrial process quite well. The modei is a semi-empirical structured into two series ideal continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) models. The optimal objectives include maximizing the yield or inlet rate and minimizing the concentration of 4-carboxy-benzaldhyde, which is the main undesirable intermediate product in the reaction process. The multi-objective optimization algorithra applied in this study is non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm Ⅱ (NSGA-Ⅱ). The performance of NSGA-Ⅱ is further illustrated by application to the title process.

Distribution of REE of Phosphate Concentrate in Wet-Phosphoric Acid Process

There exists the most important REE-bearing phosphorite deposit in Southwest of China. Due to the fact that the REE are present in the form of ions in the lattices of collophanite or carbonatfluorapatite, the REE can be enriched in phosphate concentrate by flotation method. The phosphate concentrate is the main raw materials to produce phosphoric acid, therefore, it is significant to further investigate the distribution rule of REE in wet process. In this paper, the single leaching and recycled leaching technology were carried out to investigate the effect of various parameter conditions on distribution of REE in products. The REE compositions of products were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. It was found that the acidic value of leaching liquor was the main effect factor on the distribution of REE in products. In single leaching stage, P2O5 concentration of leaching liquor slightly varied from 8% to about 10% when the excessive coefficient of sulphuric acid ranged from 1.03 to 1.05, and the distribution proportions of ∑REO in phosphoric acid solution was lower than 40%. However, in recycled leaching process(the condition similar to practical wet process), with an increase of P2O5 concentration as well as the acidic value of leaching liquor, the distribution proportions of ∑REO in phosphoric acid solution could be decreased to 2.56%. That is to say that under the condition similar to practical wet process, more than 90% of REE of phosphate concentrate became precipitation entering into the phosphogypsum product. This investigation will provide valid reference for reasonably recovering or reserving REE in wet-phosphoric acid process.

Production of Bamboo Fiber Reinforced Fibrillated Poly(Lactic Acid)(PLA) Material Obtained by a Papermaking Process

A devised beating process was applied, which enabled the formation of slurry consisting of uniformly dispersed fibrillated polylactic acid（PLA） fibers with bamboo fiber, and the polymer material was obtained by a conventional papermaking process. Owing to the fast dewatering time, good repeatability and the facility to manufacture on a large scale, this process was used. It was revealed that the beaten PLA fiber was overall in machinery extrusion by the results of optical microscope and scanning electron microscope（SEM） observations. The improvement in the tensile index, burst index, tear index and other mechanical properties was considered as a key benefit as a result of adding bamboo fiber.

Application of an Artificial Neural Network Method for the Prediction of the Tube-Side Fouling Resistance in a Shell-And-Tube Heat Exchanger

The accumulation of undesirable deposits on the heat exchange surface represents a critical issue in industrial heat exchangers.Taking experimental measurements of the fouling is relatively difficult and,often,this method does not lead to precise results.To overcome these problems,in the present study,a new approach based on an Artificial Neural Network(ANN)is used to predict the fouling resistance as a function of specific measurable variables in the phosphoric acid concentration process.These include:the phosphoric acid inlet and outlet temperatures,the steam temperature,the phosphoric acid density,the phosphoric acid volume flow rate circulating in the loop.Some statistical accuracy indices are employed simultaneously to justify the interrelation between these independent variables and the fouling resistance and to select the best training algorithm allowing the determination of the optimal number of hidden neurons.In particular,the BFGS quasi-Newton back-propagation approach is found to be the most performing of the considered training algorithms.Furthermore,the best topology ANN for the shell and tube heat exchanger is obtained with a network consisting of one hidden layer with 13 neurons using a tangent sigmoid transfer function for the hidden and output layers.This model predicts the experimental values of the fouling resistance with AARD%=0.065,MSE=2.168×10^(−11),RMSE=4.656×10^(−6)and r^(2)=0.994.

A new process to improve short-chain fatty acids and bio-methane generation from waste activated sludge

As an important intermediate product, short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） can be generated after hydrolysis and acidification from waste activated sludge, and then can be transformed to methane during anaerobic digestion process. In order to obtain more SCFA and methane,most studies in literatures were centered on enhancing the hydrolysis of sludge anaerobic digestion which was proved as un-efficient. Though the alkaline pretreatment in our previous study increased both the hydrolysis and acidification processes, it had a vast chemical cost which was considered uneconomical. In this paper, a low energy consumption pretreatment method, i.e. enhanced the whole three stages of the anaerobic fermentation processes at the same time, was reported, by which hydrolysis and acidification were both enhanced, and the SCFA and methane generation can be significantly improved with a small quantity of chemical input. Firstly, the effect of different pretreated temperatures and pretreatment time on sludge hydrolyzation was compared. It was found that sludge pretreated at 100°C for 60 min can achieve the maximal hydrolyzation. Further, effects of different initial p Hs on acidification of the thermal pretreated sludge were investigated and the highest SCFA was observed at initial p H 9.0with fermentation time of 6 d, the production of which was 348.63 mg COD/g VSS（6.8 times higher than the blank test） and the acetic acid was dominant acid. Then, the mechanisms for this new pretreatment significantly improving SCFA production were discussed. Finally,the effect of this low energy consumption pretreatment on methane generation was investigated.

Enhanced Antioxidant Capacities in vivo Caused by the Change in Key Constituent of Terminalia chebula Retz. Treated with Tibet Traditional Process

In order to investigate the chemical-biological relationship caused by the special processing technology,the constituent＇s content and antioxidant capacity in vivo of Euphorbia fischeriana Steud processing Terminalia chebula Retz. have been tested. Taking T. chebula Retz. as control,the content of gallic acid is analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） method. The results show that the increase of gallic acid concentration from 4.54% to 7.46% leads to enhancement of the antioxidant capacities in vivo of the E. fischeriana Steud processing T. chebula Retz. The significant antioxidant capacity in vivo（p〈0.05） of the processed product possesses is better than the unprocessed herb. Its superoxide dismutase（SOD）and malondia-ldehyde（MDA） contents in serum,the MDA content in liver can match the effects of vitamine E when administered at high dosage.

Structure,morphology,and microwave dielectric properties of SmAlO_(3) synthesized by stearic acid route

A rapid and facile approach was developed for the synthesis of ultrafine SmAlO_(3) powders through the combustion of stearic acid precursors.The obtained products were characterized by typical techniques including X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier Transform Infrared(FT-IR),thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis(TG-DTA),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)to analyze the phase composition and microstructure.The dielectric characteristics of SmAlO_(3) microwave ceramics,using the as-obtained products as original materials,were also studied.Compared with the conventional solid-state reaction method,the synthesis temperature was dramatically reduced to 750℃.The large-size sheet structure was composed of a number of micro/nano-scale crystallites,which were mostly irregular in shape due to the mutual growth and overlapping shapes of adjacent grains.The SmAlO_(3) ceramics with high density and uniform microstructure were obtained after sintering at 1500℃ for 4 h due to the favorable sintering activity of the as-synthesized powders.In addition,desired dielectric properties at microwave frequencies(dielectric constant ε_(r)=20.22,quality factor Q·f=74110 GHz,and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency τ_(f)=-74.6 ppm/℃)were achieved.

An Organic Solvent-free Approach towards PDI/Carbon Cloth Composites as Flexible Lithium Ion Battery Cathodes

An acidic solution based method towards flexible lithium ion battery(LIB)cathodes is developed in this work with perylene diimide(PDI)as the electroactive component and carbon cloth(CC)as the current collector.In this approach,PDI is firstly dispersed in concentrated sulfuric acid(H2S04)and then deposited on CC substrate after the dilution of H2S04,which provides an organic solvent-free strategy to construct integrated LIB cathodes.The acdic solution based fabrication process also allows the facile adjusting of loading amounts of PDI in the cathodes,which can effectively influence the battery performances of the PDI/CC cathodes.As the result,the acidic solution processed PDI/CC cathode can deliver a high specific capacity of-36 mAh·g^-1 at the current density of 50 mA·g^-1 in both half cell with lithium foil as anode and full cell with pre-lithiated CC as anode.In both types of the batteries,the PDI/CC cathodes show good cycling stabilities by retaining^84%of the initial capacities after 300 charge-discharge cycles at 500 mA·g^-1.Additionally,the excellent mechanical stability of the PDI/CC cathode enables the LIBs in pouch cell to maintain the electrochemical performances under various bending states,demonstrating their potentials for flexible LIBs.

Science Letters:Hydrothermal production of formic and acetic acids from syringol

The production of formic and acetic acids （or salts） by hydrothermal oxidation of syringol, a model compound for lignin, was investigated using a batch reactor. Results show that the highest yields of formic and acetic acids were, respectively, 59.6% and 11.3% at the reaction condition of 0.5 mol/L NaOH, 120% H2O2 supply and 280 ℃. These results will inform studies aiming to develop more enviromnental friendly lignin conversion processes by obtaining products beyond a CO2 end product.

Impact of undissociated volatile fatty acids on acidogenesis in a two-phase anaerobic system

This study investigated the degradation and production of volatile fatty acids（VFAs）in the acidogenic phase reactor of a two-phase anaerobic system.20 mmol/L bromoethanesulfonic acid（BESA）was used to inhibit acidogenic methanogens（which were present in the acidogenic phase reactor）from degrading VFAs.The impact of undissociated volatile fatty acids（un VFAs）on＂net＂VFAs production in the acidogenic phase reactor was then evaluated,with the exclusion of concurrent VFAs degradation.＂Net＂VFAs production from glucose degradation was partially inhibited at high un VFAs concentrations,with 59%,37% and 60% reduction in production rates at 2190 mg chemical oxygen demand（COD）/L undissociated acetic acid（un HAc）,2130 mg COD/L undissociated propionic acid（un HPr）and 2280 mg COD/L undissociated n-butyric acid（un HBu）,respectively.The profile of VFAs produced further indicated that while an un VFA can primarily affect its own formation,there were also un VFAs that affected the formation of other VFAs.