Subchronic Administration of Linalool Decreases Depressive-Like Behaviour in Restrained Rats

Objectives： The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of linalool in chronically stressed rats on their behaviour as related to depressive disorders and BDNF （brain-derived neurotropic factor） protein in the hippocampus. Methods： Either Tween 80 or linalool （50, 160, 500 mg/kg） was intraperitonealty administered to rats, daily, for two weeks. Some rats were housed in home cages but the others were induced with chronic restrained stress （15 min daily）. At the end of the treatment, the rats were assessed for depressive-like behaviour using the forced swimming test. At the end of the behaviour test, the animals were immediately decapitated and the hippocampus of each animal was removed for the measurement of the BDNF protein by ELISA. Result： The immobility time was significantly increased （p 〈 0.05） but time of climbing was significantly decreased （p 〈 0.05）. The restrained rats treated with linalool, 500 mg/kg, displayed immobility times less than those of their controls （p 〈 0.05） while these rats showed significantly more climbing than in the control rats （p 〈 0.05）. Linalool showed no effect on the BDNF protein in the hippocampus. Conclusions： linalool decreases behaviour related to depressive disorders but it has no effect on the BDNF protein in chronic restrained stress.

Protective role of fruits of Rosa odorata var. gigantea against WIRSinduced gastric mucosal injury in rats by modulating pathway related to inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis

Objective: Rosa odorata var. gigantea is a popular medicinal plant. Some studies have demonstrated that ethanolic extract of the fruits of R. odorata var. gigantea(FOE) has gastroprotective properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the gastroprotective activity of FOE on water immersion restrained stress(WIRS)-induced gastric mucosal injury in a rat model and elucidate the possible molecular mechanisms involved.Methods: A rat stress ulcer model was established in this study using WIRS. After rats were treated with FOE orally for 7 d, the effect of FOE treatment was analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin(H&E) staining, and the changes of inflammatory factors, oxidative stress factors, and gastric-specific regulatory factors and pepsin in the blood and gastric tissues of rats were examined by ELISA assay. Molecular mechanism of FOE was investigated by immunohistochemical assay and Western blot.Results: Compared with the WIRS group, FOE could diminish both the macroscopic and microscopic pathological morphology of gastric mucosa. FOE significantly preserved the antioxidants glutathione peroxidase(GSH-PX), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and catalase(CAT) contents;anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-10(IL-10) and prostaglandin E2(PGE2) levels as well as regulatory factors tumor necrosis factor-a(TGF-a) and somatostatin(SS) contents, while decreasing malondialdehyde(MDA), nitric oxide synthase(i NOS), tumor necrosis factor(TNF-a), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), gastrin(GAS)and endothelin(ET) levels. Moreover, FOE distinctly upregulated the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, Bcl2 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA). In addition, FOE activated the expression of p-EGFR and downregulated the expression of NF-ΚB, Bax, Cleaved-caspase-3, Cyto-C and Cleaved-PARP1, thus promoting gastric mucosal cell survival.Conclusion: The current work demonstrated that FOE exerted a gastroprotective activity against gastric mucosal injury induced by WIRS. The underlying mechanism might be associated with the improvement of anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation and anti-apoptosis systems.

Investigation on Cracking of Concrete Shear Wall under Exceeded Temperature Differences Rate

In situ, the changes of temperature, deformation, and stressing of steel bar of C40 reinforced concrete shear wall were measured, respectively. The results are obvious that the temperature change of climate is one of the most effective factors which could lead the concrete shear wall to cracking at earlier age. The temperature differences between inside and outside concrete shear wall are so large that the concrete will gain larger shrinkage. This larger shrinkage which is caused by the temperature reducing ratio will gain the strained action of head, end and reinforced steel bar of concrete shear wall. This action can lead to tensile stress on the surface and inside concrete shear wall. If the tensile stress would exceed the pull strength of concrete, the concrete shear wall would crack and cause deterioration. Thus, the enhancing curing of concrete shear wall in suit at earlier age, and controlling temperature reducing ratio and deform caused by shrinkage, will be available treatments which control occurring and developing of cracking on concrete shear wall.

Moving line crack accompanied with damage zone subject to remote tensile loading

In the 1920s, a closed-form solution of the moving Criffith crack was first obtained by Yoffe. Based on Yoffe＇s solution, the Dugdale model for the moving crack case gives a good result. However, the Dugddle model fails when the crack speed is closed to the Rayleigh wave speed because of the discontinuity occurred in the crack opening displacement （COD）. The problem is solved in this paper by introducing a restraining stress zone ahead of the crack tip and two velocity functions. The restraining stresses are linearly distributed and related to the velocity of the moving crack. An analytical solution of the problem is obtained by use of the superposition principle and a complex function method. The final result of the COD is continuous while the crack moves at a Rayleigh wave speed. The characteristics of the strain energy density （SED） and numerical results are discussed, and conclusions are given.