Droplet Infiltration Research Articles

Strategy for treating MAFLD: Electroacupuncture alleviates hepatic steatosis and fibrosis by enhancing AMPK mediated glycolipid metabolism and autophagy in T2DM rats

BackgroundRecent studies have highlighted type 2 diabetes (T2DM) as a significant risk factor for the development of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). This investigation aimed to assess electroacupuncture’s (EA) impact on liver morphology and function in T2DM rats, furnishing experimental substantiation for its potential to stall MAFLD progression in T2DM.MethodsT2DM rats were induced by a high-fat diet and a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin, and then randomly assigned to five groups: the T2DM group, the electroacupuncture group, the metformin group, combination group of electroacupuncture and metformin, combination group of electroacupuncture and Compound C. The control group received a standard diet alongside intraperitoneal citric acid - sodium citrate solution injections. After a 6-week intervention, the effects of each group on fasting blood glucose, lipids, liver function, morphology, lipid droplet infiltration, and fibrosis were evaluated. Techniques including Western blotting, qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence were employed to gauge the expression of key molecules in AMPK-associated glycolipid metabolism, insulin signaling, autophagy, and fibrosis pathways. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy facilitated the observation of liver autophagy, lipid droplets, and fibrosis.ResultsOur studies indicated that hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and IR promoted lipid accumulation, pathological and functional damage, and resulting in hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. Meanwhile, EA enhanced the activation of AMPK, which in turn improved glycolipid metabolism and autophagy through promoting the expression of PPARα/CPT1A and AMPK/mTOR pathway, inhibiting the expression of SREBP1c, PGC-1α/PCK2 and TGFβ1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway, ultimately exerting its effect on ameliorating hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in T2DM rats. The above effects of EA were consistent with metformin. The combination of EA and metformin had significant advantages in increasing hepatic AMPK expression, improving liver morphology, lipid droplet infiltration, fibrosis, and reducing serum ALT levels. In addition, the ameliorating effects of EA on the progression of MAFLD in T2DM rats were partly disrupted by Compound C, an inhibitor of AMPK.ConclusionsEA upregulated hepatic AMPK expression, curtailing gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis while boosting fatty acid oxidation and autophagy levels. Consequently, it mitigated blood glucose, lipids, and insulin resistance in T2DM rats, thus impeding liver steatosis and fibrosis progression and retarding MAFLD advancement.

Dynamical Adsorption Behavior Prediction of Dried Tobacco Leaf Heterogeneous Interfaces through Simulation and Image Recognition Techniques.

The process of spraying water and flavorings on dry tobacco is an important factor in the industrial environment and product quality. Tobacco as a complex porous fiber material, the interfacial transfer process of water is complex. In this study, machine learning and image recognition techniques were utilized to quickly obtain the structural parameters of the tobacco surface and construct a cellular structure model of the tobacco surface. In situ observation of the droplet impact spreading process was carried out using a high-speed camera to explore the droplet dissipation dynamics on different surfaces. And the competing processes of droplet wetting and evaporation under the influence of surface microstructure were determined by combining experimental studies and finite element simulation calculations. Based on the characteristics of tobacco pore size distribution, the infiltration under gas-liquid two-phase action was transformed into single-phase flow transfer under capillary force, and the continuous droplet infiltration process was simulated. A parallel artificial membrane permeability measurement method of bionic tobacco waxy layer was constructed for the screening of spray dosing copenetrant. This study brings new insights into the wetting of porous fibrous materials and is important for exploring the wetting process and additive development process influenced by the microstructure.

Modification of magnetorheological fluid and its compatibility with metal skeleton: Insights from multi-body dissipative particle dynamics simulations and experimental study

Magnetorheological fluid (MRF), as a smart material, plays a pivotal role in sealing equipment. However, the interfacial compatibility between MRF and metal significantly impacts the adhesion of the two phases, which subsequently determines the sealing performance of MRF once it is used as a sealing medium. However, the interface mechanism and dynamical magnetic migration performances between MRF and metals at the microscopic level are not clear. In this study, dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) and multi-body DPD simulations are carried out to examine the settling stability, static wetting characteristics, and magnetic migration ability of MRF droplets incorporating different surfactants. It is revealed that oleic acid stands out as the optimal surfactant for MRF, shedding light on the mechanism of MRF droplet infiltration on metal sheets and unveiling five crucial wetting processes. Furthermore, a thorough comparison among simulation results, experimental findings, and numerical analysis was conducted to verify the reliability of theoretical research on the microscale behavior of MRF. Moreover, investigating the driving characteristics of MRF droplets within a uniform magnetic field confirmed two driving processes: significant deformation and limitation of excessive diffusion. The analysis of the vortical structure within the droplets revealed the presence of diffusion effects caused by magnetic particles. The velocity distribution within the droplets indicated different flow rates, with higher velocities at the core and slower velocities at the edge, suggesting the presence of internal flow patterns.

GLP-1RA Liraglutide and Semaglutide Improves Obesity-Induced Muscle Atrophy via SIRT1 Pathway.

Obesity is related to the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function (sarcopenia). The co-existence of obesity and sarcopenia is called sarcopenic obesity (SO). Glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are widely used in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. However, the protective effects of GLP-1RA on skeletal muscle in obesity and SO are not clear. This study investigated the effects of GLP-1RA liraglutide and semaglutide on obesity-induced muscle atrophy and explored the underlying mechanisms. Thirty-six male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into two groups and fed a regular diet and a high-fat diet for 18 weeks, respectively. After establishing an obesity model, mice were further divided into six groups: control group, liraglutide (LIRA) group, semaglutide (SEMA) group, high-fat diet (HFD) group, HFD + LIRA group, HFD + SEMA group, and subcutaneous injection for 4 weeks. The body weight, muscle mass, muscle strength, glycolipid metabolism, muscle atrophy markers, myogenic differentiation markers, GLUT4 and SIRT1 were analyzed. C2C12 myotube cells treated with palmitic acid (PA) were divided into four groups: control group, PA group, PA + LIRA group, PA + SEMA group. The changes in glucose uptake, myotube diameter, lipid droplet infiltration, markers of muscle atrophy, myogenic differentiation markers, GLUT4 and SIRT1 were analyzed, and the changes in related indicators were observed after the addition of SIRT1 inhibitor EX527. Liraglutide and semaglutide reduced HFD-induced body weight gain, excessive lipid accumulation and improved muscle atrophy. Liraglutide and semaglutide eliminated the increase of muscle atrophy markers in skeletal muscle and C2C12 myotubes. Liraglutide and semaglutide restored impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. However, these beneficial effects were attenuated by inhibiting SIRT1 expression. Liraglutide and semaglutide protects skeletal muscle against obesity-induced muscle atrophy via the SIRT1 pathway.

Optimization and verification of droplet infiltration model in contact line theory

In order to improve the theory of contact line density, the contact angle model of rectangular convex structure with anisotropy was established, and the integral method and cyclic assignment method were used to solve the droplet volume. Then, the characteristic dimensions of FKM (fluorine rubber) surface prepared by template method were collected by visual recognition technology. In addition, the gravity, surface tension and micro-droplet height of the droplet in the antenna model were verified. Finally, the error of theoretical droplet height and actual droplet height in the solution of droplet gravity and surface tension was calculated by regression model. It is shown that the empirical correction coefficient of the contact angle model is 0.04–0.112 when the droplet gravity and surface tension are equal. Moreover, the reliability of theoretical gravity and theoretical surface tension of droplets instead of actual values is 96.3% and 99.4% respectively. States of droplets on six FKM surfaces are all in accordance with Wenzel-Cassie transition state model. Optimizing the theory of contact line density is conducive to designing accurate and anisotropic rough structures.

Biomimicking integrates peristome surface of Nepenthes alata onto biliary stents tips

Biliary stents (BS) play an important role in the field of modern interventional therapy. However, the surface of BS is easy to cause microbial attachment, which causes serious postoperative infections and threatens the life safety of patients. Here, inspired by the microstructures of Nepenthes alata’s peristome surface and Morpho menelaus, we presented an excellent slippery surface for BS tips by employing inverse opal colloidal crystals hydrogels. The inverse opal structure not only imparts a tunable structural color to the slippery surface but provides sufficient room for liquid absorption, such as lubricants and drugs. The slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) endow the slippery surface with anti-adhesion and antibacterial properties. Due to the good temperature sensitivity of hydrogels, we can control the drug release by changing the temperature. In particular, the drug release process can be monitored through visually structural color variations. Furthermore, we also proposed a mechanism of droplet infiltration on SLIPS under the heating which is expected to be used for the smart transport of droplets. The multifunctional SLIPS BS tips also exhibit good generalization, we believe it will bring more possibilities for biliary stents.

Dynamics of binary solution droplets of an ionic liquid and water impinging on a heated porous surface

The dynamics of a binary solution droplet of ionic liquid and water on heated brass porous surfaces were studied. A comparison was made between the droplet dynamics on the porous and impermeable surfaces. An increasing spreading diameter for the binary solution droplets on the impermeable surfaces was observed, while this was not found on the porous surfaces. The time required for the droplet to penetrate the porous surfaces was significantly shorter than that for the droplet to evaporate completely from the impermeable surfaces. During the process of droplet infiltration into the porous medium, the droplet evaporation could be neglected. A higher Weber number and a higher surface temperature resulted in a higher liquid penetration rate. A linear and polynomial change in the residual volume for the binary solution and water droplet, respectively, on the porous surfaces over time was observed.

Infiltration characteristics of nanochannels composed of graphene sheets in different directions

The infiltration of water droplets in nanochannels is of great importance in microfluidics. In this paper, two types of graphene nanochannels with different wall structures are constructed based on the experimentally reported graphene structure, and the infiltrations of water nanodroplet in the two nanochannels are investigated by performing all-atom molecular dynamics simulation. It is found that the two nanochannels with the same size, composed of different graphene arrays, exhibit completely different infiltration properties: water droplets cannot infiltrate into the multilayer stacked channels, but can wet the vertical array channels spontaneously and completely. By analyzing the structures of the two nanochannels, the novel phenomenon is mainly attributed to the difference in wettability between the inner surface and the outer surface of the nanochannel. From the perspective of energy, the potential energy of water droplets in the multilayer stacked channels is higher than that outside the channels, while the potential energy of water droplets in the vertical array channels is lower than that outside the channels. Therefore, water droplets can spontaneously infiltrate into the latter ones. The van der Waals interaction between the droplet and the channels and the Coulomb interaction inside the droplet play a dominant role in spontaneously infiltrating the water droplets, while the van der Waals interaction inside the droplet has little effect on the infiltration behavior. In addition, through a series of simulations of water droplets wetting the nanochannels with identical inner surface and outer surface, the wettability phase diagram of water droplets infiltration into nanochannels is established, which represents the general law of water droplet infiltration into nanochannels.

Vapor-Mediated Infiltration of Nanocatalysts for Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using Electrosprayed Dendrites.

Electrode architecturing for fast electrochemical reaction is essential for achieving high-performance of low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs). However, the conventional droplet infiltration technique still has limitations in terms of the applicability and scalability of nanocatalyst implementation. Here, we develop a novel two-step precursor infiltration process and fabricate high-performance LT-SOFCs with homogeneous and robust nanocatalysts. This novel infiltration process is designed based on the principle of a reversible sol-gel transition where the gelated precursor dendrites are uniformly deposited onto the electrode via controlled nanoscale electrospraying process then resolubilized and infiltrated into the porous electrode structure through subsequent humidity control. Our infiltration technique reduces the cathodic polarization resistance by 18% compared to conventional processes, thereby achieving an enhanced peak power density of 0.976 W cm-2 at 650 °C. These results, which provide various degrees of freedom for forming nanocatalysts, exhibit an advancement in LT-SOFC technology.

Long-term outcomes of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with invasion depth of pathological T1a-muscularis mucosae and T1b-submucosa by endoscopic resection followed by appropriate additional treatment.

Endoscopic resection (ER) is indicated for a wide range of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs). We examined the long-term outcomes in patients with pathological (p) invasion of ESCC into the T1a-muscularis mucosae (MM) and T1b-submucosa (SM) after ER, for which data on prognosis are limited. Of the 1217 patients with superficial ESCC who underwent ER, 225 patients with a pathological diagnosis of ESCC invasion into the MM, minute submucosal invasion ≤200 µm (SM1), or massive submucosal invasion (SM2) were included. In patients with lymphovascular invasion, droplet infiltration, or SM2 invasion, additional treatments, including chemoradiation (CRT) or esophagectomy with two- to three-field lymph node dissection, were recommended. The median observation period was 66 months (interquartile range 48-91 months). In total, there were 151, 28, and 46 pT1a-MM, pT1b-SM1, and pT1b-SM2 cases, respectively. Metastatic recurrence was observed in 1.3%, 10.7%, and 6.5% patients with pT1a-MM, pT1b-SM1, and pT1b-SM2 ESCCs, respectively. Of the eight patients with metastatic recurrence, six were successfully treated, and two died of ESCC. The 5-year overall survival rates were 84.1%, 71.4%, and 67.4%, the 5-year relapse-free survival rates were 82.8%, 64.3%, and 65.2%, and the 5-year disease-specific survival rates were 100%, 96.4%, and 99.1% in patients with pT1a-MM, pT1b-SM1, and pT1b-SM2 ESCCs, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that additional CRT and esophagectomy, and T1b-SM2 were positively and negatively associated with overall survival, respectively. Endoscopic resection preceding appropriate additional treatments resulted in favorable outcomes. Many cases of metastatic recurrence in this cohort could be successfully treated.

Modeling molten droplet spreading and infiltration into non-isothermal thermal barrier coatings

Molten calcium-magnesium-alumino-silicate (CMAS) droplets impact and infiltrate porous thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) of gas turbines, thereby causing loss of strain tolerance and delamination of the ceramic topcoat. To develop efficient mitigation strategies, it is crucial to understand CMAS infiltration dynamics into the porous topcoat. An integrated model is introduced incorporating simultaneous droplet spreading, wetting interactions, heat transfer, and liquid infiltration with temperature-dependent viscosities in unsaturated porous media. The model is applied to CMAS droplet interactions with homogeneous/heterogeneous anisotropic TBC topcoats grown by the electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) method. Simulation results show that the droplet height and contact diameter dynamics exhibit three stages - initial-stage fast decrease, slow quasi-linear intermediate decrease, and late-stage fast decrease. The first two stages are dominated by the dynamics of infiltration. The initial temperature of the droplet has insignificant effect on the infiltration dynamics. Rather, the temperature gradient in the topcoat is critical to the infiltration rate. The anisotropy determines the final infiltration diameter and depth. Further, bilayer and multilayer coating structures with alternating fine and coarse columns can delay the infiltration rate and promote lateral spreading during the early stage of the droplet infiltration compared to single-layer structures. The results demonstrate that heterogeneous structures provide a viable approach to mitigate fast infiltration and reduce damage to the TBCs during the early stage of droplet infiltration.

333 THE LONG-TERM TREATMENT OUTCOMES OF ESOPHAGEAL SCC WITH MM/SM1 INVASION AFTER ENDOSCOPIC RESECTION

Abstract Resent advances in endoscopic resection (ER) provide us increasing chances for resecting esophageal SCC with muscularis mucosae (MM) and submucosal (SM) invasion. We perform additional therapy such as chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or esophagectomy considering the risk of metastasis and patient’s condition. However, there is only a few reports about long-term outcome after ER for such cases. Methods We retrospectively studied 188 case of esophageal SCC with pathological MM invasion resected by ER (161 cases) and SM1(27 cases) from 2005 to 2016 in Cancer Institute Hospital. We recommended CRT or esophagectomy as additional treatment for the cases which had lymphovascular invasion (LVI) or DI (droplet infiltration) considering patients’ conditions. Median observation period of them were 71 months. Results The SM1 cases had significantly higher rate of LVI than the MM cases. Of 161 MM cases, 2 cases had recurrence, however, they are alive after CRT or CRT following esophagectomy. Of 27 SM1 cases, 3 cases had LN recurrence, underwent RT or CRT or CRT following esophagectomy, one case died of esophageal SCC and the others survive. The rate of metastatic cases was higher in SM1 than that in MM. Overall survival rate in 5 years were 89.8% in MM and 81.8% in SM1. Cause specific survival rate in 5 years were 100% in both MM and SM1. Conclusion The long-term outcomes of ER for MM/SM1 invasive esophageal SCC was good with appropriate additional therapy which we should perform in high risk cases for LN metastasis considering patients’ condition.

Investigation of dimensional accuracy of metal droplet deposition under repulsion using a lattice Boltzmann approach

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the influence of droplet infiltration and sliding on the deposition size and make a uniform deposition by controlling the interaction between droplets, using the three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on the actual working condition. Design/methodology/approach D3Q19 Shan-Chen LB approach is developed and optimized based on the metal droplet deposition. The Carnahan-Starling equation of state and transition layers are introduced to maintain the greater stability and low pseudo velocities. In addition, an additional collision term is adopted to implement immersed moving boundary scheme to deal with no-slip boundaries on the front of the phase change. Findings The numerical results show that the new¬ incoming droplet wet and slide off the solidified surface and the rejection between droplets are the reasons for the deviation of the actual deposition length. The total length of the longitudinal section negatively correlates with the deposition distance. To improve the dimensional accuracy, the deposition distance and repulsion rate need to be guaranteed. The optimal deposition distance is found to have a negative linear correlation with wettability. Originality/value The numerical model developed in this paper will help predict the continuous metal droplet deposition and provide guidance for the selection of deposition distance.

Clinical outcomes of endoscopic resection of preoperatively diagnosed non-circumferential T1a-muscularis mucosae or T1b-submucosa 1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

In Japan, preoperatively diagnosed T1a-muscularis mucosae or T1b-submucosa 1 (MM/SM1) esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a relative indication for endoscopic resection (ER). We evaluated long-term outcomes in patients after ER for non-circumferential ESCC with a preoperative diagnosis of MM/SM1 invasion. We retrospectively reviewed 66 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of non-circumferential MM/SM1 ESCC endoscopically resected between 2010 and 2015. Patients were divided into low- (adequate follow-up) and high-risk (requiring additional treatment) groups for lymph node metastasis according to risk factors (submucosal invasion, lymphovascular invasion, or droplet infiltration) and long-term outcomes were analyzed. Pathological invasion to T1a-lamina propria mucosa, MM/SM1, and T1b-SM2 was seen in 22, 38, and 6 lesions, respectively. Overall, 71.2% patients were classified into the “adequate follow-up” group. Of these, only one patient had a lymph node recurrence, which was successfully treated by additional therapy. The remaining 28.8% patients were classified into the “requiring additional treatment” group, where no recurrences were observed after additional treatments. After a median follow-up of 58.6 months, no deaths happened due to ESCC. The 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 93.6% and 88.7%, respectively. ER is a valid initial treatment for non-circumferential ESCC with preoperatively diagnosed MM/SM1 invasion.

Adaptive Prediction of Water Droplet Infiltration Effectiveness of Sprinkler Irrigation Using Regularized Sparse Autoencoder–Adaptive Network-Based Fuzzy Inference System (RSAE–ANFIS)

As the high productive efficiency of sprinkler irrigation is largely based on balanced soil moisture distribution, it is essential to study the exact effectiveness of water droplet infiltration, which provides a theoretical basis for rationally scheduling the circulation efficiency of groundwater in agricultural irrigation performance. This research carried out adaptive prediction of the droplet infiltration effectiveness of sprinkler irrigation by using a novel approach of a regularized sparse autoencoder–adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (RSAE–ANFIS), for the purpose of quantifying actual water droplet infiltration and effectiveness results of precision irrigation in various environmental conditions. The intelligent prediction experiment we implemented could be phased as: the demonstration of governing equations of droplet infiltration for sprinkler irrigation modeling; the measurement and computation of probability densities in water droplet infiltration; innovative establishment and working analysis of RSAE–ANFIS; and the adaptive prediction of infiltration effectiveness indexes, such as average soil moisture depth increment (θ, mm), irrigation infiltration efficiency (ea, %), irrigation turn duration efficiency (et, mm/min), and the uniformity coefficient of soil moisture infiltration (Cu, %), which were implemented to provide a comprehensive illustration for the effective scheduling of sprinkler irrigation. Result comparisons indicated that when jetting pressure (Pw) was 255.2 kPa, the impinge angle (Wa) was 42.5°, the water flow rate (Fa) was 0.67 kg/min, and continuous irrigation time (Tc) was 32.4 min (error tolerance = ±5%, the same as follows), thereby an optimum and stable effectiveness quality of sprinkler irrigation could be achieved, whereas average soil moisture depth increment (θ) was 57.6 mm, irrigation infiltration efficiency (ea) was 62.5%, irrigation turn duration efficiency (et) was 34.5 mm/min, and the uniformity coefficient of soil moisture infiltration (Cu) was 53.6%, accordingly. It could be concluded that the proposed approach of the regularized sparse autoencoder–adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system has outstanding predictive capability and possesses much better working superiority for infiltration effectiveness in accuracy and efficiency; meanwhile, a high agreement between the adaptive predicted and actual measured values of infiltration effectiveness could be obtained. This novel intelligent prediction system has been promoted constructively to improve the quality uniformity of sprinkler irrigation and, consequently, to facilitate the productive management of sprinkler irrigated agriculture.

Infiltration of impacting droplets into porous substrates

The impact of water droplets on thin porous layers of glass beads held vertically between glass plates was photographed to observe simultaneous spreading and infiltrating of the liquid into the porous medium. Glass beads with diameters of either 100 µm or 500 µm were tested and micro-computed tomography was used to measure the porosities of the layers. The water drop diameter was kept constant at 2 mm while the impact velocity was varied from 0.06, to 1.9 m/s. High-speed videos of the advance of water into the porous structure were studied with image analysis software and the volume flow rate of liquid calculated. Increasing droplet impact velocity decreases droplet infiltration time because higher droplet inertia drives more liquid into the porous material and a larger droplet spreading diameter increases the area in contact with the substrate. Too high of an impact velocity results in droplet cleaving where a portion of the drop remains on the upper surface. A simple model is proposed to determine when inertia driven infiltration will be significant. Once droplet inertia is dissipated capillary forces draw liquid into the substrate and analytical models are compared to predict the rate of capillary driven flow.

P6204Oral vaccination of Lactococcus lactis expressing Ling Zhi 8 protein prevents nonalcoholic fatty liver and early atherogenesis in cholesterol-fed rabbits

Abstract Background Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease characterized by lipid deposits in the subendothelial space leading to severe inflammation. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) shares several risk factors with atherosclerosis. Epidemiology studies have indicated that NAFLD may be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. Anti-inflammation therapy by inhibiting IL-1β led to a significantly lower cardiovascular event rate in recent clinical trial (CANTOS trial). Ling Zhi 8 (LZ8) is an immunomodulatory protein that possesses a broad range of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory activities. Methods and findings In this study, we developed an oral vaccination of Lactococcus lactis expressing LZ8 protein in a nisin-controlled gene expression system and investigated its anti-inflammation properties. Experimental rabbits received commercial rabbit chow supplemented with 2% cholesterol for 5 weeks and recombinant LZ8 L. lactis vaccine once a day on weekdays. The expression of IL-1β in the aorta (Figure A) was significantly suppressed after LZ8 vaccination. Moreover, in hematoxylin and eosin staining of the aorta, the intima-medial thickness was decreased, and foam cells were significantly reduced in the sub-endothelial space (Figure C). LZ8 also inhibited the expression of IL-1β in the liver (Figure B), decreased fat droplet deposits and infiltration of inflammatory cells (Figure D), and improved liver function by decreasing liver enzymes. Figure 1 Conclusions Our results suggest that LZ8 could be used as a therapeutic tool to improve both atherosclerosis and NAFLD due to its anti-inflammatory effect. Acknowledgement/Funding TCVGH-1067317C, TCVGH-1063108C

Antioxidant Activity of Graptopetalum paraguayense E. Walther Leaf Extract Counteracts Oxidative Stress Induced by Ethanol and Carbon Tetrachloride Co-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats.

(1) Background: Graptopetalum paraguayense E. Walther is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. In our previous study, 50% ethanolic G. paraguayense extracts (GE50) demonstrated good antioxidant activity. (2) Methods: To investigate the hepatoprotective effects of GE50 on ethanol and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) co-induced hepatic damage in rats, Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (Control group; GE50 group, 0.25 g/100 g BW; EC group: Ethanol + CCl4, 1.25 mL 50% ethanol and 0.1 mL 20% CCl4/100 g BW; EC + GE50 group: Ethanol + CCl4 + GE50; EC + silymarin group: ethanol + CCl4 + silymarin, 20 mg/100 g BW) for six consecutive weeks. (3) Results: Compared with the control group, EC group significantly elevated the serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminitransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). However, GE50 or silymarin treatment effectively reversed these changes. GE50 had a significant protective effect against ethanol + CCl4 induced lipid peroxidation and increased the levels of glutathione (GSH), vitamin C, E, total antioxidant status (TAS), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferases (GST). Furthermore, in EC focal group, slight fat droplet infiltration was observed in the livers, while in the GE50 or silymarin treatment groups, decreased fat droplet infiltration. HPLC phytochemical profile of GE50 revealed the presence of gallic acid, flavone, genistin, daidzin, and quercetin. (4) Conclusions: The hepatoprotective activity of GE50 is proposed to occur through the synergic effects of its chemical component, namely, gallic acid, flavone, genistin, daidzin, and quercetin. Hence, G. paraguayense can be used as a complementary and alternative therapy in the prevention of alcohol + CCl4-induced liver injury.

Parahydrophobicity and stick-slip wetting dynamics of vertically aligned carbon nanotube forests

We report for the first time on the parahydrophobicity and stick-slip wetting dynamics of vertically aligned carbon-nanotube (CNT) forests and compare it with previously observed droplet infiltration characteristics. CNT surfaces have generally been reported to be superhydrophobic, but unstable, as the water rapidly infiltrates the forest. In this paper, we demonstrate the first observation of parahydrophobicity of CNT forests, where the surface exhibits an apparent static water contact angle close to 150° but may be turned upside down without the droplet rolling off. Evaporation plays a critical role in the dynamic wetting behavior of these high-density samples as water droplets are stable in moisture-saturated environments. The wetting dynamics in the ambient is driven by evaporation as opposed to infiltration and characterized by contact line pinning from the strong adhesive forces in the CNTs. The pinning force at the contact line gradually increases as the droplet evaporates until a critical force is reached, where the contact line suddenly jumps radially inward with a concomitant deflection of CNTs inward. We observe that taller CNT forests have a higher critical force for deflection and coalesce into cellular patterns with larger cell size, which both suggest that taller CNTs have stronger mechanical interactions with each other.

Simulation and experimental study of binder droplet infiltration in 3DP technology

The purpose of this paper is to lessen the deviation of printing and to predict the nucleus size of binder droplet infiltration in three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology. The industrial CT is used to scan powders and the parameters of materials are calculated. A spherical model, which is based on the data from industrial CT scanning, predicts the nucleus size. The radius of the sphere is equal to the average radius of the sand particles. The spreading radius of binder droplet on the material is obtained by using the experimental method, and then the nucleus size is calculated by the equations. In order to do research on the process of droplet infiltration more intuitively, we analyze the effects of contact angle, porosity and drop height on the infiltration by using the software Comsol in the simulation. To verify the results of the simulation, the processes of infiltration are recorded by the high-speed digital video camera, and the nucleus size is observed by electron microscope. The study is important to conduct the infiltration experiments and provides a theoretical basis for optimization of process parameters in practical application.