Caffeic acid mitigates myocardial fibrosis and improves heart function in post-myocardial infarction by inhibiting transforming growth factor-ß receptor 1 signaling pathways.

Myocardial fibrosis is a pathological, physiological change that results from alterations, such as inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, after myocardial infarction (MI). Excessive fibrosis can cause cardiac dysfunction, ventricular remodeling, and heart failure. Caffeic acid (CA), a natural polyphenolic acid in various foods, has cardioprotective effects. This study aimed to explore whether CA exerts a cardioprotective effect to inhibit myocardial fibrosis post-MI and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Histological observations indicated that CA ameliorated ventricular remodeling induced by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation in MI mice and partially restored cardiac function. CA selectively targeted transforming growth factor-ß receptor 1 (TGFBR1) and inhibited TGFBR1-Smad2/3 signaling, reducing collagen deposition in the infarcted area of MI mice hearts. Furthermore, cell counting (CCK-8) assay, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assay, and western blotting revealed that CA dose-dependently decreased the proliferation, collagen synthesis, and activation of the TGFBR1-Smad2/3 pathway in primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) stimulated by TGF-ß1 in vitro. Notably, TGFBR1 overexpression in CFs partially counteracted the inhibitory effects of CA. These findings suggest that CA effectively mitigates myocardial fibrosis and enhances cardiac function following MI and that this effect may be associated with the direct targeting of TGFBR1 by CA.

Carbon Emission Constraint Policy in an OEM and Outsourcing Remanufacturer Supply Chain with Consumer Preferences.

Carbon emission reduction has been a consensus goal for most countries to achieve environmental sustainability. The use of carbon emission trading policies has been generally considered by the governments. Remanufacturing, as an effective way to reduce carbon emission, is incorporated together with the tool of carbon emission policy to construct a low-carbon supply chain in this paper. We analyze the carbon emission reduction and profit maximization problem among enterprises of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their outsourcing remanufacturers, integrating the impact of the carbon emission constraint policy and the carbon market. Considering consumer preferences on low-carbon products and recycling rates of waste products, we construct a Stackelberg game model (dominated by the OEM) and analyze the impact of a carbon emission constraint policy on sales price, volume, carbon emission, and revenue of new and remanufactured products in the supply chain system. The results suggest that the upper bound set by the government on carbon emission for enterprises positively affects sales volume of new products and negatively affects sales prices of both products. Moreover, the discount rate of carbon emission constraint negatively affects sales volume of new products and positively affects sales prices of both products. Notably, the carbon emission constraint policy has impacts on the production decisions of both manufacturers on an economic scale. When the upper bound of carbon emission is equal to a certain threshold, the OEM could obtain the greatest revenue. The results provide a new perspective for the government to attain the goal of carbon emission reduction and not sacrifice economic growth. Managers in outsourcing remanufacturers and OEMs could also be implicated from our results to collaborate in allocating remanufacturing orders to achieve win-win opportunities between them.

Sustainable design for users: a literature review and bibliometric analysis.

Due to the environmental impact associated with the products' use, sustainable design has extended consideration of products' production to consumption. This study puts forward the concept of sustainable design for users (SDfUs). Using related keywords of sustainable design and user-centered design, we identify a total of 447 usable articles published during 1992-2019 from Scopus. Results of bibliometric analysis show that the number of SDfUs articles has generally continuously increased since 2007. The most productive scholars are from the USA, the UK, and China, while the top three organizations are Loughborough University, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Delft University of Technology. Different focuses of SDfUs appear among developed and developing countries. Green building design has emerged as one key area that uses the concept of SDfUs in developed countries such as the USA and the UK. SDfUs studies in developing countries such as China focus on design for end-of-life products' treatment and disposal. Most SDfUs studies examine how design can contribute to environmental performance through emission reduction and energy saving during products' use, and articles in one of five clusters from co-word analysis explore users' behaviors for sustainable design in the textile industry. This paper is the first study that systematically reviews the literature on SDfUs. It provides valuable insights for scholars in the SDfUs-related fields to identify their research directions and partners. Results on clusters from network analysis also offer practical implications for enterprises to learn from the construction and textile industries.