Application of EEG in migraine.

Migraine is a common disease of the nervous system that seriously affects the quality of life of patients and constitutes a growing global health crisis. However, many limitations and challenges exist in migraine research, including the unclear etiology and the lack of specific biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a neurophysiological technique for measuring brain activity. With the updating of data processing and analysis methods in recent years, EEG offers the possibility to explore altered brain functional patterns and brain network characteristics of migraines in depth. In this paper, we provide an overview of the methodology that can be applied to EEG data processing and analysis and a narrative review of EEG-based migraine-related research. To better understand the neural changes of migraine or to provide a new idea for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of migraine in the future, we discussed the study of EEG and evoked potential in migraine, compared the relevant research methods, and put forwards suggestions for future migraine EEG studies.

Production of 5-aminolevulinic acid from hydrolysates of cassava residue and fish waste by engineered Bacillus cereus PT1.

The economical production of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has recently received increasing attention for its extensive use in agriculture. In this study, a strain of Bacillus cereus PT1 could initially produce ALA at a titre of 251.72 mg/L by using a hydrolysate mixture of low-cost cassava residue and fish waste. The integration of endogenous hemA encoding glutamyl-tRNA reductase led to a 39.30% increase in ALA production. Moreover, improving cell permeability by deletion of the LytR-CpsA-Psr (LCP) family gene tagU led to a further increase of 59.73% in ALA production. Finally, the engineered strain B. cereus PT1-hemA-ΔtagU produced 2.62 g/L of ALA from the previously mentioned hydrolysate mixture in a 7-L bioreactor. In a pot experiment, foliar spray of the ALA produced by B. cereus PT1-hemA-ΔtagU from the hydrolysates increased salt tolerance of cucumber by improving chlorophyll content and catalase activity, while decreasing malondialdehyde content. Overall, this study demonstrated an economic way to produce ALA using a microbial platform and evidenced the potential of ALA in agricultural application.

Effects of Typical Solvents on the Structural Integrity and Properties of Activated Kaolinite by Wet Ball Milling.

The influence of organic solvents on the structural integrity and properties of activated kaolinite were compared and analyzed via characterization techniques and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The results revealed that the organic intercalators can be easily inserted into the interlayer spaces of activated kaolinite within a short time of the wet ball milling. The DMSO intercalated kaolinites maintained structural integrity due to the high intercalation rate and the excellent buffering effect against the crushing force of milling during the delamination/exfoliation process. The delaminated layers of the DMSO-kaolinite complex exhibited a high specific surface area of 99.12 m2/g and a low average thickness of 35.21 nm. The calculated elastic properties of the organo-kaolinite complex manifested the intercalation of DMSO into a kaolinite interlayer, which could improve the compressibility and structural integrity of kaolinite nanosheets. The DMSO-kaolinite complex was easier to peel off when compared to the other organic intercalators due to its more intercalated molecules.

Effect of Organic Polymers on Mechanical Property and Toughening Mechanism of Slag Geopolymer Matrix.

In this work, two series of chemically reactive polymers, silane coupling agents (SCAs) and water-soluble polymers, were specifically designed as an additive to improve the ductility of slag geopolymer paste by vibration pressure technique. The influences of organic polymers on the fluidity, rheological behavior, mechanical property, porosity, and toughening mechanism of slag geopolymer were investigated. The polycondensation and bonding characteristics of organic-inorganic products were calculated by 1H liquid nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The polymerization degree of composite geopolymer was evaluated by 29Si NMR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The microscopic morphology of the geopolymer matrix was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the dosage of the KH570 and PAA-Na with 5 wt% behaved best in improving the flexural strength and the compressive strength of geopolymer in their corresponding organic series, respectively. The addition of polymers decreased the fluidity and the fluidity loss ratio of geopolymer slurry but reduced the harmful pores of hardened geopolymer. The organic polymers acting as bridge-fixed water molecules weakened the repulsion force, and formed a three-dimensional network through molecular interweaving in a geopolymer matrix. Methacryloxy in silane coupling agents and carboxyl group in water-soluble polymers may contribute to the improvement of hydration product structure through strong bonding with C-A-S-H. Microscopic measurements indicated that the addition of KH570 and PAA-Na in geopolymer could form 73.55% and 72.48% Si-O-Si with C-A-S-H gel, higher than the reference, and increase the polycondensation degree of C-A-S-H phase, reflected by the increased generation of Q2 and Q2(1Al) and the longer chain length, leading to a higher densified geopolymer matrix with high ductility.

Applications of machine learning in tumor-associated macrophages.

Evaluation of tumor-host interaction and intratumoral heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is gaining increasing attention in modern cancer therapies because it can reveal unique information about the tumor status. As tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the major immune cells infiltrating in TME, a better understanding of TAMs could help us further elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for cancer development. However, the high-dimensional and heterogeneous data in biology limit the extensive integrative analysis of cancer research. Machine learning algorithms are particularly suitable for oncology data analysis due to their flexibility and scalability to analyze diverse data types and strong computation power to learn underlying patterns from massive data sets. With the application of machine learning in analyzing TME, especially TAM's traceable status, we could better understand the role of TAMs in tumor biology. Furthermore, we envision that the promotion of machine learning in this field could revolutionize tumor diagnosis, treatment stratification, and survival predictions in cancer research. In this article, we described key terms and concepts of machine learning, reviewed the applications of common methods in TAMs, and highlighted the challenges and future direction for TAMs in machine learning.

Inhibition Effect of Hydrophobic Functional Organic Corrosion Inhibitor in Reinforced Concrete.

Using an admixed organic corrosion inhibitor is one of the most efficient strategies to enhance the corrosion resistance and durability of reinforced concrete. However, traditional admixed organic corrosion inhibitors only increase the corrosion resistance of the embedded reinforcing steel, and the optimization effect on the pore structure and the impermeability of concrete is very limited. In this study, in order to evaluate the corrosion-inhibition effect of a novel hydrophobic functional organic corrosion inhibitor, the adsorption behavior of a hydrophobic functional organic corrosion inhibitor and its related effect on the electrochemical behavior of the reinforcing steel was investigated. In addition, this paper further discusses the effect of a hydrophobic functional organic corrosion inhibitor on pore structure and hydrophobic properties, as well as the impermeability of concrete. The results indicated that the hydrophobic functional organic corrosion inhibitor was effectively adsorbed on the surface of the steel bar, and the higher adsorption content was relevant to the higher inhibitor dosage. On one hand, the hydrophobic functional organic corrosion inhibitor exhibited both a pore-blocking effect and a hydrophobic effect on concrete, leading to a refined pore structure and reduced capillary water absorption amount; on the other hand, the hydrophobic functional organic corrosion inhibitor exhibited an excellent corrosion-inhibition effect on the reinforcement embedded in the concrete, presenting an inhibition efficiency higher than 90% with a concentration of 4 wt.%.

In Situ Synthesis of Carbon Nanotube-Steel Slag Composite for Pb(II) and Cu(II) Removal from Aqueous Solution.

Methods and materials that effectively remove heavy metals, such as lead and copper, from wastewater are urgently needed. In this study, steel slag, a low-cost byproduct of steel manufacturing, was utilized as a substrate material for carbon nanotube (CNT) growth by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to produce a new kind of efficient and low-cost absorbent without any pretreatment. The synthesis parameters of the developed CNT-steel slag composite (SS@CNTs) were optimized, and its adsorption capacities for Pb(II) and Cu(II) were evaluated. The results showed that the optimal growth time, synthesis temperature and acetylene flow rate were 45 min, 600 °C and 200 sccm (standard cubic centimeter per minute), respectively. The SS@CNTs composite had a high adsorption capacity with a maximum removal amount of 427.26 mg·g-1 for Pb(II) and 132.79 mg·g-1 for Cu(II). The adsorption proceeded rapidly during the first 15 min of adsorption and reached equilibrium at approximately 90 min. The adsorption processes were in accordance with the isotherms of the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order model, while the adsorption thermodynamics results indicated that the removal for both metals was an endothermic and spontaneous process. This study showed that compared with other adsorbent materials, the SS@CNTs composite is an efficient and low-cost adsorbent for heavy metals such as lead and copper.

Cement-Based Repair Materials and the Interface with Concrete Substrates: Characterization, Evaluation and Improvement.

Surface damages usually occur in concrete structures. In order to restore the functions and prolong the service life of concrete structures, their surface damages should be repaired in time. This paper reviews the main requirements for repair materials for concrete structures and the most used inorganic repair materials, such as cement-based materials, alkali-activated materials and polymer modified inorganic repair materials. Moreover, techniques to characterize and even improve the interfaces between these repair materials and concrete substrate are summarized. Cement-based material has the advantages of good mechanical properties and consistency with concrete substrate while having the problems of high shrinkage and low flexibility. Polymer modified materials were found as having lower shrinkage and higher flexural strength. Increasing the roughness or humidity of the surface, adding fibers and applying interfacial agents can improve the bond strength between cement-based repair materials and concrete substrates. All of these repair materials and techniques can help to build a good interfacial bonding, and mechanisms of how they improve the interface are discussed in this article. These are of great importance in guaranteeing the effectiveness of the repair of the concrete surface and to guide the research and development of new repair materials.

The Effect of Lightweight Functional Aggregates on the Mitigation of Anode Degradation of Impressed Current Cathodic Protection for Reinforced Concrete.

The local acidification of secondary anode mortar was regarded as the primary reason for the degradation of the anode system, leading to a decreased service life and uneven distribution of the protection current within the impressed current cathodic protection system for reinforced concrete structures. In related previous studies, a novel type of lightweight functional aggregate was designed and prepared for the secondary anode mortar system, aiming to improve anode performance via acidification mitigation. However, the relationship between optimization effects and this functional component has not been fully clarified. In this study, two sets of experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of lightweight functional aggregates on acidification mitigation and the protection of current distribution. Research results proved that the presence of this functional aggregate was beneficial for mitigated acidification propagation and a more uniform distributed protection current, which demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of acidification inhibition on the optimization of anode performance.

pH-Triggered Release Performance of Microcapsule-Based Inhibitor and Its Inhibition Effect on the Reinforcement Embedded in Mortar.

The smart release of healing agents is a key factor determining the inhibition efficiency of microcapsules-based corrosion inhibitors for reinforced concrete. In this study, the release behavior of benzotriazole (BTA) in microcapsule-based inhibitors was investigated in mortar sample to clarify the influence of different hydration products on the release process. The results indicated that under high pH environment (pH > 12.4), only about 5% reserved BTA was released from the mortar sample. pH drop resulted in the increased release of BTA from mortar sample. Most BTA in the microcapsule-based inhibitors was released from mortar sample in low pH environment, which was closely related to morphology/composition alterations of hydration products caused by pH drop of the environment. The smart release of BTA dramatically delayed corrosion initiation of reinforced mortar and halted corrosion product accumulation on the steel surface. Therefore, the corrosion resistance of the reinforced mortar was improved after corrosion initiation.

Metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the production of multifunctional non-protein amino acids: γ-aminobutyric acid and δ-aminolevulinic acid.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), playing important roles in agriculture, medicine and other fields, are multifunctional non-protein amino acids with similar and comparable properties and biosynthesis pathways. Recently, microbial synthesis has become an inevitable trend to produce GABA and ALA due to its green and sustainable characteristics. In addition, the development of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology has continuously accelerated and increased the GABA and ALA yield in microorganisms. Here, focusing on the current trends in metabolic engineering strategies for microbial synthesis of GABA and ALA, we analysed and compared the efficiency of various metabolic strategies in detail. Moreover, we provide the insights to meet challenges of realizing industrially competitive strains and highlight the future perspectives of GABA and ALA production.

Melatonin modulates airway smooth muscle cell phenotype by targeting the STAT3/Akt/GSK-3ß pathway in experimental asthma.

Among the troika of clinicopathologic features of asthma, airway remodelling has gained sufficient attention for its contribution to progressive airway narrowing. Much effort has been directed at the management of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs), but few attempts have proven to prevent the progression of remodelling. Recently, accumulating data have shown the anti-inflammatory/anti-proliferative potency of melatonin (a crucial neurohormone involved in many physiological and pathological processes) in diverse cells. However, no evidence has confirmed its effect on ASMCs. The present study investigates the benefits of melatonin in asthma, with an emphasis on airway remodelling. The results indicated that melatonin significantly attenuated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), inflammation and remodelling in a house dust mite (HDM) model. Melatonin markedly alleviated goblet cell hyperplasia/metaplasia, collagen deposition and airway smooth muscle hyperplasia/hypertrophy, implying the achievement of remodelling remission. The data obtained in vitro further revealed that melatonin notably inhibited ASMCs proliferation, VEGF synthesis and cell migration induced by PDGF, which might depend on STAT3 signalling. Moreover, melatonin remarkably relieved ASMCs contraction and reversed ASMCs phenotype switching induced by TGF-ß, probably via the Akt/GSK-3ß pathway. Altogether, our findings illustrated for the first time that melatonin improves asthmatic airway remodelling by balancing the phenotypic proportions of ASMCs, thus highlighting a novel purpose for melatonin as a potent option for the management of asthma.

Investigation of the Match Relation between Steel Fiber and High-Strength Concrete Matrix in Reactive Powder Concrete.

This study investigated the strength and toughness of reactive powder concrete (RPC) made with various steel fiber lengths and concrete strengths. The results indicated that among RPC samples with strength of 150 MPa, RPC reinforced with long steel fibers had the highest compressive strength, peak strength, and toughness. Among the RPC samples with strength of 270 MPa, RPC reinforced with short steel fibers had the highest compressive strength, and peak strength, while RPC reinforced with medium-length steel fibers had the highest toughness. As a result of the higher bond adhesion between fibers and ultra-high-strength RPC matrix, long steel fibers were more effective for the reinforcement of RPC with strength of 150 MPa, while short steel fibers were more effective for the reinforcement of RPC with strength of 270 MPa.

Effects of Ca/Si Ratio, Aluminum and Magnesium on the Carbonation Behavior of Calcium Silicate Hydrate.

The effects of Ca/Si ratio, aluminum and magnesium on the carbonation behavior of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) were investigated by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The results showed that the Ca/Si ratio, Al/Si ratio and Mg/Si ratio had a significant influence on the structure, carbonation products and carbonation resistance of C-(M)-(A)-S-H. The mean chain length of silicate chains in C-S-H increased as the Ca/Si ratio decreased. Aluminum uptake in C-S-H increased the content of bridging silicate tetrahedron (Q2). A cross-linked structure (Q3) appeared when magnesium uptake in C-S-H. The carbonation product of C-S-H was vaterite if the Ca/Si ratio was lower than 0.87. The carbonation products of C-S-H were vaterite and calcite if the Ca/Si ratio was higher than 1.02. C-M-S-H had more polymerized units, stronger bond strength and better carbonation resistance than C-S-H.

Effect of the MgO/Silica Fume Ratio on the Reaction Process of the MgO⁻SiO2⁻H2O System.

In order to clarify the effect of the MgO⁻silica fume (SF) ratio on the reaction process of the MgO⁻SiO2⁻H2O system, the reaction products and degree of reaction were characterized. Furthermore, the parameters of the reaction thermodynamics were calculated and the reaction kinetics were deduced. The results indicate that a large amount of Mg(OH)2 and small quantities of magnesium silicate hydrate (M⁻S⁻H) gels were generated upon dissolution of MgO. However, the M⁻S⁻H gels were continuously generated until the SF or Mg(OH)2 was consumed completely. For a MgO dosage less than 50% of the total MgO⁻SiO2⁻H2O system, the main product was M⁻S⁻H gel, while for a MgO dosage greater than 50%, the main product was Mg(OH)2. The results indicate that M⁻S⁻H gels have greater stability than Mg(OH)2, and the final reaction product was prone to be M⁻S⁻H gels. Based on the experimental values, an equation is proposed for the reaction kinetics of MgO.

Comparative Study of Water-Leaching and Acid-Leaching Pretreatment on the Thermal Stability and Reactivity of Biomass Silica for Viability as a Pozzolanic Additive in Cement.

The present work aims to introduce a novel and eco-friendly method, i.e., a water-leaching pretreatment for extracting highly reactive biomass silica from rice husk (RH), for viability as a pozzolanic additive in cement. For comparison, the traditional acid pretreatment method was also employed throughout the experimental study. The silica from RH was extracted using boiled deionized water and acid solution as leaching agents to remove the alkali metal impurities, and then dried and submitted to pyrolysis treatment. The results indicated that potassium was found to be the major contaminant metal inducing the formation of undesirable black carbon particles and the decrease in crystallization temperature of amorphous RHA silica. The boiling-water-leaching pretreatment and acid-leaching pretreatment on RHs significantly removed the metallic impurities and reduced the crystallization sensitivity of RHA silica to calcination temperature. A highly reactive amorphous silica with purity of 96% was obtained from RH via 1 N hydrochloric acid leaching followed by controlled calcination at 600 °C for 2 h. The acid treatments increased the crystallization temperature of silica to 1200 °C and retained the amorphous state of silica for 2.5 h. In the case of water-leaching pretreatment, leaching duration for 2.5 h could yield an amorphous silica with purity of 94% and render the silica amorphous at 900 °C for 7 h. The RHA silica yielded by water-leaching pretreatment presented a comparable enhancing effect to that of acid leaching on hydration and improved the strength of cement. Furthermore, compared with the acid-leaching method, the water-leaching pretreatment method is more environmentally friendly and easier to operate, and hence more widely available.

Inhibition of H3K27me3 demethylases attenuates asthma by reversing the shift in airway smooth muscle phenotype.

BACKGROUND: The shift in airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) phenotype between proliferation and contraction during asthma has been reported recently, highlighting a role of ASMCs plasticity in the pathophysiology of asthma. As an event involved in epigenetic post-translational modification, histone H3 lysine27 (H3K27) demethylation has attracted significant attention with respect to the epigenetic changes in diverse cells; however, little is known about its contribution to the switching of ASMCs phenotype in asthma. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of trimethylated H3K27 (H3k27me3) demethylation in ASM remodelling as well as the underling mechanism. METHODS: Mice were exposed five times a week to house dust mite (HDM) extract for 5 weeks. Lung function was measured following the final HDM challenge. Airway inflammation and remodelling were then assessed in lungs of individual mice. Human ASMCs were purchased from Sciencell Research Laboratories. Proliferation, synthesis, migration and contraction of ASMCs were analysed, respectively. RESULTS: We observed demethylation at H3k27me3 sites in lungs harvested from mice exposed to HDM extract. Administration of a selective inhibitor of H3K27 demethylase (GSK-J4) could ameliorate the classical hallmarks of asthma, such as airway hyperresponsiveness, airway inflammation and remodelling. We established a proliferative as well as a contractive model of human ASMCs to explore the impacts of H3K27 demethylase inhibition on ASMCs phenotype. Our results indicated that GSK-J4 decreased ASMCs proliferation and migration elicited by PDGF through the Akt/JNK signalling; GSK-J4 also prevented the upregulation of contractile proteins in ASMCs induced by TGF-ß through the Smad3 pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of H3K27me3 demethylation alleviated the development of asthmatic airway disease in vivo and modulated ASMCs phenotype in vitro. Collectively, our findings highlight a role of H3K27me3 demethylation in experimental asthma and ASMCs phenotype switch.

Oligomeric proanthocyanidins attenuate airway inflammation in asthma by inhibiting dendritic cells maturation.

To date, although a promising anti-inflammatory activity of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) has been observed in asthma, the mechanism responsible for these immunomodulatory properties remains obscure. Dendritic cells (DCs) that reside in the airway have been widely perceived as an important contributor to asthma. Our study was to demonstrate OPCs' effects on maturation and immunoregulation of pulmonary CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs). BALB/c mice were exposed to ovalbumin (OVA) to induce murine model of asthma. In addition, pulmonary DCs and bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) cultures were used to evaluate impacts of OPCs on DCs function. The results obtained here indicated that OPCs treatment dramatically reduced airway inflammation, such as the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the levels of allergen-specific serum IgE and Th2 cytokines. The expression of co-stimulatory molecules especially CD86 distributed on pulmonary DCs and bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) also markedly declined. The phosphorylation of cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) was significantly inhibited while no changes were observed in the expression of cAMP responsive element modulator (CREM). By transferring BMDCs into the airways of naïve mice, we found that OPCs-treated DCs (DC+OVA+OPC) were much less potent in promoting CD4+ T cells proliferation than OVA-pulsed DCs (DC+OVA), followed by the ameliorated eosinophilic inflammation in airway. Our findings tailor a novel profile of OPCs in the regulation of DCs function, shedding new light on the therapeutic potential of OPCs in asthma management.

Synthesis, Characterization and Hexavalent Chromium Adsorption Characteristics of Aluminum- and Sucrose-Incorporated Tobermorite.

Tobermorites were synthesized from the lime-quartz slurries with incorporations of aluminum and sucrose under hydrothermal conditions, and then used for adsorption of Cr(VI). The chemical components, and structural and morphological properties of tobermorite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) and N2 adsorption-desorption measurements. The formation and crystallinity of tobermorite could be largely enhanced by adding 2.3 wt.% aluminum hydroxide or 13.3 wt.% sucrose. Sucrose also played a significantly positive role in increasing the surface area. The adsorption performances for Cr(VI) were tested using a batch method taking into account the effects of pH, the adsorption kinetics, and the adsorption isotherms. The adsorption capacities of the aluminum- and sucrose-incorporated tobermorites reached up to 31.65 mg/g and 28.92 mg/g, respectively. Thus, the synthesized tobermorites showed good adsorption properties for removal of Cr(VI), making this material a promising candidate for efficient bulk wastewater treatment.

Effects of chlorine on the volatilization of heavy metals during the co-combustion of sewage sludge.

To clarify the volatilization of heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in sewage sludge during co-combustion in cement kiln, effects of addition and types of four chlorides and temperature on the volatilization of heavy metals in raw meal with 25wt.% sewage sludge were investigated. The results showed that the volatilization of Cu, Ni, and Pb increased significantly with increase of chlorides addition, while no obvious change in the volatilization of Zn was observed. The effectiveness of chlorides on the volatilization of heavy metals depended on their release capacity of chlorine radicals and the chlorine combined capacity of heavy metals. Higher calcination temperature resulted in dramatically increase in the volatilization of heavy metals due to easier formation of volatile heavy metal chlorides. The results will provide a guideline for co-combusting heavy metals contained solid wastes in cement kiln on the basis of security.