Characterization of Pore Structure and Fluid Mobility of Shale Reservoirs.

Accompanying the commercial exploitation of shale oil and gas in North America, shale oil has gradually become an important resource, sparking great interest among countries around the world in recent years. In this study, focusing on the Paleogene Shahejie Formation in Bohai Bay (Eastern China), techniques such as CT, nitrogen adsorption, mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were used to characterize the pore structure and mobility of the shale reservoir. Based on the X-ray CT data, the pore radius of the shale reservoir is in the range 0.5-65 µm, and the pore coordination number is concentrated in the range of 1-4. The shale reservoir is poorly connected. The minimum size of the unit body for establishing the digital core model is 380 µm. Based on the experimental data of nitrogen adsorption and MICP, the pores of shale in the study area are mainly classified as ink-bottle-shaped pores, transition-shaped pores, and flat plate slit-shaped pores. The specific surface area and volume of pores are mainly attributed to meso- and macropores. The movable fluid saturation of shale is distributed from 23.59 to 44.42%, the pore throat radius is distributed from 0.001 to 6 µm, and the lower limit of the movable pore throat radius of shale is distributed between 9.0 and 20.1 nm. The movable fluid porosity is mainly distributed between 0.84 and 4.08%, with an average movable fluid porosity of 2.37%. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the efficient development of shale oil resources.

FASN promotes anoikis resistance in colorectal liver metastases through the ERK1/2 pathway.

PURPOSE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is recognized as the third most common form of malignancy, with the liver frequently serving as the main site for metastasis. Anoikis resistance (AR) is critical in colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM). Fatty acid synthase (FASN), essential in lipid synthesis, mediates AR in many cancers. The present research examines the function of FASN in ERK1/2-mediated AR in CRLM and evaluates its therapeutic potential. METHODS: We performed scratch and migration experiment to evaluate the migration capacity of the LoVo cells. Flow cytometry was employed to identify cell apoptosis. The levels of FASN, p-ERK1/2, and proteins related to apoptosis was analyzed by Western blot. The mRNA level of FASN was determined by q-PCR after FASN silencing. In addition, we used an intrasplenic liver metastasis model of nude to assess the effect of FASN on CRLM. RESULTS: In vitro experiments showed that after FASN silencing, the cell apoptosis rate was increased, migration capability was notably decreased, the expression of p-ERK1/2, the proteins related to anti-apoptotic were significantly decreased, and the proteins related to apoptosis were significantly increased. In vivo experiments showed that AR significantly increased the number of liver metastatic foci, whereas FASN silencing significantly inhibited CRLM. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that FASN silencing suppressed AR through the ERK 1/2 pathway, which in turn suppressed CRLM.

Transient Productivity Analysis and Completion Parameter Optimization of Perforating Herringbone Wells.

Herringbone wells are of great significance in tapping the potential of remaining reservoirs, improving recovery efficiency, and reducing development costs and have been widely used in oilfields, especially offshore oilfields. Due to the complex structure of herringbone wells, there is mutual interference between wellbores during seepage, resulting in complex seepage problems, and it is difficult to analyze the productivity and evaluate the perforating effect. In this paper, considering the mutual interference between branches and perforations, a prediction model of transient productivity of perforated herringbone wells was derived based on the theory of transient seepage, and the complex structure with any number of branches, arbitrary configurations, and orientations in three-dimensional space could be considered in this model. The formation pressure in reservoir points at different production times, IPR curves, and the radial inflow of herringbone well were studied by the line-source superposition method, which directly reflected the process of productivity and pressure change, avoiding the one-sidedness caused by using a point source to replace the line source in the stability analysis. Then, through the productivity calculation of different perforation schemes, the influence curves of perforation density, perforation length, perforation phase angle, and perforation radius on unstable productivity were obtained. Orthogonal tests were performed to obtain the degree of impact of each parameter on productivity. Lastly, the selective completion perforation technology was adopted. When the shot density at the end of the wellbore was increased, the productivity of herringbone wells could be improved economically and effectively. According to the above study, a scientific and reasonable construction scheme is recommended for oil well completion construction, which provides a theoretical basis for the improvement and development of perforation completion technology.

Celastrol inhibits the proliferation and migration of MCF-7 cells through the leptin-triggered PI3K/AKT pathway.

Leptin is the pivotal modulator in the onset and progression of breast cancer and obesity. Celastrol, which is extracted from the roots of Tripterygium wilfordi plants, exerts various anticancer bioactivities and has recently emerged as a candidate to treat obesity by improving leptin sensitivity. However, the relationship between leptin and celastrol in the treatment of breast cancer is unknown. Here, the growth and migration of MCF-7 cells induced by leptin were tested to demonstrate the antineoplastic activity of celastrol. Transcriptomic analysis and western blotting were conducted to explore the biological roles of leptin in treating breast cancer with celastrol. The present findings showed that celastrol remarkably reversed leptin-triggered cell proliferation and migration in MCF-7 cells. Fifty-two mRNAs with fivefold higher counts and 149 mRNAs with fivefold lower counts were identified in the celastrol-treated MCF-7 cells. According to the GO and KEGG analyses, the effects of celastrol on MCF-7 cells forced lipid metabolism and the endocrine system. Moreover, leptin treatment induced phosphorylation of leptin receptor and PI3K/AKT in MCF-7 cells, whereas pretreatment with celastrol partly abrogated leptin activation. The binding of celastrol to the leptin receptor was also confirmed by molecular docking. The antitumor effect of celastrol is proposed to be mediated by its binding to the leptin receptor and controlled downregulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Silibinin Capsules improves high fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in hamsters through modifying hepatic de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Silibinin Capsules (SC) is a silybin-phospholipid complex with silybin as the bioactive component. Silybin accounts for 50-70% of the seed extract of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.. As a traditional medicine, silybin has been used for treatment of liver diseases and is known to provide a wide range of hepatoprotective effects. AIM OF THE STUDY: High fat diet (HFD)-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a worldwide health problem. This study was to investigate the role of SC in NAFLD with focusing on its underlying mechanism and likely target. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male hamsters (Cricetidae) received HFD for 10 weeks to establish NAFLD model. NAFLD was assessed by biochemical assays, histology and immunohistochemistry. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and western blot were conducted to gain insight into the mechanism. RESULTS: Hamsters fed HFD for 10 weeks developed fatty liver accompanying with increased triglyceride (TG) accumulation, enhancing de novo lipogenesis, increase in fatty acid (FA) uptake and reducing FA oxidation and TG lipolysis, as well as a decrease in the expression of phospho-adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase α (p-AMPKα) and Sirt 1. SC treatment at 50mg/kg silybin and 100mg/kg silybin for 8 weeks protected hamsters from development of fatty liver, reducing de novo lipogenesis and increasing FA oxidation and p-AMPKα expression, while having no effect on FA uptake and TG lipolysis. CONCLUSIONS: SC protected against NAFLD in hamsters by inhibition of de novo lipogenesis and promotion of FA oxidation, which was likely mediated by activation of AMPKα.

The relationship of season of birth with refractive error in very young children in eastern China.

PURPOSE: To determine the association of season of birth and refractive error in very young Chinese children in China. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study of Chinese children aged 0 to 3 years residing in eastern China. Refraction was determined by non-cyclopegic autorefraction using a hand-held autorefractor. Date of birth was retrieved from birth certificate of the individual subjects. A generalized linear regression model was fitted to estimate the regression coefficient and 95% confidence interval (CI) of refractive error for season of birth, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: Of the 1385 children eligible to participate, 1222 (88.2%) were examined. Refractive error data were available for 1219 children. The mean spherical equivalent were 1.21 diopters (D) in children born Spring, 1.24 D in those born in Summer, 1.23 D in those born in Autumn, 1.15 D in Winter. After adjusting for age, sex, father's educational level, birth weight and the number of summers between birth and examination date the children have been exposed to, children born in winter had a 0.12 D more myopic refraction compared with those born in summer (regression coefficient: -0.12; 95% CI, -0.27,-0.06; P = 0.006). The association between season of birth and cylinder power was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In China, children born in winter had a more myopic refraction compared with those born in other seasons. The observed association between season of birth and refractive error was independent of parental educational level and birth weight, suggesting that light level may have a small impact on refractive development in early life.