Selectively Metalizable Stereolithography Resin for Three-Dimensional DC and High-Frequency Electronics via Hybrid Additive Manufacturing.

Direct manufacturing of customized end-use electronic products is becoming an emerging trend of additive manufacturing (AM). This highly demands the evolution of the conventional AM processes from simply building single-material parts to simultaneously delivering complex structures and end-use functionalities. In this work, we propose a novel hybrid additive manufacturing solution that combines stereolithography (SLA) three-dimensional (3D) printing and laser-activated electroless plating for the manufacture of 3D fully functional electronic products. With our newly developed functional SLA resin that can be 3D printed, laser-activated, and thereafter selectively metalized, high-resolution circuitry can be free-formly patterned on 3D structures. In virtue of high-performance electrical materials, this technology is capable of creating not only 3D direct-current (DC) electronics but also 3D high-frequency devices like microwave/millimeter-wave antennas, which cannot be fabricated via traditional printed circuit board (PCB) technology and not even by most AM processes. This study represents a significant advance in additive manufacturing technologies, and more importantly offers a unique opportunity for the mass customization of fully functional 3D electronic products, which shows great potentials in consumer electronics, communication engineering, and automobile and aerospace industries.

Tertiary butylhydroquinone alleviated liver steatosis and increased cell survival via ß-arrestin-2/PI3K/AKT pathway.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effects and the underlying mechanisms of tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) on diabetic liver steatosis and cell survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed streptozocin injection and used a high-sugar-high-fat diet for mice to develop an animal model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Bodyweight, blood glucose levels, and content of insulin were measured on all of the mice. The liver tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Protein levels of the liver were measured by Western blot analysis in mice. Primary hepatocytes were induced by hypochlorous acid (HClO) and insulin to form insulin resistance (IR). Primary hepatocyte apoptosis was observed by Hoechst staining. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and ß-arrestin-2 factor were evaluated by Western blot assay. RESULTS: TBHQ reduced the blood glucose level and content of insulin in serum, increased body weight, and effectively alleviated liver steatosis in diabetic mice. TBHQ significantly up-regulated the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, GLUT4, GSK3ß, and ß-arrestin-2 in the liver of diabetic mice. Cell experiments confirmed that TBHQ increased the survival ability of primary hepatocytes, and TBHQ improved the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, GLUT4, and GSK3ß by activating ß-arrestin-2 in primary hepatocytes. CONCLUSION: TBHQ could alleviate liver steatosis and increase cell survival, and the mechanism is due in part to ß-arrestin-2 activation.