Probing the Demulsification Mechanism of Emulsion with SPAN Series Based on the Effect of Solid Phase Particles.

The solid particles in the produced fluids from the oil wells treated by compound flooding can greatly stabilize the strength of the interfacial film and enhance the stability of the emulsion, increasing the difficulty of processing these produced fluids on the ground. In this paper, the oil phase and the water phase were separated from the SPAN series emulsions by electrical dehydration technology and adding demulsifier agents. The changing trends of the current at both ends of the electrodes were recorded during the process. The efficient demulsification of the emulsion containing solid particles was studied from the perspective of oil-water separation mechanisms. Combined with the method of molecular dynamics simulation, the effect of the addition of a demulsifier on the free movement characteristics of crude oil molecules at the position of the liquid film of the emulsion were further analyzed. The results indicated that the presence of solid particles greatly increased the emulsifying ability of the emulsion and reduced its size. Under the synergistic effect of demulsifier and electric dehydration, the demulsification effect of the emulsion increased significantly, and the demulsification rate could reach more than 82%. The addition of demulsifiers changed the stable surface state of the solid particles. The free movement ability of the surrounding crude oil molecules was enhanced, which led to a decrease in the strength of the emulsion film so that the water droplets in the emulsions were more likely to coalesce and break. These results are of great significance for the efficient treatment of wastewater from oilfields, promoting the sustainability of environment-friendly oilfield development.

A multi-institutional and cross-sectional study on empathy in Chinese medical students: differences by student cadre or not, future career preference, and father's education status.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to examine the factor structure of the Chinese version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for medical students (JSE-S) and investigate differences in empathy scores among Chinese medical students according to gender, student cadre or not, future career preference, and parents' education. METHODS: Medical students from three universities completed an online questionnaire containing the JSE-S. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the factor structure, and group comparisons of empathy scores were examined via t-tests and analysis of variance. RESULTS: Four factors emerged from the factor analysis: "perspective taking," "compassionate care," "standing in the patient's shoes," and an uninterpretable factor. The results indicated that students who were female, held positions as student cadres, preferred to become a doctor, and whose fathers had a high school education or below tended to have more empathy. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings provide information on the dimensions of empathy applicable to Chinese medical students and confirm the factors found in the original measure. The dimensions have implications for developing empathy among medical students throughout the world. Educators can use the information to design interventions to foster empathy among students in the context of medical education reform in many countries, including China.

Empathy in Chinese eight-year medical program students: differences by school year, educational stage, and future career preference.

BACKGROUD: To examine the psychometric properties of a Chinese translation of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (Student-version, JSE-S), and to study differences in empathy scores among eight-year undergraduate medical students across gender, year of study, and future career preference. METHODS: The JSE-S was administered to 442 participants from December 2016 to July 2017, who were all first- to seventh-year students on an eight-year medical education course at Fudan University. Factor analysis was used to examine the underlying components of the Chinese version of the JSE-S. The data analyses comprised a t-test and analyses of variance. RESULTS: Factor analysis confirmed four components: perspective taking, compassionate care, ability to stand in patient's shoes, and difficulties in adopting patient's perspective. The lowest empathy score was found in the seventh-year students (99.5), while a decline was found across school years. Students in clinical training (sixth/seventh year) had lower empathy than students in premedical study (first/second year), basic medicine (third/fourth year), and clinical medicine (fifth year). Statistically significant differences in empathy mean scores were found in respect of future career preference but not gender. Students who preferred not to become doctors had lower empathy than students who preferred to become doctors, who were undecided, and who did not specify. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the construct validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the JSE-S for medical students. The study also revealed the features of empathy in eight-year program students, and provided a reliable reference to design interventions to cultivate empathy among Chinese medical students.

The actin-polymerizing activity of SipA is not essential for Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium-induced mucosal inflammation.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium depends on type III secretion systems to inject effector proteins into host cells to promote bacterial invasion and to induce intestinal inflammation. SipA, a type III effector, is known to play important roles in both the invasion and the elicitation of intestinal inflammation. The actin-modulating activity of SipA has been shown to promote Salmonella entry into epithelial cells. To investigate whether the actin-modulating activity of SipA is required for its ability to induce an inflammatory response in vivo, we generated the SipA(K635A E637W) mutant, which is deficient in actin-modulating activity. Salmonella strains expressing the chromosomal SipA(K635A E637W) point mutation had reduced invasion abilities but still caused colitis similar to that caused by the wild-type strain in a mouse model of infection. Our data indicate that the SipA actin-polymerizing activity is not essential for the SipA-induced inflammatory response in the mouse model of infection.

The impact of social support on the quality of life among older adults in China: An empirical study based on the 2020 CFPS.

Background: As aging issues become serious, how to guarantee and improve the quality of life among older adults has become a hot topic in China. This article is aimed to discuss the impact of formal and informal social support on the quality of life among older adults and the differences in gender and urban-rural areas. Methods: The data used in this article are from the 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Quality of life is measured from three dimensions of life: satisfaction, self-rated health, and mental state. This article uses the ordered logistic regression model to analyze the impact of social support on life satisfaction and self-rated health, and the binary logistic regression model to analyze the impact of social support on the mental state. The method of Shapley value decomposition further analyzes the contribution of influencing factors to the quality of life. Results: The activities of daily living (ADL) and income significantly impact the quality of life among older adults. Formal and informal social support positively improved the quality of life among older adults, but the effect of informal social support is greater than that of formal social support. The male older adults are significantly better than the female adults across all three dimensions of quality of life. The mental state of urban older adults is better than that of rural older adults. Conclusion: Formal and informal social support should be strengthened to improve the income of older adults. Older adults should be encouraged to participate in social activities and good interpersonal relationships should be established actively. Female older adults should be paid more attention. The proportion of female older adults participating in insurance should be increased, and the family and intergenerational care burden for female older adults should be reduced. The leisure life of urban older adults should be enriched. The basic social insurance and health service systems in rural areas should be improved.

Involvement of TIP60 acetyltransferase in intracellular Salmonella replication.

BACKGROUND: Salmonella enterica is a facultative intracellular pathogen that replicates within a membrane-bound compartment termed Salmonella containing vacuole (SCV). The biogenesis of SCV requires Salmonella type III protein secretion/translocation system and their effector proteins which are translocated into host cells to exploit the vesicle trafficking pathways. SseF is one of these effectors required for SCV formation and Intracellular Salmonella replication through unknown mechanisms. RESULTS: In an attempt to identify host proteins that interact with SseF, we conduct a yeast two-hybrid screening of human cell cDNA library using SseF as the bait. We identified that TIP60, an acetyltransferase, interacts with SseF. We showed that the TIP60 acetylation activity was increased in the presence of SseF, and TIP60 was upregulated upon Salmonella infection. In addition, TIP60 is required for efficient intracellular Salmonella replication in macrophages. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our data suggest that Salmonella may use SseF to exploit the host TIP60 acetyltransferase activity to promote efficient Salmonella replication inside host cells.

[Adipogenic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells derived from ovariectomized rats].

In order to study the effect of ovariectomy on the capacity of rat MSCs' differentiation into adipocytes, we established the animal models of osteoporosis by performing ovariectomy on the 3-months-old and 6-month-old female SD rats. Then MSCs were isolated from these rats by means of the density-gradient centrifugation method. After adipogenic induction (ADI), lipid droplets were detected by oil red O staining, and the mRNA level of lipoprotein lipase(LPL) was measured by RT-PCR assay. The experiments included 8 groups: (1) MSCs from 3-month-old rats (MSCs 3control); (2) MSCs from 3-month-old ovariectomized rats (MSCs 3ovx); (3) MSCs from 6-month-old rats (MSCs 6control); (4) MSCs from 6-month-old ovariectomized rats (MSCs 6ovx); (5) MSCs from 3-month-old rats with ADI (MSCs ADI 3control); (6) MSCs from 3-month-old ovariectomized rats with ADI (MSCs ADI 3ovx); (7) MSCs from 6-month-old rats with ADI (MSCs ADI 6control); 8) MSCs from 6-month-old ovariectomied rats with ADI (MSCs ADI 6ovx). The results showed that the number of lipid droplets and expression level of LPL mRNA in MSCs ADI 3ovx and MSCs ADI 6ovx were higher than those in MSCs ADI 3control and MSCs ADI 6control, respectively; that the number of lipid droplets and expression level of LPL mRNA in MSCs ADI 6control were higher than those in MSCs ADI 3control respectively. The results of this study suggested that the adipogenic potential of MSCs from both aged and ovariectomied osteoporotic rats were augmented.

Role of the medial preoptic area in electroacupuncture treatment of reproductive dysfunction in ovariectomised rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus in electroacupuncture (EA) treatment of reproductive dysfunction in ovariectomised (OVX) rats and to examine the underlying mechanisms of action. METHODS: 62 female Sprague-Dawley rats (200-220 g) underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX). Three weeks later, 32 rats assigned to experiment 1 were randomly divided into four groups: two groups underwent MPOA lesioning (n=16) followed by EA at CV4, CV3, SP6 and bilateral Zigong (30 min per day) for 3 days (OVX+MPOA+EA group, n=8) or no treatment (OVX+MPOA group, n=8); and two groups underwent sham (S) surgery (n=16) followed by EA (OVX+SMPOA+EA group, n=8) or no treatment (OVX+SMPOA group, n=8). Plasma oestradiol and luteinising hormone (LH) were measured by radioimmunoassay and mature vaginal epithelial cells stained and quantified post-treatment. 30 rats assigned to experiment 2 were randomised to receive EA (OVX+EA group, n=15) or remain untreated (OVX group, n=15), following which push-pull perfusion in combination with high pressure liquid chromatography/electrochemical (HPLC-EC) detection was used to measure neurotransmitter release in the MPOA. RESULTS: EA significantly increased the percentage of mature vaginal epithelial cells and plasma oestradiol levels in sham MPOA-lesioned rats compared with MPOA-lesioned OVX rats (p<0.05). In sham MPOA-lesioned OVX rats, EA significantly decreased plasma LH levels compared with no treatment (p<0.01). HPLC-EC results showed that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ß-endorphin levels in the MPAO were significantly increased in OVX rats following EA (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that the MPOA plays a crucial role in EA treatment of abnormal reproductive function in OVX rats.

Effects of electroacupuncture on uterine morphology and expression of oestrogen receptors in ovariectomised rats.

AIM: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on uterine morphology and expression of oestrogen receptor (ER) α and ß in ovariectomised (OVX) rats. METHODS: Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats with regular 4-day oestrus cycles were divided into a sham operation group (Control, n=10) and two OVX groups that remained untreated (OVX group, n=10) or received EA treatment (OVX+EA group, n=10). In the latter group, EA was applied at CV4, CV3, SP6 and bilateral Zigong (30 min per day) for 3 days. The effects of EA on uterine morphology were observed by H&E staining. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to measure ERα and ERß mRNA and protein expression, respectively. RESULTS: Relative to the (untreated) OVX group, EA treatment significantly increased the uterine wet weight to body weight (UWW/BW) ratio (0.47±0.04 vs 0.31±0.03 g/kg, p=0.04), and myometrial thickness (109.39±10.71 vs 60.81±8.1 µm, p=0.016) of OVX rats. Similarly, the total number of endometrial glands per cross section and endometrial thickness in the OVX +EA group was significantly increased compared to the (untreated) OVX group. EA treatment also increased protein (but not mRNA) expression of both ERα and ERß in the uteri of OVX rats. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that EA treatment decreases uterine atrophy in OVX rats. This unique effect of EA on the uterus may be due to upregulation of serum levels of E2 and differential regulation of sex steroid receptors ERα and ERß.

Prednisone may induce immunologic tolerance by activating the functions of decidual immune cells in early pregnancy.

The objective of this study was to investigate alterations in human first-trimester decidual immune cells (DICs) and relevant cytokines after treatment with prednisone. Decidual lymphocytes were treated with prednisone alone, cytokines alone or the combination of prednisone and cytokines. Levels of STAT3, STAT5, RORC and FOXP3 mRNA were assayed using quantitative real-time PCR, proportions of CD4+ T helper 17 (Th17) and CD4+ T regulatory (Treg) cells were measured using flow cytometry, and concentrations of interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-10 were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After treatment with prednisone alone, levels of STAT5 and FOXP3 mRNA were significantly higher than in untreated control cells (both P < 0.01), while levels of RORC mRNA were significantly lower than in controls (P < 0.05). Levels of STAT3 mRNA did not vary significantly with treatment. After treatment with prednisone alone, proportions of Th17/CD4+ cells and levels of IL-17A were significantly lower than in control cells, and proportions of Treg/CD4+ cells and levels of IL-10 significantly higher than in controls (all P < 0.01). Our results suggest that prednisone may improve pregnancy outcomes by restoring immunological homeostasis through up-regulation of STAT5 and FOXP3, induction of DIC differentiation into Treg cells, inhibition of DIC differentiation into Th17 cells, reduction of IL-17A secretion and induction of IL-10 secretion.

[A potential role for the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis by ovariectomy in rat].

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the osteogenesis and adipogenesis in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from normal rats and osteoporotic rats by ovariectomy. Osteoporotic animal model was established in 3 month-old and 6 month-old female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by ovariectomy. Animal experiments were divided into 4 groups: 1) control-3 group; 2) ovx-3 group; 3) control-6 group and 4) ovx-6 group. MSCs were isolated by means of the density-gradient centrifugation method from each group, respectively. Colony-forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-Fs ) number, CFU-Fs size distribution and cell density in CFU-Fs of primary passage MSCs were measured at the inverted phase contrast microscope. The cell cycle and proliferation index (PI) as well as apoptosis idex (AI) of MSCs were studied by (FCM). After osteogenic induction (OSI), calcium nodes of MSCs were marked by alizarin red staining (ARS); The expression level of alkaline phosphatase(ALP) was detected by dynamics method with substrate of phosphoric acid para-Nitro benzene and the content of osteocalcin (OCN) was detected with the isotope labelling method. After adipogenic induction (ADI), lipid droplet in MSCs were detected by oil red O staining and the mRNA level of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was measured by RT-PCR. The results showed that CFU-Fs and PI are obviously decresed and AI are increased of MSCs in OVX-3 and OVX-6 groups (P<0.05). The secretory volume of ALP and BGP of MSCs and the content of calcium nods of MSCs are lower in OVX-3 and OVX-6 groups than that in control-3 and control-6 groups after osteogenic induction (P<0.05). The number of lipid droplet and the expression level of LPL mRNA are higher in OVX-3 and OVX-6 groups than that in control-3 and control-6 (P<0.05). The result in our study suggested that depress of osteogenesis and the up-regulation of adipogenesis of MSCs in osteoporotic rats by ovariectomy may be relate close to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.

[Osteogenic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from ovariectomied osteoporotic rat].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the difference of osteogenic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) between healthy rats and osteoporotic rats. METHODS: We established the animal model of osteoporosis by performing ovariectom on the 3-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) were isolated from the rats of control group and of ovariectomized (ovx) group by means of the density-gradient centrifugation method, and the 3rd-4th passage MSCs were used in all the experiments. The experiments comprised 4 groups: (1) Marrow mesenchymal stem cells control group (MSCs control group); (2) Marrow mesenchymal stem cells ovx group (MSCs ovx group); (3) Osteogenesis induction control group (OSI control group); (4) Osteogenesis induction ovx group (OSI ovx group). Cell cycle and proliferation index (PI) of MSCs were detected by flow cytometry. The expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was detected by dynamics method with substrate of phosphoric acid para-Nitro benzene. The levels of osteocalcin were detected with the isotope labelling method. RESULTS: (1) PI of MSCs was lower in MSCs ovx group than in MSCs control group. (2) The expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was much higher in OSI control group than in the MSCs control group; the expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was much higher in the OSI control group than in OSI ovx group after 7-day and 14-day osteogenic induction. (3) The level of osteocalcin was much higher in the OSI control group than in the MSCs control group after 14-day, 21-day, 28-day osteogenic induction. The level of osteocalcin was much higher in the OSI control group than in the OSI ovx group. CONCLUSION: Both the proliferative potential and the osteogenic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the ovariectomized osteoporotic rat are decreased.

Targeting Cellular Metabolism Chemosensitizes the Doxorubicin-Resistant Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Cells.

Metabolic energy preferentially produced by glycolysis was an advantageous metabolic phenotype of cancer cells. It is also an essential contributor to the progression of multidrug resistance in cancer cells. By developing human breast cancer MCF-7 cells resistant to doxorubicin (DOX) (MCF-7/MDR cells), the effects and mechanisms of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), a glucose analogue, on reversing multidrug resistance were investigated. 2DG significantly inhibited the viability of MCF-7/MDR cells and enhanced DOX-induced apoptosis by upregulating protein expression of AMPKα, P53, and caspase-3. The study demonstrated that energy restriction induced by 2DG was relevant to the synergistic effect of 2DG and DOX. The proteins of multidrug gene (the MDR-related protein, MRP1) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in MCF-7/MDR cells were downregulated after exposure to 2DG, accompanied with the suppression of the activity of ATP-dependent drug-efflux pump and transmembrane transporter, increasing the intracellular accumulation of DOX to reverse the chemoresistance in multidrug cancer cells.