Study on Dynamic Probability and Quantitative Risk Calculation Method of Domino Accident in Pool Fire in Chemical Storage Tank Area.

The domino event caused by fire is one of the common accidents in hydrocarbon storage tank farms, which further expands the severity and scope of the accident. Due to the different failure sequence of the storage tanks in a domino accident, the radiant heat generated by the failed storage tank to the target tank is different. Based on the influence of this synergistic effect, this study combined the Monte Carlo algorithm and FSEM, and proposed a fast real-time probability calculation method for a fire domino accident in a storage tank area, for the first time. This method uses the Monte Carlo algorithm to simulate all accident scenarios, and obtains the evolution of multiple escalation fire domino accidents under the synergistic effect according to FSEM, and then calculates the real-time failure probability and risk. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the accident propagation path, this method avoids the problem of a large amount of calculation, and is conducive to the rapid and effective analysis of the fire risk in a storage tank area and the formulation of corresponding risk reduction measures. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method were proved by a case study.

Intelligent Coatings with Controlled Wettability for Oil-Water Separation.

Intelligent surfaces with controlled wettability have caught much attention in industrial oily wastewater treatment. In this study, a hygro-responsive superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic coating was fabricated by the liquid-phase deposition of SiO2 grafted with perfluorooctanoic acid. The wettability of the surface could realize the transformation from superhydrophilicity/underwater superoleophobicity (SHI/USOB) to superhydrophobicity/superoleophilicity (SHB/SOI), both of which exhibited excellent separation performance towards different types of oil-water mixtures with the separation efficiency higher than 99%. Furthermore, the long-chain perfluoroakyl substances on the surface could be decomposed by mixing SiO2 with TiO2 nanoparticles under UV irradiation, which could reduce the pollution to human beings and environment. It is anticipated that the prepared coating with controlled wettability could provide a feasible solution for oil-water separation.

Relieving visceral hyperalgesia effect of Kangtai capsule and its potential mechanisms via modulating the 5-HT and NO level in vivo.

Kangtai capsule (KT) is one type of traditional Chinese medicine preparation derived from the proved recipe, which was frequently applied as an effective clinical treatment of IBS. However, there still lack the reasonable and all-round analytical approach and the scientific studies on its underlying mechanisms. Therefore, our study aimed to develop the novel method for evaluating its quality as well as to interpret the potential mechanisms. In our study, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint was applied to provide a chemical profile of KT. The neonatal maternal separation (NMS) on Sprague-Dawley pups was employed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of KT by virtue of various parameters including visceral hyperalgesia, serum nitric oxide (NO) level, and tissue 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level. Consequently, a chromatographic condition, which was carried at 30°C with a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min on AQUA 3µ C18 column with mobile phase of acetonitrile and water-phosphoric acid (100:0.1, v/v), was established to give a common fingerprint chromatography under 254 nm with a similarity index of 0.963 within ten batches of KT samples. On the NMS model, KT markedly elevated the pain threshold of NMS rats. Furthermore, KT at three doses significantly decreased 5-HT content from distal colon of visceral hyperalgesia rats induced by NMS, while the significant decrease of 5-HT content in serum was only observed in the group with KT at high dose. However, compared with that in NMS rats without KT, there was no apparent difference of 5-HT level from brain issue in the rats with various doses. Besides, KT could substantially elevate the concentration of NO in the serum. The results showed our study developed the simple, rapid, accurate, reproducible qualitative and quantitative analysis by HPLC fingerprint for the quality control for KT. Data from the pharmacological investigation suggested that the curative effect of KT to the visceral hypersensitivity may be concerned with the level of 5-HT and NO in vivo, promising its potential in irritable bowel syndrome treatment.

Effects of chronic treatment with honokiol in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The present study was performed to evaluate the antihypertensive effects of honokiol in vivo in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The effects of honokiol were investigated by determination of the blood pressure, vascular reactivity, oxidative parameters, and histologic change in the aorta. Long-term administration of honokiol (400 mg/kg/d) to SHR decreased systolic blood pressure significantly. Honokiol (200, 400 mg/kg/d) enhanced the aortic relaxation in response to acetylcholine after 49-d treatment, but had no significant effects on the relaxation to sodium nitroprusside. The oral administration of honokiol significantly increased the plasma level of NO(2(-))/NO(3(-)), but decreased the level of malondialdehyde in liver of SHR compared with the control vehicle. In addition, SHR administered honokiol showed significant reductions in the elastin bands and media thickness in the aorta. These results suggest that chronic treatment with honokiol exerts an antihypertensive effect in SHR, and its vasorelaxant action and antioxidant properties may contribute to reducing the elevated blood pressure.

[Effect of total saponins from Panax notoginseng on expession of melatonin receptor mRNA in gastric mucosa of stress rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of total saponins from Panax notoginseng (PNS) on melatonin receptor (MR) expression and its content in gastric mucosa of stress rats. METHODS: Water-immersion restraint stress (WRS) was used to induce stress rat models. RevertAid First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit was used for the reverse transcription of the total RNA from gastric mucosa of stress rats. The PCR product was analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis firstly and then by KODAK 1 D Image system. The expression level of melatonin 1 (MT1) receptor mRNA was calculated with the optimal density of ratio of MT, receptor and GAPDH. RESULTS: Six hours after WRS, there were 360 bp positive bands in RT-PCR product of MT1. The relative content of MR was lower in the model group than that in the normal group. MR content in PNS group and ranitidine group were both higher than that in the normal group and the model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: There is mRNA expression of MT1 receptor in gastric mucosa of stress rats indeed. PNS has protective effect on gastric mucosa of stress rats by up-regulating MR expression, and its protective mechanism may be related to promoting melatonin secretion or increasing the binding capacity of melatonin to its receptor.

[Effect of Kuijieling decoction on proteins expression of IKK-alpha in colonic mucosa of ulcerative colitis model rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the changes of protein expression of IKK-alpha as well as the effects of Kuijieling Decoction (KD) on colonic mucosa of ulcerative colitis (UC) model rats. METHODS: UC model rats were induced by TNBS. The rats were randomly divided into six groups: normal control (NC) group, model control (MC) group, Kuijieling low dose (KLD), middle dose (KMD) group, high dose (KHD) group and SASP group. After 10-days' treatment the rats were killed to get their colonic tissues. The positive rate of IKK-alpha expression was detected by immunohistochemical (IHC). RESULTS: The positive rate of IKK-alpha in MC group was significantly higher than that in NC group (P < 0.01). The positive rate of IKK-alpha in KMD group was significantly lower than that in MC group (P < 0.05). The positive rate of IKK-alpha in KHD and SASP group were significantly lower than that in MC group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: IKK-alpha may be involved in the pathogenesis of UC, and KD can inhibit positive rate of IKK-alpha in colonic mucosa of UC model rats induced by TNBS. The inhibitory effects of KD on UC may be associated with this.

[Effect of kuijieling decoction on gene expression of TLR2, TLR4 in colonic mucosa of UC rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Kuijieling Decoction (KD) on gene expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2,4 in colonic mucosa of ulcerative colitis( UC) rats. METHODS: 48 rats were divided into six groups as follows: normal control (NC) group, model control (MC) group, Kuijieling low dose (KLD) group, Kuijieling medium dose (KMD) group, Kuijieling high dose (KHD) group and SASP group. TLR2/4 gene expression in colonic mucosa was measured by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Relative gene expression of TLR2/4 in MC group were significantly higher than that in NC group (P < 0.01). Relative gene expression of TLR2 in KMD and KHD group was significantly lower than that in MC group (P < 0.05). Relative gene expression of TLR4 in KHD group was significantly lower than that in MC group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Up-regulation of TLR2 and TLR4 gene expression can be seen in colonic mucosa of UC rats. KD can inhibit the gene expression of TLR2 and TLR4. The inhibitory effects of KD on UC may be associated with the inhibition of TLR2 and TLR4 gene expression.

Study on clinical effect and mechanism of jianpi qingre huayu recipe.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Jianpi Qingre Huayu Recipe in curing gastric ulcer and to preliminarily probe into its pathogenic mechanism. METHODS: Fifty patients with gastric ulcer of Pi -insufficiency and stasis-heat syndrome type were assigned to the treated group (30 patients) and the control group (20 patients). They were treated respectively with JQH and Ranitidine. At the same time, another group consisting of 20 healthy persons was set up for normal control. The clinical effect on gastroscopic figure and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome were observed. Changes of T-cell subsets and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in serum as well as IL-8 in mucosa around the gastric ulcer were determined before and after treatment by flow cytometry and ELISA. RESULTS: Comparison of the total effective rate on gastroscopic figure in the treated group and the control group (86.7% vs 80.0%) showed insignificant difference, but the cure rate and markedly effective rate in the former (50.0% and 20.0%) was higher than that in the latter (40.0% and 15.0%) respectively. Comparison of the total effective rate on TCM syndrome in the treated group and in the control group (96.7% vs 70.0%) showed insignificant difference, but the cure rate and markedly effective rate in the former (63.3% and 23.3%) was higher than that in the latter (50.0% and 20.0%) respectively. Serum levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ got restored to normal range in the treated group after treatment but it was not so in the control group. IL-8 level in gastric mucosa was improved in both groups but the improvement in the treated group was better. CONCLUSION: JQH could effectively treat gastric ulcer and partly reduce its recurrence through improving patients' immune function.

Effects of Dangshen root extract serum on intracellular free calcium in gastric parietal cells of dissociated rats.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Dangshen root extract on intracellular free calcium concentration [Ca2+] i of parietal cells. METHODS: The Dangshen-containing serum was obtained from rat blood after a continuously five days' feeding with Dangshen root extract of three doses and parietal cells were isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats; [Ca2+] i in single cells was measured by confocal microscope loaded with Fluo3-AM as fluorensent indicator; The change of [Ca2+] i was represented by fluorensent intensity (FI). RESULTS: There were differences in the FI of [Ca2+] i increased by gastrin both between high and control group and between middle and control group (P < 0.05). But no difference was found between low and control groups (P > 0.05). And time to peak of FI, it was not found any difference between any two of the groups. CONCLUSION: Dangshen-containing serum can inhibit the intracellular [Ca2+] i increase induced by gastrin in a dose-dependent manner and it may be one of the mechanisms of its reduction on acid secretion which has a close relation with the formation of ulcerous diseases.