Prolonging Campaign Life of Blast Furnace Trough by Water Cooling.

A long campaign life of the trough of the blast furnace (BF) is important for improving the BF operation efficiency, reducing the cost of blast furnace ironmaking, and bettering the working conditions of the casting yard. In this paper, a water cooling device was designed for the trough of a BF with a volume of 630 m3. The effect of water cooling on lengthening the unit campaign life of the trough was investigated using industrial tests, numerical simulations, and theoretical analysis. Results showed that by using water cooling, the throughput of the trough in a unit campaign was increased by 40,000 tons, and its unit campaign life was increased by 34 days. During a unit campaign cycle, the influence of the water cooling device on the temperature distribution in refractory materials gradually developed from the low-temperature zone to the high-temperature zone, and the expansion of the high-temperature zone was suppressed. Therefore, the water cooling device inhibited the dissolution of refractory materials and retarded the chemical erosion from the molten slag and the atmosphere.

Enhanced anti-microbial activity and osseointegration of Ta/Cu co-implanted polyetheretherketone.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has been widely applied for orthopedic and oral implants due to its excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and radiolucency. However, its bioinert and the lack of anti-microbial activity limit its application. We modified the PEEK surface with Ta/Cu co-implantation using plasma immersion ion-implantation technology. After implantation of Ta/Cu ions, the morphology and roughness of the PEEK surface were not significantly changed at micron level. We estimated the cytocompatibility, anti-microbial ability, and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) of the modified surfaces in vitro. Compared to the untreated surfaces, the Ta ion-treated surface showed improved adhesion, proliferation, ALP activity, ECM mineralization, and osteogenic gene expression of BMSCs. Further, the Cu ion-treated surface showed reduced initial adhesion and proliferation of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus in the mouse subcutaneous implant-associated infection model. According to a rat bone repair model, all Ta ion-implanted groups demonstrated improved new bone formation. In summary, Ta/Cu ion co-impanation improved anti-microbial activity and promoted osseointegration of the PEEK surface.

Study on the osteogenesis of rat mesenchymal stem cells and the long-term antibacterial activity of Staphylococcus epidermidis on the surface of silver-rich TiN/Ag modified titanium alloy.

The main causes of failure of orthopedic implants are infection and poor bone ingrowth. Surface modification of the implants to allow for long-term antibacterial and osteogenic functions is an effective solution to prevent failure of the implants. We developed silver-rich TiN/Ag nano-multilayers on the surface of titanium alloy with different doses of Ag+ . The antibacterial stability and osteogenesis of the silver-rich surface were determined by evaluating the adhesion and proliferation of Staphylococcus epidermidis, and the adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, extracellular matrix mineralization, and the expression level of genes involved in osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The results demonstrated that the antibacterial rates (Ra) of 5 × 1016 -Ag, 1 × 1017 -Ag, 5 × 1017 -Ag, and 1 × 1018 -Ag were respectively 46.21%, 85.66%, 94.99%, 98.48%, and 99.99%. After subcutaneous implantation in rats or immersion in phosphate buffered saline for up to 12 weeks, the silver-rich surface of the titanium alloy showed long-term stable inhibition of Staphylococcus epidermidis. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo studies indicated that the Ag-implanted titanium did not show apparent cytotoxicity and that lower Ag+ implanted groups (5 × 1016 -Ag, 1 × 1017 -Ag) had better viability and biological safety when compared with higher Ag+ implanted groups. In addition, when compared with the Ti6Al4V-group, all Ag-implanted groups exhibited enhanced osteogenic indicators in rat BMSCs. Regarding osteogenic indicators, the surfaces of the 5 × 1017 -Ag group had better osteogenic effects than those of other groups. Therefore, the proper dose of Ag+ implanted TiN/Ag nano-multilayers may be one of the options for the hard tissue replacement materials with antibacterial activity and osteogenic functions.

BMI1'S maintenance of the proliferative capacity of laryngeal cancer stem cells.

BACKGROUND: In laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), CD133+ cells were found to display cancer stem cell (CSC) characteristics. BMI1 is an oncogene that plays key roles in proliferation in CSCs. However, no published reports have examined the role of BMI1 in laryngeal CSCs. METHODS: Immunofluorescence staining confirmed the coexpression of BMI1 and CD133. After sorting, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed BMI1 was differentially expressed in CD133+ cells. BMI1 was knocked down and proliferation, colony formation, and apoptosis assays were performed. The influence on CD133+ cells was determined by flow cytometry, sphere-formation assay, and quantitative PCR. Tumorigenicity assays were performed, and the impact on related genes was evaluated. RESULTS: BMI1 was highly enriched in CD133+ cells. BMI1 maintained CD133+ cell proliferation and prevented apoptosis. Gene expression analysis suggested BMI1 regulated alternate cellular pathways. CONCLUSION: BMI1 was required to maintain the proliferative capacity of laryngeal CSCs, which may be a molecular target to cure patients with laryngeal SCC.

Prediction of gastric cancer metastasis through urinary metabolomic investigation using GC/MS.

AIM: To gain new insights into tumor metabolism and to identify possible biomarkers with potential diagnostic values to predict tumor metastasis. METHODS: Human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells were implanted into 24 severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice, which were randomly divided into metastasis group (n = 8), non-metastasis group (n = 8), and normal group (n = 8). Urinary metabolomic information was obtained by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). RESULTS: There were significant metabolic differences among the three groups (t test, P < 0.05). Ten selected metabolites were different between normal and cancer groups (non-metastasis and metastasis groups), and seven metabolites were also different between non-metastasis and metastasis groups. Two diagnostic models for gastric cancer and metastasis were constructed respectively by the principal component analysis (PCA). These PCA models were confirmed by corresponding receiver operating characteristic analysis (area under the curve = 1.00). CONCLUSION: The urinary metabolomic profile is different, and the selected metabolites might be instructive to clinical diagnosis or screening metastasis for gastric cancer.

Metabolomics of gastric cancer metastasis detected by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

AIM: To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of metastasis and to identify the metabolomic markers of gastric cancer metastasis. METHODS: Gastric tumors from metastatic and non-metastatic groups were used in this study. Metabolites and different metabolic patterns were analyzed by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and principal components analysis (PCA), respectively. Differentiation performance was validated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: Twenty-nine metabolites were differentially expressed in animal models of human gastric cancer. Of the 29 metabolites, 20 were up-regulated and 9 were down-regulated in metastasis group compared to non-metastasis group. PCA models from the metabolite profiles could differentiate the metastatic from the non-metastatic specimens with an AUC value of 1.0. These metabolites were mainly involved in several metabolic pathways, including glycolysis (lactic acid, alaline), serine metabolism (serine, phosphoserine), proline metabolism (proline), glutamic acid metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle (succinate, malic acid), nucleotide metabolism (pyrimidine), fatty acid metabolism (docosanoic acid, and octadecanoic acid), and methylation(glycine). The serine and proline metabolisms were highlighted during the progression of metastasis. CONCLUSION: Proline and serine metabolisms play an important role in metastasis. The metabolic profiling of tumor tissue can provide new biomarkers for the treatment of gastric cancer metastasis.

Protective effects of the Alisma orientalis extract on the experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the efficacy of Alisma orientalis methanolic extract (AOME) on the experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high-fat diet. Rats were fed with high-fat diet for six weeks and then gavaged the AOME for another six weeks. Typical pathological symptoms of NAFLD occurred in the high-fat diet rats. Administration with the AOME (150,300 and 600 mg kg (-1)) markedly decreased the serum and liver lipids; the high level of fasting serum glucose was reduced and insulin resistance was improved. The AOME treatment was also helpful in preventing the oxidative stress by lessening lipid peroxidation and activating antioxidant enzymes. Markers of the liver injury, aminotransferase abnormalities and hepatomegaly were improved and morphological changes, such as liver steatosis, mixed inflammation and collagen deposition, were lessened in rats treated with the AOME. These results suggested that the AOME showed hepatoprotective effects on NAFLD and may be a potential clinical application for treatment of this chronic liver disease.