Discharge Characteristics, Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Mechanism and Properties of ZrO2 Membranes in K2ZrF6 Electrolyte.

ZrO2 was coated on AZ31 magnesium alloy substrate by plasma electrolytic oxidation with K2ZrF6 and NaH2PO4 electrolytes. The discharge characteristics and variation in active species during the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process were studied by optical emission spectroscopy. The surface morphology and element composition of the membranes were observed by scanning electron microscope. The ion transfer of the substrate was studied by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The phase composition and corrosion characteristics of the PEO membranes were examined with XRD and an electrochemical workstation, respectively. The heat and mass transfer models during the PEO process were introduced. The contributions of ions to the membranes and active species were also analyzed. The results indicated that the ion transfer at different stages exhibits different tendencies. At the first and transition stages, the migration resistance of the ions was low and increased gradually. At the initial discharge stage, the migration resistance was the highest because the highest membrane growth rate occurred at this stage. At the later discharge stage, the migration resistance tends to be stable, which is ascribed to a dynamic equilibrium PEO membrane growth rate. The intensity of active species is related to the energy state of the working electrode's surface. The higher the energy, the greater the probability that the active species will be excited to generate energy level transitions, and the higher the plasma concentration.

RETRACTED: Ginsenoside Rg1 defenses PC-12 cells against hydrogen peroxide-caused damage via up-regulation of miR-216a-5p.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. Given the comments of Dr Elisabeth Bik regarding this article "… the Western blot bands in all 400+ papers are all very regularly spaced and have a smooth appearance in the shape of a dumbbell or tadpole, without any of the usual smudges or stains. All bands are placed on similar looking backgrounds, suggesting they were copy/pasted from other sources, or computer generated", the journal requested the authors to provide the raw data. However, the authors were not able to fulfil this request and therefore the Editor-in-Chief decided to retract the article.

Therapeutic Effect of Medical Ozone on Lumbar Disc Herniation.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of low, medium, and high concentrations of medical ozone on trauma-induced lumbar disc herniation. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 80 patients were included and were grouped into a control group, a low medical ozone (20 µg/ml) group, a medium medical ozone (40 µg/ml) group, and a high medical ozone (60 µg/ml) group. The CT scan and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect IL-6 level, SOD activity, IgM, and IgG levels upon admission and at 6 and 12 months after follow-up. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated for visual analogue scale (VAS) and efficiency rate. RESULTS All patients showed disc retraction at 6- and 12-month follow-up; while patients in the medium medical ozone (40 µg/ml) group showed the greatest disc retraction rate. The IL-6, IgM, IgG, and VAS levels significantly decreased while SOD activity increased among all groups over time (p<0.05). The AUCIL-6, AUCIgG, AUCIgM, and AUCSOD was closest to 1 in the medium medical ozone (40 µg/ml) group compared with other groups (p<0.01), with the highest efficacy at 6 (35%) and 12 (85%) months during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Low concentrations of medical ozone (20 µg/ml and 40 µg/ml) reduced the serum IL-6, IgG, and IgM expression, presenting as analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, while high concentrations of medical ozone (60 µg/ml) increased the serum IL-6, IgG, IgM expression, presenting as pain and pro-inflammatory effects. The medical ozone concentration of 40 µg/ml showed the optimal treatment efficacy.

Alendronate promotes osteoblast differentiation and bone formation in ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis through interferon-ß/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 pathway.

Alendronate is commonly used for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis; however, the underlying pathological molecular mechanisms of its action remain unclear. In the present study, the alendronate-treated signaling pathway in bone metabolism in rats with ovariectomy induced by osteoporosis was investigated. Rats with osteoporosis were orally administered alendronate or phosphate-buffered saline (control). In addition, the interferon-ß (IFN-ß)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) signaling pathway was investigated in osteoblasts following treatment with alendronate in vitro and in vivo. During the differentiation period, IFN-ß (100 ng/ml) was used to treat the osteoblast cells, and the activity, viability and bone metabolism-associated gene expression levels (STAT1, p-STAT1, Fra1, TRAF6 and SOCS1) were analyzed in osteoblast cells. Histopathological changes were used to evaluate osteoblasts, osteoclasts, inflammatory phase of bone healing and osteonecrotic areas. The results demonstrated that alendronate significantly inhibited the activity of osteoporotic osteoclasts by stimulating expression of IFN-ß, as well as markedly improved the viability and activity of osteoblasts compared with the control group. In addition, alendronate increased the expression and phosphorylation levels of STAT1 in osteoclasts, enhanced osteoblast differentiation, upregulated the expression levels of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin, and increased the expression of osteoblast differentiation-associated genes (osteocalcin, osterix and Runx2). Inhibition of IFN-ß expression canceled the benefits of alendronate-mediated osteoblast differentiation. Notably, alendronate enhanced bone formation in rats with osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy. In conclusion, these findings suggest that alendronate can regulate osteoblast differentiation and bone formation in rats with osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy through upregulation of IFN-ß/STAT1 signaling pathway.