• Energy Research
• 3. Good health close
• CN close
• GB close

Public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak has made all industries to reexamine the way the cities have always grown. Urban planning is no exception. Based on the analysis of the development track and phenomenon of Wuhan City, this paper puts forward the planning thinking of the development of China’s big cities. According to the study, it is urgent to study the suitable size, structure and form of big cities. The consistent practice of high-intensity development needs to stop. Urban development should pay more attention to the space that can not directly generate economic benefits.

Alcohol and psychiatric disorder have a complicated relationship. Certain important psychiatric syndromes arise from the toxic effects of alcohol and thiamine deficiency. Liver disease and hypoglycaemia are also associated with their own psychiatric syndromes. Many psychiatric patients also turn to alcohol as an easily available ‘medication’.

Excess alcohol exposure leads to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Pueraria lobata (PUE) and Silybum marianum (SIL) are two well-known hepatoprotective herbal remedies with various activities. The possible effect of combination of PUE and SIL on ALD has not been elucidated yet.We aimed to demonstrate that the combination of PUE and SIL prevents against alcoholic liver injury in mice using a model of chronic-plus-single-binge ethanol feeding.Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups (n = 8-10), namely the control group (CON), ethanol-induced liver injury group (ETH), 150 mg/kg PUE treated group (PUE), 60 mg/kg SIL treated group (SIL), 210 mg/kg PUE+SIL treatment group (PUE+SIL). Except control group, all animals were fed a modified Lieber-DeCarli ethanol liquid diet for 10 days. While, control group received Lieber-DeCarli control diet containing isocaloric maltose dextrin substituted for ethanol. On day 11, the mice orally received a single dose of 31.5% (v/v) ethanol (5 g/kg BW) or an isocaloric maltose solution.Ethanol exposure caused liver injury, as demonstrated by remarkably increased plasma parameters, histopathological changes, the increased lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and inflammation in liver. These alterations were ameliorated by the treatments of PUE, SIL and PUE+SIL. While, the PUE+SIL treatment showed the most effective protection, which was associated with reducing alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis via upregulating LKB1/AMPK/ACC signaling, and inhibiting hepatic inflammation via LPS-triggered TLR4-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway. Our results also indicated that the hepatoprotective effects of SIL+PUE might mainly attribute to the protection of SIL and PUE alone in alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis and hepatic inflammation, respectively.These findings also suggest that the combination of PUE and SIL has a potential to be developed as a functional food for the management of ALD.

Abstract Background Polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable polymer, has the potential to replace (at least partially) traditional petroleum-based plastics, minimizing “white pollution”. However, cost-effective production of optically pure L-lactic acid is needed to achieve the full potential of PLA. Currently, starch-based glucose is used for L-lactic acid fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. Due to its competition with food resources, an alternative non-food substrate such as cellulosic biomass is needed for L-lactic acid fermentation. Nevertheless, the substrate (sugar stream) derived from cellulosic biomass contains significant amounts of xylose, which is unfermentable by most lactic acid bacteria. However, the microorganisms that do ferment xylose usually carry out heterolactic acid fermentation. As a result, an alternative strain should be developed for homofermentative production of optically pure L-lactic acid using cellulosic biomass. Results In this study, an ethanologenic Escherichia coli strain, SZ470 (ΔfrdBC ΔldhA ΔackA ΔpflB ΔpdhR ::pflBp6-acEF-lpd ΔmgsA), was reengineered for homofermentative production of L-lactic acid from xylose (1.2 mole xylose = > 2 mole L-lactic acid), by deleting the alcohol dehydrogenase gene (adhE) and integrating the L-lactate dehydrogenase gene (ldhL) of Pediococcus acidilactici. The resulting strain, WL203, was metabolically evolved further through serial transfers in screw-cap tubes containing xylose, resulting in the strain WL204 with improved anaerobic cell growth. When tested in 70 g L-1 xylose fermentation (complex medium), WL204 produced 62 g L-1 L-lactic acid, with a maximum production rate of 1.631 g L-1 h-1 and a yield of 97% based on xylose metabolized. HPLC analysis using a chiral column showed that an L-lactic acid optical purity of 99.5% was achieved by WL204. Conclusions These results demonstrated that WL204 has the potential for homofermentative production of L-lactic acid using cellulosic biomass derived substrates, which contain a significant amount of xylose.

In 2015, an estimated 429,000 deaths and 212 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide, while 70% of the deaths occurred in children under five years old. Changes in climatic exposure such as temperature and precipitation makes malaria one of the most climate sensitive outcomes. Using a global malaria mortality dataset for 105 countries between 1980 and 2010, we estimate that the global optimal temperature maximizing all-age malaria mortality is 20.6, lower than previously predicted in the literature. While in the case of child mortality, a significantly lower optimum temperature of 19.3° is estimated. Our results also suggest that in Africa and Asia, the continents where malaria is most prevalent malaria, mortality is maximized at 28.4 and 26.3, respectively. Furthermore, we estimate that child mortality (ages 0-4) is likely to increase by up to 20 percent in some areas due to climate change by the end of the 21st century.

The aqueous ethanolic extract from the fresh cladodes of Opuntia dillenii HAW. was found to show anti-inflammatory activity. Two new alpha-pyrones, named opuntioside II (1) and opuntioside III (2), were isolated from the extract together with six known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence.

Natural polysaccharides, particularly galactomannans, are potential candidates for treatment of alcoholic liver diseases (ALD). However, applications are restricted due to the physicochemical properties associated with the high molecular weight. In this work, guar gum galactomannans were partially hydrolyzed by β-mannanase, and the molecular mechanisms of hepatoprotective effects were elucidated both in vitro and in vivo. Release of lactate dehydrogenase and cytochrome C were attenuated by partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) in HepG2 cells, due to protected cell and mitochondrial membrane integrity. PHGG co-administration decreased serum amino transaminases and cholinesterase levels of acute alcohol intoxicated mice, while hepatic pathologic morphology was depleted. Activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase was recovered to 198.2, 34.5, 236.0 U/mg protein, respectively, while malondialdehyde level was decreased by 76.3% (PHGG, 1000 mg/kg∙day). Co-administration of PHGG induced a 4.4-fold increment of p-AMPK expression, and lipid metabolism was mediated. PHGG alleviated toll-like-receptor-4-mediated inflammation via the signaling cascade of MyD88 and IκBα, decreasing cytokine production. Moreover, mediated expression of Bcl-2 and Bax was responsible for inhibited acute alcohol-induced apoptosis with suppressed cleavage of caspase 3 and PARP. Findings gained suggest that PHGG can be used as functional food supplement for the treatment of acute alcohol-induced liver injury.

In the past decade, prescriptions for opioid medicines have been exponentially increasing, instigating opioid abuse as a global health crisis associated with high morbidity and mortality. In particular, diversion from the intended mode of opioid administration, such as injecting and snorting the opioid, is a major problem that contributes to this epidemic. In light of this, novel formulation strategies are needed to support efforts in reducing the prevalence and risks of opioid abuse. Here, modified release tramadol printlets (3D printed tablets) with alcohol-resistant and abuse-deterrent properties were prepared by direct powder extrusion three-dimensional (3D) printing. The printlets were fabricated using two grades of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC). Both formulations displayed strong ethanol-resistance and had moderate abuse-deterrent properties. Polyethylene oxide (PEO) was subsequently added into the formulations, which improved the printlets' resistance to physical tampering in nasal inhalation tests and delayed their dissolution in solvent extraction tests. Overall, this article reports for the first time the use of direct powder extrusion 3D printing to prepare drug products with both alcohol-resistant and abuse-deterrent properties. These results offer a novel approach for the safe and effective use of opioids that can contribute to the advantages that 3D printing provides in terms of on-demand dose personalisation.